Teachers... advice for when to travel

I am a teacher and am seeking advice on when to travel on another RCI cruise. I obviously only get off when school isn't in session. This is mostly holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) and summer. Taking this into consideration and the influx of children on cruises during this time as well... when would be the best time to take a cruise? I know some cruises only leave certain days/ports so it can be limiting. I am currently booked for a 3 NIGHT cruise in December, but would like to experience a week long cruise. Any advice?

I am also a teacher and can only travel during breaks. Typically my family travels during spring break in March which has been fine. We enjoy getting away from the cold. The past two summers we have taken a week long cruise in June. We really liked that as well. Very warm but I enjoy the heat. The seas were also calm. We have our next cruise booked for July 2015. Hard to compare what it would be like to cruise on non-break times because I haven't had the opportunity to do that. Biggest thing is we are "stuck" to certain itineraries since we can't always pick the dates we want.

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Depending on your school's schedule, you may be able to take a cruise at the end of May or beginning of June. The earlier in the summer you go, the cooler the temperatures. There are also typically less children on board in the early summer months.

I am a teacher as well and will go on my second Thanksgiving week cruise. I go this week due to the fact I have 3 kids two are in high school swimming so that week does not really disrupt their sports schedule. Wish I could travel at other times for price especially but we had a great Thanksgiving cruise once and hope Allure delivers also. Good luck making your cruise choice!

Barb

DW teaches, so I feel your pain!

Where do you live? When does school start, end, and when is your spring break?

Most of the East Coast begins on the day after Labor Day, ends in mid-June, and takes Spring Break during Easter week. If you live somewhere with spring break in mid-semester, that's probably a decent week to cruise out of Florida. If your school ends at Memorial Day, then the first couple of weeks in June may be better, and a 9 day out of Cape Liberty could be good (longer cruises tend to have fewer kids, and NYC gets out particularly late).

Otherwise, it's kind of a crapshoot, and we've just learned to accept it!

I find the best time to cruise is right when school is out. This is because we finish school the last week in May and lots of schools in other areas are still having classes. I do cruise at different times but there aren't that many kids on the cruise to mess up my cruise, unless it would be Carnival or Disney where there are usually more kids.

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I feel your pain. Eventually you'll be able to travel whenever you want. I retired, and it's awesome to vacation when you want. Also you'll find the prices for flights and cruises are cheaper if you don't have to go during typical school breaks. Stack up some personal leave days and go the week of Veteran's Day?

If you book far enough in advance, we often get excellent deals for the March break. We find that week far more economical than going through the summer or over the Christmas break. Airfare can be tough though since you have to pay a premium to fly on the Friday night or the Saturday and then back home on the weekend as well.

As a teacher, I find I feel I need a break around March and it refreshes me to get me through those final few months. I am not sure where you are from, but as Canadians, we also find March to be a great time to go following long, cold winters.

 

As a teacher, I find I feel I need a break around March and it refreshes me to get me through those final few months. I am not sure where you are from, but as Canadians, we also find March to be a great time to go following long, cold winters.

Aint that the truth.:D

We have always travelled at March break and as Russ said there can be one good deals by booking far in advance. The last few years we have also travelled at Christmas and we have found some good deals for the week of Christmas which also tends to be cheaper than the week with New Years.

We have 2 months off in the summer with nice weather where we live so I'd rather spend my vacation escaping the cold during the winter months.

I am a teacher as well, plus have children in school that I wouldn't allow to miss a lot of school just for a vacation. I've always wanted to cruise at spring break time, but the prices are so expensive to me! One year the way Christmas fell we had a week off before Christmas, so that worked. This year we were looking at cruising in July for our anniversary, but when I looked at the prices I saw that if we waited a few weeks we saved over $800! A lot of schools are starting to go back mid August, fortunately we don't. So we were able to take advantage of this!

It can be a real challenge, especially since my son's Spring break usually differs from mine.

We've had good luck cruising during Spring break. We also both have three weeks for winter break, so the first week of January usually allows us to cruise post holiday pricing. Another option is immediately after getting out of school or immediately before starting in the summer for best prices.

I was a principal (I'm retired now:D), so for many years we cruised according to the school calendar, mostly at Spring Break. The weather in the Caribbean in March is fantastic, and we found that by booking as early as possible we could minimize sticker shock because of the high rates for big vacation weeks.

I work in the school system and follow a teacher calendar. We typically cruise over spring break as you can usually find good rates for this week if you book early. We have also been able to snag a cruise here or there that works with my winter holiday break. If your break happens to fall with a week that does not include a Christmas or New Years, you can often find low rates.

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I don't see anyone mentioning the February, President's Day break. In NY we get a week then and then a week at Easter. We've been doing a February cruise and a late August cruise for the past few years.

I don't see anyone mentioning the February, President's Day break. In NY we get a week then and then a week at Easter. We've been doing a February cruise and a late August cruise for the past few years.

In my case, there is no such thing as a February break nor a fall break, winter and spring only. We go in the summer or spring break. I live in Florida so it's a bit easier for me.

I am a teacher as well and will go on my second Thanksgiving week cruise. I go this week due to the fact I have 3 kids two are in high school swimming so that week does not really disrupt their sports schedule. Wish I could travel at other times for price especially but we had a great Thanksgiving cruise once and hope Allure delivers also. Good luck making your cruise choice!

