8.7.2016

The Sims on Holiday or 'Vacation' as it's known around the world, is the fourth expansion pack for The Sims. The game needs the disc to play and you need have the serial code to install the game but there is no need for an online connection. The game installs well on my vista pc but newer windows versions may not work or may need some emulation software so keep this in mind.The game was my favourite after Hot Date came riddled with bugs. This game fixed those bugs and also added a lot of child interactions. Before I continue I want to say that this game was really amazing when it first came out. There were no other sims games then and this gave sims the chance to go on holiday!when you install the game you'll notice a new vacation island button on the top of the screen.you can go to this screen to look at all the different vacation plots (3 beach, 3 grass, 3 snow). There's no blank lot to build on yourself but you can always bulldoze what is there and build your own resorts. As soon as you enter a sim house you will get a notice telling you about the new island and that you can book a vacation there. To go on holiday your sims have to phone, but the entire household has to be at home first and the entire household will go on vacation. If you want only one sim to go from your house then theycan go on a romantic getaway with another sim from the neighbourhood. They will appear on the vacation island with your date having that little blue plumbob above their head, just like in Hot Date expansion pack.Once your sims decide to go on vacation (and I always choose my whole household to go as I can save the game) you choose which plot they are going to stay at. You don't have to worry about choosing the wrong place. as soon as your sims appear on one plot they can call on the vacation phone to move to another area. Although the island technically has 3 different resorts (beach, grass and snow) you can put your sims in any one of these lots so I once created the equivalent of a cruise and my sims visited all three within one holiday - sims are able to move around between the plots while on holiday.! :)Each holiday is very much a resort destination, not a foreign holiday. Sims can check in to a hotel or tent/igloo and then explore their surroundings. I would tell everyone to turn off sim automation in the options menu (F5). Sims act autonomously which means that if you don't select an activity for them they will eventually decide on something to do themselves. However on the vacation this autonomy is done straight away, so as soon as a sim is done with the activity you told them they're off doing something else. It's very frustrating if you have more than one sim in a house as the other sims might decide to do something that costs money when you don't want to spend any.The resorts have all sorts of things to do. The beach resort has lots of sideshow attractions such as Whack-a-Will (fun fact: it really IS Will Wright-creator of the sims- voice saying ow!). If sims collect enough points/tokens by playing sideshows (which have some really funny animations) then they can collect trinkets to take home such as stuffed guinea pig and a crystal skull. There are plenty of other things such as arcade machines, volley ball, a pool slide and a hut that appears on all types of lots where sims can pick up items such as fishing rods, sandcastle kits, metal detectors and picnic baskets.The grass lots are all about camping and there is archery as well as lots of fishing.The snow lots have igloos to stay in and fun on a half pipe, snow slides, a polar bear skin rug which has some romantic interactions if you get two sims sitting on it.There's really so many new objects I'd be going on all day. Apart from the objects this expansion introduces 3 resort mascots which kids can hug. I particularly love Marky Sharky who's dressed as a hammer head shark and just looks funny. The resorts have Maid Marion but the more I played this game the more I noticed this maid didn't always tidy up the beds or plates and my sims ended up having to do some of it themselves.One major thing that this expansion pack brings is new interactions for kids. The sims Hot Date brought lots of new interactions for adults and kids were left out. Well this expansion pack was all about giving kids a lot back. Kids can do all sorts of things including jabbering at adults. There is also a more sinister side to kids which is fun. If any kid's mood drops to below zero which is neither green or red they start misbehaving.This expansion pack also lets kids finally change their PJs, swimsuits and winterwear. This can only be done on a vacation lot though.There's one other thing that is like a terrible easter egg and that is that if your sims are on holiday and don't have enough hygiene when eating food at any resort they get what is called 'Montezuma's Revenge'. This is a stomach virus which basically has a sim holding their bum and doing a 'desperate' dance while their bladder plummets to near nothing. Get them to a toilet and fast! This wears off but not until a few hours have passed.Overall I really like this game. It's hard to explain all the different new things without leaving some out. There are new NPC sims that vacation at the same time as your family and you can talk to them and then invite them as guests to your home when your sims go home. This is especially great for kids as there aren't any other NPC child sims in the game. The game has never had any bugs and at the time this came out it was so amazing to have a holiday for your Sims 1 sims. Of course there are some annoyances such as the automation needing to be turned off and the fact that the vacation award(your family gets a special award for being so nice at the resort) is easy to get as long as you don't have a bad mood. I also don't like the fact that sims can't build a snowman or sandcastle without buying a plot first form the shack/hut. However the interactions between kids and adults especially with the snowman is priceless.My favourite things are definitely the metal detector which allows your sims to find money and other things and the fishing. The great thing about this game is that it's easy to go into build mode and move stuff about. So you can bring the fishing pier to Downtown (if you have Hot Date installed) and you can also have volleyball at home! But it really drains all your sims comfort scores and sims take a long time to leave the volleyball court after you've cancelled the interaction. Picnics also don't work as they used to in hotdate. You can also add some items to your resorts which works well as the holiday resorts only have items on them available in this expansion and the original sims (no Hot Date, House Party, etc stuff).This is a great expansion to get if you have and are able to play the sims. Especially if you want kids to have much more to do. I'd recommend this game, I still play it to this day on my vista pc! :)

