Cold Open And Introductions

Intro 0:03

Please stand clear of the doors. For favor, mantenganse ale square. Please stand clear of the doors.

Alicea 0:23

Hello everyone. I'm Alicea.

Nathan 0:25

I'm Nathan.

Caleb 0:26

And I'm Caleb.

Caitlyn 0:27

And I'm Caitlyn.

Alicea 0:28

Welcome to episode 222 of Adventures and Mouscapades, where Disney adults come to over-analyze vacations that they will absolutely do again. Today we are joined by the hosts of Market House Podcast. They are returning guests and certified Disney Cruise Line Pros. Between the Wonder, Dream Fantasy, and now their very first Wish Class ship sailing on the Disney Treasure. They've practically collected the whole fleet, just a couple more to go, and they took on the treasure with a toddler in tow. So we are talking adventure, immersion, and navigating Disney Magic at sea with a tiny first mate. Welcome back, you two.

Caleb 1:06

Thank you so much.

Caitlyn 1:07

We're so excited to be here. I feel like it's been, I don't, I feel like it's been a long time, but then it really doesn't feel like it has been.

Nathan 1:14

It's it's yeah. Time flies when you're having fun.

Caleb 1:18

Yeah. I know. Time is all messed up now, especially now post-children. We have one, but um, a toddler, especially, you're like, what day is it? Why, why are we doing this? Where are we at?

Alicea 1:28

Yeah, it's just pure chaos. Yeah.

Nathan 1:30

And then every time we seem to be down in your neck of the woods, something comes up and you've got a thing, and

Caleb 1:35

I know.

Nathan 1:36

Someday we'll get together in person.

Caleb 1:38

I know, I know. We need to make it work. Last time it was like family stuff, right? Or something. I don't know what happened. But yes, next time you're in, I know family, stinking family. Oh, get in the way of our fun. I know. Um, no, but thanks for having us back on.

Disney Song Draft Grudge Match

Nathan 1:49

We're excited. Well, we're gonna start off. I have a um I have a hard-hitting question. I I wanted to be really friendly before we hit record to relax you guys, and and I'm I'm going after you right now. Um, how on earth did you leave a whole new world off of your top Disney songs list from your recent episode a couple weeks ago?

Caleb 2:07

Okay. So you took Caitlyn’s side on that one.

Caitlyn 2:10

For the record, I did say that it should have been the top songs, and he did say it shouldn't have been. So I think your your battles with Caleb.

Nathan 2:17

Okay. 100%.

Caleb 2:18

So oh gosh, I don't know how to defend myself on this one. I I love the song. I just, for some reason, okay, it was either that or reflection. Reflection, reflections. Is it plural? Reflect, okay, singular. Um, it was between that. I don't know why Mulan was just speaking to me that day when I made the list. Like I said, a huge disclaimer in the beginning. This list changes daily, hourly, even. And so just that right then Mulan was hitting me. And then I don't know, there's nothing against Aladdin. I love that song. But whatever. I think it's just maybe exposure. Uh we watched the show every day when it was in Disneyland, and Caitlyn loved it, and I started getting a little like, okay, I've seen it, I've done it. Um, and so maybe that's why I don't have enough Mulan in my life.

Nathan 2:59

There you go.

Caleb 2:59

That's my excuse.

Nathan 3:00

Well, that movie came out, I'm pretty sure, when Alicea and I were in high school, because I I always remember like singing just like the chorus to her for no apparent reason out of the blue.

Caitlyn 3:09

Just that's so sweet. Yeah, it's good.

Alicea 3:11

I don't remember that.

Nathan 3:13

Oh, well. Glad I made an impression.

Alicea 3:16

My memory is crap right now, so it's okay.

Nathan 3:20

All right. Well, let's turn to your trip and we'll we'll kind of start with the basics. Who was in your sailing party uh party? Was it just the three of you?

Caleb 3:28

No. So it was, yeah, the three of us, myself, Caitlin, and our toddler, and then it was my brother and his girlfriend. So um, we had a little bit of family in tow. Nice. Um, which was a huge help. Yeah. Oh yeah. Absolutely.

Alicea 3:39

Uh, what type of stateroom did you guys have?

Caleb 3:42

We did a uh veranda state room. Um one of the standard ones wasn't concierge or anything. Maybe one day that'll happen.

Caitlyn 3:50

But this room did have extra room. Oh yeah. It was the deluxe family.

Caleb 3:54

Yes, it was the deluxe family because we still are rocking the pack and play, and we know how large those are. And we did the uh fantasy first with her when she it was her first birthday, her her one-year birthday. And the amount of room that thing took in a standard one, like standard veranda room, we would like crawl over the couch to get over to that area, and I was like, never again, I'll pay the extra money. Uh so that was clutch. It was awesome.

Caitlyn 4:17

Yeah, especially with like her walking around as well and like having us all in there. I'm like, the extra room was really nice.

Caleb 4:24

Know how like a full-on adults, like if you have adult children one day, like I don't know how you all fit in a room like that. It's like it's pretty, it's pretty cramped.

Alicea 4:33

It's it's been pretty cramped when we've had sure Kaitlyn and Sterling with us. Yeah.

Nathan 4:37

In fact, we're doing a cruise coming up in June, and for the first time, we're just like, no, we're just booking two rooms.

Caleb 4:44

Are you really?

Alicea 4:45

Yeah. Yeah. They they got an inside. Yeah, we got them an inside.

Caleb 4:48

Hey, they who pay get to pick where exactly. Yeah. So they can maybe treat themselves one day.

Nathan 4:54

Right. Now, I think technically, I think Caitlin and I are in the inside state room, and Sterling and Alicia are have the nice veranda and everything, but like that's that's not that's not how that will play out.

Alicea 5:07

Yeah, it's just so we can do the platinum booking stuff. Right.

Caleb 5:10

Oh, smart. Yeah, one platinum person nature.

Caitlyn 5:13

We'll be there one day.

Caleb 5:13

Yeah. Give us some time, guys. We'll catch up, okay?

Nathan 5:16

Yeah. We'll be Pearl by that point, but then they'll add they'll add something else like I don't know, rosewood or who knows.

Alicea 5:23

That's so true, though. Titanium.

Caleb 5:25

Yeah, absolutely. They'll keep getting us to keep it. It's the hamster wheel, right? Uh-huh. Can't get off of it.

Nathan 5:30

You got to get to Pearl at 25 cruises, and then next up, you get your name on the plaque on Castaway at 50. At 50? Oh my gosh.

Caitlyn 5:38

That's the goal. That's my goal. I don't know if it's your goal, but it's my goal.

Alicea 5:42

Maybe someday. I don't know. That seems so far from that.

Nathan 5:46

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you had your own room. Were um your your brother and and and uh and and girlfriend, were they close? Did you have an adjoining room or they kind of no?

Caleb 5:57

We had ended up, I I was convinced we were close. And then when we separated that first day to go like check out our rooms for the first time, I'm like, where are you going? They're like, We're forward in your ass, or vice versa, right? Well, we okay. And so um it wasn't a huge deal. They were similar stateroom, I think the same one, yeah, just a different location. I think they were on like deck eight, we were on deck nine, and then different parts of the ship. Okay. Didn't play into it a ton. Um, I love family, but I don't need an adjoining room. And I think they would agree too.

Caitlyn 6:23

I think the only thing that I would have done next time is like they were so fun to travel with that I feel like I would have loved to have a room closer to them, but adjoining, I think all of us on that trip would have been like, it's all right, we don't need to

Nathan 6:36

the only thing I'd say is is we've sailed with my parents a few times, especially when the kids were younger, and it was nice to have an adjoining room where the kid could like run over to Grammy and Poppy and like hang out there, and and it was easier. Um they didn't have a key to our room, but the door was always open, so like they could take the kiddo back and like get them situated in their own bed while we went off and enjoyed uh uh drinks after dinner or something, and you know, yeah. You got an adult, right?

Itinerary Seas And Kid Crowds

Caleb 7:05

Yeah, even if it's for 15 minutes. Yes, yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly.

Alicea 7:10

What itinerary did you sail and did it impact how you experienced the ship at all?

