julie

We are currently trying to plan a family vacation for around July 4th (date is not by choice). The kids are 14, 13 and 10 years old. As we have always been a money and budget conscious family, I would like for the kids to experience the freedom of a place where they didn't have to check the prices before choosing food, drinks etc.

1. Are there all inclusive resorts that are reasonably priced, have activities( not babysitting) for kids, and no topless beaches? (My husband & I found great deals with Funjet but our resort had topless bathing and nothing for kids.)

2. Disney cruise sounds great but I'm getting the impression it has alot of extra fees. Even cokes during non-meal time is an add'l fee.

P.S. If we were to cruise we would like to leave from Port Canaveral.

Andy

There are tons of all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean- mostly Jamiaca, Freeport,and Bahamas--BUT you are paying for ok-nice accommodations and tons of BUFFET food and BOOZE.....

Plus in Jamaica,you will have to fend off your kids swimming to the sea rafts that have the guys selling ganga off tiny row boats---Most all of the ALL INCLUSIVE resorts have nude bathing-BUT YOU YOURSELF HAVE to be NUDE to go there-they do NOT allow voyeruism...


That being said- I think a cruise would be your safest bet--- just about all the cruise lines have a SOFT DRINK card to purchase for each kid--It is super reasonable-And if you didn't want your kids drinking cokes all day, the ICE TEA is free---along with frozen yogurt machines and Pizza-

Disney Cruise would be ideal for you--The soft drink cards are NOT that expensive....

Anthony

A cruise would be an ideal vacation for you and your family;however; if you are cost-sensitive, and with a family of five, Disney cruises is not the best value choice.

Don't get me wrong, EVERYONE who sails on a Disney cruise loves it, and they get universal praise from travelers and professionals alike. If you read traveler reviews of most of the mass market cruiselines, you will find many, many opinions, some contraditory, even on the same cruise. Not so with Disney. The praise for their cruises seem universal.
This quality product, however, does not come cheap. Most Disney cruises run $900 or more per adult for a 7 day cruise. In other words, there is like a 40% premium over other cruiselines to sail on a Disney cruise.
For a more cost-effective cruise, you should checkout, RCL, Carnival, or even NCL( their newer ships are far superior to the older & smaller ones)
You can still take a 7 day cruise, and for adults you can save $300-400/PERSON over a Disney cruise. All three lines mentioned are still good lines for children, and offer good facilities for them.

elizabeth

I stayed at a nice all inclusive in Santo Domingo one year and had a great time. Yes there was unlimited booze but we did,t go during spring break, people weren't falling down drunk, at least not until after 9 pm. I liked that wwe could choose between eating at the buffet, the beach snack shack (open 24hrs)which had sandwiches friut and grilled food, or one of 3 resturants. The food wasn't gourmet but was good. We could "borrow" kayaks and snorkeling gear. They had a banana boat you could sign up for too. For small fees we rented mopeds, I think $20 for the day, wnet on a 3 hr horseback ride for $25, and a 9 hr day of deep sea fishing for $75.
I have friend who have done the cruise thing and were disappointed because of all the extra fees for shore excursions, snorkeling for $50 a person! Also alot of all inclusives have good programs for kids, our place would keep them occupied for 3 hours a day no extra fees. There was a topless section of the beach but was easy to avoid being down the beach and around the bend. There was also a man made lagoon so there was no fear of undertow/riptide/big waves.

nancy

if you can fly out of Dallas I suggest the all includsive places in Mexico. Cancun, Cozumel just to name a few. Most of the hotels there have great deals for kids under twelve and the hotels are family orientated. they have really neat things for kids to do during the day and cute shows at night. Talk to people about the more "family" style places but the prices are great and the kids always have a blast. nancy

