[SPEAKER_00]: And welcome to very amusing!
[SPEAKER_00]: You're one stop shop for the story's secrets and shenanigans of a popcorn field theme park journalist.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Carley Wiesell and I've kind of had a whirlwind of a time since we last spoke.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been to birthday parties for adults.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then to birthday party for the kid, this kid's birthday party, they had dual whip.
[SPEAKER_00]: They had actual dull whip at this birthday party.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was so much fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like in LA, birthday parties are so solid.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's probably everywhere.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just that when I was a kid birthday parties were roller rink bowling or like gymnasium.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were never teaky themed with live music and things to jump off of and also dull whip with toppings.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was wonderful.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was absolutely wonderful.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a play date at a friend's house.
[SPEAKER_00]: I went to my brother's house and he made tavern style pizza.
[SPEAKER_00]: He made one that had roasted eggplant with fresh green curry that he made.
[SPEAKER_00]: I also recorded a podcast that many of you listened to that would be out in a few weeks, wink, wink.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a horrible tummy ache from an undercooked veggie burger and Universal Studios Hollywood.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've done and seen it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Secret life of pets with my child, the bottom of the pepto business model just a whole whirlwind, just a whirlwind.
[SPEAKER_00]: And things are kind of ramping up from there.
[SPEAKER_00]: this week as I speak to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm kind of having when I'm calling finals week and that's because I'm going to be in and out of town a lot in the next five weeks.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just got an email actually while I was setting up this recording that was like confirming you will not see home for many days and this week I'm like before I leave town I'm Friday.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like juggling workouts and
[SPEAKER_00]: Coffee and friends and packing and like I really think I'm gonna pull it off this time like I really feel confident that I'm gonna get it all done I'm fine very close to the sun and yet I have the I guess bravado is that the word I have the bravado to believe I can do it all and that is the energy that I'm entering my request and while you will be listening to this on a Wednesday I hope that that energy carries you through to the rest of the week
[SPEAKER_00]: I know last week we talked in the gab session.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've just said we talked a lot about like, what would the twenty twenty six version of need do?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm trying to like reshape my mentality to get things done.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I really feel like it's working.
[SPEAKER_00]: Last night after I put Pearl down, I made a bunch of food to put in the freezer for when I come home for my trip so that I like have protein handy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I made breakfast bars for Pearl.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're like peanut butter oats and I'm actually really good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm probably gonna have to be half of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I watched half of that new lane of done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lena that's not her say Lena don't I'm show I think it's Lena yeah Lena half the new Lena don't I'm show I worked on the podcast I packed my bag and I like feel like I'm getting it all done like I think the twenty twenty six mindset is really kicking something into gear and I'm curious if it's working for you too so if it is
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I did stay up way past my bedtime, but then today when I'm recording this Monday morning, usually I would block off this whole day to do work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I'd not really feel mentally ready until ten to thirty, but I started working out on Monday mornings.
[SPEAKER_00]: I started going to eight, fifteen class, which means like eight o'clock, I got to be out the door going to this class.
[SPEAKER_00]: I went to a class with a friend, which makes it more fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of like rounds the edges of the fact that you have to do so much physical movement in the morning.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then after I had a coffee day with a friend a dayglow, my friend Dave, who I think has been on the podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: He used to work at Food and Wine.
[SPEAKER_00]: He now works the New York Post.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the go-to expert about all things traveling food.
[SPEAKER_00]: I trust him completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: He has always hyped a dayglow.
[SPEAKER_00]: He called them one of the best coffee shops in the country and he is right.
[SPEAKER_00]: me met there at the LA one.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's actually a few in LA.
[SPEAKER_00]: They actually also have them in Chicago in New York.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you ever see a day glow, you gotta go.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have these like coffee concoctions that are kind of like cocktails, but they're a coffee and they flavors and they're just, um, they are so good.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you basically have everyone to Starbucks and you like get a coffee with a flavored foam and you're like, yummy on my like to that go to day glow.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is like the nicest nicest version of that and it's so lovely.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we hung out there, we ended up hanging out with the owner, we all tried all these drinks.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fantastic, and then I'm home and I'm working, and I feel like usually I would be super stressed.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the twenty twenty things mentality is working.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's working, and I hope it is working for you too.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we are not talking about that this week.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are talking about Disney Cruise Lung.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're going to get to it, stick around for some words for our sponsors, including Becky Mankin of MEI Travel.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are even more deals that have dropped since we recorded this month's deals.
[SPEAKER_00]: uh, interstituals so make sure to reach out to them because there are a bunch of winter time deals that you can get at Walt Disney World.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, uh, that is all you'll get into cruising soon.
[SPEAKER_00]: See you on the earth side.
[SPEAKER_00]: Goodbye.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Talk to you momentarily.
[UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you have ever wondered what Disney Cruise Line ship you should take, or if the newer ones are better than older ones, this episode is for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've got a handful of calls and inquiries about Disney Cruise Line in general, but also with a lot of specific, very valid questions we haven't really answered in one place before.
[SPEAKER_00]: This did originally begin as an episode to compare what ship is right for you, kind of comparing this one has this, this one has this, what about dining here, what about entertainment there, which is all stuff we will tackle.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna weave everything together and also add it with your most asked questions throughout that narrative.
[SPEAKER_00]: Basically, we are doing it all here, very amusing on this episode, and we are going to be extremely blunt about what I like and do not like across the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
[SPEAKER_00]: No holds barred.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're even going to do, okay, I don't want to admit it, but we're even going to do super litives to compare my favorite and everything on each ship to help break down what you need to know and what cruise ship and vacation you should book if you choose to sail with Disney Cruise Line.
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, this is not our first Disney Cruise Line episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have quite a few, which will be in the show notes if you scroll through all of them will be there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I realize we've never actually started it one to explain it to all the people who weren't new to Disney Cruise Line or maybe haven't been on the new ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: And essentially, this is me explaining why I am so obsessed with Disney Cruise Line.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're kind of everywhere right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you keep seeing Disney Cruise Line deals that are appealing to you and you keep seeing people in your feed happy on these trips and you're like, maybe on a little cruise curious.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I want to know what's going on.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is what we're tackling today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because here's the deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Cruise Line is absolutely having a moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want to make sure you know how to approach it from a friend who has been there and seen it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guys, there was a time when this wasn't my job.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was only covering parks.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, the majority of my work was Disneyland and Disney World.
[SPEAKER_00]: And for a while, cruise line was just like something else Disney offered.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't the bread and butter of what I did.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then they started adding ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they confirmed they're doubling down on the future of cruise line.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just became undeniably clear that this is the future of Disney travel and for a good reason.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we love the parks, no shade to the parks.
