And my first experience is not typical of most guests.

That's not because of any special treatment.

It's because I was literally walking all day from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. from place to place,

capturing footage, talking to people special episode of the DCL Duo podcast, brought to you by My Path Unwinding Travel.

And this week, well, you've just got me, folks, because I got an invite to go on a very special cruise, thanks to our fabulous show sponsor, My Path Unwinding Travel.

That was the lookout key at Lighthouse Point Preview Cruise, a three-night cruise on the magic out of Fort Lauderdale. They had some invited guests on board, and we were one, and we were able to experience Lighthouse Point for the first time. I want to start off by saying that in this episode I'm doing something I typically don't, which is I've decided to script an opening because it was important for me to not only collect my thoughts about Lighthouse Point, but also to make sure I was expressing them in the right way. I hope you'll bear with me. As I said to record my first impressions of Disney Cruise Line's newest private destination, Lookout K at Lighthouse Point. I'm for some reason reminded of a quote from

the ultimate Disney critic, Anton Ego, from Disney's Ratatouille. He said, in many ways, the work of a

critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and

themselves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.

But the bitter truth we critics must

face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful

than our criticism designating it so. Ultimately, Sam and I are fans and critics. We fancy ourselves

media because we like to be balanced, but we're not journalists. We're trained, skilled, and practiced

influencers, and not in the social media sense.

We are literally paid to influence others in our professional careers. As ego suggests, it costs us

nothing to criticize Disney from the outside, but this trip reminded me both of my love for DCL

and introduced me to the immensely thoughtful people who work behind the scenes to make that magic

happen every day. Do I still think the treasure is overpriced in relation to DCL's competitors? Yes. But I appreciate the value of the offering Disney is providing a bit better and the work it takes to make that magic happen. So perhaps the equation is not as lopsided as I'd come to believe. I also want to say that every experience Disney creates is perfect. We've highlighted guest experiences that have not been up to what we

see as Disney standards, not out of a desire to pan the company. Indeed, when many took pot shots at the

Star Cruiser, we defended it as one of the best experiences we've ever had. We stand by that review.

But we do think it important for our listeners to understand when things don't go well and the reasons

they didn't go well so they can set their own expectations and potentially understand how Disney reacts in those moments. For evidence of that, see our episode about our spring break sailing from 2021 when Sam got COVID. When things are going well with an experience, almost any business will shine. It's in the hard moments that we find the true nature and character of the corporate culture. I fully expect in the coming days, weeks, and months, there are many in the Disney community who will criticize Lookout Key. Several are already doing so without ever having set foot on the island. I'll confess, my first impression after spending several hours traipsing around the island on a very warm Bahamian day, even as Disney Cruise Line's guest, was not positive. I could easily focus on the things people

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