Ep. 371 - A Match Made in Heaven: A Northern Europe Cruise and Adventures by Disney

00:00.00 dclduo Welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DCL duo podcast brought to you by my path unwinding. It's not too hot in my window. It may be too loud on your headphones. So thank you for stopping me there. 00:05.51 Sam B Brian you're too hot your mag makes way too hot. Okay, okay, all right sorry because we are so mean to each other. 00:16.27 Howie and Martha Um, y'all are like my favorite couple ever. Ah well and that means we're normal. But. 00:21.92 dclduo And actually Sam you need to turn your gain down your peaking I can tell when you laugh. Try again, say something loud ha ha ha. 00:26.31 Sam Ah I love it. Ok ok, all right. It sounds good there. We go hello. Ah okay. 00:37.37 dclduo You're good now you're not, you're not peeking all right I'm going to start over and this time you're not going to interrupt me like you do in our daily life welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DCL duo podcast brought to you by my path unwinding travel and Sam we got friends again. We got friends friends on board friends on board. 00:52.66 Sam Yes I love it I do I know I love it I Wish that we were on board with them because it sounds like they had a pretty cool itinerary and a pretty amazing cruise despite a couple of hiccups that we'll talk about on the show. 00:56.46 dclduo Yeah, yeah. 01:08.00 Sam But Brian do you have a review you want to read before we introduce our lovely guests. Yeah I want to hear good stuff about myself I want I want compliments? yeah. 01:09.32 dclduo You want to review you want positive feedback about our show you want hear? Do you want compliments all right? Well let me see if I can find I can dig up a 5 star review here to read on the air reachful nut I can see him because I didn't have one ready. 01:27.39 Sam But I remembered this time see. 01:29.12 dclduo I know and now I can't out there. It is see all it wasn't giving them to me and I have to remember who left the last one because we're still in December I think we did Booker d last time right? ah redid Ray Run so this one would be okay. Oh and that's a 2 star review I was getting ready to read that would not be the one to read all right here. We go here. We go all right? So well I do in fact, have a 5 star review for you this week and it comes from black horsee 36 who writes the best podcast for Disney Cruise line reviews and News Brian and Sam are truly the dynamic duo. 01:47.60 Howie and Martha Um, so for. 02:02.61 dclduo Whether you are a regular Disney Cruiser new to dcl or are just coming by to learn and gain some insight on cruising with Mickey this is the right place to listen. They provide a quality show that is honest, funny and informative these two do a great job leading fellow cruisers through the fun of cruising with Disney and they dive into the things onboard that everyone is talking about. 02:03.52 Sam Ooh. 02:22.34 dclduo They discuss dcl itineraries news review recent trips with fellow cruisers and much more I enjoy listening to them each week and know you will too. Well, thank you black horsee 36 you can't tell right now because we're not recording the video but Sam is smiling from ear to ear as she's. 02:38.40 Sam Yes, you like me, you really like me. Ah. 02:40.22 dclduo Yes, everyone loves you Sam everyone loves you sam as always, but let's welcome our guest to the show. Let me throw it over you sam welcome our guests into the show because it's time to get started and talk about another fabulous cruise experience. 02:51.92 Sam All right I love that Thank you black horsee 36 welcome to the show Howie and Martha you have been on our show before but you've got to remind folks about your cruising credentials. You guys have some great cruise experience. We loved having you on previously. We're so happy you're back. Thanks for joining us. 03:12.80 Howie and Martha Thank you! We are so excited to be back. Absolutely thanks for having us again. We didn't flow up too bad. The first time I guess so we won for round 2 Well yeah, we've cruised a few times I'll let Martha go down that list. Um. 03:19.63 dclduo My. 03:22.20 Sam Ah, ah, that's right. 03:28.11 Howie and Martha This one was our eighth Cruise so we this is we were on the dream. So this completed our fab five. So we were very excited about that we've done eastern southern western caribbean we've done Northern Europe was this one and we've done a Mediterranean Cruise we've done star wars day at sea maritime. Um Halloween on the high seas and we've done 2 avetures by Disney short escapes that we've done before cruises where dvc members are home resorts or animal kingdom and grand floridian and then just. Multiple Disney rolls stays and then hopefully this summer are finally will rescheduled covid disney land trip is coming. 04:12.24 Sam Oh yay! I'm excited for you guys to get to Disneyland I think you'll love it. Well I'm so excited first to talk to you guys about adventures by Disney Because the the last time we had you guys on. We actually did talk about your short escape before your med cruise and we talked of course about your med crews. But this time around we're talking Copenhagen and Northern Europe so abd short escape in Copenhagen and then Northern Europe cruise that left from Copenhagen let's start by asking like why this cruise why this short escape what was um what was tempting for you all for this particular trip. 04:52.33 Howie and Martha I think for this one it was ports. We've never been to and we've never been to Copenhagen. Um, so just wanted to try something new and we really wanted to get all the ships in so when the dream went over to Europe we just knew that we had to pick an itinerary to. To get on the ship because previously the dream was doing short itineraries and we would like longer ones so we hadn't been on her before so we that was our main our main drive for for picking this one. 05:23.72 Sam It awesome and it is a fantastic itinerary and of course it's summertime it was summertime when you cruise so kids are out of school. Why don't you tell us? Um, we know, but why don't you tell our listeners who all is in your sailing party and who was on this trip. 05:37.91 Howie and Martha Sure we have 3 boys um Matthew Philip and Thomas Matthew is 10 going on 11 Philip is 13 and then Thomas is seventeen. So so good angel ranges but Thomas is. Get him close to flying the coop and we're enjoying as much time as we can with him. 05:56.36 Sam Oh that's so nice I love that all right? So you guys headed across the pond as we say over to Europe did you stop anywhere before heading to Copenhagen or did you head straight there. 06:13.94 Howie and Martha We live in Virginia so what we did is we actually Drew drove to Dc and then we did a nonstop flight to Copenhagen. Um, we've had layovers before that were not the best experience. So our goal was a nonstop flight if we could do it? Um, so that's. 06:18.19 Sam So. 06:31.19 Howie and Martha That's how we ended up on that flight. 06:32.19 Sam Awesome and when you get to copenhagen did you start your short escape immediately or were you there for any time before obviously you're there before the cruise by a couple of days because you've got the short escape schedule. But what was sort of your plan when you arrived. 06:46.61 Howie and Martha So yeah, they picked us up right? away it started basically that evening and we always tend to do this. We fly in it ends up being early in the morning when we get there. We're like oh let's go walk around an hour into walking around. we're like okay we're exhausted so let's go back to the hotel and see if her rim's ready. Which it never is so then we all sleep in the lobby and that tends to speed them up a little bit when you have 5 people make their lobby and so and one of our abd guides comes over and and she goes well because there's 5 of us they had to give us 2 2 rooms at the tiffy hotel. There. 07:11.21 dclduo Yeah. 07:13.66 Sam Ah, sitting. Ah. 07:25.27 Howie and Martha So they're like well one of the rooms is ready. The other one is not. We can get you to that one I'm like sold. So let's go rotate and take some naps and showers and all that stuff and then we'll be ready for our initial welcome dinner that night. 07:38.53 Sam Oh awesome. Nice now location of the hotel and which hotel like did you like the location. Obviously it's one that ab D chose not one that you all selected on your own so it was kind of a No- brainer. Um, but yeah, tell us about the hotel in particular. 07:58.20 Howie and Martha So that the tiffly hotel has a lot of historical significance and and abd tries to it seems like tries to pick um the most famous or infamous hotels for that area. The the problem with that is they're not always the best hotels in the area. Haven't been updated or you know they may be in the process of updating those. So tiffly hotel is a lot of great history but it definitely was not has conveniently located as some of the other hotels like in regards to like tiffli gardens and all that but it certainly was fine I mean it. European rooms in general are smaller so you have to go with that in mind and him recognize that you're not going to have as much storage space and in rim to spread out unfortunately instead of cramming 5 of us in 1 room they we were able to split between 2 rooms and that worked out just fine. 08:49.82 Sam Yeah, so they were at least able to accommodate 3 people in one of the rooms so they weren't completely 2 person rooms. Yeah yeah. 08:57.90 Howie and Martha Exactly yes, um I will say to keep in mind the ages of our kiddos. Our oldest was seventeen the rooms in this hotel are not adjoining so he was able to take his older brother and be in a room and we were able to take our youngest kiddo and stay with us. But. If you have a larger family and all your children are very very young then you might have to reconfigure how the adults are sleeping that on paper that wasn't the case. 1 of us was in 1 room. One of us was in the other so any abd folks listening just ignore that last statement. 09:27.82 Sam Right? Yeah, yeah, well of course ah adults and that's the same on Dcl right? adult you have to have one adult in. 09:36.86 Howie and Martha And sign if yeah. 09:40.65 Sam Yeah in each of the rooms and so even your sleeping arrangements might look different than what your booking arrangements look like but on the books it needs to be 1 adult in in rooms particularly with younger children and even even for adults I think it's on Dcl I think it's even like 21 if the other people in the state room are minors like an 18 year old can stay by themselves in a stateroom but they can't stay with their younger sibling 18 and 14 something like that. Yeah yeah, no, that's my. 10:09.70 Howie and Martha Exactly. 10:12.78 dclduo I'm curious were these adjoining rooms though. At least I mean in Europe Hotel rooms can be Yeah okay all right I miss that detail. Okay. 10:17.62 Sam No, that's what they said they're not adjoining. Yeah yeah. 10:18.32 Howie and Martha They were side by side so we could easily and we traded key card so they had and a key card to get to our room and we had a key card to get to theirs. Um, so we we were able to go back and forth but they they were not adjoining. There was no and interior. 