"Stuck" in March. Help? :)

[Baduist]

I usually love planing vacations but this one is turning into a nightmare.

I won't bore you with all the details, but we had to change our dates and booking so many times due to things not lining up (flights with hotels, etc).

At this point we have our flights to America (NY), that are non refundable, and flights from NY to Orlando and back that are non refundable, and dates in WDW which we cannot change due to scheduling with parties.

BUT - We just realized New York is gonna be too cold during March to hang out with our babies (2.5yo and 6mnth). So now we have about 8 nights before and 7 nights after WDW to spend in the U.S. area.

NYC is our exit/entry point to the US - only place in the US we can fly nonstop to from home, a 12 hour flight. It's a pain in the a**, b/c sleeping in NYC even one night means travel from JFK to Manhattan (horrible w/ 2 kids & luggage after a long flight with 2 kids... and expensive!).

Our options are sleeping at the Hilton in JFK for one night to recover from the long flight, then fly directly somewhere else, or alternatively travel into Manhattan, but then we wanna stay there for a few nights before we hustle back.

The idea is minimum travel and hassle, and preferably somewhere we can stay w/o a car. We actually considered spending the rest of the vacation at WDW as well, but I fear it will be a Mickey overload ;-)

We thought about a caribbean cruise so it's interesting enough for a week or so, but nothing lines up with our dates without creating excessive travel time & accommodation (i.e. one night before the cruise, 2 nights after etc).

So we thought about heading to Atlantis in the Bahamas, as it's a big enough resort to spend so much time, and close to MCO (orlando), but I'm worried the water are too cold to swim in during mid-March, and that we'll spend a week without being able to get into the water...

We thought about heading somewhere else in the caribbean that's warmer, but not liking the options I saw so far.

- Jamaica doesn't seem to offer anything that looks exciting next to Disney / Atlantis. At Disney we usually stay at the Deluxe resort (This time it's gonna be the Polynesian & AK Lodge). So that's kind of the level of accommodation we're looking for (It's really setting the bar high for Jamaica apparently from what I saw so far... somewhat disappointing from the most famous caribbean island haha).

- Turks & Caicos seems too boring for so many days to be stuck in an AI resort without no where to go to. "Beaches" looks nice with Sesame Street characters, but again, not sure if it's enough for a whole week.

- St. Lucia / Aruba / Barbados are harder to get to in terms of nonstop flights (we wanna minimize travel time with the babies).

We thought about maybe staying in Miami but it doesn't sound too exciting and not sure if I can spend a week there w/o being bored.

I'm pulling my hair out at this point, would love to hear any ideas.

To sum up...
• 2 parents, 2 kids (2.5yo, 6mnths)
• Need suggestions for 8 nights mid-March somewhere warm in the states, w/o/ to much hassle, traveling, changing hotels, etc.
• Ideas for extra 7 nights in the US Starting April 1st (at the moment booked in NYC despite cold but hoping to change.


Would love to hear any thoughts!
Thanks!!!

 

[shellyj]

We love AKL!

What kind of activities or attractions are you looking for? You can absolutely spend a week in Miami, or most major cities, and be busy for an entire week. I think if you'll only be bored if you go there expecting to be bored. How much activity do you think the kids can handle right before a Disney trip? That might help jog some suggestions.
Will you be able to drive in the US?
FWIW, these are my immediate thoughts to minimize travel are these. But if you think you'd be bored at an inclusive resort that has activities going all the time, I'm not sure my thoughts

It will still be chilly in March, but Baltimore and Washington, DC would be great to visit. A few days in the inner harbor area of Baltimore, a few days in DC, then head to Orlando. So many museums and cool attractions to visit.

I'm not sure of the March weather, you'd have to google, but we can't wait to go back to Tennessee. Take a few days in the Nashville area then over Gatlinburg, TN. We did a 4 days in Gatlinburg and Sevierville areas and only say a small fraction of the attractions. We're planning another trip back, probably for a full week because there was so much more to do and see. You could probably do a week in either area, but if you couldn't manage both, I would.

