47. Your Disney Questions Answered - Bashful Episode

[00:00:00] Coming up, you are part of the conversation. We are rounding out our Mega 7 series with Bashful. We know that there are some things that you're just too bashful to ask either to us as your agent or to us as your podcast host right there in our Facebook community. And we want to bring them to light today and share them with all of the M&Ms. So we are taking your questions, we're giving our best answers, and hoping to make you more prepared for your next Disney trip.

[00:00:24] Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Moms Behind the Magic Podcast. I am your host Allie. I'm here today with Karla Steward and with Becki and we are closing out this super fun Mega 7 series we have been doing today. We are doing our very last Dwarf. We're doing our Dwarf and it is Bashful where we are going to answer your questions. It's our first mailbag here on the Moms Behind the Magic. Is that even true?

[00:00:50] And we are going to answer all of the questions you asked about planning a Disney trip that you might be too bashful to ask friends or in Facebook groups or your Disney planner themselves. We're going to get your answers here today so you can be less bashful and more prepared. But before we do, look at my shirt. I got these. Oh, I love it. I love this collection. I am obsessed. I got the Disney NFL collab. And of course, I'm a Bengals fan, so it's ShareCon.

[00:01:19] ShareCon. And ours is not part of like the pre-release thing, but I knew that this is... I was texting Becky the day before. I was like, we're definitely going to be ShareCon. But I had so much fun. I mean, I know that as people are hearing this, this is way later, but this dropped literally two days ago. I ordered it. It sold out immediately. I got it yesterday. And so I couldn't get to wear it and show you guys today. How? They had to have printed locally for you to have gotten it that fast.

[00:01:47] I know. I'm so excited. And football season's around the corner. It's probably already in swing when people are hearing this. So I'm pumped. And I'm probably going to wear this to Paris, Disneyland Paris, when I go because I'm going for an NFL game to Spain. And then we're going to... So it's like a whole NFL slash Disney trip. So it's literally perfect. I'm so excited. And it's just a great t-shirt. How sad is this? What does this say about me? It is not sad. I am so excited for football season. McKenna has her first football game September 3rd.

[00:02:16] So we are like counting down. We can't wait to go. She gets to be on the field of a Big 12 college football stadium. We are so excited about this. But she also gets to perform at a Tampa Bay Bucs game, which the Bucs in this whole collab is one, right in Carla's backyard, basically. And two, it is Captain Hook. How cute is that collab? So perfect. It's so good. The Bucs got Captain Hook. The Ravens, who are the worst team in the NFL.

[00:02:46] They got the best one. They did. They got Maleficent with her Raven on her shoulder. That's really good. And the Falcons got the Millennium Falcon. What did the Dolphins get, Becky? I know you're a Dolphins fan. Ariel's dad, King Triton. King Triton. Oh, daddy? Daddy? Yes, they did. It's cute, too. It's really cute. I just had so much fun looking at all of them and digging. It had to have been so much fun to get to decide what every team got.

[00:03:13] You and I had a little bit of back and forth on guessing what it was. We were like, what are the Dolphins going to get? Are they going to get Flounder? Are they going to get... I think I was joking about getting a Lisa Frank Dolphin sticker from the 90s. What is this going to even be? They should have gotten... They should have gotten... And I know this isn't technically Disney, but that stupid... What they call a dolphin on top of the swan and dolphin. It was actually a fish. Can you imagine they get a resort and... That would have been hilarious. I agree.

[00:03:42] That would have been hilarious. I don't know that anyone would have gotten it. But you all, Pittsburgh and 49ers were up in arms about the people that they get. And I have a bone to pick with them. One, I love them. I love every single one of these. Like, they... There's an argument, right? The Steelers are like, why did we not get Iron Man? Iron Man. I get it. I get it. But so many people are on online hating that they got Pete. What's his name? Pete. I saw some of the funniest graphics about Pittsburgh people getting Pete.

[00:04:12] I know. They're just completely online trolling about this idea. However, day one, that team was completely sold out immediately. So regardless of whether they're online complaining about it, they were completely sold out. And same with the 49ers getting Stinky Pete from Toy Story. Like... So funny. Oh. Or the Seagulls. The Seagulls. The Mime Seagulls. That one was kind of bad. Yeah, that one was kind of bad.

[00:04:37] But you know that the NFL teams had to sign off on these collabs. Like, it wasn't just, yes, I'll take whatever you're giving me kind of idea. Well, I knew this is what we were going to get. And I think it's cute. I love it. So it's going to be fun. Anyway, I had to wear it today. I had to show y'all. I was excited for it. And it's really relevant today as we're talking about it. But they're sold out and old, I think, by the time people are hearing this. But I can't fake the excitement. But also, I'm very sad today. I could not stop crying yesterday because of Dear Dolly. I...

[00:05:07] Yes. When I read it, I literally started crying and I don't think I stopped all day. The world lost a great one. Not a good one. A great one in that one. Yeah. So... For sure. Even though she's been gone a while by the time people are hearing this, I just had to give her a little mention because we're big Dolly fans in this house. Shout out. Yeah. Okay. Well, that's what I've got today. I'm happy because fall is coming and I got my football stuff coming out and that's where I'm at.

[00:05:32] We are on the exact same track as I want to have this shirt. However, I've kind of given up on being an NFL fan. And I hate to say that because I grew up being a Rams fan. But I would 100% buy the Rams gear, buy the Chargers gear. I'm not going to buy a Dolphins one. I'm just not a Dolphins fan.

[00:05:48] I actually grew up thinking, who likes the Dolphins? Like, what's wrong with those people? I shouldn't say that in my own hometown. But I still enjoy the NFL. I just don't have a team. Like, I just watch all teams now and cheer for people that make my people happy. So I cheer for the Bengals. I cheer for whoever it is that my people love. I don't know if we need your pity cheers. Okay. Some days you might. You're a Bengals fan. I know.

[00:06:12] Okay. Well, we're going to dive into some questions. But before we do, let me just give my reminder here that the best answer to the question of what am I going to do with my kiddos when we get to our vacation is you are going to use baby quip. There is literally nothing worse than getting to your vacation and being so excited to unpack and have all of your things and then realize that you don't have the things that you actually need for your family to be confident and comfortable and relaxed enough to enjoy the vacation.

[00:06:40] And that is why you rent from baby quip. They have cribs and strollers, pack and plays, toys, even beach gear and pet gear if you're traveling with your pets. So you have to check them out at babyquip.com. They will come straight to your resort, your Airbnb, wherever you are calling home while you are gone, they will meet you there. And the best part is that you are renting from not only baby quip, but from local quality providers who are often moms, dads, grandparents, people just like us.

[00:07:06] You and me, you M&Ms, they know the importance of cleanliness and being on time and being prepared so that your kiddos are happy. Everything that they rent follows strict cleanliness protocols. You never have to worry and everything will feel more like a breath of fresh air. So head to babyquip.com and if you use code MAGIC today, you can save money on your rental. That's code MAGIC. Let them know you heard about them by listening to this podcast. Save money on your rentals and have a better vacation overall.

[00:07:35] That's babyquip.com. Pack light, travel happy. Okay, that's one answer that I know y'all need. Everybody's always asking me, how do I get a stroller? How do I get a pack and play? That's how. But we're going to answer your questions today. We put a form for questions out there in our Facebook community and on our online platforms and you M&Ms responded. You sent us so many great questions that you may or may not have been too bashful to put out there publicly. And we are excited to give the answers because, you know, the reality is it's just like in school.

[00:08:04] Teachers would always say if you have the question, the chances are somebody else also has the question. And when it comes to Disney, everybody always has all the questions. So we've divided this or I shouldn't say we. Becki has sifted through your questions, picked some good ones and divided it into segments. If you do not get your answer today, I apologize. We simply can't answer everything, but we're going to do our best. And section one is just going to be kind of quick and fun. So we can take turns reading the questions. It doesn't have to be me or it can be me the whole time. But I will read this first one.

[00:08:32] What is everyone's favorite cruise ship and why? The cruise ship that I'm on is my favorite cruise ship. Yeah, I was going to say. Gosh. I think like this is the last thing you should think about. To me, what's more important is when you want to travel and where you want to travel from. And you know what I mean? Like they're all going to be amazing. Sure, some are going to be older, but they're all going to have that Disney magic that you expect. And they're going to have it in their own ways. Yeah, think about how old some of the resorts are.

[00:09:01] You know what I mean? At Disney World, we're rarely considering that factor because Disney keeps things nice. And Carla, to your point, I constantly tell people that I'm helping plane cruises for, I'm like, do not think about the ship too much. Unless there's a ship you want to experience for a specific reason, it's the last little bullet point to check off. Because no matter what, you're going to have a great time. They're all wonderful. That said, I actually would say that, and I think I'm in a minority here because I think most avid Disney cruisers love the fantasy the most.

[00:09:29] I actually love the Wish and the Treasure the most. The classiness and beauty of the Wish, I am just so obsessed with. I cry when I get on that ship. I cry when I get on all the ships. Who am I kidding? And the Treasure, I just really, like, it was the first time we saw the Haunted Mansion Lounge. I love the Aladdin statue and Jasmine statue in the front. I just, I really loved being on the Treasure. But sometimes I think I like that because it was seven nights. And maybe I like the Wish as a ship more.

[00:09:56] But I also just really like the design, like the layout. I think you nailed it on the head when you started that by saying avid Disney cruisers. Because I don't think that the first time cruiser, even maybe one cruisin', I really don't think that you should worry about what ship you're sailing on. That's for somebody that, like you, your goal is to be on all the ships. Which, be careful of that goal because you're going to be sailing on Disney cruises forever, right?

[00:10:25] Because we just got news that two new ships are coming? Five. Yeah, a whole new class. I think we know. I think we have confirmation of five. And in my attempt to check off all of the ships, we are hitting the Magic. That's our next one that we're booked on. And I think you were going on the Dream. I thought you were going on the Dream. I've already done the Dream. Already done the Dream. Okay. We're hitting the Magic. That's the first ship that Disney ever put out. So I'm very excited for that.

[00:10:49] But I do think in the future-ish, near future-ish, they're going to be retiring the Magic, you know, at some point. And I have to get on it before. And one of my very best friends was very good friends with Cinderella on the maiden voyage of the Magic. And she's going to go with me. So I am excited to kind of experience the ship that she was part of its launch and it was her home for so long. So I think all of that will be really fun. But I have to say the layout of the Wish class, so the Wish, Treasure, Destiny, and ultimately

[00:11:18] the Believe and some other ones that are coming. The layout of the way the adult areas are so spread out and then you have these coffee bars and lounges that you sort of happen upon. It's different than any of the other ships and I prefer that. I really like it. So I'm going to answer the Wish but I agree with you, Carla. It really doesn't matter. If you are an avid cruiser though, it could matter. Because I've been on, I think, 17 cruises at this point and there are things that matter when I'm choosing a ship. I definitely need to be on a ship that has a piano bar, for example.

[00:11:48] It just, it makes a cruise experience for me is if I have a piano bar. I also really prefer smaller ships. The mega ships are just so far. And there are people who love those mega ships. And so the Wonder, for example, is a smaller one of the Disney options. I wouldn't say Wonder is my favorite by any means. It's definitely one of those early Disney cruise lines. But there are things that can matter if you are an avid cruiser.

[00:12:12] And if you are a Castaway member chasing the different status levels, knowing which ship is going to be giving you certain different features is an important piece. So I'm also really excited for the Destiny because it's Marvel. Like what else is more smudly than a Marvel themed Disney cruise ship? Yeah. Yeah. The Destiny was fun. We did it. So we're just working our way through. Okay. That was a fun question. I could talk about that all day. Yeah. But we have to move on to the next one.

[00:12:39] Sylvia asks, similar question here, what is your absolute favorite resort and why? And then she has a part two. What is a popular ride, restaurant, or snack that you have not tried yet? That's going to be hard because we've all tried quite a bit. So the struggle with choosing a favorite resort is that my favorite resort changes every day. Yeah. Today, my favorite is Grand Floridian though. Like it's just in a special place right now. It's so good. It's really beautiful. I would say right now my favorite resort is the boardwalk.

[00:13:09] They just recently refurb the rooms. I just love this location so much. And I'm not one, like, I think I want options and to have the options of all the restaurants and bars and entertainment and everything right there. I think that's like the biggest appeal for me. Oh my gosh. And to get one of the rooms that's overlooking the boardwalk. So good. To get out there. Priceless. To watch the fireworks. To watch, you know, the street entertainers. Yes. It's just totally my vibe right now. Yes, to all of it.

[00:13:39] I had texted y'all over spring break when I was at the boardwalk and I said, I think I've been lying all along. I think boardwalk is actually my favorite. And what I think is poly is my favorite for just my family rooted in these memories. And this is where my kids have grown up staying. That's what we established. Most childhood memories of my kiddos will be at the poly. So it's always going to be very, very special to me. But I tend to lean toward Yacht and Beach because boardwalk actually is my favorite area. But you get the better pool at Yacht and Beach.

[00:14:09] And then you can get the rooms that overlook the boardwalk from across the water. And while you're not really getting front row balcony seating to the entertainment, the view is quite lovely. And so I tend to lean more, let's say Yacht and Beach if we want to be in that area because you get the better pool. But still all the benefits. You can go to Cake Bake Shop, all the lounges, the food, the entertainment. You can still get it very easily accessible. So I think that's kind of where I'm at. I think location just really, really matters. Especially if you are somebody who wants to be able to jump into the parks easily.

[00:14:37] Like that behind Epcot International Gate area is just such easy access to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot. And it's what I love about the Grand Floridian and what you could also say about the poly or the contemporary is just so easy to get to Magic Kingdom and see the fireworks every night. Whether it's from your room with a view or out on the beach or wherever it is that you're going to go. Like it really does level up your experience. The location does matter. I think and to your point of saying that yours, Becky, changes daily.

[00:15:07] I think that it's easy to change what your favorite is based on the season. Not only the season of life you're in but the actual season like Christmas. We always talk about Wilderness Lodge. We talk about Grand Floridian. We talk about those really like timeless resorts that really lean into the season. But also, you know, something like the Beach and Yacht Club alley. You talk about how amazing the pool is. Well, if I'm not going during a season that I'm going to be swimming in, I'm going to the

[00:15:36] winter months. Why not stay over at the boardwalk because the pool is not important at that point. So just, you know, it's going to change. You can have your dream resort and by all means, you know, make it happen. Right. But just know that these different seasons and the events that are happening can really like play into where you're staying. Yeah, it's a great point. Are we ready to jump to the second half of her question? Yeah, I kind of have to think about it. Remind me what the question is. Remind me what it is.

[00:16:05] A ride, restaurant or snack that you haven't tried that's popular. I think I know mine. You guys go first. My, I was going to go with a restaurant that I haven't tried. Chef Artsmith. What? Yeah. No wonder you like the Boathouse so much. I get the reservation like actually a lot. And then we always end up canceling it because either we don't want to go to Disney Springs or we end up picking up Boathouse instead or now we're in our cake bake shop era. So it's hard to get us to go away from there. Yeah, I don't know.

[00:16:35] We haven't done it. Well, it's a travesty that you haven't been there. Carla, have you had Chef Artsmith? Oh yeah, multiple times. Love it. I'm in love with this place. Like the view. I think it's overrated. The food. No. It is not overrated. Oh, it was so good. I think most Disney restaurants are overrated quite frankly.

[00:17:00] My issue, my issue with Summer House is the location. I never walk down towards that end. It is so far away. Disney Springs. And I always talk about, I always get lost there still to this day. I've been there probably, I don't know, 50 times. I still get lost. I don't know where I'm going. But I know when I'm going that way, I feel like I should be at Epcot by now. And I'm not. I'm just now happening upon Summer House. I think Summer House is fantastic.

[00:17:28] I think it's light and airy, which I really feel like we need when we're at Disney. The ambiance is great. Yes. I don't think the pricing is that outrageous, so I can justify all of that. And then the cookies are delicious. You know, I think the cookies are overrated. I actually think their cookies are better than Gideon's. Come for me. Stop. Yes, they are better. That's insane. They are better. The line is just tiny. You know what it is?

[00:17:56] I think it's the difference between really loving a sweet cookie or really loving, you know, that little bit of saltiness that breaks up that sweetness. Which is Gideon's. Which is Gideon's, yes. Yeah. I will say, so most of what I love about a restaurant experience is the environment. And Summer House on the Lake is a top tier experience for the breeziness you were saying. You know, I think I've eaten there three times.

[00:18:21] And each time we had a beautiful table that was just light and it was a lovely, it was a nice experience. But I agree, the food is just okay. The cornbread's really good. Had a good salad. But there's just other better things. It's lighter in general. If you're looking for something light, you know, food-wise, atmosphere-wise, it's a great place. But it's an insane take to say the cookies are better than Gideon's. That's like actually an insane take. It is not insane. It is 100% accurate. They are cheaper. Their line is non-existent.

[00:18:51] The hype's just not there. Do not get in line for an hour long to get a Gideon's cookie. If you're there first thing in the morning and you want to, if you want to make it about the experience, great. But I would choose a Summer House cookie over a Gideon's cookie. I know it's a hot take and people will hate me for it, but. It's not hot. It's insane. What do our M&Ms think about this? I'm sure they'll tell us. They're like, we don't even have to ask. They will weigh in about this for sure. Do either of you have something you haven't tried? Because we've all tried Summer House. We've gone away.

[00:19:20] The restaurant that I haven't tried, that is like, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't tried this, is Via Napoli. I've been in there, but I've never eaten there. That is pretty wild. And honestly, it's not lack of wanting to get there. It's just a really hard reservation to get. You think that's still true? Yes. I think that used to be true. Every time I'm in Epcot. Well, maybe in the summer, but I've tried. Every time I'm in Epcot, I'm like, today's the day I'm going to try it. You're not missing anything. I don't know. M&Ms are going to come for you, Carla. Listen.

[00:19:50] Listen, are you really going to Epcot and wanting pizza? Maybe. Like, I mean, I guess if, and if that's the case, then go to Via Napoli, right? Maybe. Yeah. But there's so much other. Do not go to El Tutto. At Epcot. Do not go to Tutti. I totally agree. Don't, it's disgusting. And don't go to Via, and don't go to, quite honestly, don't go to Via Napoli for pasta either. Like, you're going to Via Napoli for the big pizza. Yeah. The meatballs are good, though. I will say the meatballs are good. Really good. Have you really ever had a bad meatball? Yeah. Yes. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's kind of hard to mess up a meatball.

[00:20:19] It's hard to mess up a meatball. But there are good meatballs and there are great meatballs. And these are like, you can tell handmade fresh. But how are you guys eating Italian there and not just exiting the park and going to Trattoria? To Trattoria. Well, because sometimes it's just, I mean, I don't disagree with you. We talk about that all the time. But sometimes it's just more convenient to stay in. You know what it is, though, for me? It's back in the day. And I don't even know if you guys will remember this. Becky, this probably predates your Disney World days. But there was a restaurant back there. I think I've talked about it before, called Alfredo's.

[00:20:48] Do you remember that? I don't remember. So, okay, so it was owned, I think, by an Italian chef. And there was one other one in Italy. And it was this very great, great, great Italian restaurant. And every time we went to Epcot growing up, we always ate at Alfredo's. And I hope that there are some M&Ms listening right now that are, oh, I remember Alfredo's. You know, I love talking about old school Disney and people remember. But that's where my family went. And so when I transitioned to become the adult planning the trips,

[00:21:15] my brain still always went to, you got to eat Italian at Epcot, right? Because that's always what we did. And it took me kind of a while to get out of that mindset. And I still sometimes have it. But I'm kind of just saying some of it is rooted in that I grew up going to Alfredo's. And it was this incredible experience. I guess that's from a kid's point of view, too. I don't even know. I wonder if it was good. Okay, what do you got? I have a good one for both you and I, Allie. Because we live on the giant hill that the Mickey premium bar is superior.

