Going Beyond The Castle
Going Beyond The Castle is your ultimate travel podcast that takes you beyond the magical gates of Disney. Join hosts Fred, Lori and Ashley as they explore a world of vacation possibilities, diving into the best experiences from Universal Studios, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Virgin Cruise Line, Sandals Resorts, and so much more. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just dreaming of your next getaway, tune in for expert tips, in-depth reviews, and insider secrets to make your vacation truly unforgettable.
Going Beyond The Castle
Christmas in July: Unwrapping the Magic of the Holidays at Disney!
Ready to believe in holiday magic again? We're unwrapping Disney World's freshly announced 2024 Christmas celebrations in this special July episode, and the festive lineup has us dreaming of sugarplums and Mickey-shaped treats already!
From unlimited cookies and falling "snow" at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party to the jazzy atmosphere of Jollywood Nights, we breakdown everything you need to know about Disney's ticketed holiday events. Fred shares his hilarious first-hand experience of attempting to consume as many complimentary treats as humanly possible at last year's party (spoiler alert: there were double-digit eggnog servings involved), while offering practical advice on maximizing your party time.
We explore each park's unique holiday offerings - from the nostalgic charm of the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and spectacular castle projections at Magic Kingdom, to Jack Skellington's impressive puppet show at Hollywood Studios, and the culturally rich Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Learn about price points, booking dates, and must-see experiences that make each celebration special in its own way.
Discover why the holiday season showcases Disney World at its magical best, with every park transformed through special entertainment, themed treats, and festive decor. Whether you're planning your first Disney Christmas or returning for another year of tradition, this episode provides the perfect planning guide to create unforgettable holiday memories.
Want to experience the Disney parks during the most wonderful time of year? Reach out to us at info@goingbeyondthecastle.com to start planning your magical holiday getaway today!
Stay up to date with all things Going Beyond the Castle at beacons.ai/GoingBeyondTheCastle
If you have not watched last year's episode of me going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, you really should go back and watch it One. It was quite hilarious, but we spent the whole first half of the party just eating cookies and drinking eggnog?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I will not. I love eggnog and I love cookies. But I will limit myself. I'm not going to try to see how many I can eat in an hour.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised I don't have that there was 10 double shots of eggnog, two things of hot cocoa, two things of apple cider and about 13 cookies.
Speaker 2:That's like go big or go home, yeah.
Speaker 1:Matt just wanted to keep going through the eggnog line. I was like, okay, we got through about round seven. I was like Matt, I about round seven. I was like mad, I'm not gonna make it what is up and merry christmas from what chat gT thinks the three of us would look like if we were together in person. Lori, I thought you looked fabulous in our Christmas photo.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you that that's probably one of the better ones, because every time that Josh tries to do it, it makes me look either super fat- or old or both.
Speaker 1:It made me look great, like all three of us just looked fabulous. I was super thankful for the way that that turned out.
Speaker 2:So I can tell you I had a feeling because I text Ashley on the side. I said I wonder if he had chat GPT make a picture of us or maybe roast us, but I wasn't expecting the whole Christmas video, so that was pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:That's a genius idea for next time.
Speaker 4:That was yeah, I thought it was going to be a roast.
Speaker 1:No, that's coming now though.
Speaker 1:Anyway, welcome to our special edition episode of Going Beyond the Castle, where we are talking all things Christmas in July, because this past week Disney decided to drop all things Christmas at Disney World. So we are super excited to dive into that tonight on our special episode. And we're doing it tonight on Saturday, because apparently Ashley has better things to do tomorrow night and can't be with us. So here we are. So, yeah, super excited to be here tonight.
Speaker 1:I think it's safe to say it's possibly the favorite season for all of us here. So we're going to dive into Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, we'll be diving into Jollywood Nights, we'll be diving into Festival of the Holidays over at Epcot and we'll be diving into a little bit of Disney Spring stuff. So there's a lot to do at Disney at Christmas. So before we do that, again, welcome. I am one of your fabulous hosts, fred Riley, and with me, as always, is the fabulous podcast princess, lori Talamo, and Chaos Twin number one, ashley Rude. So super excited to be here. Before we dive into talking all things Christmas, I will turn it over to whoever wants to talk and we'll talk about announcements.
Speaker 4:I would just like to say that Chaos Twins coordinated hats and they did not talk beforehand. Showed up Same hat, no conversation. It's genius, I just have my headband.
Speaker 2:Hey, I'm the princess. I traded my crown that I've only worn once for my Christmas attire, although you can't see my shirt. But it's Santa with the peace sign and a mickey I like it I like it, mine is, from mine's.
Speaker 4:A melancholy market, red, oh there you go mickey.
Speaker 1:Very merry christmas party.
Speaker 4:2024 merch there you go, there you go brag. Um yeah, without like hitting the stuff we're gonna be hitting in the podcast, I would say the only big thing is Disney's Grand Floridian. That's always such a mouthful for me.
Speaker 1:Disney's Grand.
Speaker 4:Floridian, the lobby won't be available due to ongoing renovations, which means we won't get the gingerbread house this year due to like ongoing renovations, which means we won't get the gingerbread house this year, which is super sad because it is such a cool experience to get to see the gingerbread in real life and to get to eat gingerbread. I know that they sell you from inside the house yeah, yeah, oh well, I I think I went last year, the year before that, and we did the whole gingerbread thing. It's so cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is a super cool experience. I love Grand Floridian at Christmas time. I mean we literally just sat there One. I was absolutely exhausted because I had been up since like 2 am to fly to Disney. But we just sat in the lobby of Grand Floridian just looking at the Christmas decorations and just taking it in. Already, and just looking at the christmas decorations and just taking it in, it's just.
Speaker 2:It's one of the it's probably second to wilderness lodge, but that is a solid one yeah, it's, it's up there on the list is that when you, you went with andy right no that was matthew andy was my cousin, who we also interviewed, but last year I went with matt.
Speaker 1:My co-worker shout out to matt I'm sad he's we can't go again this year because he abandoned me and moved to washington dc boom.
Speaker 2:I'll be saying about you in a couple years yep max we don't even think about that right now oh yeah, anyway.
Speaker 1:Anyway, is that the only announcement we're doing?
Speaker 2:yeah, I just I just wanted to say really quick I'm not going to go into all of them, um, but I don't know, I haven't seen a lot of new food things that have been announced in this last week and I've always talked about how I'm not really a fan of a lot of the food at hollywood studios. However, okay, is it ashley that does not like chicken parm? No, I like chicken parm. Who?
Speaker 1:doesn't like chicken. Okay, I thought somebody like.
Speaker 2:I thought one of y'all maybe I don't know, but there's a catalina eddie's over, I think it's on sunset boulevard, maybe one of those they put out these new. It's like one of them is an alo basil chicken pasta and then they have a chicken parm. It looks amazing Like it looks like it should be at a table service, not a walk up Like really Food truck looking quick service. Anyway, I thought that, what's that?
Speaker 1:Listen, I don't know who's Christy is, but we're continuing this topic from last week of me not taking my wife to things.
Speaker 2:And yes, I did not take my wife. That's his love.
Speaker 1:See all of these trips.
Speaker 2:You're looking like the bad guy.
Speaker 1:Anyway, there were only three trips that I did to Disney without my wife. So in the past, six months.
Speaker 2:That's funny, and then I guess you won't like this one, ashley. We all know like they have the new cake bake shop, but Josh sent me it's one of the well-known bloggers a video of this cake and it looks amazing. It's a chocolate cake. It's got chocolate ganache, caramel buttercream and crumbled up shortbread cookies in the layers. Looks amazing.
