Kendra and Joe Duggar 6: Sitting in a tree...M.A.R.R.I.E.D!

[Swamptribe]

19 hours ago, AnnEggBlandHer? said:

I may have the opportunity to go soon, any advice? My main concern is it would be me and my husband plus our 1 year old. Is it worth it dragging the kiddo around, is there anything for him, and will we even get to take full advantage of the park? Plus we'd likely only have 1 day, factor in baby naps, ugh I don't want to waste the money but I don't want to miss the chance to go either!!! 

Yes, it's worth dragging the kiddo around.  They can nap in the stroller, and there are lots of magical things through the parks (in Florida there are two, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, get tickets that cover both).  There are even areas designed for small children within the parks. Playgrounds and water park areas so take clothing that can get wet.

For parents there is the 'ride swap' program.  So you can take turns riding the rides and watching baby without having to wait in line again.  A 1 year old will get into the parks for free (at Disney, under 3's are refereed to as "Guests of Mickey")

Some of the best times to go are now, October, January, end of April beginning of May before schools get out.  Forget the summer months.  Too hot and crowded.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

14 hours ago, ihaveanexamintwodays said:

This summer after I finish the first round of my board examinations, we are planning to spend a full week in the Washington state/pacific NW area (we are from TX so thus far any summer travels have been a welcome climate change!). 

If you make it to Portland, Oregon and you like reading, I recommend stopping by Powell's City of Books for an hour or so. It's quite an experience. 

[ihaveanexamintwodays]

@cascarones any tips would be welcome! we will probably fly into seattle and spend a few days there. We are thinking to do the whole CityPass thing to hit touristy stuff, of course Pike's Place, etc over a couple days. Boyfriend also is a total beer snob so we'll look into brewery tour type stuff. I have some friends out in the Puget who we'll visit for a day or so. May make our way down to Oregon and fly out of there. Any recommendations for other stuff to do (or places to eat!!) are appreciated --- from any y'all around the PacNW area ? lol 

[AtlanticTug]

3 hours ago, Swamptribe said:

Yes, it's worth dragging the kiddo around.  They can nap in the stroller, and there are lots of magical things through the parks (in Florida there are two, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, get tickets that cover both).  There are even areas designed for small children within the parks. Playgrounds and water park areas so take clothing that can get wet.

I found the age of 1 to be tough at Disney to be honest, but I didn't have a child who would just nap in the stroller for prolonged periods of time. And anytime you go to WDW, around noon/1 pm all you see are screaming toddlers who should be napping instead, lol.

We are going in a couple of weeks with him, he is now 2. My suggestion is get to the park as soon as it opens and leave by lunch. Have your kid nap back at the hotel, refresh and either go back in the afternoon, or my preferred thing, which is to hang out by the pool for the afternoon before having dinner.

[Audrey2]

2 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

If you make it to Portland, Oregon and you like reading, I recommend stopping by Powell's City of Books for an hour or so. It's quite an experience. 

I also recommend driving out and seeing Multnomah Falls, about 1/2 hour east on I-84. I know some of the trees burned, but hope you'll be able to see the falls by then. Mt. Ranier is also a fun one day trip from Seattle.

 

And how do you get through Powell's in only an hour?!

Spoiler

 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

11 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

And how do you get through Powell's in only an hour?!

If I have to, I can plow through Powell's quickly with my book list in hand. I prefer more time, but my husband and I made a few trips before we had kids where we made a 7 hour drive there, we arrived at Powell's an hour and a half before they closed, and then we drove 7 hours home. Nuts, I know. It worked because I'm a night owl and I slept all the way there so that I could drive all the way back. It also helped that we were both in Powell's withdrawl.  

I'm glad you remembered Multnomah Falls. It's the easiest of the falls along there to reach and it's really stunning. I took this picture just a few weeks before the fires this summer.

Spoiler

 

[Audrey2]

@WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?, That sounds like quite a trip to Powell's! 

