Cruising with kids during school year

[mebecindi]

Does anyone cruise with Kids during the school year.

Would you take your kids on a cruise during school.

What do you tell the school?

 

I am curious what people think about this.

 

I am not condoning taking the kids out of school but after looking at all prices i sure could save aloth going on a 4 night cruise and they would miss Thursday, Friday and Monday.

 

I would like others opinions on this please.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Does anyone cruise with Kids during the school year.

Would you take your kids on a cruise during school.

What do you tell the school?

 

I am curious what people think about this.

 

I am not condoning taking the kids out of school but after looking at all prices i sure could save aloth going on a 4 night cruise and they would miss Thursday, Friday and Monday.

 

I would like others opinions on this please.

 

 

We always did:D Cruising on Hollidays its too much money and too many kids on board

[ohio cowgirl]

We are taking our 3 kids out of school for a week for our cruise. My kids make straight A's and I tell them if the grades go down NO CRUISE. I'm sure they think "yeah right" but the grades are good so lets cruise.:p

[Cruisin thru life]

We've taken our daughter out the week, sometimes two, right after Thanksgiving the past 5 years. Spring, summer, and fall is the busy times for our business, and I refuse to pay the holiday pricing.

[forwardcabin]

I and our kids all work in public schools or colleges, so to cruise with them and the grandkids requires all of us to be out of school and off work. We usually schedule cruises for summer, Christmas, and spring breaks.

[Nunu]

I would like others opinions on this please.

Ask, and ye shall receive...:eek:

[cruisinmom68]

My high schoolers (2) and my college age daughter have no interest in missing school.

Even for a cruise they feel it would be to difficult to stay on top of testing, projects etc... and they are all 95% + average students.

 

Now my elementary age child is actually going to miss 3 days of school in a couple of weeks to cruise with his Momma all by ourselves. He wont miss much at all so I have no problem with it. School does not like it but there are many parents that have no choice but to travel during the school year. (work schedules, etc)

 

My thinking is that you only have one life... LIVE IT!

[Crusin6]

OP...good luck with this thread and get the popcorn ready!!!

 

 

We never take them out of school primarily for 2 reasons:

 

1. All of their teachers give them way too much work anyway so doing it ahead of time is ridiculous...it would take a month. These teachers don't even let them breath on weekends!

 

2. I am blessed with kids who love school, would actually miss it, and even though they would make up all the work, they would still be upset if they missed class. This is them speaking, not me, btw.

 

 

So we travel when there are few if any school distractions....that means not even on school year holiday breaks....because they give them major projects due the day they return!!!! Yes, the teachers are a little off in my opinion!:D

[StillPooh]

I would like others opinions on this please.

The last thread on this topic lasted 49 pages. You might want to visit the restroom and fix some snacks first. ;)

[Crusin6]

We are taking our 3 kids out of school for a week for our cruise. My kids make straight A's and I tell them if the grades go down NO CRUISE. I'm sure they think "yeah right" but the grades are good so lets cruise.:p

Will you cancel if their report card grades go down....even if it is within penalty phase?

[mebecindi]

Thanks for the replys...

My daughter is also a good student and i don't worry about her grades.

What do you tell the school. Do you give them warning. Do you get there work and let them take it and work on it? I just wouldn't want her to come back and try to make up a weeks worth of work?

Also, don't want to get in trouble with the school...

Like I said Earlier...we can all 4 cruise for around 1300-1500.00 during the school year. It is double that in the summer......

[Martini Mom]

They're YOUR kids. Do what YOU think is best.

[snista]

We have done it before and are doing it again in March. We always get their work ahead of time and its done by the time we board or shortly thereafter. We have never had any issues with it. I know as they get older it will be more challenging to do so, but for now they keep up pretty good. Unfortunately if we wanted to go in 2010 it had to be during school at one time or another.

[mebecindi]

another thought about this. I wonder if many people do this. I would hate to go and they be the only kids on the cruise. That would be boring for them...BTW - it would be Carnival Ecstacy going out of Galveston.

[Nunu]

They're YOUR kids. Do what YOU think is best.

 

LOL nice try but it ain't gonna end that quickly...

[snista]

Thanks for the replys...

My daughter is also a good student and i don't worry about her grades.

What do you tell the school. Do you give them warning. Do you get there work and let them take it and work on it? I just wouldn't want her to come back and try to make up a weeks worth of work?

Also, don't want to get in trouble with the school...

Like I said Earlier...we can all 4 cruise for around 1300-1500.00 during the school year. It is double that in the summer......

 

We were honest with the school about our limitations in schduling. We have always been cooperative parents and they know that we will make sure the work is done. They have never given us a problem.

[mebecindi]

I know as they get older it will be more challenging to do so,

 

I agree with this. I think it is easier when they are younger then older. Highschool would probably be more difficult. My daughter is in 6th grade.

[suzinva]

My two cents, which in this economy is worth far less ;), I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer. For one thing, you probably want to check your school district's policy. Some are FAR more strict than others. You may take your child out of school but the school is entitled to treat the absence as unexcused and are well within their rights to not provide homework or instruction on missed classes, you'd be on your own on that one.

