Help w/ budget vacation to ocean city

[disneyvacalover]

Looking for any advice/help in planning a family vacation to Ocean City MD. 2 families with a total of 4 adults and 6 kids.
Looking to stay as nice as possible for as low as possible.
Any past experiences good or bad?
Thank you in advance!

 

[Dannielle_1]

I've not been to Ocean City, MD before, however, every year, my family goes to Ocean City, NJ. We rent a house/condo/duplex for a week. I would imagine that this possibility is also available in OC, MD. We've had up to 14 people in a house - 4 bedroom, one "family" per bedroom. (ie: some combination of aunt/uncle/cousins, aunt/uncle/cousins, grandparents, brother/sister/mom&dad, DH/Me/DS, Sister/BIL/neices)

If you are willing to share accomadations with the family you are traveling with, you could rent and split the costs of housing, kids would probably have a blast having a week long sleep over. Also, you would then have a full kitchen and greatly cut down on your eating costs. Alternate nights with the other family so you cook every other night so you don't have to prepare a meal everyday. When we go to the beach, we order in pizza one night, and then cook the rest, plus generally eat every other meal at the house as well. (Breakfast & Lunch - just normal the normal stuff we'd have at home.) Might occasionally grab something on the boardwalk, but thats the exception.

Finally, the earlier in the season you go, generally the lower the price (at least in OC, NJ). We generally go the middle - last weeks of June. The week of July 4 rental prices skyrocket and remain so for all of July and a few weeks in August. Late August they might fall a little bit again.

Again, I'm not sure at OC, MD, but the closer to the beach the more expensive, however, you then don't have to drive and park. Check to see if you pay for parking there and if you need to, it might be better to pay a little bit more to get with-in walking distance, but off the beach - ie: skip the ocean view (unless you are willing to pay for it.) We are usually about two - two-and-a-half blocks back from the beach. Easy enough to walk back for a bathroom break.

Google home rentals and the city or google realtors in the area and see if they can help with a rental.

Just a few things for you to consider, hope it helps.

 

[sherry7]

I'll be watching this thread to see what is suggested. We've been to Ocean City, MD a couple of times mostly because it's only about a 5-6 hour drive, and it always costs a small fortune. Hotel rates there are very high in my opinion. I've found that we can take a cruise for cheaper than going to OC...except for the difference of not having to pay airfare to OC.

Last time we went we stayed at the Dunes Motel (Motel, not Hotel...they are right next to each other). The rates were decent compared to other places, and the oceanfront efficiency room we got was very clean. We liked the location...near the end of the boardwalk which is why it's a bit less expensive, but the little tram (about $2 each way?) stopped about 50 yards away from the Motel.

Wherever you stay, be sure to check the reviews on TripAdvisor.com first. There are some really dumpy motels/hotels in OC.

 

[of the seas]

Don't go during Grad Week!

 

[solotraveler]

Looking for any advice/help in planning a family vacation to Ocean City MD. 2 families with a total of 4 adults and 6 kids.
Looking to stay as nice as possible for as low as possible.
Any past experiences good or bad?
Thank you in advance!

For a party that size, rent a condo! There are several realty companies in OC that do weekly rentals. I would recommend looking up the properties on their websites and see what you come up with. Probably sooner rather than later.... it is getting close to the start of the season.

Bayside is going to likely give you cheaper rates by a mile and more availability for larger rooms. I would look North (say, 65th St to Delaware) rather than South. There is some limited free parking near the beach, so that cost shouldn't be a consideration.


I would avoid avoid avoid, early June (Maryland HS grad Beach Week), the two weeks on either side of July 4th (it's a weekend this year, so lots of folks get extra days off), Labor Day weekend and Bike Week (mid-September).

Hope that helps!

 

[Madison'smommy]

When are you planning on going? I would definatly stay up north and just take a bus or drive down to the boardwalk etc... I grew up going there, we had a beach house there my whole life... and I lived there for about 5 years full time.

 

[disneyvacalover]

We plan on going at the end of august. I have never been so I dint really understand what you mean by stay north. Thanks for all the help so far. Please keep em coming. I need all the help I can get.

