7 or 10 days?

[mommyluvsnoah]

Hey everyone. Brand new here and just starting research for a trip at end of September/beginning October 2009. I know it is still a year and a half away but want to get an idea on resort, time, etc so we know how much money to set aside.

This will be our first trip and we agree that we don't want to worry about how much we spend but not go overboard either. Originally I was thinking we would go for one week. DS will be six (turning seven during our stay) and we would have to pull him out of school for five days. He will be in first grade but it will also still be early in the school year. We don't want to go during summer break due to crowds and heat. However, DH wants to stay longer- 10 days. He wants to do five nights at WL and five at Beach club. DS and DH want to do TL one day and make sure we have one day to relax, do Downtown Disney, etc. He is thinking that that would give us extra days for MK, Epcot or AK whichever we prefer.

Anyway, my question is is it worth taking DS out of school the additional days to make sure we can experience as much as possible without having to cram everything into seven very full days? Not having ever been it is difficult to judge which would be better.

TIA for any advice or suggestions.

 

[coltow]

Only you can be the judge as to how much school your child can miss without falling too far behind. My parents always pulled us out, but never for more than 5 days. We always told teachers ahead of time and got all assignments. We took our books and did work on the plane and a little every afternoon while taking a park break. This helped us keep up with the class. Not knowing where your from you could always consider the very end of the summer if schools not in session. Maybe around Labor Day weekend, our original plan for our summer trip was to fly home on Labor Day. We changed the dates because we have 2 teachers travelling with us and they need to be back to get their classrooms set up.

 

[earldw28]

Why dont you start your vacation on a Saturday and stay through the next Sunday. That's 9 days. Depending on travel time you will still have at least a week in the parks. Your DS will miss five days of school which is not ideal but that seems like the best option to me. Good Luck!

 

[WickedQueen22]

I took my daughter out of school for an 7 day trip. We told the teacher in advance and got work for her to complete also I had her write a diary every night about what we did that day. The teacher was older and was definitly outspoken about removing her from school. But it's my daughter not hers.

I say if you can swing 10 days then do it. We could not even remotely do all of what we wanted to do. We missed the water parks, Fantasmic, a day to relax by the pool, and could only take our daughter to DisneyQuest for about an hour the day we left. Our upcoming trip will be 9 days and I am sure we will miss stuff again.

Definitly check your school calender to make sure you will not pull out your child during any standarized testing. Here in MA we have MCAS twice during the year and I wouldn't want her to have to miss even more class time to make up the required tests once she returned. Our next trip is October 2009 also. Happy planning!! Try and make it to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It does run late (midnight) so have an easy day before heading out. You can do a character dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern before the party and the characters are in their Halloween costumes.

I will stop now as I am rambling....... sorry.

 

[earldw28]

I kinda forgot about Labor Day. The beginning of September and the end of September arent that much different as far as weather is concerned. Labor Day is Sept 7 in 2009 so kids will probably have that day out of school assuming their school has already started. So that could limit time out of school by a day anyway.

 

[H20Babie]

If you have a choice between September and October, and have to pull your child out of school, I say go with October.

In September, especially in grade 1, the children are learning the rules, routines and procedures of school. Pulling him out then is not a great idea, as the teachers really build the classroom foundation for the rest of the year. That's just my opinion.

I agree with going Saturday to Sunday, giving you almost 9 days. We did that last year, and had enough time to go to TL, BB, DTD and everything else. I would also recommend getting the park hoppers so you can start off in one park for the morning, and go to another in the evening.

You'll get a lot of responses on the validity of pulling children out of school, but only you can decide what is best for your DS.

 

[mouselvrmom]

We personally usually go for 10 days. The vacation just seems more relaxed that way. We have pulled the kids out of school and they all did just fine. Although, we will probalby have to start taking vacations during the summer months or other holidays now.

I agree with a previous poster about trying to do October instead of September. That way they will be a little moire settled into the routine. Also, they have more days off in that month that maybe you can work into your vacation so they don't miss as many days.

