Reasonably Kid Friendly Vacation Destinations?

[Amnorix]

So the missus and I are looking to go somewhere, ANYWHERE for a much needed vacation.

The problem is we've got a 3-1/2 year old and a one year old so wherever we go needs to be reasonably kid-friendly.

Flight time is pretty irrelevant -- we'll suck it up on the flight if the destination is good enough.

I turn to the mighty and all-encompassing wisdom of the Planet for any ideas as to locations that might be good. So, any thoughts? :shrug:

[cdcox]

I wouldn't plan too many sites with small kids. Instead I'd opt for a relaxing place to spend several days.

A beach house is always relaxing for the family, but you will need to go pretty far south to get warm enough weather this time of year. Could also run into the Spring Break crowd soon. When do you want to go?

[memyselfI]

Depends on when you are going...

if you can get to Tampa/Orlando (Disney, Bush Gardens, the ocean, and too much to mention all within a two hour radius) BEFORE SPRING BREAK then it's a great place for kids. If not, then try to go in May sometime before school ends otherwise wait until late Sept/Oct.

I took a 1 year old and five year old to Disney in August. Horrible mistake. I'll take the kids out of school next time just to avoid the crows and the heat and the 'peak' season prices.

[2bikemike]

Leave the kids with the Grandparents and go anywhere. A one year old is not going to enjoy the trip. And the only place for a 3 year old is Disneyland.

[cdcox]

Leave the kids with the Grandparents and go anywhere. A one year old is not going to enjoy the trip. And the only place for a 3 year old is Disneyland.

And the 3yo won't remember the trip anyway.

As I said above, if you are set on taking the kids, find a place to park it for a few days.

[Amnorix]

I wouldn't plan too many sites with small kids. Instead I'd opt for a relaxing place to spend several days.

A beach house is always relaxing for the family, but you will need to go pretty far south to get warm enough weather this time of year. Could also run into the Spring Break crowd soon. When do you want to go?

Sooner is better. Agreed that we can't plan one of those whirlwind tours of seeing museums and stuff like that. The kids would croak the enjoyment right out of it.

We've just started discussing it. We havent' taken a true vacation in far too long. Timeframe isn't determined yet. Could be anywhere from March to June...

[Amnorix]

Leave the kids with the Grandparents and go anywhere. A one year old is not going to enjoy the trip. And the only place for a 3 year old is Disneyland.

The grandparents still work and have other grandkids to babysit at times. Can't really do more than a one day sleepover with them. We've done the quick weekend getaways. We're to travel for longer than that.

[Spicy McHaggis]

Amsterdam's red light district. I hear there's a family discount.

[Amnorix]

Depends on when you are going...

if you can get to Tampa/Orlando (Disney, Bush Gardens, the ocean, and too much to mention all within a two hour radius) BEFORE SPRING BREAK then it's a great place for kids. If not, then try to go in May sometime before school ends otherwise wait until late Sept/Oct.

I took a 1 year old and five year old to Disney in August. Horrible mistake. I'll take the kids out of school next time just to avoid the crows and the heat and the 'peak' season prices.

Disney is kinda pointless, I think. As mentioned before, the 3 year old won't even remember it. Most of the stuff is geared for kids a bit older (and taller) than a 3 year old. He isn't much into Disney stuff anyway (give him Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder anyday).

That trip will be scheduled (maybe for several years in a row) starting when the kids are more like 9 and 6 years old.

[Amnorix]

Amsterdam's red light district. I hear there's a family discount.

I heard it was a premium if you want to see a family performing....

[kc rush]

We rented a beach house in the outer banks of North Carolina with two other families last September. There were two 2 year olds and a 1 year old there. Everyone had a good time.

We hit the beach, went to the aquarium out there, watched all of the pro kite flyers, went shopping, visited Kitty Hawk (kind of disappointing), but mostly relaxed.

If you are interested PM me and I can send you a link to the rental house company we used.

[dirk digler]

Sooner is better. Agreed that we can't plan one of those whirlwind tours of seeing museums and stuff like that. The kids would croak the enjoyment right out of it.

We've just started discussing it. We havent' taken a true vacation in far too long. Timeframe isn't determined yet. Could be anywhere from March to June...


If you are not going to do much sight seeing than my suggestion is go to the beach and relax as much as you can with 2 little kids. Rent a condo or something like that on a beach and just chill.

