Post-Trip Report: Kelly’s Not So Scary Saratoga Stay (September 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: On today's episode, I am welcoming back Kelly, aka Mouse underscore rules on Instagram.

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VIRGINIA: If you didn't get a chance to listen to the pre-trip episode, Kelly is a Disney travel agent and she recently got back from a trip to Walt Disney World with her wife Colby, daughter Esme, who when we last spoke was about to be 10, and family friends, the Quinns, which includes mom Julie, dad Pat and son Connor, who is 11.

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VIRGINIA: The whole group was staying at Saratoga Springs in a preferred two-bedroom villa.

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VIRGINIA: While this trip was booked on points rented from the DVC rental store, the Quinns actually just became DVC member, so this was a trip home, so to speak.

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VIRGINIA: The families were looking forward to some time at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and an evening of fun at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

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VIRGINIA: That should be enough to get you started, and now here's Kelly.

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VIRGINIA: Kelly, you're back.

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VIRGINIA: You're alive.

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KELLY: Yes, we are back.

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KELLY: We are back.

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KELLY: Thanks for having me.

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VIRGINIA: I'm so happy to see you.

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VIRGINIA: I hope you're feeling better.

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VIRGINIA: I know that you picked up a little something on your trip.

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KELLY: Actually before the trip, so we'll talk about that a little bit, about how I would fix the entire trip.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, no.

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VIRGINIA: That is the worst.

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KELLY: It wasn't fun, but I've been to Disney enough times that I was probably due for having one trip where I wasn't feeling my best.

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VIRGINIA: I mean, it's a game of roulette, really.

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VIRGINIA: Eventually, you're going to be sick at Disney.

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KELLY: Yes, and this was my turn.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, let's hope there's some fun to be had in this trip report.

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VIRGINIA: I'm sure there is.

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KELLY: There is.

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KELLY: There is.

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VIRGINIA: Good.

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VIRGINIA: Good.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: So this was a trip with your family friends, the Quinns.

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VIRGINIA: So six of you total staying in a Saratoga Springs two-bedroom.

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VIRGINIA: So my first question is, how did you like Saratoga Springs as a resort?

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KELLY: Yeah.

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KELLY: So I think I said this on the last show that my family is typically a moderate or value depending on the trip.

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KELLY: We have stayed at the Animal Kingdom before.

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KELLY: Saratoga Springs, we liked it.

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KELLY: I think for this trip in particular, it was a nice location because we were near Disney Springs and we were able to pop over there a few times.

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KELLY: The grounds are beautiful.

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KELLY: I love the theming, I would say is definitely not your over-the-top Disney theming, but there's really nice touches everywhere that bring that Disney magic out.

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KELLY: Love the swimming pool.

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KELLY: We got to spend an afternoon by the pool one day.

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KELLY: That was great.

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KELLY: Then for traveling with friends, the two-bedroom villa was amazing.

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KELLY: Colby and I had one room, Pat and Julie had another room, and both kids wanted to sleep in the middle space, and that worked for everybody.

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KELLY: It was a great place to stay.

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KELLY: I would definitely recommend it if people are especially traveling with a group and looking for that option.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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VIRGINIA: With the two-bedroom, you have access to that full kitchen, and to me, the best part, a washer and a dryer.

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VIRGINIA: Should you want to clean anything, you can.

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KELLY: Yeah.

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KELLY: The washer and dryer was actually great, especially since one day it rained a little bit, so to be able to dry up those clothes.

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KELLY: That was great.

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KELLY: We also were on the first floor and had a little patio area.

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KELLY: And for me, it wasn't feeling great on the trip.

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KELLY: To be able to just sit out there as well was nice.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: I think you said you had a preferred room.

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VIRGINIA: So were you in the section, which I think is Congress Park, that's closest to Disney Springs?

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KELLY: Yes, we were.

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KELLY: So the walk to Disney Springs was short.

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KELLY: Maybe like five minutes through the resort, and then obviously once you get to Disney Springs, you do that over the bridge and loop around.

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KELLY: But yes, a very manageable and nice walk.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, let's get into all of the details.

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VIRGINIA: So how was your flight down?

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VIRGINIA: It was a really early flight.

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KELLY: It was a really early flight, and I would say in general, fine.

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KELLY: I'll just start by saying, obviously, there are people that were really impacted by that hurricane that came through.

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KELLY: And for us, we were lucky to have an early morning flight because they did a ground stop at MCO as soon as we got in.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, wow.

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KELLY: They stopped flights for about an hour going in and out.

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VIRGINIA: And this was Thursday, September 26th for listeners, just for context.

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KELLY: Yes, absolutely.

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KELLY: So we got off the ground fine.

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KELLY: It was a really smooth flight, landed on time, even if maybe a little bit early.

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KELLY: But that early morning flight is always a killer.

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KELLY: We live about 40 minutes from the airport.

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KELLY: We were up at 2 something to get up.

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KELLY: We drove over to the Quinn's house.

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KELLY: They don't live far from us.

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KELLY: Then we all piled into Julie's jeep because they've got the third row and off we went.

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KELLY: But it was an early morning.

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VIRGINIA: Wow.

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VIRGINIA: Did you have room for all of your bags in her jeep?

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KELLY: We wondered that we met in the driveway and said, we can always take two cars if we need to, but we managed by having Esme's suitcase with her in the backseat, all the backpacks.

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KELLY: We just made it.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, because we have a jeep Cherokee.

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VIRGINIA: I'm sitting here thinking like, I don't think I could fit four adults stuff and two kids in the back of our car.

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VIRGINIA: Oh my goodness.

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VIRGINIA: Speaking of cars, once you landed, you were renting a car.

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VIRGINIA: How did everything go with the rental car pickup?

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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KELLY: It took a while.

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KELLY: I don't know.

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KELLY: Again, this is where I wasn't feeling my best.

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KELLY: I was zoned out in my own world, but I know that Julie had, she got in line and then they told her to go to the kiosk, but then the kiosk wouldn't work.

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KELLY: It took a little while to get the car, but ultimately we ended up with a Wagoneer, which was gigantic.

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KELLY: Kudos to Julie because she did all the driving.

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KELLY: We all fit nicely.

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KELLY: I think the kids were having a blast in the back.

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KELLY: You could hear them the whole time talking about what attractions they wanted to do and what they were going to eat.

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KELLY: Connor and Esme got along really well.

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KELLY: They already get along well, but they traveled well together.

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VIRGINIA: That's especially fun considering if you have two only children to have the opportunity to have a trip like that is so much fun.

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VIRGINIA: First stop was supposed to be the Character Warehouse.

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VIRGINIA: Did you end up going there or did how you were feeling affect this plan?

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KELLY: Oh, no.

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KELLY: We went, I masked up, and off we went into the Character Warehouse.

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KELLY: Just like you had mentioned in the last episode, it's a mess.

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KELLY: I would say we did pretty well there, as Mae found a Chippendale Rescue Rangers Lounge Fly that she was really excited about.

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KELLY: Actually, Connor got the same one, so they had masking one.

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KELLY: I found a T-shirt, Colby found a Christmas ornament, as Mae ended up with a journal.

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KELLY: You walk out of there and you've got this big bag of Disney stuff for $60.

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KELLY: You're like, wow, this was pretty awesome.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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VIRGINIA: You feel like you're beating the system.

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KELLY: You do.

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KELLY: And it's fun.

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KELLY: And I appreciated your heads up.

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KELLY: It was definitely crowded in there.

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KELLY: There was a line to get in.

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KELLY: It wasn't too bad.

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KELLY: And once you're in there, you're traveling around the store and there's a decent amount of people in there.

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KELLY: So you're trying to look at everything, but be efficient at the same time.

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KELLY: But it was a great stop.

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KELLY: I mean, I enjoyed going there.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: And it's an easy stop too, I feel like, because it's right in the center.

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VIRGINIA: So as long as, if you're driving, as long as you park kind of towards the food court area, you just pop in and pop out.

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VIRGINIA: You don't have to make a big to do about it.

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VIRGINIA: I hear some people complain about the parking, but I personally haven't ever really had any challenges finding a spot.

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VIRGINIA: But I also am not somebody who gets upset about having to park far away and walk a little bit through a parking lot.

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VIRGINIA: So maybe that's why.

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KELLY: Yeah, we parked kind of on the outskirts a little bit, mostly because Julie was getting used to driving that gigantic Wagoneer.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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KELLY: But we didn't mind walking.

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KELLY: It was also a Thursday morning, so I'm sure it was not as crowded as it can get at some time or at times.

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VIRGINIA: I'm sure.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Was the next stop Publix?

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KELLY: We didn't do Publix.

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KELLY: I don't know if that was partially.

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KELLY: Well, actually, I do know it was partially how I was feeling, and it was also partially we were trying to get to the resort before it started raining.

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KELLY: The forecast said that it was going to be rainy and windy, and I think we just decided, you know what, let's just get there.

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KELLY: We already had gotten the text that our room was ready, and it was 11 o'clock in the morning, so we were like, let's just go.

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KELLY: We skipped Publix.

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VIRGINIA: Did you end up getting groceries at any other point during the trip?

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KELLY: We didn't.

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KELLY: I think ultimately, we just decided it was a short trip, and we were fine, just doing quick service and restaurant.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: The rain began, I presume, and did you just enjoy some time in the room because of that?

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KELLY: Actually, the entire time, the forecast kept saying that we were going to have a big rainstorm, and it didn't.

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KELLY: The entire afternoon, so the quins have annual passes, so Pat and Connor decided they were going to kind of, no, not Connor.

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KELLY: This time, Pat just decided he was going to go over to the Magic Kingdom by himself and do a couple of things.

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KELLY: Connor wanted to stay with us and go to the pool, so we actually spent the afternoon at the pool.

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KELLY: It was a little bit cloudy, a little bit windy, but still nice enough to hang out by the pool.

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VIRGINIA: You went up to the main pool?

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KELLY: We did.

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KELLY: We went to the main pool.

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KELLY: We did quick service for lunch up there, and then headed over to the pool.

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KELLY: I even went down the water slide once.

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KELLY: I wasn't feeling great, but I was like, you know what?

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KELLY: I got to do the water slide once.

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VIRGINIA: That's usually my policy too.

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VIRGINIA: If I'm in a pool and there's a water slide, I do it at least one time, sometimes after a drink.

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VIRGINIA: Sometimes the drink inspires me to go to the water slide.

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KELLY: Yeah, I in general like a good water slide.

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KELLY: Esme had said to me, oh, you got to try this water slide because it feels longer than the ones at the other resorts.

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KELLY: It was a good little water slide and then swam around in the pool for a while and then laid down on a lounge chair.

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VIRGINIA: What did you think about the quick service option there?

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KELLY: Yeah.

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KELLY: I think being used to going to a lot of the moderates, I feel like the quick services there are a lot bigger with more choices.

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KELLY: I think when I first went, I was surprised at how small the quick service was and it was attached to the gift shop and that was small as well.

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KELLY: But the food choices were good.

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KELLY: I had an avocado toast for lunch and a tomato soup and it was perfect for what I was looking for and everybody else was happy with their food choices.

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KELLY: So I guess less options but good food.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, I think that especially with Saratoga Springs, considering how widespread it is and how widespread, that made it sound like Saratoga Springs is a disease, how spread out it is and the fact that if you're in a one bedroom or larger, you have access to a kitchen and considering the fact that it's right next to Disney Springs, I'm guessing that the quick service does not get anywhere near the kind of traffic that a quick service at even another deluxe resort would get just because of all of those things combined.

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KELLY: Yeah, I would agree.

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KELLY: And we actually talked about that, that for most people, the walk over to Disney Springs is probably just as short, at least where we were staying.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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KELLY: They're trying to walk back to the main pool.

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KELLY: And obviously, there's so many great options at Disney Springs.

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VIRGINIA: Right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, let's get into one of those options, which was the selection of S.

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VIRGINIA: Mann Conner to go to Enzo's Hideaway for dinner.

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VIRGINIA: You had never been there.

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VIRGINIA: I've never been there.

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VIRGINIA: So I'm interested to hear, how was it in terms of the vibe and also obviously the food?

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KELLY: Yeah.

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KELLY: So this is one of those, every once in a while, I'll throw out me feeling disappointed because I was sick.

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KELLY: And this is one of those places because when I went to dinner, I wasn't hungry and I definitely wasn't going to enjoy a cocktail because I was feeling terrible.

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KELLY: And that kind of was disappointing because the vibe of Enzo's Hideaway is kind of that underground speakeasy.

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KELLY: And it was a really neat atmosphere.

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KELLY: I would, you know, you kind of go around the corner.

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KELLY: It's like, you know, the restaurant is on the top and then you kind of go across the street and down the staircase.

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KELLY: And you go inside and you kind of feel like you found this kind of hidden gem and they take you back through this walkway into the main dining room.

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KELLY: And it's really neat looking.

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KELLY: And, you know, they have a really great cocktail menu, which everyone else enjoyed but me.

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KELLY: And the food menu, I would say, is not super extensive, but the food options were good.

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KELLY: And everybody, I think, really liked what they got.

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KELLY: I just, you know, for me, I was kind of in that place of like, okay, is it time for bed yet?

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KELLY: I'm going to have a few bites here and then I'm tired.