Multnomah Falls and Crown Point (not sure when the road to Crown Point will open after the fires) are the two places I take people when they come into town, usually directly from the airport, if they aren't too tired. You get a great view of the Columbia from Crown Point. 

If you have time, @ihaveanexamintwodays, a trip up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood is also a nice drive and a great thing to see. It's not dreadfully far from Portland, maybe an hour to hour and a half, and I remember marveling at the snow covered mountains when I moved here. It's a great and easy way to interact with one of the Cascades Mountains, especially if you don't do Mt. Ranier, which I would say would be a full day trip from Seattle (to drive and go into the park). Mt. St. Helens is pretty neat, too, but I would recommend a day for that. The Japanese Gardens is another pretty place to visit, just west of Downtown Portland. 

Of course, I also like the food carts at 10th and Alder. I've heard they're only one block now, instead of one whole block and two streets of the second block. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

+1 on Timberline Lodge. And also, head west to Seaside - there's a statue of Lewis & Clark (who, as of yet, are not being protested anywhere that I know of), marking the end of the Lewis & Clark Trail.

[feministxtian]

@flycat we went to KSC years and years ago...JSC is, from what I've been told, geared for the geeks among us. If we take our granddaughter "little geek", she'd probably lose her marbles at JSC. KSC is more entertaining. I grew up near NASA Langley and took little geek to the Air and Space Museum in Hampton...she was 5-ish I think. She geeked out big-time especially with the Apollo 12 CM that was on display in the middle of the first floor. A docent who was a retired NASA engineer lifted her up so she could see inside...I seriously thought the kid was going to wet her pants from the excitement! 

We'll see what happens...the stars have to align perfectly to be able to make this trip. 

[NewSeasonOfLife]

7 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

GryffindorDisappointment got sick on the Escape From Gringotts ride, so I told her there’s no way she’d have handled the Forbidden Journey. I love both rides and don’t get sick. She did ride the Dragon Challenge with no problem though. And we both actually thought Flight of the Hippogriff was fun. Lol

I actually went to Universal Florida last weekend (my wonderful company flew all of us down there and we spent two days together in the parks.) I was fine for the Gringotts ride, but the Forbidden Journey ride made me horribly ill. Of course my boss immediately put us on the Flight of the Hippogriff afterwards, and then we walked from there to the Hulk ride. Between all of those I was pretty much done with rides for the rest of the two days. 

[SportsgalAnnie]

For Foreign places I'd love to go to Italy and Greece. I love ancient history!

On Disney I've been twice, at 9 years old and at 17 years old. 

I Loved Epcot both times, especially the world showcase!  I liked MGM Studios or whatever it is now better as a 17 year old but loved meeting Doug and Patti from "Doug" as a kid and Seeing the "Mulan" parade.

Even at 9 I thought Magic Kingdom was overrated. I never understood the thrill of standing in lines for that long for a short ride. 

I also grew up going to Dollywood so for me that theme park is hard to top, but I'll take a museum any day. 

[LacyMay]

We did Disneyland when I was about 5.5 as a celebration for me finishing Chemo (I was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler) I don't really remember much in terms of specifics but I remember it being awesome. I also remember not being able to leave the Sam Diego zoo until we saw the Koalas (because priorities) 

Me and Mr. May just did Orlando for our honeymoon over Christmas  (I mentioned this earlier ooops) and it was amazing. We did Kennedy and took the special tour thing which was awesome (he's an engineer and I'm a nerd) 

Wizarding World of HP was magical and incredibly well done. We took full advantage of single rider lines and it made for a much nicer trip. That said towards the end I was done with the high tech rides (the technical term is escaping me) but Journey, Gringotts etc by the time we finished the Simpson's ride later that day I nearly lost my lunch. 

That said I think I could have ridden the Hypogriff one all day long. 

Disney of course was magical and nostalgic. 

