Pre-Trip Report: Ashlee’s Dapper Disneyland Trip (April 2024)

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

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VIRGINIA: I'm your host, Virginia.

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VIRGINIA: On this week's pre-trip report, I am happy to welcome Ashlee, also known as Ashlee Everafter over on Instagram, where she posts all kinds of fun content.

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VIRGINIA: If you want to see some good Disney bounds, just take a peek at Ashlee's page to get some inspiration.

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VIRGINIA: After the episode, if you like what you hear, I'd love it if you could rate or review the show.

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VIRGINIA: It will help other like-minded people find their way over to the community I'm building.

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VIRGINIA: The more, the merrier.

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VIRGINIA: And with that, let's get on with the show.

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VIRGINIA: Here's Ashlee.

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VIRGINIA: Hello, Ashlee from Ashlee Ever After.

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ASHLEE: Hi, how are you doing today?

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VIRGINIA: I am doing well.

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VIRGINIA: I'm so excited to have you here because I have been following you for a while now.

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VIRGINIA: And so I literally think of you as Ashlee Ever After.

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VIRGINIA: Like that whole phrase is who you are to me.

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VIRGINIA: So welcome to the show.

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VIRGINIA: Thank you so much for deciding to come and chat with me about your upcoming trip.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

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ASHLEE: I'm so excited.

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VIRGINIA: Why don't you tell the listeners and me a little bit more about your Disney background?

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VIRGINIA: How did you come to love Disney?

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VIRGINIA: Has this been a lifelong obsession?

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ASHLEE: Absolutely.

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ASHLEE: So it all started when I was about five years old and my parents took us on our very first Disney World trip.

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ASHLEE: As any five-year-old, you can imagine I was super excited and from there, we just loved it so much that we decided that we wanted to do it every year, same time.

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ASHLEE: So that's exactly what we did.

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ASHLEE: I ended up going to Disney World once a year for elementary school, middle school and couple years of high school before they just couldn't pull me out of class anymore.

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ASHLEE: And it got too hard.

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ASHLEE: So I took a little sabbatical from probably mid high school up until grad school.

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ASHLEE: And then I met my husband soon after that, got him hooked on Disney.

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ASHLEE: Cause after that I was like, okay, I think I'm ready to go back.

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ASHLEE: So we got him on the Disney train and he loves it too.

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ASHLEE: So we've been going now multiple times a year.

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ASHLEE: I think it's easier to do Disneyland a little more frequently just because you don't feel like you need to do five days to hit up all the parks.

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ASHLEE: It's just the two parks at Disneyland.

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ASHLEE: So you can go for a quick weekend, which is really nice.

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ASHLEE: So we've been doing that, or at least I have been doing it a couple of times a year.

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ASHLEE: He's good with just doing Disney World and Disneyland once a year, but I'm going a little more often now that I've met so many people like yourself in the community.

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ASHLEE: And it's so much fun to meet up with them.

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VIRGINIA: So did your husband automatically like it the first time you took him, or did you have to approach taking him for the first time in any kind of special way to try to ensure that he would love it?

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ASHLEE: No, he was game for it because he grew up not really going on out of state vacations.

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ASHLEE: He would go up north and go camping and just kind of like little road trips and stuff, but never Disney World.

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ASHLEE: And obviously that's kind of every kid's dream to go to Disney World.

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ASHLEE: So he was super excited.

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ASHLEE: But funny thing is when we got there, our first park was Epcot.

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ASHLEE: And the very first ride that we went on was Mission Space.

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ASHLEE: You know, he was just like, is this gonna be the whole trip?

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ASHLEE: I was like, no, no, I promise.

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ASHLEE: Like not all the rides are this intense.

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ASHLEE: And yeah, I promise.

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VIRGINIA: Mission Space, green or orange?

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ASHLEE: He went on orange.

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ASHLEE: And he's a big ride junkie, as am I now that he kind of converted me.

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ASHLEE: But yeah, he was just like, oh gosh, it was kind of a rocky first start.

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ASHLEE: Cause I don't know, I guess when you go to Disney, you expect kind of the typical Magic Kingdom first park, maybe where it's the walk down Main Street, you have the snacks.

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ASHLEE: But we started in the front of Epcot and he's like, and this is mind you, when the construction is still going on, he's like, so I was like, no, I promise it's very cool.

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ASHLEE: Just give it a chance.

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VIRGINIA: All right, well, how often do you all get to any parks now, whether it's Disney World, Disneyland, what's your frequency?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so we always do like family tradition once a year after Thanksgiving, actually, sorry, we fly out either the day before or day of Thanksgiving, have Thanksgiving dinner down there and we stay for like 10 days.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, just enjoy the nice family time and the holiday decorations.

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ASHLEE: My parents, they absolutely love Disney at Christmas time.

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ASHLEE: So that's their preferred way to go in the year, as well as the weather is usually very mild versus the summertime.

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ASHLEE: So we do Disney World every year around the holidays.

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ASHLEE: And then we started, just my husband and I, doing Disneyland in the spring, mostly dapper days, because we have a couple of friends who like to go with us and dress up and kind of reminisce about the old days of Disney.

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ASHLEE: And I recently just started doing a couple of solo trips at Disneyland, kind of quick weekends.

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ASHLEE: The most recent one I did was Lunar New Year in February, and that was just amazing to see all the celebrations and the different food booths.

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ASHLEE: Food is kind of like half the reason why I love to go.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, I'm sad I didn't get to go to the Lunar New Year celebration because I saw the character meet and greet that everybody was showing on social media of the characters from Red.

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VIRGINIA: And it just looked so cute.

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VIRGINIA: I was like, too bad I'm missing it, but.

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ASHLEE: Well, there's always subsequent years.

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VIRGINIA: Correct, correct, okay.

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VIRGINIA: All right, well, let's talk about this trip for you.

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VIRGINIA: You're heading to Disneyland, and I have noted that it's going to be April 4th through 8th, is that correct?

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ASHLEE: Correct, yes.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, and who will be in your party for this adventure?

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ASHLEE: Yes, so I'll have my husband with me, Nathan, and we have our two friends that, one of them's actually a cast member at Disney, so they'll be meeting us out there on Saturday and we'll just be hanging out in the parks.

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ASHLEE: It's two of our really good friends, Frank and Marty.

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ASHLEE: I'll also be meeting up with a couple of friends that I met through Instagram, actually, through the wonderful Disney community throughout Saturday and Sunday.

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ASHLEE: Most of them are locals, so it's a pretty easy meetup for them.

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ASHLEE: A lot of them live in San Diego, or they literally live right there in Orange County, so it's very easy to meet up with them each time I let a go there.

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VIRGINIA: Frank and Marty are both cast members, or one of them is?

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ASHLEE: Frank is the cast member, yep.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, are you able to share what his role is?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, he mostly works on the travel agent side of things, which is nice because apparently his position is one of the few where he can work remotely.

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ASHLEE: We're all in Minnesota, so a lot of times you think cast member, you need to be on site either at Florida or California, but it's really nice because he is able to do his job from out of state.

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VIRGINIA: Very cool.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: And Instagram friends, anyone I might know, and I will make a note so that we can put all of their handles in the show notes if you would like me to.

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ASHLEE: Oh, yeah, so Saturday, planning to meet up with at the three Main Street gals, Mickey with the minis, and then Sunday, planning to meet with Kingdom Dreams.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, all right.

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VIRGINIA: I will make sure to grab their handles and put them in the show notes for anybody who would like to follow some new Disney friends.

