This is what I love about DVC

[Regina]

Mrs. Nick, I'm almost afraid to mention that DD was a cheerleader in HS. She decided not to pursue it in college since it interfered with her drinking.

Rascalmom, I'm deeply and profoundly ashamed of myself. Here's a suggestion, when and if your DD does this, tell everyone that she's going as part of a Sociology project, not a Spring Break.

 

[KKCannon]

Don't hate me but I'm taking DD (17) and a few of her friends to SSR in February as their Senior year present. They all figure that they'll be done with the SATs, college searches and have their college apps all in so they can unwind at my daughter's favorite vacation spot. Would you believe that 1 or 2 of her friends have never been to WDW? She just wants to share her love of WDW with her friends. Am I nuts?

 

[mbb]

.....Hey Diane, I'll tell the girls that if they hear their name called, they should pull their shirts up instead of waving.

Again, where is that spitting-coffee-on-the-computer-laughing-so-hard- smiley!!!



Tell them to have a wonderful trip...I'd love to go with them!!

 

[donald...really]

Two things to add to this post...

First, I have been going to WDW unsupervised with friends since I was a teenager (saved up the money and paid for the trips myself). I think the wildest thing I ever did was ride BTM three times in a row.

Second, I was carded on my last trip to WDW a few months ago. I am 42.

 

[dsneygirl]

ROFL...I have this picture in my mind now, a video called Girls & Boys Gone Wild at OKW

Yes, Spring Breakers to most of us are "kids" but they are legal adults, and if they want to go to WDW, there is nothing to stop them from getting a cash ressie even if the parents said "No" to using the points.


Honestly, do you think young adults that WANT to go to WDW for Spring Break are likely to be the same kids you see at Padre Island? I doubt it, if they are really into Disney, it just doesn't fit their personality to be rebellious hellions. Besides, I doubt they could be much worse than some families we've seen in adjoining rooms during some of our trips.

I agree. In fact one year I did go to WDW for Spring Break. And there's a big difference between Cancun and all you can drink for $5 and WDW drink $$$.

 

[spiceycat]

okay there is a big difference in Panama CIty beach for spring break and WDW.

a BIG difference.

guess which my nephew wants to go too....at least his spring break is in April, most of the partying at PCB is done by then.

that say.

Once I meet a guy who was disappointed at WDW for spring break. First of all he was there when none of the local colleges were out, secondly he was at WDW. I told him he would be better off in PCB, Daytona, Ft launderdale or Key West for that type of girls.

okay I though Disney had a rule no one under 18 allowed in ANY dvc resorts.

the last time I looked Disney was enforcing this rule. has the policy changed? or are you allowing your teens to go to Disney without adults despite this rule.

18 is the age when Disney allows teens to go to Disney resorts without adults. I really though that teens had to show proof of age to check in a Disney resort.

 

[Doctor P]

Parents in general do not really have a clue as to how their children behave when out of their sight (just look at some of the videotaping studies). I have no doubt that all of you who have jumped on my have good kids. But, trust me, when kids of college age get together they tend to behave differently than they behave alone. Everyone is entitled to use their points within the rules of the contract anyway they wish. But sending college kids on Spring Break to DVC resorts is something I hope doesn't become a pattern. BTW, there are grocery stores and with the refrigerators at DVC resorts they are a prime location for BYOB drinking. I will agree that kids that want to go to WDW are likely to be less prone to going on Spring Break to drink, but it is naive to believe that unsupervised college students on Spring Break will be well behaved regardless of location. Just is not borne out by the facts. If kids go on religious pilgrimages with the intent of getting plastered (which some of the kids at World Youth Day were intent on doing), they'll go to WDW for that purpose, too (though I am not saying Regina's daughter and friend are going for that purpose). As Pat's post suggests, local college students can also play into the mix. Just look at Natalie Holloway--by all accounts a quite upstanding and well-behaved girl who found herself apparently in a situation that apparently she may have not been expected to be in by previous behavior.

 

[Jen D]

If she is a junior living in college living far away from mom, I would assume she is an adult who has been living and traveling unaccompanied for some time.

There are badly behaved people at WDW of all ages, some that abuse drink, and I'm sure if any of them go out of bounds they will be dealt with by Disney.
Regina's dd and her friend will be bound by the rules and standards of behavior of Disney like any other adult. It is absurd to talk about two college juniors as "unsupervised children." The bacchanals that take place in Cancun or Padre or whatever are attended by thrill-seekers of a wide variety of ages, and I don't think we should judge all young adults by what goes on in those places.

