A #CastCompliment So Big It Merits an Episode

First things first. When I ask people in the My DVC Points Community what they really want for content. Reviews of the Membership Extra's tops the list. Some are free, some have costs, and some are just downright difficult to schedule. Members want to know, is it worth my time, energy and effort to attend these events? DVC Membership Extras are usually overlooked by most Disney content creators.

In today's episode, we cover all three of the DVC Membership Extra events in Disneyland. I knew going into the events they would make an excellent podcast episode. However, I didn't plan including a #castcompliment in the episode. On a typical Disney trip, you engage hundreds of Disney cast members. For our family, we usually fill out a comment card or send in a tweet to @WDWToday or @DisneylandToday. However, ALL of the cast members we experienced on these Membership Extra's team was so excellent, they merit the largest social media shout out I can give – a full podcast episode.

Disney Vacation Club Fitness in the Park

First off, from a high level, this is a yoga style class with various stretches and poses. The event meets at the children's playground area in Disney's California Adventure called the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Part of the playground area has a padded rubber floor which is incredibly comfortable to stand on and the yoga mat Disney provides makes it even more enjoyable. Jeff commented that he wished the entire park was paved with that padding. We briefly discuss how this playground area is so well themed that my family and elementary aged children walked by the entrance all week and didn't recognize it as a playground.

Chrissy and Chad at Fitness in the Park

Jeff and I met at this DVC Membership Extra event on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. We're guys and to be brutally honest, yoga is not our first choice of exercise. I commented that this was his second yoga class ever and it was a solid workout. The best part of the event was stretching. The Pennycuff's checked in on Saturday and spent the day touring the resort, grocery shopping and settling in the room. On Sunday, the Pennycuff's popped over to Knott's Berry Farm because they have annual passes to Cedar Fair and wanted to see the park. Monday was a full 10+ hour day in the Disney parks. After two park days, the stretch and relaxation felt wonderful. I commented that his normal training schedule of martial arts, spin classes, and barbell training was pushed by the different style of training in yoga. Don't let the theme park, churros, and Mickey Ears fool you. This isn't a vacation mode exercise. If you attend the class, you can expect a solid but enjoyable workout with an excellent instructor. (My impression was that Chrissy had numerous yoga certifications from a variety of yoga methods. Even if you're not a yoga person, she'll make you emotionally feel on board and part of the program – you'll physically feel uncomfortable in the exercises but the end result felt great emotionally and physically.)

Jeff and I highly recommend the class. The free Jamba juice after class was excellent. Please note this is a seasonal event that runs from April through September. Because this was the first class of 2019, it took a few calls to member services for them to get the class loaded into the system where member services could book people for the event.

Neighborhood Power Walk

I attended the power walk event for general hotel guests on Monday, April 1st, 2019. The event started at 6 AM with a 5:45 AM meeting time at the Grand Californian's entrance to Disney's California Adventure. (You can see the security scanners behind me in the photo). While it was early, my internal clock was still running on east coast time. Everybody participating in the vest is given a reflective vest to help identify power walkers from the cast members inside opening up the park.