Family oriented vacations

[jIM_Ohio]

I am looking into a family oriented vacation for a large group. 3-10 families, 3-8 people in each family.

Disney cruises, Disney, Gatlinburg are all ideas which came up. If you have taken a family vacation and would care to share

a) where you went
b) what activities were there for kids
c) what it cost (per family)
d) ability for this to expand if more than 3 families choose to attend

The kids attending would range from age 4-12. Kid friendly is a requirement. Cost is not an issue right now (not looking for cheapest vacation possible, looking for good value, but low cost is not a primary requirement).

[disneysteve]

Jim, we are BIG vacationers and have taken many family-friendly trips. Of course, Disney World is our favorite, but certainly not the only one. I would cross a Disney cruise off your list simply because it is terribly overpriced. I do think a cruise is a great option, though. We've sailed 3 times with Carnival and loved every minute of it. I know a lot of people who have sailed with Royal Carribbean numerous times and highly recommend them as well.

As for other options, it partly depends on time of year and what type of trip you are looking for. We've gone to Niagara Falls, Boston, Stowe, VT, New Hampshire, Lancaster, PA, Washington, DC, California and various other places and I'd recommend every single one of them. I don't think we've taken any vacation that I wouldn't recommend as kid-friendly.

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Jim, we are BIG vacationers and have taken many family-friendly trips. Of course, Disney World is our favorite, but certainly not the only one. I would cross a Disney cruise off your list simply because it is terribly overpriced. I do think a cruise is a great option, though. We've sailed 3 times with Carnival and loved every minute of it. I know a lot of people who have sailed with Royal Carribbean numerous times and highly recommend them as well.

As for other options, it partly depends on time of year and what type of trip you are looking for. We've gone to Niagara Falls, Boston, Stowe, VT, New Hampshire, Lancaster, PA, Washington, DC, California and various other places and I'd recommend every single one of them. I don't think we've taken any vacation that I wouldn't recommend as kid-friendly.

Could you either PM or post the following

1) did you stay at any of above locations with a large group? Think 20-30 people. Thinking of a lodge or similar. nearly everyone attending would be family, so sharing rooms is an option.
2) what exactly did you do (in New Hampshire, Lancaster or Stowe?)
Niagara Falls is out- most people attending live in Buffalo
Boston, DC and Disney are on my list.
But I need to find a way to find vacation lodges in all those locations to put a cost outline together.

[Hot dog]

Any all inclusive is great they are not that expensive and once your there everything is free and it includes the flight the hotel food alcohol and some entertainment. You can go anywhere but mexico and dominican republic are like 1,000 a week and some have kids free with adults. I have gone to myrtle beach think it was myrtle beach resorts and they have condos for like 1,000 a week with two bedrooms two baths kitchen pools kiddie pools workout room and dance and kariyoke every night. The kids love it and there are tons of attractions outside the resort and i have to bribe them to leave. Lots of familys and kid friendly.

[disneysteve]

I haven't done any with a large group, but I think some are more amenable to that than others. Disney or a cruise would be good because it offers a lot of varied activities in a confined area so that people could go off in different directions easily but still meet up to do things together. Of course, thousands of buses of tour groups do DC and Boston each year so traveling in a pack is certainly a possibility anywhere you go. Both DC and Boston have great public transit which makes getting around easier, especially if there are a lot of you.

What do we do in NH, Lancaster and VT? All kinds of things. We spent 2 weeks in NH last year and pretty much toured the whole state. We did everything from museums to art galleries to factory tours to hiking in the mountains to visiting the world's largest arcade. It was a very eclectic trip.

In Stowe, VT, same story. Musuems, galleries, shops, a boat tour on Lake Champlain, horseback riding, hiking, factory tours (Cabot cheese, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, maple sugar plant) and more. We don't believe in sitting still much when we travel. Can you tell?

Lancaster is a little more laid back. There are lots of sights related to the Amish, seeing how they live and work. There is Dutch Wonderland which is a nice family amusement park (not many thrill rides, more geared to the younger crowd). Mini-golf. Also a short drive from York, PA where we just spent 3 days 2 weeks ago and toured the Utz potato chip plant, the Snyder's pretzel plant, a small candy company and the Harley-Davidson factory. Lancaster has a great resort called Willow Valley that would be perfect for a large group. They have several indoor and outdoor pools, nice buffet meals and lots of room to run around.

