WDW Radio # 711 – Listener Email: Themed Resort Rooms, Secret Lounges, Disney Dream Trip, and more!

[00:00:00] Lou Mongello: Hello my friend, and welcome to the WW Radio Show, your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello. And this is shown number 711.

And together as we have been since 2005, we're gonna celebrate the magic of the Disney Parks movies, Marvel, star Wars, and more here in the podcast, my weekly live video on Facebook every Wednesday night, events, blog, and more. Please be sure to join the community, subscribe to the podcast, and find everything else WDWRadio.com.

So I'm gonna open up the inbox again this week and answer more of your emails about topics including father son activities in Walt Disney World, Disney's Contemporary Resort, and a discussion of possible themed rooms in Disney Resorts, which I want to hear your opinion on as well. Secret lounges, crowd levels, and best times to visit Walt Disney World and a Disney Dream trip around the world.

Stay tuned for our Disney trivia question of the week and more updates at the end of the show, including information about our very first, very special Nat Geo Adventure. [00:02:00] Coming up later this year, and if you like what you hear, please share the show and tell a friend. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WW Radio Show.

It's time once again to open up the email inbox and answer your questions to help you plan, prepare, and answer your pressing questions about where to go, what to do, where to eat, and even the how, why, when, where, and what's new, what's next or fun that Disney details, history trivia, and. Really just about anything you like.

I was going to make a reference about you asking questions and we being like an answering machine in the eighties until I realized that you listening might not have any idea what an answering machine even is. And speaking of someone else who is also stuck back in time, more like the thirties than the eighties is Becky Mankin from Mouse Van Travel.

Wow.

[00:03:04] Beci Mahnken: Really? The thirties. All right. Now I'm lost for words in,

[00:03:09] Lou Mongello: I don't know what to say. Well, it's appropriate because here we are, we're sitting outside at the beautiful Disney's Boardwalk Resort, which, which coincidentally enough is like taking a step back into I love this resort. I love the lobby of this resort.

I love the, what is the, what is the name of the chandelier inside the Boardwalk lobby?

[00:03:28] Beci Mahnken: There's a chandelier inside the Boardwalk lobby. . Wow. Again, totally kidding. I have no idea though. .

[00:03:36] Lou Mongello: I love it. I love the, the, the old sort of Atlantic, Seaborn coastal. We did a show back way back when with Jim Corcus, where we talked all about the history of this resort and Luna Park and some of the cool details you can find inside, including the two creepy kid chairs.

[00:03:54] Beci Mahnken: Okay. That's really cool. Because they are creepy. What are they called? They're the creepy kid.

[00:03:58] Lou Mongello: Chairs and . Wait, oh. [00:04:00] That'll be the trivia contest this week. Okay, good. That sounds good. It'll be the trivia contest. What, what are the,

[00:04:04] Beci Mahnken: but the weird thing is, is at Christmas they're still there, It's, it's like one of those things that shouldn't be there for some reason, but yet they're still there.

Well, they

[00:04:13] Lou Mongello: should be there because of what they are. Okay. And what they represent. I'll have to please tell us. I will do the trivia thing because the name of the chair represents the function of the chair. What's on the, what's on the back of the chairs?

[00:04:25] Beci Mahnken: Um, the sunshine.

[00:04:26] Lou Mongello: I don't, no, there's names. Are there Really?

There are. Wait, wait for stop to look. So there's two, there's one on either side of the fireplace and the boardwalk. Like, stop with the Googles . Stop them with the G Googling. It's a super weird Zoolander reference. Those are not the only two nanny chairs in the Boardwalk Resort. Okay. I have not, oh my God.

I just gave it away. I just called them nanny chairs. . Well you wanna start this over because No, no, we're gonna keep going. So now I'm gonna, the tri contest questions gonna be, what is the name of the chandelier in the boardwalk walk? I thought that the, the

[00:04:59] Beci Mahnken: chairs gonna be something like Bill and George or, or

[00:05:02] Lou Mongello: there are names on the back of them.

They're called nanny chairs because when, when well off couples would have like a nanny take their children to like the carousel or the boardwalk. It would be the place the nanny would sit. That

[00:05:16] Beci Mahnken: sounds like a pretty practical use. So,

[00:05:19] Lou Mongello: Moving on to the inbox. We're just gonna just move forward forward. The first question comes from Victoria and I am reading this verbatim halo in parenthesis and Becky, question mark.

My husband and I will meet a meeting our father-in-law and brother in Orlando for a four night trip to Walt Disney World. I am desperate. She says, desperate for your device on how to make this trip extra special for two conflicting reasons. The this is my D V C member father-in-law's first trip to the park.

It's almost eight years, needless to say. A lot has changed and her first time going on a trip with just him, he's really looking forward to this vacation and I'm sure he'd love some ideas for splitting off with my husband for some one-on-one [00:06:00] time. It's also my not so baby brothers, first time to any Disney.

Ever. Wow. He's a freshman in colleges here. I'm excited to give him an amazing trip to offset all the challenges he's faced this year. I know it won't be the same experience that I'm used to. Luckily he won't know any better. I'm excited to break off one-on-one with my little brother as well. So my questions are these, there's not one, but two.

What do you recommend for an older, older father-son duo to do on their own in the parks, resorts, or springs? Preferably at night. What are some things for teenage boys? In quotes, first time to the parks that an older Disney dad with a long history in the parks will still enjoy the planet hitting Springs, magic Kingdom Studios, animal Kingdom.

They're going wait to go on a Raglin road, be our guest, and Whispering Canyon, which I dig. I almost forgot. We also arrived on my birthday. Help me Lu man. Jello, you are my only hope. So the two questions, Becky, are what do you recommend for an older father-son duo to do on their own at the Parks resorts or Disney Springs at night?

And then we'll take the one, the other one second. . Um, I actually really like this because as somebody who has a 17 year old son, uh, your relationship with your child as they get older changes and the things that you want to do go from taking them places to doing things with them. Mm-hmm. , um, and actually I have my answer right off the bat.

While you're doing the Googling, I will give you, I'll give you the first thing that came to mind because it's something I do with my son a year or so ago, and it's one of my favorite experiences and memories, and especially if you guys, or he is a Star Wars fan, going to, uh, S'S workshop and doing the light saber building experience with your son, even if he builds it and you watch, which is what I did.

It was a powerful, memorable, and especially like at that reveal and watching the reveal and watching my son face, it was very emotional for me. Like I, I love that. [00:08:00] And he not only has the sort of physical takeaway of the lightsaber, but even we talked about this the other day. like it, he remembers the experience more than the item he took away from it.

Yeah,

[00:08:11] Beci Mahnken: I could tell that that was something that was really special for you, especially because the two of you have bonded over Star Wars since he was probably in the womb at that point. You were probably singing the, the Star Wars theme as he was growing. Um, I I'm going totally outside of the parks though because I'm thinking I have three things that we've specifically done for father son outings.

Um, one of them is, it obviously depends on, um, if people are physically able to do it, but the Safari Africa track is a really good experience over in the animal kingdom that you can do. Part of this, um, not quite private, but a small group that goes through, uh, and has a close and personal experiences along the safari.

And I know that you've done that one too. That's been a, a big hit for families who wanna do something

[00:09:06] Lou Mongello: outside of the park. My son asked to do that for 16th birthday, and, and I, and I've done Wild Africa Trek. Three times. It is a remarkable experience worth every penny pro tip. If you cannot do it in the middle of the summer, you're gonna have a little bit of a better experience.

Yes,

[00:09:21] Beci Mahnken: I would agree with that. And do the early morning one too, if you can. Um, another one for an older father and son, which we set this up for, actually my stepfather and, um, and some of his family members, they went fishing. They did the fishing excursion at one of the, on one of the lakes, which happens early morning.

And if they really love to fish, it was difficult for my stepfather because he wasn't, he's not really a theme park guy. So I got him here with that lure of come over, come fishing and he was really excited about that. Had a great time. So that's another thing families can do together, um, if they're not quite theme park [00:10:00] people.

Um, another one that I was think. That I've seen families do is the Alpha car, um, ride over at Disney Springs. Doing that together as a, a father and son type of outing would be fun as well.

[00:10:15] Lou Mongello: And I've even something that incorporates three of my favorite things. Um, dining, snacks, and food. And you don't need to plan anything in advance.