Caleb 7:15

Uh yeah, good question. Uh, this was an Eastern Caribbean, uh seven night, and um yeah, honestly, so this was we sailed in was this January, February?

Caitlyn 7:24

January.

Caleb 7:25

January. And this was probably these are the roughest seas we've experienced. And we usually we tend to sail in January and February just because we prefer it to be a little cooler, but we don't love it when it's like 98 degrees and humid. Um so we kind of like and the we I you know, I love my daughter, but uh uh it is nice when you have a sailing with like less kids. So when they're in school. Um it it is nice to have that kind of more adult mix, even though we were very surprised that there were a ton of kids on the sailing. Even in my mind, I said, oh, kids were just out for Christmas, like just a few weeks ago. Right. There's no way parents are taking them out. But then Caitlin made a good point. I wonder if they were Christmas gifts, like these were the trips they were going on. Um the mix was crazy. We never had this many kids on a on a sailing, I feel like.

Caitlyn 8:11

No, we've and we've done a like July sailing. Was it July? Yeah, July sailing with Disney cruise line, and there was less kids on that one, which was wild. So interesting.

Caleb 8:20

This mix, yeah, even the um some of the cast members are like, holy smokes, like the mix of this cruise is crazy. And I'm like, you have the you know, the kids clubs were like booking up and stuff, so it was pretty busy. But yes, the the seas were a little rockier, um, didn't get us sick or anything, but we did feel the motion a lot.

Nathan 8:36

Yeah, we were just on the well, we were on the magic a month or so ago, but that was Gulf of Mexico. It was Gulf of Mexico, and that was also midwinter break. Yeah, and so but there was on that small ship, there were 900 kids. We're just like whoa, whoa. Yeah, it was President's Day week, so like a lot of schools have that off, and it it uh-huh.

Alicea 9:02

One of the things we do when we're on is we always ask um like an officer or somebody what the ratio is, like how many kids, how many adults, like how full is the ship? Because it's always kind of interesting just to see what it is. Yeah.

Nathan 9:14

So you've sailed on other classes of ships. What felt, you know, and this was the treasure, just to remind, because I had to just look up in the notes and go, oh yeah, the treasure got it. Um what felt like the most kind of like dramatically different stepping aboard this newest class, the wish class of ship uh for the first time from Disney?

Caitlyn 9:34

I would honestly say the Grand Hall. I mean, again, we saw a lot of videos going into it. I mean, again, we try to keep keep a little um or a couple things unspoiled, but for the most part, like we did obviously see the grand reveal of people going in. And there's two things that we noticed. One, it was it it felt a little smaller than what we saw on videos. And I know some people might be like, what? It's so much bigger than like the older ships. It is, but for some reason to us, it felt a little more grand while watching it on someone's YouTube video versus when you walked in. And then secondly, I would say it was so beautiful and just so different than the other cruise ships. It almost made us just stop for a minute and go, What are we thinking right now? Like we loved it, but it was so different, it was unique, and we it just almost took our breath away. I know that sounds cheesy, but we kind of just stood there for a minute and were like, Wow, like they really like that was insane. Like it was beautiful.

Nathan 10:28

It's a very different color palette, especially the color palette in that atrium on the treasure.

Alicea 10:37

Yeah, I love it so much.

Caitlyn 10:38

And I feel like when we first saw um Disney kind of release some of the concept art, I'm not gonna lie, like Caleb and I were a little nervous that it might be a little too dark. Yeah, the concept was. Yeah, so when we first saw it, we were like, wow, like it was in my opinion, it was done very well.

Caleb 10:53

Yeah, they nailed the design. It was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ship. And I know it was brand new, um, but even then, like a squeaky clean ship like that was wild. And Disney keeps like great care of their ships, even the older ones are impressive. Yep. But stepping on a like year or two-year-old ship, I'm like, dang, this is like it doesn't feel like anyone's been on it. So that was fantastic. But the main difference that I walked away with, Caitlin's was Grand, you say Grand Hall. I think mine was the like design, like the ship design. So like where things were. Um, the Roy and Walt Disney, the 1923 thing, that really messed me up. And then the lack of midship elevators were like uh just would irrationally like made me angry, I think. I'm like, I can't believe I have to walk the length of the ship to get to an elevator right now.

Caitlyn 11:38

So when we were walking around the ship, it almost felt like it took away from the magic a little bit because some of the um entryways around 1923 were so congested that because of that missing elevator, you kind of had to go through like 400 people at a time because dinner, dinner crowds, obviously there was a lot. And it was almost frustrating at times going like there has to be a better way to do this because there were just so many people, and again, not just at dinner time, but also just all throughout the ship, like because there were so many families. Yeah, it was just constantly congested in there, and that was kind of frustrating.

Nathan 12:11

Yeah, yeah. You were, I'm assuming, with a toddler early dinner.

Caleb 12:16

Uh no, we actually we can't uh so we're from California, so we kept her on west coast time, so just because it made it easier for the whole fam.

Deck Parties Pirate Night Energy

Nathan 12:23

Um but yeah, we were on the second dining. Okay, got it. Because I was wondering if that impacted like crowd levels and the amount of people, because uh especially like with people with kids love to do that early dinner, whereas we're just like like you with the kids, we're always like, no, we're gonna do late dinner and it's when we're used to eating anyway. But also just like we'll we'll go where the ones you know where people don't want to be. That's that's where we want to be, is where you don't want to be. Yes.

Alicea 12:49

Um, let's let's talk deck parties. You've got the sail away, I think it's called the sail away on this one.

Nathan 12:56

No, no, that's the older ship.

Alicea 12:58

Let's set sail. Sure. There's a song on this one, yes. And then there's two different pirate parties there's the Mickey and Minnie's pirate deck party and the pirates rockin' parlay with the fireworks. Which ones did you go see?

Caitlyn 13:10

So we actually saw all three of them. Nice and we loved them. So the sail away party on this ship is one of our little ones' favorites. Um we watch it on YouTube all the time. Seeing all the princesses at the time, Moana was like a big deal for her. Um, loved that, loved the song. Like, there's just so much energy, especially with it being like when you're embarking, it's like, this is gonna be awesome. And then we are big fans of Pirate Night, not Pirate Night menus, but Pirate Night itself. And we really loved both shows. Um, our little one was engaged the entire time, which I feel like is a big thing for parents.

Caleb 13:43

She had a no, she had a little, remember on one of them, the where they had the live band or whatever, she had a little like crowd around her when she was dancing. And then some other people, some other people wanted to join, and she said, No, only I can dance. And we had to tell her, like, hey, we don't have the corner on dancing on a cruise ship, so you're gonna have to let other people join.

Nathan 14:01

That's amazing. Well, it's probably because most of the other kids aren't staying up till 10 o'clock. That's exactly it. You don't have a bunch of two-year-olds or three-year-olds.

Caleb 14:08

They probably thought we were like totally like messed up parents. Like, how dare you keep your child up that late? I'm like, we're not Pacific time. Pacific time, I promise. Exactly. We're not negligent. Um, no, that the entertainment, the deck parties were awesome. So, so stinking cool.

Alicea 14:23

Yeah. I really like that. The live band Pirate Party. I think it's so good. Such a great addition. So good.

Nathan 14:29

Yep. So I will I will give you a hint though. If you ever find yourself on a Marvel Day at sea, you get a Marvel, it was a Heroes Unite, I think it is, instead of a Pirate Night. That menu is worth fire. That menu is amazing. Yes.

Caitlyn 14:46

Really? I didn't know they changed the menu.

Nathan 14:47

I didn't either, you know. Oh, yeah. We didn't either. And then we sat down to dinner and it was like, oh, it's a Marvel Night menu.

Caleb 14:53

And it was palatable food. Yes.

Alicea 14:57

We haven't done a Pirate Night menu for maybe a decade or so, I think. Yeah.

Caleb 15:02

Do you guys just don't go?

Caitlyn 15:04

We go to Palo.

Caleb 15:07

It's a very privileged answer.

Caitlyn 15:10

Pre our little one. That's what we used to do. Is we would book it on like the pirate night, we'd have Palo.