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VIRGINIA: All right, so you're coming from Minnesota.

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VIRGINIA: Do you have a direct flight?

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ASHLEE: Yes, we always do direct flights when possible just because we are under the mindset that our time is very valuable.

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ASHLEE: And if we can get there, we will pay a little extra to not have a layover and risk getting our luggage potentially lost and having just to wait around in some airport for however long.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, I definitely agree.

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VIRGINIA: I do love a good road trip, but none of it's gonna cut into significant Disney time.

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ASHLEE: Yes, especially if you only have so much time during a weekend or however much you need.

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VIRGINIA: Exactly.

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VIRGINIA: All right, so flying in on Thursday, April the 4th, what time are you scheduled to arrive?

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VIRGINIA: And I should ask, which airport are you flying into?

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VIRGINIA: Because you have a couple options there.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so I usually fly into John Wayne, or I guess I should say I have been doing that on my solo trips.

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ASHLEE: And I'm assuming the prices were lower because I was doing it in the off season, AKA February, usually not a terribly touristy time of year for California, it seems.

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ASHLEE: But gosh, when I was looking at prices for flights, even back in October, September, April, it's just like night and day difference.

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ASHLEE: So we're like, okay, we like convenience, but not at the tune of close to what we could pay possibly for an international flight.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so we're like, we're just gonna bite the bullet.

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ASHLEE: We're gonna find LAX.

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ASHLEE: We've done it before.

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ASHLEE: It's not our favorite just because that airport is kind of confusing.

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ASHLEE: Like the ride share is hard to get to sometimes, but yeah, we are flying into LAX.

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ASHLEE: And this made me really mad because I booked this back in September, October, and then I got an email.

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ASHLEE: It was around the holiday season beginning in December saying, oh, your flight time has changed.

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ASHLEE: Originally we were supposed to be flying out of Minneapolis, St.

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ASHLEE: Paul at around 8.30.

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ASHLEE: They switched it all the way to 3.15 that same day.

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ASHLEE: And I'm like, that is a huge difference.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, wow.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, are you able to do anything about that?

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VIRGINIA: Like, will they give you any kind of credit or would they look for something different for you?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so they had sent me a link saying, here's your options if this is too much of an inconvenience for you.

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ASHLEE: And I looked at the direct flight times and the only other one that they had flying out on that airline was actually later at like 8:40 p.m.

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ASHLEE: And we would be getting in at like 10.30, 11.

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ASHLEE: And that's yeah, that wasn't going to work.

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ASHLEE: So I'm like, all right, I guess we're flying in at 3.30.

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ASHLEE: And I didn't want to do that because that puts us right in the middle of rush hour.

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ASHLEE: And yeah, it takes you a good hour and a half, at least to get to Orange County from LAX if you hit traffic.

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ASHLEE: So I'm just like, okay, I guess it is what it is.

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VIRGINIA: So how long of a flight is it?

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ASHLEE: It's about, I'd say a little over three hours from Minnesota.

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ASHLEE: So definitely just pop in a Marvel movie and you're there.

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VIRGINIA: That's good.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, I also judge flights in terms of how many movies I'm able to watch.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, well, at least the time difference is working in your favor.

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VIRGINIA: I mean, it could be worse.

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VIRGINIA: It's not ideal, but it could be worse.

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VIRGINIA: Have you considered doing any kind of car service instead of relying on an Uber or a Lyft?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, I honestly haven't before just because we usually stay not at official Disney property when we're there, just because the hotels that they have, it's only three and they're very expensive.

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ASHLEE: So we'll stay at the, what are known as good neighbor hotels.

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ASHLEE: They're less than a mile radius away from the parks, but they're not considered Disney property per se.

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ASHLEE: So like a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn, something like that.

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ASHLEE: And we usually just hope it's tuned from the parks.

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ASHLEE: So we don't really try to rent a car or anything like that.

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ASHLEE: So Uber and Lyft is kind of our preferred method at transport if we don't plan on using a car.

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ASHLEE: And then there's the whole thing about having to pay for parking too, if you do drive.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, no, I was just thinking that it might be worth it to look into like a car service where somebody's actually waiting to meet you there to drive you only because if there's traffic it might be better than like an Uber or Lyft where you could run into a surge pricing situation or even a bus maybe.

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VIRGINIA: I don't know.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah, because you're right, there's no traffic like LA traffic at Rush Hour.

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VIRGINIA: So it could be bad, but we're going to cross our fingers that everything will go well and that you won't hit too much traffic and we'll see.

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VIRGINIA: And what will be, will be.

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VIRGINIA: Where are you staying?

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VIRGINIA: You mentioned Good Neighbor Resorts.

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VIRGINIA: And I have to say, if anybody is listening who has not been to Disneyland before, the Good Neighbor hotels that are around Disneyland and California Adventure, there are so many to choose from and there are so many good options.

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VIRGINIA: And in my opinion, it is nothing at all like staying off property when you're in Orlando.

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VIRGINIA: In Orlando, I can't imagine staying off property because it makes such a difference to me to be in the Disney bubble.

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VIRGINIA: But when you're talking about Disneyland, they're so close.

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VIRGINIA: And so even though you might not have the Disney feeling when you're laying your head down to sleep at night, you can literally walk to the park.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, that's a nice thing I like about Disneyland is literally if you want to park hop, you don't have to take monorail or a bus and wait 20 minutes for the next one or whatever.

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ASHLEE: You can just walk across and there you are.

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VIRGINIA: All right, so which resort is it?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so we will be staying at the Alpine Inn.

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ASHLEE: It's a cute little motel, but it's very clean, very basic.

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ASHLEE: And that's really all that we look for when we go to Disneyland, because we're at the parks sometimes from rope drop to closing time and the hotel is just a place to eat, shower and kind of lay our head for the night.

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VIRGINIA: Have you stayed at Alpine Inn before?

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ASHLEE: Yeah, I actually stayed there for the first time this past February when I was doing my solo trip and it was nice.

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ASHLEE: The staff was really good.

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ASHLEE: So I have no complaints.

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VIRGINIA: Says a lot that you're coming back.

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VIRGINIA: So, all right.

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VIRGINIA: And the reason for this trip is Dapper Days, correct?

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ASHLEE: Correct.

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VIRGINIA: My friend, Jeanette and her friend, Marin, who I've interviewed multiple times are going to be out there for Dapper Days as well.

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VIRGINIA: So maybe you'll see them.

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ASHLEE: Yeah.

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ASHLEE: It's definitely a popular event.

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VIRGINIA: Yes, I will tell her to look out for you.

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VIRGINIA: I'll send your information over to her so she can see what you look like and keep an eye open.

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VIRGINIA: All right, so arriving on this new flight at approximately what time?

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ASHLEE: I think we're supposed to be landing around 5.15 or so.

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VIRGINIA: Okay, yep.

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VIRGINIA: Right at rush hour, okay.

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VIRGINIA: Do you have any plans for that evening?

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VIRGINIA: Like will you go into any parks on this first day?

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VIRGINIA: And I know that maybe that answer has changed since your flight time has changed.

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ASHLEE: Yeah, so originally I was thinking, oh, since we had a 8.15, 8.30 flight in the morning, we could totally hit up the parks and just hit the ground running.

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ASHLEE: But luckily we hadn't bought any of our park passes or anything yet at that time when I was booking the flight.

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ASHLEE: So after the flight time changed, I was like, nope, we're just probably gonna go eat dinner and then head to bed early because we will hit the ground running the next day for sure.

