Ep. 667 - Is the Disney Destiny Worth It If Your Family Isn't Into Marvel?

[00:00:00] Speaker A: That was the best part. So we got on and, you know, they still, like, announced us and all that, but then hero Minnie was on the stage and we got to go. Like, the kids just got to run up and hug her and they took our picture with her and that was just. It was the best. It was such a great moment. [00:00:29] Speaker B: Welcome back, everybody, to this week's episode of the the DCL Duo Podcast. Brought to you by My Path Unwinding Travel. And Sam, just. Just do the jingle. Just, just, just get in there. Go ahead. [00:00:42] Speaker C: Now you're making me nervous. Simply the best. Better than all the rest. [00:00:47] Speaker B: All right, I'm gonna see. [00:00:48] Speaker D: It's a duet. [00:00:49] Speaker B: It's a duo duet. [00:00:50] Speaker C: I don't like. I don't like that one. [00:00:52] Speaker B: You don't like that one? That's too bad. All right, here we go. This review. This week's review comes from AJ and Erica, our good friends. They have their own podcast. Was it One More. [00:01:01] Speaker C: The One More Run podcast? [00:01:03] Speaker A: One More Run. [00:01:03] Speaker B: I was thinking One more mile, but man, that's a brutal message to give the runners. Just one more mile. The One More Run podcast. If you are a Run Disney person and you have not checked out the One More Run podcast, agent Erica put on a fabulous, fabulous show. They are great resources, Big time runners, huge Disney run, Disney runners, great show. So I'm just going to give them a plug and I'm sure we'll hear from them because they listen to the show and then they'll reach out and thank us for this plug. But they don't need to thank us because we love them and they're great people, people, and we love to support other positive creators in the community. And with that, their review was. What an amazing podcast. This is an excellent podcast for cruisers at all levels of DCL experience. We listened for months leading up to our first DCL sailing and learned so much about what to do, what not to do, and everything in between. A few sailings later and we're still big fans of the show and listen every week for insights from Brian and Sam as well as their guests. Brian's new fascination with comparing the value of DCL versus Royal has been interesting, for sure. Oh, man, those were the dark days. Although I'm still not convinced you'll ever find me sailing on anything but a Disney ship. My two favorite things about the DCL Duo, first, they aren't travel agents, so they're not trying to sell or suggest their services. They have a show sponsor that is a travel agency, but I like that they Keep things authentic and their opinions balanced. And second, they're just such nice people. Interact with them once and you'll see what I mean. And A.G. and Erica, I remember the first time we interacted in a Disney park. [00:02:27] Speaker C: Yeah, Disneyland. [00:02:29] Speaker B: Disneyland. I loved meeting you two in front [00:02:31] Speaker C: of the Walt statue. Actually, the partner statue. Yeah. [00:02:34] Speaker B: So, so glad we can support you on your own podcasting journey. And thank you for that review. For everyone out there listening, as always, one of the easiest ways to help support the show. Head over to Apple Podcasts, hit those five stars. If you leave us a written review. That is such a tongue twister. I gotta get, I gotta get AI on what the script is for that. Leave us a written review and we will read it at the top of one of our main episodes. And if you're on Spotify, if you're watching or listening to us on YouTube, I don't know. There's so many podcasting platforms out there. Whatever rating system they have, just max us out, Max us out and we will greatly appreciate it. It is the thing that keeps us going week to week. So with that, throwing it back over to you, Sam. I know we've got a fun guest, a fun topic lined up today. Let's dive right in. [00:03:19] Speaker C: I am so excited to welcome back to our show. It's been four years. She was a brand new first time cruiser when she first came on the show and now four more cruises later and now she just achieved gold. So her next sailing she will be a gold castaway club member. Welcome back to the show and congratulations Gold castaway cruiser Sarah. [00:03:45] Speaker A: Thank you. I just got my email this morning that said welcome to Gold. So that was fun. [00:03:50] Speaker C: Woo hoo. I love that. I love that. And you just got off the Disney Destiny like a week ago. Actually eight days ago or nine days ago, something like that. And so you're fresh off this sailing. It was your first time on the Destiny. Why don't you tell tell folks what your Disney background or remind folks because it's been four years since you've been on the show. Remind them what your Disney background is and then tell us what other sailings have you been on since that first sailing on the Disney Dream? Sure. [00:04:19] Speaker A: So we were parks people. First Disney World is like our main park that we go to. Our first sailing was on 2022 on the Dream that was just me and my husband with friends. And then after that we sailed on the Wish. We did a concierge sailing with my extended family and then we went back on the Dream with our Kids. And then we went back in the dream again with friends and now we've been on the Destiny. [00:04:48] Speaker C: Awesome. Now, how old are your kids now? And I know you chose to sail on the Destiny, so I want to talk about why you chose that sailing in particular. [00:04:56] Speaker A: Yeah, so my kids are 6 and 8 and we knew we wanted to go on a cruise in April, so we were looking at that month. And initially we, I think we were looking at a cruise on the Fantasy because we were planning to go to Epic Universe. That was like the first part of our trip. And then we wanted to tack on a cruise after. So after the Fantasy and then we realized that the Destiny was going to be brand new and it actually was not that much more money. Like, I don't know, it was like a shorter cruise, but it, the price was very similar and getting to Fort Lauderdale is not that big of a deal. So we just decided that we'd rather try the brand new ship. [00:05:37] Speaker C: Wow. Well, are your kids thrill seekers then? You took them to epic universe at 6 and 8 or was it all about, I don't know, maybe Super Mario Land? [00:05:47] Speaker A: So my daughter, she's the eight year old, she is more of a thrill seeker. But for my son, the big draw was the Nintendo Portal of the Epic Universe. [00:05:58] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a, I have to say, it's a great park. We spent a full day there and had a blast. I wish we had had more time, frankly. Especially I wanted to spend more time in the Ministry of Magic area doing all the wand stuff in there. [00:06:13] Speaker B: Her entire day wanding through the Ministry. [00:06:16] Speaker C: I could have, I literally in, you know, that sort of Paris neighborhood or whatever. Like I could have spent the whole day just like exploring that, that and doing all the wand stuff and like skipping all the rides. We have to go back because I need to go see that circus show thing. [00:06:32] Speaker B: Here's an idea. Because Universal doesn't even listen to this show. So I can just put this out into the world and hope somebody picks it up. They should open up the Harry Potter version of the Star Cruiser and tie it to that land. Like, could you imagine? It'd be impressive. [00:06:45] Speaker C: It would be impressive. It would be impressive. I don't know though. I always feel bad with all my Harry Potter obsession stuff now because J.K. rowling is just like, just, it's hard. Like I have, I have lots of conflicts because I, I absolutely love the storytelling and I love that world, but is just like a reprehensible person with all horrible things that she said about trans people and So I have just a hard time, I got a hard time with, with that whole thing. But anyway, we're going to talk about Disney cruising today. We're not going to talk about Harry Potter. Okay. So Sarah, you guys chose this cruise because it fit in your schedule for spring break. It also happened to be on the newest ship as opposed to one of the older ships. Did you have any concerns or thoughts about the fact that this is a heavily Marvel themed and villains themed? I know they say heroes and villains, but let's be honest, it's got a more, it leans more into the villains outside of Marvel and then on the, and then it leans heavily into Marvel. Do you have any concerns about that part of your cruise selection? [00:07:49] Speaker A: Not really. I know we just love Disney so we figured it's Disney no matter what, so