Episode 52 - Not The Sun But The Moon Princess ImaLamma

[John]

The INTERCOT Insider Live PodcastEpisode 52 - Not The Sun But The Moon Princes ImaLamaThe Cast: Melanie Bounds, Carol Robert, Christine Warner, Ian Mitchell, John Yaglenski

- We Talk About The Weather - How Original. Andrea storm and music.

- 24 Hour Monstrous Summer Kickoff and review.

- Park Ticket price increases - $5 more for Magic Kingdom, Universal Prices.

- Universal unveils Transformers Ride & Simpson’s Springfield.

- Grand Floridian DVC on sale, Ian sells his DVC.

- Debate on using points for cruises.



- Talk of the space time continuum.

- Take it or Leave it - per Carol… Disney Buses: Carol says it’s three fold but currently, it’s Leave It! Christine says Take ‘Em because you can and sit down. Ian Leaves It. *Mel says pretty much - Leave It! John says Leave It and use the Rental Car and coins a new term, my “patience is out the wall”.

- Discussion about Boats vs. Buses. *There’s SPIDERS!

- Muppets Down a month, Jungle Cruise as well

- *Track Completed at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland

- A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas has officially set sail at Magic Kingdom Park. *Christine says the game has issues

- Wii U Tour

- Sent from my iPad? *WHO CARES! *Change it to — my favorite Disney website is INTERCOT.com! *Viral marketing. *Do it now!

- Star Wars Weekends - Hyperspace Hoopla is phenominal. *See it on youtube.com/intercot. Princess ImaLama

- Character spot in Epcot

- Spaceship Earth Twinkle Lights

- INTERCOT’s DMOD (Disney Music On Demand) gets a mention

- New Ice Cream Shop - one scoop, two scoops… get out of the line!

- Starbucks in the Magic Kingdom - it’s gonna be okay.

- #RunICOT



>> Listen, Download, Share, LOVE! (http://www.intercot.com/interactive/insiderlive/2013/episode-52.asp)

[Quadstriker]

Very good show this time.

Glad Take It or Leave It is going so well.

LEAVE the buses. Sick of the hassle. No love for taxis on the podcast, eh? Instant nicely A/Ced transportation for a few bucks is a bargain during a fast paced disney day, imo.

If you leave the "sent from my iphone blah blah" whatever signature on your phone, ipad, etc. people under 40 just assume you are a technologically illiterate old person waving a cane in the air who doesn't know how to turn it off.

Retro videogaming chat is always welcome. I'll put our collection up against anyone's!

Disney Music on Demand is such a great idea and would be a nice revenue generator.

[Melanie]

No love for taxis on the podcast, eh? Instant nicely A/Ced transportation for a few bucks is a bargain during a fast paced disney day, imo.


After footing the $25 bill to go from the Wilderness Lodge to Boardwalk one time, that would be a no. That's a couple beers! :beer: The buses (in that case) are fine with me. ;)

Sent from my iPhone.

[Christine]

I've taken several taxis after Jellyrolls etc and felt that the cab drivers were more drunk than I was!! They're dangerous dudes!!

[PopPhan]

You could use the "Take it" from The Eagles 'Take It to the Limit,' then in chorus say "OR," then play the "Leave It" from YES as your 'Take It or Leave It' intro.....

[Dopey's Girl]

Another good one...

Buses, I'm with Mel. It's Leave It for 3 parks, but take it for MK. The idea of having to take a tram, a boat, and/or a monorail, just to get to one park is so annoying. But everywhere else (Unless I'm enjoying a :marg: or :beer: in Epcot) I'm driving. I have enough trips under my belt that I know where I'm going, so that isn't a problem. It is a problem herding onto a full bus with a bunch of sweaty, stinky people. No thanks! And Taxi's...no thanks. I want to live to make it to my next trip. My first taxi trip in WDW was my last. I'd rather walk or take the boat with the spiders.

I'm with Christine, I want the dang wristband. I could almost leave any sort of bag behind if I didn't have to worry about keeping track of my pass.

[GMRO]

YUP another great podcast!

But Christine...I don't get your DVC/DCL math. "Personal Value" is not the same when you compare dollars spent to accomplish the SAME thing/equal value stateroom. TO you it's worth it...why? Because you are not spending ANY more money on it vs. what you already pay yearly to own DVC? So you opt to take the loss? If it works for you - I agee that's all that matters. But numbers on a page...it costs MORE of your points to convert your DVC points to DCL. You are taking a loss.

