Latest / Ear Scouts Podcast / Magic Kingdom Secrets: From the Best Spots for Fireworks & Parades to Magical Hidden Surprises
Transcript
- Rob: this episode of the Ear Scouts podcast, we're sharing our favorite Magic Kingdom secrets ⁓ from the practical to the whimsical some that I've never even heard of. ⁓ We've got a lot of secrets to share. Plus we've got our question of the week. We've got a lot to cover, so let's get to it. Hi ho everybody. This is Rob with Ear Scouts coming to you from our makeshift studio here in Celebration, Florida. Also joining me here in Celebration is the other half of Ear Scouts, Eric. Hi ho, Eric. Erick: Hiho everyone. Rob: Eric, as always, is going to be keeping up with the live chat over on Patreon. If you'd like to join us live as we record each episode and take part in that live chat today, they're actually going to be sharing some secrets of their own about the Magic Kingdom. So if you want to be a part of that, Just head on over to Patreon.com forward slash your Scouts. Also with us today is our good friend Jessica, the host of Jessica Scraps on YouTube. Joining us from the great state of Connecticut. Hi ho, Jessica. Jessica: Hi, hello everyone. Rob: So it's really summery down here already. It was like in the 80s. ⁓ Have you guys warmed up up there in Connecticut? Jessica: Today was the first day that it got over 40 in a very long time. So I actually walked outside today. It was nice without a coat on. So it was lovely. ⁓ So it's actually getting warmer. Rob: Nice. I love the balmy forties. So also joining us from the state of Indiana is our resident Disney trivia guru, Quizmaster Craig. Hi ho, Craig. Jessica: It is the balmy 40s. Craig: Mm-hmm. Hiho everybody. Rob: So how are things in Indiana? Is it warmed up there as well? Craig: It has a little, mean the snow's gone. Yeah, I can like go get the mail in a t-shirt and shorts and not freeze, but I can't do much more than that. But yeah, we're loving it. We'll take it as long as there's no snow and it's not below freezing. Rob: Hahaha Well, before we jump into the main topic, I did want to share some exciting news, and that is that we finally got our brand new lightning lane guide for 2026 out. And I'm going to talk about that a little bit more at the end of the show in my happy thought. But if you haven't seen it, head on over to the main Ear Scouts channel on YouTube and check it out. We are really excited. It is the most comprehensive lightning lane guide we've ever made. And ⁓ I hope you find it helpful and share it with other folks who are coming to parks for the first time, because I think it's a really good first timers guide to using lightning lane. ⁓ Also, we should note if you're listening to this show and you'd rather be watching this show, we have a dedicated YouTube channel. The easiest way to find it. Just go to Ear Scouts dot com forward slash. podcast and that's going to jump you right to the YouTube page and you can subscribe right there and watch us in video, not just listen. Of course, we're also available on Apple podcast, Spotify podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast episodes. So let's jump right into the main topic though. So we've come up with lists of our favorite secrets from the Magic Kingdom and there's I mean, these this, please, these lists could go on and on and on forever. We kind of capped ourselves around like seven or eight. And we're just going to kind of take turns sharing our favorite secrets. Mine ended up being all very practical. So mine are not super whimsical. They're just things that are secrets and not a lot of people know that will help you get a better experience when you're at Magic Kingdom. So I'm going to go ahead and start out with one of those very practical ones and This secret is about watching the parades that come down Main Street, like away from the castle. So I'm making that distinction because with the nighttime parade, currently one of the performances goes in the other direction. So this secret that I'm sharing won't work for that. But for every other parade, there is this magic spot that you can get. closer to the last minute. You don't want to wait to the last minute but closer to the last minute than most spots and what it is you're going to see that in the town square area. So near City Hall and the town square theater, there's the flag post there and you'll see people will sit on the curb in front of that flag post facing the castle because they think that's going to be a great spot to watch the parade and it kind of is for parts of that curb, but there's a little secret that people don't know. And that is when they come in and rope off the areas for the parade to go by, they actually place a stanchion pretty far in front of that curb and the rope line begins there at that stanchion point. And so there are parts of the curb that will be on the front line. But there's other parts of the curb that are actually pretty far back. So if you can get there before they put those stanchions up, look on the ground, you're going to see these little brass circles. And that's where the stanchion pole is going to go. So find the one that's kind of in front of that curb. And then you'll find another stanchion point that's actually on the curb. And you'll basically be able to create an imaginary line. those two points that line is the perfect place to be to watch the parade because you've got the castle right behind it the parade is going to come down Main Street it's the best view it's where we always do videos of the parades now and it's great because you can get it as long as you're there before they put the ropes up you can almost always get that spot Unless of course there's other people who watch Ear Scouts because we've talked about it in some videos. And sometimes I'll go there and I'll see viewers like, Hey, we learned about this spot because we watched your video. But ⁓ if you're there on a day when lots of people have not seen the video, you can get that spot ⁓ pretty late and still have a good view. So ⁓ Craig, I know you have another favorite spot that you like for parades that you wanted to chat about. Craig: Yes. Jessica: Mm. Craig: Yeah, and I agree that that's great. If you want the castle, you want that picture perfect view of Main Street is coming down. One of my favorite things, and this is a special this is a nighttime parade thing, especially if there's two watch it from Frontierland. Second parade is never going to be as busy as the first and Frontierland is never going to be as busy as Main Street. ⁓ I would say it was I think it was Christmas Eve. Yeah. We watched the second parade and. Like we had interactions with everyone on the floats because we were the only ones standing there. So all the performers just like played right to us and it was so wonderful, so much fun, so magical. that's my ⁓ number two spot, I should say. Rob: Very cool. Well, why don't you share with us your first ⁓ Magic Kingdom secret from your list? Craig: Yeah, so my first one comes from Liberty Square and it is the legendary River of Poo. ⁓ So if ⁓ you're in Liberty Square, you notice most of the pavement is red, but there's this like weird, like brown river going through the middle of it, concrete, of course, not really water. ⁓ And it is supposed to represent colonial America where Rob: You Craig: they did not have regular toilets or restrooms back then. So they just had chamber pots that they would do their business in and then to empty them, they would just throw them out the window. So these dirt roads were just generally, literally rivers of poo. Now, I've heard like, I've heard that ⁓ some Imagineers have said, yes, that was intentional. And I've heard some say that it is not. So as far as it being true or not, I don't know, but. I don't know why else they would have done it. I can't think of another reason they would be that intentional. Rob: So I've heard the same. I've seen some imagineers who confirm that it's true and others who say no, no, absolutely not. But the ones who say no, no, absolutely not. Never say what it is, which I feel like is the tell that's the I want to add really quickly. I so I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and I had a friend who was a tour guide who did the history tours and she would always start her history tour in Charleston by saying, OK, Craig: Right. Jessica: You Rob: If you really want to imagine what life was like, you know, in, in colonial times here, you've got to understand that with your modern senses, you would just immediately pass out from the stench of this place because like Craig was saying, I mean, people were just throwing their raw sewage out into the streets. There was rotting trash everywhere. You