Travels With Teens: Take Two “I Can Organize This Trip in My Sleep!”BC Dee in DC Roti & Fini p. 40

[Wood Nymph]

I'm impressed by all the measures that the school takes to make the trip as safe as possible. Since the kids aren't allowed to take their cell phones, do you have a call chain set up to notify the parents that their kids arrived safe and sound?

Everyone retired to their rooms around 10 pm. One of the security measures the school uses is to place stringed magnets across the students’ doors so that if they open the door, the chaperones/security guards will know it.

I love the string magnet trick. This must really help the chaperones feel confident that the kids won't roam at night.

Dee fell asleep sitting up, holding her phone. Eventually, her head slumped forward to the foot of the bed, and she was lying on the mattress amidst the paperwork strewn around her.

I guess the new prescription really worked well. This is actually rather hilarious. How long did you stay asleep before you realized you were laying the wrong way in bed?

 

[sharona]

Hi! Loving your TR and can't wait to read more. Perfect title and hilarious reenactment photo!

 

[amazingact21]

Sounds like a pretty smooth start to the trip, all things considered. I'll admit, I was expecting something a little more chaotic when trying to corral so many middle school boys from the school to the airport to the ME line. I won't lie, I have kind of started reading this report as a preview of what I might have coming my way when my son gets to his teenage years.


Great luck on landing a room with your friend. That had to be a nice perk!



That was a lot of pizza...




I love the magnetic string on the room doors. Brilliant idea. I remember I was staying at Sports once during Grad Night, and a school group had just assigned a poor parent to sit in the walkways all night to monitor the kids. That poor parent looked miserable when I saw them at 6 o'clock in the morning. I bet they would've loved that string alternative.

 

[natebenma]

Dee, I am truly impressed at your dedication to the group. You clearly went above and beyond what I would have done (which is crash for the night and figure things out in the morning before the teachers got up). Great night-time story. You did not disappoint!
Katesdad

Thanks!

L. and I are both glad we didn't disappoint you with the story!

:

Great start in the report. Lucky you to have such a good friend as your roommate this time around and she could reenact the events of the evening. You really were organizing in your sleep, so, it was literal!

So glad to hear your flight was on time, boo on the long wait for DME and great job on sneaking in those front seats in the bus.

Those were Mark's exact words "It's a good thing you're staying with L. or that could have been awkward!"

I think I really did do some writing because when I looked at the notebook, I had written some names over some words that were already in the notebook.

The wait for DME really was annoying. There were no lines for any of the resorts, yet we were standing in line for almost an hour!

Loved the update!

I think pizza was invented by a school trip chaperon.

You truly were travelling with a good friend. Someone else might have come up with more devious things to report about you in the morning. And leaving the pen in your hand, rather than using to create artwork ON your hand is truly a good friend.

You may want to just take a half sleeping pill on future trips where you might need to keep one eye open on the lookout for ninja activity.

Sounds plausible about the creation of pizza!

Yes, one must be very careful of ones choice in roommates. That being said, the suggestion about half a pill is duly noted for August.

Awww Dee my heart breaks to see how exhausted you were, and I do agree that you CAN organize in your sleep! So...did anyone try to break free and open their doors??? I love the airport monorail it's the first feeling of Disney Impressive pile of pizza boxes!

I have a feeling this story does not come as shock to my online or live-action friends.

Yes, actually someone in Ben's room opened the door. The story was that there was sleepwalking involved, and nobody left the room, so after it was checked out by the school's principal, they were ok. We also hire a Disney security guard so that was an extra layer of protection from kids leaving the rooms.

The airport monorail is cool, but I guess that is the one step in the trip that makes the teachers the most nervous.

We ordered 20 boxes of pizza earlier in the day for the girls from Cici's and then 28 boxes for when the boys arrived. I think there were a couple of boxes of pizza left over for breakfast the next morning.

 

[natebenma]

I love airplane photo pictures, so thank you for the view of Boston!

Cute pic of the boys looking out the window.

Yay that you were roommates with your friend. Score on that!

I forgot about your last ME experience where you had your own personal welcome in picture form. That was SO awesome!

Score again on the front row ME seat. Gotta get that picture!

Whaaaaaaaat? Those boys ate ALL that pizza?

Oh No to the woozy sleeping pill and the pass out that followed.

I love taking photos from the plane. A little bit of a spoiler alert. On the way home, I was in the middle seat in between two boys I don't really know well. From what I saw through the window, it was the best views I have seen of Boston when landing. But I didn't want to stick my camera in the window in front of the boy's face, so I didn't take any pictures.