 

[ktfindora]

I've been going for a week every summer for the past 8 years with my sister and her husband and another couple. We LOVE it, but it can be pricey, especially since we like to eat out every night! We do save though by splitting the week between the 3 couples. We usually stay bayside which is cheaper than ocean side. We've stayed all over, but alot of times we stayed at Heron Harbour on 120th street. The downside to bayside is walking to the beach (which you may not want to do with small kids) but it never bothered us. There is a pool at Heron Harbour which our kids enjoy also. My sister usually always goes through Coldwell Banker and also through VRBO to look at rental pictures and decide. Many places have small kitchens so if you buy food down there you can save alot by cooking meals at night. They also have coupon books in all of the convience stores down there and we always use them for mini golf and dinners. Also, the boardwalk is all the way up on the first 20 blocks so traffic from 120th st. down to the boardwalk can sometimes take awhile, but we usually only go down to the boardwalk 2 times or so. Hope some of this helps!

 

[denise5374]

We are going this year with my Dsis and her family and my Dparents. There are 6 adults and 4 kids. We are renting 2 Condo oceanfront in the north end of town, one 2 bedroom and one 3 bedroom and it is $900 per family, so both condos are $2700 for the week.

Don't no what kind of budget you have. We went through Coldwell Banker I think the website is www.cbvacations.com

We cook breakfast and lunch in the condo and go out for dinner. A coupke nights we will go to the boardwalk, couple times go mini golfing. My Dh went to OC every summer growing up and we have been there many times as a family.

We are going 8/21-8/28 as the rates drop off that week. Our kids don't go back to school until after Labor Day.

 

[J3nn78]

We love the condos at the Carousel.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I would actually suggest not going to Ocean City. I was originally planning on going there this coming summer for a week; but it was just prohibitly expensive. Upon suggestions of others, I have ended up about a 1/2 hour north at Rhehoboth Beach, DE where I was able to get a 4 bedroom, 3 bath condo for $1600 for the week and I have gotten great suggestions from DIS'ers on what to do, where to eat, etc. It supposedly is a really nice family place and I'm looking forward to staying there. We may go down to Ocean city for one day, but maybe not!

 

[Charitycase20]

Ok I couldn't read this and not give my 2 cents worth. I live about 30 min from Ocean City, MD. I see you are planning on coming in August, I would suggest looking into a rental property, (google it) and possibly even staying in the Berlin/Ocean Pines area if you can find something. Yes you're not on "the beach" and you will have to drive but it will a tad cheaper. You could also try Bethany Beach or Fenwick Island. Both are in Delaware but are really only 10-15 minutes north of OC. More family friendly areas. I would stay away from Rehoboth...more and more people are finding out what a cool little town it is and its really starting to get crowded in the summer like OC. Also, alot of people vacationing there lead "alternative" livestyles, if that would bother you. I worked in that area for 4 years and some of my nicest customers were the "couples". Great folks!! Of course, Rehoboth does have some awesome outlet centers and if you venture up there you MUST eat at Nicola's Pizza, best "Nicaboli" (stromboli) in the world or Tim's Pizza and Subs for an awesome Cheesesteak sub!! I would also stay away from Dewey Beach, esspecially on the weekends after the sun goes down...PARTY-town...bigtime (speaking from experience).

I hope you and your family find something that fits great for your stay...let me know if I can help you in anyway.

 

[hsmamato2]

last spring we got a nice deal on a hotel called the Plaza (?) and it was so nice! for 77.00 a night too! right on the boardwalk,had a small fridge and micro too

 

[ILUVPOOH1]

Check out the Francis Scott Key hotel. It's not all that far of a ride to the boardwalk, rooms are like mini suites, some have fridges etc. lot's to do there. We love it!

 

[disneystar65]

We plan on going at the end of august. I have never been so I dint really understand what you mean by stay north. Thanks for all the help so far. Please keep em coming. I need all the help I can get.

We go every summer and stay in a gorgeous condo complex on the bay called sunset island. It is a gated community, with huge outdoor and indoor pools. The condos sleep up to 8 and they also have town houses to rent.
The last 2 years we got a townhouse and it was so very nice, the first year we got a condo and that was nice too. Prices are much better end of August, that's when we plan to go this year and we can rent a townhouse for about $900 for the week. The nicer hotels have crazy prices like $350 a night, and we can get a 5 bedroom townhouse for 3 nights in a hotel. You can then cook some dinners in and save more money. If you goggle sunset island you will get more info. It is also in a great location pretty much in the middle of OC. We rent through Coldwell Banker OC and have had good experiences. We love OC hope you enjoy it - any questions feel free to ask.

 

[disneystar65]

For a party that size, rent a condo! There are several realty companies in OC that do weekly rentals. I would recommend looking up the properties on their websites and see what you come up with. Probably sooner rather than later.... it is getting close to the start of the season.

