Domestic Crisis - need family vacation ideas...

[hazmat]

HELP /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

My (very generous) parents would like to take us on a family vacation as a Christmas present. We are having difficulty selecting a vacation that appeals to everybody. Some want to lounge around, some would like outdoor activities, some would like historical places to visit.

Constraints are - must be child (and more importantly "parent") friendly as our currently 4 month old daughter will be accompanying us. Likely time frame is April thru August (my wife may be returning to her teaching job in September. Relatively easy to get to from New England (Australia is out). It will be a one week vacation.

Bring on the suggestions and help me return to my normal state of marital bliss. It's amazing how nice things can become stressful. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Wannafish]

Disney World

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( Disney World )</font>

While I don't like crowds, I can't think of a better overall place to go if it fits the budget (Disney is expensive). Very child and very parent friendly. Lots to do for all ages.

For a truely friendly experience while there make sure you stay at one of hotels that offers easy transportation to the theme parks. The mono-rail hotels are the best options (Grand Victoria, Contemporary and Polyneasian make it very simple to get to any park). My next choices are the Boardwalk, Beach Club & Yacht Club hotels, you can walk over a foot bridge to the side entrance of the Epcot Center's World Showcase and all 3 of those hotels are very nice for both adults & kids. MGM themepark is only a free 5 minute boat ride from the dock at the Boardwalk. But both MGM and Epcot appeal to slightly older kids and adults.

What you want to avoid are the other on=property Disney hotels where you'd end up taking a bus to a tansfer station to get on another bus to get to your destination. Talk about a PITA. Doubly so when you are hauling a young child or two. It can take 45 minutes to get to your destination from the door of your hotel and is a nightmare when the kids are cranky.

Off property hotels are much cheaper, you take scheduled shuttle buses into the property, but if you've not been there you must understand the fact that Disneyworld occupies as much land mass an a typical county!!! Again, it can take 45 to 60 minutes to get into one of the parks from your hotel.

I've stayed in 5 or 6 of the Disney hotels (I go to Disney at least once a year, often 2 or 3 times, mostly for conferences and conventions and always take the family so I've stayed at some of the hotels 4 or 5 times) and some off property hotels, my favorite is Disney's Boardwalk, but my child is old enough to enjoy Epcot. You simply can't beat the hotels on the mono-rail if you are going into the Magic Kingdom.

 

[rancar]

Steve,

You and your family might enjoy Bar Harbor, Maine. It's close enough to you and Acadia National Park is real pretty in the summer. There's lots of family type of things to do. One of my favorites are the hiking and biking trails on the old carriage roads within Acadia.

...Bob

 

[Bird]

I'm not sure any of us can provide any really valid recommendations without knowing all the members of your family and what activities (or lack thereof) they prefer /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, but Pipestem Resort in West Virginia is a place we've sure enjoyed. They may, or may not, have what you'd be interested in, but you have a choice of accomodations from RVs to cabins to hotel rooms and lots of outdoor activities.

 

[hazmat]

OK - I forgot to mention that we'd like to go somewhere new. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Y'all would mention places I've already been. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I've already been to Disney (more times than I can count - had grandparents in the area). I am sure we will go when my daughter is old enough to enjoy.

I've also been to Acadia - by land and sea.

I've spend little (if any) time in middle - Western US save for a couple ski trips to Utah & Wyoming. Also very little time on the eastern seaboard South of DC.

I have been to pretty much everywhere in New England, Washington DC, FL, Grand Canyon + surrounding area. Have also been to the carribean, Alaska, Banff, Vancouver, England & Spain if anybody is keeping track...

A couple buddies at work have suggested - Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia, Glaciar Natl Park, Montana, and Charleston, SC.

Keep the suggestions coming...

 

[RobS]

How 'bout Washington DC/Williamsburg VA? Four month old is too young for about anything so really you need stroller friendly places. Smithsonian museums, all the government stuff, decent food available etc. Then head to Williamsburg for the second half of the trip. Historic Williamsburg is very nice and more outdoor than indoor. Lots of other interesting stuff around there. Not too far from where you live either and as a woodworker I KNOW you'll appreciate all the historical furniture in Williamsburg. Make Norm proud /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Oh yeah, if you haven't already done this, get one of those Kelty kid carrier backpacks. Wonderful for this kind of touring. You'll still want a stroller but the backpack is a nice complement to the wheels /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Nasty135]

Vacation ?? Whats that... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Can you take a KROOSE from your region? too cold, bad time of year... uh well ,How about "Didney world" /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Ok ,sorry about that... Have fun whatever you choose. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[RobS]

Oh sure, NOW you give us more detail /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Charleston is wonderful. I've been there several times on business and have loved every trip. There are all the islands off the coast there as well. I'm not a golfer nor a lounger so I'm not sure there's enough to keep me busy for a week.

Gatlinburg/Smokey Mountains TN? Kind of touristy but truly beautiful scenery and just across the mountains is Asheville NC with the Biltmore Estate. We've been there several times and love it each time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Tom_H]

Disney World. The place has more square miles than the entire city limits of San Francisco. Besides the 4 theme parks, water parks, & other kiddie stuff, there are kazillions of things for adults too. The boardwalk and Downtown Disney have all kinds of shopping, posh restaurants, night clubs/dancing, etc. Cirque du Soleil will literally take your breath away. At the Disney Institute you can spend a week being tutored in anything from baseball skills (by former pro players) to culinary school (by world famous chefs). The hotels on site have an incredible variety of themes. The Grand Floridian is one of the classiest Victorians you'll ever see. The Polynesian will make you feel like you're in Tahiti ( and the Luau dinner show is great). There is the Contemporary with monorails running through the lobby, some hotels are music or sports themed. My favorite is the Wilderness Lodge, 7 story high Lobby, log (artificial but looks real) structure, Stone fireplace that goes that full 7 stories up (section where logs go is size of a small room), a Yellowstone Park like hot spring right in the lobby, artistic Indian teepee chandeliers all over the ceiling that are worth $50k ea. The hallways around the atrium on all those floors exposed to that lobby are covered with all kinds of Indian and Western artistry: tomahawks, peace pipes, papooses, paintings, dream catchers, on and on. The pool outside is like an alpine lake with a river flowing into it over a huge waterfall. I could spend a week just hanging out in this hotel.

The fireworks shows are great at all the parks. The Rainforest cafe at Downtown Dis. and in the Wilderness Park are like being in the rainforest. In the Wilderness Park, the safari ride will make you think you really are on an African savannah. If you're into stock car racing, you can take a week of driving racing instruction from pro racers on the Richard Petty raceway. At Epcot Center, in the Mexico pavilion, there's a Mexican restaurant that is set in an old pueblo village on one side, with a huge volcano outpouring lava on the other. The whole place is romantically and dimly lit. Between the dining terrace and the volcano is a pond where boats drift slowly by on their way back in time.

If you want to stay just off campus, there are many very nice condo timeshare facilities where you can rent nice three bedroom units for as little as $100/per night.

It's like a trip to another world. In fact it is wholly another world, and it's downright magical. Guess that's why they call it: DISNEY WORLD /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

OOps, just saw you'd already been there. Oh well, rather than delete, maybe someone else will get something from this.