155 teenage girls; 2-26 hour bus rides; & ABSOLUTELY NO INPUT Final Chapter - 6/25

[Tinker'n'Fun]

First I will start with the specifics. Boring yes, but it will probably come in handy during the later part of my trip report…


Who, when, why, where, and whatever….

WHO: Me 42yo Disney Mom who over obsesses about everything, and yes I mean everything, from how my daughter got a cold when she was two all the way to “Mrs. K why is your carry-on the size of a small refrigerator?”

DH 43yo Best Dad/Husband in the world. He is my best friend and puts up with almost anything. Picture laid-back and bring it down a step. Lets see what he has to say after this trip. He also loves a great practical joke or sarcastic blurb and is willing to try it on anyone, and yep I mean anyone.

DD15yo high school sophomore who plays in the band and is also part of the dance team. This trip she will be a dancer. She takes after me "somewhat" as she has an extreme love of Disney and traveling but… feels that they should be planned and paid for by someone else.

DS 12yo typical boy/son/younger brother. He is easily bored but also loves to play practical jokes like Dad. His life is based on modern technology. Do I have to say anymore….????

WHEN: April 12 - April 19 2008

WHY: DD is dancing for the Mouse, enough said.

WHERE: Leaving from Buffalo, NY on a 26 hour bus ride and arriving at our temporary home (Radisson Celebration) and visiting all 4 parks and DTD in 6 days only to leave Orlando, FL for a 26 hour bus ride back to Buffalo. Did I happen to mention the 26 HOUR BUS RIDE???

WHATEVER: The word I expect to hear most often while traveling with 4 busloads of HS teenage girls! Odds are 1/3 of them will be PMS’ing and I expect the majority to be on my bus since that is just the way the Disney bus rolls……

Okay so I mentioned the Disney bus rolling, well it left and has already returned BUT we did get to have a pre-trip planning meeting with the band director and that is where I will begin my report. Enjoy the ride!!


Easy reference guide.....

Post #6 How Senior Girls Plan WDW…
Post #18 Day One - How to avoid loading 4 buses of suitcases, food, and instruments and for those of you who really wanted to know - YES my carry-on was the size of a small refrigerator!
Post #21 SIDE BAR
Post 27 - Day One blurs into Day 2 and I finally see the light beyond the Castle!! Or subtitled - Subliminal messages and Mantra do work!!
Post 41 - Sprained ankles = plane ride home, 2 lost tickets in one night, and The Mount takes on Disney's Hollywood Studio!
Post 59 - The Most Magical Day since Childbirth! DD Performs at the Magic Kindgom!
Post 64 - Big Sister 2008, Head of Hotel Room #4109, and a HS POV!
Post #78 - Around the World in 60 minutes, Teenage Drama Queens, and the 45 minute Flu!
Post #88 - Am I too sick?? Missing an ADR, and “THAT MOM” was right!!!
Post 94 - The Girls perform... (Sorry I didn't actually tape them playing)
Post #101 - Final Chapter.....

 

[50 years Too!]

Glad to meet you!
I thought I was the only mom of a dance team/band daughter. The two are kind of oxymorons.
Isn't trying to juggle the two fun?
When they went to Disney, my daughter decided to be in the band.
Too much drama with Dance team.

Looking forward to your report.

Deb

 

[OhMari]

I have been there and done this. I cannot wait to read your TR!! I tell other band/dance parents, that the trip is "paying your dues for being a good parent." Every parent should have to chaperone at least one of the field trips. I had 4 kids that belonged to the band/or dance team. I chaperoned with #3 and boy did I take a nice WDW Trip when my last child marched last year at the MK.

 

[stagemomx3]

I'm in.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Glad to meet you!
I thought I was the only mom of a dance team/band daughter. The two are kind of oxymorons.
Isn't trying to juggle the two fun?
When they went to Disney, my daughter decided to be in the band.
Too much drama with Dance team.

Looking forward to your report.

Deb

We are definetely not alone...

I have been there and done this. I cannot wait to read your TR!! I tell other band/dance parents, that the trip is "paying your dues for being a good parent." Every parent should have to chaperone at least one of the field trips. I had 4 kids that belonged to the band/or dance team. I chaperoned with #3 and boy did I take a nice WDW Trip when my last child marched last year at the MK.