[00:21:42] And the reality is it's because we never tried or ordered. I tried it recently. Because you've never tried anything better. The cookie sandwich. The cookie sandwich. Wait, you've never tried it? The infamous cookie sandwich. No. Becky, I believe I took a bite of yours. Wait, are you talking about the cookie sandwich in Italy? Or are you talking about... No, now we're talking about just Mickey ice cream sandwiches. Oh, a Mickey ice cream sandwich? Yeah. Yes.

[00:22:09] It has cookies and cream ice cream in it, y'all. That piece of evidence is pretty good. It is superior to the plastic chocolate of a premium Mickey bar. It's just because of the crispy ear. No, it's because you like a picture. It's not because it's good. Because it's a lie. It is not good. It is plastic chocolate and fake vanilla ice cream. It is good. This is a good place for Stacey to pop in the pictures of me and Carla with our Mickey bars on Main Street. And then everybody will... We were so cute. It was great. Okay, we have to move on from that.

[00:22:39] Because we have a million questions. No, because you didn't talk about what I think is going to... No, wait. You didn't talk about the popular thing that you have never ridden that I think at this point you are... It's not a ride. It's an attraction. Oh, it is good. But you've never done it. And I don't think you are ever going to do it at this point. Is it Philhar magic? No. Yes. It is Philhar. Wait, no. It's figment. It should be figment. Allie has never ridden figment. Okay. Everything you have ever said about figment needing to go away... It does need to go away. ...is gone because... She doesn't even have to know that.

[00:23:09] You don't get an opinion if you've never tried it. Yeah, somehow I have one. Clearly we do. Clearly we do. Yeah, I don't know. I am exposed. It's true. But Philhar magic. Allie, Philhar magic. I hear you a million times. I hear you. It's mid. Maybe I'll go. Philhar magic is mid. It is not mid. You and Katie hype it like it's... I don't have little kids anymore. Yeah. I don't have little kids anymore. You don't have... Not even being a little kid.

[00:23:37] Like pulling yourself to being a little kid. Wanting to grab the diamonds out of the air. Becky, my kids want to ride Tron. Why would you have to grab air diamonds when you can go over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and grab real diamonds? No. I don't want to get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. No. That's a problem. Really? See, that's also a problem. Like you like... No. You have to hype up Philhar magic. And say that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an iconic. Yeah. It is iconic, but that's just not what I'm going to choose to do. We're just having different experiences.

[00:24:07] Yeah. We're in different phases. It's fine. I am very much in a show phase, y'all. Like that's just what I want to do right now. Is Philhar magic a show? Yes. It's absolutely a show. Yeah. But by that she means... It's not live. You know, a fuzzy screen in an air-conditioned theater. It is not a fuzzy screen. I am sick with 3D. Carla, when was the last time you saw it? I... You all are broken. Less than a year ago. At least we're not Utah broken. Did you take your glasses off? Were you watching the 3D movie without your glasses? I do. Sometimes I do. Yeah.

[00:24:37] I saw Toy Story... I saw Toy Story 5 in theaters in 3D accidentally over the summer. That hurt. I walked in. Did I tell the story? I think I told... Oh! I think I told the story. Accidentally? Yes. We walked... My friend and I were trying to buy tickets. Sounds like a new problem. And she was... She was like, oh, I don't see any seats available. And I was like, that's so weird. On my end, I see a million. She was like, well, if you see them, just grab them. Turns out, the reason they were available is because I was in the 3D queue and I didn't realize it.

[00:25:03] So we walked up to grab the tickets and I said, you know, we have 12 tickets for Toy Story 5. I don't like you. No. We're not friends anymore. Okay. We don't have friends anymore. They dropped me right then. Okay. Next question. Allison S., what is your most unpopular Disney opinion, i.e. foods everyone likes that you don't or common advice you go against? Pick me. I know the answer to this. Okay. The spring rolls are overrated. Like, yeah, no.

[00:25:33] I like those. It's not for me. No. I agree. Not worth the wait. It's mid. But it goes back to Disney food in general could quite possibly be a little bit. A little overrated. Okay. Let's remember that it is theme park. Okay. So be careful there. But also, if you're snacking around the world during a festival, that's legit. That food is good. It is. So it's not always. I mean, sometimes that stuff can be really good. The spring rolls are good because that line moves quickly and it's a savory snack.

[00:26:02] And so sometimes just that little pick me up is really good. I can agree to that. I'm down for savory, but it is a long line. There is zero shade in that line. And there will always be a line. And it's just mid. It's just mid. The cheeseburger and the pizza. I would say most, if not all, table service restaurants at Epcot are overrated. I would never get a dining reservation. Have you been to Le Cellier? No. Le Cellier is great.

[00:26:27] No, there's never a time when I would go into a theme park, into Epcot specifically, and want a steak dinner. You wouldn't want that? That doesn't exist in my world. What? Wanting a steak dinner at Epcot? Because how do you operate after that? Like, do you just roll yourself around the rest of the showcase? Like, what do you do? Well, you're strategic. You don't have it. You just walk out and go watch fireworks. You don't have it at one o'clock. Yeah. You have it right at the end of your night. Yeah. Watch fireworks. You're crazy. This is also an insane take.

[00:26:56] Do you watch fireworks at Epcot, Allie? Do you watch fireworks at Epcot? Allie makes her reservation during the fireworks. That's true. No, I'm going to watch the fireworks. I'm going to cry to the fireworks. However, Space 220, absolutely worth the experience. Especially with the changes that they've been making. I agree. I agree. Wait. I will note, Space 220 might be the one, and it's the lounge specifically, because I don't want a prefix meal, and I don't want prefix pricing. Yeah.

[00:27:26] The prefix thing is tough, but for little kids. Give me a la carte. Give me a la carte. Yeah. No, it's a great point. It's a great point. But the lounge is, I think you can only get reservations for up to four people. And it's not, the experience for, you have to be willing to pay that price so that you can tell your kids you're blasting off into space. It's very fun for them. But you blast off regardless, correct? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But I'm saying, but what I'm saying is the lounge is smaller.

[00:27:54] It's harder to get the reservation, and I don't think you can get it for more than four people. I don't, I think that's only four tops. And being out by the windows. I mean, either way. Chefs de France, we really enjoyed it. I do. Unless you lied to me. Did you lie to me about our date? She's lying to me. I didn't lie to you.

[00:28:21] I mean, listen, French food can only be so good. Sorry, French meal. I just, like, it's just not my favorite. No. None of it's good. No, I'm breathing. My mouth is watering now thinking about it. All right. We have been talking way too long. Yeah, we're in second one. We're both three questions in. Right. Yeah, but did we answer it? Yeah, we're good? Yeah, we did. Yeah. Did we? Clearly, we're not that sure. Yeah, we answered it. Okay. What's your rookie mistake that you made on your own Disney trip before you knew better? I talk about this one all the time, and it's not knowing when to show up if

[00:28:51] your goal is to rope drop. Got to be there an hour early. Mm-hmm. It's really smart. That's a good one. Two rookie mistakes. One is overpacking. I packed way too much my first time going, and it was ridiculous. And especially now that you're paying for bags, it's like less is more. I'm still making that as a veteran. That's a veteran mistake for me. It's just an ongoing mistake. My second mistake is feeling like I couldn't leave the parks. For me, the perfect day is rope dropping, getting in as much as you can until the park gets crazy busy, going back to your resort, resting, and going back and not

[00:29:21] missing the end of your day. Like, if you have to give up a time of your day, give up the middle when it's hot and it's busy, and make sure you get back to be there under the lights with the end of the night show. Mine was taking multiple forms of transportation without knowing my route. So when I, I've talked about it before, but we were saying at the Polynesian, we needed to get to Topolino's, and it was on our Epcot day. So we took the monorail, but we didn't go to the TTC. Like, we took the monorail around the loop, got off the monorail, changed lines to Epcot,

[00:29:49] took the monorail to Epcot, walked all the way through Epcot, got on the Skyliner, took the Skyliner to Riviera, and then went up. And we were sweating and wheezing, and it was horrible. And we never should have done that. I was just trying to utilize Disney transportation and be like a boss, but it was not good. It was horrible. And everybody was miserable. So know your route. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Know your route for sure. Okay. And can you explain pins and pin trading, please? That's an easy one.

[00:30:15] Basically, Disney has these official collectible pins, and you can buy them in boxes. Usually, I think it's like a three-pack typically, but you can also buy them individually. You can buy really nice ones just on their own if you find one. And then there are pin boards in resorts, and you'll see them throughout the parks. And at Disneyland, it's very, very prevalent. They have books of pin trading. And you basically can just go up, and if you have an official pin, which you can buy at any gift shop or kiosk, they're everywhere. You can just, if you have one you like that you see on the board more than the one you

[00:30:45] have, you can just swap it and leave yours on the board for somebody else to trade. And it's a great way to feel like you're always getting a new souvenir that you only have to pay for once. Yeah. Our family does do pin trading, and our family does pin collecting. Mostly pin collecting for us. We don't do a lot of trading. But if you're interested in trading, make sure that the pins that you are buying are official Disney pins, because if you want to trade with a person that's not a cast member, people will only want to trade with you if they're official Disney pins. On the back, there should be a tiny little diamond Mickey head on the back of those pins.

[00:31:13] And then also, if your kids want to do pin trading, buy yourself a little lot, maybe on eBay ahead of time, so that you have some as a starter. And then they can trade with cast members. If they are, I think the number is 12 or younger, then the cast members have to trade or something like that. If you're an adult, then it's up to them if they want to trade. There's rules around it. Look it up. There's a lot of information online, but it is a really, really niche thing and can be a lot of fun and a low cost relative if you buy yourself a starter set.

[00:31:43] Right. My daughter was really in a Cheshire cat phase after she got to be the Cheshire cat in a dance that we did. And she was able to locate a really unique Cheshire pin in a pin trading board. And you just find those little gems where maybe it's important to you, but it's not important to somebody else. And it's cool. Speaking of, I have one little tiny story here. I was at Chef Artsmith's. Allie, get yourself there. And one of our M&Ms walked up to us and she brought her daughter and her daughter's name is Lucy. And Lucy gave me one of her pins and I didn't have any pins with me to trade.

