Disney Reality Check: The Good, the Bad and the Magical
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Today, we're either going to make you feel seen or triggered. We're talking Disney. So is that worth the money to stay in one of the, like, character hotels? And literally, I sat there and I, I mean, I almost cried. I mean, teared up. Had to, like, because it just makes you feel like anything's possible. Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Smart Money Happy Hour.

Delicious. Lovely. Just like the topic of today's episode. Well, this is the show where two friends who have to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money. Now, before we dive into the belly of the beast, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It's the La Turista. Whoa, look at that, George. I thought we'd go a little tropical. You claim to be Middle Eastern. I don't know. You got a little salsa in you. I took a year or two of Spanish. No salsa in you. Don't have to be dangerous. Love it. A little biblioteca never hurt anybody. Yeah.

So stick around till the end. We're going to give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Yes. Unlike Disney. Okay, George, we're pretty opposites in life. Yeah, no, that's fair. Actually, polar opposites in life, including the topic of Disney. So we'll just give a little, like, just a little snapshot. Sure. I'm going to use one word to describe Disney. I'm going to go with its tagline because it is true. It is magical.

There's just something magical about it, unlike any place on Earth. All right, George, go and be the Grinch. Well, we're going to talk about, obviously, the financial aspects of Disney. What? Boo, I know we are. It's called Smart Money Happy Hour. Can we just, like, have a little fun right now? Yes. No, let's have fun. About how much you hate Disney. I thought you'd have fun with this. I want to see how many of these you would agree with. Do you have, like, statements you're about to give me? Several. Mm-mm. I consulted. Oh, my gosh.

I asked Chad GPT to tell me why I... Like George Camel? Yes. Tell George Camel why. You ready for this? Crowds everywhere. Packed no matter the season. Ridiculous prices. Long lines for everything. Not true. Fake happiness. Not true. Terrible food. Exhausting days. Yeah. Nickel and diming everywhere. Maybe. It's really for the kids and you have to suffer. No.

This one Rachel vehemently disagrees with. Merch overload. Yes. Heat and humidity, depending on the time of year. Grown adults acting like it's a religious pilgrimage. True. Matching shirts and ears. True. People who brag about going 20 plus times a year.

True. Disney is my whole personality crowd. You seeing a theme here? That's a small percentage of people. Adults losing their mind over character meet and greets. Extreme loyalty to a corporation that overcharges them. That's one. The cringe TikTok content. True.

And the people who talk like they work there. It's like a whole language. I'm going to agree. I'm going to agree with seven out of ten. That's my only thing. I'm done venting. I'm going to be in a good mood the rest of the episode. Well, we'll keep going in, deep dive into our thoughts on Disney. But what we can both agree on, though, is not going into debt. And there was a stat that came out that 45% of families go into debt for this specific trip, this vacation. So we both agree that...

Not a good idea. Terrible idea. That does steal the magic. Yeah. So we can agree on that. And another study found that the food prices at Disney World have outgrown inflation by almost double. Disney concessions have gone up 61% in the last 10 years. That's a lot. General inflation has gone up 32% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I rest my case, Your Honor. Yeah, man.

So is it price gouging? Does Disney have legitimate costs? I mean, they're running an entire city. They got to pay for their own police and fire department. Do you know they are? They literally have their own water system, their own grid for the electricity. I mean, like, they legitimately are self-sustaining. It's pretty wild. It feels like if there's an apocalypse, I would want to be at Disney. It's, I don't know. Okay, so have you been to Disney World, George? Yeah, to be fair, it's been a while. Last time I went was probably 2016, 2016.

Okay, not like too far. It wasn't like you were, it wasn't like in the 80s or 90s. No. You've been since then. Yep, and you know my traumatic experience where I lost my dad. But then my mom just told me recently, she was there with me the whole time. What? But in my memory, I was abandoned. I was alone. How old were you during that? I don't know. Anywhere between two and nine. Okay. Okay.

Do you remember where you were in the park when you were abandoned? I feel like I could see the castle. Okay, so somewhere. But your mom was with you the whole time? Yes. Wow, that really deflates the story, George. Yeah, or my dad. I don't even know which parent was with me, but I know that apparently I misremembered. Somebody was with you. And that I was going to be okay either way. And you were going to be fine. Okay. But this is back before you could just call on a cell phone. Well, sure, yeah. I mean, back in the early days, I don't know.

Okay, do you have any characters, though, at Disney that you're just like, oh, yeah, pretty cool? More from the movies than the actual characters. Like, I loved Aladdin growing up, as you may know. I had a huge crush on Jasmine, still do. So if I was going to meet, I think I did a meet and greet with Aladdin and Jasmine once. That was fun. As a grown man. Okay, so you are one of the Disney adults that we speak of. I guess so.

Aladdin was ripped, let me tell you. Very much so. Do you know it's fascinating how much they stay in character? Like they don't break? They don't break character. Like they are that character. That's part of the job, right? I know, but it's unbelievable. Winston and I, we went together before kids because I had a speaking thing there at one of the resorts. Oh, fun. And they gave us a two-day pass as part of the gig. So Winston and I went. This was like 2012 or something. Yeah.

