where to go with (adult) family on vacation

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Beachgrl

Recycles dryer sheets
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my mother has come into some solid money and wants to take myself, my husband, my brother and his gf on vacation. She mentioned a cruise but i'm going to "steer" haha her away from that since she's got the constitution of someone who would be seasick the entire trip and be miserable.

any other ideas? possibly an all inclusive? has anyone gone on this type of trip and it not been a cruise? thanks for any input.
 
Have you considered a river cruise? Either US or overseas. Lots of folks here have done those. We're considering one. We like the types of shore excursions and being on a river. DW also not a big fan of being on the high seas. Been there - done that.
 
My general vote is for a large house on the gulf. We like Destin, but the entire gulf side of Florida is good in my book. Cancun would have an all inclusive if you all want to go out of the U.S.

Don’t rule out a cruise. We went on one to see Hawaii. My first and only cruise, but we were only on the ship at night going to the next port. I imagine a Caribbean cruise would be similar. Never had time on the ship to be sea sick. Mostly ate breakfast, left ship, came back in time for dinner and deported. A little entertainment in the evening and time for bed..
 
Jerry1 said:
My general vote is for a large house on the gulf. We like Destin, but the entire gulf side of Florida is good in my book. Cancun would have an all inclusive if you all want to go out of the U.S.

Don’t rule out a cruise. We went on one to see Hawaii. My first and only cruise, but we were only on the ship at night going to the next port. I imagine a Caribbean cruise would be similar. Never had time on the ship to be sea sick. Mostly ate breakfast, left ship, came back in time for dinner and deported. A little entertainment in the evening and time for bed..
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Or a cruise from Vancouver up to Alaska and back which is mostly in protected waters, not the open ocean. (inside passage)
 
Given you are Beachgrl, I’m assuming you like spending time on the beach. Not sure what the budget is for your trip, but what about going to Fiji? It’s a beautiful country with warm people, interesting culture, amazing beaches, great hiking, snorkeling and diving.

Another idea would be renting a home in the USVI. You could rent a nice home in St. John or St. Thomas and visit many beautiful beaches. It’s easier than going out of the US, and although both islands suffered a lot of hurricane damage in Irma & Maria last year, they’re well on their way to recovery and are happy to welcome tourists as their economy is quite heavily dependent on tourism. DH & I were just there in April and had a wonderful time.
 
You can get good medication for seasickness and go anywhere you want. Ask the Dr.
 
Beachgrl said:
any other ideas? possibly an all inclusive? has anyone gone on this type of trip and it not been a cruise? thanks for any input.
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My daughters and I have gone over this a few times. Three generations, young grandchildren. We’ve cruised together, and rented a house for all of us. They’ve gone to all-inclusive.

Two important criteria are how much effort you want to put into meal prep, and how much coordinated activity for all. Renting a large house for everyone is easy and inexpensive, and there are many options around the country, but all the meal prep falls on you, and choosing / coordinating activities can be a challenge. An all-inclusive deals nicely with the meal prep, but activities are usually limited to beach and immediate surrounding area. If young children are in the group, they still need to be supervised closely. A cruise is similar to the all-inclusive, but (depending on the cruise line) may have more supervised options for children, which lets the parents disconnect for a few hours.

When I’m sponsoring a get-together their preference is cruise. When they’re on their own they’ve opted for all-inclusive. More often than not rentals leave them disappointed, mostly because of unexpected issues, and everyone gets time off except them.
 
If you have a really nice budget, there are vacation rentals with an optional private chef and housekeeping service. That takes away the issue of meal prep and cleaning falling on one person. However someone still has to organize it so the all-inclusive is definitely easier.

Fiji and the Caribbean have some higher end all-inclusive resorts that actually have great food, privacy, and an element of luxury that doesn’t exist in the “mass market” all-inclusives. Usually they are private island resorts. If you want more info, feel free to pm me. We’ve been to a few of these and have researched many more.
 
This is a minority view, I know, but we hate cruises of any kind.

Basically you are in a first world bubble, emerging once in a while to visit the local animals, then returning to the bubble. This comes with all the hassles of group travel, especially featuring people who cannot manage to be on time for anything and who require frequent bathroom stops.

I would rather book a 4-star hotel for a few days and watch travel videos. The hotel city will offer a broader and higher quality of food and entertainment, the videos will take me places that the bubble excursion buses never will, and there will be no other group members to slow things down.

If you want relaxation, beaches, etc. there will be plenty here with experience and suggestions. We travel because we want to see and do things. If you prefer that, I'd suggest either a photo safari in Africa or a trip to the Galapagos (though maybe seasick issues there). If you prefer sightseeing to animals, I'd suggest Egypt, India/the Taj, or Myanmar. Less exotic with emphasis on scenery: New Zealand.
 