[00:32:13] So I mailed her a Cheshire cat pin. Shout out to Lucy. And so, yeah, she got a Cheshire cat pin and they listen religiously on their way driving around. Like shout out to them. They came up and said hi at Chef Artsmith. So it was amazing. Sounds like Lucy needs to meet my daughter if it was a Cheshire cat that she was interested in. Yeah. And Macy was a Cheshire cat kid too. Oh, well, always say hi if you see us in the parks like Lucy did. That's really special. Okay. Section two. We're only on two, you guys. I can't see. I can't see the list. So. It's big.

[00:32:43] So yeah. Size inclusivity and accessibility. Roxanne asked. Y'all briefly mentioned it sometimes, especially for Tron, and it can be a sensitive topic. Disney is better than Universal, but size inclusivity. I had to ride the accommodation for Tron. I talked with big and tall guys whose calves were too muscular for flight of passage. Along the same vein, any advice if three people want to ride something like Haunted Mansion together? I've ridden with three before, but one was a child. Next time it's adults only. And one friend is petite, the other average.

[00:33:12] I'd like for us to ride together, but I don't want to try and have the ride stopped. I'm happy to take this as experiencing this firsthand. And it is a travesty that Disney has a couple of rides that unfortunately are not inclusive and Tron is one of them. I cannot ride the bike on Tron because I, same issue, my calves are too big. So if it can't close, then you have to ride in the back seat. I have gotten past that. There is a bike you can try on the front.

[00:33:38] And there are really only two rides in all of Disney World that size inclusivity is an issue, which I cannot say for this, for the park down the road that is less size inclusive than Disney. Disney does a really good job in most cases. Tron, try the bike outside. Nobody's watching you. I know it's a really self-conscious thing to get on and try it, but you don't want to get on the ride, get all the way up to the bike and then find out that you can't fit the bike right. Just when you get up there, say you want to ride in the back seat and then you can ride in the back seat.

[00:34:06] Same issue on Flight of Passage. However, I have no issue on Flight of Passage. There is a trial for Flight of Passage out front that you can give it a try. What I learned, because there was one time I was getting on Flight of Passage and it wasn't closing right. And then the cast member helped and said, if you push your knee in, scoot your knee in as far as you can forward, then you're more likely to be able to have your Avatar Banshee closed correctly so that you can ride Flight of Passage.

[00:34:33] Flight of Passage is more forgiving than Tron, but Tron does have an access point for you to ride at the back of it. I wish it wasn't a thing. We need more conversation around this. Let's come to our Facebook group and just have more open conversation. Like you do not need to be ashamed about it. All of our bodies are built differently and just do what you can. I will say the Haunted Mansion piece, just go in knowing that you're not going to ride together. It's not meant for three full-size adults. Yeah. I don't think if the three of us went, I don't know that we'd ride together.

[00:35:00] But if it really matters to you, you could always just ask a cast member. But I think Disney does a good job. And again, of course, this is not coming from personal firsthand experience myself, but I have been with lots of people who have tried the ride simulations at the front. And I think when I think Disney knows when size inclusivity is an issue for a ride and they do have like what Becky talked about at the front. So I think do yourself the favor always. And if there's a question or you're worried, give yourself the opportunity to figure it out before you've waited in line and before you're in front of an audience because Becky's right. Nobody's watching you at that point. Yeah.

[00:35:29] And I would dare even say it's the same thing with your kids who are little. Like measure them ahead of time. Know if they're going to be able to go on the ride. Getting to the ride and being disappointed ruins your day. Do not give yourself the opportunity to be disappointed. I know, but that one's hard for me because I measure my kids like crazy. I mean, my kids are, I've said before, I measure them. They go to the doctor, they get measured. And their first question is, what Disney rides can I do? They're brainwashed at this point. And ahead of that Disneyland trip we took, I really, really measured them.

[00:35:57] And I thought we were all clear for Incredico Star. And when, I mean, my son was like a hair. You couldn't even get your fingernail in there. You know, so, so close. And they didn't let him on. It was horrible. It's a horrible memory. So yeah, I mean, do your best to avoid that. Maybe that should be my rookie mistake. But I did think I was avoiding it. So similar to that, beyond seatbelt and size accommodations, what other accessibility needs?

[00:36:22] Mobility, sensory, invisible disabilities do you wish most guests or more guests knew about ahead of time? I mean, this is a tricky one because there is the DAS mobility pass. And we can't really speak too much to that because it is a very specific accessibility. You have to qualify for it. You work with a cast member. So I can't speak too much to that. But there is the DAS service. You can look it up in your app. And you can kind of explore what that means and if you qualify. Some of that would be mobility and sensory and invisible disabilities, just like the question asks.

[00:36:52] So definitely, if you don't know about DAS or DAS, look into that before your trip. And I think that's really all we'll say about it. But see if you qualify. Because sometimes people don't realize ahead of time that it's a thing. And you end up wasting a lot of time. And that is a service that Disney offers that can be quite wonderful. I will say a lot of mobility needs, depending on what they are. And again, this is why I won't speak too much to it because it's not a broad answer. But a lot of mobility disabilities aren't going to necessarily qualify. A lot of mobility disabilities will still wait in regular lines.

[00:37:21] One other piece of just conversation as we're educating and having conversations around this in general. I think that it's a good reminder to us that when we are in the parks, just try to be present with your family and worry less about what other people are doing. People do have invisible disabilities. And it shouldn't be on us to decide whether somebody deserves to get an accommodation. Like, just be in the moment with your people. Yeah, definitely. Is there a way to find out ride accommodations before your trip so you're not caught off guard at the ride? Yeah.

[00:37:51] The My Disney Experience app has a lot of great information. If you haven't listened to that episode, go listen to that episode. It will give you so many tips. And one of those things is about how to lean in and learn more about each of the rides that you'll be experiencing. Yep. Always check the app. If ever in doubt, check the app. It probably has your answer. And make sure that, you know, as we wrap up this segment, ask your questions. Do not be bashful about this piece of it. If this is a reality for you for any reason, give yourself the peace of mind of speaking with a cast member

[00:38:19] and getting the answers you need before you are putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Because speaking with a cast member is not uncomfortable. So that would be my best advice. All right. Section three here. We have family dynamics and emotional trip planning. Kelly R asks, as a single mom traveling with four kids of different ages, how do you realistically prioritize everyone's must-dos without turning the trip into a checklist of burning yourself out? On our last trip, we had seven park days. Holy moly, Kelly. And we did a ton.

[00:38:48] But there were still two evenings when my eight-year-old was disappointed, missing Woody and Jesse and missing Frozen while off riding Guardians with his sister. I didn't realize how important those things were to him until after. How do you figure out what each child truly cares about ahead of time and balance that with what's realistic for younger kids? And let go of the guilt when you can't do it all. He was quietly sad not throwing a Disney fit, which was almost harder on my mama heart. I agree. Those silent saddies. That's hard. Anybody else want to start?

[00:39:16] I would just say make planning fun and get your family involved. If it's not a surprise trip, then sit down as a family. Sit down with your kiddos and get their top priorities and just have honest conversations that things can change. Weather can be into play. All of those factors can affect your trip. But the more you talk about it ahead of time and have proper expectations, both you as mom and you as kiddo, the better your trip's going to be.

[00:39:45] I agree. I think child involvement, family involvement is the right answer here. And making sure you know what are those priority things that you're going to have the silent saddies about if we don't get to it. And kind of talking it through and figuring out how to – you're not going to eliminate it fully. And, hey, mom, you're at Disney. You made Disney happen for your kids. So no guilt. But the kids can't necessarily quite understand the sacrifice and the planning and everything it took to get them there.

[00:40:12] What they understand is I want to see Frozen, you know? And so figuring that out ahead of time and making them part of the conversation is definitely your best defense against that sadness. I would say if you also have older and younger kids, a really good strategy is to not be afraid to let your older kids go and do something they're interested in on their own. As long as they're, like, in the same park, Disney's a safe place. Let your olders go get in line and ride Guardians and you go and take your littles to meet Frozen. And obviously know your kids and whether they can handle being on their own in that space.

[00:40:43] But families who feel like – especially families that are older or larger who feel like they have to be together all the time, let one of the parents take the kids and do something and the other parent go and, like, don't feel like you have to be together. Because if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you don't want to leave and be like, why didn't I know that that was such an important space? Yeah. Being prepared ahead of time and being okay with splitting up. Absolutely. Teresa asks, how do you do Disney with a spouse who's not a Disney fan? Resorts, restaurants, experiences that can turn them to the Disney side.

[00:41:12] Well, my number one tip here is be okay with maybe doing some things apart, right? Like, I've started mentioning that I'll take my kids into the park before my wife is ready and then she'll join us when she is ready. That's made a huge difference on the positivity and the optimism in our park days. So maybe a little give and take is going to be important to let your spouse feel seen and heard. That's okay. If they don't want to rope drop but you do and it's important, that's okay in my opinion. Take them to maybe some of the fine dining. If they're an outdoorsy person, pick an outdoorsy resort, right?

[00:41:42] Maybe Fort Wilderness is a good option for you. Maybe just Wilderness Lodge in general. Animal Kingdom Lodge. Who doesn't love animals out your window? So kind of keeping in mind what are the things that they don't like? What is the turnoff? Is it the crowds? Is it the vibrancy? Tysayers. Very much yes. I had a client reach out recently and said they went to Disney. They planned on their own. Her husband hated it. She's like, I don't know that I can ever get him to go back.

[00:42:11] She said, he said he's willing to give it one more try. Please help me figure this out. We ended up putting them at Old Key West because he's a golfer. And smart. He did multiple rounds of golf while they were there. They reduced their number of park days so that the mom and kids got to still go and get that dose. Dad did go for a couple of days as well. But made it more about the Disney Resort and experiencing the other things that Disney World is, they came home and immediately booked their bounce back. So we saved that dad. Dad included? Yeah, dad included.

[00:42:41] They said it was perfect. You know, I think as moms sometimes we have this feeling that we all, you know, in order for this to be a successful family vacation, we all five have to be together all the time and dad has to participate in 100% of the things we're doing. And the reality is I don't think that's true. You know, there's going to be some core memory moments that we want the whole family there for. And then if you really love the parks and your kids really do and your spouse doesn't, send him golfing. That sounds great. Yeah. And I think that would be my advice. Okay.

