Laura (@DisneyBoundSolo) is back from her non-solo trip with fiancé, Michael. After a fun-filled trip to Walt Disney World for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (on October 31st no less!), Laura is sharing all the fun they had, including some firsts for Michael (Fantasmic and Smugglers Run). 

  • Trip Dates: October 29 - November 1, 2024

  • Post Trip Interview: recorded 11/9/24

 

Episode Specific Links:

 

Be Our Guest:

Do you have an upcoming trip you'd like to share? Submit your trip information here to be considered as a podcast guest.

 

Get in Touch:

If you would like to reach out to Virginia for something other than a trip report guest submission (for that use the link above!), you may email whereilongtobepodcast@gmail.com.

 

Follow:

Transcript Below

00:00:12.177 --> 00:00:18.417
VIRGINIA:  Welcome back for another fun-filled episode of Where I Long To Be, a Magical Trip Report Podcast.

00:00:18.417 --> 00:00:20.957
VIRGINIA:  My name is Virginia, and I'm your host.

00:00:20.957 --> 00:00:24.857
VIRGINIA:  In case you missed last week's episode, I've finally done it.

00:00:24.857 --> 00:00:30.197
VIRGINIA:  Way back on the October 14th pre-trip episode with Aly from Captivate Magic.

00:00:30.197 --> 00:00:35.497
VIRGINIA:  I told her that I was going to try to become active on TikTok, and I finally got started.

00:00:35.497 --> 00:00:40.757
VIRGINIA:  She's really inspired me in that space, so make sure you are following her over there if you aren't already.

00:00:41.057 --> 00:00:43.297
VIRGINIA:  Her information is in the show notes.

00:00:43.297 --> 00:00:50.737
VIRGINIA:  After claiming my TikTok username, I've just been consuming content and trying to teach the algorithm what I want to see on that profile.

00:00:50.737 --> 00:00:54.917
VIRGINIA:  But now I'm putting out some content too, and so far it's a lot of fun.

00:00:54.917 --> 00:00:59.877
VIRGINIA:  I'm learning as I go, and if anyone has any tips they want to share with me, I will take them.

00:00:59.877 --> 00:01:05.997
VIRGINIA:  You can DM me on TikTok or Instagram or send me a message through the website, which is
whereilongtobepodcast.com.

00:01:07.137 --> 00:01:19.057
VIRGINIA:  Okay, I know the clock is TikToking, so I'll wrap up this plug by saying that I hope you will go ahead and give me a follow and engage with me over there so that more people can find out about the podcast and tune in.

00:01:19.057 --> 00:01:22.477
VIRGINIA:  Okay, now on to today's trip report.

00:01:22.477 --> 00:01:42.977
VIRGINIA:  If you didn't get a chance to listen to the pre-trip episode, Laura, who is Disneybound Solo on Instagram and Disneybound.solo on TikTok, was headed to Walt Disney World with her fiance, Michael, to attend Mickey's Not Sociary Halloween Party on October 31st, aka All Hallows Eve.

00:01:42.977 --> 00:01:50.677
VIRGINIA:  Laura gets down to the parks nearly every month, but Michael only occasionally travels with her, hence her handle being Disneybound Solo.

00:01:50.677 --> 00:01:58.697
VIRGINIA:  For this trip, there were a lot of firsts planned for Michael, including the Halloween party, riding Smugglers Run and viewing Fantasmic.

00:01:59.517 --> 00:02:03.517
VIRGINIA:  Staying at All-Star Sports was a first for both of them.

00:02:03.517 --> 00:02:05.297
VIRGINIA:  That's enough to catch you up.

00:02:05.297 --> 00:02:07.437
VIRGINIA:  Here's Laura.

00:02:07.437 --> 00:02:09.577
VIRGINIA:  Welcome back, Laura.

00:02:09.577 --> 00:02:10.397
LAURA: Hello.

00:02:10.397 --> 00:02:11.937
LAURA: I'm so happy to be back.

00:02:11.937 --> 00:02:13.437
VIRGINIA:  I am so happy to see you.

00:02:13.437 --> 00:02:17.277
VIRGINIA:  This is such a bright spot in my week to get to talk to you about your trip.

00:02:17.277 --> 00:02:20.157
VIRGINIA:  You look like you had a good trip, did you?

00:02:20.157 --> 00:02:20.697
LAURA: I did.

00:02:20.697 --> 00:02:22.037
LAURA: Yes, it was a lot of fun.

00:02:22.037 --> 00:02:24.697
LAURA: A lot of firsts and a lot of fun, and I'm exhausted.

00:02:25.277 --> 00:02:30.117
VIRGINIA:  Yes, and you got back on November 1st, and today we're talking on the 9th.

00:02:30.117 --> 00:02:33.217
VIRGINIA:  This is a pretty quick turnaround for me, talking to someone.

00:02:33.217 --> 00:02:39.417
VIRGINIA:  Usually, there can be a little bit bigger gap between when somebody gets back, so you are still fresh off of your trip.

00:02:39.417 --> 00:02:48.737
VIRGINIA:  Although, now that I'm saying that when I spoke with Daina and Kristina, 999 happy haunts here and World Showcase Avengers, they literally had gotten back the night before.

00:02:50.197 --> 00:02:51.317
VIRGINIA:  That's probably the soonest.

00:02:52.797 --> 00:02:55.077
VIRGINIA:  All right, so let's get into this trip.

00:02:55.077 --> 00:03:01.137
VIRGINIA:  So you traveled with your fiance, Michael, and you were doing a lot of firsts for him.

00:03:01.137 --> 00:03:08.077
VIRGINIA:  So I know that when we spoke before, you were like, well, maybe in the future, one day he'll be an annual pass holder.

00:03:08.077 --> 00:03:11.957
VIRGINIA:  Are you any closer to realizing that goal?

00:03:11.957 --> 00:03:12.597
VIRGINIA:  No.

00:03:12.597 --> 00:03:25.397
LAURA: I am sad to report that he loves that I love Disney, but he doesn't want to come with me as often as I go, and probably not as often to justify the cost of an in-credit pass.

00:03:25.397 --> 00:03:28.337
LAURA: Since we're out of state pass holders, it is the most expensive pass.

00:03:28.337 --> 00:03:37.657
LAURA: And now that the prices went up for new passes, it's sort of making it harder to justify a pass for him, but I'm never going to stop working on it.

00:03:37.657 --> 00:03:39.257
VIRGINIA:  No, don't stop working on it.

00:03:39.257 --> 00:03:48.597
VIRGINIA:  And I guess just look on the bright side, he supports you and your Disney habit, and he is happy for you to be able to go as often as you do go.

00:03:49.337 --> 00:03:52.817
VIRGINIA:  And not every partner would be able to say that.

00:03:52.817 --> 00:03:54.997
VIRGINIA:  Like, where are you going every single month?

00:03:54.997 --> 00:03:56.097
VIRGINIA:  Stay with me.

00:03:56.097 --> 00:03:56.277
VIRGINIA:  No.

00:03:56.277 --> 00:04:00.237
LAURA: It's so funny you say that because I booked another two trips before the end of the year.

00:04:00.237 --> 00:04:02.757
LAURA: He's like, you're crazy, but you deserve it.

00:04:02.757 --> 00:04:04.097
LAURA: You need to have a little fun.

00:04:04.097 --> 00:04:04.377
VIRGINIA:  Go.

00:04:04.377 --> 00:04:05.737
VIRGINIA:  That's awesome.

00:04:05.737 --> 00:04:06.517
VIRGINIA:  So when are you going?

00:04:06.517 --> 00:04:08.477
VIRGINIA:  When are these next two trips?

00:04:08.477 --> 00:04:14.877
LAURA: So I'm going right before Thanksgiving for a couple of nights, and then I'm going back for my birthday in December.

00:04:14.877 --> 00:04:15.637
VIRGINIA:  Oh, okay.

00:04:16.497 --> 00:04:16.857
VIRGINIA:  Yay.

00:04:16.857 --> 00:04:18.597
VIRGINIA:  I love a birthday trip.

00:04:18.597 --> 00:04:20.857
VIRGINIA:  Will you be wearing a birthday button?

00:04:20.857 --> 00:04:21.917
LAURA: Probably.

00:04:21.917 --> 00:04:24.937
LAURA: But I'm going to make it festive because I'm going for the Christmas parties as well.

00:04:24.937 --> 00:04:30.117
LAURA: So we're going to do like a little, like a Merry Birthmas celebration.

00:04:30.117 --> 00:04:30.997
VIRGINIA:  Merry Birthmas.

00:04:30.997 --> 00:04:32.817
VIRGINIA:  I love that.

00:04:32.817 --> 00:04:37.237
VIRGINIA:  I think you should make yourself a shirt or something that says Merry Birthmas.

00:04:37.237 --> 00:04:40.497
LAURA: See, I should do that, but my sister was actually born on Christmas Day.

00:04:40.497 --> 00:04:43.117
LAURA: So if I do that, she's going to be really upset with me.

00:04:43.117 --> 00:04:44.157
LAURA: You don't get to claim this.

00:04:44.497 --> 00:04:46.137
LAURA: She's the real birthmas.

00:04:46.137 --> 00:04:47.977
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, that makes a difference.

00:04:47.977 --> 00:04:49.497
VIRGINIA:  So two of you in December.

00:04:49.497 --> 00:04:49.837
LAURA: Wow.

00:04:49.837 --> 00:04:50.557
VIRGINIA:  Oh yeah.

00:04:50.557 --> 00:04:51.877
LAURA: Two December babies.

00:04:51.877 --> 00:04:53.097
VIRGINIA:  How does that work with her?

00:04:53.097 --> 00:04:59.437
VIRGINIA:  Does she get a separate birthday celebration on Christmas Day, or do you choose a different day to celebrate?

00:04:59.437 --> 00:05:04.697
LAURA: Yeah, we do it on Christmas Day, but all her birthday gifts are in separate birthday paper.

00:05:04.697 --> 00:05:06.517
LAURA: She gets a separate birthday cake.

00:05:07.037 --> 00:05:12.117
LAURA: Let's face it, she likes to complain and say she gets jits, but they really overcompensate to make her feel.

00:05:13.997 --> 00:05:18.317
LAURA: She's more special than the biggest holiday of the year.

00:05:20.757 --> 00:05:21.417
VIRGINIA:  Oh my goodness.

00:05:21.417 --> 00:05:23.377
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, Charles' birthday is January.

00:05:23.377 --> 00:05:24.357
VIRGINIA:  Well, I'm not going to say his birthday.

00:05:24.357 --> 00:05:25.917
VIRGINIA:  Why should I say his birthday for the public?

00:05:25.917 --> 00:05:28.477
VIRGINIA:  But his birthday is very, very early January.

00:05:29.437 --> 00:05:44.577
VIRGINIA:  And so he's had the same problem his whole life where it's kind of gets ignored, especially because now based on when it is, it's kind of like we've just wound down from our break and it's like getting back to the grind.

00:05:44.577 --> 00:05:56.357
VIRGINIA:  And so it's like, I almost feel like being born on Christmas would be better because then at least people are all happy and feeling festive, whereas by the time it's his, it's like, I have to go back to work.

00:05:56.357 --> 00:05:57.237
LAURA: Exactly.

00:05:57.237 --> 00:05:57.517
LAURA: Yeah.

00:05:57.517 --> 00:05:59.497
LAURA: People are done with celebration mode by then.

00:06:00.197 --> 00:06:00.497
VIRGINIA:  Right.

00:06:00.497 --> 00:06:01.877
VIRGINIA:  Exactly.

00:06:01.877 --> 00:06:02.417
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:06:02.417 --> 00:06:03.957
VIRGINIA:  Well, let's celebrate this trip.

00:06:03.957 --> 00:06:11.997
VIRGINIA:  So Tuesday, October the 29th, you headed over to Newark Airport for a late morning flight.

00:06:11.997 --> 00:06:13.417
VIRGINIA:  How did your flight go?

00:06:13.417 --> 00:06:14.297
LAURA: Perfect.

00:06:14.297 --> 00:06:20.597
LAURA: No delays, no issues, smooth sailing, zero turbulence, just the way I like it.

00:06:20.597 --> 00:06:21.237
VIRGINIA:  Perfect.

00:06:21.237 --> 00:06:23.737
VIRGINIA:  And you rented a car for this trip.

00:06:23.737 --> 00:06:26.197
VIRGINIA:  So how was the car rental process?

00:06:26.617 --> 00:06:32.877
VIRGINIA:  Did you choose one where you got to just hop in a car and drive away or was it more of an ordeal?

00:06:32.877 --> 00:06:35.117
LAURA: So it was interesting.

00:06:35.117 --> 00:06:42.237
LAURA: They're real fast talkers over there and it's very loud and very chaotic in the new terminal at MCO in the rental car area.

00:06:42.237 --> 00:06:46.717
LAURA: So I feel like they kind of take advantage of the fact that it's hard to follow what they're saying.

00:06:46.717 --> 00:06:57.677
LAURA: And they were trying to get us to purchase all of these extras and I had to be very staunchly firm with them and say like, listen, you're not charging me an extra amount every day for insurance, that's all included in my credit card.

00:06:57.677 --> 00:07:03.577
LAURA: I don't know why you're trying to think that you can just charge me all of these things without even explaining to me what these charges are.

00:07:03.577 --> 00:07:11.017
LAURA: So I would just say, if you're going to rent a car, do your research, know what you have to pay for, what you don't have to pay for ahead of time, because they're not doing you any favors.

00:07:11.017 --> 00:07:13.777
LAURA: They're just trying to get as much money out of you as possible.

00:07:13.777 --> 00:07:25.197
VIRGINIA:  So renting the car and then you were going to go and freshen up and get some photos and things at your resort, which was All-Star Sports and this was your first time staying there.

00:07:25.337 --> 00:07:28.617
VIRGINIA:  So thoughts on All-Star Sports?

00:07:28.617 --> 00:07:35.277
LAURA: I went into it so sad, because the thought of All-Star Sports just did nothing for me.

00:07:35.277 --> 00:07:37.517
LAURA: I had absolutely no excitement about staying there.

00:07:37.517 --> 00:07:39.697
LAURA: It was just because it was the cheapest rate.

00:07:39.697 --> 00:07:42.037
LAURA: I was very pleasantly surprised.

00:07:42.037 --> 00:07:42.897
LAURA: It's really cute.

00:07:42.897 --> 00:07:44.357
LAURA: I didn't think it was going to be cute.

00:07:44.357 --> 00:07:50.317
LAURA: I did request a baseball section just because when I was looking at seaming, it seemed like something that I would like the most.

00:07:51.897 --> 00:07:53.117
LAURA: I was exactly right.

00:07:53.117 --> 00:08:00.637
LAURA: They gave us a room overlooking the baseball pool with the little goofy statue where he's hitting pitches.

00:08:01.037 --> 00:08:02.517
LAURA: It was a very nice view.

00:08:02.517 --> 00:08:06.717
LAURA: It's the smaller pool, so it's a little bit more peaceful and serene.

00:08:06.717 --> 00:08:10.857
LAURA: They have banners up from all the different major league baseball teams, which was really cool to see.

00:08:10.857 --> 00:08:17.197
LAURA: Every time we would walk around and see a Mets banner, we'd be like, hey, let's go Mets, even though our season was sadly cut short this year.

00:08:17.697 --> 00:08:18.477
VIRGINIA:  It was cut short.

00:08:18.477 --> 00:08:20.337
VIRGINIA:  I was about to say that was going to be my next question.

00:08:20.337 --> 00:08:24.057
VIRGINIA:  As somebody from the New York metropolitan area, who do you cheer for?

00:08:24.057 --> 00:08:24.557
LAURA: Yeah.

00:08:24.557 --> 00:08:29.437
LAURA: And we also stayed there while the Yankees were actively bombing in the World Series.

00:08:29.437 --> 00:08:32.077
LAURA: So it was not a great reminder.

00:08:32.357 --> 00:08:37.177
LAURA: I am a Mets fan, but if the Mets are out of it and a New York team is in it, I'll wish them well.

00:08:37.417 --> 00:08:37.977
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:08:37.977 --> 00:08:38.457
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:08:38.457 --> 00:08:39.337
VIRGINIA:  No, exactly.

00:08:39.337 --> 00:08:45.317
LAURA: So we did have that reminder of New York just epically failing and dropping the ball in sports while we were staying there.

00:08:45.457 --> 00:08:47.997
LAURA: But otherwise, it was perfectly nice.

00:08:47.997 --> 00:08:52.477
LAURA: A little loud, but all of the all stars are that way and we're barely in the room anyway.

00:08:52.477 --> 00:08:55.577
VIRGINIA:  Have you stayed at any of the other all stars before?

00:08:55.577 --> 00:08:57.477
LAURA: Yes, I've stayed at all three now.

00:08:57.477 --> 00:08:58.117
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:08:58.117 --> 00:09:01.837
LAURA: If I had to say which one I like the most, it would probably be movies.

00:09:01.837 --> 00:09:04.177
LAURA: Music is just too big.

00:09:04.177 --> 00:09:04.637
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:09:04.637 --> 00:09:08.657
VIRGINIA:  I will be staying at an all star for the very first time in January.

