must change cruise date because school board changed when the kids go back to school

[Trueblueky]

Interesting situation. My kids would rather go on a cruise than be exempt from exams, so it would be a no brainer for us. But I sure wouldn’t want to go on a cruise if my kids were not going to have a good time. Hope it works out for you either rescheduling or getting a refund.

 

 

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We had "exempt from exam" policy at one district where the kids attended. Stupid policy. Uses the wrong carrot to encourage attendance.

 

We told our kids that perfect attendance does not exempt you from exams in college. AP courses cannot be exempted anyway, so what is the real benefit?

 

Had to fight with them to let one child in high school visit older sibling, over winter break, who was overseas for a year. Took exams early. Took one on return. Did not hurt grades and got to spend two weeks in China.

 

Don't want to hijack this, but have you thought of petitioning for a waiver to the stupid policy.

[scmom77]

We had the exact same situation last year. Booked a cruise for August, school changed the start date, and we had already made a $500 deposit. Carnival kept $200 of it ($50pp) and the remaining $300 was available for credit on a future booking within 24 months. We are scheduled to go in 2 weeks, so we got our $300 towards this booking, but they would not budge on the $200.

[dmdiver]

Wow, sorry to see that people are angered by someone else's good fortune. I guess it all goes back to everyone getting a participation trophy. Everyone wins. Are they also angered if someone wins in a random drawing & they don't? If they enter say, an art contest & the judges don't choose their entry, are they angry? Maybe disappointed, but seems a waste to be angry.

 

I don't see any harm in asking and if a corporate entity decides to make a goodwill gesture & waive fees, that is their prerogative. Just because they do it once, doesn't mean they have to do it for everyone. Is it fair? No, but life's not fair. I don't like it when I get pulled over for speeding when there were thirty other cars speeding on the same highway. What about when an officer issues a warning instead of a ticket? So many things in this world are done or not done at someone's discretion.

 

Again, it doesn't hurt to ask for a favor. If the answer is no, then it's no. If they make an exception, good for you! Just don't come back & tell people here, because apparently it will make them angry.

[1AL]

I also get VERY upset when other people get good things from companies that I don’t. I always ask myself, how does that person’s situation affect me? and then decide my level of upset.

 

 

 

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lmao...rofl....lol...2 thumbs up (y)(y)

[crusinpsychRN]

That happened to me a lot of years ago, but with my employer....based on past history, I booked and paid for a cruise with my family the end of May almost a year in advance. End of December comes, and they tell us they changed the fiscal year and the inventory is set for the end of May, so days off and vacations are suspended for those two weeks. So, I take my 'gazumbas" to the head honcho and tell him in no uncertain words that I have my vacation planned, paid for and am going or he can pay me double the cost of the vacation. Also didn't consider that time of year is full of graduations, weddings and such. Needless to say I went, no further problems encountered.

 

I quit a job once when they changed my schedule and it conflicted with my cruise.

[jakesnana]

I also get VERY upset when other people get good things from companies that I don’t. I always ask myself, how does that person’s situation affect me? and then decide my level of upset.

 

 

 

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I have paid higher fares and lost out on price reductions because I choose not to take the "risk" of booking the ES rate. If someone else wants to take that risk than they have to own the possibility that it may cost them money. This is a perfect example of "having your cake and eating it too" and I am not alright with that. THAT is the problem, many people feel entitled to "special" treatment because their situation is "unique". If you make the choice, live with the consequences.

[Shonny Wayway]

My school system here is different from yours, but my budget only allows me to cruise during the first or second week of school. I talk to the teachers and i write a letter explaining the reason for absenteeism. In return to school she borrows a classmates books to copy work done. Don't think one week will kill them. Talk to your kids as this would affect them too. Make them aware of sacrifices (school work during cruise downtime or long nights on return)

 

a cruise for two from where I live costs more than what I work for a month before taxes are taken out so to reschedule won't be economical for any of us. I spend some time helping to copy work and trying to explain in my own private lessons after school.

 

keep in mind some teachers may be spiteful at the opportunity you and your kids have that they can't.

make friends with a parent ask them to photocopy the assignments.

......and enjoy

[cathyoo]

Or respect your child’s desire to go to school rather than cruise.

 

I think missing the first week is really tough. It is when everyone gets into flow of things

[cathyoo]

Now I did not have something like a school board change but I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and spent 3 months in the hospital and was given a year to live and it was no dice for me

 

PS, (by the ways thru God and the miraculous doctors I have worked with I am now cancer free)

 

Happy to hear that. Nasty disease. Lost my BIL to it and he was only 59 Best wishes for continued health

[cathyoo]

Have you considered talking to the school board about your dilemma due to their late decision and if they could give a pass on missing the first week of school (and if they can’t give a pass, tell them you expect them to pay the extra cost to move dates)

 

Of course your kids may have to do a little school work during the cruise to keep up but may be a win win

 

 

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But I thought the child did not want to miss the week.

[DebJ14]

Best way to book far out is to start with past guest and move to early saver later on. I never personally book early saver because I never know which kids will or will not go.