know, there were like animal corpses. She's like, it was just, it was. vile. And so I think it's funny that we look back at like, especially we watch these like historical films, everything looks so beautiful and everyone's dressed so beautifully. But in reality, it was just a really stinky, stinky place to pay. But all right, Jessica, why don't you share with us your first secret of the Magic Kingdom? Craig: You Jessica: I'm going to keep it on the ground and I'm going to be something that we know is intentional. And that is we're going to walk over to Storybrook Circus and we're going to look down and instead of seeing a river of poo, we're going to see some circus paraphernalia, which is peanuts in the ground and animal prints and the things that you would have found in Dumbo Circus. And inside the pavement there, Rob: Hahaha Jessica: if you look and look closely, you can actually see kind of the remnants of a circus in the pavement. And, you I think if you go to Animal Kingdom, you see things like that. If you go to, you know, I think even in some parts of Hollywood Studios, you can see different things and they're very intentional. But in Magic Kingdom, those peanuts and the animal prints on the ground, it's a really cool thing that you see. I think it's slightly less ⁓ smelly than a river of poo and perhaps doesn't. Rob: Hahaha Jessica: evoke the same kind of thoughts. So I really enjoy that pavement there. There are some kind of the other one that I didn't list, I'm throwing this in extra, is ⁓ there are some people that say if you go to the Haunted Mansion and you look on the ground at the Haunted Mansion, you'll see the ring, the wedding ring that's in there. Now, the Imagineers have said, no, that was just an old stanchion and people are making it seem like it's a ring, but... If you look closely, you'll see a little gold ring in the ground there at Haunted Mansion. So I think this is a good reminder to look down. And sometimes the Imagineers have put some interesting things on the ground. Erick: Have you paid attention to the ground in Viagrava? Jessica: ⁓ no. What's there? Erick: ⁓ so like right over there, like if you look at the ground, you're going to be able to see the different jewels that have been dropped. So there is an earring over there that has a hidden Mickey on it. So next time you go on that site, yes, I will invite you to take a look at the ground over there. Jessica: ⁓ really? Craig: ⁓ I didn't know that one. Jessica: So that's excellent. So look down. Rob: Always look down. Always. There's the imagineers. I think that's their favorite place to hide little things. In fact, several of the other at least one I can think of our other secrets is something you're going to find on the ground. So Eric, why don't you share with us your first Magic Kingdom secret? Erick: Since we are talking about hidden mickeys, ⁓ I'm going to talk about another one that is in Tomorrowland. So you will find this one as if you are heading to Space Mountain once you pass the Astro Orbiter. Right under the people mover, ⁓ I'm going to call it bridge, ⁓ right under the people mover structure, there is an area that... If you pour water or if it's raining, you're going to be able to find a little hidden Mickey. So it's difficult to find, but you definitely can. Again, if you pay close attention to the area, you're going to see like that sunk area. It's like a little hole. ⁓ And again, if you pour water, you're going to be able to find that hidden Mickey, which is super cool. Rob: So I actually hadn't heard of this before. So I had Eric show it to me and he went online and we found a video where someone was showing it. You really, if it's not wet, you kind of can't even hardly see it. So next time you're there when it's raining, I think that's gonna be a good ⁓ mission. Yeah. Jessica: Go look for Hidden Mickey. Look down. Rob: But if it's not raining and you wanted to put some water on the hidden Mickey, I have another very practical magic kingdom secret. And this is true actually of all the parks at Walt Disney World. But surprisingly, a lot of people don't know this. If you want some water, maybe to drink, not just to put on the ground to find a hidden Mickey, you can actually get ⁓ ice water at any quick service location that offers ⁓ soft drinks that come from a fountain. So if you see the quick service location is offering bottles of drinks, you're not going to be able to get complimentary ice water from there. But if they're serving it from a fountain, those locations can all give you complimentary ice water. And in many cases, they've got trays of it just ready to go. So it's not a big deal for them to just grab it and hand it over to you. don't think you have to spend a fortune on bottled water when you're at Disney. If you need to stay hydrated, which you absolutely do need to say, stay hydrated. Just go ask them for a complimentary ice water. Fair warning though. Sometimes the magic kingdom water is a little bit funky. Just got a little, little bit of a strange, like I think of it as beach water. You know, when you go to the beach, sometimes you get one of those like hotels by the, by the sea and the water just has an ⁓ unusual flavor. Craig: Mm-hmm Rob: Magic Kingdom has its own unique ⁓ flavor. The ice tends to mask. get the ice. Craig, what is your next ⁓ Magic Kingdom secret? Erick: You Craig: Okay, so I'm still in Liberty Square and this is a Haunted Mansion one and it involves Madame Lyota's tombstone. ⁓ So when you go into Magic Kingdom, right before you go into the actual mansion for the beginning of the first pre-show, there's a little graveyard and you have to, you got to check out the graveyard stones anyway because they're very witty, they say how all these people died with little rhymes and stuff. ⁓ But there is one dedicated to Madame Leota and it has her figure, just her face and like a relief 3D kind of thing. And her eyes are closed and she's like this green patina, I assume copper bronze kind of statue. ⁓ But every once in a while, all of a sudden her head will just like go up a little bit and her eyes will open and her eyes will dart back and forth. And then she'll just go dormant again. So that's a great thing to like freak people out with if they don't know what's coming or you are just watching other people discover that. ⁓ but yeah, there's tons of cute little things all over the haunted mansion queue too. So definitely want to check out. Rob: Yeah, it's a great cue. I always, when I'm there with someone who's coming for the first time, I always like just watch that tombstone, watch that. And it amazes me, most people have no idea that anything happens there. Like you don't ever see hardly anybody watching Madame Leota, but that's a good secret. Jessica, what is your next Magic Kingdom secret? Jessica: So I'm gonna talk about another thing that think a lot of people overlook and that is by the tangled bathrooms. Obviously the best bathrooms in Magic Kingdom and that should just be the secret. The best bathrooms in Magic Kingdom are the tangled bathrooms, ⁓ which is really awesome. But over there in the tangled area, there are hidden pascals. And that's something that every once in while you wanna just stop and count them all. I actually don't think I found all of them yet. So I don't wanna like... I think I'm up to six and there's seven, is that right? Seven, I think. Rob: I can't remember the exact number that there are, but yeah, it's around, it's in that ballpark, yes. Jessica: Yeah. But you find that people don't realize that's an activity to do there. And it's a fun thing to do with your kids and they're chameleons. So they're different colors, they're in different places. So I highly recommend, it's just a cute little nod they did for ⁓ Tangled when they put those bathrooms in, but they put the hidden pascals all in that area. And it's a fun thing to do and kind of look for them while you're sitting there. Erick: I just asked Uncle Google and it says that you need to find 10. Jessica: So I've only found six, so I've got four more to go. Craig: ⁓ if, ⁓ yeah. And if you're not familiar, and their hidden is in their like, you know, in weird places, but it's definitely a Pascal. It's not like a hidden Mickey where it could be anything with three circles. It's not like an outline of Pascal. It's an actual rendering. Yeah. ⁓ it's, right, right, statue. I had. Rob: Some of those are really hard to find. Yeah. Jessica: Right, it's definitely a statue. It's a statue of Pascal. Yeah, a little statue of Pascal and they're different colors and they're blending in with their different environments. So they may be different colors, they may be different orientations, but there's apparently 10 of them. I'm gonna go