DVC to me is a loss. I have none, DVC, but do spend yearly on on DCL. I've traveled and met very many folks with lots of points and all they have done in conversation is complained that they don't get a FAIR exchange rate when deciding to take a cruise while using points.

Wife and I budget for our DCL cruise each year and vs. what you trade in - I'll bet WE are ahead of the game in over all savings when you compare staterooms vs. your point cost and our cash out of pocket.

All said and done, I'd be up for buying into a DCL to help lock a price. I'll spring in for the next DCL SISTER-SHIP! ;)

Just say'n...

BTW, the Odyssey was an awesome system! John - seems like we had the same systems growing up. And our Wii has not seen any love over 2 yrs. BUT we did almost wear out Mario Cart! WHAT FUN! I made it thru the first Epic Mickey...but lost interest after a while. The music from it is great, but game play...ehh...

[Christine]

Basically my math is do I have $6K in cash in my pocket? No. Do I have points in my account and $95? Yes. Do I get to go on a cruise? Yes. Then it's a great value for me :D

My hubby did a breakdown for point to cash once- I need to ask him to do it again for me on here. It made sense when he said it, but then he's good at persuading ---after all, he got me to marry him!!

[Quadstriker]

I'll go ahead and whack on the dead horse.

If you want in DVC, buying anything but resale from the timeshare store just seems like a bizarre use of money to me.

But I'm not one of those people who HAS to stay at a certain resort or "the magics" is ruined, or books vacations 9 months out or whatever.

[Melanie]

But I'm not one of those people who HAS to stay at a certain resort or "the magics" is ruined, or books vacations 9 months out or whatever.

At this point, we're the same way Jeff. Like I said on the podcast, DVC doesn't appeal to us right now because of the other discount opportunities we have. Will we ever buy into DVC? Possibly. But I think we'd do resale as well.

But let me say again, I'm VERY thankful and blessed to have friends to share their DVC with me. Grand Californian Villas - here we come! :joy:

[Quadstriker]

But let me say again, I'm VERY thankful and blessed to have friends to share their DVC with me. Grand Californian Villas - here we come! :joy:

When's that happening? We're cool west coast annual pass kids now.

[Melanie]

When's that happening? We're cool west coast annual pass kids now.

Mid November. Come see us, Jeff and Trista! :mickey:

[Mendelson]

Hyperspace Hoopla is only okay on YouTube, but just a note to the guys sent to the Icot channel for this video: what you're looking for starts around the 30-minute mark. :blush:

[wjdoc]

Two Paul Simon song references in one podcast (Cecilia and 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover) and i still have a half hour to go! :thumbsup: (Sorry Garfunkel only one reference for you...)

[BrerGnat]

Buses...TAKE IT.

Even though I was so annoyed at the bus situation between WL and MK last October when the boats were shut down due to wind. I mean, if they are going to shut down the boats, have enough buses for goodness sakes!!!

However, that same trip, I had a rental car. I can say that I did not love driving to the parks so much. Honestly, I felt that it took just as long, perhaps longer, to get where I wanted to go. None of the roads on WDW property are really direct, there is a lot of looping around. Plus, the time to park the car and walk then reverse that when you leave, then parking at the hotel and walking to your room. I don't know. I think, time wise, the buses vs. rental car results in a draw.

We will be relying on buses for our next two trips and that is just fine with me.

And Mel, how did you spend $25 on a taxi from WL to Boardwalk??? Your driver went the long way...

Christine: have you ever considered renting out your points for cash and then using THAT to cruise? You'd come out way ahead by doing that!

[Christine]

Christine: have you ever considered renting out your points for cash and then using THAT to cruise? You'd come out way ahead by doing that!

Oh yeah? That's definitely something to look at! Thanks! :thumbsup::number1:

[PirateLover]

I was cracking up at everyone reciting the lines from MuppetVision .:kermit::sam::gonzo::fozzie::beaker:
The minute I saw the first part of the title of the podcast ("Not the sun, but the moon")I knew the reference and started laughing.
I love both the pre-show and the movie, but I agree~ Waldo is annoying and his 3d "tricks" are outdated. "Don't ya just hate it when your nooooose runnnsss?" "I'm bouncin' on people's heaaadddss!" :rolleyes: I think the bulk of the show stands the test of time, though. It makes me sad when features are broken or missing. For the longest time the Swedish Chef's cannon wasn't working at the end.