You could even just do like a restaurant crawl, like getting appetizers from few different places in Disney Springs. I would highly recommend Jacque Lindsay's the Boathouse and Morimoto, which isn't that perfect sort of holy trinity of restaurants right in the center of Disney Springs. But go have an appetizer if he's old enough.

Have a drink or a non-alcoholic drink. It's just this, it's not about the thing that you do, it's about the, oh, I'm gonna get all choked up. It's about the, the bonding time that you spend together. And she also asked, what are some things for teenage boys first time to the parks that an older Disney dad with a long history at the parks will still enjoy?

Um, my, as I was reading the question, I think that it's not about going to do the paid experience. I would show him the classics. I would show him the ones that I'll put myself in that, that I grew up with, right. And share stories about going the first time with his parents or his wife or whatever. Not just stories about the attractions.

And, and like me, I have a pension for sharing useless Disney trivia when I take people, but, Stories about, I remembered the first time I wrote this with my mom and my dad loved this attraction, and this used to be here. Those are gonna be the things that is going to be the emotional connective tissue, so

[00:11:43] Beci Mahnken: that later on when he can show his son, my father introduced me to this, um, this ride, or this attraction or, or this experience within Walt Disney World, I think that that is how we've all kind of come to love Disney because our parents [00:12:00] or other people in our family introduce us to these things.

And for me, since my father is now gone, I walk into those gates and I really feel his presence. So for me, that's an amazing thing that you can pass on to your family.

[00:12:14] Lou Mongello: I'm gonna move on to a question from, and I would love to hear you who's listening and, and along here with us sitting at the virtual table, outside of the Board, Oak with us.

If you have a suggestion, you can leave that in the clubhouse at ww.com/clubhouse. Call the voicemail at (407) 900-9391 and leave your suggestions or things that you've done in the past as well. Next question comes from Jay Ronaldo. He says, big fan of yours. Jay. You're a fan. You're a friend, not a fan. And I watch your stuff all the time.

I've written before, but here's my question. I, I know Becky's answer to this right off the bat. Uh, early August at Disney. Is it tolerable? No. She's gonna say no, it isn't. in dis in Disney. World. World.

[00:12:53] Beci Mahnken: Well, it can be if you do the

[00:12:58] Lou Mongello: right things. Becky, you actually have to go outside at some point. Okay? Um, I know it's subjective.

My wife is more heat sensitive than I am, um, trying to avoid May in the love box. It's a long email, so I'm gonna sort of go through it. We're thinking about a mini short trip. At Poly d v c two or three nights, love the Polynesian could live there. Then head to beach Club where a beach breeze might oh, to the beach, where the beach might be a little temperature friendly.

Do the parks early in, later pool or something inside during mid midday. What are your thoughts? Uh, Jay, I'm gonna forgive you a first, um, answer, which is if you go back to show 360 8, I did a show called How to Keep Cool and Beat the Heat in Walters World to share a lot of tips as well as things to do.

My best recommendation to you is very simple breaks, good heat, stroke and meltdowns. Bell bad . Taking breaks and avoiding the midday is critical in addition to staying hydrated. Like bring a, bring a bottle to, to refill throughout the day so you don't have to worry about spending money for, for water, but getting out [00:14:00] of the sun, getting into the ac, not just in the parks, but even.

Taking a full-blown break between 11 and three might not only save your day, it might save your marriage as well.

[00:14:12] Beci Mahnken: for those who are very heat sensitive, like myself, if I do have to be in here in summer, which I try to avoid it like the plague because it can be a little overwhelming. Um, I will go out in the mornings and when that midday 11 ish starts hitting, go back to the.

Have a pool day, be inside, go to lunch, do something that's gonna get you out of the heat, and then go back out after the sun goes down. Um, another thing he did mention that he was dbc, which means he'll have access most likely. Um, if they're in a one bedroom above to a freezer, you can freeze some bottles of water and then take that out with you in the daytime.

So at least you can have something to put on your neck if you get, uh, a little uncomfortable. But yeah, it's, it's a little bit oppressive here, , when you have the heat and humidity. Uh, but if you take the breaks and you do the things to help yourself, stay a little cool. Stay outta the heat, try not to do parks commando style because that's not going, you're not going to have a good time if you do that.

Um, you can still have a wonderful break here. And I do like your idea about going to the beach because there is a lot of wonderful experiences out at Vero Beach and other locations that you can take in a little bit more of the sea

[00:15:24] Lou Mongello: breezes. Yeah. Even here in Orlando, what's nice is that you're, Sort of like dead in the middle.

So whether you want to hit East Coast, I'm more of a West coast. I like the Gulf a little bit more. Accessing the beaches is very, very accessible. So if you fly into Orlando, you have about an hour, hour and a half ride east or west to hit a beach if you want to go for a day or two. So it's a really nice way to break up a Walt Disney World vacation too.

Yeah.

[00:15:48] Beci Mahnken: Or you can do an Alaska Adventures by Disney and feel very comfortable

[00:15:52] Lou Mongello: for the Italian. Becky, this you, I'm, I'll get you a, a globe. But Alaska's actually not close. You can't drive to Alaska from here.

[00:15:58] Beci Mahnken: There's, there are planes for [00:16:00] these types of

[00:16:00] Lou Mongello: games. We're gonna move on . Sure. Uh, Gabe and Emily Crowe from New Springfield, Ohio.

Right in and say, Hey, Lou. First off, thanks for all you do. And bring to those of us who need a little bit of that Disney magic every day. My wife and I are fulfilling one of our dreams, staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort this April for our baby moon. Congratulations. First of hopefully many future Disney lovers.

We've listened to show 4 85, the top 10 secrets and stories of the contemporary, but I wanted to know if anything has changed since 2 20 17 that wasn't covered in the show that we should do, seeing as we're probably not gonna be staying there anytime soon, and it's one of our bucket list resorts. We wanna ensure we're not missing out on anything, and I can't think of anyone better than to ask you.

Thank you. Hope to see you at the Boathouse. Well, you are in fact in luck, not just because that utility cart is coming by what you hear in the background, but there have been a lot of changes and significant changes to the contemporary since 2017. Most specifically, the themeing of the rooms and really sort of the resort itself.

Um, the Incredibles overlay, which is, um, taking place as part of the 50th a as a whole. Disney wanted to sort of not just change the, the feeling in the rooms, but throughout this resort, and it's sort of based on this philosophy of what the resort represented at the beginning, even when it was the Tempo Bay Resort briefly.

And then contemporary is this idea of the optimistic spirits with this retro modern aesthetic facing towards tomorrow land. There's a reason why it is positioned where it is, and they've done a complete nine story refurb of not just the rooms, but the exteriors as well. So you've get this blending of the, the monorail, which is obviously such an integral part of the design, but the integration of [00:18:00] characters from the Incredibles.

And you can even see that out in the, the hallways. There's. Again, this is sort of a nod to the past with those bright reds and bright oranges, which make me think of the old, um, arcade down below. But there's also that, again, that sort of retro modern squares and circles and and triangles that give it a retro modern sort of futuristic look.

It's inside where the rooms have taken on a whole new personality and like the introduction of IP or not into the rooms. I think especially for kids, it is a huge guest satisfier when they walk in and they see not just incredible. Incredibles colors, but artwork on the walls. When you open up the closet doors, there's artwork on the back of the hanging of the Incredibles, um, superhero costumes and the masks sort of on the shelf up above.

But I actually think the contemporary shines in the lobby. I, I think the lobby is absolutely beautiful, beautiful. How it's been redone. Uh, the wave of American flavors is now Steakhouse 71, which is a, not so hidden, but still sometimes hidden gem of dining. We did a lunch review there a couple of years ago.

It's fantastic. The um, smash Burger. The Stack Burger is delicious. The breakfast is outstanding and I haven't been there. For dinner if only there was somebody, oh my God, anybody Are we gonna do this? Who would go have a steak?

[00:19:33] Beci Mahnken: This is why it's great to do this in person, because then I can like yell at you and hit you because you're

[00:19:36] Lou Mongello: right in violence is never an option

Um, but I do, I think, I think the, the lobby and some of the artwork, and even in the hallway leading into Steakhouse 71 with pictures of pre-opening and opening day of Walt Disney World, it, I, I love the sense of nostalgia and the, the touches of Walt Disney world history, real American history from the, the late [00:20:00] fifties, early sixties, the, the super clean lines and modern vibe inside the lobby.