Speaker 4:Do they have cake bake shops where you are, like in New Orleans?
Speaker 2:Oh's, there's one here, one or two here oh, really I thought so it's not disney specific no, I think it's like from here and they ended up migrating down there, but yeah there's one here and people always go there and I'm like yeah, well, it's at disney now too gotcha anyway. There's a lot of other treats but I won't go into all of them, but I'm excited to try that next time we go.
Speaker 4:It looks really good that chicken parm does look good.
Speaker 2:I'm looking at it right now yes, I don't have it every time we say chicken parm, I think about shoot one of the oh man, the big football family. Or they have the newman school here. They do the oh my god. I wish dr birds he does the chicken?
Speaker 1:farm.
Speaker 2:It tastes so good I don't know anything about that On the commercial.
Speaker 4:What is happening Anyway?
Speaker 1:I'm super confused. Are we talking about a football? The Saints.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:The Mannings.
Speaker 2:The Mannings, one of the Mannings that was on the commercial and he's like chicken farm, oh, nationwide. I don't know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:No idea what you're talking about.
Speaker 2:I'll have to send. I'll find the link and send it to y'all, but every time we say chicken farm it makes me think of that. Anyway, we'll move on. In other news, the beyond the comments. I don't know if y'all have seen this. You got another thing.
Speaker 1:Yes, sweet there you go, you got it.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I have been and I want to know how to do this. I have been seeing a lot of people on tiktok where they have their car, where they start their car and it says you know, uh, please stand clear of the doors.
Speaker 4:I'm like I want to do that to my car yeah I tried to like look it up yesterday to get my car to do it, but I couldn't figure it out like quickly, so then I gave up oh well, you figure it out and then you let me know car to do it.
Speaker 1:But I couldn't figure it out like quickly, so then I gave up. Oh well, you figure it out, and then you let me know how to do it.
Speaker 2:My car doesn't talk to me when it starts. Mine doesn't either, but I wanted to do that or say something. Now I'm like surely you can program it to say anything, I guess.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know, Do you have car play?
Speaker 4:Greg.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 4:Oh well, red. No, oh well, then probably one more.
Speaker 1:Y'all see that post going around about the person trying to get dining reservations at obama's today yes, no.
Speaker 2:Yes, I did see that that was my favorite thing I've seen all day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I was trying to ask their travel agent how? Or they were posted some disney group talking about how great the obama restaurant was and how they could get reservations at obama's yeah, I think that was in friendlies, that's yeah, that's, hilarious yeah, but anyway, that was all I had.
Speaker 2:I just thought it was cool and I want to get my car to do that I'll figure it out, laurie, and I'll let you know so you could fly down here and do it to my car there we go great yep sounds good, all right.
Speaker 1:All Great Yep Sounds good, all right, shall we dive into Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
Speaker 2:Yes, all right, yes. And Fred's the only one who's actually gotten the privilege to go. That will change, because I am going this year. I've spoken into existence, I said I was going and it's happening.
Speaker 1:It's going to be great. You're going to have the best time ever. It is my favorite after-hours ticketed event that Disney has.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm feeling a little guilty because the day that I go will probably be on Olivia's 18th birthday. That I'm missing already.
Speaker 1:That's even better. Make sure you send her pictures while you're there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was trying to figure out if I could fly her down, surprise her.
Speaker 1:But Don't do that.
Speaker 2:She's got cheer competition next weekend, so she's not going to be able to leave.
Speaker 1:Live your best life.
Speaker 2:Make her suffer.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just want me to be so. That way you can give me a hard time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hadn't thought of that, but now I have. That's a genius idea.
Speaker 2:Anyway. So Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We are super excited. We've been waiting for the announcement for all of the holiday events to come out and Disney finally announced it, and so the party dates are November 7th through the 21st on select nights. This is one where you know you have a party ticket. The party actually starts at seven. However, with the party ticket you can get into the park at four. What I do and I don't know how you do with your clients, fred, like if I have people that are going, if they're going to do a park that day, I do kind of recommend doing a Magic Kingdom that day, because one on party days the crowds are lower. I know if they have a park hopper ticket, you're kind of wasting it for that day, but it doesn't matter because you pay one price anyway and then you're already in there and you don't have to beat the crowds trying to get into the party.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and you don't have to race anybody to get to the party. Yeah, and you don't have to race anybody to get to any rides either, because you've done them all day.
Speaker 1:I will tell you. We got there at three-ish, I want to say 3.30. And as soon as the gates opened at four o'clock, we went in, got our Christmas ornament and we just started hitting rides and I mean we rode before the party even started. We knocked out almost every ride at Magic Kingdom before the party even started Pirates Tron.
Speaker 1:I don't think we did Tiana's because it was slightly cold. Big Thunder Mountain, Seven Dwarfs, mine Train, like we did all the massive rides and even some small ones before the party even started. So we didn't ride any rides during the actual party was it a super long line to get in.
Speaker 2:I know when we went for the halloween party, it was there was a lot of people, but it moved pretty quickly.
Speaker 1:So it moved really quickly. It definitely got. We got there at a decent time, like, like I said, we probably got there around 3 or 3 30. And shortly after we got there at a decent time, like like I said, we probably got there around three or three 30. And shortly after we got there, like the like, the crowds were just all behind us. So I definitely tell people, get there early and just have a seat on the ground.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And I tell people, if they do have a party ticket I mean a park ticket for that day and they don't want to go, at least go in before and go through the regular line like you just park hop. In that way you're not sitting in the in the crowd yeah yeah, I did the um.
Speaker 4:I did the halloween party a while ago. My dad and I went and we did magic kingdom all day and then we went to the halloween party and I do think that is the key, because then you don't have to wait in the line to get your wristband. Like what we did is we just kind of like nonchalantly walked about until we absolutely had to get our wristband? Then there's no wait and we could just go do whatever we needed to do. So yeah, I definitely do think that that is the key to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure, I think.
Speaker 1:I think it just depends on the person like yeah some people just can't handle it and they're like like, and I think it depends on how late you're gonna stay. Like I was talking to one of my clients the other day this past week. He's going to, uh, the halloween party and she was like, should we go to a park? And I was like, well, how late are you planning to stay? And I was. She was like 10 o'clock and I was like you could easily do a park then. But if you're gonna want to stay till like midnight 1 am, just do a resort day chill at the resort.
Speaker 2:I mean, unless you can rock 6 am to 1 am, like right, you might, good for you if you can yeah right, or just take it as an early, you know, like sleep in, hang around and then just kind of head over I mean, it is a kind of a waste of a ticket to not use it for all day. But yeah, definitely depends on last year we went when we did the halloween party. We went to discovery cove during the day and then went back and when it rained and it rained.
Speaker 2:Yes, it rained the one day. Um, looks like party tickets this year are going to run between 169 to 229. Um, assuming that the closer it gets to december 21st, uh, higher the tickets are going to go, definitely. Um, yeah, tickets go on sale for resort guests on july 16th and then everyone else on july 22nd on July 16th and then everyone else on July 22nd.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely don't, are you like? I was just gonna say, definitely don't like rush to get your tickets? Like, don't feel like, don't feel like you like, if you're gonna get tickets one, if you're gonna get tickets, you should buy them through Lori, and I too. Yes, uh, if you choose not to get tickets through Lori and I don't feel like you have to be up at like 5 am to purchase your tickets, right, I can guarantee you they're not going to sell out like one. There's no christmas party around. Christmas, like, it ends the 20th yeah so not a lot of.