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VIRGINIA: What are you thinking for dinner?

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VIRGINIA: Do you think you might hit up Downtown Disney, as they call it?

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ASHLEE: We're not gonna be doing Downtown Disney this time, unfortunately.

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ASHLEE: Thursday night, we will fly in and then we will be eating dinner at a place called Palm Breeze Bar Dinner.

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ASHLEE: And it's at the Disneyland Hotel.

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ASHLEE: We've never been there before and I looked at the menu, saw it was pretty good selection.

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ASHLEE: So I figured, why not try it?

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ASHLEE: Because Trader Sam's was all the question.

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ASHLEE: I couldn't even get near that for a reservation, unfortunately.

00:17:03.917 --> 00:17:07.337
ASHLEE: So this seemed like a really good option.

00:17:08.017 --> 00:17:10.957
VIRGINIA: Okay, Palm Breeze Bar Dinner at Disneyland.

00:17:10.977 --> 00:17:20.117
VIRGINIA: Now, I don't know where the Alpine Inn is, but I was picturing it in my head being on the opposite side of the parks from the Disneyland Resort.

00:17:20.137 --> 00:17:25.457
VIRGINIA: So is that the case or is it on the same side of the parks as the Disneyland Hotel?

00:17:26.497 --> 00:17:32.197
ASHLEE: So Alpine Inn is going to be kind of on the south side of the parks.

00:17:32.357 --> 00:17:40.017
ASHLEE: And without knowing and having a map in front of me right now, I believe that's where, I want to say the Toy Story parking lot is possibly.

00:17:40.297 --> 00:17:47.777
ASHLEE: I do know it's on the south side of the parks because we have to walk north on kind of that main road to get to the main entrance.

00:17:48.457 --> 00:17:56.437
ASHLEE: And yeah, I believe Disneyland Hotel is kind of on the west side if we're looking at a map of the park.

00:17:56.457 --> 00:17:58.917
ASHLEE: So yeah, it's not too bad.

00:17:58.937 --> 00:18:09.917
ASHLEE: We enjoy walking and if it's a nice night, which hopefully it will be, we'll probably just walk over there or in this case scenario, just pay a little bit of money for an Uber or Lyft.

00:18:10.197 --> 00:18:20.397
VIRGINIA: No, the only reason I was saying that was because I was thinking, you said you weren't going to do any Downtown Disney time, but I was like, well, maybe she'll walk right through it and at least get to stop at the World of Disney or whatever.

00:18:20.957 --> 00:18:37.917
ASHLEE: Yeah, oh my gosh, World of Disney, I love that store so much, but it seems like every time we go, even if it's like first thing in the morning at Disney Springs or at Downtown Disney, it's just so packed and it's like, okay, I just want to maybe get one thing that I came here to get and then get the checkout.

00:18:38.637 --> 00:18:41.717
VIRGINIA: That's why I love mobile checkout lately.

00:18:42.057 --> 00:18:44.497
VIRGINIA: I have really turned around to that.

00:18:44.517 --> 00:18:47.577
VIRGINIA: At first, I was like, I don't know about doing that.

00:18:48.117 --> 00:18:50.457
VIRGINIA: Now, if it's an option, I am taking it.

00:18:50.617 --> 00:18:51.837
VIRGINIA: It makes it so much easier.

00:18:51.857 --> 00:18:54.017
ASHLEE: Yeah, we realized they started doing that.

00:18:54.037 --> 00:18:58.337
ASHLEE: It was actually the first year back from COVID.

00:18:58.377 --> 00:19:06.157
ASHLEE: We went in 2021 to Disney World again after the pandemic was starting to maybe die down a little bit.

00:19:06.177 --> 00:19:12.037
ASHLEE: But yeah, we went there and saw, oh my gosh, you can mobile order and just check out yourself.

00:19:12.057 --> 00:19:12.757
ASHLEE: This is awesome.

00:19:13.697 --> 00:19:18.017
VIRGINIA: Yeah, no, it's so nice and it just makes it so easy.

00:19:18.177 --> 00:19:23.657
VIRGINIA: So I definitely recommend it for anybody who is not wanting to wait in a line.

00:19:23.837 --> 00:19:26.217
VIRGINIA: It's sort of like a fast pass for your shopping.

00:19:26.957 --> 00:19:38.137
VIRGINIA: And if you have any discounts, like if you have an annual pass or DVC or anything like that, it automatically incorporates the discount when you check out, which I love.

00:19:38.377 --> 00:19:44.817
VIRGINIA: So all right, so dinner and then Friday morning, April the 5th, you are planning on hitting the ground running.

00:19:44.837 --> 00:19:49.997
VIRGINIA: Now, I don't know much about Dapper Day, but it's one day, correct?

00:19:50.117 --> 00:19:53.317
VIRGINIA: Or is it one day in Disneyland, one day in California Adventure?

00:19:54.377 --> 00:19:57.237
ASHLEE: Nope, so it's spanning between both parks.

00:19:57.237 --> 00:20:01.997
ASHLEE: It's just one day and it's usually that Sunday.

00:20:02.397 --> 00:20:09.857
ASHLEE: But I have seen people, us included, wear, we'll wear dapper clothing both days, just because we want to.

00:20:10.677 --> 00:20:10.977
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:20:11.517 --> 00:20:11.817
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:20:12.257 --> 00:20:13.217
VIRGINIA: OK, all right.

00:20:13.237 --> 00:20:14.977
VIRGINIA: So Friday, what is your plan?

00:20:15.857 --> 00:20:21.657
ASHLEE: Yeah, so since we have never been to Universal Hollywood, we are going to be spending the day there.

00:20:21.897 --> 00:20:23.097
VIRGINIA: Fun, OK.

00:20:23.097 --> 00:20:26.937
VIRGINIA: But you have been, I assume, to Universal Orlando.

00:20:27.457 --> 00:20:28.437
ASHLEE: Yes, many times.

00:20:28.937 --> 00:20:37.177
VIRGINIA: OK, I think you're going to find it pretty interesting, because it is so much smaller when you think about Orlando and having the multiple parks.

00:20:37.197 --> 00:20:38.497
VIRGINIA: You can go back and forth between.

00:20:39.017 --> 00:20:39.917
VIRGINIA: It feels smaller.

00:20:39.917 --> 00:20:48.537
VIRGINIA: And then there's this added, I don't know, character that it has, being that it's kind of like on the side of a mountain or hill or something.

00:20:48.557 --> 00:20:55.637
VIRGINIA: Like there's one part where you go to a certain section of the park, and you have to take what I'm remembering.

00:20:55.657 --> 00:20:59.097
VIRGINIA: I could be totally wrong, but I think it's like a three story escalator.

00:20:59.597 --> 00:21:04.517
VIRGINIA: Like you go down, you walk on a little straight path for a second, get on to this.

00:21:04.537 --> 00:21:07.137
VIRGINIA: Like there's three separate escalators, maybe even four.

00:21:07.437 --> 00:21:11.977
VIRGINIA: Like it's real steep, and you're still in Universal Park.

00:21:12.317 --> 00:21:17.697
VIRGINIA: So yeah, so it just adds that little element where you're like, this is the same, but different.

00:21:17.717 --> 00:21:19.757
ASHLEE: Is this to get to rides or?

00:21:20.437 --> 00:21:22.057
VIRGINIA: I think there's rides down there.

00:21:22.077 --> 00:21:24.937
VIRGINIA: I can't remember which lands are down there.

