28.3 Things We Only Do At Disney World (Magic Version)

[00:00:00] Hey there M&Ms, welcome to a Magic Version episode where we revisit content that helped build this podcast. The conversations our listeners still reference, the advice you still message us about, and the moments that created the community we have today. This isn't a replay, this is a reimagining. The same heart with more experience and yes, still the same opinion.

[00:00:25] Coming up, we're going to hear some really weird, some funny, some not so funny, things that people do at Disney that are maybe more socially acceptable than you may even realize. We are going to share your thoughts. That's right, we took mailbag entries from listeners just like you. Tips, like you're going to learn in every single episode, but in these conversational forward episodes and where we're just kind of laughing and having fun, we learn things that we didn't know about each other

[00:00:53] and about the parks and about all of the strategies that come because it's naturally flowing of stories and things that were situational and things that don't always necessarily apply. So listening to these kinds of episodes, I think is really a treasure trove of extra information that makes you one level higher of a Disney expert. Yeah. On today's episode, we're going to listen and not judge. I'm so excited. Today, we're listening to you.

[00:01:21] We've been taking submissions for a couple of weeks now and we have some really funny things to share. We are going to be talking about the things you would only do at Disney World. Some really funny, maybe some bizarre things that you find yourself doing at Disney World and no other place in life because any other place in the world or any other time of life, it may be a little too weird to do. Mailbags are so much fun. We each have some of these things on lists that each other have not seen.

[00:01:51] So we're going to be hearing some of these for the very first time. Becky has quite a good list from our social media communities. So we're going to start there. And I think we're going to learn a lot about what is socially acceptable at Disney World that is not in other areas of your life. Do we start with one that's just kind of the obvious to get it off the table so people realize that we're not going to stay so simplistic and then move into the juicy stuff? Yeah. Over and over and over and over. We heard, wake up early. Absolutely.

[00:02:19] Every single mom, I feel like, faces that. We go to Disney and this is where I'm a morning person. What about you all? Are you morning people all the time or just at Disney? That is a complex question for me. I do like when I get up early and I'm up before anybody else enjoying coffee. But only if it just naturally happens. If I have to wake up to an alarm at home, I'm miserable. I don't want my alarm to ever go off at home. I don't care if it's 8 a.m. Like a completely late in the morning acceptable time. I don't want an alarm going off at home.

[00:02:48] I'm miserable. But at Disney, it can go off at 4.30 in the morning, which a lot of times it does. And I spring out of bed and I am ready to rock. I was going to say, and happily, the night before, I'm happily setting my alarm for some ridiculous time that I'm going to wake myself and my family up to get ready. Yeah. I'm like, here are my twin three-year-olds. It's 5 a.m. Let's get up and get dressed. Do you want, yeah. We'll give you some of that leftover cotton candy from yesterday and get rocking on the day at 5 o'clock.

[00:03:18] The fuel of all good mornings is cotton candy leftovers from the day before. Oh, goodness. Absolutely. Yeah, I think that's going to be one that everybody can resonate with. Rarely will you find somebody that says, and I know I say all the time on the show, we're not really a rope drop family. And that's true. We do sleep in quite a bit at Disney World. But if there are things we need to get up early for and we need to rock a day from open to close, we happily do it. We set that alarm.

[00:03:44] When we did the four park challenge, we were up and at them, out of our resort, fully dressed by like 6.30 a.m. Yeah. I could hit snooze 13 times a day. But at Disney, I don't even make it to any alarm. Like if I set an alarm, I'm waking up before it. Yeah. All right. What else do you have? All right. This one made me laugh. So Nicole is in our Facebook group. Nicole Kelso said, I do my hair and makeup every day at Disney as if moms don't do their hair and makeup every single day.

[00:04:12] I 100% of that mom and I'm sitting here with my wet hair from my shower. Like if I can get away with a messy bun, I'm doing it every day when I'm at home. Yeah, that's funny. I think most people have their kids figured out and they've got an idea. But then for themselves as an adult, it's a whole nother level of stress and getting themselves ready to look a specific way for Disney parks. Oh, 100%. How many people get their Mickey nails done and get their lash extensions on and dye their hair for the occasion? They have to be picture worthy.

[00:04:40] And that's just totally not necessarily what's happening in mom life. Yeah, I think there's two camps on that though. I think there's definitely the camp that's like I have to get ready every single day. And when I'm at Disney, I wear biker shorts and a bun. But your kids have their hair and makeup done. Exactly. Yeah. Not only are you getting up and doing your hair and makeup, but you're doing it no matter what the weather is going to be. On our recent trip together, it was raining and freezing outside. And yet we still got up and did our hair and makeup. Yeah.

[00:05:10] You know what I mean? And then during summertime when it's 100 degrees outside, why am I doing my makeup? Yeah. It's melting off. Yeah. I remember I wear my hair and braids a lot for the parks. And I remember one time it was summer and I braided my hair like normal. They were really nice, tight braids. I'm not kidding. By 10 a.m., they had just ballooned up. The humidity grew my hair. And I had these like massive braids. It was awful.

[00:05:34] I think the funniest way to look at that is we just evolved it into only at Disney do I throw myself together and do my daughter's hair and makeup. True. And that feeds in really well to getting your kids ready. You're saying with their outfits. Like, Allie, I know you are that Magic Kingdom mom who has your kids all matching each other. Meryl on Instagram said that she matches her outfits to her kids.

