School & College Breaks in USA

[Shih-tzu]

Three "old" ladies (well, not THAT old) looking at booking a cruise for some relaxation and fun filled week (no......this isn't a classified for companionship - ha ha):p

 

I have read several posts that to avoid a lot of crowds that we shouldn't travel during school and Spring breaks. Being from the great white land north of the 49th, we actually have no idea when the "traditional" breaks are in the US.

 

We can find the traditional holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving (different date than ours ) but a general idea of the breaks would be helpful. We don't mind kids, just don't want to be cruising when there's the possibility of a higher than normal percentage of them or college students getting hammered/loud.

 

We would be doing an East Coast departure .... to Bermuda or Caribbean. We're going to be catching up with conversation, probably toting a few good books or a Kindle, enjoy the pool and beaches, visit the piano bar and our drinks of choice are the frozen non-alcoholic type. Our knees etc aren't in the greatest of shape so won't be doing rope, climbing walls, zip lines and we won't be entering the Hairy Chest contest......

 

Any recommendations along with break dates would be welcome......the Serenity area on the Carnival Sunshine has drawn our interest as it looks wonderful...but would be only if you could get a seat:) Don't mind sea days either.....

[mjkacmom]

Avoid June, July and August, the week between Christmas and New Years, colleges usually have breaks in March, lots of school are off the week before or after Easter Sunday, and thanksgiving week. If you know where you are sailing from, you can inquire about local districts.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Three "old" ladies (well, not THAT old) looking at booking a cruise for some relaxation and fun filled week (no......this isn't a classified for companionship - ha ha):p

 

 

 

I have read several posts that to avoid a lot of crowds that we shouldn't travel during school and Spring breaks. Being from the great white land north of the 49th, we actually have no idea when the "traditional" breaks are in the US.

 

 

 

We can find the traditional holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving (different date than ours ) but a general idea of the breaks would be helpful. We don't mind kids, just don't want to be cruising when there's the possibility of a higher than normal percentage of them or college students getting hammered/loud.

 

 

 

We would be doing an East Coast departure .... to Bermuda or Caribbean. We're going to be catching up with conversation, probably toting a few good books or a Kindle, enjoy the pool and beaches, visit the piano bar and our drinks of choice are the frozen non-alcoholic type. Our knees etc aren't in the greatest of shape so won't be doing rope, climbing walls, zip lines and we won't be entering the Hairy Chest contest......

 

 

 

Any recommendations along with break dates would be welcome......the Serenity area on the Carnival Sunshine has drawn our interest as it looks wonderful...but would be only if you could get a seat:) Don't mind sea days either.....

 

 

School holiday breaks can be somewhat of a moving target depending on a variety of factors including grade level (K-college), public vs private, semester vs quarter terms, region of the country, et al.

 

Using colleges as an example, some are on 4:1:1 semesters that have students on break from just before Christmas through most of January.

 

For grammar schools (K-8), many public schools have a spring break during the week preceding Easter Sunday while many Catholic schools take off during the week following Easter.

 

Back to colleges: some stick with the pre/post Easter break while others have moved to an actual mid-semester or mid-quarter break.

 

I expect that you get the picture.

 

Might I suggest that your best bet would be to look at cruises of at least 10 days (I'd suggest at least 2 weeks) and focus on premium or luxury lines that generally cater to adults (though you'll find some kids on those ships during school breaks as well).

[Shih-tzu]

Thanks for the info so far.....

 

I suspect that February is a good time but it's so "iffy" with the weather to fly......So maybe May, September, Oct and early November..... for a start anyway..... Our school breaks are in March so although it may not affect the cruise itself, it puts the airfares way up there.....

 

As I mentioned, we don't mind kids at all, just don't want to be overrun by them... av10 day cruise may be stretching it as usually I can only get a week off at a time plus the day ahead to fly in.....but would love a 10-14 day long one....

 

Keep the ideas coming though......

[capriccio]

Avoid June, July and August, the week between Christmas and New Years, colleges usually have breaks in March, lots of school are off the week before or after Easter Sunday, and thanksgiving week. If you know where you are sailing from, you can inquire about local districts.

 

Another week to avoid is the one that includes Presidents Day (the 3rd Monday in February; in 2017 that is February 20) because lots of New England (and other northern states, I think) public schools have a 1 week winter break. I know that hotel rates in south Florida for that week are always higher than the already high rates for the rest of February.

 

Assuming you are arriving at the port city at least one day in advance (recommended by just about everybody especially if flying in the winter), you might also want to consider the cost of hotel rooms. In south Florida (Miami and Fort Lauderdale) the high season for tourists is in the winter (starting around Christmas and going through April) and hotel prices are high too. During the low season (May through early December) prices can be half those of high season with the exception of Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) and a few weekends with special events when hotels sell out (Art Basel in Miami the first weekend in December; the International Boat Show in Fort Lauderdale the first weekend in November).

