Vacation Destination Ideas Please

We did Disney World a few years back. We stayed at the Dolphin Resort. Our
package included free admission every day to all of the DW parks. The most
popular with us was Epcott Centre.

It's very convenient to stay at the resorts, but you'll pay an awful lot
more than staying at a hotel near the park. I do not recommend the Dolphin
to anyone. Someone entered our room while we were out one day, must have
been a staff member (maid) because they had a key, accessed our safe in the
closet and stole all of our cash, watches, some jewellery. They didn't
touch the passports or traveller's cheques thankfully. The hotel denied
any involvement and the rest is a long story


"Andrea" wrote in message
...
I will probably be going back to work next August (more on that in a
future post) and we have been thinking about going to Disney World in Feb.
because that will be the last chance we will have to go there during the
off-season, and also because dh is not as busy at work that time of year.

I have looked online at the prices for packages at Disney and prices for a
7-night Disney cruise, and the cruise is cheaper! If we go to Disney
World we
would like to stay about a week so we can visit several of the parks. If
we
take the cruise we would leave from Port Canaveral and would be able to
stay
with friends, who live nearby, the night before the cruise and the night
after
the cruise returns, which would be very convenient.

Have any of you done a Disney cruise or visited Disney World with children
(ours will be almost 4 when/if we take the trip)? If so then I would
appreciate any tips or advice. Is it worth it to pay extra to stay at a
Disney
hotel/resort or is it better to stay off the property? I know both have
their
advantages and disadvantages.

What do you all usually do about sleeping arrangements in hotels.....2
joining
rooms or a suite? We have never stayed in a hotel with the girls before.
We've always stayed at a house or condo on vacations.

I am also open to suggestions about other family destinations as long as
they
are within a day or less driving distance from us (South Carolina).

TIA,
Andrea
twin girls-Madison & Jordan
3 1/2 yrs. old

Andrea -

Now my 2 cents. Like other posters, we felt that DW was way too much
for PRE-K'rs. It's an expensive proposition and there might be little
reward for them other than the trip and the hype. But, as other's
wrote, there may be other opportunities in the greater Orlando area to
get a feel for things INCLUDING a short Disney Cruise.

Here is what we did this past late winter with our brood:

Orlando (Kissimee) for seven nights. I personally dislike the area
but where better to let a kid run wild. I have a friend who had
access to buying a timeshare for a week for us. What this afforded us
was space, a kitchen, and a resort atmosphere for time between trips.
So, we ended up with a 1,200 sq. ft. villa with two bedrooms and two
full baths, large kitchen, dining area, pullout couch, etc... $475
for the entire week. On five star scale I would rate it at three
stars. It was a little dated but clean and it shared a small
(relatively speaking) pool and hot tub with a few other villas. It
was a great way to spending early mornings and late evenings after a
full day.

As I said, we did not do Disney BUT we did SeaWorld twice. One
discounted ticket ($48 per adult and $36 per child) got us in two days
across a seven day period. Lots of interaction and amusement for
smaller ones. They also have rides in the park as part of SeaWorld
for the kid in you and older kids. We did every show and Shamu four
times. You know how kids are. And as their attention span is that of
a gnat, the idea of going back to the condo for a few hours in the
pool was just as thrilling.

A 70 minute ride to the coast is the Canaveral National Seashore
beaches which (as I grew up on a beach) I found to be absolutely
beautiful. Due to the latest shuttle disaster, as all shuttle
launches were scuttled, the beaches were opened everyday with no
limit. This made choosing the beach closest to Orlando the way to go
and a very short ride. Again, the girls were just as thrilled playing
in the surf, chasing jelly fish, and building sandcastles as petting
Dolphins at SeaWorld.

Then there is Islands Of Adventure. If you can get a discount, they
have an area of more tame rides. Otherwise, it might be too expensive
just for the smaller stuff. If the money is an issue, just cruising
around the greater Universal Studios site (free) kept them amused with
Midway rides, games, etc... The Disney Boardwalk can amuse everyone
for a couple of hours especially if there is a special fireworks show
in Epcot. Again, free.

So, right there is enough stimulus for three or four days. If you can
combine that with the cruise, you might find yourself never bored and
always tired. Like others, we will aim for DW at about the ripe old
age of seven or eight. Otherwise, it is just a waste in my opinion.
Now, I must say that I have been to DW three times. The last two in
2000 and 2002 -- without kids on business. So I kept my eyes at
"ground level" to scope things out. Although I had a blast, I didn't
think my girls would get enough bang for the buck. As for staying on
the resort, not necessary. There are shuttles everywhere, every major
hotel has them, and you can be as little as a half mile away and take
a boat right to the gates of both DW and Epcot.

AGE
Anna "Our Lady of Perpetual Motion"
Grace "The Drama Queen"
4 yo and not ready to give up summer...

(Andrea) wrote in message ...
I will probably be going back to work next August (more on that in a
future post) and we have been thinking about going to Disney World in Feb.
because that will be the last chance we will have to go there during the
off-season, and also because dh is not as busy at work that time of year.

