Fine Family Getaways
JANET RUTH FALON
Special to The Jewish News
here's no doubt
that both parents
and children look
forward to the
idea of going away
on a vacation. Unfortunately,
the prospect of going away
together, as a family, is
sometimes not so appealing.
Let's be honest. The kids
usually don't enjoy trips in
which they're shlepped to
museums, historic sites and
other passive, education-
oriented attractions. The par-
ents probably aren't wild
about multiple visits to those
old standbys, Disneyland and
Walt Disney World. And al-
though they all love each
other, too much togetherness
can get, well, wearing.
"The ideal family vacation
is when both the • adults and
the children can go some-
where and not be bored," says
one local travel agent.
Adds Corliss Hirst of Fling
Vacations, a Pennsylvania-
based wholesale charter oper-
ator, "You want there to be a
combination of activities that
children can do independent-
ly, as well as together with
their parents."
Luckily, the travel industry
has responded to this growing
need, and there are more well
planned family resorts and
programs than ever before.
For instance, all-in-one vaca-
tion spots such as Club Med
have added kid-tailored
resorts-within-resorts.
70 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1989
For a fun family vacation, head for places
both children and adults can enjoy.
Here are six suggestions.
And cruises, traditionally
geared to adults, have created
comprehensive programs for
children. Sitmar Cruises, for
example, promotes its Youth
and Then Activity Centers,
which include arts and crafts,
dance contests, cartoons and
movies, Italian lessons, talent
shows, masquerade parties,
and a health and fitness
program.
Add these to the standard
list of reliable family destina-
tions, such as the national
parks and those unquestion-
ably successful Disney geta-
ways, and you probably have
enough vacation options to
get you well into the teenage
years.
Special family resorts and
programs not only offer
round-the-clock activities
geared to children of different
ages, but also provide special
kiddie menus.
The availability of babysit-
ters is useful, not only when
parents want to leave the pre-
mises after the kids have
gone to sleep, but if Mom and
Dad need a break from full-
time parenting during the
course of the day.
All-inclusive packages are
often the best option for fami-
ly vacation, not only because
the cost of the trip is prede-
termined but because meals,
activities and other details of
traveling — which can be
complicated for a family —
are covered.
What follows is a list of
some of the most popular
destinations for family vaca-
tions that you might know
about; we'll assume you're
familiar. with Walt Disney
World and Disneyland, al-
though a variety of package
deals abound.
-Club Med's Mini Clubs
and now, its Baby Club at
The Sandpiper in Port St.
Lucie, Florida: Everyone
knows how Club Med has
The newest
attraction at
Disney World is the
Disney MGM
Studios Theme
Park dedicated to
movies.
earned its reputation for
carefree vacations by offering
transportation, lodging,
sumptuous food and lots of ac-
tivities for one price. But five
of the Club Meds offer Mini
Clubs, extending the Club
Med experience to families
who want to vacation
together and yet partake of
age-appropriate activities.
Mini Clubs, which are open
to 2- through 11-year olds,
have been around for more
than 20 years. Between 9 a.m.
and 9 p.m., children have the
exclusive use of their par-
ticular area, where special ac-
tivities are offered under the
supervision of a trained staff
of gentils organisateurs (nice
organizers). While the kids
head off each morning to join
their peers, Mom and Dad are
close by at the tennis court,
aboard a sailboat or under a
palm tree with a good book.
The family can regroup to do
things together at any time.
Mini Clubs are located at
Caravelle (Guadeloupe), Pun-
ta Cana (Dominican Repub-
lic), Eleuthera (Bahamas), Ix-
tapa (Mexico) and The Sand-
piper (Florida).
The Sandpiper in Port St.
Lucie features Club Med's on-
ly Baby Club, available _for
babies between 4 and 12
months old. From Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6
p.m., the babies are taken
care of by a well trained staff
who play with, nap, change,
read to and entertain their
charges indoors and out.
There are strollers and cribs
available.
In the Baby Club dining
room, a baby food specialist
prepares special menus, and
both bottle warmers and food
mixers are available 24 hours
a day.
Premier's Cruise and
Walt Disney World Week:
This popular package in-
cludes a four-night cruise in
the Bahamas and three days
at Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Fla.
The Star Ship/Royale and
the Star Ship/Oceanic both of-
fer the we-do-it-for-you
amenities of any cruise, with
one minor addition — Disney
characters sail on every
cruise. And as the official
cruise line of Walt Disney
World, there's a full activities
program for kids, led by spe-
cially trained youth coun-
selors. Economical four-or
five-berth staterooms for fam-
ilies are available, too.
The cruise leaves from Cen-
tral Florida's Port Canaveral
and docks at both Nassau and
Salt Cay.
The Disney World half of
the package includes three
nights at a hotel near the
"Vacation Kingdom" (the
cruise cabin rate category you
purchase determines the on-
site property you're assigned),
seven days use of a Hertz ren-
tal car with unlimited
mileage, a three-day passport
to Walt Disney World and EP-
COT Center, and admission to
Spaceport USA at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center,
located close to the pier at
Port Canaveral.
By the way, senior citizen
discounts are available if you
want to bring along the
grandparents.