The DANK Pod - A Disney Adult Adventure

DANK Pod: A Disney Adult Adventure - Park Hidden Gems

• Nat, January, Ash, JP

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Exploring Hidden Gems in Disney Parks

In this episode of the DANK Pod, hosts dive into hidden gems and insider secrets of Disney parks. They discuss unique and lesser-known attractions, such as Club Cool's international Coke products, the Wilderness Explorer scavenger hunt, and the Electrical Water Pageant at the Polynesian Resort. The conversation also touches on the best ways to enjoy transportation within the parks, such as the Skyliner, and creative food concoctions. Listen in to discover new experiences and hidden treasures waiting to be explored during your next Disney adventure.

00:00 Introduction and Pop Quiz
00:24 Welcome to the DANK Pod
00:37 Hidden Gems at Disney Parks
01:07 Club Cool Experience
03:32 Wilderness Explorer Scavenger Hunt
04:42 Electrical Water Pageant at Polynesian Resort
06:17 Foot Long Mozzarella Stick at the Boardwalk
08:51 AP Lounge at Epcot
19:08 Fire Station at Magic Kingdom
21:18 Walt Disney Presents Exhibit at Hollywood Studios
24:21 Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
24:51 Affordable Souvenirs: Silhouette Cameos
25:40 Evolution of Posing in Photos
29:38 Universal Hidden Gems: Rapid Fire
34:20 Exploring the UK Pavilion and Canada Waterfall
35:54 Star Tours: A Hidden Gem?
38:57 Animal Kingdom's Hidden Treasures
42:57 Park-to-Park Transportation Tips
49:16 Creative Food Hacks at the Parks
50:17 Conclusion and Farewell

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I'm not ready.

JP:

You are not ready. You need more time.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Okay, I'm ready.

JP:

Pop quiz. What are our guideposts friends?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Be authentic.

JP:

Thank you. January. Ashley or Natalie? Do you have a guidepost?

Ash:

Don't ylk. Somebody's yum.

JP:

Oh, that's my favorite.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

have fun.

JP:

Boom.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

just wanna have fun.

Nancy:

Welcome to the DANK Pod! Join us on our chaotic adventure of what it means to be Disney Adults. Like, follow, comment, and share wherever you listen. Send any questions or feedback to us at the dank pod at gmail.com This week we're talking about hidden gems at the parks! Let's get DANK!

JP:

Do you know what tonight's topic is?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Sh Hidden jazz.

Ash:

I hope so.'cause that's what I had my notes on in my head.

JP:

Notes in your head. You didn't write'em down. No, it's okay. I'll have to write'em down. I wrote mine down.

Ash:

I wouldn't be authentic if I wrote'em down.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ooh, that's right.

JP:

Who wants to go first?

Ash:

Me.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ashley can go first.

Ash:

So I don't know how much of a hidden gem my first one is, but it was one that I didn't know about and that you guys introduced us to and it was the cool club.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

ah,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Club.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yes.

Ash:

Club. Cool. Is that, is that the coke spot? That's the coke spot. I gotta

JP:

cross that off now.

Ash:

Aha.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Gotta take that,

JP:

right?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

an

Ash:

I thought that was such a fun little space.

JP:

That was my number seven.

Ash:

How many you got bro?

JP:

I have

Ash:

enough for everybody. Get a bunch. Yeah, I thought that was super cool.'cause number one, Jonathan likes Coke products, right? I'm not one to dabble and try to try different things. I have the palette of like a 3-year-old. But I really enjoyed this, you know, kind of hidden away area where you can try different Coke products from around the world for free.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's true.

Ash:

It was the free part that really sold me.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Absolutely. Especially'cause you don't really get anything for free except sunburn at Disney. But,

Ash:

And Coke products. Well, these Coke products. Not all Coke products.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And some of those.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I would've never thought that I like cucumber Sprite, but that stuff is delicious.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Delicious. Delicious.

JP:

Yeah. I, I would say, you know, it's, it's accurate there. Like, that's like a, it's not really hidden, right. So I, I wrestle with it'cause like, it's not really hidden, but honestly how many peop when you go in there, it's never like, overwhelmingly crowded. Right?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Right?

JP:

I don't, I don't think a lot of people take advantage of it.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I mean, you really have to hang a left by the store

JP:

Hard left. I.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

and like there's no advertising outside of like where it is.

JP:

Right.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

even have a name on the front?

JP:

Does it say? Yeah. Does it say club? Cool.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

that, but I'm, I don't recall the name being out front of it.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes, it is there

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Okay.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

not outta control.

JP:

Do you want, do we wanna keep going around? We can go around like that. What else? What else you got? Or like, who, who else is next?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

your, what's your, what's one of yours?

JP:

one of mine?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah,

Ash:

Yeah. You get a whole list apparently.

JP:

I know.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

know.

JP:

Let's see. Hmm. The suspense. Here's one from, I try to pick some at, at multi, at each park. One that I enjoy or started to enjoy and I hope that we can continue to enjoy. I. Is the Wilderness Explorer scavenger hunt. I like a good scavenger hunt,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

so cute.

JP:

I think that for kids it might be more apparent, but for Disney adults, you can go to the wilderness Explorer boutique booth thing and get yourself a scavenger hunt booklet and do the scavenger hunt and do like, run around animal kingdom, get patches, and then get your final Wilderness Explorer patch at the end, which we're, we have it, we're incomplete right now. And we have to go back and finish it. But you, we did the whole like cheer, didn't we? Like ka or whatever her

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Is there an actual call?

JP:

Yeah, I think I have, I think we, I recorded it when we did it. But yeah, we did like a whole, like I am a wilderness explorer. Ha

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

ha.

JP:

Whatever. I, I forget which way it goes, but yeah, but that's like a, I think that's a little hidden gem. You know, it's not overtly advertised. I wonder how free when you get in.

Ash:

I wonder how they've adjusted that since they, you know, tore up Dino Land.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

D. Valid, valid.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interesting. Yeah.

JP:

What about you? January?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

So I think a hidden gem is if you're ever at the Polynesian Grand Meridian or contemporary nighttime, they have an electrical water pageant.

JP:

Ooh.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's

JP:

Oh, that's a good one.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

floating light parade that sails nightly across the Seven Seas lagoon, and you can see from those resorts. So, if you have like a dinner reservation at ies, it's right outside on their, I'm not gonna call it a balcony, like on their deck outside. You can go outside and see if you have dinner reservations at the Polynesian, and that's a really cool show that I didn't know that they offered. So it's definitely a resort thing that you can go and check out and enjoy.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Mm,

JP:

it, do they still offer it?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, they do it every night.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

you didn't know.

JP:

No. I didn't know. We, we have last time we had dinner at at the Poly was probably about a year ago.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Mm,

JP:

Isn't that right? Actually,

Ash:

has it been a whole year? Time flies.

JP:

Yeah, baby. We went on 6 2 6.

Ash:

We did.

JP:

Yeah. We had, we had dinner at the poll and, and watched the watch the nighttime. Spectacular from the I didn't remember that. Lagoon. 6 2

Ash:

6. Look at you best friend. It's like you don't

JP:

love me. Hmm.

Ash:

You're gonna feel really bad when I get dementia in like 10 years.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh,

JP:

You won't, you won't remember this

Ash:

Exactly, but you will.

JP:

What about you Natalie? You got, you got a special one?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Gem for me. I haven't been to this, but I hear. The boardwalk has a foot long mozzarella stick

Ash:

Oh, you know how I feel about mozzarella sticks.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Base says that we have to share it and I'm like,

JP:

I don't know how I feel about that

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Right.

JP:

sometimes. You just want your own shit.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah, I haven't been to it. It's only to me it's like rumors. But that's when I'm definitely, it's on my list. Go find this foot long. We should do it when the next time you guys come up.

Ash:

Heck yeah. I love a mozzarella stick

JP:

actually. We'll be up on the 19th overnight.

Ash:

Yeah, but they won't,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Another time. I'm sorry. I should, I should rephrase that the next time we're there together. I'm so sorry. That was my bad.

JP:

Don't, don't, don't rope me into I'll, you know, I'll do it too.'cause I'm like, we'll be looking for things to do at night. We have the kid with us.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

till seven, like at, what's your night?

JP:

Smart ass. You're smart ass. I think, I think we're, we're gonna try to do the go to the nighttime Spectacular at the firework show. Was it happily ever after?

Ash:

We are,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh, does your wife know?

JP:

yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we haven't, that was the whole plan. We'll probably do magic and the and then the nighttime show.

Ash:

Oh, but it's not the new one.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Natalie.

JP:

We'll be there the day before

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

let me ask the group,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

how much is too much for dollars for the giant mozzarella stick? What would you pay?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

oh shit.

Ash:

a whole foot. I mean, it's a buck an inch. I was gonna say,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

a foot.

Ash:

I was gonna say it's Disney though, so you're talking.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

to be a foot,

Ash:

Yeah, that thing's probably like 1299 to 15 bucks.

JP:

I, I think you gotta be at least a buck an inch.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

right? Same. I was thinking a dollar an inch.

Ash:

How much is it

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

dollar an inches.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It would be probably like 12 or 12.99 because you know

JP:

inflation?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

down.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

15 50 cents

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's the tariffs though, you know. It's different now. It used to, I bet it used to be$12 in 2024, but No, I hear, no, I'm just kidding. I don't, yeah. 15. Okay. Is that why we're sharing it? I'm just kidding. It really, I don't, I see it. I just don't see a$15 value, but I'm still down to do it once. Is that wrong?

JP:

That's why, that's probably why have to do, do, that's why she wants you to share.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

you, they say you do get a bag of potato chips as well.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I don't take? Take your fucking bag and gimme another stick. Gimme that stick.

JP:

Ashley, you got another one? Got another hidden gem?

Ash:

I do, but it's not in a different park and I don't think it's open year round, but I really enjoyed our time in, I think, do they call it the AP Lounge in Epcot? The Blue Cross Blue Shield lounge. And

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Mm-hmm.

JP:

is it, it's not Blue Cross, is it Blue Cross Blue Shield, or is it Advent Health?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No, it was Blue Cross.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

they've moved it around. I've seen it there in Morocco, where we went together.

Ash:

Morocco. Yeah. It was such a pleasant place to cool off.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They had it in another place, a different year.

Ash:

Really?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes. They had it at one point they had it where they have land. Yes.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It was like next to the food court.

Ash:

That's interesting.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

So I wonder if like they use different spaces and do they have different sponsors, different years?

JP:

Yeah. We had I think that one year we all went and it was in the Sorn space, right?

Ash:

I don't remember it by sworn.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

remember if we've been to

Ash:

Oh no. Yeah, it was like a closed off area, like a roped area. It wasn't like a whole building just to us kind of thing.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

right. We were

Ash:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. With like the mixed trail, the trail nuts. Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

We were, yes. With, with

JP:

The, the guardian of the galaxy nuts.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah. Those, those were pretty good.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

You got a little snack.

JP:

And then that one of us, I'm not naming names, one of us filled up their personal water container

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Wow. Are you gonna do that

JP:

I didn't name names. I didn't name names. You'll never know which one of us it was.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It wasn't any one of us. It was, it was somebody else who were observing,

JP:

Yes, that's what it was. It was somebody else. We were observing wing,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

guest.

JP:

a whole nother guest.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And, and their defense. I bet they didn't see the sign until after they, til it,

JP:

I agree. They probably, they're probably so innocent and just having a, a grand old time that they just no clue.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hilarious. Good times,

JP:

Ugh.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

good Times, good times.

JP:

let's see, what do we have here? Ah because I didn't, I'm gonna, I'm gonna shoot an Epcot one in here.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Not an Epcot

JP:

an Epcot one. I know.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Wow.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

know why? Because Epcot in itself is a hidden gem for Jonathan. He doesn't even know. He doesn't wanna accept the, the, the, the beautiful memories that we've shared there together.

JP:

Yeah, we almost got remember that time we almost got busted too. So for me, for me it's the the aquarium with, I have a bonus note here. The free sticker book that goes with the aquarium. Oh.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ooh, not

JP:

See

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

book.

JP:

the sticker book?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ooh.

JP:

stickers. You know, Epcot is really good at giving you a little booklet for stuff. Like, whether it's food and wine or flour and garden.

Ash:

This is true. Or

JP:

just go, like any of the festivals, you get a little, little passport book to go through. And then for the aquarium, it's like, I don't think a lot of people pay attention to, to that part of it. Like there's usually freedom to roam around in there. Super air conditioned too. It's a great break. And you get a free, you get a free sticker book to give to the, to give to your, your yourself or any smaller persons it might know.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

the sticker book, what's up? What, what kind of stickers were on there?

JP:

Fish,

Ash:

fishes,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And tell me about them. What kind of fish were they?

JP:

water, fish. They had sharks. They weren't like fish sticks. Come on man. They had

Ash:

some crabs.

JP:

I should have put me on the spot like that.

Ash:

I think they had turtles,

JP:

like sea turtles, not land turtles.

Ash:

Duh.

JP:

Yeah. But you can take as many as you want. Self-serve. And so last time we took the Savage with us, there was I was like, Hey, let's get one for Goose. And she was like, no, thanks. He's not allowed to have stickers. I was like, that was a total, that was some bs.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

is it is? It was. She's being serious.

JP:

yeah, she wanted, I think so all those stickers for herself.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh, but, but he's not allowed to have stickers.

JP:

allowed to have stickers. She's, I was like, God, that's mean,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

her.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Dang. That's hilarious.

JP:

she's crazy.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's funny. Mm.

JP:

But you got another one.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interesting.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

How do we feel about a magic kingdom Cinderella's Wishing well

JP:

I, you know, I don't know anything about her wishing Well, tell me I.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's located to the right of the castle where you can toss a coin and make a wish. And the money goes to children charities,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ooh, that's cute. So we're helping James come true.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

huh?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

So, so we're helping James come true.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah, absolutely.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's cute. real cute. I didn't even know that existed.

Ash:

I didn't know either. Yeah. Is it in me either? Yeah. I didn't know it was there.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah, it's on the pathway

Ash:

Oh,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

to the right side of the castle.

JP:

it's like it's, it's like it's hidden.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hmm. Huh.

JP:

How about you, Natalie?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Jonathan would give me the hidden approval seal of approval.

JP:

I mean, I think it's pretty, it's pretty loosely like, like what, what we're, what we're defining as hidden. It doesn't have to be like, like you gotta go dig where X marks the spot. But maybe it's like where's it's, it's not, not a lot of people utilize it.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah. Hmm. It's like, I'm just thinking

Ash:

Got some deep thoughts over there.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, the suspense is killing me.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's like, it's like the Rapunzel bathroom and

Ash:

ooh.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

and yeah, and magic That's like a hidden gem venue. Like they legit have weddings in front of there.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, in

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's just a bathroom.

JP:

They have weddings in front of it.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes.

Ash:

pretty.

JP:

Like legally.

Ash:

Yeah, it's very pretty.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

picture.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yep. We're on it,

JP:

Wild. Wild. It's like, it's like one of the better bathrooms in the park systems,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's the themeing is like just really on point and people love it, but

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

live it so much. They wanna get married in front of it.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's so funny though'cause like it's the entrance to the

Ash:

the bathrooms, right. I think that area, like the, that theme of Rapunzel is, bigger in Tokyo.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh,

Ash:

I think it's like a whole space in Tokyo.

JP:

Do they sh, do they shut it down for it? Do, do they like block it off?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

The bathroom. When, when, when they're having weddings, you mean?

JP:

Yes.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I don't, I think you're mistaken me with somebody who works there. I just visit, I've never

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

that,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

been to a wedding, a bathroom wedding?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

nighttime.

Ash:

A bathroom wedding.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No. But usually when they do have the weddings, it's either before it opens, it's usually before they opens. Like, I'm not even gonna lie. Have you guys seen the Disney weddings on. I don't know what was on, it? Was it on Disney Plus? Perhaps it was Disney plus.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's when you're, if you ever stay on Disney property, you know how like they have a channel about the parks?

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Mm-hmm.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like a show about Disney weddings.

Ash:

Yeah, I wanna say that I've seen it maybe on Netflix or something before. I don't know how often they run it. But yeah, I've, I've seen some of the, some of the, the video on that. I

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I feel, yeah, I feel like for whatever reason it was at home. I didn't realize it was at Disney, but you, you could be right. Who knows, but, but Ashley saw it at home, so I don't know.

Ash:

thought so, but maybe I'm conflating with something else.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's possible I could be remembering wrong.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hmm. I'll love it. I'll love it. Let me, I think that the, like some of the tours of themselves could be like a hidden gem, like how we didn't even know the Keys to the Kingdom until January's parents took us. That was the very fun tour. We've talked about that in the past, and they take you

JP:

Not the other way around. They take you.

Ash:

Jonathan doesn't wanna do the keys to the kingdom,

JP:

correct?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Why?

Ash:

doesn't wanna know the secrets.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh man. I feel like,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I mean, our tour guide made me like literally tear on the tour.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

oh my God. It was definitely the crying game he won.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

he stirred my emotions and I don't think I'm that emotional,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Shit.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

what he was doing, I felt like I was part of the team.

Ash:

Aw,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It, it, it was, it really was good.

JP:

that's sweet.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I really wish, I wish we knew if he still worked there, like

Ash:

Do you know his name?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

made such an

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah. We do,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

me and my family.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

we still talk about him all, but like, like we talk about him here, but we also talk about him like, as the, in the family.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah. Like

JP:

You don't stalk him, do you?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

no.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I mean, I would though, I'd be, I wouldn't be opposed, like I wouldn't hurt him. just make sure he's safe, so he can always do a good job.

JP:

Aw. Ashley got any other hidden gems?

Ash:

I don't think it's a hidden gem, but any, anybody, anytime we ask someone if they've had it, they say no. And it's the, it's the cheeseburger. Spring rolls. It's not hidden. The line is always a billion years long.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's some, maybe some of them should be called if you have patience, gem.

Ash:

but if you haven't had a cheeseburger or a pizza spring roll, it is a 15 out of 10 recommend for us.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

hmm.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Hmm.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

we have a friend who, who learned how to make some at home,

Ash:

This is true. I crushed it.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

smashed

JP:

crushed it until you told me there were pickles involved.

Ash:

You ate all of them.

JP:

I don't know what.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

guy? You ate it and you enjoyed it. Don't be that guy.

JP:

Yeah, I don't want,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it? Too

JP:

I don't wanna know. I don't wanna know what's in that. I don't wanna know what you got in there for me. Sorry. Too bad. So say it. Uh uh. I have one from Magic Kingdom. This is one that I shared with with Goose and Savannah. And it's the fire station.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

The fire station?

JP:

So you know when you come into Magic Kingdom and on the left hand side or the bathrooms.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes.

JP:

Well, so the whole family was like, oh, we just got to the park. Step number one, stop. Number one, bathrooms. It's very common, right? So they were going to the bathroom and right next door to that, where the parades go in and out is the the fire station. And if you go inside the fire station, there's all sorts of like, fire station memorabilia along with some of the dalmatian stuff.'Cause dalmatians and fire stations go hand in hand. But like, there's different like patches and like, like, like the helmet shields and stuff from fire stations from all over the country. It's just neat to like go, go through like the, the stable of the old fashioned fire station on Main Street USA. And it was entertaining to the kid as we were, it kept them visually occupied as we waited for, everyone else finished doing their duty, literally. And and they have the, I think, I forget what Penny Machine was there, but it was probably like 101 Dalmatian penny machine. It's kind of parked over there, so that's cool. Oh, that makes sense. Yeah. That's a cool one. So yeah, so that's a, that's a hidden gem. It's not like, it's not thrilling, but it's something different to, to go and I didn't even

Ash:

know you did that with them.

JP:

Yeah.'cause you were in the bathroom. That's good.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interesting. That is, I, I had no idea that, that, that was even, I know they have like a, like in that area, they have a barber.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

so I had no idea. And get their, they can get their first haircut, they give'em a little certificate.

JP:

Can I get my hair cut there?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I don't know if there's an age limit we could find out, but I had no idea that that was a even an option.

Ash:

Like a, like a Mickey Ears design in the head? In your head? Yeah. You know, like some people get like lightning bolts and squiggly loopy lines, chow. Could you imagine

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Kacha out

Ash:

like a racetrack?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh, would like the kacha please, the Ka.

JP:

I love that. Yeah. Can hook us up with a kacha man. We'll just take, we're gonna take two or three of the chows. Thanks. Thanks so much. Don't Yuck. Our yum.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Cacia. Cacia

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Exactly, exactly.

JP:

Sweet bay. You got one? I think we skipped over you.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hollywood Studios. Have you ever stopped at Walt Disney presents exhibit?

JP:

I think we have like that's the walkthrough.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes.

JP:

thing.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

with rare Artifacts from Walt's Life and History of the Parks. Total ac never any line.

JP:

There's, yeah, it is just a bunch of people milling around, right? It's

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's, it's actually very informative. So if you don't wanna do the keys to Kingdom, you can go to Wal Disney presents exhibit and then they'll, they'll have different features that they put in there. Like, I think they had something like when the New Little Mermaid came out, it was

Ash:

mm-hmm.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

the New Ariel. So they had a portion of the exhibit dedicated to that. So they do cycle in.

Ash:

Like movie props and stuff. Yeah.

JP:

They have the the, like his animation camera, like the, the Multiplane camera on display there, or a representation of it.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah. How it worked.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's very cool.

JP:

Physical one.

Ash:

I think back in the day, that area used to be where they actually did some animation stuff like used to be able to buy what do they call them, Jonathan, the story cells.

JP:

The an animation cell. An

Ash:

the animation cells which were lot real I don't wanna use the word sell again, but it, it was like a real slide, right. That they would have used during a movie. For example. And then there used to be the artists back there that would do, like, they were animation, like true animation artists for Disney. And they would do pictures and I think we have one still, don't we? And you could purchase them and they were pretty inexpensive. We probably spent less than 50 bucks.'cause this was a, a long time ago and we were. It wasn't quite as good of a year back then as it is lately. And so I think they've moved that space or that concept now to like Disney Springs where you can see sometimes where they're drawing and you can purchase, you know, special Disney prints or whatever. But I think back in the day, that's where they used to keep, it was back in that, what did you call it, the animation hall?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Walt Disney presents.

Ash:

Disney presents, forgive me. Yes.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah. And it's got like a movie marquee out there, and they'll put up the name of the exhibit.

Ash:

Yeah. It's a nice space, especially when you're just looking for something like to cool off

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh yeah. I like what's it called in Ebco where they have the shorts,

JP:

the, the, the what.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

let me see. They play movie shorts,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

play movie shorts.

JP:

Oh, I didn't know.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like, yeah. Yeah. And I feel like I've never really had to wait for long for it. I feel like it's definitely underrated. You get some ac see you get to chill, you'll get to see, like some of them you'll, you might recognize from a movie. Some are not. But they, they are like, they're, short films and it's like, I don't know, 15, 20 minutes of they might give like three or four different, you know, few minute films.

Ash:

Oh, that's nice.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

You guys have never been,

Ash:

I don't, I don't think so.

JP:

Not to the shorts

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interesting.

Ash:

was in studios or acot.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's, I felt,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Epcot,

Ash:

Oh, that makes sense then.'cause Jonathan doesn't frequent.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I don't know if they call it, let me see. It's called Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah.

Ash:

I love that.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's so cute.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

the left of Fig's pyramid,

JP:

We'll definitely have to keep our eye out for that one.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

the fountain to the left of the pyramid.

