Horrors!! What other vacation!!

[mistee]

THE ONLY REAL VACATION I HAVE EVER TAKEN IS WDW WE ARE GOING AGAIN IN SEPT AND VERY EXCITED

I CAN'T HELP THINKING THOUGH,, WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO FOR A FAMILY VACATION

I LOVE WDW BUT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPERIENCE OTHER VACATIONS

WHAT OTHER VACATIONS ARE FUN?????? PREFER NO CRUISE AND NOTHING MORE $$ THEN A WEEK STAY AT A VALUE WDW RESORT!

ANY IDEAS? WHAT ELSE CAN A FAMILY W/ AN 11DD, 4 DS AND 1 DS DO?

WE LIVE IN DE BUT ARE WILLING TO DIVE 18-20 HOURS.

THANKS!!!

 

[smkiya]

I live in South Jersey, and I was introduced to a place called Smugglers Notch, VT. It's a family resort in Vermont. In the summer they have several water parks, tons of activities for kids, families, etc. In the winter no water parks but again tons of activities, and skiing. In the fall they have a lot going on too, but I think summer or winter is the best. If you sign up for their brochure, you'll get unbelievable discounts. I've read really great reviews about it. Like I said it's a resort, so you stay in a condo or villa, and like I said prices are really reasonable. Check it out, I will definately be going with my family in the future. Google it for their site.

 

[Darcy03231]

Rocking Horse Ranch in New York.

A cruise (my kids love to cruise).

All inclusive resort (my kids love these too).

 

[tjbaggott]

LOL, we are thinking ahead to a family vacation for NEXT summer. DH wants to go to Calgary Alberta for the Calgary Stampede, and I want to go to WDW. So we asked the kids. Hands down WDW!!!!!! So it just may be that it'll be a "mommy and Me" trip, as DH isn't really big on spending a week in WDW. I'm fine with that. As much as I'd love to have him along, if he really doesn't want to be there, then what FUN is that?

 

[mistee]

MY HUBBY ISN'T A WDW FAN EITHER

THAT IS WHY I AM LOOKING FOR LAST MIN TRIP IDEAS. WE HAVE TO PAY OFF OUT WDW VACA ON THE 8TH. THE KIDS AND I WERE THERE BACK IN FEB AND CAN'T WAIT TO GO AGAIN BUT I AM OPEN TO OTHER IDEAS..

IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE OTHER PLACES BUT DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE FUN THEN WDW IT IS ALSO HARD PLANNING ANOTHER VACA W/ A ONE YEAR OLD,, WDW YOU PUT IN STROLLER AND DO THE RIDES,, SHOWS AND THEY HAVE BLAST!

 

[stemikger]

Posted by Mistee
THE ONLY REAL VACATION I HAVE EVER TAKEN IS WDW WE ARE GOING AGAIN IN SEPT AND VERY EXCITED

I CAN'T HELP THINKING THOUGH,, WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO FOR A FAMILY VACATION

I LOVE WDW BUT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPERIENCE OTHER VACATIONS

WHAT OTHER VACATIONS ARE FUN?????? PREFER NO CRUISE AND NOTHING MORE $$ THEN A WEEK STAY AT A VALUE WDW RESORT!

ANY IDEAS? WHAT ELSE CAN A FAMILY W/ AN 11DD, 4 DS AND 1 DS DO?

WE LIVE IN DE BUT ARE WILLING TO DIVE 18-20 HOURS.

THANKS!!!

This is the situation I found myself in. However, we are no longer in the same boat as you. My daughter will be turning 15 and she is an only child who has mature tastes, so we can pretty much go any where.

However, for your kids, the best bang for your buck and the least stressful vacation I can think of is Disney at a value resort.

We go almost every year and the years we did try other things, we wound up spending just as much money if not more for a vacation that just dosen't stack up to Disney.

Everyother place we went we had to really search for things to do and I don't like to drive and I found myself spending time in the car figuring out where go go and what to do.

When we go to Disney we hop on the bus and never need to figure out what we are going to do and are never bored.

Now that my daughter is older we are going to possibly try a cruise next year, but I'm sure I will be missing Disney. We are going to Disney in 23 more days and I am just so excited.

