Shocked

[bonnaroomama]

Frankly I dont know why this is debated over and over again. It is no ones business when I take my child out of school. I am a loving, caring, hard-working mother who provides clean clothes, hot meals, homework help, moral guidance and who works very hard for all of it. I will not apologize to anyone (teachers included) if the only way we can provide a family vacation is to have the kids miss 2 or 3 days of school. The work is always made up and the kids don't seem to suffer for having done it once every couple of years.

And as for parents being to blame for the state of the education of children.....I think some teachers had better take a look in the mirror. All I hear from a good portion of them (at least locally) is "gimme more money, more time off, more benefits, etc." They seem so involved in what they are not getting for themselves that I'm not sure how any teaching is being done.

We are going next Thanksgiving and I'm not apologizing to anyone or feeling guilty about it.

Hold the phone! I was agreeing with everything you said about it being the parents' prerogative, right up until the part about teachers demanding too much. I am a college professor, used to work as a pre-K teacher; the state doesn't pay most of my benefits (500 a month max so 1/3 of my check goes to benefits) and I make only 30k a year. I'm hardly living the high life for the 50 hours plus a week I put in, and I make more than most teachers here in Tulsa. I made more as a waitress; I teach because I love it and I believe in education.
I also provide a lot of materials out of my own pocket, although not remotely enough to what I would if I taught elementary or high school.

Teachers are a product of a system that makes us work to have students pass tests. They are so busy teaching students to pass tests that they don't have time to actually teach students to learn, analyze and integrate information.

But that's off topic, and not what this thread is for! Let's stay away from the red herrings.

Back to kids @ Disney, my mom and dad used to get a copy of the lesson plan. It was up to them to teach me and believe me, we worked our bums off reading. I am excellent at reading in the car as I tried to get all my homework done in the 24-hour ride to Disney so I wouldn't have to do any on vacation. It's something that you know if your kids and your family can handle.

I agree with PP who said there are families who just don't care and are just going because the parents want to. But I see our trip as awesome quality family time, and even if my two-year-old, who went twice as an infant, isn't "getting anything" out of Disney, we are all getting the bonding experience. I work a TON and so does his dad, who is a full-time college student. 9 days with nothing but attention on each other? Huzzah!

One of the traditions we started 14 years ago when we got together was taking vacations regularly (it's Shakespearean...anytime Shakespeare's people need to work something out, they go to the woods or wilderness, solve the problem, then come on back to town). So once a year, sometimes twice, to the peril of bills and responsibilities, we do make some kind of pilgrimage to find the heart of our family, whether to the mountains, to the Netherlands or Germany, to the woods, or to Disney. Going on vacation is in essence forgoing responsibility. You try your best to keep up from far away, but you know there's something that doesn't get the attention it should. And for what? To reclaim your souls, to be a family again, or if not to be a family again, to be yourself again.

 

[dmoore718]

While I'm sure school is important to every parent there, there's also an importance that is called family.
I think a family vacation can and should trump school every now and then, as long as the kids are doing well in school, and attendance is regular I don't see there being a problem.
Well, other than some people being upset because it's throwing off their way of vacationing.
I'm sure the parents there are capable of making the decision of when and how they want to have their kids taken out for a short family vacation, did anyone think it could be that their kids are also in year round school....or maybe homeschooled?
Good thing no one here is making any quick judgements about kids "being out of school " without thinking there has to be a good reason.

AGREED!!

 

[disneymomma1978]

One of the traditions we started 14 years ago when we got together was taking vacations regularly (it's Shakespearean...anytime Shakespeare's people need to work something out, they go to the woods or wilderness, solve the problem, then come on back to town). So once a year, sometimes twice, to the peril of bills and responsibilities, we do make some kind of pilgrimage to find the heart of our family, whether to the mountains, to the Netherlands or Germany, to the woods, or to Disney. Going on vacation is in essence forgoing responsibility. You try your best to keep up from far away, but you know there's something that doesn't get the attention it should. And for what? To reclaim your souls, to be a family again, or if not to be a family again, to be yourself again.

