Ugh. It finally happened

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We moved our usual family trip so that the kids wouldn’t be pulled out of school at my husband’s request, but now my son is saying that he wants to leave early because he has a conflict with a different activity. I can’t fault him for it and wouldn’t (really) care except we bought non refundable cirque du soliel tickets (at his request) 2 days (!) before he told me he was considering changing plans because “he has been to Disney before and feels a responsibility to the other activity.” He’s in a leadership position there so he isn’t wrong, but this was the only time besides summer where we wouldn’t have to pull the kids out of school, but wasn’t super crowded. Now I don’t know what our Disney future holds, at least in terms of family trips.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We are a DVC family so trips get planned 11 months in advance, and we usually take our non-Disney family vacation in the summer. Plus his schedule is so crazy that even summers are getting hard to plan for.

 

[fla4fun]

We moved our usual family trip so that the kids wouldn’t be pulled out of school at my husband’s request, but now my son is saying that he wants to leave early because he has a conflict with a different activity. I can’t fault him for it and wouldn’t (really) care except we bought non refundable cirque du soliel tickets (at his request) 2 days (!) before he told me he was considering changing plans because “he has been to Disney before and feels a responsibility to the other activity.” He’s in a leadership position there so he isn’t wrong, but this was the only time besides summer where we wouldn’t have to pull the kids out of school, but wasn’t super crowded. Now I don’t know what our Disney future holds, at least in terms of family trips.

Can you exchange the Cirque tickets for a different day?

It is difficult to plan 11 months out when you have to work around school calendars that might not be released that early.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Can you exchange the Cirque tickets for a different day?

It is difficult to plan 11 months out when you have to work around school calendars that might not be released that early.

No, I don’t think so, unfortunately. I wish we could! Cirque tickets are for November and he knew about this in advance so this one is on him. The question now is what do we do about Disney 2025. We used to be a January family, but with my son in HS and my daughter mid-season that’s out. We are trying Jersey week this year, but now my son says that he will be tied up for part of Jersey week with Scouts. Spring Break is always Easter week, so that’s out. Not sure when else we can go, unless we just decide he will only stay for a few days. Maybe add a holiday party? But it is a long way to travel for just a few days.

 

[aleria24]

No, I don’t think so, unfortunately. I wish we could! Cirque tickets are for November and he knew about this in advance so this one is on him. The question now is what do we do about Disney 2025. We used to be a January family, but with my son in HS and my daughter mid-season that’s out. We are trying Jersey week this year, but now my son says that he will be tied up for part of Jersey week with Scouts. Spring Break is always Easter week, so that’s out. Not sure when else we can go, unless we just decide he will only stay for a few days. Maybe add a holiday party? But it is a long way to travel for just a few days.

My kiddo is in college now. It doesn't get better. It may come down, like it did with us, to biting the bullet and traveling when it is crowded for a while. We haven't been to Disney in several years, but are looking at going back in 2025. We are shooting for the week before Christmas week because its the least crowded week kiddo can get away, given the fact that my health keeps us form going when it is too hot.

 

[BlueGreen5]

For the longest time, my spouse was an extreme "they can't miss school unless I witness them vomiting first hand" type of person. I was a bit less extreme, but generally agreed.

In our older, more sage years, we've come to realize that happy memories - just like extracurricular activities, down time, and junk food - are needed to develop a more complete person. We aren't building robots who can ace a calculus exam in record time just to move on to playing a concerto flawlessly from memory; we're raising the next generation of humans who are guided by their life experiences just as much as they are textbooks and lectures.

The world will not end if they miss a week of school. More importantly, they should not be led to believe that it could. Otherwise, you end up with a generation like us young Gen-X/old Millennial 'tweeners who have crippling anxiety about everything!

Pull 'em. Enjoy these last few years when they are still willing to do those things with you. Teach them how to differentiate a function, and the root causes of WWI, on the airplane. They'll make it, I promise, and they'll be better humans for it.

Just my opinion. You're not wrong if you don't agree

 

[mjkacmom]

For the longest time, my spouse was an extreme "they can't miss school unless I witness them vomiting first hand" type of person. I was a bit less extreme, but generally agreed.

In our older, more sage years, we've come to realize that happy memories - just like extracurricular activities, down time, and junk food - are needed to develop a more complete person. We aren't building robots who can ace a calculus exam in record time just to move on to playing a concerto flawlessly from memory; we're raising the next generation of humans who are guided by their life experiences just as much as they are textbooks and lectures.

The world will not end if they miss a week of school. More importantly, they should not be led to believe that it could. Otherwise, you end up with a generation like us young Gen-X/old Millennial 'tweeners who have crippling anxiety about everything!

Pull 'em. Enjoy these last few years when they are still willing to do those things with you. Teach them how to differentiate a function, and the root causes of WWI, on the airplane. They'll make it, I promise, and they'll be better humans for it.

Just my opinion. You're not wrong if you don't agree

My kids would never agree to miss a week of high school for WDW. My 23 year old did miss school for a week 3 years of HS for an international dance competition, it took weeks before and after plus doing school work at the hotel to get it done. One year (junior) she didn’t go.

 

[Anthony1971]

For northeast people. The last 2 weeks of August or after August 15th is in fact northeast weeks… The Parks are less crowded than “Jersey Week” still hot yes but mostly high 80’s some very low 90. Been doing this mostly for at least 14 years…. Now with college and work we find HS and prior to be easy but we some how make one of those weeks work.

 

[lanejudy]

I can’t fault him for it and wouldn’t (really) care except we bought non refundable cirque du soliel tickets (at his request) 2 days (!) before he told me he was considering changing plans because “he has been to Disney before and feels a responsibility to the other activity.”

Because of the bolded I'd be telling him no change. Sorry but buying expensive tickets at his request only for him to turn around 2 days later and cancel? Once he made that request he had a responsibility to the family just as important as his leadership responsibility to the other activity. Or give him the option of paying you back the cost of the tickets since it was his request and now he's not going (or leaving early). He needs to feel that pain and realize there are consequences to changing his plans after specifically requesting something expensive.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Same here. Our 11 month window for our 2025 trip is fast approaching. DS will be close to college graduation, DD will be going into JR year in college, and DD2 will be going into 6th grade. We can work around DD2, but the two in college - whoa boy! No idea where their lives will be headed in 11 months. We banked 2024 points thinking 2025 would hold more clarity. No. really. please stop laughing. We have to use the 2024 points NMW, so...? We own at BLT so the plan is to book a standard 1BR and hope for the best. That won't be too big if it's just the 3 of us, and won't be too cramped if everyone can make it.

I dunno - still seems like a good problem to have all things considered.

 

[Psymonds]

No, I don’t think so, unfortunately. I wish we could! Cirque tickets are for November and he knew about this in advance so this one is on him. The question now is what do we do about Disney 2025. We used to be a January family, but with my son in HS and my daughter mid-season that’s out. We are trying Jersey week this year, but now my son says that he will be tied up for part of Jersey week with Scouts. Spring Break is always Easter week, so that’s out. Not sure when else we can go, unless we just decide he will only stay for a few days. Maybe add a holiday party? But it is a long way to travel for just a few days.

I feel this so deeply. DW is now a teacher and we are pushing the rules a bit to go on marathon weekend, so we're booking up Spring breaks and summer weeks for 2 years.

DS 15 was talking about wanting to staff a scout camp in 2026 (already has scouting activities planned in 2025 summer) along with a high school sport that limits our spring vacations...

he missed a whole extended family Tahoe trip to staff a camp this year....