We have to get my son all packed tomorrow night. His bus leaves Friday at 3:00 PM and they are supposed to arrive Saturday at noon. They are stopping at the AK first since check in 3:00 pm . They are going to be tired. Weather looks good but hot for their march on Sunday. We are flying down Saturday so we can watch him march.
Our band is marching Spectromagic April 25th! We have 200 members
in the band and they will be in their formal uniforms. It will be the last time we see our daughter march before she goes to college!
then i will join them after DS gets off on the bus. DD will fly out and DH and I will get 3 adult days together! 
Awww....
This is a great thread, thanks for all the tips. We just had our parent meeting for our band trip next April. Yes it will be the week before Easter and yes it will be crowded but all are very excited. I liked the plans for the kids but not so much the hotel (Clarion Maingate) but by the looks of the itinerary they will be there to sleep and shower and that's about it. I will be parked at the Dolphin!
We too will have the 24 hour bus drive down then they drop our kids off at TL or BB for the better part of the day, then off to see a Blue Man Group show which will keep them off their feet when they are dog tired from that bus trip and waterpark! They will be marching in one of the MK parades although they don't know which one at this point and doing the music workshop as well. They will hit all three parks, stay till closing at Studios, Epcot and MK.
DH and DD will fly down early for a couple of days as DD's college schedule doesn't match the HS one
(they performed 2 years ago too when he was in 10th grade). . .we were there 4/14 - 4/18 and I have to say that the crowds were NON-existent and very managable up until Palm Sunday (4/17) that is when the crowds were out in full force . .. 
Our band is leaving this Wednesday and I found out yesterday my son can't go! He's failing Senior English! I am heartbroken.Two years ago I started trying to convince the director to take the kids, and now he finally is. Of course, I'm going as a chaperone and now my own child won't be there. I'm so sad....
Kids really do learn some painful lessons along the way don't they.
They stayed at All Star and believe me, they didn't even know what their resort looked like . . .their itinerary was ridiculous! They had them moving every minute . . .at one point we met up with my son and his gf and they were saying that their chaperone was so exhausted that he was probably sitting on a curb somewhere crying . . .
The busier they are, the less time they have to get themselves into trouble. We have been to WDW 4 times over the last 12 years and have had only minimal issues. Most of those are just trying to get lights out at night. Band Trips are the ultimate commando touring! 
I will tell you, from band director's perspective, the biggest complaint we have about our trips to WDW is that band members don't have enough free time, and we like it that way!
