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Patrol with Buzz Lightyear or try lobstering

Toy Story Mania is a new Disney attraction in which guests take aim at animated targets.

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + By Richard P. Carpenter

Globe Correspondent / June 8, 2008

I don't want to travel in a plane, train, or automobile. I want a time machine. For a week anyway, I want to travel back to a time when my children, wife, and I would vacation together. I want to recapture the laughter, the excitement, the family camaraderie, even if a modicum of griping and whining is part of the package.

There is no time machine, of course. But there is a grandchild, who will soon be old enough to travel with us. The experience may not be the same as in those fast-fleeing days with my children, but I suspect it will be wonderful just the same. Here's a sampling of places where families can make their own indelible memories.

Myrtle Beach, S.C., has long been a family favorite because of its sand, sea, shopping, golf, and entertainment. You can have anything from a $2.99 breakfast to a $100 dinner, stay at a low-cost campground or a first-class beachside accommodation, and shop the bargain outlets or specialty boutiques. And you can be among the first to check out the new Hard Rock Park this summer, with two tickets and a $40 gift certificate to the Hard Rock Café. Accommodations for three nights are included at Caribbean Resort and Villas' oceanfront two-room suites. Packages begin at $459 and can be booked at caribbeanresort.com or by calling 800-552-8509. With oceanfront rooms at the Ocean Reef Resort, packages begin at $519 and can be booked at oceanreefresorts.com or by calling 800-782-8736.
Visit myrtlebeachinfo.com or call 888-MYRTLE-1.

The joy of toys is reflected in the newest attraction at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Toy Story Mania is an interactive attraction in which guests take aim at three-dimensional animated targets as they ride a tram. In all, there are six games such as Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers, with little green aliens as the targets.
Visit disney.com.

New England Inns & Resorts Association has a variety of offers for families, such as the Not Just for Grown-ups! package at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Featured are two nights in an oceanview two-bedroom suite with a kitchen and private boardwalk beach access, plus the family's choice of adventure: Haul lobster with the crew of a real lobster boat, kayak with L.L. Bean guides on Casco Bay, or take a guided nature tour by canoe through the Audubon preserve. Rates, based on a family of four, start at $490 for June and September and $690 for July and August.
Visit newenglandinnsandresorts.com.

SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer are so popular that Nickelodeon had to charter the world's largest cruise ship, the 4,000-passenger Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, for a Nickelodeon Family Cruise, Aug. 10-17. Because some cabin categories are sold out, a family of four can expect to pay at least $5,700 for the sailing, which departs from Miami and visits Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Royal Caribbean's private beach in Haiti.

Visit nick.com.

The Appalachian Mountain Club's all-inclusive summer camps for families with children ages 5-16 start at $410 for adult nonmembers, and $285 for nonmembers under 12. AMC has expanded its schedule to give a choice of 13 dates and range of experiences at lodges in the White Mountains and Lakes regions of New Hampshire and the Moosehead Lake Region of Maine. New themed programs include teen activities and an overnight in the backcountry at one of AMC's White Mountain huts. Guided hikes and naturalist programs are part of every program, along with fly fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and local history.

Visit outdoors.org.

There is no pitching tents with Grand European Tours' Scenic Parks Explorer, an escorted 14-day trip that includes 20 meals, lodging, entrance fees, and guided tours. Among the highlights are Zion Canyon National Park and Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone, the Little Bighorn National Monument, the South Dakota town of Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Monument Valley. Departures are available through October starting at $2,499 per person.

Visit getours.com or call 800-522-5545.

For those who want to go far, far away with the family, Pacific Delight Tours has four June and July departures of its Panda & Yangtze River Escapade, which focuses on hands-on activities in unusual and lesser-known destinations. The 15-day package, with English-speaking tour managers and accommodations in deluxe hotels, includes a visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, kite-making classes, home-style dinners with a local family, and an excursion to the newly discovered 2,000-year-old tomb of Han Jing Di in Xi'an. Families also sail the Yangtze River aboard the Victoria Empress. Fares range from $3,588 to $3,808 per person.

Visit pacificdelighttours.com or call 800-221-7179.

Grandtravel's newest trip for grandparents and grandchildren is a 14-day exploration of New Zealand. Both trips provide a lot of activities, local interaction, and cultural exploration. The New Zealand excursion, for instance, includes zorbing (rolling downhill in giant inflated ball); touring farmland, forests, and beaches in 4-by-4 Dune Riders; digging for shellfish; learning to sail; seeing penguins frolic in ice packs; skiing in July; and riding the Skyline Luge at the top of Bob's Peak. Fares for the July 24 departure are $6,995 for adults; $5,680 (triple), and $6,750 (double) for children.

Visit www.grandtrvl.com or call 800-247-7651.

Dear old dad

Haven't made plans for Father's Day yet? The Hilton Family Boston Hotels - Boston Back Bay, Boston Logan Airport, Doubletree Club Boston Bayside, and Doubletree Hotel Boston Downtown - has a Father's Day package that features a night's stay, two adult and two children's Duck Tour passes, and breakfast for four. The offer is available June 12-16, with rates starting at $226.

Visit hiltonfamilyboston.com.

When not included, hotel taxes, airport fees, and port charges can add significantly to the price of a trip. Most prices quoted are for double occupancy; solo travelers will usually pay more. Offers are subject to availability and there may be blackout dates. Richard P. Carpenter can be reached at carpenter@globe.com.

Patrol with Buzz Lightyear or try lobstering

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