Strategies for Teachers and others

[GPC0321]

I teach high school. I went last year during Easter/Spring break. It was crowded, I guess, but nothing I couldn't handle. Weather was wonderful. Went this year Dec 17-20. It meant taking two days off from work, but I had the personal leave time to use, so I used it!

Future trips are probably going to be in summer, mid-June. I'm used to crowds at Disney, and can plan accordingly. The heat doesn't bother me as I live in eastern NC and it gets as hot and humid here in the summer as it gets in Orlando.

I like the idea of having one booked early in my summer break to kick it off. I couldn't deal with an end of the summer Disney trip, as the double blow of leaving Disney AND summer vacation ending would be too much, LOL!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Another budget idea for you- my primary credit card is the Disney Visa so I build up a lot of Disney points. We don't do the dining plan for many reasons I won't go into now. So I take the Disney reward dollars and pay for our food while at Disney World. Last July it paid for 6 out of our 8 days of dining and that included table service, quick service, snacks, drinks, etc.

Just a thought for those that are looking to save a little $$$.

This is what I used to do until I realized I could make a lot more vacation money using other credit cards. I have a Chase Freedom card and a Bank of America card. I use my cashback earnings to purchase Disney gift cards at my local grocery store with my Chase Freedom card during the quarter when groceries earn 5% cashback. I also try to do it when I can earn 4x fuel points. For a $1000 gift card, I get $50 cashback plus a savings of $140 in gas. That's a 19% savings. Much better than the 1% you get in Disney reward dollars.

I am also a teacher. My DH is a retired teacher, but he still coaches. When our kids were young, we used to go in the summer, but I can't deal with the heat anymore. Then we started going over fall break. It's our favorite time to go, but for the past few years, my DH has had a game over my break, so this year I took off 3 days and combined it with a weekend for a 5-night trip for just the two of us. I think the plan for our next solo trip will be February 2019, which will mean I will need to take off 3 days again and combine it with President's Day. Since our kids are in college now with different schedules, I'm thinking our next family trip will be Thanksgiving 2019. I would choose the week before Christmas, but our oldest DS will have graduated by then, and I'm guessing his work schedule will not be conducive to taking off the week before a major holiday.

 

[bartleyosu]

We're not allowed to take the day before or after any day off, off. Won't be approved.

Me, too. No personal days allowed to extend holiday or back to back. I live in Ohio and am currently sweating it out because I have Easter trip planned and we have used all 5 of our days. We are making up Monday due to missing this Friday. I am taking my parent's for 40th anniversary and will be so disappointed if we have to go to school Thursday of Easter Break. I will ask if I can take personal day but not hopeful.

 

[MudQueen22]

We are also teachers. Our district will not let us take days immediately before or after a school holiday. I know a few people who have gotten by with it, but not many.
I've served on the calendar committee in the past just so I could encourage some creative calendar planning. It isn't always easy in Texas unless you are a district of innovation. The travel industry in Texas successfully got some guidelines passed many years ago that stated that districts could not start classes until the fourth weekend of August. August is when many of us would prefer to be in school since you can't do much outdoors in the south part of Texas unless it is in the water. It's so miserably hot and humid in August and September. Many of us would prefer to have more of May off, or maybe some time in February.

So far, we've been to Disney during our Christmas break one year, and our last trip was in March during spring break. We thought it was almost as crowded as Christmas break. Our next trip is planned for June 2019, so we'll see how that measures up.

 

[katyjeka]

Twenty some years later I've come to believe that summer is no longer the busy season. I couldn't believe the crowd in October. Plan ahead and your trip will be magical regardless of the crowd.

 

[Kathlita]

I've been to WDW in June, July and August. Hot, hot, hot. We're going to try March this year, now that I'm no longer teaching. So looking forward to it! But in the past, we armed ourselves with misting fans, cold water, suntan lotion, etc. and always made the most of it. Go early, take a break, go back later is the usual advice, and it worked for us. The parks are open late in the summer, and we really enjoyed the evenings.

But...I also went once in early December. Just used some personal days and unpaid leave. Lucked out and had a snow day while away! And once I lined up an August trip and then was offered a teaching job that started during the trip. I asked for those days off as part of my new contract and got them. I guess just make your plans and make it happen!

