For all of the teacher DVC members...

[Figment56]

Not quite a teacher, but a Job Coach for Special Ed students at our local HS. We have always gone the last week in August. Last year, DD started college so she had to go back the last week in August, so we bumped it back a week and both times have been great. Hot, but great. Points are usually lower then too!

 

[La2kw]

DW and I are both teachers, but I can't help you. We have always gone during school breaks. I won't take my kids out of school, and even if I wanted to the most we could take is five work days. That's just not enough time for us. It's really not that bad in the summer. December break is also nice, but not the week of Christmas. That week is worse than any of the summer trips we have done. We have 4 weeks off at Christmas so that does allow us to go early December. We still prefer summer though.

 

[bekkio]

Teacher here myself. Sometimes just keeping an eye on the calendar helps - our Winter Recess was really early in 2006, so we left the day after school got out - the crowds were really light right up until Christmas Eve. Our last trip we went during Spring Break (2nd week of April for us) and we just dealt with the crowds. Our school district gives an entire week off for Thanksgiving, so the early part of the week might be another option, but we haven't tried that yet.

 

[Candace]

As a teacher whose kids are now grown, I sometimes go for long weekends - like for Food and Wine. I will use one of my personal days when I do that. Then I went June 25th for a week, and the heat and crowds were not bad yet. I can't do August because I am a counselor and back at work by mid-July. This year in December, I am taking two personal days right before we get out to do five nights with 14 of us (friends and family) so we can enjoy the great weather and fabulous decorations. Spring break weather is wonderful, but the crowds are not, so, now when I go somewhere Disney for Spring break, it's usually Vero Beach. I have been a member for 14 years, and it's interesting to think back on my traveling patterns. Once my kids got out of school, things really changed. I still really love my DVC!

 

[gracelrm]

DH & I are both educators and DVC members. We are usually out in late May and often take our trips in early June (before the 11th to make use of the lower points). Some years, however we have so many snow days that going that early isn't possible. We usually take the last day of school and add about 2 1/2 weeks to it and then plan our Disney trip for then. We also are fortunate to have a fall break. We usually go to HH or VB for fall break, but are going to WDW this year. So the points in Oct are not too bad. One year our Christmas break was early enough that we could leave one day early and make it to WDW for 5 nights and still got home before Christmas eve. That was a wonderful trip. We, however, are close enough to drive it in one long day. Can't take the kids out of school anymore before Christmas due to finals for middle & high school aged kids. In our system you can't take "personal" days prior to a holiday or scheduled break from school - so making a long weekend a few days longer isn't an option for us. I have one teacher friend who is fortunate enough to be in a system where they can "bank" personal days until they have 5 and take a full week off. That would be great if the kids were young enough or out of the house. When we were initially buying in to DVC, we knew we'd most likely have to travel in June, so we got enough points to cover June trips for 7 days in a 2 BR - so we ready for whatever we have to do!

 

[bookwormde]

Just a parent but we book a week after school is out to allow for snow days and the week before school starts.

My only pet peeve is that the school districts in our area do not set their next year schedules until the spring so doing the week before school is always a bit of a gamble.

I guess all the district administrators are independently wealthy so they do not have to plan 12 months ahead to get the best prices and reservations.


bookwormde

 

[RLevy29]

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.

I don't know about other districts but our district is only closed for 2 days. The days off are not paid days. A teacher is under contract to work a certain number of days- in our case it is 185. NJEA is not part of the 185 days. Our district encourages the teachers to go but since they are not being paid, it is not mandatory.
I have done both- some years I go to the convention- some years we go to Disney for the F&W.

 

[jekjones1558]

I don't know about other districts but our district is only closed for 2 days. The days off are not paid days. A teacher is under contract to work a certain number of days- in our case it is 185. NJEA is not part of the 185 days. Our district encourages the teachers to go but since they are not being paid, it is not mandatory.

This is exactly how our district in Minnesota works for the 2 days we have in October.

 

[Starr W.]

Just a parent but we book a week after school is out to allow for snow days and the week before school starts.

My only pet peeve is that the school districts in our area do not set their next year schedules until the spring so doing the week before school is always a bit of a gamble.

I guess all the district administrators are independently wealthy so they do not have to plan 12 months ahead to get the best prices and reservations.


bookwormde

Have you tried calling? I live in the same district as RocknRobin, and I have called in January and they are more than happy to give me the dates of the next school yrs holidays. That kind of surprised me, I think the person who answers the phone has them memorized or pinned up right in front of her.

They make the calendar official in Feb or March, but other than trying to guess when Ohio wants to do Testing, which did lead them to move up Spring Break 09 a week, everything else is pretty much set.

 

[dgaston]

DH teaches HS in CT. We do not avoid President's Week and have had some of our best WDW visits then. I do use TGM for his Best Days/Best Parks strategies.