Savannah and Tybee Island in GA would be a great one. Savannah has so much to see and very walkable.

 

[mjkacmom]

If you stay at a JFK hotel, research, many are used by family services as temporary housing for families, many showing up at all hours. March is an iffy weather month, could be cold, could be warm. I’ve been to Atlantis twice on a cruise stop, most of the fun attractions are for those over 48 inches, I think after 3 days or so, we’d all be done. I spent a week in Beaches with a 2 and 4 year old, it was fantastic! We were there for a destination wedding, and utilized the childcare. I would imagine it will be pretty pricy in March, it costs a fortune even at off peak times.

For cruises, you want to look for those leaving out of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bayonne, NJ. NCL has the most in NYC, NCL in NJ. I would definitely recommend a few days in NYC, it’s a great city, definitely no need for a car.

 

[disneyseniors]

Wow, you do have some problems. I sympathize.
I would fly to Florida and spend some time on the beach. We personally like the Gulf side. It is calmer and warmer!
There are so many places to stay in Florida, and so much to do. I would check out Florida sites. Or you could try to get a place at Disney, call them with you dilemma? Atleast you would be close to WDW.
I hope it all works out for you.

 

[Baduist]

Wow thanks so much guys. Was worried my rant would be too long for anyone to care

I feel better just reading your ideas!

@shellyj in NYC we can just spend DAYS just strolling around doing "nothing", hopping into the occasional museum/store/restaurant - although I'm afraid museums are gonna be harder now with a toddler AND a baby.

In WDW I find that we can also sometimes just walk around and enjoy the ambience realizing only at night that we hardly been in any rides!

So we don't need much in terms of activities & attractions, as long as we can walk around.

We never drive on vacation, we usually go to urban areas.

We were also thinking New Orleans which sounds perfect for us - but despite being close to MCO it's surprisingly hard to find non stop flights.

 

[kreckl]

So you are flying into NY, then have a week before you can fly to Orlando- but you may leave NY, only to come back and then fly to Orlando? Then you will leave Orlando, and have another week in NY before you go home?

 

[Baduist]

So you are flying into NY, then have a week before you can fly to Orlando- but you may leave NY, only to come back and then fly to Orlando? Then you will leave Orlando, and have another week in NY before you go home?

The idea was to stay in NY then fly to Orlando, but it's too cold, so we're either gonna fly out south as soon as we land, or stay one night at the airport Hilton thne fly out south the next day, then we'll travel to WDW from wherever we stay (won't go back to NY before WDW).

Our Delta flights from JFK to MCO are non-refundable, and it costs more to change them than to just not show up (Delta's advice).

So far that's the plan - we just need to figure out where to go and if we're gonna be staying at one place for the whole time, or split it up (which we want to avoid so we don't need to hustle with all our luggage and babies... but it's still an option).

After WDW, we have a return ticket to NY then another week, we'll either use it and spend the week freezing in NY (we'll get a big cozy suite we can chill in), or we'll skip that flight as well, and go somewhere else, and buy new tickets to NY a day before we have to leave America.

All in all we're pretty lucky "forced" to vacation ;-) It's just a bit of a nightmare to do the planning...

All this really makes you appreciate how easy WDW & DCL makes it to travel with kids, doesn't it? If I only had more flexibility with dates I would totally do a WDW+Cruise vacation and forget about even touching our luggage! haha

 

[3gr8boys]

I love NYC, but a big chunk on both ends of your trip with unpredictable weather may be a little much. There are plenty of Florida towns that would have vacation home/condo rentals that would give you plenty of space and access to beach/pool. Check out https://www.VRBO.com

I agree that Washington D.C could be fun and interesting and there is plenty to do in Baltimore. I would suggest areas in Virginia, but March is just too early in the year to really take advantage.

 

[NJlauren]

Personally I think April should be ok in NYC, your not going to be running around in shorts, but it’s typically not freezing, it can be but usually by then it’s not to bad. You can plans
some activities for the kids, museums, shows, shopping tons of indoor and semi outdoor activities. The bronx Zoo is amazing. Tons of stuff to do for a week, do the outside stuff on warmer days and inside stuff on cooler days. They should all be fine if you’re dressed appropriately in April.

