[00:00:00] Speaker A: It's funny. I can hear my mother.
I can hear my mother. There was a time, I won't tell you the whole story, but way back when I was a kid, we were at the park and something had happened and she goes, you know, Walt wouldn't have wanted it that way.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Welcome back, everybody, to this week's live episode of the DCL Duo Podcast, brought to you by by My Path Unwinding Travel. And also the good folks over at the WDW magazine. Can't say enough nice things about them after having met them all on board. So please show them some love. If you show our sponsors some love, you're showing us some love. So if you're interested in booking the Destiny, which we're gonna be talking about a little bit tonight, head over to My Path Unwinding Travel. And if you want some even more great coverage, a lot of great creators out there, but, you know, head over, check out the WDW magazine, the DCL magazine edition specifically, and follow them on social media because they put out some great stuff, great photos and just super collaborative, super fun people. So we, we, we want to get right to our guest, but I just had a couple of housekeeping things really fast for our audience out there. A couple of quick things. One is we say it all the time at the front of the show, but another way to show us some really easy love is to hit those five stars over on Apple Podcasts that like and subscribe button here on YouTube.
It super helps us out. Please do that. If you've been loving our Destiny coverage, it is the jet fuel that keeps us going to see folks, you know, just commenting and responding, giving us those great reviews and subscribing to the channel.
[00:01:44] Speaker C: Also, yeah, don't forget we have a Facebook group. So if you want to join in the conversation with us on a daily basis, come over to Facebook and join the DCL Duo Podcast and Vlog Facebook group. And in there, we've actually asked a question to our audience about what your perception is of our coverage on the Destiny and whether or not it helps you in planning your next cruise or what impact it makes on your cruising and vacation planning. Because it would be really helpful for us to know and get that feedback so that, you know, we can maybe continue to get these future opportunities to bring you that great content. I gotta say one thing before we bring our amazing guest. Hold on.
[00:02:22] Speaker B: I had more. I had more announcements.
[00:02:23] Speaker C: We have more. Oh, sorry. Okay, you had more announcements.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Lots of great coverage over on our Instagram account too. Head over There, check that out. Lots of great reels coming out, video standup interviews that we did. Just a lot of great stuff. Nothing near as good as what Lou has put out of Donald Duck, which is being commented on in the chat. So amazing.
The other thing I wanted to say is we've got a lot of I wanted to plug again what Sam just said, which is we've got this Facebook group where we are seeking feedback on, you know, did you like the coverage? What did you like about it? How has it, you know, sort of influenced your decision about the Destiny? If you're not in Facebook, you don't want to be on Facebook. You know what, shoot us a note on any of our social media accounts. We'd love to hear your feedback about it. You can shoot us an email to dclduomail.com and we'll see that in the inbox. So please do that last thing and then we are definitely heading over to Lou is I just wanted to give you a recap of our coverage quickly. What's out already, what's coming and when so you can mark your calendars, get your podcast player warmed up. So already out we got a lot Already out is the live show that we did last Friday after we disembarked the Destiny. So that's out. Episode 593. Head over there. Despite all of the forces trying to act against me with the technology, we got that show out.
Episode 595 is out today. That is the behind the scenes engine room tour that I did. That is up and live along with some information that Disney provided us about their sustainability efforts. We've gotten some great feedback already about that episode. I highly encourage you to check that out.
What's coming There was a full media panel on the Destiny and we have that queued up and ready to go. That'll be coming out on November 20th. We have a deep dive on the Pride Lands and some great interviews around the food and entertainment there. That's coming out on the 24th, just in time for Thanksgiving to whet your appetite.
We've got a deep dive with the Hercules production show, including interviews with both Corey Bradford and Matt Matthew Patrick Quinn. Matthew Patrick Quinn. Thank you. That will be out on the 28th.
We will be back live on the 28th to talk about the maiden voyage and also the Thanksgiving cruise aboard the Destiny that we're getting ready to leave to go on. And then we will have a deep dive on the bars and lounges on board with a bunch of cast member interviews coming out on December 4th. And then we've got one little final sweet treat for you, which is a deep dive on Edna Ala Modes and some of the. The. The story there and talking to the pastry chef. So lots of great stuff coming. Stay tuned to the podcast channel. But, Sam, I don't think we can hold off any longer. We got it. We got to get.
[00:05:05] Speaker C: I got to tell you, I just got to tell folks, Attractions magazine has a post out there. I think it's on their YouTube and also on their Facebook, and it's the Cruella's wretched Runway show. And I'll just tell you, yours truly is featured in that video. So if you want to see me walking the Cruella's Runway, I would say ch.
Have a short. I have a short clip of it that I'll put out on on our Instagram as a real. Pretty soon. But we have a bigger but.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's get to Lou the incomparable, the unassailable Lou Mongello from WDW Radio. Lou, this. I'm gonna fan out. I cannot believe we got you on our show.
[00:05:45] Speaker D: It's been.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: It's amazing to have you here.
[00:05:47] Speaker A: Well, the check cleared, so I said I would be in and anymore. It's like the oldest thing I could ever say. Your Venmo Clear. No. Thank you guys so much for having me. It was so good to finally meet you on board the Destiny, and I'm looking forward to sort of unpacking all the stuff that we covered in a very short period of time.
[00:06:08] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah.
[00:06:09] Speaker C: I mean, I was telling Lou before the show, I feel like I kind of was, like, following him around the ship because every time I went to a different venue, like, Lou and I ended up, like, right next to each other watching whatever show or whatever thing was happening. And so it just. It seemed like. I mean, probably because we had the same schedule pretty much, but it was just funny because Lou and I ended up next to each other at almost every event. And so it's really. Because I was just, like, stalking him and hounding him to come on our show. That's where it really comes down to.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Well, no, I think we found some good vantage points for some of the things we were covering. So it was good to know I was in the right place at the right time.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: There you go.
[00:06:46] Speaker C: That's right. That's right.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Lou, folks are commenting about your Donald Duck video, and I just got to say, if you have not seen this, it is just. I mean, I don't know how you wouldn't have seen it at this point, so it's blown up so big on social media, but it is just a great, great video. We were talking off air about how can just never plan these moments sometimes. Right? So, yeah, yeah.
[00:07:04] Speaker C: And if you don't know what we're talking about, there's this great video that Lou took of Donald Duck dancing in the hallway right outside of Saga. And this cast member, Dominique, is doing, like, freestyle rapping, I'll call it, like. And she's just, like, creating the. The melody, the beat, whatever. And Donald is just, like, rocking out, like, just doing the greatest dance moves. And it's this fantastic short video. I mean, it's just like, maybe a couple minutes long, Lou. And it has gone viral because it's such a great video.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: It's so wild because we were just talking. There's so much to do. There's so much to see. There's so much on the schedule that you feel like you're running from place to place. We're trying to see and do it all. And then these little, like, truly magical moments that you don't expect that are not on a schedule. And shout out to Dominique, the cast member. She made that moment happen. She and Donald made that moment happen just on their own. Nobody. I mean, I was literally. I just happened to be the only person in that hallway. And I think that's a little part. That's a great example of that Disney magic quote unquote, that we talk about. Like, that's it. That's that moment right there.