[SPEAKER_00]: The parks are putting in a lot of capital and time and energy and money into expanding.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the turbocharging.
[SPEAKER_00]: But just put it this way.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you also feel like you can't escape Disney Cruise Line lately, that more people in your feet are going, that there's more Disney Cruise Line news.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of because Disney Cruise Line is taken over.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put it this way.
[SPEAKER_00]: At the end of the year, there were four Disney Cruise Line ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: By the end of this year, there will be eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's only four years later, and that's not even it.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're gonna add another five ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: So by twenty thirty one, we will have thirteen ships total.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you do have the feeling where you're like, everybody's talking about cruise line, what is going on?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, why is this all happening?
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, do I become a cruise person?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is this something I want to do?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's because the company keeps
[SPEAKER_00]: doubling the amount of ships they have.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so for someone who is approaching Cruise Line as a guest, it went from, oh, here are some ships we sail to, where do I even begin?
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is the problem we are solving today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Answering all of your big Cruise Line questions.
[SPEAKER_00]: Very quickly before we do, I just want to bring us all up to the same pace.
[SPEAKER_00]: So here is a rundown of what we're discussing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Cruise Line operates three different classes of cruise ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: The oldest child, which is the Disney Magic and Wonder, that's what I just took to Alaska.
[SPEAKER_00]: The middle child, which is the Disney fantasy and dream, thought of as the big fancy ones for many years until we got the triplets.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and when it launches this November, the Disney Destiny.
[SPEAKER_00]: These three offer the same layout, but very different themes and vibes, which we'll pop up later in this episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't worry about which is which, and what is what, I will explain everything in a straightforward way that does not require you to immediately memorize the names of an entire fleet of cruise ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's my job to think about, and not yours.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, in this episode, we will not be discussing the Disney adventure, which is kind of the half-sister to all of these.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is sailing exclusively out of Singapore.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's built totally different.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're just going to leave that one out of the convo, because we're talking mostly about ships that do offer at one point American destinations to get to a port, and then you sail on the ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I do believe the best way to plan a Disney cruise trip is honing it on what works for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Location, destination, and duration, and parsing through your available options from there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a better approach than comparing ship by ship, and so that's kind of the way we're going to gear today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Starting with, how long should I go for?
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, what I recommend is going to come with a caveat, but if you're new to cruise line, I think three nights is kind of the sweet spot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, three nights does mean you will be moving at a quicker pace if you want to do a lot of the stuff on the ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to be seeing a show every night to jam a min.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're only going to hit a trust rod once.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it can be a little stressful if you're trying to jam all of this in on top of spending a lot of time in any port that you are visiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: But really, I think three maybe four nights is the right place to start.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's why.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to be very practical here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people don't know if they are ship people until they step aboard a ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't know if they're going to be bothered by the motion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don't.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you don't really want to find out how you feel about being at sea on a nine-day
[SPEAKER_00]: If you think it'd be fine and you're chill with it and you're good, book a week, have fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's kind of what I do because I'm a little bit of a risk taker.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're dipping a toe into the cruise waters and you really haven't done this before and you're a little timid but you love Disney and you love the parks and you kind of want to see what this is all about.
[SPEAKER_00]: I recommend doing three nights.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, again, keep in mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: This will come with a smidge of chaos.
[SPEAKER_00]: The first day is almost a half day.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a travel day.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're still wearing the slog of the transport and the check-in and the travel.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know when you travel, you'll carry that travel on you like a backpack.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the last day is two seconds long.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's two seconds long.
[SPEAKER_00]: You wake up, you eat breakfast, you are off that ship early.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you really only get a few full days.
[SPEAKER_00]: And keep in mind, the last night of your cruise, you are packing everything up and leaving it outside your door for the next morning.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to carry all of yourself off board and the elevators are a mess.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not always ideal.
[SPEAKER_00]: I tend to avoid it because I have no patience.
[SPEAKER_00]: keep that in mind that you will only have like you love the first night was when you got on the ships you're still like oh I traveled you only have like one chill day and night that doesn't touch any of that and that can be short for someone who wants more relaxation.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're a, you know, kind of a theme park person, you will find it tricky to have a break on a three night cruise because there's so much fun stuff to do, a horrible problem.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, but it's incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you wanna do it all, see every space meet the characters, explore kids spaces during open house.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're just gonna have to be a little more active and on top of the schedule.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do talk about all of this on my cruise line tips episode, that is in the show notes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I highly recommend that is kind of a counterpart to this one.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're looking at an incinerary, you are most likely going to see an atc day.
[SPEAKER_00]: An atc days sound scary.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was scared, because I had multiple on my recent Alaska crews.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as I've discussed in that episode, I am here to tell you that c days are not scary.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're actually quite wonderful.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're like the equivalent of sleeping in, but all day because you're just chilling.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is so much stuff to do on these cruise ships because you're just in the Disney bubble.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not like, oh, a random bingo game.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, it's karaoke with strangers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything ties back to being in Disney storytelling and in that world.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there is this touch point of interest to everything happening on the ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, that's like maybe the best way I've ever explained it, but the Disney of it all really just makes everything a little more magical because so much thought and design went into all of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if you can't see it overtly, it informs everything that happens on this cruise ship and really amplifies every experience you'll have.
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of people ask, well if I'm going at a cruise, why would I do Disney over all of these other cruise lines that exist?
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I will admit, I have mostly only done Disney lately.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the marketing of it all is like, oh, Disney characters!
[SPEAKER_00]: Fireworks that's sea!
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, Mickey Mouse!
[SPEAKER_00]: But forget that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can talk until I'm read in the face about how you'll move from restaurant to restaurant each night, so like your team will follow you and you move around and whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what matters.
[SPEAKER_00]: What matters is that it is top?
[SPEAKER_00]: tear quality across the board.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that's the Disney difference.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the storytelling.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the thought that goes into everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the experience of being there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But really, it's quality.
[SPEAKER_00]: The food is quality.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone who works there is incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: The experiences are top notch.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just good all the way down.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Cruise Line is often more expensive than its competitors.
[SPEAKER_00]: Full stop.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to be out here pretending like it's not.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can find cheaper cruises.
[SPEAKER_00]: One thousand percent.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you're not here to just be on boat.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you're not here to just be at sea.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I'm not on a cruise because I like a cruise.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm on a cruise because I want to do activities.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to have experiences.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to do whatever they're offering on board.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Cruise Line for a theme park fan for a Disney fan is hitting all the marks.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are generally less bells and whistles and modern day cruising on a Disney cruise ship compared to the other ones.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's because they're Disney.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have these strongest storytelling brand in existence, and it makes everything a little more special.