Um, I think I may have missed the manual with only one band trip, this was my second... DD never told me I could stay home :lamo:

I am glad you came, enjoy the trip! Diane

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

How Senior Girls Plan WDW…

The pre-planning meeting was a last minute after thought. I walked into the HS auditorium and well one word says it all.. Chaotic! We received our itinerary, an additional bill for “breakfast food” and a t-shirt to show our support for the band. Okay so here is the top 10 reason's why a parent should be allowed to oversee the planning of an 8 day trip to Disney..

10. No one enjoys the hotel for 5 hours prior to check-in if you are not allowed to leave the grounds or have access to your luggage.

9. Adults don't tell everyone to pack for just "warm or hot weather", Florida does get cold spells and anyone who is reading this will know that our week in Disney was a cold spell week... (Ok it was funny all the girls huddled up in the short-shorts and teenie weenie shirts... DS gave up his jeans and sweatshirts every night... LOL good thing he is tall for his age).

8. Any adult who see's the phrase "Lunch on your own and Dinner on your own" would check food prices on a site like Allears.net. (One girl's parents gave her $30.00 for the whole trip) **DISCLAIMER** the parent's on the trip took turns feeding this girl rather than explaining to her parents why she was in the Hospital!

7. Small rest stops for a lunch or dinner break are not prepared for 155 girls at odd hours of the day and night... (we shall never show our faces again in West Virginia, I think we have been outlawed)!

6. Even though there are bathroom's on the bus - YOU will be strongly advised not to use them and therefore a good idea is for more bathroom breaks to be arranged.

5. Most roadside stops have only 5 stalls for females... You do the math - 175 woman divided by 5 with a time limit of 15 minutes per stop??

4. Research the parks and restaurants and tell your friends what you learned, reservations are necessary for TS meals and Character dining... Or you will be dining on .

3. Wishes was NOT at 9pm. on April 15th. the web site said so, so watching Wishes on a bus in the transporation center will not be an experience you will want to remember.

2. Three (3) hours to shop and eat at DTD is NOT enough time!! Come on girls you should know better, you are the experts at the malls, what made you think we could do all our souvenier shopping in 3 hours....

1. Pool time every morning from 9-12 IS NOT allowed while in Disney world.. (this is espically critical if you go to Florida during a cold spell) This is a Cardinal Sin... The senior class is going to H***!

I should have typed the whole itinerary, just to show you. I know you would have felt my pain! Now being a somewhat seasoned Disney planner, I actually laughed during the meeting… the other parents thought I was insane. I secretly told myself that these girls have absolutely no clue what they were doing. I was planning to overthrow the schedule. I could do it, the DIS boards gave me the tools that I needed. I quietly rescheduled the week and subliminally sent messages to the band director.

The next day I told my daughter we needed to make our ADR’s. DD wanted nothing to do with this. None of her friends were making plans so why should she… Not going to work in my book! I made reservations for Garden Grill, 50’s Primetime, and Rainforest Café. I added a few people to each ADR knowing in advance that my daughter would come around and I was right. Now we needed to sit back and wait. 15 days until we left. I did my usual and we were packed and ready by the Tuesday before we left. Then I sat, stared at the luggage and sent my hourly mantra to the Band Director. I was positive that I would get through to him. It was going to be okay….

Next up - Day one and the 26 hour bus ride - Did I mention anywhere else about the 26 hour bus ride!!!!

 

[NJRRK]

A couple of points:

1 - Most people rasied north of the Mason-Dixon line (and some raised south of it too) have no problem being banned from West Virginia

2 - I need you complete name and address so I can send it to the Vatican to start the proceedings for your sainthood.

3 - I forgot-how long was your bus ride?

 

[stagemomx3]

Love the update on the "planning" meeting. I can't wait to read more.

 

[J&J'sMOM]

You are hilarious! When I was in high school, I was on the dance team and we also went to WDW with the marching band---it was definately an adventure! I can't wait to hear the story from your prospective!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I don't think even my deep deep love for my son (who is now only 2) will ever get me on a 26-hour bus ride with that many high-schoolers!

 

[wendy3]

I'm soooo in. I put my 16 y/o daughter's face on any one of those 255 girls, and my heart goes out to you!

 

[mickcw1109]

HI, about an hour or so south of you. Anyways have kids of my own and would like to hear the horror of your trip just in case in the future they think of doing something like this. Thanks

 

[Willow1213]

I had a reverse bus trip from the one you had about 7 years ago. From Atlanta TO New York with 350 high school band members. Wow was it an experience!

Can't wait to hear more =)

 

[Vivianne]

Hey Diane,

You crack me up! Way to go!

I love what I've read. Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[hmdavid]

I can't decide who deserves to be named a Saint more... you or your poor DH! Can't wait to read more. I have 3 dancing DD's and I am sure these trips are in my future. I am taking notes!!!

