Christmas family vacation ideas

[rayxi]

I'm looking for vacation destinations out of the snow zone for my family (wife and kids 6 and 2) this Christmas. We have a bunch of frequent flyer points we would like to use but all the available seats on flights to the popular spots (California, Hawaii, Phoenix, Vegas, Florida) are all booked. I really don't want to take my 2 year old to Mexico or the Caribbean (call me paranoid). So now we are considering some of the less popular/less known destinations in the U.S.

Any suggestions?

[blondboinsd]

Go to Mexico! I LOVE Cancun or Cabo

[skarletknite]

depending on the snow, park city, utah, or vail, colorado. i spent x-mas once in vail, it was great. very christmas-y...with all the evergreens and snow...was great. perhaps from calgary though u may want a warmer climate?

[hayaku]

disney cruise? i'm going to try one of those soon...

otherwise i go back to cancun all the time. my kids at 5, 2, and 6 months had a blast there.. nothing to be paranoid about cancun.. its a total tourist town and way safer then aruba

if you want, i could call in to check rates/availability under my membership there for you...

[blondboinsd]

I just booked our hotel for a week at Christmas time and it looks to be booking fast!

[fln8tive]

Have you considered using mileage awards to fly to say, Houston, then take a flight to Orlando? Very cheap tickets usually. This Cancun thing sounds interesting...

[rayxi]

Originally Posted by hayaku

disney cruise? i'm going to try one of those soon...

otherwise i go back to cancun all the time. my kids at 5, 2, and 6 months had a blast there.. nothing to be paranoid about cancun.. its a total tourist town and way safer then aruba

if you want, i could call in to check rates/availability under my membership there for you...

I remember your post about your last trip. Sounds like you had a great time. Unfortunately flights to Cancun on points are all booked. I might have to try accella's idea to see if we can get there via Houston or Dallas.

[rayxi]

Originally Posted by skarletknite

depending on the snow, park city, utah, or vail, colorado. i spent x-mas once in vail, it was great. very christmas-y...with all the evergreens and snow...was great. perhaps from calgary though u may want a warmer climate?

We've spent a few Christmas's at Chateau Lake Louise and it doesn't get any more Christmas-y than that. We are definately seeking to get away from the cold this year.

[yeowzer]

Originally Posted by skarletknite

depending on the snow, park city, utah, or vail, colorado. i spent x-mas once in vail, it was great. very christmas-y...with all the evergreens and snow...was great. perhaps from calgary though u may want a warmer climate?

Vail is awesome during christmas, however, it's not warm and most likely everything is booked. Good luck.

[fln8tive]

If you can get to Mobile, Montgomery, or Tallahassee, (I would love to see you beat the airlines at this racket), it is a very easy drive to some of the nicest beaches in the USA. Considered a bit off season (can be nippy) for Floridians, you may find it very appealing. Seaside, Watercolors, and Rosemary Beach are all of the same ilk and perfect for families. There are no large chain hotels here, no tacky retail strips, no nudie bars, and zero crime. Very decent shopping in Destin...or...head to Panama City and you can do the go-carts and bungie jumping thing. And with the Top Gun school just down the road, a fully loaded F-16 is almost always keeping an eye on things, so, yah, it's pretty safe.

http://www.rosemarybeach.com/
http://www.watercolorvacations.com/findus.asp
http://www.seasidefl.com/default.asp

You will have a great time unless you say anything negative about Auburn, Alabama, or Florida State football, in which case you will be burned at the stake.