Recommendations on Kid Friendly/fun Vacation

OMG! I would definitely go on the Disney Cruise! I have heard in the past from people who take cruise vacations regularly that the Disney cruise was awesome. I have been wanting to go myself, but know they are pricey and now my kids are almost out of that stage of life which makes me sad. My daughters are 12,10 and son is 6. I could probably get away with it sometime in the next year, but then the window is closed. So, if you can do it, absolutely GO!!!
Have a great time!
M.;)

Do your children like the outdoors and snow? We are looking at taking our kids to the Smokie Mtns. this winter. They have BEAUTIFUL cabins. Some of them the prices are crazy high, but you can still find some that are reasonable. Many of them run around 200-400 a night. All that I have seen include most if not all of the following:

hot tub, pool table, multiple TV's with satelite and dvd players, air hocky, jetted showers, etc.

Here is a website if you are interested. However, make sure your travels are not during "peak" times becuase it could cost upwards of 500+ a night...

http://rental.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com/

here is another one I found, the sight is harder to navigate, but the prices look cheaper...

http://www.americanmountainrentals.com/

Hope this helps gives you some more ideas!

J.

Hi T.-

I think going to the mountains is a great idea, especially that time of year. BUT, if I had my choice, I would go Disney all the way. They are running a special right now where you get the dining plan for free- a huge deal! Follow their link and select your days for pricing info. It's supposed to be for a minimum 5-night stay, but I think you can get it to work for less.

Dollywood is a great theme park for little ones. We took our kids there for a long weekend planning to do Dollywood one day and then Cherokee Indian Village and some other local attractions. We had so much fun at Dollywood that we spent three days there! Reasonable prices too,

When they aare a bit older, check out Boscobel in Jamaica. it is an all-inclusive for families.

I've heard of people really liking the NICK hotel in Orlando. Just a thought. http://www.nickhotel.com/ This link should show you a lot.

The Disney cruise is a total blast. If you are able to go , do go, you won't regret.

You can’t go wrong with Disney. We find that we love it just as much as our daughter does. So much so that we bought into the Disney Vacation Club. The key is to no try to do everything and take time to just enjoy the fantastic resort pools and magic that is Disney. Plus, they have some great promotions going on now, free dining for the whole family. The Disney cruises are fantastic with so much geared towards families too. I also second the tropical beach type vacation. The all inclusive resorts in Mexico's Yucatan area and 5 star for 3 star prices. November is still hot but cheaper due to hurricane off season. You really have to decide…relaxing and quiet or exciting and busy. We also do NYC or Boston at Christmas time each year (have family up North); that is fun but your 4 year old may have trouble appreciating. Last, we love to camp in the mountains. Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg are a bit Myrtle Beach like in tackiness but have a TON for families particularly if you could move your date to October. Whatever you do have fun!

Go, I've heard it's a barrel of fun !

Oh, we did the Disney cruise with my daughter when she was 3. She absolutely loved it! Lots of interaction with the characters and fabulous shows! It is probably one of the most fun cruise lines! I remember when I was on one of the other cruises and watching the Disney ship pull out and thinking, "Now THAT looks like a fun ship!"

If you do it, you won't be disappointed. I want to do Disney again someday, but I hate crowds...

Check cruise411.com for the best prices.

Oh, and if you are looking for other ideas, Chattanooga is a great city to visit--lots to do there and a neat place! Don't forget to do the carousel by the river if it is still there. Chattanooga Choo Choo is a neat place to stay if you have the money.

You may have already done this, but I would take them to Disney World and Sea World before going on a cruise (I'm not a fan of cruises anyway). If you've already been there, then they probably would enjoy the cruise. Most of the other stuff I would recommend is more conducive to being done in the summer. Costa Rica is also a great and very different place to visit -LOTS of eco-friendly kid stuff to do (there are resorts where you stay in tree-houses) and that time of year is the non-rainy season, PLUS you have great beaches on both sides and monkeys, geckos, beautiful birds, sloths and other creatures all over the place!

Check out the Breakers in Palm Beach, FL. I looked at their website the other day for that same reason and it looks like it would be a neat place for kids. Lots of activities. Here is their website: http://www.thebreakers.com/families_at_the_breakers/

Hope this helps!

Callaway Gardens is a great place to stay! We always thought of it as a day trip, but we stayed over in the cabins and it was quite an adventure. There is so much to do - especially for kids. Beach, huge playground, bike riding trails, butterfly garden, etc. Good luck!