Disneyland w/30 Singing Teenage Girls Updated 5/25
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**DyanKJ130** · 02-05-2007, 06:32 PM

Did you make it back in one piece?? :grin: Can't wait to hear all about it!!

bsblady01 · 02-05-2007, 10:41 PM

can't wait to hear about your trip.

debbiemek · 04-08-2007, 12:58 AM

Next month I'll be chaperoning my 6th Disneyland trip with our middle school symphonic band and advanced choir. As the admin assistant for the district's music department, I spend the year getting everything together (buses, schedules, etc.). This year my own kids are all in high school, so everyone wanted to know if I was still going to go - I looked at them strangely and answered, "and miss a trip to Disneyland?" We'll be 99 strong this year.

larissamorn · 05-25-2007, 03:14 PM

okay! i think i've recuperated for long enough...

DAY 1

v and i were up at well before the crack of dawn having gone to bed at about seven the night before. we showered, threw the last bit of toilet kit stuff into the suitcases and hopped in the car. i believe we got to school around four. wow. we were quite early and got to see most of the kids get dropped off by their parents. no tearful farewells at this early hour! almost everyone was in pajamas and were flabbergasted that v and i had showered AND eaten breakfast. can you imagine a ten hour bus ride without having showered first? ick.

the bus was late, of course, and all of us got a (nervous) laugh when the driver went barreling past the school. fortunately that was the only time she missed a turn and she was a fantastic driver! we headed out well before five and only stopped twice on the way down, once for breakfast, once for a function break at a rest stop in the grapevine. brrrr. the kids started to wake up and socialize at about ten so the ride was very quiet. we arrived at the hotel just after noon having made great time. the kids were fantastic on the bus, lots of conversations that made me blush, but no inappropriate behavior.

i was surprised at the size of the rooms at the clarion. the rooms themselves were in need of refurbishment, but quite large enough for a family of four or five. the hotel is on the anaheim trolley route and you do need to purchase tickets if you want a ride to the park. we walked back one night and, though we made it without needing to take a break, i would not want to do it every day.

after rounding the kids back up in the lobby we convinced our driver to haul us over to the parks - the trolley takes two hours off in the middle of the afternoon!?! mr. mc a got everyone's tickets and explained the check-in rules to the kids one more time before handing them out. after setting the hoarde free the chaperones selected the check-in times and locations we wanted to be responsible for and then we were set free as well.

i have to say that i was impressed with the accountibility level of the kids on this trip. there was no check-in drama of any kind, no misbehavior, just massive amounts of goofiness. on the last day there was definitely some drama just before the performance, but that was primarily a result of exhaustion+hormones. oh yeah, i remember what that was like...

i spent part of the afternoon with v and a couple of kids, part alone with v and part solo (that was the part where i fell exhausted into my lumpy, lumpy bed). i was thrilled to see that the Remember: Dreams Come True fireworks were still going on. i think this is the best fireworks show ever! it was funny being back as this was our first return to DL after the Platinum Adventure to WDW last july. now if i could make my perfect park it would have a little bit of this and a little bit of that... they both definitely have their merits. all things considered, though, except for the food i was happy to be 'home'.

DAY 2 will include details about the workshop which was just as cool as it sounded and DAY 3 may include details about both the wonderful performance which drew a surprisingly big crowd (only ten-fifteen of us were there to see our own kids) and the drama of the trip home (yikes!)

hopefully it won't take me four months to get around to writing it!

--L