[SPEAKER_00]: So again, if you're kind of curious about cruises in general, there are many options out there, but Disney is Disney.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything that you experience on this ship came from the same perspective of storytelling that all the parks and attractions have, and that is what makes it unique.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said in my Alaska episode, Disney Cruise Line makes any destination vacation two trips in one, because it's not just the cruise.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not just the real world place you're going, but it's both together.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a Disney vacation without having to really plan much, and that sure makes it a welcome alternative to the parks, while still providing just as much fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: And with Disney, there isn't a line you have to pay for outside of the standard offerings.
[SPEAKER_00]: I felt weird saying that because I'm like, surely, surely there's more.
[SPEAKER_00]: But really, it's just, if you want, if you want booze, yeah, that's separate.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's really like fancier, coffee, better coffee, popcorn at a show, an upcharge dining experience for adults only.
[SPEAKER_00]: But generally, I don't feel like I'm ever charging that much during the day above my baseline experience, unless it's stuff like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Other cruise lines are structured very differently.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the flip side is, of course, that there are less options.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there is no upgraded restaurant you can go to with your family.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are adults only you can, but otherwise you're eating at the main ones and the main ones are great.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, it's that push and pull.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's less bells and whistles, but there is still so much that is included with your trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am very likely going to sail on a Royal Caribbean ship soon.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am very excited to see what another brand is like, and they've got like four zillion dining options.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a tip and hockey restaurant.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have sushi.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have that immersive railway restaurant that we did that episode about way back when.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a lot of stuff, but it's often upgrades.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to pay for soda.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to pay for certain entertainment.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to pay for things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so it's this
[SPEAKER_00]: It's this balance because with Disney you can really feel like you showed up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I call it like the sea equivalent of the Disney diving plan.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you show up and everything's just kind of set.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can get as much soda as you want and it's free.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can get as many Mickey waffles as you want and it's free.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when I say free, I mean I'm bad at math and it's included in the price, but you know what I mean.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what I think Disney Cruise Line really offers is that it's the purest waiter relax while still having an active Disney vacation.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not we're going to sit at the hotel all day.
[SPEAKER_00]: It has the characters, the entertainment and the seeming that you get in the parks paired with these nice convenient accommodations.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have really nice robes in every room, guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: Really nice robes.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't even get that in a lot of the hotels.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you pair that with the bonus of a relaxing Disney vacation, it is just something that a lot of us can't shut up about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I am not a cruise person outright.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just love to do things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Disney Cruise Line allows you to chill out as a family, as adults, whatever, while also doing things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then of course, there's a fact that they're targeting us y'all.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're specifically wooing us by putting Disney parks attractions inside these ships so that I never want to go anywhere else.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's working because they are fantastic.
[SPEAKER_00]: The new park seemed bars that they out to these places are
[SPEAKER_00]: phenomenal.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's really, there's really never been a better time in my opinion to just really back and kind of think about what you want from your next trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then of course, there's the fact that you really can't have it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can travel to Orlando, do a little park vacation, and then get busped there for the rest of your trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can sail out of Fort Lauderdale, take the bright line to Orlando, like you can really pair the two back and forth, and it really is nice.
[SPEAKER_00]: and speaking of that, that little combo platter of travel.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk destinations.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, most people think of Disney Cruise Line as little Caribbean genres, which is likely what you're going to be doing if you combine a cruise with the parks.
[SPEAKER_00]: But doing that is not the only vibe, and we don't talk about this enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney Cruise Line goes to Italy and Spain.
[SPEAKER_00]: They go to Australia.
[SPEAKER_00]: They go to Hawaii, Alaska, even like Norway and Copenhagen.
[SPEAKER_00]: But really, the way to break it down is that if you're approaching what I tend to agree to do, you're going to be going to beach towns or you're going to be going to cities.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can't stop thinking about cities.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to get too into this here because it's not the point of the episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: My favorite way to do a Disney cruise trip is to go on an exploration trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be out all day doing excursions, experiencing a place so far from your home that is exciting, but also coming back to Disney.
[SPEAKER_00]: For example, I mean, sometimes these ports are not closed.
[SPEAKER_00]: In Alaska, we were right in town.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're going to Rome, you're not actually going to Rome.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to, ooh, I'm going to say this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to try this this.
[SPEAKER_00]: She, she Vita Vittia, I think that's how you say it, which is about an hour and a half from Rome.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you do that, which I have done, it's a long day, but it's incredible because if you're going internationally and you wanna do Disney, but you don't wanna deal with like booking hotels and trains and flights and taxi, it's kind of a clutch way to see the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because essentially, a lot of these cruise line trips turn the vacation into like a river cruise.
[SPEAKER_00]: It basically turns your cruise trip into a moving hotel that takes you from place to place.
[SPEAKER_00]: And some of them are on deep sail right now, deep sail.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I was looking at the prices and I was like, oh boy, so just keep that in mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, mouseband travel dot com slash or amusing.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to go on my dream trips and me photos, I'm very jealous.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really want to go on the normal one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I won't get about it any longer, but oh man, that website keeps pulling me in.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to go on a relaxing Disney vacation as we've discussed, you probably want to do one of the more island-dictineraries.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're probably familiar with the fact that Disney operates two different islands, castaway key, and look out key at lighthouse point.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I lean more towards being a castaway favoriteist just because I've been there so many times and it's a little near and dear to my heart, but there are absolutely perks to both.
[SPEAKER_00]: We did an entire episode about Lighthouse Point.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's in the show notes.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can find it there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I would say, trip by trip by trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are traveling with young kids, you're probably going to be more castaway key.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're traveling with adults, I think Lighthouse Point is a move for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: With older people, like grandparents on a multi-generational trip,
[SPEAKER_00]: Probably castaway key, but could go either way.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're with someone who is maybe not a Disney person, the lighthouse point, a hundred percent is where you're going to want to go.
[SPEAKER_00]: With bigger kids and teens, I feel like it can go either way, but I'd almost lean more, look out key at lighthouse point.
[SPEAKER_00]: And for food, also lighthouse point.
[SPEAKER_00]: The food in the cast way is
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a very good guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know people talk about it a lot, but when I went recently, when I was on the treasure, the food on the ship, the food on the treasure was so good that I went to cast away.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, I'm not even filling space with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going back within empty bellies, so I can eat as much as possible aboard the ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's what it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: But soft serve?
[SPEAKER_00]: always a good choice.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why the standard DCL trip is kind of an islandy one and it's also awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think that both versions are really great and we're not really breaking them out as much as possible.
