98 DAYS TO GO . . .

     SATURDAY JANUARY 15, 2011

     TODAY'S TOPIC IS PICKING A DATE FOR YOUR VACATION.  THE LAST TWO TIMES I'VE BEEN TO DISNEY WORLD HAVE BEEN WITH AND FOR MY SON.  BOTH TIMES I REALLY DIDN'T WANT HIM TO MISS ANY SCHOOL, AND THAT WAS KINDERGARTEN AND SECOND GRADE!  HE MISSED 4 DAYS ON ONE OF THE TRIPS AND I EVEN TRIED TO GET IT EXCUSED IN ADVANCE AS AN "EDUCATIONAL" TRIP.  SCHOOLS REALLY CAN'T LEAVE KIDS BACK IN A GRADE ANYMORE WITHOUT THE PARENTS PERMISSION, AND MY SON IS AT THE TOP OF HIS CLASS AND HAS BEEN, BUT THAT'S JUST ME.  SO THAT'S WHY WE TRAVELED TOWARD THE END OF THE SUMMER WHEN THE CROWDS WERE A LITTLE LIGHTER AND THE WEATHER WAS STILL HOT.  I LOVE THE HEAT.  IT CAN WEAR YOU OUT, BUT THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A HOT DAY ON THE BEACH AND I ONLY LIVE FIVE MINUTES AWAY FROM IT.
     SO?  WELL THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS THAT GO INTO YOUR DECISION IN WHEN YOU WILL TRAVEL.  DO YOU PREFER HOT WEATHER TO COLD?  ARE BIG CROWDS SOMETHING YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH OR PREFER TO AVOID.  ARE THERE ONLY CERTAIN DATES YOU CAN TRAVEL AT ALL?  AS ALWAYS, I STARTED MY PLANNING FOR THIS DISNEY CRUISE TRIP AROUND MY SON.  IMMEDIATELY I KNEW THAT I PREFERRED NOT TO HAVE HIM MISS ANY SCHOOL.  NOW THAT MEANS YOU'RE MOST LIKELY PLANNING AROUND SCHOOL VACATIONS AND WITH DISNEY THAT MEANS BIGGER CROWDS AND A BIGGER BILL.  AS I LOOKED AT THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE WEBSITE, WHICH EVERYONE SHOULD DO, I STARTED NARROWING IT DOWN.  IT PRETTY MUCH WAS COMING DOWN TO EITHER EASTER VACATION OR THE END OF SUMMER.  NOW THE END OF SUMMER WAS DEFINITELY CHEAPER AND LESS CROWDED, BUT IT ALSO GOT INTO HURRICANE SEASON.  EASTER VACATION WAS NOTICEABLY MORE MONEY, BUT EASTER IS LATE THIS YEAR; SUNDAY APRIL 24th.  SO MY DECISION WAS MADE, BECAUSE DISNEY'S NEWEST SHIP, THE DISNEY DREAM, SET SAIL FROM PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA ON EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 24TH FOR 5 DAYS AND TUESDAY APRIL 26th IS MY SONS BIRTHDAY!  2 FOR 1! 
     THAT'S HOW YOU WIDDLE IT DOWN.  START BIG AND GET SMALLER.  THERE'S TONS OF INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE.  GO THROUGH IT ALL.  SPEND HOURS.  IT'S WELL WORTH IT.  THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE BETTER INFORMED YOU'LL BE, AND THE SOUNDER A DECISION YOU'LL MAKE IN THE LONG RUN.
     NOW BY MY DOING THE RESEARCH AND COMMITTING TO A DATE, I WAS ABLE TO BOOK MY STATEROOM AS SOON AS I COULD.  THE AVAILABILITY ON THAT CRUISE HAS CONTINUED TO DECREASE AND THE PRICE HAS CONTINUED TO GO UP.  BELIEVE ME, I'VE BEEN CHECKING.  AND BY CHECKING BACK ALONG THE WAY I WAS ABLE TO SWITCH TO EXACTLY THE STATEROOM WE WANTED, BUT I'LL GET INTO ROOMS TOMORROW. 
     SO, BY FIGURING OUT MY TOP TWO CHOICES I WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION.  I EVEN RESEARCHED THE WEATHER IN THE BAHAMAS AND FOUND THAT TEMPERATURES RANGE BETWEEN 65*-85* AND THE AVERAGE DAYTIME TEMPERATURE IS CLOSER TO 80*, AND THE WATER IS CLOSE TO 80* AS WELL.  PERFECT.  WEATHER IN PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA SHOULD EVEN BE IN THE LOW TO MID 70's BY THEN.  PERFECT FOR RIDING THE "AQUADUCK", BUT I'LL GET INTO THAT ANOTHER DAY.  SEE YA REAL SOON . . .