<p>So…what ARE some of the good family vacations folks have planned with adult kids? We have done rental houses, and the like, but are hoping to take both kids on a nice vacation with us. They have said they would like Disneyworld as it was their favorite vacation as kids. We have also bantered about cruises and all inclusives. Likely this would be a five day trip.</p>
<p>Hi Thumper:</p>
<p>What about combining Disneyland (CA) with San Diego & Catalina Island? Maybe two days for Disney & San Diego with one day for Catalina?</p>
<p>Or…up to Vermont & Montreal? What time of year?</p>
<p>My sister and her two adult girls still talk about their trip to Cabo a couple of years ago. They’re planning to go back when they all can work out the same time off. And my ex likes to take our adult kids skiing, though they too have been to Cabo.Cruises scare me-too many ships where people come down with mysterious viruses. Ick. It depends on where you live-likely a trip to Cabo wouldn’t interest someone in Cali the way it does New Englanders like my family. But a trip to Cape Cod or Nantucket might.</p>
<p>It will likely not be in the winter. But if it IS in the winter, we would go someplace warmer. We live across the country from CA. I think a five day trip would be a challenge.</p>
<p>I’m really interested in all the toes of things others have done…anything!</p>
<p>Our crew has enjoyed the Williamsburg area. We get timeshare apartments and they love Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and the taverns etc in Williamsburg. The beach is also not far for a day trip as are a lot of sites in Norfolk. </p>
<p>Maybe you could do one full day at Disney World and then something fun like Key West. Many have told me the food is amazing and that the islands have a fun quirkiness about them. </p>
<p>I would not do one day at Disney World and then one day at Key West. Those destinations are at least 6 1/2 hours driving time apart, you’d spend way too much driving for one day at each. Both are great destinations, though, but who can go to DW for only one day? Maybe two days at each, then a day driving. Of course, even if you were flying home from Miami, I think it’s quite a drive from Key West.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to spend the entire time at Disney, and you could, easy, with Harry Potter World and water parks nearby, what about a short cruise? They have 3-4 day cruises that leave out of Port Canaveral. It’s pretty common for people to combine a cruise with some time at Disney.</p>
<p>We’re in a similar situation. We have a wedding to go to in Cocoa Beach, so we’ll hang out on the beach for a few days and then go to Disney for a couple days.</p>
<p>My children are not adults yet, but our favorite recent vacations have been Costa Rica and a SW trip that included Scottsdale & Grand Canyon. If you would like to spend a lot of money and relax, you can fly direct nonstop from NYC into the new Liberia airport and park yourselves on the grounds of the Four Seasons at Peninsula Papagayo. The room rates were manageable but the food is expensive. Many ‘free’ activities included in room rate: kayak & snorkel gear and simple lessons with both, guided tour of stunning golf course and its native monkeys, hands-on cooking lessons with chef in kitchen, guided hikes with wildlife commentary, etc. </p>
<p>If you want a more activity-filled visit to Costa Rica, the Arenal area offers a variety of hotel choices in all price ranges, all within easy range of white water rafting, zip lining, waterfall hikes, hanging bridges, etc. The Arenal volcano is currently dormant, but it is a beautiful backdrop. We went during the summer rainy season, and only saw rain at night, but I think we were lucky.</p>
<p>SW trip: hike Camelback Mt in Scottsdale (we failed!) and then drive four hours to Grand Canyon, stay on the rim so that you can fully enjoy the canyon at all hours of day and night. Reservations open 13 months in advance, but if you call Xanterra daily, they can tell you if they have any cancellations. Hiking in GC offers levels for every ability. I was so impressed by the # of retirees who had hiked to bottom, camped out, and then hiked back out the next day. I would have to work up to that one!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com”>http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com</a></p>
<p>Accommodations are not luxurious but we spent very little time inside our room.</p>
<p>Sedona is halfway between Scottsdale & GC, so that will be on our next SW trip as we did not have time during the last one.</p>
<p>Great ideas. AZ is not a vacation destination for us…one of our kids lives there!</p>
<p>We had a great roadtrip with our adult kids, caught the train from LA to Seattle and drove through national parks, staying several days at each. We all had a great time and it was gorgeous and relaxing.</p>
<p>In February while my D had a week free between jobs, we went on a last minute 5 day Caribbean cruise. She flew from NYC and I from CA. We both had a great time, without our husbands who were hard at work at home.
