[00:00:00] Speaker A: They said, since we're not coming, how about if we upgrade you and your sister's room to concierge?
I'm not even joking. So I look at my sister, I'm like, who are we to say no to that?
[00:00:10] Speaker B: This is like, this is Ghostbusters. If someone offers you an upgrade to concierge Ray, you say yes.
[00:00:15] Speaker C: You say yes.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DC El Duo podcast. Brought to you by my Path Unwinding travel. And Sam, you know what to do now.
[00:00:38] Speaker C: Simply the best. Better than all the rest.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: There it is. The review jingle. The new review jingle. We'll have to get Sam to into a recording studio soon.
[00:00:49] Speaker C: I am in a recording studio, Brian.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: I don't know that the fold out couch in our guest room really qualifies, but we're making it work. We're making it work. Here we go. So this week's review comes from Lucy in Tennessee, who writes the Go to Disney Cruise podcast. Amazing podcast. When we booked our first Cruise back in January 2023 for March of 2024, I was searching for anything and everything on Disney Cruise Line. I tried listening to a few different DCL podcasts, but none kept my attention quite like the DCL duo, the hosts and the guests are entertaining and informative. This podcast is the best way to plan and get you excited for your upcoming, upcoming cruise. So there you go, Sam.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. What a great review. Thank you. I, you know, all of these reviews just like really tug on my heartstrings. Like I feel like if we have helped even one person out there have a better cruise than we have done a service to the community. And so every time I hear one of these reviews and somebody's telling us that, you know, we help them and that we're entertaining or you know, what have or guests are entertaining and helpful, I just love that. It just makes me feel really, really good about what we've been doing here for six years now. My goodness.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Well, and for all of you out there listening as always, please remember that one of the easiest ways you can help support the show is head over to Apple Podcast, hit those five stars and if you leave us a written review, we will read it on the air at the top of one of our main episodes. And with that, Sam, I think we got a fun guest. Fun topic. You want to intro the guests in our topic for this evening?
[00:02:25] Speaker C: Yes. I'm super excited to welcome a first time guest, but I believe a longtime listener to our show. Welcome to the show, Jen.
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Hi. It's so. I completely agree with Lucy. You guys have helped us so much in planning all of our cruises.
It's such a treat to talk to the folks who helped me get through the work day until my next sea day. So thank you guys very much again for having us.
[00:02:50] Speaker C: Oh, you're so sweet. Well, Jen, I'm super excited for our topic today. You reached out to us to talk about solo parent cruising and you know you have taken three cruises now by yourself with just one of your kiddos, is that correct?
[00:03:08] Speaker A: I have to do a little asterisk. My sister came on the first one with me.
[00:03:12] Speaker C: Ah.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: But since then it has been myself and Mia and. And when Mia was born, my dad goes, wait a second, you're Mamma Mia, like the Broadway show.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: So.
[00:03:24] Speaker C: Yep. Mama and Mia. I love it.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: So Disney cruising with Mama and Mia.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: That's awesome. Let's start with how many cruises you've done now with just you and Mia, of course, asterisks that your sister went on the first one.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Yes.
It's been two. We went. Our first cruise was a four night maritime cruise in November of 2023 on the wish.
Our second cruise was a Cruise in June.
June 19th to the 22nd, 2024. Do those dates sound familiar to you guys?
[00:04:01] Speaker C: Yes, that is.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Look at me. That was your podcast cruise. We were on there.
We were on there and I was so disappointed I didn't get to make it to the actual show. But I believe Tracy. Is that your friend?
[00:04:14] Speaker C: Yes, our friend Tracy.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: I met Tracy at the pool and she was just array of light. She was so welcoming. She let me kind of hang out and talk to her group for a little bit. It was just great.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: You infiltrated our security team.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: She told me she was the security team and she was spotted DCL duo photos on our Instagram.
[00:04:34] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: She was very happy to talk about that, but it was a pleasure chatting with her.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: Oh, that's so funny. I'm going to text her today and tell her that you gave her a shout out. She's going to love that. She's absolutely going to love that. Yeah.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: Yes. Wonderful, wonderful. Meet her wonderful person.
And then our most recent cruise was Memorial Day, May 2025 on the dream, which happened to be the we do Travel Right reunion cruise. And they're our agent. And I'd say one really key thing, if you're doing solo parent travel, use a travel agent. It just makes your life so much easier and saves so much time.
[00:05:16] Speaker C: Absolutely. And shout out to our friend Emily over at Wedotravel. Right. She is a friend of the show. Of course. She's been the show a couple times.
And yeah, she's a, she's a great resource in the community as well. Well, Jen, tell us on these three different cruises, why have you decided you, you have another daughter, you are married, why did you decide to leave husband and other kiddo at home?
[00:05:41] Speaker A: Yes, that is a. Well, the younger sister will definitely tell you at the end why she has decided to stay home. But it all started back in November 2023. I grew up going to Disney World. I'd never been on a cruise but grew up going to Disney. For me, instead of Christmas trees and snow, it was palm trees and Santa in a Hawaiian shirt at the Swan and the Dolphin. Shout out to chocolate Santa at Swan and Dolphin.
[00:06:07] Speaker C: Oh, I love that.
I love a Santa in a Hawaiian shirt.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: I gotta tell you, no one does Christmas like the Swan and the Dolphin. That's my fondest childhood memories.
But fast forward many, many, many years later.
It's after Covid and I noticed Mia and little sister Paloma, they were more into checking out the treats and the toys rather than the rides when we went places like the county fair or the zoo.
And I really wasn't looking forward to figuring out that whole genie ride system.
So I started thinking about a Disney cruise and a good family friend, Jamie Didiwick had just joined. We do travel. Right. With friend of the show Emily.
I was loving Jamie and Emily's social media content. I reached out to Jamie and I was like, help. I've got two young kids, working parents. I'm lost. Can you help me with this? And she's like, don't worry, I got you.
And we've now booked three cruises through Jamie. The first we had initially booked for myself, my parents Mia and my sister. And we made the decision from the outset not to have my husband Chris and little sister Paloma go. Not just for budgetary reasons, but for potty training reasons. We did not write it. It was going to November 2023 was going to be right in the middle when she was potty training. And just our personal preference, we didn't want to deal with that, go through a regression.
[00:07:35] Speaker C: Absolutely. I think that's a really good point. Like when you're at home and you're potty training, you may be doing the method where they're not wearing any pants and you can't do that on the cruise. And so if you're right in the middle of potty training, you're going to either have to, like, hurry up and do it before or you're going to have to pause it and use diapers on the cr.
And so if she was in, I mean, it would work for her to be in the nursery and be in diapers at the same time. It's just a pain to pause. You're exactly right. Like, that regression is not a great timing. Okay, so you decide. Paloma's not gonna come. Daddy and Paloma gonna keep working on potty training.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: Chris likes Disney. He doesn't love Disney. Spoiler alert. We do have a cruise booked for the two of them to come, so I'm very excited to see his reaction. But he was fine to stay behind for both reasons. And again, it was just our personal preference. It was also our personal preference. Paloma is an avid. She's got that thumb in her mouth at the time, all the time. We didn't know how we'd feel about her in the nursery putting the thumb in the mouth 24 7. Again, just our personal preference. And considering she was two and probably wouldn't remember it anyway, we're like, okay, we'll just go and have a nice grandparent family mamma mia time.
Or at least that's initially what we booked. There is a plot twist. Come in on that first cruise, and that's really how it got us into solo parenting travel as well.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So what happened with your folks? How come they. They didn't make that first cruise?
[00:09:02] Speaker A: About a week after we put down the deposit, my parents, who have some health issues, they kind of freaked out and were like, we don't know if this is for us. But they felt so bad because we were taking this cruise for a milestone birthday for me. It was 21, right?
[00:09:17] Speaker C: Yeah, of course. Obviously.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: They said, since we're not coming, how about if we upgrade you and your sister's room to concierge?
I'm not even joking. So I look at my sister, I'm like, who are we to say no to that?
[00:09:32] Speaker B: This is Ghostbusters. If someone offers you an upgrade to concierge Ray, you say yes.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: You say yes.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: So our first cruise was maritime concierge. But one thing I would just like to advise to parents who are thinking about doing solo travel. Our next two cruises on the Magic and the Dream were not concierge. And I didn't feel like we needed it. I didn't miss it. I felt like I could handle a kindergarten age kid just fine without the additional support of concierge. You definitely do not need to do it.
[00:10:02] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I would agree. I mean, it's, it's a nice to have.