00:09:08.657 --> 00:09:10.577
VIRGINIA:  So I'm looking forward to that.

00:09:10.577 --> 00:09:13.397
VIRGINIA:  I'll be at music because we needed a family suite.

00:09:14.537 --> 00:09:15.097
LAURA: Okay.

00:09:15.097 --> 00:09:15.617
LAURA: Yeah.

00:09:15.617 --> 00:09:16.817
LAURA: That'll make it worth it then.

00:09:16.817 --> 00:09:18.457
LAURA: I think you'll have some nice space.

00:09:18.457 --> 00:09:20.917
VIRGINIA:  What did Michael think about the resort?

00:09:20.917 --> 00:09:22.797
VIRGINIA:  Was he into the theming?

00:09:22.797 --> 00:09:23.197
LAURA: Yeah.

00:09:23.197 --> 00:09:24.817
LAURA: Oh, he's obsessed with baseball.

00:09:24.817 --> 00:09:28.517
LAURA: So it was like the perfect theming for him for sure.

00:09:28.517 --> 00:09:30.037
LAURA: He doesn't need anything fancy.

00:09:30.037 --> 00:09:32.697
LAURA: He's not bougie like me.

00:09:32.697 --> 00:09:40.737
LAURA: So as long as he has a comfortable place to sleep, and some cute stuff to look at, and access to beverages, he's a beverage guy.

00:09:41.417 --> 00:09:43.097
VIRGINIA:  Oh, okay.

00:09:43.097 --> 00:09:45.797
VIRGINIA:  So does that mean you both got refillable mugs?

00:09:45.797 --> 00:09:50.057
LAURA: We didn't this trip mostly because it's more so water, right?

00:09:50.617 --> 00:09:53.837
LAURA: He just constantly carries around his giant water bottle.

00:09:53.837 --> 00:09:54.397
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:09:54.397 --> 00:10:02.977
LAURA: So our room actually in the pool area of All-Star Sports, there is a water bottle refill station at the locker room bathroom area there.

00:10:02.977 --> 00:10:06.577
LAURA: So we didn't have to walk all the way back to the front to go refill our waters.

00:10:06.577 --> 00:10:10.057
LAURA: We could just walk right down the stairs and we had a place that we could refill the water bottle.

00:10:10.217 --> 00:10:11.077
VIRGINIA:  Perfect.

00:10:11.077 --> 00:10:11.777
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:10:11.777 --> 00:10:22.897
VIRGINIA:  After getting acquainted with the resort, you were heading over to the Polynesian, hoping to maybe get yourself on the list for Trader Sam's for after your dinner at Ohana.

00:10:22.897 --> 00:10:25.837
VIRGINIA:  Ohana, first time visit for both of you.

00:10:25.837 --> 00:10:26.977
VIRGINIA:  What did you think?

00:10:26.977 --> 00:10:29.717
LAURA: So Ohana is not terrible.

00:10:29.717 --> 00:10:31.537
LAURA: A lot of people say that it's awful.

00:10:31.537 --> 00:10:35.057
VIRGINIA:  That's not a rousing endorsement.

00:10:36.057 --> 00:10:37.477
LAURA: I'll explain.

00:10:37.477 --> 00:10:40.377
LAURA: But so many people on the Internet say, Ohana is terrible.

00:10:40.377 --> 00:10:41.297
LAURA: Don't waste your money.

00:10:41.297 --> 00:10:42.377
LAURA: It's an awful meal.

00:10:42.377 --> 00:10:43.817
LAURA: The food isn't good.

00:10:43.817 --> 00:10:45.777
LAURA: That's just simply not true.

00:10:45.777 --> 00:10:47.277
LAURA: The food was great.

00:10:47.277 --> 00:10:49.237
LAURA: Was it amazing, spectacular?

00:10:49.237 --> 00:10:53.537
LAURA: Wow, I need to go back and spend that amount of money for it again?

00:10:53.537 --> 00:10:55.237
LAURA: Probably not.

00:10:55.237 --> 00:10:57.717
LAURA: Except for the bread pudding, with the exception of the bread pudding.

00:10:57.717 --> 00:11:00.337
LAURA: Somebody could charge me $500.

00:11:00.337 --> 00:11:01.517
LAURA: I'm exaggerating.

00:11:01.517 --> 00:11:03.357
LAURA: But that bread pudding was so good.

00:11:03.357 --> 00:11:04.257
VIRGINIA:  Thank you for clarifying.

00:11:04.717 --> 00:11:05.597
LAURA: Yes.

00:11:05.597 --> 00:11:07.837
LAURA: Worth the cost of admission alone, I will say.

00:11:07.837 --> 00:11:17.637
LAURA: But I've come to learn now that the lounge outside of the Polynesian serves a lot of the items that I really did like from dinner, like the noodles and the bread pudding.

00:11:17.637 --> 00:11:22.817
LAURA: I would probably skip doing a seated dinner there and just hang out at the lounge for my next trip.

00:11:22.817 --> 00:11:25.437
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, a lot of people do that.

00:11:25.437 --> 00:11:30.017
VIRGINIA:  Did you feel rushed because that is what I constantly hear?

00:11:30.017 --> 00:11:30.957
LAURA: No, not at all.

00:11:31.637 --> 00:11:33.877
VIRGINIA:  Okay, that is good to know.

00:11:33.877 --> 00:11:45.437
VIRGINIA:  All right, because I have very consistently over the past year, probably heard about people going and feeling so rushed through their dinner, like they were just trying to turn over tables.

00:11:45.437 --> 00:11:54.017
LAURA: Yeah, I mean, they did bring out the food back to back, but there actually was one moment where I was like, wait, I want to try the next thing and they haven't brought it yet.

00:11:54.257 --> 00:11:56.977
LAURA: So I didn't feel super rushed.

00:11:56.977 --> 00:12:06.337
LAURA: But I know it is all you care to enjoy and they'll bring you more if you want more, but we were fine with just one serving of each because it's a lot of food.

00:12:06.337 --> 00:12:06.797
VIRGINIA:  It is.

00:12:06.797 --> 00:12:08.237
VIRGINIA:  It's a lot of food.

00:12:08.237 --> 00:12:10.217
VIRGINIA:  Did you make it into Trader Sam's?

00:12:10.217 --> 00:12:10.737
LAURA: No.

00:12:10.737 --> 00:12:16.137
LAURA: So we did put our name down before dinner and we hadn't finished dinner by the time they called us.

00:12:16.137 --> 00:12:17.337
LAURA: We didn't feel like waiting again.

00:12:17.337 --> 00:12:22.017
LAURA: We were just so full and so tired from traveling that we decided to skip it this time around.

00:12:22.817 --> 00:12:23.157
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:12:23.157 --> 00:12:26.417
VIRGINIA:  So what did you do after that?

00:12:26.417 --> 00:12:28.217
LAURA: We just went back to the hotel.

00:12:28.217 --> 00:12:28.897
LAURA: We hung out.

00:12:28.897 --> 00:12:30.017
LAURA: We chilled.

00:12:30.017 --> 00:12:30.417
LAURA: We watched.

00:12:30.417 --> 00:12:35.697
LAURA: I think I might have watched some Law and Order SVU because that's my favorite thing to do when I'm staying in hotels.

00:12:35.697 --> 00:12:37.397
LAURA: It's just, it's always on.

00:12:37.397 --> 00:12:38.877
LAURA: You ever noticed that?

00:12:38.877 --> 00:12:41.957
VIRGINIA:  Well, all of the Law and Orders are always on.

00:12:41.957 --> 00:12:47.837
VIRGINIA:  It's like something that you can have playing in the background and maybe you get invested in the storyline and maybe you don't.

00:12:47.837 --> 00:12:48.557
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:12:48.557 --> 00:12:49.777
VIRGINIA:  It's comfort food.

00:12:49.777 --> 00:12:50.617
LAURA: Exactly right.

00:12:50.617 --> 00:12:50.777
LAURA: Yeah.

00:12:51.117 --> 00:12:51.657
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:12:51.657 --> 00:12:51.877
LAURA: Yeah.

00:12:51.877 --> 00:12:55.077
LAURA: We just rested up to get ready for the next day pretty much.

00:12:55.077 --> 00:12:56.017
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:12:56.017 --> 00:13:01.677
VIRGINIA:  Well, the next day was Wednesday, October the 30th, and you had a Behind The Seeds Tour.

00:13:01.677 --> 00:13:05.297
VIRGINIA:  I didn't ask you when we spoke, was that first thing in the morning?

00:13:05.297 --> 00:13:07.497
VIRGINIA:  So was that where you headed straight away?

00:13:07.497 --> 00:13:08.257
LAURA: Yes, it was.

00:13:08.257 --> 00:13:14.217
LAURA: Yeah, we went straight to Epcot, got there a little bit before our Behind The Seeds Tour, just popped into some stores.

00:13:14.217 --> 00:13:19.737
LAURA: We got a magic band for Michael since he hasn't had one before and he was excited to just be able to tap into things.

00:13:19.917 --> 00:13:21.477
VIRGINIA:  Well, which one did he choose?

00:13:21.477 --> 00:13:23.377
LAURA: He got a Chippendale one.

00:13:23.377 --> 00:13:24.797
VIRGINIA:  Oh, yeah.

00:13:24.937 --> 00:13:28.897
VIRGINIA:  I showed you my mug before, so you know I'm a big Chippendale fan.

00:13:28.897 --> 00:13:29.177
LAURA: Yeah.

00:13:29.177 --> 00:13:30.037
VIRGINIA:  Good choice, Michael.

00:13:30.037 --> 00:13:31.197
VIRGINIA:  Good choice.

00:13:31.197 --> 00:13:43.017
LAURA: And I've been collecting, there's a series of pins that came out this year called Bicoastal Adventures where the pin actually moves back and forth for a particular attraction that is both in Disneyland and Disney World.

00:13:43.017 --> 00:13:46.937
LAURA: So you can slide the pin and see the different versions of the rides.

00:13:46.937 --> 00:13:48.057
VIRGINIA:  Oh, that's cool.

00:13:48.537 --> 00:13:55.637
LAURA: So they've been released sort of month by month and I've been lucky enough to get everyone in the series now and this trip I got the Winnie the Pooh one.

00:13:55.637 --> 00:13:56.617
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:13:56.617 --> 00:13:58.417
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, I have not seen this collection.

00:13:58.417 --> 00:14:00.677
VIRGINIA:  I'm going to have to check it out.

00:14:00.677 --> 00:14:06.537
VIRGINIA:  Maybe if I can find something online listeners, I will put a link in the show notes so that you can check it out as well.

00:14:06.537 --> 00:14:07.157
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:14:07.157 --> 00:14:10.277
VIRGINIA:  So on to Behind the Seeds.

00:14:10.277 --> 00:14:11.337
VIRGINIA:  I love this tour.

00:14:11.337 --> 00:14:19.757
VIRGINIA:  It is such an affordable, fun little tour especially if you're into gardening, which I would be except that I live in New York City.

00:14:19.757 --> 00:14:21.137
LAURA: Yes.

00:14:21.137 --> 00:14:21.457
LAURA: Yeah.

00:14:21.457 --> 00:14:24.037
LAURA: I mean, you're definitely right about the affordability factor.

00:14:24.037 --> 00:14:28.957
LAURA: I was surprised at how inexpensive it was because you're really getting a lot of value and a lot of education.

00:14:28.957 --> 00:14:31.357
LAURA: I wish I could remember the name of our tour guide.

00:14:31.357 --> 00:14:32.577
LAURA: She was incredible.

00:14:32.577 --> 00:14:35.397
LAURA: She was so knowledgeable and so kind and funny.

00:14:35.397 --> 00:14:37.257
LAURA: Cast members make Disney for me.

00:14:37.257 --> 00:14:44.257
LAURA: So just being able to interact with her and see how passionate she was about what she was teaching us, really was the cherry on top of the experience.

00:14:44.697 --> 00:14:48.137
VIRGINIA:  Did they give you anything to eat during your tour?

00:14:48.137 --> 00:14:50.477
VIRGINIA:  Because we got to sample some cucumber when I did it.

00:14:50.477 --> 00:14:51.017
LAURA: Same.

00:14:51.017 --> 00:14:56.057
LAURA: Yeah, we got to sample some cucumbers that they grow there in the greenhouse.

00:14:56.057 --> 00:14:58.077
LAURA: They were so crisp and refreshing.

00:14:58.077 --> 00:14:59.217
LAURA: They were really great.

00:14:59.217 --> 00:15:08.637
VIRGINIA:  Isn't it fun to be walking back there and the Living with the Land boats go by and people who don't know about the tour are so confused as to why people are walking in the gardens?

00:15:09.797 --> 00:15:12.297
LAURA: I wave to everybody because I'm that obnoxious.

00:15:12.397 --> 00:15:14.437
VIRGINIA:  I'm like, hey, hi boats.

00:15:14.437 --> 00:15:15.177
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, I loved it.

00:15:15.177 --> 00:15:17.177
VIRGINIA:  What about Stanley?

00:15:17.177 --> 00:15:17.997
LAURA: Oh, Stanley.

00:15:17.997 --> 00:15:19.657
VIRGINIA:  Did you meet Stanley?

00:15:19.657 --> 00:15:20.777
LAURA: I did.

00:15:20.777 --> 00:15:27.637
LAURA: For those of you who have never been on the tour, you can't really touch anything because they need to keep it food safe with the exception of Stanley.

00:15:27.637 --> 00:15:28.497
LAURA: Stanley is a plant.

00:15:28.497 --> 00:15:30.917
LAURA: I can't remember what kind of plant he is.

00:15:30.917 --> 00:15:33.677
LAURA: But he is their pet over at Living with the Land.

00:15:33.677 --> 00:15:38.937
LAURA: He's this kind of plant where when you touch the leaves, they fold in on each other because Stanley is a little shy.

00:15:39.997 --> 00:15:44.737
LAURA: But we all got to pet Stanley and see him retract his little leaves.

00:15:44.737 --> 00:15:46.097
LAURA: It was very cute.

00:15:46.097 --> 00:15:46.317
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:15:46.317 --> 00:15:48.997
VIRGINIA:  And when you say retract his leaves, like it happens pretty quickly.

00:15:48.997 --> 00:15:51.417
VIRGINIA:  It's not like a slow burn.

00:15:51.417 --> 00:15:54.657
VIRGINIA:  It's like you touch him and immediately he closes up.

00:15:54.757 --> 00:15:55.657
VIRGINIA:  Yes.

00:15:55.657 --> 00:15:58.257
LAURA: Stanley and I are very alike in that way.

00:16:00.457 --> 00:16:01.097
VIRGINIA:  Oh my God.

00:16:01.097 --> 00:16:02.417
VIRGINIA:  You are so funny.

00:16:02.417 --> 00:16:03.697
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:16:03.697 --> 00:16:04.997
VIRGINIA:  What was after the tour?

00:16:05.577 --> 00:16:07.497
VIRGINIA:  Did you stick in the land pavilion for a little bit?

00:16:08.457 --> 00:16:09.437
LAURA: We did, actually.

00:16:09.437 --> 00:16:10.397
LAURA: We rode Soarin.

00:16:10.397 --> 00:16:20.837
LAURA: My fiance has never done Soarin before because he suffers from motion sickness with a lot of rides, and we were worried that that would be one that would do it for him, but happy to report he loved it.

00:16:20.837 --> 00:16:26.557
LAURA: No motion sickness, so we can add that one to our list of rides that we do every time now.

00:16:26.557 --> 00:16:29.557
VIRGINIA:  Did you have a good seat for it?

00:16:29.557 --> 00:16:35.217
LAURA: We were in the middle section, but we were in the second row, so we did have the feet dangling in front of us.

00:16:35.217 --> 00:16:36.197
VIRGINIA:  But at least you were in the middle.

00:16:36.697 --> 00:16:37.357
LAURA: Yes.

00:16:38.037 --> 00:16:39.397
VIRGINIA:  I'll take it.

00:16:39.577 --> 00:16:49.037
VIRGINIA:  I have to say though, Alex and I have gotten to where we actually like being on the very farthest to the side seats because everything being curved is hilarious.

00:16:49.177 --> 00:16:53.657
VIRGINIA:  We just spend the entire ride laughing and people looking at us going like, why are they laughing?

00:16:53.657 --> 00:16:55.577
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:16:55.577 --> 00:16:59.417
VIRGINIA:  But I'm glad he had a middle seat for that first ride.

00:16:59.417 --> 00:17:03.577
VIRGINIA:  Where did you head after your flight on Zoran?

00:17:03.577 --> 00:17:10.757
LAURA: By this time, we were very hungry because we always make the mistake of not eating breakfast, especially on an Epcot day thinking, oh, we're going to eat a ton.

00:17:10.757 --> 00:17:12.837
LAURA: Like we need to save room.

00:17:12.837 --> 00:17:16.117
LAURA: But we were starving at this point.

00:17:16.117 --> 00:17:18.817
LAURA: So we're like, let's look at the food and wine app.

00:17:18.817 --> 00:17:22.757
LAURA: Let's see what items we've started or favored.

00:17:22.757 --> 00:17:23.817
LAURA: Game changer.