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VIRGINIA: What about the Indiana Jones vibe?

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VIRGINIA: Did you really, could you feel that vibe there?

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KELLY: Yeah, I mean, I didn't pick up on that as much as I picked up on kind of more of an underground, speak-easy kind of vibe.

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KELLY: But I mean, they did have, I think, and I didn't really go take a look at it, but one wall on the opposite side was all graffiti.

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KELLY: And I wonder, or almost like handwritten kind of like things.

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KELLY: And I wonder if more of that was there.

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VIRGINIA: Am I even thinking, this is the one that's Indiana Jones themed, right?

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VIRGINIA: Oh no.

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VIRGINIA: I'm thinking of a totally different one.

00:15:02.371 --> 00:15:04.831
VIRGINIA: It's Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar.

00:15:04.831 --> 00:15:05.391
KELLY: Oh, okay.

00:15:05.391 --> 00:15:06.491
KELLY: Yeah, no, this, this.

00:15:06.491 --> 00:15:06.871
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:15:06.871 --> 00:15:07.811
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:15:07.811 --> 00:15:11.191
VIRGINIA: Then, no, of course you didn't see Indiana Jones themed stuff.

00:15:11.191 --> 00:15:18.251
VIRGINIA: I was just thinking, like as we were sitting here and I was thinking that I was saying to myself like, I don't think his name was Enzo.

00:15:18.251 --> 00:15:19.931
VIRGINIA: Like, why am I thinking it's him?

00:15:19.931 --> 00:15:23.811
VIRGINIA: No, Jock Lindsay was the pilot from Indiana Jones.

00:15:23.831 --> 00:15:24.851
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:15:24.851 --> 00:15:29.891
KELLY: So, so that's good because here I am thinking, wow, I must have been really sick.

00:15:29.891 --> 00:15:33.191
KELLY: I totally missed out on Enzo.

00:15:33.191 --> 00:15:39.691
KELLY: I was like, it felt like more Italian kind of underground bar to me, but what did I miss here?

00:15:39.951 --> 00:15:40.691
VIRGINIA: It's me.

00:15:40.691 --> 00:15:41.611
VIRGINIA: I'm the problem.

00:15:41.611 --> 00:15:42.271
VIRGINIA: Hi, it's me.

00:15:43.731 --> 00:15:44.791
KELLY: It's you.

00:15:44.791 --> 00:15:46.691
KELLY: No, I mean, I think, but you know what?

00:15:46.691 --> 00:15:50.331
KELLY: This is the thing that always I find interesting about Disney.

00:15:50.331 --> 00:15:56.151
KELLY: You could be a Disney expert and there's so much between all the places.

00:15:56.151 --> 00:16:00.131
KELLY: It's easy to get things confused and just have not done something yet.

00:16:00.291 --> 00:16:00.731
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:16:00.731 --> 00:16:04.311
VIRGINIA: Well, and then you can have, I call it Etch-a-Sketch brain.

00:16:04.311 --> 00:16:06.591
VIRGINIA: Like I turn my head and it disappears.

00:16:06.591 --> 00:16:13.791
VIRGINIA: There are certain things like I consistently noticed that I get Crystal Palace and the Plaza confused.

00:16:13.791 --> 00:16:16.231
VIRGINIA: See, I even just combine them just now.

00:16:16.231 --> 00:16:23.211
VIRGINIA: I always have to think about which one is which, which side is it because I've been to one and not the other, and I can never remember which one.

00:16:23.211 --> 00:16:27.231
VIRGINIA: Literally, in this moment, I can't remember which one I've been to.

00:16:27.231 --> 00:16:36.991
KELLY: Well, one day I was talking to Colby a couple of days before the trip, and I said, it's like blah, blah, blah, Sarasota Springs, and she goes, Sarasota Springs, you mean Saratoga, right?

00:16:36.991 --> 00:16:39.571
KELLY: I was like, oh yeah, Saratoga, that's where we're going, right?

00:16:39.671 --> 00:16:40.411
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:16:40.411 --> 00:16:43.851
KELLY: Then for about two days, I was like, did I say that on the first podcast?

00:16:43.951 --> 00:16:44.991
KELLY: You did not.

00:16:44.991 --> 00:16:46.071
KELLY: Okay, good.

00:16:46.071 --> 00:16:52.291
KELLY: But I was like, nope, Sarasota, Florida, Saratoga, New York, up where we live, I got it.

00:16:53.511 --> 00:16:55.891
VIRGINIA: Have you ever been to the real Saratoga?

00:16:56.511 --> 00:16:58.591
KELLY: I've been up that way.

00:16:58.591 --> 00:17:08.731
KELLY: Colby's mom lives in Northern Vermont, on the border of New York, but I haven't really gone into the heart of Saratoga Springs.

00:17:09.691 --> 00:17:14.191
KELLY: We've done more like Glens Falls and there's a Six Flags, so it's up that way.

00:17:14.191 --> 00:17:20.291
KELLY: I know they're all in the same area, but no, I haven't really gone into Saratoga Springs.

00:17:20.291 --> 00:17:23.911
VIRGINIA: I've never been to Saratoga Springs, but Charles has.

00:17:23.911 --> 00:17:31.891
VIRGINIA: When we stayed at Saratoga Springs in Disney, he kept commenting on how accurate the theming was.

00:17:32.511 --> 00:17:33.331
KELLY: Oh, neat.

00:17:33.331 --> 00:17:36.251
VIRGINIA: I mean, I wouldn't really expect anything less from Disney.

00:17:37.791 --> 00:17:40.591
KELLY: So road trip this summer, I got to go.

00:17:40.591 --> 00:17:40.731
KELLY: Yeah.

00:17:40.731 --> 00:17:42.731
VIRGINIA: I mean, it's sort of in the middle of us.

00:17:42.731 --> 00:17:44.931
VIRGINIA: Maybe we could meet in Saratoga Springs.

00:17:44.931 --> 00:17:45.171
KELLY: Yeah.

00:17:45.591 --> 00:17:47.011
KELLY: We could do a comparison.

00:17:47.011 --> 00:17:49.191
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:17:49.191 --> 00:17:49.731
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:17:49.731 --> 00:17:52.091
VIRGINIA: What else did you get into in Disney Springs?

00:17:52.091 --> 00:17:55.211
VIRGINIA: Or should I say, what else did everyone else get into?

00:17:55.211 --> 00:17:58.951
VIRGINIA: Because I'm thinking maybe you went back to the resort and they continue to enjoy the Springs.

00:17:59.611 --> 00:18:00.071
KELLY: I did.

00:18:00.071 --> 00:18:00.371
KELLY: Yeah.

00:18:00.371 --> 00:18:03.791
KELLY: So Julie and I walked back.

00:18:03.791 --> 00:18:08.991
KELLY: I'm trying to remember, I think Connor might have walked back with us as well at that point.

00:18:08.991 --> 00:18:18.671
KELLY: And then Pat, Colby, and Esme went to the world of Disney because Esme cannot go into Disney Springs without going to the world of Disney.

00:18:18.711 --> 00:18:19.871
VIRGINIA: I mean, same.

00:18:19.871 --> 00:18:20.311
VIRGINIA: Same.

00:18:20.311 --> 00:18:20.911
KELLY: Yeah.

00:18:21.471 --> 00:18:24.531
KELLY: So she starts her shop.

00:18:24.531 --> 00:18:27.091
KELLY: Actually, she's gotten much better as she's gotten older.

00:18:27.231 --> 00:18:36.231
KELLY: When she was younger, it was like, we would give her her souvenir budget and she would blow it like within the first 20 minutes of being on property.

00:18:36.231 --> 00:18:37.631
KELLY: And now she's gotten better.

00:18:37.631 --> 00:18:40.951
KELLY: She wants to kind of look at everything and make a decision.

00:18:40.951 --> 00:18:47.231
KELLY: So she wanted to do that kind of first look at world of Disney because she knew we were going back the last day.

00:18:47.231 --> 00:18:50.631
KELLY: So I think she wanted to scout out what she was interested in.

00:18:50.631 --> 00:18:51.951
VIRGINIA: Good plan.

00:18:51.951 --> 00:18:52.151
KELLY: Yeah.

00:18:52.151 --> 00:18:53.491
KELLY: So this is when the rain came.

00:18:53.491 --> 00:18:56.991
KELLY: So I had already, we already made it back to the room.

00:18:57.611 --> 00:18:59.751
KELLY: They came back soaking wet.

00:18:59.751 --> 00:19:08.291
VIRGINIA: So did she walk away with any things on her list that she was going to be considering for the week?

00:19:08.291 --> 00:19:14.451
KELLY: I don't think so because I think she was still really excited about the lounge fly she had gotten earlier.

00:19:14.451 --> 00:19:17.371
KELLY: And she also got a Pandora journal.

00:19:17.371 --> 00:19:21.371
KELLY: Esme really likes to collect journals from different places.

00:19:21.371 --> 00:19:24.711
KELLY: So she was pretty excited about that.

00:19:24.711 --> 00:19:26.091
VIRGINIA: Does she actually use the journals?

00:19:26.191 --> 00:19:29.311
VIRGINIA: Because personally, I love buying journals too.

00:19:29.311 --> 00:19:31.711
VIRGINIA: And then I never end up using them.

00:19:31.711 --> 00:19:36.811
KELLY: Yeah, so she doesn't use them in the way you would typically think of somebody kind of writing diary entries.

00:19:36.811 --> 00:19:39.831
KELLY: But, you know, she'll she'll kind of sketch in them.

00:19:39.851 --> 00:19:45.551
KELLY: Or right now, she's, you know, this you can judge my parenting style right now.

00:19:45.551 --> 00:19:51.171
KELLY: But I'm letting her watch Stranger Things with me, with Colby.

00:19:51.171 --> 00:19:54.651
KELLY: Colby is not happy about it, because Colby doesn't like anything scary.

00:19:54.651 --> 00:20:00.151
KELLY: But Esme is so obsessed with Stranger Things that she'll kind of write in her journal, like the character names.

00:20:00.151 --> 00:20:04.191
VIRGINIA: And yeah, well, I'm not judging you at all, because Alex is 14 now.

00:20:04.191 --> 00:20:06.251
VIRGINIA: When did Stranger Things first come out?

00:20:06.251 --> 00:20:09.491
VIRGINIA: Whatever that was, it's been a couple of years now, right?

00:20:09.491 --> 00:20:11.391
VIRGINIA: Yeah, we watched it from the very beginning.

00:20:11.391 --> 00:20:14.631
VIRGINIA: So he must have been Esme's age when he started.

00:20:14.791 --> 00:20:15.951
KELLY: So yeah, Esme is 10.

00:20:15.951 --> 00:20:21.211
KELLY: We had, I had her weight, kind of like her friends have started watching it.

00:20:21.211 --> 00:20:24.511
KELLY: So I was like, okay, we might let's go.

00:20:24.511 --> 00:20:25.251
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:20:25.251 --> 00:20:26.611
KELLY: And I like Stranger Things.

00:20:26.611 --> 00:20:31.411
VIRGINIA: So well, and also it's kind of like, you don't want her sneaking to watch it.

00:20:31.411 --> 00:20:36.251
VIRGINIA: It's better to kind of at least watch it with them so that you can answer any questions they have.

00:20:36.251 --> 00:20:38.111
VIRGINIA: I think it's a great series.

00:20:38.111 --> 00:20:38.671
KELLY: Me too.

00:20:38.671 --> 00:20:38.951
KELLY: Me too.

00:20:39.711 --> 00:20:43.471
VIRGINIA: And they have, they're doing something on Broadway with Stranger Things.

00:20:43.471 --> 00:20:47.131
VIRGINIA: I don't think it's like the story from the show.

00:20:47.131 --> 00:20:53.411
VIRGINIA: I think it's something within the Stranger Things universe, but it's either a play or musical that's coming to Broadway.

00:20:53.411 --> 00:20:53.951
KELLY: That's nice.

00:20:53.951 --> 00:20:55.911
KELLY: Sounds like another New York trip is in order.

00:20:55.911 --> 00:20:56.991
VIRGINIA: I know.

00:20:56.991 --> 00:21:00.951
VIRGINIA: Alex and I went and saw an off-Broadway show based on Stranger Things.

00:21:00.951 --> 00:21:03.271
VIRGINIA: And I think it was called Stranger Sings.

00:21:03.271 --> 00:21:06.091
VIRGINIA: And it was a musical and it was the storyline from the show.

00:21:07.091 --> 00:21:10.111
VIRGINIA: And it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

00:21:10.111 --> 00:21:15.631
VIRGINIA: Like they had the demogorgon doing a dance in the middle of the stage.

00:21:15.631 --> 00:21:17.091
VIRGINIA: It was really funny.

00:21:17.091 --> 00:21:27.111
VIRGINIA: So yeah, if you come back to see Stranger Things on Broadway, whenever that happens, then let me know and we'll have to meet up to see each other then.

00:21:27.111 --> 00:21:29.031
KELLY: Yeah, absolutely.

00:21:29.031 --> 00:21:29.491
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:21:29.491 --> 00:21:31.611
VIRGINIA: Friday, September 27th.

00:21:31.611 --> 00:21:38.471
VIRGINIA: So this was going to be a resort day because you had tickets to the Halloween party that night.

