Disney has ruined my vacation...

[mist_e_rose2002]

I live in Missouri and have yet to visit Branson!! Be careful it is VERY expensive to go to Branson.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Now, I have a question while we're talking about amusement parks....has anyone ever been to Cedar Point? I've seen it on the Travel Channel and it seems awesome, but don't know much about it.

We live in NE Ohio and have been to Cedar Point many, many times. DH & I even went there for our honeymoon LOL. It is an awesome park. Well keep, friendly employees, decent food, etc. It isn't Disney but it is very nice.

I love the roller coasters and the kids love the kid themed areas. Typically we just go for the day but we have stayed at the Hotel Breakers and it is nice, right on the lake and within walking distance to Cedar Point.

I am having a hard time trying to plan "other" vacations too. We are going somehwere for spring break in 3 weeks and I have no clue where LOL. It started out as a Disney trip but DH dislikes Disney so he protested . The kids & I usually go without him but he will be joining us for vacation over spring break.

 

[Mitchell]

I live in STL and visit Branson about 4-6 times a year. My BF and I got an AP the first time we went. We went for a weekend and didn't know if we'd be back, but it's only $58 for an AP!

Anyways, last time we were in Branson, we were looking through thier newspaper or something and it had a lot of info about packages. Something like you would get 3 nights/2 days at Radisson, 2 dinners and 2 parks for a pretty low price.

It seems you like the low proce of Disney and meal vouchers and there are a lot of packages for Branson, specifically I know with the Radisson. I would check the packages out because they will give you meal vouchers and you can pick between going to SDC, Celebration, Whitewater or I think 2 different shows. I wish I could remember which newspaper it was! I'd search the net!!

Melissa

 

[Mitchell]

Try BransonArrangements.com

They have lots of packages that will include lodging, show, park and food!

Melissa

 

[TINK61]

If it were just me, I would go to WDW every year, but having 2 kids, I think it's important for them to see other parts of the country. Oh, the sacrifices we parents make.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

vossjemi
It does have the most and the best roller coasters, though. :thewave:

It might have the MOST roller coasters but not 1 of there Roller Coasters has a story or a theme to it at all. I often make summer trips there for a cheap thrill rush but is NOTHING compared to Disney!

 

[jlcbshaw]

Try going to "Branson Web Sites". They have links to all the hotels,shows, restruants, etc. They offer deals on most of the shows for Family passes. We took 7 grandkids to Branson last July & most of the shows let us use one pass, a couple had us use a family pass for up to 6 kids then gave us the childs price for the other one even though they should have charged the adult price. Example: All 9 of us saw the Presleys for 55.00. You need to get the phone numbers off the website & contact them personally & they will work with you. Another thing is to ask if they give discounts for seeing other shows. Sometimes you can get as much as half off. I was looking at the websites this week & noticed that they are offerring a 3 or 4 day pass for 59.00/ 69.00 to be used at Silver Dollar City & Celebration City & White Water. Plus with this pass you get discounts to several other attractions like the Branson Showboat (If I remember right an adult gets the childs price for the meal), plus several other places. It is a really good site to get your bearings on what you want to see or do. The hotels on the sites can be a little pricey, but if you contact the Chamber of Commerce they can give you names of some of the smaller hotels with prices that can be as low as 25.00 a night. They are small but nice. We stayed 7 days last year in two hotel rooms with all the grandkids & saw 2-3 shows a day, ate out 2 meals a day( at restraunts, not McDs or Burger King), went to the Tracks almost everyday (order tickets online if you go there for better deals), Ate at Dixie Stampede one night, and gave them spending money and we spent about 2000.00 Not bad for that many people. My son sent me this link because he is convinced there is no place like WDW & I agree it is great & plan on taking the grandkids, but Branson is a lot nicer than what some people think it might be & not as expensive as most think if you know to ask for discounts & Family Passes. They have books with discounts for meals to buy one get one 1/2 off & same for shows or you can print out some off of these websites. Hope you can put together a nice package & have a great time there.

 

[gabbygrennell]

We too have been "ruined" by the disney magic!
Every time we plan a vacation, elsewhere.... after finding out how much it is going to cost etc...
we end up at disney!
No where else has the "magic"!!!!!
I guess we are hooked!
Heck, even planning a romantic getaway for our 10th anniversary (with no kids along i might add) and guess where we are going? Of course! Where else would we go?? lol!!!