Teresa

Julie,
We have kids the same age as yours--we're also pretty money conscious but like to take a large family vacation once a year. BY FAR, the kids' favorite vacation was Beaches Negril all inclusive resort in Jamaica. I can't even begin to imagine the number of fresh fruit smoothies they consumed in a week! It was so nice not being presented a gigantic bar bill at the end of the vacation compared to the end of a cruise. I also thought the food at Beaches was better than that on a cruise (at least the two cruises that we've experienced). Sandals (Beaches home company) is very security conscious and we had no trouble with vendors bothering us on the beach. Honestly, it's been 2 1/2 years since our all-inclusive vacation and my kids still talk about it as 'the best vacation we've ever taken.'

xxx

I agree with other posters about an AI especially with a group of teens. I would look into the PDC area. Many/most are AI and your time frame may suggest lower prices. The 2 least expensive areas would be PDC Mexico, or Punta Cana, DR. DR does have topless bathing, but in PDC it is scarce.

julie

A few of you have mentioned all inclusives in Mexico. PDC...Playa Del Carmen? That is where my husband and I vacationed and experienced topless bathing on the beaches and poolside. Other than that it was a gorgeous place to visit(Riu Palace)! Are there any specific AI's that you know of that I can look into without the topless bathing?

awatt

In my opinion a cruie is the best value for the money. And if you call a cruise broker i.e. cruisesonly.com,you can get a excellent deal

Sara

I looked into a cruise around that time of year, thinking that it might be cheaper during the summer months. NO, it's winter in the southern hemisphere so no deals were found. Don't know if that still holds true nowdays though (that was a dozen or more years ago). Another thing to keep in mind is that stormy season, i.e. hurricane season, starts in June and runs through the fall. Although your ship won't sail into a hurricane, you may get rough seas which can really limit your enjoyment of the whole experience.

Do a search on this forum. Recently there was a post on all-inclusives in the US. Several were named and none included alcohol so you'd probably find them to be more family-oriented.

beachbum

Without being judgmental, I'm curious as to why you're ruling out topless. It was no big deal for our then 13 year old son (who was/is very much into girls). At some point, you just have to trust in the way you've raised them.

xxx

My apology Julie. It was my understanding it was not allowed in that area. Any place that caters to the Europen traveler will have that to contend with I am afraid. I must have been mistaken. Well I have been to T&C and I did not see it there. I don't remember seeing it in PDC area of Mexico. Perhaps I have forgotten. There is beaches in T&C and the Allegro which is an AI. I have heard conflicting reports on the place. T&C is a quiet Island. I think you would get a better price and what you are looking for if you stuck with Punta Cana. The only drawback is the topless thing for you. Hurricanes generally start up in Sept. You could do a cruise but of course there are ad ons. If you get the drink cards they are the way to go. I would wait awhile and check out cruises. It is way to early to book it now.

marcia

Hello,
We are a family of 5 and I researched everything and ended up going with a cruise. The main reason was with 6 stops they can see much more and do more then the same beach all day at an all inclusive resort. Another thing to consider both the cruise and the All In.
you will probably have to book 2 rooms everyone I spoke to made us do that as they do not allow more then 4 in most resorts and cruise cabins. I also found out that the 10 day cruise was the same price as the 7 day so we are getting more for our money also. Good luck.

Mary

Julie: If you haven't done so already, try posting this same question on the Caribbean Fodor's board. Not that you haven't gotten good responses here, you'll just get more there.

sschaub

Hi There,
This is just my opinion but we just came off a cruise with our whole family (21) with kids and would not do it again. The kids were bored as activities were for the younger(5-10) ages. Everything off shore you pay for.The bar bill at the end is high. Our's was $500.00 for 4 day/s . Couldn't believe it. I think you would have much more to do if you find the right all-inclusive. At least you can venture somewher other than a ship. My husband couldn't wait to get back. We left out of Port Canaveral and went to Nassau and Freeport. Not impressed. I'd go all-inclusive, I think it would be a better value and less stressful for averyone. Good Luck
Sandy Schaub