Spring Break or February?

[momx2]

Okay, me, DH, DD (6) and DD (2) have booked Feb. 7th - 13th. I know that this is suppossed to be a great time to go without crowds. But now I am getting worried. I spoke with DD's kindergarten teacher and she said it would be unexcused, but acted like people do it and she didn't care. But my DD will be considered truant (although no court appearances until 10 misses unexcused). But this bothers me.

So now I am looking at Spring Break. It falls on March 26- April 2. We would get there March 27th and leave April 3. I know that the prices are higher. But weather will be better for swimming and we love to swim.

But the crowds???? It is 2 weeks before Easter. I know that helps. But I'm afraid it will be horrible crowds. Any advice out there please.

 

[nativetxn]

I was there during that time frame in 2000. The crowds were heavy but we did pretty well thanks to all of the tips I learned on the DIS. We learned not to remain in the Magic Kingdom on an early entry day. By 10am you could not move without bumping into another person. It was pretty claustrophobic for me but we simply hopped to EPCOT instead.

If you can go in February without doing damage to your daughter's schooling then go in February. It's a much more relaxing time.

 

[momx2]

Anybody else?

 

[Dismom63]

I am a teacher and we go all the time during easter with monster crowds and love it! (WDW not the crowds). My point...Relax, you won't see crowds like we will April 9 - 17! April is gorgeous in Florida! You will have manageable crowds - USE fast pass!

 

[Simba0319]

I have taken my kids out of school almost every year! The oldest is now in 6th grade. I assure you of this...! Tons of kids do it all the time.... Kindergarteners miss nothing that important.... and the crowds straddling Easter are horrendous!!

Take your kids out of school and don't worry!!!

 

[momx2]

Thanks for the replies. I am leaning toward keeping the vacation in February. I guess I'll just have a truant kindergardener.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I have gone Spring Break.. since I have a low tolerance for patience, I would say go in February.. I have gone both times... February can be iffy on the weather but it can be beautiful as well.. Good luck with your decision.

 

[kilee]

We went in February 7-15 of 2003. In 2002 we went in April, about 10 days after Easter (Our trip began around the 7th of April). We really seen 10x more in February. Granted the weather wasn't super warm-- around the low 70's during the day. We did get swiming twice. The parks were practically desserted. It was great. There were plenty of rides we walked onto w/o any wait.

As for April-- I would do it again if it meant not going at all. April was in the low 90's everday we were there. Alittle too hot and sticky to completely enjoy everything. The minimum wait at most rides was 20-30 minutes. The average wait was 40 minutes. We only got tto see 9 characters because the lines were outrageous-- in February DS got 48 autographs. Obviously I'm an advocate of February.

BTW, we aren't the greatest example, but- we take DS (10) out of school for 2 or 3 one week vacations a school year. He does well in school, and so far it hasn't posed a problem. However, our school considers a family vacation an excused abscence with proper notice. In some instances the teachers will have them write an essay regarding some educational things they saw. But this is true for both our elementary and high schools in our district. I guess I should feel lucky it's not frowned upon around here.

 

[Micca]

Our twin DD's are grown now(20), but all during their public school education, we took them out of school for WDW trips every year or two. Generally, their teachers were all so excited for them that they didn't mind making up homework packets for them.

How did it work out? One is a junior in college, the other....works at WDW

 

[swilphil]

I've been a teacher in two different school districts, and I'd say you probably can get around the unexcused problem. Technically, they say vacations are unexcused, but if you can "work the system" it should be fine. If you give proper notice and point out to the school how much your child will learn about different countries, animals, the science stuff at Epcot's Future World, you should be able to get it excused.

I think they are trying to discourage parents from taking kids out of school for every little thing. Usually there is some form that you have to fill out and have the teacher and principal sign. Also work with the teacher on what can be made up in advance and what can be done while you're gone. When kids are as young as kindergarten, it's not as hard to make up the work.

 

[Sher]

Hi Momx2!

I just wanted to add that as a kindergarten teacher, I wouldn't say that your daughter won't miss anything in a week of kindergarten, but my personal opinion is that family time and travel are important. Unless your daughter is truly struggling in school I would feel ok about taking her out for the week.

Having said that, as my children have gotten older I have decided that it is no longer ok for us. My daughter is in high school on a 4 block schedule and missing a week of school would be impossible to recover from in a class like algebra. When I saw this coming we decided to "try" a trip over spring break in 2001. I had heard the nightmare stories of shoulder to shoulder people and was prepared for the worst, but we actually had a great time. I love the extended hours and honestly we didn't notice crowds that kept us from doing what we wanted to do. The weather is great and we will be going again this year.

You know what is best for your family. I think it is important to let my kids know that we value their education, but it is also important to let them know we value our time together as a family. I think that most schools respect this idea.

Have a great trip!

Sher