How do parents book so far in advance due to school calendar?

How do those of you with kiddos book so far in advance without the school calendar being published? Or is it just my district that doesnt do it that far in advance?

I see a 2015 spring break cruise for a decent price. Usually our spring break is the 2nd wk of march, but every blue moon it will be the 3rd. I am afraid if i wait for next years calendar to be published the price will go up.

In a situation like this, whats the best way to book to make sure we get our money back if we have to cancel?

I have the same problem. Usually we are third week in March but this coming March we are second week. Anyway, I always book past guest and never early saver or any other non refundable fare. That way I can switch easily without losing $$.

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Final payment for cruises is usually within 75-90 days before sailing. So for a Spring 2015 cruise that would put final payment around Thanksgiving 2014.

You could always book both weeks and cancel one when the calendar is published. Obviously you could not book any of the non-refundable rates doing this.

How do those of you with kiddos book so far in advance without the school calendar being published? Or is it just my district that doesnt do it that far in advance?

I see a 2015 spring break cruise for a decent price. Usually our spring break is the 2nd wk of march, but every blue moon it will be the 3rd. I am afraid if i wait for next years calendar to be published the price will go up.

In a situation like this, whats the best way to book to make sure we get our money back if we have to cancel?

Same problem here but it was for the end of summer.

We hit it fine with the kids but my wife's schedule we did not. She had to use up all 3 personal days for non-student days :rolleyes: (2 scheduled pre-trip, then 1 more due to flight being cancelled).

She submitted the form for personal days, the school never docked her??? No idea why.

You could always ask the principal or superintendent, they may have a good idea of when it will be.

Sadie also has a very good suggestion. Once you know the school schedule if an ES rate opens, you could switch.

Could you book the cruise under a refundable option and then once the school calendar comes out you could switch to early saver if you wanted.

Danielle

We just book when it works for our schedules and we pull her out of school. She is a kindergartner this year and we will be doing a B2B the first two weeks of December. I am sure as she gets older this will become more difficult but we believe that we are just as responsible for her education as the school system.

Christmas break, spring break, and summer are just not when we like to cruise. This will be her 8th and 9th cruise and she has learned a lot about the various ports we visit. This December she will be journaling every day about what she did and the ports we visited.

Our Spring Break never, ever, ever changes. Always Masters week as we live in Augusta, Ga. Schools are closed and my wife's employer closes that week so planning is so easy for us that week.

Even if a school calendar is not yet published, your school district may have set many of the dates well ahead of time. Is it possible that the district could give you the dates, perhaps if you called or visited their offices?

Our school website has a calendar. I have 4 boys. Already have cruises planned almost a year out. If your school don't have a calendar on their website call and ask them. In sure they have one.

In 2012, our schools had a "fall break" a week in October in between the quarters. Love it. The calendar came out in March and we booked. for the 2013 - 14 year, I was hoping for a similar schedule. It did appear at first and I was looking at cruises. A cruise in Mid October, talk about cheap!! But they did not do it. Never know when the breaks will be. Actually looking at a cruise in the summer. (How mush you want me to pay????):eek:

We already know when our school Easter break is in 2015. It always has been starting on Good Friday through the following Sunday.

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My wife, sister, mother and I all work for our local public school system and my niece is a student. We booked our wedding cruise two years in advance and we were only able to do it using educated guesses of when our days off would fall. We figured that without fail for the last x number of years we've ALWAYS gotten a,b, and c dates off and that's how we made it work. Ultimately, they moved up a Professional Day we weren't counting on, but it all worked out for us.

We already know when our school Easter break is in 2015. It always has been starting on Good Friday through the following Sunday.

 

 

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ours too

Wow, our district has the calendars out up to 2016 already.

Except if there is a big change anticipated(like going to a year round schedule) the calendars usually stay pretty consistent.

If school has started the day after Labor Day for the past 5 years, it is pretty safe to say it will continue to do so. Same goes for holidays, spring break, state testing, and final dismissal.

We just book when it works for our schedules and we pull her out of school. She is a kindergartner this year and we will be doing a B2B the first two weeks of December. I am sure as she gets older this will become more difficult but we believe that we are just as responsible for her education as the school system.

That is what I thought until we had to hire an atty to fight truancy charges filed by the State Atty's Office. My son was in Kindergarten. I really suggest you check your districts policy and ask the guidance counselor at the school. Most of the teachers and staff had no idea of the policy and had no issue with our taking the trip.

As for OP I would think asking either at the district level, or the principal you might find that the tentative plan is available for future school years and yes go with the refundable price deals.

We homeschool to avoid such calendar shenanigans. ;) That said, the local school district in my area is the same way. They don't publish the official school calendar for the next school year until the end of the previous school year. It was maddening when my kids were enrolled there. :eek:

Our province has the school calendars posted on their website out to 2017 currently. :D

I booked our June, 2013 cruise a year ahead of time according to our school calendar and booked flights as soon as they were available. Then in November when a local election provided more money to the district, they extended the school year by a week, so my girls ended up missing a week of school. Even with the good explanation, we got a truancy letter. I'm just keeping all the info, purchase dates, etc on file in case it ever becomes an issue in the future. I would still book cruises far out and just hold off on airfare until calendars are published.