Caleb 15:15

Um, but with her, it was kind of like we need to do the top coat, like little rascals thing, and I'll put her on my shoulder and we'll try and sneak through the palo.

Alicea 15:23

Yeah. There's always, though, the um the festival of foods. If you don't want to do dining, it's so good.

Caleb 15:31

Yeah. Yes. And we uh did that for lunch a few times. That had to have been, I don't know if it's a good one. Yeah, if you're gonna ask that later, I apologize. We're gonna spoil it now. That food was insane. So much.

Caitlyn 15:41

You can't go wrong with a burrito bowl on the high seas. Oh my gosh, it's so good. It was perfect.

Alicea 15:46

Donald's Cantina was like my go-to. Absolutely.

Nathan 15:49

What is it? Qdoba at sea, is that what you always call it?

Alicea 15:52

It's more Chipotle at sea.

Stage Shows Hype Versus Reality

Nathan 15:53

Chipotle at sea, yeah. Okay, so let's talk about some of the other shows compared to what you've experienced on the other ships. We've got Seas the Adventure, uh, Beauty and the Beast, and then Tale of Moana, which is the new one there for the treasure. What did y'all think about the the main stage entertainment in the evenings?

Caitlyn 16:10

So this was our first time seeing Seas the Adventure, and we loved it so much we actually saw it twice. Oh wow. Um I think so cute. It's so cute, and I love that Goofy's kind of center stage the entire time going through that, which again, I feel like he's such a background character that having him at front was really nice and refreshing. Um we've seen Beauty and the Beast before quite a few times. It's one of our favorites. Yeah. Um, I don't think there's any more to say other than I think it's honestly the best. Moana, we were very, very excited for. That was um, it's our little one's favorite princess at the time, and a lot of people were like, this is the best show we've ever seen on Disney Cruise Line.

Caleb 16:46

And even the cruise director was like, you need to stop whatever you're doing. Like, like elbow people, kick people in the shin, do whatever you need to do to be at the show. So they really hyped it up. They really hyped it up.

Caitlyn 16:57

So we kind of went into it with that expectation, and I'm not gonna lie, uh, we liked the show, but I feel like we're we were trying to talk. We don't know if our expectations were too high, or we just truly didn't think it was better than Beauty and the Beast. Um, I loved like the effects that they had and everything. All the cast members did an amazing job. But at the end of it, I kept going, I still liked Beauty and the Beast more.

Caleb 17:20

Yeah, I agree. And I think like even personally, like I think I like Aladdin more over it. Like it I think it fell like in the middle of the list for me. Not that it wasn't a bad show. I don't think there's a bad show on any of those ships. They're all fantastic. But for some reason, I don't know if it was the hyping up the entire time where I was like, oh my god, like, are we getting like a free Broadway show? Like, do they, you know, it's like a New York theater company that just came up here? Um, it was really stinking good and impressive, but like for some reason, Beauty and the Beast, I think we walked away saying that was a better show.

Nathan 17:46

I think it is a New York style or New York quality, Broadway quality, West End quality, whatever company. I don't know that the Moana show book is quite up to par with Beauty and the Beast. I think I think that's what you're you guys are talking uh talking about is that you know it's executed phenomenally and and the the effects and the the puppetry and like everything that you see is amazing, but like just some of the storylines and the plot lines just don't quite connect as well as they could. Sure. And and that is that is a hot take that some of our friends will maybe not appreciate, but it's fine.

Caleb 18:27

I think too, like it the beauty of the beast characters are a little more like grounded, more like, oh, I could see it. I want to see Gaston at a local pub, but you may see a guy that's like a big jack, six foot two, egotistical guy. Like I it's believable, right? Right. Like like try and cast uh Maui. Good luck with that. Like try and get someone that looks like Maui. Like like maybe one human on the earth looks like Maui. So like this guy was he was ripped. He was way jacked, he was more jacked than me, which I'm not very jacked. So, but I was like, he's a physically impressive dude, but he had nowhere near what Maui would look like, right? So, like I think that disconnect there too was like good luck casting that show. I don't know.

Caitlyn 19:08

I think another thing that did it as well was the um cast member that played Maui. He was Aladdin on the fantasy. Oh, yeah, so that kind of messed with her.

Caleb 19:16

Yeah, okay. Wait a minute. Yeah.

Nathan 19:19

Well, and they had such a hard job casting for that role in Moana because that same person needs to f fit into the company in France with Beauty and the Beast, and then has to be somewhere to do something for Seas the Adventure as well. So, like that's a tough spot they've painted themselves into. Now, of everything that you just said, Caleb, I am with you except for Aladdin. I I can't, I can't, I can't go there for Aladdin on the detail. Okay. Oh, they're freaky. They're just they're not freaking fuel. I don't understand.

Caleb 20:03

Well, so that okay, interesting. We missed that part because we'd only when we went the first time, she was one, so she had like two or three naps during the day. Sure. So we would watch about eight minutes of the show and then have to go for our nap. And so if she missed that entire segment, we would absolutely have taken her out because that is terrifying. Yeah. Bunch of freaky masks, like in like 25 of them, too.

Nathan 20:23

Great. And now that this has come up, I know what I'm dreaming about tonight. And Alicia, I'm not sleeping well tonight. Everywhere. Let's move on. I can't, I just can't anymore.

Lounges Haunted Mansion Magic

Alicea 20:34

All right. Well, did you spend any time in the lounges and bars?

Caleb 20:39

Yeah, we did. Uh we spent majority of our time, I think. Um Caitlin and I would switch off. Like someone would hang out with Mads uh while we um uh went to one of these things, but we did mostly at uh what's it called?

Caitlyn 20:50

The Skipper's Canteen.

Caleb 20:51

Thank you. Skipper's Canteen. Most of our time? No, Skipper's Canteen. That's right.

Nathan 20:57

No, it is society.

Caleb 20:57

Oh, it's society. Oh, yeah.

Alicea 20:59

Canteen is the restaurant.

Caleb 21:00

Yes, Magic Kingdom. Yes. Yes. Yes, okay. So Skipper's Society. We spent a lot of time there. Um, spent half a second in Periscope Pub. That was actually the one I was most excited for. Yeah. And for some reason we never landed there. Um I don't know if it was like the programming, like we just didn't go for any of the did they ever have programming there? I'm now trying to wreck back.

Alicea 21:20

There's some trivias there every once in a while. Um when we've gone, it was basically to get the food because the food was really good.

Caleb 21:27

Okay, I've heard that.

Nathan 21:28

That's another good Pirate Night alternative is the pub and the pub food.

Caleb 21:32

Yeah. Okay, we've heard good.

Caitlyn 21:33

Yeah, I think there was a night where you wanted to go get the wings and you didn't. You didn't do it. Right.

Caleb 21:37

Um, but no, that place was awesome for the five minutes we were in there. That was so cool. Yeah. And then Scat Cat was so packed the entire time we only were in there for a couple minutes, and then of course we did spend some time in the haunted mansion uh lounge. Is that what it's called? Yeah. Wow. I'm like blanking right now.

Alicea 21:54

Parlor.

Caleb 21:55

Parlor, thank you. That was so impressive, though. That was awesome.

Nathan 22:00

Yeah. That was very cool. Yeah. What what grabbed you most about Haunted Mansion Lounge? And then beyond that, did you act did you partake? Did you have any of the drinks? And what do you think?

Caitlyn 22:10

I would say the number one thing that I loved was first of all, walking into the Haunted Mansion. I think seeing the wallpaper ever there, the wallpaper everywhere made it really feel like you were in the ride. And that's something that I always love seeing when we are at Disneyland or whatever, Disney World. Yeah. So seeing that, but I think the number one thing that kind of drew me in was every couple minutes when they would do kind of like that show and like lightning would happen. Like I feel like it really drew you into like, I'm not on a cruise ship. Like I'm at the haunted mansion and this is amazing. And then that fish tank in the middle. Um, it's just and then the the iPad with like the little like game that you can play to find like the menu. Like that was just it's just all really neat to me. Yeah.

