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April 17, 2025 • 14 mins
Frankie sat down in Walt Disney World with friends Christina and Emile to talk all things Disney - how to book a vacation, how the diverse team members bring their experiences to make even more magic for families, the benefits on staying on-property, and of course the Summer of Fun Showcase!
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And welcome.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
My name is Frankie Darcel from one five point three
WGAS in the great city of Philadelphia, And of course
i'd like to say hello to everyone that watches the
Super Bowl. I'm just saying I'm in my green today.
But right now I'm here at Walt Disney World's End Orlando,
where they leave no stone unturned, and I'm so excited

(00:22):
about the Disney Summer of Fun Showcase. Joining me is
Christina and Emil, and We're going to.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Talk about all things Disney. First of all, ladies, thank
you for joining me. Thank you for having us.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
You know, I've got to get my fabulous ears right.
I have experienced Disney in every way possible and still
have not had the opportunity to see all of the
incredible things that Disney.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Has to offer.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Let me start with you, Christina. This is the Summer
Fun Showcase. Talk about number one, how people can plan
their vacation and almost like talking to a friend, there's
an opportunity for people to be able to call in
and speak to Disney associates about how to plan the
Disney vacation.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
So yeah, so we as planned Disney panelists, we actually
receive questions all year round about just how to plan
your vacation. And typically what will happen is you go
to Plant Disney dot com. People will type in a
question to us and it could be a question from
anything about accommodations, like I have a family of six,
where would I stay all the way to what type

(01:27):
of mattresses in Grand Floridan, because.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
I really love what yah. That's a lot of detail.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
It's a lot of detail. And we are from Plan Disney.
We are guests just like you all, and we basically
come from all different places and we are able to
give you our experience right now.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
And Emil, you were saying that and in a number
of different languages as well.

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Correct, So I am bilingual, so we answer questions in English, Spanish, French,
and Portuguese. We are from all over the world. Literally,
we have panelists that come from Canada, from Brazil, all
over the United States, only from Puerto Rico, so there's
just such a diverse background. So, like you were saying earlier,
there's so many different ways to experience Disney, and we

(02:07):
bring all those different perspectives and experiences to help other
guests plan their vacation.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
You know, one of the things I think, you know,
when you when people think of Disney and the experience,
there's so much to do, and I love to be
able to say, whether you're a mom, dad, and uncle,
the kid in you will come out, so bring the
kids making have fun too. But talk about the different families,

(02:33):
the different diverse families, and the opportunities to be able
to pick from a number of different options here at
Walt Disney World.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
So I think that is a great point. One of
the best things about Disney, to your point, is there
is something for everybody, every budget, every family style, really everything.
So when it comes to just resorts in general, you
can pick a you know, you can pick a value
resort all the way up to a deluxe resort, so
lots of options to choose from. You can do studio
rooms if you're coming with.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
A larger group.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
There's one bedroom villas, two bedroom villas, even three bedroom
villas that are three separate areas, a full kitchen and
a full living area. So really it just depends on
who you're coming with, what your experience you want to
be like, and.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Of course what is your budget.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, here's one of the things you talk about.
You know, no stone unturned. I wanted to let people
know too. Once you're on a Disney property, there's transportation
from the parks, back to the location and around all
of the theme parks.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, talk about absolutely the services.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Available for people when you stay on at the Disney property.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yeah, so the benefits of staying on property. You can
literally arrive and unplug, and Disney takes care of all
of the details from from the resort getting you to
the parks. There's so many different ways of transportation monorails, buses, skyliners, boats,
and you're immersed in the magic. No stone on turn.
Like you said, everything is detailed to the max, and
so there's just so many benefits. You can get to

(04:03):
the parks a little bit early when you stay on
property so that you can enjoy more of the magic.
You can do a full package so that feels like
everything is taken care of before you rite. You can
add a dining plan, you can add like we call
it like extra fixides, enchanting extras to make and customize
your vacation to make it extra special for your family.
So really, staying on property just includes all that extra

(04:26):
magic to make you feel like your vacation is just
Disney five stress.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well, once you're here on the Disney properties, can you
talk about moving into this summer fun showcase what people
can expect this summer.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
This summer.

Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, so we have a brand new I am super
looking forward to a Starlight It's a new nighttime parade.
So we haven't had a nighttime parade for a while
and I've been missing it. We used to have one
that was my favorite. But oh my goodness. We're so excited.
There's a new Villains show coming. So if you're a
Villains fan, we love the Villains, little Mermaid show that's

(05:05):
coming to Disney's Hollywood studios, and a Zootopia attraction. Is
that this summer as well?

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Correct? I believe so?

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Yeah, I believe so. Some of these, like the official
dates have not been officially announced, but it is coming
up in the summer.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Something new for sure, Always something new, and it's never
the same experience.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's never the same.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
There's so much to see that even if you try
on one trip, it's impossible you can see everything. There
is software, so always planning on the next trip, you know.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Speaking of the planning, I want you to talk about
how to plan a Disney vacation.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
That's a great point. So I always say, when planning
a Disney vacation, the first thing to start off it
with is budget. Right, how much do you want to spend? Right,
That's the number one thing to figure out, So you
start there first is going to be your budget. Then
you can go into Okay, what are my dates, especially
if you have kids, right, if you want to take
them during fall break? Are we going during school? When
is it that we actually are going? From there, that's

(05:57):
when I say, let's move on to your resort. And
there's a lot of different resorts out there, depending on
what you want and what your family is looking for.
There are some families that love to stay on the
monorail itself. There are other families that are like, well,
I don't need to be on the monorail. I'd rather
walk into Epcot and stay over at the boardwalk or
the beach and Yacht club. Or there's other families like

(06:18):
my own who love the Animal Kingdom Lodge and it
doesn't matter that we have to take the bus ride
because it's provided for us. So that's where I say
to start.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
Now, you mentioned that Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I've had
the opportunity and privilege with this incredible partnership to say
in a number of different locations. The Animal Kingdom Lodge incredible.
When you check in and you and the kids walk
into the room, you pull back the curtains and you
see live animals.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
Talk about that.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Oh yes, so that's actually one of So I have
a three and a seven year old and that is
their favorite thing.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Mine is not up you grow up here, but I
get it, yes exactly.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
So it's funny because even my three year old, she
thinks giraftes should be outside every window at every resort.
And okay, that's a hard act to follow. And then
my seven year old her favorite animals the O copy Wow.
And you can find an O copy over at Candani Wow.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
And who can see an o' copy? You know what
I mean? It's crazy. Before I get no stone on urns, exactly,
no stone turns. And I got to tell you email,
I tried doing Disney. This is some years ago. Am
I still lettos? Oh?

Speaker 4 (07:26):
No?

Speaker 1 (07:27):
How do you prepare? How do you prepare to see
as much as you can in a two or three
day period while you're.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Here planning, planning, planning, and of course plan Disney is
here to help. But I think knowing your family, what
do they want? So for us with our littles, I
let my kids kind of drive the planning to make
it fun for everybody, and I tell them, okay, what
is your must do? Or if I know that my
little one has a special character that they love, maybe
there's a way to do two things at once. So

(07:56):
let's have a character meal. It's a moment to take
a break, take a breather, Lord a son, you're in
the ac you're enjoying a nice meal, and your characters
come to your table and it's a super magical experience.
But all those things pre planning them, you have to
do the dining reservations in advance, but just having that
checklist of okay, we know where we're staying, we did
the bundon, we picked our resort. Now, okay, which parks

(08:17):
fit our family better? For the little ones? I think
Magic Kingdom is just that nostalgia. It has so many attractions.
A lot of the attractions that Magic Kingdom don't even
have a height restriction. You can take your babies, you know,
on Small World and all these attractions create those memories.
But then if you have the teenagers, the older kids
to meet Hollywood studios, you have the Star Wars stuff,

(08:39):
you have like rock and roller Coaster, the thrill rides.
So knowing your family, doing that research and planning in advance,
what are the must dos and then planning from there.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
So as we get ready to close, wanted to kind
of ask you, what are some of the things that
you think people should know before we wrap up.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Well, one of the things I think everybody should know
is check out the special offers page. There are tons
of offers, you know, given to us by Walt Disney,
So check out that page to see what's available because
those are ever changing. So that's number one. Number two.
As a local, I tell everyone you're not going to
be able to do it all in one trip. Wow,

(09:19):
So prioritize what you want to do and enjoy the details,
listen to the sounds around you, and really take it
all in. Yes, because I mean we probably come about
once a month and we still.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Haven't exactly right.

