Beth, that cruise is Sept. 26 to Oct. 10, 2005. I know that's a tough time frame for you, since it's in the midst of the school year. I face scheduling challenges because I can't have a trip opposite one of my organization's many conferences, but it's nothing like the 9-month blackout period that educators face.

It was a great surprise to see that Mariner was making this trip on this schedule. I'd been considering going to China for my 50th, but was not looking forward to the packing a re-packing involved in moving from one place to another. When the 2005 brochure was distributed, I was reminded why I'd started cruising in the first place--to move from place to place without having to change "hotel" rooms. Just perfect!