we're going to find pockets that we like. Even though no one in our family is big into Marvel. I would say that I probably know the most about Marvel and that is not saying much at all. Like I have very basic knowledge. So I don't know. We just knew we were going to love like all the parts of the Disney cruising that we already love and those things don't go away on the new ship with this theme, so. [00:08:19] Speaker C: Absolutely, absolutely. All of the available activities and spaces and things like that that are available on all of the other ships are typically available on the newer ships regardless of the theming. There's some, obviously some minor differences like there's no midship detective agency on the newer ships like there is on the Dream the Fantasy, but they've got their own sort of replacement versions of a game for, for those. All right, well, let's, let's talk about some of the pre planning. Did you pre book any activities, either shore excursions or perhaps like adult dining or drink tastings, Royal gathering? Any of the things that you have to book either in your booking window or at the 30 day mark. [00:08:58] Speaker A: We did very few, mostly because we knew we were going to want to just have our time open to explore all the new stuff. So the only things we booked were the royal gather and then we did a pirate makeover for my son. [00:09:11] Speaker C: Ooh, fun. I, you know, we have not talked to too many people who've done the pirate makeover, although we've seen kids coming out of the pirate makeover and it feels like they do such a good job with boys and girls in that space. That's awesome. Fantastic. Did you have any difficulty with like getting any of the, you know, I don't know the Time you wanted, for example, for the pirate makeover when your booking window opened. [00:09:36] Speaker A: The pirate makeover, it wasn't the perfect time, but it worked. Things did book up very quickly on the sailing. I don't. We wouldn't have been able to get Palo Brunch if we had wanted that. A lot of the things are booked up by the time Silver could book. [00:09:50] Speaker C: Yeah, well, and this is a shorter sailing. We're talking about a four night sailing. So you only have really one sea day. So there's only one day for Palo Brunch. And so your concierge Pearl Platinum Cruisers, they get to book of those earlier dates and that they're going to fill up that, that space. Now I'm imagining you're going to look out in Castaway on this sailing. Or am I wrong? Yes. [00:10:13] Speaker A: Those were the two ports. Yeah. [00:10:15] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:15] Speaker A: That was another reason we liked this cruise too, because it was the two Disney islands. [00:10:19] Speaker C: Yeah. That wouldn't, I would say that would influence me to book a ship. Like book a newer ship versus an older ship or an older ship versus a newer ship. Just having the two ports of call being Disney's private islands. All right, well, let's, let's talk about. Okay, you guys fly to Florida to do Epic Universe first, right. Parks first, always cruise second. Right. [00:10:39] Speaker A: Like, that's a good move. [00:10:40] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, it's not like a must do, but it's the recommended way because you're going to like run around like a crazy person at the parks. You're going to get exhausted. The cruise is going to be more relaxing, slower pace. And also, like the food is included. It's a big shock when you go from the cruise to the parks and you're like, oh my God, I have to pay for all this food. Yeah, it's. Yeah. All right, well, so, so where were you staying and how did you get down to Fort Lauderdale and did you go down like the night before the cruise from Orlando or did you go, you know, the same day? I mean, you could do it the same day. You're already in Florida. [00:11:17] Speaker A: Yeah. So we stayed at Stella Nova Resort and they had an Avis car rental, like right in the resort. So we rented a car just right from there and then we drove the day before the cruise. So our Cruise left on April 16. We drove on the. And then ironically, our neighbors next door at home, they have like a winter home in Florida. And that was kind of, kind of on the way. So we made a little detour and stopped and visited with them and had lunch and then we continued driving to Fort Lauderdale and we stayed at the Hilton Marina, which is one of the hotels that offers the Disney transportation to the port. So my husband just dropped us off at the hotel and then just returned the rental car and took an Uber back to meet us at the hotel. [00:12:01] Speaker C: Perfect. So you got rid of the car that day so that then the next morning you're just waking up, you don't have to deal with the car, you're getting on the buses and headed to the port. Awesome. What time were you instructed? Well, how did you get instructions as to where you're supposed to meet? And then what time did you have to meet? I assume in the lobby of the Hilton. [00:12:20] Speaker A: Yeah, so I wrote all that down. We got an email, it was two days before our sailing that had all the information about how to do the check in for the transportation. So that started at 3pm the day before the cruise. And then they do book you on a bus based on the order that you check in. So we made sure. Yes, we made sure to get there by three. We were there a little after three. So we checked in by like 3:30 and we were still assigned the first bus. [00:12:49] Speaker C: That's nice, because then. But if somebody comes in, like, let's say your flight doesn't come in until late in the evening, then you're getting on probably one of the later buses. Just. [00:12:58] Speaker A: Yes. So their hours were 3 to 7pm the day before and 9am to noon the day of for the transportation. [00:13:06] Speaker C: So if you got in after 7pm or got to the hotel after 7pm, then you're checking in in the morning and you're probably on one of the later buses. Okay. I mean, it's fair. You got it. You got to come up with some fair system. First in, first out. Seems like the most fair system. Okay, so how'd things work in the morning? And what time did you have to meet to load onto that bus? And what did you have to do with your luggage? Actually, did you leave your luggage and did they pick it up? [00:13:30] Speaker A: Yes. So the meeting time was 10:00am it was like in like a ballroom or conference room or some kind of room that we all met in. And then we left our luggage in the room. It was still there in the room when we left to go meet. But it did, of course make its way to the ship eventually. So we met at 10 and then we were on our first bus by 10:15 and we were leaving by 10:20. [00:13:53] Speaker C: Wow, that's awesome. So you're getting to the port. I mean, the port's only like a 10 minute drive. If that is very close. Yeah, yeah, it's just if there's traffic, it might be a little longer. What time were you, like, on the ship then? And. And what boarding group did you have? [00:14:08] Speaker A: So when we checked in, we were assigned boarding group four. But then when we got on the bus, they told us, like, they got a little character tag for, like, our bus assignment, and ours was. I forgot. Maybe it was Ariel. I don't remember. It was one of those. So they told us if you show that, then you'll be boarding group three. So everyone essentially get upgraded to three, whether you had four or whatever else you got assigned at check in. But what was really fun is that we actually got chosen to be family of the day, so we got to board even sooner. [00:14:37] Speaker C: Oh, my God, Sarah, that's like the most special thing ever. [00:14:42] Speaker B: All right, no, we have to stop here for a second and dig in, because we need to know, were you wearing all matching stuff? Did you look like a walking billboard for Disney and Disney Cruise Line? Who picked you? Like, you know, how did this. How did this happen? [00:14:57] Speaker A: Yeah, so we were. I was wearing a Minnie Mouse dress. Like a. I don't know, I had like polka dots, red polka dots on the bottom. [00:15:04] Speaker C: Yeah, you're bounding, right? [00:15:05] Speaker A: Yes. And so did my daughter. She had the same thing on. We both had ears. And then my son had a Disney Cruise Line polo, or not a polo, like a. Like a short sleeve button up. And he had like a little hat with Mickey ears on it. My husband was not wearing anything festive whatsoever. But he was there. [00:15:25] Speaker C: But he's accompanying the family who is clearly dressed for the experience. You are all like, you are dressed for the job that you want. Right? [00:15:35] Speaker B: Family of the day. [00:15:37] Speaker C: Yeah. Yes, Brian, we need to dress