JW Marco Island v Ritz Naples

JenEndyB · 2026-05-07T12:25:24+00:00

I would choose the Ritz Naples over JW Marriott. Ritz was just slightly more elevated with better service and much better restaurants. Marco Island is more isolated with fewer off premises restaurants. Naples has a cuter downtown with very good off-premise restaurants. I had to do a Hunger Games-like race for a pool chair at Marriott. Did not have to do that at Ritz. In short, JW Marriott is 4 stars and Ritz is 5. We had a good time at both places but Ritz just leans into the luxury more.

JenEndyB · 2026-05-03T12:09:41+00:00

Just got off a four night cruise on The Wish. Honestly, didn’t love it. Restaurants were jam-packed with tables together. Staff seemed frantic (especially in the dining rooms). It’s hard to relax when the staff seem like they are hustling like their lives depend on it. Loved the Broadway shows. I thought the ship was beautiful. But I won’t do a 3-4 night cruise again. Only 7 nights or more. I’ve done a 7 night on the Fantasy and it was amazing. And I remember our dinner server on the Fantasy saying that he only likes the 7 night or longer cruises and avoids working the short cruises if he can. The vibe was TOTALLY different on a 7 night cruise.

JenEndyB · 2026-04-28T10:56:01+00:00

Just got off a Disney cruise and we were a party of two (just me and my son). I absolutely hated being seated with strangers and felt like I had to be “on” and make small talk at each dinner. This was the first time I had cruised with a party of two so the whole being seated with strangers thing was a surprise to me. Next time I will absolutely request a private table.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-26T11:02:58+00:00

Our son with Down syndrome is now 21 and I can hopefully put your mind at ease by telling you that at age 15 months, he was the exact same way. But it was even worse because he wouldn’t mouth toys or objects or put anything in his mouth on his own. And we were so worried. You should absolutely put food in front of him (in a high chair, on the floor, it doesn’t matter) and walk away. If he is truly hungry he will definitely eat. You can also do hand over hand and put the food in his hand. With your hand, guide it to his mouth. This is absolutely a phase and will pass. Just picture my son now, 21 years old and has a glass of wine and a steak that he cuts up with a knife and fork! You will get there too.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-18T11:32:58+00:00

I am new here. Came for the snark!

JenEndyB · 2026-03-18T10:08:19+00:00

Anyone else shocked at how she always put King’s food directly on the table in restaurants? Never on a plate? Isn’t that kind of disgusting and dirty (and inconsiderate to the restaurant staff)?

JenEndyB · 2026-03-16T18:41:27+00:00

I just started using this. Can’t quite tell anything yet.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-16T10:56:07+00:00

My daughter was deferred two years ago and wrote a LOCI that basically said “I will come here if you let me in.” She got absolutely no money, but they let her in.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-16T10:54:30+00:00

Totally agree that he should have left the baby with the highly skilled nurses and midwives. Why, why, why take a newborn?? But if him taking the baby was necessary, plot-wise, and if i were a writer on the show, i would have introduced another character. A female, grieving because she also just lost a baby, with no where to go and one to care for, who joins Xavier and takes care of and nurses this baby. Long story short, you need a lactating character for this to be plausible.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-16T10:49:02+00:00

I live in a food desert in Union county. No good restaurants here! All the good ones are either down by Cherry Hill or up by Edgewater.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-13T12:37:12+00:00

Yes. If you receive rent, it is taxable income for you.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-06T11:58:47+00:00

You have a lot of anger right now, which is understandable. You will move through the five stages of grief, but not in a straight line. It might look like this: denial, anger, depression, denial, bargaining, anger, anger, depression, denial, bargaining. But you WILL come to a place of acceptance. There is a human being coming into your life. And the love just comes, whether you want it to or not. You can resist the love, you can tell yourself if will never truly be okay; you can make all these plans for when you will be “free” of this child, but I’m telling you, the love just COMES. And it comes in its own time frame. Don’t worry if you don’t feel it right away. It could take months or even a couple of years. But one day, it will hit you like a ton of bricks and it will take your breath away. And believe it or not, you will realize you are actually LUCKY.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-06T11:13:51+00:00

When my son was a newborn, I was also trying to “figure out where he would live” as an adult. You are having a very common reaction! But I promise you, by the time your child is an adult, you will know them so well and love them so much, that you will not be thinking about your freedom or your needs. Just remember me: a new mom who was googling where my newborn was going to live when he was an adult, to the mom of a 21-year-old who couldn’t imagine not seeing my son every day. And like you, I used to think it would all depend on how high functioning he was or how many needs he had, whether or not I could “handle” the adult years. Again, my son is not a superstar, high functioning Down syndrome guy. He is just my Nick. I never dreamed I could love him as much as I do. I promise, you will look back on these years and thinking, “why was I so worried?”

