1267 – Epcot and Animal Kingdom | Ray Cools It Down Again
Ray is as cool as the other side of the pillow as we try to enjoy some music and other performances.
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Episode 1267 – Epcot and Animal Kingdom | Ray Cools It Down Again
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…how come they never say, you’re just…bedtime? You’re right on time for bedtime. Whatever time it is, you’re right on time for this bedtime story. There’s no such thing as being early or late here at Sleep With Me. It’s just here for you, to keep you company, take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. It’s a very different podcast. Even though I’m not a bird…I’ve been referred to as not a bird, and I’m good with that. That doesn't exactly sum up the show because I’m not actually a bird. I don't do a lot of squawking, and…I mean, I do eat seeds and nuts, so, got that in common. I’m not…my dog has…makes nests. She does; my dog Koa likes to have a nest, even with bolsters. She says, double my bolsters. Make me a nest.
So, I guess we do have a few things in common with birds. So, yeah, but…oh yeah, my brain just said, don’t forget, you’re a birdbrain. I said, of all the people to call me a birdbrain, you…my brain just face-plant…face-palmed…it said, did I just call ourselves a birdbrain? No, no, not only did you do that; you interrupted the beginning of a sleep podcast to have me pause and point out that I’m a birdbrain. Like, we forgot in our description of things we…so, yeah, you did do that. You said, by the way, one thing you forgot that we have in common with birds…I say, what, a lovely ability to ruffle…? We have the ability to ruffle feathers, too. So, this may not be the podcast for you. But give it a few tries.
The reason I laugh is really that when people give it a few tries and they realize, oh, this guy has no…he knows exactly how he knows he has no idea what he’s doing. Once that unlocks for you, even partially, you say, oh, okay, I had no idea I was looking for something like this, a friend to keep me company in the deep, dark night, 'cause it’s painful for me. It’s lonely for me when I can't sleep. It hurts, and I just want a friend to tell me a story that makes no sense and goes nowhere and is a little bit silly, someone who’s there for me that I don't have to listen to. Well, that’s what Sleep With Me is. I’m glad you’re here. Do give it a few tries. See how it goes. What we got coming up; support…that’s…the ad-supported show is free whenever you need it, over…not over; exactly 600 episodes in the feed.
Maybe I’ll put 601 in there just so when I say ‘over’, it’s actually accurate. I’m gonna do that. I think I can do that. One episode’s not gonna…what else? 600 episodes in the feed…now I already forgot. Oh, so…yeah, there’s support, then there’s a long, meandering intro right after the support. It is a show within a show to ease you into bedtime and so you could get to know your bore-friend. So, don’t miss out on the long, meandering intro. Then there’s support and then there will be a bedtime story. It’ll be a little theme park…keeping cool at a theme park with my neighbor Ray, and after that will be some thank-yous. So, that’s the structure of the show. That’s what we got coming up, and thanks for making it possible, my Sleep With Me supporters.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. We’re gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts on…things on your mind, thoughts that you’re thinking about, thoughts, feelings, anything that’s coming up for you emotionally related to those thoughts or physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be on a trip, you could have guests coming, you could…your work schedule could change or you could have a different work schedule, maybe you got something coming up, maybe you’re a student, maybe you’re going through something.
There’s people that listen to the show while they’re going through some sort of transitional situation or anticipation or getting over something, and there’s people who are regular listeners, and there’s people who listen during different phases in their life. But you’re here, and the reason I go through that stuff, to point it out, isn’t…it’s weird; initially if you’re new, you might say, that makes me feel less alone, being reminded, and that’s why I kind of…over the years, the podcast is always evolving a little bit based on what I hear from people.
The truth is, based on what I know in my heart from listening to people and listening to listeners is that the reason I go through that stuff is so you know you’re not alone, because there is other people that have gone through something similar, maybe the same thing or maybe just a little bit different, and they can relate to how you feel, just like maybe you relate to the fact I couldn't even pronounce…I didn’t even correctly put those words together, but they were heartfelt…because I know how it feels. I might not know exactly what you’ve gone through, but know how it feels, right? I’ve been there in the deep, dark night, struggling to get to sleep and just there, wondering what’s gonna happen next.
So, I just point that out to let you know, hey, we know how it feels or someone does that’s listening right now, and that’s important, but it’s also important for you to know that you deserve a good night's sleep. You deserve a place you could get some rest. You deserve a bedtime you don’t dread. You deserve the rest you need so your life is more manageable, and if you get that rest, what a wonderful thing, because I’ve been…I know what it’s like on the other side when you don’t have enough rest, and I know what it’s like having a bedtime routine and getting on…like a lot of times, the rest I need so that I can be out there and do what I need to flourish. I know that if you’re out there flourishing or even if your life feels a little bit more manageable, your world’s gonna be better, and you’re a part of the same world I’m a part of, so that’s important to me.
So, that’s why I make the show, and it doesn't work for everybody. A lot of people, they don’t like it at all. The only reason I say to give it a few tries is, one, the show is very different, probably different than what you expected when someone told you about it or you searched about it. Probably if you were searching for it or asking about it or heard about it, it’s because you can't sleep, too. So, you’re probably skeptical 'cause if you’re like me and most of the other listeners, you’ve tried a ton of different things and you’ve got to the point where you’re like, okay, I’ll just try that podcast, or I’ll try that podcast again. I tried it a couple years ago. So, you’re skeptical, you’re doubtful, you’re worn out, and you’re fed up. So, if you feel that way when you get here, that’s normal. That’s how most people get here.
There’s very rarely people that get to Sleep With Me that are like, in the middle of dance…they have that idealized social dancing. It was a thing maybe ten years ago. It still should be idealized. I’m not saying we shouldn’t glorify people dancing by themselves in a totally…feeling it and dancing by themselves. I’m just saying there is an idealized thing of dancing by yourself. Not a lot of people get…people…believe me, I’ve danced alone. Oh boy, have I. That’s different. But a lot of people don’t get here and they’re doing some sort of full-on…whatever the idealized solo-dancing…I guess Napoleon Dynamite wasn’t solo-dancing…or Little Miss Sunshine or other things. They were performing. Or, there was the one with the summer camp or whatever. But, you know what I mean.
Not everybody…you don’t get here when you’re feeling your best because of this bedtime stuff, you know? So, that’s why I go through that stuff…just to let you know, hey, it’s okay. Now, if you find…you try the show a few times or you read a lot of lad mags, you probably already are like, I don't like this person. So, there is another website, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, that has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there, 'cause this show is not…is a niche show, but it’s the right…if it’s the right niche for you or the right niche or however you want to say it, it works, and maybe it only works for a little while when you need it or maybe you become one of these listeners that’s a part of my life, because I get to be a part of theirs, like you. So, those are things to know.
What I’ll do is I’ll send my voice across the deep, dark night. I’ll use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents, which just means my voice is not traditionally soothing, I get mixed up, I go off topic, I forget what I was talking about, I repeat myself, I mispronounce words, I stumble over…I use filler words…now I’ll use some filler words gratuitously, but naturally…I use superfluous filler words, maybe. I don't know if that’s what…maybe I’m not…I don't know. But there’s plenty of extra words in here. So, if…machine transcripts…hopefully those companies have not used…freely used my content with no cost to them to train their models, but if they did…that was when they said, we got an overload…the Des Moines servers, can you check what they’re…?
Oh, they’re listening to episodes of Sleep With Me without…of course without the creator’s permission so they can make their own sleep podcasts, and there’s so many filler words, they don’t know…they’re having trouble parsing it out. Okay, well, we’ll see what happens. So…oh, what was my point in there? I don't know. The show is…oh, I send my voice…that’s the style of the show. It’s very strange and confusing, so much so I forgot. Pointless meanders, superfluous tangents; that’s what I said. Okay, structurally what to expect and how most people listen, how you can adjust; one, this is a show you just barely listen to, almost like background noise or a out-of-focus picture…that you just say, okay, I kinda get it. That’s the best way to listen to it, like a friend that’s talking to you, but they say, don't worry about listening.
Don’t worry about the details, man. I’m gonna give you all of them. I’m gonna tell you about this five-minute short I saw over the next forty-five minutes. That’s what Sleep…but they say, don't worry; I’m not gonna quiz you, or I’m not…I’m just telling you, you don’t need or listen. Or like a TV on in the other room…however…whatever idea works for you. Also, the show is not here to put you to sleep. I’ve been making the show for over ten years by the time you hear this, over 1,200 episodes. I don't even know, tens and tens and tens of thousands of hours of effort, and joyous effort, to put people to sleep. But the show actually doesn't put you to sleep. It’s here to keep you company while you fall asleep; spoiler.
I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-bud, your bore-bor, your bore-sib, your bore-cuz, your bore-bestie, your neigh-bore, your Borbie, your bores, your bore-bruh, your bore-friend, to take your mind off of stuff and keep you company while you fall asleep. The shows are over an hour because there is no pressure to fall asleep. I’m here…there’s over 600 free shows you could choose from, so you could just see how it goes. I’m here for you. So, just see how it goes, and I’ll ease you into bedtime and keep you company, and the next thing you know, you’ll wake up tomorrow or you could wake up at some point and put the podcast back on. See what happens. Structurally is the next thing that I like to point out.
This is the way most people listen to the show and the way we’ve designed the show very specifically over the years, but I’ll also talk about ways you could adjust. But if you’re new, just listen to it linearly. See how it goes. Maybe listen…if you listen to three episodes, listen to five or six and then start to adjust. But for the most part, people choose to listen this way 'cause it just benefits the most amount of people. So, the show starts off with a greeting which we only started four or five years ago, but it was important for me to figure this out, that you could feel seen and welcome at first, and you say, huh…and you get the idea the show’s a little bit silly and a quick taste of the structure of the show, so you say, okay, I might check that out.
Then the free show is sponsor-supported, so that means a lot…that’s just the way most people like to listen to the show. They say, hey, I just got…it’s sponsor-supported, so I don't have to pay for it. That’s cool. Then separate from the support is a long, meandering intro which is meant to ease you into bedtime. For some reason, the…two things stick out to me that I like to point out how you could adjust right away…is some people don’t like the support. If you don’t like the support, there’s plenty of options. You could support the show directly to get ad-free stuff, you could spread the word for free and join our referral program to get ad-free stuff, but most people choose to listen that way. The intro is not part of the support. It’s a show within a show, and for most people, it’s part of their wind-down routine.
So, 2% of people skip the intro. A few thousand people subscribe to the show so they can listen to just the story-only version of the show, which you could get at the starting level of subscribing to the podcast if that works better for you. But for most listeners, the intro…they’re either getting ready for bed or they’re doing a wind-down, chill activity, or they’re in bed getting comfortable. There is a small percentage of people that are asleep. So, the intro is just meant…it’s like a landing pad. It eases you into bedtime, lowers…gives you a buffer between the day, the evening, bedtime, and drifting off. So, that’s just part of the structure, a slow fade.
We actually even tried slow fades, but those were…believe it or not, the slow…the volume of everything we make is -16 [inaudible], whether it’s the ads at the beginning or the end of the show, because that consistent volume always worked better. But we did try slow fades with different stuff or slowly fading the show out volume-wise at the end. That didn’t work. I don't know, some people listen…back-to-back episodes and stuff like that. So, what was my point? The intro goes on and on and on, then there’s support between the intro and the story, then tonight’s bedtime story will be my neighbor Ray giving tips about live performances and staying cool at a couple theme parks. I think Disney’s…I think he already did Epcot. Maybe he didn’t. I don't know. I mean, I think maybe this is where he talks about the Epcot piano-player.
So, you don’t want to miss it. Even if he doesn't talk…even if he talked about that six months ago, there’s gonna be other…oh man, maybe these are the performances…I don't know. It’s worth a listen, for sure. So, that’ll go…and that’s about fifty minutes long, and then there’s thank-yous at the end. So, that’s the structure of the show, that’s why we structure the show that way, that’s different ways you could choose to adjust the show, but for the most part, this show is here to keep you company, take your mind off of stuff, and then have you drift off eventually, invite you in, kinda sit down and chill, and then put you to…I don't even put you to sleep. Like I said, you fall asleep while I’m just rambling. But I’m so glad you’re here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive. I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple of ways we’re able to do it for you for free twice a week.
Hello, hello, hello everybody. This is Ray, your friend Ray, Scooter’s neighbor, Ray. So good to be here in your ears. Oh boy, this is Part 2 of Part 1. I guess it doesn't really matter, Scooter, does it? Scooter shook his…where I’m back talking about Disney parks. It’s been a while since I talked about Disney parks, and we had a couple ideas over the past couple years. I said, Scooter, I think I’m ready to talk about Disney parks, being in the park and stuff like that. We had two separate ideas. Well, one came out of being two different…well, so, we’ve been doing a lot of on-location recording outside of the parks, 'cause you can't record in the parks a sleep podcast. There’s plenty of great pod…audio shows about the parks and youtubers about the parks, but we can record trip reports and do research in the parks.
But for our show, it just doesn't work mostly 'cause Scooter…no, because Scooter has…but we’ve…walking around the parks, you’ll hear those on Patreon. We had a lot of good things, but we also have come up with some ideas, which…we had another episode we recorded about Animal…what was it? No, no, Magic Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios. Oh, I’m supposed to introduce myself. My name is Ray Perkins. If this is your first time listening, I’m Scooter’s neighbor and his friend, I would say. I’m his…I don't have a father’s figure, but you don’t need to be…have a father’s figure to be a father figure, though Scooter said the jury may be out on my…he says, well, I figure…I would figure you for a father, Ray. I’m…say, well, you should figure me for a father figure, though.
Then, don’t say grandfatherly figure, please. I understand. But so, I’m…we have a very large age difference and we’re different personalities, for sure. I like talking…I love smiling, talking to people, listening to people, talking to people I don't know at theme…that’s one of the reasons I love theme parks; they’re full of people. I think if you asked Scooter those things, those would all be pretty low on his list. I mean, Scooter loves people, humanity…he loves serving your humanity in a way that he’s good at, but other…he said, that’s what I like. So, we’re different, and it was not easy becoming Scooter’s friend. It took a lot of work, a lot of, hey…we lived in one place…this was back when Scooter was out not making the podcast and things weren’t going great. I think you could say that pretty easily.
His life was not where anyone would have wanted it to be for him, except for people that didn’t hold…even that people didn’t maybe hold him in high esteem. They would have said, poor guy. That’s what I would say when I…I said, I like that guy, but I really feel like he could use a friend. But he did not feel the same, so I’d say, hey, how you doing? I’m your neighbor. ‘Cause he…so, his driveway…he lived in a house. Now, this may be repeat info for some of you, but Scooter says it’s always somebody’s first time listening, Ray. Just say it sleepy, and you can repeat it. So, Scooter lived in a house that had been converted into four apartments. He lived there and it had a long driveway. Scooter didn’t…the front door was not in use. You could go in the front door, but no one used it.
Scooter’s bed was against his front door. But you would go down the driveway there, and that’s how everybody got into the apartments, was in the back. But so, I would see Scooter going down the driveway because I lived next door, and that’s where I would make eye contact with him if I could. But if he saw me ahead of time, then he would pretend he was on the phone, even though we’ve…he’s admitted to me he was mostly never on the phone. He also said, yeah, I never talk with the phone to my ear. Who does that? I say, I do. But he’d say, well, yeah, I use a headset or something, headphones. So, eventually we became friends after many approaches and thousands of hours of just saying, hello, have a great day. Oh, I like your shirt there. That’s a nice shirt on you. What’s your name?