[00:43:09] Allie asks, what is the one thing you would make sure to do on an adult-only trip? Lounges. Yeah. Assuming that. Well, and honestly, the lounges also have a non-alcoholic menu. We have some good friends that we travel with that don't drink. And so I think either way, my answer is still lounges. Because the spaces, whether you drink alcohol or not, the spaces are phenomenal. They truly are. And there are so many of them. I don't even know how many I have left to do, but I still haven't hit them all. And I've intentionally trying to collect them all.

[00:43:40] They are so much fun. There's live entertainment at some of them. Some of them are just an easy step out of the park to go catch an NFL game if that's important to you. Like, they can serve a lot of different purposes, but they can also be inside of the park with ogas or the beacon barrel inside of Magic Kingdom. Like, it's a really great space for adults. Just like you would pre-plan with your family and your kids, pre-plan with the other adults that are going. Because likely, any other time that they've been to Disney have been with kids.

[00:44:09] And, you know, you're going, going, going. And oftentimes, our wants and needs are less, right? So we're meeting the needs of our children. We're meeting the needs of, you know, going on these rides and seeing these characters. And we're not necessarily getting to do the things that we want to do. And that goes for every adult that's going in the group, has their own wants and needs. And just sitting down and getting those all on the table. So that when you get there, you can check some of those things off the box.

[00:44:34] It can still be a very much go with the flow, you know, very light planning. You don't have to be there, be at a specific place at a specific time. But that everybody is going to get what they want out of the trip. I think that that's super important. Yeah, absolutely. And dare I say, if your budget allows, stay deluxe. If you're going with adults only. I mean, if you're going to be park warriors, and that's the whole goal of the trip, by all means, stay cheap. But if I'm going with adults, I want to stay deluxe. Yeah, for sure.

[00:45:03] And splitting the bill of a deluxe resort, you know, between multiple people as opposed to being a family. And, you know, you have to put the whole bill. It's definitely more doable. It's partially why we've been so fortunate to get to stay in tree houses, two-bedroom villas. And I even got to stay in a three-bedroom villa. You're splitting the cost with multiple adults, and it's not all in your family. You get to experience these room types that, man, I still walk into those villas. And I'm like, I can't believe I'm in a three-bedroom villa at Disney World. These are not super attainable.

[00:45:30] But they are when you plan for it and you go with multiple adults. Okay, how do you handle it when siblings have completely opposite trip paces? One wants to rope drop everything, and the other wants pool days and naps. I feel like we're talking about the podcast team in this. I know. It's so funny because we split up if we want to. You know, we might get to the resort and a bunch of people are like, let's go to Magic Kingdom. And I'm always the one that's like, I'm going to stay here and enjoy the balcony, and I'll meet up with y'all later. I think this answer has to come on two veins, right?

[00:46:00] If you have two parents, you can split up. And I will always be a fan of saying, don't be afraid of splitting up. It's okay. You will be together at some point in the day and for the majority of the day. But if I have a kiddo that really wants to get up and go, and I have another that really needs sleep, I can honor both of those with my wife. If you are a single parent, at that point, I would teach my kids about give and take. We have to get up early today for Carla, but tomorrow we're going to sleep in for Becky. And we, you know, we have to be there for one another, and we can't do it all your way or all her way.

[00:46:30] And that's, I think, how I would do it. Yep. That actually leads really well into that last question in this segment. Go ahead. What's your advice for solo parents or grandparents traveling without another adult for help during meltdowns and ride waits? It's a tricky one. I think anybody that's choosing to solo parent at Disney already has a good handle on what it's like to solo parent their kiddos, the ages, the needs, the desires. So there are going to be things that we can't speak to because we're not in that dynamic with you.

[00:46:57] But my advice is no ahead of time are they old enough to ride alone. Because you have to be seven or eight to ride alone at Disney. And if you have two kiddos under that age and they can't ride together, and one of them can't ride alone, what are we doing? Right? You're kind of out of luck. There are some rides that in the case, riding directly behind them will allow them to still ride. That's very specific. This goes back to talk to the Disney cast members. They are there to help you problem solve these situations.

[00:47:24] And keep in mind, lots of rides everybody can ride together. Shows you can still see. So it's not to say it's not worth it to do it. There's still always going to be plenty to do. But know where your problems are going to be ahead of time. Utilize services. There's nannies that'll go into the park with you. Utilize a sister, a sibling, a grandparent. Take somebody with you. If it's going to ease the stress of being there by yourself with kiddos, then why not make it easier on yourself? Because you can do Disney as a solo parent for sure.

[00:47:53] And then another thing that comes out in the solo parenting space is restroom issues. Like if you have a boy and a girl and how are you going to handle that? Like there are family bathrooms at Disney as well. So just lean in on talking to your cast members. They really can give you great strategies when you're in the moment about how to handle a situation. Yeah. All right. Segment four. Ears are going to perk up here. Money and logistics. Meg asks, how much do you all typically spend on a Disney trip?

[00:48:19] What's a good price range for a family of five staying on site? Well, first I just want to say the variable in budget matters so much. How long are you staying? How many park days do you want? What time of year are you going? It's too hard. I know it's hard to understand if you're really trying to navigate budget for the first time. It's too hard to say this is what Disney costs because there isn't a number that's real. And the way we typically do it when we're working with people is we will say, well, how much do you have to spend?

[00:48:47] You know, if you have $5,000, let's see where we can, you know, how many nights can that get us? How many park days can that get us? Because there isn't just the typical average cost. As a family of five also, there are some parameters around that. Like if you are a family of four or less, your budget could start lower because you're likely going to be able to fit in a value resort where if you have five or more, unless one of those five is under three, you're automatically looking at moderate prices or higher. And this is why you work with a travel agent.

[00:49:15] They're going to help you find the perfect budget and the perfect package that will get you exactly what you're trying to get out of it for the budget that you have in mind. Yeah. Carla, any more on that? I think you guys nailed it. I wish we could say there's a typical, this is how much you need to save and you can make Disney happen. But the truth is work with your travel agent, bring your budget to the table. Say what, this is what I can spend. Now, what can I do? And that's actually how Disney planning should work. Andrea L asks, I've seen Disney influencers get kids meals as their own meal. Is this allowed?

[00:49:43] And if so, where's the best place to order for the bank for your book? It's a fun question. Why not though? Like this is a great way to save money. I don't think you obviously can't do this at character meals, right? But any quick service restaurant, probably most table services, I'm pretty sure you can order off the kids menu and it'd be totally fine. Why not do it if your appetite's not huge, if you're not, you know, you just want something small, but you're still getting the experience and why not do it? I do this actually a lot.

[00:50:11] Quick service, no brainer, especially in places like Regal Eagle in the American Pavilion is a really great kids meal for a lower price. Honestly, look at the kids meal for everywhere you're going and seeing if you can get one. The thing I also like about kids meals compared to a regular adult meal is the kids version comes with a small drink and in some places that drink is refillable. Regal Eagle, a perfect example. You get a small drink and you can go refill that drink for free over and over while you're sitting there eating.

[00:50:40] Table service is a different beast though, because a lot of the Disney sit down table service options are actually not owned by Disney and a lot of people don't realize this. And so the policy will change from one restaurant to another depending on that individual management team and that restaurant. So just if you're curious about ordering a kids meal as a table service option, just talk to your wait staff about that and they'll be able to tell you if you can do it.

[00:51:07] Worst case scenario, you order one adult meal and share it with somebody else. That's another option on how you can save some additional money there. Yeah, exactly right. Okay. Summer B asks, which park are you skipping if you only have three park days with no park hopper? Context, I'm going in early August, 2027 and my two daughters are four and six with my mom. My girls and I, plus my husband who's not coming next time, just did a full week hitting every park in June, 2026. What am I skipping? It is a hard one.

[00:51:34] With four and six year olds, I'm skipping Animal Kingdom, at least for now until the new Encanto ride. Yeah, because the reality is, is that Animal Kingdom, as much as we want to say it's for littles and it is if you're just there to view the animals and watch the shows, but for rides, if rides are important, then you're just not going to get on much there. And really the same can be said very similarly to that Hollywood Studios. It just might not be your time for Hollywood Studios yet. Yeah.

[00:52:02] Epcot is typically said for this and that's the wrong answer. I think you definitely hit Epcot and Magic Kingdom no matter what. And then you kind of just look at your dynamic and decide if you're skipping Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. It would be very hard for me to skip Hollywood Studios. I just love it too much. And Toy Story Land is so cute. Like there's such great spaces for littles and the animation courtyard. It's amazing. I think the right answer is Animal Kingdom, unfortunately. And that's where Bluey is. Yeah, but that Bluey experience is a bust.

[00:52:31] And it's temporary. It's not temporary, is it? No, it's not temporary. It wasn't just like a toolkit summer? No. I don't think so. I'm hopeful that they're going to do some things to improve it. Disney has a way of improving. And so I'm crossing my fingers that Disney's going to find ways to improve the Bluey experience. That or they just cancel it like they did the kite show. R.I.P. And the Star Wars Hotel. What a bust. Oh, man. You know what though? As a travel agent, I did send like five families on the Star Cruiser.

[00:53:01] And every single one of them loved it. I even had one family go twice. So there was a crowd. Okay. What is one hidden cost of the Disney trip that first timers never budget for? Souvenirs. I think as much as you think you can budget for souvenirs, they're always going to cost more. Your kids are always going to want more. And you're going to be in yes mode. And you're going to be saying yes more. I would dare say it's not really a hidden cost, but it's quickly. It's amazing how quickly it adds up. The cost of snacks. There are so many Disney snacks and they are so beautiful.

[00:53:31] You're going to want all of them. That's why you get the dining plan. Yeah. When you go to buy a Dole Whip and everybody wants a Dole Whip and then all of a sudden you've dropped $60 on Dole Whip, you're like, what just happened? That feels like I should have gotten a meal and I just got a snack. Okay. But this is why the dining plan is good because you don't need five Dole Whips. If my family is getting a Dole Whip, we could survive on one, maybe two. And you use two of your dining credits and you move on about your day and you still have a ton. You don't need five Dole Whips. Yeah.

