Vacation other than Disney

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Ok we are toying around the idea of a big WDW trip combined with our first Disney cruise in 2020 when our son is in preschool (last chance to pull out for a full week with no guilt) and my mom turns 60. Since this will be a big hit on our vacation budget I am trying to decide what to do in 2019 since we have no 2018 vacation plans and we want to plan something.

I keep pricing out a beach trip, a lake trip etc. and they all seem just slightly less expensive than Disney. Our son will be 3 in 2019 so city trips probably won't have much appeal. Does anyone else have this problem? The why go somewhere else when I can go to Disney for just a little more syndrome?

Maybe we should just do a resort only trip to Disney that year and save on park tickets. Maybe stay at Animal Kingdom lodge or something. Has anyone done this?

 

[TwoMisfits]

Ok we are toying around the idea of a big WDW trip combined with our first Disney cruise in 2020 when our son is in preschool (last chance to pull out for a full week with no guilt) and my mom turns 60. Since this will be a big hit on our vacation budget I am trying to decide what to do in 2019 since we have no 2018 vacation plans and we want to plan something.

I keep pricing out a beach trip, a lake trip etc. and they all seem just slightly less expensive than Disney. Our son will be 3 in 2019 so city trips probably won't have much appeal. Does anyone else have this problem? The why go somewhere else when I can go to Disney for just a little more syndrome?

Maybe we should just do a resort only trip to Disney that year and save on park tickets. Maybe stay at Animal Kingdom lodge or something. Has anyone done this?

Where do you live? Drivable vacations are almost always cheapest, so we'd know what to suggest if we knew roughly where you are...

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Where do you live? Drivable vacations are almost always cheapest, so we'd know what to suggest if we knew roughly where you are...

We are in KY

 

[TwoMisfits]

We are in KY

Okay...if you want a vacation that is driveable in 1 day (less than 12 hours) and isn't "city-focused", and has some theme park elements so it keeps the 3 year old entertained (since I assume that's what drives you to Disney), I'd look at Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg (and Dollywood), Williamsburg/VA Beach (and Busch Gardens), Hershey/Lancaster (and Hershey Park/Dutch Wonderland)...all of these locations also have some very good "other" fun and natural elements to enjoy, so you could have a very nice, very cheap experience at all of them. I've been to all 3 and they are all enjoyable and able to be done on a budget. For a family of 3, you could probably do a weeklong vacation for the price of 3 4 day Disney tickets plus airfare or less (or $2K) and not feel like you had to skimp on everything...

 

[Darcy03231]

Check out the Rocking Horse Ranch in New York. My kids loved going there when they were younger.

Another nice trip is the Lakes Region/White Mountains of NH, with a trip to Santa's Village and Storyland.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Myrtle Beach is lovely and lots of fun. If you can go in shoulder season (spring or fall), it's much cheaper and less crowded. You can rent a hotel room with (small) kitchen facilities, or a condo--1-4 bedrooms, with a living area and full kitchen. Most resorts there have indoor and outdoor heated pools, water slides, etc., in addition to the ocean.

My kids are older, but they love it there. When we went last year, they barely glanced at the ocean--the pools were the place to be! They also enjoyed shopping, Wonderworks, an escape room, and min-golf. With a younger child, you might just as well hang at the resort and enjoy the nice weather (we go in March--we get the week before Easter off)

As an aside, we also go to Rocking Horse Ranch every summer. It's a family tradition that my kids wouldn't give up for anything! Meals are included, and they have kiddie pools, kiddie slides, a playground, pony rides for the kids, and so forth. It's probably a longer drive for you--we make the drive from NC, but my kids are older (youngest is 12).

 

[kymom99]

Gatlinburg was always our go to vacation when our son was little. We are also in Kentucky.

 

[loves to dive]

I have found since I've gotten older that WDW is actually less than any other vacation I take but I tend to stay in higher priced hotels or take dive vacations which can be very pricey. But when my son was younger, we could only afford to go to WDW every other year so we took shorter long weekend trips to somewhere within driving distance and stayed in the less expensive motels like Holiday Inn, etc. His favorite was always the beach, he was perfectly happy spending all day playing in the sand the ocean, it helped if the motel had a pool. We did do Gatlinburg just about every summer, he loved it as well as Dollywood. Don't underestimate the lure of something fairly local either. We used to go to state parks that had cabins, there are lakes and pools and hikes and playgrounds.