[00:05:59] Like, I'm thinking 1990s family photos in a studio where everybody's in matching denim. And with the big hair, where else in your life do you ever match your kids? I have a good one that goes right along with that. It's a perfect segue. This is from a listener named Sean. She said, Only at Disney can I get my teen to wear a matching t-shirt with the rest of the family. So not only are you matching with your little kids, but this is the only place and the only time in the world that your 14-year-old is going to be like,

[00:06:28] Sure, let me match grandma and my little sister all at once. And we'll just wear glittery matching shirts for the entire trip. You guys, when I turned 40 and I went to Disney for my birthday, I dressed up as Minnie Mouse. Allie just almost spit out her coffee because she knows my style is it's cute, but it's also kind of masculine. So for me to put on a full Minnie Mouse dress, I'm talking like the puffy bottom, polka dots, ears, everything.

[00:06:58] I would never go to Target with anything even remotely similar to what I was wearing at Disney. No. Yeah, that dress was like a one and done. You also broke the internet with that dress. I remember you posted it. Went totally viral. And it's so funny because you probably never worn it since. Like how many one times? And it's actually for sale, my Poshmark. Shout out. You can own the 40th birthday Minnie Mouse dress that Carla wore. And the reason why it went so viral because I was like, am I too old to wear this?

[00:07:27] Which was really awesome that all the other Disney moms were like, absolutely not. You don't age at Disney. You're great. Wear it. Wear the dress. Just don't wear the heels with the dress because you'll never make it. But I wear the dress. Yeah, that's perfect. We're coming up with new ones as we talk. Only at Disney would I buy an outfit that would, it was a one time wear. One and done. Oh my gosh, that is so many people do that. For sure. Outfits that never get worn again. Never.

[00:07:57] And we went and stopped at Duncan on the way. I'm so embarrassed about this. We went to Duncan and I live in South Florida. I'm three and a half hours, almost four hours away from Disney. I went into Duncan and I had my miniband on my head and I still just went into my Duncan like I'm just a normal person wearing my Minnie Mouse ears into the Duncan. Like, oh, where else do we wear those? Yeah. Okay. Here's one that goes along with it too. This is just my own personal one since we're talking about clothes. Only at Disney would I change my shirt on public transportation.

[00:08:26] I've done that a handful of times just to make sure I'm matching the park. Yeah. True. And not just changing clothes. You're also dancing on the public transport. Correct. I might do that anywhere though. That's so funny. Okay. Becky, you got another one for us? Let's see. Okay. Ian V Dude on Instagram said, Only at Disney do I eat ice cream or dessert as my meal?

[00:08:52] I think a lot of people would say they do that other places, but I think if you add what I feed my kids ice cream for every meal, you might get a little further with that one. What's weird that I do at Disney that I don't do anywhere else in general is I become this really odd yes mom, which in general in everyday life, I'm really a no mom, but like I feel bad for my kids because I say no so often. I know.

[00:09:15] But at Disney, if they want a premium Mickey bar at 7am and they woke up and got themselves ready and brushed their teeth, I'm like, you deserve it. You deserve it. Wait, wait, wait. No. All yours. Does Liam have to have packed his underwear in order to qualify for that? No. Nope. Nope. Because, you know, we can get those at Disney Springs. Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you, Carla. I feel so bad too being a no mom a lot.

[00:09:44] Like when my kids ask and I say yes, they do a double take at home. Did you say yes? I'm like, I did. But at Disney, yeah, it's yes all the time. Yes. Can I have ice cream? Yes. Cotton candy from yesterday? Yes. Absolutely. It's all about picking your battles. And when you're at Disney, some battles aren't worth it. And you're there for not only your kids joy, but also for your own joy. So to have an argument over a Mickey bar at 730, is it just, it's not on my grand scheme of things for that day.

[00:10:13] Like I don't want to do it. So I'm just like, sure. Yeah, absolutely. Hit me one too. Yeah. What about only at Disney would I push my 10 year old in a stroller all day? Well, I've done that. I know. That's another battle that it's not, it's not worth it. Like I have, my son is a beanpole. He's taller than I am now.

[00:10:38] But when we used to go to Disney and we would clock in like 10, 12 hour days, he'd be like, mom, my legs hurt. And I was like, oh, let's go get a stroller. Let's go get you in a stroller, son. Yeah. What's the line where you shift them? Because I'm assuming you rent the plastic Disney stroller at that point. For sure. At what point do they graduate into renting a wheelchair for them? The wheelchair becomes a stroller. I'm renting the wheelchair, not them. Or maybe we rent ourselves a wheelchair and have somebody push us around. I bet that's a common thing that people would do.

[00:11:08] I think it's just them evolving. Just like we evolved. You know, it's them evolving into their Disney days and having their legs last and less complaining. Yeah. It's tough because it's another one of those things you don't want to fight the battle. So if my 10 year old. I don't want to carry them on my back. No. No. If my 10 year old says her legs are tired, then I guess we need a stroller. Nowhere else in life. I mean, we don't even own a stroller anymore. That's funny. Let me tell you real quick what my Disney dream is.

[00:11:38] Like you had a dream? It could be with you guys. To all of us go and drink around the world and rent scooters and just be like the scooter gang. That would be so fun. Going from country to country. Yeah, that sounds like a blast. When we can dress up as old women. Is that considered drinking and driving? Maybe. I think only at Epcot can you drink and drive. Scooter gang. Okay. Stacy gave us one. You want to hear Stacy's? Yeah. I could be like out on a limb here because she.

[00:12:08] Wait a second. Why'd you just go from my old woman's story to Stacy? That's so wrong. Nice segue there. We love our grandma on the podcast. Okay. I completely disagree on this. This is not what I do, but let's see what you guys think. She said, I actually clean out my bag and restock it every single night. At home, she says, it's a real game of chance whether what I need will be in there because my purse has basically become a six month trash can.

