Ep. 373 - Bonus - Members Only: The 2023 DVC Member Cruise with Benji from Laughing Place

00:01.32 dclduo Welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DCL duo podcast brought to you by my path unwinding travel and Sam I'm going to have you start reading these reviews on the air because they bring you so much joy. But ah, well, we've got another one. We've got a 5 star review here from la bellou. 00:10.50 Sam I know I love them. 00:19.10 dclduo Maybe Laba Lou I'm probably mispronouncing that. But thank you. 00:19.87 Sam Um, could it be like but could it be blue like as in from the Jungle Book blue. 00:24.27 dclduo Perhaps perhaps but it says excellence Disney Cruise podcast Brian and Sam have the special ability to be extremely informative and professional in a casual and engaging manner as a frequent Disney Cruiser I still find myself listening to every episode and learning new things. I also appreciate the diverse range of guests and discussions. They are clearly well-prepared but the conversation flows easily. They do not shy away from constructive criticism and offer a variety of opinions. So the listener can hear different perspectives on the presented topics. This is one of my favorite podcasts. Give it a listen. Well. Thank you for that review. We really appreciate it and for all of you out there leave us one of these reviews over at Apple Podcasts as we record this show. We're at 298 reviews knocking on three hundred s door pretty excited about that so head over there leave us a review and we will read it on the air at the top of the show. So but Sam we got a we got a guest. 01:00.17 Sam Yeah. 01:18.73 dclduo Back who I'm really excited about he was so much fun to talk to a few episodes ago now that we released and ah yeah, you want to introduce our fabulous guest today. 01:23.47 Sam Yes, absolutely now this person is a Disney expert has worked for the Disney company in the Disney Parks now works for a media outlet that covers Disney and covers all things parks. Cruise Line International Parks all the things basically and he was just on our show to talk about the around the world adventures by Disney so let's welcome back to the show Benji from laughing place. Welcome Benji. 01:56.33 Benji Thanks so much for having me back I had so much fun last time so I was thrilled that you were willing to let me join you again. 02:04.59 Sam Anytime anytime Benji you can visit us anytime we love talking to you and we're super excited because we have not talked about the cruise that you went on that we're going to talk about today which is the Dbc member. Cruise. Um, that just happened this past september on the Disney wish is the first time the member cruise happened on the wish and of course these member cruises are exclusively for dvc members and we are. They're known for having special performers special swag all the things but before we get into that cruise. And talk about it. Let's give our audience your Disney background and specifically your Disney Cruise line background and we I know we talked about it on our last episode with you. But why don't you remind folks. So. 02:46.42 Benji Sure so I mean I've been a Disney fan my whole life ever since I saw disney channel with free preview and I was 3 and you know the parks were always the next level of that storytelling and when they announced the Cruise line I was. I was still in high school and you know I didn't have the funds to do it and I it wasn't um, it. It felt like something that just didn't necessarily peel on me. It felt like something where they were going to slap the Disney label on it and it would be a cruise and particularly at that time the marketing was very dry. It was like you're going to do. You know there's this area for kids this area for adults this area for families and you know I mean I think they're kind of doing it again, but kind of didn't acknowledge single people who may want to do it so it wasn't I it took me a bit to get on it I mean relatively speaking. So obviously it launched in 9098 I did my first d member I'm sorry I did my first. Disney Cruise in 2002 and I fell in love and you know went to the future cruise booking desk as soon as I think the first night had happened and there was just there's magic of. Having so much fun and and being inside that Disney Envelope but still having that relaxing environment of being on sea just really appealed to me and haven't stopped since I'm on 26. 04:07.46 Sam Wow! Awesome! You know I think you're right about the advertising even today they are definitely their marketing is definitely very targeted towards families with young kids and I say young kids meaning elementary and middle school kids I think they market less to. 04:07.94 dclduo Wow. 04:26.50 Sam Families with teenagers. Although not to say that families with teenagers don't come. There are plenty on board. But you're right. Disney isn't necessarily marketing to you know the 20 and 30 and four year olds who don't have kids and yet we see plenty of them on board. 04:42.48 Benji Well, it's funny to me because if if you saw the disney treasure I'm sure of course you saw the Disney treasure now where it was basically like don't you dare come on this crus by yourself because you have to come here like if if your family's not willing to go. You are not welcome here. There's no singles anything on the ship and I was like. 04:43.00 dclduo If. 04:47.11 Sam Yeah, yeah. 04:55.30 dclduo Ah. 04:55.72 Sam Ah. 05:01.40 Benji Oh gito like let maybe some guests just want to go on the Disney treasure by himself. But you. 05:07.86 Sam Ah that's so hilarious, but you're right like they really It's just funny the way they market even though I think it it. There's plenty of singles and plenty of young adults. Um, without children who cruise and frankly, plenty of older adults without children who cruise on Disney so I yes, like we did that our first two cruises. So yeah, absolutely It's really, yeah, right? It's just you. 05:22.61 Benji And and plenty of adults that have children who don't bring them. 05:30.85 dclduo No shame no shame in that. 05:36.27 Sam You know and you you funny. It's funny enough you don't have to be a diehard Disney person. But of course the adults who come without kids more than more than not are diehard Disney fans I would say. 05:46.81 Benji Yeah, it's it's ah it's it's there's what I love about Disney is it's obviously the core of it is you know parents and children can have fun together but it can appeal to anybody and it doesn't need to be a parent or a child It can be an uncle and aunt bringing their friend or. Just going with friends or I'm out in my great early disney memories are actually when I was in college and we'd go to Disneyland as a group so it's and I when I went on the Disney wish for the first but the first time I paid to go on the Disney wish um I brought my my best friend I brought. 06:12.52 Sam Um. 06:20.60 Sam What. 06:23.18 Benji Ah, friend I had from Vegas who really I wanted to have that family experience and it was just it's just great to have family in the broadda sense and sometimes family is just you so. 06:30.90 Sam So yeah I love that. So let's talk about this dvccruise but before we do I have to know of course where do you own dvc because in order to be on a dvc member cruise you have to be part of that dvc bubble and I will caveat this with. Yeah, just 1 person in each state room has to be a dvc member. Not everyone who's in that stateroom and correct me if I'm wrong, Benji but for the member crews you didn't actually have to pay with points. You could pay completely on cash or you could pay on points or some combination. 07:02.24 Benji But absolutely you could pay on cash or points or you know one person on cash one person on points for I know sometimes the rules change depending on the I think the anticipated demand but at least for this particular member Cruise I paid cash because it's a lot of points and. You know you might as well just pay the cash and save the points for when you want to stay on a you know a particular property at on at Disney or at Disney Wal or Disneyland. So yeah, absolutely I did stay I did pay up cash I happened to book this one. 07:25.43 dclduo Yep. 07:39.76 Benji While I was waiting in line to get into the marble presentation at comiccon so I was very lucky that I got into it because I happened to get it right at the at the Mark the next the last one I did that one a book for next year is I was took me about five or six hours to get through. So. 07:57.34 Sam Ah, Wow and that one is the one in Europe on the dream then right? Yeah, where's where's your home resort benji. 07:58.11 Benji It was exactly so yeah I realized I didn't actually answer your question. Yeah, so so as a unit we own o key west beach club boardwalk Saratoga springs animal kingdom lodge. Wilderness lot Boulder creek or nice sorry copper creek wilderness lodge poly dac lot. Um animal kingdom lodge and the villas at the discent hotel. 08:25.53 Sam Oh my goodness so you you basically own almost everywhere on Disney property but pretty close. Yeah. 08:29.98 Benji I don't yeah so I I don't own everywhere. But and I thought I was done because I have enough points to handle myself. But I did just but because the Disney that hotel actually was able to get the disson hotel villas for d 2 3 expo. 08:30.16 dclduo Click. 08:48.65 Benji So I was very excited about that So that all played out. Okay, but yeah you know and as and some of it came from family. So as as we as I got married our families merged so we have plenty of points but I knows it's almost kind of fun to and not that you I understand it's not um, minor investment but it's kind of fun to just. 08:59.20 Sam Um. 09:07.47 Benji Add on points and you know add to your portfolio as long as you're going to use them and and have the means but it's ah it's been a great experience. Yeah I do have I didn't have it for a long time. So when I worked at Disney didn't when I would get like a discount I didn't actually add on. 09:13.96 Sam Yeah, yeah, there's a word for that they call it add on itis. 09:25.52 dclduo Um, yeah. 09:26.38 Sam Yeah, ah. 09:26.47 Benji When I left Disney and didn't get the discount that I was like oh no and I mean and honestly that is why for years I didn't do a member cruise because I thought it was going to be just a long pitch to add on points like I just thought that it was a marketing pitch tag. Get you at the new thing. 09:36.46 Sam Um. 09:45.20 Benji And while I certainly you are there to facilitate adding on points and they do promos. You don't feel like it's everywhere you go and in fact I got one call before saying hey there's an offer here. Do you want and I said no I'm not interested I literally just bought points and they said okay. 09:59.74 Sam So. 10:02.87 Benji And I was the last I heard of it the whole time I wasn't a second -class citizen we still got all the gifts and everything. So I I didn't realize that it was more of just marketing for the brand as opposed to just a way to add get people to add on points because there was a times particularly when alani opened. 