Fangirls of a Certain Age
Fangirls of a Certain Age
Summer Series Part 1
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In the first part of the summer series, the hosts, Amber and Becky, dive into their love for Disney theme parks, sharing personal stories and insights. They discuss their favorite attractions, foods, and experiences at both Disneyland and Disney World. The episode is filled with nostalgia, humor, and a deep appreciation for the magic of Disney. They also touch on the importance of representation in media, highlighting Disney's efforts in inclusivity. The conversation is lively and engaging, capturing the essence of being a true Disney fan.
Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to your new favorite podcast. It's Fangirls of a Certain Age. It's me, Amber. And guess what? Guess who else is here? You'll never guess. Here she comes. It is Miss Becky.
SPEAKER_01It's me. Hi, everybody.
SPEAKER_00How's it going? It's pretty good. I'm very excited for tonight's episode as we are launching into something very exciting as we gear up for the summer. Becky will talk us into that in just a few minutes. But before we get started, because we have so much to cover, I feel like we just have to launch right into our normal things for the episode. So uh I'm gonna kick us off with Fangirl 50. Are you ready? Let's roll. Okay, here we go. This should surprise nobody. I'm Fangirl50ing another book.
SPEAKER_01Oh shit.
SPEAKER_00It's all I'm doing with my life anymore. Um, so I mentioned on the last episode that I had started a new series, and I just started the second book, and this is the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinneman. And it is such a departure from what I normally would be into because it's not a mystery, it's not a fantasy, it's not a romance, it's sci-fi, it is ready player one, meets the hunger games, meets like it's so goofy, it's really silly and satirical, and the characters like the main character is a guy with no shoes, and he's in boxers. That's like that's his whole thing. The entire like I am I am halfway through the second book. Yeah, apparently he's hot. Yeah, he's ex-military, he's a big dog. Okay, let's go. Let's go. And he's running around in his boxers and no shoes, and this is how he's as he should be.
SPEAKER_01As he should be there.
SPEAKER_00And do you know who his who his sidekick is? Like who is the second main character? It's a cat. Oh shit. Amber. It's a cat. Her name is Princess Donut. It's so weird, it's so good. Um I am having a ball, and dare I say, like, this is this is like textbook boy book. Like, boys love this series. I'll anyone that hears that I'm reading it is like they're all boys, like they love it so much. So, but I will say, I mean, as a female, I'm enjoying myself, and um, I'm only the second book in, so there's like eight of them. Like, there's a lot. The the newest one just released. So I'm looking forward to it to see how it goes. But that is what I'm currently Fangirl 50ing is the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, specifically Carl's Doomsday Scenario. That's the one I'm on now.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, I know that you have been on adventures uh in books lately, and I love that for you because it makes you very happy. So uh if anybody wants a recommendation, hit us up because between Amber and Fangirl Kelly, we've got you covered.
SPEAKER_00And fangirl Dana.
SPEAKER_01We're getting uh Dana shout out, shout out.
SPEAKER_00We're getting a whole community of uh of book recommendations, and we all like lots of different things. So if you're looking for something specific, hit us up. I'm sure that we can recommend something that you like.
SPEAKER_01And don't worry, there will be a book situation, a book app, the one about said books. We're not sure which one's about books.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's what that's what we're up in the air about. We're not quite sure exactly how to do a book episode yet. Do we focus on one series? Do we focus on a genre? So we're still trying to figure that out, but book episode TBA.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Are you ready for my fangirl 50?
SPEAKER_00I am ready, Freddy.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, here's the deal. I have two. I think this is the first time ever. She's just two. One is very quick because it just literally came up today, and it must be said. But the first one is the one I've been dying to do. Uh, so here it comes. I am absolutely fangirling the Disney Plus uh songs in sign language. Now, if you're unfamiliar with this, on April 27th, Disney reanimated songs in American Sign Language for three of the songs of their famous animated films. So for um, we don't talk about Bruno and Ancanto, the next uh right thing in Frozen 2 and um Beyond from Moana 2. When you go to Disney Plus and look into these, you will see literally a whole new reanimated section with the song and the character, whether it be Moana or Anna or our friends from Encanto, are signing everything. It's not like it's layered on, it's brand new animation. It also is in collaboration with the Deaf West Theater, which I have talked about on here before, um, which is out of LA, and it is as it sounds, it's a theater specifically run for, run by all of the things for the Deaf community, um, and has had a lot of uh really cool uh stuff come out of it. And I just can't say enough, uh, especially specifically the frozen to Anna one. Like, if you aren't moved by that, I I don't know, I don't know what to tell you. It's almost better in sign language. In fact, I think I'm gonna lay it right here. I think it's better in sign language. That song is so gorgeous, and when she's doing it in sign, you can feel it just just to the core. So I am so impressed with Disney. You might think it would be cheap to do an animation film. Ha ha ha. No, it's not cheap to animate, y'all. And they did not have to reanimate this, they didn't have to do that. Time consuming. And they did, yeah. Oh yeah, um, and and they did, and I just I just adore, adore them for that. So that's my first Fangirl 50. Did you want to weigh in on that at all or you're good?
SPEAKER_00No, I I love it. I saw that when it first came out, and uh, and it's been getting a lot of um attention from all sorts of communities, honestly. And I think that we should be doing more stuff like that. I'm always just so impressed with the sign language sign language in general. When we were on The Destiny, uh, we watched the second show of all of the stage shows, and so we always saw the sign language interpreter, and it was just incredible to watch them do their thing. It's just it's it's such an an impressively complex, it's a it's a complex language that takes so much more than just knowing the signs, but also having to emote and use utilize your facial expressions and your body language, and then to see that be animated in that way as well to make sure that it's represented properly is really, really cool.
SPEAKER_01And you know, if you're at all interested in this kind of thing, um you can actually watch some uh boot us of how this all got made. Um, and more than 20 animators collaborated with deaf uh deaf performers and ASL choreographers from Deaf West. So they have ASL choreographers to your point. Um, Deaf West does a lot of musicals, which is really interesting. If you've never seen anything, we've talked about it on here before, but they use lighting, they use words on the stage to convey to the deaf community what is going on and the feeling of what they're trying to convey. So um it is really, really, really, really cool, and I highly recommend you check out the Deaf West Theater in general. Just take your take your fingertips over to the YouTube. I think that's just amazing. Okay, so my second quick fangirl 50 is just a shout out to C Hang Ma, who won an award. We have to, we have to. So Cihang Ma won an Atra Award for outstanding performance, non-binary, gender non-conforming on camera. And we are so happy for them, and it's so well deserved. Um, you know, all of the actors in the category, of course, are doing wonderful and brilliant work for representation as well. This is my little representation fangirl 50, isn't it? Thank you for your service. But you know, our heart, our heart is with COM, and we are so excited. And if you don't remember, they play Quinn on a little show called School Spirits, which we just happen to be pretty big fans of. Actually, it's part of our personality at this point. If we show up on there in a scene in the background, don't be surprised. Don't be surprised. Um, but congratulations, Sea Hong. So well deserved, and I just had to put that in the fangirl 50 because it was super cool to see.
SPEAKER_00I love that. I absolutely totally agree. That was incredible. To see them get nominated and then to see them win was that's really, really cool. We were so excited. So congratulations, that's really, really cool.