[00:08:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Well.
[00:08:16] Speaker C: And you don't have. I'm going to say this. Most other cruise lines and most other theme parks don't have the people. Let's say they don't all have them, but, like, not all of them have so many people who make magical moments like that every day all around the ship, for example. So, yeah, pretty cool. Love it. All right.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: If you see people dancing in the hallway like that. If you see people dancing in the hallway like that on other cruise lines, chances are they had too much to drink. So it's a very different but similar experience.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: For sure. For sure. Well, Lou, I would be remiss in not spending a few minutes just chatting with you about how you got into doing WDW radio. We were talking off air. It turns out we're. We're all recovering lawyers.
[00:09:01] Speaker C: Actual lawyers. He's a recovering lawyer. Yeah.
[00:09:03] Speaker B: Lou may still have his license. He might be an actual lawyer, too, you know, so.
[00:09:06] Speaker C: But practicing versus recovering.
[00:09:09] Speaker B: How about that, Lou? How'd you get into that. You were an early pioneer in this space and like, what drew you to it? And, you know, just tell us about.
[00:09:18] Speaker D: Your journey a little bit.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: So the very shortish version of my story is go back to 2003. I am a lawyer in New Jersey. I have a computer consulting company on the side, which means I don't sleep very much. But always being in the service business, I had this idea to. I wanted to make something once and I probably just watched too many infomercials. I wanted to make something once and resell it. The idea of a book came to me and I wasn't smart enough to write about the law or computers. And I really, just as a personal challenge, set out to write the book I wanted to read. I've been going to Walt Disney World since November of 71, like the month after it opened with my family. I was fascinated about what drew me and other people there.
And I love the details and the minutiae. And there was no Disney World trivia book. So as a challenge, I wanted to see if I could write it. And two, again, it's 2003. There's no print on Demand Publishing to see if I can get it published.
I found a publisher, signed a three book deal, started a little two page brochure website.
Again, this is pre social media. So I started a discussion forum and the first night I turned it on, like 29 people signed up and that 29 turned into 100, 500,000, 10, 30, 50,000. I'm like, wait a minute, I'm not the only dork sitting in his basement.
Disney. Like, my people are out there somewhere. And then in 2005, again, I was always a tech nerd. I heard about this new technology called podcasting. I literally, like, I kid you not, I went to ask Jeeves and like, what is a podcast?
[00:10:48] Speaker B: I'm getting all the feels right now, Lou. Between Ask Jeeves and discussion forums, like, yeah, we're the crowd that remembers the dial up modem sound, right? So, yeah, yeah, man, I was with.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: You on my Tandy TRS 80.
You know, I just, I won. I knew that the power of the spoken word was way more powerful and impactful than anything I could write. Plus, I skunk at typing.
And, you know, I started podcasting and hope that somebody out there would listen. Fast forward a couple of years. I sold everything. I moved to Florida and I've been doing it full time since about 2007.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: Did you, did you have an inkling? I mean, it sounds like maybe not, but did you have an inkling it would get as big. I mean, you are a recognizable personality. People seek you out. I've seen you at the Run Disney races cheering people on. Like, did you think it would get as big as it has gotten?
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Never. Never. I still look, I kid you not, man. I pinch myself every day that I am so blessed and been given the gift to do what I do. Like, writing the book was like on a whim, like just to see if I could do it. Never anticipating it would turn into not just something that would become my full time career, but something that would change the entire trajectory of my life, like forever.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: Well, and have. And have.
It's had monumental impact on a bunch of people. I mean, all of your fans, your listeners. I mean, you're having impact all the time across these audiences. Like, it's unbelievable. And it gives me hope. It gives me hope.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Thank you for saying that. You guys are very kind.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: I appreciate it.
Lou, let's shift over. Let's talk about the Destiny. We were all just on board.
First impressions. Like what. What really stood out to you? I think Disney's doing a lot of new things, but as you reflect back on some of those, you know, those new things that they're doing, did anything stand out to you as like, truly innovative? Like something that you're like, wow, they really pulled that off.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: So before I even stepped foot on board, I was excited about the heroes and villains theme. Right. I've been on all the other ships in the past and there's things that I like about each. I really, really love the Treasure, but I'm a Marvel guy and I'm a Star wars guy. I'm a dis.
That very much appealed to me. But if you're asking for a sort of one thing that really stood out to me, it's not based in technology, it's not based on some sort of new special effect. I think that the storytelling and the storytellers on the Disney Destiny have sort of raised the bar in terms of interactive, immersive, somewhat intimate storytelling experiences that we as guests not just get to passively experience, but also get to be part of as well.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Oh, for sure, yeah.
[00:13:41] Speaker C: Totally agree. I think they really started that with the Treasure. I got to give Disney credit that they really started that with the Treasure.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: I think they started with the Star Cruiser, but yeah, well, okay.
[00:13:51] Speaker C: Well, yeah, if we're gonna. Yeah, but I mean, on Disney Cruise Line, where they started it, I think is the Treasure, because I don't really think they effectively did that storytelling on the Wish. Like, I know there are two storytellers on the Wish, but I never have felt any kind of connection to them. When we first went on the Treasure, Sage and Coriander, I feel like with, like, their first show, there was that connection that they established. The way that they were telling stories was in new and innovative ways, and they were really bringing the audience into the conversation. And there was a lot of ad libbing and, you know, playing to the audience and breaking that fourth wall. Right. Like, so I feel like that's where it kind of started. But I think you're right. Like, the Destiny is just amping it up another. Another notch. I've got to ask what your favorite of those new sort of storytelling experiences is on the Destiny. You, of course mentioned you're a big Marvel fan and Star wars fan and Villains fan, but, like, there's so many, and so it's hard probably to choose. I'm just curious which one was. Which one stood out to you as like, oh, this is like the best thing. I would watch this every day if.
[00:14:58] Speaker A: I had to sort of pick a singular thing, because I think the grand. I think the way that they have done the grand hall here and turning that into this storytelling venue that transforms throughout the entire ship, again, is sort of the Treasure turned up to 11. But I think the With Great Power show in Saga, the adult only show that we saw one evening was absolutely hysterical and creative and smart and very much unexpected.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: You know, one question we got about that show, Lou, and I'd be curious about your take, was we really hyped that up on our show when we did it because we loved it too. And some folks asked, well, am I going to get it? Is it going to be funny if I'm not like, super into Marvel? And I think that's a good question. Just across this ship, if you're not super into Marvel, is this ship really for you? And I don't know that I have the answer to that question. I'm kind of waiting to see, like, how others experience it, but I'm curious if you have a thought about that.
[00:15:55] Speaker A: So I think it's interesting. And again, we got a very condensed, compact, abbreviated version of what a full sailing with guests, and more importantly, with guests with children, because I think it's going to feel differently when that happens, what that experience is like. I think, you know, the nice thing about the Wish class ships is the Wish and the Treasure and the Destiny are all going to appeal to potentially different people. And there's a lot of overlap as well, for different reasons. I think the heroes and villains theme, I don't think you have to be a Marvel fan. There really was not much Star wars at all that I saw other than in the kids club. But there are other hero, you know, just Disney animated heroes and villains and pirates and things like that, that, that are entirely through. So, you know, I think you can see that show and appreciate it for what it is, even if you don't necessarily get every single subtle nuance that, that they may reference. But those jokes, those deep cuts, those Easter eggs are there for the hardcore fans if they're, you know, if they're paying attention.
[00:17:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it is interesting the way that they've. Because when the Wish came out, it was a derisive or divisive ship in the DCL community.
And now we're hearing from people who are like, I actually really like the Wish as compared to the treasure because, you know, my daughter's into princesses and princess them or my son is, you know, and I think it's, it's been really interesting to watch the journey of these Wish class ships and how they can appeal to the princess theming, the parks theming, and now the heroes and villains theming.
There's a good question in the chat from our friend C. T who says, you know, like, what. What do you think is next in the Wish class in terms of theming? I mean, do you have any. I mean, we don't have any and none of us have any real information on this, but like, yeah, if you were going to take a stab at what the next theming would be, where would you head?
[00:17:54] Speaker A: So I think it's really interesting because we've seen in the past Marvel Day at Sea, Star Wars Day at Sea, Pixar Day at Sea, these sort of themed days at seas. And I think this is really the first time that we've seen a unified shipwide theme. Yes, the Wish is very princess heavy.
The Treasure is more parks, but not necessarily in the way that there is this single almost connective tissue. And the dots are connected for you. Thanks to the storytellers, thanks to some of the characters that make their appearances, for example, in the Grand Hall.
I think this is a next step and maybe let's test and see how well this is received.
Will people who are not necessarily quote unquote, heroes and villains fans be attracted to this? Will this be intriguing enough to those guests to come because of the destination or because you're a huge Loki fan or because you love Black Panther or Lion King? You know, the food in the show in the Pride Lands theater is fantastic. And look, Hercules alone is reason enough to book a cruise on this ship.
[00:19:03] Speaker C: Oh, my God. Yeah, well, and I think that's an interesting point. I also think there's always the questions about repeatability, right. So, like, when you do have more unified theme, where it's, as you mentioned, I like the connective tissue. Right. Where there's this theme that sort of does go through the entirety of the ship for the most part, with maybe a couple small exceptions, like Haunted Mansion Parlor, which we love, but of course, doesn't really fit the theme.
But I, I wonder if that does influence people on the repeatability. For me, I feel like there's so much to do and see. I. And. And several of the things that we saw, in fact, the Cruella troublemaking event, I actually went to twice. And it was. It's not.
It's not different.
So different, but it's not the same each time. Right. Like, it's a little bit different because there's some audience participation.
So, yeah, I feel like, to me, it's completely repeatable. But I, I'm. It'll be curious to see.
I think that is the test for Disney as to, like, how repeatable it is with a theme and will they want to, you know, move to another theme, like perhaps a Pixar theme? I mean, Pixar is huge. They do. You know, they've done Pixar nights at the. Done Pixar Day at sea. I wonder if they'll do, you know, the deep dive there next.
So we'll have to see, I think.
[00:20:19] Speaker A: Disney Cruise Line fans, you know, look, how many times have we been on. Insert your favorite ship here, right? Whether it's the fantasy, whether it's the wonder, we're not necessarily going because of the theme. Sometimes we're not even going because of the destination. We might just love that ship. I think these, I think the Wish class ships are going to attract the same way. Yes. You might have seen the Corell de Ville show, you might have seen the fashion Runway walk, but it's still super fun. Or that maybe you miss it. Maybe you, like, you don't need to see it every single time you go. And that's when you can go and have a more relaxing evening up in the Rose, or you go and just hang out in Saga or go to Kaskin Canon, wherever it might be. And I think that's the beauty of having so much to do is that there is a, you know, quote unquote rewritability factor to the ships having just come off, I felt like. I feel like I need to go on again. Like, I feel I need to, like, do it again. Because I won.
Feel like I missed so much. Like you were saying earlier, like, wonderfully exhausted. Gratefully exhausted. You know, exhaustion is a privilege. But I want to go back and I want to see Hercules again, and I want to spend more time in Castle Cannon. There's so much food I didn't even eat yet that I just owe it.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: Not just to myself, but to other people.
[00:21:35] Speaker C: To the world. To the world. You owe it to the world, right? A science. Right?
[00:21:40] Speaker B: It's research.
[00:21:41] Speaker C: It's research, exactly.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: There's. There's a really great comment here in the chat that I. I kind of wanted to chat with, chat with, or discuss for a second. It says villains have been notoriously more difficult and rare to meet in the park. Some have speculated it's due in part to poor guest behavior with them. How do you think DCL will handle this? I. I actually found the explanation from Disney Cruise Line and the ship really interesting coming from the spokespeople about the fact that, you know, like, characters and heroes are huggable. You know, you can have these people really fun interactions with them. Villains, not huggable. Right. Like. Like you're not going to run up and give Loki a hug.
And I wonder if that's part. Yeah, some people.
[00:22:16] Speaker C: Yeah, but. But they might look at you. The. The villain should look at you funny, and they should be like, ugh, right? Like, they should have a reaction.
You would have a reaction.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: But.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: But I think this is where Disney kind of unlocked this interesting concept of the. The meet and play or the greet and play experience with these villains. What did you think about. I mean, it's part of the immersion. But what did you think about that, that concept, Lou?
[00:22:38] Speaker A: Again, I think it's. It's this next level of storytelling. We don't just want to watch the characters come out and put on a show and then disappear, and then we have to get online. Right? We just. We love getting online.
We don't want to get online again. And I like the way that sort of the performative part of the experience was over. And then Black Panther says, I'm going to stay and meet some of the subjects in my kingdom. Some of the other characters, Maleficent, when she's done with her shows, is you are welcome to leave if you want, if you're brave enough to stay. Like, one by one, row by row, you can come up and so I like the fact that they have made the meet and greet experience part of the play and show experience.
I think it's a smart move for Disney.
I think it's going to be a huge guest satisfier as well.
[00:23:30] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And they haven't eliminated. Just to be clear, they haven't eliminated your normal meet and greets as well. Like those normal meet and greets exist even for some of the villains. I mean, you can meet t', Challa, you can meet Loki, you can meet Maleficent, you can meet Dr. Facilier, you can meet the princesses. Right. You can meet all these characters in just those, you know, where you line up in a queue, you take your photo with them, you maybe say a couple words to them and you're gone. Right. Those extra experiences still exist. They just have these other experiences that are these meet and play or show and meet experiences in addition. So it's. You know, and of course, I think some of these other. I don't think we saw all the characters. I mean, I'm not. I'm not sure because obviously, as you mentioned, we had a really condensed version of a Disney Destiny cruise three nights instead of the four and five nights that she'll normally be doing. But I'll be honest, I didn't see as many heroes as I was kind of expecting. But I'm thinking that that may just because we had condensed crews and they wanted to focus on the new experience and the new experiences are more villain focused. I don't know what you thought about that, Lou, or if you think my prediction is right or wrong there.
