Inexpensive Vacation???

[kathy87]

I am looking to do a less expensive vacation this year. I am thinking a budget of $3000.00 which should include food and airfare. I need some ideas. My boys are 13 and 14 and want to try something other than DisneyWe would be going in the summer and need something that would keep us busy. Any thought?? TIA

 

[Starbrite]

Have you considered cruising?

All of my 7-day Carnival Cruises have fallen within your budget (including air).

Our next cruise to Alaska even falls within your budget. They key is to book very early to get the best deal!

 

[cntrygal]

how about rocking horse ranch in NY, no airfare needed you can drive.

http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/

 

[CleoPahd]

We did a 6 night Carnival Cruise this past April and LOVED it. Our daughter is 14 and she thought it was a great vacation. Because we flew during the North East April vacation week our flights were more expensive. You could get cheaper ones if you are going in the summer. For the 3 of us we spent just around that much, maybe a little less, including a few excursions, the cruise & airfare. There was so much to do, we were never bored. They even had specific activities set up for kids based on age groups. We can't wait to do it again.

 

[estherhead]

Are you in Mass? Because I did a quick cruise search on travelocity and there are several deals that leave from New York City or Boston in the summer. Then you wouldn't have to have airfare.

And I went on a cruise with my parents at your kids ages and they got a balcony room for them and an interior room accross the hall for us. It was really nice and not that much more.

 

[G's mommy]

Cruises are awesome for teens, tons of activities, tons of food, most the ships have "teen only" clubs where the kids can hang out and play video games, dance, eat, talk, etc. We have been on 5 cruises and are planning one for this year or next year for sure. My son is now a teen and an only child and cruises have always been great for him as he can meet kids his own age.

 

[disneyfan55]

You live in the east with all the early history of our country. We live in NJ and in addition to all the WDW trips we did many local trips to the National parks, historic sites and battlefields. My kids loved this! Just a thought since you could drive and do a park or 2 per day and drive on. We not only did this but cross country trips with many National Parks. An annual National parks pass is $80 for the family!! Not a bad price. Just an idea.

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

Depending on how "outdoorsy" you are, you could try the Smoky Mountains, especially the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge (TN) area. We live in Alabama, so it's only a 4-5 hour drive for us ... but we love it! Since it's a national park, you could try camping in the park ... or hotels/cabins aren't all that expensive (there are also several time share places you could contact and book one to "try", even though you'll have to sit through a presentation once for that to work out).

As for activities, you have the national park with plenty of nature trails & stuff like that. Pigeon Forge also has outlet malls, Dollywood, and other touristy attractions (some are somewhat expensive though). We typically go to just get away from everything, stay in an inexpensive cabin or hotel room, go to the national park a day or so, shop a bit, and if we take in one of the touristy shows we typically do the Dixie Stampede (dinner theater).

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Starbrite]

Are you in Mass? Because I did a quick cruise search on travelocity and there are several deals that leave from New York City or Boston in the summer. Then you wouldn't have to have airfare.

I beleive Carnival also has cruises out of Baltimore. I don't know if that's driving distance or not, but should at least be a cheap flight

 

[englishteacha]

The places we've gone for a budget vacation from Maine (driving):
Acadia National Park
Hershey, PA area (HersheyPark, Lancaster/Amish Country, Strasburg Railroad, Dorney Park in Allentown, Knoebels park in Elysburg)
Cedar Point in Ohio (we drove from ME to PA, stayed overnight, then went from PA to OH)
Viriginia (King's Dominion, Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Jamestown, etc.)
We did this this past summer, drove from ME to VA in one day. It was about 17 hours each way because we got stuck in traffic each way. From MA it would be much shorter!
Washington, DC. The museums are free!!! (your kids would love the air and space museum...watch Night at the Museum 2 before you go...!)

 

[Poohbug]

If you still want to go to FL you might want to try Universal. Our vacation at Royal Pacific for 6 nights, airfare and tickets to US/IOA came to about $1850 for the five of us. That leaves plenty of money left over for food and transfers.

I also love the Smokey Mountains. You can rent a cabin in the mountains and there are plenty of attractions close by.

 

[kathy87]

Thank you for all the advice. We have never cruised before and are nervous that everyone will wind up getting seasick. We have done Universal several times and love it . Has anyone been to Key West or the U.S. Virgin Islands? Any opinions??

