Vacation Ideas with Kids 5 and Under (Not Disney)

We went to Sanibel Island when my daughter was 3 and I was pregnant with my son. I loved the shell strewn beaches, the sunsets, etc. My daughter loved the pool. My husband and I realized we could have gone to the local Hilton and sat in their indoor pool for 5 days and saved a bundle...

We love Hawk's Cay in the Florida Keys.

The Disney Cruise is absolutely fabulous (nothing like the parks except for the fun stuff).

Have a great time whatever you decide!

Last year (and we plan to again this year) we took our 3 kids (aged 7, 6, and 4) to FL for a beach vacation. We rented a house on Siesta Key (this year we are going to be on Longboat Key) and just hung out on the beach. We went ot the aquarium, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and the beach. We spent a week, and it was great.

Looking forward to doing it again!

We are a low tech family, and we just enjoyed hanging out and swimming and walking the beach.

Good luck!

I would almost anywhere on the FL coast (the further south the better) or somewhere in the Caribbean, such as the Bahamas. If you are not looking to do Disney World, what about a Disney cruise? We've been on 2 of them with our daughter, and they have been awesome! They really cater to kids and families and if the kids are at least 3 years old and potty trained, they can hang in the kids' club while you and hubby enjoy some alone adult time! They have different itineraries (3, 4, 5 and 7 night cruises) but all stop at least one day on Castaway Cay, their own private island in the Bahamas, so you can get some beach time then!

If I was going to take a vacation with my grand kids I can honestly say the cruise idea has merit. It is all inclusive in what that means, some food will always be included. You can get special food or add alcoholic drinks but I do believe there is a fee for those higher priced items. You'd need to check for sure as to the exact things that are supplied.

The hotel room is included, food, entertainment, babysitting, all sorts of activities, clubs, shows, movies, ice skating on some ships, Disney Musicals or new movies on others....so much to do.

The prices can be overwhelming for sure. But when you realize what you are getting for the cost it is very cost effective. You don't need a huge expensive room, it will mainly be just for sleeping. The further inside the less motion too. The cruise line will need to be considered for sure. I want to ice skate on the ocean so I would chose Majesty of the Seas or one of her sister liners that have that option. The kids are going to be super busy in the kids clubs so mom and dad will have lots of time to themselves for sure.

So all in all a cruise is really a great deal. If you Depart from Boston you can choose many that do the New England coast. They are especially popular in the fall.

Here's one from Expedia.

It starts out in Boston and visits some Canadian cities then brings you back to Boston.

http://cruise.expedia.com/Itinerary.aspx?item=429818

Now if you could leave from another port then you'd have the whole world open up to you.

I want to sail out of Port Canaveral when we go. I want to have extra days to sight see there. I have a list of ports I want to visit too. I have no interest in Nassau. I don't want to visit the straw market or wander around, I want to have destinations to see and things to do. I want to go to Freeport more. It's the capitol and houses their Parliament, there are also about a dozen forts from the pirate days there too. Much more interesting to me than the other island.

So a cruise is a good alternative.

We go to FL. But we have an "in" my parents are in Pinellas Park (near Tampa). We go to the Beach, there is the Acquirum. Parks, really so much to do.

We love going to St. Johns pass. Not sure how old your kids are but we rented a wave runner with my 3 year old last year and he loved it. We even got to see Dolphins up close and personal.. (in the wild, much different than in an aquarium).

http://www.johnspass.com/

http://www.madeirabeachfl.gov/Pages/index

There is so much to do.. We also enjoy a few days just playing on the beach. There is mini golfing.. etc.. Endless oppoturnities

There are dolphin boat rides, fishing ..

I know other parts of FL are nice, but we are familiar to this area.

Safe Travles.

Ummm, you are in Quincy, so why would you fly when the Cape is right there??
Oh, this winter- I must just be missing my dad and sister in Dennis :)
I took a family vacation to Hilton Head several years ago and had a great time. Hawaii is amazing, no passports, and totally different from MA!!

How about Florida? We Floridian's think the water is cold but you notherners think its still warm:p But the weather is beautiful. Lets Start with the West Coast. I'd get a place in tampa/St. Pete area on the beach. Get Gulf side and near treasure Island. Plenty of sand and beach for the kids and usually a heated pool also. You can go to the Treasure Island Pier for dinner and sun going down. You can watch the propouses swimming in that area. The kids get a kick out of that. Spend the day at Fort Drum its a campground/park/fort all in one. The kids love runing around inside the fort. Take a day to go to Busch Gardens, yes its an amuzement park but not a big huge one and they have great little water play areas for young kids. Give your self atleast an hour in that area. Its a good place after you walked around the park to sit and rest while the kids go crazy in the water part. Depending when you go a little drive away is the strawberry festival . East Coast thre is Ft. Lauderdale. Stay in the Marriot if you go there. Its more adult but has the pool and the walkway to the beach. Hollywood is great for the kiddies as you can eat on the boardwalk while your kids are playing in the sand accross from you. The east coast also has butterfly world and tons of state parks TY Park, West Lake Park.

All inclusive in Mexico!

The Sanibel and Captiva Island, FL, areas are great with kids that age. We took our then-5-year-old to San Diego a couple of years ago and we all loved it (I think the water would be too chilly to swim, though). If you want to consider the Caribbean, Turks & Caicos would be easy to access.

A cruise would be fun. I know you said not Disney, but honestly the Disney cruise was the best I've ever been on. It's not all "Disney'd" out, lol -- the characters make appearances, the shows, etc -- also, the kids club is so great. It was only me & my daughter so I didn't have her go, but we met tons of kids on the ship who all LOVED it. Captiva Island in FL is nice too, quiet and a beautiful beach. Saint Pete Beach is also really nice.

We went to Hilton Head when our kids were 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 and had a great time! It might not be warm enough this winter though. We were there the first week in May and the weather was perfect. Good luck!

ANYWHERE?

South Island New Zealand.

Its summertime down there. Australia (and South America, Capetown S. Africa, etc.) are all in Summer weather now, too.

On this hemisphere? Beaches All Inclusive Resort or Cruise.

If you can wait for warm weather...Pigeon Forge, TN. We do prefer a more laid back vacation. There's horseback riding, hiking, hanging out in the cabin, white water rafting (we had a kid who was 2 so we went for the mild dips), A hike in the smokies or even a drive is awesome. There are some look out spots and the scenery was amazing.

Funnest playground we've been is in St Louis. Their City museum is beyond awesome. It is housed in a warehouse several stories high. It has giant slides, secret passages, vertical climbs with real airplanes, dragon's lair. Even the adults had fun.

Ugh I'm no help. I can suggest TX but they have snow there right now. They have an awesome Dinosaur park about an hr from plano. It has a real watering hole with fossilized dinosaur footprints.

Depends on when you want to go but it does get cold in the Southern US during the winter. If you want warm you'd have to go with the keys or Mexico. It's high 70's in Key West right now but it's 40 here in GA.
I think a Cruse might be your best bet, they will take you to some island and you'll be entertained the whole way there and back and you'll have time on the shore to play if you like but make sure you don't miss the boat.

Beaches Turks and Caicos! Check out the website. This place is AWESOME. We took our kids there and we can't wait go go back. There is so much to do and it is very family oriented.

Happy planning!