[jspchief]

I'd suggest an all inclusive resort named Beaches. They have locations all over the Carribean and on Jamaica. It's a family resort, so there won't be anyone there without kids and they offer a lot of kid activities.

My wife and I go to their sister company Sandals (couples only) and we can't say enough good things. I honestly wonder if we'll ever vacation any other way now.

[dirk digler]

We rented a beach house in the outer banks of North Carolina with two other families last September. There were two 2 year olds and a 1 year old there. Everyone had a good time.

We hit the beach, went to the aquarium out there, watched all of the pro kite flyers, went shopping, visited Kitty Hawk (kind of disappointing), but mostly relaxed.

If you are interested PM me and I can send you a link to the rental house company we used.


Damn that sounds great I might try to do that this year. Was it very expensive to rent a beach house?

[Amnorix]

If you are not going to do much sight seeing than my suggestion is go to the beach and relax as much as you can with 2 little kids. Rent a condo or something like that on a beach and just chill.

We're kinda hoping to do SOME sightseeing, but we're kinda nervous about the kiddies reactions. The 3-1/2 year old is a well-training, reasonably mellow little fellow, and the 1 year old is happy as long as he's eaten recently, so we think a bit of sightseeing is do-able.

[memyselfI]

Disney is kinda pointless, I think. As mentioned before, the 3 year old won't even remember it. Most of the stuff is geared for kids a bit older (and taller) than a 3 year old. He isn't much into Disney stuff anyway (give him Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder anyday).

That trip will be scheduled (maybe for several years in a row) starting when the kids are more like 9 and 6 years old.

Bah. Three years old is a great age for them to see the characters they see on tv in REAL time. The smaller one won't remember it but the 3 year old will.

Both of my sons were into Thomas as well. Still, they loved Jungle Book and meeting Baloo and getting their picture taken with him still makes them smile when they talk about it.

They have a WONDERFUL lightshow parade that will make your smaller ones eyes light up like nothing he's ever seen.

Boys at age 9 and 6 won't want near Disney, trust me. We were in Universal Studios and the Marvel characters by then.

I think Disney is good for about any age (and your boys are willing, mine weren't once they hit a certain age) if you hit it at the right time. And that sucks, because they are bloodsucking expensive and I really cannot stand their greed.

[dirk digler]

I'd suggest an all inclusive resort named Beaches. They have locations all over the Carribean and on Jamaica. It's a family resort, so there won't be anyone there without kids and they offer a lot of kid activities.

My wife and I go to their sister company Sandals (couples only) and we can't say enough good things. I honestly wonder if we'll ever vacation any other way now.

I really want to go to Sandals my best friend has been a few times and just loves it. I know I couldn't afford to go but once but I want to go sometime.

[cdcox]

I don't know your budget, but you might consider Royal Resorts in CanCun. My parents own a timeshare down there and love it. My wife and I went a couple years ago and it was fantastic. You can rent a unit even if you are not a timeshare owner. They do not cater to the Spring Break crowd, so you will be isolated from that as long as you stay at the resort. You will get zero pressure to join the time share. Very relaxing and very classy. We did the NC beach thing the year after (with our daughter) and it was okay, but no where near what Cancun was in terms of experience.

www.royalresorts.com

[dirk digler]

We're kinda hoping to do SOME sightseeing, but we're kinda nervous about the kiddies reactions. The 3-1/2 year old is a well-training, reasonably mellow little fellow, and the 1 year old is happy as long as he's eaten recently, so we think a bit of sightseeing is do-able.

How about Yellowstone I hear that is a great kids friendly place.

[Amnorix]

I'm not replying to every post, but I definitely want to thank you all for your comments.

One of my wife's friends has mentioned Aruba, I guess, as being kid-friendly. I'm sure it is for older kids, but not sure about toddlers. Anybody been?

THANKS again!

[jspchief]

I really want to go to Sandals my best friend has been a few times and just loves it. I know I couldn't afford to go but once but I want to go sometime.

I imagine they get a ton of repeat business. They really have outstanding customer service. The thing I loved most about it was that everything was paid for upfront. We literally could have taken $10 with us and come home with money in our pockets. They won't take tips and everything on the resort is free...including scuba diving.

[Ultra Peanut]

VEGAS!

[memyselfI]

If you are not going to do much sight seeing than my suggestion is go to the beach and relax as much as you can with 2 little kids. Rent a condo or something like that on a beach and just chill.


