Vacations that rival cruising

[iceman93]

Disney World definitely fits the bill. You can spend weeks there are not see and do everything. Just like a cruise, you can be as active or as relaxed as you wish. There are opportunities for fast food and 5-star dining. There's stuff for kids, families, and adults on their own. The range of resorts is simply astonishing. From the theme parks to the water parks, the golf courses to the race car driving, the Broadway-quality shows to the nightlife... Disney World has it all!

[michmike]

Hard to beat Sanibel Island in Fla, very quiet. laid back esp if you go off season. Wander the beaches looking for shells, listen to some Jimmy Buffett, read 4 or 5 books in a week. Discover all the waterfront open air restaurants in search of the definitive margarita and the penultimate key lime pie.. Life is GOOD!

 

Also should consider a circle tour of either Lake Huron or Lake Superior.. gorgeous scenery.. signs on the north shore of Superior warning of "no assured source of fuel for the next 300 miles after 6 pm" and Bettie's pies on the west coast of Superior MMMMMMMMMMMM!!

 

and perhaps our very favorite.. a friend's farm/weekend retreat near Traverse City , MI where you park the two chaise lounges under a larch tree, read all day interrupted only by the birds and the butterflies and the 3 or 4 cars a

day that manage to find that gravel covered road to paradise... and the biggest decision you face every day is whether to throw something on the grill or go into town for supper..

 

and remember that old adage.. the only thing better than owning a vacation home is having good friends who do *L*

 

We certainly enjoy our cruises.. but to cruise only would, for us, be one dimensional...

[cruisingbuckeye]

I enjoy planning vacations almost as much as taking them, which is explains all the time spent on this board reading about cruising! We've only taken 1 cruise and enjoyed it thoroughly - - I'm starting to get anxious to go again, which is why I decided to get back on the boards - - I had a username & password from before, but couldn't remember the password & couldn't get the automated thing to work to reset it, so I had to start over from scratch!

[xpcdoojk]

Here is a link to our 2004 European vacation, which was not a cruise, but which did involve, boats, planes, trains, and automobiles.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=86576

 

We had a great trip, and a fabulous time. Warning it is pretty long, but I hope if you take the time that you enjoy it.

 

jc

[dwarven1]

Well... my wife is the big cruise fan. Personally, the most fun I ever had was taking my bike on a week-long ride. (that's a motorcycle, not a bicycle). I still talk about that trip... had a blast.

[BCEagle78]

Debbi and I just returned from a 3 night stay in Las Vegas.

 

We had a lot of fun, saw a great show (Celine Dion), visited at least 15 different hotels, had some great food but we both came to the conclusion....

 

This is not a good as cruising...

 

We have 2 cruises booked now and will not be going back to Las Vegas for a while.

[Sweetdreams]

Thanks everyone for keeping this thread alive. It's very interesting to read about the various types of vacations you all enjoy in addition to cruising.

[Allis154]

Having just returned from a three land vacation and having only done one crossing, I can't say which I prefer more. I have done mostly land vacations, at a rate of at least one a year. I can't handle being in once place for long, about a day is the most I can handle, if nothing is planned to do. As for sitting on the beach, a couple of hours, then I am ready to move on.

 

I guess the only vacation I am not willing to try is an all-inclusive resort on the beach somewhere. I think I would probably go nuts with boredom!

 

Oh, my last vacation was a driving trip from Nova Scotia to Key West and return. Highlights include the Blue Ridge Parkway(Virginia), St. Augustine (Florida), Busch Gardens (Tampa) and Andersonville, Georgia. Not to mention and Alligators and Armidillos on the road!

[Sweetdreams]

Having just returned from a three land vacation and having only done one crossing, I can't say which I prefer more. I have done mostly land vacations, at a rate of at least one a year. I can't handle being in once place for long, about a day is the most I can handle, if nothing is planned to do. As for sitting on the beach, a couple of hours, then I am ready to move on.

 

I guess the only vacation I am not willing to try is an all-inclusive resort on the beach somewhere. I think I would probably go nuts with boredom!

 

Oh, my last vacation was a driving trip from Nova Scotia to Key West and return. Highlights include the Blue Ridge Parkway(Virginia), St. Augustine (Florida), Busch Gardens (Tampa) and Andersonville, Georgia. Not to mention and Alligators and Armidillos on the road!

