We have 3 kids. We would do a Mexico vacation for 10 days, all inclusive, two connecting rooms with airfare for between $5-$6k. Try www.cheapcaribbean.com. Direct flights from IAD and BWI into Cancun; hotel shuttle picks you up from there. We always stayed in Rivera Maya. Hope this helps; good luck! Almost forgot - look for hotel with Kids Club - those are usually free and you can spend some couple time without paying for sitter while the kids have a blast with organized activities.

Is that just what it costs to take a vacation with a family of 5, that is not an old school '70's road trip ?

There's something to be said for this kind of trip. You can fly to a place like Denver, rent a car, and head either south or west. If you really need to save money, you can camp part of the way, stay in cabins in national parks, and see a truly beautiful country--your own. There will be plenty of time to see Europe, etc., when you no longer have kids in car seats.

Are people staying at resorts or condos? I think that makes a big difference since you can save money on meals. I also wonder if grandparents are involved and helping with expenses.

Anonymous wrote:I don't have 3 kids, but our family does travel a lot, and I would not spend 10K for a cruise ship vacation. I bet you could spend a week in Mexico for half that price.

Really? Where? I tried pricing out flights and hotels inthe yucatan peninsula earlier this year and it looked at least as expensive as a cruise before you even added in food, especially given we need 2 rooms. Again, maybe I'm doing it wrong. We don't travel for work do we don't have any points with any airline or hotel chains, which I guess some people use. And I tried to price out vacations in Europe where we'd go around and see stuff like castles, but it's impossible to rent a car that's big enough for 5 with carseats. It seems like everyone else takes such fabulous vacations.

We are a family of 5. For big vacations, we spead the costs over the year. We are going to Disney for spring break next year. I purchased the tickets last Feb, airline tickets this summer, I am watching rate and will book hotel in the fall.

You could save a bundle by driving. It really doesn't take that long.

Disney cruise for family of six, two cabins with windows, this fall for five nights = just under $4k for cruise (non-alcoholic beverages included), $2400 for airfare, and less than $500 for excursions. Not cheap, but we are looking forward to not having to pull out our wallets during the trip.

cruises can be great and cheap if you do your research. we always go through american express and get great deals with free upgrades with lots of extras. all the meals are included and you don't have to go on excursions. they are overpriced and overrated. buy a soda/water package in the beginning so you can have as much soda as you want. most people end up paying a lot for alcohol.

definitely go out of baltimore or NJ or NY so you don't have to fly. huge savings right there.

Cruises charge extra for everything too..think soft drinks at meals.

We are a family of five too. And we're finding it hard to fit into the usual family of four package model for vacations. We've ended up having some fantastic trip doing stuff like flying to an awesome location (hawaii, san juan, alaska, roatan - tickets are maybe $500 - 800/person) and renting a house on the beach (VRBO or other sites) for a couple thousand dollars. We end up spending in the neighborhood of what you're talking about - but maybe having a more unique and family friendly experience?

Try going a different time of year. We are 3 going to FL next month, just got the tickets 2 weeks ago and total was $800. They had cheaper tickets to airports within an hour but we did not want to drive. You don't do shore excursions or anything extra. Other option is to drive to FL.

That's about what it costs. Shore Excursions are always expensive and then when you multiply by 5, it just becomes outrageous. If you look at non peak travel times, costs should be lower. But I'm guessing with 3 kids, you're bound by the school schedules.

We have 4 kids. Our summer vacation this year was a house rental in OBX. Even that ended up costing us over $5K for the house, gas, activities, food --both at the grocery store and eating out.

It was nice, but not all that. Every time I've looked at a cruise or an all inclusive "cheap" vacation, it's never cheap for us. The airfare is killer. Maybe you could go out of Baltimore or NYC? The shore excursions are also expensive.

Basically, it's the multiplicative factor. Any thing that has a pp cost is going to be expensive.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, OP. I went on a cruise years ago with some girlfriends and I found it to be a very expensive trip. Would it be less expensive for you to look at trips where you're renting a house or apartment instead of staying in a hotel? That has to be cheaper many places than booking a second hotel room.

I don't have 3 kids, but our family does travel a lot, and I would not spend 10K for a cruise ship vacation. I bet you could spend a week in Mexico for half that price.

It just seems like all vacations are mega-expensive. Some family members got what they called a "great" deal on a Carnival cruise, which is basically the cheapest cruise line anyway. It looks like for a non-balcony room for 4, it's about $4K. Add to that the cost of putting one of our kids in a family member's room, which looks to be about another $1K, and the flights to Florida for 5, which are another $2K, plus shore excursions for 5, and I don't see this costing less than $8K. Is that just what it costs to take a vacation with a family of 5, that is not an old school '70's road trip ?
We've basically stopped taking vacations because I keep feeling like, for close to $10K, we should be doing something really extraordinary. But maybe my frame of reference is just all out of whack.
So, tell me, wise parents of 3 or more children, is this just what it costs, or am I doing it all wrong?