Pre-Trip Report: Celeste’s Crowded Christmas Trip (December 2024)

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

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ALEX: My name is Alex, and I am stepping in from my mom today.

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ALEX: You are very welcome, and I know you missed me.

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ALEX: Thank you all for tuning in and for supporting the show.

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ALEX: The website address is whereilongtobepodcast.com.

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ALEX: That would be even better.

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ALEX: As a quick reminder, the podcast will be taking a much-needed break between seasons 3 and 4.

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ALEX: January 6 will be the last episode of season 3 and season 4 will begin on February 3rd.

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ALEX: Don't miss that January 6 episode because it will feature yours truly as my mom and I sit down to share all the details about our trip to London.

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ALEX: We took an August, which included a day touring the studio where the Harry Potter movies were filmed, which was pretty fun, pretty cool.

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ALEX: Okay, that's all the housekeeping for now.

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ALEX: So let's get to today's pre-trip interview.

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ALEX: Here is my mom, Virginia, and her guest, Celeste.

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VIRGINIA: Good afternoon, Celeste.

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CELESTE: Hello.

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VIRGINIA: Thank you so much for joining me today.

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VIRGINIA: This is our literal first time meeting.

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CELESTE: Yes.

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CELESTE: It's nice to meet you.

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VIRGINIA: Nice to meet you.

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VIRGINIA: Tell me a little bit about who you are.

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CELESTE: Well, so I'm Celeste.

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CELESTE: I am in Columbus, Georgia, which is right on the border of Georgia and Alabama.

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CELESTE: And in Disney Distance, that's about six hours from The Magic King.

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VIRGINIA: Thank you for that context.

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CELESTE: Yes.

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CELESTE: I was not a Disney kid growing up.

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CELESTE: My family did not vacation very much.

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CELESTE: And when we did vacation, we went to visit family.

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CELESTE: So it was never anything really fun.

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CELESTE: Went to Disney World once when I was 16 on a van trip.

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CELESTE: And that was the first and only time I visited Disney World until 2022.

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CELESTE: Had some visits to Disney Land, which is actually what created this Disney adult monster that you see sitting before you.

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CELESTE: My friend Stephanie lives in California and she took me on my first trip to Disney Land in 2014 and that created the monster.

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CELESTE: So that is really where the Disney love began.

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CELESTE: Outside of Disney, I work for an organization called Girls Who Code.

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CELESTE: We are a nonprofit focused on increasing the number of women in tech and we're on a mission to reach 5 million girls by the year 2030 and we are working hard at it.

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CELESTE: Let's see what else.

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CELESTE: Married to my high school sweetheart, who is currently working on Saturday across the desk from me.

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CELESTE: I have three dogs, Boz, Tater Tot and Katie, who are menaces, so they are locked up in the kitchen behind me.

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VIRGINIA: What kind of dogs are they?

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CELESTE: Boz is a Cocker Spaniel, Tater Tot is a Dachshund and Katie is a Miniature Schnauzer.

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VIRGINIA: Very cute.

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VIRGINIA: I have a Maltese who is asleep at my feet right now.

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CELESTE: Oh, baby.

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VIRGINIA: I have follow-up questions for you because I feel like we have a similar background because I did not go to Disney until I was a teenager for the very first time and it was on a band trip.

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VIRGINIA: We marched in the parade in the Magic Kingdom.

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VIRGINIA: So, follow-up question, what instrument did you play?

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CELESTE: Well, symphonic band, like sit-down band, I was a clarinet player, but my marching band instrument was bass drum.

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CELESTE: Got it.

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CELESTE: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: Yes, I was a trumpet player and in fact, went on to minor in college.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, wow.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: I'm looking over here because I have it hanging on my wall.

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VIRGINIA: I have not played in years.

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VIRGINIA: It's like being an athlete who has not worked out.

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VIRGINIA: But in the marching band, I was the drum major.

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VIRGINIA: So I am very skilled at walking backwards or marching backwards rather.

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CELESTE: Yes, I have to walk sideways because I was a bass drummer.

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CELESTE: So very good at the grab march.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, my goodness.

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VIRGINIA: And every time I see a marching band, you probably are the same way where you're like watching to make sure they're in step.

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VIRGINIA: And it stands out.

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CELESTE: Are they rolling their feet?

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VIRGINIA: Yes.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, my gosh.

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VIRGINIA: Wow.

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VIRGINIA: Takes me back.

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VIRGINIA: And the next time I went, I was an adult.

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VIRGINIA: So very similar, very similar backgrounds in that way.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: So let's talk about this particular trip.

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VIRGINIA: I guess, first of all, when was the last time you went?

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VIRGINIA: I know because I asked about the shirt that you're wearing that you were there in February.

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VIRGINIA: But have you been back since then?

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CELESTE: Yeah.

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CELESTE: This will be my eighth trip this year.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, my word.

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CELESTE: Yeah.

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CELESTE: The last time I was there, I think was October 22nd.

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CELESTE: It was just a quick turnaround day trip because I had an event for work in Orlando one day.

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CELESTE: And so I got there a day early so I could go to the park before my thing.

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VIRGINIA: Of course you did because that's what we do.

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VIRGINIA: So I am assuming that you are an annual pass holder.

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CELESTE: I am.

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CELESTE: This is our first year.

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CELESTE: We had the trip in February which is kind of an annual thing with a friend of mine.

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CELESTE: And then we had decided we were going to buy my husband's mom a trip, a ticket to Disney World for Christmas.

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CELESTE: And so we knew we had the two trips planned.

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CELESTE: By the time we priced it out, we were within a few hundred dollars of the annual pass.

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CELESTE: And I was like, well, maybe I can sneak one more trip in or maybe two, who knows?

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CELESTE: And like eight trips later, I have really made use of that annual pass this year.

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VIRGINIA: So is this a one year thing or are you now so hooked that this is your lifestyle now and you weren't always an out of state pass holder?

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CELESTE: I'm just an out of state pass holder now.

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CELESTE: And the good thing is that it only took one trip to get the husband down too.

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CELESTE: And so he's just like, well, this is sunk cost now.

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CELESTE: This is just part of our budget.

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CELESTE: We just buy annual passes every year.

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VIRGINIA: I know.

