A Day at Disney With NO Rides?! Here’s What You Can Do!

Can you really enjoy a full day at Walt Disney World without riding anything?Tonight on GBMW Live, Ben, Becca, John, and Robyn build the perfect Disney day with no rides, no queues, and no stress — just shows, characters, trails, food, and pure Disney magic.Whether you’re planning a slower-paced trip, visiting with little ones, taking a rest day, or simply want to see the parks differently, this episode is packed with ideas for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom — plus resort and Skyliner options too!

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
What makes the perfect Disney Day when you're not riding a
single ride? We're building a slower paced,
show packed, character filled Disney Day so improving you can
still have the pure magic without long queues and
thrilling attractions. Welcome to the great British
Mickey Waffle Life. Hello everybody.

(00:47):
I'm Ben. And tonight we're exploring
whether you can have a full Disney Day without raids.
I'm not sure whether it's something I'd want to do today,
but I don't know. It's one of those I don't know,
Every time I think of going to Disney, I've always thought of
just, I don't know if the what attraction you go for, what do
you do? But there is so much more to
visiting a Disney park than it is for chose characters.

(01:13):
There's so much else you can do in a Disney park.
So I'm looking forward to what William talk about tonight.
But of course, any day at Disneywould be much better if we were
joined by friends. So joining me tonight, we have
John. I'm cold, I'm cold.
It's snowing outside. It's yeah.
It's the joy of the joy of having an afternoon off work

(01:35):
which is forced and therefore you don't get paid, which is
nothing worse. And it's not looking, it's not
looking good for tomorrow either, so.
It's not the snow day that you wished when you were at school.
No, or, or when I was when I wasa teacher, you know, I've got,
I've got a home full of teachersat the moment who are just
looking to the skies and prayingand to say come on, bring it on,

(01:59):
bring it on, bring. It on we want remote work name.
Whereas I'm, I'm the opposite now is if it's snowing, I can't
go out there and I live in some.But I did put it in good news.
I went to the gym this afternoon, which I thought was,
you know, it was a bit key, but key, yeah.
There's one way of keeping warm.So Rock Robin.
Yeah, well, if you kept warm today.

(02:22):
Yeah, it's cold. It's cold.
All of a sudden this week it seems to have gone very cold.
We had snow earlier, but it didn't really settle.
How have I kept warm today? Lots of layers like it.
Heating. On.
Do you know, actually I didn't put the heating on earlier.
I just put, I've got, I've been working sewing in my little

(02:43):
sewing room. So I just put, I've got a little
halogen heater. So I shut the door and put the
heater on and suddenly I had twocats in the room.
I can't think why. Turn the heating on.
It's. A good thing about working away
from home, I don't have to pay for the heating.
I can have it on as warm as I like as long as nobody else in

(03:05):
the office. Yeah.
The. Problem I always had working in
an office is that we'd all argueover the heating to be want it
on. Then we turn it on to why use
electric heaters in an office didn't go to plan when all three
of us wanted a different temperature.
You can, you can imagine from like first thing in the morning,
put it on high and everyone's too hot.
By 10:00 someone turns it off and opening the window and yeah,

(03:28):
it's it's fun. Some of you, we don't turn it
off, we just turn it down. That is true.
So you've kept quite warm. Stay back.
Up. Yeah, I've been nice and toasty.
I'm not too far from the radiator so it's OK.
I would much rather and today just sort of watching Christmas
films or being, oh, I'm not surewhat's gone here.
Apparently our camera has just stopped working.

(03:49):
Good ontology. Hey, there you go.
Robin, it's me and you. There we go.
Just just when you're. Talking and you still hear us.
That's the. Important yeah, we yeah, we can,
we can come. Yeah, that's.
That's interesting. So yeah, on the podcast then you
notice the thing. You started on the podcast on
Friday. That's even better, you know.
Yeah, so not exactly sure how I'm going to fix this, but let's

(04:12):
let's go with it. But I want to say a quick hello
to everybody joining us in the chat, so.
Can you see them? I can see them.
So, yeah, we could get up to allkinds here, Robin, couldn't we?
Yeah. And just before you, before you
do the chat, can I just say a massive welcome back to Robin,
because actually, we know that you haven't done a show with us

(04:33):
for quite a few weeks. You've been, again, you've been
into that place that we all hategoing, but actually, it's there
to make you feel better. And actually, it's good to have
you back. That's all I wanted to say.
We'll leave it at that, and we can.
You know, I saw my my nurse thisweek, a different nurse, my
regular nurse for my stomach care.

(04:54):
And she said, have you been backin hospital again?
I said, yeah, So another operation.
I said, yeah. She said we need to get you a
loyalty card. You should be earning something
for all these. Oh, dear me.
But thanks. I'm feeling a lot better, so
much better. You're.
Looking good as well. And I think that's that's the
key thing to it because actuallyI think when you're trying to

(05:17):
get better and people just look at you and say, oh, you look
great. You're feeling absolutely, you
feel absolutely rotten inside. But when you actually are
feeling that bit better, it's sonice and.
That's why it is. That's why it's nice to have you
back on the. Show thanks John.
Thank you. I'm excited to talk about a day
without rides because, you know,in the minute recovering from

(05:38):
surgery, I have to be a bit careful.
If I was in Disney right now, I'd have to be a bit careful
about what rides, if any, I did.So that's.
True, that's true. The other thing I was thinking
as well and as a show, I think this is really interesting
because I actually feel and I got into trouble last week
because I went down the line of,you know, if you're not on the
rides, you're basically drinkinground Epcot and things like

(06:00):
that. But actually it's not it's not
like that. And and I got into trouble
because it made me sound like a plunky and things like that.
And it certainly isn't isn't thecase.
But it actually, it's one of those things that I think when
you get to, you get to understand the fact that, yeah,

(06:20):
the rides are there, but actually if you take yourself
totally away from it and then you start, you begin to start
just exploring that little bit more.
Do you know what? I don't.
Need them. They're always secondary to me.
I had a trip a couple of years ago and it got to day four and I

(06:40):
realized that hadn't been on a single ride because I was
enjoying the show. I can understand that character.
I really can't. I can totally understand that.
And I think that that for me is,is why it's really quite
something because, and this is where we will explore this later
in the show and stuff like that.Sean, thank you for the yeah,

(07:02):
thank you for the weather updatefrom the Northeast.
It's it's snowing outside and he's got the window open.
Yeah, we've had the heating on all day.
It's it's, yeah, I think that the Geordie description is, it's
mapped in in here like you know,so, but there you go in the back

(07:22):
or back. Look it up.
Nobody. Oh, we can see you again.
So if if we look any different, that's because we're using my
phone instead of the. You look clearer than normal.
I think you should just use your.
Phone, OH. It's an iPhone 17 Pro that it's
clearer than most. You, you look almost too good.

(07:43):
I'm not sure I would like. I'd like that.
With our camera at the minute, it's going through this weird
loop, people turning off and turning on.
So if there's any noise in the background, it's just it's
turning on, turning off, and it's a little bit crazy.
I'm not sure what. As long as it doesn't catch
fire, we're all good. I'm just going to.
Go back, that is also I'm going.To go back to the chat, because

(08:05):
obviously, yeah, we're not, we never did that in your absence,
Ben. So we actually haven't welcomed.
Everyone, I was listening all the way through.
But the last? Person you couldn't.
Have said anything the last person in the chat.
Carrie, thank you for joining us.
Yes, we were like a weather update from Orlando.
This is why I love the winter because we know last week we

(08:27):
gave the update the fact it was,it was really cold in Orlando
last week and this week it's really cold here.
So Carrie's probably going to tell us it's like it's mid 70s.
They've got shorts and. Teeth, I think it's I think it's
in the 80s I. Don't think they did have cold
last. Week.
Now it's our turn. It's revenge.

(08:47):
Revenge of the Weatherman. Yeah, who else have we got?
In the chat. That could be a new ride at
Universal Life, couldn't it? Revenge of the Weather.
Man. Heather was first in.
Thank you, Heather, and I appreciate you joining us as
always from sunny California. Yeah.

(09:08):
It's just like it's one of thosethings we really like the fact
that you keep joining us every single week, so.
We do. Sean's on a Sean's on a short
countdown because I I must think, Sean, it can't be that
long until you're on your holly bag.
So, yeah, welcome to the show. Tell us how excited.

(09:30):
Yeah. Oh wow.
It's so special this time of year in Florida, though,
especially in Disney with all the Christmas.
And John, you shared a video earlier that I'm going to put in
the waffle his arms. But seeing Disney put together
the last sort of Christmas decorations, like the tree going
in, it's really good to see. I love it and it just basically
think like we need to book a Christmas trip and I say this

(09:51):
every week around this time of. The year, but.
One time in our heads for a couple of years time so.
That's that's the thing, having DVC, you end up sort of
thinking, oh, I'll use this year's points for this trip.
And I was thinking, OK, what do we?
Want to do? I hope Shaun, the snow does not
follow you to Florida I. Hope it doesn't.
Yeah, that wouldn't, that wouldn't go down well, would it?

(10:13):
Like you. Know and with a no Claire being
out there at about the same timeI think.
Shouldn't be very upset. I'd love to hear the.
Reaction though. Don't.
Don't stop. Yeah, I'm just going down the
list. Who joined us first?
So Nicola joined us as well. OK.
To you. We've got Wendy again.

(10:35):
Summers always joins us on the Wednesday.
Thank you, Wendy. I always appreciate you being
there. And it was Andy's, Yeah, go down
and everything. I'm talking weather.
And we feel very British and very, very much, very much yeah.
It is, isn't it? It's just like, don't we just

(10:57):
like, let's talk? About it, I feel like we all
need to be drinking like Yorkshire tea as well, just like
just. Yorkshire Tea.
Yeah. Not finance, yeah.
As long as it's not Lipton. Anything but Lipton.
Oh, no, no. No.
So that's a show up in itself, watching us to perform.

(11:19):
How to make a property a lesson for American dining.
No microwaving sights. Oh definitely brilliant.
Shall we do the news then? I've got I've got 2 bits of news
to do. You've got news I was going to
start looking through earlier. There wasn't much on the news
but I think it's I rolled the intro.

(11:42):
Cool. Go on there, John.
I'm going to start with mine. I'm going, I actually read this
on Twitter earlier. I did, I did reply and said it's
somebody called LB who's on Twitter and it's breaking news

(12:03):
from Disneyland Paris. And she actually put, she
actually tweeted the fact it actually started a tiny bit
snowing a tiny bit in DisneylandParis today.
And we all assumed it was fake and it wasn't.
It was real. And you thought, and you thought
as a, as a tweet, I just thoughtthat was so superb because
that's exactly how you feel. It doesn't matter where in the

(12:26):
world you are in a Disney park, the minute you think it's, even
if it's properly snowy, you still think it's fake.
I just thought that was, I thought that's such a lovely
moment to start the news When? Yeah, I've actually got a little
bit of news as well, actually. I know the past few weeks you've
spoken all about Mickey's, a very Merry Christmas party.

(12:48):
It is now officially sold out for the year.
Oh wow. That last minute, that last
minute booking, that last minutebooking across the states down
the Panda, that's it. Yeah.
I won't be able to make you submission that the snow day
tomorrow I. Won't.
Be off to Heathrow then that's I'm stuffed on.

(13:09):
In the prices mental. Yeah is mental considering the
price. I don't think people are just
happy to pay for it though. It's 1 of what everyone has
budget. Everyone chooses what they want
to do on their trip. We were saying when we're
planning for our a Christmas trip, what would we rather do?
But instead of where before we might have done two parties, so
like Jollywood nights and Mickey's very own Christmas

(13:31):
party, we'd probably choose which one do we would think we'd
rather do most or one we haven'tdone.
Before so jolly so. For us that'd be Jollywood
nights, but I think when you think it's a family of four,
luckily for us there's only two of us.
But when you've got family 4 or even more, the price only does
creep up. And when you think it's for an

(13:51):
evening, it can be quite pricey.Yeah.
And I think as well though, Ben,I think this is maybe human into
sort of the, the local market isif people actually haven't
bothered either renewing annual passes or haven't bothered
actually go at Disney for a bit.Probably most of the local
market just tell it we just do the Halloween party, then we'll

(14:15):
do the Christmas party and then we'll see what happens.
And they're not investing a whole lot of money sort of long
term. They've just basically taken
themselves and maybe maybe cutting costs a little bit
themselves. So they're actually, they're
getting, they're getting more out of their actual experience
in the park than they perhaps have done in the past.

(14:35):
And I might be wrong, but that'sthe way I'm way I'm reading, the
way a lot of people are going, and the fact that maybe maybe
they've got an annual pass up the road for a little bit,
because that seems to appeal to people a little bit more.
Yeah, it works both ways. Yeah.
And I think, I think that's The thing is if also if you're a bit

(14:59):
like us where we've been to Disney so many times, are you
looking to do something that do you change how you do your park
tickets? Do you do what what you haven't
done in a while? Because we've looked at like the
after hours events and things like that.
That might be a different way ofchanging how you do.
Instead of being in the parts first thing in the morning to

(15:20):
last thing at night, you decide to pay for an extra ticket to do
something different. Yeah, well, I'll tell you what,
I'm going to extend that a little bit, Ben, with the next
bit of news because it fits, fits in perfectly.
Did anybody see at Car for The Beach Boys and just how
absolutely rammed the place was?It was amazing and it was,

(15:46):
again, a good friend of the showwas like Brown was there as
well. He didn't quite get into the
theatre, but he was outside. He was pictured outside bopping
along and things like that. I can't recall anything that in
each of the beat there's actually been so massively
oversubscribed. Oversupported they were.

(16:06):
They were basically halfway round World Showcase in a queue
to see if they could actually get in.
Yeah, it was brilliant. I just, I thought it was the
most stunning thing and hopefully a little bit of a
lesson for Disney. If you basically it's that
fielded dreams moment, isn't it?If you book them, the people

(16:27):
will come and they came in theirGroves.
It was brilliant. I just thought it was, it was
marvellous. And The Beach Boys and the guy
who joined them as well. John Stammates.
That's the one. That's one.
I'm rubbish with names and even though, even though is, is his
name the same as mine? Yeah, that's the way we go.

(16:50):
It was brilliant and I love it. I just think it's one of those
things that you would never expect to see The Beach Boys
turn up Epcot and equally Epcot turned up for The Beach Boys.
Apparently the key reached Mexico at one point.
Yeah, wow. I had friends that went and
queued up, waited for ages and they lived their best lives

(17:13):
enjoying that concert. Amazing.
Yeah, amazing. Beach was her a big name, but I
don't think I like them enough to want to be in a few like
that. No, I'm not sure what I do.
Either. I think that's the thing when,
when things become so popular, you've got to choose what would
you rather do? Go to animal Kingdom.

(17:34):
But avoid Epcot completely. Yes, yeah, I think because.
You have, it's not just the queue.
You've got to try and get route the people in the queue, yeah.
Yeah, I don't know. I just think it's it's a
standout, it's an experience. To be there, I think, yeah, if
you get the chance to be to. It would just be amazing, you
know, I go back, I go back to the time when we actually saw a

(17:56):
Flock of Seagulls sound checkingat the Hard Rock Hotel when we
stayed there. And it was just like, we'd no
idea what's going on. And unfortunately kids are a bit
younger. So we actually, we actually
couldn't get the kids in. So we, we basically just watched
the sound check. And it's just like, here we go,
kids. This is just brilliant.
Yeah, live concert in your hotel.

(18:17):
And and that in Epcot must be aneven bigger thing because I
think The Beach Boys now, I think since Brian Wilson's
passing every, they're on everyone's bucket list.
And it's it's that thing that I've seen The Beach Boys live
take it off because actually it becomes a real it becomes a real

(18:37):
moment, doesn't it? There we go.
And I'm going I'm going to Chuckin one more bit of news, which
actually, because I've been really good that look post it
notes this week and it's been. Great, we'll bring you into the
21st century. I just.
I just, I just scribbled something down.
Whenever I've seen it this way, I've just scribbled it down and

(18:59):
I thought that'd be really cracking a little bit for the
news feature, and especially since this week the news has
been quite light, apart from thefact that Epcot did announce all
their food and stuff 24. Hours, finally. 24 hours after
the show last week. I'm not.
Even going to give, I'm not going to give them.
The I love it that the tree is also in Epcot is not and it's

(19:21):
still food and wine. Yeah.
Something doesn't sound right about having.
No, it always used to because itused to go from sort of middle
September to middle of November.And it did used to go up before
the end of Food and Wine, but it's been a few years since it's
been up at the same time. Because Finn wine used to like
start last years, it started by earlier in July and so on all

(19:44):
the way through to like early November.
But that's interesting. I'm going to Chuck in one more
bit with the question of why. All right.
And this is the bit of news. I actually, I just, that was my
only response and that was in a polite term.
My conversational term was something a little bit more hard
hitting. So Disney have announced that

(20:07):
they're going to do a live action remake of Moana.
Yeah, that looks. Amazing that was announced ages
ago. I was watching this I just I saw
it's on me list. I just.
I would say if you. If you see the trailer.
Look at the trailer. The trailer's amazing.
I'm. John, it's not like your note
from like 2023, Yeah. I can't.

(20:30):
Believe it, I'm just like, of all the films to actually do a
library makeup, that's the last one I would have on me list.
It is one that there's been a lot of questions to why?
Yeah, it does feel like it's. No, it's too.
It's too soon. Animation's not quite old
enough, and the second one was only just out.
I Yeah. There's been some rumours, lots
of different remakes we had likeCruella and some of them I think

(20:53):
have done really well, some of them.
Fervo's remakes are that are a bit of A twist on story.
Instead of doing like, liking and just like, oh it.
Yeah. But there's a lot of rumours
doing the rounds of that. Rapunzel is the next one to get
a live action remake. I'd quite.

(21:14):
Like to see that would be I mean.
At least it's a little bit olderthan Moana.
Yeah, I think Moana is interesting because obviously
you had the original animation, but then you had Moana too last
year. So now you've got going back to
Moana one for a live action nextyear.

(21:35):
It is a little bit too soon, butdon't.
Get it? It's not that's why I thought
really good this some real good discussion point.
And actually, are they, are theymore or less pushing the Milan
IP as a because they know that it sells and they know that they
can actually get a bit of success out of it at the expense

(21:57):
of being original and actually trying to find the next little
bit of Disney magic in the animation department and trying
to build new? Yeah.
New themes, new memories and we seem to be stuck in in this
never ending sort of regurgitation cycle and I.
Think you're right. And I think The thing is, when

(22:19):
you've got Toy Story 5 next yearand then you've got Frozen three
and four in the works, it's like, OK, Disney knows it, but.
None of these stories are original.
They're all based on, Yep, stories.
Yeah, there's no such thing as an original.
Idea, it's just how you execute it.

(22:41):
And I think maybe that's where some of the live action, some of
them haven't been executed as well as we would like when you
compare them to the original andI think some of some of them
have done an incredible. But yeah, I'm interested to see
what Disney do, especially when they have a new CEO next year,
which we still don't know who that's going to be.

(23:03):
So a lot of things could change in the company, but probably
not. But yeah, so I think now is the
time that we take a pause and just imagine that we're all a
Walt Disney World and we want tohave a relaxing day.
Not think about getting Lightning Lane, getting up early
to get for rope job, just havinga nice relaxing day.

(23:26):
But the Magic King? Having a Robin.
Having a Robin day. What time?
That's 1:00. What's rope jobs?
Six hours ago, Robin. So we did mention that last
week, actually, when we were talking about the perfect day at

(23:46):
Disney. Yeah.
When is the best time for you togo to to get to the park?
That's what kind of day I want. Yeah, I think that's it for.
Laid back day if you're not focused.
On going from right to right, which which which we're not,
we're looking at doing everything that's.
Everything else. Then a little bit later.
It's so easy to get to the pointwhere you are just going from a

(24:10):
walk into Magic Kingdom. Yes, you see the castle, you
walk down Main Street, but you're so busy thinking I'm
going to go to like space or splash or 7 dwarves that
actually you don't take in what's around you.
And I know we've been guilty of that in the past, but there were
also days on a two week holiday that actually once we've we've

(24:33):
done most of the attractions that we want to, we will just
walk in, join the Kiefer Starbucks and just sit and just
enjoy. And sometimes actually being in
the park early can mean that everyone's rushing, but actually
you just get to hang back and just see the enjoyment of people
who maybe walk into Magic Kingdom for the very first time.

(24:56):
Yeah, I will say. So if you're we're thinking like
a leisurely day, if you're not getting there, a rope drop or
soon after rope shop arriving atlike say 10:11 AM and walking
down Main Street is an absolute joy because it's not full of
people who are hot footing it straight down to to get on with

(25:18):
their day. It's full of people who or the
people who are there. It's pretty empty.
But the people who are there aretaking it easy.
They're not rushing. They're stopping for photos.
They're stopping to get a Starbucks, they're popping into
the Emporium, they're watching the Daffodans like that.
That's more of the speed. And I have to say that part,

(25:38):
walking into Main Street when it's calm is a really nice
treat. I, yeah, I it's the, it's the
one good thing about going slightly later is it's not busy.
Yeah. But if I'm not doing.
What's your thought on where yousomeone who will get there and
head straight for attraction or?I think we were previously and I

(26:00):
think this is This is why this is such a pertinent point of
show to actually do because I see it, it actually points you
towards the way that we kind of went this year when we didn't
have the kids and we weren't sort of driven by the rides.
We just wanted to go and enjoy the park.

(26:22):
And and that's that's the difference when you're not maybe
having to entertain kids, you just entertain yourself.
And actually, I'm not going to fritter away 45 minutes to an
hour queuing up for Peter Pan because actually.
Only 45 minutes? That must be a slow day.
I was being, I was being polite.But I won't.

(26:48):
And that's, that's the thing that I think it's like
opportunity cost, isn't it? If you're in a queue, you've
given up time to go and explore different parts of each park.
And for me that is a, again, going back to some, I said years
ago, it's a little bit like sitting, eating the breakfast,
you know, 10 minutes before parkopening when you and you're

(27:11):
sitting there and the whole park, you know, everyone's
coming in and just like, why you, why are you actually
sitting there? Because actually, you've got up
early, you might as well go and ride the rides and then do the
breakfast later. It it it it doesn't make sense.
That reminds me of our first dayin Magic, or one of our first
days with family in Magic Kingdom this year.
We went to Sleepy Hollow for breakfast and I was eating a
waffle and I'm twitching thinking I can I'm on my phone

(27:33):
and I can see the key times of like, Oh no, it's only like 20
minutes for seconds. Like why am I not in Ding Ding
and? You just see it going up.
I'm. Going to you're exactly here.
Quickly and make a move to the nearest.
Right. But you can't do that when
you're with a group of family, can you?
Because they're all lean slow. It's a completely.
Different pace, yes. It really is, yeah.

(27:57):
And actually, Robin, I'm with you.
You need to go as you walk in, as you walk in the Magic Kingdom
in particular, and this is this is this is probably again again,
one of the greatest things aboutMagic Kingdom is if you walk in
and you're going to space mountain or splash Mountain.
Yes and no. It's called Tiana's, but I won't

(28:17):
go on that down that one. And but if you, if you just on a
mission, you're going to do something, you miss the true
magic that's actually going on within the photographs within.
Even even if you watch a photo pass photographer and they then
find that there's, there's a celebration or there's, there's

(28:39):
something to make a fuss about. And the, and the good at the
job, you get to see actual magicat work.
And it's, it's an absolute joy. It's absolutely amazing to just
watch it. And I, I, I find that bit more
interesting and more intriguing than just getting on your phone
and I'm on your phone like rightin front of your face and

(29:00):
walking up Main Street because you miss it all.
And you miss, you know, even if you're in for rope drop and
you've got all the members of staff of the emporium who come
out and they will be waving to as you going up Main Street,
basically say come back to the shop later because we're we're
waving at people. We're not actually.
We're not going to be serving you anytime quite as soon you

(29:22):
got you hurry along. I love it's.
An amazing place, it's a beautiful place.
It's the music, it's got the music, the smells and you just
become encapsulated in it. But loads of people miss it.
Yeah, I think some of the best times we've had in Magic Kingdom

(29:42):
have been sitting somewhere and relaxing, whether it's eating an
ice cream, a lot of it's revolving, well, food, coffee,
but just sitting on hub grass orsaying yeah, outside the Plaza
with an ice cream and just. All the other side listening to
Grayson. Yeah, we're browsed.
Is that playing up piano that day?

(30:03):
Yeah, not just. Grayson or just listens to
Dapper Dan's and. Just like Ben.
Oh, like Ben did in the summer watching Grayson playing piano
while I'm watching Grayson play piano.
And we didn't realise we were both the other side, other side
of Grayson. You just become so absorbed in
the music and you just don't realise each other's there.
It's just like. I think, yeah.

(30:27):
I was going to say another thing.
I mean, I'm, I'm with you. If I'm not riding rides, there's
usually a lot of snacks involvedbecause I enjoy, enjoy a Disney
snack. But something else if you're not
rushing from ride to ride is I really like to talk to cast
members. Obviously not if they're really
busy or anything, but if a, if aconversation starts, it's, it's

(30:49):
very easy if you're rushing to your next ride to be like, oh,
thanks very much. And you go.
Whereas I've sat, we've been satin the snack outside of the
lunching pad in the past and I think it's a custodial was
clearing up and then came over to talk to us and we had a talk
for sort of 10 minutes. And I think that's something
that can be equally as magical in Disney.

(31:12):
And this is coming from the person who's very antisocial
usually. And please don't talk to me on
streak. It's very different when you're
at Disney. It's very different at Disney.
Yeah, you just, I don't, I don'tknow what it is that, but I'm
happy to talk to anyone. And I know John was when we were
out there and I remember when wewe met up in Epcot, I think

(31:33):
we're watching the fireworks. I think he made friends with a
couple next to us that watched the show.
I, I find I find it really intriguing because actually it's
probably a good time to mention if you missed it, we had mid
month podcast out with cast member Katie Wetzel legacy

(31:54):
award-winning. Just saying.
But we were talking about exactly the same thing though,
Robin and the fact that cast members really love that
interaction and just that chat because there's a lot of people
in this day and age who, you know, they're likely criticized.
They're allowed to have that bitof Oh well, worse.

(32:16):
Yeah, I didn't get 15 chips in with me fish and chips and I'm
being shortchanged Barber and they start having to go with the
cast. It's not a cast members fault
from people that think it's an opportunity to just vent at
people widely and these people are not there for it.
And I think again, as a show, wedo have two people here with
cast members last last year who were on both sides of that and,

(32:40):
and basically had the experienceof people shouting in the faces
as if they were responsible for what the Disney Corporation were
about. And yet they have the other side
where people were empathetic andactually had the conversation
and actually left an indelible mark on on them on that day

(33:01):
because actually somebody was being polite.
And I think many, many more people need to be like that
within the parks. I think it needs to be that
whole bit where people see cast members completely differently
than they do, you know, than they do and have done for the
past past few years. I think it's it's difficult in a

(33:23):
world we live. I think everyone is so used to
things being instant and but it,it doesn't take much for people
to be kind. And that's just got to choose.
Just focus on the good and look at that side of it.
And I think I how many interactions we've had over the
years with cast members and justlistening to the show you
recorded with 80 last week, the just the joy that it gives the

(33:48):
cast member just to have that interaction and just just spread
the magic they customers go above and beyond and a lot of
the stuff you don't even see. Yeah, yeah.
All right. If if you can allow me to get on
my soapbox for a moment and indulge.
Me in I. Think, I think in the Last Post

(34:09):
pandemic, Disney, Disney learnedthat they could get away with
hiring less staff and they couldstill make a lot of money.
So there's less staff to go around.
So it means that there's less ofthem to take the brunt when
people are shouting at them. The prices have also
skyrocketed. So people as a consumer, when

(34:30):
you pay a lot of money, you havehigher expectations.
So it's it's not the cast members who are making these
decisions. Their cut is coming from way
above them, but they're the onestaking the brunt for for it.
And I'm not saying people are wrong to expect more when you
pay more, because I think you do.
But I think it's, it's you have to try and remember that these

(34:56):
people are here to try and make your day magical, not to make it
bad. And a smile goes a long way to
anyone, anyone at all anyway. We know that.
And a nice a nice smile or a thank you always goes a long
way. So.
I know we've said this before, Robin, you're absolutely spot on
with that. And and last year, I know Claire

(35:18):
does. Claire does this as a matter of
course and she makes little justlike little bags of of British
goodies and things like that. Even it was like fruit salads
and blackjacks and things like that.
But just a little acknowledgement to hand to a
cast member and the amount of amount of cast members that
certainly ones from the UK. And I remember, I remember we

(35:40):
were in we're in that cotton like Claire's.
I think Claire's last night and we there was a a girl who was on
the year long programme who was basically serving the outdoor
tables from the chip shop and things like that.
And what you say Ben, I get intotrouble for this because if
someone if someone's there, I'llhave a conversation.
If I know that from the UK, I'llhave a conversation.

(36:02):
If someone's in the Rose and Crown, I'll have a conversation.
If it's the lot behind the band,the Rose and Crown, I'll have a
conversation and I'll give him some beer mats because I'm like
that. And it's such a nice thing
because actually, you know, by the time this the lad Aaron, it
was last year, was this year wasat the Rose and Crown.

(36:24):
By the time, you know, I didn't frequent the place.
I'll say this now, I didn't frequent the place a lot, but if
he was working, I'd have a chat,told him we were on a podcast,
blah, blah, blah. So he knew he knew where we
were. So when we went in another time
after that, probably the same evening, we met the girl that
Clay gave the the goody stick and it was just like, he spots

(36:48):
you and he's like, he knows whatI'm having.
So it's like, right, OK. And he sorted me out before
night on everyone at the bar. And that's what cast members do.
They if you invest in them, theywill invest in you.
And, and it's lovely to see because actually that real, that
real bit that I think I certainly know in this country

(37:10):
is missing massively and has gone missing massively where
people look out for each other. It's still there.
It's still there amongst the cast members at Disney.
And and that's, that's maybe something to go and find if
you're on one of these days where you're not doing the
right, you're not doing anythingelse but going and actually just

(37:30):
trying to absorb some magic, go and again, let the magic come to
you. Because if you have a
conversation with cast member, that'll be a starting point.
And it will be a moment in whichyou will go home at the very end
of your trip and you'd be like, do you remember that cast
member? And you'll talk about it as a
family because you've invested in it.

(37:50):
And that's, that's, that's one of the real big differences.
Me being in Magic Kingdom and always my focus is a lot of it
on live entertainment, so I'll always have when when we're in
the park, I was now he's always on the phone because it will
give you the times for when thisis when Grayson's on the piano,
when there's the Friendship fair, when Festival Fantasy,

(38:13):
which is always the 3:00 parade,when I love that question when
someone asks. Parade.
Sometimes the year is actually 2:00.
There used to be a really good T-shirt of that.
No, I'm It's one T-shirt I regret not buying.
But it's one of those things that I just love the live
entertainment and I know that there have been cutbacks.

(38:34):
We still don't have the Main St.Trolley show back.
Yes. I don't think that's probably
the last thing that hasn't come back since COVID.
I didn't know, I didn't know. You did trail the show quite
cleverly. This show was trailed with a
picture of the trolley show. I know what you did there and

(38:55):
you spot on. You absolutely spot on.
There's so many character opportunities as well, but if
you you can make a day out of just to get thinking right, what
characters do I want to meet? Where do I need to go?
Yeah, just spend a lot of time round by the country bears
you're bound to bump into, do you?

(39:17):
Know something, Ben? And actually, when we first
started doing this podcast, I was, I was, you know, I was a
person who turned around and said most of my trip reports
basically feature the picture ofthe exit sign in the country
bird Jamboree as being the highlight of the country bird
Jamboree. It No, it's not, No.

(39:41):
I could did it in August, did itin August.
And I love it. I love it.
I love it now, Yeah. I think as a show, it's totally
changed my perception of it. I, I I.
Can't. Say, I love it.
It's improved. It's.
Improved I love sitting next to you with you like sigh all the

(40:03):
way through. But let's be honest, anything
could have been an improvement. Just.
This is true. This is untrue.
Yeah, I, I think it's, it's hit a few nails on the head, right.
Yeah, it's it helps back to the past.
It parodies the past, but it also embraces the future and
actually has updated the music so that you get that little bit

(40:27):
where the younger generation actually get a little bit more
where, yeah, I've got the Blues Brothers and they play country,
They play country and western. And I think that's the.
Thing. Children can, younger people can
go in and go, oh, I recognise that song.

(40:47):
I know that song from Zootopia and I could go, OK, that's
something I will do. Where before I think some people
would go into and go like, oh, Idon't know any of this doesn't
make any sense. And would you be the same, have
the same opinion that you do like?
What on earth have I just watched?
Yes, that's how I felt. That was me too, Becca.

(41:08):
Yeah. However, I cannot say the same
for the Tiki Room. The Tiki Room's amazing.
We're including those, right? Because they're not.
Right, They're not right. They're actually shows.
Yeah, the shows and and and again, Robin, I think you you
spot on. I'm not I'm not a great lover to
ticking him out. I think somebody took a whole
lot of illegal narcotics. Yeah, I think you need to stop

(41:29):
talking now. John, I was going to say,
where's the button? Haven't used.
Do you know what? It's been a few years since
I've. I've found this.
There we go. Great place to have an hour.
You just throw Becca out as well.
But yeah, I know I love the TikiRoom.

(41:50):
We know that I love the Tiki Room.
I love the history behind it, the fact that the wall worked on
it, the to get the birds to breathe.
And like how yeah, I love. I love the it's love.
Understanding that attention to detail that went into it and
whether it goes through changes like it's had previously.

(42:11):
I know previous iteration wasn'tgreat with Iago, but there might
be something new today update infuture because I know there is a
few permits filed for that recently.
So who knows what that means. But yeah, I think magic, I think
we, I think we've covered a lot of Magic Kingdom we're going to

(42:32):
jump on. We could cover a whole lot more
of Magic Kingdom, but they shut it down, they put big walls
along the side of it, and you'renot allowed to go and enjoy the
bit that you actually most did when you're on no rights.
I'm just just saying it like. There's still the the Swiss
family. I've never, I've still never

(42:54):
done it. I love that.
I love it. I think it's a really good.
One I really need to before I close that down.
Me too. OK, Yeah, you.
Really feel like. You're just taking away the
spaces. Or you can relax and sit.
Doesn't earn this any money get rid of.
Build a shop. Build a shop.
That sort of. Shop or do they start charging
for lightning lanes that you have to buy to?
Yeah, to go do system. Yeah, it's a really good place

(43:18):
to actually go after dark. And this sounds really strange,
but actually you get, as you getfurther up the tree, you get
some amazing photographs to go and then back towards the
castle. And I actually feel that that's
one of the things that people miss and people just don't, you
know, I would, we've done it. We've done it three trips ago or
whatever. But go and actually experience

(43:40):
at different times of the day, it does change if you don't in
the daytime, you actually get some of the delight of what's
going on around the Jungle Cruise as well.
Most people miss it. Most people just keep kind of
can't be, can't, Yeah, it's onlylike 5 minutes walking up,
walking down. So, but it's one of those things
that it just adds to your day. Apparently it's good at firework

(44:05):
time as. Well, Robin and I was nearly
going to say that, but actually.I've still never done it.
I did try it one time and I actually felt a bit
disappointed. I'd rather be behind.
I'd rather be at the back of thecastle to get the like the
inverted you with the fireworks rather than up the key.
It's a bizarre. It's a strange 1.

(44:26):
I actually, if you go for the first time, don't make mistake
of going to the back of castle. Put yourself in the busy bit
right in the middle of the hub, because actually it's really
good. And if you can't do crowds and
you just want to see some fireworks, I remember we went on
Big Thunder Mountain during the fireworks and that was really
good, good experience. Just.
Hearing the outside the park. Hearing explosions of yeah,

(44:51):
fireworks while you're on Big Hunter Mountain was perfect, and
you can't do it at the minute. I know, but it is one of the
best. That and Tiana's Splash
Mountain, you actually, you actually get to experience
something really special and BigThunder even in the queue, you

(45:11):
get to see fireworks that going off actually further back in the
park and it changes your perception of where those
fireworks are actually launched from as well.
It's a, it's a, it's a really good thing to do if you're
prepared to give up a firework viewing and, and again, if you
go into a Halloween party or yougo into a Christmas party, and

(45:33):
if maybe it might be 1 entitlement, there's two
different firework shows, just go and go and experience it is
really, really good. Just in Hannah has come careful
the back of the cars or some ends of the firework landed in
my air and it was hot. Yes.
I was going to say it's, I remember we've stood in
Fantasyland and how loud they are.

(45:55):
Loud. It's like it's, yeah.
I've I've shown up for explosives at MCO on the way
home after being in fireworks. They swabbed.
They swabbed my my ECV dam and found the tested positive for
explosives and they were like, have you been to the to Disney

(46:16):
and seen the fireworks? I was like, yeah, she's like,
right, let's just clean this down and do it again.
I was like, oh. Wow.
The other one that we we actually saw and I think it fits
in with with Hannah's comment aswell.
And that actually is a really that is the health and safety
comment of the week. But we were there one night and

(46:37):
we were, I think we, I think we'd gone on Big Thunder and
then we walked back round and wewere in the Fantasyland and
actually they shut the whole place off and there was a fire
on the top of the Seven Dwarves mine train.
Yes. Sure.
I was there that day, yeah. Really.
I was there that day. I saw the fire.
Yeah. The artificial grass had

(46:58):
actually caught fire and you're like, Oh my word, this is and
you get. Unless it when I was there I
think trees and maybe it was thesecond of.
The I think it happens more often.
Than I think brothers, do you know what has happened a few
times? Maybe it wasn't the same day
like it was definitely a tree that was on.
Fire, you get the guys on with the you get the guys with the

(47:19):
T-shirts is like firework detection crew or whatever.
And if the wind's coming the other way, and this is, this is
the horrible experience. If, if the breeze is coming
downwards and so it's heading towards a railway station in on
Main Street and you're getting loads of smoke and some of the
firework bits are coming at you and you're in the hub, you tend

(47:43):
to find they get ripped. These guys get really, really
tacky because they are. I can't, I can't think of the
polite way of describing it. Papping themselves is probably
the best way of I could put it because they know that, yeah,
there is so much litigation that's involved and somebody
actually does. Hannah, I would have been, I

(48:05):
would have been straight into, straight into guest services on
the way out. You want to get one of the
employers that are on the on theon the TV, You know, I'm down
here, get right on the phone. They'll go no window, no window
free, and then if you do win, they'll take all your components

(48:26):
well. We've done Magic Kingdom.
Where we going to guys? Where should we go next?
I think when he's getting the monorail and get to Epcot, so at
least that's a. Nice and easy one, yeah?
We'll stroll around World Showcase and eat, won't we?
Eat and drink. I can spend a day doing that at

(48:48):
least. There'll have to be several days
because I don't think I'd manageit all in one day.
I'd depends if I've got people I'm sharing with.
Yeah, it depends. We need so.
Much entertainment as well whileyou're going around.
Depending on, I mean as we're coming into the festival, the
holidays they have, I'm not sureif it's every country or most

(49:08):
countries show they have some sort of demonstration about how
to celebrate the holidays in their country.
The history of the holidays is the weird known one in Norway.
Father Christmas in in the UK. Yeah, Father Christmas in the
UK, Pere Noel, and it's and it'sa story about what's going on.

(49:32):
And even without that, in Mexicoyou have the mariachi band and
the Voices of Liberty. There's so much non ride things
going on around. It is a park that thinks I'm
trying to think. When we were there a couple of
years ago, we did a day in that court and I can't remember doing

(49:53):
many rides. I don't think we did.
We did, Guardians. So that was it, fleeing the rest
of. Them.
I think we probably did Spaceship Earth as well.
Because we thought would happen now.
We thought they. Were going to be closing it at
some point. Yes, yeah, that's for that was
probably why it's like and a trip to Echo.

(50:13):
You can't really avoid SpaceshipEarth because there's usually
only a 5 minute queue. But is it the first?
Thing in the morning I see. But it's still a ride.
It. Is a ride.
Can I can I see point now? Mark Sheffield, thank you for
joining us. Appreciate you doing so.
Mark Sheffield, who on his either Facebook or Insta, can't
remember which one it is, but you remember we spoke about

(50:37):
getting the monorail to Epcot. Now Mark always has a beautiful
picture of like first thing in the morning of the monorail
coming into the hotel. That monorail trip as a as a
thing where you're going like a non ride sort of capability, but
loads of people never think of it as actually it is the most
beautiful thing to watch out thewindow and just absorb.

(51:01):
You're watching the people on one side of one side of the
trail. You see them all coming into
Magic Kingdom with the dayline ahead of them.
And then you also on the other side as you get in towards
Epcot. You've got that whole loop
around Epcot before you get intothe Morrell station and it is
you actually get a real taster from the park before you

(51:24):
actually arrive and before you actually go to the turnstile.
I actually would say that for methat was one of the greatest
experiences that loads of peopledon't do because it is right.
Absolutely an amazing sort of probably a 1015 minute ride and
you just, it's not a ride, it's a transportation rather than

(51:45):
getting on the bus. See what I did there and?
I like Alaska because it gives you a nice flavour of what
you're going to experience Epcotbefore you even get into the
park. You can just like I'm here, this
is, and it's a really good thingto see as well, but I'm trying
to think what other stuff in Epcot because there's so much
that's focused in World Show. Shall we, shall we go back to

(52:06):
the mid month show? Because that should be called
Sammy out again, you know, and actually we're going back a
whole host of we've got about like 6 years.
And this is something that even now, we still get marriage out.
And the fact that if you'd go toa World Showcase, please don't
just go on the path that goes around, go into every pavilion,

(52:29):
go into the back of every pavilion and go and explore.
Because even in the ones that don't have the Donald Duck ride,
they don't have the Frozen ride.There is so much in each
pavilion. Then you have to go, even if
it's just, you know, even if it's just the ones that have got
a shock. Or or something to some food as

(52:51):
well there's. So.
Many different options that you don't answer.
So much. And if you're there during the
festival, I was mentioned about festive, the holidays, that if
you're there during like Januaryand February, festive the arts,
there's so many different activities and things that are
put on during each festival. So it's not just here with food
booths on the festival. There's lots of other different

(53:12):
things from like Chilka and Disney on Broadway.
And now I know they've got that.I can't remember what that space
is called that we use that we call a canteen, but they change
it Asian later, something being a festival centre or something
along those lines where they they will put displays.
But I still think it's more of athat's.

(53:33):
Like you know, it's called canteen.
And what what about the what's, what's it?
They do it at each festival. It's a different thing.
So like for the Festival of the Arts, you find certain artwork
and you tick it off and then youget something at the end, a bit
like a scavenger hunt type. Yeah.
There's also those going on names.
I've never, I have to be honest,I've never done one, no.

(53:57):
You have to pay $10.00 for them then.
You do you get something for it when you've completed.
It or whether it's worth $10. OK.
Should we look at the? Food 1 where it's like, oh, you
can eat these five cheese items.And you get another.
Cheese items or you have the cookies stroll away, go for five
cookies and then your reward andis another cookie.

(54:17):
I'm like after five different cookies, I don't want another
cookie. I'm.
You can have five in the same cookie, you know.
That's still having 6. That says that, says the voice
of somebody who knows there, I think.
Experience. I don't know what you mean.
You also don't have to have it all on the same day, you know,
if you're going to Epcot a few times, just so you know.

(54:41):
Yeah, I've never done that sort of scavenger hunt thing.
I've thought about it in the past but never quite got it the.
Same same sort of theme. There is two other ones like
it's if you want to do the kid caught big, that's that is free
and you can go around well, showcasing you get your it used
to be it used to be Duffy Bear, but I'm not a great lover of

(55:04):
Duffy Bear. And but you can also as a as a
grown up, you can actually buy apassport and the passport
involves stickers and then you go to each each you have to go
to the kid cot stop to get it stamped, which is quite funny
when you're a big grown up. And yeah, yeah, yeah, you have

(55:24):
a, you have a 21 year old where he wants to go and get it
stamped and but, but it keeps the kids occupied and gives
them, actually gives them a a real reason to go into each of
these pavilions are. You saying to give the kids
something to do while you eat and drink around the.
World no, I'm not saying that you wouldn't find me doing that
whatsoever. I'm a responsible.

(55:46):
I'm a responsible parent who wouldn't ever dream of dragging
my my children around World Showcase.
Well, I drink around the world. That that just that just
couldn't possibly occur. Honest, good.
If that stands up in court, thenthat'll do.
Thank you very much. So you know what we haven't

(56:06):
spoken about in Epcot, and it's something that we try and do
most times for there that seed Voices of Liberty.
I did mention it, but it's. It's something that I felt
terrible if we didn't get a chance in August too.
You. Have a chance to you could have
gone. In you just I didn't get round

(56:29):
to didn't. Get round.
To it is do you know something, Ben?
I actually think, and this is, and this is a bit where I
actually like the whole America Pavilion because actually not
just for voice of the Liberty, that is that in itself is worth
just worth a whole hour out yourday just to sit and just absorb

(56:51):
that whole sound. But then go and look at some of
the history of America and then go up the stairs as you go up
the escalator, look at the the history of the American flag and
how that develops and then go and watch the show.
And yes, it is. It is a place where I know some

(57:12):
people would say, oh, it gets a bit boring.
It's not it's about American history.
And I actually think it's it's as vital a bit like whole of
presidents in Magic Kingdom. If you're in the history, you
actually get a real vibe for exactly how this country came to
being and also how younger country it actually is within

(57:33):
the whole world. And and not a lot of people
actually give that the credence to that.
And that is one of them. The two places on the whole of
property would be whole of presidents and the American
pavilion and go and just just goand watch the film.
It's just. I'm with sure it's just this
you're talking about American ventures take it back to the

(57:55):
great moments of history, but just.
The American part. The Muppets are incredible.
I absolutely love that. It could go, it'll go well in
that building, wouldn't? It it would fit perfectly.
Yeah, I think. That would be great, yeah.
I think we'll just. See The Muppets doing quite a
few different. Yeah.
Just imagine The Muppets doing aworld tour and they have like a

(58:15):
little sort of show in each pavilion.
Oh, that would be so good. That would be He's so good, even
just a couple. Yeah, Yeah.
Should we copyright that now? Yes.
So just like YouTube, whenever YouTube strikes, strikes a claim
on the copyright of a little tiny, tiny slither of music that

(58:38):
we've used, we're going to copyright.
We're going to copyright that exact moment in which Ben stated
that that's what should happen. So if it does happen, we're
going to, we thought a bit first, we're actually going to
actually do that. Yes, Sean, Kermit Lincoln, I
think that would be perfect. I've been having a bit of a
Muppet and Jim Henson week on mymy Instagram.

(58:59):
I must have met my sister. My my TikTok is full of like
Muppet Christmas Carol clips at the minute.
Really. Yeah.
There's a. You're showing off now.
I'm I'm catching up. I'm only just getting into
Instagram money. Yeah, it's just like I'm not,
I'm not quite I'm not quite ready for the tick.
The tick tock generation is not quite there.
Oh, John not missed it out. Oh dear.

(59:28):
Epcot's quite a place though, because actually what you can do
is get yourself completely lost without actually standing in a
queue. And, and, and that is that
again, something I go back to Claire and I did a podcast with
Matt and Crystal from Married toa Disney Addict last year.

(59:49):
And we'd said to both our families, it's like, it's all
right, we'll just be we'll be anhour.
Which which they probably knew was going to be a lie anyway,
given the fact that we say this show goes going to be an hour
and never is. And actually the the discussion,
we actually took Matt and Crystal around the UK pavilion

(01:00:13):
and re dissected every bit of architecture and, and, and they
asked some brilliant questions, but it then forced Claire and I
into actually recognizing a whole load of what is in the UK
pavilion that you'd probably just assume is that.

(01:00:34):
Yeah, that's that's Oh yeah, I've seen that.
I've seen that in York. I've seen that actually, when
you start to think about it. And then we met cast member in
one of the the shop on the the twining side.
And she then started to tell us the story about each of each of
that's left hand side as you're looking towards the back of the

(01:00:55):
UK pavilion. She was trying to tell us of how
the actual the flooring in the shops and the decor in the shops
tells its own story and we'd never noticed the flooring
before. You get the feel for like
Edwardian period and this subject, but you'd never notice
what's happening with the flooring when the flooring tells

(01:01:15):
its own story and you can't. We came out 2 1/2 hours later
and I think our families had come to try and find us strange.
Strangely enough, Mike and Crystal had just bought us a
beer and the roses found. We were finished, you know, and
but it was it was just full of detail and full of even stuff

(01:01:36):
that you someone who's been a bit you take for granted, but
each pavilions got it and then you've got more under the
journey of water, which isn't a ride and loads of people still
don't know where it is. And again, just something that
is just absolutely majestic within when a Epcot because it's

(01:02:00):
through to the values of what Epcot was, was really there for.
It's that entertainment. And I think loads of people just
walked past it. Loads of people just miss it.
I really I still don't think everyone's seen it.
Yeah, I think sometimes it can be a bit busy where people are
all entering the open thought. I'll come back to that later and

(01:02:22):
never do, but if you get a chance to do it during during
the day and also go again at night because it's a very
different experience, but it's amazing what you can learn and
it it sums up Epicot in that peerage entertainment.
Like I said, John. Yeah, I think Mark's picked it
up in the in the chat quite a bit and talking about he's

(01:02:43):
talked about a load of stuff in festival for the holidays and
and and such. Like Epcot is really well served
for making you think. And and again, if you're on, if
you're on that mission to just not do any of the right, Epcot
is the place. Even if you just stand beside

(01:03:04):
you as you come in the main entrance and you just stand by
the the small fountain with the glass, I don't quite know glass,
whatever they are. The pillar things.
Yeah, but if you listen to the music and you listen to the
background loop of that particular part of the park,
it's quite incredible. And if you don't like.

(01:03:27):
That's my favorite part. Yeah, it's beautiful.
It's absolutely stunning. But loads of people again
looking at the phone, I'm off toGuardians, I'm on a mission, I'm
going to do test track and they'll miss it and they'll miss
the music. And actually Jason pointed out
to me last year is the fact thatabout half an hour before

(01:03:51):
fireworks, you actually get a change in the the loop changes
every 10 minutes in the in the run up to to fireworks.
I'm not sure whether it still does, but you get every
different rendition of that Epcot loop as you get in the
light show that that's on Spaceship Earth.

(01:04:12):
Again, I had no idea that that was going on.
And it's until someone points itout to you and you just like, Oh
my word, this is just like this is like a hidden, a hidden
little club where you can actually, you can just go and
just absorb just so much beauty.It really is.
Epcot's an amazing pleasure. You just.

(01:04:33):
Yeah, you could. Easily fill a debt at least one
day. 2 days? Really.
Yeah, without even going around.Yeah, yeah.
I agree. And I think as we leave through
International Gateway, we've gota choice of transportation
options to get us to Hollywood Studios.
So where what would you be going?

(01:04:53):
For me, I'd think about getting on the sky liner.
I'd be getting on the boat. Yeah, I'm walking.
I'm walking. Use my fate then.
Have you been, have you been listening on a lecture in our
house? Because we had this
conversation, not on argument onSunday night about how you would
get between that car in the studios.

(01:05:14):
I I've said walking was probablythe best way to do.
It it's the quickest. It's I think.
I think. It's bored.
Walk and then yeah. It's a beautiful.
Walk as well. It is a really quite.
Yeah, it's very nice. Yeah, I've definitely done that
before. There you go, I'd.
Probably get on the boat becauseI love a boat.
I like the skyline about. I like just.

(01:05:34):
Yeah, it's just, and then. When you change and all.
That, but there's a reason why I'm stopping at Caribbean Beach
because there's a nice coffee stand which there's nice
Joffrey's which sells Toffee Flyer coffee and it is amazing.
Tell you what, I'm looking, I'm looking at the time.
Let's get the studios now, because actually we need to

(01:05:56):
track on and actually. If you get I never think.
I think the studios is one of the places that actually is less
well served for non ride experiences.
Do you think even. With Apart from the Frozen show.
The Indian The Indian show the beast and the beast fantastic.

(01:06:17):
It's quite a few. Character meet and greets.
I've been there for Fantasmic. Fantasmic would be the end of
the day. I, you know, but yeah, I do.
Kind of know it's so tempting tojust be sucked in by all of the
attractions. You've got all of the lands of
Toy Story Land and then you go to like Tower of Terror and rock

(01:06:38):
and roller poster. It does lend itself to is a park
that we always focus on utilizing Lightning Lane to do
everything. And one day if we can, because
it's one, I finally get the bestvalue because there's so many
attractions that you can use it for.
But the only place that I reallylike to relax there is like

(01:07:00):
baseline tap House. Yeah, and the terrace here are
courtyards are quite nice, quitea nice place to have a sit down
as well to get off the right. Tuning.
Lounge quite like the tuning lounge.
They do a nice cocktail. Not.
Been in there? Next trip there you go, get in
into the tuning lounge and get acocktail.
And I was going to say Disney presents.

(01:07:23):
Oh yes. One man, Same.
Yeah. Yeah, see, look at that.
Six years of brainwashing. I've actually got someone else
to say it rather than me. And especially now they've added
and props from Muppet Christmas Carol.
Yeah, they're, they're at the minute.
Yeah, now that we missed, we missed that in the news as well

(01:07:44):
because they've gone that place out absolutely superbly for
Christmas. And again, yeah, I'll just, oh,
it's snowing again. So I'm, I'm definitely on a snow
day tomorrow if I'm not here. If I'm not here next week, I
will be in Orlando. Just just the defrost.
Just the defrost, yeah. Oh, sorry, that is the most

(01:08:11):
unmissable part of the whole of Hollywood studios, and I will
put in my usual claim at the fact that everybody should be
made to watch one man's stream before they even enter any theme
park, just so they understand how it all began.
Yeah, there you go. I really wish they would remove
the bit where they put trailers in for future films.

(01:08:34):
Just that has never happened. It really annoys me but I can
see where they do it and to be honest, people still walk past
it when it's a trailer. I think an area is going that
will be probably quite an interesting 1 when it opens, I
think later next year. And the new animation courtyard
area. Yeah, yeah.

(01:08:55):
And going on what the focus of that is going to be, and I know
they're working the people behind what was it the short?
Was it not one day at Disney theanimation they did?
I know the one you mean. The 100th anniversary.
I. Can't remember what.

(01:09:15):
It's called that, sure. The people behind that working I
imagine is and working, working with Imagineers on that project.
So I'd be very interested to seehow what they've been able to do
on that comes across and what sort of area that creates as

(01:09:36):
it's currently has been for its past few years.
Yeah. It's been a little bit empty.
Yeah. It was, it was incredible, Yeah.
It was incredible when you used to be able to go and do the
animation experience with the Disney animator and you did the
whole drawing of different characters and you got the the
opportunity to speak to them, which to an extent is the a

(01:10:00):
little tiny bit in Animal Kingdom at the discovery.
Yeah. But it's not, it's not the same.
It's not a true Disney animator.And again, that's another little
bit, a little bit that they've quietly sort of ripped out and
actually got rid of, got rid of people who were expensive to

(01:10:22):
employ, but. Doesn't sound like Disney.
No, but yeah. But putting the animation part
back in the studios I think is. And again, just changing that
because it just never, it's never worked as a Star Wars
layover at all for me. No.

(01:10:44):
No, it made sense before Galaxy's Edge was opening, but.
Yeah, yeah, it was. It's been there too longer.
And actually the sorcerer Mickeymeet and greet that used to be
within was was actually a reallygood meet and greet because
actually Mickey was yeah, the actual Mickey costume was was
quite something else to actuallyget a decent I wasn't still.

(01:11:07):
So if we're thinking of Hollywood studios there, we
talked about yes, there are lotsof shows.
Do you think there's enough in there to fill a whole day
without doing a ride with food, characters or shows, do you
think? I think with the show, you
probably think with the show. Too early in the day, maybe Went
late morning you could probably.Yeah, if you're doing something

(01:11:29):
like I'm Fantasy, it's on at 9:00, you probably can fill
enough time to do a few shows, but not rush because a lot of
them are on a different time. So you got The Little Mermaid
show? Yeah.
Yeah, that's true. So.
Villain The. Character The queues for the
meeting greet for Mickey and Minnie can get quite long.

(01:11:50):
To be honest, I would happily goand watch Frozen a few times.
The Frozen Show. It yeah, it's brilliant.
And then base baseline tap to tojust sit and people watch for a
bit as well because that's that's always.
Can you wander around Galaxy's Edge as well?
Yeah, yeah. See if you can find The
Mandalorian. Yes, some funny actors there,
and there's plenty of photopast doctors around as well.

(01:12:12):
Yeah. This is true.
So then the only part left is animal Kingdom.
What do we think? A full day there.
I actually, I actually think it's one place you could do a
full day because actually you, you really become wrapped up in
it. And I actually, I actually feel

(01:12:33):
there's more within Animal Kingdom as a non ride park than
probably even even the Magic Kingdom and the studios,
probably not Epcot, but it's notit's not it's on a path, But
again, it's all bits that peopledon't fully recognize and the
trails that you can go and and people see the trails are just

(01:12:54):
race around there because it's just like a Walker.
I've seen that. But actually, if you just take
your time, it is again, just a place to just absorb and and see
how the animals begin to interact.
Give them a bit of time. I have to say I've found new
animals that I hadn't seen before quite recently near kind

(01:13:15):
of you don't even know you're walking past it anywhere around
the tree of life. There's animals kind of
everywhere. And I, there was a whole part of
it I've never ever been to. I found ringtail lemurs, which
are some of my favorite animals.I was like, I had no idea that
they were here. Because you take the time out to

(01:13:38):
actually just explore a little bit and see where these paths
take. Yeah.
And I think Animal Kingdom does that really well, that there's
so many hidden paths and different trails that actually
you're not sure what they are when you get to them.
So once you go through and explore and you can then take
the time. And I just saw Shawn's comment

(01:13:58):
about the North Africa trek. It could take half of the day
out straight away, but it's an incredible experience if you
ever get the chance to do it. It's amazing.
We we did it back in 2023. Yeah, if we get a chance to
again, we probably would. Yeah.
Just going to take us back a little step into studios as

(01:14:18):
well, because Matt Matt's also pointing out that the Disney
history written in the architecture of the studios, if
you know where to look, look forit and the stories that can be
told. And again, that is, that's one
of those little bits with the art Deco and things like
everyone deserves art Deco, But actually you've got to go

(01:14:39):
looking and, and I think that's,that's probably a challenge
about for for lots of people to actually just look at the head,
the hit. It's a hidden detail.
And I think that's a bit that, you know, a little bit like
Windows and Main St. Or, or looking at the animals
that are carved in a tree of life.
Yeah, it's something that actually, especially when you're

(01:14:59):
doing the trails around, you'll get different angles and you're
looking at, oh, there's a lot more.
It's not just as you will publish, it's the front.
Yes, it's really funny because that that area Robin described
around the tree alive and it wasone that when we went last year,
Josh, because he was working there, it was his go to place to

(01:15:24):
eat his lunch and just to have that little bit of a decompress
away from everybody and everything.
So quiet. Yeah.
And he just found it. So I think he found it a place
where he found it so cathartic that it just became when he

(01:15:44):
finished working, he says, look,I've got to take you here.
And we actually went. And he said, look, this is where
I used to come from with lunch because I didn't have anyone
talking Disney. I didn't have anyone talking.
It was just, and then we did make the joke about he was
talking to the animals basically, you know, but it was,
and they were talking to him. And there's, there's a really,

(01:16:05):
and, and this is this, if you, if you look closely enough,
there's a rock and it's got little peep holes in it that
have got that got like a magnification piece of glass in
them that magnify different animals that are on the tree of
life. Oh well.
But if you know, once you know it's there, it blows you away if

(01:16:29):
you just see it as a piece of rock.
But there's, there's about 3 or 4, maybe 5 little magnifiers.
And so I've tried to get a decent photo.
I cannot get a decent photographof this.
And it really annoys me. But it just hones in on one
animal when you're looking at that, just that 11 carving on

(01:16:51):
the tree. And I'm like, I mean, we went
this year and it was just like, I just got to go see this again.
Because that's how I just think it's just magical because nobody
knows. Nobody knows it's here except
Joe Roddy and people who know. It's just like, it's just one of
them little places. And it's, I think it's just
right. Just it's just tucked in, tucked

(01:17:12):
in. So a day in Animal Kingdom isn't
without a chance to do the showsand I know we have mentioned
several times over the past six years what one we prefer and
for. For John to be wrong.
For John to be wrong. You know insult, you know
insult. You're now insulting the fellow

(01:17:33):
off flow when you say that we'veactually we've actually sought
to provide the right answer fromwithin.
So I. Don't think either of those
shows. Are worth going to see.
Yeah. Because I think are.
Those shows being. Fest of The Lion King and

(01:17:54):
Finding Nemo. I.
Would even say feathered friendsin a flight is worth going to
see as. Well, I love being made like
that, yeah. If I can get my tongue on the
words and also. That's also mentioned that the
hidden one when you come in every morning when devised.

(01:18:15):
That on, yeah. And people again would just walk
just piles straight in. I can see what I miss how I
really have to Pandora. And actually if you see it.
Yeah, divides just like it's oneof those that you think, Oh my
word, how one how on earth do they do that and actually remain

(01:18:36):
upright. But also the fact that how many
how many people on a general part day as they walk in.
I I would say it's probably lessthan 10% would actually
recognize the fact that in the time that divides that I think
it's less than 10% we're actually knowledge that she's

(01:18:56):
actually there. You should find I've had quite
mind blowing anyway. Yeah, I can't believe that we've
managed to get through all the parks.
So I feel like we we barely scratched the surface of what we
did was available as. Well, and also it's also animal
Kingdom and I think we do it a little bit of a disservice
because it was the last one. But you do need, you know,

(01:19:19):
you've got the train ride out tothis, the discovery Station,
which people people's are. I've heard this train, but I
didn't bother with that. If you're lucky, both of the
trails that you can actually go and see animals that are
actually there and, and actuallyeven just the birds that are
within that, just some of the and the fish and etcetera.

(01:19:41):
It's amazing, yeah. And if you're lucky, when you go
over to Rafiki's Planet Watch, you can sometimes see them
performing surgery and things onsome of the animals.
Yeah, vets. And the vets there's.
A vets surgery place there, yeah.
You have to go earlier in the day if you want to see that.

(01:20:04):
Just top tip, it seems to be earlier in the day when they do
the the surgeries or the teeth cleaning or yeah all the things
they do. There's a petting zoo as well.
Yeah, I don't need to get on stroke goats.
I can do that on the road. Yeah, it's not.
It's not top of my list that either, I must admit.

(01:20:24):
It might be nice for the little ones though.
But. Yeah.
Maybe I. Don't know, except that girl
that keeps coming on me me Facebook feed when she's trying
to tell them mum it's got his goats.
I'll leave, I'll leave the missing word out and.
And. If you know.

(01:20:44):
If you don't even know, because that keeps coming up time and
time again. I laugh every single time and I
can't see a goat without actually thinking of that kid.
It's actually that's one of the funniest things I've seen.
It brings out the Tourette's A mealing.
That's about it. Thank you, honestly, he's thank
you to everyone in the chat that's stuck with us for the

(01:21:06):
last 90 minutes and. To the technical issues.
Yeah, well, my phone just poppedup saying it's running out of
batteries, so who knows how longwe can go.
There you go. As long as we.
Can wrap up, I say. That as long as we can end
stream, that would be it, Ben, You know, that could be, it
could be, it could be on the longest show we've ever done,
like. For hours, but yeah, that's our

(01:21:31):
perfect Disney day without riding a single attraction.
So as I mentioned earlier, if you haven't had the chance,
please head over to your podcastplace of choice or over us here
on YouTube. And just, it's just an hour long
show where John and Claire chat with Katie, or shall I say Katie
chats with John Claire, because it was just amazing just hearing

(01:21:55):
her story of receiving that legacy award.
That was an experience in itselfand not something that was quite
simple and easy as you'd expect.But the amount of sort of heart
and everything that goes into being a cast member, it's just
it's it's, it's amazing. And I can't wait to go and see

(01:22:17):
that show the next time we were in Animal Kingdom.
Yeah, so a thank you to John, Robin and Becca that and
everyone for watching. So if you enjoyed tonight's
show, don't forget to like subscribe and join us again for
next week. We'll be back at half 8 next
Wednesday. We'll also have a show out on
the 1st of. This.
December. I can't believe we can.

(01:22:39):
Be the first of December. Nearly.
I know it's not long. How long will it be before John
has a Christmas tree or Robin has 2?
All three of mine are already Simon is currently out the front
of our house pushing out the theoutdoors.
You know. I've.

(01:22:59):
Actually only just noticed you've got tinsel on your own
pictures. Oh yeah, there's, there's,
there's. Tinsel on.
Me, there's like a little a little Christmas tree in front
of my light, but there, there wego, little Christmas tree.
I've got my little ho ho ho signs alongside that.
It is festive already so and till next time, we'll see you

(01:23:20):
soon. See you.
Soon.