YES program

[kwitcherkicken99]

I did post this on the Theme Parks Thread, but not everyone over there checks here!

Can anyone tell me about the YES program (not the particulars, more about the experience).

A co-worker's son has the opportunity to participate in the program next February and I'm trying to help gather info to help them make an informed decision.

What type of classes did the kids do?

Did they have fun?

How were the park experiences generally handled - the out of class part (I know it will vary from group to group, but please share!)?

Did you ever leave WDW property other than to/from the airport?

How did you get from the airport to your resort?

What was the adult to kid ratio?

How safe did you (or the kids) feel?

Anything else that you can think of would be greatly appreciated!

TIA!

 

[v.t.]

Go to the budget boards and search for YES open enrollment. They have a great thread that explains everything.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

::shameless bump::

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Someone?? Anyone??

C'mon Dissers... please don't gaze over this.

A young man's trip to WDW is on the line. Without non-YES distributed info, he won't go. We've read their site, and of course it is fabulous by their standards.

Seeking outside info.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2332767

everything you always wanted to know!

 

[DisneyRose&Boys]

I did post this on the Theme Parks Thread, but not everyone over there checks here!

Can anyone tell me about the YES program (not the particulars, more about the experience).

A co-worker's son has the opportunity to participate in the program next February and I'm trying to help gather info to help them make an informed decision.

What type of classes did the kids do?

Did they have fun?

How were the park experiences generally handled - the out of class part (I know it will vary from group to group, but please share!)?

Did you ever leave WDW property other than to/from the airport?

How did you get from the airport to your resort?

What was the adult to kid ratio?

How safe did you (or the kids) feel?

Anything else that you can think of would be greatly appreciated!

TIA!

It's a great program. I took a "community" group of 10 kids and 4 adults last year. And this year we've expanded to 14 kids and 6 adults. We're 4 families, three of which are related (my family, my sister's, my brother's). We had an absolutely delightful time, and we can't wait to go back in July.

Let me see if I can answer some of your specific questions.
We did 5 programs: Millennium Cultures, Properties of Motion, Wild by Nature, Ocean Discoveries, and Animation magic. All of the kids (ages 9-15) had a wonderful time. They really liked all of the programs. The activities they did were so much fun, and they still talk about what they learned and did.

The ratio was 5 kids/1 adult, and I never felt like any of us were in mortal peril. By doing the programs, we got to get a glimpse of some behind-the-scenes stuff, we got to enter the parks a bit earlier than the general public, and we got to ride some of the big rides without much wait.

Our facilitators were so knowledgeable and really seemed to enjoy their jobs. They kept the kids engaged in the activities, asked good questions, answered all their questions, and had fun with the kids. We're even going to request one of our facilitators for this July because we liked her so much (I don't even know if we can do that, but I figure it won't hurt to ask!).

As for the rest of the stuff, we camped at Ft. Wilderness, which means we drove, so we didn't come from the airport. We left the property just a couple times to eat "in town" and visit Wal-Mart, but there's so much to do that we stayed right there at WDW the entire time.

I hope that helps!
Rose