10:19.19 Sam Um, yeah. 10:22.19 Benji That it just felt like everything they did was just to get you to add on a lot points and I was I was just I just like I don't want to spend that kind of money to just get a time share spiel you know and um I happened to have friends who were booked on the California Coast member crews they did a couple years ago 10:23.84 Sam And. 10:24.38 dclduo Oh. 10:30.45 Sam Yeah, yeah. 10:30.94 dclduo Yeah. 10:38.41 Sam Next. 10:41.37 Benji And that one because it wasn't as popular that you could they were a little bit more lenient and how you could book it and everything and so I booked it and I was like oh I didn't realize this was just basically ah like a mini d 23 expo on city and with you know, all sorts of presentations and synergy opportunities and giveaways and. And I was like oh no, we're doing this again. This was a blast and it's one of the highlights of my year and especially because there's always new things to do but many of the guests return and so you get to know Bill Farmer Caitlyn Roeback you know Leslie I works you just because you seem around the ship. 11:01.83 Sam Guy. 11:20.47 Benji You know Jody Benson would always say like hey see you see me on the ship say hi like don't be afraid to say hello I love meeting fans and so of course and and everyone would just go okay, well then you know and and I mean the this pool I mean and then you see here jamming out at the silent disco at Luna and yeah. 11:26.37 Sam She's the best. 11:32.59 Sam Yes, or or watching people do karaoke so on the maiden voyage of the wish she was on and she came to karaoke to watch a bunch of us sing and it was the coolest thing like I got to perform on a stage with Jody Benson in the audience. The voice of Ariel. I mean crazy and and one woman was brave enough to sing part of your world like craziness. Yeah, same same I I was like that was very brave and actually the the woman who sang it did a ah very nice job. But. 11:55.41 Benji Yeah I I would I would have been nowhere near that. Yeah. 11:58.83 dclduo Um, yeah. 12:08.22 Sam She had actually changed her song to sing that she was going to originally sing something else and I thought that was kind of an odd and odd choice. But you know go you if you got that kind of confidence you know more power to you. 12:16.87 Benji Well, you kind of get that nice thing you're still on a cruise. So besides you know you know Jody Benson but these guest are never going to see you again right? like you, you know what? liberal? no. 12:24.64 Sam Yeah, for sure. Yeah I love it all right? So it sounds like you ended up on ah on a cruise previously that was a dvc member cruise and that's and had such a great time that that sort of said to you? Okay I got to do this again. Like year after year is that is that a fair assessment. 12:40.53 Benji Yeah, it absolutely is a fair assessment I you know it was kind of very similar to my first Disney Cruise as I was on I was like oh no, we're doing this again. Yeah, and we talked last time about the around the world tour and I was like I loved it. Glad I did it never again, this was this was sort of not that I was i. 12:46.24 Sam So yeah. 12:49.26 dclduo Um, yeah. 12:53.61 Sam Yeah, this is the opposite. 12:58.82 Benji I'm I'm ready to sign up every every chance I get you know and and the team that puts them on just does it with such loving care that it's It's a lot of fun. 13:04.60 Sam yeah yeah I have to say I'm jealous because it seems like a lot of the time these member cruises the schedule for them is is not great in that they often schedule and during the school year and this one being on the wish it was. Wasn't even a weekend. It was the Monday to fridayday four night cruise and so it was in the middle of a a week in September and so you know the ability for a lot of people with kids to go obviously is is not much but. The dvc member crewise I think do tend to attract more adults anyway, I mean even the dvc member charter on the wish following its Maiden voyage was heavily like the Maiden voyage heavily adults not to say they weren't kids but there were definitely more adults. What was the demographics of of the passengers. On this dvc member. Cruise. 13:55.22 Benji There may have been 20 kids on board. It felt like you know I didn't anything to count and they didn't book the ship fall so there was opportunity for it really came to um us to notice it in the world world of Marvel restaurant because. 13:57.28 dclduo Um, yeah. 14:09.95 Sam Here. 14:12.66 Benji Spiderman was able to touch the tables a little bit more than his sort of you know zip through but it was it was you know older probably average 45 fifty years old. Um, you're right that these member cruises are you? They're usually timed at a time when the ship's not gonna be popular anyway, it's a way to kind of extend the season. 14:17.33 Sam Um. 14:21.64 Sam E. 14:31.10 Sam Um, right. 14:31.99 Benji So for example, this was the last of the shimmering sailings of the twenty fifth anniversary on the on the wish um you know, usually it's either the first or last week of any season where they're at whether you know like in Europe will be the first sort of start of that because they're they're they're booking the shoulder periods. These will not be the ones where it's highly desirable for. 14:42.50 Sam Right. 14:52.50 Benji Ah, a regular guest to kind of just book on their own. It's a way to kind of sell out a ship in a different by offering a special event. But yeah, but it was definitely very adult heavy very you know frequent Disney Cruise 14:57.34 Sam Right? for like a slightly different audience. 15:10.17 Benji Guess I was actually surprised at the number of people who was their first Disney Cruise um and the other thing that's interesting about a number crews is there's a lot of guests from Japan that do them on a recurring basis. So we actually got to meet a friend a new friend from Japan Naomi who we spent the day at. 15:12.64 Sam No interesting. 15:22.73 Sam Um, oh. 15:23.80 dclduo Um, have. 15:30.22 Benji Walt Disney World with later when after our member cruise was over and it's funny because when you check in, they'll have like the instructions for the cast in Japanese as well because you know there's the demographic of this ship is much more japanese than it is normally. 15:46.34 Sam Wow. Sure. 15:48.12 Benji Not saying that it was overwhelming but you know you know there's definitely a contingent probably about 20 guests who were you know just came straight from Japan. 15:55.70 Sam Wow, that's definitely interesting I didn't realize there was a lot of Dvc ownership from Japan but we know there's you know, ownership in Canada so I shouldn't be that surprised. 16:05.69 Benji Yeah, it's actually interesting. Um I'm sorry interrupt but it's interesting that they when they opened a wani they opened up a Disney Vacation Club sales office it Tokyo Disney and. 16:18.56 Sam Oh that makes a lot more sense. Yeah, um. 16:20.51 Benji And so there's actually amenities Adolani like rice cookers and things that customize for that culture. So I think everyone everyone I met on the member Cruise who was from Japan owns that alani so it was kind of the you know it's obviously much closer than Wal Disney world and but still gives them something kind of different. 16:30.74 Sam No, right. 16:40.25 Sam Yeah, well it gives them? yeah. 16:40.29 Benji And just the Tokyo Disney resort. It was funny though because they they kept asking why does americans love tokyo Disney see so much. Why is that big deal I was like have you ban. It's amazing like what my favorite is zepcotter my favorite is you know Disneyland I was like oh no I mean we love those too. But I think when you can't go all the time you know it's. 16:46.30 dclduo No. 16:54.62 Sam Right? right? Exactly you love what you don't get to see every you know every year you know year after year because it's all much newer to you for sure. Well I feel like we need to focus this show on. 17:00.40 Benji Yeah. 17:11.57 Sam Talking about the special things that happen on a dvccruise because you know we don't really need to talk about Nasa our castaway key not to say that they aren't you know you know aren't great things happening there. But. The ports are not the star of this kind of cruise the star of this cruise are those special presentations and the special swag and special performers as well. So let's talk about some of those. What were some of the let's start with presentations. What kinds of. You know individuals were on board to give presentations and what kinds of things did you get to go to yourself I know there's often multiple things and you can't go to everything. 17:46.76 Benji Yeah, you absolutely can't go to everything. There was a lot of presentations that we so you know we had to make choice. We went to because we have a Disney fans site. We went to the kind of more newsy ones and necessarily just the more performance based which are are probably more fun but we. Wanted to kind of get the the news out of the event that we could. So. For example, they had a ah gentleman who worked on is working on the new win or lose show from Pixar yeah, that's coming to Disney plus so we actually got to see an episode in advance of it debuting at some point. 18:14.52 Sam Oh cool. 18:24.74 Benji We got to see a presentation on wish not to be confused with the Disney Wish wish the movie from Disneyation Studios which is very confusing but and. 18:29.80 Sam Yep, Ah I know why did they use the same name and well it's ah, kind of like naming the adventure. The adventure instead of naming the treasure of the adventure. But you know we digress. 18:39.80 Benji Yeah, don't well it was it was same thing like Disney dreams is not on the Disney dream. But um, they but they. 18:47.55 Sam Right? right? That's right I. 18:49.73 dclduo Ah. 18:55.51 Benji Ah, also we saw so we saw presentation on on wish and then we got to see the most amazing once upon a studio short. Um I got to see it on ah several times but this is just the most amazing short. It's going to be debut on Abc on october. 19:00.64 Sam Oh. 19:13.33 Benji Fifteenth and they'll be on Disney plus October Sixteenth I don't want to spoil that you oh you're born your birthdays what your birthday. Oh ah so you you are a Disney company founding eve baby. 19:14.38 Sam Oh this my birthday the fifteenth October fifteenth 19:16.80 dclduo Yeah. 19:26.31 Sam Oh my goodness I didn't even think of that you're right I am there you go it was meant to be. 19:32.16 Benji So some similar along the line when you when ah many years before you were born Walt was trying to write up the documents that he'd be signing up the next signing the next day. 19:41.62 Sam I Love that. Ah. 19:43.31 Benji So so so that was amazing. Mark Ken introduced it and for those that aren't familiar who with Mark who Mark he is. He's a Disney animator who worked on many of the renaissance films and still works at Disney Animation today and so because they used traditional animation in it. He was kind of led. Co led the team that worked on drawing the characters so he got to draw characters that he worked on many years ago and then new characters that like snow white that he obviously wasn't around to work on back in 1930 so um, ah so so that was amazing and and. If you can watch it without crying. Um kudos I've seen it 8 times I have yet to make it through without crying. But it's a it's that kind of well so because every time people love it so much they show it twice like you can never see it once because everyone's like roll it again. 20:26.27 dclduo Never. 20:28.27 Sam But that's crazy. You've seen it 8 times. 20:36.71 Sam Ah, okay again, oh. 20:40.22 Benji At HD twenty three which was after the member cruise it is the only thing the whole weekend that got a standing ovation and it got about a 5 minute standing ovation. It's it is it is that good if you if you have any Disney Affinity Abc October Fifteenth I mean 20:46.70 Sam Wow is that good. 20:56.98 Benji And I know you're probably celebrating your birthday. But if you you know? yeah, it definitely check it out. Ah on the more sort of in-depth side Leslie Iworks speaking of the funding of the company. Obviously the granddaughter of I'll buyworks the co-creator of Mickey Mouse was 20:59.29 Sam No I'm and be watching I'm going to beelebraing my birthday by watching. Ah. 21:00.18 dclduo Um, yeah. 21:09.44 Sam H. 21:16.96 Benji Onboard talking about up and her dad Don I works. She also worked on was a creative force between things like the imagineering story which is on Disney plus and the Pixar story and even Warner Brothers in the Dc she's she does all sorts of documentaries now even one about. 