So, eventually we became friends, is my thing. Then Scooter said, hey, Ray, you love going to theme parks, don’t you? Why don’t you come on the podcast and talk about your trips to the theme parks? I think initially…Scooter and I have not listened, but I think initially I was just going by myself as a single adult out there in the world. This was a different era of the podcast, and…but it was just me, and then it became Scooter and I and Scooter and I and his daughter, occasionally other family members going on vacation, where I became part of his life, which I’m very grateful for, and I know a lot of you listeners are, too. Scooter’s a part of your life and maybe Ray is. Maybe not. Some people…people have strong affinity for me or they say, I prefer not to listen to Ray ever in my life.
Or they say, why do you have a guest on a sleep podcast? We all chuckle at that and say, well…oh, you must mean Antonio Banderas. Okay, so, the concept for these episodes, if this is the first one you hear…it may be the first; it may be the second. I don't know. We recorded one other episode, but Scooter likes to kinda go with…I don't know. He says they don’t have to come out in order. So, the ideas of these episodes…it became one episode. I wanted to do a episode about the Impark person…Streetmosphere-type entertainers, and I pitched Scooter on the idea. I said, what if we do some research and we talk to the patrons? Maybe we talked about matching food and performers. That part did not work out just because…a little too many moving pieces, but we…I mean, we did do that.
We ate at the performances. I don't know if we could do that today, but it probably needed one more research or one more person other than Scooter and I…and again, this all sounds like it’s fun and games, but to Scooter, it’s not. He even said, Ray, this is not fun and games. Why are you talking to them? He doesn't say it that way, but that’s what he means. But so, initially we did research. A while ago…I don't even know how long ago it was where we went…we would see performers and…we don’t even have all our notes, but I have my notes right up here, so we’ll talk about that. These are two parks where there’s a lot of in-person performances.
Now, then, when we were looking at this eating idea, Scooter came up with this other idea out of necessity and of learning the hard way of, well, what if you want to stay cool in these parks without waiting in line or ideally not paying for money? But a lot of times you gotta pay money and eat food. What if you want to sit down in air-conditioning? What do you do if you’re tired of walking around the parks but you can't go home? Because in our research trips, we don’t stay at the Disney hotels because it’s a business expense. Well, one time Scooter forgot it was gonna be a business expense, so he used his points. Did you do that again, Scooter? So, maybe…but it is a business trip, so Scooter usually forgets all the time to use…to pay for it with the business and then he says, oh, well.
But so, we stay offsite because it’s more reasonable, and for Scooter it just feels over-indulgent, though he does want to do ones…Scooter, why don’t we do that, though? We could stay at the resort that we’re gonna do the research at. He just gave me the thumbs-up. Because here’s the thing; we had other research trips planned in two different occasions, and we haven't done those because the idea of Scooter…Scooter said, well, we could take…we’d have to take a lift to the hotel. Walking around these larger hotels…anyway, so, we came up with this idea; like, well, if you’re not staying at a Disney hotel…it takes a lot longer or it costs more money to go back to your hotel to take a nap and take a break. Now, if you’re on vacation, we’d recommend it, but if you’re working, it’s a little bit different of a algorithm.
If you’re with family, you get there at park open…like Ray says, be there before the park opens, then take a break. Go back to your hotel, then come back to the park or another park. Not that difficult. You only want to be at the park for the first three hours it’s open, maybe four, then go ahead and take a break. Go somewhere. Go back to your room, ideally, and then come back. If you’re gonna stay six hours, just go home after that and stay six, seven hours and go home. So, Scooter said, okay, what if…'cause what happened was we really needed a break. We were at Epcot Center and we didn’t follow this protocol. That’s why we’ve come up with this protocol, and we were…we had walked…a lot of walking 'cause we had ridden bikes, walked very far distances before we got to the park, and then we were at the park to do research.
But we also had a line pass…what do you call that? Virtual queue to ride Guardians of the Galaxy. So, we were running out of gas doing our research, but we still had three or four hours ‘til we could ride Guardians of the Galaxy. Scooter said maybe three hours. So…maybe four, Scooter, actually. Okay, yeah. 3:00 p.m…that’s 2:00 p.m., right? Sorry, Scooter and I are having a disagreement. So, at that time we didn’t have anything in-park, so we just…Scooter’s like, we gotta get outta here. It’s too hot, too busy…and we went to some hotels and just sat down. Then we did some recording because we were working and Scooter said we’ll record, but then Scooter came up with this…another idea on another research trip where Scooter said, well, what if we found…tried to find a plan to stay cool when you need to stay cool?
So, those are the two things we’re gonna be talking about here, and we’re gonna start with Animal Kingdom. I’m just opening the park map. Now, for staying cool…Scooter, do we even have any advice for staying cool here? So, I mean, Animal Kingdom was the winner on this trip of most surprising…for best surprising live entertainment. That’s what it’s called, Scooter; live entertainment. Again, you open this thing up…there’s…none of the entertainment is listed here. There’s character flotillas which are cool. That’s another great form of entertainment. We didn’t…those are not scheduled, and they just kind go by, the characters on boats or musical performance on boats. Here’s the thing, Disney; give us those musical performers on the boats all the time.
Then there’s shows, but there’s nothing…interesting, Scooter. Yeah, there’s nothing about the actual shows there. Okay, so, Scooter, let’s go over…no, so, you walk into this park…now, we’ve never been to the…what’s that thing called, Scooter, the Floration Cafe…? Rainforest Cafe. That could be a place you go to cool down, but you’re gonna spend money, you know. Now, when you first go in the park, there’s not really anywhere to go to have a break. So, I don't know, staying cool…we highly recommend eating at the Pandora quick-service place because…and then you can eat indoors. The meals they have there are very good and they’re usually of a non-fast-food quality. You could get noodles or rice and usually a whole grain, and you could refill your own drink, which Scooter…that’s one of Scooter’s things.
They also have…outside of there, Scooter’s daughter likes the Night Blossom, which is some sort of boba drink which is supposed to be good. Scooter, what’s that place called? Do you know? He doesn't know. Okay, let me look it up, then. Twenty-one, maybe? Satu’li Canteen, and Pongu Pongo is where you get…Pongu Pongu is where you get the Night Blossom. Now, other than that there, I don't know that there’s anything in there to cool down. Now, if you go to the next area where the…what’s that thing called, Scooter? Oh, this is a good place to cool down. So, this one is on Scooter’s list. Now, there’s another good place to eat…thirty-three…Scooter, what’s that? Thirty-three is the Harambe Market. But it is outdoors, so only in outdoor seasons, but that’s another good place to sit down and eat.
Also in this area is where you can get the best performers, but we’ll come back to the performers. But here’s what you want to do; you want to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch, and you take a train there. Now, first of all, you take a train there. You get to see some backstage areas where the animals sleep at night, which is nice. You get to sit on a train. You get a little breeze. It’s a short train ride, and here’s the thing; you may be a parent or a grandparent or an aunt and uncle…kids love going on trains. Especially, you don’t really have to wait in line, and two, it’s a short train ride, so it’s not so long that they get bored. Now, you may want to bring some…you don’t want to go here when you’re in-between meal…or in-between meals you want to go there, 'cause there’s no place to eat.
You’re probably shooting to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch for enough time to cool down, or if you’re just going there for an hour or two. Now, because inside of Rafiki's Planet Watch, indoors is the Animation…Scooter, do you know what it’s called? The Animation Experience at Conservation Station. You definitely want to do that, and they’ll have a schedule there. Oh, I’ll check when the schedule is for today just as an example, huh, Scooter? Okay, so, for today, it’s the Summertime Animation Experience, eh? The shows are at 10:00, 10:45, 11:00, 11:30, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 4:00, and 4:45. So, about every forty-five minutes, and I think it’s about a fifteen-minute show. You get to draw something. You get to sit down. There’s a presenter who teaches you how to draw something. It’s all very nice and very well done.
