I'd be delighted to visit the carribean options but 1. My sister doesn't want to fly and 2. Grandpa doesn't want to deal with long flights (that's why he doesn't like the HI idea). We could drive to Disney. Another Florida option could work, but I don't think there are all inclusives that are well regarded and most non AI resorts are $$ too so might as well try to see if the one the kids are excited about will work. Grandpa doesn't like the idea of renting a house on a beach (too much work for meals he thinks). So you see it's not quite so easy. Anyway, I do agree the Caymans would be great (maybe not so much for non-swimmers who couldn't take advantage of the snorkeling yet) and I've never been to Aruba and would love to. But with kids of our age range, Disney has appeal if it works. Europe sounds too far and too $$. |
| We're grandparents and took our family to Disney for a week. We all loved it! |
| My parents are not "disney people" but loved taking our kids when they were young. We went when our kids were between 2 and 6- kids that age find it magical and the fun is watching them enjoy it. Plus, if you plan well, I find it a very easy vacation. We take the shuttle from the airport so no dealing with a rental car, car seats, etc. My parents would go back to the hotel every afternoon for down time/a nap, whether we did or not (and sometimes take a really tored kid with them for down time and then a special treat with grandma/grandpa). With the park shuttles, it was easy to split up. My parents want to pay for everything when we go, so they link their credit card to our magic bands which makes it easy (then I pay cash for some things while they are napping!). I also loved that we could split up some so each kid got chances to be one on one with both parents (while my parents took the other two to the pool or for a show that one kid didn't care about). And if you stay at a deluxe hotel, the pools are great so the 20 somethings can do less park time and more cocktails at the pool. I didn't think I would like Disney much but, after a trip in 2015 and again in 2016, I'm itching to go back! |
| Are all of you in the DC area? |
| We enjoyed the Animal Kingdom and the Grand Floridian resorts. Enough there to appeal to adults. |
Disney cruise! Everyone is happy
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| There have been a lot of posts on here about trips to Puerto Rico, seems like a lot to do there for all ages but still American and easy to travel to. |
| Oh just saw that your sister doesn't want to fly. That is limiting. |
| If you don't want to fly -- rent a house at a nice place and drive. Hilton Head, Lake George, Maine, Nantucket, Cape May, Key West. Surely you can all enjoy a beach somehow. The thing is that your kids may enjoy Disney, but MANY 20 year olds and adults do not want to go there. Pick something that is at least amenable to everyone. |
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Is Grandpa crotchety? Disney is fun. I really don't understand all the hate. Thankfully my husband and inlaws all enjoy Disney too. My inlaws took us all on a trip there when we (and their other kids) were all kidless 20-somethings and we all had a blast. Its a different trip than with kids - but its awesome.
Haters gonna hate though. |
| Y'all are making a lot of assumptions about poor old grandpa. Just something to think about - I am a grandmother. We have two grandkids, a four year old and an eight month old. DH and I are both 50. I promise you we would be fine at Disney. We still run a full marathon every year. Not all grandparents are old and feeble. |
| What does Grandpa want to do? Sit on a beach, go hiking, go to a casino, rent a boat on a lake. you said a lot of what everyone doesn't want, but not what they do. |
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My Dad is a curmudgeon as well and we took a family trip to Disney when DD was 7 a few years ago. He loved it! He likes rides so he was into Space Mountain and the Yeti (or whatever it's called...) and he really enjoyed spending time with the family. We also were at a hotel with an awesome pool that he could have a lot of down time while DD played for hours.
As far as the 20-somethings, I would have LOVED to go to Disney as a 20-something without kids. I may get hate for this, but I really didn't enjoy my Disney trip with DD. She was right at that age that she wanted to buy EVERYTHING and every ride dumps you right into a store so we would go from being the most awesome parents ever to the worst parents ever because we didn't buy her something in every store or let her go to the over priced kid spa or every character meet-and-greet. |
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What about Disney's Vero Beach resort?
Driveable, relaxing, but kid-oriented. |
Those who want to do Disney could do a daytrip to the Magic Kingdom. |