The problem with 'relaxing' next to an ocean with two toddlers is they like to eat sand and they get it EVERY conceivable crevice known to man...and then some. And they require CONSTANT supervision so they are not caught in an undertow or drowned, and the sun effects them in ways it does not with adults...burn, baby burn.

I found it to be exhausting and not relaxing at all. We liked going to see the ocean, picking up a few shells, and then heading off lower maintenance destinations.

[kc rush]

Damn that sounds great I might try to do that this year. Was it very expensive to rent a beach house?

It wasn't too bad because we went the second week of September. That is just into the off-season. We also shared the house with two other families so it was reasonable. Of course we were in a huge house right on the beach.

You can get smaller houses just off of the beach for a pretty reasonable amount.

Since you asked, here is the link to the company we used.

http://www.sunrealtync.com/

Here is the house we rented (dubbed the Big Red Beach House)

Big Red Beach House (http://www.sunrealtync.com/book/house.html?User=SUN15930&Num=R-54&Avail=&Stay=)

[siberian khatru]

Boys at age 9 and 6 won't want near Disney, trust me. We were in Universal Studios and the Marvel characters by then.



Bullchit. We took my boys, 9 and 5, to Disney last summer and they loved it. Just as they loved Universal the year before. It's not just about the characters. They loved rides like "Mission Mars."

Amno:

Your kids are awfully young to get anything out of anything. But we took our first Disney cruise last summer, and were blown away by how good it was (by contrast, the wife and I took a honeymoon cruise on Carnival in 1992 and were greatly underwhelmed). What's great about Disney is they have great age-appropriate programs that allow you to dump the kids off and they'll be entertained while you and the missus eat a romantic dinner together (or whatnot). Our kids never felt like they were being abandoned -- they loved the clubs. That made the guilt factor vanish and me and Mrs. Khatru were able to relax and enjoy ourselves. Don't get me wrong, we also had a great time WITH the kids, on board and onshore.

We'll take another Disney cruise in 2-3 years fer sure.

[dirk digler]

It wasn't too bad because we went the second week of September. That is just into the off-season. We also shared the house with two other families so it was reasonable. Of course we were in a huge house right on the beach.

You can get smaller houses just off of the beach for a pretty reasonable amount.

Since you asked, here is the link to the company we used.

http://www.sunrealtync.com/

Here is the house we rented (dubbed the Big Red Beach House)

Big Red Beach House (http://www.sunrealtync.com/book/house.html?User=SUN15930&Num=R-54&Avail=&Stay=)

Thanks kc rush! :thumb: I will definitely look into it.

[Stinger]

Try these:

http://www.frommers.com/trip_ideas/family/

http://www.travelwithkids.about.com/

http://www.funtimefamilytravel.com/

From website:
Fun Time Family Travel specializes in COMPLETE FAMILY VACATIONS for parents with young children (6 years of age and under). If mom and dad need some quality time or a babysitter, we'll take care of that too!! And remember, if you book with us, our services are free!

[memyselfI]

Bullchit. We took my boys, 9 and 5, to Disney last summer and they loved it. Just as they loved Universal the year before. It's not just about the characters. They loved rides like "Mission Mars."

Amno:

Your kids are awfully young to get anything out of anything. But we took our first Disney cruise last summer, and were blown away by how good it was (by contrast, the wife and I took a honeymoon cruise on Carnival in 1992 and were greatly underwhelmed). What's great about Disney is they have great age-appropriate programs that allow you to dump the kids off and they'll be entertained while you and the missus eat a romantic dinner together (or whatnot). Our kids never felt like they were being abandoned -- they loved the clubs. That made the guilt factor vanish and me and Mrs. Khatru were able to relax and enjoy ourselves. Don't get me wrong, we also had a great time WITH the kids, on board and onshore.

We'll take another Disney cruise in 2-3 years fer sure.


Good for you and your kids.

My sister lives there and she reports that her guests with older boys do NOT enjoy Disney World (not Epcot or other parks) after certain age as much as they did at an earlier age. My kids had the chance to do both (without the input from my Sis) and expressed no desire to go to Disney at age 9-5. We spent THREE days just at Universal Studios. They loved it. We were to go a 4th but we decided to drive to Cocoa Beach instead. That was a good time.

[siberian khatru]

Good for you and your kids.