Um, I, I actually really like the update that sort of, that retro modern furniture mm-hmm. , um, and that sort of waiting

[00:20:12] Beci Mahnken: area. Yeah. And I love the way it was elevated so it, it didn't, um, completely take over what was, so it's still familiar, but it was an elevated look and feel to the aesthetic inside the rooms.

I, there's a couple of choices that they made that I'm kind of wondering why they did what they did, but for family. Like what, like what kind of, oh, well, they took away the desk, so I really did like the way that it was laid out previously where you had that long desk and you could work from it if you needed to, but you also had storage space on top of that shelf.

Um, taking that away, of course, gave it a little bit more room in the room. However, it's less functional for me anyway. Others probably find it it better because there's more room for them to move around and store things. Um, the nods to, of course, the Incredibles are very cute and some of them are subtle and some of them are not so subtle.

So I, I do think that they did a really good job of, um, of bringing in that IP without making it so saturated that you felt like you were in the middle of the,

[00:21:20] Lou Mongello: of the movie. Yeah, because I think, you know, what's interesting about the contemporary and some of the other resorts as well is that there is, , not just the family and and vacation element.

There is the convention element too, because it has a large convention center, and if you do want, here's a little bonus tip, not that this is what you're looking for, but if you do want a place to go and, um, get some work done, you could actually go, uh, on the, the fourth floor, sorry, the third floor where you have, um, the walkway into the convention.

There's a lot of like couches there and some tables there, and a couple of quiet spots to work or take a business call if you need to as well. [00:22:00] Do you, like, I'm asking you Becky and you, our friend and listener, do you like and or want to see more introduction of, and I hate sort of calling it ip, it sounds so, it sounds so sterile and corporate, but do you like the idea of introducing characters from movies and.

Attractions and theming rooms throughout the resorts the way they've done in the past, and some of them have been tests that have come and gone. Pirate themed rooms, princess themed rooms, um, haunted mansion themed rooms were supposed to be a thing and never sort of. Came to pass, uh, for one reason or another.

But do you like, and would you like to see more of that? Not necessarily for all the rooms, but some rooms, right? For

[00:22:44] Beci Mahnken: some rooms, absolutely. Because I think that that's one of the things that helps the Disney Resorts stand apart from just a resort that's down the street, or the Marriott across the way, or the Sheraton over here, is that you are staying in something that.

Does kind of engulf you in a little bit of magic or a little bit of something extra that you might not get. Um, it's really easy to just stay off property now. And granted, it's no secret that there's, uh, some of the things that we used to enjoy by staying on property are no longer available to us. So they do need some things to encourage people to stay on property and the introduction of IP because when you're, when your little boy loves pirates and they can stay in a pirate room, that's magical for a family.

Or if you have the family that loved the Incredibles and being able to stay in there, that's very cool. I don't think that they need to do the entire resort in something like that because it might not fit for some people. They might not need that. Like me, if I'm traveling on my own, it's very cool to see, but not something that I wanna pay extra for.

Um, I do like, I mean here at the Boardwalk where you do have the overall themeing of the boardwalk appeal. That is incredibly cool as well. Um, I would just rather see some sort of in-depth theming overall than [00:24:00] to just have a regular hotel room, you know?

[00:24:03] Lou Mongello: So I think the resorts, let's sort of, let's, let's go down this rabbit hole.

Cause I think the resorts are obviously theme, right? I think the Boardwalk has this and, and there's been this rolling refurbishment right? About every seven years or so. All the resorts sort of go through refurb refurbishments. We've seen it at, at Yacht and Beach Club and some of the other resorts, Caribbean Beach, which I like because it's sort of the, the theming in the room reflects the theming of the overall mm-hmm.

Resort, the idea of more heavily themed character and movie and uh, um, story based rooms. A pirate themed room. Like a haunted mansion. Themed room. Yeah. Would you pay extra? Right. If there was 10, 20, 30, whatever the number is. If there's a limited number of rooms that are, when you walk in, it's not, you know, a, a cami meat theme.

It is that sort of very, sort of heavy pirate theme room. Would you or would, do you think families would pay. For that level of theming and immersion. Yeah, I

[00:25:07] Beci Mahnken: absolutely think they would if they're attracted to that theme or immersion. So for example, I could look right into your eyes and say, would you pay $50 extra a night to stay in a a Spider-Man themed drum?

Of course you would. Don't play with my emotions . But that's the point. You have a little girl who's really into Anna and Elsa, and of course as a mom or a dad, you're gonna say, wouldn't this be extra magical and special if she could stay in this room that's themed this way? So I, I think that there is something to be said for it on a limited basis at the resorts, but again, not covering the

[00:25:39] Lou Mongello: entire, like I'm thinking.

So I love port's French Quarter, I love New Orleans. I love the resort itself. I love all the things about it. Imagine having some Tiana themed rooms, some bayou themed rooms, a drier like cool, like, and I think there's a lot that you could potentially do with that in. , [00:26:00] right?

[00:26:00] Beci Mahnken: So, which is what they actually kind of did on a higher level scale over at Disneyland, where they did the signature suites where they took five or six different rooms, and one is a sleeping beauty room and one is the pirate room.

But it's, it's so over the top. And of course those are little out of many of our, um, budgets to stay. But to do that on a smaller scale, that would be, you know, pretty cool to be able to get your hands on those, especially for those families. I mean, we're lucky we're, we're here all the time. There's families that, that save for five years to be able to come here and to be able to deliver an experience to their kids, that is something that's going to really hit their heart and make them remember.

All right. So way back when at the, at the Disneyland resort, they had, don't laugh an aliens them. A hotel, right? And it wasn't Disney, but it was right outside. And the thing that I remember

[00:26:52] Lou Mongello: most, that's we stayed there we're at the Bellevue Lounge. Becky's been drinking just no,

[00:26:56] Beci Mahnken: seriously, the bus was themed with antenna on it.

It really was. It was so cute. And I remember that I was seven years old and I totally remember being part of, of that and having that theming around me was something that was very cool, stuck in my head. And to this day is something I remember. Um, but imagine again those, those children who really love Mickey and being able to stay in a Mickey themed room or something of that nature would just really elevate the

[00:27:25] Lou Mongello: experience.

I really wanna sort of, I'm really curious to hear, literally hear the thoughts of you who was listening. I think you will either bring this up on a Wednesday night live show. I'll let let you know in advance. Cause I would love to hear not just your thoughts about IP in, in the resorts, but I would love to hear.

A little armchair imagineering from you. Some thoughts and ideas that you have of what sort of themed rooms can, and would you put where there's nearly 30 resorts to choose from on property with a wide variety of themes? What kind [00:28:00] of rooms would you like to see in what resorts? This is something we'll put a pin in and come back to you on a, on a future episode of the show or during a Wednesday night live show.

But let's move on because Garrett Long Hoffer has a question. He says, Lou, by the way, Garrett. Oh, Garrett. Wait, was just on the most recent episode on the top 10 with Tim Garrett, by the way, who is a restroom. Clearly he's a restroom connoisseur. My wife works for, for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and she was informed that there is an exclu I I, this is the word that caught me for Becky's eye exclusive lounge.

Ooh, calm down. For HPE in Galaxy's Edge, she had a book with a corporate liaison at Disney. So we would go check it out when we're at Disney's Hollywood Studios next month. I want to ask how many of the corporate lounges are there in Wal Disney World and have you ever been in any of them? What kind of cool things can I expect to see when we go?

Also, if you have like pictures, I'll be more than happy to send 'em to you. Thank you, Garrett. This, I love this question cuz this is like the super secret thing that some people know about and it's appropriate because I actually recently went to, for the very first time the Hewlett Packard Lounge in Galaxy's Edge.

A friend of mine, and I won't, I won't say their name only to sort of, to protect their identity, but I just don't know if they would want or not said, Hey, have you ever been to the lounge at Disney's Hollywood Studios? At first I thought they meant maybe the 33 lounge, which Becky was nice enough to invite me to once the old catwalk bar, which I dig or, and I was like, no, no, no.

