[00:00:00] Dana: welcome, Cat, to the Laid Back Magic Way podcast.

[00:00:02] Dana: I’m so excited to be chatting with you today ’cause it’s a little bit different than what I have interviewed members about before, which is not just Disney World, but the combination of doing Disney World and a Disney cruise on the same vacation. And I think you’ve done this before. You just got back from a land-sea combo, as they call it, This is your second time doing this,

[00:00:26] Cat: Yep, that’s exactly right. My second time combining both Walt Disney World and then a seven-day cruise in Florida.

[00:00:34] Dana: So you obviously like it. You like doing the both.

[00:00:37] Cat: like doing both. I think there’s something about, uh, when you’re flying from Seattle particularly, you’re going literally as far from Orlando as you can in the continental US, there’s a little bit of pressure, I think, to really make it count.

[00:00:54] Cat: So if you’re- Yeah … crossing the whole country, you’re spending a lot of money, your brain really starts to say, “I need to do it all.” Um, so that’s kind of where we have built our trip rhythms, is just leaning into, , really maximizing the time.

[00:01:11] Dana: That’s how I feel about if we ever go to Europe, and we haven’t been, I think, because of that pressure.

[00:01:16] Dana: ‘Cause it’s like, “Well, while we’re there, we’re so close, we might as well do London and Paris and this,” and it’s like, well, that gets a little out of hand. So how did you decide to structure, like… ‘Cause there is a lot of pressure. You wanna do a lot, but without driving yourself crazy. What did it look like coming from Seattle?

[00:01:36] Cat: Yeah. Well, there’s a practical reason why we wanted to come a couple days early. You really want to make sure you’re never cutting your travel too close to your cruise departure day.

[00:01:46] Dana: day.

[00:01:47] Cat: The ship will not wait for you if anything happens. So part of that is intentional to build your travel buffer, but we also wanted to, you know, essentially do one crazy wild day in Magic Kingdom to kick off that Disney feeling.

[00:02:08] Cat: , I think there’s just something about Magic Kingdom that- It’s the heart of Disney, right? Like- Yeah … we don’t go that often. There’s no better way to just jump into the feeling of Disney with the castle, the music, the energy. , And so we went into it with the mindset that it was going to be a little crazy, it would be a little intense, but it’s just one day, so you kind of power through, right?

[00:02:36] Cat: Mm-hmm. And you know that on the other side is seven days where someone else is making your bed, someone else is cooking, and at that point, your biggest decision is, “Do I want my pool chair in the sun or the shade?” So you can handle one day. Yeah.

[00:02:57] Dana: So you went from Seattle, and then where was the resort that you picked for the heavy Magic Kingdom day?

[00:03:03] Cat: Yeah, we picked the Polynesian, and part of the-

[00:03:06] Dana: you’re on the monorail, and you can pop in and out. Yeah.

[00:03:09] Cat: yep, that’s what I learned from your community, is really thinking about the logistics of the trip, having more than one transportation route. , The monorail was really, really easy for us. , And so that helped us kind of kick off the vacation in a laid back, a smooth way.

[00:03:27] Cat: , And then there’s a couple other tips that I really thought about that would help make the transition more seamless. Mm-hmm. So the, the first is that we just packed one dedicated bag for everything that we would need on the land portion of the trip. Yes. So yes, everyone’s outfits, pajamas, swimsuits, toiletries.

[00:03:51] Cat: That bag was the only bag that we opened f- while we were at Polynesian, and we just kept all of the cruise luggage, you know, over in the corner so it was ready to go. That really helped me. I think the packing and the transitions often falls on mom, so that was, , really helpful for me to have that ready to go.

[00:04:12] Cat: And then I also pack my park bag as my carry-on. So Thursday when we’re flying, I already know that my Magic Bag Kingdom is set. I’m just gonna take out some of my flight needs- Mm-hmm … but that park bag is already set, and I really don’t have a lot on my to-do list from a logistical perspective Thursday night transitioning to an early Magic Kingdom day.

[00:04:39] Dana: bag is already set, and I really don’t have a lot on my to-do list from

[00:04:42] Cat: Exactly. Yep, and you have to be ready to go pretty quickly on Saturday morning, so you really don’t want to unpack and have to spend, you know, valuable time that could be pool or park time kind of getting everyone reorganized.

[00:04:59] Dana: perspective Thursday night as we’re transitioning to an early Magic Kingdom morning. Yeah, because you’re not un- you’re not fully unpacking. Exactly. Yeah, but you have to be ready to go pretty quickly on Saturday morning, so you really don’t want to unpack and have to spend, you know, valuable time, which could be pool or park time, getting everything sorted.

[00:05:13] Dana: That totally makes sense. And then I know your kids are grown out of the little kid stage. They’re eight and 11. And I know that’s in my future. I just can’t even– It’s f- my kids are just more spread out, so I feel like almost like three different parents sometimes because I’m parenting an almost 10-year-old who’s– It’s, it’s a lot, the, the change of her getting older I don’t know if you felt the same thing, but nine was like a really big shift, um, between just their interests but just kind of how you have to parent them and their friend- They’re just, they’re just a totally different child.

[00:05:43] Dana: And then I have essentially, like, I feel a baby who isn’t a baby, but to me, he’s my baby. He’s two. Um, so I’m curious. I’m, I’m gonna go back to a little bit more of logistics, but I wanted to touch on the Disney World portion, um, selfishly. Um, just imagining, like, how that was different as they’re getting a little bit older.

