Other destinations for 5

[dahrjo]

Hi-Sorry to be off the Dis topic, but I was looking for some great ideas for a graduation trip for DS graduating this year. We have 5 that will be going.
I have a hard time with everything getting up to the 8-10K range!
We have discussed:
California
Costa Rica
Mexico
A Cruise

We would need to go July of this year.

Thanks for any ideas!!

 

[havaneselover]

Disney cruise! We've done three and they are amazing. My favorite was the eastern Caribbean.

 

[SEA333]

Hi-Sorry to be off the Dis topic, but I was looking for some great ideas for a graduation trip for DS graduating this year. We have 5 that will be going.
I have a hard time with everything getting up to the 8-10K range!
We have discussed:
California
Costa Rica
Mexico
A Cruise

We would need to go July of this year.

Thanks for any ideas!!

We are planning a road trip that will cover a lot of Middle America (see my current thread "Roadtrip - Destination...There is no destination!" in this forum) not sure that would be your cup of tea, but we are basically planning on the trip itself being the destination and covering about 11-12 states from Illinois to Arizona and back in a big oval. Since we are in the infant stages of planning, I do not have prices locked in yet, but just from a sampling of Hotwire prices in the general areas we would likely stop and current gas prices, and $100-$300/day for food and entertainment (depending on where we are and what we are doing that day), a 10-day trip will be around $3,500-4,000 for the five of us - Me, DH, DS15, DD11, and DS9 1/2 (at the time of the trip).

We figure that this may be one of our last big family trips before oldest DS leaves for college, so we want to enjoy the "process" of the trip as much as the destinations themselves.

 

[dahrjo]

We did think about a cruise, but not sure about doing one in July?

The road trip sounds great to me, but the 3 kids, just want to get somewhere, and enjoy!

 

[JanaDee]

Since it is your son's graduation trip, where does he want to go?

 

[Anne34]

Costa Rica is amazing but that is the rainy season there. Might not be that great. Check out Trip Advisor forums and look into some do the places you are interested in. The planning is half the fun (also agree if you are calling this a graduation trip you need to have input from your son. We did this for my oldest two and they both picked fun vacation destinations).

 

[havaneselover]

We did think about a cruise, but not sure about doing one in July? The road trip sounds great to me, but the 3 kids, just want to get somewhere, and enjoy!

August was actually my best cruise. I'd feel even more comfortable in July (in terms of not worrying about a hurricane). Advantage is the water is warm.

But I agree--figure if your son has any preference.

 

[dahrjo]

DS just wants a little adventure and nature. He doesn't want to just sit on a beach for a week.

 

[kymom99]

I would pick California. San Diego is amazing and the weather is perfect year round.

 

[ldo]

we are going to S. Cal next summer for DD's graduation with 5-6 persons. We are staying @ a 2BR timeshare/condo for 1 week and renting a car. We will eat break/dinner in condo (saves a lot of $ and we are tired by the end of the day--so would rather grill out, relax, than be at a restaurant). There is a lot to do in S. Cal. We plan to do the following: SD Zoo, surf lesson for DD, others hang a at beach for 1/2 day, SD Safari Park, Disneyland, hang at resort (Welk--outside SD), LA Movie star/set tour.
You can also do a RCCL cruise with 5 persons for a reasonable price with the family cabins that sleep up to 6 persons--we love them.

 

[dahrjo]

Looks like the final decision will be between Mexico (Riviera Maya area) and California (San Diego area)!

 

[mrsklamc]

I would have said Alaska for July nature and adventure.

 

[Kristina4109]

San Diego is awesome. The zoo, SeaWorld, the Safari Park, it's all great.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

If San Diego, be sure to spend some time slightly north of San Diego at La Jolla! It is beautiful! There are seals and sea lions, and rocky cliffs. You can take guided kayak tours; if the water is calm, you can go into some caves.

We also spend a late afternoon/early evening on Coronado Island. If you love Disney, you'll want to see the Hotel del Coronado, which was the inspiration for the Grand Floridian. It has a nice beach, and is a cute town. Miguel's Cocina has awesome fish tacos!!

Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument is another great place to spend an afternoon. They close early, about 5 or 6pm. There are nice walking trails with AMAZING views of San Diego and Coronado.

We visited the zoo, went to a Padres baseball game, and enjoyed walking around the Seaport Village shopping area. We didn't have enough time to go to Balboa Park, which has several museums and beautiful grounds. San Diego was the last four days of an 11 day Southern California trip. My husband attended a conference there, so we didn't have all day every day to play.

 

[marthachick]

San Diego- Old Town, Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village and Balboa Park are cool also. If you are interested in MLB, a Padres game is fun if they're in town when you're there. Also a great fast food place is In-N -Out Burger. There are several in the area. DS fell in love when we were there! Just saw PPers post. La Jolla is great. Go to the Children's Pool to see the sea lions and seals.

 

[WDW_Diane]

Looks like the final decision will be between Mexico (Riviera Maya area) and California (San Diego area)!

So what did you choose?

 

[la la limon]

Looks like the final decision will be between Mexico (Riviera Maya area) and California (San Diego area)!

We are huge fans of the Riviera Maya! In fact, I'm shocked that we're actually going to Disney because kids and hubby will pick Mexico every year for vacation. The RM has lots to do--great snorkeling, adventure tours and food. They also have lovely beaches with the caribbean water and powder sand. Let me know if you have any questions…

Amy

 

[dahrjo]

Yes, Mexico in 2 weeks! Any suggestions are welcome!