00:21:38.471 --> 00:21:40.511
VIRGINIA: So what did you do during the day?

00:21:40.511 --> 00:21:48.551
KELLY: So this is one of the days where I probably spent most of the day sleeping and hanging out at the resort.

00:21:48.591 --> 00:21:57.231
KELLY: I kind of felt like I did not want to crash and burn at the Halloween party, so I was going to rest up.

00:21:58.271 --> 00:22:04.711
KELLY: And then Julie, Esme and Colby also kind of had a pretty low key day.

00:22:04.711 --> 00:22:11.831
KELLY: Connor and Pat decided they were going to do the four parks in one day challenge again.

00:22:11.831 --> 00:22:12.811
VIRGINIA: Wait a second.

00:22:12.811 --> 00:22:15.031
VIRGINIA: Four parks one day and a party.

00:22:15.031 --> 00:22:17.591
KELLY: Yeah, we'll talk about that towards the end of it.

00:22:17.591 --> 00:22:19.991
KELLY: But yes, they did.

00:22:19.991 --> 00:22:26.691
KELLY: They got up and they did the three parks and then ended obviously at the Magic Kingdom where the party was.

00:22:26.871 --> 00:22:37.411
KELLY: But we all told them they were nuts, that they were going to be tired and Connor definitely was tired at the end of the night.

00:22:37.411 --> 00:22:38.331
KELLY: But they were excited.

00:22:38.951 --> 00:22:48.331
KELLY: I think their annual passes are coming to an end soon, so they were trying to, particularly Pat, was trying to squeeze out every ounce of his annual pass.

00:22:48.331 --> 00:22:49.031
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:22:49.031 --> 00:22:51.371
VIRGINIA: They're not going to renew?

00:22:52.411 --> 00:22:58.831
KELLY: I think maybe that's still under debate, but they just purchased, I think I said this last time, they just purchased DVC.

00:23:00.091 --> 00:23:00.431
KELLY: Yeah.

00:23:00.431 --> 00:23:08.151
KELLY: They're waiting to close on that, and then I wouldn't be surprised if they re-up once that happens.

00:23:08.151 --> 00:23:08.611
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:23:08.611 --> 00:23:26.131
VIRGINIA: I know because of my DVC discount on the annual pass, when I do the math on how many days I'm going to be in the park, even with just a week or slightly over a week trip, it's actually cheaper, the renewal price, to renew my annual pass every year.

00:23:26.131 --> 00:23:26.751
KELLY: Yeah.

00:23:26.871 --> 00:23:28.411
KELLY: It totally makes sense.

00:23:28.411 --> 00:23:29.411
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:23:29.411 --> 00:23:29.771
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:23:29.771 --> 00:23:32.011
VIRGINIA: Let's talk about the Halloween party.

00:23:32.011 --> 00:23:36.871
VIRGINIA: This was your family's first time to the Halloween party.

00:23:36.871 --> 00:23:39.291
VIRGINIA: What were your overall thoughts?

00:23:39.291 --> 00:23:39.831
KELLY: Yeah.

00:23:39.831 --> 00:23:43.391
KELLY: Overall, I really liked it.

00:23:43.391 --> 00:23:55.511
KELLY: I will say I've now done the Christmas party and the Halloween party, and I think both of them mess with my flow, because I have this idea of what I should be doing and accomplishing at the Magic Kingdom.

00:23:55.511 --> 00:24:00.531
KELLY: I think when you do the parties, you really have to change your mindset.

00:24:00.531 --> 00:24:08.071
KELLY: You're there more for the food, the special characters, and the entertainment that comes along with it.

00:24:08.071 --> 00:24:08.991
KELLY: But I can't help it.

00:24:08.991 --> 00:24:11.471
KELLY: My brain still wants to be like, well, should we do this?

00:24:11.471 --> 00:24:13.671
KELLY: Should we jump on this attraction?

00:24:14.131 --> 00:24:17.911
KELLY: So I have a hard time reconciling that difference.

00:24:18.071 --> 00:24:21.671
KELLY: So I'll just kind of name that for myself.

00:24:21.671 --> 00:24:27.951
KELLY: We originally planned to get there as soon as we could get in at four o'clock.

00:24:27.951 --> 00:24:34.151
KELLY: But we ended up going a little bit closer to five, I think, again, because I think people were worried I was going to crash and burn.

00:24:34.151 --> 00:24:43.731
KELLY: And then Connor and Pat came back to the room just to kind of freshen up after their three parks that they had already done.

00:24:43.731 --> 00:24:45.491
KELLY: And so we got there closer to five.

00:24:46.111 --> 00:24:48.151
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:24:48.151 --> 00:24:50.431
VIRGINIA: How was Tiana's By You Adventure?

00:24:50.431 --> 00:24:52.651
VIRGINIA: Did you actually end up getting on it?

00:24:52.651 --> 00:24:53.311
KELLY: We did.

00:24:53.331 --> 00:24:55.031
KELLY: And it was amazing.

00:24:55.051 --> 00:24:59.451
KELLY: I'm I that was probably one of the highlights of the trips for me.

00:24:59.451 --> 00:25:04.871
KELLY: You know, we talked about this last time, the old Splash Mountain is, of course, nostalgic and I loved it.

00:25:04.871 --> 00:25:09.831
KELLY: But I was really excited to see the refeming and I love Tiana.

00:25:09.831 --> 00:25:13.171
KELLY: So it was really neat to go through.

00:25:13.351 --> 00:25:15.111
KELLY: And we went through kind of in the evening.

00:25:15.311 --> 00:25:18.071
KELLY: So it was dark too, which was nice.

00:25:18.071 --> 00:25:20.571
KELLY: Esme does not like water rides.

00:25:20.571 --> 00:25:25.951
KELLY: So she sat out and Julie sat out with her because Julie was fine doing that.

00:25:25.951 --> 00:25:27.211
KELLY: And they did some other things.

00:25:27.211 --> 00:25:30.531
KELLY: They met some characters while the rest of us did that.

00:25:30.531 --> 00:25:34.151
KELLY: But I thought the animatronics were a lot of fun.

00:25:34.151 --> 00:25:37.411
KELLY: I thought the song, like the music was great.

00:25:37.411 --> 00:25:43.491
KELLY: And then, you know, you still have that, you know, it's basically the same plunge at the end, right, that we're used to.

00:25:44.511 --> 00:25:57.671
VIRGINIA: So, you know, I've talked to a number of people who have written it so far, but one thing I've neglected to ask anyone is the isn't there like a Tiana themed store kind of at the exit now?

00:25:57.671 --> 00:25:58.731
KELLY: Yes.

00:25:58.731 --> 00:26:00.091
VIRGINIA: Did you go in it?

00:26:00.091 --> 00:26:06.031
KELLY: Yeah, it's called like, I want to say like Little Critters or Critters and something.

00:26:06.031 --> 00:26:07.951
KELLY: But yeah, it's a really cute little store.

00:26:08.011 --> 00:26:15.991
KELLY: A lot of stuffies, you know, I think Esme walked around and was like, I like this, I like this, I like this.

00:26:16.271 --> 00:26:21.771
KELLY: But I think she knows that her stuffed animal collection is a little out of control.

00:26:21.771 --> 00:26:28.531
KELLY: They also have Raymond or the fireflies and these little lanterns that you can get.

00:26:28.751 --> 00:26:35.651
KELLY: And actually, Esme stood there for a long time and was like, this is really cool, but I don't know what I would do with it after tonight.

00:26:35.651 --> 00:26:39.231
KELLY: And I was like, well, think about that.

00:26:39.231 --> 00:26:40.391
KELLY: Right?

00:26:40.391 --> 00:26:42.311
KELLY: Yeah, but it was a neat little store.

00:26:42.311 --> 00:26:45.951
KELLY: It had some, obviously, some clothing options and stuff as well.

00:26:46.211 --> 00:26:52.931
KELLY: But I thought it was a nice nod and then kind of makes that area feel a little more festive.

00:26:52.931 --> 00:26:53.391
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:26:53.391 --> 00:26:53.911
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:26:53.911 --> 00:26:54.231
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:26:54.251 --> 00:26:57.991
VIRGINIA: I am definitely interested in hitting that up when I'm there.

00:26:57.991 --> 00:27:02.671
VIRGINIA: Particularly, I think I saw a Tiana Spirit Jersey that I'm sort of interested in.

00:27:03.311 --> 00:27:03.951
KELLY: Oh.

00:27:03.951 --> 00:27:07.271
KELLY: Well, by sort of interested in, you mean you'll probably buy it.

00:27:07.271 --> 00:27:09.151
VIRGINIA: I mean, very interested in it.

00:27:09.151 --> 00:27:15.571
VIRGINIA: But I also, I don't wear my Spirit Jerseys when I'm there, because it's always too hot.

00:27:15.571 --> 00:27:21.151
VIRGINIA: So I end up wearing them around the house or around the neighborhood on the weekends.

00:27:21.151 --> 00:27:22.731
VIRGINIA: And yeah.

00:27:22.731 --> 00:27:25.051
VIRGINIA: So it's always a debate.

00:27:25.051 --> 00:27:28.571
KELLY: I should also say about this time, I did a costume change.

00:27:28.571 --> 00:27:35.351
KELLY: I came and it was really hot out, so I was just wearing a light t-shirt and it was not Halloween festive at all.

00:27:35.351 --> 00:27:40.251
KELLY: And after we rode Tiana, I switched shirts and put on my villain jerseys.

00:27:40.251 --> 00:27:43.271
KELLY: So at least I had a little bit of the Halloween Spirit.

00:27:43.271 --> 00:27:43.711
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:27:43.711 --> 00:27:49.711
VIRGINIA: Was anyone in your group wearing anything costumey because we had said probably not.

00:27:49.711 --> 00:27:56.871
KELLY: No, I think people, a lot like Pat had on a shirt that had kind of nods to kind of villains and Halloween.

00:27:58.091 --> 00:28:02.191
KELLY: But I think we really decided not to do costumes.

00:28:02.191 --> 00:28:04.531
KELLY: And it was so hot.

00:28:04.531 --> 00:28:07.051
KELLY: I think maybe we made the right decision.

00:28:07.051 --> 00:28:12.971
KELLY: And there were people that were wearing costumes that looked so hot.

00:28:12.971 --> 00:28:19.171
KELLY: Like there was this guy and kind of like a full fledge top to bottom like zip up like Halloween costume.

00:28:19.171 --> 00:28:21.211
KELLY: I was like, he looks very hot.

00:28:21.211 --> 00:28:23.271
VIRGINIA: That just sounds miserable to me.

00:28:23.271 --> 00:28:23.811
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:28:24.051 --> 00:28:27.111
KELLY: But on the flip side, we'll say people are so creative.

00:28:27.111 --> 00:28:35.111
KELLY: And I think it adds to the magic to be walking around and seeing families and groups and costume.

00:28:35.111 --> 00:28:37.111
KELLY: We saw some really neat things.

00:28:37.111 --> 00:28:39.851
VIRGINIA: What about the characters that you saw during the party?

00:28:39.851 --> 00:28:43.291
VIRGINIA: Did you get a chance to see any of the unique offerings?

00:28:43.291 --> 00:28:47.271
KELLY: So Esme went and saw Jafar.

00:28:48.911 --> 00:28:51.991
KELLY: And who else did she see?

00:28:51.991 --> 00:28:53.671
KELLY: Somebody over in that area.

00:28:55.311 --> 00:28:56.331
KELLY: So we did that.

00:28:56.331 --> 00:29:05.231
KELLY: And then I thought what was probably the highlight for me is we got to stand outside and see the cadaver dance perform.

00:29:05.231 --> 00:29:09.611
KELLY: And then after they left, the hitchhiking ghosts came out.

00:29:09.611 --> 00:29:10.711
KELLY: Oh, cool.

00:29:11.131 --> 00:29:16.751
KELLY: And they just all do such a great job interacting with the crowd.

00:29:16.751 --> 00:29:24.391
KELLY: So it's like, not only are you getting to see them perform in these costumes, but they really kind of go back and forth with the audience.

00:29:24.391 --> 00:29:28.311
KELLY: And Esme has this ability to kind of lift one eyebrow.

00:29:28.311 --> 00:29:33.291
KELLY: So she was doing that to the hitchhiking ghost, and then he was doing it back to her.

00:29:33.291 --> 00:29:37.671
KELLY: And it was and she was just thought that was the coolest thing ever.

00:29:37.711 --> 00:29:42.391
VIRGINIA: Oh, you also said that Esme is a huge Hocus Pocus fan.

00:29:42.391 --> 00:29:45.991
VIRGINIA: So did you get to watch the stage show?

00:29:45.991 --> 00:29:46.391
KELLY: Yeah.

00:29:46.391 --> 00:30:03.631
KELLY: So after we kind of did that, we went over towards Main Street, and we ended up finding a place on the curb that was kind of like where the circle meets Main Street, like sort of diagonal from where Casey's corner is.

00:30:04.351 --> 00:30:09.671
KELLY: So Julie and I kind of sat there and grabbed a spot.

00:30:09.671 --> 00:30:12.651
KELLY: And then we kind of camped out there the whole time.

00:30:12.651 --> 00:30:17.731
KELLY: But Colby took Esme down for Hocus Pocus and got closer to the stage.