Speaker 1:It doesn't sell out anywhere near as fast as a halloween party and the first one that's going to sell out is typically going to be the first night, because all of the influencers are going to go to the parties to get all their tips and tricks for their followers, so don't feel like you have to buy it like same day that it comes out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I did see in one of the Facebook groups that these people were complaining that you know they booked their trip and they're going. You know, christmas week and there's no party and like pretty much everybody was roasted. I'm like this isn't anything new. So if you're out there and you don't know the week you know closer to Christmas than those last few days. They are not going to want to shut the park down for a party, so you don't do it towards christmas because it's all.
Speaker 1:They already have enough people at disney to make money too. They very rich. There's only two sundays that they do it. It's never done on a saturday.
Speaker 4:So like weekends, like yeah it looks like christmas is on a thursday this year, so the last party would be on sunday, the 21st yeah there's plenty of time to get the tickets for sure. My question was lori, are you going more towards christmas? Are you kind of going like?
Speaker 2:no november no, we're actually going, so I'll be there december 4th through the 7th. Gotcha, it's an agency trip, and so the 4th through the 7th will be at Disney. I'm assuming that we're going to do the party on the 5th, because that's the night that we don't have any. I don't know. We're waiting. The agency owner said they're still working out the details, so not to buy them on our own, but if it's not something that we do as a group, there's a bunch of us that want to do it on that Friday, the 5th. We were going to try to squeeze in Jollywood Nights too, but they don't have one that we can fit in. So, yeah, I'll be there that first weekend in December. So fun stuff. So there's lots of things and I know, fred, you can give more details because you actually attended Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade. Is the the parade that they have there, the marching soldiers and the floats? Is it something that multiple times throughout the day, like the regular parades, or is it just the one?
Speaker 1:I think there's two. I didn't look then two parades. It doesn't look like they have the times on the website, but I'm pretty sure last year there I want to say there were two parades.
Speaker 1:There's one earlier and there's one later, because gotcha like matthew and I, the way we taught, we planned ours was like we did all the shows later, like the very last of whatever it was. That's what we went to. So that way we literally yeah, if you have not watched last year's episode of me going to make these very merry christmas party, you really should go back and watch it one. It was quite hilarious, but we spent the whole first half of the party just eating cookies and drinking eggnog I will not.
Speaker 2:I love eggnog and I love cookies, but I will limit myself. I'm not gonna try to see how many I can eat.
Speaker 1:In an hour there was 10 double shots of eggnog, two, two things of hot cocoa, two things of apple cider and about 13 cookies.
Speaker 2:That's expensive. Go big or go home, yeah.
Speaker 1:Matt just wanted to keep going through the eggnog line. I was like, okay, sweet, we got through about round seven. I was like, matt, I'm not going to make it.
Speaker 2:I don't know how y'all didn't throw up.
Speaker 1:I was about to.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But anyway, back on topic. Yeah, I think there's two of the. There's only one of the fireworks shows, but there's multiple of the other parades and shows.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the fireworks, the Mindy's Wonderful Christmas Fireworks, is what it's called, so that one does. Do they do any projections on the castle too, or is it? Yeah, it's yeah it's just like.
Speaker 1:It's just like happily ever after, with the projections on the castle, down main street, the fireworks, but it's just all christmas themes and it's all about, you know, many trying to have like most magical christmas with you know, the whole fab five and all them.
Speaker 4:So is that the one that has the jack skellington puppet?
Speaker 1:no, that is.
Speaker 4:I know it's at hollywood studios, but for some reason I thought no, I don't think so.
Speaker 1:There's jack skellington.
Speaker 4:Meet and greet did you do that when you went?
Speaker 1:no, I was focused on rides and cookies and priorities yep oh gosh.
Speaker 2:And then they have a castle show, um, as a stage show in front of the castle as well.
Speaker 1:Mickey's marius celebration I want to say there was three stage shows, two parades and one firework show.
Speaker 2:I want to say yeah, I imagine that they have to do it multiple times that way.
Speaker 1:They said jack katie is saying jack is halloween party okay, yeah, I could have sworn he was that I could have sworn he was at the front of the park for no, I think she's saying that he is on at the castle during the halloween party yes, that for sure. Yeah, he's part of. Yeah, he's part of um. I can't think of what the name of the show is, but he's still part of the stage show for um out gotcha those three shows.
Speaker 4:Does that include the the frozen show too? Did you see both, fred? Did you see the frozen one and the mickey one?
Speaker 1:I saw all of it. It was okay. It wasn't my favorite. Matt thought it was really good. He enjoyed the stage shows. I'm not sure of whether it was the fact that I was about to go into a diabetic coma or that I was exhausted from being up since 2 am, or that it just wasn't that good. I don't know. But Matt, who was the first time never been to Disney World in his life, who did a 28 hour turn and burn trip just to do this Christmas party, thought it was great.
Speaker 4:So I think what I'm hearing is you need to do it again.
Speaker 1:I would love to do the 28 hour turn and burn again.
Speaker 4:I said I wouldn't, but I absolutely would I'm at the christmas party, but yeah, the 28 sure yeah, okay yeah, where they slept in the car, we did.
Speaker 1:We slept in our car in the airport for two hours before we got back on our flight. We flew flights. Flights left at 5 am. We got into Orlando at 7 am, we got our rental car, drove around Orlando, went to the outlet shops, then we went, spent the afternoon at Disney Springs, then we spent the rest of the afternoon before the party at Grand Floridian and then we went to the party and we stayed at the party until 1 am and then we got in our car and we drove back to the airport. We slept in the airport parking lot and got back on a plane at 5 am and got back here at 6 am and he was at work by 8 am.
Speaker 4:Oh my gosh, yeah crazy. Yeah, I was gonna say that sounds like a lot of fun, though also also woke up the night before.
Speaker 1:when I had to be up at 2 am, I woke up at midnight with food poisoning. So I spent the whole day at Disney with food poisoning. It was fabulous.
Speaker 4:The things we do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you and you still ate a ton of sugar. It was worth it.
Speaker 1:The amount of anti nausea meds I took during that day was fabulous. Slightly unhealthy too, probably amount of anti-nausea meds I took during that day was fabulous, slightly unhealthy too probably, but it's fine, it's disney.
Speaker 4:What?
Speaker 2:doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. There you go, but yeah, I heard great things about the show so noise. There's dance parties. Did you see any dance parties happening?
Speaker 1:we saw dance parties. I don't participate in dance parties you didn't dance, but I mean it's, and I mean it's nowhere near like new year's eve at disney, but I mean they definitely do like over in tomorrowland they have the stage set up where they do like christmas music and, uh, they come out and do dancing. It's, I mean it's, you know, primarily for the kids. So yeah it's a great experience to burn some energy off the kids yeah, probably, probably, when you haven't been up since 2 am.
Speaker 4:Lori, I think you should do some dance parties while you're there. I'll do it, I'll go live. Yeah, and if you could send some footage to Fred and I of you dancing at the dance, parties.
Speaker 2:that would be great. I'm going to do it. I'll do it. I'll take one for the team. Great, Thank you so much yeah, it says, you could bust a move at a mega fun dance party at the rocket tower plaza stage. Is that the one that's right there where usually stitches?
Speaker 1:at yep, that's what I was talking about.
Speaker 2:That's where they do it at yeah, and then there's the disney junior jingle jam no, I didn't do that one so you can get your groove on with Disney Junior characters outside at Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe.