And I remember we went and stood in line for Snow White because we were in Epcot. And like she was right there. It was like three people waiting in line for Snow White. And I was like, oh my gosh, like let's go. I hadn't been since I was a kid at that point. So I was like, let's go meet. And so we, yeah, we go up. I'm like, hi, Snow White. And she's like, oh, hello there. You know, da, da, da. I was like, and this is my husband, Winston. And Winston was like, hi, you know, shakes her hand or something. Pleasure. We shake hands a lot. And yeah, and I remember she was like, did you all meet at a wishing well?

And Winston's like, no, we met at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. And I was like, babe, just play along. But she didn't break. She was asking, were my prints? If he was my prints? Oh, wow. I mean, they are full in character. I love that Winston was not having it. Well, he didn't know to even have it. He was like, oh, I think she's genuinely asking. There was no yes and happening here. He was the opposite of improv. No, it wasn't. He was like, oh, I'm just going to get her. He was just like, oh, no, we didn't meet at Wishing Well. We met in Knoxville, Tennessee. Gosh.

poor woman's just trying to do her job and create some magic. I know. And he's there to squash it. I know. That's why he's my spirit animal. Thank you, Winston. All of it. All of it. You have a favorite character? If you could become a Disney character, like any of the princesses. I was always Belle. Belle was like my go-to as a kid. Why is that? So I probably still, she had brown hair. You know, we always gravitated towards like- Isn't that like half of them? No, there weren't a lot of brown hair. Cinderella was blonde. Ariel, red. Okay. Uh,

Snow White was dark. That's true. Yeah. Okay. And I remember going and seeing Beauty and the Beast in theaters. And I was little. Special to you. I was probably like four or five when that came out. Yeah. And I remember going and seeing it. So maybe that's why. Can I tell you my daughter, who's 18 months old, just got the...

Tonys? Have you heard of these? Yeah, we never had those, or we don't have those. She just got a Tony, and she has a little Belle one, and she has a little Elsa Let It Go, and you put the little figurine on the thing, and it plays the music. Yes. Which one did she like? I think she's really into the Belle one. But here's the weird part. It's not the original music. It's someone that, like, re-sang it. Like, they couldn't get the rights. Oh, no. So it's, like, slightly bad. Oh, shit.

I'm not going to say bad. They're great singers. But you can tell, you're like, oh, this was... Not quite. It's like, yeah. It's like Timu brand Disney. Still great, though. So interesting. But it's put me back in the spirit. Yeah. And it's also, I feel like, training her to be obsessed with Disney as a girl. I know, they do. They, yeah. Early on. Indoctrination starts young, doesn't it? It is. Early, early on.

Okay, but there is a way though to experience Disney with cash, but that is going to cause some patience, delayed gratification. Like it's going to take a level, right? A plan to get there because to our point earlier, it has. It has gotten, it's very expensive. And if you have a family, four, five, six people in a family, like with the park tickets and everything, I'm like,

you're dropping like hundreds of dollars just in the ticket, like let alone everything else. So it is, it's an expensive endeavor. And so it feels like they're already saying this is not for everyone by doing that. For sure. You can prop it up artificially with debt, but there's a better way to do it. And we're going to get into some, you know, financial tips. If you're going to do it, here's how to do it well. Yes, that's right. Okay, what are some things that you think are 100% worth the money at Disney? Okay.

Ooh, I mean, the ticket, you have to have that. I feel like personally, whatever the fast pass thing is, I think for the time you're going to save and the value you're going to get from the trip, that one might be worth it for me. I agree. The lightning lanes. Yeah. They're switching it all up again, though. Is it like there's a premium plus thing now? Yeah, and then they were switching it. I don't know. But I agree with that one. I think that's good. I think...

maybe one character meal that's strategic is worth it. Meaning Cinderella's Castle, you can meet like five princesses

by doing that meal versus waiting in line to meet them throughout the day. Oh, because they're all around the park. You can meet them, but there's a line? Yes, you can. And certain ones are at Epcot, certain ones are at Magic Kingdom. Like, they're spread out, depending upon the princess. So at that specific character meal, you can meet five of them, like, during the meal. Okay. So you kind of, like, kill two birds with one stone. You pay for it. Five birds. Five birds with one stone. Thank you.

I do remember loving Epcot. So I think that's one that's worth the money to me personally. It doesn't feel like it's geared towards kids as much. Yeah, they're getting better. They got Ratatouille. And they have Guardians. Did you do that one? No, I don't think that was... Did that exist at the time? It's like the craziest... It's probably the craziest roller coaster I've ever been on. Wow, that intense? Because you're like in these buckets. And so you're like turning and doing the roller. It's like you're off on your own. It's wild.

It's so good, though. I do think the Soarin' ride is worth it. I don't know why. I remember the smell of oranges as you're flying over the orange tree field. And they put stuff like in the air, scents and stuff. I agree. Spraying chemicals into your face while you soar. But that one did feel, that was the most magical time I had, was doing Soarin'. And Tower of Terror. That one hits. Oh, good. Hollywood Studios. Different park. Yeah.

