Are Disney cruises justifiable?

[21stamps]

In some cases it is a cant. Many districts are moving toward not allowing absences for vacations. Regardless of how you feel about it from an educational impact standpoint, it causes havoc with scheduling, lesson plans, and testing. Because of that, many districts are imposing penalties on unexcused absences.

And then, as I said in my other reply, Some jobs have restrictions as well.

-dave

Private schools don't have these rules. But, having said that, I wouldn't take my kid out to do a transatlantic or Panama Canal itinerary, those are too long. I also 100% agree that someone's job plays a huge factor. December is my busiest month of the year, I originally thought it would be ok to miss the 1st week and a half, then scaled back to missing the first few days. That was extremely tough and December 2016 was far from an enjoyable month for me.
I would never be able to take a vacation past that first week, and February- May are completely impossible.

 

[flynnibus]

In some cases it is a cant. Many districts are moving toward not allowing absences for vacations. Regardless of how you feel about it from an educational impact standpoint, it causes havoc with scheduling, lesson plans, and testing. Because of that, many districts are imposing penalties on unexcused absences.

And then, as I said in my other reply, Some jobs have restrictions as well.

Of course.. we all have our own lives and needs. Just some just put up barriers based on opinions vs actual constraints. I would never pay double to cruise in the summer vs when we did. But I also wouldn't take them out of school to just visit WDW (where the calendar isn't nearly as punishing on cost). The decision of cost, is very much part of the justification for/against the decision.

I've gone through plenty of my own fights with schools. Like trying to tell my child she can't be excused from school to actually go and visit the colleges she is applying to.. crap like that will not stop with the principal.. We'll be at the school admin building in their face. And their justifications for what is 'excused' or not really are just about trying to shape behavior, not actual impact.. so I have little respect for that either. When the band kids miss a week of school so they can perform in HI... that missed week is no less impactful than my child having a vacation once every 2-3 years for 3-4 days... or actually being sick. The schools are so dependent on their electronic publications now anyway, a good student can digest the material on their own accord.

 

[jaklgreen]

I love the Disney cruises. My girls and I go about every other year and they always look forward to it. They are teens now and this might be the last cruise we take when they are minors. It is very sad but also I look forward to being able to go on more extensive Disney cruises like the trans-Atlantic ones once they are on their own. I will definitely keep cruising with Disney as long as I can. The rooms are big and clean and comfortable(I have been on other cruise lines and do not like the small twin beds for adults), the food is really high quality and they do not blink an eye for any special order, the whole ship is kept like brand new. As far as the kids running around, I think Disney does a much much better job of having areas for them to go and be entertained so there is not as much of them just running around because of lack of entertainment. They have a bunch of family entertainment that also keeps everyone together so the parents are not just letting their kids run around. I think in cruise lines, you get what you pay for.

 

[Daveeeeed]

In some cases it is a cant. Many districts are moving toward not allowing absences for vacations. Regardless of how you feel about it from an educational impact standpoint, it causes havoc with scheduling, lesson plans, and testing. Because of that, many districts are imposing penalties on unexcused absences.

And then, as I said in my other reply, Some jobs have restrictions as well.

-dave

As a high schooler I can say with experience that it's not a big deal to miss 3-5 days. As for Tests I made up 3 weeks of work for school when I had pneumonia last year and finished with straight A's. Work hard play hard -- plus if you really are on vacation you can say you are sick or something. You only live once...you might as well make sure you do a hell of a lot with it.

 

[Phonedave]

As a high schooler I can say with experience that it's not a big deal to miss 3-5 days. As for Tests I made up 3 weeks of work for school when I had pneumonia last year and finished with straight A's. Work hard play hard -- plus if you really are on vacation you can say you are sick or something. You only live once...you might as well make sure you do a hell of a lot with it.

I am not going to get into a back and forth, but I did take a look your profile. Interestingly enough I happen to have a pretty good knowledge of the GA school system and the NJ school system. I can say from direct experience that what you did there you would not be able to do here.