 

[fam4jc]

I thought I was the only one! My dh still thinks he wants to go other places, but after we got home from a very nice expensive trip to Las Vegas (after staying Poly concierge a few months prior) we looked at each other and decided we really didn't like it. He blames it on the fact we didn't have our kids with us... I know he has the WDW bug like I do but he won't admit it yet.... So I am taking our girls to WDW in 31 days by myself He says he was Disneyed out; sure, sure, but he is just in denial. Keeps mentioning the best dive he has ever been on... guess where??? Epcot

The fact is that a WDW resort is just in it's own class - no comparison. That's why we save and spend sooooo much money there. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY

 

[annabelle]

You can get to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (or Cancun) for around $700-$1000 a person. That includes rt airfare, transfers from the airport, a week at a beautiful resort on the beach, all you can eat and drink 24 hours a day, nightly entertainment, beach activities.... not to mention being at one of the most gorgeous beaches on the planet.

It's not Disney... but if you're a beach person, the relaxation and the beauty of the area can't be beat.... just think: no lines, no crowds, no over-priced burgers... just total tranquility.

Here's a photo:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/214288213/214299797YlcFhw

 

[Ozymoe]

Just thought I'd chime in since I happen to be the Disney nut in the family and have just finished planning our first family vacation to Branson (for 5 people, 2 adults and 3 teens, 15, 15 and 17).

Our accomodations wil be Fairfield (5 crown gold resort) ...don't know the final price yet since I will be booking it less than 60 days out so I can take advantage of 50% discount because we are platinum owners...so if I get what I want with them lodgings for a 2 BR condo, full kitchen, w/D, personal jacuzzi etc.) for 10 days starting June 12 will total (ok, you got me...I have to go call them and edit this a little bit later).

I purchased 4 3-park (Silver Dollar City, Celebration City, and White Water waterpark) annual passes ($105 each) before Feb 28th of this year so also received 28 "Bring a Friend For Free" passes (which we'll use for DH since he really wants to just veg on this vacation, but doesn't want to miss out totally...it is my understanding that of the 28 free passes, there will be 4 available for his use in this particular time frame)...Cost: $424.25

Yesterday I also purchased 15 tickets, a $50 Visa debit card and 2 Golden Corral meals for $224. So for $174 (not counting the debit card which we will use for stuff we would buy anyway...lol, probably groceries) we have 2 Golden Corral meals (not fine dining, but more than adequate with lots of reasonably healthy choices...and the teens love it) and 5 tickets to Tanya Tucker or the Oakridge Boys or something similar), 5 tickets to a Cirque show and 5 tickets to a magic show (Brett somebody, he's supposed to be great!).

This is shaping up to be a great (cheap) vacation! We are all excited about exploring Silver Dollar City (and listening to the talented performers there as well), having fun at the waterpark and also enjoying the fireworks and rides at Celebration City.....as well as a magic show, a cirque show and a "name performer" show!

 

[NewoLij]

We do Disney every other year with a "cheap" non-disney trip in-between. Those "cheap" vacations ALWAYS end up costing about the same as a Disney trip. For example, this year's "cheap" vacation is up to $3000. That's for a family of 4 driving to The Outer Banks and renting a house with 3 other families. That's just for a house on a beach! No rides, no fireworks, no monorails, no MAGIC! Plus, we'll be cooking dinner every night. That's not a vacation!

So, I too am ruined by Disney. Just seems like a waste of money going to other places.

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

We went to WDW in December 2004 and stayed onsite at Pop Century with the $55/night code. Bought our tickets through Hotwire and used meal vouchers,too. It was our 1st visit and we had a blast.

Now, we're trying to plan a summer vacation to Branson MO and I am having a hard time doing it. Disney has RUINED me!!

I've realized that we are going to spend MORE money (because there are no comparable discounts) than if we were to go to Disney. So my heart's not in planning this trip at all!

We'll have to pay $40 to $50 a day to go to Silver Dollar City and all I can think of is, "...for that money, we could go to WDW (on multi-day passes).

Will I ever be able to enjoy a non-Disney vacation again????

I really doubt you'll enjoy Silver Dollar City after going to Disney. I didn't like it even compared to Six Flags...

 

[vossjemi]

You can get to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (or Cancun) for around $700-$1000 a person. That includes rt airfare, transfers from the airport, a week at a beautiful resort on the beach, all you can eat and drink 24 hours a day, nightly entertainment, beach activities.... not to mention being at one of the most gorgeous beaches on the planet.

It's not Disney... but if you're a beach person, the relaxation and the beauty of the area can't be beat.... just think: no lines, no crowds, no over-priced burgers... just total tranquility.

Here's a photo:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/214288213/214299797YlcFhw

Ok, Annabelle, please tell me the name of this resort! Our next trip is going to be just that, an all-inclusive in the Caribbean.

 

[annabelle]

Vossjemi....

Here are some more pictures... these were taken at the Club Maeva Tulum which is south of Playa Del Carmen.

Really, you need to decide what you want... do you want to be on a beach strip with other hotels? Near a small town? Something more private? A large resort with a 1000 rooms or something smaller with less than 500 rooms? Do you want to be in Cancun in the heart of lots of actions or somewhere that's more laid back and less "commercial"? Do you need a 5* hotel or will a 3* be fine?

