Just Curious

[SS Cruise Lady]

It appears that a number of cruise critic posters, who are still in the work force, take around four cruises a year? Do you actually get that much vacation time, or do you take extra time off without pay?

[canderson]

It appears that a number of cruise critic posters, who are still in the work force, take around four cruises a year? Do you actually get that much vacation time, or do you take extra time off without pay?

We manage anywhere between one and three a year. Actually, it'll be 4 within a calendar year this December, but just barely. That's a first for us.

 

How? 4 weeks vacation plus a couple of personal days, toss in a long weekend, and then add the magic "other" days ... comp time provided by the company for spending far too many of my own weekends travelling internationally. The latter appears to be history this year (least business travel I've done since 1985 -- I've fallen all the way from a 1K to a United "nobody" again), so won't have all of the excess to work off in future years, and that'll put the clamps on things just a bit. Hey, it was grand while it lasted.

[chipandjohn]

I work in a 24/7 office that allows me to take long weekends and add a personal day. Also taking vacations during a legal holiday week like thanksgiving gets me a total of 11 days off but I only have to take 3 vacation days. Also taking a 10day cruise that starts on Wednesday or Thursday really works out nice because I don’t have to take two weeks of vacation to go. I do get five weeks of vacation and five personal days. And if I could take a cruise for each week I have off I definitely would.

John

[ahoymatey3]

I'm a consultant so I have a lot of leeway. They company I work for doesn't mind because they don't pay me when I'm not there. Of course the down side is I don't get paid when I'm not there.

[tawcat]

i really had to juggle my days just to get in two cruises in a year, however, i have joined the ranks of the retired. my dw is a nurse at our local children's hospital, her vacation time has always been far more than mine. this year we will have done 3 cruises counting the one in december. guess my job now is, vacuum, laundry, cook and find great deals!!!!!:D

[Schplinky]

We try to take our holidays on a week that is a legal holiday here, so that it only counts as four days. If we cruise on a Canadian holiday like Victoria Day, Rememberance Day, the civic holiday in August, Canadian Thanksgiving *(which is actually on Columbus Day) or the like, we can cruise on a week that most Americans are also not on break.

[travellady]

I've been with my company 15 years now and have 5 weeks vacation each year and 2 "floating holidays". Fortunately, my husband is a stay at home dad (bordering on calling him retired as our youngest is now 12 ;) ) so he can take off anytime. When cruising as a family, we often travel during holiday periods due to school schedules. My husband and I have found several cruises that straddle a weekend so we go alone then to enjoy some quiet time.

 

This past year was a good one, we managed to get 7 cruises in (2 of those just he and I). We have 3 planned for the next year but I'm working on sneaking in a 4th - I turn 50 in Feb and am thinking of a 3 or 4 day long weekend cruise - it will all depend on my son's soccer schedule since they play State Cup at that time.

[Druke I]

Not unusual in the public sector to receive five weeks (or more) vacation per year, plus floating holidays, and perhaps bonus days for not using sick-leave.

[celtic selke]

I have 5 weeks plus 5 miscellaneous days also. So six weeks altogether. That's not counting holidays. If we take a weeks vacation that contains a holiday, we can take that holiday another time.

Plenty of time.

Now if only I had plenty of money to go with it.

 

celtic

[newmexicoNita]

I think most, it appears have enough years with the company to get max vacation time. Our dd has about 26 years and gets 5 weeks plus buys a week. Before I retired I got 4 weeks plus could add personal days, take vacation and combine with company holidays and stretch it into about 5 weeks. Now, of course I work on contract and it's up to me; if I don't work, I don't sell and I don't get commission. I have to do the balancing act. NMNira

[italiancapreta]

I never knew there was such a thing called cruise critic? So bascally you can go on a cruise for free just to see what its like? That is amazing!

[Danno]

I get one week a year off...I own my own business and that's simply the reality...I hope to retire early and have my vacations then.

 

My wife works for the Ontario civil service...5 weeks and counting (6 next year).

[tarheelmjfan]

guess my job now is, vacuum, laundry, cook and find great deals!!!!!:D

 

 

Hey, we have the same job. :p It doesn't pay very well though. ;)

 

My DH is self employed, & takes off when he wants. The down side is, he's not getting paid & we're away spending money. Not such a great combo. :o

[Karynanne]

My DH and I have our own businesses...so we can schedule time away when we want to plan it. The downside is everything has to be arranged carefully so committments are met and business doesn't suffer. There's never a free ride...This year we did manage to be on 3 cruises...next year, hopefully will be as flexible.

 

Karyn

[TechKnowBabble]

I need to get some of the jobs other people have if they can afford to take 4 cruises a year....I'm struggling with just taking ONE. Well it is a long one this year though. I wish my side business would take off enough to do JUST that. I have a part time photography and consulting business.