My sister lives there and she reports that her guests with older boys do NOT enjoy Disney World (not Epcot or other parks) after certain age as much as they did at an earlier age. My kids had the chance to do both (without the input from my Sis) and expressed no desire to go to Disney at age 9-5. We spent THREE days just at Universal Studios. They loved it. We were to go a 4th but we decided to drive to Cocoa Beach instead. That was a good time.

The Magic Kingdom is probably the least interesting for older kids, because it has the most for the wee ones. But it still has Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion and a few other things that interest my 9 year old. And Epcot, MGM and Animal Planet or whatever it's called have lots of things for older kids and adults. If you frame Disney as a Mickey Mouse adventure, yeah, older kids are going to roll their eyes. If you tell them there'll be spaceships and rollercoasters, they'll perk up.

We first took the kids to Disney when they were 5 and 1, they enjoyed it (well, the 1 year old didn't get a whole lot out of it other than stitches in his thumb, but that's another story) but liked it even more last year. And I first went when I was 9, when it was just the Magic Kingdom, and it remains one of the greatest vacations I ever took.

We also have friends who took their daughter to Disney every year, sometimes twice a year ( :rolleyes: ) for the first 10 years of her life (she's 12 now) and she didn't get tired of except perhaps at the very end.

So too bad for you and your kids. :p

[Frosty]

We took our boys (9 and 7 at the time) to Orlando last March and went to all the Disney parks. They loved it, particularly Animal Kingdom and MGM (the Indiana Jones show was a blast, with lots of crashing and explosions. The Mrs and I liked the Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster at MGM). They also enjoyed Magic Kingdom and Epcot, particularly the firework shows at the end of the day (the MGM laser/firework show was simply amazing, too).

[el borracho]

Amnorix,

Denali, Alaska has camping and/or train tours

[Bob Dole]

Bob Dole has an acquaintance who can't say enough nice things about the Disney cruises.

[HC_Chief]

Sanibel Island / Captiva is awesome. :thumb:

[Phobia]

Disney is kinda pointless, I think. As mentioned before, the 3 year old won't even remember it. Most of the stuff is geared for kids a bit older (and taller) than a 3 year old. He isn't much into Disney stuff anyway (give him Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder anyday).

That trip will be scheduled (maybe for several years in a row) starting when the kids are more like 9 and 6 years old.

Good. I clicked into this thread to ensure this point had been made. I've taken my kids twice. Once when they were 3 and 4 and once when they were 7 and 8.

They don't even remember the first trip, and since they were too small to do anything then, it sucked for everybody.

[Amnorix]

RELATED question -- flying with little babies.... Or in my case, a monstrously large 1 year old. :)

Anyway:

1. I'm assuming the airline provides the baby seat thingy?

2. I'm assuming I gotta pay full airfare for the kid to take up the seat?

3. Any hints on keeping the kid from ruining everyone's flight (especially, you know, MINE)?

I've got a portable DVD player, so I figure the 3-1/2 year old will be FAIRLY manageable. But if anyone has thoughts on that age, I'm all ears.

We've avoided flying to date with the kids, but we're getting tired of being too scared to go anywhere...

Thoughts appreciated.

[HC_Chief]

<i>1. I'm assuming the airline provides the baby seat thingy?</i>
Nope. The little one sits on your lap, the 3.5 yr-old gets their own seat. You can bring a car seat as carry-on.

<i>2. I'm assuming I gotta pay full airfare for the kid to take up the seat?</i>

After 2 yrs old, yep.

<i>3. Any hints on keeping the kid from ruining everyone's flight (especially, you know, MINE)?</i>

Portable DVD player w/ Baby Einstein and Blues Clues videos. Worked great for me :D (my son made ZERO fuss @ 1.5 yrs old... glued to the monitor for a 4-hr flight)

Good luck!

And, again, Sanibel/Captiva is awesome... think Maui w/o the mountains. Great beaches, quiet, beautiful. Excellent vacation spot.

[Andoverer]

My wife and I went to Aruba. It's a dry and fairly hot desert island that's known mostly for resort hotels/casinos and some good snorkling. My impression was it wouldn't be a great small kid destination. The wind blows constantly and kind of got on my nerves after a while. That plus the heat plus small kids is asking for an eventual temper outburst from either the kids or the adult with the shortest fuse.