You get a free souvenir, and again, you get to cool down. There’s a nice restroom in the Animation Conservation Station or whatever it’s called. So, if you gotta use the restroom…and then there’s other exhibits of how they care for the animals that you could look at. Then you gotta stand up, but…that you could look at, and sometimes they even have live animal care going on. Teeth-brushing, I think we saw. So, I strongly recommend that. Then you can go outside; there’s a petting zoo. Now, Scooter, again, is not a zoo person, so he can't…we do…he does go to the petting zoo 'cause the animals are kinda roaming around, but he’s…soon as…it affects him, and again, not in a…in a subconscious way, and then he says, we gotta leave. I gotta get outta here.
But so, I highly recommend this Rafiki's Planet Watch for cooling down and keeping time. Another thing you could do that’s not that far away is It’s A Bug’s Life, right, Scooter? Scooter said, thumbs-up. So, that one has a indoor waiting area. Now, you would have to sit on the floor, but it’s inside the bottom of the Tree of Life, so great like a little…so many details. There’s so many things. Then it’s a 3D movie where you sit on a bench. But the seats aren’t exactly perfectly comfortable for taking a nap, but you’re in…you’re gonna get a thirty-minute AC break there. There’s also…if it’s not too hot, there’s a lot of trails around the Tree of Life, which we did do, and they’re really nice. Now, other things you could do to stay cool but you’re gonna have to wait in line, is The Lion King show and the Nemo show.
Those are both very good, very…so, you just gotta plan those, though. This staying-cool thing is more of…that involves a little too much planning. Then there’s a bird show, but that’s outside, but it’s in the shade. So, if you need to sit down but you don’t need AC, that’s a good option there. That’s really, unfortunately it. Other than eating, there’s not really any other things to do to stay cool other than going to the shows, and…or eating at restaurants, and a lot of the restaurants have outdoor seating. ‘Cause there’s Bengal Barbeque which is really nice outdoors, there’s Pizzafari which is mostly indoors, but Scoot, we don’t recommend…that’s usually pretty busy. Now, there is a shady spot we’re gonna highly recommend, the Dawa Bar. Scooter, is that what it’s called, Dawa Bar?
Don’t be intimidated because it’s this giant outdoor area. It’s all covered. You could order a drink, but there’s a lot of…usually there’s a couple open tables, and this is where you’re gonna watch a few of the performances. Let’s see what we have on the first app here. So, this is the Len Testa app, Lines. Okay, so, let’s start to look at…Scooter, what’s this one? Habitat Habitat; I never heard of that one. Oh, that’s at Rafiki's Planet Watch. Okay. Okay, so you have the Harambe Village Acrobats, and you can again…this show’s at…once an hour. Today it was 10:45, 11:45, 12:45, 1:45, 2:45, and 3:45. You could…that show…now, that show…this one is in a different area, right? There’s that one in…'cause the thing was we were trying to find these, and it was very difficult…description, huh? That’s, yeah, Harambe. It says it’s strolling.
We’ll come to that one, though, because that one we’re coming up on. Now, there’s the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe…now, this one we really, really enjoyed. Now, we sat at the Dawa Bar. I think we watched the acrobats and this show. I mean, separately, 'cause…so, this show would have been at…on the fifteens; 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15. I mean, not every day it’s gonna be on there, so check your schedule. But it’s a drumming show. It’s interactive. It is so well done. Oh, my goodness. So, those are the two…let me just check my…oh, should I go through this…? Let’s go through this. Okay, so we get…we took a lift at 8:00 a.m. At 8:25 we were there, and I think the park had opened at 8:00 or…I don't know what time it opened.
We got in line for the safari, and it said it was either gonna be twenty-five minutes…Disney said that…the line said nine minutes, and we were on the ride at 8:40, or almost getting on. Bug sound effects in line…that was cool. Then we went on…so, this is what we were researching, trying to have a little fun, too. Then 9:19…and we were in line for Dino the Dinosaur. Everest was not operating. It never operated while we were there that day. That’s one of the biggest rides, too. Then, I don't know what this says. W drive? W…oh, something…there was maybe…oh, Dino Radio. W…so, the…it’s this whole Donald’s birthday thing. There’s this whole backstory to this area, which is changing, with Hester and Chester’s something, and then the Dino Institute. One of them has an imaginary radio station.
Wherever it checks…oh, maybe Ray…oh, he has a show idea, Ray’s show, where he checks on area music. 9:30…on-site near BBQ…Tree of Life up close…oh, on soda…9:30, on soda, near BBQ. Oh, so maybe we bought a soda near the BBQ. I think we did. Then we walked around the Tree of Life Garden, up close to the Tree…oh yeah, so this is one of the trails. Great for strollers. Yeah, then it…we saw the Tam Tam Drummers at 10:15…sit in the shade by the Dawa Bar. Then maybe after the Tam Tam Drummers you’ll see some of these performers on boat. We saw a bard on a boat or a bird on a boat? Okay, that was…we had lunch at 10:35, Scooter. That’s impressive. Okay, cool spots…yeah, Satu'li Canteen, but you must buy something, and then, yeah, Lion King and Nemo and Bug’s Life.
Conservation Station and Animation Show…okay, this is the next performer that we’re gonna recommend. This is in a different area and it took us a little while to find. The Via Gaia…oh no, Viva Gaia Street Band. Now, they played at 10:45, 11:45, 12:45, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00 p.m. Now this was a fun band, holy cow. This is more of a lively, dancing-along, singing-along…they’re near one of the restrooms Scooter likes to use on your way to Dinoland across from Bengal Barbeque. Again, it said on the thing that they were in the area in front of Tree of Life, but they’re really around the corner. Audience…every audience member dancing, Scooter noted. They sang Macarena with dancing, Bear Necessities, and…Scooter, any idea what any of that says? No. Oh, Discovery Island Drummers. Okay, well, I’ll look that up, Scooter.
But yeah, that’s the Viva Gaia Street Band. Strong recommend. Now, the next one is Kora Tinga Tinga. Now, this gentleman, holy moly…and he…I don't know how long he played for, but we just sat there. We sat there with a PhotoPass photographer who was enjoying the music while they were working and conversing with Scooter, of all people, about this. Let’s read up on Kora Tinga Tinga. So, they say it’s a traveling minstrel performer that wanders through Harambe Village, but the gentleman was playing…he plays the kora, which is a hand-crafted African harp. It is…but he also sings, and he plays this instrument that is beautiful to listen to and to watch, and this…holy moly, it is just absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing.
This is Disney magic. This is what I feel like they’ve forgotten, is the real magic, is that this gentleman gets compensated to perform something beautiful in the parks that…some people walk by and some people stop and enjoy, and it fills the air. I don't know. Again, the other bands, the Tam Tam Drummers and the Via…Viva Gaia Street Band and then the Harambe Village Acrobats all are very similar. Again, this is really stepping it up. I mean, they need these performers to keep the things going. Now, Scooter, I’m not seeing anything about the drummers in this app, so should I open the…Disney’s app? Okay. Okay, so we’re gonna go to the tip board here. I mean, it’s the end of the day at the parks, though, but…but Scooter’s…thinks there’s also another band, and maybe we saw it. It’s just, our notes are not very clear.
Okay, so, Scooter, I don't think there…I could not find any times for the Tree of Life drumming band. Is that what you were saying? Discovery Island Drummers…so, we don’t know if that’s a thing or not, but we do have the other drumming band, and then the acrobats, Kora Tinga Tinga, and…so, a strong…could be…you could even add more. They used to have Divine there, who was a very entertaining performer as well. So…okay, so now we’re gonna move on to Epcot Center. Is that correct? Should we just go through these notes, Scooter, and then go from there? There’s a lot of pages here. This is live research. There’s so much in Epcot Center. Okay, this is 11:49; it was a Saturday. Holy cow. So, just a little backstory of our day at Epcot. This was the second time we had done this. Is this when we started it, where we went…?
