Planning some weekend getaways for the family in 2019

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am a planner. I have vacations planned months, sometimes years, in advance. When our family decides on a Disney World trip or a cruise to Alaska, it is usually with months of planning.

It is odd that this year begins, and I don’t have definite plans for a family vacation. Last year at this time, I knew we would go to Albuquerque in March, Bastrop in June and an Alaska cruise in August. This year, I have ideas, but nothing has been set.

My husband owns his own law firm. And it sometimes is hard for him to get time away. Honestly, I think since he is the boss he should be able to take time off, but he sees it as more of pain to work extra hours to take a vacation that most likely he didn’t want to go on in the first place. He doesn’t love cruises like the kids and I do as he doesn’t like being without access to email (which is why we paid for the cruise internet plan).

So, to give him a break from planning a week-long vacation, I am thinking this year we plan a few weekend trips. This would mean he would only miss one day – maybe two days – of work and they would be spread out throughout the year. At least in my mind, it sounds like a better deal for him. Of course, his answer was why don’t we only do one weekend trip. Ah…no.

Here is what I am thinking about for this year.

April – The kids have a three-day weekend at the end of April. (All San Antonio schools close for the Battle of Flowers parade which is part of Fiesta, a 10 day festival held every spring.) In the past, my husband and I have used this time for us to take a couple’s vacation but one year, we did take the kids to Dallas. My thought is we again go to Dallas – or more specifically to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. Great Wolf Lodge is a indoor water park that is only open to people that stay at their lodge.

I have always wanted to go to the Great Wolf Lodge and would like to go before the kids get too much older. I think this date would be good as it shouldn’t be as crowded at this time since most kids are in school.

June – Usually we go to wherever my husband’s attorney conference is being held – Bastrop or South Padre Island. He works and we play. But this year it is here in San Antonio. Now while we may go stay on the Riverwalk for an evening, it isn’t the same thing as going somewhere that has a beach or other outdoor activities. The kids love the beach. And since we didn’t get there last year, I am thinking we should head to South Padre Island for a weekend. Of course, working this into my husband’s schedule may be challenging and we can always change the date to July or August if necessary.

I am also in the beginning discussions with my parents about maybe going some where with them for a few days. This would be without my husband. Just as we left him here when we went to visit my brother in Albuquerque, I think another trip might be fun. My parents haven’t been to Corpus Christi which is only a few hours’ drive away. And this trip wouldn’t have to be a weekend trip though it will have to wait until summer break.

September – In 2017, my parents rented a cabin at the lake. We went up on Friday and stayed to Sunday. It was great. The place wasn’t crowded, and the weather was still nice enough for the kids to play in the lake. We had smores, campfires, and got to see plenty of deer. The kids are hoping we get to go it again. The good news for my husband would be that he would only miss half a day of work. Of course this trip all depends on my parents since the cabin can only be rented by military or retired military personnel.

And that pretty much wraps up our trips. It would be tops 3 1/2 days off for my husband but we would still get to do some fun activities.

Our trip to Disney World starts this week

As you read this, I am off at Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the week. Who-hoo! I am so excited!!!

Now planning a Disney World trip is always a big production – if you want to hit the good attractions, shows and restaurants.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

I am a big planner (as you might of guessed when I posted that we have the next 3 vacations planned out back in August). This trip came about on what I would consider short notice. We decided in April to rent Disney Vacation Club points and stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge during the holidays. (This is big for me as it means taking the kids out of school for a week – something I have never done before.)

But anyone who has been to Disney World in Florida (which consists of 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a mini golf-course, 4 regular golf courses, a sports complex, a mega-shopping/entertainment center in addition to fishing, sailboats, canoes and a whole bunch of other activities offered at their 20 on-property resorts) knows you need to have some semblance of planning on this vacation.

In the past I have shared some planning posts. I am going to link back to those posts here for any of you planning a trip. But because they were written in 2013/2014, they may contain information that is no longer accurate. I will try to note here any changes from the posts but when in doubt double check all info. I suggest either a good guide book or to visit the Disboards (a message board full of Disney enthusiasts including some employees who can give you the inside scoop).

Planning Post #1 – Includes suggestions for buying a guide book, a link to AllEars.net and the Disboards, as well as suggestions to make your Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR) at the 180 day mark if you want some of the more popular eateries. Everything in the post seems pretty up-to-date though Star Wars Weekends no longer happen.

Planning Post #2 – Covers staying on Disney property and buying a package that includes hotel, dining plan and theme park tickets. Again, it looks like this is all good info. We didn’t go with a package this year as we rented DVC points from David’s Vacation Club Rentals and bought our theme park tickets from Parksavers at a substantial discount.

Planning Post #3 – This one covers FastPass+ which allows you to skip the standby line on 3 attractions by booking an hour window which you plan to ride/view that attraction. Most of this information on Fastpasses is accurate but I would suggest checking out the FAQ on the Disboards for the most up-to-date info. Also, ignore what I wrote about Star Wars Weekends as they have discontinued that event.

Next week I will address Disney Bounding which is wearing clothing inspired by a Disney character without actually wearing a costume. Intrigued? Then be sure to check back in next Monday.