Besides Disneyland, WDW, Universal, etc..where else do you vacation?

[jrsharp21]

Looking for some ideas for a Spring Break vacation. We are currently looking at doing a split Universal / WDW vacation this Spring break. But my wife is not completely sold on it because of the cost. We have gone to a Disney park every year since the about 2001 and I think she is now thinking about doing something else.

Looking for some suggestions now. Daughter is 16 and son will be 11. So has to be something that would interest them also. I looked into Disney cruises and non-Disney cruises but they end up leaving on Thursday of Spring Break and not back into port until the kids have to be back into school.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Pigeon Forge
Branson
St.Louis
Kansas City

 

[JaxDad]

- All over Florida--For Spring Break, you might look into the Keys and AVOID Panama City Beach.

- Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg--We just went for the first time this Summer. It's a great place to make day trips into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spend the evenings playing tourist in town. The whitewater rafting was very fun too.

- Washington, DC--Your kids are a good age, and most attractions are free!

These are our most recent experiences. Of course, a lot depends on your location, budget, type of travel (camping? luxury?), kids likes and dislikes, etc. If you eliminate one of your parks (Disney or Universal) and add some other, cheaper Orlando attractions, and maybe look for cheaper but still nice accommodations, would that make your current plans more affordable and palatable to your wife?

 

[Kitty 34]

Las Vegas

 

[CdnCarrie]

New York City; San Francisco or other California cities

 

[Squirlz]

In the last year:
Smoky Mountains
Chicago
Key West
Jamaica

 

[NHdisneylover]

With those ages, Europe is fabulous, but a week is likely too short to be worth it

All of the following are places I have been to with my kids and that they really enjoyed:

Colorado (Boulder, Estes Park areas)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Toronto, Canada
Montreal, Canada
LA
White Mountains of NH
Boston
New York City
Chicago

 

[MIGrandma]

Our favorite (even more than Disneyworld now!) place to vacation is the Smoky Mountains area of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. We've been there 3 times and thinking about going again. We love renting a log cabin in the mountains and spending as much time as we can in the mountains (hiking, waterfalls, beautiful drives) plus there is SO MUCH to see and do in the towns as well. Lots of touristy stuff, tons of restaurants, etc.

We also enjoy the Daytona Beach area of Florida.

Las Vegas was fun, but we didn't have kids with us.

Did you do a lot of checking on cruises? You said "they" leave the Thursday during spring break and don't come back until the kids have to be back in school. There are many cruises that go from Saturday to Saturday if you wanted to do a 7-night. You could do a 3- or 4-night cruise as well. We've done Disney, but also Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Thinking maybe Princess next.

 

[nkereina]

Which cruise lines did you look into? There should be cruises leaving Saturday and Sunday of Spring Break, and returning the following weekend so there would be no school missed. Aside from a cruise, you could look at all inclusive resorts. Usually non-motorized watersports are included in the price, and they have games/activities at the pool during the day. Lots of families enjoy it. You can also take excursions. We've done Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), the Bahamas, and Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and all have been great, but Punta Cana was most budget friendly for us coming from the Northeast.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I have to agree that looking at other cruise lines, beyond DCL is a good idea.

We are Platinum on DisneyCruise Line and DO enjoy what the offer--but both of my kids have preferred other lines since hitting their tween/teen years. DS loves RCI and DD loves Princess and Celebrity. I am sure some lines will have sailings which do not require missing school (and the price might be considerably lower than DCL too)

 

[mnrose]

Mexico! For us a week+ at an all inclusive in Mexico (nice places) is comparable (if not less than) the cost of a DisneyWorld week, and way more relaxing. Last year, we did Huatulco, and this year Cozumel.

 

[Darcy03231]

Cruises - There are a lot that go Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday.
All Inclusive resorts (we like the Iberostar resorts)
San Diego
Daytona Beach
Vero Beach
Key West
Toronto

 

[shoney]

Mayan Riviera, Mexico. Leaving on Friday for our 8th trip! We love the All Inclusive resorts down there. As fun and/or relaxing as you want them to be!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Going to DC in a few weeks (DH has a job interview).
Summers aren't complete, in my mind, without a trip to the North Coast of Ohio.
Visited my parents in non-Orlando, FL last spring (boring).
Had several 3-day weekends in NY City recently, which were lovely.
Spent 3 weeks in Europe for about what I'm spending on this upcoming WDW/DCL trip (mind you, we're splurging).
Next trip is going to be an out west road trip (CA, NV, UT, CO, WY).

 

[Minnesota!]

San Diego! Absolutely love this city....wish I could spend more time there!

San Francisco is great, too.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Pigeon Forge
Hilton Head Island (Disney's resort is really great - I can get my Disney fix while not at Disney)
Amelia Island
Okaloosa Island (Destin area)
Vero Beach (would not go were it not for Disney's resort)
Charleston, SC
Asheville, NC
San Antonio, Texas

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Hawaii!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Cruising! (Hawaii, Europe, Caribbean, Alaska)

National parks (camping)

Another option - head for the nearest big city, check into a hotel and be a tourist on your own turf. It's amazing the number of people who haven't visited the places in their own areas that others travel to see.

 

[longboard55]

Places we went to and liked the last few years. Waikiki, Grand Canyon, WDW, Key West, Disney Cruises, also Las vegas and disneyland but they hardly count because its a short drive.

 

[lizabu]

We travel locally so Toronto and Niagara Falls mostly. It will be way too cold in spring though. Disney cruises are amazing. Disneyland was fun. We usually go to WDW. Visit relatives. They live all over so we've been to Egypt, Sweden, Abu Dhabi, England and Spain. This Christmas we've come up with the idea of visiting New Orleans. It seems like there's lots to do and the weather seems mild. So we'll see. We're kind of adventurous.