And I could see where, especially solo parenting, I could see where it could be a benefit because you can go into the lounge and get your breakfast, like for your kiddo, like cereal, you know, you have a pastry, coffee, and like, not really worry about your kiddo kind of running around in that space as opposed to going to cabanas or a sit down restaurant. Like, I could, I could see how that would be a benefit. On the other hand, I don't think it's a necessary thing. It's not like, especially if you're a one on one, I mean, if you're, if you're a solo parent cruising with multiple kids, that's a lot harder. But the one on one, I think, you know, you can do that in a cabana situation or, or sit down breakfast. So I totally, totally see that.
Well, let's jump to some of the, some of the strategies or benefits you've seen to solo parent cruising. Does your younger. Does Paloma get jealous when you're on a cruise with Mia? I mean, you're, it's great to have that one on one time with your kiddo, but do you have to deal with some of that jealousy stuff or when, particularly before you go or when you get back?
[00:11:11] Speaker A: You know what? We haven't. And part of that has been she was 2, 3, now she's 4. She hasn't been old enough to kind of realize what's going on. And then it was really funny. On the last cruise, she had just kicked the thumb sucking habit. And we thought telling her, hey, if you stop sucking your thumb, you can go on a cruise would incentivize her. It didn't. She's like, no, I'm good. But. So we turned her before our last cruise on the Dream, we're like, do you want to come? And she's like, no, I scared of villains.
They're villains. On Disney cruise, I stay here with papa. You and Mia go on cruise.
[00:11:49] Speaker C: That's so cute.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: So I really think you can make it work as far as very younger siblings and not having some of the jealousy issues.
[00:11:57] Speaker C: Yeah, well, she doesn't yet know what she's missing. I'm gonna bet after she's been on her first one, that if you bring up the topic of going on another one with just Mia, assuming she, assuming Paloma likes the cruise, that she might not be so. No, you go ahead, mom.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: Right. I'm, I'm, I'm also curious what my husband is going to think about it after all this time and us being on three separate cruises, Very curious to see his reaction as well.
[00:12:25] Speaker C: Yeah. Now, what kinds of stuff have you done to prep Mia for the cruises? I mean, I'm sure that the first one you had to do probably did more prep than the second or the third, obviously, because once. Once a kiddo has an idea of what a Disney cruise is about, you really just tell them they're going on another one and they're typically excited. Or. Or did you do any prep? I mean, some parents find that, you know, more surprises better, and other parents find less surprises better.
[00:12:52] Speaker A: So one, we did do prep in the sense that we set expectations about how much sugar she was allowed to have each day. Cause being a solo parent, I did not want the sugar crashes up and down.
But more importantly, for that first cruise in November 2023, I was looking at the weather a week out, and I was seeing those wind icons, which did end up playing a factor in our cruise.
So I prepped her. I'm like, things you're definitely going to get to do. Go to the kids club, go to the Frozen Arendelle restaurant treats at Inside Out Suites. If the weather is good, we're going to go to have a special castaway beach day. Lo and behold, we get on the cruise. We missed our castaway day.
And I was asking someone in the concierge lounge, I'm like, hey, just out of curiosity, how many percent of Disney cruises miss their castaway day each year? He said, 5% or less. So we just had terrible luck. But because I had talked to Mia about it in advance and prepped her that this might happen, she handled it like a champ. She's like, okay, I'll go to the kids club, then I'll go get my unicorn gelato. Woo woo. So she was set to go. While other kids, including parents around us in the concierge lounge, were having vibes were not good that day. Some people were saying, I booked concierge just so I could get that cabana on castaway.
[00:14:13] Speaker C: It was.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: Yeah, the vibes were. Yeah, my sister and I were kind of looking at each other. But Mia, because I had prepped her and looked at the weather, she was good to go. And that's definitely something I would suggest parents do prior to a cruise. Definitely keep an eye on that weather. And if you see the wind icons, there is a chance that that could happen.
[00:14:33] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. And I think even if you're going to, I mean, Lookout's probably a less likely cancellation just because the way that the pier is built and because the pier is so long, it's probably easier for them to dock there than at Castaway. At the same time, I think, you know, all port stops are, you know, subject to change. Right. Like for weather, for political unrest in certain places. Right. Like, so it's one of those things where it is better to not over promise even if you expect to go to certain places because you just don't know what will happen. I think what you did was really good and prepping that you will get to do X, Y and Z. These other things are A, maybe we maybe get to do, you know, A, B and C. So that's super, super smart. Now, with regard to prepping for the cruise, did you show her like any videos, like YouTube videos, or did she listen to our podcast before going to. I mean, I know you listen to the podcast, but did she listen to our podcast or any other, you know, resources before going?
[00:15:39] Speaker A: So we do travel. Right. Sent her this adorable activity booklet that she did. She drew a picture of the. Wish she had watched some videos of the kids club. So she was super excited for the kids club. But I did try to leave it a little bit of a mystery in some regards because November is the tail end of hurricane season. I wasn't sure what was gonna happen, so I didn't want to over promise and under deliver.
Now, the cruise ended up kind of being like childbirth. We did have some rocky weather, but when you get off, you don't remember the bad parts of childbirth. You just remember all the magical memories. And here we are three cruises later.
[00:16:19] Speaker C: So I like that analogy. I don't know. I still remember the bad parts of childbirth, but.
But I'm glad that you don't.
[00:16:30] Speaker A: Sam. I do have to say one thing where I did kind of mess up as far as setting expectations. You brought. Because you brought up lookout before our second cruise on the Magic, which you guys were on too. I don't know if you remember our lookout day. It was hot. There was not a cloud in the sky. So I had prepped her. She's really athletic at home. She walks everywhere. I'm like, we're going to turn on Taylor Swift. Because 2024 was eras tour summer. We're going to play Taylor, we're going to walk that pier, and then we're going to go have fun on the beach.
So she did it. And it takes three Taylor Swift songs to walk the length of Lookout K pier.
[00:17:07] Speaker C: Now we know three Taylor Swift songs. I love. That's hilarious.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: And she did great. Yeah, we were blaring it loud. Some other parents were like, what are you doing?
[00:17:16] Speaker C: Probably. Some other kids were super happy because they were walking too. Some other. Some other T. Swift fans were like, okay, I can walk it if I can listen to T. Yeah.
[00:17:26] Speaker A: So we set that expectation and she did great. Here is where I messed up. She was so hot on that cloudless day.
And then the van tram ride to look out, that was kind of the start of the dehydration. And then she went to rush out, gush out, which she loved, but there's not a lot of shade at rush out. Then we went straight to the ocean. And when she got out of the ocean, her water bottle was hot. I'm by myself as a solo parent. I can't really go leave her to get water. She just did not want to walk and love Mia. But that was one of the biggest meltdowns we've ever had in our life. We were at Lookout two hours. I had like, surfboard style carry her back to the tram. And it was. I was so disappointed. I'm like, the water. I want to go back one more time.
I may have booked that third cruise as a revenge. Lookout K we're going to. And I learned my lesson. And our second trip to Lookout was so much better.
If you're doing solo parent travel, I would definitely recommend keep an eye on the heat. Keep that in mind if you're going to look out during the summer. I loved cruising in May. I thought May was such an ideal time to go if you can swing it. And it was so much easier for me to manage her by myself if I needed to go and step away to get water because she wasn't as dehydrated.
[00:18:47] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a really good point.
The. The other thing that's an option is they do have those pull carts like they have. They have strollers, too.
[00:18:57] Speaker B: They're wagons.
[00:18:58] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what I mean. Wagon. Yeah. So they. They have strollers also that you can borrow. Mia's probably a little bit on the big side for a stroller, although she probably could fit in one of their strollers. You know, you obviously wouldn't bring your own stroller because she's, you know, she's six. But like, you could use one of those wagons to get her out to the tram and out to the beach, and then that way she's got a little bit more energy for some of the stuff to do. But yeah, you're right. You got to watch the water. You got to watch the you know, the, the heat index, the lack of shade. It can be an issue for sure. I think especially with those. The younger your kids are, the more that's going to hit them. But even the older kids, if they're not, if they're not drinking enough water. And I totally understand her water bottle being warm. Nobody wants to drink hot water.
Yeah, but that's, you know, a good, like, lesson, you know, good lesson learned. Of course I'd love to dive into the Kids club because I think that's, you know, I think that's a huge benefit when you are sailing, you know, with, without another set of adult hands and it's just you and the kiddo and because it's demanding, right, to be full time parents all the time.
Does Mia like the kids clubs on board the three Disney Cruise? I mean, you're on different ships each time, so she actually got to check out different kids clubs.