[00:06:06] Dana: And I know you were only doing Magic Kingdom for the– And we’re gonna get into, again, like you actually did a little bit more park time at the end of the trip as well. But for Magic Kingdom in particular, how did you do, like… I’m assuming you didn’t have a stroller. Like, how did that work with no stroller, the transportation, your Lightning Lanes, your dining?

[00:06:27] Dana: Like, what did your day look like? Like,

[00:06:29] Cat: Yeah. I will say that big kids at Walt Disney World, it is a, a really sweet spot, and I didn’t really anticipate it being that way until we were in it. You know, you hear a lot about, “Oh, take the kids when they’re little so they enjoy the magic,” and I think there is truth to that. But there is still so much magic when they’re older, too.

[00:06:52] Cat: So I would encourage you to look forward to that. Um, the logistical stuff does feel easier. I’ll be real about that. No strollers. You’re not worrying about a nap. Maybe there’s a 2:00 PM, like, meltdown window, but maybe not, kind of depending on the

[00:07:09] Cat: day. 

[00:07:10] Dana: 2:00 PM’s hard for everybody. I mean, like, even if you look at, like, the science behind it.

[00:07:14] Dana: I don’t know about, like, for men, ’cause I know they’re pretty even-keeled, but women definitely have, like, a, a dip at 2:00 PM.

[00:07:21] Cat: Yes. Um, and so we certainly took the, uh, afternoon break and headed back to the Polynesian. Mm-hmm. That was really important for us. Not necessarily for a nap, but the reset. The park- Yeah … was feeling very crowded at that point. Um, we were ready to c- to be re-energized at that minute. So I would say that is something that is still relevant with older kids.

[00:07:47] Cat: Um- But to your point about the 10, 11 window, while the physical logistics are easier, the emotional needs are still very much there, right? Yeah. They want to be seen on the trip. Because my kids have visited before, they have opinions about what they do and don’t wanna do. Um, and they really still need the downtime, even if they don’t know to ask for it, or maybe they push back a little, right?

[00:08:15] Cat: Like, they want- Mm-hmm … to do one more ride. Um, so one thing that we, uh, are very, um… I guess one thing that we do when we approach the parks is we are going to budget for Lightning Lanes. We know, especially with just one day, like we’re maximizing the time, and so we went with the Premier Pass this time.

[00:08:38] Dana: Premier Pass this time.

[00:08:39] Cat: do it if I- Yeah.

[00:08:40] Cat: It was so fun. Um, I wouldn’t do it if I was there for a week. That would add, you know, so much expense to the trip, but for one day it was really worth it, for me especially, because I knew I would be the one, you know, booking the next time and managing, um, all of the windows for the future, m- if we were to do the Multi Pass.

[00:09:03] Cat: Um, and it helped us primarily avoid the cross-park trek when you have a specific window of time. You could– we could really just kind of tackle an entire area and then move on from the next. Um, so I sort of think about Lightning Lanes as, like, the TSA PreCheck, right?

[00:09:24] Dana: right? Yeah, totally.

[00:09:26] Cat: it’s worth your time, um, and it’s just a rational expense, so.

[00:09:31] Cat: M- because we don’t go as often, you know, as maybe others, it’s something I just really budget for, and we don’t go unless we know we can, we can do it.

[00:09:42] Dana: I need to do an episode that’s like things I would give up before I gave up the money towards Lightning Lanes. N- I’m not necessarily like pushing Premier Pass on anyone. It’s– definitely makes sense for Magic Kingdom, and it definitely makes sense if you’re only going one day and, and want– And again, like you have kids that can literally ride everything.

[00:10:04] Dana: It’s not like you have, “Oh, they can’t ride everything ’cause they’re too short” or… But when it comes to money spent to skip a line, and I hate to– I don’t want that to sound like my kids can’t wait in a line. But it’s more, um, ’cause we have TSA PreCheck, we have Global Entry. I will skip the line at the movie theater.

[00:10:29] Dana: Like I just want– It’s, it’s like that feeling of being efficient and just things running smoothly, and that’s what Lightning Lanes really are, is just you don’t wanna be going and then… It’s like you can go without Lightning Lanes, and again, it’s so dependent on the park and everything. But most people, they maybe don’t even think about it or realize it until they get to the park, and then they’re panicked.

[00:10:56] Dana: Like I even notice like Premier Pass will sell out a lot of times like that day, and it’s people that are walking in and being like, “Oh, snap,” and then they just kind of buy it in a panic.

[00:11:06] Cat: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that

[00:11:08] Dana: Like I– It’s, it’s funny ’cause it’s Kind of contradictory ’cause I’m very happy to spend money on it, but I don’t– I like it to be a place that was, like, thoughtful and I anticipated it.

[00:11:20] Dana: Not necessarily, like, budgeted for it, but I knew ahead of time that that was gonna be a no-brainer and not, like, frantically… Like, you’re picking an outfit for the last minute for this thing. Like, I hate that feeling, and it’s the similar thing of just spontaneously buying something. And Premier Pass is so expensive.

[00:11:40] Dana: I’m actually shocked that people just do that kind of from, like, a day-of point of view. But

[00:11:45] Cat: Yeah. That’s

[00:11:47] Dana: getting back to… Yeah. Yeah. Getting back to the, your day in Magic Kingdom, ’cause I think you had mentioned, I don’t know if it was in the community or maybe in an email, that your kids have different, like, interests or, like, bravery levels, and my kids are definitely the same way.

[00:12:07] Dana: Um, was there something that surprised you this trip that maybe one of the kids loved or one of the kids didn’t like scare, scare-wise?