00:21:24.957 --> 00:21:26.677
VIRGINIA: I mean, it's been a while.

00:21:26.697 --> 00:21:37.417
VIRGINIA: The last time I was in Disneyland was probably, I think it was 2019 and I'm trying to think, did I even, I don't think I went to Universal on that trip.

00:21:38.137 --> 00:21:46.757
VIRGINIA: No, so it's been a long time since I've been to Universal in California and I'm gonna say that was probably 2007.

00:21:48.197 --> 00:22:01.037
VIRGINIA: Because I know that when we were on our way to our honeymoon in Hawaii, we stopped in LA for a few days to see a friend and then we did one day in Disneyland and then we did one day over at Universal.

00:22:01.697 --> 00:22:03.477
VIRGINIA: Just on our way to break up the trip a little bit.

00:22:04.897 --> 00:22:05.877
VIRGINIA: But it's cool.

00:22:05.897 --> 00:22:06.577
VIRGINIA: It's really cool.

00:22:06.977 --> 00:22:09.177
VIRGINIA: So I'll be very interested to hear what you have to say.

00:22:09.297 --> 00:22:11.737
VIRGINIA: Anything in particular you're really looking forward to over there?

00:22:12.257 --> 00:22:13.897
ASHLEE: Yes, Super Nintendo World.

00:22:13.997 --> 00:22:15.037
ASHLEE: I know the hype probably is-

00:22:15.057 --> 00:22:16.317
VIRGINIA: Oh, I totally forgot about that.

00:22:16.337 --> 00:22:17.277
VIRGINIA: Oh my gosh, Ashlee.

00:22:17.297 --> 00:22:19.037
VIRGINIA: Oh, this is so exciting.

00:22:19.137 --> 00:22:19.617
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:22:19.637 --> 00:22:26.257
ASHLEE: I know the hype has probably not died down too much since it's only about a year old, but we got the early access tickets.

00:22:26.277 --> 00:22:35.737
ASHLEE: So we get there and get in early, hopefully do that Bowser's Challenge ride and maybe play some of those games and get that reservation at Toadstool Cafe.

00:22:35.837 --> 00:22:37.617
VIRGINIA: Oh, that's amazing.

00:22:37.977 --> 00:22:41.837
VIRGINIA: Did you grow up playing Mario Brothers games?

00:22:42.317 --> 00:22:43.737
ASHLEE: Yes, 100%.

00:22:44.077 --> 00:22:53.497
ASHLEE: That's one of my favorite pastimes with my dad because my first gaming console was early 90s NES and we left Super Mario.

00:22:53.597 --> 00:22:54.477
ASHLEE: That was our favorite game.

00:22:55.497 --> 00:23:03.617
VIRGINIA: I cannot remember the name of the movie, but there's a really cute holiday movie that's only like two years old that's on Macs.

00:23:05.277 --> 00:23:09.057
VIRGINIA: I guess what used to be called HBO, but I think it's called Macs now.

00:23:09.377 --> 00:23:24.717
VIRGINIA: Anyway, it's about a Christmas back in the late 80s, maybe when the Nintendo NES system was first starting and it was the Christmas where that's what everybody wanted.

00:23:25.917 --> 00:23:28.217
VIRGINIA: I think you would probably enjoy it.

00:23:28.237 --> 00:23:29.937
VIRGINIA: It was actually a pretty good movie.

00:23:29.937 --> 00:23:32.437
VIRGINIA: And I'm from that generation too.

00:23:32.457 --> 00:23:37.357
VIRGINIA: So I remember wanting that system so bad and I got it.

00:23:37.397 --> 00:23:41.777
VIRGINIA: And then I only ever ended up getting like four or five games and I was totally content with that.

00:23:41.777 --> 00:23:47.137
VIRGINIA: And Super Mario Brothers, the original one was one of the games I had obviously since it came with it.

00:23:47.317 --> 00:23:50.117
VIRGINIA: And it was probably one of the only games I was really good at.

00:23:51.037 --> 00:23:51.957
ASHLEE: Yeah, it's super fun.

00:23:51.997 --> 00:23:54.257
ASHLEE: And I feel like it stands the test of time for sure.

00:23:55.037 --> 00:23:57.797
ASHLEE: Because look, they made the Super Mario Brothers movie.

00:23:58.977 --> 00:24:02.477
VIRGINIA: Yep, and now that's true.

00:24:02.557 --> 00:24:04.977
VIRGINIA: And I have a kid now that's into that.

00:24:05.057 --> 00:24:12.917
VIRGINIA: And I mean, he's more like a Mario Kart player, I guess, than any of the regular Mario Brothers games.

00:24:12.937 --> 00:24:14.617
VIRGINIA: But yeah, that's so cool.

00:24:14.637 --> 00:24:17.437
VIRGINIA: I cannot believe I forgot that that was over there already.

00:24:17.997 --> 00:24:19.397
ASHLEE: It's in the Vietnoda, too.

00:24:20.937 --> 00:24:27.297
VIRGINIA: I know, I know, I'm waiting for that, but I'm also waiting for all the other stuff that is coming.

00:24:27.337 --> 00:24:31.097
VIRGINIA: Like the How To Train Your Dragon stuff looked really cool.

00:24:31.537 --> 00:24:31.817
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:24:31.837 --> 00:24:40.177
ASHLEE: Have you seen the sneak peeks that Disney and, sorry, not Disney, Universal has been dropping in their media and everything?

00:24:40.177 --> 00:24:40.477
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:24:41.197 --> 00:24:41.557
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:24:41.577 --> 00:24:42.577
VIRGINIA: No, it looks so cool.

00:24:42.597 --> 00:24:57.857
VIRGINIA: And I have to say, I don't think about those movies often, but when I saw the sneak peeks, it totally took me back to when Alex was probably five, six years old and was obsessed with those movies.

00:24:58.537 --> 00:25:02.397
VIRGINIA: And then it was just kind of like I suddenly remembered they existed, Oliver, again.

00:25:02.417 --> 00:25:04.737
VIRGINIA: And I was like, oh, that's going to be so cool.

00:25:05.037 --> 00:25:13.757
VIRGINIA: And we don't get over to Universal very much at all, just because adding the price of a day even at Universal can get quite expensive.

00:25:15.637 --> 00:25:20.837
VIRGINIA: So we're going to have to do it again, though, once everything opens up there.

00:25:21.617 --> 00:25:30.117
ASHLEE: Yeah, my husband and I, we love Universal, mainly just because they have just so much more intense roller coasters there and we're total thrill ride junkies.

00:25:30.137 --> 00:25:38.377
ASHLEE: But this past trip, we're like, okay, we don't need to go there every time necessarily, because we're pretty bad about building in rest days.

00:25:38.397 --> 00:25:43.597
ASHLEE: And we would like to actually build in some rest rather than try to squeeze that in.

00:25:43.617 --> 00:25:47.657
ASHLEE: So we're like, okay, when Epic Universe opens, then that's the next time that will go.

00:25:47.717 --> 00:25:54.457
ASHLEE: So this coming holiday season, we're gonna forgo Universal and just take a relaxation day.

00:25:55.457 --> 00:25:56.877
VIRGINIA: That's a good plan, I think.

00:25:57.077 --> 00:26:01.677
VIRGINIA: All right, anything else on this Universal California Day?

00:26:01.757 --> 00:26:04.037
VIRGINIA: Universal Studios Hollywood, I guess I should call it.

00:26:04.437 --> 00:26:06.757
ASHLEE: Yeah, I don't know.

