Thread: Do you take your children out of school to cruise?

I have in the past but now that they are taking Exams I will not be doing so anymore unless it is for a day or two, like Thanksgiving or Christmas break.

I would if I had kids but it wouldn't be near exam time.

Don't have any children -- so not a problem for us.

But have seen children on cruises when school is in session.

I think you run into the problem with children that once they are in High School or are taking certain High School classes while in Middle School that your student really does not need to be out of school for a full 5 days.

I am lucky my kids are bright but I still do not care to take them out for a full 5 days anymore. Their education is more important to me than them going with me on a cruise. lol Now that does not mean I am not going. They can stay with the GP's. lol We are now finding times to go wtih them that they no longer will miss school.

We took our kids out in 2002, 2003 and 2004. But we're done now. My oldest was a freshman in 2005-06 and we decided, unfortunately, after our 2004 cruise that it probably wasn't in her best interest to pull her out from school. We were going at Thanksgiving and our kids were missing 2 days of school.

Now, the kids are a sophomore and 5th grade and no we won't be taking them out of school anymore. Besides it's such a hassle to travel at Thanksgiving it's almost easier to endure the Thanksgiving shopping rush than travel (did I just say that?).

We now travel when they are out of school, however, here's a double whammy to the kids. We're waiting for school to be out this year and we're flying to NY and leaving them with the grandparents we're going on a kidless anniversary cruise.

High Schools are very strict about absenses. I took them out for vacation in grammar school. but not in High School or College! Means we have to cruise childfree during the school year....

P.S. Parent time alone is very important!!!

Originally Posted by localady

High Schools are very strict about absenses. I took them out for vacation in grammar school. but not in High School or College! Means we have to cruise childfree during the school year....

P.S. Parent time alone is very important!!!

Gosh darnit - parent time alone - no kids? Hmmm, and how often are you supposed to talk about and/or acknowledge your kids while you are on parent time alone? Need to know soon!

When my girl was 5, we got this fantastic deal on a cruise (through a Princess employee). We always wanted to try Princess but this offer was for February. so I asked the kindergarten teacher if I can get the homework package for the week the Friday before. There was another girl who got out for the week a few months before to go to NY with her parents, so she couldn't exactly turn me down. She was only one of three five-year-olds and the program seemed pretty pared down, with none of the science activities advertised on the Princess website.

Then that whole LNKB garbage started so it became "let's test the hell out of the kids". So there's pressure on the kids and teachers. And because schools stand to lose or gain money because of the state tests, schools now have a policy to try to cut down on "unexcused absences." And taking the kids out of school for a family vacation is considered a no-no. Unfortunately some people can only take vacations at specific times of year. Or, in the case of cruises, some families can't afford to take a cruise at summer or winter break prices.

So our last two cruises were during the summer or winter break. We lucked out on the Hawaiian cruise because it started and ended during the three-week break last year. It was a good thing we didn't plan a vacation this last winter break as she had a book report, a report on one of the California Missions, and 16 pages of math problems to complete. She even had homework this last weekend.

Originally Posted by cruzin2paradise

Gosh darnit - parent time alone - no kids? Hmmm, and how often are you supposed to talk about and/or acknowledge your kids while you are on parent time alone? Need to know soon!

We get plenty of alone time on the cruise ship. The girl goes to the kids area for much of the day. Usually she doesn't want to go to the dining room so she gets something to eat at the Pizzaria before it closes or in the buffet. We drop her off at the Fun Zone and then get ready for dinner. So we're not going to go on a cruise without her. And frankly, I don't think either grandmother can handle her.

Never took our children out of school - mainly because we were both teachers and couldn't get out either! Now we are retired we can cruise when the schools are in and so less children aboard After 38 years teaching that's what we like! My first cruise was on a school ship when they ran cheap cruises for school pupils. As I was in the upper school I wasn't allowed to go until it was the summer holidays - and it cost us more then. If I remember correctly it was £39 and we got a rebate of £3. We slept in dormitories and had a ball.