[00:12:17] Cat: Yeah. Yeah, I think this is a really interesting, uh, bit of parenthood that we all have to navigate when we go. Um, and I think that the typical advice is that you should really never push your kids, right? Or just encourage them and they’ll surprise you. And for my family, it’s, it’s more nuanced than that.

[00:12:38] Cat: So you’re exactly right. My, my son is 11, and he loves the big rides. He has no hesitation. Um, he’s not nervous seeing it. Um, which is interesting because at home or at school he’s very introverted, but he just kind of comes to life with the rides. And my daughter is eight, and she is unique in the fact that she loves the rides when she tries them, but she gets very in her head beforehand.

[00:13:10] Cat: So she’ll see the height of the drop, or she’ll hear kind of the loudness of the ride, and she kind of closes up a bit. Um, so her anxiety is louder than her excitement, and so that’s a really unique thing that we, um, are trying to navigate. So what we have landed on is we pick one ride per trip that we, we do push her.

[00:13:34] Cat: We gently push, right? And so I choose it very carefully, and I know her, and I know in my gut that once she tries it, she will love it. And hopefully I’m not gonna scar her.

[00:13:46] Dana: off.

[00:13:47] Cat: Um, so this-

[00:13:49] Dana: you do that this time? Was there a ride that you kinda, you have to try this at least once, like a new food?

[00:13:55] Cat: Exactly. That’s the exact approach. So we tried it with Seven Dwarfs Mine this trip, and it’s a big-kid ride.

[00:14:02] Cat: Um, I know that she has liked M- uh, Thunder Mountain Railroad in the past, and this is, like, a

[00:14:08] Dana: the past, and this- Yeah, similar. Yeah

[00:14:10] Cat: up from that. Um, some big drops, but it’s not Tron, it’s not Space Mountain. And so we really said, like, “If you’re nervous, it’s okay. You can sit with Dad. But this one we really want you to try.”

[00:14:24] Cat: And she did it, and she loved it, and it was just so fun to see her, like, have this memory of being brave,

[00:14:33] Dana: but it’s not strong enough to take down the And so we really said, like, “If you’re nervous, it’s okay. You can sit with Dad on this one. We really want you to ride.” And she did it, and she loved it, and it was just so fun to see her, like, have this memory of being brave. Yes. Yes. So me and your daughter are the same, and I can tell you, like, from growing up going to Disneyland, I just remember that so specifically of being scared about something and my mom holding onto me, and then feeling like a million bucks when you get off, even though I was terrified.

[00:14:58] Dana: And there’s– I mean, you said that your daughter was unique in, in that way, and I’m thinking about my oldest is, like, very odd when it comes to what she’s scared of. I’m just gonna say it. Um, she doesn’t wanna go on Spaceship Earth this trip because at the end you go backwards. Do you know, like, when you kind of…

[00:15:18] Dana: And I mean, guys, if you haven’t been on Spaceship Earth, it is an educational, boring ride that does not have seat belts. You go like 0.5 miles per hour, if that. And when I say go backwards, I mean, like, like almost like if you were, like, lounging on the couch. Like, it’s a recline, I would say. And there’s something about going backwards that this girl does not like.

[00:15:44] Dana: But she will do, um, you know, she’ll– I mean, she’s a, she doesn’t really like heights because she’s like me. Um, but she’ll do, like, Rise of the, the Resistance. She’ll do Flight of Passage. She likes Soarin’. Um, she’ll get on Millennium Falcon, like, eight times in a row. And she is almo- like, in tears about Spaceship Earth.

[00:16:08] Dana: And it is a very– Me and my husband kind of, we’re on the same page with most things. With this, we kind of differ a little bit. He feels like it, you can’t make her, and that is true. You can’t, like, make them. If they’re hysterical crying, you’re not gonna, like, force them to go on a ride. Um, my daughter was very close to breaking down in hysteria over Pirates of the Caribbean one trip, and we knew that it was something in her head that she was worried about, ’cause she had been on Pirates of the Caribbean so many times.

[00:16:44] Dana: She had a pirate T-shirt on. She had pirate ears on. Like, she loved Jack Sparrow. We were watching the movies. Like, we knew she really wanted to ride it, and I knew she would be so disappoint- I mean, she had the outfit on. And a cast member actually came up and saw that she was upset, and I don’t even know what, I don’t even know what they said.

[00:17:03] Dana: But it was something like That there was something very cool about the ride and her outfit and kind of tying it in. And she ended up getting on, and she was almost like laughing at the end. I was like, “Story, like that’s what you… Like, what were you…” I think she didn’t like the drop at the beginning. And after the drop, she kind of laughed like, “Oh, that felt a lot bigger last year.”

[00:17:27] Cat: Yeah.

[00:17:29] Dana: is a very fine balance. I’m a little bit more team encourage them. I don’t wanna say make them, but, um, like I remember my niece who’s in college now, and she’s gonna be doing the Disney College Program. She didn’t get on really anything except the little kid rides until maybe two or three years ago.

[00:17:50] Dana: And we would try to kind of inc- I don’t wanna say bribe, but we tried to bribe her if, if she did. And this is a good tip for if anyone’s in the same boat as us, um, to find a pin that like matches the ride. Like when Tiana’s, like there’s a Tiana’s pin, you can say, “If you ride it, you get the pin.” And that actually did work a few times,

[00:18:11] Cat: Mm-hmm.

[00:18:12] Dana: for my niece, ’cause we all wanted to ride with her.