 

[micheleq]

Went to St. John, USVI, for my honeymoon almost eight years ago. We loved it. We stayed at the Westin and there were families there as well. Not much to do on the island itself (two-thirds of the island is a US National Park), St. Thomas or St. Croix might be better for teens.

Are your boys sports fans? You could do a two city trip (NY and Philly or Philly and Baltimore for example) and see baseball/hockey/basketball/soccer games in each city.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

Found this on Orbitz, with 1 stop (there are no non stops) from Boston to Riveria Maya. We are going to this resort in May and I have heard nothing but great things about it. It is all inclusive, with all meals, drinks, activities (kids club) etc. included. Mon, Jul 12, 2010 (1500) Check out: Sun, Jul 18, 2010 (1200) Guests: 3 Rooms: 1 $2,297 Barcelo Maya Caribe Room - 2 double bed or 1 king bed INCLUDES MEALS,DRINKS,ACTIVITIES,TAXES,TIPS

 

[dreamin_disney]

Have you considered cruising?

All of my 7-day Carnival Cruises have fallen within your budget (including air).

Our next cruise to Alaska even falls within your budget. They key is to book very early to get the best deal!

Wewent on our first cruise Nov 2009 and loved it. We want to do the an Alaska cruise this summer July but it's $2468.21 not including airfare so that would break the couple hundred to leave from Seattle. Where did you find your deal cranival site or travel agent?

I think cruising is fun especially when everything is almost included. If you live near a port and can get a great deal try a cruise.

 

[Starbrite]

Wewent on our first cruise Nov 2009 and loved it. We want to do the an Alaska cruise this summer July but it's $2468.21 not including airfare so that would break the couple hundred to leave from Seattle. Where did you find your deal cranival site or travel agent?

I think cruising is fun especially when everything is almost included. If you live near a port and can get a great deal try a cruise.

We always book directly through Carnival. I booked this past May for August 17, 2010. It was 519/319pp. With taxes and prepaid tips it came to 1950. The same room is now going for $2500 (PLUS tips)

 

[dreamin_disney]

We always book directly through Carnival. I booked this past May for August 17, 2010. It was 519/319pp. With taxes and prepaid tips it came to 1950. The same room is now going for $2500 (PLUS tips)

what a sweet deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just checked and it went up again, so we might have to pass. Since we live near Long Beach we might be abale to do a Mexican Rivera but the only time is Thanksgiving week which will cost more. Final option is wait for a last min deal. At this point I dont care if its another 4 night cruise.lol!

 

[ACS228]

I would definitely recommend Key West. Its great at that age with so much to do. I would fly to Ft Lauderdale, rent a car and drive down the keys. There are some great places to stop on the way down. Once there, turn in the car and rent bikes for the week, you can easily ride everywhere. Some activities you might like are: the aquarium, the wreckers museum, the pirate museum, the ghost tour, snorkeling, kyacking (I highly recommend the nighttime kyacking tour with Blue Planet). The beaches are just ok but really there is so much else to do, you won't mind. Summer is the off season so you should get a great deal on lodging. Trip Advisor has an awesome Key West forum, the people are very knowledgable and helpful. You should look there for more info.

 

[3boymthr]

We did Key West years ago - beautiful place. There is Ripley's Believe it or Not in Key West plus a few others - relating to Hemmingway and a few of the presidents. Seeing the sunset over the ocean on the pier. There is always a carnival at the pier at sunset. So much fun. As PP mentioned the beaches are not that great but there's so many activities you won't really care.

One of the beautiful things about Key West is that you are not tied to just that one island if you have a car - On Big Pine Key you can see the Key Deer - a miniature deer on the endangered species list. There are also several places to go where you can watch alligators in the wild.

Just be prepared for two things in Key West - the atmosphere can be very "adult" after sunset and food is very expensive. My Aunt and Uncle retired there but had to move away because the cost for food, even from the grocery store was just so high. You can fly to Miami and drive down or fly to Orlando and drive down, just be prepared it's a full day's drive.

 

[Darcy03231]

I have teens (boys and girls) and I would recommend either a cruise or an all inclusive resort. My kids preference would be a cruise (they love them). If you decide on an all inclusive I recommend the Iberostar resorts and my kids prefer the Mexican Rivieria.