Strategies for Teachers and others

[Aurora1972]

My husband teaches (I used to) we've gone the last week of May in 2012 and 2016 and July 5-10 2014. We are doing June 12-17 this year. Honestly, end of May and first July felt about the same crowd wise. However, the weather is much better/cooler in May. I was watching crowd during June last year and it seems like there has been a shift with less people going in summer and more picking what used to be "off season" so it may not be as bad as you expect. We don't have problems being morning people at Disney so we usually rope drop our morning park, take an afternoon break at the resort, switch to new park for dinner and to use FP+ in our second park. That strategy worked really well for us in 2016 so I'm sticking with it for this years trip.

We teach in Oklahoma. We have had a lot of teachers leave the state for go teach in Texas. Most just brag about the bigger salary. This is the first I've heard about the cost of living causing such a big impact. Makes me feel a little better about sticking it out in our little Oklahoma town.

 

[LSUmiss]

I actually disagree with your statement about strategies not working. Other than not being flexible with dates, you'll find tons of planning advice here particularly with FP planning and knowing which parks to go to which date that are relevant any time during the year. Almost any of the strategies people post here can cut down wait times, crowds, and increase the number of rides you can get on. Perhaps the magnitude of difference may be less at the most crowded times, but the strategies really remain the same.

I agree. The strategies discussed rarely have anything to do with time of yr to go. It’s always crowded now so FP,
Rope drop, and/or late night strategies are more important than ever. Some weeks are better/worse than others, but none are empty. I work for a school too so we go summer, thanksgiving, or Mardi Gras. In 2018, we are going Mardi Gras & Thanksgiving. Last yr we went Mardi Gras & July. July was less crowded than Mardi Gras week but much hotter of course.

 

[LSUmiss]

David: I agree with the strategies as far as doing/seeing things, however, a lot of my research says first thing to do is avoid crowded times. After that, it is sometimes difficult to find people who have gone or offered strategies that have gone the same times as I have to go through, so between the filtering and finding specifics, it can be tough!

Jess and Hoot: While I am sure school admin wouldn't care, the more immediate bosses wouldn't be so supportive. When I signed up for coaching, I knew the deal. Late July -Late December would always be off limits, especially for the goal in which I want to achieve in Texas High School Football. My second sport can be a little more flexible, but with Softball being one of the top 2 longest seasons, mid January up until mid May, if if you are good into June, it is almost impossible. On top of all of that, I only get 3 personal leave days per year. I do get "sick days" but I don't get many, and those are the ones I have to save year after year to make sure that I have enough days to take off in case something drastic happens to my future child(ren). I have known other teachers/coaches who have had to take up to a month off due to complications, and had to be docked pay for missing for their child. I don't want to take that risk. :/ It is unfortunate for planning, but something that I feel like I need to do personally .

Thank you all for the advice! Let's keep it going!

It’s impossible to avoid crowded times now. I’ve been at all the notoriously crowded times...Thanksgiving, spring break, New Year’s Eve & Mardi Gras & then random weeks in between. 2017 Mardi Gras was week was more crowded than the days surrounding nye (nye itself was the most crowded I’ve ever seen, but we knew that). We have been in Sept & Jan too (supposedly the least crowded mos). While they were less crowded, park hours were shorter & wait times seemed almost similar b/c WDW doesn’t operate all rides at full capacity when it’s not as crowded. I have been at some point every month in different years & just don’t think time you go matters anymore. The strategies we use is FP+ & late nights if available. We also try to stay on monorail which I know everyone can’t do, but it avoids the crazy bus situations at more crowded times.

 

[DavidNYC]

David: I agree with the strategies as far as doing/seeing things, however, a lot of my research says first thing to do is avoid crowded times. After that, it is sometimes difficult to find people who have gone or offered strategies that have gone the same times as I have to go through, so between the filtering and finding specifics, it can be tough!

