[00:00:00] Speaker A: And my husband's listening, and he says, there's a five k on this island. And I said, he is not a runner. I mean, he works out like he's very big into that. But again, you get a medal. And I said, yes, yes, you do get a medal.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: You get a medal. I love that he's motivated by the medals.
[00:00:29] Speaker C: Welcome back, everybody, to this week's episode of the DC Cl duo podcast, brought to you by my path, unwinding travel, and Sam gonna head straight into the review so we can maximize our time with our guests today. This. I'm not gonna have a problem reading this listener review, moniker or alias, but it's. It's a racy one. So Jessica is a vixen is the person who left us this review, and she titled it the best fix in between cruises. I'm a huge Disney aficionado. Raised on the parks, my dad was a cast member and then turned out to be a cast member myself at Disneyland during college. I'd been on one Disney cruise in my teens, and now that I'm in my thirties with my family, I knew I wanted to revisit a Disney Cruise and experience it all over again through my daughter's eyes. We took her on our on her first Disney cruise in December 2022 on the Wonder, a maritime cruise, and the DCL duo was one of the podcasts I listened to religiously to prepare myself and hype our family up for the vacation. Since that cruise, I've been on the wonder once again in April 2023 for my daughter's 7th birthday, and we're heading out on the magic in November for another maritime cruise. I still find myself listening to DCL duo weekly during my commute and using it to fill the void in between cruises. This podcast is the perfect mix of guests and personal experiences and provides a lot of tips and tricks before you sail. Hopefully we'll get to be guests on air one day. Well, definitely reach out if you want to be a guest on the air. We love hearing from listeners who are interested in being guests, and the process for being a guest is not as daunting as some seem to imagine it to be. So thank you for that review, Jessica. We really, really appreciate it.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: And yeah, I guess you are a vixen, but I love that review. Thank you.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: Well, Sam, do you want to introduce our guest and our topic for today?
[00:02:14] Speaker B: Yes, we've got another first time cruise show on for you today. I'm so excited. We're happy and excited to welcome first time, first time guest, longtime Listener Lindley to the show. Welcome to the show, Lindley.
[00:02:28] Speaker A: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
[00:02:30] Speaker B: Yeah, we're so excited to have you tell us your Disneyland background. I know this is your first Disney cruise, but I think you also actually have a little bit of cruising background back in the. In the. In the way back of your memory, right?
[00:02:46] Speaker A: Back in the day. Yeah, cruising. I think my parents wanted to take one when I was in high school. I think I was in high school. It may have even been for high school, but I'm pretty sure it was carnival. But it wasn't. I mean, it was okay. And we've never done it again until, you know, now as an adult, I'm going back trying Disneyland. I think my husband also did one or two. We weren't really cruise people. That wasn't really an interest until, again, Disney came and we were like, let's try something new. But in terms of my Disney background, I went to Disney World as a little kid, and again, my parents kind of was like, we have to take you. Check that box. And once they did, it was, we're not going to go again. And I'm like, okay. But then as an adult, my husband and I actually went back as adults only, like us and two of our friends after I graduated school. And I didn't know about researching about Disney nothing. And we had a good time. It was okay. But it wasn't until I had my first kid that that's when I fell in love with the parks. We took our. She was three at the time, which I didn't realize if you were under three, you could get them in for free there. But we didn't mess up on my next two. But she just loved it. Saw the princesses. We didn't really care so much about rides, but saw characters. And me and him both were like, this is ideal for a family vacation. And it was like, we have to go back all the time. And so then it was, like, almost yearly that we were going back. And then I remember being like, I would never take a baby or a toddler to Disney World. And here I am taking a 15 month old. And it was a blast. And we had the best time. So, yeah, so we were hooked. And he can't imagine a vacation that didn't involve Disney world, which is shocking to me. He was not a Disney person.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: He wasn't a Disney person. Wow.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: And now he's like, how would we go somewhere else that, you know, Disney takes care of everything, and it's all kids friendly and we enjoy ourselves. And I was like, you're right. And so here we are.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: It sounds like you're on the path to DVC ownership if you aren't already. TVC owner.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Actually, we're not. I have talked to many of people who are, and we have rented points a few times and so. Yeah, so, but we haven't committed. I still haven't wrapped my head around, like, how to even, it's, how to utilize it to the, you know, the fullest.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: It's actually quite complicated. And I'm going to confess this on air probably for the first time. I don't really understand how any of it works myself. I just have a husband who does actually understand the ins and outs and, and he handles all of our, like, points and the reservations and all of the use year and all. He understands all of it. So I don't have to even like, think about it and make sure if we're like, if we would otherwise lose points, we either rent them or roll them over to the next year if we can. And anyway, it is a complicated, that's why there's entire multiple podcasts about it and we have, of course, ones that we like to recommend for folks who are interested. But anyway, turning back to the subject at hand, what made you decide you had only taken, you know, one cruise as a teen or pre teen on carnival and obviously it didn't have a huge impact in your life because you didn't go on another one, you didn't really think to cruise after, after that. And same, it sounds like, for your husband, what made you think, oh, like we've done all these parks vacations. How about we go on the Disney cruise line as well?
[00:06:17] Speaker A: Well, so it had to do with our third baby. So I was pregnant and I was like, we did go to Disney while pregnant. I've gone to Disney twice pregnant.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: That's after the baby.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. And it definitely wasn't in the summer. It was always like fall, spring, so it was fine. But I was thinking, I'm not going to be able to take a vacation this whole year because I have maternity leave and all this other, and I'm just like, I'm going to go through Disney withdrawals. And I said, so as soon as we can, we're going to have to take our child to Disney World. And I was like, but I don't know, again, I don't know what a 15 month old, you know, we are normally like six days at Disney. We're full day parks. And I'm like, I just don't think he's going to like that. But what if we took him on a cruise? Because I was like, there's a nursery. We could drop him off there and we could enjoy it, you know? So what if we did a few days before the cruise and then took a cruise, and so looked into that, and I said, oh, that might work out. And it's his first experience seeing characters. We'll see how that goes, and it'll be our first experience on a cruise as a family. One of my kids gets motion sick, and so I was very nervous about doing, like, a long cruise. I was like, oh, we can just try a three night cruise, and the wish is the newest ship, and that's going to be, you know, great to experience. So that's how we came up with that. And we booked, I mean, as soon as I think I was six weeks postpartum, and I said, we're booking it for the next spring break. Yeah. And so I called my travel agent, and she said, you're booking for, you know, a year out? And I said, yes, I am. That's how much I have missed not getting to go to Disney world, you know? So. So that's how it happened. Yeah.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Wow. And then how did you. How did you find us? Did you. Did you find us, like, before you booked that cruise or after you booked that cruise?
[00:08:06] Speaker A: No. So I found you after, because, again, I knew nothing about Disney cruise line. You know, she was asking me, like, what floor would you want to be on? And I'm like, you need to handle this, because I have no idea. Like, I could book my Disney vacation all day long. Like, most of the time when I'm booking with her, I know I annoy her because I'm like, I don't want to do this is what I want to do. Like, change it, do this, do that, you know? But for Disney Cruise line, I can.
[00:08:29] Speaker B: You know exactly what you want for Disney World because you're a regular Disney world person.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. And so I was like, I know nothing. And so she. She did all of that, and I was like, please give us advice. But then I was like, I need to find podcasts. There's gotta be podcasts, right? And so I clicked on one, listened to, like, five minutes of it, and I said, ugh, this isn't gonna get. I don't think I can listen to an hour of this. So then I switched to another one, and then the same thing, and then I found that was us, by the.