00:17:23.817 --> 00:17:25.397
LAURA: Total game changer.

00:17:25.397 --> 00:17:27.597
LAURA: Because now I don't have to be like, where is that booth?

00:17:27.597 --> 00:17:28.837
LAURA: I can just pull up my app.

00:17:28.837 --> 00:17:33.217
LAURA: I can see exactly where I'm standing and where I need to walk to get to the food that I want.

00:17:35.137 --> 00:17:44.277
LAURA: But there was a booth right outside of the Land Pavilion that had probably my favorite festival food item hands down that I have ever had at Epcot.

00:17:44.277 --> 00:17:46.077
LAURA: And it was the short rib.

00:17:46.077 --> 00:17:47.137
VIRGINIA:  Ooh, okay.

00:17:47.137 --> 00:17:49.697
LAURA: It was so good.

00:17:49.697 --> 00:17:53.277
LAURA: I want to say the name of the booth is Forest and Field.

00:17:53.277 --> 00:17:57.397
VIRGINIA:  Is it up towards those bathrooms like by that Starbucks?

00:17:57.397 --> 00:17:59.877
LAURA: Okay, so that's actually that one I think is Forest and Field.

00:17:59.877 --> 00:18:04.317
LAURA: I might be confusing the one that has the short rib with, yes, I am.

00:18:04.317 --> 00:18:08.957
LAURA: So the one that has the short rib that's right outside of the land pavilion is called Earth Eats.

00:18:08.957 --> 00:18:11.037
LAURA: That short rib was amazing.

00:18:11.037 --> 00:18:16.397
LAURA: It had like a creamy polenta with capers, a little bit of a kick to it.

00:18:16.397 --> 00:18:18.317
LAURA: It was so delicious.

00:18:18.317 --> 00:18:20.717
LAURA: Forest and Field is exactly where you're talking about.

00:18:20.717 --> 00:18:24.297
LAURA: So it's kind of that area that kind of cuts through to the World Showcase.

00:18:24.297 --> 00:18:27.117
LAURA: It used to be a Starbucks, but now it's World Showcase.

00:18:27.617 --> 00:18:29.857
VIRGINIA:  Oh, yes, it changed over to the ice cream place.

00:18:29.857 --> 00:18:30.097
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:18:30.237 --> 00:18:33.257
VIRGINIA:  And it's usually the honey bee themed.

00:18:33.257 --> 00:18:33.737
LAURA: Yes.

00:18:33.737 --> 00:18:34.997
VIRGINIA:  Or like near there.

00:18:34.997 --> 00:18:35.217
LAURA: Yeah.

00:18:35.217 --> 00:18:40.717
LAURA: For flower and garden, it's also where you can get the tomato soup at the Festival of the Arts.

00:18:40.717 --> 00:18:41.877
LAURA: Oh my gosh.

00:18:41.877 --> 00:18:42.477
VIRGINIA:  Yes.

00:18:42.477 --> 00:18:44.617
VIRGINIA:  I cannot wait for that this year.

00:18:44.617 --> 00:18:49.997
LAURA: So for this festival for food and wine, it was all fall themed.

00:18:49.997 --> 00:18:52.097
LAURA: So we got the bison chili.

00:18:52.097 --> 00:18:53.357
LAURA: It's called the autumn chili.

00:18:53.417 --> 00:18:57.977
LAURA: That was fantastic and I don't even like bison and this was so good.

00:18:57.977 --> 00:19:00.117
LAURA: It had jalapeno in it as well.

00:19:00.117 --> 00:19:08.537
LAURA: So if you don't like a little bit of a kick, it might not be for you, but it was fantastic as well as the pumpkin marscapone ravioli.

00:19:08.537 --> 00:19:13.697
LAURA: If you don't like pumpkin, you probably won't like it, but I do.

00:19:13.837 --> 00:19:16.817
VIRGINIA:  Everything you're saying is like my perfect things.

00:19:16.817 --> 00:19:18.737
VIRGINIA:  I'm like, you and I must have the same taste buds.

00:19:18.737 --> 00:19:19.117
LAURA: Yeah.

00:19:19.117 --> 00:19:27.817
LAURA: I mean, it was like the perfect blend of like that nice creamy cheese, and it had some sort of candied nuts on top of it, so you got the crunch with it as well.

00:19:27.817 --> 00:19:31.637
LAURA: It was like the best blend of like savory, sweet and textures.

00:19:31.637 --> 00:19:34.417
LAURA: It all just worked together really well.

00:19:34.417 --> 00:19:34.677
LAURA: Yeah.

00:19:34.677 --> 00:19:36.337
LAURA: So we filled up on that.

00:19:36.337 --> 00:19:37.197
LAURA: Then I don't know what it is.

00:19:37.197 --> 00:19:40.557
LAURA: Every time we eat food, Michael immediately needs a coffee.

00:19:40.557 --> 00:19:42.297
LAURA: He's like, I got to go to Joffre's.

00:19:42.437 --> 00:19:45.037
LAURA: Every time we get Joffre's, we realize how terrible it is.

00:19:45.037 --> 00:19:47.897
VIRGINIA:  I like Joffre's.

00:19:47.897 --> 00:19:49.017
LAURA: I don't know what it is.

00:19:49.017 --> 00:19:55.677
LAURA: Every single Joffre's coffee that we had this trip was so bad that we took like two sips and had to throw it in the trash.

00:19:55.677 --> 00:19:56.057
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:19:57.257 --> 00:20:00.297
VIRGINIA:  I have had one like that before from Animal Kingdom.

00:20:00.297 --> 00:20:03.777
VIRGINIA:  I remember, and Alex felt so bad because he was the one who had ordered it.

00:20:04.757 --> 00:20:06.437
VIRGINIA:  I was like, Alex, this is awful.

00:20:06.437 --> 00:20:06.917
VIRGINIA:  It's okay.

00:20:06.917 --> 00:20:07.657
VIRGINIA:  Throw it away.

00:20:07.657 --> 00:20:09.377
VIRGINIA:  It doesn't matter.

00:20:09.377 --> 00:20:11.537
VIRGINIA:  But what kind of things were you ordering?

00:20:11.537 --> 00:20:14.697
VIRGINIA:  Do you order the specialty beverages, like the seasonal ones?

00:20:14.697 --> 00:20:15.097
LAURA: Yes.

00:20:15.097 --> 00:20:18.077
LAURA: We tried at Epcot, the peanut butter and jelly one.

00:20:18.077 --> 00:20:19.617
LAURA: That's at the booth right at the-

00:20:20.877 --> 00:20:26.417
LAURA: Is it Port of Entry, that area where you start at the World Showcase?

00:20:26.417 --> 00:20:26.737
LAURA: Yeah.

00:20:26.737 --> 00:20:30.337
LAURA: That Joffrey's booth over there, there was a peanut butter and jelly one that we tried.

00:20:30.337 --> 00:20:31.877
LAURA: That one was just okay.

00:20:31.877 --> 00:20:33.477
LAURA: It wasn't necessarily bad.

00:20:33.477 --> 00:20:36.637
LAURA: However, when we talk about Magic Kingdom, I'll tell you about one that was really bad.

00:20:36.637 --> 00:20:36.997
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:20:36.997 --> 00:20:38.317
LAURA: But I don't know.

00:20:38.317 --> 00:20:45.717
LAURA: I'll just go out of my way now to wait on the line in creations to get Starbucks because every time with Joffrey's, I feel like I'm wasting my money.

00:20:46.437 --> 00:20:46.697
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:20:46.697 --> 00:20:50.297
VIRGINIA:  See, I don't usually like to get at Joffrey's.

00:20:50.297 --> 00:20:50.757
VIRGINIA:  What is it?

00:20:50.757 --> 00:20:52.337
VIRGINIA:  There's something that people love.

00:20:52.337 --> 00:20:53.377
LAURA: The Shaken Jamaican Culper.

00:20:53.377 --> 00:20:54.097
VIRGINIA:  The Shaken Jamaican.

00:20:54.097 --> 00:20:54.977
VIRGINIA:  I'm not into it.

00:20:54.977 --> 00:20:58.517
VIRGINIA:  It has a sour taste to it to me.

00:20:58.517 --> 00:21:00.937
VIRGINIA:  But I do love their specialty drinks.

00:21:00.937 --> 00:21:08.737
VIRGINIA:  So last time I was there, the thing I kept getting was a dirty chai.

00:21:08.797 --> 00:21:09.677
VIRGINIA:  So good.

00:21:10.757 --> 00:21:15.837
VIRGINIA:  Usually in February when we go, they have chocolate strawberry themed things that are very good.

00:21:15.837 --> 00:21:17.377
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:21:17.377 --> 00:21:24.897
VIRGINIA:  I wish they had other coffee options more frequently, but it seems like it's either Joffrey's or Starbucks.

00:21:24.897 --> 00:21:29.977
VIRGINIA:  Then if you go into a place, they're generally selling Joffrey's.

00:21:29.977 --> 00:21:35.497
VIRGINIA:  But yeah, if you're not a Joffrey's fan, I can understand how that would be very disappointing.

00:21:36.057 --> 00:21:36.397
LAURA: Yeah.

00:21:36.397 --> 00:21:37.857
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:21:37.857 --> 00:21:42.717
VIRGINIA:  If you headed to a Joffrey's, were you in the Canada area?

00:21:42.717 --> 00:21:43.017
LAURA: Yeah.

00:21:44.257 --> 00:21:47.497
LAURA: We had a plan to ride Remmys.

00:21:47.857 --> 00:21:55.117
LAURA: Rather than starting in Mexico, I know people like to judge you if you start in Canada, but listen, I could go either way.

00:21:55.117 --> 00:21:57.157
LAURA: It all depends on what I have planned.

00:21:57.157 --> 00:21:57.417
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:21:57.417 --> 00:22:01.877
VIRGINIA:  Here's my thing is if you go frequently, it doesn't matter where you start.

00:22:01.877 --> 00:22:03.017
LAURA: Exactly.

00:22:03.017 --> 00:22:03.997
LAURA: Exactly right.

00:22:05.417 --> 00:22:07.277
LAURA: So yeah, we did technically start in Canada.

00:22:07.277 --> 00:22:13.677
LAURA: We decided to skip the food booths there, even though I really wanted to try the potato soup that everybody raves about.

00:22:13.677 --> 00:22:16.477
LAURA: It just wasn't soup weather and we'd already had chili.

00:22:16.617 --> 00:22:21.197
LAURA: I'm like, I can't do too hot things in Florida right now.

00:22:21.197 --> 00:22:26.677
LAURA: So we zipped right on past there and we went to the France Pavilion to ride Remmys, ride a two-way adventure.

00:22:26.677 --> 00:22:28.017
LAURA: That is Michael's favorite ride.

00:22:28.017 --> 00:22:33.077
LAURA: So every time we go to Epcot, we have to make sure that we get a ride on Remmys in.

00:22:33.417 --> 00:22:36.677
VIRGINIA:  And he doesn't experience any kind of motion sickness on that?

00:22:36.677 --> 00:22:40.157
VIRGINIA:  Because that is one that I hear frequently with people who suffer from that.

00:22:40.157 --> 00:22:42.037
LAURA: Yeah, that's what's so strange.

00:22:42.037 --> 00:22:43.097
LAURA: You know what I think it is?

00:22:43.097 --> 00:22:47.197
LAURA: I think rides that have 3D glasses are what puts him over the edge.

00:22:47.197 --> 00:22:56.037
LAURA: Because it was Flight of Passage where we got off that ride and he was white as a sheet and literally had to run over to a trash can.

00:22:56.037 --> 00:22:58.997
LAURA: And then the rides in Universal, which a lot of those have 3D glasses.

00:22:58.997 --> 00:23:00.937
VIRGINIA:  But Remmy has 3D glasses.

00:23:00.997 --> 00:23:02.417
LAURA: Oh, you know what it does?

00:23:02.417 --> 00:23:02.837
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:23:02.837 --> 00:23:04.197
LAURA: You're right.

00:23:04.197 --> 00:23:06.217
VIRGINIA:  So maybe it's not the glasses part of it.

00:23:06.217 --> 00:23:06.717
LAURA: Yeah.

00:23:06.717 --> 00:23:11.197
LAURA: Maybe it could be, maybe Flight of Passage is a little bit more of exaggerated movement.

00:23:11.197 --> 00:23:16.937
VIRGINIA:  Here's the thing with Remmy's is, yes, there are a lot of screens, but you also are actually physically moving.

00:23:16.937 --> 00:23:23.437
VIRGINIA:  Whereas Flight of Passage, your body is not actually really moving and it's just the screen that's making you feel like you're moving.

00:23:23.437 --> 00:23:37.497
VIRGINIA:  And I think it's that disconnect between what your body is actually doing and what you're seeing because your brain is moving, but the inner ear is, that's why people get car sick when they're looking down, it's that balance.

00:23:37.497 --> 00:23:39.377
LAURA: Yeah, that makes total sense then.

00:23:39.377 --> 00:23:40.177
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:23:40.177 --> 00:23:40.537
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:23:40.537 --> 00:23:43.857
VIRGINIA:  Well, what was after Remmy's?

00:23:43.857 --> 00:23:48.637
LAURA: So we were trying to decide if we wanted to walk further into the World Showcase.

00:23:48.637 --> 00:23:53.657
LAURA: At that point, we were so exhausted already, which is not a good sign.

00:23:53.857 --> 00:23:57.357
LAURA: I used to be able to drop to close.

00:23:58.157 --> 00:24:01.777
LAURA: And Michael's pushing 40, I'm almost 35 at this point.

00:24:01.777 --> 00:24:03.957
LAURA: We really need to take our breaks and strategize.

00:24:03.957 --> 00:24:05.357
VIRGINIA:  You guys are babies.

00:24:06.957 --> 00:24:08.757
LAURA: Am I getting exhausted too early?

00:24:08.757 --> 00:24:10.637
LAURA: Is this a bad sign?

00:24:10.637 --> 00:24:16.157
VIRGINIA:  No, I'm just saying, you've got plenty of youth left in you.

00:24:17.377 --> 00:24:24.257
VIRGINIA:  But it's a bad sign considering the fact that your goal of this day was to make it too Fantasmic.

00:24:24.937 --> 00:24:28.157
VIRGINIA:  So that was a later-in-the-evening activity.

00:24:28.157 --> 00:24:32.337
VIRGINIA:  So now, listening to this, I'm growing concerned.

00:24:32.337 --> 00:24:35.817
VIRGINIA:  So, did you take a break?

00:24:35.817 --> 00:24:37.037
LAURA: Not quite yet.

00:24:37.037 --> 00:24:46.497
LAURA: We decided we're not going to venture further into World Showcase because then we're going to have to do the whole loop and it's going to start to get a little bit too much.

00:24:46.497 --> 00:24:47.757
LAURA: We're going to be way too tired.

00:24:47.757 --> 00:24:51.177
LAURA: We know we need to preserve our energy for exactly the reason that you said.

00:24:51.977 --> 00:24:53.277
LAURA: But I want to creme brulee.

00:24:53.277 --> 00:24:58.017
LAURA: So we popped into the bakery in France and we tried three items there.

00:24:58.017 --> 00:25:00.977
LAURA: There was a macaroon or a macaroon.

00:25:00.977 --> 00:25:02.537
LAURA: I don't really know the difference between the two.

00:25:02.557 --> 00:25:04.217
VIRGINIA:  So I'm going to tell you the difference.

00:25:04.217 --> 00:25:08.877
VIRGINIA:  I'm going to pause and I'm going to educate listeners just because this is one thing that every time people say it wrong.

00:25:08.877 --> 00:25:10.697
VIRGINIA:  I'm just like, that's not hard.

00:25:11.897 --> 00:25:16.077
VIRGINIA:  So a macaroon is like the thing that's made out of coconut.

00:25:16.077 --> 00:25:17.117
LAURA: Gotcha.

00:25:17.117 --> 00:25:17.877
LAURA: Okay.

00:25:17.877 --> 00:25:20.057
VIRGINIA:  And a mackerel is the cookie thing.

00:25:20.437 --> 00:25:23.617
VIRGINIA:  And people constantly call the cookie a macaroon.

00:25:23.617 --> 00:25:29.177
VIRGINIA:  And every time it's just like, it just kind of makes my ear twitch.

00:25:29.177 --> 00:25:31.357
LAURA: So yeah, so we had the latter.

00:25:31.357 --> 00:25:35.757
LAURA: And it's raspberry flavored with the lime and the raspberry on the inside.

00:25:35.757 --> 00:25:37.337
LAURA: That was fantastic.

00:25:37.337 --> 00:25:41.637
VIRGINIA:  The texture of that is also what makes it for me, like the flavors.

00:25:41.637 --> 00:25:45.677
VIRGINIA:  And then there's just such a pillowy texture to that cookie.

00:25:45.677 --> 00:25:46.317
LAURA: So good.

00:25:46.317 --> 00:25:47.517
LAURA: So good.

00:25:47.597 --> 00:25:50.657
VIRGINIA:  Wait, I have to ask, sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask you a question.