But it's fine. Can't win them all, Rachel. I love critiquing you in my Disney knowledge. Oh, my gosh. Okay, have you done Universal? Yes. Not Disney, though. I've not done, yeah. But adjacent. I think I'm more of a Universal guy. Okay, I've never been to Universal. It feels a little bit more, I don't want to say bro-y, but it feels like if you're like a little dude, you're like, yeah. Yeah. Because it's got Jurassic Park. Yep. They have all the cool brands. Harry Potter World, which I have never seen.

Can we just say, Harry Potter adults, you're getting real close to Disney adults and it shows. It shows.

I think it's a different type of person, but similarly not okay. I've never read the books. I've never seen the movies. Like, nothing about Harry Potter. And again, not because I have some, like, religious conviction about it. I just, I'm not into, like, fantasy stuff. It's not really my thing. You like more true crime. Murders and, like, kidnappings. Real murders. Not the fake ones. I know. But I tried watching it with Amelia, because Amelia's friends, they were all watching it. And y'all, I mean, within, like, 15, 20 minutes, I was like...

This isn't good. Oh, wow. I did not enjoy it. Did the kids? Yeah, they watched. Yeah, yeah. They've seen them all.

I just don't, I just don't, I can't get into it. Yeah, we're about to get lit up in the comment section. So I'm glad you're going to get roasted today, Harry Potter. Actually, that'd be really interesting if you had to pick Disney or Harry Potter, which is very broad, I guess. Yeah. Too broad? No, but I think the people who are obsessed with Harry Potter are Team Harry. And they're not Team Disney. And Disney people, I don't know if they're like Harry Potter people. I think they look down upon the Disney people as being less than. You think so?

I think so. Oh, Harry Potter people. You know what? I feel that. We're more childlike and Harry Potter feels like we are a step above immaturity or something, which is not true. Well, they went to the school of wizardry. They have wands and stuff. Stuff.

There's a little bit of, you know, there's elitist behavior on both sides. It's true. It's all I'm going to say. It's true. Okay, but that's one thing that I... Okay, so Epcot's your favorite park, though, at Disney? As it stands now as a grown adult. I'd say, yeah, Epcot's fun. What's your favorite? I think Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom. Okay. I don't like Animal Kingdom. Yeah. Not for you. You're not really an animal person. I know. I am learning that about myself more and more.

It's not that I don't like animals. Yeah, you have a dog. Yeah, I'm not an animal person. But you could live without having a pet ever again. I would probably, I would end up with a dog eventually. Okay. Yeah. But yeah, I don't know. But you're no interest in like the safari experience and let's see a giraffe and... Not really. It's okay. I don't know what this is. What is Chef Mickey's?

Oh, Chef Mickey's is in the Contemporary Hotel and it's a character meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Okay. And you meet all of Mickey's characters. So Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, all the things. So is that worth the money to stay in one of the like character hotels? No, you don't get it. Versus the budget? Yeah, no. Okay. Yeah, you don't get Chef Mickey's if you stay at the Contemporary. Okay.

They're always trying to make it like, well, you're not going to get this if you don't do this. They're so strategic with everything they do over there. Yes, I know. Yeah, we've said at Contemporary and we've never done Chef Mickey's, if that helps. It does help me. Yeah, you're welcome. Now when my daughter wants to go say, no, the Cruises didn't do this, so neither are we. So neither are we. Okay, I will say something that is always worth it though is wearing Cozy Earth shoes.

At Disney or not at Disney? This gives me some inspiration. But in life. No, really, Cozy Earth, the quality of these products are just incredible. And this is everything from like the sheets to the blankets to the joggers to the robes to the socks. Like anything and everything Cozy Earth makes is, what do they call it, chef's kiss? Not Chef Mickey, but chef's kiss. Yeah, well done. You're welcome. Take that, Chef Mickey.

No, this is true. And now you make me want to skip on the merch and instead just get a nice cozy earth like sweatsuit I can wear around Disney. Yes. Because it's exhausting. Yeah. And you put some ears on.

I'm not doing the ears. Oh, you're not doing Mickey ears with Cozy Earth though? Don't hide this under a bushel. I worked too hard on it to be messing up with ears. Oh my gosh. Let the kid wear the ears. Cozy Earth, wherever you are, is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And they're giving our listeners and viewers a steep discount up to 40% off at cozyearth.com slash smartmoney and use the promo code smartmoney at checkout.

And let us know. Amazing. Snap some pics in your Cozy Earth gear. No ears, George. Anything? Would you wear anything? I don't like putting things on my body, like tattoos, jewelry, earrings, nothing. Nothing. I don't want it. It's not for me. I don't even wear a lot of hats. Oh, yeah. So I'm not a hat guy, so I think that makes me not an ears guy. I don't understand. Who's fooled? Who's fooled by this? Yeah, you're a dude. I probably wouldn't do ears if I were you. Did Winston wear ears? No. No.

He did wear a Mickey t-shirt, though. What would Winston do? He wore a tee? A Mickey tee, yeah, on one of the days. Was it pretty tight, kind of showing off some muscles? He had had it for a few years when we went on a Disney cruise like five years ago, and it did shrink a little bit. It's worn in a little bit. All right.

Oh, man. Okay, well, we did some research, you guys, to talk through some of like the bougie things of Disney versus the budget-friendly ways of Disney, if you will. And we've narrowed it down. I made the mistake of putting this on my Instagram in a poll of like, let me know your Disney hacks first.