Our family does a lot of cruises because there’s something for everyone and you can do activities together or separate. Then you can regroup for snacks and meals. We like to cruise on itineraries where we arrive at a new city almost every day. </p>
<p>Successful ingredients for a vacation with adult children are that there’s enough activities or sightseeing to do for everyone, yet you can carve out some alone time.Too much togetherness is not necessary a good thing.</p>
<p>Thumper1 - I think you said your kids are into music. What about Montreal Jazz Festival, <a href=“Festival international de Jazz de Montréal - Accueil”>Festival international de Jazz de Montréal - Accueil;
H and I went to Montreal a few times in the summer and loved our visits there. They have great food and the city is great for walking around.
I also like Vancouver. There are a lot of out door things to do, and the food is great.<br>
I hope you are noticing the theme here.</p>
<p>Ah yes! Good food! Montreal sounds good…for a summer trip!</p>
<p>We live in FL so do Disney often and it is always great fun. We went last year at Christmas time for the first time in several years and had a blast. It is very different with young adults, but the nostalgia factor is kind of cool. Since the kids have been 16+ we have gone to Key West, Charleston, Savannah, a cruise, Jax Beach, Hilton Head and DC. Just finished planning a trip to Jamaica for this summer. (we honeymooned there 25 yrs ago) Cape Cod is our hope for summer 2015. Kids loved Key West the best…I think I liked HHI the best but I love just being together.</p>
<p>Some are family reunions and some are just us. We really have found we prefer vrbos to hotels, even for short stays. My oldest and I love researching together. </p>
<p>Santa Fe, New Mexico-- A friend and her H took their 3 married children and newish spouses for a week there last July. She used airline points to book adjacent hotel rooms. Hers was a suite with balcony for all to gather, plus one
kitchenette just to fill in between their restaurant meals. No home cooking, it was a vacation for her.</p>
<p>Of the 8 people, six flew from their 3 cities in the Northeast, while 2 drove in from another Western state. There were always 2 cars available to the group.</p>
<p>In the high elevation it was cool there in summer. Gorgeous mountain scenery for hikes and drives. New Mexico has many art and jewelry craft galleries to explore. Lots of evening bonding around movies and new board games. Reports were all good: friendly, variety, relaxing, bonding. The joy was discovering someplace new to all. </p>
<p>What do your kids like doing? Mine are city kids and love museums and such. They also like going out clubbing without mom and dad. So a city destination is perfect for us. New Orleans is their favourite spot, followed by Austin and Nashville.</p>
<p>But, their favourite spot of all is Disneyworld (my 22 yr old D still thinks she’s a princess!). We spent 5 days there in January and had a blast. Everyone can come and go as they please. We planned a couple nice dinners. Dad and the “kids” enjoyed the roller coasters and I lounged around with a good book. We had fun re-creating some favourite childhood pictures (eating a Mickey bar, posing with characters, etc).</p>
<p>Our best tip: Togetherness is great, but there is such a thing as too much togetherness. Make sure you plan time apart and allow for some privacy - especially if there are spouses or partners involved. Renting a house is perfect - and everyone can share cooking responsibilities, etc. </p>
<p>Disneyworld is a five day trip. Can’t imagine attempting in anything less. Disneyland is a poor substitute.</p>
<p>Since the kids have asked for wdw, why not go with that? there are excellent planning tools on the website. there are newer hotels that are amazing, but we still like some of the older ones as well. </p>
<p>My extended family (including adult children) did a vacation at Disney/ Harry Potter World. HPW was a HUGE hit, and even those who were not big fans of the books or movies (yes, those people exist and they live in my family) loved the park.</p>
<p>I see a lot of suggestions for Key West in these vacation threads. Any particular resort or location? This isn’t my thread, but I’m i the same situation, so keep the ideas coming!</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>We had a nice trip to Key West once, but you need to know it isn’t really a beach vacation.</p>
<p>We’ve had some great city vacations with our adult (college-age) kids–New York, London. Last year we did a road trip across Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, Hershey, and Philly. Surprisingly fun.</p>