Favorite location/timeshare you have been to with your kids?

[FLDVCFamily]

DH and I need some ideas here! We want to go somewhere ideally for Memorial Day week, can be II or RCI...kids are 7 and 10. Not interested in Orlando as we live close and are there all the time. We're open to flying within the US, Carribean or Canada. Thanks!

 

[elaine]

Bermuda! If you can get a trade. Awesome beaches, safe, great history in St. George, great snorkeling. St. Georges Club is very nice, easy access to everywhere via ferry and bus system. Very affordable with a TS b.c you can cook/eat meals.
Any TS near Washington, DC. M'day is usually decent weather and tons to do.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

Bermuda! If you can get a trade. Awesome beaches, safe, great history in St. George, great snorkeling. St. Georges Club is very nice, easy access to everywhere via ferry and bus system. Very affordable with a TS b.c you can cook/eat meals.
Any TS near Washington, DC. M'day is usually decent weather and tons to do.

Oooh, I totally forgot about Bermuda. DH and I had a great time there when we went. Great idea!

We (well, I) were thinking Williamsburg, but DH seems to be down on that idea now. He thinks that he and our 7 year-old will be bored. DC might be better though as there seems to be more to do??

 

[DebBrown]

Hilton Head Island, SC - This was our favorite destination with our kids. We loved hanging out on the beach and riding bikes through Sea Pines. Don't hesitate to stay in the older resorts in Sea Pines like Swallowtail or Spicebush. The units are large and well maintained. Your vacation is expanded to include all of Sea Pines and not just a cookie cutter resort.

Deb

 

[Elan]

Yellowstone

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[Paumavista]

Couple suggestions

Captiva Island is really nice - lots of beach and wildlife activities.

Hilton Head is fun, and should be really nice that time of year before the crowds hit....in fact, we really liked Ocean Watch in Myrtle Beach over Memorial Day weekend because the crowds at the resort weren't too bad.

We've done Jamestown, Yorktown and Washington DC in the same trip using Wyndham and it made for a wonderful, busy week packed with activities for my boys who were about 9 and 10 at the time.

If you like the mountains on the East Coast you might consider Great Smokies resort with it's huge water park....it'll be warm enough for all the outside pools and a great diversion after exploring the area during the day.

* If you want to really explore we did an Alaskan cruise over Memorial day and the weather was spectacular......boys were probably 8 & 9 and count it as their best vacation.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

Yellowstone

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Which timeshare would you recommend in Yellowstone? Is there enough to do there for a week? We aren't really outdoorsy/hikers since we live in flat FL lol

 

[Passepartout]

If you could pull Worldmark W. Yellowstone, that would be ideal, but there are many TSs around Yellowstone/Jackson Hole. Memorial day might be a tad early. There is a lot of snow so far this winter.

A week would barely scratch the surface.

Jim

 

[Elan]

A week would barely scratch the surface.

Jim

Maybe not, if they don't like the outdoors. I think it could be a fantastic change of pace if the family embraces the idea of spending a week enjoying nature's wonders instead of theme parks or luxury resorts.
Agree that mem day might be a bit early this year.

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[amycurl]

My 9 year old has loved the week we've spent here in Maui. Otter favs of hers include Hilton Head and Aruba.


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[FLDVCFamily]

Maybe not, if they don't like the outdoors. I think it could be a fantastic change of pace if the family embraces the idea of spending a week enjoying nature's wonders instead of theme parks or luxury resorts.
Agree that mem day might be a bit early this year.

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We are definitely theme park/luxury resort people lol.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

Captiva Island is really nice - lots of beach and wildlife activities.

Hilton Head is fun, and should be really nice that time of year before the crowds hit....in fact, we really liked Ocean Watch in Myrtle Beach over Memorial Day weekend because the crowds at the resort weren't too bad.

We've done Jamestown, Yorktown and Washington DC in the same trip using Wyndham and it made for a wonderful, busy week packed with activities for my boys who were about 9 and 10 at the time.

If you like the mountains on the East Coast you might consider Great Smokies resort with it's huge water park....it'll be warm enough for all the outside pools and a great diversion after exploring the area during the day.

* If you want to really explore we did an Alaskan cruise over Memorial day and the weather was spectacular......boys were probably 8 & 9 and count it as their best vacation.

Did you move resorts when you did Jamestown, Yorktown and DC? That sounds like the kind of trip we'd be interested in right now.

Great Smokies resort is the Wyndham with the big indoor waterpark right? I'd consider that one too. Not sure what else there is to do in the area though other than hiking/sightseeing? Could still be interesting for the kids if there are some museums or historical stuff too tho.

 

[vacationhopeful]

New York City ... Wyndham Midtown or Manhatten Club or Hilton Club or HGVC @45th street.

You definitely can get Wyndham Shawnee and take a daytrip into the BIG APPLE (about 100 miles straight across NJ).

Washington, DC ... Wyndham Old Towne or National Harbor

Boston.

Beautiful time of the year in the Northeastern USA.