 

Absolutely! I have never understood why people book ES so far out when they are not 100% sure that the date will work for all of them. For us, the $10.00 to $20.00 extra pp is totally worth it for the flexibility we get with the Past Guest rate. If we wanted to we could switch to ES closer to the sailing, but usually our category sells out, (JS, CAT 9) so there is no hope of getting any OBC.

 

As for missing a week of school, that is a no go in our school district and our the district where our grandchildren attend school. They specifically say that family vacations are unexcused absences and principals will not give permission. The kids get a zero on everything they miss. Our school district also lets kids skip finals, but it is based on grades AND attendance. A friend, who is a school board member, told me that they feel that since kids get a full week at Thanksgiving, 3 weeks off at Christmas and a full week off in the spring, plus additional days that are for teacher development, and federal holidays, that that is more than enough time off during the school year.

 

If you want to lie, they make it more difficult because a doctor's note is required if a kid misses 4 consecutive days. And, I can tell you from personal experience when babysitting the grandkids, the school calls the house if you fail to call or email them.

 

I despise non-refundable deposits, but if we want to sail in a full suite on RCCL we have no other choice. We booked a future cruise while we were on our RCCL cruise in May. We knew that our grandson will be graduating from 8th grade in May 2019 and did not want to book anything that conflicted. The future cruise rep had all the Houston area school district calendars book marked so we could see when their last day of school was before putting down the non-refundable deposit.

Edited July 11, 2018 by DebJ14

[bibbysnow]

Kudos are due to our school system!! They have the calendar out almost a year in advance.

[Saint Greg]

Kudos are due to our school system!! They have the calendar out almost a year in advance.

 

The OP is talking about the 2019 school year.

[Silent Penguin]

thanks lol - she's a straight A student... but the school has a rule about absences effecting final exam exemptions. Which really doesn't make sense to me. If you have the grade to be exempt that should be all that matters.

 

I agree. Been there, done that as a teacher and a parent. I'm not saying that your school will capitulate on the district's attendance/exemption policy, but it might. While I've never been a school administrator or an attendance officer, I have been a middle and high school teacher whose had students go on vacation for more days than permitted. In my experience, none of them were penalized for their absences. Of course, in all cases, these were students (or parents of those students) who were pro-active and conscientious and made sure no assignments were missed.

 

I'm also a parent of a student who missed several consecutive school days when we decided last minute to change the date of a 15-day cruise to one in March because it was over a $1000 cheaper than the one we booked. Our vacation dovetailed with Spring Break so she didn't miss 2 weeks, but she still missed 5 (or 6) school days. In spite of the strongly-worded policy about missing that many school days without a doctor's note, no punitive action was taken. She was still exempted from finals based on grades.

[Shonny Wayway]

Wow reading the comments make me appreciate the school system in the Caribbean more! Unfortunately due to limited seats we have no choice but to book a whole year ahead. I booked in March for a May 2019 sailing. I however factored in a once in a lifetime exam and the subsequent graduation period, but things can change.

with the given knowledge on how your school system works, I'll say write or call to carnival. Explain the situation. I would think rescheduling is better than cancelling. The money does stay with them and being so far out I am sure they can find someone to fill the void without a loss.

 

in the past we had had persons cancel last minute and my travel agent transferred money paid to us still going and we gave that person the money we would have paid towards cruise.

[Joebucks]

I always book ES, and it is generally around 4-6 months before the cruise. Is there a reason people book out 1-2 years in advance? So much can change in that time.

[StolidCruiser]

I always book ES, and it is generally around 4-6 months before the cruise. Is there a reason people book out 1-2 years in advance? So much can change in that time.

 

Most common reason is to snap up cabin categories in limited supply (aft wraps, “bowling alley” balconies, sideway insides, handicap-accessible cabins, etc).

 

Those aren’t the only reasons but the most popular. Some people enjoy planning ahead and enjoying the wait. :D

[Doggielover68]

In Jan. we booked a cruise for Aug. 25th 2019. Last week we found out that our county has voted to send the kids back to school on Aug 12th instead of after Labor Day (this is a total surprise). My oldest doesn't want to miss a week of school because it will affect her ability to be exempt from exams. To rebook in either June or early Aug (cant do July) it will cost us an additional 976.00 minimum plus the 200.00 cancellation/rebooking fee. Has anyone every had any luck getting this fee waved? I'm looking into rebooking because of a local government change so I'm wondering who I should contact at Carnival to see if I can avoid paying the 200.00. I'm wondering if they would be at all sympathetic...

 

We are considering just cancelling the cruise altogether if we have to pay the 200 and plan a different vacation. It's not what I want and I would hope it isn't what Carnival would want but and additional almost 1,200.00 because of the school calendar change is just more that I was bargaining for.

 

Thanks for any input.

 

 

 

You can try but they will most likely say no. If you have trip insurance you might be able to get it back.

 

 

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[Badfinger]

I always book ES, and it is generally around 4-6 months before the cruise. Is there a reason people book out 1-2 years in advance? So much can change in that time.

