Post-Trip Report: Jeanette’s Jam-Packed Japan Adventure (September/October 2024)

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VIRGINIA: Welcome to Where I Long To Be, a Magical Trip Report Podcast.

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VIRGINIA: My name is Virginia, and I am your host.

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VIRGINIA: We are heading into the end of season 3.

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VIRGINIA: Just to give everyone a heads up as to the plan, I will have episodes through January 6th, and then I will be on a break for the remainder of January because things really pick up at work for me.

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VIRGINIA: The first episode of season 4 will be February 3rd.

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VIRGINIA: I will remind you as we get closer so that you will not be caught off guard.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, let's kick off this post-trip interview episode.

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VIRGINIA: Jeannette is back to share all the details of her trip to Japan.

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VIRGINIA: If you didn't listen to the pre-trip episode, this trip was September 21st through October 4th and is just coming out now because of all the Halloween focused trip reports I had to get through.

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VIRGINIA: It would have been strange to still be talking about Halloween here on December 2nd.

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VIRGINIA: The important details you need to know are that Jeannette was traveling with her husband Rob, who used to live in Japan years ago.

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VIRGINIA: They try to get back to visit every few years, but with COVID this trip was a bit delayed.

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VIRGINIA: Their plans included two park days, one at Tokyo Disneyland and another at Tokyo DisneySea.

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VIRGINIA: They have visited these parks before, but there are still plenty of things they hadn't had a chance to experience yet due to limited time on their previous visit and due to all the new things that have sprung up at the park since then.

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VIRGINIA: After their park time was over, they planned to do some touring of Tokyo and a few other places in Japan.

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VIRGINIA: So, make sure you stay tuned for that because I think it will really help you put together a good itinerary if you are making your own trip plans.

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VIRGINIA: If you're traveling all that way, it makes sense to make time for things outside the Disney bubble.

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VIRGINIA: That should be everything you need to know.

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VIRGINIA: So, without further ado, here's Jeannette.

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VIRGINIA: Jeannette, you have arrived back in the United States.

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VIRGINIA: Welcome home.

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JEANETTE: Thank you.

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JEANETTE: Thank you.

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JEANETTE: It's a pleasure to be here and to be back on Where I Long To Be.

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VIRGINIA: Today is October the 13th, and you've been back for more than a week now.

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JEANETTE: Week in a day.

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VIRGINIA: How are you doing in terms of readjusting to life in the Eastern Standard Time Zone?

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JEANETTE: This was definitely the most brutal jet lag experience that I've ever had.

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JEANETTE: It pretty much took until Friday night to get back on a normal sleep schedule, and it took me pain completely exhausted from not sleeping the night before.

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JEANETTE: But I am finally back.

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JEANETTE: I do wish if the jet lag didn't affect so strongly with the 13-hour time difference, because it does take a little bit of the sparkle off the trip.

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JEANETTE: But hopefully recapping it with you will bring some of that sparkle back.

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VIRGINIA: I hope so, too.

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VIRGINIA: I hope so, too.

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VIRGINIA: And somebody could really get rich if they could make a pill that sped up getting used to jet lag.

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JEANETTE: Yeah, I saw something on Instagram that was like, you know, more comfortable travel by taking this, you know, holistic contraction.

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JEANETTE: But it was all like symptoms that I'd never have, like things that are never an issue.

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VIRGINIA: Like what kind of symptoms?

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JEANETTE: I can't, it was like, like stomach troubles and like bloating, which like I guess like my feet will get bloated from like blood flow.

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JEANETTE: But like those are not my primary issues with long distance travel.

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VIRGINIA: It's more like the sleep, it's that thing.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, we have a lot to get through today because this was one epic trip.

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VIRGINIA: So this was Saturday, September 21st was the day that you departed and then you returned on Friday, October 4th.

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VIRGINIA: So a nice good long trip to Tokyo.

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VIRGINIA: So let's just dive right into it.

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VIRGINIA: So how was your 15-hour direct flight from JFK to Tokyo?

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JEANETTE: Well, it was 14 hours, but it felt like it was 45.

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JEANETTE: Like I kept looking at the little scanner that says, you know, how much longer it is.

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JEANETTE: And it kept saying nine hours and 37 minutes for like ever.

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JEANETTE: It just seemed like we were stuck in time.

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JEANETTE: It was pretty brutal, the length of that flight.

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JEANETTE: But you know, you have a whole vacation on the other side.

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JEANETTE: And so you just get over it.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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JEANETTE: It's the means to the end.

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VIRGINIA: So because of time travel, you landed Sunday, September 22nd at about 430 p.m.

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VIRGINIA: is what you had anticipated.

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VIRGINIA: And there was some debate as to whether you thought you'd just go eat dinner at the hotel or maybe go to Xpery or however you say that, the shopping area near Disney and eat over there.

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VIRGINIA: So what did you end up deciding?

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JEANETTE: Well, probably not a big surprise, but we took the path of Leafs Resistance.

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JEANETTE: When we got off the plane, it was pretty easy to find the Monorail, the airport Monorail and then from the Monorail, the subway.

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JEANETTE: But Tokyo has different train lines owned by different companies.

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JEANETTE: So if you think like, oh, I'm going to take a connecting train, you have to make sure that that connecting train is the same company, or you have to then like pay again, and that will end up costing you more money.

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JEANETTE: So we had paid like one month sum at the beginning to get us all the way to our hotel destination, not realizing that that meant there were certain trains that we couldn't get on.

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JEANETTE: So we did have a little bit of like, got off at the wrong station, had to have the station agent help direct us, let us back into the train line.

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JEANETTE: It worked out fine, but it probably cost us like, I don't know, 20 minutes or something.

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JEANETTE: So by the time we got to the hotel, we were just like really tired.

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JEANETTE: We decided to take a shower, which was actually probably the best choice we could have made because it did reinvigorate us enough.

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JEANETTE: And then in some of the subway stations, but definitely in like department stores, and they had a department store in the subway station, they have like these food courts on the bottom floor.

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JEANETTE: So we went to this food court and we got like little sushis, and Rob got me a strawberry shortcake cake.

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JEANETTE: And then we went to a convenience store, a Lawson's, which is like kind of like a 7-Eleven, and picked up a couple of other little snackies, including a couple of things that we could nosh on for breakfast the next day.

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JEANETTE: And we went back to our hotel room.

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JEANETTE: Now I will highly, highly sing the praises of the Urayasu Brighton Tokyo Bay, which was our surrounding reservation.

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VIRGINIA: It was your night one and your night three.

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VIRGINIA: And listeners, if you're planning a trip to Tokyo, I have the hotel that she's talking about linked in the show notes, if you're looking for a place to stay sort of on your first night.

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JEANETTE: So I'm going to highly, highly recommend them, and I'll get into it even further, maybe later.

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JEANETTE: But the first night we got there, they upgraded us from what was called a forest room to what was called a Dandan room.

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JEANETTE: Which meant we had a little seating area, like in Japan, sometimes dining areas are sitting on the floor.

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JEANETTE: But we had a little seating area with pillows, with a little table.

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JEANETTE: So we were able to take back all our snackies and sit in our hotel room with this designated dining space.

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JEANETTE: And it was up on a higher floor, which is definitely considered pricier in Japanese hotels.

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JEANETTE: Higher floors are a little more expensive.

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JEANETTE: So it was just a little bigger room.

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JEANETTE: It was a super, super nice room.

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JEANETTE: And because there was all these little food spots, very, very close to the hotel and also the station, it literally like linked to the hotel, but not linked in such a way that you hear the station noise.

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JEANETTE: It was such a convenient place to stay the first night, and actually such a convenient place to stay overall.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: So this hotel offered a shuttle, and the next morning, you were going to be checking in to the Disneyland Hotel and moving your things and getting started on your park time.

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VIRGINIA: So how did you work getting from that hotel over to the Disneyland Hotel?

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VIRGINIA: Did you use their shuttle?

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JEANETTE: We decided not to use the shuttle because I wasn't sure exactly where the shuttle would drop off, and I wasn't sure what the orientation was for where that drop off would be because it's really going to the park versus where we needed to go for the hotel.

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JEANETTE: But the train station that we were at, which I believe is Shin-Yurayasu, that was one stop from Mahima, which is where Tokyo Disneyland Resort is.

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JEANETTE: So we got, we did one train station.

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JEANETTE: We left our suitcases at the first hotel, just had backpack and carry-on tote.

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JEANETTE: And it was super fast to get from the hotel via train.

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JEANETTE: I think I did mark it down.

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JEANETTE: We left at 7.

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JEANETTE: We were at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel Checking and at 7 by 720.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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JEANETTE: And that's even with stopping and taking pictures because like we just got to Tokyo Disney Resort, that kind of thing.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, I have a couple of notes I just want to mention so that listeners will be up to speed.

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VIRGINIA: So number one is Rob, your husband speaks Japanese.

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VIRGINIA: So that was something that you had an advantage for your entire trip.

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JEANETTE: Yes.

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JEANETTE: But I will say for Tokyo Disney and for Tokyo, we didn't need it.

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JEANETTE: Nine years ago, when we were at Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Proper, we did need it.

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JEANETTE: But now everyone speaks English and there's so many more Western tourists.

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JEANETTE: Like when we were on a train, like a subway train, we were never the only Western tourists on the train.

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JEANETTE: There's so many more.

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JEANETTE: Tourism has really blown up in Japan in a way of it.

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JEANETTE: I mean, I'm not surprised by it because it's wonderful, but I think it shocked Rob a little bit, especially because he lived there and when he lived there, he would like never see an American.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: When we spoke before, you said that when they would hear him speaking Japanese before, that there was very much a sense of delight that this man could speak Japanese.

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JEANETTE: He didn't really get the opportunity to speak Japanese as much because so many people spoke English that they would see us and immediately start speaking English.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: Well, that is good to know for those of us who do not speak Japanese.

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JEANETTE: Or have a Japanese-speaking husband, yeah.

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VIRGINIA: So that makes it seem a little bit easier to plan a trip like this for somebody like me.

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JEANETTE: It's definitely really accessible at this point, especially when you add in Google Translate, because you can just turn it on camera mode and it will translate words from a sign.

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JEANETTE: So you don't have to be like, I don't know what this sign says.

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JEANETTE: Let me see if I can find somebody who speaks English, who can translate it for me.

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JEANETTE: Nope, your phone will translate it for you.

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VIRGINIA: Amazing.

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VIRGINIA: Technology.

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VIRGINIA: What a time to drive.

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JEANETTE: It's the best thing.

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JEANETTE: I'm the worst.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: So the other thing I want to mention is that Jeanette is a seamstress extraordinaire and was making several outfits for this trip.

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VIRGINIA: So you described them in the pre-trip interview, but just mention that your outfit for this first park day was a painting the roses red outfit.

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VIRGINIA: And the second day was more of an athletic squirt type thing with a top that you had made with lots of characters on it.

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VIRGINIA: So I will make sure that there are photos linked in the Instagram post.

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VIRGINIA: So everybody should go and just know when you're looking at that, that these are things that Jeanette made herself.

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VIRGINIA: So did you run any last minute issues with getting all of your handmade clothing items ready for this trip?

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JEANETTE: No, not really.

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JEANETTE: I mean, the only thing I would maybe add to that is I got very into the theme on my first day on my Tokyo Disneyland day of like we were staying in the Alice in Wonderland room.

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JEANETTE: So I was like, this is an Alice in Wonderland day.

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JEANETTE: I mean, it's one of my all time favorite stories and I love the Disney artwork for it.

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JEANETTE: Yeah, I really consider myself an Alice, just curiouser and curiouser.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, all right.

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VIRGINIA: So for the Disney portion of this trip, you had ended up opting for a vacation package, which brought you a lot of benefits.

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VIRGINIA: And so the ones that I had noted were that you got some skip the line passes.

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VIRGINIA: One of them was a time to pass for Meeting the Beast.

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VIRGINIA: You got a couple of extras that you could pick once you were there.

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VIRGINIA: You also got some exclusive merch that you were able to pick, some credits for that, a double popcorn container, which I'm very excited to hear when we get to that part, free beverages, a bracelet to get you into Fantasy Springs, to be able to skip the line as many times as you wanted for Fantasy Springs, which is huge since that's the newest section, and then also a sit-down meal included.

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VIRGINIA: So this sounded amazing when we went through all the details of it.

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VIRGINIA: Did getting the vacation package turn out to be the right choice?

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JEANETTE: It did.

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JEANETTE: And I will say that had it not had the Fantasy Springs component, it might be like, you don't really need it.

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JEANETTE: But the Fantasy Springs component, put it over the edge, and then the beverage ticket ended up being a personal joy for me.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, let's get right into your very first park day.

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VIRGINIA: So after getting yourself checked in at the Disneyland Hotel and getting over the park, I wrote down that your plan was to rope drop waffles.

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JEANETTE: Which is exactly what we did.

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JEANETTE: So we didn't have the benefit of happy entry, which that is one of my gripes with the vacation plan, because they plan out the days that you're going to each park.

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JEANETTE: And we didn't end up getting happy entry for either park, even though we were staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel.

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JEANETTE: But that grievance aside, we ended up standing in the giant crowd of people before security, but then once or after security, I would say.

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JEANETTE: But once the park's open, we could even see like characters behind the gate waving right before opening.

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JEANETTE: Once the park's open, it was very smooth to get in and we headed directly to the Great American Waffle Company.

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JEANETTE: And we got in a line that was actually inside the building, which means it was not a bad line at all.

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JEANETTE: It maybe took 10 minutes and they're very prompt.

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JEANETTE: Like they have somebody going through the line, taking the order and writing it on a piece of paper so that when you get up there, you just give your piece of paper and that's your ordering process and then you pay.

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JEANETTE: We were there at a time that was like not quite Halloween but not quite summer.

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JEANETTE: So we ended up with the Halloween seasonal waffle, which had pumpkin whipped cream and a little bit of maple syrup.

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JEANETTE: Probably a sad amount of maple syrup for an American, but it was fine.

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JEANETTE: I don't think these are the best waffles.

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JEANETTE: I've heard people say like, oh, the Tokyo Disneyland Resort or the Tokyo Disneyland waffles are the best Mickey waffles in the world.

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JEANETTE: I felt like ours were just a little bit overdone and the pumpkin whipped cream was a little bit too sweet, which is so unusual in Japan because in general in Japan, their sweets are not as sweet as American sweets, which I love.

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JEANETTE: I think they do the sweet level so perfectly.

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JEANETTE: So it was really strange that this whipped cream was so super sweet.

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JEANETTE: So still happy I did it.

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JEANETTE: Very cute, fun experience.

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JEANETTE: But I would honestly say for someone planning a trip to Tokyo Disneyland and maybe seeing a giant line there, skip it.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: Very good advice there.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: So after your waffle experience, where did you head first?

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JEANETTE: So while I was waiting in line for the waffles, I went on to the app and I booked a 40th Anniversary Priority Path, which these are basically like old-fashioned free lightning lanes.

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JEANETTE: It's so amazing and I'm so mad that we don't have any of them in the United States.

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VIRGINIA: It's all done through the app?

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JEANETTE: It's through the app and it's basically like as soon as you're in the park, you can book them.

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JEANETTE: Some people cluster at the front of the park, but then that creates some connectivity issues, so it's better to get inside of the park and do it.

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JEANETTE: We were at the Waffle Place and that was Farnock in the park and I booked us two fairly early priority passes because they are timed for Haunted Mansion, which was Haunted Mansion holiday.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: You also had your timed Beauty and the Beast ride, so you had these things that were included in your vacation package, but I am gathering that there were also something where you could book rides that kind of like everybody had access to.

00:17:41.777 --> 00:17:44.997
VIRGINIA: Is that what you're talking about when you say the free Lightning Lane?

00:17:44.997 --> 00:17:46.917
JEANETTE: It's the 40th anniversary pass.

00:17:46.917 --> 00:17:52.117
JEANETTE: They started it during the 40th anniversary of the park and they just haven't stopped doing it.

00:17:52.117 --> 00:17:57.017
JEANETTE: So I think it's been like two years that they've been celebrating their 40th and there's no signage.

00:17:57.017 --> 00:18:03.417
JEANETTE: There's no merch anymore, but they still have these passes, which is so nice and they're completely free.

00:18:03.417 --> 00:18:06.277
JEANETTE: And then they do have paid priority passes.

00:18:06.277 --> 00:18:08.297
JEANETTE: Premier access, I think is what they call it.

00:18:08.717 --> 00:18:12.497
JEANETTE: We didn't end up having to do any paid, any of that.

00:18:12.497 --> 00:18:26.437
JEANETTE: Between the tickets that we had with our vacation package and these 40th priority passes, we were able to do everything we wanted without waiting in a long line without paying for another pass.

00:18:26.437 --> 00:18:27.117
VIRGINIA: Very good.

00:18:27.117 --> 00:18:30.597
VIRGINIA: And you did get some exclusive merch tickets.

00:18:30.597 --> 00:18:37.637
VIRGINIA: So before we move along with what you were doing for the day, what did you end up choosing to use your merch credit for?

00:18:38.577 --> 00:18:45.377
JEANETTE: We didn't get them until the very end of the day, because there's only certain retail shops that you could pick up your stuff at.