Our favorite seaside vacation locations have been Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, Charleston SC, Annapolis MD, San Diego/La Jolla CA, Carmel/Monterey CA, San Francisco CA, Paradise Island/Bahama. We also did Club Med Martinique (all inclusive) but that's not a family vacation. I could expand on any of those choices. You'd have to be more specific about the group makeup/ages and what kinds of activities you like to do (or not).
 
OldShooter said:
This is a minority view, I know, but we hate cruises of any kind.
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For the most part I'd tend to agree; as noted somewhere previously, we pretty much use ships, (repositioning cruises), as hop-on-hop-off vehicles, since we both intensely dislike airports, flying, and all the associated rigmarole.

Aboard ship we are indifferent to entertainment, diversions, and 'get-togethers', and not being foodies, we find the meals more than adequate for our needs.

The ships we take, in general, get us to where we want to be or back from where we've been, and we often encounter likeminded travelers aboard.......the balance of passengers are simply there to make the numbers up.
 
We've had local chefs cook for us when renting a house or villa in different places. Some places will stock your rental with food before you arrive or do your shopping while you're there. Daily maid service, etc. Lots of choices.
 
If my mom suggested a cruise I think I would explore that in depth with her re her constitution/seasickness—maybe she really wants to do that with you, and it’s her $$.
 
I've only been to Las Vegas once, but it seemed like Disney World for adults... lots of things to do and see... went to a few shows that were good, did a lot of touring and people watching.... very little gambling.
 
We went to an all-inclusive in Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. It’s a smaller town, so it’s not as crowded as Cancun or Playa del Carmen, but you can take any tours you might want or just relax on the beach or by the pool. One friend said she enjoyed it more than a cruise ship, where you’re a captive audience while traveling.
 
We actually only met 1 other couple on a cruise that use it for transportation. We like everything on a cruise that Nemo doesn't like:)) Have never done an all inclusive but I think it would get boring if it does not include sightseeing. We like a variety of different kinds of vacations. This summer we are doing a 5k/miles driving trip to visit family, friends and see places we have not been.
 
I have been on LOTS of family vacations. Ideal vacation spots depend on who is going and what they are interested in. My family likes national parks- Parents rent a lodge large enough to accomodate us all. The upside of that is everyone seems to go their own way for the day and come back together for dinner. Separate time is good if you have any kind of family conflicts. In the last few years mom has had some mobility issues so we've been picking places with other stuff to do than just hiking. The absolute worst year was the year we went to the beach and pretty much spent every waking hour together.
 
I’m curious OP - what did you decide?
 
You are from New York City? Best deal going right now is Norwegian Air Shuttle out of JFK to London Gatwick, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Madrid, Oslo, Paris.and Stockholm.

You could fly into London, take the Eurostar to Paris and fly home from there.

We flew from Dublin to Stewart International (NY) 3 weeks ago for $158 each. I got an email ad from Norwegian yesterday offering incredibly low flight prices.
 
Beachgrl said:
my mother has come into some solid money and wants to take myself, my husband, my brother and his gf on vacation. She mentioned a cruise but i'm going to "steer" haha her away from that since she's got the constitution of someone who would be seasick the entire trip and be miserable.

any other ideas? possibly an all inclusive? has anyone gone on this type of trip and it not been a cruise? thanks for any input.
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'solid money' - may I ask a budget? Your username is 'Beachgrl' so my first thought is the Maldives: the Cheval Blanc or the St. Regis. I'd also highly suggest Amanera.

In terms of a cruise, depending on how old you are (I'm 27) I'd suggest Regent in a Butler Suite or Celebrity for a more laid back/younger experience. I personally hate cruises but I do enjoy transatlantic routes. Reason being, I enjoy spending more than one day at a port location. At least I can enjoy the amenities of a cruise ship while at sea.

I recently went to Grand Fiesta Americana in Cabo, Mexico. It was good. Not the most luxurious, but it was far from the worst. I'd recommend it for a cheaper alternative. It's an all inclusive, too.

Give me a ballpark and I'd be more than happy to throw some other places out. But again, if it were me, I'd go right back to the Maldives!
 
conway19145 said:
'solid money' - may I ask a budget? Your username is 'Beachgrl' so my first thought is the Maldives: the Cheval Blanc or the St. Regis. I'd also highly suggest Amanera.

In terms of a cruise, depending on how old you are (I'm 27) I'd suggest Regent in a Butler Suite or Celebrity for a more laid back/younger experience. I personally hate cruises but I do enjoy transatlantic routes. Reason being, I enjoy spending more than one day at a port location. At least I can enjoy the amenities of a cruise ship while at sea.

I recently went to Grand Fiesta Americana in Cabo, Mexico. It was good. Not the most luxurious, but it was far from the worst. I'd recommend it for a cheaper alternative. It's an all inclusive, too.

Give me a ballpark and I'd be more than happy to throw some other places out. But again, if it were me, I'd go right back to the Maldives!
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If you want a cruise with minimal wave action try the inside passage from Victoria/Vancouver up to the Alaskan Panhandle and back. Only short stretches are in the open ocean most are in protected straits etc.
 
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