Grad Night Trouble

[fertmc]

Hi everyone --

My wife is class advisor and is trying to put the senior trip together. Her travel agent has booked the class at All-Star Music for Grad Night....unfortunately there will be no transport to and from the resorts from 10 pm to 4 am. How the heck to get the class back to the resort at 4 am? There's no way she's walking thirty high school kids three miles along the roadway! The Grad Night tickets are already bought.

Any ideas?

 

[Betty X]

Cabs maybe? Or rent two 15 person vans for the night?

 

[suzannews]

When I went to Grad night many many moons ago, once you were in the park at 10pm or 11pm, you could not leave until after 4am or so. At around 3am, we just wanted to go back to our bus in the parking lot and sleep but had to sit on the steps of City Hall and wait for them to open the gates to get out. This way they don't have kids roaming outside the park at all hours of the night. Your wife could confirm this with her Disney Grad night contact.

 

[fertmc]

Yeah, I also wondered if she could tip the parking lot tram driver to run them up to All-Stars!
I can't believe that Disney would want a bunch of kids staggering down the road, so I wouldn't be surprised if Guest services comes up with something for them.

Now we just have to hope Delta pilots don't go on strike....

 

[WEDWDW]

I cannot imagine that Disney would not have buses running to all resorts when Grad Night ends.I have nothing to base this on,but would be VERY surprised if Disney transportation is not available.

 

[paladin]

I have read in the past that once they get into the park for Grad night, they are there until the end (i.e. not allowed to leave), so if that is the case, she won't have to worry about it (I would that once they are allowed to leave, Disney will provide buses to take them back to the resort).

 

[paladin]

I just checked on the Disney Youth Group site and it says that groups can make special arrangements for permission to leave before 4am, but it doesn't say anything about arranging transportation. Has your wife and/or the travel agent contacted the Disney Grad Night office to discuss this?

 

[DebbieB]

How are they getting to WDW?

 

[luvfigment]

If I remember correctly from when I went back in '98 we had our own transportation to bring us to the park. We were brought to a backstage entrance and took the monorail to the TTC after to get our bus to go back to the hotel. The buses were not Disney and we used them to go to Cocoa Beach also.

 

[COmomof2]

We were at Disney last April, and there were tons of private charter busses everywhere. As we were leaving the MK for the day, these busses were lined up, and parked all along the road into the parking lot. I just assumed that the kids were being shuttled back and forth to the MK in them.

I'm sure that your wife's Disney contact can tell her what the rules/procedures are to get that many kids in and out of the parks safely.

Good luck! (with that and Delta!)

 

[profdsny]

Pretty sure this is a lock-in. I don't think there are other options than to stay till closing at 4am.

 

[Stitchy]

When my class goes in May (well to the one in DLR) we're taking charter buses. Good Luck! I hope the ride situation gets figured out!

 

[Schmeck]

First of all, there's no way Disney would let you walk from MK to the All-Star resorts, so they will either have transportation for you, or advise you to rent a charter bus.

 

[profdsny]

Hi, I'm not sure where you, or their school, is located. If you are close and the kids go to WDW all the time, I can understand why maybe they might want to leave early. On the other hand, even if they are regular visitors, I think the idea of being in the park till 4am sounds like a great idea to some of the kids. Pulling the kids at 2am because the chaparones or teachers are tired I don't think it going to go over well with a lot of the kids. I think a poll ahead of time of the kids may be the way to go. Even then, It's likely to be divided. I think some more thought, and discussion with the kids, better go into this before a bus is booked and the kids are 'forced' out before the park closes.

 

[Quinn222]

I cannot imagine that Disney would not have buses running to all resorts when Grad Night ends.I have nothing to base this on,but would be VERY surprised if Disney transportation is not available.

Grad night is not designed for the kids to be staying on a hotel. They take buses from their schools to the parks and then at 4AM get back on those buses and go back to their schools. So it sounds as though this school is planning something outside the usual grad night program.

 

[fertmc]

Thanks for the responses! The Disney contact got back to DW and said there would be a shuttle bus at 4 a.m. for $5.00 per head. I don't know who's operating it...sounds like an independent.

The class isn't local -- they are flying from Syracuse, NY. Sooo glad I'm not chaperoning! But my wife will at least get a feel for an All-Star resort. We stayed at WL two years ago and I don't feel the need to go deluxe again. PO is fine with me, maybe All-Stars will be clean and quiet enough too.