I didn't know what I was asking for. People came out of the woodworks for you, huh? Over 60 screenshots of DMs of people saying, here's all my hacks. I think it was about 19 Disney travel agents that jumped in there. But it was very helpful. I will say that. I got what I asked for and more. This is so good. You ready for this? Yep. Okay. Let's get to the eight budget-friendly do's and don'ts. Number one, I do this. Track crowd calendars online to find slow seasons.

So we did this because we went like at the end of January, which is a slow season, like past all the holidays and all of that. But you get, yeah, the hotel rates are cheaper. Usually the flights are cheaper. So there are ways that you can save if you go during like not a crowded time. Was it chilly or does this depend on? It was cold. We had jackets. Yeah, sweatshirts on.

So it's actually kind of cozy. Rock your cozy earth hoodie. It's so good. That's a good one. That one I'm big on. If it's really crowded, it's going to be a miserable experience. Yes. So if you start adding on heat plus crowd, I'm out on that. Okay, next up, use a free Disney travel planner. Never done this. So they are compensated by Disney through commission on the bookings they make for clients, allowing them to help plan your entire trip without additional fees to you. And some feedback from social also suggested Park Hopper wasn't worth the money.

Interesting. Okay. Okay. So I've never used a Disney planner, not because I don't trust them. I just have control issues. And I enjoy it. It's like part of my hobby. I love planning. You want to be the planner. I love planning trips. It's like a spiritual gift. I want someone else to do it for me. But I do, here's the thing. The Disney travel planners, they're incentivized to do more because that increases their commission. So just be clear about what your budget is and stay firm. But they do know that if you've never been to Disney...

use them because they do know the ins and outs and it's a whole system. And they might inspire some magic. That's interesting that the park hopper wasn't worth it because we would hit two parks...

A day sometimes. Oh, wow. So if you stay on a Disney resort, like on property, certain resorts, you get the exclusive hours at night. So they'll open up Epcot from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. But it does add on. Is that with the Fast Pass, though, where you've experienced the entire park in half a day because of that? Not Magic Kingdom. That takes a full day. Animal Kingdom, yeah, could be half a day. I don't know. I think the reason was...

It takes, you could spend a whole day there and still not see anything. That is true. That is true. You can't save money. Okay, next one. BYO everything. So you can stay off property, pack your own snacks and water, pack your own toys and activities. Like don't buy the memorabilia there. Like just buy everything, bring it yourself. And I do agree with this. So I will Amazon ears off.

Yeah. I think like the Walmart, you just go there and get all the gear and then head to the park. Yes, I mean, seriously, because it is so expensive there. I will say the food elements, last trip, I did less like bring your own bottle of water and all of that because there are water stations and different things. And again, if you're on a tight budget, then yeah, you could totally just like bring your own snacks, 100%.

But like have a little bit if you can to enjoy some of the snacks there because some of like, there's some like famous foods I feel like at the Disney parks. You can't get it. Like the Dole Whip. I've heard amazing things about this Dole Whip. Yeah. And there's like a croissant thing. Good for Dole for staying, you know, top of mind for consumers. There's these like egg rolls in Magic Kingdom and you get like a hamburger or a pizza and

But they're like egg rolls and they are so good. So it's fun things like that. It's an egg roll filled with pizza? Yeah, it's like an egg roll, but you open it, it's like cheese and pepperoni and sauce or a burger, which sounds weird, but... A burger inside of an egg roll. Yes, but it was so good. You know those videos of people eating on Instagram? Videos of people eating on... Do you watch this? I guess I've seen people eat on Instagram. Here's the Chili's mozzarella sticks and they'll talk about it and like show themselves eating it. I think your algorithm is very different than mine. Okay.

Well, I went, I guess, because my algorithm last time I went to Disney, I guess, caught on that I was going to Disney. And they showed me all these people eating around Disney and they make it look so good. And some of them were not great, but the egg rolls. That was worth it. Great. It feels like you're describing a Hot Pocket, but crunchier. 100%. Good job, George. That's it. Yeah, that's it. But it comes from a cart in Magic Kingdom. Oh, it's out of a cart. Yeah. Okay, where is it coming? It can't be made at the cart. Are they delivering these from a kitchen to the cart? Mm-hmm.

Sure. I didn't concentrate that much. I didn't focus in. Very suspicious. Okay, that's a good one. And I have heard everyone's like, you can get water from any of the self-serve stations for free. Don't pay for water there. That's a good one. Next up, use discounted gift cards. I got this message probably 20 times. It said, buy Disney gift cards at Target or Sam's Club, and you can save 5% on a high dollar gift card and purchase park tickets with it.

And so if you're buying for a whole family, you could be spending thousands and that could save you a few hundred. So 5% doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're talking a $5,000 trip, it adds up. So good. Love it. Next, four parks in four days deal. So $99 per ticket versus the usual $150. Yeah.

That's amazing. I didn't know about this one. But all day, every day. So it's kind of like if you buy more, you can save. Yeah. If you want to do four parks in four days feels reasonable. Yeah, for sure. A hundred bucks a ticket, I would do that. Yeah, that's good. Okay, that's good. Can you pair that with the Disney gift cards? That's the question. Ooh, double up. That's the ultimate hack. Look at you. Look at you. Now, if you are planning a trip, you know, there's going to be a lot of like Googling, looking around like, okay, what do I do here? And it's so easy to put your personal info out there online.