00:25:50.657 --> 00:25:57.637
VIRGINIA:  Have you gone into the ice cream shop right outside there and gotten the macaroon ice cream sandwich?

00:25:57.637 --> 00:25:58.857
LAURA: I have not, no.

00:25:58.857 --> 00:26:00.497
LAURA: I've heard that that ice cream shop is-

00:26:00.497 --> 00:26:01.897
VIRGINIA:  Add it to your list.

00:26:01.897 --> 00:26:03.137
LAURA: So it's a macaroon sandwich.

00:26:03.137 --> 00:26:04.977
LAURA: It's not like the brioche sandwich?

00:26:04.977 --> 00:26:06.757
VIRGINIA:  It's a separate thing.

00:26:06.757 --> 00:26:07.797
VIRGINIA:  Oh, okay.

00:26:07.797 --> 00:26:08.757
LAURA: That's a game changer.

00:26:08.757 --> 00:26:10.197
LAURA: I'm adding that to the list.

00:26:10.197 --> 00:26:14.337
VIRGINIA:  I mean, the brioche sandwich is good, but the macaroon sandwich is better.

00:26:16.217 --> 00:26:18.717
LAURA: I'm definitely going to try that on my next trip.

00:26:18.717 --> 00:26:22.637
LAURA: We also got the creme brulee because that's my favorite dessert, and I needed to redeem myself.

00:26:22.637 --> 00:26:27.797
LAURA: I tried the mango passion fruit one from the France Pavilion on a previous trip and it was awful.

00:26:28.817 --> 00:26:30.517
LAURA: It was like soup.

00:26:30.517 --> 00:26:30.877
LAURA: I don't know.

00:26:30.877 --> 00:26:33.377
LAURA: They probably just didn't have it sitting at the right temperature.

00:26:33.377 --> 00:26:38.457
LAURA: Then we got a third item which is escaping me right now, but it was all very good.

00:26:38.457 --> 00:26:46.497
LAURA: One thing I will say is, I had not a Disney gift card, a regular gift card, and I had just been traveling around with it.

00:26:47.297 --> 00:26:48.257
VIRGINIA:  Like a Visa MasterCard.

00:26:48.257 --> 00:26:49.997
LAURA: Like a Visa MasterCard gift card.

00:26:49.997 --> 00:26:51.257
LAURA: Yeah, exactly.

00:26:51.577 --> 00:26:56.877
LAURA: I might as well try to use this, so I go to swipe it in the France Pavilion and they're like, oh, it didn't work.

00:26:56.877 --> 00:26:59.577
LAURA: Come to find out that it did technically work.

00:26:59.577 --> 00:27:05.497
LAURA: It's just that sometimes these gift cards will put a hold or an authorization charge on first.

00:27:05.497 --> 00:27:15.117
LAURA: It basically depletes all of your funds and then you're not able to use that gift card for the rest of your trip until everything clears and goes through in like two to three days.

00:27:15.117 --> 00:27:19.797
LAURA: So all of that money on the gift card, I basically couldn't use for the rest of my trip.

00:27:19.797 --> 00:27:28.017
LAURA: So if you're using gift cards, just make sure that that's not going to be an issue, that they don't put some sort of temporary authorization hold on it when you do your first swipe.

00:27:28.017 --> 00:27:35.457
VIRGINIA:  So when you did that swipe, did it pay for the item you were trying to pay for or it paid for nothing and okay.

00:27:35.457 --> 00:27:46.057
LAURA: It put a 99 cent charge on the gift card and then froze up the rest of the funds until they could verify that the card had enough balance on it to cover the cost.

00:27:46.057 --> 00:27:48.917
LAURA: So I had to pay separately and now I haven't even checked.

00:27:48.917 --> 00:27:52.137
LAURA: I need to see if that money got deducted from the gift card.

00:27:52.137 --> 00:27:53.317
LAURA: If it did, then I'm out.

00:27:53.317 --> 00:27:54.137
LAURA: I paid twice.

00:27:54.137 --> 00:27:54.877
VIRGINIA:  Right.

00:27:54.877 --> 00:27:56.717
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:27:56.717 --> 00:27:58.037
VIRGINIA:  That's frustrating.

00:27:58.037 --> 00:27:58.957
LAURA: Yeah.

00:27:58.957 --> 00:28:01.357
LAURA: So just something to keep in mind, lesson learned there.

00:28:01.897 --> 00:28:02.657
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:28:02.657 --> 00:28:04.537
LAURA: But yeah, we very much enjoyed the desserts.

00:28:04.537 --> 00:28:08.817
LAURA: They were very good and at that point, we're like, we got to walk all the way back to the front of the park.

00:28:08.817 --> 00:28:10.137
LAURA: We got to get in the car.

00:28:10.137 --> 00:28:11.417
LAURA: We have Fantasmic later.

00:28:11.417 --> 00:28:13.757
LAURA: So we called it a day.

00:28:13.757 --> 00:28:14.197
LAURA: Hung out.

00:28:14.197 --> 00:28:15.157
LAURA: I hung out by the pool.

00:28:15.157 --> 00:28:19.437
LAURA: Michael took a nap and we just relaxed, recharged.

00:28:19.437 --> 00:28:25.057
LAURA: At All Star Sports and at a bunch of the different resorts, they released all these new French fry menu items.

00:28:25.057 --> 00:28:29.857
LAURA: So I tried these Mexican street corn French fries, which were absolutely delicious.

00:28:30.097 --> 00:28:34.777
LAURA: And I had that as like a little pre-dinner snack.

00:28:34.777 --> 00:28:35.537
VIRGINIA:  Love it.

00:28:35.537 --> 00:28:36.877
LAURA: Yeah, it's good.

00:28:36.877 --> 00:28:37.497
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:28:37.497 --> 00:28:40.057
VIRGINIA:  So how long did you break for?

00:28:40.057 --> 00:28:48.117
LAURA: Oh, probably like two and a half, three hours before we started getting ready again to head out to Hollywood Studios.

00:28:48.117 --> 00:28:49.097
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:28:49.097 --> 00:28:53.217
VIRGINIA:  So Hollywood Studios, what time did you arrive there?

00:28:53.217 --> 00:28:54.317
LAURA: That's a great question.

00:28:54.317 --> 00:28:57.177
LAURA: My memory wants to say probably around six.

00:28:57.717 --> 00:29:02.917
VIRGINIA:  So you had a little bit of time and you were going to the second showing of Fantasmic?

00:29:02.917 --> 00:29:07.177
LAURA: This night actually they only had one showing and it was at nine or nine thirty.

00:29:07.177 --> 00:29:08.237
LAURA: It was a later showing.

00:29:08.237 --> 00:29:11.177
LAURA: So that gave us some time to get some things done.

00:29:11.177 --> 00:29:11.497
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:29:11.497 --> 00:29:13.257
VIRGINIA:  Well, what did you do with that time?

00:29:13.257 --> 00:29:21.217
LAURA: So Michael has never done Smugglers Run again because of the motion sickness.

00:29:21.217 --> 00:29:21.957
LAURA: So he's like, you know what?

00:29:21.957 --> 00:29:23.077
LAURA: I'm feeling good.

00:29:23.077 --> 00:29:25.057
LAURA: My stomach's not too full right now.

00:29:25.057 --> 00:29:25.857
LAURA: Let's try it.

00:29:26.897 --> 00:29:28.997
LAURA: So we did Smugglers Run for the first time again.

00:29:28.997 --> 00:29:30.117
LAURA: Happy to report.

00:29:30.117 --> 00:29:33.137
LAURA: No motion sickness issues.

00:29:33.137 --> 00:29:37.617
LAURA: I was really hoping that we'd be able to do pilot because it was his first time.

00:29:37.617 --> 00:29:40.677
LAURA: He's a big first person shooter guy and plays a lot of video games.

00:29:40.677 --> 00:29:44.157
LAURA: So I'm like, you'd probably be really good at this.

00:29:44.157 --> 00:29:47.177
LAURA: But he's the kind of person where he's like, no, whatever we get, it's fine.

00:29:47.177 --> 00:29:48.477
LAURA: We don't need to ask to wait.

00:29:48.477 --> 00:29:49.777
VIRGINIA:  We don't need to be pilots.

00:29:49.777 --> 00:29:50.837
LAURA: I'll just do whatever.

00:29:50.837 --> 00:29:53.417
LAURA: He doesn't want to bother the cast members and ask for that.

00:29:54.617 --> 00:29:57.997
LAURA: Whereas I have no shame, but he's like, no, it's really fine.

00:29:57.997 --> 00:29:59.337
LAURA: We'll just get what we get.

00:29:59.337 --> 00:30:01.017
LAURA: So we ended up being gunners.

00:30:01.017 --> 00:30:02.077
LAURA: He really enjoyed it.

00:30:02.077 --> 00:30:03.817
LAURA: Our pilots were fantastic.

00:30:03.817 --> 00:30:06.917
LAURA: I've never had a better performance on Smugglers Run before.

00:30:06.917 --> 00:30:07.417
VIRGINIA:  Really?

00:30:07.417 --> 00:30:08.857
VIRGINIA:  Did you tell them as much?

00:30:08.857 --> 00:30:09.477
LAURA: I did.

00:30:09.477 --> 00:30:09.757
LAURA: Yeah.

00:30:09.757 --> 00:30:11.557
LAURA: We barely lost any of our shield.

00:30:11.557 --> 00:30:12.977
LAURA: We didn't crash into anything.

00:30:12.977 --> 00:30:16.297
LAURA: We were at 100 percent shield capacity the entire time.

00:30:16.297 --> 00:30:18.017
LAURA: It was great.

00:30:18.017 --> 00:30:20.637
LAURA: So it was a perfect first experience for Michael on that ride.

00:30:20.637 --> 00:30:24.157
LAURA: I think it's another one that we're going to add to the heavy rotation.

00:30:24.157 --> 00:30:25.077
VIRGINIA:  Fantastic.

00:30:25.077 --> 00:30:25.937
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:30:25.937 --> 00:30:29.557
VIRGINIA:  But listeners, don't hesitate to ask for a spot if you want it.

00:30:29.557 --> 00:30:31.097
VIRGINIA:  I mean, I get it.

00:30:31.097 --> 00:30:33.717
VIRGINIA:  Like I'm usually the kind of person that's like, I'll get whatever I get.

00:30:33.717 --> 00:30:34.257
VIRGINIA:  It's fine.

00:30:34.257 --> 00:30:35.777
VIRGINIA:  It doesn't matter to me.

00:30:35.777 --> 00:30:46.617
VIRGINIA:  But if you really want a spot, you're not putting a cast member out by asking for that because they just ask you to step aside and wait until the next one so that you can get the spot that you want.

00:30:46.617 --> 00:30:48.617
VIRGINIA:  It's really, it's not a problem.

00:30:48.677 --> 00:30:49.997
VIRGINIA:  They get asked all the time.

00:30:50.497 --> 00:30:55.277
LAURA: Yeah, if you don't mind waiting, it's a good idea to do it if it's what you really want.

00:30:55.277 --> 00:30:55.677
VIRGINIA:  Right.

00:30:56.097 --> 00:31:03.017
VIRGINIA:  Because I certainly do that every single time I ride Guardians of the Galaxy and every single time I ride Big Thunder.

00:31:03.017 --> 00:31:03.377
LAURA: Yeah.

00:31:03.797 --> 00:31:05.497
VIRGINIA:  I'd like the back, please.

00:31:07.017 --> 00:31:07.437
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:31:07.437 --> 00:31:09.617
VIRGINIA:  Where did you head next?

00:31:09.617 --> 00:31:11.137
LAURA: Michael wanted a Rondo wrap.

00:31:11.137 --> 00:31:16.177
LAURA: I let him lead here because he's the Star Wars guy, not me.

00:31:16.177 --> 00:31:17.637
LAURA: I'm like, whatever you want to do, let's do it.

00:31:18.237 --> 00:31:19.277
LAURA: He wanted a Rondo wrap.

00:31:19.597 --> 00:31:21.417
LAURA: We headed over to the quick service there.

00:31:21.417 --> 00:31:24.277
LAURA: I cannot remember for the life of me what it's called.

00:31:24.277 --> 00:31:28.977
VIRGINIA:  Ronto Roasters is where they sell the Ronto wraps.

00:31:28.977 --> 00:31:29.417
LAURA: Yeah.

00:31:29.417 --> 00:31:32.097
VIRGINIA:  There's the other one, Docking Bay 7.

00:31:32.097 --> 00:31:32.437
LAURA: Yeah.

00:31:32.437 --> 00:31:34.077
LAURA: I think it was Docking Bay 7.

00:31:34.077 --> 00:31:34.557
LAURA: Yeah.

00:31:34.557 --> 00:31:36.417
LAURA: We went to Docking Bay 7.

00:31:36.417 --> 00:31:41.717
LAURA: We got the yuca fries and we each got a Rondo wrap as well.

00:31:41.717 --> 00:31:43.077
LAURA: Those were delicious.

00:31:43.077 --> 00:31:46.697
LAURA: It had been years since I've had a Rondo wrap and I forgot how good they were.

00:31:47.257 --> 00:31:51.837
LAURA: Although, I think in there, there's a slice of turkey that's wrapped around.

00:31:52.717 --> 00:31:56.057
LAURA: The actual hot dog or sausage or whatever is in there.

00:31:56.057 --> 00:31:56.997
LAURA: That didn't do it for me.

00:31:56.997 --> 00:32:00.137
LAURA: It was too dry, so I just took it out and eat the rest of it.

00:32:00.137 --> 00:32:02.337
VIRGINIA:  Have you tried the breakfast version?

00:32:02.337 --> 00:32:08.937
LAURA: I have not, but fun fact about me, I don't really love eggs, so I avoid eating them at all costs.

00:32:08.937 --> 00:32:10.857
VIRGINIA:  That's not a fun fact, Laura.

00:32:12.417 --> 00:32:13.657
VIRGINIA:  That's an unfun fact.

00:32:13.657 --> 00:32:14.597
LAURA: No, it's so fun.

00:32:15.537 --> 00:32:18.157
LAURA: Not eating eggs makes me so cool.

00:32:18.157 --> 00:32:23.797
VIRGINIA:  I'm imagining you going into meetings and then being like everyone has to tell a fun fact and you're like, I don't like eggs.

00:32:23.797 --> 00:32:25.077
LAURA: I really don't like eggs.

00:32:25.077 --> 00:32:29.577
LAURA: Although if they're drenched in hot sauce, cheese or ketchup, I will eat them.

00:32:29.577 --> 00:32:32.897
VIRGINIA:  But I mean, that's true of most things though, drench it in cheese or.

00:32:32.897 --> 00:32:37.557
LAURA: Here's the thing, I don't like ketchup on anything else except for eggs, weirdly.

00:32:37.557 --> 00:32:38.457
VIRGINIA:  Really?

00:32:38.537 --> 00:32:39.597
LAURA: Yeah.

00:32:39.597 --> 00:32:40.097
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:32:40.097 --> 00:32:43.157
VIRGINIA:  You know what I love on eggs is salsa.

00:32:43.237 --> 00:32:44.077
LAURA: Yum.

00:32:44.077 --> 00:32:44.557
VIRGINIA:  I don't know.

00:32:44.557 --> 00:32:47.597
VIRGINIA:  I like the tomato flavor and the kick of the jalapenos.

00:32:47.597 --> 00:32:48.137
LAURA: Yeah.

00:32:48.137 --> 00:32:50.977
LAURA: Like a nice huevos rancheros kind of situation.

00:32:50.977 --> 00:32:51.297
VIRGINIA:  Yes.

00:32:51.297 --> 00:32:54.257
VIRGINIA:  But when I make scrambled eggs at home, I just put salsa on top.

00:32:54.257 --> 00:32:55.637
LAURA: I'm going to try that next time.

00:32:55.637 --> 00:32:55.937
VIRGINIA:  Why?

00:32:55.937 --> 00:32:57.137
VIRGINIA:  You don't like eggs.

00:32:57.137 --> 00:32:57.317
LAURA: Yeah.

00:32:57.317 --> 00:32:57.957
LAURA: But sometimes-

00:32:57.957 --> 00:32:59.177
VIRGINIA:  Why are you forcing yourself?

00:32:59.177 --> 00:33:01.937
LAURA: Sometimes the situation calls for it.

00:33:02.697 --> 00:33:05.797
LAURA: Sometimes you're in a Gaston mood and you want to eat.

00:33:05.797 --> 00:33:06.217
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:33:06.217 --> 00:33:10.297
VIRGINIA:  Or sometimes you're in a situation where someone is serving it to you and you don't really feel like you have a choice.

00:33:10.297 --> 00:33:10.597
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

00:33:10.597 --> 00:33:11.137
VIRGINIA:  Exactly.

00:33:11.557 --> 00:33:12.577
LAURA: Exactly.

00:33:12.577 --> 00:33:13.497
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:33:13.497 --> 00:33:15.137
VIRGINIA:  So after your-

00:33:15.137 --> 00:33:18.077
VIRGINIA:  I'm going to call it a snack or was this dinner?

00:33:18.077 --> 00:33:19.097
LAURA: This was dinner.

00:33:19.097 --> 00:33:19.957
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:33:19.957 --> 00:33:21.937
VIRGINIA:  After dinner, what was next?