[SPEAKER_00]: And okay, this is the last thing I'm going to say about this because I am looking for research but also selfishly for planning the next few years.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have this one cruise that goes to Rome, Mecanos, Barcelona, Sicily, Santorini and Athens.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you know how annoying that trip would be to book on your own to book that travel?
[SPEAKER_00]: And the ship just carries you there, and then you get to see Mickey and Goofy and Hyde.
[SPEAKER_00]: DREAMS.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, clearly I'm coming from the first back day of someone with a small child who's like, I could never visit more than one of these cities, planning to travel myself, but just getting on board a ship being fed easy peasy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm tempted.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoo!
[SPEAKER_00]: Baby, I'm tempted.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to take a quick break as I figure out how to not spend my entire savings account on that specific sailing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And after the break, we're really going to get into breaking down the highlights and lowlights of each ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: The really good stuff is just ahead.
[SPEAKER_00]: Stick around.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be right back.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back.
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing I want to be sure I address before we get into the fun of it is who is Disney Cruise Line IV?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I honestly think it's for anyone who is open to Disney.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to be a diehard Disney fan.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to ever have done any Disney experiences.
[SPEAKER_00]: You just have to be open to it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Adults, kids, multi-generational trips, couples, friends?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I think it can work for anyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if your wife detests Disney or cruising or your family is not at all charmed by any of this, it's probably going to be hard to sell them on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Essentially Disney Cruise Line is fantastic, but someone who doesn't want to be on a boat isn't going to want to be on a boat no matter how many characters they see.
[SPEAKER_00]: But anyone who goes to Disneyland with their partner and kid, and they're like, oh, that was kind of cool, but stressful.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is who should experience Disney Cruise Line.
[SPEAKER_00]: They need to see this.
[SPEAKER_00]: The person who was like, wow, that was fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything was themed.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a blast, but it was kind of a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or even the person who was like, we loved being there with the grandkids, but it was way too hot.
[SPEAKER_00]: We got ourselves a future cruise line fan.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I love that you can squeeze so much Disney magic out of a trip with so little effort you get so much family time without any heavy lift.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your meal times are set there activities you drop by any time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially if you're with people who have different interests and wanted you different stuff during the day.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just really, really easy and you don't have to coordinate almost anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: Essentially the ease of a resort hotel with the magic and whimsy of all things Disney, which is why I just can't recommend it enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the tricky bit is going to be adults only.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I'm often asked, isn't it weird to go here?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, well, I feel strange being on a Disney cruise ship without kids.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the answer is no.
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as you understand that a lot of things are family friendly on board and I don't mean for children.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean for children and adults.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like as long as you know, there will be a disproportionate amount of children there compared to a regular hotel after APM.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just try to book the late night seating instead of the early one for dinner.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look for more adult centric classes and activities while you're on board.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there's this how to cook series, which is really great, which can be adult only.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are adult only like mixology classes you can do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bring a book and read and cove cafe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Get the gals together for live music at the bar.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there is so much to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if the presence of children kind of harsh as your vibe, like you have places to go and you will have a great time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And to expand upon that, I want to welcome you to da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have time to be like looking at a comparison chart between what has what and how important it is to you if the room design is like this or if this bar has a window or not like no planning your trip is location destination direction and from there the ones in these categories can just speak to which ship you might lean towards more and if you're still wondering well what about new ships versus old stick around I am solving that problem at the end
[SPEAKER_00]: So we begin with probably the easiest question to answer, which is best lounge.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's obviously going to the haunted mansion lounge aboard the Disney treasure.
[SPEAKER_00]: They fully created an attraction at sea with this one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like we were visibly moved by it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's hard to get a bunch of media people to walk into a space.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have never experienced before and just be audibly gasping.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody wanted to leave.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was extraordinary.
[SPEAKER_00]: It feels like you are on the ride, but it is a space you can look jury it in.
[SPEAKER_00]: They accomplish something unreal with the haunted mansion lounge.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just speaks to how much Disney Cruise Line in Disney parks intersecting and it makes me very happy as a fan of both.
[SPEAKER_00]: But alas, there's a hidden secondary category here, and it is best bar.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is going to Meridian on the Disney Dream in fantasy.
[SPEAKER_00]: This place looms so large in my memories.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like if we ever do a group trip trip on DisneyCrasline, and it's on one of these ships, we will be having happy hour here every night mark my words.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fancy Seltzer or Martinez for everyone like this bar is a vibe, and I haven't been on it in years, and I miss it so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: best gym is a toffee because on older ships if you use a treadmill or cardio equipment you can like work out and see the ocean and that is so cool but if you do like your little thing on a mat you do little sit-ups you do like little weights
[SPEAKER_00]: It's awful.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was out here in a corner under a machine trying to just do a matte workout and there was nowhere to go.
[SPEAKER_00]: And on the new ship, you don't get that full front view.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, the view is so good.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't get that on the new ship, but they have like a full workout room that you can be in with like TRX stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just such an upgrade for anyone who exercises that way.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you're a runner, you're probably going to prefer the old ships, but if you're more of like a jump round, you know, like high intensity Pilates type of person, the newer ship is going to be your favorite.
[SPEAKER_00]: If that is important to you, and if you just want to walk around, chill, it's vacation, baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can do whatever you'd like.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am going to skip
[SPEAKER_00]: best spa because I don't think I've spent enough time in the spa on the newer ships to be able to open.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what I'm going to interject with is that I obviously went on the Disney wonder recently and I did this massage called a loan time.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is only available on the Disney wonder and on the Disney magic.
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe it's also on the Disney magic because they're sister ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it is essentially a massage where you can access to a private laptop.
[SPEAKER_00]: You get a private hot tub for like twenty minutes and it has a window and it has a view and it is so sick and it was awesome and it was like maybe the best spa treatment I've ever had in my life, highly, highly, highly recommend.
[SPEAKER_00]: Best water slide.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now it comes down to the Aqua Duck on the fantasy and dream and the Aqua Mouse on the three new ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm really sorry to the new ships, but I'm in aqueduct truth there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like Aquamouse is great.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an upgraded version of this water coaster at sea.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have footage from original animated Mickey Mouse shorts that you see as part of this journey.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is themed.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is cool that I swear every time I do it, I get demolished in the face with water.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I personally don't like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the aqueduct, even though it doesn't have that feeling, it's just like
[SPEAKER_00]: It's nice that you just get to look at your surroundings and enjoy it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this looks like this pure experience is separate from thinging.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just love Aquadakmore.
[SPEAKER_00]: What can I say?
