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115. 5 Unique Things at Walt Disney World · Mom Street USA

0:05
Welcome everybody to Mom St. USA.
0:07
My name is Jackie, AKA Wishes Mama and I am joined today for
0:11
this hub episode by our good friends Duck and Jess.
0:15
And today we are going to be talking about 5 unique things to
0:19
do at Walt Disney World. So some of these things we've
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talked about in other episodes, but we're kind of compiling them
0:25
together in a fun little quick list of if you're looking for
0:29
something to do that is unique to the Disney parks, well, you
0:33
have found the correct list to do so.
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So that is the goal for today. But before we jump in, Duck and
0:38
Jess, how are you guys doing today?
0:41
Good. Great.
0:42
As we're recording this, it's a touch called outside.
0:44
So we are we are nice and bundled up indoors.
0:47
We have the heat nice and high. So we're doing OK.
0:50
All thing to consider. Yes, we are recording this just
0:53
a few days before it will air. So you guys will understand very
0:57
well what we're going through if you listening, if you're
0:59
listening to this in real time. But the majority of the nation
1:02
right now is is preparing for a massive winter storm.
1:06
So it's going to be a fun weekend.
1:09
But hey, that means I just get to edit this podcast without
1:12
interruption because we can't go anywhere.
1:14
So, you know, there's the right side, I suppose.
1:17
Force productivity. Yep, I love it.
1:19
Awesome. OK, well, let's go ahead and
1:22
jump in to our our info that we have today.
1:26
So Ducker, just who's starting us off today?
1:29
I'm starting this. All right, Jess, what you got
1:31
for us? All right.
1:33
So all of these things might not necessarily be unique as in you
1:37
can't do them outside of Disney World, but they are unique in
1:42
that it's kind of shocking that there is the availability to do
1:46
these things in Disney World. So we kind of plan this around
1:49
the idea of like wanting to do not a park day, but also not
1:54
wanting to do a day just at your resort.
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So these are things that you can travel around Walt Disney World
1:58
property and get to participate in.
2:01
So the first thing on the list is fishing.
2:05
I can go fishing places that aren't Disney World.
2:07
What I know it's shocking. Like how will I ever recover?
2:12
I listen it. It'll be hard, but I think we'll
2:14
get you there. All right, go on.
2:16
I'm prepared. So Walt Disney World offers both
2:20
dockside fishing and guided bass fishing excursions.
2:25
So first we'll talk about the bass fishing ones.
2:28
So guests can pick from two types of boats for this
2:30
experience. There is a Sun Tracker fishing
2:33
barge which is a pontoon boat that fits up to five people or a
2:38
tournament style Nitro bass fishing boat which can
2:40
accommodate up to three people. Nitro is trademarked.
2:44
I just want to throw that out there.
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I don't. I don't know what that means.
2:47
I'm not even going to pretend I'm not even going to go there.
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I have no idea what Nitro bass fishing is.
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I, I believe that it, I think Nitro, I don't know if it's the
3:00
boat brand or right, like, but like the, the Nitro style is
3:05
more like a speedboat type boat, right?
3:07
It's a little bit small, a little bit more compact.
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And then the other one is a pontoon boat, which is slightly
3:12
larger, hence why I can accommodate some more people on
3:14
there. So I think it's like when you
3:16
think of like a, a dinghy going through a Bay, you know, like a
3:20
nice family size boat versus like a cool college kid speeding
3:25
to the waterways. Like I think those, I think
3:27
that's where they diverge. OK, sure.
3:30
We'll go with that. That's.
3:31
Sounds good. That's my head it's about to
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have. Vote Knowledge.
3:34
My educated understanding of this if we're wrong, please
3:38
somebody correct me. I am I am a dock fisherman.
3:41
I I I catch and release and I make my dad bake the hook when
3:45
we go out to a. Gamut.
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I'm not holding a fish in his profile picture like.
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So this girl is. Seriously in our comments.
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That's it. I just know somewhere some bass
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fisherman is screaming out now here.
4:03
OK. I apologize.
4:08
No one should be shocked that we're like tangenting already.
4:11
We were like, right, You know, the two minutes into this
4:14
podcast. It's fine.
4:15
We're good, we're good. Back on track.
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Regardless of which style of boat you choose to go with, you
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can choose either A2 hour or a four hour excursion.
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Sometimes if there is availability on the day, you can
4:28
tack on an extra hour for additional fees.
4:32
I do just want to say that they do not let you schedule us ahead
4:34
of time. This is something that you can
4:36
discuss day of with your guide. Yeah, your tour guide as you
4:40
approach, I think it just comes down to like safety, heat of the
4:44
day, number of other boats that are already booked, right?
4:47
Like during the real peak season, I don't think you'll be
4:50
able to tack on the extra hour. But if it's a slower day, you
4:53
have the time and and are interested, I think they'll
4:56
they'll let you tack it on. All right, So what is included
5:00
with this excursion you might ask?
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So you get an experience guide to help you along your
5:06
excursion. Life jackets for everybody, but
5:09
they are only required for anybody 12 and under, and Disney
5:14
and us recommend that adults wear them as well because safety
5:18
is super important. Please, please, please wear your
5:20
life vests, folks. It's, I know it sounds a little,
5:24
it seems a little silly as an adult, but it's, it's genuinely
5:27
important. Please safety first.
5:28
Even if you think you're an experienced swimmer in like
5:30
different types of waters, you never know.
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Sometimes has to be safe. Listen, I want the handle
5:36
ability for a guide to reach in and grab me out as fast as
5:41
possible. That's why I'm wearing.
5:45
That's why I'm wearing it cuz I don't want to have to try to
5:48
climb my way out of the Nope. No one wants to see that.
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No, Liddy wants to see that. All right, so you get your life
5:58
jackets. You get a rod and reel, you get
6:02
some tackle included and the option for artificial or live
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bait. But the Nitro boats cannot
6:09
accommodate the live bait. So the live bait is only an
6:12
option if you go with the little pontoon boats.
6:15
Oh, you also get sorted Coca-Cola beverages.
6:19
Oh yeah, I completely missed that.
6:21
Yeah, I sort of take cold beverages.
6:22
Do they do? It is a Coca-Cola sponsored
6:25
event. Of course, like all of Disney
6:28
World, Exactly. So guests are encouraged to
6:31
bring their own food and beverages though, and guests
6:34
that are of age are permitted to actually bring alcoholic
6:37
beverages on board. But do note though that the
6:40
amount that is allowed on board is at the discretion of the tour
6:43
guide. So just be mindful of your
6:45
consumption for your safety, their safety, everything.
6:49
Have a good time, but a safe time.
6:50
Yeah, it gets real hot on those boats.
6:53
You're in gas. Yeah.
6:55
Sneaks up on you. Real quick, do you've ever been
6:59
to Epcot in the dead of summer? You know it catches up quick.
7:04
So let's yes, enjoy. Responsibly all righty so the
7:08
marine is that these excursions leave from are Fort Wilderness
7:13
Resort in Campground, Caribbean Beach, the Contemporary, the
7:16
Grand Floridian, Old Key West, Polynesian, Portland Riverside
7:21
Wilderness Lodge and Yacht Club. That's a lot.
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Like I knew I knew there were, there was fishing at like and
7:32
some of those other ones, but like when I when I saw them all
7:34
listed, I was like, that's a lot of places.
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Well, because it's. Pretty much anywhere that's
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touching any of the waterways right like if you think about
7:42
the water taxi or things like that and it's everything that's
7:46
around Bay lake. So it's almost all of the, OR
7:50
all of those resorts that are right next to Magic Kingdom,
7:53
right? And then it's, you know, like
7:56
Yacht Club, which is then touching the water by Epcot,
7:58
right? So like it's basically anything
8:00
that you can get to via boat transportation or the ones that
8:03
are right by Magic Kingdom? Right.
8:05
Yeah, that totally makes sense. So the price of these
8:08
excursions, so it's about $270 for the two hour and about $450
8:13
for the four hour. Like anything in Disney, it's
8:17
not like dynamic pricing. So depending on the time of year
8:20
dynamic. First thing, go up.
8:21
This could be cheaper, but those are kind of the rough like
8:25
typical estimates of what these excursions cost.
8:31
So, yeah. But if I mean, if you do have
8:33
somebody in your party that really loves fishing and you
8:36
have downtime on your trip, this could be a lot of fun to be able
8:40
to say that they went fishing in Disney World.
8:42
They also, just so you guys know, offer discounted rates in
8:46
the afternoon for solo fishers. So if you are, there's just one
8:51
person, right, Maybe one of the parents, the kids are down for a
8:54
nap, one parent wants to hang out in the air conditioning.
8:56
The other parent kind of wants to go do some fishing or do
8:59
another activity. If they do offer a solo angler
9:02
discount in the afternoon specifically.
9:05
So just inquire this, just ask and it's a pretty hefty
9:09
discount. They again, it's a little
9:10
difficult to give exact numbers because it depends on the demand
9:13
and availability for that day, but it's a it's a pretty hefty
9:16
discount and you still can choose from.
9:18
I think the two were the four hour.
9:20
Now that price is per boat, not per person, correct?
9:23
Correct. Yes, that is the full boatload
9:25
of people is 270 ish for the two hour or 4:50-ish for the four
9:31
hour, correct. Beautiful.
9:33
So I mean. You got to think about it.
9:34
When you divide that out, it's not terrible.
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Yeah, I mean, if you have four people, you know, two of them or
9:42
three of them are adults, got a couple kids, right.
9:44
Like it. It it seems a little surprising,
9:47
but when you remember that you get like an experienced fishing
9:51
guide. There you get all the equipment,
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you get unlimited Coke 0 if you so choose you're.
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Usually paying for the equipment rental as well are the guides
10:03
time as well as the boat rental. So, you know, Yeah, yeah.
10:07
So I mean, it seems a little pricey, but when you when you
10:09
break it out like that and you know, like the per adult, right,
10:12
it's, it's much more reasonable. Right, for sure.
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All right. We have another fishing
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experience, right? Yes, there is one last fishing
10:22
option, so that is dock fishing. So if you are somebody who
10:26
cannot do boats because of motion sickness reasons, you can
10:29
still enjoy fishing off of the docks of Fort Wilderness or Port
10:33
Rowing's Riverside. So the gear rentals here usually
10:36
include the fishing pole, tackle and bait and it costs you about
10:40
$5 per half hour and they have half day and full day rates
10:45
available. Yeah, I, it was actually the, I
10:49
think it was the very first time that we stayed at Port Orleans
10:52
Riverside. I saw, I felt like I was having
10:55
a stroke from the heat because like all of a sudden scampering
10:58
down the runway, these two little kids carrying the biggest
11:01
fishing poles I've ever seen in my life.
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And I was like, where? What?
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And then you then see. You then see.
11:07
Poor mom trying to run behind them and catch up.
11:09
I was still just like. Where are they fishing?
11:12
What are they fishing? Hold on, hold on.
11:14
Happening. Hold.
11:15
Yeah, yeah. Time out, necessarily, now that
11:18
I'm thinking about it. Go fishing in the waters at
11:21
Disney World, running on floor. Brimming in the waters let's
11:24
let's be clear you're not they stock it right these.
11:28
Are I catch a Gator? These are.
11:31
Then we have a pet. OK, I don't know what.
11:33
To tell you, yeah, that's a terrible idea.
11:35
It's. A great idea.
11:37
It's a great plan. Yeah, no, I get the hesitation,
11:41
but it is, it is infinitely more safer than folks are thinking
11:46
when they're like, let me just stick my arm in the water for
11:49
no, don't do that. So I should pull.
11:51
You're OK. There's a little separation.
11:55
Right, it's not directly your your hands coming into contact
11:58
with whatever wildlife you may find in the waters of Florida.
12:03
Exactly. You're not like, oh, water
12:06
moccasin, let me just no, no, that's not what's happening.
12:11
So don't do it, OK, OK, we got well, let's, let's move past the
12:14
fishing. I think we've we've talked
12:16
enough about what to do and not to do.
12:18
Let's just let's move on to another animal, shall we?
12:22
Yes, yeah, this one also kind of dangerous, but not not for the
12:26
reason the water moccasin is. If you are interested, WDW also
12:32
has horseback riding available. So this was a shock to me the
12:37
first time that I found this out.
12:38
I actually found this out from a travel vlogger years ago.
12:43
They've been offering respect writing for quite a number of
12:45
years and I didn't obviously it's just what such a surprising
12:49
thing, but it's extremely popular.
12:52
It's almost always booked. So this is one that has a window
12:55
that opens 60 days in advance. So if you think you or somebody
12:58
in your party would be interested, make sure to get
13:01
that booking. But a little bit more
13:03
information. So guests that are nine years
13:06
old and up could go horseback riding through very scenic
13:10
Disney trails. There have been please go look
13:13
it up the vlogs. It is a beautiful little trail
13:15
that they take you through. There's all kinds of fun little
13:18
wildlife. There's armadillos, there's
13:20
little squirrels. It's very, it's going to make
13:22
you feel like very Disney Princess.
13:24
You know what I mean? Like you are certainly in nature
13:27
there, which is a very fun experience when like 3 feet down
13:31
the road is a theme park. You know what I mean?
13:35
It's very much a complete, drastic 180 change of pace from
13:40
the theme parks. 100% So this is offered at the Tri Circle D
13:46
Ranch in Fort Wilderness. It is about a 45 minute
13:51
excursion, but round that up to an hour because horses sometimes
13:56
just go at their own pace. It's a nice it's a nice
13:59
leisurely trap through nature. Don't rush it.
14:03
But you know, just making make sure that as you're, you know,
14:06
planning your off day or or what have you and your activities
14:08
around this. Just give yourself a little a
14:10
little buffer room if you will, in case the horses just feel
14:13
like Mosey and on through the trail.
14:16
I do want to note though that there is a minimum height and a
14:20
maximum weight that Disney will permit for this activity.
14:24
So the minimum height is 48 inches tall and the maximum
14:29
weight is £250 and riders can can expect, excuse me, some
14:34
assistance getting onto the horse.
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They must be able to follow all directions that are given by the
14:39
cast member and be able to sit on the horse comfortably for the
14:43
duration of the experience. So you know, just a little bit
14:46
more information to make sure that that activity is right for
14:49
you. It's not the most accessible
14:51
activity, you know. So just just for folks
14:54
consideration as to some more info on on the horseback riding.
14:58
Yeah, and they do also offer at the same location like pony
15:02
rides for kids that are younger and shorter than like the
15:06
requirements here. I literally think 48 is the top
15:10
hype requirement that they allow.
15:11
So like any either way, you're going to be able to find
15:14
something. So they do also have like pony
15:17
rides for younger kiddos if you, like, want to do both and like
15:21
figure out the timing and kind of coordinate all of that.
15:25
So that way, you know, maybe you've got an adult in your
15:27
group that's like, I don't need to ride a horse.
15:29
I'm going to take the little ones and go watch them.
15:32
Be adorable on a party. That's it.
15:34
We're going to do the nice pony ride.
15:35
We're going to get some nice family photos.
15:37
Everyone, the older kiddos and you guys.
15:39
You go take that nice trail ride.
15:41
Go say hi to the armadillos for me.
15:42
Exactly, exactly. Yeah.
15:44
So that is the nice thing that they have a lot of options.
15:47
You can also just go to the stables too.
15:49
So like if you are like, I don't really know or like I'm not
15:53
really sure I want to do a whole hour on a horse, you know,
15:55
valid, totally fine. You can also just go visit the
15:58
stables and go see all the good working horsies that that live
16:01
there, because all of like the horses that you see in like the
16:05
parades at magic Kingdom. That's like the place that I
16:08
think of them the most, right. They live at Tri circle D.
16:12
So like you get to like go see them and and look at them and
16:17
see how beautiful they are. I just look for you can cut.
16:19
Them and tell them they're doing such a good job.
16:23
Yeah. So good.
16:23
My favorite thing is like now that like social media has like
16:27
picked up on this more every time we get to the Headless
16:32
Horseman in the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party all
16:35
there's so many people that like know the names of the horses
16:38
that ride in that parade now, And I'm like, there's such good
16:41
boys and girls that I love that. It makes me so happy though,
16:45
they're working so hard and they have fan clubs now and it'll be
16:48
awesome. I love it.
16:49
I love the like the awareness via social media now because
16:54
it's just they, they deserve it. Yeah, they're just little.
16:58
Guys, so I love them. OK, I'm done.
17:01
I'm done. I promise.
17:02
You know. Totally fair.
17:03
Please. Go for them.
17:04
But yeah, so Long story short, you can see the horses and the
17:08
ponies and ride the ponies and ride the horses and have a good
17:12
time over there. Yes it is.
17:14
I didn't mention this up top. It is $65 to book per person to
17:19
book the horseback experience. Do you know how much it is
17:22
offhand for the ponies? I don't remember, but it was not
17:26
that expensive when I cuz I looked into it for my daughter
17:30
at the time that I looked into it for her, my son was already
17:34
too tall, which is like, because I just, I didn't think when they
17:38
were younger. Yeah, either of them were going
17:41
to be prepared to do that at that time.
17:44
So I needed to wait till they were a little bit older.
17:45
And by the time we got to that point, my son was too tall.
17:50
Well, that kid grows like a weed.
17:51
Some. Yeah, I'm, I'm genuinely unsure
17:54
on that one. And I actually didn't see it.
17:56
Now, that doesn't mean that it wasn't listed.
17:58
I just didn't see it on the site.
18:00
So it could be one of those things where it's like
18:02
fluctuates a little bit based on the day.
18:05
Are you researching it? Is 10 A very helpful friend in
18:08
the chat? Jewel says it is $10.
18:10
Is it only? Thank you.
18:12
Only 10. It is 10.
18:14
Dollars per child Look at. That.
18:16
Oh my God, that's amazing. Yeah.
18:18
I remember being like, yeah, and that there is no the only thing
18:21
with the pony ride. So is it That's right.
18:23
You can't make a reservation. It's like first come walk up
18:28
situation. So.
18:29
Line up at 5:00 AM to get yourself.
18:33
I love this. I'm here for it.
18:35
Shall we move on to our next activity?
18:37
Yes. Now that now that we have prices
18:40
established, 65 for the regular full horse ride and $10.00 but
18:46
no advance reservation for the pony ride, There we go.
18:48
Yeah, now that we have that settled, perfect.
18:50
One of the other things that you can do.