[00:54:00] But if you're paying out of pocket and you don't have credits, you might be like, okay, what do you want? What do you want? What do you want? And this is when budgeting with the dining plan matters most. I think the most unbudgeted for thing has to be souvenirs because you can budget for dining. I mean, to me, it's anything you can't include in your package price. Right. And I think that the lightning lanes, you know, you're a week out. You're excited and you go to do your five days of lightning lanes and you're like, wow, you know, that was hard. Yeah. That was rough. Right.

[00:54:27] I do wish just like they do with Disneyland. I wish you can buy your ticket and include your lightning lanes. I think that that is the solution. And I hope that that eventually comes to Walt Disney World. But until then, it's hard because there's so many variables to it. Right. Right. There's, you know, it's different prices for different parks and different, you know, if you want the single rider, that's not the single rider. It's a single pass, the lightning lane single pass for specific rides. Those are different prices on different days.

[00:54:55] So it's very, it's a very difficult thing to budget for. You can get an idea, surely, but it might not be exact. It's a good call out. Wouldn't it be cool if you could budget some sort of souvenir package to your package? You could pick a tier and pay on your souvenirs ahead of time. I think to me, that's just, you know, utilizing grandparents and gift giving beforehand and just, and just really, you know, give Disney gift cards. And then that's your budget. Each kid gets a hundred dollar gift card for their whole Disney trip.

[00:55:22] And then that makes them, gives them their budget so that they know how much they can spend. And they're taking that into account every time they see something that they want. People know that we are always taking some form of a Disney trip, but there's always one on the horizon. We have one booked for fall break. We have a cruise on the books. Like we always have things booked. So most of the time for holidays and birthdays, we're getting a lot of Disney gift cards. And that's honestly how we pull it off a lot of the times, you know? Yeah, it's awesome. Okay. Segment five, bookings and perks. Deep dive. Booking and perks. Deep dive.

[00:55:52] Allie asks, how do I book hard to find rooms at Disney? Thinking three bedroom villas and cabins, limited supply suites, et cetera. Do I need to be DVC? And what do you think of DVC in general? I will start this if that's okay, because I am a DVC member. First of all, booking the hard to get rooms. They're not always available. So it might not be that they're unavailable. It might be that you're too far out because villas and things like that, they don't open with regular rooms. They open on a time window based on DVC, which is typically nine to 11 months.

[00:56:21] I'm not actually sure what it is to the general public, but it's not the same ways as resorts. So sometimes that's why you're not seeing availability if you're really far out. What I have found, because I have a couple of clients that I work with that they like the really nice rooms. I've had people stay in the grand suite. I've had people stay in the Kamehameha suite, in the turret suite. You know, these are high end rooms that are hard to get. And what I have found works because we've gotten all of them, not just for a few nights, but for week long stays is knowing early.

[00:56:50] So you know that you want one of these rooms. You let your travel agent know, or you're aware ahead of that drop for the following year and you get it the day it drops. You know, that's your best strategy. Getting hard rooms is knowing ahead of time. So if you're wanting a really, really nice suite or villa for Thanksgiving with your family, you need to be looking at that the second those dates open. You do not need to be DVC to get those rooms. They are in limited supply. So it is going to be a luck thing. That's why preparing and planning early is important. So you don't have to be DVC.

[00:57:19] But as a DVC member myself, I think one misconception is that, you know, eventually once your contract is paid off because you pay off your contract over, I believe it's a 10 year period if you're paying the length that Disney offers, you can pay it off sooner. But once you pay that off, you're no longer paying for that portion. So the points you just have them to use, which is awesome. But you're never not paying anything because you always also have annual dues. So for the next rest of my lifetime, we will have our DVC points that we have to use and we can always stay deluxe with them. And that's going to be awesome.

[00:57:49] But we will always pay annual dues. So you're never kind of getting away without paying anything. I love being a DVC member because we're locked into deluxe every time we want to go. We're guaranteed to have it. The hard part is that we don't qualify for a lot of promos, right? Like we don't get to capitalize on some of those really cool promotions that Disney offers. And sometimes that can be a womp womp. But if you are a Disney family that wants to be a generational Disney family, take your kids, let your kids go when they're older, take your grandkids, then DVC to me, that's

[00:58:17] why we bought in and that's why we have our contracts. I wouldn't get DVC just so you can get the hard to get rooms. Yeah. I think that my little addition I can add in because we have considered becoming a DVC family. One is a Florida resident. A lot of your discounts that DVC qualifies for, Florida residents have similar discounts. And so just knowing where you're coming from. But I also am a timeshare holder that is not a Disney timeshare. And DVC has an expiration date on your contract where my timeshare does not. That's actually a bonus that it expires.

[00:58:47] Because for us, we can't get out of our timeshare where DVC actually has an endpoint and you can decide whether you're going to go into a new contract, all of those kinds of things. So there's a lot of conversation there. I don't think we need to get into the nitty gritty of it. But I see the pluses and the minuses. If we didn't live in Florida, we probably would be a DVC family. I also just want to point out because I think people are wondering since you said DVC contracts expire. I'll just quickly explain it and then we can move on. They don't expire based on a timeline of when you bought. Each resort has an expiration date.

[00:59:17] So for instance, I own my contract at the Polynesian. If Carla were to buy a Polynesian contract today, hers would expire when mine does. All of the resorts have the same expiration date regardless of your buy-in. And if you want an idea of the timeline, mine does not expire until I'm in my 80s. So they're basically a lifetime. But eventually it does expire. Is it ever worth booking off property to save money or does it usually end up costing more in convenience? I think the only time it's worth doing this is if you have a big group.

[00:59:46] If you're doing that multi-generation group, you have grandparents, you have aunts, and you don't mind being in the same quarters. I'm going to say that too because some people really want that. They think that that family trip includes sharing a house, having a pool, having amenities. And if that's the case, there are so many off-property resorts, hotels, you know, homes that you can rent that would make sense. But just be aware of the cost. And we've talked about this so much, you know, parking.

[01:00:16] Some of these resorts do offer shuttles, but know that they're not going to be convenient shuttles. They're going to be a couple times a day to the Ticket and Transportation Center. There are definitely going to be inconveniences. So you have to weigh what is more important to you. Is it having your family, you know, multiple people in one space? Is that more important to you than the inconveniences and the costs that you're going to pay to be off-site and not have the perks of Disney?

[01:00:42] I got to say, when we've done our multi-generational, we've done separate rooms on property. And the space at night was actually nice. I just, I love the way that this question was worded when they said, do you end up, does it end up costing more inconvenience? And the answer is definitely yes. Because you have to imagine also getting a lot of people. If you're traveling with 15 people, getting everybody when you're off-site to the parks, well, that just became really complicated because you can't get there in one car. Huge van, I guess. But you're renting that van, you know? Right.

[01:01:10] Otherwise, you're renting multiple cars and then you're paying multiple parking. And I've said before, off-site, you're visiting Disney parks. On-site, you're visiting Disney World. That's your difference. Having been that family that did stay off property, and honestly, I do still stay off property fairly regularly. We were the family that was scraping all of the pennies together to make Disney happen. And please just lean into promos with the value resorts and see if you can find a way to get

[01:01:36] on property because the convenience and the affordability of those value resorts are really worth taking a hard consideration before making the decision to pull yourself out of the magic of the bubble. Yeah. Weigh every option, y'all. Seriously. All right, segment six, working with an agent. As everybody knows, we are all travel agents. We book Disney trips and trips all over the world, really. But we definitely all specialize in Disney. We do this all the time. So it's something we mention, but we don't really talk about in depth a lot.

[01:02:04] So I'm excited to dig in just a little here. First question is, how do you know you've outgrown your agent? I still want to use an agent, but I need somebody who's more detail-oriented, who has more detail-oriented knowledge than I've acquired. That's a complicated question. You know, the first thing I would say is make sure you've really communicated. I'm just a person in life that has your perspective, my perspective, and then somewhere in the middle, right? We always, you've heard that probably. And, you know, sometimes I have had clients that have said things to me like, oh, you know, I felt like I didn't get this. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I had no idea.

[01:02:33] I felt like I was doing that. And then we kind of come to a better agreement. So open communication with my clients personally is just something I really value. I make sure that my clients feel very comfortable coming to me if they don't feel like I'm doing something. And ultimately, most of them feel, you know, like we connect well and they get what they want. So I think step number one is making sure you've communicated that desire to your agent. And if they're receptive and you can notice a change, that's great. But if they're not, then you might know that it's time to look maybe elsewhere.

[01:03:01] And it is possible that an agent is just not the perfect fit. But like Allie said, lean in and make sure the communication is happening first before you're saying you're ready to end that relationship. We are 100% pro travel agent on this podcast. You should be booking with a travel agent. Then if you come across and you just realize that the mix isn't there, then it's okay to find another travel agent. But just be thoughtful on how you would want to be treated if you were on the other side of that relationship. And it's a two-way relationship between you and your travel agent for sure.

[01:03:29] Yeah, I think most agents are really willing to meet clients where they're at and better fill gaps if the client feels like they're having them. And I think to answer your question, that's how you know if you've outgrown your agent is if your agent isn't receptive to that feedback or willing to kind of make accommodations for you or if it's just not in the design of how they run their business. You know, that might be indicative of needing somebody else. But, you know, as travel agents, like Becky said, we love supporting other women or men, honestly, agents in general out there doing this. You know, communication, I would say is the best thing.

[01:04:00] All right. What is the best way to comparison shop trip pricing before asking an agent to do all the work? So you run your own pricing before asking an agent? I would say that's probably what they're trying to get at. Yeah. I would just say, why are you comparison shopping? Are you looking for a better price? Number one, start with a budget, right? So have your budget ready to go. And then it's like, why would you be comparison shopping? Are you looking to maximize that budget?