00:18:45.377 --> 00:18:50.177
JEANETTE: And we ended up picking up our stuff, or actually was like the middle of the day at the hotel gift shop.

00:18:50.177 --> 00:18:52.817
JEANETTE: So we didn't get them until we went back to the hotel gift shop.

00:18:52.817 --> 00:18:57.797
JEANETTE: But I got a Mickey Mouse plush, which I actually, which has like these little clips on it.

00:18:57.797 --> 00:18:59.817
JEANETTE: So you can clip it to your shoulder.

00:18:59.817 --> 00:19:03.997
JEANETTE: And I ended up giving that one to Nanci, because I know she loves the classic characters.

00:19:03.997 --> 00:19:18.117
JEANETTE: And then they didn't actually have that many choices, but I ended up getting a plush blanket that came in a little carrying case that looks like a soft suit case, which I was a little like, I don't even know if I want this, but I have since become obsessed with it.

00:19:18.117 --> 00:19:20.197
JEANETTE: And it's like the blanket that I want with me all the time.

00:19:20.197 --> 00:19:22.157
<v SPEAKER_3>So.

00:19:22.157 --> 00:19:22.757
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:19:22.757 --> 00:19:24.197
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:19:24.197 --> 00:19:28.237
VIRGINIA: So let's move in to the bulk of your day.

00:19:28.237 --> 00:19:29.817
VIRGINIA: So after your waffles.

00:19:29.817 --> 00:19:34.377
JEANETTE: We did some castle pictures, wasn't terribly crowded.

00:19:34.857 --> 00:19:38.497
JEANETTE: I like to go to the back side or the side side of castles to get pictures.

00:19:38.497 --> 00:19:44.097
JEANETTE: And that proved to be a worthwhile endeavor in Tokyo as well.

00:19:44.097 --> 00:19:49.277
JEANETTE: I will say it didn't feel like Tokyo Disneyland was very crowded at all.

00:19:49.277 --> 00:19:56.277
JEANETTE: And the walkways in the park are much wider than in Disney World, which we know are wider than in Disneyland.

00:19:56.277 --> 00:19:59.897
JEANETTE: So the spaciousness of the park is quite luxurious.

00:20:00.697 --> 00:20:10.877
JEANETTE: Then we went over by the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall and took a couple of pictures there because my outfit was so, you know, Queen of Hearts, painting the roses red.

00:20:10.877 --> 00:20:15.417
JEANETTE: There were the cards, painting the roses red on the signage for Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall.

00:20:15.417 --> 00:20:24.717
JEANETTE: And like the front of the banquet hall is like a giant hedge heart, like a giant shrubbery heart with, you know, the roses on it.

00:20:24.717 --> 00:20:27.597
JEANETTE: So, you know, samey girl doing her samey thing.

00:20:28.117 --> 00:20:33.837
JEANETTE: And then we bopped over to, that was the right time for us to bop over to Haunted Mansion.

00:20:33.837 --> 00:20:40.857
JEANETTE: With the 40th anniversary past, we gooted right in, like we were in the stretching room immediately, basically.

00:20:40.857 --> 00:20:51.437
JEANETTE: The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay, this is not only my second time experiencing it, I experienced it at Disneyland in January, and then now in Tokyo Disneyland, and it's in Japanese.

00:20:51.437 --> 00:20:57.057
JEANETTE: So story-wise, not really sure what they were talking about, but everything is really cute.

00:20:57.157 --> 00:21:03.597
JEANETTE: The orientation of the Haunted Mansion in Tokyo is a little closer to Florida than to California.

00:21:03.597 --> 00:21:10.157
JEANETTE: So it felt like I was seeing the mesh of what I had seen before and what we do not have in Walt Disney World.

00:21:10.157 --> 00:21:11.177
JEANETTE: So very, very fun.

00:21:11.177 --> 00:21:12.637
JEANETTE: I didn't take a whole lot of pictures there.

00:21:12.637 --> 00:21:18.997
JEANETTE: I think I got one picture front where you can see that overlay is happening.

00:21:18.997 --> 00:21:23.637
JEANETTE: Then once we use the Haunted Mansion one, every two hours we can book another 40th pass.

00:21:23.917 --> 00:21:30.817
JEANETTE: So I ended up booking a second 40th pass for Monsters Inc almost right away.

00:21:30.817 --> 00:21:31.637
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:21:31.637 --> 00:21:39.197
VIRGINIA: With the Haunted Mansion being in Japanese and everything, was Rob writing with you first of all?

00:21:39.197 --> 00:21:39.877
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:21:39.877 --> 00:21:41.917
VIRGINIA: Was he doing any translating into your ear?

00:21:41.977 --> 00:21:44.017
<v SPEAKER_3>No.

00:21:44.017 --> 00:21:52.797
JEANETTE: No, because I don't like to ask him to do that too much because I think it takes away from his experience and it only heightens my experience so much.

00:21:52.797 --> 00:21:58.777
JEANETTE: But I will mention that because my husband suffers from motion sickness, I purchased these Blisslets.

00:21:58.777 --> 00:21:59.257
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:21:59.257 --> 00:22:01.457
VIRGINIA: The acupressure bands.

00:22:01.457 --> 00:22:02.177
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:22:02.177 --> 00:22:14.137
JEANETTE: Bethany Vinton of Main Street Dish, she had recommended them and he says he doesn't have any way to compare because he hasn't ridden rides really recently, but he was able to make it through the day really well.

00:22:14.137 --> 00:22:16.037
JEANETTE: So I think they did really help.

00:22:16.037 --> 00:22:16.637
VIRGINIA: So.

00:22:16.637 --> 00:22:17.437
VIRGINIA: Oh, OK.

00:22:17.437 --> 00:22:18.037
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:22:18.037 --> 00:22:23.477
VIRGINIA: Well, I will try to look for those and put them in the show notes for anybody who's interested.

00:22:23.477 --> 00:22:23.777
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:22:23.777 --> 00:22:25.817
VIRGINIA: Where did you head after Haunted Mansion?

00:22:25.817 --> 00:22:38.937
JEANETTE: After Haunted Mansion, we initially we were going to go to Country Bear's Summer Jamboree because I saw it and then I remembered, oh, it's the summer jamboree and I've only heard really good things about this.

00:22:39.597 --> 00:22:49.297
JEANETTE: But we didn't immediately go there because the scent of popcorn started to draw us towards that adventure.

00:22:49.297 --> 00:22:52.237
VIRGINIA: This is the beginning of the popcorn adventure.

00:22:52.237 --> 00:23:08.617
VIRGINIA: If you didn't listen to the pre-trip, Jeanette was on a quest to try every popcorn flavor in the parks, and part of your vacation package came with a double popcorn container and one free fill of the popcorn, so that was going to start you on your journey.

00:23:08.817 --> 00:23:12.777
VIRGINIA: So what were your first flavors and how was the container?

00:23:12.777 --> 00:23:19.797
JEANETTE: So we ended up, there's a popcorn cart right across from Country Bears Jamboree, and we ended up starting there.

00:23:19.797 --> 00:23:21.217
JEANETTE: We got our container.

00:23:21.217 --> 00:23:22.677
JEANETTE: It's super cute.

00:23:22.677 --> 00:23:31.797
JEANETTE: I held on to it, although I don't know what I'm going to use it for in the future, but I just couldn't let it go because it's now connected to so many beautiful memories.

00:23:31.797 --> 00:23:40.877
JEANETTE: And the first flavor at that cart was black pepper, which I wasn't necessarily one that I was really jonesing to try, but it was delicious.

00:23:40.877 --> 00:23:42.517
JEANETTE: It was so, so good.

00:23:42.517 --> 00:23:50.877
JEANETTE: And as soon as the flavor of the black pepper popcorn hit Rob's taste buds, he was like, I'm into this.

00:23:51.317 --> 00:23:52.317
JEANETTE: Let's do this.

00:23:52.317 --> 00:23:53.497
JEANETTE: Full throttle.

00:23:53.497 --> 00:24:06.097
JEANETTE: So we ended up following our nose and finding the curry popcorn cart, which was on the way to Adventureland, so kind of between Frontierland and Adventureland.

00:24:06.097 --> 00:24:09.817
JEANETTE: They might call it Westernland, actually, and Adventure.

00:24:09.817 --> 00:24:13.677
JEANETTE: And the curry cart always had a line.

00:24:13.677 --> 00:24:16.797
JEANETTE: The curry cart, like people knew that curry was where it's at.

00:24:16.797 --> 00:24:17.797
JEANETTE: They always had a line.

00:24:17.797 --> 00:24:19.917
JEANETTE: So Rob waited in this line, St.

00:24:19.917 --> 00:24:32.837
JEANETTE: City is, and I went and tried on some mini ears in the closest merch shop and barely resisted buying them because their ears are not only so adorable.

00:24:32.837 --> 00:24:39.837
JEANETTE: I think that the ears in the United States always need to listen to Coco Chanel and take off an accessory, at least one.

00:24:41.097 --> 00:24:44.417
VIRGINIA: Or you're like me and you buy it and you take it off yourself.

00:24:44.417 --> 00:24:45.197
JEANETTE: Yeah, right.

00:24:45.197 --> 00:24:53.137
JEANETTE: I mean, you could do that, but I'm usually like, nah, I'd rather just make a homemade bow to go on my ears that I have that I can switch out the bow.

00:24:53.137 --> 00:24:54.577
JEANETTE: So I was struggling.

00:24:54.577 --> 00:24:57.377
JEANETTE: There was a Tinkerbell pair that were really cute.

00:24:57.377 --> 00:25:03.157
JEANETTE: There were pairs that like kind of looked like plush with like really furry ears, like almost like a teddy bear ear.

00:25:03.157 --> 00:25:04.877
JEANETTE: But I did manage to step away.

00:25:04.877 --> 00:25:11.377
JEANETTE: I also had to step away from a Huey Dewey Louie plush, where their hands were like sewn together.

00:25:11.377 --> 00:25:14.217
JEANETTE: So like the three of them were like holding hands.

00:25:14.217 --> 00:25:22.577
JEANETTE: It was very hard for me, but I did walk away and I joined Rob and we got our curry popcorn and the curry popcorn was also fantastic.

00:25:22.577 --> 00:25:32.157
JEANETTE: We took our little double filled popcorn and went and sat to wait for the next showing of the Country Bears Summer Jamboree.

00:25:32.157 --> 00:25:39.877
JEANETTE: We gobbled up some popcorn while we waited and then went into the Jamboree and everything that people say about it is true.

00:25:39.877 --> 00:25:41.077
JEANETTE: It's so good.

00:25:41.077 --> 00:25:42.277
JEANETTE: It's so wonderful.

00:25:42.277 --> 00:25:49.677
JEANETTE: I want to highlight some of the incredible tunes that you would hear while you were in the Summer Jamboree.

00:25:49.717 --> 00:25:56.517
JEANETTE: You're going to hear Trixie singing Achey Breaky Heart, half in Japanese and half in English.

00:25:56.517 --> 00:25:58.517
JEANETTE: Nothing could be better.

00:25:58.517 --> 00:26:06.017
JEANETTE: You're going to hear Bunny, Bubbles and Biula sing California Bears, all in English.

00:26:06.017 --> 00:26:08.457
VIRGINIA: Like California girls, but California bears.

00:26:08.457 --> 00:26:12.277
<v SPEAKER_3>They all could be California bears.

00:26:12.277 --> 00:26:13.737
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:26:14.517 --> 00:26:16.097
JEANETTE: Adorable.

00:26:16.097 --> 00:26:21.337
JEANETTE: Then Teddy, coming down on her swing, singing Singing in the Rain.

00:26:21.337 --> 00:26:24.957
JEANETTE: I mean, the hits, they just kept it coming.

00:26:26.417 --> 00:26:27.837
VIRGINIA: That sounds amazing.

00:26:27.837 --> 00:26:35.677
VIRGINIA: It sounds like it's very much like the new country bears we have, where it's going to be songs that people recognize like that.

00:26:35.677 --> 00:26:35.937
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:26:35.937 --> 00:26:41.857
VIRGINIA: Do you know if their country bear jamboree, when it's not the summer vacation version, is also a newer version?

00:26:42.217 --> 00:26:50.697
JEANETTE: I haven't really heard anything about the country bears jamboree when it's not the summer version, so I cannot speak to that.

00:26:50.697 --> 00:26:51.297
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:26:51.297 --> 00:26:52.377
VIRGINIA: What was next?

00:26:52.377 --> 00:27:01.217
JEANETTE: So after we got down with the bears, it was our time to do the Beauty and the Beast ride.

00:27:01.217 --> 00:27:04.497
JEANETTE: We had our time ticket from 10.30 to 11.30.

00:27:04.497 --> 00:27:07.317
JEANETTE: We ended up using it at 11 a.m.

00:27:07.317 --> 00:27:08.597
JEANETTE: It's really incredible.

00:27:08.597 --> 00:27:11.657
JEANETTE: It's a whole castle and you enter the castle.

00:27:11.737 --> 00:27:13.157
JEANETTE: There's a whole village, actually.

00:27:13.157 --> 00:27:19.917
JEANETTE: There's a whole Beauty and the Beast village with a fake bookstore that's actually just filled with Disney merch, which drives my husband crazy.

00:27:19.957 --> 00:27:26.057
JEANETTE: He hates to see a shop that says it's one thing and then it's actually another, but it's Disney folk.

00:27:26.057 --> 00:27:28.517
JEANETTE: That doesn't seem to bother us at all, does it?

00:27:28.517 --> 00:27:29.077
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:27:29.077 --> 00:27:31.077
VIRGINIA: No, that's so funny that that's a quirk of his.

00:27:31.077 --> 00:27:33.497
VIRGINIA: I'm going to keep that in mind.

00:27:33.497 --> 00:27:37.897
JEANETTE: So it'll come back again in Tokyo DisneySea in a very important way.

00:27:38.397 --> 00:27:47.777
JEANETTE: So as we were about to board our teacup for Beauty and the Beast, I turned around and I saw Heather Peggs from Peggs Do Disney.

00:27:47.777 --> 00:27:56.997
JEANETTE: And actually our mutual friend Maria had messaged me with time travel, I can't say if it was that day or the day before, and said, Heather Peggs is in Tokyo Disney.

00:27:56.997 --> 00:27:59.377
JEANETTE: If you see her, you have to say hello.

00:27:59.377 --> 00:28:03.557
JEANETTE: And I didn't answer her, but my mind said, I'm not going to see her.

00:28:03.557 --> 00:28:06.877
JEANETTE: And then sure enough, I turn around and she's in the teacup behind me.

00:28:06.997 --> 00:28:10.737
JEANETTE: And I'm like, Heather, from Peggs to Disney, I love you.

00:28:10.737 --> 00:28:13.697
<v SPEAKER_3>And I listen to your podcast.

00:28:13.817 --> 00:28:14.737
<v SPEAKER_3>It's really fun.

00:28:14.737 --> 00:28:15.977
<v SPEAKER_3>Say hi to George.

00:28:15.977 --> 00:28:18.677
JEANETTE: And she's like, oh my God, wait when you get off the ride.

00:28:18.677 --> 00:28:20.397
JEANETTE: We're going to take a picture together.

00:28:20.397 --> 00:28:22.377
<v SPEAKER_3>I got to get your info.

00:28:22.377 --> 00:28:24.977
JEANETTE: So we rode the ride.

00:28:24.977 --> 00:28:26.897
JEANETTE: The ride is amazing.

00:28:26.897 --> 00:28:38.957
JEANETTE: I feel like what Tokyo Disney does so well is the Imagineers who are working on it don't feel the need to make the ride overly like thrilling or fast.

00:28:38.957 --> 00:28:46.517
JEANETTE: And instead they make it super, super immersive where you really feel like you're in the movie.

00:28:46.517 --> 00:28:53.417
JEANETTE: And even the sensation of the ride vehicle is like in sync with the vibe of the movie.

00:28:53.417 --> 00:28:56.937
JEANETTE: So these these teacups, they were dancing.

00:28:56.937 --> 00:29:03.817
JEANETTE: And when you think about Beauty and the Beast, one of the most iconic scenes is that dancing scene in the ballroom, right?

00:29:03.817 --> 00:29:04.077
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:29:04.737 --> 00:29:05.997
JEANETTE: Tail as old as time.

00:29:05.997 --> 00:29:07.557
JEANETTE: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:29:08.797 --> 00:29:12.577
JEANETTE: And it just felt like you were dancing the entire ride.

00:29:12.577 --> 00:29:27.377
JEANETTE: So you're like dancing through the bier gas scene, dancing through the winter scene, dancing through the ballroom scene, and never overly thrilling or jerky, just fluid and beautiful.

00:29:27.377 --> 00:29:29.217
VIRGINIA: Was this ride in Japanese?

00:29:29.217 --> 00:29:30.257
JEANETTE: I think it was.

00:29:30.257 --> 00:29:47.237
JEANETTE: I actually like now when I think of it, I can't remember, but I think it was, and I have video and I can double check on that, but I think it was, but it sort of didn't matter because kind of like those songs are so ingrained in our minds that you can, your brain just translates it anyway.

00:29:47.237 --> 00:29:47.657
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:29:47.657 --> 00:30:05.297
VIRGINIA: When I listen to the harmonious soundtrack as I work, one of the things I love is listening to the Disney songs that I love in other languages, because you just get that feeling, even though, you know, you don't know exactly what they're saying, but because you're familiar with the song, it's fine.

