ParkMagic Podcast: Insider Tips To Plan Your Disneyland Adventure
Our goal is to help you simplify planning for your trip. We give you tactical tips to help you plan your next magical Disney Vacation to Disneyland and California Adventure.
We want to make you feel like you have a clear plan. In short, we want you to feel like you have a Disneyland expert in your pocket. Helping you plan your meals, rides, shows, and how to spend less time in line.
ParkMagic Podcast: Insider Tips To Plan Your Disneyland Adventure
A Guide to Disneyland's Quiet Places with Paul from Window to the Magic
Discover the hidden sanctuaries within Disneyland's lively atmosphere as Paul from the Window to the Magic podcast guides us to pockets of tranquility where the magic of relaxation meets the wonder of Disney. Amidst the whirlwind of excitement, we navigate through serene spots that offer a much-needed reprieve. From the sensory-friendly oasis of Popcorn Park in Toontown to the hushed nostalgia on Main Street's porch, our conversation is a treasure map to peaceful havens that provide a restful escape for all, including sensory-sensitive guests and those just longing for a quiet moment.
Join us on a leisurely stroll around Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park as we unearth quiet seating areas and the lesser-known picnic spot near the park entrance—the perfect place to enjoy the Esplanade's soothing music. We venture beyond the lively throngs to reveal the peaceful corners behind Flo's V8 Cafe in Cars Land, sharing our tips to find these hidden gems and how to savor a moment of calm with a chicken and coleslaw side. Our journey through these tranquil locales is a gentle reminder that even amidst the theme park bustle, spots of serenity await to rejuvenate your spirit.
The episode closes with an intimate look at the creation of the Window to the Magic podcast, where Paul shares how his vision of delivering an immersive auditory Disneyland experience has connected listeners around the globe. We learn how the magic of ambient park sounds can offer therapeutic relief and joy, as Paul recounts heartwarming tales from fans whose lives have been touched by these magical soundscapes. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that invites you to experience the enchantment of Disneyland's atmosphere in a whole new way, and stay tuned for future collaborations that promise to amplify the delight.
Right now, our tools are just for Disneyland, but we hope to expand to other parks soon. Disney changes policies, prices, and shows often. Be sure to visit our website at Parkmagic.com or Disneyland's Website for more information.
Park Magic is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Enterprises, Inc. Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Mickey Mouse are all registered trademarks of Disney Enterprises, Inc. Any use of third-party names or trademarks is for identification purposes only and does not imply, nor is it intended to imply, any affiliation with, endorsement from, or business relationship with any third party, including with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Welcome to the Park Magic podcast, your place for insider tips for your next Disneyland adventure. Whether you're a first-timer or first-time in a while visitor, we're here to unwrap the secrets to creating and simplifying your dream Disneyland vacation.
Speaker 2:Do you hear that? I do. I hear this amazing guest. Nobody knows the sounds of Disney parks better than our guests. We have Paul from Window to the Magic, which is a podcast that I love listening to as somebody who goes to the parks and the parks are my happy place. I actually told him when I met him just a couple weeks ago that sometimes when I get really stressed, I'll put on his podcast because it brings to life the magic of the park through the different sounds that you would hear. So nobody knows the sounds of the park better. So, paul, thank you so much to coming on to share a little bit about the quietest places in the parks. There are a couple places around the parks that can be a really great place to get that quiet fix and I was kind of hoping you could share, from your years and years of recording at the Disneyland Resort, where are some of the best places? And then some of the places that might seem like a good quiet place but might end up having some noisy surprises.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me on the show. I appreciate it and, yes, I have, at this point, made a almost 20-year career out of podcasting the sounds of Disneyland, and so I am very familiar with what the park sounds like and where you can go. One of the places that I was going to mention and I'll just start with that one is called Popcorn Park and it is in Toontown and it is one of the new spots. When they redid Toontown, they did it in such a way that they had in mind sensory necessary kids, and so they have redesigned it in such a way that you can have fun regardless of your abilities or needs. And Popcorn Park is in the back and it is a covered area in the back. They have got grass there now it is fake grass, but they have got grass and benches and where Toontown has all of that tunish music playing and it is fairly loud and things like that.
