Traveling With The Mouse: Recent Episodes
Adam, Jon and Jason
Episode 514: The holidays have officially arrived at Walt Disney World, and in this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, Jon and I dive headfirst into all the news and festivities happening across the parks!
First up, we head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom where the Zootopia: Better Together show has debuted inside the Tree of Life Theater. We share our first impressions, reactions, and thoughts on how it fits into Animal Kingdom’s lineup. Is this the right move for the park? Does Zootopia belong there, or is it another IP square peg in a round hole? You know we’ve got opinions. Speaking of Zootopia, Zootopia 2 will be hitting theaters soon, and we discuss whether we’ll be heading to the theater to see it.
Then we turn to the business side of Disney because what’s a Disney conversation these days without a little talk about streaming? Disney+ recently hiked its prices, and we share our thoughts on how this impacts fans, families, and subscribers. We also dig into the ongoing dispute between Disney and YouTube TV because nothing says “holiday cheer” like two media giants arguing over carriage fees.
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Episode 513: After a short break, we are back together again! We’re jumping right back into the magic. Jon just got back from his latest trip to Walt Disney World, and he’s got plenty to share, from the rides and resorts to the latest park updates and a few surprises along the way.
In the news, we discuss the updates coming to Frozen Ever After and Ratatouille at Epcot. These are getting some updates that will be much appreciated. We also got the news that Soarin is going to get a fresh new film for America’s 250th birthday next summer. Soarin over America will is scheduled to be a temporary offering but we can’t help but speculate what might be included in our flight over America.
For Jon’s trip this time he went on a budget friendly mission and stayed at an Air BnB for that was located very close to Walt Disney World. He also got some really good on ride footage of several attractions. Check out our youtube channel for updates. Jon also had a change of opinion about Fantasmic. His review may surprise you.
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Episode 512: On this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, Jason is back in the co-host chair, and he has a lot to share about his latest adventures. Fresh off his cruise aboard the brand-new Disney Treasure, he gives us all the details on what it was like sailing on Disney’s newest ship. From dining and entertainment to exploring the ports of call, Jason paints a picture of what makes this ship unique compared to the rest of the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
Then, I jump in with a recap of my own recent trip to Disneyland. Anytime we get the chance to talk Disneyland versus Walt Disney World, you know it’s going to be a lively discussion. We dive into the similarities and differences between the two resorts, comparing some of the iconic rides that exist on both coasts. Which version of Pirates of the Caribbean reigns supreme? How does Space Mountain in California stack up against Florida’s? And why does Disneyland’s smaller size sometimes give it a charm that Walt Disney World’s sprawling scale just can’t replicate?
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Episode 511: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we’re diving into the latest Disney (and theme park) news before tackling a topic that everyone can relate to, how to do Walt Disney World on a budget!
In the NewsThere’s never a dull moment in the world of Disney and theme parks, and this week proved it: The Firing (and Un-Firing) of Jimmy Kimmel – In true entertainment industry fashion, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was announced as “out,” only to be brought “back in” shortly after. We break down what happened, what it means, and why Disney always seems to find itself at the center of these public kerfuffles.
Robbery at Disney Springs – A Disney Springs restaurant made headlines after an unfortunate robbery incident. We share what we know about the situation and how it could have happened.
Candlelight Processional Narrator Lineup – The holiday season is approaching, and Disney has unveiled this year’s list of celebrity narrators for the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. But one very surprising name is missing from the list this year. We talk about who’s in, who’s out, and what the absence might signal.
Epic Universe Coaster Incident – Over at Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe, there was an unfortunate incident on one of the new coasters. We discuss what happened and what we know about this tragic event.
After covering the headlines, we shift gears to talk about saving money at Walt Disney World. We all know Disney trips can get pricey, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank.
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Episode 510: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we’re asking the question: What would you do if you had Walt Disney World all to yourself? Not with your family. Not with friends. Just you, the parks, and the freedom to do whatever you want.
In this episode, we dive into our dream solo itineraries. whether that means spending a full day lounging at your favorite resort, snacking your way around World Showcase without anyone rushing you along, or finally doing those overlooked attractions you always skip when traveling with a group. Spoiler alert: going solo has its perks!
