4olivers

We set sail this Saturday! We have tried to make reservations at both restaurants and o my got confirmation from the Italian.

Question: what’s NOT TO MISS at these restaurants.

What’s your favorite night on the ship to eat at these vs MDR?

They charge throughtout the week, in seemingly random amounts. They do put the initial charge on day one also. In the end, it balances out.

So for example on Princess we were charged a $200 hold (deposit) then we charged beverage packages, couple of specialty dinners, etc to our on board account. Nothing else was ever charged to our bank/credit card until the day we got off the ship.

So you’re saying Carnival charges random amounts to the card throughout the week?

They charge throughtout the week, in seemingly random amounts. They do put the initial charge on day one also. In the end, it balances out.

So for example on Princess we were charged a $200 hold (deposit) then we charged beverage packages, couple of specialty dinners, etc to our on board account. Nothing else was ever charged to our bank/credit card until the day we got off the ship.

So you’re saying Carnival charges random amounts to the card throughout the week?

have never sailed Carnival, wondering if they are like other lines, a $200 hold upon embarking then on day of disembarking anything billed to room is then charged in full on last day? So whether it’s $300 or $1000 more- it’s not billed to card until final day.

I have read where Carnival sometimes puts other holds on your bank card throughout the week?

What is everyone’s experience with this?

We currently have booked LFK AND Victor Bodden Tours (private Best of Tour) for our visit coming up in 2 weeks and need to cancel one of them, Which would you suggest and why?

(husband, wife, 2 teenage sons)

We have never zip lined before - our 16 year old son who is *almost* healed from a broken leg has been so looking forward to zip lining with Butts Up in Belize in 2 weeks.

What is the landing typically like? We have heard someone catches you most of the time. Dr. has given the all clear if there isn't a strenuous landing, we know nothing about this from personal experience, only what we have been told by others who have zip lined in various other places.

Any feedback would be greatly helpful. My first inclination is to NOT do it at all, but of course the boys are telling me I'm being "silly." We will ultimately make the decision we feel best keeps him safe but to get to that decision I am looking for feedback on those who have had experience zip lining in Belize, with Butts Up.

We will be in Belize while traveling on Carnival Magic on May first. We will be in port 8-5 and have to change our previously scheduled plan with Butts Up - we cannot zip line or ATV now due to an injury our older son had - we will be cave tubing still and would like suggestions for other things to do. I have seen a few people say it's not possible to cave tube AND snorkel Belize in the same day. That stinks!

Looking for suggestions on how to spend our day.......

We will be in Belize in 19 days! :) We originally had the Butts Up Cave Tubing, Zip Lining and ATV excursion planned however our 16 year old broke his leg in February and had surgery....we had the green light to move forward with all of this until a week and a half ago, he ended up needing a second very minor surgery on his foot/tendon as a result of the break and we know we cannot let him zip line now due to the landing portion and we are up in the air on the ATV. Dr. said leg is healed enough for "mild" ATV-ing but the iffy part is the healing still taking place in his foot. It's possible that if he wears his orthodic boot it could be okay but we need to find out just how rugged this ATV excursion is.

Anyone have experience with this and any input?

What have been your favorite excursions in Belize? (we are snorkeling at every other stop)

You reserve through their website: http://www.boddentours.com/

 

You want the "Best of Roatan" private tour, which basically is open to anything you want to do. You can see several of the various options on the webpage for that tour. They are great about answering any questions and making suggestions via email before you go and your driver will also be a good source of advice and suggestions when you tell them what all you would like to see/do.

 

The first stop will be at Victor's house/business to pay. This is also where the monkeys are ($5pp) if you want to do that. For snorkeling I suggest the West Bay beach area. The reef is close to the shore and easy to get too. Your driver can get you in to one of several beach clubs (Beachers, Banarama, Paradise Beach) for $10 if you want use of facilities, pool, lounge chairs etc. They all have restaurants or you could get your driver to take you somewhere else if you want a more local flavor.

 

Your family will love it. My daughters were 18 and 16 when we went and it has been their favorite excursion ever.

We are booked for this one!! Thanks so much for the tips!

Did you snorkel from the beach here or take a boat?

