It is the beginning of a New Year. That means it is time to think about vacation plans. Those of you who read my blog know I am a planner and sometimes have vacations in the work for quite a long time. And this year is no different. For two of these destinations, I have been researching and planning for the past few months.
South Padre Island
Every June, my husband attends an attorney conference. It typically has been in one of two locations – South Padre Island (SPI) or Los Pines Resort (in Burnett, Texas). Last year, they deviated from the norm and had it here in San Antonio at the Riverwalk.
View from the balony of the Isla Grand
This year, it is back at the Isla Grand Beach Resort on South Padre Island. It will be a short trip – Wednesday through Saturday – but it is the beach so you know the kids will love it.
New Orleans
Last year, the kids and I went to Corpus Christi, Texas with my brother and parents. We talked about going somewhere this summer, but we have a big trip (Disney) planned as do my brother and parents (14-day cruise next January). Originally, we considered Washington DC, but the cost was prohibitive since we would have to fly all 7 of us there. Then my dad mentioned he wanted to go to the World War II museum in New Orleans and thus our vacation destination was picked.
It is only an 8-hour drive (without stops) to New Orleans. We will go up on a Thursday and come back the following Tuesday. In between those days, we have trips planned to the zoo, aquarium, swamp tour, bus tour, paddleboat ride up to a Civil War battlefield and of course a stop at the WWII museum. And then we crazily decided to take a ride in a PT-305 boat, a small, fast military boat that typically would have been armed with torpedoes and machine guns. The one in New Orleans is the world’s only fully restored combat-veteran PT boat in operation. It promises to be “the ride of a lifetime.”
Disney World
Twenty-five years ago, my husband and I married and took our honeymoon in Disney World. Since then we have gone back several times with the kids (and once without them besides that honeymoon trip). We last went in December of 2016. It is definitely time to go back – especially with the Star Wars themed Galaxy’s Edge having opened at the end of 2019.
That last trip was the weekend after Thanksgiving week which is a great time to go. You see all the Holiday decorations and the weather is pretty good – or at least not hot and humid like the summer. But now that the kids are in middle school, I am hesitant to take them out of school for a full week. My husband suggested going during their Christmas break, but the kids don’t want to be away from home on Christmas day, and the parks are insanely busy.
I suggested our Spring Break which is in March, but Lexie’s birthday is right then, and she doesn’t want to be in WDW during her birthday. (Weird I know.) That left us with summer break (hot and busy) or Thanksgiving break (crazy busy). It seems the kids don’t mind being gone on Thanksgiving as that is the week we picked. Yes, it will be crazy busy as it gets closer to Thanksgiving, but we will be in Disney…that makes up for any aggravation the crowds might cause.
We have already booked our hotel. We rented Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points and will be staying at the Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a deluxe resort which we could only afford because we rent DVC points.
If you don’t know about the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is surrounded by savannahs where zebras, giraffes, hippos, impalas, ostriches, cranes, wildebeests and other herbivorous animals roam. It is wonderful to wake up to see animals out your window or while you are eating your lunch. The kids and I can’t wait!
Here is hoping to three great trips this year.
Into Another World 