Christmas budget vacation

[marymary1]

DH was told he has to take mandatory vacation between Christmas and New Years in 2010 (company wide policy). So we want to make the most of it and plan a vacation. We really would like to cruise but that would be so expensive at that time. Disney would be fun but crowded I think.
We have two kids ages 10, 7 and live in southeast Pennsylvania. Has anyone done a budget vacation around this time, esp going to warmer weather? I would love to get away from the PA cold. Any other fun vacation ideas?

 

[tink2dw]

There is a Carnival Cruise permanently parked in the Baltimore Bay now.

Go to any of the Islands off Florida??

Isn't there cruise boats on the Mississippi River?

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'll give you a little bump here but I have nothing for you.

Christmas week is a very expensive time to be traveling to warmer climates. Airfare is cost prohibative; hotels are outrageous. If you go outside the USA, you need passports. And with a weakened dollar, you're getting less for your money.

A staycation would be the ideal budget vacation. Philadelphia has so much to offer and you can make a day trip to NYC quite easily. But it's highly unlikely that either will be warm and balmy in December.

 

[tink2dw]

Althou if you hang out here, you will probably learn enough to do a budget trip to WDW.

check this site for All the latest discounts.
http://www.mousesavers.com/

 

[Darcy03231]

The week between Christmas and New Years is one of the most popular travel weeks of the year. Its highly unlikely that you'll find a budget deal during this time.

If you have passports your best bet would be last minute all inclusive charter that doesn't sell out. Sometimes they discount them at the last minute to fill the plane/resort. Check out TNT or Apple Vacations. Sometimes they have last minute deals.

 

[HeatherC]

What about Hilton Head Island? You could do a family road trip and stop in Williamsburg along the way.

It's not totally warm, but warmer than PA. You could visit Charleston and Savannah, go on a whale watch, rent bikes, fly kites on the beach, etc..

Or Washington, DC and do some sightseeing. Hotels may be pricey, but most of the museums are free to make it budget.

One other thought...how far are you of a drive from like Wisconsin Dells with all the big water parks?

Hope this helps give you some ideas.

 

[marymary1]

Thanks for all the ideas. If the weather is good DC might work. And hilton head I never thought about, sounds exciting. We usually do indoor water park in Erie so that's a great idea too. Warm weather is the only thing I really miss in PA, wish I was in Florida.

 

[Ashmagash]

i'm not sure what you're budget is, but we're going for a week over new years- 28th-3rd and by renting points and using the disney dining plan (only a good deal depending on what kind of food/meals your fam does) we saved a lot of money. i think it came out to over $900 in hotel savings alone which helped us pay for the rest of the trip. the only thing i wasn't planning on was the outrageous airfare. we finally booked for $350 round trip per person and that's the cheapest its ever gone. from what i hear, if you're able to afford it new years is a great time to go. i've been to disney 8 times, once at christmas but never for new years so i'm really looking forward to it! christmas was an absolute blast! the crowds were a lot but if you have a plan you'll be fine. we use tgm.com but a lot of people really like tp.com for planning too