00:30:05.297 --> 00:30:06.317
JEANETTE: Right.

00:30:06.517 --> 00:30:06.997
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:30:06.997 --> 00:30:09.257
VIRGINIA: So then afterwards, you took a picture with her?

00:30:09.257 --> 00:30:12.837
JEANETTE: Yeah, we stopped and we chatted, took the picture.

00:30:12.837 --> 00:30:17.317
JEANETTE: I mean, I looked ridiculous in the picture because she was also there with Raquel.

00:30:17.317 --> 00:30:25.497
JEANETTE: I can't think of what Raquel's handle is on Instagram and her friend, Lindsey, which is Adventures in Lindsey Land.

00:30:25.497 --> 00:30:29.557
JEANETTE: And they're both, I think they're both Disney employees.

00:30:30.537 --> 00:30:34.697
JEANETTE: They're both, you know, they both have like a beautiful following on Instagram and everything.

00:30:34.697 --> 00:30:37.997
JEANETTE: And I already followed Raquel.

00:30:37.997 --> 00:30:39.097
JEANETTE: She used to be a dancer.

00:30:39.097 --> 00:30:44.377
JEANETTE: She used to be like, I think she was part of the Magic Happens parade before it went away.

00:30:44.377 --> 00:30:47.957
JEANETTE: And so it was lovely to chat with them, but they were asking me about my outfit.

00:30:47.957 --> 00:30:53.577
JEANETTE: So the picture that we ended up taking, I think was right in the middle of me going like, yeah, I made it.

00:30:55.097 --> 00:30:58.877
JEANETTE: So my face looked a little funny, but it was still like a really wonderful moment.

00:30:59.017 --> 00:31:08.617
JEANETTE: And Heather is more beautiful than she looks in her pictures, which is incredible because she was very beautiful and so, so, so, so nice.

00:31:08.617 --> 00:31:10.597
JEANETTE: Just really the biggest sweetheart.

00:31:10.597 --> 00:31:13.417
JEANETTE: And it doesn't travel agent if anybody is looking for ones.

00:31:13.417 --> 00:31:22.897
JEANETTE: And then she and her partner do this podcast called The Points Pair where they talk about like how you can use credit card points to maximize, you know, travel, spend less money and have more fun.

00:31:22.897 --> 00:31:24.917
JEANETTE: So it was really great to connect with her.

00:31:24.917 --> 00:31:30.737
JEANETTE: And then we kind of kept bumping into them throughout the day and being like, oh, hey again.

00:31:30.737 --> 00:31:32.537
JEANETTE: So very fun.

00:31:32.537 --> 00:31:38.057
JEANETTE: Right outside of the Beauty and the Beast ride is Le Petit Popper.

00:31:38.057 --> 00:31:49.437
JEANETTE: And so we were ready to switch it up to popcorn flavor number three, which was milk tea, which was both weird and delightful, which is the theme of this round of popcorn, weird and delightful.

00:31:49.437 --> 00:31:50.617
VIRGINIA: Weird and delightful.

00:31:50.617 --> 00:31:51.037
JEANETTE: Yep.

00:31:51.037 --> 00:31:53.877
VIRGINIA: Have you had other things that are milk tea flavored before?

00:31:54.017 --> 00:31:55.517
JEANETTE: I think I've like had milk tea.

00:31:56.137 --> 00:31:58.137
VIRGINIA: And that's just literally tea with milk in it.

00:31:58.137 --> 00:31:59.497
VIRGINIA: Am I wrong?

00:31:59.497 --> 00:32:00.017
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:32:00.017 --> 00:32:00.837
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:32:00.837 --> 00:32:01.657
VIRGINIA: Like sweet.

00:32:01.657 --> 00:32:01.837
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:32:01.837 --> 00:32:02.617
JEANETTE: Like a sweet tea.

00:32:02.617 --> 00:32:04.497
JEANETTE: Like a sweet black tea with milk in it.

00:32:04.497 --> 00:32:04.797
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:32:04.797 --> 00:32:05.197
VIRGINIA: Got it.

00:32:05.197 --> 00:32:05.997
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:32:05.997 --> 00:32:09.277
VIRGINIA: Did you get any other flavors at this location?

00:32:09.277 --> 00:32:13.517
JEANETTE: So pretty much each cart only has one flavor.

00:32:13.517 --> 00:32:13.977
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

00:32:13.977 --> 00:32:18.197
JEANETTE: There is one location that has multiple flavors, but we'll get there later.

00:32:18.277 --> 00:32:18.817
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:32:18.817 --> 00:32:21.677
JEANETTE: But we did bounce to another popcorn cart.

00:32:21.677 --> 00:32:32.077
JEANETTE: We went to Toontown and we picked up corn potage, which was like cream corn soup because I actually had some at the end of the trip.

00:32:32.077 --> 00:32:40.257
JEANETTE: And the flavor of cream corn on popcorn is really weird.

00:32:40.257 --> 00:32:43.257
JEANETTE: I mean, it was not, it wasn't gross.

00:32:43.257 --> 00:32:47.857
JEANETTE: It wasn't off putting it all, but it was just like, is it popcorn?

00:32:47.857 --> 00:32:49.177
JEANETTE: Is it cream corn?

00:32:49.177 --> 00:32:50.877
JEANETTE: Stop, you're both right.

00:32:52.837 --> 00:32:59.117
VIRGINIA: Well, sometimes it's weird when something tastes like a particular flavor and it's like, the flavor's done really well.

00:32:59.117 --> 00:33:03.737
VIRGINIA: So it tastes exactly like that, but then it's not the texture that you're expecting.

00:33:03.737 --> 00:33:04.777
VIRGINIA: So I can imagine.

00:33:05.277 --> 00:33:07.837
JEANETTE: And the milk too was also kind of that.

00:33:07.837 --> 00:33:13.517
JEANETTE: So we had like two containers going at once that were like uncanny valley flavors.

00:33:14.017 --> 00:33:15.957
VIRGINIA: Uh-huh.

00:33:15.957 --> 00:33:18.137
JEANETTE: But still very enjoyable.

00:33:18.137 --> 00:33:28.057
JEANETTE: So with all the popcorn deliciousness, I started to get thirsty and it was time to use my beloved beverage ticket for the first time.

00:33:28.057 --> 00:33:35.837
JEANETTE: So the reason that the beverage ticket is so magical is that Tokyo Disneyland Resort has these specialty drinks.

00:33:35.837 --> 00:33:41.657
JEANETTE: And as long as they're not ones with alcohol, they are included in your beverage ticket.

00:33:42.037 --> 00:33:47.057
JEANETTE: So you just get to go to the counter and be like, give me my free drink.

00:33:47.057 --> 00:33:50.897
JEANETTE: So I had done a little research and looked up what the drinks were.

00:33:50.897 --> 00:33:59.857
JEANETTE: And I was interested in getting this strawberry jelly sparkling drink, which I didn't know, but it was villains themed.

00:33:59.857 --> 00:34:00.137
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:34:00.137 --> 00:34:09.297
JEANETTE: So the first place I was able to get it was in Hooks Galley, which is kind of, I'm remembering right, like actually sort of across the way from where Country Bears was.

00:34:09.537 --> 00:34:17.317
JEANETTE: So we stopped there and got my strawberry sparkling drink, which was like Coke, but not really sweet Coke.

00:34:17.317 --> 00:34:21.897
JEANETTE: Like the Coca-Cola in Japan isn't quite as sweet as it is in the United States.

00:34:21.897 --> 00:34:31.677
JEANETTE: And this strawberry jelly, which isn't like United States jelly, it's like a fruit gelatin, I guess.

00:34:31.677 --> 00:34:39.257
JEANETTE: Almost in the way of like tapioca balls, it creates a mixture that does have like more textures going.

00:34:39.257 --> 00:34:40.017
VIRGINIA: Texture, yeah.

00:34:40.017 --> 00:34:45.677
JEANETTE: Yeah, but it also melts a little bit so that the flavor does mix with the soda.

00:34:45.677 --> 00:34:47.257
JEANETTE: And I really, really enjoyed this.

00:34:47.257 --> 00:34:53.957
JEANETTE: And because this one was served at Hook's Galley, it came with a little white chocolate that had Captain Hook's Hook on it.

00:34:53.957 --> 00:34:59.357
JEANETTE: And then the cup had like villain, like a bunch of villains on it, and said like Disney villains.

00:34:59.357 --> 00:35:13.837
JEANETTE: We also got cheese potato puff for Rob to have a snack that was like a little more substantial than the popcorn because I was sort of like, we're doing this popcorn adventure and the world had dinner, but we're not doing like a lunch lunch.

00:35:13.837 --> 00:35:18.637
JEANETTE: Also because there's just not that many vegetarian options in Disneyland, unfortunately.

00:35:18.637 --> 00:35:21.297
JEANETTE: DisneySea is better, but Disneyland is a little rough.

00:35:21.297 --> 00:35:22.777
JEANETTE: So yeah, so we had a little snack.

00:35:22.777 --> 00:35:25.177
JEANETTE: I had my drink and I was like, I love this drink.

00:35:25.737 --> 00:35:28.717
JEANETTE: I'm probably going to need to get more of these.

00:35:30.717 --> 00:35:31.317
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:35:31.317 --> 00:35:34.917
VIRGINIA: Well, after your snack, where did you head next?

00:35:34.917 --> 00:35:38.017
JEANETTE: So then our 40th pass for Monsters, Inc.

00:35:38.017 --> 00:35:39.797
JEANETTE: was available.

00:35:39.797 --> 00:35:47.077
JEANETTE: And so we headed over to Tomorrowland and rode called Monsters, Inc.

00:35:47.077 --> 00:35:48.617
JEANETTE: Hide and Seek.

00:35:48.617 --> 00:35:50.417
JEANETTE: It's very cute.

00:35:50.417 --> 00:35:53.457
JEANETTE: I definitely preferred it to the Disneyland ride.

00:35:54.397 --> 00:36:01.377
JEANETTE: You get a little flashlight on your car and then you're looking for the Monsters, Inc.

00:36:01.377 --> 00:36:02.637
JEANETTE: hardhat.

00:36:02.637 --> 00:36:04.617
JEANETTE: And when you hit the Monsters, Inc.

00:36:04.617 --> 00:36:07.717
JEANETTE: logo on the hardhat, a monster pops up.

00:36:07.717 --> 00:36:08.137
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:36:08.137 --> 00:36:09.817
JEANETTE: And there's no points.

00:36:09.817 --> 00:36:13.777
JEANETTE: It's not like a shoot and score game.

00:36:13.777 --> 00:36:15.257
JEANETTE: It's just delightful.

00:36:15.257 --> 00:36:16.597
JEANETTE: Super cute.

00:36:16.597 --> 00:36:20.917
JEANETTE: Of course, it ends with Roz talking at you and in a gift shop.

00:36:23.677 --> 00:36:25.077
JEANETTE: And it was just really, really good.

00:36:25.077 --> 00:36:31.077
JEANETTE: So I think that I did end up buying a little bit of merch, a gift for someone in that gift shop.

00:36:31.077 --> 00:36:33.777
JEANETTE: It was Baymax themed because they had the Monsters stuff.

00:36:33.777 --> 00:36:38.977
JEANETTE: And Baymax stuff was kind of all over the place because folks in Tokyo love Baymax.

00:36:38.977 --> 00:36:46.837
JEANETTE: Then we also hit up a popcorn spot in Tomorrowland, which did the soy sauce popcorn.

00:36:47.077 --> 00:36:47.977
JEANETTE: So it's also very good.

00:36:48.337 --> 00:36:55.277
VIRGINIA: So I'm getting the sense that based on the number of popcorn flavors that you were trying, you're probably dumping a lot of popcorn too.

00:36:55.277 --> 00:36:55.817
JEANETTE: No.

00:36:55.817 --> 00:36:58.597
JEANETTE: At this point in time, we had eaten all the popcorn.

00:36:58.597 --> 00:36:59.437
VIRGINIA: Oh my goodness.

00:36:59.437 --> 00:37:00.217
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:37:00.217 --> 00:37:03.437
VIRGINIA: How big was the double popcorn container?

00:37:03.437 --> 00:37:11.097
VIRGINIA: Like compared to a Disney World popcorn bucket size, how much popcorn were you getting per flavor?

00:37:11.137 --> 00:37:15.337
JEANETTE: Do you know the paper containers that you would get popcorn at in Disney World?

00:37:15.337 --> 00:37:16.557
<v SPEAKER_3>It's two of those.

00:37:16.557 --> 00:37:20.897
JEANETTE: Two of those fit in the two double-sided container.

00:37:20.897 --> 00:37:26.937
JEANETTE: So we got one paper container on one side, one paper container on the other side.

00:37:26.937 --> 00:37:33.377
JEANETTE: Between the two of us having only really had a waffle that day, we just kept snacking on the popcorn.

00:37:33.377 --> 00:37:38.837
JEANETTE: We were never really in line, so it was just as we were going around the park, we were just snacking on the popcorn.

00:37:39.537 --> 00:37:43.917
JEANETTE: And at this point, we had eaten all the popcorn.

00:37:43.917 --> 00:37:44.337
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:37:44.337 --> 00:37:45.357
VIRGINIA: Where to next?

00:37:45.357 --> 00:37:47.617
JEANETTE: Well, next we went to Pooh's Honey Hunt.

00:37:47.617 --> 00:37:52.617
JEANETTE: And this was one that we used our vacation package pass for.

00:37:53.037 --> 00:37:56.117
VIRGINIA: And this is an in-demand ride, from what I remember.

00:37:56.117 --> 00:38:00.977
JEANETTE: It's a very in-demand ride, and for good reason, it's really wonderful.

00:38:00.977 --> 00:38:05.577
JEANETTE: Much like the one in Disney World, the queue kind of takes you through the storybook pages.

00:38:06.197 --> 00:38:23.577
JEANETTE: This was one that Robb decided not to ride because I had told him accurately that it was the same ride mechanism as Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, as Remy's, and both of those are rides that his motion sickness cannot do.

00:38:23.577 --> 00:38:26.497
JEANETTE: So he stood in the line with me.

00:38:26.497 --> 00:38:39.817
JEANETTE: We used the pass just so he could stay with me as long as possible, and then he took the chicken exit, which was not a big deal at all, except that the person who directed him to the chicken exit did tease him.

00:38:39.817 --> 00:38:43.157
JEANETTE: They were like, oh, this one's too scary for him.

00:38:46.157 --> 00:38:52.077
JEANETTE: So he waited in the All Winnie the Pooh gift shop, and I went on the ride by myself.

00:38:52.077 --> 00:39:00.137
JEANETTE: I ended up in the front row, and I felt a little bad because there was a child behind me, but not bad enough to offer to switch seats with the child.

00:39:00.257 --> 00:39:02.717
VIRGINIA: Well, also, why would you have felt bad?

00:39:02.897 --> 00:39:04.277
VIRGINIA: You're not insanely tall.

00:39:04.277 --> 00:39:05.577
VIRGINIA: I mean, I hate to break it to you.

00:39:05.577 --> 00:39:06.317
JEANETTE: I know.

00:39:06.317 --> 00:39:08.797
JEANETTE: So I feel their pain.

00:39:08.797 --> 00:39:09.797
JEANETTE: I feel their pain.

00:39:09.797 --> 00:39:12.937
JEANETTE: I'm like, I'm the short person who's always stuck behind a tall person.

00:39:12.937 --> 00:39:18.077
JEANETTE: I don't know if that little short person is stuck behind a slightly taller person.

00:39:18.077 --> 00:39:19.517
VIRGINIA: You have a good heart, Jeanette.

00:39:19.917 --> 00:39:20.797
JEANETTE: It's really great.

00:39:20.797 --> 00:39:22.357
JEANETTE: It's really beautifully done.

00:39:22.357 --> 00:39:28.977
JEANETTE: Again, it's the sensation of being in a storybook or in the Pooh Bear movie.

00:39:28.977 --> 00:39:30.557
JEANETTE: We know that ride mechanism.

00:39:30.557 --> 00:39:31.537
JEANETTE: It's very smooth.

00:39:31.917 --> 00:39:40.217
JEANETTE: I think Rob could have handled it, except the last full room is the dream sequence, like the half-alumps and woozles.

00:39:40.217 --> 00:39:42.457
JEANETTE: It got real crazy in that room.

00:39:42.457 --> 00:39:50.097
JEANETTE: It was like a whole party and things like the daisy duck salsa scene, but it went on a lot longer.

00:39:51.517 --> 00:39:55.657
JEANETTE: I think he made the right call in sitting out through the honey hunt.

00:39:55.657 --> 00:39:56.437
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:39:56.437 --> 00:39:59.837
JEANETTE: After that, we had to get the honey popcorn.

00:39:59.837 --> 00:40:00.717
VIRGINIA: Honey popcorn?

00:40:00.717 --> 00:40:02.757
VIRGINIA: I don't think you mentioned this flavor in the pre-trip.

00:40:02.757 --> 00:40:10.677
JEANETTE: That's funny because this was the one that TDR Explorer swears by, that the honey is the most delicious.

00:40:10.677 --> 00:40:12.237
JEANETTE: I was like, we have to have the honey.