P.S. The other vacations we tried were beach vacations and I am just not a beach person. I like it for one day and then I want to leave. We tried city vacations, but I live in the greatest city in the world (N.Y.), so nothing really can compare to the excitment of NYC to me and the only other place I can see myself enjoying almost as much as Disney is Vegas which I have never been, so that remains to be seen.

At this point in my life, I don't have a strong desire to go to Europe.

I see you live in DE, I used to go to Rehoboth Beach a lot and I enjoyed it, but again, it was no Disney. I also stayed at the Hershey Lodge and a place in Lancaster PA and my wife hated it. It was quiet and definitely was no Disney.

Most places just don't have the Disney service and atmosphere that make it top notch and so magical. That is why they call it the happiest place on earth.

 

[mistee]

I AM ALSO NOT THE BIGGEST BEACH PERSON! WE DO GO AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH BUT THAT IS TO FISH OR NET FOR CRITTERS FOR OUR 150 GALLON FISH TANK.

I AM ALSO NOT THE BIGGEST CITY PERSON! I AM ALL FARM GIRL,, GOT THE HORSES, GOATS , CHICKENS AND GEESE,,LOL.

I HAVE BEEN TO NY A FEW TIMES TO VISIT MY UNCLE RON,, HE IS A RADIO DJ ON XM. I HAVE A GOOD TIME WHEN THERE,, SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO. MY KIDS HAVE BEEN ASKING TO GO,, HAS BEEN A FEW YEARS AND MY 4 YEAR OLD WANTS TO SEE WHERE UNCLE RON LIVES I AM THINKING ABOUT DOING A WEEKEND VACA THERE MAYBE IN THE FALL.

MY HUSBANDS IDEA OF A GREAT VACA IS HUNTING AND FISHING,,LOL. I END UP HAVING TO WATCH THE 1 YEAR OLD WHILE HE HAS ALL THE FUN

 

[tjbaggott]

The one thing my DH DOES want aside from the Calgary Stampede, is Disney but NOT WDW, is the Disney Cruise! He wanted to just do a cruise this fall, but the kids and I wanted WDW, so we compromised and are doing a Land and Sea package.

 

[bjscheel]

Well, last year we went to the Colorado Springs area. We got a little cabin room in Woodland Park. We saw the cliff dwellings, rode the train up Pikes Peak, walked around Garden of the Gods, ate pizza at the city park, went to the zoo, then did the 16th St. Mall in Denver and bowled and shopped. We had a good time.

This summer we are going to Family Retreat at our church synod's camp at a lake in-state. There is really no planning involved and I haven't gotten excited yet, but I'm sure it will be good.

Next summer I am planning on Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN. Zip lines, Dollywood, Smoky Mountain National Park, lots of shows, all kinds of touristy things. What has made me excited over this trip is my SIL introducing me to vrbo.com. We love cabins and there are tons of rental cabins in the area. For not much more than a hotel room (I'm looking at $100-$150/night range), we can have a whole log cabin with separate bedrooms for the girls, hot tub, kitchen, the works! I'm having fun picking out favorites and narrowing down (even though we're not planning on this till June).

Then maybe it will be time for Disney again in 2011. I will say something about WDW and DH will say, just buy tickets if you want to...but I say I want to go to TN too and I am still debating on the new kitchen cabinets...

Last year we were spoiled with 2 out-of-state vacations, now the kids and DH think they could get used to that

 

[PaddingtonBear]

We've vacationed as a family in northern Michigan, Niagara Falls, the Canadian maritimes, Maine, VT, NH, Boston, Savannah, Charleston, Williamsburg VA, Washington DC, North Carolina, Hilton Head... All wonderful places with a lot to offer. I can't imagine confining my travel to Disney, its important to me that my kids see all of our beautiful country. I am hoping when they're older to travel aborad with them too.

 

[minniebeth]

If you live in Delaware, you certainly don't have to travel 18-20 hours to get someplace fun! Even if you're not a beach person, I would say the Outer Banks in NC is AWESOME for a young family....there's so much more to do there than just the beach. Most places to rent/stay have pools. My girls love the pool more than the beach, so we do a little beach and then the afternoons in the pool. There is so much to see and do in the Outer Banks, and it is truly relaxing. There are lots of lighthouses, you can go on a tour to see wild horses on the beach in Corolla, drive on the beach in a 4X4 (tour), the Wright Brothers Monument is there, Jockey Ridge State Park is AWESOME, fly kites, look/chase for ghost crabs on the beach with flashlights at night (one of my kids' faves. to do!) There's kayaking and other outdoor sports....
There's an awesome aquarium there, shopping, restaurants, I could go on.

The same goes for Hilton Head, but I'd say it's a little more quiet there...

We love Washington DC, there is a lot for kids to see and do and a lot of hands on things too. Many of the sights are free, so it balances out some costs of hotels, food.

Williamsburg, the same... you have Great Wolf Lodge and Busch Gardens, so you can have some Disney-type magic along with history and the quiet beauty of the area.

You can also do a vacation of touring some things in your area...Hershey Park one or two days, then onto a farm or B&B in Lancaster, PA since you like farms, Crayola Factory in PA, lots to do in that area.

These are things we've done with our kids, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE our Disney vacations, but we've had awesome times seeing and doing other things...
Hope you find something special!

 

[mistee]

I GUESS SINCE WDW IS ALL I KNOW IT IS EASY AND COMEFORTABLE

I LOOK AT THESE OTHER PLACES AND THEY LOOK FUN BUT,,, I DON'T KNOW

I WOULD LIKE FOR THE KIDS TO EXPERIENCE OTHER THINGS THEN WDW

 

[3boymthr]

It's very hard to break the cycle but Lots and Lots and Lots to see and do across this country.

Colonial Williamsburg where you have not only history but Busch Gardens

Anywhere in New England except for parts of northern maine are within a day's drive for you. NE has lots of places besides just beaches. Since you like country you might like as a pp suggested Vermont or just about anywhere in NH especially the White Mountains Region with the Flume and Lincoln and Conway and Kankamangus Highway and Clarks Trading Post and Storyland (a miniature theme park geared to little kids - doesn't compare to WDW but kids like it). Drive time from here is 2-3 hours and we're 8 hours from Dover Del (MIL & SIL live there we're going next week) So 10 - 11 hrs of driving for you. My kids love this area and have done so since they were little tots.

You could go to Tennessee and hit Graceland (Memphis) and Nashville and maybe do Mammoth Cave (KY) on your way.

You could do a theme park tour. Drive to various themeparks in a circuit all within a few hours drive of each other (Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, King's Dominion, Six Flags NJ, etc.). Just so you know who will much better appreciate WDW

 

[minniebeth]

I GUESS SINCE WDW IS ALL I KNOW IT IS EASY AND COMEFORTABLE

I LOOK AT THESE OTHER PLACES AND THEY LOOK FUN BUT,,, I DON'T KNOW

I WOULD LIKE FOR THE KIDS TO EXPERIENCE OTHER THINGS THEN WDW

I totally understand going back to WDW not only because you love it, but because it's in your comfort zone, you're familiar with it, you know how to plan, execute it, I really do get that, and understand it!
When we started branching out from Disney, I would start comparing, but then when we looked back at photos, etc. my kids talked about how much they loved the trip we took, memories, etc. Now we're at the point where we enjoy and don't compare w/Disney any more.
So what does your family like to do...you mentioned your DH likes to hunt/fish? You like a country atmosphere...1 yo a challenging age...there has to be something we can plan for you!

 

[minniebeth]

Rocking Horse Ranch in New York.

A cruise (my kids love to cruise).

All inclusive resort (my kids love these too).

Ok, I googled Rocking Horse Ranch, and it looks really cool! Thanks for sharing Darcy!

 

[smkiya]

Ok, I googled Rocking Horse Ranch, and it looks really cool! Thanks for sharing Darcy!

I just checked it out too, and it's on my list now too. Thanks!

 

[Darcy03231]

You're welcome! We live in Southern NH and it was one of my kids favorite places to go when they were younger. Its within driving distance for us so no airfare made it a very affordable vacation with a young family.