Grad Night Chaperone Question

[DL Lover in LA]

Hello! I'm a sub for a school that participates in Grad Night at Disneyland. They have already gone for this school year, but I found out that as an employee of the district, I could be a chaperone for Grad Night in the future.

Have any of you done this? I am an annual pass holder so going for free isn't my main motivation. I know that it is very crowded and I won't be able to go on that many rides. I just think it might be a neat experience to witness (my high school did not go to Disneyland for grad night, we had an event on our school grounds). I would also love to see the park as the sun rises.

Any opinions or advice for me? Thanks!

[Malcon10t]

If you get the chance, go for it. You do have to pull duty in a chaperone area (you will rotate with others form the school) but they have special events for the chaperones also.)

[Bruce Bergman]

I haven't done a Grad Night - IIRC our school managed to get on the Bad List, the kids in our area had enough money to bring things "not on the Approved List" that would best be described as "recreational organic chemistry" and/or "pharmaceutical gardening"... (Of course, now they're setting records for repeat Academic Decathlon victories, take that as you will...)

And I've never had the opportunity to Chaperon either. But it could be a very interesting night for you... Or not.

If everything goes right, you would get to see a side of the park most people don't get. They have different entertainment and soundtracks, they do different events. FWIH they want the Adults to have a low-key presence, stay in the shadows - but that's perfect for being an observer.

If you want to take pictures that would go up in public you would have to go through with Photoshop and blur out recognizable faces first , because they do have a little expectation of privacy. And there are likely some minors involved.

But if a few of the students from your school can't behave themselves... You can spend half the night sitting in a boring quiet back room at Security, watching over them till the end of the evening.

--<< Bruce >>--

[LittlePrincess1230]

I would avoid this at all costs. This is not Disneyland - this is Grad Nite at Club Diz.

Your job as a chaperone is not to have fun, your job is to take care of the students. This includes students who get sick, students who get in trouble (and it happens with a majority of schools that attend), and students who lose their tickets just to name a few. To say the least, you will be giving your cell phone number to the Grad Nite team (ALL chaperones must do this) so that they can contact you when there is an issue. Expect that your phone will be ringing all night and it is your responsibility to pick it up.

To say the least... Just save yourself the pain and don't do it.

[mainstreetcm]

I would avoid this at all costs. This is not Disneyland - this is Grad Nite at Club Diz.

Your job as a chaperone is not to have fun, your job is to take care of the students. This includes students who get sick, students who get in trouble (and it happens with a majority of schools that attend), and students who lose their tickets just to name a few. To say the least, you will be giving your cell phone number to the Grad Nite team (ALL chaperones must do this) so that they can contact you when there is an issue. Expect that your phone will be ringing all night and it is your responsibility to pick it up.

To say the least... Just save yourself the pain and don't do it.

Not be offensive, but if we all thought like this there wouldn't be anybody there to handle those issues... Just sayin'

To the OP, obviously its not just another day at Disneyland, but it could prove to be an experience you remember forever. If you have the opportunity to do something that unique and feel like your a good fit, go for it! I've worked the event several times, and at least from a CM perspective we had quit a blast in the stores department those evenings...

And if all goes bad then at least you can tell your family you had one hell of a night at Disneyland...

[hueneme]

Have you talked with the other teachers at your school to see what their experiences are? Let us know.

[ttztotdca50]

It's a LOT of work... At our school, chaperones ride along with the students on the bus, herd all of them down to the main gates, get them through security and into the parks. THEN you sit in a room for about an hour with other chaperones, praying that none of the students from your school get into trouble. If they do, a voice on the loudspeaker calls you over into the security office and you take care of kids, ie those that drink five Monster energy drinks and are sick the rest of the night, or those that break the rules. After that, you can roam free until it's time to head back to the bus, where you have to make sure EVERYONE gets on and you're off and back home by 7.

It's a lot of fun, but it's a lot different than regular Disneyland. Most of the students there wouldn't go to Disneyland normally and thus do not appreciate it like a park; instead, to them, it's like going to an arcade...there's just not that magical feeling most people get.