Main bus…okay, so we were at the main bus stop there. So, we had walked 4.13 miles over an hour and forty-one minutes from…we had soda at Saratoga, two sodas at Saratoga. We had walked from our hotel to Saratoga Springs, Turtle Shack…Scooter, all this was recorded, right? Then Key West main restrooms, and we took the bus. Scooter lost his hat on the bus, maybe, or at lunch. Okay, then we got into red shots…2:00 p.m., pub…okay, so this was brainstorming of what shows we would try to go to. Drums; 3:00 p.m. Alps; 1:00 p.m. Something else; 12:15, 1:30, 2:30…juggler; 3:10. Pub; 1:30. Okay, so this one, we got a couple good recommendations. They had this new restaurant, Connections Cafe, and this may be where Scooter lost his hat. You could get a slice of pizza there.
You could also fill up your water or drinks. They have a restroom in the restaurant. It’s huge, tons of seating, and this is our first spot to lay low and get some air conditioning because it’s very cool. It’s busy, but you can sit down. We’re not gonna review the food, and that’s maybe where Scooter lost his hat. Now, unfortunately…okay, we didn’t cover the rest of Future World or places to cool down, because there’s Cool…Club Cool where you could get soda samples. So, we recommend a trip to this Connections Cafe and Club Cool. Now, we didn’t do any other research, but we know from the past, another good place to go to stay cool is the…you don’t have to go on the Nemo ride. You could, but if you go into the Seas, there are places you could sit down, and that whole building is air-conditioned.
Then the same goes for the Land. The Living with the Land ride is one of the best rides in the parks. So relaxing. But even if you don’t want to wait in line, you could go to the Land Cafe eating area. There’s a movie in there, there’s Soarin’, so there’s plenty of places to sit down in that building as well, and you could combine the season…the Land with a meal, and then you could go to Journey to Imagination. Usually there’s no line there. Now, the restroom situation at the Land is not good, and then the one at Nemo is upstairs. There may be two restrooms there, but the one in the Land of Imagination, that’s a quality, low-traffic restroom out back. We’ve talked about it before. There may even be a movie running, a Pixar Shorts or something, at the movie theatre at Imagination.
So, those are all areas where you could stay cool. Epcot has a reasonable amount of places, but if you really want to sit down and not wait in line, you could go on the Mex…boat ride in Mexico, and inside of Mexico you could try to find some place to sit down, but it is kinda busy, so it’s kinda tough to sit down. Occasionally the mariachi band will perform indoors, but most of the time they’re scheduled to perform outdoors. Now, if they…which is…and then there’s…how…Scooter…marimba? Marimba band when there’s not a mariachi band…marimba, which is just another…we’ve watched both of those styles of performers. More recently, we’ve missed the mariachi band quite a few times.
So, I think we’ve seen Marimba de las Americas quite a few times. There’s also…within…before you get to the countries in Epcot, there’s the JAMMinators. They’re a very fun drumming band. They’re like…they drum on garbage cans and it’s a really fun show. Trash-can percussion, they say. Now…okay, so here’s the good news/bad news; now, you could kinda stay cool in Mexico, like we said. Norway, there’s nowhere to hide there indoors, unless you’re sitting down at the sit-down restaurant or the buffet. If you’re waiting in line and you get indoors for Anna and Elsa, you could do that, but that’s not really relaxing and chilling. There is a small church museum, but that’s not really…it’s high-traffic.
But you get to China, and you do have some good options there, a really good option, which is the Circle-Vision 3D movie and there’s a museum there, and there’s waiting for the movie. So, you could really squeeze about forty-five minutes out in this building. The other reason we mention this is maybe another series we’ll do, is what if you have to stay cool and you have a sleeping child in a stroller? This China Pavilion is the place to go. If you want to stay indoors or even outdoors, you could…they have a extensive courtyard where you could go. But so, if you go into the China Pavilion and you go straight in, you’re gonna be in the waiting area where there’s benches to sit down and wait for the movie to start.
Now, it is a Circle-Vision movie, so you have to stand up, but nothing says you couldn't just sit there and not go to the movie, or sit there, then go to the movie, then come back and sit down again. But in the room to the left of where the waiting for the movie is, there’s also a museum. Right now it’s dedicated to Shanghai Disneyland. Now, there’s a couple chairs in there, so you could sit down. Now, the one time Scooter and I found ourselves in there recently not doing research, we were pushing the stroller of a sleeping child, and it was a child…Alex, if you stopped moving, he would wake up, so…and everybody else was in line to see Anna and Elsa’s boat ride. So, we just kept circling and circling indoors and outdoors. This was not a hot trip, so we were able to pull that off. But China is a good place to cool down.
So, you do have to do some work once you leave China. There’s not a lot to cool down. Now, we’re gonna mix in the performers here. So, there currently isn't a show in China, which is unfortunate, because sometimes there is different shows there. So, I would hope, Disney, if you’re listening, either bring back an acrobat show or a musical show. We would like to see that. Next up, I think after you work your way around, is…there’s a outpost with shops and food and stuff, but then there’s Germany. Now, again, Germany…no place to cool down. You could go into shops there or you could go to the restaurant, but the…even the quick-service restaurant is just a window, so you…really not a good place to cool down. But they do have two shows. The normal show is called Groovin' Alps, and that’s a very entertaining show.
We’ve seen it many times. It’s always good. It’s drumming, it’s dancing, it’s a little comedy. Let me check my notes here. But we…I wanted to look up another show. Okay, so…China, Shanghai Disney display…what do we got here? Scooter, what is that? Oh, so, we saw that first? Oh no, here we go. Scooter lost his hat. Yeah, waiting room, plenty of seating…then we saw Groovin' Alps at 1:00 p.m. Ladder dancing, ladder drumming…they did Jump, Van Halen’s Jump. Even the staff, the Disney cast members, were jumping and clapping and had big smiles on their faces. Then they were drumming empty pots, just…and pans, cow sounds, barrel drums, clapping, audience clapping…so, a great little show. Big smiles…we said that. So, that’s Groovin' Alps.
Oh, a wild wooden spoon song, rock songs in background…groovin’ music. Okay, then we skipped…we’ll come back to the other performer we’ve seen in Germany. Then Sergio we managed to see in Italy. This is a great show. Again, Disney, what are you doing? We need more of this, not less. Because they used to also have…as we said in the other show, they used to also have the World Showcase Players do Romeo and Juliet in Italy, which would have been…couldn't be more fitting. So, then you had two different shows going on in Italy which would draw crowds, just bring joy to people, but Sergio does that very well. Ladle juggling, rubber chickens, balancing a rubber chicken on their forehead, ball, ladle, and rubber chicken, then a bigger ball, then this catching thing that’s very interactive and fun.
Scooter, can we look up the other Italy show, you think? I mean, the other…? So, on the Groovin’ Alps’ day off — I guess I should applaud Disney for this — they had another group playing. We just gotta find it. It’s back…it’s not in the app, Scooter. Okay, it’s in this app; okay. Okay, so we’re headed back there, headed back in time. Okay, we’re headed back in time now. We’re looking for the performers. You think it’s in here, Scooter? Oh yeah, that’s where we got…we were too warm. So, it should be right around here, huh? Okay, there’s Japan. Oh, there’s the performer at the UK Pavilion. Okay, you don’t think…Scooter, this is another…oh, is that Mickey? Oh, that’s Goofy, and that’s nighttime. So, I guess you didn’t take any…you didn’t take any pictures of that band, Scooter? Oh, here it is. He found it.
We need a close-up to know the name of the band, though. Don't worry; we’ll figure…we’re working on it. Scooter took a lot of videos. Wow. Okay, here we go; Felice and Cortes, and they were a couple. Again, they did juggling, singing, song-writing, drumming, and it was a really fun show…covers and originals. So, very…say, oh yeah, he was juggling and drumming at the same time at one point. It was so good. So, another great show. Disney, keep them around. Supplement. More shows, we say. Okay, so that’s Germany. Again, Italy…you have Sergio, but there’s no place in Italy to stay cool. We do like to get a slice of pizza in Italy when the pizza window’s open, which has been the last couple times we’ve visited there, but there’s no place to stay cool other than going in the shops.
