What do you do at the beach for a week?

[mum4jenn]

I am not a beach person either. I am allergic to the salt water so if we go I stay out of the water so not much fun. People aound her usually go to Panama City Beach.

I do like Jekyll Island but we get out and just try different restaurants and go to the historic section or the turtle hospital.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Clearwater is a nice area. Have you looked at hotel prices? It can be pretty expensive. A cruise is great but if you thinking summer there won't be too many bargains. Cruising is a wonderful family vacation though!

Check here: http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/
for ticket prices to Universal. A bit less than Disney. And really fun for your sons if they like the thrill rides. Possibly with an off site hotel or condo?

It will be interesting to see your cost comparison for the Disney vacation vs beach/ other entertainment. I hope you will post what you find out. I find Disney to be one of our least expensive vacations - thousands less than cruising actually. Comparable to a week at the beach but not really less. At Disney we usually stay at the value resorts where on the beach I want to be on the beach in a condo or nice hotel. So the cost comes out the same. Please post what you find! Thanks!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

We are definitely beach people! In my previous marriage, when I was a SAHM, the kids & I went to the beach for 2 weeks at a time at HHI. When my youngest was small I took our babysitter, who was much more help than a husband ever hoped to be. My current (and last, and favorite) husband's aunt has a house at Jekyll, so now we go there.

To begin with, we want comfort. So we bring 2 big beach umbrellas, beach chairs, lots of towels, & a king size quilt for sunbathing. All this fits into a thing called a Wonder Wheeler - kind of like those things at Kohl's, but bigger. Also in the wonder wheeler we have a cooler with snacks & drinks, boogie boards, noodles, rings, etc. for floating, heck, we even have a blow up raft and paddles. We bring books & sand toys & watercolors to paint on each other if the mood strikes (LOTS of fun) and OMG I almost forgot - kites. We have several kites that are a blast at the beach. We people watch, look at boats passing by, walk up & down the beach looking at shells and whatever else the tide has brought in , chat . . . it's like an all-day picnic I guess.

We also bring our bikes for exploring the island, and a badminton set to keep the kids occupied if necessary.

We love this kind of beach vacation. If it rains, we'll go to the movies, and we usually go out to eat 2-3 times. Other families go to the beach & play golf, shop, etc. but we just hang out at the beach.

I my Wonder Wheeler..... dh even composed a song about my love of the wonder wheeler. The kids sing it as we walk down the beach I have a family of beach bums. We spend a week at North Myrtle every year....plus several weekends. we never leave our condo complex. Up every morning....spend all day on the sand w/ a packed lunch. We may head out for dinner...but we sometimes cook at the condo. Then we spend every Labor Day weekend at Pirateland in S. Myrtle.....it's an RV campground and we just hang out and drive golf carts around all night.....redneck but fun!

 

[hsmamato2]

hang out read books sunbathe swim watch the kids play eat relax!!!!!

 

[dvcnewgirl]

Have you considered going to the *other* parks in/near Orlando? Because their ticket prices can't be beat, and there is plenty of cheap lodging in the area. We love WDW, but I wouldn't mind going over to the Dark Side. I will definitely go when the HP attraction opens!

That is what we are doing, I could not spend a week at the beach. This summer we are going to rent a place with a pool and go to SeaWorld, BG and Aquatica. Much cheaper than WDW.

 

[rockydek]

We are staying at Vero for a week in May...My husband keeps asking me...What are we going to do all week. I keep saying ....nothing!

 

[bethy]

I am a beach person!

In my selfish world, I would wake up, run, come back and eat breakfast, and then head to the beach. Settle down in my chair and read, read, read. Take a few breaks to swim, short walks, etc. to break up the reading.

Head to pool for a little bit.

Head in for lunch.

Back to beach w/adult beverages in cooler.

Read, swim, read, walk, drink. etc.

Up to pool for a short swim.

Go in, shower and out for the evening.

Now with kids, I still manage to do the above, but with a lot less reading and much earlier nights. More sandcastles, boogie boarding, rafting, mini golf, etc.