[00:24:39] Speaker A: We also didn't see them because we were running from place to place.
[00:24:43] Speaker C: Yeah, fair.
[00:24:44] Speaker A: But I will tell you that there was one day I was in the grand hall and there was nothing going on and there was maybe 10, 15 people there and Spider man just hanging out. But I was like, what? And I'm a huge. I'm a huge Spider man fan. So I was.
This is super. It had a sort of almost like a Disneyland vibe to it. Like, Spidey was just sort of like hanging out, passes away. And he said, like, I just finished my show, was able to chat a little bit. So I liked those little surprise moments that you don't necessarily have to line up for or put on a schedule. And I think some of those things are the little, like, bonus experiences that you don't have to necessarily go looking for, but just might happen upon them.
[00:25:30] Speaker B: I just. Hold on one second. I love this comment. In the chat, it says Disney has probably gotten more experience with villains interactions from the Galactic Star cruiser.
[00:25:38] Speaker C: I was going to ask that. I was going to bring that up too, Brian. That's funny. We were both going the same place.
[00:25:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I feel like I did see them taking some of the lessons and learnings and opportunities they had from the star cruiser and bringing it on board this ship. Is that your sense as well? I mean, I know they had some creative people from the star cruiser kind of in on this process. So I'm imagining there's actually a direct line, not a dotted line, but what did you think about that?
[00:26:03] Speaker A: Without a doubt. You can absolutely see influence from the starcruiser. Look at the star cruiser. You know, say what you want about it. First of all, I did it twice. I loved the experience. And. And was it potentially a very expensive learning opportunity for Dizzy? Yes, but I think they did. I think they took some of those lessons. And just to be clear, I've never seen poor guest interactions sort of on a regular basis. You get a knucklehead every now and then, but I've never seen sort of poor guest interactions, even with the villains. Right, but it's different, you know, meeting Maleficent is very different than going up and meeting Captain Minnie or meeting Pluto, the conversations that you're going to have. But I think for the most part, 99.999% of guests are respectful and they're just trying to have fun with it. And I think the other thing I found too was the characters themselves were also really, really, really well done. Like, I thought Maleficent and Loki was brilliant.
All the different ways and places that I saw them. Like, I bought in and I found myself multiple times on this cruise. Like, I feel like it. Like I just have this big stupid grin. Mind you, I went by myself. I had this big stupid grin on my face, like watching Loki and watching, you know, all these different characters. So I think they definitely have sort of found the secret sauce.
[00:27:27] Speaker C: Yeah, well, and I think you're absolutely right. These cast members, like whoever was playing Maleficent and Loki and, oh my God, Dr. Facilier, like, they were so good. And these are not, you know, necessarily the folks who were on stage in the Walt Disney Disney Theater doing Hercules. These are other actors. But oh my God, the voices, the accents, the. The mannerisms, the body movements, like they, they completely in like inhabited those characters. Like they became those characters. And I. That's one of the things I loved about Star Cruiser. We did Star Cruiser only once. I wish we had done it like A million times. Perfectly honest.
[00:28:08] Speaker B: We tried.
[00:28:09] Speaker C: We loved it. We loved it so much, we. We were able to do it, like, shortly before they closed.
But I feel like they just inhabited these characters in such a real way. And I felt myself grinning cheesing the entire time, too. I felt like I was a kid. Like, I honestly, I mean, I think I get that anytime we're on a Disney cruise to some degree, but I honestly think on the Destiny was even more so. I mean, I was dressed as Sam.
[00:28:34] Speaker B: You'Re packing how many pairs of ears for the maiden voyage? So, yeah, I think you do become like a kid. Yes.
[00:28:40] Speaker C: Let's just say we're on for eight nights and I have more than eight pairs of ears packed for the trip. So, yeah, we'll put that. We'll put that out there.
I got to ask about what you think about Star wars and the future with a future with Disney Cruise Line. We got a great question from C. T in the chat about is Star wars theming coming next? Has Star Cruiser and Hyperspace Lounge? Have they scared the engineers off of Star Wars? Or do we think there's an opportunity maybe for a better Star wars bar or some better Star wars interactive experiences? I mean, I do think I saw Rey and Chewy in the, in the launch bay on. In the kids club on. On the Destiny the other day and had a great interaction. I talked to them about the Halcyon and how we had to fight Kylo Ren. I got, I got some video with them and they were wonderful. But, like, has DCL scared off from doing, maybe going further into Star Wars?
[00:29:40] Speaker A: I don't think it's being scared off. I think, I think if you take an entire ship and make it the Star wars ship, well, it very much sort of sits in the four corners of appealing to a certain type of fandom. Whereas if you have a broader stroke of the brush with heroes and villains, you know, there's going to be Hercules, there's going to be Maleficent, there's going to be Big Hero 6, there's going to be Marvel characters. So you'll find the hero and or villain that appeal to you. Where Star wars, as broad as it is, I think it might be too narrowly focused to make an entire ship, like, themed after that.
Now, that being said, I've done Star Wars Day at Sea, which I loved because you knew everybody was on board, was a Star wars fan, and we were all going to nerd out on the singular Star Wars Day at Sea. I think Marvel Day at Sea is one of the best Disney cruise line experiences I have ever had, period.
So I think what we're starting to see is sort of a hybrid of that. Right. You might not see an entire ship dedicated to a specific franchise or ip, but depending on how this ship does and the Treasure does, they will look and see. How do these sort of continuously themed cruises, how do they compare and contrast? Or just offer another option from the classic ships and the Dream Class.
[00:30:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I would love to see a sublight lounge on the next Wish class ship. I'm going to put that out into the universe because, you know, hyperspace lounge was unfortunately a disappointment. I don't hate it. It's just, just. It could have been so much more. That's why I just want to, you know, it's not. I'm not mad. I mean, I know that was Covid times and all of that. And so they probably had to value engineer a lot of stuff, but I had such high hopes and unfortunately they weren't met. But I think you're right. I think we could see some more Star wars theming, but it's, it's not going to be a whole ship. I'd be okay if they brought back Star Wars Day at sea, frankly. I mean, we, we did it twice. We loved it. We thought it was a great, you know, great with, you know, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers taking over the ship. They could certainly update it and make it, you know, Kylo Ren and the Stormtroopers taking over the ship kind of like they did on the Star Cruiser. So I think there's definitely opportunity there. I would love to see them do that.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: But I think just to quickly answer, there's a question in the chat about Mickey and Minnie on the Destiny and yes, they're still there, like all the Fab Five are still there in addition to all the heroes and villains. So. So you're not going to get on this ship and not see. We saw Pluto, we saw Mickey, we saw Minnie. I didn't see Goofy, but obviously I did.
[00:32:11] Speaker C: I saw Goofy.
[00:32:12] Speaker B: Obviously Lou encountered Donald.
So they're all there.
