Questions on Dance the World

[LittleBug2]

My daughters dance studio is planning to participate in Dance the World in June/July 2020. We just received the form and I had a few questions for those that have done Dance the World before. We would be there for 4 nights/ with 4 day park hopper tickets.

- It says you can upgrade to a 5 day Disney Park Hopper - Maximum 5 day ticket. Can you really not go more than 5 days? My family was considering staying an addition 3 to 4 days. How do you obtain a 7 day park hopper ticket?

- do you get ticket numbers in enough time to book fast passes? They are staying at the Swan/Dolphin.

- are Magic Bands mailed to you, or do they go through the group?

- Are fast passes booked with the group or can each family do as they wish?

- is the an advantage to booking family as the friends/family? Or can I book the remainder of my family in the same hotel and buy our tickets on my own and just purchase daughters through the Dance the World. Does booking as friends/family give you anything other than the same room? If not, if we did book the same hotel as the dancers can we still have daughter staying in our room?

- Any insight on the Dance the World Gala dinner event?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm used to doing all the booking and planning for my family and not having it in someone else's control.

 

[LittleBug2]

Anyone ever done the Dance the World than can help?

 

[sponica]

@LittleBug2 I haven't done dance the world, but our dance studio did something down there last year.

If I recall, they opened up the discounts to anyone from the studio who was interested in going, even if they weren't performing.

Typically speaking on most group trips like this, the students/dancers/cheerleaders/band members/etc stay together and any family that travels stays separately from them. It's usually a liability thing + terms of the group rate.

Your dance studio should be able to answer most of these questions though.

Sorry I'm not more help.

 

[igrsod]

I can answer the question about the Gala. It was my dancers favourite part of the whole trip... even more than the parade. lol
They still talk about it years later. Very fun, everyone was up dancing having a great time the whole night. I highly recommend it.

As for booking for just your daughter with the group and not any of the family. I feel like it's possible. I feel like we had some do this, BUT the dancer was listed on someone else's room that was paid through the group. Where the dancer sleeps is totally up to you. People didn't mind adding the dancer to their room on paper, as the price for 4 in a room was cheaper than 3 in a room... who doesn't like to save money. So I would think if you could find someone willing to list your dancer as staying in their room, you can the rest of the family could book at the same resort on your own.

I know our dancers were all placed in the same building and close together, which made it super easy when meeting up to go to rehearsal, parade, performance day etc. If you book on your own, you will probably be somewhere else in the resort, and some are quite big.

As for tickets, I feel like families were totally able to extend their tickets for as long as they wanted. Not a problem.

Sadly, I can't answer about FP and Magic Bands, as when we went it was prior to these being offered in their current form. I'm sure if you send these questions to your studio director, they can ask for you.

It was a very fun experience for our dancers. We plan on doing it again some day.

 

[LittleBug2]

Thanks for the answers! We are now booked for Dance the World for 2020. My daughter can't wait.

 

[lanejudy]

I don't have specific experience with Dance the World, but some answers based on other group planning:

- It says you can upgrade to a 5 day Disney Park Hopper - Maximum 5 day ticket. Can you really not go more than 5 days? My family was considering staying an addition 3 to 4 days. How do you obtain a 7 day park hopper ticket?

Group ticketing is discounted and may only have certain offers available. There is usually an expiration date and may not be upgradeable. I suggest asking your group planner about other options. You may need to just buy regular tickets for the family, though the dancer is likely to be required to buy through the package offered.

- do you get ticket numbers in enough time to book fast passes? They are staying at the Swan/Dolphin.

Ask your planner about the ticket numbers. Some groups will share that info early, others don't distribute the tickets until arrival.

- are Magic Bands mailed to you, or do they go through the group?

If they/you are staying at the Swan/Dolphin, there won't be MagicBands unless you purchase them separately. Alternatively, if you have bands from a prior trip, you can use those for park entry. If you opt to use them, MBs will not work as door keys or for charging, only for park entry and FP+.

- Are fast passes booked with the group or can each family do as they wish?

You can check with the group planner, but usually FP+ are left up to the individual/family.

- is the an advantage to booking family as the friends/family? Or can I book the remainder of my family in the same hotel and buy our tickets on my own and just purchase daughters through the Dance the World. Does booking as friends/family give you anything other than the same room? If not, if we did book the same hotel as the dancers can we still have daughter staying in our room?

That would depend on the offering. There may (or not) be "extras" included with the package offered. Usually the student/athlete is required to purchase the package through the group. The rest of the family should be allowed to make any arrangements you wish. For discounts, you would have to book through the package or use public discounts.

Good luck to your daughter and enjoy your vacation!

 

[ColonelHathi]

My daughter is doing DTW in late June as well, maybe the same group? Our studio is staying at CBR. I don’t have answers to most of your questions, but....

- Gala will be great. I did the CP back in the day and Disney knows how to throw a party. Think of it as a $$ dinner with entertainment if that helps?

- I am sharing a room with another mom and her daughter in a Quad at CBR. We were able to indicate on the sheet that we wanted to pay separately and they set it up that way in our portal. DH and DS are planning to stay at Pop and catch one of the performances, purchase their ticket(s) separately. Then after DTW we are meeting up with them for a couple of nights at BC with no parks.
Looking at the notes, for the event they can only offer the 5-day park hopper, but they offer a separate add-on 3- or 4-day Park hopper - there may not be any financial advantage to these vs paying on your own and/or even doing regular park tickets without the hopper.

Maybe we’ll see you at DTW? Super excited, what a fun opportunity for the dancers!

 

[pxidst119]

Our studio is planning to do Dance the World 2021. I’m wondering how the cancellation has worked out for those of you there were booked for 2020. Did insurance cover it? We don’t have to put a deposit down until October but I’m really hesitant. While this is still a year away, I’m not sure how I feel about committing to this trip with the uncertainty of the pandemic. Usually when we go to Disney, we have a lot more flexibility about canceling than we would booking this trip through the group booking.

 

[Kay2397]

Our studio is planning to do Dance the World 2021. I’m wondering how the cancellation has worked out for those of you there were booked for 2020. Did insurance cover it? We don’t have to put a deposit down until October but I’m really hesitant. While this is still a year away, I’m not sure how I feel about committing to this trip with the uncertainty of the pandemic. Usually when we go to Disney, we have a lot more flexibility about canceling than we would booking this trip through the group booking.

We are planning attending July 2024. I know this is an old post but did you attend? Any tips to share?