Disney Y.E.S. Program

[gem21]

I have a few questions about the YES program... and the thread it too long for me to search every single page, so I appologize if this is been asked a million times before.

I've mentioned before we are probably taking our Girl Scout troup next summer to Disney. The YES program is a must for us... but at this point I dont think we will be 10 girls to qualify for the Group (probably 7-8), so we may end up doing Individual Enrollment. (which might be better in the end, because the girls could pick different courses which appeal to them, and we'll have girls from 12-16, so it really limited our choices in the group).

Now my questions!!

When do they open up the classes? It looks like a few months before? We will be going most likely mid-August, so I know it's a busy time and the classes will probably close quickly, but how quickly after being up will they all fill up? Like a few days or a few weeks? And how many people in each class, or does it depend on the class?

Thanks!!

 

[tzolkin]

Now my questions!!

When do they open up the classes? It looks like a few months before? We will be going most likely mid-August, so I know it's a busy time and the classes will probably close quickly, but how quickly after being up will they all fill up? Like a few days or a few weeks? And how many people in each class, or does it depend on the class?

Thanks!!

This year they opened up summer/fall enrollment on Feb 7th.

There really is no way to tell how quickly the classes will sell out. Some were gone the first day. There also may be a limited number of classes that your kids will fit the age requirements for. (For example, there was only one class the entire month of August that my youngest could take) If you are going with a group, I would call them instead of trying to register for Individual Enrollment online. Would you just be having one or two chaperones or are you wanting to also purchase tickets for the girls' families?

 

[disny_luvr]

My boys took the How Things Move class on June 18th. They both loved it. My DH attended the class with them and he enjoyed it too. He said their instructor, Camilla, was great. They rode Dumbo, Goofy's Barnstormer, Winnie the Pooh and the Peoplemover (they actually didn't get to ride this one because it was broke down at the time). The instructor did a "mini-lesson" before the ride, the class rode the ride, and then the group discussed how the ride moved. The kids played with magnets and drew a picture of an amusement park ride they'd like to design. They even acted out how some of the rides moved. My kids already told me they'd like to take another class sometime. I'm so happy they had the opportunity to have this experience.

On a side note, we also had the 8-day premium tickets and we did have 8 admissions into the waterparks and/or Disney Quest. Like a PP, we only used 3 of those admissions but I just wanted to let those know that you should get 8 admissions into the waterparks and/or DQ because I'm sure some of you are going for longer stays and are counting on those admissions.

 

[HayGan]

Does anyone remember when the classes for June started this year? It is encouraging to see that there was a class this year on June 13th. We have pretty much decided on going to WDW this first two weeks of June 2013. Being able to do YES again would save us a TON of money!

 

[supersuperwendy]

Just got back from WDW and wanted to tell you about our YES experience! It was AMAZING!!! First..it was super easy to pick up the tickets at will call. And in fact, my husband lost my ticket at Epcot and they were able to replace it!

My girls ages 14 & 12 did the Making Waves in a Marine Career at Epcot. I got to chaperone and I'm so happy I did!!! We saw all sorts of backstage areas of the living seas. We went above the tanks, saw the dolphins and manatees they have backstage, we went outback where they have a huge wooden tank and saw the control room. The kids learned a lot and our tour leader was very funny. The pavilion has a beautiful VIP lounge which can be used for weddings and private events. He had the kids sit at a conference table and had a interactive lesson in groups. Each group got a form about a sick marine animal and had to diagnose the illness as well as come up with a treatment plan. They all did so well..I was very impressed! The other parents were nice too and I loved to talking to them. I can't wait for them to try another class in the future!

 

[disneymom06]

If you do green it really doesn't make you sick or anything like that. The space is tight so if that bothers you, then you might want to sit it out.

It is not tight spaces that bother me but the motion. I don't do well on SM and will never again do RnR, once was enough. Can someone tell me about green? Is it tame? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Eljay]

It is not tight spaces that bother me but the motion. I don't do well on SM and will never again do RnR, once was enough. Can someone tell me about green? Is it tame? Any input would be appreciated.

It's very tame.
4 people are side by side, enclosed in a capsule, the control panel is brought closer to you and they blow cool air in your face. As you watch the screen, they tip and shake the capsule a little, to make you seem like you are launching, avoiding asteroids in space, etc. They give you a command to press buttons on the panel and to help steer with your joy stick. It's actually fun, not wild at all. It only lasts a few minutes. Absolutely no comparison to SM or R'nRC

 

[michelle06]

My confirmation email said the same thing as yours - that we'd have 8 days at the theme parks and 8 days at the water parks & DQ. However, that's not what they gave us when we checked in at group sales & got the tickets. They were 8-day hoppers with 5 days of water parks/DQ. The attendant didn't enter anything manually, from what I could tell. She just scanned my printed email confirmation & the tickets were generated from that.