I'd go online and search for the tourism board of each place you are considering. Order the free travel guides and flip through them. Also, go to vrbo.com and browse for rental properties. We've rented through them in Florida numerous times and also in Vermont. In Florida, you can rent homes as large as 8 bedrooms. If you can rent a few homes close together, it would be a great way to go and a whole lot cheaper than hotels.

[scfr]

Another suggestion: Southern California ~ Extraordinarily kid-friendly, especially the age ranges you mentioned.

Getting a CityPass would be a good way to hit all of the major attractions:

CityPass: San Diego Zoo California Discount tickets and Wild Animal Park Passes

If you purchase through Costco, you can get a discount on the CityPasses ($227 adult / $192 child)

If you had more time (and money), you could add additional attractions such as Legoland.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by scfr

Another suggestion: Southern California

We did 2 weeks in California in '05. Our daughter was 9 at the time. We flew to LAX and drove to Anaheim, spending 5 days at Disneyland. Then we drove up Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco and spent 4 days there. From there, we drove to Sequoia National Park for one night and did some hiking to see the sequoias. Finally, we drove across the desert to Las Vegas and spent 4 days there and flew home from McCarran.

I don't think I would recommend that particular itinerary for a large group, but Anaheim/LA area or San Diego or San Francisco are all great family destinations.

[cschin4]

I highly recommend the Outer Banks ,NC. You can rent a home. You have the ocean and the beach. What else is needed!
And, it is very economical. YOu can eat in, cook and share the expenses of rental expense.

[cschin4]

I really don't think you can go wrong renting a beach house. Shlepping the kids around at Disney honestly doesn't seem like my idea of fun.
There are many beaches that offer home rentals.

[hopefulfirefly]

I highly recommend Disney! They cater to large groups and you can exclusively do things that others cannot, as part of your large group. And, I agree the Disney cruise is very overpriced.

My mom just purchased a house in Kissimmee, 2.8 miles from Disney, it's amazingly close. I'm not trying to specifically advertise her property, but the management company we have hired to rent the house manages tons of properties similar to hers. She has a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, but there are much larger homes in the community that are 6 or 7 bedrooms. You could rent several smaller places or a few larger homes, all of which have private pools including the smaller ones. The community itself is gated and has a pool, movie theatre, hot tub, small sundry shop, you can rent game systems/dvds, there is a game room, etc.

They are all very reasonably priced. I'm not sure if I can post links, so you can PM me if you want more info.

[momof1in150]

Winter Vacations at Smugglers' Notch Vermont has family friendly vacations all year round. In the summer they convert the ski slope to a summer paradise. There are day camps for the kids (by age) so the adults can get some adult time during the day and then family time in the evening. You can get everything from rooms that sleep 4 to much larger rooms that sleep 8-10. They have full kitchens and living rooms in each condo/townhouse.

[MonkeyMama]

What comes to my mind that no one has mentioned is camping. Of course, renting a large cabin (or 2 or 3) is also a great way to vacation with a lot of people. I am on the west coast so places like Tahoe/Yosemite come to mind as far as renting a large cabin (or more than one cabin). Activites = swimming, hiking, fishing, roasting marshmallows.

We also went to a community Family Camp this summer - was a blast! You could rent multiple cabins and is very frugal. Best of all the kids LOVED it. LOTS of activities for the kids, and adults. Babysitting a couple of hours a day too. We went with our parents and had 2 tent cabins. We are thinking of going this summer with more people (we could get up to 8 tent cabins together at the particular place we went). Cost = $500/week for a family of 4. Meals included. (They offer a lot of family camps around here, ran by various cities). Anyway, lots of games for the kids, and we spent a lot of time hiking, swimming and exploring.

On the other end of the spectrum my dh's extended family often vacations together in Hawaii. WE went a couple of years ago (they have timeshares) and we had 3 rooms in the same hotel. What is there to do in Hawaii? Since the kids were only ages 1-3 (yeah, I thought the trip was kind of silly) we hung out at the beach, went hiking, swimming, pool, luau, Polynesian Center, and a few activities without the kids. With older kids? Possibilities are endless - boogie boarding, para sailing, helicopter rides, snorkeling, sailboat rentals, rent bikes or scooters to explore the island, etc., etc. Cost = Expensive.

We love Disney but it doesn't sound like a fun destination with a large group. Is it just me?