They said no, this one's in Galaxy's Edge. That was my face too, . As I'm reading the email, I'm like, wait, what? I it? But I didn't know that it actually existed yet, and I said, no, I've never been. She got very excited. She's like, wait a minute, I'm gonna show you something that, so it was this like, cool, super.

She's like, meet me in this obscure corner of Galaxy's Edge. We want to take you up to the lounge. I [00:30:00] won't say exactly where it is. You can probably find it on your own, but there is this super secret out of the way corridor that you go into, and if you are a Hewlett Packard Enterprise employee and make the arrangements ahead of time, you can go upstairs to this lounge, which is tucked like hidden inside Galaxy.

Your face is like, wait, what? Here? Where that is, where that would be. You'll never figure it out. Okay. It is, it is incredibly, it's super hidden away and when you go upstairs, there is a. A reception desk up there, there is a, um, and they walk you down this long hallway that is lined with lightsabers, dozens and dozens of different lightsabers.

And there is this beautiful bright lounge that has, um, like a little, like when I say bar area, Becky don't get excited, but a bar that has like snacks and drinks and coffees and teas, A huge TV that they can do teleconferencing with, or just a place to sort of get away and relax. Super, super, super nice.

And it's actually not the only corporate lounge that's here or has been here throughout time. There was a corporate lounge in Spaceship Earth. There was. There is. Well there, it's currently an occupied, there's one in Spaceship Earth. There is one in Test track. Mm-hmm. , uh, the one in the Living Seas, which is now used for special events.

Used to be the corporate lounge for the original corporate sponsor. So there's a number of them tucked away. There's a lounge up in Norway. There's a few of them here and there throughout, uh, most of the parks. But again, you do need to be an employee of the current corporate sponsor in order to gain access to it, which I love as a reward for those employees.

It doesn't cost anything to go in. It's a place to get out and get away, but I. The gift for them that is like this super secret [00:32:00] place that they can go into and check out. Yeah, that is

[00:32:02] Beci Mahnken: really cool. And I've been to all of the other ones, so, which we've used for special events as well, um, when you, when they're actually, you know, not being used for corporate situations, but I had no idea.

I, I'd heard that there was possibly something coming. I didn't know it was actually there, so that's very cool. Yeah, it's

[00:32:20] Lou Mongello: really neat. And if, when are you taking me ? I, I cannot take you, but maybe we can find somebody who would be willing to take us. So you can go and see. I'll save you for Club 33. . Jesus.

Next question comes from Terry Long says, Hey Lou. Love in all capital letters, and bold and confetti, love your podcast. They are so informative and fun. My family and I haven't been to Disney since 2017. We're planning a trip. Yay. There's 15 of us. We try and plan our trips when it's off season. You're breeding me to the punch, Terry.

It seems like there's no off-season time in Disney anymore. My question is, when do you think is the least crowded time to go to Disney? We are open to any month. Thank you so much, Terry. You're a hundred percent rights. Um, if you would've asked us this question 10 years ago, our answer would've been very, very different.

The first week in December, the first week in September, early February, like there were, there were historical times where the crowds weren't just very light, but there were times that it was nearly a ghost town in certain places. I keep telling the story about being in, uh, frontier Land during one of these times when I was researching my audio tour, it was an off.

I could have thrown a, a, a pebble from one side of frontier to the other and not hit anybody. Mm-hmm. , those times don't really exist anymore, which is a good thing. Right. If you're Disney, you don't want downtime. So they've done a lot over the years to not only incentivize guests succumb during some of the slower [00:34:00] seasons, but that's why the festivals were originally conceived.

Right. We talked about this, I think on an earlier email show. It was to sort of help attract guests during the slower times. Attracting international guests during the slow times also has been another way. So now there are slight dips in schedules, and I think historically the slower times, and you can sort of, you can sort of map it out based on school schedules.

So when the kids are in schools, is probably some of the better times to go if there is a school holiday or if it's summer. Those, you know, That, uh, that that mountain peak of the, the graph is going to go very, very high. Um, whether you choose to take your children outta school is, is, you know, depending on how old they are.

I was taken outta school when I was very, very young. Um, and I, I turned out okay. Um, I think you also have to think about special events and holidays and, and I think Becky too, I think some of the old trends still hold relatively true in terms of September being a great month because kids are fresh back in school.

You're not taking their kids outta school. There are no school holidays. So it is, it has been and just like that, that first week in December. But then you start looking at things like, well, wait a minute. Mickey's not so scary. Halloween party is now in September and Halloween Horror Nights and Food and Wine Festival.

And Flower and Garden. So those things that used to sort of. Help the slow seasons are now more attractors.

[00:35:35] Beci Mahnken: Correct? Where September used to be the go-to month for those who felt comfortable about taking their kids outta school or not. And it was getting a little cooler. It wasn't as hot as August, but then the moment that Mickey's not so scary came into play.

And that starts around now, August 20th or sometimes a little earlier that kind of threw that as being a slow time out the [00:36:00] window. And now we're kind of seeing the slower times if there is one, as I say, in hand, gestures of quotation. That right after, right after President's Day through the first bit of, um, of February tends to be the slower Now, um, believe it or not, there's sometimes in May that can now find that, that slower time.

But other than that, you're pretty much going to see crowded times. Of course, the least. Or the, the most crowded times are gonna be anytime kids are outta school or any holiday breaks. So if you can just avoid those, you're probably gonna be on pretty good

[00:36:39] Lou Mongello: track. Yeah. And, and this, there, there's no sort of hard and fast rule, but like mid-January to early to mid-February is usually pretty good as long as you start to avoid the president's.

Just like early March, like the first week and week and a half of March is good. Pay attention where Easter is right. Late April, like right. Once you're sort of past Easter, um, you know, late, late, late August as especially in Florida as kids start going back to school. And also think too, if you're able to travel, not on weekends, but weekdays, right?

Yes. So like weekdays, like in November minus Thanksgiving and weekdays in December, minus as you started getting close to Christmas. Are still traditionally relatively slower days, but you have to determine what you're able to do with school schedules, with work schedules, et cetera. As I understand certain.

You know, teachers and some things you can only vacation at certain

[00:37:34] Beci Mahnken: times a year, right? Right now we're still in the revenge travel period, seriously, where people are just booking travel like crazy. That's

[00:37:42] Lou Mongello: gonna slow me. Revenge travels. I'm gonna show you, I'm gonna

[00:37:45] Beci Mahnken: take a vacation. That's exactly what it's called in the industry right now because everybody is traveling no matter when, how or why We expect that to calm down, hopefully sometime in 2024.

So what we're seeing right now might change a little bit over [00:38:00] time, but even right now, if you were to look at availability for October of later this year, which is several months from now, You're gonna have a hard time finding rooms available because people have wanted to return back to Disney. And several people who have still waited a little bit past more of the pandemic, even though, uh, mandates have been lifted here for quite some time, they're just now feeling comfortable about doing so.

So people are planning their vacations and this year they're planning them all at the same time or so it seems. So if you are looking to maybe get lower rates, possibly if they're gonna come down, of course, cuz everything is priced on supply and demand. Um, watch the trends and then book accordingly.

[00:38:41] Lou Mongello: Yeah, and I'm not saying that cuz you're here, I would say to him if you weren't here, but this is why having like a travel advisor who knows these trends, who knows, hey, you might not realize it's a race weekend. So there's hu and we're here on a race weekend. There is very, very high demand. This might be one that you wanna avoid because the rates are higher.

It, it will sort of help you in sort of not only planning, but the budgeting. Yeah,

[00:39:06] Beci Mahnken: absolutely. We can watch those trends we're, we have our fingers on the pulse of what the prices are doing, what the availability is doing. And I heard it a around, all over, uh, this, this last week, people were saying, oh my gosh, I had no idea it was a race weekend, because they weren't informed.

So if you work with somebody like us, we can help you avoid the situations like we've got this week. And I

[00:39:28] Lou Mongello: prefer makeup travel as opposed to revenge travel. It just sounds, it sounds kinder and sweeter.

[00:39:33] Beci Mahnken: Industry jargon right now. And it's called revenge travel.

[00:39:35] Lou Mongello: Wait, as a, just a quick aside, we're sitting outside of the Bellevue Lounge on the second floor of Disney's Boardwalk was Right.