I find the beach relaxing.

This is exactly what we do and a week is not long enough! I just booked a 10 day beach vacation for next winter for our family.

We just hang out. We talk, dream, play in the waves, look for shells, eat, sleep, read, talk some more. We just let ourselves be.

OP, with kids that ages of your kids I would think that would be wonderful b/c they could entertain each other for substantial periods of time while I got some R&R.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I am a beach person!

In my selfish world, I would wake up, run, come back and eat breakfast, and then head to the beach. Settle down in my chair and read, read, read. Take a few breaks to swim, short walks, etc. to break up the reading.

Head to pool for a little bit.

Head in for lunch.

Back to beach w/adult beverages in cooler.

Read, swim, read, walk, drink. etc.

Up to pool for a short swim.

Go in, shower and out for the evening.

Now with kids, I still manage to do the above, but with a lot less reading and much earlier nights. More sandcastles, boogie boarding, rafting, mini golf, etc.

I find the beach relaxing.

Our itinerary is similar. Love, love, love the beach. We usually watch movies at "home". Play lots of games, cards, puzzles at night. We just chill out. Last time we went we didn't go anywhere other than the beach and walking the neighborhood. We were super content. We had done the grocery shopping on the way in and didn't move our car until it was time to go!

I make milkshakes or rootbeer floats for the kids (and us!), more during beach week than any other time. We like to eat light lunches like cheese, crackers, pepperoni, and lots of fruit or sandwiches and chips. At least once we'll have a surf and turf night, where we'll grill steaks and cook some shrimp.

Like bethy said, a week wasn't nearly enough. Pure relaxation.

 

[dvcnewgirl]

That is what we are doing, I could not spend a week at the beach. This summer we are going to rent a place with a pool and go to SeaWorld, BG and Aquatica. Much cheaper than WDW.

It's so funny. I said I couldn't go to the beach and then I looked at my ticker.. Umm I am going to the beach. Somehow I think HHI is different.. LOL

 

[lovehoney]

I'm not quite the beach person that DH is. I was 7 months pregnant last summer and we went to Corpus Christi, TX for 5 days with my SIL, her 5 kids, DH, my 2 kids and my MIL. We had 2 condos. I was miserably uncomfortable because of pubic symphasis problems but I did have a relaxing vacation.

We stayed at a condo on the beach. The first evening we arrived we set up our little shade canopy on the beach where we kept our chairs, boogie boards and cooler. Then DH and SIL took the kids to the pool while MIL and I went grocery shopping.

The next 2 days we would go to the beach early, come inside for lunch and then back to the beach or pool in the evening. I would stay in to read and start dinner in the evening.

On the 3rd day, I booked a Sand Castle lesson with the Port A Sandcastle guy. The kids had a blast and I learned a lot about building sand castles.

On the 4th day we went souvenir shopping and out to lunch in Port Aransas.

On the last day we did the beach again and packed up.

I really wanted to see a sea turtle release but all the eggs hatched early so we missed it.

I found out about the sandcastle guy and the turtle release by googling Corpus Christi. It's a great way to find different kinds of activities for the place you are vacationing.

I'm used to having a more jam packed and planned vacation but because of my mobility issues I wasn't able to do it this time. I was very relaxed by the end of the vacation so there is something to be said for "just hangin' out at the beach".

Have fun!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Holla! Long Beach Island, New Jersey fan here. For a week at the beach we...Go to the beach...boogie board, lay out, build sand castles, chase seagulls, get ice cream, We get ice cream and fudge every night, we go to the water park, we go para sailing, we go to the children's theater, we go out to eat at some nice restaurants, we have "no beef week"-all seafood-lobster, crab, mussels, flounder and tons of shrimp, we rent a boat and go crabbing, we climb the lighthouse (done that pregnant with a baby on my back!), we go biking, we take walks on the beach at nigh(not to be missed), we people watch, we shop a little, we go to Fantasy Island for the little kids and the arcade for everyone! we go out for breakfast, we swim in the bay...I could go on forever....I love beach vacations!

