Time for another "If not WDW, then where?" thread

[Aliceacc]

We have reservations for a week's vacation at WDW this summer.

But the more we consider our finances, the more we realize that it will simply be too expensive this summer. So I'm seriously considering cancelling the reservation.

Still, I would like us to get away. So I'm open to suggestions.

Our vitals:
- We live on Long Island. I'm not adverse to a flight somewhere, but obviously a drive will usually be cheaper.

- As you can see, by summer my kids will be 18, 16 and 13.

- Our favorite non-WDW vacation at this point is Lake George in upstate NY here: http://surfsideonthelake.com/rooms-rates/
- We love it because it's pretty much the anti-Disney vacation. No plans to be made ahead of time. We stay in a Superior Lakeside Suite that sleeps 6-- my son gets his own room. It's right on the lake, with a balcony that looks out onto the lake. We can walk into town for restaurants and shops. It's a really family oriented place, about a 4.5 hour drive from home. We love just wandering around town, taking a boat cruise, hitting the shops, sometimes Fort William Henry, the outlets...

But we went there last year. I'm thinking that we could use a real change.

- As teachers, we have lots of flexibility on when to go. Our WDW reservations are July 20- 27, so let's keep that as a ballpark.

- I was playing with the idea of Vegas-- say, Circus Circus or someplace comparable. But we're not big gamblers, and I'm not sure what there is for the kids to do. But airfares and rooms are reasonable; we can do air and hotel for about $550 apiece for the week. That's just about what the room at Lake George would cost. (I priced it as 2 hopefully connecting rooms-- absolutely something we would consider in lieu of a suite of some sort.)

OK, what do you think?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Your lake trip sounds awesome, but I can see why you'd want a change. What about Canada? The exchange rate is favorable & there are tons of scenic possibilities. One of DW's favorite movies is Indian Summer which I believe was filmed in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. Just one example.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Assuming heat is not a huge issue (you are looking at Vegas or Disney in summer after all)--I would look into an all inclusive in Puerto Vallarta. With air from NY you can do one for about $1000 per person for a random week in August at a good rate.
Nice area, all the food and drinks you want, and beaches and pools right there and things like kayaks and paddle boards included -- so you can relax as much as you like, and just wander into town (the public bus is very interesting but safe and chap, or taxis are not that pricey either).
Basically, a lot of what you enjoyed about the lake as far as unstructured and relaxing goes, but with a very different feel.

 

[shoney]

We are from Long Island are going to Williamsburg this summer. The water park/amusement park combo is only $77 per person!

If you like outdoorsy things, like white water rafting, kayaking, and stuff, you could try the Berkshires in Mass. Look Vacation Village to rent a condo. There is Jiminy Peak right across the street. Theatre and museums in Pittsfield. Also lots of decent dining in the area as well.

 

[eliza61]

So I'm going to give a vote for my current hometown of Philadelphia.

#1 place in the US to visit according to lonely planet

.http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/ente...cially-Top-Place-to-Visit-2016-368167761.html

First you are coming in the summer, talk about lot's to do. Penns landing with free concerts. street fairs all over the place, of course the Old city with it's historical stuff, Art museum, Manayaunk, South street.
Want to throw in a beach day, Jersey shore is two hours drive tops from Philly. Also a few hours drive is Lancaster PA and Gettysburgh
Restaurants every square mile for every price point.
Shopping is awesome. right over the bridge in south Jersey we have a premium outlet but Walnut street has great unique shopping.
Philly loves it outdoor dining especially in the summer. head down to Rittenhouse square for breakfast at Parc bistro ( a little pricey but fun) for a good meal and people watching.

Reading terminal for great sandwiches (always packed) for cheap and you have to have a philly cheesesteak (skip the tourist traps ginos and Pat's, go for a local pizza joint)

Go check out the Phillies, unlike Yankee stadium, citizen banks park is based on an old fashion ball park and since the Phillies suck big time you can get a family 4 pack for a great price. 100 bucks gets you 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 soda's.

 

[piglet1979]

We are in the same boat. The other vacations we are thinking about is Boston/DC/Philly or Myrtle Beach. We have also discussed going to great Wolf Lodge in Cincy and doing a few things in the southern Ohio Kentucky area.

 

[mamamary]

I am all over the place with our summer vacation plans. We started out thinking a Florida beach, then changed to myrtle beach and now I'm leaning towards Virginia beach and Busch gardens. I keep getting closer to home. If we do Virginia beach we save on airfare and renting a car. Looking to see what advice others chime in with for you. We are set on staying at a beach at least part of the trip. Wow I used to go to lake George when I was really young. I barely remember it.

 

[morgan98]

Have you considered going to Maine? Last year we rented a home with extended family for a reasonable price on Mt. Desert Island (Bar Harbor Area). Acadia National Park is beautiful and their is some great hiking. There are also other little side trips and things to do. The house we rented was great and was a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom home with full kitchen, grill, etc. You can take a whale watching trip, etc. as well.

I don't know how active your family needs to be or not. We did not have children so I do not know about waterparks or anything like that.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Boston is great. Stay in a waterfront hotel to beat the humidity of July. You can walk literally everywhere. There's the Freedom Trail, The New England Aquarium, Boston Common, The Public Gardens, Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall. The T goes places your feet can't easily take you, like the Museum of Science. Fantastic Italian Food in the North End. So much more...

