We have done 30A and Disney off and on for the past several years and was looking for something different.

Thought Hawaii, Los Cabos, St Marteen. Preferably warm, beaches etc. Disney Cruise?
I also looked at Atlantis, Bahamas and that was not cheap.
Most places require me to book two rooms based on the size of the party.

What do you all like to do?

girls (wife, 12 yo) beach, shop and boys (14, 8) fish, dad golf

International or no?

Your money will go a long way with an over seas flight. Especially if your fam has travel cards/points to reduce flight cost.

My first thought was Portugal

We are going to Portugal (Sintra) first week in August

If yall haven't tried a cruise, might be a good opportunity to give it a shot. Should check all the boxes and the kids are old enough to let yall relax a bit while on the boat. Doesn't have to be Disney. All the big boys have kids and teen clubs now. But, don't rule out Disney.

Just a week trip?

If you can do ten or 14 days, P h u k e t checks all the boxes and will be well below that budget. You could rent an amazing villa.

Just a week, my job wont let me be gone for much more than that.

I would suggest the Azores in lieu of Hawaii. The geography/landscape is very similar, but without the crowds, and the Azores are a lot more affordable. There are tons of outdoor activities (ATV tours, jeep tours, whale watching, canyoning, hiking, etc). You can catch a direct flight on Azores Air out of Boston or JFK. We flew Southwest to La Guardia in the early morning, spent the day at a museum in NYC, and then caught a flight to the Azores that night. Flew home through Boston and had to spend the night there before catching an early flight home the next morning.

The cruise is also a great idea for that age range. My son and I did several Disney cruises. If you can score a double-dip (where you visit Castaway Cay twice), that's an awesome itinerary. Now that they've added more ships, I think they have a second private island, but I don't think it's as developed as Castaway Cay. You could also add a day or two and visit the Kennedy Space Center. The Atlantis shuttle display is amazing, as is the Apollo exhibit.

I did a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Galveston with my BF and his kids over spring break. The lack of activities for kids was very surprising to me. There was very little for the 14 year old to do, and even many of the excursions were limited to 16+. I know it costs more, but I'd absolutely do a Disney cruise out of Port Canaveral over Royal Caribbean.

5 day catamaran trip with a chef that makes all your meals. Island hop. Snorkel. Private beaches. Fishing.

Gives you a travel day on the front and back.

For those ages, I would do one of the big Royal Caribbean ships or Norwegian. They will price better than Disney and I think have more things for the kiddos to do. Icon of the Seas is massive and so much to do.

Cabo they probably cannot get in the ocean so keep that in mind.

Beaches Turks and Caicos would be phenomenal if it is within the price point.

Dreams Playa Mujeres is always a good option and they have rooms that sleep 5. Sargassum can be an issue, but it usually is not as bad there as other places in the Cancun/Riviera Maya.

For $15K there are a ton of options for just one week. 7 night cruise is probably the simplest, easiest, with something for everyone. That would take care of beach, shopping easily. Could do a fishing excursion at one of the port stops.

Costa Rica Westin is right there on Playa Conchal. Has a golf course on site and I am sure can easily charter a fishing trip. Beyond that, the activities offered in CR have been discussed in detail on this forum before. That won't touch anything close to $15K.

Outside of the golf a cruise is a great choice, especially if you haven't done a lot of the islands in the Caribbean. I recommend itineraries in the Eastern or Southern Caribbean if islands and beaches are your thing. If not then go with Alaska. That's a great cruise and if you're in the middle of a brutal summer a great change of pace.

Caribbean will have shopping, golf, fishing, beaches, tours, water sports available. Alaska will have rafting, kayaking, fishing, and shopping. They'll both have a couple of cultural pieces. My family are big fans of the Dutch (Curacao), British and French holdings (and St. John's). But Alaska is our favorite.

Best line I can recommend for all ages is either Royal (kid focused) or Norwegian. Disney is very overpriced for the experience. We'll never do that again.

Lots of great options here. Budget wise a big factor is time of year you would like to travel.
Lots of my clients that have kids in your kids age range love Hawaii for the beaches, golf, hiking, and overall activities for everyone. There are a lot of other great destinations that fit what everyone is looking for in the Caribbean as well.
As a golfer myself I definitely have firsthand destination, knowledge of some great courses that the family would love.
If you haven't got a travel advisor yet I would love to chat about narrowing down some options. My contact info is in my bio.

Thought I would include some of my trips that would fit what you are looking for

We usually go in mid June based on my schedule that is the best time to leave for week. I work in finance and usually light work mid year.

That said must have strong internet access in case of an emergency I have to take care of.

Most cruise lines are decent now with internet (but gotta pay). I've not been to an all-inclusive that does have at least decent service. Do not go to Tulum for good internet (but no good family resorts there).

If I can assist, my email is in my profile.

Some of our favorite vacations with kids:
Hilton Head
Colonial Williamsburg/ Virginia Beach
Marco Island, FL

We just finished 7 days on the RCCL Harmony of the Seas - one of their big boats. 2 adults, 3 kids. Kids had a blast and we really enjoyed them having a blast. We stopped in Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. All of the excursions were good.