for the job that we want. [00:15:41] Speaker B: I wore Gucci, Donald Duck sneakers, Mickey shorts. Like, I was trying to be elegant yet understated Disney. So apparently that's not the path. [00:15:54] Speaker C: Elegant and understated. Not the path. Brian, we need to get you bounding as, like, Donald Duck. Well, we've done that even before. We bounded one time where I was doing Daisy, Nathan was like Pluto, and Brian was bounding as Donald. We still didn't get chosen. So dear Disney, if you're listening. Okay, so who. Yeah, do you know who it was that chose you? Like, was it a port employee? Like, could you. And when did you get chosen? Like, you didn't get chosen on the bus. You get chosen at the port. [00:16:22] Speaker A: I'm at the port? Yeah. So when we got off the bus, like, we collected our luggage and then they directed us to walk to a line. And then there was some employees, like, near the line. And then one lady was just like, oh, can you guys come with me? Like, okay. And then, yeah, and then she said, would you like to be family of the day and be the first on the ship? We were like, yes, of course. So that was super exciting. [00:16:48] Speaker C: That's amazing, Sarah, that. Congratulations. My goodness. Your fifth cruise and family of the day. That's what. And on the brand new ship, like, that is so cool. Okay, so tell us what happens. Because of course you're announced. Your family name is announced as Family of the Day in front of everybody in the port, and then you are boarded first. The only people who board before you, not even concierge cruisers before, board before you. The only people who board before you are back to back cruisers who don't get announced into the atrium. They're just like, let on without any pomp and circumstance. Like, is there anybody in the, in the Grand Hall? When you walk into the beautiful grand hall of the Disney destiny. And I mean, anybody, I mean character. [00:17:29] Speaker A: That was the best part. So we got on and, you know, they still, like, announced us and all that, but then hero Minnie was on the side stage and we got to go, like, the kids just got to run up and hug her and they took our picture with her and that was just, it was the best, it was such a great moment. [00:17:47] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. I, I'm telling you, I'm very jealous right now, but I'm still very happy for you. I, I, you know, I, I'm obsessed with hero Minnie. She's the best Minnie of them all. And getting to do like, essentially a private photo session with her on the stage is incredible. I love that. All right, well, I mean, there's nothing more magical. I, I don't, did you even the grand hall looked like at that point when you got Minnie, and I was [00:18:12] Speaker A: trying to take it all in, but there's a lot to focus on. [00:18:16] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. It's a little different experience than just the, like, experience of walking into a new ship when your name is announced, being family, the day is even more, even more special than that. All right, well, you get your, your private meet and greet with Minnie. Where did you guys, like, head next? You have like a. Now, now that you've sailed five times, you must have a tradition of what's like sort of the first thing you do when you get ship. [00:18:41] Speaker A: Yeah. So we're more like buffet people. When we get on, we just like to get some food and then get right into activities. So we did that. We went to the buffet and then when we were there, we recognized our server who was on the last cruise with our family on the Dream Raphael. He was our main server on that cruise. And the kids loved him. We all loved him. And we had no idea he was on the Destiny. So like, like we said hi and like we showed him like the picture we had. He's like, oh, yeah, I remember you guys. And then so we actually went down after we had our buffet food and requested to be in his area because he is now a head server. So he got promoted since then. So my husband went and did that, that line. And then I got the kids registered for the kids club. Then we just went back up to the pool deck and hung out there for the afternoon. [00:19:34] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I love that whenever you have a server that you've had a great relationship with, you've had great service from, I mean, of course this is a little bit different because you can't have him as your server because now he's essentially an area manager, but you can still have him as your area manager. And then he makes sure that you're taken good care of by whoever your server is. So that means your dining rotation probably changed from whatever you originally were assigned to in the app. Now, now, were you early dining or late. I'm imagining early dining with 6 and 8 year old. Okay, yeah. So early dining, but they switch your dining rotation in order to put you in that person's area. And they can, they have a lot of flexibility to do that because there are other people who want to switch and are making dining changes usually around the same time. And so there, there's an ability to do that. Okay, so you get the kids registered. Now are your kids. Now are they kids club kids? [00:20:27] Speaker A: They are, yes. [00:20:28] Speaker C: Awesome. And the kids club, they had been had they been on the wish with you? [00:20:32] Speaker A: Yes. But my son, when we went on the wish, he was like a pretty fresh three. Like he was like three D and three and a half. So he doesn't really remember anything from that. And then this is his first year that he wasn't in like the three and four year old. [00:20:50] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah. If kids like the kids club, they usually like when they're released from that little young cohort. Right. They usually appreciate being with the bigger kids. Did your son fit that description? [00:21:04] Speaker A: Very much so, yeah. [00:21:05] Speaker C: And. And your daughter, is she, is she a kids club? Is she into the kids club, and has she been since the start? [00:21:11] Speaker A: Yes, she's into it. I feel like this trip, it was like, my son, who is 6, he was more into it than she was. I think some of the activities might start to be seeming like a little young to her, but she still overall was a fan and enjoyed being there. [00:21:27] Speaker C: Awesome. All right, well, let's talk about some of the entertainment offerings on board the Destiny. We've talked about a lot of these meet and play activities, some of which are adult only, some of which are family friendly. And of course, there's some new shows on board, both atrium shows and of course, ones in theater space Saga. It's not really a theater, but it's sort of a mini theater that sort of replaces the D Lounge. I'm curious, what, if any, of those activities did you all get up to, either as a family or just you and your husband? [00:22:01] Speaker A: So my son almost sat out everything. He, like, we gave him the choice and, like, pretty much every time it was kids club. [00:22:09] Speaker B: Yeah, sounds familiar. [00:22:12] Speaker A: Which is nice because, I mean, he likes to do what he likes to do. And it's awesome that we have the choice where we're not choosing between whether we all miss out and keep him happy. Like, he's happy, we're happy, everyone's happy, which we love about cruising. Everyone could do what they want. So the only activity that he went to was Seize the Adventure. That was the only show, the only activity besides Silent Disco. That was the only other thing we were able to get him to go to. [00:22:40] Speaker C: I love that. Love silent. Well, what did you all think of Seize the Adventure? And of course, what did you think of Silent Disco? I think that's always a really fun activity. [00:22:49] Speaker A: We love sees the adventure. It's a great way to start the cruise because it has, you know, all the characters, and it's. [00:22:55] Speaker C: It's. [00:22:55] Speaker A: It's short, which is great for kids. You don't have to spend too much time paying attention. And then Silent Disco was a huge hit. That was a lot of fun. I was surprised at how much fun I had. I hadn't actually been to one before, but I knew the kids would like it, and we all had a great time. [00:23:11] Speaker C: Awesome. I love that. All right, well, what about activities that you all did with your daughter? [00:23:16] Speaker A: So we did all of the stage shows with my daughter. She did the Maleficent meet and greet. Not. Not. Or the one where she did the little show beforehand. Yes. So we did that under her ballads [00:23:31] Speaker C: is what that was called. [00:23:32] Speaker A: Yes, that's the name of it. Yes. So we did that