00:33:21.937 --> 00:33:29.997
LAURA: Looked at the wait times, tried to see which ride would make the most sense based on wait time and location, and it made sense to go to Toy Story Land.

00:33:29.997 --> 00:33:33.477
LAURA: So we went over and did Toy Story Mania.

00:33:33.477 --> 00:33:34.437
VIRGINIA:  Who won?

00:33:34.437 --> 00:33:34.937
LAURA: Me.

00:33:34.937 --> 00:33:37.217
LAURA: I am undefeated.

00:33:37.297 --> 00:33:38.117
VIRGINIA:  Yay.

00:33:38.117 --> 00:33:39.277
LAURA: Undefeated.

00:33:39.277 --> 00:33:40.197
LAURA: Except my friend Kayla.

00:33:40.197 --> 00:33:44.197
LAURA: She's the only person who's beat me at Toy Story Mania.

00:33:44.197 --> 00:33:53.277
LAURA: But Michael gets really defend, that's maybe defensive is the right word or at least just like ashamed of the fact that he can never beat me at a video game.

00:33:53.277 --> 00:33:54.917
LAURA: He can never beat me at a board game.

00:33:54.917 --> 00:33:59.077
LAURA: He can never beat me at Toy Story Mania.

00:33:59.077 --> 00:34:01.677
LAURA: So when we get off the ride, the cast member was like, how was it?

00:34:01.677 --> 00:34:02.297
LAURA: Did you have fun?

00:34:02.297 --> 00:34:03.977
LAURA: I was like, I'm undefeated.

00:34:03.977 --> 00:34:04.837
LAURA: He's never beat me.

00:34:04.837 --> 00:34:07.557
LAURA: He looked at me like, I'm going to kill you.

00:34:09.817 --> 00:34:12.457
LAURA: He just doesn't like to call attention to himself.

00:34:13.537 --> 00:34:15.297
LAURA: But I will rub it in.

00:34:15.717 --> 00:34:16.657
LAURA: I'm a Sagittarius.

00:34:16.657 --> 00:34:18.737
LAURA: I am very competitive.

00:34:18.737 --> 00:34:22.197
LAURA: So I will rub it in every chance that I get whenever I win.

00:34:22.197 --> 00:34:23.397
VIRGINIA:  Love it.

00:34:24.557 --> 00:34:29.097
LAURA: So after Toy Story Mania, we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do next.

00:34:29.097 --> 00:34:33.857
LAURA: I knew we really only had time for maybe one more ride before we needed to head over to Fantasmic.

00:34:33.857 --> 00:34:41.797
LAURA: So we were able to fit in Slinky, which is my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios, most specifically, when I get to ride it at night.

00:34:41.797 --> 00:34:44.857
LAURA: The views from up there, the views are incredible.

00:34:44.857 --> 00:34:47.037
LAURA: Everything is lit up and looks so cool.

00:34:47.037 --> 00:34:59.437
LAURA: So we rode Slinky Dog Dash, got some Mickey premium ice cream bars, and then we headed over towards the other part of the park to get ready for Fantasmic.

00:34:59.477 --> 00:35:05.057
LAURA: We maybe had like 10, 15 minutes to kill, so we stopped at one of the bars over there.

00:35:05.057 --> 00:35:06.597
LAURA: Again, I cannot remember.

00:35:06.597 --> 00:35:08.657
LAURA: I'm so bad at remembering names.

00:35:08.657 --> 00:35:18.437
LAURA: But the cast member there, I feel like he saw two young adults, young, the operative word there, we're not really that young, and was trying to hook us up and made them a little strong.

00:35:18.437 --> 00:35:22.457
LAURA: But I'm a lightweight and I wanted the opposite of that.

00:35:22.457 --> 00:35:27.177
LAURA: This drink was so strong that we had to take three sips and throw it away.

00:35:27.657 --> 00:35:31.197
LAURA: It was like drinking pure alcohol.

00:35:33.357 --> 00:35:33.977
LAURA: It was a lot.

00:35:34.297 --> 00:35:40.057
LAURA: It was already late and we knew we had to drive back, so we're not going to mess around with that.

00:35:40.577 --> 00:35:42.837
LAURA: We took our couple sips, we discarded.

00:35:42.837 --> 00:35:44.957
LAURA: I just hate that because it feels so wasteful.

00:35:44.957 --> 00:35:50.057
VIRGINIA:  Well, wasteful in terms of the drink, but also wasteful in terms of you spent money on this.

00:35:50.057 --> 00:35:52.437
LAURA: Yeah, exactly.

00:35:52.437 --> 00:35:56.097
LAURA: We just cut our losses and we headed over to the theater to go watch Fantasmic.

00:35:57.037 --> 00:35:57.897
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:35:57.897 --> 00:36:00.677
VIRGINIA:  First time viewing a Fantasmic for Michael.

00:36:00.677 --> 00:36:02.477
VIRGINIA:  What did he think?

00:36:02.477 --> 00:36:12.237
LAURA: So we were walking in with the crowd and it was already starting to get pretty busy because we arrived kind of late and a cast member just saw us and was like, excuse me, how many of you are there?

00:36:12.237 --> 00:36:13.297
LAURA: And he's like two.

00:36:13.297 --> 00:36:14.957
LAURA: She's like, okay, come with me, come with me.

00:36:14.957 --> 00:36:23.697
LAURA: So she opens up the VIP section and she walks us down to the front of the VIP section and just sits us in there as like seat fillers.

00:36:23.697 --> 00:36:25.237
LAURA: She's like, you guys just seems nice.

00:36:25.957 --> 00:36:27.377
LAURA: He has a kind face.

00:36:27.377 --> 00:36:30.017
LAURA: I figured you guys would be okay down here.

00:36:30.017 --> 00:36:36.277
LAURA: So on his first Fantasmic, he gets a personal escort to the VIP area that we did not pay for with our dining.

00:36:36.277 --> 00:36:38.877
LAURA: We didn't do a Fantasmic dining package.

00:36:39.117 --> 00:36:41.297
LAURA: We got to sit in the VIP area.

00:36:41.297 --> 00:36:41.537
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:36:41.537 --> 00:36:42.657
VIRGINIA:  So starting off strong.

00:36:42.657 --> 00:36:43.877
LAURA: So starting off strong.

00:36:43.877 --> 00:36:49.617
LAURA: Now I will say they were great seats, but there's also one of those support poles that hold the lights like kind of right in front of you.

00:36:49.617 --> 00:36:53.637
LAURA: So we had to like split and crane our heads around to see certain parts of the show.

00:36:54.377 --> 00:36:54.677
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:36:54.677 --> 00:36:58.657
LAURA: So that was a little bit of a drawback, but he absolutely loved it.

00:36:58.657 --> 00:37:03.837
LAURA: I mean, he doesn't geek out like me or cry when Moana comes out, but he loved it.

00:37:03.837 --> 00:37:10.797
LAURA: He loved the snake part in the Aladdin scene where Jafar comes out and Mickey's battling the snake.

00:37:10.797 --> 00:37:12.077
LAURA: He thought that was so cool.

00:37:12.077 --> 00:37:14.137
LAURA: That was his favorite part of the show.

00:37:14.137 --> 00:37:15.037
VIRGINIA:  Awesome.

00:37:15.037 --> 00:37:16.297
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:37:16.297 --> 00:37:21.457
VIRGINIA:  So another thing that he might be excited to go back to on future trips.

00:37:21.457 --> 00:37:22.077
LAURA: For sure.

00:37:22.077 --> 00:37:22.297
LAURA: Yes.

00:37:22.517 --> 00:37:22.977
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:37:22.977 --> 00:37:25.557
VIRGINIA:  So we're chipping away at him, right?

00:37:27.097 --> 00:37:27.497
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:37:27.497 --> 00:37:31.597
VIRGINIA:  So after this, did you just head back to the resort and get some sleep?

00:37:31.597 --> 00:37:32.097
LAURA: We did.

00:37:32.097 --> 00:37:32.617
LAURA: Yes.

00:37:32.617 --> 00:37:36.397
LAURA: I think we might have watched one of the World Series games and just called the night.

00:37:36.397 --> 00:37:36.777
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:37:36.777 --> 00:37:38.297
VIRGINIA:  The next day was a big day.

00:37:38.297 --> 00:37:42.137
VIRGINIA:  It was Halloween and you had a Halloween party that night.

00:37:42.557 --> 00:37:46.817
VIRGINIA:  So amazing, amazing ticket-getting skills on your part.

00:37:46.817 --> 00:37:50.277
VIRGINIA:  But you did have some time during the day before the party.

00:37:50.277 --> 00:37:53.817
VIRGINIA:  So I know that you were not sure what you'd be doing.

00:37:53.817 --> 00:37:58.877
VIRGINIA:  Maybe Disney Springs, maybe some beignets, maybe cake bake, we discussed.

00:37:58.877 --> 00:38:04.077
VIRGINIA:  So listeners are dying to know, what did you choose?

00:38:04.077 --> 00:38:09.237
LAURA: First of all, I put on a very cute Halloween outfit and we headed over to Disney Springs.

00:38:09.237 --> 00:38:13.457
LAURA: We realized when we got there that we were hungry because we always skip breakfast.

00:38:13.457 --> 00:38:15.457
LAURA: We make this mistake every time.

00:38:15.457 --> 00:38:19.757
LAURA: But the problem with Disney Springs is there are not a lot of places where you can get breakfast.

00:38:19.757 --> 00:38:22.097
LAURA: And we learned that very quickly.

00:38:22.097 --> 00:38:24.317
VIRGINIA:  Especially not like a quick breakfast.

00:38:24.317 --> 00:38:25.857
LAURA: And especially on a weekday.

00:38:25.857 --> 00:38:29.177
LAURA: A lot of them will do brunch on the weekends or breakfast on the weekends.

00:38:29.177 --> 00:38:30.777
LAURA: But we were there on a Thursday.

00:38:30.777 --> 00:38:33.957
LAURA: So we headed over to Gideon's and the line was over an hour wait.

00:38:33.957 --> 00:38:36.877
LAURA: Silly me didn't realize it's Halloween.

00:38:36.877 --> 00:38:38.857
LAURA: People are going to want to go to Gideon's.

00:38:40.217 --> 00:38:41.597
LAURA: So we took a look at the menu card.

00:38:41.677 --> 00:38:46.097
LAURA: We realized that the specialty cookies of the month were not really things that we were too interested in.

00:38:46.097 --> 00:38:54.557
LAURA: And if you've ever been on the Gideon's line, you know, if you're kind of at the end of it, where it hooks around, Chef Art Smith's Homecoming is right there.

00:38:54.557 --> 00:38:58.277
LAURA: And we'd been there once before on our first trip together for dinner.

00:38:58.277 --> 00:39:00.977
LAURA: It was kind of starting to be around lunchtime.

00:39:00.977 --> 00:39:02.237
LAURA: They were just getting open.

00:39:02.237 --> 00:39:03.677
LAURA: So we're like, whatever, we're hungry.

00:39:03.677 --> 00:39:04.637
LAURA: Let's go there.

00:39:04.637 --> 00:39:07.157
LAURA: So we did lunch at Homecoming.

00:39:07.157 --> 00:39:10.617
LAURA: It was good, but we just wanted to make sure that we didn't eat anything too heavy.

00:39:10.817 --> 00:39:16.657
LAURA: So we got some like chicken biscuit sliders that we split at a grilled chicken sandwich that we split.

00:39:16.657 --> 00:39:18.277
LAURA: And it was fantastic.

00:39:18.277 --> 00:39:20.837
LAURA: The food is heavy there, but it's always good.

00:39:20.837 --> 00:39:21.717
VIRGINIA:  It's so good.

00:39:21.717 --> 00:39:23.057
VIRGINIA:  It's so good.

00:39:23.057 --> 00:39:23.737
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:39:23.737 --> 00:39:28.977
VIRGINIA:  Did you spend more time at Disney Springs after you ate, doing any shopping or anything?

00:39:28.977 --> 00:39:29.617
LAURA: We did.

00:39:29.617 --> 00:39:31.637
LAURA: So we just popped into a few places.

00:39:31.637 --> 00:39:34.517
LAURA: Michael had never been in the ganachery and he's a sweet guy.

00:39:34.517 --> 00:39:35.897
LAURA: So we went in there.

00:39:35.897 --> 00:39:37.477
LAURA: We went in the candy.

00:39:37.477 --> 00:39:39.477
LAURA: Is it the candy cauldron?

00:39:40.157 --> 00:39:40.477
LAURA: Yes.

00:39:40.477 --> 00:39:42.257
LAURA: We went in the candy cauldron.

00:39:42.337 --> 00:39:44.017
VIRGINIA:  I'm not sure why he has a cauldron.

00:39:44.177 --> 00:39:46.317
LAURA: I know.

00:39:46.317 --> 00:39:48.797
LAURA: So we went in there just to check out sweets.

00:39:48.797 --> 00:39:55.097
LAURA: He decided not to get anything just because I feel it's an eyes are bigger than the stomach situation there.

00:39:55.097 --> 00:39:56.957
LAURA: I walked around and I did some pin trading.

00:39:56.957 --> 00:39:58.537
LAURA: We went to World of Disney.

00:39:58.537 --> 00:40:06.817
LAURA: I was debating if I wanted to buy the new Christmas ears, the really pretty red sparkly ones, but I decided against it.

00:40:06.817 --> 00:40:08.477
LAURA: At that point, we still had some more time to kill.

00:40:08.577 --> 00:40:11.317
LAURA: We didn't want to just go chill back at the resort.

00:40:11.857 --> 00:40:19.357
LAURA: We were either going to take the boat or drive over to Port Orleans French Quarter to get beignets.

00:40:19.357 --> 00:40:21.677
LAURA: The issue with driving is you never know if they're going to let you park.

00:40:21.797 --> 00:40:27.057
LAURA: We just decided we're going to wing it, we're going to try and see if they'll let us in for beignets, and they did.

00:40:27.057 --> 00:40:28.957
LAURA: We were able to park there.

00:40:28.957 --> 00:40:32.657
LAURA: Just if you're doing that, don't take advantage, just go for the beignets and leave.

00:40:32.657 --> 00:40:33.777
LAURA: That's exactly what we did.

00:40:33.777 --> 00:40:39.477
VIRGINIA:  When I've done that before, I literally tell the security guard, I'm here for beignets, and they're like, okay.

00:40:39.477 --> 00:40:41.477
LAURA: Yeah, that's exactly what we did.

00:40:41.477 --> 00:40:47.437
LAURA: I have heard that depending on how busy they are, if there's a lot going on, they may deny you the parking.

00:40:47.437 --> 00:40:49.377
LAURA: But in this case, they didn't.

00:40:49.657 --> 00:40:52.837
LAURA: We tried the ghoulish beignets, which are the seasonal ones.

00:40:52.837 --> 00:40:58.137
LAURA: They're dipped in cookies and cream, Oreo powder and drizzled with marshmallow.

00:40:58.137 --> 00:40:59.617
LAURA: Fantastic.

00:40:59.617 --> 00:41:01.437
LAURA: So good.

00:41:01.437 --> 00:41:04.497
LAURA: Then we just did a little pin trading there and we left and headed back to the resort.

00:41:04.877 --> 00:41:06.957
VIRGINIA:  What time was it that you got back to the resort?

00:41:06.957 --> 00:41:10.777
VIRGINIA:  Like how much time did you have to chill before you had to leave for the party?

00:41:10.777 --> 00:41:13.377
LAURA: I think we got back around two.

00:41:13.377 --> 00:41:16.937
LAURA: Michael took a nap and I just read and hung out by the pool.

00:41:16.937 --> 00:41:25.677
LAURA: So the party starts at four, but we were just so tired and we knew it was going to be a late night that we decided that we weren't going to get there right for four.

00:41:25.677 --> 00:41:30.637
LAURA: So we rested, we got ready, we put our costumes on.

00:41:30.637 --> 00:41:36.937
LAURA: I took some video of us at the resort, just like in our Carl and Ellie costumes, before we headed over to the park.

00:41:36.937 --> 00:41:43.137
LAURA: And for this, for the party, we didn't drive because we wanted to avoid the transportation and ticket center.

00:41:43.137 --> 00:41:49.157
LAURA: So we got on the bus and I want to say we got to the party maybe around six o'clock at Magic Kingdom.

00:41:49.157 --> 00:41:49.697
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:41:49.697 --> 00:41:54.177
VIRGINIA:  Would you recommend that as a good time to arrive for a party like this?

00:41:54.177 --> 00:41:59.577
VIRGINIA:  Like in terms of getting your tickets and getting in, because I think that's why a line builds up.

00:41:59.577 --> 00:41:59.817
LAURA: Yeah.

00:41:59.857 --> 00:42:02.277
LAURA: So there was no line for us.

00:42:02.357 --> 00:42:04.037
LAURA: We were able to walk right in.

00:42:04.037 --> 00:42:24.637
LAURA: That being said, if you can get in at four and your priority is to pack in as much as possible, especially when it comes to riding rides, I would recommend getting there as early as possible because there were certain things that we weren't able to do this party night and had we come those couple of hours earlier, we definitely would have been able to fit them in.