10:28.20 Sam Um. 10:34.20 Howie and Martha Connecting Rooms. We had to go out of the room and to their room now. The nice thing about the Tivoli I will say each floor had a common area with ah yeah, a couple sofas and chairers to lounge around and so we could sit out in that little comfortable area. And relax a little bit if we wanted to but in the rooms themselves. It was basically dad's bathroom shower and maybe one chair you know it wasn't month. Yeah. 10:58.22 Sam Yeah, yeah, very very small. Yeah, like you said european rooms just not what we see in american hotels all right? So let's talk about the short escape. How long was it you obviously if you're welcome dinner. The first night was that at the hotel or was that elsewhere and then we'll start. Talking obviously about the next day 11:19.90 Howie and Martha Um, the welcome dinner was at the hotel. It was um and I and I'll back up when you first get to the hotel you do meet your abd guides and they kind of go over if there's any dietary concerns I have a food allergy. We kind of went over that we have 1 son that's on the spectrum. You know and they kind of get to know everybody and kind of what your goals are if there's any accommodations that they they need to make um like for us, we never got our luggage tags for our crews and it took the whole short escape but they they finally got us some luggage tags so anything like that you kind of let them know. When you first arrive. Um, but the first interner was at the hotel. It was a buffet which is works great because then whatever allergies you just kind of went to the station that you could eat and they introduce themselves everyone in the abd group. There's twenty five Twenty five ah people. And then you introduce each other. Um it was probably fifty fifty as far as the group that were going on the cruise with us and then some were just doing the short escape on its own and that's the first night 12:28.73 Sam It No Interesting I hadn't really thought about the fact that there might be folks who weren't actually going on the cruise in your group. Um, yeah, it just didn't really occur to me. But I Guess yeah, you can. You don't have to pair it with a cruise it just pairs nicely with the cruise. Obviously. 12:41.26 Howie and Martha Yeah I never thought of that either and I was like well it kind of worked out like 1 couple was from Chicago they they were already doing a european kind of tour themselves. So like oh let's throw this in at the end they flew in the copennegenend out their their european trip. 12:53.46 Sam Here. 12:58.73 Howie and Martha And then another lady that's all she does is she does short escapes. She goes by herself her family usually doesn't want to go with her prize man so she kind she came she did it and then she flew back to the states right afterwards. So yeah. 13:04.67 Sam Oh interesting. 13:10.83 Sam Oh wow all right? So how long is this this short escape it starts on that one evening but how many full days. Do you get. 13:19.52 Howie and Martha So it's 3 nights most short escapes or 3 nights ends up being about um, really three days they call it 4 days but kind of works out be three days so we fly in you really don't have a lot to do. You can go out on your own of course on first day 13:35.78 Sam So. 13:37.70 Howie and Martha And the welcome dinner that night and then they kind of walk you through the next day they let you know the the official official itinerary that they sent us before you know that's more of a guide and a suggestion versus the actual order of events so they're like just be preparing for things to change and for surprises to be thrown in there and. And it worked out just fine in that same point. So so we started brighting early the next day and kind of just kicked it off. You know. 14:03.63 Sam Awesome! So what? what were the events of that day. 14:09.57 Howie and Martha The first day we did um a canal boat tour and they took us to the little mermaid statue which was like a highlight for me and then we did a walking tour copenhagen and then they took us to Tivoli Gardens and that one we had lunch at tivili gardens and then they gave us a wristband so that we could go on any and all of the rides and it was good for like the whole day. So at that point you were kind of on your own. So if you just wanted to do one ride and go back to the hotel you could. But if you wanted to. 14:37.33 Sam That's awesome. 14:45.44 Howie and Martha Park it up and be there all night you could have done that too. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. The canal boat tour. It was interesting you you saw all the canal boats going by and they were packed I mean just local folks there for us. They got ah one of the canal boats that they usually would pack out and it was just the 25 of us and. 14:48.41 Sam Awesome. 14:55.21 Sam So. 15:04.55 Howie and Martha 2 guides going around. So yeah, definitely you get a little private kind of tour experience from that standpoint and then tivli gardens you know they have the well they claim it's world's oldest wooden roller coaster there so they managed to kind of walk us in the exit and and let us ride it a couple times. 15:05.85 Sam Think oh wow. 15:19.68 Sam Ah, yeah. 15:24.32 Howie and Martha And jumped the line so we got a little. We didn't so we went around they like do you want to go again. We're like of course we want to go again. So so we went around again and then we after that we were kind of. We went to lunch and then. 15:27.27 Sam Yeah, you got a little ah fast passs ah or lightning lane action Vip style. Um, so. 15:27.35 dclduo If. 15:43.52 Howie and Martha Had the day to ourselves like Martha was saying. 15:44.24 dclduo What what were the so tovoli gardens like what are the what are the attractions like in comparison to like theme parks here in the us is this like a Disney level of attraction or is this like a county fair. Okay. 15:45.17 Sam Nice. 15:55.63 Howie and Martha It reminded me very much of like a county fair I mean there were definitely some people in our group that looked at some rides and thought what are the safety concerns and I was like I grew up in the country. This is all good I'm going on all the rides. No, if I didn't fall out a tree I'm gonna be okay with those people. Fun. You know it's interesting though. Walt Disney himself spent a lot of time there and he got some of the original concepts of. 16:17.97 Sam Ah, yeah, it's resting on cinder blocks. But it'll be just fine. But. 16:29.46 Howie and Martha Ah, you know, kind of setting the stage for people to be enclosed and not seeing the outside world based on the design of tivoli garden so you know really, you can see some of the um, some of the flair that Disney has pulled away from their visit to Tivoli Garden Center now certainly at the same time It's not to the scale of Disney but it's kind of nice when you're walking around in lush green areas and trees and brush and and just a little more hintman environment so you could definitely tell they kind of took that and ran with it a little bit. 16:50.40 Sam Right. 17:03.99 Sam Yeah I love that inspiration. Yeah now after lunch did you all return to Tivoli gardens to keep doing some rides or did you guys explore on your own or were you just tuckered out at that point. 17:06.52 Howie and Martha And. 17:15.87 Howie and Martha We did the rides we we did as long as my kids were standing upright I'm like let's do it because I don't know when we will over go back? Um, but I will say our previous abd was in Rome and my kids are very that was their kind of diet. 17:20.56 Sam Yeah, yeah. 17:33.10 Howie and Martha Scandinavian Diet not so much for them so we did leave a little early and we went on the hunt for something that resembled American food. Um, sorry. 17:36.50 Sam O. 17:44.48 dclduo Who I was like did something just go off on my computer. Ah. 17:46.00 Sam Yeah, yeah, yeah, no worry. 17:48.91 Howie and Martha I'm assuming that was Martha's phones wanted to reset that. Yeah I ah um, my boys are not really into the scandinavian diet. So. 17:50.97 dclduo No worries stories take your time. It's always easy to cut things out and start over. 17:56.78 Sam Yeah, start with the Scandinavian diet. Yeah. 18:04.59 Howie and Martha We left a little bit early and just went for the hunt for anything that looked American so along the canal we saw it was called the little Green Island and it was a little floating restaurant that did wood burning pizzas. Yes yes. 18:17.80 Sam I I was going to say you have to find pizza right? like that's like because pizza it doesn't matter where you are in Europe I feel like you can find like italian style pizza. You know the really thin crossed pizza and you. 18:26.26 Howie and Martha Music with allnna. 18:32.97 Sam Just cheese and sauce right? and most kids are okay with that. 18:34.43 Howie and Martha Yeah, it was perfect. I mean we had found that place Martha and I had gone for a walk the the evening before after dinner and we found that place I'm like that's a place we're gonna hit up when when we have dinner on our own so because it was kind of a nice little pub feel. Easy going laid back. He told bunch of locals would go there so it was kind of nice to get away and not do just touristy stuff. 19:02.93 Sam You? Yeah well and that's a you know a good point though that you bring up Martha about just you know food in general in Europe and it being different but ah, you know in particular in scandinavian food much more different like americans are more accustomed to italian food. Let's be honest, we eat more italian food. We don't eat. Lot of scandinavian food. Um, but that sort of helps with like obviously being on the cruise ship. You know you don't have to really eat when you're off the ship but when you're on one of these abds you are eating in local restaurants and not all of your meals were included. It sounds like but. What what is it like 50% or so okay. 19:39.56 Howie and Martha Probably more than that at least 2 meals every day were included. Um, so and honestly you probably really weren't hungry enough to eat much more than that. But you know the kids were definitely. You know they were kind of done with some of the scandinavian food. The lunch. 19:49.22 Sam Yeah. 19:56.96 Howie and Martha Actually was to Tivoli Garden which wasn't bad. It was It was fine but they you can tell they wanted to break or any from that kind of cuisine. 20:08.50 Sam Yeah, so what did you guys? do then that evening where you I mean at that point you probably are tuckered and you've had a full day at between the canal tour and the park and of course hunting for food. Um did you round out the day with any evening activities. 20:22.40 Howie and Martha We we got the kids in bed and then hower and I just took advantage of the fact that we have an older kiddo and just walked along the canal and just had some time just the 2 of us to kind of take in the sites. But. 20:38.19 Sam And that's so nice. Yeah I can't wait for that day. Ah. 20:40.60 dclduo So you talking about Sam we just went for a run this afternoon just the 2 of us. Well our son played Xbox or whatever it was at home. So there you go. 20:41.18 Howie and Martha Um, here Copenhagen I'm not sure you'll feel like but. 20:50.00 Sam Yes, but that but that's a little different in our own house I'm not sure would do that in a foreign city. Yeah, exactly all right? So Let's talk about um day number two is it another or I'll say full day number 2 Is it another early morning and would you get up to that day. 21:06.48 Howie and Martha They are all the mornings are very early. They pack in as much as they can which I appreciate because you get a short amount of time and they really try to get in all the highlights. This was my favorite day because I love the viking history so we did a viking ship museum. Um, where you actually got in a little viking boat and they had us row out and put up the sails. Um, it was so much fun for me I don't I might have been outnumbered in my family but I had the best day I felt like a real viking. 