I'm back and trying to decide where to go next

[WanderlustNZ]

I think it's been almost 2 years now since I was a regular on these boards and I know I've missed out on so many of your wonderful plans and trip highlights in the interim. However, in an attempt to find a bit more happiness in the 'here and now', I had to step completely away from my travel obsession for a while and focus on other changes in my life. Anyway, I'm back now - a new invigorated me - and I'm again thinking about new travels and new adventures.

The trip I'm planning will have a little bit of Disney thrown in (it would seem wrong not to), but it is mostly about trying places new to us and seeing a bit more of the World.

I guess you could call this post a rough PTR of sorts, but more than that, I'm keen to just share my tentative plans with like-minded travelers and gauge your thoughts and ideas.

To begin with, we won't be doing this trip until the end of next year, a whole 19 months away. I'm completely okay with that though; we want to go away for a full month, so will need at least that long to save.

We will leave NZ about 3 days before Xmas 2018 and return roughly the same time the following month.
So far, the only part I have booked is a Western Caribbean cruise on the new Celebrity Edge. This leaves from Miami on 6 Jan 2019, visits Key West, Grand Caymans, and a few ports in Mexico, and returns a week later. I had hoped to do the Disney Fantasy again, but I just can't justify the price they are asking outside of the hurricane season.
After the cruise, we will spend about 8 days in Orlando doing WDW and USF before flying home. I'm thinking of dedicating an equal time at each, as (and please don't tar me over this) Universal is the one I've been most desperate to get back to. Can't get enough of that frozen Butterbeer.

The decision now is over how to spend the 2 weeks over Xmas and New Year and here are the options I'm deciding between.

Option A:
About 4 nights in Miami doing a road trip to the Florida Keys and possibly the Everglades. Followed by a 9 night tour of Costa Rica. My favourite thing to do when travelling is to see wildlife, so I think option A or B is the way I'm currently swaying.

Option B:
About 4 nights somewhere else in the States - possibly Texas since we are likely to fly into Houston. Followed by our Costa Rica tour. Keen to hear people's thoughts on where we could go for our 4 night mini road trip. We want to keep the flight costs down, so preferably somewhere on the flight path between either Houston and Miami or LA and Miami. These 4-5 days will include Xmas day.

Option C:
No Costa Rica, but instead spend about 6 nights over Xmas in a log cabin in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains National Park region, followed by a few nights in Nashville. We'll then fly down to Miami and do a road trip around the Keys and Everglades.

Thanks in advance for any ideas and comments

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome back! So glad you've sorted life so that you can come back and live vicariously with us!

Option A:
About 4 nights in Miami doing a road trip to the Florida Keys and possibly the Everglades. Followed by a 9 night tour of Costa Rica. My favourite thing to do when travelling is to see wildlife, so I think option A or B is the way I'm currently swaying.

Thanks in advance for any ideas and comments

Pick me! Pick me!

I love pick-a-box and spending other people's travel money.

I'd do A.

Not that i've been to Costa Rica, but it is on my bucket list. January is a great time for wildlife...whales, turtles, quetzal birds......the photography options are endless!!

And MANETEES at the Everglades during January. Need I say more?



Hmmm....Have you ever been down the Keys before? If you have, it is a consideration for option B. If you haven't, then it's definitely option A for me!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Welcome back!

I'd do A

Thanks for the welcome, it's good to be back

I'm tending towards A, while I think DH is a bit more keen on option C. In saying that, I've also shown him research on Costa Rica an he's said he's fine with the substitute. He's as always, pretty happy to go with the flow.

Dec/Jan is a great time to visit Costa Rica. It will be busy, but also the dry season in most places we want to go to. I desperately want to see a sloth in the wild (amongst other things) and DH has already said that should we end up going there, we're investing in a good new camera
I must admit - the thought is very exciting.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Hmmm....Have you ever been down the Keys before? If you have, it is a consideration for option B. If you haven't, then it's definitely option A for me!

I haven't. Have you? Keen to hear what it's like.
We have a day in Key West on our cruise, but it's actually the drive that appeals to me more than the destination.

I read that we could quite easily drive to the end and back in two days and also spend 2 days visiting the Everglades before or after. I wonder what would be the best thing to do on Xmas day?

