Where do you vacation when you are not going to WDW?

[SandraC]

Hi all! We just got back from WDW and are planning our summer vacation. We live near Toronto ~ we'll be driving to Ohio to visit Paramount Kings Island in July. We will still have days left. Where do you vacation other than WDW?

Sandra

 

[llp479]

Let's see...DH and I go to Tucson for Spring Training, take the 3 DD's to my grandmother's in So. IL, DH's sister's in St. Louis, and have gone for long weekends to Amana, IA.

We have a Six Flags park two miles from our home, so we don't need to travel to get our "park" fix when we're not a WDW!

90 days 'till WDW!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I am from Cincinnati & there is a lot to do there. The zoo is wonderful and Northern KY now has a great aquarium & riverwalk area. Also, near KI is 'The Beach' waterpark, with a wavepool, slides etc. (Although I haven't been there in a long time) If it is doable Cedar Point is a great amusement park in Sandusky OH (near Cleveland though) about 5 hr drive from Cincy.
I like to go to tropical islands on vacation! Last year was Grand Cayman & 1999, 1996 was Hawaii. We have a 2 yo now, so it'll be awhile before another island trip. We now live in San Diego, and I like going to Palm Springs for a weekend, too. Enjoy OH!
Only 16 days until WDW!!

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

This summer we are renting a house for a week on Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. We love to go to Vermont in the summer to cool off and get away from the city.

 

[jldriscoll]

We LOVE taking the kids to the mountains in the summer. So far we've stuck to the east, Blue Ridge mts. one year. Up in Quebec last year. We stay at resorts that offer cond or homes for rent and stretch out and enjoy the peace. These are ski resorts so summer is their off season. Nice and quiet. (And we like WDW in Nov. guess we're not people people ) When DD's get bigger we'll do the west.

 

[amsyw]

We are beach bums! We have gone to Destin several times. But we are thinking of Myrtle Beach next year.

 

[Julie 363]

We keep on driving past Orlando to Marco Island! What a beautiful place............

 

[jennymouse]

SandraC, Kings Island is just 1 1/2 hour drive from me! My DD & DGD go a couple times each summer. I don't usually go with them, but they love it! Not as much as Disney, but they do enjoy it.

I get the week between Christmas and New Years off and just babysit and enjoy the holidays. Usually, I spend a few days at my brothers chalet on the KY river, boat riding and vegging out. This year I had to use some of my vacation days to have my gall bladder removed.

 

[jx3smom]

We go skiing in New Hampshire. The only other place that I'd live besides New Jersey. New Hampshire is beautiful in the summer and the winter.

We don't usually go away in the summer. DH says we should just enjoy our own resort town in the summer (we live a few blocks from beach and boardwalk). So our summer time is spent here or in Wildwood and Cape May (a few miles down the parkway).

 

[Desnik]

I just have to say jx3smom, you are so lucky to live that close to Cape May!! It is DH and I favorite place to get away for an adults only trip.
We like to go to Hershey Park in Hershey Penn. It is a great park and close to Lancaster county which is a nice place to visit. We also like to go to Mass.-Boston and Salem. Next adults only trip will probably be to a B&B in Rhode Is.and next family vacation will probably be WDW in Nov. We are just back and we already miss it!

 

[RUDisney]

The southern coast of Maine. It is quiet and relaxing. Plus, the added benefits of lobsters for breakfast, lunch and dinner AND LL Bean is SO close!

We are going for the first time to RI in a couple of weeks for a long weekend. (I can't wait!)

We LOVE NYC! Can't wait to take our kids this summer to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway! We have a free night's coupon for a Marriot and I can't think of a better place to use it than NYC.

 

[ratow]

We are a fishing family!

DH, myself and kids (9yo dd, 7 yo ds, 4 yo dd, 2 yo ds, 5 month old ds) have been to Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake (both Missouri), Kentucky Lake twice, Lake Norfork, Greers Ferry (both Arkansas). We meet up with my in-laws and often my mom for a week of "togetherness" in a rental house. We also meet up with other relatives in Northern Wisconsin each August for, what else, fishing!