[00:08:52] Speaker C: Way, that was the first one. Then she came back.
[00:08:57] Speaker A: You were my third option, because I think I had, like, a five hour drive, and I was like, we need some Disney right now. And so I found y'all, and I'm like, I'm listening. And I'm listening. I'm like, oh, ten minutes have gone by. 25 minutes have gone by, you know, and I'm like, oh, my goodness. I finished all episode. I'm gonna keep going. And so then I was like, this is great. I really like this. And so, so then it was probably, like, I don't know, ten podcasts in before I realized, like, not all the ships were the same. You know, y'all kept talking about, like, mickey churro waffles. Mickey churro waffles. And I was like, ooh, we gotta try those. And then I get to an episode on the wish, and they go, you know, they don't have Mickey churro waffles on the wish. And I said, what?
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Sometimes they do. And I want to put that out there. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. They're just, you know, because they don't have them every day. That's the thing, on any ship. And so. Yeah, and so they sometimes will have them on the wish, but it's like. It's, I think, hit or miss, depending upon, you know, the ship in the itinerary and all of that.
[00:09:54] Speaker C: I think they've become such a fan favorite. They try to have them out at least once a sailing, but. But it's. Yeah, on the wish, especially on a three night sailing, it's. It's a pretty hit or miss.
[00:10:05] Speaker A: We did not have them. I was hoping maybe. No, we did not have them.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: And then I kept hearing you guys say, like, the three night cruise, like, ah, you really want to take a longer one? And I was getting so nervous. I was like, oh, no, what did we do? We should have gone longer, you know? But it was still great. It was wonderful.
[00:10:22] Speaker B: I think you made a smart decision with the concern about the motion sickness. Right? Like that. I will say, like, so I get motion sick. I've mentioned this on the show. I get motion sickness occasionally from, like, long car rides. Certain types of, you know, park rides will give me motion sickness as well. And I. So I do get seasick on particularly smaller boats. And if the seas are really rough, even in a large cruise ship, I can get seasick. But I will say most of the time I don't. But there are people who are way more sensitive than me, and so if that is. If that's a concern. I always do recommend people start out with a shorter cruise. So then if you're really miserable, you know, okay, probably either cruising's not for me, or I need to get medicated before I can go on the cruise ship and get the prescription medication. Because I will say, like, there are other, you know, dramamine and bone over the counter, and. And so are even, you know, acupressure bands and things like that. Those things are great. But for the more extreme motion sickness, you need the prescription stuff. No, no question. All right, well, you have a family of five. Was there anybody else in your sailing party, or was it just your family of five?
[00:11:34] Speaker A: We're the only ones who love Disney that much. I guess so, yeah, it was just us. Yeah.
[00:11:40] Speaker B: Nice. And then what stateroom category did you end up booking? Because obviously you can't book any stateroom that you want with a party of five. There are some staterooms that only sleep three or four. Disney, of course, is well known for being able to accommodate parties of five much better than most cruise lines. But, yeah. What kind of stateroom did you end up booking?
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Well, I knew we wanted a veranda. I kind of, like, went back and forth looking at that prior to calling my travel agent, and I was like, I really want the balcony for us to kind of sit out there and enjoy that and also didn't want it to feel. Again, with my kid possibly motion sick, I didn't know what it would be like if she didn't. Couldn't go out in the air. And I was like, let's look at that. And so it was the veranda, I guess, family deluxe or something like that. Deluxe.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: Family deluxe. Family veranda. Stateroom. Yeah. Cause there's the family veranda, and then there's the deluxe family veranda. The deluxe one is a little bit bigger, and it's really, frankly, just those extra few feet are really nice. Yeah. All right, well, let's. So what are the ages of your kids? I know the youngest was 15 months at the time of sailing. What were the ages of the other two when you sailed?
[00:12:49] Speaker A: My oldest is a girl. Nine. She's nine. And then my middle is a girl. She was five at the time. And then my caboose, the 15 month old is a little boy.
[00:12:59] Speaker B: Oh, nice. All right, well, let's talk about prepping then, for the sailing. You're a first time cruiser, so of course you have the last booking window of all. And it's a 30 night cruise, so there's sort of limited as far as what you can book on board and excursions, because you're just going to Nassau and castaway in that kind of itinerary. So as we've told people, no need to book excursions for that itinerary, but if you want to, of course they're available to you. Did you book anything in the, you know, sort of advanced booking window, or did you just kind of decide, we're going to play it by ear?
[00:13:32] Speaker A: We didn't do any excursions. We had thought about the stingray, but then my kids are pretty skittish when it comes to things. And I was reading some reviews where it was like, my kid hated it. I held him the whole time, you know, and I was like, yeah, this is our first time. Like, there's plenty to do on castaway. We are not going to book an excursion. And then for Nassau, we wanted to just experience the ship, so we didn't worry about booking anything there in terms of things on board. My oldest has done bibidi boppity boutique in the park and had the most amazing time. It was for her fifth birthday. Loved it. And when my second was able to start going to the parks, it was right after Covid. They weren't doing bippity boppity. So I think they had. I don't think they had opened it. Like, she's gone three times and it wasn't open yet. And so I said, we have got to do it this time, but we didn't want to use our parts to do it. I was like, let's do it on the ship. And so that was one that I definitely wanted to get was bibbidi boppity, which I was able to. Which was exciting for both girls or.
[00:14:36] Speaker B: Just for the middle girls. Oh, nice.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: So actually, I got one. I think it was, like, at 315 one day. I mean, you know, there was very limited amount left by the time I got to book, but one was 315, and then one was 345. But I was like, I bet I could get on that ship and ask them if it can be together. And they were able to accommodate that. As soon as we got on, I went straight there, and I was like, look, I really want them to do this together so we can all be here at the same time. And they moved the 345 to 315. So I did have to do it earlier, but that was fine. So they both got to do it together, which was fantastic. And then I wanted to do the royal gathering. That was the only other one I wanted to make sure we got. And we were able to get that, too, without issue.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: Nice. Nice.
[00:15:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: I think the royal gathering is so typically it's booked at the 30 day mark when you do your online check in. But the tip I give people is have all your stuff ready to go so you can get through the check in process quickly so that you can book the royal gathering. There are even portions of the check in process you can actually skip and go back to. And so if you do that, you might get faster as far as booking royal gathering. For those who haven't heard us talk about this before, it is a princess meet and greet photography opportunity. You can have them sign, you know, an autograph, things like that. And it's usually three or four princesses in, like, on the wish, usually in the grand hall. And it's a free event, but it's a reservation event. So there, it'll happen a few times across the sailing. On a three night cruise, it's probably just like two times, but it'll happen a couple of different times. It's, you know, maybe like, half hour long, but you can't go to it unless you've got a reservation. They do hold back for both bibbidi bobbidi and for royal gathering, they do hold back, I think, some of the inventory so that you could book on, potentially book on ship if you weren't able to get something in that pre booking window. But always a good, you know, good idea to at least try and like you did Lindley, to. Even if you can nab two separate appointments for Bibbidi Bobbidi, oftentimes they can accommodate, you know, changes on board. So. Very smart thinking. All right, well, let's talk about preparing the kids. Now, your kids, other than the 15 month old, are Disney Parks kids. So they. They know, like, they're gonna see, you know, Mickey and Minnie, of course, and all of the. All. All the fab five, frankly, plus the princesses. But did you do anything to, like, prepare them for a cruise, for the cruise ship in particular, like, videos on YouTube, anything like that?