21:41.60 Sam Ah, that sounds awesome. Yeah. 21:46.27 Howie and Martha Including the storm rolling in across the thing. Yeah, you know am full. We had a great film. No I We we had a great time except for the lady in front of me hit me with the or a couple times but that's that's okay I probably probably deserved it a little bit but. 21:50.72 Sam Ah, so Howie. Ah Howie I take it. You didn't love it then or you did. 22:00.42 dclduo She she claimed accidentally but we all know. Otherwise yeah. 22:03.67 Sam Ah, ah. 22:04.47 Howie and Martha Yeah, it is like yeah and I'm sure Martha was like just hit them again. It'll be on birthday one over time be knocks and senses into them but we we had a great time. Um, just piloting the I mean I guess it was um, probably a 12 man bo. 22:12.21 Sam Ah. 22:23.79 Howie and Martha So it wasn't a full sizeking ship obviously but it was one that they were routinely use or designed like a 1 um one they would routinely use so we use the oares we got out of the little yeah area right there that they harber the yeah what't he really a harbor I'm I'm sure what to call it. But. So we orared out and then we got to the point we could raise the sail and you know that was a little bit of a challenge for some folks but we finally got there and and we're able to sail around a little bit so it was kind of fun and then on the way back storm clouds rolled in and thunder and lightning and it was often the distance enough that. 22:48.28 dclduo No. 23:02.30 Howie and Martha Here in the Us we're like okay we would normally go in now and there they're like man this normal weather for us. So just kept going around for a little while and then we finally came back in so it was fun. We had a good time. 23:16.21 Sam It sounds like Seattle ah, if we didn't like stay out and about in the wintertime when it's raining like we would just never be outside. It's gloomy and raining. But that's like I said that's that's Seattle so awesome. Um, how was ah how was the food on day two I mean where did they take you on or this full day too I said I'm saying day 2 but I know it's actually day three. Um. 23:41.26 Howie and Martha Well, every morning we had breakfast at the hotel so they gave us I guess it's kind of a club level concier level access so you will go up to the to the concierre's lounge and have breakfast which was pretty americanized so that was pretty good. And the kids always enjoyed that part and then for lunch we were at the viking museum. There was a restaurant right? there beside the museum and and they had a you know it's funny. They had american food on the menu but for us they set the menu for the entire group so we had I don't know some sort of roast beef. Ah, dish and potatoes and and it was it was fine I liked it. The kids were definitely not into it but Martha was not into it too much either. So but for me I like how you just about anything I don't and I'm not but the rest of them. They were. 24:23.89 Sam Yeah. 24:26.44 dclduo Yeah. 24:35.52 Howie and Martha They were like we'll have to get something when we get back I'm like okay we'll go find something later but more pay. It's a yeah, it's probably more like ice cream. It seemed like every time I turn around I was buying ice cream. 24:37.52 dclduo So. 24:40.64 Sam Ah, more pizza for dinner than ah did I Guess yeah. 24:49.80 Sam I Love it I Love it anything. Do you guys get up to anything that evening. 24:54.77 Howie and Martha Ah, well yeah, that was in the the viking museum shop was in the morning through lunchtime then we went to a couple castles after that forburg castle and Krnburg Castle um and those were that was neat experience at krenbure castle they actually had. 24:57.77 Sam Oh okay. 25:04.80 Sam Oh cool. 25:11.62 Howie and Martha Um, a period actor tell us the story of hamlet while we were going through the castle which is yeah they're saying that's where the original story came from so. 25:19.21 Sam Yeah. Yeah I supposed to be the king of Denmark right? so. 25:26.17 Howie and Martha I haven't verified the history on that. But I believe him he seemed pretty convincing so right? so that yeah exactly. 25:30.63 dclduo I feel like this this sounds a lot like we are the home to the first cheeseburger in the us you know like there's like 20 restaurants out there that claim to be the home of the first cheeseburg. Yeah there you? Yeah yeah. 25:37.30 Sam Great well or that or like Juliet's balcony in verona in italy right? like there's all these you know or you know the little mermaid statue right? like there's all these things that you know a lot of the time they're created after. 25:48.79 dclduo Yeah, well usually it's usually it's caveated. We were the first people to make the cheeseburger with cheddar cheese in the United States we were the first people to use to use grilled onions on a cheeseburger. So maybe it's maybe it's one of those situations. Yeah. 25:59.77 Sam Ah. 26:03.45 Howie and Martha A little ad strike there first. She ever list is what makes me the first. Ah you know boy was phone kind of gri. Yeah in this town. 26:06.97 dclduo Yeah, yeah. 26:07.87 Sam Right? Yeah, first cheeseburger in this town. Nice nice. So um, yeah, what did you all get up to for dinner and that evening then after the castles. 26:13.15 Howie and Martha Too fine. It's. 26:19.90 Howie and Martha We did more we you did more pizza. Yeah I think we did we said more pizza so we were kind of zocked after that I mean it was full day. We've been going since probably eight o'clock that morning. We got back to the hotel. No probably 6 or 7 26:23.86 Sam Yeah, so yeah, yeah. 26:36.69 Howie and Martha And of course it didn't get dark there until like ten at night so that 30 so that was ah yeah, another parental mistake on my part because usually we tell the kids it's dark. It's bedtime and they're like it is not dark I'm like it's 10 30 and you're going to bed you're going to bed I don't daylight but ah. 26:39.16 Sam Right far North yeah. 26:47.94 Sam Yeah. 26:55.94 Howie and Martha I Know it's bright outside but we're um. 26:56.89 Sam Oh yeah, that's as again summer in Scandinavia similar to summer in Seattle it is light until very late at night they're very far north and so yeah, it's like they get those these shorter days in the winter but you get these really long long days in the summer 27:11.60 Howie and Martha Yeah, exactly. 27:14.41 Sam Sounds beautiful though. Did you guys get out for another walk I mean I kind of I love that you were able to do that on your own. It seems like a. 27:19.38 Howie and Martha Um, by the time we got done with dinner. It was already packed getting to be pretty late. We we were packing because the next day was we left for the the ship so in the nice part of abd. It's kind of like the cruise you pack on your suitcases and then you leave it outside the room. 27:23.28 Sam Oh yeah. 27:36.69 Howie and Martha With the dcl luggage tags and then they collect all the luggage and they put it on the bus so that and the and they give it then to the porters at the cruise. So just be mindful that anything that you would need to get on the ship. Please do not pack that in your suitcases because you will not at night. 27:39.17 dclduo Yep. 27:51.91 Sam Yeah, do you leave them at at night or in the morning at night. Okay, yeah. 27:56.37 Howie and Martha We put them up all night and you know what actually that night we did the dinner at the oldest restaurant in copennigen oh I forgot about that. Yeah, it wasn't pizza that night so they took us to the oldest restaurant copen egg and then we had dinner there and and met the current owner and all that stuff and it was they had shut the whole restaurant down actually for us. 28:08.52 Sam No cool. 28:15.72 Howie and Martha So. 28:15.79 dclduo See there's there's another one of those categories because we've eaten at the oldest northern indian restaurant in London so there. Ah. 28:16.61 Sam Um, wow. 28:18.32 Howie and Martha Um, exactly and that's a good point here with that's fine. 28:22.84 Sam Ah. 28:24.19 dclduo Ah, ah, ah, ah, and I'm I'm from Kentucky where they have the oldest continuously operating bourbon distillery as opposed to the oldest bourbon distillery. So yeah, there you go? yeah. 28:27.20 Sam Ah, that's funny. 28:33.61 Howie and Martha Yeah, but I think we would have to do a taste test to see which one's better in that case, but. 28:34.53 Sam Ah, ah. 28:40.91 dclduo Yeah, the real question was is the food good I don't care how long you've been around was a food any good. Yeah there you go. 28:45.66 Howie and Martha Well, there actually I'm glad you brought the food. They're the food they had options that were super good and then others that were not so good Martha did not like most of the food but ah, you know, obviously she can they had like 4 fish dishes that they served and obviously she can't have any of that. But then. And nice ham dish and all that that was nice. So I think most of the restaurants what they were known for is their seafood dishes. So yeah I like my my allergy is all seafood like I stop breathing all seafood. Yeah, um, so yeah, there's a ton of salted fish in. 29:10.41 Sam You and that's your allergy right? yeah. 29:19.94 dclduo Yes, Scandinavia Yeah, yeah, yeah. 29:22.83 Howie and Martha Northern here. Yeah. 29:23.51 Sam Yeah, all right? So the next morning. Well you've already. You've put your bags outside. You've gone to bed you wake up the next morning and is there any like goodbye thing for Abd or was that the night before and then how what's what does the transfer to the port look like so. 29:41.73 Howie and Martha The night before was kind of the big goodbye this um the ones that were going elsewhere I am assuming that they they did transportation for them as well. We met at with the groups that were going on the cruise we boarded a bus. Now this is where anyone that's been an abd your guys have the orange paddle of power they have these little paddles that are bright orange that say adventures by Disney and I feel like this was probably worth the cost of the abd because when we got into the port of Copenhagen it was. A madhouse it was raining. It was cold. Apparently the computers were not working. They were very long lines people were not able to check in. But we just followed our little orange paddle and they walked us right up to someone who had a little laptop and got us right through security. 30:18.70 Sam We. 30:29.40 Sam Yeah. 30:35.93 Howie and Martha And we were on the ship. Yeah I'm not sure the concierro folks were happy because we walked right by them. Well. 30:37.14 Sam Wow. 30:42.51 dclduo Wait what what led to this like special behind the scenes acts os AbD wow wow wow wow. 30:45.64 Sam Ah, is just the ab d the orange paddle orange paddle of power is what Martha called it I love that? I love that yeah yeah 30:48.91 Howie and Martha It's just a yeah yeah and that's what they tell you when when well you guys are about to do an ab D I think River something right? So they'll tell you that just follow the paddle power and that'll that'll got everywhere and they always look in. 30:59.93 dclduo Um, yeah. 31:06.32 Howie and Martha Now for River Cruise is a little bit different. But for these these group tours that are going around various places they bookend you they put 1 in front 1 in the back and wherever you go, they make sure we kind of all stay together along the way. So yeah. 31:19.17 Sam I Yeah, that's awesome. That's fantastic I would have like I would totally understand the concierge folks being pissy about that I will say though oh sure of course of course of course and we. 31:25.39 Howie and Martha Yes, not count I mean especially. 31:27.81 dclduo Hey but we have we've had to sit there and watch back to back cruisers get back on So there's a yeah, yeah, family of the day gets aboard. Always ahead of everyone So there you go? yeah. 31:32.30 Howie and Martha No one. And this cruise we were not conciers and so our room was open which as people know like one thirty two I mean you don't get your room ready right away and we got to our room and looked out on our veranda and there still was a very significant line of people waiting. 31:37.55 Sam Yeah, yeah. 31:46.22 Sam In. 31:55.97 Sam Outside. Yeah. 31:56.95 Howie and Martha To get into the port. So I do think we had an an amazing embarkation but we were definitely in the minority. Yeah, we were at I think it was an hour late leaving that port. So yeah. 32:01.95 Sam Yeah, so. Wow Yeah, it sounds like they were a little overwhelmed with the size of the ship and just the whole production on check-in and all that because they've of course been to copenhagen before but with the magic not with the dream so you've got you know a significant amount. Additional passengers and actually if for folks who've listened to our show who that ah was was just out with the moral family on this same Cruise Itinerary The check in folks were actually like logged into the wrong Passenger manifest like they were so. When our friends went to check in and they gave their name and the reservation numbers. They couldn't find them in the system and it was because they literally were logged into the wrong manifest the wrong date? Yeah, So so I mean it may have been like everybody was right? It may. That's you know that those kinds of glitches though seem to happen. 