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

Another vote for Alaska. The first time we took our daughter she was 10. She talks about it all the time.

 

I'd look into the cruise idea. Tons to do, plenty for the kids. Some have a fancy kid check-in, check-out system so if you and the wifey want to go alone and .. watch MotoGP races online, you can do that.

 

Ideas.

 

I think you'll find cruises are pretty cheap if you compare the all in cost of other trips. We did the Disney one 6 months ago and doing a second one before year end it was that good

 

Hawaii can be done as cheap too, all in.

 

We did a Mediterranean cruise 2 years ago that was really nice. Another couple we went with did a Disney cruise before and said it was much better.

 

If you have to ask, you probably won't understand.

 

Fify

 

with the app and fast pass, there is little waiting, and if you get savvy with the app, you can see a lot of the park and rides.

 

If you went the Disney "parks" route, it would have to be during a non-peak part of the year. I don't go near Orlando or any theme park whatsoever any time during the summer months.

From what I've heard (and echoed here), Disney cruises are amazing. You do pay a premium compared to some of the other cruise lines that aren't so kid friendly, but the Disney Machine is a sight to behold no matter what you do. As mentioned, you can almost do everything or nothing along with the kids, and they will be happy either way.

 

Cruises suck IMO, Alaska would be great, just got back from two weeks there. Fish, hike, walk on glaciers, fly in a seaplane, see bears, moose, etc....... Took my father in law and he hasn't stopped talking about it.

The grand canyon by dory would be cool too, an oar rig raft would be good as well. They usually have an inflatable kayak or two along that would allow you to jump in and paddle down as well. I paddled it in a kayak in 97 during the first high flow test. It was a great trip.

Kona would be fun as well, we stayed in a condo in the Kailua Kona area, got food and vegetable at the farmers market, got see volcanoes, Mauna Kea at sunset, hike through lave tubes, snorkel with manta's. Five of the world's climates can be found on Kona. Couldn't see it all in two week.

 

Yep, start in Vegas/Grand Canyon/Hoover Damn! : ), then off to see the Seqouias/Redwoods in Cali, then on up to Alaska.

 

Gatlinburg isn't what it used to be since the big fires. But they'll gladly take your money to help with the rebuilding!

 

Here is the easy way. Fly into Anchorage and rent an RV. Drive south to the Kenai peninsula. Stop at Portage Glacier. Take the tunnel to Whittier. Drive to Seward. See Exit Glacier and take a Dog Sled ride. Go to the Sea Life center. Stay at the Sunshine house, my friends'B&B. Take the Kenai Fjords boat tour. Eat at Ray's. Then hike the Ptarmigan Creek trail. Then drive over to the other side of the Peninsula and go fishing for Red salmon at the Russian River. Then drive down to Homer and see the sights. Take the tour boat over to Seldovia. Then drive back to Kenai and take the North road out to Captain Cook State park and camp and play on the beach. Then drive back towards Anchorage but stop and hike the Skyline trail. Pick some blueberries at the top. Once you get back to Anchorage, check out the museum, the AK Native heritage center and the aviation museum. Eat at The Glacier Brewhouse, Moose's tooth pizza, Humpies and Gwennie's. Then go north and check out Denali and Talkeetna. Maybe do some rafting at Talkeetna. Hatcher Pass is kinda cool too.

Other than that there really isn't much to do unless you want to do some serious fishing or flight seeing or wilderness camping or other stuff. All of that is available on the Kenai, too and I probably know some guides and stuff.

 

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm digging the Alaska or Iceland route. Also looking at some Colorado adventures - maybe Moab. I need to do some looking into Yellowstone too, I haven't been there yet. So much to see, so little time.

We've done the grand canyon, vegas, hoover dam trip. We've seen the Redwoods.

 

If you haven't done Yellowstone it is a must see preferably in winter via snowmobile

 

Camping in Everglades National Park, camping in the Dry Tortugas then a few days in the keys.

Those were my go-to adventures when my kids were younger.

 

Did that as a day trip from Big Sky, was pretty sweet. So was the skiing there if you're into that. Few things in life seem less appealing to me than a cruise ship.

 

Disney cruise is the best vacation you'll take with your kids cause you'll never see them lol