Looking for non-Disney vacation ideas

[KimR]

My oldest DD informed me the other day that she'd like to go somewhere besides Disney next year! It's not that she doesn't like Disney anymore, but she said that it's starting to seem less special since we go every year. I guess I can see her point (although I don't agree), so I'm trying to come up with a vacation destination for next year that we can all enjoy.

The dilemma: Ages of my kids are 14, 8, and 5. I don't care for the beach at all, so our beach outings are limited to small weekend getaways. We're not 'outdoorsy'....no camping, hiking, etc. I'm a go-go-go person and don't like 'down time', while DH is much more laid-back. I'd like to find a high-energy place with enough to do (sightseeing, etc) to fill a week, plenty of good restaurants, and recreational activities that would also allow for down-time for DH and the girls if they so choose. Washington, DC comes to mind because I'm thinking I could combine that with a trip to Busch Gardens and Williamsburg. I'm not sure if my 5-year-old would like it, though, especially after going to WDW...I'm afraid she'll be bored. The younger 2 still want to go back to Disney, but that's only because that's all they know. They are getting old enough now to expand their horizons, but I want them to have fun too. Any suggestions?

Oh, and BTW, I'd like to avoid flying if possible and stay relatively close to home (East coast).

 

[luvwinnie]

Have you been to NYC? D.C. is also great, as you mentioned. You could do a Disney play in NYC.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My children are 6 and 3 and we LOVE DC.

WE are here right now for a couple of months.

We've been to a baseball game, Monticello (they do a children's tour that keeps their attention and is short), the zoo, and they adore the museum of natural history.

There is King's Dominion which is en route to Williamsburg from DC--we just did that on Saturday--while not Disney....we rather enjoyed it. Items in the park are OVERPRICED (we feel more so than Disney even)...but the kiddy area was fun and all the rides they did were fun.

We would love to do Williamsburg, we just didn't budget for that and we are here b/c daddy is working and we have a vacation coming up in a few months.

My girls are pretty versatile and I even kept their attention in the Louvre for 2 hours while we hit the must sees. (sure you need longer--but we just wanted to do a highlight of the Louvre).

The spy Museuem in DC is supposed to be cool as well--but that may be extra.

We tend to travel from a child's POV and that helps us get more out of trips that we want to do as adults--but don't want to wait until the kids are grown.

DC is lots of walking--so I'd say that might be the primary complaint of your 5yo (we get it alot for our oldest). We are headed downtown tomorrow for the 4th and we will be bringing a stroller for her b/c it is just too taxing on her little legs. We do make her walk some--but for an all day outing with fireworks--just too much. That would be the only *worry* I'd have for your 5yo. We do the stroller b/c usually we are tired as well and just cannot carry her anymore. Plus once she falls asleep--it is no fun carrying a deadweight.

We drove from Atlanta in about 12 hours or so (including stops along the way). Wasn't too bad.

 

[LBAK]

How about Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN or Lancaster and Hershey, Pa.? My kids always loved those vacations.

 

[KimR]

My girls are pretty versatile and I even kept their attention in the Louvre for 2 hours while we hit the must sees. (sure you need longer--but we just wanted to do a highlight of the Louvre).

The Louvre? Are you talking about Paris or is there a Louvre in DC as well?

 

[simba928]

Why don't you try a cruise? I can't do the beach, either, but I love cruises. We also love Miami. If you do Miami, you could drive down to Key Largo for a day and do some snorkeling or you could even do a split trip, a couple days in Miami, a couple days in Key West. We did that about a year and a half ago and enjoyed it.

 

[DznyFan]

I would suggest a cruise, too. You don't HAVE to go to the beach, if you cruise Disney the kids have got all the activities and areas just for them, there's plenty of sightseeing at the ports, and the food is awesome!
My 2nd suggestion would be NYC or DC.

 

[RSoxFan]

You mean there are other places to vacation than Disney? Who knew!


Seriously, DC and cruises are great ideas

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The Louvre? Are you talking about Paris or is there a Louvre in DC as well?

Sorry --- yes in Paris. Guess I should have added "when we were in Paris". Sorry for the confusion. No Louvre in DC.

 

[Mike.Wazowski]

http://www.smuggs.com/

http://www.pinegrove-ranch.com/
(we loved this place and only one of us - me rode horse - but theres other fun stuff to do!)


http://www.lighthouseinn.com/


theres a few of our favorites and I have a wide range of kids ages too!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

One thing to keep in mind, when considering a cruise. Unless things change again before Dec. 31st, you will need passports for you family to take a cruise. If you don't already have them, that will add quite a bit to your vacation budget. The only exception would be NCI cruises in Hawaii, but you'd need to fly to get there.