00:26:07.337 --> 00:26:14.657
ASHLEE: Like I said, I'm just really excited to see Super Mario World and see how it kind of differs from Universal Orlando.

00:26:14.677 --> 00:26:18.297
ASHLEE: I do know that they have characters over there as well.

00:26:19.137 --> 00:26:27.877
ASHLEE: As you probably know, Disneyland, they tend to put a lot more emphasis on their characters and kind of roaming characters that mingle with guests.

00:26:27.897 --> 00:26:39.237
ASHLEE: And I'm kind of curious to see if that's the case as well at Universal Hollywood, because when we went to Orlando, Universal, maybe it was just the days that we went.

00:26:39.457 --> 00:26:45.497
ASHLEE: It didn't seem like there were a whole ton of characters out and about, but yeah, it'll be interesting to see the differences between the two.

00:26:46.277 --> 00:26:53.557
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I think when I do go to Universal Orlando, the characters that I see tend to be putting on shows, right?

00:26:53.597 --> 00:26:59.477
VIRGINIA: So like the Blues Brothers or Marilyn Monroe coming past in a car or in the Wizarding World.

00:27:00.037 --> 00:27:00.637
VIRGINIA: But you're right.

00:27:00.717 --> 00:27:02.597
VIRGINIA: You don't often see them roaming.

00:27:02.637 --> 00:27:10.717
VIRGINIA: And that's a big feature that they have in Disneyland and California Adventure, which is really fun, especially if you're not used to it.

00:27:12.457 --> 00:27:15.217
VIRGINIA: All right, let's get into Saturday, April the 6th.

00:27:15.217 --> 00:27:16.477
VIRGINIA: Where are you headed on that day?

00:27:17.617 --> 00:27:22.637
ASHLEE: So I believe we are starting out at DCA for our first park.

00:27:22.877 --> 00:27:25.577
ASHLEE: And our plan is to get our sip and savor passes.

00:27:25.737 --> 00:27:31.477
ASHLEE: I'm not sure if you're familiar with the passes and how they work with the festivals, but sip and savor passes...

00:27:31.497 --> 00:27:31.977
VIRGINIA: No, I am not.

00:27:32.277 --> 00:27:33.337
VIRGINIA: Please educate me.

00:27:33.817 --> 00:27:35.077
ASHLEE: Yeah, why?

00:27:35.177 --> 00:27:45.217
ASHLEE: So with each of the festivals, so Lunar New Year, Food and Wine Fest, which is going to be going on while we're at Disneyland this weekend, it goes through, I think, April 22nd.

00:27:45.237 --> 00:27:47.617
ASHLEE: And then they start a whole new season of things after that.

00:27:48.397 --> 00:28:02.977
ASHLEE: But with all the festivals that California Adventure has, you have the option of purchasing a sip and savor pass, which basically gives you a little bit smaller portion than what you would normally receive at the food booths of certain food items.

00:28:03.637 --> 00:28:14.777
ASHLEE: That way you aren't really committed to eating a whole bowl of pasta dish or something if you're not a fan of it or if you just are like me and you want to be able to try all the things.

00:28:14.797 --> 00:28:15.757
VIRGINIA: Try everything.

00:28:18.357 --> 00:28:19.397
VIRGINIA: Yeah, that would be me.

00:28:19.417 --> 00:28:20.637
VIRGINIA: That sounds like a great deal.

00:28:20.657 --> 00:28:23.357
VIRGINIA: So is it, are you saving money too?

00:28:24.897 --> 00:28:38.577
ASHLEE: I think, yes, if you get the sip and savor pass and the items that you choose, I believe if you choose them, $7 and above, then you are saving money.

00:28:38.597 --> 00:28:43.997
ASHLEE: But if you're going for like the lower cost items, then you're actually kind of losing out on the deal.

00:28:44.017 --> 00:28:52.477
ASHLEE: So I was told that always choose items and use it on the ones that are $7 and above because that'll be the biggest bang for your buck.

00:28:53.057 --> 00:28:58.957
VIRGINIA: Very similar to the Disney dining plan and most of the time, the mouse wins, right?

00:29:02.257 --> 00:29:02.717
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:29:02.877 --> 00:29:13.737
VIRGINIA: So starting in DCA and getting those sip and savor passes, and I did when I wrote it down, spelled it S-A-V-O-R, but then as we were talking, I was like, I bet it's a money saving thing too.

00:29:13.757 --> 00:29:15.697
VIRGINIA: So it's sort of like a little play on words.

00:29:15.937 --> 00:29:20.837
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I didn't even think about that.

00:29:20.897 --> 00:29:23.497
VIRGINIA: What is the rest of your plans for that day?

00:29:23.517 --> 00:29:26.217
VIRGINIA: Do you have specific rides that you're going to try to hit?

00:29:26.517 --> 00:29:29.137
VIRGINIA: You said that you're thrill seekers.

00:29:29.157 --> 00:29:31.817
VIRGINIA: So any of those thrilling rides that you're aiming for?

00:29:32.337 --> 00:29:33.097
ASHLEE: Absolutely.

00:29:33.117 --> 00:29:39.077
ASHLEE: At least for me, two of the rides that I cannot miss when I'm at California Adventure.

00:29:46.877 --> 00:29:49.557
ASHLEE: Are Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Breakout, as well as Infernal Fester.

00:29:49.577 --> 00:29:51.657
ASHLEE: I'm a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan.

00:29:52.497 --> 00:29:59.217
ASHLEE: In true Guardians fashion, this ride, much like Cosmic Rewind, it gives you a different song every time you ride.

00:29:59.417 --> 00:30:01.857
ASHLEE: That is how I love it.

00:30:02.657 --> 00:30:06.197
VIRGINIA: Maybe controversial question to force you to answer here on the show.

00:30:07.537 --> 00:30:09.097
VIRGINIA: Mission Breakout or Tower of Terror?

00:30:09.117 --> 00:30:13.577
ASHLEE: Oh my gosh, I knew you were going to ask this.

00:30:13.977 --> 00:30:20.737
ASHLEE: I actually rode Mission Breakout before I went on Tower of Terror because growing up, I was such a chicken.

00:30:20.757 --> 00:30:23.317
ASHLEE: I don't get sick on rides.

00:30:23.737 --> 00:30:24.997
ASHLEE: I'm totally fine.

00:30:25.017 --> 00:30:25.917
ASHLEE: I don't get motion sick.

00:30:26.357 --> 00:30:34.097
ASHLEE: It was just from day one when I went on Big Thunder Mountain as a five-year-old, I did not like that drop feeling in your stomach.

00:30:34.497 --> 00:30:37.117
ASHLEE: Yeah, Big Thunder Mountain is your first roller coaster as a five-year-old.

00:30:37.617 --> 00:30:40.177
ASHLEE: It's loud and it's got a lot of twists and turns.

00:30:40.197 --> 00:30:48.337
ASHLEE: So for me, I tried it and then I tried Splash Mountain, same thing where I just did not like that drop feeling in my stomach, the big dips, everything.

00:30:48.357 --> 00:30:58.937
ASHLEE: So I kind of stopped going on coasters and drop rides when I was very little and I didn't return to it until I met my husband and we went on our first Disney trip together.

00:30:59.717 --> 00:31:02.237
ASHLEE: He says to me, you're going to go on all the coasters with me, right?

00:31:02.657 --> 00:31:04.757
ASHLEE: I'm like, oh, okay, maybe.

00:31:06.857 --> 00:31:10.797
ASHLEE: Basically, he's responsible for converting me into a thrill seeker.