Those are valid reasons, it seems, to take the kids out of school for a vacation. I think the concern here is the "it's cheaper now" so let's go even though school is in session practice.

$$$ Definitely not our reason for going when we are. Our reasons are job related, timing of sports and exams, and it just plain works best for our family all the way around!

We thought we had made our minds up to spend our day at Little French Key while on our cruise in early May but after reading all of the posts about Victor Bodden, I think we are changing our minds. My husband, myself and our two teenage sons will be in Roatan from

8-6 and are trying to figure out how to plan our day.

Monkeys! Yes

Snorkeling! Yes

Good Food! Yes

What else?

Open to suggestions and tips! And how do we reserve?

As a teacher and parent, I say go for it! People get on their high horse and say it’s wrong, but life is way too short and your kids will only be young for a short time. Time with family is absolutely priceless!

 

 

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our thoughts exactly when we booked this trip 8 months ago! :)

A couple of questions about the timing for your consideration:

When does the school year end?

Is the 16 year old in AP classes?

Does your state have mandatory state testing?

 

If your school year ends at the end of May, then the teachers are in full up "OMG, how an I going to cover all this before exams?" mode and they will be covering a lot of material quickly that may possibly be on a final exam at the end of the month.

 

AP exams are national - they are given on the same day across the country during the first two weeks of May and while make-ups are available, it does take paperwork to arrange them and it will not be the same exam taken by the students on the assigned day. Most AP teachers will be in high review mode during that time; missing that review could have an impact on the result.

 

If your state has mandatory state testing, this can be impacted as well. These are usually easier to make-up than AP tests, but still will be a hassle. These are usually done in April/May, depending on when your school year ends.If your school year ends in mid-late June, there probably will not be too much impact.

 

As you can probably tell, I am a teacher and am taking that perspective. What may seem to you as a small inconvenience is just one more drip in the Chinese water torture that is called teaching - either creating special assignments to accommodate the trip, making up the work after the fact. Yes, it is just one child, but that gets multiplied for others who are out for a myriad of reasons. Please consider that when you approach the teachers with this.

YES to AP and his AP Exams are more than 2 weeks after the return; as a matter of fact, one of his AP Courses is this semester and mostly all online, including test reviews. The other was last semester so he is not even in that class this semester, there will be a review session the week prior to the exam....His other 2 classes, again mostly on google classroom and gradpoint.

Many different view points for sure! Our boys used to both be in year round school which made it easier to take vacations at various times of the year while they were on their various breaks during all seasons, but now both are in traditional calendar school. I will say this - our younger son is Type 1 Diabetic and has to sometimes miss school for dr appts, occasional illness related to his T1 and so far we have been fortunate that most all of his school work can be done and made up on line. Technology is a GREAT thing! back in the 80's when I was in elementary and middle school it would have been way more difficult to miss school but now....videos, google classroom, gradpoint, etc make it truly not a huge issue, at least in our school locally. My Junior in HS had a teacher up and leave, move away 2 weeks before mid terms exams back in Dec and they had a sub for over a month, different people each day. Prior to that, he had a sub for an AP Class for more than 2 months! We find that in both middle and high school a lot of material is being self taught or with the use of online modules so this is really not too concerning for either of our boys to miss 5 days for a special occasion trip. This isn't something we do every year, we only have one 20th year anniversary, my boys are only going to be 13 and 16 once and to be quite honest....our family has been through the ringer in the past 6 months and so for us, the fact we have to take this trip at a time when school is not out yet is really okay with us! Life is short, family time is precious and so we will enjoy! They will make up work and have already been planning for doing so PRIOR to going and upon returning. We won't get these days or time back and we will make the most of it. I was curious how many folks out there do take their kids out and it's interesting to me (and in some cases humorous) to read the responses. We have a friend (who is a teacher!!!) who's son was just asked to go to Canada for 2 weeks to play hockey, he's in 7th grade, he missed 2 weeks of school, the administrators blessed that opportunity! And for those throwing stones....my kids are incredibly responsible, both working and saving money, yes my 13 year old mows lawns and pet sits, my older son works in a grocery store. They have learned work ethic, morals and values - and a really important value in our home, FAMILY FIRST! So with that....kudos to all the parents who have flexiblity, income, etc. to only go away on school mandated breaks! and even bigger kudos to the parents who are willing to make great memories with your kids despite the fact it may not be the "ideal" time! "Woulda Coulda Shoulda"....no regrets here!