So back to your question - I think the absolute most vital strategy now is knowing how to effectively use MDE for additional FP. Read up on threads on refreshing. Availability changes literally second to second and taking 5 minutes to do constant refreshes will often bring up a good FP option within an hour. Best strategy if you do this is make 3 FP early in day. Get there rope drop and ride 1-2 rides standby, use 3 FP before lunch and then keep searching for more right after you scan your current one. I can’t think of any better strategy that works no matter when you go.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

My sister is a teacher.
She really doesn't limit herself.
If we are going for a longer trip we do it over school breaks and just deal with the crowds.
We live in WNy where schools have summer break from late June to the day after Labor Day and we have found that late August is not really that crowded actually so that has worked for us several times.
Problem is we are a bit tired of the heat lol.
If we are fine with a shorter trip we go whenever and just make sure a weekend is included so she only takes 1-2 days off using personal days not sick days.
We're booked for December 7-11 2018.
We'll leave after school on Friday and head back home on Tuesday afternoon. So she's taking 2 personal days.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm a teacher and I have July and August off. I go back the Tuesday after labour day weekend. We've been going to DW the last two weeks of August for the past 8 years. It's awesome! We've always found crowds to be low the week before labour day every single year.

 

[cmarsh31]

I don't mind the crowds as much as the airfare. Double/triple the cost to fly from NY to FL over breaks. My DH hates the heat in August (summer break is the last week of July - Labor Day) so we've found that Feb break week isn't too bad (President's Day & Princess races) but the airfare UGGG. Even buying the exact moment that Southwest released their flights last year, we had cheaper flights sell out of my cart as fast as I could type. Cost us $800 more to fly that week than a non-holiday time. Double-hit this year, Easter is the same as spring break (usually they tend to be a couple weeks apart which helps) so we're staying put. I can't justify $600+ per person round-trip before the actual cost of Disney.

I've considered the week before Labor Day, but depending on timing, that's orientation time for at least one of us (either my kids transitioning to MS or new students for me). Can't plan ahead as those days tend not to be scheduled until summer time.

We're trying a long weekend in Nov to see the holiday decorations - if we fly out Thursday night, we'll all only miss one day of school as well as a longer trip over Feb break 2019 to see Toy Story, Avatar, etc.

 

[Arielfan98]

I grew up near NYC so the best time was always the last week of August/first week of September. I'm sure that's not as helpful for teachers planning going back to school, but if there's any wiggle room there that is a great time.

 

[sbrost13]

I'm an 8th grade teacher and my husband is a high school basketball coach and teacher, so I feel your pain on the lack of a flexible schedule. We've gone in April, June and twice in July. This last July trip (12-19ish) was our favorite trip! I actually love the summer despite the heat and humidity. My best advice for going to Disney World in the summer is ROPE DROP, take afternoon swim breaks, and utilize park Hopper tickets! The park hours are also a little longer in the summer (I believe) so that can help if you plan to close down any parks.

My husband's basketball team is set to play in a holiday tournament next December so the kids and I will be hitting up Disney World Christmas week for the first time ever, which should be interesting!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think you'll be OK at the beginning of June, since schools in many parts of the country are still in session. Plus it will be such a happy start to your summer vacation!

 

[akfan513]

I am in the same boat as you, teacher and coach. Here is one warning/consideration you can share for those that are teachers that have to travel to Disney in June:

If you are a teacher in the Midwest, beware of booking your trip the day after (or immediately after) school ends. I have seen stressful situations happen to many of my teacher friends in years when there is a bad winter and the district “goes over” their allotted number of snow days. Three years ago, the district extended my school year by three days due to this and my friend had booked their Disney trip that first week after school ended. Stressful!

(I will say that I work in a very supportive district and the district allowed my friend to still go on her trip, but I could see many districts not being as understanding as mine to allow a teacher to miss the last three days of school.)

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Another vote for the beginning of June. It's a great time to go.

 

[DisneyOma]

I have noticed that going through my research of planning a Disney trip, most of the strategies cannot apply to someone with my job. I am a teacher/coach, so leaving for a week's worth during anytime from Late July - Late May is basically a lost cause. I am currently forming a blog that will log my planning and potentially help those with the same trouble as me. Are there any other teachers out there that can help me with strategies with the limited months of travel that I have. My district is still voting for next year's calendar, so my departure date can be as soon as the Tuesday after Memorial Day to the next Tuesday, and basically through mid July (although I am 100% sure the later I leave, the worse it will be).

I hope this thread cannot only help me, but others on here! Thanks!

I've worked in a school system for over 16 years - we go to WDW in the summer, get our FP+ lined up, get great deals on WDW resorts by either using an AP rate or wait for a good deal to show up, etc. What are your actual difficulties?