After Italy…Scooter, do you even know what comes after Italy? He shrugged. Oh, America. So, America…they have the American Adventure Show, which again is inside…the waiting is inside. They have the Voices of Liberty, and if you get there a little bit before the Voices of Liberty, you may…you should be able to find a seat…what do you call that? A padded stool you could sit on. Not a stool, but a bench, like something cozy and maybe even against the wall, so you could lean against the wall. Then the Voices of Liberty is a singing group. You may have strong feelings about…but so…but this is about chilling and staying cool. You could watch that, and then usually within fifteen minutes or a half-hour is the American Adventure Animatronic Show.
It is a limited history viewpoint, but at the same time, with our goals, you could sit down — and that show is about twenty-five minutes long or twenty minutes long — and then if you want to extend your chill and spend money, you could go to the…what’s it called? Regal Eagle Smokehouse, which is a quick-service barbeque, or you could just get a drink. They do have banana pudding, but Scooter said he can't…he doesn't wholeheartedly recommend it. He said it’s not bad, but…but Scooter did say you get free refills, so that’s…if you just want to chill and drink a soda…though again at this point, we do have trouble even recommending that, because it is about $4.50 or something for a soda at this point in history. So, that’s the United States.
So, the United States does have places you can…that you could get an extensive rest. The first time…now Scooter said he wished we would have done that instead of walking all the way to the hotels. Okay, now…is that it? Next up is Japan. Now, Japan does a couple good options here, including a couple hidden ones, and there’s good options for chilling. Now, if you want to watch the drumming…oh, should we check the times of the shows, Scooter? Yeah. So, the drumming is Matsuriza, and that’s a Japanese drumming show. This is one of the best shows to listen to right there in the garden, or there’s a sushi restaurant and noodle restaurant in the garden, and there’s a restroom. You could kinda wander up to the garden.
There’s outdoor seating where you could eat or just sit down and watch the show and listen to the show. But this show is also good because you can hear it almost from different places in the Lagoon. It just is one of these things that adds clear ambiance, along with the shows in Morocco and the UK, where some people might say the audio leaking through…I think this is the thing that makes this park the best for entertainment, which is for ambiance, is hearing rock music and the drumming, taiko drumming, I think it’s called, in the background. But if you need to be indoors, there’s a couple strong…now, they have this gigantic department store, but there’s nowhere to sit down in there. But they also have a museum, and right now it’s themed to different genres of J-pop, I think. Kawaii, Scooter, is that right?
But it is air-conditioned. Usually the displays are very interesting and informative, and there’s usually one or two benches where you could sit down. So, that’s one place. Another place if you still need to stay indoors and have a break is…they do have two sit-down restaurants on the second floor above the department store. At least at the time we checked this out, there’s a little waiting area for the two restaurants where you could just sit as if you were waiting for your reservation, just to get a little extra break in. Again, if you have…for some reason you have a stroller and a child that doesn't need to be moved, these are all good places where you could sit down while the child is sleeping, in the AC. Anything else about Japan, Scooter? Okay, next one…we jump around.
So, should we jump around or should we keep working our way there? Let’s check the map, he said. Okay, so, do we cover…? So, the American Adventure, Japan…okay, Morocco and France are the next two. So, Morocco…oh boy, so Morocco has…is similar to Japan. It has a great outdoor performance. Atlas Fusion is the current band that’s there, and they’ve almost always had some sort of rock-type…fusion rock-type band. Atlas Fusion, obviously. So, the band is very good. Usually they’ll have dancing and they’ll do a little bit of audience interaction. A really good show. You could stand there and watch it, you could get something at the Tangierine Cafe and sit down at one of the cafe tables, but again, then it’s pretty hot.
They also have another food window across from the performance we haven't got…eaten at, and then a restaurant on the water we haven't eaten at. But those also…you may be able to enjoy the band. But they also have a museum there with…it’s small. It’s probably the same size as the one in Japan, but usually there’s one or two benches in there where you could sit down. But you could actually go and enjoy the museum for a little while and have some AC. Then, yeah, if you could catch a spot on the…one or two benches in there. They also have other areas within the Morocco Pavilion that are not in AC, but at least they’re shaded that you could work your way through. Then the Tangierine Cafe…I don't think it has very much indoor seating in the AC, but that’s always the place we go to eat, have a little snacky-poo.
So, that’s Morocco, and then France…holy cow, France is a tough one. So, we checked the movie. They have two different movies there; Impressions de France and then a Beauty and the Beast singalong. They do have a pretty big waiting area, and you could sit on the floor. There’s only…I think there was only a couple of benches, but you could also sit on the floor. So, what we would say to do is just do that if you want to cool down, because there is a indoor eating place but it’s usually very, very hectic. They have a ice cream place and then a indoor…whatever you call that, where you could get pastries and sandwiches and those kind…now, both those places, the ice cream and the…whatever it’s called, the…whatever, is those are both really good places.
It’s just that there’s not a lot of seating and it’s in the AC, so it tends to be pretty hectic. So if you just need to chill, just go to the movie early and then chill in the waiting room, then go to the movie or the Beauty and the Beast singalong, because you’ll be able to sit down. The Impressions de France…we went one time with one of Scooter’s nephews who was only a couple years old, and he loved the movie. It’s a really nice movie. So, that’s France. Anything else, Scooter? They have the Remy ride, which is cool. Okay, then we get to UK and Canada. Now, these two are strong…the UK…I mean, to think of the glory days where it had three separate performers is unbelievable, but they have a strong…now, this is another set of performers.
Command Performance is the name of the band that plays there currently, and they’re…they play English rock music from multiple genres, but…oh, well, not multiple genres; multiple decades. Now, a day like today, they played at 3:00, 4:15, 5:30, 7:00, and 8:00 p.m. They all have regulars. Now, you could sit on the curb. You’re gonna sit outside. There’s even a couple other places you may be able to get there early enough to sit on. But a really high-energy band. They say they don’t play the same set every time, so they’re playing different songs, and there’s a lot of people…if you love to be…this is when I’ve seen Scooter the happiest, is he watches people dancing and singing along. Actually, for Scooter, he even watches people that are over-indulging. He just seems to enjoy it so much.
But that’s Command Performance. Then they have a pub, a pub pianist. A really great show. Oh, I was also saying, yeah, if they could just have…I don't know. Oh, I was saying France used to have this amazing kind of acrobatic magic comedy performer, too. It was a performance duo. Okay, but back to Kelly. Scooter, where are our notes on Kelly here? Oh, best place for cool; in the pub. Sorry, I even forgot we were trying to stay cool. So, this is definitely a great place to stay cool. Now, if you have a adult beverage, you could have one there. Then sit…oh, sit on the curb during Command Performance. They played a song by SOS, Sending Out an SOS. The drummer sang…oh, Message in a Bottle. Clash, Hard Days Night, a couple Bad Finger songs.
Nice breeze when we were watching that…oh, they played some Queen, The Who…holy cow, that’s a lot. Then…so, we don’t have any…we didn’t write down the songs. I know Kelly usually sings Let’s Go Fly A Kite with a little bit of change in the lyrics, or maybe not. Then a different version of Do, a thing I use at the pub, Ray, the person that works at the pub…a funny song. So, it’s a great piano-audience-interaction-singalong experience, the pub, and it’s air-conditioned and you could get yourself a drink, and you get to be around other people. Also, they have a bathroom in the pub there. Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone…oh, so this was the next one. So, then you go to Canada. There’s been…now, Canada…for some reason, Len Testa’s app does not list the Canada performers.