32:52.65 Howie and Martha Oh my ghost with. 32:53.21 dclduo Yeah, perfect. 33:05.16 Sam More in foreign ports. You don't really expect them to happen in port canaveral but all right? Well, let's talk about um you know your crews in general we're going to really focus on the ports because obviously in Europe that's the star. Not to say that the dream isn't until a lovely ship but you've sailed on the fantasy before I know this was your first dream cruise because this was as you mentioned your fab 5 I love it? Um, but let's talk about the ports you your first port of call was in Keel Germany and I understand this one was a bit of a flop. So I do want to hear about it and why it was a flop and what you had booked in all of that. 33:45.31 Howie and Martha This one was a flop. We did this one was through Disney we did the enchanted um fairy tale castle and we knew it was gonna be a long bus drive I believe this is the first time that Disney's been to this port. Um, and so. 33:51.39 dclduo M. 34:02.31 Howie and Martha There were not very many options to pick from and we were in port a very short time. So I chose to do a port adventure just through Disney just I'd never been to that port before and it made me just kind of feel a little bit safer that I knew the ship would not leave me if I was on a disney excursion um so we knew it was going to be a long drive. Thankfully we did pack electronics. Um I know people not everybody was screen time but we packed electronics thankfully the yes notice and we were glad because it it ended up taking us. 34:32.13 dclduo It's a safe space here. We rely on them in our daily life. So yeah, totally safe space. Yeah. 34:40.74 Howie and Martha Over two and a half hours to get to the castle the guide which we then learned was not a guide. He was merely a chaperone to just a sheer presence on the bus just to see something happened so it was two and a half well almost two forty five minutes of just silence. 34:44.60 Sam So wow. 34:51.70 Sam Wow. 34:59.52 Howie and Martha No one talked there was no music. There was nothing um, no video nothing. Yeah, um so it took a while we then get to the port and our guide there was like I've been waiting for an hour where have you been. 35:02.37 Sam There was no like video they didn't even put on a movie or something Oh my God so. 35:19.45 Howie and Martha I didn't drive the bus I don't know what to tell you but we need if we could just get a restroom and get on with the tour at this point. Um, and I mean the tour with the castle I was thinking was going to be a very historical castle. 35:19.72 dclduo Ah. 35:23.25 Sam Yeah, Wow. Yeah. 35:37.75 Howie and Martha It's one that's used modern day now. Basically they just took off 1 floor and you walked around that 1 floor and in a lot of it was this is what would have been here but you know there was a war so we don't have all our books and this is a room but there was a fire so you can look at a picture and see what it used to look like. 35:49.14 Sam Wow. 35:54.19 dclduo So so it seems like you took a it feels like you took a 45 minute bus ride to a dilapidated castle without a guide 2 hours and 45 minute bus ride to a dilapidated castle without a guide. A. 35:54.92 Sam Yeah, but it's been redone. Well. 35:56.30 Howie and Martha Um. 36:02.70 Sam So 2 hours and 45 minutes 2 hours and 45 minutes Brian 36:03.72 Howie and Martha Um hours. But. 36:07.44 Howie and Martha Yeah, yeah, mother we we met the guide there. You know so the guy won the work like 3 hours and then the rest of the time we were on the bus. Um. 36:11.50 dclduo Um, unbelievable, Ah, the ok yeah, but you'd you'd expect someone to be on the bus kind of pointing out sights and things as you were going like yeah. 36:12.69 Sam The guy there. Yeah. 36:21.84 Sam Right? and prepping you and prepping you for what you're going to see and give you you know a bit of a talk and tell you about the country and about the agriculture and things like that. Yeah I mean that's normal, especially for a long bus ride. 36:23.41 Howie and Martha No yeah, but yeah. 36:30.54 Howie and Martha Um, yeah, you yeah you um and yeah and and nothing so then um and we were supposed to have time for lunch on your own but we were told by our guide because we were so late. 36:35.12 dclduo I'd be so curious to hear how this was described as a port adventure online I'm going to go look it up. Wow. 36:48.13 Howie and Martha Um, she's like you can walk to the food trucks which now this being said this port had a lot of or this cruise had a lot of ports with different currencies so we were hoping we could use our credit cards credit cards are not apparently widely used in kill Germany. 37:02.97 Sam Oh god. 37:06.80 Howie and Martha None of the places we stopped would take credit cards and I don't think we would have had time for food Anyway I think maybe one family had some Euros and got something out of a food truck and then they ate it on the bus. Um, so when we got back then that's another over to. 37:08.26 Sam Oh my God oh. 37:25.70 Howie and Martha Almost 3 hours which this is where it then went south because now you well I'm gonna call out mamas if we are hungry and tired and our kids are not happy is not a good day so that's about where I was and then I hear my oldest grab my youngest and say so look away look away. And she he's covering his face I'm like get off your brother hands off each other What are you doing and I happen to then look up and we were driving through the red light district not with words like very very understandable photos that my. 37:57.60 dclduo No. 38:03.23 Howie and Martha 10 year old had lots of questions at dinner that we did not want to handle on on a Disney Cruise like you know so we've been on. We've been on like 30 different port adventures but Disney and this's the only time we ever complained about port adventure. 38:09.19 Sam Oh my goodness. 38:18.72 dclduo Ah, yeah. 38:21.36 Howie and Martha And we brought up the red light district and the guy was like you know I thought the same thing when I rode through there and I'm like so you've ridden through there and you still thought it was a good idea that you blessed take us through that I'm like you got to be kidding me now when we talk to them. They they say well. 38:32.79 Sam Ah, to drive a bunch of families. So like ah. 38:39.77 Howie and Martha You know when we sent smaller ships here. We could go to a port that's closer and the drive distance was only an hour and 45 minutes so it was ah it was a lot closer and I'm like well then you should modify your time if at a very minimum pack of box launch for your guests because it was not a cheap. 38:49.30 dclduo Yeah. 38:51.90 Sam Yeah, yeah. 38:59.39 Howie and Martha Port adventure on top of we paid between 5 of us like thousand dollars to go on this port adventure and there and we really only had 3 hours of yeah touring and all that stuff and I I'm like so for that month me and that's you can pack upon much for everybody and in. 39:04.40 Sam Yeah, yeah. 39:11.78 Sam And no food and no food for that many hours. 39:14.44 dclduo Yeah. 39:18.89 Howie and Martha At least or make sure that there's some sort of provision available more than 15 minutes yeah of running to the next square and heading up a food truck after you find an atm to get some errors so we we were not super excited the castle. 39:32.15 Sam Yeah. 39:37.32 Howie and Martha It's not dilapidated but um, they've the floors that they took us to they moderate. They basically have redone them and and in the original decor but they actually they actually act actively use that building for their senate and all that stuff. So there's. Actual political use for that council Currently so um. 39:56.66 dclduo So it's interesting. So I'm looking at the I'm assuming this is the enchanted sch sweararon and its fairy tale castle tour and so it does yeah well it it says it's a 2 hour and 15 minute ride so there you go I mean you you. 39:56.92 Sam So. 40:04.32 Howie and Martha Um, yes, right? Not very. 40:08.94 Howie and Martha You know? yeah. 40:12.58 dclduo You had a half hour delay it sounds like which um because they also mentioned yeah because they mentioned um that you get a 20 minute ride from the castle to city center on a trolley train which it sounds like did not happen. Um, you did okay. 40:15.10 Sam Your half hour longer yes 40:23.39 Howie and Martha What we did. We did Riley troley they kind of crammed it in they're like okay we only have 30 minutes let's jump on here and we drove around real quick and for 15 minutes and then we hopped off I'm like okay so we got to see a little bit there. They they actually bri they changed that time after we. Ah, complained to them. They said well well we'll have to update the times it was 2 I think 2 hours yeah so they if they had 2 hours listed they changed it to 15 they should have changed to to at least two and a half or two 45 but yeah. 40:45.42 dclduo Well. 40:55.65 dclduo Well, what's really funny from the description here is it mentions nothing about time to eat it mentions you have 45 minutes of free time for independent exploration. So they must have like you know, updated that but then in the no before you go which is usually where you get all the good detail. It says that um you should bring currency. Although it also notes credit cards which you said were problematic to purchase extras such as souven here's or snacks so I don't know how Disney thinks that you can do what is listed is an 8 hour shore excursion without carving out time for lunch. that's that's unthinkable 41:23.80 Howie and Martha Yeah. 41:25.68 Sam Yeah, well or why don't they tell you pack or your grab. Ah ah and what do they call them the uncrestibles right? because one of the things that people just this a great I think tip actually. 41:30.88 Howie and Martha Well. 41:38.16 Sam Onboard Disney cruises. They tend to have unc crustables which are those peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches you can actually order them to room service or through room service or if you're in concierge you can get them from your concierge hosts in the lounge and that's maybe 1 of the only things hold on let me that's. 41:49.21 dclduo Yeah, but sit but see him. But I think I hold no no, no. But I think Michael's right here because like what about if I have a peanut allergy sorry Michael yeah sorry I think how he's right here because. 41:57.56 Sam You mean Howie, you just said Michael so. 42:03.16 dclduo Like what if you have a peanut allergy. You can't have an uncrustable like they should provide a box lunch. 42:06.97 Sam Ah, no agreed agreed they should provide a box lunch but I'm saying barring that at least tell people because like the only thing pretty much on board that's available that is comes prepackaged that you can take off of the ship. Without violating you know international laws those unc crustibles because everything else on the ship is not really prepackaged. 42:24.62 Howie and Martha Except we did find at breakfast cereal box cereal boxes. So we've run out like we filled Martha's backpack with cereal boxes. So the kidshow on cereal all the way back. So good. 42:29.88 dclduo Yeah, those are steeled. Yeah. 42:30.54 Sam Oh good point that's agreed. 42:38.11 Sam No so at least they had something. Yeah, so. 42:42.94 Howie and Martha Unfortunately, every day we we were like okay, let's just grab a bunch of sereal boxes just in case. Um, and then they'll least peel the snack on that until we get to the show and so that saved us. Yeah, at least twice during the port of ventures here. 42:57.20 dclduo Yeah, it sounds like but we got to move on to the next port because we'll be here all day and you know I can always critique Disney Cruise line but it super sounds like they needed to rethink their port excursions for this stop recognizing that a larger ship. 43:04.98 Howie and Martha Um, yeah. 43:13.19 dclduo Going into a different place which does not open the possibility for all the excursions that they used to do like that. It just sounds like there was not a good amount of pre-planning or like a test party that went in and said okay, let's see experience like now that we're here that is not an experience that Disney would support what's What's really interesting to me though is even after the feedback and the experience on this short excursion. They're still offering it. They don't seem to have really I mean they've updated two RAnd15 minutes you've said it was two forty five so it's still not fully accurate and they're not accounting for lunch on 8 hour short if I read that now I'd be like no way am I doing that sharks. 