00:30:17.731 --> 00:30:23.991
KELLY: So I kind of listened from afar, but they went and watched the stage show and really enjoyed it.

00:30:24.131 --> 00:30:27.591
VIRGINIA: Oh, what else did you get into at this party?

00:30:27.831 --> 00:30:32.091
VIRGINIA: I think you had dance party plans, haunted mansion plans.

00:30:32.131 --> 00:30:34.251
KELLY: Yeah, so we did haunted mansion.

00:30:34.251 --> 00:30:44.591
KELLY: And I would say, you know, for anyone going to the party, if you're trying to figure out what attractions to do, I think haunted mansion is just classic and fits with the overall Halloween theme.

00:30:45.471 --> 00:30:50.171
KELLY: I did it once, and then Pat and Connor did it a second time.

00:30:50.171 --> 00:30:57.611
KELLY: And when they did it, the second time they went through the lines, there were, I don't know, is she like an opera ghost?

00:30:57.611 --> 00:31:01.951
KELLY: Is that one of the ghosts was out there kind of interacting with the line.

00:31:01.951 --> 00:31:05.531
KELLY: So I didn't see that, but Pat and Connor thought that was pretty awesome.

00:31:05.531 --> 00:31:12.971
VIRGINIA: That's the thing that I always see on social media that I think looks like so much fun are the characters just kind of in line as you go past.

00:31:13.771 --> 00:31:16.731
KELLY: Yeah, so they had an opportunity to do that.

00:31:16.991 --> 00:31:23.831
KELLY: And Haunted Mansion is Connor's all time favorite attraction no matter what.

00:31:23.831 --> 00:31:25.171
KELLY: So he did that twice.

00:31:25.171 --> 00:31:34.731
KELLY: And then we also popped over to the first time we went on after we popped over to that little gift store, that Haunted Mansion theme.

00:31:34.731 --> 00:31:36.371
VIRGINIA: Memento Mori.

00:31:36.371 --> 00:31:36.691
KELLY: Yeah.

00:31:36.691 --> 00:31:39.811
KELLY: Have you ever gone and knocked on the painting?

00:31:39.811 --> 00:31:39.951
VIRGINIA: No.

00:31:41.091 --> 00:31:49.431
KELLY: So you go in, and to the left, there's a painting, and you can knock on it, and it knocks back at you.

00:31:49.431 --> 00:31:50.191
VIRGINIA: Really?

00:31:50.191 --> 00:31:50.591
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:31:50.591 --> 00:31:51.251
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:31:51.251 --> 00:32:02.551
KELLY: So we went in, and I have this little video of the kids knocking on the wall, and then when they knocked back, as they face was like, what just happened?

00:32:02.551 --> 00:32:03.131
KELLY: So.

00:32:03.131 --> 00:32:04.311
VIRGINIA: That's cute.

00:32:04.311 --> 00:32:04.531
KELLY: Yeah.

00:32:04.531 --> 00:32:05.811
KELLY: So we did that.

00:32:05.811 --> 00:32:15.291
KELLY: And then just on the Haunted Mansion theme, Connor really wanted the Madame Liotta Stéance Candle dessert, and he really enjoyed that.

00:32:15.291 --> 00:32:17.371
KELLY: It was like a red velvet.

00:32:17.531 --> 00:32:23.371
KELLY: I'm not sure if he enjoyed the dessert as much as he enjoys the theme of the dessert, but in general, he said it was a thumbs up.

00:32:23.371 --> 00:32:24.671
VIRGINIA: Good.

00:32:24.671 --> 00:32:27.971
VIRGINIA: What time did you end up staying to for the party?

00:32:27.971 --> 00:32:30.231
VIRGINIA: Because does it go till midnight?

00:32:30.231 --> 00:32:30.951
VIRGINIA: Is that right?

00:32:30.951 --> 00:32:32.771
KELLY: Yeah, we stayed pretty much till midnight.

00:32:33.231 --> 00:32:44.511
KELLY: So once we got out to do the shows, the spectacular, the not-so-spooky spectacular, which is the fireworks, I think that was the highlight for me.

00:32:45.011 --> 00:33:00.251
KELLY: I love Magic Kingdom Fireworks anyway, but I just think the music, the castle projections, the fireworks, and in general, the fireworks seem to have a wider span than they normally do.

00:33:00.251 --> 00:33:02.551
KELLY: So it was such a beautiful visual.

00:33:03.591 --> 00:33:11.151
KELLY: So I think that for me was definitely my top thing from the party, is I loved the fireworks.

00:33:11.151 --> 00:33:17.051
KELLY: Then after that was the stage show, so they snuck up to do that.

00:33:17.271 --> 00:33:22.531
KELLY: Then the parade was amazing too.

00:33:22.791 --> 00:33:29.611
KELLY: We had great spot for the parade because they were coming around the corner from the circle, and we were right there.

00:33:30.651 --> 00:33:34.971
VIRGINIA: Did you end up doing any trick or cheating, or did you ignore that?

00:33:34.971 --> 00:33:36.451
KELLY: So yeah, they did.

00:33:36.951 --> 00:33:53.191
KELLY: I think that I got the original bag with candy in it, and then I joked with the kids that, because I was a little slower than everyone that night, I was like, make sure I don't get lost, and then you can have all my candy, and they gave me a hard time because I didn't really get any more candy.

00:33:53.191 --> 00:33:58.471
KELLY: But the kids definitely went through a couple of the lines, but definitely not all of them.

00:33:58.611 --> 00:34:02.231
KELLY: I just don't think that was the priority for us.

00:34:02.231 --> 00:34:09.111
KELLY: At their age, they definitely wanted some candy, but they didn't feel the need to go through every line, especially the lines that were longer.

00:34:09.111 --> 00:34:09.311
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:34:09.311 --> 00:34:15.831
VIRGINIA: My impression is even without going through a bunch of the lines, you get a good amount of candy.

00:34:15.831 --> 00:34:16.311
KELLY: You do.

00:34:16.491 --> 00:34:21.871
KELLY: They just scoop it in, and so there's plenty of candy to be had.

00:34:21.871 --> 00:34:23.131
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:34:23.131 --> 00:34:23.851
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:34:23.851 --> 00:34:27.491
VIRGINIA: Anything else for that day or are we good to move into Saturday?

00:34:28.731 --> 00:34:28.891
KELLY: Yeah.

00:34:28.891 --> 00:34:33.711
KELLY: I think we tried a handful of the snacks that were out there.

00:34:33.711 --> 00:34:37.931
KELLY: We had the flatbread that was over at Pecosville.

00:34:37.931 --> 00:34:44.611
KELLY: Casey's Corner had these fries with pork and corn and all kinds of it.

00:34:44.611 --> 00:34:46.171
KELLY: That was pretty delicious too.

00:34:46.891 --> 00:34:51.871
KELLY: But overall, yeah, we really enjoyed the shows, the entertainment.

00:34:52.091 --> 00:34:53.471
KELLY: It's just an overall vibe.

00:34:54.731 --> 00:34:55.771
KELLY: It's a fun thing to do.

00:34:56.591 --> 00:34:56.991
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:34:56.991 --> 00:34:57.591
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:34:57.591 --> 00:35:00.591
VIRGINIA: To me, that's what Disney is all about, is the vibes.

00:35:00.591 --> 00:35:00.991
KELLY: Yeah.

00:35:00.991 --> 00:35:02.251
VIRGINIA: Hands down.

00:35:02.251 --> 00:35:02.871
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:35:02.871 --> 00:35:10.631
VIRGINIA: Saturday, September 28th, this was your big park day with multi-pass and it was also Julie's birthday.

00:35:10.631 --> 00:35:12.531
VIRGINIA: So shout out to Julie.

00:35:12.531 --> 00:35:13.511
VIRGINIA: Happy birthday, Julie.

00:35:13.511 --> 00:35:19.931
KELLY: Happy birthday, Julie, and thanks for being a good sport with our matching t-shirts.

00:35:19.931 --> 00:35:20.371
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:35:20.371 --> 00:35:23.611
VIRGINIA: You were going to wear birthday girl shirts, right?

00:35:23.811 --> 00:35:24.271
KELLY: Yes.

00:35:24.271 --> 00:35:29.591
KELLY: So we all had birthday squad and then hers said, my birthday.

00:35:29.591 --> 00:35:31.651
KELLY: So that was a lot of fun.

00:35:32.731 --> 00:35:33.091
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:35:33.091 --> 00:35:45.531
VIRGINIA: So starting your day in Animal Kingdom with three Lightning Lane multi-pass options, you had chosen Safari, Everest, and Dinosaur, presumably for the last time, for real this time.

00:35:45.531 --> 00:35:47.971
KELLY: For real this time, at least I think.

00:35:49.451 --> 00:35:49.831
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:35:49.831 --> 00:35:51.391
VIRGINIA: How was your Animal Kingdom time?

00:35:52.251 --> 00:35:52.471
KELLY: Yeah.

00:35:52.471 --> 00:36:03.931
KELLY: So I'm sure this does not surprise you, but after getting back to the hotel around one in the morning, we did not make it for opening at Animal Kingdom.

00:36:03.931 --> 00:36:05.071
KELLY: We were close.

00:36:05.071 --> 00:36:08.571
KELLY: We were there about an hour after it opened.

00:36:08.571 --> 00:36:14.811
VIRGINIA: I forgot to ask you, for the party, did you drive there or did you rely on Disney transportation?

00:36:14.811 --> 00:36:17.671
KELLY: We ended up relying on Disney transportation.

00:36:17.671 --> 00:36:18.271
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:36:18.271 --> 00:36:18.551
KELLY: All right.

00:36:18.611 --> 00:36:21.891
KELLY: But this day on the Saturday, we drove.

00:36:21.891 --> 00:36:22.331
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:36:22.331 --> 00:36:32.691
VIRGINIA: Because I was thinking when you said you got back at 1 a.m., I was wondering, is that in your own vehicle or that's what time you made it back using the Disney transportation?

00:36:32.691 --> 00:36:36.431
VIRGINIA: So that's not actually so bad using Disney transportation for-

00:36:36.431 --> 00:36:38.111
KELLY: No, not at all.

00:36:39.431 --> 00:36:50.491
KELLY: And Connor and Julie actually, so going back to their four parks in one day, at the fireworks, Connor was like, yeah, I'm done.

00:36:50.871 --> 00:36:55.211
KELLY: And so they actually left after the fireworks.

00:36:55.211 --> 00:36:58.091
KELLY: So Connor was just exhausted.

00:36:58.091 --> 00:37:01.611
KELLY: So and then the rest of us stayed until about midnight.

00:37:01.611 --> 00:37:06.871
KELLY: And yeah, it wasn't that hard to get, I think we got the second bus out to San Jose in the spring.

00:37:06.871 --> 00:37:13.411
KELLY: As we were arriving, the bus was filling up, it left, and then the next one came within like five minutes.

00:37:13.411 --> 00:37:15.611
KELLY: So it wasn't bad at all.

00:37:15.611 --> 00:37:16.051
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:37:16.051 --> 00:37:20.131
VIRGINIA: So driving your own car to Animal Kingdom the next day, which is always nice.

00:37:20.131 --> 00:37:20.471
KELLY: Yeah.

00:37:20.471 --> 00:37:25.691
KELLY: So we got to park, then we jumped on the tram and that was as easy as can be.

00:37:25.691 --> 00:37:29.611
KELLY: So we headed over to Animal Kingdom.

00:37:29.611 --> 00:37:40.091
KELLY: Kind of like, I'm used to rope dropping, when everybody is kind of queued up and you get there after rope dropping, you pretty much walk right in, which is what we did.

00:37:41.371 --> 00:37:46.371
KELLY: Our first order of business really ended up being dinosaur.

00:37:46.371 --> 00:38:06.871
KELLY: So we went right through, we didn't even stop for the Tree of Life picture, which I was a little kind of, I always feel like you need the Tree of Life picture, but we went right through, headed over to Dinosaur and yeah, presumably took our last ride on Dinosaur.

00:38:06.871 --> 00:38:10.291
KELLY: So that's not our dino, right?

00:38:10.291 --> 00:38:11.051
VIRGINIA: Not anymore.

00:38:11.051 --> 00:38:12.151
VIRGINIA: It's not.

00:38:12.151 --> 00:38:14.711
KELLY: It's not our dino anymore.

00:38:14.851 --> 00:38:16.331
KELLY: And I love Dinosaur.

00:38:16.331 --> 00:38:20.631
KELLY: Again, I always am interested in the re-theming that are coming.

00:38:20.631 --> 00:38:26.011
KELLY: And I'm always excited for change, but Dinosaur is a great one.

00:38:26.971 --> 00:38:29.931
KELLY: And so we have that last picture of us all.

00:38:33.351 --> 00:38:34.151
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:38:34.151 --> 00:38:36.691
VIRGINIA: What else did you get into at Animal Kingdom?

00:38:36.691 --> 00:38:36.991
KELLY: Yeah.

00:38:36.991 --> 00:38:42.251
KELLY: So after that, Julie's favorite character is Daisy.

00:38:42.251 --> 00:38:47.491
KELLY: And on the birthday squad shirts, we all had a character and Julie's was Daisy.

00:38:47.491 --> 00:38:51.611
KELLY: And Daisy was there doing meet and greets.

