Addition to New York and WDW at Christmas?

[KEK1]

Hi,
Am planning for 2021 (doing China next year). Coming from Perth, Australia. Plan is to see WDW and New York in Dec, for holiday festivities plus 50th anniversary. Then would like 1 more place to see. Time frame: 3w, budget around 15k (total, not just for 3rd place).
I have thought of:
1) cruise- not too expensive, but if go from Florida seems mainly to do Bahamas - we have amazing beaches here and neither of us are very beachy in general.
2) national park- we LOVE the NPs you guys have, but it would be winter time. Yellowstone in winter looks great, but it is a long way from Florida/NY
3) Costa Rica- seen this mentioned, don't know too much about it, will explore.

Would be very grateful if anyone has any comments/thoughts!

 

[tink1970]

As you've indicated, NYC to Yellowstone is slightly less than Sydney to Perth, distance wise so it's do-able but would use a lot of travel time and Yellowstone is limited to what they offer in the winter. I've had friends go there in the winter and they love it but again, best to book early and be aware of the limited facilities.

If you're not beachy, I don't think a Bahamian cruise would be for you. New Orleans isn't very far from Orlando -a 9 hour drive, and Montreal, is only about a 6 hour drive from NYC. Both of those cities have a very different vibes and are considered destinations for city lovers. If you like nature and hiking, New England with Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are within driving/train access from NYC, while Asheville, NC is around a 9 hour drive from Orlando-it's a beautiful mountain town and known for the North Carolina arboretum and the Biltmore, as well as having Pisgah National Forest for hiking and beautiful scenery. If you like charming cities, St Augustine, Savannah and Charleston are also perfect for exploring and are about 1 hr 45 min, 4 hours and less than 6 hours away by car respectively.

Those are what I can think of right off the bat. Have fun planning!

 

[KEK1]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! We love nature and hiking so those options sound great! Had ear marked new England in autumn for a trip, didn't think about it in winter

 

[mya1k9]

If I read correctly your budget may be an issue with a third destination. WDW and NYC are both pricey places for lodging, food and activities. After you throw in airfare from Australia, it may be tight. If your a solo traveler, that would be more doable! I, second New Orleans or even just staying in Florida and going to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy space station. Good luck and happy planning!!

 

[sayhello]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! We love nature and hiking so those options sound great! Had ear marked new England in autumn for a trip, didn't think about it in winter

I assume you're visiting during *our* winter and not your own?

It will be cold and miserable in New England during our winter. Same for Montreal!

Sayhello

 

[KEK1]

Yep, your winter (Dec). Hate the summer here so happy to leave.. but DH not that keen on miserable, lol.
Budget excludes airfare, but yeah, will probably be tight after WDW and NY. Hopefully our dollar goes up by then!

 

[abdgeek]

If you’re willing to fly to your third destination, I would suggest Las Vegas, Nevada. There are several national parks within easy driving distance and it’s easy to get tours that will do the driving for you. Some parks nearby are: Red Rock Canyon (30 minutes ), Valley of Fire State Park (1 hour), Zion National Park (Utah —3 hours), Bryce National Park (Utah— 4 hours), Grand Canyon (Arizona—4 hours). There are a lot more, but that’s a good list to get you started. Check out the Viator website for ideas on the type of tours offered.

Both NYC and WDW are great at Christmas. In NYC, check out Rockefeller Plaza and the Christmas tree, the Christmas windows at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Barney’s NY, Bergdof Goodman, and Saks Fifth Avenue, the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, and Times Square. Of course there’s the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, Battery Park, etc. If you want to go to New England from NYC, it’s an easy car ride.

 

[KEK1]

If you’re willing to fly to your third destination, I would suggest Las Vegas, Nevada. There are several national parks within easy driving distance and it’s easy to get tours that will do the driving for you. Some parks nearby are: Red Rock Canyon (30 minutes ), Valley of Fire State Park (1 hour), Zion National Park (Utah —3 hours), Bryce National Park (Utah— 4 hours), Grand Canyon (Arizona—4 hours). There are a lot more, but that’s a good list to get you started. Check out the Viator website for ideas on the type of tours offered.

