[00:00:00] Speaker A: From the cruise, what did the kids like the most? I'm curious.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: I think honestly, especially with the oldest, just pretty much the all you can eat ice cream cones.
[00:00:12] Speaker A: That was sob start by Glenn.
[00:00:15] Speaker C: Let's be fair. Many adults find that to be the best thing on board too.
Welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DCL Duo podcast, brought to you by my Path Unwinding Travel. And Sam, it's review time yet. Once again, this one comes from dcl Astrid, who writes Love the DCL Duo. Best DCL podcast out there by far. Enjoy every episode. Amazing how they have new insights and robust and robust conversations. I think she missed a word there. Or Astrid missed a word. Robust conversations in every episode. Wish I would have found them sooner. Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap. So, yes, well, we're glad you did find us regardless of when that was, Astrid. So thank you for the review. We really, really appreciate it. For all of you listening out there, we're trying to get to 250 or 250. 450 reviews by the end of the year and we're sitting at like 221. We lost a review, right?
[00:01:19] Speaker A: 421. 421, 420.
[00:01:21] Speaker C: 421. We lost. We had 422 and we went down to 421. So I don't know what happened there. But yeah, we want to hit that 450 by the end of the year. So head over to Apple Podcasts, hit those five stars. If you leave us a written review, we will read it on the air at the top of one of our main episodes. And Sam, with that, I'm gonna throw it over to you to introduce our guest and our topic for the. For the evening.
[00:01:42] Speaker A: Yes, thank you. I'm super excited. We are welcoming first time guest to the show, but longtime listener Randy.
Randy, first I'll say welcome to the show and then I'll tell people the topic we're talking about.
[00:01:55] Speaker B: Oh, hi. Hello everyone.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Randy, I'm excited to talk to you. As we mentioned, as we were talking about pre show, you went on an Alaska cruise just last month and we are going to be headed on our first Alaska cruise next year around the same time. Yours was early September, ours is going to be late August, so sort of the end of the Alaska season. And so I'm super excited to talk about your trip to Alaska and of course, the beautiful Disney wonder. Tell us though, before we dive into talking about your cruise, your Disney background, your Disney cruising background, give us your street creds.
[00:02:34] Speaker B: Sure. So my Family did the obligatory Disney trips When I was young. I'm from Texas, so when we lived in El Paso when I was super young, we did a trip to Disneyland. And then I believe we did actually two trips to Disney World from there. And then actually when I was in high school, I did. We moved around a lot and my way of making friends was I did choir and we were. I was in Chicago at the time in high school and we did the candlelight processional choir. So I went in high school to Disney to do that. So that was really cool. It was night that we had the guest speaker. I forget who it was, but it was, I think the night after us was James Avery, the voice of Uncle Phil. So we were all very upset that we did not get to see him.
So that's awesome.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: Fellow choir alum right here as well, who also performed at Epcot myself. So with my choir.
[00:03:31] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it was great.
So yeah, we had like the four day park hopper that we got to. So we did all four parks. So it's back in the days like Paper, Fast Pass, which was new to me then, so that was cool. And then my wife, so she never went to Disney growing up. I think one of her good friends took her in high school and then when she went to college, she did the college program. She was gonna do a lifeguard at Typhoon Lagoon. But then she got hurt. So she ended up doing one of like the push carts for merchandise.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: So having to do all of that. So yeah.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: So she was out in the heat like every day she did.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: So from there we met and then when we were going to go in 2019 as a family with our oldest, but we had a hurricane scare because I was stationed in North Carolina at the time. So we pushed it through February 2020, went then had fun. We actually ended up going to a DVC preview house which I swore up and down we weren't going to do because it was like timeshare. No way. Did the preview, like the room. And then we on the way back from Florida to North Carolina, we found some DVC podcast, got me hooked. We bought into that and then talk listening to some of them. They spoke very highly of the cruises. And we ended up going on our first one when we moved out to California in 22 maritime on the Wonder. And then the next year we did the Halloween cruise on the Magic out of San Diego too. And then we did this one, this Alaska cruise.
[00:05:02] Speaker A: Awesome, awesome. So a lot of cruises out of the west coast. Now you had mentioned previously you had Actually gone on a Disney cruise when you were younger?
[00:05:13] Speaker B: No, it was just all Disney World trips.
[00:05:15] Speaker A: Oh, all Disney worlds. Okay, so not so Disney cruise started after you all had kids.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: Yes, after we had kids. So we, yeah, we did the Christmas one and then the Halloween one, which was great because my son got to trick or treat in cabanas and then we went for the cruise. When we went to cabanas, he asked, hey, we're going to trick or treat again. It's like, no, but not this time.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: Oh, that's so cute. Oh, that's really.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: So he remembered. So because he's six right now. So he was like just five.
He remembered.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: I love that. All right, well, so tell us who's in your traveling party for cruising.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: So it was myself, my wife, our oldest and youngest, 6 and 3, and then my sister in law and my mother. So they ended up sharing a room and then we did one. So that was her traveling party.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: Awesome. Now what was the sort of decision making point for choosing to do a seven night Alaska cruise on the Wonder as opposed to doing some other cruise? You had obviously already sailed on the Magic and the Wonder each once, but I imagine those were four or five night cruises.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: Probably they're both four nights.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: So the funny thing was, so my wife has always wanting to do cruising. I was always against it again until I started listening to those DVC podcasts and fell on the Disney cruise line. And I was like, let's do this. She's always wanted to do Alaska. We actually turned 40 next week. So this was like our birthday gifts to each other. So that was so it was a bucket. It was bucket list. We turned 40 and then I, she was thinking about it and I just kind of pushed her like, hey, let's do this. She was like, okay. She didn't really fight it. So that was, that was our reasoning behind it. And it was great.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Nice. And you guys are west coast based so it's a little easier obviously to get on the Wonder when she was more based in San Diego and still occasionally in San Diego. Or of course when the Magic was there in 23, but still fairly easy to get up to Vancouver as opposed to obviously to flying to Florida to go out of Port Canaveral or something. So let's talk about that. Did you go up to Vancouver day of. Please tell me no. Day before? A couple days before, yeah. What was, what was that plan?
[00:07:31] Speaker B: So I'm stationed out in 20AMPA, so we were looking at. So we have a couple airports around us there's Palm Springs there, which takes, you have to take several different flights. Looked at Ontario, looked at lax, looked at Vegas with LAX because it was direct flight and with kids, a direct flight. His money. So it was only about a three hour flight, which was great. Yeah. So we, we got in the day before stay at the Pan Pacific like usually most people do because just that luggage transfer was just one less thing to worry about. So we did that. Yeah, so we got in day before. One thing I didn't realize about Vancouver, first time to Canada, there was a heavy like Indian and Sikh population. So and we, we both love Indian food. So.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: Yes, fantastic Indian food. Yeah.
[00:08:17] Speaker B: Yeah. So the night, so the night we got in, we looked at an Indian restaurant and we went there. So that was like awesome for us because station out in Tornado Palms, which is just. There's not a really a lot around us. So like good food is like usually we have to travel. So this was a good excuse for us to go get something.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: Well, that's awesome. I will tell folks that in general, like the Asian, South Asian food in Vancouver is awesome. And you can also head out to Richmond, which is a suburb of Vancouver that's also like very, very heavy Asian, South Asian population that is also amazing, amazing food. So tons of great Indian food. Tons of great Chinese food. You know, just, yeah, lots of really, really good stuff. But yeah, love that you got a chance to do that. And by the way, Randy, let me just say thank you for your service. Clearly you're stationed, so I don't know what that means.
Well, so tell us about the planning process a little bit for that cruise. I'm going to back up a little bit. You guys were. Are Silver Castaway club members. And so you're not in the very last group to book, but you're in the second to last group to book, like onboard experiences, excursions, that whole thing.
How did you find the sort of the booking process pre cruise knowing that your cruise was in September, so a lot of kids were already back in school. So it may have been a lower, I don't want to say lower capacity, but maybe not as full of a ship as some of the, you know, July Alaska sailings. Did you guys have difficulty getting things for on board or excursions?
[00:09:58] Speaker B: So excursions wise we got everything we wanted. The, the two ones we ended up doing were the train in Skagway and just the glacier in. And I think it was the glacier that was full. She got on the train fine and then the glacier was initially full. And then when we Got on the ship. She managed to get on. The only thing we. We did Palo dinner. We did Prima Note the first night. The only thing we couldn't get was the. Was brunch. I tried, but just. It didn't happen. So that was like the only thing I just. We couldn't get.