 

[suevee]

I am amazed, I am awed, I am overwhelmed, I am in this for the long haul. How long was that bus ride?

 

[snowwhite325]

I am LOVING your TR so far Can't wait to read more!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Day One - How to avoid loading 4 buses of suitcases, food, and instruments and for those of you who really wanted to know - YES my carry-on was the size of a small refrigerator!

Wow 5am came very early. DH made me coffee and Nana picked us up and dropped us off at the school. While Nana drove off into the horizon DD quietly whispers to me, I forgot my phone charger. Now this wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that she needed the “cool” cell phone

different from ours. Phone call to Nana was useless. She doesn’t do the Thruway and the school is over 30 minutes from our house… DD did what all good conniving teenage girls do.. Got one of the girls flying out the next day to pick it up and bring it with her… Its not fair how they always find a way out of a situation that affects them but can’t seem to understand how the washing machine works or how to even sort the laundry??

Loading the busses was uneventful as 155 HS girls disappeared for exactly the same amount of time it took to load the busses? Funny how that happens? I wonder if they all go to the bathroom during school when the teacher says Pop Quiz?? So I resurfaced from my hiding place (Hey I put my DH and DS on any duty that included labor) just in time to get on the bus. DH and I were the only chaperones that shared a row. How does that happen… Just because I married the man doesn’t mean that I wanted to commit 26 hours next to him on a crowded bus. All the other chaperones had two seats?? So here came the realization… I would be awake for the whole time. DH can fall asleep on a dime, DS didn’t have a seat mate, and DD was in the back with the girls.


Now the wheels on the bus started going round and round

and the dreaded bus ride began. But something very strange happened. Not a sound, not a peep. The girls on our bus were scary quiet

. Now I need to tell you that when we left Buffalo the weather was changing for the better. Nice warm weather was on the horizon, but that was okay we were on our way to Florida. Florida is HOT and the weather is great. The senior girls planned swimming time. Remember we had TONS of swim time

. All was well, no bus sickness, no complaining, no worries, YEAH RIGHT! Lunch break was not on time and no one thought to warn the poor workers that 155 girls were going to stampede in and demand to be fed. Pizza Hut in a small plaza in West Virginia will never be the same. I swore I would read the US Today tomorrow and find out that it was mysteriously closed without any reason. Dinner break didn’t happen until 9PM. in a little plaza where the bus drivers were changing. No one thought to warn the workers here either. Well at 10:50pm we took off from Raleigh NC for the 2nd half of our trip. Movies were played on the bus (we were the cool bus with great movies) and the girls drifted off one by one.

So did DH, DS, then DD. I stayed awake for the entire ride. When we crossed the state line into Georgia the rain started and continued until we reached the Florida rest stop. We were 2 ½ hours ahead of schedule. Don’t tell anyone but night time bus drivers fly. Peter Pan and Pixie dust are not just for the movies. They sell it to the bus companies… But that is our little secret. The lack of sleep and high rate of speed gave me the feeling that I was already on the rides at Disney!!


I got off the bus for breakfast and the first thing I noticed was that it was COLDER in Florida than in Buffalo. Could this be true?? I know I watched the state lines and we were in the right place, but NO it was COLD!! Everyone ate fast and we tried to make an earlier mass… The first announcement came in and the band director notified us that he was not aware that the drivers would need an 8 hour rest before we could go to Magic Kingdom. Messages of not being able to go to the park began. My heart skipped a few beats. I was waiting for the magic… No you can’t take it away from me! I pulled up my schedule and checked the closing time at Magic Kingdom… Midnight… So I walked behind the band director and pretended to speak to another parent… Did you know Magic Kingdom is open until Midnight tonight and maybe the bus drivers could sleep while we are in Mass?? Oh, just a suggestion I am positive that the band director would have already thought of that and adjusted the “Seniors Schedule”.

Well we missed the early mass

and didn’t leave the church until after 11am. The nice bus drivers took a nap and said they would be able to leave at 6pm for the park. So we arrived at the Radisson Celebration (not as bad as some of the reviews I have seen, but definitely not an on-site experience). We got our room earlier than others and I was able to unpack and get ready for the park. By 4pm I was sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting to go!

Next up - Day One blurs into Day 2 and I finally see the light beyond the Castle!! Or subtitled - Subliminal messages and Mantra do work!!

 

[byoung]

Thanks for reporting.

 

[stagemomx3]

So I resurfaced from my hiding place

Great update!