I just emailed YES as a follow-up to my phone conversation with them. I included a pic my DH took of the whole group at the end of the class with their finished product. Hopefully they'll decide my kids were really there!

My daughter was in this class also. If I PM you my email, would you mind sharing your photos? My dh took dd and I accidentally kept the camera. Also, she didn't come back with anything she made. Can you tell me what they made?

I'm so sorry they didn't believe you took the class. I do remember them taking attendance. The lady marked my dd name on the list and then did a nametag for her and dh. It didn't seem formal or strict on the day of, so I can see why you didn't think anything about it.

Also, regarding the tickets, my confirmation said my tickets would be good until June 30 (7 days past end of trip) and yet they expired June 21 which was only 13 days, not even the standard 14. I'm glad I didn't try to get them earlier or they would have expired too soon on us. Of course, then I would probably have argued it.

 

[disneymom06]

It's very tame.
4 people are side by side, enclosed in a capsule, the control panel is brought closer to you and they blow cool air in your face. As you watch the screen, they tip and shake the capsule a little, to make you seem like you are launching, avoiding asteroids in space, etc. They give you a command to press buttons on the panel and to help steer with your joy stick. It's actually fun, not wild at all. It only lasts a few minutes. Absolutely no comparison to SM or R'nRC

Thank you for explaining the ride. Sounds like I will give it a try.

 

[tink&stitchmom]

My girls ages 14 & 12 did the Making Waves in a Marine Career at Epcot. I got to chaperone and I'm so happy I did!!! We saw all sorts of backstage areas of the living seas. We went above the tanks, saw the dolphins and manatees they have backstage, we went outback where they have a huge wooden tank and saw the control room. The kids learned a lot and our tour leader was very funny. The pavilion has a beautiful VIP lounge which can be used for weddings and private events. He had the kids sit at a conference table and had a interactive lesson in groups. Each group got a form about a sick marine animal and had to diagnose the illness as well as come up with a treatment plan. They all did so well..I was very impressed! The other parents were nice too and I loved to talking to them. I can't wait for them to try another class in the future!

Thanks for sharing--we'll being doing this in Aug.

 

[Aliceacc]

Just got back from WDW and wanted to tell you about our YES experience! It was AMAZING!!! First..it was super easy to pick up the tickets at will call. And in fact, my husband lost my ticket at Epcot and they were able to replace it!

My girls ages 14 & 12 did the Making Waves in a Marine Career at Epcot. I got to chaperone and I'm so happy I did!!! We saw all sorts of backstage areas of the living seas. We went above the tanks, saw the dolphins and manatees they have backstage, we went outback where they have a huge wooden tank and saw the control room. The kids learned a lot and our tour leader was very funny. The pavilion has a beautiful VIP lounge which can be used for weddings and private events. He had the kids sit at a conference table and had a interactive lesson in groups. Each group got a form about a sick marine animal and had to diagnose the illness as well as come up with a treatment plan. They all did so well..I was very impressed! The other parents were nice too and I loved to talking to them. I can't wait for them to try another class in the future!

Thank you SO MUCH for that post. My 12 and 14 year olds are taking it in August, and it sounds like so much fun!!

Their 9 year old sister will be taking Synergy in Science the same day... has anyone seen a review of that?

 

[c.w.e.m.]

I wonder what is happening about the attendance emails that they are sending out for no shows? My son and I just attended the Making Waves With Marine Careers class on Monday, June 18th and I just got an email that we did not attend. I do not recall anyone taking attendance in the class, just the instructor doing name tags and asking the children what they wanted to do as a career when they were older. Maybe they are getting lax with the attendance? I felt bad about getting an email about not attending, when we actually did. I sent an email back to them, maybe I will call on Monday.

 

[CarolynMink]

I wonder what is happening about the attendance emails that they are sending out for no shows? My son and I just attended the Making Waves With Marine Careers class on Monday, June 18th and I just got an email that we did not attend. I do not recall anyone taking attendance in the class, just the instructor doing name tags and asking the children what they wanted to do as a career when they were older. Maybe they are getting lax with the attendance? I felt bad about getting an email about not attending, when we actually did. I sent an email back to them, maybe I will call on Monday.