[01:04:28] Because if so, using a travel agent is going to be your best bet. Right out of the get-go, have that open communication. This is my budget. I want to make the most of my trip. Let that agent, with their knowledge and their expertise, make the most of that budget and stretch it as far as it's going to go. I'm going to be really candid here and I hope that's okay and y'all can chime in. But there is nothing more, I don't know if frustrating is the right word, or kind of

[01:04:54] defeating, like as an agent to discover later that maybe a client you've been working with has been talking to multiple agents without your knowledge. And that's for a couple of reasons. Number one, you know, as travel agents, we don't get paid until after travel. So if we do a lot of front end work for you and your trip, that's great. We love doing that. But if somebody else is also doing it, then, you know, somebody's time is going to have been wasted. So when you're not upfront about that comparison shopping, it really does kind of take advantage

[01:05:22] of the time somebody is putting into doing this for you. Oh, I didn't even think that we were referring to comparison shopping with different agents because the reality is we all get the same pricing. You know, we're all shopping directly through Disney. So our prices aren't going to be different. There was a circumstance one of our friends had where, you know, somebody had said, let's just say the budget was $5,000. And the agent had been working with this person for quite a while. And they found a package perfectly within the budget. It was great. And then when it came down to it, they didn't book with them.

[01:05:52] And, you know, when the agent asked why, they were said, well, we found another agent who got better pricing than you. Well, the reality is this agent was just maximizing, like you said, the budget they were given. But an agent didn't find better pricing. They just priced it differently. So being really honest with what you want, like don't say $5,000 if you actually want to spend three, right? You can absolutely be super honest because that's what we want to do as agents. We don't mind doing that work for you, but we also want to have the relationship through

[01:06:21] the booking process with you. I agree. And you can, if you're not comparison shopping like with agents, but you're just kind of looking yourself before you reach out to an agent, there's nothing necessarily wrong with that if that's the way you meant because you get a good idea of what's out there and what you can afford. And that's really, really helpful for an agent too going in. So there's nothing wrong with that part of it. But then let the agent know, hey, this is what I saw and this is why I like it. So just again, communication is always going to be key. Okay. How does the bounce back offer work?

[01:06:48] If I didn't work with an agent when I booked previously, can I work with one of you on the bounce back offer? When does it need to be used by? The answer is yes. You do not have to have worked with an agent previously and you can also make any changes you want along the way. So I have worked before with clients that booked on their own and maybe they listened to the podcast and they were like, I want to work with one of y'all. So then we're able to call Disney on your behalf, utilize your bounce back offer and book it for you as agents. So absolutely. Yes. You can use an agent, even if you did not previously.

[01:07:16] That's also true for Disney cruises, really any Disney destination. You do, however, have to book it within seven days of your checkout. If you book your bounce back within seven days and you still want to work with an agent, you can transfer that bounce back to an agent as long as you do it within 30 days of booking and it's not paid in full. And if you know that you have a trip you're booking right now, let's say you booked a trip, you're going to travel in the next month or two and you already know you plan on doing a bounce back. You can connect with a travel agent now and say, I didn't book with you originally,

[01:07:46] but I do would love to book with you on my bounce back. Can we start talking about what that bounce back is going to look like so that when you check out, you're ready to book that bounce back. And that time is critical. Seven days, y'all. Yeah. Because nothing is set in stone. The time is critical, yeah. All you have to know is that you want to go back to Disney and then get something on the books and then everything else can change after that. Yep. Lock that in. Exactly. Do not stress yourself out about when, where, even money, honestly. Yeah. Just do you want to go back to Disney?

[01:08:15] Is the answer yes, we're booking something. Mm-hmm. And to Becky's point, you know, if somebody reaches out to me in that way, I'm traveling soon. I want to use you for my bounce back. I make notes in my agenda to reach out on your checkout day so that you don't miss out or forget. And so you already have an agent on your side and in your corner helping make things happen. What is something that clients feel embarrassed to ask their agent but really shouldn't be? And how do you get paid? I have had people ask me that and I think they feel bad asking.

[01:08:44] And I love it when people ask me that because I want them to know that our help is included. They are not paying more to use our help. So when that's confusing to them, you can say, by the way, I don't mean to be rude. A lot of people say that. How do you get paid if this isn't costing me anything? That's okay to ask in my opinion. And then, yeah, Becky, what you were saying. Yeah, like what is a good budget for my family? Because the reality is it's not going to cost you $1,000 to go to Disney, right?

[01:09:08] We can have a conversation based on the individual needs of your family on what a budget could look like, but we're going to give you a range. We're not going to say it's going to be $2,500. It's going to be $10,900. We're going to talk to you about what your family needs. So just be honest about where you are. And if you know that your family is in a budget, that you're going to be in a value room, don't feel bad about that. Be open about what the reality of your situation is. And money can be really hard to talk about, but we're not here to judge.

[01:09:36] We're here to help you make a magic vacation for your family. Yeah. You can ask me as an agent. I'll speak for myself. You can ask me anything. I'm never like, there's literally not, I mean, regarding your trip and things like that, but I'm really ready. And I know y'all are as well to just dig in and make it happen for the client, however it looks. And it looks different for every, from one family to the next. Use an agent, y'all. It's included. So why not go for it? All right. We only have one more section left here of questions to answer so that you can be less bashful.

[01:10:05] But before we do, let's take a moment to talk about Disney luxury. Have you ever wondered which deluxe resort would be best for you? Or maybe even which dining experiences are worth splurging on? You can learn all of that and more in our friend Maureen's Facebook community, doing Disney deluxe style. When you join her community, you can get a free guide with recommendations of all of the best ways to luxuriate on your next magical vacation. And let's be real. Luxury can look so different from family to family.

[01:10:33] You don't have to just have top dollar experiences to add luxury to your vacation. And by joining Maureen's group, doing Disney deluxe style, you can figure out exactly how it looks for your family. Join her Facebook community and get your free guide today. Check out the link in today's show notes to learn just how. Here's a good bashful question. Are you planning Disney with a big family? That's hard to do. Maybe you've got a toddler who needs naps and a teenager chasing thrill rides, or you're tackling the park solo with multiple kids.

[01:11:00] Well, that's exactly how our friend Kayla can help. The first step to an easier vacation, picking the right time to go. And if you join her Facebook group, Family Vacations with Kayla, Disney, Universal, Cruises, Hawaii, and more, you can get her free Family Vacations guide. The guide to the best time to visit Walt Disney World. It's included when you join her group, and you can get your questions answered by reading the guide, joining the conversation. The community is wonderful for helping plan those large family trips so you can skip the

[01:11:28] biggest crowds, avoid common mistakes, and plan a trip that's actually enjoyable for everyone. That's Family Vacations with Kayla, Disney, Universal, Cruises, Hawaii, and more, or by clicking the link in today's show notes. We have our last segment here. It's behind the curtain, and I did read ahead. I'm excited about this question, podcast curiosities. I feel like I know all five hosts pretty well. However, there are seven people who are admins and in the banner on your Facebook group. Who are they?

[01:11:57] And why don't we ever hear from them? Well, that's a great question. Y'all know that there is Becky, Carla, Allie, Stacey, Katie. We host this show, and we've been hosting it together for three years now. And we started this journey together, and we've had so much fun doing it. However, it takes a lot to run and create a podcast and to keep things moving on the back end and to keep all of you welcomed into our Facebook community. And that's why we turned inward to our community.

[01:12:26] And we brought on two of our very good friends. That's McKinley and Danielle that you see in the banner that are admins in the group. McKinley and Danielle are totally part of this podcast team. They are how we get to our magic number seven. And they're basically doing back end work, things that you're not seeing, but they are working every day. They're in our chats every day, coming up with fun ideas, ways to keep things fresh and fluid and seamless for all of you. So even though you hear the voices of five of us regularly, Danielle McKinley are a huge

[01:12:55] part of making it happen. And if you join our Instagram, if you follow us on Moms Behind the Magic on Instagram, you sometimes will see their faces. They are constantly in there face to camera, talking, dissecting episodes, giving their take on episodes. And sometimes they're responsible for posting results to the draft, things like that. So Danielle and McKinley are who you see, and they're a huge part of this operation. Love you, Danielle and McKinley. Yes, we do. Jess from Pittsburgh. I don't know. That has an exclamation point by it.

[01:13:23] I'm sure she threw that in there for Katie, but... Yes, for sure. Wah, wah. I'm reading it more as from Pittsburgh. Also asks, how do you all balance two careers? Planning Disney vacations for families and groups and your day jobs. Your passion for Disney is inspiring. How do you find the time for both lines of work? I think you just make time for things that you really love. And for me, this is kind of my escape. It's my hobby. It brings me joy.

[01:13:53] Whereas, you know, my everyday nine to five or whatever you want to call it, it's kind of boring. So, and that goes with anything. Maybe you're, maybe it's not Disney that necessarily brings you joy, but find something that does. Find girlfriends. Find your tribe of like-minded people. Cool. Yeah. I think it's funny because it says, how do you find the time for two lines of work? I actually own four businesses. Yeah. I was going to say.

[01:14:19] I actually own four businesses and they all take equal parts of my time. But what I was going to say is you make time for the things that matter to you. And this one specifically, I make the time for it because it is the extra friend group that I didn't know I could discover. I was in my thirties and we started this and I gained lifelong friends. And I think a lot of people become travel agents because they see how fun it is online, honestly. And they see how we travel together and they see how we do these things and they want that.

[01:14:49] And so I think the real answer, and I bet a lot of people can't just take this at face value, but what Carla said, you make time for things that matter. I understand that some people work these crazy hours during the day and then they have kids at night and it's not always easy to make time. But I mean, that truly is my answer. Yeah. We left Utah specifically because we felt like we were living to work, not working to live. And we had some very intentional things we wanted to set for our kids and where we're at now. We work a lot. Sean is a teacher.

[01:15:18] I work a nine to five as a implementation manager for a tech company. And then this, the travel agent piece and the podcast is like my time. It's me getting to live in this world of Disney that fuels my soul. And so I'm just happy when I get to do this. So it doesn't feel like work to me. However, it does take time away from your family. It's not like it's coming at time for free. Like you just have to find the right balance and everybody will have to find that for themselves. You know, no two people will have the same answer there for sure.

