Many thanks for the thoughtful and heartfelt responses about youth football vs. Cruisetoberfest. Can't argue with any of the opinions or the logic underlying that was offered. And we did miss a baseball game in April for our cruise on the Magic. In January, delayed our departure until after a basketball game and ended up driving until 1 a.m. at the end of a long and tiring day as a result.
Y'all remember the "highly competitive league" in the original Bad News Bears? Well, subtract the jerks like the character played by the late Vic Morrow and leave the intensity and you have our youth league! Really, like a million dollar capital campaign two years ago of private donations to improve the public park facilities. And this summer--this still blows my mind--I show up to pick up DS from his baseball practice and I look out on the field and the kids are taking batting practice --9 year olds-- from a former major leaguer who pitched about a dozen or so years in the major leagues. And those are sports that in this part of the country aren't really anything other than stuff to do while waiting for ...FOOTBALL SEASON!!!
Yep, it is specifically written into the participation rules, paragraph 1, for football that playing time will be docked for missing games or practices. And that rule just got enforced against a few others this week as the regular season games began (and the season is short, just 8 regular season games, half the length of the basketball and baseball seasons). Football is king in these parts, so we're looking like we'll probably shift the ressie to '07 spring break when the dates are released. There are families who make choices to skip seasons and take vacations instead, if the vacation is not going to be over christmas or one of the other school breaks. If it was a "trip of a lifetime" I'd look at it differently, but I am blessed to be able to say we've been on
DCL 4 times, so if there is a way to move what is move-able (the cruise more than football), I'll look into it.
If when the dates come out it is an extra two grand or something like that to go over spring break (first week of april) then I might resort to pulling him out of school at another, non-football time. (Baseball is only flexible in the spring--in the summer the past couple years he has qualified for summer tournament all star teams that are every day--really--until about the third week of july, and again those who miss sit, or are not invited at all because we have to commit to our availability to be considered. we go back to school in early august, so vacation time is scarce!) Tough enough being a "yankee" transplant, last thing I want to do is show disrespect (see, that word is a noun, not a verb) to football in Georgia...
I may get well intended viewpoints about growing up, priorities, yada yada yada, and I won't disagree with any of it. I'm a divorce lawyer and tell my clients all day long when they call to complain about their ex-spouse and activity scheduling, "there is more than one viewpoint toward extra-curricular activities--that you disagree with your ex on this is just one of hundreds of things the two of you dont agree about, that's why you are no longer married; now call me when the ex violates the court order and we'll file contempt..." So if we disagree, doesn't make one of us wrong--just means we'll cruise DCL during different weeks.
Just realized I wont miss a football game, but had absolutely no hesitation in pulling him out of school for a week otherwise! If my DW wasn't a teacher and my DM wasn't a retired teacher, and if DS wasn't in the gifted program, we might seem like a family who didn't respect education--but that's another thread.
We all have many blessings if we are doing a DCL cruise, the rest is just details, dontcha think?
Haven't been there since 1997 as we've always been in the USA during that time of year since then.
Also thanks to papa for the link to HKDisney. 
that does not involve standing or walking... 
A very common slogan over here is: 'Men over thirty without a beer-belly are crippled!' 
Go for a permanent cast and then go to WDW and get the characters to sign it and hey in a wheelchair you get special treatment. 