 

[married@wdw]

Parents in general do not really have a clue as to how their children behave when out of their sight (just look at some of the videotaping studies). I have no doubt that all of you who have jumped on my have good kids. But, trust me, when kids of college age get together they tend to behave differently than they behave alone.

I don't have any kids. I was the "good kid." I've been a "good kid" my whole life (though I wasn't really a kid anymore at 20, going to WDW with seven girlfriends for Spring Break). We didn't drink. We just had good clean fun. I'd be hard pressed to believe that the eight of us are the only eight college-aged kids that can get together and have fun without being rowdy. Like I said, the bad kids ruin it for everyone, but the bad kids don't usually go to WDW -- they had to a beach with cheap drinks.

And Natalie Holloway wasn't being rowdy or making trouble -- she made a bad choice. There is a HUGE difference. And she wasn't in college yet -- still only a senior in high school. The maturity level and decision making process is very different.

Spring Break at WDW is a great experience and I wish every college aged "kid" could have the experience. While I don't have any children of my own, this might be something I could provide for my neice and nephews when they reach that point. Of course, they're young teenagers now and still think I'm pretty cool, so if that keeps up I might have to go with them ;-)!

 

[Regina]

Spring Break at WDW is a great experience and I wish every college aged "kid" could have the experience. While I don't have any children of my own, this might be something I could provide for my neice and nephews when they reach that point. Of course, they're young teenagers now and still think I'm pretty cool, so if that keeps up I might have to go with them ;-)!

Just remember to say that they're going as part of a Bible study that coincidentally is being held in the Spring.

 

[mamatojon]

I went to Disneyland over spring break in college, and winter breaks, and summer breaks... We always had so much fun. Of course, I didn't in any way think that I was "unsupervised" - seeing as I had been married since 19, working full time and putting myself through school... like so many other students I knew. Respectfully, Doctor P, I think you may be looking for all of this bad behavior. There are college kids all around you, some even giving you your prescriptions (I was a pharmacy tech). I simply can not imagine WDW ever turning into a place like Daytona or Fort Lauderdale, even if it did become a prime destination for college kids. They would simply be the non party type of college kid, like I was.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Aww, this is so cute. I emailed my DD this morning to let her know that I got the BCV. This is part of her response:

"...we're so excited & Cait's eyes were watering when she started talking about it. That pool is so pretty. I can't wait to be a VIP there!"

Then there was the other part where they were asking if the fridge was big enough for the keg. Would any of you happen know if it is?

I do hope that they have good weather. It's so frigid where they are that they actually have heated sidewalks to help melt the snow.

The fridges in a studio would not be big enough for a Keg. I don't even think one of those mini ones. They can fit a few 2 liters of you do it right, that is about it.

A case of cans should work, fine for bottles.

 

[Doctor P]

Of course, I didn't in any way think that I was "unsupervised" - seeing as I had been married since 19, working full time and putting myself through school... like so many other students I knew. Respectfully, Doctor P, I think you may be looking for all of this bad behavior.

Trust me, you are out of touch with today's typical college student. Having spent the last thirty years of my life on college campuses all over the country, having researched and studied the behavior of college students, and having been responsible for reviewing research involving college student behavior, as well as having spent thousands of hours counseling college students on various matters, I can assure you that the picture being painted by most on this thread is wishful thinking rather than reality. Thankfully, there are exceptions. But with young people marrying later and later, the stability and responsibility that came with marriage and family for many college students in the past twenty years is no longer reality. Fewer and fewer students live at home, also. Fewer and fewer students have been held accountable for their actions or their performance before they get to college, which makes adjustment problems and behavioral problems more frequent than they ever were in the past.

 

[mamatojon]

Trust me, you are out of touch with today's typical college student.

Well, I'm only 31 (okay, almost 32 )and just graduated in '98, but I will take your word for it and concede that I probably lived and associated with a skewed sample. We lived in married housing so of course everyone (mostly) was pretty responsible - I can't remember one party ever! Of course that was probably because we were all working or studying or too darn tired to manage a party, LOL. I know we had a "greek row" at the north of campus (UW) and that parties there were frequent, I always just assumed it was these frat types that had the desire and the means to make there way to the typical spring break destinations.