[00:17:09] Speaker A: Yes. So anytime we have, which is very sparingly, but we have a free Saturday morning where we're not having to, like, rush and go. If we're, like, kind of sitting around, I'm like, hey, let's. Y'all want to watch, like, Disney, you know, videos about rides? They always get to pick, I want to watch this ride. I want to watch this ride. Even when we've been on them a million times, they just want to watch them. I said, okay. So I've surprised them once with a Disney trip, and I'm like, never again. Because they were like, it wasn't what you expected, right? Like, oh, great, we're going. But it's much more fun for us to be like, this is, we're going even if it's a year out. Let's look at what we're all going to get to do and talk about, you know, are you all excited about this or that? And so I told them pretty much as soon as I booked it, hey, this is what we're doing. And they go, wait, we're going to be on that boat? And I'm like, yes, let's look at it. Right? And I like, showed them the wish, exactly what we're going to do. Showed them the island. Like, look at this island we get to go to. And, oh, they were so pumped. And so anytime we had a downtime, I'm like, let's pull up a video and let's watch it together. You know, so they love that.
[00:18:10] Speaker B: Awesome. I love that.
[00:18:11] Speaker C: Now, you went, you went to the parks before the cruise. Well, where'd you stay? Where'd you stay at the parks? That's also a good data.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: We were at the Polynesian. We rented DVC points and stayed at the poly. Yeah.
[00:18:23] Speaker B: Awesome.
[00:18:24] Speaker C: Nice, nice, nice, nice. So you said you used Disney transportation to get to the port, is that right?
[00:18:31] Speaker A: We did. And it was. How was that?
Amazing. So they picked us up at like 930, I think. So they came around 730 and got our bags from our room. That was kind of confusing because I was like, I don't know what we're supposed to do with these bags, but they just knocked on the door and just grabbed them from inside and then they left. I was like, okay, great. And then they picked us up at 930. We made two more stops. I think we made a stop at grand Floridian and then maybe wilderness lodge, maybe. But it didn't take hardly any time. We got to the port around, I want to say around 1050 ish. And I had a boarding group time of 1130 and we probably actually boarded at like 1125. I mean, we were on very quickly. And so I was super pumped about that because I know initially on some of your shows you had mentioned, like, that Disney transportation sometimes could get you there later. And I was like, yeah, we're going to take it, though. We have five kids. Sometimes that's hard with like, other private transportations. We didn't have a car. And then when I saw my, when I checked in and I saw my boarding group was like four and, you know, it was 1130. I was like, oh, this is great. This is going to be awesome.
[00:19:35] Speaker B: So we've been hearing that a little bit more lately that the Disney transportation is starting to lean on those earlier times. So, yeah, so both from the airport, they've always had early buses, but from the resorts it used to be we would hear that, you know, people not getting to the port until the afternoon and so. But we're starting to hear more and more. So I wonder if they just shifted, you know, all those pickups earlier or maybe because they're not doing, you know, the transportation from the airport to the parks anymore like they used to. Maybe those magical express buses are just more available. I don't know. But sure. Anyway, because of benefits. Yeah.
[00:20:14] Speaker A: Right. And because of that, I didn't have to worry about, like, I have to check in so I can get my port arrival time. I just went straight to royal gathering and got it. And then I didn't even check in until the next day because I was just like, I'm going back to bed.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: Yeah, awesome. Actually, that's. That's a good tip, though, if you care more about royal gathering than check in in general. Right? Like, even if you. Even if you're. If you're okay with getting, you know, a slightly later port arrival time, which won't be that much later if you do it the same night, or even, you know, even the next morning. Um, yeah, go book the royal gathering first when you have that check in time, because that might be really important to your little princesses. Right. Or princesses.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: And we knew, like, because we had a limited amount of time in the park, we weren't going to do a lot of character meets. So I was like, let's save that for the ship. So I just wanted to make sure I definitely had the princesses since we probably weren't going to see him in the parks.
[00:21:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So let's talk about when you first see the ship, right? You're on that bus on the way to the Portland. I imagine you're looking out the window. Although obviously the 15 month old, who knows what, you know, he was asleep. Right. Okay, perfect. That's actually great. But yeah.
What's the reaction from either you or the kids when you first spot the beautiful Disney wish?
[00:21:33] Speaker A: Right. I'm pretty sure my oldest, who was actually in the row, like, beside, like, we were on the side where you could see the ship, and she was, like, across, and she is the one that pointed it out. Like, look at. There's our boat, you know, because she's seen the videos, and we were so excited, and we just like, look, we're getting closer to it. It's even more exciting. And then, of course, when we see it up close, it's like, this thing is gigantic. And how, you know, like, you know, just imagine it to be on the ocean. And my nine year old's trying to process that. You know, she's like, we're gonna float in this on the ocean. Like, yes, it's gonna be great. Trust me. But, yeah, everybody was super pumped.
[00:22:09] Speaker B: Awesome. And then you, obviously, you mentioned the boarding process was really fast. Tell us about entering the beautiful Disney wish her grand hall, which is, from my opinion, quite grand. And your family name gets announced. What's that moment like?
[00:22:27] Speaker A: So my kids, again, we watched videos. They knew that that was what was coming. And so my oldest was like, can I please tell them our name? I was like, yes, please tell them your name. And, of course, everybody wants to, like, video it coming on, but our hands were so full of different carry on items that we were just. So we thought we needed, which we didn't, which we can talk about later, but. And so I was like, we're not gonna record this. This isn't gonna be our one and only time. I can already tell. So we're just gonna get on this boat. And so she told them our name, and, of course, they announced it, and it was just magical. You know, it's like those. You hear all. Everybody say, I want my. You know, my eyes watered. I'm like, oh, yeah, my eyes were water, and I was so pumped to be on this ship. And so. And then they immediately go to get their little wands, their little magic wands that they give out on the wish. I think there was maybe, like, one of the storytellers out already talking, and it was. It was great.
[00:23:21] Speaker B: Oh, I love that. I want to give a recommendation to those listening. If you don't see one of the storytellers out when you get onto the ship, wait around in the grand hall for a little bit. If you want to sort of see the little one ceremony thing they do, because they do it every so often. So it's not like. Like you might happen to walk into the grand hall and enter the ship, and there isn't a storyteller there, but you can stick around and experience that. Just. You might have to wait, you know, 15 minutes or so. But for those who haven't experienced it, it's just cute. It's really cute. All right, well, I want to. I actually want to ask you about what did you bring on with you carry on wise that you were, like, looking back, I wish I had known. I really probably didn't need x, y, or zenith.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: We fly southwest, so all of our luggage gets to come with us for free. So we had plenty of space, but we had these little duffel bags that we could just, like, each of my kids has one that we can just throw different things in. And so I think we had swimsuits and change of shoes, change of clothes, that kind of a thing. Because then I was too. I was like, what if we don't get our bags to our room and then we're kind of waiting? And so we had, like, three of those. And I think I had my kids diaper bag. It was just trying to think of. There was something. It was. I feel like it was a lot. Even though we had a lot of luggage, too, and so. Cause everybody was like, oh, when you get on the ship, you should. After you eat, you should go swimming, right? Like, that's like. Or go on the aqua mouse, because that's when it's gonna be the least crowded. And so I'm thinking in my head, oh, we're gonna have all this time, and we're gonna be able to do all these things. We did not. We didn't even use anything in those bags. And I said, I looked at my husband, I said, next time these bags are going in those suitcases, we'll have a diaper bag. Only, you know, we're not gonna do this. But we ended up going to the sit down lunche. We just wanted to know we had a table. We wanted to know that people could just, like, we could order and food would come to us and not having to, you know, fight around, I guess, marceline market to find different food and where we're going to sit. And so we went there first for lunch.