43:47.94 Howie and Martha Yeah, well we assumed it said we had like an hour free time I'm like surely I can find an atm or someplace take credit card to get some and then yeah we had 15 minutes 43:49.65 dclduo Ah, shit. So. 43:54.98 dclduo Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so so what's next up in terms of port stops here after we we leave this minor debacle of a port and at a short excursion. 44:09.71 Howie and Martha The next port was um, Stockholm Sweden and we had friends that they booked a private to work and included us into that and that was phenomenal through a third party I believe it was Nordic experience. 44:16.80 dclduo Um, nice private tour through Disney or through a third party. Ok I I feel like folks have mentioned that name before when we've talked about some of the private party short excursion. So yeah. 44:26.47 Howie and Martha Um, was the group. 44:34.75 dclduo But and so met you at the dock and everything was great like what kind of ah how long was it? What did you get to see and I guess maybe 1 important question upfront did they did they have any sort of guarantee return to ship. 44:40.31 Howie and Martha Yeah, in front her the other driver actually yes and I mean she actually now I don't know we didn't bulkets I don't know if there was in writing guarantee but our guide like she looked at her phone. Probably. 44:52.91 dclduo Okay. 44:59.20 Howie and Martha Every 30 minutes and would ask like when's on boardre time. Okay, all right? We're good when's on board time again. Okay, we're good so I felt very confident that she was going to do everything in her power to get us to the ship on time. 45:12.18 Sam Yeah, she was on top of it. But. 45:13.24 dclduo Yeah, there there is no other nail biter that we have experienced and when we ah decided to take a non Disney Shore excursion in incinata out to see the blowhole there and we hit traffic on the way back and like are we going to make it back to the ship on like that. 45:29.62 Sam We made to be fair, we made it back to the ship with plenty of time but I totally missed a massage I had to actually they actually automatically rescheduled my massage when they saw that I wasn't back on the ship that was like the coolest thing ever. But you know I digressed. 45:30.58 dclduo That was a nail biter. Yeah. 45:41.26 dclduo Yeah, and to be fair, we could have gotten from inscinata to San Diego and you know like 4 hours or something crazy. So like if if all everything went wrong. We would have been back in San Diego but yeah yeah, well how was the excursion. So yeah, how was the excursion. 45:49.24 Howie and Martha Um, yeah. 45:51.22 Sam Ah. 45:58.30 Howie and Martha I it was one of my favorite actually I I mean if you can afford a private tour. It's expensive, but there was ah I mean there was what 9 of us total. So it really wasn't bad considering how many of us did the tour. Um, the driver picked us up at the port. The tour guide wasn't there but he was he was fine. He was very engaging. Drove us into Stockholm and we picked up the tour guide there and she was lovely so we did a walking tour stockholm initially so a lot of the. Government buildings initially we did the outdoor museum scanson. We did the vassa museum so we packed in a lot of stuff in but six seven hours something like that and very open communication. So like when we were at the outdoor museum. Which is a massive massive location. We kind of were able to say you know we're really excited about the Vasa Museum we kind of want more time there can we cut this a little bit short so that we have more time there and they were very accommodating and saying absolutely let's do that and they knew that we had kids and so she started off like. When would be a good time for us to do lunch. Let's make sure that we work that in um, very accommodating. Yeah, definitely worth worth the price. She actually when we went to lunch she ordered lunch too. We all sat there. We just talked and and she was talking to us about the culture in Stockholm and. 47:29.48 Howie and Martha And she's a international interpreter I Think for one of the government agencies there so she was super knowledgeable about each of the places I right? after that I was like we need to come back here and spend three days I mean it's It's one of those places that you just don't have enough time to see everything that you want to. 47:33.26 Sam Oh cool. 47:41.26 Sam Yeah. 47:47.41 Howie and Martha During the walking tour you're like man that'd be a nice building to go into but we only have a few hours here. So that's definitely on the the list of places to go back and spend some time. 47:53.80 Sam Yeah, yeah, awesome now you said there were 9 of you so was there another family with you all. 48:01.40 Howie and Martha Yeah, yeah, it's us 5 and then they had 4 in their group. The husband wife and their 2 children. So and she's she's a travel agent friend of ours. She actually books a lot of our stuff for us. So yeah. 48:13.81 Sam Awesome! nice. 48:14.62 dclduo You know I just I want to pause and say I will encourage folks if you're experiencing a new city whether with Disney Cruise line or just you know going on a lamb-based tour or whatever it is I do think it's really a good idea to look at sites like Tripadvisor or Viat or. For these private tours. You would be surprised especially when you talk comparing like a Disney Cruisison excursion to an Allday private tour or a half day private tour in some of these cities. You will be surprised at how affordable they actually are and the experiences are so tailored to your group so like. Sam and I did a black cab private tour in London one time. Ah and it was amazing because you know he was driving us all over the city. He would stop at sites and ask if we wanted to go in and if if we were like no, we've seen it before like we don't need to go into the site then he'd say great. That's more time at the end for me to take you to some lesser known places or um I will frequently because we go to New York a lot look on Tripadvisor for very unique private tours. So we've done like a hip-hop tour of ah the Bronx. We've done a graffiti tour of the skyline. All were very affordable. All were very fun. All were small group tours and you know just gave us a sense of ah the city that we visited many times from a different angle. So. Um, I just highly encourage like take a look um it it could be worth your time to take a look and um, you know if you feel comfortable doing it I think it's it's ah it's a really fun way to find some unique things in a city. So yeah, so what's next where do we head next. 49:37.80 Howie and Martha Absolutely so our next day was our CDay and we did palo brunch which that's a that's a podcast on itself because it was um. 49:48.45 Sam I Of course ah of deliciousness. Oh nice. 49:49.67 dclduo Ah, it's a short excursion tour of food. Yes. 49:52.59 Howie and Martha Yeah, it was amazing. Yeah, we had a c day before Stockholm as well and we did roomy brunch that day so I did all the books. 49:57.70 dclduo Who you know what's positive for saying we don't have a lot of people. We were just commenting on a show that we released I think today as we're recording the show that went out today because we had a a couple that went to remy dinner. And we commented. We have a lot of people come on and talk about pao dinner a lot of people talk about pao brunch we've talked about remy ad nausea but we don't get a lot of guests who do a remy dinner or remy brunch remy brunch is like I feel like the least known food option on Disney Cruise line that we've covered on this show. We've done it before. We've done an anantte brunch before but what did you all think about remy brunch. It's a pretty unique experience. 50:31.55 Howie and Martha I Think for someone that I would not say that I am a foodie I mean I Love some Mcdonald's French fries. So I But yeah as exactly. 50:41.37 Sam I listen I love me some Mcdonald's french fries too Martha I mean like I I also love like a fine dining meal but I'm very happy with Mcdonald's french fries. 50:47.33 dclduo You you show you show me if show me a foodie you says they don't like Mcdonald's french fries and I'll show you wire. But yes. 50:52.27 Howie and Martha But but yes so I think it's a good if you want to try something but you don't want to pay I mean we have done Victorian Alberts and it was phenomenal. But that that hurt my budget bad. 50:57.10 Sam Yeah, ah. 51:04.90 dclduo O. 51:09.55 dclduo Yeah. 51:11.72 Howie and Martha Yeah, that that was like a fruit ship budget. Yeah four for meal. Um a little. So I think it's a good way to try that level of food and not have to pay the price of like a Michelin star restaurant. Um, now I will give a little tip. 51:14.40 Sam Ah, yeah. 51:22.69 dclduo Who. 51:23.30 Sam Yeah. 51:29.15 Howie and Martha When we book our stuff on our port adventures or a Palo brunch I take a screenshot on my phone because it tell tells you the price. So our brimmi but brimmi. Oh my gosh our palo brunch. They the price was fine. They the price had gone up. 51:35.21 dclduo Oh. 51:47.72 Howie and Martha After we booked it. She started the meal with saying we know the prices have gone up. We will honor whatever price you paid and that was worth. 51:52.74 dclduo See and they have they have not done that on our sailings of late we have booked several palo brunches that have the little notation of $45 in them and I've I've just decided I'm not going to quibble with you over the $5 per person. But. 52:06.43 Sam And it didn't matter because they ended up being our free meal at at at Pollo Anyway for our platinum so it wasn't actually an issue for us. We didn't need them to adjust because we were getting it for free that meal anyway. 52:11.72 dclduo Um, yeah, yeah, well except except the part that ah frustrated me is if you're giving me the free. 52:16.86 Howie and Martha And. 52:23.81 dclduo Brunch at $45 and then I'm having dinner later in the cruise and you're going to charge me 50 I'd rather you give me the freebie at the 50 and I'll pay the 45 like that's just us just me. but anyway anyway but yes so keep keep keep going Martha I want to hear about this remy brunch. 52:29.61 Sam Yeah, they're not going to does it a. 52:31.30 Howie and Martha Ah, at um, so so pala they honored it remy. We get the check and I think I am not a math scholar but that doesn't look right at all and so we call over. 52:43.48 dclduo Um, yeah. 52:50.78 Howie and Martha And they're like yeah the prices went up and I'm like yeah by $5 this is way more than $50 like buy a lot and it took us 3 times to ask for the manager before they finally said well, that's because we charged you the dinner price I'm like well. 52:57.71 Sam Oh interesting. 53:10.43 Howie and Martha It's 11 a m that alone should have told you it's Brian Center yes 53:11.20 Sam So yeah, why are they charging you. The. 53:15.99 dclduo Where's my why goo beef. Ah yeah. 53:16.91 Sam Yeah, so they so they screwed up the ringing you up as they they ring? Yeah, oh well, it's good. You notice that because that would be I mean it's not that they just it's not that they charge you the the new price versus the old prices that they rung you up completely wrong. 53:22.54 Howie and Martha Um, yeah, this. 53:29.84 Howie and Martha Um, yeah, yes, yeah, by the time we got it corrected. We were the only people left in remy because I was like if again if it was $5 I have better things to do um and you gonna see a show. Um, but for those that have looked at remy. 53:33.21 Sam Which means they probably rung up other people wrong. Yeah. 53:41.56 dclduo Yeah. 53:44.75 Sam Yeah. 53:47.69 Howie and Martha There's a big price jump from brunch to dinner Mom Yes, yes, yes. 53:52.55 Sam You yep and you get a lot more courses. That's the real. The the real thing is you Brunch is a much shorter meal. Dinner is a much longer meal and so it makes sense that there's ah a significant difference in price. But yeah, it is a big jump as you mentioned. 