Caleb 22:49

Yeah. The did you already say the voices, how they moved around the room? That was insane. Oh, yeah. Like that blew me away. Um, and that was like I think imaginaeering and showing off. And like it's not that they haven't on the past cruise ships, but like this one, I'm like, all right, that was sick. Like you can tell they kind of had free reign to do what they wanted.

Nathan 23:05

So the technology, the technology and the artwork is what got me. Yes. Yeah. The because I I'm pretty sure that's a very those are very advanced like e-ink displays, like a much better version, a color version of what you see on like a Kindle. Kindle, yeah. Because that way, there's no backlight to it. It's only what ambient light that they have to light it. But the fact that they can animate with those, it's just I know.

Caleb 23:30

I want to know like per per picture frame how much that costs. A lot. Right? A lot. It has to be crazy. Um, but we didn't. Did you say anything about the uh well, yeah, we didn't drink anything. Okay. I wanted to order something. I don't know why we ended up not trying anything. Limited time. I think was probably mainly it. But it was packed. I mean, it got, of course, it was so popular. Yeah, and we just want to wait around.

Nathan 23:50

So it's interesting that the some of what's on the menu there, I will say is not everybody's favorite. Like everybody that we've ever heard or talked to absolutely loves the ambiance and the decor and and everything else that we just talked about in the the haunted mansion uh part, haunted part. Whatever you get it. Words, names of things. They're so whatever. Um, but like the drinks that are on offer in the menu are like

Alicea 24:18

I think I tried almost all the drinks in there just because I could. And um I don't know that I'd order them again. I mean, they have a full bar, so if you have a drink of choice, you can just ask them for that. You don't have to go with what's on the menu. Yep. Um, and I don't think I would go with what's on the menu next time I next time we hit that.

Nathan 24:39

And even though Haunted Mansion is on the Destiny as well, it's a completely different drink menu.

Alicea 24:45

Yeah, so I'll have to try all of those too. I didn't know that. Okay.

Caitlyn 24:48

You're like for science. Yeah, exactly. Somebody has to. Exactly. We heard a lot of people actually say the same thing, like they were kind of like meh about the drink. So I think that's why we didn't press it as much. I'm like, we have to get a drink in there. Sure.

Nathan 25:00

Yeah. Well, we'll we'll uh we'll be on the destiny in June. We'll we'll let you know. Oh gosh, we're off. Yeah. Enjoy. Somebody has to do it. You know, we we make all these decisions on like these trips that we're gonna go and and stuff like that. And then we're like, well, should we do it? Should we not do it? This is but then we'll just turn to each other and go, you know, for content.

Caleb 25:19

Yeah. It's a write-off, right? Is that how it works?

Alicea 25:23

Oh, I wish.

Nathan 25:24

We'd have to have a revenue stream in order to have a write-off. So good point. Good point.

Character Meets With More Time

Alicea 25:29

Good point. In the red. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. This is a hobby. How are the character interactions? Um, did the treasure feel a little more elevated or different at all in that department?

Caitlyn 25:41

I honestly think they did. Um, I don't know if this was just our sailing, but they were on the other sailings that we've been on, usually when a character comes out, there's a specific time limit and they cut the line off within like five minutes because everyone runs to get in line, right? Yeah. And I'm just gonna make a number up. Let's say there's 25 people, they're like, oh, that's too much. We're cutting the line off.

Nathan 26:00

Yeah.

Caitlyn 26:00

This one, I heard a cast member tell someone in front of us that as long as you're in line for when that character is scheduled to be out, it doesn't matter how many people are in line, they will see you or be meet you or your kids or whoever. Yeah. I thought that was awesome because the first cruise that we took our little one on, so many lines would get shut down before we even got to them. And it was hard because if you weren't there within it was a maritime cruise, so it was a little more um crowded. Yep. Um, if you weren't there within the first like 10 minutes, it was like that character was gone. Like you weren't gonna be able to see them. So even though the lines were a little longer on the treasure, like the fact that they were letting people kind of wait in line for a long period of time to be able to see the character, and again, they were taking time with every person. It wasn't like a, oh hey, signed my book, okay, get out of here. Right. Um, they took a lot of time with our little one, which again I appreciate. So I it was a really good experience. Yeah.

Caleb 26:51

And we walked away, they recognized her a few times. So like we were waiting in line for another character, and then uh Jasmine came by and was like, hey, like and started talking to her. Like, do you remember we did this? And I was like, what the heck? And then Moana took her to go see the kiss goodnight thing. Oh, awesome. Oh, that's that was just amazing. So there are a few moments where I was like, Oh my god, this is why we spent so much money to do this. Take my money, Disney. Which happened a few times. So they very impressive. All the characters were awesome, spent plenty of time with all the kids. Yeah. Um, we walked away very happy with it.

Nathan 27:22

So that's awesome. I also think it makes a difference to be on a seven-night cruise. Sure. When you're trying to have everybody, you know, cram all the stuff into a three-night, oh god forbid, or a four, even a five, sometimes a six. There's something about having a full week that everything just breathes, and there's less, I guess, FOMO from everybody, and and like the rope drop culture kind of just takes a little bit of a back seat, and the whole experience is just a little bit more relaxed. Yeah, that's actually why we're doing the cruise in June on the Destiny that we're doing is because it's one of the first, I think, seven nighters that they're doing. Yeah, it's the second one. Yeah, yeah.

Caitlyn 28:05

Yeah, it really does help. And again, from this time in her life, she's obsessed with all the characters, like she's not afraid of them, so which is great. Um, but every single day we would be in line for hours meeting all the characters. So I like you said, having those days, being a seven night, it wasn't like a oh man, like we gotta do this all day to hit every character because we pretty much shit. I think the only two we didn't meet um was the genie and Tiana, because the lines shut down.

Nathan 28:31

What about uh Coriander and Sage? Speaking of characters, these are the the storytellers of of the treasure. Did you guys get any interactions or see any of their shows?

Caitlyn 28:40

Yes. Um, we I personally went to Match Your Mate and they did a pirate version of that. It was like Match Your Mate, which was the first time I've done a version that way, but they um did that show and they were so funny. Like they are amazing. So I love them.

Caleb 28:54

Yeah. Yeah, I only saw them honestly, I didn't get to see them much. Of course, um on the the deck stuff, they'd pop out for a little bit. Um, and then um I did glance when they were doing the Indian or no uh the um jungle cruise like boat deal. That looked like a lot of fun. I think more fun if you're involved, of course. But um walked past and kind of caught some of that. But then uh the like the goodbye party at the very end of the cruise, that was very cool. They brought someone up and they like opened this chest up and was like, you found the treasure. That was fun.

Caitlyn 29:23

Just like that, too.

Nathan 29:25

They're they're absolutely fantastic. Get yourselves back on the treasure someday and you know, find all of those experiences where they're you know telling Indiana Jones stories, but using like audience participation to like basically choose the wrong answers and like it's choose it's called choose wisely. Yes, it's all of their stuff is absolutely fantastic. Uh they're doing they have storytellers, it's not Coriander and Sage, I forget their names off the top of my head. Zion Gamble. Zion Gamble are on the Destiny. Yeah. Um, they're doing this more, and I I'm so happy that Disney's doing it.

Alicea 30:00

I'm glad I love this storytelling aspect that they're doing. Yeah. And I think um Coriander and Sage also did, I don't remember if it was a specific tale. I think they like retold Aladdin and maybe um Beauty and the Beast or something like that. I think on different cruises they'll retell different stories in the atrium area.

Nathan 30:18

Right. Which is available for families and everybody else. So they really do a great job of that.

Alicea 30:25

So I listened to your episode, and I want you to tell us about Castaway and the new cabanas.

Caitlyn 30:33

You guys, it was so good.

Caleb 30:35

Yeah, that was wild. So long story short, we are we're still just lowly gold, right? We're just lowly gold castaway club, not cool like these platinum members here or whatever, not Pearl, not mega castaway plaque, whatever uh level. So we're there's no chance, right? If we're if we're not booking concierge, there's no way we're gonna get these things. So it was a distant. I got into the line for guest relations on day one for some random thing. I forget what it was.

Caitlyn 31:02

It was the um princess meet and greet that we were trying to get. We're trying to get a different time.