I love how you said this!!

 

[TinkBride]

I don't think anyone hear is saying education is not important. From reading the last 14 pages - quite the contrary. Basically everyone from both sides have agreed that education is important.

So - why don't we leave the process in which each family decides how to handle their (not your's, not his, not her's, not any other child but your own) child's education from the last 14 pages and go no further and focus on actual park crowds (which is obviously what the original poster was asking - maybe not in the most literal Dis way, but whatever....)

The bashing, judging, and criticizing other's decisions has got to stop. It is everywhere these days (not just here - EVERYWHERE). We all come from many walks of life, with many different histories and NO ONE on here has the right to be the end all be all of Disney vacation planning. This board is here to HELP not hinder. So, let's all HELP and figure out this dang crowd situation..........because I want to know when the slow time is......

It seems like January (post MLK day) - February (Pre President's day) is the optimal time for the lowest crowds.....am I wrong??

 

[dqpowell]

It seems like January (post MLK day) - February (Pre President's day) is the optimal time for the lowest crowds.....am I wrong??

I was there during the time you specify in 2009. It was low crowds, but no lower than some other times of year. On average, the lowest crowds can be found in September, October, parts of November, early December, most of January, parts of February, and parts of March.

The single month with the lowest aggregate sum for predicted crowd levels on touringplans.com is October. But that only means that it has the lowest average for the entire month. There could be individual weeks in other months that would come out with a lower average.

David

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Personally, I think the week after Labor Day has the lowest crowds. I went to Disney on the 14th of September this year and it seemed like there was no one else there, walk on to Tower of Terror in the middle of the afternoon, not even keeping people in the library for the pre show, a ten minute wait for Soarin at noon the next day. It was great!

 

[Cinderella94]

This thread is mind boggling.

 

[whitney37354]

It's Fall Break in our school district & I know lots of people who are down there with you right now.

 

[dspade19]

We were at AK on Thursday (the 23rd)...we were able to ride Kali Rapids three times in a row without getting off...this was around 10:30am. We had not wait for the Safari. Primal Whirl had no wait early afternoon. Dinosaur had a 10 minute wait at 2pm. We also walked into Lion King, Nemo and Bugs Life with no wait and perfect seats. The 23rd was coinsidered a good park day for AK.

That is good to hear. I just hope mid November (before Thanksgiving) isn't crowded. Thanks for sharing.

 

[IAMFIGMENT]

I am taking my kids out this year for the first time. One is in 3rd grade the other is in 7th. We have had a lot of deaths in the family including my MIL that passed from Breast cancer and we all have had a really hard time from the time we found her. So this is a must trip for us all. IMHO there is more to life than school. We think school is importand and our kids are honor students but when you have been through what we have this year you tend to look at things differently.

 

[TinkBride]

I was there during the time you specify in 2009. It was low crowds, but no lower than some other times of year. On average, the lowest crowds can be found in September, October, parts of November, early December, most of January, parts of February, and parts of March.

The single month with the lowest aggregate sum for predicted crowd levels on touringplans.com is October. But that only means that it has the lowest average for the entire month. There could be individual weeks in other months that would come out with a lower average.

David

DH and I are arriving the Saturday after Thanksgiving and leaving the following Saturday. I was here during this same week in 2006 and the crowds were soooo low and I was hoping it would be the same this trip - but from the sounds of it - it isn't looking too hopeful.....

Oh well - we will have fun either way!

 

[cm8]

Frankly I dont know why this is debated over and over again. It is no ones business when I take my child out of school. I am a loving, caring, hard-working mother who provides clean clothes, hot meals, homework help, moral guidance and who works very hard for all of it. I will not apologize to anyone (teachers included) if the only way we can provide a family vacation is to have the kids miss 2 or 3 days of school. The work is always made up and the kids don't seem to suffer for having done it once every couple of years.

And as for parents being to blame for the state of the education of children.....I think some teachers had better take a look in the mirror. All I hear from a good portion of them (at least locally) is "gimme more money, more time off, more benefits, etc." They seem so involved in what they are not getting for themselves that I'm not sure how any teaching is being done.

