When does Spring break insanity begin??

[snorkler8]

Spring break is an amorphous term - to the extent OP wants to avoid travel at times when schools are on break, he should be aware of "February Break" - generally the third week in February when many school districts have a week off - but clearly not a "Spring" break. Then there are spring vacations from schools and colleges - which range from anywhere from the second week of March through April - with a concentration of whenever Easter occurs - when a lot of schools have an "Easter" vacation - which can be anywhere from March 22 through the third week of April.

 

Then, of course, a lot of colleges end their school years at the end of April - meaning that the "Summer" vacation "madness" can start as early as the beginning of May.

 

There is no easy answer.

 

Ha! Never thought of all that! Good info. I guess I will stick to Fall cruises. Better prices anyway ;)

[Warm Breezes]

Spring break is an amorphous term - to the extent OP wants to avoid travel at times when schools are on break, he should be aware of "February Break" - generally the third week in February when many school districts have a week off - but clearly not a "Spring" break. Then there are spring vacations from schools and colleges - which range from anywhere from the second week of March through April - with a concentration of whenever Easter occurs - when a lot of schools have an "Easter" vacation - which can be anywhere from March 22 through the third week of April.

 

Then, of course, a lot of colleges end their school years at the end of April - meaning that the "Summer" vacation "madness" can start as early as the beginning of May.

 

There is no easy answer.

 

Make that the 1st week of March. DS's University spring break is always the first week in March. DD's High School spring break is always the first week in April.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Kid's Principal does not hide this, her next sentence tells us she loses funding for each kid absent, even if its the last day of school. :o

 

A bit OT: The flaw in her logic is that she would lose funding for your kid completely if you got fed up and sent your kid to private school instead, unless your kid is at one of those schools with a waiting list.

[navybankerteacher]

Make that the 1st week of March. DS's University spring break is always the first week in March. DD's High School spring break is always the first week in April.

 

Good information - I was not aware any were that early. This reall cuts down the "safe season": to perhaps the second and the last week of January (to avoid the end of Christmas vacation and the Martin Luther King holiday which often results in crowds taking the third week), then the first two and the last weeks of February.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Good information - I was not aware any were that early. This reall cuts down the "safe season": to perhaps the second and the last week of January (to avoid the end of Christmas vacation and the Martin Luther King holiday which often results in crowds taking the third week), then the first two and the last weeks of February.

 

Very true. I have found that both length of cruise and the cruise line are factors also, as others have touched on. I would expect spring-breakers on 3-5 day sailings in particular.

 

We once took a 7-day on HAL over spring break in the western Caribbean. I was a bit concerned before going, however the ship itself was very HAL-like and subdued. Once we got off the ship in Cozumel, it was party central. I didn't mind, as I could get right back on the ship anytime I wanted to.

[Philob]

A bit OT: The flaw in her logic is that she would lose funding for your kid completely if you got fed up and sent your kid to private school instead, unless your kid is at one of those schools with a waiting list.

 

60+ applications for each kindergarten spot every year (3 classes, 66 spots). And this is for a public school :eek:

[geoherb]

We have to cruise during spring break because DH teaches at a community college. That's one of the times during the year that we can take a cruise. So far, we have been fortunate. The only time there were unruly children (include college-age ones) was on a Carnival cruise. The ones of Holland America and Princess have been well behaved.

[snorkler8]

We have to cruise during spring break because DH teaches at a community college. That's one of the times during the year that we can take a cruise. So far, we have been fortunate. The only time there were unruly children (include college-age ones) was on a Carnival cruise. The ones of Holland America and Princess have been well behaved.

 

Then a 7 day cruise on Holland/Celebrity/Princess...sounds safe enough ;). ( famous last words lol)

[Warm Breezes]

Then a 7 day cruise on Holland/Celebrity/Princess...sounds safe enough ;). ( famous last words lol)

 

We actually sailed Ruby Princess the 3rd week of March this year on a 5 day and was surprised at how few kids there were. If there were a lot of Spring Breakers on our cruise I don't know where they were hiding. It seemed the majority of people we saw were 65+ snow bird couples and/or groups from retirement villages in FL.

[SeagoingMom]

Though I can't answer the OP's question, I can say that because we were college students, DH and I married during spring break and therefore take our anniversary cruises then. We have had no issues with "craziness" on any of our three March cruises: one 10-night S. Caribbean on HAL, one 7-night E. Caribbean on Celebrity, and one 7-night W. Caribbean on Princess (out of Bayport). The latter had the most kids; they were lively but not crazy. They were school aged.

 

Some cruise lines institute a "spring break" policy requiring someone in each cabin be at least 25 years old -- don't know which cruise lines, off hand.

 

We have never encountered "crazy" college-age folks on board or on shore. Perhaps we just don't hang out where young people do -- pools, bars and nightclubs.

 

Of course I am not saying that there could not be a"spring break" problem, just saying we have not experienced it.

[cadien]

Kid's Principal does not hide this, her next sentence tells us she loses funding for each kid absent, even if its the last day of school. :o

 

I'm curious what her excuse is for pushing PTA attendance. That's not tied to any funding, or mandatory anywhere.

[BruceMuzz]

There is an easy solution to all of this drama.

Price out the riff-raff.

Take a cruise away from North America.

Spring Breakers do not have the time or money to follow you.

Most other countries do not have this nonsense.