Speaker 3:Once you get back into Popcorn Park, it is designed for kids to get away from all of that stimulation, and so it is darker and there is not a lot to see. Back there it looks like a cave and they are playing Disney music, but really lo-fi, like downbeat Disney music. You almost cannot identify what songs they are playing. That is how off the beaten path it is. It is really a nice place to go and kick back. Really, the only noise you hear is the sound of Chippendales Gadget Coaster, because that is over in that area as well. That is 50 feet, 75 feet away, and it is a fairly quiet coaster, so it is not too bad. I would say that is the newest and best location in the park for this type of activity.
Speaker 2:I actually really like that area. You might have some people talking or background noise, but for the most part it is really quiet. When you walk into Toontown there is also a grass area. That is right as you come in. That is not what he is talking about. You are going to head to the left and go until the road end. I agree that is one of the best places to get a little sensory, so it can be a nice place to decompress for both adults and children.
Speaker 3:The location is just immediately to the left of Mickey's house, between Mickey's house and the Chippendale gadget coaster. It's really nice.
Speaker 2:What are some of the other areas at Disneyland, because I feel like there's fewer areas at Disneyland just because the footprint is so tight. Where are some of the other areas at Disneyland that you think might be a good place to get a quiet break?
Speaker 3:La Salon Nouveau and Club 33. Oh, you mean like anybody? Okay, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So for those of you who don't know, club 33 is like the ultra exclusive, like if you don't know what it is, you probably can't get in. For sure, even if you know what it is, you probably can't get in. But yes, it is very quiet and peaceful there.
Speaker 3:My next choice, kind of working my way logically around the park, would be the old motorboat cruise launch dock and that is over by Idlewice Snacks and it's under the monorail track immediately across from the Matterhorn, and it is a very quiet place because most people look and they go. Well, that's like an abandoned boat dock and all I see is some chairs there, but there's nothing going on, there's no theming, there's no nothing. And so if you walk down to the far end of that boat dock, it's just quiet. There's water all the way around you, except for the way you walk in, and the only sounds you will hear is the sounds off in the distance, coming from you know, small World Mall, that sort of thing, the occasional sound of the monorail running above your head.
Speaker 3:The monorail doesn't honk when it's above you, thankfully, but this is one of those places where you want to be aware, because this is right next to Small World Mall. That's on the parade route. So if the parade is running, if there's a marching band, if there's any sort of activity happening on the parade route or if it's fireworks time, it is not going to be quiet. Of course it's not going to be quiet anywhere in the park during fireworks, but this especially because this is closer to the fireworks by a lot than being out on Main Street. That sort of thing.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes I see people like oh, go, take a call on the outside between monorail and over by Galactic Grill, and it is quiet there most of the time. But when a parade comes through it is very much not quiet, and I think that's where Disneyland can be especially. You know, it can be tricky because there are announcements that come through, things along those lines that can definitely bring up the volume quite a bit.
Speaker 3:Now, depending on how actually quiet you want it to be, if you don't mind the sound of the occasional Autopia car going by, I would say one of the most fun places you can go to is actually just a little bit down from that boat dock and it's the former smoking area underneath the monorail platform over by where Autopia and the submarine voyage meet. The only issue you know it's like a business call, probably not a good idea. You get going by in the background and the occasional sound coming from the Matterhorn of people screaming and whatever, but for kids they're not going to mind either of those noises, and so I think that would be another good location.
Speaker 2:I feel like you're taking me through a voyage, just like you do on your podcast. What would be the next location for you?
Speaker 3:Another location that I enjoy, oddly, is completely on the other side of the park now, which is all the way over in the backside of the Hungry Bear restaurant. The Hungry Bear restaurant is actually on the second floor and its seating area goes around the restaurant and behind it next to the railroad tracks, but it's actually the second floor. If you take the stairs down, you end up on the first floor, which has got some additional seating and the Country Bear bathrooms and things like that, and that's where the walkway to Galaxy's Edge is. If you go all the way to the back without going down the stairs, you go all the way to the back.