23.4.2002

I really love the Sims, but I feel it's gradually growing too 'large'. The main object of the Sims was to be able to have complete control of a few families and become totally involved in their interactions. But now there's more emphasis on 'living out your life' than getting really involved playing God. Anyway, the Vacation Island is good, although there is only 8 small lots per neighborhood. There are some good new items, but the decoration add-ons was a let down. It was much more aimed to building a Vacation island and getting your Sims to go there so there was less to do in the House which I think the Sims should be about.The best points are the fact that the whole family can visit,

15.1.2003

All in all this is a very good expansion pack, that like Hot Date, adds a new dimension to the game, rather than just lots of new furniture.Your Sim has a choice of nine lots in which to holiday, equally distributed between beach based, forest or snowy mountain, one of each lot of each type is left underdeveloped for you to improve on or re-build, which is fun and challenging. Like Hot Date their are no monetary restrictions, so you can build a luxury resort or a campground with as many amusements, shops and activities as you can fit in.The game is a great relationship booster for families or dates, though inviting a date from another household can be challenging (and frustrating)

21.7.2002

This fantastic new add-on is very addictive.Rather than hot date just taking 2 people to downtown you can now take the whole family.You can visit a winter wonderland - have snowball fights, take a snow slide ride, show off you snowboarding tricks on the half-pipe, sleep in an igloo and even be entertained by a yeti.Take a sunny beach break - play volleyball(up to 8 sims), take a splash down the slide into a refreshing pool, sleep in a cosy hotel, and let your kids be entertained by a beach shark.Or even rest in the deseted forest (haha) - Like you'll rest when you can go fishing, sleep in a tent, play archery,

19.6.2004

For my bithday, my aunt got me this game. After adding its features to the other expansion packs, i was hooked. The environments thet your sims live in are superbly detailed, and your sims happiness, fun, comfort, and hygiene levels rise up to a spot decent enough to please them. The Holiday Island is the most addictive part. You can either invite some friends and family on a holiday, or get out on your own, and explore the world!You can go way up to the mountains, and compete in a snowball fight, snowmen, and fortress contests. Then, have your sim go inside to relax in the lounge, while drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate.Another enjoyed area is the wilderness! here, you can compete in archery,

15.11.2003

In my opinion, i think that this expansion is probably the worst of the lot. Don't get me wrong i like it and have had hours of fun with it but compared to Livin' It Up, this one just seems a bit dull.Despite this you still get the following stuff:5 new careers paths,loads more items and furnishings to help your Sims get happy,several more fixed characters like holiday rep, etc etcOk, this expansion may not appear on first viewing to actually 'do' that much, however after you have spent a few gaming hours on it you will realize that it is infact very useful. Firstly it is a great place to go and relax if your Sims are tired or unhappy. Secondly, it is also a great place to go to to meet new friends,

5.4.2002

If you prefer quality and quantity, then The Sims 'extended family' as they call themselves are for you. The latest to be accepted into their brotherly fold; 'Vacation' or 'On Holiday', is amazing and makes gaming progress even better than before.As well as your neighbourhood and your downtown screens, you gain a 'Vacation Island' screen with 3 snow resorts, 3 beachside resorts and 3 woodland resorts. Your family checks in, leaving their house behind them, and enjoys all their resort has to offer.I won't spoil any more of your fun but I, being an avid lover of this game, have been playing this game since I got it (8:00 this morning), for a solid 8 and a half hours!If you're apprehensive on buying this product,