Speaker 1:We did walk past. That I do because that was that was in the midst of trying to find the eggnog and being told the eggnog was in one location. But we were lied to and handed hot cocoa. Yeah, there you go, because we were told to go to Cosmic Rays and that's where the eggnog was, but it was also where the the disney junior dance party was and we were very offended when we got handed hot cocoa.
Speaker 4:Buddy yeah, you should just give on.
Speaker 2:No, thank you yeah, no thanks yeah like I was gonna say I know I'm like super excited for this. Like I know a lot of people say they love the halloween party more. But I don't know, I'm excited to to do the christmas party I think it depends on the type of person you are.
Speaker 1:Like they both have a lot of great offerings. They both have the stage shows. They both have, you know, the special fireworks. They both have the special characters. They both have the, you know, whether it's trick-or-treating or cookies and hot cocoa. Like they both have a lot of the same features, but like I think, if you love halloween more than you're going to be more towards the halloween party, but only one of them has snow on main street facts that's what I don't see.
Speaker 1:But um, I didn't you didn't I we've had a conversation about I didn't, you didn't. We've had a conversation about key spots for parades and I stick with my spot in front of all the presidents or any parade. So that's where we went and I asked Matt. I was like would you rather go somewhere that we can show up like five minutes before and see the parade right at the beginning, or would you rather go sit on Main Street, have to get there like 30 to 40 minutes prior to get a good spot and have it snow while the parade comes down and it takes forever because it's right at the end? He's like let's go over to the beginning.
Speaker 2:I was like okay, got it so I want to see the snow, so that's gonna be fair.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah it's definitely the iconic picture of christmas at disney which, backing up, we did talk earlier. We mentioned briefly that the party ends on the 21st but the week of christmas, disney actually will change over and do the shows that they did at the party the christmas shows yeah yeah, and the parade. So they'll take out festival fantasy and they'll put in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade or whatever it's called Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade. But I mean, that's where everybody goes. It's the main street because you get the snow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember snow at Disneyland? I think it just depends on who you are.
Speaker 4:Katie wants to know if you rode Space Mountain with the Christmas overlay.
Speaker 1:We did not. I try to avoid Space Mountain at all costs. One I'm old. Two, my body does not like Space Mountain, but but I did sleep on part of the people mover and I woke up during the Space Mountain portion, so I technically rode it. You rode it, but you didn't ride it, you just rode it. And I woke up during the Space Mountain portion so I technically wrote it.
Speaker 4:You wrote it, but you didn't write it. You just wrote it, yeah.
Speaker 1:I wrote the old person version of Space Mountain.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, it is super cool, like the transformation that they do in Space Mountain for the Christmas party is so cool the green and red lights, themas lights, the blaring like train type beer and orcas like it's. It is a super cool. I just at that point the I probably would have thrown up it between the cookies, the eggnog and the, the food poisoning yeah, I'm not a huge fan of riding space mountain, but I will ride it just for that katie did most of her well now her new job, but she spent a lot of time at space mountain when she was a cast member I don't know why.
Speaker 2:I don't know why it freaks me out, like every time I get on it I'm like oh my god, why did I do this at all?
Speaker 4:yeah I will say, riding the back does mess with my back.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I have to sit in the middle and I tell the kids I'm like I don't care, I'm older, so I'm getting the spot that I want, and then y'all can pick wherever y'all want, but like I want.
Speaker 1:And then it depends. So that way I'm. Or if we're in the back car, then I get the front spot. So that way I'm like in the middle.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that makes sense, but no, it is I do love the the christmas overlay for space mountain. They do a really solid job on that. While we are on overlays, are we talking about jingle cruise? Now, that's what I'm gonna say. Did y'all do?
Speaker 1:jungle cruise we did. Yes, I have never been super impressed with jingle cruise. I think it's like a classic ride that you got to do, but I really did, like it was super cute, like from like a nostalgic point to see like how they decorate Jingle Cruise for the holidays, how they transition the jokes, like it was a good experience. We rode it like that was the last thing. We wrote it at, like whatever. I can't remember what closes at 12 or 1.
Speaker 1:I think it's 12 I think it is 12, but we wrote it at like 11, 59, so we were like the very last boat that went out nice, just because the rest of the night it was so packed.
Speaker 4:Katie, you were a skipper. Give us one good Jingle Cruise joke while you're in the chat. Yep, we would love to hear it.
Speaker 2:When we went on Olivia's college tour to UL in Lafayette, the tour guide that we had was like cracking jokes like that. And I looked at Josh, I'm like I feel like I'm on the Jungle Cruise.
Speaker 3:I can't remember what he was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, chris, and I can't remember what he was. Yeah, like I can't remember what he was saying, but it was like those kind of jokes.
Speaker 1:It was funny one thing I wish disney world would do is the christmas layover and haunted mansion like they do at disneyland. Like I'm always so jealous every time I see the christmas layover at disneyland and I'm like do it at disney world I wonder where they don't.
Speaker 4:I mean mean, I'm sure there's a very logical reason behind it. I'm sure there is.
Speaker 1:I never looked it up. I don't know. I got nothing.
Speaker 4:She said please hold, oh yeah. The Skipper jokes are incoming.
Speaker 3:Can't wait.
Speaker 4:Shall we move to Jollywood Nights. We can still hit the skipper joke yeah you want to talk?
Speaker 2:real quick on the dessert parties. Oh yeah, dessert parties, go for it. Yeah, so there's two options. What? What you got, fred?
Speaker 1:I was just gonna say, and I would say we didn't really hit it, but one of the things to keep in mind is the unlimited cookies and hot cocoa slash, apple cider slash, eggnog. There there's typically like five or six stations around the park that you can go. I definitely recommend doing it earlier in the evening because the later in the evening it's going to get longer line. But yeah, definitely don't forget about that for sure yeah, isn't there there is?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would hope so. Yeah, I gotta flush out the sweetness. Yeah, okay, so we don't have to go too much into these. But there's two different options. Yeah, mindy's want Mindy's Mindy's Wonderful Christmas Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. It was Mindy you tell us, yeah, who knows. And then what's the other? It's clicking out of my notes. And then the other one is over at the plaza right. Where's that one?
Speaker 1:Marlin.
Speaker 2:Plaza Garden.
Speaker 4:Over by the ice cream parlor.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there's those two options. Well, this one's like more like a dessert buffet. The other one, I think maybe.
Speaker 1:Don't do the.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it feels like you're just paying extra money when you're paying extra money.
Speaker 2:But you are paying extra money, right, because you're getting all the free desserts. Yeah, I mean the cookies and everything. Yeah, free desserts, yeah, I mean the cookies.
Speaker 1:Like yeah, so one, the desserts are not that great. Like, too, if you're going for the seat like Just wait for one of the later shows, like there's multiple showings. Like yeah. And then for the fireworks. Like I mean, we didn't get there too early and we were sitting right in front of the castle.
Speaker 2:All right, she put a joke in.
Speaker 4:She said singing the beginning of Jingle Bells. Finish with I'm sorry that was my last Noel, not the best one, but one of my favorites. I'll think of more. It's been a while. I can do a normal jingle spiel all day.
Speaker 2:Thanks. Katie Okay so your mom had a comment in there and I don't see it now where she said Animal Kingdom was a fave and I was like yeah, her and Katie both started at Disney and Animal Kingdom. My dream is to work, katie, if you can help me out. My dream is to work at Animal Kingdom. Like I'll pick up trash Facts, I don't care. I think Katie katie sold ice cream so there you go. I just want to work in animal kingdom yeah, I'm sure we can do that all right, before we move on, I also gotta.
Speaker 1:I gotta hit on the merch. There's so much merch like they pretty much do over the emporium for all the merch between the spirit jerseys, the t-shirts, the coffee mugs, the mickey ears, like if you were a merch person and you're gonna pay to go to mickey's very america's party, just go ahead and budget double what the tickets cost you. Yeah and just plan to spend all of your money on them yeah stuff, I had that experience at the halloween party too.
Speaker 4:I did not know what I was walking into and then I was like I want this and I want that and I'll have this, and I should probably get that for someone else. And lo and behold, you're $150 deep.
Speaker 1:See, the trick is to wait till after the parties end and then go to the Disney character warehouse, because all of the extra stuff that they have the $80 spirit jerseys are then on sale for 40 over at the character warehouse. Yep, I learned that the hard way when I went to that the christmas party and, oh yeah, we went to the character warehouse and they had all the halloween spirit jerseys that I had just paid like 90 bucks for. Yeah, I'm like, come on, man yeah, I think.
Speaker 4:Uh, for our trip in september we're gonna go first. That way we can get things for the kids and we don't have to pay a ton of money for them. Yeah, but if you ever need anything from character warehouse, katie's the go-to always shout out to katie shout out to katie.
Speaker 2:Half of my stuff comes from katie I'm gonna have to go check that place out. I've never been, oh my gosh, you have to.
Speaker 4:It's like it's, it's five minutes away, yeah don't go when it opens because literally people rope, drop it.
Speaker 1:There's yeah, there's two locations. Neither of them is better. Don't try to google it. You'll get lost in a deep black hole, because each store gets different things every day, and so one day this store could get better stuff, and then the other day this store so like it's. It's just luck of the draw, yeah gotcha.
Speaker 4:I do prefer the vineland one, though, over the orlando premium outlet one though yeah, maybe I'll go in february.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let us know Sweet.
Speaker 4:Okay, we're ready to go to the Jollywood Knights. This is a newer thing, jollywood Knights. I think this is their third year of running Jollywood Knights. It's just the after-hours event. Christmas event over at Hollywood Studios Runs November 8th through December 22nd. Tickets are dropping at the same time for the Christmas party as they are Jollywood Nights. So yeah, july 16th regular resort guests and then July 22nd is everyone else who chooses misery and doesn't stay at a Disney resort. For Christmas Tickets are a little cheaper for Jollywood Nights. You're not getting a Christmas parade nights, you're not getting a christmas parade, so you're not getting a bunch of fireworks.
Speaker 4:So I think that definitely accounts for the cost yeah cost is 159 to 199, depending on how close you want to go to christmas there. I want to go to this really badly. I would almost rather go to this than the.
Speaker 1:Christmas party. I do too. The Christmas party is great, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Hollywood Studios, like really Jollywood Nights, has this like Hollywood vibe, which is super cool. You have a lot more like Hollywood-style stuff, also the characters that are at jollywood nights, in my opinion, way better than at magic kingdom yeah, oh yeah, they have santa stick way better. Yeah, I mean absolutely that between finnish and furb. Like you really do have a lot more characters that I think your muppets are there yeah, yeah, there's a lot more out of the magic kingdom really sticks with, like in the fab five range.
Speaker 4:Hollywood or jollywood gets out of that that they also have a jose and panchito, which I think is a missed opportunity at epcot, but I am not here to complain about it. Um, a couple of events or shows that happened happened at jollywood nights are the disney holidays in hollywood, which laurie was just mentioning. We get kermit and miss piggy, so they ripped muppet vision out, but we still get to keep kermit and miss piggy.
Speaker 1:God, I miss muppet vision so much man, they couldn't just left it alone with taking dinosaur, they had to take muppets too wait, were y'all talking about jack skeleton earlier, or was it somebody else?
Speaker 2:it was us we all were no, like I meant was. It is that who y'all was talking about. Right, when we're talking about magic kingdom? Okay, because it's that he's at jollywood studios, I mean yeah I think jollywood studios for now. I was out in the heat all day today my brain is frying did you get your plants potted or?
Speaker 2:planted. We did. Let me tell you sidebar real quick. We don't have any equipment. So my mom and I were shoveling dirt and heart like there was twigs underneath the ground, like with just shovels making holes. I have like calluses all over my hands. So, yeah, I would have walked up to the house. Twigs underneath the ground with just shovels making holes. I have calluses all over my hands.
Speaker 1:I would have walked up to the house saw that and been like you have fun with that and then gone inside.
Speaker 2:I'm like I couldn't leave my mom out there. My mom's almost 70, and I'm like I could not leave her out there alone.
Speaker 1:Poor choices.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we bonded over. There's way worse things. I could not leave her out there alone. Horror choices, yeah we bonded over.
Speaker 1:There's way worse things I could say in this situation, but I'll keep it PG-13.
Speaker 2:Yeah, anyway, okay, back on topic.
Speaker 4:I side-railed this Miss Piggy, tiana Belle, vicky and Minnie and a little sing-songy show. That I think is kind of cute I watched it on youtube.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it looks like they have three shows a night. I don't know if these I mean. I pulled this stuff from the website, so I assume that it's legit times 8, 15, 9, 15, 11 yeah, I would think so I'm still on the christmas party.
Speaker 4:fun stuff on. On the other show at Jollywood Nights, jolly yeah. Now Lori has me like.
Speaker 1:Jollywood Studios.
Speaker 4:Jollywood Nights at Jollywood Studios.
Speaker 2:I think that's a missed opportunity. That's what they should change it to during the holidays.
Speaker 4:You should write someone and tell them that.
Speaker 1:Write a strongly worded letter to Katie tell someone, hey Katie, can you? Drop this in the suggestion box, it works.
Speaker 4:Yes, please. There was a whole like Twitter thing. This guy on Twitter was sending Jeff Folley he is the I don't know, he's some higher up at the disney parks and was just like complaining about everything and like jeff folly was supposedly like emailing him back like terrible things and they're like going back and forth and it's like dude, what are you doing? This is not that, is not it fun fact, but anyways, anyway, the other show is what's this? The nightmare before christmas show and that one has the really cool jack skellington puppet that I want to see in person yeah
Speaker 1:yeah, I love that if you go back a couple years and you see, like, and you take a look at how Disney did characters like Jack Skellington, like Hades, over at Disneyland, like it's, it's impressive how far we have come with these characters in the parks. Yeah, and like I remember a couple of months ago when they thought, when they released, like, the updates that we were going to see for Jack Skellington at the Halloween party. I was like man, man like this is super cool tip-top club 1930s jazz lounge at jollywood nights.
Speaker 4:I feel like this is one of the main focuses of jollywood nights. This is the big draw is this big tip-top club right outside of the hollywood tower of terror and, like, the initial year they opened it, they didn't realize how big it was going to be. They just had like one small, like outdoor bar and this place was like, and so I think over the next two years they've really like gotten a handle of like the capacity that they're really, you know, reaching, so they've been trying to like make it a little bigger. They have a little um, like live jazz performer, which is really cool, and I would just like to repeat again then I want to go, yeah speaking into existence and go is the podcast what year are we on?
Speaker 4:now six, seven eight. Right, we gotta spread the love yeah, yeah, we have to really uh, plan these out. Um, there's a skate show in front of the chinese theater. I didn't even know this was a thing until this year. I was like what's that new? But it's been happening. Apparently. A skate show, yeah, like an ice skating show.