18:52
Does not involve. Animals that does not involve
18:54
well. Perhaps there's still lots of
18:58
wildlife guests. You never know.
19:01
So the reason why I say perhaps is because golfing is what we're
19:04
going to say next. And all of these golf courses
19:07
are technically designated wildlife sanctuaries, of course,
19:11
specifically by the Audubon Society.
19:13
So like you're going to encounter a lot of birds and I
19:16
like low key want to go golfing. I prefer the bird.
19:19
If you go golfing so you can bird.
19:22
Well, I was thinking about it and I was like, how can I trick
19:25
my parents into joining us on issue trip?
19:27
I was like, oh, obviously I'll tell my dad.
19:29
I'll go golfing with him. Yeah, And then he can golf and I
19:32
convert. It's perfect.
19:33
Yeah, I actually booked a tee time for my dad and my
19:38
brother-in-law on our last family trip and sent them off,
19:42
sent them off on their merry way to go golf because that's like
19:45
their jam. That's what they do, like
19:46
everywhere, you know, Like that's like my dad is in like
19:48
multiple golfing leagues. It's just this thing and they
19:52
left it. They loved it, They had a lot of
19:53
fun. Yeah, I mean, golfing has been
19:56
around at Disney as pretty much as long as Disney World has been
20:00
a thing, right? Even when my dad talks all the
20:03
time. He now he hasn't been to Disney
20:04
in 20 years. I mean we went all as a family
20:08
when me and my sister were younger but he always talks
20:14
about. The the trips when we go down
20:16
there, how he was always able to get like a tea, a nice early tea
20:19
time, get it out, get it done and get it out of the way and
20:22
really enjoy the golf course. He always talks about how much
20:25
he loved those courses. So, yeah, I mean, these are like
20:28
real deal courses. There's four of them, which was
20:32
actually a little surprising to me.
20:33
I knew that they I thought they had two.
20:35
I did not know that they had four.
20:38
So they're all pretty highly rated.
20:40
They're all very well regarded run through them, but would also
20:44
sort of lends an additional era of, I don't know, credence or
20:48
whatever that these are actually owned and operated by the Arnold
20:52
Palmer Golf Management Group, which run some of like the top
20:55
courses in the world. Yeah, they're legit.
20:58
Some of them are like PGA golf courses.
21:01
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. In fact, the first one that
21:03
we'll talk about now, it's called the the Lake Buena Vista
21:06
Golf Course. It is the most famous one.
21:09
When you think of golf at Disney, you're thinking of this
21:13
course, right? It is hosted the PGA Tour, the
21:17
LPGA Tour, USGA events, charity events, like every major golf
21:22
tournament that comes through Disney. 9 times out of 10 have
21:25
been hosted at the Buena Vista Golf Course.
21:28
Like that is the big one that has eighteen holes.
21:32
So that's just a standard course and again is like the big one
21:36
where they host all the tournaments.
21:38
We then also have the Magnolia Golf Course, which may shock
21:41
you, but it's named for the Magnolia trees that are planted.
21:44
Everywhere there no way. A well things name, I respect
21:49
it. So this actually was redone
21:52
fairly recently. Only back in 2023 this whole
21:56
course was reimagined. So don't worry, the trees is
21:58
still there. Don't panic, but if you have
22:01
played this course before it could be worth revisiting.
22:05
I've seen some updated reviews that have said like this was a
22:08
much needed refresh and really added like some fun challenges
22:11
back into the course. This is also a standard 18 hole
22:15
course and why I keep saying that is because of our next one
22:19
which is the Oak Trail golf course.
22:22
So the Oak Trail is hold the oak trail because there's oaks
22:26
everywhere and it is a walking trail.
22:28
You can't, I know, shocking Disney really on theme with
22:33
these names, but this is a walking only course.
22:38
It is nine holes. And so it's like a a perfect
22:42
size to just like sneak in a game or if you want to get some
22:46
golf in but don't want to commit to the whole 18 holes.
22:49
Or maybe you're like a more of a beginner, right?
22:52
Like maybe you're not totally feeling up to the the full game.
22:55
This is a good option for you. And it's like a nice beautiful
22:58
course as all of these are to just like take a leisurely
23:01
stroll through the course as you're playing, you know?
23:04
So our 4th course is the Palm golf course, which I'm pretty
23:08
sure has palm trees everywhere if I had to just take a shot in
23:11
the dark. Wild.
23:12
Guess wild. Crazy concept, crazy idea, but
23:19
again, is is this is also a full size 18 hole course, but Disney
23:24
self describes this as a what was the the wording the their
23:28
championship course. So this is particularly
23:32
challenging. There are like a ton of hazards,
23:36
sand traps, water hazards like it is a very real deal
23:39
challenging course. So this is like if you are
23:42
serious golfer like probably your father and brother-in-law
23:47
would like this. My father would like this.
23:48
Like really serious golfers. If you're like me and can't even
23:53
hit a hole in mini golf, then I don't think this is for years,
23:57
you know what I mean? Yeah, I just bird watching over
23:59
on the Oak Trail. My dad and brother-in-law opted
24:03
out of this course because they were like, we want to enjoy our
24:07
golf game and not be miserable getting caught in the sand in
24:11
the water all the time. So.
24:13
Yeah, that's extremely fair. It's, I mean it they say it's
24:18
their championship course. Like it is intentionally
24:21
difficult. If you want to, if you want to
24:22
golf any of these still 4 existing ones.
24:25
You can, you don't have to travel with your clubs.
24:29
You can rent clubs there. They have quite a wide variety.
24:32
They have, I don't know, like 407 different golf companies
24:35
that sponsor them. I mean, really there's quite a
24:37
variety that you can pick from in terms of course fees.
24:42
So the greens fees for these four courses can range it's like
24:46
between 40 and 200 ish dollars, right?
24:50
Like that's such a wide dramatic variety or range rather, but it
24:54
kind of depends on the time of year which course you're
24:59
selecting, right? So like Oak Trail tends to be
25:01
the least expensive because it's only nine holes and it's The
25:03
Walking only. And then the palm is the most
25:06
expensive. And actually what's important to
25:09
know is that winter, which runs from January to the end of March
25:13
in this breakdown, is considered their peak season.
