Check those school calendars!!

[Dumbo]

In the year 2005 Easter Sunday is on March 27, 2005. Passover begins on April 24, 2005. They a 4 weeks apart this year.


Dumbo

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

<snip> Since our April break does not coincide with the rest of the country, availability has been pretty decent. Airfare for direct flights has been punishing out of New England and Upstate NY, not so bad out of NYC, at least in the summer and fall.

I am not sure what you base the airfare from NYC remark on, but I respectfully disagree. Unlike Par8hed, I was aware in plenty of time that Long Island schools were closed the last week of April, and not in March. I planned my trip accordingly (2 BR standard BWV, April 24-29). What I DIDN'T plan on, since it's not a holiday for most of the country, was the outrageous airfare all of the airlines from NYC are charging that week.

Normally I pay anywhere from $59-$79 each way for a non-stop trip on jet blue. This trip, even though I booked the airfare in October, a full 6 months ahead, I paid $155 from JFK-Orlando and $135 from Orlando-JFK. Ouch. (The only reason the flight home was less was that it arrives in NY at 11:59 PM!)

I was shocked when I saw those prices. I searched other airlines, and all the prices were about the same as Jet Blue. Those same flights right now are going for $249 and $199 respectively. The only fare that was $79 when I first looked in October would have gotten me to Orlando at 7PM, a total waste of a day. All the other fares were in the range I paid.

However you DID say "summer and fall" prices, so perhaps if I had booked earlier in the Fall or in the summer I would have done better. But I had no way of knowing that they'd hit us with such high fares during a time that is really not busy for the rest of the country. I traveled on another Jewish Holiday last year, Rosh Hashonah, and the prices were normal. I guess Passover is a bigger family get together holiday because of the seder and big meal afterwards. Oh well, live and learn, but I have to say it irked me to pay so much more than I anticipated. You better believe if I ever go over the Passover Holidays again I will book waaaaaay in advance, since even at 6 months ahead I feel I got ripped off.

As an aside I did get one good laugh out of this situation, as mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. I called Jet Blue to ask why the prices were so high that week. The woman I spoke to replied "Because of the Jewish Easter". I guess she was under the impression that Passover and Easter are somehow related because they often fall about the same time of the year. I wonder if she calls Hanukah the "Jewish Christmas"!

 

[d-r]

It is really sort of well, strange, to call Passover "Jewish Easter," but of course Passover and Easter are related. Christ was crucified during Passover (that painting of the last supper is a passover meal), so the two will coincide on the calendar. Most years they are within a week, but because of some quirky things with calenders every so often they are about a month apart.

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

It is really sort of well, strange, to call Passover "Jewish Easter," but of course Passover and Easter are related. Christ was crucified during Passover (that painting of the last supper is a passover meal), so the two will coincide on the calendar. Most years they are within a week, but because of some quirky things with calenders every so often they are about a month apart.

I see your point, but of course the holidays celebrate two totally different things. Passover celebrates the Jewish people being freed from slavery. Easter is about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Merely because the Last Supper depicts a seder does not in any way make the two holidays the same, even though they are generally observed at similar times of the year.

 

[d-r]

I understand the purpose of the two holidays, I understand how strange and, well, uninformed I guess, it is for someone to call passover "Jewish Easter," but I also think that to say that Passover is not related to Easter in any way, other than sometimes being the same time of year, isn't exactly correct, either. I'm not saying the holidays are the same, of course, I'm saying they are related.

There's a little more to it than the last supper being a sedar, and they are almost always celebrated at the same time of year (because the resurrection of Christ happened during passover) - the exceptional years when they are a month apart are due to flukes in the gregorian calendar. It isn't that they just happen to fall at "similar" times.

Heck most Christians think that when they play Charlton Heston in the 10 Commandments on TV during passover that it is a special Easter presentation of the story of Moses leading the people out of Egypt. But that sort of misunderstanding doesn't mean the two holidays (which of course celebrate different events) co-occur - it is important and meaningful that Christ was crucified during passover, not happen stance or an unrelated event. Hence, the two holidays are very much related, although surely more so from a Christian perspective than a Jewish one.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defend someone saying "Jewish Easter," I'm just saying that the two holidays are more related than by a simple calender fluke.

 

[SueOKW]

Jewish Easter???? It boggles the mind.

Anyway - I always avoid all Easters - Christian, Orthodox and Jewish, due to the crowds. We couldn't even find pool chairs the one time we went at Easter (s).

Our school system used to take holiday at the end of March regardless. Why the teachers voted for Easter when it is more expensive and more crowded anywhere is beyond me.

We save money, time and hassle and go later or earlier and take the kids out of school - with the blessing of the principals.

 

[laceemouse]

Our Spring Break is always end of March, which is Easter in 05 but usually is not. We went to WDW last SB, not going this year. One year I had a tentative school calendar which said we did not start back until Sept. 1st. I scheduled a trip just before that. Then the "real" calendar came out and school started a week earlier. I was able to change our trip through RCI. We do not take our kids our of school for vacation, the amount of work to be made up would not be worth it IMO. And, BTW, Jesus was a Jew and was raised following all of the Jewish traditions so.....it is hard to say that Jesus and the Jewish holidays have nothing in common. JMHO.....Lacee

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

I'm with you Sue--I NEVER go to WDW during any holidays, even avoid summers. I try to go during times that my kids have one or two days off so they don't have too much to catch up on. Usually this ends up being passover and rosh hashonah, (which if I am lucky works out to coincide with F&G and F&W--like this year!) since the NY schools are closed then, but the FL schools are not.