21:26.83 Sam Me. 21:35.92 Benji Voter and for disinformation on the internet. So she's a she's she's a great person on her own right? and then Don Hahn Famed Disney producer Disney Legend Don Hon ah who ah worked on you know things like beauty and the beast and the lion king just to name a few. 21:36.90 Sam Oh cool. 21:55.51 Benji Ah, premiered a new video a 30 minute ish ah documentary which is gonna be on the vacation club Youtube channel at some point they were very vague but it's it's called Walt heads west and it's about the early days of the Walt Disney company and I've been around Disney a long time I'm not saying I'm a disney historian by any stretch. 22:11.52 Sam Um. 22:15.90 Benji But there's things about walt in there that I had never heard of like that Walt was the victim of the spanish flu pandemic and that Walt almost died in a domestic terrorist attack in Chicago and it just it's all things that he kind of uncovered not that it you know he it was a. 22:17.33 Sam Oh cool. Oh wow. 22:25.76 dclduo Her. 22:34.12 Benji Not out there but just it's never part of the narrative you hear and so it's just this um, all these things that if Walt had been at the post office where he was working as a you know, post office clerk or or something and that if he had been there like 2 hours later he would have been gone and it's just it's just so. 22:35.40 Sam Here. 22:48.88 Sam Wow. 22:53.32 Benji Fascinating to hear the history including Lillan's history how she ended up working at Disney that's yeah, her history her her native american background and all these other things that just I never knew about Walt and. Was just in this presented in such a fun way if you know Don Hahn he's kind of goofy in a fun way. But you know it's still got this deep um historical nuggets of truth but the same time It's got a lot of humor in it too. So that was ah it's a screening he was there to do q and a they did it several times. 23:20.26 Sam Who. 23:30.14 Benji Um, but that documentary you know normally you don't want to go see a screening because you can see it. You know on Youtube laterder you don't need a waste your time I'll see but that is amazing I was so glad I did it was we saw it late at night on the first night and it was a true highlight? yeah. 23:42.27 Sam Oh awesome. Well and then he's there for the q and a I mean that's not you know these are the kinds of things that we've come to expect when we hear about these dbc member cruises you get these incredible creators from the Disney Company you know it's. Being right there and and talking to you about what either what they're working on or answering questions about what they've just finished which is just kind of incredible. 24:09.33 Benji Yeah, if if you if you go to the rows. Um, you know on a vacation club member Cruise you'll get to see all the luminaries walk by you at some point because they're holding a all run jump day. Ah. 24:17.67 dclduo Ah. 24:18.10 Sam Ah, they all hang out at the rows. Ah the the nicest of the adult only bar spaces on board. 24:23.79 Benji The 1 thing that is interesting is there's not a lot of venue space on the wish you know that they you know that is typically use on others ships so they actually use the hero zone. So the first day and a half the hero zone was used as the hero zone. 24:30.66 dclduo Yeah. 24:34.30 Sam That's a good point. 24:39.21 Sam So interesting. 24:43.44 Benji And then they basically turned it into a theater with chairs they put out chairs and so um, this you can we there were a lot of presentations that were held inside of that like the win and lose presentation. They had a presentation by Tim o'dey Steve Bagneni and Kevin Kern about the fiftieth anniversary book that they wrote. 25:00.25 Sam M. 25:02.33 Benji And with a screening of the names kind of escape me but 1 of those sort of classic 1971 you know promo videos for watles new world that is very groovy but it was it was there was. 25:08.24 Sam Yeah. 25:17.66 Benji It's a four day cruise. So there was a lot of overlap like we didn't get to do they they did a karaoke with you know the Disney stars we didn't participate in. There was also a lot of art classes that you could have learned how to draw characters from people like Mark Ken and staia Martin um Orna got a big one of the big. 25:23.45 Sam Um. 25:30.10 Sam Oh cool. 25:36.20 Benji Gifts we got with La Kinda cards because those are hard to comp by yeah. 25:38.21 dclduo Ah, those are in high demand I just had to buy a starter pack off of ebay for us and like Wow yeah. 25:46.60 Benji Yeah, it was I was I bought um I bought I got 2 startup packs from chop disney and I was like I was like um and then between destint the the member crews in destination d twenty three I got was like oh well I'm actually getting some decent amount of card here because um, they would teach you to play. 25:57.96 Sam Yeah. 26:02.37 Benji But if you left your cards in the room. They would just give you more cards and so like it was That's where they all went. They all went to the Disney Wish So ah, that was ah look kinda they actually took over the play area. 26:05.11 Sam Oh smart. 26:06.24 dclduo Ah. 26:19.89 Benji Thats name is escaping me on Castaway key where the ping pong tables are and all that yeah and and that became a sort of a celebration of dizzney animations One Hundredth anniversary because they had like disney animation theme cornhole and stuff. 26:24.35 Sam Oh yeah, um yeah into shade no into shade. 26:25.76 dclduo Scuttles cove oh into shade into shade. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 26:37.83 Benji And then a laana like training zone so you could go there and and and play Lona and which was fun because like when the people are there. 26:43.81 Sam That's awesome. What it? What did you? Yeah, what did you think of Laura Kanna by the way because so for those who don't know it's ah it's a card game that I think is kind of similar in the vein of magic the gathering and neither Brian nor I know had a. Play but our son had learned this past summer in summer camp. So he can teach us yes because we want to learn and yeah, but what did you think of it. Benji. 26:58.20 dclduo I I have tasked Nathan this weekend with learning how to play so we can teach us how to play. 27:06.28 Benji Well I remember when magic the gathering came out and I was so bad at it and I was like I don't want to do this and it was it was you know because you could get the cool cards that would like make it easier and stuff and what kind of structure in such a way where. 27:10.84 Sam Yeah. 27:11.28 dclduo Yeah, oh. 27:23.10 Benji You don't really have as much of an advantage based on what cars you have which is I appreciate. It's so it's much more accessible So you know there's no right and like they don't have like a super expensive card that makes you know has more power than a regular card. So everything is is it's it's talk. 27:27.50 Sam Um, ok, a little more Egalitarian then. 27:36.57 Sam Right. M. 27:41.75 Benji About being as attainable. But I'm not so great with and like reading instruction books for board games or card games and so having the guy there to actually explain it because you know they make up these words when you really, it's like you know it's a fancy word for a discard pile right? or you know and if it ought to be part like. 27:55.48 dclduo But. 27:57.77 Sam Ah, ah. 27:58.53 Benji You got to activate your ink and you're like what are you talking about? Oh no, That's this So I actually won but it was very helpful I have like because someone explained it. So now I feel like I know how to play and I have gone deep down the orannna Rabbit hole I'm trying to get all the cards I'm I have now the vacation club. I Might not have bought any points but I've definitely spent a lot of money on Thekana Thanks to the member crews. 28:21.57 Sam Ah, ah so listen they get you one way or the other eventual they they don't have to get you in. Oh they could just get you in merch right? I mean that's the thing with Disney. 28:22.10 dclduo Ah. 28:27.71 Benji Yeah I don't know that I don't know that Disney has ever had a hard time getting me to spend money. 28:36.14 Sam Ah, so let's let's talk a little bit about um performers I know you didn't get to go and see too many. It sounds like because you were kind of focused on seeing a lot of the presentations. But. 28:36.71 dclduo That's funny. 28:49.46 Sam Any idea of like sort of who was on and what kinds of performances they did. Ah. 28:54.60 Benji So I didn't go to the kind of cabaret style though in the in the great hall but I did go to the 2 signature performances. It was a fournight cruise which is kind of short for member cruise. So there's not there was a lot going on but there was you know it's not as much in a that you would have on a seven night obviously so um. 29:08.86 Sam Sure. 29:12.42 Benji The first one was that ah a sort of a custom version of the Disney Princess concert so it's going on another tour this spring but it was it and I'd seen the Disney Princess concert several times and several different versions before but what made this special was was kind of custom for the cruise. 29:15.40 Sam M. 29:32.20 Benji But it also they brought in Jody Benson toing part of your world which you know obviously brought down the house as I mean I I must have heard herrsing I mean I'm not trying to humble bra here by her toing it. You know 25 times and every time you're like Mary. 29:33.89 Sam Right. 29:43.21 Sam Yeah, well they invite her to lots of these like sort of bigger events and she has she has attended them for many many years so yeah for somebody who goes to a lot of Disney events. It makes sense. You would have I mean we've only heard her the 1 time but you know it makes. 29:51.56 Benji Right. 30:00.22 Benji You will hear her again I mean I'm just old so it it helps that you know I've been around the block a bit. But yeah, so that was that was fantastic and in my opinion that should have been the closing night show. Um, instead they did a dis they do. 30:01.60 Sam Yeah, ah. 30:11.20 Sam Oh. 30:17.20 Benji And sort of annually a Disney on Broadway concert which is great. However, if you've been to epcot festival of the arts you've seen this and they tried to theme it to disney one hundred but it was still just music from disney on Broadway shows so it would be weird things that would happen. So. 30:34.13 Sam Um. 30:36.92 Benji It was emeed by the muppets which are great. Yeah, that was a lot of fun but you don need to see the performer and the muppet and kind of see how the sort of the annex of it all. Yeah, so that was really cool but like for example, they would talk about the history of the company and they'd be like and then Wal Disney 30:37.67 Sam Oh That's fantastic. Yeah. Yeah, see them interact and all that my goodness I Love that. 30:56.00 Benji Decided to start something you know, build someplace or parents and children could have fun together and then they would they would you know you're like okay and he built Disneyland and you think okay, you know what's the sing from Disland know they playing start of something new from high school musical and yeah, big. I mean I have nothing against high school music ago. I'm not a good but right and it has nothing to do with Disneyland and then it's also funny. They were like and waltz created a company and then they start bringing sees the gates and you know I mean I'm not trying to get a new political thing here. But what was notoriously anti-union. 