Caleb 31:06

I think we got like a weird time, and I'm like, hey, is there any way we can move this? Got it. Um and then I just a fleeting thought. I'm like, hey, can you throw us like on the wait list for the cabanas? And he's like, sure, whatever. Like, kind of like, you're you're whatever, you're not getting it. But I was like, all right, cool. Right. So just add me anyways. Uh give me a false sense of hope. So kind of forgot about it. And then Caitlin gets this magical random call in the stateroom, and it's from the concierge team, and they say, Hey, is this Caitlin? And she says, Yeah, it sure is. And they said, Hey, we've got a cabana that opened up. Do you want it?

Caitlyn 31:37

Caleb wasn't in the room at the time, and I've been there with our two-year-old, and I'm like, Okay. I'm like, Can you just give me a couple minutes? I'm gonna find my husband. Yeah. And like sweating.

Caleb 31:47

So, anyways, after a couple of callbacks, um, I ended up being like, Yes, well, yes, yes, yes, yes, put us down. And she was like, kept like double checking on the phone. Like, are you sure you want to? I was like, Yes, absolutely. Please, please just click the button now. And uh so, anyways, we walk on this on the island with our little yellow wristbands. Like, we were just on cloud nine, and these things were so new you could still smell like the new wood smell. It smelled like Home Depot. It they were life-changing. I looked to my brother and I said, I will never go on this island again, like normally. Like, I will have to, I will steal one. I I'll run into someone and tell them this is our cabana now. You have to get out. I will figure it out. It was it was game changing.

Caitlyn 32:29

I think it was one of those things as well where we've always like we've watched videos of people having being in the cabanas, like we've had friends who have done it and they've loved it, and we've always just been like not able to grab it because they're always taken, because there's not that many. And so having the opportunity to do it plus having a toddler with us, I'm like, it was life-changing when you have a kid. Like you walk in and there's snacks and drinks, and there's a pack and play setup, and there's sand toys out by the tubes that you get to go out on. And it's just like the little memories I told Caleb and our family. I'm like, I literally think it was my favorite Disney cruise line memory that we've ever had. Like it was everything, it was all taken care of. Daisy came in to meet our little one. So it was just like little things like that where you're like, this was amazing. And then being able to walk three, like, I don't even know, a hundred steps to go get our food and come back and sit at our cabana. Yeah. It and had like you could change the music, and it was just it was one of those things where I will never forget, like just laying in the hammock with my daughter while we're just sharing the chocolate chip cookie. Like it was, it was worth every penny.

Nathan 33:33

Yeah, it was awesome. So these are the brand new Mickey Mini cabanas that are over by Serenity Bay. Correct. Yes. And now I this was January. Were you in the water at all?

Caleb 33:46

We were, yeah. Okay, it was a little chilly to get in, but it wasn't actually terrible.

Caitlyn 33:50

Yeah, we've been in January before and it's was so cold that we couldn't get in, so we were kind of expecting that. And it was nice enough for our toddler to get in and all of us. So um it I don't know if it was just a fluke because I think the couple cruises after had pretty cold water.

Caleb 34:04

Yeah, they couldn't even dock to Castaway, actually. So yeah.

Nathan 34:07

Oh yeah, okay. Yeah, got it. Well, that's cool. I mean how did so that is an unprotected beach compared to the rest of the family beaches and where the other cabanas are, where they have that breakwater and this this huge lagoon. This is on the side of the island where there isn't that protection. Now, typically it's not like ginormous waves, but like, was there any how did it work for you? Let me rephrase this, uh, with a with a toddler and not having that kind of protected beach. Was it okay? Was it were did you have any issues with with the beach or or the water?

Caitlyn 34:41

No, no issues at all. Um, again, we had really like crazy good weather. Um, there was very little wind. Um, it was just blue sky, blue skies and sunshine. Um, the beach was fine. Um, I will say the one thing that I did notice, and I I don't remember if the family beach has this because we've only been there like once or twice. Okay. Um, just checking it out. But the beach area walking into the water was very like there was a lot of rocks that you could have had to like kind of walk, like this, the small ones that if you step on the wrong way, you're like, ow. Yeah. But like once you got past that, like everything was fine. Like the water was really calm, like it wasn't crazy at all.

Nathan 35:17

That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. I mean, weather will have a lot to do with it, and and you know, there's no guarantees, like you said, there's no guarantees your ship is even gonna be able to dock at Castaway. Uh, and but there's no guarantee as on how warm it's gonna be and things like that. It just keep in mind if you're looking at the cabanas, that is a little bit more of an exposed area, but you have a brand new dedicated restaurant just for those cabanas. Um the bar was nice, the restrooms were brand new. Yeah, that was awesome. Pretty cool. Nice, nice.

Cruising With A Toddler Lessons

Alicea 35:50

All right, you guys sailed the fantasy for your daughter's first birthday, and now the treasure with her as a toddler. How did those experiences differ emotionally?

Caitlyn 35:59

Uh, it was very hard. I was it honestly, it's one of those things where like she loves Disney so much. Uh, I only say that it's hard, as in for me, as in I don't know how she's two already, and she's already been on two cruises. Um, it is life-changing taking your child on a Disney cruise ship. Yeah, the parks are amazing, but we've always told each other that the parks are more of a trip, whereas Disney Cruise Line is a really a vacation. Yeah. Um, we don't pay for the internet package, like we only use our phones for pictures that we take with characters and so on and so forth. So we truly like disconnect from the world and work and everything. Yeah. And that's when you're able just to spend that quality time with each other and being able to do that and be with her, it's just it was another level. Um, I would say the biggest difference from a parent standpoint was we were kind of a little more um confined on schedules the first time around because she was one. So whereas, like, you gotta get back for that nap, you can't miss that because if you do, like she's gonna get cranky.

Caleb 36:57

Snowballs, yeah.

Caitlyn 36:58

Um, but I think it there's pros and cons to it because this time around she's a toddler, so she's a little more picky with the food, and um, whereas like the first trip, you'd give the girls some fruit or a bottle or whatever and a piece of bread, and she would just be happy. Whereas now she wants the mac and cheese that we have at home or the muffins we have at home.

Caleb 37:16

So peanut burger and jelly. Exactly.

Caitlyn 37:18

So, yeah, but all in all, it was a really good experience. The serving team we had was amazing with her. Like, she loved them and was so sad to like leave them at the end. So, all good things to say, like, highly, highly recommend. Like, if someone hasn't been on a Disney cruise ship because they're a little worried about taking kids, I I highly recommend doing it. It's a really great opportunity and just a lot of fun.

Nathan 37:41

Yeah. Was it compared to having a toddler or you know, a kiddo on on one of the other ships? Like, how was the layout of the treasure? You know, you we mentioned earlier it's just different. Um, there's one less bank of elevators. Like, was it uh more difficult to get around with the toddler? Like, were you just carrying her? Were strollers involved? Like, what how did kind of the logistics work?

Caleb 38:08

Yeah, we always bring this stroller and we never use it on the ship for some reason. Like, I it's always there and it's an option, but we never take it. So she walked a lot and we held her. Um this was a little a little harder to get around um than the fantasy, and I think mainly because of the layout. The layout can be kind of tricky. Um, not I don't think it's just because it's new, right? Because I think you can easily say, Oh, you don't know this one as well because you've never been on it. Yeah um even at the end of the trip where you've lived on this thing for a week, there were still times where I'm like, where the heck am I? Like what and so this one was a little trickier. Um overall, though, I didn't walk away being like, oh man, I'll never go on the treasure because of you know the the uh layout or or getting around with her. Um there's just little quirks here and there. The oh, actually, I will say the main thing that we would love to do after dinner on the fantasy was take a walk around the promenade deck. That not being not that not being an option was tough. Like I did not like those stairs on the on the on the deck. That was kind of lame.

Caitlyn 39:05

Yeah, and they would have like certain areas closed off so you couldn't walk. So it was just kind of bizarre when you go out there. Um but it's yeah, it's one of those things where I I think one thing layout-wise that I did love was the splash pad area. Yeah, um, I loved the splash pad on the the cruise ship. That was amazing. Awesome. And kind of just that area, how like it there was just chairs circling it, it really felt enclosed to where like your little one can kind of just like run around and they're not getting in anyone's way and XYZ.