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Wonderful. Next up, military discount. Families get 25% off an annual membership and there's tons of other discounts on smaller booking expenses throughout the process. So if you are traveling with someone who has that military discount, take advantage of it. For sure. The dining plan.

So I've never done a designing plan. It feels like a ripoff in my heart. I don't know. It's a little confusing. I get a little nervous with it. But apparently it is a great way to save. So honestly, this is probably the advantage of using a Disney planner because they're going to be able to break it all down for you. This feels more about convenience than like a cost savings. So if you're aiming for convenience, this could be helpful. I've heard that avoid the sit-downs and just go for more of the casual spots. Yes, that is true. You'll save time and money that way. Yeah, that's great. Except for Tony's Town Square.

and Magic Kingdom because the garlic bread. Who's Town Square? Tony. Who's Tony? The restaurant. It's like a really great sit down in Magic Kingdom. It's one of the only ones I would do and the garlic bread with the cheese sauce is phenomenal. Wow. There's that too. You're welcome. You're really there for the food, I'm realizing. You're welcome. That's fine. Some of it is good. Some of it's not. Some of it's very disappointing. Okay. Sometimes it's really good. Last budget friendly hack. Set expectations before you go. This is a good one.

This is a good one to have the talk with the kids. Have the pep talk. Say, here's what's going to happen as soon as we enter this park. Here's what we're doing. Here's what we're not doing. That way when they bring it up, say, no, remember, we agreed. That's right. We're not doing that. Yes. And it's, to me, honestly, I think that sensory overload. I think that's the big thing. Especially as a child. Yeah. It's crazy. It's noisy. It's crowded. But I guess if you thrive in chaos...

Like me. You love that experience. It's great. I would need a quiet spot to hang out. All right. Okay. So that's all the budget friendly. Let's go bougie, George. Yeah. Okay. So we went from one side of the spectrum if you're trying to save money. Now this is the, if you had unlimited money, what would you do for the most premium Disney experience?

First and foremost, the private VIP tour. So this ranges anywhere from $425 to $900 an hour. You have to book a minimum of seven continuous hours and the party can include up to 10 guests.

But you get a, and you'll see them around. They're in a little plaid vest, those Disney people. And then you know, is someone famous coming here? You look for the, who is this? Oh, if you see plaid vest, you're like, this is a VIP client. It must be someone with a lot of money. And they get to go up to the front of the line. They go through the exits. Wow. You get back access to all the lots and all the things. So if you're going to go bougie,

VIP tour. I mean, because the standing in line thing is the big thing. So if you can skip that. That's my thing is most of your time at Disney, you're just standing in lines. Right, right. That's what kind of ruins it for me. Yeah. I want to be doing stuff. Yeah. I want to be more productive. There you go. Okay. That could be an interesting, maybe I'll do that one day. There you go. You'll be so proud of me. Make a bucket list item. If George Kim will ever spend that kind of money.

my ancestors would be rolling in their grave and me spending $900 per hour for a guy in a plaid vest to be like, right this way to a ride, sir. To the Winnie the Pooh ride. I could have anything I want in my life for $900 an hour, and I've chosen this. That's kind of sad. Yeah.

It's actually a funny way to put it. But if I saw that person, I'd be a little jealous. There you go. All right, next up. All right, number two is the fireworks dessert party. So $99 per adult, $59 per child at Magic Kingdom only. And treats at Tomorrowland Terrace plus VIP access to the Plaza Hubgrass for the best view of the fireworks. Okay. And I love the fireworks.

the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom. So you're really paying for just a nice view. You're not worried about like, is someone tall going to be in front of me? That's usually my fear. So I might actually pay for this. This might be worth it. Can I say, I may or may not have teared up at the fireworks at Disney. Why is that? Is it the music happening with the fireworks? It is so good. It literally makes you feel like...

Anything is possible. Like when that song comes on and I watched the Happily Ever After version and then I saw the other version, which I didn't think was as good. But the Happily Ever After, I mean, it's like this girl's voice and this man's voice. And then you see all because they project. Here's what's crazy, George. They project things onto the castle. Oh, I do remember that. And it's what the castle turns into all this. That was cool. Wild. I will admit. Wild.

And literally, I sat there and I, I mean, I almost cried. I mean, teared up. Had to like, because it just makes you feel like it's possible that you can do anything you want to do. That's what made you think? Yes.

And I was like, oh my gosh, I can go do some things with my life. That's what I thought. So is that part of what creates this Disney bond? I guess, because it taps on the emotions. Assuming it's a shared experience of all these people from around the world. That's what I thought too. All enjoying this one beautiful moment together. Everyone has their story. We don't know what brought them here in that moment.

But this, we all together believe that anything is possible. So in your mind, you're like, if everyone could see this, world peace could happen. Actually, yes. Take it around the world. Like get Ukraine, get Russia, get Israel, get... Hey, let's all watch the Disney fireworks and let's solve this thing. Although I will say that you just sold me a little bit on the magic of Disney with that. Okay. Next up for the ultra bougie...

