Everything old is new again

October 2006. Forget that last post entirely – this trip will be exciting and new after all! Why? Well, the 2007-2008 calendar for our school district has been published, and it is forcing a major change in our plans. In a stunning turn of events eerily reminiscent of our first trip (of which I wrote, “Enter the Texas Legislature, who – like all good lawmakers – passed a Bill with Noble Intentions that Really Messes Up People’s Lives”) the school district was mandated to start the coming school year much later than normal, and that later start is leading to a later Spring Break.

Now, a late-March Spring Break means higher crowds, which we generally like to avoid. A bigger problem, though, is that the break is scheduled so that our vacation would have us out of town both for Palm Sunday and for Easter – not the best plan when Becky’s mom, Linda, is a church organist!

So, we look to alternate dates. One option is summertime, but if there is one thing we like even less than big crowds, it’s HEAT and big crowds! So, if we’re going to have to deal with big crowds anyway… why not go when it’s cool?

We check the boys’ Christmas Break schedule, and yes, we could fit in our Land/Sea package vacation right after Christmas. We can fly to Orlando on December 29, stay at WDW from the 30th through January 3rd, and cruise from the 3rd through the 6th! Yes, the first few days in the parks will be packed, but it’s a trade-off we can live with, because we will be able to experience all of the holiday decorations, shows, parades, and music, in the parks, resorts, & on the ship!! The kids remind me that we can also see those gingerbread houses and other decorations that have been featured on the Travel Channel, as well as the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Suddenly and unexpectedly, our third trip will be filled with “firsts” after all, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

It also doesn’t hurt that this plan gets us back to Disney almost three months sooner.