 

I always book early saver. On on cruise two years ago, we had to cancel and "lost" the $50 per person ($200) with the rest going on a credit account to be used within 24 months. We had no problem booking another cruise and using that credit. And ironically it had to do with my son's college plans and a delay by a school in telling him if he was admitted. Had we gone on that cruise, there would have just been a cloud hanging over my son that would have made the cruise not as enjoyable as it should have been. Like I posted above, sometimes having kids costs money. Part of life. And a cruise ranks pretty low in the big picture...at least to our family.

[sgttami]

I quit a job once when they changed my schedule and it conflicted with my cruise.

 

LOL...Me too!

[Badfinger]

LOL...Me too!

 

Walmart Greeter? McDonalds Cook? CEO of Goldman Sachs? VP of Valero?

 

Rare would be a person who would quit a job that paid well with decent benefits just to take a cruise. Not to say you did...but you didn't say that was not the case either.

 

Yeah my wife threatened to quit her job once because her boss did not want to give her the day off to see our kid play in a Texas State Band concert.

 

Sounds brave and bold....until I give the rest of the story....she is an RN and worked part time. She would have a new job within 24 hours. Devil is in the details.

[maynovmom]

My school system here is different from yours, but my budget only allows me to cruise during the first or second week of school. I talk to the teachers and i write a letter explaining the reason for absenteeism. In return to school she borrows a classmates books to copy work done. Don't think one week will kill them. Talk to your kids as this would affect them too. Make them aware of sacrifices (school work during cruise downtime or long nights on return)

 

a cruise for two from where I live costs more than what I work for a month before taxes are taken out so to reschedule won't be economical for any of us. I spend some time helping to copy work and trying to explain in my own private lessons after school.

 

keep in mind some teachers may be spiteful at the opportunity you and your kids have that they can't.

make friends with a parent ask them to photocopy the assignments.

......and enjoy

 

I’m a teacher and a parent of three and can’t believe your last comment. “Teachers may be spiteful at the opportunity that they can’t have.....” Wow! How outrageous! Yes I’m serious. That statement is incredibly harsh and insulting to those in my profession.

 

How about this? I cruise annually (17 now) and have always waited for the next year’s finalized school calendar to come out before I book early saver. That way I know my work/ childrens’ schedules. Yes these trips are expensive and yes we work hard to save up for them. It’s called responsible planning around work and school. That’s my choice to book early saver. Choice is the operative word.

 

Our school policy is that students are not given work before they leave for a vacation but rather receive make up instruction and assignments after. Instructional pacing and understanding of the curriculum varies in the classroom and students need to learn the standards not just “do” the assignments.

 

As for early saver there are many things that can happen to affect sailing the booked week. It’s understood that you’re taking a risk for that price/type of booking. So yes potentially insurance may/may not cover the unexpected issues that arise such as illnesses, deaths, other work related changes. However this original poster booked way out thinking that the schedule was set. In most districts once a calendar is printed and sent out it is set in stone. If it changes that drastically after it’s been posted then shame on the district. Assuming a vacation week before it’s voted on is the issue here and not whether teachers will penalize or be spiteful to their students for taking a vacation planned by their parents.

[Quilcruisers]

FWIW, my relative booked the wrong day and ship for the cruise, Twice! We are leaving on the breeze on Sunday and he booked the freedom leaving Saturday. This last time, as I was preparing to link all of the bookings I realized that he had done it again. Also I was adding two more people to the booking, resulting in another 1500.00 payment to carnival. I called carnival and the representative was able to get us changed over to the correct cruise and was going to waive the 50 change fee times two. She got it approved as a goodwill gesture, and because I was adding two more people to the booking. Well, when I hung up and got the confirmation, I noticed she changed the ship and cruise After she added the other two passengers, so they were charged 1000. For change fees of 250.00 per person on the new sailing. When I called back frantic, I went ahead and accepted the correct and appropriate charge of 100.00 for change fees for 2 people instead of the 250 per person change fees for 4. That was my relatives fault in booking the wrong cruise and he paid 100.00 for his mistake. That said, if you call and get someone to change the cruise, they may be willing to get approval to waive some of the change fees, maybe split half with you and reschedule for another week. I’m sorry this happened , we had Hurricane Harvey cause all kinds of havoc here with our schools last year and we are still in recovery mode. Best of luck to you.

 

 

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[Cafedumonde]

We were in a similar situation and had to take the penalty, but... we were booked with a big box travel agent and honestly I do not think they cared or tried to help us get anything waved. Hopefully you booked directly through Carnival, because I bet they would wave this fee. The couple of times I have ever spoken to Carnival agents on the phone they have been incredible. Great customer service. Good luck!

[ontheweb]

I quit a job once when they changed my schedule and it conflicted with my cruise.

 

I once quit my job to go to the original Woodstock festival. (Actually when I was told either come in that weekend or never come back, my reply was "I'll come back for the paycheck you owe me.". The funny thing is I could have said nothing because no one made it to where I was working that weekend because of the Woodstock traffic.)