[00:12:36] That part I agree with, but I never clean out my Disney bags. I do. I do. I absolutely. I reset everything. Usually the night before because the morning is so early and chaotic. The night before, I will literally take everything out of the bag, make sure that I don't have something from the day in it that I don't need anymore. If we're low on something, throw that back in. So it's re ready for the day. And I love that she worded it a game of chance because literally everything else in my life has become a game of chance.

[00:13:05] Carla, do you clean out your bag every day? Absolutely not. And not only do I not clean it out every day, but really whatever, when I get home, whatever's sitting in that bag just goes into the drawer. And then the next time I go to Disney, I pull that same bag out. Oh, the bag goes in the drawer, not your stuff goes in a drawer. It's just staying in the bag. No, it stays in the bag and the bag goes away. And then it comes back out when it's ready. Okay, well, something that's funny is only at Disney do I change my bag every single day.

[00:13:31] Part of the reason I will empty my bag is because I have bags that match the parks, right? So I can't wear my Tower of Terror bag to Magic Kingdom. That goes against everything I believe in. So I have to be changing my bag every single day. I'm on board for changing your bag every day. I do not clean out my bag every day. And maybe it's because I'm out of the little kid mode and I'm in teenage mom mode at this point or adult trip mode at this point. But I change my bag every day as well.

[00:13:58] I typically bring up lounge fly for every different day because the lounge fly needs to match whatever the theme for the day is in that situation. But my kids know if we need cash for something, like somebody comes to the door and they're selling something on a fundraiser. They're like, Mom, somebody's here selling something. I'm like, go look in one of my lounge flies. I'm sure that there's some cash in there because I don't ever clean them out. And nowhere else would I use cash in my life. I do keep cash in my bags. I do keep cash in my bag. I'll be like, okay, I regularly use this bag at Disney.

[00:14:28] I don't think I need this cash. It'll just be there for the next time I go because we go a lot. So this will be a nice surprise next time. Becky, because I'm in the teenager adult trip mode too. What's in your bag? Because what's in my bag is Tums, ibuprofen, and the tampons that I've stolen from a deluxe resort because I only do that at Disney too. Wait, are the tampons you can get at a deluxe resort? Are they cardboard applicator or plastic? Cardboard. Cardboard.

[00:14:58] Oh, see, no. No, sir. Not happening. Absolutely not. To me, and the funny thing is I don't even really stay deluxe that often, so I'm not resigning there. Like I didn't pay to stay there. Yeah. You're grabbing them while you're eating at the resigning there. I might not even be on my period and I'm still grabbing like a handful. Why? I don't know because it's one of those. It's not included. It's free and I know I'm going to use them. Yeah. And they always come in clutch because they're always in my bag. That is not one for me. Okay.

[00:15:28] Okay. So, Carla, you're asking about what I put in my bag and mine's very similar to your bag in that it's going to happen. Except I don't use Tums. We use Pepto in our family or Imodium. Like you have to have tummy meds when you're at Disney. Like it's just inevitable. Somebody's going to need it. Also ibuprofen or like naproxen. And literally a phone charger. That's the extent. Maybe I'll have some tissues in there.

[00:15:55] Once you get to the point of having a teenager, it becomes minimal. Which this also plays into the fact that only at Disney do I actually use a purse. I don't take a purse anywhere I go. It is this. It is my phone and my wallet on the back of my phone. And that's the extent of what I take everywhere now. Speaking of bags, my brother sent one in and he said only at Disney would I spend like a hundred explicit dollars multiple times to buy themed backpacks for my daughter. Very true. Yep. Yeah. She's got the lounge flies. I've seen them hanging in her room. Yeah.

[00:16:25] We had several people bring up lounge flies. You and Katie both have a pretty extensive stash of lounge flies, don't you? Collection. I do. I think I have about 35. I mean, you for sure have ears on your wall. I have ears on my wall and I have about 35 lounge flies. They're not all mine. I have a lot. McKenna and Macy, my daughters, have several as well. And even Laker has a lounge fly. He has a Star Wars lounge fly that he takes only when he's in the parks. Do you guys buy popcorn buckets? This is such a good one.

[00:16:56] Because they're cute? I have never bought a popcorn bucket ever in my life. I think only at Disney would anybody wait in a three hour line to buy a plastic themed bucket that they will never use again. I mean, I'm sure somewhere there is a family that's sitting down for movie night at home and using their popcorn bucket. Like that is definitely happening somewhere. It is not happening here in my house. We have never done that. The popcorn buckets in and of themselves are just impractical. Like that's not how you want to eat popcorn. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:17:25] Mine, I don't even think I can fit my hand in the hole where the popcorn is supposed to go into. The newest one I saw, the new carousel one, that actually made me double take. I kind of had a moment of, do I? It was cute. I was like, oh my, do I need this popcorn bucket? I don't think I ever would, but it did have me double taking. And the refillable popcorn buckets are very helpful for our family.

[00:17:49] Like when I pop popcorn at home, I do break out the 12 of them because every time I forget them, it just let everybody have their own little popcorn bucket rather than making everybody share one big bowl. Kind of a thing. Yeah. The only time I've ever purchased a popcorn bucket in my life was on our Disney cruise. Our most recent Disney cruise, I bought one because they play you so well on that cruise because the hallway is so small and the smell of the popcorn is so good. You cannot say no.