[00:18:14] Dana: So I mean, we’d be like, “We’ll give you 100 bucks if you can…” And she would usually turn it down, to be honest. Um, and another word of encouragement is even though she would turn down 100 bucks, now she rides everything. She loves all the rides. She’s like a thrill seeker. Again, Disney College Program was never scarred.

[00:18:36] Dana: And, um, I do think it’s okay to kind of nudge them a little bit if in your heart you know that they’re gonna like it in the end.

[00:18:44] Cat: Yep, and with my daughter, what we did, you know, we, we push her to try Seven Dwarfs, but everything else after that was her call. So- Space Mountain, she did not feel ready. We didn’t push it. I think she would’ve loved that too, but that really wasn’t the point. Like, we asked her to do one for us, she did it, um, and then we respected her wishes from there on out.

[00:19:09] Cat: Um, so it was a, a good way that we could find that balance and make sure that both kids felt that they had their trip, um, while meeting the individual needs.

[00:19:20] Dana: and letting her- I think that’s perfect.

[00:19:22] Cat: yeah, one thing that we also did, because of the Lightning Lane strategy, we were able to essentially knock out everyone’s top rides. By, like, early afternoon, m- when we had come back from our, uh, pool break, we tackled the last few.

[00:19:40] Cat: So then at the end of the night, we had our, uh, Pacific Coast advantage. So it was late, but it didn’t feel too late to us. Everyone got to choose their favorite ride to repeat, and this time we did stand in the standby lines. The park was getting a little bit more quiet as the evening went on. Mm-hmm. But we were able to essentially, like, everyone got to pick a repeat ride.

[00:20:06] Cat: For my son, it was Space Mountain. For my daughter, it was Pirates. Um, so we were able to experience, you know, a favorite on top of tackling the day, which was a, a really fun way to wrap it up.

[00:20:19] Dana: fun.

[00:20:20] Dana: I think too, uh, it was helpful to have Premier Pass for your daughter. I mean, and your son too, ’cause he’s excited to get on the rides. You don’t wanna wait. But your daughter, when you get in your head, me included, the longer you wait, the worse it is.

[00:20:33] Cat: Yep, exactly. Yep.

[00:20:35] Dana: I remember years ago, I was nervous about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and this is as an adult.

[00:20:39] Dana: Um, and I– just watching the car and people like getting in, and then they like shoot off, and everyone’s screaming. I was like, “What am I doing? Is there an exit?” You start looking around like, “Can I get out of here?” And if you can’t get out, you feel even more panicked. So with, with kids that are– you definitely need a Lightning Lane.

[00:20:58] Dana: Like, do not make them wait in a 30, 40-minute line. That will be torture. I’m excited to move on to cruise stuff. Um, but before I jump into cruise questions, I wanted to ask you logistically how you got from Polynesian to the ship, and how– like, did that all go smoothly?

[00:21:18] Cat: Yes. I would love to chat about this because I think, um, this is a really important tip for people to, to realize. When you are in the early planning stages of a Disney cruise, a lot of the work and your, um, stress levels are front-loaded, and one of the biggest parts that is very stressful is figuring out your port arrival time.

[00:21:43] Cat: So at the 30-day mark, you will sign on and upload all of your passenger information, and you are assigned your PAT, your port arrival time, and that is when you’re able to arrive at Port Canaveral, go through the security process, and board the ship. But here’s the, here’s the trick. If you take Disney Cruise transportation, those fun buses right from the resort, you skip that entire process and you’re automatically given the earliest port arrival time possible.

[00:22:17] Cat: So you don’t have to worry about, like, logging in at the exact, you know, midnight on your 30-day mark to s- get that early port arrival time. When you’re on the bus, it shows up at the park, they preload your luggage for you, you hop on the bus. It’s still a bus ride. There’s no like glamorizing that. But once you’re there, you literally just walk up to the security check-in, you show your credentials, and then you’re getting on the ship.

[00:22:47] Cat: So you’re not waiting around for a specific time window, and it just takes the entire stress out of arrival day.

[00:22:56] Dana: day. Why do we think– Why doesn’t everyone do that? That’s a really

[00:23:03] Cat: there’s, you know, expense around it. You do pay per person for the bus. Um, there’s a lot of people who are traveling, you know, via car. They’re not staying at a resort where it’s offered. Um, but it’s a great question. I think it’s a very overlooked, very easy way to simplify your day.

[00:23:25] Dana: great. Especially it makes sense, and we can touch actually now on how you went back to the parks. But I just wanted to say str- it’s a little strategic if you are flying.

[00:23:37] Dana: First of all, you never wanna be flying the day of,

[00:23:40] Cat: Right.

[00:23:41] Dana: um… Do they call it

[00:23:43] Cat: is not gonna wait.

[00:23:44] Dana: W- yeah, the s- the boat is not gonna wait. So it’s smart to get there a, a day in advance, and if you stay at a Disney resort, even if you didn’t go into the parks, you could take, pay for that bus and not have to worry about jumping through all those hoops, and just go on when you get there.

[00:24:01] Cat: Yep, and you’re not worrying about traffic. There was a lot of traffic between Orlando and Port Canaveral on our day. Um, I was kind of looking at the cruise Facebook group, and a lot of people were really stressed about, like- Yeah … “Where do I go? Are we running late?” So you can just simplify that entire situation and push the easy button.

[00:24:25] Dana: button.