 

Your comments reminded me of "roadtrips" my best friend & I did many years ago throughout New England states. We'd schedule off two weeks and hit the road journeying along the coastline from PA to Acadia ME. Other trips we would visit Boston, Salem, Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Late summer the coastline of Maine is fantastic! Mid-summer Vermont & New Hampshire were sure bets.

 

I have to agree with you about the all-inclusive beach resorts. Though we considered these several times, we could not see ourselves doing this type of vacation.

[DFD1]

Great thread. Fun to read.

 

We usually spend from two weeks to a month in Ireland in the late spring. Take a house for a week in County Kerry or Clare then drive up the west coast of Ireland to either the west of County Galway, around Clifden, or to the far northwest in County Donegal, along the sea coast and take a house there for a week or so. Lots of day trips with breathtaking scenery, good trout or off-shore fishing, long walks and lots of good food and drink. Beautiful country and delightful people.

 

Another favorite is to take a condo or apartment in one of the smaller towns or communities on Maui and spend a week or so taking a car and exploring that wonderful place. I, like millions of others who have been there, think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

 

On the other hand, cruising a good itinerary on the right ship is hard to beat.

[Eileen G]

Last year we went on the Volendam to alaska and that was the best vacation we ever had until this year. We wanted to go back to Alaska and really considered taking another cruise but we decided to rent an RV in Anchorage and drive around. Only had to unpack once, we could go where ever we wanted and stop when we were tired. A few nights we just pulled off the road. If we were in a town we ate out but if not we always had something to eat. We had our own bathroom with shower, microwave oven, TV with dvd player and most important it was heated. When we were in Seward it was raining and we were camped at the waterfront we just sat in the RV and watched the boats, otters, and sealions go by drinking hot chocolate. One night we even camped on a glacier. It was a great vacation.

[mechcc]

Any vacation with my DH is bliss. We enjoy the concentrated time together, trying new things, exploring new surroundings, and just being together. Cruises are great but the best vacation so far has been Hawaii.

[Sweetdreams]

Last year we went on the Volendam to alaska and that was the best vacation we ever had until this year. We wanted to go back to Alaska and really considered taking another cruise but we decided to rent an RV in Anchorage and drive around. Only had to unpack once, we could go where ever we wanted and stop when we were tired. A few nights we just pulled off the road. If we were in a town we ate out but if not we always had something to eat. We had our own bathroom with shower, microwave oven, TV with dvd player and most important it was heated. When we were in Seward it was raining and we were camped at the waterfront we just sat in the RV and watched the boats, otters, and sealions go by drinking hot chocolate. One night we even camped on a glacier. It was a great vacation.

 

I've dreamed of touring with an small Airstream for most of my life.

My DH & I went out west for a month before we started a family. We visited Grand Tetons, Medicine Bow, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Badlands, Rushmore, Remmington Museum...and much more. We were much younger then & stayed in a three-man pup tent! I remember a national campground in Yellowstone that was nothing but Airstreams....they are resemble "land yachts"! We would rather tow than RV though to "leave the house" behind while travelling the roads less travelled. Agree with you that unpacking or really packing once makes a vacation relaxing. This kind of vacation can be so spontaneous too.

[ekerr19]

We haven't done anything except cruise for years... this is about to change - we are staying a week at a resort in Los Cabos without kids... DH can golf and I can spa, we can eat out, stay up late dancing - or do absolutely nothing at all.

 

I never thought the day would come where I would choose a land-based vacation over a cruise.

 

For us, cruising is still fun, but just not as enjoyable as it used to be...

[Sweetdreams]

We haven't done anything except cruise for years... this is about to change - we are staying a week at a resort in Los Cabos without kids... DH can golf and I can spa, we can eat out, stay up late dancing - or do absolutely nothing at all.

 

I never thought the day would come where I would choose a land-based vacation over a cruise.

 

For us, cruising is still fun, but just not as enjoyable as it used to be...

 

Is your Los Cabos vacation an all-inclusive? Just curious, I would find it interesting to read your review of an all-inclusive resort compared to a cruise. We have friends that have a condo in Los Cabos and it sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Have fun and share your story if you will.

[ekerr19]

Is your Los Cabos vacation an all-inclusive? Just curious, I would find it interesting to read your review of an all-inclusive resort compared to a cruise. We have friends that have a condo in Los Cabos and it sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Have fun and share your story if you will.