[kc rush]

1. I'm assuming the airline provides the baby seat thingy?

No, but you shouldn't need one for a 3 1/2 year old. We seatbelted my 2 yr old into the regular seat and the airline (United) said that it was fine.

2. I'm assuming I gotta pay full airfare for the kid to take up the seat?

Yes

3. Any hints on keeping the kid from ruining everyone's flight (especially, you know, MINE)?

Pack toys that they have never seen before. Pull a new one out every so often to keep them interested.

[Phobia]

Kids ruin flights because the pressure hurts their ears. If you can prevent this, that's half the battle. Chewing gum helps - get a piece for each parent and the child and overchew to get the jaw muscles moving. This will help equalize pressure in the ear. Besides gum, you can yawn, open your mouth widely, or blow your nose.

[Chiefnj]

3. Any hints on keeping the kid from ruining everyone's flight (especially, you know, MINE)?

BENADRYL

[memyselfI]

The Magic Kingdom is probably the least interesting for older kids, because it has the most for the wee ones. But it still has Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion and a few other things that interest my 9 year old. And Epcot, MGM and Animal Planet or whatever it's called have lots of things for older kids and adults. If you frame Disney as a Mickey Mouse adventure, yeah, older kids are going to roll their eyes. If you tell them there'll be spaceships and rollercoasters, they'll perk up.

We first took the kids to Disney when they were 5 and 1, they enjoyed it (well, the 1 year old didn't get a whole lot out of it other than stitches in his thumb, but that's another story) but liked it even more last year. And I first went when I was 9, when it was just the Magic Kingdom, and it remains one of the greatest vacations I ever took.

We also have friends who took their daughter to Disney every year, sometimes twice a year ( :rolleyes: ) for the first 10 years of her life (she's 12 now) and she didn't get tired of except perhaps at the very end.

So too bad for you and your kids. :p

My Neice lives 90 minutes from DW and goes at least 5 times a year depending on which friends or family members are visiting. She just turned 8 and is so burned out she'd like to burn down the place.

I'm not saying that older kids, specifically BOYS, won't enjoy DW at all. But by the time they are past 8 they are into action heroes and DW doesn't cater to those. The other Disney parks are more attractive at that point.

[siberian khatru]

The other Disney parks are more attractive at that point.

Are we talking Magic Kingdom only here? Because I differentiate between Disney World -- which includes ALL the parks -- and the Magic Kingdom, which is Mickey and Cinderella's palace, etc. As I already said, Magic Kingdom offers the least for older kids. So we may -- gasp -- actually be in agreement here.

[Archie F. Swin]

Hot Springs, Arkansas...





..of course

[DaKCMan AP]

I don't know your budget, but you might consider Royal Resorts in CanCun. My parents own a timeshare down there and love it. My wife and I went a couple years ago and it was fantastic. You can rent a unit even if you are not a timeshare owner. They do not cater to the Spring Break crowd, so you will be isolated from that as long as you stay at the resort. You will get zero pressure to join the time share. Very relaxing and very classy. We did the NC beach thing the year after (with our daughter) and it was okay, but no where near what Cancun was in terms of experience.

www.royalresorts.com (http://www.royalresorts.com)

My family traded in a week at our time share over a year ago to try to get a week at one of the Royal Resorts in Cancun this coming December. That place looks awesome. Hopefully we'll get confirmation..

[DaKCMan AP]

The Magic Kingdom is probably the least interesting for older kids, because it has the most for the wee ones. But it still has Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion and a few other things that interest my 9 year old. And Epcot, MGM and Animal Planet or whatever it's called have lots of things for older kids and adults. If you frame Disney as a Mickey Mouse adventure, yeah, older kids are going to roll their eyes. If you tell them there'll be spaceships and rollercoasters, they'll perk up.

We first took the kids to Disney when they were 5 and 1, they enjoyed it (well, the 1 year old didn't get a whole lot out of it other than stitches in his thumb, but that's another story) but liked it even more last year. And I first went when I was 9, when it was just the Magic Kingdom, and it remains one of the greatest vacations I ever took.

We also have friends who took their daughter to Disney every year, sometimes twice a year ( :rolleyes: ) for the first 10 years of her life (she's 12 now) and she didn't get tired of except perhaps at the very end.

So too bad for you and your kids. :p
I went to Disney the first time when I was 2. I'm almost 20 and I still go to Disney World and enjoy it. Although now I get a huge kick of watching my little cousins (ages 5 and 3) reactions to everything that goes on.

