Grad Nite 2015: the rules have changed

[splashtastic!]

Grad Nite rules have changed for 2015.


Up until this year, small groups of ten students were allowed to register as a “youth group” and attend Grad Nite under the condition a parent or parents signed the group up and also attended as the chaperones.


As many of you know from first-hand experience: the Graduates can be rowdy and obnoxious. A majority of them are great kids, excited to be moving on to their next stage of life, thrilled to be attending a private party with friends at the Happiest Place on Earth. A number of these kids however display far too much skin and PDA for anyone’s comfort; they curse, they push and shove each other, and sometimes, they intimidated day guests who were traveling with small children and their families. (By “intimidate” I mean line-jump and travel in a rowdy pack.)


Well Disneyland has heard your complaints LOUD and CLEAR.


There will only be official school-sponsored groups this year, (for 2015) and there will be no “small groups” of fewer than 20 participants that will be allowed to register.


Apparently, in the past years, some adults signed up a small group and then did not properly inform the Graduates of the rules for attendance. That’s why so many people saw offensive and obnoxious behavior. Now with proper registration, they can control the troublemakers with better rules and even a little peer-shaming. If someone from your school gets out of line: they separate you and make you sit out the evening with your chaperone. If too many from one school get out of hand: they can pack you ALL up and send you back home on your bus.


Good for Disneyland!!!


But what a bummer for our small group of properly clothed, well-mannered Graduates. With the new improved rules, our group cannot attend.


But don’t get me wrong, I’m not mad at Disneyland. I’m REALLY glad they have reacted this way for every other person who will be traveling to visit the Parks during Grad Nite time. I’m personally disappointed because my daughter and a small group of kids have been planning and hoping and dreaming of this since the First Grade. One of the kids in our group, it’s her first time out of State, her first BIG experience off our secluded island in the Gulf of Alaska, her first big trip out of our little town of 5,000 people.


I’m really bummed.


But I’m happy for everyone else.


So plan away vacationers!! Know that Disneyland heard the angst and they are responding to the complaints.
I was told that there will be no exceptions to these rules: that the decisions “came down from the top.”

 

[megsoro]

Could your little group partner with another? Possibly a group from the area? Reach out, maybe some Disney magic may happen!

 

[PinkBudgie]

Or can your group go to DLR anyway just for a regular visit not grad night? If it was me, I'd just want to go with friends and wouldn't care if it was the official grad night. I hope you all can go one way or another!

 

[splashtastic!]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I really appreciate them.

I've picked myself up off the floor of disappointment, and I'm now planning a "Alaska to Disneyland 2.0" trip, the new, improved version of Grad Nite for us.

Maybe with the $80 we save per person we can do a Tour together.

We'll have a great time.

Thanks again.

 

[sgrap]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I really appreciate them.

I've picked myself up off the floor of disappointment, and I'm now planning a "Alaska to Disneyland 2.0" trip, the new, improved version of Grad Nite for us.

Maybe with the $80 we save per person we can do a Tour together.

We'll have a great time.

Thanks again.

My son went to a small private school in Washington, with 15 in his graduating class. They took a graduation trip to Disneyland but didn't do a grad night. Jet blue gave them a great deal on airfare into long beach, a parent donated 2 time share rooms for 2 nights, and Disney gave them a discount on 1 day hoppers. They fund raised and many, including our son, only had to pay food and spending money. So it is doable without grad nights. Enjoy! Hope it works out!

 

[splashtastic!]

My son went to a small private school in Washington, with 15 in his graduating class. They took a graduation trip to Disneyland but didn't do a grad night. Jet blue gave them a great deal on airfare into long beach, a parent donated 2 time share rooms for 2 nights, and Disney gave them a discount on 1 day hoppers. They fund raised and many, including our son, only had to pay food and spending money. So it is doable without grad nights. Enjoy! Hope it works out!

Great ideas!!
I wonder if Alaska Airlines would do something like Jet Blue did? I'll definitely check into it.

 

[GatorChris]

So Disney thinks that it's the kids from the small schools, maybe private or homeschool, are the problems at Grad Night. Brilliant. Maybe they should ban families from the Christmas season since families have parents, and parents are mean and don't buy the kids all their presents at the Emporium.

 

[bumbershoot]

So Disney thinks that it's the kids from the small schools, maybe private or homeschool, are the problems at Grad Night. Brilliant.

Totally brilliant. I'm SURE it was those groups who were up to no good.

It's not like it was a school-group trip that I took as a senior in HS to Santa Cruz where we all got utterly blitzed. With our school chaperones right next door. (oh, who BOUGHT the booze for us)


While going at Grad Night sounds like a nightmare to me, it's something I still had in the back of my head to arrange for my son, if we homeschool all the way through. It's a version of normal, and he likes being "normal" sometimes.

Ridiculous.

 

[T0rrent]

Actually reading more into it, it really seemed like it was small groups of non grads signing up and either getting someone to "volunteer" as the chaperone, or the chaperone using them as a babysitter.

 

[splashtastic!]

So Disney thinks that it's the kids from the small schools, maybe private or homeschool, are the problems at Grad Night. Brilliant. Maybe they should ban families from the Christmas season since families have parents, and parents are mean and don't buy the kids all their presents at the Emporium.

GatorChris, I think I wrote that badly, my fault.

What was said to me was that parents, at the request of their youngsters, would have signed up a 'small group' maybe as a private school or maybe as a youth group but then would either not relay the rules and regs properly to the kids, or the parents would fail to reign their 'troublemakers' in.

I'm sorry if I made it sound like like regular home or private schools are the actual problem.
The person I spoke with, a representative @ DL, indicated she feels it is the small/private/home school-ers who will be the ones who are unfairly punished as the new rules require both a 20 kid minimum AND permission/signature from a school administrator.
Sorry about the confusion there.


Our kids from AK went to a small private school and also the public High school together.
I've been emailing Youth Programs about the 2015 Grad Nites since January of this year.
The changes caught me by surprise, to say the least, but I also have to say, what else are they to do?
They HAVE to do something in response to guest complaints.
Especially since people were telling Guest Services about mayhem like "making out" in Aladdin, trying to "flash" ride photos, so no one could get a ride picture. Stealing, loud profanity, mock-fighting and horseplay, etc.

I do feel a little 'punished' by others misdeeds, but I'm not sure what a better answer would be. After talking with the Rep in Youth Programs, I had nothing but sympathy for their issues. I sure wouldn't want to be a day guest who paid thousands for a vacation only to have it disrupted over and over by herds of obnoxious kids.
And kids have got to learn: certain things are Rights, everything else is a privilege.