Bayside is going to likely give you cheaper rates by a mile and more availability for larger rooms. I would look North (say, 65th St to Delaware) rather than South. There is some limited free parking near the beach, so that cost shouldn't be a consideration.


I would avoid avoid avoid, early June (Maryland HS grad Beach Week), the two weeks on either side of July 4th (it's a weekend this year, so lots of folks get extra days off), Labor Day weekend and Bike Week (mid-September).

Hope that helps!

Surprisingly we have gone for labor day weekend twice and it was not crowded, now July 4th, that was crazy!

 

[disneyvacalover]

Great info. Please keep em coming!!!
Thank You!!!!!

 

[mrslur]

Ok I couldn't read this and not give my 2 cents worth. I live about 30 min from Ocean City, MD. I see you are planning on coming in August, I would suggest looking into a rental property, (google it) and possibly even staying in the Berlin/Ocean Pines area if you can find something. Yes you're not on "the beach" and you will have to drive but it will a tad cheaper. You could also try Bethany Beach or Fenwick Island. Both are in Delaware but are really only 10-15 minutes north of OC. More family friendly areas. I would stay away from Rehoboth...more and more people are finding out what a cool little town it is and its really starting to get crowded in the summer like OC. Also, alot of people vacationing there lead "alternative" livestyles, if that would bother you. I worked in that area for 4 years and some of my nicest customers were the "couples". Great folks!! Of course, Rehoboth does have some awesome outlet centers and if you venture up there you MUST eat at Nicola's Pizza, best "Nicaboli" (stromboli) in the world or Tim's Pizza and Subs for an awesome Cheesesteak sub!! I would also stay away from Dewey Beach, esspecially on the weekends after the sun goes down...PARTY-town...bigtime (speaking from experience).

I hope you and your family find something that fits great for your stay...let me know if I can help you in anyway.

I will second looking at Ocean Pines. We have stayed there several times and it's quiet and the drive is not too far to the beaches. Try www.vrbo.com for a home rental.

 

[momof5boys]

Oh yay, one of my favorite places besides Disney of course! Things you need to think about, how old are the kids? Will they be able to walk several blocks to the beach or will you need to load them up in the car?

Ocean City is a few miles long but only about a mile across at it's widest from bay to ocean. There is a main road going straight thru town, it is 6 lanes to cross in most areas. I preferred to stay on oceanside so we didn't have to cross that road with the kids(not a big deals lots of stoplights and crosswalks, just too many kids for us to handle!) Bayside has the newest construction mostly, you can rent nice new townhouses cheaper on bayside and you have a beautiful view of the sunset! Make sure you get a place with a full kitchen! The best way to save money is to have most of your meals at your rental, bring as much food with you as possible, there are only 2 grocery stores in OC and the prices reflect that. Not to mention it gets crazy crowded on Saturdays because everyone is arriving! We stop at a mini mart and get milk and stuff for the 1st day(to supplement what we brought from home) then shop on Sunday, works everytime!

I could go on for hours! I see many people mentioned Coldwell Banker, we have rented thru them and had no problems! Feel free to ask more questions!

 

[DaisyD]

We have been going to OC every year for the past 20 years or so. There were times we stayed in a condo down on the higher streets but we stopped that a long time ago. We prefer to stay on the boardwalk where all the people and shops are. Some prefer the peacefulness of being off the boards but not us. Over the years we have slowly tried just about every decent hotel and unfortunately not so decent ones. LOL!

Stay away from the Plim Plaza. I wouldnt stay there again if they paid me. Harrison Hall is another that has deteriorated over the years. Howard Johnsons was ok for the money. Phillips isn't very nice and neither is the Spinnaker. Beware of the newer Commander! We discovered our bed had been urinated in and they didn't have another mattress in the place. They refused to give us another room or purchase another mattress. I was expected to sleep on the flipped over mattress or on the floor until someone checked out and I would get their mattress. Needless to say, we will NEVER go back there again.

We have finally settled on the Holiday Inn and Suites on 17th street. It is still on the boardwalk but farther from the large crowds. It sleeps I believe 6-8? It's not your average HI. There are bellmen, 3 pools, including a great fun pool, and room service. The rooms are very large with a living room, dinette, full kitchen, very nice bath, and large bedroom. The place is pricey, about $450 a night but worth every penny.

We love OC. The beach in August will be awesome. Luckily that isn't any kind of Grad week either. I will be there in mid July for 8 days and really look forward to it.

As far as staying in Ocean Pines, I respectfully disagree. To me, that's like staying offsite. I want to be in the destination I've chosen and not have to drive to it every day. Good luck in your trip planning!