25.4.2003

The Sims On Holiday (known as Vacation in USA) is an interesting expansion pack for The Sims. Taking your sims on holiday is fun and rewarding and the new objects and interactions are impressive.However it can be flawed in some areas. The object organiser when building holiday resorts is confusing and hard to navigate. Some things seem rather unrealistic such as Sims' refusal to even enter the sea though they happily dive into swimming pools.Another flaw is that when on holiday it is actually very hard to get your sims to enjoy themselves. They can only eat from buffets or from foodstalls. A shame when you think of the possibilities if they could have a hotel restaurant like the restaurants in Hot Date.So all in all,

30.8.2004

I absolutely loved these games at first,as i love games where you on in charge of whatever. Like in this where you choose a family and move them into a house,and can also take them on holiday. It was a brilliant game for the first 6 months,then after lots of plays,it got boring then i never bothere with it again.It's a great game for anyone,but will get you bored of it after a few months. I think it is much better on gamecube,ps2 etc,i love them sims. Each sims game on the pc version is very like to one another apart from different selections of stuff,abit boring. And there weren't enofe vacation islandson this game. Even so at first it is great because you can have your own family which was really fun.

20.11.2003

I am a fan of the sims, but not to a fanatical degree. As such, i can only see the new expansion packs as simply a way for Maxis to milk all they can from the Sims series. Although despite this, I bought it anyways, and Actually, the money was worth it. Frankly, I enjoy the evolution of my homes, and with the added furniture and very pleasant "log cabin effect" wallpaper, i can finally get my dream house. Anyways, the new features, with the three different holiday environments, several outdoor activities, souvenier shops, and a home cannery (small time money making) this expansion pack expands the world of the sims a great deal. If your a fan of the SIms series, i recommend you to buy this pack,

25.11.2003

With the masses of expansion packs, my game now runs somewhat slower, but this doesn't hinder my enjoyment of this game.You can now whisk off the sim of your dreams for a romatic getaway, or take your family off on an activity holiday.All types are catered for, you can go off on winter wonderland tour where you can ski, have snowfights or just cozy up in front of that open fire in your cabin.For the more pasty looking Sims you can get away to the seaside, where you can bake on the beach or visit the obligitary nearby showground with its 'win-a-prize' stalls.For those who like a bit of luxury, comfortable hotels with all the mod cons are also available.You can indulge in a bit of shopping,

31.8.2010

Send your Sims on a great day out, or holiday with this expansion pack. You can send your Sims on all kinds of holidays, beach, snow and camping. It's all on your doorstep. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call for a cab to take you on your holiday. I won't forget to tell you about the awesome new house furnishings and house building tools and the cool new clothing styles aswell. They all make the game interesting. I would recommend you create a big family to go on holiday, then there will me more fun on your vication. Overall a masterpiece of a expansion pack and would definatly recommend this to any sims fan like me, to add to their collection.

23.4.2002

At last! A new add-on for the Sims. My sims now consist of hot date, holiday, house party and living it up. When i saw the yellow packaging it came in, I realised that it was the golden thing to add on to give that extra oompf to my game.As soon as it arrived in the post, I had half an hour before I had to go to school. Before mom could say a word, the cd was in the computer, and I was installing it. Now my Sims are much happier, now they can go on holiday. It also gives more interaction with the kids in the Sims; they can play and have more fun than before, rather than study and go to school. I love it and I'd suggest it as a must buy for all Sim addicts.

12.4.2002

Being a bit of a "sims" addict even i wasnt sure maxis could breathe new life into this great game, but i am pleased to say i was wrong. My partner pre ordered this for me and i havent left it alone since it arrived(despite some grumbling from him lol).There is loads more for your sims to do and even the kids have alot more speech interaction with each other similar to the adult speech choices. The holiday choices are varied each offering something differant and there are loads of new floors, walls, objects etc...Unlike a lot of expansions this one makes an already great game even better!!

8.4.2002

I like many sims fans now have all five games, and this is the best add-on yet.The only downside to this add on is i'm running Win XP and it takes around 45 mins to load but its well worth the wait.You can take the whole family on a holiday of a life time whether you rough it in a tent or igloo, or at a five star lodge or hotel your sims will love it and you will too. Make sure you drink plenty of coffee because you won't be able to stop playing no matter how much your bed calls. Go and order your copy now it'll be the best purchase you'll make (until the next add-on!)

The Sims: On Holiday (Add-On) (PC) - Reviews

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