This should apply to most colleges, but at Warsash you normally get two weeks off for Christmas and two weeks at Easter. If you follow the FD (September intake) route then between September and December you do most of your first academic work - navigation, chartwork, nav aids etc. After a two week break you'll probably come back and do some of your short courses - normally EDH (seamanship - so ropes, splicing, whippings, anchorwork, wire splicing etc), and basic fire fighting, personal survival techniques, personal safety & responsibilities and elementary first aid. This might have changed but for us that was done by the mid-end of January. Obviously if you are at sea then you don't get time off for Christmas/Easter/Summer etc - you just work until your contract comes to an end.
What happens between the end of January and when you come back in phase 3 (normally late September the following year) is determined by your company. Some companies will provide time off at the start, in between and at the end; whilst others will just fit you in where they can. You might well end up doing the same routes continuously, whilst others will do varied routes - as I say it entirely depends on which company you've chosen to go with. In terms of sea trips, in my experience we do trips of 3 - 4 months with 3-4 weeks off afterwards; other companies might send you off for 5-7 months (without a break in between)... might be something to ask your company about.
Hope that helps.
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