00:40:12.237 --> 00:40:15.657
JEANETTE: That's on the most, even if we don't do this whole thing, we have to do the honey.

00:40:15.657 --> 00:40:26.797
JEANETTE: We got the honey and I expected it to be like, and I think most people would, expect it to be like, caramel corn, only honey instead of caramel.

00:40:26.797 --> 00:40:41.797
JEANETTE: But it was like, fully popcorn, that then I think was like, sprayed with a honey flavor, and it tasted like burnt and turned, like off, and it was the only one that we threw away.

00:40:41.797 --> 00:40:42.477
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

00:40:42.477 --> 00:40:52.277
JEANETTE: So we each had like, a hand, like, maybe tried it twice, just to see if our taste buds were deceiving us, and then ended up tossing that, that container.

00:40:52.277 --> 00:40:53.137
VIRGINIA: Interesting.

00:40:53.137 --> 00:40:53.577
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:40:53.577 --> 00:40:54.097
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:40:54.097 --> 00:40:55.457
VIRGINIA: Was it sticky?

00:40:55.457 --> 00:40:55.617
JEANETTE: No.

00:40:55.617 --> 00:40:58.157
VIRGINIA: Or was it just because it was sprayed that that's, okay.

00:40:58.157 --> 00:40:59.577
JEANETTE: No, it wasn't sticky.

00:40:59.577 --> 00:41:04.757
JEANETTE: Like, if it had been sticky, then I feel like it would have been real honey and it would have tasted better.

00:41:04.757 --> 00:41:12.577
VIRGINIA: And then you would have had your little wipes from your popcorn container because your double popcorn container had wipes in the middle, is that right?

00:41:12.577 --> 00:41:13.977
JEANETTE: It didn't have wipes.

00:41:13.977 --> 00:41:19.577
JEANETTE: It had an opening that you could put wipes in and then get the wipes out from the opening.

00:41:20.077 --> 00:41:24.057
JEANETTE: We didn't have wipes with us, so we didn't actually have wipes on hand.

00:41:24.057 --> 00:41:26.897
JEANETTE: But yes, that is a feature of the bucket.

00:41:26.897 --> 00:41:28.917
VIRGINIA: It should come with a pack of wipes.

00:41:28.917 --> 00:41:30.817
JEANETTE: I mean, that would be nice.

00:41:30.817 --> 00:41:31.677
VIRGINIA: What was next?

00:41:31.677 --> 00:41:37.237
JEANETTE: So once we threw out the honey popcorn, we needed to fill up our popcorn container.

00:41:37.237 --> 00:41:42.537
JEANETTE: And so we went to the Big Pop, which is the one location that has multiple flavors.

00:41:42.537 --> 00:41:51.177
JEANETTE: This is kind of in Tomorrowland and it's a whole shop and it's got this like popcorn chandelier up above.

00:41:51.177 --> 00:41:54.397
JEANETTE: And all the popcorns are a dollar more than they are anywhere else.

00:41:54.397 --> 00:41:55.977
JEANETTE: I don't know why.

00:41:55.977 --> 00:42:02.197
JEANETTE: But the flavors were not a dollar, a thousand yen, which is like 70 cents.

00:42:02.197 --> 00:42:10.457
JEANETTE: The flavors that they had available were caramel, cheddar cheese, and strawberry Neapolitan.

00:42:10.457 --> 00:42:13.557
VIRGINIA: And I know you were really excited about the strawberry Neapolitan.

00:42:13.557 --> 00:42:19.317
JEANETTE: I was because I love Neapolitan ice cream because it doesn't make me choose.

00:42:19.317 --> 00:42:23.477
JEANETTE: And I love strawberry things in general.

00:42:26.457 --> 00:42:29.057
VIRGINIA: I love that that's your reason for liking Neapolitan.

00:42:29.057 --> 00:42:30.997
VIRGINIA: That is very Jeanette.

00:42:33.897 --> 00:42:39.197
<v SPEAKER_3>I get all the flavors that I love, chocolate and strawberry and a little vanilla on the side for kicks.

00:42:39.257 --> 00:42:46.397
JEANETTE: So we got the cheddar cheese, a little savory from a rab and the strawberry Neapolitan.

00:42:46.397 --> 00:42:50.197
JEANETTE: And I think it's possible.

00:42:50.197 --> 00:42:59.837
JEANETTE: I'm going to check my notes on this one, that this may have been the last flavor of the day, the last flavor duo of the day.

00:42:59.837 --> 00:43:01.357
JEANETTE: Yes, that is true.

00:43:01.357 --> 00:43:04.817
JEANETTE: And so I'm going to go ahead and give you all my rankings.

00:43:05.397 --> 00:43:14.117
JEANETTE: Which were that my favorite savory was black pepper with curry just underneath it.

00:43:14.117 --> 00:43:17.317
JEANETTE: And my favorite sweet was most definitely strawberry Neapolitan.

00:43:17.317 --> 00:43:18.797
JEANETTE: It was so, so good.

00:43:18.797 --> 00:43:22.017
JEANETTE: It was like strawberry pieces and chocolate pieces.

00:43:22.017 --> 00:43:23.857
JEANETTE: And it was perfect.

00:43:23.857 --> 00:43:25.197
JEANETTE: Cheddar cheese was good, of course.

00:43:25.197 --> 00:43:26.497
JEANETTE: Nothing wrong with it.

00:43:26.497 --> 00:43:28.217
JEANETTE: But those are my rankings.

00:43:28.217 --> 00:43:31.137
JEANETTE: So you have my recommendation.

00:43:31.197 --> 00:43:31.997
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:43:31.997 --> 00:43:33.817
VIRGINIA: Jeanette's official rankings.

00:43:33.817 --> 00:43:34.557
VIRGINIA: Yep.

00:43:34.557 --> 00:43:35.197
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:43:35.197 --> 00:43:38.997
VIRGINIA: Where are we in the timeframe of the day at this point?

00:43:38.997 --> 00:43:40.577
JEANETTE: That's a good question.

00:43:41.637 --> 00:43:45.197
JEANETTE: So it's probably around like two at this point.

00:43:45.197 --> 00:43:50.357
JEANETTE: We had also booked another 40th pass after we used our 40th pass for Monsters Inc.

00:43:50.357 --> 00:43:59.237
JEANETTE: And we got a kind of later in the day one for Big Thunder, which that meant that was pretty much the end of it for 40th passes that we got three out of the day.

00:44:00.057 --> 00:44:11.537
JEANETTE: But what I will say is that because we got these three free priority passes, we didn't end up using both of our vacation pass passes.

00:44:11.537 --> 00:44:16.997
JEANETTE: We ended up ending the day with one vacation pass pass not used at all.

00:44:16.997 --> 00:44:22.997
JEANETTE: So, and you know, part of that is because we're coming from the United States and we're too tired to like really rally.

00:44:22.997 --> 00:44:26.057
JEANETTE: But you know, for what it's worth, that's what happened.

00:44:26.537 --> 00:44:35.657
VIRGINIA: In terms of the time of year and crowds, what do you know about Japan and like peak times?

00:44:35.657 --> 00:44:38.197
VIRGINIA: Was this a non-peak time for them?

00:44:38.197 --> 00:44:53.717
JEANETTE: This is not a peak time for tourists, although because tourism is getting so big there or has gotten so big there, I think there's no time that's not like again, where you're not going to see like a bunch of Western tourists alongside you.

00:44:53.717 --> 00:44:58.017
JEANETTE: But this day at Disneyland was very chill.

00:44:58.017 --> 00:45:09.217
JEANETTE: I did check the crowd calendars and this was supposed to be like the second lowest, like not the lowest attendance, but like the second lowest attendance amount to be expected.

00:45:09.217 --> 00:45:12.037
JEANETTE: I felt that it did not feel crowded at all.

00:45:12.337 --> 00:45:15.897
JEANETTE: There's no point in time where I felt like I was in human soup.

00:45:16.997 --> 00:45:17.937
VIRGINIA: Human soup.

00:45:17.937 --> 00:45:19.157
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:45:19.157 --> 00:45:19.957
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:45:19.957 --> 00:45:23.357
VIRGINIA: That probably contributed to the situation as well.

00:45:23.357 --> 00:45:24.257
JEANETTE: For sure it did.

00:45:24.257 --> 00:45:35.737
JEANETTE: Now, when we were at Tokyo DisneySea, very different situation and I do have to wonder if like, in general, Tokyo DisneySea is just insane because everybody wants to go to Fantasy Springs if they get a chance.

00:45:35.937 --> 00:45:36.597
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:45:36.597 --> 00:45:37.557
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:45:37.557 --> 00:45:37.857
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:45:37.857 --> 00:45:41.837
VIRGINIA: Well, let's hear more about the end of your Disneyland day.

00:45:41.837 --> 00:45:42.137
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:45:42.137 --> 00:45:50.777
JEANETTE: So with our last two flavors of popcorn and toe, we walked by the Bay Mac Happy Ride and knew this was not going to be something Rob would be willing to do.

00:45:50.777 --> 00:45:56.717
JEANETTE: It's a whip ride like the aliens swirling saucers in Hollywood Studios.

00:45:56.717 --> 00:46:00.877
JEANETTE: And I actually just rode that for the first time and did not enjoy it.

00:46:00.877 --> 00:46:02.657
JEANETTE: So like, I don't want to ride it.

00:46:03.017 --> 00:46:11.317
JEANETTE: I just want to see it and I want to hear the music because there's a whole thing about the music where people do like dance moves to it.

00:46:11.317 --> 00:46:13.097
JEANETTE: So I just wanted to see a little bit of that.

00:46:13.097 --> 00:46:14.677
<v SPEAKER_3>And I thought it was very cute.

00:46:14.677 --> 00:46:19.277
VIRGINIA: I did not know you had not ridden that in Disney World until recently.

00:46:19.277 --> 00:46:19.697
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:46:19.697 --> 00:46:27.797
JEANETTE: My last trip to Disney in April, my friends went off to ride Toy Story Mania, which I'm not really into.

00:46:27.797 --> 00:46:32.117
JEANETTE: And I decided to try the aliens swirling saucers.

00:46:32.277 --> 00:46:36.777
JEANETTE: And I did not enjoy the sensation of it whatsoever.

00:46:36.777 --> 00:46:39.137
JEANETTE: I did not like to be whipped around like that.

00:46:39.137 --> 00:46:40.397
JEANETTE: And you know, I love a ride.

00:46:40.397 --> 00:46:41.197
JEANETTE: I love a thrill.

00:46:41.197 --> 00:46:43.537
JEANETTE: But just that movement, I did not know.

00:46:43.537 --> 00:46:44.877
JEANETTE: It was not fun for me.

00:46:44.877 --> 00:46:45.277
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:46:45.277 --> 00:46:55.077
<v SPEAKER_3>But then we did do something that was really fun for me, which you are not going to enjoy at all, which was we went to the Tiki Room starring Stitch.

00:46:55.077 --> 00:46:56.197
VIRGINIA: Oh, Stitch.

00:46:56.197 --> 00:46:56.657
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:46:56.657 --> 00:46:59.237
VIRGINIA: Well, how did he do with host?

00:46:59.237 --> 00:47:01.457
JEANETTE: He wreaked havoc on the Tiki Room.

00:47:02.537 --> 00:47:04.557
VIRGINIA: It sounds just like Stitch.

00:47:04.557 --> 00:47:14.477
JEANETTE: It's filled with the music that you know and if you love it, love from both the movie Lilo and Stitch and the animated cartoon.

00:47:14.477 --> 00:47:16.877
JEANETTE: It had a theme song from the animated cartoon.

00:47:16.877 --> 00:47:18.197
JEANETTE: So it was really fun.

00:47:18.197 --> 00:47:29.737
JEANETTE: I mean, just like with the Country Bear Jamboree, I think it's really fun to see the animatronic characters that you know and love do something a little different just for variety of sake.

00:47:29.897 --> 00:47:31.977
JEANETTE: So I really enjoyed it.

00:47:31.977 --> 00:47:35.617
JEANETTE: They had an animatronic of him right in the center of everything.

00:47:35.617 --> 00:47:41.637
JEANETTE: And they did the thing where the chandelier comes down with the female birds.

00:47:41.637 --> 00:47:44.757
VIRGINIA: Oh, I was going to say like Phantom of the Opera.

00:47:44.757 --> 00:47:45.257
VIRGINIA: No, no, no.

00:47:45.257 --> 00:47:51.117
JEANETTE: You know the chandelier and then it has like Fefe and Gigi and all those.

00:47:51.117 --> 00:47:52.737
JEANETTE: Where's Rosita?

00:47:52.737 --> 00:47:57.077
JEANETTE: And the birds had little stitch ears put on them.

00:47:57.377 --> 00:47:59.737
JEANETTE: And then the other birds were like, What are you wearing?

00:47:59.737 --> 00:48:05.497
<v SPEAKER_3>And they're like, This blue creature came and put these blue ears on.

00:48:05.497 --> 00:48:07.757
JEANETTE: And it's like, that's how he's wreaking havoc.

00:48:07.757 --> 00:48:14.897
VIRGINIA: I would do this to experience it once, but this just reinforces like I do not care for stitch.

00:48:14.897 --> 00:48:17.957
VIRGINIA: I don't really like the movie Lilo and Stitch either.

00:48:18.277 --> 00:48:19.157
JEANETTE: I love it.

00:48:19.157 --> 00:48:28.537
JEANETTE: It was like kind of a time where Disney had made some movies that didn't feel like they were for me, like Treasure Planet, and the Atlantis movie.

00:48:28.537 --> 00:48:30.237
JEANETTE: They felt like boy movies.

00:48:30.237 --> 00:48:32.817
JEANETTE: And then they made Lilo and Stitch and it made me cry.

00:48:32.817 --> 00:48:34.637
JEANETTE: And I was like, I was just back in it.

00:48:34.637 --> 00:48:37.977
JEANETTE: So it will always have really positive connotations for me.

00:48:37.977 --> 00:48:42.817
JEANETTE: But I also understand that he is a chaos muppet and you can not abide.

00:48:42.817 --> 00:48:43.237
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:48:43.437 --> 00:48:49.137
VIRGINIA: And I realized that I'm most definitely the outlier on this because a majority of people love Stitch.

00:48:49.137 --> 00:48:58.117
JEANETTE: Well, you know, my best friend Marin also doesn't like Lilo and Stitch, but for, in a way, the opposite reason, she finds Lilo way too annoying.

00:48:58.117 --> 00:49:00.497
JEANETTE: So you're not alone.

00:49:00.497 --> 00:49:02.797
JEANETTE: You're not on an island.

00:49:02.797 --> 00:49:07.437
JEANETTE: And in fact, in my friend group, I sort of feel like I'm on the island and loving Stitch.

00:49:09.517 --> 00:49:10.197
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:49:10.197 --> 00:49:13.877
VIRGINIA: Well, what was next on your agenda?

00:49:13.877 --> 00:49:21.517
JEANETTE: Well, next we decided to do Jungle Cruise, which I wasn't sure we were going to do because I didn't know if the skipper jokes in Japanese were going to make it not fun.

00:49:22.237 --> 00:49:23.837
JEANETTE: But so let's do it.

00:49:23.837 --> 00:49:25.917
JEANETTE: And maybe we'll use our vacation passport.

00:49:25.917 --> 00:49:31.657
JEANETTE: But we got up there and it was like a 20 minute line, but it ended up being like a 10 minute line.

00:49:31.657 --> 00:49:32.737
JEANETTE: So we didn't use it.

00:49:32.737 --> 00:49:37.677
JEANETTE: And I'm kind of glad we didn't use it, even though we didn't end up using it for anything, but it just would have been a wash.

00:49:37.677 --> 00:49:42.297
JEANETTE: So we wrote it and yes, I did not understand one joke.

00:49:42.297 --> 00:49:50.497
JEANETTE: Nothing was funny to me, but the visuals of that ride are very different.

00:49:50.737 --> 00:49:52.777
JEANETTE: And are really beautiful.

00:49:52.777 --> 00:50:04.857
JEANETTE: And I mean, like kind of up a notch where I'm like, come on, can't we get this level of visual, this level of, you know, just a little different setting in our US parks.

00:50:04.857 --> 00:50:11.817
JEANETTE: But yeah, that's part of the joy of going to the international parks, is to see the things you love but in a different light.

00:50:11.817 --> 00:50:15.577
VIRGINIA: How did Rob like the jokes since he presumably understood them?

00:50:15.577 --> 00:50:23.177
JEANETTE: He said that they actually weren't that jokey, that like a lot of it was just like more of the skipper like commenting on the surroundings, so there wasn't really that many jokes.

00:50:23.177 --> 00:50:26.477
JEANETTE: So I guess I shouldn't feel too bad because I didn't miss too much.

00:50:26.477 --> 00:50:27.157
JEANETTE: Okay.

00:50:27.157 --> 00:50:38.637
JEANETTE: Then after that, I decided it was time to get another sparkling strawberry drink and this time we got it from a little spot that's towards the hub that was called the gazebo.

00:50:38.637 --> 00:50:55.277
JEANETTE: Rob got a tea that I think started his journey of using his beverage ticket to get iced tea and my second sparkling strawberry special tea drink was just as good as the first one and also had a hook on it so it was still hook themed.