But I mean, if that's the only.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Thing, that's pretty good. I mean, especially Prima Note. So Prima Note, for those who haven't heard us talk about it on other show. We have talked about it on other shows, but if you haven't heard us talk about it, it's on the first night. That's what Prima Note means in Italian. They have sort of a special event at Palo and it happens twice.
[00:10:49] Speaker C: Your Italian skills are stunning, Sam.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: Thanks, Brian.
[00:10:53] Speaker C: Did you wrote that through a Bing translator or.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: There's like a 6:45. And then I want to say like maybe 8:45 or 9. I can't remember, but there's two different seatings for it.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: And.
[00:11:04] Speaker A: And it is held in the private room in Palo. And it's usually like, I don't know, 14, 16 people, something like that. Maybe even 12 people in the. On the magic and wonder, because the room is a little bit smaller. But it's a wine pairing and food tasting experience. It's not a full dinner, but it's like. I want to say four or five course. Like mini courses.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: I think so.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Really fabulous experience. But it is, like, kind of limited. So I'm. I was. I'm actually surprised, Randy, that you got it so easily because it's only, you know, 20. Some people that can get it on any particular cruise. Cause they only do it on that first night.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's. I think it was 12 people. I think they had it seated for 13, I think there. But there was a discrepancy in their. How many people were going. But yeah, it was. I think it was like five courses. Five or six, I can't remember. With the wine pairings. It was fantastic. We had the sommelier. Sommelier came with an H. And then it was. Sylvester was the server. It was great, actually. I discovered the Apollo. The gnocchi there.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: Oh, no. Yeah.
[00:12:14] Speaker B: So good gnocchi. Yes. So that was fantastic. So I was on my phone afterwards trying to figure out how they make it, because we like cooking at home. So it's just something that would be. I would like to try.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Yeah. So if you can find a decent, like, specialty grocery store, like one of the, like an organic or whatever. If you go to, like, the fresh pasta section you can often find all pre made. Of course that you know that's cheating but I'm okay with cheating.
You'll find pre made and it'll tell you like how you, you know, it's like you only drop them in water or something for very, very quick or I don't even know. But yeah, so that's a way to do it. But yeah, gnocchi is their gnocchi is fantastic at. Paula, let's move to your boarding process. So you are at the Pan Pacific. You mentioned at the top of the show one of the reasons you. Oh, actually no, I want to back up to your transfer from the airport because I think this is a super helpful tip for people, especially with small kids. Why don't you tell us how you guys got from the airport to Vancouver and to your hotel specifically.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: So yes, we, we ended up doing the sky train. So both of my kids really like trains. So it was, it worked out. The six year old we, he's, he's a picky eater. So he's not, he's not the most. The biggest kid I should say. But we, so we probably could have got away with him not bringing the car seat. But we have a three year old so he is still in a car seat. So we were worried about that. We looked up all the cabs and stuff are exempt from it in Vancouver. So that wasn't a big deal. But it was just a chance to use to go on the train with the kids. So we did from airport to downtown and just a quick walk from the station to the Pan Pacific. I mean the only headache is since we have the stroller is just trying to find the elevator instead of using the escalator.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: Yeah. So that's the only headache that makes sense. That makes sense. All right, well you stay at the Pan Pacific. Tell us how it works for the luggage transfer because this is I think very. This is like if you stay at the Hyatt MCO and take Disney transportation to Port Canaveral. How does it work at the Pan Pacific for your luggage transfer?
[00:14:24] Speaker B: So we ended up using the service there that they would pick it up from our room and just take it down to the ship. I think when I checked and they asked about it because they asked what we were there for, said the cruise, said would you like the luggage transfer? Yes. And they just said just tip it. Gratuity is expected. So it was about five, five dollars a bag. Which I'm more than happy to do that. So it's just one Less headache. Especially on embark day where it's just craziness with the kids and with everyone trying to get on.
[00:14:51] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Now do they, they come get it from your room or do you drop it off someplace at the hotel? And what time do they want your bags?
[00:15:00] Speaker B: I forget the time. Just in the morning, probably about I think I want to say 8 or 9 so they have time to get it down. And so I think I just called in the morning, hey, we're ready for it to come to get picked up and yeah, it was, they were there in about five or ten minutes.
[00:15:14] Speaker A: Yeah, really easy. That's awesome because there's nothing more annoying than schlepping bags through a large hotel to get them. You know, I think with cruise bag because we, we tend. I overpack so.
[00:15:27] Speaker B: Oh yes, we, we had, we had very full bags because.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: So it's a seven night cruise.
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:32] Speaker B: And you're trying to like on the front, front end.
[00:15:34] Speaker A: Yeah. And you're trying to like slap the kids who are small and the bags that are big. Right. It's you know, that's a, it's a lot. It's a lot. All right, well tell us how does the, how did the boarding process is the end of the Alaska season. I, I can imagine they, that they're a well oiled machine by the time September comes around.
[00:15:52] Speaker B: Yeah, they were. What was funny was I forgot 33 days out it. I completely. I was really busy with work so I forgot to jump on like the day of that I could get for boarding groups to get early. So we ended up getting, I want to say I think it was 12:15 or 12:45. We had a couple hours that morning just to try to kill time which was fine because so my wife is from western New York and then in the plaza like with Pan Pacific there was a Tim Hortons. So she was, she was definitely keen on getting that. So yeah. Dark rose Double double. That's, that's her go to and the Timbits.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: That's hilarious. So for me it's Dunkin Donuts. But for western, you know I'm a eastern downstate New Yorker. So western New Yorkers is Tim Hortons. Downstate New Yorkers is Duncan all the way. I love that.
[00:16:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And I usually I'm an energy drink guy or like some of the bougie Starbucks drinks. So I just grabbed a Starbucks that morning.
[00:16:47] Speaker A: So just breakfast for the kids. Nice. Nice. All right, so check in process goes well boarding.
How did that go? Was it, you know, were you on the ship relatively early. You said 1215 or 1245. You had as your port arrival time.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: Yes, it was just, I think the longest line was just the initial getting, getting checked in and having them check passports. And then from there was probably about 20 minutes. Then we were on the ship. It was not hard. Yeah. So it's. Yeah, we've done San Diego, we've done Vancouver and Mo. It's really easy. I haven't had any. I haven't experienced a horror story yet for embarkation day for Disney Cruise Line yet. So that's.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: Do you guys do sports for, for the kids? I. I know I. I assume based on your job, you obviously have a passport. I would guess your wife probably has one too. But do you do passports for the kids? I always curious about this because I know a lot of people. You know, you can travel with birth certificates to Canada now and you particularly for kids and you can also, you know, travel on cruises depending upon what cruise. Some of them with, some with just birth certificates. I'm curious if you guys, what you guys do?
[00:18:00] Speaker B: We did passports. I was under the assumption since we were going international, the kids needed it, so we didn't. So we got about a year out or six months out. So it was. We used passports for everyone and there was no issues with it.
[00:18:12] Speaker A: Smart. Smart. Yeah. I'm not sure I know it like it depends on how you're going into Canada as far as I think whether you need passports and there might be a difference, like I said, in age. I'm not sure. But yeah, I always think it just.
[00:18:24] Speaker C: Makes life easier though. It makes life so much easier.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: And plus it's an excuse. Oh, hey, we have it now. So if we want to plan a big trip overseas, like that's one less hurdle, so.
[00:18:34] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:18:35] Speaker B: That's how I view it.
[00:18:36] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. All right, well, do you have any embarkation day traditions? This is cruise. This is cruise number three for you guys. Do you have a. I'm gonna guess you're not going to sit down. Lunch. I'm gonna guess your. I mean your other cruises were warmer weather cruises or warmer port cruises. Cruises. So maybe you head to the pool deck, but do you head to cabanas on. On your embarcation day?
[00:18:57] Speaker B: Yes. Usually it's the first priority is getting the kids fed because if not there's going to be meltdown city and it just goes, it just goes downhill from there. So yeah, usually it's that and then get into the room to drop off our stuff if the luggage there is getting unpacked and then just start exploring the ship. All this is getting really happy with it. So. And then just. Yeah. Usually we have first eat. First eating for dinner. So it's just waiting till then. That's, that's it.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: Now your youngest is now kids club age. I'm curious was this. I imagine this is. Well this had to have been their first time doing the kids club.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: So he, he, he, he turned three in September, about September 5th. So literally the week, the week before the cruise. So I looked into the kids club and they said he needs to be potty trained but be able to take care of himself for everything. So in diapers. We were like, hey, we probably can't get him potty trained.