00:31:10.817 --> 00:31:18.057
ASHLEE: He had me going on Big Thunder again, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, graduated to Space Mountain.

00:31:18.077 --> 00:31:22.417
ASHLEE: Then, okay, we're going on Rock and Roller Coaster, your first upside down one.

00:31:24.737 --> 00:31:28.697
ASHLEE: And that spiraled into going on all the thrill rides at Universal Studios too.

00:31:28.717 --> 00:31:32.797
ASHLEE: So yeah, basically love them now.

00:31:33.277 --> 00:31:43.017
ASHLEE: But getting back to your question, I actually do prefer Mission Breakout a little bit more just because that was the first one that I went on and I fell in love with it.

00:31:43.837 --> 00:31:47.257
ASHLEE: On our return trip to Disney World, I did go on Tower of Terror.

00:31:47.577 --> 00:31:49.337
ASHLEE: I think that has amazing theming.

00:31:49.357 --> 00:31:52.797
ASHLEE: They make it seem like you're actually in the Twilight Zone.

00:31:52.817 --> 00:32:02.937
ASHLEE: And I just love how the ride vehicle actually brings you out into that place before dropping you into oblivion.

00:32:03.337 --> 00:32:09.637
ASHLEE: Yeah, I mean, even though it's the same ride mechanics, it's two very different tones.

00:32:09.657 --> 00:32:10.837
VIRGINIA: It's a very different feeling.

00:32:11.297 --> 00:32:26.437
ASHLEE: Yeah, because I think I heard it explained on the imaginary story how when they were re-theming Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy, they wanted to evoke that feeling of, oh, it's kind of like when you throw the baby up in the air and you bounce it.

00:32:26.877 --> 00:32:27.297
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:32:27.317 --> 00:32:34.457
ASHLEE: You want it to evoke a feeling of you get off this ride and you are just smiling from ear to ear, which I do all the time.

00:32:35.057 --> 00:32:35.377
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:32:37.537 --> 00:32:37.977
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:32:38.357 --> 00:32:40.497
VIRGINIA: And Incredicoaster is incredible.

00:32:40.517 --> 00:32:42.217
VIRGINIA: I love that coaster.

00:32:42.337 --> 00:32:44.117
VIRGINIA: I just think it's so fun.

00:32:44.117 --> 00:32:56.037
VIRGINIA: And I love that it has like a storyline to it, even though it's an outdoor coaster, which I think sometimes can be a little harder to do with an outdoor coaster because there's not as many places to put things, but somehow they've done it.

00:32:56.897 --> 00:32:57.217
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:32:57.617 --> 00:33:03.797
ASHLEE: And we actually had ridden it this past February when I was there at night, which I had never done before.

00:33:03.817 --> 00:33:05.877
ASHLEE: And that was a game changer.

00:33:05.957 --> 00:33:06.817
ASHLEE: I loved it.

00:33:06.837 --> 00:33:08.837
ASHLEE: We wrote it when World of Color was going on.

00:33:12.857 --> 00:33:13.257
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:33:13.277 --> 00:33:13.917
VIRGINIA: That's so cool.

00:33:13.937 --> 00:33:14.797
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:33:14.817 --> 00:33:17.457
VIRGINIA: Are you going to do any park hopping on this day?

00:33:18.197 --> 00:33:18.517
ASHLEE: Yes.

00:33:18.537 --> 00:33:26.457
ASHLEE: So we have park hoppers for both days just because we've tried it before where we only go to one park a day.

00:33:26.477 --> 00:33:34.037
ASHLEE: And we usually do that when we're at Disney World, since it's not as convenient just to walk across the way to the next park.

00:33:34.057 --> 00:33:41.017
ASHLEE: But with California Adventure and Disneyland, I feel like it's very easy to just go back and forth.

00:33:41.277 --> 00:33:47.937
ASHLEE: If you see a lightning lane that's available or a wait time that's available, and that's very low and manageable, oh my gosh, okay.

00:33:47.937 --> 00:33:50.457
ASHLEE: Let's just go across the way and hop on.

00:33:51.277 --> 00:33:52.857
VIRGINIA: So you mentioned lightning lane.

00:33:52.877 --> 00:33:57.657
VIRGINIA: Did you buy the kind of ticket where you incorporated Genie Plus as you purchased your ticket?

00:33:58.237 --> 00:34:03.037
ASHLEE: Yes, I always tend to do that just because I don't want to have to deal with the unpredictable.

00:34:03.217 --> 00:34:09.117
ASHLEE: I know it's still probably spring break for some people, especially in SoCal right now.

00:34:09.817 --> 00:34:12.757
ASHLEE: And it's going to be nicer weather this weekend.

00:34:12.937 --> 00:34:15.557
ASHLEE: So I just didn't want to take the risk.

00:34:16.477 --> 00:34:21.117
VIRGINIA: I wish that they would bring it back to Disney World where you could buy it for your entire trip.

00:34:21.797 --> 00:34:35.517
VIRGINIA: And I say that even if you are an annual pass holder, I wish that you could, you know, if you had a resort reservation, go ahead and purchase it for however many days you're going to be staying because it just makes it so much more convenient.

00:34:35.537 --> 00:34:39.337
VIRGINIA: I mean, it's already frustrating enough to have to get up at 7 a.m.

00:34:39.737 --> 00:34:52.357
VIRGINIA: to book your first thing, but then to also have to remember like, oh, I have to either get up earlier than that to purchase it or I need to do it after midnight, which is fine if you're already up, but you know, just more convenient.

00:34:52.377 --> 00:34:56.237
ASHLEE: Yeah, usually my husband, he takes care of that because he's a little bit of a night owl.

00:34:56.257 --> 00:35:01.437
ASHLEE: So he'll be like, okay, I'll just get Genie Plus for us and he can go to sleep.

00:35:01.457 --> 00:35:05.677
VIRGINIA: That's very nice of him.

00:35:05.697 --> 00:35:09.917
VIRGINIA: Can you refresh my memory when you're using Genie Plus in Disneyland?

00:35:10.417 --> 00:35:16.897
VIRGINIA: Am I correct in remembering that you can only book your first thing once you have tapped in to the park?

00:35:17.457 --> 00:35:18.637
ASHLEE: Yes, that is correct.

00:35:18.637 --> 00:35:26.737
ASHLEE: And I was surprised at that when we first visited Disneyland because I'm so used to Disney World where you can just make it from the comfort of your hotel.

00:35:26.757 --> 00:35:34.397
ASHLEE: But I think it makes sense because it's a little smaller scale over at Disneyland, so it kind of puts everyone on an even playing field.

00:35:35.577 --> 00:35:38.457
ASHLEE: Scan into the parks to actually reserve something.

00:35:40.297 --> 00:35:41.257
VIRGINIA: I'm sort of torn.

00:35:41.317 --> 00:35:51.677
VIRGINIA: I don't know if I think that they should incorporate that in Disney World or not, but I definitely would not be mad if they moved the time that you had to book things up to like 8 a.m.

00:35:52.017 --> 00:35:53.777
VIRGINIA: If they could just give us like one more hour.

00:35:54.217 --> 00:35:57.837
ASHLEE: Yeah, to get your coffee, be awake.

00:35:57.957 --> 00:36:13.137
VIRGINIA: Yes, yes, because those of us like you, like me, who tend to very easily go rope drop to park clothes, you know, like I need every hour of sleep that I'm going to get before I get up and do it all over again.