 

[Capang]

I am in the same boat as you, teacher and coach. Here is one warning/consideration you can share for those that are teachers that have to travel to Disney in June:

If you are a teacher in the Midwest, beware of booking your trip the day after (or immediately after) school ends. I have seen stressful situations happen to many of my teacher friends in years when there is a bad winter and the district “goes over” their allotted number of snow days. Three years ago, the district extended my school year by three days due to this and my friend had booked their Disney trip that first week after school ended. Stressful!

(I will say that I work in a very supportive district and the district allowed my friend to still go on her trip, but I could see many districts not being as understanding as mine to allow a teacher to miss the last three days of school.)

This is a very good point. My district and many others in the state have built in way more hours than needed after the last few brutal winters. My old school used 18 calamity days a few years ago and luckily we had enough extra time built in that it didn’t matter. However, not all districts do that. Know when your district would have to make up days and which days that would be (my school would first take away days from spring break and then move to summer).

 

[luvallprincesses]

What kinds of things are you hoping for in strategies? I’ve taught 20 years in PA and we go to Disney quite regularly. For hotel discount: We have a Starwoods Amex to earn points for free nights at Swan/Dolphin, and use an AAA or teacher discount for any nights beyond free points nights. Other times to go: We often use 2 personal days for the week of Thanksgiving, with Wed-Fri scheduled off (actually the following Mon-Tues off for hunting season), so we can have a 10+ day trip. Flights: watch for when Southwest will release flights and grab them the first day they are released, because you can always change later if needed in June with snow days.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I am an elementary school teacher and have taken a week off to go on our Disney Vacation for several years in a row, usually in September. I am very careful about taking days off other than for our vacation. I line up my own sub (a retired teacher) to take my class and I am upfront with the families of my students. The memories that our family has made are priceless. Each of my administrators have always been extremely supportive, and some have actually planned small trips for their families during the school year as well. I encourage you, OP, to talk with your administration. They might surprise you with their answer! Our jobs are very important, but family time is way more important! It is also important for our students to see the value in family time.

You are extremely lucky to be able to take a whole week off every year. In our contract, we are only allowed to take 2 days off as unrestricted time off. Our restricted PTO is for sick/family illness/legal days etc. I have taken a couple of days in May off for a long weekend at Disney and found it stressful to come back to school right on Monday or it was a pain to catch up after missing two days out. It is worth it for me to just go during vacation weeks or summer.

 

[Ryan Landrum]

I don't have the time currently to input on everything but I just wanted to say really quickly that these are great responses! Great way to learn! Let's keep it up!

 

[cmarsh31]

What kinds of things are you hoping for in strategies? I’ve taught 20 years in PA and we go to Disney quite regularly. For hotel discount: We have a Starwoods Amex to earn points for free nights at Swan/Dolphin, and use an AAA or teacher discount for any nights beyond free points nights. Other times to go: We often use 2 personal days for the week of Thanksgiving, with Wed-Fri scheduled off (actually the following Mon-Tues off for hunting season), so we can have a 10+ day trip. Flights: watch for when Southwest will release flights and grab them the first day they are released, because you can always change later if needed in June with snow days.

We're not allowed to take the day before or after any day off, off. Won't be approved.

 

[Capang]

We're not allowed to take the day before or after any day off, off. Won't be approved.

That stinks. We have a rule like that for holidays, too, but it has been bent for special occasions/circumstances. I’m still trying to find a way to do a runDisney event either in the fall or next winter as well as a long weekend in December. I’m pretty sure I can pitch the runDisney thing in a way that will get me approved leave. But if I do that the likelihood of getting time approved for December is probably nil. So I have to figure out which one I really want and what works for my family.

 

[Dbktmc]

I am also a teacher that needs to travel in the summer. We tend to go in early June about a week after our school is supposed to end. (This allows for snow days that we need to make up.) I don't like how everything is more expensive in the summer as I agree that teachers are not paid very well. I would love the possibility of traveling during the school year but our district does not permit us to take more than 2 days off for personal time.

In order to enjoy our trips we make use of early morning touring combined with afternoon breaks. Before we had my son, my husband and I would tour early mornings and then go back around 6-7 pm and stay until closing. Now that we have our son (6) we have changed the way that we tour. We are returning this June for his 5th trip to WDW and have found a way to tour that works for us. We always do early morning touring to beat the heat and crowds. We come back to our hotel right after lunch to relax and swim. Some days we go back to the parks for the evening but most days we stay in the pool until bedtime. We have learned to go with the flow as the crowds and heat can feel oppressive at times.

Whenever you go just remember how lucky you are to be on vacation even if it isn't the "best" time.