But the other stuff probably he'll still need a little help. So we didn't even try to get him in the kids club. He, he went to a couple open houses which he was completely thrilled with. So when we did the. We did. It's a Small World nursery for several different things because yes, my mom and sister in law were there but we didn't want them to feel burdened the expectation that they had to watch the kids. So for some of our activities they just. We put him in there. He. And then once I took him to the open open house, he always wanted to go in there when I took him to small. It's a small world because he, yeah, he, he saw, he saw the slide. So he was obsessed with the slide.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: Oh yeah, yeah. You forget about that. And there's only the. Well, the, the magic and the wonder have the slide in, in, in Andy's room. The dream and the fantasy don't have a slide at all. Of course the wish. Yeah, they don't. There's no slide in the whole kids club. And then the Wish has the slide into the kids club. Yeah. So you actually can't like go over and over and over again down the slide unless it's open house. Then you could do the slide over and over again. But it's not, it's not like when you're in the kids club at the on the Wonder or the Magic where you can do it. Yeah. Over and over and over again. Well that's, that's actually a good thing to point out though. As far as you know, three year olds can go to either it's a Small world nursery or to Oceaneer Club Lab depending upon which ship you're on. And some have both obviously. But they do want the kids to be not just potty trained but able to Sort of completely toilet themselves, they will let you have a kid. That is, they often make exceptions to let kids who are not potty trained in the club. But then they want the parents to come and check on them like every hour to like check if they need to be changed so that it's not anybody sitting in a soiled diaper for a long period of time. So that's, they will accept non potty trained kids. But obviously there's, there's that caveat which is.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: I didn't know that.
[00:21:55] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's one of those things where you have to really push for it. And they tend to more commonly offer that for older kids who are not potty trained, often with, you know, disabilities or, you know, and so because they don't have the option of going, it's a small world nursery. Whereas if you have a three year old, if they're not potty trained, it's like, oh, well, they can still go to, it's a small world nursery. And so it's, it's not like they're not able to go to any club. So I think that's where they usually offer that as a, as a, an accommodation. So. All right, well, let's, let's jump over to talking about the, your ports of call because obviously that's the star for an Alaskan cruise. Let's start. What was your first port of call?
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Dawes Glacier. So we had Glacier Day was our first one. So it was actually really crummy weather that day because it was overcast and rainy and very windy. So the nice thing was all the characters were on the very top deck, but with the weather they ended up moving them down so you weren't exposed to the elements. So we ended up getting all of them. It was really nice because you could see all the sea ice as you got closer to the glacier. What ended up happening though, I guess since the weather was crummy and we didn't find out till I asked later, they didn't make that final turn to actually see the whole glacier because we got the pictures with all the characters and then we went back down to our room and my mom noticed that the ice was getting less and less prevalent. So I was like, no, we still have to go. And then we ended up asking one of the cast members and they said just with the weather, they just couldn't make that last turn, which was really disappointing because that's, I mean, it's Glacier Day. That's the one that's like the one thing because We. We did see in the morning just the excursion to go out on the boat. They. They both left, so we were. We were falling right behind them. And that was really. We were really excited, but it just didn't work out. So.
[00:23:49] Speaker A: Yeah, I wonder if they canceled the afternoon excursions for the. Those boat. So for those who don't know what I'm talking about, there are. On Glacier Day, you're technically at sea, but it's. It is a day where you go and obviously you see the glaciers, but there are excursions, but it's just this one excursion. And it happens a couple times in the morning, and I think a couple times in the afternoon. It does book up really, really fast. It's one of those things that, like concierge and pearl and maybe platinums book. And it's harder if your castaway club status is a lower status. It's harder to get because it is a limited number of spots, but they take you out on a smaller boat, like a RIB boat, and take you closer to the glaciers. But yeah, I wonder if they cancel the afternoon ones because they usually have a couple of them in the afternoon as well.
[00:24:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked because it was not fun outside that day.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, we'll see.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: But the lines for the characters were crazy. I think we got all of them except for Goofy. That was the only one we missed.
[00:24:47] Speaker A: You said they did them. So they did them on deck four on the promenade deck, then.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: No, I think the deck with all the food in the pools. So since that's technically undercover, so we could still be outside just out of the rain because it was not pouring, but not drizzling. So just enough like if you're out there for a while, you're just going to get soaked. So it worked out.
[00:25:10] Speaker A: Could you see that? Did the. Where you had. Did you have the glaciers in your pictures then, or. No, not really. Because you have, like, kind of glass walls. Right.
[00:25:19] Speaker B: I think we did see some glaciers, especially higher up in the mountains. You could see them coming down. So I got a couple pictures. Not that you could really tell. Well, you could tell if you knew what to look for, but yeah, it was. Yeah. We really wish we could have seen the glacier because, I mean, it's Alaska. That's what you're there for. But just again, it didn't work out.
[00:25:37] Speaker A: Yeah, well, that's a bummer. But I'm glad you got most of the character pictures because the characters in their cute Alaska wear is really. I think that's one of the Fun things that everybody does on Glacier day and they just look adorable. Well, let's talk about your second port of call. Where. Where did you all go next?
[00:25:55] Speaker B: Next? Skagway. So that was. We did the train excursion I think later in the morning. So that was great. Got on there and then we tried. We, we didn't tell our oldest because we wanted to surprise him, but he kind of started drawing conclusions especially once he saw seeing all the trains moving. We got on there and then we got sat on the right side and spectacular. Just all the views and he was excited. We went out to like the. The outside so he could just watch everything going by. And then our youngest ended up falling asleep for most of it. So he got, he got a nap in but till we got to the turnaround point and on the way down he did. He definitely woke up and saw everything. But yeah, I took as many pictures as I could because it was beautiful.
[00:26:39] Speaker A: Yeah, we've heard really good thing things about that, that train excursion. How long is the ride out and back?
[00:26:47] Speaker B: I want to say probably in total that it's three, three and a half hours. So it's, it's not, it's not a lot. We then we ended up going into the town of Skagway, had lunch there and then did some of the, did some of the shopping. So just so because my mom and sister in law and my wife wanted to. So we just. I acquiesced because I knew that was. I was not going to win that fight.
[00:27:08] Speaker C: How, how hard was it, Randy, to pick these excursions? I mean with a three year old and a six year old, like, you know, a three and a half hour train ride is a lot like do you feel like. Do you feel like it was hard to pick what you wanted to do based on, you know, sort of trying to navigate around the kids and what they might want to do and do you think. I'm just curious looking back, do you think the kids, you know, got a lot out of this? Like do you feel like they, you.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: Know, I think my, I think my oldest did. Yeah. So it was just, I mean listening podcasts and everything, trying to do as much research for kids friendly and then going on the age recommendations and understanding that hey, try not to do anything too crazy with the kids because our big thing is just make sure they're fed and have some sort of entertainment. And then usually it's. You can go farther than what you might think because yeah, the, especially the exquisite ones like all the world watching the dog sleds. I knew that wasn't going to happen. But we promised ourselves that probably we're going to do this again, especially when the kids are older, so they can experience it. And I would love to go at least see the, the husky puppies, because, I mean, who doesn't want to just get taken down by all that fluff, right?
[00:28:12] Speaker A: Exactly. I know that's what we're hoping to do. And that's. Yeah, we always are curious, I think, about how people navigate what to choose, but I think that's smart. You, you, you have to know, like, the limits, right, of what your kids can do stamina wise. And like, like you said, make sure they're fed all of that. Like, if you, if you don't do that, like, you're, you're going to have spent all this money on like a dog sledding excursion or a helicopter excursion or whatever and you're going to have a miserable time because your kid's melting down. Right?
[00:28:44] Speaker B: Yes. The one nice thing about like doing all the trips we've done to Disney, Aulani, Disneyland, Disney World, Disney Cruise Line is if your kid has a meltdown, like all the other parents are like, we got you, we understand it. So it's like, it's, it's not as much judgment if, from other people, which is nice. It's just more sympathy is like, yeah, hey, we've been there. So that's it. When you're in the moment with your kid, it really helps having another parent tell you that you're like, oh, thank God. Or when you see another kid having a meltdown, it's. It's like, oh, okay, good. I'm not the only one.
[00:29:20] Speaker A: There's safety in numbers, Randy. That's how I feel too. I like, that's. Yeah, I had a, I had an experience like that just this morning, actually. Not Nathan, but we were actually at synagogue. I was taking him for his Hebrew school and we were in the sanctuary of our synagogue and it was like a little mini kid service before the kids went to their Hebrew school classes. And this one girl, four years old, melting down, climbing up onto the stage of the sanctuary. It was just. And I looked at the mom and I smiled and I said, we've all been there. Because I just know that feeling when you're in that moment and it's. Yeah, I think you're right though. Disney and I, I know Brian has said this. One of the reasons I think Brian rediscovered a love for Disney was because when we would take Nathan to the parks, if he had a meltdown, or something wasn't going right. Like, there was exactly that reaction, you know, from. Not just from, like, other parents, but also the. The cast. Right. Like, can we help you? Like, what can we do to make this better? Like, is. You know, and. And there wasn't, like, the judging eyes that you see happen when you.
