Planning a Vacation. Please Help!

[rainrock]

I don't get the big inconvenience basing a vacation out of Ocean City NJ or North Wildwood.Pretty nice vacation spots and if you can get a place right on the beach its that much better. Its cheaper/easier to rent 1 place for the week as opposed to flitting around by the day. Especially when you are talking NYC where a hole in the wall motel in Newark NJ can cost you $300-$400 a night.

Ask yourself would you rather spend the spend $200 a night on the beach in Ocean City/ Cape May/North Wildwood or $300 in a motel in Newark or Hoboken?

And Really its an easy commute 1 to 1 1/2 hours to Center City Philly from Ocean City and you can comfortably do a day trip to NYC from Ocean City.

[cj0065]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

Seeing that you've never been to the area, I would like to point out to you that there is nothing like easy access to Philly or NYC from the NJ beaches. This is one of the most congested region in the country and it gets busier in the Summer.

I would recommend not staying at a central place from which to tour the area. Traffic to and from the beach can be a nightmare. If you want to visit NY, Philly & DC, get a hotel close or in the cities. Or you'll spend half your vacation stuck in traffic.

Between the 4 places you've mentioned, I would recommend DC and NJ beaches (based on your interests). A day trip to DC is not worth it. You need a couple of days in DC just to scratch the surface.

Yes we have been thinking about staying in one of the cities but were concerned with the cost and hassle of trying to book a hotel for 15 people in NYC or PHilly. We thought a vacation home That can House 15 at least would be cheaper on the shore. Plus we would all be together. DC may be a bit of a reach since it’s the furthest away. But I’m sure we will dedicate 2 days to NYC 1 to Philly, and another to a theme park. This trip will be 6-7 days so we have time I would think to do a lot.

[cj0065]

Thanks everyone for the input. A lot of people seem to think it’s going to be a hassle commuting into the cities due to traffic. But I think it will be just as much as a hassle to book rooms for 15 people in both cities and have to unload and load up again. Plus I’m thinking the shore would have cheaper options on a vacation home rather than NYC and Philly smack dab in the middle of the city. I understand what you guys are saying though.

We will generally be getting up early in the AM to go to the destinations. So I don’t think we would be spending all day in traffic.

For example wake up 8am go to philly spend entire day around there seeing sights and museums or other attractions. Next 2 days we will wake up early and head to NYC and spend all day there.

We are not expecting to be able to do every single thing or hit multiple destination in 1 day. So a central point to leave from made more since to me.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by cj0065

Thanks everyone for the input. A lot of people seem to think it’s going to be a hassle commuting into the cities due to traffic. But I think it will be just as much as a hassle to book rooms for 15 people in both cities and have to unload and load up again. Plus I’m thinking the shore would have cheaper options on a vacation home rather than NYC and Philly smack dab in the middle of the city. I understand what you guys are saying though.

We will generally be getting up early in the AM to go to the destinations. So I don’t think we would be spending all day in traffic.

For example wake up 8am go to philly spend entire day around there seeing sights and museums or other attractions. Next 2 days we will wake up early and head to NYC and spend all day there.

We are not expecting to be able to do every single thing or hit multiple destination in 1 day. So a central point to leave from made more since to me.

If you think it will be cheap to get a place big enough for 15 at the shore, that tells me that you haven't been looking. I don't think that there is anyplace on the east coast that is cheap, for beach accommodations.

I'm not sure why you asked for opinions if you don't want to take the advice because it wasn't what you wanted to hear. According to your plans, you'll be driving into Philadelphia in rush hour. If you enjoy driving in rush hour, that should work out well for you.

You don't say where you're from, but you couldn't pay me enough to drive into NYC. I'd take a train or skip it.

People go to the South Jersey shore to relax and get away from the rat race. The towns with boardwalks have more entertainment, but those places are full of families with kids, teenagers, and young adults.

The nicer towns are dry.

I think that you're looking at a map and gauging distance on a different standard than exists. It will take you at least 2 hours to get into Philadelphia during rush hour, from the shore, by car.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by cj0065

Yes we have been thinking about staying in one of the cities but were concerned with the cost and hassle of trying to book a hotel for 15 people in NYC or PHilly. We thought a vacation home That can House 15 at least would be cheaper on the shore. Plus we would all be together. DC may be a bit of a reach since it’s the furthest away. But I’m sure we will dedicate 2 days to NYC 1 to Philly, and another to a theme park. This trip will be 6-7 days so we have time I would think to do a lot.

Find motels in the South Jersey suburbs. Take the PATCO train into Philadelphia. Drive up to take a train to NYC from Hamilton or Princeton Junction.

If it was me, I'd spend 2 days in Philadelphia and take Amtrak to DC for a day. There's Hershey Park, west of Philadelphia. Another amusement park, 6 flags, is in Jackson, NJ which you probably were already told about on the NJ board. Kings Dominion is south of DC, near Williamsburg.

[Patmcpsu]

If you want a fun area with affordable lodging for 15 people which also includes day-trip access to Philly and NYC, I think your only real option is The Poconos. Do an Airbnb search for Mount Pocono, PA and it will show you what your options look like.

Philly is easy-enough to drive into for a day trip (aside from traffic). For NYC, I recommend driving to Hackettstown, NJ and taking a NJ Transit train from there (I recommend this strategy for accessing NYC regardless of where you stay, with a different train station for different spots obviously).

As far as amusement parks go, the Poconos sets you up pretty-well for Dorney Park (worst in the area), and not-unreasonably-far for Hershey Park (best in the area) and Six Flags (2nd best in the area). There is also the Grey Wolf Lodge nearby, which I mentioned previously, but I believe you need to stay at the hotel to access the pools (I never looked into it).

All the day trips will be equally-distant, but 2 hours away. You'll also want to see if you're interested in the Poconos themselves (Jim Thorpe is a cute town, and Mount Airy Resort can be cool).

[OyCrumbler]

For 15 people, have you considered trying multiple airbnbs in the same neighborhood? They can sometimes be clumped really close together. Or if you look early enough, then something like this: https://abnb.me/F4YdwTwS7S