Speaker 3:Unless it's a busy day, you're going to have an entire seating area to yourself where the only noises you're going to hear are the of the train as it goes by, and you can wave at everybody as they're going by, and that's a fun.
Speaker 3:Especially for somebody who's audio driven, like I am, it's really neat to hear that train going by, and then you'll hear the Mark Twain as it goes down the rivers of America, and then, if the Columbia is running, that's the only time you run into a little bit of a problem with this area, because that is the area where they fire the cannon. So if the Columbia is running, be aware that once every 20 minutes, once every 30 minutes, the ship is going to come around the corner and you're going to get a big bang and then it's quiet for another 20, 25 minutes. But this is a really nice area, nice seating. You get a hungry Bear Restaurant there so you can get your food and go over there and eat and even if it is crowded, it's still fairly quiet back there. The farther you go back, the better it gets. How?
Speaker 2:do you feel about over the area over by Harbor Gallery Cross from Haunted Mansion?
Speaker 3:Are you talking about the new area that they just built or the area that's been there for years?
Speaker 2:You know, can you go in? And then there's like you can't see the tables from the front. There's like kind of like a little kind of secret seating area.
Speaker 3:That's the hidden path, the Harbor Gallery hidden path. That really has no purpose except just to be a nice little walk, and about halfway along that walk is five tables four tables, something like that Fairly exclusive location. If you can get seating there, that's really nice. And that is super isolated because most people don't know that it's even there and so, and like I said, you have to walk around the boat. If there's a boat in the dock you're completely blocked from every other noise in the park except for whatever's going around the rivers of America. So that's not a bad area. There's also they just built a new area like Harbor Galley Seating area.
Speaker 3:That's the one with the birds. I can't remember the name of the birds right now Pelican Landing, I think, is what they call it and that is actually not a bad location either. Although it's very much in front of Haunted Mansion and on a walking path, it's not loud, there's not a lot of foot traffic that goes through there because it's kind of blocked off. And when Phantasmic is running, if you're sitting there and you've seen it before and you just want to be there for it, it's not a bad viewing area either.
Speaker 2:What do you think about Pirate Lair? On times I find that Tom Sawyer's Island is, it's kind of like literally a walk in the park. You know, like you know, even over there, we were there on a day that was like oppressively busy. It was that day that there was like a fire alarm and like plumbing happened and like near Tiki Land, so they had all of Adventure Land blocked off and it was just oppressively busy. And so we went over to Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer's Island and especially on the far side of the island, I found it very quiet, very peaceful and since so few people go over there, you know, a lot of personal space.
Speaker 3:Nobody goes over there. It's one of those locations, I mean, there's maybe 10 people on the island at any time and so, especially when they have the actual Pirate's Lair open and you can go into the area that used to be Injun Joe's Cave and stuff like that, that is, that is some really good getting away from it. All time at Disneyland that I used to go over there I have. We used to do a video series on Window to the Magic, called the Window Series, and we would go around the park and we would shoot video. We would tripod, mount a camera, point it at a really nice scene and let it run for 10 minutes, wouldn't talk, wouldn't do anything. We just captured the sounds of the park in the video and the idea basically is that you you turn it on on your television and it had surround sound, and so we would just surround you with the magic. You weren't supposed to look at the television other than just glancing, like when the Mark Twain went by or something like that.
Speaker 3:And one of the shots that we did was from Tom Sawyer Island up in the treehouse, pointed across the river at Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Matterhorn. You can hear Disneyland off in the distance, because this area is so quiet. You can hear things happening on the other side of the water and so you can hear big thunder happening way off in the distance and you know you can hear the Mark Twain or the Columbia coming around, you know, and as they leave and all that other stuff, it just just a beautiful, beautiful shot. And so, yeah, that spot on the island is absolutely fabulous.
Speaker 3:I have one one that is right in the middle of the action but oddly removed, and that is the porch on Main Street. Oddly, once you step onto that porch, you're just far enough away, especially if you've got kids and you know you can let them play on the porch and there's like a little defined area where they can just run around and do whatever, and they've got five feet in each direction to move around and you know whatever. And it's just far enough away to where you can see Disneyland happening off the porch. But you're on the porch and that's totally different.