Both L. and I have been thrilled all year knowing we would be roommates!

I was ok not having a personalized greeting at ME for this trip.

I felt I earned that front row seat and nobody could appreciate it as much as I did!

I have heard about some of the side effects of this pill but never experienced them before (or at least I was not aware of it)

They might like that one. We did a marine conservation class a few years ago, but I think it skewed a bit young and the girls were a bit bored by the end of things. Ideally, I'd like a class both older girls can be in - they'll be 11 and 12 at the time. Looking at the offerings for this year, there are a few options. There's Everyday Chemistry at Epcot, Principals of Animal Behavior at Animal Kingdom, and Animation History at HS. The age range for a few seem odd to me - the animation class is listed twice, once for ages 9-17, which doesn't seem right to me. Maybe it's two separate classes?

I think we have a new photo to greet folks in the ME lines!

Can't wait to hear what they end up picking.

No giving anyone any ideas!

Said in my Sith Lord voice: I have you well trained young padawan.... Heh, heh, heh.. cough, cough, cough...

~Ninja Sith

 

[natebenma]

I'm in! I can't wait to see how your impressive planning panned out!

(I also can't wait to see if you had another meal in "Dee's Corner"! )

Your story about the first night of the trip had me laughing out loud. I have no doubt that you could plan something in your sleep!

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how the trip turned out and my contribution in the planning stages.

There is a visit (although brief) to "Dee's Corner"

It is a pretty funny story. I was literally in tears when L. was telling me what had happened.

Dee, LOL, planning in our sleep, who does this?

Sounds like maybe there are more members of the Nightime Planners club!

Loving the reason behind your trip report title and reconstructed photos of the evening but have to say my favorite photo is of the "leaning tower of pizza"

Of course we had to do a recreation of the first night incident.



That IS a pretty impressive pile of pizza boxes!

I'm impressed by all the measures that the school takes to make the trip as safe as possible. Since the kids aren't allowed to take their cell phones, do you have a call chain set up to notify the parents that their kids arrived safe and sound?

Yes, we contacted parents at many stages of the trip, like when we landed. We sent many pictures back home during the trip and at least once a day we had the kids call home using our cell phones.

I guess the new prescription really worked well. This is actually rather hilarious. How long did you stay asleep before you realized you were laying the wrong way in bed?

It was pretty funny. I must have righted myself at some point. I was not even aware of the events until L. told me.

I usually wake several times during the night but I stayed out cold until about 3 am, then I was up for the day.

I love the string magnet trick. This must really help the chaperones feel confident that the kids won't roam at night.

The school really has some great ideas for managing this trip. There are a few people following along with upcoming group trips and I will put together a post with all of the tips we used.

Hi! Loving your TR and can't wait to read more. Perfect title and hilarious reenactment photo!

Thanks! The trip report title works on so many levels (including the unconscious state). It was funny as L. posed me. "No, the phone was here. Your head was there."

Sounds like a pretty smooth start to the trip, all things considered. I'll admit, I was expecting something a little more chaotic when trying to corral so many middle school boys from the school to the airport to the ME line. I won't lie, I have kind of started reading this report as a preview of what I might have coming my way when my son gets to his teenage years.

Great luck on landing a room with your friend. That had to be a nice perk!

That was a lot of pizza...

I love the magnetic string on the room doors. Brilliant idea. I remember I was staying at Sports once during Grad Night, and a school group had just assigned a poor parent to sit in the walkways all night to monitor the kids. That poor parent looked miserable when I saw them at 6 o'clock in the morning. I bet they would've loved that string alternative.

It really was a smooth start, thankfully.

I'm so glad L. and I roomed together. Speaking of perks... she was pretty happy when she learned I was bringing along a coffee maker on the trip.



Lots of pizza! It was nice having it there when we arrived.

The magnets are a great idea. We put them up when all of the boys were in their room for the night and gave us a way to know if anyone left. It is nice that the school hires a security guard for night detail so that none of the chaperones had to do it.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry I got behind (I'm rarely here anymore).

I like all the precautions that the school takes with the kids and LOVE no cell phones!

I'm glad the flight was uneventful (well, with the exception of he coke everywhere).

Wow...that's a long wait for your chariot, but glad it finally arrived to whisk you away to All Star Movies. And great picture of the arch.

So did you ever figure out what happened to you after taking the sleeping pill?

 

[irene_dsc]

I'm way behind on comments, but just have to agree with everyone else! I love the huge stack of pizza boxes!