[00:20:18] Speaker A: Yeah. And there's definitely one she loved and there's one she didn't like quite as much. Okay, well, and that's another reason why I brought Mia as opposed to. Mia's the type, she's like, let me add it, Paloma's much more shy. I don't definitely know your kid. If your kid is the type who's attracted to new exciting things, solo parenting, travel with them on a Disney cruise with the kids club will be great and you will feel like a new parent after you get off that. That cruise. That is my mental health break for myself for the year.
[00:20:49] Speaker C: I love that.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: So Mia loved the kids club on the Wish, which was her first cruise. Didn't even mind we missed Castaway. She was just so happy in that Rapunzel room doing art projects. The Magic Cruise.
She found the Magic Kids Club a little dated. They didn't have the newer technology, they weren't doing some of the newer types of activities.
So she was very happy to play the Inside out games on the iPad because Inside Out 2 had just came out.
Big fan. But she kind of wasn't like she liked it. She didn't love the Magic Kids Club. So I actually would maybe have some hesitations about doing the Magic or the Wonder until those kids clubs are renovated. If your kids older elementary school age, then we get to the dream. And I'll be honest, my expectations for the dream, because I had heard it had a little less theming. I had some questions. She loved the Dream Kids Club. That was her highlight of all three cruises. They did such a good job on that renovation in the Dream Kids Club with that interactive Spider man game. There's a interactive floor that plays sock. Digital soccer. Digital whack a molecular.
She was in heaven.
[00:22:01] Speaker C: Digital whack a mole.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: Digital whack a mole.
[00:22:03] Speaker C: That was fun. I want to go do that.
[00:22:05] Speaker A: Oh, it was great. And that you're talking to a girl who doesn't like to play soccer. She was kicking that digital soccer ball all over the place. But beyond that, they did science experiments. I came back one night to find her doing a drum circle, which brought tears to my eyes.
Just shout out to whoever was involved with the Dream Kids Club renovation. It was fantastic. Oh, big Star wars area. If you got a kid who's a Star wars fan.
[00:22:28] Speaker C: Yeah. On the Dream and the Fantasy, they have a really nice Star wars area that. And they even will do pictures during, like, open house hours with like C3PO, which is pretty cool. Yeah. We got Nathan and I got to do. On the fantasy, we did some. We got to meet C3PO and take some pictures with him, which was really, really fun. Yeah. In that Star wars room. So it's like you get this cool background, like Millennium Falcon stuff behind you. It's. Yeah. Very, very cool. Yeah. I think some of that also has to do with like, who's running the activities as well, because those, I mean, those kids club staff across the fleet are amazing. But if you got get some really, like, energetic, entertaining folks in there and they really engage the kids in an activity like the science experiment, that can also, I think, really enhance that experience. I'm curious.
You mentioned, you know, Paloma being a little bit more shy.
Do you think that she'll. I mean, she hasn't been on a cruise yet. She'll be on your next cruise. Do you think that she will do okay in that she's going to be in that younger cohort because they are going to have the. The 3, 4. 3 and 4 year olds, I believe. Well, if she. I don't know if she's going to be older by the time you get to that next cruise.
[00:23:41] Speaker A: So thank goodness for Jamie because I have kicked this spoiler. It's we're going on the wish in 2026 again, all four of us. I wanted Paloma to have that same first magical experience with the Arendale Restaurant and particularly the Inside Out Sweets shop that was just such a hit with Mia. She'd go in there every day and give joy a hug and then she'd make disgust. Next to disgust. Anger next to anger. So I wanted Paloma to have that same experience as Mia with The wish. But we also wanted to wait until she was five.
And I worked with Jamie and she's been really patient in helping me push this cruise back. Push this cruise back because we pushed it back when the new kids club rules came out and we knew that Mia and Paloma would be separated in the kids club. I had another friend who I said, hey, you gotta get on Disney. This is just fantastic. Her kids were I think 8 and 4 at the time.
And I told her I'm like, the four year old's not going to be able to go around the kids club with the 8 year old. And she was okay with that and she had a great cruise. She wants to do Disney again when the time's right. For our family, I think it was important to wait until they could be in the kids club together. Given that Paloma is a little more shy.
[00:24:58] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And that totally makes sense. If Mia's the outgoing one and Paloma is the shy one, then Paloma is going to want to be with Mia and Mia. Paloma will have a much better experience if Mia is able to kind of lead her around the club and they can, can stay together. If Paloma's in that younger cohort of three and four year olds and she sees, and she's, you know, her shy self, she sees Mia in the next room like that will be for some people. It actually will ruin the cruise experience. I don't want to say that you'll have a bad cruise if your kid doesn't like the kids club, but if your kid doesn't like the kids club, it is going to be a different experience. You are going, it's going to be all about family time and that's a wonderful cruise experience as well.
But you have to set expectations. Just like you talked about at the beginning, Jen, if you don't, not just setting expectations for the kid, but setting expectations for yourself as to what this cruise will be like, right?
[00:25:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. And that's why I wish so much on my second cruise on the Magic, I had set expectations. Hey, the DCL duo is doing a podcast in the in the Scat Cat Lounge. Mia, you need to. And it just didn't work out with the heat. But where we did set expectations more on the third cruise, I had never done this before. I booked myself a Rainforest Room day pass. If you are a solo parent travel book yourself that Rainforest Room day pass. You will feel like a new parent after. So she knew from day. So actually this was really fun. If you're doing a mother daughter cruise do this. So we went to Sense's spa.
The first day I was told to go there, make sure you get the day pass because they sell it quickly. They turn to me and go, Ms. Mia, would you like a tour of the spa? See what your mom is doing.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: Oh my God, I love that.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: Eyes lit up and then they're like, would you like regular water or lemon scented water? And Mia's like, what? There's two different types of water.
And then she sees the sauna and she starts looking at me. She's like, mom, why would any adult want to go sit in this hot sauna room?
Then she goes and lays in the stone chair and finally she's like looking up the ceiling. And finally she turns to me and goes, mama, why do adults like this? And it was such a great moment. So if you are doing a mother daughter trip with your young daughter, ask if you guys can take a tour of the census spa together. It's a really great bonding experience.
Oh, and then Mia will probably work at census spa one day because at the end this lady's like, would you like to upsell to this scrub package? And Mia's like, oh, yes, my mama would definitely like the chocolate one, please.
So she's like, mama, if you do the chocolate one, I'll go to the kids club for two hours if you tell me how it was like to cover your body in chocolate. And I was like, will do, Mia.
[00:27:39] Speaker C: Oh my God.
[00:27:41] Speaker A: It's all about that teamwork on the mother daughter.
[00:27:44] Speaker C: Listen, she is, she is really. They were probably so happy to see her because she helped up saw that scrub. My goodness.
That's hilarious. I love that.
[00:27:53] Speaker A: Yes, she did. All moms should definitely take do the rainforest room pass at least once.
[00:27:58] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. I do think, you know, it's a good idea to kind of, I wouldn't say to do some of these things on your first time solo parent cruising only because you really don't know how your kid is going to take to the kids club. And if they don't take to the kids club, you're not going to that Rainforest Room. Yeah.
[00:28:18] Speaker A: No. And I think knowing your kid and like, what type of vacation would be best for them, what works well for them. I'd say one other takeaway that I had from doing these three cruises. Now, on our first cruise, we were very lucky to be concierge. So we had the veranda and I was looking, I was like, oh, Mia, no, no, no. Sit in your chair, sit in your chair. So we did ocean view room for Our next two cruises. And if you're solo parenting, travel, I think just having that ocean view room, not only does it save you money, but just the peace of mind. If you have to take a shower or go into the hall to find your stateroom attendant.
Highly recommend doing the ocean view room. If it's just you and one other kid.
[00:29:04] Speaker C: That is a great idea. I mean, I will say we really like the ocean view staterooms anyway. But I agree, like, when you have the veranda, you're going to want to be more vigilant about watching your child in the room. And, you know, like you said, at some point you got to shower and so the kid is sitting in the room while you're in the, in the bathroom showering. And so you don't have eyes on your child. And there is a lock. I want to be clear. There is like a lock that is higher up that you can lock so that hopefully your kid won't get to. But somebody could pull a, you know, a chair or the little table in front of the couch, in front of the, you know, in front of the door and reach the lock. So there are safety precautions in place that don't make it easy for your child to open a veranda, you know, sliding glass door.
But if you want the peace of mind, just get an ocean view or an inside stateroom and then you don't have to even worry about that.
I'd love to talk dining as a solo parent cruiser.
Now tell us, did you get seated with other folks on your cruises? Did you request to be or not to be? Just curious how the whole dining worked out for you.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: We've had.
