So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

All I learned this Summer is that my 2 year old DD hates everything but the beach lol

So if you went on a great vacation this Summer (ideally the beach) tell us about it so we can all plan for next year!

Message edited 9/2/2016 5:06:54 PM.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Wildwood NJ..
We stayed in Diamond Beach which is the next town over. It's quieter and more residential.
The beach was stunning.

A short drive away in Cape May is the zoo. It's a beautiful zoo with a TON of animals (giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras, you name it) and a great playground/picnic area and a carousel and a train ride and a rock climbing wall.
And it's FREE. They ask for a donation but that's it.

Wildwood has the boardwalk and there are a bunch of kiddie rides that my DD loved going on. There is also a waterpark there but we haven't tried it.

We stayed at the most beautiful hotel in the area. Hotel Icona. Completely renovated and updated. Suites with modern adorable kitchens that have a fridge, cook top, microwave, Keurig machine, and a dishwasher, yes a dishwasher. All pots and pans and plates and silverware etc. Poolside service, beach service, beach bar on the sand, firepits at night with smores kits.
Private beach too.
It's the only place I can stay down there. It's pricey but it's a splurge I am ok with.
It's my August happy place.


Icona Diamond Beach

Message edited 9/3/2016 9:12:54 AM.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Went to Storyland, Glen NH. It was really nice. Kids had a blast. The park has rides for ages geared from 2 to 12 the place is clean and well run.

Went to the York ME zoo. Such a nice zoo. Had animals Ive never seen before. Perfect size, not too big where kids are whining to go home or too small as in waste of time lol

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Ladies, Both of those are places I never heard of. Sounds awesome! Keep the ideas coming please =)

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Message edited 9/2/2016 6:36:50 PM.

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We went to Montauk for a few nights and it was really nice and relaxing. We stayed at a hotel that was on the beach and also had a pool, so we spent the whole day going back and forth between the pool and beach. We watched the sunsets on the beach every night.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Message edited 9/2/2016 10:14:47 PM.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Turks and Caicos. Best trip ever. My three year old daughters first time on a plane and she was amazing. This was a family trip. My parents took my family and my sisters family. Every part of this trip was amazing and I'm so glad we all got to share it together.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We just went to the White Mountains in NH this week and had a great time! We went to Santa's Village, which is absolutely adorable, we loved the Christmas theme, and my kids (even though they are older) had a blast there on the rides. They loved the reindeer, and the snowtubing (without the snow), along with the log flume, and everything else. The region is gorgeous!! Driving through the mountains was sooo nice. We also visited Clark's Trading Post to see the trained bears and had a blast. We drove the entire route of the Kancamagus highway, and stopped off at a few different waterfalls and rivers in the National Forest. It was such a nice trip! 4 hours from the ferry, so wasn't bad. I only wished we had more than 3 nights so we could do Mount Washington, river tubing, Story Land etc.

We also did the Disney Cruise, had a blast like usual. Highly recommend one of their cruises. We also hit Disney...never disappoints.

We went camping for a couple of nights in Mystic at the KOA. More like "glamping" in a super cute cabin. We loved it there. Close to the Aquarium and Seaport. Short drive from ferry.

Lake Compounce amusement park in CT. We love it there, 45 minutes from ferry . Super clean, family friendly park with a waterpark. We go there every Summer.

We usually go to Hershey, Wildwood, etc. but the thought of sitting on the Cross Bronx and the GWB makes me want to throw up, so we decided to go North and rely on the ferry a lot! More pleasant that way!

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We went to Riviera Maya in Mexico and it was amazing. We hung out by the beach and pool every day. Best vacation

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We spent a week in bar harbor and Acadia in Maine. Dd is 2 and had a great time looking at all the boats and doing all of the hiking

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Rehoboth Beach, DE and Ocean City, MD

Perfect for little kids. My toddler loved it.