[00:18:18] It's impossible to say no. And it's one of the only things that's not included in the cost of your cruise is the popcorn. And in that moment, the smell is so intoxicating that you're like, yeah, I need the refillable bucket because I can never stop eating this popcorn. Okay. Speaking of food, I completely agree. Disney in general does a really good job, but when you're outside at Disney World, you can scoop by some of them because there's other things that are taking your attention on a cruise ship. It's like, it's a hallway. There's nothing else taking your attention from that moment. So you're going to do it.

[00:18:48] So Janae said, I splurge on all the treats at Disney and the yummy food, but at home I pull up to any drive-thru and I'm like, can I get one item off of the value menu, please? Truly, only at Disney do we spend the kind of money and treat, treat, treat, treat, treat over and over and over. Disney hot dogs are $9. And I'm like, I'll take three, please. Yeah. My brother said, only at Disney would I spend $150 on lunch and throw away maybe 75% of it into the garbage. Oh.

[00:19:18] So true. Quick service lunch is $150 easily. Yeah. We're in a vein of food at the moment. And we had a lot of people talk about different types of food. But one that made me laugh was Shelly in our Facebook group said, only at Disney do people eat red veiny turkey legs. No. No. Actually, that's not true. We have the Renaissance Festival. We talked about that. No, Ren Fest. Ren Fest and Disney. There you're eating the veiny legs. And apparently Carla found them. You're eating them, but you're like, you're walking around with them. Ugh.

[00:19:48] So disgusting. Yeah. That's that. I recently went to Universal and one of the kids that were with us, not my kid, she, out of everything, wanted a turkey leg. And I think it's because they're so oversaturated with sugar that their brains just stop working. And then they're like, oh, a turkey leg sounds great right now. Can I have a $16 turkey leg? Yeah. That sounds about right.

[00:20:14] You know, it's fine when it's not bitten into, but once the cartilage starts coming out and all that stuff, it just grosses me out. And they actually made me take a bite. And it's not for me. It was not for you. It's not for me. No. Katie's like, but does it taste like ham or turkey? And I'm like, it tastes like red veiny giant leg. I don't know what to tell you. Yeah, not good. No, not good. It is not good. It's a no.

[00:20:37] I also have one that says only at Disney would I be so hungry that I would eat two foot long hot dogs from Casey's Corner. That's true. In one sitting, could definitely house two of those. Or those massive corn dogs from Sleepy Hollow. They're so massive, but they're so good. And you don't want to waste it because it's the perfect temperature, the perfect environment with a castle right there. The mini corn dog nuggies. Like I pop those like they're a Mentos mint.

[00:21:06] Do any of you eat that at home? Yeah, that's not. Yeah, I do. That's not only at Disney. That sounds great. Anytime. No, that's by those. By those hot dogs at home. You can get mini corn dogs and put them in your freezer and then put them on a cookie sheet. Yes. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should. I didn't say I should. That's the same with the turkey leg. I did not say that I should, but I did say that I did. And you do. I do. I do. Mm-hmm. Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. That sounds fantastic.

[00:21:35] It's no different than like a pizza roll. Eh. Can I say that only at Disney would I even remotely agree to schlep it through a theme park in the middle of summer? Because I'm going to sweat in all the places. Yeah. And I have to plan my outfit so that it doesn't show the sweat. You need extra deluxe resorts. No, you know what I do? And this is a secret and, you know. Is this an only at Disney? Hot tip. It's a hot tip for you sweaty moms out there.

[00:22:05] Go steal some pads from the deluxe resorts and line the back of your underwear so that it hides your butt sweat. There you go. No. Is that only at Disney? Only at Disney. Yeah. Because only at Disney would I even consider going outside for that length of time. Exactly. Only at Disney would any of us. In the summer. Only at Disney would any of us spend 12 straight hours in 100 degree heat. Absolutely not in any other circumstance. Truly. And not only that, I put deodorant all over my body.

[00:22:35] Like the antiperspirant deodorant. It doesn't help. No. No. And only at Disney do you need to invest in anti-chafe stuff. Exactly. Where else do you need that in life? Okay. How about only at Disney would I walk 30,000 steps in a day, no problem, and then get up the next day and do it all over again? Y'all, I recently put on my daughter's fourth grade school dance, okay? My wife and I, along with some friends, were the committee and we put the whole thing together. My friend came from New York. She owns a balloon business. Shout out to her.

[00:23:04] She did an incredible job. Well, she was blowing up literally thousands of balloons. And all I had to do for the morning was carry the balloons from where she was blowing them up to their destination, right? Not too hard. It was fine. I had to walk up like three steps. Whatever. The next morning, I woke up and I'm pretty active and I was so, so sore. I was like, I can't move. My legs are sore. I can't stand. Oh my gosh, I need ice.

[00:23:30] At Disney, I walk like quadruple that amount and do way more activity. And I wake up the next day. I'm like, I don't feel sore. I feel energized. I'm ready to rock. Let's do 40,000 steps today. It's like the adrenaline just gets you. Yeah. It's no problem. I can do anything. There's no other way to describe it or explain it. No, there isn't. Jess on our social media said something similar. She said, I was recently on a seven day trip and added my steps per day.

[00:23:58] Where else other than at Disney, do you add and count how many steps you're actively getting? I think a lot of people do that. Yeah. But do you add it up every single day? Jess said that in her days at the park, she collectively walked 117,619 steps. That is insanity. And Sean gives me such a hard time because I am the person like, you know, when you're parking at the parks, Allie, you never drive to the parks, really. You would take the bus, so you don't know.

[00:24:24] But Carla, when you're pulling in from your being offsite, you're coming in for the day and you're pulling into the parking lot and you're watching how they're stacking the people into the lines and you realize you're going to get sent clear to the end of the next. The back of the row. Is that not the worst thing ever? It's the most infuriating thing ever. It really is. And Sean and I, that's like the one time in our life we've ever had talks of divorce when I was eight months pregnant and he took the last spot in that row.