Speaker 2:When my kids were little I used to go into the Main Street Cinema because they have all of the silent movies and so when I was trying to get my littlest one down for a nap, I would kind of just do circles in there and then they have benches for adults to sit down, so it can be a. That can be a nice quiet area as well. And then you know, outside of great moments with Mr Lincoln, I love it there for a little quiet break, a way for the heat and the sun. I mean, obviously there's moments inside, great moments with Mr Lincoln, that are very loud because there's a war happening, but they've got a lot of these and there's a lot of cycling through exhibits and then some permanent exhibits, but they're really interesting if you like history, and so for my son that's like a super like into, like we can't pass a plaque. We joke in our family about oh no, there's a plaque. It's a nice place for us to get a little bit of decompression and maybe a little break on a hotter or wetter day too.
Speaker 3:And I can tell when you go to the park versus when I go to the park, because you said, go to Mr Lincoln to escape the heat and I go to Mr Lincoln to stop from freezing. So I am definitely a night person. I go to Disneyland primarily after sunset. I'm one of those weirdos where my favorite time of year is right now Well, actually last month, technically when the days are shortest and the nights are longest, and so it's, you know, 4 30pm and it's completely dark.
Speaker 3:I will show up as the sun is going down, especially being follically challenged as I am. It is nice to go to Disneyland and not have to wear a hat to stop from being sunburned. And so if I go to the park then, like I, there's been times where I've gone out to record for the show, because we'll record things for the show, events that happen and parades and fireworks and things, and when seasonal things happen, like the Christmas fireworks, we'll go out there and we'll record. Well, sometimes we end up sitting there for an hour because we've got a nice spot and we don't want to lose it, and so I'll end up freezing and so I'll like have my son sit there and I'll go into Mr Lincoln and warm up, and then I'll trade places with him after 15 minutes and then we'll switch back and forth and so, yeah, that's, that's always a good place, and my best friend and I used to go to Disneyland when we were in our teens and twenties and Mr Lincoln was named nicknamed by us. Great naps with Mr Lincoln.
Speaker 2:So comfy those seats. Yeah, I love that and the history on that is that attraction is so, so deep and so lovely and I think those are the big ones for Disneyland. Should we do California Adventure?
Speaker 3:Sure, except on the way over. I'd like to stop at the picnic area.
Speaker 2:Yes, very few people have seen that. They just they're so focused, they just scoot right past it.
Speaker 3:Not only is that a nice little area, as you're facing Disneyland, it's on your left If you go over by where the bathrooms are. There's the lockers and then the bathrooms and then there's just a hole in the fence. Basically, you walk through and it's this big area with all of these picnic tables and lockers and like jumbo lockers, and also speakers, and those speakers are playing the Esplanade music so you can sit there and enjoy your meal or whatever you're going to do, or just sit there and your kid can take a nap and you can hear the music from the Esplanade. The monorail goes over your head every couple of minutes but it just kind of by. It doesn't honk or anything like that the only shortcoming of this spot.
Speaker 3:I went there one time when the Disney 100 celebration started and I was like I'm going to sit in. This area is nice and quiet and I will record the background loop and share it with my listeners and I very quickly found out that that is where all the trucks park, on the other side of the fence, backstage at Disneyland, where they make all the deliveries, for you know, just the whole time we were delistening the music and then all of a sudden you'd hear as the trucks were backing up and then they would drop off their loads and whatever. And then you know it's like, well, it's kind of a shortcoming, but alright, it's not loud, it's not. You know it's not gonna wake the kids up, but it's when you're trying to record the background music for something and there's this loud beeping going on.
Speaker 2:I think that's the trick about Disneyland 2. You might look in the whole resort, including the hotels. You might think this is a great place, that, and especially if you're going to do business call. Just know that at any point. You know there are people that are on vacation that are loud, there could be a vehicle there.
Speaker 3:You know there's a lot of unexpected things in a lot of those locations, for sure fire trucks, oh, and in the in the picnic area also, although way off in the distance, the two firings of the gun from the Jungle cruise. So you'll hear Off in the distance again, not loud enough to wake your kids up, but still something to be aware of. And when we get into DCA we're not gonna get. And how far do you think we're gonna get in to DCA before I've got a spot?