By the way, I counted wrong and we actually have 21 months until our trip. 19 was too good to be true

 

[zanzibar138]

Welcome back! I am about to take my own travel hiatus, so will be living vicariously through you

I would go with option A. I think we have pretty similar travel styles, and Costa Rica would be far too tempting for me to go past. What amazing wildlife opportunities there will be there for you!

If you do end up spending any time in Texas, I enjoyed my time in and around San Antonio and the Hill Country. If it was between that and Costa Rica though, there would be no contest at all lol!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I haven't. Have you? Keen to hear what it's like.

We drove down in 2005.

We spent time in the Everglades in 2010.

We have a day in Key West on our cruise, but it's actually the drive that appeals to me more than the destination.

I read that we could quite easily drive to the end and back in two days

Technically true; but that leaves you with no time to see Key West or to meander down that road at your own pace. It's over 150 miles from Miami of mostly single lane each way. If there are slow cars, your pace will be s-l-o-w.

If you have a day in Key West on the cruise, then it may be okay. However, it's a long drive there and back just for the experience.

Having said that.....the scenery is spectacular and the drive on the Overseas Highway is one that should be on everyone's bucket list. It's a fabulous drive with wonderful water vistas wherever you look. And I remember that mostly every island was filled with caravan parks. Seems that it is true that everyone comes to Florida to retire!

and also spend 2 days visiting the Everglades before or after. I wonder what would be the best thing to do on Xmas day?

Why not Disney for Christmas? If not, do you know anyone in the Florida area that you could spend the day with?


BTW - I've seen a fellow Dis-ser post pictures of Naples. It looks spectacular there as well.

By the way, I counted wrong and we actually have 21 months until our trip. 19 was too good to be true

More time to save.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thanks PIO! All very helpful tips. Will keep that in mind regarding the Keys.

We don't know anyone in Florida, but are fine having a non-traditional Xmas. As long as I can book us into a restaurant for either Xmas lunch or dinner, we'll be happy.

I have considered Disney - not the parks (I couldn't cope with the crowds) but travelling around the hotels and enjoying the ambience. I'll just have to weigh up the cost and time of travelling to and from Orlando for just a few days. (Miami seems to be the best place to fly to Costa Rica from). Either way, it's definitely an option worth considering.

Will check out Naples - I'm currently not familiar with it.

Lot's of decisions, but thankfully plenty of time to figure everything out .

 

[WanderlustNZ]

We are booked on a tour of Costa Rica!

I basically became obsessed with researching Costa Rica until I said to DH 'I just have to book it'.

It's a guided tour with Gate 1 Travel (the same people we did China with all those years ago) and one of the cheapest tours I could find without going down the backpacking route. Much of what I had read had suggested not self-driving in Costa Rica, so it was either this as an option or booking our own buses, accommodation etc. Both were appealing, but Gate 1 can also get us good flight deals, so I went with that. It feels good to lock in a price, so now I know what I'm budgeting around.

I've only opted for their optional tours on the day we are in Arenal. In other areas, I will organise some wildlife tours with independent guides. I'm really keen to do some guided night tours as the wildlife you see then can be quite different to the animals that come out to play during the day.

So excited!

 

[zanzibar138]

Woohoo! That sounds awesome!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Woohoo! That sounds awesome!

Thanks. And thanks also for the tip above about Texas.
Am enjoying your pics of your time in Shanghai. Wish I could have joined you all on your recent Disboards trip.

 

[Tashinwdw]

This holiday sounds amazing, I cant wait to hear more of your plans, I can live vicariously through you. Our next WDW holiday wont be till around 2020

I like the sound of the night tours while in Costa Rica.

Its a shame disney cruises are so expensive, as much as I want to do another one I really dont think we can justify the expense next time we are over there. I have only done RCI other than disney but I hear really good things about celebrity (still a bit out of my price range when sailing in Aus, not sure what their prices are like compared to others in the US)

Keep us updated

 

[WanderlustNZ]

This holiday sounds amazing, I cant wait to hear more of your plans, I can live vicariously through you. Our next WDW holiday wont be till around 2020

I like the sound of the night tours while in Costa Rica.