00:42:24.637 --> 00:42:25.057
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:42:25.057 --> 00:42:35.157
VIRGINIA:  I know that your priorities were rides with overlays, trick-or-treating, fireworks and the live entertainment, like the pride and stuff.

00:42:35.157 --> 00:42:38.457
VIRGINIA:  Where did you head first when you got there for the party?

00:42:38.457 --> 00:42:44.037
LAURA: We wanted to try some of the party exclusive food items.

00:42:44.037 --> 00:42:53.537
LAURA: Before we did that, we had to wait for the party to officially start at seven because they don't always serve them until that exact cutoff point.

00:42:53.537 --> 00:43:02.157
LAURA: We got in line for a PhotoPass photo, which took a little bit of time and then we headed over to Pinocchio's Village House because we both really wanted to try the Buffalo Chicken Hand Pie.

00:43:02.157 --> 00:43:06.077
LAURA: So right when the party started, we both ordered one of those.

00:43:06.077 --> 00:43:09.857
LAURA: They were delicious, probably one of my favorite party exclusive items.

00:43:09.857 --> 00:43:12.997
LAURA: At that point, we just figured, let's start trick-or-treating.

00:43:12.997 --> 00:43:15.877
LAURA: That's kind of what makes this party unique.

00:43:15.877 --> 00:43:22.077
LAURA: We knew that at Princess Fairytale Hall, there were a couple of villainous characters inside and we were right next to it.

00:43:22.077 --> 00:43:23.237
LAURA: So that was the first thing we did.

00:43:23.317 --> 00:43:31.817
LAURA: We got online to trick-or-treat at Princess Fairytale Hall and had a very fun interaction with Maleficent and the Evil Queen in there.

00:43:31.817 --> 00:43:33.177
VIRGINIA:  Are they in the same room?

00:43:33.177 --> 00:43:34.117
LAURA: They are, yes.

00:43:34.117 --> 00:43:39.897
LAURA: So as you're walking through and getting your candy, they have Maleficent on one side and the Evil Queen on the other.

00:43:39.897 --> 00:43:41.877
LAURA: They're just so fantastic.

00:43:41.877 --> 00:43:46.977
LAURA: Like I said to Maleficent, wow, it's so nice of them to finally invite you to a party.

00:43:48.137 --> 00:43:51.397
LAURA: She basically was like, I don't need an invitation.

00:43:51.397 --> 00:43:52.937
LAURA: I show up of my own free will.

00:43:53.017 --> 00:43:55.537
LAURA: She basically was like, they were begging to have me.

00:43:55.537 --> 00:43:58.557
LAURA: They're lucky I even deigned to show up.

00:43:59.797 --> 00:44:02.137
LAURA: Then I turn around and I'm looking at the Evil Queen.

00:44:02.497 --> 00:44:03.637
LAURA: I was just like speechless.

00:44:03.637 --> 00:44:04.837
LAURA: I didn't know what to say.

00:44:04.837 --> 00:44:07.637
LAURA: She looks me straight in the eye and she goes, what?

00:44:07.637 --> 00:44:10.737
LAURA: Because I was basically staring at her.

00:44:10.737 --> 00:44:16.397
LAURA: I still didn't know what to do, so I just bowed and she was like, she was like, yes, bow before royalty.

00:44:16.397 --> 00:44:17.797
LAURA: Now get out of here.

00:44:19.677 --> 00:44:21.357
LAURA: That was amazing.

00:44:21.357 --> 00:44:22.757
VIRGINIA:  That's awesome.

00:44:22.757 --> 00:44:28.557
VIRGINIA:  Does Michael get into the characters or is he like, I'm just going to stand here and not say anything?

00:44:29.457 --> 00:44:35.477
LAURA: He doesn't go out of his way to interact with them, but I think he enjoys it and has fun when it does happen.

00:44:35.477 --> 00:44:38.977
LAURA: He's not too shy or not wanting to do it.

00:44:38.977 --> 00:44:42.077
LAURA: He'll put up with it because he knows how much I love it.

00:44:42.077 --> 00:44:49.837
VIRGINIA:  I was only wondering based on his reaction when you came out of Toy Story Mania and did not want to call any attention to himself.

00:44:50.277 --> 00:44:55.457
LAURA: Yeah, he loves me and he is fine with whatever I want to do.

00:44:55.457 --> 00:44:58.837
LAURA: Even if it's a little embarrassing for it, he knows how much I love it.

00:44:59.617 --> 00:45:01.297
LAURA: He's a trooper.

00:45:01.297 --> 00:45:02.637
VIRGINIA:  Sounds like a good guy.

00:45:02.637 --> 00:45:03.577
LAURA: He is.

00:45:03.577 --> 00:45:03.937
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:45:03.937 --> 00:45:04.777
VIRGINIA:  What was next?

00:45:04.777 --> 00:45:10.057
LAURA: We finished trick-or-treating in Fantasyland and like Michael was like, well, there's this spot and this spot and this spot.

00:45:10.057 --> 00:45:12.777
LAURA: I think he's never been to a party before.

00:45:12.977 --> 00:45:17.437
LAURA: So in his head, you could only trick-or-treat in Fantasyland.

00:45:18.177 --> 00:45:20.137
LAURA: I was trying to move him out of the area.

00:45:20.137 --> 00:45:21.717
LAURA: He's like, but wait, we need to get more candy.

00:45:21.717 --> 00:45:24.357
LAURA: I'm like, babe, the whole park's got candy.

00:45:24.357 --> 00:45:25.237
LAURA: Let's go.

00:45:25.237 --> 00:45:26.437
LAURA: We're moving.

00:45:26.437 --> 00:45:29.617
LAURA: He didn't realize that there were other trick-or-treat stops in other areas.

00:45:29.617 --> 00:45:32.597
LAURA: So we finished trick-or-treating around Fantasyland.

00:45:32.597 --> 00:45:34.457
LAURA: I was like, what do you want to do?

00:45:34.457 --> 00:45:37.197
LAURA: Because you never really have done this before.

00:45:37.197 --> 00:45:38.797
LAURA: He's like, I want to ride Winnie the Pooh.

00:45:38.797 --> 00:45:41.457
LAURA: So we rode Winnie the Pooh.

00:45:41.837 --> 00:45:43.937
LAURA: We rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

00:45:43.937 --> 00:45:47.497
LAURA: At that point, I was like, all right, we really need to get out of Fantasyland.

00:45:47.497 --> 00:45:48.917
LAURA: We got to switch things up.

00:45:48.917 --> 00:45:55.657
LAURA: So he's like, oh, I could go for a coffee, and here's where this comes in.

00:45:55.657 --> 00:46:03.717
LAURA: We couldn't get to Main Street to go to the Main Street Bakery for Starbucks because the parade was coming through, and everything was blocked off.

00:46:03.717 --> 00:46:11.177
LAURA: So our only option was to go past the teacups, which we actually rode the teacups before we went to get the straw freeze coffee.

00:46:11.297 --> 00:46:12.837
LAURA: So we're like, ooh, teacups, ride overlay.

00:46:12.837 --> 00:46:14.217
LAURA: Let's just do this real quick.

00:46:14.217 --> 00:46:19.597
LAURA: We said hi to Alys and the Mad Hatter and Tweedledee and Tweedledum from a distance because we didn't want to wait on the line.

00:46:19.597 --> 00:46:23.597
LAURA: Same thing with Winnie the Pooh and his friends in their cute little Halloween costumes.

00:46:23.597 --> 00:46:24.537
LAURA: Wait, we waved.

00:46:24.537 --> 00:46:25.517
LAURA: We walked right on by.

00:46:25.517 --> 00:46:28.837
LAURA: I cannot stand in those hour long lines for characters during a party.

00:46:29.217 --> 00:46:30.297
LAURA: It's not a priority for me.

00:46:30.297 --> 00:46:32.117
LAURA: We went over to Antigravity's.

00:46:32.117 --> 00:46:38.937
LAURA: Antigravity's is the coffee slash ice cream shop in Tomorrowland where they have the Witches Cold Brew.

00:46:39.677 --> 00:46:50.597
LAURA: It's a specialty cold brew for the Halloween season with, I don't know, maybe pumpkin flavor and a candy corn flavored whipped topping or pumpkin flavored whipped topping.

00:46:50.597 --> 00:46:56.457
LAURA: When I tell you that this is the most disgusting coffee that I've ever had in my life, I am not exaggerating.

00:46:56.457 --> 00:46:59.417
LAURA: It tasted just like bitter sludge.

00:47:00.837 --> 00:47:03.257
LAURA: Three sips straight in the trash.

00:47:03.257 --> 00:47:05.377
LAURA: It was really that bad.

00:47:05.377 --> 00:47:06.697
VIRGINIA:  Do other people enjoy this?

00:47:06.837 --> 00:47:12.637
VIRGINIA:  Is it something that you hear that people were going out of their way to get and so you wanted to try it or?

00:47:12.637 --> 00:47:18.017
LAURA: No, I think it was just we really needed coffee and it was the closest coffee that we could find.

00:47:18.017 --> 00:47:18.757
LAURA: Okay.

00:47:18.757 --> 00:47:21.197
LAURA: And somebody behind us ordered it and sat down next to us.

00:47:21.197 --> 00:47:23.157
LAURA: They took a sip and the look on this girl's face.

00:47:23.157 --> 00:47:24.657
LAURA: So it wasn't just us.

00:47:24.657 --> 00:47:35.577
LAURA: It was either like a bad night and maybe, I don't know, they needed to brew some, a new pot of old brew or something or it's just not the right flavors and just not a good combination.

00:47:36.217 --> 00:47:41.937
VIRGINIA:  When you said candy corn, I was like, I would not want anything candy corn flavored in my coffee.

00:47:41.937 --> 00:47:42.317
LAURA: Yeah.

00:47:42.317 --> 00:47:50.337
LAURA: I mean, it might have been pumpkin and I'm confusing it because they also serve a candy corn sauce serve there, but either way, it was just not good.

00:47:50.337 --> 00:47:51.017
VIRGINIA:  Not good.

00:47:51.017 --> 00:47:51.677
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:47:51.717 --> 00:48:06.977
LAURA: So at this point, I knew I either wanted to stay in Tomorrowland and do the pitch black Space Mountain or start to head over to Haunted Mansion because I wanted to see the live entertainment that they have outside of the mansion.

00:48:06.977 --> 00:48:07.597
VIRGINIA:  Right.

00:48:07.597 --> 00:48:09.217
LAURA: And I love Space Mountain.

00:48:09.217 --> 00:48:12.437
LAURA: I really do, but it's just it's so painful whenever I ride it.

00:48:12.437 --> 00:48:13.477
LAURA: I regret it.

00:48:13.477 --> 00:48:16.797
LAURA: I have to be very selective about when I ride Space Mountain.

00:48:16.797 --> 00:48:18.777
VIRGINIA:  It's only going to get worse as you get older.

00:48:18.777 --> 00:48:19.497
LAURA: I know.

00:48:19.517 --> 00:48:19.817
LAURA: I know.

00:48:21.417 --> 00:48:24.437
LAURA: So we decided to head over towards Haunted Mansion.

00:48:24.437 --> 00:48:28.577
LAURA: We said hi to the characters there and we did our Haunted Mansion ride.

00:48:28.577 --> 00:48:31.997
LAURA: It was Halloween, so I feel like the cast members were having a lot of fun with it.

00:48:31.997 --> 00:48:36.037
LAURA: I don't know if they did this every party night, but they gender swapped their costumes.

00:48:36.037 --> 00:48:36.737
VIRGINIA:  Oh, really?

00:48:36.737 --> 00:48:37.117
LAURA: Yeah.

00:48:37.117 --> 00:48:42.717
LAURA: So all the guys were wearing the dresses and all the girls were wearing the suit jackets.

00:48:42.717 --> 00:48:46.197
VIRGINIA:  Oh, for just the cast members that were working in the ride.

00:48:46.197 --> 00:48:46.517
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:48:46.517 --> 00:48:49.597
VIRGINIA:  I thought you were talking about the characters that were dressed up for outside.

00:48:49.657 --> 00:48:52.137
VIRGINIA:  Like the opera lady was now a man or something.

00:48:52.137 --> 00:48:53.877
LAURA: No, no, no.

00:48:54.497 --> 00:48:58.257
LAURA: I think it's Madame Carlotta and the butler that are out there.

00:48:58.737 --> 00:48:59.917
LAURA: They were so funny.

00:48:59.917 --> 00:49:02.737
LAURA: They were picking on a guy in the crowd that had a Marvel shirt on.

00:49:02.737 --> 00:49:04.217
LAURA: They're like, can you believe this guy?

00:49:04.217 --> 00:49:05.617
LAURA: He wants us to Marvel at him.

00:49:06.037 --> 00:49:07.617
LAURA: It was so funny.

00:49:07.617 --> 00:49:15.977
LAURA: But no, it was just a cool little touch to see the cast members who were operating the ride and stationed in the ride itself having a little bit of fun with Halloween.

00:49:15.977 --> 00:49:17.437
LAURA: That was fun.

00:49:17.437 --> 00:49:22.717
LAURA: Always have to fit the Haunted Mansion into any trip, especially a Halloween trip on the Halloween party.

00:49:22.717 --> 00:49:23.537
VIRGINIA:  Of course.

00:49:23.537 --> 00:49:24.837
LAURA: You have to do that.

00:49:24.837 --> 00:49:35.737
LAURA: So once we wrapped that up, the crowd that we got caught in coming out of the Haunted Mansion was so anxiety inducing that I'm like, I just need to get out of this area.

00:49:35.737 --> 00:49:37.097
LAURA: It was awful.

00:49:37.097 --> 00:49:37.557
LAURA: So I ran into-

00:49:37.557 --> 00:49:39.277
LAURA: Where were they coming from?

00:49:39.937 --> 00:49:42.317
VIRGINIA:  Like after parade traffic?

00:49:42.317 --> 00:49:43.297
LAURA: That's exactly what it was.

00:49:43.297 --> 00:49:49.437
LAURA: It was after parade traffic and it's that area of, is it Liberty Square over there that just really bottlenecks.

00:49:49.437 --> 00:49:53.037
LAURA: So I had to get out of that and I ducked into the gift shop there.

00:49:53.037 --> 00:49:56.497
LAURA: I think it's Memento Mori and there was a pin board.

00:49:56.497 --> 00:49:57.417
LAURA: I wanted to pin trade.

00:49:57.417 --> 00:50:05.237
LAURA: I've been trying to collect these coffee cup pins and I found a few earlier in the day and the cast member there, he was so fantastic.

00:50:05.237 --> 00:50:09.337
LAURA: He didn't have any on his board, but he had some secret pins.

00:50:09.337 --> 00:50:12.077
LAURA: He's like, I might have one here that you're looking for.

00:50:12.857 --> 00:50:16.237
VIRGINIA:  Wait, did he pull a trench coat open and then there were pins?

00:50:16.457 --> 00:50:25.897
LAURA: No, I wish, but he really committed to the bit of being a haunted mansion area cast member and he was being kind of spooky about it.

00:50:25.897 --> 00:50:29.437
LAURA: But he's like, I might have one that you're looking for, like in that creepy voice.

00:50:29.437 --> 00:50:31.217
LAURA: He's like, you have to answer my trivia question.

00:50:31.217 --> 00:50:34.597
LAURA: So he asked me to name three Disney characters who don't wear shoes.

00:50:34.597 --> 00:50:36.057
LAURA: And I got it right away.

00:50:36.057 --> 00:50:37.457
LAURA: I was so proud of myself.

00:50:37.497 --> 00:50:38.597
VIRGINIA:  OK, who would you say?

00:50:38.597 --> 00:50:42.797
LAURA: Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Moana.

00:50:42.797 --> 00:50:43.997
LAURA: So I got those three.

00:50:43.997 --> 00:50:47.117
LAURA: And he ended up having the coffee cup pin that I needed.

00:50:47.117 --> 00:50:49.037
LAURA: It was the Cheshire Cat.

00:50:49.037 --> 00:50:51.237
LAURA: So I added that one to my collection.

00:50:51.237 --> 00:50:51.917
VIRGINIA:  Well done.

00:50:51.917 --> 00:50:52.317
VIRGINIA:  Well done.

00:50:52.317 --> 00:50:53.457
LAURA: Yes.

00:50:53.457 --> 00:50:55.197
LAURA: By that point, the crowd dissipated.

00:50:55.197 --> 00:51:00.897
LAURA: We went back to Main Street to get coffee that we actually liked from the Main Street bakery there.

00:51:00.897 --> 00:51:02.397
LAURA: And at that point, it was just waiting.

00:51:02.397 --> 00:51:03.857
LAURA: We're going to wait for the fireworks now.

00:51:03.857 --> 00:51:05.337
LAURA: We're going to wait for the Hocus Pocus show.

00:51:05.637 --> 00:51:08.077
LAURA: And we're going to wait for the parade.

00:51:08.077 --> 00:51:08.857
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:51:08.857 --> 00:51:20.097
VIRGINIA:  How were the crowds for the party in general, especially considering it was Halloween night, it was a much desired night to get a party ticket?