You have summed it up quite nicely. The OP just wants verification to justify her decision. Count up how many times she has posted on this thread.

The OP (ME) got her answer! We aren’t alone and there are some very assuming, judgmental and uptight people commenting. Think a cruise and relaxation is overdue for some.....

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Kinda off topic but on topic.

 

If my son missed any class time, he wouldn't miss anything. He's in a new technology program here that is project based learning. Basically someone with some sense looked at the current education system and said "why are kids having to sit behind a desk for 8 hours listening to a teacher preach from a book that was written 30 years ago, about a topic they will never need to know about. In 2018 if kids want to know something, they Google it and do research to learn about it. This is a new age, and technology is at the forefront of it.

 

 

 

So the school did away with the traditional classrooms, teachers at the front, books, etc. Each week the teacher assigns the students a project and they break into small groups to do the project. This week they did some molecule project, then at the end of the week they must present their project and are graded on it. Everything is intertwined in the project such as English, Math and Science. The teacher doesn't stand at the front of the room and lecture them, they have to do their own research on everything. They don't sit in front of a traditional desk all day, they get up, move around, basically a lab-type setting. The teacher is only there for guidance and make sure things stay in order. There are no books, each kid has their own Chromebook. This is the New Tech program that started in California and is quickly catching on across the country. If my son is home, he can simply login to the dashboard and see the assignments and converse with his group that way and get things done.

 

 

 

Now as I mentioned, he only misses the last week of school, but I figured I'd share this new concept that's catching on since so many don't have children in schools, they may not know about this. In a few years this will probably be the norm and pulling kids out of schools more frequently for vacations will become more normal as well.

Here students can miss up to 10 days unexcused then you get a letter that you need to make sure future absences are excused....my boys even with missing 5 days for the trip, will not be at 10 Unexcused and these 5 may be granted as excused based on our educational activities at the ports! (Kennedy space Center, Mayan Ruins, snorkeling....)

I’m amused at some of the comments.

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Mmmmm.... not sure I agree with your sentiments. Say you take your kids out of school for a week for vacations several years, some years may be for more educational trips and some years more for fun in the sun. I’m not sure how you are able to teach kids that it’s ok for you, their parents, to allow them to miss school to have fun but it’s not ok for them to miss school on their own to have fun. Even if it includes the caveat that they have to keep up with their school work - I know a lot of people I went to high school with that skipped class on a regular basis because they were able to keep up with the course work so why going to class. Sorry, just my opinion that it sends mixed signals to take kids out of school for vacations. It’s also my opinion that teaching kids that it’s never ok to miss school unless they are sick builds work ethic.

 

 

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One year not several years.... big difference!

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I’ve heard this argument and don’t see it. Do kids learn more by seeing the world than a week of learning in a classroom? Absolutely. But those learning experiences are also available during school breaks; so it’s not an either/or choice. Full disclosure, I don’t have kids. But my parents never took me out of school for travel and I agree with that decision. At least in the US, schools offer plenty of weeks off to spend with your family and to pursue developmental opportunities. The structure of school; showing up every day, whether or not you want to go, during designated hours, and having to concentrate on certain tasks during those hours - mimics the world of the working adult. For these reasons, if I had kids, I wouldn’t home school. School introduces children to the structured world they will be living in. And deciding that playing hooky for a week to have fun is rarely necessary.

 

 

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See comment above..... big difference in Playing hooky and what we are doing.....

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I agree with this sentiment. I'm a former teacher, a parent and now grandparent. The majority of vacations during the school year are because of the desire to travel with fewer crowds and cheaper fares which is not a bad idea. I have read that some people actually think that they are giving their kids a cultural experience by meeting other passengers and the crew. Maybe that is giving the kids a wrong message.

 

 

 

One thing to consider is that vacationing during the school year gives kids the subtle message that school really isn't that important. As a teacher, I could never provide the same experiences for children to take on vacation. It was a folly to even attempt to do so. I just told the parents to work on rote learning, like math facts, keep a journal, and I would save the work the child missed.