54:02.71 Howie and Martha And yeah. 54:03.25 dclduo Plus they got to cover the cost of those collettes they're mixing pred dinner so you know there's there's that but how how guess how is the food experience I mean my my take on remy brunch is the food is good, but the champagne that they pair with the food is kind of the star of the the star of the show. 54:08.76 Sam Yeah, ah stop. 54:17.71 Howie and Martha Yeah, you won't you got to make pain. Yeah, you gotta make sure you do the champagne pairing and and that's that's more than the meal so be prepared to to know ahead of time. Yes, you're getting a Michelin type meal but you really. 54:20.97 dclduo I Don't know how you felt. 54:27.80 Sam Yes. 54:35.68 Howie and Martha Are gonna pay 3 times the amount for the the premiere champagne pairing. So but that was that was fantastic. We decided to do champagne pairing it was it was awesome. It was a great opportunity to try a lot of champagnes and we haven't really ventured out the tribe before and they accommodated my allergies. They actually called into the room. The. 54:39.26 Sam Yeah, yeah. 54:49.12 dclduo Nice. 54:50.20 Sam Yeah, yeah. 54:55.13 Howie and Martha The day before just to confirm what exactly when you say you're allergic like what it. What is that? Um, and because I'm all seafood. So even certain butters and Remi I could not have because they use like an anchovy to make it salty. Um. 54:55.65 Sam Perfect. So. 55:03.57 Sam Right. 55:04.63 dclduo Her. I know. 55:09.56 Sam You? Oh yeah, an anchovy paste. Yeah, that makes sense well and they want to know like what level because of the cross-contamination issue right? because they can serve you something that doesn't have fish in it but they also have to make sure that they aren't cross-contaminating with their gloves and things like that. Because if it's somebody who just has a preference. They don't like seafood. They don't eat fish. That's very different than accommodating somebody who actually has a food allergy where they're going to go into anaphylactic shock right? So I do think that they asked those questions for good reason. Um, and you know. It. It might be annoying if you know to be asked the questions I think in general is probably feel it probably makes you feel more confident about eating there when they ask you the questions Martha. 55:55.79 Howie and Martha Um, but yeah, the food was very good. It's fun like to me remy is fun I get to try things that I would not order anywhere else I get to try a level of I mean we have 3 children I am not taking my children to this type of restaurant. So the fact that it is fine. Dining is a lot of fun. 56:08.25 Sam So right right. 56:13.56 Howie and Martha Um, but for me I'm still hungry at the end like Paulo you will roll me out of the room I am stuffed but the food was very very good. 56:19.50 Sam Ah, yeah. 56:26.10 Sam Ah, interesting I Think if you did dinner at remy you wouldn't feel the same way because the more courses it? Yeah um, but yeah, it is It is smaller portions because that's yeah, the way fine dining goes I Also like to stuff myself with bread because I think the bread there is awesome. So. 56:28.80 Howie and Martha Yes, workforces. 56:42.14 Howie and Martha Um, yes, answer like. 56:42.86 Sam That's a pro tip if you want to be more full with the brunch just eat more of the bread because it's delicious now I know Thomas is only 17 but is he looking forward to when he turns 18 and he can come to Apollo with you all. So. 56:44.55 Howie and Martha 1 56:54.86 Howie and Martha They are we already have our next cruise booked and that was like his first question was did you book and I'm like yes we have once and this was and I will say when we started Disney he was an ocean ears kid and this was his last cruise in vibe so he has gone through. 57:10.40 Sam Oh. 57:14.53 Howie and Martha All the kids club so we did take 1 little photo of him next to the vibe sign as he has graduated out of the Disney Kids Club yes that's the wrong. 57:15.91 Sam Oh. 57:23.32 Sam Oh my god that's so cute I love that? Yeah yeah, first trivia. 57:24.40 dclduo Eight Eighteen Twenty society I guess now is that what's up. Yeah now. 57:31.75 Howie and Martha He's been sneaking into the bars for a while to do the trivia game for Thisrivia but you guys bring. 57:36.70 dclduo We were on one sailing where the pass member just kept um, saying ah you kids you can't play this trivia. It's adult tri they we're seeing in Ke and Compass I'm like who cares, it's trivia Yeah, did. 57:45.98 Sam Fuck who cares, right? like they're not drinking they they're just want to play trivia right? especially because those those venues during the day are not adults only all the time right? It's just during the adult only games right. 57:47.10 Howie and Martha Yeah, yeah, and gets me. 57:50.89 dclduo They have a stein of beer in front of them that I can't see. 57:52.50 Howie and Martha Like 1 but and the bring here. 57:59.66 Howie and Martha No, not ah but in all the dream that bar had all the pictures of the dream being built so Thomas really wanted to go in and take pictures of all those and everything he's like I'm not sure I'm allowed to I'm like I'll take you by. 58:05.76 Sam Sell it. 58:11.13 Sam Ah, so. 58:15.51 Sam Yeah, yeah. 58:17.42 Howie and Martha Gonna tell me that I can't take so we took them through and then they were doing trivia I'm like let's sit down and do trivia and then I'm like from now on just come and do trivia they kick you out and kick you out if not fine. Yeah, they don't work. They don't bothish. Yeah. 58:24.78 Sam Ah, nice exactly. And honestly when they're close in age I think you know when they're close to 18 I'm not sure they even really notice that much. Yeah, um. 58:35.74 Howie and Martha I mean we were not trying to sneak in the 10 year old like he was in I figured you're like too much shy of a birthday. Yeah yeah, you want to walk like. 58:37.95 dclduo Yes. 58:40.99 Sam Ah, been dead. Yeah, just just put a draw a fake mustache on him give him. Ah, ah you know of driving cap or something. 58:45.60 dclduo You you know what? you know what if a 10 year old can come in and win one of these trivias I want to see it I don't want them to ban it I want to see it and they get a medal because I can't win these trivias and I'm over 40 So but. 58:54.87 Howie and Martha Ah, will and. 58:55.23 Sam Yeah, yeah, all right? Well let's jump back to the ports because your next port was oslo what did you all get up to in Oslo. 59:09.94 Howie and Martha Um, we did federacia Denmark first. But that's so good. 59:12.46 Sam Oh fredericia Denmark first okay so sorry your next port. Let me say that again. So your your next port was fredericia Denmark tell us what did you get up to there. Yeah. 59:24.37 Howie and Martha That one was interesting. Um, we one of the things we were excited about on this cruise was that we could go to the Lego house because that's actually listed as a possible excursion on the website I'm assuming we were not important long enough because when. 59:36.40 Sam Oh. 59:41.34 Howie and Martha It came time to log in to choose port adventures that was not an option. Um, and I I was very disappointed. My kids were very disappointed. Um I just picked this castle I'm go for it I don't even know I'm saying. 59:50.88 Sam Snow. 01:00:00.92 Howie and Martha Ah, Goskov Castle I Guess I don't I'm not sure I'm see but but it was a lot fun. We. We actually thought about canceling this excursion after the issues we hadt Keel and then we we decided Well we'll still try it and the kids had a ball I Mean. Um, so glad that we didn't cancel this one. It was their favorite port of the whole cruise they had the best time. Um, this castle was amazing. The tour guide was amazing, but what we didn't even really. Realize is there was a huge vintage car and motor so Motorcycle museum attached to it. They had hedgemeses they had gardens. They had this massive park with playground. Um, the kids could jump on like these trampoline things in the ground they could swing on swings. There was ah. Like bridges up in the trees they could walk across. Um we I mean it was just fun. It was just like a family fun day with like a castle in the background and what's amazing. 01:01:06.21 dclduo Ah, nice. 01:01:08.31 Sam So that sounds awesome. Wow I Love that Well I'm sorry you didn't get to go to the Lego house that would have been exciting too. 01:01:13.15 dclduo Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:01:16.47 Howie and Martha Fortunately, our friends went to the lego house while we were doing the abd they flewen a day early went to lego house and we're like okay go shopping for us here's the credit card so they they ended up getting us like I don't know 3 $400 worth the legos in the process so because hey. 01:01:24.93 Sam Yeah. 01:01:29.51 dclduo Well. 01:01:30.20 Sam Oh my goodness. Oh that's nice. Oh yeah. 01:01:33.73 Howie and Martha They have lego sets there that you can only buy there for that are like lego good. So we're like get 1 of each and we'll pay you back. So but um I think the kids were just fine I think they would enjoyed lego house but I think they enjoyed this just as well. Let say gave them a release they got to play and. 01:01:47.83 Sam You. 01:01:52.28 dclduo Nice, nice all right. So is next up the port stop of doom. 01:01:52.30 Howie and Martha Just be kids for a little bit. 01:01:53.39 Sam Nice I Love that all right. 01:01:58.61 Howie and Martha Yes, now this was one again out of 5 I was the loan b because I love anything viking ship I mean in college I took a maritime history course I was in heaven. It poured rain it was. The weather was horrific. Um, and my kids were like if mom takes us to look at 1 more boat I I am going to swim back to the ship ourselves. Um, so the I mean the weather was bad considering we were in northern europe for a 7 Night Cruise it really was the only truly bad bad day of weather. Um, our guide you know on the abd said that kind of the local saying is there's no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing. Um, so we kind of by that point had gotten used to just. Everyone take layers pack a poncho in a book bag. Um, get ready to get wet. It kind of is what it is. We did not anticipate like horrific rainstorm kind of weather all day long. Um, so they did not have the best time. I do think it was a good port adventure. The museums were fun I think if you ever hit a good weather day. It would have been a good. It would have been a good tour. Um, but that I mean the weather we just you just got hit with a bad bad day. Um, but my favorite part of that tour was. 01:03:31.34 Howie and Martha Because the weather was bad. We kind of cut it a little short because everyone was over it. No One's walking around shopping. We just want to get under dry back on dry covering. Um so the bus driver actually works at the local school. And so he's like well I'll just take you a different way and I'll just tell you about like what it's like living here which I was like thank you. That's that's what we love local culture tell us and it was Amazing. He was the just took us this back way In. Um. 01:03:55.11 Sam So that's so cool. Yeah. 01:04:04.84 Howie and Martha Showed us different like parts of the town. The fact that he could drive a bus on these streets was like impressive. It was hold your breath but it was impressive. Um, it was amazing and then by the time we got back like the whole town came out to see the ship leave. 