[00:32:16] Speaker C: I saw all of them, at least in their pirate costumes and their cruise line kind of traditional costumes.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: We didn't talk about this on the live show that we did. They have a whole hero's character story for each of the Fab Five. They all have a superhero power on board.
They have these little figurine sets that they're selling that showcase the superpowers of the Fab Five.
[00:32:40] Speaker C: I know, but they don't have the outfits that match those. So that's the one thing I've got to say. So they've got these figurines with all the, all five Fab Five characters and they all have like a superhero costume and they all have like a superhero power. And even the hero Minnie is in a different costume than the hero Minnie. That is the hero Mini of the ship. So she's in blue versus being in red. But those characters, there's. There. We have not seen new superhero outfits for the rest of the, for the rest of the Fab Five yet.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:08] Speaker C: So I'm hope, I'm hopeful that we're going to see a hero Mickey and hero Pluto, hero Donald and hero Goofy. At least. I feel like we've got to see them on board the Destiny at some point, but I don't know, maybe not.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: Lou, you mentioned you got to get back on to eat more stuff. So I got to ask you about Pridelands.
What did you think of the, the food and the show element? When we attended the, the panel in there, they were talking about, you know, what you have to balance out. Is it a, is it a show and dinner or is it dinner and a show? Right. And so how do you think about them striking that balance and what do you think of the food and the show overall?
[00:33:43] Speaker A: So I thought the food was excellent. Like, I wanted more time and more table space so I could have ordered more.
I, I love being a little adventurous with food and I think this is adventurous enough, enough to satisfy a variety of different palates while still being safe enough for the quote unquote, average, everyday, you know, chicken finger hamburger guest that does not want to like, the thought of eating African inspired food might completely freak them out. So I really, really liked the menu. I think it's actually for that space on the Wish class ships. I think that menu may be the strongest or top two next to night two of Coco on the Treasure.
I think those two menus are the best. Yeah, without a doubt.
As far as the show element is concerned, I think this is an interesting change from Arendelle and from Coco, which are very visual heavy. They're also character heavy. There are no characters here. Now. What I mean by that is there are performers who are ridiculously gifted and talented. Like, I was moved. It was emotional, it was beautiful.
But I think that there's, I think that there's pros and cons to this show because obviously in that space where you sit for the Frozen show and where you sit for Coco impacts your experience. It is what it Is I have sat in the back, I have sat behind a pole. And my experience has not been the same as when I've been fortunate to sit much closer up.
That's due in part because it is so visual heavy. They are character driven experiences where you need to see Anna, you need to see also you need to see Olaf, you need to see, you know, Oaken, you want to see Miguel from Coco, you want to see all these different things because that's not part of this show.
And again, I haven't sat in a different. I've only seen it once, so I haven't sat in different.
I think the visuals are potentially less important. Are they trying to potentially obviate that complaint from guests that, hey, I'm sitting behind the pole, my kid couldn't see anything. I want to see this show from a different view. And I also want to see it with kids.
There are no characters, there are no costumes, there are no puppets. Again, gifted musicians, gifted singers, gifted dancer. But for a little kid, will that potentially hold their attention the same way the dinner and the show element of Arendelle and Coco will?
[00:36:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a great question.
[00:36:12] Speaker C: And it is. And it is kind of a longer show. I don't, I mean, I felt, I'll be perfectly honest here, because I'm 100% agreeing with you on food and everything you've said about the show as well.
I felt like the show was a little too long. I'm gonna be honest. I, I mean, I loved it all, but I just felt like it didn't need to be four segments. I felt like it could have been condensed into three segments, you know, with obviously pauses in between that they try to do for service. It doesn't always work out perfectly with the timing. But I, I think you're, you're right about the visuals being less important. But I felt like, yeah, I just felt like the show was just a little bit too long.
[00:36:49] Speaker B: Well, and we know, I mean, we know they're still in test and adjust on some of these experiences because they mentioned for the Cruella show in Deville's that, you know, there were like imagineers in there watching how people were doing it to sort of say, like, like, is this working? How do we shift this? So it's very possible that they, you know, they say, okay, well, let's condense Act 3 and 4 and make it into one. It was noticeable to me that when they got to act four, like the restaurant was already half cleared out. And I was like, oh, everyone thought the show was over and they've left.
[00:37:20] Speaker A: No, because they want to get, they want to make sure they can go see Hercules. That's what, that's going to be the issue there.
[00:37:24] Speaker D: Right?
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Yeah, totally fair. And it's, it is definitely worth seeing.
[00:37:27] Speaker C: Although, although we had second dinner, so we saw Hercules first, so nobody was headed to Hercules after, but they were probably headed to the bars and, and the adult activities in the bar spaces as well. So. But yeah, I, I just, I just felt like there was a point at which they could, just could have condensed it more. But I, I, I think you're right. It's going to be interesting to see. We'll see how now our son is almost 12, so we're going to see how he enjoys the show. I will say I think he enjoys the show and Arendelle and in Coco, but he's not much of a show kid, so he might not really be the best measure of whether or not it keeps his attention anyway because he won't sit in the theater to see Hercules with me, despite all of my poking and prodding. But we have some friends that'll be sailing with us and I'll have to see what their kids think because they're more theater kids.
[00:38:20] Speaker D: Are you listening to our show because you want to make the most out of your next vacation. Great news. The fabulous team over at MyPath Unwinding Travel can help guide you so you don't miss a thing. Their team of professional travel advisors are caring, knowledgeable and experienced. It's why we use them to book our own travel. Mypath Unwinding Travel is an authorized Disney vacation planner, which means they are recognized 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, 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 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.
[00:39:19] Speaker B: Speaking of Hercules, I mean you mentioned that you're, you're a fan lose. So I mean, I, I don't think anyone on Right now would say anything less than it is a. A home run of a show. But it is a different.
It's the same story, but they kept emphasizing it's like a modern interpretation.
And what did you think of how they put that show together?
[00:39:42] Speaker A: So I'm gonna step back and say that Moana on the Treasure is ridiculously good. I think it is far and away the best. We talk about the shows being Broadway quality. It is. You could pick that up and put it in a Broadway theater and it would play perfectly. It's emotional. It's the only time ever in 20 plus years of Disney cruising I've ever left Castaway early so I could see the matinee and then go back and see it again at night. That's how much I loved it. Yeah, I had heard that from people who had been on the Crossing and things like that. Like, just wait till you see Hercules, which I love, my family loves. It's a very different show. The pacing is different.
The highs and low moments are not necessarily as extreme. It is more of a love story than it is. Is something maybe as an emotional journey as Moana. I think Hercules was sort of like a ladder. Right. It was like a slow build to get to those moments. I think, again, incredibly strong cast, like from the muse. Take the muses and put them in saga. And I will sit there and watch and listen to them all night long.
[00:40:49] Speaker B: Phenomenal. Phenomenal.
[00:40:50] Speaker A: Incredibly, incredibly good. Same thing for Hercules. Same thing for Hades. And then that finale, which sort of was like a fourth act for me.