[00:24:26] Dana: That stresses me out just thinking about that. So tell me a little bit ’cause… So after your cruise, you did end up going back to the park and staying at a resort. What did that look like? Yeah,

[00:24:38] Cat: different experience. Our arrival day was stressless, seamless. We felt like we were some of the first people on the ship, and got to experience the pool deck almost by ourselves, which was really amazing. Um, on the other side of the trip, I would say it felt more stressful. We were going off the ship to Walt Disney World again, um, and we had tickets for Animal Kingdom that day.

[00:25:07] Dana: day.

[00:25:07] Cat: Knowing that Animal Kingdom is a park that you can do in a shorter timeframe, it felt doable, but we were still rushing that morning, right, to get off the ship. Um, I had set up private transportation this time through Away We Go, which was amazing. Um- Awesome … they take your luggage to your hotel for you, and they drop you directly at the park.

[00:25:32] Cat: So,

[00:25:33] Dana: you directly at the park. So- And Animal Kingdom’s such a nice– Like, I love Ubering and getting dropped off there.

[00:25:37] Dana: It’s nice and easy. So

[00:25:39] Cat: i- in theory, it was a perfect plan. Um, and we really didn’t want to leave the ship and go directly home or sit at the airport for hours. But the reality was it felt more jarring than I had anticipated. Um, you know, we were really in this beautiful cruise bubble where everything is included, and there are crowds, but not to the same degree of the parks at all.

[00:26:09] Cat: And arriving at Animal Kingdom, we felt overwhelmed, just, like, emotionally overstimulated. Um, and at one point my son looked at me and said, like, “Wait, we have to pay for our drink again?” And I’m like- … “Yes, we

[00:26:24] Dana: It’s not unlimited sodas?

[00:26:26] Cat: like, “You have to drink it. You cannot, you know, throw that, that soda

[00:26:31] Dana: Yeah.

[00:26:32] Cat: So that was the moment where we knew.

[00:26:35] Cat: I think in hindsight I still agree that going back to the, to Walt Disney World is a fun, like, relaunch, but rushing to get to a park is maybe too much. So-

[00:26:49] Dana: not- Do you– Would you do it again if you ju- ’cause I know you were at Yacht Club,

[00:26:53] Cat: Yacht Club,

[00:26:54] Dana: Would you do it again if you just got off the boat, went to the Yacht Club, and like sat at the pool with a margarita, and then flew home the next day?

[00:27:02] Cat: Yep, exactly. That’s what I would do next time. The pool day would be great. It’s kind of a soft re-entry, if you will. You’re still in the magic a little bit, but you’re not taking on too much.

[00:27:15] Dana: much.

[00:27:15] Dana: ‘Cause what time did you get to Animal Kingdom? Do you remember?

[00:27:19] Cat: there, we were there by about 9:45. Okay.

[00:27:22] Dana: by about 9:45. You’re kidding.

[00:27:23] Cat: it was pretty easy. Mm-hmm. They

[00:27:26] Dana: I was expecting it way later than that. Yeah. So

[00:27:28] Cat: Yeah, so the cruise line does force you off the cruise pretty early- Mm-hmm

[00:27:33] Cat: because they’re resetting, and then- Yeah … you know, the next group is arriving that afternoon. So, the latest you can really stay on the cruise is 9:30. We were off around 8, and by the time we arrived in Animal Kingdom, it was still early, but that meant we had a pretty, you know, intense day. We kind of powered through, and by dinner time, I could see the exhaustion in the form of indecision, right?

[00:28:03] Cat: Like, we could not decide where we wanted to eat. We were unsure if we should go back to the hotel or stay.

[00:28:10] Dana: hotel or- But that’s what happens when your brain is tired. Like, you can’t make decisions anymore. And I, and I do think like… I even wonder, ’cause I’m imagining now that I’m, I’m picturing you getting to Yacht Club so early, like your room won’t be ready.

[00:28:27] Cat: Right.

[00:28:28] Dana: if your kid– Uh, like I’m thinking, well, her kids are older.

[00:28:31] Dana: Like me, it really stinks when you’re just like waiting around all day for the room, which we do every trip because we love early flights. Um, but like we’ve gotten to Disney and it’s pouring the rest of the day, and then it’s like, what do you even do? So it is hard, um- Yeah, it’s hard just going off the boat into the airport, but I don’t, I don’t really know the answer to that.

[00:29:00] Dana: Now you’re gonna have to do it the other way a third time and see how you feel.

[00:29:04] Cat: and I, I felt like I needed to, like, continue the magic and extend the experience, but

[00:29:11] Dana: have been

[00:29:11] Cat: kids are amazing in the fact that they can be really joyful wherever they are. So, I think when we did finally get to Yacht Club and relax, and they saw the beautiful lazy river, they would’ve been just as happy to be there than they were, like, experiencing Pandora for the first time in Animal Kingdom.

[00:29:32] Cat: So, you can give yourself permission, I think, to do a little less, and I loved our quick entry to the parks and the magic at the up front of the cruise experience- Yeah … knowing that we would have relaxation right on the other side. Um, but I don’t think it worked as well at the end for my family.

[00:29:54] Dana: So there you go, folks.

[00:29:55] Dana: If you’re torn between sea and then land or land and sea, definitely do Disney World first. And you went on The Treasure,

[00:30:04] Cat: The Treasure, yes.

[00:30:06] Dana: Was this your first time on The Treasure? We

[00:30:09] Cat: on the Fantasy the first time. Both were Caribbean itineraries. Um, this version we, we chose the Treasure primarily for the itinerary because we had three port days, and on our first trip we had four. So we wanted to take this one a little bit slower, and there’s so much to do on the ship that we wanted, you know, an extra day to experience the Treasure specifically.

