Everyone share a vacation idea besides cruising

[Saint Greg]

7 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

 

This is why I suggested TripAdvisor as the best place to start a research comparing sites and gathering information.  There is no need to go to multiple sites because TripAdvisor will have a list from Travelocity, Expedia, etc when you click on a hotel.  For instance, the Hard Rock has 16 different price quotes with one click.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150807-d152896-Reviews-Hard_Rock_Hotel_Cancun-Cancun_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

 

Cheap Caribbean is not one of them listed on TripAdvisor, but AllInclusiveOutlet is cheaper than Cheap Caribbean for the most part, even using CC's promo codes.

I gave them my opinion. They’re welcome to do it however they want to.

[SNJCruisers]

10 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

I gave them my opinion. They’re welcome to do it however they want to.

Fully understand that, just letting them and you know that TripAdvisor eliminates having to individually check Travelocity, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc.

Did you make a decision on where you're going?  I looked at the new Hollywood place, but the adult section only has 2 restaurants and 1 is seafood, which my DW doesn't eat.  When we go all inclusive, it's adults only and many of the new larger complexes like Hollywood Cancun and Royalton have an adults only area with 1 pool and maybe 1 or 2 restaurants, which is nice, but still requires interactions with children at some point during the day, usually breakfast or lunch and night time entertainment, thus not making the vacation adults only.

[Saint Greg]

35 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Fully understand that, just letting them and you know that TripAdvisor eliminates having to individually check Travelocity, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc.

Did you make a decision on where you're going?  I looked at the new Hollywood place, but the adult section only has 2 restaurants and 1 is seafood, which my DW doesn't eat.  When we go all inclusive, it's adults only and many of the new larger complexes like Hollywood Cancun and Royalton have an adults only area with 1 pool and maybe 1 or 2 restaurants, which is nice, but still requires interactions with children at some point during the day, usually breakfast or lunch and night time entertainment, thus not making the vacation adults only.

 

 Your trip advisor prices don't include the entire trip, don't include flights, don't include add-ons. I still think it's better to check the individual travel sites. It doesn't take that long and you get better information.

 

Planet Hollywood doesn't have a lot of reviews right now since it's so new but they're supposed to have 11 restaurants and a couple of pay extra ones including the chefs table and something else. I'm also looking at adult only hotels but from looking at the pictures from planet hollywood reviews, there weren't very many people there. Very few kids. I've read some of these resorts are running at 20% occupancy so unless there's a drastic change over the next two months, I don't expect to be crowded anywhere. But no I haven't made my decision yet.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Saint Greg

[SNJCruisers]

45 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

 Your trip advisor prices don't include the entire trip, don't include flights, don't include add-ons. I still think it's better to check the individual travel sites. It doesn't take that long and you get better information.

 

Planet Hollywood doesn't have a lot of reviews right now since it's so new but they're supposed to have 11 restaurants and a couple of pay extra ones including the chefs table and something else. I'm also looking at adult only hotels but from looking at the pictures from planet hollywood reviews, there weren't very many people there. Very few kids. I've read some of these resorts are running at 20% occupancy so unless there's a drastic change over the next two months, I don't expect to be crowded anywhere. But no I haven't made my decision yet.

 

 

Saw a couple of YouTube videos about the place and yes, it was not crowded since they just opened up  a few weeks ago.  Another place that just opened was Live Aqua in the DR.  They have a location in the hotel zone that looks pretty good.  If we had chosen the zone it was either there or Secrets the Vine, which has a 400 off deal through AAVacations. 

[imluvncruzn]

We are doing an all-inclusive in Cozumel in April!  I can't wait to go!  The resort we are staying at is offering free Covid testing within 72 hours of our return to the states.  We will all have our vaccines by then as well.  

[Djptcp]

DH and I are used to going on cruises every few months so this past year has been really tough without them. We are going going to Biloxi MS for 5 nights leaving this weekend. Looking forward to staying at a casino hotel and gambling and enjoying good seafood. The hotels and casinos are very Covid aware and have strict protocols in place. No one under 21 allowed in the hotels which we like, especially in the restaurants. We have had both our Covid vaccinations.

