10th Anniversary trip - Ideas wanted

hoosier21

The wife and I are trying to go SOMEWHERE in June for our 10th Anniversary, need some help picking a place to go. Don’t want to go somewhere and have a miserable time and don’t have a fortune to spend. I know I can go down to the Travel agent, but was looking for your experiences, good or bad.

Possibilities / Ideas
Las Vegas – return to where is all started
Mexico – Cheap! Beaches, lots of drink, but which location is best?
Bahamas – Where, what, when?
Caribbean - – Where, what, when?
Jamaica - Jeff Spicoli in Jamaica? OH MAN
Hawaii – Awesome and $$$, but is it worth it?
Cruise – which Cruise line? What Destination? Cape Canaveral departure

Thanks for any input.

brettw22

How long are you planning this trip for?

I haven't ever been on a cruise, but a few of my friends and my parents have. The only complaint that they really had was that little of your time is actually spent at the destination.

I've been to Vegas, but the only way to do Vegas and keep it fun is to see all the shows, but at ~$100 each per show, that can get to be too much.

I've heard a LOT of good things about St. Thomas, but dunno when hurricane season is bad there.....

hoosier21

Duration? 7 days/nighs max. 4 min. I guess, we have two kids, so mommy won't want to be gone over a week, and I ain't buying nothing shorter than 4 days, worth the trouble.

Oh yea I forgot to say we have Delta skymiles to burn on this trip.

ken brydson

We LOVE Cabo. It's getting more expensive and "touristy" but still can be done fairly inexpensively

steveinaz

Try http://www.sandals.com
Awesome packages that er all inclusive (airfare/hotel/meals/drinks) included in price.

TroyD

We have some friends who, all they friggin' do is go on vacation. They LOVE cruises. The favorite is an Alaskan cruise.

BDT

hoosier21

I have seen the Alaska cruise on TV, looks very cool, but I am thinking more along the lines of sun and fun with lots of eye candy, thongs, topless and a Tiki bar ummm.

Vegas is where we got married and is kinda cheap, so a return there is possible, but I also want to go somewhere I have not been (very long list)

phoneisbusy

We went on West Carribean cruise with Princess a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed it, good value too. One question though, do you get seasick?

As Brettw22 mentioned, you only spend a day at any one destination so if you're into variety, it is fun.

Stingray city at the Grand Caymans is suppose to be great. Rum cake is overrated if you ask me. Rum? yum...

Were you looking to relax or see sights and sounds?

regards

Dave

PolkThug

The Radisson all-inclusive on Cable Beach (Nassau) is great. Once you get there, you never have to pay for anything again, not even tips, also the room service food is included too. They have lots of pools, with waterfalls, swim-up bars, hot tubs, and a nice white sand beach. There is also some cool snorkeling about 60yds from the shore. Very laid-back atmosphere.

madmax

Take her across country to an audio equipment show.

madmax

Jstas

Originally posted by TroyD
We have some friends who, all they friggin' do is go on vacation. They LOVE cruises. The favorite is an Alaskan cruise.

BDT

I was thinking the same thing. The honeymoon me and my future missus are planning is an Alaska to Hawaii cruise and then staying 2 or 3 nights extra in Hawaii with the miles and points I racked up on travel for work.

But Hawaii is expensive. Maybe not so much for hoosier 'cause he lives on the west side of the country.

Beyond that, I'd recommend a Carribbean cruise. They are cheap and easy and you get to see and do alot and visit quite a few islands.

If you don't want boats then I saw a few people mention places like Sandals or even a Club MED type deal. They can be very cheap and jam packed with interesting stuff to do.

Also, a friend of mine went on a vacation to St. Lucia which is a gorgeous island in the Carribbean(sp?) and ends up being a pretty cheap deal. There is a good deal of stuff to do there too. He had a great time. So much so that a couple other people from work booked vacations there for February and March.

Jstas

Originally posted by brettw22

I've heard a LOT of good things about St. Thomas, but dunno when hurricane season is bad there.....

Hurricane season is pretty much over for that area now. They will still get some nasty storms but they are pretty much in the clear this time of year. Thier season lasts from mid July into early February but really starts to dwindle off when the cold-fronts from Canada start muscling in down the EC of the U.S.

I wouldn't see hurricanes as much of a problem there this time of year at all. Problem is though, it can be hard to get a booking because of all the northern people trying to escape the cold and snow for a bit. So don't wait too long to book a trip.

hoosier21

Thanks for your insight guys, we will be going first of June, not right now.

I have been on the hunt for all of 1/2 day and I can see this will not be easy, lots of choices, and damn some are pretty pricey.

RuSsMaN

I know you want to lay on the beach sipping rum all day, but does she?

A GREAT 4-7 day trip in June - Washington D.C. You can spend 3-4 days ALONE at the Smithsonian museams. Some of the finest muses' ANYWHERE, Natural History, Air and Space, Art etc. Everything from the Hope diamond, to Chuck Yeager's X1, to a pair of AR3a's.

The tour through FBI headquarters, the Capitol, and dinner on the Potomac - all VERY worthwhile.

Suprise her with a splash of culture and art, instead of your fat, drunk, sunburned ****. She's seen that already.