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VIRGINIA: It's very addicting.

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VIRGINIA: I do the math every year.

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VIRGINIA: It's cheaper for me to do the annual pass than to buy for the week that we always go in February.

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VIRGINIA: So that was my other follow up question.

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VIRGINIA: When do you usually go in February?

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VIRGINIA: Because that's my annual time too.

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CELESTE: Kind of around President's Day, like around Jersey Week time.

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CELESTE: Yeah.

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CELESTE: That's also when the after hours events start.

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CELESTE: I did my first one of those this year and that was the coolest thing ever.

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CELESTE: It felt like I had the whole park to myself.

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CELESTE: It was amazing.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: I have never been to one of the after hours parties before, but I've done plenty of the, oh, you're at a deluxe resort, you get the extra time.

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VIRGINIA: So that is really nice to take part in and I would love to do one of those parties.

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VIRGINIA: But especially when you're an annual pass holder, it's like, do I justify spending even more?

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VIRGINIA: Because now I'm just used to walking into the park without having to quote unquote pay because, girl math.

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CELESTE: That's how it works.

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VIRGINIA: It's free.

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VIRGINIA: So anyway, all right.

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VIRGINIA: This trip is going to be December 12th through the 16th.

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VIRGINIA: Is that right?

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CELESTE: Yes.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: So this is very much a holiday focused trip.

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VIRGINIA: What inspired you to go on these dates and who's going to be traveling with you?

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CELESTE: As I mentioned before, it was a Christmas present for my mother-in-law.

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CELESTE: She hasn't been since my husband was six.

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CELESTE: Oh, wow.

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CELESTE: Yeah.

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CELESTE: And so we've just been telling her about everything we've seen and everything we've been doing.

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CELESTE: And she just seems like she'd enjoy it.

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CELESTE: She's a plant lover.

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CELESTE: And you know, the landscaping at Disney is like that's an attraction.

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CELESTE: So we decided we were going to go with my mother and father-in-law for Christmas this year.

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CELESTE: So it's just my husband and I and my mother and father-in-law.

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CELESTE: He also hasn't been since the 80s and he is notoriously grumpy.

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CELESTE: So we're also doing this to, you know, make sure that he just isn't so grouchy.

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CELESTE: Like I'm going out of my way to make sure that it's super magical for him.

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CELESTE: Okay.

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CELESTE: Yeah, we decided to go this week because we didn't want to travel Christmas week.

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CELESTE: Yeah.

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CELESTE: Also, my mother and father-in-law are busy the first part of the month.

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CELESTE: So we picked the dead middle because I figured it was right around the time before kids were going to be out for Christmas.

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CELESTE: So people wouldn't be on vacation quite yet.

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CELESTE: So that's my hope.

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CELESTE: I'm still learning how to read the crowds in Orlando.

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VIRGINIA: Yeah.

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VIRGINIA: I think of the month of December, you've probably picked a pretty good week to do it because at the beginning of December, especially considering how late Thanksgiving was this year, there were probably a lot more people there in those first few days of December than maybe there would have been in a previous year.

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VIRGINIA: So all right.

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VIRGINIA: Well, we will see how that turns out for you crowdwise.

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VIRGINIA: Do they live in Georgia as well?

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CELESTE: They live actually in Alabama right across the river from us, so they're not very far.

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CELESTE: We spend all of our major holidays with them.

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CELESTE: So we see them all the time.

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CELESTE: It's not like we never get to see them when we're doing this trip, but we, you know, they're local.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: How are you getting to Orlando?

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CELESTE: We're driving.

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CELESTE: We're driving.

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CELESTE: It's just a quick breeze down 75 to the turnpike.

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VIRGINIA: Will you be driving to them and then all four of you driving together or you're going separately and meeting?

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CELESTE: All four of us will be riding together.

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CELESTE: My mother-in-law has a fancy new electric car and my husband is just dying to drive it.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

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VIRGINIA: How many part days did you purchase for your mother and father-in-law?

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CELESTE: Two part days for them.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: And are they part hoppers?

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CELESTE: No, we're just doing one per day.

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CELESTE: We were trying not to wear them out.

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VIRGINIA: That's probably a good idea.

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VIRGINIA: All right.

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VIRGINIA: Where are you going to stay?

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CELESTE: We are staying at one of my favorites, which is the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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CELESTE: It is really pretty.

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CELESTE: The pool is really nice.

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CELESTE: We always request a pool view room because that actually gives us a nice lookout over Hotel Plaza Boulevard so you can see the traffic beeping around.

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CELESTE: When they were doing the drone show, we could actually see the drone show from our balcony while we were in the room in the evening.

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CELESTE: It's just one of my favorite places.

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CELESTE: It's very clean.

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CELESTE: It's very safe.

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CELESTE: There's a restaurant there and the pool is really nice.

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VIRGINIA: You can walk to Disney Springs?

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CELESTE: You can walk to Disney Springs.

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CELESTE: We don't because we are lazy people, but it is about a two-minute walk, or a two-mile walk to Disney Springs from that.

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VIRGINIA: I mean, to be fair, two miles, you could definitely walk that, but that's going to take a lot of time.

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VIRGINIA: So I'm not going to agree with you being lazy.

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VIRGINIA: I'm going to say you're efficient.

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CELESTE: Exactly.

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CELESTE: Yes, I like that better.

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CELESTE: That's a better word.

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CELESTE: Yes.

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VIRGINIA: And parking at Disney Springs is free anyway.

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VIRGINIA: So why not drive?

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VIRGINIA: Thursday, December 12th, what time do you think you will arrive in Orlando?

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CELESTE: We are planning on getting there around three or four.

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CELESTE: Check-in is at four for the Holiday Inn.

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CELESTE: And we have a reservation at the Edison for dinner at seven.

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CELESTE: So we're thinking we should probably get in around four.

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CELESTE: It'll give my mother and father a lot of time to poke around in the hotel and see what everything looks like and give us a little time to rest from being on the road.

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VIRGINIA: Have you eaten at the Edison before?

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VIRGINIA: I have.

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CELESTE: This will be like my third or fourth time, I think.

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VIRGINIA: So you must really like it.

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VIRGINIA: I've never been there.

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CELESTE: Oh, I love it.