Let’s check the Disney app even though now it’s getting late in the day there. Now, Canada has different…has had a couple different performers since we’ve tried to go there, but each time it’s been good. So, let’s see what they have there today if they have something. Groovin' Alps, JAMMinators, Reflections of China, Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, test track…they don’t have anything listed here for Canada. Maybe they don’t even have it in Disney’s app. But there is…bands playing in Canada, and every time…that’s weird. It’s not in either one of the apps. Maybe that’s why Len Testa doesn't have it, because Disney doesn't give it to them. But every band we’ve seen…sometimes it’s been a Canadian band, sometimes it’s been a French-Canadian band.
This one was kind of…well, last trip it was more of a bluegrass with a little bit of French, Cajun, Zydeco-type influences. That was one band, then this one this time was called the Blueberry Grass Band. It was a beautiful singer. They had a fiddle. So, again, a bass drum…bass, drum, guitar, and lead singer. They were playing different covers, but more of like, French-Canadian bluegrass covers. Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone…people with…by love it’s chip done…but don’t stop. Don’t Stop Believing, Scooter? Oh, people walk by and love it…clap and dance, but don’t stop. Oh, I Wear My Sunglasses at Night…but all the valla…and there’s really no other cool spots over here. You could go to the Canada movie, and we did go there, and there is seating in the waiting area for the Canada movie.
So, you could do that, but then the Canada movie itself, you have to stand up. Yeah, there was lots of barrels you could sit on, and then…oh, here’s a UK pub with Kelly. Best spot…Hey Jude, Let’s Fly A Kite, Scooter sang…Do, Re, Mi…that’s…Whiskey in a Jar? Something. I don't know. Some sort of song. Lots of regulars, Scooter said. He even played longer than his alloted time. He was the second person. Over the Rainbow was the last song they played. Then we saw Command Performance again. This time they played Honky-Tonk Woman, a medley of Deep Purple songs…it was ninety-one degrees but it felt like ninety-six. 51% humidity. Day tripper…and is that everything, Scooter? No, yeah, we recouped our things, then we went to…this is when we did the…checked out the American Adventure.
It might be…yeah, do Voices of Liberty for a longer break, then go to the Regal Eagle Smokehouse. Banana pudding…good seating, soda refills…banana pudding just okay. Italy and Germany…no way to go to hide for heat. Oh yeah, this is more…Morocco…yeah, two benches in the museum with AC, also covered places outside. Les Halles in France; you have to buy something and sit down, or the movie lobby. You could sit on the floor. Love that 4:45 Japanese drums just from the World Showcase entrance. Then we went into the…oh, this is another place; the Beach Club Solarium.
I don't know if you have to be a guest or not, but you could go to the Beach Club Cafe and buy yourself a drink or something to eat. Then they have a solarium where you could sit down and relax. Then Scooter and I were debating, should we take a lift or a bus? Yeah, so that was our day. So, that’s a way to stay cool and a way to see some live performances at Epcot Center and Animal Kingdom. Thanks, thanks, and goodnight, everybody. This is your friend Ray.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)
-
Ray / Cool It Down
Napoleon Dynamite
https://collider.com/napoleon-dynamite-best-movie-word-of-mouth/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/napoleon-dynamite-anniversary_n_5440587
Animal Kingdom
https://www.orlandovacation.com/disney-world/animal-kingdom/history/
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/04/25-years-of-memories-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-2/
Kora
https://thekoraworkshop.co.uk/about-the-kora/history/
Shanghai Disneyland
https://time.com/4371493/shanghai-disneyland-park/
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Right on time for bedtime
Things I have in common with birds
Double my bolsters, says Koa
How could my brain call me a birdbrain?
Keeping cool at a theme park with my neighbor Ray
Deep Dark Night United
n/a
PLUGS
Park Stop fundraiser; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
SPONSORS
Claritin; Dusker; Helix Sleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; AquaTru; Zocdoc; Progressive
INTRO
Going through some sort of transitional situation
Evolving a little bit all the time, over time
I didn’t put those words together right, but they’re heartfelt
It’s normal to feel worn out when you get to this show
Idealized Social Dancing
I guess Napoleon Dynamite was performing at a show…
Superfluous Filler Words? I don’t know
I hope AI isn’t using me to train their models
My words would overload the Des Moines servers
Don’t worry about the details. I’m going to give you all of them
Explaining the origins of the intro
Ray will be giving tips about staying cool tonight
This might be when he talks about the EPCOT piano player
It’s definitely worth a listen
STORY
Ray checks in
Part 2 or Part 1, who knows
It’s been a while since I talked about Disney parks
We’ve done a lot of on-location recording outside of the parks
It isn’t sleepy to record in the park
You don’t need a father’s figure to be a father figure
A very large age difference
I love smiling and talking to strangers
Scooter loves serving humanity but maybe not interacting with humanity
Repeat context for Ray
How Ray met Scooter
An unused front door
Scooter would walk down the long driveway
Scooter tried to avoid Ray’s eyes
People love me or loathe me
Explaining these episodes
Streetmosphere Type Entertainers
That series didn’t pan out, even after researching
How can you stay cool?
Normally hotels are business trips
Scooter forgets that their business expenses
Get there early in the morning so you can take a midday break
We really needed a midday break but we were in EPCOT
Looking for a place to take a break
Scooter and I are having a disagreement about how long we waited for Guardians of the Galaxy
Scooter had the idea to find places to stay cool
Starting with Animal Kingdom
Most surprising live entertainment
Character Flotillas
Disney give us more boat musical performances
We highly recommend eating at the Pandora quick service place
The food is good quality
Scooter’s daughter loves night blossom aka boba
The Harambe Market – a good place to sit down
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Take a train and you can see some backstage areas
The train is great for kids
Go here in between meals
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
You draw, you sit down, you get a free souvenir
Sometimes you see them caring for the animals
Scooter is not a zoo person
The Bug’s Life experience at the bottom of the Tree of Life
You can also do trails around the Tree of Life
The Lion King show and the Nemo Show
Other than eating, there’s not a lot of cool activities beside shows
Dawa Bar is a good place to sit and see performances
Live on the Len Testa Lines app
Harambe village acrobats
Tam Tam drummers are amazing
Going through our schedule
Arriving at 8:25
In line for the Safari
9:19 In line for Dino
Everest was non-operational
There’s a whole backstory to this area
9:30 we bought a soda near the barbecue
The trails are great for strollers
We saw a bard or a bird on a boat?
Viva Gaia Street Band
A lively dancing band
Discovery Island Drummers
Kora Tinga Tinga
Holy moly, this guy
A random photographer was talking with Scooter
This was just beautiful Disney magic
Moving on to EPCOT Center
Let’s just go through all these notes
We had 2 sodas at the Saratoga Springs hotel
Scooter lost his hat on the bus
Connections Cafe is a great new place
Our first spot to lay low and get some AC
Club Cool, where you can get soda samples
Places to sit down in the Seas area
Living with the Land is one of the best rides in the park
The Land restroom situation isn’t great
The Mexico area is tough to sit down
The Mariachi band mostly plays outdoors
Nowhere to hide in Norway
There’s great cooling options in China
Even great options for sleeping children in strollers!
There currently isn’t a show in China, which is unfortunate
Next up is Germany – not a lot of places
Groovin’ Alps is always a fun show
Even cast members were enjoying this show
Sergio in Italy – what a great show
We need more of this, Disney!
Juggling, clowning, etc
What’s the other Italy show?
Scooter, you didn’t take any pictures?
Felice and Cortes
Juggling and Drumming at the same time!