Speaker 3 (09:34):
So those are my big takeaways.

Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, and then the practical thing, So know your family
to know what you have to have with you. Snack
surving in my family, it's warm in Florida, so hydrate
a water bottle, sunblock, clip fans. They have those clip fans.
If you have a little one in the stroller and
they end up falling asleep, they are having the best
day ever having a little nap, you know, and their stroller.

(10:00):
Let's see it also layers. There's actually you know, the weather,
so you want to have ponchos, umbrellas. But for little ones.
We have splash pads in several of our parks when
it's a really hot summer Florida today, to have the
little one, just go plan that water and then you
can change them really quick. So those little things to
have with you just make it a smooth you.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
Know, I'm going to talk about the weather, but I
wanted to say as well because it did not know
until this incredible trip.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
Which is why I'm always so excited to be here.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Is that the water parks are open for the most
part throughout the season, and so to experience that, to
be able to go to the websites and check that out.
But you can plan your family vacation year round for Orlando,
Florida to do on the Walt Disney World.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
Absolutely, and I love that you bring up the water
parks because as actually right now, we have a promotion
going on, so if you're staying at a Disney resort
the day of check in, you can actually go to
a water park included, right, So it's included with your stay.
You and your family can go on whichever water park
is open, and it's just like another great value that
you get for staying on property.

Speaker 4 (11:08):
And the water temperature at the water parks is always
warmed up and.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
They're getting ready to do something next.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
This is going to be a night experience where you'll
be able to go in the evening and be able
to check out the water parks as well, so that
will be super exciting.

Speaker 1 (11:22):
First of all, you guys covered everything.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
I cannot tell you how amazing and this experience has
been for me, and no matter your age, no matter
where you're from, no matter the language you speak, you
feel like you are here at home with family. I
can tell you my daughter is twenty eight. The very
first time we experienced Disney, she was eight. You talked
about Magic Kingdom and for as much as we did,

(11:44):
all of the characters and we had them at home,
not until the show came on stage that night, and
I saw her standing there and all like, oh, I
mean it brought it I can remember she's twenty eight now,
there was twenty years years ago, yes, and and it
brought a tear to my eye. Those are memories and

(12:05):
dreams that Disney made come true. And after all these
years to be able to say that's one of the
things about our relationship that made this Disney experience just
come to life.

Speaker 1 (12:15):
It was amazing memory. So I thank you all so much,
yeah for what you do.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
And you have a five and a three and a
seven year old, a three and a seven year old,
a three and a seven year old, I know.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
Mine, or eleven and seventeen, so we're doing the big
kids though.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Welcome, welcome, welcome. We having a good old time.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Let me let me ask you this before we do
go three seventeen year olds seventeen teenagers?

Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yes, what is the experience like for them?

Speaker 4 (12:38):
It's so much fun because I feel like now we
get to like rock it out, so it's the real rides, right,
And so the little one is still a little apprehensive,
but me and the older tron Guardians of the Galaxy, like,
there's these new attractions at Disney that are groundbreaking, super
super cool and so like I remember, he would be like, oh,

(12:59):
Disney and then I'm like, no, son, just hold up.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
Yeah, isn't it great? That is amazing. It's nothing like this,
so much fun.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Like you said, the memories. I remember coming at six
was the first time I came, and now I get
to bring my little magic through their eyes.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
It is amazing.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
You can't you can't.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
You can't buy those.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
Those are experiences and that's the one thing about Walt
Disney World Orlando.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
It is the experience.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
And when I say that there is no stone, they
leave no stone on turn they do not. I mean
from the time that you greeted when you arrived, to
the time that you experience the staff at check into
the time that you are checking out, it is just
a great experience. So kudos to all that you guys
do to make the dreams of families come true.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
I like that. Kudos to all the things that you
do to make the dreams of families come true.

Speaker 3 (13:57):
Thank you for having us.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
Frankie Darcel won a five point three WDS Philadelphia
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