145 Middle Schoolers: Wicked Awesome or Epic Fail???DeParting-Such Sweet Sorrow p. 76

First of all, thanks so much for the plug for my backsacks. It's good to see that your bag has made it through yet another one of your trips. It's a well traveled bag isn't it? :thumbsup2

Second, just looking at that stack of vouchers makes me do one of these :eek:. I agree with another poster, I stress out over keeping up with just our group's stuf so I would be super duper stressing if I had been you. But, I'm betting that you were a great choice to be the "Keeper of the Vouchers". :thumbsup2
 
Just started back on the boards while im recovering from surgery. This is just the medicine I need. I can't wait to read about the trip!

Ninja Mom, wishing you a speedy recovery. :hug:

welcome back, you survive! I can't believe how tall he is!!!

Some interesting chapter titles there my friend, this should be interesting to say the least. All I know is you are a brave brave soul, I can barely survive living with one middle schooler.

Hi Cynthia! Just had to let you know how invaluable your trip report continues to be for our Alaska cruise in August! I sometimes think of posting a question, and then just refer back to your trip report for advice. (Questions like, "What kind of pants should we bring/buy?") Since our older two boys will be 12 and 13 on the cruise, your report is so helpful. Dee, sorry for the OT post - back to the regularly scheduled trip report!

:
My project was a yellow sundress, oh so many years ago.

Dee, I see your yellow sundress, and I raise you an ice cream sundae shaped throw pillow! OK, I'm developing a more realistic view of a class trip to Disney! The lack of predictability is already making me nervous! EMT???? I'm REALLY interested to know how you felt about it in the end. But I know I'll have to wait and read on . . . :)
 
First, I am cracking up at the pillowcase. Typical boy--He just grabbed two fabrics and got it done! :laughing:

I was the teacher chaperone during our eighth grades trip last October to Washington, DC. I applaud y'all for not allowing cell phones, etc. I'm amazed that the kids could go that long without their electronics! I understand the stress of being "in charge" of the vouchers/tickets, etc during the trip. But I'm sure you handled it with no problems.
 
I think the no electronics rule was awesome! I can totally imagine why they did that.

I'm in awe of you keeping track of all that stuff. It would be enough to drive me to the brink! I was stressed enough with my two and their KTTW cards, gift cards and arcade cards.

Looking forward to the next installment!

The no (web-based) electronics was a safety feature. We had no control of the students when they were in their rooms and we didn't want them off roaming the web out of our sight.

They all did fine.


First of all, thanks so much for the plug for my backsacks. It's good to see that your bag has made it through yet another one of your trips. It's a well traveled bag isn't it? :thumbsup2

Second, just looking at that stack of vouchers makes me do one of these :eek:. I agree with another poster, I stress out over keeping up with just our group's stuf so I would be super duper stressing if I had been you. But, I'm betting that you were a great choice to be the "Keeper of the Vouchers". :thumbsup2

Glad I could give your backsacks a shoutout! One of my DIS friends (Janetmom) actually mentions my "travel light with a backsack to avoid bag check lines" tip in her trip report.

I did have a minor malfunction. Bag was overloaded and somehow the knot came out of the grommit. I didn't notice what the issue was until I got home, but it was easy peasy to fix. Even I could figure it out myself!

Maybe the students should all make backsacks in Life Skills class- something useful!

Yes, I was the right choice as "Keeper of the Stuff", but it came at a price.

Ninja Mom, wishing you a speedy recovery. :hug:



Hi Cynthia! Just had to let you know how invaluable your trip report continues to be for our Alaska cruise in August! I sometimes think of posting a question, and then just refer back to your trip report for advice. (Questions like, "What kind of pants should we bring/buy?") Since our older two boys will be 12 and 13 on the cruise, your report is so helpful. Dee, sorry for the OT post - back to the regularly scheduled trip report!



Dee, I see your yellow sundress, and I raise you an ice cream sundae shaped throw pillow! OK, I'm developing a more realistic view of a class trip to Disney! The lack of predictability is already making me nervous! EMT???? I'm REALLY interested to know how you felt about it in the end. But I know I'll have to wait and read on . . . :)

Hijack away on my thread! I love Cynthia's reports too and find them very informative!!!

Oh, I am picturing the pillow! :lmao:

This trip was definitely Disney Done Differently!


First, I am cracking up at the pillowcase. Typical boy--He just grabbed two fabrics and got it done! :laughing:

I was the teacher chaperone during our eighth grades trip last October to Washington, DC. I applaud y'all for not allowing cell phones, etc. I'm amazed that the kids could go that long without their electronics! I understand the stress of being "in charge" of the vouchers/tickets, etc during the trip. But I'm sure you handled it with no problems.