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CELESTE: I love it so much, especially in the evenings when they have the little, it's, I can't think of what they're called.

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CELESTE: It's a radio show, but it's like a little band and they are dressed in like 20s garb and they play music that sounds like 20s music, but it's all like current pop music.

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CELESTE: It's so much fun.

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CELESTE: It's so much fun.

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CELESTE: It has like a speakeasy vibe and the drinks are good and the food is good.

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CELESTE: It's just a fun place.

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CELESTE: And then the decor is really neat too.

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CELESTE: It's like steampunk almost.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

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VIRGINIA: There are a number of places that I still need to tackle in Disney Springs because I've eaten, there are so many restaurants and I've eaten a lot of them, but there's still a lot left to go.

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VIRGINIA: And then also when you find your favorites, then you want to go back.

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VIRGINIA: So I am making it my goal this next trip that we have, our family trip in February, to try to knock some of those things that we have not done off.

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VIRGINIA: And I was thinking about The Edison and then I was also thinking about, which one was it, the Indiana Jones themed one.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, Jock Lindsay's.

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VIRGINIA: Yes.

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CELESTE: We did that one in February.

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VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:09.780
VIRGINIA: Did you like it?

00:13:09.780 --> 00:13:10.680
CELESTE: Oh, I loved it.

00:13:10.680 --> 00:13:11.500
CELESTE: I loved it.

00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:11.720
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:13:11.880 --> 00:13:17.260
CELESTE: We sat on the water and it was really nice at sunset and the food is so good.

00:13:17.260 --> 00:13:19.900
VIRGINIA: Charles is a huge Indiana Jones fan.

00:13:19.900 --> 00:13:21.100
VIRGINIA: He needs to go to this.

00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:25.200
CELESTE: There is so much to look at and all the little props and decorations are so fun.

00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:31.040
CELESTE: You can just like sort of poke around and like see things that you know from the movies and from the stories.

00:13:31.040 --> 00:13:32.600
CELESTE: Yeah, I love Jock Lindsay's.

00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:35.300
CELESTE: We're kind of doing the same thing as you are.

00:13:35.300 --> 00:13:39.700
CELESTE: Since we've become annual pass holders, we're like, why do we eat at the same places all the time?

00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:41.220
CELESTE: Why do we do the same things all the time?

00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:46.480
CELESTE: So we've kind of been incorporating like one new restaurant every time we go.

00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:46.860
CELESTE: Right.

00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:48.860
CELESTE: I have not been well.

00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:49.680
CELESTE: No, I take that back.

00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:53.640
CELESTE: I was going to say I haven't been disappointed, but I was a little disappointed by one.

00:13:53.640 --> 00:13:55.860
CELESTE: The one thing that we tried on the last trip.

00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:56.100
CELESTE: Yeah.

00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:57.220
VIRGINIA: What was it?

00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:01.120
CELESTE: It was Gico in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:02.200
CELESTE: It was it.

00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:03.480
CELESTE: The atmosphere was nice.

00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:05.160
CELESTE: It was really nice.

00:14:05.160 --> 00:14:10.320
CELESTE: But I like just across the way at Boma, the food is just so much better.

00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:11.900
CELESTE: I don't know.

00:14:13.660 --> 00:14:19.180
CELESTE: Honestly, I would go back to everywhere new that I've tried this year, but Gico probably not.

00:14:19.180 --> 00:14:20.420
VIRGINIA: Have you been to Sanaa?

00:14:20.420 --> 00:14:20.860
CELESTE: Not yet.

00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:22.320
CELESTE: That's on the list.

00:14:23.420 --> 00:14:24.420
VIRGINIA: I really enjoyed Sanaa.

00:14:24.420 --> 00:14:26.140
VIRGINIA: I have not been to Gico yet.

00:14:26.140 --> 00:14:26.460
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:27.580
VIRGINIA: Dinner at the Edison.

00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:31.560
VIRGINIA: So Friday, December 13th, is that a park day?

00:14:31.560 --> 00:14:32.300
CELESTE: It is.

00:14:32.300 --> 00:14:33.920
CELESTE: It is our Epcot day.

00:14:33.920 --> 00:14:42.260
VIRGINIA: When you said that your mother-in-law was a plant lover, I immediately thought living with the land is going to be her jam.

00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.260
VIRGINIA: Have you planned to do the Behind The Seats Tour?

00:14:46.260 --> 00:14:49.540
CELESTE: We tried, but it was all booked up for that day.

00:14:49.540 --> 00:14:50.660
CELESTE: Because I wanted to.

00:14:50.660 --> 00:14:51.540
CELESTE: Yeah, I know.

00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:53.400
CELESTE: I really wanted to.

00:14:53.400 --> 00:14:57.820
CELESTE: I actually got to see the Christmas lights and living with the land last year.

00:14:57.820 --> 00:15:01.920
CELESTE: Living with the land is probably my favorite thing in Epcot.

00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:06.520
CELESTE: As soon as I got on it, I was like, I have to tell my mother-in-law about this, and I have to bring her here so people can see it.

00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.060
CELESTE: And the Christmas lights were just so great last year.

00:15:10.060 --> 00:15:11.340
CELESTE: I was like, this is the time.

00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:12.800
CELESTE: This is the time to take her.

00:15:12.800 --> 00:15:23.540
CELESTE: And I really wanted to do the behind the scenes tour, but I'm also planning maybe on taking her back for Mother's Day or like around Mother's Day, like during Flower and Garden.

00:15:23.540 --> 00:15:23.780
CELESTE: So-

00:15:23.780 --> 00:15:25.160
VIRGINIA: Oh, that would be perfect.

00:15:25.160 --> 00:15:25.780
CELESTE: Yeah.

00:15:25.780 --> 00:15:28.400
CELESTE: So we'll try again then.

00:15:28.400 --> 00:15:28.760
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:15:28.760 --> 00:15:31.040
VIRGINIA: That could be a plant-themed trip then.

00:15:32.280 --> 00:15:33.180
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:15:33.180 --> 00:15:33.580
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:36.240
VIRGINIA: What else are you looking forward to at Epcot?

00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:38.400
CELESTE: Festival of the Holidays.

00:15:38.400 --> 00:15:40.440
CELESTE: I am a festival girl.