spend some time. I don't know, mom, are you ready? We're gonna go find 10 Pascals. That's what we're gonna do in April. I'm excited. Rob: Hahaha Craig: Rope dropping the tangled bathrooms. Jessica: That's right. Rope Drop with Jessica, the favorite live event on Patreon. Rob: So Eric, do we have any ⁓ any secrets that have been shared by our friends on Patreon? Erick: so earlier today we were talking about the best places to watch the parade from so this comes from Jules. Jules mentioned, my secret is to sit on a bench in front of Town Square for a starlight. I've tried these three times, once on a very busy night and I have always gotten a seat for some reason. I think people forget those benches are there or think they won't be able to see from the porch, which actually, I mean, that's very useful, especially if you have little ones and you're not in the front. Since you're ⁓ a bit in a higher area, you're going to definitely get a very good view. So I... Rob: That's actually a perfect segue into one of mine, which is also about, especially if you've got little ones who want to see the shows. ⁓ This one's specifically for fireworks. When you want to see the fireworks show in the, in the magic kingdom, a lot of people ask, where should I go? If I have little ones who, you know, want to get a good view and it's hard because it's so crowded in there. What I recommend doing, you're going to have to do this early. You just got to just. Face the facts, you're gonna spend a long time camping out in this spot, but go into the hub, really go there early in the day just to get the bearings and get an idea of where you wanna be. But there are these kind of gated off planter areas that are in the hub right in front of the castle, right near the Walt and Mickey statue, the partner statue. And the thing is, if you get a spot that's right on the line where the plantings are, No one can stand in front of you. The next person who can stand in front of you is going to be on the other side of that planting. And usually that's enough distance that your little ones can still get a good view of most of the castle. And the thing that's tricky about this though, there are obviously trees and bushes and things inside that can also obstruct views. So it's there are very few places where you have both an unobstructed view of the castle and you have that kind of planter separation in front of you. So scope those out early in the day. Just pick the one that you want to do and just know those are going to be some of the most coveted spots. I mean, they're secret, but they're not that secret. There's definitely people who that's always where they go. So I would say you probably want to be there. If it's really busy, probably I know this is going to sound insane, but probably like an hour and a half, two hours before the fireworks go. If you really want to make sure you get that spot. Get a quick service dinner, take it and have a little picnic dinner in the hub. Help pass the time. But yeah, if you're there on a less busy day, I don't know. What do you guys think? Jessica Craig, like an hour probably is sufficient. You think? Yeah. Jessica: An hour. An hour. It depends a lot on the parade schedule, the Starlight Parade schedule, and the show schedule. So what we found is when the first Starlight Parade, people will be lining up earlier for that and they will be in those same spots. So unfortunately, that means you're gonna have to wait an hour before the Starlight Parade sometimes. So. Craig: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah. I agree, yeah. Rob: Yeah. Craig: Mm-hmm. Jessica: The Starlight Parade, although it's great and I'm glad we have a nighttime parade, it has made the amount of time you have to stay in the same spot a lot longer, That is one of the downsides of the starlight, think, is the amount of time because an hour before the fireworks would have been great, except now that's a smack dab in front of the starlight. So now you've almost got to go an hour before starlight, watch starlight, then wait, I think, 20, 30 minutes, depending on the time, and then watch the fireworks. So that's the only problem. Rob: Yeah, well Jessica, why don't you share with us what is your next secret of the Magic Kingdom? Jessica: Well, I'm going to stay at the tangled bathrooms because I like them so much. And I'm actually going to talk about the tangled bathrooms and Storybook Circus. And I'm going to just say that the items that have been added in the last, let's say 10 years, also come with charging ports. And what you don't realize is there's actually USB charging ports and good covered charging ports and both the tangled bathrooms kind of hiding in some of the stumps and hiding in that area. Rob: Hahaha! Craig: You Jessica: and then buy Pete's Silly Sideshow. There's some good ones over there too. So if you didn't bring your backup battery and you, you did bring your charging cord, those are some really good places. There's also some shades. You don't have to worry about your phone getting overheated. Those are probably the best charging ports. I think ⁓ it's a secret cause I, they're never full. They're never And it's just a much better place to sit, relax, charge your phone, ⁓ and count Pascals. So it's great. Rob: Yeah, exactly. While you're waiting for your device to recharge, you count all the Pascals. Craig, what is your next ⁓ Kingdom secret? Jessica: That's right. Craig: Okay, well, this is another Madame Leota since we were just talking about her in my last one. But this is in Momento Mori, which is the gift shop which is outside of the Haunted Mansion. Now inside there, there's a lot of things to look at. I highly suggest just spending some time in there. The wallpaper, they have this wallpaper that from a distance kind of looks like skulls, but you look closer, it's insects. There's so much cool things. But as far as Madame Leota goes, There is, there's two actually. There's a mirror supposedly where she comes through every once in a while, just like a vision of her. If you look in the mirror and then like the lighting will change and basically it's just a two-way mirror kind of thing and you can see her. But there's also this very large portrait of her and that also changes occasionally. It's very subtle. I think it's just a black light effect, but things just, the appearance just changes. But then another thing, that is getting more traction is if you knock on that painting, sometimes she'll knock back. Yeah, so and it's totally random. Then what I've heard, and I'm not sure if this is true, is that behind that wall is just a cast member area. So if a cast member's back there, they hear someone knocking, they'll knock back. And that's how I heard that that is actually where it's, I don't even know if it was an Imagineer thing or if it's just a cast member thing that they started doing, or I don't know the lore behind it all or what to believe about it. yeah, it's kind of cool thing. Rob: ⁓ I. Very cool. Craig: Especially like if you'd like give him like a that that that that they'll come back with that. So, you know, it's not it's just not a trick thing, you know, that a recording or something on the other side knocking. Rob: Hahaha Eric, what is your next that you like share the Magic Kingdom? Erick: So talking about magic and the secrets from like getting knocked back in Mevento Mori, well, in order for you to increase the chances for you to be able to pull out the sword in the stone is ⁓ by keeping both feet in, first keep both feet in the ground, then you're going to hold the sword, not like in the movie, from the main handle, but from the sides. then what you want to do is you want to pull it up without leaning back. you know, like, sorry, and then you never know. can happen and you might be worthy and you might be able to pull out the sword. So. Rob: So you're saying that the magic that controls, the magic that allows the sword to be removed from the stone cares a lot about your posture and your adherence to safety practices. Is that what you're saying? Erick: Let's talk about safety, yes. ⁓ Rob: Yeah. So obviously this doesn't mean you're gonna be able to pull the sword if you do that, but it does mean that you're probably not gonna pull the sword. It's less likely if you're not doing that, right? Craig: Hehehehehe Erick: Mm-mm. Exactly. Yeah. Once again, you have to be worthy. So. Rob: I love that. I had no idea of that one. That was one that I was not aware of. Jessica, what is your next secret of the Magic Kingdom? Craig: You Jessica: So I'm gonna do one that I think I've talked about before, but it's one of my absolute favorites, and that is you do not have to get off the people mover. I think this is very important for people