Disney Reality Check: The Good, the Bad and the Magical

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’re willing to go into debt for limited-edition Mickey Mouse ears 🐭 . . . it’s time to stop the madness. In this episode, Rachel and George reveal Disney adults’ top hacks so you can enjoy the most magical place on Earth without breaking the bank. Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video What Are “Vacations” Really Costing You? 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! Connect With Our Sponsors: 🔒 Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. 🌿 Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍸 La Tourista Recipe: @taco.dia 2 ounces tequila 1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur 1/2 ounce Aperol 1/2 ounce simple syrup 1 ounce lemon juice 2 dashes bitters Instructions: In a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients and shake to combine. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange peel or rosemary sprig if desired. Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05George Kamel?

  Today, we're either gonna 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?

• 0:13Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 0:27Rachel Cruze?

  Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:28George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:30Rachel Cruze?

  And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:40Rachel Cruze?

  Delicious.

• 0:41George Kamel?

  Lovely.

• 0:41Rachel Cruze?

  Just like the topic of today's episode. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

• 0:50George Kamel?

  Now, before we dive into the belly of the beast, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It's the La Torista.

• 0:56Rachel Cruze?

  Whoa, look at that, George.

• 0:59George Kamel?

  I thought we'd go a little tropical.

• 1:00Rachel Cruze?

  You claim to be Middle Eastern. I don't know.

• 1:01George Kamel?

  Well, you know, I took a year or two Spanish.

• 1:04Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, salsa.

• 1:04George Kamel?

  Enough to be dangerous.

• 1:05Rachel Cruze?

  Love it.

• 1:05George Kamel?

  A little Biblia Tech and never hurt anybody. So, stick around till the end. We're gonna give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass, and that alone is worth the price of admission.

• 1:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 1:16George Kamel?

  Unlike Disney.

• 1:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, George, we're, we're pretty opposites in life.

• 1:20George Kamel?

  Yeah, no, that's fair.

• 1:21Rachel Cruze?

  Actually, polar opposites in life, including the topic of Disney. So we'll just give a little like, just a little snapshot.

• 1:29George Kamel?

  Sure.

• 1:29Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna use one word to describe Disney. I'm gonna 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.

• 1:43George Kamel?

  Well, we're gonna talk about, obviously, the financial aspects of Disney. What?

• 1:48Rachel Cruze?

  Boo, I know we are. It's called Smart Money Happy Hour. Can we just like, have a little fun right now?

• 1:52George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 1:52Rachel Cruze?

  And you just vent about how, about how much you hate Disney?

• 1:54George Kamel?

  I thought you'd have fun with this. I wanna see how many of these you would agree with.

• 2:00Rachel Cruze?

  Do you have like, statements you're about to give me?

• 2:02George Kamel?

  Several. I consulted. I asked Chad GPT to tell me why I

• 2:10Rachel Cruze?

  Like George Kamel? Tell George Kamel why?

• 2:12George Kamel?

  You ready for this? Crowds everywhere, packed no matter the season. Ridiculous prices.

• 2:19George Kamel?

  Long lines for everything.

• 2:20Rachel Cruze?

  Not true.

• 2:21George Kamel?

  Fake happiness.

• 2:22Rachel Cruze?

  Not true.

• 2:23George Kamel?

  Terrible food.

• 2:26George Kamel?

  Exhausting days.

• 2:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 2:28George Kamel?

  Nickel and diming everywhere.

• 2:30Rachel Cruze?

  Hmm, maybe.

• 2:32George Kamel?

  It's really for the kids and you have to suffer. This one Rachel vehemently disagrees with. Merch overload.

• 2:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 2:40George Kamel?

  Heat and humidity, depending on the time of year.

• 2:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 2:42George Kamel?

  Grown adults acting like it's a religious pilgrimage.

• 2:48Rachel Cruze?

  True.

• 2:48George Kamel?

  Matching shirts and ears.

• 2:50Rachel Cruze?

  True.

• 2:51George Kamel?

  People who brag about going 20 plus times a year.

• 2:54Rachel Cruze?

  True.

• 2:55George Kamel?

  The Disney is my whole personality crowd.

• 2:57Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that's a small percentage of people.

• 2:59George Kamel?

  Adults losing their mind over character meet and greets. Extreme loyalty to a corporation that overcharges them. That's one. The cringe TikTok content.

• 3:08Rachel Cruze?

  True.

• 3:09George Kamel?

  And the people who talk like they work there. It's like a whole language.

• 3:13Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna agree. I'm gonna agree with seven out of 10.

• 3:17George Kamel?

  That's my only thing. I'm done venting. I'm gonna be in a good mood the rest of the episode.

• 3:21Rachel Cruze?

  Well, we'll keep going and deep diving 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, not a good idea. That does steal the magic. So we can agree on that.

• 3:42George Kamel?

  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. General inflation has gone up 32% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I rest my case, your honor.

• 3:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, man.

• 3:56George Kamel?

  So is it price gouging? Does Disney have legitimate costs? I mean, they're running an entire city. They gotta pay for their own police and fire departments.

• 4:02Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know they are? They literally have their own water system, their own, their own grid for the electricity. I mean, like, they legitimately are self-sustaining. It's pretty wild.

• 4:10George Kamel?

  It feels like if there's an apocalypse, I would want to be at Disney.

• 4:13Rachel Cruze?

  It's, I don't know. It's, okay. So have you been to Disney World, George?

• 4:17George Kamel?

  Yeah, to be fair, it's been a while. Last time I went was probably 2016.

• 4:21Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, not like too far. It wasn't like you were, it wasn't like in the 80s or 90s.

• 4:25George Kamel?

  No.

• 4:25Rachel Cruze?

  You've been since then?

• 4:26George Kamel?

  Yep. And you know my traumatic experience where I lost my dad.

• 4:30Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 4:31George Kamel?

  But then my mom just told me recently, she was there with me the whole time.

• 4:35Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, what?

• 4:36George Kamel?

  But in my memory, I was abandoned, I was alone.

• 4:41Rachel Cruze?

  How old were you during that?

• 4:43George Kamel?

  I don't know, anywhere between two and nine.

• 4:45Rachel Cruze?

  And do you, okay. Do you remember where you were at the park when you were abandoned?

• 4:49George Kamel?

  I feel like I could see the castle.

• 4:52Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so somewhere, but your mom was with you the whole time?

• 4:55George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 4:56Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, that really deflates the story, George.

• 4:58George Kamel?

  Yep, or my dad. I don't even know which parent was with me, but I know that apparently I misremembered.

• 5:03Rachel Cruze?

  Somebody was with you.

• 5:04George Kamel?

  I was gonna be okay either way.

• 5:05Rachel Cruze?

  And you were gonna be fine, okay.

• 5:07George Kamel?

