Dec trip.....days to go?
Find a Conversation
| Fri, 08-31-2007 - 9:37am |
Hi- sorry about this confusing post! DH and I are planning a Dec. trip and we were thinking Th-Dec 6 to Tue. Dec 12. If we arrive on Th- we would go right to MVMCP for Thus. night, and then have 4 days for the rest of vacation. I already have an 8:10 ADR for Cindy's castle on Monday. (LoL- but the rest of our trip is not planned!) However, it looks like we will be up late Thurs. night and then we are worried about being able to get moving on Friday early. We are also worried about crowds Sat, Sun, in other parks and Mon in MK. All of a sudden it seems like our kids are missing four days of school, and we are going to be there on the weekend and if MK will be crowded on Mon, we really only have Fri- and we will be up late the night before. We are wondering if we should just take the kids out of school from Mon- Dec 10- Thurs, and arrive in FL on Sat. For some reason we thought that splitting the week would make it seem like they were missing less school, if they misseed two days in one week, and two days the next. But now we realize it's crazy, four days are four days. this is the last year we would consider taking our 4 kids out of school, it is getting too difficult as they get older....after this we will be going during peak times, so I want to do this right.
I know the Pop Warner super bowl is supposed to be the first week of Dec- is this true?
Are the parks crowded on the weekends in Dec? How about Monday? And how about Monday in MK? I know Dec. is now more crowded than it has been in the past with Pop Warner. We would have several other choices for MVMCP.
Okay, now here's the other confusing part, and I realize I have to just make this decision. My brother and his wife are thinking of going mid- Dec. also. I love them, and we all get along, but if they are around it will throw off the dynamics in our family. They have two kids the same ages as our two youngest, and our kids won't want to go on rides with their siblings, just their cousins. The chances are slim that we would even see them, or would be in the same parks at the same time, or at the same resort. Now that I am writing this all out, it seems really weird, but I have been thinking about this for a while and they didnt know. but just last week, they started talking about going in mid-Dec. I keep my trips a secret from my kids, so I really haven't been talking about it with anyone, just DH and my Mom. And we live 6 hours away from each other. I don't even want to tell them when we are going- just want to plan it and oh well, if we are going at the same time then that's that. Seems crazy, huh? We couldn't go any earlier in Dec than the 6th. So don't know if we should leave things as they are Thu- Tue., or risk going and being there with less crowds same time as other family. Again, even though we get along, we just vacationed with other people the past few summers, and we wanted this to be just us. Families! LOL- any opinions would help! Typing this while hiding from kids, so hope it makes sense!

Well, let's see....
First of all, I think the second week of December is the best week EVER to be at WDW! It is just lovely, not crowded, and usually the weather is quite pleasant. Pop Warner should be out of the way by that time, or at least close to it. We've gone the second week of December 4 times (and taken kids out of school 4 times), but this year we're bumping up to September so we're there for DH's 40th birthday. We're both feeling bad that we'll miss December this year.
As for kids missing school.....even though it DOES sound crazy, I think missing 2 days one week and 2 days the next week is better than missing 4 days in a row. This has been our experience anyway. When my kids get back to school, the days they have for make-up work are equal to the days they missed. Thus, when they get back on a Thursday, they have the weekend to play catch up vs. just week days....when things are super-busy in the evenings with after school activities. We are pulling the kids out again this year, even though they're all in middle school. We try to be careful about the days we pull so the kids don't miss any state tests or other important events.
Finally....we are a family on a mission at WDW, and I would never want to be paired up with another family (with another attack plan!) all day long. We were at WDW the same time as my cousin and her family one time, and we just made plans to meet up for the eveing parade. That gave us plenty of time together, since there is a lot of sitting and waiting beforehand. It was perfect. Having said that though....I think just being quiet about the whole thing is smart. If your brother and SIL find out you'll be there at the same time, suggest the parade.
Have a wonderful trip! I think you'll really be happy with the week you've chosen.
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 12.5 years old
Julianne and Leah, 11 years old
Audrey, 3.5 years old
Disney World trips in 1973, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
Upcoming September-October 2007 trip!!!
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 1
DH and I went last year...12/6 to 12/10, and it was WONDERFUL! There didn't seem to be any difference between the crowds on weekdays and weekends. The only thing we waited more than 10 minutes for was Expedition Everest, and that wait was only 20-25 minutes. The weather was beautiful, although a little on the cool side. Packing was interesting, as I had everything from jeans and a sweatshirt to capris, sandals and t-shirts. We went to MVMCP on a Friday night, and it was in the 40s! It was a good thing we brought our winter coats along! We will definitely plan another early December trip at some point.
Amy
Amy
Thank you so much, both of you for answering my long-winded question! When I told DH I had posted it, he thought I was crazy, but everyone here is so helpful, I usually feel like I can't make a Disney move without checking this board! We kept going back and forth the other night, and it's nice to hear another middle school parent's opinion about taking them out of school. I have so much guilt, but want to go in Dec. so bad(the 5th is my birthday!) My kids are 12,10, 8 and 5. We have only been once, and we left the 5yo at home- he was only 1 1/2, so I am really excited for him about this trip. Also, thanks for the info about the weekdays vs. weekends. That will really help us with our decision...Thanks again!
MJ
Don't bog yourself down with guilt about the kids missing 4 days of school! As long as they have good grades and behave themselves the other days......family time is IMPORTANT, and I can guarantee your kids will all learn at least a few new things during your trip.
Let us know what you decide and how it goes. :)
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 12.5 years old
Julianne and Leah, 11 years old
Audrey, 3.5 years old
Disney World trips in 1973, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
Upcoming September-October 2007 trip!!!
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 1