 

[missyrcrews]

Second vote for Shawnee

We travel with 4 kids, currently 10, 12, 12, and 18. We love Shawnee, too. BUT...it is NOT a luxury resort. And you will likely have to wait way past check in time to get into your room, so plan accordingly. However, there are 2 outdoor pools and one very nice indoor pool. It's 90 minutes from Knoebel's, one of our favorite amusement parks, closer than that to Dorney Park in Allentown, and a daytrip drive to Hershey as well. We've never gone to NYC from there, but it isn't far. My kids like to fish, and you're right on the Delaware River for that. The units are older, but have lots of space.

When I asked the kids just now what they liked best, they said Samoset in Rockport, ME, or Smugglers Notch. Neither are close to amusement parks, but both are very nice resorts that my kids love. (They are admittedly very easy to please....they had a hard time picking a resort they DON'T like!) Good luck as you choose. We involve our kids in the choosing....they get online and research right along with us.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

We travel with 4 kids, currently 10, 12, 12, and 18. We love Shawnee, too. BUT...it is NOT a luxury resort. And you will likely have to wait way past check in time to get into your room, so plan accordingly. However, there are 2 outdoor pools and one very nice indoor pool. It's 90 minutes from Knoebel's, one of our favorite amusement parks, closer than that to Dorney Park in Allentown, and a daytrip drive to Hershey as well. We've never gone to NYC from there, but it isn't far. My kids like to fish, and you're right on the Delaware River for that. The units are older, but have lots of space.

When I asked the kids just now what they liked best, they said Samoset in Rockport, ME, or Smugglers Notch. Neither are close to amusement parks, but both are very nice resorts that my kids love. (They are admittedly very easy to please....they had a hard time picking a resort they DON'T like!) Good luck as you choose. We involve our kids in the choosing....they get online and research right along with us.

Both of these sound like great choices! I'd take the kids to either, although I looked at the price of camps at Smugglers' Notch last summer and I was Maybe we are spoiled here, but I'd never seen camp prices so high and I know my kids would want to do them:rofl:

Rockport sounds totally fun to me, but I grew up vacationing in that area so I'm biased. I wonder if it's a very tough summertime trade though. I remember people booking their Maine rentals way ahead of time.

 

[WinniWoman]

I own at Smuggs. Memorial week is too early. The activities don't start until the end of June.

PS The kids don't need to go into the camps. There is still plenty to do there with a Smuggs Pass.

 

[Paumavista]

Did you move resorts when you did Jamestown, Yorktown and DC? That sounds like the kind of trip we'd be interested in right now.

Great Smokies resort is the Wyndham with the big indoor waterpark right? I'd consider that one too. Not sure what else there is to do in the area though other than hiking/sightseeing? Could still be interesting for the kids if there are some museums or historical stuff too tho.

Yes.....We stayed at Wyndhams in both places and did 3 nights in the Jamestown area and 5 nights in Washington. I would like to go back without the kids.....but we were at such a fast pace with them that they were well entertained the entire time.

Yes, that's the resort. I don't think there is much else....oh, Dollywood is down the street.....but it's another amusement park. We took a group of kids (let each of our's take a friend) and went for 2 or 3 days to the resort...it was enough - but we're not big hikers (or amusement park, mini-golf, pancake house people).

We are going back to the Pan Handle area of Florida this summer for our family get-together. The Ft Walton Beach area, near Destin has some beautiful beaches and plenty to do in town. The kids loved it....the water is so clear and white sand beaches.....another thought.

 

[missyrcrews]

Both of these sound like great choices! I'd take the kids to either, although I looked at the price of camps at Smugglers' Notch last summer and I was Maybe we are spoiled here, but I'd never seen camp prices so high and I know my kids would want to do them:rofl:

Rockport sounds totally fun to me, but I grew up vacationing in that area so I'm biased. I wonder if it's a very tough summertime trade though. I remember people booking their Maine rentals way ahead of time.

Most of our trips to Smuggs have been April break, with a few Columbus Day/Veteran's Day weekends. (We are going in the summer of 2017, and are beyond excited to try it out in high season!) Camps aren't open in April. They wouldn't be an option for our family anyway...too expensive, and prohibitively so when multiplied by the number of kids we have! But they still have a great time there. We go to ECHO aquarium in Burlington, do a day in Montpelier looking at state history sorts of things, enjoy the pools.....they've never had a problem finding things to do. There is a Friday of Memorial weekend trade into Mountain Estates at Smuggler's Notch for a 3BR in RCI. That would be a great exchange!

We went to Samoset last year over April break. You might have luck getting in there over Memorial Day, since things don't really get going in Maine until July 4th. We had a 2BR (there are 11 of those) and loved it. Again, we found plenty to do, even in April. Kids are clamoring to go back there!

 

[vacationhopeful]

We travel with 4 kids, currently 10, 12, 12, and 18. We love Shawnee, too. BUT...it is NOT a luxury resort. And you will likely have to wait way past check in time to get into your room, so plan accordingly. However, there are 2 outdoor pools and one very nice indoor pool. It's 90 minutes from Knoebel's, one of our favorite amusement parks, closer than that to Dorney Park in Allentown, and a daytrip drive to Hershey as well. We've never gone to NYC from there, but it isn't far. My kids like to fish, and you're right on the Delaware River for that. The units are older, but have lots of space.