[SPEAKER_00]: And new ships are great, but not everything, not everything wins out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Best adult space.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, and this is a generalization.
[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't an individual bar, but just like all of the spaces together, one, what is the summation?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to go with the adult bars on the wondering magic, the old ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just love the port holes in each of those.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love the location.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that it's in this quiet area.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's on deck three where it's towards the back where it's not heavily populated, but it's also not
[SPEAKER_00]: hidden the district on the fantasy and dream which is like a cluster of bars in this tucked away area is ideal if you're going on an adult only trip like you have this fully closed off area that is just for you guys but I always feel weird going in there I was feeling I'm sneaking away like oh I'm off to something bad have a champagne
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just like when the adult areas are a little more exposed.
[SPEAKER_00]: I personally do, and I think it's just really, really great on the wonder and magic.
[SPEAKER_00]: And while we have these dope new bars on the new ships, I just kind of like the layout on the wonder.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so partial to the wonder.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also the adult only, I mean, this is a little bit of a departure, but like the adult only air rega on the new ship is much different.
[SPEAKER_00]: from the older ones.
[SPEAKER_00]: On the new three ships, you have to, it's like impossible to get there.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have this kind of infinity pool.
[SPEAKER_00]: The view out the side of the ship is amazing.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's just hard to get there and it's separated and it's far back.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just, there's something about the bars on the wonder and magic that speak to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I am combining pools and everything pools.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think adult pool, I feel like, I was talking to my friend, friend of the pod, every episode about this, because he has been on a zillion cruises.
[SPEAKER_00]: And like, I'm leaning towards the best adult area being on the dream and fantasy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm pretty sure he agrees with me.
[SPEAKER_00]: The pool on the new one is very cool on the new style of ship, but it's just, to me it's a little hard to get to.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a little hard to get to and I don't, I don't love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like it's too far to go all the way to that cocafe to get coffee in the morning because you have to walk all the way around and that's just how I feel.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's how I feel.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is lovely and being in that pool is so nice.
[SPEAKER_00]: I posted a video when I was on the treasure.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you can get in that pool when no one's in there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But otherwise it's just tricky.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just a little tricky.
[SPEAKER_00]: best unexpected surprise and i don't think i don't think you guys are gonna expect this out of me but i'm going to go with the atrium on the new class of ship the wish the treasure the destiny because at first i was a little taken aback by the new layout on these ships
[SPEAKER_00]: They really changed a lot for this new class of ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I am kind of obsessed with how good having this hub in the center of the ship is now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It reminds me much more of the feeling of a traditional castle park.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that they moved pieces of the salon there.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a paperty property who teak there are these open bar concepts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there really is this central hub more than a standard atrium on the other older designs.
[SPEAKER_00]: And more than that, I'm obsessed with the fact that it's become this active space of entertainment and storytelling.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I really think it sets up the ships to provide something different that the others simply can't with their layout.
[SPEAKER_00]: Similarly, the best cabins, it's gonna be the newer ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're so beautiful.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the older cabins are fantastic, but they've just made so many improvements upon the regular ones, which is so like there's so many I could list here, like the light dimming and like the TV placement, there's just so many things that they've just thought through a little more and just the decor and the design of the new ones is unbelievable.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, walking into the Disney treasure and seeing the backdrop,
[SPEAKER_00]: of my bed being in condo blew my mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will never, I will never forget that moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was phenomenal and I just think the artwork, the design, the decor, the detail is just amped up so much on the new ships that it's so lovely.
[SPEAKER_00]: Best standard restaurant is going to nineteen twenty three on the new ships and I know I'm given the new ships a lot right here but I just think they nailed this place it has the inspiration of what makes Disney special there are there are so there's a multitude of artwork and detail for many many movies they put out over the years
[SPEAKER_00]: But also, it's elegant.
[SPEAKER_00]: This feels like an upscale restaurant you would find off of a cruise ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the fact that this is standard dining.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is one of the restaurants you rotate to when you're on these ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to pay extra for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is included and it just feels so fancy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It really, it sets itself apart from all the other main Disney cruise line restaurants.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the best themed restaurant, it's a tie.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a tie between Tiana's place, on the Disney wonder, and Plaza de Coco, on the Disney treasure.
[SPEAKER_00]: Both incorporate the characters of the films, the cuisine, and the atmosphere in a way only Disney can do.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so much live music, there's so much entertainment that happens at these meals, that it, again, is kind of shocking that it's included.
[SPEAKER_00]: It feels so special and it's something only Disney can do.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's one of those things where you walk away and you're like, I could never do that on another cruise ship and I just think it nails the cruise line experience.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I have not done the Lion King version of the Plaza de Cocoa restaurant, which will be on the Disney Destiny.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've only seen a preview of it, but from what I've seen and from what I've eaten,
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be good.
[SPEAKER_00]: And best stage show?
[SPEAKER_00]: I know I should say Moana, which is on the Disney treasure, but like I'm sorry, the beauty and the beast show blew my mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now the Moana show is unbelievable.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to completely spoil it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You must my recap episode is in the show notes, but the fact that they pulled that off on a ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm still flabbergasted by it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But beauty in the beast is one that I saw with my mom and we like watched it and just couldn't believe how many set pieces there were, how much was moving around, seeing people and things popping and out of holes in the ground while you're at sea crashing into waves, it's just blow my mind, blew it and completely wide open.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is one that I actually like really, really look forward to seeing again, even though it's not one of the most discussed moments for Disney Live Entertainment recently.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, Moana, Fantastic, Hercules, Gold Me Sick, but Beauty and the Beast was really special.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the best meal I've ever had on Disney Cruise Line, it's going to be all shuntay on the new ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is one of the best meals I've ever had in my entire life, Cruise Line land anywhere.
[SPEAKER_00]: There, that's not fair because that is a fully course tasting menu in this excellent.
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's instead compare Paolo on Disney Cruise lines.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paolo is the search arms restaurant available across the entire fleet.
[SPEAKER_00]: On the newer ships, it's Paolo's steakhouse, but they're all Paolo, they're all in the Paolo family.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will say, I think I prefer Paolo on the older ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's quainter, I don't know, it has this like more old school Disney charm, more so than the Paolo's steakhouse version.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just resonates more deeply with me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, speaking of, let's talk more optional stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it worth it or is it not?
[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, there's not much you'll pay for on top of the fear already paying to go on the cruise, but there are things like Baby Bobbi Bootique.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are specific character dining options, but like those are, there's like the Royal Princess Tina.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's an Olaf one.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's geared more towards children and also I've never done it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't feel like I've missed out on anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: But to break it down, excursions, do I need to go on an excursion if I'm on Disney Cruise Line?