25:16
So it is the most expensive time of year for them and summer is
25:20
the cheapest now there is because who wants to golf when
25:25
it's 112°? So what?
25:29
What's nice though is that this does because this is still on
25:32
Disney property. So it does offer some of those
25:35
traditional Disney discounts. All right.
25:36
So if you're ADVC member, if you have an annual pass, Florida
25:40
residents, all of those groups that usually get some form or
25:43
fashion of Disney discount, those can also be applied here.
25:48
What's also really interesting is that they offer later in the
25:52
day discounts, kind of like the fishing.
25:54
So they offer discounts for 3:00 PM tea time times and then they
25:59
offer super discounts for 4:30 or later tee times.
26:02
So if that's something that's of interest of you to you, you
26:05
know, if you prefer like some cooler evening golf, especially
26:08
over the summer right, where it's going to stay lighter
26:11
longer, that is an option for you to play some of these more
26:14
expensive courses at a pretty steep discount.
26:17
Yeah, when we did in, let's see this was end of May, beginning
26:24
of June like Memorial daytime and a little bit after the tee
26:29
time for two people was 106. I just looked it up so and that
26:35
was that was at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course that they went so.
26:40
And that was for both, right? Because you pay per group here,
26:43
which I think is also important to note, it's not super common
26:47
for greens fees to be per individual golfer.
26:50
But you know, just in case anybody's newer golfing or you
26:54
know, your, your local club runs it a little bit differently.
26:58
This is what we're quoting here is per group.
27:01
Now some of the courses you can only have one to two people.
27:05
I think Oak Trail usually leans towards one to two people.
27:09
There seems to be the exception to that in the winter when they
27:11
want some more, you know, it's such a popular time to golf.
27:15
So that can go up. I think up to three or four
27:17
people then and then of course like 3 or 4 people seems to be
27:22
the standard for the larger courses like the palm course,
27:25
so. Yeah, and I feel that like my
27:27
dad and brother-in-law got, they were, you know, 2 and they got
27:31
put with another two at their time.
27:33
So chances are that that will happen, especially during those
27:36
really busy months. So just kind of prepare
27:39
yourself. But that's also fairly common at
27:41
most golf courses anyway. So like that out of weird thing
27:44
that Disney's doing, it's just also something that Disney does
27:48
too. Yeah, yeah.
27:49
Just something to keep in mind because I think I've heard this
27:53
feedback before from other people that I've talked to
27:56
because oddly enough, my eye doctor, he's also a family
28:00
friend, but he also is a huge golfer and his his son is a big
28:06
Disney guy. And so they go down there pretty
28:08
often and he golfs every single time.
28:11
And so he was telling me that like, you know, he gets, he goes
28:14
either a single or with his son. And so they get paired standard
28:18
like with other people rights usually ends up being a foursome
28:20
that goes through. But like that, more often than
28:24
not, people are upset that they're getting paired with
28:26
people because they're like this.
28:27
This is Disney. This is a premium experience.
28:29
I shouldn't have to guys, it's still it's still a golf course.
28:32
Like I get it, but like it's still it possibly one of the
28:35
busiest golf courses in the world.
28:36
Like I still need you. You don't get upset when you get
28:39
paired with random people when you're going through a single
28:40
rider line, right? Like Femmes is the rules.
28:42
I don't know what to tell you still applies here.
28:44
Just because you're golfing doesn't change the rules.
28:47
Yeah. And I will say with with golfing
28:49
with the tee times it opens, there's like certain windows
28:53
that you can book and some people have further out windows.
28:57
So like Florida residents and APS and stuff like that have
29:00
different windows. But I think we booked 60 days
29:02
out and it dropped at like 8:00 AM or something.
29:06
But we had no problem jumping on that morning and getting getting
29:10
the tea time that we wanted. So you definitely want to do it
29:13
like the day that it opens. But like it's not as bad as like
29:16
dining reservations. Let's say you know you have the
29:19
ability to to be to do it comfortably and not have to like
29:25
stress about trying to book. For tea time.
29:30
Right, Yeah, they might throw their their.
29:31
Club into the water hazard when they get there, but that's a
29:34
different. Story totally different.
29:35
Story yeah, that's a different kind of rage.
29:38
Yeah, well, if regular golf isn't your jam, you do have the
29:44
alternative of mini golf. So there are 2 mini golf courses
29:51
that are available, and each of those mini golf courses have two
29:55
options within them. So it's kind of four courses,
29:58
but it's really two separate themes that have a few courses
30:01
within each of them. So I'll talk first up about the
30:05
older of the courses, which is Fantasia Gardens and Fairways.
30:09
There's also Winter Summerland, which we'll talk about in a SEC,
30:12
but the Fantasia has been there as long as I can remember.
30:17
I don't know exactly when it opened, but I have photos of me
30:20
mini golfing at Fantasia Gardens as a child.
30:23
So I am a full most assured adult.
30:27
So it's been there for quite some time.
30:32
So like I said, there's two, there's Fantasia Gardens and
30:34
Fantasia Fairway. So Fantasia Gardens is like
30:38
classic mini golf course, right? It's just Fantasia themed.
30:42
There's fun brooms that are carrying buckets that might like
30:46
get in your way. There's a twirling hippo, right?
30:48
Like when you think of like very classic mini golf course.
30:52
It's that but with a Fantasia spin.
30:54
That's truly what it is. Then there is Fantasia fairways,
30:58
which is Disney self describes it as basically like a golf
31:02
course but made many. So this is much, in my opinion,
31:07
much less like I want to go mini golfing and much more like I am
31:11
a golfer who wants to practice like a short game or specific
31:16
skill or something like that, right?
31:17
So there's like rough patches and hazards and like, it's, it's
31:21
like a truly the definition of a miniature golf course, you know,
31:27
So just something to keep in mind because I, I do know people
31:30
who picked Fantasia fairways and were confused as to, as to what
31:35
was being presented by it was. Not what they yeah, not what
31:38
they were anticipating Disney mini golf looking like.
31:42
Exactly, exactly. So that's the one that's sort of
31:46
like the classic Disney mini golf experience.
31:48
And then there is a much newer one which I think it was like
31:52
2013 ish that this open called Winter Summerland and this the
31:57
two courses here are built themed to be a Christmas
32:02
vacation for Santa and his elves.
