Where to go..or how to convince your children to take yr. off from Disney

[KyMattDisney]

Just back from a fantastic 8 day vacation at WDW, staying at AKL and BWVs..........loved every minute and of course my 2 boys, 8 and 3 are already talking about going next year.

I would love to take a year off (this is our 2nd year in a row) but we are looking for ideas of vacation spots......anything I suggest to my 8yr. old is rejected....

I have suggested Florida west coast, Bahamas, California...

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE DISNEY and would go back every year, but I think you need a break sometimes.....

Thanks!!!

 

[CEDmom]

Personally, we don't ask DD where she wants to go on vacation although we do pick places with things she likes to do. Since CA is on your list that would be my pick. So. CA is great and there's so much to do around San Diego and LA. You could even manage a day or 2 at DL.

 

[vicb]

We love WDW but also think it is important for our children to see other parts of our country. We don't really give them the choice but we talk about possible places and what they offer for the kids.

This was an off year from WDW for us and we went to San Diego for a week. As long as everyone understands there is only one Disney and other trips will be different, a non-Disney trip can be great.

San Diego was great... we did the Zoo (pandas!), Lego Land (way cool for my son age 7), LaJolla (Children's Beach where the harbor seals beach themselves all day is not to be missed), beachcombing, bike rentals, Sea World etc....

Another off year we did San Antonio which was also a lot of fun for the kids (and adults).

This is our Disney year coming up but the next off year we may try Yellowstone/Grand Tetons or London!!

 

[athena's mommy]

I am just like your sons! Since my DH and I have been together, I have managed to drag him to WDW 16 times in 9 years. He likes it, but he is not a freak like I am. We take 2 vacations (1 week each) a year. I get to pick one (always WDW) and he gets to pick one. This past June we went to Myrtle Beach, SC and had a great time. Athena loved the beach. In December we are going back to Disney. This system seems to work out for us. When our daughter gets older we probably won't ask her where she wants to go, we will keep our system. My parents never asked me or my brother, they just planned it. We were happy to go anywhere.

Have you thought about the Disney cruise? It was wonderful. I still got my Disney fix, but we also got to do other things like scuba diving, parasailing, fishing, etc. You can spend 3 days at WDW and 4 days on the ship. That way they can see that there are other things out there besides WDW.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I can't really offer any suggestions- but I have to ditto the fact we don't ask our children. The reason is if they know Disney and want to go to Disney- they really can't be expected to say yes to anywhere else. They haven't been there yet (atleast assuming you are meaning places they haven't been yet) and don't know for sure they'll have fun/etc in their minds. They know they have fun at Disney- so Disney would be their answer everytime. I know my children wouldn't be open to taking a risk to a new vacation place. They would always pick the "for sure" fun time place- Disney for example (or mine might pick San Antonio also- we always have a blast there... so much to do). But when it came to asking them about other places- it's an unknown... so they might not want to pick another place.

We don't ask them. We just decide on places we KNOW we'll all enjoy and then tell them all about it so they can get excited about that vacation also.

 

[LKS]

We also don't "convince" our kids. We pick a place we know we will all enjoy, and then tell the kids about it. We went to Disney 3 times in one year when we lived in FL (6-7 years ago) and had passes, then last year for a week. We are going to go down for the water parks only (remaining days on our PHPs) over Labor day, then we will not go back for at least 4 years when youngest son is 10 and can definitely ride everything.

We had a great family vacation to Williamsburg, VA. We had a two room suite, got Patriot's passes and went to the historic things (Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown), played mini-golf, and went to Busch Gardens twice. Our passes were also good for the water park, but it was too cool in late May for our southern blood. We were there for 4 days and finished up with a trip to Monticello in Charlottesville and Appomattox Courthouse. There is still stuff we didn't have time to see. Came out much cheaper than a Disney trip.

We have twice rented a beach house on the Outer Banks of NC. We have stayed on Longboat Key on the gulf coast of FL. My kids love the beach and are as happy there as at Disney.

On our agenda for future trips (one per year) are: Dearborn, MI for Greenfield Village and Chicago; Hawaii; and Washington, DC. We have also been going to Myrtle Beach, SC with my Mom for a few days at the end of each summer, and will be doing that week after next. It's hokey, but the kids love it. In addition, I am taking the kids to Europe one at a time as they turn 11. I took the oldest one this summer and we backpacked around for 2.5 weeks. Great trip.