00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:52.180
CELESTE: There is just something about walking around that world showcase and stopping every 30 feet and spending $6 on some delicious treat and just moving right along to the next one.

00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:53.900
CELESTE: That just, I love a festival.

00:15:54.160 --> 00:16:01.060
CELESTE: I've been to all of them now since between last year and this year, I've managed to do all four of the festivals.

00:16:01.060 --> 00:16:08.020
CELESTE: And also my mother and father-in-law, as they age, they're getting very, very sentimental.

00:16:08.020 --> 00:16:14.900
CELESTE: And the one thing I wanted to share with her was the Christmas Processional, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot.

00:16:14.900 --> 00:16:19.800
CELESTE: So we actually did a dining package so we can make sure we have seats and she could see it.

00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:22.040
CELESTE: Ralph Macchio is our narrator.

00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:24.860
CELESTE: I'm so stoked.

00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:28.420
VIRGINIA: This is funny.

00:16:28.420 --> 00:16:33.740
VIRGINIA: But in third grade, he was my very first celebrity crush that I can remember.

00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:36.000
VIRGINIA: It's crazy.

00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.340
VIRGINIA: In third grade, I was like, I'm going to marry him.

00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:42.460
CELESTE: I mean, who did not love Daniel Russo?

00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:45.860
VIRGINIA: Have you seen the new version of the show, whatever it's called?

00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:47.340
CELESTE: Cobra Kai.

00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:50.060
VIRGINIA: I was going to say Kingda Ka.

00:16:50.060 --> 00:16:52.000
VIRGINIA: That's a roller coaster in New Jersey.

00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:53.860
CELESTE: It is.

00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:54.720
CELESTE: We have not.

00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:56.040
CELESTE: We haven't yet.

00:16:56.260 --> 00:16:58.740
CELESTE: We are bad about new TV.

00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:00.760
CELESTE: We watch the same things over and over again.

00:17:00.760 --> 00:17:04.580
CELESTE: So Cobra Kai is on our list of things we need to get to.

00:17:04.580 --> 00:17:07.260
VIRGINIA: Well, Charles and Alex love it.

00:17:07.260 --> 00:17:08.920
VIRGINIA: They're totally into it.

00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:12.540
VIRGINIA: I will tell you, some of the acting is so bad.

00:17:13.220 --> 00:17:14.160
VIRGINIA: I can't take it.

00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:14.840
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:17:14.840 --> 00:17:15.300
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:17:15.300 --> 00:17:16.520
VIRGINIA: Ralph Macchio.

00:17:16.520 --> 00:17:17.420
VIRGINIA: Sorry to say it.

00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:18.520
VIRGINIA: Not such a great actor.

00:17:18.520 --> 00:17:20.820
CELESTE: Well, at least he looks nice.

00:17:21.840 --> 00:17:22.920
VIRGINIA: He does.

00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:24.960
VIRGINIA: Charles and Alex watch it religiously.

00:17:25.240 --> 00:17:31.240
VIRGINIA: And I just stand in the kitchen looking into the other room going, like, why are you watching this?

00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:32.880
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:35.480
VIRGINIA: So Candlelight Processional dining package.

00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:37.480
VIRGINIA: What restaurant is your dining package through?

00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.520
CELESTE: We're doing the Garden Grill.

00:17:39.520 --> 00:17:42.360
CELESTE: And this will be my first time ever eating there as well.

00:17:42.360 --> 00:17:44.400
CELESTE: So I'm excited.

00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.720
VIRGINIA: I personally love Garden Grill for breakfast.

00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:50.200
VIRGINIA: I have eaten there for lunch or dinner before as well.

00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.220
VIRGINIA: And it was also good family style.

00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:56.260
VIRGINIA: I think that it had like a pot roast or something that was really good.

00:17:56.260 --> 00:18:00.280
VIRGINIA: And then of course, all the vegetables are very fresh because they come from downstairs.

00:18:00.280 --> 00:18:14.660
CELESTE: I'm just excited for Chip and Dale to put things on my father-in-law's head and come by and bug him because he'll be having a good time, but he's going to want to pretend like he's not.

00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:18.140
CELESTE: So I'm very excited for those memories.

00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:22.820
CELESTE: And also to be up on the top and look down into the rainforest, the living with the land.

00:18:22.820 --> 00:18:26.920
CELESTE: I have never done that before, but I'm super stoked.

00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:27.360
VIRGINIA: It's cool.

00:18:27.360 --> 00:18:32.780
VIRGINIA: And when you go past the house, you can see into the top story of it.

00:18:32.780 --> 00:18:33.400
VIRGINIA: Pretty cool.

00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.840
CELESTE: I'm so excited.

00:18:34.840 --> 00:18:35.340
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:18:35.340 --> 00:18:37.380
VIRGINIA: Well, I hope you enjoy that.

00:18:37.380 --> 00:18:41.820
VIRGINIA: What else are you looking forward to sharing with them on this Epcot Day?

00:18:41.820 --> 00:18:45.800
CELESTE: I definitely want to see some of the holiday storytellers.

00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:49.280
CELESTE: I think the Barn Santa and the one in Italy.

00:18:49.820 --> 00:18:55.460
CELESTE: I can't think of what her name is, but I have seen videos of them and they just both look so fun.

00:18:55.460 --> 00:19:04.140
CELESTE: And I know that that's just going to be right up my mother and father-in-law's alley, like seeing these people tell fun holiday stories.

00:19:04.140 --> 00:19:06.500
CELESTE: They're both very sentimental now.

00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:13.620
CELESTE: And I just think that sharing like little things like that are probably going to be like the highlight of the trip for all of us.

00:19:13.620 --> 00:19:15.740
VIRGINIA: Are you going to be doing the cookie stroll?

00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:20.240
CELESTE: I am going to eat cookies that are involved in the cookie stroll.

00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:24.040
CELESTE: But I have to save room for other things.

00:19:24.060 --> 00:19:27.360
CELESTE: And I can't be filling my tummy with just cookies.

00:19:27.360 --> 00:19:27.980
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:28.780
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:19:28.780 --> 00:19:33.400
VIRGINIA: Have you looked at what kind of foods are available at the festival booths?

00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:34.740
CELESTE: Absolutely.

00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:39.820
CELESTE: There is an app that I use called Food and Wine and they upload the menus.

00:19:39.820 --> 00:19:45.380
VIRGINIA: I recommend that to nearly, in fact, if you didn't say that you already had it, I was going to recommend it.

00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:55.660
VIRGINIA: And long time listeners know that it's my favorite app because I like to mark what I want at each booth and then you can filter your map view where it only shows you the things you marked.

00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:57.160
VIRGINIA: So, handy.

00:19:57.160 --> 00:19:58.320
CELESTE: It is so handy.

00:19:58.320 --> 00:20:04.140
CELESTE: As soon as they dropped the menus into Food and Wine, I was like checking every day just to see if they were there.

00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:07.160
CELESTE: And as soon as they dropped, I made my list.

00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:09.560
VIRGINIA: Do you go back and review the items that you try?

00:20:09.560 --> 00:20:12.160
CELESTE: If I really love them, I usually do.

00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:13.860
CELESTE: If I'm just like so-so on them, I don't.

00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:18.680
CELESTE: But I do like to try to upload pictures and stuff, too, because that's what helps me decide, you know?

00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:20.860
CELESTE: So I'm trying to help someone else.

00:20:20.860 --> 00:20:23.440
VIRGINIA: Yeah, no, I'm the same way.

00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:24.660
VIRGINIA: OK.

00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:29.760
VIRGINIA: All right, let's move into Saturday, December 14th.

00:20:29.760 --> 00:20:32.780
VIRGINIA: Is this going to be a non-park day for a little bit of a break?

00:20:32.780 --> 00:20:34.160
CELESTE: This is a park day.

00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:35.600
VIRGINIA: Oh, OK.

00:20:35.600 --> 00:20:36.780
VIRGINIA: Ambitious.

00:20:36.780 --> 00:20:38.480
VIRGINIA: Which park are you going to?

00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:40.680
CELESTE: Magic Kingdom on Saturday.

00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:40.940
CELESTE: OK.

00:20:41.620 --> 00:20:47.700
CELESTE: And we are not the biggest fans of all of the food in the Magic Kingdom.

00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:48.980
CELESTE: Some of it is very good.

00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:57.140
CELESTE: There are some items that are great, but we have found that the food is just kind of meh in the Magic Kingdom.

00:20:57.140 --> 00:21:01.280
CELESTE: I think it's due to the fact that so many people from so many places come.

00:21:01.280 --> 00:21:03.860
CELESTE: They're trying to appeal to everyone.

00:21:03.860 --> 00:21:07.280
CELESTE: But when you kind of when you appeal to everyone, you wind up appealing to no one.

00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:14.500
CELESTE: So we we just there are some things like don't get in my way if I'm trying to get a cheeseburger spring roll.

00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:20.260
CELESTE: But I just I don't I don't particularly just love the food in the Magic Kingdom.

00:21:20.260 --> 00:21:25.400
CELESTE: So when we do a Magic Kingdom today, we always start with breakfast somewhere else.

00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:28.280
CELESTE: And this time we are having breakfast at Boma.

00:21:28.280 --> 00:21:30.880
CELESTE: Oh, that'll be the start of the day.

00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:36.320
VIRGINIA: I thought you were going to say that you would have it somewhere in one of the Magic Kingdom resorts.

00:21:36.820 --> 00:21:45.500
CELESTE: We talked about it because I love Steakhouse 71 for breakfast, but we talked about it and we just love Boma breakfast.

00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:49.060
VIRGINIA: Everybody says that and it's one I have to try still.

00:21:49.060 --> 00:21:55.460
CELESTE: I think we've done it three times now and it is probably, it's my favorite breakfast on property.

00:21:55.460 --> 00:22:04.320
CELESTE: And we just wanted my mother and father-in-law to see the lodge and get to see a little bit outside of the parks.

00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:06.960
CELESTE: And that, you know, that breakfast is just phenomenal.

00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.120
CELESTE: So we start there on Magic Kingdom Day.

00:22:09.120 --> 00:22:11.220
VIRGINIA: What time is that reservation?

00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:12.500
CELESTE: 8.05.

00:22:12.800 --> 00:22:14.660
CELESTE: We try not to go too early.

00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:15.200
CELESTE: Yeah.

00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:18.180
VIRGINIA: But early enough, that's still very much at the beginning of the day.

00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:18.540
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:22:18.540 --> 00:22:19.040
CELESTE: Yes.

00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:20.740
CELESTE: And then we'll just go straight there.

00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:25.680
CELESTE: I think that probably they can do everything at the Magic Kingdom.

00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:29.880
CELESTE: I'm saying no to Tron and I'm saying no to Space Mountain for them.

00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:32.680
CELESTE: Just because Space Mountain is hard to get in and out of.

00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:37.620
CELESTE: And Tron, I feel like may not be great for people with bad knees.

00:22:37.620 --> 00:22:41.700
CELESTE: But I think we're going to try to shoot for just about everything else we can do.

00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:45.300
CELESTE: I know for sure we got to do the classics, Haunted Mansion, Pirates.

00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:50.540
CELESTE: I would love to try to get on Tiana's if we can, just because I think they would enjoy that.

00:22:50.540 --> 00:22:50.940
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:55.840
CELESTE: We managed to ride it one time after it opened and I loved it.

00:22:56.080 --> 00:22:58.100
CELESTE: I actually never got to ride Splash Mountain.

00:22:58.600 --> 00:22:59.220
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:01.980
CELESTE: Yeah, that was my very first ride on it.

00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.140
CELESTE: Let's see what else.

00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:10.500
CELESTE: I know I'm going to make sure that she sees the parade and we're going to try to stick around long enough for fireworks too.

00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:14.540
VIRGINIA: Are you going to stay in the Magic Kingdom for lunch and dinner?

00:23:14.540 --> 00:23:20.000
CELESTE: We probably will, unless we just need, unless they need a real break.

00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:32.200
CELESTE: What the husband and I usually do is we just, cheeseburger spring rolls or a quick, some mini corn dogs from Casey's as a snack, and then we just, we kind of just snack for the rest of the day.

00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:43.300
CELESTE: Usually when you start with a giant breakfast like Boma, we're not hungry again until about one o'clock, so we'll find somewhere else to pick something up.

00:23:43.300 --> 00:23:46.800
CELESTE: Also, Magic Kingdom Day is like the day for treats.

00:23:46.800 --> 00:23:51.240
CELESTE: That's the day for Mickey pretzels and that's the day for ice cream.

00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:54.620
CELESTE: And so there's things to eat.

00:23:54.620 --> 00:23:56.900
CELESTE: They're just not like food.

00:23:56.900 --> 00:23:58.840
CELESTE: They're just snacks.

00:23:58.840 --> 00:24:00.300
VIRGINIA: OK, all right.

00:24:00.300 --> 00:24:07.180
VIRGINIA: Well, if you do want to get away, there are some good quick services at the resorts surrounding the Magic Kingdom.

00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:13.460
VIRGINIA: So that's always a good way to just kind of get out of the park for a minute and get some food without actually having a reservation.

00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:16.520
CELESTE: Yeah, we've eaten at Captain Cook's before.

00:24:16.520 --> 00:24:18.740
VIRGINIA: That is my favorite quick service.

00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.680
CELESTE: It was so good.

00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:20.380
CELESTE: It was so good.

00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:21.900
VIRGINIA: Oh, my gosh.

00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:22.740
VIRGINIA: I love it.

00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:26.200
VIRGINIA: Those pulled pork nachos and the meatballs.

00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:28.080
VIRGINIA: Two of my favorite things on property.

00:24:28.080 --> 00:24:28.760
CELESTE: That's what I had.

00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:32.340
CELESTE: I had the nachos and they were fantastic.

00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:34.600
VIRGINIA: We shouldn't have said that.

00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:37.500
VIRGINIA: Now I'm going to be thinking about those nachos all day.

00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:40.360
VIRGINIA: And I don't go back until January.

00:24:41.540 --> 00:24:42.440
VIRGINIA: It's a long time to wait.

00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:45.980
CELESTE: Clearly, I have cheeseburger spring rolls on the brain because they keep coming up.

00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:50.480
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:52.120
VIRGINIA: Sunday, December 15th.

00:24:52.120 --> 00:24:53.440
VIRGINIA: What are you going to do that day?

00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:57.100
CELESTE: That is actually going to be a non-park day.

00:24:57.100 --> 00:24:59.780
CELESTE: We are just going to kind of relax.

00:24:59.780 --> 00:25:05.420
CELESTE: I am going to, I think, try to head over to, what is the name of that place?

00:25:05.420 --> 00:25:06.640
CELESTE: Pin HQ.

00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:08.700
CELESTE: It's a pin shop in Winter Garden.

00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:09.600
CELESTE: They have a lot of...

00:25:09.600 --> 00:25:11.160
VIRGINIA: I have not heard of this.

00:25:11.760 --> 00:25:12.680
VIRGINIA: Yes, I saw it.

00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:16.900
CELESTE: So I watched a lot of Disney YouTube.

00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:20.200
CELESTE: And one of my go-to's is Disney Dan.

00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:24.620
CELESTE: And he just put one out, I think it was last week where he stopped by.

00:25:24.620 --> 00:25:31.660
CELESTE: And it is this great shop that has a bunch of limited edition pens and the big expensive ones that you're never going to buy.

00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:34.100
CELESTE: And then also a bunch that you can buy.

00:25:34.100 --> 00:25:39.440
CELESTE: And they have rare stuff and they have props from movies and things in there.

00:25:39.560 --> 00:25:42.900
CELESTE: And then they also have like pen bags and pen display stuff.

00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:44.220
CELESTE: So I want to see that.

00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:48.040
CELESTE: And then also probably a visit to the character warehouse.

00:25:48.040 --> 00:25:50.440
VIRGINIA: Oh, of course, of course.

00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:54.980
VIRGINIA: So are you a pen collector, a pen trader or both?

00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:57.680
CELESTE: I will say I'm a little of both.

00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:03.080
CELESTE: I only collect the ones that mean something or characters that I really love.

00:26:03.080 --> 00:26:07.700
CELESTE: Some of my like my biggest collection is probably Minnie and some Mickey.

00:26:08.080 --> 00:26:09.700
CELESTE: I have a lot of Goofy.

00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:13.120
CELESTE: I have a lot of Disney dogs.

00:26:13.120 --> 00:26:16.120
CELESTE: I have a lot of attractions and park stuff too.

00:26:16.120 --> 00:26:20.880
CELESTE: And I trade when I see something on the board that I love.

00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:23.080
CELESTE: Like I don't just trade to trade.

00:26:23.080 --> 00:26:28.900
CELESTE: So I do purchase like mystery packs just so I have pins to trade.

00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:37.840
CELESTE: And it's not a huge deal, but like, you know, I saw like there was a power line pin and I was like, it's power line and a tailspin pin too.

00:26:37.840 --> 00:26:39.900
CELESTE: So those were kind of what started it.

00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:42.800
CELESTE: Honestly, it was the power line pin and the tailspin pin.

00:26:42.800 --> 00:26:43.340
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:26:43.340 --> 00:26:51.780
VIRGINIA: I did pin trading for the very first time last February in our family trip because we had other family with me, like little kids that I wanted to let them do that.

00:26:51.780 --> 00:26:53.660
VIRGINIA: And that was my very first experience with it.

00:26:53.660 --> 00:27:00.840
VIRGINIA: And there are some major pin traders that are wandering on the parks that I never noticed until I started doing it.

00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:02.700
VIRGINIA: Like they set up shop sort of outside.

00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:03.500
CELESTE: Oh yeah.

00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:05.860
VIRGINIA: Pin venues, I'll call them.

00:27:05.860 --> 00:27:08.940
VIRGINIA: And binders and binders full of pins.

00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:10.420
CELESTE: Huge.

00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:12.700
CELESTE: I am, I'm not that serious about it.

00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:26.040
CELESTE: I love them and I will go stand in the pin shops and like look at them for hours, but I'm only gonna buy the ones that I just have to have because I have another like shopping, Disney shopping addiction in its ears.

00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:32.980
CELESTE: So I have to like limit my pin spending so that I can buy more ears.

00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:37.800
VIRGINIA: Do you buy a new pair every time you go?

00:27:37.800 --> 00:27:38.840
CELESTE: I used to.

00:27:38.840 --> 00:27:39.480
CELESTE: I don't.

00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:41.180
CELESTE: I've kind of gotten out of the habit of that.

00:27:41.180 --> 00:27:47.520
CELESTE: Now I'm only buying the ones that I know I love or that I know I would like to build an outfit around.

00:27:47.520 --> 00:27:49.320
CELESTE: But I started making them too.

00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:55.020
CELESTE: So now if I can't find what I'm looking for to match an outfit, I just make them.

00:27:55.020 --> 00:28:00.200
CELESTE: But I have a small collection of about 60 pairs.

00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:05.120
CELESTE: That's probably 40 part pairs into 20 that I made.

00:28:05.120 --> 00:28:05.940
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:07.980
VIRGINIA: I mean, that's not small.

00:28:07.980 --> 00:28:09.560
VIRGINIA: I think you know that.

00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:13.360
VIRGINIA: I think you're kidding yourself if you think that's small.

00:28:16.260 --> 00:28:19.540
CELESTE: I like a little delusion of my life sometimes.

00:28:19.540 --> 00:28:20.780
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:28:20.780 --> 00:28:23.120
VIRGINIA: Delulu, as the kids call it.

00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:27.380
VIRGINIA: I counted mine recently and I cannot remember how many I had.

00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:30.580
VIRGINIA: But I want to say I was in like the 30 to 40 range.

00:28:30.580 --> 00:28:33.980
VIRGINIA: But I live in New York City, so I have limited space.

00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:38.000
VIRGINIA: So anyway, yeah, I've reached the point where I have to really love them to buy them.

00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.480
VIRGINIA: Because I have so many colors.

00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:42.700
VIRGINIA: It's like I really have something I could wear with every outfit.

00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:47.520
VIRGINIA: But every once in a while, you see one that you say, oh, that's different.

00:28:47.520 --> 00:28:49.580
VIRGINIA: That's something I actually have to have.

00:28:49.580 --> 00:28:57.740
CELESTE: My current pair that I am on the hunt for is the Agatha All Along ears.

00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:00.900
CELESTE: I really got into that show and I love them.

00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:04.440
CELESTE: And they only release them at Disneyland and online.

00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:11.760
CELESTE: And they sold out immediately online because they were a Disney plus like subscriber per and they have not restocked them.

00:29:12.120 --> 00:29:15.160
CELESTE: And so the ones you find on resale are way too expensive.

00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:21.720
CELESTE: And as much as I love ears and I like collecting them, I'm also not a person who is going to pay above retail for a pair.

00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:26.600
CELESTE: So those are my big in search of pairs, those Agatha All Along ears.

00:29:26.600 --> 00:29:30.460
VIRGINIA: I'm going to say a little prayer for you that you find your ears.

00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:34.460
VIRGINIA: Either that or you'll just have to hop on a flight to Disneyland, right?

00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:35.440
CELESTE: I guess so.

00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:37.180
VIRGINIA: Oh darn.

00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:38.300
VIRGINIA: Do what you got to do.

00:29:38.300 --> 00:29:39.980
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:40.280
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:45.040
VIRGINIA: So, Character Warehouse, do you think you will go there by yourself or do you think?

00:29:45.040 --> 00:29:53.200
VIRGINIA: And to the Pin HQ, I should say, is this going to be just you or all four of you or maybe you and your mother-in-law excursion?

00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:54.580
CELESTE: It'll probably be all of us.

00:29:54.580 --> 00:30:03.980
CELESTE: It'll probably be all of us because we'll probably just, that'll be the activity for the day and then we'll go relax since we have a nice long drive the next day home.

00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:06.240
VIRGINIA: Any special dinner plans?

00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:08.000
CELESTE: No, nothing special that day.

00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:14.660
CELESTE: I figured we'd probably just try to find a reservation, whatever was open, just play it by ear.

00:30:14.660 --> 00:30:22.440
CELESTE: Some of the other places on our list are like Ale and Compass, Toledo's, other place, and Sanaa.

00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:29.220
CELESTE: So we might try to find, just see what's available that evening and grab dinner there.

00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:30.480
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:34.960
VIRGINIA: Then Monday, December 16th, what time are you planning on starting your drive?

00:30:35.260 --> 00:30:38.800
CELESTE: Probably around nine or 10.

00:30:38.800 --> 00:30:47.720
CELESTE: We have dogs to get back home to, and we do not want to pay another full day of boarding, so we need to get them by six.

00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:50.280
CELESTE: So we'll probably hit the road pretty early.

00:30:50.280 --> 00:30:53.840
CELESTE: Once we're done with vacation, we're done with vacation.

00:30:53.840 --> 00:31:02.180
CELESTE: But if you told me I could stay another day, I absolutely would, but since that's not an option this trip.

00:31:02.180 --> 00:31:02.860
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:31:02.860 --> 00:31:11.780
VIRGINIA: No, especially when you have an annual pass, like you really start adding, oh, I should get to add a day at the beginning of this trip, or I'll just tack on one more day.

00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:13.160
VIRGINIA: It's addicting.

00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:14.220
CELESTE: It is.

00:31:14.220 --> 00:31:16.300
CELESTE: It has happened to us regularly.

00:31:16.340 --> 00:31:22.400
CELESTE: And we also like having an annual pass sort of changed our whole park strategy.

00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:25.280
CELESTE: We used to call it Power Disney.

00:31:25.280 --> 00:31:32.820
CELESTE: In 2022, we went to Disneyland twice, and we went for two days one time and for three days the next time.

00:31:32.820 --> 00:31:38.820
CELESTE: And the two-day trip, we did all of Disneyland in one day and all of DCA in one day.

00:31:38.820 --> 00:31:47.820
CELESTE: And we like, I mean, we hit the ground running and just went until our poor little bodies couldn't handle it anymore.

00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:59.200
CELESTE: And when our first few trips to Disney World this year were sort of the same, and then we were like, wait, we're just going to be back here in six weeks.

00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:02.760
CELESTE: Like we, if we don't ride Space Mountain this time, it's fine.

00:32:02.760 --> 00:32:05.640
CELESTE: So maybe we don't need to stand in that 50 minute line.