Speaker 4:It's called glisten wow yeah, I think that would be interesting to see. And then there is jingle bell, jingle bam. The bam is in all caps, so I feel like I have to like yell it when I say it there you go bam, you did great um, and then just character meet and greets. Are santa stitch rescue rangers who, I feel like, are at every event at Hollywood Studios.
Speaker 1:Jose Panchito, miguel Phineas Ferb and Max Goof and his Powerline outfit. The characters at Jollywood Studios are top notch.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Jollywood Studios Top tier characters.
Speaker 4:Get Lori to Jollywood Studios 2026. That's what it's going to be.
Speaker 2:Maybe I'll have to fly in a little early in December. I can't. I think, they have On December 1st, I would have to go in. I'm already staying until the 9th Because when we leave Disney on the 7th we're going back to Epic. So I'm doing 7th of the night. There's no way I can stay.
Speaker 1:You are saying words and I'm not finding any issue with what you're saying. Is Lori leaving her family?
Speaker 2:This is a legit business trip, so was mine.
Speaker 4:No, I'm just saying, I'm not saying yours wasn't.
Speaker 2:You said you can't call them business trips, you're just oh well, your disneyland one was, was for sure, correct a business trip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's what I can't say I abandoned my wife to go to disney world like that. Yes, can't deny that just like lori's abandoning her family.
Speaker 4:Oh, my daughter's 18th birthday it still hits me in the gut every time I think about it and I'm like oh man, I think Fred and I should start messaging Liv days leading up to the trip and just get her fired up.
Speaker 2:I promised her a trip. So for Mardi Gras I have to book a trip to take her somewhere. So Do you know?
Speaker 1:where Not Disney World?
Speaker 2:No, we keep throwing different ideas, but we haven't landed on anything yet. Disneyland, it's going to be Disneyland, I would do it. I would be down for that. Nice, so what's next? Festival of the Holidays at Fred's Favorite Park? I would be down for that. Nice, so what's next? Festival of the? Holidays at Fred's Favorite Park. There's a lot to do there too. One thing I wish was included, and now I'm trying to think of how I can fit all of these things in I would love to do the Candlelight Processional.
Speaker 1:Oh, with Neil Patrick Harris.
Speaker 2:That would be really cool I love.
Speaker 1:yeah, I've always wanted to do the Candlelight Processional. And they have such awesome people like Josh Gad Neil.
Speaker 3:Patrick Harris.
Speaker 1:Jodi Benson. They have these awesome people come out and do the narrating and I'm just like ugh.
Speaker 4:Does John Stamos do it too? I think he does he did John Stamos does it.
Speaker 1:Josh Gad is who I really want to see. I'm obsessed with Josh Gad.
Speaker 2:I don't think they gave too many details yet.
Speaker 4:No, they haven't released the speakers yet.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I was looking for that too yeah, but what um?
Speaker 2:so it runs in november 28th through december 30th. The good thing about this one is most of the. I don't even know, does the candlelight processional cost extra? Is it all? Yeah, yeah, that's extra but all the other things that they have. There's a lot of stuff that you can do festival of the holidays without having to pay extra yeah, it's extra, but you can do a dining package with it.
Speaker 1:Candlelight processional.
Speaker 4:The only thing I have written down for festival of the holidays is the candlelight. Professional, professional and then the candlelight professional, and then the living with the land lights and how they just like deck it out and christmas lights yeah, living with the land.
Speaker 1:Layover is, I think, one of the most popular attractions at epcot during festival of the holidays it's too bad.
Speaker 4:It doesn't get that kind of hype all year round yeah yeah, so are you like, not like, outside of the holidays?
Speaker 2:how do you feel about living with the land like, are you down for it?
Speaker 3:you think it's no, I know how you feel.
Speaker 4:I want to see what you're down for it okay yeah I want to do the behind the scenes tour if you skip living with the land.
Speaker 1:Just don't go to epcot like, just stay home, like I agree it it's a fabulous, I don't know why we did it.
Speaker 2:We did it in the beginning, the very first trip we did in 2014. We did it because we ate a garden girl, so of course we did it ride and then for the longest time like we never went back on it and now, like every time we go, now josh and I make sure that we ride it I mean there's there's three type of people in the world.
Speaker 1:There's people who go on the living with the land because they absolutely love living with the land, because it's truly top tier ride. There's a second type of person who goes on it because they're absolutely exhausted and they take a nap the whole ride. Then there's people who suck at life.
Speaker 4:I think you're missing the other tier of person, and that is our spouses, who we drag onto living with the land that they probably don't enjoy.
Speaker 2:I don't know, josh likes it. Josh is the one who drags me on.
Speaker 1:There's no fourth. They fall into the third category.
Speaker 4:The worst, the worst kind of people.
Speaker 2:The truth hurts, we even drug the kids on it when we went. Good, I don't know. Whenever we went, I don't even remember what month that was May.
Speaker 4:Trent, have you gone behind the seats?
Speaker 1:No, may have you done behind the seats?
Speaker 4:no, I want to.
Speaker 1:I see people doing it all the time and I'm super jealous. 2028 I have mixed opinions about. Behind the seat, like keys to the kingdom tour is one that I would absolutely love to do, absolutely would love to do it, uh up close with the elephants. Would love to do that one, like there's so many great tours that I would love to do at disney, but I would just rather be in the parks riding the rides. I feel like like I'll always be jealous of those people, but I would just rather be riding, living with the land, than doing it to her makes sense yeah, I know josh will randomly send me stuff like and I think the elephant one was one that he sent.
Speaker 2:He's like why would I ever do this kind of stuff like? I don't know, because that one's really not that expensive.
Speaker 1:No, up close 40 bucks yeah, it's not maybe I had a client who was gonna go. She ended up canceling. But she was supposed to go back in march because she was military and they ended up moving her to germany or something. But she was obsessed with elephants and I was going to get them that as a gift for their trip was up close with the elephants to her, but they ended up canceling, sadly because the army sucks. Boo. Actually, I think she was in the Air Force, I don't remember.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they also have the holiday storytellers and you can meet Santa Claus.
Speaker 1:I love how each country shows their different celebrations of the holidays. Yeah, which, of course, that's the main reason I love Epcot is the different cultures and getting to just be enveloped in those cultures. You add Christmas onto that, like I'm never leaving.
Speaker 4:You're gonna have to drag him out.
Speaker 2:He's jumping in the lake. So have you done the cookie stroll over at Epcot or no? The holiday cookie stroll.
Speaker 4:Are you going to do the holiday cookie stroll when you go, Lori? Maybe, yeah, you should I'm down for all of it.
Speaker 2:I think I should too.
Speaker 1:I think you should do it and bring part of the cookies back here.
Speaker 2:I'm looking at the nice little sugar cookie they have pictured. It looks really tasty.
Speaker 4:So what is? Tell me more about the cookie stroll? What exactly is it? Do you just like go and eat sugar cookies in every country? That sounds like a very merry christmas party all over again for fred. Yeah, it doesn't really have.
Speaker 2:Let me see it doesn't have a whole lot of details katie, if you've done it, drop it in the chat. We need more information yeah, she said she worked there too. She, she's worked there. Was that living with Elaine?
Speaker 4:Yeah, she parked strollers over there.
Speaker 2:For the land Cookies stroll at Epcot. So let's see what it says. So you get a passport as your guide and you get to find delicious cookies at select kitchens throughout. So I guess you get a passport and then you go around and find all the cookies and you get a stamp for each cookie you purchase. Oh, and then at the end of the stroll you get an extra sweet reward More cookies.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:She said on it.