That curtain call was like an act in and of itself. Yeah, it is so, so, so well done.
I want to bring my kids to see. Now, my daughter is a theater kid. She does production design and stage management. And like, it's her career. I want her to go and see Moana and then want to go her to see Hercules. And I want to get her sort of from a professional lens what her thought is on it. But you sit in that theater, you forget that you're on a show.
[00:41:25] Speaker C: Absolutely. Has she seen Beauty and the Beast? Because I feel like that's the other one that is okay. Yeah, because that's the other one that the set design, the staging, the technology integration is just so, so good. Like, I. I have to say, like, it's so hard for me to pick favorites. I mean, right now, Hercules is the favorite. I gotta, you know, it's just. It's so good. And Corey J. Bradford as Hercules is like, blows anyone's mind, really. And I mean, everyone was Better than, like, the next person. Right. Like, you got Mat, you've got Corey, you've got Eleni, you've got the Muses. Like, they're all everybody's. So you've got Pegasus, who's so freaking good. I can't even tell you.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: It didn't say a single word. Didn't say a single word. And got one of the biggest. One of the biggest standing ovations of the whole night.
[00:42:11] Speaker C: Yeah. So it's. All of these people are incredible. But, yeah, it's hard to always pick a favorite because all those productions are so, so fantastic.
[00:42:19] Speaker B: Here's my question for actually both of you. Sam is a Broadway fan. Lou, clearly you've got love for these shows.
It feels like you said earlier, it's like the Treasure taken up to 11. And I feel like in some ways, Hercules was like, moana, take it up. Everything's bigger, everything's bolder. Lots of new and kind of innovative effects. More on this stage. Yeah. Like, I can't imagine, where do they go from here? How do they take the destiny to 11? And, like, it feels like they're starting to run themselves to the end of the alley here. Because I. I don't know where you go now.
[00:42:52] Speaker A: Next.
[00:42:52] Speaker B: From the.
Yeah. So I. I don't know if you have any thoughts.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: A great problem. Yeah, it's a great problem for them to have because they are setting the bar and guest expectations so, so very high. But I think everyone that they do is also a learning experience and they're getting.
They. Disney takes feedback from guests very, very, very seriously. So they're going to listen to what resonates, what doesn't, what works and what doesn't. And I think. And I think, think the cruise you're going to have in a week from now is probably going to feel different than the one that we just had. Not just because it was a media cruise versus a maiden voyage, but because I think it's. These are iterative processes. Right. Every. Every.
They have the ability to continue to iterate and learn from every cruise before what works, what doesn't, what lands, what doesn't, what they can add on.
I know that what we saw for a number of different things was not the final version. I think what you're gonna see in a week will be more refined. There'll be more tweaks that are made to it, not just from a technology perspective, but from a performance perspective as well.
[00:44:01] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
[00:44:02] Speaker C: I think you're absolutely right. I think the other part is that these cast members have been rehearsing their roles for a very, very long time. But it's very different to be rehearsing and then to be performing in front of an audience. And so, so they. I think the way that they were, I mean, they were already, as I said, inhabiting their roles, but I think that's going to continue to sort of percolate and they're going to get. It's like, it's like when you make chili, and the chili's really good night one, but then you put it in the fridge and you reheat it for night two. And it's even better, right, because the flavors have gotten to, like, really, like, mature. And then you're like, oh, my God, this is the best chili I've ever had. But I just had it last night. And how is it better tonight than it was last night? Right. Great.
[00:44:44] Speaker A: If you're Italian, that's what Sunday sauce is. You know, it's really good on Sunday, but, man, Monday, it's going to be great.
[00:44:50] Speaker C: It's going to be awesome. It's going to be awesome.
[00:44:52] Speaker B: There's a. There's a good question in the chat about how long. We think the opening cast for the stage shows are typically on board. And we. We have encountered, like, on the Treasure maiden voyage, there's. There's like almost a complete cast turnover between the Maiden and the cruise right after it. Yeah. So.
[00:45:09] Speaker C: But that was not the. That was not the cast. That was not the stage cast. So the stage cast from my mem. The stage cast turned over.
I think it was in March. So for the Treasure. So they were on from, you know, Christmas was a Maiden. Of course, they had some preview cruises before that. Right. So if you're going from the Maiden to when they're going to turn over, I'm going to say it's. It was about four months with the Treasure. So it, you know, it's not. It's not an exact number. I can't give you the number of days because obviously. But especially with the stage cast, because they are. Are on, you know, doing rehearsals and workshopping and all of that in Toronto. Then they're getting on the ship in the Netherlands and doing the entire crossing, and they're doing rehearsals, then they're doing, you know, previews, cast previews and ta. Previews and media previews and all that. And then they're actually with paid passengers. So if I, I don't know, Lou, if you. If you remember differently, but my, my memory was in. I think it was like, mid March that They shifted over to Treasure cast, last two for the main stage. There's other people that rotate at different times.
[00:46:16] Speaker A: Yeah, so as you were talking, I was looking because somebody had just commented and followed me today from one of the videos I had posted and he's somebody who's going to be the Broadway guest artist that's going to be portraying Hades in Hercules on the Destiny. And he Sundays starting in May 2026. So I don't know if there's going to be another Hades in between, but to your point, if that is sort of of the rotation, the cycle that they use, because I thought Hades here was phenomenal. Like I thought he was so, so good.
[00:46:47] Speaker C: So the, the Broadway visiting artist is a shorter contract than the regular main stage cast. So I think it will be. There will be an. I think there will probably be another Hades in between before he comes on. So I think that will. That might be the third Hades, but I still think it will be the same main stage cast. But I saw his post and he looks like he's going to be fabulous based on his resume as well.
But ye, it's.
[00:47:11] Speaker A: It's super strong cast across the board, so.
[00:47:14] Speaker C: Good.
[00:47:15] Speaker B: Let me, let me shift us off the Destiny for a bit because I'd be remiss if we didn't spend at least a few minutes with you here, Lou, talking about kind of the future.
We've talked a little about the, you know, the Wish class, but we got these Meridian class ships coming which shout out to our friend CT in the chat, who actually, I don't know where that came from, but he started calling it Meridian class and we were on board and, and we've heard from a.
[00:47:37] Speaker C: Couple of people that we heard cast calling it Meridian.
[00:47:39] Speaker B: I'm just calling it Meridian. So we're going to call it the Meridian.
[00:47:43] Speaker C: We actually think that might in fact be the project name. So Triton was the project name for the Wish class. A lot of people still call it the Triton class. I'm just going to tell you, if you call it the Triton class, you're actually wrong. That was the project name. It's called the Wish Class. I don't blame you because it was the project name, but I think.
[00:47:58] Speaker B: Strong opinions, folks. Strong opinions. Yeah.
[00:48:01] Speaker C: You know, the Magic class, the Dream Class is the first ship of its class. That's the name of the class, but it was. The project name was Triton. The project name name does actually appear to be the Meridian project, if you know, unless that's just some random coincidence. But anyway, Sorry.