31:13.65 Sam Right? But Walt had nothing to do with that. He was long gone. But. 31:31.42 Sam Yeah, and. 31:33.49 Benji And so when they start singing about the strike starting which is it is like the lowest point in his life and you're like what are you doing here and well so they end with you know what? you think they ending with the you know the greatest Showman song right? there you know and then. 31:37.58 Sam Yeah, yeah. 31:49.86 Sam Ah. 31:53.17 Benji They're like you want one more. It was like yeah and I was like okay great. They're going to sing rainbow connection or something muppeting because the mupples are here. No they sang the one song from the greatest Showman I forgot completely existed like the slow sort of boring song from the middle of it and you're like. 31:59.30 Sam Um, yeah. 32:09.48 Sam Ballad. Yeah yeah. 32:13.40 Benji What are you? This is just a mess like you said this is just a dizzney on Broadway Concert fine if you had the upppetst do it fine. But why don't you sing a muppetst song I it was it was definitely a disappointment at the end I was hoping for something and they build it up as this being this big thing and you know as is the. 32:15.75 Sam Ah. 32:22.57 Sam Um, yeah I Love Rain Blue connection. Ah yeah, sure. 32:31.72 dclduo Yeah. 32:32.46 Benji Don't miss moment and you know I I say this a lot but and I'm blessed to get to do a lot of Disney things and I but I just felt like this was not. There should have been a different Disney one hundred moment on the vacation club crews that was not just. 32:45.18 Sam Yeah, not this performance? yeah. 32:51.30 Benji Ah, salute to all of Disney but mostly Tom Shoemarker shows it. It is very weird. 32:57.24 Sam Ah, it's very weird. Ok well we got to talk about the Swag and so I feel like you know this is people have to bring a whole separate suitcase or that's what we hear you got to bring a whole nother suitcase. We did this for the maiden voyage but this was not because. 32:59.70 dclduo Ah. 33:12.24 Sam They gave us merch although they gave us some It was more because we bought too much merch, but we you know they give you a lot of merch on these dvc member cruises from what we hear What were the kinds of what were the the kinds of gifts you all got on board. 33:29.37 Benji So normal traditionally they would give you a gift every night that's sort of the member Cruise um mo but there was a letter saying hey it's a fornight cruise we got feedback that everyone was rushing packing at the last night. 33:33.38 dclduo O. 33:46.84 Benji So we're going to give you everything at once and then like this would have been the day one gift This would have been the day two gift like I mean I don't know that it mattered at that point. But so that it was a little it. It was probably the right decision because it is sort of a hard thing to um, pack around. But yeah. 34:01.90 Sam Yeah, like logistically it's smarter. Yeah. 34:06.14 Benji Yeah, there's just it was just weird is like at this point if you're giving me all day. You don't have to like show me that you've given me four days worth this stuff because there's stuff. But um, so there was ah a beach towel of Theor starter deck which we talked about a drawstring member cruise bag a member cruise hat. 34:10.44 Sam Yeah, yeah. 34:25.48 Benji Ah, 2 member cruise corrksicles they but basically the size of the pearl corrksicles that you get yeah right? exactly a goofy disney member cruise nu wemo so El New numo 34:28.57 dclduo Yeah, like the wine, the wine glass size. Yeah. 34:31.30 Sam Um, the small they're like little champagne flutes. Yeah. 34:38.30 Sam Oh cute. 34:39.10 dclduo Oh that's cool. 34:43.61 Benji Um, if you're you're a vacation club member. So you know they have the magazine just the the Insider magazine if sort of a special edition of that so that it goes through every sort of special presentation that they're having and then there was ah a beach bag. 34:49.73 Sam Oh nice. 35:02.35 Benji And then a cooler bag which was sort of designed to fit everything in so it had an had Mickey's and ah the vacation club Mickey Anchors kind of on the lining which was kind of neat but was nice because everything could fit in there so that you didn't have to um you know pack everything again, you just sort of. 35:15.60 Sam Um, yeah. 35:20.95 Benji Just had an extra carry on back and a special copy of the 100 Disney adventures of a lifetime ah from national geographic by Marcy this is a special member crus edition because I had a pullout with member crew I'm sorry vacation club experiences in the middle of it and. 35:27.23 dclduo Oh yeah. 35:36.13 Sam Oh cool. Yeah. 35:40.13 Benji Signed so that was a nice touch so that was really the main giveaways initially then each night they would give us a little key chain which represented a art print that they would give us on the third night so 35:47.80 Sam Um. 35:54.83 Sam A wow. 35:56.67 Benji There was 3 art prints that they gave us it sort of already pack I said we're doing this so you still get something and then there's you know it's easy to pack so they're you know all sort of in solid fame. We also got which I wasn't expecting another you know, shimmering seas with ah goofy I think yeah oh sorry Mickey yeah um. 36:09.89 dclduo Oh the mickey. 36:16.50 Benji Painting So it wasn't really a member Cruise gift but it was also a gift that we had to figure out how to take home. 36:24.70 Sam Ah, that is actually a lot of stuff to take home. Um I mean um. 36:27.62 Benji And and then each day too. You could go to the vacation Club kiosk and they would have other things in there So like ah a member Cruise Luggage tag I wanted to say there's also another like key chain that they gave you every day There was a different gift. So. 36:41.47 Sam Oh Wow Well and that's I mean so on a regular cruise. There are different gifts that you can get each day from the Dvc member desk but they don't change those gifts so they're typically like the same things. It's just like a Dvc. Ah, luggage Tag. There's usually chapstick.. There's usually a pirate tattoo.. There's usually some stickers they still have those Riviera prints that they're still giving away. Um I can't think of the others but there's a couple others out there. Oh the the drawstring bag. 37:09.56 Benji They they used to give that picture of Walt and lily and on a cruise ship like that was a classic gift. They gave out. Okay. 37:15.64 Sam Oh yeah, we don't have that one but we we have had. We've been offered too many of the others and so now we don't even go by the dvc desk half the time when water cruise because we know there's nothing new to. 37:25.54 Benji Yeah, if I if I find when you I maybe have I have 500 of them. So if you need one I'll give you. It's a nice little thing just you know I only need so much Walt and lily and of one image in my life. 37:32.38 Sam Ah, yeah of the same thing over and over again, right? Yes, but that's cool that because it sounds like because those were then specifically member Cruise branded rather than just dvc member branded which is what you. 37:39.65 dclduo Ah. 37:49.58 Sam Normally see on the cruises. 37:50.34 dclduo Ah, although it's it's interesting. Benji to hear you talk about the gifts because ah when you listed them off aside from the na wemo like ah we've we talked about a member cruise a while back with some folks and they were mentioned. Oh yeah, they gave us like dvc branded. Board games and like stuff like that which it sounds like they end up like you end up getting lacanic cards and things like that through the cruise as well. But it didn't it did it sounded kind of like this almost like a standard complement of dcl swag that they branded dvc. 38:07.35 Sam That's true. They used to give out. 38:10.44 Benji It? yeah. 38:16.88 Benji So that that vacation Club Monopoly game is like legendary like ego I old example remember that time they give us. You know it's usually books and things you know they tie it to the authors or whatever's on the ship and you know whatever the big initiatives are so for example or kinda. 38:21.60 Sam So. 38:36.38 Benji This member Cruise took place during the WJ and s a g strike so they didn't have any of talent from the movies. Um, that yeah mean had animators but not which they usually do. They have more celebrities so you're not gonna have that kind of swag. 38:39.87 Sam E. 38:44.55 dclduo Right. 38:44.71 Sam Right. 38:53.31 Sam So great. 38:55.16 Benji It's also only a four night cruise so there's only 4 nights of stuff to give you? um so I would say it's less than yes, it's less than the giveaways on ah on a week long member cruise but it's also plenty. Um and you know it I would say more of the stuff this year did seem to be like. 38:57.40 dclduo Right. 39:14.19 Benji The logo on this the logo on that. But I also didn't feel like we were missing anything. Um because because everything that they were talking about on the ship. It was sort of represented you know the marcy book the in they may have given us a wish list though. That. 39:15.10 Sam Right. Yeah, still plenty. 39:33.86 Benji We have ah um that we may have given away ah because we had plenty of them. But there was everything Iss kind of already tied to it and there were some other smaller giveaways at different things. The other thing they do is they have special custom menus so you get to keep the menus so it'll be like. 39:47.92 Sam Oh nice. 39:50.48 dclduo Ah. 39:52.25 Benji You know this? this item is inspired by Don Hahn you know I mean it's a regular food item but they kind of make it seem like it's special but you know and they also so like you know say member Cruise edition of the menu which is a nice little keepsake because normally you don't get to take the menus home. Yeah. 39:57.73 Sam So right. 40:03.33 Sam And that is nice. Yeah, that's awesome. 40:05.30 dclduo Yeah, yeah, that's cool. Yeah I mean I guess I guess you mentioned bingji you know you thought going into your first member cruise back when it be a week long sales pitch right? So I think part of the member cruise is the. Yeah I mean they're going to try sell some points on board and usually offer some deals but a lot of it is member appreciation as well. Not just like marketing. Did you leave the member crews feeling I feel appreciated as a dvc member. 40:34.19 Benji Yeah I mean and 1 thing they think as a Dvc member that's cool is all the just Dvc executives are there. So if you want to talk the head of vacation club. You can talk to them. Obviously you know it's not meant to be a complaint session. But you know it's the. 40:39.88 Sam E. 40:40.14 dclduo Yeah. 40:47.17 dclduo Yes. 40:49.56 Sam Ah, tell them our annual dues are too high. The rent is too high. 40:53.11 Benji I mean and this is getting a little in the weeds. But Ryan Marsh who runs the member cruise and does the is the publisher of the newsletter and does a lot of the I would say you know sort of less salesy more fun marketing member of membership extra marketing kind of stuff. He is so amazing. And I mean I remember when I worked at Disney he was the editor of eyes and ears which was the newsletter. Um that we got as cast members and I was he had but he had like a little letter at like column like editor note column every month every other week and. 41:12.49 Sam That's awesome. 41:29.91 Benji I became like such a huge fanboy. It was so stupid. But like I mean like you know I'm I'm working there I'm I'm I'm fanning out over a fellow cast member who whose job is to be the editor of Eyesan ears but he puts he puts together such a great group of people and the reason they gets everything that he does is because people like working with him and it's. 41:42.96 Sam Um. 41:46.46 Sam Yeah. 41:49.86 Benji Um, you know I don't want to. He's not you know he's not trying to be a Disney celebrity or anything like that. But he really put a lot of hard work into it. So yes, you feel appreciated because quite frankly, the people putting this on are Disney fans. They're not and you you sense that right you sense that they're putting what on. What. 42:03.60 Sam Um. 42:08.92 Benji They would like to see the reason the muppets are almost always on this thing is Ryan's a huge muppets fan and you know he makes it happen and it's hard sometimes to get you know parts of Disney to work with you but you know it's not because especially you know you're asking them take four or five days out of whatever else they're doing to. 42:21.20 Sam Um, oh yeah. 42:25.33 dclduo Oh. 42:27.68 Benji Join you on the ship and ah, they really put together a great assortment now. 1 thing that I thought was very humorous and hope we had chance to talk about is this because they delayed the disney treasure reveal the video happened to air while we were on this cruise. 42:43.40 Sam Um, oh that's right. 42:46.49 Benji Which was quite the experience. 