00:51:20.097 --> 00:51:26.957
VIRGINIA:  Did you feel like the crowds for the parade in the show and everything was manageable or was it too many people?

00:51:26.957 --> 00:51:28.357
LAURA: Mix and match, I would say.

00:51:28.357 --> 00:51:32.197
LAURA: So for the fireworks, the crowd was extremely manageable.

00:51:32.197 --> 00:51:34.617
LAURA: We hung back a little bit further on Main Street.

00:51:34.697 --> 00:51:38.497
LAURA: I didn't go right up into the thick of it closer to the castle.

00:51:38.497 --> 00:51:43.157
LAURA: So I think that's why it was more manageable for me because we hung back a bit.

00:51:43.157 --> 00:51:45.977
LAURA: For the Hocus Pocus Show, extremely manageable.

00:51:45.977 --> 00:51:53.717
LAURA: I got a really great spot right behind the castle, sort of where they have the 50th anniversary statues.

00:51:53.717 --> 00:51:57.597
LAURA: So just kind of hung back a little bit with perfect views of the stage.

00:51:57.597 --> 00:52:03.877
LAURA: For the parade, however, we went to the later parade and there was sort of a mass exodus after the fireworks.

00:52:03.917 --> 00:52:10.297
LAURA: So I thought, oh, it's going to be like the last time I went to the party and there was ample room for the parade, was not the case.

00:52:10.297 --> 00:52:11.037
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:52:11.037 --> 00:52:13.237
LAURA: The late parade was stacked.

00:52:13.237 --> 00:52:15.777
LAURA: There was so many people, I was shocked.

00:52:15.777 --> 00:52:20.437
LAURA: So we really kind of had to fit in and squeeze after the Hocus Pocus Show.

00:52:20.437 --> 00:52:29.837
LAURA: In retrospect, I probably would have found a better spot during the Hocus Pocus Show that would have allowed me to see both that and the parade.

00:52:29.837 --> 00:52:35.517
LAURA: Because I think a lot of people were skipping that show, riding rides, doing what they needed to do.

00:52:35.517 --> 00:52:38.057
LAURA: And then they just squeezed in last minute for the parade.

00:52:38.057 --> 00:52:42.977
LAURA: So next time, I would position myself in a better spot for both the show and the parade.

00:52:42.977 --> 00:52:45.717
LAURA: And I think I would have been much happier with that.

00:52:45.717 --> 00:52:58.417
VIRGINIA:  Do you think also it was the fact that it was sort of the main street area of the parade, whereas perhaps if you had gone back towards the beginning of the parade, that it might have been a little clearer back there?

00:52:58.417 --> 00:53:00.197
LAURA: Yeah, I 100% agree with that.

00:53:00.197 --> 00:53:03.957
LAURA: Because people were already over there for the fireworks in the show, the Hocus Pocus Show.

00:53:03.957 --> 00:53:07.137
LAURA: So I think that probably had a lot to do with it.

00:53:07.137 --> 00:53:07.757
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:53:07.757 --> 00:53:09.137
VIRGINIA:  Well, how was the parade?

00:53:09.137 --> 00:53:10.177
LAURA: It's fantastic.

00:53:10.297 --> 00:53:11.877
VIRGINIA:  The Grave Diggers.

00:53:11.877 --> 00:53:14.357
LAURA: The Grave Diggers are my favorite part.

00:53:14.357 --> 00:53:17.877
LAURA: Everything about that parade is why I love Disney.

00:53:17.877 --> 00:53:22.817
LAURA: I will go to the party every year specifically for the Booty You Parade.

00:53:22.817 --> 00:53:25.217
LAURA: There's so many fun, rare characters.

00:53:25.217 --> 00:53:26.597
LAURA: The villains are awesome.

00:53:26.597 --> 00:53:28.977
LAURA: The cast members are so into it.

00:53:28.977 --> 00:53:31.537
LAURA: The song is so catchy, so infectious.

00:53:32.817 --> 00:53:40.637
LAURA: I did have a moment where Ursula came directly up to me and my camera and motions like this, like she was stealing my voice.

00:53:40.637 --> 00:53:41.797
LAURA: That was really cool.

00:53:41.797 --> 00:53:43.057
VIRGINIA:  That's awesome.

00:53:43.057 --> 00:53:47.977
VIRGINIA:  Did you do anything after that parade or was it time to head out at that point?

00:53:47.977 --> 00:53:54.797
LAURA: We did Casey's Corner and we got the Mexican Street corn hotdog, which was fantastic.

00:53:54.797 --> 00:53:57.717
VIRGINIA:  This is like a Mexican corn themed trip.

00:53:58.457 --> 00:54:05.437
LAURA: Yeah, I think they came out with a whole bunch of menu items around that time that were all Mexican street corn themed.

00:54:05.437 --> 00:54:06.877
LAURA: That was fantastic.

00:54:06.877 --> 00:54:09.657
LAURA: And then we figured, let's head out and let's go.

00:54:09.657 --> 00:54:11.737
LAURA: I think I did one more pin trade.

00:54:11.737 --> 00:54:15.777
LAURA: A dad came up to me and he's like, hey, I'm sorry to bother you, but I noticed that you're trading pins.

00:54:15.777 --> 00:54:17.357
LAURA: And my daughter just started today.

00:54:17.357 --> 00:54:20.877
LAURA: And if you would trade a pin with her, she would be so happy.

00:54:20.877 --> 00:54:21.977
LAURA: So I traded with her.

00:54:21.977 --> 00:54:27.637
LAURA: I gave her my Lilo and Stitch popsicle pin that I got at the Polynesian.

00:54:27.857 --> 00:54:30.537
LAURA: And I traded her for her Mike Wazowski munchling.

00:54:30.537 --> 00:54:32.437
VIRGINIA:  Oh, cute.

00:54:32.437 --> 00:54:34.357
LAURA: And then we headed out.

00:54:35.017 --> 00:54:35.797
LAURA: We're tired.

00:54:35.797 --> 00:54:39.937
LAURA: It's really the only other thing we could have done was road more rides.

00:54:39.937 --> 00:54:43.917
LAURA: And at that point, the rides I wanted to ride were so far into the back of the park.

00:54:43.917 --> 00:54:45.817
LAURA: It was not going to happen.

00:54:45.817 --> 00:54:47.457
LAURA: So we just got on the bus and we left.

00:54:47.457 --> 00:54:53.097
LAURA: I am kind of sad that I didn't get to see the Hitchhiking Ghosts or the Cadaver Bands.

00:54:53.097 --> 00:54:56.417
LAURA: If I could redo it, I probably would have made some time to see those.

00:54:57.357 --> 00:54:57.777
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

00:54:57.777 --> 00:55:01.137
VIRGINIA:  But otherwise, it sounds like it was a very successful party.

00:55:01.137 --> 00:55:01.757
LAURA: It was.

00:55:01.757 --> 00:55:02.077
LAURA: Yeah.

00:55:02.077 --> 00:55:05.497
LAURA: We got so many costume compliments too, which was so fun to see.

00:55:05.497 --> 00:55:07.697
LAURA: People were really into the costumes.

00:55:07.697 --> 00:55:08.237
VIRGINIA:  Nice.

00:55:08.237 --> 00:55:08.677
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:55:08.677 --> 00:55:14.377
VIRGINIA:  Well, listeners, there will definitely be some pictures on the Instagram for you to see of those.

00:55:14.377 --> 00:55:14.657
VIRGINIA:  All right.

00:55:14.657 --> 00:55:17.997
VIRGINIA:  Let's get into Friday, November 1st, your departure day.

00:55:18.097 --> 00:55:21.737
VIRGINIA:  But you did have some time before you had to leave.

00:55:21.737 --> 00:55:24.797
VIRGINIA:  I know that you had a breakfast reservation at Cape May Cafe.

00:55:25.857 --> 00:55:26.197
VIRGINIA:  We did.

00:55:26.197 --> 00:55:28.677
VIRGINIA:  So how was that?

00:55:28.677 --> 00:55:29.477
LAURA: It was okay.

00:55:29.477 --> 00:55:34.637
LAURA: I don't know if I would pay that price for Cape May Cafe specifically again.

00:55:34.637 --> 00:55:38.597
LAURA: There are other buffet breakfasts at Disney that I enjoy much more.

00:55:38.597 --> 00:55:40.677
LAURA: I also think it was weird the time that we went.

00:55:40.677 --> 00:55:42.817
LAURA: It was one of the later breakfasts in the day.

00:55:42.817 --> 00:55:46.477
LAURA: So at that point, the characters were ready to wrap up Minnie's beach bash.

00:55:46.477 --> 00:55:49.637
LAURA: So it was a little hard to get them to come over to our table.

00:55:49.637 --> 00:55:53.257
LAURA: So if characters are important to you, that might be something to think about.

00:55:53.637 --> 00:55:57.357
LAURA: A big reason I wanted to go there was for the Salted Caramel Beach Buns.

00:55:57.357 --> 00:55:58.417
LAURA: And they were good.

00:55:58.417 --> 00:55:59.217
LAURA: Don't get me wrong.

00:55:59.217 --> 00:56:05.497
LAURA: But again, I think because it was a little bit later in the day, they weren't as fresh as I would have liked them to be.

00:56:06.597 --> 00:56:07.757
LAURA: Flavors were there.

00:56:07.757 --> 00:56:09.057
LAURA: Texture wasn't.

00:56:09.057 --> 00:56:10.677
LAURA: So it is what it is.

00:56:10.677 --> 00:56:11.517
LAURA: It was fine.

00:56:11.517 --> 00:56:12.577
LAURA: It was a good breakfast.

00:56:12.577 --> 00:56:13.837
LAURA: It wasn't terrible.

00:56:13.837 --> 00:56:18.217
LAURA: But it's one of those things where, again, if I'm going to be spending the money, I'm going to want to spend it somewhere else.

00:56:18.257 --> 00:56:18.837
VIRGINIA:  Fair enough.

00:56:18.837 --> 00:56:19.717
VIRGINIA:  Fair enough.

00:56:19.717 --> 00:56:22.097
VIRGINIA:  What did you do after your breakfast?

00:56:22.097 --> 00:56:29.317
LAURA: So we walked over to the Boardwalk because there was a couple of things at Boardwalk I wanted to try, either Cake Bake Shop or the Giant Mozzarella Stick.

00:56:29.317 --> 00:56:33.177
LAURA: And I really wanted to try both, but unfortunately I just had to tap out.

00:56:33.177 --> 00:56:34.177
LAURA: It was too much food.

00:56:34.177 --> 00:56:35.897
LAURA: We went with the Cake Bake Shop.

00:56:35.897 --> 00:56:41.457
LAURA: So I tried a slice of the Raspberry Champagne Cake and we each got a beverage.

00:56:41.457 --> 00:56:44.457
LAURA: And just the cake and two beverages was just under $50.

00:56:45.977 --> 00:56:49.817
LAURA: So, this is an expensive place.

00:56:49.817 --> 00:56:51.777
LAURA: Like there's no denying it.

00:56:51.777 --> 00:56:53.797
LAURA: It is extremely expensive.

00:56:53.797 --> 00:56:59.357
LAURA: It is definitely the kind of place where you are saving up and you are making a point to go for a special occasion.

00:56:59.357 --> 00:57:01.097
LAURA: The cake was fantastic.

00:57:01.097 --> 00:57:02.857
LAURA: It is a big cake slice.

00:57:02.857 --> 00:57:06.037
LAURA: You could easily split it between two or three people.

00:57:06.037 --> 00:57:08.337
LAURA: It is not overly sweet.

00:57:08.337 --> 00:57:13.857
LAURA: You don't feel like, you know, when you eat something really sweet and like your teeth hurt because of it, not the situation here.

00:57:14.357 --> 00:57:18.117
LAURA: The flavors were complex, but subtle enough that they work together really well.

00:57:18.117 --> 00:57:20.897
LAURA: It is a solid slice of cake.

00:57:20.897 --> 00:57:26.497
LAURA: Now, I can completely understand why somebody wouldn't want to pay close to $25 for it.

00:57:26.497 --> 00:57:29.157
LAURA: But if you are inclined to do so, I recommend it.

00:57:29.157 --> 00:57:31.937
LAURA: It is a very good choice.

00:57:31.937 --> 00:57:35.617
LAURA: I did originally order a chai latte and it just tasted like milk.

00:57:35.617 --> 00:57:36.657
LAURA: It was awful.

00:57:36.657 --> 00:57:38.317
LAURA: And I'm like, I paid $10 for this.

00:57:38.317 --> 00:57:39.237
LAURA: I need to say something.

00:57:39.237 --> 00:57:40.617
LAURA: Let me see if they'll swap it out.

00:57:40.617 --> 00:57:41.217
LAURA: And they did.

00:57:41.217 --> 00:57:42.257
LAURA: No questions asked.

00:57:42.597 --> 00:57:44.417
LAURA: They wanted to understand what I didn't like about it.

00:57:44.417 --> 00:57:49.277
LAURA: They told me not to worry about what I was ordering in place of it, even if it was more expensive.

00:57:49.277 --> 00:57:51.057
LAURA: Just get something that you'll enjoy.

00:57:51.057 --> 00:57:55.877
LAURA: So I swapped it out for a matcha latte, which I enjoyed much more.

00:57:55.877 --> 00:58:00.457
LAURA: And Michael got something called a petunia punch, which was like a sparkling sort of guava lemonade.

00:58:00.457 --> 00:58:02.257
LAURA: And that was fantastic as well.

00:58:02.257 --> 00:58:09.237
VIRGINIA:  But it sounds to me like his might have been about $10 too, if you spent $50 between the cake and your drink.

00:58:09.477 --> 00:58:11.097
VIRGINIA:  That's an expensive lemonade.

00:58:11.097 --> 00:58:12.317
LAURA: It is, absolutely.

00:58:12.317 --> 00:58:16.197
LAURA: I also, I used non-dairy milk and they upcharge you for that.

00:58:16.197 --> 00:58:19.357
LAURA: So that accounted for some of the cost as well.

00:58:19.357 --> 00:58:29.917
LAURA: If I had to do it all over again, I would have skipped cake bake shop and I would have gotten the giant mozzarella stick because my biggest regret of this trip is that I did not have enough room to try that.

00:58:29.917 --> 00:58:39.717
LAURA: So there's a corndog stand on the boardwalk now, it's new and it has a giant mozzarella stick and I will certainly be trying that on my next trip, probably first thing.

00:58:39.717 --> 00:58:49.177
VIRGINIA:  Yeah, well, that's what I was going to say is that you luckily have two more trips before the end of the year and will definitely get a chance to try it.

00:58:49.177 --> 00:58:53.717
VIRGINIA:  All right, what did you do with the rest of your day before your evening flight?

00:58:53.717 --> 00:58:54.537
LAURA: You're gonna crack up.

00:58:54.537 --> 00:59:01.437
LAURA: So we were sitting outside of the cake bake shop trying to figure out what we wanted to do and Michael's like, we're going to Gatorland.

00:59:01.437 --> 00:59:03.757
LAURA: I'm like, we are not going to Gatorland.

00:59:03.757 --> 00:59:05.297
LAURA: We are not going to Gatorland.

00:59:05.597 --> 00:59:08.857
LAURA: I'm like, first of all, it's only $38 to get into Gatorland.

00:59:08.857 --> 00:59:13.017
LAURA: So like less than it cost me for a slice of cake and two drinks, which is hilarious.

00:59:14.037 --> 00:59:18.597
LAURA: But I'm just the kind of person where like, I need to have everything meticulously planned out.

00:59:18.597 --> 00:59:31.817
LAURA: And if something sort of deviates from, even if it's like a loose plan and not meticulous, if something deviates from what I have set forward and have expected for the day, I have a full meltdown.

00:59:31.817 --> 00:59:33.397
LAURA: So I'm like, we can't go to Gatorland.

00:59:33.397 --> 00:59:34.637
LAURA: It absolutely cannot happen.

00:59:34.977 --> 00:59:37.677
LAURA: Next time we come back together, we will plan for Gatorland.

00:59:37.677 --> 00:59:39.897
LAURA: I promise we will go.

00:59:39.897 --> 00:59:41.397
VIRGINIA:  Where is Gatorland?

00:59:41.397 --> 00:59:42.857
VIRGINIA:  How far a drive is that?

00:59:42.857 --> 00:59:45.977
LAURA: It's like 25 minutes from Boardwalk, where we were.

00:59:45.977 --> 00:59:46.337
VIRGINIA:  OK.

00:59:46.337 --> 00:59:47.977
LAURA: So not super far away.

00:59:47.977 --> 00:59:49.177
VIRGINIA:  I'm just trying to calculate.

00:59:49.177 --> 01:00:00.397
VIRGINIA:  So if you had a later breakfast and you've gone and had a slice of cake, and I know that your flight was around 630-ish, which means you need to get there in advance of that, right?

01:00:00.397 --> 01:00:08.597
VIRGINIA:  I'm just trying to think, if you went to Gatorland, how much time could you possibly have had when you take into account the drive and the parking and all of that?

01:00:08.597 --> 01:00:12.497
LAURA: Also not knowing what's there, so not knowing the most efficient way to navigate it.