Speaker 4:I don't know. I think she means she worked on the red.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Yeah, yeah, I'll do that, I'll do that, I'll do that.
Speaker 4:I love cookies you have to do all the christmas things come back all of them yeah, okay, everything we've chatted about, we're gonna do like a mashup of this episode and then record when you're back.
Speaker 2:Sounds like a plan five cookies and if you get the cookies, you get a bonus cookie. So we love cookies we do love cookies your mom likes to get the holiday popcorn buckets and sippers that is important.
Speaker 4:We haven't really talked about that. They always do have special holiday popcorn buckets and fred's got one right there. He's gone.
Speaker 2:He's got the lounge fly right there he must be scrolling over to get his popcorn bucket.
Speaker 4:Yeah, there we go. I love that. Yes, yes, you should be a popcorn bucket model.
Speaker 1:And then, of course, my gingerbread. Yes, it smells like gingerbread still.
Speaker 4:As it should, yep.
Speaker 2:I just I have like gingerbread still as it should. Yep, yep, I just I have um, someone that works at olivia school hard, she was there. She posted the new mickey popcorn bucket. I think they're cute. I just wouldn't want to have to carry anything around like. I guess that's why I never really got into the popcorn buckets, because I'm like I don't want to carry anything yeah, you're not.
Speaker 1:We're not big popcorn eaters, so I own one. I don't even get the popcorn, I just get the bucket there you go.
Speaker 2:How many asked me, would you like?
Speaker 1:popcorn with it and I was like no, are we counting my non-disney popcorn bucket?
Speaker 4:no, we're not counting the superman one you got like three days ago six.
Speaker 1:I have oogie boogie. I have vampire stitch. I have christmas mickey, halloween mickey boomba. I said oogie boogie and then my christmas tree what is that?
Speaker 4:um epcot seven yeah yeah, you just got that one I did. I have a skyline stuff I'll have to put it in my little backdrop soon I'm gonna get bigger storage space for my popcorn buckets. I want to get the Stormtrooper one at Hollywood Studios.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I debated getting it when we were at Disneyland.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, they do have it there too.
Speaker 1:There's a.
Speaker 4:Jawa Super 2, that I kind of want.
Speaker 1:I have a fellow travel agent who's supposed to be sending me last year's Gingerbread House popcorn bucket. She was supposed to give it to me when we went, when we met up in may, and she didn't bring it and I didn't want to say anything because I thought that would be rude.
Speaker 4:Um, and then like, hey, where's my popcorn bucket? Hey, really good to see you. Do you have that one thing you?
Speaker 1:promised me right. And then she texted me a couple weeks ago. I was like I never gave you your popcorn bucket. I was like I know she was like I'm gonna mail it to you.
Speaker 4:I still haven't got it maybe one day you'll get it sometime, I'm sure yeah and then what else they have? A olof's scavenger hunt for the children is that the same thing as like the? Um, oh yeah, I'm seeing it now where you find all the olofs and then you pay 9.99 fora prize at the end, at least that's what all the other? Ones have been during, like flower and garden and food and wine yeah, we.
Speaker 2:The only one that we've ever done was the peri the platypus thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was yeah scavenger hunt thing that they used to have it up got with the little phones yeah yeah, and I remember you have to go in.
Speaker 2:Where is that? Where you go in the little tea shop over united uk yeah and you had to go up to the person working and, like, give them like a secret code. I would hate to be that. And then, yeah, and, and of course you know my kids were shy at the time, so I'm like you know, give them the secret code. I don't even remember, but yeah, fun stuff, nice, it was cute though.
Speaker 4:Now I think it's Huey, dewey and Louie, or it doesn't even still exist anymore. I feel like that was, I don't think, that was, I don't think yeah, I don't think they have one anymore?
Speaker 2:I don't think so interesting, so lots of stuff to do. I know we didn't really talk about the candlelight processional too much, but they really haven't given out um much of the information.
Speaker 1:So once we get the list of those, we can I will say once they, once they drop the list and they open it up for booking, strongly recommend getting on it ASAP because it sells out super fast.
Speaker 3:Especially the more popular ones.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially your big name people, josh Gad will sell out quick.
Speaker 4:Patrick Harris. He always sells out quick. You know, patrick Harris? Yeah, he always sells out quick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so definitely get on that once they drop the details.
Speaker 4:One last thing about Epcot is that dang figment in that stupid cute little holiday Christmas sweater.
Speaker 1:I love it so much. I do love figment.
Speaker 4:Yeah, him in that holiday sweater is so cute. Have you guys seen it?
Speaker 1:It is cute.
Speaker 2:I like Figment. We went One of the trips that I went on. We went and stood in line and had pictures with Figment.
Speaker 4:Nice. I want to do that when we go in September. I'm really excited to meet him I love yeah love meeting figment. I'm so glad harper wanted to meet him when we went kaiser's super into figment right now, so I think he'll enjoy it too sweet all right, next up on the list is non-park stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, I guess there's a couple park things yeah, there's a couple of park things and and we can go to those first non-ticketed event there you go, none um. We have the christmas tree stroll over at disney springs which is super cool, which is super cool yeah, yeah, I do love that. It's so cool, it's yeah, I think they do have. Go ahead. No, go ahead.
Speaker 4:No, you go I was gonna say when I went and this was a couple of years ago, it was Toy Story 101, dalmatians, I mean, like all of the big name movies. And then for some reason they had one that was like Disney Plus.
Speaker 1:I don't remember what it was last year. I'm trying to pull up my pictures.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been a while since because we went in November once we went for Olivia's Cheer stuff and it was Thanksgiving week.
Speaker 3:But it's been a while.
Speaker 2:But they do have that Christmas store there too. That's there all year, yeah.
Speaker 1:The old Christmas store.
Speaker 4:That one. Yeah, I just made, made that up. You sold it really well. I will say, I was like sure, I believe it, god let's see they had an epcot one looks like. I'm gonna share if I can and show you guys what I have here.
Speaker 2:You're brave. If I tried to share anything, I'd probably disconnect.
Speaker 1:It's really not that hard.
Speaker 4:I'm old. Here's Epcot, mickey and Minnie. These trees are so pretty, beauty and the Beast Sleeping Beauty, that one looks like a Mardi Gras. Tiana situation, tiana again. There you go, little Mermaid. I feel like I took way too many pictures of these trees, so, yeah, no, those are some of the trees, sweet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's definitely cool and they're interactive. So you can go around and wave your magic band, if you're wearing a magic band, and it'll play some music and say some stuff. So it's super cool, especially for the kids.
Speaker 2:I'll have to do that too you're doing it all.
Speaker 4:You might as well book an extra day.
Speaker 2:I feel like if we weren't staying at Helios because I've already done Epic a good bit but we haven't stayed there. So if we weren't staying at Helios because I've already done Epic a good bit but we haven't stayed there, so if we weren't doing that, then I would extend and stay a little bit longer at Disney and do more stuff.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Ashley, have you seen our pictures from last year when we went to the party?
Speaker 4:I don't think I have no.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to send you this.
Speaker 4:I haven't talked to you that much on Facebook.
Speaker 1:Sorry, we got matching. Oh to go, it went. We got matching shirts. I love it, it was chippendale it was chippendale and one said double, the other said trouble that's so good goals.
Speaker 4:Cute next time when you and I go, it's chaos, twins yes, what number one.