32:05
So they were looking around. There's like a fun little story
32:08
on the website that I'm just like very abbreviating here
32:10
where they were looking around and they found Orlando and then
32:12
they decided that would be the best vacation spot.
32:15
And what do elves like to do on vacation?
32:16
Apparently mini golf. So why not?
32:20
Yeah, why not? People are going to Disney to go
32:22
golfing and horseback riding and all kinds of stuff.
32:25
So why not? Why can't the elves, right?
32:28
So the summer side of this, of the winter summer land is themed
32:35
to like sand castles and surfboards and Christmas palm
32:39
trees, right? It's very adorable.
32:41
And it's like, it's almost like if what?
32:46
Olaf would make for a, for a summer themed sandcastle.
32:51
You know what I mean? Like that, That's the vibe that
32:53
I get from this. And then you might be shocked to
32:57
learn this, but the winter side of winter, summerland is winter
33:01
themed. So this is like peppermints and
33:03
hockey sticks and a melting ice castle and you know it, it's
33:06
truly like, like winter themed. I can't explain it any more
33:09
quickly than winter themes. What I do think is fun though,
33:14
and this is different than Fantasia, they meet up at the
33:18
end. So it's like you can pick
33:20
whichever side that you want to go to.
33:22
But then both of these courses share like a Co themed 18th
33:26
hole. Mini golf here is shockingly
33:29
affordable. I don't know what the going rate
33:30
for mini golf is these days, right?
33:32
But I was like, I was like a little surprised that this was
33:35
actually like for for Disney, relatively well priced.
33:39
So both Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland are $12.00 for
33:45
kids ages 3 to 9 and $19.00 for adults.
33:50
Was like Oh my God you can do something sub $20 in Disney.
33:53
Let's go. What a deal with a steal.
33:56
Hey, get out of here. I don't know if you know this
34:05
Jackie, but it used to be when you booked your Disney vacation
34:11
package with Disney, you'd get the coupons yet to go to the
34:15
mini golf thing. Is that still a thing it?
34:18
Is. However, oftentimes they don't
34:21
mail them anymore so you have to like be aware of it and either
34:26
ask at the front desk or. I feel like I could be wrong,
34:31
but sometimes they get preloaded into your app now.
34:36
Yeah, as. Like as like in your tickets and
34:39
passes area of your app. I feel like I have seen that
34:43
there where it like 'cause it's like a like a voucher or you
34:50
know, for for myself. But yes, definitely if you
34:54
booked a package. Now this doesn't apply to room
34:58
only and like like like separate transactions that I believe it
35:02
has to be a package where you have purchased both a room and
35:06
tickets. Yes, Winter Summerland was 99.
35:09
OK, 90. Fantasia was 96.
35:12
So I was 2 when this opens. Nobody do the math.
35:16
I'm elderly. And then Winter Summerland was
35:18
99. Now you redo.
35:22
It I think they redid it because if I'm not mistaken aren't there
35:25
frozen elements? Or maybe that's the water park
35:27
I'm thinking of. Maybe.
35:30
I think they wreath like re updated it and redid like
35:33
theming of it in the in the early to mid to like 20 tens
35:39
like you were saying. So I don't know.
35:44
OK, yeah. So we're just gonna.
35:47
Hello, editing Jackie. It's it's Lindsay here.
35:52
And for all our podcasts, friends.
35:54
I just want to correct myself before someone yells at me on
35:56
the Internet with a Summerland as we're politely corrected by a
35:59
friend in the chat. Thank you.
36:00
Anna opened in 1999. I still am pretty sure that it
36:04
was redone in 2013, which is why I had that in my brain.
36:08
But please, please. I know there are some Winter
36:11
Summerland Major fans out there and I do not want to be attacked
36:16
on the Internet for my lack of knowledge of one of many golf
36:19
course and Disney Open. I'll leave it listen.
36:21
Yeah, great. Thanks.
36:24
To me, I'm going to lose a bunch of hate comments.
36:28
All the YouTube murder magazine. That murder note, definitely not
36:33
jump 101, definitely not just 101, says I can't believe you're
36:39
dead now the dates of day open. This is ridiculous.
36:45
You don't even know anything. You're even a Disney fan.
36:50
You didn't even go here. Oh God.
36:53
OK, all I do is rage beat. Was there anything else about
36:58
Mini Gold that we needed to talk about?
37:02
What is good to know is that usually when you do one side of
37:07
the course, if you want to do the other side, this is winter
37:10
summerland, but I it does also apply to Fantasia.
37:13
If you do one side and want to do the other, usually they will
37:16
offer it to you for half price. I have also seen them just like
37:19
giving it to folks for free. If you're getting Pixie dusted,
37:22
like the if it's a particularly slow day, they're not like
37:26
super, you know, intense about it.
37:29
So if you really liked it and you want to extend your mini
37:32
golf time, they do offer deals for continuing on to do the
37:35
other side of whatever course you're on.
37:38
I mean, when they offer it with packages for free.
37:42
Yeah, I know not much. This is me shrugging my
37:45
shoulders. Those of you that are just
37:47
listening and not watching, you know me.
37:51
Exactly. Exactly.
37:53
OK. I think, are we are we ready to
37:55
move, Move on from the golf conversation?
37:57
That was way lengthier than I was anticipating a golf
38:00
conversation going on this podcast.
38:03
Golf is an important subject. It is very deeply meaningful to
38:07
a lot of people. This is true.
38:09
Not me, but a laughable not you. I can even know you.
38:15
Same bye. OK, we can move on from the golf
38:17
though. OK.
38:18
Are you sure? Is there anything else you need
38:20
to speak about before we move on to something far left at the
38:26
letter? Hide like so the love of God
38:27
whatever joke you're trying to think of.
38:29
Don't make, don't. Just don't do it.
38:32
Are we get over there all right, We're good.
38:34
OK, we can move on from the golf.
38:36
Conversation. OK, So yes, let's talk about
38:39
something enough for something completely different.
38:41
Let's talk about something that is a complete alternative to any
38:44
sort of physical activity because all of the other things
38:47
that we have talked about have some sort of physicality related
38:51
to them. And that is that at the one of
38:56
the resorts at the Coronado Springs resort, you can actually
38:59
do Spanish mosaic art, which I love this, this is one that I
39:05
have shared before. We've talked about it on Mom St.