No place to stay cool in Italy
I do like getting pizza in Italy, though
On to America
American Adventure Show – you wait inside
You can find seats if you get there early before the Voices of Liberty show
Feelings about the show aside, you can stay cool
I can’t recommend the banana pudding from the BBQ spot
Great options in Japan
A great show to listen to in the garden – Taiko drumming
Clear Ambiance
A museum for J-POP and Kawaii
2 restaurants above the department store
Morocco, oh boy
Great outdoor performance – Atlas Fusion
Also a museum there
There’s not a lot of indoor seating at the Tangerine Cafe
France is a tough one
2 movies – Impressions de France and Beauty and the Beast singalong
Good restaurants but not a lot of seating
The movies are the best place to sit and cool down
UK and Canada
The UK has a strong set of performers
English rock music from multiple decades – Command Performance
Scooter loves to watch people dancing and sing along
A pub pianist
Holy cow they played a lot of songs
A great set of parody drinking songs
Len Testa doesn’t list the Canada performers
Even the Disney app doesn’t list Canada’s performers
Hmm, that’s so strange
French Canadian Bluegrass Covers
Even Scooter sang along to the pub pianist
There’s a great solarium where you can sit
Hope this helps
SWM+ THANKS
Barbara, Jessica, Vala, Cassidy, Lauren, Jacob, Kelly, Kai, Jennifer, Grace, Michael, Andrew, Cynthia, Doug, Jennifer, Maurice, Jen, Kim, Cool, Beatrix, Kathleen, Claire, Helene, Jamie, April, Rebecca, Emma
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1267
Title: Epcot and Animal Kingdom | Ray Cools It Down Again
Deep Dark Night United: n/a
Plugs: Park Stop fundraiser; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
Sponsors: Claritin; Dusker; Helix Sleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; AquaTru; Zocdoc; Progressive
SWM+ Thanks: Barbara, Jessica, Vala, Cassidy, Lauren, Jacob, Kelly, Kai, Jennifer, Grace, Michael, Andrew, Cynthia, Doug, Jennifer, Maurice, Jen, Kim, Cool, Beatrix, Kathleen, Claire, Helene, Jamie, April, Rebecca, Emma
Notable Language:
- Idealized Social Dancing
- Niche / Nitch
- Superfluous Filler Words
- Overloading the Des Moines Servers
- Streetmosphere Type Entertainers
- Character Flotillas
- Animation Experience
- Marimba
- Trashcan Percussion
- Limited History Viewpoint
- Clear Ambiance
- Kawaii
- Fusion Rock Type Band
- Boulangerie
- French Canadian Bluegrass Covers
- Solarium
Notable Culture:
-
- Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”
- Napoleon Dynamite
- Little Miss Sunshine
-
- Ray
- Disney parks
- Walt Disney World
- Guardians of the Galaxy
-
- Animal Kingdom
- EPCOT Center
- A Bug’s Life
- Lion King
- Finding Nemo
-
- Len Testa
- Macarena
- Van Halen
- Romeo & Juliet
- J-POP
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Beatles
Notable Talking Points:
- Going through some sort of transitional situation
- Evolving a little bit all the time, over time
- I didn’t put those words together right, but they’re heartfelt
- It’s normal to feel worn out when you get to this show
- Idealized Social Dancing
- I guess Napoleon Dynamite was performing at a show…
- Superfluous Filler Words? I don’t know
- I hope AI isn’t using me to train their models
- My words would overload the Des Moines servers
- Don’t worry about the details. I’m going to give you all of them
- Explaining the origins of the intro
- Ray will be giving tips about staying cool tonight
- This might be when he talks about the EPCOT piano player
- It’s definitely worth a listen
- Ray checks in
- Part 2 or Part 1, who knows
- It’s been a while since I talked about Disney parks
- We’ve done a lot of on-location recording outside of the parks
- It isn’t sleepy to record in the park
- You don’t need a father’s figure to be a father figure
- A very large age difference
- I love smiling and talking to strangers
- Scooter loves serving humanity but maybe not interacting with humanity
- Repeat context for Ray
- How Ray met Scooter
- An unused front door
- Scooter would walk down the long driveway
- Scooter tried to avoid Ray’s eyes
- People love me or loathe me
- Explaining these episodes
- Streetmosphere Type Entertainers
- That series didn’t pan out, even after researching
- How can you stay cool?
- Normally hotels are business trips
- Scooter forgets that their business expenses
- Get there early in the morning so you can take a midday break
- We really needed a midday break but we were in EPCOT
- Looking for a place to take a break
- Scooter and I are having a disagreement about how long we waited for Guardians of the Galaxy
- Scooter had the idea to find places to stay cool
- Starting with Animal Kingdom
- Most surprising live entertainment
- Character Flotillas
- Disney give us more boat musical performances
- We highly recommend eating at the Pandora quick service place
- The food is good quality
- Scooter’s daughter loves night blossom aka boba
- The Harambe Market – a good place to sit down
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Take a train and you can see some backstage areas
- The train is great for kids
- Go here in between meals
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
- You draw, you sit down, you get a free souvenir
- Sometimes you see them caring for the animals
- Scooter is not a zoo person
- The Bug’s Life experience at the bottom of the Tree of Life
- You can also do trails around the Tree of Life
- The Lion King show and the Nemo Show
- Other than eating, there’s not a lot of cool activities beside shows
- Dawa Bar is a good place to sit and see performances
- Live on the Len Testa Lines app
- Harambe village acrobats
- Tam Tam drummers are amazing
- Going through our schedule
- Arriving at 8:25
- In line for the Safari
- 9:19 In line for Dino
- Everest was non-operational
- There’s a whole backstory to this area
- 9:30 we bought a soda near the barbecue
- The trails are great for strollers
- We saw a bard or a bird on a boat?
- Viva Gaia Street Band
- A lively dancing band
- Discovery Island Drummers
- Kora Tinga Tinga
- Holy moly, this guy
- A random photographer was talking with Scooter
- This was just beautiful Disney magic
- Moving on to EPCOT Center
- Let’s just go through all these notes
- We had 2 sodas at the Saratoga Springs hotel
- Scooter lost his hat on the bus
- Connections Cafe is a great new place
- Our first spot to lay low and get some AC
- Club Cool, where you can get soda samples
- Places to sit down in the Seas area
- Living with the Land is one of the best rides in the park
- The Land restroom situation isn’t great
- The Mexico area is tough to sit down
- The Mariachi band mostly plays outdoors
- Nowhere to hide in Norway
- There’s great cooling options in China
- Even great options for sleeping children in strollers!
- There currently isn’t a show in China, which is unfortunate
- Next up is Germany – not a lot of places
- Groovin’ Alps is always a fun show
- Even cast members were enjoying this show
- Sergio in Italy – what a great show
- We need more of this, Disney!
- Juggling, clowning, etc
- What’s the other Italy show?
- Scooter, you didn’t take any pictures?
- Felice and Cortes
- Juggling and Drumming at the same time!
- No place to stay cool in Italy
- I do like getting pizza in Italy, though
- On to America
- American Adventure Show – you wait inside
- You can find seats if you get there early before the Voices of Liberty show
- Feelings about the show aside, you can stay cool
- I can’t recommend the banana pudding from the BBQ spot
- Great options in Japan
- A great show to listen to in the garden – Taiko drumming
- Clear Ambiance
- A museum for J-POP and Kawaii
- 2 restaurants above the department store
- Morocco, oh boy
- Great outdoor performance – Atlas Fusion
- Also a museum there
- There’s not a lot of indoor seating at the Tangerine Cafe
- France is a tough one
- 2 movies – Impressions de France and Beauty and the Beast singalong
- Good restaurants but not a lot of seating
- The movies are the best place to sit and cool down
- UK and Canada
- The UK has a strong set of performers
- English rock music from multiple decades – Command Performance
- Scooter loves to watch people dancing and sing along
- A pub pianist
- Holy cow they played a lot of songs
- A great set of parody drinking songs
- Len Testa doesn’t list the Canada performers
- Even the Disney app doesn’t list Canada’s performers
- Hmm, that’s so strange
- French Canadian Bluegrass Covers
- Even Scooter sang along to the pub pianist
- There’s a great solarium where you can sit
- Hope this helps
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