 

We also go the the north woods of Wisconsin for a month every Fall and rent a lake cabin. Great northern food that we miss living in FL, visiting with friends and relatives, enjoying a campfire next to the lake, and gambling. We went in the Fall of 2020 but it wasn't the same with Covid running rampant, although the casinos were very Covid aware even then and we felt safe.

 

We have one Carnival cruise booked (Jan 2022) and three Holland America cruises booked (Dec. 2021, Feb and April 2022) and hope they all sail!

[bitemyfly]

We live in Florida most of the year and are blessed as I’m on the water often , very often .

I’m going to let cruising evolve before I venture back .

With vaccinations going in arms , I’m hoping Europe, specifically Italy will open up for land base vacations.

‘I know late last year certain areas (liguria) allowed visitors who showed serology tests . Would love to be there in late august /early sept.
‘It’s a stretch, but it could happen , if it does we will be sitting in a piazza, with a aperol spritz enjoying life . 
 

[EllieinNJ]

Maybe this was mentioned before because I haven't read some of the previous pages but has anyone considered a US river cruise?  I have not done one and they are considerably more money than ocean cruises, but at least you are on the water and traveling to different places.  I read some are starting back as soon as this April.

[ninjacat123]

16 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

Maybe this was mentioned before because I haven't read some of the previous pages but has anyone considered a US river cruise?  I have not done one and they are considerably more money than ocean cruises, but at least you are on the water and traveling to different places.  I read some are starting back as soon as this April.

I thought the CDC ruling was that ships with more than a certain number of people on it (pretty low number) couldn't sail without complying with all stipulations.  Are river cruises held to a different standard?  Just curious.  A river cruise does sound fun!

[reeinaz]

I’m going to Key West for a few days in May for my birthday. I’ve never been before and I’m really looking forward to it. 

[Trueblueky]

We took the kids to a rental on Amelia Island over the holidays.  We've found, if you're careful, there's plenty of space on the coast.

In the summer, a cabin at Custer State Park, SD, would be very safe.

[TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail]

I guess I should thank the OP for making this thread as me & my wife only consider local weekend trips when not planning our annual cruise/vacation.  
 

I just booked a 3-day turnaround trip from the snowy Midwest to Orlando for next month.  Prepaid airfare & hotel...which while priced like a song was still more than the average daily rate we pay to fly/cruise.  
 

Still got to decide where in Orlando to venture so if anyone has strong opinions of the various Universal parks (neither or us have been), Sea World (both loved back in the ‘90s) and various Disney (both have been to Magic/Epcot-90s but really want to try Animal Kingdom.  Much appreciated!

[Knights on the Beach]

Our long planned week in Maui followed by a 10 night Honolulu to Vancouver cruise scheduled for April 2020 was cancelled.  We spent almost all our vacation days in Key West last year - 8 nights during 4th of July week; 9 nights mid-August and 9 nights in December.  

 

The only trips we have planned so far this year are 8 nights in Key West in June and hopefully our Mardi Gras cruise in December.  We're only 6 hours from Key West, so we'll probably squeeze in another trip there at some point this year.  We're also toying with the idea of "working from home" from KW if I happen to find a good deal on a monthly rental.  We usually travel for one or two away football games each year, so it will be really nice if we at least have a complete football season and are actually able to attend all the home games.

 

We live on the beach, just under 2 miles from the new terminal at Port Canaveral where Mardi Gras will dock.  I truly feel like every day is a vacation, especially since we've been working from home for 11 months.  But even so, we need a change of scenery every now and then and Key West has been our escape.  It's been years since our last cruise, so we're really looking forward to doing that again.

 

 

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail said:

 

I just booked a 3-day turnaround trip from the snowy Midwest to Orlando for next month.  Prepaid airfare & hotel...which while priced like a song was still more than the average daily rate we pay to fly/cruise.  
 

Still got to decide where in Orlando to venture so if anyone has strong opinions of the various Universal parks (neither or us have been), Sea World (both loved back in the ‘90s) and various Disney (both have been to Magic/Epcot-90s but really want to try Animal Kingdom.  Much appreciated!

