Need someplace to go for Christmas ....

[pyrxtc]

We just decided that we want to go somewhere else for Christmas. maybe someplace warm but it has to be affordable. There are 4 of us, 2 kids are 10 and 8. We do not have passports, we have $600 credit to fly out or we can drive to somewhere on the east coast. We can do a cruise but do not have passports. I am open to any idea's that will keep us from freezing our butts off this holiday.

Thank you!

 

[Happy Mom2]

We just decided that we want to go somewhere else for Christmas. maybe someplace warm but it has to be affordable. There are 4 of us, 2 kids are 10 and 8. We do not have passports, we have $600 credit to fly out or we can drive to somewhere on the east coast. We can do a cruise but do not have passports. I am open to any idea's that will keep us from freezing our butts off this holiday.

Thank you!

I don't know where you are located, but maybe a drive down to Savannah, GA. It's a beautiful city, and not to far from the coast.

 

[pyrxtc]

will it be warm ? We love the ocean.

 

[LadyBeBop]

It's going to be too cool to swim...the normal daytime temperature is in the low 60s, and the nighttime temps are in the high 30s to low 40s. It will feel like spring. You shouldn't freeze; however the record low for Christmas Day is 10 degrees

 

[lastminutemom]

To guarantee warm or warmish weather on the East Coast, you have to go pretty far south into Florida -- Orlando will be pretty warm and then points south. Things are pretty expensive that time of year in most warm climates.

A lot depends on your definition of warm...

 

[bearzabout]

Super cheap driveable destinations could be Williamsburg Virginia or Myrtle Beach. Williamsburg did get some snow Christmas week last year, but that was not typical. Skyauction or Ebay may have some really cheap timeshare rentals.

Check out Dunes Village Vacation Resort in Myrtle Beach. The have an indoor water park. VRBO has some good rates for weekly rentals.

I second a visit to Savannah or Charleston. The are great small cities with lots of history.

 

[Darcy03231]

We just decided that we want to go somewhere else for Christmas. maybe someplace warm but it has to be affordable. There are 4 of us, 2 kids are 10 and 8. We do not have passports, we have $600 credit to fly out or we can drive to somewhere on the east coast. We can do a cruise but do not have passports. I am open to any idea's that will keep us from freezing our butts off this holiday.

Thank you!

To get really warm weather, you will have to go pretty far south in Florida. We were in Orlando in December one year and it was pretty cold (and we're from NH so we're used to cold). During the day we were in jean, sneakers and sweatshirts and at night we added fleece jackets, hats and gloves.

As long as you go with a closed loop cruise (cruise in and out of the same port) you don't need passports. This is from Carnival's website.

Q: Are passports required?

A: Carnival requires guests to provide proper travel documentation in order to travel. The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. Non-U.S Citizens must contact the appropriate Consulates, U.S. Embassy and U.S. Immigration office to inquire about necessary travel documentation. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of Immigration requirements.

It is recommended that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation and allow guests that must disembark the ship before their cruise ends due to an emergency to fly back to the U.S without significant delays and complications. It is also recommended that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond completion of travel.

*If you need to obtain a passport quickly, Carnival recommends that you contact ZVS at http://www.zvs.com/carnival or by phone: 1-866-788-1100. Callers should mention that they are sailing on Carnival to receive discounted service fees

Carnival has a 7 day out of Tampa leaving on 12/24 for $700/pp.

 

[HeatherC]

If you are considering Savannah, I would suggest Hilton Head Island. Miles of beautiful beaches and is only 30 minutes from Savannah and 2 hours from Charleston, SC.

You can play golf, tennis, rent bikes and ride on the beach, go kayaking, etc..

A couple resorts I would suggest are...

Budget...Hilton Head Resort...boardwalk to private beach and indoor pool for kids.

Pricier...Marriott Grand Ocean Resort...right on beach and also has an i door pool.

Hope this helps!

 

[debbiemomto4]

Not sure on prices. But we went to Puerto Rico in August. It should be warm and no passports needed.Depends on airfare and hotels are reasonable.

 

[Priorityonecb]

I second (third?) Hilton Head! Love it there!! Once we stayed at the Disney resort during the winter months for less than $100 a night! They still had several programs daily, bike rentals open, etc. They have a private beach, but you do need to take their private (free) shuttle or bike to it. We had a two bedroom suite with full kitchen and huge jacuzzi's in each bathrooms. It was a wonderful trip!

 

[horseshowmom]

Orlando can definitely be done reasonably. We were there for Christmas last year. Got a 5BR house at Sunset Lakes (which we didn't need because there were only 2 couples, but they offered me a great price of $100 per night total) - gated and lakefront with a pool.

There are lots of things to do there even if you don't want to put money into tickets. It can be a gamble with the weather though. It was cold last year, but we still had a great time.

 

[tlenzendorf]

Check out the TUG(Timeshare Users Group) thread. You use it like the Disboards and it's last minute timeshare rentals. Great for what you need!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

I just came back from a cruise in November and you do not need a passport as long as you depart and return at the same port. It was a fantastic vacation. If you search around you should find a really great deal.

 

[girli565]

As long as your cruise is a closed loop (starting and ending in the same place) then you don't need a passport. You can use your birth certificates and state IDs. The birth certificates must have the original seal on them. There's a few cruises over xmas on carnival.

 

[pyrxtc]

got scared of doing a cruise because I've never even researched any cruise line besides Disney.

We used some DVC points and booked a room at Disney and bought tickets to LegoLand and will use our left over tickets and fun visits from Dec 24th to the 30th. Thanks for all the idea's but we were able to save a bunch of money by using points. we are going to do a day in DC on the way down.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We like Royal Caribbean and cruise with them about once a year. Your kids will like the kids clubs and all the activities onboard.

However I disagree about cruising without a passport. It is allowed but I won't do it. If you miss the ship either in a port or on departure day you would only have the option of flying into the first port and then you need the passport. I personally have never missed the ship and is it unlikely you would but I prefer to have the safety net of the passport. Go to cruise critic - a site much like this one only about cruising - and search passport. There are some stories!

If you can fly what about California? It is far but the weather is pretty consistent.