First of all, I love Disney dining food. Anyone who's out there saying Disney dining food isn't fantastic, oh, I dream about that. Sticky date cake, pudding around. I plan my vacations around sticky date, sticky date. Maybe black truffle brissettes for you. It's sticky day cake pudding for me.
[00:30:30] Speaker C: I planned it around all of the things, even the pool deck ice cream. Absolutely.
[00:30:36] Speaker A: So our first cruise, because it was concierge. One of the benefits of doing concierge, particularly on the wish. We asked for front row table seats for the Arendale show, which we got. Very thankful and grateful to be able to do that. So that was our priority with dining and approach on the first, get the front row seats at Arendale and Marvel too.
Second cruise, I actually asked to be seated by ourself, which I do think was a mistake in retrospect. Something that again happened November 2023 cruise in our Facebook group, a lot of people reported coming off the cruise sick. And with my parents, I just wanted to take that extra precaution. Good news, no one in our June cruise you were on. I did not see a lot of people saying sickness after the June cruise, which I think is another thing to be aware of sailing during fall cold and flu season. But we sat by ourselves. I think she really missed the company on the Magic. So the dream is where everything all came together this third cruise. And I don't know how Disney did this. It must have been some magic. We were seated with two other mothers, child pairs. So I got to. It was so fun to chat with other moms traveling with their kids solo. Also listen to their reactions about what they thought about traveling. And the kids were all about 6, 7. Sorry. I had a lot of fun eating together, playing together. It happened to be one kid's birthday. I would definitely recommend sitting with other people if you're traveling solo. It's a lot of fun for your kid as well as you.
[00:32:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that's just great. I honestly, I think it's really fun to sit with other people. Yes. It's not always perfect, it's not always a match. But I think generally speaking you're likely going to have at least Disney interests in common. Right. So like you can find something to talk about but, but I think you're right, especially if you're, if you're sailing with just your kid out. Let's be honest, 6 year olds don't make the best conversationalists. Neither do 11 year olds, I'll be perfectly honest. And so if you want to have another, you know, adult to maybe chat with other than your wait staff, because your wait staff are going to be very busy and while they may be friendly and chat with you for a few minutes, they're not going to be able to have an in depth conversation with you for any length of time because they're going to be going and getting your food and everybody else's food. So yeah, it's really nice to, to have the benefit of another, you know, like as you mentioned, another other parents and then you can see sort of their reaction and their strategies for solo parent cruising as well. Super fun.
[00:33:06] Speaker A: But actually particularly now that I'm thinking about it, from what you just said, particularly on the Dream and the Fantasy where there aren't that show element.
[00:33:14] Speaker C: Very good point.
[00:33:15] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So it really helped on the Dream to have the two other kids to entertain her. When you're in a place like Enchanted Garden where there isn't Rapunzel or Elsa flying by your table every five minutes.
[00:33:26] Speaker C: Yeah, excellent point. I mean, even. Even on the Wish class, when you're in 1923, there's no show and there is stuff to look at on the walls. Right. There are these cool animation displays around the restaurant. But like your kids can't really be up and around looking at them during dinner because everybody else is eating and they would probably kind of be annoying other people. And so, yeah, you're right. There isn't too much, you know, the other two restaurants, at least on the Wish class, have entertainment, but most of the fleet, you only have entertainment in animators. Right in, you know, across both the Magic. Well, the Magic and the Wonder each have one.
I guess they have animators, but that doesn't really have much of a show. It has just a small show on the Short Sailing and then you've got a show in Tiana's and Rapunzel's of course. Yeah.
[00:34:14] Speaker A: So Animators on the Magic was actually one of her favorite experiences.
If you've got a kid who likes art and the process of art creation, she was fascinated by watching those, how they came to life with the color.
So Animators is a really great. The regular show was a really great experience for kids who like to draw and paint themselves.
[00:34:38] Speaker D: Are you listening to our show because you want to make the most out of your next vacation.
[00:34:41] Speaker B: Great news.
[00:34:42] Speaker D: 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 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, 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 mypath unwinding.com forward/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.
[00:35:36] Speaker B: Curious. Have your kids been Adventurous at all with trying stuff in main dining, or are they just. Are they too young for that at this point? Like, have they.
[00:35:44] Speaker C: Just the one, kiddo. Brian, Just.
[00:35:45] Speaker B: Well, just the one. Yeah, just the one.
[00:35:47] Speaker A: Paloma thinks chicken nuggets is a food group.
[00:35:50] Speaker C: Yeah, well, she'll be fine when she gets on Disney Cruise Line, then she can get chicken fingers at every meal.
[00:35:56] Speaker A: Unfortunately, no. But what she really was good about, and this was another set of expectation things. I said one dessert per meal, but also, I expect to see you eating fruits and vegetables. So God bless the Disney staff. They saw her eat a whole bowl of green apples the first night. And literally every single cruise we've been on, there's a bowl of green apples waiting for Mia at her dinner table. So she has been good about balancing the treat food with the healthy food. Because when you really don't want to be a solo parent, dealing with the ups and downs, the sugar highs, which was an issue on our second cruise because it was so hot, I was just trying to keep her cool. So I think there was maybe a few too many soft serves on the pool deck that. That trip. But the. The first and the third cruise, she was very good about what she ate.
[00:36:44] Speaker B: I find Disney to be hilarious in terms of, like, the vegetable category, where, you know, they bring out the plate of Mac and cheese overflowing, and then they've got this little cup of, like, one piece of broccoli, one carrot, one piece of cauliflower. So.
[00:36:57] Speaker C: Yeah. And then don't forget the French fries.
[00:37:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I want a pile of french fries. So if you want your kids eating vegetables, make sure to ask for vegetables.
[00:37:07] Speaker C: Too, because they don't really, like. They don't really bring it out at, like, there isn't fruit that's served at dinner.
[00:37:13] Speaker B: And so, and I say this because Nathan likes veg. He actually eats broccoli and, like, other things, so he likes vegetables. And I'm always like, oh, look, it's like the perfect kids meal. Three pieces of vegetable and, like, just a slathering of macaroni and cheese. Oh, and here's a side of fries.
[00:37:28] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:37:29] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know if you guys have had this experience on your cruise cruises that you've been on, but I know you've eaten with other people.
Our third cruise, we had a kid with dietary restrictions, so that was really interesting to observe how a solo parent dealt with a kid with dietary restrictions as well. And maybe as much advanced planning as you can do around that, because there was, like, a lot of back and forth with the waiter and that family about what he could eat. What he couldn't eat particularly was his birthday.
So just watching out for that as well. If you're a solo parent.
[00:38:01] Speaker C: Yeah. And I, I definitely think if you have a chance to, if you've got particularly more intense allergy issues, the best you can do is to try and go talk to one of the, the dining managers ahead of time. Even on that first day, they'll have some place where dining are taking place. You can actually go to that location and talk to a dining manager and have them make notations about whatever you're, you know, you might be able to even talk to your dining room manager ahead of time and that can really help. And, and then of course you can pre order food each night for the next night and also pre order food for inside cabanas or Marceline Market if you want to eat there as opposed to in, you know, eating in a sit down location. And it really does make things, I know it's hard to order ahead of time because you don't necessarily know what you want to eat, but it will make things go more smoothly and your kiddo or your, or adult who needs that allergy friendly meal will be able to eat with everybody else instead of waiting, you know, 30 more minutes in order to get their food. And that can really be kind of, I think, a frustrating experience if you aren't really communicative and planning ahead. So that definitely is something I would.
[00:39:14] Speaker A: Advise one interesting kind of about the planning ahead and eating with everybody else. This was an interesting observation. So again, the third cruise I learned from our second experience at Lookout, I set expectations with Mia. We're gonna do rush out, we're gonna go in the water and then you are gonna go to the kids club for lunch where it is shaded and they will serve you. So she was there kind of getting a cool down while I waited in the hot buffet line.
But I saw online as I was going to drop her off, one parent brought the allergy free meal to the kids club and she's like, it isn't that severe of an allergy. They would not let the kid eat in the kids club if they had an allergy for your meal. The kids had to leave the Lookout K kids club to go eat the allergy free meal outside of the kids clubs. They were worried about cross contamination. So that, that was interesting. But if you, if your kid doesn't have allergies and your solo parenting travel, definitely drop them off at the kids club for lunch. They'll get that break from the sun. And I had a nice relaxed buffet lunch. I went in the ocean by myself for a half an hour.
And that was core memory. When I'm stressed, out of work, thinking about lying in that Lookout K ocean. And I got my perfect Lookout K day and Mia got to play in the sand in a shaded area, which worked out very well.
[00:40:30] Speaker C: And they also have a water play area in that. That kids club. Well, that kids club, I. I gotta tell people though, it's only for three to ten year.