Other points go to the Orlando Eye and ethos vegan kitchen  (if you are vegan or vegetarian and find yourself in Orlando give yourself a favor and try it)

[SapphireSlytherin]

I'd give the Orlando Eye a miss - it's way overpriced (unless your hotel has 2-for-1 vouchers).

 

[Gillyweed]

For those who've been to Universal-- how long would you recommend staying? I'm trying to convince my friends to take a trip there for spring break next year  But since it's a smaller park, I'm not sure how many days we should go for.

I think last time I went, we had 3 day park tickets, but that was with my grandma too, so we didn't really  take advantage of all the crazy thrill rides Universal has.

[sansan]

On 9/26/2017 at 6:00 PM, flycat said:

I think those pictures in panama are from the mission trip a few weeks ago. 

So, as far as we know, Joe and Kendra had no honeymoon? Bummer. We never had a proper honeymoon because my husband started the job that would become his career one week before we were married. Bad timing for the new job but after 45 years of marriage I think it is gonna work out. Many trips behind us and many more planned but still. We did have one very nice night away before starting our life. Still I wished she would get a nice honeymoon out of it.

[SapphireSlytherin]

@Gillyweed I did both parks, but only the HP stuff. I was done in 6 hours. Single-rider line, ate lunch and ice cream, bought souvenirs. 

[Cheetah]

Portland area:  if you go to Mt Hood/ Timberline lodge, go down to Trillium lake for this view:

 

[calimojo]

12 hours ago, Swamptribe said:

Yes, it's worth dragging the kiddo around.  They can nap in the stroller, and there are lots of magical things through the parks (in Florida there are two, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, get tickets that cover both).  There are even areas designed for small children within the parks. Playgrounds and water park areas so take clothing that can get wet.

For parents there is the 'ride swap' program.  So you can take turns riding the rides and watching baby without having to wait in line again.  A 1 year old will get into the parks for free (at Disney, under 3's are refereed to as "Guests of Mickey")

Some of the best times to go are now, October, January, end of April beginning of May before schools get out.  Forget the summer months.  Too hot and crowded.

I agree that October, January and APril are good for WDW.  November is good too as long as you don't go around Thanksgiving. 

In my opinion though, the most miserable people I have seen at WDW are people with toddlers.  It is very overstimulating for them, and it is so expensive to risk going and being miserable.  There are probably some toddlers that do fine, but honestly,  both my husband and I remarked repeatedly both times we have been there that we would never take a toddler to Disney.  The only reason I would take a toddler is if I had older children and had no one else who could watch the toddler.  It is different if you end up taking a toddler because you are also taking children over age 5.  If you have the opportunity to go, I wouldn't avoid it if I had kids old enough to enjoy it, but we saw many parents there with just a toddler, and you could see how frustrated they were.  They had spent all that money, and were realizing the kid was miserable, and they were as well. 

And if money is an issue for you and you are only likely to be able to afford Disney 1 time,  consider waiting until your kid is old enough to remember having been there.  My youngest was 5 and even he has fuzzy memories of much of it. 

 If you do end up taking a toddler, I recommend staying on the property so you can use Disney transportation back to the hotel.  One thing we did during our second trip, was we went back to the hotel mid day,  swam in the pool or just lounged around the hotel.  We stated at Animal Kingdom which is lovely and huge and has lots to do.  We all got refreshed, and cooled off and then we went back in the evening.  The crowds were starting to thin down by then and we had a much more enjoyable experience.  So , if doing Disney with toddlers,  don't be afraid to leave the parks for a few hours, let them decompress, nap, or just zone out for a bit, and then go back a bit later when it cools down  and is less busy. 

Also, word to the wise, a gentle rainstorm is your best friend.  Both times we went it lightly rained one day.  Everyone scattered and we had the park to ourselves.  The rain wasn't bad, and we were super hot anyway, so it cooled us off.  There was no thunder or lightning, so rides kept going.  So if you aren't afraid of a little rain,  don't give up.  Chances are the parks will quiet down.