 

 

 

A land-based trip to visit real history is one thing and quite valuable. A cruise to the Caribbean in January? Not so much.

 

I would appreciate a parent's total honesty than to try to convince me that the trip was a good idea. If you want to go on a cruise in January, fine, go and enjoy your family time, but don't ask for my approval. My opinion doesn't matter, but I didn't want to be used to diminish their guilty conscience.

Playing hooky to me is skipping school and being sneaky about it, not doing your work, etc.… Just for the record and not that I owe anyone any explanations at all because I have no guilty conscience whatsoever about our parenting or the morals we are teaching our children… Simply had the question of how many people actually do pull their kids out for a trip.....was second guessing because we typically may do a day or 2 once a year but not 5. Anyway, for the record our children know this is a big deal therefore planning in advance and possibly doing extra work and being willing to do so is something they have agreed to. Think about this, back in your day and everyone else that is casting judgment on those of us who are willing to do something like this, remember technology was nonexistent. Times have changed, unfortunately many people and their close minded ways have not.

Our kids will both be able to do classwork and submit assignments online throughout the week, there’s a little bit of give-and-take to make this happen.

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We've used Victor Boddens. With a private tour you can design a day around what you want. You can get in the monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and even some snorkeling and beach time. Holding a sloth was amazing, feeding iguanas was a bit scary for me because there are so many of them everywhere, and the snorkeling was great. I couldn't get up enough nerve to go into the cage with the monkeys. We had time to get all those things in along with a tour of the island. I wouldn't pass it up.

We want to snorkel west bay - would Bodden be the way to go?

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While I don’t have kids, I think it is perfectly acceptable. Family vacations are an important memory and sometimes it can’t be avoided.

 

 

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This is exactly on point!

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A family member takes her daughter out of school each year, early in the school year so their family can spend a week at the shore and not pay top dollar. During a family reunion I helped her daughter w her assigned math work. Based on the difficulty her daughter had doing basic arithmetic, she should never take her daughter out of school. Imagine how the daughter will struggle all year long, not having a good foundation at the beginning of the year. Some parents are so self-obsessed- totally clueless!

 

 

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“Self obsessed totally clueless”..... HA! You have no clue. Do you have kids, school aged kids? I’m guessing no.

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You are right on target. It is certainly NOT because they value education.

There sure are a lot of judgemental people making some far fetched assumptions! First of all I will only clarify a couple things....our family normally doesn’t vacation outside of the regular school calendar breaks, this year during our spring break there was no cruise during that week that was available going to the destinations we wanted hence the reason for the one we chose. Definitely, Bottom line is important to us, I have 2 Type 1 diabetics living in my house and with that comes a lot of medical expenses. So yes, we do look at bottom line. We have to. I won’t even acknowledge the comment about not valuing education, that’s just ridiculous. I DO VALUE our family time and the fact is this is something special we wanted to for 3 big milestones, 20 years of marriage, 13th and 16th birthdays. With that being said I’ll make an assumption that probably isn’t far fetched, I’d guess those who prefer to see kids on the cruises during school mandated breaks are the same ones who avoid those same weeks when booking.🤨

I thank those who commented with positive feedback or constructive feedback, those who are just being rude, hop off my post, take your negative energy elsewhere.

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Taking a HS student out for a week that close to exams is not a good idea. Lots of review is done around that time and lots of AP exams are given around then.

Our exams are 4 weeks after our trip

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We just took our 13 and 16 year old kids on a 7-day cruise. We chose a week when they had both Monday and Friday off school due to a Stat holiday and a Professional Development day. They only missed out on 3 days of school.

I let the teachers know in advance by emailing them, and they were fine with giving the kids some assignments to make up the missed classes. We also had to sign a form and return it to the office. Not a big deal.

I can hardly believe the rules and regulations some of you have to deal with regarding absences. Failing a semester for missing 5 days of school? Truancy court? Yikes!

We are in Canada, and have not encountered these types of rules.

None of that where we are in NC at our school, I confirmed with the school again today. Shew!

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