Both NYC and WDW are great at Christmas. In NYC, check out Rockefeller Plaza and the Christmas tree, the Christmas windows at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Barney’s NY, Bergdof Goodman, and Saks Fifth Avenue, the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, and Times Square. Of course there’s the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, Battery Park, etc. If you want to go to New England from NYC, it’s an easy car ride.

Thanks very much for your reply! Good suggestions. I have never been to NYC so will want to do the normal touristy stuff as well as Christmas stuff. Do you think 5days will be enough, or need a week? TIA

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

I second New Orleans, or maybe Nashville for the music scene, or Colonial Williamsburg just for something different. I haven’t been to Charleston but it’s a very hot bachelorette destination right now. I don’t know how you feel about air travel / the expense but NYC to WDW is 2 hrs 45 mins and obviously flying here from Perth takes 24+ hours. If it was me, I wouldn’t want to get on an airplane AGAIN after all that so I would look into places that can be driven to from WDW. Maybe rent a convertible and drive down to Key West?

 

[KEK1]

I second New Orleans, or maybe Nashville for the music scene, or Colonial Williamsburg just for something different. I haven’t been to Charleston but it’s a very hot bachelorette destination right now. I don’t know how you feel about air travel / the expense but NYC to WDW is 2 hrs 45 mins and obviously flying here from Perth takes 24+ hours. If it was me, I wouldn’t want to get on an airplane AGAIN after all that so I would look into places that can be driven to from WDW. Maybe rent a convertible and drive down to Key West?

Thanks for your thoughts I will have a look into New Orleans.
Yep, ideally we wouldn't go too far after getting there.. but when we went to WDW this Jan we just did that (and universal), and didn't enjoy that nearly as much as when we did DL with Yosemite.

 

[Grifdog22]

You might consider flying from Orlando to Washington DC. It's 2/3 of the way up. We recommend spending a couple of days in this area and visitiing at the legendary (and free) Smithsonian museums. They are only closed on Christmas day. If you fly, come to Dulles airport to visit the Dulles air and space annex at the end of one of the runways. DC has a good metro that will get you around well - from both airports. Then rent a car and travel west to spend a day or two hiking and driving through Shenandoah National Park. A good day hike is the Old Rag Mountain loop - strenuous and perfect in winter. The Appalachian Trail runs through all of Shenandoah National Park - This is a 3550 kilometer trial from Georgia to Maine - reportedly the longest continuous hiking only trail in the world. It is very accessible from multiple trailheads in Shenandoah National Park - and you could easily do a half day or full day hike. Just off SNP to the west is Luray Caverns - a spectacular set of caverns with some remarkable things inside. The area is also crawling with wineries, although most have reduced hours in December. Then return to DC and catch a train into downtown NY. While our train system isn't renewed for anything except being late, the DC to NY route has lots of options and puts you where you want to be downtown in New York. Depending on whether you take Acela fast train (2 hours 50 minutes) or the mail train (5 hours) The DC Union station is a sight to behold at Christmas. Not so much in NY.

We loved our time visiting Australia - what an amazing place. We hope you enjoy the US as well.

 

[KEK1]

You might consider flying from Orlando to Washington DC. It's 2/3 of the way up. We recommend spending a couple of days in this area and visitiing at the legendary (and free) Smithsonian museums. They are only closed on Christmas day. If you fly, come to Dulles airport to visit the Dulles air and space annex at the end of one of the runways. DC has a good metro that will get you around well - from both airports. Then rent a car and travel west to spend a day or two hiking and driving through Shenandoah National Park. A good day hike is the Old Rag Mountain loop - strenuous and perfect in winter. The Appalachian Trail runs through all of Shenandoah National Park - This is a 3550 kilometer trial from Georgia to Maine - reportedly the longest continuous hiking only trail in the world. It is very accessible from multiple trailheads in Shenandoah National Park - and you could easily do a half day or full day hike. Just off SNP to the west is Luray Caverns - a spectacular set of caverns with some remarkable things inside. The area is also crawling with wineries, although most have reduced hours in December. Then return to DC and catch a train into downtown NY. While our train system isn't renewed for anything except being late, the DC to NY route has lots of options and puts you where you want to be downtown in New York. Depending on whether you take Acela fast train (2 hours 50 minutes) or the mail train (5 hours) The DC Union station is a sight to behold at Christmas. Not so much in NY.