[KC Jones]

Kids ruin flights because the pressure hurts their ears. If you can prevent this, that's half the battle. Chewing gum helps - get a piece for each parent and the child and overchew to get the jaw muscles moving. This will help equalize pressure in the ear. Besides gum, you can yawn, open your mouth widely, or blow your nose.

BS. It's totally preventable. You just get em liquored up first and they pass out on the flight. You clearly lack parenting skills ;)


We always give the real little one some pain killers a bit before flight time in addition to the techniques you noted. I'd only add that blowing your nose only helps when you're coming down and need to increase the internal sinus pressure. On the way up it's counterproductive.

[Joe Seahawk]

RELATED question -- flying with little babies.... Or in my case, a monstrously large 1 year old. :)

Anyway:


3. Any hints on keeping the kid from ruining everyone's flight (especially, you know, MINE)?



Nyquil... (for the baby)





:p J/K Please don't do that!

[Mosbonian]

Disney is kinda pointless, I think. As mentioned before, the 3 year old won't even remember it. Most of the stuff is geared for kids a bit older (and taller) than a 3 year old. He isn't much into Disney stuff anyway (give him Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder anyday).

That trip will be scheduled (maybe for several years in a row) starting when the kids are more like 9 and 6 years old.

I respectfully disagree on everything in this post....

My kids have been going to WDW since my oldest was 3 and my youngest was 9 months. My oldest is now 12 and can remember the first time he went to WDW in 95 at 3.

And depending on which park you go to, there is more than enough for kids that are younger than 9 and 6.....EPCOT is probably the only park that is not largely kid-oriented.

And ANY kid, no matter whether he loves BTB, TTT, The Muppets or anything Mickey has a good time there.

Having said that...if you truly want to go to WDW, know that with young kids, even if they are 6 and 9 you still need to set aside relaxing time not spent at the park.

If you wait until they are six and 9 you will be missing the best time to have your kids at DisneyWorld.

BTW, the LEGO Store in Downtown Disney will keep a kid of any age mesmerized for hours.

mmaddog
*******

[Mosbonian]

Bah. Three years old is a great age for them to see the characters they see on tv in REAL time. The smaller one won't remember it but the 3 year old will.

Both of my sons were into Thomas as well. Still, they loved Jungle Book and meeting Baloo and getting their picture taken with him still makes them smile when they talk about it.

They have a WONDERFUL lightshow parade that will make your smaller ones eyes light up like nothing he's ever seen.

Boys at age 9 and 6 won't want near Disney, trust me. We were in Universal Studios and the Marvel characters by then.

I think Disney is good for about any age (and your boys are willing, mine weren't once they hit a certain age) if you hit it at the right time. And that sucks, because they are bloodsucking expensive and I really cannot stand their greed.

O Lord....someone check outside and make sure we haven't reached Armageddon...I've actually agreed with Denise.

I think I will now commit Planet cybercide....

mmaddog
*******

[memyselfI]

Are we talking Magic Kingdom only here? Because I differentiate between Disney World -- which includes ALL the parks -- and the Magic Kingdom, which is Mickey and Cinderella's palace, etc. As I already said, Magic Kingdom offers the least for older kids. So we may -- gasp -- actually be in agreement here.

Yep. Magic Kingdom is an attraction for kids of all ages who love Disney but depending on your boys it might not be a great attraction for them after age 8 or so.

Tragically, I might add.

[siberian khatru]

Yep. Magic Kingdom is an attraction for kids of all ages who love Disney but depending on your boys it might not be a great attraction for them after age 8 or so.

Tragically, I might add.

Then what the hell were we arguing about all day? :huh:

[memyselfI]

Then what the hell were we arguing about all day? :huh:

The fact that no one specifically used the term "MAGIC KINGDOM"???? ROFL

For a YES man sometimes you are rather slow. :p ;)

[Mosbonian]

Good. I clicked into this thread to ensure this point had been made. I've taken my kids twice. Once when they were 3 and 4 and once when they were 7 and 8.

They don't even remember the first trip, and since they were too small to do anything then, it sucked for everybody.

My experiences were different....my kids have been to Disney many times and remember them all..probably because we didn't try to do everything everytime we went....we spend as much time at playing at the pool at the hotel as we need to.

mmaddog
*******

[siberian khatru]

The fact that no one specifically used the term "MAGIC KINGDOM"???? ROFL

For a YES man sometimes you are rather slow. :p ;)

On the contrary, my opaque, meandering, pretentious posts appropriately reflect the genre.