BTW, I'm not a travel agent... just been to the Cancun area dozens of times and love the beauty of it all! This year we've committed to Disney with the in-laws so I've been staring at the beach pics on-line to get my "fix"! Good luck... email me with any ?'s if ya want (marybliss4@aol.com)

http://community.webshots.com/photo/251184605/251192378rhqTbp

http://www3.telus.net/plbraun/Mexico/pages/IMG_1162.html

http://www3.telus.net/plbraun/Mexico/pages/IMG_1163.html

http://www3.telus.net/plbraun/Mexico/pages/IMG_0998.html

http://www.texaspepper.net/maeva/Seabass/Main Building.jpg

http://www.texaspepper.net/maeva/Seabass/Outside lunch at the beach.jpg

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

I totally agree...once you go to Disney...everything else seems so mundane and unexciting.

 

[vossjemi]

I'm loving those pics Annabelle! I've been to Cancun before. Stayed at Cancun Palace. It and most of Cancun was a little too commercial for us, so we've discussed going down to Playa del Carmen next time. Although the beach there was the most amazing I've ever seen, even more so than Hawaii. Although I loved hawaii too. I'll have to look up this resort to find out more about it. I'm very interested. Awww....vacation planning. hee hee.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Annabelle, very beautiful pics, thanks for sharing. I love All-inclusives and take turns every other year with Orlando. Its the best of both worlds, totally different vacations, both fantastic. People associate Disney with "magic"...there is also "magic" in being in a different country with a different culture, standing on the most awsome pure white beach over looking a blue ocean with amazing scenery (as in real mountains, lol), laughing with the locals. Somehow all the stress in your body just melts away and you feel sooo peaceful....nothing mundane about that.

 

[annabelle]

Annabelle, very beautiful pics, thanks for sharing. I love All-inclusives and take turns every other year with Orlando. Its the best of both worlds, totally different vacations, both fantastic. People associate Disney with "magic"...there is also "magic" in being in a different country with a different culture, standing on the most awsome pure white beach over looking a blue ocean with amazing scenery (as in real mountains, lol), laughing with the locals. Somehow all the stress in your body just melts away and you feel sooo peaceful....nothing mundane about that.

It's a different kind of magic... but magical nonetheless. For me, going to Disney is taking me out of my element. I'm a beach person through and through - themeparks just aren't my cup of tea but I can't help but be excited about going to WDW since my KIDS are super excited. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see the castle and ride some rides. Plus we're going to SeaWorld which will be fun... then we're ending our trip with a long weekend on Anna Maria Island (south of Tampa). It's a small island with no high rises, lots of tropical flowers and palm trees... very laid back- about 3 hrs from Disney. The beaches are gorgeous and the closest thing I could find to my beloved beaches down in Mexico.


VOSSJEMI: The Playa Del Carmen beaches are ALL gorgeous (just like Cancun's). As a matter of fact, if you go south of PDC to the area where those pics were taken, the water is not only beautiful, but calmer. In Cancun, the waves crash a lot harder (same with PDC). Some people like that... I prefer the calmer waters south of PDC. At the resort in the pics above, the resort sits on a bay shaped beach so it's especially calm, plus there's lots of coral reef which is GREAT for snorkeling. It's like swimming in a tropical aquarium... all sorts of colorful fish swimming all around, you can practically touch them! I can snorkel for hours and hours and never get bored with it. It's absolutely amazing... it's mother nature at her best... nothing's man-made, nothing's electronic, etc. When I read about Discovery Cove near SeaWorld... and the amount of money they were wanting to snorkel in a body of water that was man-made... I just couldn't believe it. But I guess it would be good for those folks who want something close to Disney and self-contained.

Good luck with the vacation planning... I can't wait to plan our next trip south of the border...

Oh and just a small "heads up". If you go to Playa Del Carmen... expect to see some "topless" women. Lots of Europeans vacation down there and so going topless is just normal for them. But for some Americans, it can be quite a shock, especially when you don't know going about the toplessness going in. But they're harmless...

 

[vossjemi]

Here I am planning my Disney trip for this Sept,....and panting away at Annabelle's pictures thinking ok, when shall I schedule our next vacation? ha ha. I just love beach vacations! Haven't done the Pacific side of Mexico yet and was wondering about that. Have also heard Punta Cana is the up and coming cheap but nice all inclusive place, so I've got my research cut out for me.

To the OP...guess I should get this thread back on your topic! LOL I did see a commercial on tv tonight about a website for Branson info called ever so surprisingly....
www.bransonmo.com
I think.. or was it
www.bransonmissouri.com
Well, I can't remember now, but they are both websites. So....happy searching.