Inexpensive Vacation???

[2TxAgs]

What about going West? It's a bit more work to plan vs a cruise, but we took 6 kids ranging in age from 5 to 13 out to Yellowstone in 2008 and they LOVED it.

We stayed in 3 different lodges/cabins over 7 nights and saw an enormous amount of wildlife (on the first afternoon, we saw a bear, a coyote - eating his wild lunch, bison, and elk). We went river rafting, horseback riding, got up early to watch the wolves
and their pups, picnic'd with marmots, saw Old Faithful and bubbling mud pots, etc. etc.
We had 3 girls and 3 boys and they all thought it was wonderful and they ask about going back. PM me if you want info re: where we stayed.

TxAg

ETA: I would think you could do this for about $3k. There were 14 of us and we spent about $7k
total. Now, we are not fancy hotel folks, stay at Values or Mods at Disney, so you could certainly spend more than $3k to stay at some of the nicer lodges/hotels around Yellowstone, but it could also be done for around $3k.

 

[dis75ney]

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??

My first cruise I had no problems with seasickness. My second cruise, we were sailing through VERY choppy waters...it felt like I was drunk while walking (and I don't drink! ). Even the cruise staff was commenting that they hadn't been through seas that rough for a LONG time. I did get seasick, but I purchased Sea Bands while on St. Thomas and had no further issues.

If you think seasickness might be an issue, pick up some Dramamine (might knock you out, though!) or Sea Bands. I loved our cruises...there was always so much to do and you can't beat the price!

 

[Bearvet]

Myrtle Beach! We have 3 DS ages 20, 16 and 14 - it's their favortite place to go! There's plenty to do for everyone!

We drive down so we have a car available and stay at a condo, so we have a kitchen. We usually eat breakfast in and some days I'll pack a lunch for the beach. Tons of restaurants to choose from that teens enjoy. Two awesome outdoor shopping centers with lots of activities - Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing.

The ocean is so warm in the summer which is a real treat for those of us from New England! It's so much fun to just be in the water all day. Lots of fun water sports too - jet ski rentals, parasailing, etc. Awesome miniature golf courses too.

DH golfs, so he's thrilled with all the choices there and summer is considered off-season, so it's very reasonable. My boys are bummed that we're not going this summer (DH and I are going to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary).

Our family always has a great time in Myrtle Beach and we'll plan to go again the summer of 2011!

 

[polkadotminnie]

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??

St. John is absolutely incredible. We stayed at the Westin there. There is not a lot of nightlife but there were activities at the resort. There is a snorkeling trail at Trunk Bay. It is unspoiled and gorgeous!

 

[edk35]

You could do a entire east coast trip by car/van. You could go to Hershey Park, Philadelphia, Baltimore Inner Harbor, D.C. and go down to Busch Gardens/Williamsburg area too.

There is also some family resort on the gulf coast ...I need to see if I can find the link to post. We almost did it but ended up going to WDW again. It was reasonably priced too.

 

[Maybelle]

A couple of years ago we did a budget vacation to Baltimore and DC from RI. We drove to Baltimore, went through the aquarium and then took in a Red Sox/Orioles game after dinner in the Inner Harbor. We got a great rate on a hotel in the Inner Harbor area through Priceline, alothough hotels in the area can be very expensive. We then drove into DC and spent a few days outside the city in the Crystal City area. The Metro is cheap and very easy to use, and there are tons of things to do in the city, both for free and for a fee. You do have to do quite a bit of walking though.

I can't wait to go back to the DC, Baltimore area. All in all, including the Red Sox/Orioles game, it was a very economical vacation for us. I think if we did it again though we would either fly or take the train down.