39:07
before, but I just, I love that this is an option.
39:11
So again, this is something inside, indoors, in the air
39:15
conditioned, not, you know, walking around on a golf course
39:18
looking for birds, you know, whatever you want to do over
39:21
there. I am the way that I am.
39:25
I want to apologize. But yes, Coronado Springs offers
39:29
a mosaic art class in which you can make your own Disney themed
39:33
art project. The class runs for two hours,
39:36
and they have it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from
39:40
1:00 to 3:00 PM. So it's a little tricky to kind
39:43
of get to and coordinate maybe because you want to make sure
39:47
you get over there in plenty of time.
39:48
But you know, one to three is, is your window that you're
39:51
looking at there. Classes run $30 per participant,
39:57
and that price does include all of the supplies.
40:01
Most often what I see them make are like a garden stepping stone
40:05
style mosaic where they give you all the little gem pieces and
40:10
you get to arrange them as you see fit.
40:13
But it's typically like a round stone with a Mickey head in the
40:16
middle and then you can kind of decorate around the outside of
40:18
it with that. So the $30 includes all of the
40:22
pieces that you need for that instruction from your Disney
40:25
cast member that's going to kind of walk you through the process
40:29
and then a travel carrying container to help you safely
40:32
bring that home. So that is a super fun activity
40:37
to do. Do keep in mind, I don't think
40:39
there's a specific set age limit for this activity, but you want
40:43
to make sure that whatever kiddo you're taking is going to be,
40:46
you know, interested and able to kind of sit for about two hours
40:51
to do that type of a project. So, you know, plan accordingly
40:55
when it comes to that. And I do know that they are
40:57
pretty strict on their time. A friend of the podcast,
41:01
Victoria, I know has done this before and she like ran out of
41:04
time and was a little frantic at the end.
41:06
So just don't feel rushed, but maybe just make sure you
41:10
complete your project in a timely manner so that way.
41:14
Good clip, that's all. Yes, yes, exactly.
41:17
But they do like box it up for you so that you can take it
41:21
home. I would just be aware of the
41:24
fact that like it is still breakable.
41:26
So you may just want to plan accordingly about how it goes
41:29
into your luggage if you're flying to make sure that it
41:33
doesn't get jostled around too much because there I have heard
41:37
of if people are not careful, edges will will break and crack
41:42
off. So just something to be aware of
41:44
for sure. I do also just want to add that
41:47
you're right, the shape is normally the Mickey head, but
41:50
they I did see that they have started offering seasonal shapes
41:53
too. So let somebody do like a black
41:56
cat wand. There was a a pumpkin Mickey one
42:01
that somebody did. There was like a Christmas tree
42:04
themed wand. So they do retake offering
42:07
seasonally. They have the standard ones
42:08
right, like a course of the Mickey and Minnie heads.
42:10
But it does seem like they've started to introduce some
42:12
seasonal shapes in there as well.
42:15
I love that. See, my problem would be I would
42:17
want to like get all of them, all of them done.
42:21
Like I want to make one of every kind that they have to offer
42:23
her. Yep.
42:24
Yep, 100% true. I am not known for being
42:27
decisive. It's so true.
42:30
So true. OK, so I think that brings us to
42:33
our final recommendation here in our unique things to do at Walt
42:38
Disney World. And that is actually another art
42:42
themed activity at Coronado Springs.
42:45
So for whatever reason, Coronado Springs is like this, you know,
42:49
center of of all of these art themed activities that you can
42:54
do, but that is what they call the colors of Coronado painting
42:57
experience. So this is a 2 hour class that
43:01
is facilitated by local artists, which I love that they bring in
43:05
local artists to do stuff. Love that.
43:08
And again, it runs in that afternoon time, but this is just
43:11
on Fridays from 1:00 to 3:00. So again, a little tricky maybe
43:16
to coordinate depending on your trip and where you might be on a
43:20
Friday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00, but maybe you can make it
43:24
work. And it is $45 per person for
43:28
that class. The designs that they do rotate
43:32
every month, so it's not like the exact same every time that
43:36
you go and no art experience is necessary.
43:39
You will be guided through this artistic process if you will,
43:44
whenever you go. So the designs are selected
43:48
similarly to other group painting classes.
43:51
So they're broken down step by step and can come out looking
43:53
great regardless of your comfort level with art if you do choose
43:56
to go. So yeah, just another super fun
44:00
activity that you can find at Disney that, you know, some of
44:03
these I feel like are like little hidden gems.
44:06
Not to be, you know, not to make a pun off of the mosaic gems,
44:10
that was completely unintentional.
44:11
But a. I'll take it a good one.
44:15
None. The less thank you, thank you.
44:16
Yes, I thank you for appreciating my poor poorly told
44:20
joke anyway. But yeah, super fun kind of off
44:26
the the typical path things that you can do and those last two,
44:30
especially if you're staying at Coronado that is like permit.
44:34
Yeah, absolutely. I do just want to throw out as
44:37
we're sort of wrapping up that like you were saying, Jackie,
44:41
right, it can be a little hard with some of these things to
44:45
sort of fit it in your schedule, especially if you're not staying
44:48
at the resorts where these are being offered.
44:51
But there are so many things going on at any given Disney
44:55
resort. So please just check with the
44:59
cast members at the front desk when you're checking in, see
45:02
what's going on, see what's being planned.
45:04
We have seen all kinds of seasonal activities and pop ups
45:08
when we've stayed, right? We've seen bracelet making
45:11
classes, we've seen sand art workshops, we've seen s'mores by
45:15
the campfire, we've seen movie nights, we've seen paper crafts.
45:18
And this is just, it's not really advertised.
45:21
It's just like our arts and crafts being put on at the
45:23
resort. So please make sure that you're
45:25
always checking with your resort.
45:26
Just say, hey, you know, is there any scheduled activities
45:29
coming up over the next couple of days?
45:31
You know, that way it's a little bit easier on you to get a fun,
45:34
special, unique experience and usually some kind of souvenir
45:38
out of it, right? And something fun for the kiddos
45:40
to do. Who doesn't love a fun bracelet
45:43
making class or s'mores? I have never met a kid that
45:46
didn't go wild for s'mores, myself included, Right?