[00:30:30] Speaker C: There's still a few judging eyes, but.
[00:30:32] Speaker A: There'S fewer, you know. Fewer. Fewer.
[00:30:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:35] Speaker A: You know, but, like, you go to.
[00:30:36] Speaker C: The supermarket that believes that Disney should be only for adults, which I can't comprehend, but.
[00:30:40] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. But I mean, I. I remember times where I went to the supermarket with Nathan, and, like, I remember one particular time was really bad meltdown. And, you know, he was probably, like, four or five at the time, and I ended up having to, like, carry him out kicking and screaming. Right. And so. And that was like. Yeah. Lots of judging eyes.
[00:30:57] Speaker B: Yeah. No, because I think the worst judgment eyes I've had was. So we've done two trips a Lonnie. The first one was the wife and I for our 10th wedding anniversary, which my mom watched both the kids. She was a rock star for doing that. We went to Aulani. So you saw all the kids having meltdowns. It's like. It's nice. Ours aren't here, and we can just enjoy it. And then when we went the second time, we got there, and we went to, I think ULU to just get a snack, and our kids, obviously, the. So we flew out of lax. We drove out to LAX that morning, which never again. Just because it's from. From LAX to our house, it's like three hours, and then. And that. And then that flight. So they were. They had been cooped up all day, so they were going crazy. And then there was this. There was this lady who just. My youngest was just going crazy, and she gave the best resting RBF face that my wife saw and was like. She almost, like, lit into her. It's like one lady. You're at Aulani.
[00:31:58] Speaker A: Yeah. You're not at the Four Seasons next door where everybody's gonna be all prim and proper. You're at Aulani. Yeah.
[00:32:03] Speaker B: So, yeah, that. That was, like, the worst I've seen, but otherwise. Now, usually parents are pretty sympathetic and just like. Or if, like, having meltdowns together, it's like, hey, high five.
[00:32:16] Speaker A: Let's.
[00:32:16] Speaker B: We're in this together.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: All right, well, so, okay, so you're. You do skagway. The. The ladies all want to do shopping, so you're drug along for some shopping.
[00:32:28] Speaker B: And distract the kids. Because we. Well, actually, no. Speaking of people not understanding, like, there was a shop we went into and this lady was like, pretty much like, again, another RBF with the kids in there. Like, no. And my wife was like, okay, like, we're leaving, like, you're losing our business. And part of me wishes I would have remembered the name of that place. But like, let's not just throw shade on someone because.
[00:32:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm okay with that kind of shade, Randy. Let me just put that out there. I'm okay. I don't like. Yeah, I, I just, you know, like, I can understand. You want people to watch your kid, their own kids, so that they are not like destroying somebody's store.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: But yo, we're terrified of that. Like, we don't want that to happen either.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. So it's like, but I'm going to bring my kid to a store if I want to go into the store. And like, if you're right, if somebody, if the shop owner looks at me sideways, you just lost my business. Exactly. That's exactly right. Action.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: And if you've ever dealt with toddlers, like, they are a force of nature that you can't negotiate with.
[00:33:25] Speaker A: You can't always get in trouble.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: I used to call them terrorists.
[00:33:28] Speaker A: They're just terrorists.
[00:33:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:33:31] Speaker B: Or like the line from Terminator. It doesn't eat, it doesn't sleep, it doesn't stop.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: That's like great one. I haven't, I have never put that together myself, Randy. I love that. I love that.
[00:33:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, and it's like, so he, he's loved him to death. He's great. Like as a two year old he was a handful. So going into three, I'm like, this is just gonna get worse. And I'm dreading this.
[00:33:53] Speaker A: Yeah. So he actually, it does get better eventually, Randy. It does.
[00:33:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Yes.
[00:33:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:58] Speaker B: With our 6 year old, he has gotten better. He's been a struggle too, but it's, it's usually one step forward, two steps back and things like that.
Actually, funny story. So to like tomorrow we're headed out to Disneyland because we got tickets to Oogie Boogie and we're going for a couple days, take the kids trick or treating. We, we're going to spend our 40th because my wife and I are literally a day apart. So she's born October 21st, I'm the 22nd.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: So we're gonna, you know, she's a cougar I guess then. But she holds it over my head every time.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: So yeah. So we're getting ready and my, my three year old like at home he's like it is sometimes he fights his nap hard. But like right before this he fell asleep on the couch. My wife was like yes. Took him upstairs so we can get everything packed and stuff.
[00:34:42] Speaker A: Nice. Yeah. Gives her some some time to do that. You know we found, I don't know how, how you guys do the parts but we found that if we tired Nathan out by going on enough rides then around you know, two in the afternoon, if he was in the stroller, he would fall asleep in the stroller and then we would just like you know, shop it on Main street or shop in Downtown Disney. Right. And. And he would stay asleep because we were you know, we were kept moving. Yeah. So that was always a good way to. A good way to go.
[00:35:12] Speaker B: Usually for us is my wife is necessarily the most parks person so she's like she. And she's not a morning person. So sleeping and go in the park later in the morning or like with the kids, we'll get them fed usually on one of the character breakfast and then try to get them oldest isn't too much in the ride yet and the youngest, he's not ready.
So just have him run around in the parks because like there's plenty of space especially over by like Grizzly or dca. Yes, the Redwood area.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: The Redwood Creek Trail thing. Yeah, we love that.
[00:35:46] Speaker B: Yeah. So have. Have them run around so they can just be relaxed.
[00:35:50] Speaker A: Love that. Love that. All right, well let's, let's get jump back onto the ship. You. We. We did the train in Skagway. We did some shopping. What was it? What's your next port of call?
[00:36:00] Speaker B: We did Juno. So that was an earlier morning. So I think because we did the gl we did end up doing Mendel Hall Glacier. But the that night, the night before like from the night from Skagway to Juneau. My. My three year old like he just had I guess some really bad teething or something. So at like 1 1am he was just up and we were trying to get ready to go and then he was just in a foul mood and so we didn't want to bring him. So my wife stayed behind and with him and so it was just me, my oldest and my mom and my sister in law. So took the bus ride to the glacier was great because there were several bald eagles around. So took lots of pictures of them and then the glacier was very beautiful. But I think it was only a three hour ride or a three hour trip. So did that came back And I think that that one was kind of just a one and done. The glacier is great to see, but like, I know Juneau is.
That's where all the, A lot of fun ones, like a lot of the whale watching. I think that's the, the, the sled dogs, because I get at the park, we saw the map and you have Juno, but then you have. In the mountain range, it's just covered in glaciers. So that's like the helicopter ride. So that's what. If you're going to go to Juneau and you, you have the party that can tolerate it, that's definitely something you can do. The glacier is great to see. You don't want to spend too much time because you can go to these waterfalls, which is great. But yeah, it's kind of a one and done, I would say. But still, still great. You still need to do it. But after that, definitely try to do something else.
[00:37:33] Speaker A: Yeah, well, and, and you guys got limited views on glacier, day of glaciers. So it's probably good that you, you know, it's good that you got to see Mendenhall Glacier, at least from, you know, from the Juno excursion. Well, how long? So you say that was about three hours or so.
Did you guys decide to, you know, walk around in Juneau after, or did you head back to the ship?
[00:37:57] Speaker B: So I headed back to the ship and hung out with the kids while the, the ladies went into, into town and did all of that. So again, I think that's when we went to the open house and just ran the kids around the ship. And then I will say, so, yeah, I haven't done any of the Caribbean cruises or Bahamas, but I will say the amount of jewelry stores and Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan is crazy. It's.
[00:38:23] Speaker C: It's not any better in the Caribbean or the Bahamas.
[00:38:26] Speaker A: It's probably.
Yeah.
[00:38:29] Speaker B: I did say Thomas in elementary school, so I vaguely remember something, but I mean, I wasn't interested in that stuff then.
[00:38:35] Speaker A: Diamonds International is everywhere in the Caribbean. I don't think they have a. I mean, there are lots of jewelry stores in Alaska at the ports, but I don't think Diamonds International, I think it's more of a. You know, there was.
[00:38:47] Speaker B: I want to say there was one, I think in Juneau and. Or Ketchikan. So what's funny? Because I guess my mom has something stamped on her forehead, so she just gets taken in every time.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: Or something. Yeah.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: In Skagway. Like they, they had her. And I was like, oh, my God. And then I Think in Ketchikan she ended up getting something.
