Help! DH wants to try something new for vacation

[Karrie Davis]

We are yearly Disney Worlders and all of us LOVE it. We spend 1 1/2 to 2 weeks each winter every year. We have a 4 year old and he REALLY loves it.

We were planning a Disney Cruise and week at the park BUT......
now my husband says "why don't we try a non Disney trip this year". I actually was confused at the comment and thought he was kidding or maybe I did not hear him right - who would want to skip a DW trip? He never has any opinion at all so it is a huge deal when he does so I will honor his wishes but HOW??????

We have done so many non Disney Trips but that was before DW and I can not even imagin anything else as a matter of fact My son and I will still be making a mini trip at some point becasue we just "have to".

So where is a fun place to take the family for a nice vacation. Not in FL at all.... We were thinking Mexico, Hawaii, but don't know really what to do or where to stay....

 

[LadyShea]

What non-Disney hobbies do you have or activities do you enjoy to help narrow it down a bit? Do you like camping, boating, snorkeling, hiking, museums, history, lying on the beach, exploring ancient ruins?

Psst: Adventures By Disney offers tours of exotic and/or interesting locations. Disney quality and service, but not in a theme park

 

[Magic Mom]

We were planning a Disney Cruise and week at the park BUT......
now my husband says "why don't we try a non Disney trip this year". I actually was confused at the comment and thought he was kidding or maybe I did not hear him right - who would want to skip a DW trip? He never has any opinion at all so it is a huge deal when he does so I will honor his wishes but HOW??????

....

We rented a beautiful cabin in the Smokies two years ago, and we loved it. We had a wonderful time. We did some light hiking (waterfalls etc), a little bit of touristy stuff in Gatlinburg (aquarium, Ripley's, shopping, alpine lift.) We also camped two nights in the park and got to see the Synchronous Lightening bugs in Elkmont (the only place in this hemisphere you can see them). We went tubing and DD got to spend a lot of time in the streams swimming and splashing. We took a trail ride in the park on horses. We went to some Ranger led activities (day and night).
All in all it was a great vacation (even if I couldn't find a dole whip or one single hidden mickey).

ooooohh another thought is one of the Adventures by Disney family vacations!!! the one that goes to Wyoming look amazing. Yeah yeah, do that and come back and tell us all about it so I can live vicariously through you!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We've taken the kids to Beaches Turks and Caicos twice.

Very pricey but definetly not more than a DCL and a week at Disney. Its alot of fun , everything is all-inclusive , and I know its not Mickey Mouse but the Sesame Street characters are there.

My kids love it there . And actually we are skipping WDW next year to go back to Beaches.

 

[Chokky]

We love Club Med and have been to the two in Mexico - Ixtapa and Cancun.
It is a blast and the kids cry when we have to leave to go home.
The kids programs are great and there are so many sports activities to try.
All Inclusive and fully renovated we love it and can't wait to go back.

 

[Rylee]

... umm... and you aren't the least bit concerned about what is wrong with your husband? Did you feel his forehead, make him say..."ah" and tell him to rest?

 

[meandtheguys2]

The world outside the world is an awesome place. I'd suggest that you don't want to burn out your husband, and find somewhere warm and friendly. We love HH, So. Cal., Maine, Boston,l the Adirondacks, Canada, and Mexico.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Divorce him immediately and join the witness protection program!

J/k!

Have you looked at Atlantis in the Bahamas? It is such a great place and they even have water slides!

 

[nessz79]

Divorce him immediately and join the witness protection program!

J/k!

Have you looked at Atlantis in the Bahamas? It is such a great place and they even have water slides!

I second this if you can afford it (wicked expensive in my opinion, but I think comparable to a deluxe Dis hotel). DH and I went for our Honeymoon...we got a great deal on it. Tons of stuff for kids AND adults.

 

[Liltx]

I think it's a great idea. I can't wait until my two are old enough to enjoy other places.
We have taken one or both to Virginia to Williamsburg, virginia beach, Yorktown etc, Charleston SC and Kiawah Island, and to New York (upstate) and California (San Deigo and DL). They were too little to really enjoy it though. They are 3 and 5 now. When they are 8 and 10 we will only be going to DIsney every 3rd year. Too many other wonderful places to visit. I want them to experience the world.
DH and I LOVE Chicago. For now it's our getaway but it seems very kid friendly (cubs, museums, navy pier, lake).