Club level access at resort. This is two to 300 bucks per night. You get access to a private lounge. Complimentary. I love that it's complimentary, but it's $300 a night. Complimentary snacks, drinks, alcoholic beverages, and small meals. And there's experts who help with park reservations, tech support, et cetera. We did this, George. Worth it? For free. Because are you ready for this? This doesn't happen often, but when it happens. Someone recognized you. That worked at Disney. Yeah.

And said, hey, just wanted to bless you and your family with a little gift. Didn't say what it was. So we go and check into our hotel. And they were like, oh, you're on the club level. And we were like, no, we're not. And then the card said like so-and-so, like thanks again for all you do at Ramsey, whatever, with the guy's name. And he upgraded us to club at Disney. Now we did have to sit down with the kids to tell them that this is not normal.

But George, I mean, once you go club, how do you go back? Because you went from, we're not buying a single snack to grab all the snacks you want. I'm like, man, get a beer after that champagne. You just like, I'm in for that. Snacks, drinks. When I go to Disney, I'm going to wear a shirt that says, I know Rachel Cruz. That way, maybe one employee would bless me and say, you know, Rachel Cruz, no way. And I'll show them a picture of our show. Forever thankful. Forever thankful. That's amazing.

Okay, next up for bougie activities. Is Victoria and Albert's dining experience. Oh my gosh, right? The main room is $295 a person. Extra wine pairings, $150. This is just for adults, by the way. Interesting, okay, so Victoria's room is $375 a person. Chef's table is $425 a person. The most upscaled resort at Disney located at the Grand Floridian. There is a dress code. Oh my gosh. Now you want to do this, don't you? I didn't know this existed.

But it's adults only, so you have to leave the kids? I don't know. I guess when they're old enough. Like if they're in middle school and stuff, high school. Yeah, but what do you say? Just gallivant across the park on your own? I guess. No, no, it's at a hotel, the Grand Floridian. Oh, so they're stuck in the hotel room. If you're staying at the hotel room. That feels selfish. Get them some food. Like, hey, kids, we're at Disney. Don't leave this hotel room. For dinner. Watch a movie. Hey. Your mom and I are going to dinner. They might be fine with it. For $1,000. Ha ha!

But you don't buy a single snack. That feels wild. But yeah, if it was just you and Winston, that could be fun. Yeah.

All right. Next up, we're getting fancier. Private poolside cabana rental. Ranges from $300 to $1,000 or more depending on the time of year, location, the perks. So this is comfy seating, mini fridge with drinks, personal TV, dedicated attendant. So great. All right. The last one is the private fireworks cruise. Starts at $450 for a private boat ride up to 10 guests.

which isn't bad if you split that. Yeah, the $4.50 covers 10 guests. I guess $45 a person to go on a boat and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom or Epcot on the water. That sounds magical. That is cool. That would be cool to be on the water. That sounds fun. I'd be willing to chip in. I'm realizing I should go with a big group.

to get the most bang for my buck and do these elite experiences. What if you did all these experiences and split it for 10, right? Because a lot of these are for 10 people. That would be fascinating. I'm thinking the camels and the cruises. Trying to rope us into your Disney trip, eh? I bet we get Ken Coleman on board. I'm in.

Love it. That's fun. Okay. Let's move back to some budget-friendly hacks. This is from our Ramsey colleague, Nathan, who worked at Disney for 20 years. All right. So he is... Run him down the list, George. Give us your hacks. Here's what he said are his four budget-friendly hacks. Number one, cheapest time to book, weekdays in November or February. So off-season. Okay. Go on a weekday in the off-season, November or February, you're going to save money. Resort hopping.

Going from one Disney resort hotel to the next, enjoying the atmosphere at no cost except for parking. So, you know, the lounges, the bars, the free live entertainment, and just go experience it all. Okay. Next, split a cabin with a group. Disney's Fort Wilderness. There's a group cabin.

Wow. They have a Fort Wilderness resort and campground, has cabins that sleep six with kitchens and barbecues for outdoor grilling. Cheapest is around 500 bucks a night during the value periods. Okay. And lastly, character breakfast. If a meal at Cinderella's Castle is too expensive, you still want the interactive experience character breakfast, 10 to 20 a person. What's your final thoughts on this? Did it change your mind at all? No. No. I will say, last time we went to Disney, we left and Winston said, can't wait to come back with our grandkids.

Whoa. That was it. Winston said that? Like, that's the next time he's going to go, basically. That was his boundary. So saying never again. When he has grandkids. He essentially said never again. He's done. And why is that? What's Winston's take on why he wouldn't go? It's all about opportunity costs. How you mentioned, like, oh, you know, he just takes how much we spend. He's too analytical? We could do anything with this money, and we're choosing to go to Disney with this money. Like, it boggles his mind. Yeah, he didn't.

But it's about experience over utility. And so for Winston, he's like, hey, that could have funded the kids' college. And if we just let it sit for- Well, it's not even that. He's like, we could have gone to a great hotel in the Caribbean or something. Like, you know what I mean? Like, for what you end up spending with everything together, it's like, oh my gosh, we could have gone somewhere awesome. Well, does the hotel have Cinderella's Castle, Winston? No, that's what I'm saying. As I'm like, it's like, you can't compare it. Like, it is not comparable. I love being on your side. It's so much more fun. And y'all, and I-

It's such a blast. It is. Agreeing with you. I just think it is fun. And people are like, it's a waste of money. It's so stupid. And granted, I've only been four times. And I say only four. Everyone's like, oh, that's so... No, some people go 20 times a year. Like, I'm not one of those people. I'm not going every year. But I would be on an every other year, every two year rotation for the rest of my life. Okay. Yeah.

