All Six Disney Castles in One Year!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Great British Mickey Waffle, and as bucket lists go,
our guest this month very possibly had the bucket list.
To beat all bucket lists, we're joined by someone who's visited
all 6 Disney castles. Impressive in itself, but he has
managed to do this within the calendar year.

(00:21):
Hold tight, fasten your seat belt as we take you on a global
Disney journey of a light. I'm joined by Ben and Becca as

(00:53):
we welcome our very special guest Andy from the Most Magical
Podcast on Earth. Welcome back, Andy.
What a year. Thank you, so good to be back.
If there's like a basis, we chatit.
Is it's been way too long. It really has.
I'll, I'll say a little about Ben and Becca as well while
you're there. You know, because I did this, I
did this to Claire when we were speaking to with Katie last

(01:16):
month. And then basically it took us 10
minutes into the show before I introduced Claire, and she's in
America at the moment as we're recording.
I saw she jetted off, Yeah. Yeah, not jealous at all.
Like, you know. No, not jealous.
Best time of the year to go. Best time of the year.
Absolutely. So yeah, I can't actually can't
remember last time we were on the show.

(01:36):
I know, I know. When I last spoke to you, I was
on your pre Christmas podcast. Exactly.
This time last year. Yeah, exactly 12 months ago, and
there was a whole host of madness going on with your main
work. And the first question was that,
was that actually a catalyst forSpark in this dream, or is it
something that you've always wanted to do for a long time?

(01:57):
It's something that I think every Disney Parks fan has
always wanted to do is to visit all six castles.
And this year I turned the Big 50.
And so part of me was like, wow,for my 50th, let's let's
complete the set. Been to Paris a number of times,
Been to Disney World, Florida, Idon't know how many times.
Been to California quite a few times.

(02:18):
But like the Eastern parks, theymake mystery ones.
Let's do, let's do them in my 50th year.
And then as you mentioned, around this time last year, I
kind of like lost my job or wasn't working as much as I
would and suddenly I've got all this free time.
I would already booked some of the trips, so I was already
going to go to Disneyland Paris for New Year's Eve.

(02:40):
I was already going to go to California for my birthday in
January. I was probably going to be going
back to Walt Disney World anywayat some point this year.
So it was like, well, it looks like we're going to do all six
castles in one year, so let's doit.
Plans change quite a bit becauseat the time of booking I've got
a reward flight with Virgin Atlantic.

(03:01):
So I was going to fly to Shanghai.
Remember they used to do the route to Shanghai.
Yeah. So I booked that with my reward
flight and points. The TA, we're going up a class
return, right? The tax was like 2 or £300
return. Even when we booked it over the
phone, the woman on the phone was going, wow, this is really,
this is really cheap. I was going, yeah.
So the plan was to do the three eastern parks in one trip,

(03:27):
flying into Shanghai, out of Shanghai and moving around in
between. Because whether, you know, with
the visas to go into China, you've got to fly in from one
country and then out to the other country.
You can't just do, yeah, to do the tourist visa.
So it would be a case to go to Shanghai and then maybe then to
Hong Kong, then to Japan, and then go back into Shanghai to
fly home to use that. So that was booked.

(03:49):
We booked that bit. And then just a couple of months
later, Virgin decided to pull the route.
After years of flying to Shanghai, they completely pulled
the route. So.
I was like, well, good job. We didn't book anything else in
between. So we just got that completely
refunded. So we were then we were kind of
starting afresh, going actually.I'd like to see more of Japan

(04:12):
particularly. And then at that point I
realised that this year I wasn'tgoing to be working as much, so
I'd going to have more time on my hands to do it.
So that's when we kind of started looking at things.
So we already booked New Year for Disneyland Paris.
It was my birthday in January, and we'd already booked
Adventures by Disney. So that was my on my actual

(04:33):
birthday was to then go to do the Adventures by Disney
backstage tour, where you go to Imagineering, you go backstage
at Disneyland, you go to Disney Studios, you do the whole
Hollywood tour. That then changed the day before
we flew. Let me come to that because
that's part of the fun. So New Year's plan, January's
planned, we were going to go to some point at to Disney World at

(04:56):
the end of this year because we've got DVC.
So that was fine. So then we kind of looked around
going to the eastern part. So we decided to do Shanghai and
Hong Kong together for a week and then doing 2 weeks later in
the year to go to Tokyo and do 2weeks in Tokyo.
And then like half of that time,like 5 or 6 nights we spent at
Disneyland. So that's really then how the

(05:17):
entire plan came together. So what we were going to do this
year was actually completely different.
What we had booked either got cancelled or rearranged, but we
did it anyway. But yeah, January.
So obviously we had the awful fires in California at the
beginning of the year, so we booked Adventures by Disney.

(05:41):
Now, I'd booked this trip, I'd say two years in advance because
I knew I wanted to be on that one because on my actual 50th
birthday on that tour is the dayyou're in Disneyland and you go
to Walt's apartment over the fire station and you go to
Imagineering. So like in terms of bucket list
trips to do on a big birthday, this was the one that was

(06:02):
planned in advance so that I've been booked.
The flights have been booked separately because we don't
really know much about Adventures by Disney.
It is fully sorted out for everything.
So whatever you pay for, literally the moment you step
off the plane, you've got somebody waiting for you with
your name on a board. So the taxi's there.
It takes you to the hotel, your hotel, your food, your theme

(06:24):
park, your back to everything. Everything is paid for as part
of that. So it was the Friday morning
we're supposed to fly out on theSaturday.
We booked the flight separately.We went on to book to check in
for the flight on the Friday morning for the Saturday.
And then we saw we got this e-mail for Adventures by Disney.
Sadly, due to the wildfires, unfortunately we have had to
cancel the trip, but you will begetting a full refund within the

(06:47):
next few weeks. Was like, OK, so tomorrow we're
we're going out, going down to Heathrow, we're flying to LA.
We're getting off the plane at La, aren't we?
You don't have anything booked, anything at all at that point.
You you're watching the news andyou've seen all this horrendous

(07:09):
footage of awful things that were really bad things that were
happening with the fires. So we thought, well, it's my
50th birthday. We've got these flights booked.
What do we do? What should we do?
Yeah. Can we stay in LA?
Can we go to Disneyland? So we looked, we thought, well,
Anaheim is actually quite a way from where the fires were, so

(07:31):
let's still do that. We've booked a couple of nights
DVC at the end of Adventures by Disney.
So that was still there. We still got those two nights.
So we went, let's just, let's just go to Vegas.
So we landed in LA and then three hours later got on a plane
to Vegas, had a few nights in Vegas and then flew to Santa

(07:52):
Ana, John Wayne International Airport, which is incredible.
Have you ever flown to that airport?
No, I've heard it's a very good.Thing if you ever have to do an
internal flight if you go into Disneyland so maybe you could go
into Disney World first and thengo into if you can get a flight
that goes to Santa Ana, John Wayne International Airport it's

(08:12):
small it's 1015 minutes Uber away from Disneyland incredible
airport nothing like the chaos of LAX or driving through Los
Angeles. It's really good.
So yeah, we flew to Vegas, a fewnights in Vegas and then managed
to go to Disneyland. So I still managed to be in
Disneyland for my actual 50th birthday.

(08:34):
And they also do a one hour tourwalking in Walt's footsteps
where they take you into Walt's apartment over the fire station.
So I still managed to do my birth.
So cobbled it all together. So yeah, so that wasn't
originally when we made all the plans.
They weren't the plans, but that's what happened this year.
So that was quite yeah, yeah, that's quite quick in actually

(08:58):
ticking 2 castles off the list in the in the first in the first
few weeks of the year. And I, I think that that's.
Two weeks of the year? Yeah, that's three weeks.
Massively impressive because actually the way you're talking
about this, I thought the logistics of all of this was
going to be a nightmare, right? And from what you've told us in
the very first part of this whole recording is it was worse

(09:21):
than the nightmare you actually would think it would ever
possibly be. So I, I actually, I don't know
how you would come, come together and try and plan
something like this. And I think that's, that for me
is one of the key parts of any holiday is if you're a planner,
you, you go to the NTH degree and things like that.

(09:41):
And to actually have that e-mailon the day that you're meant to
be going as the curveball for going to Disneyland must have
be, must have been something else.
So where did you go after that? Let's go through because
actually I will come back and talk about the castles in a in a
bit because actually, OK, so we've got Paris.
Tick, California. Tick.

(10:01):
Where'd you go next? So our next stop was I can't,
I'm trying to remember the datesnow because it feels so much in
a year. It feels hard to remember what
what we did in which order. So our next was we did a week
where we flew into Hong Kong, sowe booked flights.
So we just did a week. So we flew into Hong Kong, had

(10:23):
three nights in Hong Kong, then had an internal flight from Hong
Kong into Shanghai. And then we booked the return
flight from Shanghai back to theUK.
So it was three nights in Hong Kong staying at Disney and then
an internal flight within three nights in Shanghai, once again
staying at Disney. So that was quite a quick trip.

(10:45):
I think we flew out on the Friday and by the time we
landed, it was like Saturday evening.
But then when we flew back, you kind of landing back on the same
day. But yeah, I remember because.
You've kind of you kind of reviewed all these on your
podcast as as you've come back and things like that.
So I'm, I'm, you know, I'm goingfrom the notes that I've made

(11:07):
because actually I did listen tothem and actually I really
enjoyed them. You rather enjoyed Hong Kong,
didn't you? Hong Kong is.
Incredible. Hong Kong as a place to visit is
also incredible. And this is the good thing about
visiting these Disney parks. These are places I would never
have gone to if it hadn't been for Disney.
And now it's made me want to go back.

(11:28):
Yes, to visit the parks again atDisney Book to explore more of
Hong Kong. Hong Kong is incred.
The parks are incredible. I mean, there's only one park
and it's the smallest and quietest of all the parks that
we've ever been to. They've got quite a bit of land
there and it's kind of like on alittle island right by the
coast. In fact, on the first day we got

(11:49):
there, because only 3-4 hotels, 3 hotels actually moderate value
in deluxe if you like. So we stayed in the moderate and
they're all connected, but you can walk along the harbourfront
to get then into the park. And as you walk along the
harbourfront, I saw this like jetty where it looked like you
could like get a cruise ship or something.

(12:11):
I was like, I was intrigued by this jetty.
So I started Googling and going wow with the beaches.
So when they built the park, theidea was that you'd be able to
get a ferry from Hong Kong to Hong Kong, do something, which I
thought would have been incredible.
Yeah. But so they provided buses from
the hotels to the park itself. But I mean, you could walk it.

(12:31):
And it's also very easy to get from Hong Kong.
I'd say you wouldn't actually have to stay at Disney if you
didn't want. But such a small park, if
anything was a 20 minute wait, that was considered a busy.
But it felt very much like the old days are going to Disney
when you have to worry about fast passes.
And it wasn't that busy, just a very relaxed vibe.

(12:53):
The castle show was a beautiful castle as well, because
obviously they've had that really just recently built that
castle. So that was stunning.
But I think that's why I loved, I loved the charm of Hong Kong.
Mystic Manor is an incredible attraction.
It's like it's it's, yeah, an iconic Disney attraction.
It's classic Disney because it'snot based on IP.

(13:14):
They say it's their version of Haunted Mansion.
It's not at all. It's completely different.
It's a trackless ride that maybea little bit like a Haunted
Mansion with little Albert, thismonkey who plays tricks and all
the things in the mansion come to life.
And it's it's all connected to the the SEA, the Society of
explorers and adventurers, whichI didn't know a lot about.

(13:34):
But going to the eastern part, you start to look a little bit
more into that and how they connect.
As soon as you notice that, you can see it everywhere else.
And it's like when you. Yeah, busy, wild and like Jungle
Cruise, there's just bits and pieces and it's like you just, I
remember watching, I think it was behind the attraction on
Disney Plus and I think it was in Haunted Mansion and spoke
about Mystic Manor and then talkabout the SEA and then all the

(13:56):
parks and how Joe Rhodey is partof lots of different parks and
they seem to use, it's really quite a few different.
And then there's got to be more of that as well, especially in
Tokyo. There's a real time with Tokyo,
Tokyo Disney Sea, which I think I, I mentioned it on the
podcast, I think do does Tokyo Disney Sea, yes, it's by the sea
and it's all water based. But does the SEA in Tokyo Disney

(14:19):
Sea stand for society? Yeah, there's another level in
there. But yeah, they're Tower of
Terror. Going off the tangent about
Tokyo, as you mentioned Joe Roddy, Tower of Terror that has
paintings of the the guy who lives there and that's it's Joe
Roddy they've used. Yeah, it was cool.
And so from Hong Kong you went to China and may only.
Yes, I wrote, wrote about China,about China.

(14:42):
Was that China stressful? Getting into China.
Is. Incredibly, incredibly stressful
and frightening. It's terrifying.
You read a lot. I've watched so many vlogs and
watched so many and read the Kershaws I thought were
brilliant. And I think you've had the

(15:02):
Kershaws on. Yeah, if you watch some of
their, I pick up a lot of tips from their mistakes if you like.
But yeah, so going from to get into the country, you have to
prove that you are only there for like, well, at the time I
think it was 5 days and they've expanded it now to 10 maybe.
But yeah, as I mentioned, you have to fly in from one country

(15:23):
and then out to another. And there was a language barrier
as well. They do speak a little bit of
English. I don't speak any Chinese apart
from I learned. Hello and thank you.
It gets you a long way, but we wrote everything down and Google
Translate and printed everythingoff.
And the biggest mistake that I made was so we flew with BA and

(15:46):
he he wanted to see the flight that I was going.
So when we flew with Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong into to
Shanghai, filled out the forms and you have to show proof.
And I was showing proof on my phone on my BA app that I was
flying from Shanghai back to London.
But he'd scrolled down and he saw the flights to Tokyo that
are booked for like for May. And and then it was a massive

(16:09):
confusion. It was going, no, no, I'm
flying, it's four days. We're going back to London.
He was like, he's like making gestures.
That was like 3 months I was going no, no, no, but actually
not that terrifying. You've just got to really know
what you're doing, which what, because when you get off the
plane there's different forms you've got to fill in.

(16:31):
It's just, it's just massive. Look, if you, I mean, I could
have gone either to Manchester or London and paid for a visa,
pay for a tourist visa, which I think makes it then very stress
free because your visa sorted and you're pretty much straight
into the country then. But once we got into China, the
best thing I did with China, because I knew it was going to

(16:51):
be stressful getting into the country and going through
immigration, we booked transfers.
I've never had it where you get to an airport and somebody there
with your name on a card. So we did that and I booked it
through trip.com and it cost. It was 12 lbs.
It was 12 lbs for a private transfer from the airport to

(17:12):
have somebody literally pick youup.
He was there with our name. He took the bags.
It took it as a Toy Story hold 12 lbs and it was like 1/2 an
hour journey. And that was the first sign.
How cheap I? Was going to take from a China.
It's like Disney 12 lbs. It's like, yeah.
And we got an Uber back. Well, it's not an Uber.
That's DD. They don't have the Uber over
there. And that was like 6 lbs.

(17:34):
Five or 6 lbs. Yeah.
And that was another thing to get your head around in China
that things like Google Maps, Uber, they don't have any of
that. And.
It probably wouldn't work either, would they?
Because actually it'll all well,is it all blocked and.
Yeah, they were, but I think it's because I had a British
iPhone. When I was on the Wi-Fi, it

(17:56):
didn't work. But if I went off the Wi-Fi
using my SIM, actually a lot of it did work.
OK. Because yeah, I use Google
Translate quite a few times overthere.
So so that works for me. But yeah, in terms of paying for
things as well, you had, it was Alipay, which is connected to
your credit card. So you've got the stress of that

(18:18):
because you it's like an app that brings up AQR code.
So when you pay for something, they scan the QR code and that
goes to your credit card. But like, is it going to work?
I'm only going to find out. When I buy the first thing, so
like we had cash, a lot of places didn't take cash that so
many things you've got to think of getting in the country and
just then getting around, which is why we like try to book as

(18:39):
much as we could ahead of time. But again, Shanghai itself was
an incredible. I wasn't going to bother going
into actual Shanghai. I was just there for Disney and
I thought, well, I've come on this way.
I've got to see a bit of Shanghai and again Shanghai
somewhere. I really want to go back and see
more of China and in Shanghai, as well as going back to the
park. I think that's quite.
Fascinating you said it about inthe parks to like be that thing

(19:04):
that drags you to there draws you to it and think like once
you once you want to go again. I see so many new vlogs and
listen and read up so much stuff.
I think like one day on to do it.
We just haven't. It just hasn't happened yet.
Just trying to fill it in amongst all of the other trips
we want to do and. Yeah, Disney World keeps calling

(19:26):
us cruises. This is what I say to people,
you know, people who keep going back and back and back to Disney
World. We're a bit terrified.
Well, we don't like it as well. You don't like it, you still go
back to Disney World. That's not going anywhere.
But for the price we paid for a lot of these trips was a lot
cheaper than it's different for us.
I know you got DVC, but in termsof paying out of pocket and
going to to Disney World, even Paris, it's the worst thing is

(19:51):
that the the distance because you know, if you think Disney
World and even California is a long way going to the other side
and it's that awful jet lag because you go in that way.
So know the awful jet lag. You get what you get and you're
froggy for about a week. It's that, but you've it's easy
when you go to to Florida because you just got to stay up
a bit late and you're awake at 5:00 in the morning.

(20:12):
Great because I'm first ones in the park for rope drop when you
go in the other way and just trying to stay, stay awake and
you know. Not oversleep because it's quite
easy to stay in bed till like midday, 1:00 because of your
body clock. Especially when I was only going
for a week. I remember when we went to Hong
Kong, I didn't really sleep at Hong Kong at all, which is why
when the first day we got there,we didn't go to the parks.

(20:35):
We did a day in Hong Kong first to time acclimatise and then the
following two days we spent in the parks.
But even then I was like just, Icould not sleep.
It was like 1-2 in the morning. I was wide awake.
And then you have to set that alarm and you've got to get up
at 7:00 or 8:00, even though your body's like you've had two
hours sleep and it's just so time you've got to push it.

(20:56):
Then you kind of like get into aroutine by the end.
I think the biggest mistake we made, we went when we went to
Hong Kong, we pushed the boat house and went business class.
So I slept on the plane because it's a night flight.
When we went to to Tokyo, we didn't because it was so
expensive. So we only flew economy.

(21:17):
And because I hadn't slept on the plane, I felt a bit more on
the time zone straight away whenwe got to Tokyo.
So yeah, don't be tempted to push the boat out and fly
business and get that bed because yeah, just.
Just before we start talking about Tokyo and the Disney park,
though, I'm more intrigued. And this is, this is really one

(21:39):
of the biggest things that, you know, fascinates me out.
Yeah, I couldn't say. I'm going back a few years when
I was in Hong Kong. This is like, we went our
honeymoon there because my brother lived out there and we
didn't have any. We didn't have any money and he
was working out there. And we basically went and stayed
in this place and just even the cultural part of going to a

(22:02):
place where English is not widely spoken, but the cultural
development of, of you as a person is, is for me.
I feel this is, this is where people need to take themselves
out of the comfort zone and actually just again, widen your
own horizons as to the, the wider world that's out there,

(22:23):
irrespective of the Disney part of it.
You know, I, I just feel betweenHong Kong and China and Tokyo, I
think culturally, I think you've, you've got memories that
will probably stay with you forever because you've been
forced in that position of, of actually facing up a completely
different culture. And you know, how easy was that

(22:43):
to adapt to? I think Hong Kong was really
easy because it's very, very Western, because it's under
English control, because the first full day we had, we went
into the city. So we saw like the road signs
are in Chinese and in English and a lot of people spoke
English. So it was a very easy way.
It was a nice kind of like footstep in to get getting

(23:05):
around and kind of acclimatize into the language and the
cultural differences. But then obviously when you go
to Shanghai, it really is, you've got to immerse into the
culture and you've got to know, you know what people, it's not
just saying hello and thank you.It's, you know, we've heard that
people not necessarily up for queuing in China and you've got

(23:26):
to be ready with your elbows because people will just brush
past you in a queue. So you've.
Got to be ready for that. And then it's, you know, it's,
it's downloading DD and Alipay. And it was, it's really funny
being quite the novelty of I remember when we first, our
first day in Shanghai and I stood away for my husband

(23:47):
outside the toilets and a littlegroup of school kids came in
little good big Chinese. And they kind of ran over me and
they all go, hello, hello. Because it was the only word
they spoke. And I was like, they're not used
to seeing people like me in the parks.
So you're quite kind of like thenovelty then.
But I kind of, I kind of enjoyedthat anyway.
And also the cultural differences of how people do

(24:08):
Disney in the Eastern part, it'svery different.
You notice things like I didn't see an ECV at all in Hong Kong,
China, Japan, didn't see an ECV at all.
People are, yes, they're there for the rides, but they're there
more for the characters and the photographs, especially with

(24:30):
Duffy and friends. Obviously we've started to.
Duffy has gone into Jollywood nights now and Duffy and Shelley
May are over at California, but Duffy and friends over there,
they are huge and like, you know, it's like Beetlemania all
over again. And, and they will queue.
You'll see a queue for characters and you'll go, oh,

(24:51):
there's about a dozen people in that queue.
That's probably what, 20-30 minutes?
And then they'll go, it's an hour, hour, 2 hours.
You go, oh, there's not that many people in, but they are
given so much time with the characters to do photographs.
So they'll do a photograph on their iPhone, then they'll get
the Polaroid, then they'll get another camera and then get the
iPad out and then film it. And they'll do that with

(25:12):
themselves, and the other personin the party will do that, and
then they'll have one together. And the characters are all the
characters are really prepared for.
It and the. Characters will do all the
poses. They're ready.
The characters will move you into a pose if you want in Tokyo
as well in in Japan. Once they've taken the pictures,

(25:34):
if a cast member has taken a picture that they will then give
you your camera back and go through the pictures with you
before you leave the character because if there's any pictures
that you're not happy with, you'll go back I'll.
Be asking, I'll be asking them to get the sounds of my eyes
rolling in the background. You've just got it would.
Just be, yeah. I've just got this vision of

(25:56):
like possum. Then like it is, you know, like
when you go into like Walt Disney World and they put like
signs up for like line starts here.
I've got like that for photos. It's like, oh here's a 19 minute
queue for getting your photo taken because everyone's having
like 10 different. Versions, yeah, but the queues
are not that long. The queues are quite short.

(26:16):
It's just like it just, it just takes a lot.
Of time, I think that's worth. Though, yeah, it's fascinating.
It's just a cultural thing though.
It's just that's what they go for.
And it's like when we went to the new Zootopia land in
Shanghai, people were just not really for the attractions.
They were there having their photographs taken with every
little corner and every little detail of the land.
They just wanted to be in there.It's all about the grammar and

(26:39):
then some. Fascinating.
Wow. And so, yeah, so we went.
China was stressful to get to. So I then do me homework, do me
homework for the show because I do like to do it.
You described you described Tokyo.
The park was more stressful thanactually the place and that.

(26:59):
And I think that probably goes back to the queuing part of it
because I know we spoke to people.
I've been to Tokyo before and I think the queue lines for
basically for people who just queue up, they probably just
decide that and it just becomes totally all-encompassing every
time. How did how did you find it?

(27:20):
Even before we went. So we knew what we wanted to
book. We knew where we wanted to stay.
And it's, you know, it's like the first time you go to Walt
Disney World. It's that once in a lifetime.
We're only doing this once. We're never coming back.
So you go all in. Yeah.
You know, remember 20 holidays. So it's like that.
So he's like, we wanted to stay at Miracosta, which is the hotel

(27:43):
that's inside Tokyo Disney Sea. And again, we've done a lot of
research. We watched the Kershaws, we
watched Adam Hatton, and we looked at where the best hotels
were. Different hotels are different
perks and there's various packages that you can buy.
Now you've got a time when thesepackages go on sale because they
sell out like that within minutes or two.

(28:05):
So the date you want to go, you've got to be, you've got to
know what you want and you've got to be on it.
Obviously you've got to know thetime difference, you've got to
make sure the website works. Thankfully now they've got a
British version of the Japanese website, which they never used
to have a couple of years ago. And when we needed to book was
actually in January when we werein California, we actually were

(28:26):
in California because after we're going to California, we
went to Hawaii because we wantedto stay Alani.
So we did California, then Alani.
So it was when we were at Alani,they were the days that the
availability for Tokyo had come up.
So we're going right. So at home it is how many hours
difference. But then we're an oh and on no
because we're in Hawaii. So that's three hours further

(28:49):
back from college. So you've got to really work it.
And we were sat outside having lunch with like 2 phones and an
iPad going right soon. As soon as it goes on under the
waitress is going to get the drink.
I'm trying to organize not my next holiday, but the one.

(29:09):
So that's really stressful. But then again with that,
because we wanted to stay like 2days is not enough.
When you go in all that way, youknow, there's two parks for a
start, so that's only a day in each and the resort packages,
they're only like 2 nights at most.
So we wanted to book 2 back-to-back.
So like 2 days later, we have togo back in at the same time to

(29:31):
book another 2. So like we wanted to make sure
that we're in the same hotel in the same room so that when we
get there, we can link them. So we're staying in the same
room for five nights and different packages you get
different things. Some of them will give you like
fast passes, some of them will give you like a free popcorn
bookie or free drinks. And so that, that it's like, I'm

(29:54):
glad that we did Tokyo last because all the Disney training
that we have done, getting lightning lanes or virtual cues
back in the day and being ready at 7:00 AM and being on it for
guardians when that used to be or Tron when that was on.
So all that training comes in. This is what I've been building
up for. It was this has been years of
training just to go to, to Tokyo.

(30:17):
So we managed to book that, managed to get all that sorted
and then we did a week in Tokyo off the back of that.
But and then the flights and everything, we're all sorted
out. But then when you get there, so
we had, we had a slight languagebarrier when we got there
because we went to check in and we said that we've got these two
different packages, but we'd like to link them and they went
on on these two different packages.

(30:39):
But no, no, no, no, no, we've booked, we've booked the same
states. Look at the room class, it's the
room collector, the right hotel,it's the same room class.
But what we did, one of them, webooked a twin room and one
booked a double room. So there were slightly different
bed set UPS. So and then you've got the
language difficulty of trying toexplain, no trying to help them

(30:59):
because like you don't need to kick us out of this room and
clean it. We'll just stay in here.
We'll stay in. We'll, we'll take the cheap,
whatever the cheaper room is of the two, we'll take that
whatever's available. And eventually, like the
following day, they said, oh, wemanaged to, to get you in.
I think there was somebody who spoke really good English, like
the second day we could kind of explain it so.
Even in Japan was they still have that computer says no

(31:20):
moment like you know, that's the.
Computer said something. Yeah, yeah.
It was really down to it, Like, yeah, these are the rules and
that and that is it. Everything in Japan runs like
clockwork. And they have those rules for a
reason. And, you know, I timed it every
day when we're going in the park, if the park was opening at

(31:42):
8:45, I'd look on my phone and it will be 845 to the second
those gates would open. No messing around.
And of course, your early accessin Tokyo is 15 minutes.
People complain at Disney World,what am I going to do in half an
hour? You can't do anything in half an
hour, 15 minutes. You've got to get in.

(32:02):
People are there like queuing 2 hours before.
Even when you're at the hotel that gives you the 15 minute
early access, people are still getting there two hours before.
But we learned after the second day that that 15 minutes they
will get, that queue will go through in 15 minutes before
general public getting. It really moves fast, but when
you get in in that 15 minutes, that's when you can start

(32:23):
booking. If you wanted to book dine in,
like a quick service dine in, there were two free fast passes
every day. If you want to go and see one of
the shows, you've got a pre bookin for the shows.
You can't just rock up for a show.
There's no standby. The standby is on the app.
So in that 15 minutes you're walking fast, not running,

(32:44):
please walk safely. You're walking fast to the
attraction that you want to get on whilst on the end.
One of these trying to book a fast pass, the other one's
trying to book a show. It's a lottery if you and you've
only got what if the show is on five times a day, you've got to
decide which time you want to goand you, you go for it and it
tells you straight away whether you're in or not.
You don't get another chance of going for another time.

(33:05):
If you don't get it, you don't get it.
The first time we didn't get it,but we were still in the 15
minutes, so we managed to go in and buy a ticket for Big Bang
Beat, I think it was. So there's so much to do in 15
minutes. It's really, it's hardcore
Disney trainers because it's really hardcore.
But then that. Also, don't go for fun.
It's not fun. This is not fun.

(33:26):
Don't expect to have fun way there.
But it also shows that you don'twant to be wasting time in the
hotel either with breakfast and like you have to be absolutely
on point from minute one when you wake up.
Yeah, you've really got to be onit.
But like, that's where the research comes in.
So China was difficult getting into the country, but the parks

(33:46):
were easy to navigate and Tokyo was easier to get in the
country. But like, getting your head
around how the parks operate wasat another level.
Isn't it a green? How hardwood?
How do they work? You need you need a master's.
Master's not a degree. I'm going to ask you a question

(34:06):
though. I'm there and this is pure this
purely selfishly because I thinkas a, as a podcast ourselves are
very much westernised. So taking those 3 eastern parks
into consideration, would you goback to the three of them again?
Yeah, within a heartbeat. I'm already, I started looking
at, I don't really seen the drone show that they've got in

(34:28):
Hong Kong for Christmas where they've got like Kermit and Miss
Piggy and the Christmas Carol indrones.
And it's like, Oh my, I need to go back again, but I need to go
back for a different season because obviously it changes.
When we were there in Shanghai, it was springtime and all the
characters were in their springtime outfits.
I've got picture with Mickey andMinnie in their Easter bonnets.

(34:49):
But then every season it changes.
And then in Tokyo they have a special parade that runs for
about 3 or 4 months. So when we were there, it was
the Donald Duck parade. The whole of Tokyo Disneyland
turns into Duck City as a big parade in honour of Donald Duck
or the bins and there's floral displays all dedicated to

(35:10):
Donald. And then it's like there's a
Vanellope 1 during the year. I think there's a Baymax 1
during the year. It's like it's like going to
Disney World when they've got, you know, Halloween is different
to Christmas and you've got Festival the arts at Epcot or
you've got Festival the holidaysor you've got food and wine or
there's always something that draws you back and there's and

(35:31):
then there's new things that they keep bringing back.
But yeah, I would love to love to go back in a heartbeat.
Then there's got the difficult decision now of like 6 parks I
want to go back to now. Can't do all again in one.
Year Disney World, it's just like Disneyland and then it's
and we had that same thing with like seasons because we'd booked

(35:52):
to go to Disneyland this year and then we thought, oh, we're
going in beginning of May. Are we going to get any of the
70th stuff? But no, we didn't.
We we were there like 3 weeks, 2weeks before but too.
Early. Yeah, too early.
We was just. We just.
Finished. I'm going back in February to
finally do adventures by Disney.So yeah, back again next year.
But yeah, I'm starting to think of like 2 conversations

(36:15):
happening. The new cruise ship that's going
from Singapore, Like what? I'd like to do that so we can.
Tie in. Which foreign files can we tie
in if we do that? And then it's like if we were to
do all six, like if you have to massive gap here when we win the
lottery, if we were to do all six, which way round would we
do? It will do so because there's

(36:35):
that guy that did it. Wasn't he on YouTube?
I think it was. Was it?
Forgive kids the world. Yeah, I think it was, yeah.
He did it all, all of them six parts of like 6 days or
something ridiculous had to go into.
One ride had to step into a parkand do one ride or and 1 snap.
I think it was per. Yeah, but I mean, why would you
do that? You can't just do one day in
each park. Even even after day five, you

(36:58):
were still discussing. Especially in Tokyo Disney Sea,
we're still discovering things. We walk around a corner going.
Didn't even know this was here. It's like it's it's the detail,
you know, you've got to look at.You've got to look down.
You've got to look around. You've got to just sit and take
it in. It's no, it's just running from
attraction to attraction becauseyou're not really experiencing
the parks. And there's so much more.
Yeah. I think that's a really good
point as well. And actually, yeah, I was, I was

(37:20):
going to leave it until later inthe show and actually try and
sort of put you on the spot about all six parks, but I
actually don't think that would be very fair.
And what I'm actually going to do is between the three eastern
parks, which one left the most indelible mark on you and the
the one word the castle itself, because because I know you know,

(37:44):
again, going back to as I spoke to you a year ago, I wasn't I
wasn't aware of how much Cinderella Castle in Magic
Kingdom in Orlando impacted me when I went back there for the
first time in five years. But to actually have been in
every park there's this is a bitstill blows me away.
There's to be in every Disney park in a year.

(38:08):
Of those of those eastern parts,which one is is just indelibly
marked on you. I think it has to be Shanghai
only because in Hong Kong and Tokyo they're very similar to
Magic Kingdom or Disneyland Paris in a way.
But Shanghai was completely different.
It's you're not walking when youwalk in, you're not walking into

(38:30):
Main Street. It's Mickey Ave.
So it's a little bit like Toontown, but the first thing
you notice when you walk in is the amount of space they've got.
The castle, the castle is huge, but it's so far away.
So you're walking down Mickey Ave. and then you've got these
beautiful parks. You know, the carousel and Dumbo
are in front of the castle because they built these parts.

(38:52):
It's like it's a proper, it's the park within the theme park.
And I say as well at the time ofyear because it was the Spring
festival all like the crocuses and daffodils and there was so
much colour, even though the weather was grey and horrible
and miserable and raining the entire time.
It just looks so beautiful and spring like and and summary, but
that castle was enormous. And then the castle show.

(39:14):
I've never seen so many performers on one castle stage
and they were coming out of the floor.
They were coming out of the sideand they were going out with
flags that that entire part. They've just got so much land.
Even though it's probably one ofthe busiest parks that Disney
has got, it never felt overcrowded.
You know, the 10s of thousands of people there, but it wasn't

(39:37):
until you, like you saw the parade.
It did not feel overcrowded. It was just very overwhelming.
Such beautiful, beautiful part. I'd like to go back when it's
not raining, but that's not guaranteed.
Yeah. And that's a bit.
No one. That's a bit nobody tells you
about, isn't it? Is when you're.
Actually, it's one of those things it's if you could control

(39:57):
the weather, I think Disney would be in charge of doing
that. Yeah, yeah.
In Tokyo I was hoping for, because we were there for five
days. I was hoping for a wet day
because the characters have got rainy day outfits.
So on the last morning it was raining and we walked in and
Minnie Mouse was there and this kind of little very chic Mac

(40:18):
that she got on. And then the parade goes on as
normal. There's no rainy day parade.
They just throw ponchos on. It was really funny watching
Moana on the parade in a poncho.Go on.
I thought you were like, what's wrong with you?
But it's only a bit of drizzle. Wouldn't last two seconds in
Paris? Like, yeah.

(40:39):
Oh no. Imagine in like ponchos in
Florida. They'd be melting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like a ball in the bag fish.
I think I've said this before about Florida, though, when the
when the rain comes mid afternoon and I, I actually, I
remember seeing celebrate a dream come true parade, which I
think basically had Michael Schumacher driving, driving the

(41:02):
parade vehicles. They went that fast through
Magic Kingdom because actually they weren't the storm wasn't
forecast. It just, it went on pop up
storms and none of the characters would just they would
just like get absolutely drenched and the right, the
right vehicles went so quickly and you're thinking, good grief,
you know, it's just like I even even now I'm thinking, I don't

(41:25):
think they would actually be allowed to drive at that speed,
but they they zoomed through thethe rain.
It was amazing. But yeah, that's that's maybe
their way of dealing with that. And we've not talked about any
castles. So let's let's go China, Tokyo,
Hong Kong. I know you've mentioned
certainly about the, the influence that Joe Roddy has

(41:49):
because because actually, you know, to actually see how to see
how all the gargoyles within. I think it's Tokyo, isn't it,
that they actually put on the, the stonework of the castle.
It's just like, that's the one thing I want to go and say I
like this is this is the thing Ionce again, we're doing a show
that's needlessly going to cost me money because actually it

(42:12):
becomes part of a bucket list. And I hope when people are
listening to this, you get that same feeling as well.
Because actually I really feel that we we're kind of
indoctrinated in the UK to stay in the, in the western sort of
sides of the world. And actually, these are places
to go and explore, and they're really just deserve to be

(42:32):
explored. But last, yeah, go on, Andy.
Last word, last words on the on the eastern parks.
And then we'll, we'll, we'll, then we'll head back into
territory that's more familiar. In terms of castles, you know,
what was the most disappointing was Tokyo, really.
Wow. Yeah.
That the castle is very much like Florida.
It's very much like Magic Kingdom Orlando.

(42:54):
You walk it, you look at it and it's like pretty much like for
like. And I wasn't a massive fan of
the Main Street there because it's got a canopy over the top.
Oh yeah. So it didn't have that Main
Street feel. It's like, obviously they've
catered for rain, but Paris caters for rain, but in a
beautiful way where you can still walk down Main Street, but
if it's raining you can walk down the side and you can even
there's a way of getting around Paris where there's a lot of

(43:16):
undercover walkways. I just, it looked very dated.
I would say Tokyo. I don't know whether a lot of
love has been given to Tokyo Disney Sea next door with being
the new super park and then Fantasy Springs we've got to
talk about later. So I don't know whether that's
got all the love, but I was a little bit disappointed with the
castle in Tokyo and the park itself.

(43:41):
There was a bit of an odd layout, the Dumbo ride, because
I wanted to make sure I got on every Dumbo ride because that's
the only attraction that you canfind in all 6 castle parks.
I've got to do Dumbo and it's kind of in Fantasyland at the
back of the castle, but in frontof Haunted Mansion.
And it's just like, this really doesn't make any sense.
And there's a lot of space in front of that castle as well,

(44:01):
where not a lot happens. There's no castle show there
that they use. So just, yeah, I just didn't, I
didn't get a feel of Tokyo Disneyland, but it did for Tokyo
Disney Sea. Whereas Hong Kong and Shanghai,
those castles are so stunning. You can spend a good hour just
walking around and looking at the details.
Especially in Hong Kong, they'reall the different characters and

(44:22):
they put in the stonework and you can walk around and look and
look up and and see new things all the time.
Cool. So you, you, you were saying
there's parts of Tokyo that are additional to that.
So obviously there's a Tokyo Disney Sea, which against theme
park for what's what was the other one that you just so we

(44:44):
come back to let's get back to that.
Now. Let's let's get let's get Tokyo
Disney Sea. Right and.
The Springs, Disney. Springs.
Yeah, yeah, Disney Springs, which is the new area in Tokyo
Disney Sea. So imagine Fantasyland water
based, basically that's what they've done.

(45:05):
And it's the most stunning land.It's definitely got the greatest
Disney attraction in that the land itself is beautiful.
I've seen vlogs and pictures of it and I thought, oh, there's
like a few water features that they've carved Disney characters
into the stone, but it's not. It's as you walk around, they
are everywhere. They've really put and a lot of

(45:26):
that goes with what I think thatthat they think in Tokyo is it's
not a case of, you know, OK, we've built this, how can we
make it cheaper? It's like we built this, how can
we make it even better? It's like they just throw money
at everything. Just it's all about that, that
customer experience. Nothing is like too big.
Let's go, let's, let's go, let'sgo.

(45:47):
All the attractions in that the frozen ride that they've got, I
was expecting to go on Frozen Ever after.
It's not Frozen Ever After is like imagine they took the
entire first film and made it into an attraction where you're
on a boat and you're going through the entire film and like

(46:07):
1/4 of that is the Frozen Ever After attraction in there.
What they've done is just done it.
Even the queue where you're walking through Arundale and
then you're walking through the castle, the floor, the ceiling
you're walking through. They're built like gardens
outside, but they're actually inside and there's like a music
box that you walk around that again, there's got so much

(46:29):
detail. I was like, you didn't have to
go to this much detail, but you went to this much detail.
And even on the rides, you're going up the ride and you're
going through the snow. And Elsa stood at the top.
They even put the footprints allthe way up the snow where she's
standing. Again, you didn't have to go to
that much detail, but they really have.

(46:51):
And that is what they've done inTokyo to the next level in
Fantasy Springs. It's just so beautiful, even
though the layout of that park is a little bit odd because it's
like a lot of the park is the hub and spoke.
You know, you can walk around, you can get from even Hollywood
studios. You can get round from A to B
via, you know, via Andy's backyard straight into Galaxy's

(47:12):
Edge. You can walk round every park,
but over there you can't. To get to Fantasy Springs.
If you want a rope drop, that frozen ride at Fantasy Springs,
you've got to walk through the entire.
It's a good like 20-30 minute walk just to get to it and it's
kind of then a dead end. So it's a bit of an odd layout,
but it is worth the walk just toget to that part.

(47:34):
Fantasy Springs and I hope that some of those attractions they
can pick up and put somewhere around.
That's what that's what's intriguing me here, Andy,
because actually from what you've said already about Hong
Kong, China and Tokyo, but the whole fact that the Imagineering
side of it is still vibrant and still so powerful and they're

(47:57):
not frank to spend in a few quidnow.
Yeah, well, that's the thing. They're still Disney Imagineers,
but they've just got a bigger budget.
And that's a bit and I know they're a separate entity from
the main Disney organization, which again becomes quite
annoying because actually, if you've got like a, a
substructure and and different money there, you then when you,

(48:19):
you come to this side of the world.
And, and certainly on our Wednesday shows, I do, I do have
a little bit of a problem with my friend who sits in the
accounts department at Walt Disney World and and decides
that, Oh no, let's let's no, no,no, no, we're not doing no, no,
we will do that cheaply. And actually, I think that

(48:42):
again, it came through in our last mid month show when we
talked about with Katie, we're talking about the use of live
performers and live actors. And you've, I've already
answered that with the amount ofpeople that are in the stage
shows in these parks. And I, I feel really vehement
about this. It's something I really feel

(49:03):
that, you know, we need to just encourage them.
We need to, we need to respect the fact that the cultural part
of, of, of the Eastern parks is such that again, it's that bit
about they want everyone to go and have the most amazing time
and they don't want you to come away feeling disappointed.
And it doesn't sound as if you have.

(49:24):
I think The thing is what we want is in more DC, but we want
that attention to detail. I think we've been so used to
over the years and looking at attractions.
And I know when we went in this summer, we both got off test
track and gone. It's all right.
Not sure if you needed the refurb that it was.
I felt like they'd spent all of them budget in the last scene,

(49:44):
but the rest of it didn't feel like it was enough.
It felt like it was more of a a change because we had to make
it, not because they wanted to make it.
I'd rather them spend more, I feel.
Like with test track though, I think it's because they had the
money from the sponsorship, otherwise if they hadn't got
that they wouldn't have done it.Would you have had a new test
track? No, no, that's all be
interesting what happens in Paris next year with the new

(50:06):
lands over there to see whether they spent a bit of money that.
All I can see is from everyone since so far it looks very
promising and I love the drone show and the night time show
that is going to be on the on the lake.
Adan might just I think we we said.
It. Sneaky trip to the EasyJet Black

(50:26):
Friday, so. They need to bring drones toward
Disney World. I don't know why they I was
like, come on, you've got do youunderstand that?
And what I like if they're usingaquatic drones in Disneyland
Paris, which are going to be quieter than the ones that
they've used before. They could use them.
Animal Kingdom, Yeah, if they'renot going to disturb.
Yes, yes, they've got that huge Laguna that is just like for.

(50:49):
And you know what else? I remember the first time I went
to Animal Kingdom, in fact, the first time I went to Disney
World, there was a parade in every park.
Yeah, remember the jamming jungle parade that they used to
have? And I guess, okay, now you've
got so many people that like there used to be a parade at
Epcot, imagine during Food and Wine trying to get a parade
around there with like Karen Pinot Grigio trying to get in

(51:12):
front of him. But if God knows, you remember
after lockdown at Animal Kingdom, they had the characters
on the floats. What about a flotilla parade?
And then it could all finish in the middle.
So people can go and sit around there and get, you know, food
and drink or whatever and sit down and then let the parade go
past them there. They've got the floats, they've
got the characters, they've got,you know, a few musicians on

(51:33):
there. You could have a nice little
break. It just seems wasted.
And I think especially at night as well when the park is finally
finished, obviously at the minute it really is 1/2 day
park. But at night if that park is
going to be open later on at night, they do need a night time
experience. And drones are the answer that
you can't fireworks, but why nota drone show?
You've got that Amphitheatre there is built for it.

(51:56):
So there you go. You're actually answering the
next question I was going to askyou, and that was the whole fact
that how do you feel like going back to Walt Disney World after
you've been everywhere else? Thing is, though, it was so nice
to go back to Disney World because every time we go to
Disney World, we start planning going, right?
We're going to be here. We're going to be do this park
on this day, we're going to do this.
And then after doing all the other parks and trying to get

(52:17):
into China and doing all the planning for Tokyo, Yeah, isn't
it going to be nice? Just we made no plans and we
just went for nearly two weeks and we're just going, right.
Let's just see what happens. Didn't get any lightning lanes.
We booked all the attractions wewanted to do.
We got all the attractions. We just took our time.
We had a lot of a rest in the afternoon.

(52:39):
But it's easy as well because you've done it so many times
when you go somewhere for the first time and you may not go
back. You want to do everything.
You want to do that thing where you just want to like, OK, I
need to do everything because it's a once in a lifetime
visiting here. Yeah, because the worst thing
will be to get home and somebodygo, oh, did you see that ride?
You go on that and go what? I didn't even know.

(52:59):
And then there was some days as well, especially in Tokyo when
some rides were down for refurb.Baymax, the Baymax ride was down
for refurb, but it reopened on the last day we're in the park.
So like you start making list ofgoing right, OK, we've got we've
got to be in that park on that day because there was no park
open as well. In Tokyo.
You have to book your park is 1 park one day, whether you like

(53:20):
it or not. So we had to make sure that we
were booked in Disneyland to do that on that day.
But yeah, going back to Disney World, it was just a breeze.
And there was also new stuff like the new test track was
open, Beacon Barrel was open, Geo 82 was open.
So there was loads of things that we hadn't done before at

(53:41):
Disney World. There's always even though you
can go every year, there's always something new at
Disney's. Villains show Villains show
studios. The villains show is brilliant.
Yeah. And the new Little Mermaid,
which was is. She got the.
Knife. Forgotten ever had it?
Yeah. Yeah, Little Mermaid.
Yeah. And then the nighttime parade.
Magic Kingdom. Yeah.
Yeah. Still like I hadn't seen what?

(54:02):
Do you make of that? There we go.
I'll put you on the spot. All right, well, The thing is in
Tokyo, they got the most incredible Main Street
electrical parade goes on forever and ever.
And then we watched our some of the floats were incredible.
It's really nice. But then it was the in between

(54:22):
bits on the floats. There were dancers and they had
like, I could go through my box of Christmas decorations now and
get a few strings of stereo lights, very lights, stick them
on a jacket. I could join that parade and
people wouldn't know. They'd think I was part of it,
was going Why? Just, you know, don't be cheap.
Just don't do it at all. Yeah.
Yeah, it just, it wasn't. I love the fact that we've got

(54:44):
it. Yeah, but it just what I want
more. I, I think that's, that's
exactly what certainly Claire and I, I'd said from the summers
is the fact that I think exactlythat it's a start and it's
something that I hope they will continue to add to.
So it doesn't look quite so cheap and quite to slapdash sort

(55:05):
of put together like, you know, which which kind of sums up Walt
Disney World at the moment, you know, But I try, I try to stay
positive about it, just like you, you do yourself on your own
podcast. And that I must have, I must
admit, tell you what, Andy, we didn't take the kids this year.
That was a that was an experience and a half evidence,

(55:26):
half price instantly when you'vegot kids that.
Yeah, sure. The bank account was like you
can go on another holiday and goback again for another 3.
Weeks price trip tell yeah that was that was nothing else I'm
just aware I'm very aware that Iknow again we always talk about
Walt Disney World we always talkabout we don't talk quite a lot
about Paris, but we we do sort of give it a good plug in the

(55:50):
and California is I think the ultimate for everyone.
It's going to ask you a question.
You can tell me to go away if you wish or if anyone heard the
very early rendition of the of the 1st of the month podcast
this month. I do apologise for any bad
language on my behalf that was was was within that it was

(56:12):
removed. Not even like you, is it?
No ish. It was AIAI and got in.
I can't even. I can't even like behind that.
And they are. I'm always on.
I'm always on. Best behaviour when I'm doing
this. Anyway, moving on, what was your
favorite park of of all of them A whole thing.

(56:33):
What was the 11 part? Stick to your mind.
OK, favorite park or favorite castle park?
Oh, let's go. Favorite castle.
Favorite cat. Let's go favorite castle.
Go on, let's go with that. Favorite castle?
OK, favorite Castle Shanghai. OK, favorite castle Park.
I would also say Shanghai and your favorite, but it's easy to
say because of the new as well. So like you haven't got that

(56:55):
familiarity of going back, but I.
I think that's the biggest thingabout this.
And this is a bit that really intrigues me because actually, I
actually feel from the whole of this show, we're going to get a
load of people saying I need contact someone to go and see
how we can actually go and explore these parts because that
I think it's fascinating. And I think it we, we, yeah,

(57:17):
like I said early in the show, we're indoctrinated into heading
to the US and we shouldn't be. And go on then.
What's your favorite park of them all?
Favorite, favorite park. And I was, but my expectations
were built really high for TokyoDisney Sea because, you know, a
lot of people say it's not just the best Disney park in the
world, it's the best theme park in the world.

(57:38):
And I would agree, my expectations were incredibly,
incredibly, incredibly high. And a part of me was like, is
this the greatest theme park in the world?
But when you step back and you look at the theming of all the
lands where you walk in, you've got a Mediterranean harbour and
you go around the corner and suddenly you're in Venice and
you can do a gondola ride. And then you go around the
corner and then you're in the Tower of Terror.

(58:01):
And then you're in the American waterfront, you're in old school
New York. And then it's just phenomenal.
And then you've got the Fantasy Springs, but all the rides
they've got there, they've got classic familiar rides and Tower
of Terror and Soaring. It is in that and again, the
theming of how they've done these rides.

(58:23):
I've been on Soaring before, butthe whole experience, the way
that the park is themed to discovery an adventure, which is
why I said before about society invention explorers, every
attraction there. There's something about
exploring an adventure in it. So saw it is set in.
It's like an art gallery slash museum where you're walking

(58:46):
through the history of aviation.So there's a lot of history in
there and it's like it's an art gallery And then the room before
you go in the attraction, it's just a room with all these
paintings on the wall. But then the paintings come my
life and I wasn't expecting, even though I've been on a
million Disney attractions and Ishould know how imagineering
works. I wasn't expecting these
paintings to come to life. And it's like it's the pre show

(59:07):
on this screen. And even when you go in, when
you sat in the room where you'reon the actual attraction,
there's like as a little white picket fence on there that still
looks like you're in a museum. So yeah, the theme of that and
then the journey to the centre of the earth, which is not like
any kind of attraction that I'veever been on before.
You can compare it to test trackif you like, because it's a

(59:29):
similar ride function. But really it's not like
anything that you've been on before.
And then as I say, Fantasy Springs, then you've got the
whole Duffy. It's it's that's the that's the
park where Duffy was born. So you've got Duffy there and
you've got people with, they bring their little Duffys along
and throughout the park. There's little like there's like

(59:51):
little mini ride vehicles. So you can put your little Duffy
in in this mini ride vehicle andtake a picture of him.
Yeah, people taking, people taking pictures of the stuffed
toys. And some of that did do that as
well. At the character meets, they'll
have a picture of themselves with the mini Duffy and Duffy.
That's just to make it even longer.

(01:00:12):
But yeah, Tokyo Disney Seat and there's a huge ship.
There's like, there's like a cruise line in the middle of the
park that you can walk around. And it's got a restaurant and a
bar in there. Which I thought that they bought
it and it like, because the way it's set, the theme park is
right against the water. And it looks like there's a

(01:00:34):
little crack in the wall where the water's pouring into the
theme park. But actually it's not, because
when you go on the monorail thatgoes around the back, there's
actually a road at the back. It's just the way it's been
built. But yeah, they've got this.
It's like cruise ship, but again, when you go on the
monorail round the back, you cansee it's not an actual cruise
ship top. I really did believe that they
got this old liner. They sailed it into the park and

(01:00:54):
they'd moored it and they'd madeit into an attraction.
But that's the level of immersion that they've gone for.
And then there's the old trap, you know, the old tram you see
in the like 1920s New York, likethe old that used to be on like
the Highline. They've got one of those that
goes around the park. There's a little boat that you
can get that goes around the park.
The, the theatres as well. The theatres are stunning.