By the way I didn't mean to offend anyone with my comments laceemouse. I just thought it was silly to call Passover the Jewish Easter, especially coming from an airline employee explaining to me why the fares were high. She just could have left it at "Because Passover is that week". I understand that Christianity and Judiasm intersect, I know that Christ was Jewish. I wasn't putting anyone's faith down, just commenting that there is no such thing as a Jewish Easter. Sorry if it appeared otherwise.

 

[disworldnum1]

We had this bright idea to go to disney last Easter as my son attends Parochial school and gets that week off and the public schools usually get Passover week off. Well we should have anticipated the crowds when we noticed most of the cars heading down hwy 95 had NY plates.I couldnt believe the crowds or the lines( hours) I will never go anytime around those days again.We had a great time but when your used to small lines and no crowds it a big difference.

 

[laceemouse]

No offense taken, and hope I didn't offend anyone. Funny that so many public schools in the Northeast get Jewish holidays off. Here, where most folks are catholic (not us though) the schools try to be as "non-religous" as possible. My kids have friends that as Indian, Chinese, you name it!!! Our Christmas Break is "winter break" and the spring break does not coinside with Easter. I am a Christian but believe that this is the right way to do things, public school is for everyone after all!!! Everyone have fun planning your trips I only have ONE MORE call to make to get my VWL Christmas trip all reserved

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

No offense taken, and hope I didn't offend anyone. Funny that so many public schools in the Northeast get Jewish holidays off. Here, where most folks are catholic (not us though) the schools try to be as "non-religous" as possible. My kids have friends that as Indian, Chinese, you name it!!! Our Christmas Break is "winter break" and the spring break does not coinside with Easter. I am a Christian but believe that this is the right way to do things, public school is for everyone after all!!! Everyone have fun planning your trips I only have ONE MORE call to make to get my VWL Christmas trip all reserved

I agree with you about the way public schools should do things, separation of church and state is in the constitution. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work that way here on Long Island most of the time. Although they do CALL it winter break and spring break, the holidays usually coincide with Easter and Christmas.

You're braver than I am going to WDW at Christmas time. Those crowds would get me insane! Good luck with that last call, I know the feeling as I did our October trip day by day (needed a standard 2BR at BWV and was paranoid about getting locked out due to F&W). It feels so good once you know you've got it! Lotsa Pixie Dust to you!

 

[AFMom]

I've been reading a lot of the posts on this thread, and I just had to add how nice it is to be homeschooling and take off whenever we want (whenever it's the least crowded and my DH is around!). We just started homeschooling in October( after we moved to NM), in Sept we had had to take the kids out of school to go to WDW( in AL). The teachers were great about it (they're only in 1st and 2nd grade), but I can see as they get older how much harder that would have been. There was already a lot of catching up to do! Anyway - Just had to post!

 

[laceemouse]

Kristy, I just posted on the HS thread on the Family Forum. I am considering HSing my DS9 and maybe my DD7 at some point. We did take our kids out of school when they were younger but feel it is impossible with the workload the 2 older girls have now. My oldest DD13 says that Hsers are "missing the whole point of school". She really is a "people watcher" and loves all the interactions between the different personalities at school. I can see why HSing would be great for military families. We moved a couple of times when mine were younger but now it looks like we are stuck here No offense to the mid-west, it is just not our home. Anyway, for now we are slaves to the school calendar. I would love YR school with breaks spread out but that is never gonna happen here. idratherbeindisney.....Yes, Christmas will be crazy but we will just take out time and enjoy the decorations and special shows and stuff, what ever we miss we can do next time I always say!!! One of the advantages of being a DVC family!! Our ressies are set, I'm getting psyched

 

[AFMom]

I'm getting off topic here - but real quick, just let your 13 yr old know that my kids spend an average of about 10 - 15 hours a week with other kids - either HS support groups, field trips, Scouting, gymnastics, etc. You wouldn't believe the variety of families in our groups! We actually have to cut back on social activities sometimes just to get some school work done!
I do really want to get to WDW during the Christmas holiday sometime - we were hoping to go this December, but we'll be in the middle of moving again and buying a house. So maybe the next time - but we'll be going before X-Mas break starts for the schools! My DH isn't all that much of a Disney person to begin with, and there's no way I could get him to go at a busy time of the year - he actually checks the Unofficial Guide when I ask about trip dates!!!! You know that chart they have in there!?!? Ug.
I've heard people really love the YR schedule! Seems like it would be hard with kids in different levels of school, though. They don't always coincide. Anyway - I'm sure trips at busy times are just as magical, and you always get more shows and longer hours to make up for the crowds! Have fun!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

For everyone's information. Most schools in upstate NY are already working on their calendars and "spring" break in 2006 will be from Good Friday, April 14 through Friday April 21 with a return back to school on Monday April 24.

HBC