[00:39:11] Speaker A: So I mean there are.
[00:39:13] Speaker B: I guess she couldn't say no. Eventually. Yeah, yeah, she gets worn down.
[00:39:17] Speaker A: There are some, you know, non tourist trap reputable jewelers. But if you want to know like who to go to, you got to probably do a lot of research beforehand, right. And.
And on other cruise lines they will help kind of guide you to those places. I will say I, I think on Disney they, they try to guide you to their own store right on board more so.
[00:39:45] Speaker B: Oh yes.
[00:39:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:46] Speaker B: I will say in Ketchikan that had the most like non jewelry stuff we liked like the totem poles. And I'm looking through my phone to find some of the pictures because I was like, this is stuff I would actually take home. Because especially some of the other places. I will say this, like the souvenirs seem kind of chintzy, like just T shirts and sweatshirts.
[00:40:07] Speaker A: But there is like, it's really these places right off the ports. You know, these are, they are tourist traps, right? Like the, the Alaska, the. This is a huge industry for Alaska, right? Cruises. And that's why there are so many that go to these major ports. And some of them literally are built because of the cruises. Right. They're not even like, they would not be like Juneau is a big city otherwise. Ketchikan is a decent sized city otherwise. But some of these other ports would not, be, would not be a town or a city without, you know, without cruise line. Well, let's talk about Ketchikan. What did you guys plan on doing there? Because you didn't book an excursion for Ketchikan, right?
[00:40:47] Speaker B: No, we didn't. So my wife ended up doing. We did the massage villa. Oh my God, the spa senses. So we ended up doing that. Oh, and then we. Yeah, so we, we did that because it was like, she was like, man, that's a lot. It's like, yes, but it's our 40th. Let's. Let's have a nice massage experience. So we did that and then we actually did end up going into Ketchikan where we saw some, A lot of the shops and that's where my mom ended up getting her little bracelet. So we got, we got some T shirts and jackets especially for the kids. And then.
Yeah, I, I guess it's, it's. I was looking for the totem poles like so. Yeah. Again, my wife is from western New York, so she grew up on an Indian reservation. So some of that, the native stuff like, that's really up her alley. So she was like, this looks beautiful, but how are we going to get it back? And I said, I agree. It was. Some of the stuff is really nice to see. And I tried to see if I could at least find them on online because I know, you know, like you need Christmas present ideas for your significant other, so.
[00:41:48] Speaker A: Yes, we know.
[00:41:50] Speaker B: Yeah. So Brian's good at that.
[00:41:53] Speaker A: I actually have a harder time with that, I think, than Brian does. Because when Brian wants something he just like buys it for himself. He doesn't like think, oh, I should put this on a list so Sam can get it for me for Christmas, birthday, whatever. Yeah.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: Oh no. Yeah, we have that same problem, like both of us, like we've either if we want it, we'll just get it. So like for our birthdays next week, we both ask like, what do you want? And we're like, I don't know.
[00:42:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I want to go to Disneyland. That's always the answer, you know, that's, that's the.
[00:42:22] Speaker B: Well, yeah, no, she, she, she, she's not as much into Disney sometimes, but like especially like living in the desert. An excuse to get away. I don't have to twist her arm with certain things. So. Yeah, again, so, yeah, like the especially. So it was a very hot summer. Like days were in the triple digits. The one teens. So an excuse to go to Alaska for a week where you're like in jeans and jackets and I honestly like the Pacific Northwest greenery. Like it was hell yes or heck yes.
[00:42:50] Speaker A: Excuse my language. Yeah.
[00:42:52] Speaker C: Double hockey sticks. Yes.
[00:42:55] Speaker B: H, double hockey sticks. Yeah. So, so it was great. And like I've never been the Pacific Northwest. So like as soon as we landed I was like, I am a fan of this place.
[00:43:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, it sounds like you'll have to come up to Seattle because it's very similar to Vancouver and.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. That is a trip we need to make that eventually we will get to. Because even like on the flight back, just seeing Mount Rainier and just like all the mountain range, mountain ranges, the Sierra is coming down was like, that is beautiful. That we need to go see because we haven't had a chance to get out to Yosemite or Monterey because that would like just experience at least California itself would be great. But just haven't had the time and again, kids have to manage that, all of that.
[00:43:40] Speaker A: Yeah. Responsibilities.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Taking a three year old to a national park where he can run unencumbered. I don't know so much about that.
[00:43:48] Speaker A: Where there's lots of Danger. Yeah.
[00:43:51] Speaker C: 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 My Path 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 Aulani, 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, MyPal 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.com DCLDUO or email DCLDUO mypathunwinding.com so they know we sent you their way. Thanks My Path Unwinding for sponsoring today's show. Now back to the episode.
[00:44:50] Speaker A: Let's, let's jump back on board the Disney Wonder and let's talk some highlights from the cruise. What did the kids like the most? I'm curious.
[00:45:02] Speaker B: I think honestly, especially with the oldest, just pretty much the all you can eat ice cream cones that was soft serve on thing.
[00:45:12] Speaker C: Let's be fair. Many adults find that to be the best thing on board too.
[00:45:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And then being able to get the cheeseburgers whenever he wanted because again he's, he's the picky eater. So he didn't like the cheeseburgers that you had at dinner. It was the one on, on the top deck.
[00:45:28] Speaker A: They are different.
[00:45:29] Speaker B: That's what he wanted.
[00:45:30] Speaker A: They are different burgers though. Yeah. Because they have the, the ones in the dining room are those mini burgers and the ones on deck are the normal size but they are different patties. Like they do taste to. I'm going to give your six year old credit because they taste different. They are not the same.
[00:45:45] Speaker B: Yeah. So yeah, our serving team Elite was our main server. Like he was like hey, do you want me to go get it? It's like no. Like yeah, I am more than capable and happy of going running upstairs and grabbing it so. Because you have so many other tables to worry about. So.
[00:45:59] Speaker A: Oh yeah. That's all that. That's nice of him to offer but also nice of you to decline because it is, it is quite out of the way because when you're talking about main dining, those are sort of the bottom decks of the ship. Right. And up. And the burgers are up at the top deck on the, on the pool, Dec. So yeah, that's a bit of a schlep for them. And you're right, they're not just serving your table, they're serving, you know, a bunch of other tables. Yeah. Okay. So the cheese, I love that. The cheeseburgers and the soft serve ice cream. What about the little one?
[00:46:31] Speaker B: He, he. He's not as picky. He. But he was just. When it came to dinner, it was, it was, it was not the most pleasant experience because he. The pasta. But he loved, he loved the serving team. Like anytime they came around. Like, they were very interactive that he did elite at origami, like magic trips. And they were completely enthralled with that. So I was trying to keep him entertained. But just. They were.
But it's hard.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: Long dinners too.
[00:47:01] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. They were good about getting the food out, but just. It's the hit or miss. Are like, are the kids going to like this?
[00:47:08] Speaker A: How did they like Mickey's Mac and Cheese?
[00:47:12] Speaker B: Yes. So for the first couple of nights, Dylan, who's my youngest, he did enjoy it, but then he stopped.
[00:47:21] Speaker A: That's how toddlers are, right? Like, yeah, yeah. They're like, I want my toast cut into triangles. And then you cut into triangles and like. No, I wanted rectangles. Right. Like, it's just.
[00:47:31] Speaker B: Yeah, it's like.
[00:47:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:47:34] Speaker B: At home, like, he'll take a couple bites of something and then something else and then something and then he's like, I'm hungry. I'm like, oh, my gosh.
[00:47:43] Speaker A: It's hard. It's hard. Yeah. We always, we always ask whenever Nathan tries a new Mac and cheese, we always like how it stacks up to Mickey's Mac and Cheese because he thinks Mickey's Mac and Cheese. Mickey's Mac and Cheese and Red Robin Mac and Cheese are both like at the top of the, of the food pyramid for him.
[00:48:01] Speaker B: I would say, no, I respect the Mickey's Mac and Cheese because I like it. Like we had it at cabanas for lunch. So there is.
Yeah. But the food wise, it was, it was adventure every night.
[00:48:14] Speaker A: So. Yeah. How did they, how did they like the, the kids clubs? Well, the nursery and the kids clubs respectively.
[00:48:22] Speaker B: So my oldest, he could tolerate the kids club for about an hour and then we would get the message. So anytime our phones vibrated we were like, please don't, please don't be the navigator app.
[00:48:33] Speaker A: Brian and I had that same experience by the way. So I'm like, I'm having like flashbacks. It's a little bit of PTSD happening to me right now. Randy.