 

If you decide to depart from Florida, the folks on the Florida Departures Board are a wealth of information: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

Edited August 3, 2016 by capriccio

[John Bull]

School holiday breaks can be somewhat of a moving target depending on a variety of factors including grade level (K-college), public vs private, semester vs quarter terms, region of the country, et al. ..........................................

 

Yep. And don't I know that ;)

 

Tried to factor school breaks into (errrr, make that "out of") a US road trip earlier this year. Gave up, it made life too complicated.:rolleyes:

But we also had to factor in other considerations, which limited us to late May thro' early September. And any of that period you'll hit kids on breaks (hmmm, I don't think I phrased that too well ;)) but I guess the upside is that most of that time some US kids will be in school.

 

November thro' March is a good time for the Caribbean.

And a pretty good time not to be in Canada.

 

We've always found the tail end of Nov thro to just before Christmas gives best value anywhere in the western world, and not just for cruises, because a lot of folk are gearing up for Christmas and kids will be in school, so demand is low.

But it's a lousy time for cruising down the coast. :(

So why not fly to Florida or wherever to pick up a cruise.

OK, best to fly down a few days ahead in case of snowbound flights - but is it much of a sacrifice to spend a few days in sunny Florida rather than bouncing around in the North Atlantic?

JB :)

Edited August 3, 2016 by John Bull

[Grandma Dazzles]

Other than the peak summer months of July and August, and Christmas, I cruise at several times of year and don't see a big difference any more. March and April are perhaps considered spring break/Easter times, but have found any more there can be larger family/school groups on many cruises; especially South American/Japanese/Korean, at other times too.

 

Definitely agree a longer cruise cuts down on the number of kids.

[cb at sea]

I agree that "time of year" makes little difference! There are kids on EVERY sailing, and ships sail full 99% of the time! We generally cruise in the spring....spring break months run from March thru May...and since the kids on the ship aren't OUR responsibility, we ignore the little darlings! We do our thing, they do theirs!

[navybankerteacher]

Thanks for the info so far.....

 

I suspect that February is a good time but it's so "iffy" with the weather to fly......So maybe May, September, Oct and early November..... for a start anyway..... Our school breaks are in March so although it may not affect the cruise itself, it puts the airfares way up there.....

 

As I mentioned, we don't mind kids at all, just don't want to be overrun by them... av10 day cruise may be stretching it as usually I can only get a week off at a time plus the day ahead to fly in.....but would love a 10-14 day long one....

 

Keep the ideas coming though......

 

Actually, many school districts have a "Presidents' (A. Lincoln & G. Washington) Week" vacation - usually third week in February - so add that to the "iffy" weather. Those that do will have their Spring break in early April. A lot of colleges - especially in the South - end their year in early May - with a fair number of yahoos wanting to celebrate on a short cruise.

 

Your best bets are probably late April and mid-September to mid-November - with some risk of the second or third week in October being mid-semester break week.

 

If you are thinking of Bermuda, the water temp is at its best in September and October - but there is a slight risk of a hurricane diverting you to Halfax or the Bahamas/Bermuda region - which also can be impacted, giving you a shot at the east coast of Mexico.

[ScottsSweetie]

We almost always cruise during the school year. Some of the things we have learned:

 

Presidents Week has a lot of kids on board (apparently a lot of schools in the northeast get this week off).

 

The latter part of May, including sailings that fall during Memorial Day, have decent prices and not a ton of kids (only kids in the South are out by that date, and it's too close to the end of school for people to take their kids out).

 

The weeks between Thanksgiving and the middle of December are largely kid free (the school breaks for those holidays are so close that a lot of people won't take their kids out between those holidays).

 

Pay attention to your departure port - when sailing out of New Orleans in February, for example, we've lost the first and last day of the cruise due to cold weather.

 

Lastly, I would avoid at all costs the weeks between the 7th or so of March through the week after Easter. That should cover you for the vast majority of college and grade school spring breaks.

 

I've always wanted to be on a cruise ship on my anniversary, but cannot bring myself to be there on March 23 considering that is the middle of college spring breaks. (Which I should remember well since we planned our wedding during DH's spring break while he was still a college student, lol).