 

[bcornette]

We pulled our son out of kindergarten last year for 10 days to do a 2 week vacation in Florida with 10 days spent in WDW. We went the last week in September through the beginning of October. Our son didn't have any issues adjusting to school or going back to the newly learned routine of school when we returned.
That time of year is great because most people don't go on vacation during the beginning of the school year. I think it is the best time time to go, you are there for MNSSHP, the Food and Wine Festival, very low crowds, and you may be able to get in on the Free Dining if that is offered again in 2009.

 

[tink68]

Whenever I start to book our next trip I always print out the school calendar and try to avoid testing time and go when they have one or two days off. Like this next time we are leaving on a Wed night and coming back on Monday which is Columbus Day. That way my daughter only misses 2 days and it is the first week of a new 6 weeks so I know there is no testing going on. She also always has perfect attendance so that helps. Mine is going into Jr High so it is harder for her to miss so if you are going to do that many days do it now while your kids are young. Leave on a Friday night and come back the following Sat or Sun. I also vote for October which is a great time of year to go. Have fun! :wave:
Sheri

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

1) Welcome aboard :wave:

2) Forget about your childs schooling (at this moment) and concentrate on WDW. For first timers I recommend the following :-
2 Full Days at MK
2 Full Days at EPCOT
1 Full Day at DHS
1 Full Day at AK
1/2 Day at TL
1/2 Day at DTD
Thats your seven days already and you havent rested inbetween or given yourself time to revisit your favourite park(s). Even with ten days you're not going to be able to see or do everything - you have to pace yourself

3) Back to school - only you can decide whether pulling your child from school is worthwhile, and you're not going to have the parks to yourselves if you do go in a slower time.

Good luck

 

[Tinkwings]

1st grade...piece of cake usually...mostly 1st grade is establishing/strengthing reading skills which airplane rides, and settling down for bedtime is great for anyhow. I have pulled my children out about every year but next year oldest is starting high school and think at most I will pull him 2 days and go during...ugh...busy season to maximize the shorter trip. By now they know what they really want to do and how to work the parks.Have never had a problem with communicating with teachers in advance and getting work to do on trip or ideas to make it educational. Especially 1st grade...they can write simple things about the trip itself, a journal and take math worksheets along and a few books....1st grade was easiest escape wise...go FOR it...they are only young a short while and disney is priceless for memories. I truly feel age 6-7 is the best age for memories and being able to handle the park experience. Longest we have stayed is 9 days and really enjoyed not being stressed about fitting it all in....AND recently from my own experience...thank God we did plan a long trip as all the children came down with Bronchitis and we were down and out 2 1/2 days. Staying at the Lodge was wonderful as it made it a bit better to recoup, nice to walk around outside and on days when they just got tired it was a quick trip back to WL....wonderful that this year they have a direct boat with no stops to MK...we did not wait for a boat either way ALL trip! Not sure I would like to switch hotels though....have fun planning!!!

 

[mommyluvsnoah]

Thanks for all the responses. It is hard to know what is best never having been there and with my son not even being in Kindergarten yet so not knowing how he will handle school. But he will be an old 1st grader (his birthday is two days after cutoff so he will likely be one of oldest in his class) and I think that will help. And I do think first grade is the year to do and earlier in the year will be better. I don't have access to the school schedule yet (too far in advance) but based upon this years and next years the testing will be at the end of October and we will be going first week of October.

So I think for us the best plan will be to go ahead and pull him out and enjoy our trip. And thanks for all the suggestions. We actually have talked about doing the Sat to following Sunday as a valid alternative.

BTW, tink, my name is also Sheri. :wave:

 

[ThinkTink721]

Brand new here and just starting research for a trip at end of September/beginning October 2009.
This is a good time of the year to visit WDW.
Crowds are usually more moderate than during the summer.