SPEAKER_01All right, so as we move into the episode, I have the pleasure of telling you exactly what we're gonna get up to, and I am super excited because we are gonna start a series, a set of three, if you will. And that's gonna be three episodes all about summer and all about travel and all about the places that we like to go. So buckle up, get on your plane, your train, your automobile, and get ready to come on vacay with the fangirls. I love that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right? Let's all go. So we're gonna start off real strong, real strong with Disney theme parks. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Disney theme parks. This is shocking information to nobody that both Amber and I adore the Disney theme parks as destinations for the summer and beyond in time. So we're just gonna Yeah right. Um, and you'll hear that as we talk about uh different parts of everything uh at going on at the parks. Um, so for housekeeping purposes, number one, our thoughts and opinions do not reflect that of the Walt Disney Company. They are ours and ours alone. Uh number two, we're gonna go east and west. So we do know that there are parks all over the world, and some of us have been to other ones out of the states. Uh so someday you'll get to hear about that, I'm sure. Uh, but we are gonna talk about east and west because those are the places that we live and go to the most. Uh and as per ush, we're gonna get into superlatives because that just seems to be the way we roll these days, and you know what? As Cinderella would say, if the shoe fits, right? Would you like to start with history and fun facts, or would you like to start with the fangirl scale?
SPEAKER_00Uh, let's start with the fangirl scale really quick. Where are you at on the fangirl scale, Miss Becky?
SPEAKER_01A 55, babe.
SPEAKER_00I took mine.
SPEAKER_01You're supposed to say 71.
SPEAKER_00Ew, I would never say 71. I don't know what you were thinking. How dare you? For those of you that do not know.
SPEAKER_01We could both be a 55. We could both be 55.
SPEAKER_00We can both be 55. I'm a 1,955.
SPEAKER_01Yes. That's good. There we go.
SPEAKER_00So, okay, so if for those of you that are not aware what 55 might mean, um, just to kind of give you a little bit of context and a reminder, Becky and I are both California girls. And we grew up in California. We grew up going to Disneyland, which opened in 1955. So, yes, that is where my heart lies. Uh, I still have a very, very soft spot in my heart for Walt Disney World, um, but Disneyland is my favorite place in the world, and I do consider myself a pretty big theme park fan in general. So, yeah, I'm going with 1,955 on the fangirl scale.
SPEAKER_01I approve this message. All right, my dear. Do you have some history and fun facts? I guess you kind of just previewed that there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I do have a history, and I'm going to say a little disclaimer right here at the top. This is very high-level history. I am not going down the rabbit hole because otherwise, that would be a whole entire episode on the history of the Disney theme parks. There are so many incredible documentaries, so many incredible resources that you can use to find any and all information you could ever want to know about how these parks came to be. But I am just going to give a very high-level overview of the parks. Um, and so we are going to start on the West Coast because that is the one that started it all, and that was Disneyland. Um, many people know, and if you don't know, settle in. Here's the story. Uh, Walt was enjoying a day at Griffith Park with his daughters. They were on the carousel, he was watching, and he was bored. And Walt Disney said that he wanted to do something with his daughters. He wanted to be able to go out and have fun with them. And so he came up with this idea for Disneyland, which would be a place where all of the family could hang out together. So this was dreamed up by Walt Disney. Uh, and Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. It was the first park of its kind, meaning a theme park versus an amusement park, so that the entire park was settled around a storyline. Um, and so it boasted attractions, shows, and characters that featured familiar characters and stories from Disney like Peter Pan and Mr. Toad, as well as other popular figures of the time like Davy Crockett and Tom Sawyer, and it was, of course, a huge hit. Well, Disney World was then dreamed up next to operate on a much larger scale. Uh, and so that was here in Florida, in central Florida. Disney purchased just shy of 27,000 acres, and Magic Kingdom was the first uh park on this property to open in 1971, and it kind of was a sister park to Disneyland. So it was a very similar feel and vibe to Disneyland, but sort of the East Coast version. So there was some overlap in attractions, some overlap in the general layout and story as Disneyland. Uh next up uh came Epcot in 1982. Uh Epcot originally stood for EPC OT, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Uh it is now simply Epcot. Uh, the main theme and story there is that it showcases the excitement of innovation and technology uh still to come while simultaneously celebrating cultures around the world. A few years later, I debuted Disney MGM Studios here at Walt Disney World. And of course, that gave guests a behind-the-scenes look and how Hollywood brings TV and film to life, and that was in 1989. And then last but not least, for this East Coast park at Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. This allowed guests up close and personal opportunities to interact and experience the intrinsic value of our natural world. Meanwhile, back on the West Coast in 2001, the debut of Disney's California Adventure, which was originally themed to the rich history and culture of the state of California. It did go through quite a series of facelifts, refurbishments, and uh and changed areas to get the version we know and love today that focuses more on the golden age of Hollywood, beloved marble and Pixar stories, and the picturesque backdrop of natural wonders of the state. So that is a very, very high-level, very brief rundown of the six parks in the US, two on the West Coast, four on the east coast. So those are the ones that we are going to be covering today.
SPEAKER_01R.I.P. limo ride. Ooh, superstar limo. Yep. Fun fact for you. I was there the day that uh California Venture opened. I was there.
SPEAKER_00Oh really? Wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, fun fact for you.
SPEAKER_00That's a special time.
SPEAKER_01I spent the night in Disneyland. They let us into Disneyland and let us be on Main Street while they cued us before we went to actually uh go to DCA. DCA we call Disney's California Adventure. We might use acronyms sometimes, and so we will try to explain that. Apologies if you don't know some of them. Uh but yeah, that happened. I was there.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh, what a fangirl blessed.
SPEAKER_01It was very cool. It was very cool. So we aren't gonna do our fun facts proper uh up at the top here, like we normally do, because we could literally start the fun fact clock right now and be here for the next four days because we have so many. We're just gonna pop pepper them in um as we go. Sound good?
SPEAKER_00I love that. I'm so jealous that you saw California Adventure in her heyday of like the camp, the camp of it all. Oh man, some of that stuff only existed for such a short amount of time in history, and I never ever saw I mean I did see some of it, but oh my gosh. Ugh, I would have loved to see that opening day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was it was really cool, actually. A la a la Christina at the School Spirits premiere. We ended up making some friends with people on Main Street, and they had family who was way up front, so we actually got to see the opening ceremony too, instead of being way far in the back and not seeing it. Oh wow. So that's so cool. Other fun fact for Becky, that's also the year that I got married at Disneyland.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's right. I forgot you got married at Disneyland. Also a fangirl bless. Oh fangirl blessed. Did you know I got engaged at Disneyland?
SPEAKER_01I did. Did you know I got engaged at Disney World?
SPEAKER_00Look at us. No. Oh my gosh. Look at this. Oh man, boy, do we love it. Yeah, I got engaged in the Lily Bell. Uh, that's the train car. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Oh, it's the best. So beautiful. Tell them what the lily bell is, please. Okay, so the lily bell is the caboose of one of the trains. Yeah. It's the name of the caboose car. As the story goes, is uh something that Walt wanted to have when he was hosting people uh in the park, and so it was just cute little enclosed, fully furnished, beautiful uh train car with windows, and um, you know, so his guests could have a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the train, the grand circle tour. And it is not open for guests, and it does kind of fluctuate here and there when when we got engaged. I mean, it was years and years ago, guests were allowed to do it, but it was kind of a magical moment sort of thing where they weren't like filling it every single round. You kind of had to be like chosen or you had to like right place, right time kind of thing. And now, uh, to my understanding, it is not available unless you take one of the special tours that takes guests into the Lily Bell as part of the tour now. Um, so it was really, really special. Yeah, that we we got to do it for uh that Steve, my husband, set it up for our engagement, and I was totally surprised. I thought we were just doing something cool. Um, and then I went to one end of the of the train card. They have like photos of Walton, his wife Lillian on the walls and stuff, and so I was looking at the photos, and then um I heard I heard my husband speaking to the cast member, um, and I turned around. He was on a knee. So he yeah, it was wonderful.