[SPEAKER_00]: It depends on the port.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, what I'm going to recommend to you is no matter where you're thinking about going, look up reviews, videos, TikToks, YouTube, whatever you can.
[SPEAKER_00]: For example, I went on a Disney Wonder sailing, over spring break time, and one of the ports was in Mexico.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a beach excursion that I was thinking about booking.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought that might be fun for us to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I looked up a video and they were like, we had a good time.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was freezing cold.
[SPEAKER_00]: We went all the way to the beach.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was freezing cold.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was too cold to swim.
[SPEAKER_00]: So definitely look up what people have said about things, look into the time of year that they've gone, and it will absolutely help.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then conversely, Alaska, you better be doing excursions.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're so much to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Should I do polo?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, you should do polo!
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the best food you're gonna get on the cruise hands down.
[SPEAKER_00]: The food on the cruise is great, but the food of polo is excellent.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're like, ugh, I don't wanna pay more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I get it, but the amount of exceptional food you're getting for the price is worth it and is something I think you should factor into what you're paying, budgeting for your trip, because it's that good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do note, they have a prefix menu, which is a set course menu.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have individual things I love in the menu, so I don't often do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I learned my lesson the hard way on this cruise.
[SPEAKER_00]: When my dinner was much more expensive than if I went off that menu, oops, oops, oops.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the big Apollo question I get is often, should I do brunch or should I do dinner?
[SPEAKER_00]: And my dear friend Jeffrey, again, cruise line expert, listen to my podcast, is going to call me about this, and I am not looking forward to this call, but I don't love Apollo brunch.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't love Polybrunch.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you used to be in the fair, post-COVID, it is no longer a buffet, you can just kind of order whatever you would like.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like not only does the brunch menu not completely appeal to me,
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not, I don't, I don't think the food is as good as the dinner food.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I had a calzone when I went with my friend Shay on one of the salings that I really liked, but I just think the dinner menu speaks to me more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, my peljaffrey loves the chicken parm, that he gets it brunch.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had an unbelievable almond croissant with a cappuccino, like that was heaven, but truly, I feel like Paolo is most special at dinner time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Polybrunch is also good, like some may say great.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not my cup of tea compared to dinner.
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, if I could only choose one, I would always, always choose dinner there.
[SPEAKER_00]: And last but not least, the biggest question I have gotten in the past year about Disney Cruise Line.
[SPEAKER_00]: New or old, new ship or old ship.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do I do?
[SPEAKER_00]: And here is the massive pro-con for each ship class.
[SPEAKER_00]: The magic and wonder.
[SPEAKER_00]: all these but goodies.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though some of these are like twenty six years old, they still look good because they maintain these ships so well.
[SPEAKER_00]: The perk here is that they're smaller, more intimate, easier to navigate.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot less walking, but it being quaint can be a pro and a con.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can eat at the polo bar here for dinner, you can just drop by an eat, which can only happen here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they have exceptional themed dining, especially with Tiana's place, which I like more than Rapunzel's Royal Table.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's counterpart on the Disney Magic.
[SPEAKER_00]: But these older ships are missing some of the pluses of other ships, like an onboard ice cream parlor or mini golf.
[SPEAKER_00]: The extra stuff that kind of can fill time on a longer cruise isn't here.
[SPEAKER_00]: They also have the most limited poolside dining options, now that the dream and fantasy have added extra stuff to their casual dining, but what these ships lack in no water coaster or non-standard waterside, they make up for in charm.
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll see characters randomly more easily because the footprint is smaller.
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll recognize people, and I just feel like that magic of OG Disney Cruise Line is still alive here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's the Disney Dream and fantasy.
[SPEAKER_00]: These were, remember, the big boys until the triplets came out, so it's kind of a go-to for someone who wants a bigger ship with more going on without going the full shiny new route.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their big failure is casual dining, or I guess most dining, in my opinion, because they have two upscale restaurants, polo and reme, which are a surcharge and are adults only, but the standard dining is really lacking.
[SPEAKER_00]: Other ships have a themed restaurant, and on the Disney Dream at Fantasy, they really do not, and it's something that I would miss if I was on board there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I haven't been on these ships in a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: I desperately need to go back, but they kind of offer the best of both worlds.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's more to see and do on board than the original ones, but they still retain that original feel and design that many Cruise Line fans feel close to.
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got my favorite bar, my favorite water slide, a beloved adult pool, and they've really bridged the gap between the old and the new.
[SPEAKER_00]: But weirdly, this thing I'm most about these ships is the interactive ship game.
[SPEAKER_00]: Newer ships have a very cool version too, but I kind of love this one as well!
[SPEAKER_00]: Cause it's nothing!
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a love-and-themed game to board, and it's, I mean, it's not something to like, book a whole cruise off of, but like, it really is good.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's the newbies, the wish, the treasure, and the destiny.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's really hard to discuss these without the excitement of them being here and the recent sea bias, but they are quite different from the older four ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are shiny and new and big with a totally different layout and more to explore, which appeals to some.
[SPEAKER_00]: But not to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more spread out and can be more challenging to navigate, like I mentioned, it's tricky to get to the adult only area.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you are fearful of days at sea with nowhere to go and everything feeling the same, this is likely your best bet for feeling somewhere different because you will, depending on what area of the ship you are in during the day.
[SPEAKER_00]: At times it feels more like a fancy mall than a traditional cruise ship, which I am saying as a compliment.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that is a good thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: That just means that it's bright, it's airy, it's inspirational, like it just has a feel to it, and there's so many things you can easily do and see.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really love to explore a ship and see things, and that's why these really appeal to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: But truly above all, what sets these ships apart is that they are a level up where the Disney-faming is concerned.
[SPEAKER_00]: And unlike the other ships, each of these three has its own identity.
[SPEAKER_00]: The wish, the treasure and the destiny all have very specific designs, characters, and feels to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And with that comes this unprecedented level of detail.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are simply put beautiful vessels to be on, regardless of which one you are lucky enough to step foot aboard.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, simply being on the Disney wish for when I had that Disney Destiny meeting was thrilling because being there in such a special stunning space just spoke to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are many things I love about these ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: The shows, the size, the offerings, the theming, so much theming that it just feels like a level up on the others.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it gives you that feeling that you get when you walk into the grand Floridian.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know where you walk in and you're like, oh luxury.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that feeling is what you get the entire time on these ships.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they're not perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: The seating and their restaurants is exceptionally cramped and can it times be uncomfortable?
[SPEAKER_00]: which is something I really wish wasn't the case.