one. She did both of the shows with Ziya and Gambled. The Tiana one and the Sleeping Beauty one. I think those were the main ones that she did. And then I, on my own, did the doctor Facilier's Parlor. [00:23:51] Speaker C: Nice. [00:23:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:52] Speaker C: You did a lot of stuff. [00:23:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, we tried. I feel like there's just so much you can't do it all. Like, we had to still pick and choose. And then my husband and I did that Marvel Adult show. We did that. And we did the Wakanda Drumming show. [00:24:08] Speaker C: Awesome. All right, well, let's start with the Maleficent show and the two Zion Gamble shows, one being the Sleeping Beauty retelling and one of them is the Tiana's retelling, both of which are interactive. I'd say the Tiana's one is even more interactive than the Princess and the Frog one is even more interactive. It's kind of a Mad Libs version of Princess and the Frog. And the Sleeping Beauty is audience participation as well. Retelling. But, yeah. What did you guys think of the. All of those activities and shows? [00:24:44] Speaker A: We love them. So the Maleficent one, that was great. I think she was a little spooked, but not overly, like, a good amount. Like, where it was fun. We did stay and do the picture afterwards, which was nice. I saw Pro tip. [00:24:57] Speaker C: You gotta be downstairs to the picture. Yeah. If you want. So if you go to Maleficent under her spell show, you must be on deck four in Saga, not deck five in Saga. You won't get to do the picture. [00:25:11] Speaker A: Yes. So we enjoyed that. The Tiana one was super cute. The Mad Libs were fun. And then the Sleeping Beauty one, that was when I was doing the Dr. Facilier's thing, so I was not there, but my husband, her. And she got chosen for the participation, which of course, she loved. She had her, like, Aurora Twirl dress on. So I think that might have played into her getting selected. But they, like. [00:25:37] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:38] Speaker A: So I guess she took a video and they gave her a choice between, like, if she, like, two different powers or something she would want. But she, like, did not understand it was an either or choice and, like, made up her own power that she wanted. And Zion Gamble were very good at improvising and going with the flow and adapting to what she said. So they were awesome. I was very impressed with them in all the shows. [00:26:02] Speaker C: Oh, awesome. Yeah. I have to say, these actors who have these storyteller roles, they can't just Be actors who work on a script. They have to be really, really good at improv. And we've found with all of the ones that we've seen, I mean, there are some that are better than others or we like more than the others, but all of them are super talented at improvisation and if they aren't, they're not gonna. It is not going to be right for those roles. So I love that. That's awesome. Okay, well, turning to Dr. Facilier's parlor, what did you think of that and did you have the intuition? [00:26:42] Speaker A: I was not one of the people who participated, which was more than fine with me, but I enjoyed watching it. I like magic tricks and stuff like that and I felt like the actor who played him was very well suited. I'm sure he wasn't the original first cast person, but he was fantastic and I thought he did a great job with the role. [00:27:04] Speaker C: Awesome. I love that. Okay, we gotta ask Marvel with great power. As folks who are not big Marvel fans, you say you probably know more than the rest of your family about Marvel and that's not a whole lot. Did you find. Well, one, did you enjoy the show? And two, did you find that you knew just enough about Marvel? Because it's really. I think you just have to kind of have a familiarity with who the characters are. I don't really think you need to know all, all their like, deep backstory. It probably helps to have seen a couple of the movies, but you don't need to see everything. What did you think? [00:27:36] Speaker A: Yes, I agree with that. So I think we knew enough to like get probably 75% of the jokes. I'm sure there were some that went over our heads a bit, but we thought it was funny. We understood most of it. And again, like, they're improv and they're, you know, the way that they act everything out is very funny and we, we had a great time. And the performer beforehand, the singer, she was exceptional. [00:28:00] Speaker C: Exceptional. Everyone who has that role, both on the Treasure and on the Destiny, they do this singing performance before the Zion Gamble or Sage and Coriander show. And that singer brings the house down. It's just incredible. Like such talented performers on the ship. All right, I gotta ask you about the main stage show. Just what we talked about. Seas the adventure. Super cute, great for kids. It's like 35 minutes long. So it's perfect for that kid who maybe can't sit through an hour, hour and 10 minute show. But of course we know you got to see two other shows on board and I gotta know what you thought, of course. I mean Frozen is wonderful, but I gotta know what you thought of Hercules. [00:28:47] Speaker A: It was so good. I loved it so much. That was definitely a highlight of the cruise for me. Like in like the top few things that I thought were the best part parts of the Destiny. That was definitely number one or number two. I was very impressed. [00:29:01] Speaker C: Now, did your daughter enjoy Hercules? But also I'm curious, did she enjoy Frozen? Because I don't. You hadn't seen it on any of the other ships yet. [00:29:09] Speaker A: So I asked her which one she liked the best and she said she like sees the adventure the best. So that was her number one. [00:29:17] Speaker C: Kids can't always be right. [00:29:19] Speaker A: Yeah, I think Hercules was like, like a little like when we sat pretty close to for Hercules. So we were, you know, more in the action than we were for the other two shows. But I think it was like with the. Some of the parts of it were a little more dark and intense for her. I mean she enjoyed all three. But yeah, her rankings is a bit different than, than mine. [00:29:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, but that's fine. She's an 8 year old. She's allowed to like, it's more, it leans more Fab five. Right. Like you've got Mickey and Goofy are like the main characters and it's more of a montage of different songs. So you've got Crush. Right. Like, makes sense that that audience prefers the variety show over the storytelling amazingness that is Hercules. Absolutely. [00:30:03] Speaker B: Are you listening to our show because [00:30:04] Speaker D: 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. My Path Unwinding Travel is an authorized Disney vacation planner. Which means they are recognized by Disney for their expertise and 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 mypathunwinding.com or email dclduomypathunwinding.com so they know we sent you their way. Thanks. My path unwinding for sponsoring today's show. Now back to the episode. [00:31:02] Speaker C: Well, I gotta, I gotta ask about. I want to ask about food and the dining experience in the rotational dining because obviously you got to experience Pride Lands Feast of the Lion King. You got to experience marvel. You had experienced marvel before on the Wish, but this is your second time experiencing it and it's on the Destiny. Although you had, well, you had the different show but the same menu as on the Wish and then of course 1923, which I think is always a hit for people. So. Yeah. What did you think of the dining experience? Let's start with Feast of the lion with Pride Lands Feast of the Lion King. [00:31:37] Speaker A: That was my favorite. It was so good. The food was amazing and I absolutely loved the whole entertainment aspect of it. And we didn't even have like the greatest, greatest table positioning wise. And I still felt like with that show, I would say like probably 90% of the tables can enjoy it pretty well and we were pretty far back. But like I could still see enough of it and I could obviously hear it really well. But yeah, I thought it was incredible. [00:32:05] Speaker C: Awesome. How did the kids like it, both in terms of the show and the food? I'm curious. I mean, it doesn't obviously involve characters, it's more storytelling with the music, but. But I mean, I think if you really like the Lion King, you'll probably enjoy it regardless. But I'm curious, you know, how a six and an eight year old feel about it. [00:32:23] Speaker A: They did like it. One thing that kind of came into play this cruise is that my six year old, my son, he was much