Teachers Going to WDW

[*NikkiBell*]

I just listened to the email show's discussion of teachers going to WDW. As a fifth grade teacher, I can sympathize with the caller's concerns. My experiences have always been positive though. Your ideal option is to go during your spring break time. Usually that is during Easter week or very close to it. Even though the parks are crowded, you really can get a lot done because the parks are open so late.

My typical plan of action is to sleep in and hit the parks around 10 or 11. Do the attractions that are not open at the nighttime EMHs, eat at a sit down restaurant, shop, and go swimming. Take a break in the afternoon or go to dinner and then enjoy EMH at night. I get all of the parks done during those EMHs with very little wait. I particularly love MK open until 3 am.

I also have found that I can use my allotted two personal days combined with a weekend to get a nice Food & Wine trip in or one for special events like DISapalooza. This is a nice treat during the year.

I hope this helps!

 

[jpeka65844]

I also have found that I can use my allotted two personal days combined with a weekend to get a nice Food & Wine trip in or one for special events like DISapalooza. This is a nice treat during the year.

I hope this helps!

I am also a teacher that has to content herself with short trips to The World unless she wants to fight A) horrible Spring Break crowds or B) sweltering summer heat or C) time off without pay. So, it's during the school year, it is!

I do the same as NikkiBell and combine 2 personal days with 1 "sick" day (no flames please on whether or not it's "honest"; I've been told before I'm stealing from my employer if I do that.....) and squeak out an early December trip. The holidays are in full swing and the weather is beautiful! That's our preferred time of year!!

 

[elaine and the boys]

Also, during school vacation weeks (Christmas, President's Week in Feb., and April spring break), more people and later hours result in more showings of Spectromagic, Fantasmic, etc. During slower seasons, they may not have these events every night, let alone multiple times every night as they do during peak seasons. I always feel like I'm getting more "bang for my buck" when I travel at these peak times. It just takes a little more planning to avoid long lines.

 

[luke]

US teachers seem to get much better time off than us UKers then, personal days, time off without pay - we just don't get that!
It's hot summer and crowded, expensive peak times of year only for us.

Although I finished for summer today so am fairly happy in that respect

 

[daneenm]

OK, I'm not a teacher, but I am a parent who will not take her children out of school for vacation. We visited WDW in the summer, don't like the heat and only had 1 day where we wished we were back at the hotel. We planned each day with a rope drop arrival, return to the hotel after early lunch (lunch around 11:30 or 11:45) and back to the parks after dinner. We chose our parks carefully (used Tour Guide Mike) and had a great trip!

Threw in some days at the water parks and we were very happy campers.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

US teachers seem to get much better time off than us UKers then, personal days, time off without pay - we just don't get that!
It's hot summer and crowded, expensive peak times of year only for us.

Although I finished for summer today so am fairly happy in that respect

It's the same for us. We have to go during the most expensive and peak times. We can't take off during the year with the exception of a personal day. In my district, we get two.

 

[lugnut33]

My wife is a high school teacher and we have done the personal day thing so her and I could do a 4 day couples getaway at the beginning of May. It was a blast.

This year, we'll do the "sick" day thingy and use the days for the "teachers convention" for and end of Oct. trip with the kids also. However, the sick day thingy doesn't actually involver her missing any classroom time, for some reason her disctict scheduled a 2 hour in-service on that day.... durrrrrr.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

That's luck! But, make sure she checks her professional development hours requirement. I know that in-service days are full of them and they can be valuable. In my district (and most in NJ), they can lead to salary increases over time.

 

[dana1003]

ok question for u nj teachers? we have a couple of days off for the teachers convention and was wondering what the crowd was like down there.? im in northern jersey so dont know if the days off are the same in every county but ours are a couple of days the first week of nov

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Hi Dana,

The teachers' convention week in November is the same across the entire state. NJEA, our association, holds a major convention and districts close schools for it. I went during convention week last year and absolutely loved it. It's a great time to go!

 

[mommyceratops]

I have been weighing on the issue heavily as I applied for a job at school this year and it would limit me to school times off to visit Disney.

This has weighed HEAVILY on my decision to take the job that is bad

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Kim, going during peak season really has some major benefits as discussed above. I actually prefer it as opposed to off seasons because the EMHs at night are so late and empty. There's also more showings of parades, shows, fireworks, etc.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I haven't listened to the podcast yet- I'm a little behind. But we are a family that has always lived by the school schedule. DH is a middle school math teacher and I'm the 3 year old teacher at our pre-k to 12 school. Our boys will be in 11th grade.

We have the same problem getting to DLR. We have never been during "off season" (which seems to be almost disappearing as a concept anyway). DH and I have lots of days that we don't end up using just because it is so hard to miss class. You have to leave lesson plans for subs and hope they are able to get through the lessons while you are gone. And for the boys in high school it is really hard to miss.

