Category Archives: DC Day Trips with Kids

The Anti Pumpkin Patch Idea Guide: A Tale of 2 Pirate Ships

October 3, 2011

As you  know, I am dedicating this month to bringing you ideas that fit the theme of the fall harvest and Halloween but aren’t necessarily about Pumpkin Patches. I am flirting with becoming the Scrooge of the Pumpkin Patch. And I am okay with that. Today I bring you the Great Tale of 2 Pirate Ships of October 2011. A close friend made plans with me to take our kids on “the pirate ship” together. We started making these plans weeks ago. In fact, we were originally supposed to set sail a week ago Sunday but the weather seemed iffy so we both called “the pirate ship” and rescheduled our departure time to Sunday October 2 at 9:30am. We were psyched to experience “the pirate ship” together. So bright and early yesterday we bundled up the kids, sent each other a few witty emails and headed off to “the pirate ship.”

Me, husband and children arrived around 8:55am. The girls were given pirate tattoos, including one child who came away with a pink goatee. She made for a very ruthless looking pirate.  My one agreeable child dressed up in the pirate clothes they offer the kids. My other less agreeable child refused all pirate wear but agreed to her designated pirate name and a mermaid tattoo. The clock kept ticking and I kept wondering what in the world was taking my friend so long to arrive. Frankly it was stressing me out.

Suddenly we were all boarding the boat, the boat was ready to leave and I’m scrambling to tell them that my friend and her children must be running late. They hold the boat for a few minutes. I send her some desperate emails. Boat departs. I am fretting over the high stakes drama she will be dealing with when her two kids realize they have missed “THE PIRATE BOAT.” The pirates on-board are riled up and excited to hunt for Treasure and find that scoundrel Pirate Pete who was lingering somewhere out in the Chesapeake Bay, circling Annapolis, when my phone rings.

“Is it possible we are on two different pirate boats?” asks the voice on the other end.

I look around. I see no other pirate boats. I ask her where she is.

“In Baltimore, at Urban Pirate,” she says.

“Ummm…..we are in Annapolis at Chesapeake Pirate.”

And so, when making plans with friends to take the kids to “the pirate boat,” remember that there are TWO options in our area and it’s best to specify where in Maryland you will be wreaking havoc on the waterways….

This hilarious mistake makes you, my dear reader, the winner because now you get not one but TWO pirate boat reviews. That gives you TWO chances to schedule an activity OTHER than suffering in an overcrowded pumpkin patch while still feeling like your children are getting a fabulous fall experience.

First up, Chesapeake Pirate in Annapolis, my pirate destination du jour. This was our second time taking the trip around the beautiful Bay with this group and we loved it just as much. Our youngest has a penchant for all things Pirate so it seemed obvious that the time was right to go again, and though the last time we went it was a warm sunny September day, we still loved it yesterday under the chilly gray skies.

The pirates found the treasure!

 True, the views of the Bay Bridge weren’t as amazing as on a sunny day but sailing around the Chesapeake for an hour can never get old and is just good for the soul, in my opinion. Chesapeake Pirates employs a team of energetic, creative and silly actors to entertain the kids for the hour-long sail. Immediately upon arriving at their store, the kids are given their appointed pirate name, encouraged to put on a pirate vest, pick out a tatoo or face painting option and then are school in pirate-speak before boarding the ship.

Pirates preparing with vests and tattoos prior to departure

 Once on board, they are taken through a variety of dramatic adventures, starting with the hunt for treasure and Pirate Pete and then impaling him with as much water as possible from the water cannons, all in the vein of locating the treasure. The kids are encouraged to move quickly around deck and the ages yesterday ranged from 2 through probably 10 or 11. The interactive element was definitely better suited for my oldest daughter because she could keep up with all the older kids and really interact with the actors. Our youngest, who will be 3 next month, had trouble moving as fast around the boat and seeing all the action – but it didn’t seem to bother her and we helped her. The final exercise involves pulling Grog from the bay and  having a celebratory toast after all the kids take turns picking a hand-full of treasure from the chest they’ve robbed from Pirate Pete.  Chesapeake Pirate runs six times a day, the first boat sails at 9:30am and the last boat departs at 5pm. Tickets are $19 for adults and $12 for children, kids under 3 are free. I also noticed that they have birthday party packages, which seems like a great idea for any young pirate lovers out there. The boat sails through the end of October and then will start up again in April.

Next up, Urban Pirate in Baltimore.  I haven’t yet experienced this trip but definitely want to get there after hearing my friend’s report. The two trips do sound pretty similar. Here’s what she had to say:  “The kids loved it – my daughter was VERY SERIOUS and had a SCOWL on her face as she shot her pirate water cannon at the oncoming pirate (Mad Dog Mike – he had treasure fever).  We were at sea for an hour. Tattoos, attire, all the fixin’s (scars, mustaches) all applied before we left.  Got to see aquarium and lots of other stuff from the water.  The kids were involved – they had to do 4 things to become a pirate – dance, limbo, shoot the cannons, and one other thing – it was so fun.  And they had a restroom with a place to change diapers.  And it was clean.  And I was grateful.”

