Tricia

I would really appreciate some advice. My family of four wants to take a mid-March spring break. Here are our concerns/wishes/parameters:

Since we don't want to spend a fortune, we want to find somewhere in driving distance. We live in Tennessee. Friends want us to go in with them on a house in Rosemary Beach, Fla. However, the weather there in mid-March is not certain to be nice. I don't want a beach vacation unless I am sure it will be warm. Disneyworld weather can also be "iffy" that time of year; and our youngest child is only 3, so Disneyworld is not our desired destination, anyway.

Other friends have talked with us about St. Simon Island, and others about Litchfield Beach (?) I am not as familiar with those, but my impression is the weather is not certain to be warm there either, that time of year.

If there is not a good driving-distance location, I would consider a great destination if Southwest flies there, but I am afraid the ones north of us would be too cold then. Not sure what other locations would be great with young children (I like New Orleans, but with a three-year old?)

Truth be told, the Disney cruise is a pretty good vacation when you have children that young, but it's pricey.

I'm having trouble coming up with a great alternative, for us, that costs less.

Does anyone here have any suggestions for us? I have been reading this forum for awhile and have found some great advice. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give us.

Stephanie P.

Tricia:

Why not stay in the Orlando area in Kissimmee and stay on International Drive? Plenty of competition between motels/hotels that even if it is peak you should find an inexpensive place to stay. Wet n' Wild (water park) is on International Drive too, along with some fast food restaurants for a quick lunch. Cocoa Beach isn't far away from Orlando either for a beach experience. Maybe you could also go a little south to Cape Canaveral to tour.

nina

What about a Royal Caribbean cruise? Less expensive and every bit as great for a family vacation. We've done the Disney Cruise on the Magic, and 2 Royal Caribbean cruises and my kids liked the kids programs on RC every bit as much, and the adults will probably enjoy the RC cruise as much also. You are also more likely to get a good deal on other cruiselines. Try Expedia and search for cruises the week you want to go - you may be pleasantly surprised.

Kelly

It may be too early since you don't want to go until March but by all means, go on ebay.com and you'll have no problem finding a condo to rent for far less than you'd pay for a hotel. We rented a 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo last spring for $325 for the entire week. It worked out perfect with our teenage daughter and her girlfriend. I think you're planning a bit too far in advance though. We went in March but didn't rent the condo until early February. Anyway, ebay.com is always loaded with Florida condos for rent. Good Luck.

tricia

Thanks for the great ideas!
Anymore good ideas out there for specific locations other than Orlando or a cruise?

Thanks!

xxx

I second the thought of a cruise. You can find rates as low at $599 per person (adult, 3rd in room is cheaper) during that time. Have you talked to a travel agent?

Lexma90

Give New Orleans some further thought. We took our then-3-year-old and and infant there several years ago. We stayed in a hotel right off Jackson Square. Every morning we had beignets (my son loved them) at Cafe du Monde, and he could run around in Jackson Square, and we could walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to go. He also really enjoyed watching the street performers.

We took the riverboat to the zoo, then the trolley back; I'm not sure which was the bigger hit, the boat, the zoo or the trolley.

Another day we visited the Mardi Gras museum place (don't remember the name), which required a ride on the ferry across the Mississippi.

We walked and played along the Moonwalk, and visited the Aquarium.

There are a lot of casual restaurants where he fit right in.

And he was too young to notice what was going on as we passed Bourbon street in the evening.