[00:48:42] Speaker B: Yeah, so he would go sometimes we'd have to bribe him. But he's a social kid. It's just, I think he just likes to be with mom and dad. So he, so when you did, when.
[00:48:54] Speaker A: You did Paulo dinner because. And Prima note then did you have the kids in the kids club, in the nursery or, or.
[00:49:03] Speaker B: Okay, yeah, yeah, we made sure because we. Yeah, yeah, we, like I said, we didn't want my sister in law and my mom to feel obligated to do it. So we had reserved it. Coming up, like I would say that I've, I've been on cruises where like small world. It's like, it's, it's packed. Like you get on ship and there's no availability. But with this, with this trip, I guess probably because school's in session or like we were able to get everything and then we ended up getting some extra times on the ship like just to put the kids in there. So it was just have like either adult time because we, this trip we finally were able to explore a little bit instead of just like being the, just being tethered to the kids because they just weren't in the shape to, to be out on their own. So.
[00:49:46] Speaker A: That makes sense. That makes sense. And that was probably smart thinking as far as the timing for the cruise. I think I'll just give the tip to people thinking about sailing in Alaska or sailing to Alaska, that the end of August, September is not only less crowded on the ships but also less expensive than like the height of the season, which is basically July into sort of of the early part of August or even late June. Right. Because. And I think it's mostly based on when school is out, right. When you know. And so for most places across the country we're talking about sort of mid June. Some people even get out at like Memorial Day. Right. And so June, late June and all of July is like the height of Alaska season on all the cruise lines. And so that's when you're going to have the more full ships, more kids on board, more expensive sailing fares, all of that. That's why we're sailing as I mention, at the end of August next year because it's like thousands of dollars less to sail.
[00:50:48] Speaker C: Then you also get, you also get a different experience depending on when you go. So true.
[00:50:53] Speaker A: Weather is different earlier the season.
[00:50:55] Speaker C: Like, more glaciers, cooler. Later in the season, we hear, like, potentially more wildlife, a little warmer. So just, you know. Just know that it's like a different cruise depending on when you go as well.
[00:51:06] Speaker B: Yeah, we. So is it, like, more of trying to fit into my work schedule? Because, like, the summer's super busy for me. Like, it was literally, like, the. My work commitments ended, like, the week before. So, like, that was. It was either the end of September or early May, but we were like, I got my master's, so I was gonna go to graduation. And then I was like, let's take the kids to a Lonnie. So that was our May trip. September was when we could fit it in. Because I think I told Sam before, like, literally, when we got back, they were turning around and going down to Hawaii to go to Australia for the season. For the winter season. So that. That was that. We were literally last one. So, like, merchandise was. It was discounted, but, like, most of the stuff was already sold out because I tried to at least get a pin just to commemorate it. They were completely gone.
The shirts were gone. The Spirit jerseys were just, like, either. I think it was extra small and small. That was it.
[00:52:02] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:52:04] Speaker C: And then whenever I see that, I'm like, Disney, know your audience.
[00:52:07] Speaker B: Like, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, because what ended up happening was. So my wife was on, and apparently a week or two later, everything showed up at Cast. The cast Connections.
[00:52:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:52:19] Speaker B: And people were pissed. Or. Excuse me. People were really mad because, like, it was. They. They had some open merch, unopened merchandise that they tried to get out, but, like, it was. It was gone. And they probably had.
[00:52:32] Speaker A: They probably had more selection at Cast Connections than you had on your sailing, because they had already shipped it off or whatever. Yeah, I. That bothers me as well. You know, the one. The one thing that I will say is there are people out there who will be personal shoppers if you really. If there was something you really want.
[00:52:50] Speaker B: Trust me, I've looked on ebay, and Makari, I'm like, is this tempting? So. Because, like, the. The. The blue Spirit jersey, like, the. The warm weather. I'm not a big Spirit jersey guy, but, like, it's tempting. But it's also usually when you're on the ship or in the parks, like, you're trapped in the moment, and it's like, sometimes take a step back because. And, like, the pen. I've only seen, like, one of the Alaska pens on. On sale. I see a bunch from like 20.
But I know it's just sometimes a matter of time and just be patient.
[00:53:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. When people are going through stuff that they bought and then realize they don't want or something like that. Yeah. Well, what about favorite stuff you guys got to do on board either with the kids or without the kids? You mentioned you did the private couples massage villa experience where you get sort of the private room with. I think it has a hot tub in it that you can use. You get for a certain amount of time after. Before or after your massage.
You got to do obviously Paulo dinner and you met. We talked about Prima Note, but yeah. What were the things that you guys really enjoyed?
[00:53:55] Speaker B: I think the Paulo both experiences.
So. Because yeah, the, the gnocchi. Finding that. Finding that was. I've had gnocchi before, but that was just fantastic. Trying the, the different wines and then at the actual dinner.
Because I think. So we did Palo, our first cruise on the Wonder back in 2022.
But the thing with that one was. So I think it was just the restart or just so much trying to get staffing. Like the food in the main dining was not good.
So going from that to Palo, we were like, oh my God. And then. So we kind of hyped it up and then we took. Taking my mom and my sister in law was still very good, I think with the dining this time. And when we went on the magic, it was like, okay, yeah, we can understand what people saying about, hey, the food on the cruise line is so good. Because listening to you guys, sometimes when people are like, yeah, the Wonder, the food's great. And my wife and I are like, are we being punked?
[00:54:54] Speaker A: Honestly, I think they had a, like across the fleet. There were, there's always hits too, but there were lots of misses. I think with the restart, I think they had a lot of staffing issues and they had a lot of new crew and had lost a lot of their experienced crew. And so. And I think probably just having challenges with like dealing with new protocols and things like that. Yeah. So I think in general, like service level, food level, it took a dip for sure. I think it's. It seems to me like it's pretty much back. Although I will say, you know, there's always, like I said, always some hits and some misses. Like, I, I think, yeah, we overall talk about how great the food is. That doesn't mean that every dish is great. Right. There's usually like dishes that fall flat and you're like, meh. You know, but I've never I will say I've never had anything on Disney that I would say was like inedible and I have on other cruise lines. I've had like a dish that was like, I wouldn't touch it. It was like took a bite and it's inedible.
[00:56:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, no, it was, it wasn't, wasn't an edible. But like hearing that it's good and like you bite into it and like, yeah, like there's not that much taste. Like so. Because when we did Tiana's the first time and compared to this, because I remember the dish so I got it again night and day difference. So like it was a definite improvement because I think we got the shrimp and grits and I got the, the sea bass. Like, they were great. Like I, I actually enjoyed it this time.
[00:56:24] Speaker A: Oh, good. I'm glad to hear that. I think that that that's, that's great. What did, what did your mom and your sister in law, was this their first cruise on?
[00:56:33] Speaker B: So my mom came with us on the back the one, the Christmas Cruise back in 2022. And it was my sister in law's first Disney cruise I think for and I don't think it was her first, but it was definitely her first Disney.
So they liked it, they enjoyed it. They got to see their nephew and grandsons and their full, their full blown, full blownness. So that was they definitely there was, there was that. But they said they enjoyed it. They said they were, they would come back. So I guess I'll have to take them at their word.
[00:57:04] Speaker A: Yeah. So that's awesome. Well, it's, you know, you never know. Like some adults who are like all in Disney adults are generally going to be like, I loved it. Right. But adults who are coming on with family who are really going on the cruise because of grandkids, because of nieces or nephews. Right. Like I will say I think you, you know, you get a more mixed response out of because some of them really like it and you know, fall in love with the cruise and then go themselves and others are like, yeah, it was fun because I got to watch my nephews or, you know, or my grandsons, but I wouldn't do it by myself. So that's always a difference.
[00:57:43] Speaker B: I will say some of this wasn't definitely was not in your face Disney, which for people who don't like it, it's, it's nice. And to people who say like there's too many kids or it's in your face, like they' the adult spaces like you can get away. And like, it is very enjoyable because the staff is great. So that's usually my counter to some people when they say, like, it's too much Disney.
[00:58:06] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think especially on the Wonder and the magic, the way that the spaces are sort of separated and laid out between the sort of family spaces and adult only spaces is very smart and very well done.
And. And there's enough adult spaces for the smaller ship.
Yeah, I think it's a. I think those are probably. And I. We talked about this on a live show, but I think that those are where I would recommend people go if they were sailing adults only. I think the dream and the fantasy are good options too, but I, I wouldn't, for example, recommend a wish class ship to an adult only group. But anyway, it's.
[00:58:46] Speaker C: I don't know. I don't, I don't know about that. That.