We loved our time visiting Australia - what an amazing place. We hope you enjoy the US as well.

Thanks very much for your in-depth reply, I really appreciate it!
My husband has been to the Smithsonian before ages ago.. he loved it and still talks about (20 years ago!) I will look up that NP, haven't heard of it
I'm glad you enjoyed Australia, it certainly has a lot of diversity. Try and get to NZ if you havent been- way more beautiful IMO and easier to get around as it's small, super scenic.

 

[abdgeek]

Thanks very much for your reply! Good suggestions. I have never been to NYC so will want to do the normal touristy stuff as well as Christmas stuff. Do you think 5days will be enough, or need a week? TIA

You can do the highlights of NYC in 5 days if that is what you have. Seven days would allow you to move at a more leisurely pace. The ferry to Ellis Island also stops at the Statue of Liberty so you can see both in a couple of hours. There is so much to do in NYC that you won’t see it all in one trip. There are great museums, restaurants, Broadway shows, and historic buildings galore. You can view the Christmas windows during the day or at night. They’re lit at night, so you get the full affect. The Rockettes do several shows a day during the holiday time and you can get reduced cost Broadway tickets for some shows at TKTS. Each activity won’t take more than 2-3 hours each. That still leaves time to go to the Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial, St. Paul’s Cathedral, shopping on 5th Avenue, visiting Central Park, Times Square, or any other activity you’re interested in.

 

[KEK1]

You can do the highlights of NYC in 5 days if that is what you have. Seven days would allow you to move at a more leisurely pace. The ferry to Ellis Island also stops at the Statue of Liberty so you can see both in a couple of hours. There is so much to do in NYC that you won’t see it all in one trip. There are great museums, restaurants, Broadway shows, and historic buildings galore. You can view the Christmas windows during the day or at night. They’re lit at night, so you get the full affect. The Rockettes do several shows a day during the holiday time and you can get reduced cost Broadway tickets for some shows at TKTS. Each activity won’t take more than 2-3 hours each. That still leaves time to go to the Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial, St. Paul’s Cathedral, shopping on 5th Avenue, visiting Central Park, Times Square, or any other activity you’re interested in.

Thanks, abdgeek ! Much appreciated

 

[AinsleyLM]

As others have mentioned, New Orleans would be a good place to visit. It is very fun at Christmas time.

 

[cheryl.UK]

How about Washington? We went in the summer and loved it. Beautiful city with great museums

 

[bopper]

Puerto Rico in the USA and has a National Park...the only Rainforest National Park.

 

[DoraBA]

How about swapping WDW for DL?
We took the kids a few years ago to a trip which began and ended in LA in two loops.

First part was driving up on route 1 to Monterey with its NP, then back through Seqouia NP and back to LA and DL (3 days). You could also get to SF and Yosemite NP.

Second loop was Las Vegas incl Hoover Dam - Zion NP - Bryce NP - another area whose name I forgot with Horseshoe Bend and a gorgeous lake and canyon - back to LA.

Took 2.5 weeks and was best trip ever. I can give you exact itinerary if you want.

With 3 weeks you could add 3 days in SF or longer stays everywhere.

And congratulations!

 

[sayhello]

Puerto Rico in the USA and has a National Park...the only Rainforest National Park.

Well, except for the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park.

Sayhello

 

[KEK1]

How about swapping WDW for DL?
We took the kids a few years ago to a trip which began and ended in LA in two loops.

First part was driving up on route 1 to Monterey with its NP, then back through Seqouia NP and back to LA and DL (3 days). You could also get to SF and Yosemite NP.

Second loop was Las Vegas incl Hoover Dam - Zion NP - Bryce NP - another area whose name I forgot with Horseshoe Bend and a gorgeous lake and canyon - back to LA.

Took 2.5 weeks and was best trip ever. I can give you exact itinerary if you want.

With 3 weeks you could add 3 days in SF or longer stays everywhere.

And congratulations!

We did a similar trip with San Diego, DL and Yosemite. LOVED SD and YNP - unfortunately not as much of a fan with DL vs WDW - I really love the "Disney bubble". Have not done SF and the others though, although Zion and Bryce remind me of our parks here- lots of red rocks! Thank you for your suggestions!