[00:48:18] Speaker B: So, Lou, what are you. So it's going to be a step back in terms of size, you know, something in between the fantasy and the wish.
What are you hoping to see out of these ships? And do you think the star of the show will continue to be the ships, or do you think because they're making these smaller ships ships we're going to see a pivot to. The star of the show is now going to be some of the port experiences we can bring you because we're gonna have smaller ships.
[00:48:43] Speaker A: Yeah, well, yeah, I think it's a balance of. I think it's a. Absolutely a balance of both. Bigger does not necessarily mean better. I have been on other cruise lines that have some larger ships.
[00:48:53] Speaker C: And look, you've cheated on Disney Cruise Line. My goodness.
[00:48:58] Speaker A: I mean, I was dragged kicking and screaming. But it is interesting to compare and contrast because when those ships are full, man, they feel full. And it's a very different vibe and feel. So I am me, I'm very happy that they are going backwards in terms of size. Bigger is not always better.
I love the classic ships. The Magic and Wonder are some of my favorites. But to your point, the Wonder to Alaska is like the perfect ship in the perfect port. I think that is the ideal Disney cruise vacation. Very different than the Caribbean ones.
Adding, increasing the fleet size to 13 ships. It does now.
I mean, look, we as guests get to benefit because now it's what ship do you want to go on, what port do you want to go to, what theme do you want to go to? There are all these different factors that let us choose and go back to our favorites and then try something new. I'm very curious to see not just how they are going to take inspiration and lessons from the Magic class, the Dream class, the Wish class, and incorporate those into this new design. I think that there may have been some design choices on the Wish Class that did not necessarily resonate with every single guest.
[00:50:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:50:14] Speaker A: Question mark.
[00:50:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:50:16] Speaker A: So they'll take those lessons learned, implement that on this ship.
And again, I'm also curious to see what ships are going to sort of find permanent homes. Where are we going to find ships having more permanent homes, relatively speaking, on the West Coast? Are there going to be different destinations that are going to be added to the Disney Cruise Line itineraries?
I would think so.
I sent a lot more research trips in my future, and I, for one, am very, very excited about.
[00:50:52] Speaker C: Love it. I got to ask about the adventure because obviously, you know, the adventure was supposed to come out in. In December. It's now coming out in March.
Do you have plans to sail on the adventure?
And if yes, tell us what you're excited for. If no, tell us how come not. I mean, it's hard to get to.
[00:51:11] Speaker B: So obviously and let us know when you're available to come back on the show. Because we do not have the adventure booked ourselves.
[00:51:16] Speaker C: We don't have anything booked ourselves. Not because we don't want to. It's just, it's such a long trip and we have a school age kid and it's just be impossible to fit that in the schedule. Unless Disney wants to send me. If Disney wants to send me, I will be there.
Yeah.
[00:51:30] Speaker A: Look how quickly she's ready to abandon her kid.
Leave out a bowl of Cheerios for him like he's a cat. He'll be fine.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: She'll bend me in a heartbeat to get on the adventure. So. Yeah.
[00:51:43] Speaker C: Yes, you got it. I'm going to see Duffy. All right.
[00:51:46] Speaker A: I am, I am an empty nester. Not that that would have stopped me otherwise. I am actually booked. I was actually booked, booked before they, they postpone the, the voyages from January to March. So I am booked. I'm actually doing back to back. And the reason why is twofold. One, yes, it is. It's a long way to get there. But two, the ship is so big.
[00:52:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:52:09] Speaker A: Let's be honest, there are so many restaurants I cannot eat it all in four days. So I need to go back to back so that I can try and like, like just, just munch my way.
[00:52:22] Speaker C: From even seven days. I'm not sure you're going to be able to eat everything that you want to eat, Lou.
[00:52:28] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, it's, it's going to be a lot and I'm, I'm incredibly fascinated because this is the first time and possibly the only time that Disney has taken a ship that was pretty far into its construction and development and adopted it and now has to sort of, of retrofit their ideas and designs into spaces that were already built. They can't go in and start moving rooms around. They are what they are. There are spaces that were purpose built for things that Disney's not going to use. Casino, I'm looking at you.
The concept art, especially for that central open air atrium area with the castle in it, has me very intrigued to see how they utilize that space. I know some other ships like Royal Caribbean has Central park and some of those spaces like that.
It's also for a completely different audience. Right. This ship is not being built for you. And I right, it's not, it's not being built for those of us in the States, although many of us in the States or Disney Cruise Line fans are going over there.
They have this incredible opportunity to introduce storytelling based cruises and family based cruising to an area of the world that it just does not exist in. Yeah, I'm painting again with a broad stroke of the brush, but most cruises have a casino, I would say 99.99. Like it is a very big part culturally of what the cruise experience is. Disney does not want to go down and hoe that road. And I agree 1000% that they shouldn't. But it's going to be this family based, storytelling based cruising experience that they are going to introduce to a completely new market that's either going to embrace it and adopt it or not. And if not, they'll move that ship somewhere else. But I think especially though that first year, year and a half of the adventure being in Singapore is going to be very, very, very interesting to watch.
[00:54:27] Speaker B: Oh for sure, Absolutely. Kind of speaking about that, I mean, so Lou, you're so steeped in the company and you know, parks everything. You watch the business of Disney with the cruise line. What we've noticed of late is so, I mean they're, they're expanding the fleet very rapidly.
We're starting now to see things that we would not have imagined seeing before, like sales and like, I mean the Destiny and the Treasure are both sales on them already and cast member rates. Like do you think they might be going a little too fast for the market or do you think they're hitting their, their sweet spot? They're going to, you know, figure this all out in the end.
[00:55:06] Speaker A: I don't think they're going too fast. I think what they're going to do is start making and creating more opportunities for more people to experience Disney Cruise Line. I think for years past it was. And look you as for anything that you do with Disney, there is a premium associated with it as well it should be because it is worth it, it's earned it, et cetera. I think that gap, I think the nexus between what the Disney Cruise Line pricing will was and what other cruise line pricing is, I think that is very much starting to level out a little bit. So I do think having more ships, having some of these great offers that Disney has is going to introduce more people to the Disney Cruise Line experience, which as we all know you host a podcast about it, it is wonderfully addictive.
Once you take your first Disney cruise, you're like yes, where's my rebooking form? I want to book my next cruise before I get a off. So I think it's going to create a lot of great opportunity for storytelling, for expansion and for introducing a lot more people to Disney Cruise Line. Not just domestically, not just here in the States, not just in Singapore and some of the other ports that they've gone to like Australia, but with the, with the Japanese ship that's going to be coming a few years later. I think again you're going to be expanding to a whole another region of the world that just doesn't not hasn't had the benefit of what the DCL experience is.
[00:56:32] Speaker C: Yeah. I got to ask a different question which is about other cruise lines. You have mentioned you have sailed on some other cruise lines. We have sailed on a couple of other cruise lines as well. And we get the question all the time from people. You know, I, I, I can't afford a Disney cruise for my next cruise. What's the cruise line that I should go on? I'll tell you what we recommend to people. If you're a family, we typically recommend Royal. If you are adult only, we typically recommend vir Voyages. But I'm curious Lou, what your recommendations would be if they're similar or different than ours as far as those two categories of people.
