Teachers/Educators how do you avoid Summer/spring break kids

[RaiderSparks]

Can you teachers/educators avoid peak season and still cruise. Off season prices would really be nice, but I'm more concerned with avoiding kids. My wife must work from Mid August to the End of May every year. She gets two weeks off for Christmas and one for spring break, but I believe both of those time peroids are considered high travel times as well. The problem is, if she is off then that means schools across America are out. Are there any adult only cruises? Any good schemes or legal loop holes she can use to take a week off durring the year? Are families generally done vacationing buy August?

 

Rhapsody June 2003

Sovereign May 2000

[aqusis]

Celebrity does a handful of Celebrity Escapes each year that are kid free, no one under 21 years of age. Also, the longer the cruise, the fewer kids you'll find.

 

Mariner of the Seas

 

 

 

[Sailfish]

When you work in education, it's very difficult to vacation when kids ARE in school, but it can be done, depending on your school district's policy. I too work in education, but our district has a modified year round calendar, so we have some non-tradtional time off as well - like a week off for Thanksgiving and President's week.

 

With that said, I have found kids on ships even in the off season, as many schools (like ours) have a modified year round calendar. Certain ships just attract more kids than others - such as Voyager class ships. I would stick to longer itineraries and not go in early June. July and August will always have a lot of kids, but probably not as many as what you would see in June and over Christmas. Thanksgiving - we get the entire week off - also has some kids, but not nearly as many as other holiday periods.

 

But I've managed to cruise the first week in December some years, and to my surprise, there were a lot of kids on the ship then too.

 

Like someone said, Celebrity seems to have fewer kids.

 

 

05 July 2004 Cruise Aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas

 

21 November 2004 Cruise Aboard Carnival's Pride

 

20 February 2005 Cruise Critic Group Cruise Aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas

 

 

 

[Travelgrrl]

Disney has many adults only areas: pools, nightclubs, part of their private island. So you can really avoid kids that way.

 

Maybe a cruise right at the end of May, before most people have booked their summer vacation, would have less kids?

[mberli]

Possible solutions:

1. Stay home

2. Stay in your cabin

3. Refer to 1 & 2

Just kidding, there is no solution. There will be kids anywhere you go in summer, except for an adult all-incluse resort like Hedonism.

 

Mel

 

Fascination - July '95

Imagination - December '97

Sensation - December '98

Mercury - December '99

Rhapsody of the Seas - 3/'00

Victory - December '00

Summit -December '01

Millenium - October '02

Radiance of the Seas - 1/'03

Victory - July '03

Mariner of the Seas - 1/'04

Legend of the Seas - 4/'04

Jewel of the Seas - 12/'04

[Robinob]

Ignore them, like they do us during the school year.

 

Until my next cruise.

 

[jscruise]

Robinob,

 

GREAT ADVICE and SO TRUE!!

 

Thanks for the laugh.

 

jscruise

[atonal1]

I am in education and have cruised Thanksgiving week, and the week after Thanksgiving. It's easy for me during Thanksgiving because school is closed for that week. It WAS easy to cruise the week after Thanksgiving because I could use a combination of sick AND personal days for a week off. Now, teachers cannot combine sick and personal days in the same week There were kids on the ship both weeks--just not as many as you will see in the summer.

 

Now to cruise DURING school, I get a doctor's note OR just wait to cruise in the summer or Thanksgiving. Hey this year, I'm doing both Hey you're on a cruise--forget about the kids!

 

Inspiration 6/96, 12/01

Carnival Destiny 7/97, 11/00

Rhapsody of the Seas 11/98

Norwegian Sea 7/00

Norwegian Star 6/02

Paradise 11/02

Sovereign of the Seas 8/03

Serenade of the Seas 12/03

 

 until Carnival Triumph 8/04

 

 until Adventure of the Seas 11/04

[birdyhunter]

What's the big deal with kids? Weren't you one once?

 

 

<MARQUEE>RCL Adventure of the Seas July 4, 2004 </MARQUEE>

 

Till we leave :

 

Carnival Destiny 7/01

Carnival Pride 7/02

 

Stanley Cup 2004!

Win Wings 4 Predators 2 On to round 2

Wings 1 Flames 1

 

 

[wantacruise]

I am a teacher and I like to wait until summer to cruise. The other vacation times during the year are just too hectic (I save all my big "chores" for spring break and Christmas). Also, with three kids I never end up having enough sick or personal leave to use for a trip during the year! We have gone near the beginning of June--have only done a few cruises but only noticed kids (actually young adults--high school grads) on one cruise. Cruises are my "adult only" trip as DH and I leave our kids at home so, I don't pay much attention to kids on board the ship. Way too busy relaxing!

 

Sovereign of the Seas 6/00

Fascination 6/01

Fantasy 6/03

Sovereign 6/04

[yarlenna]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by birdyhunter:

What's the big deal with kids? Weren't you one once?