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

I'm not a teacher, but work for a CPA, so vacation time is blacked out from Jan to April. DD gets out of school either just before Memorial Day or just after, depending on how many snow days we use. Due to deadlines at work, I really can't take a week off, unless it's at the tail end of the month or the very beginning of the month. For those reasons, I'm kind of stuck going late May or Early June. The rest of the summer is just too hot. The only other time to go, without taking DD out of school would be between Christmas and New Year's, but I'm afraid to try that due to the crowds.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

I am teacher also and all of our trips have been late May/early June but this year we are going for Spring Break/Easter week to see how it goes. My birthday is right before Easter this year and our spring break coincides with Easter break every year and I wanted one more use out of our APs so Good Friday we are heading out to the World. It's approximately a 10 hour drive for us, so not awful. We'll stay for 4 full days and decide the 5th day what time we are leaving to make it home.

We carried Frog Toggs with us the last 2 trips for the kids and that helped a good bit in the heat. Otherwise, we just take it slow and adjust as needed. We are ones who like TS restaurants so we'd cool off and rest during that time.

 

[Kathlita]

We carried Frog Toggs with us the last 2 trips for the kids and that helped a good bit in the heat. Otherwise, we just take it slow and adjust as needed. We are ones who like TS restaurants so we'd cool off and rest during that time.

The Frogg Toggs Chilly pads? Great idea! We used to wear the cooling neck wraps that you soak in ice water. I wouldn't have survived without them.

 

[Shanti]

I have noticed that going through my research of planning a Disney trip, most of the strategies cannot apply to someone with my job. I am a teacher/coach, so leaving for a week's worth during anytime from Late July - Late May is basically a lost cause. I am currently forming a blog that will log my planning and potentially help those with the same trouble as me. Are there any other teachers out there that can help me with strategies with the limited months of travel that I have. My district is still voting for next year's calendar, so my departure date can be as soon as the Tuesday after Memorial Day to the next Tuesday, and basically through mid July (although I am 100% sure the later I leave, the worse it will be).

I hope this thread cannot only help me, but others on here! Thanks!

July is a fine time to go as far as crowds are concerned. Better than fall, actually.

 

[PollyannaMom]

July is a fine time to go as far as crowds are concerned. Better than fall, actually.

This makes sense. I think Disney has done a lot of marketing to pull crowds from summer to fall.

 

[eiblehs]

I teach high school. I went last year during Easter/Spring break. It was crowded, I guess, but nothing I couldn't handle. Weather was wonderful. Went this year Dec 17-20. It meant taking two days off from work, but I had the personal leave time to use, so I used it!

Future trips are probably going to be in summer, mid-June. I'm used to crowds at Disney, and can plan accordingly. The heat doesn't bother me as I live in eastern NC and it gets as hot and humid here in the summer as it gets in Orlando.

I like the idea of having one booked early in my summer break to kick it off. I couldn't deal with an end of the summer Disney trip, as the double blow of leaving Disney AND summer vacation ending would be too much, LOL!

I am also a teacher and I plan my WDW trips for the summer. I have always wanted to go during October for Food & Wine Festival... I'm hoping I get to experience it one day! Thankfully, my school district allows teachers to take six personal days consecutively if we get them approved and, of course, have proper plans set up for the time missed. However, I think my anxiety would get the best of me from missing that much school and I wouldn't enjoy myself. I have zero desire to go during spring or Christmas break just because of the crowd levels.

Last year, I booked my WDW vacation at the end of the summer: We got home on a Friday and I started school on that Monday! I cut it close! This year, I will have one week between the end of our trip and school starting for the 2018-2019 year.

 

[Capang]

I am also a teacher and I plan my WDW trips for the summer. I have always wanted to go during October for Food & Wine Festival... I'm hoping I get to experience it one day! Thankfully, my school district allows teachers to take six personal days consecutively if we get them approved and, of course, have proper plans set up for the time missed. However, I think my anxiety would get the best of me from missing that much school and I wouldn't enjoy myself. I have zero desire to go during spring or Christmas break just because of the crowd levels.

Last year, I booked my WDW vacation at the end of the summer: We got home on a Friday and I started school on that Monday! I cut it close! This year, I will have one week between the end of our trip and school starting for the 2018-2019 year.

I took 2 personal days this fall to make an extended weekend at Disney. It was a lot of anxiety for just two days. However, my Little October getaway was a popular weekend as several of my students were also there at the same time. Their parents asked if I wanted a few hours with them to hold a mini class. Haha. Nope.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Their parents asked if I wanted a few hours with them to hold a mini class.