42:50.40 dclduo Yeah, what so tell us about that So you're trying to watch the treasure reveal and obviously we mentioned upfront you you are trying to cover some of this stuff too. Ah how the yeah, how the wifi hold out on the way. It's. 42:59.23 Benji Well, luckily luckily you know I was not assigned to covering the treasure reveal we so I didn't have to cover that part of it but we did want to cover the reaction of the treasure reveal on the ship with all these vacation club members so they announced that it's going to be on funnel vision and great. So we all go out. And the cruise director and the Assistant Cruise director come out and start by almost justifying like like okay so remember this cruise ship is going to just be like the wish so you're still going to have that obstacle course of a staircase on the running deck you're still but and like what. 43:28.77 Sam Yeah. 43:35.12 Sam Um, yeah, ah yes, is weird. 43:37.62 Benji Are you trying to lower people's expectations here. It's this weird that like it's like he's like trying to say what everyone's thinking but usually people in official capacities. Don't acknowledge it like that so it was it was a bit odd and so the time comes they start the video it plays for a good 15 seconds and freezes. 43:47.13 Sam Yeah, ah. 43:55.62 Sam Ah, of course it does. 43:56.34 dclduo Ah. 43:57.26 Benji Then they start again, maybe 10 minutes later and it freezes again and by this point they they say hey you know it's also on the Tv in your stateroom you can watch it there but then they they did eventually show it on funnel vision. But. 44:04.10 Sam Ah. 44:14.24 Benji By that point all the whole crowd had disappeared and I kind of got the vibe that well let me put you asked about demographics earlier. This is not a wish Centric wish loving demographic it. 44:15.30 Sam Yeah. 44:25.32 Sam Group. Yes I was going to ask you about that? yeah. 44:29.64 Benji So I mean many people said they were on the wish because they wanted to be on the member cruise not that they loved the wish they wish it was on another ship what you had to get yeahda and ah you know you guys have I but probably talked about the wish a lot and its strengths and weaknesses. But you know this is an old school Disney group that's used to. 44:49.20 Sam Right? And they really don't like the wish. Yeah, they really don't like the wish and they don't like that The treasure is wish two point zero and they don't like that. 44:49.28 Benji The old school Disney ships and has loved the old school Disney ships. So there was a little bit of a disappointment. 45:02.29 Sam They didn't make significant changes from the wish to revise the treasure right? am I getting it right? We all knew that anyone in the note. Yeah yeah. 45:05.38 Benji Yeah, yeah, and we knew that they weren't I mean we that I think they were like holding out hope that you know maybe they'd knock out a door somewhere you know and it was It was so the response to the treasure A they didn't get the big moment they wanted because of. 45:24.38 Sam Um. 45:25.30 Benji I Don't know bad wi-fi but I don't know what was happening and then ah or you know then people were sort of disappointed which is it was kind of a odd pall over the whole event because you know these are people who are strong. Ah. 45:29.19 Sam Ah, it's too funny. 45:44.10 Benji Ambassadors of the brand who are just disappointed and something had nothing to do with the member crews. It wasn't even supposed to be the same time. It just sort of because of a hurricane ended up being delayed to the member cruise. So. 45:48.43 Sam Right? right. 45:54.71 dclduo Yeah. 45:54.76 Sam Yeah, probably would have been better the original timing obviously just so that it wouldn't have happened I mean it would have happened a few days earlier you and people would have been talking about it but it wouldn't have been sort of center of attention with funnel vision. Um, and then funnel vision not working. So. 46:14.00 Benji You know on our Youtube channel I think it's under like Disney Treasure reveal fail or something just just till you can hear the groan and it's just I mean you know we try not to be negative, but it was just so sad to see ah people not get that moment I mean it was hot out too and and. 46:14.20 Sam Um, that's interesting. 46:14.61 dclduo Um, I you you know while we're here. Benji ah. 46:20.40 Sam No, ah. 46:30.81 Sam In. 46:33.19 Benji Waiting in the sun for this thing and just didn't happen. 46:34.53 dclduo You you know while we're here binge since you're mentioning the treasure reveal I think I'd be remiss in not asking you some of your thoughts about the trip I mean you got to watch it. You got to see it. Um, what was your initial reaction after you watched the video. 46:45.80 Benji Yeah, well we talked we talked a bit about that I was surprised that they kind of went all in on not being alone like in a way that almost felt offensive to single travelers I mean. 46:58.46 dclduo Um, yeah. 47:04.70 Benji It's 1 thing to you you expected Disney thing to be like join your family come together but not to be like don't be alone. Don't do things by yourself was a little heavy handed. Um I am not a huge fan of these overproduced. 47:20.92 Benji Marketing videos where they try and put a story on it. You know I am I'm of 2 minds I love the kind that Walt used to do where he would take you around and meet the artists and but there wasn't a story line to it. It was just you know or if there was it was more of just the right? Yeah and. 47:33.37 Sam It It was more like the documentary style right? like this is yeah. 47:38.60 dclduo Um, yeah, yeah. 47:39.31 Benji And because you spent so much time setting it up and you can see the payoff and you know coming from you know a funnel. Ah yeah, ah, whole a whole cruise ship away but it was odd that it just seemed ah like a lot of money that could have been spent someplace else to be perfectly honest with you. 47:57.20 dclduo Yeah. 47:58.65 Benji Because you know I think what people want to know is what what is this going to be and in the end this is we know it's going to be the same I I know people are disappointed but we know it's goingnna be the same. But what's it going to what is the varnish that're putting onto it. What is you know the Marvel restaurant going to be what is the. A frozen restaurant going to be what shows are gonna be in the theater like that's really what people want and to spend 30 you know so much of the thing talking about. Well you know my life has always been about. You know, journeying out on my own and like like like like some like is ah in some bad Ernest Hemingway telling movie. But. Um, you know it's I'm excited about some things about the treasure but I did not I was not a huge fan of the treasure veil I thought the map was great. The map that they kind of teased to some people and then gave out. They gave it out at destination d 23 and you can see it I'm sure it's can be 1 of those things that you're gonna be able to get everywhere. But um. 48:48.76 dclduo Um, yeah. 48:57.73 Benji It was I think that's fun and I think even just sort of the the allowing people to discover the treasure was cool I Just don't think I needed whatever that guy's name was help to go through it. Yeah, yeah there we go which is a however you do you. 49:07.68 dclduo Oh Arthur Quinn Arthur Quinn yeah yeah what everyone thought was going to be the newest entrance to the society of explorers and adventures right and turned out to be not that at least as of now. Yeah I mean yeah. 49:19.85 Benji Right? Yeah, it was so close to if they had done that if they had jungle cruised it up like and tied it into it I mean and like do you think Arthur Quinn is is a homage to the early like Disney Cruise line folks like Rachel Quinn and 49:36.82 dclduo Well, that's what that's what I first when I saw the name I immediately was like this feels like you know a fake name right? So I went on went online and I started searching I was like well there's a Rachel Quinn associate with the cruise line but you know so I was like I don't know what they're going for here. But. 49:38.19 Benji You know it's like. 49:44.86 Benji Right. 49:55.25 Benji It it. 49:57.14 dclduo For me I ub benji it did it. It did not work except in 1 respect I think I'm going to try and show up to the maiden voyage dressed up like an explorer like Arthur Quinn and aboard the ship on the first day. But other than that I was like I didn't understand the kind of um, the reason behind it I to your point I like the treasure map. Thought that was cool except ah so we have the print of the wishes map that they made that had kind of the cartoon like feel to it and they have the big version of it hanging on deck three and when I look at the treasure map I was going. You know it isn't really a map. It. It has map like qualities to it. But it does not actually as you dig into it and the announcement correspond to where things are on this ship necessarily. So yeah. 50:40.60 Benji Right? Well and and Arthur Rod Arthur Rodney the first president Disney Cru resign is the other name came up to mind. But um, we yeah and I mean I also don't understand the funnel suite being a epmon. 50:43.44 dclduo Yeah, yeah, yeah. 50:56.51 dclduo Epcot. Yeah. 50:57.84 Benji Like that I was I I Just don't understand at all and it was funny because I stayed in the funnel suite on the wish once and we always felt like we were under like in a in a fish bowl and so I was like well I don't want you know I don't want to do that again. 51:09.90 dclduo Yeah. 51:15.81 Benji And then on the member cruise we happened to walk by it and we saw 2 housekeeping cast members like and I don' wanna say fighting because it was it was playful but just like kind of chasing each other around and I was like you can see into this thing like nobody's business and it was. 51:25.83 dclduo Are yeah. 51:33.71 Benji But anyway I digress but it was I I was. 51:36.79 dclduo Well to to your point though, there's a lot of those little things on the treasure right? like the treasure should have been named the adventure but the Disney adventure is going to be the big ship in Asia the treasure really should have had Aladdin the musical on it instead of beauty and the beast which would have fit better on the wish. But it doesn't and then you know you mentioned at the the top of the show. Um, what was the other thing they have on the treasure that doesn't make sense. It's the the name the show and there's 1 other thing I'm blanking on it. Oh the epcot funnel suite should be milwaana because milwaana is all over the ship too. So like I i. 52:07.98 Benji Right. 52:13.55 dclduo You know they plan these things out for years and they have a design and I don't know why somebody didn't lay out all 4 of these ships and go wait. We should swap some of this stuff around because it doesn't really make thematic sense. So yeah. 52:23.17 Benji And I mean to me I don't love the name Disney adventure because I think it's like I mean of I'm of a certain age where I remember the Disney Adventures Magazine so I expect like Mcauley Culkin to be entangled in Ursula's tentacles but um I yeah I guess I just. 52:30.90 dclduo Yeah. 52:42.56 Benji For something where everything you know part of what Disney prides itself on is that everything has a reason right? You may not agree with it. But every piece of art every carpet everything has something to do to the other vision and you look at this and you go this doesn't always make sense. 