  But that's just back before you could just call on a cellphone.

• 5:09Rachel Cruze?

  Well, sure, yeah. I mean, back in the early days, I don't know. Um, okay, did you, do you have any characters, though, at Disney that you're just like, oh, yeah, pretty cool?

• 5:17George Kamel?

  Uh, more from the movies than the actual, like, characters. Like, I loved Aladdin growing up, as you may know. Had a huge crush on Jasmine, still do.

• 5:25Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 5:26George Kamel?

  So if I was gonna meet, I think I did a meet and greet with Aladdin and Jasmine once, that was fun. As a grown man.

• 5:31Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so you are one of the Disney adults that we speak of. Were you like?

• 5:37George Kamel?

  Aladdin was ripped, let me tell you.

• 5:39Rachel Cruze?

  Very much so.

• 5:40George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 5:41Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know it's fascinating how much they stay in character?

• 5:44George Kamel?

  Like, they don't break?

• 5:45Rachel Cruze?

  They don't break character. Like, they are that character, like, for the moment.

• 5:49George Kamel?

  That's part of the job, right?

• 5:50Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 5:56George Kamel?

  Oh, fun.

• 5:57Rachel Cruze?

  And they gave us a two-day pass. That was like part of, like, the gig.

• 6:00George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 6:00Rachel Cruze?

  So Winston and I went, this was like 2012 or something. And I remember we went and stood in line for Snow White, because we were in Epcot, and like, she was right there. There 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, uh, we, yeah, we go up, I'm like, hi, Snow White, and she's like, oh, hello there, you know, da-da-da. Uh, I was like, and this is my husband, Winston, and Winston was like, hi, you know, shakes her hand or something.

• 6:26George Kamel?

  Pleasure.

• 6:26Rachel Cruze?

  We're shaking, we shake, we shake hands a lot. And, uh, 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, like, but she didn't break. Like, she was asking were my prince, like, if he was my prince, and like, the whole thing. I mean, they, like, are full in character.

• 6:46George Kamel?

  I love that Winston was not having it.

• 6:48Rachel Cruze?

  Well, he didn't know to even have it. He was like, oh, I think she genuinely asked.

• 6:52George Kamel?

  There was no yes and happening here. Like, he was the opposite of improv.

• 6:55Rachel Cruze?

  No, it wasn't, he was like, oh, I'm just gonna get hurt. He was just like, oh, no, we didn't meet at wishing well, we met at Knoxville, Tennessee.

• 7:01George Kamel?

  Poor woman's just trying to do her job and create some magic.

• 7:04Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 7:04George Kamel?

  And he's there to squash it.

• 7:05Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 7:05George Kamel?

  That's why he's my spirit animal. Thank you, Winston.

• 7:07Rachel Cruze?

  All of it, all of it.

• 7:08George Kamel?

  Do you have a favorite character? If you could, if you could become a Disney character, like any of the princesses.

• 7:14Rachel Cruze?

  I was always Belle. Belle was like my go-to as a kid.

• 7:16George Kamel?

  Why is that?

• 7:17Rachel Cruze?

  So I probably still, she had brown hair. You know, we always gravitated towards like-

• 7:20George Kamel?

  Isn't that like half of them?

• 7:22Rachel Cruze?

  No, there weren't a lot of brown hair. Cinderella was blonde, Ariel red.

• 7:27George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 7:28Rachel Cruze?

  Snow White was dark, that's true, she was, yeah.

• 7:30George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 7:31Rachel Cruze?

  And I remember going and seeing Beauty and the Beast in theaters. And I was little, I was probably like four or five when that came out. And I remember going and seeing it, so maybe that's why.

• 7:39George Kamel?

  Can I tell you, my daughter, who's 18 months old, just got the thing, Tonys? Have you heard of these?

• 7:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we never had that, or we don't have those, but I've-

• 7:47George Kamel?

  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.

• 7:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, which one does she like?

• 7:56George Kamel?

  I think she's really into the Belle one.

• 7:58Rachel Cruze?

  Ah!

• 7:59George Kamel?

  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.

• 8:05Rachel Cruze?

  Oh no!

• 8:05George Kamel?

  So it's like slightly bad?

• 8:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh shoot.

• 8:08George Kamel?

  I'm not gonna say bad, they're great singers. But you can tell, you're like, oh, this was-

• 8:12Rachel Cruze?

  Not quite.

• 8:13George Kamel?

  It's like, yeah, it's like Timu brand Disney.

• 8:16Rachel Cruze?

  Disney.

• 8:18George Kamel?

  Still great, though.

• 8:19Rachel Cruze?

  So interesting.

• 8:20George Kamel?

  But it's put me back in the spirit.

• 8:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 8:21George Kamel?

  And it's also, I feel like training her to be obsessed with Disney as a, as a girl.

• 8:26Rachel Cruze?

  I know, they do, they, yeah, early on.

• 8:28George Kamel?

  Indoctrination starts young, doesn't it?

• 8:29Rachel Cruze?

  It is, early, early on. Um, 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 gonna take a, a level, right, a plan to get there, because to our point earlier, it has. It's, 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 a day, just in the ticket, like let alone everything else. So it is, it's an expensive, an expensive endeavor.

• 9:02George Kamel?

  And so it feels like they're already saying this is not for everyone by doing that.

• 9:06Rachel Cruze?

  For sure.

• 9:07George Kamel?

  And you can prop it up artificially with debt, but there's a better way to do it. And we're gonna get into some, you know, financial tips. If you're going to do it, here's how to do it well.

• 9:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, that's right. Okay, what are some things that you think are 100% worth the money at Disney?

• 9:20George Kamel?

  Ooh, I mean, the ticket, you have to have that. I feel like personally, whatever the Fastpass thing is, I think for the time you're gonna save and the value you're gonna get from the trip, that one might be worth it for me.

• 9:32Rachel Cruze?

  I agree. The Lightning Lanes.

• 9:34George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 9:35Rachel Cruze?

  They're switching it all up again, though. Like, it's, they've switched it.

• 9:37George Kamel?

  Is it like there's a Premium Plus thing now?

• 9:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and then they were switching it, I don't know. But I, I agree with that one. I think that's good. Um, 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.

• 9:58George Kamel?

  Oh, cuz they're all around the park. You can meet them, but there's a line?

• 10:01Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 10:11George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 10:12Rachel Cruze?

  So you kinda like kill two birds with one stone. You pay for it.

• 10:14George Kamel?

  Five birds.

• 10:15Rachel Cruze?

  Five birds with one stone, thank you.

• 10:17George Kamel?

  I do remember loving Epcot, so I think that's, uh, that's one that's worth the money to me personally. It doesn't feel like it's geared towards kids as much.

