For all of the teacher DVC members...

[Teachckg]

Since my DH and I are new to all of this and I am a teacher... I was wondering if any of you out there have any pointers on how to get the most out of our points and still work around my schedule. I do not want to always have to go when it is very crowded and/or very hot!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I don't have any advice for you about avoiding crowds, sorry! That's the nature of the beast. We've been in June, July, August, a 4 day weekend in early December (not on points), 4 days at the end of December, and spring break (not on points either).
We are doing spring break this year on points and it is really silly. We just bought (again) in March, so we have the 07 and 08 points, and we are using all of them and paying one weekend night in cash. Now if we had gotten a 1BR instead of a 2BR we would have just used points, but my kids are older and I think a 2BR is better for us.
Unless your schools take a break in a non-busy time (I know some places have a fall break, but we don't) you just have to adjust to heat and/or crowds. Weekend trips suck up the points.
I can tell you the heat was the worst in August of the summer trips we've taken, and crowds were "best" mid July after the 4th crowds were gone.
Robin M.

 

[KirstenB]

Hi I'm not a teacher, just mom to a 4th grader who I can't pull out of school anymore.

Our school year ended June 4th for kids (I think teachers was the next day), and we went that week. It was very do-able. From what I've read, it was nowhere near as busy as end of June/July/early Aug. It also wasn't much hotter than here in Va. We drive down, so our trips have to be a week to make sense.

But if you could fly, you could wrap a trip around any long weekend. Thanks for being a teacher, I have huge respect for you guys!!!

 

[pixiedust23]

NJ Teacher here. I actually tend to go during NJ teacher's convention. Yes it can be MORE busy than November would usually be bc all of NJ is off, but at least all of the world isn't off! Also the temperature is beautiful and we usually get to enjoy the end of the F&W festival. Not sure when your school has off or how you are able to contractually use your personal days. And also avoid President's week at all costs!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

One thing about the "right after school lets out" strategy--I see you're in PA. I'm in Ohio. I have always been nervous about booking right after our last day, in case we go over on snow days and have them added on. We had one day added this year, but one year we had 4 extra school days. If that happens to a student in elementary it might be OK to miss those extra days, but for an older student who takes exams at the end of the year (or a teacher) it is impossible.
The earliest I ever booked was June 20, when we normally get out June 5 or so, "just in case".
Robin M.

 

[jeanninepl]

I am a teacher, not a DVC member, just a Disney lover.

We always have to go in the summer b/c during spring break and fall break we have conferences. We went July 19th this year and it was not bad at all. The crowds were very manageable. It was also the start of value season, so we saved some $$ on hotel rates.

 

[jekjones1558]

Before I retired we did Oct. (non-compulsory teacher meeting days in Minnesota). I always used all of my personal leave days for DVC. Our district had a 2-week break over Xmas/New Years and some years there was a full week after New Years when the crowds were low. I went to Disney once in the summer but the heat/humidity were too oppressive for me and we won't be doing that again.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I'm not a teacher, but I run a Before/After school program in our elementary school. I can usually get extra days off (when I can find a sub!). So up until this year, it's been pretty flexible. However, DD graduated in May and will begin teaching in a middle school next month. So when we go as a family, we are still locked into the school calendar. This year, we are just going down for Columbus Day weekend. I'm hoping one year soon, there will be Jewish holidays (like last year) that make up a nice 4 day weekend. Otherwise, it's July.

 

[SLM]

My daughter and her husband teach, so when they come with us we pick August-they also took a trip alone in mid August. It IS hot, but crowds are not bad. We get to the parks a half hour before opening (using early openings) do what we like and head out for lunch and the pool at the villas. Unless you have very young children, staying out late works also. We have 200 points and can do a 2BR for a week-not every year-and do another trip with less points the next year. If you're doing studios or 1BRS and not staying over a Saturday you will also stretch your points. Knowing you'll be back, you won't feel like you have to be out all day every day. You'll be fine!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have a question about the NJ teacher's convention. I am not flaming but I have always wondered why teachers can vacation that week? I would think if I got a week off to go to a teacher's convention, they would expect me to go to the convention, not WDW. What is the procedure?
Robin M.

 

[loribell]

I can't speak for NJ but my daughter teaches in Oklahoma. We also have a state teachers conference in October that the teachers don't "have" to attend. They have a certain number of in-service days they have to do a year, but not any particular ones.