Ian- It is so funny that you played the Jeremy Irons narration. My DH and I have been saying we should do that ever since the redesign, but never have :thumbsup:

As for the buses- I'll take it. There may come a point where driving is easier but most of the time we don't have a car on property. Even when we did, we didn't drive. They can be a pain sometimes, but I also grew up taking public transportation all the time, so maybe I'm more used to it. :shrug:

[AgentC]

Pretty packed podcast for an episode with no news. :D

I agree with Christine on the 24 hour Monstrous Summer Kickoff. I think being on a Friday made it more crowded than the last one but I still had a lot of fun. I think you have to go in with the attitude that it is going to be crowded but it will lighten up. My 7 year old as a bit nervous with the crowds when we first got there but he recently told me that I have to take him any time that they do it again. :)

DVC is something we have considered but never bought. We recently went to Vero and might consider buying it for Vero visits. The discounts there are not nearly as good WDW so it might be worth it.

Buses- a big leave it for me. At least most of the time. I do like to take the bus to MK. I find MK such a hassle to get too but it does depend on how the buses are running. Last year I tool the buses by myself from AOA to MK monorailed it to Epcot and bused back. It was easy. After the All Nighter we waited almost 40 minutes for a bus for Pop and watched as empty buses for other resorts went by. So frustrating! :mad:

I don't mind driving at all when I am there. In most instances it is faster and leaves me in control.

[Septbride2002]

I was basically in agreement the entire time with Christine. :)

I'll keep the busses only because they are quick transportation to MK. I don't LOVE the busses by any means but I don't want them gone. I could live without the boats. Sometimes they are nice to take but in my opinion they are slower then the busses.

If the Star Wars land at Studios is true I'm worried about the fate of Muppets 3D. While I agree Waldo is the worst part about the show - everything else I love! The pre-show is my favorite. The first time I went on muppets and Sam the Eagle said "stopping in the middle of the road is distinctly Unpatriotic." I laughed so hard I was making that noise you make when you are trying to laugh and breathe at the same time. There may have been snortting.....just saying.

I have to agree with Christine about DVC as well. The value of not having to save up for a room is worth it to me. Add in the discount on an annual pass - and I'm a happy DVC owner. We are considering adding more points. I've never used points for a cruise as we don't have enough points for that. Now theres a Take or Leave it segment - the Cruises. My vote would be for Leave It.

[Christine]

It would be sad to lose the muppets. Hope that doesn't happen !


Now theres a Take or Leave it segment - the Cruises. My vote would be for Leave It.

:jaw: really?! Wow! That is interesting! How come?

[Ian]

:jaw: really?! Wow! That is interesting! How come?The price point on the Disney cruises is pretty obnoxious when compared to other comparable cruiselines.

I wouldn't say I'd "never" do a Disney cruise, but for the cost it is probably a long shot.

[Septbride2002]

The price point on the Disney cruises is pretty obnoxious when compared to other comparable cruiselines.

I wouldn't say I'd "never" do a Disney cruise, but for the cost it is probably a long shot.

What Ian said.

And...we just aren't cruisers. We did a 7 day Disney cruise before the kids and I have to tell ya - we just weren't that impressed with it. Now to be fair we ate in the main dining room we were assigned every night - but it meant getting dressed up every night. I told my husband that I was tired of always feeling like we were in the room getting ready for dinner. I thought the price we paid for excursions off the boat to be incredibly high for the experience that we had. And on the long at sea days - we were kinda bored.

There were many pluses though:
1) the meal at Palo - was outstanding with one of the best waiters I've ever exeprienced in my life.
2) Castaway Cay was amazing and we had a great time.
3) My husband still raves about our interior room - how it was like sleeping in a cave. We didn't wake up most days until after 10.

I would be willing to try the cruise again now that I have kids because I think the oppurtunity to have them spend time in the kids clubs and for my husband and I to have a conversation that isn't constantly interrupted by "MOM!" might be worth the extra $$$$ That being said - checking the price now that we are no longer Dual Income No Kids - we can't afford to cruise.