I have looked online at the prices for packages at Disney and prices for a
7-night Disney cruise, and the cruise is cheaper! If we go to Disney World we
would like to stay about a week so we can visit several of the parks. If we
take the cruise we would leave from Port Canaveral and would be able to stay
with friends, who live nearby, the night before the cruise and the night after
the cruise returns, which would be very convenient.

Have any of you done a Disney cruise or visited Disney World with children
(ours will be almost 4 when/if we take the trip)? If so then I would
appreciate any tips or advice. Is it worth it to pay extra to stay at a Disney
hotel/resort or is it better to stay off the property? I know both have their
advantages and disadvantages.

What do you all usually do about sleeping arrangements in hotels.....2 joining
rooms or a suite? We have never stayed in a hotel with the girls before.
We've always stayed at a house or condo on vacations.

I am also open to suggestions about other family destinations as long as they
are within a day or less driving distance from us (South Carolina).

TIA,
Andrea
twin girls-Madison & Jordan
3 1/2 yrs. old

Andrea -

Now my 2 cents. Like other posters, we felt that DW was way too much
for PRE-K'rs. It's an expensive proposition and there might be little
reward for them other than the trip and the hype. But, as other's
wrote, there may be other opportunities in the greater Orlando area to
get a feel for things INCLUDING a short Disney Cruise.

Here is what we did this past late winter with our brood:

Orlando (Kissimee) for seven nights. I personally dislike the area
but where better to let a kid run wild. I have a friend who had
access to buying a timeshare for a week for us. What this afforded us
was space, a kitchen, and a resort atmosphere for time between trips.
So, we ended up with a 1,200 sq. ft. villa with two bedrooms and two
full baths, large kitchen, dining area, pullout couch, etc... $475
for the entire week. On five star scale I would rate it at three
stars. It was a little dated but clean and it shared a small
(relatively speaking) pool and hot tub with a few other villas. It
was a great way to spending early mornings and late evenings after a
full day.

As I said, we did not do Disney BUT we did SeaWorld twice. One
discounted ticket ($48 per adult and $36 per child) got us in two days
across a seven day period. Lots of interaction and amusement for
smaller ones. They also have rides in the park as part of SeaWorld
for the kid in you and older kids. We did every show and Shamu four
times. You know how kids are. And as their attention span is that of
a gnat, the idea of going back to the condo for a few hours in the
pool was just as thrilling.

A 70 minute ride to the coast is the Canaveral National Seashore
beaches which (as I grew up on a beach) I found to be absolutely
beautiful. Due to the latest shuttle disaster, as all shuttle
launches were scuttled, the beaches were opened everyday with no
limit. This made choosing the beach closest to Orlando the way to go
and a very short ride. Again, the girls were just as thrilled playing
in the surf, chasing jelly fish, and building sandcastles as petting
Dolphins at SeaWorld.

Then there is Islands Of Adventure. If you can get a discount, they
have an area of more tame rides. Otherwise, it might be too expensive
just for the smaller stuff. If the money is an issue, just cruising
around the greater Universal Studios site (free) kept them amused with
Midway rides, games, etc... The Disney Boardwalk can amuse everyone
for a couple of hours especially if there is a special fireworks show
in Epcot. Again, free.

So, right there is enough stimulus for three or four days. If you can
combine that with the cruise, you might find yourself never bored and
always tired. Like others, we will aim for DW at about the ripe old
age of seven or eight. Otherwise, it is just a waste in my opinion.
Now, I must say that I have been to DW three times. The last two in
2000 and 2002 -- without kids on business. So I kept my eyes at
"ground level" to scope things out. Although I had a blast, I didn't
think my girls would get enough bang for the buck. As for staying on
the resort, not necessary. There are shuttles everywhere, every major
hotel has them, and you can be as little as a half mile away and take
a boat right to the gates of both DW and Epcot.

AGE
Anna "Our Lady of Perpetual Motion"
Grace "The Drama Queen"
4 yo and not ready to give up summer...

(Andrea) wrote in message ...
I will probably be going back to work next August (more on that in a
future post) and we have been thinking about going to Disney World in Feb.
because that will be the last chance we will have to go there during the
off-season, and also because dh is not as busy at work that time of year.

I have looked online at the prices for packages at Disney and prices for a
7-night Disney cruise, and the cruise is cheaper! If we go to Disney World we
would like to stay about a week so we can visit several of the parks. If we
take the cruise we would leave from Port Canaveral and would be able to stay
with friends, who live nearby, the night before the cruise and the night after
the cruise returns, which would be very convenient.

Have any of you done a Disney cruise or visited Disney World with children
(ours will be almost 4 when/if we take the trip)? If so then I would
appreciate any tips or advice. Is it worth it to pay extra to stay at a Disney
hotel/resort or is it better to stay off the property? I know both have their
advantages and disadvantages.

What do you all usually do about sleeping arrangements in hotels.....2 joining
rooms or a suite? We have never stayed in a hotel with the girls before.
We've always stayed at a house or condo on vacations.

I am also open to suggestions about other family destinations as long as they
are within a day or less driving distance from us (South Carolina).

TIA,
Andrea
twin girls-Madison & Jordan
3 1/2 yrs. old