Its a shame disney cruises are so expensive, as much as I want to do another one I really dont think we can justify the expense next time we are over there. I have only done RCI other than disney but I hear really good things about celebrity (still a bit out of my price range when sailing in Aus, not sure what their prices are like compared to others in the US)

Keep us updated

Hi Tash,

Thanks for popping in to my post
The trip is still so far away, but I'm already getting so excited.

We have done Celebrity once before on a Tasmanian cruise. It was the older Century that they have since sold, but we really enjoyed it. It was super cheap (about $100 pp per night including all drinks) which is why we booked it, but there were other ships in our waters at the time that probably would have been nicer (including some RCI boats).

What I did like about Celebrity was the food (nicer than Disney). What I didn't like was the way a lot of their 'enrichment' activities felt more like sales pitches (health talks, art talks, port talks etc). I'm hoping that a bigger, newer ship will have more actual classes and trivia etc.

We did look seriously at a RCI's new (being built now) Oasis class ship, along with a new NCL one, and to be honest, if a really good price comes up, we are not yet ruling out the option to switch to another line or ship. Plus, a lot of details about the Edge are still yet to be announced (such as Specialty dining) and if they don't suit our wishes, we'll also consider a switch.

However, we booked Edge in the end based on it's modern look, size (the really big ships scare me a bit) and the price. The base price was actually really similar to RCI, but for $NZ92 more pp, we were able to upgrade our Edge package to get free drinks (Premium Package), unlimited internet, and $US600 OBC. It was a no-brainer. The price has gone up considerably since we booked it, so I'm happy I got in within the first few days of opening.

We will use the OBC to cover specialty dining and a shore excursion or two, which essentially makes our whole cruise all inclusive. I love that, as cruising has a habit of adding up quite quickly. It's feeling like more and more lines are going down the path of nickel and diming.
I read recently that P&O now charge extra for their burgers and chips on deck. Having tried said Burgers and Chips, I am horrified. In today's Aussie market, it's not really a line that can afford to be so stingy.

Either way, we will try RC one day. You've cruised the Ovation haven't you? It looks like a great ship to do a cruise down under in. The thing that actually appeals to me most about RCI is the broadway shows. I have a soft spot for musicals and it's one of the reasons I loved Disney so much. One day.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

An update on our plans is that I am now even more seriously considering PIOs suggestion of spending our 3-4 nights over Xmas at Disney World.

If I can manage to rent the DVC points for one of the more decorated resorts (preference for Wilderness Lodge), we will look at a no park stay where we just visit the Resorts, restaurants and Disney Springs. (Although a one day visit to Epcot World Showcase where we can absorb the Xmas atmosphere without worrying about queuing for the rides does appeal).

Either way, I'll probably try at the end of this year to lock in some points and see if I can be successful.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks. And thanks also for the tip above about Texas.
Am enjoying your pics of your time in Shanghai. Wish I could have joined you all on your recent Disboards trip.

Wish you could have joined us too.

 

[Tashinwdw]

Either way, we will try RC one day. You've cruised the Ovation haven't you? It looks like a great ship to do a cruise down under in. The thing that actually appeals to me most about RCI is the broadway shows. I have a soft spot for musicals and it's one of the reasons I loved Disney so much. One day

Thats the one thing I loved about cruising Disney was the Broadway type shows. Nothing I have seen on RCI has even compared to their shows. I am sure the RCI cruise ships that do grease would be great but I was really disappointing with Ovations shows - I am not sure if it was due to so much hype for the ship and the shows that my expectations were too high but I did not think they were that great. It was a great ship but the activities were also disappointing. not much on except trivia - 5 times a day at least. I went on explorer a week after getting home from ovation and it was a lot better, much better range of activities. I think ovations lack of activities was due to it being such a huge ship (and it was a stunning ship) that takes a while to explore that the previous sales around Australia and New Zealand it didnt need to do many scheduled activities because everyone was busy exploring the ship and trying to fit in everything it had to offer. But we had 10 sea days, after the first 4 you had the ship down pat, so needed those activities - if you were a sit by the pool and drink type of person then it wouldnt have mattered, I am not, I like to be doing something, watching something etc all the time haha

I think spending christmas at a disney resort would be fantastic, the photos look amazing. I think the Wilderness would be great, it is such a beautiful resort, we loved it there and with all the christmas decorations it would be stunning. Resort hopping is such fun and seeing them all decorated would make them all the more special.