[00:25:22] Speaker C: I think that's a good option for lunch with kids, especially when you've got, like, multiple kids, because then you don't have to worry about how are you getting them down the buffet line and getting your own food and all that sort of stuff. So I think that sit down lunches is a killer, uh, kind of first day experience if you've got kids.
[00:25:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree. You know, I think there are people who are like, oh, I need to feed my kid right away. And the sit down lunch is too slow. And I totally understand that perspective. But, like, when you've got especially three littler kids and you've got to really help them get their food and stuff. Marceline market or cabanas is going to be quite difficult to sort of wrangle through, plus carrying your bags and all that kind of stuff until you find a table. So, yeah, I'm with Brian on that. I think that. I think that's a smarter deal, although it will take you longer and maybe you'll miss out. I'm not saying, you know, miss out on the pool. You'll feel have plenty of time to go to the pool deck. You don't have to go to the pool deck the first day. Well, let's talk about what you all got up to on board. We'll save bibbidi bobbidi boutique for a little bit later. But I know that was a highlight. But let's talk about the stuff that you all did as a family and how it was with a 15 month old. That's certainly different. I mean, most of the activities are geared towards, like, elementary school age kids, I would say, but, yeah. So what kinds of things did you all enjoy doing on the ship as a family?
[00:26:44] Speaker A: So when. So more of our time on the first day, when we got on, after we ate lunch, I mean, we went and checked out the kids clubs. We went to the nursery first because we knew that my youngest was gonna be in the nursery. Loved it. Cried when we left. And I was like, well, we have got to move on. The older kids want to see their kids club, you know? And so then we spent time and their kids club for open house. And then I think our rooms were ready. And so then we went and dropped all of our stuff. I can't remember. We may have dropped our stuff and then went back to the older kids kids club so we could spend more time. And then it was like the pools actually shut down early because of the mustard drill. And so I was like, well, I'm glad. I mean, we wouldn't have even had time to swim, you know, even if we wanted to. So anyways, so that was first day. And then, of course, we get ready for dinner and all of that. But then I, again, we watched videos prior, and I listened to your podcast and hear about trivia. Trivia, Disney Trivia, like all these things. And so we. I told my husband, I said, if you win? He said, what do you do if you win? I said, you get a medal. He's like, yeah, there's a prize. And I'm like, yes, there is. And we still do this now, but once a week, we would watch Disney Jeopardy. There's a guy, Brian, I don't know his last name. But he puts on this show, this Disney jeopardy. Show. He puts a show out once a week, and it's amazing. And so, like, oh, my gosh, we're watching all these Disney things. I was like, we're gonna win Disney trivia. And so that's what my kid wanted to do first. She said, I want to go do Disney trivia. I want to go do it. I'm like, okay.
We ended up doing that the second day we did Disney trivia. I think we came in second. We did not win. This guy knew, like, way too much. Well. And I was like, wait a minute. It's not even. It's more of like, what is it? You just have to be honest, right? Like, put your phones up. No one, you know, no one's checking it. You're raising your hand if you get them, right. And we're like, what? This should be like, you actually enter it in an app so, you know, no one's.
[00:28:37] Speaker B: Yeah, the person had to answer within a certain timeframe. They didn't have enough time to even, like, google it or something. No, I'm with you. But I will say we have been on, you know, many Disney cruises, and those people who win, like, every trivia I like, I'm just in awe. Like, they. Because they ask some really, really difficult, like, how tall is the mast of the Disney magic? How many rooms are on the Disney wonder, right? Like, they ask, like, some really tough questions. And so we, we have not, we don't win those. We did once win the 25th anniversary Disney cruise trivia, and we have won brain teasers. Trivia. The only other time we have won some other kinds of trivia were on a cruise that Brian and I went on with a friend of mine who is now basically did the trivia himself.
[00:29:29] Speaker C: And let us have the medals.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Yeah, but literally, he. Yeah, we, we were not, we did not need to answer a single question. Like, he knew everything. So I can't even claim those. I don't generally claim those as us winning trivia, but we have a bunch of the, we were there for moral.
[00:29:44] Speaker C: Support and to get into, buy drinks.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: So we have, like, the old Mickey medals. So we actually have a bunch of these, like, old Mickey. So that they're not the ones that they currently have, but the last version.
[00:29:55] Speaker C: Of they aren't Mickey. They aren't Mickey. They say. Just say winner.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: They're just the medal, but they're Mickey's head. They're Mickey's head. Brian, you're not remembering. Yes.
[00:30:03] Speaker C: No, I am remembering. The photo. All right.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: Yes. They are Mickey heads. I promise you, they're just the black Mickey head with winner across the. Yeah. Anyway, all right, well, so let's talk about some other stuff. How did the kids like the kids clubs? The nursery, of course. You mentioned the 15 month old cried when you left just the open house.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: I loved it. Yes.
[00:30:23] Speaker B: Were you able to get some reservations for him to go to the nursery?
[00:30:27] Speaker A: Yes. So you can book, I think, 10 hours before you get on the ship. And so I was like, I don't really know. I knew for sure I wasn't gonna take him to the shows at night. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna definitely book that time. So I did that. I think I booked a couple of, like, nap time around nap times. Um, and then I changed. I changed almost all of them as soon as I got on the ship. When I, like, talked to her or after the first night, I said, ooh, I need to change some of these. And they are very easy, very accommodating. Like, oh, yeah. And then one time it was around dinner. He just was not going to make it through all of dinner. And I was like, I'm just gonna see if I can take him early. And she goes, yeah. I'm like, great. So I just dropped him off early. And I think one time I said, oh, can I? I said, I think I only have it till 930. Is there any way I can push it back till 1030? And she looked and she goes, oh, yeah, we have plenty of time. I was like, okay, great. And so that's kind of how, how we did the nursery. But he did great. I mean, most of the time he was sleeping. They did some activities or crafts with him, which they gave to me, you know, but he never cried when I dropped him off. And he was always happy when I picked him up. So we loved it. But he also goes to daycare. He goes to his church nursery. I mean, he's used. And he's also the third kid with his sister. You know, he's just very social.
[00:31:29] Speaker B: He's used to be fine, awesome.
[00:31:33] Speaker A: And then the kids, especially my nine year old, she has fomo. Like, it's crazy. She does not want to miss out on any single thing, so. But she wants to go to kids club, but she's like, well, what's mom and dad about to go do, though? Because I might want to go and do that too, you know, like, what are y'all gonna do? So. But then, so we dropped him off at the kids club. They loved it.
[00:31:52] Speaker B: But they've only.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: They only got to do it twice. And I think they were only in there for, like, 40 minutes because she didn't want. She saw all the activities and she didn't want to miss out. But then she's bummed when you pick her up and it's like, well, what did you want to do? Did you want to go to this activity or did you want to stay? And so, again, that's what makes a three night cruise so difficult when you have kids who really want to do all the things and not miss out. Right. And so. But they loved it. I mean, they had the best time in the kids club. I will say one night we dropped them off after dinner before the show because they really wanted to go back. And I was like, okay, but you're not going to get to stay for very long because you want to go to the show. And they had sent out a text message or something that please be patient on pickup because there's, like 200 kids in the kids club. And I was like, oh, my goodness. I was like, we're going to have to go back earlier just to stand in this line to pick them up because it took, like, 20 minutes to pick them up because it was just so many in there, you know? And then, of course, they're upset. Why are you picking us up? And it's like, the show starts in ten minutes. What do you mean? Like, we have to go to the show.
