Hi:
Well, you wrote off Bonaire, CocoView Resort (by excluding Roatan) and live-aboards, yet want 25+ dives in a week, and 'budget.' Preferably with entertaining shore dives. Assuming you're looking at the Florida & Caribbean region, I hope you pull all that off, and I'd be interested to read the trip report later! I get that traveling as a family, sharing a hotel room can give a land-based trip a cost advantage vs. live-aboard.
Curacao, at a resort with a good house reef, comes to mind. Perhaps St. Croix, staying at a site with good shore dive access?
Live-aboards include some cheap options, such as Blackbeards, the Juliet (not that many dives) or the Explorer Ventures boat headed to dive St. Kitts & Saba, or the Bahamas Aggressor (which does 2 separate itineraries; one is cheaper).
If you're not married to warm water, you might find a California live-aboard worthwhile, and quite cost effective. Doesn't have to be a live-aboard; not sure what it'd cost for the family to stay on Santa Catalina Island, dive Casino Point by shore & do boat trips with Scuba Luv. What you lose in exposure suit hassles & lower viz., you gain in new experiences and species, such as kelp diving.
A few years back I dove with Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo; their 10 trip package deal, with 20 dives, was very cheap, and you might find that a good way to get a land-based high dive count trip in (
my trip report; be aware their location moved some).
Some links that might help you:
Curacao vs. Bonaire -
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/lesser-antilles/473036-curacao-vs-bonaire.html
Curacao 1st Timer Trip Report -
Curacao 1st timer Trip report
Place to stay in Curacao -
Place to stay in Curacao See Damselfish Post #3.
Curacao Trip with Teenagers in June -
Curacao Trip With Teenagers In June
Picking a Caribbean Live-aboard -
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/li...ats/495738-picking-caribbean-live-aboard.html
T.C.’s Report on Blackbeards May 2014 -
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bahamas/484271-trip-report-blackbeard-s-cruises-24-30-may.html
Total Cost Mid-range Budget Florida & Caribbean Trips -
Total Cost Mid-range Budget Florida & Caribbean Trips
Discussion about St. Croix as a dive destination -
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/greater-caribbean-and-bermuda/504123-st-croix.html
Best Boat & Shore Diving Locations -
Best boat and shore diving locations
Overall impressions from first visit to St. Croix -
http://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/overall-impressions-from-first-visit-to-st-croix.522475
My Notes For Researching My California Dive Trip -
My Notes for Researching My California Dive Trip
Richard.
P.S.: How many in the family, what ages, what topside stuff is desired? Is a beach a big deal? Is Curacao of interest?