[SPEAKER_00]: But still, they have the most fantastic food.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the pool side options, the barbecue, it's just unmatched, what an upgrade.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have one of the finest dining restaurants you'll ever experience in your life with Oshantay.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if just created this luxurious environment that you probably feel okay, even bringing a Disney hater into, it's just that good.
[SPEAKER_00]: The most importantly, at the end of the day, they close that gap between cruise line and parks.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is more interactivity, more seeming, even devils that's coming to the destiny, like they are bringing characters and stories into these spaces in new, technologically savvy ways across the board, and so if you're a theme park person or you're curious about this,
[SPEAKER_00]: You're more likely to be pulled in by one of these.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why I can't wait for the Disney Destiny.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just love as much a Disney as possible.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when they're building stuff that's themed to my favorite places in the world of theme parks, it's hard to say no to.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you have any questions about Disney Cruise Line, truly want to book comparing things, I hope this episode helped answer some of those questions, but if you have anything else, give us a call at seven or seven euros.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, if you ever need help from someone who's not me, you need to know about which specifically, like, which cabin should I book?
[SPEAKER_00]: What are prices?
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I compare seasons?
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the weather like?
[SPEAKER_00]: Please reach out to Mount Span travel.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't just say that because they're my partner.
[SPEAKER_00]: I say that because I would never book a cruise without them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are truly geniuses when it comes to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: They know so much like my
[SPEAKER_00]: Travel agent knew what the waves like the choppyness of the water would be like in March when I sailed from San Diego.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that is information I did not know and I just adore them for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I love them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They make sailing Disney Cruise Line even easier than it already is and I just can't recommend it enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you enjoyed.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope if you were on the fence about Disney Cruise Line this helped inform what you should do.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, if you ever have any questions hit me up because I'm just sitting here dreaming about morality and that's all I'm doing and
[SPEAKER_00]: Boy, oh boy, I can't wait to get back at us, who goes on!
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening!
[SPEAKER_00]: So we got two calls after last week's gab session episode, then I thought just needed to be paired together.
[SPEAKER_00]: Both of them are in response to the Choros hotline response.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they're in response to the Choros hotline call response for last week's gab session episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is so confusing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Long to put that long explanation aside, both of these calls have to do with my mini Wisconsin Dells Guide that I gave on last week's gab session episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the way to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if you haven't heard that episode yet, or that back and forth from the church hotline, I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you have any interest in Wisconsin Dells, one of my favorite places in the entire world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you have here are two essential replies, we must discuss that I am honored to share with you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Hi, Carly.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's Kosti.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm from Minnesota, longtime listener for some color.
[SPEAKER_03]: He, I just wanted to call you.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know how I haven't called before.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've listened to some of my things.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've used your podcast for all of my trips and Tokyo recently, but being from California and now living in Minnesota, I have been to Wisconsin Del's many times and I have never heard of the Jelly Belly candy company and had to look at that because how I missed this, but your latest episode talked about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I just wanted to let you know that it closed in twenty twenty.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I just wanted to let you know that it's no longer around and I just thought you wanted to know about that.
[SPEAKER_03]: So just FYI, so sad that I missed it myself too.
[SPEAKER_03]: So just wanted to let you know.
[SPEAKER_03]: So hey, love your staff.
[SPEAKER_03]: Looking forward to hopefully going on the trip with you next year.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thanks.
[SPEAKER_03]: Bye.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm going for Milwaukee.
[SPEAKER_04]: I've called in a couple of times before, but I just needed to tell you that I was so excited about your response and shout out in the last episode.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm, you know, born and raised in Milwaukee.
[SPEAKER_04]: It loved this house address, plug, and I actually didn't realize how much time you spent in Wisconsin, even though you just grew up over the border.
[SPEAKER_04]: But I have to tell you that in this exact moment, as I'm listening to your podcast,
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm packing you go to the delts tomorrow.
[SPEAKER_04]: So I don't know, maybe if I find some new cool stuff, I will let you know.
[SPEAKER_04]: But I really decided I haven't been in a while.
[SPEAKER_04]: But as the main point of this call is you were talking about the jelly valley factory in, I think it is technically pleasant prairie just over the border into the scoffron.
[SPEAKER_04]: And that closed down, but they opened a herable factory and I don't know if it's like
[SPEAKER_04]: this same building, it's like a right along the freeway, you can't miss it.
[SPEAKER_04]: But they close on the Jelly Belly and want to see during the pandemic, and it somehow this small little border town also inherited herobo.
[SPEAKER_04]: And I think this is extremely niche, but I thought you would want to know, and I would love to hear more information about it if you're a dude with deep dive.
[SPEAKER_04]: Also, God, do the Mars cheese castle that will last me drove up from Illinois into the state of Wisconsin.
[SPEAKER_04]: There's always been an amazing tacky sign, but now it is actually they've remodeled the building to look like a small castle.
[SPEAKER_04]: So you really have to do that too.
[SPEAKER_04]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_04]: Local with sounds tonight, clocking out.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Katie, Kristie, thank you so much for both of your calls.
[SPEAKER_00]: You tour like Midwestern ships passing in the night, and I'm so glad that I could bond you together through Wisconsin Dells.
[SPEAKER_00]: My favorite place.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, first of all, we got a poor one out for that jelly belly factory.
[SPEAKER_00]: The famous site in my own life of my friend Reba, being forced in birdie bots beans from the official flavor sampler employee and him scooping us all little surprise, fruity, sorbet, yummy flavors and her getting bugger and vomit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Incredible pranks to play on an unsuspecting twenty something at the time, but really something that was large in my memory and oh my god, she was so lucky.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll after she just kept getting vomit and we'd be like, yummy, I'm orange and she'd be like, why does mine taste like poopy?
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh man, good prank.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, Peter, that place.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, as sad as my personally am that the jelly belly factory is kaput, by the way, you can order belly flops online, but I'm just, I see them in a lot of different shaped bags.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know where they're coming from or how fresh they are, so to each their own, just know that if the quality is mid, it don't blame me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I apologize in advance.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when I tell you, I am floored.
[SPEAKER_00]: that it has gone away and a new candy factory has arrived, and it's absolutely blowing my mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't believe there's a horrible factory in the same town of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like the candy mecca of America, incredible intel, Katie, thank you so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is all so wild.
[SPEAKER_00]: They even reported a Bloomberg story on it when I was Googling around.
[SPEAKER_00]: It has been at us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, about Mars Cheese Castle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Mars cheese castle is thrilling to me, but I haven't stopped there in years and I kind of don't know why.