As someone who is out of High School, understands that what is covered in High School is not just test taking results, and who happens to have a bunch of educators in their family, I would advise that missing school to do something that you could otherwise do when there is no school, just to save money is not the best thing to do. Especialy when that thing you will be doing is something as mundane as a Dinsey cruise. For something such as actually visiting a different culture, and - oh, I don't know, learning something - sure. But to get on a boat and be served up a sanitized Disney view of the worlld for a few day, not sure much. Yeah, a Disney cruise is fun and enjoyable, but it is hardly a life defining momement.

 

[jaklgreen]

I am not going to get into a back and forth, but I did take a look your profile. Interestingly enough I happen to have a pretty good knowledge of the GA school system and the NJ school system. I can say from direct experience that what you did there you would not be able to do here.

As someone who is out of High School, understands that what is covered in High School is not just test taking results, and who happens to have a bunch of educators in their family, I would advise that missing school to do something that you could otherwise do when there is no school, just to save money is not the best thing to do. Especialy when that thing you will be doing is something as mundane as a Dinsey cruise. For something such as actually visiting a different culture, and - oh, I don't know, learning something - sure. But to get on a boat and be served up a sanitized Disney view of the worlld for a few day, not sure much. Yeah, a Disney cruise is fun and enjoyable, but it is hardly a life defining momement.

Yeah, I don't agree with you on this. I too am out of high school. In fact, my kids are in high school now. And I also have educators in the family. Not only are the schools in this country all about test scores but also butts in the seat. Many schools get government funding for every kid's behind that is there along with test scores. That is the real reason why some schools do not want to "allow" your kids to take time off. When it really none of their business what you do with you kid. As long as the kid can make up the work and keep their grades up, then there should be no issues with them taking time off. After all, it's supposed to be about the children, right? What difference does it make if you have a good student that can do the work from the online resources they have now instead of sitting there in class. And family vacations are important no matter where you go or what you do. Every experience is a learning experience, just not always math and science. Plus there are families that might not be able to afford to go if not for the cheaper season.

 

[flynnibus]

Especialy when that thing you will be doing is something as mundane as a Dinsey cruise

Well some would call the period of study we chose to go as 'mundane' too The school calendar is so puffed up that once all the standardized tests are done... they basically watch movies. We have more minutes in the day in instruction, so that we can have snowdays without worry about extending the school year (minimum requirement here is based on cumulative hours, not days in school).

Now that my kids are in college, I wouldn't dare suggest skipping half a week, etc.. their schedules are dense and unforgiving. High School? Meh... they teach so much from their digital curriculum now you can just follow the assignments after hours. We would travel when we know their school schedule was forgiving.

I don't fear that my kid is going to fall behind because they got sick.. I'm not going to fear a few days every couple years is going to sink them either.

 

[ChuckElias]

For something such as actually visiting a different culture, and - oh, I don't know, learning something - sure. But to get on a boat and be served up a sanitized Disney view of the worlld for a few day, not sure much. Yeah, a Disney cruise is fun and enjoyable, but it is hardly a life defining momement.

I'm not going to attempt to argue whether one should or should not ditch school for a vacation. What I am going to argue is that a cruise, even a Disney cruise, can be much more than a mundane sanitized Disney experience. Our Western Med cruise in 2007 is among the highlights of my life. We saw so much extraordinary history and art that when my daughter was in college 7 years later, she texted me a picture from her textbook and said "We were here, right?" That was history that stayed with her from the time she was 12 years old.

A 4-night cruise to Nassau is not that kind of experience. I get that. But vacation CAN be a valuable, life-enriching, educational experience.

 

[Phonedave]

I'm not going to attempt to argue whether one should or should not ditch school for a vacation. What I am going to argue is that a cruise, even a Disney cruise, can be much more than a mundane sanitized Disney experience. Our Western Med cruise in 2007 is among the highlights of my life. We saw so much extraordinary history and art that when my daughter was in college 7 years later, she texted me a picture from her textbook and said "We were here, right?" That was history that stayed with her from the time she was 12 years old.