The biggest downside is how bad service & staff have gotten. Compared to pre-covid, staff levels appear to be between 1/2 and 2/3 of what they used to allocate to the ship on a per guest basis.

I second the Costa Rica suggestion. We will be heading back to Costa Rica on Saturday for nine days - this is our fifth trip. I also have two sons and a daughter. Fly in to Liberia and you can have your pick of things to do and places to go: could stay at Hacienda Guachipelin and do their adventure tours - river tubing, zip lines, mud baths, waterfalls, etc. - also their buffet is great. After that head to one of the towns on the Pacific coast. We are going back to Playa Langosta/Tamarindo - great areas to surf, fish, walk the beaches, restaurants, scooters/golf carts/motorcycles. We have also stayed at Hacienda Piniella and really liked their beach club. We didn't golf, but it has a great golf course on the ocean too. Flights should be affordable - only a little over three hour flight from Houston. If you want a little less touristy, you could stay at Conchal, Flamingo, Del Coco, Nosara, or Samara. If your kids haven't surfed but are a little athletic, they should love trying to surf. Very laid back country and people. I would avoid Cabo - very few places to get into the ocean and waves can be dangerous. Have fun whatever you decide to do!

Tikka- you caught my eye with this post as I was lurking through threads. What info can you share? That sounds like a great trip.

Puerto Rico on Spirit. Put the remaining $10,000 in a college fund.

Rent a popup camper and travel to the western national parks for 3 weeks. Put the remaining $10,000 in a college fund.

Take a Carnival cruise. Put the remaining $10,000 in a college fund.

Kauai. Rent an airbnb. Hike. Eat shave ice. Shop in grocery stores. Stay out of the over-priced, overrated resorts. Put the remaining $8,000 in a college fund.

Hawks Caye Resort on Duck Key. It is about half way down the keys.

The Chicken Ranch said:

---

Hawks Caye Resort on Duck Key. It is about half way down the keys.

---

We did this without the kids and it was fantastic. We got a condo on vrbo and were still able to use all the resort amenities. Manatees swimming right in the canals alongside the condos. Would love to do that trip again with the kids.

It's an amazing place! We did a Laini room because of fam. It was awesome! Fishing, snorkeling, diving, it has it all. Plus you are midway down the Keys so you can day trip to anywhere.

I'll gather some info for you and maybe start a new thread. I know a few folks who've done this.

We just got back from a rental house in Turks and Caicos for 7 days 6 nights. The place slept 8 comfortably and had a private beach. We used credit card miles for the flights… so cost included house, rental car, airline taxes and fees, and food. The overall price came in right around $16,000.

amg405 said:

---

We just got back from a rental house in Turks and Caicos for 7 days 6 nights. The place slept 8 comfortably and had a private beach. We used credit card miles for the flights… so cost included house, rental car, airline taxes and fees, and food. The overall price came in right around $16,000.

---

Wife and I did Turks and Caicos a few years ago, food was the largest expense.

Quote:

---

don't rule out Disney.

---

While Disney is amazing, I don't think it's worth the money when you compare it to other top cruise lines. Disney does not have casinos or offer drink packages.

The no casinos is a huge plus in my book, especially when traveling with kids. The kids can't go in the casinos, so it's a waste of ship space, IMO. And the ones on the RC cruise we took were just gross - the cigarette smoke smell was overwhelming, even in areas outside of the casino.

The drink package on the RC cruise we took was crazy expensive, and there is no way I could have consumed enough alcohol to make it worth the money.

Disney lets each adult bring 2 bottles of wine or champagne and 6 beers, and you can buy more at each port of call.

Quote:

---

and you can buy more at each port of call

---

I don't think you can consume what you buy at the port. Most time you have to check it when reboarding and you'll get it back at the end of the trip.

PlanoAg98 said:

---

Quote:

---

and you can buy more at each port of call

---

I don't think you can consume what you buy at the port. Most time you have to check it when reboarding and you'll get it back at the end of the trip.

---

That's what I thought from my previous experience, but the website is kind of ambiguous, and IMO implies you can. Maybe it's just the hard liquor you buy in port that you can't consume?

https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/offer-adult-beverage-packages-castaway-cay-554217/

Finally, Guests 21 years of age or older may bring two bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or six beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage. Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area. Guests wishing to consume wine or champagne that they have brought on board in one of the dining rooms will be charged a corking fee of $26.00 per bottle (price subject to change).

Nice! Obviously I didn't take advantage of this during my Disney cruise. I wish other cruise lines did this but then again, they really push the drink packages.

I like the Hawaii idea for something different...Maui or Kauai would be where I would look first there.

I also saw someone mention Costa Rica and that would be a top choice too! You could do a split stay and experience the inland rainforest/volcano and then head to beach areas.

If I was looking at cruises I would definitely lean towards Southern Caribbean with Celebrity or Royal

Beaches Turks could be an option too...will be expensive and on higher side of budget but it's on great beach and all-inclusive resort.

I just checked Beaches T&C and it was $20K with flights, but only flights currently out there are with AIr Canada. I might ask my wife her thoughts on that.