Where to go on a Family Vacation? About This Page:

[Starbright]

Hubby doesn't want to do Disney again We went on the Disney Dream and he didn't like it He says that he would "tollerate" another one, but I think we need to give him a yr or two to rethink it and I don't want attitude while we are on the ship either.

So...now what Where would you suggest we go on a Family Vacation for next yr????? We are Canadian, so I don't really want to tour Canada anymore. Been to the West Coast sooo many times. We have also been to the Dakotas 2 yrs in a row, and though we love them, we have done that enough too. Been to LA, so don't want to do Disney Land either.
We are thinking of an all inclusive to Maya Riviera. Any other ideas? We have a 10 yr old and a 5 yr old and would like to go in April of next Spring. I am stumped.

Many thanks!!!!!

[disneycruising]

The biggest challenge with planning a 'family vacation' is finding a place where everyone will want to go.

Can you tell use what kind of vacations have been your favorite? What is your husband idea of a great vaction? Are you looking for a tropical getaway? A relaxing vacation?

[Tigger71]

Come to Australia!

Fantastic scenery, lots of action and adventure, beautiful beaches and relaxing hideaways, plenty of history to immerse yourself in, all inclusive resorts where you don't lift a finger and the days are planned, theme parks (if you must) are centred within a few miles of each other, we have awesome wineries and so much more!

[chezp]

I was going to say the same thing - if you give us some idea of what your husband's enjoyed in the past, then perhaps we can help you out more.

[MichaelF]

My first recommendation is Hawaii. We have had some great vacations there. Last year we took a disney break - sort of - and went to Disney's Vero Beach resort. We had a very relaxing time and visited parts of Florida I have never been to. Vero Beach Resort is very nice and I highly recommend it. If you are looking for nice beaches in Florida, Jupiter and West Palm are nice too. There are also many nice places on the gulf side.

[Ashli]

I was first going to say the Grand Canyon - but you said you'd been out West a lot so I didn't know if you'd been there already? If not, I highly recommend it. It is absolutely breathtaking, and there are tons of fun things to do for kids too.

My second thought is, of course, Savannah! You could rent a house/condo on Tybee Beach, so that way you'd have ample access to beach, as well as be just a short drive from downtown Savannah and all the great things we have here. April is the BEST time to visit Savannah, IMO, because the weather is warm, but not HOT yet (ya know, like today...heat index of 110), and that is when all of the flowers are blooming in all the squares. It is simply beautiful.

Good luck!!

[Starbright]

Wow, great ideas everyone!!

Australia is a dream for me....it is one that will have to be put off for a few yrs until my kids are abit older. It is a 23 hr long flight and I don't like flying 3 hrs, let alone 23 hrs!! I do want to ask you more questions though, if you don't mind and I will put a new post for that one in a few days. It would be exciting!!

Hubby and I are getting more and more different as we age- sigh. He likes the mountains and less people. I like more tropical (loved Florida and fell in love with the Palm trees). He likes the rugged, "different activities". I like different activities too but not as much as a thrill seeker as him. We both liked Epcot, but he didn't like Magic Kingdom nor the Disney Cruise as much as me. We both liked the Dakotas because we could travel around. We have seen abit of the USA...Montana, Dakotas, Oregon for our honeymoon and loved it (no kids so relaxing) and we drove, California, abit of Colorado, Arizona, New Hamshire and Vermont about 20 yrs ago for me. I might be missing some. I don't want to camp, although that being said, we both would love to tour the Southern USA. This last trip when we went to Florida was the only time my stomache never acted up in over 5 yrs of travelling but I was on probiotics and I ate ALOT!!!!.
We would like to do the South sometime...that has always facinated me. What is Savanah like? Can you tell me more about that area? What is there to do? Can you refer me to a website?

I hope that helps. My kids LOVE and need activities. My 5 yr old never complained about walking in WDW and I lost weight when we were away from walking. I kinda liked the Disney Cruise because I always had my food there-no fast food really, liked being pampered and loved having the same bed every night. After being a SAHM, and then having things done for me and not having to look for my food was great LOL.

Thanks again!!!!!

[Ashli]

www.visitsavannah.com is a great website
for Savannah info. Savannah is a historical town - one of the few cities in the South that was not burned during Gen. Sherman's march in the Civil War. We have gorgeous old homes, and the city itself has a very beautiful layout, with large squares (think mini-park/garden) situated throughout the historic district. We also have some great art museums ( www.telfair.org ), and there is ALWAYS a festival of some kind going on - that first website I gave you has all of that info. It's a great walking city. If you stay in the historic district you wouldn't even need a car, or if you stay outside of it, you can just drive down and park somewhere for the whole day and walk everywhere. We definitely do not have a shortage of delicious home-cooked restaurants. Southern food of course, but all different types are represented too. River St. is really nice to walk along, and you can often see dolphins in the river. Tybee Island Beach is about a 20 min drive from downtown. It has a nice beach and a really pretty lighthouse that you can go up in. Oh, Savannah is also known for being one of the most haunted cities in America, so if that interests you, there are many different ghost tours to choose from. Anyway, that's just some stuff to see if your interest is peaked. (BTW, we have palm trees too, but our best trees are the giant, old Oaks that have the Spanish Moss hanging all over them...so pretty!)