 

We are not going with an all-inclusive... I've done quite a bit of research and from what I've read, the food/drinks selection and quality seems to be lacking when you go AI, though I haven't done one myself, I like to have nice meals and we are willing to pay for them - so I thought AI might not be for us.

 

We have friends who absolutely rave about the Palace resorts AI in Cancun, but Palace is quite a bit pricier than some of the others. Being that this might be the only chance we have to "get away" for the rest of the year - I don't want to "experiment" right now, lol.

 

I am still completely torn on which hotel/resort to book. One is extremely pricey and the other moderate - we are leaning towards the moderate one as it appears to be 4+ stars and very nice. The other is more of an exclusive resort frequented by celebrities etc. - which may be a little "over the top" for us.

[xpcdoojk]

My boss is a big Cabo fan, so we have done several Cabo company trips, I have been to Cabo 3 times for 5 days each trip, and love it there. Does hubby like to go deep sea fishing? If he does don't go out on the big Marlin boats, but go up the coast to the Panga fleet. He will have a blast, and catch a ton of fish. If you want to know about any of the resorts or golf courses as far as recommendations let me know, I have played a lot of the courses, and my boss has played them all many times.

 

jc

[ldog]

My DH and I took a 21 day land trip to South Africa last October. It was very intensive but we saw a lot. What a magnificent country. We couldn't have seen as much of it from a cruise ship. I'd go back in a heartbeat! Also would like to go to Kenya, Rwanda and Botswana.

 

We took a 12 day Baltic cruise with HAL the year before and worked just about as hard. Getting up in the early morning to see as much of each port as we could fit in and then rushing back to the ship just before it sailed was pretty stressful.

 

The 7 day Caribbean cruise to the Western Med last February was kind of boring port-wise but a good chance to just loll around and unwind.

 

We've also been to All Inclusives in Dominican Republic and the Mayan Riviera. They have their place for relaxation and not having to worry or even think about anything.

 

It's also neat to rent an apartment in a city and really get to know it.

 

So, I guess it depends on what kind of trip you want. Next up for us is the Rotterdam, 10 day Venice to Lisbon October 24. I don't expect to relax on that one. Only one day at sea!

 

jan

[ekerr19]

My boss is a big Cabo fan, so we have done several Cabo company trips, I have been to Cabo 3 times for 5 days each trip, and love it there. Does hubby like to go deep sea fishing? If he does don't go out on the big Marlin boats, but go up the coast to the Panga fleet. He will have a blast, and catch a ton of fish. If you want to know about any of the resorts or golf courses as far as recommendations let me know, I have played a lot of the courses, and my boss has played them all many times.

 

jc

 

jc - He's not much of a deep sea fishing guy - we are "catch and release" here in Colorado and it works for us - but he's done the fishing boats out of San Diego and Catalina Island with friends more than a few times, but not really all that interested... now golf, well, that's another story altogether!!!

 

DH loves to golf - he is even golfing on Father's Day, tee time is at 6:30am, but hey - it's "his" day so more power to him... he has been trying to get me on a land based vacation where he can golf for years... we will be at Casa Del Mar or One & Only Palmilla - haven't decided yet... recommendations are ALWAYS welcome. :D

[Sweetdreams]

We are not going with an all-inclusive... I've done quite a bit of research and from what I've read, the food/drinks selection and quality seems to be lacking when you go AI, though I haven't done one myself, I like to have nice meals and we are willing to pay for them - so I thought AI might not be for us..........

 

It seems that "quality of food and drinks" is an issue with AI resort vacations. Friends & family we know have reported that the menus are very limited and become tiresome and the drinks are watered down. We'd rather explore the area for restaurants with excellent food than visit a buffet line. The fishing sounds awesome if that is something you would enjoy.

Our friends are avid golfers & rave about the clubs they visit. I'd go there just for the fantastic scenery! Have a great trip & report when you get back.

[Giorgi-one]

It seems that "quality of food and drinks" is an issue with AI resort vacations. Friends & family we know have reported that the menus are very limited and become tiresome and the drinks are watered down. We'd rather explore the area for restaurants with excellent food than visit a buffet line. The fishing sounds awesome if that is something you would enjoy.

Our friends are avid golfers & rave about the clubs they visit. I'd go there just for the fantastic scenery! Have a great trip & report when you get back.