to know. You do not have to get off the people mover. If you are on the people mover and you have ended your journey and you look at the cast member and you say, I'd like to go again, you can go again. And I have never been turned down. Rob: Hahaha! Is this always the case? Wow. Jessica: So, but I mean, if there's like an hour long line, probably don't try it. But I have, we've written it three times in a row once. So if you really enjoy the PeopleMover and you would like to ride it more than once, you can go again because it's worth it. Probably my favorite ride there to just relax. So that's my, that's my. Little baby secret. I know I've talked about it before, but I think it's a good one. Rob: So this is a fun one about we kind of been talking about the magic and maybe winking at how the magic works at Magic Kingdom. But I want to talk about characters and parades because I think this is something that's not necessarily obvious to people. And it's a secret that not everyone is aware of. And that is if a character has their meet and greet outside. and they also appear in the parade, their meet and greet will go away during the parade because of course that that character has to leave and go be in the parade. However, if a character has a meet and greet that's indoors, so like Mickey at Town Square Theater or the princesses in Princess Fairytale Hall, if their meet and greet is indoors, they are able to use their Disney magic to go back and forth between their meet and greet location and the parade floats. ⁓ And that's it's magic. So those meet and greets will continue during the parade. But outdoor ones, they just they can't use the magic there, right? They're just they're on display. So ⁓ just a little thing. I think it's helpful to know if you want to do some meet and greets, because guess what? If you do that Mickey meet and greet during the parade, it's probably going to be the shortest wait you're going to get for that Mickey meet and greet other than when it first opens up for the day. Craig, what is your next secret from the Magic Kingdom? Craig: Okay, my next one and this is one of my favorites. It's so cute. And we're going back to Storybook Circus. So the barnstormer, the kiddie coaster out there, it's now called the barnstormer featuring the great Goofini. But before that it was, I think it was Goofy's Barnstormer at Wiseacre Farm. if you look at the beautiful sign they have for the Great Goofini, it's really cool. But if you look on the other side after go under it, you can that they took the original sign for Goofy's Barnstorm at Wiseacre Farms and pieced it together ⁓ off of that material. So you can see the words Wiseacre. acre and like, but all mixed up like it's a puzzle that was taken apart. ⁓ So that again, I just love those little details like that, they'll put into as a nod to a farmer attraction or just an homage to the attraction itself that has been updated. Rob: Yeah, those are great. There's actually two of those that come to mind because Mr. Toad used to have Mr. Toad's wild ride and it got taken over by the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh. And if you ride the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, when you go into Owl's house, you will see the deed from Mr. Toad's where Mr. Toad sold Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: ⁓ his mansion to become the bride for Winnie the Pooh. And also another little Mr. Toad reference, if you're coming out of the Haunted Mansion and you look at the, not the graveyard as you're going in, but the graveyard as you're coming out, ⁓ way up at the top, there is a Mr. Toad tombstone ⁓ that some people say has an epitaph that you cannot read, but that if you could get up there and read it, It's ⁓ like a little rhyme about ⁓ how sadly Mr. Toad is not as marketable as Winnie the Pooh. But I've been told definitively that's not true. That's just an urban legend. is no Winnie the Pooh ⁓ epitaph on that tombstone. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: So, Eric, do we have any more secrets that have come in from our friends on Patreon? Erick: This one comes from Lisa De Pinto. My secret is to find the cast members off to the side the or in the hub instead of getting a photo pass photo on. Usually less people in the photo. Well, with the pending crowds right now. So I will agree with her. I mean, I personally don't like the photo right in front of, ⁓ well, in the hub, right facing the partners statue. I prefer to do it like on the garden areas. ⁓ Specifically with what you mentioned before, Rob, for the fireworks, there is like a big gap that will like kind of cover people from your background. which make it better. honestly, the other thing is that ⁓ over there, they tend to have plants or different flowers, which make your background more clean and beautiful. And now since we're talking about PhotoPass, also if you get early enough, either for early entry or you just have to do the drop drop, Yeah, either or like usually a lot of people, a lot of people just ⁓ go directly to the early entry line and the hop is like kind of dead sometimes. So if you want, if you want to get a photo with that, no one in your background, like that's, that's a very good moment. Now, if you happen to do a capture moment session, usually like if you grab the first one at eight 30 in the morning, well, times might change, but ⁓ You tend to have like, well, this is the moment where everyone tends to be happy. Everyone tends to be awake. Maybe some grumpy ones just because it's too early, but that never happens. ⁓ But like, ⁓ that's the moment where you're not going to be sweaty. ⁓ Again, people tend to be in the best moods and also like you don't tend to get a lot of people in the background. So the other thing is if you have early entry. Jessica: You Erick: Sometimes you have some photo opportunities in the backlands, in fantasy land, with different characters that you will not normally see. Which sometimes I have seen roaming ⁓ Rapunzel and Flint together. Sometimes I have seen the Fairy Godmother, which ⁓ usually she likes to be there for the that come from the boutique. So again, ⁓ you can ⁓ some rare ⁓ to get photos taken with rare characters. Jessica: You think they're gonna bring more characters out for Cool Kid Summer again? Because that was amazing. Erick: I hope so. Honestly, that was fantastic. Those are the moments where I have seen the best character interactions, in my opinion. Like, just the little ones seeing Chip and Dale just roaming around or Tigger. I have seen them jumping ⁓ while holding his paw. I don't know. was very, very nice. And I really hope that they are going to bring it back. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rob: So for my next one, we've been talking kind of about how to avoid crowds in your photos. I'm gonna talk about how to avoid crowds when you're trying to get across the park. ⁓ And this is something that's gonna be kind of coming and going with the expansion of Frontierland. They're doing some construction over there. But as of now, there's still in most places what's called the River Wall. And what the river walk is, it's basically like a boardwalk that goes along the side of the river. And it will cut you back through to Tiana's Bayou Adventure and what will eventually once again be Big Thunder Mountain. And this river walk is key if you want to quickly get across that area, especially if you're going to Big Thunder or Tiana, because the crowds tend to stay on the main walkway. ⁓ And so you can usually zip through there while everybody else is kind of stumbling through the crowds trying to make their way through. The other thing that this is key for is if there is a parade going through, the only way that you can get really through that area when a parade is going through is to use the river walk. ⁓ I would say, ⁓ This is a secret. It's not truly a secret. Obviously, you can see that the Riverwalk is there always, but a lot of people just don't pay attention to it and don't think about the fact that it's a better pathway to use, especially when it's busy. So Jessica, what is your next secret of the Magic Kingdom? Jessica: So we talk about another one that I think we've kind of everybody can see, but they don't realize what it is. And that is the Pirates Adventure scavenger hunt. So past pirates, as you're turning to go to Tiana's, there's a little hut and it says pirate adventure. And there's a little building and people can walk in there. And I don't think people realize what it is. And it is an interactive scavenger hunt that Sometimes they let you do it with your magic band, but I guess the technology has been a little bit flaky, particularly with all the construction they were