[00:24:53] And I'm like, you drive around. You do not make me walk this extra. He's like, we're going to get out of the car and you're going to walk 20,000 steps anyway. I'm like, I don't care. I don't want to walk it in the parking lot. Those last 500 that are going to kill me. And the steps are different when you're in the parking lot versus when you're in the parks. I don't know why it's different, but it is. Because you don't have the intoxicating smells and the brainwashing music. It could be. As soon as you walk in and that music hits, you're like, I'm good. Everything's fine. Yeah. And like your back doesn't hurt.

[00:25:21] The minute you exit those gates at the end of the night, everything happy is gone. Like it's done. Unless you get, unless you're going back to your resort. But for you and I that are going back to our cars and likely have a three hour drive home, life sucks right then. Yeah. It does. Your back hurts. And then all the car alarms going off and the exhaust. This is why you stay on site. This is why I've never had that problem. I'm happily. Nothing good about that. No. I'm dancing on the monorail at that point when y'all are doing what you're doing.

[00:25:51] Speaking of monorail, only at Disney would I consider the monorail, the tram, the Skyliner, an actual ride. Yeah, definitely. You consider the bus a ride? She said Skyliner, tram. I forgot the bus. Tram, bus, they're all rides. It's your first ride at Disney. All of them. They all excite me. Only at Disney do I get excited about a bus with Daisy pulling up to me. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:26:15] And I will tell you, I, since the dawn of this show, have said I like the buses. And it's because my mom, my mother brainwashed me when I was little. She made everything very exciting. And waiting for the buses was a game. And when they would pull up, it was like the most exciting. Magic was about to begin. And I, to this day, love the buses. It's fine with me. Only at Disney could I sit on top of strangers and feel like I was the luckiest person in the world. Megan T.

[00:26:45] In our Facebook group said, only at Disney do we plan an entire day specifically to experience all the modes of public transportation, the bus, the monorail, the Skyliner, the boats, etc. I dare say there's a lot of people who would say, only at Disney do I ride public transportation. Totally. Absolutely. What about, let's go back to food for a second. What about, this one made me laugh. This one is also from our listener, Lisa, who is so loyal.

[00:27:09] She says, only at Disney would I pre-mobile order my lunch and dinner by 8 a.m. Very true. That's smart. Yeah. I thought that one was funny. Nowhere else are you, do you have your entire meal already ordered for the day by 8 a.m. Yeah. Like right now it's Wednesday at 10.05 a.m. I haven't eaten. I have no idea what I'm going to eat today or feed my kids. But if I was at Disney, I'd already have all that ordered. Correct. 100%.

[00:27:38] Lunch will be ordered and ready to pick up by noon. Yeah, absolutely. As we have moms who are like, what are we having for dinner today? Like they don't even know what they're having for the next meal, but planning everything out well before they're there. We have a lot of dining episodes. If you haven't already listened, those are definitely worth listening to because you do want to plan all those out. Samantha in our Facebook group said, only at Disney do I applaud my husband for finding me a trash can to dine on while viewing fireworks. I was going to say the most classic, maybe best only at Disney. I'm so glad she said it. You said it was Samantha?

[00:28:08] Yep. Eating on a trash can. I mean, at this point they make trash can tablecloths. And that's only acceptable at Disney. Absolutely. I've seen people bring placemats and silverware setups specifically for the trash cans. Yeah. And only at Disney, the trash doesn't smell. There are no germs and you can use it very, very acceptably as a table. Only at Disney are there no mosquitoes in Florida.

[00:28:37] In all of Florida. Do you know why? Why? That's the real reason why there are no mosquitoes at Disney World. Weren't you with us when we talked to the cast member about this? I feel like you were. Might have been, but I'm old now and I don't have a memory. Well, Becky, I don't remember that. Was I there? No, you're old too and you don't have a memory. Well, I thought I learned this from Zandra. And if I'm being really honest, sometimes her facts get a little bit skewed in the process of relaying. So I honestly, I'm only 90% confident in what I'm about to say. Oh my gosh.

[00:29:05] But I believe that when they built Disney World, Walt had the foresight to make sure that there were no mosquitoes, which in Central Florida was going to be very difficult. Mosquitoes stay away from moving water. Is that right? And so they have these tunnels of currents that are constantly moving underneath Disney. Is that factual? I don't believe you. I don't, I don't find that. It could be. Are you Googling it? I don't know. I'm Googling it, but. But this is what my wife told me.

[00:29:35] Okay. And I maybe foolishly have believed it for a long time. Is that there are water, moving waterways that keep that all the, there's no, this is what it is. There's no sitting water at Disney World and that all of the water you see is constantly being moved by a source underneath. And because of that, it keeps mosquitoes away. There's no breeding. Mm-hmm. So AI is apparently saying that that is true, but I think it's a combination of a lot of

[00:30:05] things because what the cast member told us was that they bring in ladybugs and other mosquito eating insects and fish to help bring down the mosquito population. I have experienced mosquitoes on Disney property and it's only been one place ever that I've been bitten by a mosquito on Disney property. And it was on a golf course when we were out doing foot golf and the sun was setting. Truly. I've been to, we've been to Disney how many times and we just never have a mosquito issue.

[00:30:33] I don't even take mosquito repellent, but in Florida, anywhere outside of the Disney bubble, you need your mosquito repellent. Yeah. Zen, my wife was right. I'll give her credit here. Absolutely. Flowing water prevents mosquitoes. At Walt Disney World, it prevents, by preventing standing water, they prevent where they can lay eggs. Even rides like Splash Mountain, they keep the water moving. Fountains, waterfalls, all kinds of different ways that they keep it moving. So it's not a breeding ground because normally that like swamp land in central Florida would be the perfect breeding ground for a mosquito.