45:49
So it's me, I'm the kid who's on the House of sores.
45:53
So so but I feel like a lot of people don't know that these
45:57
resorts offer or all these extra things, right?
46:01
They just sort of stumble onto them and that's what happened to
46:04
us. We only found out that almost
46:06
every resort puts on something most days because we walked in
46:10
one time to a bracelet making thing.
46:12
Like I physically. Almost walked into the table as
46:14
it was rounding the corner you know, so always check when
46:18
you're when you're you know checking into your resort what's
46:21
what's the event schedule, what's happening, what's planned
46:25
so. Yeah, yeah.
46:27
And something else that you can do alongside of that is there
46:29
are so many Facebook groups for all of these different resorts.
46:33
And I will frequently get on if it's like a resort that I know I
46:37
stay a lot like we stay a lot at like Pop Century.
46:39
That's just one of the resorts that we like to stay at.
46:42
So I'm on that group and I'm looking at, there are people in
46:45
those groups that will post the activities board because you
46:48
can't find it online. They Disney doesn't post it
46:51
online unless someone physically is at the resort, takes a photo
46:55
of it and then post it online for people to see.
46:57
But I will like scroll back to the month that we're going to
47:02
visit, like from the previous year to see what different
47:05
activities that they have. Because a lot of the times you
47:08
can find a ton of really cool stuff, especially like during
47:11
the holidays. Like we went during Thanksgiving
47:14
a couple years ago and we went over to Port Orleans just to
47:18
grab some beignets because that's what you do because why
47:22
not, right? Then they had they had like this
47:25
little table in the lobby set up and they were handing out these
47:27
little like ornament kits that the kids could make for like
47:30
Christmas time. So like there is always so much
47:33
to do at your resorts. If you just take a few seconds
47:36
and like look around, ask the front desk or usually the big
47:40
boards with all the activities are by the main pool area of
47:44
your resort. So if you like can't find it,
47:46
front desk is really busy. You don't want to wait in line
47:49
to ask, you know up there. Head to your pool area because
47:52
chances are good that you'll find it over there.
47:56
Yeah. And I feel like this goes back
47:58
to what we always say, which is like, I know it's really
48:00
tempting to be like run, run, run, go, go, go.
48:03
You have to see and do and hit everything.
48:06
But trying to build in some of these experiences really allow
48:11
you to slow down and just enjoy the fact that you are on a
48:15
vacation. You can be making these memories
48:18
with your family, especially these resort activities or some
48:21
of the art things or even fishing, right?
48:23
Like, I don't know, just these unique experiences that really
48:27
make this vacation feel extra special and really can help you
48:31
have lifelong fantastic memories.
48:34
I mean, I'm talking about mini golf that I deal with my family
48:37
25 years ago, right? And it's like truly some of my
48:40
favorite Disney memories because I love Fantasia.
48:43
I always have. And like just when I think about
48:47
how much fun that mini golf was, it's mini golf, right?
48:50
Like that's not necessarily special, but the environment and
48:54
the memories that you can then have attached to these doesn't
48:57
have to be necessarily a big theme park day where you spent a
49:00
bajillion dollars and you got the perfect picture picture in
49:03
front of the castle and you got the family outfits perfectly
49:06
coordinated, right? Like simple small moments are
49:09
like often the most meaningful, especially with family,
49:12
especially with kids. So, you know, just something to
49:14
think about as you were maybe planning to incorporate some of
49:17
these into your next trip. Yeah, and a lot of these
49:20
activities would be really great for like, if you've got multiple
49:23
ages of kiddos and maybe you're younger ones need a nap break,
49:28
but your older ones maybe don't. But they're not like old enough
49:31
that you can like, leave them in the park by themselves yet, you
49:33
know what I mean? So like, yeah, these are great
49:36
activities if you can kind of divide and conquer that way and,
49:39
you know, have them do some of these art classes or.
49:42
Yeah, one of the experiences that we talked about, I wouldn't
49:44
send them horseback riding by themselves, but fishing is
49:47
probably OK. You know, dock fishing, I think
49:49
they could handle that. The doctors again, those two
49:51
kids were taken off down the path.
49:53
They were going to go dock fishing, whether anyone was
49:55
there or not there. It was like, I don't know, Tom
49:58
Swear and Alpha Berry fan were just going like it was crazy.
50:00
Right, exactly, exactly. So all of that being said,
50:04
hopefully this gave you guys something new to consider on
50:07
your next trip and something to think about whether or not you
50:11
want to include it in your plans.
50:13
I think we've said all that we came to say, Duck and Jess.
50:16
Did you guys have anything else to add before we sign off for
50:19
this episode? Nope, I think I think we are
50:23
beautiful for one time out of things to.
50:24
Say, look at how succinct we were today.
50:27
I'm so proud of all. This.
50:29
Yay, Golf clap, golf clap. Get it?
50:33
Get it? I'm funny again.
50:35
I'm not funny. I'm not funny.
50:37
I'm not funny at all. Well, thank you guys.
50:39
So much for joining us for this episode of Mom St.
50:42
USA. As always, if you've got
50:45
experiences to share with us, if you've got something you want to
50:49
hear us talk about on a future episode, or you just want to
50:51
reach out and say, hey, we would love to hear from you.
50:54
So you can always find usmomstusa@gmail.com or you can
50:58
find us at Mom St. USA on Facebook, Instagram,
51:03
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51:05
All the places, Yes, all the places.
51:06
And don't forget that we've got our Patreon account that is up
51:10
and running. You can find us over there also
51:12
at Mom St. USA.
51:14
We'd love to hear from you. I've got some information posted
51:16
over there right now. I'm asking for our community's
51:19
input for some of our upcoming episodes.
51:22
So we definitely want to hear from you over there.
51:24
So if you've got an idea that you'd like to throw out in the
51:27
ring of things that we could cover, head over to our Patreon
51:30
and comment over there and we will take those, take a look at
51:33
those and and see what we can do.
51:36
So all that being said, I don't know what's coming up next week
51:40
because Patreon is going to tell me what's coming up next week at
51:43
this point in time. So stay tuned for that.
51:46
But for now, that will do it for this episode of Mom St.
51:49
USA. Thank you guys so much for being
51:51
here and we will see you on the next.
51:53
Episode bye everyone, bye.