Fishing for a great hotel deal

So, if you're planning a trip, it's best to do it at least 6 weeks in advance. Between 6-8 weeks out is when you will find your best flight prices.

In getting a hotel deal, I think it's great to go fishing. Fishing? Visit the web sites and test the waters. For example, if you are thinking about a Disney vacation, visit their web site and sign up to receive their emails. Make a few searches for the dates and resorts you are looking for and then "walk away". Don't visit the web site for a couple days. Typically... an offer.... a sweeter deal will arrive in your e-mail inbox in just a few days.

This happened recently for me, on hotwire.com.  Same has happened with Delta Vacations and Air Canada at other times. The cookies your ip address leaves behind with your search, and your e-mail that you voluntarily give them to contact you with offers is all you need to nab a better bargain.

And while I'm not actually going to Newport Beach, Ca those dates, it is certainly helpful to get a baseline of prices so I CAN budget for it and plan for the future should the stars align.

Then again, they might send an offer so sweet I can't say no.

I Must Be a Lot of Fun!

Either I'm a lot of fun, or my family just really loves to travel.

Each year we try to take at least one trip together as a family, but somehow that's just not enough for these people! We're not home even a week post-vacation, before someone secretly takes me aside and says something to the effect of, "that was fun, but don't you think it would be better if just you and I went _______." Now, you can fill in that blank with just about any destination. They've asked for the world at one point or another.

Usually first to ask for a private adventure, is my 7 year-old son. CJ loves to travel. His passport is embarrassingly full of stamps. He wants to go to the classic family destinations, like Disney World.

Ry, who is 10, loves cruises. He thinks a Caribbean cruise would be just the perfect thing for the two of us. He likes the all-inclusive feel, and round the clock service and activity of a cruise ship.

My husband likes the classic couples' weekends, like Vegas or Montreal. Both cities have so much to offer. He likes the weekend getaways... quick, exciting and to the point. Plus, it's hard for us to leave the kids for more than a three day weekend.

Individual trips, tailored to individual tastes are great. I have no problem with them at all. Each child gets some personal parenting time and I like to think that I get to know each of them better thanks to "solo" trips.

While Ry didn't get a cruise, he did get a 5 day hockey road trip (and a whole whack of hockey gear) just a few months ago. CJ indeed got Disney last November and the hubby and I just returned from Vegas.

For me, it feeds the beast. That inner voice of mine that says.... "where to next?" Little trips stoke the fire until we can align our schedules and jet off to our next great family adventure.

Why I'm a Disney Girl

I like Disney. I've taken a Disney Cruise and I've been to Walt Disney World. In fact, Disneyland in California is on my to-do list for late 2012. (They're opening a new Cars themed park area there.) But I'm no princess.

I'm certainly no Cinderella. Though we have the work ethic in common... LOL, I haven't been to a ball in ages. I don't have any really special shoes and I don't have any mean step-sisters.

Belle, is my 6 year-old's favourite princess. She's lovely in that yellow dress (and I look terrible in yellow), but we've never even seen Beauty and the Beast, so I can't be Belle.

Sleeping Beauty... nope. I get five or six hours sleep a night. I'm more likely to be steam-rolled or woken by a crying child or a barking dog than a kiss.

Jasmine. Hmm, I really don't know much about her but I've never worn mid-riff shirts or been on a magic carpet. I just can't relate.

Snow White is considered one of the original princesses. She is worshipped by the seven dwarfs, so that's pretty nice for her. They seem to look out for her. It is one of my favourite movies and I can whistle while I work, so there are some similarities. I have won trivia contests by naming the seven dwarfs.... Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful and Doc... and I DO wear a Grumpy t-shirt to bed, but still no. I'm no Snow White.

There are some "new princesses" or wannabes, but I don't count them. Tiana? Rapunzel? Those movies are still too new to be classics or universally known.

Why do I love Disney? As an organization they prove there is still magic. So many things are instant, and "good enough" and generic and discount now-a-days, but Disney is still first class. They hold themselves to a higher standard. They endeavour to put a smile on every child and every adult's face. They make movies you can take your kids to. Movies like Cars, that I could see over and over and over with my kids and still enjoy.

Disney is preserving that little bit of 'kid' in all of us. Yes, their marketing, their merchandising, their parks and their offerings are scientific. They have studied the consumer and refined their organization to deliver what we expect and when we expect it, but with a dash of magic.

I will not forget how my kids absolutely lit up to see Chip and Dale characters in the park. The smiles were pure and genuine.  On every corner there were characters the kids recognized and wanted to meet. They were always greeted with open arms and animated joy.  My kids loved the characters. Genuinely loved it.

For me, the magic touched my heart when I stood on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and saw THE CASTLE for the first time in real life. There it was, the castle from every Sunday night at 6PM on TV. I grew up on Disney movies on Sunday nights after dinner. If our family had a tradition, that was it.

I stood in awe of the castle, its iconic form, in 3D just as it was in 2D at the beginning of every Disney feature. It brought tears to my eyes. I never saw it in person or visited a Disney Park as a child, but was absolutely moved and satisfied to be able to bring my own children to the place I'd dreamt about. Even as an adult seeing the castle, just the castle, moved me and stirred happy emotions.

Disney represents quality to me. It represents dreams and it represents magic. Corny as some of it is, as predictable as their movies can be, it sets the standard and has spanned generations. And while I am surely no princess, I am a fan and will continue to enjoy each and every Disney moment I can share with my kids. Disney has the magic I just can't create on my own.