 

[afwdwfan]

everybody to my second trip chaperoning teenagers from our middle school on their 8th grade class trip to Disney World.

Oh no, you've clearly lost your mind!

Background of trip:

Seems like adequate reason to me. Fun, educational, and honestly it isn't all that expensive!

Some examples are a physics class where the kids ride Space Mountain with the lights on and off and compare the experience

WHERE DO I SIGN UP?????????

Lessons about attention to period detail, entertainment history and exposure to important musical influences (Aerosmith) for a new generation at Hollywood Studios.

Ah yes... the finer things in life.

Appropriate public behavior.

From a tour group in Disney World??? Come on, let's be real here.

In preparation for this trip, I managed (with assistance) the creation of 13 My Disney Experience accounts for our walking groups, linking of park tickets for everyone on the trip, booking 150 Fast Passes each for 3 days at the parks and preparation of concise informational resources for chaperones on the trip.

I'm impressed.

This year, I hit the roommate jackpot-

Nice! Better than a total stranger!

The girls were flying down first and had to be at the school at 5:30 am on Monday. They would have a pretty full day at the resort and pool. The boys were meeting at 11:30 for a 3 pm flight that would get us into Orlando around 6 pm. I was pretty jealous of the girls for getting extra time in Florida on Monday, until it occurred to me that due to the girls’ very early return flight on Friday, they probably needed to turn in early and the boys actually could manage more late night Disney fun on our final night. I’ll take that!

I don't know. I still think the girls got it better. You're relying on Disney Transportation and then a pilot. Really, there's no point in going to bed any earlier. Might as well pull the all nighter and sleep on the plane!

3 pairs of our boys had the same names.

That will never cause any issues.

And wait we did! It was about an hour from our arrival in Terminal B until our bus arrived.

Come on!!Valuable Disney time is slipping away!

The front seats had the “Reserved signs”. One of the teachers running the trip took a front seat and at one point I got up and joined him.

Gotta get the arch picture!

Nice!

Then it was time for pizza and some of the boys had a little pool time.

Um... well, I'm sure Mousekeeping appreciated you getting all the boxes at least in the general vicinity of a trash can.

That's a lot of pizza!

One of the security measures the school uses is to place stringed magnets across the students’ doors so that if they open the door, the chaperones/security guards will know it.

You know... I bet if you had quick hands...

I remember we had an 8th grade trip to Washington DC when I was in school. They used tape on the doors. But all the rooms had balconies over an indoor courtyard at the hotel.

A couple of the boys (not me) in our group climbed from balcony to balcony at night.

Dee fell asleep sitting up, holding her phone. Eventually, her head slumped forward to the foot of the bed, and she was lying on the mattress amidst the paperwork strewn around her. She was holding a pen.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I'm joining in to see what happens this trip.

 

[natebenma]

Sorry I got behind (I'm rarely here anymore).

I understand.

I like all the precautions that the school takes with the kids and LOVE no cell phones!

I'm glad the flight was uneventful (well, with the exception of he coke everywhere).

Wow...that's a long wait for your chariot, but glad it finally arrived to whisk you away to All Star Movies. And great picture of the arch.

The school is really serious about security. The cell phone rule is a great one. It allows the kids to enjoy the moment and that way we know they are not staying up all night long texting, Facebooking or surfing the internet when they are in their rooms alone.

Pretty smooth sailing, except for the long wait!

So did you ever figure out what happened to you after taking the sleeping pill?

This is the only time I am aware of sleep walking (or sleep planning) after taking the sleeping pill. L. fell asleep before I did every other night so she was not witness to any other nighttime antics.

I'm way behind on comments, but just have to agree with everyone else! I love the huge stack of pizza boxes!

And I think there was a pile from earlier in the day, too, for the girls!

20 boxes for the girls, 28 for the boys.

Oh no, you've clearly lost your mind!

It happened long before this trip1

Seems like adequate reason to me. Fun, educational, and honestly it isn't all that expensive!

Good. I have convinced you. Now time for me to preach to the parents of the upcoming students.

WHERE DO I SIGN UP?????????

Isn't that an awesome class!?! I am so disappointed that the two years they have not done it are the years I chaperoned.

Ah yes... the finer things in life.

Yes, Aerosmith! Now if I can just convince them about the merits of Jimmy Buffett.

From a tour group in Disney World??? Come on, let's be real here.

For the most part, our group was well behaved and respectful. We did have some incidents with hootin' and hollerin' on the Peoplemover though.

Nice! Better than a total stranger!

Been there, done that, loved staying with a friend this year!