[00:32:51] Speaker B: If you have Fomo and you want to see the show, you gotta. Yeah, it's. That's. It's hard. That's. That's, you know, it's hard to pick and choose what you want to do on the ship. Like, did you guys spend a lot of time on the pool deck and hit the aqua mouse as well?
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Yes. So I guess it was our Nassau day. We stayed on the ship, the royal gathering. We did that morning. So we had breakfast, royal gathering, and then as soon as royal gathering was done, we all got in our swimsuits.
My husband and my two girls went straight to the Aquamaus. But of course, the 15 month old can't do that. And I was like, well, I want him to spend time out on the pool deck, too, before he goes down for his nap. Cause I was going to take him to the nursery at that time. So me and him went into the toy story splash pad. Oh, my gosh, he loved it. And there's slides in there, but he's not quite big enough to get up on the slide himself. And then he zooms down the slide, and all these kids, all these kids are coming right after him, you know, and he has no fear. He's flipping over, doing this. So I'm, like, running to put him up, and I'm trying to run back down to, like, be there to move him out of the way.
And he was just doing over and over and over again. Um, we had the best time. My nine year old, she came to the splash pad wanting to. She loves him and wants to play with him, wanting to come in, but she's not allowed. I think it's only six and under or something allowed. And she's like, well, I'm not gonna play on the stuff. I just want to be in there with him. But they would not let her.
[00:34:18] Speaker B: And she was interesting. Interesting. I will say this is very inconsistent as far as, like, whether or not it's probably, like, based on which lifeguard is there, right? So there's always a lifeguard there. There, at that. At the splash pad. Yeah. There's inconsistent as to, like, how much they enforce those age limits and also probably based on how close in age they look to that, you know, to that age limit. But, I mean, I've seen older kids in there with their younger siblings, so that's a little surprising. But I guess technically, restriction is an age restriction.
[00:34:52] Speaker A: She was really. She was really sad about it. Cause she would have been great to catch him at the bottom and meet, you know, put him at the bottom.
[00:34:57] Speaker B: Right. She would have been a help for you?
[00:34:58] Speaker A: Yes. Cause my five year old, she would have rode the aqua mouse the whole time. I mean, she got off it. I wanna get back in, you know, but the line's like, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, you know, so my husband's just riding it with her, and so. But then she's like, will you ride it with me? I was like, sure. So once I. Once he got lunch and I put him back in the nursery, we got in line and I wrote it with her, and it was great. We had a good time. And then that's when we were like. I was like, hey, if we want to do these activities, we gotta wrap it up on the full deck. And so trivia and then musical trivia and seeing characters and then getting ready for dinner. I mean, it was just jam packed.
[00:35:31] Speaker D: Are you listening to our show? Because you want to make the most out of your next vacation. Great news. The fabulous team over at Mypath Unwinding travel can help guide you so you don't miss a thing. Their team of professional travel advisors are caring knowledgeable and experienced. It's why we use them to book our own travel. Mypath Unwinding Travel is an authorized Disney vacation planner, which means they are recognized by Disney for their expertise and service. They have sailed on all the Disney ships, including in concierge, visited the theme parks, adventured with Disney, relaxed at Alani, and so much more. Whether it's a Disney cruise, a theme park vacation, or adventures by Disney, or if you are looking to expand beyond the mouse my path unwinding travel will elevate your next vacation planning experience. Even if you have already booked, reach out for a complimentary consultation to make your vacation even more magical. Ready to talk to the experts? Head over to mypathunwinding forward slash dclduo or email
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[00:36:29] Speaker C: You mentioned the shows a minute ago. How did the kids do with the shows? What did you think of the shows? This is usually Sam's topic, but I'm taking it from.
[00:36:40] Speaker B: You can take it.
[00:36:41] Speaker C: Yeah. How'd the kids do? And what did you think of the show? Shows?
[00:36:43] Speaker A: Oh, they loved it. So my nine year old, I actually, for her birthday, our local theater had wicked come.
It was back in January, and that was her birthday present. And, I mean, fell in love with the theater, you know, from the moment, you know, so she.
[00:36:59] Speaker B: And so I told her show, I mean, that's not love.
[00:37:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, she was sad when it was over, you know, and so, yeah, so Disney, it's like an hour, maybe a little over an hour. And so they loved it, you know, especially the first one with all the characters, they were like, oh, my goodness. And there's. Yes, there's more. There's more coming out, you know, so they love that. And they have some confetti and things that pop up, you know, and so they love that little mermaid and then Aladdin. And so I will say Aladdin was the last one. We were all pretty tired, but of course we made it there. But my five year old sat in my lap and fell asleep within 30 minutes. She was so tired.
We were so tired from the whole trip. But. But my nine year old, you know, she's like, on the edge of her seat just watching it, just so excited. Like, when can we go and watch these again? You know? So she loved it.
[00:37:45] Speaker B: I love that. That's awesome. Did you do any of the family game shows you mentioned? Obviously, you went to several trivias. But the family game shows where, like, you can volunteer and be a part of the game show.
[00:37:55] Speaker A: We did one show. I don't think it was a family game show, but it was definitely an audience. It was, like, a villain type game show, and they picked, like, two or three guys or something. And so, of course, my nine year old's like, why can't we be picked? I'm like, well, I think they have a theme going. I don't know. You know? So we watched that, and it was good. But, yeah, we didn't go to any that they would have gotten picked for, I guess.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: Gotcha. Gotcha. All right, well, we've got to talk. Bibbidi bobbidi. So. Bibbidi bobbity.
[00:38:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: You mentioned that both girls went. The nine year old having done it a couple of times at the parks, the five year old having never had a chance to do it because of the COVID stuff. Yeah. How did they like it? How was the experience, and how did it compare to the experience you had in the park?
[00:38:39] Speaker A: So we knew we were gonna do, or we were hoping we're gonna get a reservation. And so my mom actually got them gift cards for Christmas. She wanted to pay for that, and so they ended up doing the one where you get to pick your dress, and so they got to go in and pick their dress, and they try.
[00:38:55] Speaker B: So this is, like, the full package.
[00:38:56] Speaker A: Yeah, the full package. They got this, and so. And they have tons of princess dresses. They love dress up, and so they each wanted to pick one that they didn't have. So my five year old picked prick picked Cinderella, and she got, like, a crown and a wand, and, of course, the dress. And then my nine year old picked Tiana, and she was a little bummed, because, again, she doesn't want to miss out on things, but Tiana didn't have a wand, I think just the crown. And so she was like, I really want all the, like, the other ones have, you know, two accessories. Why does she not? But then she's like, well, I'm just gonna pick it because I really want this dress. Well, they said, oh, we're out of the wanda. But that means you can pick any of the wands. And she was just so excited. She's like, oh, I get two. I get two things. And I'm like, okay, so. So she picked. I think she also picked Cinderella's little wand that they had, but the fairy godmothers in training or I can't remember what they're called now. I don't know if they're called fairy godmothers in training, but, but they were wonderful, you know, and they go through the whole spiel of, you know, we get the glitter from whoever and the jewels from Snow White and my five year old's just eating it all up because she's just like, oh, my goodness.