00:50:55.277 --> 00:51:18.877
JEANETTE: And then we ended up coming into the hub and the crowds were already like kind of established to watch Harmony in Color, the daytime parade and we just took a spot kind of like three people deep but everybody sit for the parade so it's really nice and civilized and it's not hard to see even if you've got three rows of people in front of you.

00:51:18.877 --> 00:51:21.317
VIRGINIA: That would be so nice if we did that in the US.

00:51:21.317 --> 00:51:24.397
VIRGINIA: I don't think the US population can handle it.

00:51:24.397 --> 00:51:39.857
JEANETTE: No and it's so fun because like they bring little blankets or little cushions and they sit down so they're like it's just so civilized it's really nice and you can book spots for these things if you're like dead set that you want a close spot and don't want to wait for it.

00:51:39.857 --> 00:51:42.737
JEANETTE: People do start waiting like two hours ahead of time.

00:51:42.737 --> 00:51:43.857
JEANETTE: It's really wild.

00:51:44.297 --> 00:51:49.117
JEANETTE: We had seen people waiting for this parade two hours ahead of time and Rob is like what are they doing?

00:51:49.117 --> 00:51:52.517
JEANETTE: I'm like they're waiting for a parade that's gonna start at 3 30.

00:51:54.017 --> 00:51:57.577
VIRGINIA: It doesn't sound like it's really necessary to wait that early.

00:51:57.577 --> 00:51:58.517
JEANETTE: It's not.

00:51:58.517 --> 00:52:17.837
JEANETTE: Maybe on a busier day it would have been but it wasn't and I know that I know from her stories on Instagram that the ladies that I had run into early the day they actually did pay for priority access and so they were like front row great view but our view was not bad at all.

00:52:17.837 --> 00:52:20.477
JEANETTE: That song is such a bop.

00:52:20.477 --> 00:52:27.597
JEANETTE: It's like living in color which brings back the variety show to me in my head from the 90s but it is such a bop.

00:52:27.597 --> 00:52:28.957
JEANETTE: You can find it on Apple Music.

00:52:28.957 --> 00:52:31.517
JEANETTE: I'm sure you can find it on Spotify.

00:52:31.997 --> 00:52:35.937
JEANETTE: It is a very cheerful song and I've added it to my Run Disney playlist.

00:52:36.097 --> 00:52:39.017
JEANETTE: You already have it on a playlist.

00:52:39.017 --> 00:52:40.177
VIRGINIA: I will check it out.

00:52:40.817 --> 00:52:58.097
JEANETTE: This is also the parade that features Rapunzel, my favorite girl with her braid attached to the parade float and she swings around the parade float from her braid like Cirque du Soleil style.

00:52:58.097 --> 00:52:59.177
VIRGINIA: Oh wow.

00:52:59.177 --> 00:53:04.037
JEANETTE: It's really incredible and I took a little video of that if that's something that you want to share.

00:53:04.037 --> 00:53:16.437
JEANETTE: I will also mention that I did a lot of stories while I was in Japan and that my stories are all in my highlights on my main Instagram page.

00:53:16.437 --> 00:53:30.837
JEANETTE: So if anybody wants to really get into this trip and to follow along play by play, that is all still there listed like one highlight Tokyo Disneyland, one highlight Tokyo DisneySea and then kind of a mishmash of my other days in Japan.

00:53:30.837 --> 00:53:31.317
VIRGINIA: Perfect.

00:53:31.637 --> 00:53:32.097
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:53:32.097 --> 00:53:39.517
JEANETTE: After that, we decided to go back to the room for a little refresh.

00:53:39.517 --> 00:53:43.017
JEANETTE: It was about 4.30 in the afternoon.

00:53:43.017 --> 00:53:45.517
JEANETTE: Rob wanted to lay down for a minute.

00:53:45.517 --> 00:53:51.317
JEANETTE: I wanted to see this amazing Alice in Wonderland suite, which was so, so incredible.

00:53:51.317 --> 00:53:54.877
JEANETTE: Like it really exceeded my expectations.

00:53:54.877 --> 00:53:57.977
JEANETTE: Had to take video pictures, all of that.

00:53:58.537 --> 00:54:05.537
JEANETTE: Then, refreshed my makeup, got ready to go, and we were back into the park by 5.15.

00:54:05.537 --> 00:54:07.277
JEANETTE: So, not a super long break.

00:54:07.277 --> 00:54:15.337
JEANETTE: This was, as I mentioned, also the timeframe where we went to the gift shop at the hotel, and I picked up my vacation package merch.

00:54:15.857 --> 00:54:20.377
VIRGINIA: To get back to the hotel, was it a monorail?

00:54:20.377 --> 00:54:21.897
VIRGINIA: Was it a shuttle?

00:54:21.897 --> 00:54:22.797
VIRGINIA: How did that work?

00:54:22.797 --> 00:54:24.237
<v SPEAKER_3>It's a walk.

00:54:24.237 --> 00:54:25.017
VIRGINIA: It's a walk?

00:54:25.077 --> 00:54:25.717
VIRGINIA: Oh my gosh.

00:54:26.337 --> 00:54:38.437
JEANETTE: You walk out the gate, past characters interacting with people outside of the gate, like Maria was right there, and you're basically there, and you just walk into the hotel.

00:54:38.437 --> 00:54:53.577
JEANETTE: I mean, my recommendation in terms of hotel setup for Tokyo Disneyland Resort is, if you can swing it, if you want to do a vacation package, stay at one of the hotels that has this benefit.

00:54:53.577 --> 00:54:59.737
JEANETTE: Either stay at Fantasy Springs, stay at the, I can't think of the one that's the Italian themed one.

00:54:59.737 --> 00:55:00.757
VIRGINIA: Mira Costa.

00:55:00.757 --> 00:55:02.217
JEANETTE: Mira Costa, thank you.

00:55:02.217 --> 00:55:03.717
JEANETTE: Or stay at Disneyland Hotel.

00:55:03.717 --> 00:55:08.597
JEANETTE: So you have this like walk to the park benefit, which is really incredible.

00:55:08.597 --> 00:55:17.137
JEANETTE: But outside of that, I would actually recommend staying where we stayed in the night surrounding because it was nicer.

00:55:17.137 --> 00:55:19.957
JEANETTE: The customer service was oddly a little bit better.

00:55:19.957 --> 00:55:23.557
JEANETTE: Like the hospitality was kind of better at this offsite hotel.

00:55:24.037 --> 00:55:36.757
JEANETTE: And it's one train ride away or a shuttle ride away, which for those of us in the United States who are used to the buses in Walt Disney World, it's basically like taking a bus from, you know, Riverside or something.

00:55:36.757 --> 00:55:37.237
VIRGINIA: Easy.

00:55:37.237 --> 00:55:37.817
JEANETTE: Yeah.

00:55:37.817 --> 00:55:39.097
VIRGINIA: What was after your break?

00:55:39.097 --> 00:55:40.877
JEANETTE: After your break, we came back.

00:55:40.877 --> 00:55:43.997
JEANETTE: We took some more castle pics with a little different lighting.

00:55:43.997 --> 00:55:50.277
JEANETTE: I wanted to get some where I didn't have my bolero on so you could see more of my painting the roses red outfit.

00:55:50.277 --> 00:55:54.357
JEANETTE: And then we went to dinner at the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall.

00:55:55.537 --> 00:55:59.037
JEANETTE: It was just as cute inside as it is outside.

00:55:59.037 --> 00:56:03.857
JEANETTE: The theming that they do in restaurants is beyond.

00:56:03.857 --> 00:56:12.457
JEANETTE: Like that's another thing that I wish would translate over to the United States is the theming of the restaurants because it's just like you're inside these movies.

00:56:12.457 --> 00:56:13.477
JEANETTE: It's so incredible.

00:56:15.097 --> 00:56:25.737
JEANETTE: We ordered one of the few plant-based options in all of Disneyland Park which was a potato garbanzo bean croquette with a little side of vegetables.

00:56:26.937 --> 00:56:37.157
JEANETTE: And I got a strawberry mousse heart dessert that came with a souvenir plate that is now holding my jewelry next to my bedside and it's really cute.

00:56:37.197 --> 00:56:38.597
JEANETTE: The food was okay.

00:56:38.597 --> 00:56:42.237
JEANETTE: The dessert was better than the main.

00:56:42.237 --> 00:56:44.337
JEANETTE: I did get a sparkling drink here.

00:56:44.337 --> 00:56:50.317
JEANETTE: It was like an orange flavor but like a particular type of orange that's grown in Japan.

00:56:50.317 --> 00:56:50.917
JEANETTE: It was fine.

00:56:50.917 --> 00:56:53.897
JEANETTE: It wasn't anything like super exciting.

00:56:53.897 --> 00:56:57.977
JEANETTE: But the theme of the space was just so beautiful.

00:56:57.977 --> 00:57:02.477
JEANETTE: And then it was time for our 40th priority pass for Big Thunder Mountain.

00:57:02.477 --> 00:57:03.797
JEANETTE: So we rode Big Thunder Mountain.

00:57:03.797 --> 00:57:06.117
JEANETTE: I actually got my husband to ride Big Thunder Mountain.

00:57:06.237 --> 00:57:08.977
JEANETTE: And he did okay.

00:57:10.737 --> 00:57:12.297
JEANETTE: We were kind of one of the middle cars.

00:57:12.297 --> 00:57:15.737
JEANETTE: They didn't make him do row 15 with me or anything.

00:57:15.737 --> 00:57:17.817
JEANETTE: But yeah, it was really good.

00:57:17.817 --> 00:57:19.757
JEANETTE: I'm such a fan of Big Thunder Mountain.

00:57:20.737 --> 00:57:21.897
JEANETTE: I just love it so much.

00:57:21.897 --> 00:57:26.257
JEANETTE: So it was kind of similar to the one in California, I would say.

00:57:26.257 --> 00:57:33.497
JEANETTE: From there, we started noticing that people were already sitting down, saving spaces for the Main Street Electrical Parade.

00:57:33.497 --> 00:57:39.477
JEANETTE: And I wasn't quite ready to do that even though this was on my must-do list.

00:57:39.477 --> 00:57:45.217
JEANETTE: So we caught the last two songs of the brand new projection show, called Reach For The Stars.

00:57:45.217 --> 00:57:47.677
JEANETTE: It had started two days before this.

00:57:47.957 --> 00:57:51.957
JEANETTE: I think it started on the 21st and we were there on the 23rd.

00:57:51.957 --> 00:57:53.137
JEANETTE: I don't know.

00:57:53.137 --> 00:57:54.957
JEANETTE: I mean, we didn't have a great viewing spot.

00:57:54.957 --> 00:57:57.217
JEANETTE: We only caught the last two songs.

00:57:57.217 --> 00:57:58.997
JEANETTE: It's in Japanese.

00:57:58.997 --> 00:58:00.017
JEANETTE: It was not my vibe.

00:58:00.837 --> 00:58:02.677
JEANETTE: It's not a fireworks and projection show.

00:58:02.977 --> 00:58:09.437
JEANETTE: It's more like a projection show with some lights, like spotlights into the heaven.

00:58:09.437 --> 00:58:12.157
JEANETTE: I've heard other people say that they really love it.

00:58:12.157 --> 00:58:12.597
JEANETTE: I don't know.

00:58:12.597 --> 00:58:15.317
JEANETTE: Maybe if we had a better spot, who would have loved it?

00:58:15.317 --> 00:58:17.557
JEANETTE: But we were worn by then.

00:58:17.557 --> 00:58:20.357
JEANETTE: We were pretty tired.

00:58:20.357 --> 00:58:27.737
JEANETTE: At that point in time, I said, I think I'm just going to take a seat for the Main Street Electrical Parade Dreamlights.

00:58:27.737 --> 00:58:29.997
JEANETTE: That's the last thing I really want to do in this park.

00:58:29.997 --> 00:58:30.797
JEANETTE: Let's just do that.

00:58:31.437 --> 00:58:38.657
JEANETTE: So I sat down, was able to get one of the last front row seats in the hub.

00:58:38.657 --> 00:58:43.217
JEANETTE: Rob decided he was too tired, didn't want to hang, went back to the hotel.

00:58:43.217 --> 00:58:44.617
JEANETTE: I was totally fine with that.

00:58:44.617 --> 00:58:45.497
JEANETTE: Sat, watched the parade.

00:58:45.497 --> 00:58:47.597
JEANETTE: It was everything I wanted it to be.

00:58:47.597 --> 00:59:06.717
JEANETTE: The parade that I remember as a kid, Main Street Electrical Parade and Walt Disney World, with new characters including Rapunzel, a Tinkerbell float that was based off of the Tinkerbell fairies stories rather than being just part of Peter Pan, which I love because I love Tinkerbell but I hate Peter Pan.

00:59:06.717 --> 00:59:10.697
JEANETTE: Peter Pan is the most villainous villain of all villains.

00:59:11.717 --> 00:59:14.137
JEANETTE: That is just fact.

00:59:14.137 --> 00:59:16.337
JEANETTE: Pay attention and you will see it.

00:59:19.077 --> 00:59:21.997
JEANETTE: Watched the parade, loved it, took a lot of video.

00:59:21.997 --> 00:59:29.677
JEANETTE: I'm usually not pro taking video, but because I'm not going to necessarily get to see it again, I'm taking video and watching it at home.

00:59:29.677 --> 00:59:39.317
JEANETTE: As the parade went by me in the hub, as it finished, I noticed some people getting up and walking behind it.

00:59:39.317 --> 00:59:41.997
JEANETTE: I decided to do that when I was in the front row.

00:59:41.997 --> 00:59:57.937
JEANETTE: I just got up and I walked behind the parade and I was grooving to the parade music, and I became part of the parade for a minute and used that to get over to the front of the hub, cut up to the Main Street area, which is the covered Main Street.

00:59:57.937 --> 01:00:01.877
JEANETTE: I went to Sweetheart's Cafe, which is like a bakery.

01:00:02.917 --> 01:00:13.517
JEANETTE: I got Mickey Strawberry Castella Cake, which is almost like a really flat waffle with a strawberry cream filling in the center.

01:00:13.517 --> 01:00:25.397
JEANETTE: I grabbed that, made my way through some of the gift shops on the way out of the park, picked up a couple of items, got some merch, and then made my way back to the hotel.

01:00:25.397 --> 01:00:32.237
JEANETTE: Had a little snack on my Castella Cake at the Mad Hatter's Table in my room, and then called it a night.

01:00:32.237 --> 01:00:34.997
JEANETTE: So yeah, that's day one.

01:00:34.997 --> 01:00:36.197
VIRGINIA: Day one.

01:00:36.277 --> 01:00:39.177
<v SPEAKER_3>That's day one and we got so much more to cover.

01:00:39.177 --> 01:00:41.437
VIRGINIA: Let's dig right into day two then.

01:00:41.437 --> 01:00:43.577
JEANETTE: So day two is Tokyo DisneySea Day.

01:00:44.037 --> 01:00:51.297
JEANETTE: We had our vacation package dining that was included, was at the Sherwood Garden Restaurant, which was a buffet restaurant.

01:00:51.297 --> 01:00:51.977
JEANETTE: It was good.

01:00:51.977 --> 01:00:53.097
JEANETTE: It wasn't great.

01:00:53.097 --> 01:00:59.597
JEANETTE: It did have a combination of Western food and traditional Japanese breakfasts, like miso soup and fish and rice.

01:00:59.597 --> 01:01:00.817
JEANETTE: And Rob loved it.

01:01:00.817 --> 01:01:02.977
JEANETTE: And he was like, you're not going to have it.

01:01:02.977 --> 01:01:03.857
JEANETTE: And then they had it.

01:01:03.857 --> 01:01:05.417
JEANETTE: So that was really fun.

01:01:05.417 --> 01:01:11.717
JEANETTE: And then my favorite thing at Sherwood Garden was they had like a pastry table with lots of Disney themed pastry.

01:01:11.917 --> 01:01:14.717
JEANETTE: So they had like these little danishes that look like Chippendale.

01:01:14.717 --> 01:01:16.717
JEANETTE: They had one that looked like Mickey.

01:01:16.717 --> 01:01:20.277
JEANETTE: They had these white rolls that look like a duck tail.

01:01:20.277 --> 01:01:25.877
JEANETTE: So they were like duck butt buns, duck butt rolls, which totally, it's like they made it for me.

01:01:25.877 --> 01:01:32.117
JEANETTE: And then English muffins in the shape of Donald Duck's feet, which ended up being my favorite thing at breakfast.

01:01:32.117 --> 01:01:33.497
JEANETTE: I think I had like four of them.

01:01:33.497 --> 01:01:34.257
JEANETTE: They were little.

01:01:34.257 --> 01:01:37.957
JEANETTE: They weren't like a full size English muffin, but I had like four of them.

01:01:37.957 --> 01:01:38.657
JEANETTE: They were very good.

01:01:39.637 --> 01:01:44.977
JEANETTE: And then we stored our luggage with self-services and took the monorail to Tokyo DisneySea.

01:01:44.977 --> 01:01:54.037
JEANETTE: And this is part of why I would actually recommend possibly staying off-site, is because between the two parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, you still have to take the monorail.

01:01:54.037 --> 01:02:04.557
JEANETTE: So you have to take transportation to one of the two parks anyway, and you could save yourself a lot of money, and it's not really much stress, and it's a very nice hotel, why not stay off-site?