[momofmeg]

Spring break is an amorphous term - to the extent OP wants to avoid travel at times when schools are on break, he should be aware of "February Break" - generally the third week in February when many school districts have a week off - but clearly not a "Spring" break. Then there are spring vacations from schools and colleges - which range from anywhere from the second week of March through April - with a concentration of whenever Easter occurs - when a lot of schools have an "Easter" vacation - which can be anywhere from March 22 through the third week of April.

 

Then, of course, a lot of colleges end their school years at the end of April - meaning that the "Summer" vacation "madness" can start as early as the beginning of May.

 

There is no easy answer.

 

In some areas of the southeast it is whenever the Masters golf tournament is in Augusta, GA. I live in a suburb of Atlanta.( for 30 years now). We are a 3 hour car drive from Augusta and every year Masters week the kids are out of school. Sometimes that is Easter week (first full week in April;) but sometimes not. Sometimes Easter is the last Sunday in March and sometimes it is the 3rd Sunday in April. In this county it does not matter when Easter is, it maters when the Masters is. Other Atlanta area suburbs do take off Easter week whenever it falls.

[momofmeg]

Very true. I have found that both length of cruise and the cruise line are factors also, as others have touched on. I would expect spring-breakers on 3-5 day sailings in particular.

 

We once took a 7-day on HAL over spring break in the western Caribbean. I was a bit concerned before going, however the ship itself was very HAL-like and subdued. Once we got off the ship in Cozumel, it was party central. I didn't mind, as I could get right back on the ship anytime I wanted to.

 

I have found the shorter cruises that fall over the weekend have the crazies, no matter what time of year it is. I experienced this on a couple of 3 day weekend cruises,(both taken over 10 years ago) which is why I will no longer take a 3 day but then 2 years ago in early January (so still winter break for many)hubby and I took a 4 day Thursday to Monday cruise on Celebrity Constellation (Jan. 2013)and it was like that too.

 

A year earlier we did a 5 day on RCI Jewel of the Seas-Dec. 19-24,2011 and the 24th was a Saturday (I think) and there was hardly any problem at all. There were a few more school age kiddies, but anyone under 18 had an 11 pm curfew unless with a guardian. I think that curfew helped a lot.

 

Now back in 2010 we did a 4 day on NCL Sky which was Monday to Friday. This was in July and the kids were HORRIBLE. In particular tweenies I call them, you know ages 12 to 15. they threw food allover the staircase on the back of the ship coming out of the buffet restaurant and the poor crew were constantly cleaning it up until the last day they just gave up. There was also a problem with kids, running down the hallways, beating on stateroom doors like at 2 am. We had to call security twice about that.

 

So sometimes even doing a cruise that falls over the week days does not solve the problem. I guess it is whomever you fellow PAX are and if there are a lot of unsupervised kids and the cruise line has no security measure. I do feel the NCL Sky needed that 11 pm curfew for sure and the crew should have reported to security those kids throwing food on the staircase.

 

We cruise these terrible dates in order to cruise with our daughter who is a teacher, and we usually pay through the nose for the privilege as it costs much more these times.

 

The only times we have not had an issue when there would be a lot of kids is Thanksgiving week. For some reason they are better behaved then. I think it is because a lot of extended families cruise then, and Grandma and Grandpa,or "Aunt Sue" keeps an eye on them lol!

 

Parents need to realize that even the best behaved kids, will give into peer pressure as they do not want to be bullied or singled out as "no fun;"and believe me, their peers, the bully brats will find them, if mom and dad are not supervising them. Hey, in this day and age a lot of pedophiles are around too, people are crazy to let their kids run around unsupervised, for more reasons than they could get into mischief.

 

I know this thread is about college age kids, but in my experience the tweenies are the ones that caused the most trouble.

[CPT Trips]

These are my go to sites for Spring Break . . . http://www.springbreakfunplace.com/spring-break/spring-break-dates/

http://pcbeachspringbreak.com/spring-break-2015-break-dates/

[lady_cruiser]

We love cruising out of Galveston. Embarkation and Debarkation are so much easier than New Orleans and we live closer to New Orleans. On our last two cruises out of Galveston we were off the ship and on the ferry before 8 AM.

 

I would avoid March and April for Spring Breaks but you also want to consider when Mardi Gras is. One year it can be in February another in March, you just have to research it. Many school districts in South Louisiana shuts down anywhere from three days to a whole week because of the Mardi Gras Season and the ships leaving from New Orleans and Galveston can also be full of kids out of school for the Mardi Gras celebrations.

[momofmeg]

We love cruising out of Galveston. Embarkation and Debarkation are so much easier than New Orleans and we live closer to New Orleans. On our last two cruises out of Galveston we were off the ship and on the ferry before 8 AM.

 

I would avoid March and April for Spring Breaks but you also want to consider when Mardi Gras is. One year it can be in February another in March, you just have to research it. Many school districts in South Louisiana shuts down anywhere from three days to a whole week because of the Mardi Gras Season and the ships leaving from New Orleans and Galveston can also be full of kids out of school for the Mardi Gras celebrations.

 

I imagine perhaps a problem in Galveston and of course New Orleans-but not so much a problem from Florida ports. Most schools around Atlanta have president's day week off or at least president's Day and a couple of days with it.

 

One of my daughter's teacher friends took a cruise form New Orleans that week a couple of years ago and she said not as many kids as she feared. Now I understand why if locals were not off that week.

 

for us living in Atlanta, New Orleans is as close as Tampa and closer than Miami. We have yet to take a cruise from NO but I can see us doing it eventually.