SPEAKER_02So he is a keeper, he's a keeper.
SPEAKER_01We love that guy. All right, so you ready for some superlatives? I'm ready. Okay, so again, remember, this is what we want to talk about, and you can pull from any of these six parks in the US, okay? Here we go.
SPEAKER_00What's your favorite land? Okay, this is hard. It's really hard because it just kind of depends like what mood I am in. Out of all of the parks, out of the six, there are probably four that I spend most of my time in, and that's Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Those are probably my four out of the six. The other two can just fall where they may. Um so Becky's not happy with that answer. Um, but I mean, Frontierland it at Magic Kingdom does hold a special place in my heart. Um, I used to work in that location. Country Bear Jamboree is. My it's just obviously something that is very special to me. I have it tattooed on my body. Um, I used to drive the rafts at Tom Sawyer Island, and I have so many fun and like crazy adventurous memories on that island. So Frontierland in general is very special to me. So that's probably my favorite land uh at Magic Kingdom. In Disneyland, though, I was really thinking about it and I was like, okay, I think my favorite land is Adventureland. No wait, I think my favorite land is fantasy land. No way, I think my favorite land uh is New Orleans Square. I think it's New Orleans Square. I think might be my favorite because the exterior of the Haunted Mansion to me is the epitome of Disney Parks. I the the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland itself, I do think has its has its pros and cons, but the exterior of the Haunted Mansion, the facade, the pet cemetery, the way the grounds, the fence around it, don't you get me started on Haunted Mansion Holiday. I just there's something about that entire area that really just brings, like ironically, life to uh New Orleans Square. And then you have the train whistling and then the steam from the boats and the water, like there's so much kinetic energy. So I do think that my favorite land is New Orleans Square. Final answer.
SPEAKER_01I love that. That's my honorable mention is New Orleans Square. Yeah, I love that one as well. Uh when I worked at Disneyland, um I was in store operations, so uh retail girl over here, surprise, surprise. It was it was cool because I got to be in all the lands, like would you just shuffle about? It may not be the same way anymore, but back in the day, uh, you know, you saw your schedule and you might have been in a different land every day. So I loved New Orleans Square. It's just there's an ambiance to it, right? Yeah, definitely. That feels good, the jazz music too, you know, all that kind of fun stuff. But my favorite is fantasy land, and there's just there's this Disney magic, it just is Disney magic. The music when you come in, you walk through the castle and you just feel like all the cares melt away, that things are fine. You can hear when you wish upon a star playing, and it just is the most nostalgic, beautiful thing in the whole wide world. I just it just is to me.
SPEAKER_00Fantasyland in Disneyland, especially, because I do like fantasy land at Magic Kingdom 2 a lot, but fantasy land in Disneyland, I always forget how much it sprawls because it's not just around the castle, because it continues to storybook link, and then Matterhorn is technically fantasy land, and then you have it's a small world, like all the way down to the Toontown like bridge. I mean, that's a big land, especially for Disneyland, and it has so many attractions and different kinds. Again, that kinetic energy of different attractions. You've got the water ones, you've got the walkthroughs, you have the dark rides, you have a roller coaster. Like, I do I do have it. I would say that uh fantasy land and Disneyland is an honorable mention for me as well.
SPEAKER_01We have a flip. Okay, well, speaking of attractions, since you just were, what is your favorite attraction? And I'm gonna give it to you that you can have one on each coast. One on each coast? I'm doing more than that. Oh god, here we go.
SPEAKER_00Here we go. I feel like there's different, like, tiers, like different tiers of attractions. So Well, there are.
SPEAKER_01There's e-tickets, and there's e-tickets.
SPEAKER_00Uh-huh. So I would say my favorite, like, I say I have a favorite show and I have a favorite attraction. My favorite attraction is the Haunted Mansion. I will say that the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World, as an attraction, I prefer. I I will agree. Again, the exterior, hard pass. I do not like the exterior at Walt Disney World, but I love it in Disneyland. Um, and then of course, the Country Bear Jamboree remains one of my favorite attractions ever made, and I know that it's gone through a huge change, and I am of the opinion I love it. I love the new version. I, and don't be wrong, I love the old one. I worked the old one, I know the old one forward, backward, inside, and out, and I know what everybody thought of it too. Everybody came into the Country Bear Jamboree for air conditioning and they were on their phones the entire time. And that was the way that they wanted to enjoy that classic attraction. And now people come in and these and the theater is packed almost every show. People are are laughing, they're clapping, they're singing along, everyone is enjoying it. The way I describe it is the country bear jamboree before was hokey, and it wasn't bad hokey, that's that was part of its charm. It was hokey. Now it's camp, and it's so it's a different kind of entertainment. So it's campy versus hokey. Neither one is bad, they are just different vibes, and I prefer a camp, uh, in my opinion, and I love the new version so much. I think it was enhanced in such a great way, and those bears have never looked better. They are absolutely stunning, they are living their best lives. I they look so good. I just chef's kiss. I love them so so much. Um, my honorable mention, though, will go to um Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot. That ride is so much fun. I have banger, banger the most fun, and my controversial opinion is that Conga is the best, the best song. I'm so sorry. What did you just say? Conga's the best song. That's not controversial, that is fact. Thank you. Thank you. I had this conversation the other day. Fact. The other day with Fangirl Thomas, who just started listening to our podcast, by the way. I hope he's listening right now, trying to say that Conga is not the best song on Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. Fangirl Thomas, you got some splaining to do because I got Becky to back it up. Told you Conga's the best. That's the best one.
SPEAKER_01100%. And it's the one I get the least, and it makes me irritate.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I get it the most. I think for you. I still have not heard Everybody Wants to Rule the World. That's the only one I have not had. I've not had at all. And Thomas claims that one is the best, but no.
SPEAKER_01It's so funny because it the like here's a spoiler for you all. Uh, my East Coast best ride is the Cosmic Rewind. If you don't know or haven't been or haven't been on um Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, it is a roller coaster and it's sort of a newer ride system type of roller coaster.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's been what four or five years? Four years? Five years?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, I think something like that.
SPEAKER_01Um, but it's been out and it is a roller coaster, but obviously um it think if Space Mountain got like jumped into the modern times. It's almost it's almost four years. Almost four years old. So, in any event, um, it does have a storyline, it does have a very big pre-show, so you will I don't want to spoil too much if you've never been on it because it really is fantastic. But it is a roller coaster. The cars move so that they can spin. And when I say spin, don't worry, it's not like you know, teacups on parade.
SPEAKER_00They oscillate. That's the way I that's the word I think. That's a better one. That's a better one.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so they can turn you towards what they want you to look at, and you can have different sensations, etc. Um, I am not a person who gets motion sick, so I'm not the best to talk to you on that one. Some people do say it makes them motion sick, but I think if you are that person, you will already know that. But it is a roller coaster, and again, it is a dark roller coaster, but it is so fantastic, and as we are talking about, if you don't know, Guardians of the Galaxy, of course, the movie is very, very well known for its soundtrack and all of the really kick ass 80s songs, certain age songs that go along with it. Um, and so they incorporated that into the ride, and so every time you go on the ride, you will get one of five songs, six.