[00:31:03] Do you think that they run that water through Splash Mountain all night? Like, do they just keep it constantly moving at all times? I think they have to. And that's how they keep the mosquitoes away. I think they actually, the water stops or something, doesn't it? Because I've been up to the ride before it's open and the water's not even flowing yet. The waterfall, I think you're right. The waterfall water. But I think the actual water is never just still. Inside. There's some sort of- Like through those canals. Through the canals, there's got to be some sort of-

[00:31:32] There's no mosquitoes, but there for sure are alligators. Don't. Don't. Don't. It's also weird that I only do at Disney. What's that? I take pictures of ducks. Like Disney ducks. Oh yeah, Disney ducks are totally a thing. Tell me you've never taken a picture of a Disney duck. The only Disney duck I've ever taken a picture of is Donald Duck. And not only do I take a picture of them, but I think about how special their lives are because they get to live at Disney. I do think that too. I do think that as well.

[00:32:03] I'm like, do these ducks have any idea how lucky they are? Not just ducks, but there's like wild bunnies. I think if I was an animal, I would choose to live in Disney property. What a magical life that would be. These are really fun. We have some more. I have some sort of controversial ones on my list still to read. Oh, Chivo. Oh, fühlt sich das nach Sommer an. Die neue Sommerwäsche von Chivo begeistert mit leuchtenden Farben und fröhlichen Trints.

[00:32:30] Feine Spitze, leichte Mikrofaser und sommerliche Schnitte sorgen für pures Wohlgefühl. Selbst an heißen Tagen. Entdecke jetzt die neue Wäschekollektion von Chivo und finde deine Lieblingsstücke für den Sommer. Das gibt es nur bei G. Denk an den 31. Juli. Wieso? Last call für deine Steuer. Oh no, ich weiß gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll. Bei Wieso Steuer. Das ist wie Steuererklärung, nur ohne Stress. Ist das einfach?

[00:33:00] Klar, macht fast alles automatisch. Dauert das lange? Nö, einfach per App. Na dann. Hol dir jetzt dein Geld zurück. Mit Wieso Steuer. Bis zum 31. Juli abgeben. We went into our break. Carla said she would not want to live on Disney property if she was Bambi. That is such a sad thing to say. That's terrible. Well, that's on Disney that used to kill everything and everybody off with every one of their movies. Yeah, that's true. I think it's not used to. I think that's still a thing. Okay, how about this one?

[00:33:30] Only at Disney. This is from a listener friend that's anonymous. It says, only at Disney would I spend $25 on a balloon. Carla's on board for that. I would do that. But only at Disney. I am not on board for that. Yeah, absolutely. I can't think of a single other place I would spend $25 on a balloon. But do not forget, pro tip, balloons can be deflated and re-inflated. Disney balloons. I don't think that's just balloons, though. Not about the deflating part.

[00:33:56] But think about, like, you're at Walmart or Target and your kids want something. A bubble wand. And it's like $6. You're like, I'm not spending $6 on a bubble wand. And then you go to Disney and you're like, it's $30? Sure, let's make that happen. It's just insanity. I once had to pay for helium for Publix to blow up a balloon that I'd gotten off of Amazon. I had to pay for helium. I've done that. Okay, I have another one that let's see if you guys all have.

[00:34:24] My daughter, Macy, I was talking to them about things that we do only at Disney. She said, only at Disney do we play heads up. Do you all have play heads up at Disney? I thought about that one. Oh, yeah. We have it on all of our phones. And it's only there for that purpose. We literally never open it otherwise. Yeah, that's the only place we play it as well. The lines. The three-hour lines that you would only wait in at Disney. Yeah. And you play with strangers. You could play with your family.

[00:34:49] But then the other thing that was right along with this, Macy said, only at Disney do we pay hundreds of dollars to stand in line. And true. True. True. Valid point. Speaking of strangers, I have some good stranger ones. Our listener, Colby, he said, only at Disney would I wait two hours to hug a stranger. I thought that one was pretty funny. Although I would argue that they're not strangers, but kind of they are.

[00:35:15] And my brother, again, said, only at Disney would I share stories with strangers in the hot tub like we're best friends. Is that a thing that is only in our family? Or is that an everybody thing? Because that's on my personal list is only in Disney do I just talk to strangers in general. Not only do I do that, I act like I work for Disney. And if I overhear somebody that's 10 feet away looking for a bathroom, I'm like, oh, Rapunzel's bathroom is this way.

[00:35:44] Like, you know, you're so close and it's so pretty inside. And like only at Disney do you think bathrooms are beautiful? I have one of those on my list. I have a listener that said only at Disney would I choose which public restroom I'm going to use based on the theming. Absolutely true. Not only that, but do I take a selfie in said bathroom? Yeah. So hold on. Only at Disney do I take pictures at bathrooms. Going back really fast. In the hot tub thing, I wasn't sure if that was just like my brother and my family thing

[00:36:13] because that was a highlight of our trips growing up is you would have your long day at Disney then everybody would go to late night swim at the resort. We would all get in the hot tub. Even my brother and I as kids and everybody would share their tips. There was no My Disney Experience app back then. You got all of your information from the Disney channel on the TV that showed the park hours and what to do. And from sharing stories in the hot tub, right? So you would say, oh, here's a tip. Go to this ride. Do this first. Here's a good tip. Oh, we did this and it went really well.