But this is why I love my DVC points - we are thinking we might try Vero Beach for a couple of days on the next trip. :D

[Christine]

Ahhh, I hear ya. Totally agree on the $$- which is why I said I'm happy to use my points bc - value or not- i just don't have cash but i really wanna go! :)
We just got hooked on DCL after our first one- but you know what I can also agree with your points against it- especially the "I feel like we were always in our room dressing for dinner". I have very thick hair that doesn't dry easily, especially with those cheese ball cabin dryers that put out airflow the equivalent of a 4 year old blowing out a birthday cake!
So I had to pull myself from the beach or the pool or whatever fun and go get my bath and he whole lengthy hair process everyday. :(
My family has already agreed that next cruise we are doing fewer dining hall dinners. Because we really don't even like the foofoo menus. If we get tired of counter service quickly, we will do room service or we found you can get your dining room meal "to go". I could eat on my verandah with my pjs and wet hair! :D

Thanks for telling me- hope I didn't seen rude for asking- I just don't know that I've heard someone dislike a Disney cruise :)
But your points are very very true.

And oh my gosh YESSSSS! Try vero! ASAP! You'll love it!! :)

[jennsky]

I agree with the majority on the podcast when it comes to the Buses - LEAVE IT! I do admit, there are times when I appreciate having the option to take the bus (like when we flew down for ICOT15), but as we almost always drive to Florida for our vacations and therefore have a vehicle at our disposal, I would MUCH RATHER drive myself to the parks rather than haul a stroller and two exhausted little kids onto a crowded bus at the end of a long day of park hopping. Not to mention we enjoy staying in the cabins at Fort Wilderness so a vehicle there is almost a must!!

I too am guilty of the "Sent from my iPhone" signature. :blush: Maybe I'll change it to "Sent from my iPhone with Intercot.com Love"

I had to laugh when I heard Ian had the Jeremy Irons version of Spaceship Earth on his iPhone. I do too! Nerd alert!!! Although you still take the crown for playing it while riding the ride. LOL!

And finally, we appreciate the shoutouts to Canada! And yes, we do have iPads...and yes, they are more expensive up here. So not fair. Thank goodness for cross-border shopping!

And we're ooot.... :fresh:

[Pooh Fan]

I'm a little behind catching up on my podcasts so I'm just listening to #52 now.
Ian! I'm coming after you. I would like to respectfully disagree with your comments about non-expiration not being worth it. Right now I can buy a 10 day +hopper + water parks + non expiration from The Official Ticket Center "ding" for $738 tax incl. This gives me 10 park days and (for the sake of argument-I know there are other options) 10 waterpark days. 20 admissions working out to just under $37 per day. We go about every 2 years and don"t usually do more than 3 or 4 park days but do like the hopper option and a few water park days. Using today's prices if I bought a 4 day hopper with water parks it would cost $700 for those 2 trips and I would have at least 4 unused water park days. For the extra $38 dollars I am putting out for my loaded 10 day ticket I'm getting 2 park admissions to use on my 3rd trip and I haven't lost my unused water park days. I still have those 6 admissions to use as well!

[Ian]

I'm a little behind catching up on my podcasts so I'm just listening to #52 now.
Ian! I'm coming after you. I would like to respectfully disagree with your comments about non-expiration not being worth it. Right now I can buy a 10 day +hopper + water parks + non expiration from The Official Ticket Center "ding" for $738 tax incl. This gives me 10 park days and (for the sake of argument-I know there are other options) 10 waterpark days. 20 admissions working out to just under $37 per day. We go about every 2 years and don"t usually do more than 3 or 4 park days but do like the hopper option and a few water park days. Using today's prices if I bought a 4 day hopper with water parks it would cost $700 for those 2 trips and I would have at least 4 unused water park days. For the extra $38 dollars I am putting out for my loaded 10 day ticket I'm getting 2 park admissions to use on my 3rd trip and I haven't lost my unused water park days. I still have those 6 admissions to use as well!This made my head hurt. ;)

I'll take your word for it! :D

[GMRO]

Basically my math is do I have $6K in cash in my pocket? No. Do I have points in my account and $95? Yes. Do I get to go on a cruise? Yes. Then it's a great value for me :D

My hubby did a breakdown for point to cash once- I need to ask him to do it again for me on here. It made sense when he said it, but then he's good at persuading ---after all, he got me to marry him!!

Lov'd it...DO I GET TO GO ON A CRUISE?

If that answer is YES then you did good!!! I agree!

Should have said, as someone else posted in this thread, for a little management/selling you could sell or rent some of your points and have cash for pay for the cruise. AND likely a new PURSE TOO???!!! But again it's not as easy as just using your points in the first place - you have to sell/rent the points.

THANKS for your input!

[taleasoldastime]

On the bus situations, i say TAKE IT!
I feel like it is part of my disney experience, like the monorail. I have been riding them since I was little, on every trip. I love the rides! I see how it can be a pain during peak season for some people, but we never rented a car before so in this case ignorance is bliss.