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

I have a 7 year old and a 2 year old. This was the first time we ever went away. Not the beach but We just did Hershey park. Not a far drive. Left Saturday morning , stayed one night and got home late Sunday. Kids had a blast. DH and I did as well.
We will definitely go back next year.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We took the kids (7 and just-turned 3) to Toronto and went to Niagara Falls on our way back. They had a great time but needed to spend half aday just relaxing at the hotel halfway through (DH and I are the type to try and see and do everything at a place so we had to tone it down). They especially loved Toronto Island and the CN Tower.

We also went on a very short (3 day) trip to Disney bc my husband had a business trip in Orlando. A big hit until our flight was delayed for 4 hours coming back...

What are you guys planning next? We are thinking about Dinosaur Park in Texas and hitting Dallas and maybe Fort Worth (I think my daughters would love the cowgirl museum!).

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Road trip to Myrtle Beach, it was our first time. Great place even for the little ones, lots to do for the whole family.

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

we did a week in the Outer Banks in NC with my parents. 5 of us rented a house, and we had a great time!! great weather all week- lots of beach and pool time super relaxing!!
and then DH, DS and i just got back from Disney that wasn't as relaxing- HAHA but still a great time! it so easy with a kid- they bring your bags to your room for you, you don't have to rent a car.. if you check in online ahead of time, they'll text you your room number so you don't have to wait in line in the lobby...you can just use your magic band to unlock the room door

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Aruba in June for a wedding: my 2 y/o hated it--I think the heat really got to her. She also battles eczema and had flareups while there. She was perfectly happy in the hotel with the AC lol. She wouldn't go in the pool or play in the sand on the beach (which she usually loves). Luckily we were with family so my inlaws watched her to give DH and I a break. We went on the Jolly Roger to snorkel and for the open bar . The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun.

Cape Cod in July: We've had a house there my whole life so we go a few times a year. Always fun and relaxing to go to the beach, restaurants, P-town.

Dinsey in August: it was HOT but we had a lot of fun. We were there for 8 days and spent 7 of those 8 days in some type of park (AK, MK, Epcot, HS, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure). We had park hopper passes so we went from park to park several times a day. It was exhausting but fun! My 2 y/o hated the characters in the beginning so I canceled Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's but by the end of the week, she was better. We kept our Hollywood & Vine reservation and happy we did--she took pictures with all of the characters. The hotel pool was also nice and it was hard getting DD out most days--great kiddie area. My husband says he's done with Disney forever

Message edited 9/4/2016 8:59:56 AM.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Local vacations:

If you ask me: Boston
This was fantastic! This was the second time we did it with kids... We knew what restaurants to eat at & the sights to visit. Highlight was definitely eating at Row 34, getting cannolis, and whale watching. Whales were in a feeding frenzy and we saw 9 of them. We also did some museums (including art museums for DH) and walked around a lot.

If you ask the kids: Rye playland
We went with my sister and her kids and went towards the evening, went for dinner at the crazy overpriced but right there restaurant at the pier just in time for a thunderstorm to pass over us and returned to an open park with no lines all lit up for the evening. We had an amazing fireworks show at the end of the day. We returned here later in the summer and spent 5 hours in kiddie rides (the only repeat being 5 rides on the kiddie roller coaster). Love it here! It's also close and cheap... I don't know why it's not more popular with the LI crowd.

Our big vaca:
Grand Cayman:
This place was the best beach vacation I have ever taken. The beach is pristine, we took out catamarans from our hotel, the pool was amazing, DD finally learned how to swim across the pool, we saw starfish and a gorgeous coral reef. We will return.

Re: So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

We did a cruise to Bermuda. Norwegian Breakaway from NY. Loved it and the kids had a blast!

So tell us how your vacations went in Summer 2016..

Rehobeth beach for MDW: 2 year old DS loves anything beach related. He also loved Funland with the amusement rides

Narraganset,RI: DS loved the beach. Honestly, there wasn't anything else to do there. If you just want to do the beach, it's great. We went kayaking one day. We went to Newport for the day as well and did the Cliff Walk as well.

Lancaster, PA - Eden Resorts - had a great time, but we went when the heat index was 105+++ so I'm sure it would have been even better if it was not so hot!!!

Message edited 9/5/2016 6:55:07 AM.