Walt Disney World
September 25 - October
2, 2010
UPDATE (July 16, 2010)
The registration deadline for this trip has been extended to July
31. Please register as soon as possible for the best chance of
getting any extra guest tickets you may need, as well as having a
better chance of chaperoning.
A
list of confirmed educational programs is listed on our
Disney Education Programs page.
What we're doing...
We're going on our fifth
trip to Disney World in September/October and we hope you can join
us this time! We'll enjoy all four theme parks, the water parks,
Disney Quest, behind-the-scenes educational programs for our
students in kindergarten through college-age, as well as have the
opportunity to taste food from around the world during the beginning
of Disney's International Food and Wine Festival (begins on October
1, 2010).
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. I'll scheduled programs on Monday, Tuesday,
and Thursday. See the
Educational Programs page for more
information.
The registration
deadline for this trip is July 31, 2010.
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 informal group meet
and
greets and get-togethers throughout the week, but all are optional.
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, and
families may choose their own accommodations. Consider the following
options:
Option 1
Families can arrange their own accommodations (at a Disney resort,
or off-property) and just get their group park tickets through us.
If you choose to stay at a Disney resort, Disney is offering their
free dining plan again during our
travel dates. It's not nearly as cost-effective as it was in the
past, however, and that's why we're offering Option 2...
Option 2
We
have group reservations at a family-style hotel that offers us a
great discount, two-room suites, a full buffet breakfast each
morning, and transportation to the parks. Each room accommodates up
to 6 guests and has two double beds, plus a full-size pull-out sofa
in a separate living area. Rooms also include a refrigerator,
microwave, and coffee maker. The hotel is near Disney, and has many
restaurants and stores nearby. If you decide on this option, here
are the rates:
For 5-day group tickets and hotel for 7 nights:
Family of four = $1,420
Family of five = $1,620
Family of six = $1,820
For 8-day group tickets and hotel for 7 nights:
Family of four = $1,510
Family of five = $1,730
Family of six = $1,950
These rates are good estimates, but will increase if you want to add
extra educational programs, the Cirque du Soliel show, or other
options. They'll decrease if you have children under 3 in your
party.
Your 5-day or 8-day park tickets include the hopper option, 5 or 8
passes to the water parks and Disney Quest, and one educational
program. (See "group park ticket" section below for more
information.)
Hotel stay is Saturday to Saturday morning (Sept 25-Oct 2), with two
additional nights on either end of our dates available at the group
rate. (Dates can't otherwise be changed.) Rates include full buffet
breakfast each morning and transportation to the parks. These rates
don't include lunch or dinner each day.
Group Park Tickets & Fees...
If you choose to arrange
your own accommodations, our group park tickets
(including registration fee) are $190 per person (3 years old
and up) for 5-day/5-pass tickets. Disney's 8-day/8-pass tickets are $210 per person (3 years old
and up). This fee includes:
w a registration
fee (this fee helps to cover the costs involved in
coordinating this trip, mailing your tickets, and supporting this website).
w 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.
w five or eight "plus"
options – you can visit
DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Park,
Disney's
Wide World of Sports Complex (excluding special events),
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.
w one educational
program for students in kindergarten through college-age.
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-serve 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 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 and will be valid from September 18 to October 9. The non-expiration option cannot be added
to these tickets.
Cirque du Soleil La Nouba
Performance...
I'm reserving seats at a
discounted price ($48 per person 3 years and older) for the
Wednesday, September 29th, 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Cirque du Soleil performances (please note your time preference
when you register).
This is a wonderfully
entertaining show and well worth the cost of admission. Families
who've been to Cirque du Soleil performances in other areas (Las
Vegas, etc) have told me that Disney's show (La Nouba) is the best
they've seen. I've never
had a family yet who said they regret going, and many have emailed
me to tell me that it was one of the highlights of their trip. (And
the educational program that explores the behind-the-scenes aspects
of the performance also receives high marks.)
If your family would like to
attend this performance, I will add the price of tickets to your
payment confirmation email.
NOTE: Students who
plan to register for the educational program that
explores the behind-the-scenes components of Disney's Cirque du
Soleil must watch this show prior to attending the
corresponding
Showbiz Magic educational program (which will be held later in the
week, during morning hours). I highly recommend this educational
program if you have children in grades 6-12. We enjoyed it (as well
as the other upper-level programs) the most
out of all of the programs Disney offers in their education series.
Refunds...
If you need to back out
of the trip after paying for your tickets and hotel, I'll work with you to get
your money back (less a $20 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. Last
minute drop-outs were a problem with previous trips, nearly
forcing us to cancel due to dropping below the level required for
group discounts. 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 $20 return fee will be charged
for each person registered.
Interested in going
with us? Please access the following links for more information and
to register:
Disney's Free Dining Offer
Important Things to Know
Disney Youth Educational Programs
Registration Form
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