I don't know if I would say there were no problems. I didn't lose anything important- except my mind!

.
 


The responsibility of that packet is making me nervous just reading about it! I am the planner but DH has always been our holder of the tickets when the kids were younger. So you are better person than me!
 
Dee:

Just loving the report so far! I agree with other posters. No electronics for FIVE days!!! Can you say a denial of Constitutional Rights?? Hello Cruel and Unusual punishment! And this from a Mother living in Massachusetts! Shame :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

And as to why I can't sleep and am up in the middle of the night here on the west coast.... Just look at my ticker. I'm stressed and excited at the same time!

Looking forward to hearing about the EMT!
 
The responsibility of that packet is making me nervous just reading about it! I am the planner but DH has always been our holder of the tickets when the kids were younger. So you are better person than me!

I know, right?!?

Mark is usually the one who keeps our tickets (keycards) and FP when we are at the park. Here we(I) had plastic room keys, paper tickets (this is an issue on the last night), meal vouchers and ID cards for the boys.


Dee:

Just loving the report so far! I agree with other posters. No electronics for FIVE days!!! Can you say a denial of Constitutional Rights?? Hello Cruel and Unusual punishment! And this from a Mother living in Massachusetts! Shame :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

And as to why I can't sleep and am up in the middle of the night here on the west coast.... Just look at my ticker. I'm stressed and excited at the same time!

Looking forward to hearing about the EMT!

OK, Um, we're all losing sight of the real denial of personal rights- I survived the 5 days without booze. 'Nuf said!!!

I hear you on the sleep issues. I have frequent insomnia, not just around trip times. Glad to have you spending your waking moments here!
 


12 Noon: When we arrived at the airport, we learned that our flight was delayed until 3:30.

Our group of 20 checked in at the Jet Blue Counter and proceeded to the security gate. We had been well-prepped by those organizing the trip how to comply with the liquids rules to make it through security without any issues.

Beep! Beep! Beep! One of our students triggered the metal detector. This was the first time this boy had flown. They took him off to the side and asked if he was comfortable with a pat down. He wasn’t. His parents were not chaperones on the trip. What to do?

As it turns out, he had a game boy in his pocket, one of the older, non-web based games. Allowed on the trip, but not through the metal detector! Once this was removed, he went through the metal detector again without triggering it. Phew!!!

After we arrived at our gate, we stayed in our walking groups. Our boys took over one set of seats and then occupied themselves with card games, snacks and games of water bottle toss. Didn’t love that one. Another group of boys were playing penny soccer. The girls’ groups were mostly sitting and chilling out.

The other passengers who were not part of our group stayed very far away in another part of the gate area.


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Here’s me:


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Around 1:30, the people working the Jet Blue desk announced that they were bringing out snacks. They brought a beverage cart filled with juices and water (no soft drinks) and boxes of the onboard snack offerings and let us have at it:


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Really, really nice touch!!!

They also said that because of our long delay, we could take pairs of the headphones without paying the $2 fee.


Sometime around 2:15, I saw Airport Medical personnel enter the gate area and go over to the group of girls who were across the aisle from us. In addition to the chaperones, teachers and administrators on this trip, we take along a nurse- we actually had two on this trip- and she was attending to one of the students while the EMTs were monitoring her vital signs. At this point I didn’t know what had happened, but rumors were swirling that it may have been an allergic reaction.

It turns out that the girl had fainted, perhaps due to dehydration, or a lack of food, or nerves or possibly a recent illness. The nurse and one of the teachers in charge of the trip called the girl’s parents to find out what they wanted to do. The girl’s vital signs were in an acceptable range, and everyone decided she would continue on the trip, under the close watchful eye of the nurse on our flight.


After that bit of drama, we continued to wait around until it was time to board the plane, around 3:30 PM.


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We also were offered free movies on the flight due to the delay.


I’ll finish off this post with a combination of texts between Mark/Ben and me and a few pictures:


2:59 We should be boarding in a few minutes. Already had a visit from airport medical. Dehydrated girl. Think she is ok. Good start…

3:10 PM Have a great flight, I’ll be thinking of you

6:58 PM Landed!


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Our luggage arrived at carousel A10 for pick up. Because most of our plane was filled with our group, there wasn't enough carryon space and in addition to the chaperone bags, several of the kids' bags were gate-checked.