01:00:12.497 --> 01:00:19.257
LAURA: These are all things that go through my head, but all that goes through Michael's head is, alligators, I want to see alligators, alligators are cool.

01:00:19.257 --> 01:00:22.277
LAURA: I'm like, no, we're not doing this right now.

01:00:22.277 --> 01:00:24.377
LAURA: I promise you, we'll go to Gatorland next time.

01:00:24.377 --> 01:00:26.517
LAURA: So I have to follow through on that.

01:00:26.517 --> 01:00:27.057
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

01:00:27.057 --> 01:00:27.617
VIRGINIA:  All right.

01:00:27.937 --> 01:00:30.937
VIRGINIA:  I'm glad to hear that Gatorland did not pan out for this trip.

01:00:31.477 --> 01:00:33.617
VIRGINIA:  So what did you do instead?

01:00:33.617 --> 01:00:36.817
LAURA: We decided to go to the outlets because I wanted to go to the character warehouse.

01:00:36.817 --> 01:00:37.477
VIRGINIA:  Oh, okay.

01:00:37.477 --> 01:00:38.957
LAURA: Biggest waste of time.

01:00:38.957 --> 01:00:39.837
VIRGINIA:  Oh, no.

01:00:39.837 --> 01:00:40.897
VIRGINIA:  It's very hit and miss.

01:00:40.897 --> 01:00:44.157
VIRGINIA:  Sometimes you luck out and sometimes you get nothing.

01:00:44.157 --> 01:00:45.637
LAURA: It started torrential downpouring.

01:00:45.637 --> 01:00:47.597
LAURA: We didn't have umbrellas.

01:00:47.597 --> 01:00:49.417
LAURA: It's an outdoor outlet mall.

01:00:49.417 --> 01:00:50.817
LAURA: There was almost no parking.

01:00:50.817 --> 01:00:56.097
LAURA: We had to like stalk people in the parking lot and like snipe a spot as soon as we saw one.

01:00:56.097 --> 01:00:57.437
LAURA: There was just so many people.

01:00:57.437 --> 01:00:59.197
LAURA: They were already playing Christmas music.

01:01:00.237 --> 01:01:02.697
LAURA: Outlet shopping is a dehumanizing experience.

01:01:02.697 --> 01:01:04.537
LAURA: I could not wait to get out of there.

01:01:04.657 --> 01:01:05.817
LAURA: I went in the character warehouse.

01:01:05.817 --> 01:01:08.137
LAURA: They had nothing that I really wanted.

01:01:08.137 --> 01:01:09.417
LAURA: We waited out the rain.

01:01:09.417 --> 01:01:10.317
LAURA: We hopped back in the car.

01:01:10.317 --> 01:01:17.737
LAURA: We were trying to figure out what we wanted to do, and we realized that there's that giant McDonald's that serves like pizza and pasta.

01:01:17.737 --> 01:01:19.577
VIRGINIA:  I know about the giant McDonald's.

01:01:19.577 --> 01:01:20.757
VIRGINIA:  I've seen it a million times.

01:01:20.757 --> 01:01:25.697
VIRGINIA:  I've never been to it, but this is literally the first time I'm hearing that they sell pizza and pasta.

01:01:25.697 --> 01:01:26.477
LAURA: Oh, yeah, they do.

01:01:26.777 --> 01:01:30.597
LAURA: They have a brick oven like pizza area and a pasta bar.

01:01:30.617 --> 01:01:40.497
LAURA: So in addition to all of your favorite, mind-boggling, McDonald's items, we're like, oh, well, I mean, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, you must get the pizza.

01:01:40.497 --> 01:01:52.677
LAURA: So it's not too far from where the outlets are, but here's probably the most upsetting thing that happened this trip, and upsetting but also kind of serendipitous in that we were in the right place at the right time to make something good happen.

01:01:52.677 --> 01:01:57.097
LAURA: We were driving on the highway on the way to McDonald's, and we were almost there.

01:01:57.097 --> 01:01:59.897
LAURA: A car was pulled over on the side of the road.

01:01:59.897 --> 01:02:05.117
LAURA: There's something wrong with this tire, but he pulled back on to the road, and I could see, and like Michael, just kind of stay back.

01:02:05.117 --> 01:02:07.517
LAURA: That tire is looking a little wobbly.

01:02:07.517 --> 01:02:07.957
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

01:02:07.957 --> 01:02:12.277
LAURA: So we're in the right lane, this guy is driving in front of us, he has his hazards on the whole time.

01:02:12.277 --> 01:02:14.817
LAURA: So he's fully aware that there's an issue with his car.

01:02:14.817 --> 01:02:16.397
LAURA: We figure he's just gonna get off in the next exit.

01:02:16.397 --> 01:02:17.917
VIRGINIA:  Is he driving slowly?

01:02:17.917 --> 01:02:18.897
LAURA: Not as slow as you would think.

01:02:18.897 --> 01:02:21.197
LAURA: He was going about 60 miles an hour.

01:02:21.197 --> 01:02:21.397
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

01:02:22.597 --> 01:02:26.217
LAURA: In the right lane with the hazards on, I'm like, just stay back.

01:02:26.217 --> 01:02:27.737
LAURA: I'm already a nervous wreck in cars.

01:02:27.737 --> 01:02:28.917
LAURA: I don't have a driver's license.

01:02:28.917 --> 01:02:29.577
LAURA: I don't drive.

01:02:29.577 --> 01:02:30.877
LAURA: I hate being in the car.

01:02:31.397 --> 01:02:33.877
LAURA: It is what it is.

01:02:33.877 --> 01:02:34.797
LAURA: It happens.

01:02:34.797 --> 01:02:42.857
LAURA: The tire flies off, almost hits us, but instead crosses into the middle lane, hits a BMW driving directly next to us.

01:02:42.857 --> 01:02:51.477
LAURA: This car bucks up into the air like a horse, flips forward and lands on its side right in front of us.

01:02:51.477 --> 01:02:54.697
VIRGINIA:  Wait, the car that lost the tire did the flipping?

01:02:54.697 --> 01:02:55.817
VIRGINIA:  No.

01:02:55.937 --> 01:02:58.797
VIRGINIA:  Oh God, someone else's car.

01:02:58.797 --> 01:03:01.037
LAURA: The car driving next to us.

01:03:01.037 --> 01:03:10.017
LAURA: So Michael, the sweet man that he is, he's a perfect angel from heaven, immediately pulls over and I'm screaming, don't get out of the car, you're going to get hit by a car.

01:03:10.017 --> 01:03:15.857
LAURA: Opens up the car door, runs out of the car immediately to this car that flipped over, opens the door and pulls these people out.

01:03:16.157 --> 01:03:17.297
VIRGINIA:  Oh my God.

01:03:17.297 --> 01:03:24.397
LAURA: I am in the car literally shaking, about to throw up, need to take a pill to calm myself down.

01:03:24.397 --> 01:03:29.557
LAURA: And this man is running into the middle of traffic to pull people from a flipped vehicle.

01:03:29.557 --> 01:03:45.277
LAURA: Like, and on the way to Newark, by the way, we got stuck in massive traffic because there was an accident where a cherry picker fell off of a truck and landed in the middle of the road and they had the whole road closed down.

01:03:45.357 --> 01:03:47.617
LAURA: So we were stuck in like an hour of traffic there.

01:03:47.617 --> 01:03:51.437
LAURA: So we book ended our trip with terrible accidents.

01:03:51.437 --> 01:03:56.417
LAURA: The only difference is with this one on the way back to MCO and McDonald's, we witnessed it.

01:03:56.417 --> 01:03:58.357
LAURA: It was completely traumatizing.

01:03:58.357 --> 01:04:00.377
LAURA: It was the worst thing that I have ever seen.

01:04:00.377 --> 01:04:03.377
LAURA: Thank God that these people were okay.

01:04:03.377 --> 01:04:03.977
LAURA: Yeah.

01:04:03.977 --> 01:04:05.877
LAURA: Not even a scratch on them.

01:04:05.877 --> 01:04:07.557
VIRGINIA:  My God, I bet they were just so shaken up.

01:04:07.557 --> 01:04:08.277
LAURA: They were.

01:04:08.277 --> 01:04:09.297
LAURA: They were.

01:04:09.297 --> 01:04:11.177
LAURA: It was horrifying.

01:04:11.177 --> 01:04:14.257
LAURA: It was just, it was a couple, a young couple, no children in the car.

01:04:14.557 --> 01:04:15.837
LAURA: Thank God.

01:04:15.837 --> 01:04:18.317
LAURA: I just, I could not believe what I was seeing.

01:04:18.317 --> 01:04:20.637
LAURA: So, yeah, he gets them out of the car.

01:04:20.937 --> 01:04:22.637
LAURA: He makes sure that they're okay.

01:04:22.637 --> 01:04:23.817
LAURA: And then he's like, all right, you ready to go?

01:04:23.817 --> 01:04:24.857
LAURA: Let's go get pizza.

01:04:24.857 --> 01:04:26.417
LAURA: I'm like, what?

01:04:26.417 --> 01:04:27.417
LAURA: We need a minute.

01:04:27.417 --> 01:04:29.057
LAURA: Like, we need to digest this.

01:04:29.057 --> 01:04:31.597
LAURA: Like, we, I need to just sit.

01:04:31.597 --> 01:04:32.957
LAURA: So we go over to McDonald's.

01:04:32.957 --> 01:04:34.537
LAURA: We sit in the parking lot for a little bit.

01:04:34.537 --> 01:04:38.757
LAURA: And then I'm thinking, oh God, are we going to get stuck in that traffic now and miss our flight?

01:04:38.797 --> 01:04:40.937
LAURA: Because the whole, they shut down the whole highway.

01:04:40.937 --> 01:04:43.757
LAURA: But luckily, luckily we were past it at that point.

01:04:43.897 --> 01:04:48.757
LAURA: So we go to McDonald's, we get our pizza.

01:04:48.757 --> 01:04:51.417
LAURA: Listen, it's fast food pizza, it's McDonald's.

01:04:51.417 --> 01:04:53.457
LAURA: It was not bad.

01:04:54.797 --> 01:04:58.097
LAURA: If I'm in the mood for fast food pizza, yeah, I'd probably get it from McDonald's.

01:04:58.097 --> 01:05:00.577
LAURA: But you're getting fast food pizza is what you're getting.

01:05:00.577 --> 01:05:02.497
VIRGINIA:  Is it like the puffy kind of pizza?

01:05:02.497 --> 01:05:04.457
LAURA: No, it was kind of thin crust.

01:05:04.457 --> 01:05:05.357
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

01:05:05.357 --> 01:05:06.797
LAURA: It was thin crust.

01:05:06.797 --> 01:05:10.297
LAURA: And it wasn't like overly salty, which was interesting to me.

01:05:10.297 --> 01:05:12.177
LAURA: But there was all different ways that you could customize it.

01:05:12.237 --> 01:05:17.757
LAURA: We got a pepperoni one, but they also had like you get like an alfredo sauce one, which I thought was interesting.

01:05:17.757 --> 01:05:19.077
VIRGINIA:  That does not sound good to me.

01:05:19.077 --> 01:05:19.817
LAURA: I don't know if I would like that.

01:05:19.817 --> 01:05:22.197
VIRGINIA:  I'm not an alfredo sauce person anyway.

01:05:22.197 --> 01:05:26.057
VIRGINIA:  Like if it was the only thing somebody was serving, I would eat it.

01:05:26.057 --> 01:05:29.357
VIRGINIA:  It's not terrible, but it's not something I'm going to go for.

01:05:29.357 --> 01:05:29.497
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

01:05:29.497 --> 01:05:34.297
LAURA: The thing with pizza is even if it's bad, it's still kind of good because it's pizza.

01:05:34.297 --> 01:05:40.717
VIRGINIA:  I know, but also based on where you live, I'm imagining you might be a little bit of a pizza snob.

01:05:41.097 --> 01:05:41.837
LAURA: Oh, I am.

01:05:41.837 --> 01:05:45.297
VIRGINIA:  I can't believe that you're saying it's not bad.

01:05:45.297 --> 01:05:46.857
LAURA: I am, but I'm also realistic.

01:05:46.857 --> 01:05:48.917
LAURA: There's different categories of pizza.

01:05:48.917 --> 01:05:53.657
LAURA: If it's fast food pizza, I don't consider fast food pizza pizza.

01:05:53.737 --> 01:05:55.397
LAURA: It's its own category.

01:05:55.397 --> 01:05:55.897
VIRGINIA:  Okay.

01:05:55.897 --> 01:05:56.537
VIRGINIA:  Got it.

01:05:56.537 --> 01:05:59.657
LAURA: In that respect, it was okay.

01:05:59.657 --> 01:06:01.357
LAURA: Then we headed to the airport.

01:06:01.357 --> 01:06:07.397
LAURA: Funny enough, on the way to the airport, as we're about to turn off for Terminal C, we see another car accident.

01:06:07.397 --> 01:06:08.617
VIRGINIA:  Oh my gosh.

01:06:08.617 --> 01:06:08.797
VIRGINIA:  Wow.

01:06:11.057 --> 01:06:11.197
VIRGINIA:  Yeah.

01:06:11.197 --> 01:06:12.097
LAURA: This one wasn't as bad.

01:06:12.097 --> 01:06:15.317
LAURA: I think somebody just fender bender and they were pulled over to the side of the road.

01:06:15.317 --> 01:06:17.037
LAURA: But we're like, what is happening?

01:06:17.637 --> 01:06:18.517
LAURA: Why is this happening?

01:06:18.517 --> 01:06:19.457
LAURA: Is it just Florida?

01:06:20.097 --> 01:06:22.497
LAURA: Is it par for the course in Florida at this point?

01:06:22.497 --> 01:06:24.477
LAURA: That accidents happen there a lot.

01:06:24.477 --> 01:06:27.597
LAURA: But yeah, we made it to the airport without incident.

01:06:27.597 --> 01:06:29.597
LAURA: We had plenty of time.

01:06:29.597 --> 01:06:33.357
LAURA: We got through security really quickly and no delay is on the flight.

01:06:33.357 --> 01:06:36.737
LAURA: It was all pretty much smooth sailing from that point, thankfully.

01:06:37.837 --> 01:06:39.097
VIRGINIA:  Wow.

01:06:39.097 --> 01:06:44.797
VIRGINIA:  The themes of this trip were Halloween, Mexican street corn and car accidents.

01:06:44.797 --> 01:06:45.277
LAURA: Yeah.

01:06:45.277 --> 01:06:48.057
LAURA: Thankfully, we walked away from all of that unscathed.

01:06:50.757 --> 01:06:53.297
VIRGINIA:  Including the Halloween party and the street corn.

01:06:53.297 --> 01:06:55.577
LAURA: Exactly.

01:06:55.577 --> 01:06:56.977
VIRGINIA:  Oh, my word.

01:06:56.977 --> 01:06:57.537
VIRGINIA:  All right.

01:06:57.537 --> 01:07:01.077
VIRGINIA:  Well, Laura, this has been such fun talking to you.

01:07:01.077 --> 01:07:05.617
VIRGINIA:  I just thank you so much for taking the time to share your story.

01:07:06.917 --> 01:07:09.217
VIRGINIA:  It's just been a delight to get to know you a little bit.

01:07:09.217 --> 01:07:09.977
LAURA: Yes, you too.

01:07:09.977 --> 01:07:11.557
LAURA: This has been a lot of fun.

01:07:11.557 --> 01:07:14.017
LAURA: If you ever want to chat about a future trip, let me know.

01:07:14.017 --> 01:07:15.937
LAURA: I'd be more than happy to gab about it.

01:07:15.937 --> 01:07:16.857
VIRGINIA:  Will do.

01:07:16.857 --> 01:07:19.217
VIRGINIA:  Definitely have you back.

01:07:19.217 --> 01:07:20.957
VIRGINIA:  Thank you again to Laura.

01:07:20.957 --> 01:07:25.697
VIRGINIA:  It was so much fun chatting with you and I hope you will join me on the show again.

01:07:25.697 --> 01:07:30.597
VIRGINIA:  Listeners, if you haven't given the show a rating or a review, I would greatly appreciate it.

01:07:30.597 --> 01:07:36.877
VIRGINIA:  You can do that on the podcast app you're listening on now or through my website, which again is
whereilongtobepodcast.com.

01:07:38.117 --> 01:07:44.737
VIRGINIA:  If you do visit the website, you'll see right on the homepage where you can submit yourself to be a future guest on the show.

01:07:44.737 --> 01:07:49.817
VIRGINIA:  I am currently looking for people who are traveling in March 2025 and beyond.

01:07:49.817 --> 01:07:51.557
VIRGINIA:  That is enough for today.

01:07:51.557 --> 01:07:57.397
VIRGINIA:  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and please know how thankful I am for you.

01:07:57.397 --> 01:07:59.437
VIRGINIA:  And I do mean that sincerely.

01:07:59.437 --> 01:08:04.057
VIRGINIA:  Now, off you go and keep daydreaming about where you long to be.

adult trip,food and wine festival,couple trip,october,november,all-star sports,mickey's not so scary halloween party,2024,behind the seeds tour,