SPEAKER_00Well, so it is six songs. Uh six songs that are featured, and you can have September by Earth, Wind, and Fire, which is a good one. Disco Inferno by the Tramps. I don't really like that one. Conga by Gloria Stefan and the Miami Sound Machine, which is the best one. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, which I still have not heard. I ran So Far Away by a Flock of Seagulls. That one is fun. And One Way or Another by Blondie, which is also a fun one. Um and they do a similar thing on the West Coast with their Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, um, Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, which used to be Tower of Terror, and now it's Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, which, by the way, again, controversial opinion, I prefer to Tower of Terror. I think it's so much fun. I have a blast on Mission Breakout. That's one of my favorites on the West Coast.
SPEAKER_01That one's hard for me. The nostalgia, uh, I do appreciate. And because I can't get to, yeah. You know what I mean? Like it's not, I can't get to it, so I think it's like makes me. That is fair.
SPEAKER_00I'm a little more spoiled because I still have direct accessibility to Tower of Terror. So it's a it's not a huge loss for me. So yeah, that's fair.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I do love just to end up with the cosmic rewind of it all, I do love too that you don't know what song you're gonna get until a couple seconds into the ride, or maybe even 30 seconds into the ride. You get some pre-show preamble, you're kind of like getting all set up in your car and you're moving through a little bit of story, plot first, and so then you don't know what song you're gonna get till kind of uh a little bit later, and I think that's pretty cool too, because you're like, What is the anticipation? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00It coincides with the with the backwards launch, and so and all the songs have such a strong beginning. So, oh, it's such a great adrenaline push. Oh, it's great, it's so good, it's so good.
SPEAKER_01Um, and so my favorite ride uh on the West Coast, plus my favorite ride of all time, it's Peter Pan. It will always be Peter Pan. The nostalgia is high. That is a first day attraction, correct? Yes. Um, it is a first day attraction, meaning it was there on the first day. Of course, it's gone through refurbs. It's not the same, not the same vehicle now. Stunning. It's stunning these days. Oh, yeah, it's really great. It's really great. But it is just it's pure Disney to me. It makes me happy. The nostalgia is so high. I do hate that I go on it so rarely because the line is always so flipped long for that ride. It's not even funny. Um, but it is my favorite, and then really quick honorable mention in Disneyland to I love the Alice ride, and I rarely get to go on that one either because that's my favorite fantasyland ride. Yeah. Um, if you're unaware or you're on the East Coast, we have an Alice in Wonderland ride in our fantasy land uh over here in California, which is it's it's a dark ride, just like any of the other fantasy land rides. That's the term coined when you're basically moving through the story of um the animated feature film. Uh and it kind of has two levels, you know. I don't know how to kind of explain it, but you're it's just wild like Alice in Wonderland is wild.
SPEAKER_00Do you want a really uh uh probably my favorite fun fact? Here we go, fun fact. Here we go. So uh obviously Disneyland is much smaller than Disney World and always has been and always will be because it got landlocked very quickly, and so they really have to utilize their space at Disneyland. And a great example of this is Alice in Wonderland is neighbors with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. However, both of those attractions are housed in the same building, and so uh Alice in Wonderland starts on the ground level, and then at one point you're going up to the second level, and then you're up top outside, and then you go down like a little ramp to get back to the first level. Well, the reason that you're going on the second level is because you're actually on the second level of that building, and so you can actually hear Mr. Toad's wild ride underneath you when you are going through the second level of Alice Wonderland. So it's Mr. Toad's on the bottom floor and Alice Wonderland is above it.
SPEAKER_01I love that. I love that. Would you like my Disneyland fun fact? It's my favorite piece of trivia, and it stumps everyone every time. I'm sure it won't stump you because you're you. But what ride has the tallest height requirement?
SPEAKER_00I have a feeling it's not a roller coaster. Okay. Process out loud. So it's not gonna be a roller coaster. Roller coasters are typically like 40 inches, 42 inches. I feel like there's something much bigger. Disneyland or California Adventure? Disneyland. It's gonna make me mad because I'm gonna know what it is when you tell me it.
SPEAKER_01Probably. What is your party trick out there, people? Because you can ask this and feel real cool. The tallest height requirement at Disneyland is to drive your own Autopia car at 54 inches.
SPEAKER_00Oh that's a good one, right?
SPEAKER_01That's a good one. That is a good one. It's a stumper. But yeah, so you cannot drive your own Autopia car unless you are 54 inches or taller.
SPEAKER_00Interesting, interesting. I had a feeling it would be something like that because I was going through the ones here at Magic Kingdom, and that one is also one that I think people don't consider, but yeah, you have to be a certain height to drive your own car. And 54 inches is tall. Yes, it is, it is tall.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, I mean, we could just keep waxing nostalgic and go on and on and on and on and on about our favorites because they're so dear in all the ways. Like, do you is it just me? Do you have a favorite of everything? Like, I have a favorite of everything. Like, I could tell you my favorite bathroom. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, like it's wild.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that's why I'm like, well, wait, nobody else means I can only pick one. Like, I have I have a favorite attraction at every park, I have a favorite ritual at every park. Like, I have, you know what I mean? Like, I definitely have so much more than just that. Cause like, I'm so glad you mentioned Alice. I threw in Mission Breakout in there. Uh, the animation building at California Adventure, I'll sit in there all day. I'll sit in there all day and I'll just sit in the atrium and watch all of the things, and I'll just cry. It's my favorite thing. I love it. I love it so much. There's so many wonderful, fun things at these parks that are not like thrill rides, that are not these crazy big attractions with this incredible technology. There's so many things that are just experiencing and watching and and listening and smelling the food and stuff like that. Like I just, ugh, I could do it all day.
SPEAKER_01Oh boy, Fangirl Blessed is gonna be hard. Let's move on to um how about your favorite show?
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna let you go first.
SPEAKER_01Alright, I this this one was easy for me. Phantasmic is my favorite show. I love it truly madly deeply. I love the one on the west coast, but I am warming to the east coast big time. Uh the new refurb of the east coast with Moana and Elsa specifically is so good. Holy hell. But there's something about being on the ground in front of, you know, Tom Sawyer Island on the rivers of America. I know you're she's giving me a face, guys. Like, why would you want to do that? If you're unaware, in uh in Florida there isn't a whole entire amphitheater for the show, and it began in California, and since there again, to your point, is not room, uh, that show takes place on the rivers of America, which means we all sit on the ground and watch uh the show happen. I'm also leaning more now towards the East Coast of it all because they refurbed the West Coast and some of the stuff that they took out and stuff, I'm not a fan of. But the original Phantasmic that came at the very beginning is one of my favorites. I can do the Mickey Mouse dance at the beginning and the end when Mickey comes up and out on the top of the on the there's no better feeling.
