Magic Music Days - Apr 13-16

[Cyndo723]

I will be going to WDW with my daughter's show choir during "Magic Music Days" April 13-16. They will be performing at the Magic Kingdom on the 15th. (I understand that this is a three week event, but I'm not sure of the actual weeks.) How bad will the crowds be? This is during our Spring Break. Has anyone else every traveled to the World with a group of High school students? We are staying at the All Stars. Any tips would be appreciated. I've been to WDW many times, but not like this. I'm usually the one doing the planning, and it's hard to let someone else control my time there.

 

[DennisP]

Originally posted by Cyndo723
Has anyone else every traveled to the World with a group of High school students?

Yes. I've been a chaperone for 5 (my wife 3) high school concert choir trips to Disney over the past 10 years or so. The 1st was when our daughter was in high school, the 2nd & 3rd were when our son was in high school and the 4th & 5th were again with our daughter but this time, she was the choir director.

We have also served as chaperones on other concert choir trips to Williamsburg, Hershey and Canada. I guess we do a good job as chaperones because the choir directors always asked us to go.

We enjoyed ourselves on all of these trips even though our primary purpose for being on the trip was to help the choir director and of course, the students.

 

[CRCrazy]

Just be prepared - that is Easter Week this year - traditionally one of the busiest times at WDW.

You should basically resign yourself to the fact that this trip is about the performance, and consider anything else to be a bonus!

We stayed at the All Stars with a mixed Jr/Sr High School group last summer, following a technology students conference. We really had a good time - although very different from our family trips! It was fun showing some kids who'd never travelled anywhere my favorite Disney stuff! It took them a day or two to realize this is NOT 6 Flags! It's not about the thrills!

We had a great time. I'm sure you will as well. One hint that worked for us was to break our big group into smaller groups - much easier to make 6 people happy, than 26!

 

[SB in KY]

We will be there with my dds' orchestra for the same event the week before Easter (April 8-11)... I suppose they could have found a worse time to go, but I am not sure how.... I am anticipating MASSIVE crowds everywhere...the good news is the parks are open really late.

I figure any day at Disney is better than a day at work....so I guess we will just go with the flow. I feel sorry for the kids in the group that have never been to WDW before....I doubt if it will be such a terrific experience for them. Looks like lots of pool time in the middle of the day and we'll hit the parks early and late.

 

[Madhatter266]

We chaperoned this trip for our DSs marching band, jazz band and chorus last year. Actually the kids were well behaved and were very cooperative. One hint-make all expectations and instructions CLEAR and not just to the students! Good luck-this is a trip your kids will never forget.

 

[DisneyDude10171]

I've been one of those crazy HS kids twice before, and here are my 2 cents!

Based on my experiences, these tips are best applied to large groups, but are good advice for any sized groups as well. (The first time I went, it was my HS marching band, choirs, and orechestras = a group of 500 kids!!! the second time it was just the band so it was around 200).

Make sure lots of time is alotted to roll calls (when departing the hotel and the parks) and that meeting times are made clear. Also be sure that these times coincide with park openings and closings.

Be sure to tell students when they should be ready "at the buses" and have a suggested time that they wake up at (or arrange for your rooms to get wake-up calls).

Anticipate crowds for breakfast at the hotel, and think about how this will affect operations in general while in the park... alert students to allow extra time to make it to check-ins if it really seems crowded.

Consider issues that might be brought up regarding FastPass. I am assuming that you guys might hold on to the tickets for the students out of concern for the tickets' safety, but you may want to think about letting students hold onto them out of consideration for them to have a good time despite the crowds. This may be a decision that you aren't even able to make, but it's something to think about none-the-less.

Lastly, always have a chaperone station in the park for students who get lost, hurt, sick, etc.

Hope this helps, and have a blast!

 

[FranP]

Cyndo - if you would like to PM either myself or my husband, DennisP we would be happy to answer any of your questions and/or pass on our experiences with groups like this. We have been on a lot of these trips (not only to WDW) but to Canada, Hershey, PA, Williamsburg, Washington, DC, Boston, etc. and have a lot of tips about keeping costumes in order, handling students in their hotels, handling illness and/or problems with students, etc. Trust me when I tell you that seeing your kids perform in MK will be unforgettable and worth all of the worries and sleepless hours you'll spend on this trip. Imagine, we were once the parents of singers/dancers in the Concert/Show Choirs and now we are the parents of the Concer/Show Choir teacher!!! What a trip!!!!!We look forward to helping you however we can.