 

[pomcoach]

For several years, our school district had conferences late on Wed. and Thurs., and in return we'd get Friday off. So we would fly out early on Friday, mid-October to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We'd hit Disney Friday around 2 pm., Saturday, & Sunday. Then I'd take a personal day on Monday, so we could fly back home. We were not allowed to take a personal day if it was right before a holiday or after a holiday. My Monday wasn't before any holiday or after any holiday. This worked for 3 years, until other teachers caught on to what I was doing, and tried to copy it for themselves. Pretty soon, they changed conferences and made us teach on Fridays too. But for 3 years, I got my Disney fix, and we had a brief, but fun time celebrating our Anniversary in WDW. If your district chooses a year round calendar, your options will grow. But many of my friends who taught year-round seemed exhausted and really couldn't take it.
Being a teacher and loving Disney is very very hard. We also took the family the second school would let out for Christmas Break. So if the last day of school was Dec. 17, we'd fly out that evening. But if the last day of school was Dec. 23rd, we'd have to let it go. The crowds were just not fun.
The best advice I can give is "look forward to retirement." I'm retired now after 31 years of teaching Kindergarten. We can look for the lowcost flights and visit Mickey when we want.

 

[pomcoach]

Yeah, the whole money thing sucks for me, just not as bad as the schedule. I am having to plan a 2019 trip, just to get enough money. Cost of living (at least for Texas) is unreal where I am. Apartment rents are the same for housing mortgages, and the housing market in my area is booming. I can't afford a 5% down payment, where others who are moving in are basically paying it all up front in cash. I have more money saved away than most of my generation (looking at you millennials), but it took living at home, rent free, for three years. Even with that money saved, still can't really afford a house, with a decent neighborhood, within an hours commute.

Let's face it. Teaching means we pretty much get paid dirt. But we ARE smart, so we can find other ways to save. My fellow teachers call me the Priceline Queen. This April we're staying at the Orlando Sheraton for our 4 day trip to Disney for $60 a night. With the taxes and fees included, it's about $72 a night. That's much better than any on-site property. Priceline takes a lot of studying to get the secrets to learning to bid smartly. But you can do it. There's a site called Biddingfortravel. I read everything on there and studied how others are doing it. Then I read everything on the Priceline site. The room you get is only guaranteed for 2 people, so it doesn't always work for a family of 4, etc. But if there's only 2 of you, give it a try. It can open a whole other vacation life up to you.

Now airfare. Get an airline card, like Chase Saffire or Southwest or American Airlines. Yes, there's usually an annual fee, but the fee will be worth it. You get miles for groceries, paying bills, gas, just everything. Use it for everything you can. (Pay off the entire balance every month without fail, so you make miles off of them. Don't ever allow them to make a penny of interest off of you.) And boy, do the miles add up! We are flying 3 times this year, and all for free. We can even fly our daughter home for Christmas, all free. We teachers have to find ways to save and be smart. Sounds like you are doing a great job on the Saving part!

 

[isladog]

Former teacher here (currently work at the district level and hoping for a school admin job in the next few years). I'm not a Disney expert but not sure I believe everything the crowd calendars say.... we went to Disneyland on a Monday in January when it was supposed to be super slow and it was PACKED. We went on a Friday in October and the calendars said it would be packed and it wasn't bad at all. Obviously it's super hard for teachers to take days off during the school year so I say go when you can and make the most of it! Personally I think you can get more done on a busier day when the parks are open longer than a less busy day in the low season when the parks aren't open as long.

We also use credit card points. Every couple years we'll get a new card with a 50-60,000 mile signup bonus and save up those points for trips as well as the points for everyday use (Chase Sapphire is a good one). We haven't paid for flights on Southwest in probably 5 years. Another little trick, which doesn't actually save money, is to pick up $25 Disney cards at the grocery store now and then. They add up fairly quickly, you get fuel points for them (my grocery store often has coupons for double or quadruple points for gift cards), and it's an easy way to save a little here and there toward the trip. I also feel like I buy less junk when I do that because I don't want the grocery bill to be too high!

And this may not apply to anyone other than me... but one of my new year's resolutions was to stop spending an ungodly amount of money at Starbucks and save that for vacations instead. Now I make iced coffee at home and only go to Starbucks for "fancy coffee Fridays." I haven't spent money (other than gift cards I got for Christmas and my birthday) at Starbucks since mid December and am hoping to make my gift cards last through spring break at least.

Oh and that reminds me of one more little tip.... requesting Disney gift cards for Christmas and birthdays!