Happy planning. It's a big world and we are trying to see it all!

 

[Scratch42]

They get Disney, you get great Ports of Call!

Everybody Happy!

Scratch

 

[vicb]

LKS, you will not be disappointed in Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, both are a full day of exploring. I haven't been this year to the village but they just reopenned after a huge renovation. If you come up this way be sure to spend a day at the Detroit Zoo too. It is a wonderful zoo!

 

[laceemouse]

We love Disney too, but really enjoy our other trips as well! We own a t/s which we trade so we have one week a year to go where ever we want. In a week and a half we will be going to the Smoky Mountains! My 4 kids love animals (we will do a zoo and aquarium there) as well as natural things like caves, hiking, waterfalls, etc... We will also do Dollywood and her new water park! We just bought a few DVC points so we will go to Disney every yr. or 2, already have next spring break scheduled at BCV!!! Next summer we are considering Colonial Williamsburg. We want to have some education with our fun, and there are so many GREAT things to do and see in the USA!!! Get a children's atlas and start reading/discussing different states every night at dinner. You should be able to get them interested in other things they would like to do and see. The travel channel is good too (when they avoid Vegas!) My son wants to go the Hershey, PA something fierce after seeing a special about it!!! Also, as they learn more and more about other places at school it would be great to say "How about if we see that in person this summer?" Lacee

 

[kaseyC]

We love to cruise. Usually we alternate each year , WDW one year and a cruise the next year. We have done the Disney cruise and loved it but we also have cruised with most of the other cruiselines. We usually choose our cruises based on itinerary. We went to WDW last August and planned our Canada and NE Cruise for this year. Because of FTP we could not pass up a trip to WDW. So this year we are doing both.
Look into cruising its a great vacation especially with younger kids because you only have unpack once - many of the newer ships have great family staterooms for 4, 5 and even 6 passengers. The children's facilities are awesome. You get to see alot of different places with hauling all of you luggage from place to place.

Like many of the other posters have stated, My DH & I plan vacations and then we tell the kids. We always choose places that are family friendly.

 

[MrsPete]

I have to agree with other posters -- I have never given my children a choice about where to go on vacation. I think that's an adult privledge. After all, as the parent, I know what's reasonable for our available time, our disposable income, and their ages. My kids have never expressed any disappointment in any vacation.

The way you present it to them can make a difference too. Consider the difference:

"I'm sorry, honey, but we can't manage to do Disney World this year. How does the Grand Canyon sound? I've heard there's a bunch of cool stuff to do there. I promise we'll go to Disney again next year."

"This year Daddy and I have decided that we'll go to the Grand Canyon for our vacation! Look at these pictures -- isn't it beautiful? It's much bigger in person -- you can't even see across it! We'll visit an Indian villlage, we'll go rafting, and we'll ride donkeys down into the canyon! We'll wear cowboy hats and boots. And there's a big river right in the bottom of the canyon where we can swim after the ride! It's going to be so much fun."

 

[crisi]

Ours are little, but we will only do Disney alternate years - and in the non-Disney years do something different. There are years with definate plans where mom and dad will pick (my son is Korean, so a trip to Korea or two - my husband was born near Amsterdam, so a trip to Europe or two) - and years where we will let them choose from a short list.

I have been to and hope my kids get to:
Washington DC
San Francisco and the Bay Area
New York
Denver/Boulder (my sister lives there, and is a skiier).
Grand Canyon
Mammoth Cave (way cool)

I think a dude ranch would be cool. And we are really hoping our kids take up golf, which will take us to golf resorts. My husband wants to get to the baseball hall of fame. So there is a full list.

I travel on business as well, and they may get lucky enough to tag along as a family to Ireland, Singapore or Thailand.

 

[southernwingz]

We are a 'new' blended family, so we don't have a vacation history, but we've already talked about alternating years for vacations. DW every other year, and see the U.S. on the other year. I think people sometimes forget that we have amazing sites right here within our borders.