 

[justmy2cents]

52 minutes ago, sansan said:

So, as far as we know, Joe and Kendra had no honeymoon?

They went somewhere.  Pastor Caldwell told them to enjoy the trip and each other in his congratulations video right after the wedding. 

[jozina]

We've been to Disney in Tokyo or Paris with toddlers and had a good time. Mine have all napped in their prams. The toddler got their snooze on while the rest of us did fun stuff. Far better a captive toddler than a free roaming, whining 6 year old.

[Georgiana]

Multnomah falls is reasonably close to the Maryhill Museum, which contains some AWESOME views and cool stuff! Where else can you get up close and personal with articles from the deposed Romanian monarchy? Seriously one of my favorite secrets of the state.

Cape Disappointment is also cool, as is a winding trip along the Old Cascade Hwy. 

In Seattle proper, Ballard has some of our best small breweries and that is RIGHT next to Fremont. Downtown, the underground tour is informative. 

[flycat]

13 hours ago, feministxtian said:

@flycat we went to KSC years and years ago...JSC is, from what I've been told, geared for the geeks among us. If we take our granddaughter "little geek", she'd probably lose her marbles at JSC. KSC is more entertaining. I grew up near NASA Langley and took little geek to the Air and Space Museum in Hampton...she was 5-ish I think. She geeked out big-time especially with the Apollo 12 CM that was on display in the middle of the first floor. A docent who was a retired NASA engineer lifted her up so she could see inside...I seriously thought the kid was going to wet her pants from the excitement! 

We'll see what happens...the stars have to align perfectly to be able to make this trip. 

I live pretty close to jsc and so that may color my opinion to a degree. Jsc is pretty interesting and the behind the scenes tram tours are better than ksc. I think the exhibits at ksc are better particularly the ones for the shuttle. 

[Jenn The Heathen]

9 hours ago, Gillyweed said:

For those who've been to Universal-- how long would you recommend staying? I'm trying to convince my friends to take a trip there for spring break next year  But since it's a smaller park, I'm not sure how many days we should go for.

I think last time I went, we had 3 day park tickets, but that was with my grandma too, so we didn't really  take advantage of all the crazy thrill rides Universal has.

If you power through, I think 3 days is all you need.  We went for a conference when my kids were very small and had 3 day park passes and got through most of both parks even with my husband attending the conference in the morning.  Now that my kids are older, we’ve added an Universal day to our annual Disney trip and are able to do one park a day. Adding the third day gives you a chance to go back to things you really enjoy.

[SamiKatz]

My overwhelming memory of Disneyland is the drive down from the small town about an hour and a half north of Toronto I grew up in.  Mom and Step Dad in the front, my two sisters and I in the back (probably aged 12 -4) of an old Rambler type vehicle.  I'm sure at many points, my parents wanted to pull over, kick us out of the car and drive off without us but we all made it down in one piece.

Another funny memory from that trip:  every night my parents would let one of us kids pick the hotel we would stay in for the night.  My younger sister made her choice so we stopped at that hotel and I said "I absolutely will spend a night in that hotel.  People were murdered there", so after a huge brouhaha my sister picked a different place.  When we arrived home were looked up the original choice and people WERE murdered there!  I still haven't let her live that down.

[NewSeasonOfLife]

12 hours ago, Gillyweed said:

For those who've been to Universal-- how long would you recommend staying? I'm trying to convince my friends to take a trip there for spring break next year  But since it's a smaller park, I'm not sure how many days we should go for.

We did two days in the Universal parks and I think that's the best way to do it. You could do both parks in one day but it would be a pretty all-day, running-from-ride-to-ride thing. We kind of did that at the end of our first day, because one of my coworkers could only stay for one day, and we were all wrecked at the end of the day.

I also really recommend staying at one of the Universal hotels too. We stayed at Cabana Bay and it was a wonderful experience. They have a lazy river that's pretty awesome to float around after a day in the parks, and a big pool with a poolside bar. Also, the shuttles to the parks are great.