Is your DD tired of theme parks in general or just looking for something other than WDW? If it's the latter, how about Universal Orlando. Our 14 yo. loves staying at the HRH & prefers UO's parks. You could add Sea World & Discovery Cove, if you haven't done those. Due to a request by our DS, we're spending 5 nights at HRH later this month. We also added a couple nights in Daytona Beach for his dad to play.

 

[nickelsfamily]

Back in September we stayed for 5 days at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. We had a blast. There is a lot to do. There is the beach, but also several pools, different boating activities. The restaurants are wonderful, there are camps for the children-our ds loved that! For the adults there is the casino and spa...the resort itself is just amazing. It is on the expensive side, but imo well worth it. You can also take the boat and go into town for great shopping, sight seeing and restaurants.

We also like to visit St. Augustine. This is wonderful for both adults and children. There are many things to do and see, not to mention great shopping.

 

[Planogirl]

If you're willing to travel a little further, how about San Diego? We had a wonderful time there plus you can sneak up to Anaheim and visit Disneyland.

 

[cheyita]

I have nothing new to add -- just wanted to agree with both the cruise suggestion and D.C. I think they are both great vacations.

 

[golfgal]

I agree with San Diego. I would also suggest the Black Hills of South Dakota! There is a ton of stuff to do, see, explore yet your DH could rest as well. You could combine it with a trip to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons if you don't mind driving a bit. It is a beautiful part of the country.

 

[KimR]

Thanks for the ideas! For those who suggested a cruise I have a question: I've always considered a cruise vacation to be similar to a beach vacation...mostly swimming, sunning, snorkeling, watersports etc. I've researched cruises a little and it seems that even most of the excursions are watersports or beach-related. I really don't care for that kind of thing so I've never really considered a cruise other than possibly a short 3-day trip for the kids. Is there anything to do on a cruise that isn't water/beach/sun related? If I don't like the beach, do I have a chance at all of enjoying a cruise?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There are tours you can take. They are an extra cost--but you can see the island or country that the cruise is visiting.

But really--if you the family as a whole isn't all that swimming-I think cruises are a rather expensive way to spend time indoors.

 

[DznyFan]

absolutely - there are sightseeing excursions, there's shopping, things of that nature. You can opt stay on the boat at port. Disney shows 1st run movies in the theater on the ship, and in addition, there's the live shows at night. There's karaoke, family trivia, decade-specific parties for the adults in the Route 66 adult's only club area, bingo, deck parties, various live music often - scattered here and there throughout the ship, wine tasting, martini tasting, napkin and towel folding classes, there's the swimming pools (freshwater), bridge tour, the Spa, and the list goes on. And of course, other cruise lines offer things like mini golf, rock climbing, casinos, but I've found that the more amenities seem to be on the larger boats of each line, which tend to go on the longer cruises. If you like to relax - a cruise is a great way to go.

On a Disney 3 or 4 night cruise, there's the Nassau stop, and the Castaway Cay stop. You can go to Atlantis for the day, go on the tour of the aquarium. You don't even have to go on the Disney excursion - you can go on your own, and spend the day wandering around Atlantis. There's the casino, lots of restaurants, the aquarium, a cool little shopping 'village' that is part of it (think Downtown Disney in the Caribbean). There's a Nassau historical tour, a walking tour of downtown, and the Anastra Gardens tour. There's plenty of shopping. I'm not really crazy about Nassau itself, but Atlantis is beautiful.
On Castaway Cay isn't really a lot to do that isn't beach/water related. There are open-air cabana massages available for 18+ adults, or then again, you can stay on the boat! But, Castaway Cay is so pretty, I can't imagine at least not going and looking around the island. They have bicycle rentals available. And that crystal blue water.... On the 4 night cruise they have a nighttime party with fireworks on the Castaway Cay night - it's on the ship, the Pirates In The Caribbean party.

The food is great, and you won't be hungry.
The cruise staff makes sure there's plenty to do on that ship! I think you could cruise and not have to mess with a single speck of sand, if you wanted.

 

[lindakmonty]

The cruise is a great idea. I love DCL!! There is something for everyone. No matter the age. There are tons of shows, movies, cooking classes, wine tasting,bingo, clubs, games... much much more.... My ds5 loves it. You still get the Disney taste...but totally different than the parks. You can still see the shows and characters but not the crowds and craziness that you get in the parks sometimes. Food, food, and more food. It is incredible. I took my mom who is deathly afraid of water, cant swim...and that is all she talks about..she loved it. It is also nice, your dd can go in the teen groups and hand out w/kids her age. There is so much to do. I would check out the navigators and see what you think!

http://www.castawayclub.com/

 

[puffkin]

How about Cape Cod/Boston. It is a beautiful area and there is tons to do there.

The Washington DC area is another good idea. You could also do Philadelphia, and then it is a short drive to Hershey for the sights there and Gettysburg isn't too far either.

I am a lot like you. I don't like the beach or "nature" type things either. I like the hustle and bustle of places like Disney.