Vacation Island

Vacation Island is an area in SimNation that was added in The Sims: Vacation. Sims can go there on a family vacation, or a Sim can take a date to the Island. Either way, the round trip costs §500. Travel between Vacation Island lots is free.

The island is divided into three areas: a snowy winter area, a forest area, and a beach area. By default, each area has a resort lot, a campground, and a "bare-bones" lot. Resort lots will have rooms or cabins with beds and bathrooms, and a hotel desk where Sims can check in and get hotel keys - which will allow them to sleep in the beds. At least some of the rooms will have dressers. In addition to the bathrooms, they'll also have either toilet stalls or porta-potties. Campground lots will have tents or igloos that Sims can rent. They'll have showers, and will have either toilet stalls or porta-potties. A "bare-bones" lot will have porta-potties, may have showers, and may have one or two tents or igloos. Campground lots will have either changing booths or changing tents, and "bare-bones" lots may have them.

The default lots are:
 * Winter - Al Pine's Winter Wonderland, Penguin Acres Campground, Alpine Preserve
 * Forest - Bear Essentials Lodge, Ranger's Ranch Campground, Wren's Fens National Park
 * Beach - Palazzo Palms Hotel, Sunset Beach, Reclaimed Public Beach

Differences from other community areas

 * Sims can sleep if they rent an igloo or tent, or check in at a hotel desk and get a key.
 * Players can save, at least if the Sims are on a family vacation.
 * The townies, often called vacationers or tourists, are organized into families with real last names. Instead of coming and going at random, they arrive in the morning and leave at night.
 * The townies are automatically flagged as greeted when they appear on the lot.
 * Some lots have a maid as well as a janitor.

Dressing for the climate
How the Sims dress depends on which area they're in. In the winter area, they wear winterwear; in the beach area, they wear swimsuits; and in the forest area, they wear their normal outfits. When Sims arrive from home, they'll be dressed appropriately, but when traveling from one area of the island to another, they'll need to change - and they won't do it on their own.

All the default lots except Wren's Fens have dressers, changing tents, or changing booths that Sims can use to dress for the climate. When Sims are in the winter or beach area, the "Change to Normal" selection on a dresser will change them into winterwear or swimwear. If a changing tent or changing booth is present, they can use the "Dress Normal" option to change to their normal outfit.

Keys
When an adult Sim checks in at a hotel desk, the family is charged §40 for each human member, and each one receives a key. The key is good anywhere on the island, and allows the holder to sleep in any bed in any room. However, a key does not entitle a Sim to sleep in an igloo or tent - they have to be rented separately. If there are television sets on the lot, only Sims with keys will be able to turn them on and off, or to change channels - though any Sim will be able to watch a set that's on. Other island facilities don't appear to require keys.

Checkout time is 11 AM, and the family will be charged for another day if they miss it. While the normal policy on Vacation Island is that pets stay free, the routine will occasionally slip and charge for a dog or cat.

Hunger

 * Buffet tables: All of the resort lots, as well as Sunset Beach, have buffet tables. The buffet tables are always stocked and serve salads and desserts as well as regular meals. You can control which type of meal a Sim gets by clicking on different areas of the table; click on the left for a salad, on the right for a dessert, and in the center for a regular meal. If the Sims visit the buffet table on their own, which type of meal they get is determined at random. Since each visit to the buffet table costs §25 regardless of what the Sim gets from it, eating from the buffet table is expensive. Budget-conscious players may not want to let vacationing Sims visit the buffet table whenever they want.


 * Grilling: All the default lots except Al Pine's, the Palazzo Palms, and Sunset Beach have grills. A Sim can grill six burgers for §20, and the griller uses his/her cooking skill. Therefore, this is a good deal if any adult family member has at least four or five Cooking points. A plate of burgers may be good for a couple of meals, but your Sims won't go back to a plate unless you tell them to. The Vacationers may decide to grill on their own. Your Sims will get charged unless you use download a grill which has been fixed to prevent this. However, your Sims can eat those burgers if you direct them to, so it's not a total loss.


 * Have a picnic: If there's a rental booth on the lot, Sims can rent a picnic basket and blanket for §99.


 * Food carts: Penguin Acres, Sunset Beach, and the Reclaimed Public Beach all have hot dog carts. A hot dog costs §15, and doesn't satisfy hunger very well, though it's better than nothing. For a Sim who's not very hungry, a hot dog from a cart can be a good, quick snack; but in the long run, food carts aren't a very good way to keep a Sim fed.


 * Abandoned plates: A Vacationer may abandon a plate of food in order to be Talked To by Vacation Director Kana. They won't go back to it, and if it's on a table, the cleaning staff will leave it there until it spoils. While your Sims won't decide to eat abandoned food on their own, they will eat it if you direct them to do so.

Comfort
All lots will have at least a few places where Sims can sit. All resort lots will have at least one sofa or loveseat, though Sims will not be able to nap on them. All the default lots except for Al Pine's and Wren's Fens have at least a few recliners. The main obstacle to keeping comfort up isn't a lack of places to sit, but getting the Sims to  sit for very long. Adults can raise their comfort level quite a bit by soaking in a hot tub, and kids can get something of a boost by taking a bath. Adding fun items such as bookcases or televisions can help, as Sims will sit to use them.

Hygiene
All the default lots except for Wren's Fens and the Reclaimed Public Beach have either showers or shower/tubs. All resort lots, as well as Sunset Beach, have at least one hot tub. All lots will have sinks. Some lots have medicine cabinets, but Sims will not be able to brush their teeth.

Bladder
All the default lots have either porta-potties or toilet stalls. In addition, each room on a resort lot has a bathroom.

Energy
Since no default lot has so much as a coffeepot, and Sims can't nap even if there are sofas or loveseats available, keeping energy up isn't easy.

Pets
If pets are in your game, check Vacation Island lots for the presence and location of food bowls, pet beds, and other pet amenities. While Unleashed should add some to the default Vacation Island lots, they may not appear unless Unleashed or a later expansion pack was installed before Vacation. If they do appear, some of them may be in poor locations. Also, most default lots will not have cat items such as litter pans and scratching posts, and many will not have pet beds other than doghouses - which cats won't use.

You can add a chew toy to a Vacation Island lot by giving it to a pet. The toy should remain even after the family leaves.

Pets can gain skills while on vacation. While vacationing Sims may have better things to do than train their pets to sit and stay, calling a pet over gives a slight increase in Obedience. Dogs can gain Housebroken skill. Cats can gain Hunting skill by going after mice and roaches.