JP:

Yeah, I like that. I like that

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes, it is right there. Hmm. What

JP:

I have a souvenir that I intend to get with the kids that I feel like is a good one for pets too. And that you don't have to have the participant with you when you get this. And I feel like it's an overlooked souvenir and that it is it's been on my radar. I'm not sure how long, maybe, maybe even January brought this up to me. But I feel like it's super affordable as well, the silhouette cameos, but you can have cut on Main Street, USA.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

on Main Street. They're on Main Street,

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Mm-hmm.

JP:

Yeah. I think they're like pretty affordable too.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They're cute.

JP:

I want to I want to.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

timey.

JP:

Yeah. Yeah.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Before we had photos, they would, and like if you couldn't get your portrait painted, an artist would make a silhouette of you.

JP:

We've all,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I think about that, like when I see people like posing in pictures, I just think about how far we've come. Especially like when, like when you look at like the beginning, everybody's just like,

JP:

The Flintstones

Ash:

All Stone piece when they just had

JP:

like, yeah, they just had like a pterodactyl packing it out for you. We've come such a long, long way. I love, I love this game.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like from either not posing at all or not having any kind of smile to the different poses and the different. Things we come up with.

JP:

Did it just take that long for the film to like go through exposure that they were just like, I hate my life.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I just, I think and smiling is just culture. Like pictures are, I, it's in the context of the time, like I don't think anyone would've ever like the mirror selfie. Like that's just, you know what I mean? So it, I think it was just the times like. It was probably the etiquette that you didn't smile,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They didn't know what the fuck they

Ash:

I was gonna say it was rougher times back then too.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

right?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

how long did it take to set up the picture? So are you really gonna be holding your smile like

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

picture, you're, you think you're mistaken? The picture with the portrait? The picture is still quick. It's just a while before you might be able to see it. But the picture still, it, it's, it wasn't

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

no. Like

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like one of those

JP:

It's like a cathode rate tube.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

to put the plates in, they would have to put the

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

right. Exactly. But you're not gonna stand there if you wanna stand there until they got that. You let me know when it's ready to shoot.

JP:

Yeah, I see the, I see where you're going with that, Natalie. I think like, it's, one of the things that's maybe changed, and I think January's right with the culture element of it, is that when pho, when people started taking photos, they didn't really understand what was happening and the idea

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Right.

JP:

that you could, that smiling in a photo. When was smiling in a photo invented, was it probably about the time that standing in line came about?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Nah

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

When did

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

been standing in line way longer than that. Don't be crazy.

JP:

We've been standing in line for hours to get in. That's what we stood in line for. The the, the thing about like,'cause like even movies, the, the technology behind movies. When the first motion picture came out, wasn't it like a train and it caused people to like stand up and run away and like, how good were those special effects,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, there was a cultural preference for serious expressions and portraits.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They, because they'd, they'd be like, why the fuck are you smiling in this, in this photograph? You look like an idiot.

JP:

right? Imagine, remember the duck, you remember duck face craze.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They'd just be like,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

oh. Duck face.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

can you imagine like in,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

now

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

in the 18 hundreds and.

JP:

They would, yeah. Yeah. Peace sign and duck face coming at everybody now. They would be like, they're gonna,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

1800.

JP:

can you imagine like the 30, the 31 hundreds when when they're looking back at our pictures, they're like, what the fuck

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

mimic painted portraits, right? Because an artist didn't paint the subject smiling.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

That's true because

JP:

them

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

for 36 hours.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

But they didn't start smiling in photographs until 1920s and 1930s.

Ash:

during the depression?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

well, I'm sure

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

they

JP:

Paint it on bitch. That's what they said. Paint it on.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

they're like the liquors back.

JP:

But yeah, prohibition style.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It said, with the more upbeat and celebratory atmosphere, further encouraged the adoption of smiling in photographs.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Okay. Okay.

JP:

Nice.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh.

JP:

Who's next?

Ash:

I think you are.

JP:

No, no. I gave the, I touched off the the thing, but I can keep going if you want me to.

Ash:

Yeah, I've lost track.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, I don't, I don't know. I don't know where we are. Are

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Alright.

JP:

We're, yeah, sorry. Let's, I, I have a, I have a few that are at adjacent parks. I could rapid fire some real quick.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're outta control.

JP:

I know, right? I'm gonna remain outta control for the next 30 seconds. Rapid fire, universal hidden gems.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh,

Ash:

Universal,

JP:

yeah. Oh, right in the ghetto. Yep. Mm-hmm. Ready? Side. Oh, he's got a whole list. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So the rickety ride rocket the, when you go through the,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

gem.

JP:

well, part of it is when you go through the, the section of track through the fire station cruises through the building that is shaped like a treble clef. So you, you wouldn't know it while you're on it, but

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

a music note.

JP:

It's one of'em. Let's see here. If you're in line at the, in the men in black queue and you pass by doorknobs, pull on'em, jiggle'em around, you gotta jiggle'em a little forcefully, and there's a special effect that happens behind the doors. So get very hands on there.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

break?

JP:

No, they like puff, like puff smoke and like buzz and like light up and stuff like that. Yeah. It's, that's fun. But yeah, when you go through the queue, you gotta grab that handle pretty forcefully and jiggle it up and down and it'll set off the effect.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interesting.

JP:

a piece of the Berlin wall on City Walk behind the Hard Rock. Yeah. Still there? Yeah, it's there. Yeah. We, we went back and looked at it and it's just like, it's as exciting as looking at a wall would be a brick wall. Yeah. It used to be graffitied up.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

walls these days.

JP:

Yeah. Nobody just looks at walls the same way it used to be all graffitied up from Berlin, but the rumor is that somebody on maintenance was like, somebody wrote all over this wall, clean it up.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

off the burn graffiti.

JP:

Correct.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

my

JP:

Mm-hmm.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No. Stop. You're lying.

JP:

No, I'm serious. That's the, that's the, that's the, that's the rumor. I wasn't there firsthand, but they were like, it's, it's definitely faded and you can tell that, you can tell that there was stuff there, but it's not the same. But it is. There's a plaque that says, Hey, this is Berlin Wall. But if you go in there and you wanna confuse some staff members, go near it, find an employee and be like, Hey, where's the Berlin Wall? They'd be like, leave me alone,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh

JP:

you jerk.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

They don't even know.