I don't know. I still think the girls got it better. You're relying on Disney Transportation and then a pilot. Really, there's no point in going to bed any earlier. Might as well pull the all nighter and sleep on the plane!

Come on!!Valuable Disney time is slipping away!

At least we didn't have any park time on the arrival day. We were missing out on resort time/pool time.

That will never cause any issues.

This was better than the year I chaperoned with Nate. That year there were 14 boys in our group, I didn't really know them as well as the kids this year, 3 sets of boys with the same name and 3 sets of boys who looked alike.

Nice!

I was hoping to get a couple more pictures of the arch, but I had zoomed in and then couldn't zoom out fast enough.

Um... well, I'm sure Mousekeeping appreciated you getting all the boxes at least in the general vicinity of a trash can.

That's a lot of pizza!

We did what we could. I added a couple of boxes to the pile early on, but by the end, it was out of my range.

You know... I bet if you had quick hands...

I remember we had an 8th grade trip to Washington DC when I was in school. They used tape on the doors. But all the rooms had balconies over an indoor courtyard at the hotel.

A couple of the boys (not me) in our group climbed from balcony to balcony at night.

Well, there have been revisions over the years (shorter string). The security guards are the second line of defense in keeping the kids in the rooms.

Glad you enjoyed the story!

I'm joining in to see what happens this trip.

I'm so glad to have you joining in on the report!

:

 

[SarahDisney]

Finally getting a chance to sit down and read the update (hey, I'm only 4 days late, it just feels like longer to me because I've been so busy...)

J. was my partner in crime, the Pumba to my Timon, when we performed “Hakuna Matata” in front of 600 plus people in February. I’m still working on getting the video posted and will let you all know when (if) that happens.

Please post the video! The picture is funny, but I think this is a video that needs to be on the internet.

The school inspected the luggage for contraband (no cell phones or internet-accessible devices were permitted for the students)

I've actually wondered how schools handle trips in the cell phone era. On my senior trip in high school, we were allowed to have cell phones (that was probably also the case for the junior trip - I didn't go on that trip, but I kinda remember someone calling me from on the trip). But high school's a little different, and I also went to private school (which does have different rules than public schools sometimes). When I was in elementary school, kids didn't have cell phones yet, so I don't know how they would have handled it. I definitely understand not wanting the kids to be on their cell phones/internet at all times, but on the flip side ... the parents are probably used to being able to reach their kids at all times. I'm guessing the parents who weren't on the trip probably had the chaperones numbers or the hotel's number in case they needed to reach their kids ... which I think is probably the best way to handle it.

We finally boarded the bus along with some other guests who were staying at Art of Animation and POP Century, where we would be stopping first. No fair! There’s a lot more of us going to All Star Movies.

I'm surprised they put you with Pop and AoA ... you'd think that with a group they'd have a dedicated All-Stars bus ... I guess you just weren't a big enough group, next time you'll have to bring more kids!
But at least you got on a bus ... I'm guessing that there were times during that long wait that some people weren't sure you'd ever make it to the hotel...

Everyone retired to their rooms around 10 pm. One of the security measures the school uses is to place stringed magnets across the students’ doors so that if they open the door, the chaperones/security guards will know it.

That's a really good idea!

L. was chastised by the other chaperones (my “friends”) for not taking photos or video, so we recreated some poses the following night.

I gotta agree with the other chaperones, she should have taken the pictures when it was all happening! At least you guys were able to recreate the pictures ...

“I Can Organize This Trip in My Sleep!”

Apparently you can and you did!

 

[ichabody]

Trying to catch up after a great trip to the Beach Club (I'm about 20 pages behind in the BC/YC forum)...bummer that we missed each other! Looking forward to your report and so far I'm very impressed with your chaperone/organizational skills! I'm treasurer for my daughter's high school Choir Boosters so I'm a little familiar with school stresses...but you take them all on like a champ! Can't wait to read more

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Wow.....and I thought I was doing well to organize a WDW trip for 20 teenagers and eight adults for a high school cross country meet at Disney World -- when we lived 5 1/2 hours away and were only doing one park day and two nights at the resort! I bow to your logistical and organizational prowess!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Such an epic start and you haven't even made it to the parks yet.
Totally sharing the string magnet plan on our next field trip

 

[natebenma]

Finally getting a chance to sit down and read the update (hey, I'm only 4 days late, it just feels like longer to me because I've been so busy...)

You are not late at all, and I totally understand busy!!! Thanks for being here!

Please post the video! The picture is funny, but I think this is a video that needs to be on the internet.