Best,

Mia

Our school usually votes on the following year's calendar in February of the that year (so Feb/March 2014 for 2014/2015 school year). Our Easter break has been the week going into Good Friday/Easter Sunday for the last few years, with us off on Easter Monday.

I didn't book anything for 2014 since the air prices are so high from the NE but I did already book for end of August (with Labor Day being Sept. 1 in 2014, I know we'll be going back on that Wednesday, September 3rd, so we'll go away from August 23rd through August 31st.

In 2015, with Labor Day being September 7th, I'm not sure what they will do, so I will wait because I'd love to go the first week of September as prices are usually better, but I have custody issues with my ex. He's supposed to have the boys the third week of August and this year (2013) and next year (2014) camp is not starting until July 1/June 30 so that third week of August is the last week of camp. Younger ds is not willing to miss that week since camp does a great last week trip, and older ds will probably be working and committed to work the full 8 weeks if he's at camp, so ex H, who lost that week in 2013 will probably lose it in 2014 as well.

So ex H might say since he's losing his week, he wants to take them that first week of September. The kids would rather not go with him, and older ds will be 17.5 so he really can't be forced into doing anything, but I don't want a fight. So I won't book anything until I see what they do. It's possible they will have the kids go back for a day or 2 before LD since it is so late. I guess I won't know for sure until Feb/March 2015.

That is what I thought until we had to hire an atty to fight truancy charges filed by the State Atty's Office. My son was in Kindergarten. I really suggest you check your districts policy and ask the guidance counselor at the school. Most of the teachers and staff had no idea of the policy and had no issue with our taking the trip.

 

As for OP I would think asking either at the district level, or the principal you might find that the tentative plan is available for future school years and yes go with the refundable price deals.

Truancy - in Kindergarten?? You have got to be joking?!?!?! Kindergarten isn't even mandatory in my state.

Truancy - in Kindergarten?? You have got to be joking?!?!?! Kindergarten isn't even mandatory in my state.

Kindergarteners just the same as a senior in high school. :(

As far as compulsory school attendance laws it gets really confusing. Kindergarten is if you turn 5 before Sept 1. Statute specifies that "all children who have attained the age of six years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term." So since my son turned 6 in October of his Kindergarten year I think that means it was mandatory. So the choice is only for those whose children will turn six after Feb 1. Now is Kindergarten mandatory? "If a child enters public school at age 6 without evidence of kindergarten completion of an official transcript, then they will be placed in the first program of study, and that is kindergarten." To me that means yes the only choice a parent has is if their child has a birthday after Feb 1 and before Sept 1 they can delay it a year.

Oh and talking about mandatory if you have an ESE child and they go to the 18 - 22 year old program through the school system it applies to them too. The issue is that using ones brain is not an option.

Could anything get more convoluted?

Kindergarteners just the same as a senior in high school. :(

 

As far as compulsory school attendance laws it gets really confusing. Kindergarten is if you turn 5 before Sept 1. Statute specifies that "all children who have attained the age of six years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term." So since my son turned 6 in October of his Kindergarten year I think that means it was mandatory. So the choice is only for those whose children will turn six after Feb 1. Now is Kindergarten mandatory? "If a child enters public school at age 6 without evidence of kindergarten completion of an official transcript, then they will be placed in the first program of study, and that is kindergarten." To me that means yes the only choice a parent has is if their child has a birthday after Feb 1 and before Sept 1 they can delay it a year.

 

Oh and talking about mandatory if you have an ESE child and they go to the 18 - 22 year old program through the school system it applies to them too. The issue is that using ones brain is not an option.

 

Could anything get more convoluted?

One of the many reasons that we opt out.

Our school system's calendar is published through the 2015-16 school year. Doesn't mean things won't change, but they rarely do.

We tend to cruise American Thanksgiving week - DD's school always has 1/2 day on Tues, then Wed, Thur, and Friday off. Tack on a few days before and/or after and we are set.

Am Tgiving coincides with the state's "gun" deer hunting season, so about 30-35 percent of the kids will be off at least one of those days as well. State and local regulations allow for excused time off.

My kids go to a private school, so it may be different that public.

But they have the same set calender every year. It's easy to plan around. I've booked cruises 1.5yrs ahead of time with no problems.

I suppose if they changed one of the dates- I'd just cancel and re-book with the new dates.

Kindergarteners just the same as a senior in high school. :(

 

As far as compulsory school attendance laws it gets really confusing. Kindergarten is if you turn 5 before Sept 1. Statute specifies that "all children who have attained the age of six years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term." So since my son turned 6 in October of his Kindergarten year I think that means it was mandatory. So the choice is only for those whose children will turn six after Feb 1. Now is Kindergarten mandatory? "If a child enters public school at age 6 without evidence of kindergarten completion of an official transcript, then they will be placed in the first program of study, and that is kindergarten." To me that means yes the only choice a parent has is if their child has a birthday after Feb 1 and before Sept 1 they can delay it a year.

 

 

Oh and talking about mandatory if you have an ESE child and they go to the 18 - 22 year old program through the school system it applies to them too. The issue is that using ones brain is not an option.

 

Could anything get more convoluted?

Oy - thank you for sharing. I live in FL and wasn't sure about those rules. Not sure if there is some variety about implementation by district, but your experience sounds awful. So sorry to hear it! :(

Hmmmm….private school is looking more appealing… Of course, if we did that we probably wouldn't have any money to cruise with, so there you go.