So unfortunately our kiddo Nathan is aged out of it. And so he was able to go to it their first time at Lookout because he was only 10. And then of course, that was when they changed the age restrictions shortly thereafter. So by the time he was 11, he was already. He was out of there. But it's a much nicer on island kids club than the one at Castaway. He has really enjoyed both. But I think the fact that the one at Lookout has a, you know, it has its own, like, rush out, gush out. Right. Like it's got its own, like, splash pad area and it's got it, it's shaded. It's just, yeah, super nice. Really, really, really good option.
[00:41:18] Speaker A: And. And she made some friends there. We've tried a couple cruises now, particularly since she's by herself, to make a friend for her. We've had a lot of trouble coordinating on the cruise because where they're like, okay, we'll go play mini golf together later with your new friend, but then that friend is in the aqueduct and we're in line for Rapunzel, so it doesn't quite work out. But if you're solo parenting, definitely trying to help them make friends on the cruises is another great way to help them enjoy the experience more.
[00:41:47] Speaker C: Absolutely. And you can try and do that through your Facebook group as well and maybe find a solo mom and daughter to match up with. And even you can even request to dine together. That's one of the things that people don't realize. If you are sailing, let's say, you know, as a smaller group, you can request a solo table, but you could also actually request to link up with another cruiser. And all you need is their name, the date of birth of the lead cruiser, and their reservation number. And you call up. Or you can have your travel agent. If you have a travel agent, you can have them call up and do that and they link you so that you'll sit together for dining. You'll also be able to see their activities in the app when you're planning. So if you see that they've got like a spa appointment or an excursion plan, you can actually book, you know, whatever they've got booked as well. It's really nice.
[00:42:38] Speaker A: Oh, that's so neat. I never knew about that scene.
[00:42:40] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:42:40] Speaker A: You learn something new on the DCL duo podcast every week.
[00:42:43] Speaker C: Every week. Every week. I love that. You know, one thing I'm curious about, Jen, is shows. You know, Mia's only six, so some six year olds are able to sit through a show. And you know, her first cruise she was what, like four? So some. Some kids that age can sit through a show, some kids cannot. Do you and does Mamma Mia go see the shows on board?
[00:43:06] Speaker A: Mamma Mia should go see the show.
What we are. I can't talk about shows with you. I'm going to fail. Rapid fire.
[00:43:13] Speaker C: I've watched too many episodes.
[00:43:17] Speaker A: The first cruise she did not have a lot of interest in shows and this unfortunately came from part of the weather. A lot of the deck shows were rained out. She got bumped trying to squeeze into one of the deck shows and she just didn't even want to go near the theater after that. The second cruise on the Magic, she sat through one of the variety shows. It was cute.
Wasn't that memorable?
The third show on the dream we knew, Beauty and the Beast.
It's my favorite movie too. So I dressed her up as Belle.
I set expectations that I expected her to come watch Beauty and the Beast with me. She's in there for five minutes. The wolves are attacking Belle. This is too scary. Take me to the kids club. So I had to rush her over to the kids club, try and make it back so I could see the rest of that fantastic show. She'll watch K Pop Demon Hunters and can't sit through wolves attack. Whatever. Six year olds.
[00:44:07] Speaker C: Six year olds who can understand them.
[00:44:09] Speaker A: But then this is actually one of my favorite memories from all our cruises.
We took her to see belief and if you have a dad daughter combination, the end of I'm not going to give it away. You have to see believe if you've got a dad and a daughter. That ending has just had me in tears now. I was a little worried she was going to come out of the show and be like, I can fly, I can fly. I'm like, no, no, no.
But she also, like the Lion King song came on. She just reached over and hugged my arm like.
And I was like, oh man.
[00:44:41] Speaker C: She was having a moment.
[00:44:42] Speaker A: Can I take you on these cruises with me? So we can bond. Believe was just a really great experience for the two of us. So that was maybe my favorite show, Memory. Although I really liked Aladdin on the Wish because I saw the Broadway version in New York as well. So if you've seen the Broadway version, it's very fun to see it on the Wish and compare where they change things. It was very interesting. But Believe would probably be my favorite show, Memory with her, and she really liked the variety shows, but Wolves and Beauty of the Beast, too scary. Jafar. Too scary.
[00:45:15] Speaker C: You know? You know, I have sat. We have some friends, the Morals, who we cruise with, and their younger daughter, who's actually nine now. But I think this, the last couple times we've tried to go, you know, bring her to a show, she has gotten scared at, like, age 8. So, I mean, that's it. Just depending on the kid, right? Live theater is different than a movie, and it can feel more real and more scary. And so even just like some of the onstage pyrotechnics, I think it was in Twice Charmed made her scared. And so, yeah. And so my friend Kelly had to leave the show, you know, because Emma was just not having it. So. Not every kid is a theater kid, I'm very sad to say. My kid is not a theater kid. It's not because he's scared. He's just bored out of his mind. He has no interest. I don't understand it. I think he think genetically he must not be mine. There's something wrong. But, I mean, I know he's mine. I was there for the childbirth.
[00:46:15] Speaker A: I have those questions some days, too. But I just appreciate Disney so much that they make kind of the variety musicals that you can share with younger kids, but then they have those incredible stage productions like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin that are really for the adults in some ways.
[00:46:30] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. I want to know some other favorite activities that you and Mia get up to together on. On the ship. I mean, do you guys spend a lot of time on the pool deck? Are you hanging out, you know, with the kids soup and the water slides, or are you at the family game shows? What do you guys like to get up to?
[00:46:48] Speaker A: You know what? And I think sometimes it's even those small moments of just sitting in a porthole with your daughter at this age before they become a teenager and just bonding and talking and hearing what's on their mind that can be the most magical moments. You don't need to rush to plan every single aspect of the day. Take time to leave Room for the special little moments as well.
So in that sense, I do try not to schedule over schedule everything. The one thing she has particularly enjoyed in the kindergarten age is the specialty Sweet shop. Which was very interesting. Again, I think I mentioned she liked posing with the inside out characters. She likes sitting on Vanellope's car and she commented on the magic when there was no sweet shop. It is something she kind of mist. That was interesting. It was also interesting to see her progression with the pool deck. I think we went on the Wish at the exact right age. She had just turned five. She couldn't swim. So those smaller pools worked really well for her.
When she got on the Dream, the larger pools were much better for her. She was ready to try the Aqueduct. She did the slides a lot more. I am really curious. When she goes back on the dream wish in 2026, she will be. She'll be seven and a half. Is she gonna. How is she gonna adjust to those pool decks on the. On the Wish this time? Yeah. But she definitely is a pool deck girl. I asked her if she's wanted to go try drawing. She hasn't wanted to do Midship Detective Agency.
I know. I'm very surprised by that. She really just likes taking time to slow down from the crush of elementary school and activities to spend some time undevoted mama time. And I really or tore the sense of spa and telling me to cover my body in chocolate.
[00:48:36] Speaker C: Chocolate. I love that.
That's awesome.
[00:48:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Although one and interestingly, in terms of booking stuff before the cruise, we did book the Royal Gathering. She didn't want to do that. I was really surprised on the first cruise.
[00:48:49] Speaker C: Oh wow.
[00:48:50] Speaker A: We did book. And thanks to getting concierge on the first cruise, we did book Olaf's Royal Gathering. And I think as long as I'm on here, I feel like I need to give a PSA for this. You don't have to do a royal picnic. It was the only time I've had ever bad food on the ship. It was all stale or overly sweet. It really is a repeat of the Arendelle restaurant. You're basically paying $200 to get that photo with Elsa and Anna and me.
[00:49:15] Speaker C: And I and a bit of a show and a show. But you're right, it's not. I will say the Trolls make a prominent appearance and they don't in the regular restaurant. That's true. So if you're a big fan of the Trolls in Frozen, then you may want to go to Olaf's Royal Picnic. But I agree with you. Other than maybe that. I think that's kind of the only thing that's really unique and different about the experience. And then your kid getting a bunch of junk, let's put it that way.
[00:49:44] Speaker A: Yeah, but they don't advertise this really well on the Wish there was an activity. We saw it in the app. Learn to use that app the first day if you can.
They did an Elsa and Anna meet and greet in the kids club. And they paraded around the kids club. She came out, she's like, mama, I'm a citizen of Arendelle. And showed me her certificate. And yes, I didn't get the photo, but she got to meet Elsa and Anna. And that would have saved me $200 that I could have spent on myself maybe at Palo. Jamie did. I don't know how she did this. She got me a Palo brunch reservation as a Silver Castaway member, no concierge.