You know what is funny? I just thought about this statement and realized that even when I was in school I felt out of touch with the typical college student, LOL. I guess it just smarted to read what you wrote because I would have hated that people lumped me in with all of the party-types when I was a student. I'm sure some did though, just as they probably see me now and think privileged, minivan driving stay at home mom and make assumptions about that. Oh well. Sorry for butting in though, I really think you're probably right with respect to college students in general, I just think the type to pick WDW as the place to go would probably be the ones that generally aren't looking to get plastered and tear up the place.

 

[Regina]

The fridges in a studio would not be big enough for a Keg. I don't even think one of those mini ones. They can fit a few 2 liters of you do it right, that is about it.

A case of cans should work, fine for bottles.

Bummer, no room for a keg? That's going to put a huge kink in the plans. If she has cans/bottles, then there's no sense in packing that All Star Sports refillable mug.

On the bright side, that will free up space for three more thong bikinis. That's what she usually wears while visiting the parks. (Please be patient with her. It takes a little bit of time to extricate herself from the rides. She tends to stick to the seats.)

I hope that she meets Prince Charming. She's on the path to becoming an Old Maid just like her sister who's finally getting married in November at the ripe old age of 23. We thought it was never going to happen.

I'd ask her brother to check up on her, but he spends all of his time on the road commuting from our house in NY to his job in Charlotte.

Darn these college grads and their pesky careers.

 

[spiceycat]

you know Regina - this is all looking like a joke?

are you sending your daughter or not?

I send my cousin for her highschool graduation - her parents demanded that she go with her step sister.

they did fine.

 

[xterratri]

Geeze, everyone better look out. My sister(19 yo) and I will be at OKW(maybe) the third week of March for our respective college spring breaks. However, I am the one who made the original ressie at SSR and then changed it to OKW at 7 months. My sister could have made the calls too though as she is also on the contracts(as is our mom) but I'm the fiscally responsible party for our DVC membership.

I was invited to go to Aruba with some of my classmates but would rather go to the World with my sister.(it's cheaper too) Actually we may switch our ressie(again!!!) to HHI because my sister is taking a class next semester that she wants to do really well in and she feels that if she needs to study HHI DVC would be better than being at the World. I think my spring break falls between systems but I'll only be a couple months out from Step 1 of the Boards so I wouldn't complain too much about studying either. Even the Aruba trip wouldn't be about partying though as it includes some of the same classmates that met at 0830 last Saturday morning to ride 50 miles with a 1+ mile climb(big for southern ME).

BTW, my sister and I also did an 'unsupervised' trip ourselves on cash in July and the World is still standing. I agree with the above posters that the people that choose to vacation at WDW aren't the same ones that do Cancun, S Padre Island, Daytona, etc.

 

[Regina]

you know Regina - this is all looking like a joke?

are you sending your daughter or not?

I send my cousin for her highschool graduation - her parents demanded that she go with her step sister.

they did fine.

No it's not a joke. I was simply sharing how happy I was that DD wants to go to WDW during Spring Break and that it's so great to have DVC to do this for her. I got an "unexpected" response.

Rather than get drawn into a debate over my family's lack of morals for using our DVC for such a reprehensible purpose, I chose humor.

 

[TravelingJen24]

I would think, being 25 myself and spending many spring breaks at DisneyLand (we're from Cali) that those who have enough money and friends that are willing to spend the money to go to Dis are going for other reasons then to get drunk. Sure, they may drink some, or act irresponsible once and a while, but that doesn't make them any different then anyone else. Now having a child of my own, I would much rather him go to Dis then Cancun, or else where, where they could get in a lot more trouble.
On a side note, not to say this is anyone here, but some parents might not be able to afford to dish out the big bucks to send their kids other locations, and are able to give them a great trip with their points. I say go for it, I will when I have the chance for my kids.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Doctor P, you are stereotyping, and you do indeed live in a small world if you generalize that ALL colleges students act a particular way or ALL people of a certain age have a particular lack of moral value. When I go to Disney and I hear several small children skreeching to get their way , I often generalize it into a comment about the effects of large day care centers on the behavior of small children, but I do NOT believe that the majority of small children are shriekers or that all children without a SAHM behave like that. It's just that sometimes bad behavior by a percentage reflects poorly on the whole. That in no way means the whole should be blamed for that. If there are even as many as 50% (and I think that would be high) of the "kids" doing as you say, there would still be 50% NOT doing those things.

Regina, I hope I do run into your DD at OKW in March. She will have a GREAT spring break!