00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:07.840
CELESTE: We can go do something else that's 20 minutes.

00:32:07.840 --> 00:32:08.360
VIRGINIA: Right.

00:32:08.360 --> 00:32:18.540
CELESTE: And so it is totally just sort of adjusted our park strategy now to where we don't, we don't have to, we don't run and we don't power through when we're tired.

00:32:18.540 --> 00:32:28.160
CELESTE: We stop and we take breaks and it like, we have had some of the most relaxing Disney trips this year since we just sort of altered our, our park attendant strategy.

00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:29.140
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:32:29.140 --> 00:32:46.780
VIRGINIA: Well, this is going to be such a fun trip to be able to watch your mother and father-in-law see everything almost for the first time again and experience it through their eyes, which I always think is really fun, especially when you go as often as you do.

00:32:46.780 --> 00:32:51.020
VIRGINIA: You have to find these little ways of, of trying new things or that sort of thing.

00:32:51.020 --> 00:32:57.100
VIRGINIA: And by bringing somebody with you who either has never been or has not been in a long time, that is one of the best ways to do it.

00:32:57.100 --> 00:33:03.880
VIRGINIA: Because then you get to curate the trip for them and then you get enjoyment out of watching them enjoy it.

00:33:03.880 --> 00:33:13.040
CELESTE: I almost feel with this trip like the moms I see that are planning Disney for their kids and they want to make everything extra magical.

00:33:13.040 --> 00:33:19.380
CELESTE: I am not a, I don't have any human children, I just have the three furry ones.

00:33:19.380 --> 00:33:22.340
CELESTE: So I almost feel like a mom this trip.

00:33:22.340 --> 00:33:30.280
CELESTE: I'm like, okay, we've got matching shirts for our Magic Kingdom Day and I made my mother-in-law and I matching ears to wear that day.

00:33:30.280 --> 00:33:34.820
CELESTE: I also made little Christmas ornaments that match the ears that I made.

00:33:34.820 --> 00:33:39.100
CELESTE: So if anybody complements my ears, I can give them a Christmas ornament as Pixie does.

00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:54.560
CELESTE: I know, I just want it to be like I mentioned before as my in-laws age, they're my only parents left because both of my parents have passed, but my in-laws are my only parents.

00:33:54.560 --> 00:34:06.780
CELESTE: So as they age, they've just gotten very sentimental and very just, they don't want stuff anymore, they just want to spend time with us because we're adults and we're busy and it's hard for them to do that.

00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:15.120
CELESTE: And so just being able to do this with them, like it feels like I feel like I'm just planning all this magic for my kids.

00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:19.800
VIRGINIA: What do your shirts look like, your matching shirts?

00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:22.040
CELESTE: They're really cute on the front.

00:34:22.040 --> 00:34:25.940
CELESTE: They have Mickey head that has Christmas lights all tangled up in it.

00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:32.500
CELESTE: And on the back, it is a Polaroid of the Fab Five, like in their Christmas outfits.

00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:36.140
CELESTE: And of course, Donald looks cranky and goofy, he's just excited to be there.

00:34:36.140 --> 00:34:40.100
CELESTE: And it just says Merry Christmas 2024.

00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:41.680
VIRGINIA: Oh, cute.

00:34:41.680 --> 00:34:43.860
VIRGINIA: Did you make them?

00:34:43.860 --> 00:34:44.900
CELESTE: So sort of.

00:34:44.900 --> 00:34:49.600
CELESTE: I bought the PDF of the graphics from someone on Etsy.

00:34:49.600 --> 00:34:53.640
CELESTE: And then I created some digital transfers and iron them on myself.

00:34:53.640 --> 00:34:59.440
CELESTE: I am a big DIY park person, like park clothes person.

00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:01.720
CELESTE: And if I can do it myself, I'm going to.

00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:05.600
CELESTE: And I'm pretty crafty.

00:35:05.600 --> 00:35:09.020
CELESTE: So that's just one of my other non-Disney hobbies is crafting.

00:35:09.020 --> 00:35:10.300
VIRGINIA: So yeah.

00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:19.220
VIRGINIA: When you said that you make your own ears, I assumed that you probably had some kind of cricket machine or something like that.

00:35:19.220 --> 00:35:20.880
CELESTE: I do.

00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:24.500
VIRGINIA: Are you wearing anything matching for your Epcot Day, though?

00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:30.640
CELESTE: No, no, we're just going to go an old individual on our Epcot Day.

00:35:30.640 --> 00:35:35.740
CELESTE: But I do have a very cute corduroy Christmas jumper to wear.

00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:37.840
CELESTE: All right.

00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:42.180
VIRGINIA: Well, Celeste, it has been so much fun hearing about the details of this trip.

00:35:42.180 --> 00:35:47.740
VIRGINIA: And I can't wait to talk to you when you get back and hear how it all went.

00:35:47.740 --> 00:35:52.160
CELESTE: I cannot wait to get down there and I will tell Mickey you said Merry Christmas.

00:35:52.740 --> 00:35:53.860
VIRGINIA: Oh, thank you.

00:35:53.860 --> 00:35:55.460
VIRGINIA: Thank you so much.

00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:56.360
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:35:56.360 --> 00:35:57.840
VIRGINIA: Well, I will talk to you very soon then.

00:35:57.840 --> 00:35:58.500
VIRGINIA: Awesome.

00:35:58.500 --> 00:36:00.900
CELESTE: Thank you, Virginia.

00:36:00.900 --> 00:36:02.220
ALEX: What a great episode.

00:36:02.220 --> 00:36:04.440
ALEX: Thank you, Celeste, for coming on the show.

00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:08.900
ALEX: Celeste Poets Trip episode is out now, so make sure you add that to your queue next.

00:36:08.900 --> 00:36:17.460
ALEX: If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please visit whereilongtobepodcast.com and click the button labeled to be our guest right there on the homepage.

00:36:17.500 --> 00:36:17.820
ALEX: Get it?

00:36:17.820 --> 00:36:18.960
ALEX: Be our guest.

00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:23.280
ALEX: My mom is currently looking for guests traveling in March 2025 and beyond.

00:36:23.280 --> 00:36:27.680
ALEX: That's all for now, and in the meantime, keep daydreaming about where you long to be.