• 10:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, they're getting better. They got Ratatouille, oh, and they have Guardians. Did you do that one?

• 10:30George Kamel?

  No, I don't think that was, did that exist at the time?

• 10:32Rachel Cruze?

  It's like the craziest, it's probably the craziest roller coaster I've ever been on.

• 10:36George Kamel?

  Wow, that intense?

• 10:37Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, because it's, 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.

• 10:46George Kamel?

  I do think the Sorin ride is worth it. I don't know why, I remember the smell of oranges as you're flying over the orange tree field.

• 10:54Rachel Cruze?

  And they put stuff like in the air, sense of, I agree.

• 10:56George Kamel?

  Spraying chemicals into your face while you're soaring. But that one did feel, that was the most magical time I had, was doing Sorin.

• 11:03Rachel Cruze?

  Uh huh.

• 11:03George Kamel?

  And Tower of Terror, that one hits.

• 11:05Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, good. Hollywood Studios, different park, but it's fine.

• 11:09George Kamel?

  Can't win them all, Rachel.

• 11:11Rachel Cruze?

  I love critiquing you in my Disney knowledge.

• 11:13George Kamel?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 11:14Rachel Cruze?

  Um, okay, would you, have you done Universal?

• 11:17George Kamel?

  Yes. Not Disney, though.

• 11:19Rachel Cruze?

  I've not done, yeah.

• 11:19George Kamel?

  But adjacent, I think I'm more of a Universal guy.

• 11:22Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I've never been to Universal.

• 11:23George Kamel?

  It feels a little bit more, I don't wanna say bro-y, but it feels like if you're like a little dude, you're like, yeah!

• 11:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, cuz it's got Jurassic Park.

• 11:31George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 11:32Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, Harry Potter World, which I have never seen.

• 11:36George Kamel?

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

• 11:41Rachel Cruze?

  It shows.

• 11:42George Kamel?

  I think it's a different type of person, but similarly not okay.

• 11:46Rachel Cruze?

  I've never read the books, I've never seen the movies, like, I've nothing about Harry Potter. And again, not because I have some like religious conviction about it, just, I just, I'm not into like fantasy stuff. It's not really my thing.

• 11:56George Kamel?

  You like more true crime.

• 11:57Rachel Cruze?

  Murders and like kidnappings.

• 11:59George Kamel?

  Real murders, not the fake ones.

• 12:01Rachel Cruze?

  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 fifteen, twenty minutes, I was like, this isn't good, like, I

• 12:12George Kamel?

  Oh, wow.

• 12:12Rachel Cruze?

  I did not enjoy it.

• 12:14George Kamel?

  Did the kids?

• 12:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, they watched, yeah, yeah, they've seen them all. I just don't, I, I just don't, I can't get into it.

• 12:20George Kamel?

  Yeah, we're about to get lit up on the comment section, so I'm glad you're gonna get roasted today.

• 12:24Rachel Cruze?

  Actually, it'd be really interesting, if you had to pick Disney or Harry Potter, which is very broad, I guess. Yeah.

• 12:30George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 12:30Rachel Cruze?

  Too broad?

• 12:31George Kamel?

  No, but I think that people who are obsessed with Harry Potter are Team Harry.

• 12:34Rachel Cruze?

  And they're not Team Disney, and Disney people, I don't know if they're like Harry Potter people.

• 12:38George Kamel?

  I think they look down upon the Disney people as being less than.

• 12:41Rachel Cruze?

  You think so?

• 12:41George Kamel?

  Oh, Harry Potter people, they're

• 12:43Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 12:49George Kamel?

  Well, they went to the school of wizardry, they have wands and stuff.

• 12:53Rachel Cruze?

  Stuff.

• 12:54George Kamel?

  There's a little bit of, you know, there's elitist behavior on both sides, that's all I'm gonna say.

• 12:58Rachel Cruze?

  It's true, okay, well, that's one thing that I, okay, so Epcot's your favorite park, though, at Disney?

• 13:02George Kamel?

  As it stands now, as a grown adult.

• 13:04Rachel Cruze?

  I'd say, yeah, Epcot's fun.

• 13:06George Kamel?

  What's your favorite?

• 13:07Rachel Cruze?

  I think Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom.

• 13:09George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 13:09Rachel Cruze?

  I don't like Animal Kingdom, yeah.

• 13:11George Kamel?

  Not for you, you're not really an animal person.

• 13:14Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I, I am learning that about myself more and more. It's not that I don't like animals.

• 13:19George Kamel?

  Yeah, you have a dog.

• 13:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm not an animal person.

• 13:22George Kamel?

  But you could live without having a pet ever again?

• 13:25Rachel Cruze?

  I would probably, I would end up with a dog, eventually.

• 13:27George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 13:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but yeah, I don't know.

• 13:30George Kamel?

  But you're no interest in like the safari experience and let's see a giraffe and?

• 13:36Rachel Cruze?

  Not really.

• 13:37George Kamel?

  It's okay. I don't know what this is. What is Chef Mickey's?

• 13:40Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, Chef Mickey's is in the Contemporary Hotel and it's a character meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner.

• 13:46George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 13:46Rachel Cruze?

  And you meet all of Mickey's characters. So Mickey, Fludo, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, all the things.

• 13:51George Kamel?

  So is that worth the money to stay in one of the like, character hotels?

• 13:55Rachel Cruze?

  No, you don't get it. Yeah, no.

• 13:58George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 13:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you don't get Chef Mickey's if you stay at the Contemporary.

• 14:02George Kamel?

  See, they're always trying to make it like, well, you're not gonna get this if you don't do this. Like, they're so strategic with everything they do over there.

• 14:08Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I know. Yeah, we've stayed at the Contemporary and we've never done Chef Mickey's, if that helps.

• 14:12George Kamel?

  It does help me.

• 14:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you're welcome.

• 14:13George Kamel?

  Now, when my daughter wants to go, say, no, the Cruises didn't do this, so neither are we.

• 14:17Rachel Cruze?

  So neither are we. Okay, I will say, something that is always worth it, though, is wearing Cozy Earth at Disney or not at Disney.

• 14:27George Kamel?

  This gives me some inspiration.

• 14:29Rachel Cruze?

  But in life. No, really, Cozy Earth, the quality of these products are just incredible. 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. You're welcome.

• 14:46George Kamel?

  Take that, Chef Mickey. No, this is true. And now you, you make me want to skip on the merch and instead just get a nice Cozy Earth, like, sweatsuit I can wear around Disney.

• 14:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 14:56George Kamel?

  Because it's exhausting.

• 14:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and you put some ears on?

• 14:59George Kamel?

  Not doing the ears.

• 15:00Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, you're not doing Mickey ears with Cozy Earth, though?

• 15:02George Kamel?