01:02:04.557 --> 01:02:10.617
JEANETTE: I'm just going to like put that out there for people who are thinking about it, and like, oh, it's too expensive to stay at a Tokyo Disneyland Resort or Hotel.

01:02:10.617 --> 01:02:11.397
JEANETTE: You don't need to.

01:02:11.397 --> 01:02:13.097
JEANETTE: You really, really don't need to.

01:02:13.097 --> 01:02:15.197
JEANETTE: You don't even need to stay on the monorail.

01:02:15.197 --> 01:02:15.577
VIRGINIA: Right.

01:02:15.577 --> 01:02:23.877
VIRGINIA: And this is coming from you, Jeantte, who definitely are an advocate for staying on Disney property whenever possible.

01:02:23.877 --> 01:02:25.877
JEANETTE: Yeah, I don't stay off-property.

01:02:25.877 --> 01:02:26.237
JEANETTE: I even-

01:02:26.257 --> 01:02:28.037
VIRGINIA: Ever, ever.

01:02:28.077 --> 01:02:34.197
JEANETTE: Yeah, even in Disneyland, where it's super easy to walk from an off-property to the hotel and I was like-

01:02:34.197 --> 01:02:35.157
JEANETTE: Or to the resort.

01:02:35.157 --> 01:02:38.537
JEANETTE: And I was still like, it's so much better staying at the Disneyland Hotel.

01:02:38.537 --> 01:02:38.937
JEANETTE: It's so-

01:02:39.017 --> 01:02:40.457
JEANETTE: You should just should.

01:02:40.457 --> 01:02:42.357
JEANETTE: But in this case, I don't think it is.

01:02:42.357 --> 01:02:44.137
JEANETTE: I don't think it's necessary.

01:02:44.137 --> 01:02:48.297
JEANETTE: If it's an experience you want to have, definitely shell out the money and do it.

01:02:48.297 --> 01:02:56.737
JEANETTE: But especially if you've got a hopeful trip to Japan and you got to figure out where you want to spend your money, that's probably not somewhere I would waste my money next time I go.

01:02:58.097 --> 01:03:04.077
JEANETTE: So because we had broadcasts around 8, we ended up arriving at Tokyo DisneySea at 9.45.

01:03:04.077 --> 01:03:05.377
JEANETTE: The park had opened at 9.

01:03:05.377 --> 01:03:07.037
JEANETTE: There was still a line.

01:03:07.037 --> 01:03:12.017
JEANETTE: So just to give you a sense of how busy it was, there was still a line to get in.

01:03:12.017 --> 01:03:15.157
JEANETTE: Didn't take long to get in, but it was very crowded.

01:03:15.157 --> 01:03:16.877
JEANETTE: Immediately we could feel the difference.

01:03:16.877 --> 01:03:19.837
JEANETTE: It was more people soup for sure.

01:03:19.837 --> 01:03:24.757
JEANETTE: We got a couple of pictures in front of Mount Prometheus and the whole waterway.

01:03:25.497 --> 01:03:39.317
JEANETTE: So I booked the 40th anniversary pass for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was really the only thing that we needed to book an extra pass for, based off the passes that we already got from the package.

01:03:39.317 --> 01:03:58.697
JEANETTE: We headed straight to Fantasy Springs and got our magical Fantasy Springs bracelets that let us come and go as we please and skip all the lines and just enjoy Fantasy Springs to its fullest, which for me made the package totally worth it.

01:03:58.697 --> 01:04:06.877
JEANETTE: Of course, the first thing we did, but also the first thing that you roll up to is the Rapunzel's Lantern Festival.

01:04:06.877 --> 01:04:11.697
JEANETTE: It's how I started my day, it's how I finished my day and I have zero regrets.

01:04:11.697 --> 01:04:14.017
JEANETTE: You walk up and there's a tower.

01:04:14.017 --> 01:04:15.457
JEANETTE: Her tower is right there.

01:04:15.457 --> 01:04:17.597
JEANETTE: She's singing in Japanese.

01:04:17.597 --> 01:04:18.997
JEANETTE: The girl never gets a break.

01:04:18.997 --> 01:04:21.217
JEANETTE: She's singing all day and all night long.

01:04:22.337 --> 01:04:24.137
JEANETTE: Such a beautiful animatronic.

01:04:24.137 --> 01:04:27.197
JEANETTE: I mean, just they knocked out of the park.

01:04:27.197 --> 01:04:28.417
JEANETTE: We rode the ride.

01:04:28.417 --> 01:04:30.297
JEANETTE: I hear a lot of people saying it's short.

01:04:30.297 --> 01:04:31.897
JEANETTE: It is short.

01:04:31.897 --> 01:04:48.897
JEANETTE: But what I will say is, immediately afterwards, we went to the Snuggly Duckling and I used my beverage ticket to get the specialty drink there, which is Rapunzel's Magical Milk Tea, where it looks like her braid on the top with this yellow flavor.

01:04:49.957 --> 01:05:02.077
JEANETTE: And the combination of doing the ride and then going right into the Snuggly Duckling just felt like they had have built such a holistic experience.

01:05:02.077 --> 01:05:14.097
JEANETTE: Because actually the one, like the major part of the story that, I mean, other than the villain stuff that the ride doesn't have is the Snuggly Duckling.

01:05:14.097 --> 01:05:19.697
JEANETTE: But then if you go to the Snuggly Duckling, you don't feel like you've missed that.

01:05:19.697 --> 01:05:25.037
JEANETTE: And it's a boat, and then the Lantern Festival is on a boat, so the thematic is really good.

01:05:25.297 --> 01:05:26.077
JEANETTE: It was beautiful.

01:05:26.757 --> 01:05:32.837
JEANETTE: I was in love, kind of not shocking anyone who knows me.

01:05:32.837 --> 01:05:36.697
JEANETTE: And then, of course, the Snuggly Duckling was perfect.

01:05:36.697 --> 01:05:42.477
JEANETTE: I mean, the amount of detail that they put in here, there is a whole display of ceramic unicorns.

01:05:42.957 --> 01:05:47.877
JEANETTE: There is the wedding announcement for Rapunzel and Eugene.

01:05:47.877 --> 01:05:51.537
JEANETTE: There is puppets for the guy who does the puppets.

01:05:51.537 --> 01:05:53.357
JEANETTE: There's a piano for the pianist.

01:05:54.417 --> 01:05:57.157
JEANETTE: There's a hidden Pinocchio puppet in there.

01:05:57.157 --> 01:05:58.537
JEANETTE: Just detail, bun detail.

01:05:58.537 --> 01:06:00.117
JEANETTE: I didn't even catch all of it.

01:06:00.117 --> 01:06:01.397
JEANETTE: I missed some things.

01:06:01.397 --> 01:06:03.977
JEANETTE: I noticed things in photos later.

01:06:04.017 --> 01:06:05.517
JEANETTE: It's just beyond.

01:06:06.737 --> 01:06:13.597
JEANETTE: The work that they did, the work they do in general on the theming of restaurants is great, but especially in Fantasy Springs.

01:06:13.597 --> 01:06:16.817
JEANETTE: And then we bopped over to the gift shop, which is part of the hotel.

01:06:16.817 --> 01:06:18.837
JEANETTE: And that again, that was chaos.

01:06:18.837 --> 01:06:22.177
JEANETTE: That was like mad chaos.

01:06:22.177 --> 01:06:23.057
JEANETTE: Rob couldn't hang.

01:06:23.057 --> 01:06:24.357
JEANETTE: He was like, this is too crowded.

01:06:24.357 --> 01:06:24.917
JEANETTE: I'm out of here.

01:06:24.917 --> 01:06:26.437
JEANETTE: I'll wait outside.

01:06:26.437 --> 01:06:27.697
JEANETTE: I bought a couple of things.

01:06:27.697 --> 01:06:29.317
JEANETTE: I couldn't help myself.

01:06:29.317 --> 01:06:32.637
JEANETTE: The imagery for this part of the park is so beautiful.

01:06:33.417 --> 01:06:35.337
JEANETTE: It's very like hand-drawn artwork.

01:06:35.337 --> 01:06:40.377
JEANETTE: And then right outside of the gift shop is where these incredible fountains are.

01:06:40.377 --> 01:06:47.257
JEANETTE: Fantasia Fountain, Alice in Wonderland, Little Mermaid where a wave splashes up and over her.

01:06:47.257 --> 01:06:52.537
JEANETTE: Cinderella where her glass slipper is like hiding up in the rock work.

01:06:53.657 --> 01:06:58.297
JEANETTE: Evil Queen is like behind a cave and you see her and then you don't.

01:06:58.297 --> 01:06:58.897
JEANETTE: Cool.

01:06:58.897 --> 01:07:01.277
JEANETTE: Maleficent and the fairies and Sleeping Beauty.

01:07:01.377 --> 01:07:04.477
JEANETTE: And then Aurora happened to be on site when we were there.

01:07:04.477 --> 01:07:07.497
JEANETTE: And Ariel happened to be on site while we were there.

01:07:07.497 --> 01:07:09.037
JEANETTE: So that was really fun.

01:07:09.037 --> 01:07:16.217
JEANETTE: From there, we had our 1130 pass for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

01:07:16.217 --> 01:07:17.237
JEANETTE: We had written it before.

01:07:17.617 --> 01:07:18.617
JEANETTE: It's really cool.

01:07:18.617 --> 01:07:20.757
JEANETTE: Don't know what else to say about that.

01:07:21.817 --> 01:07:24.977
JEANETTE: I had mobile ordered a sea salt manaka.

01:07:24.977 --> 01:07:28.957
JEANETTE: This is a snack that a lot of people talk about going to Tokyo Disneyland.

01:07:28.957 --> 01:07:30.857
JEANETTE: And I didn't get to have it last time.

01:07:30.897 --> 01:07:32.997
JEANETTE: I couldn't find it nine years ago.

01:07:32.997 --> 01:07:35.997
JEANETTE: And it lived up to the hype for sure.

01:07:35.997 --> 01:07:52.097
JEANETTE: It's like a wafer cookie shaped like a shell, hollowed, and then inside is salted vanilla ice cream with a little bit of like, I think it's raspberry jam, might be strawberry jam, a berry jam in the very center.

01:07:52.097 --> 01:07:54.737
JEANETTE: And it was so, so good.

01:07:54.737 --> 01:07:59.217
JEANETTE: Then we did our vacation pass and we used it on Journey to the Center of the Earth.

01:07:59.677 --> 01:08:01.837
JEANETTE: In line, we met some girls from Portland.

01:08:01.837 --> 01:08:04.937
JEANETTE: And I mentioned this partly because they were so cute.

01:08:04.937 --> 01:08:06.257
JEANETTE: They'd gone to Kyoto.

01:08:06.257 --> 01:08:07.797
JEANETTE: It was one of their birthdays.

01:08:07.797 --> 01:08:15.777
JEANETTE: They'd gone to Kyoto to buy Nintendo switches because you can get them like customized for the same price that you would get one in the United States.

01:08:15.777 --> 01:08:20.797
JEANETTE: But they also didn't know about the rule with Fantasy Springs.

01:08:20.797 --> 01:08:27.457
JEANETTE: And so by the time they got to the park, which was roughly about the time that we'd gotten to the park that day, they couldn't get into Fantasy Springs at all.

01:08:27.697 --> 01:08:31.177
JEANETTE: Couldn't get a standby pass, they couldn't get a paid for pass.

01:08:31.177 --> 01:08:43.237
JEANETTE: I told them to keep checking and maybe they would be able to, but just, you know, reinforcing my decision to get the vacation package, that that could have happened to us, right?

01:08:43.237 --> 01:08:57.017
JEANETTE: So after we rode Journey to the Center of the Earth, we headed to New York Harbor, where the McDucks department store is, which, do I wish that there was a DuckTales department store?

01:08:57.017 --> 01:08:58.757
JEANETTE: Yes, yes, I do.

01:08:58.757 --> 01:09:04.177
JEANETTE: Am I okay with the fact that McDucks department store is filled with Duffy merch?

01:09:04.177 --> 01:09:06.317
JEANETTE: Yes, yes, I am.

01:09:06.317 --> 01:09:12.777
VIRGINIA: Is this where Rob got annoyed that it looked like it was one thing and it was actually another?

01:09:12.777 --> 01:09:16.857
JEANETTE: No, it's, no, that's, that's still coming.

01:09:16.857 --> 01:09:19.177
JEANETTE: I got some Lena Bell merch.

01:09:19.177 --> 01:09:24.137
JEANETTE: I got an Olumel for our friend Maria, which I can say because she has already gotten it.

01:09:24.617 --> 01:09:28.137
JEANETTE: I actually thought I would just get one little Lena Bell doll.

01:09:28.137 --> 01:09:34.337
JEANETTE: I ended up getting the doll, a bag like a little crossbody bag and ears.

01:09:34.337 --> 01:09:35.497
JEANETTE: I could not help myself.

01:09:35.497 --> 01:09:36.837
JEANETTE: She's just so freaking cute.

01:09:36.837 --> 01:09:39.557
JEANETTE: She's a fox, she's pink, she's a detective.

01:09:39.557 --> 01:09:41.817
JEANETTE: I'm into all these things.

01:09:41.817 --> 01:09:50.417
JEANETTE: Then we used our second vacation package pass for Tower of Terror, which we've written before, but it's a really great Tower of Terror.

01:09:51.017 --> 01:09:54.317
JEANETTE: We took the Transit Steamer Line, which is a boat.

01:09:54.317 --> 01:09:57.797
JEANETTE: We thought that it would take us to another stop.

01:09:57.797 --> 01:09:58.657
JEANETTE: It does not.

01:09:58.657 --> 01:10:00.357
JEANETTE: It only does round trip.

01:10:00.357 --> 01:10:04.977
JEANETTE: That did throw our scheduling off a little bit because I had mobile ordered us lunch.

01:10:04.977 --> 01:10:09.997
JEANETTE: But we did get to see the plane from Indiana Jones that says CP30 on it.

01:10:10.877 --> 01:10:12.297
JEANETTE: That was fun.

01:10:12.297 --> 01:10:21.997
JEANETTE: Then we had mobile ordered from Cosby Market, which is in the Aladdin-themed area.

01:10:21.997 --> 01:10:26.117
JEANETTE: We got vegetable curry with naan, added a little make-a-change sauce.

01:10:26.117 --> 01:10:31.757
JEANETTE: They do these make-a-change sauces for about what was equivalent to a dollar to make it a little extra spicy.

01:10:31.757 --> 01:10:33.097
JEANETTE: This was delicious.

01:10:33.097 --> 01:10:41.357
JEANETTE: This vegetarian curry, I've heard other people say that the meat ones are really good too, but this vegetarian curry was so good.

01:10:41.357 --> 01:10:42.817
JEANETTE: I did get it all over my skirt though.

01:10:43.477 --> 01:10:53.137
JEANETTE: I also got another sparkling strawberry drink, but this time it didn't have hook on the chocolate, it had Jafar.

01:10:53.137 --> 01:10:54.837
JEANETTE: That was a fun surprise.

01:10:54.837 --> 01:10:59.617
JEANETTE: I expected that it would always have hook on it, but I guess it was more in general.

01:10:59.617 --> 01:11:04.617
JEANETTE: Rob got a mango raspberry lassi, which she said was really good.

01:11:04.617 --> 01:11:07.237
JEANETTE: Then we headed back to Fantasy Springs.

01:11:07.237 --> 01:11:09.577
VIRGINIA: What did you do in Fantasy Springs?

01:11:09.577 --> 01:11:12.217
JEANETTE: The next thing we did was Peter Pan's Neverland Adventure.

01:11:12.897 --> 01:11:23.357
JEANETTE: This was another situation where Rob stayed through the pre-show, but took the chicken exit because it was 3D, and he knew that he would have an issue with 3D.

01:11:23.357 --> 01:11:26.037
JEANETTE: I absolutely love this ride.

01:11:26.637 --> 01:11:29.097
JEANETTE: As I mentioned earlier, I do not like Peter Pan.

01:11:29.097 --> 01:11:32.277
JEANETTE: He is a villain, but I do love the artwork.

01:11:32.277 --> 01:11:42.317
JEANETTE: I do love the feel of Neverland, and this ride is the souped up version of the Peter Pan ride that we know.

01:11:44.417 --> 01:11:48.857
JEANETTE: You are in a boat when you start, and the sensation of the ride is that you are floating in a boat.

01:11:48.977 --> 01:12:03.177
JEANETTE: Then Peter needs you to help him rescue some folks, and so he has Tinkerbell Sprinkle pixie dust on you, and then the ride mechanism changes feeling completely, and you are flying.

01:12:03.177 --> 01:12:06.977
JEANETTE: It is all 3D, and it is so immersive.

01:12:06.977 --> 01:12:09.577
JEANETTE: There is also practical props in there.

01:12:09.577 --> 01:12:10.777
JEANETTE: It is so incredible.

01:12:10.777 --> 01:12:20.617
JEANETTE: It was by far my favorite ride for like what a Disney ride can do, the magic that a Disney ride can create.

01:12:20.617 --> 01:12:24.937
JEANETTE: It was by far my favorite, and I got off of it and said I have to go on it again later.