JP:

people don't even know what they're walking by,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

When

JP:

It's behind the Hard Rock. So if you go to the Hard Rock the entrance to the Hard rock restaurants and outside, stay outside the building, go to the far right and walk all the way around the building just before you get to where the entrance to the Blue Man Group or the Nickelodeon studio used to be is on the left hand side is a chunk of the Berlin Wall with a little plaque on it. You probably see people sitting next to it, they don't even know.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Interest.

JP:

Let's see next. Lost Continent has that little hideaway on the wa on the rocks. And since they closed down Poseidon Fury, there's a nice little petite retreat on the backside of that Mediterranean shopping experience where you can just go and hang out and get away from all the noise. And so if you're looking for a nice, quiet place to eat, that's the place that I would go. In, in the children's area of Dreamworks, they have these, they redid the Dreamworks area and they have these electronic frogs and they sit on a wall and there's like five or six of'em, something like that. And there's it's gotta be an odd number. It's like five or seven of'em, and there's a lily pad. And when you stand on the lily pad, they make a ribbit noise. But those frogs are made by the same company who made the frogs for the Budweiser commercial. So if you stand on the lily pad to the far left. Then step on the lily pad and directly in the middle and step on the lily pad. On the far right it will do bud Wiser which is a nice little treat for the kids. Just for the kids, correct? Correct.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

always ask me to do that.

JP:

Absolutely. This this next one is Harry Potter ish creature When you're just in London walking down the street creature. The house el from Harry Potter is a, if you look at the facade of the row homes, you can see that one is dirtier and Grier and that is Grimm old place. That's where home of the order of the Phoenix is. And in the upstairs window, periodically creature the house off will pull back the curtain and peek out.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Cool.

JP:

Yeah. People oftentimes don't know which door to look at, but you know, now. And then lastly, this is a little, little sneaky, sneaky sneak sneaks. If you wanna save time walking through islands of adventure, when you cross over the first bridge, move to the left by green eggs and ham and walk around the back of the building and you will cut out an easy, like two to three minutes of walk time through if not

Ash:

more, with crowds.

JP:

Yeah. Through Seuss Landing and, and nobody's back there. And it jumps you out right at a, at a bathroom. That's the end of my universal hidden gems. I come up with more, but I just want, I wanted to keep it fast because I knew I was gonna get dirty fucking looks.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, from the dink. From the dink cast.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Pause for editing.

JP:

You guys are jerks. Oh my God.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it.

JP:

Who's next? Who's next? Anyone else got something?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, so in if you check out the UK Pavilion, if you go around the back, there's a little garden,

JP:

I love that garden. He

Ash:

loves the garden.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And then during certain festivals they'll actually have a live band out there.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

oh yeah, that's true. We've stumbled upon it on accident

JP:

Yeah,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I heard the music

JP:

they do like,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

what they say the rhythm is gonna get you.

JP:

oh, they do tee tee times out there too, don't they?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I haven't seen the tee times, but yes.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hmm. Oh, and, and you, and I've never, I mean, they have stores back there too that I hadn't even, I didn't even know they existed. It's

Ash:

Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

not a corner that we frequent and we extort it.

Ash:

Do you know what was another hidden gem that you guys didn't know about that Jonathan brought you to

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

The waterfall. Yeah. Canada.

JP:

Although I think they knew it was there once we brought'em there. They were like, oh yeah. Nobody goes to Canada though. So you go there for maple syrup. There's no liquor back here. There's no stop wasting our time. Fucking Canada. What's that all about?

Ash:

How funny is it that Epcot has, I feel like the most hidden gems that we've talked about?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I know. I love that. For us. I love it. For us.

JP:

No, I hate it. The worst ever? Uh

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Um, let me see, H Gems. What else do we got else? Do we have? Let's, let's pause and think.

JP:

I got a hot take on one that some, some people may, I think it's become a hidden gem because of updates and upgrades. But I don't, and it, it, this could just be my personal opinion about it, but I, I feel like a hot take hidden Gem is star Tours when compared to a smuggler's run.

Ash:

I mean, I would, I would agree that it's a hidden gem in that I don't think I've seen the wait time longer than 10 minutes in the last two years that we've had passes.

JP:

Yeah. I think that people just line up more for the new one, and it's also kind of parked outside of the land. So people tend to like kind of walk right by it and not really care. So it's always like, almost like a five to 10 minute wait, right? Mm-hmm. And it's pretty much the same ride vehicle.

Ash:

It's a good ride.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It is a good ride.

Ash:

It's a classic

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hmm. You know, and I,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

motion sickness on it.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

and I'm not, I I know it's not a hidden gem. It had just been so long since I had even thought about it. It was kind of like I relearned about it.

Ash:

just now.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No, it's

Ash:

Oh,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

actually

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's, it's the water ride animal kingdom. The something, is it something Rapids? What is it?

Ash:

the avatar one?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No. You

JP:

No, it's like Ali Rapids or something like that. Or like, there is an avatar one though.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Mm-hmm.

JP:

Is it, did that replace it?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No avatars in the avatar world. This has been here it's still, still here. let me see. That's a good ride. And I forgot it was even there until I took my nephew and I was like, yeah, this is here. Good for us. Let's enjoy it. Let

JP:

Let's get dangerous.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And yeah, Cali River Rabbits. Have you been on it?

Ash:

I don't think so. We

JP:

tend not to do

Ash:

water rides.

JP:

Water rides when we go to the parks. Well, like I think sometimes those rides stay hidden gems. But because of the, the water ride, I have another, this is a tie into that. I don't know if Ashley picked up on this, but at Epic, no, back to the ghetto at Epic, at the, in the Dragon isle of Burke land their water ride, which is fire drill. When you get off of that, they also, you know how at Disney too, they have like the dryers, the people dryers, where they have the people dryers there, but it's an ode to Dueling Dragons.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Hmm.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

is this?