We're sitting out to Becky. Yes. Sangria, you can tell. But we're sitting outside. It is golden hour. The sun is setting, the temperatures coming down and we're overlooking, it's like a park, right? This wonderful green space just in between. The, [00:40:00] you know, sort of the U-shaped center portion of Disney's Boardwalk Resort.

There are families out there, they're playing games. They're, they're, um, they're playing corn hole. We just, we looked at each other. It was like, wait a minute, we smell something burning. Mm-hmm. , like, they're making schmos, s'mores, schmos. The screen is up for the nighttime movie. We're right by like, this is what it's all about.

Like this is why you choose like certain resorts. It's why coming to a place like the Boardwalk is so nice. It's not just because of the access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It's not just with, it's because of things like this. And then, and most of the resorts do things like this always keep in mind, especially if you have kids.

It's not like you use the word commando. You don't have to be commando style to. a Disney vacation that is relaxing and enjoyable, and look at those kids, right? Making s s'mores. Now I, now, I can't even s'mores now I can't say it the right way. Schmooze, , right? They're making s'mores like they're just playing games.

Like I love, I'm gonna cry a little bit because my kids are too old for this now, but I absolutely love it because it feels like a park.

[00:41:08] Beci Mahnken: First of all, you're never too old for s'mores, . It's, it is a thing, and we may have to go down there after we're done here. Um, a a a, a trend that we did see, especially a after a pandemic and things were raised is people were coming to the resorts and just staying at the resorts.

There, the theme park was secondary to their stay. We were getting more people asking about the pools and asking about what other things were going on here. And I love that. I love the fact that there's so much going on at the resort itself that you don't have to go running into a theme park and run around like mad out there and stand in line and, and do all the things that are, you know, kind of difficult about a theme park vacation.

You can just come and stay at the resort and enjoy the pool and enjoy the things that are going on like this, like

[00:41:57] Lou Mongello: the Surrey bikes. We were out here the other night. We had sort of had a [00:42:00] late night meeting, eating meeting at the boardwalk. The magicians and the jugglers were out there. There was the boardwalk entertainment.

Like, it's one of the reasons why I, I like this resort and, and all the resorts have something like that too that so always make sure. When you stay and as you're choosing different resort set, you really take advantage of the resort offerings every resort at at, um, when you check in, I dunno if they still have, if they all have paper ones anymore, but on your app you should be able to find a lot of the different resort activities.

And,

[00:42:28] Beci Mahnken: and a great example of uh, some of the things that we're counseling some families on is when you come here, if you're trying to be on a budget or you want to save a little money, think about the things that are going on at the resort and then don't worry about park copper tickets. Go to one park a day and when you're done with that park, come here and enjoy these types of activities.

So there, there are strategies to be,

[00:42:50] Lou Mongello: I'm going to reach out to the WW Radio Nation if I remember when I get home and see if, if I can find one or two folks to join me on like a top 10 things to do. At the resorts, things that you don't need a ticket for, but things that maybe you don't even realize that you can do.

Like the movies, like the smores, the campfire sing alongs that they have at night walks. The the

[00:43:11] Beci Mahnken: other things that, that you can do around the horse,

[00:43:13] Lou Mongello: horse and buggy rise. I mean, we're sort of doing the top 10 right now, but, right,

[00:43:16] Beci Mahnken: exactly. Yeah. I wanna be on that show. By the way,

[00:43:22] Lou Mongello: she's, she's very angry. Uh, can we have a water? No more? She's, I'm cutting. Becky, I'm officially cutting Becky off. I have a seven. Sangrias is enough. I

[00:43:31] Beci Mahnken: have a orange slice in here. So , that's

[00:43:33] Lou Mongello: dinner. Does anybody have any orange slices? What movie?

[00:43:38] Beci Mahnken: I know that and I can't picture it all of a sudden. Orange

[00:43:42] Lou Mongello: slices.

Does anybody have any orange slices? I know what movie it is

and

[00:43:46] Beci Mahnken: I can't, I

[00:43:46] Lou Mongello: don't know. All right. We'll move on. If you know it, post it. I'm gonna Google it. All right. One more question before we wrap things up. Cuz Becky's, she's, she's starting to walk towards the Samos right now. Uh, Perrin Olson says, and I'm reading this verbatim.[00:44:00]

Lou and Queen of Walt Disney World Travel her Majesty. Becky, I love this person. . Hoping this gets my questions picked. Yes, it did. It clearly worked. , I love the podcast and try and catch a Wednesday night shows on Facebook as often as I can. Thanks to listening to your podcast over the past few years. You just Googled it.

It doesn't count. You can't, man. I want to travel to all the Disney parks across the globe. Japan, we're coming for you. My question, show idea for you and Becky is, assuming my family won the lottery, what would a trip to visit all of the Disney parks look like? Things to consider. Which park do you visit first?

How long do you stay? What are the must sees? How many, I mean, this is like, this is a 17 episode answer, but what a cost and what park do you end with to officially hit all the parks? Would you also include a trip to Castaway Key? I mean, listen, you won the lottery. Why not? What cruise would you suggest?

And final question. Would you be interested in being our tour guys and joining the fun? Yes. That is an absolute yes. . I'd love to hear the answers personally, if you wanna tailor it to me. Winning the Lottery. I live in New Orleans. Yay. With my wife and two girls at Jay in five and seven. We go to Walton World every 18 months or so.

Cruise on the Wonder in February and haven't made it to any other Disney parks yet. Thank you in advance for dreaming with me, Perrin. This is the fun part, right? Even if you're not necessarily able to do it, um, it is fun to dream and whatever. Like anybody in my family talks about winning the lottery.

I'm like, why don't you work harder for it? Instead of worrying about trying to win the lottery, getting the scratch offs is not a future career move. Um, so he asks a very, very broad sort of overreaching. It could be an could

[00:45:44] Beci Mahnken: an it could be the 20 hour show. We can

[00:45:46] Lou Mongello: tell he slow. Becky's already planning for the 20th anniversary of, well, of WW Radio.

Yes, but we'll, so. You know, what would a trip to visit all the parks be like? It would be very long and it would be . It would be a little [00:46:00] pricey. . It might be a little expensive, but let's just sort of, because we won't go down the the super long rabbit hole. How would you do it? Because I actually think, I think this question is actually missing a few elemental pieces to it.

So let's sort of just talk this out. Where to start. I think you start, where do you start? Where you're most familiar, or do you end where you're most familiar? So I think this is the way that I would do it. I would start in Disneyland. Correct. I would start where it all started. Right. So you have the foundation of your future trip that started with Walt.

That started with Mickey. You start there from there. go west young man, but whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Don't, don't you do not pass. Go. Do not pass. Alani. It's a good sort of layover in between here and your next stop. Mm-hmm. . I would go from here. I'd go from Disneyland to Alani. Mm-hmm. chill for a couple days because you're gonna have a, a very exciting few weeks ahead of you.

From there, I would then go to Hong Kong, then I'd go to Shanghai. They're right next to each other. They're like right next door. Go ahead. Planes go in both directions. . There's a reason why. Okay. Because I think Hong Kong is a small park. Got it. And then you move up to that next layer and level, which I think Shanghai, I think Tokyo, Disney Sea of the Asian Parks is the best of the best of the best period, I think especially because of Tokyo, Disney Sea, and because it's Japan.

I would give extra time, extra attention to, um, Tokyo. From there, I would go, I would [00:48:00] continue west to Paris. I would return to the United States. But would I, would I do a Disney cruise first? Yes. I would do a Disney cruise first. Interesting. So you could hit Castaway. You can sort of come down sort of reacclimate to sort of the time zone, cuz your body clock's gonna be all kinds of messed up at this point.

And then I would finish in Walt Disney World. Mm-hmm. , I would say hello and thank you to Walt in Disneyland. And I would finish in the place that I maybe you call home, which is Walt Disney World. Okay. Shh.

[00:48:38] Beci Mahnken: Don't tell anybody, but we may have talked about this once or twice, , about how we could pull off doing a trip.