  I don't, don't hide this under a bushel, all right? I worked too hard on it to be messing it up with ears.

• 15:06Rachel Cruze?

  My gosh.

• 15:08George Kamel?

  Let the kid wear the ears.

• 15:09Rachel Cruze?

  Cozy Earth, wherever you are, is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

• 15:12George Kamel?

  And they're giving our listeners and viewers a steep discount, up to 40% off at cozylearth.com/smartmoney and use the promo code SMARTMONEY at checkout. And let us know.

• 15:22Rachel Cruze?

  Amazing.

• 15:23George Kamel?

  Snap some pics in your Cozy Earth gear.

• 15:24Rachel Cruze?

  No ears, George. Anything? Would you wear anything?

• 15:27George Kamel?

  I don't like putting things on my, like, tattoos, jewelry, earrings, nothing.

• 15:33Rachel Cruze?

  Nothing.

• 15:34George Kamel?

  I don't want it. It's not for me.

• 15:35Rachel Cruze?

  All right.

• 15:36George Kamel?

  Include, I don't even wear a lot of hats.

• 15:38Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 15:39George Kamel?

  So I'm not a hat guy, so I think that makes me not an ears guy. I don't understa, who's fooled? Who's fooled by this?

• 15:45Rachel Cruze?

  You know what, I wouldn't, yeah, you're a dude. I probably wouldn't do ears if I were you.

• 15:47George Kamel?

  Did Winston wear ears?

• 15:48Rachel Cruze?

  No. He did wear a Mickey t-shirt, though.

• 15:51George Kamel?

  What would Winston do?

• 15:55George Kamel?

  He wore a tee?

• 15:56Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, Mickey tee, yeah, on one of the days.

• 15:57George Kamel?

  Was it pretty tight? Kind of showing off some muscles or?

• 16:00Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, 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.

• 16:04George Kamel?

  It's worn in a little bit.

• 16:05Rachel Cruze?

  I mean.

• 16:06George Kamel?

  Alright.

• 16:07Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 16:15George Kamel?

  And we narrowed it down. I made the mistake of putting this on my Instagram in a poll of like, let me know your Disney hacks. I didn't know what I was asking for.

• 16:24Rachel Cruze?

  People came out of the woodworks for you, huh?

• 16:25George Kamel?

  I, over sixty screenshots of DMs of people saying, here's all my hacks. I think it was about nineteen Disney travel agents that jumped in there. But it was very helpful, I will say that. I got what I asked for and more.

• 16:38Rachel Cruze?

  This is so good.

• 16:39George Kamel?

  You ready for this?

• 16:40Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 16:40George Kamel?

  Okay, let's get to the eight budget-friendly do's and don'ts.

• 16:43Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, number one, I do this. Track crowd calendars online to find slow seasons. So we did this because, um, 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. Um, so there are ways that you can save if you go during like not a crowded time.

• 17:07George Kamel?

  Was it chilly or does this depend on?

• 17:08Rachel Cruze?

  It was cold. We had jackets, yeah, sweatshirts on. So it was actually kind of nice, cozy.

• 17:12George Kamel?

  Rocker Cozy Earth hoodie.

• 17:13Rachel Cruze?

  It's so good.

• 17:14George Kamel?

  That's a good one. That, that one I'm big on. If it's really crowded, it's gonna be a miserable experience.

• 17:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 17:19George Kamel?

  So if you start adding on heat plus crowd, I'm out on that. Okay, next up, use a free Disney travel planner.

• 17:26Rachel Cruze?

  Never done this.

• 17:27George Kamel?

  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.

• 17:40Rachel Cruze?

  Interesting, okay, okay.

• 17:42George Kamel?

  Very.

• 17:42Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 17:49George Kamel?

  You want to be the planner.

• 17:50Rachel Cruze?

  I love planning trips. It's like a spiritual gift.

• 17:52George Kamel?

  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.

• 18:02Rachel Cruze?

  But they do, 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.

• 18:08George Kamel?

  And they might inspire some magic.

• 18:09Rachel Cruze?

  That's interesting that the Park Hopper wasn't worth it, because we would hit two parks. A day sometimes.

• 18:14George Kamel?

  Oh, wow.

• 18:15Rachel Cruze?

  So, uh, 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 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. But it does add on.

• 18:25George Kamel?

  With the Fastpass, though, where you've experienced the entire park in half a day because of that?

• 18:29Rachel Cruze?

  Um, not Magic Kingdom. That takes a full day. Animal Kingdom, yeah, could be half a day. I don't know.

• 18:34George Kamel?

  I think the reason was it takes, you could spend a whole day there and still not see anything.

• 18:39Rachel Cruze?

  That is true. That is true. You can't save money. Yep.

• 18:40George Kamel?

  Okay, next one.

• 18:41Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, 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. Um, yeah, I, I, yeah.

• 18:59George Kamel?

  I think like the Walmart, you just go there and get all the gear and then head to the park.

• 19:03Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, seriously, it, because it is so expensive there. I will say the food elements. Last trip, I did less, like bring your own bottled water and all of that. Because there are water stations and different things. And again, if you're on a, if you're on a, 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.

• 19:28George Kamel?

  You can't get it, like the Dole Whip. I've heard amazing things about this Dole Whip.

• 19:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and there's like a croissant thing at, um...

• 19:33George Kamel?

  Good for Dole for staying, you know, top of mind for consumers.

• 19:37Rachel Cruze?

  There, there's these like egg rolls in Magic Kingdom, and you get like a hamburger or a pizza. But they're like egg rolls, and they are so good. So it's fun things like that.

• 19:46George Kamel?

  It's egg roll filled with pizza?

• 19:48Rachel Cruze?

  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...

• 19:54George Kamel?

  A burger inside of an egg roll?

• 19:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, but it was so good.

• 19:58George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 19:59Rachel Cruze?

  You know those, uh, videos of people eating on Instagram?

• 20:03George Kamel?

  Videos of people eating on...

• 20:05Rachel Cruze?

  Do you watch this? Like, people are like, here's the Chili's mozzarella sticks, and they'll talk about it and like show themselves eating it.

• 20:11George Kamel?

  I think your algorithm is very different than mine.

• 20:15Rachel Cruze?

  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 all day, and they make it look so good. And some of them were not great, but the Egg Girls.

• 20:26George Kamel?

  That was worth it.

• 20:27Rachel Cruze?

  Great.

• 20:27George Kamel?

  It feels like you're describing a Hot Pocket, but crunchier.

• 20:30Rachel Cruze?

  A hundred percent. Good job, George. That's it. Yeah, that's it. But it comes from a cart in Magic Kingdom.

• 20:37George Kamel?

  Oh, it's out of a cart?

• 20:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 20:39George Kamel?

  Okay, where's it coming? It can't be made at the cart? Are they delivering these from a kitchen to the cart?