[01:15:47] I mean, when I say we make time, there are times over the summer where my kids need so much of me that we will record, you know, because I record every episode. I have to be very strategic because it's part of my week every week. We will record at 6 a.m. Sometimes, you know, I mean, we'll do we'll do crazy things just to make sure we get it in because it matters to us. It does. Yeah. Okay. Do the five of you ever disagree with each other on Disney advice? All the time. Never.

[01:16:14] What's something you each see differently and how do you handle it on the podcast? I think a big one that I that you guys, you know, are such huge fans of is Park Hoppers. And, you know, for to me, when I'm working with a first time family, I don't necessarily think that that is a must do. And part of me is because I really feel like when you invest that money in Park Hopper, that you feel like you have to get your money's worth. And if you're doing that and of that mindset, and I've been of that mindset, that you're

[01:16:43] missing something else because of it. You know, you're thinking you have to skip. And really, the reality is you have so much to do at this one park that I don't know. Here's what I will say. I don't disagree with you because we don't park hop a lot unless we're doing like only one park day and we hop. The reason I'm a big supporter, and I've said this before, especially for first time families is because things can go wrong. Rides can be closed. Weather can cancel things. Fireworks might not happen. Tinkerbell may not fly. There are things that can happen that you didn't anticipate.

[01:17:12] In fact, it's certain that something will. And when you are a first time, maybe only time family, and you don't have the option to return to a park, that can become problematic. And often adding a Park Hopper is not much more on the budget. Just hop once. You're kind of getting your money's worth. So I don't disagree with you that park hopping is not always ideal. And you do have to have those conversations so that people don't feel guilty for not hopping. But I like it as a luxury, as a convenience. Yeah.

[01:17:41] And I live in that camp that I've talked about it, I feel like, endlessly at this point. But Disney Value Resorts hold such a special place in my heart. And that's very different than the rest of our team. Most of our team really prefers to just lean in on the deluxe space. I love the deluxe space too. I told you, Grand Floridian's my favorite resort. But in that case, I don't think that there's a right and a wrong answer. I think that just what Carla and Allie just demonstrated, how we handle it on the podcast, is we have our take on it. And we have a conversation about it. It doesn't have to be somebody's right, somebody's wrong.

[01:18:11] It's have a conversation and understand that different perspectives, different life experiences are going to bring you to the reason you feel one way. So... But sometimes somebody does have to be right. And then that's when we fight. And, you know, also to that point is that somebody always has to be wrong. And it's normally Katie. So... I was going to say, Katie has some weird takes. She really does. I mean, and people love it though. I mean, and I think people love her takes. They do love her. People love her takes. But... And sometimes we'll be on those episodes where we have to bring our takes. And then she'll just bring the most outlandish one. And I'll be like, did you...

[01:18:40] How far did you dig to come up with that? Like pirates. Pirates need to go away. Like Disney bubble is not a happiest thing. And this is where we say, we love you, Katie. I know. But it's... We are all bringing different perspectives. And that's the beauty of having five of us is somebody on this podcast probably resonates with you differently. And so just listen for different perspectives and then take it to your own experience. And then listen to us banter and know that we are in the background texting each other. And look at even how our perspectives have changed over the years. Oh my gosh.

[01:19:10] I'll never forget one of the first episodes, Allie and I having to debate. Animal Kingdom. No. Yeah. Animal Kingdom. And we were both on the same team. And you know, now look at us. I know. Now we both love it. Unbelievable how that happened. I can't wait for Allie to get to a space of PhilharMagic being among her favorite non-live shows. I love that we have different takes too because inevitably there are M&Ms out there that resonate the most, like that feel the most like me. That feel the most like you.

[01:19:40] That feel the most like, you know, people definitely do. Just like the Spice Girls. You know, you have your Spice Girls you identify with. There's definitely a podcast host that you feel you relate to the most. And it's fun to see that there's no one single perspective that is the end all be all. You know, I know a lot about Disney and I know a lot of right ways to do things. But the cool thing is that there's not only one. And so it's okay. It's great to hear from other perspectives and to really gel with the one you feel like fits your mold. Okay. What is, this is our last question, by the way.

[01:20:10] What is, no, it's not. Just kidding. What is one question you get asked constantly by clients that you wish more listeners knew the answer to already? Maybe how much wealth of knowledge the My Disney Experience app has. A lot of questions that you have about your Disney trip, about where to find something, how to navigate something. So much of that lives in the My Disney Experience. And I wish that you would go to that episode, listen to it, and just lean in and spend 10 minutes to explore that app. Yeah. I welcome all questions big time.

[01:20:39] So there's nothing I wish people would know ahead of time. You know, I'm good with answering your questions. It's fine. I wish people would just be less timid about the budget conversation. That's the one thing that sometimes can really put a halt on our conversations. And it really never should have to. For sure. I don't have anything to add to that one. Yeah. These were all really good questions. I love doing this. We're definitely going to do more mailbags and get your thoughts right here into the podcast as often as we possibly can. And you know what? For any M&Ms listening today, our magic word will just be question.

[01:21:10] Questions are good when you're planning Disney. All right. Last thing. Bonus and off time. Roxanne asks, what are Hilton Head and Vero Beach about? Are these destinations worth a trip? Have y'all ever been? I haven't. So they're actually kind of hard to find availability from what I've seen. Yeah, they can be. So they're another, they're DVC spaces. And I also would add into this that Alani in Hawaii kind of would be the same space where they are private Disney owned resorts that are not theme park based.

[01:21:38] You can go and visit these locations. Vero Beach. I have been to, I have not been to Hilton Head yet, but it is high on my list up in the Carolinas. Like it is another Disney escape where you want the touches of Disney without the park experience. Yeah. It's just bringing the magic of Disney to your beach vacation. I've been to Vero Beach, really similar to a Disney resort on property with the water slide and the big pool and the poolside games, but you're also on the beach. So you're getting your magic and your beach. It's just, that's what these spaces are to me.

[01:22:06] They're just bringing Disney magic to your beach vacation. Alani was one of the best vacations we've ever had. Everything about Alani is just magical and perfection and we loved it so much. We've actually been twice and the poolside games are there and there's water slides and lazy river and delicious food and drinks and servers coming around to your chairs and multiple, multiple, multiple pools, beach access, excursions, snorkeling. I mean, it's everything.

[01:22:32] Nobody does families better than Disney and just know wherever you go, if it has the Disney name on it, that they're going to take everything that a family needs and wants into consideration. And they're going to do it top notch. I feel like these are great destinations. If Disney cruising is appealing to you, but motion sickness from the water is something you don't love, these would be a good alternative to get that Disney away from the parks experience without being on a boat. Yeah, I agree. All right. That was really fun.

[01:22:59] I hope that we answered your question or if we didn't answer your question, I hope you got a lot out of the questions we did answer and we love including y'all. So we're going to keep doing it. And if you have a question that was sparked by something we said, bring it on over to our Facebook community, Moms Behind the Magic. We'll be happy to jump in and answer it there. We are always looking to keep that conversation lively, helpful, and fun. So bring your takes, bring your questions, and we will jump in and join you. It's part of our fun that we make time for during the week. And that's going to do it for us on another episode here on the Moms Behind the Magic.

[01:23:27] And until next time, we're sending you tons of fun, love, and joy. And we'll see you real soon. I've never had... Honestly, the restaurant for me... Go ahead. Oh, go ahead. Why don't you finish? No, you go. Carla, go. You go. Do you all hear Stark snoring in the background? No. No. When I saw him come into the picture... Mine was taking... Mine was taking multiple forms of transportation. I think we're on a deleter. That, that, that, that. That, that. Go ahead. Oh, isn't this so fun? Here you go.

[01:23:57] Yes, the dining plan. Yes, the dining plan. Ooh day. Ooh day. Yeah, you're back. Okay, you're back. We're back? You back? Nope. Yep, Sheena. Oh, there you are. Okay, so the last thing we heard... I love it so much, Allie. I love it. I want to buy one, but what team do I buy? I don't know which team to buy. You buy the Bucs because you're going there? No. I think the Bucs is going to be the answer because we're going to go to McKenna's. Yeah. You're then going to become a Bucs fan. That's how this happens.

[01:24:27] Natural fandom. I've been to multiple events in the Bucs stadium. I probably should just be a Bucs fan. Do you know what week one is? The first week of football. I don't know what you're getting at. Do you know what week one is? Do you know what week one is? No, what's week one? Bengals Bucs. Oh, that's fun. Carla did not know that. I was waiting for something more exciting. No, I didn't know. Week one is Bengals Bucs. That was the worst five minutes of an episode ever that I had to talk about football. Whatever.

[01:24:56] I just looked and by the time this episode airs, we're going to have played three weeks of football. So please, football gods, let the Bengals be 3-0. Please. You guys, my whole happiness in the next coming months is about to be determined by a freaking football team. That's what's true. Great. I've been in those shoes before. Proper expectations, Allie. Yeah. Do you know that this year- Is it going to be good for you? It's supposed to be. So my expectations might be too high and then I'm already starting to melt down about it. You know the only time I have anxiety attacks are in the fall.

[01:25:24] My fingers are crossed for you though because you are the biggest NFL fan that I know. So I am hopeful for you. I hope y'all, I'm sorry I love you, but I hope you're 0-1 after week one. I doubt we will be, but okay. Well, one of you is losing. Carla, are you a Bucs fan? Yeah, we used to be season pass holders. Liam and Matt are huge Bucs fans. The fact that you call it season pass tells me that. They are going, listen, this is kind of fun. They are going to Oklahoma to see Oklahoma play Ole Miss in November.

[01:25:54] I love their traveling for college football. Yeah. Oh, Carla, that makes me so happy. I'm traveling to Madrid. All right, I'm super excited for you on that too. I cannot wait to hear your takes on Europe. Like, we're going to go to Disneyland Paris. How soon is that? This fall, right? It's in November. Obviously. I have to go. I bought some random airline Madrid to Paris. I hope I did good. I expect you to have one of those fancy glasses of champagne on Main Street in Paris. Bye, guys.

[01:26:25] Bye. How do you end this? I'm ending it. Stop the recording. I'm ending it. I'm stopping it. We have to watch.