All the way around the globe and doing that. So the way that you laid it out is pretty much exactly what we've discussed in the past of how we would do it, if we could

[00:48:53] Lou Mongello: do it. But you made a funny face when I said Hong Kong and Shanghai, then

[00:48:57] Beci Mahnken: Tokyo. Yeah, because I'm thinking of time. So if you're going from Hawaii, going up to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and a cross, it's just, it, it, I'm thinking of how, um, flight patterns are and that type of thing.

Sometimes

[00:49:10] Lou Mongello: your hand gestures are very confusing. Don't necessarily think those , I don't think you're pointing to the

[00:49:15] Beci Mahnken: map. It doesn't matter as much. But, but then again, there's some thought process to Yes. Where you go from small park to Iani, to small park to bigger park. It could actually make more sense to go from small park to Alani to Big Park.

[00:49:29] Lou Mongello: But now you're backtracking, oh, you're doing a complete, no, I'm not backtracking. If you're going to Hong

[00:49:33] Beci Mahnken: Kong, no. If you go from Alani to Shanghai to Hong Kong, that's, and then to Japan. So it's, it's actually kind of. What are you

[00:49:43] Lou Mongello: doing? I'm pulling up Google Maps for you. ?

[00:49:48] Beci Mahnken: No, no. We're both like Googling maps

[00:49:53] Lou Mongello: because it does Japan maps.

I mean the, the small park versus bigger park. That's right. But it, but the distance between Shanghai and Hong [00:50:00] Kong, whether you're going left to right, east to west North, it doesn't really matter.

[00:50:03] Beci Mahnken: Small park to big park rather than do small park. Small park, big park. Small

[00:50:07] Lou Mongello: park. Big Park. Shanghai's. Not small.

I mean Shanghai's

[00:50:10] Beci Mahnken: Well that's what I'm saying. Go instead of go

[00:50:13] Lou Mongello: Disneyland. Hong Kong. Hong Kong is small. Yeah. Shanghai's, medium. Disneyland,

[00:50:18] Beci Mahnken: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo. Disneyland Paris. But you don't know Disneyland Paris yet because you haven't seen it yet, which is kind of exciting. So as soon as you see that, you'll probably make a, you know, a little bit more informed

[00:50:32] Lou Mongello: decision about that.

But just it still is where it is. Like, it's not gonna change me going there, Becky. It's not gonna change where it is on the map, you know, that

[00:50:42] Beci Mahnken: I feel like Gamora right now. I understand that, um, that I'm thinking of, of the park size because, If you do Shanghai first, you're gonna have more time there, right? It's a larger park to explore. There's more to do there than Hong Kong. So if you go from Disneyland to Shanghai, then you're going small park to medium park, to small park, to large park.

I don't know, just I guess how, um, if, if you're gonna do this in six or eight weeks, how to best divide the time. So you're also getting some relaxation in, because I've seen some people do or try to do, hit all the parks across the world and then they just like land in a park and go in for one day and then hit, you know, get on a plane and go to another park.

I, if you were won the lottery and you had the money, I'd be spending some time there. I'd be spending five days in Disneyland and then three days at Elani and five days at Shanghai, and three days at, at,

[00:51:40] Lou Mongello: well, you'll also have to ask yourself, well wait a minute. If, if I'm going to hang Hong Kong, am I gonna spend time in Hong?

If I'm going to Japan? , you need to spend time in Japan. Yeah.

[00:51:49] Beci Mahnken: You're gonna be like, I need three weeks in Japan. Please.

[00:51:52] Lou Mongello: That's your, I think you do yourself a disservice Yeah. If you visit a foreign country. Yeah. And not visit the country itself.

[00:51:59] Beci Mahnken: I completely [00:52:00] agree with that. I completely agree with that. Um, there's so many things and, and one of the things that I love about Disney and, and I get it, I know that Disney fans are very loyal to the Disney brand and love Disney Parks and have a tendency to visit Disney every single year.

But that's one of the reasons why they have adventures by Disney. And now in Nat Geo and Disney Cruise lines. So you can still be part of the Disney brand, but experience other things that this, this wonderful big blue planet has to offer. Different cultures, different food, different um, different location.

Different types of countries. It's, it's an amazing thing when you get to travel and see China, and see Japan, and see France and all the places that we've been so blessed to visit in our travels, um, to understand the rest of the cultures that are on this planet that we all share. Um, I think travel really opens up your, your mind and, and is an education on levels that you can never get in school.

Um, and I, I hope others take advantage of this. So when you do go to Shanghai, or if, if you're able to, or go to Tokyo, Disney Sea, um, that you do spend some time, not only in Tokyo, but go off into the, the areas and take the train down to, um, to Kyoto and experience the, the places and the tastes and the sights and the sounds of a culture that you may have never experienced besides the food.

[00:53:29] Lou Mongello: I don't know why. When you're talking about open your mind, all I can hear is the line. From Cudo. Open your mind. What movie? Oh my God, I have no

[00:53:37] Beci Mahnken: idea. Your mind. Aunt. Aunt Man. 1990. 1990. What?

[00:53:42] Lou Mongello: What? Arnold Schwarzenegger. Huh? And Cudo

[00:53:46] Beci Mahnken: Queen. Yes, queen. Open your pod.

[00:53:52] Lou Mongello: What is it? What

[00:53:52] Beci Mahnken: is it? Stop. Google. Stop. No, it um, um, yes, that one.

[00:53:57] Lou Mongello: for those of you screaming at home, it's total recall. Thank [00:54:00] you. It is, of course. I'm sorry. I'm a nerd. I don't really get out all that often. Yes. You're so scary. Becky, if you can visit one Disney Park, you can say that for one, for one hour. Where do you go and what do you do? I'm

[00:54:20] Beci Mahnken: looking at the map and I'm right.

Um, , it's like I'm write, I'm gonna show you I'm right. Yes,

[00:54:24] Lou Mongello: I Shanghai. I know Ton Kong, but look, they're literally like right next door. They're not right next door. Do you remember? You might as well hop

[00:54:30] Beci Mahnken: over to Taiwan in between, remember? Do you remember how long it took us to fly from there to there? You don't remember.

I'm not, you totally, you're just totally thinking about

[00:54:38] Lou Mongello: it. Doesn't matter. Listen, all I know is we're going on this trip with him. We're gonna be gone for like two months. I can't wait. This true, this is true. One hour in Enny Disney Park around the world.

[00:54:46] Beci Mahnken: We forgot something. We forgot an element because obviously it's gonna take a while to, to win the lottery, right?

So we're working out. No,

[00:54:54] Lou Mongello: actually it happens pretty quickly. Like what you wish sh shh,

[00:54:56] Beci Mahnken: quiet. Just go with me here. Because they might, Tim

[00:54:59] Lou Mongello: Foster is gonna literally sue you for saying that whatever ,

[00:55:05] Beci Mahnken: that's, that's a whole nother story. So it, with, with some time, there's probably going to be a Disney ship in Asia.

So say that there's the Disney ship in Asia, then you do the Chinese parks, and then you do the ship from Asia, and then you do Tokyo.

[00:55:25] Lou Mongello: One hour, any Disney park around the world, where do you go and what do you do? Disney Sea.

[00:55:30] Beci Mahnken: And what do you do? Oh my gosh. I have to have, I have to eat at the Volcano place.

What? What is, what's that restaurant called? Volcan, whatever it's called. I, I

[00:55:42] Lou Mongello: love that restaurant. She just called it Volcan.

[00:55:44] Beci Mahnken: You're right. You know I'm right. Oh, and then you, it's Volcani, but that's a whatever. It's . Remember the little Mochi Aliens? You

[00:55:53] Lou Mongello: were so excited. The little Green Men, excited Alien mochi.

Those were

[00:55:57] Beci Mahnken: like the best thing ever. And yeah, I'm [00:56:00] looking for

[00:56:00] Lou Mongello: if you could ride one attraction on any Disney Park around the world, what would it be? Ooh. Because my answer changes now. Mine

[00:56:09] Beci Mahnken: kind of does two. .

[00:56:12] Lou Mongello: If I could ride one attraction, it's mystic manner. Really? Yeah. That would be your choice. Yep. I don't make faces like it, don't, don't mock my choice.

[00:56:22] Beci Mahnken: I'm, I'm still in love with pirates over there. Uh, just, just that, remember that immersive feeling and you felt like you were underwater and I I loved that. I absolutely. But then you,

[00:56:32] Lou Mongello: rod Mystic Manor, and then there's that like s e themed restaurant. Oh, that was

[00:56:36] Beci Mahnken: good. Right? Yeah. That's very cool. That's true.