 

[Allison]

No, I don't have this problem. I want my kids to see and do a variety of things and have memories of different locations and types of vacations. I want that for myself also. Lake resorts, the ocean, mountains, cities, etc.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll check back into the TN ones as a closer drive is most desirable since two out of the three of us get quite carsick.

 

[neatokimmo]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll check back into the TN ones as a closer drive is most desirable since two out of the three of us get quite carsick.

Dollywood has a very affordable season pass. You could upgrade one adult to gold for free parking and the 20% off food and merchandise.

 

[neatokimmo]

Do you camp? There are a lot of state parks on the beach. We are going to Anastasia this year.

 

[Shanti]

Ok we are toying around the idea of a big WDW trip combined with our first Disney cruise in 2020 when our son is in preschool (last chance to pull out for a full week with no guilt) and my mom turns 60. Since this will be a big hit on our vacation budget I am trying to decide what to do in 2019 since we have no 2018 vacation plans and we want to plan something.

I keep pricing out a beach trip, a lake trip etc. and they all seem just slightly less expensive than Disney. Our son will be 3 in 2019 so city trips probably won't have much appeal. Does anyone else have this problem? The why go somewhere else when I can go to Disney for just a little more syndrome?

Maybe we should just do a resort only trip to Disney that year and save on park tickets. Maybe stay at Animal Kingdom lodge or something. Has anyone done this?

Do you like camping? Camping at state & national parks is much cheaper than any trip to Disney World, and just as memorable.

Renting a beach house at a nice beach in your area can also be great, yet affordable.

 

[unrequited23]

Not sure where in KY you are, but you could do the Newport Aquarium on the way up to the Columbus Zoo. There is also a COSI science center and a LEGOLAND Experience is opening Fall 2018.

Honestly, as long as there is a pool and some ice cream your son will have fun.

 

[mmbrad02]

We are in Central KY and when we want to do a less expensive trip we usually plan a fall beach trip to the panhandle. Last year we stayed at Gulf Shores but have also done Fort Walton Beach and Panama City beach. In the off season you don't have to rent a full 7 days, so we usually shorten it to five days. We always eat dinners out, but usually get a grocery run similiar to what our weekly groceries at home would cost and eat breakfast and lunch in the room. And the beach of course provides the entertainment factor It's not Disney but we love to spend some time at the ocean and find the slower pace to be nice.

My daughter is 7 but we made these trips when she was 2 and 6. One was before she came along.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We are in Central KY and when we want to do a less expensive trip we usually plan a fall beach trip to the panhandle. Last year we stayed at Gulf Shores but have also done Fort Walton Beach and Panama City beach. In the off season you don't have to rent a full 7 days, so we usually shorten it to five days. We always eat dinners out, but usually get a grocery run similiar to what our weekly groceries at home would cost and eat breakfast and lunch in the room. And the beach of course provides the entertainment factor It's not Disney but we love to spend some time at the ocean and find the slower pace to be nice.

My daughter is 7 but we made these trips when she was 2 and 6. One was before she came along.

I was just getting ready to put almost this exact same response. We are in Louisville, KY and Gulf Shores is our "go to" place for a less expensive beach vacation. For us, if we don't have traffic delays, we can get there in just under 10 hours. This is where we usually end up for Spring Break.

 

[100AcreWood]

We did a trip to Pigeon Forge two years ago. My only advice is it's no Disney so set your expectations much lower. Much cheaper trip though!

 

[aprincessatlast]

I was going to say don't fall into the trap and take disney for every trip or you will suffer burn out from Disney but then noticed your signature. Perhaps not...lol I was the same though when my kids were young as Disney was just easy with little ones.