00:36:13.497 --> 00:36:14.757
ASHLEE: Yes, absolutely.

00:36:16.337 --> 00:36:16.817
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:36:17.297 --> 00:36:21.577
VIRGINIA: Anything else on this Saturday that you know for sure you're going to be doing?

00:36:21.597 --> 00:36:25.257
VIRGINIA: Any dining reservations or any special activities?

00:36:26.297 --> 00:36:27.637
ASHLEE: Not dining reservations.

00:36:27.677 --> 00:36:31.397
ASHLEE: We have eaten at Lamplight Lounge before as well as Carnation Cafe.

00:36:31.417 --> 00:36:33.317
ASHLEE: They were both service restaurants.

00:36:34.237 --> 00:36:37.077
ASHLEE: And we just wanted to go there because we heard so many great things.

00:36:37.397 --> 00:36:38.517
ASHLEE: This was on our first visit.

00:36:39.037 --> 00:36:44.497
ASHLEE: But since then, we've always gone back, or at least I have, when a festival has been going on.

00:36:45.257 --> 00:36:48.017
ASHLEE: So we want to take advantage of that to the fullest.

00:36:48.757 --> 00:36:50.637
ASHLEE: So much to eat and drink at those booths.

00:36:51.817 --> 00:36:56.417
ASHLEE: We don't really want to sit down when there's food to be had.

00:36:58.077 --> 00:36:58.417
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:36:58.437 --> 00:37:02.617
VIRGINIA: Let's get into Sunday, April 7th, then, which is the official Dapper Day.

00:37:03.777 --> 00:37:13.517
VIRGINIA: In addition to putting on your Dapper attire, are there any special Dapper Day activities or merchandise or anything like that?

00:37:13.817 --> 00:37:19.537
ASHLEE: Every Dapper Day, whether it's at Disneyland or Disney World, they have an expo.

00:37:19.557 --> 00:37:29.697
ASHLEE: I believe it's larger at Disneyland just because it's at the Disneyland Hotel where they will rent out a big conference room and basically have a bunch of merch available.

00:37:29.717 --> 00:37:32.537
ASHLEE: They have vendors there that are selling Dapper attire.

00:37:32.977 --> 00:37:37.297
ASHLEE: I've seen tattoo artists there where you can get like a Dapper Day tattoo.

00:37:38.037 --> 00:37:43.637
ASHLEE: And they have a band there so you can kind of hit the dance floor and do some swing dancing too.

00:37:44.117 --> 00:37:45.297
ASHLEE: It's really cool to check out.

00:37:46.357 --> 00:37:49.597
VIRGINIA: Like, okay, when you say tattoo artist, temporary tattoo or real?

00:37:49.957 --> 00:37:51.137
ASHLEE: No, these are very real.

00:37:52.177 --> 00:37:56.117
ASHLEE: We walk past the booths and we're like, wow, there are people lined up for this.

00:37:56.877 --> 00:38:00.597
ASHLEE: It's not for me, but this is really cool that they're doing this here.

00:38:02.337 --> 00:38:07.597
VIRGINIA: So when they do that, are they doing a couple of standard designs or people are able to ask for what they want?

00:38:07.817 --> 00:38:13.937
ASHLEE: I didn't look too closely at what the offerings were, but I know they have for sure their Dapper Day logo that they can do there.

00:38:14.117 --> 00:38:19.497
ASHLEE: And I'm sure they have a bunch of ideas, like a portfolio of the artist and what they have done.

00:38:19.517 --> 00:38:25.317
ASHLEE: But yeah, I think if you want to get a tattoo done there, then it's possible.

00:38:26.377 --> 00:38:30.157
VIRGINIA: It is not for me either, but I do find it interesting.

00:38:30.177 --> 00:38:37.117
VIRGINIA: I can't imagine making a decision like that and a year or two from then still loving it.

00:38:37.237 --> 00:38:39.057
VIRGINIA: So I'm just not even going to go there.

00:38:40.297 --> 00:38:42.277
ASHLEE: I'm very much a planner, so I would have to...

00:38:42.297 --> 00:38:42.637
VIRGINIA: Me too.

00:38:44.217 --> 00:38:45.457
VIRGINIA: What's your star sign?

00:38:46.737 --> 00:38:47.677
ASHLEE: Oh, Capricorn.

00:38:48.337 --> 00:38:48.697
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:38:48.817 --> 00:38:50.037
VIRGINIA: Oh, my husband's a Capricorn.

00:38:50.057 --> 00:38:50.937
VIRGINIA: Okay, I'm a Virgo.

00:38:50.997 --> 00:38:56.557
VIRGINIA: I was speculating maybe you were a Virgo because we are like the epitome of planners.

00:38:58.677 --> 00:39:04.717
VIRGINIA: All right, so merchandise to be had, and then you'll be meeting up with your friends.

00:39:04.737 --> 00:39:08.497
VIRGINIA: Do you have any plans for special photos?

00:39:08.597 --> 00:39:18.157
VIRGINIA: I know that in California Adventure, there's some really fun retro backdrops you could probably stand in front of on whatever their version of Main Street is.

00:39:18.177 --> 00:39:20.717
VIRGINIA: I can't even remember what the DCA version of Main Street is called.

00:39:20.797 --> 00:39:27.817
ASHLEE: Yeah, it's escaping me right now, but it's kind of where Carthay Circle is and Fountain and the Statue of Walt.

00:39:28.037 --> 00:39:32.737
ASHLEE: Yeah, so definitely we'll be taking photos there, probably in front of the trolley too.

00:39:33.797 --> 00:39:57.837
ASHLEE: My friend, Kingdom Dreams, he actually told me that they trialed this last month in Disneyland and now it's moved over to DCA where the PhotoPass photographers, they will give you, it's basically free with your Genie Plus or Magic Key, a free 15-minute photo shoot at either Pixar Pier, Grizzly Peak or San Francisco.

00:39:58.037 --> 00:40:08.877
ASHLEE: So I think we're going to try and get some photos at Pixar Pier with Mickey's Wheel of Death in the background because it's pretty good.

00:40:08.897 --> 00:40:09.777
ASHLEE: I won't go on it again.

00:40:10.917 --> 00:40:12.097
VIRGINIA: Oh, let me tell you.

00:40:12.117 --> 00:40:20.157
VIRGINIA: So Dad's Love Disney, Kevin, posted a video just the other day of him on that Wheel of Death.

00:40:20.377 --> 00:40:21.837
VIRGINIA: And you do have two options.

00:40:22.217 --> 00:40:25.157
VIRGINIA: You have the option of the swinging or the non-swinging car.

00:40:25.877 --> 00:40:36.037
VIRGINIA: And I would highly encourage anyone who's going on that ride to choose the non-swinging car because the swinging car feels like you are going to die, like you're going to plummet to your death from the wheel.

00:40:37.677 --> 00:40:38.297
VIRGINIA: It's the worst.

00:40:38.317 --> 00:40:40.737
VIRGINIA: And we have the same thing here at Coney Island.

00:40:41.337 --> 00:40:41.797
VIRGINIA: There's...

00:40:42.877 --> 00:40:44.657
VIRGINIA: Yeah, it's the Wonder Wheel.

00:40:44.777 --> 00:40:47.737
VIRGINIA: And the Wonder Wheel, you can choose the swinging or non-swinging cars.

00:40:47.757 --> 00:40:55.697
VIRGINIA: And Alex always likes to get me into the swinging cars because he loves to watch me just want to die right there in the car.