SPEAKER_00Like I've seen it a thousand times every single time that every single mouse comes out at the top of the mountain, and I'm just like, oh, there he is. It's like I'm seeing Jesus. It's I don't know. Like hallelujah! Hallelujah, Mickey Mouse. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01I know what you're trying to convey, but see, I go the other way. I'm like sobbing. Like it's it's like the release of every pent-up stress or whatnot that I have. It fills my soul nostalgically, it fills my soul magically. It's like it just there's something about the music matched with the pyro, matched with it's freaking Mickey Mouse. Like uh I always tell people that uh my favorite job that I would like to have, like when I retire, my job that I would like to have at Disneyland is to just be in Mickey's house and watch people meet Mickey all day. That would be my favorite job to come at the park, truly. Um and um I just like I just think it is such a beautiful moment, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. That I bet that would definitely just be a constant source of joy. I I have to I'm gonna I'm gonna share this really quick. Um I witnessed the other day a really, really cool moment where I met a a new crew member for the cruise line, and they said that her favorite character was Mickey Mouse, and she just loved loved him and connected with him and grew up watching all of his cartoons and all of that. And later that day, she got the opportunity uh completely by surprise to meet Mickey. And Mickey came in, and she was just so like speechless, and we had all heard all day like how much Mickey meant to her. And at first she was like so overcome with emotion just to hug him that like she kind of stalled like in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around her and like gave her this really big hug, and she like hugged him back, and then we just see her kind of like I don't know how to describe it, was she was like bouncing like a kid, like a little kid, because she was so happy to see him, and like we're all looking at each other and we all have tears in our eyes. Like it was just so so so special. Like, there's something special about Mickey in general, and like that, like you when you see something like that happen, like you just can't deny it. Like, it's oh it's so special. So, yeah, I would I think that would be a good job to have. I bet all you would see those moments all day long, it would just be magical.
SPEAKER_01Well, one of my favorite pieces of Disney Anything, which sounds strange, but it's the commercial from I want to say it was probably the 90s with the little girl who I think it's for Disney World actually, but the little girl's going around, she's having the best time of her life, and she's talking to I think Snow White or somebody. She's like, I've seen your movie three times. And then at the end of the night, and she's walking back to wherever they're gonna go, and she looks kind of sad, and they're like, Oh, what's wrong? And then she looks up and Mickey's right there, and she just says, I've been waiting my whole life to meet you. Anytime I see that thing, look, I have goosebumps right too. Every time, every frigging time. They need to bring those commercials back. I know they just did one for the cruise line that was really good. They used to do such amazing commercials. Remember the Lion King one? And remember the one. There were so many good ones. I'm too excited. Where the parents said, where the kids said, I'm too excited to sleep. We say that in my house every single time before we go. Every single time. Um, so finishing up with Mickey Mouse, just because we were here, would you like a couple fun facts on Mickey? Near universal recognition for Mickey Mouse, he himself is recognized by over 98% of children ages 3 to 11 globally. The three circle silhouette is considered one of the most famous cultural symbols of the 20th and 21st century. And since 1955, over 80 million pairs of ears have been sold.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Wow. I think that that's incredible too. Especially like one of my favorite fun facts is that Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey Mouse, and like, so regardless of where you live in the world, everybody knows who Mickey Mouse is. Is and everybody knows what he sounds like. Even if he speaks a different language, he still sounds like that, and that originated from Walt Disney, which I think is really cool.
SPEAKER_01Alright.
SPEAKER_00Are you ready? Wait, wait, I haven't said my show. I haven't said my show. Okay, so I think it's it's hard for me to say because like I'm I wasn't a big show person as a kid. I watched a lot of shows as an adult. I'm not a big fireworks person. I don't like fireworks in general, but there was a fireworks show during the 50th anniversary at Disneyland that was the best fireworks show I've ever seen in my life. It was so amazing. I loved it. Was it Julie Andrews? Was it yeah? It had to have been. It had to have been.
SPEAKER_01I can say the whole thing. Remember dreams. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. That was so that is one of my favorite shows ever.
SPEAKER_01It's all the feels, it's everything. Like it's one of the best they've ever done.
SPEAKER_00You would go around the park. It was like the um the shooting gallery in Frontierland, and it then it was like the haunted mansion. I still think about that fire.
SPEAKER_01And it's Julie Andrews narrating it. Hello. Alright, um, we're gonna move on, but I am gonna give a quick honorable mention to the Indiana Jones stunt. Spectacular, because it's old school Disney World, and I enjoy old school Disney World. And again, it's old school what sorry, it's always MGM Studios to be. I don't give a I'm dying on that hill. It isn't Hollywood Studios for me. It's MGM and it always will be. I say MGM till I die. Sorry, but I do. Sorry. Sorry. Uh, but it's old school what that was supposed to be. You know what I mean? It was supposed to be about how films got made, and it was supposed I would actually was a working studio in the beginning because the Mickey Mouse Club was there, and I wanted so desperately to go to Disney World and go to see the Mickey Mouse Club. That was like literally beg my parents all the time, and they were like, get over yourself. I'm in my 20s, and I'm like, please can we go to Disney World? Like it's ridiculous, ridiculous. I love ridiculous, but that's okay. Alright, moving on. I think everyone has a very strong opinion on this next one. But I need to know, Amber Joy, what is your favorite food at the park?
SPEAKER_00Okay, I'm gonna say there are a couple of things at Walt Disney World that are tasty. There's a few things during the festivals at Epcot that are tasty. There are a few things at Disney's Animal Kingdom that are tasty. But by and large, Disneyland's food is hands down better than Walt Disney World. It just is. And so when I think of that, there's a couple of things at Disneyland that like I can't skip. Corndogs obviously are staples at Disneyland, but I'm gonna up it one more. It's not, it's not just the corndog, it's the hot link corndog. The hot link corndog that they have at corndog castle at Disney's California Adventure is a staple for me. I have to have a hot link corndog. I'm going to bring it again to California Adventure. The Biria Tacos that they have at San Francisco are, I will say, they are the best theme park food I have ever had, and I will continue to eat there. I'll eat the biria tacos at San Francisco three times a day. Ask my mom, ask my sister, ask my husband. They're like, where are you going? I'm going back to San Francisco to get the birdiya tacos. So that is my number one answer. But I will also say I have a big bone to pick with the Avengers Campus because my favorite breakfast item was the breakfast swarma that they had at Avengers Campus. And guess who decided to get rid of the breakfast swarma last year? I'm not happy about it. Not happy about it. I'm allergic to egg whites, and I love breakfast so much. Breakfast is my favorite meal. And so this breakfast swarma was perfect because it was all impossible. It was all like allergy-friendly, and it was delicious. It was served with a maple sriracha syrup. And when they were like, no more. Why what do what do I even have to live for? What do I even have to live for? I'm sorry for your loss. So those are just some of my favorites. Lobster mac and cheese is another fantastic mention. And then, of course, the bread bowls are fantastic as well. So those are those are some of my favorites. What about you?
SPEAKER_01I love that. It's so funny you say that because I'm on the other side. I prefer to eat through Disney World. Isn't that funny? Really? I do. Uh, I there's a lot of things I like, most of them in Epcot, which is not surprising because of course you do have the World Showcase and you can cruise about there. I also like the uh Rolls uh, you know, as you walk into uh Adventureland, right? Yeah, Adventureland.
SPEAKER_00Do you have a particular flavor that you like? The pizza ones?
SPEAKER_01I enjoy the cheeseburger ones, actually. I think those are real yummy. Um so I get real excited. And and the way that m I operate in Disney World is that much like Ben and Mandy in Prompact with a table waffle.
SPEAKER_00Oh god, here we go.