Oh yeah, when she goes with us it is normally between mid June - early August. This year we are going over Christmas break. We will leave the 26th and return home Jan. 5th. School starts back here on the 6th.

 

[photobob]

I'm not a teacher but i do still have a child in school. We live in Alabama and school starts this week, which to me is nuts. It's hotter than hades right now. Starting that early though does get us out earlier than most northern schools so we can beat a great deal of the rush. We went this year during the first week of June and had very low crowds. We do fall breaks and I plan to got in October of 2009 during the break. Spring breaks are very busy.

My wife and I took a three-nighter by ourselves the first week of february and that was very nice.

 

[NSL]

Thanks for starting this thread. We are new DVC members and I am also a teacher. It is nice to see what others do and what works best for them. I am planning a trip next June for our first official DVC trip and it will be interesting to see how weather and crowds compare to other times of the year we have been.

 

[Disney Spaz]

I am also a teacher and we just joined so I haven't used my DVC to do this yet but what I have done in the past is when we have and extended weekend I either go for the extended weekend which requires no time off or take the three or four days around the extended weekend and make a week of it. We also go to WDW every other Xmas and plan on using our points for that next year which require no time off. Having taught under 5 different principals I will say a lot depends on them and having a solid substitue administration feels comfortable with. That being said I have our first DVC trip planned for January 09 and when I start back at work in two weeks I will contact one of my two main subs and request the leave then. Usually my current principal is fine with it since I give so much notice.
One a side note I did have a principal once who actually ran a stopwatch on when people arrived in the moring and locked the front door to staff at the exact time staff had to report. If you were late you were not allowed in without a valid reason that you could "document." He actually installed a doorbell at the staff door and a camera so that when you arrived if you were late, the door was locked, and you had to ring the bell and wait for him to admit you. This would be when you would discuss with him the validity of your late excuse. At the end of his first year over half the staff left.

 

[mickeyworld]

I'm a teacher and I have done it many ways. As a DVC member, I could guess you have been often, so go to the parks early and late, and have the middle of the day by the FABLOUS pools. Last springbreak, we hopped over to te GF and did a fancy day, laid on the beach, and rented speed boats. Use the late nights for the parks and enjoy the dsays at the resorts. We usually go Spring Break or over thanksgiving(my favorite).

 

[disneymom8589]

Another teacher here! We've been during my spring and summer breaks, which are definitely busy times to go. I guess we've just gotten used to it and suck it up! When we go, we like to stay in a 1 bdrm. with the washer and dryer and bigger space. DH would love to go to the F&W festival, which is held in the fall. I get 3 personal leave days a year that I can use any way I want (1 is paid, the other 2 we pay the substitute difference). Some fall I would like to use my 3 personal days and tack it onto a 3-day weekend. That would make it doable. If you have any personal days, going during the off-season might be an option for you. We've also used a personal leave day for a long weekend at the DLR in early December.

 

[patsal]

I'm a teacher and I have resigned myself to having to deal with the crowds as I cannot just take days off when I want to travel. I hope, however, to someday take one week off without pay to be able to enjoy the parks before the holidays. Our previous superintendent would approve the week off with no pay, but our current will not, since I will be teaching for another 20 years I figure I'm bound to go through at least three more sets of admin. and one of them may be willing to let this happen!

 

[Teachckg]

Thanks everyone!!! You are all full of good ideas and information. It is also interesting to see how different school schedules are set up. I think we are going to have our first DVC trip over the summer and then see if I can work something out for the next school year. I wish we could have take advantage of the christmas/new years long break this year but I think we are too late to get a place at this point.

 

[hlyntunstl]

I am not a teacher but my best friend is and we go on vacation with my DVC points just about every summer. We've found that the last two weeks of August is not too bad. Yes it's hot but many schools are already back in session and others are trying to get families ready for the start of school so the crowds are manageable.

 

[jpeka65844]

Another teacher here! We traditionally have had an earlier spring break than everybody else so our first trip in 2005 (not DVC) was SO nice.

Then our district got wise and made it like everyone else's in the country. Fast forward to March 2007 (first trip as DVC owners) and it was not so nice.

We made a short trip in Dec '07 to see the Xmas decorations and it was SO nice!

This summer we did the first week of June, and again, not so nice.

I get two personal days that are up to me (in 2 years, I'll get one more!) so we're sticking to December! Although DH and DS birthdays always fall around T'giving so there will be a boy birthday trip somewhere in the future!