JP:

It's at epic and it's at it's the Olive Burke. So they're the same colorway. And I forget what they say, what they call those dryers, but they are they have like a, they have like a name that's very, it's a cutesy kind of name for those two dryers there.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

To dry your, they dry you off.

JP:

Yes. Yeah, the people drive when you're wet, when you're soaked. How do y'all feel about the hidden gems of park to bark Transportation? And I'm not just talking about buses, although some days buses be like a, a, a gem when you walk in all day.

Ash:

I have another internal park, hidden Gym before we moved to transportation.

JP:

Oh yeah. Tell me, tell me more.

Ash:

And I think this one's definitely out of the way, so not everybody. Indulges, but there's a train in Animal Kingdom that takes you to a back section of the park, and I think it's called Reikis Planet Does. Is that what it's called? Natalie's shaking her head. Yes. Nobody else can see it. But she's confirming that I'm not crazy. But what's really interesting about Reikis Planet, and I'm sure they do things that are actually for families there, I'm not paying attention to that information, but I do know that they have a veterinary setup back there, and the walls are, there are windows into that setup. And you can see animals often as they're being cared for back there. So sometimes you can see surgeries, sometimes you see, you know, they're doing like egs where they're like going down the throat to check and see what they ate. That was funny. Or they're doing x-rays and it's a really unique experience. I think. I think you and I have checked out there once, husband, but it would've been many, many years ago. I've been super interested in returning to experience that area.

JP:

Yeah. We haven't gone back and experienced that area in quite some time.

Ash:

I feel like, like a decade, like solidly a decade. But like what a unique experience to see, you know, an animal sedated and having to have a procedure done, whether it's, you know, annual monitoring of them or like an actual problem that they've had. I just think that's super cool.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

all the boss boxes for like that curiosity about their care.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

it's very cool. I know they had the petting area. I didn't, I didn't realize they had

Ash:

That's right. They do have a petting zoo back there.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah, they have a petting area and, I didn't know that they had the, the window. That's very cool.

Ash:

I hear that it's most like to go early in the morning is usually when they do the more procedure like things, but sometimes they are just bringing, you know, the animals in there for like normal routine checks for whatever reason.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's cute. Oh

Ash:

Yeah. Sometimes I see that when they post about it on the Facebook groups, and I just think that's so cool that they do that for, you know, the population. It's good for the animals too, right? Because, you know, they're, they're doing their due diligence and taking care of them and, you know, they're, they're, they're emphasizing the importance of animal safety too. You know, Fisher friends, not food, but like sometimes they need extra care and they're not always friendly.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

It's true.

JP:

Also,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

friends.

JP:

fish. Fish are food too. We've all had fish sticks. Especially Fridays during Lent.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ugh. God, I

JP:

it during Lent? Is that thing not lent? It's during.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

them.

JP:

Oh yeah. Sometimes. You never had Fish Friday. Pizza instead.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

didn't. I didn't eat. We didn't have, we, we actually did have pizza.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I would get like three fish sticks and like canned corn.

Ash:

Ew. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Mm-hmm.

JP:

Fish sticks are the worst. Like I don't even think that's real fish. It's probably just like clear hot dogs.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

think she even baked them.'cause you know, in the oven they get crispy.

Ash:

You think she nuked them?

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah.

JP:

legal? You had rude. You had the hotdog of the sea.

Ash:

Hot Dogs of the sea.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

thing.

JP:

Oh, that's a hidden gem right there. It's called salmonella.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

sticks. Can I get a chicken tender?

JP:

It's Friday. You can't have meat. Come on now.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ah.

JP:

okay to eat fish'cause they don't have any feelings.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Ah, that's so mean.

JP:

Do fish cry Hidden gem? I. Let's see. Oh, I got one that I think na, both Natalie and and January know about and utilize, but they don't want this hidden gem to get out there. Uhoh, this is probably just a hidden this. They want this to stay hidden. Here it goes. During the fireworks wait times go down.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I don't, I have no idea what you're talking about.

JP:

Just you deny, you deny, you deny. Behind the castle, you can get, it's just a walk on that carousel.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I have no idea what you're talking about. I

JP:

I love this

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

and center in front of the castle and watch the fireworks

JP:

with everybody. That's the best place to be. And just be right in front of the castle. Watch the fireworks like you've never seen them before, ever in your life. There's the whole park. Everything else is closed. Don't go, you know, don't waste your time in those lines. They're closed.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yes. Don't, don't waste your time.

JP:

It's not a hidden gem. Cut across that, off my list. Do we want it to go over park to park transportation?

Ash:

I mean, I don't think it's a good idea to tell everybody your hacks. I think it's more of a hack than Gem though,

JP:

is I, no, I think the skyliner is a gem.

Ash:

I don't think it's hidden.

JP:

It's not hidden, but I don't think, I don't think people use it as much. I think

Ash:

everybody uses it. Nah.

JP:

When was the last, how, how long is the weight when you get on the Skyliner?

Ash:

I mean, it depends on where you are,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

minutes.

JP:

right? Not like for I don't think. Yeah, maybe at most right. Maximum, I think.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

bus for, oh my God, you take it forever.

JP:

Right.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

that's true.

JP:

But the skyliner, it skyliners not the most efficient form of transportation between the parks, but it's the most fun. Like I go

Ash:

high.

JP:

Yeah. Yeah. I think it's the most fun compared to when you compare it to buses, to the boats, to the monorail. I think the skyliner wins. I mean, that's my personal thing. How do you all feel?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I mean, it's important. I, I like it. It is a fun, a fun mode. I like that it drops you like for, especially for us. Like if we're going to Epco baby, that's it. We're already in there. Let's go. We're already starting off in Paris, near Paris in Jen. Think Jim hack, I would, I mean, I would say hack too, to be honest.

Ash:

Yeah, I definitely enjoy it. I enjoy the buses for the AC when you can finally get on it. I enjoy the skyliner for the view. The ride and the experience. Sometimes that breeze when it kicks in just right. I did not enjoy the boats. I thought I was gonna die. It was so hot in there. I will do anything. I will walk before I do the boat ski.