Speaker 3:Nope, not even gonna get to the flagpole, oh, Look at you, fancy because there's that park right there, right as you walk in the front door, right in front of Oswald's, and also there's some permanent benches off to the right, right as you walk in the entrance, look to your right, and it's by the exit. So it's not all that popular, but if you sit there you can hear the music from Buena Vista Street and it's although it's in the middle of all the action. Again it's like the porch on Main Street. It's just far enough removed to where. If you're in that park sitting on the benches or you're over on the right sitting on those Permanent benches, you're gonna be fine, nice, quiet area. Nothing loud ever happens there. The only sound that comes and goes is the red car trolley, and that's that really pleasant. So that's not gonna disturb your kids either.
Speaker 2:What's your next favorite place?
Speaker 3:the Hollywood pictures back lot area is quiet, that that entire Section of the park is a quiet area. Because if you, if we're just looking in that area Underneath the, the building that used to be Muppet vision it they used to have that big entrance for Muppet vision which is now not an entrance or an exit that area is a seating area that is quiet. And then if you go over by that little stage, that's also very quiet. And then if you continue to go in, there's that Snack shop with all the neon at the end and past that, right in front of the soundstage, is Another seating area all very quiet areas and there's a bathroom right there. So that is a plus as well.
Speaker 2:I feel like that is one of the quietest areas on that side of the park, because Avengers Land kind of has, you know, a lot of shows that come in, so it might be quiet when you sit down or when you. But you know, the Warriors of Wakanda will come by, or Star Lord will come by and start dancing, and then Cars Land has a lot of beautiful sights and sounds in it. I think kind of the next one would be between if you kind of go behind flows there's a walkway behind flows to San Francisco and kind of back there, the only sound that really you hear is the cars from radiator Springs, racers going by. What do you? What are your thoughts on that one?
Speaker 3:My thoughts would actually be not the walkway, but actually inside Flows Proper, not the building. In that outside seating area there's a covered seating area out the back of flows. I always sit out there and that is isolated from the walkers. So the people that are walking by and whatever, and, like you said, you get to hear the cars going by every 12 seconds, but they're 75 feet away, whatever, and it's not a real cars noise and so everything is kind of muted over there. It's nice and cool during the summer, but if it's raining it's covered, so that's a plus as well. Not so bad at all, actually. I have one area that I like to sit in which is over by Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. I go over to Poultry Palace and I pick up the best chicken at DCA. The reason I like it is because it tastes like shakenbake and I will get myself a chicken with an extra coleslaw, which I think they sell now by themselves. Because I ask so many times.
Speaker 2:It's so good and it's gluten free.
Speaker 3:You walk over by past mood swings and out the other side and just to the left where the parade comes out there's a little walkway and before you get to the building on your left is a little walkway with a little seating area and it's just like a little area. It's got maybe 10 tables, got trees above it. So it's shady if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be there in the daytime and you're just again just far enough removed to where you can have a nice quiet meal, you can go in and get the awesome sun-dried tomato pasta at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and also immediately across from there, if you don't mind, a little music is the underneath the silly symphony swings. There's a walkway on the ground level If you walk around, you can walk all the way around the building and it takes you out by the water and there's benches back there and things, and the only time that's not a good place to be is during World of Color.
Speaker 2:When I find even the main seating by Boardwalk and Paradise Grill before 10 am. You can't actually make a business call there. For the most part, after 10 am they've got bands playing and everything. So your options would be better for sure, without a doubt. And then I think the next place would be kind of heading down over to Redwood Creek Challenge, which is. I think sometimes people underestimate how awesome these playgrounds are. If you have little ones, and that one is, not only is it quiet, but there's so many things that aren't on a normal playground. And my son was willing to hang out with his sister on that at 16. And I was like, and he came back panting and having a good time. I was like I'm so nice of you to just do that with your sister Not that you would want to be here and he's like, no, no, just to be with my sister.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually, when you said Redwood Creek, I thought so. Going from Little Mermaid, walking towards the wheel, I actually thought turning right instead of turning left, going behind the Grizzly River Run or, more correctly, underneath the Grizzly River Run, where there is a huge path that you and like a long area where you can walk and you're literally walking underneath the attraction as it's going. Warning, you may get wet at times because it's a water ride, but there's, there's waterfalls back there and there's areas where you can view the attraction and things and most people take that area out in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail main walkway that you would take in. Most people walk that way. So if you go this way, you're going to be by yourself and it's. It's not necessarily quiet, but it's not noisy.