A 4-night cruise to Nassau is not that kind of experience. I get that. But vacation CAN be a valuable, life-enriching, educational experience.

I'll give you that - I was really referring to the 3-4 night Nassau / Castaway Cay cruises that people were talking about in the other posts.

 

[Phonedave]

Well some would call the period of study we chose to go as 'mundane' too The school calendar is so puffed up that once all the standardized tests are done... they basically watch movies. We have more minutes in the day in instruction, so that we can have snowdays without worry about extending the school year (minimum requirement here is based on cumulative hours, not days in school).

Now that my kids are in college, I wouldn't dare suggest skipping half a week, etc.. their schedules are dense and unforgiving. High School? Meh... they teach so much from their digital curriculum now you can just follow the assignments after hours. We would travel when we know their school schedule was forgiving.

I don't fear that my kid is going to fall behind because they got sick.. I'm not going to fear a few days every couple years is going to sink them either.

Oddly enough, based on my experience, I would have rather missed a week of college than a week of high school. College, at least for me, was a lot more independent. Professors lectured, and answered questions, but so much more was learned on your own. I was expected to have a working knowledge of the basic underpinnings, and then learn how to apply them to advanced topics. My course schedule in college also took less classroom time than my high school schedule (and I carried betwen 17 to 19 creadits a semester - every semester). Most clases were two lectures per week, one recitation, and a boat load of independent study.

I remember missing single classes in HS (I had a number of things on my plate in HS, and sometimes one school related thing would conflict with an other) and being behind for days, just because I missed the one class. If we covered a fundemental on Monday and I missed it, then attending class on Tuesday was just total confusion beacuse it built on Monday's fundimentals.

I know that for students in public schools here, the schedule is extremely tight. There really is no "puffed up time" and teachers here actually have a difficult time covering all of the required topics in the time allotted. In fact, one of the complaints here is that there is not enough time to explore other topics if a class shows an interest. A teacher does not have the time in the school year to dedicate a class or two to delving deeper into a specific topic if the class shows particular interest - the have too much too cover.

-dave

 

[flynnibus]

I remember missing single classes in HS (I had a number of things on my plate in HS, and sometimes one school related thing would conflict with an other) and being behind for days, just because I missed the one class. If we covered a fundemental on Monday and I missed it, then attending class on Tuesday was just total confusion beacuse it built on Monday's fundimentals.

There used to only be handouts in HS... now everything is online, even the teacher's own notes, presentations, self-tests, etc everything. You don't even have to bug your friends to get the work you missed. College may have felt more open because usually there were less assignments, but they weighed more... while HS had more assignments, more frequently.

I know that for students in public schools here, the schedule is extremely tight. There really is no "puffed up time" and teachers here actually have a difficult time covering all of the required topics in the time allotted. In fact, one of the complaints here is that there is not enough time to explore other topics if a class shows an interest. A teacher does not have the time in the school year to dedicate a class or two to delving deeper into a specific topic if the class shows particular interest - the have too much too cover.

Usually I hear that because it's about fitting things in BEFORE the deadlines. The testing dates and material are all fixed...(and often don't take into account your local district's schedule) so there is contention to cover all the required material before the deadlines. So that becomes a crush.. but then once they take the test, there is a vaccum behind it.. and the curriculums are so tight now (again due to the focus on standardization), teachers less freedom to pick their pace and scope. This leads to a lot of contention for what and how to cover up to the point where the tests are taken. After that, the backlash from all the standardization often leads to a void of self-supplied content.

Take for example the AP exams. This year.. the AP exams will be administered the first two weeks of May. School runs til June 9th. Almost a month they won't do much at all.. and instead of having the full calendar to prepare, they shorten their schedule by more than 10% because the test dates aren't at the end of the year.