more aware that we were in the ocean on a big ship and was not sure how he felt about that. So we definitely dealt with some new anxieties with cruising that we weren't really expecting. So that was the second night that we were there when he, like the first night, I don't. It didn't quite click for him until like bedtime that we were sailing. So by this night when we. He knew we had left Lighthouse Point, we were on the ocean again. So he was feeling nervous again. So that was kind of his focus throughout the whole dinner, unfortunately. So that kind of made it a little bit, you know, less enjoyable for all of us, but. [00:33:10] Speaker C: And you do feel the movement more in the back of the ship and so you kind of. And that's not a. I'm not saying it's like unbearable or anything like that, but it might give you greater awareness that you're moving. Right. And that you're not, like, at port anymore. Yeah. That's interesting. Yeah. Well, hopefully that won't. I mean, since nothing obviously went wrong on your sailing as far as ship operations, hopefully he'll be able to alleviate some of that anxiety going forward. And obviously, now that he's, you know, been on the ships a couple times, it is interesting to have that pop up now. But maybe it's just the age kind of a thing versus. [00:33:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Because last time he was four, so I don't think it was, like, a thought. [00:33:52] Speaker C: And now no awareness. [00:33:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Now he's six and he's putting more things together. But this was probably, like, one of the, like, peak worrying moments. So it's like the first night into the second night where, like, our big worry zone. And then it. It did get better. And of course, Raphael, he came over and was like, why aren't you eating? And he's. I'm like, well, he's just a little nervous. And he did be like, I live on the ship. [00:34:13] Speaker C: Like, it's fine. Yeah. Oh, that's a great. I love that. That's great. For Rafael to assure him, I live here. It's okay. Like, nothing's gonna happen. I live here every day. Oh, that's really. Yeah. That's wonderful. That's great. [00:34:27] Speaker A: And that did help a lot because that. I mean, he appreciated that. I guess you wouldn't live here if it wasn't right. [00:34:33] Speaker C: If it wasn't safe. Exactly. [00:34:34] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:34:35] Speaker C: Well, what about Marvel? Like I mentioned, you had the same dinner menu in Marvel as you had had on the Wish, but the different show, you have the Groot and Rocket Guardians of the Galaxy themed show with the trivia that's happening now. Of course, I'm guessing your family didn't do great on the trivia participation, because that actually does require more. I'd say that is where the deeper Marvel knowledge is gonna help you more. So. But how did you enjoy the dinner? [00:35:04] Speaker A: I liked it. Kids were very into it. They loved that thing. As an adult, I was not overly impressed with the show as a non Marvel person, and just. I don't know, I didn't feel like it was. It was, like, as good as the Spider man show, but the kids loved it. They loved pushing the buttons. They were fighting over the buttons, and it was the whole thing. And that kept everyone, like, very distracted and happy throughout the whole dinner. So overall, that was a hit for our family. [00:35:31] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, it's all about entertaining the kids at dinner. We don't like us Adults, we don't really need that much entertainment. We do. We love the music. [00:35:39] Speaker A: The playlist was great. [00:35:40] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. [00:35:41] Speaker B: It continues long after you've left. Because the serving team we had mentioned and. Oh, yeah, they just leave this going while we're like, setting up for the next dinner seating. Or when we're cleaning up after the last dinner seating. [00:35:50] Speaker C: Yeah, they're setting up for breakfast the next morning. [00:35:53] Speaker B: I was trying to build the whole playlist for a friend of ours, and so I was like, can I just hang out in here? And we still, like. I would have been there for another hour and a half, probably cataloging songs. Yeah. [00:36:03] Speaker C: What about 1923 now? Of course, you had been in 1923 on the wish. Not a huge difference. Of course, there's some different decor, you know, in the cases and whatnot. I mean, I always think that that's a solid menu. It's solid night of dinner. There's no show. But that's always, like, kind of nice to have that one quiet, quieter night. [00:36:23] Speaker A: Yeah, that was our last dinner, which I felt like was the perfect way to end the cruise. And we all absolutely loved our meals. My daughter, she's been ordering off the adult menu because she has much more adventurous palette. And she loved the tuna appetizer. Like, I could tell the server was, like, surprised when she ordered it, but he was like, oh, no. [00:36:44] Speaker C: Okay. [00:36:44] Speaker A: And then, like, when he came back, like, she had, like, eaten it in, like, I think, like 30 seconds. She, like, inhaled it. She loved it. [00:36:51] Speaker C: Is that the. The, like the. The tuna tartare, like. [00:36:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:55] Speaker C: Oh, my God. [00:36:56] Speaker B: The ahi tuna tower. I think it might be something like [00:36:59] Speaker A: that, but yeah, it's like the raw tuna. Yeah, she loved it. [00:37:03] Speaker C: That's awesome. Okay, well, yeah, good on her. Good job, mom, for getting your kid to eat, like, more than one of them. [00:37:12] Speaker A: My son is all chicken tenders and. [00:37:15] Speaker C: Well, you know, we, We. We have to, you know, we have to take the wins we get. Right. Love it. Okay, well, I want to shift over to the private islands because you did get to experience two private islands on your cruise. You got to go to Castaway Cay and Lookout Key. You had been to Castaway before, from my memory. But had you been to Lookout before? [00:37:36] Speaker A: Yes, we went on that without the kids on our most recent cruise on the Dream. So this was the kids first time there, but our second time time. [00:37:43] Speaker C: Awesome. Okay, well, how do you. I mean, what did you guys do on the private islands? Did you just, like, just, you know, beach day? Did you book Anything. Did you do any bike rides, tubes, things like that? [00:37:54] Speaker A: So we brought snorkel gear for me and my daughter. I've been trying to find a snorkel buddy, and I have not really quite yet found one. We tried. So at Lookout, we didn't really do much. Like, we just went in the very shallow water because it was a little wavy there, and we didn't want to get too adventurous. Was more just like poking our head in and peeking. So we did that. And then my son just did, you know, like sandcastles. We pack our own sand castle equipment. [00:38:25] Speaker C: Yes. You got to bring sand toys. I mean, and the only way sand toys are included, and I'm doing air quotes there, is if you've got a cabana, you get sand toys to use in the cabana. Otherwise, you're going to buy them at one of the little stands and you're going to pay like $30 for, like, a few sand toys. It's crazy. So bring your own. If your kids are really into building sandcastles, our son is as well. Bring sand toys whenever you're going on a beach excursion. Even at Castaway and Lookout. [00:38:57] Speaker A: Definitely agree. And then both kids liked the slide area at Lookout. [00:39:03] Speaker C: Yeah, my son more so. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Yeah. It was a little young for my daughter. She did it for like 10 minutes, and I was like, okay. But my son really liked that area. We saw the Junkanoo celebration, which we saw that the first time we were there too, and we really liked it. Yeah. But we didn't stay a full day on the beach. It was. We had excellent weather, but it was a lot of sun and coming from New York, and we're getting out of winter. We're just not. We're not ready for. [00:39:34] Speaker C: Body's not ready for all that sun. Not for. Not for two full days of sun. I totally get. And Lookout still, even. I mean, it's beautiful, but it still doesn't have quite as much shade as it hopefully one day will when the palm trees all, you know, grow taller and bushier. And so it is still less shady than Castaway, for example. Yeah. [00:39:57] Speaker A: I felt like we were diligent with sunscreen, but we were not diligent enough. And I feel like a lot of people were caught off guard too, where, like, a lot of people had burnt burns after that day. [00:40:07] Speaker C: So, yeah, we got burns at Castaway. Basically, we were the same week pretty much as you, and we all got sunburned and cast away. [00:40:16] Speaker B: Wait, there's no we there. That's you and Nathan. I did not get Sunburned. [00:40:19] Speaker C: Okay. That's because you stayed in the cabana, like, the whole time, and Nathan and I were out on the sand. What do they call those? The sand bars? Is that when there's loads of bit. Oh, my God. No. Nathan and I were out there for, like, hours. You were in the cabana enjoying the shade, Brian. Eating, puzzling, whatever you were doing. [00:40:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I was having a grand old time. [00:40:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, what about. What about Castaway? You also. Your kids had been there before, and you had been there before. What'd you guys get up to there? [00:40:52] Speaker A: So we started the day on the family beach. We got a spot near, like that little play area in the water. Not the slides, but like the little monkey bar and stuff like that. And then again, like, first thing, we tried snorkeling and like, me and my daughter went out and we got, I don't know, to like the first spot where a lifeguard is. And she's like, this is too hard. I don't want to do it. So, like, we didn't even get to see anything. So I sent her back and I was like, I am gonna go and see some of the stuff. I didn't see everything, but I at least went out and saw like maybe three or four of the little statues and saw some fish, and then I came back. [00:41:27] Speaker C: It is actually. People don't really, you know, the tide is very. It's not like very. There's not a lot of waves. Right. It's not. There's not a lot of wake on that water. So it's not like it's a difficult swim in that sense. But it actually. To get to see all the things that you're talking about, to see sort of the statues that they've sunk in the. Into the water there in the snorkel reef, you actually have to swim quite a bit out. And so it is tiring in that sense. You have to be like a decent swimmer. You don't have to be like an expert swimmer, but a decent swimmer. And if you put one of those, like, floaty vests, that'll help you as well. But I can kind of. I can understand. And that's probably a bit of a tough one for an eight year old. Yeah. Sarah, we just have to go together and we'll be snorkel buddies. Yeah. Because I don't like going by myself either. [00:42:14] Speaker A: Yeah. I would have loved to go and see all of them, but I didn't want to, like, be off by myself for too long. On our family beach day but that was fun. And then, of course, more sand castles and playing on that little play area in the water. No one wanted to do the water slide, so we didn't make our way over there. But it's nice because now we've kind of reached the ages where we don't need to be, like, within, like, arms reach of the kids and the water. Like, we can sit and read while they're kind of, like, building a sandcastle, and that's very nice. That totally changes the beach day. [00:42:50] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Well, and you can bring your, like, one of those chairs up to the waterline and, like, sit partially in the water and read or have a drink and chat. And the kids spot. Yeah, and then the kids are, you know, maybe 10, 15ft away, and you're fine. I love that. Yeah, that's. And the. And the other part that's lovely is that there is a lifeguard everywhere on Castaway and Lookout. And so you know that there's somebody else. I mean, of course, you got to keep an eye on your own kids, but, like, you also know there's somebody else that, like, God forbid something happens, there's a lifeguard that's there and ready to help, you know, in case. Especially if you're not the best swimmer. Lovely. Now, did you spend the whole day out on Castaway? What was the weather like there? Because you mentioned the weather being great at Lookout. [00:43:32] Speaker A: Yeah, our whole cruise, we had perfect weather, so that was awesome. So then we did lunch, and then we brought the kids to the kids club on the island, and we went to Serenity Bay. And then, like, as soon as we got over there, and we're, like, at the bar, we got a text. Serena wants to be picked up from the kids club. [00:43:50] Speaker C: Of course. [00:43:52] Speaker A: Well, we're gonna order a drink and finish our drink. So we just got our drink, and then we. We, you know, drank it slowly and made. Then we made our way back, but we had a few minutes on the adult beach to enjoy the quiet. [00:44:07] Speaker C: Darn those kids all cramping near my adult drinks. [00:44:11] Speaker B: Get off my lawn. [00:44:12] Speaker C: Yeah, it is one of those things. The good thing is, is that if they message you, it's not a. You must come right this minute. Like, it might sound like it, but they'll tell you if it. If it's an emergency, and they'll tell you it's an emergency. So it's just one of those texts that they want be picked up. They. You know, that the kid can wait. You know, they'll. They'll wait another half Hour, hour, whatever. They'll message you again. If the kid go. If your kiddo goes back to the counselors and said, I want my parents to come pick me up. And they haven't come yet. Like, they'll send you another message. [00:44:44] Speaker A: Yeah. So we did get a second text, like, as we were gathering our stuff. They're like, okay, all right. [00:44:51] Speaker C: Okay. I guess that's the bell that tells me I gotta go get the kids. [00:44:55] Speaker B: I'll tell you what though. On our last cruise, we got more calls about Nathan in the Edge than we did. [00:45:00] Speaker C: We got. [00:45:01] Speaker B: Although he was always the victim of something. It was. [00:45:03] Speaker C: Yeah. So we didn't even talk about this on the show that we did. But yeah, Nathan got hit with a ping pong paddle by another kid. Yeah. And then. But it was like. It was a kid with like a disability and like, it wasn't. It doesn't. [00:45:17] Speaker B: Was very understanding about it. [00:45:18] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, he was. He took it real well. He was fine. And then what was the other one he got? I forget what the other call was about. Oh, somebody called him a really not name. [00:45:29] Speaker B: Yeah. His uppings have come from his prior experience in the kids club doing the same thing to somebody else, even if it was justified. Yeah. [00:45:36] Speaker C: Yeah, it's. Anyway, it's a funny story. Not. Not fit for this family friendly podcast. What. What Nathan said many, many years ago to another child in the Oceaneers Club is not. Is. It's not appropriate language for even this pod. I can't believe that you brought that up, Brian. That's so hilarious. I haven't thought about that in a while. All right, well, Sarah, you have a wonderful day at Lookout, a wonderful day at Castaway. You did some great stuff on board the Disney Destiny. What have we missed in terms of any. Are there any activities or, I don't know, were there any great character interactions, things that you do? Oh, the pirate makeover. Actually, I got to ask about the. How did the pirate makeover go? What did your son think after? And did he get to like really get in. Reel in onto pirate night? [00:46:27] Speaker A: Yeah. So there's like the three options for it. There is like the one where it's like pretty much just makeup and they give you like a little backpack and I don't know, like a few other little trinkety things. And then there is like the middle of the road one where you get like a vest and like a few more costume items. And then there's like the really expensive one where you get like, like a full out costume. So we just did like the most basic one where we brought our own costume from home. And then when you get there, they like make you roll dice and like the number of the dice somehow corresponds to a pirate name. And they write that for you on like a little certificate and that's like your name for the rest of the night. And then. And then there's like a little sheet of paper that has all the different options for makeup choices. And then he got to pick which one he wanted to do. The whole experience was very fast. So our reservation time was at 5:30, which I was a little nervous about because we had the early dinner. But that again, there wasn't great choices for the times when we were able to book. So we went to 5:30. We got there a little early. They couldn't take us. They said, come back in 10 minutes. So we probably checked into the makeover like five minutes early and we were to dinner on time. So it was, it was fast and it was not very crowded in there when we went. And the makeup artist was great with kids, of