By April I’m usually wearing no stockings, a light coat and if I’m lucky my flip flops. (Work in NYC, live in NJ). Temps are around 55-60 for highs first week of April. You can also take two of those days and go to something like an indoor water park if you think a week is two long in NYC with two little kids.

March is a bit harder but I still wouldnt say it’s that cold, however I think two full weeks in NYC is to much with two little kids anyway.

Some options DC/Baltimore, Nashville, New Orleans, you could add a day or two before Disney and do LEGO land, or seaworld etc. You could do Key West but would probably need a car. Austin Texas was fun, but I haven’t been with kids. There is a Club Med in Florida that is supposed to be nice, people at my office go often but I haven’t been. Atlanta could be an option too. Do you or your husband like baseball? March is spring training there are a bunch of teams in Tampa you could do that for a day or two.

I think Atlantis should be warm enough in March, but understand not wanting to take the risk.

I as probably not much help, but I have a 3 year old so if you need NYC ideas let me know!

 

[North of Mouse]

With two very small 'littles' I can't imagine the suggestions about museums, attractions, etc. in large cities! There would be nothing, IMO, that would possibly be pleasant in that scenario. I would think beach areas would be the most relaxing, but other than that, no suggestions.
Having traveled, vacationed, with small children, there doesn't seem to be things they can 'do' or enjoy at those ages. Their attention spans are fleeting. You will already be doing Disney.
Being dependent on weather in March, you can expect most anything in temps, wind and rain.

 

[sponica]

The idea was to stay in NY then fly to Orlando, but it's too cold, so we're either gonna fly out south as soon as we land, or stay one night at the airport Hilton thne fly out south the next day, then we'll travel to WDW from wherever we stay (won't go back to NY before WDW).

Our Delta flights from JFK to MCO are non-refundable, and it costs more to change them than to just not show up (Delta's advice).

So far that's the plan - we just need to figure out where to go and if we're gonna be staying at one place for the whole time, or split it up (which we want to avoid so we don't need to hustle with all our luggage and babies... but it's still an option).

After WDW, we have a return ticket to NY then another week, we'll either use it and spend the week freezing in NY (we'll get a big cozy suite we can chill in), or we'll skip that flight as well, and go somewhere else, and buy new tickets to NY a day before we have to leave America.

All in all we're pretty lucky "forced" to vacation ;-) It's just a bit of a nightmare to do the planning...

All this really makes you appreciate how easy WDW & DCL makes it to travel with kids, doesn't it? If I only had more flexibility with dates I would totally do a WDW+Cruise vacation and forget about even touching our luggage! haha

I'm just clarifying, is the JFK-MCO leg part of a round trip? I only ask because if you no show the JFK-MCO leg of a RT, Delta will probably cancel the return trip as well. I'd hate for you to no show one leg thinking the other leg is still there...

I know cold is all relative, but I've lived in the northeast practically my entire life. It's cold right now (like bitter cold, makes your face hurt cold), hopefully by March we'll be milder (30s to 40s). Late March is generally much milder than early march.

Also I just realized mid march in warm places in the states will be MOBBED with spring breakers. Super mobbed. You'd be lucky to find anything available that hasn't been snatched up by a bunch of college students looking for booze and sun and beach.

 

[NinaBella]

Look at Tradewinds Resort in St Pete Beach.

Or look at Great Wolf Lodge (several locations) that has an indoor waterpark.

 

[CarolinaBlue99]

Did you look at Grand Cayman? Great for families and relatively easy to get to. We’ve been in November and in February and been able to swim both times. I’m not sure there is an Atlantis style resort but my daughter and her cousins have had a blast on the beaches, in the ocean, and in the pools. But it sounds like a warm beach, good pools, pirate tours, starfish hunting might not be exciting enough for you ...