[00:30:39] Dana: Yeah, I’m excited to hear what your favorites were and, like, what the kids loved and just… ‘Cause this is your first time on The Treasure, like, was there something that you– I’ll ask you this.

[00:30:51] Dana: Was there something that you planned ahead for, particularly, like, for this ship? You’re like, “We have– I know I need to do this. I wanna do this,” like learning from your last

[00:31:01] Cat: Yeah. Yeah,

[00:31:03] Dana: Yeah, there’s,

[00:31:04] Cat: there’s a couple things that I always make sure I buffer the time for. One is the Broadway show experiences on the ship, ’cause they are amazing. And the Treasure-

[00:31:16] Cat: Which 

[00:31:17] Dana: is, The Treasure Moana, or am I

[00:31:18] Cat: Treasure is Moana and Beauty and the Beast.

[00:31:20] Dana: so many… Oh, they’re so good.

[00:31:22] Cat: Yes, so and these are truly Broadway caliber shows. You do have to wait in line for them.

[00:31:31] Cat: I think that’s a common misnomer, like, no lines on the cruise ships. Yes, you do, but it, it, it feels different because you are, um, you know, it’s a shorter line. You can send your kids to kids club during that time and just hang out. You can have a glass of wine while you’re in line. Um, but the shows are incredible.

[00:31:53] Cat: And the fact that they’re doing all of these special effects and, um, you know, beautiful sets and, you know, all of this magic on a ship is kind of mind-blowing. So don’t skip the, the Broadway shows. They’re very, very worthwhile when you’re exploring your itinerary.

[00:32:13] Dana: I’ve heard amazing things about the Moana one. Excuse

[00:32:15] Cat: Mm-hmm. Yes. And I also will throw in one, I think this is talked about with Disney cruises, but maybe not enough, is the kids club.

[00:32:25] Cat: And I think that, m- I think that you really can’t underestimate how amazing the kids club experience is going to be for your kids, but also for you. If you’re traveling with your husband, your significant other, you have this built-in date night or day date all of the time. So

[00:32:47] Dana: can’t even imagine this, and I think I’ve said this– I said this to someone else when we were talking about cruises because I was– I, I would love to go on a cruise once my youngest, it can l- is old enough to go to, like, the true kids club and not the nursery.

[00:33:03] Dana: And I was saying to my husband, like, ’cause how many ki- kids clubs are there? Are

[00:33:07] Cat: Three. Well, I th- I think there was three plus the nursery,

[00:33:12] Dana: Yeah. So you have, like, even… D- was your eight and 11-year-old, did they go to the same kids club? Did they like the same one?

[00:33:19] Cat: So this time they were in different age groups, which was unique for us, and I was a little anxious going into it because they really, you know, build on each other for bravery. They’re very introverted at home. They’re, they’re not really the kids who are, like, immediately making friends and, like, love summer camps.

[00:33:39] Cat: So I wasn’t sure how it would go for them being in separate clubs. My son was in Edge this time, which is the tween

[00:33:48] Cat: club. 

[00:33:49] Dana: he was like the youngest of the oldest, and she was like the oldest in the middle.

[00:33:54] Cat: Yes, exactly. But they both really truly loved the experiences. They’re very different. Edge is very much video game focused. It’s smaller. It’s very tech-heavy. Um, but he was super excited to get to experience, you know, his first time playing on a PS5, for example.

[00:34:17] Dana: Oh my gosh, my daughter would love this.

[00:34:19] Cat: And then my daughter, she was in Oceaneers Club, which is a big space.

[00:34:25] Cat: It’s beautifully built out. There’s still a lot of games, but they have a lot of, um, like, planned activities, so scavenger hunts or dance parties. The characters are going in and out all of the time in the kids’ club. So she will come out and say, like, “Oh, I was with Chip and Dale for a while,” or, “I saw Minnie twice,” you know, things like that.

[00:34:48] Dana: fun. So how long would they go?

[00:34:51] Cat: It would vary. Um, but usually about an hour or so was a good amount of time. Um, you can check in with them via the MagicBand or the app, so you can, like, see if they are having a good time and want to leave. Um, at age eight you can give them check in and out privileges, which was nice for my daughter. So there were some instances, for example, when we were at our sit-down dinner and it was going long.

[00:35:20] Cat: She is finished. She’s ready to go. She could head down one floor and check herself into the kids’ club, and we would say, you know, “Just come back at 8:15 ’cause we’re gonna go get in line for Moana.” And

[00:35:33] Dana: Oh, that’s so nice.

[00:35:34] Cat: meet us. It was amazing.

[00:35:36] Dana: would meet us. It was amazing. Well, and like I’m thinking of my oldest. She’s almost 10. I guess when this airs she’ll be 10, which is crazy. Um, but they, talking about that nine-year-old shift, they really want their independence.

[00:35:49] Cat: Yep.

[00:35:50] Dana: they just, “Can we please go to, you know, the corner store by myself?”

[00:35:54] Dana: And you’re like, “No. You are not old enough.” Like they, they have the desire to do those independent things, but they’re just not quite… Like even the 11-year-old, I would say, is old enough to do those things. But that eight, nine is really hard. But on a cruise, and a Disney cruise too, you just feel so much more comfortable, like, “Yes, you can go do that.”

[00:36:17] Dana: I mean, I remember going on cruises when I was younger, not Disney cruises, and just being with my girlfriend and being able to go at 10 o’clock at night and get an ice cream, and you feel like such an adult.

