This week Andrew and I are joined by Chris, better known across the socials as Trumpet Squid, the Maryland-based Disney creator who keeps showing up at the top of my TikTok feed. We get to learn where his handle comes from (spoiler alert - keep an eye on the underwater scene in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway), shares his Disney origin story, and makes the case for “vibes over rides.”

From there the questions fly:

• Buying into DVC on a first Disney cruise, and a first DVC stay at BoardWalk over Thanksgiving week
• Favorite resorts: Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Tater’s one true Disney complaint about the Polynesian lobby
• Watching the Wilderness Lodge Christmas tree go up at 2 a.m.
• Bucket list trips: Aulani, Tokyo, Disneyland, and Adventures by Disney
• Victoria & Albert’s vs. Takumi-Tei, and whether Club 33 is just forbidden fruit
• Why Chris started creating content, impostor syndrome, and finding your niche when you don’t live in Orlando
• Tater’s honest take on Bob Chapek’s book
• Price increases, ticket costs, and what staying on property should get you
• Why Lightning Lane is so hard to explain to first-timers
• The joy of a park day with no rides at all
• Chris ranks the four Walt Disney World parks, plus why Jollywood Nights is worth a look

Also in this episode: a PSA about a bank text-and-call scam making the rounds (and a DVC version of it), and the date for the next group call, Sunday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Find Chris at @trumpet_squid on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads, and at trumpetsquid on Facebook.

Listening to the audio? Come hang out with us live on Tuesday nights on YouTube and Facebook, where the chat helps steer the show. Subscribe to the But Mostly Disney newsletter to get in on the monthly group calls, and grab a shirt while you’re at it.