SPEAKER_01Has to happen. Much like them and the table waffle, all food is up for grabs when you go to Disney World or Disneyland. Like if I buy something you want to bite, please come at. And that's great because if I don't eat that whole thing, I can continue on and eat something else and try something else and be excited about it. Um there are two things at Epcot specifically that I love. One of them is the empanadas from Mexico. I love them. Just the cheese ones, I love them. But I will not go to Disney World and I will not leave Disney World if I have not had the fish and chips from England. Yeah. My family, all of us, it is it is a staple, it is a must. Those fish and chips are the best thing I have ever had in Disney World. I have gotten people who don't like fish and chips to eat them and be like, these are so good. Um, I took a trip uh with uh co-workers once, which was very fun, and I'm like, yep, this is what you're doing. And I can remember specifically one girl was like, Becky, Becky. I know, I'm trying to tell you guys. This is um so yeah, so that is uh my favorite food. I know immediately when we get off of this podcast, um you and I are gonna think of 75 things to answer to each of these that we forgot, and we're gonna be pissed about it. But um, but definitely the fish and chips.
SPEAKER_00Fish and chips full life. I think that that's a very good answer because I I do enjoy a fish and chips, but the fish and chips that they have in the UK is particularly delicious. They are very juicy and crispy and God bless.
SPEAKER_01Uh, I want them now. Um, that is by the way, uh the UK pavilion at Epcot where those are located. If anybody needs to know, you need to go there. Listen, the food is probably one of the biggest things that I do when I'm at Disney because I just have to try everything. Um, and lastly, of course, churros are better on the West Coast. Trash. Trash on the East Coast. Your churros are trash.
SPEAKER_00Trash. And I firmly, firmly believe that it has to do with the humidity. I agree. Firmly I stand on that. I believe that it has to do with the humidity because I just feel like when you're in California and you're in Disneyland, the churros are crispier and lighter, and then when you get here, they're like soggy and dense, and they're just not as good. No, it's terrible.
SPEAKER_01Uh, but I also like a lot of the sit-down restaurants at Disney World 2 P.S. Like a lot of them.
SPEAKER_00Well, there, yeah, there's a lot more too, a lot to choose from, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Okay, next. What attraction do you miss that you wish would come back? Like if you could like have like, you know, the reboot and it wouldn't be different, you know what I mean? But it would come back. Somehow it could magically just get dropped down for a weekend or whatnot.
SPEAKER_00I am not a person that like loses my mind if an attraction closes.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Disclaim, both of us are the same. We're not, we like forward motion for sure.
SPEAKER_00I just don't, I just, you know, I get bummed out, but I try to like, oh well, it could be cool or you know, things change, blah blah blah. Like, you know, the way that Disneyland opened in 55 doesn't look anything like it does now, and same with Disney World in 71. So I have never been a person that like loses my shit when something changes. But I will say there is one thing that to this day I don't think the change was worth losing it. And I I I will die on this hill. Oh god, here it comes. I miss Lights Motors action, but I understand Light's Motor. Oh, I love that. I love it. I love it, but that is not my attraction that I'm talking about. I do miss Lights Motors Action, but I understand it makes sense. But it was not worth losing spectacle. I said what I said. Star Wars Galaxy's Edge was not worth losing the Osbourne spectacle of dancing lights. I said it, I stand by it, it wasn't worth it. Give me my Osborne family spectacle of dancing lights back. That was the purest form of magic, like personified. If you have never experienced the magic of the Osborne family spectacle of dancing lights on the streets of America at Disney's Hollywood Studios, you've never truly lived. And I am so sorry if you've never got to experience that. But you know what? If you want to walk around Batu, I guess you can, but we'll never get the magic of the Osbourne family spectacle of Dancing Lights back, and that's the one thing, the one thing that I don't think it was worth it. I stand by it.
SPEAKER_01Uh, in case you're wondering what this rant is, I'm gonna give it, I'm gonna give you some context as she is climbing down the ladder from her soapbox that was so high, it's gonna take her a minute. Um, and that is that the Osbourne family dancing, let me say it right.
SPEAKER_00Osborne family spectacle of dancing lights.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Um, is actually a family that used to do up their entire house and then it moved on into their neighborhood. Um, I don't remember where they were from. Where were they from?
SPEAKER_00Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01So the Osbourne family was a family that used to, you know, think Clark Griswold, they used to do up their uh house in a million billion lights, and then it grew to this huge, huge thing in Arkansas. And so the town said, Oh no, uh no, we don't want this anymore. And thankfully, Disney said, you know what, come on over to the Streets of America and we'll allow you to decorate that up. Um, and it was very magical. I actually got to see it one time, it was like the last night. I've never been to Disney World at Christmas. Uh, it is one of my dreams. I know that sounds strange. I'm just gonna say really quickly, Disney at Christmas is the most magical time to me that you could ever, ever go. If you're a Disney fan and you've never been at Christmas when you finally get there, it's like it's like magic on top of magic on top of magic. It's wild how good. But I've never been at Christmas time, I've only gotten to go like the very first week of November where some stuff's up, and the very, you know, tail end of the first week of January where some stuff's still up. But I did get to see that one time. So, yes, it is very magical. I agree with you. You said what you said, here come the Batu-ins for you.
SPEAKER_00I don't the Batuans, I don't know. Bring them on, bring them on. All I know is that when I was in my early 20s and I was away from home for the first time during the holidays, that when I was missing my family and I was missing my mom's immaculately decorated house for the holidays, I would sit on the curb at Disney's Hollywood Studios and just watch the the lights dance to the Christmas songs, and I would feel like I was home again. It was the only like little bit of comfort I had, and so it was very, very special to me. And I it was my favorite tradition every year for like 10 years. I'm so happy for Star Wars people. I'm so happy you have a place, but you could have put it somewhere else. Anyway.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right. Well, I have two and I will rapid fire through them. I mean, I won't get quite as passionate as you, I think, but I will say, I will say that I know one of them that the petition to sign would be long. And that is, I missed the hell out of the great movie ride. I'm sorry. I missed the hell out of the great movie ride. That was so fun. Again, like I liked when MGM, I liked when it was what it was meant to be. It was supposed to mimic, you know, a studio and what goes on to make films and movies and all of these things. And so it was so on brand. And if you don't know what the great movie ride was, do yourself a favor, take yourself over to the YouTubes and do a ride-through. Um, but basically it was, you know, going through all the different ride all the different movies you can think of from early Hollywood on up into whatever year that was, right? Um I don't even know. Uh but it was Indiana Jones alien. But it it had um it had uh live performers in it incorporated into the ride. It was so good. It's now taken over by uh Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which is a lovely attraction, don't get me wrong, but I do miss the great movie ride. And then just for some nostalgia and some family again, because again, Disney is something that my family loves so much and we do together a lot, so we have a lot of inside jokes and whatnot. And the one that we say often is oil, it ruins our country, and so that's maelstrom, because you go down the thing in the maelstrom, which two lovely sisters have now taken over on the frozen ever after ride. But you used to go down the water uh flume, I don't know, whatever, the little waterfall, into this area of Norway with oil rigs, and so my brother would always go, oil, it ruined our country. So I missed the.
SPEAKER_00That is so funny that that's the like that's the line that you guys use to talk about Maelstrom. Like usually people are like over the falls, like, but like that's the line for your family. That's so funny to me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and the other thing that we always talk about is after someone says that for whatever the reason, we always say, hurry up and get out, run, or you have to watch the movie.
SPEAKER_00You have to watch the movie.
SPEAKER_01Yep. Yep. That was literally, it would be like the boat would come into come into the store.