Speaker 2:And I don't think they have any music piped over there, do they?
Speaker 3:Yes, there is music back there. Typically, the waterfall is the yeah, it's, it's the primary sound that you're hearing. So you got the white noise of the water. So, but as you walk, if you're coming from Little Mermaid, you go and you turn right and you go underneath the rise in that area you'll hear the music and then you'll get over towards the waterfalls and then you won't hear it much anymore.
Speaker 2:Oh OK.
Speaker 3:But, but then also back in that area is the area where you can walk out and actually watch the people coming down the big drop at the end. Drowns it up and that's a fun place. You might get wet there too, but still fun.
Speaker 2:And it's really beautiful it. You know, I think that area of the park is really really pretty and peaceful and you know there are several places kind of along that row that you know are quieter to. You know, like, little like over by the plane there's a little plane where you can get a picture with Goofy, if the character's not there, that usually is a pretty, you know, fairly quiet place, but the monorail goes right over there, so you'd have to have you'd have that monorail noise occasionally.
Speaker 3:Right and underneath the scout tower in front of Soren is another one of those areas. As long as you don't mind the zzzz of the monorail going by every 12 minutes, then you're fine and that's a nice quiet area with the background music going on, you know very quietly, but pretty much no other noise other than just the rumbling of people's voices as they walk by, and no parades, no fireworks in that area, no, nothing.
Speaker 2:People tell me they have to do like a business call, I'll usually tell them they're probably better off going into one of the hotel lobbies. So Disneyland Hotel. You know we did a recording for your show which was I kind of fangirled and like had a little bit of like trying to keep the panic down. But you know we, you know over in Disneyland Hotel there's some outdoor areas that you know, and then, but the Grand California has a lot of different places to take quiet calls. There's a lot of nooks and crannies and you know, sometimes they'll have piano music in the background but overall it's, you know it's not going to be blaring, you know, disney music anywhere in that lobby.
Speaker 3:And in the in the new DVC tower, there's the new restaurant that they have by the pool. Oh yes, it's underneath the hotel tower and so it's protected from the sun. You get to see the pool on one side and the and the monorail pool on the other side. It's a little windy if you're under there because you're underneath the hotel and it's not. There's nothing blocking the wind, so it's it's a little wind tunnel. So if it's windy, be prepared.
Speaker 2:I think they even had some power outlets for laptops when my husband went, which and that's the harder thing to find is quiet and a power outlet is is a difficult combination, unless you're in one of the hotel areas.
Speaker 3:Bring your batteries, people.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:But yeah that's. That's not a bad place. And then, depending on whether they're open or not, the lounge at the Disneyland hotel is also quiet place where you can go. You could have a business call there if it is not the evening time when they're doing brisk business. Nice and quiet over there. Quiet, comfy chairs. You could sit there and be on your laptop and talk on your phone, as as long as your boss doesn't mind you talking to the bartender while you're having your meat.
Speaker 2:Well, I think this helps. I feel like it's a question that people ask over and over again and you know somebody only came one time a year or anything like that. I think I remember it was kind of quiet, but they might not realize that you know some of the things that you said. You know, like my daughter is, like more sensitive to beeps and honks, and so you know there are there. Depending on what somebody is trying to do, whether they're trying to mask the Disney background where it's identifiably Disney, or whether they're trying to avoid a specific sound or a certain volume level, I think this will really help them in trying to decide where they need to go. So I think everybody should listen to your podcast and I think, especially if you have a little one, that, or you as an adult, or somebody that doesn't like surprises and likes to be acquainted with something, listening to his show is a really great idea of what to expect in the sounds of the park.
