Help me pick a vacation spot!

Be careful with the cruise, the drinks are very expensive and you can’t even walk onboard with a bottle of water.

100% cabo - you'll be fine with the food and the all-inclusives are awesome. When my husband and I went to Riviera Maya we spent NO extra money.

Orlando = save for the kids and you've already been there, Cruise = went on one FOR FREE once to great destinations and was SO annoyed with all the trashy people on the boat. I was a few years younger than you and everyone was much older than me, constantly stuffing their faces and there was a lot of skeet shooting - all the time - which does not make the pool deck relaxing and nobody to hang out with because everyone else was with groups. Go to the Ocean in Mexico while you can without kids - drink mudslides and lounge in the pool and dip in the ocean. If you can go to an adults-only resort I would highly recommend it.

HAVE FUN - you look great and you're going to rock a bikini!!

I vote for the cruise too. The theme parks are great and I've been to all of them in Florida many times but you've been there, done that. And you will do that again with kids (although a MUCH different experience!)

Never been to Cabo but I've done all inclusives in Jamaica and been to Mexico several times. I tend to be "frugal" so if I've already paid for something I'm sure as heck not going to go somewhere else and pay again (such as leaving the resort for dinner or other activities). So if the food isn't good, I'd still be eating it rather than going elsewhere! I think you'd get bored at an all inclusive especially since you do live in the South. It would be one thing if you were from Minnesota and recovering from this past winter and all you want to do is chill on the beach, snorkel and lounge but you guys sound more active than that.

I've been on a bunch of cruises on most of the major cruiselines and do think that would be your best bet.. Carnival is NOT bad. It has a bad rap because of the issues last year (and I was on one of those cruises and would still sail with them again) and because it does such a huge volume of business you get quite the cross section of folks. (makes for some great people watching!) Additionally, if you go on one of their shorter sailings or over a school break (doesn't sound like your window though) it can be quite the party scene.

Go to cruise.com and enter your dates. Then pick an itinerary that has places you want to go and few sea days (although I love the sea days for the relaxation part!). Check out Cruisecritic.com for recent reviews of the ships you are looking at and go on the forums there for every piece of information you would ever want about cruising. I really suggest you try and at least get an oceanview if a balcony is out of your price range but I've got a friend who fits their entire family of 4 in an inside cabin and saves her money for excursions! (somebody in my family would die if we tried that!) Once you've chosen an itinerary, find some cool, unique excursions to do. You do NOT have to do them through the ship and that's where cruiscritic can come in handy.

Food is very subjective on a cruise but what I found was the "better" cruiselines were trying to give Top Chef quality food experiences for 2-3000 people and it didn't take. Carnival on the other hand just made good food. I'd say Outback level vs. a high end steakhouse. I have never gone hungry on any cruise I've been on and neither have my picky kids or complaining husband. Some of the food is absolutely delicious!

Can you tell I love cruises and think you should go on one lol?!

Come back and let us know what you decide!!!

now I want to go on a cruise. But really I already have kids and we do our trips camping with family, at a lake cabin, or to cool places for kids and such right now (and Egypt every couple of years to visit my husband's family).

But...

When my kids are old enough to dump on my folks for awhile my husband and I are off to Rome without them as the only time we were there we had my daughter and I was expecting my son and we both loved it so much that we said we will be back without the kids. Probably can do it in a couple of years so I should start saving

OPTION TWO
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Things to do: We'd be staying at an all-inclusive resort on the beach.
Significance: We've never been out of the country on vacation and it seems like a pretty popular vacation spot.
Pros: It's a new experience for both of us, a nice resort, food and flight included in the price. It would be about $2200 for the package. Unlike Orlando, it's a place we probably won't go with kids.
Cons: We'd have to be really careful what we spend while we're there, because $2000 was our original budget. We're worried we won't like the food at the resort, but we'd be stuck with it. We're concerned about other costs that we may not be considering. I'm also worried about being bored - I'm not a "go on vacation to relax" type of person. I want to go do fun stuff!


This, right here. Keep in mind though.. just because you have kids doesn't mean you can't travel out of the country. It might be so for the first year and a half or so for convenience sake but introducing a child to other cultures at a very young age will do nothing but benefit them as they grow up. I have many, many friends who travel every year and bring their kids with them, just a thought!

I always try to go somewhere I haven't been yet. There are so many places I want to visit that I think it's pointless to go somehere I've been and do things I've already done. But... that's just me.

I stayed at an all inclusive in Cancun. Food and drinks were great. We did leave the hotel and do activities (parasailing one day and snorkeling another) but it was nice to have a couple of days just to relax, swim and enjoy the sun/whether.

I've never been on a cruise but know many people that have. They all have loved them and the food. According to them you will only get bored if you choose to be bored. Cruise ships are just floating cities these days. I think I have seen just about every activity advertised for, from learning to surf (on the ship) to gambling to rock climbing.

Thailand. If you are spending two weeks it is cheaper than anywhere in the western world even after the fights due to the exchange rate.

Saint George Island, FL, rent a Beach house and relax.

You can also bring your dog.

Go for a cruise. Absolutely, cruise 100%.

I would choose Cabo...or an all-inclusive elsewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean...but make sure that the all-inclusive includes things you enjoy (if you aren't big drinkers, no point in paying for an unlimited bar tab). My only all-inclusive experience was Club Med in my 20s, and I had a blast...the food and accommodations were not super luxurious, but there was plenty to do in the way of water sports (snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing) and other activities (tennis, trapeze, fitness classes). I did take some off-site excursions as well (a horseback ride and a trip to Tulum). I don't know that I would have enjoyed a resort that was in the middle of nowhere (as some all-inclusives can be) since it was nice to be able to get a taxi to leave the resort and experience the city a bit.

I am not a cruise person. I have been on two. My first cruise I ended up with the Norovirus. I was sick as a dog (thought it was food poisoning, until the media started reporting on people getting violently ill on cruise ships). The only saving grace was that any weight I might have gained on the first five days was lost the last two. I swore I would never do another cruise, but my parents decided to take the kids and grandkids on a trip over Christmas last year. Nobody got sick, but cruising still isn't my cup of tea. I think what i like least is that while you may visit a variety of places, you don't really get to experience them. You just see nearly identical ports with the same shops selling tanzanite jewelry, watches and duty-free rum, and then you rush back to the ship. The cruise-run excursions are pricy...much better deals can be found if you are willing to do some research on local tour companies...but beware, if anything delays your return to the ship, nobody's waiting for you. If you do choose a cruise, a room with a window (or at least a porthole) is much nicer than an interior cabin. On our first cruise we had an interior stateroom (if this is a stateroom, that state must be Delaware) and it felt like a crypt. I hated waking up and not knowing if it was the middle of the night or late morning.

My ideal vacation would combine something active, something cultural, and something totally relaxing...which is why my husband and I went to Greece on our honeymoon. I also like visiting cities...NYC (where I lived for most of my 20s), Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans all have lots to do, great restaurants, music, museums, shopping, and beautiful architecture (if you're into that).

And we live in Florida and do go to Sea World...in fact we were there a few weeks ago. Please note that the Shamu show has been suspended in the wake of the trainer death a while back, and even the dolphin show is not as dolphin-full as it once was. Now it's more of a Cirque du Soleil-style aerialist show with a few dolphins jumping around the pool. Entertaining, and likely kinder to the dolphins, but not as awe-inspiring as it once was.

I vote cruise Neither one of you have been outside the U.S and this will give you the opportunity to visit more than one place.

Outside the us if possible

While I love the gold old U. S. of A., you are young enough to get out and experience the world. Go to Cabo. You will enjoy it and it will be something new.