• 20:45Rachel Cruze?

  That's sure. I didn't concentrate that much. I didn't focus in.

• 20:48George Kamel?

  Very suspicious. Okay, that's a good one. And I have heard everyone's like, you can get water from any of the, you know, 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.

• 21:17Rachel Cruze?

  So good. Love it. Um, next, four parks in four days deal. So $99 per ticket versus the usual $150. That's amazing. I didn't know about this one, but all day, every day.

• 21:30George Kamel?

  So it's kind of like if you buy more, you can save. If you want to do four parks in four days, feels reasonable.

• 21:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, for sure.

• 21:36George Kamel?

  A hundred bucks a ticket? I would do that to save some money.

• 21:39Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's good.

• 21:40George Kamel?

  Can you pair that with the Disney gift cards? That's the question.

• 21:42Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, double up. 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 at like, okay, what do I do here? And it's so easy to put your personal info out there on the internet. And the problem is, people will find your info, and this is everything from your name, address, phone number, past employers, I mean, like crazy. And they take your information, and they go and sell it to other companies. But Delete Me will go in and delete your information from the internet and from these data broker websites, which is just beautiful.

• 22:17George Kamel?

  I'm up to over 80 hours of time saved, my most recent report. Because they send you a report every other month, just showing you. Here's where your stuff was. We removed it. You can sleep easy at night. And so I love using Delete Me because I'm on the internet a lot. And there's always like forms you're filling out and some things require your personal info. But you're right, these data brokers are out there selling it, using it, and you get all the scam and spam because of it. So if you want to avoid that and sleep better at night, go check out Delete Me. They're giving our listeners and viewers a sweet discount, 20% off any of their annual plans at joindelete.me/smartmoney or use the link in the description.

• 22:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, keep your info safe, you guys. Use Delete Me. They are wonderful.

• 22:57George Kamel?

  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.

• 23:12Rachel Cruze?

  For sure. The dining plan. So I, I've never done the dining plan, but I think-

• 23:18George Kamel?

  It feels like a rip off in my heart.

• 23:19Rachel Cruze?

  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 gonna be able to like break it all down for you.

• 23:30George Kamel?

  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.

• 23:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, that is true.

• 23:40George Kamel?

  You'll save time and money that way.

• 23:41Rachel Cruze?

  That's great. Except for Tony's Town Square in Magic Kingdom, because the garlic bread-

• 23:45George Kamel?

  Who's Town Square?

• 23:46Rachel Cruze?

  Tony.

• 23:47George Kamel?

  Who's Tony?

• 23:48Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 23:54George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 23:54Rachel Cruze?

  There's that too. You're welcome.

• 23:56George Kamel?

  You're really there for the food, I'm realizing.

• 23:59Rachel Cruze?

  You're welcome.

• 23:59George Kamel?

  That's fine.

• 24:00Rachel Cruze?

  Some of it is good. Some of it's not. Some of it's very disappointing.

• 24:03George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 24:03Rachel Cruze?

  Sometimes it's really good.

• 24:04George Kamel?

  Last budget friendly hack, set expectations before you go. This is a good one to have, have the talk with the kids, have the pep talk. And say, here's what's gonna 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.

• 24:20Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 24:21George Kamel?

  We're not doing that.

• 24:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 24:22George Kamel?

  And it's, to me, honestly, I think that's sensory overload. I think that's the big thing, especially as a child.

• 24:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 24:28George Kamel?

  It's crazy, it's noisy, it's crowded. But I guess if you thrive in chaos.

• 24:33Rachel Cruze?

  Like me.

• 24:34George Kamel?

  You love that experience.

• 24:35Rachel Cruze?

  It's great. It's wonderful.

• 24:36George Kamel?

  I would need a quiet spot to hang out.

• 24:38Rachel Cruze?

  All right. Okay, so that's all the budget friendly. Let's go bougie, George.

• 24:41George Kamel?

  Yeah. Okay, so we went from one side of the spectrum, if you're trying to save money.

• 24:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 24:45George Kamel?

  Now this is the, if you had unlimited money, what would you do for the most premium Disney experience?

• 24:51Rachel Cruze?

  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, someone famous coming here. That you look for the, who is this?

• 25:15George Kamel?

  You're like, this is a VIP client, must be someone with a lot of money.

• 25:18Rachel Cruze?

  And they get to go up to the, to the front of the line. They go through the exits. You get back access to all the lots and all the things. So if you're gonna go bougie.

• 25:27George Kamel?

  VIP tour.

• 25:28Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, because the standing in line thing is the big thing. So if you can skip that.

• 25:32George Kamel?

  That's my thing is most of your time at Disney, you're just standing in lines.

• 25:35Rachel Cruze?

  Right, right.

• 25:36George Kamel?

  That's what kind of ruins it for me. I want to be doing stuff, I want to be more productive.

• 25:39Rachel Cruze?

  There you go.

• 25:40George Kamel?

  Okay, that could be an interesting, maybe I'll do that one day. You'll be so proud of me.

• 25:43Rachel Cruze?

  Make a bucket list, I don't, if George Kamel ever spent that kind of money.

• 25:46George Kamel?

  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."

• 25:54Rachel Cruze?

  To the Winnie the Pooh ride.

• 25:56George Kamel?

  I could have anything I want in my life for $900 an hour and I've chosen this. That's kind of sad.

• 26:03Rachel Cruze?

  It's actually a funny way to put it.

• 26:04George Kamel?

  If I saw that person, I'd be a little jealous.

• 26:06Rachel Cruze?

  There you go.

• 26:07George Kamel?

  All right, next up.

• 26:08Rachel Cruze?

  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 Hup Grass for the best, the best view of the fireworks.

• 26:24George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 26:25Rachel Cruze?

  And I love the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom.

• 26:29George Kamel?

  So you're really paying for just a nice view, you're not worried about like, is someone tall gonna be in front of me? That's usually my fear, so I might actually pay for this.

• 26:36Rachel Cruze?

  This might be worth it. Can I say, I may or may not have teared up at the fireworks at Disney.

• 26:40George Kamel?

  Why is that? Is it the music happening with the fireworks?

• 26:43Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 27:05George Kamel?

  Oh, I do remember that.

• 27:07Rachel Cruze?

  And it's what, the castle turns into all this, like, it is-

• 27:09George Kamel?

  That was cool.

• 27:10Rachel Cruze?

  Wild.

• 27:10George Kamel?

  I will admit.

• 27:11Rachel Cruze?

  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 anything's possible, that you can do anything you want to do.

• 27:23George Kamel?

  That's what made you think.

• 27:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. And I was like, oh my gosh, I can go do some things with my life. That's what I thought.

• 27:29George Kamel?