My in-laws have also been generous enough to invite us down when they have been vacationing in Hilton Head and St. George Island FL (rental houses).

We couldn't afford the number of vacations each year (spring, summer, fall) if we couldn't "share the joy", and the cost, with family! We always drive south towards warmer weather and, in theory, longer fishing seasons!

It was tough to convince dh that WDW in Oct. was the way to go!

 

[ChiTownZee]

What do you mean by a vacation other that WDW? Seriously we've never taken a 'vacation' other than WDW, unless you count visiting family as a vacation. We are going to be taking a Disney Cruise when we get our case money back, does that count?

 

[minivanmomof2]

Originally posted by RUDisney
The southern coast of Maine. It is quiet and relaxing. Plus, the added benefits of lobsters for breakfast, lunch and dinner AND LL Bean is SO close!

We are going for the first time to RI in a couple of weeks for a long weekend. (I can't wait!)

We LOVE NYC! Can't wait to take our kids this summer to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway! We have a free night's coupon for a Marriot and I can't think of a better place to use it than NYC.

I agree, the southern coast of Maine is beautiful! DH and I went there on our honeymoon(9 yrs ago). I absolutely love Marginal Way!!!

 

[themeparkcomando]

Branson, MO - We are 3 1/2 hours and it's very inexpensive. I bought season passes to Silver Dollar City and White Water for less than my 5 day park hopper passes. We always do one week there every summer. Great things for kids to do and beautiful scenery!!! (and no we don't listen to country music)

It's a great family vaction!

 

[B3LM]

Has anyone heard of Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana? We went there a couple of years ago with two other families and we had a great time! It's perfect for families with young children - so many kid appropriate rides! We're going again in June for a weekend with the same families. We stay at the Holidome in Jasper, Indiana (about 30 minutes away). There isn't much right around Holiday World. Our kids all love to swim so the Holidome works out well.

We've also been to Branson - it was back in 1997. I'd agree that Silver Dollar City is less expensive, but if you do any of the shows in Branson, the money spent adds up fast for a family.

Beth

 

[SandraC]

Last April we went to WDW so our summer vacation was filled with day trips and a couple weekends in Niagara Falls.

We bought season's passes to Paramount Canadas Wonderland and went 29 times! It was a blast. The water park was amazing and they just added more water slides this year!

We went to WDW this April too, just returned a couple weeks ago. Again, we bought Paramount Canadas Wonderland seasons passes. We won't go 29 times again this year LOL! We are, however, going to Cincinnati with our seasons passes and using them at King's Island since the passes are portable. Looking forward to that!

Any folks thinking about vacation in Ontario, Canada might consider Wonderland.

The US dollar is worth so much more, Americas can really have a great vacation for little $$$$$$. Example: Wonderland season's passes in Canada are about $100 CDN, that's only $62 US dollars. When you think one WDW day pass is $50, our $62 is great and you can use it all season and in other Paramount parks too!

The weather in southern Ontario is beautiful in the summer. Sunny and always in the 80º and over! Think about it! Sandra

 

[dopey423]

We also take a vacation to Ogunquit, Maine every year. The Marginal Way and the southern coast of Maine are so beautiful and relaxing. Its definitely a different type of vacation that WDW is.

 

[josierac]

Lets see since the time we had our kids - we have been to Key West, west coast of Florida many, many times. 2 cruises (non disney). Last summer we went to Italy (kids loved it). The beaches in NJ, Las Vegas
Next year will probably be another cruise of California.

Before Kids - Hawaii, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England, cruises. Mexico, California

 

[ABCMom]

I would have to second the motion to go to Cedar Point if you get the chance! We go there on our "off" WDW years

We are actually closer to Kings Island and I grew up going there several times a summer. However, last time I was there, I was dissapointed that it seemed to have lost some of it's "spark." But maybe it just didn't live up to my idealized childhood memories....Its still a nice park - we just prefer Cedar Point....