00:38:51.611 --> 00:38:53.691
KELLY: So we got in line with Daisy.

00:38:54.731 --> 00:38:57.091
KELLY: So Julie could get her birthday picture with Daisy.

00:38:57.431 --> 00:39:00.071
KELLY: And then we got a group picture with Daisy.

00:39:00.071 --> 00:39:03.171
KELLY: And then Chippendale were around as well.

00:39:03.171 --> 00:39:06.291
KELLY: So I let them get in line for Chippendale.

00:39:06.291 --> 00:39:07.631
KELLY: And I did a coffee run.

00:39:07.631 --> 00:39:11.011
KELLY: So I went to Joffrey's for the adults and got coffee.

00:39:11.011 --> 00:39:14.611
KELLY: And then after Chippendale, they met me and I had the caffeine.

00:39:15.591 --> 00:39:16.311
VIRGINIA: Question.

00:39:16.311 --> 00:39:19.131
VIRGINIA: Buying coffee for four adults.

00:39:19.131 --> 00:39:22.751
VIRGINIA: Do they offer carrying trays if you need one?

00:39:22.751 --> 00:39:27.291
KELLY: So, you know, I was wondering that as well as I was standing there in line and yes, they do.

00:39:27.291 --> 00:39:28.971
KELLY: They have carrying trays.

00:39:29.271 --> 00:39:31.371
KELLY: But I did kind of make them come to me.

00:39:31.371 --> 00:39:33.951
KELLY: I was like, I'm not walking to you all with this coffee.

00:39:34.571 --> 00:39:36.311
KELLY: So they came around, Good for you.

00:39:37.351 --> 00:39:43.811
KELLY: I dispersed the coffee and then we made it over to Kilimanjaro Safari.

00:39:43.811 --> 00:39:46.071
VIRGINIA: How was the Safari this day?

00:39:46.071 --> 00:39:48.451
KELLY: Yeah, it was good.

00:39:48.451 --> 00:39:53.451
KELLY: The Quinn definitely said it was the Safari where they've seen the most animals so far.

00:39:53.451 --> 00:39:55.351
KELLY: So they were pretty excited about it.

00:39:55.351 --> 00:39:59.151
KELLY: I would say for us, we usually go early in the morning.

00:39:59.151 --> 00:40:03.451
KELLY: So I would say, I don't know, it seems kind of typical for us.

00:40:04.331 --> 00:40:07.231
KELLY: But we saw the lions, which is always great.

00:40:07.231 --> 00:40:11.151
KELLY: And we saw elephants and giraffes.

00:40:11.151 --> 00:40:15.031
KELLY: And I would say nothing came up really close to us.

00:40:15.031 --> 00:40:18.131
KELLY: But we saw a lot of different animals.

00:40:18.131 --> 00:40:27.971
KELLY: And I thought that our tour guide was probably better than, the tour guides are always great, but she was really good.

00:40:27.971 --> 00:40:32.331
KELLY: Like she had a lot of good information and she was funny.

00:40:33.091 --> 00:40:35.311
KELLY: And so we had a great tour guide.

00:40:35.311 --> 00:40:37.451
VIRGINIA: Did you head over to Everest after this?

00:40:37.451 --> 00:40:45.671
KELLY: So after this, the timing was that we needed to go over to Pandora for Flight of Passage.

00:40:45.671 --> 00:40:51.831
KELLY: So Pat, Colby, Esme and Connor did Flight of Passage.

00:40:51.831 --> 00:40:59.491
KELLY: And then Julie and I had a goal of going over to Nomad Lounge to see if we could get up on the walk up list.

00:40:59.491 --> 00:41:01.231
KELLY: And yes, it did not work out.

00:41:01.371 --> 00:41:04.511
KELLY: Like by the time we were, it was all right.

00:41:04.511 --> 00:41:09.391
KELLY: You know, again, going back to, I wasn't really participating in cocktails anyway.

00:41:09.391 --> 00:41:10.831
KELLY: So that didn't really work for us.

00:41:10.831 --> 00:41:18.551
KELLY: So what Julie and I did instead is we decided to have fun with the photo pass and we had our own series of photoshoots.

00:41:18.551 --> 00:41:19.631
VIRGINIA: Oh, that's cute.

00:41:19.631 --> 00:41:29.351
KELLY: So we went to probably five or six photo passes kind of around that Pandora area and we just, we flooded the photo, the photo app.

00:41:29.631 --> 00:41:31.691
KELLY: So we had fun doing that.

00:41:31.691 --> 00:41:32.231
VIRGINIA: Cute.

00:41:32.231 --> 00:41:33.811
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:41:33.811 --> 00:41:38.131
VIRGINIA: What time did you end up leaving Animal Kingdom to do your hopping?

00:41:38.131 --> 00:41:38.571
KELLY: So let's see.

00:41:38.571 --> 00:41:40.571
KELLY: This is probably about noon.

00:41:40.591 --> 00:41:43.731
KELLY: And then we ate at Satuli.

00:41:43.731 --> 00:41:44.711
KELLY: Am I pronouncing that?

00:41:45.051 --> 00:41:46.731
VIRGINIA: Yeah, Satuli Canteen.

00:41:46.731 --> 00:41:47.631
KELLY: Satuli Canteen.

00:41:47.631 --> 00:41:49.551
KELLY: So that was the first time I'd ever eaten there.

00:41:49.591 --> 00:41:49.931
VIRGINIA: Oh, really?

00:41:49.931 --> 00:41:50.031
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:41:50.031 --> 00:41:52.971
KELLY: So we decided to eat there instead.

00:41:52.971 --> 00:41:54.391
KELLY: And I loved it there.

00:41:54.391 --> 00:41:58.811
KELLY: I had one of the bowls, so I had like chicken noodles and I don't know.

00:41:59.231 --> 00:42:01.391
KELLY: They have several different sauces you can pick from.

00:42:01.391 --> 00:42:02.611
KELLY: I thought it was delicious.

00:42:02.611 --> 00:42:08.691
KELLY: Connor had the cheeseburger pods, and Esme had some kind of like hot dog.

00:42:08.691 --> 00:42:09.891
KELLY: Esme is a picky eater.

00:42:09.891 --> 00:42:12.271
KELLY: So, but yes, we ate there.

00:42:12.271 --> 00:42:17.851
KELLY: And then after that, the goal was to go on to Everest, but it started raining.

00:42:17.851 --> 00:42:29.091
KELLY: And so we kind of just all looked at each other and said, do we want to try for Everest or do we just want to use this time to kind of do our transport over to EPCOT?

00:42:29.091 --> 00:42:32.411
KELLY: And we decided to just go over to EPCOT.

00:42:32.411 --> 00:42:33.371
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:42:33.371 --> 00:42:38.231
VIRGINIA: So because you had your own car, you were driving over to EPCOT.

00:42:38.231 --> 00:42:40.311
VIRGINIA: So that made things a little bit easier.

00:42:40.311 --> 00:42:43.411
VIRGINIA: You had kind of talked about maybe having a midday break.

00:42:43.411 --> 00:42:45.951
VIRGINIA: You didn't make any stops in between.

00:42:45.951 --> 00:42:50.691
KELLY: So we didn't, but we actually kind of shook up the transportation a little bit.

00:42:50.691 --> 00:42:53.511
KELLY: So we were thinking about our day at EPCOT.

00:42:53.631 --> 00:43:00.431
KELLY: And I think one of the things that we realized is we were going to end the day at EPCOT in the World Showcase.

00:43:00.431 --> 00:43:03.851
KELLY: So what we decided to do instead is we drove to Hollywood Studios.

00:43:03.851 --> 00:43:07.651
KELLY: We parked there and then we jumped on the Skyliner.

00:43:07.651 --> 00:43:15.711
KELLY: And then we kind of came in through the International Gateway so we could so we could leave that way as well.

00:43:15.991 --> 00:43:26.551
KELLY: And so that actually worked out nicely because, you know, there was a little bit, it was still sprinkling a little bit when we parked at Hollywood and kind of had to get over to the Skyliner.

00:43:26.551 --> 00:43:30.511
KELLY: But then while we were on the Skyliner, sky is kind of cleared up a little bit.

00:43:30.511 --> 00:43:36.771
KELLY: And by the time we got to EPCOT, it stopped raining, which was awesome.

00:43:36.771 --> 00:43:39.971
VIRGINIA: What about at the end of the night?

00:43:39.971 --> 00:43:46.091
VIRGINIA: So did you need to presumably take the Skyliner back to Hollywood Studios to be able to get your car?

00:43:46.451 --> 00:43:47.451
KELLY: Yeah, so that's what we did.

00:43:47.451 --> 00:43:52.131
KELLY: And we ended up leaving maybe like 45 minutes before the park closed.

00:43:52.131 --> 00:43:55.271
KELLY: So then we avoided the crazy Skyliner.

00:43:55.651 --> 00:44:02.451
KELLY: So we pretty much walked right on the Skyliner at the end of the night and got our car in Hollywood and went back.

00:44:02.451 --> 00:44:12.191
KELLY: So I'm just one of those people that when I'm at EPCOT, there's nothing worse than the walk from like the back of the World Showcase all the way to the front of the park.

00:44:13.831 --> 00:44:15.951
KELLY: So that's what we were kind of trying to avoid.

00:44:15.971 --> 00:44:17.991
KELLY: And the Skyliner is just fun.

00:44:17.991 --> 00:44:20.431
KELLY: So it was a way to ride the Skyliner too.

00:44:20.431 --> 00:44:22.691
VIRGINIA: It's an attraction unto itself.

00:44:22.691 --> 00:44:23.931
KELLY: I agree.

00:44:23.931 --> 00:44:24.251
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:44:24.251 --> 00:44:26.091
VIRGINIA: Let's talk about your EPCOT time.

00:44:26.091 --> 00:44:29.171
VIRGINIA: It is currently Food and Wine Festival.

00:44:29.171 --> 00:44:35.031
VIRGINIA: So did you feel like you got to take advantage of the offerings of that festival?

00:44:35.031 --> 00:44:39.031
VIRGINIA: Or were you still not feeling great at this point?

00:44:39.031 --> 00:44:40.491
KELLY: I was still not feeling great.

00:44:40.691 --> 00:44:46.991
KELLY: So I would say I didn't partake as much as the other folks did.

00:44:47.151 --> 00:44:52.111
KELLY: And honestly, the whole time I was sick, this was the day that I felt the most disappointed, right?

00:44:52.111 --> 00:44:56.931
KELLY: Because EPCOT is one of my favorite parks, and I was really excited for food and wine.

00:44:56.931 --> 00:44:59.711
KELLY: And when you're just not feeling good, you're not hungry.

00:45:01.311 --> 00:45:12.771
KELLY: And so for me, it ended up being some moments of fun, but mostly I was feeling pretty bummed that day.

00:45:12.771 --> 00:45:17.511
KELLY: But I'll talk more from the experience of the other people in our group, because I think we had a lot of fun.

00:45:18.851 --> 00:45:27.231
KELLY: So first of all, we decided to go into one of the souvenir stores and do the Remy scavenger hunt.

00:45:27.231 --> 00:45:35.111
KELLY: So you can do this little scavenger hunt where you can find Remy at all the different food areas, and then at the end, you get a little bowl.

00:45:37.851 --> 00:45:44.491
KELLY: Obviously, you pay for your scavenger hunt map, and then at the end, really you're paying for the bowl.

00:45:44.491 --> 00:45:44.751
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:45:44.951 --> 00:45:46.891
KELLY: That you get at the end anyway.

00:45:46.891 --> 00:45:50.711
VIRGINIA: If you don't finish the scavenger hunt, you can still get your bowl.

00:45:50.711 --> 00:45:51.251
KELLY: Yeah.

00:45:51.251 --> 00:45:55.831
KELLY: As a matter of fact, the two women in front of me collect them.

00:45:55.831 --> 00:46:02.671
KELLY: They basically purchased their maps, didn't want to open their maps, and just got the bowl all in one.

00:46:03.131 --> 00:46:05.191
KELLY: So you can really do it anyway you want.

00:46:05.191 --> 00:46:21.851
KELLY: So we came out of the International Gateway, and we decided that what we were going to do is hit England and Canada and go that way and look for Remy, and see if there was anything we wanted to partake in.

00:46:21.851 --> 00:46:32.051
KELLY: And mostly we made our way to the front of the park because we did have a couple of attractions we were going to do before we jumped full fledged into the food and wine fest.

00:46:32.051 --> 00:46:32.931
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:46:32.931 --> 00:46:36.471
VIRGINIA: Was one of those attractions Cosmic Rewind?

00:46:36.471 --> 00:46:37.111
KELLY: It was.

00:46:37.111 --> 00:46:41.231
KELLY: And I will tell you that I almost thought about like, wow, I feel so terrible.

00:46:41.231 --> 00:46:44.771
KELLY: Do I really want to go on this spinny ride?

00:46:44.771 --> 00:46:48.771
KELLY: And the answer was yes, I do because I love Cosmic Rewind.

00:46:48.771 --> 00:46:50.531
VIRGINIA: I thought that might be the answer.

00:46:50.531 --> 00:46:50.791
KELLY: Yeah.

00:46:50.791 --> 00:46:52.251
KELLY: So that was definitely the answer.