.....

That is a decent review of Shawnee ... for Memorial Day week, it is TOO COLD for outdoor pools in the NE USA. The outdoor pools are NOT heated nor are the kids out of school (at any resort). That indoor pool at Shawnee is twice the size of almost every TS resort pool I have seen ... bigger than the outdoor pools at Disney Vacation Resorts. Has a water "feature", zero entry portion with is as WIDE as that section, 6 or 7 lap lanes (lap swim only used to start at 7:30AM for an hour each morning) and a full service locker/changing room for each sex. There is a gym (with basketball court) and exercise room with many pieces of equipment also. It is like a NICE private gym ... not like a timeshare resort. Upstairs is the checkin center and the activity center for the resort... very busy building from 7AM to 11PM every day ... the sales staff is NOT located there ... heh, heh, heh ... so it really is nice place to hang out (just have to avoid the Hang Tag crew at a separate counter near checkin).

 

[VegasBella]

Well, we usually go to the same general area over and over because we enjoy it so much. We go to Southern California and enjoy the beaches and theme parks.

Our favorite days have been:
- riding bikes along the beach at Venice and Santa Monica and also along the beach/RR tracks in San Clemente
- exploring the tidepools in Laguna Beach
- Legoland the first 10 times or so, now it's less thrilling
- Disneyland
- swimming at the resort pools

But we've also had a lot of fun doing other things in that area like whale watching, picking strawberries, going for short hikes, BBQing at the resort, doing water sports, hanging out at the beach building sand castles, shopping or just watching movies etc. Just being on vacation where the whole family is willing to spend time together is a blessing.

 

[silentg]

We live in Orlando area too, when our kids were small, we took trips to Vermont, Cape Cod,New Hampshire,Connecticut, helped that we have family up North did visits with cousins, Grandparents etc. IF you choose to stay close to home go to Clearwater St. Pete area, lots to do if you like the beach and Busch Gardens is there and not too far from home, if someone gets sick or emergency arises. Florida is such a unique state as no counties are alike. Also Myrtle Beach, SC is a great place for kids as is Branson, MO.
Wherever you decide, have a great time, kids grow up fast and are off on thier own sooner than you expect.
Silentg

 

[Elan]

But we've also had a lot of fun doing other things in that area like whale watching, picking strawberries, going for short hikes, BBQing at the resort, doing water sports, hanging out at the beach building sand castles, shopping or just watching movies etc. Just being on vacation where the whole family is willing to spend time together is a blessing.

That's how I see it as well. While I involve my kids heavily in vacation planning, I'm always pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoy things that I propose, that they initially thought wouldn't be all that great. It's important to force them to increase the size of their world beyond theme parks, swimming pools and kid camps, IMO. Our week long road trip touring 3 of Utah's national parks was one of best vacations ever, and we've been to DL, Legoland, etc numerous times.

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[Rene McDaniel]

I would not recommend going to Yellowstone and staying in timeshares. We stayed in a timeshare for a week in West Yellowstone just outside the park gate. There was soooooooooo much driving because the park is so large and so spread out. Our daughter was elementary school age and it was just too much time in the backseat of the car for her. If you ever do go to Yellowstone, Yosemite, or other National Parks, it would be better to just pay the $$ and stay INSIDE the park, to avoid the huge commutes getting in and out of the park each day.

Also, she was not a fan of our week in the Canadian Rockies (Banff). Same thing -- it was just too much time in the car driving. She will tell you now as an adult that those were the 2 worst timeshare vacations, ever. Kids have a lot of energy, and when you arrive at wherever you have driven to -- they will be happier kiddos if the plan is to do something that they will also find fun and interesting. If they can get out some of their amazing physical energy that would be great, too!

When our daughter was younger her most enjoyable timeshare vacations were: Hawaii -all islands, Caribbean, Mexico -- because there was always the daily swimming and fantastic snorkeling, which she really loved. She also liked big city timeshares with lots to see and do -- New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Paris, Rome, and Florence. But, it ends up that as an adult, she really is a "big city" person. She won't join us for a week in Vermont, but our next big vacation is a 2-week stay in Barcelona --- and guess who's joining us? Haha. It's all good.

Weather wise for May/Memorial Day Week: Southern California weather should be great (but ocean is still too cold for swimming), Hawaii - perfect weather & warm ocean water, plus easier trades because most kids are still in school. Or maybe someplace more exotic like Costa Rica with monkeys, jungles, and ziplines. Lots of resort destinations offer ziplining now, which I'm sure your kids would love!

--- Rene McDaniel

 

[pedro47]

Hands down it was San Diego,CA. The people in San Diego were very low key and the climate was not to hot or humid nor was it to cool; it was just right for the Month of July.

 

[Elan]

We stayed in a TS outside Island Park to visit Yellowstone and it was fine. You've got to get out of the car plenty to really experience Yellowstone, so it's easy to balance the in-car time with outdoor time. Agree that it's not a great destination for those unable or unwilling to get out of their vehicles.

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