 

http://home.tiscali.nl/t411310/adv/thadventure-ZDsc20077.jpg

 

_<MARQUEE>RCL Adventure of the Seas July 4, 2004 </MARQUEE>_

 

Till we leave :

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;7;4;22;0;00&timezone=GMT-0400

 

Carnival Destiny 7/01

Carnival Pride 7/02

 

http://www.nhlfanstore.com/det38.gif Stanley Cup 2004!

Win Wings 4 Predators 2 On to round 2

Wings 1 Flames 1

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When I am on vacation, I like not to have to deal with what I do for a living. I imagine being confined to a ship with a boatload of kids would not be a teacher's idea of fun.

 

Work like a dog. Live like a pauper. Save all your money. Then Cruise!

[petersonwith3]

try a more expensive line like Crystal or Holland America. All of the cruises that I have been on have had at least 200 kids on them. It is the best family vacation around.

 

 

Your missing out, my son is so great to speak to that, by the end of the week, many people (young and old) are calling out to him to say hello. Not every kid is hell.

 

Carnival Jubilee 5/94

Disney Magic 5/01

Star Princess 5/03

 

Carnival Conquest 12/03

RCCL Brilliance 5/04

[Trae]

Does anyone know if RCCL or any other cruiseline for that matter, hire teachers/educators for the summer to work in their kids programs?

 

Thanks

 

Days remaining until the Explorer 6/13/04

[kelmac]

My wife is a teacher, and I'm a retired teacher. If you avoid RCI, Carnival and NCL you will see less kids during winter, spring and summer breaks. Celebrity and HAL have fewer kids, and better food. Remember, the longer the cruise, the older the crowd. We have a 10 day cruise scheduled next spring break. My wife will have to take three personal leave days to make it work. Our district completes the school year around Memorial Day, so we try to leave on our summer cruises in May. Did the Baltic two years ago, and the Mediterranean last year, and had very few kids on board. Off to Alaska, May 27th this year, to catch the Vision northbound and the Summit southbound. It's difficult to avoid the mass of kids, but it is possible. Enjoy! Kel

[Sailfish]

I am currently a school district adminsitrator, but back in the early 90's I was asked by NCL - before they were bought up by Star Cruises, to help develop a training program for their onboard Kid's center's staff. I remained "on call" so to speak up until a few years ago, even after Star too over.

 

Most kid's center staff these days are young people fresh out of school with a four year college degree in a related field. When cruise line's first began staffing kid's centers, they were using existing staff (often entertainment people who were subcontracted). When Disney came along, the kid's centers the cruise lines were operating followed Disney's example and begain hiring people who actually had experience working with kids and used programs developed by some of the better know child care centers in the US, like Children's World. I wouldn't know who to contact specifically, however, you could call the corporate office and find out. I doubt they hire educators seasonally, though. Cruise lines typically follow the same hiring procedures and contracts as with other staff.

 

 

05 July 2004 Cruise Aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas

 

21 November 2004 Cruise Aboard Carnival's Pride

 

20 February 2005 Cruise Critic Group Cruise Aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas

 

 

 

[imlulu]

Well as a teacher I don't like to vacation in summer.I am on vacation so I don't need a vacation is my feeling. I've done the personal day thing attached to a long holiday weekend.Also not every school district in America has the same breaks. Here in SE Mass we get a 1 week at Christmas, 1 week President's day week,and 1 week in April(Boston marathon week). We don't get out until late June and we return after Labor Day.Other districts do year round schedules. That is why no week is safe from kids.

 

A TA told me last year qhwn I questioned her on number of kids, "you are bringing your own kids what do you want???"

 

No longer cruiseless...donations still accepted! Miracle 2/2005

 

Last cruise

Sensation 2/17/03

[Folgy]

imulu quote:That is why no week is safe from kids.

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You got that right. Parents also continuosly without thought take their kids out of school to go cruising.

 

Alaska (my BIG 50)

 

[cruisernh]

You've got that right. I am so sick of hearing kids say I couldn't make up the work I had to go on a cruise. I say I like to cruise too but, I do it during school vacations. As for kid avoidance I think my DH and I do that well. We do our own thing and now that we are stuck on the suite life well.... it is just us and our balcony. I will be taking off two days with no contract pay at x-mas to take a 10 day cruise and because it does cover a couple of school days I am hoping to avoid the kids running down the hall all night.

As teachers we really can't avoid the kids going on the ship but can avoid them on the ship. I also believe I feel different when they aren't my responsibility. It is someone elses problem.

[Folgy]

cruisernh quote:

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I also believe I feel different when they aren't my responsibility. It is someone elses problem.

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I agree with your post. Only thing I would like to add to this statement is. They become our problem on the ship because of poor parenting.ie; running through the hallways etc etc etc.

 

Alaska (my BIG 50)