I also wanted to suggest the Williamsburg area for the second half of your trip (which does have a Great Wolf Lodge and Kingsmill Plantation Resort and Busch Gardens, as well as the amazing historical locations) but you’d need a car.

I will say that your parameters do create a bit of a challenge, so you have my sympathy. Perhaps you can think about where you could compromise (warmth, ease of travel, no car)?

Good luck!

 

[kreckl]

This is tough- because your children are so little and you don't have/want a car. I think I would just head to Orlando, at least for one leg of your trip. Probably the first, to give it a few weeks to hopefully warm up elsewhere. You could definitely walk around there and you'll have plenty to do ( or not.) I would consider a car though. That would give you so many options- many places a short drive away and Florida is beautiful to explore.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I usually love planing vacations but this one is turning into a nightmare.

I won't bore you with all the details, but we had to change our dates and booking so many times due to things not lining up (flights with hotels, etc).

At this point we have our flights to America (NY), that are non refundable, and flights from NY to Orlando and back that are non refundable, and dates in WDW which we cannot change due to scheduling with parties.

BUT - We just realized New York is gonna be too cold during March to hang out with our babies (2.5yo and 6mnth). So now we have about 8 nights before and 7 nights after WDW to spend in the U.S. area.

NYC is our exit/entry point to the US - only place in the US we can fly nonstop to from home, a 12 hour flight. It's a pain in the a**, b/c sleeping in NYC even one night means travel from JFK to Manhattan (horrible w/ 2 kids & luggage after a long flight with 2 kids... and expensive!).

Our options are sleeping at the Hilton in JFK for one night to recover from the long flight, then fly directly somewhere else, or alternatively travel into Manhattan, but then we wanna stay there for a few nights before we hustle back.

The idea is minimum travel and hassle, and preferably somewhere we can stay w/o a car. We actually considered spending the rest of the vacation at WDW as well, but I fear it will be a Mickey overload ;-)

We thought about a caribbean cruise so it's interesting enough for a week or so, but nothing lines up with our dates without creating excessive travel time & accommodation (i.e. one night before the cruise, 2 nights after etc).

So we thought about heading to Atlantis in the Bahamas, as it's a big enough resort to spend so much time, and close to MCO (orlando), but I'm worried the water are too cold to swim in during mid-March, and that we'll spend a week without being able to get into the water...

We thought about heading somewhere else in the caribbean that's warmer, but not liking the options I saw so far.

- Jamaica doesn't seem to offer anything that looks exciting next to Disney / Atlantis. At Disney we usually stay at the Deluxe resort (This time it's gonna be the Polynesian & AK Lodge). So that's kind of the level of accommodation we're looking for (It's really setting the bar high for Jamaica apparently from what I saw so far... somewhat disappointing from the most famous caribbean island haha).

- Turks & Caicos seems too boring for so many days to be stuck in an AI resort without no where to go to. "Beaches" looks nice with Sesame Street characters, but again, not sure if it's enough for a whole week.

- St. Lucia / Aruba / Barbados are harder to get to in terms of nonstop flights (we wanna minimize travel time with the babies).

We thought about maybe staying in Miami but it doesn't sound too exciting and not sure if I can spend a week there w/o being bored.

I'm pulling my hair out at this point, would love to hear any ideas.

To sum up...
• 2 parents, 2 kids (2.5yo, 6mnths)
• Need suggestions for 8 nights mid-March somewhere warm in the states, w/o/ to much hassle, traveling, changing hotels, etc.
• Ideas for extra 7 nights in the US Starting April 1st (at the moment booked in NYC despite cold but hoping to change.


Would love to hear any thoughts!
Thanks!!!

Disney has a resort ( Disney's Vero Beach Resort ) on the Atlantic Ocean less than two hours from Disney World. If you don't want to rent a car, you can take DME to the Orlando airport then get a shuttle to the airport in Melbourne, FL. From there you can get a shuttle to Disney's Vero Beach.