As you know, the per day rate is cheaper factoring airfare over a 7 day cruise than a 3 day weekend getaway.  The Universal parks are more adult oriented in general than the Disney parks.  You mentioned your trip is 3 day, is that 2 nights or 3 nights?  A three night trip gives you two full days to explore parks, a fly down friday morning, fly back sunday night gives you only 1 full day.  The Universal passes are 109 pp for a single park and 164 pp to visit both parks in 1 day.  I don't even want to know how much Disney has gone through the roof.  Remember to check the operating hours as well.  During the summer, they close at 11 or 12, this time of year I believe it's 900, but only on Saturday.  Other days could be 700 or as early as 500.  Good luck.

[TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail]

@SNJCruisers

 

We have 3 full days with the late night flight Thursday down and late Sunday flight returning.  Would like to try one of the Universal parks on Friday since they are newer and as you mentioned more adult-oriented.  Please provide recommendations among the Universal parks if you’ve tried them all.  
 

We will likely try a 2nd park (likely Sea World) on Saturday & am encouraged by the inclusive dining option.

 

Sunday being a bit short (6pm flight out of Sanford airport) likely means we will shop that day.

 

Still trying to decide if renting a car is worth the hassle since our hotel is a 5-minute Uber to Universal, 10-minutes to Sea World but farther from Disney.  Hotel charges for parking and I remember back in the 90s how bad Orlando park traffic can be.

 

Thanks again for the advice. 

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail said:

@SNJCruisers

 

We have 3 full days with the late night flight Thursday down and late Sunday flight returning.  Would like to try one of the Universal parks on Friday since they are newer and as you mentioned more adult-oriented.  Please provide recommendations among the Universal parks if you’ve tried them all.  
 

We will likely try a 2nd park (likely Sea World) on Saturday & am encouraged by the inclusive dining option.

 

Sunday being a bit short (6pm flight out of Sanford airport) likely means we will shop that day.

 

Still trying to decide if renting a car is worth the hassle since our hotel is a 5-minute Uber to Universal, 10-minutes to Sea World but farther from Disney.  Hotel charges for parking and I remember back in the 90s how bad Orlando park traffic can be.

 

Thanks again for the advice. 

I would get a two park one day pass for Universal and go there on Saturday and do Sea World on Friday.  Universal should be open from 900-900 on a Saturday and you should be there by 800 since they usually let people in early.  If you don't pay extra for the express pass you will get more accomplished by 1100 am than you will from 1100-300.  The multi park pass also allows you to use the Hogwarts train to go from park to park.  Go online and print off maps and research the different  rides and shows.  Prioritize which ones you want to see and also research which rides are the most popular so you hit them early to avoid lines.  It'll be a long exhausting day there, but well worth it.

Get up early, have a big breakfast and make sure you arrive by 745 so that you're ready to roll when they drop the lines and let you in.  There will probably already be VIP people already in the park, but you want to be in the first group of regular visitors.   The worst mistake you can make is to arrive after a leisurely breakfast around 1000 am.  When it comes to strategic planning at the parks, you need to get there as soon as it opens.  Good luck and have a blast.  My favorite ride is the Spider Man one at the Islands of Adventure.

[80sGal]

On 2/17/2021 at 3:38 PM, TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail said:

I guess I should thank the OP for making this thread as me & my wife only consider local weekend trips when not planning our annual cruise/vacation.  
 

I just booked a 3-day turnaround trip from the snowy Midwest to Orlando for next month.  Prepaid airfare & hotel...which while priced like a song was still more than the average daily rate we pay to fly/cruise.  
 

Still got to decide where in Orlando to venture so if anyone has strong opinions of the various Universal parks (neither or us have been), Sea World (both loved back in the ‘90s) and various Disney (both have been to Magic/Epcot-90s but really want to try Animal Kingdom.  Much appreciated!

 

If you've never been to the parks, Universal has a lot to offer.   The Harry Potter areas are amazing if you don't mind the crowd.   Universal has new procedures with Covid, so I can't say how the crowd control is looking now, but I would always choose Universal over the others, with or without kids.   

If you're looking for something to do at dinner time in Orlando, one of the most entertaining things we just happened to find was Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Show.   We all enjoyed it (2 parents, one college-age and teens between 12 and 17).   Next time we go back to Orlando, we will definitely have it on our to-do list!   

