does this exist? a package deal for Washington DC

[ProudGrandma]

OUr family will be visiting DC in the spring and I was wondering if there was anyway to put together some sort of package deal that included tours and entrance fees, food and hotel, etc.

 

IF so, can you help me out by telling me where to start?

 

thanks.

[Farrar]

I've never heard of that. And there are so few entrance fees here. And I've never heard of an inclusive hotel here so I'm not sure if that would be a thing. Really all you need is hotel and then if you want it, to do one of those tour buses, but they're very easy to arrange. Once you're on the Mall, all the museums are close together and all have various food options inside. It would seem weird to me to pay a premium for that when it's easier to do it yourself. Though I do get that travel can be stressful...

[Alessandra]

Agreeing with Farrar. Washington is super easy to tour. But I found this online, no idea at all if the firm is decent. Maybe you could check with a local travel agent in your area? I am not clear if your aim is to get a bargain or if you just dislike the planning process?

 

https://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/GreaterWashingtonDCAreaDC/vacationPackages.cfm

 

If you do go with a package, my suggestion is that you make sure the actual hotel is specified, not just 'luxury accommodations.'

 

What I do when visiting an unfamiliar city is to get one standard print guide ( Frommer or Fodor) and one DK guide (for the illustrations). I find that this gives me a better perspective than sifting through an endless series of websites (though I may check sites for details).

 

HTH

Edited August 18, 2016 by Alessandra

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Since there are so many free things to see and do on the National Mall, I would not get a package tour IMHO. You could literally spend weeks at the mall itself and still would not see everything IMHO. 

 

In regards to getting to the national mall, there is uber and public transportation both bus and metro trains. Once on the mall the DC Circulator bus has a national mall route for $1.00 per ride with Smarttrip card which you can get a metro stations and I think CVS pharmacies here which are everywhere. This bus ride goes to all of the places you want see at the mall and comes roughly every 10 minutes:

 

http://nationalmall.dccirculator.com/

 

If you really want to spend big bucks like $40 to $50 person for a tour bus then I suppose you could but to me it seems not worth it. You do want to be mindful of where public restooms are and eateries are though. All of the museums have public restrooms and there are some near Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, etc:

 

https://washington.org/DC-faqs-for-visitors/where-can-i-find-public-restrooms-national-mall

 

As for eating on the mall, there are food trucks frequently on the mall and some museums have cafeterias such as Natural History Museum, American History museum, American Indian Museum, and the Air and Space Museum has a McDonalds. You could also pack lunches too and put in your bookbags. Also, just one to two blocks up from the national mall in Penn Quarter section of town there are numerous restaurants which you can use Yelp to find one to suit your needs. Just take care crossing the streets which I do all the time with no problems.

[Lanny]

Normally, a "Package Deal" will cost the consumer more, than if the consumer spent the time to do the research and the work and purchase the components of a vacation individually.  There may be exceptions to that, for example in Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World properties, but even there, in general, one pays for the convenience of someone else doing the work. Also, more importantly, is that the Cancellation Penalty for a Package Deal may be incredibly severe, compared to the Cancellation Policy of an individual property if one needs to cancel or change their trip.  You will probably not find specials this far out.  Possibly 30 to 60 days ahead of your departure will be a good time for you to arrange this. If you arrange it now, it will probably cost you more. The upside of arranging it now is that more properties have rooms available. The downside is that at this time, it is highly unlikely any property will give you their best rate.  

 

A Tour Operator or Wholesaler must add on their costs, so that they make some money, when they sell a Package Deal.   Some hotels may put together their own Packages.

 

I wonder if there are Timeshares in/near DC where you can do some of your meals and if so that would save $. We did that in Orlando this April.  We had a 2 BR 2BA unit with a Fully Equipped Kitchen and my wife made a quick Breakfast, 6 of the 7 mornings we were there. 

 

We would like to go up to Orlando again next April.  I will begin looking at that about 90 days out.  I try to get everything in place a minimum of 30 days out.  

Edited August 18, 2016 by Lanny

[Tess in the Burbs]

I haven't used this group, but they put together group deals with an itinerary.  http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/group-trips-and-events/  Scroll down to see the DC dates, many are closed or full. 

[ProudGrandma]

we are looking to do this trip without wasting money and without missing the important places.  We did a trip to disney and had everything all planned out....we picked and choose where we were going to eat and what days we were going to be in which park...but paid one price for it all.  So we didn't know if there was something like that for DC too.  Didn't really think there would be outside of a big bus tour, but didn't know, so we thought we would ask.

 

When we went to Disney we bought a book that helped us plan....would that be a good idea for this trip too?

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

What ages are your kids? That helps in giving you tips. IMHO all of the important things are on the national mall or are only a few blocks from the mall for the most part. The National Archives, Ford's Theatre, and the White House are not on the mall but are all walkable from the mall. The Library of Congress and Folger's Shakespeare are near the Capital which the Dc Circulator goes near or there are several metro buses that go up the hill on Independence Avenue which are closer but they are all walkable unless your family has members unable to walk. I am over 50 and not in the best shape and have walked all of the places. The other interesting places are Mount Vernon which is in VA and Lincoln's Cottage. There are other things but like I said most of the things are near the mall. Newseum is also good and near the mall but is not free. In August though it has children for free. National Geographic Museum is also interesting and is walkable but farther away or is easily accessible by train or metro bus.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

You could go to the Smithsonian, National Geographic, Archives, Library of Congress, Ford's Theatre, National Gallery of Art, and Capital websites for planning IMO. They have very good info on visiting, amenities, exhibits, etc. There are books too on  visiting DC too. I would still consider planning yourself since almost all of the important stuff is near the mall and by looking at the websites you can see what the exhibits are and tailor it to your likes.

[KungFuPanda]

There's a "plan your visit" option on the Smithsonian site:

 

https://www.si.edu/?showMobile=1

 

DC is easy. If you have a place to stay, a smartcard, and a map you can easily fill your days.

Edited August 18, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[City Mouse]

Does City Pass do DC? Nope, just checked and they do not have one for DC.

[Farrar]

Does City Pass do DC? Nope, just checked and they do not have one for DC.

 

But there's a reason. City Pass usually gives you discounts on the "big" attractions. DC's big attractions are all free. I mean, there are a few things that many tourists go do like the Spy Museum. There are a few museums that cost money like National Geographic and The Newseum. A lot of people go see Mount Vernon, which costs money. And it costs money to park at Uvar-Hazy if you go out there. And a lot of people end up doing special experience things, like the simulator rides at Air and Space. But the vast majority of things tourists want to do and see here are free.