This will be our first trip and we agree that we don't want to worry about how much we spend but not go overboard either. Originally I was thinking we would go for one week.
We went for 1 wk. the 1st time we took our kids.
We went for 1 wk. last year.
We are going for 1 1/2 wks. this year.

DS will be six (turning seven during our stay) and we would have to pull him out of school for five days. He will be in first grade but it will also still be early in the school year.
We pulled our kids out of school for 5 days last Sept.
Everything went fine.
We are pulling them out for 7 days this Sept.
Be sure to book a special TS dinner for your child's b-day.
We did that for our oldest son in 2006.

We don't want to go during summer break due to crowds and heat.
I don't blame you.
I have been to WDW twice during the summer.
Even though it was hot last Sept., the summer is even hotter & more crowded.

However, DH wants to stay longer- 10 days. He wants to do five nights at WL and five at Beach club.
I think splitting your trip between the BC Resort & the WL would be good (if you don't mind the move).
Since it's your 1st trip, you will probably need 10 days to experience most of the attractions.

DS and DH want to do TL one day and make sure we have one day to relax, do Downtown Disney, etc. He is thinking that that would give us extra days for MK, Epcot or AK whichever we prefer.
This would give you extra time.
That is why we are going the extra days this year.
We seem to never get enough "down time."

Anyway, my question is is it worth taking DS out of school the additional days to make sure we can experience as much as possible without having to cram everything into seven very full days? Not having ever been it is difficult to judge which would be better.
We didn't have any problem taking our 3 kids out of school.
We are really looking forward to staying a few extra days this year so that we can relax & not feel so rushed.

Good luck!
:wave:

 

[happymom52003]

If you can swing the 10 days, then go for it. Our last couple of trips have been ony six full days, and it was not near enough time. And as a few others have mentioned, now is the time to do it. It will get harder in the older grades.
We have the same thoughts as you....we HATE going in the summer, and we are putting off going during the long school breaks like Thanksgiving or Spring Break as long as possible.
Realistically we know that someday in the older grades it will be much harder to let our kids miss more than a day or two, but for the time being we have no problem taking them out to go to WDW . But we do try to make the trip over a minor holiday such as Columbus Day or MLK day since they will already have a day off during those weeks anyway.

 

[tink68]

Hi Sheri and welcome to the boards. :wave:
Sheri

 

[Disneykidder]

Earld is right on the money. Go from Sat-Sun or even take a flight late Friday night and wake up ready to experience the magic in WDW. To me I say the more time there the better but I have to say that we were able to do everything in a 7 day trip with one 3 1/2 year old in hot summer. Depends on the pace of your family.

The time of year you picked is also a good time. You will not have that much wait time, prices for resorts are cheaper and you may be able to get in on free dining. Try the Halloween Party...it won't let you down.

As far as taking your child out of school, only you can be the judge of that. Personally, I would not do that but if you feel your son is able to handle being away, keeping up with reading/writing/math and will be able to resume where he left off, then go for it. I am a teacher so I have seen what a vacation can do to a child in the beginning or the end of the school year. If the child is really bright and parents are supportive, work will be completed over vacation and they will come back ready to work. I have also had the flip, where students did nothing on vacation, left books in other countries and came back even worse behaviorally or academically than before they left. Only you can be the judge of your child. First grade is critical for learning reading behaviors but if you keep up with him, then it's your call. Keep a travel journal of each day of your trip, read every night before bed (well, in the am bc you'll probably get back late each night) and practice math facts daily.

Whatever you decide, have a magical trip and welcome to the boards..I am new too!!

 

[ThinkTink721]

Realistically we know that someday in the older grades it will be much harder to let our kids miss more than a day or two, but for the time being we have no problem taking them out to go to WDW.
We will have this dilemma soon also.
Our next trip will probably be our last one during the school year since our oldest will be in middle school in the fall of 2009.
We may have to go back to summers or like you said, during holidays.
I am like you, I would really rather avoid the huge crowds & the summer is so hot.
But, it's WDW...it will be fun at any time! :wave: