Latest / Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel - A Theme Park Podcast / Every Walt Disney World Hotel, Ranked!

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Every Walt Disney World Hotel, Ranked! · Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel - A Theme Park Podcast

0:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, and welcome to very amusing.
0:14
[SPEAKER_00]: You're one stop shop for the story, secrets, and shenanigans of A Popcorn Viewers theme park journalist.
0:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Curthy Waisel, and unfortunately, I think collectively, we are at this moment attending a wake from my computer, because I, you know, listen, y'all know me pretty well at this point.
0:31
[SPEAKER_00]: You know I'm not like keeping a lot of spare room on my hard drive.
0:35
[SPEAKER_00]: You know that we are down to the wire and this thing be crashing all the time because it ran out of space, ran out of RAM, whatever it's called.
0:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to restart my computer before I record this.
0:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't even get Google drive to load.
0:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't get things to load.
0:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is it.
0:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is it for my computer.
0:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I'm going to have to clear off files, which is a whole thing.
0:52
[SPEAKER_00]: There's like, listen, like, cleaning out the closet in your house, you know what I'm going to clean out is one thing.
0:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Clean out a computer is so tricky because you can't actually see the stuff and they're like, what do I believe?
1:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Something like, where is this backed up?
1:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
1:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared for what's about to happen.
1:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared.
1:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I still, it's still just spinning wheel.
1:07
[SPEAKER_00]: spinning wheel, you know what?
1:09
[SPEAKER_00]: We had a good run, my laptop and I, and I have to, you know, annex my entire vacation to cleaning it off.
1:15
[SPEAKER_00]: That's probably how it's gonna go.
1:16
[SPEAKER_00]: By the time we're listening to this, I will be in New York.
1:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I leave, I'm recording this before I leave.
1:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, obviously, I usually like, huddle up in a little room, whenever we go back to visit Ben's family.
1:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just like sit in this room without air conditioning and record, and it's very, very hot.
1:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, this time I'm gonna be on top of it.
1:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna get stuff done in advance.
1:33
[SPEAKER_00]: That's exactly what we did.
1:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you believe it?
1:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I got things done and now I freed myself up to explore New York City while I'm there.
1:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I used to live there so it never really feels like a vacation destination, but there's a bunch of new stuff I want to check out.
1:44
[SPEAKER_00]: There's some stores I really want to check out.
1:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm attempting to do like real summer shopping.
1:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really have everyone at T-shirts.
1:51
[SPEAKER_00]: But I really have like, tops.
1:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, as an adult, I feel like I need some tops.
1:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like, not like a blouse because it's summer, but like, a little, an easy, breezy top.
1:59
[SPEAKER_00]: If I can get like two more of those packing for trips to Florida and trips for creases will be so easy.
2:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I also don't really have any summer skirts.
2:07
[SPEAKER_00]: So we have some tasks to do.
2:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm actually things I need.
2:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I do need new sneakers.
2:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I need sandals.
2:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have a heel sandal.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have a flat sandal that isn't really a broken stock.
2:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So we have some chores.
2:16
[SPEAKER_00]: We have some fun chores, though.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm really excited to do that in New York.
2:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited to have some good coffee.
2:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited to eat a jacksway freighto, which is the real only thing I have to do in New York.
2:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't get my fill of green sauce.
2:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I will be deeply upset.
2:29
[SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, I can't wait to go.
2:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be there.
2:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I already will have hopefully bought all the things I needed by the time I see you next.
2:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But this week we're not talking about my imminent.
2:39
[SPEAKER_00]: There's like a bit of a family reunion situation happening.
2:41
[SPEAKER_00]: It's for someone in Ben's family.
2:43
[SPEAKER_00]: It's his birthday.
2:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know why I said someone in his family.
2:45
[SPEAKER_00]: It's his dad.
2:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I can admit that publicly.
2:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Them's dad has a birthday.
2:48
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like a big birthday everyone's coming together.
2:50
[SPEAKER_00]: It should be a blast.
2:51
[SPEAKER_00]: But we are talking about something theme park centric this week.
2:54
[SPEAKER_00]: We are talking about all of the hotels at Disney World ranked.
2:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is chaotic.
2:58
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a wild episode, but you know what?
3:01
[SPEAKER_00]: My model these days is if it's not fun, why do it?
3:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And this one real fun, so we have to do it.
3:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Stick around.
3:08
[SPEAKER_00]: We will be back with
3:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Some words on every hotel that you will probably hold against me either you will cheer along in your car in your home or you'll be screaming at me either way we're gonna have a good time.
3:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Stick around we will be right back with more.
3:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back.
3:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this week, we are ranking all of the Walt Disney World resort hotels.
3:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to tell you straight from the jump.
3:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone's going to be mad at me.
3:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Somewhere is going to be very upset with me.
3:54
[SPEAKER_00]: The troves hotling is going to get an I rate call at some point after this podcast drops.
3:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just, it's kind of the way it goes.
4:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, it's just kind of the way it is.
4:03
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to get chaotic on this episode.
4:06
[SPEAKER_00]: because frankly, we were supposed to have a different episode this week.
4:08
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a different one that I completely worked on, spent two days on it, outlined it, planned it was ready to go.
4:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the night before I was recording it, I was like, this idea randomly popped in my head and I was like, you know what?
4:21
[SPEAKER_00]: That's fun and I want to do it.
4:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to have fun.
4:24
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been doing a lot of guide episodes, a lot of knowledge based episodes, a lot of like not an educational but explaining a lot about Disney Cruise Line, explaining a lot about epic universe.
4:32
[SPEAKER_00]: We haven't really just had fun and fun with the concept and this one popped in the old brain and I just couldn't get it out of there and it just came out of me.
4:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Like truly just improv to this episode came together quickly because
4:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I was very passionate about it and it was the main thing my brain was the main thing I wanted to do.
4:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Now before we get into the ranking and some of you being upset with me and some of you hopefully agreeing, I just want to let you know.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: We were dealing with main hotels.
4:56
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not really factoring in a lot of DVC stuff.
4:59
[SPEAKER_00]: So for example, for talking about Disney's contemporary resort, we're not really going to talk about Bay Lake Tower.
5:04
[SPEAKER_00]: We're kind of focusing on the core hotel identities.
5:08
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just, that's, this is how it's gonna go.
5:10
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna be fine.
5:11
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna be fine.
5:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of times I do believe that every hotel is right for a certain kind of trip.
5:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So even if a hotel you like is ranked towards the bottom, just keep in mind, it's just, this is generalizations, this generalizations.
5:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So for you, like if you have a very something centric trip, I don't want to spoil what list lies ahead, something might be a better fit for you than others.
5:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Just to be frank with you, I just wanna be real honest about a bunch of hotels.
5:36
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode is brought to you by me buying a cappuccino and as I paid going, you know what I'm actually gonna finish this in two seconds that I wanna coffee with my breakfast.
5:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I will also get a coffee.
5:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I walk to a table and breakfast this morning with my friend Julie holding a cappuccino and a coffee.
5:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're just gonna take that energy and put it right into this ranking, starting with number twenty one, Sarah Toga Springs.
5:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh yeah, I'm shoving Sarah Toga Springs to the bottom.
6:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, the tree houses are chill.
6:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that is where I spent my very first Disney World trip.
6:06
[SPEAKER_00]: If I did not experience the Saratoga Springs tree houses, we would not be here doing this podcast.
6:11
[SPEAKER_00]: You would not be listening to me speak.
6:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I would be off doing honestly Lord knows what I have absolutely no idea.
6:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But at the end of the day, I hate the theme.
6:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I hate it.
6:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that check-in lobby just gives me a little, gives me a bad vibe.
6:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like the hair stands up on the back of my neck whenever I walk in there.
6:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're close to Disney Springs, which is like cool, but like, that's it.
6:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, if the main appeal is that you're close to Disney Springs, there's about seven to nine hotels down the block that'll do the same thing and a much lower price.
6:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I feel like there are a couple cool things here, they're not a cool enough to make this resort be boosted anywhere beyond the bottom of the list.
6:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Because think about it.
6:50
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no restaurant that's specifically bringing in people here, like no one's writing home about the food.
6:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The feeling isn't even really carried through all the way.
6:57
[SPEAKER_00]: It's supposed to be themed to like horse riding and Sarah took a springs and like, you can't even ride a horse here.
7:03
[SPEAKER_00]: The same to horse riding, shouldn't we have horses?
7:05
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not like they can't do it.
7:06
[SPEAKER_00]: There's horses at other hotels.
7:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I just feel like it's light on seeming.
7:09
[SPEAKER_00]: It's light on excitement and it doesn't do it for me.
7:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Bringing us to number twenty, pork or leans riverside.
7:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And while this hotel is quite charming, I will give it that.
7:21
[SPEAKER_00]: In twenty twenty five, essentially staying in a hotel that looks like a plantation house gives me pots.
7:27
[SPEAKER_00]: They call the mansions.
7:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I don't want to get a call about this.
7:30
[SPEAKER_00]: They call them mansions on the website.
7:33
[SPEAKER_00]: But I gotta be real with you, a new Orleans themed hotel.
7:37
[SPEAKER_00]: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's architecture might be loosely inspired by the slave owner homes in that region.
7:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just think, it just gives me a little pause about staying here.
7:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And given, I have my issues with an internal bus system.
7:51
[SPEAKER_00]: If I did this list of year ago, I probably would have put every internal bus system all the way at the bottom, because I once came here, I once did here, and I could not find my room.
7:59
[SPEAKER_00]: To the point where I was walking in circles, I cast member who I saw cast members, like a living soul and was like, please help me.
8:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And they had to walk me to my room because it was so confusing.
8:08
[SPEAKER_00]: They were even giggling about how confusing it was.
8:10
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's not why it's in spot twenty.
8:13
[SPEAKER_00]: It's in spot twenty because the buildings are designed after gigantic mansions and are huge.
8:18
[SPEAKER_00]: The waterfront is lovely.
8:20
[SPEAKER_00]: There are carriage rides.
8:21
[SPEAKER_00]: There's plenty to love about this resort.
8:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Even those royal guest rooms are a very cool offering the themed ones.
8:27
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel weird booking here because of it.
8:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know what, someone's gotta be ranked towards the bottom.
8:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And the hotel that questionably might have wink, wink, plantation-esque feeling is gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, I'm gonna go straight to the bottom.
8:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Number nineteen goes to all star sports straight up.
8:48
[SPEAKER_00]: There are three of these.
8:49
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a little hard to rank them individually, but the other two arguably have way better themes.
8:54
[SPEAKER_00]: When it comes down to it, if I'm staying all stars at a value resort at Disney World, I would rather look at a big jukebox than a big baseball.
9:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it first on the bus route?
9:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but the feeling is not for me.
9:06
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not my favorite.
9:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Like IPless sports.
9:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Sports with like no real Disney tie to it just isn't cutting it for me in this modern age.
9:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Bringing us to number eighteen.
9:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Disney's Boardwalk Inn.
9:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Surprise!
9:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I told you we were gonna be chaotic, and I am following through on that vision.
9:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, this has always been a resort that I loved, that I love spending time at, that I'm kind of like, cosmicly drawn to.
9:33
[SPEAKER_00]: But honestly, they have peeled back so much of the retro charm that made this place special, that really fed its identity, that it is a shell of its former self.
9:43
[SPEAKER_00]: When they were moved to that creepy clown slide and we had to watch that thing be dismantled and put in a truck on social media, this thing slipped all the way down for me.
9:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they updated the pool to be like, oh, it's like a Mickey Mouse esque facade.
9:58
[SPEAKER_00]: They removed all
9:58
[SPEAKER_00]: the charm from Bellevue lounge.
10:00
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the coolest furniture.
10:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a wicker couch that had cup holders in it.
10:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I've had some of the best nights of my life at Disney World at that bar in this hotel.
10:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is gone.
10:09
[SPEAKER_00]: It's now just looks like it looks a little way fair.
10:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry the furniture looks a little way fair.
10:13
[SPEAKER_00]: It just doesn't really fit the vibe.
10:15
[SPEAKER_00]: The nanny chairs are truly their saving grace.
10:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And if those ever go, it's game over.
10:20
[SPEAKER_00]: But they have this great theme and this great attached area.
10:23
[SPEAKER_00]: The boardwalk is a fantastic place to visit.
10:26
[SPEAKER_00]: But there is something happening here where the new iteration of this boardwalk theme is battling the old one.
10:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's causing a lot of experiential tension.
10:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, they did redesign the rooms recently, which I will not ding them on.
10:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I get that, and I think the upgrades are great.
10:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they needed it.
10:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I won't stay in the room, and was like, I feel like I'm in someone's grandma's house, and you don't want that for a Deluxe resource.
10:49
[SPEAKER_00]: So I am in support of that, and I do think that they have improved the rooms.
10:52
[SPEAKER_00]: But what are we doing here, really?
10:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, the hotel just seems like it's kind of stuck in this weird in between, where they want to modernize, and they want to make it a little fancy, a little glitzier, but it's really not driving with the theme.
11:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, to carousel coffee, for example, that new coffee shop that they added into the side of the lobby at the boardwalk.
11:11
[SPEAKER_00]: It should be camp.
11:12
[SPEAKER_00]: It should be like souvenirs everywhere.
11:14
[SPEAKER_00]: There's even an elegant way to make it feel upscale while also having maybe a bunch of antique beach souvenirs.
11:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Just having a lot of stuff, they could have really propped it out.
11:23
[SPEAKER_00]: They could have made it fun.
11:24
[SPEAKER_00]: But instead, it's just giving Marriott coffee shop.
11:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry, it is.
11:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And if anybody gets mad at me for that, you don't wanna see this stuff they said online when this place debuted because calling it a Marriott is a much kinder version of what I saw on Twitter that day.
11:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's just say that a lot of people are comparing this coffee shop to a medical center.
11:43
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all I'm gonna say.
11:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And while there are fantastic things at Disney's boardwalk, I mean, cake big shop, which will soon be a favorite when I revisit it after speaking with Ashley, from our Ashley Exciting episode, if you haven't listened.
11:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Abracadabra is cool.
11:57
[SPEAKER_00]: The Delhi Loki has really good food options.
12:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It just feels kind of topsy turvy.
12:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Like this one tells us supposed to be evoking the charm and whimsy of turn of the century Atlantic cities.
12:08
[SPEAKER_00]: That's literally what the description says on the website.
12:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's not what you're getting when you visit here right now.
12:15
[SPEAKER_00]: The identity I believe is in crisis.
12:18
[SPEAKER_00]: It really doesn't hit the same way it used to.
12:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that you can feel that when you're there.
12:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm happy that I think it's neighboring hotels, rain supreme.
12:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is why they will be ranked higher than this one.
12:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So a number, eighteen.
12:31
[SPEAKER_00]: boardwalk in.
12:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I wish they would really take that feeling in that charm and just blow it up.
12:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Like can you imagine if they had like a taffy pole that they introduced to one of the dining areas that like you get fresh taffy like if they just double down in a classy elegant way it is doable and yet and yet and yet I just think the way the theme is being executed is not my favorite at the moment.
12:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Sitting in Spock Seventeen is all star movies.
12:58
[SPEAKER_00]: The theme here is quite terrifying at night, and we got to respect them for that.
13:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Those Fantasia brooms?
13:04
[SPEAKER_00]: They're too big.
13:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna say it.
13:06
[SPEAKER_00]: They're too big.
13:07
[SPEAKER_00]: They scared me.
13:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I looked up a photo with them before I did this episode to be like, they're that big, right?
13:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I'm not exaggerating the way they loom in the back of my brain like a nightmare.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: That's accurate.
13:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, they sure are.
13:17
[SPEAKER_00]: They're real big.
13:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I don't often stay at all stars,
13:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I will admit I need to start staying there again.
13:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I need to check back in, I need to experience it once again.
13:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And I need to stay at all stars more because the value there is just so huge compared to other Disney hotels.
13:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're going to take a bus to a theme park anyway, kind of what's the difference?
13:38
[SPEAKER_00]: A friend of mine recently opened my eyes by saying, you know Disney's redesigned basically all the rooms anyway.
13:44
[SPEAKER_00]: There's not much difference between them.
13:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just what's outside the room.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was right, like he fully changed my perspective on Disney hotels outside of this like three strata of moderate deluxe and value.
13:57
[SPEAKER_00]: But the reason I rank all stars this low is because honestly, I don't want to be where the sports teams are.
14:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to be where a group of young people is.
14:07
[SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
14:08
[SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
14:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm an adult woman and I'm scared of teens.
14:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared of youths.
14:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared of people practicing outside the hotel all night because I am old and I need my sleep and it's just not for me any longer.
14:18
[SPEAKER_00]: And because they tend to migrate there, it's gonna be lower on the list.
14:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So number seventeen is all star movies and number sixteen all star music.
14:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're staying here for now, but could they move higher after I stay there again and revisit it?
14:33
[SPEAKER_00]: They sure could.
14:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Because again, I'm kind of being catty here.
14:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, frankly, again, the room is all kind of the same design.
14:40
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the difference?
14:41
[SPEAKER_00]: As for music being higher than all star movies?
14:44
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, if you're going to stay at one of the three, you may as well do the one that feels like the interior design vibe of writing Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Remind and getting Konga.
14:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that's what this is.
14:54
[SPEAKER_00]: If you don't walk in this hotel and immediately, if you don't hear that immediately in your head when you walk in, you're not doing it, right?
15:01
[SPEAKER_00]: On top of that, they've got a pool with three, how about your own spritzing water?
15:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, they just have a little more whimsy here.
15:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, big old jukebox, big old jukebox.
15:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that.
15:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I keep saying, I will say here, I'm going to vow, then in twenty twenty six, I'm locking it in.
15:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to stay in all stars so I can reevaluate and re-ring to really see what it's like because it's been a minute since I've said there's been a few years.
15:25
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a few years.
15:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you think about it like budget wise hotel wise, you can stay here, have like a true Disney vacation, a great experience, but also the amount of money you've saved between staying here and staying in a moderate could be the difference between staying here and falling out with lightning lanes.
15:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And maybe doing a dining reservation you wanted to do.
15:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you've put those side by side, especially with the roomy designs, it makes sense to stay here.
15:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I may re-rank these in real time in like six months, but keep it my for now, for now they stay.
15:54
[SPEAKER_00]: For now they stay down here.
15:55
[SPEAKER_00]: It could change the future for now they stay there.
15:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I'm scared of you.
15:58
[SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
15:59
[SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
16:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared of walking out of my room, and it's just a bunch of people going to a competition that terrifies me.
16:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's where it is.
16:06
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where I land.
16:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And also like, okay, we're getting real with it.
16:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Later on, we're gonna talk about some hotels that are have big decor, because these ones have big old decor.
16:15
[SPEAKER_00]: But their big decor is IP based, and here it's not, and sometimes that's good, and sometimes that's bad.
16:19
[SPEAKER_00]: But if there's big decor, and I'm at Disney, and I'm paying to be on property, I want Disney.
16:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And the size is Disney, and like, the feeling is a little like slightly retro Disney world, but it doesn't give me Disney.
16:30
[SPEAKER_00]: It just gives me big, and I think I need a little more Disney for these very higher.
16:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Number fifteen, Port Orleans French Quarter, where I'm about to undo everything I just said.
16:40
[SPEAKER_00]: This originally was below all stars, because I didn't want this to be like, I didn't want to be like value and moderate to the back, deluxe up front, and this is a moderate, but I really think I would rather stay here than those.
16:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Port Orleans French Quarter pulls through above, because the seeming is tied to a real-world destination, but they pull it off in a very fantastic Disney way.
17:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It like evokes the charm of New Orleans without being debatably problematic, like aforementioned hotels.
17:10
[SPEAKER_00]: But I also feel like it's the only moderate.
17:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's the only moderate who's widespread building layout.
17:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know the traditional layout of a moderate hotel at Disney World?
17:19
[SPEAKER_00]: It really lends itself to this theme, like what they did to the exterior of these buildings, but the colors, like the raw iron gates on the outside, they made it look like you're in New Orleans by not doing that much to change the exterior.
17:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that as like seeing Park design at its best, and it really, really resonates with me.
17:37
[SPEAKER_00]: It is, you know, priceier than in all starts, priceier than a value.
17:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But the quickster of his dining room is pretty cool.
17:44
[SPEAKER_00]: The pool is the slide and the pool is a serpent.
17:47
[SPEAKER_00]: That's pretty sick.
17:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think this hotel is rare and wouldn't happen again like this.
17:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And for that, it just, it just kind of gets an edge.
17:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It just kind of gets a little bit of an edge above the rest.
18:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Number fourteen, the cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness.
18:05
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not going to include tents because listen, if you're going to Disney world and you're staying in a tent, I don't know what I don't literally don't want to say to you, like, I can't even fathom, like you just sleep like in a tent and then you go to the park and you come back and sleep in a tent.
18:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Stop for me, stop the lifestyle for me.
18:19
[SPEAKER_00]: If you do that, I am impressed you are brave, but it's just simply not an option.
18:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean RV?
18:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll mess around with an RV, but a tent.
18:28
[SPEAKER_00]: We're focusing on the cabinets.
18:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, this is one of the rare hotels I have not stayed at.
18:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I have not stayed at Disney Fort Wilderness.
18:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I've spent plenty of time at this resort, but I have not slept here.
18:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason it's not like straight up to the top five for me, because it is home to whom do you do musical review?
18:47
[SPEAKER_00]: The greatest interceded or show in the entire world.
18:49
[SPEAKER_00]: But the reason it's kind of lower isn't because I haven't stayed here.
18:53
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just because Disney Fort Wilderness really lends itself to a non-standard Disney trip.
18:59
[SPEAKER_00]: It's sick.
19:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Like this is an awesome hotel, but it's not exactly the Disney World vacation we are used to at the moment.
19:06
[SPEAKER_00]: The dream of Disney World being a vacation kingdom is alive here.
19:10
[SPEAKER_00]: It is alive and well.
19:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're wanting Disney World, you're probably defaulting to being a little stressed about the parks like I am.
19:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, we gotta do this, we gotta fit this and we gotta go on this, right?
19:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I wanna do this, there's so many things I wanna do in the parks, parks, parks, parks, parks, parks, and to be that far away and removed, even just like design-wise.
19:26
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that you feel removed,
19:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Amplifies the park stress for me.
19:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I am desperate to stay here.
19:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I cannot wait to be in these cabins.
19:35
[SPEAKER_00]: What an incredible getaway.
19:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But the reason I kind of never end up booking here is because I want to save this for each show vacation and that just kind of hasn't happened.
19:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't rank it this high at fourteen because, again, the vibe is immaculate.
19:50
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a community field with the golf carts.
19:52
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that they celebrate holidays.
19:54
[SPEAKER_00]: There's parades.
19:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, there is a built-in community here and I love that.
19:58
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that there's a tradition among these people that these people, among people who stay here, who, like, you can't really get, like, there's no tradition at most of these other hotels.
20:08
[SPEAKER_00]: But here there is, and I think that's so special.
20:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want to see here, and I want to enjoy it, but I think the fact that I'm waiting for a trip where I'm not prioritizing the Disney world of it all does kind of ding it because it makes it other.
20:21
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes it a little separate from the rest of the hotels.
20:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we have thirteen hotels left to rank, and there are some surprises in here that might blow your socks off.
20:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So stick around, we have a few more sponsors, and we'll be back with our ranking of Walt Disney World hotels.
20:40
[UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
20:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back.
20:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And with thirteen hotels left on the list, I feel like now is a really good time to mention that years ago, when I was a contributing writer at travel leisure, I wrote a story ranking all of the rides that I believe was Disneyland or Magic Kingdom or Disney World, it was somewhere somewhere I ranked all of the rides for one of the theme park resorts.
21:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And I got dragged to the moon and back on the internet.
21:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And there is a little PTSD where I'm very worried about how some of y'all are going to react to some of these.
21:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're upset, it's okay.
21:22
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay.
21:23
[SPEAKER_00]: This is just one woman's ranking.
21:25
[SPEAKER_00]: But I just want to emphasize going into the next few that, again, this is just an arbitrary ranking.
21:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Please don't dislike me.
21:32
[SPEAKER_00]: There's one that I'm very, very scared that people are going to come from before.
21:35
[SPEAKER_00]: At number thirteen, which I don't think anyone's going to be upset about, is art of animation.
21:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's a deal.
21:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Cool rooms.
21:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Cool pool.
21:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But straight up, these rooms could be themed more.
21:46
[SPEAKER_00]: They could be themed more.
21:47
[SPEAKER_00]: The feeling is very vinyl.
21:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
21:50
[SPEAKER_00]: The feeling is very surface.
21:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I want props.
21:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I want objects.
21:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to feel like I'm in a three D version of this environment.
21:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Not one that's kind of flat and on the wall and on the tables.
22:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why I'm not desperate to bring my car's loving kid here because the rooms aren't really what I want them to be.
22:07
[SPEAKER_00]: The room decor feels a little like it's kind of giving themed daycare.
22:13
[SPEAKER_00]: they do have the largest pool on property.
22:15
[SPEAKER_00]: It's basically Disney's evermore.
22:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, if you are not being targeted by evermore all over social media, we have a very different feed because people in LA, many people I know in LA have sought me out to be like, what's the deal with that hotel with the big old pool and something about evermore is like seeping into non Disney internet.
22:32
[SPEAKER_00]: It's wild.
22:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, that is separate from art of animation.
22:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Art of animation has that big pool.
22:36
[SPEAKER_00]: They have landscape of flavors.
22:38
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a tiny version of cars land, which is so cool.
22:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But really,
22:43
[SPEAKER_00]: They have the skyliner.
22:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So the fact that you can actually live among the characters and streaming in a way bigger than the All Stars, bigger than similar themed resorts, while also conveniently accessing Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios is not lost on me and really gives our animation the boost it wouldn't have without.
23:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I feel like
23:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So many hotels have leaned away from theme.
23:05
[SPEAKER_00]: The leaned away from theme in a big way.
23:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And here it's like, honey, you want Disney characters?
23:10
[SPEAKER_00]: You gotta get Disney characters.
23:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And I love that there's one hotel where all of that is happening.
23:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if the price is admittedly higher than it should be.
23:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, this is kind of like a bus biased ranking, but I'm moved by a skyliner.
23:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm moved by a character.
23:26
[SPEAKER_00]: If we're a Disney, we're doing Disney.
23:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just think that this should sit in this position.
23:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Number twelve?
23:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Wilderness Lodge.
23:33
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to feel like you're on an outdoorsy trip without going anywhere or doing anything.
23:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Wilderness Lodge.
23:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm placing it a little lower than I originally thought I would at twelve because I think Wilderness Lodge lives in this liminal space where as a deluxe it has a lot of what you're looking for but locationally you're like you're so close to the magic kingdom but you can't access the monorail.
23:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You're so close.
23:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And paying Deluxe prices while knowing there's three hotels that are closer than you, it does kinda ding it.
24:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I love taking a boat to Magic Kingdom.
24:07
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's wonderful.
24:08
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're like me and you go to AppCon on every trip, staying here doesn't make you feel a little removed from the AppCon of it all.
24:14
[SPEAKER_00]: But that aside, what a vibe.
24:16
[SPEAKER_00]: What a vibe.
24:18
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a perfect holiday hotel, a perfect winter time hotel.
24:22
[SPEAKER_00]: They have fantastic themed spaces and rooms.
24:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know a lot of these rankings are kind of transportationally bias, but that's how I feel.
24:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you hate the ranking, if you're mad, the wilderness logic is at twelve.
24:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Just know this.
24:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I booked a room here with my travel agent recently for one night because I'm like, if I'm there for one night, this is the vibe I want.
24:43
[SPEAKER_00]: The plan is that I'm going to stay at Wilderness all day and then when the sun sets, I'm going to take a boat to Magic Kingdom and see the new nighttime parade.
24:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And this was the best hotel to do that at.
24:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Like this was the perfect hotel for that trip.
24:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, my room is three hundred and forty dollars on a Saturday night.
25:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Three hundred and forty dollars in Boulder dislodged on a Saturday night.
25:03
[SPEAKER_00]: All I'm saying, Nelson and travel.
25:04
[SPEAKER_00]: That comes out of using.
25:05
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to find surprises, not I'm not saying it's like over hype and to sell you.
25:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm saying that because I've never seen a room here that cheap on a Saturday night.
25:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And we got to be snatched up the deals when we see them.
25:16
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a reason we'll dress lodges at twelve and not higher.
25:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean lower, not lower, not closer to the top.
25:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And you will see why in a couple of moments.
25:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I had number eleven.
25:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm given it to pop century.
25:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason pop centuries at eleven is because my friend Brandon loves it here.
25:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let me explain.
25:34
[SPEAKER_00]: My friend Brandon, you might know him as Nae Nae or with Nae Nae on social media, Brandon co-hosts some episodes of Alicia Stella's podcast, but straight up, Brandon has impeccable taste.
25:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I would follow Brandon to the end of the earth and Brandon only stays at pop century.
25:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Brandon and I went to Muppet Prom together and we stayed at different hotels because once again Brandon only stays at pop century.
25:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is someone who loves the Disney brand.
26:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Revears it.
26:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Stay through all the time.
26:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Travels constantly is always at the parks.
26:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm recording this the day before I go to Disneyland with Brandon.
26:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And if Brandon thinks pop centuries the best hotel at Disney World, that is all I need to hear.
26:13
[SPEAKER_00]: This place would probably be at the bottom of the list if it wasn't for him.
26:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Something about like, I don't know, like, I was on the website because I was like, okay, maybe just refresh my memory.
26:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe Brandon knows something I don't, maybe I can see it on the website.
26:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And they literally say like, oh, there's a playground.
26:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Children can climb, slide and play at the fun player.
26:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You're located in the Seventy section.
26:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the theme here is time.
26:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Is this a museum?
26:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, it's just very strange to me.
26:38
[SPEAKER_00]: But something about the everything pop branding really does do it for me.
26:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the icon when you think of the hotel you think of that icon at it.
26:45
[SPEAKER_00]: really does it for me.
26:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, Brandon hasn't packable taste.
26:48
[SPEAKER_00]: If he likes it, he's on to something.
26:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And he has emphasized to me that like, pop century has a feel, has a vibe, and you can take the skyliner to two of the parks, like the scenery extends to the food I get in.
27:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I need to stay again.
27:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a hot minute, but pop century, I honestly, I think Brandon's on to something.
27:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're looking for something that isn't like a fire and moderate or a deluxe, consider pop century and tell them Brandon said you.
27:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Number ten, Old Key West.
27:17
[SPEAKER_00]: There is something in the air here.
27:19
[SPEAKER_00]: There's something in the air because Old Key West is different from any other hotel.
27:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And if I had to boil it down, I would say it's the calm of Fort Wilderness while still feeling like you are a part of Walt Disney World and not off in the woods.
27:34
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason this ranks higher than some other ones, because this isn't entirely DBC hotel.
27:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I says one that if you're coming on a casual trip, your first trip, you're probably not gonna end up here.
27:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But everyone here is calm, because everyone, for the most part, is a DBC person.
27:49
[SPEAKER_00]: They've been to Disney World before.
27:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to come here again.
27:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And it opened my eyes when I stayed there for the first time, like a year and a half ago, I think it was at this point.
27:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, oh, a breath of fresh air while still being in the magic.
28:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And I ring this so high, and number ten, because it also has iconic food you can't find anywhere else.
28:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Food worth seeking out, like, conquerors, and Keline Dolwip.
28:12
[SPEAKER_00]: There's just really cool stuff here, and a really cool vacation feel, while also being so Disney.
28:20
[SPEAKER_00]: If you stay here, I recommend renting a car, chilling out, enjoying the vacation, taking the boat to Disney Springs, but also really getting into it at the parks.
28:50
[SPEAKER_00]: go to options.
28:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Number nine, Disney's Riviera Resort.
28:55
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I loved my stay here, I know nine might surprise you.
28:59
[SPEAKER_00]: We did an episode back in February when I went.
29:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I had lovely things to say about it.
29:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It's great.
29:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I had, I encountered some of the best cast members I've ever seen.
29:07
[SPEAKER_00]: It's got undeniable curb appeal with an entrance fountain.
29:10
[SPEAKER_00]: The quick service dining is adorable because a little coffee shop.
29:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They got those special little chicken tendies by the pool.
29:16
[SPEAKER_00]: They also have the best kids water play area I've seen in a while, but even with that and that and that and that and that even with the skyline or even with the elegance of staying there, something is holding me back from loving it here.
29:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And I had a wonderful trip when I was there, but I still think the layout of this hotel is Google Looney, and it unsettles me a bit.
29:35
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that you walk in and there's, I've talked about this and I've talked about this lobby so many times, I'm very amusing.
29:40
[SPEAKER_00]: But you walk in the lobby and then it's like, oh, you gotta go down and then there's that big lawn and there's the pool to the side and it's just, there's no way finding happening here.
29:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I find it very confusing and something about that just doesn't, when I walk into a Disney hotel, especially for ranking them against each other, I want to feel like, oh, I'm a Disney.
29:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And I walk in and I'm like, I'm confused.
30:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And I do think that resonates.
30:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a wonderful hotel, but when you compare all of them across the board, the pricing is really high.
30:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And it is a tower, which I usually love, but here the rooms are small, they're quite small.
30:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think there's just a lot of things that make me want to rank other places higher.
30:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Number eight.
30:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm scared for this one.
30:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Just hear me out before you cancel me, okay?
30:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Just give me a second.
30:30
[SPEAKER_00]: When I was outlining this, I was like, it was not gonna be good.
30:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not gonna wanna say this, no, no, I wanna say it.
30:34
[SPEAKER_00]: But number eight is Polynesian Village Resort.
30:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, I know it's a hot take.
30:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Please do not come from me until you hear my perspective.
30:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we are not including the new tower.
30:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I am in state area.
30:45
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of people have never seen it.
30:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It's quite new.
30:47
[SPEAKER_00]: We're focusing on the core Polynesian Village Resort Hotel.
30:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah.
30:53
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a great theme to tell.
30:54
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a lot to love here.
30:56
[SPEAKER_00]: But the truth is, at the end of the day, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is like New York City.
31:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an incredible place to visit, but not a good place to stay long term.
31:08
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got a chaotic monorail situation, like truly chaotic.
31:13
[SPEAKER_00]: You are just to the right of the transportation ticket center.
31:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to go to Epcot, if you don't want to walk over there, you got to do the whole loop, which is honestly not convenient because you have to change monorails to go to Epcot.
31:24
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're on the monorail, but it doesn't have for the same type of monorail benefits in my opinion.
31:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And also,
31:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Polynesian Village Resort, incredible place to dine to walk around to spend time in.
31:34
[SPEAKER_00]: You can sit on the beach and watch fireworks.
31:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't stop you from doing that.
31:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Even the DVC tower, they're letting people just park and visit now later in the day like they have opened it up and they're encouraging you to visit.
31:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like you can squeeze a lot of juice out of the Polynesian Village experience.
31:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Squeeze a lot of the pineapple, a lot of the dull web juice, the dull web float.
31:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I can squeeze a lot of the juice out just by coming here for a few hours just by spending the day.
31:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think because it is a priceier hotel, it is one of the top price to Deluxe hotels, I do think that you can have a lot of fun here without having to stay.
32:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of times, like a lot of people there aren't staying at the hotel.
32:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And if I'm in a hotel, I do want a little feel like, oh, like I'm away.
32:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And here, this is really even more
32:15
[SPEAKER_00]: than like Grand Floridian, even more than contemporary.
32:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like a lot of people are just here to visit the hotel.
32:21
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a chaotic lobby.
32:23
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a lot going on.
32:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And for me, I'm taking points away because of it.
32:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, a great place to visit, but I prefer visiting here versus staying here.
32:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I have not stayed here yet, and there's a reason.
32:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It's that I'm always like, well, kind of getting a lot out of just visiting.
32:39
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the point?
32:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you stay here, you don't have extra access into Trader Sam's.
32:43
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have any, like, additional benefit to stay here to enjoy the things on property.
32:47
[SPEAKER_00]: You can sit on the beach and watch the fireworks with anybody else who shows up and sits on the beach and watches the fireworks.
32:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that there's something there.
32:54
[SPEAKER_00]: There needs to be, you do get the access to the pool.
32:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The pool is great.
32:57
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do think
32:58
[SPEAKER_00]: you should have a little more exclusivity if you stay there.
32:59
[SPEAKER_00]: You should have a little bit of a bump to get straighter sands.
33:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And because none of that exists, kind of what's the point?
33:05
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the point of staying here instead of just coming here after Magic Kingdom or walking over from another hotel and enjoying yourself and then moving on with your day?
33:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, again, hot take, but you see what I'm saying, right?
33:15
[SPEAKER_00]: You see the picture I'm painting.
33:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Number seven, Caribbean Beach.
33:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I never thought I would rank this hotel this high, but Caribbean Beach being a moderate hotel with so many rooms, so much inventory, and being at the Skyliner hub is huge.
33:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It is huge, because even if you stay somewhere like Riviera, which is quite pricey, you have to transfer to go to Hollywood Studios.
33:38
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to get on the Skyliner and then immediately get off and board another Skyliner.
33:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Here, you can head straight to EpCon, you can head straight to Hollywood Studios without having to switch tracks.
33:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's the only hotel that offers that directly.
33:53
[SPEAKER_00]: They used to be a non-negotiable for me because of their internal bus system.
33:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a gigantic resort.
33:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I found the bus is to be very upsetting because you're on the bus for a long time to travel around this big hotel.
34:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But the fact that you can get to two parks so quickly, more than it other hotels, they're getting the number seven ranking.
34:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And I usually wouldn't do that again.
34:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Transportation is playing in here huge.
34:15
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think if you are looking for something that is not a deluxe hotel, you were looking for a moderate, you were looking for something at like a more medium to lower price point, Caribbean Beach offers so much for being that.
34:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, the feeling is vacation.
34:27
[SPEAKER_00]: The feeling is very relaxing.
34:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I was walking through back from there to Riviera on my last trip there.
34:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, wait.
34:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, for someone who craves relaxation because I never get it now that I've a child, it's beach themed, like it's basically vacation themed vacation.
34:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think I give that enough credit.
34:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't sleeping on Caribbean Beach for so long, and I need to not.
34:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just, I want to boost it up because of that.
34:51
[SPEAKER_00]: in spots six and five hand in hand, tandem, or Disney's beach and yacht club.
34:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't make me break them apart.
34:57
[SPEAKER_00]: They are basically twins that reside in homes next door to each other.
35:01
[SPEAKER_00]: They are sisters.
35:02
[SPEAKER_00]: They are brethren, and I do not want to split them up.
35:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I love and do not like the fact that they have such a small footprint.
35:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's fantastic that you feel like you're in this kind of like, I don't know, like a very local, small hotel when you're there, but then also when I'm there, I'm like a little itching for the big lobby and the big fancy of it all.
35:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Their pool is wonderful and really just solidifies how good beach and yacht is because again, that is a huge attraction that is exclusive to these two hotels.
35:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that Disney hotels could use a little more exclusivity for some of their special special things like I mentioned with Disney's Polynesian Village resort.
35:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I will be staying here on an upcoming trip.
35:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm quite excited because it's an epic centric trip so I get to walk right in.
35:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just think being able to walk right into the park is something that is a high selling point.
35:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And while boardwalk does allow you do that too, these are ranked way high above boardwalk.
35:55
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just wouldn't much rather stay here than boardwalk at this point.
35:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I would.
35:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I would.
35:59
[SPEAKER_00]: They're quaint.
35:59
[SPEAKER_00]: They're sweet.
36:00
[SPEAKER_00]: They're quiet.
36:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It's nice.
36:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You get to walk along the water.
36:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I just anytime I'm there, I feel
36:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, exhaling, it's just like, ah, and I don't feel that way about all Disney hotels.
36:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So beach and yacht, they take it.
36:14
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, party people, we've reached the top four.
36:17
[SPEAKER_00]: We've made it to the top four Disney World resort hotels.
36:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And at number four, we got Disney's contemporary resort.
36:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, there are some failures to this hotel that if they didn't exist, this would be number one hands down.
36:30
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact is, you're experiencing this hotel really matters on where you are staying, because they have a garden wing that is right there.
36:38
[SPEAKER_00]: It's next to the magic, but it's not quite the same.
36:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, they are one of the few major iconic deluxe hotels that has a boring pool.
36:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
36:49
[SPEAKER_00]: boring, why is the pool so boring?
36:52
[SPEAKER_00]: But for so many other reasons, the contemporaries iconic.
36:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the A-frame, with the monorail pulling through it, that is a true Disney moment.
37:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only are you walking distance to Magic Kingdom, monorail to Epcot, like Bing Bing, boom, you are right there.
37:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I've spent a lot of time in the past year, year and a half at this hotel.
37:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I've stayed here a lot lately, and I've just come to love little details of it more than ever.
37:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Because of course, like the Mary Blair, hands down, incredible.
37:19
[SPEAKER_00]: But also, the draw freeze down stairs.
37:22
[SPEAKER_00]: We can just get in line, get a coffee, and walk to Magic Kingdom.
37:24
[SPEAKER_00]: That is so nice.
37:26
[SPEAKER_00]: That weird tiny little escalator upstairs.
37:29
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so retro, just a little tiny escalator, even the one up to the Montreal.
37:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So tiny, so little.
37:36
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't catch me condemning this hotel, even if the character breakfast on site is essentially a pediatrician's waiting room.
37:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I've said it before.
37:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say it again.
37:45
[SPEAKER_00]: That is not a space I ever want to spend my free time in.
37:47
[SPEAKER_00]: But regardless, the contemporary resort just has like the last dream of real retro Disney, because they can update the rooms.
37:55
[SPEAKER_00]: They can add in incredible gaming, which by the way, I'm in support of.
37:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I do like the incredibles inside the contemporary.
38:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it fits.
38:02
[SPEAKER_00]: But they judged up the rooms and not the main building.
38:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And we really got a clap for that, because they could have made this, like they could have added incredible statues in the atrium.
38:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They could have done a lot more.
38:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And instead, all of the theming, all of the IP that they added, which a lot of people would be right about, is behind closed doors, essentially.
38:21
[SPEAKER_00]: The atrium, the lobby, it all still feels the same.
38:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And even the first floor entrance, like when you enter,
38:28
[SPEAKER_00]: through, like, you know, not in the A-frame, like, below.
38:31
[SPEAKER_00]: They re-did that and they re-did it to honor its mid-century architecture.
38:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just think it's perfect.
38:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's lovely.
38:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But because you can stay here and have a mid-experience by being outside the main building, I had to pump it down to four.
38:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And there are three other hotels that I think, just rank a little bit above this.
38:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And at number three, again, number four contemporary, I love contemporary too, but like, I don't like outer rim.
38:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't like some of the dining there.
38:56
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a little, there's some quarks, there's some quarks that just kind of hold it back.
38:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And the garden wing is so...
39:02
[SPEAKER_00]: so much worse than staying in the main building.
39:04
[SPEAKER_00]: The magic is the main building, and if you don't get that, it's kind of over.
39:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And number three, Coronado Springs.
39:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I know.
39:14
[SPEAKER_00]: But here's why.
39:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's why Coronado Springs ranks above Disney's contemporary resort.
39:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I personally believe that Coronado Springs with the grandestino tower, when that was added a couple of years ago, a couple, I think at this point, it's probably like eight times doesn't apply in my brain.
39:28
[SPEAKER_00]: But mixing Coronado Springs and that tower has made this resort kind of the best of both worlds.
39:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a moderate, but that tower being in a moderate just kind of raises the entire place up, even though the prices don't always reflect that it is a little higher and a little fancier and I think a little better than the other moderate hotels.
39:49
[SPEAKER_00]: It is making me somewhat sick to my stomach to rank Coronado Springs above Beach and Yacht Club, but really if you break it down, again, it's giving Deluxe in moderate price point.
40:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And just because a hotel is Deluxe does not mean it's the best.
40:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Coronado Springs in twenty twenty five really packs a lot of punch while also being in a very, very good price range.
40:11
[SPEAKER_00]: The internal bus is bad.
40:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I do not like it, but you know what?
40:15
[SPEAKER_00]: With that big old tower in the middle, you can
40:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Uber to every single park easily get picked up in the main tower, and still pay less than you would at a deluxe.
40:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You can still get a view of water.
40:27
[SPEAKER_00]: You can still attend Singapore University.
40:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, I think for the fact that it has a lot of the allure and a lot of the appeal of something like Disney's Riviera Resort, while sometimes being at half maybe even a third of the price point, it deserves to be ranked this high.
40:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, it has a tower.
40:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And a tower here, it's the only one at a moderate.
40:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Towers are usually associated with DVC and with Deluxe.
40:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And the fact that you, you have so much at your disposal across that gigantic, I mean, it's a big campus.
41:00
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of rooms, but they have themed pools.
41:02
[SPEAKER_00]: They have mues.
41:04
[SPEAKER_00]: They have
41:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, in upstairs rooftop bar, they have so much, and you don't have to play DVC or Deluxe level prices.
41:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Because of that, Coronado Springs is in the number three position.
41:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I don't think it's fair to rank like the top seven is all the deluxees, because that's not really the best.
41:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes, just because it's a deluxe, doesn't mean it's the best resort.
41:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think for a lot of vacations, Coronado Springs, especially grandest, you know, tower, if you stay there, you can get a lot of Deluxe level oomph out of a moderate level price.
41:30
[SPEAKER_00]: We have two hotels left, and if you are good at keeping a lot of thoughts in your head, you know which two we have left.
41:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And I am a little shocked to say, number two, Animal Kingdom Watch.
41:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I woke up today and I chose Chaos because I don't even really love it here.
41:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I felt bad ranking wilderness lodge solo because of that arrival moment.
41:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Like when you walk in that lobby, oh, you were in Disney, it is a dream.
41:52
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know what?
41:54
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a similar moment when you walk in here, an animal kingdom lodge, but there is often a cacophony of noise out of that whispering canyon cafe.
42:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And here, it's bliss.
42:04
[SPEAKER_00]: You walk in and you get that wow moment.
42:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And while it wilderness, which I'm comparing is they've those big tall lobbies.
42:10
[SPEAKER_00]: wilderness you walk outside like there's you know there's beautiful water you like over that little bridge in the lobby it's nice here you walk outside and there's freaking animals I just feel like we're not praising animal kingdom launch enough and there are flaws there are flaws don't get me wrong like have I once stayed in a room that had an ant infestation yeah but you know what to be one with nature well being completely indoors it's what I should expect I mean even if
42:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Every Bedframe I've ever seen in this hotel resort has been criminally dusty.
42:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like you look back there and you go, you kind of shudder.
42:45
[SPEAKER_00]: This hotel still deserves the number two ranking.
42:48
[SPEAKER_00]: There are animals here.
42:49
[SPEAKER_00]: There is unique food here.
42:51
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a good bar here.
42:52
[SPEAKER_00]: There is Sanaa, a few steps away.
42:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And there is so much that it's just so unique that you can't really find elsewhere at hotels at Walt Disney World.
43:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I know a lot of us have mixed feelings about animal kingdom lodge.
43:06
[SPEAKER_00]: It can often be a little cheaper than other deluxe level hotels.
43:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Possibly because of the size, possibly because people are looking for something that's close to parks, and I ranked out a highly you've heard from my many transportation rants on this episode alone.
43:18
[SPEAKER_00]: But animal kingdom lunch is not a normal hotel.
43:22
[SPEAKER_00]: We keep acting like this is a normal hotel.
43:24
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not normal.
43:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, yeah, you have to take a bus, but there's giraffes.
43:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to take a bus, but there's zebras.
43:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, there's animals.
43:32
[SPEAKER_00]: You walk outside, and there are animals.
43:34
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just is bananas.
43:36
[SPEAKER_00]: The art program here is wild.
43:38
[SPEAKER_00]: They just really
43:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Did something here.
43:41
[SPEAKER_00]: You are here for the views, for the ambience, for everything kind of like that you see inside and outside.
43:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And for that, I just have to stand and walking to the lodge forever.
43:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And even when I like sometimes I stay there and I'm like, oh, I'm staying in it.
43:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm walking to the lodge.
43:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna look at the bed.
43:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna be upset because there was like a thin layer.
43:59
[SPEAKER_00]: There's always like, I don't know, the rooms I've seen.
44:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I've just been like a little dusty, a little old.
44:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Need a little bit of refreshment.
44:06
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, the fact that you can look out your window and see a frigging giraffe.
44:12
[SPEAKER_00]: How am I going to say that most other hotel rooms are better than seeing a giraffe?
44:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Seeing a giraffe?
44:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the fact that it exists, crazy.
44:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Animal kingdom lunch forever, I stand.
44:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I know I don't like a bus, but I love an animal.
44:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I love an animal.
44:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I love like, especially walking around the hotel talking to some of the experts that they hire to just be on hand to answer questions.
44:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I once had, there was, you know, who tells I like the campfire moment.
44:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I once had a marshmallow while just staring at the Savannah.
44:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Where else?
44:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's many other places you can do that, but at a same point, and does he move?
44:45
[SPEAKER_00]: What?
44:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the number one position, the number I'm like, listen, listen, we're gonna go into it.
44:53
[SPEAKER_00]: In the number one position, his Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
44:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I was better than this.
45:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
45:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I sat down to do this episode.
45:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like number one.
45:05
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna be probably a random monitor.
45:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it'll even be contemporary.
45:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Who knows what future beholds us?
45:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And I sat down and outlined it.
45:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And my hands would not move a grand Floridian out of the first spot.
45:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I was better than this.
45:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I was different, but I am not.
45:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Because at the end of the day, if you're staying here, I'm jealous.
45:26
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're staying at Grand Floridian, I want to be you.
45:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be there.
45:29
[SPEAKER_00]: More than any other hotel.
45:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I kind of hate myself.
45:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I kind of hate myself for putting it first.
45:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I really do, but there's just, there is something so iconic, so deep in the chemistry of my body that loves Grand Floridian, that I can't shake it.
45:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've tried to think about this.
45:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I've tried to figure it out.
45:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's like, Grand Floridian is like, what?
45:52
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of us were raised on as the epitome of luxury.
45:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, we're a lot of those full house retro memories lie.
46:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And even though I don't love a lot of the changes they made here, I don't like the theming that they've been adding in.
46:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that they're taking away from the Victorian nature of it all, which is really what makes this place special.
46:10
[SPEAKER_00]: The bar in the lobby.
46:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm concerned.
46:13
[SPEAKER_00]: But, alas, when I
46:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Walk into this hotel, something changes in me.
46:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I have a lot of moments where I walk into hotels, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm a Disney World.
46:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm in this very special place.
46:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I'm
46:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just embedded in its nature.
46:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I can be so happy just walking in here, going to gasp rural island grill, getting some food sitting outside being at this hotel is what's most important.
46:59
[SPEAKER_00]: More than even Polynesian, more than wilderness, more than contemporary, more than anywhere else.
47:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Entering here and just existing in this special space resonates so deeply with me.
47:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Like on par, a little below, a little below, but up to the level of like getting the joy of walking into a theme park, I feel that nowhere else more than here.
47:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, this is the most cliché choice.
47:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Grants already.
47:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, wow.
47:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Blow me away, but like I just the Monrail stop here speaks to me more than contemporary even.
47:29
[SPEAKER_00]: You're walking distance.
47:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't like the path.
47:31
[SPEAKER_00]: You're in the blazing sun.
47:32
[SPEAKER_00]: You might melt, but you're walking distance to magic kingdom.
47:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It just feels so special.
47:36
[SPEAKER_00]: You can take a boat.
47:37
[SPEAKER_00]: You can walk around the wedding pavilion.
47:39
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so special.
47:40
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so historic and like even walking up that stairwell by the elevator to go to the second floor.
47:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So much of it just is in my bones.
47:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think it's so special and no amount of modern furniture they put in this place can take it away.
47:52
[SPEAKER_00]: There every time I walk in I do feel a little like oh my god remember the band.
47:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my god remember this or that and I feel a little like like unsettled like remember those Floridian pancakes that they had like they had like the little through the pancakes like the cranberries like the orange like I miss those there's so many things that I miss
48:09
[SPEAKER_00]: But nothing hits like the Grand Floridian.
48:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing hits like the Grand Floridian.
48:13
[SPEAKER_00]: It is inherently special no matter which way you slice and dice it.
48:17
[SPEAKER_00]: So Grand Floridian gets the number one position.
48:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you enjoyed this podcast.
48:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I say terrified.
48:26
[SPEAKER_00]: If you have anything you agree or disagree with, I open my doors to you.
48:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Have at it call me seven for seven euros.
48:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I would love to hear your feedback.
48:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I would love to see if people agree if any of their favorite resorts.
48:38
[SPEAKER_00]: ranked well, ranked poorly.
48:40
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are a serotonous springs, stand, call me.
48:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Please try to change my mind because that place, I would love to rank it higher, but I just can't.
48:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So just let me know what you think.
48:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you enjoyed and unfortunately, grand flirty and forever.
48:57
[SPEAKER_00]: How cliche am I?
48:58
[SPEAKER_00]: How basic, oh my god, embarrassing, but you know, you love what you love, and that's all you can say.
49:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, Carly.
49:22
[SPEAKER_01]: My name is Fred and I just got a super short fairly last minute Disney World trip for the first week of August.
49:28
[SPEAKER_01]: It's our first circuit in three years, and while we've been to Disney World a lot, we usually go between October and March, never in the summer.
49:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We live in Memphis, so we're no strangers to comeers in the south, but we're still a little intimidated by the idea of the same parks in this weather.
49:43
[SPEAKER_01]: As I'm talking up on sunscreen, UVM Bella's nightstands and packets of electrolytes, I was wondering, beyond the basic advice like, get free water from quick service restaurants or take midday breaks.
49:54
[SPEAKER_01]: What are your top tips, tricks, and recommendations for visiting the parks in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer?
50:00
[SPEAKER_01]: We're skipping math at Kingdom, but we'll be doing a day-eat at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
50:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Is that changing your advice at all?
50:07
[SPEAKER_01]: No kids, just two mid-Birdies at all.
50:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much.
50:11
[SPEAKER_00]: This call could not have come in a better time because I also just booked a super short last minute trip in August, which we'll be talking about in a few weeks, stay tuned.
50:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So I am essentially in lockstep with you, too, with your trip.
50:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I will be very real with you.
50:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Visiting Disney World in the summer used to be a hard no for me.
50:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I used to just refuse to do it in the summer heat, but the truth is, global warming has made everywhere hot.
50:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I go home to Chicago.
50:36
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna be hot, New York, hot, LA, hot, Florida, hot, and like, yeah, there's humidity in there's different versions of it, but like, it's gonna be hot everywhere.
50:44
[SPEAKER_00]: It's hot all the time, and there's always weather events occurring.
50:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I'm just kinda like, you know what, if I'm gonna be hot, I may as well be hot at a theme park.
50:53
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of the stuff you listed is great.
50:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that is great advice that is like the go-to hit list of stuff to do when it's hot in the theme park.
51:00
[SPEAKER_00]: But I, of course, overthink everything and so I have a few extra things on top of that.
51:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to share with you.
51:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think that you really got to kind of pick your poison when it comes to your go-to cooling object.
51:12
[SPEAKER_00]: There are, you know, cooling towels, fans, UV umbrellas.
51:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel like you need to pick one and just commit and get the best version possible.
51:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I do feel like we're all naturally drawn towards one category.
51:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I will never be a cooling towel person.
51:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I have brought them on no less than five theme park trips and I never use them because even if I am super, super hot, I don't want to be wet.
51:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's just, it doesn't.
51:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I know it's cool and I know it's not like a wet wet, but if I'm wearing a shirt, I don't want it.
51:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want it and I'm never, I need to stop pretending I'm a cooling towel person.
51:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I have decided I am a fan and a hat person.
51:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And the fans that go around your neck are pretty cool.
51:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I have one of those, and I have used it on some trips, but I also like shoving a fan right in my face if I have a free hand.
51:53
[SPEAKER_00]: That depends on, you know, if I'm on an adult trip or on a trip with a kid, like, I mean, they're holding in front of my, if I need my hands, I can't do that.
51:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you have your hands free, I would consider a UV umbrella.
52:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I have seen a lot more people in the States talking about it.
52:05
[SPEAKER_00]: My friend Chris from Tokyo Disney, resort explorer, TDR explorer, who will know, Chris swears by UV umbrella.
52:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of us have been swearing by the neck fan in a handheld fan, like a really good handheld fan.
52:17
[SPEAKER_00]: But the UV umbrella might be something you want to try and just carry around for if you're standing outside, especially in a queue.
52:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll just kind of make shade around you.
52:26
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want a hands-free moment, go fan, but like also consider like getting one of these that you haven't gotten before because it'll just give you, you know, more weapons in your arsenal to face the heat.
52:36
[SPEAKER_00]: When you are packing, pack extra clothes and underwear, you're not wearing anything twice, don't come to play.
52:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of times people tend to think like, yeah, it's hot out, but I'll be fine.
52:46
[SPEAKER_00]: One wear only period in the summer.
52:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I would also recommend scheduling table service lunch.
52:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I know like get out of the heat is a lot of things people.
52:54
[SPEAKER_00]: They're like, oh, go back to the hotel.
52:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Go to the pool.
52:56
[SPEAKER_00]: But truly sitting in corporate air conditioning, sitting in Disney parks air conditioning indoors and a restaurant for an hour and a half to two hours in the middle of the day is going to fully recalibrate you as the way it is like sit down, chug ice water.
53:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I would recommend in the heat and this is real granular, but I would recommend not
53:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Not choosing a restaurant like a character buffet or somewhere where you have to get up and get food, like the goal here is to like, like, to get all of your energy back to regain all of that energy that might have been sapped by the midday heat.
53:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So you just want to sit in chill, like I like to just sit, drink a nice water, have a diacoke, eat something with protein, eat some carbs, refuel, and then go back out in the heat to handle the day.
53:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, midday breaks is a concept.
53:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I wish I could do myself, but I can't.
53:43
[SPEAKER_00]: If I'm in a park, I'm like, I gotta see it.
53:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I gotta do it.
53:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I gotta do it all.
53:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So that really helps me enjoy the parks while also guaranteeing that I will be somewhere that has strong air conditioning.
53:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Now as a past holder, it is a little different from the format of your trip, but I have now learned the way of doing a chill day at the hotel with a park at night.
54:01
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're on a shorter trip and you want to jam it all in, that's obviously not going to work.
54:05
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you have flexibility, if you can make one of those days more of a evening at the parks, I do think that does help because then like the sun will set eventually and it'll still be hot, but you'll have enough energy to power through the evening.
54:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And also depending on where you stay, if it's at a deluxe, if it works out with like the deluxe evening hours, you can cram a lot of day in even if you start later.
54:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, to quote my friend and colleague, Brooke McDonald, it will rain.
54:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So as much as you are preparing for the heat, make sure you are also prepared for the rain.
54:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And my last bit of advice, again, because I overthink everything, but if you are kind of
54:41
[SPEAKER_00]: look organizing and planning to the level of knowing what rides you want to hit at each park definitely prioritize outdoor rides at the beginning of the day not only because pulling into the ride station with like the midday sun beating down on you is deeply unpleasant but because of rain rain can shut rain thunderstorms lightning like all this weather can shut down outdoor rides and I want to make sure that you prioritize the stuff that's important to you so you can definitely get on those outdoor rides in the morning since rain will probably happen later in the day
55:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you have a wonderful trip.
55:13
[SPEAKER_00]: If our trips overlap and you see me, please just run at me screaming so I can give you a hug, hello.
55:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You will see me.
55:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be hearing my one of my fans, one of my many fans in the hat.
55:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Also like hats are great, but they also make you warmer.
55:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know the technology.
55:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, listen.
55:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I just wear it because when your scalp burns, it's a terrible feeling.
55:29
[SPEAKER_00]: But I hope you stay cool.
55:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you have a great time and yeah, it's hot, but like,
55:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It's on everywhere.
55:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It's on at the beach and I'd rather be going on a ride than be in the ocean.
55:39
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just me.
55:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Have so much fun.
55:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Have a great summer trip.
55:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you also took advantage of the low prices because on my Lord, I did.
55:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't believe I'll cheap old towners are right now.
55:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, anyway, have so much fun and I'll see you soon.
55:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, bye.
55:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, thank you all so much for listening to this weird wacky episode of very amusing.
56:05
[SPEAKER_00]: You can rate as you and follow us on Apple Podcasts, rate and follow us on Spotify.
56:09
[SPEAKER_00]: See some comments here there and Spotify.
56:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I love it.
56:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't quite know how to respond to them, but do know that I am responding like in my head at home in my house sometimes saying it out loud, which makes me sound like I talked to myself.
56:18
[SPEAKER_00]: But I guess my job is kind of talking to self not to get existential about it, but I am just sitting in a room talking to myself.
56:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Wow, that's weird.
56:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, you can give us a call at seven first seven shows.
56:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Seriously, like hit me up with all your park's questions.
56:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And we've been getting a lot that run the gamut, but I do feel like, you know, if you're planning a trip and you're like, should I eat here?
56:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Should I eat here?
56:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Call me up.
56:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I would love to let you know.
56:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I love to make decisions about theme park stuff.
56:44
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're like, should I stay at this hotel or that hotel?
56:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, this episode kind of solved that.
56:49
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're wondering, like, what dish to order at a Disney meal you're looking forward to, what snack you should seek out at a certain park hit your girl up?
56:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm here.
56:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm here.
56:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a resource available at your disposal.
57:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you need a little bit more, if you need someone to help you save money on your trip to
57:06
[SPEAKER_00]: plan your trip for you to really just book things and make your life so much easier because planning a same part trip takes so much work.
57:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Reach out to MouseFan Travel.
57:15
[SPEAKER_00]: MEI Travel is our travel partner here very amusing.
57:17
[SPEAKER_00]: They help keep this podcast coming out every single week and they also
57:22
[SPEAKER_00]: just make your life easier by charging you no money while doing it.
57:25
[SPEAKER_00]: They will book your hotels, they will book your cruises, they will tell you what hotels best, what room to do, what to request, they will do it all.
57:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's truly a wonderful service.
57:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I have always been pro travel agents before I worked directly with one and just seeing
57:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Boss fan travel up close seeing what they do.
57:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I love them.
57:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I love them.
57:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And they will be powering our group trip coming up.
57:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So stay tuned.
57:46
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been sending a lot of emails.
57:47
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of stuff happening.
57:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I cannot wait.
57:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Follow me at Carly Waisell across the internet.
57:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Join the foamily at facebook.com slash groups slash Carly Waisell.
57:56
[SPEAKER_00]: and subscribe to my Instagram if you got ninety nine cents a month you want to see like it's kind of like a new post every day every two days sometimes I'll do a bunch I'll do a Q&A I'll probably do a Q&A while I'm in New York and then I have a big trip coming in a few weeks that we will definitely be doing Q&A for again ninety nine cents a month I guarantee you will get ninety nine cents a fun out of it which is like a pretty low bar and I think I like to set the bar low and exceed it I think that's where I'm at and I'm I feel confident in the fact that I'm doing that
58:25
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode was edited perceptively by Jeff Fox.
58:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for listening.
58:31
[SPEAKER_00]: See you real soon.
58:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey honey, it's mom.
58:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Great episode.
58:45
[SPEAKER_02]: First of all, it is Lena.
58:47
[SPEAKER_02]: It is Lena.
58:48
[SPEAKER_02]: The Disney Destiny is coming out so soon.
58:50
[SPEAKER_02]: How exciting.
58:52
[SPEAKER_02]: the scene and heroes and villains sound so good in a presence of Loki.
58:57
[SPEAKER_02]: How fun is that gonna be?
58:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I haven't left to go with you on so many Disney cruises that I feel so safe on Disney cruises and they really make sure that everyone washes their hands every time you go in the food areas so they keep it clean and everything is great and germ three is pretty good.
59:14
[SPEAKER_02]: They do a really good job with that and I just love that.
59:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I love the Disney parks but I have to say I think I love the Disney ship smart.
59:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I just feel free to explore the ship and the paintings and the same rooms.
59:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And I never feel congested with people everywhere.
59:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I find it very relaxing when I wanted to relax.
59:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And when I wanted to be a little crazy, I can go on the ship and see use the cause and plays and movies.
59:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And I can do the meat and greets with characters.
59:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I can do that too.
59:41
[SPEAKER_02]: I can do whatever I want or be as quiet as I want and relax.
59:44
[SPEAKER_02]: It's wonderful.
59:45
[SPEAKER_02]: There's just many, many choices.
59:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And I love all of that.
59:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And honey,
59:50
[SPEAKER_02]: If you ever want to do a cruise out of the country, I'm available.
59:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I have a pass.
59:54
[SPEAKER_02]: That's ready to go.
59:55
[SPEAKER_02]: You're staying.
59:57
[SPEAKER_02]: I love you.
59:58
[SPEAKER_02]: I love you, Pearl.
59:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Bye.