[SPEAKER_00]: I honestly think this is it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like it was on the opposite side of the highway, so on the way to the Wisconsin dolls.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd be like, oh, I'll go on the way home.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll go on the way home.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then on the way back, I'm like, nah man, I've already had enough cheese curds the last of the lifetime.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't need to bring a bag home with me since I would just chow down whenever I am in that, oh, when
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't even imagine this, whenever I'm in the Dallas, I go to monks monks for fried cheese curds.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my god.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I missed Wisconsin Dells so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you believe I'm like eating like in a abbreviated version?
[SPEAKER_00]: And the last episode, I left monks out.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so many more things we have to talk about.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to go back with Wisconsin Dells tourism board needs to hear for me like I need to make a trip there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen, Emily.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, one more thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am so glad that both of you called about Wisconsin Delos because I do have an edit to what I said.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was going to have Jeff added, I was going to email him like right before we went live to be like, I don't like to do that unless it's a real emergency.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I miss it's not an emergency, but I do need the record to show that I need to, I need to take the L. I said Paul Bungins had cinnamon sugar donuts, which is incorrect.
[SPEAKER_00]: incorrect and I feel horrible that I said it.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are merely sugar coated.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I wasn't going to remove it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Didn't seem like it was worth someone's time to go in and pull that detail out.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm thrilled to now have the platform to address it and formally apologize and make it right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, we didn't even talk about the gift shop at Paul Bunions.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my god.
[SPEAKER_00]: Please do let me know on your trip that if you find cool new stuff, I need to know if that's just if you heard that was just Morty.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, that place lives in my brain forever.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love it so much and I got to get to that horrible factory.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you both so much for calling Wisconsin bells forever!
[SPEAKER_00]: Sure!
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you all so much for listening to this very cruise-tastic episode of very amusing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Once again, you know this, you can rate review and follow us on Apple podcasts, you can rate and follow and comment about us on Spotify, we love it, we love the ratings, we love the comments, we love the reviews, it helps people find this podcast truly, truly, truly it does, and I thank you all to everyone who has already done it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can give us a call whenever it's seven, four, seven, Charles hit us.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am happy to answer questions.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like every week I'm like a Charles online episode is coming.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is, but then we get so many new questions and I'm like, oh, I got to dive into these and it's just we have a backlog and I can't wait to get through it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So get your calls in because we have a lot of fun ones and I can't wait to share them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I always feel like when I when I like we didn't this episode or like pair calls together it feels like like a little wave a little wave to each other and I not to get into group trip like I can't wait to have everyone together in person.
[SPEAKER_00]: We all get to hang out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ah my camp counselor energy like truly truly cannot handle it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you have any questions hit us up that is what we are here for.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're planning a trip Disney, uh, land, world, cruise line adventures, um, anything else?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like a nap, geo, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever it is, reach out to mouse fan travel.
[SPEAKER_00]: They will secure your trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: They can also book a big universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are experts in theme parks and honestly,
[SPEAKER_00]: The main thing where I'm like, this is why I keep talking about like discounts and deals and like why I'm obsessed with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know we've talked about this a lot this episode, but just let me explain.
[SPEAKER_00]: They, like not only will they find you the best rate, which is so important because if you and I have experienced this firsthand, if you're on the website, if you change like one date here and one date there, you can find an offer available to hotel that isn't available for other dates that can be changed a little details.
[SPEAKER_00]: New things will pop up and having someone dedicate the time and have them do it on their end to give you the best strata of options.
[SPEAKER_00]: is so worth wild.
[SPEAKER_00]: They will charge nothing for that work.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: I adore them, especially for cruises.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen, you want them to give you input on cabins.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I'm going to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I would have booked all my lenily thinking I knew what I was talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: And thankful, thankfully to my travel agent.
[SPEAKER_00]: I booked exactly what they told me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was the perfect correct choice.
[SPEAKER_00]: Check them out at mousefantravel.com slash I'm going to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can follow me at Carly Wiesel in the internet, join the foamally at facebook.com slash group slash Carly Wiesel, and subscribe to my Instagram, ninety-nine cents a month.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're a good ninety-nine cents worth of fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can guarantee you that cheaper than cold foam.
[SPEAKER_00]: We love to have a good time over there.
[SPEAKER_00]: We just did a, well, we took a little cruise line committee before this episode where I answered questions directly.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really is kind of like a true OSVIP line.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you're interested, ninety-nine cents a month, I love it there, and I hope you will too.
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode was edited exceptionally by Jeff Fox.
[SPEAKER_00]: I gotta tell you every week a word just pops into my head and it's one we've never used before.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how.
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't had to do word research in a year.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like boom one pops up.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's one Jeff deserves.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: See you soon.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hi honey, great, yes that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Disneyland was so much fun.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was the best day ever.
[SPEAKER_02]: Being with you in Pearl, oh my God, it was just the best.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, and that too, sorry.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was one of the best days.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everything we did, it just seemed so easy, so fun, so relaxing.
[SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't very crowded.
[SPEAKER_02]: There were no long wait.
[SPEAKER_02]: And now I can say Pearl can hang.
[SPEAKER_02]: She can hang with the best of us because you and I are crazy, Disney crazy, crazy, crazy, Disney crazy.
[SPEAKER_02]: Rushing to make sure we go on as many rises possible.
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was flawless.
[SPEAKER_02]: We went on like nine or ten rides.
[SPEAKER_02]: She was so happy.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was the best meet and greet with Alice.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I didn't want to keep it going long, but she kept asking questions and talking to an engaging.
[SPEAKER_02]: I was in movement.
[SPEAKER_02]: Sorry about that.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was wonderful.
[SPEAKER_02]: Happy birthday to me.
[SPEAKER_02]: May we love you.
[SPEAKER_02]: I really appreciated you being so open and sharing because we all have things we need to do and continue and we just like put it off till later we'll do it next time and then next time is months to years away.
[SPEAKER_02]: So please see your doctor and do those tests that are needed right away because if you don't I'm coming out there and I'm making you go.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, you don't want that.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love you.
[SPEAKER_02]: Do it before I see you next.
[SPEAKER_02]: As you also mentioned putting things off and just doing it
[SPEAKER_02]: I know you'll be visiting me soon and I'm sorry to tell you that when I cleaned out your old bedroom, it is now my walking closet.
[SPEAKER_02]: My messy messy.
[SPEAKER_02]: You can't walk in closet.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have so much stuff in there, but I have to fix it up a little bit before you come to me.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why I used to this beach.
[SPEAKER_02]: So, blimminally, I know I got to do it, but I'm glad to have that push.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love you so much, Carly.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love you so much, Pearl, and I'll see you real soon for sure.
[SPEAKER_02]: Bye.