Nathan 39:33

Was there a moment on the treasure where you just thought like this is why cruising with kids is just different? Like it's just better or worse, but I'm assuming better.

Caleb 39:45

Yeah, no, I mean I I think the what what the difference is I'm gonna like compare it to the parks because that's what we mainly do, right? Is it's like parks or cruise park, what are we gonna do? And as much as I love the parks, I grew up going to the parks, we still love it. Um, you know, as the years go on and the nickel and diming still occurs like at the parks, I get a little frustrated. And so I think more of our vacation dollars are kind of going towards Disney cruise line, to be honest. Um, but I think it's those moments where you're like, oh, I have to run into the room really quick to grab her jacket or a toy that we forgot. It's four and a half minutes versus at the parks, it's like, even if you're staying on property, it's like, hey, see you in 40 minutes because I'm gonna walk out past security, you know, go through security again. Yep. It's just different. So the convenience of a Disney cruise like is crazy compared to a parks experience. Yeah.

When Ship Storytelling Feels Clunky

Caitlyn 40:34

Yeah, I would definitely say with a little one with who's still taking naps, having that, like being able to go back to the room, like Caleb mentioned, just like the ease of accessibility was really nice. Yep. But I think other than that, I think the the thing that did at this trip where I'm like, I'm we're gonna just kind of cruise for the rest of our life, is I think the character meet and greets. I think this was the first time she's always loved characters. Um, she's never been one who's afraid of them. So that's kind of been nice. But this was the first time where we had the first experience where she finally like ran to one and just locked her arms around them. And I literally was almost crying in line because I'm like, she just didn't want to let go. And they, you know, Disney has the rule where they won't let go until your kid does. And I'm just sitting there have to pry her away. Yeah. And I'm like just taking in that moment, and it just happened again and again and again. And she just talks, she's still to this day, talks about how she's so excited to see Captain Hook again and can't wait to show Moana her dress and just so on and so forth. And I think it's those little things where you go, This is what makes the vacation. Like she may not remember this moment, even though she does right now. Yeah. But like, I will never we will never forget these memories.

Alicea 41:38

So well, as Disney adults who notice almost everything, did the treasure storytelling feel deeper or just louder than any of the other ships?

Caleb 41:50

For sure. Um, my brother and I were walking down a hallway and there were just like random artwork of just like a bunch of movies, like just kind of plastered around. As much as I loved I loved the theming of the ship, there were moments where I was like, why? Like, why are there like basically movie posters in this hallway? Yeah. There were a little confusing things where you can tell they're trying to splash IP everywhere. Yeah. Um, and I'm sure that was the mandate and they had to do it. But um, so there were clunky parts where I was like, I kind of miss the like old, you know, seafaring, like ocean liner look of the older ships. I did really like that how it was that was weaved through. Yeah, it was really nice. Um, not to say this was like a glaring, like, oh my gosh, this was like hideous to look at. Far from that. But there were moments where I was like, oh, I could tell there was some clunky storytelling in that respect. But other than that, it was fantastic ship.

Dining Food And Gluten Free Wins

Nathan 42:40

Yeah, it's just a different take, it's just a different way to go about it. I I'm with you. I still love the classic nautical theming. I think the treasure is one of the most stunningly gorgeous ships that I've been on from Disney. Well, from anybody really. Yeah. And that said, I still love the wonder the best. Like because I love that just classic naval you're on a cruise ship and you know it kind of look. I just that speaks to me more. But then again, I grew up in the ocean and that's yeah, that's just me. Sure. Okay, let's talk about a little bit more of food. You've experienced rotational dining across multiple classes of ships, a bunch of different ones. Where does the treasure land for you? They do some things a little bit differently. That is a great question.

Caitlyn 43:33

I already know my answer. So coming into the treasure, I was a little nervous about the dining because we've never experienced the wish class ships that have the entertainment. And all we've been told is that it's extremely loud and just overstimulating, and you just kind of want to get out of there. You can't really enjoy your food. Um, we've also heard that the food wasn't very good. And so, again, we've been on the wonder and having that experience, I think the wonder has one of the best food like offers. That you can have on Disney Cruise Link compared to the ones we've been on, obviously. Sure, sure, sure. Um, so coming on to the treasure, I was very surprised. Number one, I loved all of the dining. I am not a big Marvel fan, and the Worlds of Marvel was one of my favorite dining locations.

Nathan 44:16

Awesome.

Caitlyn 44:17

The food, in my opinion, was very good. There wasn't one dish that I was kind of like, ugh, that was gross. Um, it's just and I loved how different a lot of the offerings were. Um, like having cocoa, being able to have Mexican food. Like, obviously, I wish there was a little more

Caleb 44:33

And being from California too, the Mexican was like, it was decent. But again, to have the option on a cruise ship, yeah.

Caitlyn 44:39

And I think I what I was trying to say was like, I wish they had more like authentic offerings, like I want the tacos and like the tamales and that kind of stuff. But having like a change up, it it was really nice. And I think I don't know, I we kind of go back and forth if we think it's better than the wonder. I kind of think it is from what I was getting.

Caleb 44:58

Yeah, so experience-wise, I think I probably prefer like l no entertainment. Um, not to say that it was bad. I liked it and it was enjoyable.

Nathan 45:07

In the dining rooms.

Caleb 45:08

In the dining room, sorry. Yes, in the dining room. So yeah, like the the the you know, kind of musical theater that's happening up there while you're you're eating is fun, but there were moments where you feel like you're kind of yelling over the music and stuff to try and continue a conversation. But again, at the end of the night, we still were like, that was really fun. That was super, you know, we're all clapping our hands to coco and all that stuff. So that was fun. Um, but the food quality, okay, so I've got celiac disease. I can't have like gluten and wheat. Um, so the offerings on this ship were pretty awesome. They had like pot stickers for me, which they never have on the other cruise ships. They had a ton of stuff where I was like, oh my gosh, I'm like a king on this ship. I've got so many options. So that was very fun. Um, but yes, I think at the end of the day, like if I could choose, I wouldn't have the music going on while we're eating, but I did walk away enjoying it. It's kind of conflicting feeling.

Caitlyn 45:56

I actually really enjoyed the music, but I will say for people going into it, I really feel that it matters where your table is. Yeah. We got really lucky with a table at all like the locations that had entertainment where it wasn't loud. And it was, I we did notice when we were walking around that some of the locate like some of the um spots that had the tables, like they were super loud.

Caleb 46:17

There was one family that showed up the first night for dining. They were right in front of the speaker, and we didn't see them the rest of the cruise. Like, I think they just didn't go to dining after that one experience. It was a big family too. Yeah. Um, I'm assuming I don't know if it was because of that, but I I'm just assuming that's what happened.

Nathan 46:30

Were you at Coco first night?

Caleb 46:32

Yeah. Oh yeah.

Nathan 46:34

So they said, because I don't think the other restaurants are like that. Like Coco is the extreme. Yes.

Caleb 46:39

So it had a speaker literally directed right at their table. I went and sat in it just to test it. It was loud, like concert level loud. Like so I can see little ones being like you know, yeah, trying to eat their mac and cheese.

Nathan 46:51

Yeah, that's too bad. That's too bad.

Alicea 46:53

We touched on it briefly about the uh festival festival of foods up on the deck. Um, good addition, bad addition?

Caleb 47:02

Yes, yes, yes. Amazing. Yes, good edition. It was fantastic, no complaints, other than it was so popular. The lines were always long because it was such good food. Um, but they moved through them very quickly. And um, I loved it. Loved it.

Caitlyn 47:18

Yeah, I love having like just all the offerings. I think it was just again a good thing to have, other than a hot dog and a cheeseburger, which again, there's nothing wrong with that, because we definitely are eating that. But just having those options was really nice.

Caleb 47:29

Yeah.

Caitlyn 47:29

Do you guys go to Marceline Market at all, the buffet?