[00:36:42] And sharing those stories was a highlight of our trips. We would love to do it. So now I still find myself being that weirdo that really wants to always do it. And I didn't know if that was just an us thing or if it was an everybody thing. No, I think it's an everybody thing. Because not only are you sharing stories, but you're also sharing a tub, bodily fluids. You're all in at that point. Yeah, you are. It's true. And then back to the public restrooms. I don't care how badly I have to go to the bathroom.

[00:37:11] I will go to Rapunzel over the Tomorrowland one by Space Mountain if I can. I was thinking about as I was writing the whole bathroom thing down is as beautiful as Rapunzel's bathroom is. Why doesn't it smell better? And I'm not talking about just like general bathroom smells, but Disney bathrooms have a specific, I don't know if it's the cleaner that they use, but like of all the things that Disney can do with scent technology, why doesn't the bathroom smell like the confectionery?

[00:37:40] Or flowers? Flowers. Or flowers. Or just anything. Yeah, definitely. Okay. Here's one that has to do with bathroom, only it's a little controversial. And this is my own personal one. Only at Disney would I let my son discreetly pee in a cup on public transportation. It was on the Skyliner. We were alone. Okay. It was on our own Skyliner. This is before I had any idea that there were emergency bathrooms.

[00:38:08] And he was little and he really, really had to pee. And I couldn't help him. And we were not close to our destination yet. And we were stopped. You know how the Skyliner was stopped? And he's crying. Oh, yeah. And he was crying. And, you know, at that point, you're just trying to help in any way you can. And there's no option. You're just up in a gondola. And I had a coffee. Just being a good mom. I had a coffee from Topolino's. And I chugged as much as I could. But it was still kind of full. And then I just was like, here, buddy. Here, buddy.

[00:38:38] Oh, you had to be mom in that moment. I feel like I would have anxiety about even opening that emergency potty that's in the Skyliner. Like, I don't know that I would do it. Like, I probably would have done something similar. Yeah. I mean, it is what it is. Had to do it. You had to. All right. Back to the TVs you were talking about. Is there anything that you all watch only while you're at Disney? We watch that Disney channel that I was just explaining. The one that shows the park hours. And it has the narration.

[00:39:08] It's like, Blizzard Beach, Soar, Down, Summit, Plummet. You know, that whole thing. I, as soon as we get to the room, turn it on. And that's what's on. My kids like to try to change it to the Disney animated shorts that are playing. And I let them from time to time. But mostly, we are. It's mandatory. Watch that channel. And I have turned my son into a view person. It doesn't matter where we are at any hotel in any city. We were just in, where were we last week? Oh, we were in Columbus, Ohio. Just Columbus. Nothing special.

[00:39:38] Staying at a hotel for a dance competition. We went into the room. I was asking him to help me with something. And he was like, hold on. You know what I have to do. And I was like, I have no idea what you have to do. And he walked straight to the window. He's like, I got to check out the view. Oh, you've trained him so well. Yeah. That was hilarious. I love that. Lynn's blue from our, I think this one was on Instagram. She said, only at Disney do we watch Bluey as a family every single day. I am on board for this.

[00:40:05] Oh, that's every, that's at Disney and outside of Disney for our family. Oh, not us. Our family, even teenagers. I feel like only at Disney do I feel like I don't need a TV. Even when we, we all just went on this past trip. I don't think we turned on the TV once and, or we just left it as our welcome home screen. We did not. You know what I mean? Just the background noise. We had two TVs in our room because we got upgraded and pixie dusted into the turret. Not sweet. It was a standard room at Grand Floridian, but we were in the turret.

[00:40:33] And so I had my own little cove, which was amazing. And I had a TV and never turned on ever. Okay. I have another one. Danny D on our social media said, only at Disney do I pixie dust other littles. The only place where parents don't look at you like you're a serial killer for offering candy to another person's child. Candy, trinkets. Yeah. Anything. Yeah, absolutely. I feel like moms just have each other's backs at Disney. Unlike anywhere else. I feel like moms are completely willing to share, willing to support each other. And it's like almost an unspoken thing.

[00:41:03] I have one from a listener named Megan. She said, only at Disney would I act like Mickey is going to pay for everything as I mindlessly charge my magic band for everything. That one's really funny. That's a good one. It's so good because seriously, at Disney, I just tap that magic band and it's like endless flow of money. Tap, tap. Yep. Tap, tap. And then you get hit with the bill at the end of the trip and you're like, oh my, did I really tap at that many times? I'm getting close on my list.

[00:41:33] Any other ones that you all have that are like obvious things to talk about? This person said, only at Disney would I ride a boat to nowhere. She said, we get on the friendship boats just to ride the loop for a rest. That that was kind of funny. Mm-hmm. Aiden said, only at Disney can you travel around the world in under an hour. True. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Speaking of traveling the world. Only at Disney would I consume 11 drinks in a matter of hours. Yeah. Irresponsible drinking. And like, that's okay for a Disney.

[00:42:02] That was one of the first ones I, when I asked Van, when I told her we were doing this, one of the first ones she said was, I would have a cocktail around the clock. Any hour is happy hour kind of idea. Mm-hmm. I would have a cocktail around the world. Yeah. Because if I'm an all-inclusive, I'm definitely doing that too. You know? Okay.

