Originally Posted By dshyates Spring break and the holidays are the worst, as that they don't have the seasonal staff they have during the summer season. Summer is still rough simply becasue of the consistent large crowd. The parks are usually very clean in the "value" season.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN When is "value" season at WDW, really? When the summer ends... then more british and japanese guests seem to arrive, then the conventioneers arrive, then there are the parents who do not think pulling a child out of school to visit WDW is a big deal... I fly in and out of the Orlando airport all year round and flights are full all of the time. When is the value season again??
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan According to the official website, about 5 months of the year are considered value season: 1/1-2/14; 7/8-10/3; 11/25-12/19
Originally Posted By Mr X **then there are the parents who do not think pulling a child out of school to visit WDW is a big deal...** I would have no problem pulling my child out of school to visit Disney. Education is a total joke anyway (most of her education occurs at home in any case). What's wrong with that?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed X - it's a big conspiracy to justify tax revenues to each school. There is far greater value in quality family time than someone staying in step with the rest of the class with a curriculem that offers very little real world value. A trip to Disney is not like someone taking the kids out to lay on a beach and put the kids in a kids club.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Sorry Baloo, but I feel that totally irresponsible of a parent. But if you are Ok with that well that's your call as a parent, but I do not have to agree with it.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo True - but obviously you went to better schools than all the rest of us. I guarentee I can teach mre at DL in a day than they will learn in a week at school.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN C'mon, honestly. What can you teach a child at Disney? How to spin a teacup?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Furthermore... that is exactly what is wrong with parents of our generation... Not enough validity on what's really important during a child's formative years. Like interest in education, manners, respect for others and property... etc etc etc. Maybe because I was fortunate enough to have parents that really cared about my educational well being (I would never be taken out of school for menial things like going to a disney park), may be the reason why now as an adult, I can enjoy my interest to the fullest... since I was so properly deprived of it during my childhood, when schooling was the priority.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Sorry Baloo, but I feel that totally irresponsible of a parent. But if you are Ok with that well that's your call as a parent, but I do not have to agree with it.< I would ask that you maybe leave that decision to the parents and maybe they make good ones ( some will not but then they likeyl arent' making other good ones either). Both of my kids -- ages 22 and 13 have been pulled out almost everyother year for a week -- they are both straight A students - score in the top 2-5% of standardized tests, my olkdest was on the Deans list 3/4 years at college while being a student athlete -- I don't get this blanket condemnation..... they also get life experiences on trips ( we aways visit other things on trips, also relatives they don't see often) - Now if my kids were struggling with school - they would have tutors and WDW would take a back seat immediately, as would sports and most extra curriculars -- but that is not the case and I am willing to bet that is the case for a lot more kids as well. life lessons can be had anywhere - not just in the classroom
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I like you had precious little of any experiences like this when I was young-- and yes I focused on education ( public education ) because we couldn't afford to have me focus on anything else. That is a reason to make my kids have the exact same life as me ? I'm thinking not. As I said above - WDW or having fun is not the #1 priority. Sports ( even though I have a full scholarship athlete ) -is not the #1 priority. getting a good education and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is #1. Any life needs to have some balance between heads down work type activities and relaxation activities. The body and the mind need time to recover - as that is the cycle of rejuvenation that includes sleep, exercise, eating right etc. If one has A students now - 5 - 10 more days will make them exactly what ? Kids needs down time too. My youngest takes piano twice a week, practices with her club volleball team 11 hours per week, and plays highly cometitive sports 9 months a year. She is in all AP type classes and all the homework that goes with that and on track to earn 15 - 18 hours of college credit in high school. She attended a 2 week math session at Northwestern University in the summer kids aged 12 - 15. As a parent I take the down time for her and me when I can get it. I have never had a teacher / princiapl have any issue with this - she gets her homework assignments ahead of time and does them on vacation. These 5 - 10 days every few years mean what in this context ? It means family time which is equally as important as other learning... again, for kids who are struggling in school - it is importtant to get the education on track in order to compete in the world for the next 50 years - 100% agreed-- but that simply is not every child, or even most.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>Furthermore... that is exactly what is wrong with parents of our generation... Not enough validity on what's really important during a child's formative years. Like interest in education, manners, respect for others and property... etc etc etc. Maybe because I was fortunate enough to have parents that really cared about my educational well being (I would never be taken out of school for menial things like going to a disney park), may be the reason why now as an adult, I can enjoy my interest to the fullest... since I was so properly deprived of it during my childhood, when schooling was the priority.<<<< Dude, you have met me. I think you might realise I have my children's best interests at heart. And I wouldn't say I am an abject failure, I was taken out of school many times. And my best learning experiences were on vacations. As for Disney, I like to teach my children about the etomology of the park themes. It is not about the thrills, but the immersive experiences. Disney awoken greater urges to learn about several topics from natural history, to futurology, the american frontier, to the context of the stories set in Fantasyland. And I work first hand with the education system here in the UK and can tell you kids are taught to pass tests, not to actually feed their mind and soul.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Also, just look at our photos from Paris to see it was not just about the mouse. Even our California trip next year is full of educational experiences as well as time with the mouse.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Not filthy. Yesterday. But, it certainly could have been cleaner. Looking at the pavement, it was obviously not up to prior standards of being pressurewashed every night. I don't know enough about how quickly the pavement gets dirty to estimate, but if I had to, it seemed that it was several day's worth of gunk, comparing it to what it looks like at parks that do wash it every night but not during the day. The thing is, I would not have noticed this unless I was purposefully looking at it because of this thread, which is probably exactly what Disney is counting on. I don't think the park or the resort as a whole came off looking filthy (although I don't doubt that it does on certain days), but it certainly didn't stand out as overly clean like it used to.
Originally Posted By SuperDry It definitely seems like the off season this weekend. Yesterday in the MK, the standby lines at most attractions were 30-40 minutes, and FP return time was about an hour later. I asked several people at a couple resorts and they all said that things had definitely quieted down in the last couple of weeks, now that most kids are in school and most British are back home.