And I was like, oh, Jamie, you're going to kill me for canceling this.
I didn't feel like, as a solo parent, spending two and a half hours at Palo brunch was the best use of my time. Instead, I thought having the flexibility to do the Rainforest Room that day, that was better use of the $60 instead. But definitely, if you're solo parenting travel, looking at the budget, we haven't done Bippity Bobbidi because I was like, I know she's going to take that hair out 30 minutes later. So I just think looking at the activity, seeing what things cost and where, you're gonna get the most bang for your buck as a solo parent travel.
[00:50:57] Speaker C: I think that's a great tip. I think there are some people that Bibbidi bobbidi is going to be a must every time. And so no shade to the folks who do that. Like, we. I remember one of my favorite episodes early on that we did was with actually Brian's. One of Brian's co workers, and her daughter did Bibbidi bobbidi. I think it was actually at Disneyland. It was early on in our. Yeah, it was early on in our podcast Catal.
We did. Did some episodes that covered parks and her. Yeah. So her daughter did Bibbidi bobbidi at Disneyland and loved it. And I remember listening to the. Her tell, you know, the story of. Of. Of how this all went, and it was fascinating. And her daughter loved it. And she loved it. And they had this wonderful experience.
But not every kid is gonna need that experience. And I agree with you. It is, you know, it has a Big price tag. And it is a big time, you know, as well, like just like Paulo brunch is a big chunk of time. Bibbidi bobbidi is a big chunk of time. And if your kid is only going to, you know, take, pull off the dress, take out that hair 20 minutes later, maybe it's not so worth it. Unless you're dying for those pictures that the, you know, you want to do the Bibbidi bobbidi and then go to royal gathering or go to the princess tea and take your pictures right then and there. And then maybe for some people, maybe that, that would be worth it. So I think know, know thyself, know thy kid is. Is. Is definitely a.
That.
[00:52:20] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, Nathan didn't love the hair coloring, right? At Alani.
[00:52:23] Speaker C: Yeah, he just, he did the. What is it called? Painted Sky, I think it's called at Alani. It's. They don't have a princess makeover, but they do have like a hair and whatever makeover. And that's the only one that he's ever done because he's not, he's not into dress up at all. And like every time I've offered to do, I would love to put him in that Captain Mickey outfit on the Wish Were the Treasure, but he has declined every time I've offered it to him.
[00:52:50] Speaker A: So themed Alaska outfits that you got to go.
[00:52:52] Speaker C: Yeah, exactly.
[00:52:53] Speaker A: Parker hoodies.
[00:52:54] Speaker C: That's.
[00:52:55] Speaker B: Oh, we have ordered them.
[00:52:58] Speaker A: You know, what's one thing, Mia? A fun thing that me and I did do in terms of dressing up because I'm not, I was like, no, I'm not even offering her Bibbidi Bobbity. Everyone dresses up for Arendelle on the Wish. We dressed up for Marvel.
So during COVID to entertain them and cheer them up. They were into Spidey and the Amazing Friends at the time. I got a full on mask spandex spin bodysuit. So we rolled up to Marvel. Me in that bodysuit. She was dressed as goat Spider and everyone was laughing.
[00:53:30] Speaker C: Everybody's looking at you. I don't know.
[00:53:32] Speaker A: Spider man does a double take when he comes to our table and he whispers in me. Or he's like, you're awesome. And I'm like, yay.
[00:53:38] Speaker C: I got the sweetest deal of a.
[00:53:39] Speaker A: Dress up for Marvel. If you've got your solo going solo or even if going as a family, dress up for Marvel. It's underrated to dress up for the.
[00:53:47] Speaker C: Marvel restaurant or dress up for Arendelle, but dress up as Olaf and Sven. Yes. Like don't dress up as Anna and Elsa and Kristoff dressed up, you know.
[00:53:57] Speaker A: Yes, yes.
[00:53:59] Speaker B: Or dress up.
[00:54:00] Speaker A: Dress up for both. But don't overlook, don't undervalue dressing up for Marvel. That was a really fun experience. If there was a lot of little iron Man, a couple little iron mans running around, Marvel's a fun one to dress up for.
[00:54:10] Speaker C: Ryan, I thought you were gonna jump in here.
[00:54:12] Speaker A: Sorry.
[00:54:13] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:54:13] Speaker C: Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to. You know, before we invite, invite the kiddos on for a few questions. I was wondering if there, there are any tips, tricks, pieces of advice you would pass along to other parents out there who are considering solo cruising.
[00:54:31] Speaker A: Yes, there is one big one that I would be remiss if I didn't mention. Our second and third crews were out of Fort Lauderdale. We did the Disney hotel transportation deal. We stayed at the Hilton Marina Bay.
They take your luggage directly from your hotel room. The next time you see it is at your cruise stateroom. It makes it so much easier solo parenting than having to drag up, down on the elevators.
Plus, you get that earlier port arrival time.
Absolutely. Look into which hotels have the transportation partnership with Disney.
[00:55:05] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:55:05] Speaker A: And I'm a big fan of sailing out of Fort Lauderdale.
[00:55:08] Speaker C: I was gonna say you mentioned that in.
[00:55:11] Speaker A: I prefer Fort Lauderdale.
[00:55:13] Speaker C: How come?
Why would you say Fort Lauderdale over Port Canaveral?
[00:55:16] Speaker A: I feel really, that's maybe one spot where I was very, I mean, obviously the company of my sister too, as well. But having my sister to help carry all those luggage. Find our transport from MCO to Port Canaveral, that was a little hectic. It's so easy at Fort Lauderdale. You can just find any taxi and you're at the cruise port or your hotel in 15 minutes. You don't have to worry about traffic. And then you have two great hotel options in the area that have the partnership with Disney, and you're there at the port in five minutes. I mean, I totally understand if you're going to do the parks before or after, but if you're just going to do the cruise, I love Fort Lauderdale. I think it's so much easier, particularly as a solo parent.
[00:55:58] Speaker C: Yeah, that airport is much smaller, so that, that makes a big difference. Absolutely. Traversing the, the area.
All right, well, I think it's that time. We're not going to do rapid fire, but we're, we're going to do kind of a modified rapid fire because we're going to gonna, we're gonna bring Mia.
[00:56:12] Speaker B: And Paloma because we, we don't want to we. We don't want to damage the psyche of children.
[00:56:16] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. There's no judgment.
And we have no judgment when we, when we're talking to children. There's no. Sam's judgment gets put on the back burner. I. I withhold anything.
[00:56:26] Speaker B: Edit out all those scenes of you throwing things at people.
[00:56:30] Speaker C: Well, let's. Why don't we first bring in Paloma and. And ask her why she didn't want to go on the cruise and then why she now does want to go on the cruise? I think that. And then we'll bring Mia on. How. Ask her some of her. Her cruise line favorites. How does that sound?
[00:56:45] Speaker A: Okay. Do you give me two seconds to go?
[00:56:47] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:56:48] Speaker A: Because I shut the door to make sure we don't.
[00:56:50] Speaker C: Take your time. Take your time.
[00:56:51] Speaker A: Jen, you say hi, Sam and Brian.
[00:56:53] Speaker E: Hi, Sam and Brian.
[00:56:55] Speaker B: Hi, Paloma.
[00:56:57] Speaker C: It's lovely to talk to you. How old are you, Paloma?
[00:57:01] Speaker A: Four.
[00:57:02] Speaker C: Wow. You're so big.
Paloma, will you. Will you tell us how come you didn't want to go on a Disney cruise yet?
[00:57:09] Speaker E: Because I wanted to go to Baltimore and see penguins.
[00:57:14] Speaker C: You wanted to go to Baltimore and see penguins? Oh, my goodness. Did you go to the Baltimore Zoo?
Oh, my goodness. Are penguins your favorite animal?
Yeah. You can't see penguins on a Disney cruise. I have to tell you, for those who can't.
[00:57:30] Speaker B: Who can't see because you're listening to us. Paloma has been nodding her head vigorously.
[00:57:34] Speaker C: So that's yes. Sorry, I forgot that because I'm looking at her. Paloma, who's your favorite Disney character?
[00:57:44] Speaker E: Elsa and Anna.
[00:57:46] Speaker C: Elsa and Anna. I love Elsa and Anna, too. But you know who I love even more? I love Bluey and Bingo. And I see that your mom is wearing a Bluey shirt today.
[00:57:55] Speaker B: Did you know you can meet Bluey and Bingo on a Disney cruise?
[00:57:59] Speaker C: Only on the. Only in Australia, Brian. Not. She's not going to Australia. So you're sorry.
[00:58:04] Speaker B: I may have just broken Jennifer into.