(01:01:18):
It's like, it's like walking into a West End theatre.
As I said before, if you want togo and see a theatre show,
you've got, you've got to go on the app and you've got to get a
lottery. And when you when you win the
lottery, it tells you where you're sitting.
So you walk in. It's like actually going to
theatre. You're on row DC 910 and every
seat is full, but there's like aproper lobby and the proper

(01:01:40):
passage. They're just absolutely
stunning. It's not sitting like sitting on
cold bench. And also as well in Tokyo, and
this is one thing that I would love the rest of the world to
take on board, is the way that guests in Japan are aware of
everybody else. So before the show starts, if

(01:02:03):
people have got ears on, they'lltake them off.
Do you see anybody filming or taking pictures during the show
because they're told not to? No, there's just that.
And then the parades as well. People sit on the floor.
So you can sit or you can stand.So there's areas so most people
sit so that everybody's got a view.
But if you want, you can stand. And so you're standing a little
bit further back. But I always prefer to stand.

(01:02:24):
I don't want to sit on the floor, but a lot of people will
bring their own mats to be prepared to sit on the floor for
a parade so that, you know, you can be 6 or 7 people deep and
everybody can see the parade as it's coming past.
There's just an awareness of like, if I look out for you, I
know that you'll look out for me.
If everybody looks out for each other, we can all have a really

(01:02:44):
nice time. And there's just that awareness
of, of respects and space for other people that I wish was in
every Disney park around the world, just that we could, we
could all be a little bit more Japan.
It's the same for the, you know,it's the culture of the country
as well. When you get on a train, you get
to the station and people will start queuing for where the

(01:03:05):
doors are so they'll stand behind each other.
And when the train arrives, the doors open, they let people off
and then people walk single fires to get on the train.
It's just that it's, you know, it's just an awareness of other
people. It's part of the culture.
But again, like you were saying before about travelling and you
go for Disney, but you experience new cultures, you can
eat. You can even get that in the

(01:03:26):
parks, you know, not walking around eating is a big thing.
Like Japan. It's quite disrespectful to walk
around with. Not so much in the Disney parks.
It's not too bad. But yeah, out on the streets
it's. Yeah.
It's kind of like looked down upon as bad manners.
I. Like it brings out the grumpy

(01:03:47):
old me and me. Like, you know, it's just.
Like, oh, you would love it. You would love it.
You want to see actually. See a firework, probably without
a child running some shoulders. Or an ice cream.
Although the fireworks in Tokyo were not very good, the Castle
show was, I'm going to say, dreadful of all the night time
experiences that were, and you'dexpect so much more.

(01:04:10):
They have a firework display that goes off, it's about 5-10
minutes and it goes off in the middle of the parks.
So they play the music in both parks, Tokyo Disneyland and
Tokyo Disney Sea. And because of that, you just
wherever you are, you just stop in the parks and you can see it.
So that's quite good. But in terms of the castle show,
the projection show, it was about 25 minutes long, was so

(01:04:32):
boring. Really nothing happened.
Whereas like Shanghai, because they've got the massive castle,
and also in Hong Kong as well because the castle has been
newly built, I think it's also been newly built.
So the time for. Projection mapping.
Projection mapping with what little pyros they got.
I was so impressed with the night time show in the castle at

(01:04:54):
Hong Kong. The way they used everything,
they really maximised everything.
It's. The one in Hong Kong?
Momentous, yes. And I.
Used the quote for something, I can't think what.
There's a line in it. Yeah, I absolutely love that.
I remember when that come out and I watched it on YouTube and
gone like this needs to be in another part.

(01:05:15):
I felt like this is a good continuation from happy ever
after because I'm not bored and happily ever after, but I've
just seen it plenty of times. Are you I'll?
No, I just want something different.
I know you. The lyric in the lyric in the
song has come back to me. It's something like live the
moment, love the memory. Yeah.

(01:05:36):
Or love the moment, live the memory one.
Yeah. Find it on YouTube really good.
It's one of those it's like choky, choky moments, yeah.
No, that's absolutely something I actually feel that that whole
sentiment of, of exactly that about looking after people and
and actually thinking more aboutpeople is it's such a beautiful

(01:05:58):
way and actually rounded off a whole year of, of podcasts.
And if you're listening to this for the first time and you've
joined us for the first time, wekeep talking about this.
Look after your cast members, look after your fellow guests
because it's it actually adds toyour experience rather than
turning up and being self entitled and stuff out and on.

(01:06:21):
I make no no excuse in calling people out for that because it's
horrible. But Andy, as a as an esteemed
member of the six 6 Castle club,it's been a delight.
Have you share so much and actually you're probably going
to cost a lot of people a lot ofmoney because you've actually
inspired you, but you're going to inspire so many of us to

(01:06:42):
actually explore and widen theirown holiday repertoire.
I really, I really feel that that's a massive part of what
we've what we've shared on this show.
So if people don't, and I don't know why they shouldn't because
actually I really enjoy your podcast.
So where can people catch up with you on your socials and on
your podcast? On the socials at Pod Magical

(01:07:06):
and the podcast is the most magical podcast on earth with
new episodes every other Friday with people sharing their
memories. Know all the trip reports are on
there as well from from when I got back after everyone.
And it's good because you end upcosting me money on that as
well. When you did, you did your show
with AJ from the Disney Food Blog.
And what what that was a cracking show.

(01:07:28):
What? What a conversation.
That was it really. She was, yeah, so surprising.
It's like, I know her voice, butI don't really know much about
this woman. But the fact that she went into
thousands of pounds worth of debt for her obsession of going
to Disney and then how she builtup her business because I didn't
even know she owned All Ears. You know, absolutely amazing.

(01:07:50):
Yeah. Fascinating.
That was a great episode. I loved that one.
Yeah, and yours, obviously. Oh yeah, but that goes that goes
around saying yeah, but. That was last.
That was last year though. Yeah, I need to come back on
again. Yeah, Disney, Disney without
kids is a completely different experience.
Yeah, but that that AJ one, if anyone the books available
around Amazon. I did check last night before we

(01:08:12):
record it. The book itself is is just a it
is is it Disney for adults and things that it really is a
fantastic it's a fabulous read. It really is.
And again, it possibly for all of us, it shows why we keep
going back and why there is thisinner magical feeling that you

(01:08:33):
get and some people just don't get it and people will never get
it. But when you get it, you end up
subscribing to the great BritishMickey waffle.
And we're at at GB Mickey Waffle.
Check out Andy's shows. And since this is the last
podcast we're doing for the year, kind of just wish everyone
who listens to this episode and has listened to us throughout

(01:08:56):
the the year, throughout the prewell, throughout the six years
we've been doing this. A very happy Christmas and we'll
send all of you our very best wishes for the new Year.
Andy, it's been an absolute delight having you back on the
show we need to get. Oh, it's been brilliant.
We need to get you. Back on more often because
actually you kept me, you kept me quiet for ages.

(01:09:16):
And that's, that's always, that's always, that's always a
good thing. It's always a good thing.
Anyway, until the next time. We'll see you soon.
Thank you very soon. Merry Christmas.
Now my. Wheels in motion.

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