Note – she has an 18 month old – so this is a critical point for anyone traveling to these boat trips with babies. Chesapeake Pirate also has a clean bathroom in their store but I did not notice a baby changing station. Tickets  for Baltimore’s Urban Pirate are $20 for adults and kids and $10 for children under 3. Boats also depart 6 times a day, beginning at 9:30am and ending at 5:30pm. My friend thinks they also stop the boat tours at the end of October – I would just call to find out.

Bottom line: I think you can’t go wrong with either one….just make your reservations in advance, mateys. Oh, and specify WHICH pirate boat you are headed too before meeting your friends and their kids….#fail.

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Mid-Summer Sweltering Survival Tips

July 21, 2011

The dog days are seriously here – and if you are looking for ideas on how to survive – here’s a recap of some of the summer ideas covered here or links to other great DC bloggers who offer some fab tips. Call me a little lazy today because of all the link-love but it’s too hot to think.  And hopefully there’s something for everyone below.

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Dutch Wonderland: A Review

June 28, 2011

As part of my ongoing series devoted to summer survival, I offer you below my old review of Dutch Wonderland (you’ll see it’s a bit old with the Jon and Kate reference…remember those days?). Quick summary: if you haven’t been, it’s definitely a great day trip or weekend trip with the young ones.

When first hearing of Dutch Wonderland, I had trouble believing it was a family amusement park instead of an, ahem, adult film.  With a name like that, how is a gal not supposed to think it’s not a XXX peep show starring Dutch women?  As it turns out, Dutch Wonderland is an amusement park built entirely for young children, including those as young as 1.5 or 2, nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country.  Being an organized and thorough gal (0bviously with a mind in the gutter), in prep for the trip, I quizzed everyone I knew that had already visited DW, thoroughly read the extensive DW web site and finally, I recorded the Jon & Kate episode where  they spend the day at the amusement park.  This show taped back when they were still feigning marital stability. I needed a visual of the site to make sure it wasn’t a dump.

Located just 2 hours from my house  in Silver Spring (without traffic, 3.5 hours with traffic), Dutch Wonderland is a veritable preschooler oasis. Now, let’s be clear, today’s review has two parts: one part review of my kid, one part review of the amusement park.  Unfortunately, the place earned the higher grade than my beloved 3 year old. 

We spent the day at DW on a Friday in late July. Our rationale for not going on a weekend: it’s tough enough to keep a preschooler’s interest in general  – how would we keep her interested while waiting in long lines for rides? Truthfully I have no idea if the lines are long and painful on a summer weekend but given its proximity to DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia – even just a few hours from New York City – it would be hard to imagine the lines aren’t painful on the weekends.

On the particular Friday we visited, the lines were really nothing to speak of. The park itself is beautifully landscaped and very clean. Even the bathrooms were clean and well stocked (and I am a huge bathroom snob). The park has a wide variety of rides depending on what appeals to your precious cherub but all the rides are age appropriate for young ones, including the roller coaster. In addition to a variety of rides, the park offers shows at scheduled times throughout the day, which are all posted on the DW web site. These shows are the perfect time to give your child some down time or escape from the heat or afternoon summer shower. We took in the Country Bears show under a shady tree and the Thomas the Train show under a big tent during a torrential down pour. If we’d had more time, we would have hit even more of the shows.

As it turned out, our daughter woke up on the wrong side of the bed on the day we visited DW and after several hours, rides, great shows, lunch and an ice cream treat, we were still shoving a good time down her throat. One questions every ounce of their being when they are spending $90 for 3 people to have fun, only to realize that it’s really not fun at all because of the unpredictable toddler mood. As a last ditch resort, we hit the water park side of DW, and her foul mood was washed away.

If only water parks instead of ice cream would lift my spirits.

The water park side of DW has several different areas of amusement depending on the age of your child and their comfort level with sprouting water. Don’t think I didn’t catch my husband having a water gun fight with some preteen boy and loving every minute of it.  If I’d known this in advance, maybe I should have sent husband and daughter packing off to a water park closer to our home and just taken myself to the mall? Who knows, but the day turned for the better once we spent some time in the water park, and it became the enjoyable day I envisioned in my head prior to our arrival.  Even our 8 month old would have had a great time in the DW water park.

Overall I’d highly recommend this as a day trip for families with younger kids. You’ll spend a wad of money as it costs $30 per person to enter the park, you cleverly have to exit through the gift shop, and there are food choices and brightly colored drinks, at every turn, each one a magnetic pull for the 3 year old who loves salt and sweets. That being said, it’s age appropriate, clean, beautifully landscaped, and a manageable distance for a day trip. Also, there are outlet stores conveniently located across the street from the amusement park.

One final note – make sure you read up on the rain policy – they give out free passes for readmission in the summer if it rains for more than an hour during your visit. We benefitted from lazy teens working the customer service area, as it was raining when we were about ready to leave, and they easily gave us the three free return passes though it hadn’t been raining for close to an hour.

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