At DLR, summer is the best "on season" because it is several months as opposed to everyone trying to squeeze in for two weeks at Easter. We are going to try to slipping down a few times this year over long weekends but it is hard when it takes 8 hours just to drive down. That takes up almost a whole day at each end of the trip.

 

[EKW]

I'll chime in...we didn't do Disney this year because I was one of 50 teachers "nonrenewed" by my previous district. Luckily, I've found a job, so I'm planning for next year....

That said, if you're happy with a short trip, using those personal days works. BUT, the one time I did that I found that I was frazzled by the time the school year ended. We went the first weekend in May...and even though I only missed 3 days of school, trying to play catch-up when I got back was painful!

All our other trips have been in the summer. I agree, it is discouraging to never be able to take advantage of the PINs I get...and to know that I'll be paying full rates instead of doing free dining like most everyone else. BUT...the only time we've ever run into horrible lines was in '95 at DLR over Memorial Day weekend. Matter of fact, after last year, I've decided I'd never to to California in early June again. They were still running the winter schedule and we didn't get to see the shows, parades or fireworks! In California, I think going in later June is actually a good thing weather-wise.

Florida? Well, on our last trip we went the first week of June and the weather was hot...near 100...and humid the whole week. We just sucked it up and went rope-drop to closing! I would love to be able to go in October or February, but, that isn't going to happen...so I try to schedule our days so we do lots of inside attractions during the heat of the day, and remember that I'm just glad to be at Disney!

 

[Making Magic]

DH and I are both teachers so we have never seen non peak Disney. We have tried spring vacations, long weekends and summer. Our preferred time to go middle to end of August. We are in a disctrict in MA where school starts after Labor Day so going later in August cuts down on crowds a bit as many schools are back in session by then. If you have to do summer, it might as well be a less crowded time of summer. In short, something to think about: consider the school calendars of others, not just your own.

 

[softball chick]

I'm not exactly a teacher but I am a student with a very AP and honors heavy schedule and I have a dad who is a teacher so missing out on days of school really isn't an option for my family. We have always done our trip the first part of August. Yes it is hot but it is really the only time that fits around the crazy sports schedules of my sister and me. We actually found last time we went (2008) that it really wasn't very busy when we went and faced quite short lines which was awesome. So except for the heat, it's actually a good time to go, and the pools can help with the heat thing.

 

[tammydel]

Another teacher chiming in. I teach 4th grade in upstate NY. This is a dillema that I struggle with - and will until I retire and go the middle of September!
Like most others - our big family trips are usually in the summer and we have learned the skills to deal with crowds and heat.
Planning a trip for Spring Break is very risky in my district, if we use too many snow days, they take away Spring Break days.
We get 1 day off for President's day.
We do get 1 week at Christmas - I've been thinking about it, prices (and DVC point rates) have been deal breakers for me.
We are not allowed to take personal days on either side of a break. In fact it says in our contract the personal days may NOT be used as vacation days.
We do usually get 3 days off for Thanksgiving and sometimes 3 and 1/2. This has been a great time to go. There are crowds, but again, with the right planning it is managable. Weather is usually very nice. Plus, the Christmas festivities start then and it gets us in the Holiday Spirit.
Having said all that.....I have been know to get ill 2 days before or after a weekend. It seems to happen during Food and Wine Fest and once around my anniversary. Go figure.

 

[jpeka65844]

In fact it says in our contract the personal days may NOT be used as vacation days.

This is an HR thing that bugs me about being a teacher. The district tries to tell you what you can and can't use your personal days for. We have to jump through tons of hoops when we use our personal days (letters to principals and supers, forms, etc....). I just figured the name PERSONAL days means that their use should be PERSONAL.

I love being a teacher but hate feeling like a criminal when I want to be gone for a day (or two!)

 

[eeyore68]

In my school district we can accumulate up to 5 personal days. I don't use any one year and take all 5 the next. We go in early Dec. so the crowds are light. However, if your district doesn't lose MLK day that too might be an option. If you are allowed to take a couple of personal days (Thurs. and Fri.) then MLK you could have a mini vacation in Jan.

 

[mommyceratops]

Kim, going during peak season really has some major benefits as discussed above. I actually prefer it as opposed to off seasons because the EMHs at night are so late and empty. There's also more showings of parades, shows, fireworks, etc.

Thanks Nikki I didn't want to hijack. I thought of those things but with kids who are in bed by 9 and one who does not do fireworks we avoid the late night things. When they are older that will change.

I am still waiting to hear back on the job. I have not gotten it but I have been told that 2 or 3 voted yes. There are other factors in it also. DH would have to take 12 vacation days for all the inservice/conference days we have to watch our kids on my days they will not be in school. Things like that are hindering me also.