We are thinking of going back to Aulani next year for a few days, it will have to be my disney fix again.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Ooh how exciting and a trip report to visit vicariously afterwards!! I am glad you picked the Costa Rica option - I was reading thinking do that, do that, and arriving late to this party - you have! I agree that Xmas at Disney could be good without visiting the parks as all the hotels are beautifully decorated and you are getting in early enough to nab DVC points. I think Epcot was lovely (we were there a bit before Xmas and stayed at Wilderness Lodge) with things like the Candlelight Processional if you chose to do it and just all the different decorations in the countries and storytellers. Friends of DD just got back from 6 months in America. I think it was a Western Caribbean cruise they did - looked like some awesome stops.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yay, thanks for popping in Wendy

I'm so very excited about Costa Rica and can't wait until time gets a bit closer so I can start booking extra wildlife tours.

At present about the only thing I can consider is the ship tours as they are already available for booking online. I'm torn mostly about Cozumel where there are so many enticing options. We are leaning towards a Mayan Ruin, but can't decide which one.
Choices:

Chichen Itza - I really want to see this famous ruin (it's on the bucket list) and I may never get the opportunity again. BUT... it's the furtherest from the port and the 8 hour tour will include about 6 hours on a bus and ferry and only 2 hours on location.

Tulum - closest to the Port and the beach looks AMAZING (it includes swimming time). But the ruins look underwhelming.

Coba - These ruins look pretty fantastic. It's quieter, less developed and still surrounded by jungle. Plus, unlike the other 2, you can still climb the main pyramid. It's about half way between Tulum and Chichen Itza and would probably be a good compromise. On the downside, it wouldn't be ticking off a bucket list location like going to Chichen Itza would.

Fourth (non-ruin) option: The Amazing Race Cozumel. This tour/challenge (based on the TV show) gets excellent reviews and looks like it would be an awesome family bonding experience. We are fans of the Amazing Race Show in this household and I know my son would absolutely love this option.

Thoughts??

 

[PrincessInOz]

Yay, thanks for popping in Wendy

I'm so very excited about Costa Rica and can't wait until time gets a bit closer so I can start booking extra wildlife tours.

At present about the only thing I can consider is the ship tours as they are already available for booking online. I'm torn mostly about Cozumel where there are so many enticing options. We are leaning towards a Mayan Ruin, but can't decide which one.
Choices:

Chichen Itza - I really want to see this famous ruin (it's on the bucket list) and I may never get the opportunity again. BUT... it's the furtherest from the port and the 8 hour tour will include about 6 hours on a bus and ferry and only 2 hours on location.

Tulum - closest to the Port and the beach looks AMAZING (it includes swimming time). But the ruins look underwhelming.

Coba - These ruins look pretty fantastic. It's quieter, less developed and still surrounded by jungle. Plus, unlike the other 2, you can still climb the main pyramid. It's about half way between Tulum and Chichen Itza and would probably be a good compromise. On the downside, it wouldn't be ticking off a bucket list location like going to Chichen Itza would.

Fourth (non-ruin) option: The Amazing Race Cozumel. This tour/challenge (based on the TV show) gets excellent reviews and looks like it would be an awesome family bonding experience. We are fans of the Amazing Race Show in this household and I know my son would absolutely love this option.

Thoughts??

YAY for being able to look at tour options.

We were in the Yucatan Peninsula in the late 90's. I still rate it as one of our best vacations because of the diverse range of things we saw.

Chichen Itza is amazing. Then...we could still climb up El Castillo to the throne room. We stayed the night in Piste to see the night show and then went to the site before the tour buses came in. Effectively, we were there from 8.30 in the morning and poked about everywhere until the tour buses arrived. We stayed a little longer but with people about everywhere, it wasn't as enjoyable. I guess we probably had 4 hours looking around and there were a few others around but no where near as busy as when the tour buses arrived. I don't know what it would be like now with even more people visiting but it is totally worth seeing.

Tulum - we had every intention of going to see it as well but we didn't get there. We did see another Mayan ruin site outside of Merida (Uxmal which was sooooo amazing, even more so than Chichen Itza) that by the time we got back to Puerto Adventuras, we didn't feel the need to hit it. By all accounts, the ruins are undewhelming and people go so that they can take a shot of the ruin with the sea. I can't see this as an all-day excursion.