If there was such a crush for instruction time.. we could cut out all the teacher planning/work days.

 

[21stamps]

I'm not going to attempt to argue whether one should or should not ditch school for a vacation. What I am going to argue is that a cruise, even a Disney cruise, can be much more than a mundane sanitized Disney experience. Our Western Med cruise in 2007 is among the highlights of my life. We saw so much extraordinary history and art that when my daughter was in college 7 years later, she texted me a picture from her textbook and said "We were here, right?" That was history that stayed with her from the time she was 12 years old.

A 4-night cruise to Nassau is not that kind of experience. I get that. But vacation CAN be a valuable, life-enriching, educational experience.

I agree with you on the Med..even the Caribbean. Bahamas or WDW, not the most "educational", but you can apply learning anywhere. Depends on what you do and your excursions, also the preparation for the trip. We were concentrating on Mexico before our (now rescheduled) Western Caribbean. Kiddo was interested, it took us in the direction of the Mayans, and he couldn't get enough books about it. So even if you only have a few hours somewhere you can still use it as a reason to "educate".

Our school will not let us bring work with us, we have to make it up when return. My parents took me out of school as a child, I take my son out now and will continue to do so. The high school years get tough because of sports and really limits when you can take a vacation, but there's typically at least a few days that can work. Making memories is such an important part of life. Experiences are education...some much more than you could ever get in a classroom. My opinions

 

[Ralphlaw]

We easily took our kids of out grade school and middle school for vacations, but we usually tried to do so when they were already going to have some of those days off already. Once my son hit high school, no way. That GPA is important for college entrance, and one day builds so much on a prior day, and at times in certain classes I can't help to fill in the gaps. We worked around the high school schedule. Result, more expensive and crowded Christmas Break vacations as opposed to Fall and Spring. I can help my kids stay up to speed in grade school and middle school, but not in high school with pre-calc and other such complex esoterica. My son's GPA ended up being good in high school, and long-term his scholarships and other benefits from a diligent high school career will bring greater financial benefits than the extra amounts we paid for vacations by going at busy times. If we had saved a few bucks by pulling him out of high school, that quite likely would have affected his grades, and perhaps his future educational and career path.

Math assignment: It in only takes one letter lower in one class per semester to drop the GPA by 0.1 %. Put another way, if a vacation causes a B instead of an A in one class on average every semester, that would bring the GPA down from a 3.5 to a 3.4. That may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference when college admissions, scholarships and honors programs are involved. Being gone can also affect the types of recommendation letters teachers may write, and borderline grading. "Is this essay a C or a B? Well, the entitled twerp missed class that one week and handed it in late, it's a C?"

We try to bring education to all of our vacations. Some more than others. Our European Disney cruises were especially educational and amazing. Indeed, my son and daughter are looked to in class whenever some distant place is brought up in History or English or elsewhere. Has anyone seen the Roman Coliseum? Yes, and our guide carried a Mickey paddle.

 

[flynnibus]

My second daughter will graduate high school with more than 50 college credits between two years of dual enrollment and her AP classes and has a weighted GPA over 4.3. Having that much still isn't enough to get into schools of choice. Don't sweat GPA as if its going to change their life... invest in your test prep and writing skills instead.

#3 has never gotten less than an A.. and that's with 3-4 disney cruises under her belt all taken during the school year.

If you are talking about 3.4 vs 3.5.. you've already missed the boat for merit scholarships/honors/etc.

You all sound like you'd never let your kid have a sick day... for fear of ruining their future.

 

[Ralphlaw]

Uh, my son's GPA is a 3.596 at a college prep high school, and he just got into the honors program at a very respected and reasonably priced state school with 100% employment placement upon graduation. He also got a few scholarships. He's majoring in Computer Engineering. We could have risked taking the vacations that pulled him out, but when he was a Freshman, I would never have risked allowing a fun time to possibly jeopardize his future. We still vacationed; we just didn't pull him out. I also wanted to send the message that work precedes fun, not the other way around.