But again, I'm not,

[00:56:40] Lou Mongello: that's a, but if I could only visit one park, it would be Tokyo, Disney. Same. Yeah. Me too. Yeah.

[00:56:48] Beci Mahnken: Shanghai is north

[00:56:49] Lou Mongello: of, I I, I, I know where it is on the map. It doesn't mean planes don't go both ways. It does just, it doesn't. Why these things matter. , Becky, if you go to Shanghai first, you still have to go that way and then go back the other way.

It's so much fun. It is so much fun. Becky doesn't understand air travel. My, this is why my brain hurts. It's why it's the last question of the day. I can't move forward from here. So much fun. But I would love to hear, why do you like torturing me? I'm not a bad person. Um, this is why, um, I would pern, thank you very much for that question.

That was a great question. It is. We're all in with you and we're gonna put, we're gonna put this one in the, uh, in the clubhouse as well. If you are, friend, if you're still here and you have a question, you could email me, lou@wwradio.com. If you have a, uh, thought, something you wanna share about any of these questions, you can leave it in the clubhouse or call the voicemail at (407) 900-9391 and wanna go to any of these Destin.

You can go and visit mouse van travel.com for your free, no obligation quote and help and friendly advice at no cost to you exactly from the [00:58:00] wonderful and brilliant and also very friendly advisors of mouse van travel.com . Absolutely.

[00:58:08] Beci Mahnken: And can I wanna just press that point cuz we still hear people saying, why should I use a travel agent because it's gonna cost me more money and it does not.

We charge no fees, zero fees for our services. So you're gonna pay what you're gonna pay direct, but then you're gonna get an advocate and you're gonna get somebody that's gonna help you avoid

[00:58:26] Lou Mongello: the tough times. You know what you can do with those fees. You can get yourself one thing to eat in any Disney Park around the world.

What is it?

[00:58:32] Beci Mahnken: Little Moti Green Men, . I love those little moti green men. It was amazing. Are you

[00:58:39] Lou Mongello: cattail? The cattail is good, but do you remember that sort of, that that bacon wrapped rice thing outside? Of the Tower of Terror in Tokyo, Disney Sea. We had like six of them. All the popcorn flavored

[00:58:55] Beci Mahnken: popcorn, they, the popcorns like 17 different flavors of popcorn.

And you have to go to the different carts to get the different flavors.

[00:59:01] Lou Mongello: Remember the one that tasted like spaghetti? It was like spaghetti popcorn. They, they call it basil or something? Like tomato. Like a tomato Basil. Yeah. It was like spaghetti, but it was spaghetti

[00:59:09] Beci Mahnken: It, it was flat out.

[00:59:11] Lou Mongello: And then we went into the queue of Sorin, which is so different than the queues here.

Yeah, with the 3D stuff. I can't wait for parent to take us on this trip. Very excited. I'm go start packing.

Now's on her way for

Becky, don't push the child outta the way. There's enough for everybody.[01:00:00]

It's time for our Walt Disney World trivia question of the week. Why invite you to test your knowledge of Walt Disney World's history or see how you pay attention to the details in which you see here? Remember maybe even taste if you think know the answer. You can enter for a chance to win a Disney prize package.

And this week's trivia contest is once again brought to you by you. Cuz as part of the W W R O Nation family, you help bring every episode of the show to life, every live broadcast, the contest and giveaways. They're all thanks to buy four with. And about you, and you can find out how you can help the show and our Dream Team project, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America for as little as a dollar per month, and get exclusive rewards every month, like scavenger hunts, group video calls, access to our private Facebook group, shirts, stickers, monthly care packages from the parks, early access and discounts to special events, and much more by visiting ww radio.com/support.

I wanna thank some new and longtime members of the Nation family, including Starla Malloy, Kenneth ccia, JS, and Ali and family. I'm incredibly grateful to and for you, and want to personally welcome you into the Nation family again, to find out more and join the nation, visit ww audio.com/support. Of course.

Before we get to this week's question, we're gonna go back review last week and select our. So last week we were talking about the top 10 ish restrooms in Walt Disney World, and I asked you to tell me what the restrooms in Galaxy's edge on the planet of Batu, what are they called because they're not actually referred to as restrooms in Galaxy's Edge.

Congratulations. If you played got this one correct and knew that the answer was refreshers. So the restrooms are known as refreshers and actually the water fountains are known as hydrators. And if you need any help learning some of the other lingo and references and translating some of the words written in Star Wars languages of aab, esh, or Hatis in Batu, you can go to your data [01:02:00] pad, which is your phone.

Open up the free play Disney app, click on the Galaxy's Edge data pad, which is a mobile. Created specifically for when you go to Black Spire Outpost and really sort of makes this a, an immersive role playing almost experience, you'll be able to type in the words and translate them right in the app. You can also ask some of the cast members, I mean residents of Batu, to teach you some of the more common phrases and lingo that is used throughout the outpost.

And bonus tip, if your young child has to get out of the queue while waiting for smugglers run, to use the refresher, you can actually ask for a refresher pass from a cast member who should be able to give you one so you don't have to wait in line all over again. So back to the question. I took all the correct entries randomly selected one, and last week you were playing for a WW radio mug, a pin, and a mystery prize that I went and got for you from Batu.

And last week's winner, randomly selected is Anne Campbell. So Anne, congratulations. I'll get your prize package out to you right away. If you played last weekend, didn't win. That's okay cuz here's your next non restroom related question. So since I mistakenly ruined the nanny chair question this week, I want you to tell me what is the name or the type of the chandelier in the boardwalk lobby.

It has a very specific name to it. And just as a quick aside since I kit share more details in the question about the nanny chairs, these are actually reproductions that were cast from originals around 1889 or so that were hand painted and then highlighted with gold leaf. And then the imagineers who were involved in the creation of the reproductions put their names on the back of each chair.

And those names were Todd and Paul. But the ones that are in the lobby right now have two different names on it. The names on the chairs in the lobby now are Carrie and Kylie. I'm gonna go out on a limb and take a wild random, I have [01:04:00] no information. Guess that maybe those are names of the daughters of Todd and Paul.

If you know exactly who Carrie and Kylie are, I would love to know the exact facts surrounding it. But back to this week's question, what is the name or the type of chandelier in the boardwalk lobby you have until Sunday? March 5th at 11:59 PM Eastern to go to ww radio.com. Click on this week's podcast, use the form there again, this week you're gonna play for a WW Radio mug pin.

And you know what, I'll throw it another mystery prize as well. So good luck and have fun.

That's gonna do it for this week's show. Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in, visit every week. Please come be part of the community and conversation and talk, not just about this week's show, but anything that you wanna discuss in the Disney Marvel or Star Wars universe over in the WW Radio clubhouse at ww radio.com/clubhouse.

You can also connect with me elsewhere on social. I'm at Lu Mongie on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can also call the voicemail. I'll play it on the air with a question, comment, or just a hello from the parks at 4 0 7 909 3 9 1. That's 4 0 7 900 WDW one. And of course, as much as I love connecting and talking with you online, I still believe that nothing beats a handshake and a hug.

Thanks to everyone who came out this past weekend for Princess Half Marathon weekend. Whether you walked, ran wagged, jogged, volunteered, wheeled cheered, congratulations. And I'm so grateful for the incredible turnout we had at this past Weekend's. Meet of the Month at Disney's Hollywood Studios. To find out about other upcoming meets of the month and other special events.

Visit the eventsPage@wwradio.com slash events. And speaking of very, very special events, I wanna announce and share with you something that we've never, ever done before. I'd like to invite you to join me on our very first. WW Radio, not [01:06:00] Geo Expedition. Dan Christmas Markets River Cruise This December 9th through the 16th on this eight day river cruise, we will start in Budapest, Hungary, move to broadest lava, Vienna, Austria, Waka Valley, Salzburg, Austria, Passau, Germany, and end in Munich.

And this is unlike a regular Disney cruise. This is a small ship with only 156 guests in 79 state rooms on the Amma Viola, which is a small, intimate twin balcony ship with a lot of personal space, multiple dining choices, sundeck walking track, pool, swim up bar, and even bicycles available onboard for import exploration.