SPEAKER_00Shoving everybody, go, go, go, go.
SPEAKER_01And we would jump up and run like we like our lives depended on it because like the doors are gonna close, you're gonna have to watch the movie. Sorry, Norway. Sorry.
SPEAKER_00We're fine. We love your rich culture about oil.
SPEAKER_01God. Um, but I know that a lot of people would say the frozen ever after is a better choice. So fine. But I I'm gonna die on my great movie ride hill, because I really miss that ride.
SPEAKER_00I I do love the great movie ride, and I don't think that it was one of those that was like, it's ready to go. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like there's a lot of attractions that people get really upset about leaving, and you're like, but guys, come on, it was super outdated or whatever, people didn't go on it, it was never filled, or whatever. But the great movie ride was so beloved, like people loved that ride, and it was great. Don't get me wrong, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is one of my favorite attractions. It's my mom's favorite in Disneyland. She loves Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, but um, kind of to the same the same tune that we were talking about with uh Batuu, I was like, you could have built it somewhere else and kept Great Movie Ride, you know? Like, obviously, we don't know all of the logistics and backstage stuff, but from just like an outsider's perspective, like right, makes make somewhere else.
SPEAKER_01Um, okay, we're gonna go rapid fire really quick. I'm gonna give you an attraction and you're gonna tell me if East or West Coast is better.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Uh Pirates of the Caribbean.
SPEAKER_00A West Coast.
SPEAKER_01It's probably almost 10 minutes longer, by the way, than uh the one on the East Coast. So that's an absolute.
SPEAKER_00And it has a bayou scene. The bayou scene alone and the skeleton scenes with the treasure room. Like, come on. It's just hot take better. I don't care for the Bu Bayou restaurant. How about that? Hot take. I like it for lunch, but that's I like the ambiance.
SPEAKER_01Anywho, it's too dark. I can't see my food. I don't like not seeing what I can't I'm eating. It's fair. Uh okay. Okay. Um haunted mansion. We kind of talked about that. I think we're both going to Disney World on that one.
SPEAKER_00I okay. I do have an asterisk. Disney World. Always do. Regular, regular haunted mansion at Disney World 100%. 100%. Haunted Mansion Holiday, Disneyland all day, every day. And if it's between those two, if it's do I want haunted mansion holiday or Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, it's Haunted Mansion Holiday. That's the answer. So that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01If you're unaware, Disneyland has an overlay for the holidays where Haunted Mansion becomes uh full of Jack and Sally and friends the nightmare before Christmas, which is it's a pretty cool overlay. It's very cool.
SPEAKER_00It's a completely different attraction. That's what's impressive about it. Is it's not just like putting Santa hats on on tombstones, like it's a completely different attraction. It's so good. Big Thunder Mountain. Okay, I can't answer this uh just yet because I have not ridden the newly refurbished version at Magic Kingdom yet. It just reopened from a very extensive downtime where everything got redone and got a brand new track. So I do need to go on the one here. But until I do, it's the West Coast, obviously, because they have they do have a new track and they have all the cool effects and everything. So from what I knew before, it's the West Coast, but I can't give a full legitimate answer yet because I haven't gone on the newly refurbished version.
SPEAKER_01Okay, I'm gonna put these two together because usually people answer this about the seating. So, do we prefer the seating on it's now Tiana's Bayou Adventure, by the way? Um, some people may remember it as Splash Mountain, but the seating on Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Florida or land, and then on the opposite side of the scale, same thing. Is the space mountain better in Florida or land? Because if you don't know, in each of those attractions in each coast, one sits side by side and one sits front and back.
SPEAKER_00Okay. For Tiana's Bayou Adventure, I like the attraction better in Disneyland. I like the seating better in Disney World because you get too wet on the attraction in Disneyland because of the way the boat is configured. That water just just tumbles it on the sides like it's it's awful. There's no like no one's getting out of there unscathed. I don't mind getting splashed. I don't mind getting wet on a water ride, but you get drenched to your socks and underwear. It's too wet. It's too wet. Nope. Space Mountain the one on the East Coast, in my opinion, can be leveled and built from the ground up.
SPEAKER_01West Coast is better. West Coast is 100% better.
SPEAKER_00West Coast Space Mountain is such a good attraction, like from start to finish, between the music and the smooth track and the bra. I love, love, love, love Space Mountain, the West Coast. The one on the East Coast, it needs so much love that I'm like, you're better off starting from scratch. Like it does. I it's so uncomfortable. I can't even enjoy it anymore. I might as well, like, I if I want to experience Space Mountain, put me in a uh shopping cart and push me down the side of a hill. It'll feel the same. Like it's just too rough. It's too rough.
SPEAKER_01The Matterhorn says, I see you and I raise you. Um correct. Yes. Um okay. Uh I agree with the Tiana's buy you adventure of it all. I also agree really truly because the side by side is so much better because it's a ride that you get your Littles on when they're really ready to sort of take that next jump. And it is a big jump when they're told they have to sit by themselves in front of you. That's true. That's a hard one. I have a hot take on Tiana's Bayou Adventure as well, though. So I love Tiana's Bay Tiana's Bayou Adventure, what it stands for, why we have it, um, the intricacies, all of the stuff. The only thing I don't like is I I'm sorry, and I'm so sorry to everyone who worked so hard on it. I don't like the original song at the end. We have banger after banger in Princess and the Frog, and I didn't need that. Like, I'm almost there. Like, all like, why did we need a new song that's not as good, in my opinion, IMO, as the one that's that we have already? Like, literally.
SPEAKER_00I do agree with you. I do agree. I don't understand that. I don't mind special spice, but I I agree that I would have liked to hear more of the original soundtrack because they have such good music in The Princess and the Frog. I do agree with that.
SPEAKER_01Okay, last but not least, and I'm saying this because we must, and we know the answer to this, and it is the only right answer. Period. How about Small World, my friend?
SPEAKER_00Small World on the West Coast is the only small world in my eyes. I I understand the design on the East Coast, but it just no. No, it the that facade cannot, you you can't compete with the facade on the West Coast. You just can't. And Christmas Disney characters and the Christmas overlay. No way, no way. It is an unfair competition all around. It's a small world in Disneyland, is iconic, and I feel things when I go on it. Like I love it. And when I go on the one here, it's nice, but it's just not the same. It is just no competition.
SPEAKER_01I need to just say really quickly that I did forget one of my favorite rides in all of the whole entire world, and I need to say it because if I don't, I will be so upset for the rest of forever. I will not leave Disney World without going multiple times. Do you want to guess?
SPEAKER_00People mover.
SPEAKER_01You better fucking believe it. You better fucking believe it. The fact that there is no people mover in Disneyland is a travesty.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it it is it is um. I do wish that they would bring something of the people mover or a version of it back. That track is still there, so like, can we do something with it? Whatever, you know, as long as it is safe and cool, like I'm here for it because I I love a land with kinetic energy, and I feel like Tomorrowland should have a lot more than it does.
SPEAKER_01Okay, are you ready to sort of wrap this tour of the Disney parks up? I think so. I mean, we could go. I mean, literally, y'all, I think if you know us by now, you know that we could we could keep going. The one question I did have for you, I'm gonna ask really quick is there a franchise or a movie that you would like to see an attraction or show made out of?
SPEAKER_00So the ones the ones that I have in my brain I know are never gonna happen because they just didn't do as well, but I think that they are they are good settings to create cool places of. And for me, I want a Raya and the Last Dragon. That movie's beautiful.