Caleb 47:32

We did. Surprisingly, we went there a lot more than we anticipated. So we went there for breakfast every morning. Um, we usually did a sit-down because we kind of like the more chill atmosphere. Yeah, um, you find the buffet to be a little overstimulating in the morning when you're just waking up. Yeah. But um, it was nice. I I I think I liked it more than cabanas. Um, I liked the I for sure the theming and like it was way prettier. Um, the seating felt nicer, everything felt nicer about it. Um but yeah, I I liked it.

Caitlyn 47:59

Yeah. I really liked the ambiance of it. I think the way it was decorated was really nice because again, a cabanas is very like old, but walking into Marcelline, you're like, wow, like this is really pretty. Um, it was pretty crowded when we went in there. So trying to find a seat was a little tricky, but again, it's one of those situations where I don't think they're ever gonna be able to get rid of that unless they make half the ship parsley market. So it's kind of like I don't like judging it by that. Um, but it was nice. I loved the layout and just how easy it was to get breakfast, lunch, whatever.

Caleb 48:30

The espresso bar in the middle is game changing. Yes. That was awesome.

Nathan 48:33

Yes. And pro tip, you can also um get a little Bailey's in your hot chocolate there.

Caleb 48:39

Can you really? Yeah.

Caitlyn 48:41

Yes, I saw multiple people doing that while in line.

Caleb 48:44

That nice little late night drink

Alicea 48:46

or some amaretto.

Nathan 48:47

Or first thing in the morning. Okay, hey, on vacation. Yeah, exactly. Who's to judge?

Caitlyn 48:53

It was pretty early when these people were doing it, so I'm like, hey, whatever makes them happy, here we go.

Which Ship Fits Your Life

Nathan 48:57

Exactly. Exactly. So was there anything from the the other ships you've been on the in the which were the dream class and the and the magic class, um, that you really missed being on the treasure?

Caleb 49:12

Oh my gosh. Is it bad if I say no? No.

Caitlyn 49:18

This is this was an ongoing conversation right when we got back from our trip, right? Because, you know, we kind of kept going back and forth of did we like the treasure more? Do we miss the older ships? Like we had an idea going into it, like, there's no way we're gonna like the newer one, like we're gonna miss the old ones. And we had one idea when we left, but then once we got home, and I feel like when you start really deep diving into like your memories from the trip, yeah, we started realizing how much like we really enjoyed the treasure. Again, I think like Caleb mentioned, I do miss a little bit of the nautical theming all throughout the ship. Yeah. And I really miss the extra elevators. Like that was like the one thing. But overall, I think. Do you have something?

Caleb 49:56

No, sorry, go ahead.

Caitlyn 49:57

I think overall, I I love the treasure. I think my only thing is I don't think it's a matter of missing one or the other. I think it's just your experience of if you're really wanting something new from Disney, the treasure is it for you. Yeah. If you're okay with the OG, there's nothing wrong with the older ones. I think both are great options.

Alicea 50:14

Yeah. All right. If you had to recommend a specific ship based on where someone is in their life, how would you break it down? So, like first cruise, Disney adult, parents with young kids, and maybe like a family.

Caleb 50:31

Oh my gosh, yeah.

Caitlyn 50:32

Okay. Okay. I think first cruise no kids, I would say the wonder. First cruise with kids, I would say better adult stuff, is that why?

Caleb 50:43

Like the adult? Yeah, the adult.

Caitlyn 50:45

We I like the adult area more on the wonder. Um and then I think if it's your first cruise with kids, I would say either the dream or the fantasy. Um, I love the layout. I think it's really easy. It's a bigger ship, there's like more to do on there. Um, it's just, I don't know. I just I really loved it. Uh, the splash pad's great. And then I think for a family, I think I would recommend the treasure, honestly, if you had a big family going.

Caleb 51:08

Yeah, I think I agree with all the points. I will say this. I love the treasure, truly do. If if you're new to Disney cruising, though, I don't know if it is worth the premium, though. Like if you can get a similar seven night on a fantasy, fantasy is a fantastic ship. Yeah. And you don't know what you don't know, right? So I think you'll have a fantastic time on the fantasy, and you can try the treasure in a year or two when maybe prices come down a little. I don't know if they will come down, but um they'll only go up. That's true. But relative, where do they catch up, right? True. Um, you know, I just don't know if I could be like, this is definitely worth like, I think at the I think I priced ours, ours was like a premium of like $1,100 or something like that. We could have gone on the fantasy for a little less. Um I don't know if it's worth that if you're new to it. But yeah, that's a hard question. I think, I think I don't think you can go wrong. I honestly don't. I think if you've got little ones and you don't have much time, the wish seems like right at the rally. Yeah for like the princess stuff.

Designing The Next Ship Class

Caitlyn 52:03

Honestly, I would think if you're a new cruiser to DCL, even if you have kids or not, I don't think I would start with the treasure, even though I loved it. I think you need to start with like the nautical, OG, like truly immersive feeling of Disney Cruise line and what that started with, because then I think you get that magic. I almost feel like if a new cruiser went straight to the treasure, if they went back to the old ships after, I think that they almost would feel like they're almost missing out because it's it's just bigger and there's just so many more things like the entertainment. Whereas, like for people like us who like have done both types, yeah, we love like the nostalgic of the older ones. We love the charm and we love the nautical theming, and just kind of truly what made us fall in love with Disney Cruise Line was that. So I think I would start with that and then then do a treasure trip.

Nathan 52:49

Okay, so you are designing the next class of Disney Cruise Line ship, which is coming. They're coming out in 29,30 31, I think, or 30, 31, 32, something like that. Yeah, sounds like they're supposed to be. Sorry, everybody, they're gonna be the replacements for the magic and the wonder. They're gonna be they're gonna be a little bit bigger, but not as bigger, uh, not as big as the uh the the current ships, not as big as the the fantasy and the and the dream and the magic and or excuse me and the treasure and wish destiny, all the rest of that stuff. Anyway, so we have this, you have a lever, right? We have a gauge. There is the classic elegance of of kind of the old school Disney cruise line, and you have almost the theme parkification that we're seeing, especially on the treasure and the destiny. IP driven. IP driven, lots of things going on that we're seeing on the new wish class ships. How would you design that that next class? Where would you where would you move that meter?

Caitlyn 53:55

I think if I could choose, I honestly would have I I'm forgetting the the clash of the ship, but I would want a like wonder or excuse me, uh dream slash fantasy type. What is that? What one is that? The dream class of ship. I I love that size. I don't think, I mean, again, I think there's there's pros to having a bigger ship, obviously. And I think there's pros to having a smaller one, but I just love the in-between both of those where it doesn't feel too big, it doesn't feel too small, depending on your itinerary. Yeah. But honestly, if I could theme it, and I think I remember having a conversation with you about this, I would theme the ship at like a nautical version of the villas at Disneyland. It would almost be like a mixture of that with like 1923. Yeah to get that like mid-century modern slash nautical. I think that would be like amazing.

Caleb 54:44

Very cool.

Caitlyn 54:45

I like it.

Caleb 54:47

Charge them. Um yeah, I think like if it was a gauge, I think it would be pointed like like, oh gosh, how do I explain this? Um on the side of the nautical stuff, um, but like maybe almost a halfway. So what would that be? Like, you know what I'm saying? 6040? Yeah, 6040, exactly. I think 60-40. I think they did some great stuff on the treasure. Yeah. I just think overall, what I appreciated about Disney Cruise Line and their like their commitment to staying with that old school uh throwback feel of those old, you know, 1800s ocean liners. Yeah, I think that is like it's just very neat. And I think it's the it's unique offering. No one else is doing that. Um not to say that like the new ones are the Royal Caribbeanization of cruising. I don't think that or to say as extreme thrill-seeking stuff. Yeah. Um, I just hope they stay true to like that uh originality, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah. The original DNA.

Nathan 55:42

Absolutely, absolutely.

Alicea 55:44

So you've experienced Disney cruise line across multiple eras, both before and after becoming parents. What keeps you coming back?

Intro 55:53

Oh my goodness. I could go on for days.

