2022 Information

Dates: Thursday, December 1 – Sunday, December 4, 2022

All students are to arrive between 9:00 AM and 11:00am on Thursday, at the Disney All Star SPORTS Resort, to check in, drop off your luggage and meet up with Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast chaperones; who will give you a brief orientation before distributing your park tickets and your magic band room key. Your magic band is for your room key only. Room numbers will be given to you Thursday evening when you check back into the hotel between 7:00-9:00pm by Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast chaperones only. You will not have access to your room or luggage before this time. The schedule is to go to Animal Kingdom on Thursday, Magic Kingdom on Friday, Disney Hollywood Studios on Saturday, and EPCOT on Sunday. We will leave for home mid-afternoon on Sunday. The cost of your hotel rooms, Disney park tickets, the pizza and pool party on Friday night are all paid for by your host Rotary clubs or district.  BE SURE TO THANK THEM for this opportunity! Remember to bring extra money for other meals and souvenirs.

You will be staying in a hotel, which will provide towels, pillows, blankets, etc. Four students will be housed in each room. Each room has two double beds. If you’re unwilling to share a bed, you might consider bringing a sleeping bag. Boys are not allowed in girls’ rooms, and girls are not allowed in boys’ rooms, at any time – no exceptions. Please keep in mind there are many other guests at the hotel, so excessive noise will not be tolerated. Curfew each night while at Walt Disney World Resort is 11:00 pm. All students must be in their assigned rooms by this time. The rooms have a small refrigerator, so if you your transportation arrangements permit you to pack small food/snacks, you’re allowed to do so.

We recommend that you take along a jacket or sweater – it can be surprisingly cool this time of year in Orlando. But also bring your swimsuits, as the hotel pools are open and heated. Otherwise, bring casual clothes and shoes that you can walk all day in. Do NOT bring your Rotary blazer, but please do bring your country flag for photos.

IMPORTANT: In order to receive your Disney tickets when you get there, you MUST bring the form we email to all students several weeks before this event, signed by you and one of your host parents. Please give it to one of your Rotary chaperones who is with you on the trip to Orlando when you arrive at the hotel. Do not forget and do not send it by mail or e-mail to your district chair or to Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast. BRING THE SIGNED FORM WITH YOU TO DISNEY WORLD!

Also, as a reminder, be sure that you have your medical insurance card and your Rotary ID card with you at Disney, at all times. We certainly hope that you won’t need to use it, but you should always have it with you.

 

Student “Dos and Don’ts”

Don’t go anywhere by yourself – always have at least one buddy with you!

Don’t be late for check-ins or curfews

Don’t do any of the 4 Ds

No girls in boys rooms and no boys in girls room

Violations of any of these rules could end up in return home (home country)

DO:

Have FUN!!

Download the Disney App if you haven’t done so already

Wear your t-shirts and bring your flags to Hollywood Studios on Saturday

Make sure you have notified your school of your absence during this time

Make sure that you have submitted an Inbound Student’s Travel Request for this trip

EMERGENCY CONTACT REPRESENTATIVES

RYESE Multidistrict Chair       David Mountford          +1 954 294-5212

District 6900 Chair                   Michael Parks                +1 404 219-0339

District 6940 Chair                   David Pienta                  +1 850 459-7857

District Chaperones:                Kathy Finn                      +1 404 316-0349

                                                       Robin Kaiser                   +1 919 630-0995

                                                       David Pienta                  +1 850 459-7857

                                                   Michael Stimpert          +1 678 770-4970

 

 

DAILY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS & MANDATORY CHECK INS

 

The Buddy System: No one, should ever go by themselves on buses between hotel and parks. And in the parks, always go with at least one other exchange student at all times.

You must check in with your District Chaperones at each of the following times and places. BE ON TIME!

— THURSDAY at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

PARK HOURS 7:30am-7:00pm.

 After checking in at the hotel, attending a brief orientation and securely storing your luggage, head straight to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park using the Disney Bus Transportation System. This is the transportation system you will use to visit all the parks except Friday & Sunday morning. Do not linger in the hotel lobby.
1st check-in: 3:00pm on Discovery Island/Tree of Life, between Island Mercantile & Discovery Trading Company. 

— FRIDAY at Magic Kingdom: 

PARK HOURS 7:30am*- 6:00pm.
We will meet in the hotel lobby on Friday morning at 8:00 am and ride the bus together to the Magic Kingdom Park.

1st check-in: 2:00pm in front of the statue of Walt Disney at the end of Main Street. 
2nd check-in: 7:30 pm: in the pool area at the hotel.  (You MUST be back at the hotel and checked in with your District Chaperone in the pool area no later than 7:30pm to attend the Pizza Party.)

 

— SATURDAY at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 

1st check-in: 12:00 noon Center State in front of the Chinese Theater

2nd check-in: 4:00 pm in front of the the Chinese Theater (we will take photos at this check-in)

3rd check-in: 7:00 pm in front of the Chinese Theater

 

PARK HOURS 8:00am- 9:00pm. 

— SUNDAY AT EPCOT:

No check-ins.  Today, each student must meet with the chaperones from their respective district to decide where to store their baggage and what time they will leave the park.  All rooms must be vacated by 11:00 am.

PARK HOURS 8:30 am-9:00pm. 

* denotes Extra Magic Hours for Walt Disney World Resort Guests only