course, and, you know, was making jokes with him and, you know, making it really fun the whole time. And then afterwards you can take your picture. They have like a little backdrop. You can just use your phone to take pictures. He thought it was great. I don't know that to my opinion, it was worth the $70 that we paid for it. But he loved it and he was very happy with it. And he used like a gift card that he had from like his birthday. So it was like his money, his purchase. [00:48:20] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. Well, and 70 something dollars for like just that, really. The makeup and some trinkets, not even the costume. Like, I mean, it's very smart to bring your own costume. They had the. The highest level package. The costumes are pretty nice, but they're like. It's like $200. Yeah. It's crazy. So, like, get your own costume off of Amazon or wherever and bring it with you if you're going to do even the same with the princess makeover for, you know, I say find a costume in their kid's size and their preferred princess or pirate and bring that. [00:48:55] Speaker B: I'm going to undercut some of Sam's rapid fire here for one second. [00:48:59] Speaker C: Well, she did. We're going to do an abbreviated rapid fire. Okay. [00:49:02] Speaker B: All right. Well, abbreviated, fair. But I may still undercut some of your questions. I'm just giving you fair warning. Sarah, I'm super curious to know, know how did your kids, like, enjoy the Destiny overall as compared to their other cruise experiences. Did they like the villains aspect and like the meet and greet stuff or were they like it sounds like at least it sounded like your son was like, I'm good, I'm just gonna go to the kids club. But like did they enjoy those interactions? They had fun if they experienced them. [00:49:29] Speaker A: Yeah. So like you said, my son, I think no matter what ship we were on, like his preferred activity is going to be kids club and pool and that's accessible on any cruise. So he's like, I don't know. I asked him which one he liked better. He's like, I don't know. He just probably isn't remembered the last cruises we were on that great. But my daughter, she said she likes all the ships she couldn't really choose. I think if I had to pick a ship to put her on, I think the Wish would probably be her favorite because it's more to her interest. But there was plenty of stuff for them to do and she really liked the Tiana and the Sleeping Beauty thing. She really liked Frozen and Sees, the Adventure stage shows. She liked all the dining. So I mean, I don't think she has any complaints about the crew as being too villains or too scary or. And even the Maleficent one, it was like a little spooky for her, but she overall enjoyed the experience. [00:50:30] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that makes like total sense because while there are some of the these like we'll call, I'm going to call them add on activities. Right. There's additional things that are on the Destiny that skew very heavily Marvel or Villains, but those are add ons. The ship still has all the other stuff that you've come to expect on the other ships, like, you know, trivias, family game shows, kids clubs, stage shows. Right, all of those. And regular character meet and greets, all of those things are still there. So really just depends on like if your kids want to do those extra things. And then of course there are some that are extra things that are adult only extras. So. Yeah, that makes sense to me. I'm, I'm glad to hear that too because one of the things that we, you know, we just couldn't tell because, well one, our first experience on the Destiny was without Nathan on a preview cruise. And then even with Nathan, he's a 12 year old and he goes off and does edge the whole time and he doesn't want to go to any of the shows with us. So it's kind of like you're son, but he's just the 12 year old version of Your son, right, like he's gonna do his thing. It really doesn't matter to him which ship he's on. He would say he likes the Wish class if he's in the Oceaneers Club because he likes that kids club the best. So he thinks it's like the, the best of the, you know, variety of what the, the things you get to do in the kids club. But other than that space now that he's in Edge, I. I don't think the space really matters all that much. It matters like who the other kids are on with him, you know, what friends he makes, that sort of thing. [00:52:06] Speaker A: And plus on like the short four night cruises, like you can't fit in all the things even if you wanted to. So it's just, I don't know, I don't think the extra activities being Marvel or villain focused is that big of a deal when there's just so much more than you could possibly fit in to do. [00:52:23] Speaker B: Anyways, which ship is this is where I'm really going to undercut Sam. Which ship now that you've sailed on a few. Few is your favorite. Did. Did the Destiny come out? Did the Destiny come out like on top of the others or is it just kind of, you know, where does it fall for you? [00:52:38] Speaker A: So I would put it at number one. I do like the new ships. Like, I like the, like the new staterooms. Like they're much nicer than the ones on, on the Dream. So I like just the new spaces I prefer. And then what I would say gives it the edge above the wish for me are the Pride Lands restaurant and the Hercules Show. So that's why I would rank it above the wish. [00:53:01] Speaker B: How'd your kids do with the Pride Lands food? Do they eat anything off the adult menu in Pride Lands? [00:53:05] Speaker A: So that was the night where my son was just miserable and didn't eat anything. So I was very focused on him. And I'm trying to remember what my daughter ate. I think she may have ordered salmon or some kind of fish from the adult one. [00:53:16] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. She's the adventurous one on eating, so that would track. [00:53:21] Speaker A: Pretty much Always ordered from the adult menu. Sometimes she would get like the kid dessert. I think they both got the kid dessert at Pridelands because it was like a dirt pudding something or other, so. [00:53:30] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:53:32] Speaker C: That one's really good. Yeah, that one is really good. It's like. Yeah, it's the pudding with like the crumble cake and then the gummy worms and gummy bugs and stuff on there. It's like. Yeah, it's really cute. Well, is there anything we've, we've not covered, Sarah? Brian already scooped me on, on rapid Fire because we did a rapid fire with you several years ago. But of course I wanted to know what your favorite ship is now. But yeah, so actually I'm going to scoop him by asking what's next for you and your family. [00:54:01] Speaker B: You get the whole, you get a whole rapid fire round. [00:54:03] Speaker C: I don't know. You killed it. I was going to just. [00:54:05] Speaker B: I killed the whole thing with one question that was a really abbreviated rapid fire around. [00:54:10] Speaker A: I got off easy. So we do have the Treasure booked for a very maritime cruise in December. December. [00:54:19] Speaker C: So I love that. It's so funny. So at. I'm gonna. What did I say before we started recording, Sarah? [00:54:26] Speaker A: That you couldn't decide between the Treasure and Destiny, which one you liked more? [00:54:30] Speaker C: And what did I say I was gonna recommend to you after the Treasure? The Treasure and you had already booked. Yeah, I love that. I love that. No, I honestly, I think now that you've been on the Wish and the Destiny and you really enjoy both of them, I think really the next step is a seven night cruise for you. You haven't been on a seven night cruise yet. That's the only like, I mean that's the perfect. Not to say there aren't great itineraries that are longer of course, but of like the standard itineraries. The best itineraries are, is a seven night itinerary and the Treasure is a great ship and you're a Parks person. You mentioned, you know, of course that you started with going to the Parks. I feel like that's going to, I feel like the Treasure is going to be your favorite ship after you. Yeah, I just, I, I just can tell, I'm good at predicting these things. So. Yeah. All right, I am going to ask you. So I'm not going to do a whole rapid fire and Brian already spoiled your favorite ship. [00:55:26] Speaker B: Wait, wait, let me do a rapid fire round then and I'll come up with all new questions. [00:55:29] Speaker C: Okay, I was just going to ask, I wanted to ask, I was going to ask a food question, but go ahead. [00:55:34] Speaker B: Well, go ahead, go ahead, ask your food question. But then the listeners can get the special