01:04:08.12 dclduo No. 01:04:24.90 Howie and Martha And they had local people singing they had like band. Um it was. It was the coolest port I mean everyone was just happy to see us I think that was fetericia but lost I o one? Yeah so federicia is the one that had all the people like. Sending us off and it was like a big party but oslo it was raining so much would have come out. You know? Yeah I was there but ah yeah, osli we went to 3 different maritime museums and they were all side by side and you got drenched every time you went to a different museum. But. It was. It was neat seeing all the the maritime history of of Norway and getting to experience all that. But yeah, the kids were pretty miserable from all the rain. That's for sure and then we ran into one one little girl and her sister. What they weren't on a tour they came by themselves or I don't even know if they had any family with them and they end up losing their their ship card ship card and they're like what do we do? I'm like well go find this person. She's one of the Disney cast members that came along the with us on the tour. And she should be able to help you so we kind of hopefully help them avert disaster there in the process. But even people that yeah weren't on excursions because this one booked up I think this port of venture. Um sold out so people went to these museums kind of on their own too. 01:05:56.53 Howie and Martha Check them out. 01:05:59.52 dclduo Nice, well unfortunate that the weather was as bad as it was and we heard from some other guests who were on your ceiling with you that it was bad. It was very bad. Yeah, um, ah. 01:06:08.40 Howie and Martha Here was rooms half. 01:06:13.31 dclduo Think somebody said it was like the worst storm that they've had in like a decade or something ridiculous. So not a great day to be import. 01:06:17.71 Howie and Martha What the ship was definitely rocking. Um that whole evening and into the next day um so if you get motion sickness. That's probably you felt some movement anyway, Northern Europe's a little bit different when you're in the Baltic compared to Mediterranean. So you will feel feel the ship move quite a bit more but that night you definitely felt it rocking back and forth as we were headed back to Copenhagen. So my tip is take the coat hang take the hangers down from the closet. Yeah because those'll sit that rattle all night if you don't have clothes home. 01:06:52.17 dclduo There. 01:06:53.54 Sam Oh yeah, yeah, we do. We always do that on Dcl on the last night we we try to remember take the coat take all the hangers down in the closet because without your as you said without clothes on them. They rattle. Even. 01:06:53.83 Howie and Martha And we had already tacked him because we were leaving the next day anyway. 01:07:11.62 Howie and Martha Um, yeah, yeah. 01:07:12.38 Sam Caribbean like they rattle enough. Um, just from the movement of the ship that it's really quite noisy when they don't have when they don't have clothes hanging on them. But yeah, good tip. Well it sounds like a pretty great itinerary. You know, setting aside the first. Excursion you had that was kind of a fail and the last day that was just a weather you know a weather fail? Um, but still sounds like a great trip and of course sounds like a fantastic um sorry and of course sounds like a fantastic short escape prior to the cruise. Um, I definitely want to hear any highlights from the onboard experience I know you all had the the new deck party the color color change or something like that deck party I can't remember what is called. 01:07:59.50 Howie and Martha Um, that was probably the weirdest night as far as onboard entertainment because it was not really pirate night but we had like captain hook and like the cancers were pirate. 01:08:03.92 Sam Yeah. 01:08:13.77 Howie and Martha It wasn't really frozen night but our menu was the frozen night menu and it wasn't really a truly deck party because it was the new color night party which was just it was okay. Um I mean it certainly does not take the place of like. 01:08:23.24 Sam Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:08:32.10 Howie and Martha The frozen deck party or the pirate it I mean it looked like they were trying something new and it was okay, um the execution was off a little bit. Yeah, maybe yes, yes, that's probably more of an accurate experience. But I. 01:08:41.82 dclduo Yeah. 01:08:44.11 Sam Ah, it sounds like it was like more of a dance party than anything. Yeah. 01:08:51.72 Howie and Martha Ah, description of it. So I mean this this crews felt a little bit different as far as the onboard experience. Um, yeah, our her wage staff was lovely. Let me start with that. However, they were not the most experienced and um, they. 01:09:06.27 Sam A. 01:09:10.21 Howie and Martha They did not anticipate your needs. They they basically waited until you ask for everything. It's this the first time a long time we've had that kind of experience. They were super delightful. Don't get me wrong, but at the same time you know you think by night 3 or 4 they would know what your normal drinks are. 01:09:15.31 Sam Yeah. 01:09:29.32 Howie and Martha And like and most most weight staff would have your drinks on the table by the time you come in this time exactly. 01:09:30.11 Sam Yep. 01:09:34.80 Sam Right? And if you want something different then they'll bring you that as a second drink right? like I mean most that's how it should be I think I mean that is what we've kind of come to expect not on a three night cruise because as you mentioned it's not really enough time for them to get to know if that's a pattern for you but on a seven night 01:09:47.30 Howie and Martha But. 01:09:52.80 Sam Cruise yeah, by night three I think they should sort of have at least whatever you've ordered the first 2 nights there for you. 01:09:53.10 Howie and Martha Yeah, then we exactly yeah like I mean for us like I couldn't tell if they had gotten more tables than they were used to like you know is it a short staffing and maybe they just had more tables than they typically have or if they were just. 01:10:05.14 Sam So. 01:10:13.20 Howie and Martha Newer to you know to to that Love I don't know but it was kind of strange like our assistant server was M I a like a lot and um I don't know if that's because they've eliminated some staffing and now they have to pick up the slack there. 01:10:23.85 Sam That interesting. 01:10:31.78 Howie and Martha It just seemed odd I'm like where's our assistant server. You know he fully gone and gone for long periods of time and it wasn't just our table Some other folks noticed the same thing with their tables as well. So it seems like they made some staffing adjustments that aren't flying. 01:10:34.72 Sam Yeah. 01:10:49.40 dclduo Yeah, it could also be that there are some folks who are out ill like I think the first night of our most recent cruise we were dining in pao but our table mate said that like they had 1 assistant server and then the next night we showed up. It was a different assistant server and then the night after that we showed up and it was the original assistant server. So like. 01:10:49.62 Howie and Martha Very well. 01:11:06.46 Howie and Martha No left or. 01:11:08.57 dclduo We were positing that maybe the assistant server wasn't feeling well one night or something like that. So yeah, yeah. 01:11:11.52 Howie and Martha Yeah, yeah, we had the same guys whole time now our our server one night he was sick and they had an assistant server actually stand in for him I was like okay that was kind of and she actually was phenomenal I'm like her bad you know I was like heart race like let's take her back over. 01:11:21.53 Sam Yes, oh wow. Yeah, sometimes they're better. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:11:24.87 dclduo And. 01:11:30.92 Howie and Martha She did lovely and jumping in at the last minute but you know it just felt different and maybe it's because we've been on so many cruises we kind of expect certain things to happen and it wasn't happening like usually North has a severe seafood allergy. They would always have her order. 01:11:49.62 dclduo M. 01:11:49.79 Howie and Martha The next meal the night before this time that never happened they they would have her order the same same day as we did I mean at the same time. So I'm like well that's kind of strange you know, usually they're prepping her food completely separate ahead of time. So it's ready to come out. 01:11:50.54 Sam Yeah, oh interesting. 01:12:03.88 Sam Um, yeah. 01:12:08.37 Howie and Martha But guaranteed no cross contamination. So. 01:12:12.18 Sam Yeah, well I get I take it. You didn't get ah have any anaphlactic shock so it turned out okay, but that is a little worrisome I'm I'm with you howie on that she survived she survived are nice. Ah now I do want to ask 1 question about. 01:12:14.35 Howie and Martha Um, yeah I made it she survived. Yeah that she survive. She's a fighter I thought. 01:12:29.34 Sam Food sort of overall which is you know where did you notice any differences in the food. Um I don't know deck food or the main dining food because we know that they provision from different sources obviously in Europe and so there sometimes can be a little inconsistency. Between the food and even the drinks and things like that that you get on board when you're sailing in Europe versus sailing in the United States or near the United States 01:12:54.83 Howie and Martha I mean for me the the pool food tasted the same like I I mean like the chicken fingers the pizza um up at cabanas. Everything tasted the same I don't know why we can't have Chiro Mickey waffles every day but you know that's ah they didn't ask me? um. 01:13:12.75 Sam Ah, good point. 01:13:14.40 Howie and Martha I Mean the food was good as far as the main dining This was probably the first cruise that I had wished Cavinas was open for dinner. Yeah, um, you know because I can't have seafood usually I get the steak it just it was like a poor cut. Um, if it was you know that it just. 01:13:20.42 Sam No interesting. 01:13:29.20 Sam And. 01:13:32.98 Howie and Martha Just didn't taste like the I know it's not going to be the palow or the rimmy level of steak. Um, but normally I eat at the main dining. We don't usually miss those. We usually do brunches and I don't have an issue with any of the food. Um in this one even the kids like they usually would get the kids steak. 01:13:36.21 Sam Sure. So. 01:13:44.87 Sam So. 01:13:51.84 Howie and Martha Um, they were just like we'll just get a burger when cavanas opens back up I mean it just isn't the quality was not there I mean at 1 point I looked over at Howard and he was sucking on a lemon I'm like what are you doing? he goes in time to get the taste out of my mouth. Um, like ah yeah. 01:13:55.42 Sam Oh Wow So the quality was not yeah. 01:14:05.74 dclduo Oh way. Wow. 01:14:06.61 Sam Ah, oh wow. Yeah yeah. 01:14:10.75 Howie and Martha Like the sauces like they didn't have all the key ingredients for a lot of the sauces they do and the the meats were not as the same quality that they normally normally have and we didn't it would I didn't think anything of it I didn't realize that Northern Europe would be. 01:14:14.78 Sam Yeah. 01:14:26.97 Howie and Martha And much more difficult to source all this stuff. But. 01:14:29.75 Sam Yeah, well I don't think it's necessarily Northern Europe but I think it's that they've run out of anything they provisioned in the US and so then they provisioning ah purely from Europe right? And the food is different right? The and and I don't think their provisioning sources are quite as good as they are. They've got their sort of standard. 01:14:36.33 Howie and Martha Um, yeah. 01:14:47.76 Sam Folks that they go to in the Us and I that's that's just my impression I don't know I don't have any inside information. This is just what I'm gathering from hearing it. 01:14:50.63 Howie and Martha And I think we're I think you're right? The head server came by multiple times he's like you can tell me if you don't like it I'm like it's not my favor and and I probably told that to him 3 times and multiple times I would eat less than half the food on my plate and. 01:14:59.30 Sam Yeah, yeah. 01:15:04.35 Sam Yeah, in seven days 01:15:09.60 Howie and Martha And really be like okay that's all I'm gonna eat and we don't like to complain I mean we really don't and so he would even come over and he would say I promise you are not the first person I'm like okay but it wasn't good. Yeah that I made. 01:15:21.15 Sam Yeah, yeah, yeah, ah, that's a bummer. That's a bummer. Well. 01:15:27.41 Howie and Martha But it didn't stop us from booking 3 more cruises. So. 01:15:28.70 dclduo But but you know what that that's what I was going to ask. Is it said it sounded like this cruise had more bumps in the road than what you would expect from a Disney Cruise and so I was sort of curious that the you not to hearken back to the discussion. We're just having but the taste it left in your mouth for Disney Cruise line 01:15:31.44 Sam Yeah, ah. 01:15:47.27 dclduo You know after the sailing and so yeah, yeah, go ahead. 