My children went to Captivating the Moments at Epcot on June 18th. The staff had taken attendance before my kids were sent to the group for their specific class.

 

[tripletots]

Thank you SO MUCH for that post. My 12 and 14 year olds are taking it in August, and it sounds like so much fun!!

Their 9 year old sister will be taking Synergy in Science the same day... has anyone seen a review of that?

When in August are your kids taking the Making Waves in Marine Career class? Mine are taking it August 13th.

Nevermind, I see you are arriving Aug. 1st. We don't arrive until Aug. 10th.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

My boys & husband attended Synergy in Science on June 13th & had a blast. They rode Spaceship Earth, Figment, and Captain EO (my 8yo sat out on EO because it scares him). Anyway, I just got an email from YES, a warning because my family didn't attend their class! Bizarre, considering they received name tags, rode everything with the instructor, and took pics of what they made at the end of class! I called & spoke with someone who sounded doubtful of my story & who assured me they always take attendance (my husband told me there was no attendance taken other than giving out name tags). It's not a big deal, but it irritates me - I'm one of those people who follows the rules & doesn't like being accused of not doing so. After an otherwise great experience with the program, that kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Won't stop us from doing it again though - the kids loved it.

Also, I wanted to clarify for anyone wondering about the tickets with water park/DQ option. We got the 8-day park hoppers with water park option, which only includes 5 days of water parks/Disney Quest, not 8 days of those too. No big deal for us, since we only used 3 of the extras anyway, but for someone planning a longer trip around it, it's worth knowing.

I was there that day. I noticed a few families who came over to where we were waiting after we had been there a while, but did not notice if they went to the people who checking the names and confirmations. Those people kept moving around, so it is possible the families missed checking in. The instructor does not do that part of checking in. She just gives out the name tags and asks where you are from. It didn't occur to me to ask those later families until just now if they checked in. We were all just kinda waiting around the ticket area and put into two large groups. Not sure what group your family was in.

We noticed a smaller group later one of like two families. They must have arrived after the the first two groups already entered the park.

Have you heard anything from the YES people yet?

 

[djm99]

How many YES tickets can I add. I purchased 7 day tickets for my family in March. About 3 or 4 weeks ago I decided to add my neice. Although she couldn't be added to the class (it was already closed), I could buy her a the same Disney tickets we had. Now, a friend of mine would like to come and bring her son. Can I add them? I guess I'm asking if I can add another family (2 more tickets). Thanks.

 

[Mirax]

How many YES tickets can I add. I purchased 7 day tickets for my family in March. About 3 or 4 weeks ago I decided to add my neice. Although she couldn't be added to the class (it was already closed), I could buy her a the same Disney tickets we had. Now, a friend of mine would like to come and bring her son. Can I add them? I guess I'm asking if I can add another family (2 more tickets). Thanks.

I think your friend's son has to take the class, and she buy tickets. You can only buy tickets for immediate family(The student, Mom, Dad, and siblings). If the chaperon is someone other than Mom or Dad then you can buy another adult ticket. I would call it never hurts to ask.

 

[disny_luvr]

I wonder what is happening about the attendance emails that they are sending out for no shows? My son and I just attended the Making Waves With Marine Careers class on Monday, June 18th and I just got an email that we did not attend. I do not recall anyone taking attendance in the class, just the instructor doing name tags and asking the children what they wanted to do as a career when they were older. Maybe they are getting lax with the attendance? I felt bad about getting an email about not attending, when we actually did. I sent an email back to them, maybe I will call on Monday.

We also took a class on June 18th - a different one - and when we got there a lady with a clipboard asked us our names and then highlighted them on her attendance sheet. She wasn't the instructor. The instructor then gave my sons and DH nametags. I think this is how they take attendance, or at least it was how they did it for our class. Before the class left the instructor asked if everyone checked in with (insert name of lady with clipboard).

 

[mammomommie]

I have a question about picking up tickets. The day we arrive we would like to go to Disney Quest. We don't want to use a park day. Do we have to go to one of the parks and pay for parking just to get our tickets?

 

[minnieluvzmickey]

I have a question about picking up tickets. The day we arrive we would like to go to Disney Quest. We don't want to use a park day. Do we have to go to one of the parks and pay for parking just to get our tickets?

No, you do not. You can get your tickets at DTD guest services. That is where we picked ours up a few weeks ago.