00:46:52.431 --> 00:46:55.851
KELLY: And I'm glad that I went on it because that was definitely one of the highlights.

00:46:56.011 --> 00:46:59.871
KELLY: So in terms of attractions, we did Cosmic Rewind.

00:46:59.871 --> 00:47:01.791
VIRGINIA: What song did you get?

00:47:01.791 --> 00:47:07.811
KELLY: Oh, we got Everybody Wants To Rule The World, which we had not gotten yet.

00:47:07.811 --> 00:47:10.491
KELLY: So we were actually talking about this in my family.

00:47:10.491 --> 00:47:14.691
KELLY: We've now done it three times and had three different songs.

00:47:14.691 --> 00:47:16.211
VIRGINIA: Oh, that's very lucky.

00:47:16.211 --> 00:47:16.731
KELLY: Pretty neat.

00:47:16.731 --> 00:47:23.091
KELLY: So the very first one we had was Gloria, Stefan, a little Ponga.

00:47:23.091 --> 00:47:26.671
KELLY: Then we had Iran.

00:47:26.671 --> 00:47:29.431
KELLY: Oh no, we've done it four times now.

00:47:29.431 --> 00:47:33.771
KELLY: We had Iran and then we had Blondie.

00:47:33.791 --> 00:47:34.971
VIRGINIA: One way or another.

00:47:34.991 --> 00:47:36.431
KELLY: One way or another.

00:47:36.431 --> 00:47:38.831
KELLY: Now we've had Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

00:47:38.831 --> 00:47:40.351
KELLY: So we're missing what?

00:47:40.351 --> 00:47:42.811
KELLY: September and Disco Inferno.

00:47:44.771 --> 00:47:46.191
KELLY: Four times, four different songs.

00:47:46.471 --> 00:47:48.171
KELLY: We're feeling pretty lucky about that.

00:47:48.171 --> 00:47:55.431
VIRGINIA: Yeah, that's really lucky because I hear all the time about people getting the same song and not being able to finish out their set.

00:47:55.431 --> 00:47:57.271
VIRGINIA: So you're well on your way.

00:47:57.271 --> 00:47:57.531
KELLY: Yeah.

00:47:57.531 --> 00:47:58.451
KELLY: So we're working on it.

00:47:59.711 --> 00:48:01.771
KELLY: So we did Cosmic Rewind.

00:48:01.771 --> 00:48:04.731
KELLY: I'm a little out of order on the attractions here, but I think that's okay.

00:48:04.731 --> 00:48:06.071
KELLY: So we did Cosmic Rewind.

00:48:06.071 --> 00:48:08.131
KELLY: We did Soarin.

00:48:08.131 --> 00:48:13.931
KELLY: And we got the perfect seats in Soarin, where you're in the middle and you're kind of second row in.

00:48:13.931 --> 00:48:17.171
KELLY: So you get the good screen view.

00:48:18.691 --> 00:48:19.591
KELLY: So we did Soarin.

00:48:19.931 --> 00:48:24.391
KELLY: We did Journey to Imagination, because the Quins had never done it.

00:48:24.391 --> 00:48:28.611
KELLY: And all of their Disney goings, they had never done.

00:48:28.611 --> 00:48:29.291
KELLY: Exactly.

00:48:29.291 --> 00:48:30.891
KELLY: It's a classic.

00:48:30.891 --> 00:48:33.831
KELLY: So we took them on that.

00:48:33.831 --> 00:48:34.951
VIRGINIA: What did they think about it?

00:48:34.951 --> 00:48:39.091
VIRGINIA: Because I know people have mixed feelings about Figment.

00:48:39.091 --> 00:48:39.411
KELLY: Yeah.

00:48:39.411 --> 00:48:41.931
KELLY: I mean, I think that they're Figment fans.

00:48:41.931 --> 00:48:48.271
KELLY: I mean, I think most of, I mean, you know, I love Figment, but that attraction needs some love, I think.

00:48:48.831 --> 00:48:53.831
KELLY: You know, it's probably time for some kind of re-do there, and I think they probably felt the same way.

00:48:53.831 --> 00:48:58.611
KELLY: Like it was kind of good to go through it once, but it's not going to be their all-star attraction.

00:48:58.611 --> 00:48:59.111
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:48:59.111 --> 00:48:59.991
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:48:59.991 --> 00:49:00.771
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:49:00.771 --> 00:49:09.351
VIRGINIA: Well, and if you ever go back with the Quinns, once their DVC is finished, perhaps they will take you up into the DVC lounge in the Imagination Pavilion.

00:49:09.351 --> 00:49:09.651
KELLY: I know.

00:49:09.651 --> 00:49:10.751
KELLY: Wouldn't that be pretty neat?

00:49:11.751 --> 00:49:13.091
KELLY: So we'll have to do that.

00:49:13.091 --> 00:49:14.231
VIRGINIA: It needs bathrooms.

00:49:14.231 --> 00:49:17.931
VIRGINIA: But other than that, it's nice to have a place to sit down and relax for a little bit.

00:49:18.671 --> 00:49:22.771
VIRGINIA: I think they do the no-bathroom thing on purpose, though, so that people won't sit there forever.

00:49:22.771 --> 00:49:24.691
KELLY: That's probably true.

00:49:24.691 --> 00:49:26.991
KELLY: I mean, everything with Disney is strategic, right?

00:49:26.991 --> 00:49:28.091
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:49:28.091 --> 00:49:38.871
KELLY: So we did that, and then we headed over to one of the food and wine pavilions, and we were also looking for Remy.

00:49:38.871 --> 00:49:44.031
KELLY: But there's Mickey and Friends character meet and greet.

00:49:44.371 --> 00:49:44.471
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:49:44.471 --> 00:49:45.671
KELLY: Over in that corner.

00:49:45.671 --> 00:49:46.951
KELLY: It's a newer one, right?

00:49:46.951 --> 00:49:47.651
KELLY: It's a newer meeting.

00:49:47.651 --> 00:49:51.091
VIRGINIA: In the center, with where you meet all three?

00:49:51.091 --> 00:49:51.711
KELLY: Yes.

00:49:51.851 --> 00:49:52.411
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:49:52.431 --> 00:49:53.571
KELLY: I love that.

00:49:53.571 --> 00:49:56.291
KELLY: There was absolutely no line.

00:49:56.291 --> 00:50:00.991
KELLY: I will say that what we learned about the quins is they're not as into the photos as we are.

00:50:00.991 --> 00:50:06.711
KELLY: We're like, there's a character, let's get a picture with the character, and they're like, yeah.

00:50:06.711 --> 00:50:18.891
KELLY: But we did go through that one, and I think Julie had a fun interaction with Minnie, or I guess we all did, because we all got to pick our characters on our shirts, but none of us had Minnie.

00:50:18.891 --> 00:50:24.971
KELLY: So Minnie lined us all up, and she was looking at all our shirts, and she was like, where am I?

00:50:25.371 --> 00:50:27.991
KELLY: I'm not on these shirts.

00:50:27.991 --> 00:50:30.711
KELLY: We were like, oops, sorry Minnie, not this time.

00:50:30.711 --> 00:50:36.031
VIRGINIA: Well, I never asked you which characters were on each of your shirts.

00:50:36.031 --> 00:50:36.411
KELLY: Okay.

00:50:36.411 --> 00:50:39.191
KELLY: So Pat had Maleficent.

00:50:39.191 --> 00:50:42.891
KELLY: I did the Evil Queen because I was feeling the Halloween vibes.

00:50:42.891 --> 00:50:43.371
VIRGINIA: Nice.

00:50:43.371 --> 00:50:45.331
KELLY: Colby had Stumper.

00:50:45.351 --> 00:50:50.691
KELLY: And not on purpose, Esme and Connor had Chip and Dale.

00:50:50.691 --> 00:50:54.691
VIRGINIA: Oh, wait, they each had Chip and Dale, or one of them had Chip and one had Dale?

00:50:54.691 --> 00:51:02.171
KELLY: I think Esme had Chip and Connor had Dale, or maybe I have that mixed up, but that's how they picked.

00:51:02.171 --> 00:51:02.471
KELLY: Yeah.

00:51:02.471 --> 00:51:10.871
KELLY: So it was cute, except I think most of the time people assumed they were siblings, I think, because they had their matching Chip and Dale, but all good.

00:51:12.711 --> 00:51:13.671
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:51:13.671 --> 00:51:15.451
VIRGINIA: What else did you do after that?

00:51:15.451 --> 00:51:20.891
VIRGINIA: I know you had Mission Space Orange on Esme's list.

00:51:20.891 --> 00:51:22.651
VIRGINIA: Did she end up doing it?

00:51:22.671 --> 00:51:35.051
KELLY: I absolutely did not do it, but Pat is a trooper, and he took Connor and Esme on Mission Space Orange, and they had a blast, and Esme was really excited about it.

00:51:36.311 --> 00:51:45.211
KELLY: Julie, Colby, and I, we went over to Wings and Brew, where they have the puppet-themed pavilion with the food.

00:51:45.331 --> 00:51:53.451
KELLY: We went over there, and I tried the dreaded Pickle Milk Shake, which I'm going to tell you, I am not a fan.

00:51:53.451 --> 00:51:57.191
VIRGINIA: That was very brave of you to try that while you weren't feeling well.

00:51:57.191 --> 00:51:59.711
KELLY: Well, no time like the present.

00:51:59.711 --> 00:52:10.991
KELLY: I had these two pictures of the nice, pretty Pickle Milk Shake, and then like how much I actually had of it, which is basically the whipped cream and two sips.

00:52:10.991 --> 00:52:17.311
KELLY: Then we tried the Pickle Spears, and we tried the Garlic Parmesan Wings.

00:52:17.611 --> 00:52:21.691
KELLY: We sat and had a snack while they did that.

00:52:21.691 --> 00:52:31.431
KELLY: Then when they got off Mission Space, Pat picked up one of the French Fries flight from one of the stands, and then we snacked on that as well.

00:52:31.431 --> 00:52:37.011
VIRGINIA: Did you do anything else in the front of the park, or was it time to make your way around the world?

00:52:37.011 --> 00:52:37.391
KELLY: Yeah.

00:52:37.391 --> 00:52:40.451
KELLY: At that point, it was definitely time.

00:52:40.451 --> 00:52:46.651
KELLY: I just remembered somewhere along the line, Julie, Colby, and I did Spaceship Earth.

00:52:47.671 --> 00:52:53.391
KELLY: I don't really remember the timing or who was where, but that's always a classic, and I enjoy that one.

00:52:53.591 --> 00:52:54.631
VIRGINIA: It is.

00:52:54.631 --> 00:52:57.971
VIRGINIA: I recently found out that's Charles' favorite attraction.

00:52:59.111 --> 00:52:59.491
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:53:00.051 --> 00:53:12.631
VIRGINIA: I did a little five-minute interview with him at the end of my reporting on our impromptu trip, and asked him what his favorite attraction was, and I was shocked to learn that it was Spaceship Earth.

00:53:12.631 --> 00:53:13.771
KELLY: It is a good one.

00:53:14.611 --> 00:53:25.831
KELLY: I enjoyed the story, and it's a good way to relax a little bit, and air conditioning as well, but in general, that's one of those attractions that has a lot of memories for me.

00:53:25.831 --> 00:53:27.611
KELLY: I remember being a kid.

00:53:28.651 --> 00:53:30.451
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:53:30.451 --> 00:53:31.571
VIRGINIA: Thank the Phoenicians.

00:53:31.571 --> 00:53:32.911
KELLY: Thank the Phoenicians.

00:53:34.091 --> 00:53:42.451
KELLY: At this point, then yes, the front of the park is done, and we started our way over in the Mexico area.

00:53:42.451 --> 00:53:48.611
KELLY: Actually, I guess they had an Australia thrown in there for fruit and wine, so we started there and made our way around.

00:53:49.111 --> 00:53:50.251
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:53:50.251 --> 00:53:54.511
VIRGINIA: What were some of the highlights for the food and wine booths?

00:53:54.511 --> 00:53:55.871
KELLY: Yeah.

00:53:55.871 --> 00:54:00.431
KELLY: Again, I didn't partake in many of these, but I'll tell you our group in general.

00:54:01.231 --> 00:54:08.251
KELLY: In Australia, there was a grilled shrimp that they got and that they all really liked.

00:54:08.251 --> 00:54:16.531
KELLY: Then moving over to Mexico, they did some spicy margaritas, and I just sat there looking sad.

00:54:17.051 --> 00:54:19.351
VIRGINIA: Whistfully staring at the margarita.

00:54:19.351 --> 00:54:21.451
KELLY: I was just like, where's my margarita?

00:54:23.471 --> 00:54:29.671
KELLY: They also did the tostada that had the shrimp on it as well, and they really liked that.

00:54:32.071 --> 00:54:43.791
KELLY: Then I think we walked through some countries looking for Remy, and they stopped at India again and got some samosas.

00:54:43.791 --> 00:54:45.691
KELLY: No, not samosas, samosas.

00:54:45.871 --> 00:54:46.691
KELLY: I do this all the time.

00:54:46.691 --> 00:54:47.851
KELLY: I mix it up with the Girl Scout cookies.

00:54:47.851 --> 00:54:49.351
VIRGINIA: They got Girl Scout cookies, yeah.