Speaker 2:You know, because I have a daughter that is more sensitive, I will tell you when we go to the parks we bring not only in earplugs like the little kinds that you would bring. You know that they might give you at the hotel if they're doing construction. But we also bring like a headset that like the that we just got at Home Depot for the. It's the same kind of gardeners used to protect their ears from the noise and there are some rides that it really that those we actually use both together. But for the most part just having one of those in brings the volume down enough where it's makes Disneyland much more enjoyable for her, where you know she would have been fine but it wouldn't have been fun.
Speaker 3:That's good, that's good. Yeah, that's. You want it to be enjoyable for everyone. And the idea behind Window to the Magic although we started as a as a DVD creation thing, when podcasting came around, I realized I was listening to the official Disneyland podcast with Michael Gohagen and he was walking through the park and he was talking to Tim O'Day or talking to Tim Allen or whoever it happened to be, and he would walk around and they would be talking as they went through the park and I would be like this is really neat, but I wish they would shut up. I want to hear Disneyland. And so I thought to myself well, wait a second, I could do that.
Speaker 3:And so for the first couple of years, the Window to the Magic was around and you can still go back 20 years in our audio and hear these shows. We did a thing called when in the Park and we would go into the Esplanade and I would say hi, everyone, welcome to the show, blah, blah, blah. This is what we're gonna do. I would explain the premise and then I would stop talking, and the only time that I would say something is like to a cast member or something as I walked in the main gate hi, thank you, whatever. But then I would walk through the park taking a specific path and you would have to follow along with your ears and you would have to determine, using only the sounds, where we were going.
Speaker 3:And then at the end I would say, okay, we're at our final location, you have a minute to figure out where we are, and then we'll go do the ride, show or attraction that we have reached, and then I would wait a minute and then I would just get in line for whatever it is and I would edit out the boring parts, go in and do the attraction, and people loved that, and that's basically what we do now, except we've kind of morphed to where you're hanging out with us in the parks now, so we're kind of just casually talking to you as we go through. You know, as I'm walking down Main Street, I'm like, well, it's actually a really nice day here today. You know it's 75 degrees and you know it's not a lot of people and you know, oh, look there's. You know that kind of thing and I'm literally committing the same foul that Michael Gohegan was doing back with the original Disneyland podcast. There's probably a lot of people going. I wish this guy had just shut up.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I'll listen to it on my phone, sometimes I listen to it in my car. You can ask Alexa to play it for you as well. So it's really great. So I you know I've done several podcasts over the years and I know how much work that goes into them. So the amount of love that it takes to continue to do this and provide this for so many people for so many years is just. I mean, it's beautiful and thank you for doing it.
Speaker 3:Well, you're quite welcome. My favorite thing that I get is when people send me a message and say you have helped me through this time in my life. Or I have anxiety and I put on my headphones and I'm transported to Disneyland, or like I'll go through social media and I'll look at people that say man, you know like I just saw somebody yesterday yesterday day before she said if I could be at Disneyland every day and ride it was like Space Mountain or something. She said I probably wouldn't need my anxiety meds. And I responded back and I said I don't know if this will help, but we provide audio in the parks. Please give it a try. We'd love it if it helped you.
Speaker 3:And we've had people that have literally sent us emails and said you did nothing short of save my life. I was in such a bad spot that being able to put on the headphones and go to Disneyland helped me, and that is the biggest compliment I could ever get is just for somebody saying I'm still here because of you. Thank you so much, and I'm like I'm just beyond my honor. What you do really does matter.
Speaker 2:And you can find it on iTunes pretty much any place where they have podcasts. If you want to go to his website, it's windowtothemagiccom. You might even see him strolling around the park. So thank you again so much for coming. I so appreciate you being so generous with your time and sharing with our listeners. Yeah, I'm sorry it took us so long to get together the first time, but now you're gonna be on my show.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna be on your show. Look at us, look at us.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much, you, betcha, have a good one, and to everyone out there.
Speaker 3:We'll see you over on Window to the Magic.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, you're awesome.
Speaker 1:We'll be selecting one reviewer to win a one hour planning session with Robin. Winners will be announced at the end of the first episode of every month. Thanks for tuning in and remember that we are here to help you have a less stressful and more magical trip to Disneyland.