7:07 PM Welcome to Orlando hope you had a good short flight. Hope the delay didn’t make you cry- Benjamin (last name)
- that’s how he signed the text. :rotfl:

7:32 PM Thanks for the message Ben. No crying. Can’t find Magical Express. We are in Term A. It’s in B people!!!

7:33 PM LOL-Mark

7:56 PM Magical Express Underway


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7:58 PM Glad to hear you’re on the final leg


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I was in great position for the WDW sign, but it was not my best work!!!


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8:29 PM @ All Star Movies

8:31 PM Enjoy the show and have some supper.


The rest of the night involved a "pizza party:- boxes of pizza on a bench and napkins, a swim for everyone, quick chaperone meeting in the Winners Circle, and settling into the room. Before heading to bed, I checked out the room where "breakfast" would be served and helped with some of the prep for that.

Next Up: So Ya Wanna Be in Movies, Kid?

.
 
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Thankfully the EMT visit ended up being nothing serious. Hmmm. Starting off with a flight delay and a medical emergency? Sounds like one of my trips! :lmao:

Amanda
 
Ok Seriously Dee-I have been scared by many things in my life-take my word for it but BLUE CRISPS:scared1: Maybe that poor teen girl caught sight of them and fright took over:rotfl:
Have to ask (given that I'm of a curious-no, not nosey-nature) what flavour were they?:rotfl:

Medical emergencies are not fun at the best of times but even more so when it's someone elses kid in your care! Glad all was ok in the end:)

Our kids are not allowed to bring electrical items that can access the web on school trips either. They arent allowed to turn on mobile phones of any type on school grounds and have to have signed parental permission to bring one to school. My eldest son brings one so that he can phone me if there are any problems en route to school or home:)

Totally agree with you that you were the most deprived doing without grey goose slushies for a trip to epcot.
Love all your pics as usual but I think I detected a certain yearning for the Beach Club as you sailed by;)

Love that Ben felt the need to put his full name on his txts-just in case you'd forgotten lol
 
The blue crisps- chips- tasted like potato chips. No unusual flavor. I liked them.

I had one at the aiport, took one for the flight (ate it later during the trip), asked for one during the flight with my tomato juice during drink service. I think that is what I requested on the return flight home, too.

I was afraid that the girl was having an allergic reaction to one of the snacks provided, but that turned out not to be the case.

Every time we passed by the BC on the way to a park, I tried to get a glimpse of the resort. The Swalphin is easy to see, but the BC/YC is hidden behind trees. I do get to see my beloved home on the last night of the trip!
 
Wow! What an adventure and all before you had even left the airport!!

Having been on many Girl Scout adventures, I can completely relate to the counting and recounting that you had to do. It does add a lot of stress to the trip but they made the right choice picking you!

No cell phones for 5 days would be amazing! That's why I can't wait for our Fantasy cruise next Christmas (yes, a long time from now:sad1: ). Okay, so I can't wait for many reasons but my DD not being able to use her cell phone is going to be an added benefit!!:rotfl:

I'm glad the girl was able to continue her trip and that whatever it was that occurred was nothing too serious. Hopefully a rough start would mean smooth sailing the rest of the trip but I have a feeling that is not the case......

Looking forward to the next installment!
 
Dee, glad it wasn't anyone in your group who needed the EMT attention. I imagine that might have caused some stress on top of the counting! ;) Looking forward to more!!!!!!!!
 

The other passengers who were not part of our group stayed very far away in another part of the gate area.
.

:confused3 Why, I ask you? ;)

I think I remember the few non-school people who were on our flight to DC wanting to stay far away from us too! :laughing:

That had to be scary for the girl and chaperones. Hope she was ok. Sounds like y'all had a long day--know you were glad to finally make it to the All star sports.
 
I would cry if my flight was delayed for sure casue that would mean less time in WDWb:sad1: and of course trying to keep teens occupied in an airport:rolleyes:

Glad the young lady was able to continue on the trip because that would have been terrible for her if she had to go home !
 
You are a brave, brave woman. While I sometimes think it would be cool if my kids went to WDW for a school trip and how I would of course have to chaperone, the logical side of me realizes that it has to be a lot of work and not always fun! Looking forward to reading about your adventures.
 
Nothing like a health scare to get the pre-flight nerves going!! Hopefully you got the worst of it out of the way before landing in Orlando.

JetBlue really is the best. I can't imagine any other airline going to such measures to make up for a simple flight delay. I know first hand that Delta doesn't do anything at all.