[00:58:06] Speaker C: Jail, you know, so. No, you can't. You're not going to be able to meet Bluey and Bingo on a. On. On your Disney. Your Disney cruise. But Paloma, are you excited to go on a Disney cruise the next time your mom and Mia and dad all go with you?
[00:58:19] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:58:20] Speaker C: Yes.
What character are you looking forward to meeting?
Elsa and Elsa and Anna. Do you think you might meet Olaf, too?
Yeah.
[00:58:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:58:33] Speaker C: Okay. You know who else you can meet? Do you know who Oaken is?
[00:58:39] Speaker A: No.
[00:58:39] Speaker C: He goes. Big summer blowout.
He sells stuff to Anna and To and to Kristoff. Does he sell them? I think carrots for Sven.
Yeah. Do you kind of remember that?
[00:58:50] Speaker B: Isn't Kristoff. Kristoff's also on the cruise, I think.
[00:58:53] Speaker C: Yes, Kristoff is also on the. You're going to see him in Arendelle, too. Yeah, yeah.
[00:58:59] Speaker B: Kristoff and Oaken, right? They're the ones who see the show.
[00:59:02] Speaker C: Yes. Oaken is the main character, but then Kristoff and Anna and Elsa and even Olaf tend to make appearances. Yeah, I think that sounds awesome. Well, Paloma, I'm excited for you to go on your first Disney cruise. Maybe after you go on it, will you come on our show and tell us what you think?
Yeah, yeah, you'll tell. Oh, we're giving you a heart right back. Thank you so much, Paloma. It was so lovely meeting you. We hope you have a wonderful time. When you go on the cruise. I think you're going to love it.
[00:59:34] Speaker A: You want to go get Mia?
[00:59:36] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:59:36] Speaker A: Say, Mia, it's time. It's time. It's time to play rapid fire.
[00:59:42] Speaker C: Oh, my God, she's so cute.
[00:59:44] Speaker A: She knows she's going on the Wish. She knows she's got the Elsa and Anna restaurant. So again, we offered her the chance to come on the Dream, and she said, no, I want to go to Baltimore and meet penguins with Papa. Oh, I love that I go on wish when I'm five. Like Mia.
[01:00:02] Speaker C: Oh, that's so perfect, though, honestly. Especially if she loves. Loves Anna and Elsa. She's gonna. Yeah, she's gonna just. And. And you may want to try. You may want to see if she'll like the.
The Little Mermaid stage show. I mean, that's a really good one, actually. But even better, I have to say, is. What's the name? Now, I'm blanking on the name of the show, but the one with Goofy, the.
Sees the adventure.
Sees the adventure. It's the short. That's actually the. That's the shortest show. And that one is a great. If you're not. Not if you're not sure they'll want to sit through a whole show. That one's only like 35 minutes, so I highly recommend that one.
[01:00:40] Speaker A: Absolutely. All right, let me go see where Mia is.
[01:00:46] Speaker C: Here she is.
[01:00:48] Speaker A: This is Sam. Remember I showed you. I showed you Sam and Brian on the podcast.
[01:00:52] Speaker C: Hi, Mia.
[01:00:54] Speaker E: Hi, Mia.
[01:00:55] Speaker C: Tell us, how old are you?
[01:00:57] Speaker E: Six.
[01:00:58] Speaker C: Six. And how many Disney cruises have you been on now?
[01:01:01] Speaker E: Three.
[01:01:02] Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. Which one was your favorite ship? Which ship was your favorite?
[01:01:07] Speaker E: The Dream?
[01:01:08] Speaker C: The Dream. How come?
[01:01:10] Speaker E: Because of the kids club.
[01:01:12] Speaker C: Oh. What was your favorite thing to do in the kids club?
[01:01:14] Speaker E: The game board.
[01:01:16] Speaker C: Oh, the game board. Your mom was telling us. Did you get to like, like, play soccer and play whack A mole on the board?
[01:01:23] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:01:24] Speaker C: Oh, my God, that sounds amazing. Did you also get to meet characters in the kids club?
[01:01:29] Speaker A: Club?
[01:01:29] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:01:30] Speaker C: Who was your favorite character that you got to meet on all of your Disney cruises?
[01:01:35] Speaker E: Mickey Mouse.
[01:01:36] Speaker C: Mickey Mouse. He's the best. I mean the original.
That's awesome.
Do you remember the restaurants that you went to on your cruises?
[01:01:46] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:01:47] Speaker C: Which restaurant was your favorite? You don't have to know the name. If you describe it to me, I'll figure out the name.
[01:01:53] Speaker E: The Nemo one.
[01:01:55] Speaker C: Oh, the Neem. Oh, animation one. Yeah. Where did you see. Did you see the way that they made everything go from black and white to color? Yeah. And who came to see you in that restaurant? Do you remember if a character came into the restaurant?
[01:02:10] Speaker A: I think she's actually talking about animators on the Dream with Nemo and the shark.
[01:02:16] Speaker C: Oh, and Crush. Oh, this show. That show?
[01:02:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Because that's the one that has the pre show where they come out and all the fish make pictures and you have to guess and everything. Yeah.
[01:02:25] Speaker C: Yes.
[01:02:26] Speaker A: Mia, what did you like about animators on the Dream? What were you so excited about?
[01:02:30] Speaker E: My kids club watch lighted up.
[01:02:32] Speaker C: Your kids club watch was lighting up. That is so cool. Did it like flash and make vibrations on your arm?
Oh, my God. Yeah. That's so cool. I love that. Did you. Did you like any of the water slides?
[01:02:48] Speaker E: Yes.
[01:02:49] Speaker C: Yes. Which did you like? The yellow slide? The yellow Mickey slide on the. On the dream, or did you like the Big or the aqueduct or the raft?
[01:02:59] Speaker E: I liked both.
[01:03:00] Speaker C: You liked both. Okay, I like both too. And did you like going to a show with your mom on one of the ships? Your mom was telling me.
[01:03:09] Speaker E: Yes.
[01:03:10] Speaker C: Yeah. Which one was that? Tell me what it was about.
[01:03:13] Speaker E: It was about a girl who believed that magic was real.
[01:03:18] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. And was it about her and her daddy and there was a flower?
[01:03:24] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:03:25] Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, I love that. That's awesome. That's fantastic. You know what, Mia, I gotta ask you one last question.
Which is who is your favorite character of all the Disney characters?
[01:03:37] Speaker E: Minnie Mouse.
[01:03:38] Speaker C: Minnie. Well, I mean, she's a fashion icon, so you can't beat Minnie Mouse. I love that.
[01:03:44] Speaker B: Hey, Mia, can I ask you what your favorite food was on the cruise ship?
[01:03:47] Speaker C: Oh, good question.
[01:03:48] Speaker E: My favorite food was the hamburger.
[01:03:51] Speaker C: The hamburger.
[01:03:53] Speaker A: Nice.
[01:03:54] Speaker C: I heard that when you went to the sweet shop on the Wish, you really liked a certain kind of ice cream. Do you remember the ice cream?
[01:04:01] Speaker A: No.
[01:04:02] Speaker C: You don't remember? Okay. Your mom said it was called unicorn ice cream, and I was curious about what that was because that sounds yummy.
[01:04:09] Speaker A: But then you went on the Dream. And what was your favorite flavor from Vanellope's Sweet Shop on the Dream?
[01:04:14] Speaker E: Bubblegum.
[01:04:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:04:16] Speaker C: Oh, bubblegum.
[01:04:18] Speaker A: It really went all out at Vanellope's Sweet Shop with these flavors.
[01:04:21] Speaker C: Oh, my goodness.
[01:04:21] Speaker B: Amy, I want to know, what's your favorite memory with your mom from being on the cruise?
[01:04:26] Speaker E: My favorite memory was when it was open house in the kids club.
[01:04:33] Speaker C: Oh, nice. And you could go together.
[01:04:35] Speaker E: And we played on the game board together.
[01:04:38] Speaker C: Oh, I love that.
[01:04:41] Speaker A: You beat me several times, probably.
[01:04:44] Speaker B: Perhaps. Why? It's her favorite moment.
[01:04:46] Speaker D: I mean.
[01:04:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:04:47] Speaker C: Yes. Meet up.
Are you looking forward to taking Paloma on the cruise and showing her around?
You know, what the ship looks like, you know what the kids. You're going to be the pro. You can show her around and show her where everything is, right?
[01:05:02] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:05:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's right.
[01:05:03] Speaker B: You're. You're a Silver Castaway now.
[01:05:05] Speaker C: Yeah, you are. Silver Castaway Club, soon to be gold Castaway club member. Congratulations, Mia. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Jen, thank you so much for coming on the show as well and for bringing your wonderful girls on to join us.