[Mosbonian]

Portable DVD player w/ Baby Einstein and Blues Clues videos. Worked great for me :D (my son made ZERO fuss @ 1.5 yrs old... glued to the monitor for a 4-hr flight)

The saviour of any parent whether flying or driving.....Portable DVD player.

In fact, I take DVD's to watch on any flight I take for business..

mmaddog
*******

[memyselfI]

On the contrary, my opaque, meandering, pretentious posts appropriately reflect the genre.


ROFL ROFL :thumb:

[Mosbonian]

My Neice lives 90 minutes from DW and goes at least 5 times a year depending on which friends or family members are visiting. She just turned 8 and is so burned out she'd like to burn down the place.

I'm not saying that older kids, specifically BOYS, won't enjoy DW at all. But by the time they are past 8 they are into action heroes and DW doesn't cater to those. The other Disney parks are more attractive at that point.

Gee...now I feel better, we are back to disagreeing.

My daughter just turned 9 and has been to WDW at least 18 times.....we are going twice this year and the person most excited about going back this year....my daughter. And she loves all the Parks because each has it's own Magic for every age child and adult.

Trust me...Cinderella's Castle will ALWAYS attract girls, young and old to the Magic Kingdom. Every trip we have taken requires that we take a picture of my daughter in front of the Castle....and the best present a dad can give his daughter for her birthday? A seat at King Stefan's Feast.....

mmaddog
*******

[Mosbonian]

Yep. Magic Kingdom is an attraction for kids of all ages who love Disney but depending on your boys it might not be a great attraction for them after age 8 or so.

Tragically, I might add.

Not judging from my experiences....there isn't a time I have gone that I didn't wish there were less people in the park, especially in the 9 to 12 y/o range....

mmaddog
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[memyselfI]

Gee...now I feel better, we are back to disagreeing.

My daughter just turned 9 and has been to WDW at least 18 times.....we are going twice this year and the person most excited about going back this year....my daughter. And she loves all the Parks because each has it's own Magic for every age child and adult.

Trust me...Cinderella's Castle will ALWAYS attract girls, young and old to the Magic Kingdom. Every trip we have taken requires that we take a picture of my daughter in front of the Castle....and the best present a dad can give his daughter for her birthday? A seat at King Stefan's Feast.....

mmaddog
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Well, without pointing out the obvious, I've mentioned at least a dozen times that the differences in interest in MK according to age are gender based...

I didn't want to harp on that too much and sound stereotypical or sexist but it's true. While 8 year old girls are still into princes, princesses, and castles little 8 year old boys are just starting to realize how 'gross' that stuff is.

[Mosbonian]

Well, without pointing out the obvious, I've mentioned at least a dozen times that the differences in interest in MK according to age are gender based...

I didn't want to harp on that too much and sound stereotypical or sexist but it's true. While 8 year old girls are still into princes, princesses, and castles little 8 year old boys are just starting to realize how 'gross' that stuff is.

Depends....like I said in the previous post, I see many kids from ages 9 to 12 in every park in WDW....from Typhoon Lagoon, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Blizzard Beach, MGM, WWoS...you name it, and you see it filled with teens.

mmaddog
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[Spott]

Where ever you go, don't go to Orlando and especially not Disneyworld. Unless your kids like waiting in lines for 2 hours to go on crappy rides and unless you like being bombarded with a thousand overpriced shops that all sell the same crap they sell at the Disney store in the mall, I would't go. The only places in Orlando worth going are Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure and maybe Sea World. My 8 year old(who was 5 at the time) was sooooo bored the only time I took him to Disneyworld. That place is totally over-rated.

Busch Gardens in Tampa is pretty cool for kids. It's kind of a Six Flags type amusement park crossed with a zoo. Not to mention there's plenty of fishing to do all over FL, either off shore or off the coast.

[memyselfI]

Where ever you go, don't go to Orlando and especially not Disneyworld. Unless your kids like waiting in lines for 2 hours to go on crappy rides and unless you like being bombarded with a thousand overpriced shops that all sell the same crap they sell at the Disney store in the mall, I would't go. The only places in Orlando worth going are Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure and maybe Sea World. My 8 year old was sooooo bored the only time I took him to Disneyworld. That place is totally over-rated.