 

[blossombrd]

H.S. Marching band (190 kids) from Michigan going Mar. 20 - 23.
Has anyone had students lose their themepark tickets? I was thinking about each chaperone writing down the numbers on the 4-day hopper tickets just in case....wouldn't that be easier to replace them, or is replacing the ticket not a problem?

Look for their marching performance Mar. 21 in the SpectroMagic Parade - very exciting! Blue & Gold high stepping, energetic award-winning band.

Staying at ASMu.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Might I inquire as to when these huge groups are going to eat and where? We will be there that time too, the 13th. sounds fun and interesting.

 

[poohlover]

My 2 DD's high school band will be there on April 20 - 25...I won't be chaperoning as I have younger ones that we will be surprising with a trip.

I almost feel really bad as they are soooo bummed that their sisters are going & they aren't. I am thinking of telling them on Easter, just to give them a week of "getting ready"

Our band ect. will be staying off site at the Radisson.

Thanks for the thought about the passes & the fast pass...I hadn't even thought of that one. I know the band director is concerned about keeping the kids in 1 park at a time, he had thought of collecting all passes.

Blossombrd: we will be sure to try to see your HS!! Our hs isn't doing a parade as the color gaurd is away on a national competition...oh well maybe next time

 

[BVC4us]

We are also going to DW with our band, orchestra, show choir, jazz band and pit band. Both our kids are in 3 of the bands so we are quite excited!! We are going down after Easter week. They will be performing at Disney and Universal. Hope all of you have fun with your groups!!

 

[DennisP]

Originally posted by blossombrd
Has anyone had students lose their themepark tickets? I was thinking about each chaperone writing down the numbers on the 4-day hopper tickets just in case....wouldn't that be easier to replace them, or is replacing the ticket not a problem?

The following thread answers your question.

LOST TICKETS

 

[Cyndo723]

Thanks for all the info. I have chaperoned on other HS trips, (Key Club, Senior Trip, etc.) but this is the first time doing it at WDW. Our group is small compared to some of the others you all mentioned, about 70. We are planning to let the kids use the transprtation system and visit whichever parks they want. Are we asking for trouble? We would rather break into small groups rather than expect everyone to do the same thing at the same time. Should each group be required to have an adult come along?

We have planned activities two of the days, our performance one day and a "Disney Sings" seminar on another day, so on those days everyone would have to stay together at least until these events are over.

I appreciate any input.

 

[DisneyDude10171]

Seperate parks would probably not be a good idea. I would imagine it would be a better idea to have everyone in one park, so it is easier to keep track of everyone. This also reduces the need to spread around chaperones.

However, I would NOT suggest that an adult be required to be present in the smaller groups of students. Just set a minimum number (four, maybe?) of students that should be together at any time.

Using resort transportation should be ok, but don't forget about the rider capacity of the bus.

 

[DennisP]

I have been on trips where it was done both ways. With a large group of kids (100+) and enough chaperones to cover the 4 parks, we let the kids decide which park they wanted to visit. But once they entered the park of their choice, they had to stay in that park. With a group of about 50, everyone went to one park and stayed at that park for the entire day.

To keep the kids in one park, we collected the park passes as they exited the park turnstile. We did not limit the number of kids in a group and did not assign a chaperone to any group. Rather, we told the kids that if they required any assistance, they should go to the park first aid station which the chaperones checked every hour. Years ago, a chaperone had to actually visit the first aid station to do the checking. Now, you can call the first aid station to do the checking. Just ask a CM and they will allow you to use their phone.

 

[Cyndo723]

If you collect the tickets when they enter, How do they use fastpass?

 

[DisneyDude10171]

that's the only problem.

I understand both sided of the situation, but I would probably say that it would be best to let the students hold onto the passes so that they can use FP. Just make it clear how important it is that they keep track of the tickets.