[01:05:21] Speaker B: Wait, but we didn't get to ask Jen what her like. Let's ask her a couple of favorites.
[01:05:24] Speaker C: Okay. Okay.
[01:05:25] Speaker B: You know what? I'm going to do this one. I'm going to do this one. Sam should just sit back when I.
[01:05:30] Speaker A: Don'T answer Beauty and the Beast correctly.
[01:05:33] Speaker B: Mine are easy. I stay away from shows, so stay with me.
[01:05:36] Speaker A: Or you just say hi to Brian and Sam.
[01:05:38] Speaker E: Say thank you.
[01:05:39] Speaker B: Bye.
[01:05:40] Speaker C: Thanks, Mia.
[01:05:42] Speaker B: All right, Jennifer, I'm going to ask you just a couple questions. So, favorite Disney character? Everyone out there, inquiring minds want to know.
[01:05:47] Speaker A: Oh, Mia, who's my favorite Disney character?
[01:05:50] Speaker E: Belle.
[01:05:51] Speaker A: See? Belle.
[01:05:53] Speaker B: Nice. All right, favorite Disney movie.
[01:05:55] Speaker A: Overall, the Lion King is such a classic, but I have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast.
[01:06:00] Speaker B: All right, favorite ship you've sailed thus far.
[01:06:03] Speaker C: Oh, God.
[01:06:05] Speaker A: Okay.
If I was just going by myself, the magic for the adults only area. If I was going with kids six or older and maybe arguably the best food, I had the dream for a first cruise experience and definitely with a younger kid and a kid who can't swim. The wish.
[01:06:23] Speaker B: All right, there you go.
[01:06:24] Speaker A: Is that fair?
[01:06:27] Speaker C: Jen, These are great. Like, I love that you're giving explanations and qualifications because I do think that different ships are not. I would think all the ships are wonderful and that you can have a great cruise on all of the ships. But I do think that there are certain ships that are better for adult only, certain ships that are better for older kids, younger kids. And so I think these are great explanations.
[01:06:47] Speaker A: It's like asking me to pick a favorite child.
[01:06:51] Speaker B: All right, I've got one last question for you, Jen, on our little abbreviated rapid fire here, which is what was your favorite memory with Mia onboard your cruises?
[01:07:02] Speaker A: There's too many hate to go so simple. One is just talking with her in a porthole once. But I think the first memory of getting on the ship, seeing her reaction with her little stuffed Mickey doll. And that's why she said Mickey. She waves to Mickey on the balcony every time. And just seeing her wonder and fascination.
And then I think I mentioned in the pre show we were gifted the surprise party. And I have never seen so much joy in Mia's eyes and her dancing so hard when she was at. When she was at that party and just she looked over the moon. And to see the joy in your daughter's eyes is priceless. You can't put a price tag on that.
[01:07:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[01:07:44] Speaker B: And for people who don't know, I think, Sam, you're gonna explain what the surprise party is and then I'm gonna add a disclaimer to it. So go ahead, Sam.
[01:07:51] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:07:51] Speaker C: So if you are on board a Disney cruise, a Disney cruise, and you have maybe some fantastic interactions with some of the entertainment staff, they may invite you to a special party which is a gathering of, generally speaking, the Fab 5 characters maybe, plus like Chip and Dale and perhaps Daisy. Occasionally even some face characters will show up. But it's basically a private meet and greet with the characters. There won't be any photographers there, but you can take pictures with your cell ph. And it will be a little meet and greet and kind of short little dance party, usually in D Lounge, although that occasionally happens in other places. It is invite only. I don't know that they do it on every single sailing. I will say we have never been invited, but we've had some friends who have been invited. And so that's how we've heard about it and from. And we've heard about it from guests who've been invited as well.
This is one thing, you cannot ask for this. So that's probably what Brian's going to.
[01:08:48] Speaker B: Jump in and say, my caveat's going to be you can absolutely run around asking people for it.
[01:08:52] Speaker C: You're not going to get it.
[01:08:53] Speaker B: If you ask, you're not going to get it. But more important, importantly, just, just, just let us have nice things on the cruises by not asking for everything all the time. Like, like let there be little pixie dust moments and surprise moments that people get. Like Sam said, we've been on 31, soon to be like 35 days. Like we, we, we've never gotten invited. I'm not the worst for the wear for it. I'm not upset about it. It didn't ruin my cruise because I didn't get invited to this thing. I also want to say Jennifer's first two responses there about talking in the porthole with Mia and the second one you gave it just left my brain. But, but what I love about those answers is those are the memories. Like, I think those moments, those quiet moments that aren't like, oh my God, we had to go to the show, we had to ride the aqueduct and get every one of the things. We had to have a brunch, we had to have that. It just reinforces like it's the little quiet moments that you get. Like, my favorite memory. One of my favorite memories of Nathan was when we were eating an enchanted garden. Just the regular rotational dining. It was right after the restart and they were doing the character cavalcade.
Didn't have to sign up for it, just showed up for dinner. They came through and he was just like the happiest I had seen him in a year. And so that's one of my favorite moments from being on Disney cruise line. And it required no reservations, no upcharges, no being online at midnight, none of that stuff. So just reinforce. All that stuff is great. There's things you're going to want to do, do them, but don't do them because you think they're going to be the core memory that the kids get to make. Because even Mia's answer was just at the open house dancing on their little game board floor.
[01:10:23] Speaker A: So yeah, as I said, then you also end up with chorus.
She also. So I told Mia to have a question prepared every time she meets a character. She brought her little autograph book around on the last cruise. So she went up to Rapunzel and said, rapunzel, if you have lice, what do you do with your hair?
[01:10:42] Speaker B: Oh my God, that right there is probably what nailed you, the invite to the special party. Because, like, what was her answer? Did she have an answer.
[01:10:51] Speaker C: No, this was on the. This was on the magic Brian. So that was not.
[01:10:54] Speaker A: This was this. No, this was on the dream.
[01:10:56] Speaker C: Oh, it was on the dream. I met Brian's right. I bet that's probably what good.
[01:11:00] Speaker A: The photographer almost dropped his camera. I turned to the guy, I'm like, I am so sorry.
[01:11:04] Speaker C: I didn't think she would do that. That's hilarious. What did Rapunzel say, just out of curiosity?
[01:11:10] Speaker A: I think she said something about taking good, good care and washing, taking a shower and bath every day. I was too busy, I think. I was so mortified. I apologize. Apologizing to the photo.
[01:11:22] Speaker C: Oh, my God. I mean, we don't want, we don't want Rapunzel to have to shave her head. I mean, let's be honest.
[01:11:27] Speaker B: Trust me. Trust me, Jennifer, that is not the weirdest question they've been asked or the last question they'll get asked. So, yeah, that might be the weirdest one.
[01:11:37] Speaker A: I never heard that one before.
[01:11:39] Speaker C: So that's awesome.
[01:11:40] Speaker A: That like you said, Brian, it is the little moments sometimes that make the biggest memories.
[01:11:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
[01:11:46] Speaker B: I just think it's so important for people to know that out there because there's so much stress that comes with some of these Disney vacations. It's just like, just, just have fun, relax. So.
All right, Sam, I think we have wrapped up all of the rapid fire, all of the special guests. So I think we'll just wrap up now, Jim, by saying thank you so much for spending some time with us, for sharing your cruise experience. And you know, we appreciate you listening, appreciate you being a guest. So thank you for taking the time today.
[01:12:11] Speaker A: Thank you guys and thank you for all the fantastic content and work that you do for the community.
[01:12:15] Speaker C: It's awesome.
[01:12:16] Speaker A: Truly a treat.
[01:12:16] Speaker C: You're so sweet. And thanks for wearing and repping Bluey today. I mean, perfect.
[01:12:21] Speaker B: Yes.
[01:12:26] Speaker D: 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 at 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 dclduomypathunwinding.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 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 or patreon.com DCLDUO also as a way for you to sign up for our substack newsletter that we're hoping to start really pumping out monthly here at least, and 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
[email protected] or reach out to us on our voicemail line at 402-413-5590. That's 402-413-5590. The DCL Dual Podcast podcast is not affiliated with Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Company or the Disney family of theme parks. The views expressed on the show are solely those of the individuals on the podcast and in no way reflective views of the Disney Company or Disney Cruise Line. If you have questions about a Disney cruise or Disney vacation, please contact the great folks over at My Path Unwinding Travel or Disney directly or your own travel agent. Thanks again for listening and we'll see you next time for another fabulous adventure with the DCL duo.
[01:14:28] Speaker C: Sam.