We are not point rich and we have also spent 4 Christmas at WDW -- we have rented houses in Windsor Palms and Windsor Hills to have holidays with family from CA and in other years IA.

Just back from a split stay week at VWL and AKV. While we did have each days plans altered by rain, we had a great vacation. DH will use 2 personal days in October and we'll go down for Food & Wine.

HTH

 

[bookwormde]

Starr W

Yes I have called and have asked why they cannot figure it out sooner (it is not rocket science), but they will not release it until the board approves it (typically at their April meeting)

bookwormde

 

[JVL1018]

Not a teacher, but I prefer not pulling my kids out, ( though we have to now with my husband's job but that's another story..).

Anyway, working around school..if you go back after Labor Day, go to WDW the last week of August, even with free dining, we found the crowds to be fine, nothing to worry about.
I'd go again in late August in a heartbeat.

Our spring break used to be the last week of April and we went that week in 2007-it was PERFECT:low crowds, gorgeous weather..of course they changed that because now our state testing is the 1st week of May so after years and years of having the last week of April off, we now get the week of Easter. Great.
BUT if your spring break doesn't coincide with Easter, go then!

 

[Cruelladeville]

Retired Michigan teacher here I used to have a contract for every holiday, so I could go when I wanted to. I had an August use year for Christmas; a February use year for Spring break, which is always the first week in April for us; and a March use year for June. Those are all high point times, which you just get used to. Once you retire, you will find that February and early March are wonderful times to vacation in Florida, also October and early November. Very small crowds and nice sunny days. I love being able to see the Halloween party, F&W, Christmas.

 

[Alexander]

Upstate NY Teacher: We travel Presidents' Week, our spring break week which coincides with Easter every 2 out of 3 years, and a week in the summer. Presidents' Week has never been horrible for crowds, but the weather is unpredictable. We like a good 80 degrees. Easter is just plain nuts. We were considering a cruise this Easter to avoid the WDW madness, but decided to spend half of the time at Vero Beach in '09. Summers are hot, hot, hot. But we tend to go slow and take-our-time. This year I am using my personal time to go the first week of December. It is a big family-trip.

 

[starbox]

GA teacher here - We go as soon as school gets out and stay for 12 days. Arrive on that first Sunday and stay through the weekend and the next Sun-Thursday. We've done the one Fri/Sat on points and have paid member cash discounted rate. It really motivates me to get my end of the year stuff done and is a great way to start the summer.

I'm not a fan of traveling during a December/January break because that's the one time of year I usually get the teacher crud/sinus infection/nasties from all the germy little angels inside the classroom all day.

We went during Spring Break last year as well, and the crowds were easily quadruple the crowds in early June.

 

[DeeCee735]

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!

Do you get President's week off in February? When we bought, we specifically bought enough points for a week in a one bedroom at BW for Pres week because then I didn't have to take my kids out of school. Crowds are lower than March and April and the weather is mostly wonderful.

Do you get any of the jewish holidays? I work for a school district and we get the jewish holidays, which means some years a long weekend for rosh hannah or yom kippur, these makes great times to go to - especially if one of those holidays falls in September, like this year

 

[Teachckg]

DeeCee735--

We do not get a week for president's day but could extend the 3-day weekend we get (I have to check my school's policy about adding onto a holiday). My DH and I were just looking at the Jewish holidays though. That might be a good idea!!!

 

[DVCJones]

I am not a teacher, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Just joking...I am a teacher and a DVC member. I am sorry to say that I have no real tricks to share for getting around the crowds or heat. I do however, always go in April because the weather is the BEST that time of year. I figure if I am going to have to deal with crowds...I won't deal with heat and humidity at the same time like you would in the summer months.

 

[homedad]

My wife is a teacher and we are also newer DVC members. We go every other year in sept (before Meap testing) and she works on Mon and we go for the rest of the week . Its low season for points. Crowds are low, not too hot and nothing earth shattering is happening at her school at that time. We are jsut starting to have school aged children(7 and 5) so next year we'll pull mom, Ds and DD out of school. When they hit middle or HS we'll reevaluate this stategy. Also going every other year doesn't irritate her principal too much.

 

[bnlbebes]

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.

Family of 2 NJ teachers here. The NJ teacher's convention is not mandatory for NJ teachers. It is sponsored by the state's largest teacher's union - NJEA. It is held in Atlantic City for a Thursday and Friday in November. It is usually insanely crowded - matched only by WDW at that time. Some school districts do have clauses in their teaching contracts requiring their teachers to attend the convention, but most do not.

Since I have been teaching (13 years) I have never been tempted to go to WDW at that time. Too many people from New "Joisey" for my taste. When I go to WDW, I go to get away from home for awhile. I did go once during college, and found it unnerving to be in another state with so many of my neighbors.

DW and I tend to travel during the last week of June or the middle of August. We also take off a long weekend about every 5 years to visit WDW at Christmastime. Using a few of our personal days for this visit is always well worth it.