But the star of this cruise is not the ship, but really it is the destinations where we go through Central Europe and explore and. A number of different Christmas markets along the banks of the Danu River. More importantly, we'll be guided by a National Geographic expert and a National Geographic photography expert who are gonna give us not only rare behind the scenes perspectives, but teach us how to shoot day and nighttime photos.

And with a variety of daily excursions that we can choose from, you can tailor the trip to fit your own wishes. For example, in Slava, the Capitol Slovakia, we're gonna go on a guided walk through St. Martin's Cathedral. Stroll through the cobblestone streets to the old town hall. Wander through the Christmas markets, then go off on a food tour in Vienna.

You can choose to take a special behind the scenes tour of Vienna's Museum of Natural History, led by a National Geographic grantee and curator of the museum To learn more, see the full itinerary, as well as photos of some of the destinations and the Aviola ship, and get a free new obligation quote from, from our friends over at Mouse Van Travel.

Visit WDW radio.com/nago 23, and we currently have an exclusive rate discount with a $750 savings off. Per person off direct rates. Those are only available until May 1st. So if you are interested, I suggest getting a no obligation quote or booking now because some state [01:08:00] rooms are starting to sell out. I have never done this before, but I have heard nothing but amazing things about river cruising.

And what I love is that not only are the destinations going to be the stars, but it is this smaller, more intimate ship. We have the Nat Geo. And you really don't have to worry about anything because pretty much everything is already included. Your meals, there's an all day tapas menu, afternoon tea, coffee station, drinks, reception, cocktail hours, lectures, all your onboard entertainment, all your excursions and activities, the entrance fees, the ground transportation, airport transfers, et cetera.

It is all already included. Again, to learn more, to get a quote, visit ww radio.com/na G 23. I cannot wait to take and share this adventure or this not geo expedition with you. We already have. A nice group of WW Radio community members booked on board. And if you have any questions, again, you can use the form@wwradio.com slash na Geo 23.

And switching gears just a little bit, but staying in the event space, I have just two spots remaining for my Momentum Weekend retreat, April Twentie, eighth through 30th. This is a three day, two night event where 10 like-minded entrepreneurs get together in a luxury vacation home for a transformative mastermind retreat where we strategize, prioritize, and execute.

We talk about your ideas, your obstacles. We help you prioritize and create an actual plan going forward. And we build in time over the weekend to help you start making meaningful progress while you have momentum. It's a focused, fun environment and to ensure you focus only on you and the event, I take care of all the details.

And your investment in the retreat includes two nights' day in the vacation home. Everybody gets their own private room. Group meals Friday, Saturday, and breakfast Sunday. Dedicated time in the quote unquote hot seat to work on you and your business. All the retreat materials, lifetime access to our online mastermind group for ongoing support and [01:10:00] discussion and resources and snacks.

I I'm also gonna take care to make sure there is enough snacks as well to learn more and secure your spot. You know what, I'm actually gonna extend, I'm gonna extend the super early bird special to give you $200. It expired February 25th. I'm actually gonna extend it until Monday, March 6th. So if you're interested, you only have one week left to take advantage of the extended super early bird discount again.

To learn more, secure your spot. Visit lu mongie.com/retreat or reach out to me. lou@wwradio.com. If you have any questions. Also be sure to subscribe to the free WW Radio newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox every week with updates, exclusive content, and the latest information about upcoming events live broadcast, including this week, I'll be live, not once, not twice, but possibly three times as I'll be joined by my very special guest, Ridley Pearson, the author of the Kingdom Keeper series of books.

This week and on Saturday, I'll be joining Ridley for his signing in Disney Springs on Saturday morning, and by signing up, you can also immediately download a free copy of my 102 things to do in Walt Disney World at least once, so you can get the free book, the weekly updates, and more just by visiting ww radio.com and filing the newsletter signup form right on the home.

And if you like what you hear, and I hope that you do all I ask that you please help spread the word. Tell a friend, share a link to this or your favorite episode on social. Take a screenshot while you're listening. Share it on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Tag me at lu mongie, I'll be sure to re-share it and follow you back.

And if you can take just a couple seconds to rate and review the show over an Apple podcast, you can get there easily by going to ww radio.com/apple. It is incredibly helpful. Very, very much appreciated. I wanna quickly thank some recent reviewers like Brew 10 18, who says, what can I say that already hasn't been said.

I love this show. I've been a listener since my wife and I introduced our daughters to Walt this world 10 plus years ago, who feels like an old friend, yet we've never. And he's the voice I listen to [01:12:00] when I need, need to feel the comforts of Disney. Just a fun show on all things Disney, and a direct link to the nostalgia that powers my love for the company.

Since my first visit to Walt Disney World in 1985, I've moved away from the East Coast, and now more than ever, I rely on this show to help keep me happily connected to one of my favorite places. Great conversation, great guests, and great topics. This show is my antidote for the negativity in the world.

Thanks, Lou and guests, Lisa, Becky, and everyone Brew 10. Thank you, man. I sincerely appreciate such a thoughtful and kind review, and I hope that we can fix the fact that we haven't met yet on one of your upcoming trips to Walt Disney World. Finally, most importantly, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I love and appreciate you so very much. If there's anything I can ever do for you to express my gratitude and appreciation, please reach out and let me know. I hope that this week's show and the show and the community and the live shows on Wednesday night, not only connect you to a place that you know and you love and you enjoy, and I put a smile on your face and maybe inspires you a little bit to pursue the thing that you love and want to do in this world to be the positive light and change that you wanna see, and to choose the good in everything, and to everyone that you meet along the way.

I love you. I appreciate you. So until next time, see ya. Hey Lu, this is Patrice from Boston Mass, and I know that soon you're gonna be headed on your trip to Italy. As I understand it, I think I heard this right, it's your first trip to Italy, and I think you also said that your father always wanted to go, but never got there.

So it is my dearest hope for you, and thanks for all the great podcast I've been listening to over the past six months. And your great spirit, great energy and enthusiasm. It is my dearest hope for you that you have the best time in Italy, and I hope that you get some sign. Some [01:14:00] coincidence, some something that your father and your mother, but especially your father, cause you spoke of him, that your parents and especially your father, are with you there sharing the moment with you.

I hope you get that. You deserve it. Have a great trip. . Bye. Hi Lou. This is Keith calling from Sacramento, California, and, um, been a longtime listener, first time caller. Um, but I really enjoyed your latest episode about, uh, best bathrooms in Walt Disney World. Uh, since I'm a West Coast Disney boy, I, um, figured I would give you a few honorable mentions for Disneyland.

One of my best bathrooms is in tomorrow land, uh, just by the train station on the other side of interventions. I think it's called Star Wars Launch Bay now, but I always know it as interventions. So kind of tucked in there. Uh, it's kind of shady. There's not exactly seating, but you know, it's kind of tucked in out of the way.

Uh, the next best bathroom in Disneyland Park, in my opinion, would be, uh, right outside of Plaza in, kind of tucked in there just before you enter Tomorrowland again. So I guess I'm a little tomorrow land centric on my bathrooms within Disneyland Park, but they're usually pretty clean and I think they fit with the theming of tomorrow land, whether you like it or not.

Um, and then to jump over to, uh, Disney's California Adventure. I think the best bathrooms in California adventure are in Carsland. They have the best theming of bathrooms, in my opinion. Um, also there's a nice little courtyard with some seating outside. So, you know, if you have a big group or [01:16:00] you know, somebody needs to go in and you don't, you had to have a place to relax.

It's shady there. And of course it's carsland, so it's radiator springs. Um, and then my second, um, for dca, if you're leaving through, um, the Grand Californian, uh, entrance and exit way there. , there are bathrooms immediate to your left right by, um, the Gch Craftsman Bar. So if you're going back to the Grand or the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise here and, you know, you can't quite make it, they're right there.

They're really nice. They're well themed to the hotel, of course. Uh, but those are kind of my two favorite, uh, at least on the, the DCA side of things. So those are your honorable mentions for Disneyland, uh, Tomorrowland Plaza in on the Disneyland side, and then Carsland and the grand, uh, the Gch Craftsman Bar bathroom.

So I just figured I would give you that. Thank piece much. Uh, keep up the great work, love the show.