[Essiesmom]

When the breaks are is easy to figure out. Just look at the cruise fares. The higher the fares, the more kids are likely to be out of school. The lower the fares, just the opposite. You only get Bermuda in the summer. Although the ships sail full it's not the most popular itinerary for families with kids. It just doesn't have the same reputation for beaches that real Caribbean islands have. EM

[navybankerteacher]

When the breaks are is easy to figure out. Just look at the cruise fares. The higher the fares, the more kids are likely to be out of school. The lower the fares, just the opposite. You only get Bermuda in the summer. Although the ships sail full it's not the most popular itinerary for families with kids. It just doesn't have the same reputation for beaches that real Caribbean islands have. EM

 

Good point about higher fares matching the greater number of possible passengers. But, are you claiming that Bermuda is not a "REAL Caribbean island"? I'd say it's not ANY kind of a Caribbean island -- but that the Bermuda beaches are far superior to those in the Caribbean.

[LHT28]

keep in mind the sailings to Bermuda run from April to Oct

 

from Aug to Oct are the months for more hurricanes & tropical storms ..bumpy seas & missed ports

 

School breaks can be from Feb to April

 

the cheaper the cruise fare the more college aged kids

[SadieN]

When the breaks are is easy to figure out. Just look at the cruise fares. The higher the fares, the more kids are likely to be out of school. The lower the fares, just the opposite. You only get Bermuda in the summer. Although the ships sail full it's not the most popular itinerary for families with kids. It just doesn't have the same reputation for beaches that real Caribbean islands have. EM

 

 

This. Once you know the 'code' it's easy.

 

The few weeks between Thanksgiving and the second/third week of December are also a good time to sail.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[TC1957]

If you Google "spring break 2017" you will see a site that (supposedly) list the spring breaks for all colleges. According to that site, if you want to avoid college age students...don't sail in March.

 

Public schools generally fall in March as well, though I have heard of a few taking them in late February and early April.

 

Now, that doesn't take into consideration institutions that utilize six 6-weeks semesters rather than four 9-week semesters.

[Shih-tzu]

Thanks everyone.....a lot to take in for sure. Bermuda in September and October would offer the warmest water Temps but if a hurricane rerouted it to Halifax or Saint John I would be crushed to think I spent money on a cruise that would have me doing shore excursions in my back yard:eek: I've been to Bermuda in February (by air) and in May by ship.

 

I think I read here that Galveston is a port that isn't easy to get to.....so thinking I'll have to stick with either flying to Florida ones or driving to Boston or New York ...

 

Thanks for the tip on President's week......definitely didn't know about that one.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Shih-tzu

[Essiesmom]

Good point about higher fares matching the greater number of possible passengers. But, are you claiming that Bermuda is not a "REAL Caribbean island"? I'd say it's not ANY kind of a Caribbean island -- but that the Bermuda beaches are far superior to those in the Caribbean.

 

Oh definitely, Bermuda is not a Caribbean island at all, but when you are looking for her as a destination, she always seems to be buried in with the Caribbean. At least they don't include her in the Bahamas...EM

[Markanddonna]

Don't forget that many cruises attract our neighbors from South America who have very different vacation breaks. Also, any sailing that has been advertised with "kids or 3rd and 4th passengers sail free" is going to attract people who take their kids out of school for the cruise. Then there are quinceanera cruises, Yeshiva week, New Jersey school breaks, etc. It has become an art to avoid all the above.

[Sugaree5335]

I know that the OP said that she was looking at a FL or NE port, but for those of you looking to sail out of Mobile or NOLA (and maybe to an extent Galveston) you also have to take Mardi Gras into consideration. This year it will pretty much be the entire month of February. It's not so much that the ships will be full of kids, but hotels may be hard to find at a decent rate.

[packer99]

We went on the Escape the first week of March and discovered it was the Canadian Spring Break so it was pretty busy too.

[pghsteelerfan]

I can tell you which month we found to be our favorite to cruise...May. We've cruised in May twice now, and found that to be a great time and it's our preference now. We've also cruised in March and April which were both crowded, and yes, a lot of families (kids). Never had an issue, just crowded, harder to find loungers on sea days.

 

In May, water may not be as warm as it would be in September/October, but you shouldn't have to worry about hurricanes. Most schools in the USA still have summer break, from sometime in June till the end of August/beginning of September. Many people won't take kids out of school for a vacation in May when they have a month left until summer break and some schools are making that more difficult anyway.

[sfaaa]

Wanna stay away from noisy kids and rowdy college party type? Try Panama Canal full transit cruise. Most youngsters would find the canal history boring, route lacks quality beach time and the fare expensive.

[lisiamc]

I agree with targeting the weeks between US Thanksgiving and Christmas for a Caribbean cruise, and flying to Florida a couple of days early. It's great for bargain fares, and barring hurricanes, which should be just about done for the year by then, usually pretty good weather. I would also advise getting good travel insurance, just in case.

Edited August 5, 2016 by lisiamc

[Shih-tzu]

Thanks again everyone......more to think about. Mardi Gras would be fun but I see where airfares to NOLA and Houston are quite a bit more. I would love to do the Panama Canal some day.....but not this time unless there's a great bargain comes along