[cschin4]

We love Disney but it doesn't sound like a fun destination with a large group. Is it just me?

Not at all. It sounds tiresome and annoying. In fact, after hearing of a friend's vacation with her kids at Disney, it just isn't for me. I hate crowds of smelly people. An amusement park is fine for a day or two. But anything beyond that is irritating. Sitting on the beach for a week while the kids play in the water and sand, now that is for me!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by cschin4

I really don't think you can go wrong renting a beach house.

Originally Posted by cschin4

Sitting on the beach for a week while the kids play in the water and sand, now that is for me!

This is totally a personal preference thing. We are NOT beach people. Renting a beach house and having nothing to do all day but go to the beach would drive all of us insane. As I said above, we do very active vacations - tours, sightseeing, outdoor activities, antique shopping, historic sights, boating, etc. I can't imagine spending a week in a beach house.

[jIM_Ohio]

Yeah- lots of choices

I could camp and my boys (aged 8 months) could camp without issue. Wife will not camp under any circumstance.

I don't do rides (I get motion sickness) and do not like being dizzy- usuaully cuts my vacation short. But I love being around my kids and wife, so I could tolerate disney world for a day or two if there was a pool with cold beer by it.

Large groups depend on who the group is. I am one of 18 cousins and there are around 6-10 of us whose spouses all get along great and whose kids all know each other. The group would allow more "slice and dice" as to who was drinking by the pool, who was taking kids to park, and which park the kids wanted to see. But if you dislike your family or inlaws, I would not recomend this.

On our honeymoon my wife went scuba diving while I hung out by the pool drinking. Perfect marriage because we never see each other.

To each their own... thanks for ideas thus far. Keep them coming.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by jIM_Ohio

I don't do rides (I get motion sickness) and do not like being dizzy- usuaully cuts my vacation short. But I love being around my kids and wife, so I could tolerate disney world for a day or two if there was a pool with cold beer by it.

Disney World would be a good choice. There are lots of rides, shows and attractions that are not thrill rides and can be ridden by everyone from infants to grandparents. You could just skip the few for which motion sickness would be an issue. Or you could sit around the pool. If you rent vacation homes, which I'd highly recommend, you would have your very own private pool which is especially nice as the refrigerator is just a few feet away from your lounge chair.

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Disney World would be a good choice. There are lots of rides, shows and attractions that are not thrill rides and can be ridden by everyone from infants to grandparents. You could just skip the few for which motion sickness would be an issue. Or you could sit around the pool. If you rent vacation homes, which I'd highly recommend, you would have your very own private pool which is especially nice as the refrigerator is just a few feet away from your lounge chair.

The last time I got sick was at Disney world- wife talked me into going on the ride which dropped us from being tall, then stopped, then went up, then dropped again etc...

I was dizzy and thought I was OK
I lost my lunch on the next ride.

Since then even airplane turbulence makes me queezy.

[disneysteve]

That would be Tower of Terror. I'd certainly put that on the list to avoid for someone with motion sickness.

[cschin4]

This is totally a personal preference thing. We are NOT beach people. Renting a beach house and having nothing to do all day but go to the beach would drive all of us insane.

Of course. My sis and her family went with us on a beach vacation and she didn't care for it because there was "nothing" to do! Um, I am like, we have sand and water, what else does anyone need!!

[KellyB]

My extended family (77 people) has had 2 reunions in the Outer Banks, NC. Each family rents a 5 - 10 bedroom house depending on their needs, but you could share homes easily. THey are HUGE and some have pools, etc. Beach, museums, lighthouses, Kitty Hawk, etc. Not much to do at night (where we were, but depends how far up in the area you go), but we solved that ourselves by having nightly theme parties at each house - dressing up as TV characters, having a Mardi Gras party, doing our own "American Idol", etc. It was a blast.

The other place I would TOTALLY recommend for families is Williamsburg VA. The history of the place itself, seeing the colonial times come alive, was amazing, even the teenagers liked it! And there is a water park and amusement park nearby to break up the history stuff if it gets too much. We stayed onsite at Williamsburg, went on the daily tours of the town, visited Jamestown, saw period-era plays at night, and also did ghost tours. The kids still talk about it 10 years later.

Cost in both places comes down to lodging. Williamsburg was pretty cheap as I recall as most of the WIlliamsburg town events etc. were free.