We have reservations for a week’s vacation at WDW this summer.
But the more we consider our finances, the more we realize that it will simply be too expensive this summer. So I’m seriously considering cancelling the reservation.
Still, I would like us to get away. So I’m open to suggestions.
Our vitals:
We live on Long Island. I’m not adverse to a flight somewhere, but obviously a drive will usually be cheaper.
As you can see, by summer my kids will be 18, 16 and 13.
We love it because it's pretty much the anti-Disney vacation. No plans to be made ahead of time. We stay in a Superior Lakeside Suite that sleeps 6-- my son gets his own room. It's right on the lake, with a balcony that looks out onto the lake. We can walk into town for restaurants and shops. It's a really family oriented place, about a 4.5 hour drive from home. We love just wandering around town, taking a boat cruise, hitting the shops, sometimes Fort William Henry, the outlets...
But we went there last year. I’m thinking that we could use a real change.
As teachers, we have lots of flexibility on when to go. Our WDW reservations are July 20- 27, so let's keep that as a ballpark.
I was playing with the idea of Vegas-- say, Circus Circus or someplace comparable. But we're not big gamblers, and I'm not sure what there is for the kids to do. But airfares and rooms are reasonable; we can do air and hotel for about $550 apiece for the week. That's just about what the room at Lake George would cost. (I priced it as 2 hopefully connecting rooms-- absolutely something we would consider in lieu of a suite of some sort.)
The RCCL cruises on the big ships are a lot of fun for teenagers (ours love it). The prices can be pretty good, too. And the grownups get to relax. I think the Quantum leaves out of New York or somewhere around there? There is so much to do on those ships, it’s a blast.
Yes, look to see if there are any cruises going out of NYC or Bayonne, NJ. Some ships go out of Baltimore too, which would probably be a 4-5 hr drive for you.
I third the cruise idea. We went on the Disney cruise 6-7 years ago and - much to our surprise - it was relaxing and a great time!
Orlando in late July - ugh. I don’t go anywhere near Orlando in the summer, though it’s understandable that that’s the time most people have off. It’s just so hot and muggy and miserable. And it seems like it storms every afternoon.
I wouldn’t recommend Vegas with teens. There isn’t much for the under 21 crowd. It’ll be very hot and the pools will be filled with drunk adults. (if you go to Vegas, I’d recommend not staying at Circus Circus. It is pretty awful, IMO.)
Cruises are great for teenagers. They can wander around as much as they want, and the food is plentiful and really good. My husband thought he would hate them, but I finally convinced him to try one a few years back. He loved it. We just got back from our fourth one!
We went to Las Vegas last summer. Spent a day there (a been there, done that type of thing) and then spent about a week at the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Hoover Dam and Lake Powell. Flew back out of Vegas.
We’ve done two cruises (5 night) and they were both more expensive than a week at WDW. They were both awesome cruises, but not cheaper vacations.
I’ve had friends who’ve gone to the Maine coast in the summer and enjoyed it. We spent a couple of days in Niagara Falls a couple of summers ago and enjoyed it. Some of our friends have enjoyed simple beach vacations in Myrtle Beach or the Outer Banks.
For us though, we’ve realized that we all enjoy WDW more and get more for our money of what we enjoy. We can’t afford it as originally planned for this year so we are just staying home this year to save and going the next summer to WDW.
My family loves cities, and our trip to Chicago (with 18 and 16 year olds) last July was terrific. Airfares from NYC are reasonable and you wouldn’t need a car as the public transportation (including from the airport to a downtown hotel) is excellent. A full week might be too much but 5 days could work (or rent a car for two days and spend a night in Milwaukee). Check the Cubs and Sox schedules if you like baseball, and make sure you do not go during Lollapalooza.
A house on Isle of Palms outside Charleston, or the Outer Banks, would be more vacation-y. Rental rates go down the later you get into summer as Southern schools start back earlier than NY schools.
Have you been to Cape Cod? Bar Harbor and the other towns around Acadia are also great especially if you enjoy hiking, although the ocean will still be freezing even in late July into August.
This is really different from WDW, but our favorite family trip was a drive from NYS to CA and back, camping at places like Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon (sequoias!) and Gold Bluffs (pacific beach camping and redwoods!). Our kids were 14, 17, and 18 when we did it and they all thought it was the best thing we ever did.
I just can’t come up with anything positive to say about Circus Circus, so my suggestion would be to definitely look for a better property in LV if you decide to go that route. (I’m dead tired from student conferences, so I’ll try to get back to give some alternate suggestions later.)
I’m also thinking Lake Placid, Ogonquit Maine, maybe Montreal or Niagara Falls.
I’ve seen Lake Placid, Maine and the Falls, my husband has seen Maine and Montreal, but none of it with the kids. All would be driveable from Long Island, so would save us the cost of airfare-- though I would probably look at airfares for Niagara Falls.
Maybe you consider your time and think about seeing the USA? Find some anchor locations. We took a trip a few years ago that spanned 4700 miles in 10 days. 26 states checked off of the list. Saw Niagara, Hershey, Gettysburg, NYC, Boston, Chicago and much more. You can easily modify a driving vacation. It really helped the kids put the country in perspective. It also helped with them being able to visualize history and geography.
As for Vegas…lived there 20 years ago. Still have MIL there. There is a great deal to do there for families…there are shows and rides in the strip area. Better, there are parks and resorts nearby. Short drive to Red Rock Canyon or Hoover/Boulder Dam. Mesquite is about an hour away and the beautiful Virgin River gorge. Mt. Charleston is an erstwhile ‘ski’ resort 45 minutes out of downtown, but it is better as a hiking location. The elevation cools it down from the rest of the city. The real problem with Vegas is your schedule…it is going to be 110 degrees or more there in July. Sure, it is dry heat and preferable to the muggy version, but if you decide to do Vegas, maybe shoot for earlier in the year.
could you do a modified orlando type vacation? 2-3 days in cocoa beach or daytona beach, 2 days in orlando on non-property hotels and visit universal? my 17/19/14/10 yr olds loved universal last year, and LOVED the beach. we saw a rocket launch as well from cape canaveral (free!).
I think the Quantum leaves out of New York or somewhere around there? There is so much to do on those ships, it’s a blast.