 

What you are saying used to be true for most AIs. However, over the last few years, many upscale AIs have been built. I am most aware of those in Cancaun / Riviera Maya. And the price difference between an upscale versus good AI is only a few hundred dollars per person per week. We just returned from the Iberostar Paraiso AI in Riviera Maya. You could essentially have any liquor you wanted. There are four very large Iberostar resorts at this location and we could use the facilities of any one. We had a choice of about 14 restaurants, most of them ala carte. The resorts were essentially totally booked, but when you walked around they looked empty. You had a choice of 500 empty chairs at the main pool (more like a lake) and at the beach. Admittedly, the food is not gourment, but neither is the food on a cruise. The service was way better than any of the 15 cruises we have been taken. Definietly a great value for the money and we will return.

[xpcdoojk]

What you are saying used to be true for most AIs. However, over the last few years, many upscale AIs have been built. I am most aware of those in Cancaun / Riviera Maya. And the price difference between an upscale versus good AI is only a few hundred dollars per person per week. We just returned from the Iberostar Paraiso AI in Riviera Maya. You could essentially have any liquor you wanted. There are four very large Iberostar resorts at this location and we could use the facilities of any one. We had a choice of about 14 restaurants, most of them ala carte. The resorts were essentially totally booked, but when you walked around they looked empty. You had a choice of 500 empty chairs at the main pool (more like a lake) and at the beach. Admittedly, the food is not gourment, but neither is the food on a cruise. The service was way better than any of the 15 cruises we have been taken. Definietly a great value for the money and we will return.

 

got it, for an extra $50 a day pp they will serve you edible food... :D

 

I prefer to eat where I want and pay for what I eat, and you can have the buffet all to yourself at the AI. ;)

 

jc

[kryos]

Thanks everyone for keeping this thread alive. It's very interesting to read about the various types of vacations you all enjoy in addition to cruising.

I'm having a blast reading it too.

 

Since I am still relatively new to cruising, I haven't done any land trips in the past two years, and probably won't for some time. But I used to get great joy out of planning out "strange" road trips. I would head down to Florida, meet up with friends I met on one of the internet newsgroups and we would spend a long weekend at a drop zone skydiving. Then, I'd intermix that with a few other "crazy" activities, like aerobatic plane rides, trips to the SkyVenture wind tunnel on International Drive in Orlando (a sort of skydiving simulator) ... boy, when I got back from those vacations, I needed another vacation just to recuperate! :)

 

But, since my accident in 1999, I've laid off of skydiving for the most part ... just the occasional tandem jump now where the instructor can help to "protect" my compromised legs on landing (I have titanium rods in both femurs now). So, I cruise now and try to find "exciting" things to do in some of the ports ... in order to keep the vacation unusual enough to hold my interest and get my blood flowing. :)

 

For example, so far on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January, I am hoping to go for an aerobatics "thrill" ride in Kawai (sp?) and do a tandem skydive with a friend in Ouhu. I want to do a night SCUBA dive in Bora Bora (we're there overnight) as well as some SCUBA dives in other ports.

 

Guess I just have the gene for excitement. Cruising is fun, but I like to spice it up a bit too.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Thomas M. Bottom]

We did land based vacations all our lives & now that we have cruised a few times & kind of know what we are doing, we seem to enjoy each one as much or more than the last. I guess maybe we havn't cruised enough because we still love each one & every minute of them. I read where many folks have written that they don't enjoy crusing like they used to...I wonder why?

 

In the past we have taken our motorcycle on a 2 week trip through the Rocky mountains which was the best! Hiking, fishing, & camping there are pure joys.

 

Spending a week outside Kona on the Big Island & renting a car & hitting a different beach daily resembles a cruise a bit. The snorkeling there was amazing!

 

We for years rented a cabin in Northern Mn & spent lazy days fishing & swimming the crystal clear Big Stoney lake. Snorkeling there was pretty cool as well, nothing like seeing a big Northern Pike swimming underneath you!

[ekerr19]

I read where many folks have written that they don't enjoy crusing like they used to...I wonder why?

 

Because it doesn't even come close to being the vacation it was in the 80's, or 90's... if you think it's "great" now - well, it was about 50 -75% better back then. Less people, smaller ships, better service, stunning menus, five-star food, it was the whole "enchilada", and a real "luxury" experience.

 

It has become way too mass market for me these days - we keep trying to "re-create" those early memories, but unfortunately, I think they are truly a thing of the past.