Coba - If we had more time, we would have gone to look for Coba. In those days, it was just opening up to tourists and it just seemed a lot more effort to get to. As you say, it will be a case of working out how much you want to be able to tick Chichen off your bucket list.


I love the Amazing Race as well. Seems like it would be an awesome option for the family.


But I'm curious.....is there a tour option to head to the Mexican version of Disneyland? There is a theme park called Xcaret, which would be an hour or so south of Cozumel. They have a cave system that you could snorkel through, and beaches, and shows, and animals. It is an expensive day; but it might be something to consider?


Having said that. I would probably choose Chichen Itza. Even with 2 hours to look around, it is better than nothing and the whole site is stunning.



ps. If you're looking to buy stuff, the silver jewellery in that part of the world is worth looking at. As is Panama Hats, linen and if you have space to put one up...the hammocks are also worth taking a look at. I was also tempted by the local dress/tunic that the women wear in that part of the world....huipil. Bright and colourful; in the end I thought I wouldn't wear it. Now I wish I had gotten one!

 

[mindy32]

Sounds like an amazing trip! I totally would have gone with the Costa Rica option too, sounds fabulous.

WDW at Christmas is so pretty. We were there a few weeks before Christmas in 2012 and it was beautiful. I think it would be an amazing way to spend Christmas.

We were in Cancun late 2012 and went to Chichen Itza to tick it off the bucket list too. Glad I went but would I spend 6 hours getting there and back, not sure honestly. Throwing something else out there though, on the same day we went to a cenote (underground swimming hole) and it was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

YAY for being able to look at tour options.

We were in the Yucatan Peninsula in the late 90's. I still rate it as one of our best vacations because of the diverse range of things we saw.

Chichen Itza is amazing. Then...we could still climb up El Castillo to the throne room. We stayed the night in Piste to see the night show and then went to the site before the tour buses came in. Effectively, we were there from 8.30 in the morning and poked about everywhere until the tour buses arrived. We stayed a little longer but with people about everywhere, it wasn't as enjoyable. I guess we probably had 4 hours looking around and there were a few others around but no where near as busy as when the tour buses arrived. I don't know what it would be like now with even more people visiting but it is totally worth seeing.

Tulum - we had every intention of going to see it as well but we didn't get there. We did see another Mayan ruin site outside of Merida (Uxmal which was sooooo amazing, even more so than Chichen Itza) that by the time we got back to Puerto Adventuras, we didn't feel the need to hit it. By all accounts, the ruins are undewhelming and people go so that they can take a shot of the ruin with the sea. I can't see this as an all-day excursion.

Coba - If we had more time, we would have gone to look for Coba. In those days, it was just opening up to tourists and it just seemed a lot more effort to get to. As you say, it will be a case of working out how much you want to be able to tick Chichen off your bucket list.


I love the Amazing Race as well. Seems like it would be an awesome option for the family.


But I'm curious.....is there a tour option to head to the Mexican version of Disneyland? There is a theme park called Xcaret, which would be an hour or so south of Cozumel. They have a cave system that you could snorkel through, and beaches, and shows, and animals. It is an expensive day; but it might be something to consider?


Having said that. I would probably choose Chichen Itza. Even with 2 hours to look around, it is better than nothing and the whole site is stunning.



ps. If you're looking to buy stuff, the silver jewellery in that part of the world is worth looking at. As is Panama Hats, linen and if you have space to put one up...the hammocks are also worth taking a look at. I was also tempted by the local dress/tunic that the women wear in that part of the world....huipil. Bright and colourful; in the end I thought I wouldn't wear it. Now I wish I had gotten one!

That's great info! Thanks!

I've just looked up Uxmal and it looks amazing. There is actually a small part of me that's wondering if we might be better off spending a week based at the Yucatan Peninsula rather than the cruise. There is just so much there I want to do.

There are actually tours to Xcaret. I dismissed it quite quickly as the write up included dolphin swimming stuff (which I feel uncomfortable with), but having just looked further now, it looks pretty amazing (dolphin swimming aside).
Oh no, now another option to choose between.