Caleb 55:57

Um the lack of a desire to accumulate money. Just spend it all. Um no, I I think it is. I think it's uh I think it's the perfect Disney trip, to be honest. I think it's the perfect Disney vacation. You get the Disney magic with the entertainment, with the cast members or the the crew. I not to say I'm not trying to knock like cast members at the parks. They're amazing. Um, they make magic as well. There's something about the crew on a Disney cruise ship, like that is different. Like the level of service on there is another level. So that's fantastic to feel pampered for a week. Um, it's just awesome. I think it's like all the good things about Disney without the stresses of rope dropping stuff and booking your next fast pass, like as much as as fun as that is for a season, um Disney cruise line's just different. Like it scratches that itch.

Caitlyn 56:50

Yeah, I would definitely say just being able to disconnect as well because I feel like that's just truly where like all your family time comes in. And you know, the parks can be, as we've mentioned before, a lot and just stressful at times, whereas the cruise line just isn't that for us. So I think that's why we keep coming back. And our daughter keeps asking to go on a cruise, so just keep saying yes. Yeah.

Next Sailing Plans And Odd Quirks

Nathan 57:10

Yeah, aweshocks. I I guess we can do that. I know. Darn. All right. Yeah, exactly. Was there anything else that sticks out in your mind that we haven't really covered that that you want to highlight from your from your trip? I don't think so.

Caleb 57:22

I think um uh yeah, I think it's a fantastic cruise ship. We loved it. Um, we'll be back, I'm sure. Um, we are going back to the the wonder though on our next sailing. So we're going back to one of the OGs. Um out of San Diego? Out of San Diego. It's the first time doing a West Coast sailing. Excellent. Um, yeah, which I'd love. I'd love Disney to show some more love to the West Coast. But um, I'll take what we can get. Yeah. So we're doing that. Um, but yeah, love Disney cruise line. This was fantastic. Overall, a very good trip. One little quirk I didn't mention before. I don't know if it was unique to us. You guys have been on the treasure, right? A couple times. Okay. Um the AC, did you find it was warm all of the time on this cruise ship. Interesting. All the time. And the the crew were like sweating a lot. Like I could tell they were kind of feeling it. So I don't know if it was like something was off. Um, but that was a weird quirk that was only on this uh on this sailing.

Nathan 58:16

I don't remember that triggering anything.

Caleb 58:20

We were triggering anything.

Nathan 58:21

So it may have they may have been working out a a a thing. Sure. Yeah.

Caleb 58:26

Maybe I was I shouldn't have worn my parka every day, but I thought I was getting close.

Nathan 58:30

You're in the Bahamas, Caleb, and it's okay to wear some shorts and

Caleb 58:33

I want to wear my swim shirt. No, uh, I was trying.

Caitlyn 58:36

This guy forgot his swimsuit. He forgot.

Nathan 58:39

Oh no.

Caleb 58:40

I forgot a lot. So Disney loved me on the cruise ship. I was like, I'll take that, I'll take that, I'll take that. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Nathan 58:45

I may have done that before. I our first Panama Canal cruise in 2013. We we got on the ship and I unpacked everything. This is a 14-night cruise. It was from Miami to LA at the time. And I realized the whole stack of t-shirts that I had set aside to pack never made it into the suitcase.

Alicea 59:06

No. So no just polo shirts and button down. That's it. That was awesome.

Nathan 59:13

I rated the merch shop and I have several DCL t-shirts.

Caitlyn 59:17

See, it's all for the memory. It's perfect. That's right.

Caleb 59:20

You're like, darn it, I have to buy everything. Yeah.

Nathan 59:23

Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. Not my finest moment, but it's okay. We persevered. An amazing cruise. You made it work. Yes. All right. So I guess what's next? When you're doing you're doing the the wonder out of San Diego. What's the itinerary?

Caleb 59:38

Uh, this is a uh five night, five night Baja or something like that. I think it's just the and honestly, not our we're not looking forward so much to the the port stops. I think it's like Ensenada and Cabo. Um, I think that we're just gonna treat it as like a bunch of sea days. So we're just gonna spend in this one, the whole crew's going, so grandparents, nice, um, brothers, you know, all my brothers, and we're all making it. So this one's just gonna be fun on the ship. Yeah.

Market House Podcast Updates

Nathan 1:00:03

Cabo is nice. Ensenada has a Walmart across the street if you need to pick up some provisions. Sure. But other than that. Okay, yeah. Ensenada is the Nassau of the Pacific. Okay. That's what we've heard. Yeah, it's okay. Yeah, it's we'll treat it as a sea Day. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Uh it it it checks off the box that keeps them in compliance with the Jones Act and lets them touch foreign soil. So it's it's fine. It's fine. Well, awesome. Caleb, Caitlin, thank you so much for being on and talking with us again. It was so great to uh to speak with you and to hear all about your exploits there on the treasure. Please go ahead. The Market House Podcast, what do you guys uh what do you guys got coming up?

Caleb 1:00:49

Yeah, um, we're weekly episodes. We're always on there chatting about something. We just did a very important episode about bathroom experiences at Disneyland. So make sure to hop over there and listen to that. Uh but yeah, on all the podcast platforms or on Instagram, Market House Podcast. And um, what'd you say to me?

Caitlyn 1:01:05

What'd you just tell me? We're we're getting ready to go to Disneyland for the 70th anniversary. So we're looking forward to that. Um we're a little late on that.

Caleb 1:01:13

We are the 71st anniversary at this point.

Caitlyn 1:01:15

We're cruising. We're cruising. So um, we're excited for that. But yeah, we we love doing those. We've been doing it for I think almost five years.

Caleb 1:01:23

Around the same as you guys, I think we started around the same time. Yep.

Caitlyn 1:01:26

You started right around the same, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So we try to keep it fun. You know, we like to incorporate, you know, obviously we're parents now, but it's not all about parenthood. But um, it's fun. We enjoy it, and we hope you guys do too. I guess absolutely.

Nathan 1:01:38

Thanks for checking us out. Thanks for listening to them. And yeah, it's all fun. Absolutely. Even though Caleb has some interesting decisions about some songs, it's fine. Everything's fine here. Whatever. Caleb, it's a whole new world. It's okay.

Caleb 1:01:52

You come on next time and we'll do the list together and we'll we'll see what takes out.

Nathan 1:01:57

Fair enough. Well, thanks again, y'all. Good to see you. Thank you.

Caitlyn 1:02:00

Thank you.

Nathan 1:02:02

It was so great to have Caleb and Caitlin back on uh from Market House Podcast. Thank you so much, y'all, for for being on and and chatting with us. And um, I we need to get back on the treasure.

Alicea 1:02:14

We have so many things planned right now. I've I was thinking about that the other day. I was talking to one of our friends. I'm like, they're doing a back-to-back on the treasure, and I'm like, oh yeah, we said we were gonna do that.

Nathan 1:02:25

Yeah. Um that turned into the DVC member cruise. Yeah, which is probably about the same price as a back-to-back on the treasure. Probably. Anyhow, just remember we're not affiliated with Disney, although it would be really nice if we could do all these cruises for free, but we're not, so they're not. Anyhow, the lawyers want us to say we're not affiliated with Disney or their subsidiaries or their subsidiaries. That's how that word sounds. These are our personal opinions and suggestions based on our and our guests' own experiences. But we are affiliated with fun, snacks, and questionable decisions. Obviously, since we just bought a member cruise. Yes. Hey, I'm gonna justify that. We are Disney adults, and that is the ultimate Disney adult thing.

Alicea 1:03:10

Exactly. Well, if you have any questions or suggestions or have a trip that you'd like to chat with us about, please send us an email. We are podcast at our mousecapades.com.

Nathan 1:03:21

If you love this episode, please do give us a rating and review in your podcast app that really helps other Disney fans find us.

Alicea 1:03:29

You can find us on socials. We are at our mousecapades, on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, threads, stuffs. All the stuffs. All the stuffs.

Nathan 1:03:39

And of course, you can just share us with your friends and family and Disney lovers of all ages.

Alicea 1:03:45

Thank you for listening. We'll be in your ears next week.

Caitlyn 1:03:48

Thank you for flying Star Tours. Bye-bye.