Vacation Idea's w/ Kids. Need anti-Disney idea's.

+1 for a ski trip. High activity during the day, mellow out in the evening by the fire...maybe a martini of two...sleep like a log, rinse, repeat. Try Jackson hole, take a day off and go to Yellowstone to see the gysers in the winter (have to take the snow tracker). Nothing like seeing old faithful blow in the winter...totally awesome.

 

You forgot Orso's and to drive through the tunnel to Whittier and pet a moose at the wildlife conservation center, just get there when they open before the buses arrive.

 

I didn't forget Orso's, it just didn't make the cut. I could add several more before I got to Orso's ( Club Paris, Fat Ptarmigan, Simon and Seaforts, etc.). I had the tunnel to Whittier, but you're right, the wildlife place by Portage is cool, not to mention a side trip to Girdwood and eat at the Double Muskie.

 

My wife has bought into the Disney hype. We're taking our third Disney cruise this September. I've never been to Disney, and I hope it stays that way. Something about sweat running down my cheeks while waiting in line for a ride no different than my local amusement park (Kings Island), all the while my kids AND EVERYONE ELSE'S KIDS are whining about the heat and waiting, just doesn't sound appealing. Our kids (6, 5, and 2) won't go to the kid zones on the cruises, but they swim nearly the entire time and really get into the family activities. I sit and watch, make my own mixed drinks, and wait for the characters to walk by so my kids flip out. The dinners are nice, the shows are nice, and the excursions are perfect for our kids. I can also sneak off in the morning for a fantastic (and quiet) breakfast, while everyone else is sleeping, to recharge the batteries. About the most relaxing family vacation a Dad could get (especially with a wife expecting #4).

 

Funny, that was one of my favorite things too.

 

BTW Jerry - Addison Oaks has a nice camping area, and is pretty popular. Could get in some great mtb'ing ..

 

can I get some more details on the Disney cruises you guys have done? We're looking at scheduling one for next spring right now. Never done one before, so wondering where you went, ship, activities, locations, etc?

Thanks!

 

company friend just went, said it was the best thing ever ( 6yo daughtte and the in-laws).


cost him two arms and 2 legs though.


no clue where he went.

 

We did Disney last year and loved it because I spent a ton of time before we went and had everything planned. Because we stayed on site I was able to book our dining reservations 6 months out and our fast passes 90 days out. We rarely waited in line because either we didn't want to ride something bad enough or we had a fast pass for that particular ride. So many people go not knowing about the fast passes and people waste so much time in line.

We also used their app to check line times and planned accordingly.

Having said all that, the trip was exhausting and didn't feel like a true vacation. Our next big trip will be a cruise and we will probably do Royal Caribbean again because I can't justify the $2k extra just to do a Disney cruise.

 

if you went from like Orlando to Miami on a Disney Cruise, I think the cost would be close to a billion or so dollars. +/- $5

 

They seem to be expensive for sure. Luckily, I have a family member who worked many years at Disney before re-locating to Tennessee. Now she is an agent for them and books vacations cruises, etc. She is paid by the booking, not charging the vacationer extra for her service. Quote we have currently for a 4 night cruise is $3700 ....This is for two adults and a 3 and 1 year old.

 

Way too much for 4 nights!! We did a whole week at Disney including the dining plan and staying at Art of Animation for $3500

 

Nolan loved Moab, he can tell you if it would be good for your age kids. Go out early and help some punk kid get around Utah Motorsports Park then head for Moab.

 

Sounds a little high. We found Costco about 15 percent cheaper and we live in Orlando and have several friends who work for Disney. They couldn't beat the Costco price

Also keep in mind these prices include food

 

Filet mignon or filet o' fish?

 

Actually the food was really good

 

I used to play a lot in college then stopped for years. At the show they handed me the paddle... my return was a curve ball to her face. I almost got kicked out. I was sorry it wasn't on purpose.

 

We went two years in a row and did it the same way. I had a paperback book written by a couple guys that tells you EVERYTHING you need to know to keep wait times minimal and all the ins and outs of absolutely everything about Disney and it worked great. We had the hopper passes which gave us the ability to go into one park in the morning and do rides, then back to the resort and had drinks and chilled at the pool while the kids swam, then for the evening we would go to a different park for a sit-down dinner and just exploring and seeing. So we would maybe do rides at Animal Kingdom on Monday but then dinner, relaxed walking and such at that park on a different day. So we were in two parks each day and broke up each park between rides and leisurely walking and dinner on different days. We also went the week after spring break which I learned from the book was one of the least busy times and plus the weather isn't crazy hot yet. I found it extremely relaxing and our kids were at the right age, 10 and 12, to make it all a good time. It's not for everybody but at that time of my life I enjoyed it. If you are going to go learn everything you can about the whole thing from a to z and make a plan based on your gained knowledge. If you don't the experience will be compromised.