00:54:49.351 --> 00:54:51.671
KELLY: They did not get Girl Scout cookies.

00:54:51.671 --> 00:54:57.951
KELLY: If Julie is listening to this podcast, she's going to laugh at me because I did the same thing at the park, and Julie was like, Girl Scout cookies?

00:54:57.951 --> 00:54:59.171
KELLY: I was like, no, no, no.

00:54:59.171 --> 00:55:00.931
KELLY: But now it's in my head, right?

00:55:00.931 --> 00:55:03.191
KELLY: You know when you get something in your head and now you're going to?

00:55:03.191 --> 00:55:04.351
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:55:04.351 --> 00:55:11.511
KELLY: So samosas and some of the tiki masala, they had some of that and enjoyed that as well.

00:55:11.511 --> 00:55:12.831
KELLY: I'm trying to think.

00:55:13.451 --> 00:55:17.271
KELLY: This is where I will say that I started dating fast.

00:55:17.271 --> 00:55:24.191
KELLY: So I do feel like they grabbed some more food and drink options along the way, but I just didn't.

00:55:24.191 --> 00:55:34.051
KELLY: I know Pat stopped in one of the booths and got some kind of, oh, maybe Spain, paella with some kind of like with ink.

00:55:34.051 --> 00:55:36.431
KELLY: And he really liked that as well.

00:55:37.891 --> 00:55:40.991
VIRGINIA: How late did you end up staying at Epcot?

00:55:41.911 --> 00:55:49.611
KELLY: I would say probably until like the show was starting as we left.

00:55:49.611 --> 00:55:53.551
KELLY: So probably like nine-ish, maybe we ended up leaving.

00:55:53.551 --> 00:55:54.431
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:55:54.431 --> 00:55:56.511
KELLY: And I definitely feel like that was my fault.

00:55:56.511 --> 00:56:05.511
KELLY: Like I feel like everybody else kind of packed it up because at a certain point, they all looked at me and were like, wow, you look terrible.

00:56:06.551 --> 00:56:10.351
VIRGINIA: I mean, to be fair though, the park didn't stay open much past that anyway.

00:56:10.711 --> 00:56:12.171
KELLY: So no, it didn't.

00:56:12.171 --> 00:56:15.091
KELLY: I mean, we I definitely pushed my way through.

00:56:15.091 --> 00:56:19.531
KELLY: And and and you know, I think people keep saying to me like, do you wish you hadn't gone?

00:56:19.731 --> 00:56:32.031
KELLY: And I think my my answer is no, like I'm glad I went because you know, in between feeling mostly it was kind of like I took some Tylenol and felt better and then I would crash again.

00:56:32.031 --> 00:56:34.311
KELLY: So but I'm glad I went.

00:56:34.311 --> 00:56:38.091
KELLY: I think there were a lot of fun moments in between not feeling well.

00:56:38.331 --> 00:56:41.971
KELLY: And, you know, I would have just felt not well at home too.

00:56:41.971 --> 00:56:42.911
KELLY: So right.

00:56:42.911 --> 00:56:47.391
VIRGINIA: I mean, I'd rather feel not well at Disney than not well at home.

00:56:47.391 --> 00:56:52.011
VIRGINIA: I mean, in some cases, I suppose, there are some cases where I'd rather just be in my bed.

00:56:52.011 --> 00:57:02.211
KELLY: But yeah, I mean, I think probably the only differences is do I think I probably would have gotten over it if I stayed and just rested somewhere for days?

00:57:02.211 --> 00:57:02.851
VIRGINIA: Probably.

00:57:02.851 --> 00:57:04.651
KELLY: But instead, I kind of pushed myself.

00:57:04.651 --> 00:57:07.311
KELLY: And by the time I was flying home, I was like, oh my goodness.

00:57:07.771 --> 00:57:08.911
KELLY: Yeah.

00:57:08.911 --> 00:57:14.391
KELLY: And then didn't go to work for like another two days, three days because I felt terrible.

00:57:14.391 --> 00:57:14.751
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:57:14.751 --> 00:57:22.451
VIRGINIA: So that gets us to Sunday, September 29th, where you had some time before your flight.

00:57:22.451 --> 00:57:27.551
VIRGINIA: So the plan had been to go over to Disney Springs and have breakfast at Summer House on the Lake.

00:57:27.551 --> 00:57:28.611
VIRGINIA: Were you feeling up to that?

00:57:29.351 --> 00:57:36.691
KELLY: So I was, and I will say that was one of those moments that I was actually feeling pretty good.

00:57:36.691 --> 00:57:37.731
KELLY: That place is amazing.

00:57:37.731 --> 00:57:38.651
KELLY: Have you been there yet?

00:57:38.651 --> 00:57:39.231
VIRGINIA: Not yet.

00:57:39.231 --> 00:57:39.691
VIRGINIA: No.

00:57:39.691 --> 00:57:40.131
KELLY: Okay.

00:57:40.131 --> 00:57:40.511
KELLY: Yeah.

00:57:40.511 --> 00:57:45.791
KELLY: So I'm going to put this on my top places that I've kind of eaten at Disney.

00:57:45.791 --> 00:57:49.471
KELLY: Like I really loved it there.

00:57:49.471 --> 00:57:51.411
KELLY: So the food was amazing.

00:57:51.411 --> 00:57:55.551
KELLY: The atmosphere is kind of like really sunny and light and fun.

00:57:56.871 --> 00:58:00.591
KELLY: You know, our servers were wonderful.

00:58:00.591 --> 00:58:04.991
KELLY: I ultimately had like a breakfast tostada that was delicious.

00:58:04.991 --> 00:58:06.631
KELLY: Like it was so good.

00:58:06.631 --> 00:58:13.811
KELLY: You know, the only thing for me is again, like because I wasn't feeling well, I was like, nope, I will not partake in any adult beverages.

00:58:13.811 --> 00:58:16.451
KELLY: But they have like flights of mimosas and stuff.

00:58:16.451 --> 00:58:21.731
KELLY: And everyone else at the table had a nice lovely breakfast drink.

00:58:21.731 --> 00:58:27.451
KELLY: And I had my freshly squeezed orange juice, which was probably better for me.

00:58:27.851 --> 00:58:29.691
KELLY: But yeah, I loved it there.

00:58:29.691 --> 00:58:31.691
KELLY: I really loved it there.

00:58:31.691 --> 00:58:32.991
VIRGINIA: What about the kids options?

00:58:32.991 --> 00:58:35.231
VIRGINIA: Did they have things that they were into?

00:58:35.231 --> 00:58:35.611
KELLY: Yeah.

00:58:35.611 --> 00:58:42.611
KELLY: So Connor, you know, Connor's a little bit older, so he kind of orders for the most part off the adult menu.

00:58:42.611 --> 00:58:48.571
KELLY: And Esme kind of still fits in that in between of like sometimes the adult menu, sometimes the kids menu.

00:58:48.571 --> 00:58:58.251
KELLY: But it was perfect for Esme because she's picky and she was able to do kind of like a kid's bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit, which was absolutely perfect for her.

00:58:58.471 --> 00:59:00.631
KELLY: And she really liked that.

00:59:00.631 --> 00:59:02.851
KELLY: Colby and I both did the tostadas.

00:59:04.731 --> 00:59:08.671
KELLY: I'm trying to remember what Pat and Julie ate.

00:59:08.671 --> 00:59:13.131
KELLY: I cannot remember off the top of my head, but I do know they both really liked their meals.

00:59:13.131 --> 00:59:24.411
VIRGINIA: So we had also talked about how Colby is such a diehard Gideons fan, but there are cookies at Summerhouse on the Lake that are the talk of the town.

00:59:24.411 --> 00:59:28.971
VIRGINIA: So did you end up getting any of those cookies?

00:59:28.971 --> 00:59:33.031
KELLY: We did because we wanted to do a little bit of a comparison.

00:59:33.031 --> 00:59:38.831
KELLY: So I think for our family, Gideons is still the winner.

00:59:38.831 --> 00:59:41.991
KELLY: But I'll say they're also just two different types of cookies.

00:59:43.271 --> 00:59:45.271
KELLY: You've had cookies at Gideons before?

00:59:45.271 --> 00:59:46.551
VIRGINIA: Yes, multiple times.

00:59:46.551 --> 00:59:47.011
VIRGINIA: They're huge.

00:59:47.931 --> 00:59:51.131
KELLY: Gideons are thicker and cakier.

00:59:53.091 --> 01:00:00.531
KELLY: These, I would consider to be more traditional type cookies with lots of great options.

01:00:00.531 --> 01:00:06.691
KELLY: So I did have a chocolate chip like sea salt one, and it was delicious.

01:00:06.691 --> 01:00:14.031
KELLY: It was a great cookie, and I had a couple of bites that day, but then actually ended up eating it once I was back here.

01:00:14.451 --> 01:00:21.431
KELLY: I had kind of wrapped it up and ate it once I was back in Massachusetts and it was a lovely snack one day.

01:00:21.811 --> 01:00:25.171
KELLY: So I think we're a Gideon's family, but both cookies are excellent.

01:00:25.171 --> 01:00:27.991
VIRGINIA: Did you make it over to Gideon's on this day?

01:00:27.991 --> 01:00:34.891
KELLY: We actually did Gideon's, I forgot to say this, on the first, no, the second day.

01:00:34.891 --> 01:00:36.351
KELLY: I guess I completely forgot this.

01:00:36.351 --> 01:00:43.631
KELLY: On the Friday while we were resting up for the Halloween party, we did take a walk over to Disney Springs.

01:00:45.191 --> 01:00:53.731
KELLY: We did Gideon's and I was on the hunt for a smoothie because I was in a mood to have a smoothie that day.

01:00:54.291 --> 01:01:07.231
KELLY: I went to, I'm going to botch the name of it, but it's like a gelato place that's close to Gideon's, and they do sorbet.

01:01:07.231 --> 01:01:12.431
KELLY: They do this fresh fruit sorbet smoothies, and I had one of those and it was pretty good.

01:01:13.291 --> 01:01:14.851
KELLY: But no, we did on the ship.

01:01:14.871 --> 01:01:20.711
KELLY: Long story short, yes, we were able to have both Gideon's and summer house cookies on this trip.

01:01:20.711 --> 01:01:21.631
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:01:21.631 --> 01:01:26.911
VIRGINIA: What else did you end up doing at Disney Springs before you had to take off for the airport?

01:01:26.911 --> 01:01:28.291
KELLY: Mostly shopping.

01:01:28.291 --> 01:01:45.551
KELLY: We went back to World of Disney, where Esme, I don't think, ended up buying, I'm trying to think, she did buy like a, like, you know, those bouquet of Mickey lollipops because she wanted to bring them back to her friends.

01:01:45.551 --> 01:01:48.371
KELLY: So she bought that.

01:01:48.371 --> 01:01:52.191
KELLY: She, we ended up with quite a few souvenir pins on this trip.

01:01:52.191 --> 01:01:58.871
KELLY: I can't remember, like, some we bought in the park, but I do think she bought one at World of Disney as well.

01:01:58.871 --> 01:02:04.411
KELLY: Some Halloween themed and just kind of some kind of your regular run of the mill pins.

01:02:06.471 --> 01:02:07.691
KELLY: A Monsters, Inc.

01:02:07.691 --> 01:02:10.671
KELLY: padfolio, like back to her journals.

01:02:10.671 --> 01:02:12.791
KELLY: She likes things to write on.

01:02:12.791 --> 01:02:13.291
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:02:13.291 --> 01:02:16.431
VIRGINIA: So one of those that comes with like the markers and stuff.

01:02:16.431 --> 01:02:17.071
KELLY: Yes.

01:02:17.071 --> 01:02:18.271
KELLY: So she bought that.

01:02:18.271 --> 01:02:20.011
KELLY: So she's always about things to write on.

01:02:20.011 --> 01:02:29.551
KELLY: So if you go into Esme's room by her bed, she just has this stack of like different books and journals she's collected from different places.

01:02:29.551 --> 01:02:30.591
VIRGINIA: All right.

01:02:30.591 --> 01:02:33.051
VIRGINIA: I think that really brings us to your flight then.

01:02:33.091 --> 01:02:38.871
VIRGINIA: And so you had a little bit of a stop in Chicago, which I'm guess-

01:02:38.871 --> 01:02:39.611
VIRGINIA: no?

01:02:39.611 --> 01:02:40.791
VIRGINIA: No?

01:02:40.911 --> 01:02:42.531
VIRGINIA: Did you get to change?

01:02:42.911 --> 01:02:44.811
KELLY: So here's what happened.

01:02:44.811 --> 01:02:54.251
KELLY: And again, with the hurricane that was supposed to come through Florida, but didn't, and again, just devastated other parts of the country, which is so sad.

01:02:54.251 --> 01:02:59.231
KELLY: I have a family that lives in South Carolina and they didn't have power forever.

01:02:59.231 --> 01:03:09.511
KELLY: So when they weren't sure the path of the storm, we got a text from Southwest that basically said, if you want to change your flight, you can.

01:03:09.511 --> 01:03:14.291
KELLY: So first of all, we were in debates about whether we were going to change the trip or try to do anything.

01:03:14.291 --> 01:03:20.691
KELLY: And then eventually decided to roll the dice and let it ride, which turned out fine for us.