[00:57:11] Speaker A: So I haven't taken Virgin yet. I'm very curious too. I've heard good things about it especially in terms from a culinary perspective.
I do understand that it is obviously for adults only. So that is a very different feel and obviously very different group of people that are going to be coming on board. I have sailed on Royal and I have sailed on Princess that I think think they all have their fans right. The Princess people love Princess. I think Princess is, I think Princess potentially is trying to expand who their target demographic is maybe skewing a little bit younger than you know what I think is sort of the empty nesters, 50s, 60s pluses. I think they want to sort of go a little bit potentially younger.
I think it's like Disney and Universal.
They're just different. Right? They're just different. It's and it that that's not bad. It's not one's not good, one's not bad. We all just have our favorites. I personally like even with kids who are older and cruising by myself, I love Disney. I know what I'm gonna get. I know that expectations are going to be exceeded. I know about the quality of the service which I feel is unmatched anywhere and Any other Disney, on any other cruise line. It's just been my personal experience. Experience.
And again, to that point about, well, Disney's too expensive.
I think you have to start. And, and I did this like, with the Star Cruiser, like, don't just look at the cost to walk on board because when you go on some of the other cruise lines, like Royal.
[00:58:37] Speaker C: Very good point.
[00:58:38] Speaker A: There are a lot of things that they all add up, right? So if you want to, if you want soda, you have to pay for soda. If you want to not eat in the standard, you know, rotational dining restaurant, which is, which is not, not amazing. It's not the same quality of food that you're going to find at Disney. You're going to have to pay for it. And slowly but surely you start to sort of creep up and those numbers start to get a lot more balanced and equal. And then even if they're not, is it worth it to you to know that you're going to get that Disney quality of experience?
For me, it is. I would rather pay even potentially a little bit more because I don't know what I'm going to get, but I know it's going to be at a very high level. Does that make sense?
[00:59:19] Speaker B: 100%. Yep, that's 100%.
I have one last question for you before we sort of wrap up for the evening, which is just. We have this question in the chat. We get this question a lot and I have a very strong opinion about it myself. But do you think we'll ever see Disney do an adult only sailing?
[00:59:39] Speaker A: I think it's funny. I can hear my mother.
I can hear my mother. There was a time, I won't tell you the whole story, but way back when I was a kid, we were at the park and something had happened and she goes, you know, Walt wouldn't have wanted it that way.
I don't know that Walt would have wanted it that way. Disney is about a place that families can come together.
I think there is a look, we know there isn't an adult only aspect to these cruises because at night, night, these spaces are adults only. I think that's the beauty of it, is that you can gather and do your things during the day. If you want to go to the adult only pool, the adults only coffee shop, the adults only beach on Castaway, you can do that.
You can also have those experiences on board at night. There's also adult only restaurants. So you can have an adult only experience without sort of drawing a line in the sand and saying, no, I'm sorry, you cannot bring your children with you. You cannot bring your children on a Disney cruise. Like I just can't imagine those words coming out of any executive's mouth. I also think.
[01:00:48] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I also think it's hard from the standpoint. Like what do you do with the kids cups Kids club space on an adults only sailing.
[01:00:54] Speaker A: You allow adults in them. That's what you.
Star wars space. And brought it upstairs with 100 mentioned parlors. Make that the bar I'd be in all day.
[01:01:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm with you on that, Lou. I actually think the Star wars launch band, the kids club is a fantastically decorated space. It's really, it's. They have interactive stuff you can do in there too that we don't get to do because it's only when the kids are in there. Yeah, I, I'm with you.
[01:01:20] Speaker B: I worry about that. What I worry about are the pictures coming out of those cruises from the kids clubs on social media. Like, you know, like it's just. I totally agree with you that quote, what rings in my head is the quote from Walt about, you know, these parks are a place for families and children to, you know, know, enjoy their imaginations kind of thing. And like that, that just it make like. Yeah, it just, it doesn't feel like it would hold with the ethos of the company to sort of do an adults only sailing. Yeah, yeah.
[01:01:45] Speaker A: I don't, I just don't. I can't imagine it at all actually. What they should do, take that Star wars bay from the kids club, move it upstairs where the 11 watch shops are. Get those watch shops, put them, put them on and make that one hole. Cool. Cool. Star wars like experience.
But look, I think we can even.
[01:02:06] Speaker C: Let kids in there until 9pm I'm cool with that too.
[01:02:09] Speaker A: Exactly.
[01:02:12] Speaker B: Well Lou, it has been an absolute treat and I am, I am a thousand percent serious. After you sail on the adventure, if we can find a way to get you back on the show, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that ship since we won't have a chance to experience her ourselves. But it's been an absolute blast having you on. We super appreciate you taking, taking time out of your very busy schedule to. To spend some time with us and our audience for our audience out there. We will not be live next week because we will be wrapping up the maiden Voyager. Actually I think we might be re embarking for the Thanksgiving cruise. I can't remember exactly when that happens, but we will not be live next week. We will be back after The Thanksgiving holiday for a regular live show. So that's December 1st, 5:30pm Easter, 5:30pm Pacific.
[01:02:54] Speaker D: God, I had it right for so long.
[01:02:56] Speaker B: 5:30Pm Pacific, 8:30pm Eastern on December 1st, we will be back. And Sam, go ahead.
[01:03:01] Speaker C: I was gonna say, don't forget, if you are listening or watching and you are not following Lou Mongelo, you should be following him on social media. You should be listening to his podcast, the WDW radio podcast. He's easy to find online, but he is fabulous. And obviously he's going to be doing a deep dive of the Destiny on his own show.
He's going to put that episode out later this week, Wednesday or Thursday. Am I right, Lou?
[01:03:29] Speaker A: Yep.
[01:03:30] Speaker B: Yep.
[01:03:30] Speaker C: And he's got tons of great episodes, of course, all about things, all Disney. I mean, he covers parks, he covers movies. He gets great interviews with different folks from the Disney company or different, you know, prior former Disney employees, writers. I mean, just fabulous content that he puts out all the time. So make sure you are listening.
[01:03:53] Speaker B: I will say I will be downloading Lou's episode about the Destiny because I can't wait to hear all about it from, from his perspective. So, Lou, an absolute treat. Thank you so much, man, for spending some time with us.
[01:04:04] Speaker A: No, thank you guys so much for having me. This was, this was a lot of fun. Really appreciate the conversation, the kind words. It was so nice to meet you guys in person and I appreciate you inviting me on. I can't. Hopefully we get to cruise again soon.
[01:04:16] Speaker B: Yes, I hope so. I hope so too. All right, good night everybody. Thanks for, thanks for tuning in and we will see you real soon.
[01:04:26] 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 live, 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 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 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 website 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 on a few blog.
[01:05:46] Speaker B: Articles that we've written.
[01:05:47] Speaker D: 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 TCL duo 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.
[01:06:28] Speaker C: Sam.