We are going next Thanksgiving and I'm not apologizing to anyone or feeling guilty about it.

And you can say that again!

 

[ukool]

Alot of UK schools have a fall break in Oct which could account for some of the add'l volume. We run into quite a few UK folks when we come down in mid-Oct.

In the UK October half term isnt untill the last week of October.

 

[Melanie230]

I am taking my kids out this year for the first time. One is in 3rd grade the other is in 7th. We have had a lot of deaths in the family including my MIL that passed from Breast cancer and we all have had a really hard time from the time we found her. So this is a must trip for us all. IMHO there is more to life than school. We think school is importand and our kids are honor students but when you have been through what we have this year you tend to look at things differently.

Problem for us is that my DS is in middle school.....principal does NOT excuse vacations. If we took 3 or 4 days off he would get zeros for each day and fail his quarter. We think vacations are important too. We just go when our schedules match up to theirs. I am not slamming anyone else. But we think that school is more important than Disney.

 

[Melanie230]

I find it comical that people sitting at home can tell the OP it isn't busy in Magic Kingdom when she's there staring at the crowd. Then when the OP again states that the parks are packed, some people feel the need to give her 20 lashes because she "chose the wrong park" that day.

I haven't read all the thread yet....we r still here. I am sitting in Ariel right now. The crowd at MM Monday was so jade it took me 1 hour to walk from HMM to the Pop Century bus. It was mobbed.

 

[bonnaroomama]

I am taking my kids out this year for the first time. One is in 3rd grade the other is in 7th. We have had a lot of deaths in the family including my MIL that passed from Breast cancer and we all have had a really hard time from the time we found her. So this is a must trip for us all. IMHO there is more to life than school. We think school is importand and our kids are honor students but when you have been through what we have this year you tend to look at things differently.

You all need this. I hope you have an amazing time!

 

[ols386]

Problem for us is that my DS is in middle school.....principal does NOT excuse vacations. If we took 3 or 4 days off he would get zeros for each day and fail his quarter. We think vacations are important too. We just go when our schedules match up to theirs. I am not slamming anyone else. But we think that school is more important than Disney.

If my kid were going to receive a zero for each day, I definitely wouldn't take him out of school either.

There is nothing wrong with your thinking school is more important. You certainly have the right to have your opinion.

 

[princessmom29]

Problem for us is that my DS is in middle school.....principal does NOT excuse vacations. If we took 3 or 4 days off he would get zeros for each day and fail his quarter. We think vacations are important too. We just go when our schedules match up to theirs. I am not slamming anyone else. But we think that school is more important than Disney.

We do too. School comes before vacations, every time hands down, just like mine and DH's jobs come before vacation. School is my kid's job. Her education is the single most important thing she can do for herself right now. No vacation is worth compromising that. If we can take a vacation and pull her from school without a problem we will do it, but the moment I even suspect that she will have trouble if I pull her out or that her grades may suffer it will stop. It will also stop the moment the school tells me it is a problem. When we signed on with this school, we signed on for obeying thier rules, so we will. To me, that is the right thing to do. If we decide we cannot live with the rules the school sets, we are free to go elsewhere or homeschool, but sl long as we are a part of the school we obey the rules, all of them, not just the ones that are convinent at the time.

 

[simzac]

People are amazing to me. I insist that there are only 2 seasons at WDW anymore. Busy season and very busy season. Plan accordingly and your trip will be magical.

 

[DVCCarrie]

I was there from 9/24 until 10/2, I was amazed at the crowds. I guess I must have picked the wrong parks everyday, even though we stayed away from the parks with EMH. We had reservations for Boma and when I asked what the wait time was without reservations, the CM told me it was an hour and a half and that was at 9:00 pm. I dont think I will go back during this time period again, buses were crowded and when I tried to make last minute dining reservations, I was told they had nothing available at the restaurant of my choice or my second choice. However, I must say that any day at Disney is as magical as you make it, despite the crowds, we had many magical moments!!!