My Nana lives there (Ship Bottom, facing the bay)... went there all the time in the summer growing up. Ironically both DH and I are not beach people, but we are ocean people and love to be on the coast. There is a ton to do there besides sitting on the beach.

 

[petchie]

I am a beach person.

1 week = 5 books. (last summer was the southern vampire series)

Life is good at the beach.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas goes out of Port Canaveral. Inside rooms for May are starting at under $700 per person for first 2 people in a stateroom (depending on the week). You could do 2 inside rooms for all 6 boys, the 3rd (or 4th) person in a stateroom could be as low as $250.

The Freedom class ship is AMAZING for all ages. I went on the Freedom's sister ship, The Independence, and DD loved it just as much as WDW, maybe even a little more!

 

[mjkacmom]

When I was growing up, my grandparents had a large home 3 blocks from the beach (Avon, NJ), and we'd spend all day there, every day! My kids LOVE the beach, as long as it's a beach with nice waves (like ours in NJ). Body surfing, boogie boarding, sand castles, shell collecting, kites... they never want to leave!

 

[eandt]

We love the beach. Like someone said earlier our Disney vacations are packed solid with hitting the parks, getting here and there for dinner, fireworks, shows etc. Our beach vacations are laid back. Start out on the beach by 7 surf fishing with the boys for a couple hours. Be out on the sand for the day by 10 with a bloody mary or a fruity concoction (coconut rum, OJ, and splash of cranberry is our fav), catch some rays, then set sail with the Captain (Morgan) until we feel like dragging ourselves off the beach. We eat where and when we want, no schedules, nowhere to be, nothing we HAVE to see...total relaxation. Get up the next day and do it all again!

 

[StephMK]

I live for the beach!! We do almost nothing but it's our favorite week of the year. My parents took us to the beach every year as a kid and our grandparents always came down too. Now we still go, only my parents are now the grands & my DB & I bring our families. We stay in the same house, take turns cooking simple meals or grilling and just hang out.

We wake up whenever, eat, drag all our stuff to the beach & play w/the kids. Thankfully all of our kids love the beach too. They dig holes, play in the waves, play baseball, football, fly kites, take walks, look for shells. We head back around 12, eat lunch, nap, read, etc. or take a quick trip to the store for fresh fruit or groceries. Then head back to the beach about 3 til dinner. Once we will head to the wildlife refuge & take a walk, sometimes we go the aquarium for part of the day but otherwise, it's the same all week.

DS told me today he wrote about our beach for a school assignment about favorite places. I'm so glad to share that w/my kids.

 

[MarthaJr.]

Nothing! That's the point!
Sprinkle in some time reading, actually having real conversations with your family, sipping tropical drinks, soak up the sun during the day and the stars at night, play and laugh with your family, boogie boarding for the kids, sea shell picking, dolphin or snorkeling trips, find an old sit-com marathon and enjoy as a family on a rainy day, of course eating out!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a beach vacation. I always feel relaxed and connected to those I love when the vacation is over. Typically a very economical vacation for us. Hope you enjoy yours!

 

[polkadotminnie]

We play frisbee and sand volleyball. I love the beach!

 

[gillenkl]

We have been to the Outerbanks and New Jersey beaches many times. We aren't sunworshippers and I'm fair skinned, so what we usually do is sightseeing in the area during the day, eat an early dinner and then around 4pm we go to the beach and spend the rest of the night until it gets dark - by then everyone is tired so baths and relaxing/watching movies until bedtime. By that time also the beach clears out and we usually have it practically to ourselves.

So in the Outerbanks we did the Wright Brothers Memorial, Aquarium, etc.....my kids love historical sites so we always try to make the most of those places in the areas we visit.

 

[2bearsmom]

We are total beach bums, love love love the beach! Me sitting on a chair reading and watching the boys and my dh build things in the sand. It is a total do nothing week which we just love. Wake up, walk to the beach, go have lunch, back to the beach, go have a nap and get ready for dinner. No set times to do anything, no schedule, it's wonderful! Now the kids are only 4 and 8 so playing in the sand is still the greatest thing ever!