And so me and my husband, we got, there's like a little, there's a bar right outside of that. We just got drinks and we came in and we just sat, my 15 month old's in the nursery because I'm like, he's not going to enjoy this. And it's not, he's going to be wanting to run around. So we just sat and watched them and taking pictures. I'm trying not to cry because I'm just like, this is so magical for my girls, you know, and they loved it. And so my five year old didn't know any different, right? But my nine year old, she came over to me and she was like, in the parks, they had this magical mirror and I don't see that here. And I'm like, please don't say that, because, you know, your sister, she doesn't know. And, you know, so that was the biggest difference. But everything else was wonderful. We weren't rushed. I feel like they took their time. They got to, you know, sit right beside each other, and then we went and took pictures all over the ship in their dresses. So it was great. It was wonderful.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Oh, love that. Well, we haven't talked about Castaway, so I feel like that's, that's where we need to move to next. What did you all think of castaway? Well, let me say this. I'm assuming you docked at Castaway. I'm hoping, I'm crossing my fingers because you told the kids you were going there, which might be a mistake to tell them in advance, because sometimes you don't go to castaway even when you're supposed to. But, yeah. So you docked at castaway? It actually happens. That's great.
[00:41:24] Speaker A: So I think that we were supposed to do it around 830. And so I was like, well, we're not going to be the first off the ship. We're not going to rush. And so I got everybody breakfast or whatnot, and then I'm like, why are all these people still on this boat at 830? And, and I guess they, I don't know if they docked late or they just hadn't finished their check off list or whatnot, but I don't think they let people off until, like, 915. So, I mean, we were. By that time, we were already. And then all these people are in the stairwells, just like, you know, we're just waiting to get off. And. And our goal was like, okay, I want some pictures. Certain pictures. And then I was like, I definitely want a chair under, like, an umbrella or a palm tree or something, because I knew my 15 month old's gonna have to nap, and we just want to be out of the sun. And so we went straight to pick out our chairs. And so we did that. Well, again, we watched videos and stuff ahead of time, and my husband's listening, and he says, there's a five k on this island. And I said, he is not a runner. He works out. Like, he's very big into that. But again, you get a medal.
[00:42:22] Speaker B: And I said, yes, yes, you do get a medal. I love that he's motivated by the medal.
[00:42:30] Speaker C: And he said, we're doing the castaway club hands out medals. Your husband is on the train.
[00:42:36] Speaker A: That's right. He said, we're doing this. And I said, I'm not doing this, and I'm not a runner. You know, Aniston will do this with me. That's my oldest, my nine year old, she loves to run, and she's like, okay, we'll do it. So that's the first thing they did. They went and they found that was. And they were running. Well, then. And we're doing beach stuff. My five year old, I mean, she was living her best life. And my 15 month old, first time he's ever seen the sand, he's, like, putting it in his mouth, eating it, getting in the water.
[00:43:04] Speaker B: I mean, that's a 15 month old. Boys, too. I love it.
[00:43:08] Speaker A: Like, I'm like, about 45, 50 minutes have passed, and I'm like, where are they? Like, she's a quick runner. Like, what is happening? Why are they taking this long? And so then we go, I'm like, let's go find the splash pad. And I'm like, oh, it's right where the five k ends. Perfect. So we go. We're just hanging out in the splash pad, and I'm, like, looking to see if they're coming. You know, looking to see if they're coming. And then finally they're coming, and I'm videoing them, but they get their medal. And my poor nine year old, she's exhausted. It's hot, you know, she's tired. And my husband's like, well, she walked most of it. And I said, I was like, why? She said her legs were hurting. And I'm thinking, I was like, you know what? This is our first time ever doing Disney world where she did not get to sit in a stroller.
[00:43:48] Speaker B: Oh, her poor legs are sore.
[00:43:51] Speaker A: Time over 10 miles. Oh, yeah. And I'm like, poor thing. She was just not hydrated enough for this. But she loved it. She said she would do it again. And then. My husband is also not a beach person. He is. He's like, I don't want to be out in the sun. I'm just gonna be sitting on the beach. Beach. But I think castaway key is his, like, favorite place ever, because I didn't see him. Him and my nine year old were snorkeling. They were doing, like, the ropes course. And, you know, I'm just on the beach, and he's like, this is great. There's so many things to do, and the food's right there, the different bars and stuff that you can try. I mean, it was. It was great. We loved it. And then now he's like, the only beach I will go to is a Disney beach.
That's where we are now.
[00:44:34] Speaker B: So he's. Yeah, so now he wants to go to lookout key, I bet.
Cause the beach is even more. Even more beautiful than castaway. Honestly. Not that castaway is anything to, you know, snub your nose at, but, um, yeah, I think lookout's even more beautiful than castaway, if that's possible, but. Awesome. Well, it sounds like you had a great day. How did. How did your little one do with the nap at the beach? I mean, did he actually nap?
[00:45:00] Speaker A: He napped.
[00:45:00] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:45:01] Speaker A: So he. We beached and we ate lunch, and then I was like, well, I'm gonna go and change your. Oh, he had a swim diaper on and stuff, and I can tell he was getting kind of tired. We also had one of those portable fans, and I was like, well, maybe it's time for you to take a nap. So I'm going to change out of his swim diaper into a regular diaper, and he falls asleep as I'm changing him, and I'm like, oh, my gracious. So then I just leave him there on the chair and got a fan on him, and he just slept. I mean, it was great. I was like, okay, well, I can see my other kid on the beach. She's made a friend. She's playing with that friend, and I'm just watching her and watching him. And, like, this is pretty great.
[00:45:37] Speaker B: That's awesome. So then you get some, like, yeah, you get some relaxing times. Just, you know, hanging out on the beach between, you know, but able to keep your eye on both of them. That's awesome. I love that. Now, did you get to do any snorkeling or anything when your. Your husband and your eldest returned or.
[00:45:52] Speaker A: No, that was the plan. But unfortunately, our bibbidi bobbidi boutique day was cast away, which is probably why we could get it right, because no one wanted to cut their castaway day short. But we were. I mean, we were fine with it. So I had. We had to cut it a little short, so we had to jet back to the boat, give him. Give everybody baths, because they're going to get their hair and stuff done, and jetted him to the nursery for that. And so. Yeah, but I told him, I was like, that's okay. I was like, I'm in my head. I'm thinking, we're gonna be back.
[00:46:23] Speaker B: It's fine.
[00:46:24] Speaker A: I'll see. I'll do it one day.
[00:46:26] Speaker B: I love it.
[00:46:26] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:46:27] Speaker B: We're gonna be back. I love it. Well, let's talk food. We haven't. That's one area we haven't talked about. I want to hear what you thought.
[00:46:33] Speaker C: Of stealing my food questions now.
[00:46:34] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. You know, payback. Nope.
[00:46:38] Speaker C: I'm sneaking in. I'm sneaking in. Lindley, let's talk about food dining on board.
So rotational dining, unique to Disney. Why don't we start there with the main dining experience? What did you think of the. Well, did you. I assume, actually, you did not experience any adult dining on a three night cruise?
[00:46:55] Speaker A: We did not. We were not even going to try on a three night cruise. Yeah.
[00:46:59] Speaker C: So what did you think of the rotational dining in terms of, you know, the experience, the food, the service, and how the kids find it.
[00:47:06] Speaker B: The shows, too. I mean, on the wish, especially.
[00:47:08] Speaker A: Right. So we're. We're. I was very excited. We actually asked for Arendelle to be our last meal because that's when we had bibbidi boppity boutique, and I wanted them to be princesses in the princess area, and so we got that. That request was granted for us. So we started at 1923, and my husband was so excited that we started there because we ended with the best for our kids, you know, so the food was excellent at 1923. I mean, that was my favorite food. I think I got the filet, and it was delicious. Our servers were wonderful. Our favorite was our assistant server, the guy who does the drinks and everything. I mean, he was so personable. I mean, loved our 15 month old. Our 15 month old loved him again. It's a three night cruise. And I know, like, if you did longer, they know you a little bit better and can. But they made sure. Cause he is usually starving. We did early dining. He's usually starving. And it was a joke. Cause he loved the bread. And so our waiter just kept saying, we're bringing you bread. I promise we're bringing you bread. Cause he would kinda cry out. And so then the next night, bread was already on the table. You know, they're ready for him.