doing. So now they give you a little card that's been triggered to your adventure. They give you a map and you walk all the way around Adventureland looking for different places in Adventureland where magic happens. There's interactive things that happen and you get talked to. And I believe if you're Craig and I, get spit at by snakes. I think that was what happened to us. Rob: Hahaha. Jessica: because John was smart enough to stand way far away. ⁓ But ⁓ there's just a lot of really fun things. And this is one of those magic kingdom events or magic kingdom opportunities that I think people just don't realize is there. And every time I've done it, ⁓ there's always some mom or some family that comes up to me says, how'd you make that happen? How'd you make that happen? And I have to explain to them, well, you go to the pirate's adventure and you get... We didn't know that was there. We didn't know what that was. So I think it really is a secret. It's not well advertised, but it is a great, particularly if you're waiting for a lightning lane or particularly if you've just got some time to kill or you just want something to do that lets your kid kind of run off some steam, because they really are going to run all around Adventureland. And there's ⁓ four or five different opportunities. There might even be six, depending on, and sometimes when they're doing construction or maintenance, they change what's available, but they're different depending on which map you get. And sometimes even the same map, you can do it a second time and you'll go to different places. So highly recommend. It's one of my favorite quote unquote magic kingdom secrets. Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, Jessica and John and I did that together and I had never done it before and we went we were there together in December and I had the best time it was so much fun. I can't wait to do it again. But ⁓ and if they were really quick too, because it only took like maybe I don't know 10 minutes 10 15 minutes to do one. So yeah, you yeah, it was over so quick that like ⁓ we did like three of them because we're having so much fun. Rob: For sure. Jessica: 15 minutes? Yeah. 10, 15 minutes? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rob: It's funny because when you were saying people walk right past it and don't even know what's in there for the longest time, I thought it was one of those DVC kiosks because it kind of looks like the other DVC kiosks that are all around like the Triton one over in in New Fantasy land and ⁓ Jessica: Mm-hmm. Craig: Hahaha Rob: So probably a lot of people think it's like a like, like they're going to sell you something in there. It's like a little mini gift shop, but no, it's, it's completely free. And it's a super cool activity. I was so glad when I finally did it that I did, cause it was really fun. Craig, what is your next magic kingdom secret? Craig: Okay, so we are going back into Cinderella's castle where they have these incredible mosaics. ⁓ If you've never walked through the castle, you definitely need to do that just to check out these beautiful ⁓ mosaic tile art pieces, ⁓ vignettes from the movie Cinderella. But there's one where the prince is slipping the glass slipper onto Cinderella's foot. And lot of people do this and I just saw people like, what was that? And it's like, ⁓ you do it for luck. What you do is you just touch her little her glass slipper because it's it's actually a crystal like the slipper is really very cool on its own. It stands out, but you touch that for luck. I've seen people like you know kiss their fingers and then touch that. I don't recommend that unless you've sanitized before and after in the Magic Kingdom. I think we've we've discussed the cesspool of germs that can be found in in theme parks in general. But yeah, it's just like that's that's when every time I don't go by I have to like you know make a wish or. Rob: Hahaha! Craig: Do it for luck or whatever. Rob: I had never heard that one before. That was, that was a new one for me. That's very cool. Eric, what is our next secret either from you or from our friends on Patriot? Erick: ⁓ This is probably like not so hidden but a lot of people don't know that you can get pixie dusted in Ceramicus which basically means that ⁓ they are going to put some pixie dust in your hair that looks like leather and Craig: But it's not glitter. It's pixie dust. Yeah. Erick: No, it's pixie dust. That's what I said. It's pixie dust that looks like glitter. They will put it on your hair and they are going to ask you to make a wish. And I think ⁓ for the little ones, it's a very nice experience. And also for the adults. I have seen them both enjoying them a lot. And it's a cute little thing to find. It tends to happen usually. Rob: No, it's fixed pixie dust. Erick: on the register by the by the bean a how do call it yes thank you so much yes on the register by the beanstalk and usually you can always ask the cast members wearing a either a purple or a blue costume Rob: the beanstalk. And I think this is key. If you're going to go ride Peter Pan's flight, probably want to start by getting a little extra pixie dust just to help you on that journey. ⁓ Very cool. So my next ⁓ secret, this is another one that I'm it's not truly a secret because it's in plain sight, but you will be surprised how many people, myself included, forget that these things are there and walk right past them. And that is the shortcuts that are built into the Magic Kingdom. Now, a lot of people don't even notice because you don't really see them on the map. They're not really called out on the map, but there are a handful of shortcuts that will save you a ton of time getting from point A to point B. The two biggest ones are cut throughs from Adventureland into Frontierland So the one is a cut through that goes from ⁓ Magic Carpets of Aladdin and it's going to take you over to Country Bear Jamboree. it's going to get you closer into the Frontierland side. The other is basically those restrooms that are right beside Skipper Canteen in Adventureland. That's going to put you out over at Diamond Horseshoe. So you're almost into Liberty Square there. Another one that is usually open, not always, because if there's a show happening, it'll be closed. But there's the cut through the castle, which Craig was talking about, where you see those ⁓ mosaics inside the castle. If you're there when there's not a show happening, you can actually walk through from the front of the castle to the back of the castle. And that saves you a ton of time getting into fantasy land. finally over at Storybook Circus, if you go back behind ⁓ the barnstormer, which we were just talking about, there is a pathway that will go right under Tron. So it cuts you into Tomorrowland. ⁓ That one I feel like is a more specific use case. It's very handy if you want to to that. train the train station that's right there in fantasy land it's a great way to get to there from tomorrow land or if you're getting off of that stop and you're going to tomorrow land it's a great cut through to take ⁓ but those are the big ones the big ⁓ cut throughs think a lot of people don't realize are there and they will save you a lot of time especially when it's Jessica, what is your next secret? Jessica: My next one is you go upstairs at Pinocchio's village house. And most of the time there are seats that are quiet. You could have a window to overlook, ⁓ magic kingdom fantasy land, it's, know we, when Craig and I were there with John, he had to take a work call. And I said, well, just go upstairs in Pinocchio's house. And he was like, go where? I was like, trust me, there's a staircase. If you go upstairs, no one else will be working there. Sit by the window. And it ended up, I think there was another person working up there. It is a beautiful place to kind of sit and be calm and quiet. And most of the people don't come up there. Craig: You Jessica: the Pinocchio Village House kind of upstairs seating to me is a really good secret place to kind of sit ⁓ kind of outside the hustle bustle ⁓ of Magic Kingdom. Rob: that place too, because if you go out on that little Terrace, especially near sunset, it is just the most spectacular view of Cinderella Castle you're going to get. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: I'm actually going to go out of turn here because one of my secrets is kind of adjacent to this. What we're talking about. There is this extended seating area from Pecos bill. So Pecos bill is in frontier land, but the back of Pecos bill basically wraps into adventure land and this seating area. It's kind of an extension from Pecos bill, but it's also kind of like an extra seating from what used to be Tortuga Tavern, but it's indoor. It's air conditioned and in many cases they will open this area before the restaurant is even open. So it's just an indoor air conditioned seating area that a lot of people don't realize is there. And it's right across the street essentially from Pirates of the Caribbean. So if you go to Pirates, as you're walking towards ⁓ Frontierland, look across from Pirates and you'll see a little ⁓ little dining area that's inside and air conditioned. It's a great spot to get away from the heat or the rain. ⁓ Craig, what is your next secret of the Magic Kingdom? Craig: Okay, so I'm gonna go back to Fantasyland and right next to Pinocchio's Village House is It's a Small World. So when you go into the queue area, there's this beautiful ⁓ clock tower and with all these, know, very, very Mary Blair artwork kind of things. So on the clock, they have numbers like one through zero, and they're very whimsical and they kind of like move in and out. ⁓ So for the 50th anniversary, They took the five and the zero and gave it a, which are right by each other, and gave it a shiny gold color versus kind of the matte color of gold that was on the rest of them. And it's still there. They haven't changed it, but that was a specific thing they did for the 50th. ⁓ So every time I see that and it's still there, I'm like, ⁓ yeah, that was really cute. I'm glad they did that. Yeah. I'm surprised that, yeah, lot of people don't know that one. Jessica: I didn't know that. That's a good one. Rob: Yeah, there's lots of really good remnants from the 50th. There's obviously all the gold statues around the parks. That's a really cool one. think a lot of people don't realize is there. ⁓ Eric, what is our next secret from our friends on Patreon? Craig: Mm-hmm. Erick: This comes from this list rub, and it's also like in plain sight, but a lot of people do not know about this. that, well, this list rub mentions that you can get a haircut or a haircut at the Magic Kingdom. There is a barber to the left of the Emporium. As you enter, it's going to be between the Emporium and the Firehouse. So, and actually, it seems like it's way cheaper. than the one that I get with my hairdresser. ⁓ So, and a lot of people actually love it. Also, you get some pixie dust or some dragon treasures. Rob: Hahaha. Jessica: Haha. Craig: Hehehe. Rob: And it's a very popular place for kids to get their first haircut. That's a big deal thing that they do there. ⁓ Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, don't they have like certificates and such? Jessica: I didn't realize they did anything else. Rob: ⁓ yeah, you can men can go there and get a beard trim. Like he was saying, you can get a regular you can just get a regular haircut. I do have a secret that about that place that I'd forgotten about that I learned from a barber in there. It's really tough to get a reservation there. The reservations book up like immediately. But if you want to do this, go there right when they open. So ⁓ their hours can change a little bit. So what they recommend doing as soon as you come in the park. Just go and look for a cast member over there and find out what time they're opening. And they will usually have space that they can fit you into if you go there first thing when they open. And that's kind of your best shot at getting a slot if you don't already have one. Craig: Yeah, and if you're like me who doesn't spend much time at the barber, ⁓ I suggest going in there and just looking around because it's really a beautiful ⁓ room. Rob: Yeah. Craig: Very cool. Rob: Well, this is my final secret of the Magic Kingdom and I feel like this is a very useful one. We talked earlier about spots that you can get, especially for little ones for the fireworks, but you got to camp out a really long time for that spot. And what I find more valuable are the places that you can go without camping out because that's the reality for most people going to see the fireworks. They're like, ⁓ gosh, the fireworks about start. got to find a spot and it's not something that they've camped out for my favorite for this. My favorite spot is down Main Street. If you're coming down Main Street next time, if you haven't paid attention to this before as you walk down along the side of the Emporium, you'll see kind of midway down. There's like an area where the Emporium kind of dips in. There's kind of like a like a little invention basically, and there's kind of doors right there, basically the middle of the Emporium. That spot right there is kind of the sweet spot right in the middle of Main Street there where you're going to get a beautiful view of the castle. You're going to get the projections that come down Main Street look beautiful from that spot. You're still close enough to the castle that you're going to be able to enjoy those projections. But you're you're not so far back that it just kind of you can't make out what's going on that spot. If you're there on a not so busy day, I have been able to get right in the middle of that street in that spot, maybe 10 minutes before fireworks start. Now, if you're there on a busy day, you probably need to be there. I would say 20 think 20 minutes is probably Max. I don't think you usually need more than 20 minutes to get that spot and Jessica: Mm-mm. Rob: It's my go to if you watch the new lightning lane video that we just put out. I just walked. I was in the middle of the fireworks show. The fireworks were going on. I was getting off of a ride when the fireworks started. I just walked there and I got the perfect spot. I mean, you see the video. You'll see that the shots that I got from that spot were amazing and I didn't wait at all. I literally went there in the middle of the show and was able to get that spot. So that is my that is my final secret. ⁓ ⁓ Moving on, Jessica, do you have one more secret to share with us? Jessica: I do have one more secret and it is if you want more secrets and if this is something that's very interesting to you, I highly recommend the Keys to the Kingdom tour. I think it is a tour that they offer throughout the day. It is an interesting kind of behind the scenes backstage tour of Magic Kingdom. John and I have done this and it was, it's a lot of fun. You get to see parts of Magic Kingdom that you don't get to see. You don't get to take photos, you don't get to record it, you're just, you're back there, you're kind of living it. And it is perhaps not for people that you would ruin the magic, because I think there are some things that you get to see that maybe you wouldn't necessarily want to see, but you get to ask questions ⁓ of cast members and they answer them honestly. And particularly when you're backstage, they can answer even more honestly. There's also backstage, there's some photographs and pictures of Walt and Roy in the park and some things that were really moving and was really great to see. ⁓ So if you've enjoyed this episode and this is something that you think is interesting and you like the secrets and you like the behind the scenes, I would recommend giving the Keys to the Kingdom Tour a try. Craig: Yeah. Rob: And it's one of the only ways a mere mortal can see the utilidors. ⁓ Jessica: It is one of the only ways. Craig: Yeah, that's I was doing that tour on September 11th when it happened, but that's that's a whole nother story. But yeah, I think that's probably where I got a lot of my secrets was from taking that tour back in 2001. Rob: And Yeah. And this is that that alone is kind of a secret that a lot of people don't realize. And once you understand it, it's mind blowing. The entire park, the Magic Kingdom is built on the roof of a building. They essentially built a massive building that is nearly the size of the Magic Kingdom. And then they put a park on the roof. That's how they they did it. So There's this entire network of tunnels and spaces and facilities all underneath the ground whenever you're in the Magic Kingdom, which is just a very cool thing ⁓ that they did. And the origin of that, according to what I've heard from history stories is ⁓ Walt hated the fact that the characters had to appear in other lands where they didn't belong, because you had to walk through those lands to get to where they needed to go. And it was one of his biggest pet peeves about the park, the original Disneyland park. And so that was the impetus for them to create this massive tunnel that went underneath everything. And then of course had a lot of other practical purposes, but that was kind of the genesis of it was so, so characters could not appear in lands where they didn't belong. ⁓ just kind of Craig, what is your final secret of the magic kingdom? Craig: Okay, so my next one, it's kind of personal. It's kind of silly as well, but it's