  Wow. So is that part of what, like, creates this Disney bond?

• 27:33Rachel Cruze?

  I guess, because it emotion, it taps on the emotions.

• 27:36George Kamel?

  And I'm assuming it's a shared experience of all these people from around the world.

• 27:40Rachel Cruze?

  That's what I thought too.

• 27:41George Kamel?

  All enjoying this one beautiful moment together.

• 27:44Rachel Cruze?

  Everyone has their story. We don't know what brought them here in that moment. But this-

• 27:49George Kamel?

  Where you went?

• 27:49Rachel Cruze?

  We all together believe that anything is possible.

• 27:53George Kamel?

  So in your mind, you're like, we could, if everyone could see this, world peace could happen.

• 27:58Rachel Cruze?

  Actually, yes. Take it around the world.

• 28:00George Kamel?

  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 dollars a night.

• 28:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 28:22George Kamel?

  Complimentary snacks, drinks, alcoholic beverages, and small meals. And there's experts who help with park reservations, tech support, et cetera.

• 28:30Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, we did this, George.

• 28:31George Kamel?

  Worth it?

• 28:32Rachel Cruze?

  For free. Because, are you ready for this? This doesn't happen often, but when it happens-

• 28:38George Kamel?

  Someone recognized you.

• 28:40Rachel Cruze?

  That worked at Disney. 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 have, 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 a sit down with the kids to tell them that this is not normal. But George, I mean, once you go, once you go club, how do you go back?

• 29:12George Kamel?

  Cause you went from, we're not buying a single snack, to went, grab all the snacks you want, kids.

• 29:16Rachel Cruze?

  I'm like, man, get a beer after, get champagne, you just like.

• 29:20George Kamel?

  I'm in for that.

• 29:20Rachel Cruze?

  Snacks, drinks.

• 29:22George Kamel?

  When I go to Disney, I'm gonna wear a shirt that says, I know Rachel Cruze. That way, maybe an employee would bless me and say, you know Rachel Cruze? No way.

• 29:30Rachel Cruze?

  It was a gift and I'm forever thankful, forever thankful.

• 29:33George Kamel?

  That's amazing. Okay, next up for bougie activities.

• 29:36Rachel Cruze?

  Is Victoria and Albert's dining experience. Oh my gosh, right? The main room is $295 a person, extra wine pairings, $150.

• 29:45George Kamel?

  This is just for adults, by the way.

• 29:47Rachel Cruze?

  Interesting. Okay, so Victoria's room is 375 a person. Chef's table is 425 a person. The most upscale, oh, resort at Disney located at the Grand Floridian. There is a dress code. Oh my gosh.

• 30:00George Kamel?

  Now you wanna do this, don't you?

• 30:01Rachel Cruze?

  I didn't know this existed.

• 30:03George Kamel?

  But it's adults only, so you have to.

• 30:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, what do you do?

• 30:05George Kamel?

  Leave the kids?

• 30:06Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know. I guess when they're old enough, like it's their middle school and stuff, high school.

• 30:11George Kamel?

  Yeah, but what do you say, just gallivant across the park on your own? I guess.

• 30:15Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, it's at a hotel, the Grand Floridian.

• 30:17George Kamel?

  Oh, so they're stuck in the hotel room.

• 30:19Rachel Cruze?

  If you were staying at the hotel room.

• 30:20George Kamel?

  That feels selfish.

• 30:21Rachel Cruze?

  Get them some food.

• 30:22George Kamel?

  Like, hey kids, we're at Disney, don't leave this hotel room.

• 30:25Rachel Cruze?

  For dinner.

• 30:25George Kamel?

  Watch a movie.

• 30:26Rachel Cruze?

  Hey.

• 30:26George Kamel?

  Your mom and I are going to dinner.

• 30:28Rachel Cruze?

  They might be fine with it.

• 30:28George Kamel?

  For a thousand dollars.

• 30:30Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 30:31George Kamel?

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

• 30:37Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 30:37George Kamel?

  That could be fun.

• 30:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 30:39George Kamel?

  All right, next up, we're getting fancier, private poolside cabana rental.

• 30:44Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh.

• 30:45George Kamel?

  Ranges from 300 bucks to a thousand bucks or more, depending on the time of year, location, the perks. So this is comfy seating, mini fridge with drinks, personal TV, dedicated attendant.

• 30:55Rachel Cruze?

  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 ten ways.

• 31:05George Kamel?

  Yeah, the 450 covers 10 guests?

• 31:06Rachel Cruze?

  I guess. $45 a person to go on a boat and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom or Epcot. Oh, on the water. That sounds magical.

• 31:15George Kamel?

  That would be cool to be on the water.

• 31:16Rachel Cruze?

  That sounds fun.

• 31:17George Kamel?

  I'd be willing to chip in. I'm realizing I should go with a, with a big group. To get the most bang for my buck and do these

• 31:23Rachel Cruze?

  You know what, if you get the VIP, yeah, what if you did all these experiences and split it for 10, right? Because a lot of these are for 10 people.

• 31:30George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 31:31Rachel Cruze?

  That would be fascinating.

• 31:32George Kamel?

  I'm thinking the camels and the cruises.

• 31:35Rachel Cruze?

  Trying to rope us into your Disney trip, eh? I bet we get Ken Coleman on board.

• 31:39George Kamel?

  I'm in. That's fun.

• 31:41Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 31:41George Kamel?

  Let's move back to some budget-friendly hacks. This is from our Ramsey colleague Nathan, who worked at Disney for 20 years.

• 31:47Rachel Cruze?

  All right.

• 31:47George Kamel?

  So he is

• 31:48Rachel Cruze?

  Run him down the list, George.

• 31:49George Kamel?

  Here's what he said, or his four budget-friendly hacks. Number one, cheapest time to book, weekdays in November or February. So off-season.

• 31:56Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 31:57George Kamel?

  Go on a weekday in the off-season, November, February, you're gonna 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.

• 32:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 32:11George Kamel?

  Next, split a cabin with a group. Disney's Fort Wilderness. 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.

• 32:25Rachel Cruze?

  Good.

• 32:25George Kamel?

  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?

• 32:36Rachel Cruze?

  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."

• 32:44George Kamel?

  Whoa.

• 32:45Rachel Cruze?

  And that was it.

• 32:45George Kamel?

  Winston said that?

• 32:46Rachel Cruze?

  Like, that's the last, that's the next time he's gonna go, basically.

• 32:49George Kamel?

  That was his boundary.

• 32:50Rachel Cruze?

  Is when we have

• 32:50George Kamel?

  Saying never again.

• 32:51Rachel Cruze?

  When he has grandkids.

• 32:52George Kamel?

  He essentially said never again.

• 32:54Rachel Cruze?

  He's done.

• 32:55George Kamel?