But before we daydream about Mickey-shaped snacks in solitude, we break down some of the latest Disney news:
- Lakeshore Lodge Construction Update
Disney’s newest resort continues to rise along Bay Lake. We share what’s happening on-site and what this means for future guests looking for another deluxe option. - Polynesian Entrance Construction
Getting in and out of the Poly is currently… let’s just say, not the smoothest arrival experience. We’ll talk about the work underway and how it impacts both resort guests and those just stopping by for a Dole Whip or dinner. - Disney Cruise Line Delay
The newest ship in Disney’s growing fleet won’t be setting sail as soon as expected. We’ll share what we know about the delay, what it could mean for future itineraries, and why excitement for the ship is still running high. - Park Improvement Projects
All across Walt Disney World, refurbishments and fresh updates are happening. From new facades to refreshed pathways, we discuss the little changes that add up to keeping the magic looking its best.
Finally, we circle back to our main topic: solo Disney trips. Whether it’s finally getting that perfect castle photo without feeling rushed, snagging a seat at La Cava del Tequila, or just hopping on your favorite ride over and over again, sometimes the best Disney memories are the ones you create on your own.
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Episode 509: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we’re shaking things up and letting spontaneity take the wheel. Sometimes the best Disney trips are the ones where you don’t over plan every second, and that’s exactly what we’re diving into.
A Tale of Two Trips
We’ve got two very different adventures on the horizon, and each comes with its own approach:
Jon’s Walt Disney World Trip – Jon is keeping things budget-friendly while also testing out some of the “underdogs” of Disney dining. You know those restaurants that always seem to get roasted in reviews? Jon wants to find out if they’re really that bad—or if maybe they deserve a little redemption. Consider it his very own “Disney Food MythBusters.”
Adam’s Disneyland Trip – On the other side of the country, Adam is taking the no-plan plan. That means going with the flow, making decisions on the fly, and embracing a relaxed Disneyland experience. Sometimes the magic is found in the moments you didn’t script out weeks in advance.
Spontaneity in the Parks
We chat about the balance between planning and winging it. With Lightning Lane systems, dining reservations, and virtual queues, Disney can often feel like a military operation. But there’s still plenty of room for unplanned surprises—the kind that make the best memories.
The Beak & Barrel Time Limit
Yes, our favorite new pirate-themed watering hole at Magic Kingdom has a time limit, and we break down what that means for guests. Is it fair? Is it frustrating?
Special thanks to our friend Jolly Jolly, an expert travel advisor who can help make your next adventure stress-free. Whether you’re planning a Disney vacation or looking beyond the parks, Jolly Jolly takes care of the details so you can focus on the fun. https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/jolly-jolly
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Episode 508: Walt Disney Comes to the Carousel of Progress Disney confirmed that a Walt Disney animatronic will be added to the Carousel of Progress. Guests will get to see their very own version of Walt inside this classic attraction. Alongside that, we also got a big tease that some or all of the Carousel’s scenes may be changing. Could we be in for a modern overhaul? Or even brand-new show scenes to reflect the future as Walt once envisioned it?
Dinosaur’s Extinction DateThe closure of Dinosaur at Disney’s Animal Kingdom finally has an official date. The attraction will close to make way for a brand-new Indiana Jones ride. Will the ride system stay the same, or will we get a whole new experience? Either way, fans of Dinosaur should make their plans to ride it one last time before it goes extinct for good.
Cinderella Castle Returns to Classic ColorsMagic Kingdom’s centerpiece, Cinderella Castle, will soon be returning to its pre-50th Anniversary paint scheme. Gone will be the rose-gold and blue makeover, with the castle returning to its timeless look. While some will miss the anniversary flair, many fans have been longing for the castle’s classic palette to shine again.
TRON Gets an Ares UpgradeOver in Tomorrowland, TRON Lightcycle/Run is getting a special update to coincide with the upcoming Tron: Ares film. Expect red lighting effects and a new music overlay to bring the movie’s energy to life on the ride. Whether it’s temporary or permanent remains to be seen, but it’s exciting to see Disney tie film promotion directly into the park experience.
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Episode 507: This week’s episode is jam-packed with Disney news. It seems like the past week has been an avalanche of updates, concept art, and announcements about projects both in progress and on the horizon. Let’s dive into some of the biggest stories we’re covering in Episode 507 of Traveling with the Mouse.