at Be Our Guest Restaurant. Now right outside the entrance, there are these two enormous gargoyles and they're very different. And I can't remember what video I was watching. It was an Imagineer Story kind of video. They were talking about New Fantasyland. And I found out they actually named those gargoyles and one of them is named Craig. And it just so happens the other one's named Bruce, which is the name of my ex-husband. So I thought it was kind of, wow. Rob: Hahaha Craig: Where did they come up with those two names and why? So yeah, that's my last little silly one. Rob: That's very cool. So while we're at Be Our Guest, I do think we have to mention, because this is a really cool secret a lot of people don't realize, Imagineers never sign their work. They don't get to sign the art that they create. But sometimes they find other ways to leave their mark. And in this case, the mark that they left was the faces of their children. If you look up at the ceiling in the main grand dining hall area of the Be Our Guest restaurant, ⁓ It's this really elaborate fresco on the ceiling. And there are all of these angels and cherubs ⁓ and the faces of those cherubs. They're the faces of the actual children of the Imagineers who created the space, which I just think is a really cool. That's a really cool signature to leave. Well, now let's move on to our question of the week. Craig, ⁓ don't you share with us the question we got this week from, ⁓ it over on YouTube? Craig: ⁓ Yes, this this came from YouTube and it's from Katie Emily eight who says great podcast. Thank you so much for listening Thank you all for listening At the question is I'm interested to know if there are any cues that are better to not skip I'm thinking cues that are entertaining immersive with pre shows that aren't too bad to wait in ⁓ Yeah, there's a lot so ⁓ The first one we made a list here and I first one is ⁓ Tinkerbell in the Peter Pan cue ⁓ which is a very, it's a very cool cue on its own. It's a very long cue, unfortunately, as well. But when you're in inside the cue and you're in the kid's bedroom, you can see Tinkerbell all of a just like flit across. Rob: Yeah. My favorite in there is that magic moment where the shadows, because the big thing with Peter Pan is his shadow gets disconnected and shadows have lives of their own in Peter Pan's world. And there's these shadows that come onto the wall and you can interact with them. Sometimes there are bells that come down and you can tap the bells and they'll move with the motion that you make and you'll hear the sound. Sometimes there's butterflies. And if you stay very still, the butterflies will land on you, which is just really incredible how the imagineers pulled that off. ⁓ but yeah, that one is the most painful cue though. I gotta say, I love it. I love the interactive. Some of you should definitely experience once, but ⁓ my gosh, that is one of the slowest moving cues in Disney world. Craig: Mm-hmm. Rob: My next one would be my favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World, ⁓ which is Expedition Everest. ⁓ And ⁓ the queue Expedition Everest is kind of like a Yeti museum. ⁓ and it's really fascinating. I mean, there's so much detail in there. ⁓ the sad thing is, ⁓ it's also a good thing, but the queue moves very quickly for that ride. So you really don't get to spend as much time in there as you probably would even want to, because you can't really take in all the details cause you're moving through pretty quick. ⁓ but if you're looking for a pain free queue with cool stuff, that would be, that would be my number one vote. ⁓ Jessica, what's your number one vote? Craig: Mm-hmm. Jessica: So my number one vote, I'm trying to decide what my number one vote is, but I really like the quiz on Sorin in Epcot. And if you do the lightning lane, you usually get through that first room too fast to participate in the quiz. And if it's a 30 minute wait, you can usually get through like half of a round or maybe even a full round of that quiz. And it's a lot of fun. you get to, I always joined team yellow, cause I'm a team yellow person, but then somebody else joins team blue and then you get to answer questions and who was first and ⁓ we're winning. And then you can kind of feel the energy of the people in the line, the play Disney app has a quiz that you take ⁓ as part of the Soarin' queue. And if you do the lightning lane, most of the time you're not there long enough to participate. So I would, if you've never done it, I would stick around and do the quiz for a little bit. It's a lot of fun with the family and it's kind of a fun thing to do. Rob: One of our patreon members actually said their hair kid always wants to wait more in the queue. Like it comes time to leave the queue to go board the rice. Like let's ⁓ we're so close. Let's just let's just hang out here for a little bit longer and finish finish the quiz. Yeah. Yeah. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I've done that before. I've been like, you guys go ahead. We're going to finish this one. I just want to finish it. Craig: Hahaha! Rob: Eric, what is your vote for one of your favorite cues that's worth going through just to experience the cue? Erick: I will go with Toy Story Mania. ⁓ The thing is like, you can find a lot of ⁓ small details. The main reason is you're in Andy's ⁓ bedroom. ⁓ ⁓ you can see the board games ⁓ on top of your head. ⁓ Also just being able to see the Mr. Potato animatronic, it's cool. ⁓ I really like it. Rob: Yeah, I love that animatronic. Craig: Yeah, just all the toy. mean, again, being an old guy, it's like these are like toys from my childhood that you'll see represented there. it's so, so fun. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: There's several cues I think that we should mention. It's kind of like honorable mentions. Why don't we just quickly go through, we'll do a ⁓ round robin of ⁓ the different cues ⁓ that you recommend people waiting in. Craig, don't you go with your first honorable mention. Craig: Well, ⁓ along with ⁓ Expedition Everest, would in Animal Kingdom, I would add Kali River Rapids and even the Kilimanjaro Safaris for very similar reasons. They're just so detailed and there's just so much you can explore in those cues. But the one that I would definitely recommend not skipping, like doing sometime in your lifetime is Fight a Passage. There's a lot of really cool stuff you don't get to see in the Lightning Lane. Rob: Yeah. Yeah, Jessica. What are your honorable mentions? Jessica: I get two honorable mentions, the first of which is Rise of the Resistance. If you do the single rider line in Rise of the Resistance, sometimes you skip part of the story. So I tell people, if you've never done Rise of the Resistance, please do not do single rider line. Most of the time, the lightning lane will still take you to the story parts, but the single rider line will not. So Rise of the Resistance. And then the other one that is we're going to go across the coast. is if you're in Disneyland, one time go through Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, the queue fully. Do not lightning lane it. It is one of the best ⁓ queues. take and act like the Mickey cartoons are actual set props and they have those all over and it's just the, it's the best photo opportunities in a queue I've ever seen. So it's a great one. So those are kind of ⁓ my two honorable mentions. Rob: Mm-hmm. The last one that I want to mention just because this is something that I do every time I go through this queue. And if you're a germaphobe, you might not love this, but in seven dwarfs mind train, there's this section of there's lots of things that are interactive in that queue, but the one that you just have to do in my opinion, there's these barrels of jewels and you can spin the barrel of jewels and you'll see a dwarf. appear above the barrel on the ceiling. And what people don't realize is that the real secret is you have to get all of the barrels spinning at once. All of them have to be going and all of the doors have to appear and then you will get Snow White dancing in the center. And I'm just I'm always that guy in the queue. I'm always the guy who's like, we have to do this and spin that you have to spin that like I'm like I'm stage managing the spinning of the barrels. And there are some people who are really into it with me there's other people who are like, dude, seriously? You want me to touch that barrel? That's not happening. it ⁓ is a very cool thing. you have, especially if you have a large party, so you can spin a lot of the barrels with just your group is a must do. It's just a cool little hidden secret that I love. ⁓ Craig: You You Rob: Any other any other cues that we should mention before we head on to happy thoughts? Erick: I will go with Remis. ⁓ Especially since you are turning from a human to a rat. And then you're on the rooftop and you can see ⁓ Gusto's restaurant ⁓ logo. If you happen to be in that queue for a long period of time, you're going to be able to see Gusto actually. ⁓ Rob: ⁓ yeah. Erick: coming to life and like reactivating one of the stars in his life. Rob: Yeah, that's very cool. Craig: Yeah, and I would like to add a couple from ⁓ Epcop, just with caveats. So one is Guardians, ⁓ but only if you really love the films and know the lore because it's a lot about... It doesn't really explain the attraction that much, but if you know the movies, you're going to see a lot of stuff that's interesting. And another is Frozen Ever After, and you missed this in Lightning Lane, but once you get inside the... the queue in indoors. There's an Okens house and it's so cute. And there's like a little window and he's having a little steam and I don't want to ruin it for anybody. But it was just adorable. Loved it. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: That's the one part of the queue, like we were talking about. Some people like to stay and finish the quiz for Soren. For me, it's that Okun's spot. I always just want to stay there a little bit longer and watch all the different little things that Okun will do. That's a really cool one. Jessica: Mm-hmm. I have one more, but it doesn't happen all the time. It happens one day a year. And that is in the Little Mermaid Queue on Mickey's birthday, the way this... I'm sorry, Little Mermaid Queue in Magic Kingdom, under the sea. The sun will come in on one day a year. And if it's not overcast, if it's not raining, you'll see a hidden Mickey by the way the sun comes through the rocks. Rob: Hmm. Specifically the Little Mermaid Q in Magic Kingdom, under the sea. Jessica: This is one that is on my bucket list to see sometime, but ⁓ you can see it online. This is a kind of a, you have to be there the right day at the right time in the right way. So this is not really a cue not to skip, but if for some reason you're there on that day at that time, go with a cue. So that's the one I'll just mention. Rob: It is a beautiful cue, yeah. Erick: But you can, if you don't happen to be there for that specific ⁓ hidden Mickey, you can still find the Steamboat Willie. Do you know about that one? Jessica? Yeah, yeah. Jessica: And the rocks formation that makes steam, yeah. Rob: Yeah, that one's just a beautiful cue too though, especially at night. That one at night, the waterfalls all light up and they're very colorful. It's a really beautiful, beautiful cue. Craig: Mm-hmm. Jessica: Mm-hmm. Rob: unfortunately that is all the time we have for magical Q experiences and hidden secrets at the magic kingdom. ⁓ it is now time for our segment that we like to call happy thoughts because we like to end each show with a little. jolt of positivity, something happy going on in our lives, especially as it relates to in many cases, the world of Disney. ⁓ Jessica, what is your happy thought this week? Jessica: So my happy thought is that on Friday, ⁓ Belle and I got to go see Hoppers. And it was as cute as I hoped it would be. It was as funny as I hoped it would be. It had a good message. It wasn't about a woman being saved by a man, which I just love that the new movies are not that classic story. ⁓ And it was great. I loved it. And I'm glad that it is, to me, means Pixar is a little bit back. It's a great, it was a great story and everybody in the theater was laughing and it's what picked me up. So I enjoyed it a lot and I'm glad, I'm glad Pixar's back. I loved it. Rob: Yeah, it was really good. We, and I watched it ⁓ last week as well. ⁓ Really great performances. I mean, all around the board. ⁓ The performances are great. The animation, of course, it's Pixar. It's the best. Jessica: Mm-hmm. When they go between the beaver talking to her and then the beaver being a beaver, just that subtle change in animation, it was awesome. I loved it. I loved everything about it. So 10 out of 10. Rob: Eric, what is your happy thought this week? Erick: So I was able to go, well, today after work, I was able to go to Epcot and I was able to see the new top theories that they have. And honestly, they are really, really good. Some of them are amazing. Skinny, Sully needs to grow a little bit. Needs to get fluffier a little bit. like Lotso and Mike Wazowski, ⁓ wow. Rob: Haha. Erick: Like they look phenomenal. So I was very happy to see new things coming to Epcot. ⁓ and also the light. Yes, plant and food. Yeah. Rob: To plant and food, we had the plant and food festival as Jessica likes to call it. Yeah. And we're gonna add one more thing there. Craig: Mm-hmm Erick: ⁓ yeah. So we have the new Lightning McQueen as well and Mater. Like also they look really, really good. yeah, Horticulture team are doing fantastic. Rob: ⁓ huh, yeah. Yeah. And y'all really hats off to that, to the horticulture team, because not only do they do an amazing job with those topiaries, I haven't seen them yet this year. can't wait to get over there, but man, ⁓ man, the work that they're doing right now to recover from the freeze. If you've been to Disney world recently, I mean, half the plants are dead because of the, the, the freeze and Jessica: Mm. Rob: You can't even imagine the amount of work that is involved in unexpected. I this isn't planned for, right? I mean, this just and a lot of their plants that they would bring in to replace them are kept in live in in in different like little planting areas backstage. Those died too, right? Because of the frost. So, man, but they're doing an amazing job getting that stuff. fixed up and turned around pretty quickly. So ⁓ hats off to the horticulture team and thanks to them for what they're doing. ⁓ Craig, what is your happy thought this week? Craig: Okay. ⁓ well, it's one that I've mentioned before, but it's actually happening now. And that is my upcoming trip to England. ⁓ I think the day that this will actually, this podcast will actually post, I'll be traveling in the air. And, ⁓ the real happy thought is other than, ⁓ our good friends from Patreon, Anthony, ⁓ Francesca and Fiona have been very helpful, giving me lots of great tips of seeing London itself. but. They start their daylight savings a few weeks after we do here in the States. So it's only going to be a four hour difference. So hopefully my first experience with jet lag won't be that bad. Rob: Four hours is that's that's basically like going to LA almost. I mean, that's not a that's not a huge that's that's doable. That's doable. Yeah. Jessica: Yeah. Craig: Yeah, but you go in the other. mean, unfortunately you have to go nine hours to get the floor, but yeah, but yeah, I'm so excited. wait to experience all that. Rob: Yeah. Awesome. Well, my happy thought is that the lightning lane video is finally done and y'all this this video more than any video I think we've ever made at your scouts has been a labor of love. We filmed this video in January. It was it was I think it was MLK weekend in January that we filmed this video and We have been working on it more or less nonstop since we filmed it. I mean, there are we did a green screen Genie for the first time. ⁓ When I played the Genie, we did it against a green screen so we could bring him into Magic Kingdom. ⁓ But we also did some ⁓ some animated infographics. And for the first time, we're really explaining all facets of Lightning Lane. I mean, really, you could come into this video. not even knowing what a lightning lane is. And it will take you through all the flavors of lightning lane. And it goes all the way from the basics to the more complex things that we've talked about in some of our other videos. So it's, it's really, I'm hoping that people will find it to be kind of like a masterclass in, learning lightning lane. And it's like an hour, like an hour of your time. And you'll, you'll really understand hopefully. ⁓ all there is no at lightning lane. But the reasons my happy thought is just because this video you might have noticed that things have been a little slow coming out of the channel this year. And this video has been the reason we just spent so many hours. ⁓ And so it's just such a joy to finally have it done and out into the world. So I hope you all enjoy it. If you're watching this podcast on YouTube, head on over and check out that video when you're done with the show. ⁓ And if you haven't yet subscribed to this podcast on YouTube, visit us at Ear Scouts.com forward slash podcast. ⁓ I want to thank everyone so much for joining us. We'll see you again next week. Until then, don't forget to think happy thoughts, everybody. See again real soon. editing it.