Booking before knowing school breaks

[TheLargeFamily]

I'd like to be able to book out as far as possible, which would usually be 18-24 months in advance. However, our kids go to a diocesan school and the diocese won't tell us our breaks until July right before school starts. 

 

Anyone know of any strategies to deal with this? How can you book and then move your trip? Will that always risk the price you had? Taking the kids out of school is not a great option for us, as we have 2 teens and also elementary kids. 

[gluecksbaer]

Are school breaks that inconsistent?  Even without a published calendar, I know my kids get two weeks that include Christmas and New Years and then the week after Easter.  They also always get Veteran's Day, President's day and Memorial Day.  The only changes in 8 years of Catholic school have been an extra week at Easter for a couple years during the pandemic, occasionally extra days before Christmas if Christmas is too close to the weekend, and a full week at Thanksgiving in the last couple of years.  All of those are additional days, not different days.  They also get 3-4 teacher inservice days off every year that move, but I just wouldn't plan for those.  If I were you, I would plan for time periods the kids regularly have off.  If it's that widely inconsistent, then I would talk with other parents about starting a letter writing campaign requesting the diocese create a more consistent calendar.  

Some lines are better than others about allowing you to make changes, but I'm pretty sure they all will charge you the going rate for your new cruise at the time you change your sailing.

[TheLargeFamily]

13 hours ago, gluecksbaer said:

Are school breaks that inconsistent? 

Spring break is a guessing game. I have looked at trends in past calendars but it's always the 2nd or 3rd week in March. As for Christmas, some years we get a full week before Christmas and almost no time off in January. Other years, we are out a few days before Christmas and then don't go back until January 6-8. Some years get a full week at Thanksgiving! 

 

At least July is always available. 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 3/16/2024 at 7:09 PM, TheLargeFamily said:

the diocese won't tell us our breaks until July right before school starts. 

Thought 1: 

No excuse for that -- I'd complain and ask other families to complain. 

I taught in public schools for 30 years, and every 3 years the county formed a Calendar Committee.  Every school sent one representative (I did it once), and that group planned 3 years of calendars.  It's not a particularly difficult job, but it does require incorporating a lot of laws and details you might not expect.  The public had access to those calendars literally years in advance.  

Thought 2:

Would you be willing to reserve multiple cruises, knowing you'd cancel the one(s) that don't work for you?  Obviously, you'd need to be careful about deposits /refundability.  

On 3/16/2024 at 10:08 PM, gluecksbaer said:

Are school breaks that inconsistent?

Yes.  One big change that's happening in public schools is that we're getting away from Spring Break at Easter.  Instead, we're plopping it down at the halfway-through spring semester mark, and we're getting just a 4-day weekend at Easter. 

And we now have more long weekends /no fall break -- I like that one.  

On 3/16/2024 at 10:08 PM, gluecksbaer said:

I would talk with other parents about starting a letter writing campaign requesting the diocese create a more consistent calendar.  

Yes. This. I know you're probably hesitant to question the church, but you're the consumers at this school, and you deserve some heads-up about the schedule.  

[Essiesmom]

I expect the teachers would like to know the schedule earlier, too.  They take vacations, too.  EM

[gluecksbaer]

9 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Yes.  One big change that's happening in public schools is that we're getting away from Spring Break at Easter.  Instead, we're plopping it down at the halfway-through spring semester mark, and we're getting just a 4-day weekend at Easter. 

And we now have more long weekends /no fall break -- I like that one.  

 

Interesting, I've taught public school for over 20 years and in all that time the only changes were during the recession when our state allowed furlough days and then some minor changes when we went back to a full schedule because we liked some of the days off where we had them so we had to put those days in other places instead.  

[zaylyn2590]

You could just have them miss the days and bring some work they can do. I know we've been taught "can't miss school" but the way these prices are! 

[DingoMom]

A different perspective…we lived in Germany when I was in elementary school and my sisters were young teens. My parents did the best they could with the school schedule, but there was MUCH to see and do in Europe. My parents prioritized school, but to this day I remember my father saying, “I will never let school interfere with your education.” So…if school is in session, is there something your kids could learn about our planet?

[6rugrats]

Don't they usually get the week after Easter off?  Yes, booking multiple cruises is risky; you'd have to keep careful track of the cancelation dates to get all your deposit back.