[00:36:30] Cat: Yes.

[00:36:31] Dana: So I know like that is such a huge perk of something that I’m looking forward to. I’m curious what you guys did while you were off waltzing around kid-free.

[00:36:43] Dana: What did you guys do?

[00:36:45] Cat: thing I will say that gets talked about a lot with the Treasure specifically is the Haunted Mansion parlor. Um, there’s so many unique lounges, bars. Um, that one was one I was really particularly excited for, and I didn’t really want to research it too much. You know, you can watch a YouTube video.

[00:37:06] Cat: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I would say it really exceeded my expectations. Just, like, it’s so well done. It’s fully immersive. There’s a lot of elements that remind you about the ride. You know, pieces from the ride come to life in the parlor on the ship, and it’s just a really, really cool immersive experience.

[00:37:30] Dana: Which is so cool ’cause you were, like, just in Magic Kingdom too.

[00:37:33] Dana: I’m assuming you went on Haunted Mansion, so it’s, like, fresh in your mind. I love that.

[00:37:37] Cat: So that one was really fun. Um, and then there’s also an 18 plus area on the ship that has, like, a beautiful coffee shop and, like, the lounge chairs. That’s the only place where a hot tub is located on the ship, so it’s an adult-only hot tub. And honestly, I wish I had spent more time there, right?

[00:37:59] Cat: As the cr- when we were winding down, I’m like, “Oh, I wanted more time to just read on that deck or, um, you know, hang out at the, the coffee shop where you get the beautiful character images drawn on

[00:38:12] Dana: Like the latte on

[00:38:14] Cat: Yes.

[00:38:15] Dana: Oh, that sounds so nice.

[00:38:16] Cat: And then of course there’s so many planned events that you can do. We did some of it.

[00:38:23] Cat: Um, you know, there’s trivia nights. There’s silent disco parties. Um, some are for adults only. Some are all-inclusive for kids as well. Um, my daughter and I joined a drawing lesson where we learned to draw Pluto. Oh. So that was really fun.

[00:38:41] Dana: Were any of these things that you did that you had to pre-book before you got on the boat, or did you do everything by the schedule?

[00:38:49] Cat: Most everything is flexible and you can, uh, kind of opt in or out when you’re on the boat. There are a few things, um, there’s a princess party where you can meet all of the princesses at once and get signatures and photos. Those you do have to book ahead of time, um, but they’re very few and far between.

[00:39:11] Cat: Um, we did do some spa treatments, which were amazing. That you have to book right away. Um, and we opted not to do any of the add-on, like, adult dining experiences, like the Palo brunch. Um, so we did not do any of those, but those go, like, the minute they open up, so you have to be ready to book those.

[00:39:34] Dana: booking those. Yeah, I think it’s helpful to hear about those things because for someone like me, I know, I know Disney World, and when I think about a Disney cruise, it’s just as overwhelming as I imagine it is for people who have not been to Disney World.

[00:39:52] Dana: It’s just, it’s just different. It’s just a totally different kind of trip. I guess I would say it’s less Over– I’d say it’s less overwhelming than Disney World because it is just one boat that you have to worry about. But planning-wise, I would say it’s almost about the same.

[00:40:10] Cat: Yeah. Yes. I think there’s a lot of, um, upfront traveling… travel preparation that needs to happen. I think the good news is that once you’re there, it’s really minimized. So you do need to, you know, think ahead, plan out the trip. You really need to think carefully about your port excursions, for example. Um, but once you’re on the ship, there’s not a lot you need to do throughout the day, um, you know, to keep up on the planning.

[00:40:44] Cat: You’re not worrying about future lightning lanes or,

[00:40:47] Dana: Right, or you’re dining.

[00:40:48] Cat: other elements. Yep.

[00:40:50] Dana: if I… I’ve said that if I go on vacation with my family, I think it has to be a cruise because just not having– It’s literally like, “Go do whatever you want, and we’re all gonna have dinner at this place at the same time,” and you don’t have to be thinking about that.

[00:41:07] Dana: I’m curious about the biggest thing or, like, your most favorite thing. Let’s just stick to, let’s stick to the cruise. What was your favorite thing about, that you did on the cruise?

[00:41:20] Cat: I would say My favorite thing about the cruise is the dining experience, and I don’t necessarily mean the food quality. I think that can be polarizing, just like with the parks, right? You have people who love, love, love the Disney Cruise food, and just as many people who are underwhelmed by it.

[00:41:44] Dana: it. 

[00:41:44] Cat: But for us, the experience of the rotational dining was incredible.

[00:41:51] Cat: Um, what’s really unique about Disney Cruise Lines, and is very different from other cruise experiences, is you have a, a group of servers that essentially follow you throughout the trip. So they really get to know you, and, you know, by day two or three they know your family, they know your preferences, and you have this relationship with them in a way.

[00:42:16] Cat: Um, so for example, my daughter loves Shirley Temples. That’s like her

[00:42:21] Dana: That is her- Oh

[00:42:21] Cat: fancy drink,

[00:42:22] Dana: I feel like our girls would all be best friends. They love Shirley Temples with extra cherries,

[00:42:27] Cat: Yes. Yes, exactly it. So by day three, like, the Shirley Temple is there waiting for her- Oh, wow … at her spot, and a little plate with seriously 10 more cherries. Oh.

[00:42:41] Dana: so sweet.

[00:42:43] Cat: And so… And we just had this fun, you know, back and forth with our server.