Looking forward to the next installment! Hopefully you made it over to our beloved BC and said hello to our very most favorite friend in the lobby there!!

Jay
 
JetBlue really is the best. I can't imagine any other airline going to such measures to make up for a simple flight delay. I know first hand that Delta doesn't do anything at all. Jay

Jay, not that I feel the need to stand up for Delta, but I can personaly attest to their generosity of providing drinks, snacks and headsets to passengers when delays happen (as recently as two months ago in DC to be exact along with other experiences). I am a flight delay expert becuase it seems that if I'm booked on a flght I can guarantee that there will be a delay (maybe that is because I mostly fly Delta and we know they are the experts at delaying passengers). Having to keep three teens occupied was enough for me over the years. Couldn't imagine having to deal with 14.

Keep it coming Dee, waiting for a picture of the All Star resort and Teena the greeter (heard she moved over there).
 
Wow! What an adventure and all before you had even left the airport!!

Having been on many Girl Scout adventures, I can completely relate to the counting and recounting that you had to do. It does add a lot of stress to the trip but they made the right choice picking you!

No cell phones for 5 days would be amazing! That's why I can't wait for our Fantasy cruise next Christmas (yes, a long time from now:sad1: ). Okay, so I can't wait for many reasons but my DD not being able to use her cell phone is going to be an added benefit!!:rotfl:

I'm glad the girl was able to continue her trip and that whatever it was that occurred was nothing too serious. Hopefully a rough start would mean smooth sailing the rest of the trip but I have a feeling that is not the case......

Looking forward to the next installment!

I do agree that I was the logical choice to be the official pack mule of "Team Dee"

I'm glad the girl could continue the trip. I can't imagine waiting all year for this and then it not be able to go just an hour or two before the classes' departure!

Nate had some cell-free practice back in April while we were at Atlantis. The roaming charges there are obscene so he left his phone behind.


Dee, glad it wasn't anyone in your group who needed the EMT attention. I imagine that might have caused some stress on top of the counting! ;) Looking forward to more!!!!!!!!

Me, too!!!!!!!!

:confused3 Why, I ask you? ;)

I think I remember the few non-school people who were on our flight to DC wanting to stay far away from us too! :laughing:

That had to be scary for the girl and chaperones. Hope she was ok. Sounds like y'all had a long day--know you were glad to finally make it to the All star sports.

On the way back to Boston, there was a guy sitting in our area of the gate when there were only 1 or 2 teens there. The rest were off getting something to eat. I enjoyed watching him to see how long he would stick it out as more and more boys started to show up.



I would cry if my flight was delayed for sure casue that would mean less time in WDWb:sad1: and of course trying to keep teens occupied in an airport:rolleyes:

Glad the young lady was able to continue on the trip because that would have been terrible for her if she had to go home !

I was not happy to be on the later flight to begin with, then I found out that the flight I thought was our flight was the early flight! Getting to Movies at 8:30 was not ideal, but at least we were there.

The class who went earlier had some nice pool time before we arrived.

You are a brave, brave woman. While I sometimes think it would be cool if my kids went to WDW for a school trip and how I would of course have to chaperone, the logical side of me realizes that it has to be a lot of work and not always fun! Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

:welcome:

Despite all of the headaches and stress, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!


Nothing like a health scare to get the pre-flight nerves going!! Hopefully you got the worst of it out of the way before landing in Orlando.

JetBlue really is the best. I can't imagine any other airline going to such measures to make up for a simple flight delay. I know first hand that Delta doesn't do anything at all.

Looking forward to the next installment! Hopefully you made it over to our beloved BC and said hello to our very most favorite friend in the lobby there!!

Jay

Well, let's just say that it was really good that we had nurses along for this trip.

We arrived Monday (after 8:30 PM), and we left on Friday morning so Teena was not working at all while I was in Florida. I didn't really have free time during the trip, so I wasn't able to meet up with her. :sad1:


Jay, not that I feel the need to stand up for Delta, but I can personaly attest to their generosity of providing drinks, snacks and headsets to passengers when delays happen (as recently as two months ago in DC to be exact along with other experiences). I am a flight delay expert becuase it seems that if I'm booked on a flght I can guarantee that there will be a delay (maybe that is because I mostly fly Delta and we know they are the experts at delaying passengers). Having to keep three teens occupied was enough for me over the years. Couldn't imagine having to deal with 14.

Keep it coming Dee, waiting for a picture of the All Star resort and Teena the greeter (heard she moved over there).

No, she is actually over at Pop. Right, Jay??? ;)

Pictures of ASMovies tomorrow.
 

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