Bread. Yeah. So the food was great. My kids loved it. I mean, they love, you know, chicken tenders, Mac and cheese, that kind of thing. My 15 month. He's more picky now, but then was never. Was not picky. He actually did a lot of, like, I ordered him soup almost every night off the adult menu because he loves it. And then, of course, like, he likes hamburgers and things like that, so that was great. But he'd never made it to dessert. He would always kind of be like, I'm over this. And so that's when I would usually run him down to the nursery and come back up and my desserts waiting on me because my husband would go ahead and order it, so. So 1923 was first. We loved it. Worlds of Marvel was pirate night. It was good. My. My nine year old's a little skittish, so some of the superheroes type clips, you know, she would look at me, she goes, can I watch this? And I'm like, yes. They're not going to show something on a Disney cruise ship that is not. You could not watch.
[00:49:02] Speaker B: It's not appropriate for children. Right?
[00:49:04] Speaker A: Like, you can watch it, but just the fighting and stuff. So she would prefer it to be just ant man and wasp talking, you know, not the fighting. And I think Spider man came around to our table last, actually. So I had already taken my 15 month old down. I was like, I can't. He can't stand any longer, you know, but because it was the last table, he spent a little bit more time with them, and so they loved it. My. My five year old doing, like, web shooter hands. And I'm like, where'd you even learn that? Like, you know, she doesn't really watch Spider man. So, yes, we liked world of Marvel, but Arendelle was our highlight, and I think it was the experience of it. You know, I think that some people were going, when, you know, you hear about it, they go, oh, it's loud. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. Thank goodness. It's because my kids are loud, and it was wonderful. You know, my kids are having the best time with the music, and at the very end, our waiter starts to, like, you know, wave his napkin in the air and gets everybody doing it. And we're all. They're all like, you know, doing the conga line with it. And my 15 month old, he stayed the whole time, that one. Cause it's loud and he can get down and run and, oh, had the best time. It was love it. And my husband's like, I'm so glad we ended with that one. It was so great. I said, yeah, me, too. So.
[00:50:10] Speaker B: Yeah, well, and that's one of the wonderful things about, you know, the wish, because I will tell you, the other ships don't have nearly as much entertainment during dinner as the wish. That's like, really. That's the thing, you know? I mean, it's only three and four night cruises and still only really two nights of entertainment during dinner. But on there is on the magic and the wonder. You will get one night of entertainment, but the other nights, it's really just dinner. It's more like 1923. And some people really like that, right? They like it to be sort of quiet and they can talk to their table mates, but some people and their kids like more of a show and more of that boisterous atmosphere, so.
[00:50:53] Speaker C: Well, Lindley, was there anything that, you know, you wanted to be sure to highlight on the cruise that we haven't covered?
[00:50:58] Speaker A: I just, uh. Our other favorite thing was just pirate night, you know? Um, we. We are a family that goes all out. We are a family that does Halloween, um, uh, costumes together as a theme. We each get to pick it every year. And so we went all out for pirate night. My husband was Captain Hook, and he was getting, like, pixie dusted by all these people on pirate night. Everybody loved him, you know? And I'm like, are you kidding me? You know? Like, he was just. And he loves it, so. But we were all dressed up, except for my little boy. I forgot his costume. I was very sad about it. But luckily, they gave us bandanas, which I had heard that they weren't doing, and then they did them, and I was so excited. I'm like, well, he has a bandana now. He had, like, a little red shirt and black pants. It fit. It was fine. But we made sure to get all the pictures, and that was, like, some of his first pictures with the characters, and I loved it. His little face would light up, and he. Now he knows who Mickey, you know, he always says, mickey, you know, he knows who that is. Is now. We love the pirate show. And then the other thing, we did not go on deck for fireworks. We actually went to our room. My. My 15 month old was asleep, but we went out on our veranda, and because of where we were staying, I think starboard side, we could see all the fireworks. So they. They are already in their pajamas. And I think that was, like, the way to go. I was like, we could hear the music. So we did the first pirate show.
[00:52:20] Speaker B: The Mickey one earlier. Yes.
[00:52:21] Speaker A: Yeah. And we loved it. It was so much fun. But then we actually got to wind down at night and watch our fireworks from our balcony, and I was like, we're gonna just probably do that every time. It was so great. So I think those are the biggest things. Yeah.
[00:52:34] Speaker B: Awesome. I love that. I love that. I gotta see pictures of these. These pirate costumes. This is.
[00:52:39] Speaker A: I'll have to send you pictures. Yes.
[00:52:41] Speaker B: And the bandana issue, I wanna. I wanna touch that. So the wish didn't used to have bandanas. They would give you. Give them out on the other ships, but they didn't give them out on them, the wish until they introduce now a new bandana. So what you got is actually the new bandana that has been. It's now fleetwide, I believe. I mean, every ship that's doing pirate night, it seems, has that new bandana, and. And so everyone's doing the bandana at this point. At least that's what we've seen and heard via, you know, listeners and through social media, so. Yeah, so love pirate night. On the wish in particular. It's really, really quite fun. And I understand not going to the later pirate party because, you know, your kids are trying to go to bed pretty soon after.
[00:53:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:53:29] Speaker B: And it is kind of loud up there. I will. I warn people with that. All right, Brian, do you think it's that time?
[00:53:35] Speaker C: I do. I think it is that time in the show, or we've reached that time in the show where I need to hand you back over to Sam for some arbitrary questions, some arbitrary rules, and a dash of judgment of the round we know as rapid fire. So, Sam, take it away.
[00:53:46] Speaker B: Thanks, Brian. All right, Lindley, you knew this was coming. We're gonna. I'm gonna ask you your Disney favorites and your Disney Cruise line favorites. Of course, we know your favorite ship is now the Disney wish. So we won't ask you that question. And when I ask you your cruise questions, limit your answers to stuff on the wish, of course, because until you experience the other ships. It's not really fair to compare something you've seen on YouTube to something you've, like, experienced in person. So let's start with their general Disney favorites. Who is your favorite Disney character? And Disney means everything that Disney owns. This point.
[00:54:19] Speaker A: So I'm going to say, Ariel, because I was obsessed with a little mermaid growing up, and every little girl wanted to be a mermaid, I think. So.
[00:54:28] Speaker B: Yes. Ariel, what's your favorite Disney movie?
[00:54:32] Speaker A: I'm going to say the little Mermaid. And I'm going to say, that's from my childhood. I would say now watching with my kids, I would say Encanto is my favorite movie. I tear up every time I watch it. I just feel for Mirabelle and I just. I love it. I love that movie. Yeah.
[00:54:48] Speaker B: Awesome. Love it. Love both of those. What about your favorite Disney song? This is a hard one. Like, I'm, like, I'm trying to predict in my head whether you're going old school or whether you're gonna go new school. Disney songs.
[00:55:01] Speaker A: So I also debated this. I was like, how am I gonna choose? I just don't see it. But, I mean, I'm gonna have to go with my classic part of your world.
[00:55:09] Speaker B: Part of your world.
[00:55:09] Speaker A: I can tell you I could sing it, and in the shower, that was my. And I thought I would have the best voice ever, but I do not. But I still sing it all the time. Favorite. Yes.