00:40:56.257 --> 00:40:56.637
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:40:57.097 --> 00:40:58.317
VIRGINIA: But it makes a pretty photo.

00:40:59.657 --> 00:41:08.817
ASHLEE: Yeah, last year, actually dapper days around this time, we tried the Wheel of Death for the first time and it's, gosh, it's just not for me.

00:41:09.297 --> 00:41:20.377
ASHLEE: I can go on the thrill list of thrill rides now, but that, like you said, it feels like you're going to break off swinging that wheel and plummet down into that lake to your death.

00:41:20.397 --> 00:41:24.877
ASHLEE: And yeah, it's an irrational fear of mine, but I'm just like, oh gosh.

00:41:25.097 --> 00:41:27.097
VIRGINIA: I don't know how irrational it is, Ashlee.

00:41:27.557 --> 00:41:28.537
VIRGINIA: I find it pretty rational.

00:41:30.497 --> 00:41:36.297
ASHLEE: Yeah, I think the worst part is there's nothing to hold on to in there, like no handles or anything.

00:41:36.317 --> 00:41:42.517
VIRGINIA: No, you have a cage around you that you can potentially grab.

00:41:43.097 --> 00:41:46.097
VIRGINIA: Yeah, it's not for me.

00:41:46.197 --> 00:41:46.857
VIRGINIA: It's not for me.

00:41:46.877 --> 00:41:48.897
VIRGINIA: And I would say I'm a thrill seeker too.

00:41:48.917 --> 00:41:50.197
VIRGINIA: I love roller coasters.

00:41:50.677 --> 00:41:52.317
VIRGINIA: I love Tower of Terror.

00:41:52.337 --> 00:41:53.497
VIRGINIA: I love Mission Breakout.

00:41:53.517 --> 00:41:55.037
VIRGINIA: I will ride all of those things.

00:41:56.337 --> 00:41:58.437
VIRGINIA: And the Wonder Wheel of Death is not for me.

00:42:01.817 --> 00:42:02.257
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:42:02.877 --> 00:42:05.497
VIRGINIA: Anything else on Sunday, April 7th?

00:42:07.197 --> 00:42:14.157
ASHLEE: So nothing, I guess, official with the Dapper Day committee or whoever puts this on, except for the expo, like I said.

00:42:14.177 --> 00:42:25.097
ASHLEE: But I have heard that in years past, they try to coordinate a photo or like a meetup either by the King Arthur carousel or somewhere kind of in Fantasyland there.

00:42:26.637 --> 00:42:32.637
ASHLEE: I can't remember if the Mark Twain riverboat is currently under refurbishment or if it's still in commission right now.

00:42:32.657 --> 00:42:39.857
ASHLEE: But I know in years past, they have tried to meet up there and just do like a big group photo and mingle with each other.

00:42:39.877 --> 00:42:42.517
ASHLEE: But yeah, we'll have to see kind of what the plan is this year.

00:42:43.557 --> 00:42:48.417
VIRGINIA: Are you going to be watching any of the nighttime shows on either of these nights?

00:42:49.177 --> 00:42:55.437
ASHLEE: Yeah, so I think we'll probably try to catch Wondrous Journeys, which is back for a very limited run again.

00:42:55.457 --> 00:43:01.677
ASHLEE: We saw it last April during Dapper Day and I thought it was just spectacular.

00:43:01.697 --> 00:43:03.397
ASHLEE: So I'm excited to see it again.

00:43:03.417 --> 00:43:11.057
ASHLEE: I don't know if we will do World of Color again, just because it's the same show that we had seen the previous two times.

00:43:11.077 --> 00:43:21.357
ASHLEE: And while I love it, it's yeah, I would rather maybe do some other stuff during that time, like hop in a queue and hopefully it's low ride times for a lot of rides.

00:43:24.077 --> 00:43:24.497
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:43:24.517 --> 00:43:29.117
VIRGINIA: Well, I guess Monday, April 8th, what is the plan for that day?

00:43:29.697 --> 00:43:30.157
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:43:30.277 --> 00:43:31.857
VIRGINIA: So it's a departure day.

00:43:33.217 --> 00:43:34.777
ASHLEE: The sad day where we have to go back.

00:43:35.557 --> 00:43:42.897
ASHLEE: But luckily our flight's not till, I want to say like 1130 ish, so we can sleep in kind of.

00:43:43.737 --> 00:43:45.917
VIRGINIA: Wait, 1130 a.m.?

00:43:46.477 --> 00:43:46.857
ASHLEE: Yes.

00:43:47.017 --> 00:43:47.337
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:43:47.357 --> 00:43:52.177
VIRGINIA: So I mean, that's not going to be that much of a sleep in.

00:43:52.637 --> 00:43:56.557
ASHLEE: It was either that or try to get like an eight o'clock flight out.

00:43:56.577 --> 00:44:06.037
ASHLEE: And I was like, no, we're not going to do that, especially since we're planning to do a rope drop to close that Sunday, because we figure we can just nap on the plane and it'll be fine.

00:44:07.057 --> 00:44:16.217
VIRGINIA: So 1130 flight probably boards around 11, leaving time to get there through security and leaving time for rush hour traffic.

00:44:16.597 --> 00:44:18.817
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:44:19.417 --> 00:44:19.717
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:44:19.737 --> 00:44:20.317
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:44:20.337 --> 00:44:20.977
VIRGINIA: We'll see how this goes.

00:44:20.997 --> 00:44:23.017
ASHLEE: I don't think it'll be able to sleep in.

00:44:23.857 --> 00:44:28.577
VIRGINIA: No, no, unless you can go back to sleep once you're in your Uber or your Lyft.

00:44:28.997 --> 00:44:29.357
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:44:30.037 --> 00:44:31.077
VIRGINIA: Have a little cat nap.

00:44:31.897 --> 00:44:32.717
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:44:32.737 --> 00:44:34.497
VIRGINIA: Well, this sounds like a really fun trip.

00:44:34.517 --> 00:44:36.637
VIRGINIA: I can't wait to see all of your photos.

00:44:36.717 --> 00:44:45.277
VIRGINIA: Or do you want to give any sneak peeks and tell us anything about your outfits, or would you rather save them for a surprise?

00:44:46.177 --> 00:44:52.337
ASHLEE: I kind of want to save Sundays for a surprise, but I will say on Saturday we will be doing a dapper Minnie and Mickey.

00:44:53.197 --> 00:44:54.077
VIRGINIA: Oh, cute.

00:44:54.977 --> 00:44:55.437
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:44:55.457 --> 00:44:57.057
VIRGINIA: Looking forward to seeing that.

00:44:57.077 --> 00:45:02.577
VIRGINIA: So thank you so much for joining me today, Ashlee, and I can't wait to talk to you after your trip is over.

00:45:03.057 --> 00:45:03.437
ASHLEE: Yeah.

00:45:03.457 --> 00:45:04.537
ASHLEE: Thanks so much for having me again.

00:45:05.077 --> 00:45:05.397
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:45:05.417 --> 00:45:05.957
VIRGINIA: Talk to you soon.

00:45:06.497 --> 00:45:06.857
ASHLEE: Thanks.

00:45:08.957 --> 00:45:12.177
VIRGINIA: Thank you, Ashlee, for walking us all through your trip plans.

00:45:12.497 --> 00:45:16.817
VIRGINIA: Ashlee's Post Trip Report episode is up next, so don't go anywhere.

00:45:17.377 --> 00:45:20.957
VIRGINIA: And, as always, keep daydreaming about where you long to be.