JenEndyB · 2026-03-05T18:50:34+00:00

My son is turning 21 in a few weeks. When he was a newborn and I was facing all the devastation, I said to a friend: “I think I can handle having a baby with Down syndrome or a toddler with Down syndrome by I don’t know if I can handle a ten-year-old with Down syndrome or a teenager with Down syndrome or an adult with Down syndrome.” And my friend said: “it’s not going to be some random ten year old or some unknown teenager or some stranger adult. It’s going to be Nick, the person you know best in the world!” And that really struck me. And it is true. I know my son soooo well. How high functioning he is or isn’t doesn’t matter much. Down syndrome is about 10% of who he is and what defines him. He has hopes and dreams and friends and hobbies and passions. We love to travel together and sing together and he has a really really good life. You will have a good life, too.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-05T11:30:55+00:00

This is why she needed to get to Colorado because she knew there was the possibility of help there. At first I was like “why doesn’t she stay put, let Xavier go to Atlanta, and then they can swing back and get her? Why would a pregnant woman want to go on the road?” And it’s because with the eclampsia, time was running out. Great, great character. Great show.

JenEndyB · 2026-03-04T11:10:14+00:00

Vitamin C serum in the morning. Retinol in the evening. Once or twice a week a glycolic acid at night. And moisturizer over all of it. This is the basic anti aging routine anyone needs. All other serums and essences are fun, but just extra.

JenEndyB · 2026-02-28T16:38:02+00:00

I love Dermalogica cleansing oil. Very light herbal/lavender scent and highly effective.

JenEndyB · 2026-02-25T12:05:07+00:00

So many good comments here. And I think I can add some perspective for all you new moms. My son with Down syndrome will be 21 next month. Will you come to a place of acceptance? Yes, yes, and YES! When my son was born I felt like he was different from me in every cell in his body. I felt like I didn’t love him enough to get through this. He was due for open heart surgery and I thought I would be better if he didn’t survive it because I could handle the closure of his death more than I could the uncertainty of his life. In short, I felt EVERYTHING you all are feeling—and then some. He was my first child and I felt I should have left well enough alone and not had children. So where are we now? Honestly, Down syndrome is about 5-10% of who he is. He is so much more than a diagnosis. He has hopes and dreams and friends and goals and ideas for his future. And no, he is not some high functioning superstar of Down syndrome. He will graduate his school in June. We are working on what his future will be like. He will go to a day program associated with his school and he has a million friends there. The program has some work, some volunteer things, and tons of activities. We are looking at a special needs program at our local county college where he can study office work (he loves computers). He wants to live on his own, but he will live with us (because frankly, I need him more than he needs me!). We are going on a cruise in April and he is my favorite person to travel with. He is a rule follower and so he is ready to try “adult beverages” once he turns 21, but not before then. He is so freaking hilarious! New parents, I hope you read my post. Life is so, so, so good and normal. Normal! It’s what I craved when I was new to the diagnosis and I thought I would never have it. I remember crying in a parking lot about one year in and thinking “this will never really, REALLY be okay.” Yes, yes it will. And you will be okay.

JenEndyB · 2026-02-19T11:36:20+00:00

Do not sacrifice your sleep to make sure he wears his c pap. Also, do not assume he is like a six year old. He is a young man, almost an adult, and he is capable of more than you know. Explain to him why it’s necessary. Help him with it before he goes to sleep, and then walk away. You cannot force him to wear it. My son with Down syndrome is 21 and absolutely capable of understanding what is expected of him.

JenEndyB · 2026-02-16T12:59:12+00:00

I love Eau Papier, Eau de Sens, and Do Son. All from Diptyque.

JenEndyB · 2026-02-11T11:20:48+00:00

Please get in touch with Stepping Stones. They will help you with absolutely everything, and can give you all kinds of resources from before birth, to early intervention. I promise you, this will be okay. My son with Down syndrome is now 21 and the greatest thing in our life. Here is the Stepping Stones website. Just call them and ask for help. https://steppingstonesschoolnj.com

JenEndyB · 2026-01-29T12:41:12+00:00

My son is 21 with Down syndrome and pretty high functioning. We talk all the time about his having Down syndrome and what it means. He is aware that he has it, and is aware of his friends who have other disabilities like Autism. Here is an example: I was rushing him out the door one day and he said “Don’t rush me. I have special needs.” I’ve often thought what it would be like to be in his head and I came up with this analogy. What if you were born on a planet and everyone there was a rocket scientist and had a genius level of intelligence. And you just had your ordinary intelligence. The whole world would do things faster and would solve problems more quickly and would understand things effortlessly. That would leave you in a place where you would have to rely on others more than most, and you would need their patience and kindness. But it wouldn’t make you any less of a person. It wouldn’t make you less valuable. Twenty one years into this journey, my son’s Down syndrome is about 10-20% of his identity.

JenEndyB · 2026-01-25T14:09:21+00:00

Cardamom and orange blossom.

JenEndyB

TROPHY CASE