  And why is that? What's Winston's take on why he would go?

• 32:57Rachel Cruze?

  It's all about opportunity costs. How you mentioned, like, oh, you know, he just takes how much we spend, and he's like

• 33:04George Kamel?

  He's too analytical?

• 33:05Rachel Cruze?

  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

• 33:13George Kamel?

  But it's about experience over utility. And so for Winston, he's like, hey, that could have funded the kid's college. And if we just let it sit for-

• 33:20Rachel Cruze?

  Well, even that, 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.

• 33:30George Kamel?

  Well, does the hotel have Cinderella's castle, Winston?

• 33:31Rachel Cruze?

  No, that's what I'm saying. As I'm like, it's like, you can't compare it. Like, it is, it is not comparable.

• 33:35George Kamel?

  I love being on your side. It's so much more fun.

• 33:37Rachel Cruze?

  And y'all, and I-

• 33:39George Kamel?

  Such a blast.

• 33:40Rachel Cruze?

  It is.

• 33:41George Kamel?

  Agreeing with you.

• 33:42Rachel Cruze?

  I just think, I think it is fun. And people are like, it's a waste of money, it's so stupid. And great, 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, I would, I would be on an every other year, every two-year rotation for the rest of my life.

• 34:01George Kamel?

  Okay. 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?

• 34:10Rachel Cruze?

  We went and took Charles until he was, he just turned five, I would say that, four or five.

• 34:14George Kamel?

  Four or five?

• 34:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 34:15George Kamel?

  So before your child turns three, I've heard that you can take them for free?

• 34:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 34:19George Kamel?

  So that's a good hack. Someone said, hey, this is a fun experience to take, you know, your, your two-plus-year-old.

• 34:25Rachel Cruze?

  Right.

• 34:26George Kamel?

  Because it's still a little magical for them.

• 34:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 34:29George Kamel?

  They're just not gonna do all the rides.

• 34:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, four and five felt like, like Charles could do most everything and had fun, knew what was going on, like, all of that. So that was good. So, I'd stick around there.

• 34:39George Kamel?

  Now, here's the big thing. Your kids are not entitled to going to Disney. And I feel like this, it's become this rite of passage for kids to be like, well, I gotta go to Disney. Is that happening across the world? What's this phenomenon that it's like a rite of passage for a child to go to Disney?

• 34:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and I think that's more of the parents feeling that than the kid.

• 34:59George Kamel?

  So the parents are ingrained in this?

• 35:01Rachel Cruze?

  Like, my kids like Disney, but they also like, like Chick-fil-A. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, there's a point that, like, 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.

• 35:13George Kamel?

  Well, I've seen the big surprises, like, they, they open it and they have the Disney band in it, and the kids are like, what?

• 35:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true. But again, for them to have that reaction- I bet that they're eight years old and older.

• 35:24George Kamel?

  Yeah, I could have, give your kids a Chick-fil-A gift card and they'd have the same reaction.

• 35:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, like Charles probably wouldn't have that, but the girls would. Like, do you know what I'm saying? I'm like, to get even that reaction, it has to be a little bit older.

• 35:34George Kamel?

  How would you talk to your kids if they wanted to go to Disney, but it's not in the budget? Let's say someone out there, they're in baby step two, trying to pay off some debt in the Ramsey plan.

• 35:42Rachel Cruze?

  You know what's funny? I hear, 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 gonna always, whatever, whatever.

• 35:52George Kamel?

  It's gonna cause trauma, apparently.

• 35:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and I'm like, I just don't, I just tell them, we don't have the money for that.

• 35:58George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 35:59Rachel Cruze?

  Some people would be like, that's like scarring them, or like, like, 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 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, I mean, personally, that's what I would say. How about you?

• 36:20George Kamel?

  Um, how would I tell my kids if it wasn't in the budget? I'd say, hey, we're gonna do that in the future. We need to save up money so that we can pay for it.

• 36:29Rachel Cruze?

  That we can do in the future.

• 36:30George Kamel?

  And say, hey, it's happening. Cause I think kids hear no and they hear never.

• 36:33Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 36:34George Kamel?

  And it's just a not now, not this year.

• 36:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes.

• 36:36George Kamel?

  And so having a clear timeline for when it could happen.

• 36:39Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 36:39George Kamel?

  And, you know, that's gonna teach them patience. And go, here's how much, I'd lay it out. Say, hey, it's $5,000. Here's how much we're gonna save per year. And we're gonna have a little tracker and you can keep up with it.

• 36:49Rachel Cruze?

  Make it a whole thing.

• 36:50George Kamel?

  Make it a game.

• 36:50Rachel Cruze?

  It's good. I like it, George.

• 36:51George Kamel?

  But I will say this, you talk about our, our friend, Dr. Arthur Brooks, and the things you can spend money on, what's gonna bring happiness. And the one thing that actually brings happiness is spending money on experiences.

• 37:03Rachel Cruze?

  Not the one thing, there's four things.

• 37:04George Kamel?

  But the one thing when it comes to spending money versus stuff.

• 37:07Rachel Cruze?

  Spending your money, yeah, to get your time back, giving, saving, spending on experiences, correct. Yeah.

• 37:12George Kamel?

  So this feels like an actual, there's some actual benefits to this.

• 37:16Rachel Cruze?

  For sure, yes.

• 37:17George Kamel?

  To spending this money, there is an ROI.

• 37:20Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 37:20George Kamel?

  And again, you're not, yeah.

• 37:21Rachel Cruze?

  And if you go by yourself, I don't think you get that same type of joy.

• 37:24George Kamel?

  With the people you love.

• 37:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and when you go with people, I think it's great. I don't know. It's so fun. I'm so fun. Take me when y'all go.

• 37:31George Kamel?

  Honestly, I need someone who's gonna, I need like a hype man to talk me off the ledge, to be like, just go have fun.

• 37:37Rachel Cruze?

  The girl's like, should we do the people mover? And I'm like, yes, I love the people mover.

• 37:40George Kamel?

  What is that?

• 37:41Rachel Cruze?

  My god, it's like the slowest ride to go all through the park. And it's just like, oh, I look over there. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

• 37:46George Kamel?

  So it's like a really slow subway?

• 37:48Rachel Cruze?

  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...

• 37:55George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 37:57George Kamel?

  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?

• 38:04Rachel Cruze?

  No, because I am focused on my next goal. 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.

• 38:14George Kamel?

  You just ditched your family.

• 38:15Rachel Cruze?

  And then I look back, and I'm like, where are y'all two kids? Come on, you gotta go faster. Walk faster.

• 38:20George Kamel?

  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. And so you keep leaving us.

• 38:26Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, yeah.

• 38:27George Kamel?

  So you're going too slow.

• 38:29Rachel Cruze?