Brian rapid fire. [00:55:39] Speaker C: No, Brian rapid Fire. Go for it. Brian rapid fire. [00:55:41] Speaker B: All right, here we go, Sarah. It's time for Brian Rapid fire which is means well thought out questions, zero judgment and no arbitrariness. So there we go. I'm just, I'm going To focus on the Destiny. So we talk about the Destiny. So, like, what was your favorite villain's interaction on the ship? [00:56:00] Speaker A: I think the maleficent one was very well done. I liked how there was, like, the show component. I like the Dr. Facilier thing. But the whole process of being crammed in the room and waiting in the long line, that was, like, a bit much for what the experience actually was in the end. But the maleficent one, that you got to sit and it was more leisurely and enjoyable and very well done. [00:56:25] Speaker C: Yeah, totally agree. The Dr. Facilier one is super cool, but it's like you're waiting a long time for a very short experience, and that trade off is not necessarily worth it. Even though Dr. Facilier himself, like, you had a great one. We had a great one as well. [00:56:41] Speaker B: I can't remember if we mentioned this in our trip reporter not. But do not sit down when you first go in the room because he will impolitely ask you to not sit at his table without being invited. So. Yeah. All right. What was your favorite of the new things that you got to experience on the Destiny? From a food standpoint, I think primarily than in Pride Lands, like, what was your favorite dish? [00:57:04] Speaker A: So I got the shrimp curry for my entree, and that was so good. I think that's probably my favorite entree out of all the ones I've had. [00:57:14] Speaker B: I'm really looking forward to getting back on the Destiny because what I really want to try is the Night 2 menu. They had this spread for us on the preview sailing that we could. And there's like, all these dishes. I was like, what is that? They're like, oh, that's the night two menu. And I'm like, we don't get the night two menu. So, yeah, I'm really excited. But the. Yeah, that shrimp dish is. [00:57:31] Speaker C: That shrimp curry is so good. [00:57:32] Speaker B: The Burber chicken's actually. Is it Burber chicken? [00:57:34] Speaker C: Yeah, it was burber spice chicken. [00:57:35] Speaker B: That was nature. [00:57:36] Speaker C: Yeah, that was really good too. [00:57:37] Speaker B: We would have eaten three of those if we. [00:57:38] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, Nate Nathan gobbled that up. That's actually one of the few times. It's one of the few, like, he will go for, like, an adult, like, steak, but that was probably, like, the. Maybe the one and only time that he's ever eaten, like, one of the adult, like, dishes that wasn't just, like, a steak and a baked potato or something. [00:57:55] Speaker B: Now, I don't know that we have had a chance to talk to Sarah since the new class of ship Came out. So I'm gonna re ask the question that Sam usually likes to ask. Well, you haven't been on. On the magic. So you haven't done the Aqua Dunk, right? Yes. So you've done the Aqua. You've done the Aqua Mouse and the Aqua Duck. Do you have a favorite is between the two of those? [00:58:15] Speaker A: I like the mouse. I think the videos are fun and it adds a little something extra to it. So I would say mouse. [00:58:21] Speaker B: Have you gotten to do all the different videos on the Aquamouse? [00:58:23] Speaker A: No. So another thing my son was nervous about was the Aquamouse. I don't think he likes that. It's so, like, up high. Like, he's been on much scarier water slides. But I think just the mental block of it being like, up high on the show ship was just a no go. So we only did it one time. So we got the Swiss Snow one. [00:58:42] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. [00:58:43] Speaker B: The Yeti. The only working yeti in the Disney system. Yes. Okay, so of the new bar spaces on board, so you've got the. You've got the Kask and Cannon. No, wait, did I get that right? Yes. Kaskan. You've got the Devilles, you've got the Doctor Strange Bar. [00:59:03] Speaker C: Bar. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Yeah, the Sanctum. What was your favorite? Did you have a favorite bar space on board? [00:59:08] Speaker A: Yeah, so we made it to all of the bars except for Sanctum. So on the Dream Class ship, my favorite bar, hands down is Meridian. And I missed, like, the outdoor space of a bar because that's what I really love is just sitting with the drink and, like, watching the water. So I would say the row is just because it has those beautiful windows, but outside of that and having the outside experience, I would say deville's was my next favorite. [00:59:37] Speaker D: Nice. [00:59:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I enjoyed all the bars on board at some level, but, yeah, I love Meridian is just. There is no bar that beats it, in my opinion. All right, let me think of one more question. Okay. So of the. The shows that you got to see, either with Zaya and Gamble or the villains in that kind of main stage stage show in there, the theater in the atrium, did you have a favorite? One of those? [01:00:05] Speaker A: I think probably the adult show with Zion Gamble. That was very well done. But I did really like the Wakanda drumming show too, because, I mean, it was similar to. I think it was the same drummers probably from Pride Land who were doing that. It's hard to see from Pride Lands since we were further back, but I love the drumming. I think it's so good. And then Black Panther comes down and everyone gets all excited. So I thought that was also a really nice show. [01:00:32] Speaker B: Pridelands, specifically. What did you think of the show? What did your kids think of the show in Pridelands? And now that you. You said your table was a little [01:00:40] Speaker C: bit further, that was the anxiety night, Brian. So. [01:00:43] Speaker B: Okay. But I'm still curious. Did you. Did you feel like you were missing out on the show in Pride Lands because it's more music and singing than it is, like, stagecraft, I feel like. But, like, if you had a. If you caught any of that show. I'm just curious what you thought about it. [01:00:57] Speaker A: I loved it. It was so good. Because Lion King music, like, I. Absolutely. So that show. I have no notes. It was perfect. We really enjoyed it. I wish we were closer, but I was still a very good experience being further back. [01:01:12] Speaker B: All right, well, I'll let Sam ask any remaining questions that she has. [01:01:17] Speaker C: I will ask my Bucket List question. [01:01:20] Speaker B: You win Rapid Fire for me, by the way. [01:01:22] Speaker C: No, you win. [01:01:22] Speaker B: Everyone's a winner when Brian's. [01:01:23] Speaker C: Everyone's a winner on Brian's version of Rapid Fire. Not everyone's a winner in Sam's version of Rapid Fire. Um, Bucket List Cruise. I don't remember what you'd picked the last time, but of course, it's. You've been on a few more cruises since the last time we talked, Sarah, and so you may have changed what you. Where you'd want to go or what's that sort of goal that you haven't reached yet in terms of a sailing you'd love to do? It could be an imaginary one or one that Disney Cruise Line currently does. You just have to go someplace that's accessible by water. But, yeah, what would that Bucket list cruise look like today? [01:01:58] Speaker A: So I think it's the same as what I said the last time. And we'd love to do one of the Mediterranean cruises at some point. [01:02:04] Speaker C: Yeah, Well, I mean, the wish is going there in 2027. We've got new ships coming online in 2027-2029-2030-2031. Right. So there's lots of opportunities probably in the future for. For med Sailing. So. Awesome. Well, Sarah, thank you so much for coming on the show. It's been. Or coming back on the show, I should say. It's been wonderful. Catch. So, again, welcome to Gold. I think it's awesome. You have gone a rate of more than one a year Disney Cruise. So, I mean, congratulations. You're ahead of the. You're above average and we just hope that you will come back again to update us. And perhaps when you're on the Treasure, we'd love to hear when that becomes your favorite ship because I I'm sure [01:02:55] Speaker A: it will become my favorite. I already know too. [01:02:58] Speaker C: Love it. [01:03:04] 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 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. 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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 MyPath 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. [01:05:05] Speaker B: Good night. [01:05:06] Speaker C: Sam.