 

Barb

From a fellow elementary teacher. Allure will NOT disappoint! She is wonderful with so much to do and places to eat!! With so many people onboard. We never noticed a crowd! It was perfect!

I don't work in the school system, but have 2 kids in school so I'm limited to the school breaks as well.

Many commented on booking early for spring break to minimize costs. I have cruised over that week (we get either the week into or out of Easter Sunday each year) and what I have found, after checking prices often, is that if you wait, the prices drop. Often they put the cruises on a Tuesday sale (now the Going Going Gone sale) and the prices come down. This has happened for our end of August cruise as well (sailing on 8/24).

I book airfare early, since that never really drops during a holiday week (got $214 rt from Newark into West Palm for the last week of August back in October) and then wait out the cruise. I knew I'd find either Oasis, Allure or Freedom. When they changed our flights, we changed the airport, and committed to Orlando and Freedom. I booked in early June on the BOGOHO sale, after final, but frankly, had I waited a few weeks, the GGG sale came out and our cabins were being offered at $250/pp less. And there were several adjoining or connecting pairs still left. I told my mother...but she doesn't listen.

So if you can lock in a decent air fare, then maybe book it, and wait out the cruise prices for a while. I have seen them drop on a lot of Florida sailings over the spring breaks the closer it gets.

Thank you for all of the responses! I live in Jersey so we only get off for a week at Christmas and Easter. We start after Labor Day and end late June. I wish I could use personal days before/after a holiday since we sometimes have long weekends, but we're not allowed per contract. I guess there's no trick since most people travel similar times of year. Maybe the end of August wouldn't be too bad, although I will have to worry about the heat and hurricanes. Maybe I will just have to look into Christmas or Easter times and suck it up! Lol I look forward to retirement, but have a long way to go!

Yeah. Entire East Coast on Spring Break the same week!

If you're out the week before NYC, head out of Bayonne on the 9-day. We had kids, but nothing like Spring Break!

As all of you may know, summer prices are considerably higher, but for the cruise that we took a month ago (over the 4th of july week), prices dropped after final payment to almost half. I was pretty surprised that they dropped that much for a summer sailing. So morale of the story, if you can't plan way in advance, sometimes it pays to wait and have some flexibility to book close to departure time. Doesn't happen all the time, but as we experienced, it does happen!

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My family has gone on a few vacations at the end of May/beginning of June (right when school gets out). This allows for prices to be a bit cheaper and there to be less kids. Most families travel in late June or early July, so that time is always the busiest. I could recommend checking prices either in late May or early August (this would probably be the cheapest!).

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I guess my SIL must be the only teacher on the planet who uses a combination of sick leave & unpaid leave to cruise anytime between mid-January and the end of February! I don't know exactly how she does it, but I do know she does not tell them she is going on vacation.

I feel your pain- I have actually rejected a career in the public schools, because it would mean traveling during the school vacations (my reasoning is more economic- it's always way more money to travel the school vacation weeks when demand is high!)

Teachers are in a terrible quandary- they aren't renumerated as highly as say stock brokers, or doctors, yet they are stuck with traveling during the most expensive times and secondly, a good educator loves kids...but needs a break from them to stay fresh! But the only time they can travel is when the kids are also out:(

I'd say you are better off in March than December. Everyone has the same December break, but the spring breaks are spread all over the spring, (some break for Easter, most of New England has Feb and April breaks, no March breaks) I've noticed most of the colleges we've toured, none has the same week of March off, so while you'll have kids, you might not get quite the volume you'll find at the holidays, it might be cheaper and a little less crowded!

Also, can you take an 8 or 10 day cruise? Kids take fewer of these even during vacation times!

Sailing to off season places help. I did a Europe cruise for almost nothing Thankgiving week Canary islands even the airfare was cheap at that time of year for Europe.

When dates fall right the week before Christmas or right after new years are good deals.

Booking last minute (Under final payment) I have scored great deals in the summer and spring break. Being less picky about destinations and cruise line you can find something decent. Alaska or Caribbean, wherever it is cheap! Just keep an eye on airfare or pick a drivable destination since a good deal on a cruise can be negligible if the airfare costs more.

August I have done even before being locked into a school schedule. I have seen great deals to.Europe and Alaska in August but I go back tomorrow. :(

We can't take vacation days either but if it is is it is a family trip I was able to take personal time that Way, like you would for a family reunion or wedding. That is only possible if your supervisor is willing to let you, I have had ones that would and ones I wouldn't even ask. My family trip all my family backed out so it ended up just being my husband and kids and I.

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I am a teacher as well, plus have children in school that I wouldn't allow to miss a lot of school just for a vacation. I've always wanted to cruise at spring break time, but the prices are so expensive to me!

Everybody is different in their opinion of "too expensive". I know people who will pay $5000 per week per person (not me;)). However, what may seem inexpensive for me, still may not be the same for someone else. We have a family of 6 so we book 3 inside cabins. Some examples of the deals for March break I have go in the past with RCCL are $429 for 6 days on the Independence this past March; 8 days on the Independence for next March for $539 (but cancelled and switched to the Allure for just over $600 for the same week next March), and $507 for the Freedom for March Break 2016.

Hopefully, by booking 10 months to 2 years in advance, you can find rates like this as well. You can always book and then call in for a price reduction if you see it cheaper later, or jump ships like we did for the upcoming March Break.