  That's what I say, I know. So that's the only, that's the only issue.

• 38:32George Kamel?

  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, makes saving for the future easy. We have sinking funds you can set up in there to go, hey, I want to put 100 bucks a month into this sinking fund for Disney, and a year from now, we're gonna have 1,200 bucks, which might get us three tickets.

• 38:52George Kamel?

  Maybe.

• 38:52Rachel Cruze?

  Maybe, maybe.

• 38:54George Kamel?

  For one day.

• 38:55Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, so good, well, happy Disney trip, George.

• 38:58George Kamel?

  I'm gonna say, this episode is really just for me.

• 39:01Rachel Cruze?

  So fun, so fun. All right, well, before we spill the tea in our guilty as charged segments, uh, what's your rating?

• 39:09George Kamel?

  I'm gonna go nine out of 10 on this.

• 39:11Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I was gonna give it two. Yeah, I would say nine out of 10. I'm very happy with it.

• 39:16George Kamel?

  It's the La Torista. The drink cost is $3.30.

• 39:21Rachel Cruze?

  The rosemary is intense.

• 39:22George Kamel?

  If you like rosemary, you're gonna like this one. It's got tequila, elderflower liqueur, Aperol, simple syrup, Peugeot's bitters, and lemon juice, with a little sprig of rosemary and a little orange peel.

• 39:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, beautiful.

• 39:37George Kamel?

  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.

• 39:46Rachel Cruze?

  So great. All right, now it's time for

• 39:49George Kamel?

  Guilty as charged.

• 39:51Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 39:56George Kamel?

  Can I ask you this one?

• 39:58Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 39:59George Kamel?

  Have you ever done something for your kids, but really you did it because you wanted to?

• 40:06Rachel Cruze?

  Is this like a setup for this entire episode?

• 40:08George Kamel?

  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.

• 40:15Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, I mean, oh, man.

• 40:20George Kamel?

  Cause you have older kids. You've had a lot of experiences.

• 40:25Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 40:34George Kamel?

  And they go, you're gonna love it. Here's why. You're great at selling people on experience.

• 40:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, 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.

• 40:46George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 40:46Rachel Cruze?

  When we've gone.

• 40:47George Kamel?

  You're most of the reason. What about the pool? Was that mostly for you guys to get a pool or was that?

• 40:52Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, uh, no, uh.

• 40:55George Kamel?

  Whose idea was this?

• 40:56Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 41:03George Kamel?

  You're not amphibious.

• 41:04Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 41:22George Kamel?

  That's fun.

• 41:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. So, uh, I'm really gonna say that one was the kids.

• 41:27George Kamel?

  I'm inviting myself over.

• 41:29Rachel Cruze?

  The convenience of not having to go to another pool is nice.

• 41:31George Kamel?

  That is nice. I do think public pools, I get a little heebie jeebie.

• 41:35Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, do you?

• 41:36George Kamel?

  Yeah, our neighborhood.

• 41:37Rachel Cruze?

  Are you a water park guy?

• 41:38George Kamel?

  No, no.

• 41:40George Kamel?

  I feel like there are, we could bring back lots of diseases if we just all went to water parks as a country. I don't, I'm not for that. I went to water parks growing up as a kid.

• 41:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 41:51George Kamel?

  And I still remember like my feet burning on the black pavement as you walk to the next thing.

• 41:56Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 41:57George Kamel?

  The smell.

• 41:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 41:59George Kamel?

  That kind of just chlorine everywhere. Everything's just soaked.

• 42:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 42:03George Kamel?

  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.

• 42:08Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's all become one.

• 42:09George Kamel?

  Yeah. So I haven't been to a water park in a long time.

• 42:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. Anything but for you with Mia so far.

• 42:15George Kamel?

  If I'd done something for my kids, really did it because you wanted to. I mean, I think opening a 529 account for college, that was really for me.

• 42:23Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh.

• 42:24George Kamel?

  You know, I've always wanted to and I didn't have a good reason.

• 42:26Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, what?

• 42:28George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 42:29Rachel Cruze?

  You've always just wanted to open up a 529?

• 42:31George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 42:32Rachel Cruze?

  Why?

• 42:32George Kamel?

  Because we taught, 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.

• 42:42Rachel Cruze?

  I need to take you to Disney. Like, I just feel like you need like fun in your life, George.

• 42:47George Kamel?

  Some people's joy is 529 plans, some is Magic Kingdom. We all have our thing.

• 42:52Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh, George.

• 42:53George Kamel?

  Opportunity cost.

• 42:54Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

• 42:55George Kamel?

  So that was really for me. It's going to benefit her because she'll go to college debt-free, which we love, but it was for me.

• 43:01Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, wow.

• 43:02George Kamel?

  You know.

• 43:03Rachel Cruze?

  It's a very selfless thing to do.

• 43:06George Kamel?

  We did just get a toddler tower, like a little kitchen helper, mommy helper thing.

• 43:10Rachel Cruze?

  Cute. We never had those, but I've seen them a lot.

• 43:11George Kamel?

  So I just built that yesterday.

• 43:13Rachel Cruze?

  You... Let's, hold on.

• 43:16George Kamel?

  I didn't do it from scratch, but you know.

• 43:18Rachel Cruze?

  Let's not row past that, George.

• 43:20George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 43:21Rachel Cruze?

  Give you a clap.

• 43:21George Kamel?

  I'm a beast with an Allen wrench and 48 minutes to spare.

• 43:24Rachel Cruze?

  You built it.

• 43:25George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 43:26Rachel Cruze?

  Good job.

• 43:27George Kamel?

  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.

• 43:34Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 43:35George Kamel?

  So now she's like, she can't really get out.

• 43:37Rachel Cruze?

  There you go. Hey, we had playpens when I was a baby. I don't know where those went.

• 43:43George Kamel?

  We have a little playpen. I keep, but she's like, as they get older, they don't want to be in a, in a pen.

• 43:47Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. God, we never, I didn't have those for my kids.

• 43:50George Kamel?

  Like, they're out of their baby pig era. They know. They're like, I don't want to be in this.

• 43:53Rachel Cruze?

  Seriously, y'all had a baby pen for Mia?

• 43:55George Kamel?

  Yeah, we still have it. It's there.

• 43:56Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. Do your friends have them?

• 43:58George Kamel?

  I don't know. I don't go to my friends' houses.

• 44:00Rachel Cruze?

  I have never, I have not seen those in years. I don't go to my friends' houses.

• 44:03George Kamel?

  Yeah, it's none of my business what happens in their house.

• 44:07George Kamel?

  Unless I'm coming over the cruises for a pool day.

• 44:10Rachel Cruze?

  Pool party, pool party.

• 44:11George Kamel?

  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.

• 44:19Rachel Cruze?

  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.