53:00.27 dclduo Yeah. 53:02.44 Benji And I know sometimes you run you know you run out of time and money so you take a concept that was made for something else and you plop it in I mean that has happened several times to my knowledge but I don't understand just some of the choices and maybe when we find out what the. The last ship theme is gonna be assuming the Disney venture is more of a broad basis. The based on side of his size of it. But when we find out what that is I'm really curious to see how everything correlates but I yeah I guess I just don't get it I mean I love it. I'm gonna go on it. 53:25.99 dclduo Yeah. 53:32.24 dclduo Yeah, yeah, yeah. 53:39.48 Benji I'm not trying to say don't book a disney treasure cruise I just I felt the reveal was a bit underwhelming especially since they should have leaned into the things that are different that there's 2 marvel shows that there's 2 coco shows. That there's gonna be a new show. You know I I always hate it when they announce you know? Oh yeah i' just gonna have a theater with 2 shows you've already seen you know it's like you know I mean I just want them to be give me a reason to book it besides the fact just it's a new shit. 54:06.54 dclduo Um, yeah. 54:12.55 dclduo Yeah, yeah, well and I was disappointed to the adult area stayed the same even though it fits more to the princess theme of the treasure like with the adult restaurants. So I just felt like. You know we heard from a guest a while back who is in imagineering with Disney Cruise line like oh well, the goal here was we give these ships a name and now thematically everything ties to the name and it doesn't feel like they actually carried through with that I think on the wish everything does thematically sort of most in most cases hang off. Of the name but on the treasure it feels like you get some of the wish and then some new things that relate to adventure a little bit. 54:49.13 Benji And I feel like they set themselves up for that because the the classic shifts and um I'll include the the dream class in this as well. They're just that classic nautical thing and they kind of can take out parts and put in. You know there's no sort of overall cohesive theme except Disney Crew line. You know. 54:59.40 dclduo O. 55:06.80 dclduo Yeah. 55:08.20 Benji You obviously have the europe- themmed adult area on the on the fantasy and the dream has a little bit more of a sort of an ah evolutionary. What's what I'm looking for. There's ah, there's a buzz word that they use but you know metamorphosis is a big part of that ship. But basically it's interchangeable because it's all about being a Disney Cruise ship for the wish he said castlelo on the sea. Basically we took Cinderella Castle we flipped it on its side and everything here is about Fancys which is 1 thing I think the ship does well is I don't I I miss I love the classics ships. But there's definitely a huge fantasy land element with you know, the. 55:28.37 dclduo Me. 55:46.30 Benji The council side and the forest side and all the in it. 55:47.55 Sam Oh yeah, the theming just is really woven into everything on the wish I mean it's they did a really nice show. Yeah, and even into the state rooms I think much more so than you have on the the original four ships. Yeah, you have that. 56:00.40 dclduo Yeah. 56:00.60 Benji Absolutely And then so when they announce a treasure on your basis. Go. Okay, if that's fancy land not see this is eventually ity and then but Adventure lesson. Nothing do a epcot I mean you know and. I mean there's parts that okay I get it like you're not going to remake 3 new restaurants for every ship. You know you're going to have the one that you're going to flex out I get that but it just seems like it's not as thorough as the wish and maybe it's just you know Fantasy land is sort of the core land of the company. 56:19.70 dclduo If. 56:26.78 dclduo Yeah. 56:33.99 Benji And maybe eventually and just wasn't as strong enough of a theme for them. But I disagree. 56:39.71 dclduo Yeah, well and and I actually think they could have I mean with the restaurants so marvels your animators I get it I hope they do something fun with the show. Ah, nice that they. Brought in plaza to coco I actually think they could have changed up 1923 I've said this a couple times on the show like I don't understand why they didn't make it 1955 and then the next ship is 1971 right? and it's they're already going to change out the you know the chachke and the artifacts that are in the restaurant anyway. So. You know, give people the illusion that it's going to be something different as opposed to just another 1923 but. 57:07.90 Benji What what's interesting about it is is knowing that 1923 on the treasure is gonna have a lot of adventure like you know adventure movie stuff I realized how little of that there is in the 1923 on the witch I never never I didn't notice it missing. But. 57:13.37 dclduo Yeah. 57:20.20 dclduo Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, well Benji as we wrap up here. Um actually hold on so you said you booked the treasure when you going on. Are you going on the maiden or you are. 57:23.64 Benji Yeah, you definitely go? Oh yeah, there's not a lot of Jungle book here. 57:32.82 Benji I did no absolutely not not a chance and hey oh so can I I mean I and I don't want to take up all your time but I do have this your I want your perspective on this a maiden voyage over the holidays. 57:38.86 dclduo Ah, ah. 57:51.11 Benji Does that make sense to you. 57:53.53 dclduo It only makes sense to us I think if they're trying to limit the number of people who are going on the cruise which based on the bookings to date would ah be borne out because the ship is the main voyage isn't sold out the wish sold out before it even got down to I think there were some rooms available at gold like some really slim pickings at gold. Ah, but it basically sold out by the time it hit platinum and this thing went all the way to the general public and still has not only rooms available. It has rooms and concierge available which was unheard I mean the concierge rooms booked out to what would be the equivalent of pearl on the wish. So. I don't know what the strategy is here because not only is the maiden not sold out but a lot of the subsequent sailings aren't they started the ship at a time when it's going to immediately go into an extremely off peak season until it hits spring break. So I don't know if the thinking was let's. Let's keep the demand artificially lower. Perhaps so we can get some new audiences onboard a maiden voyage who haven't been able to experience one and then we'll hit a you know a period of time when we'll be able to keep demand light just because you know. People can't travel with their kids during this period of time and so that'll give us the ability to work out some of the kinks and that kind of thing. But yeah I agree extremely unusual to make your maiden voyage a Christmas sailing and it's left a lot of people with questions about whether this will be a very merry time cruise or not because it's not designated as such. 59:22.28 dclduo But I think they'll be at least half the ship pretty upset if they get on board and there's no Christmas tree in the age. So. 59:25.40 Benji Well and I feel for I feel further holiday services people who are gonna have to figure out what they're doing on a ship they haven't seen I mean this meaning it's it's in my own I have a my conspiracy theory on it is is they wanted to have this ship open in q one of 24 which 59:31.35 dclduo Yeah. 59:43.77 Benji Disney fiscal year begins in October and then they said but wait we got burned last time by having to cancel all these cruises. So we're going to make it as late as possible in q one so we can take the capital expense in because q one and q 2 for Disney are very um. Flexible because of you have the holiday. the new year's eve date which can fall in either q 1 or q 2 you have the college triple playoff which changes the financials on Q 1 or q 2 based on when those games are played so I feel like the conspiracy on theorist in me is thinking that this is a lot of balance sheet. 01:00:05.28 dclduo E. 01:00:20.72 Sam I think so too and I also think because benji they they had said 2024 once they committed and said 2024 you know. 01:00:20.73 dclduo Yeah. 01:00:22.83 Benji Shenanigans. 01:00:33.87 Sam I think they had to do it right? They had to pull the trigger in 2024 because of there was such that disappointment of moving the wish by six weeks so I think maybe they originally had hoped that treasure would be ready and done. You know in September October and then they pushed her back as far as they could. 01:00:45.64 Benji Yeah. 01:00:51.00 dclduo Yeah I was I was going to say my provocative viewpoint here is that they wanted to launch her in in August or September and change their mind based on the wish and said we need to give ourselves the most amount of time possible to avoid that and by putting it over the Christmas holiday. There is. 01:00:51.77 Sam Into you know, but still in 2024 01:00:57.79 Benji Yeah. 01:01:10.84 dclduo No chance I think that they can even think about moving the maiden voyage like they did last time because people will that they will lose a lot of capital with the community with people who are like I don't I don't have the option to book a new Christmas vacation now because everything's already booked. So yeah. 01:01:25.79 Benji Yeah, and it's it's I want it'll be interesting to see how many preview cruises they end up doing because if that if that gets strength lengthened out. We can go. Okay, you know they were just trying to hedge their bets to not cancel cruises but still launch you know, but or if there's like 1 01:01:29.22 dclduo Yeah. 01:01:31.75 Sam Yeah, yeah. 01:01:31.87 dclduo Yeah. 01:01:38.74 dclduo Yeah. 01:01:44.49 Benji Then you know it's just they really were trying to commit to that twenty Twenty four day 01:01:46.92 Sam They're down to the wire. Yeah. 01:01:48.45 dclduo Yeah I mean my my best guess is they are actually going to take delivery of this ship at some point in September like first week of October at the latest and then spend the rest of the time getting this thing ready. Um, so. You know it'll be really interesting to see really interesting to see but. 01:02:03.26 Benji Well be interesting I'm I'm you know as a member of the fansite community. We know we got to go on the christening cruise where the ship was not done I mean I've never been invited as media to something unless it's like a construction tour of something that something that was. 01:02:10.59 dclduo Here. 01:02:13.96 Sam Oh yeah. Right? as that? Yeah, right? Yeah, that. 01:02:22.26 Benji That incomplete I because usually you go and you're like okay here's our review of it and like I can't review this. It's not done I don't know what it is and and so I'm curious to see how done it is I mean presuming. They do the similar kind of thing like when we go on it for you know before the revenue guests go on and like are they how much. Duct tape is gonna be used compared to the last time on the wish I'm really curious to see just how the rollout compares because if you remember the Disney dream and the Disney Fantasy had very different rollouts. The Disney Dream had this huge event on. Um. 01:02:53.99 Sam Um. 01:02:59.73 Benji Import canaveral and everything and it was a complete mass complete mess and then so for the fantasy they basically brought it out to New York had Mariah Carey do a photo op on it and and smash a bottle and like you know, no one was present. No one knew you know and ended up being like a blog post and some biro. 01:03:16.37 Sam Right? It was like a video. Yeah yeah. 01:03:18.81 Benji Was like yeah I'm really curious to see how the launch of this ship compares to the launch of the wish in terms of all that soft opening you know media sort of preview I mean is it if if they hedge their bets is it possible that they would. 01:03:28.74 dclduo Yeah. 01:03:37.20 Benji Add on a guest preview cruise if it they got to ship in time and they felt that I mean that would maybe that would likely upset people. But I know other cruise lines do that. So. 01:03:43.62 dclduo Yeah, yeah out. 01:03:43.87 Sam Yeah I don't think they'll do guest one but they could add like a cast and you know they could add an extra cast and family 1 right? because they do those they do several of the previews that well. It typically they'll have like you know a a cast preview cruise where they're doing sort of a dress rehearsal. They have the media a couple different media previews so they could if they added one of those in I think people wouldn't be upset. But if they added in ah a just sort of customer preview. Cruise yeah I think that would. Make that would make me mad as somebody who is paid for the mated voyage. Perfectly honest, right. 