[00:58:48] Speaker A: Well, it wouldn't be my first choice because the, like the pool deck. Right. So the pool deck, the family pool deck is great on the wish, but that is filled with kids, right. Running around. And then you've got this like, small adult pool deck area. Brian. And so it's not, you know, but the, the bars are amazing on the, on the Wish.
[00:59:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I guess. I mean, I guess like, like, it has, it has its pros and cons. And I think if, I think if I was talking to two adults who are planning to sell concierge only, I might absolutely recommend they sell the wish Fair.
[00:59:18] Speaker A: Fair. But that's not most. But most people are not sailing concierge, so. And I'm sort of generalizing. Right. Well, is there anything that we, we missed? Randy, before I subject you to, you know, what's coming.
[00:59:32] Speaker B: No. I mean, yeah, we did.
Dinner was great. The show. The shows were good. I. I know we'll get into that in a minute.
No, on, on board. It was, it was good. We did like, so got to go to like, Crown and Finn for the first time.
Yeah. Because, like, the kids are. My mom was able to watch them for a bit and we could go enjoy it. That was nice to see. We did some trivia, my wife and I, and she was like, oh, you're gonna do so great at this. I'm like, no, no, no, no.
I am not mad to lose some of these because some of the questions they ask, like, I do not know these answers. So we are pros.
[01:00:11] Speaker A: We always joke about how, like, there's like, I don't.
[01:00:14] Speaker C: I'm starting to think it's not skill. So Much as people who've sailed enough that they know the answers and, like, they just show up and, like. Yeah. I mean, Disney trivia has a finite number of questions.
[01:00:26] Speaker B: Yeah. Some of the questions they're asking the name of the cat and the Incredibles, and all I could think was Mr. Bigglesworth, which I knew was not the right one.
[01:00:37] Speaker A: I don't know the name of the cat in the Incredibles.
[01:00:41] Speaker B: Yeah, I know the name of the.
[01:00:43] Speaker A: Cat in Big Hero 6, though.
[01:00:46] Speaker B: Yeah. So we got to enjoy those spaces for kind of the first time or at least go to and experience it. So it's. Especially as the kids get older, like, I'm. I'm looking forward to it because, I mean, our. Ours has just been like, hey, you're with the kids, so you're kind of tethered to the pool. The. The pools, if it's warm enough out, and just, like, trying to run them around the ship to, like, just so they can enjoy and they're not just going crazy in the room. Just being kids.
[01:01:13] Speaker A: Absolutely. Listen, Randy, you have a lot to look forward to. I'm just gonna give you. I'm gonna give you a preview. I'm gonna. I'm gonna foreshadow for you. You. You have, like. It gets. It gets a lot better.
[01:01:24] Speaker B: Well, yeah.
[01:01:24] Speaker C: Yeah.
[01:01:25] Speaker B: Sometimes when people are like, treasure these years. I'm like, are you nuts?
[01:01:28] Speaker A: No, no. Yeah, it's so funny. I'm with you on that. Like, I actually. I think, like, those are. They're such hard years, right? Like, when they're. Yeah. The pre. The. The infant, toddler, and preschool years are, I think, together all, you know, all. All different. Very hard on the parents. Parents. Yes, the kids are really adorable, but, yes, they're really hard on the parents.
[01:01:53] Speaker B: Don't get me wrong. Seeing them go from just infants to preschoolers and going to school, that change and how they evolve and change and how they look at you is fantastic. But there's a friend back home when we were starting to have kids, and we asked her, and she would say, all my friends are like, it's. It's a treasure. Blah, blah, blah. And she's like, they are not being entirely truthful. And she kind of. She told us, and we. We appreciated that because, like, once we started having it, I'm like, oh, my God. And, like, so, yeah, I'm in the military. Yeah. Yeah, I'm in the military. So I have. I'm an officer, so I have Marines. Like, I have Marines under me. And then when they tell me they're pregnant. I'm like, listen, like, like it's especially like some of the, some of the female Marines, like, I tell them some of the things and they're like, how do you know this? I'm like, I am a dad. Like, I don't have like that specific firsthand knowledge, but you're going to experience certain things and like, it's okay to struggle like that. We're all going to. And guess what? Like, the enemy has a vote, so you have a plan for your kid. They're not going to go with it. So just understand that.
[01:03:03] Speaker C: This reminds me of, that, this reminds me of that scene in what's the movie Old School Sam when they're up at the altar and they.
Characters like, always watching, always judging. Look at the baby. Look at the baby.
[01:03:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:03:17] Speaker B: Well, no, so like, I, There's a, there's a, a Netflix. Ali Wong, the comedian, like, there's a Netflix special she has about having kids. So I tell them, like, look, there's certain things people aren't going to tell you. Like, you need to watch that as Marines. Like, we usually will go there with certain things. Like, I will. But like, you need to hear it from someone else too, because, because there's just. Parenthood is. It's fantastic. But it is hard.
[01:03:41] Speaker A: Yes. So hard. Absolutely. Yeah. They don't like. And the kids don't come with a manual. Right. So, yeah, and each one has like a. Should have like a. Its own manual.
[01:03:52] Speaker C: Oh, did I forget to share that with you? Like, they gave it to me at the hospital, Sam.
[01:03:54] Speaker A: I was supposed to give it to you. Is that right, Brian? Shoot.
[01:03:57] Speaker C: I knew I forgot something.
[01:03:58] Speaker B: One of my Marines, like, she, she just had her baby and like, her husband, like, he, his father wasn't in the picture and she was like, he's scared. I was like, honestly, be involved in care and that will get you 90% of the way there. The rest of the 10%, we are all figuring out together. So you're good.
[01:04:14] Speaker A: Totally. Totally. You know, my. We. So we've mentioned on the show before that we've, we've worked with a parent coach who's a psychologist for quite a few years now. And one of the things that she said to us, like, most, for most kids, you know, the neurodiverse ones are harder, but for most kids, like, like mediocre or sort of mid parenting, like, will, will. The kids will turn out fine. Like, it'll be okay. Yeah, like it's.
[01:04:45] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, like, it's. Yeah, they, like, they, they Can. They can experience a lot. But yeah, you just, you. You want to be there. You want to be involved because you like, hey, like, I don't want to mess up my kid.
[01:05:00] Speaker C: Actually, Sam said that the other day about something and I said, don't worry. What? Whatever was going to mess him up, you've already done. So it's already happened.
[01:05:06] Speaker A: I say that.
[01:05:06] Speaker C: That' it's already happened.
[01:05:07] Speaker A: Too late. Too late.
[01:05:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Or like, you could. You completely flip out and then five minutes later, they come in and just still snuggle with you. It's like, okay. Like, they're, they're forgiving. They like, they, they. They're good. So it's like, okay, you didn't screw them for life.
[01:05:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:05:23] Speaker B: No.
[01:05:26] Speaker C: Well, Sam, is it that time?
[01:05:28] Speaker A: It's definitely that time, Brian. I'm so excited.
[01:05:32] Speaker C: And we have reached that point in our show, Randy, where I'm going to hand you back to Sam for some arbitrary questions, some arbitrary rules, and a dash of judgment of the round we know as rapid fire. Sam, take it away.
[01:05:42] Speaker A: Awesome. All right, Randy, you knew this was coming. Let's start with your favorite Disney character.
[01:05:49] Speaker B: Jeannie and Remy.
[01:05:51] Speaker A: Ooh. Oh, very good ones. Love it. And are we talking Robin Williams? Jeannie, please say yes. Please say yes.
[01:05:57] Speaker B: Of course.
[01:05:57] Speaker A: Okay. Thank God.
[01:05:58] Speaker B: I mean, like, I am a 90s kid through and through, so growing up with, with Aladdin, Lion King, Little Mermaid, like, I still can't watch the, the death scene in Lion King. I know my wife will put it on and I. For the kids and I skip that part for him. Like, you're not ready yet.
[01:06:13] Speaker A: Yes, I remember fast forward. Yeah.
[01:06:17] Speaker B: Well. And also, like. Yeah, I know. So James Earl Jones has passed away. But one thing I didn't know until he passed was so him. Like the character he played in Coming to America. Him and his wife.
[01:06:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:06:29] Speaker B: Were the parents.
[01:06:30] Speaker A: Yes. Sarabi and Lion King. Yeah. St. Lukas.
[01:06:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:06:33] Speaker A: I was like, you know what?
[01:06:35] Speaker B: I was like, kudos to you, Disney, for being meta like that.
[01:06:38] Speaker A: Right, right. And it's so 90s. I love it. I love it.
[01:06:41] Speaker B: Well, and it's also like, hey, look, it's something for the adults, too.
