Michael Lowry/Royale Parc Suites; Noel Rogers/Bow Valley Photography; Norwegian Cruise Line; Chris Abraham/Design Pics, via Newscom; Rieger Bertrand/Hemis--Zumapress.com, via Newscom; Andre Jenny/Stock Connection Worldwide--Newscom; Jon Arnold/JAI--Corbis; Jamie Pham/Stock Connection Worldwide, via Newscom; Walter Bibikow/JAI--Corbis.
Clockwise from top left: Orlando pool; Alpine Helicopters tour; Norwegian Jewel cruise ship; Kauai; Antigua; Annecy, France, in the Savoie region; Claridge's in London; Sea World in San Diego. Center: Whistler in British Columbia.
When it comes to my children's school vacations, the only one that has always produced an overwhelming need to get away as a family is spring break. Falling in March or April, depending on the school, the week punctuates the endless stretch between January and school's end, providing a chance for rest and adventure after a long period of burrowing.
Apparently, I am not alone. "We see families desperate for that sense of renewal that you get with a spring break vacation," said Katie Bluzmanis, a travel consultant at Liberty Travel, a 60-year-old agency with offices nationwide.
Susan Tanzman, president of Martin's Travel and Tours, a Los Angeles-based agency that books trips for clients all over the world, many of them families, agrees. Yet she emphasizes the importance of accommodating diverging family goals for a spring trip. "It has to be a vacation, after all," she said. "Something that is enjoyable for every member of the family, but not so exhausting that you come home more tired than when you left." To that end, we asked three travel agencies to put together their ideal weeklong, spring vacations for a fictional family of four. We asked for three options — one each in a city, mountain area and someplace sunny — and told them that the children's ages were 6 and 12, young enough for a kids' club but not in need of a full-time baby sitter.
Agency 1, Liberty Travel, was assigned "budget" travel, which meant keeping the price to under $4,500 a week for each trip, not including airfare. Agency 2, Martin's Travel, was given the moderate price range of under $9,000. Then, for the fantasy factor, we asked Bill Fischer of Fischer Travel Enterprises, a high-end agency in New York City, to give us the voyeurism of three trips for which cost would not be an issue. While nearly all these trips — with the exception of the two packaged cruises and the luxury trip to London (where private access to royal life is about connections, not cash) — could technically be pieced together by individual families, the value in booking through travel agents is their inside knowledge, access to discounts and, of course, the fact that they do the legwork for you. In general, the prices for each trip include accommodations and most activities, a rental car when one is needed (the case for nearly all of the budget and moderate vacations) and varying stipends for meals. Some optional items, including many of the evening and "splurge" activities, were not included. To that end, we have tried to point out when an activity will cost extra.
We asked the agents not to include airfares since prices vary depending on the departure cities of our readers.
What follows are nine "wish list" trips our agents came up with, with prices ranging from a thrifty $3,649 for a family cruise to a whopping $1.06 million for the privilege of experiencing life on a private yacht.
BUDGET TRIP NO. 1:
Orlando's Theme Parks for $4,115
Itinerary Four days at Disney's Magic Kingdom, three days at Universal Studio and one day at SeaWorld.
Hotel A suite with two double beds, sofa bed and kitchenette at the Quality Suites Royale Parc Suites (guests 17 and under stay free), with a poolside bar for parents, a game room and playground.
The Kickoff Head straight to Disney for the character meet and greet — your children won't let you do anything else anyway.
If You're Feeling Sporty Jump in a 600-horsepower Nascar racecar at the Walt Disney World Speedway (the add-on price for riding as a passenger starts at around $100).
Wow Factor The Blue Horizons show at SeaWorld, where tropical birds, dolphins and acrobats perform aquatic feats.
Food Breakfast buffet at the hotel and dining each night in Downtown Disney, at places like Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Cafe. But beware: meals are not included in the overall price, so consider cooking in your room every other night to cut back costs.
Culture Vulture Go to the Orlando Museum of Art, admiring works by John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams and others.
Splurge Drop the children at the Never Land Club activity center and tee off at one of many golf courses in the area, including Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Price not included in the package.
Night Owl Don't miss IllumiNations-Reflections of Earth, a 9 p.m. fireworks show at Epcot.
BUDGET TRIP NO. 2:
Outdoors in Banff National Park for $4,239
Itinerary Five days of hiking, skiing and other activities in Canada's oldest national park.
JENNIFER CONLIN is a frequent contributor to the Travel section.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: March 4, 2013
An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the location of Victoria, British Columbia. It is on Vancouver Island, not the island of Victoria.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
9 Spring Breaks, From Budget to Beyond
Dengan url
http://travelwisatawan.blogspot.com/2013/03/9-spring-breaks-from-budget-to-beyond_6.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
9 Spring Breaks, From Budget to Beyond
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
9 Spring Breaks, From Budget to Beyond
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar