I am a group tour director for a company that organizes trips for high school bands and choirs. Not just to Disney, but it's definitely a popular destination for us! I've already had three groups there this spring, and I've probably taken 15-20 over the past 5 years. Here are my best answers to your questions:
- Do they give you the time of marching way ahead of time so you can plan other things around it?
Generally your director will know when in the day the group will march. It can be "before the afternoon parade" or "before the evening parade" or even, at the busiest times of year, mid-morning, not associated with any parade, just 2-3 high school bands marching through MK.
- How many kids do they put in each room?
This is totally up to your director and travel planner, it has nothing to do with Disney. Most do 3-4 kids per room to keep the costs down. Some groups stay onsite (usually ASMu or Pop, but sometimes other resorts), some stay offsite. It's not just for budget reasons, either; some directors don't want to stay onsite because it is too easy for kids to do some extracurricular exploring with Disney transportation available! The rooms at values are quite small, especially for 4 kids, and they are motel-style, with doors directly to the outside. This can be a bit tough to chaperone. But the pools and food courts are great, and many groups do like to give the kids some freedom to park hop, with chaperone supervision.
- Do you ever see your kids?
Of course! Would you be a chaperone, or just an adult along for a fun trip? Other than performances (parents are not permitted to accompany the performers backstage), most groups have tons of free time to explore the parks. Depends on the guidance provided by directors, but generally they do that in small groups and often meet parents to tour or share meals.
- Can you book Fast Pass + for the kids or do they get their passes when they get there?
This depends on your travel company. We assign the ticket numbers to group members and send out a spreadsheet of those numbers at least 30 days before a trip, so they can enter the number into MDX and reserve FP+. We don't pass out the actual park passes until the group arrives, but that isn't important, the number is. Other companies don't do this, which definitely makes it difficult to get the best FPs, since you can't make them until the first day of the trip at the earliest.
- Did your kids spend most of their time in the parks or a lot at the pool?
Again, this is up to the directors and chaperones. For example, this past week I was with a group at ASMu. We drove overnight from Indiana, spent the day at AK until about 4:30, then checked into the resort. Some groups of kids stayed and swam, others went to a park that night. The rest of the time, they were almost always in the parks. Kids can swim anywhere, but they can't be in a Disney park! Most directors would not allow kids to hang out at the resort during the day without chaperones, and would not encourage them to do it even supervised, in order to take best advantage of their park entitlements.
- Are the kids on their own all day when they aren't marching?
Most groups I have had allowed the students to tour in small groups (never alone), checking in with chaperones occasionally either on cell phones or in person. If the group is staying offsite, they are usually required to all stay in the same park, and have a meeting time and place to get the bus back to the hotel. Some groups staying onsite give them a bit more choice about park and departure time in the evening, but as always, it is up to the director.
- Is there time for pictures when they march? Or do they zip by like every other parade they are in?
There are some good spots for photos, but they are definitely moving fast. Evening parades are especially difficult to get good pics because of how fast they are moving, in low light.
Untitled by
suegee57, on Flickr
It depends which direction they are marching where the best place to stand for pics is. If a group is marching up Main Street toward the castle, I usually stand at the edge of the hub to catch them coming up.
Untitled by
suegee57, on Flickr
Untitled by
suegee57, on Flickr
Then I go around and try to catch them coming around the hub in front of the castle.
Untitled by
suegee57, on Flickr
If they are coming down Main Street toward Town Square, I usually try to get in the train station to get some good shots.
Untitled by
suegee57, on Flickr
- I can't wait to hear anything you feel like writing about your adventure
Let me know if you have any questions, and be sure to ask your director and travel planner about the specifics for YOUR student's trip!