[00:42:28] DFW Disney dad said, in my normal life, I wouldn't eat ice cream every day. But while at Disney, here I am having my third Dole Whip of the day. Mm-hmm. Desserts on repeat. Yeah. Definitely. Any kind of food or drink, I think, is pretty Disney. Trying new foods that you wouldn't normally try, especially like at Epcot. During the Food and Wine Festival, trying to get that authentic food. I think that's a good one. That's more of an on-vacation one as well. Not necessarily Disney specific, but one that would be Disney specific would be standing

[00:42:58] in the crowds of 20,000 people to watch the fireworks. True. Only at Disney would I do. If I was on an all-inclusive vacation and there was going to be a fireworks show on the beach, there is no way I would stand in a crowd that big. Fair. One that might surprise you all about me is, did you all know that I actually hate caramel popcorn? What? I love, love, love Germany's caramel popcorn and it is my number one Disney snack, but caramel popcorn anywhere else is literally gag me gross.

[00:43:26] Just don't even know what to do with you anymore, Becky. I mean, hate is such a strong word and to do it over such a loving substance. It's so yucky. Like caramel popcorn and delicious. But those Christmas tins that come with caramel popcorn and cheesy popcorn. They're the bomb. No, it's still and cold and gross. No, it's delicious. And if you mix them all together, it's the most amazing thing on earth. My gosh. Have you been to Chicago and gotten the caramel and cheddar popcorn together? You won't even do that.

[00:43:56] Maybe if it was designed that way, but I can't imagine that that's the case with those gross popcorn tins from Christmas time. I love those things. And you just take, you just take the divider out and then you shake it up. Oh. You're living life wrong, Becky. You're too worried about your socks being on the right feet. And you're not enjoying life like you should be. Yeah. Maybe I need to try some better popcorn. The Walmart tins are just not it. Okay. Well, there you go. Of course not. You can't. Like the Sam's Club tin.

[00:44:25] You cannot judge all caramel. You cannot judge all caramel popcorn in the world on the Walmart tins. That's insane. I've tried it at other places and it's just never, it never lives up to it. Allie, it's like you having a Mickey ice cream bar from anywhere other than Disney. It's just not the same. It's bland. Chicago is famous for this kind of popcorn. I think you need to give it a try. It's so good. Okay. I need to try Chicago. I will give Chicago a try. Yeah. I'm going there this weekend. I might now get some.

[00:44:52] What about only at Disney will I hold both of my elementary school age kids that are too big to be held so that they can see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom for the whole show while my neck and back scream. I can't carry, I cannot carry my kids up the stairs at our home anymore, but you better believe I will hold two of them at the same time for happily ever after for the whole dang thing. One hundred percent. What about, I don't think this is an only at Disney thing. Somebody said only at Disney do I constantly look for hidden Mickeys.

[00:45:21] I see hidden Mickeys in my daily life. If something takes that shape, it's just naturally a Mickey to me. My kids are always finding hidden, like anywhere we go, it's there's a hidden Mickey. My youngest daughter, especially my dog has a hidden Mickey on her. Did you have I ever shown you all? She has Mickey. I don't know. She has. My dog is white with black spots for those that obviously haven't seen her. And on her bottom, she's got a hidden Mickey of spots. Perfect. Right on her hip. Like she was meant to be yours. Yep. Okay. These were good.

[00:45:51] It's all to show you that at Disney World, you get to be the weirdest socially unacceptable version of yourself. And it's all going to be acceptable and normal. Only at Disney are you so perfectly comfortable with every decision that you're going to make. Seriously. Doesn't matter what time of day it is. Doesn't matter what you are eating. Does not matter what you are wearing. Everywhere you look, it will be people making different choices in their food, in their attire, in every single thing they're doing. Pushing your 10-year-old in a stroller. Yep. That's normal. 8 a.m. She's eating ice cream.

[00:46:21] Also normal. That little girl has a full face of makeup and fake eyelashes on. Yes. That is normal. They are eating dinner on a trash can. Yes. That is normal. Literally. It doesn't matter what you're seeing. It's socially acceptable at Disney World. Keeping our kids up until 2 a.m. to stay for a party at Magic Kingdom. Yeah, it's midnight and she has her 2-year-old with her. Yes, completely. Yes, that's normal. Absolutely. Laughing Dora said, only at Disney do we say goodbye to the park icons as we're walking out of the park.

[00:46:51] Bye, Castle. Bye, Magic Kingdom. I know Allie does that too. Only at Disney do you cry when you see them. Yes. Cry when you see them and leave them. I said that on the very first episode ever we recorded of this is that last look. Look and turn around and look at it. I mean, a rom-com. It's a rom-com with you in the castle. Yeah, it is. Yeah. You get that last look in. Let me ask you this. Do you turn around and give a last look to any other vacation destination? Are you leaving Bermuda and just turn around and looking? No.

[00:47:21] No, because it's just not as magical. No. It's not happening. All right. Well, I feel good about this. If nothing else, people are going to feel so much more comfortable and confident in their decisions as they are planning. I think planning your Disney trip is so stressful and you're thinking, what am I going to wear? And am I going to do this right? And we're just here to teach you that you're going to do it all right because there's really not a wrong way. It's all going to be acceptable. And whatever your choices are, you might look back and laugh on them like we did today, but they're going to be acceptable.

[00:47:50] That's going to do it for us on another episode of the Moms Behind the Magic podcast. We have so much fun when our listeners are involved and we get to do these mailbags. Hear from you. You hear from us all the time. When we get to hear from you, it is so much fun. Definitely keep an eye out for the next mailbag that we will be doing sometime in the future. Get yourself involved. Get your answers in there. Make sure you're joining us in our social media feeds on Facebook, Moms Behind the Magic podcast. Get all of your questions answered so you feel even more like a pro.

[00:48:17] And until next time, we are sending you some fun, love, and joy. And you send us back some five-star reviews on Spotify or wherever you listen. Hashtag FLJ. And we'll see you real soon.