I have a friend working on getting it upload-ready. I am not a performer and I am definitely NOT a singer. But we had a blast doing this. When I finally got the nerve to watch myself, I was relieved that it wasn't bad. My husband has not seen the performance yet.

I've actually wondered how schools handle trips in the cell phone era. On my senior trip in high school, we were allowed to have cell phones (that was probably also the case for the junior trip - I didn't go on that trip, but I kinda remember someone calling me from on the trip). But high school's a little different, and I also went to private school (which does have different rules than public schools sometimes). When I was in elementary school, kids didn't have cell phones yet, so I don't know how they would have handled it. I definitely understand not wanting the kids to be on their cell phones/internet at all times, but on the flip side ... the parents are probably used to being able to reach their kids at all times. I'm guessing the parents who weren't on the trip probably had the chaperones numbers or the hotel's number in case they needed to reach their kids ... which I think is probably the best way to handle it.

We sent frequent updates and pictures to the parents and we also had the kids use our phones to call at least once a day. I don't think any parents actually contacted us during the trip to check in.

I'm surprised they put you with Pop and AoA ... you'd think that with a group they'd have a dedicated All-Stars bus ... I guess you just weren't a big enough group, next time you'll have to bring more kids!
But at least you got on a bus ... I'm guessing that there were times during that long wait that some people weren't sure you'd ever make it to the hotel...

I should edit my post. Our group, the boys and chaperones actually were on two buses. There was one group that was all from the school and they went directly to AS Movies.

That's a really good idea!

The string and magnets is simple and effective.

I gotta agree with the other chaperones, she should have taken the pictures when it was all happening! At least you guys were able to recreate the pictures ...

I will say that L was VERY particular in getting the recreation photos right.

Apparently you can and you did!

That's when one knows one may be a bit obsessed with Disney.

Trying to catch up after a great trip to the Beach Club (I'm about 20 pages behind in the BC/YC forum)...bummer that we missed each other! Looking forward to your report and so far I'm very impressed with your chaperone/organizational skills! I'm treasurer for my daughter's high school Choir Boosters so I'm a little familiar with school stresses...but you take them all on like a champ! Can't wait to read more

I am so glad to hear you had a great trip! It was a shame that we didn't run into each other.

Since leaving the workplace when Nate was born, I have been involved in many parent, school and theatre groups and have been either President or Treasurer (or both).

I'm a bit melancholy today as it is Ben's (and my) last day at the middle school.

Wow.....and I thought I was doing well to organize a WDW trip for 20 teenagers and eight adults for a high school cross country meet at Disney World -- when we lived 5 1/2 hours away and were only doing one park day and two nights at the resort! I bow to your logistical and organizational prowess!

and thanks for your kind words!!!

Between the schools experience organizing the trip for the past 12 years and my input over the past few years, we put on a pretty great trip for the kids!

Such an epic start and you haven't even made it to the parks yet.
Totally sharing the string magnet plan on our next field trip

Thanks!

It was definitely an interesting start.

At some point I will have a separate post that just reviews all of the safety tips and suggestions for travelling with a group.

 

[cajunfan]

I am going to have to read along here (and go back and read the one from your other son's trip). I am incredibly IMPRESSED that you were able to handle and plan and organize this many people. I need to stop complaining about my measly group of 5 others! LOL!

I loved NinjaMoms story...made me laugh. That would be an entertaining trip...Johnny Depp as a welcome gift and Chip & Dale (ok Chippendale's) private pool party! But only if we were allowed in!

Lynn

 

[jenseib]

That is hilarious that you fell asleep like that and the fact that you staged some pictures for a reenactment is even funnier.
That's a lot of pizza boxes!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Dee - following along!

I am so IN AWE of you and your FP+ talents (and even though I don't really understand it, apparently your MM talents too!)

Your friend sounds like a perfect match for you. Of course if you would just move down near me, WE would be the perfect PTA/Disney match!!!!

Can't wait to read all about the trip!

 

[saintstickets]

Been away from the DIS for a couple of weeks. It's vegetable picking time down South so we have to harvest when they're ready. A bushel each of pink eyed purple hull peas, dixie lee peas, butter beans, white acre peas, yellow squash, white squash, bell peppers & 2 five gallon buckets of Roma tomatoes later and I'm back! I've caught up on this TR and OMG Dee...you're either a Saint to lead this crew or a sinner seeking forgiveness by doing good deeds! IMO, I lean toward the former but if it's the latter, TELL US MORE!! Great start. I'm looking forward to reading how the drama (14 year old boys & girls without drama would be a miracle!) that I'm sure will ensue is dealt with!