Cheers,
Russ

hoosier21

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
I know you want to lay on the beach sipping rum all day, but does she?

Ten times more than I do, Dehabra is a total beach freak. How did you know I end up drunk and sunburned?

dorokusai

I second the idea of a DC trip...the Eastern Shore of Maryland is about 3 hours away, and while it may not be hot, it is a beach.

There is a huge amount of things to do up here, and in Baltimore. You would also be able to have a couple nice dinners with the Dorokusai's... Homemade crabcakes....ribs....****, I will cook whatever you want.

National Aquarium(Baltimore)
Smithsonian
Holocaust Museum
White House
Pentagon
Washington Monument
Jefferson/Lincoln Memorial
Inner Harbor(Baltimore)
Antietam Battlefield, Manassas, Sharpsburg, etc(Jstas had a great comment, had to add this)


That's just some stuff, but you can't get a better tour guide than me.

Vegas is also nice, I go every year....let me know and I can hook you up with family friend, who is the head of security at the Excalibur. I love the heat, that would be a nice place to enjoy a comfortable enviroment.

Jstas

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
I know you want to lay on the beach sipping rum all day, but does she?

A GREAT 4-7 day trip in June - Washington D.C. You can spend 3-4 days ALONE at the Smithsonian museams. Some of the finest muses' ANYWHERE, Natural History, Air and Space, Art etc. Everything from the Hope diamond, to Chuck Yeager's X1, to a pair of AR3a's.

The tour through FBI headquarters, the Capitol, and dinner on the Potomac - all VERY worthwhile.

Suprise her with a splash of culture and art, instead of your fat, drunk, sunburned ****. She's seen that already.

Cheers,
Russ

That is a very good idea!

On top of that, you can get passes to the various Smithsonian buildings and all of the monuments that really save on admission. The passes are kind of pricey at first but when you see the cost of the passes and realize that they are like 1/3rd the cost of admission to each individual building, they are worth it. Then again, that may have changed because the last time I was there was like 10 years ago.

There are a great deal of sites to see there from every monument you can imagine to the seat of our nation's government. The myouseeums vary much wider than the Smithsonian too. There is a pretty impressive art museum there and the natural history museum too. Also, Baltimore is less than an hour away and there is the B&O Railroad museum there and the national aquarium too. Both impressive sites to see. Also, Baltimore is very culturally diverse and a very nice town to visit. Not to mention it's proximity to very many historical sites, monuments and even battlefields. Kinda cheesey but it can be very interesting, quiet and peaceful. Washington D.C. also has a very good deal of world class restaurants and hotels. A great place for a few romantic dinners! Neither place should cost you much at all either. Also, June is a perfect time to visit. The weather is pleasant, not too hot at all.

Another U.S. city to consider is Philadelphia. This is a town steeped in history and tradition. Philly is know for it's food and culture! There are too many hotels to count in Philly and they all have fairly cheap rooms. Philly has an incredible night-life and is one of the premiere cities on the east coast for night clubs and restaurants. You can also catch quite a few broadway-like shows at the various theater or go and see the internationally renowned Philadelphia Orchestra (yes, they really are that good!). Philly also has quite a few museums from the Franklin Institute and the "Please Touch" Museum (part of the natural history museum) to the cinematically famous Philadelphia Art Museum and even Independance Square where you can see the "Birthplace of Liberty", the original capital of the United States of America and the Liberty Bell. Philadelphia is an excellent city to visit and very family oriented so you wouldn't have to leave the kids home either!

In addition to all the stuff IN Philly to do, there are quite a few battlefields and national historic sites to visit. Valley Forge is a half hour away, Gettysburg is just over a 3 hour drive, Washington's Crossing and Red Bank are both mere 20-40 minute drives across the Delaware into NJ. Atlantic City is less than an hour away and all the popular points on the Jersey shore are within an hour and a half drive aside from Cape May. There are major, nationally know race tracks from Dover Speedway in Delaware to Pocono International Raceway and even Old Bridge Township Raceway Park...better known as the 3rd or 4th stop on the NHRA circuit, Englishtown. New York is also a 2-3 hour drive and Washington D.C., Richmond, NYC, Trenton, Atlantic City, Baltimore and Boston are all within a 6 hour drive or by train. Philly is defintely a place to visit for a cheap vacation.

Another good place to visit is Boston and the surrounding area. It shares many of the same characteristics of Philly and bonuses like Plymouth, Massachussetts, Nantucket Island and Cape Cod. I have frequented that area in the past and in May/June/July, it is an incredible place to visit!

One more New England town worth spending some time at is Burlington, Vermont. There is not much exciting to do there but it is literally God's country up there! It can be very cheap to stay there and there is enough to do from skiing in the winter to hiking, camping or just lounging around and goofing off in the summer. It is a gorgeous area and there is alot to see and do.

So if you are looking for vacations on the cheap, those are excellnt areas to visit! If you want booze too, the east coast has a billion and a half micro-breweries and there are a couple of internationally recognized vineyards in NJ/PA/DA/MD areas. You may have even seen Renault wine on your liqour store shelf.

So keep it in mind and be sure to check out some of the deals. I know Philly is offering stellar deals on hotel rooms and restaurant coupons because they are on this kick to ramp up tourism.