[00:55:21] Speaker B: Listen, we have had the distinct pleasure of seeing Jodi Benson sing it in person. She's incredible.
I even did karaoke in front of her on the maiden voyage.
[00:55:32] Speaker A: Oh, watch them.
[00:55:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
Or actually, was it the DVC cruise, Brian? I can't remember if it was the DVC cruise or the maiden voyage.
[00:55:38] Speaker C: I think it was the maiden voyage. Cause.
[00:55:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Cause Willie and Rebecca were still there.
[00:55:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:55:42] Speaker C: Everyone was there. Yeah.
[00:55:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, all right, well, let's talk Disney cruise line. We got to start with your favorite show because you saw sees the adventure, a little Mermaid and Aladdin. Which one did you. Not your kids. Which one did you like the best?
[00:56:00] Speaker A: I don't think you're gonna like my answer to this question.
[00:56:03] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:56:04] Speaker A: But I think there's a lot to it.
I am gonna say allow, and I think a lot of it has to do. We didn't get into it, but a lot of it has to do where we were sitting for the little mermaid. So we got there not on time, and we sat down in the front to the right where the sign language was going on, and those two people were in front of us and we couldn't see. And so my little girls are like, we can't see. I'm like, me neither. You know, we can't see me. I can't see. So. But Aladdin, we were, like, center up a little bit, and it was just, like, perfect. We could see all of the effects. So I was like, I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to go with Aladdin, because I didn't even get to really experience the lomer. Right.
[00:56:44] Speaker B: Okay, fair.
That's a fair reason. Okay. You'll have to go back on the wish and see them again. So, you know, you get the right answer the next time, or you're gonna go on a different ship and get the right answer on a different ship. But anyway. All right, well, let's start with favorite activity on board.
[00:57:03] Speaker A: I mean, I'm gonna have to say trivia. If we could have done more trivia, I think my kids would have loved it, and I would have loved it, too. We had a lot of fun trying to get the answers and, of course, trying to win a medal, I would say my kids favorite, obviously, is bibbidi boppity boutique, and we love to watch that experience for them, but for us to experience as a family, I would say trivia.
[00:57:24] Speaker B: Awesome. Love that. All right, favorite rotational dining.
[00:57:29] Speaker A: I would say 1923 was my favorite just because of the food, and it was our first restaurant that we went to, and we were just so excited about, you know, being on the ship. But experience wise, Arendelle. But I think the food from 1923 was above and beyond, so.
[00:57:44] Speaker B: Yeah, totally, totally agree with you on both of those. All right, favorite. Well, let's do a favorite food item. Let's do a sweet item and then a savory items. What was a favorite sweet item on the ship?
[00:57:56] Speaker A: On the ship? Um, actually, probably there's a toss up. Um, I think Arendelle. I think it's on the kids menu. The s'mores. Just.
[00:58:06] Speaker B: No, as soon as you said it was on the kids menu at Arendelle, I knew you where you were going. That s'mores dessert.
[00:58:11] Speaker A: The s'mores dessert. And then there was one. I don't know if it was at Marvel, dessert. Um, it was like a Sunday. It was like a gelato with a doughnut on top or something. At first, I was like, I do not. I do not want that. And my husband's like, oh, I'm gonna get it. Well, then I ended up eating almost all this delicious. This is so great. So those two things, those are the things that stand out. Yeah.
[00:58:31] Speaker B: What about. Okay, favorite savory item, then probably the filet. Yeah, that's a good filet. In 1923. Absolutely. I will say the Paulo steakhouse steaks are even better. But 1923 is probably the best. It's probably the best main dining. Yeah. Best rotational dining steak. Yeah. Well, like I said, your favorite ship is. We already know, is the Disney wish. Oh. Favorite space on the ship. What was a favorite, like, location on the ship? It could be, like, an activity space, but it could also be just, like, a space to relax.
[00:59:04] Speaker A: Well, I can tell you we did not sit down to relax.
We were just going all the time. I don't know. That's a hard one because, again, we didn't, like, just sit in one place. I mean, my husband and I, we did get to go to hyperspace lounge, which was cool, just to experience it. We just wanted to go and experience it. So we enjoyed that. Literally, probably 30 minutes to ourselves is all we got. And so I would say that's. I guess that would be our only place. Did relax. So that's the place we went, so.
[00:59:32] Speaker B: All right. Okay. My last question of rapid fire is your bucket list cruise. If you could go anywhere in the world on a Disney cruise line ship, and it doesn't even have to be someplace that Disney cruise line currently sails, where would you go, Lindley?
[00:59:47] Speaker A: I. Of course, I think I've heard this before, but to all of the Disney parks around the world, that would be ideal. Maybe one day with this new ship coming out of Tokyo, we'll do Tokyo and then Tokyo Disneyland. That's, like, what we want to do. Yeah.
[01:00:02] Speaker B: Love that. Awesome. Well, thank you for playing. Other than your wrong answer on the shows. You did great. I'm going to give. I'm going to give you a pass, all right? I'm going to give you, like, a great plus. Okay?
[01:00:16] Speaker C: We've moved from win or lose to grading.
[01:00:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:00:20] Speaker B: You know, every show, it's different, okay? I got to keep people guessing, Brian. I got to keep things fresh.
[01:00:28] Speaker C: An enigma wrapped in a hurricane.
Something. Yeah, all right, whatever. Okay. Rules keep changing. Rules keep changing. Well, Lindley, I always like to ask, what's next? Where are you headed next with Disney cruise line?
[01:00:41] Speaker A: So I think my reel was so good after this trip that my mother in law watched it and was like, this looks like an amazing time. And she said, I think we should go on one and so. Or my father in law 70th birthday next year. She's taking the whole family on the magic in May. And we booked it and we're pretty pumped about it, so.
[01:01:02] Speaker B: Oh, that's awesome. Is it, did you book a, is it a four night or five night cruise?
[01:01:08] Speaker A: On the five night.
[01:01:09] Speaker B: Awesome. That'll be better. That'll be better. You go. You'll get more time for that nine year old to hit all the activities and spend more time in the kids club as well. Love it. Love it. Well, Lindley, you'll have to report back after your next cruise to let us know how it went and maybe let us know how the grandparents like the cruise as well because it's always interesting to see if the grandparents like the cruise as much as the parents and the kids. And I think some of that is influenced by the fact that they love to get to see their grandkids interacting with the characters, doing the activities, all of that. So thank you so much for joining us. And we really appreciate you coming on to tell us about your first time on Disneyland Cruise line.
[01:01:53] Speaker A: Thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun. I could talk about it all day, so I can't wait to listen to all your podcast coming out.
[01:02:00] Speaker B: So thank you.
[01:02:02] Speaker C: And Sam, I see exactly what you did there. By stealing my outro, I'm just.
[01:02:05] Speaker B: I did. I absolutely did.
[01:02:12] Speaker D: Well, thanks to everyone out there for listening this week. We really, really appreciate it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast. You can keep getting great content from us every week. In fact, twice a week we publish shows. So be sure to hit the subscribe button to get all of those great episodes. And if you want to watch us live, we have a live show now every week, Monday nights. 05:30 p.m. pacific 08:30 p.m. eastern over on YouTube.com dclduo. So be sure to head over and check that out. If you want to help support the show, be sure to hit those five stars on Apple podcasts. And if you leave us a written review, a five star written review, we will read it at the top of one of our main episodes. So please head over there and hit those five stars. Of course, you can also help support the show by supporting our fabulous show sponsor, mypath Unwinding travel. If you want to book your next Disney vacation, head over to mypathunwinding.com dclduo or email
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