[80sGal]

Now that Carnival finally posted their option for changing or canceling summer cruises, we've decided to give up the hope of Mardi Gras sailing in July and have booked a week at Waikiki Beach in Oahu for June instead!   I have to say -- I'm more excited about Hawaii than I was about MG!   We are recent empty-nesters, so this will be a couples-only adventure for us!   While Hawaii currently has some travel restrictions in place, they are workable, and they are likely to be lessened even more by summer.   We are not all day beachgoers, so we will find other adventures along with some walks on the beach, a sunset cruise and hiking trails.    And after that, I'll keep my fingers crossed that Carnival is up and running by December for our NYE cruise on the Sunrise.   

[James4me]

We were thinking about renting a motor home towing jet skis and going to Lake Powel with another couple in their own motor home of course.  I’ve never been there but they have these little coves you can ride your jet ski through and just explore.  Campfires at night.  Sounds perfect for us.
 

 

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, 80sGal said:

Now that Carnival finally posted their option for changing or canceling summer cruises, we've decided to give up the hope of Mardi Gras sailing in July and have booked a week at Waikiki Beach in Oahu for June instead!   

I will infer that you have not been to Hawaii before since you're staying at Waikiki beach.  Go to North Shore, where you can see more of the real Hawaii on Oahu and take a day trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Aloha!

[JerseyGirlJen]

I just recently booked a long weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, which is coming up in a couple weeks.  Flying...have a big credit from United so I'm putting some of it to use.  Sort of doing the "pre-cruise" part of the vacation, without the cruise.  Nice pool, cocktails, Kindle, sunblock.  Just need a few days away.  

 

I typically travel to northern New England for my other vacations, and spend time in the woods in the summer and on the mountains skiing in the winter.

[ninjacat123]

22 hours ago, JerseyGirlJen said:

I just recently booked a long weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, which is coming up in a couple weeks.  Flying...have a big credit from United so I'm putting some of it to use.  Sort of doing the "pre-cruise" part of the vacation, without the cruise.  Nice pool, cocktails, Kindle, sunblock.  Just need a few days away.  

 

I typically travel to northern New England for my other vacations, and spend time in the woods in the summer and on the mountains skiing in the winter.

DH and I are planning a similar trip to Ft Lauderdale as well in a couple weeks.  The hotel we stay at is a few blocks away from the beach and looks kinda like a cruise ship with it's art deco design.  Looking forward to warm, balmy breezes!😎

[JerseyGirlJen]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

DH and I are planning a similar trip to Ft Lauderdale as well in a couple weeks.  The hotel we stay at is a few blocks away from the beach and looks kinda like a cruise ship with it's art deco design.  Looking forward to warm, balmy breezes!😎

I hope you have a great time!  I'll be at Hilton Marina.  So looking forward to just chill-axing at the pool and just enjoying life.

[evandbob]

We moved from Westchester, NY to Ft Myers in southwest Florida about 3 years.  It's mostly tropical weather, e.g. last February we had 85 to 95 degree temps and this month it's been mainly 80 -85.  You would think we found a permanent "vacation" year round home

 

I had planned to sit on some beautiful beaches like Lovers Key or Barefoot and wallow in sunshine and fishing opportunities.  However, red tide has poisoned many of the beaches here with an 18 month spell right after we moved here.  Manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, and even a whale shark, not to mention TONS of dead fish washed up on all the beaches and waves sent the toxins into the beach side air.

 

The recent spate of toxic red tide has lasted about 6 months and seemed to be abating.  However, today's local paper has a story about Terns and other sea birds being poisoned by it and showing neurological damage.

 

Ironic that the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow where we used to live is cleaner and safer than the Gulf waters here in SWFL.  My permanent vacation home is yet to be found.

[ninjacat123]

2 hours ago, JerseyGirlJen said:

I hope you have a great time!  I'll be at Hilton Marina.  So looking forward to just chill-axing at the pool and just enjoying life.

We are planning on staying at North Beach Hotel.  It's a boutique hotel and we love the restaurants within walking distance.  Last time we were there for a four day weekend it was a bit chilly but we still had fun.  This time I'm hoping for 80 and up temps🤞