01:15:49.57 Howie and Martha I would know I sorry I would say if this was our first cruise if this is the first time we ever did Disney I would take pause before booking another one only because the price point of Disney is so much higher. Um. It would probably make I would probably think before I would book another one. Um, overall it was great. The kids had a good time I mean any cruise is better than being at home and working so it was great but it probably would make me think what am I paying an extra premium price for That being said, we have done a lot of cruises and this is the first time like this is the first time I have ever gone to wash our clothes and Howard came back and I was like it is like hunger games in there like people were taking clothes out of the washer when they were still dripping wet. The point cast members had to be called to mop up the floor. It was a lot of little things that I just knew that this is this is an outlier. This is not a typical experience I think sheer statistics you can't have winners all the time it probably was not our favorite cruise. Um. But of all the curses we have been on I just think we just have been to hit a a bumpy 1. 01:17:10.75 dclduo Yeah, well, it's unfortunate. But I'm glad it did not completely diminish your love of Disney Cruise line and hopefully the next sailing goes a little bit better than this one or a lot better than this one hopefully. But. I think we have reached that point in our show where I need to hand you over to Sam for some arbitrary questions some arbitrary rules and a dash of judgment or the round we know as a rapid fire. So Sam You want to take it away. 01:17:40.90 Sam Absolutely ok. We're going to do rapid fire a little bit differently because you guys did our classic rapid fire the last time around. So I'm not going to ask you your favorite characters and all that kind of stuff I'm going to ask you some favorites from this trip. Both the abd side as well as the disney crew side. Okay, so let's start with the ab d side of things. What was your favorite activity or site that you got to do during your abd short escape in Copenhagen. 01:18:10.30 Howie and Martha My favorite was the so-called oldish roller coaster in to Lee Gardens it actually um, it doesn't even have like a regular break. There's a person that sits in the middle and it's a hand break and so like that you hope he holds on really tight and slept. 01:18:13.34 Sam Yeah. 01:18:21.88 Sam Oh. 01:18:27.12 Howie and Martha And stops us so he controls your speed the whole time. So it was so much fine was it was so much fun. Yeah I think Tivoli Gardens was definitely the highlight for us I mean all the other stuff was great too. I would have been disappoint if we didn't do the walking tour and see the colored buildings and all that stuff. 01:18:29.59 Sam Oh my goodness. Wow. 01:18:46.97 Howie and Martha But rid in the old rolla coaster with the dude standing there and then he'd sit down when he'd do a big dip and then he'd stand back up and I'm thinking to myself. You have a lap bar for me and you had nothing hope with. So I mean it was. It was definitely fun and um. 01:19:00.17 Sam Ah, you know nothing. Wow That's crazy. 01:19:06.29 Howie and Martha Yeah, our oldest road but the younger 2 did not. They don't like roller coastaers where we we just had a balls high sat with one of the abd guides and and Martha our oldest road right? behind us and we just we just had a great time with that. So I have to group. 01:19:12.41 Sam Ah. 01:19:19.51 Sam I love it. Awesome! Okay, so now you've done 2 short escapes which one is better with Rome or Copenhagen how we we're gonna start with you. 01:19:25.79 Howie and Martha Um, brother. 01:19:32.63 Howie and Martha Definitely room. Um, one they were you know I don't know why it felt like they were more engaged with the younger kids in Rome but they definitely were more engaged. They kind of involved them even the you know when you do these? um. 01:19:40.37 Sam So me. 01:19:49.45 Howie and Martha International Habds They usually have a local guide come with you and even the local guide was engaging with the kids and would do sword fights with kids and all this stuff and and not really swords they would get the the paddle of power this's gonna sit there. Go with the paddles and they were. 01:19:52.85 Sam Right. 01:20:00.99 Sam Right? Orange paddle of power. 01:20:07.76 Howie and Martha They were just having a good time. So I just felt like they did more stuff for the kids with room and with that said the sites with brim are more familiar and so you felt an instant connection to all those sites whereas yeah the viking shops was a big thing. 01:20:17.43 Sam Easy. 01:20:27.25 Howie and Martha For us on the other one. But when you got outside of that there was only 1 or 2 things that you really weren't familiar with which was good. Don't get me wrong. We just have more of an instant connection room. Um for definitely rome as much as I love everything viking. Um. 01:20:37.76 Sam Yeah, Martha same question. 01:20:46.39 Howie and Martha Watching my kids in Rome like just truly immersed into the history and watching them get engaged and they just love that one more which just makes my trip better and it could be that we're more familiar with those landmarks but and it's pizza and pasta and. 01:20:55.76 Sam Yeah, right. 01:21:04.76 Sam Yeah, well I was going to say I think food probably plays in a little bit too right? but I but I think you're right? The familiarity with the sites probably is is a big part of it all right favorite port on this cruise Martha we'll start with you. 01:21:05.67 Howie and Martha Red So approve. Yes. 01:21:19.98 Howie and Martha Um, federicia the the castle was just amazing and it was just it was nice to actually be on a very busy port adventure where you actually could sit and kids just play and be kids and everyone have a good time. There was like something literally for everyone there. 01:21:27.96 Sam See here. 01:21:33.92 Sam Yeah, Howie what about you. 01:21:36.28 Howie and Martha Yeah, I'm kind of tour and Stockholm was awesome. The experience we had there with the private tour guide was probably made that home. So um, shore ah excursion for his sport adventure or non disney port adventure I should say but Federico that was. Was unique. You know I've never been to a port where so many locals came down to the port to send you off. There were literally I if I had to guess couple thousand people that came to see the ship off and you had a band playing and it just very festive and engaging and um it was. 01:21:59.50 Sam No, that's cool. Yeah. 01:22:12.83 Howie and Martha It was really quite something to experience. 01:22:14.89 Sam Nice all right now I've got to ask you now you've been on the disney dream. So I imagine you saw the some of the stage shows on the disney dream please tell me? Okay, you're nodding. Yes, so I need to re ask you this question? What is your favorite Disney Cruise line stage show. Howie. 01:22:35.11 Howie and Martha Oh I don't know um good I'll let marha go first on this I gotta to think of yeah beauty in the beast was pretty awesome I tangled say it's see mother gole untangled like her voice. 01:22:41.70 Sam Um, all right Martha they go see. Yes, she's amazing. Yes. 01:22:51.27 Howie and Martha Like was just amazing. So if you take her out of it then like it's beauty the piece so but like with her it's like so close second um but just the puppeteering and just everything ah, it was amazing. They did. They did a really really good job. Yeah I was really torn between those 2 of it. 01:23:05.91 Sam Yeah. 01:23:11.00 Howie and Martha It's hard to pick because tangled was so good. Um, yeah I I guess I do have to have great beauty in the beast. Probably one's out. Overall yeah yeah. 01:23:19.28 Sam There you go see once every once you see it. You have to admit, it's the best I'm not saying tangled tangled is wonderful. Frozen is wonderful. But honestly once you've seen Beauty and the beasts it's you know you're done. You're done. Ok. 01:23:29.40 Howie and Martha Um, yeah. 01:23:34.91 Sam Med Cruise versus Northern Europe cruise I think I know the answer to this question but how he will start with you. 01:23:37.10 Howie and Martha That this yeah I mean I I'd have to say med cruise when we started talking about our european cruises. We originally knew we want to do a Mediterranean and then Northern European northern european was high on the list because at the time. 01:23:49.85 Sam If it. 01:23:54.38 Howie and Martha They were still sailing to St Petersburg and I really wanted to go to St Petersburg but they kind of screwed that up with the ukrainian thing but you know yes I shouldn't say that you might want to order that out. Well you know, but the Mediterranean at this point if they ever add St Petersburg back or they can then you know, definitely. 01:23:56.38 Sam Oh yeah. 01:24:03.80 Sam Um, yeah, ah. 01:24:14.34 Howie and Martha Would have to go back and do another Northern European experience Mediterranean hands down Mediterranean yeah. 01:24:17.38 Sam Yeah, and Martha you you agree? Yeah yeah, all right? So I'm going to ask you the last question now now that you've done you've done the med you've done Northern Europe you've done some really great itineraries. What is now your bucket list cruise where do you want to go. Anywhere in the world on Disney Cruise line martha let's start with you. 01:24:36.93 Howie and Martha I Would love to do a transatlantic with the caveat I Really want to be conciers. 01:24:45.81 Sam Ah, now that many days at sea I understand yeah Howie. 01:24:48.33 Howie and Martha Yeah, I'm gonna call him audible on this one I I want to do the fly around the world thing I think that thing. Ah yeah, my dreams know. 01:24:56.18 Sam Oh yeah, okay, fair enough you can yeah you can pick thats I think that the around the world. Yeah you around the world with ab d that does sound pretty amazing. Um, yeah, where we were very jealous of Benji. 01:25:00.94 dclduo I I Yeah I can't I can't begrudge that answer. Ah. 01:25:07.20 dclduo At least until at least until Disney Partners up with Spacex or somebody and offers like the real world space mountain experience. Yeah yeah, there you go there, you go. 01:25:09.47 Howie and Martha Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, they have the next one but yeah 01:25:19.52 Sam Well thanks for playing you guys I'm so happy to hear that you now have the right answer for my Disney line stage show question and despite some bumps in the road I'm glad you all had a nice vacation, especially your time at tivoli garden sounds like that's a highlight. 01:25:26.91 Howie and Martha Um, ah. 01:25:38.77 Sam That's something that I definitely or that's a place I definitely want to go in the future. 01:25:40.23 Howie and Martha Yeah I would recommend staying. There's a hotel right at tiffley garden I would stay right there because then you can go and come as you want throughout the day and it's a little more central to everything else. So if you're going on your own that's where I would book I wouldn't. Ah, personally I would not book Tiv Leo till next time. 01:25:59.26 dclduo Nice well Martha Howie we were so excited to have you back on the show again. Sorry to hear this experience was not the one that you would normally expect from Disney Cruise line but we appreciate you sharing the honest ah review with us nonetheless. That's something we strive for in the show is to be honest about our reviews of Disney. Lines. We appreciate that and glad to hear you've still got the love disney and Disney Cruise line brewing in there so can't wait to hear about your next amazing disney adventure and with that I'll just say thanks again for coming on and sharing your experience with all of our listeners out there. 01:26:30.55 Howie and Martha You know, thanks for having us thanks for having us. 01:26:33.92 dclduo We find the stop button. 01:26:37.40 Sam Yay.