 

I think you also need to take your kids ages and grades into account. The older they get, the harder it is for them to miss school, even for straight-A students. They miss a lot and it's very difficult to catch up. I know from experience, my son has missed extended days/weeks because of illness. Catching up, especially for a marginal student, is hell.

 

If you're willing to live with those consequences, then that's a choice you and your kids make as a family, in conjunction with the school/teacher. I think there are good and valid reasons to take kids out of school during the school year. Family vacations CAN be a good reason. But, it is a choice and choices have consequences. And so long as everyone's priorities are all in line and people are willing to live with the consequences of their choices and live up to their responsibilities, then it's all good.

 

Good luck to you!

[luckymbt]

Have been doing it for years. Like one of the previous posters. our gals make A's. Sometimes the cruise is a reward. So far I have never had a problem with the school. I have written some colorful excuse notes, indicating our goals of teaching international travel , other customs , other countries etc. You get the idea. I do try to fit a bit of education in with the fun. One time we had a few creative teachers and my oldest had to keep a weather log for one teacher and a journal travel log for another, ended up she did a good enough job and they counted that as her make -up work.

In our experience , there are just the right number of kids on board to be enjoyable at the kids clubs. One year at Thanksgiving, the place was over run by too many and ill behaved kids, my then 5 year old would not attend the activities.

[mebecindi]

I will definitely check with the school. someone at work told me that i could be fined for each day they are out. I think that is absurd.....Whatever...lol

 

Like i said earlier, she does good and i will talk with the school.

I would never take a child who is already failing and having difficulties...

[JoeSmooga]

Let the popcorn popping begin.

 

To the OP:

 

Yes, we take the kids (elementary school age) out of school every year first week of January (right after the holiday break) to cruise because it is the most cost effective time for us to go and, let's face it, we like to cruise more than once a year. Another consideration: As our 1st semester always ends at the end of that first week of Jan, there is a built in "teacher work day" where the kids would be out anyway (this year, holiday break, 4 days back in class, day off... kinda crazy but true). Take into consideration that the 1st day back from holiday break is pretty much as wash with getting kids back into the normal school routine and going over "what I did on break" with everyone, you are only missing out on 3 student-teacher contact days.

 

I tell the school and teachers straight up what we are doing right at the beginning of the year. No suprises to them, and to this point we haven't run into "that" teacher who has an axe to grind and sticks them with a ton of homework while they are out. To this point, the teachers have been GREAT! In fact, the principal wants the kids to stop in the office first day back to talk to her/tell her what all they experienced on the cruise. I'm sure it will change as they get older, but for now, we'll keep with this plan as long as our personal income remains where it is and other activities do not interfere.

 

All you teachers out there ready to flame me and others who agree with me about this (I know you are out there... I've been on these boards long enough to know you are lurking, waiting for this topic to come up)... know that many members of our family are teachers in our district and I understand the constraints this can put you under when building lesson plans for a student that will be out an extended period of time. I also know that if you are tenured elementary school teacher you should have lesson plans developed well beyond a week in advance (beyond new testing requirements or complete changes in what grade you are teaching, you should have some semblance of it put together a minimum 1 month ahead of time), so the argument that you have to make excessive special accomodations (key word "excessive") for an elementary school aged child because they are going to be away holds little water with me (different story with high school aged... I recognize that we'll not be able to take them out of school in a few short years). I know "those" teachers who subconciously use this as an excuse to treat a child's scores negatively leading up to and right after these extended class absense times do exist, and that's just plain wrong. Kudo's to all of you for what you do to help our youth realize it's full potential... don't bash me for enhancing that by providing them experiences that cannot be learned in the classroom while I still can.

[Cruisin thru life]

Thanks for the replys...

My daughter is also a good student and i don't worry about her grades.

What do you tell the school. Do you give them warning. Do you get there work and let them take it and work on it? I just wouldn't want her to come back and try to make up a weeks worth of work?

Also, don't want to get in trouble with the school...

Like I said Earlier...we can all 4 cruise for around 1300-1500.00 during the school year. It is double that in the summer......

 

I always notify the school's office, and her teachers about a month in advance. The times we travel doesn't interfere with any major testing. Depending on the time of year you are planning to travel, you might want to check with the school about test schedules(fed or state eval). Other than that, a month should be ample time for the teachers that are willing to work with you. The ones that are not willing, no amount of time will be enough.

[imsulin]

I really love how the kids taken out of school for a cruise are always "straight-A" students. I've seen some of these "straight-A" students on school-year cruises along with their "straight-A" behavior. Oh, please. I'm a retired teacher, and "straight A" students are few and far between. When these "straight A" students, who missed school, become adults and make a fortune, they can charter yachts and take their parents on expensive and exclusive itineraries.

[mag]

I agree that only you can decide what works best for your family. We had done it when the kids were younger, in elem school, but not now cause they are older.

[JoeSmooga]

One time we had a few creative teachers and my oldest had to keep a weather log for one teacher and a journal travel log for another, ended up she did a good enough job and they counted that as her make -up work.

 

What a great idea... even if my kiddo's are not given homework to do while on the next ship we're on, I think I am going to task them with this. EXCELLENT post. Thanks!