01:04:20.50 Benji Yeah I just I don't know that they I'm curious how you know well are they are they capable of not making people mad is is is the really the great question here because. 01:04:26.47 Sam I Don't have a problem with them inviting. Yeah yeah I don't have a problem with them inviting media on for free and cast members on for free like to to that they can do all their dress rehearsals because I want them to be ready to go when I get on right? but. 01:04:32.80 dclduo Yeah. 01:04:38.97 Benji Boy yeah. But. 01:04:45.12 Sam Um, but yeah, it would bother me if it was just like a free customer cruise something. No no I know I mean I think they they have to though if it's a preview they have to yeah they for the cast members. You know you do free. 01:04:47.18 dclduo Well probably wouldn't be free. They'd probably charge something for it. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:04:54.13 Benji Well and then it's like it's like with the the Maiden voyage always being pretty booked up at least you know previously you like you don't want that crew I think the wish kind of had some challenges because they didn't have enough premview curses I mean these cast numbers. 01:05:01.55 Sam Normally it. 01:05:09.86 Sam Right? exactly and how how everything works. 01:05:12.81 Benji Have to figure out where they're going you know home and you know you never want to be you never want to have an attraction that's efficient. It's always cool to get to to go on a preview whether it's an attraction or a cruise ship. There's no question. But if you're paying not even full price like premium pricing you. 01:05:13.40 dclduo Um, yeah. 01:05:27.89 dclduo Yeah. 01:05:30.63 Benji And you know I mean I would hope guests would be understanding. That's still pretty new but the same time you want to have some of the kinks worked out and I don't know that they had I mean you guys were on it. How smooth was the Maiden wish crews. 01:05:34.86 Sam M. 01:05:37.22 dclduo Um, yeah. 01:05:42.70 Sam It was a it was a mix. It was a mix. There were some things that were fine and and really well done and clearly like well rehearsed there were other things not so much and then there were a lot of things that just weren't available right? There was like the the only thing that was like really I would say there was kind of. 01:05:43.76 dclduo Um, I mean yeah, it was a mix. 01:05:59.37 Sam For me 2 things that were disappointing that they weren't available. 1 We knew ahead of time and was less disappointing that was that the aladdin stage show wasn't ready and I was a little bit like miffed because I'm like well they've already done Aladdin on another ship. So why is it not available on this ship that didn't really make a lot of sense to me except I understand you know they've got a. Didn't have any time to rehearse on that stage. The other thing was uncharted adventure that was the thing I was most disappointed about to be perfectly. Honest, it's it's not yes, yes. 01:06:23.47 Benji Have they have they gotten that done I mean is that do you think that that I mean I did it. It still feels like it's in preview mode. Yeah. 01:06:23.52 dclduo Well I thought I thought even. 01:06:33.74 dclduo Yeah, it does not always work. Um I think that's the big glitch is that it's just it's inconsistent in the experience I think they would say it's done and it's out and it's fully launched but it's just inconsistent in the experience like from Cruise to cruise. 01:06:44.65 Benji It was curious to me that it was curious to me. They didn't mention at all during Disney Treasure reveal. 01:06:49.14 Sam E. 01:06:51.73 dclduo Yeah I mean I think we held out hope they might revert to something more like um, the detective ah midship detective agency because it's physical and it's easier for them to implement than all of this technology that you frankly have to test across any number of multiple mobile devices to see if it. Will actually function. Ah yeah I'd I'd say the main voyage on the wish to Sam's point was I mean it was it wasn't just that a show wasn't ready. It was that the shows that did run had technical problems and limitations because they hadn't been able to fully vet them through the theater. Ah, you know the dining rooms were a little bit of a cluster because they just didn't. 01:07:17.90 Sam Oh yeah, true. 01:07:27.46 dclduo Fully know what they were doing yet. Um and you know no signage. There was lots of signage that wasn't up on the ship. So for a new ship that you had to learn to navigate. They didn't have the appropriate signage up all the time. So I mean lots of little things like that and then they kind of last minute instituted some policies on board that. Kind of frustrating So like one was we had. We know we had stayed up and stalked the app across 3 of us to get some adult dining reservations on the cruise and we ended up getting like brunch and dinner. Yeah, 3 of the 4 a bruncht Pao a dinner at Pallo and a dinner at en chate and when we showed up, they just announced. Well. 01:07:56.50 Sam 3 ah, 3 of the 4 01:08:04.15 Sam They canceled they canceled 1 of them. 01:08:04.75 dclduo You only get 1 adult dining experience and they just picked 1 for us and canceled the others and I was like like what that was not advertised when we booked that was not advertised when we we booked the things in the app like and you didn't even yeah, you didn't bother to ask me which one I wanted to keep so we ended up. You know we ended up. 01:08:05.95 Benji Oh wow. 01:08:15.35 Sam And how do you know which 1 we want to cancel. 01:08:23.90 dclduo Getting some of the things that we wanted. But um, yes I I do think the 1 thing they have going for them in their favor with the treasure is that they are bringing over a crew. They I mean we have heard countless crew are being asked to go from the wish to the treasure and so at least they have some idea of what the ship is going to be like I think the kinks will be. 01:08:39.20 Sam Well and they're and they're true. Yeah, and they're training people from what we've from talking to cast members. They're sending a lot of folks who've been on the dream. The fantasy the wonder and the magic over to the wish to get trained on that ship because the the expectation is that. 01:08:42.60 dclduo Ah, longer sailing. 01:08:58.90 Sam You know some of those folks are going to be then going to the treasure so they're trying to get as many cast members as they can sort of trained on the wish because there really isn't a difference between the wish and the treasure operations for the wise for the cast with obviously some small exceptions. 01:09:02.85 Benji You know. 01:09:13.85 Benji And it's clear that they brought some people that were from Cruise line that mean and maybe we went to the park but kind of back into the cruise line fold of things. Um, but I the way the wish launch makes me very curious for the adventure launch. 01:09:18.10 Sam And. 01:09:18.43 dclduo Who. 01:09:29.73 Benji Because if you have a hard time getting cast who know what they're doing I mean I that was not the maybe the right toe but you know who have experience and have you know, been around a while and then you want to create a whole other megaship that you're gonna be launching in and you know I mean honestly, the. 01:09:29.95 Sam Um. 01:09:34.89 dclduo Yeah. 01:09:41.41 dclduo There. 01:09:49.78 Benji Magic was a mess and when they launched it too but that at least that was the first ship and you know you you're trying to mesh a cruise culture if a Disney culture totally get it I mean every you know Disneyland was a mess opening day famously. But um. 01:09:52.10 Sam E. 01:09:52.81 dclduo Yeah. 01:10:04.19 Benji You know you just want. It's It's one of those things where it's like let's make new mistakes not repeat the old mistakes. That's the only thing I ask. 01:10:07.50 Sam So yeah, it's a good point. 01:10:10.11 dclduo Yeah, they do seem plagued by that problem of constantly repeating history. So we shall we shall see we are excited to have booked the Maiden. Um, we did not book the cruise after because the pricing was ah so high. Ah, so we're actually getting off and going on the fantasy for New Year's eve right after so we're excited for that orre excited for that. 01:10:24.60 Benji And oh great I'm not going until March so I'm curious to see um how the ship looks like you know, kind of in that 6 you know three month timeframe 01:10:38.96 dclduo Yeah. 01:10:41.44 Benji Because ah I don't I never book the maiden just because I'm cheap, but the the in on the wish I was supposed to be on it like four weeks later after which I love because you still get that opening team by but like they're a little bit more in the ring of things. But. 01:10:57.76 dclduo O. 01:11:01.90 Benji Um, it ended up getting canceled because of the wish delay. But then with it being December for the treasure just January february you're kind of busy for me personally just you know my taxes and everything so so I'm I'm delayed this is the longest um delay outside of the wish that I've had. Going on a new ship. So I'm really curious to see what that experience is like. 01:11:23.90 dclduo Well I'll say it took a while for the wish to hit her stride because we were just on in August and I think with the same group that we went on when the ship first launched and I think this was the first time we were all on going this feels like it's all functioning correctly now like everything is kind of working on this ship. So. 01:11:39.35 Benji I had a great server on the member Cruise and I was like wow this graves like did you open the ship because like no I never want to open the ship that I want to get the get the kinks out and then I'll go over. Yeah like yeah that probably makes sense. 01:11:41.48 dclduo So yeah. 01:11:45.91 Sam Yeah, and then I go yeah. 01:11:46.91 dclduo Um, yeah, yeah, exactly well Benji I think we could talk cruise line all day. 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 in a dash of judgment or the round we know as rapid fire so sam take it away I don't know what you have in store for bingji this time around. 01:12:08.19 Sam Yeah, so this time around we're just going to talk Disney Cruise line because I did already ask you some of your general Disney favorites and we talked abd of course the last time you were on the show. Benji so we're just going to talk favorite stuff from Disney Cruise line and it can be on any of the 5 ships. Um, or frankly could I guess you could tell me if there's something you anticipate loving even more than what's already on the ships but you know it's kind of hard to say if you haven't experienced it. So let's start. Ah let's start where I love to start which is if your favorite Disney Cruise line stage show. 01:12:44.63 Benji That is a great question and I feel like I'm gonna be a sucker here and say Disney dreams. Um, which is it's it's the oldest but it's I mean I mean I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable with with like. 01:12:53.97 Sam Yeah, really benji. 01:13:02.66 Benji Teaching kids to jump off roofs but um I love a good review show I wish disney I wish Disney Cruise line would do more of those? Yeah um, seeesy adventures a little bit like that but's very short and kind of but. 01:13:03.56 Sam Yeah, and out windows and. 01:13:17.98 Benji I love a good sort of here's a story and then we're gonna have Disney characters teach you life lessons and I love that I you know and it's I've I've seen a lot of shortlive shows like Morty the magnificent and um. 01:13:23.30 Sam All right up fair enough. It is cute and there are some great musical numbers in there. Um. 01:13:31.17 Sam Right. 