Hope this helped!

[minemoz1]

I'm with you on Australia! That's my dream trip too!

If you are interested in going to Cancun/Riviera Maya and you want adventure, I highly recommend Xplor Xplor - Beyond the Surface - . I don't know if your youngest may be too young at this time, but the park was amazing!! We had such a great time. Everything was well done.

Also, if you do go to an all inclusive, there are many excursions you can book, just like on a cruise. We went to Punta Cana in 2009 and stayed at the Iberostar resorts. The beach was incredible there. We went on a catamaran excursion to an island, picked up huge starfish in the ocean and went on a party boat/snorkel trip where everyone had a great time (including the kids). Other friends took speed boat rides and jungle treks. Or you can plant yourself on a beach chair and chill. I did prefer Mexico over the Dominican Republic except for the beach. If we stayed nearer Cancun or on Cozmel, I think it would have been the perfect trip! Have fun planning.

[Huntermom]

I think Ashli had a great idea with the Grand Canyon, although the north rim will not be open in April. I think everyone should see it. It cannot be described.

I love the Florida keys. There are lots of natural things to do as well as laid back kids activities. I think each key has a different flavor and we could have spent a month there.

DS1 lives in Houston and both Houston and Austin have a lot to offer and would be fine weather wise at the beginning of April. I originally didn't like Houston but have really grown to enjoy it.

The DC area is also nice in the spring. The city itself has something for everyone and all the Smithsonian Museums are free. You don't have to travel too far to find some nature activities for your husband.

One of my favorite vacation places in Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, although more of a June than April place (and yes, I know it's in Canada)

[typical disney dad]

I live in Austin, and as much as I would suggest it to visitors, the suggestion of Savannah sounds so good. But those are great months to see Austin, (really anytime that is not June-August is a great time), and there is also San Antonio just a short drive away with the Riverwalk and the old Spanish Missions (of which the Alamo is only one), and The Menger Hotel.

I have never been to Savannah, but as a Girl Scout Leader, I know I will one day soon. I've always wanted to visit, and am glad Sherman was more merciful with them. If you want to see "The South" that is the destination for you.

[B.M.]

Originally Posted by Ashli

I was first going to say the Grand Canyon - but you said you'd been out West a lot so I didn't know if you'd been there already? If not, I highly recommend it. It is absolutely breathtaking, and there are tons of fun things to do for kids too.


Good luck!!

Originally Posted by Huntermom

I think Ashli had a great idea with the Grand Canyon, although the north rim will not be open in April. I think everyone should see it. It cannot be described.

)

I was going to suggest the Grand Canyon also; not because I've seen it first hand but because that is going to be our big vacation next summer- the Grand Canyon. So, I'm really excited to see these posts saying how great it is!!!

[HiddenMickey]

First you should narrow down what it is you want from a vacation. Do you want to relax and take it easy? Do you want to have activity filled days? Do you want to explore the outdoors or are museums and shops your type of thing. Start there. Let us know and then maybe we can suggest some places that fit your desires.

[guitardiva]

I would suggest renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. You can have the best of both worlds. Activity and a peaceful mountain retreat. Smoky Mountain Cabin Rental - Smoky Mountains Vacation Packages - Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Another nice place is a place is Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Now it is a "golf resort" , but I went with my family many years ago and it was beautiful and lovely even if you do not play golf. They had a private beach and it was very lush . You are not far from Charleston either. You can check out the historical sites.
I looked up the site for you . Kiawah Island Golf Resort: Kiawah Island, near Charleston South Carolina and Charleston, SC | Official Site for Charleston Vacations & Charleston Tourism | Charleston Area CVB

[Starbright]

oooh wow!! You are giving me great ideas. I have a book that I write info down in about holidays with websites, prices etc. This way, I just refer back to them. So each item that you suggested would go into a different section.

Do like:
animals
sea life
tropics
mountains
being outdoors for parts of it (a must)
activities
water
shopping
hubby likes mountains and exploring, but the rest of us, are abit on the fence about it.
Gotta be active.

Don't like much:
museums and history ( I am Canadian and I probably know more about the American history than I do about Canadian history but I don't know enough about it for museums to make much sense. So the history thing would throw me for a loop)
nothing to do.
laying on the beach doing nothing would last us maybe 2 hrs. The kids do like swimming though so that is good but they want us in with them, so again, we are active.
hubby didn't like the huge crowds on the Dream. He felt like it was too many in a small place and yet Epcot around Easter didn't bother him. I can't figure that one out

Out of 7 days, we would probably want one or two lazy days and the rest really active. I can't sit still on holidays and I figure that resting is for when we get back home (o.k, so we don't do it at home either but it is a theory)
My dd who is 5 did not complain about walking in WDW. She is great. More my 10 yr old that would complain abit lol.

Hope that helps abit.

Many thanks.
Oh, just out of curiousty, if you were to go to Australia with kids, at what age would you look at going? There is a 4.5 yr age difference between my kids and we aren't young parents either, so I want to go when my energy still matches their age. The flight is about 23 hrs but if I did go, I would want a stop over to visit other parts of the world too if I could and break up the flight abit.

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!