Speaker 1:And podcast princess, podcast princess.
Speaker 2:We'll get matching shirts when we go to disneyland next year yes, yes, for sure I'll have to get me some uh princess ears or something yes I'm sure those are really hard, or another crown I was just gonna say crown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, walk around disneyland. Why are you wearing a crown? Because, I'm the podcast princess.
Speaker 2:That's why let me tell you about what else we got, so you can meet santa there as well. Guess jacques lindsey's holiday bar has some holiday themed menu stuff I've never been during christmas.
Speaker 4:I've been during not christmas. But I do love jock lindsey's hangar bar. It's like trader sam's light yeah and much easier to get into.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I haven't been there. The other, the only other thing that's not in a park and we kind of hit it earlier, is the gingerbread house at the grand floridian. Not going to see it this year because of all the construction, but it is really cool. They have a whole gingerbread house that all the bakers make and they sell gingerbread cookies out of it, they sell ornaments, they sell a bunch of stuff out of it and then you walk around and get photos of it and there's other Christmassy things around it.
Speaker 2:That's the only one that does the gingerbread, though right, because there's other ones that have, like the big. You know, animal Kingdom, wilderness Lodge, have the trees, a lot of your resorts have the trees in the lobby.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like Pop Century, has a Pop Century themed one, so they have all the stuff from the different decades on it. A lot of the resorts have Christmas trees in them, so there's more trees than just disney springs looks like.
Speaker 4:Last year I went to a wilderness lodge with my mother and we stood in front of the christmas tree.
Speaker 1:Wilderness lodge at christmas is beautiful it is number one resort all day, yeah yeah goals to stay at wilderness lodge during christmas yes, absolutely.
Speaker 4:Oh, we did. They have changed the christmas tree stroll disney springs.
Speaker 1:I wasn't even thinking of that, like the year I went, it was just all christmas trees all in a row, like this alley of christmas now they're spread throughout the park yeah, now it's like a little hunt they have to do now they're spread throughout disney springs, like they go all the way from lime garage all the way to Disney Springs. They go all the way from Lime Garage all the way to Target de Soleil.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yep, sweet Fun stuff.
Speaker 4:And then my favorite, last but certainly most not least.
Speaker 2:Yes, animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life, awakenings Holiday Edition. I'm going to have to do that. I'm going to have to fit that in.
Speaker 4:You said that about everything I know.
Speaker 2:I'm like, and you know what's crazy? Because we have like and it's not. Like, this is not all park days. Like we have team events, we have meetings with our BDM. So it's like, how am I going to? I think we might get two park days, but I'm going in super early on the first day so and we don't have anything until that evening. So I'm planning on doing a park that day.
Speaker 1:So if I have to get extra, sounds like you're planning to do multiple parks that day. Yeah, four parks one day, let's go, it's gonna happen.
Speaker 2:It's gonna have done it. Before I have done it, I changed. I just changed my flight this past week to get in, because I wasn't going to get in until like 1. I'm like you know what? I'm going to go in early, so now I'm going to get in at like 8. So I have the whole day.
Speaker 4:Nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good for you.
Speaker 1:I'm like I need all the time.
Speaker 2:Because, honestly, I don't know Now we're going in February for cheer or January, so but we haven't really decided if we're going to do parks again. So I'm like I don't know when I'm going to go again.
Speaker 2:So I need to get all my my time in there because I have no idea I'm running out of excuses of like this is going to be our last year event, so it's going to be like okay, when can I convince everybody to go again, I'm sure, so I need to get it in while I can. Yeah, we'll see, you'll be fine, and then I'm not even going to attempt to say that word.
Speaker 1:Do it. You say it.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:I don't want y'all to have anything to make anything else to make fun of me tonight. You just pronounce it like it looks.
Speaker 4:Manage, jerry, there you go.
Speaker 1:The Disney version of Ben and jerry's yeah I don't know.
Speaker 4:I think it's cool, but it's kind of weird to me that yeah, they have the cute little like polar bear puppets, and I think there's other animals too. Polar bears are like my second favorite animal after sharks. But do they have other animals? Oh, they have a penguin yeah, I.
Speaker 1:I was about to say they have penguins.
Speaker 2:That's my son's favorite is penguins Nice.
Speaker 4:But it is weird. I've seen a few vloggers like vlog about it and they're like talking to like the puppets, but it's really just like the people controlling them. So it's awkward. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, but it's my favorite park, so I'll do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean outside of. I mean I mean, you know Halloween like there's Magic Kingdom is the only park that you're going to see any decorations in. That's like one of the things I love about Disney at Christmas time is because every park gets brought in in some shape or form for decoration. So I think that's super cool. I just I love Christmas, so that also helps.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely yeah.
Speaker 1:For sure, all right Fun times. We've covered a lot of information.
Speaker 2:We did.
Speaker 1:We'll post some more details to our Facebook page for each of these events over the next couple of weeks, as things continue to pop up. We get some times for shows, we get some narrators for the Candlelight Processional, we get things like that. We'll continue to post things. So make sure, if you are not already, that you follow us on Facebook, and every Friday we post news. So definitely keep an eye out for that. Anything to say before we wrap up.
Speaker 4:Happy holidays. I messed up my headphones when I did that you lost your headphones lori podcast princess got anything to say before we wrap up?
Speaker 1:nope, happy holidays, happy holidays. All right, cool, cool, well, definitely. Thanks again for joining us. It was a super fun episode as we talked, mickey's very merry christmas party, jollywood nights at jollywood studios that's full of the holidays over at epcot and some of the other crazy things to do while you're at disney for christmas. You know, if you're thinking about going at christmas time, definitely reach out to laura and I do it. Um, we really would love to help you plan a trip, like we love planning trips as it is, but if you tell me I could plan your trip to disney christmas like, we're going to be best friends for the rest of your life, so definitely reach out.
Speaker 1:Best way to reach out to us is an info at going beyond the castlecom. I mentioned earlier. Our facebook page is best way to find us on all of our social media channels is through our Beacons channel beaconsai forward slash going beyond the castle. There you can find all of our social media pages, as well as all the places to listen to the podcast where it drops each week. And then, last but not least, definitely check out our website for everything and anything going beyond the castle. That is wwwgoingbeyondthecastlecom. Um, what are we talking next week? Now that we're talking packing?
Speaker 1:packing like a pro, packing like a pro. All right, definitely tune in next week as we talk packing. You don't want to listen to what I have to tell you, because I'm going to tell you to pack the night before.
Speaker 2:And I'll tell you to pack like three weeks before. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So definitely tune in, though. Give us your feedback. Definitely join us in the comments. Shout out to Christine and Katie for joining us in the comments this week and talk along with us. We'd love that. Definitely pop in the comments when we're on live and, you know, chat along with us. We love interacting with you guys. So, that being said, we will talk to you guys next week. Happy holidays and, uh, keep going beyond the castle.
Speaker 3:Bye thanks so much for hanging out with us today on going beyond the castle. We hope you had as much fun listening as we did sharing. To stay up to date on all things going beyond the castle head, thank you. Want to follow along on social media? The easiest way to connect with us is through our Beacons channel, beaconsai forward slash going beyond the caster. You'll find links to all our social platforms, travel updates and giveaways in one place. And hey, if you're dreaming about your next big adventure, whether it's Disney, universal, a cruise or a tropical escape, we'd love to help make it happen. Our travel planning services are completely free when you book through us. Until next time, keep dreaming big, keep exploring and, as always, go beyond the castle.