01:12:24.937 --> 01:12:26.697
JEANETTE: I didn't even catch all the details.

01:12:27.477 --> 01:12:38.677
JEANETTE: The other thing that I loved from the Neverland area was we went to the Lookout Cookout and I used my beverage ticket to get the Pixie Dust Kiwi Soda, and that became my new favorite drink.

01:12:38.677 --> 01:12:41.317
JEANETTE: Goodbye, strawberry jelly soda.

01:12:41.317 --> 01:12:43.977
JEANETTE: Hello, Pixie Dust Kiwi.

01:12:43.977 --> 01:12:45.997
JEANETTE: It had a star.

01:12:45.997 --> 01:12:52.357
JEANETTE: You mixed it, and then it broke up, and three tiny stars remained.

01:12:52.357 --> 01:12:52.797
VIRGINIA: What?

01:12:52.797 --> 01:12:54.817
VIRGINIA: When you say it had a star, what do you mean?

01:12:55.577 --> 01:13:10.217
JEANETTE: There was like a powder star floating on the top of the drink, and then you stir it, stir it, stir it, and most of the powder dissolves into the water, but three tiny stars remain.

01:13:10.217 --> 01:13:11.657
VIRGINIA: That's magical.

01:13:11.657 --> 01:13:17.957
JEANETTE: It's so magical, and it was refreshing, and the kind of citrusy, and it was so, so good.

01:13:17.957 --> 01:13:24.197
JEANETTE: Then we did Tinkerbell's Busy Buggies, which I made Rob do, and I shouldn't have because he did not like the motion of that one.

01:13:24.597 --> 01:13:26.497
VIRGINIA: What was it comparable to?

01:13:26.497 --> 01:13:27.497
JEANETTE: It's hard to say.

01:13:27.497 --> 01:13:35.197
JEANETTE: It's kind of just like on a track, and then it randomly like turns, and then you're kind of on the track, and it randomly turns.

01:13:35.197 --> 01:13:36.877
JEANETTE: Yeah.

01:13:36.877 --> 01:13:41.717
JEANETTE: It was fine and short, so it didn't kill him, but it wasn't his favorite moment of the day.

01:13:41.717 --> 01:13:43.917
VIRGINIA: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Rob.

01:13:43.917 --> 01:13:45.137
JEANETTE: I guess so.

01:13:45.177 --> 01:13:47.417
JEANETTE: It's very strong now.

01:13:47.417 --> 01:13:50.777
JEANETTE: Then we did Anna and Elsa's Frozen Journey.

01:13:50.917 --> 01:13:53.517
JEANETTE: We entered Arendelle.

01:13:53.517 --> 01:13:56.817
JEANETTE: Immediately going into Arendelle, it's like, wow, this is so incredible.

01:13:56.817 --> 01:13:59.317
JEANETTE: It's like a whole frozen land.

01:14:00.397 --> 01:14:04.037
JEANETTE: The ice castle is way up in the mountains in the background.

01:14:04.037 --> 01:14:05.597
JEANETTE: It's really great.

01:14:05.597 --> 01:14:13.497
JEANETTE: We got on the ride, and I'd heard that this was the star of the show for Fantasy Springs, and I have to respectfully disagree.

01:14:13.497 --> 01:14:18.237
JEANETTE: I just think this ride is a slightly better version of the one that's in Epcot.

01:14:18.857 --> 01:14:26.657
JEANETTE: We ended up in the back row, and our experience of sitting in the back row of the ride vehicle was not great.

01:14:26.657 --> 01:14:28.917
JEANETTE: Our view was blocked a lot.

01:14:28.917 --> 01:14:31.337
JEANETTE: It wasn't because there was tall people in front of us.

01:14:31.337 --> 01:14:35.817
JEANETTE: It's just the way that you go down the hills backwards sometimes.

01:14:35.817 --> 01:14:38.557
JEANETTE: There's just a lot of it that we couldn't see.

01:14:38.557 --> 01:14:42.277
JEANETTE: But also, I just, I don't know, I really wasn't impressed.

01:14:42.277 --> 01:14:45.337
JEANETTE: I know that the animatronics are cool, but I don't know.

01:14:45.417 --> 01:14:56.777
JEANETTE: It's just, in terms of like having gone to the Peter Pan ride or even doing the Rapunzel ride, I felt like those created a real sensation of being in the movie, and this just didn't.

01:14:56.777 --> 01:14:57.157
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:14:57.157 --> 01:15:11.657
JEANETTE: So, and then we walked around Arundale-Samoore, and this is where Rob had a real problem, because my husband loves pretzels almost as much as me, and there are no pretzels in Tokyo Disneyland Resort nowhere.

01:15:12.497 --> 01:15:17.717
JEANETTE: And there was a pretzel shop with a window filled with pretzels, including one hidden Mickey pretzel.

01:15:17.717 --> 01:15:19.937
JEANETTE: But could you buy a pretzel?

01:15:19.937 --> 01:15:20.597
VIRGINIA: No.

01:15:20.597 --> 01:15:22.377
JEANETTE: No, you could not.

01:15:22.797 --> 01:15:24.637
VIRGINIA: What could you buy there?

01:15:24.637 --> 01:15:25.557
JEANETTE: This was nothing.

01:15:25.557 --> 01:15:26.697
<v SPEAKER_3>There was nothing in it.

01:15:26.697 --> 01:15:28.397
<v SPEAKER_3>This was basically the worst offense.

01:15:28.397 --> 01:15:32.137
JEANETTE: There had all these storefronts that were basically just photo ops.

01:15:32.137 --> 01:15:36.177
JEANETTE: So this was just a photo op, and Rob is like, this is the worst.

01:15:36.177 --> 01:15:38.637
JEANETTE: There's not even something in there pretzel related.

01:15:38.637 --> 01:15:40.637
JEANETTE: There's just nothing in there, and they're teased.

01:15:40.677 --> 01:15:43.297
<v SPEAKER_3>They're taunting me with pretzels.

01:15:43.297 --> 01:15:43.917
VIRGINIA: Poor thing.

01:15:43.917 --> 01:15:47.097
JEANETTE: So that was a low point of the entire trip.

01:15:47.097 --> 01:15:49.837
JEANETTE: But we had a couple of cute pictures around Arendelle.

01:15:49.837 --> 01:15:52.497
JEANETTE: We did Rapunzel Lantern Festival round two.

01:15:52.497 --> 01:15:55.577
JEANETTE: The first time I wrote it, I didn't want to take pictures and video.

01:15:55.577 --> 01:15:57.077
JEANETTE: I just wanted to ride it and experience.

01:15:57.077 --> 01:16:02.557
JEANETTE: So the second time I did take some pictures and video, and then I saw Heather again.

01:16:04.057 --> 01:16:08.377
JEANETTE: She was getting on the ride right as we were crossing over the bridge to get on the ride.

01:16:08.777 --> 01:16:11.777
VIRGINIA: Did she recognize you in your new outfit for DisneySea Day?

01:16:11.777 --> 01:16:12.857
JEANETTE: No, she didn't see me.

01:16:12.857 --> 01:16:14.857
JEANETTE: I saw her because she was down in the boat.

01:16:14.857 --> 01:16:17.017
JEANETTE: She was getting ready to...

01:16:17.017 --> 01:16:18.497
JEANETTE: The ride was starting.

01:16:18.497 --> 01:16:24.457
JEANETTE: Then we walked to the park a little bit to see some areas that we had rushed past when we were trying to make it to our mobile order earlier.

01:16:24.457 --> 01:16:27.397
JEANETTE: We did a little shopping in the front of the park store.

01:16:27.397 --> 01:16:30.497
JEANETTE: I think that's actually when I bought you your presents.

01:16:31.717 --> 01:16:35.837
JEANETTE: Then we went back to Fantasy Springs again to have dinner at the Snuggly Duckling.

01:16:36.297 --> 01:16:42.357
JEANETTE: The food was okay, nothing to raid home about, but being in that ambience was amazing.

01:16:42.357 --> 01:16:49.517
JEANETTE: I rode Peter Pan again, and it was a justifiable decision because there was a lot of details I missed for one.

01:16:49.917 --> 01:16:58.397
JEANETTE: I also rode it, I was in the front row with three teen or maybe college-aged girls, and they were so into it.

01:16:58.397 --> 01:17:07.617
JEANETTE: They were cheering along like, yeah, let's go, like right when the characters go, yeah, let's go, and it was just super delightful.

01:17:07.617 --> 01:17:13.477
JEANETTE: I got another Pixie Dust Kiwi soda because last chance, got to have that magic.

01:17:14.717 --> 01:17:22.777
JEANETTE: Then I went for my third round of Rapunzel Lantern Festival, which Rob did not go on with me.

01:17:22.777 --> 01:17:25.477
JEANETTE: I ended up being on the other side of the boat.

01:17:25.477 --> 01:17:37.657
JEANETTE: I'd been on the right side of the boat before, now I was on the left side of the boat, and that is the side that you get the superior view of Eugene and Rapunzel in the boat at the Lantern Festival.

01:17:37.937 --> 01:17:42.037
JEANETTE: I was so glad I did a third round and got that experience.

01:17:42.037 --> 01:17:56.597
JEANETTE: We went back to Disneyland Hotel to get our bags, which took a minute, which is another reason why I would say the hospitality at the Disneyland Hotel was a little underwhelming coming from Disney World where I expect a pretty high level of hospitality.

01:17:56.597 --> 01:18:08.037
JEANETTE: Then we took the train back to the Urayasu Brighton Tokyo Bay, got our suitcases, got checked into the room that we had booked, the forest room, still extremely nice.

01:18:08.037 --> 01:18:09.317
JEANETTE: Tokyo is amazing.

01:18:09.317 --> 01:18:24.637
JEANETTE: Well, Japan in general is amazing on hotel room amenities, and they had rose-scented bath salts in the bathroom, that were in little packets, and so we took a rose-scented bath, and that is how we ended our time at Tokyo Disney.

01:18:25.097 --> 01:18:34.517
VIRGINIA: That sounds delightful, and I'm sure after all of the walking, a bath of any sort, much less a rose-scented bath, probably felt very nice.

01:18:34.517 --> 01:18:35.197
JEANETTE: Yeah.

01:18:35.197 --> 01:18:39.497
JEANETTE: I mean, it definitely, like I said, I was sold on this hotel.

01:18:39.497 --> 01:18:41.557
JEANETTE: I was like, this hotel is so nice.

01:18:41.557 --> 01:18:48.417
JEANETTE: I mean, I feel like it was close to one of the nicest hotels we've been to in our life, and that night was $150, so.

01:18:48.417 --> 01:18:49.977
VIRGINIA: Oh, wow.

01:18:49.977 --> 01:18:50.177
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:18:50.237 --> 01:18:50.617
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:18:50.617 --> 01:18:50.797
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:18:50.797 --> 01:19:00.457
JEANETTE: That's why I'm saying, like, save your yen for other things and stay at a really nice hotel that just happens to be one train ride away from the resorts.

01:19:00.457 --> 01:19:02.197
VIRGINIA: Good advice.

01:19:02.197 --> 01:19:02.657
VIRGINIA: All right.

01:19:02.657 --> 01:19:12.317
VIRGINIA: So that's the end of your Disney time, and I know that you have some other things within your trip that you want to share of the things that were exciting for you.

01:19:12.317 --> 01:19:16.617
VIRGINIA: So we'll just bullet point them as we go through the rest of our days.

01:19:16.617 --> 01:19:21.677
VIRGINIA: So the first day is Wednesday, September 25th, and this is your wedding anniversary.

01:19:21.677 --> 01:19:24.977
VIRGINIA: So happy-belated wedding anniversary.

01:19:24.977 --> 01:19:26.017
JEANETTE: Thank you.

01:19:26.017 --> 01:19:27.697
VIRGINIA: How many years?

01:19:27.697 --> 01:19:30.597
JEANETTE: It was 13 years, the blest anniversary.

01:19:31.837 --> 01:19:35.557
JEANETTE: This was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary.

01:19:35.557 --> 01:19:37.477
JEANETTE: I have no regrets about that.

01:19:37.477 --> 01:19:39.917
JEANETTE: We transferred to Tokyo this day.

01:19:39.917 --> 01:19:49.497
JEANETTE: I want to shout out very amusing and Carly Wisel, because A, Virginia and I probably would not have met if it wasn't for Carly Wisel and the phone call.

01:19:49.737 --> 01:19:52.577
VIRGINIA: We would not have met if it wasn't for Carly Wisel.

01:19:52.577 --> 01:19:55.777
JEANETTE: It would have been very hard for us to meet.

01:19:55.777 --> 01:20:03.397
JEANETTE: Virginia did a meet up for people who were on the Foamily and I showed up and the rest is beautiful history.

01:20:03.397 --> 01:20:11.537
VIRGINIA: The Foamily, for anybody who is wondering if you're a fan of Carly Wisel and her very amusing podcast, and that's the title of the podcast.

01:20:11.537 --> 01:20:14.557
VIRGINIA: I mean, it's amusing, but that's the title, very amusing.

01:20:14.557 --> 01:20:17.117
VIRGINIA: There's a Facebook group called the Foamily.

01:20:17.117 --> 01:20:24.337
VIRGINIA: If you're not already a member of the Foamily, you should join it, because it's a really fun group, and that is how Jeantte and I came to be.

01:20:24.337 --> 01:20:24.797
JEANETTE: Yeah.

01:20:24.797 --> 01:20:31.077
JEANETTE: And she did a couple of episodes on traveling to Tokyo, because she loves traveling to Tokyo and Tokyo Disney.

01:20:31.077 --> 01:20:35.057
JEANETTE: And she had recommended two places that we went while we were in Tokyo.

01:20:35.057 --> 01:20:35.897
JEANETTE: One is Mr.

01:20:35.897 --> 01:20:40.917
JEANETTE: Doughnut, where they do mochi doughnuts, and it was so delicious.

01:20:40.917 --> 01:20:50.957
JEANETTE: It also kind of started robbing my obsession with chestnut, because Japan is really into like seasonal flavors, and chestnut is a fall flavor.

01:20:50.957 --> 01:20:59.277
JEANETTE: And we got a chestnut doughnut, which was so delightful, and made us more open to trying other chestnut things.

01:20:59.277 --> 01:21:03.797
JEANETTE: And then this bakery called the Truffle Bakery, which ended up having mini locations.

01:21:03.797 --> 01:21:13.777
JEANETTE: We went to one of their mini locations in Tokyo, and then even went back to a full-blown location in Osaka, because I was like, I have to get more truffle bakery.

01:21:13.957 --> 01:21:18.557
JEANETTE: They're baked goods that some of them, but not all of them have truffle.

01:21:18.557 --> 01:21:21.437
JEANETTE: And it's like, they're not expensive.

01:21:21.437 --> 01:21:29.277
JEANETTE: They're so deliciously baked, light, airy baked goods with just the right amount of flavor.

01:21:29.277 --> 01:21:36.057
JEANETTE: Flavors like truffle or cardamom that can often be like too overpowering, just done with just the right amount.

01:21:36.057 --> 01:21:44.057
JEANETTE: So highly, highly recommend that if you're going to be in Tokyo, you seek out either the main truffle bakery or one of the mini locations.

01:21:44.057 --> 01:21:51.377
JEANETTE: On our anniversary, we did some shopping in the fabric district, which if you're a sewer or a quilter, I recommend checking it out.

01:21:51.377 --> 01:21:55.057
JEANETTE: I got some beautiful fabrics, one fun, one just gorgeous.

01:21:55.057 --> 01:21:58.017
JEANETTE: And then we also went to the kitchen district, which we hadn't done before.

01:21:58.017 --> 01:22:01.277
JEANETTE: And that was also really, really fun.

01:22:01.277 --> 01:22:06.577
JEANETTE: I also want to share where we went for our dinner and after dinner drinks on our anniversary.

01:22:07.197 --> 01:22:12.097
JEANETTE: We went to a spot called the Oshio Tempura and Wine Bar.

01:22:12.097 --> 01:22:15.757
JEANETTE: This is a space where you can sit at the bar.

01:22:15.757 --> 01:22:18.617
JEANETTE: And the tempura is being made right in front of you.

01:22:18.617 --> 01:22:26.217
JEANETTE: And they serve it to you kind of one or two pieces at a time as it is freshly coming out of the tempura oil.

01:22:26.217 --> 01:22:28.857
JEANETTE: And it was divine.

01:22:29.917 --> 01:22:34.877
JEANETTE: And we also got, we got two rounds of chestnuts tempura, which were delicious.

01:22:35.837 --> 01:22:39.057
JEANETTE: So that was Chapter 2 of our Chestnut Love Affair.

01:22:39.057 --> 01:22:43.917
JEANETTE: And we each had two glasses of wine and our bill was about $50.

01:22:43.917 --> 01:22:44.697
VIRGINIA: Wow.

01:22:44.697 --> 01:22:46.597
VIRGINIA: Oh my gosh.

01:22:46.597 --> 01:22:51.577
JEANETTE: Now on the flip side, we had drinks at a bar called the Orchard Bar.

01:22:51.577 --> 01:22:56.397
JEANETTE: And bars in Tokyo are often on second, third, fifteenth floor of tall buildings.

01:22:56.397 --> 01:22:58.857
JEANETTE: So they're not always the easiest to find.

