Alternatives to Disney?

[julie-o]

I love WDW. I really really love it. But I don’t love all the changes over the past year or two. So I’d like to mix it up, try some other family vacations.

We’ve just returned from Universal and I was hoping to love it but I did not. My 10yo did, but I never ever want to go there again.

Where else have you gone with young children and loved? We have a 10yo and 2 yo. I love that WDW has things that we all enjoy and I LOVE that I don’t have to prepare food the whole time we’re there. We spend a lot of time at Jersey shore, which is great except I still have to do food shopping and prep, which really detracts from vacation for me.

I’d love any suggestions. Ideally, the place is either driving distance from Philly or a quick direct flight.

 

[Anna131517]

Williamsburg, VA. Great Wolf Lodge, Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, historic Jamestown / Williamsburg / Yorktown and museums, Virginia Living Museum, Virginia Air and Space Center. Within driving distance of VA Beach, where you’ll find the VA Aquarium, VA zoo, and Norfolk Botanical Gardens, and within driving distance of Monticello, and Montpelier. We stop there for four days on our way to the Outer Banks each year. Our kids love it. You need a car. You can actually drive to VA Beach from Philly through the eastern shores of MD and VA, which is a cool trip, then take I-64 from there up to Williamsburg.

 

[Anna131517]

Have you checked out Hersheypark? It’s much smaller but you can stay at the Hershey Lodge for the indoor water park, and go to the Park, Chocolate World, Zoo America, and Hershey Story. You could also rent a house in Mount Gretna and drive to Hershey for the day. Mount Gretna is a historic Victorian vacation spot in Lebanon county with a swimming lake and cute ice cream parlor, restaurant, and some plays / shows.

 

[mjkacmom]

Have you checked out Hersheypark? It’s much smaller but you can stay at the Hershey Lodge for the indoor water park, and go to the Park, Chocolate World, Zoo America, and Hershey Story. You could also rent a house in Mount Gretna and drive to Hershey for the day. Mount Gretna is a historic Victorian vacation spot in Lebanon county with a swimming lake and cute ice cream parlor, restaurant, and some plays / shows.

Love Hershey park, and it’s great if you have a gap in age groups, every section seems to have kiddie rides right by thrill rides (the coasters there are awesome). There is a waterpark inside too.

 

[HerRoyalHighness]

Washington DC has a TON to do. A lot of it at no cost. We went there twice. The Smithsonian's are incredible. Took the Amtrak up to NYC one day. Long day but was fun. We went a couple of years later with another family we're friends with. Hit up some of the same stuff but also saw some things we missed the first time. We spent 5 nights each time because our hotel points rewards program gives us the 5th reward night at no points cost).

NE Tour (flew into Portland Maine and then down to Boston, Plymouth Rock...and looped around through those other NE states so we could color them in). Mount Washinton in New Hampshire - my husband had some wild hair to drive up to it after seeing it on the Weather channel. Of course, I'm the driver....scared the bejeezus out of me. It was in June. Make sure your car's brakes are in good shape. Did a tour at Cabot cheese. Acadia National Park tour.

Would require longer flights but you should be able to get something direct from up there. We did a Southwest road trip the year before Covid. Flew into Denver - omg this was tiring for me (the main driver). Drove through the Rockies to Arches Park in Moab, Utah; 4 Corners; Grand Canyon; Las Vegas for 2 nights; Hoover Dam; Joshua Tree; Flew back home from Vegas. Put over 2000 miles on the rental car that week. (was alamo and there was not an extra one-way rental fee) I really wish we would have gone over to Disneyland instead of spending a couple days in Vegas...it was okay and the kids LOVED our room (had their own bedroom) but looking back we should have gone to Disneyland to knock that one off our to-do list. Would like to, sans kids, go back to Denver and drive up Pike's Peak and maybe hit the Stanley Hotel.

I was looking at going up to Yellowstone, Dakotas, etc this summer but I didn't want to be driving all week, even with flying in up to somewhere in the area. Believe it or not, Disney was going to be easier to plan!

 

[isabellea]

This summer will be our last WDW trip for a few years at least. In fact, the only reason we are going if so I don’t loose a child ticket I got with points in 2017 before my youngest turns 10yo in July. Our next trips will be AZ/Grand Canyon, Canadian Rockies, Hawaii, Costa Rica and maybe Europe. Surprisingly, most of these will be cheaper than an onsite trip at WDW!

 

[DSNY4ever]

San Diego! SO many good restaurants, great beaches, gorgeous hikes, the zoo and wild animal park are SUPERB! There are also fun museums over in Balboa park, and some neat nearby botanical gardens that have fun stuff for kids. Old town is also really fun with kids and the Mexican food is so delicious! It is one of our favorite places. The weather is almost always perfect. There are nearby aquariums, and also Seaward and Lego Land (never done either, they aren't really our thing- but obviously they are very popular). You could easily fill a week there.