01:13:35.37 Benji Ah, toy story The musical didn't seem to last very long I Love I Do love the beauty and the bee show as well. That's probably if I didn't have the if I did. 01:13:35.64 Sam No, it didn't last long. Yeah that's the right answer benji so the wrong answer is Disney dreams. That's not it I understand all the reasons why you gave but the right answer to this question is everybody who listens to this show know like. Right? Answer to this question is beauty and the beast. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, it's like seeing Golden Mickey's and seeing Bob I grew up on the screen. 01:13:54.90 Benji If if be if I if beauty and the beast had been around twenty five years ago that would have probably been the answer but there's something sort of comforting about seeing you know the show you know and love. But I I love you just Yeah yeah, well. Yeah I mean I you know I because what do they do? It did I what did they do when Bob Iger wasn't around. There is no way Bob Chippeck didn't knew that there's no way Bob Shapeck knew Bob Iger was still on that ship. Yeah. 01:14:14.84 Sam Um, a much younger Bob Eker it was still Bob Iger it was never Bob Jpeck it was always yeah I I I'm with you. It was. It was very odd for years. Okay, what is your favorite. Adult bar space on Disney Cruise line any of the ships. 01:14:40.32 Benji That's a great question too I should preface that I don't drink So um, but I like. 01:14:45.23 Sam That's okay. 01:14:52.87 Benji I Don't know I think I level gills I think I think it just it's a nice. It's a nice functional space but still got you know when it was diverged. It was kind of bland. It still got the theing. It's got a story they I think that's my favorite. 01:14:58.48 Sam Um, yeah. 01:15:07.35 Sam Um, yeah, nice all right? What is your favorite onboard activity. 01:15:15.57 Benji My favorite onboard activity is sitting on deck for watching the c go by and relaxing maybe occasionally seeing a character walk by me being chased by a bunch of seven year olds I love that 01:15:22.19 Sam Yes. 01:15:30.49 Sam Ah, that's that is the best seeing like Mickey on the running track or something as pretty awesome. Yeah, love it all right? favorite rotational dining restaurant and this could be for any reason like I'm not. I'm not necessarily saying because of the menu because of the entertainment because of the ambience. So whatever sort of sticks out for you. 01:15:51.40 Benji Yeah, you know it never quite lived up to its potential. But I am still a sucker for animator's palette and especially the sort of classic version where. 01:16:01.90 Sam Yeah. 01:16:06.51 Sam E. 01:16:09.88 Benji You know now where you get to see even just the line work. You get to see how they draw the characters I think is this really cool to see them come alive. Um, you know Obviously it's sort of perennially has technical difficulties but you know I Also like the fact they took a big swing on it. 01:16:12.73 Sam Yes I love that too. 01:16:26.89 Benji And you know try something that is really Disney and I like that. 01:16:29.94 Sam I Love it too all right? This is probably not that controversial but tell us your favorite port. That's right hey. 01:16:41.21 Benji Castaway key I mean I mean I'm excited for lighthouse point. But you know it's it Castaway key will always be the original and I think too just being It's the history. It has with Disney that's stretch as back long before. Um. Disney Cruise line I think is a neat little fact too and you know, especially as it's grown over the years and you know now we have memories there. It's going to take a while for me to build the memories of white house point I'm sure I'll love it. But I don't know I haven't heard anything that they're doing that's really game changing for me that will kind of overshadow. 01:17:02.25 Sam Um. 01:17:08.29 Sam Yeah. 01:17:13.84 Sam E. 01:17:18.31 Benji Ah, the sort of classicness of Castro key. 01:17:20.42 Sam Love it. Nothing like sending yourself a postcard and not getting it for like an entire year after by the way. Yes. 01:17:28.25 Benji I Remember I remember like the big thing was to get the castaway key stamps back in the day and the but the post if if someone sneezed the post office would be closed because they wouldn't put on yeah and like as I was like you know it took forever to get the the postcard and then um. 01:17:34.81 Sam Yes, it's still the same way I feel like. 01:17:45.25 Benji Oh well, just and the oh the other thing I was gonna say is is I think like second would be Nasa just ki like I mean the nice thing if you go on a Mediterranean Cruise where you're going like that's a yeah, it's a lot of great pors but none of them have Disney I will say. 01:17:50.85 Sam Yeah, definitely not sure you get lots of great ports. Yeah. 01:18:04.25 Benji My favorite port memory was going to copenhagen going to tivoli gardens and meeting the boy who is now a man and actually retired shortly after I met him who was in that famous picture of Walt where he's wearing that big tivoli garden hat and the little boy is there. 01:18:07.68 Sam M. 01:18:18.79 Sam Oh Wow yeah. 01:18:22.68 Benji His ah Sven was his name or still is his name and ah and so getting to meet someone who got to meet Walt in sort of a influential way. You know we obviously you know? yeah yeah was really cool and I I mean and so I got to take a picture of him like. 01:18:28.89 Sam Um, yeah, right? A place that inspired well and is a place that inspired Walt. Obviously yeah I love that? yeah. 01:18:42.13 Benji Kind of where I played Walt and he played himself. It was kind of cool. 01:18:45.82 Sam That's awesome. All right? We got to talk food favorite food item I need a sweet item and a savory item. Let's start with sweet. 01:18:54.18 Benji Oh my goodness It's going This is maybe not what you meant, but it's going to be the free ice cream on on on on on the ah on the top deck and that's the one They don't the wish where it's like they won't let me do it myself. 01:19:01.60 Sam Yeah, that's great I yeah. 01:19:10.54 Benji And so I feel guilty because like if you do it yourself. You can just kind of go up like 5 or 6 times and like like when but we see the same cast number like 12 times a day like like I don't don't judge me. 01:19:15.94 Sam His judgment. Yeah I love it. Yeah no I think that's a great answer. Okay favorite savory item. 01:19:29.24 Benji I Love the um I don't remember which restaurant it is but the fried brie that they do as an app of cancer that is I think about that a lot I'm not a foodie by any stretch. So it's like I'm not a super. The dining experience is the dining I like the dining experience but I'm not. 01:19:34.83 Sam Um, oh yeah, Royal Court Royal Palace. Yeah yeah. 01:19:44.64 Sam E. 01:19:46.95 Benji S savoring it is probably as much as I should I mean I you know I love Enantte and Pallo but I would it would be I'd be remiss if I could even remember what I had I remember being good. But yeah I just I don't I don't take pictures of my food unless it needs to be on a website someplace. So yeah, but that is when they I just go like oh yeah. 01:20:00.46 Sam Yeah. 01:20:05.91 Benji Yeah, like pop I see it on the menu I go like oh yeah I Really like that I can't wait to order it. 01:20:06.95 Sam Yeah I love it. Awesome all right Aqua Duck aqua dunk aqua mouse oh interesting 01:20:16.88 Benji Aqua Mouse I think I'm not a huge train of the aquadunk. Um, and I love those Mickey Mouse shorts and so it kind of and it kind of gets you a little wet before you get wet. It's kind of like you know like. 01:20:28.21 Sam Um, yep, the little preview. Yeah. 01:20:32.94 Benji Primes you for the for the adventure you're about to have so and then you don't have to like it just makes sense because the the the inner tubes have to get up there anyway, you might as well go on it while it's doing it. It's kind of like you know when you at pirates at Walt Disney World you're like I know those boats are going back up. Why can't I just stay on it. 01:20:43.43 Sam Um, yeah. 01:20:48.63 Sam You're right, give me where I love it all right favorite ship. Ah the original all right last question. 01:20:50.37 Benji Give me more ride. 01:20:56.16 Benji Disney magic. 01:21:01.17 Sam What is your bucket list. Cruise if you could cruise anywhere in the world on Disney Cruise line where are you cruising and it doesn't have to be someplace that Disney Cruise line even currently cruises to so this could be an imaginary cruise. 01:21:16.34 Benji I have been booked on and canceled more transatlantic cruises. Um than just because of the time involved in it. But I would love to disconnect the ports to me is not obviously a Mediterranean Cruise or an Alaskan Cruise you know the ports are great and you should do it. But when I'm I've done plenty. They're just going around to encinata and youre never seen the end of a ship so I would love to do one just so I could say least feel like I followed through on my commitment to doing one. Um and also because I would also like to sort of. Recreate waltz crews to Europe and and kind of see what he felt when he was trying to recover from the stresses of working at the studio I would love to just kind of feel I mean obviously I'm no Walt Disney but I would love to kind of get that sense of him. 01:22:01.23 Sam So. 01:22:12.43 Benji You know, taking those two weeks and really being introspective and I'd love to do that myself. 01:22:15.84 dclduo Nice. It tracks with your oh God to. 01:22:17.58 Sam I awesome I love that answer. Well thank you for sorry I was gonna say well thank you for playing Benji sorry to subject you to my judgment on your you know show pickics but ah. 01:22:28.42 Benji You know I. 01:22:30.83 Sam It's always fun hearing what what different people like and and hearing what sticks with them as far as their memories and you know of course the food is is always a fun one as well. 01:22:40.74 Benji I I do enjoy eating and seeing shows and doing Disney cruises. So I appreciate you asking me the questions because it makes me remember all the fun I've had. 01:22:52.60 Sam Um. 01:22:53.75 dclduo Well Benji I like your last answer the most because ah I think it tracks with the answer you gave at the end of our last show because you wanted to do an abd into South America if I remember correctly so you're keep it. You're keeping thematically true here with your desire to follow in the footsteps of Walt Disney 01:23:01.48 Benji That I. 01:23:05.95 Sam Yeah, walking in yeah. 01:23:08.70 Benji Well I mean let me just say like as a not as that I ever intend to found a company that will have a creative legacy of 100 years I do not have that in me I am self-aware but I would love to just. 01:23:10.51 dclduo Um. 01:23:22.82 dclduo Ah. 01:23:25.25 Benji See what inspired him to kind of just help me understand how the Disney we ended up with is what came to be. 01:23:33.56 dclduo Yeah, for sure. That's a great goal. Um, then you do you want to let folks know where they can find and follow along with you and and read more of ah your thoughts I think over at laughing place. 01:23:42.60 Benji Yeah, part and part of the team over at laughingplace.com we are knee deepep in all sorts of covering fun with the Hundredth anniversary is the 100 anniversary seems to be the thing that never started but is always starting and so we are covering all the stuff that they have. Especially with Disney wish coming out in November we expect to have a lot about that movie because there's so much to love as a Disney fan in that and it is we have a lot that we've seen that we just can't wait to share as we get closer and we hope that. You enjoy discovering this film and please please please if you see something that you love as a Disney fan share it with others so that Disney makes more of that and less of the stuff. We don't love. 01:24:33.20 dclduo There you go great advice. Well Benji as always. We appreciate you coming on the show. You're welcome back anytime we love chatting with you. But for now we'll say thank you for sharing your experiences with our listeners. We really, really appreciate it. 01:24:45.70 Benji It was my pleasure and see you guys real soon.