[00:42:47] Cat: Um, they’re doing jokes. There’s just this conversation, and I think that’s what Disney does really well is, like, that pixie dust, that extra magic that just makes you feel like it’s a totally different experience.

[00:43:02] Dana: But if you had to be polarizing,

[00:43:04] Cat: Mm-hmm.

[00:43:05] Dana: you think

[00:43:06] Dana: Like, I’m assuming the cruise line food is better than Disney World’s food?

[00:43:10] Cat: I would say so, yes, but I wouldn’t say if you are a foodie, I don’t think you’re going to be wowed by your, you know, evening menu.

[00:43:21] Dana: I wonder if this comes from you being in Seattle

[00:43:24] Cat: It could be,

[00:43:25] Dana: and having good food. Um, we live in, we’re, you know, um, I’d say like an hour south of New York City, and that all just kind of trickles down.

[00:43:36] Dana: We have really good restaurants. We have very good pizza. I mean, within a mile of my house, I would say, like, that’s kind of our peak food is really good pizza, any style pizza you want. So I do get … It’s, it’s hard because I think for a lot of people, Disney World food, some of it can be really amazing. Or like Via Napoli in Epcot, that might be the best pizza they’ve ever had, and they c- and they can say that.

[00:44:07] Dana: And there are things that I have had in Disney World, and it’s always like the more signature dining or like Citricos or Jiko. It’s always those higher-ups. And I’m not saying it’s the best thing. It, like, it’s almost like you have to know your audience. I’m like, “Where do you live? What is your favorite kind of food?”

[00:44:28] Cat: Exactly. Yep,

[00:44:29] Dana: I will say the cheeseburger at Wailulu Grill, I wanna go back and give it another whirl

[00:44:36] Cat: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:37] Dana: kind of taste it against what another burger that I thought was the best I ever had.

[00:44:43] Cat: Yeah.

[00:44:43] Dana: But there’s other people that could hear that, maybe they live in Texas and they have, like, the fresh beef, and they’re like, “This is, this is a gross frozen burger.

[00:44:53] Dana: What are you talking about?” You know? So I

[00:44:55] Cat: is all relative. My

[00:44:58] Dana: all relative. I

[00:44:59] Cat: I will say my son on this trip, he primarily ordered off of the adult menu, which was kind of cool to see. Um, every night he would look at both, and sometimes he would, like, grab some mac and cheese from the kids menu, but he would also order the entree from the adult- He’s

[00:45:16] Dana: some lobster, please.”

[00:45:17] Cat: exactly.

[00:45:19] Cat: And it was really fun to see him just, like, no pressure trying things, because if you don’t like it, no big deal, right? Yeah. And then he even said, when we were home, he looked at me very seriously and said, “Mom, can we start doing appetizers and soup before our dinner here, too?” I’m like, “Sorry, buddy,

[00:45:41] Dana: I don’t know, I don’t know if I like that for

[00:45:43] Cat: that is not happening.”

[00:45:44] Cat: But very cute that he was, like, so into it. So even within my own family, there’s differing opinions.

[00:45:52] Dana: You’re like, “That’s adorable. The answer is no, but love, love that you loved it.” Um, I think I know the answer to, to this, but what’s the thing that you would change next time or would not do again?

[00:46:05] Cat: Yes. Yes. So you are probably already imagining, but I think we would not go for the theme park after the cruise. Um, nothing against Animal Kingdom. I love the park, but I think the transition from cruise life to park life was more challenging emotionally. Um, and I think a more gentle re-entry off of the cruise, um, is the way I would go in the future.

[00:46:34] Dana: I would go in the future. I think that’s gonna be helpful for a lot of people. If you had to give advice to someone that was in the crux of planning a similar style trip, what would you give them?

[00:46:45] Cat: Yeah. I would say just like approaching your, your park trip, just be very clear with yourself early on what you want this trip to be, what you want it to feel like, what you want the rhythms to be, because that will help you understand which cruise ship is best for you, which itinerary. Are you wanting to, you know, have more busy days?

[00:47:10] Cat: You might want a ship that has more port stops versus sea days. Or do you want to make sure you’re, you know, carving out time for independent water slide time with your kids? Like, that could help you decide just at the early stages what ship is right for you, what itinerary. And then I would also just, like, give yourself permission to do less, because when you’re there, there is so much that you had no idea was possible or was even an option, and you want buffer time to flex and to, to build in kind of those new magical elements that you weren’t even expecting.

[00:47:49] Dana: Yeah, because you can’t do everything, even though it is– you think it’s just a cruise ship.

[00:47:53] Dana: It’s, you always, always, always have to lower your expectations and put less in the calendar as much as you possibly can.

[00:48:04] Cat: Yes.

[00:48:05] Dana: This was awesome chatting with you about this, and I like that it was a little something different than I’ve talked about

[00:48:11] Cat: So fun.

[00:48:12] Dana: Where can everyone find you? ‘Cause I know you were filming a lot and getting a lot of content when you were on the cruise.

[00:48:20] Dana: Where can everyone see that?

[00:48:21] Cat: Yes. So I am building a space for moms who are really in the thick of Disney cruise planning, but moms who also want to feel the magic too, right? So sometimes being so much in the research and the logistics can feel exhausting before the trip even starts. Um, and that’s not how, you know, I would want to approach things or, you know, have others as well.

[00:48:45] Cat: So you can find me on Instagram at The Effortless Magic Plan or effortlessmagicplan.com.

[00:48:53] Dana: Amazing. Thank you so much.

[00:48:55] Cat: Thank you. It was so fun chatting.