Busch Gardens in Tampa is pretty cool for kids. It's kind of a Six Flags type amusement park crossed with a zoo. Not to mention there's plenty of fishing to do all over FL, either off shore or off the coast.

Yep, yet another 8+ year old boy not down with Magic Kingdom. I think it's 'boy' thing.

Busch Gardens IS cool...

last time we were there we saw a huge tortoise trying hump another in the face. :spock: The kids still bust a gut with that memory.

[Spott]

Yep, yet another 8+ year old boy not down with Magic Kingdom. I think it's 'boy' thing.

Busch Gardens IS cool...

last time we were there we saw a huge tortoise trying hump another in the face. :spock: The kids still bust a gut with that memory.

There's a new roller coaster opening up this spring at Busch Gardens. I will definitely be getting season passes this year.

http://www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens/fla/sheikra.aspx

[Mosbonian]

Where ever you go, don't go to Orlando and especially not Disneyworld. Unless your kids like waiting in lines for 2 hours to go on crappy rides and unless you like being bombarded with a thousand overpriced shops that all sell the same crap they sell at the Disney store in the mall, I would't go. The only places in Orlando worth going are Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure and maybe Sea World. My 8 year old(who was 5 at the time) was sooooo bored the only time I took him to Disneyworld. That place is totally over-rated.

Busch Gardens in Tampa is pretty cool for kids. It's kind of a Six Flags type amusement park crossed with a zoo. Not to mention there's plenty of fishing to do all over FL, either off shore or off the coast.

Sorry you and your kid didn't enjoy it.....but frankly you are probably in a minority.

BTW.....if you know anything about what has happened to The Disney Store recently, you know that you can't get 1/10th of the stuff at TDS (no longer owned by Disney) that you can at Downtown Disney.

BTW, I think the least interesting place in Orlando is Sea World.....and Universal has not appeal to me, especially since the park employees attitude reminds me of the way that the employees at World's of Fun act....horrible.

Busch Gardens is OK...but nowhere near the attraction that WDW affords.

JMO...

mmaddog
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[Inspector]

This may have already been suggested, but McDonalds has one of those playlands.

Kids love 'em and it's a good way to get them to eat nutritious food.

Not sure which flight you'd need to take though.

[LTownChief]

try Panama City Beach during the middle of next month. j/k

[Straight, No Chaser]

Sucker a relative into watching the kids for a longish weekend and take your wife somewhere --alone.

I know parents drag their kids to theme parks as soon as they pop out but consider looking at it this way: Wouldn't you rather have them both be a bit older so they can actually enjoy it --and be able to remember it?


---->

[memyselfI]

Sorry you and your kid didn't enjoy it.....but frankly you are probably in a minority.

BTW.....if you know anything about what has happened to The Disney Store recently, you know that you can't get 1/10th of the stuff at TDS (no longer owned by Disney) that you can at Downtown Disney.

BTW, I think the least interesting place in Orlando is Sea World.....and Universal has not appeal to me, especially since the park employees attitude reminds me of the way that the employees at World's of Fun act....horrible.

Busch Gardens is OK...but nowhere near the attraction that WDW affords.

JMO...

mmaddog
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I guess that is the difference between having boys and girls or one of each. My two boys loved Universal Studios so much. They are into movies and dinosaurs and Spiderman so the rides and the shows were right up their alley.

My little boy still bums about not 'seeing' a glimpse of Spiderman when he was dodging through the park. The rest of us saw him but our little one couldn't get focused quick enough...

US would NOT appeal to kids much younger than 5 or 6 and likely appeals to more girls over 8 or 9 than MK does boys the same ages.

[Hammock Parties]

Put your childen up for adoption and go see Europe.

[teedubya]

We rented a beach house in the outer banks of North Carolina with two other families last September. There were two 2 year olds and a 1 year old there. Everyone had a good time.

We hit the beach, went to the aquarium out there, watched all of the pro kite flyers, went shopping, visited Kitty Hawk (kind of disappointing), but mostly relaxed.

If you are interested PM me and I can send you a link to the rental house company we used.


we did the exact same thing in May 2003... My wifes grandparents 50th wedding anniversary... good times.

Kitty Hawk is kind of a disappointmetn, but it was cool, though. Since they are distant relatives.

One thing about my ancestors Orville and Wilbur... we all like to get high.