JP:

I, I did not like the boats.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I've, you know, we've actually left the parkway at the same time as January's parents, and we were gonna meet up with them at the hotel and the, like, like I took'em, I think it took'em like over like, if not over an hour, close to an hour get to like, and then we lost communication, so we just ended up like going home.

JP:

That's that. No, that sucks. That sucks.'cause you're not, you're trying to spend time with them. Right?

Ash:

Yeah.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

well, January was pretending that we lost signal, but we had full bars. No, just kidding. I'm just kidding.

JP:

They might listen to this. I'm not editing that one out.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

JK J.

JP:

Yeah, they y y'all love your family. So I,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah, we

JP:

if they're not sure this, that's a joke.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No, but for real though. Like it really was a pain particular day. Like it was

JP:

The, the transportation, not them.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh, no, not them. You, no,

Ash:

I don't think we've ever had a real problem with the buses. Did

JP:

you say your issue was with the buses or with the boats? Natalie?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

the, it was the boats. It was the boats.

Ash:

It was a boat.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

they wanted to take the boat

Ash:

No. I will always pass on the boat.

JP:

I think that people should try the boat once, at least once. Try it once, once. Not during the summer though. Yeah. Don't do it. Try take it during the winter. It's probably a great evening tour at, during during the colder months of the year. Mm.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And then some people don't wanna take the boat'cause it's colder.'cause you know it's water and the wind and all that.

Ash:

You probably wouldn't get me back on a boat during the summer. It would have to be like, I bet it's probably nice. Definitely during the holidays with all the lights and you know, the theming.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

The lights and the themeing. like it.

JP:

Alright. Fa,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Hmm.

JP:

on hidden gems?

Ash:

I think there's a lot of hidden gems that we probably forgot about.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Poma at

Ash:

These are, these are top tier ones for sure.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

you know, may, we can talk about ma.

JP:

I did have that on my list that but not, but not for Boma. It was more for the, like the, if you, if you're not going over to Animal Kingdom, but you're gonna, you, you want to get breakfast, go get boma and walk around and see some of the animals afterwards. It's always a,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

No,

JP:

they don't just roll around Orlando.

Ash:

The the, the zoo in Miami used to do a giraffe experience and you'd pay like five or 10 bucks for heads of lettuce and feed the

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

we

Ash:

giraffes. And they were like right in your face.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

would yell at us if we brought our own head of lettuce to the animal kingdom laws?

Ash:

Yeah. They would yell. They would yell.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

We, we can't hit him with. I didn't know you couldn't do that.

Ash:

I do know that there, there are a couple of like Africa Trek tours that they do at Animal Kingdom, and I think they might have a giraffe experience where you can feed them, but I'm not entirely sure. But it is like a behind the scenes, literal, like wilderness trek, they like harness you in, like vest you up and you're, you're hooked to like, almost like a zip line so that they can keep track of you mostly so that you don't fall off of bridges, but not so you can zip line.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah.

Ash:

I've seen some videos on them. They're expensive. But I would like to do that once. I don't know if that's considered hidden. I think Disney does do a lot of like extracurricular tours that maybe aren't as widely advertised.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Mm-hmm.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

Hmm, hmm.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like what do you mean extra? Like, like the one that we want to do? What is it? Something in the Savannah,

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

what is it?

JP:

Sipping savannahs,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah,

JP:

something like that. Yeah.

Ash:

Extracurriculars, those you get to pay for. But like the one time we went to the AP lounge situation in Morocco with, with my sister, my sister banged in, well no, she was already called out that day, but I talked her into going to Epcot and so. Somebody, one of us worked from the AP lounge, but the rest of us went and had champagne in Italy and then we came back to the AP lounge and we did like the free sand art thing, like mosaic

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Yeah,

Ash:

thing. And that was really cool and it was free.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

there so late.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

yeah. We didn't get to do it.

Ash:

they have weird times for that stuff, but even like the stuff you have to pay for, I think some of it is really cool and worth the investment. You just gotta do the research ahead of time and sign up for it. I guess. I think the Africa one that I was talking about in Animal Kingdom was like 250 bucks or something per person, but

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

Oh snap.

Ash:

it's like, you know, two or three hours long and you get a meal and you're like literally going into the, into the land. You're not on, you're not just on the truck. Hm,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I like it.

Ash:

perfect.

JP:

This a good place to, to end it?

Ash:

Yeah, I think so. Oh,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

there's one last thing, but it's

Ash:

us

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like I would, I would say it's a hack, but, and I couldn't even tell you the full hack'cause I didn't watch the full video, but it caught my attention. I didn't have the time where the attentions made to finish it. But it's this lady and she takes, she goes, I think she's at magic and she buys like a pretzel. Maybe like a cheesy pretzel like bread.

jp_1_07-01-2025_185412:

uhhuh.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

And then she goes somewhere else and she buys like, remember if it was a Turkey leg or something that was like meat, already know. And she made a sandwich out of it. And I was just like, that's actually pretty fucking smart.

Ash:

Well, dang,

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I

Ash:

that's a whole world of possibilities.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

I know. And she really blew my mind.'cause I was like, of the possibilities.

JP:

Maybe that can be.

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

like

JP:

Maybe that could be like a whole episode of

january-raine_1_07-01-2025_185409:

own.

JP:

concoctions. Like, yeah. What can we, what can you make at the parks?

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

right. Exactly.

Ash:

Yes. What can you make at the parks? You just blew my mind. Make at the parks.

nat_1_07-01-2025_185409:

You are welcome.

JP:

Sweet. And on that note, will catch all y'all in another time.

Ash:

Stay dink. Dink out.

JP:

Dink out. Let me hit the unrecord.

Nancy:

Thanks for tuning into another episode of the DANK pod. Remember to like, follow, subscribe, and share where ever you listen. Send your feedback and questions to us at the dank pod at gmail.com Join us next week when we chat about the best photo spots in the parks. Until next time, stay dank!