01:22:58.857 --> 01:23:01.577
JEANETTE: But seek this one out if you can.

01:23:01.577 --> 01:23:10.917
JEANETTE: You go in, you sit down, and they give you a little snack, a little water, and they bring over a bowl of fruit.

01:23:10.917 --> 01:23:13.057
JEANETTE: And that is your menu.

01:23:13.057 --> 01:23:18.737
JEANETTE: And you pick out the fruit, and tell them the level of strength that you would like your cocktail to be.

01:23:18.737 --> 01:23:24.397
JEANETTE: And then they mix you up a cocktail based off of the fruit, the strength.

01:23:24.397 --> 01:23:27.957
JEANETTE: And it always comes in some sort of fun conveyor.

01:23:27.957 --> 01:23:31.697
JEANETTE: Like one of mine was in a mug that looked like a television.

01:23:33.017 --> 01:23:39.257
JEANETTE: Rob had a drink served out of a baby bottle, and he was forced to wear a bib while he drank it.

01:23:39.257 --> 01:23:42.537
JEANETTE: He had one that was like a shark foaming at the mouth.

01:23:42.977 --> 01:23:44.537
JEANETTE: It was very fun.

01:23:44.537 --> 01:23:47.417
JEANETTE: We met a really cute couple from Vancouver.

01:23:47.417 --> 01:23:49.717
JEANETTE: It was a wonderful experience.

01:23:49.717 --> 01:23:51.197
JEANETTE: We didn't stay in Tokyo long.

01:23:51.197 --> 01:24:02.637
JEANETTE: We were only there like halfway into the 26th, but we did do some Harajuku shopping where I caught a collaboration between Disney and a fashion brand, which was really fun.

01:24:02.637 --> 01:24:10.057
JEANETTE: And we went to a coffee shop called Reissue, where they do 3D foam artwork.

01:24:10.057 --> 01:24:19.377
JEANETTE: And I had my little Lena Bell doll with me from Tokyo DisneySea, and I had them make her out of 3D foam.

01:24:19.377 --> 01:24:20.957
JEANETTE: And it was perfect.

01:24:20.957 --> 01:24:21.737
VIRGINIA: Cool.

01:24:21.737 --> 01:24:28.037
JEANETTE: And then Carly had also recommended Tokyo Hands and Loft for finding cute little gifts and things.

01:24:28.117 --> 01:24:30.737
JEANETTE: And I will second that recommendation.

01:24:32.297 --> 01:24:39.177
JEANETTE: The middle of our trip was Iwata, a neighborhood where my husband had lived, Kyoto and Osaka.

01:24:39.177 --> 01:24:42.857
JEANETTE: It was lots of touring, lots of eating and visit with friends.

01:24:42.857 --> 01:24:44.997
JEANETTE: I did visit the Kyoto Disney Store.

01:24:44.997 --> 01:24:50.337
JEANETTE: I didn't get a chance to do the Tokyo Disney Store or the Disney Store at Expeari.

01:24:50.337 --> 01:25:03.657
JEANETTE: And what I will say is that if you're going to go to Japan, make sure that you go to a Disney Store because the merchandise that they have at the Disney Store is very, very different than the merchandise that they have at the parks.

01:25:03.657 --> 01:25:09.137
JEANETTE: And in fact, that is where I found my gifts for Nancy and my other gifts for Virginia.

01:25:09.137 --> 01:25:11.717
JEANETTE: And they're just, it's just so different.

01:25:11.717 --> 01:25:16.577
JEANETTE: Like I actually found like the stuff that was in the park was a little more me and Maria.

01:25:16.577 --> 01:25:21.177
JEANETTE: And the stuff that was in the Disney Store was a little more Virginia and Nancy.

01:25:21.177 --> 01:25:24.157
JEANETTE: So give yourself the benefit to experience all of it.

01:25:24.617 --> 01:25:33.017
JEANETTE: They even have some merch that's like specific to the city, like a tote bag with like Disney Store Kyoto, right?

01:25:33.017 --> 01:25:36.917
JEANETTE: Our last couple of days were spent on a small island called Yakushima.

01:25:36.917 --> 01:25:42.377
JEANETTE: Kind of seems like it might be a hassle to go to a separate island, but it was extremely worth it.

01:25:42.377 --> 01:25:48.677
JEANETTE: We splurged a little and stayed at this hotel called Samana Resort, by far the nicest resort I've ever stayed out of my life.

01:25:49.797 --> 01:25:55.257
JEANETTE: We had our own private hot springs, aka onsen bath, in our room.

01:25:55.257 --> 01:26:08.517
JEANETTE: So every night at the end of the night, we could fill up a tub with the mineral water that feels like dropping into silk, and with a view of the ocean in front of us.

01:26:08.517 --> 01:26:10.897
JEANETTE: We hired a guide.

01:26:10.897 --> 01:26:14.417
JEANETTE: The guide company name is One Drop Yakushima.

01:26:14.457 --> 01:26:15.877
JEANETTE: The guide's name is Shou.

01:26:15.877 --> 01:26:17.337
JEANETTE: He's a really incredible guy.

01:26:17.337 --> 01:26:28.177
JEANETTE: He speaks English beautifully, and he took us through a cedar forest with cedar trees that are thousands upon thousands of years old.

01:26:28.177 --> 01:26:29.617
JEANETTE: We got to see monkeys.

01:26:29.617 --> 01:26:33.517
JEANETTE: The monkeys on Yakushima are really docile.

01:26:33.517 --> 01:26:37.277
JEANETTE: Nobody ever feeds them, so they are not mean.

01:26:37.277 --> 01:26:38.537
JEANETTE: I've been to India.

01:26:38.537 --> 01:26:39.657
JEANETTE: Monkeys are mean in India.

01:26:40.417 --> 01:26:43.337
JEANETTE: On Yakushima, these monkeys are little angels.

01:26:44.577 --> 01:26:57.597
JEANETTE: Deer as well, so not afraid of being hunted because they're not really hunted, so they just will stand there when a car is close or a human is close because they're like, you're not going to hurt me.

01:26:57.597 --> 01:26:59.617
JEANETTE: We did kayaking.

01:26:59.617 --> 01:27:03.757
JEANETTE: He took us to a local tea shop because he found out that my husband loved tea.

01:27:03.757 --> 01:27:04.557
JEANETTE: He was amazing.

01:27:04.557 --> 01:27:13.357
JEANETTE: He made an itinerary for us over those two days that there's absolutely no way that we could have experienced even a quarter of the amount of the island if we hadn't hired this guide.

01:27:13.357 --> 01:27:15.137
JEANETTE: So I would highly recommend doing that.

01:27:15.137 --> 01:27:17.777
JEANETTE: I would highly recommend visiting Yakushima.

01:27:17.777 --> 01:27:36.417
JEANETTE: I think if you're someone who, even if you don't love the great outdoors, but you like some fresh air and seeing beautiful things, I would just mention that the hike that we did, a lot of foreign countries, but particularly on Yakushima, they build out pathways on the hike.

01:27:37.797 --> 01:27:43.397
JEANETTE: There's not really ever a part of the hike where you feel like, oh, this is really challenging or I can't do that.

01:27:43.397 --> 01:27:45.497
JEANETTE: People of all ages were hiking.

01:27:45.497 --> 01:27:48.937
JEANETTE: Senior citizen age people were hiking on this trail.

01:27:48.937 --> 01:28:02.757
JEANETTE: Maybe they did a shorter loop, but you're walking across wooden bridges or basically stairways that are built out of fallen trees, which makes it easier for accessibility.

01:28:03.257 --> 01:28:14.797
JEANETTE: It also creates this environment that is like a dream fort, like a child's dream wood fortress or kind of like Neverland.

01:28:14.797 --> 01:28:15.557
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:28:15.557 --> 01:28:16.097
JEANETTE: Yeah.

01:28:16.097 --> 01:28:18.897
JEANETTE: Those are just some highlights from the other days.

01:28:18.897 --> 01:28:23.417
VIRGINIA: Was your guide with you all of the days that you were in Yakushima?

01:28:23.417 --> 01:28:23.797
JEANETTE: Yeah.

01:28:23.797 --> 01:28:25.937
JEANETTE: We arrived on the first.

01:28:25.937 --> 01:28:28.017
JEANETTE: He was with us.

01:28:28.017 --> 01:28:29.837
JEANETTE: Basically, it was a nine to five.

01:28:29.917 --> 01:28:34.777
JEANETTE: It was like eight to three thirty four o'clock on the second and on the third.

01:28:34.777 --> 01:28:38.097
JEANETTE: And then we flew out and flew home on the fourth.

01:28:38.097 --> 01:28:38.897
VIRGINIA: OK.

01:28:38.897 --> 01:28:43.357
VIRGINIA: And so you arranged this through a company and paid the fee to the company.

01:28:43.357 --> 01:28:44.777
JEANETTE: The company is him.

01:28:44.777 --> 01:28:45.557
JEANETTE: I will say.

01:28:45.557 --> 01:28:45.997
JEANETTE: It's his company.

01:28:45.997 --> 01:28:48.817
JEANETTE: I just emailed him and set it up with him.

01:28:48.817 --> 01:28:49.937
JEANETTE: And yeah.

01:28:49.937 --> 01:28:50.697
VIRGINIA: OK.

01:28:50.697 --> 01:28:52.657
VIRGINIA: And logistical question.

01:28:52.657 --> 01:28:57.257
VIRGINIA: What is tipping culture like in Japan when you were with him, when you were with?

01:28:58.017 --> 01:28:58.297
VIRGINIA: OK.

01:28:58.297 --> 01:29:00.697
VIRGINIA: So not at any restaurants or bars or anything.

01:29:00.697 --> 01:29:05.077
JEANETTE: Already like incorporated into the cost of everything, which is so nice.

01:29:05.077 --> 01:29:22.657
JEANETTE: And the other thing that I want to mention, especially people who are maybe feeling like, oh, I could be intimidated to go to Japan, is like when you go places like Europe, India, almost anywhere else in the world, there is a little bit of nervousness about like, am I going to get in a cab and they're not going to put on the meter and then I'm going to get overcharged?

01:29:22.657 --> 01:29:24.897
JEANETTE: That just happened to my parents in Rome two weeks ago.

01:29:25.497 --> 01:29:29.777
VIRGINIA: That almost happened to me here in New York when I came back from a business trip.

01:29:29.777 --> 01:29:31.437
VIRGINIA: He did not realize I live here.

01:29:31.437 --> 01:29:33.277
VIRGINIA: I was like, can you please turn on the meter?

01:29:33.277 --> 01:29:34.597
JEANETTE: Yeah, I am not a tourist.

01:29:34.597 --> 01:29:37.097
JEANETTE: Please don't treat me like one.

01:29:37.097 --> 01:29:40.937
JEANETTE: Am I going to get pickpocketed on the subway?

01:29:40.937 --> 01:29:42.917
JEANETTE: None of that happens in Japan.

01:29:42.917 --> 01:29:51.217
JEANETTE: It just, it's not a culture where like con artistry and scheming are part of the game.

01:29:51.217 --> 01:30:02.537
JEANETTE: Like if my guide asked us for more money, it was because he drove us around more than he was, you know, initially intending to and had to pay for the gas.

01:30:02.537 --> 01:30:07.797
JEANETTE: You know, like it's just, it's a very straightforward and you can even see it in the pricing of things.

01:30:07.797 --> 01:30:11.417
JEANETTE: Like the pricing of things is very fair, right?

01:30:11.417 --> 01:30:16.617
JEANETTE: Like we live in a time in the United States where a lot of times you feel like the pricing of things is not fair.

01:30:16.617 --> 01:30:18.177
JEANETTE: The pricing of things is very fair.

01:30:18.177 --> 01:30:22.637
JEANETTE: I mean, even down to the fact that like Tokyo Disneyland, a ticket for a day is like $60.

01:30:23.997 --> 01:30:24.937
VIRGINIA: Wow.

01:30:24.937 --> 01:30:43.677
JEANETTE: So I mean, I would just say if you're thinking about going to Japan, if you're curious about going to Japan, but you feel intimidated, don't just go because it's such an amazing, the worst part, the absolute worst part is jet lag.

01:30:43.677 --> 01:30:53.677
JEANETTE: 13-hour time difference is really rough, but like everything about being there, the accessibility, the trains, it's so efficient to get from place to place.

01:30:53.677 --> 01:30:59.477
JEANETTE: I mean, we flew to another island, but the last trip we did, we just did trains and it's so easy.

01:30:59.477 --> 01:31:01.177
VIRGINIA: It sounds so amazing.

01:31:01.177 --> 01:31:09.957
VIRGINIA: And I know that at some point, my family will be making a trip to Tokyo because it is next up on Alex's bucket list.

01:31:09.957 --> 01:31:13.197
JEANETTE: I was gonna say, Alex will just go nuts.

01:31:13.197 --> 01:31:14.637
JEANETTE: He will love it so much.

01:31:14.637 --> 01:31:15.917
VIRGINIA: I don't know when it will happen.

01:31:16.237 --> 01:31:23.357
VIRGINIA: We have kind of loosely said that if we haven't done it by the time he graduates from high school in four years, that that will be a graduation trip for him.

01:31:23.357 --> 01:31:33.477
VIRGINIA: So I will be so excited to see some of this stuff in person and I will definitely be picking your brain at that time to help me get my plans in order.

01:31:33.477 --> 01:31:36.117
JEANETTE: Yeah, and I'm happy to do it, honestly.

01:31:36.117 --> 01:31:51.297
JEANETTE: And if any of your listeners wanna reach out to me and chat about planning a trip to Japan, I know there's bigger resources for it, but sometimes it's nice to just talk to somebody who's here and did it, who did it from the United States.

01:31:51.297 --> 01:31:52.257
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:31:52.257 --> 01:31:55.237
VIRGINIA: Well, Jeanette, this has been a delight as always.

01:31:55.237 --> 01:32:04.037
VIRGINIA: I always appreciate hearing all of the detail that goes into your planning because you are somebody who absolutely loves the planning process.

01:32:04.037 --> 01:32:06.057
VIRGINIA: It's just so much fun to hear about.

01:32:06.057 --> 01:32:07.357
VIRGINIA: So thank you so much for coming.

01:32:07.357 --> 01:32:11.197
VIRGINIA: I said this on the pre-trip, you have an open invitation to always come back on the show.

01:32:11.197 --> 01:32:16.017
JEANETTE: Well, I think I know of a time that I may be back for early next year.

01:32:16.677 --> 01:32:19.757
VIRGINIA: We may have a little bit of a trip coming up together.

01:32:19.757 --> 01:32:22.457
JEANETTE: We've got some magic in the works.

01:32:22.457 --> 01:32:23.477
VIRGINIA: So excited.

01:32:23.477 --> 01:32:24.357
VIRGINIA: I love you.

01:32:24.357 --> 01:32:25.317
<v SPEAKER_3>Love you.

01:32:25.317 --> 01:32:27.037
<v SPEAKER_3>And I love your podcast.

01:32:27.037 --> 01:32:29.257
<v SPEAKER_3>You know I'm your number one fan.

01:32:29.257 --> 01:32:30.417
VIRGINIA: You are.

01:32:31.517 --> 01:32:33.157
VIRGINIA: That's not even a joke.

01:32:33.157 --> 01:32:36.177
VIRGINIA: Jeantte is the first person to listen every Monday morning.

01:32:36.217 --> 01:32:36.617
<v SPEAKER_3>Yep.

01:32:36.617 --> 01:32:38.477
JEANETTE: Walk in my dog, listen in class.

01:32:38.477 --> 01:32:42.217
VIRGINIA: Will text me as she listens with comments or questions.

01:32:42.217 --> 01:32:43.817
VIRGINIA: Yep.

01:32:43.817 --> 01:32:45.837
JEANETTE: Very engaged, very interactive.

01:32:45.837 --> 01:32:46.237
VIRGINIA: Yes.

01:32:46.637 --> 01:32:49.397
VIRGINIA: You have earned that title, number one fan.

01:32:49.397 --> 01:32:49.877
VIRGINIA: All right.

01:32:49.877 --> 01:32:51.357
VIRGINIA: I will talk to you later.

01:32:51.357 --> 01:32:53.557
<v SPEAKER_3>Bye.

01:32:53.557 --> 01:32:56.057
VIRGINIA: That is a wrap on this trip report.

01:32:56.057 --> 01:32:58.877
VIRGINIA: Thank you to Jeanette for her enchanting interview.

01:32:58.877 --> 01:33:01.257
VIRGINIA: I had the best time as usual.

01:33:01.257 --> 01:33:07.917
VIRGINIA: Before you go, I would be remiss if I didn't give a plug for you to visit and share the podcast website, which is whereilongtobepodcast.com.

01:33:09.077 --> 01:33:13.677
VIRGINIA: You can search all the past episodes and even leave a review or send me a message there.

01:33:13.677 --> 01:33:15.517
VIRGINIA: I would love to hear from you.

01:33:15.637 --> 01:33:18.537
VIRGINIA: Now, we must bring this episode to a close.

01:33:18.537 --> 01:33:20.737
VIRGINIA: I hope you have a magical week.

01:33:20.737 --> 01:33:23.937
VIRGINIA: Remember to keep daydreaming about where you long to be.