Your system worked great for your family. Congratulations! We did it our way, and I sleep slightly better at night knowing that our vacations didn't hamper his ability to succeed. In my experience, just being in class was always the easiest way to stay on top of things and to get a good grade. Other brilliant students missed classes but were still able to set the curve. Good for them, and good for your family. None of this is set in stone, but the worrier in me drew the line once high school started.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Being gone can also affect the types of recommendation letters teachers may write, and borderline grading. "Is this essay a C or a B? Well, the entitled twerp missed class that one week and handed it in late, it's a C?"[/B]

I would hope that teachers would not grade a student down just because they took a vacation. I am a teacher of middle and high school students, and when grading essays there is a rubric/guideline that I use to determine the grade. If a student is gone they have so many days (depending on the length of the absence) to make up of work to be considered on time, if it is not turned in by that date then late points are deducted. Those late points are predetermined as well. Assigning a student a grade isn't willy-nilly and based whether or not the student is an "entitled twerp", doing so could land that teacher in a a big mess with parents and staff. I have also written recommendation letters and a student's trip experiences wouldn't make me write a bad letter, in fact if I felt I couldn't recommend them I would politely decline writing the letter.

Anyway, I really hope the teachers in your district are professional enough to grade properly. But that comment was a little insulting to insinuate that grade is based on just an arbitrary system. Or that teachers might write a sub-par recommendation out of jealousy that a student got to take a vacation, now that is just sad.

I didn't pipe into this discussion before but personally I don't have with parents pulling their students out of school for occasional experiences be it a vacation or a family gathering. Those experiences are valuable to the student's development as well. Sometimes families just can't take a vacation or whatever when it coordinates with the school schedule. If the student is held accountable and is able to make up the school work then I think it is fine. So that's just my two cents.

 

[5thGenTexan]

Our first DCL cruise was in September... the first year the Magic sailed out of Galveston and then did another the next Spring. One kid was in preschool and the other was too young even for that.

Now, one is a third grader and the other is in Kindergarten. The only cruises out of Galveston are Thanksgiving - Christmas - and after the first of the year. They either fall during class time or are totally cost prohibitive. To take a cruise out of PC involves airfare to the tune of $1500 no matter when it seems. So, I have given up on the idea of a Disney cruise again. The only cruise line out of Galveston now is Carnival and that aint gonna happen.

 

[TDogg76]

My wife and I just came back from our first! If you have chikdren(we do not) it is justifiable! If you do not, I would say go elsewhere! You are paying for the top notch children areas (that are really cool)! Plus, go on a cruise ship that has two and four table tops at dinner so you don't have to eat with six other complete strangers at dinner every night! Very uncomfortable! Food and service is good....not great! Ship is is wonderful shape and extremely clean and pristine! You will find much more catered to the adult on a Princess or Holland America! This cruise is aimed at famiiies and kids! If you don't mind paying for someone else's enjoyment, have at it!

 

[rufio]

My wife and I just came back from our first! If you have chikdren(we do not) it is justifiable! If you do not, I would say go elsewhere! You are paying for the top notch children areas (that are really cool)! Plus, go on a cruise ship that has two and four table tops at dinner so you don't have to eat with six other complete strangers at dinner every night! Very uncomfortable! Food and service is good....not great! Ship is is wonderful shape and extremely clean and pristine! You will find much more catered to the adult on a Princess or Holland America! This cruise is aimed at famiiies and kids! If you don't mind paying for someone else's enjoyment, have at it!

You can request to be seated alone at dinner...

 

[Donald Razorduck]

We booked our first cruise for spring break 2018 on the Dream. We went with a 3 day out of Canaveral over the 5 day Marvel cruise that week out of Miami. We chose the short and sweet one to see if it was us and not be miserable for more than 3 days. If it's a hit we'll explore cruising more. It's going to be tough thought as my crew got 5020 and 5022 split cabins and I figure those rooms will spoil us.