01:03:20.691 --> 01:03:31.011
KELLY: But during that window, I had said to Colby, I wonder if because they've opened this window, I can go change us to the direct flight and they let me.

01:03:31.511 --> 01:03:36.011
KELLY: So I signed in, I changed it to the direct flight, no charge.

01:03:36.351 --> 01:03:39.111
KELLY: And so we all ended up on the same flight home.

01:03:39.111 --> 01:03:40.091
VIRGINIA: Oh, that's fantastic.

01:03:40.091 --> 01:03:46.391
VIRGINIA: Because I know you had said it was going to cost like $600 or something more originally to get on that direct flight.

01:03:46.391 --> 01:03:53.111
VIRGINIA: And I was just sitting here thinking like, how terrible would that be to have to go through Chicago and have to lay over it when you're not feeling 100%?

01:03:53.671 --> 01:03:56.471
KELLY: Yeah, no, we were able to do the direct flight home.

01:03:58.591 --> 01:04:01.371
KELLY: And that was just pure luck.

01:04:01.371 --> 01:04:09.051
KELLY: Because my guess is Southwest, when they're opening the window, they probably aren't then monitoring what you pick or don't pick.

01:04:09.051 --> 01:04:16.331
KELLY: They're probably just saying, hey, because these flights are in this window, they're allowed to be changed.

01:04:16.331 --> 01:04:26.771
KELLY: And on some level, because we were still unsure about whether it was going to be like, the fact that it was a direct flight and we weren't going to have to go through Chicago was probably a good thing anyway.

01:04:26.771 --> 01:04:27.451
KELLY: Right.

01:04:28.631 --> 01:04:29.491
VIRGINIA: All right.

01:04:29.491 --> 01:04:32.751
VIRGINIA: Well, what a fun trip.

01:04:32.751 --> 01:04:33.311
KELLY: Yeah.

01:04:33.311 --> 01:04:35.171
KELLY: And it was a great trip.

01:04:35.171 --> 01:04:39.291
KELLY: We did a lot of firsts, which was awesome.

01:04:39.291 --> 01:04:43.651
KELLY: And the saddest part is always now your Disney countdown starts over.

01:04:43.651 --> 01:04:44.871
KELLY: Right.

01:04:44.871 --> 01:04:47.351
VIRGINIA: Well, when is your next planned trip?

01:04:47.351 --> 01:04:52.351
VIRGINIA: Do you have anything on the books, whether it's a cruise or a trip?

01:04:52.351 --> 01:04:52.591
KELLY: Yeah.

01:04:52.591 --> 01:04:53.611
KELLY: So it's actually a cruise.

01:04:53.731 --> 01:04:56.011
KELLY: So and it's with the Quinns again.

01:04:56.011 --> 01:05:03.411
KELLY: So we are going on the Disney Treasure at the end of May, which we are really excited about.

01:05:03.411 --> 01:05:05.531
KELLY: So I've been joking around that for about a month.

01:05:05.531 --> 01:05:10.791
KELLY: Before that, I'll just wear a mask and make sure that I'm on full health when we go on the cruise.

01:05:11.791 --> 01:05:12.831
KELLY: But we're really excited.

01:05:12.831 --> 01:05:18.491
KELLY: We're going to do a couple nights at Old Key West before we get on the cruise.

01:05:18.491 --> 01:05:21.691
KELLY: I don't know if we'll do a park day or we'll just do a water park day.

01:05:21.691 --> 01:05:22.871
KELLY: We haven't decided that yet.

01:05:23.391 --> 01:05:24.791
VIRGINIA: Where does the cruise go?

01:05:24.791 --> 01:05:31.351
KELLY: We are going on a Port Canaveral and it goes to, this is terrible, right?

01:05:31.351 --> 01:05:32.191
KELLY: I should know, St.

01:05:32.191 --> 01:05:33.851
KELLY: Thomas, Tortola.

01:05:34.971 --> 01:05:36.091
KELLY: Do I have that right, Tortola?

01:05:36.091 --> 01:05:37.351
VIRGINIA: That sounds right to me.

01:05:37.351 --> 01:05:40.851
KELLY: Yes, sounds right to me too.

01:05:40.851 --> 01:05:45.231
VIRGINIA: I think your brain probably wants to say Tortuga because of Tortuga Tavern.

01:05:45.231 --> 01:05:47.931
KELLY: Yes, I think that's probably true.

01:05:47.931 --> 01:05:52.351
KELLY: There's another island and then there's also Castaway Cay.

01:05:52.411 --> 01:05:55.271
VIRGINIA: Yes, there's the new one.

01:05:55.271 --> 01:05:56.991
VIRGINIA: I can't remember the name of it.

01:05:56.991 --> 01:05:58.251
KELLY: I think it's Lighthouse Point.

01:05:58.511 --> 01:05:59.331
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

01:05:59.331 --> 01:06:00.171
KELLY: Got it.

01:06:00.171 --> 01:06:01.931
KELLY: Yeah, so we're pretty excited about that.

01:06:01.931 --> 01:06:12.371
KELLY: The treasure, it's not even fully built yet, and we're booked to be on it in May, and the theming on the ship is just incredible, so we're really excited.

01:06:12.371 --> 01:06:18.091
VIRGINIA: This answered my other follow-up question I was going to ask, which was, do you think you and the Queens will ever travel together again?

01:06:18.291 --> 01:06:24.691
VIRGINIA: So it sounds like this was a family travel match made in heaven.

01:06:24.691 --> 01:06:25.951
KELLY: Yeah.

01:06:26.071 --> 01:06:35.291
KELLY: I kept joking the whole time that they're never going to want to travel with me again, so I kept saying, good thing we have another trip booked so I can redeem myself.

01:06:35.291 --> 01:06:37.291
KELLY: But yeah, I think we traveled well together.

01:06:37.291 --> 01:06:40.431
KELLY: We're all Disney fans.

01:06:40.431 --> 01:06:57.271
KELLY: I think like you said earlier, when you have only children, and it's nice to have that mix of two kids, and also for adults, that you don't have to do everything all the time, and we've talked about this with the cruise as well.

01:06:57.271 --> 01:07:03.211
KELLY: Pat and Julie want to go and enjoy the adult areas on the ship, we can hang with the kids for a while.

01:07:04.671 --> 01:07:07.111
KELLY: So we're looking forward to it.

01:07:07.111 --> 01:07:10.471
VIRGINIA: You've done Disney cruises before, correct?

01:07:10.471 --> 01:07:13.491
KELLY: We've done a lot of cruises, only one other Disney cruise.

01:07:13.611 --> 01:07:17.951
KELLY: We did the dream out of New York when they were still going on in New York.

01:07:17.951 --> 01:07:18.271
VIRGINIA: I know.

01:07:18.271 --> 01:07:20.371
VIRGINIA: I wish they were still going on in New York.

01:07:20.371 --> 01:07:27.711
VIRGINIA: My Disney dream is to roll up to the port with my suitcase and not have to get on a flight to go on a Disney cruise.

01:07:27.711 --> 01:07:31.451
VIRGINIA: But I think that ship has sailed, so to speak.

01:07:31.451 --> 01:07:33.671
KELLY: That ship has sailed at least temporarily.

01:07:34.451 --> 01:07:36.851
KELLY: I hope maybe they'll make a...

01:07:36.851 --> 01:07:42.131
KELLY: You know, being in Massachusetts, we just drove to New York, parked the car and got on the ship.

01:07:42.811 --> 01:07:43.771
KELLY: It was great.

01:07:43.771 --> 01:07:44.751
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:07:44.751 --> 01:07:51.731
VIRGINIA: They used to do Disney cruises up to Canada from here, too, and I would love to go to Canada again sometime soon.

01:07:51.731 --> 01:07:56.511
VIRGINIA: But I think I would rather drive to Canada than be on a Disney cruise.

01:07:56.511 --> 01:07:59.771
VIRGINIA: I kind of want to go someplace warm for a Disney cruise.

01:07:59.771 --> 01:08:00.231
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

01:08:00.371 --> 01:08:02.731
KELLY: I mean, that makes sense.

01:08:02.731 --> 01:08:04.911
KELLY: You know, and the Disney cruises are awesome.

01:08:04.911 --> 01:08:10.871
KELLY: When I first went on a Disney cruise, you know, the question was always like, why are Disney cruises so much more expensive?

01:08:11.111 --> 01:08:11.411
VIRGINIA: Right?

01:08:11.411 --> 01:08:17.731
KELLY: And, you know, part of it is they just have fewer ships and, you know, there's this little supply and demand effect to it.

01:08:18.351 --> 01:08:19.691
KELLY: But it's an amazing cruise.

01:08:19.691 --> 01:08:23.711
KELLY: I mean, you know, after we got off our first Disney cruise, I was like, OK, I get it.

01:08:23.711 --> 01:08:26.231
KELLY: I get why they cost more money.

01:08:26.851 --> 01:08:28.471
KELLY: You know, especially if you're a Disney fan.

01:08:28.471 --> 01:08:32.491
KELLY: I mean, if you're not a Disney fan, then maybe it's not worth the extra money.

01:08:32.491 --> 01:08:36.451
KELLY: But the theming and the characters and the fireworks.

01:08:36.451 --> 01:08:39.711
KELLY: And I mean, there's just so many amazing parts to a Disney cruise.

01:08:39.911 --> 01:08:43.551
VIRGINIA: And Disney travel agents can also book Disney cruises, correct?

01:08:43.551 --> 01:08:44.051
KELLY: Correct.

01:08:44.051 --> 01:08:44.551
KELLY: Yeah.

01:08:44.571 --> 01:08:45.251
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:08:45.251 --> 01:08:45.911
KELLY: Okay.

01:08:45.911 --> 01:08:47.371
VIRGINIA: Good to know.

01:08:47.371 --> 01:08:49.451
VIRGINIA: One day I'm going to get on one.

01:08:49.451 --> 01:08:51.031
VIRGINIA: Just have to convince Charles.

01:08:51.031 --> 01:08:57.671
VIRGINIA: But somebody recently recommended that I just go ahead and book one and then tell them about it later.

01:08:57.671 --> 01:08:59.451
VIRGINIA: And I think that's probably the way to go.

01:09:00.331 --> 01:09:01.871
KELLY: I think that's the great idea.

01:09:02.151 --> 01:09:06.331
KELLY: And then a month beforehand, you'd be like, well, if you don't want to go, I'll just take a friend with me.

01:09:06.771 --> 01:09:07.151
KELLY: Right.

01:09:07.151 --> 01:09:08.111
KELLY: Exactly.

01:09:08.111 --> 01:09:09.191
KELLY: I'm volunteering.

01:09:09.191 --> 01:09:09.631
VIRGINIA: Okay.

01:09:09.651 --> 01:09:11.511
VIRGINIA: I see your hand raised.

01:09:13.251 --> 01:09:13.551
VIRGINIA: Yes.

01:09:13.831 --> 01:09:19.891
KELLY: For the audience, I have raised my hand as a volunteer as Virginia's cruise companion.

01:09:21.431 --> 01:09:24.831
VIRGINIA: Well, Kelly, it has been a pleasure chatting with you.

01:09:24.851 --> 01:09:31.211
VIRGINIA: I hope that you will come back on the show at some point, and I hope that you have an amazing time on that cruise.

01:09:31.211 --> 01:09:40.371
VIRGINIA: And please say hello to Colby, say hello to Esme for me, and let the Quinn's know if they ever want to be a guest on the podcast, they should hit me up.

01:09:40.371 --> 01:09:41.691
KELLY: Well, I will let them know.

01:09:41.911 --> 01:09:45.531
KELLY: I wouldn't be surprised if Pat jumped on that.

01:09:45.531 --> 01:09:47.891
VIRGINIA: Sounds like he's a diehard like me.

01:09:47.891 --> 01:09:52.391
KELLY: He is a diehard, and I think he's done some podcasts in the past as well too.

01:09:52.391 --> 01:09:55.171
KELLY: So he'd be your expert.

01:09:55.191 --> 01:09:56.551
VIRGINIA: Oh, fantastic.

01:09:57.571 --> 01:10:02.071
VIRGINIA: Well, have a great rest of your day and a wonderful week ahead.

01:10:02.071 --> 01:10:02.431
KELLY: All right.

01:10:02.431 --> 01:10:03.091
KELLY: Take care, Virginia.

01:10:03.211 --> 01:10:04.611
KELLY: Thank you so much for having me.

01:10:04.611 --> 01:10:05.191
VIRGINIA: Thank you.

01:10:05.191 --> 01:10:07.691
VIRGINIA: Bye.

01:10:07.691 --> 01:10:10.191
VIRGINIA: Thank you, Kelly, for joining me on the show.

01:10:10.191 --> 01:10:19.091
VIRGINIA: Listeners, if you are looking for an amazing travel agent and want to reach out to Kelly, her information is in the show notes and available on whereilongtobepodcast.com.

01:10:20.531 --> 01:10:25.491
VIRGINIA: She would love to help you plan your next magical trip whenever you're ready.

01:10:25.491 --> 01:10:27.171
VIRGINIA: That's all for today.

01:10:27.171 --> 01:10:31.671
VIRGINIA: Thank you all so much for listening, and keep daydreaming about where you long to be.