 

[Jen_G]

I know you said you already looked in to cruises and couldn't find something that worked, but just in case you hadn't seen these: Norwegian Cruise Lines has a 7-Day Bahamas and Florida sailing leaving from New York City on April 1st. The ship is the Norwegian Breakaway and its itinerary is:

Day Cruise Ports Arrive Depart
Sun New York, New York (EMBARK) --- 3:00 pm
Mon At Sea --- ---
Tue Orlando & Beaches (Port Canaveral) 1:00 pm 9:00 pm
Wed Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 10:00 am 6:00 pm
Thu Nassau, Bahamas 8:00 am 6:00 pm
Fri At Sea --- ---
Sat At Sea --- ---
Sun New York, New York (DISEMBARK) 8:00 am ---

I'm not sure what day you arrive in the states, but there are some mid-March cruises leaving from Port Bayonne in New Jersey, about a 45 minute car ride away from the city. There's a 7-Night Bahamas cruise leaving Port Bayonne on March 17th on the Anthem of the Seas, and a 9-Night Southeast Coast and Bahamas cruise leaving from Baltimore on the 15th.

 

[kenthanson]

We stayed at the Grans Paladium Jamaican Resort and Spa when my son was 9 months old and it was amazing. It's an amazing sprawling resort with a kids club, main pool and adults only pool as well as two separate beach areas. It really is an amazing resort, it takes about 25 minutes to walk from one edge to the other.

 

[hsmamato2]

It sounds...confusing. I'm not sure I understand your questions...but here goes- you fly into NYC from ?(12 hrs) and then you have a week before you start your wdw vacation- I'd just head straight down to FL if it were me with small kids and that schedule. You can rent a condo NEAR Disney for pretty cheap,(so many condos etc near Disney for cheap)and then just RELAX with your free week.Rent a car,and research all the non disney things to do in the area(beaches within an hour or so drive,etc) there is a LOT to see,and I'm betting your little kids would love a nice pool and lots of playtime. Then do you WDW section. Then if you have to fly back to NYC, find a nice airbnb that you can just relax in for another week. Then you can take it slow,visit places in the city as the weather and kids allow. I don;t understand wanting to ditch certain flights that are paid for,and adding others into an already difficult schedule. So overall If I have this right you'd fly into NYC, then head down to Orlando area the next day, stay in a fun condo and do all the fun non disney things in the area- do Disney, then back to NYC to scope out a fun week in the city. That keeps all your original flights you can't change,right? Tripadvisor is your friend when it comes to finding stuff to do in an area you're visiting.

 

[monorailsilver]

March is definetaly an iffy time in NYC. You can be in shorts, ok maybe capris and a light coat and the next day it will snow and the day after it will be muddy because all the snow melted.

But going to museums with small kids would not be fun, IMO. I don’t think it would be too cold to walk the streets or go to the zoo (Central Park and Bronx). Believe me it will be warmer then it has been this past week here in the north east!

You can take the subway wherever you want to go.

You can take a train to LI, NJ or CT, heck probably philly for the day/few nights if you wanted to, just to see something different. There is The maritime aquarium in Norwalk, CT or the discovery museum in Bridgeport which is great for kids. Philly has a bunch of stuff for kids-it’s been a few years but I know I looked into some stuff. Or like someone said DC, it won’t be too hot there and you want it on the cooler side.

We have been flying to FL the first week or two of April from CT and we wear shorts and a light coat to the airport, it’s chilly but it’s 6am but not bone chilling/face hurting cold!

If you pick a place and stay away from the city but easy enough to drive back to, you can’t go wrong. I know you don’t want to rent a car but you can drive to the cape for a few nights (will be much cheaper as it’s not in season) and head t Boston for a few nights and then head back to the airport or to a hotel in CT/Westchester NY and get a car service to the airport.

Or if you went to FL, are you able to change your flight to MCO to the day after you arrive? Or would you have to fly back to Ny? If that’s the case, I would not leave the Ny area. If not, I too would choose the gulf coast of FL from the tampa area south or even the Florida keys.

FYI, March is a great time in the north east. Everyone is happy, even with an occasional snow day or cold day or even rain...we all know the temps can only get warmer, the buds are coming out on the trees and the flowers are just starting to come up.