I would also recommend my hometown San Antonio. It's a great city with tons of culture. You could also drive to the beach from here (2 1/2 hours) for a few days.

I can't wait to take them skiing in a few years in your state! I love Colorado.

Monica

 

[Darcy03231]

How about a cruise? Our kids love them and have since they were little. Both Royal Carribean and Carnival have wonderful kids programs - which will give the adults some alone time. We've been all over the carribean and have places that we want to go back to for a land based vacation.

 

[disneygal2007]

What non-Disney hobbies do you have or activities do you enjoy to help narrow it down a bit? Do you like camping, boating, snorkeling, hiking, museums, history, lying on the beach, exploring ancient ruins?

Psst: Adventures By Disney offers tours of exotic and/or interesting locations. Disney quality and service, but not in a theme park

Thats what I was gonna say. When we get rich or retire from the military what ever comes first we want to do one for Italy but I want the kids to be a little older.

 

[tiaquessa]

We have friends that said Dollywood is a great place to take the family. They have an amusement park, and a water park. The best thing is that they said its very clean and well kept up. After going to Disney three years in a row, we have a hard time going places that compare to WDW. I am also in the OP's shoes. I have become the "Disney Freak" in the family (according to my wife), and she has also said that she wants to take a year off from WDW. I'm having a real hard time with this, especially since we would be leaving this coming Monday if we were going this year. So instead, we are going to go to Boston, and Ogunquit Maine. BTW, Boston is really fun, and there is alot to do there. (Aquarium, Planetarium, Duck Tour, Faneuil Hall, And Quincy Market) And Maine- The outlets in Kittery (TONS OF OUTLETS!!), and the beaches of Ogunquit and Wells. Ogunquit has a beautiful 3 mile long beach that is great for the kids, and for taking long walks. (WARNING- This is not Florida water. The water in Maine even in mid-July only gets to about 60-65 degrees)

 

[Worfiedoodles]

We love to cruise in years when we don't go to Disney -- there are some wonderful kids programs, so many great places to see, and it's very relaxing to unpack once and then be waited on. My ds would say his favorite was the Disney Cruise Line, but we've also had a great time on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

We are getting to the point of doing other land vacations, and I think we will eventually visit Washington DC, Niagara Falls, NYC, San Francisco, San Diego, Philadelphia, etc. One place I've been finding some great ideas for close to home and far away is the Family Fun website. They have a great travel section with sample itineraries for a ton of major cities, as well as links to websites for local attractions. I've been using this to find fun weekend ideas that I wouldn't have thought of, like a walking tour of Boston designed for kids.

We like to sample a little bit of everything. Spending all our vacation dollars in one place every year doesn't appeal to us.

It sounds like you should give dh a break before he burns out on the Disney fun. Since you have a 4 yr. old, have you looked into Sesame Place in PA? Or an all-inclusive with the Sesame Street characters? The Family Fun site lists activities by age, so once again, I urge you to check it out!

 

[katie111]

I go to Disney every year with my kids but its not really DH"s thing so the past two years I've taken my sister instead. Then we get to use DH's vacation time for another family trip. Since I'm a SAHM I've got plenty of vacation time!

We're gone to Turks & Caicos, which is so beautiful & so relaxing. We've also done an all inclusive in the Mayan Riviera. This I would highly recommend. THe kids had the best time, they actually said they liked it better than Disney. And they have kids clubs so you can get some free time. What I really liked was that the kids clubs were really low key....nature walks, arts & crafts, etc. I thought they were so much better than the Disney cruise kids clubs which my kids didn't care for at all (way too many kids in there at one time). US Virgin islands are also beautiful and relaxing.

I agree with the other posters, there is just so much to see in the world why limit yourself to one place. I bet once you experience somewhere else with your kids you may want to take a few years off from Disney. After our last trip there in Feb, I decided I'm not going back for at least 2-3 years. Its fun but its also exhausting..I come home feeling like I need a vacation from my vacation.