[01:06:44] Speaker A: Exactly. Always. That's the best. That's why Disney animation is generally superior, because there's something for the kids and something for the adults. I will say there's some really good dreamworks stuff out there now too. But. But in general, Disney has always, always had that. All right, what's your favorite Disney movie?
[01:07:06] Speaker B: So probably the Incredibles. Hercules.
[01:07:11] Speaker A: You have multiple. I Love that.
[01:07:14] Speaker B: Again, six and three year olds. So Disney is on pretty consistently.
So those are usually the two ones. And Ratatouille. Yeah, I can't forget that one. That's. That's probably my favorite.
[01:07:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Brilliant. All right, well, you'll probably want to get onto the Disney Destiny to see Hercules then.
[01:07:33] Speaker B: I'm excited. So we're probably going back east coast this upcoming summer so we can go back to Disney World and experience East Coast Disney cruising.
[01:07:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, there's more of it, so we'll be jealous. All right. Favorite Disney song.
[01:07:54] Speaker B: Probably. Oh, the one in Tangled that Mandy Moore sings when she sees all the lanterns light up.
[01:08:01] Speaker A: I can't think of it. Off the top.
Yeah. Yes.
[01:08:06] Speaker B: That's a good one. I enjoy.
[01:08:07] Speaker A: Great one. Sorry for the singing, everyone. I can't help myself. Everything. I break out in song all the time. Brian knows this about me.
[01:08:14] Speaker C: It's just I live in a Disney movie, basically.
[01:08:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:08:17] Speaker C: A Disney movie breaks out into song suddenly. Yeah.
[01:08:19] Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes. It's like. Or it's like that. The movie. What's that movie? Enchanted. It's like that. I just break out in song. Okay, we're moving on to Disney Cruise Line. What's your favorite onboard Disney stage show? It could be one you saw in the magic. It could be one you saw in the wonder.
[01:08:35] Speaker B: The Tangled in Magic.
[01:08:38] Speaker A: Yes. Excellent choice. Okay, Ruffians.
[01:08:41] Speaker B: The ruffians just.
[01:08:42] Speaker A: Oh, my God. For me, right? Yeah. I've got a Dream. That's a fantastic number. Okay, let's talk onboard activity. Favorite onboard activity.
[01:08:57] Speaker B: Probably the shows. That's what we've been able to really experience so far.
[01:09:01] Speaker A: Love that. Favorite rotational dining animators. Yeah, classic. Love that. Okay. Favorite space to relax on the ship.
[01:09:13] Speaker B: Probably one of the. Well, I mean, we've dealt in the adult lounge one time, but that's that. Or probably just on the deck with just some quiet time would be my guess.
[01:09:25] Speaker A: All right, we gotta talk a little bit. Food. I need a favorite sweet item and then we'll talk. A favorite savory item. So what's a favorite sweet item?
[01:09:34] Speaker B: Oh, I mean, the souffle Apollo.
[01:09:37] Speaker A: Yeah. Which one?
[01:09:39] Speaker B: Chocolate.
[01:09:40] Speaker A: Oh, okay. All right, fair. I prefer the Amaretto, but the chocolate is an acceptable answer. All right. Favorite savory item on a Disney cruise.
[01:09:52] Speaker B: The Apollo. Gnocchi.
[01:09:54] Speaker A: Yeah, Love that. Awesome. And that's a new one. I mean, new to you. I mean.
Okay, now you've been on the magic and you've been on the wonder.
So classic ships are your favorite, but which one between the two of them, do you like better the Wonder?
[01:10:13] Speaker B: Yes, it's the first one, first season cruise and like the bucket list, like Alaska cruise. So that's it so far. I'm actually looking forward to the Destiny because I would like to see the wish, but I really want to go on the Dream or the Fantasy because I think that's the middle ground that everyone agrees upon because it's bigger and you have a little bit more stuff to do, but not too big because I like the. The more. The smaller ones because when we were on the cruise in Alaska, we saw Quantum from Royal Caribbean and that was just gigantic. And it's just. How can you relax? Yes. There's a lot of stuff to do, but sometimes just relaxing is nice.
[01:10:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, and the, the Wish and the Treasure and the Destiny passenger numbers are actually the same as the Dream in the fantasy, even though the ship is slightly bigger, but it's slightly bigger because of like engine stuff and like gas stuff, whatever. Yeah. So they're not. It's not actually any bigger from like a capacity.
In fact, I think number of rooms might be a couple. A couple small, a couple less number of rooms. But yeah, the ship is bigger, but not. It's. The guest space is not bigger and the number of guests are not. Is not really bigger. But I, I'm really excited for the Destiny. That's the one I would say I'm looking forward to the most. Most. All right, my last question for Rapid fire is a bucket list cruise. You just finished a bucket list cruise. Obviously Alaska is a bucket list for most people, including us. But where. Someplace you haven't been that you would love to go on a Disney cruise. It doesn't even have to be someplace that Disney Cruise Line currently goes.
[01:11:51] Speaker B: I will probably say either probably Hawaii, like a bucket list. Probably around Destroyer or whatever. What Orlando Oriental Land Company is going to do around Japan because. So, yeah, because I have, I think five years left in the. Five, six years left in military. And then when I retire, like I will probably have a good size block. So it's kind of what I wanted to throw back at you guys. Like a good bucket list Disney. Because I was throwing. Thinking like some, some abd combined in with like a bucket list cruise.
Combining those.
[01:12:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's. That would be amazing. I mean you could, you could do like they do an ABD in Japan actually, and then you could do a, a cruise on the OLC ship.
[01:12:36] Speaker B: Yes. That was like that or like something big in Europe and do like another big. I don't know if like the Mediterranean are just going hey, on a simple like back to back east west Caribbean. Just enjoy it.
[01:12:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Two weeks in the Caribbean is amazing. Also with especially we're hitting you know, different ports on back to back. Yeah. Well thank you.
[01:12:58] Speaker B: Having enough sea days to enjoy it.
[01:13:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Well thank you for playing you, you passed with, with flying colors especially you know, picking the Wonder as your, as your favorite ship. Yeah. So thanks again for, for indulging me in, in rapid fire and, and accepting my, my judgment even on your chocolate souffle. And we appreciate you coming on the show, Randy, as I, as I said earlier, also thank you for your service.
It's crazy to me that you're going to retire in five years but obviously you're not going to retire. You're just going to retire from the military. You're going to get another job.
[01:13:34] Speaker B: There will need to be enough time for a second career so definitely want to enjoy it.
[01:13:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Well again thanks for joining us. We hope that you'll come back and chat with us again. Do you have something booked? Did you book a placeholder or you.
[01:13:49] Speaker C: Got stealing my final question, Sam. Every time now you get all of.
[01:13:53] Speaker B: Rapid fire so we have placeholders. It's just like I, like I just said briefly like we're probably moving next summer and I'm not sure what the work schedule is going to be like so probably something out east coast. I don't know if we're going to try to do like a three or four night. The wife got converted to a seven night cruise on this one because like, hey, I got to relax and then just enjoy the ship and enjoy being here instead of just, just getting on on for a couple days and having to get off. So do we. It's a question of what's going to be available.
So I don't know yet.
[01:14:30] Speaker C: Well, Randy, we as Sam said, we super appreciate you coming on the show, taking time out of your weekend. Want to thank you again for your service and I just want to thank you for taking time to share your experience with our listeners out there and we really, really appreciate it.
[01:14:44] Speaker B: Oh you guys are welcome. It's a pleasure. I know you guys are content creators so having people volunteering experiences are critical for you guys. So it's hey, like I said, like you guys said, I listen to the show so it's the least I can do to give back.
[01:15:01] Speaker C: Well, thanks 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 alive, we have a live show now every week Monday nights, 5:30pm Pacific, 8:30pm Eastern over on YouTube.com DCLDUO so be sure to head over and check that out. If you want 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 My Path Unwinding Travel. You want to book your next Disney vacation? Head over to mypathunwinding.com DCLDUO or email them at DCLDUO mypathunwinding.com so they know we sent you their way. If you've got questions or you'd like to connect with us, the best way to do that is to head over to DCLDuo.com it's got links to all of our things. Full catalog of the podcast episodes including a searchable catalog for the podcast, links off to our vlog, a link to our Etsy store where we sell some fun fan inspired magnets. Link to our Patreon. If you'd like to help directly support the show each and every month, just head over to the website or patreon.com DCLDUO also has a way for you to sign up for our substack newsletter that we're hoping to start really pumping out monthly here, at least on a few blog articles that we've written. So DCLDUO.com is the best way to connect with us. You can also of course email
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