It is the only film in the Vacation franchise not to star Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold respectively.

The story begins with Cousin Eddie at his latest workplace, a nuclear facility where he 'works' alongside a chimpanzee.

With Christmas approaching, Eddie is worried about what this job loss will mean for him and his family and he decides to talk to his former boss.

As a preemptive countermeasure, they offer him and his family (along with Audrey Griswold and his Uncle Nick) a free vacation to an island in the South Pacific.

In June 2003, it was announced Jake Thomas, Fred Willard and Ed Asner had joined the cast.