I think we're going to try to get to the Grand Canyon next year.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

My twins are 5 and have been to WDW twice and on 3 DCL. I love Disney and am living my childhood dream of going to WDW through my kids. DH likes Disney, but is more of a "been there, done that" kind of person. It hasn't been easy to get him to agree to all the Disney vacations. I feel that since my kids are so young they would not enjoy an educational vacation. When they are older and in school I would like to alternate WDW and other vacations (Washington DC, Grand Canyon, etc). At that time I will probably give them some type of choice in what they would like to see-Grand Canyon vs. San Diego and when we decide on Disney-Cruise vs. parks.

 

[disneysteve]

A cruise is a great idea. My daughter was 6 when we did ours on Carnival Paradise and she had a ball. There is truly something for everyone to do and the kid's camp onboard is wonderful. We didn't do the Disney cruise because it is outrageously expensive! We paid less for a 7-day Carnival cruise than we would have spent for a 4-day Disney cruise.

As for land vacations, look at Beaches resorts in the Caribbean. That is the family resort run by Sandals. Lots of activites and totally all-inclusive.

Another fun family trip was Niagra Falls(Canadian side) and Buffalo area. There are loads of fun family activities in and around that area.

And don't forget Washington, DC. Kids love the museums - Air and Space, National History, Zoo, etc. My daughter, 6 at the time, also enjoyed the art museum, Arlington cemetery, the Botanical Gardens and several other sites.

Next month, we're going to Massachussets. Spending 4 days in the Boston area and 3 in Springfield. Planning to take a whale watching cruise, see the Boston Tea Party and other historical sites, go to Salem witch museum, basketball hall of fame and a bunch of other stuff.

Of course, we'll still be doing WDW in November. We wouldn't consider skipping a year.

Steve

 

[DisneyFeePee]

We don't ask, either. It's more of a formula: We know that we'll get that "Disney fix", but our other vacations are a few days for the family reunion, and one "historical" location. This time it will be D.C., or Dallas (Sixth floor museum). I couldn't skip a year, even if I only got a few days of WDW.

There is something that every American city has that no other one does, you just need to find out what it is and enjoy it. When you vacation, no matter where you go, you can gain appreciation for that location's differences as well as the similarities to your own hometown. One thing we always do, no matter where we go, is take a ride around and see what the locals do for fun. You can find out some great things that are not in the guidebooks.

 

[Shelby007]

Get back to nature. Relax.
For the past 6 years we have been going to VA. Shenandoah.

Disney is 'the most MAGICAL place on earth'
This is 'the most BEAUTIFUL, PEACEFUL place on earth'. We usually stay at Lewis Mtn. Cabins on Skyline Drive. Have also camped a few times. Miles & miles of trails to walk. Waterfalls, wildlife, beautiful scenery. Our 2 kids love learning about the wildlife, catching crayfish in the many streams (let them go of course).

Not the vacation for everyone, but we love it. If you're looking to relax a bit, without all the commercialism, this is the place to go.
Noticed you're from NJ. Wouldn't be a bad car ride. Maybe 5 hours?

 

[WDWfanatic288]

I say California and go to DL! it's disney, but it's a brand new experience...DL is WONDERFUL!
or a beach somewhere...just where you can relax(we are going to Hilton Head for Spring Break...our first real vacation ever!)

we haven't traveled much but I wanan go to-
Williamsburg
DC
back to NYC
Grand Canyon
Philadelphia

i think almost anywhere could be fun!! every place has something different to do!

my mom and I call all the vacation shots in our family...my dad and brother agree! LOL!
my mom have trips in the works, just dunno when we are gonna take them! LOL
but then again, how can we go anywhere else when we go to disney all the time!

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We too do not ask our children. But I'm not really sure they'd pick WDW. Some of our other vacations have been just as magical. The last few trips have been to major cities or the carribbean and have been wonderful. We did a cruise before my son was born and knowing his personality (he's 20 months) I feel I have to wait for another cruise. He's such a climber that I'd be scared to death!

 

[minnieandmickey]

I vote Disney Cruise!!

Although, you get a different vacation away from the lines and rides, the kids still get Disney!! Plus the kids clubs are great so you and DH may get some alone time, and you don't get that at WDW.