Now I don't think Disney is the same price as everything else. I can go to Europe for the price of Disney nowadays. I was going to suggest Charleston South Carolina. As mentioned Gulf Shores is lovely. Michigan has rave reviews from many that I know in the Kentucky area and is not too far. If you are stuck on Disney theming then try one of the beach resorts like Vero or Hilton Head.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Do you camp? There are a lot of state parks on the beach. We are going to Anastasia this year.

Do you like camping? Camping at state & national parks is much cheaper than any trip to Disney World, and just as memorable.

Renting a beach house at a nice beach in your area can also be great, yet affordable.

Not opposed to camping but I would wait until our son was a bit older.

Not sure where in KY you are, but you could do the Newport Aquarium on the way up to the Columbus Zoo. There is also a COSI science center and a LEGOLAND Experience is opening Fall 2018.

Honestly, as long as there is a pool and some ice cream your son will have fun.

We took him to Cosi on our way to visit grand parents for Christmas! He loved it. We haven't been to the aquarium yet but it is on our list. I was trying to plan something around a week long for this go around.

We are in Central KY and when we want to do a less expensive trip we usually plan a fall beach trip to the panhandle. Last year we stayed at Gulf Shores but have also done Fort Walton Beach and Panama City beach. In the off season you don't have to rent a full 7 days, so we usually shorten it to five days. We always eat dinners out, but usually get a grocery run similiar to what our weekly groceries at home would cost and eat breakfast and lunch in the room. And the beach of course provides the entertainment factor It's not Disney but we love to spend some time at the ocean and find the slower pace to be nice.

My daughter is 7 but we made these trips when she was 2 and 6. One was before she came along.

So this is where my whole "it's almost as expensive as Disney" comes into play. I was pricing Pensacola since I have been a bazillion times growing up and it's a drive I am comfortable with. I kept pricing various condos so we could cook meals but they were all $2000ish for the week and that's if I go late spring or late summer when rates are lower. Factor in a rental car, a few dinners out, gas and it's the same amount we would spend at Disney. Maybe Gulf Shores has some better prices, I didn't check into that yet.

I was just getting ready to put almost this exact same response. We are in Louisville, KY and Gulf Shores is our "go to" place for a less expensive beach vacation. For us, if we don't have traffic delays, we can get there in just under 10 hours. This is where we usually end up for Spring Break.

I am going to check out gulf shores, thanks. Any recommended accommodations I can check into?

I was going to say don't fall into the trap and take disney for every trip or you will suffer burn out from Disney but then noticed your signature. Perhaps not...lol I was the same though when my kids were young as Disney was just easy with little ones.

We don't typically have the means to go every year. Some years it's just a long weekend trip. If I went every year for several years in a row then I do fear I might get jaded. Luckily or perhaps not so luckily, our budget doesn't typically allow an annual Disney trip. Something about it is easy though. My husband and I vacation very differently from each other and we have a very active child so Disney just fits our family well.

 

[Sagginit]

We have a 14 month old and at this point we go to resorts with a kitchenette and nice pool on property. We found a resort in Lancaster PA that is about a 3.5 hour drive away with an indoor salt water pool in a gorgeous atrium. We went there in Oct for a long weekend and again in Jan for two days, having a few weekend breaks has worked better for us than week long vacations as it can be a lot to pack when you have a toddler in tow. My friends with toddlers have done WDW but also lots of local weekend trips too. I do know a few couples that went to Europe. Some countries you can get a great airfare and cheap rental on Air BNB making it the same cost to go to a nice beach area in the US. Some of this has to do with taste in vacation and temperament of your toddler. My child will not sit quietly at a cafe in Paris nibbling on croissants or calmly in a baby carrier in the Louvre, but our friends baby did so they went to Paris and we went to a motel in the suburbs

Admittedly I went to DL from NYC on our baby moon as it was the same cost for us to go somewhere else in the US so I totally understand what you are saying. Everyone thinks WDW is uber expensive but when you start factoring in all the little costs with other destinations it can add up to be the same. There is also something much more relaxing about being familiar with the lay of the land, if you are a "disney person" when you get off the bus and onto the resort you can just go without having to map out as much as when you go somewhere new.