So I have an 18-month-old. When would you say is the right time for someone's first experience at Disney to really enjoy it? We wouldn't take Charles until he was, he just turned five, I would say that, four or five. Four or five. Yeah. So before your child turns three, I've heard that you can take them for free. Yes. So that's a good hack. Someone said, hey, this is a fun experience to take, you

you know, your two-plus-year-old. Right. Because it's still a little magical for them. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're just not going to do all the rides. Four and five felt good. Yeah, four and five felt like Charles could do most everything and had fun, knew what was going on, like all of that. So that was good. Okay. So I'd stick around there. Now here's the big thing. Your kids are not entitled to going to Disney. And I feel like it's become this rite of passage for kids to be like, well, I gotta go to Disney. Is that happening across the world? Yeah.

What's this phenomenon that it's like a rite of passage for a child to go to Disney? Yeah, and I think that's more the parents feeling that than the kid. So the parents are ingraining this. My kids like Disney, but they also like Chick-fil-A. Do you know what I'm saying? There's a point that they just like having fun. They're fine. I think it's the bigness and the nostalgia of it is coming from the adult brain, not the child brain. Well, I've seen the big surprises. They open it and they have the Disney band in it and the kids are like, what?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's true. But again, for them to have that reaction, I bet that they're eight years old and older. Yeah, I could gift your kids a Chick-fil-A gift card. They'd have the same reaction. Yeah, like Charles probably wouldn't have that, but the girls would. Like, do you know what I'm saying? To get even that reaction, it has to be a little bit older. How would you talk to your kids if they wanted to go to Disney, but it's not in the budget? Well,

Let's say someone out there, they're in baby step two, trying to pay off some debt in the Ramsey plan. You know what's funny? I hear people when they talk about talking to their kids of like, don't have a scarcity mindset. Like, don't tell them, oh, it's not in the budget because they're going to always, whatever, whatever. It's going to cause trauma, apparently. Yeah, and I'm like, I just tell them, we don't have the money for that. Yeah. Some people would be like, that's like,

scarring them or like, like, so I've heard some money personalities talk about this, like don't have a scarcity mindset because of like X, Y. And I'm like, that's not a scarcity mindset. Like, that's just a reality mindset. Like, this is realistic. This is where we're at. We can't do that. Right. So like, I don't know. That's what I mean, personally, that's what I would say. How about you? How would I tell my kids that it wasn't in the budget? I'd say, hey,

we're going to do that in the future. We need to save up money so that we can pay for it. That we can do it in the future. And say, hey, it's happening. Because I think kids hear no and they hear never. Yeah. And it's just a not now, not this year. Yes, yes. So having a clear timeline for when it could happen. And, you know, that's going to teach some patience. I'd lay it out. Say, hey, it's $5,000. Here's how much we're going to save per year. And we're going to have a little tracker and you can keep up with it. Make it a whole thing.

Make it a game. It's good. I like it, George. But I will say this. You talk about our friend, Dr. Arthur Brooks, and the things you can spend money on, what's going to bring happiness. And the one thing that actually brings happiness is spending money on experiences. Not the one thing. But the one thing when it comes to spending money.

Versus stuff. Spending your money, yeah, to get your time back, giving, saving, spending on experiences. Correct. Yeah. So this feels like an actual, there's some actual benefits to this. For sure. Yes. To spending this money, there is an ROI. Yeah. And again, you're not, yeah, and if you go by yourself, I don't think you get that same type of joy. With the people you love. Yeah, and when you go with people, I think it's great. I don't know. It is.

It's so fun. I'm so fun. Take me when y'all go. Honestly, I need someone who's going to, I need like a hype man to talk me off the ledge to be like, just go have fun. The girl's like, should we do the people mover? And I'm like, yes, I love the people mover. What is that? Oh my God. It's like the slowest ride, but you go all through the park and it's just like, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. So it's like a really slow subway. I'm just saying I would do any ride and I'm very happy about it. I literally looked like this on Winnie the Pooh. I was like. Wow. Wow.

But the people never bother you? The like sensory overload, the unaware people who are just standing in the middle of a walkway, that never bothers you? No, because I am focused on my next goal. Okay. And I'm walking quick. I leave, I've left my kids with Winston before. I have a traumatic experience like you.

Because I'm going the next thing. You just ditched your family. And then I look back and I'm like, where are y'all two? Come on. You gotta go faster. Walk faster. That's my problem is I'm very focused and then I look back and I've ditched my family accidentally and then we're in a fight. So you keep leaving us. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So you're going too slow. That's what I say. I know.

So that's the only issue. Okay, well, hey, if you are budgeting for your next Disney trip or anything else, be sure to check out the EveryDollar app. It makes budgeting so easy. It makes saving for the future easy. We have sinking funds you can set up in there to go, hey, I want to put $100 a month into this sinking fund for Disney. And a year from now, we're going to have $1,200, which might get us three tickets. Maybe. Maybe, maybe. For one day. Oh, so good. Well...