[hifred]

Curious - My husband and I both work in the public school system. We travel two weeks at Christmas, 1 week during spring break and in the summer. Last Christmas we did not cruise we went to China, Spring Break we did a week in the Carribean, the summer we sailed Oceania in the Baltics and this Christmas we are sailing Celebrity from Ft. Lauderdale to South America. Do we have fancy cars ? NO we drive kia's - stick - no extras. Do we have expensive clothes. No we shop Steinmart - Nordstroms Rack or discount. But we have been married for 26 years and have been almost all over the world. It is all in what you like to do. We love to cruise.

[geoherb]

I get almost 23 days of vacation a year. The good thing about my job is that we can carry over six weeks of vacation from year to year. I technically have enough vacation time saved up to take off for the rest of the year--not that I could ever really do that.

 

Taking cruises around holidays helps. Last year, we took the Century's holiday cruise, which was 9 nights. We left a day early and came back a day later, giving us 11 nights away. But because of my Christmas and New Year's holidays, I only used 5 vacation days.

[Blazerboy]

At my company, I only got three weeks a year, but we just two years ago converted to a system called PTO (paid time off) which combines all forms of days off- vacation, sick, personal, holiday) so I'm up to five-plus weeks a year. The other thing is that we're only allowed to carry over 80 hours, so I must (such a burden) take at least four weeks a year, as I was carrying an extra week when the system started. At this point, we're more two-cruise-a-year types, but we also manage two other vacations a year. Like Hifred said, it's about choices. New car or more vacations. And one of mine is always on the cheap, as we have a friend with a beach house on Cape Cod! :D

 

"I don't need more money, I just need friends with more money!";)

 

Andrew

[Karynanne]

At my company, I only got three weeks a year, but we just two years ago converted to a system called PTO (paid time off) which combines all forms of days off- vacation, sick, personal, holiday) so I'm up to five-plus weeks a year. The other thing is that we're only allowed to carry over 80 hours, so I must (such a burden) take at least four weeks a year, as I was carrying an extra week when the system started. At this point, we're more two-cruise-a-year types, but we also manage two other vacations a year. Like Hifred said, it's about choices. New car or more vacations. And one of mine is always on the cheap, as we have a friend with a beach house on Cape Cod! :D

 

"I don't need more money, I just need friends with more money!";)

 

Andrew

 

Andrew, I like that concept...cultivate friends with LARGE vacation homes....

 

Karyn

[Blazerboy]

Aren't YOU considering a second place?(he asks hopefully:o )

[JUST ADD WATER]

We both stated working for our companies (different places) the day we got out of college. This means even in our mid 30's we both have 12+ years at our jobs. So we are at 3 full weeks plus a few days each year. Will be at 4 weeks in 2007. If we are on vacation, we are on a cruise. We gave up land vacations (at least week long ones) in 1999 when the cruise bug got us both. We use the "days" to take long weekend trips to see family.

 

People at our companies don't ask us "What are you doing on vacation?", they ask "Where are you cruising to this time?". It's all about what you love, and we LOVE cruising :D

 

PS-BlazerBoy you have the cutest dog! Our beloved Scooby left us in May (she was a 11 year old yellow lab), and seeing ?Hubble? always makes me smile.

[TEXASMUNK]

At least two a year..one 7 day and one 10-11 day cruise. Next year...looking to add a shorter 5 day.

Comes down to being selfish..kids are out of college, watched too many folks do nothing they enjoyed, put it all in the bank just so their family could fight over it when they died.

We have $$ put away, but want to spend the rest ...don't want the kids fighting....so our crusies are really just another way to maintain family harmony (we leave them all home..they are big people now, let them buy their own cruises).;)

[claud925]

Comes down to being selfish..kids are out of college, watched too many folks do nothing they enjoyed, put it all in the bank just so their family could fight over it when they died.

We have $$ put away, but want to spend the rest ...don't want the kids fighting....so our crusies are really just another way to maintain family harmony (we leave them all home..they are big people now, let them buy their own cruises).;)

 

Right on, Jim! My sentiments exactly.;)

[Blazerboy]

PS-BlazerBoy you have the cutest dog! Our beloved Scooby left us in May (she was a 11 year old yellow lab), and seeing ?Hubble? always makes me smile.

 

Thanks- Hubble's the last in a long line of corgis in my family, and each time we say we won't go through the loss again, and yet magically, we make the decision one day, and then can't imagine our lives without a corgi in the house. Good luck to you with that decision- sorry your friend is gone.

 

Andrew

[CaroleSP]

I think I win. After 10+ years in a non-profit agency, I get 7 weeks. It's called leave time. We use it for both sick and vacation. Since I refuse to use a leave day for illness, I just come to work every day and use the time for vacation. I'm off starting next Thursday and don't return to work until November 14th; gotta love it. I will still have about 4 weeks in my leave bank when I return home. Of course, there is a down side, you're not paid enough to go anywhere!! Thank goodness for DH having a job in a for profit industry!!! Oh, forgot to mention, 11 holidays, too. I'm management, so I max at 7 weeks. Our staff are union, they max at 8 weeks!!