SPEAKER_01That movie's beautiful.
SPEAKER_00First of all, Raya and the Last Dragon did not get enough credit. That movie is so good. I love that movie so much, and if you have not seen it, I really highly suggest watching it. It's a got a beautiful message, and I think it would fit right in at Animal Kingdom. Give me the mysterious, mythical land of Kumandra, and have it be with dragons, put it behind Asia. Like, I would love Kumandra, but I know it's never gonna happen because it just didn't, it wasn't super popular, but I think it it has a good setting and a good story to really build a detailed land and have really neat attractions built out of.
SPEAKER_01Okay, I'll take that. Um, I have two because one is real and one is not real, to your point. Okay. Oh god, okay. The real one is I have always wanted a dark ride of Cinderella. There's not. And I've always wanted a dark ride of Cinderella. I don't I don't know why, like that one in particular. We don't have a dark ride of Sleeping Beauty, we don't have a dark ride of 101 Dalmatians, we don't like you know what I mean. There's plenty, but your favorite. I did mention 101 Dalmatians. Uh, but for some reason it feels like Cinderella would be a really cute dark ride, and that's what I want. I agree. Um I would now like to take you on a little quick adventure through Dcom Land. That's right. Oh boy, here we go. I would like a land all around decomms. Okay? We're going to Ordon Prep. There's a ride in there. There's definitely a ride in there. Um and we're gonna learn how to chill like a villain in the pre-show. Okay, they're gonna come on and they're gonna teach us some dance moves while we're waiting in the pre-show. Um, and that's kind of gonna be the e-ticket, just because like or you can't see it, you know what I mean, when you get in there, ordon prep. So you can't see whatever it's gonna be. There's a thousand percent gonna be zombieland proper. Like you're going to go to zombieland. And it is not gonna be a ride. You're going to go to bam. You're going in, we're gonna have a party, it's gonna be a whole show. It's gonna be amazing. It would be so great. The dancing would be amazing, you know, right? Am I wrong? Mm-hmm. Okay, and then we're gonna have some new technology, okay? I'm not exactly sure. I'm workshopping still. Imagineers, listen up. We're gonna have some sort of a basketball situation where you are in the basketball, kind of thinking teacups, but like in different technology forms, so that you can dribble like your basketballs are going up and down. Of course, for high school musical, and you're gonna get your head in the game while it's happening. Okay, okay, okay. I understand why that you're so thinking this is crazy. Somebody out there, Darius, Darius, hear me now.
SPEAKER_00You think Darius is on your side Darius, King Darius?
SPEAKER_01It could happen. Um, and then last but not least, Van Girl Kelly. There will be a lemonade machine for you to get lemonade when you need to be refreshed in the DCOM land. Yes, I said it. I said it was You lost me.
SPEAKER_00You lost me. On that note, so I mean, it was is that your fangirl manifest is DCOM land?
SPEAKER_01No, that's just like right off the top of the dome. I want you to, everyone. Right off the dome. That was right off the top of my head. I'm not even joking.
SPEAKER_00You don't say. I love that you're like, can you believe that I just came up with that all? Like right off the top of my head? Well. Okay, you jerk.
SPEAKER_01It would have taken you 72 hours and a tranquilizer. You're 100% correct.
SPEAKER_00And a tranquilizer. Yeah. 72 hours and a tranquilizer.
SPEAKER_01What's the name of your biography?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Anxious mess. Oh my god. Okay, I'm sorry, but uh hit me up, Imagineers Dcom Land. Let's get into it. Okay. I'm sure they're lining up at your door. Should we do a fangirl, bless fangirl manifest? Sure. Alright. Um I'll do a blessed. I I I mean, it's ridiculous for us to even dis you know discuss d blessed, etc. I can go down the line. You know, I got married there. I met my husband working there. Like, we can continue on. Um, but I do think if I'm trying to say, you know, something that was really special, is I do remember um one particular evening working in New Orleans Square, and I was on a break, and I had to use the restroom, and there's actually a restroom for cast members, and it overlooks all of Tom Sawyer Island Island and all of that. And so it was my break, and I just basically watched Phantasmic from this restroom because it has a window, and again, you might say, Lurla, you're in a bathroom, like this is your blessed, but it's just and I know you know this, Amber, there's just these weird magical moments that happen that you you know are special because you're probably one of the only people who get to experience those things, and again, I've seen the original maps of Disneyland, I've you know, like all sorts of things, um, but it's like those weird little moments like that where you just realized how blessed that you are to be able to be in literally the magic. And again, we've got I mean, you and I both, we've got celebrity stories, we've got like they're just like it's all there, but um so that's fine. You go ahead.
SPEAKER_00I I love that, and I will uh I'll echo that as well. That you know, I've gotten to do a lot of really incredible things, a lot of once-in-a-lifetime things, a lot of things that people would never understand. I just in the right place, the right time. So I will say that I am overrun with blessed stories, but I do have a manifest. Um I do. Oh this is it is a bucket list. No, it's not decomland. Um, this is a bucket list item for me, and and mark my words, it will happen. Um, I have been blessed to visit Disneyland multiple times. I have been blessed to visit Walt Disney World a billion times. Um we honeymooned uh at Tokyo Disneyland. Uh we went to Disneyland Paris back in 2019, and so um we are missing two parks. We are missing them all back. We're missing Shanghai. So uh my manifest is I need to finish the world tour. I need to get to the last two parks, Hong Kong and Shanghai, so that I can say that I have been to all of the Disney parks worldwide for now until another one opens. Um, but that is my manifest is I've got to get to my last two parks, Hong Kong and Shanghai. If you can help a sister out, let me know. Uh, and that's mine.
SPEAKER_01Okay. I'm gonna quickly add a little manifest onto mine since I got a blessed. I'm gonna add a little manifest, and this might surprise all of you. It might actually really surprise all of you. And it's a manifest that we can make good on. Amber and I have never been to a Disney theme park together.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01And that is going to happen in short order very soon. And so I, babe, I'm so excited. I can't even tell you. It is going to be that that we will live, laugh, love. We will cry, we we will, we will laugh, we will cry, we will have a great time. I know this all to be true.
SPEAKER_00And we'll laugh and cry when we go to Halloween horror nights together. Shit. I forgot. Yep, yep, yep, yep.
SPEAKER_01Where's my scare pal? Are you working on it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh yeah. I've got you, I've got you covered. Don't you worry.
SPEAKER_01All right, well, I hope this was fun for everybody. I hope you had a great time uh coming on leg one of this vacation with us. Um, more to come. And um, I don't know, Amber. I just love the hell out of you. And I love Milo Manheim, who better have his own merchant in Disney Park coming soon and I will buy it.
SPEAKER_00Whoa, I mean, it's only a matter of time. He's filming uh pretty soon for Tangled. So um, well, I love you and I love Milo Manheim as well. Just a few quick reminders for all of our friends. If you absolutely love what you are hearing, please make sure that you rate and subscribe to our podcast and that you are following us on the socials, fangirls of a certain age on Instagram and fangirls of a certain age on TikTok. And uh, as we close this episode, leg one of our vacation series, I do want to uh provide just one quick little tidbit for all of you. Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. A thousand and Walt Disney World is the most magical.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Thank you for that clarification. That is important business and factual information. It's true. And that's all I have to say about that. Oh my god. I love you and I love Milo. I love you and I love Milo. See you later, everybody. Bye.