You changed my mind a little bit. I'm going to say this episode is really just for me. So fun. So fun. All right. Well, before we spill the tea in our guilty as charged segments, what's your rating? I'm going to go nine out of 10 on this. I know. I was going to give it two. Yeah. It's really good. I would say nine out of 10. I'm very happy with it. It's the La Tourista.

The drink cost is $3.30. The rosemary is intense. If you like rosemary, you're going to like this one. It's got tequila, elderflower liqueur, Aperol, simple syrup, Peychaud's bitters, and lemon juice with a little sprig of rosemary and a little orange peel. Yeah, beautiful. To garnish. So beautiful garnish. Great, beautiful color. I'm loving the flavors here. So this is a win. Go get the recipe in the show notes and try it out this weekend. So great.

All right, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. Can I ask you this one? Oh, yeah. Have you ever done something for your kids, but really you did it because you wanted to? Is this like a setup for this entire episode? It just feels like you're the target demo for doing things that you want to do. While justifying it with how other people are going to experience it. Uh, I mean...

Oh, man. Because you have older kids. You've had a lot of experiences. Yeah, I would say majority of our trips that we go on

I am the number one influence. And then I bring them along and tell them how great. It's your idea. And they go, you're going to love it. Yes. And here's why. You're great at selling people on experience. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and Disney, I would put into that. Even though the kids are like, great to go to Disney. But like, I really want to go. Yeah. When we've gone. You're most of the reason. What about the pool? Was that mostly for you guys to get a pool? Or was that? Oh, no. Who?

Whose idea was this? You know, I would say majority of kids, the kids, because I'm not like swimming around a lot these days. Like I'm not like in the pool, like diving to the bottom. You're not amphibious. I'm not like getting the rings at the bottom of the pool and like loving jumping in. You know what I mean? Like I'll sit out and like read a book.

But I didn't build a pool to do that, though. Like, we had a great porch I could read on. Does that make sense? So the pool, honestly, it was for the kids because it will entertain them and has for the few days it's been open. That's fun. Yeah. So I'm really going to say that one was the kids. I'm inviting myself over. Maybe the convenience of not having to go to another pool was nice. That is nice. I do think public pools...

I get a little heebie-jeebie. Oh, do you? Are you a water park guy? No, no. I feel like there are... We could bring back lots of diseases if we just all went to water parks as a country. I'm not for that. I went to water parks growing up as a kid. Yes. And I still remember my feet burning on the black pavement as you walked to the next thing. I know. I know.

The smell. Yeah. That kind of just chlorine everywhere. Everything's just soaked. Yes. You're like, it's a mix of, you're like, is this sweat or am I just still wet? We don't know anymore. It's all become one. Yeah. So I haven't been to a water park in a long time. Okay. Anything for you with Mia so far? Have I done something for my kids or really did it because you wanted to? I mean, I think opening a 529 account for a college, that was really for me. Yeah.

You know, I've always wanted to, and I didn't have a good reason. Wait, what? Yeah. You've always just wanted to open up a 529? Yeah. Why? Because we teach it all the time. Like, yeah, open a 529. It's great. And so I was like, I want to do that. I could have opened one for myself, but I already graduated, so it's not for me. I didn't take you to Disney. Like, I just feel like you need, like, fun in your life, George. Some people's joy is 529 plans. Some is...

Magic Kingdom. Oh, my gosh. We all have our thing. Oh, my gosh, George. Opportunity cost. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So that was really for me. It's going to benefit her because she'll go to college debt-free, which we love. Yeah. But it was for me. Okay. Wow. You know? It's a very selfless thing to do. We did just get a toddler tower, like a little kitchen helper, mommy helper thing. Cute. We never had those, but I've seen them a lot. So I just built that yesterday. You...

I didn't do it from scratch. Let's not row past that, George. Thank you. Give you a clap. I'm a beast with an Allen wrench and 48 minutes to spare. You built it. Yeah. Good job. It was really exhausting, but that one was really for me because it puts her in a tiny prison so that I don't have to chase her around as much in her toddler era. Okay. So now she's like, she can't really get out. There you go. Hey, we had play pens when I was a baby. Yeah. I don't know where those went. Yeah.

We have a little playpen. Oh, you do? As they get older, they don't want to be in a pen. Okay. God, we never... I didn't have those for my kids. They're out of their baby pig era. They know. They're like, I don't want to be in this. But seriously, y'all had a baby pen for Mia. Yeah, we still have it. It's there. Okay. Do your friends have them? I don't know. I don't go to my friends' houses. I have not seen those in years. I don't go to my friends' houses. Yeah. It's none of my business what happens in their house. George.

Unless I'm coming over the cruises for a pool day. Pool party, pool party. All right. Well, hey, DM us your fun Guilty as Charged questions. We may use one for an upcoming episode. Be sure to label it Guilty as Charged so we can find it in the DMs. Yep, so great. Well, we hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Make sure to subscribe, like it. And if you liked this episode, you'll definitely like the next one that is all about talking about budgeting.

being conscious when you travel, and it's called What Vacations Are Really Costing You. We will put a link below. So make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.