 

[RamblingMad]

San Diego! SO many good restaurants, great beaches, gorgeous hikes, the zoo and wild animal park are SUPERB! There are also fun museums over in Balboa park, and some neat nearby botanical gardens that have fun stuff for kids. Old town is also really fun with kids and the Mexican food is so delicious! It is one of our favorite places. The weather is almost always perfect. There are nearby aquariums, and also Seaward and Lego Land (never done either, they aren't really our thing- but obviously they are very popular). You could easily fill a week there.

Love exploring San Diego. Their zoo is fantastic.

 

[Minnie1222]

My kids, even at a young age, have always loved skiing more than Disney.

 

[zillayen]

It sounds cheesy, but I have heard great things about Dollywood! We almost went there for Spring Break instead and probably could have paid for the week with what we're spending on 2 days at WDW.

 

[kevtlas]

Williamsburg, VA. Great Wolf Lodge, Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, historic Jamestown / Williamsburg / Yorktown and museums, Virginia Living Museum, Virginia Air and Space Center. Within driving distance of VA Beach, where you’ll find the VA Aquarium, VA zoo, and Norfolk Botanical Gardens, and within driving distance of Monticello, and Montpelier. We stop there for four days on our way to the Outer Banks each year. Our kids love it. You need a car. You can actually drive to VA Beach from Philly through the eastern shores of MD and VA, which is a cool trip, then take I-64 from there up to Williamsburg.

We are currently stationed in Europe so trying to explore everything here that we can (Covid definitely put a damper on that), but my sisters and I loved Williamsburg as kids. It is definitely on our list for when we get back. Probably try to combine with a DC visit.

It sounds cheesy, but I have heard great things about Dollywood! We almost went there for Spring Break instead and probably could have paid for the week with what we're spending on 2 days at WDW.

Dollywood is someplace I wrote off before we moved overseas, but some friends went recently and all of them said it was excellent, so it’s on our list now too!

 

[sponica]

Mount Washinton in New Hampshire - my husband had some wild hair to drive up to it after seeing it on the Weather channel. Of course, I'm the driver....scared the bejeezus out of me.

I live here and I won't do that! I'll take the train up!


Back to the question at hand:

On our list for the next 3 to 5 years-
Road trip to Cooperstown/Niagara
Possibly Disney with the cousins?
DC
Williamsburg/VA Beach
Alaskan Cruise - because I am insane

 

[StarSeven7]

It sounds cheesy, but I have heard great things about Dollywood! We almost went there for Spring Break instead and probably could have paid for the week with what we're spending on 2 days at WDW.

We went to Dollywood for a day back in 2019 when we were visiting the Smoky Mountains. My kids are die-hard Disney fans and they LOVED Dollywood! The theming was really good and we had a great day there!

 

[nancipants]

If you like Disney and enjoy the Jersey Shore, have you considered a Disney cruise?

 

[Marionnette]

I love WDW. I really really love it. But I don’t love all the changes over the past year or two. So I’d like to mix it up, try some other family vacations.

We’ve just returned from Universal and I was hoping to love it but I did not. My 10yo did, but I never ever want to go there again.

Where else have you gone with young children and loved? We have a 10yo and 2 yo. I love that WDW has things that we all enjoy and I LOVE that I don’t have to prepare food the whole time we’re there. We spend a lot of time at Jersey shore, which is great except I still have to do food shopping and prep, which really detracts from vacation for me.

I’d love any suggestions. Ideally, the place is either driving distance from Philly or a quick direct flight.

Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster. Dutch Wonderland. Hershey (both the theme park and factory tour), the Turkey Hill Experience and Taste Lab in Columbia, PA (near Lancaster). If it reopens, the Herr's Potato Chip factory used to do tours. Other amusement parks: Knoebel's in Elysburg, Idlewild in Ligonier or Kennywood in Pittsburgh.

ETA: The Crayola Factory in Easton, PA is also close to Philly

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We are currently stationed in Europe so trying to explore everything here that we can (Covid definitely put a damper on that), but my sisters and I loved Williamsburg as kids. It is definitely on our list for when we get back. Probably try to combine with a DC visit.

Dollywood is someplace I wrote off before we moved overseas, but some friends went recently and all of them said it was excellent, so it’s on our list now too!

one thing to remember with Dollywood you have to get special pass every day on just once a trip. not sure how the pass works at the water park as it does not help me there. in main park you enter from exit area on most rides. for the big train you pass the main line and go to the exit and join the short line there

 

[DISfam2401]

Direct flight to Cancun and stay at an all-inclusive in Riviera Maya? Lots of them have kids clubs and you don't need to cook or do a thing!

 

[DebLovesPooh]

We went to Club Med in Florida and had a great time. Kiddos have been asking when we can go back. Plenty of activities and endless food and drinks.

 

[Sabine W.]

Dollywood. Because Dolly Parton can do no wrong!

 

[unrequited23]

I LOVE that I don’t have to prepare food the whole time we’re there. We spend a lot of time at Jersey shore, which is great except I still have to do food shopping and prep, which really detracts from vacation for me.

A cruise was suggested up-thread, and the main draw for me was that someone else decided on where we were eating each night, at what time and even picked out the menus. I didn't have to plan, shop, prep, cook or clean up. Don't even get me started on how nice it was to head to the beach at Castaway Cay without feeling like a pack mule.