(off topic, but this one year, one of the chaperones was called in, and apparently it was because one of the students [an A+ student by the way] had brought in an asprin, and she was crying and so upset. Security doesn't take ANYTHING lightly, and they only let the student back into the park because the chaperone is one of the best teachers there and was very cooperative and worked with the security guards)

(even more off topic: Security pats down EVERYONE. And I mean they search EVERYWHERE. Yes, that means that security guards [gender appropriate, mind you] pat you down to make sure you're not hiding any alcohol packets or drugs, etc.)

[DisneyIPresume]

I never went to Grad Nite there. Our school was one of those that had gotten kicked out a few years prior to my senior year.

We were a bunch of local, spoiled rich kids from Newport Beach who considered being stuck in Disneyland all night long more of an act of torture than anything else. Especially when mommy or daddy could easily buy us a ticket whenever we wanted (this was in the days prior to when ap's were popular) being stuck in Disneyland when everyone could have been partying elsewhere was something we did NOT want to do. (Of course as an adult I'd rather have my own son stuck inside Disneyland than roaming around town where he could get into trouble). Instead our Grad Nite was held in our high school gymnasium, with a raffle prize being a car as incentive for all of us to go.

Anyway to get back to the topic, you should do this. Chaperones are badly needed. Just be satisfied in the fact that it won't be all fun and games and you should have a great time. After all it is Disneyland, and sometimes just being there is all that you need.

[MelissaS]

I've been a Grad Nite chaperone for the past 5 years. It certainly isn't a normal day at the park, but that's what I enjoy about it. Many of my students are going to Disneyland for the first time, and it's fun to share the excitement!

Every chaperone is required to cover an hour at the chaperone center (Plaza Inn), and for that hour you are praying not to hear your school's name called over the PA. Fortunately, I usually get assigned the first hour (no one's had time to get in trouble yet!), so I've never had the pleasure. Outside of that one hour, you are free to enjoy the park.

It is quite crowded, so you won't get on many rides, but there are also activities for chaperones, like movie screenings, chair massages and caricature artists. You'll be give a flier with that info when you check in. There are also special fireworks two times during the night.

I think you should go, I always have a fun time!

Melissa

[DL Lover in LA]

I talked to most of the chaperones from this year, and they seemed to have a great time! The only big complaint that they had was that it was on a Thursday night and there was school on Friday. So the buses came back at 7:45am and school started at 8am. Most of the teachers had to wait until their prep period or lunch to get changed or brush their teeth!

They all hung out together and rode the rides in Fantasyland (since those were the only rides with no lines). And from what I heard from the students, nobody really got in trouble. In fact, a few of the students told me that they were the ones who reported the guy selling cocaine in the bathrooms. So I'm hoping if I help out next year, my students will be the good ones!

[diznimom]

Our school used a lottery system to choose chaparones because a lot of teachers would sign up for that duty. I was lucky enough to be chaparone 4 times while I was there (retired June 2009). We had a schedule of what time we were supposed to be in the center. Fortunately all the time I went, our school behaved. Our kids are usually well behaved when it comes to Grad Nite. I think the cost of the activity has a lot to do with who is going. Quite a few of the students elect not to attend. There is usually a cap on how many are going because of the cost of transportation.

I enjoyed all the time I chaparoned. If you have a chance sign up.

[MissChristine]

I suppose it depends on your group of kids. When I chaperoned, my experience was very much like the experience LittlePrincess1230 had. The chaperone area (Plaza Inn) would have been great...if it hadn't reached maximum capacity. My busload was a wiley bunch; they were very unhappy that we had a lot of traffic on the drive down, and were also extraordinarily snarky when we were missing a kid in the morning and couldn't leave until they were accounted for. Naturally the traffic was my fault.

Anyway, your group of kids aside, all that is pure little Disneyland specialness is stripped away, so you need to be OK seeing and hearing things that wouldn't normally be there. It is insanely crowded, and all of the kids are riding the high of graduation so logical thinking sometimes goes out the window.

I wish I had a more positive experience! The one fun thing was that another MC'er was there as a chaperone. (HI ALMANDOT!)

Since you have the opportunity, give it a shot...but don't say you haven't been warned.

[xceemora]

Dose anyone know if we could use our annual passport for discount during grand nite?