My mom and sister always took a week each summer in Rockport, MA. Great swimming, cute shopping and good food at Bear Skin Neck. My favorite place as a teen for summers was Lake Winnepesaukee in Meredith, NH. Gorgeous lake, 26 miles long. Lots of fun was had on the Boardwalk and in the water at Weir's Beach (Laconia, NH). You can ride the Mt. Washington boat over the lake. There's a drive-in theater still.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Some good suggestions that have been mentioned, plus a few others:

Williamsburg/Virginia Beach area-- Can mix visits to the historical sites-Colonial W'burg, Jamestown, etc. with more active days at Busch Gardens and Water Country, and maybe a day or two in DC on the way down or home.

Maine- recommend the southern beach areas of Ogunquit or Kennebunkport, then head north through Portland and Freeport to Acadia NP.

Niagara Falls- stay on the Canadian side. Lots of touristy things to do, some of it pricey but focus on the natural beauty- Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, etc. There are casinos there too if you're so inclined; can gamble at age 19 in Canada.

Smugglers Notch, Vermont- large resort with lots of outdoor activities for all ages, including zip-lining, ropes course, rock climbing/rappelling, kayaking, paddle boarding, mountain biking, tennis, skatepark and water slides/ water park. Take a day trip to Stowe or the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury.

Outer Banks, North Carolina- rent a beach house, explore the different towns, lighthouses, go fishing, drive a jeep on the beach, see the wild horses, etc. Very relaxing.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

If you do decide to go to Las Vegas I would stay far away from Circus Circus. We took our girls several times even when they were younger and really like the Mirage. There is a great pool and the Secret Garden. The location is great too. We also like to take a day or two to explore the other places near Las Vegas like Red Rock Canyon, Zion National Park and Grand Canyon.

 

[shoney]

Oh another thing I wanted to do was go to Cedar Point Ohio for the roller coasters. We'll get there one day, hopefully before I'm too old and chicken out!

 

[jevs]

Avoid Circus Circus, it is a fair walk up/down the strip. We stayed at the Carriage House last year as it was both smoke and casino free. We were there in winter though so the tiny pool was a non issue. I would recommend staying as close to mid strip as possible. I know people who have stayed at Desert Rose, Bellagio, NYNY, Mirage - they all report good things about all of them.

 

[jevs]

So I'm going to give a vote for my current hometown of Philadelphia.

#1 place in the US to visit according to lonely planet

.http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/ente...cially-Top-Place-to-Visit-2016-368167761.html

First you are coming in the summer, talk about lot's to do. Penns landing with free concerts. street fairs all over the place, of course the Old city with it's historical stuff, Art museum, Manayaunk, South street.
Want to throw in a beach day, Jersey shore is two hours drive tops from Philly. Also a few hours drive is Lancaster PA and Gettysburgh
Restaurants every square mile for every price point.
Shopping is awesome. right over the bridge in south Jersey we have a premium outlet but Walnut street has great unique shopping.
Philly loves it outdoor dining especially in the summer. head down to Rittenhouse square for breakfast at Parc bistro ( a little pricey but fun) for a good meal and people watching.

Reading terminal for great sandwiches (always packed) for cheap and you have to have a philly cheesesteak (skip the tourist traps ginos and Pat's, go for a local pizza joint)

Go check out the Phillies, unlike Yankee stadium, citizen banks park is based on an old fashion ball park and since the Phillies suck big time you can get a family 4 pack for a great price. 100 bucks gets you 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 soda's.

We will be there in December, but still great info for us, cheers.

 

[barkley]

- Our favorite non-WDW vacation at this point is Lake George in upstate NY here: http://surfsideonthelake.com/rooms-rates/
- We love it because it's pretty much the anti-Disney vacation. No plans to be made ahead of time. We stay in a Superior Lakeside Suite that sleeps 6-- my son gets his own room. It's right on the lake, with a balcony that looks out onto the lake. We can walk into town for restaurants and shops. It's a really family oriented place, about a 4.5 hour drive from home. We love just wandering around town, taking a boat cruise, hitting the shops

based on this i'll just suggest that if you ever make it to washington state-plan a few days stay in Leavenworth. relaxing, gorgeous, great food, fun shops-and great outdoor activities.

we're going again this summer-we do a condo rental and just relax to the sound of the oom pah bands

 

[longboard55]

Oh the joys of the left coast, with vegas a 4 hour drive. Not as much to do as in the past for kids, but the tournament of kings is a must, the high roller is good, dolphins at the mirage, and vegas has great pools, and you can always find a good room for a good price. Break the bank and see britney

 

[MickeySP]

We love cruising. I love hitting islands with beautiful beaches, diving, snorkeling & especially jet skiing.

 

[MamaLema]

Toronto, Canada

Your dollar will stretch really far, there's endless things to do for any age, tons of stuff happening all summer, and we're friendly too

 

[Waddler]

Have you been to Lake Placid, NY? There are many reasonably-priced hotels/resorts in the village. We've also rented a house via VRBO. There are restaurants, shops, swimming holes/small beaches, boating, great hiking (easy through difficult), plus the 1980 Olympic sites to explore.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.