December 8-15, 2012
Registration Deadline: October 10, 2012

Information is divided into six pages in order to help you plan your trip to Disney World. Please read through all of these pages before registering.

CONTENTS
Introduction ← you are here
Hotel Information & Options
Special Events & Group Activities
Disney Educational Programs
Important Things to Remember
Registration Form

UPDATE 4/23/12: I've added a Kingdom Keeper's Quest, and SeaWorld visit to our trip this year. See the Special Events section for more information.

Introduction
We're taking our 7th trip to Disney World this December and we hope you can join us! We'll enjoy all four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), the water parks, Disney Quest, and behind-the-scenes educational programs for our students in kindergarten through college-age.

The weather is usually great this time of year (averaging in the 70's and lower 80's, but can dip into the 60's and, rarely, even lower). It should still be warm enough to swim in the water parks and resort pools, and we'll still be able to enjoy seasonal festivities such as: the Candlelight Processional, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, the beautiful decorations at the parks and resorts, and the wonderful holiday spirit that abounds this time of year.

You can choose your own arrival date, but you must plan your arrival in time for your children to attend at least one educational program. Programs are scheduled on Monday through Friday. See the Educational Programs page for more information.

(Note: Our group hotel is discounted from three days before and three days after our main group dates. If you plan to stay longer, let me know and I'll see if they can add more discounted days.)

The registration deadline for this trip is October 10. Those who register early will have priority for extra guest tickets and chaperone spots, as well as the behind-the-scenes Cirque du Soleil tour (for adults and students).

Group Activities
The only time you'll be tied to the group is when your children participate in the educational programs. I'll coordinate several optional group activities, but other than your students attending the educational programs, you're free to roam Disney World at will, either alone as a family or with others.

Transportation & Hotel
You'll need to make your own travel arrangements for this trip. More information about our group hotel and other options is available at our hotel information page.

Group Park Tickets & Fees
Our group park tickets (including registration fee) are $208 per person (3 years old and up) for 5-day/5-pass tickets. Our 8-day/8-pass group park tickets are $228 per person (3 years old and up).

These prices include:
• a registration fee (this fee helps to cover the costs involved in coordinating this trip and mailing your tickets).

• a 5-day or 8-day park hopping ticket - you'll be able to visit all four Disney parks as often as you'd like for five days or eight days (they don't have to be consecutive days). You may hop between multiple parks on the same day.

• five or eight "plus" options – you can visit DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Park, Blizzard Beach Water Park, and/or Typhoon Lagoon Water Park five or eight times in any combination. These can be used any time during your stay. They don't have to be used during your 5 or 8 park days. (Note: One of the water parks may be closed for refurbishing during our dates.)

• one educational program for students in kindergarten through college-age, and one behind-the-scenes tour of the Cirque du Soleil theater for the adults in our group who've watched the performance (based on availability, tour spots are limited, so it's first-registered, first-served).

Frequently Asked Ticket Questions & Tips
• Before you register, carefully consider whether the 5-day or 8-day tickets will work better for you. In previous years, some families changed their minds after we arrived at Disney and weren't able to upgrade their tickets. If you're wavering between the 5-day or 8-day tickets, go with the 8-day tickets.

• The 5 or 8 fun passes (water parks and DisneyQuest) are passes - not days. You have 8 passes total over the length of the ticket. If you do DisneyQuest on the morning of one day, and a water park in the afternoon of the same day, you've used 2 passes. If you go to DisneyQuest in the morning, leave, then go back that night to DisneyQuest, then you've still used only one pass because you're allowed all-day access to the same place.

• Yes, you can go to more than one park on the same day, and it will still count as only one park day. (That's what the hopper option does.)

• And, yes, the water parks, Disney Quest, and one educational program (and the behind-the-scenes Cirque du Soleil tour for adults in our group) are already included in the price of your ticket.

• No, this is not a scam.

• Yes, you really can stay at Disney for 16 days and have something to do every day (with the 8-day tickets, which includes 8 park days and 8 fun passes).

• And yes, you really can stay for 10 days and have something to do every day (with our 5-day ticket, which includes 5 park days and 5 fun passes). Enjoy! :)

• Our park tickets are substantially less (around half price) than regular park tickets with similar features. One restriction we have, however, is that the number of parents and guests with tickets must be equal to or less than the number of students with tickets. That means that we can purchase these deeply discounted tickets for parents, grandparents, older/younger siblings, relatives, and friends only if they don't exceed the number of students in our group.

• Tickets will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority going to parents, siblings, and grandparents first, so register early for a better chance of getting educational tickets for the "extra" guests in your party. I'll let you know how the guest-to-student ratio is holding up as we go along. (Keep in mind that children under 3 get in free and don't require a ticket.)

• Tickets will be mailed no later than two weeks before our departure date. The non-expiration option cannot be added to these tickets.

Cirque du Soliel Performance & Behind the Scenes Tours
I'm reserving seats for our group at Disney's Cirque du Soleil performance ($49 per person 3 years and older) on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 for the 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm shows. Students who want to enroll in the Showbiz Magic class, and adults who want to take the behind-the-scenes tour of the theater must attend the performance first. Find out more here.

Kingdom Keepers Quest
The Kingdom Keepers Quest is self-guided group adventure through the Magic Kingdom for youth who've read The Kingdom Keepers books by Ridley Pearson. This optional program is designed especially for students in grades 5-9 and costs an additional $10 per student. More information about the Quest can be found here.

SeaWorld Visit
SeaWorld's Ocean Discovery field trip includes a short (30-minute or so) presentation on their most popular subjects and educational activities throughout the park, and then your family will be able to spend your day at the park however you want. The fee is $25 per person and includes the presentation. For more information about the program can be found here.

Payment Schedule
The total for your tickets must be paid for within 7 days of my confirmation email. (You'll pay for the hotel separately.) My email will include your total amount due as well as payment methods and mailing address.

Refunds
If you need to back out of the trip after paying for your tickets, I'll work with you to get your money back (less a $25 per person return fee) by trying to arrange for another family to take your place. I can't guarantee a refund if I have no families on my waiting list. Please be sure you really want to go before registering and paying - there's no guarantee you'll get your money back if you cancel. In any case, a $25 return fee will be charged for each person registered.

Our group hotel and other Disney-area hotels will have a separate cancellation/refund policy, so be sure to read and understand their policy before you reserve your room. I am not responsible for the refund policy of our group hotel nor any other Disney-area hotels.

Still interested in going?
Please read the following links for more information:
Hotel Information & Options
Special Events & Group Activities
Disney Educational Programs
Important Things to Remember
Registration Form