Anybody have advice on WDW "reluctant partners"?

[Wizzard419]

Considering it is a company that literally tries to have a brand/franchise for literally every demographic, the only people (who can afford a trip) that would legitimately not want to go would be people who simply don't enjoy conspicuous consumerism. During NYE, as a means of appealing to those who were more interested in sports, the hotels were promoting bowl viewing parties at the various bars and even offering special room service options. They were, understandably, called out on this since it was the same as saying "Hey, sure you paid a fortune to book a room here during the peak times, and probably paid for park admission, but wouldn't you be happier in your room?"

[cy1229]

?..it was the same as saying "Hey, sure you paid a fortune to book a room here during the peak times, and probably paid for park admission, but wouldn't you be happier in your room?"

I probably would have been happier in my room, compared to spending time in that crowded of a space.

Then again, I wouldn't go to WDW for NYE. Toooooooo crazy crowded.

[Wizzard419]

Which is why it isn't unusual to see couples/parents fighting or having at least one member of the party unhappy. While the company tries to appeal to everyone in some capacity, they simply cannot and having to spend a week doing things you don't want to do in cramped, crowded parks, could be a trigger.

[cy1229]

I think there's also the stress of putting pressure on oneself due to the amount of money spent on the vacation. Crowds only exacerbate that.

[Len90]

Then again, I wouldn't go to WDW for NYE. Toooooooo crazy crowded.

Been there and done it. You go to MK the night before and EPCOT on NYE. Stay at an EPCOT resort and you have no issues with getting around. It is crowded but there are a lot of extra paths opened for moving the masses.

Which is why it isn't unusual to see couples/parents fighting or having at least one member of the party unhappy. While the company tries to appeal to everyone in some capacity, they simply cannot and having to spend a week doing things you don't want to do in cramped, crowded parks, could be a trigger.

Also add in the heat. Putting a lot of people in a hot crowded and cramped situation will ultimately lead to pushing, shoving, arguing, tempers, etc.

[theBIGyowski]

Yep...I did WDW on NYE way back when and it was the last time I will ever do WDW between Christmas and New Years. We had a blast and the weather was fantastic other than the rain on one of the days. But the crowds were beyond ridiculous and FastPass was still relatively new (2001), so the lines were crazy long. I remember waiting two hours to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster, which was only a few years old, and being okay with that because that's just how long the lines were.

Ever since then, I've made it a point to go when the crowds were low. I'm sure we'll end up having to go in Summer once our kids are school age, but for now we're just fine going in the off-season or in the "sweet spots" between holidays like we are doing this December (5-10) to avoid the crowds.

[Amy]

Yep...I did WDW on NYE way back when and it was the last time I will ever do WDW between Christmas and New Years. We had a blast and the weather was fantastic other than the rain on one of the days. But the crowds were beyond ridiculous and FastPass was still relatively new (2001), so the lines were crazy long. I remember waiting two hours to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster, which was only a few years old, and being okay with that because that's just how long the lines were.

Ever since then, I've made it a point to go when the crowds were low. I'm sure we'll end up having to go in Summer once our kids are school age, but for now we're just fine going in the off-season or in the "sweet spots" between holidays like we are doing this December (5-10) to avoid the crowds.

I would have to think hard if I was a parent about pulling kids out of school to go during less crowded times. It wouldn't even 100% be to avoid the crowds, but I can't imagine the heat and humidity of going during the summer months
I'd love to see the special fireworks they do for the Fourth of July or NYE, but probably not enough to ever contend with all those people. I am not a large crowd of people kind of person.

[theBIGyowski]

Yeah...my wife taught before having kids and she's 100% for pulling kids out of school to go on vacation. Of course, you don't want to pull them out during critical times like exams or standardized test, but most teachers will work with parents when they pull their kids out for a week or so. It's better to build memories that will last a lifetime when your children are young and everyone is in relatively good health.

[Wizzard419]

Hmmm... other than the obvious harm it does to the school (no students = no money that day), I can't say the harm is the same as it was 20 years ago as schools have been creating lesson plans around standardized tests. Since that test doesn't necessarily translate to helping them later in life, and there is a lot of repetition to drill it into their consciousness, it seems like the issues have decreased. Though, when you go in the off season, you also get less time in the parks, which may mean less rides are open, nightly entertainment may not be running, so it's a wash.

[Amy]

Yeah...my wife taught before having kids and she's 100% for pulling kids out of school to go on vacation. Of course, you don't want to pull them out during critical times like exams or standardized test, but most teachers will work with parents when they pull their kids out for a week or so. It's better to build memories that will last a lifetime when your children are young and everyone is in relatively good health.

I thought your wife may have been a teacher. I would guess up until middle school, the issues would be less for them missing school.

Hmmm... other than the obvious harm it does to the school (no students = no money that day), I can't say the harm is the same as it was 20 years ago as schools have been creating lesson plans around standardized tests. Since that test doesn't necessarily translate to helping them later in life, and there is a lot of repetition to drill it into their consciousness, it seems like the issues have decreased. Though, when you go in the off season, you also get less time in the parks, which may mean less rides are open, nightly entertainment may not be running, so it's a wash.

I don't know if it is still the case or not, but I know when I went to school, there was one or two days that they pulled a good percentage of the student body down to the cafeteria and that count was what the funding was based on. It wasn't an everyday attendance.
Hadn't thought about decreased hours. I know I was surprised at how early the Cali parks closed when we were there a few years back. And I can't imagine it has gotten any better at DL since the budget cutbacks.

[cy1229]

I'm not sure how it's done in other states, but both Michigan and Indiana have a single day that students are counted. It's usually about four weeks after the start of school, and that what funding is based on.

The charter schools in Indianapolis are notorious for accepting all students until this count, then finding a reason why they can't keep up to 1/3 of them and shipping them back to the regular public schools.

I wouldn't dream of pulling kids from school for a week after fifth or sixth grade. They miss too much.

[Wizzard419]

Here, the schools use daily counts (not sure how they handle the data, but it is pretty accurate since teachers would turn in lists to admin) but the big thing was that each day was counted. Honestly, anything short of college, I would rank the value of any given week so low that they could miss it. If they could survive being out sick for a week they should be able to survive being out sick for a vacation.

[theBIGyowski]

Like I said...a lot of it hinges on the relationship the parents have with the teachers as well. We're in a unique position that my wife was a teacher, so she could always supplement based on any lesson plans from the teacher.

I will agree, though, that your chances of missing attractions due to refurbs is a lot higher during the Jan-March off-season. You also have to put up with a lot of BTGs, which can really mess up the magic.