Zootopia 3D Show Gets an Opening Date at Animal KingdomDisney has finally given us an opening date for the all-new Zootopia 3D show coming to Animal Kingdom. November 7th is an earlier opening date than we expected but with the release of Zootopia 2 in theaters later that month it makes perfect sense. We discuss the timing, and whether it will bring much-needed energy to Animal Kingdom.
Big Thunder Mountain’s New Concept Art and BackstoryHang on to your hats and glasses, because Big Thunder Mountain is about to dig deeper into its backstory. Disney released new concept art along with a fleshed-out narrative for the classic attraction. We break down what the updates mean, how much will actually change in the guest experience, and how this retelling fits into Disney’s growing trend of “story-forward” refurbishments.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Becomes Muppets MayhemWe all know that soon Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is losing Aerosmith and gaining…the Muppets. The new concept art shows released this week shows what the Muppet-ified version of the pre-show will look like. We share our thoughts on the concept art and speculate on how long this change-over might take.
Beak and Barrel Lounge at Magic KingdomAvast, ye thirsty travelers! The Beak and Barrel, the new pirate-themed lounge at Magic Kingdom, is just about ready to open its doors, and we’ve got a look inside. From themed cocktails to immersive details, this lounge seems to be another step in Disney’s strategy of creating more unique hangout spaces in the parks. We break down the vibe, and whether this addition is worth the wait.
Spaceship Earth Refurbishment – But for How Long?Finally, we turn our attention to EPCOT’s icon. Spaceship Earth has closed for refurbishment, but Disney is being vague on just how long it will be down. We talk about what changes might be on the horizon, whether this will be a quick spruce-up or something more significant, and how a long closure would affect the park experience.
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Episode 506: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we put on our accountant hats (don’t worry, they’ve got Mickey ears) and dive deep into Disney’s pricing strategy over the years. Resort hotels have always been a core part of the Walt Disney World experience, but just how much more expensive are they now compared to when the doors first opened in the early 1970s?
We track down standard room rates from the Polynesian and Contemporary all the way back to 1972, adjust them for inflation, and compare them to today’s 2025 rack rates. The results might surprise you… or maybe they won’t. (Spoiler: Disney’s prices have definitely outpaced inflation, especially at the Deluxe resorts.) Moderates and Values tell a slightly different story, but either way, the price of staying on property has changed dramatically in real terms.
And while we’re crunching numbers, we also take a look at the cost of seasonal events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Party tickets that used to be a budget-friendly add-on are now a serious investment. We compare today’s prices to past years and ask: at what point does spooky season at the Magic Kingdom start scaring away wallets more than ghosts?
It wouldn’t be Traveling with the Mouse without a healthy dose of Disney news:
The Beak and Barrel reservation launch at Magic Kingdom… let’s just say it didn’t go according to plan. We talk through what went wrong and what it says about Disney’s ongoing struggles with online systems.
Construction check-in: We look at progress across the big projects currently underway at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. One project in particular looks like it’s flying ahead of schedule compared to the others, and we break down what that might mean for opening timelines.
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Episode 505: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we catch up on some of the latest Disney news and dive into the numbers from Disney’s Q3 earnings report. The headline? Parks revenue is up 9% this quarter, thanks largely to an increase in guest spending and the excitement surrounding Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship.
But the biggest buzz in the parks right now is happening over at Magic Kingdom, where The Beak and the Barrel pirate-themed lounge is just weeks away from opening. We now have the full menu and pricing, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a swashbuckling hideaway themed cocktails, tropical bites, and just enough Disney magic to make you feel like you’ve stepped into an adventure on the high seas. We share some of our favorite-sounding items from the menu and discuss whether this will become the next must-visit spot for parkgoers looking to relax with a drink and a view.
We close out the episode with a bit of speculation about the Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom. What will it be called? Which villains will take center stage? And will it lean more spooky, epic, or even elegant in tone? We toss around possible land names with the help of artificial intelligence.
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Episode 504: Let’s hop in our time-traveling monorail, crank up some radio Disney, and set the dial to the decade of slap bracelets, VHS tapes, and Disney dollars… because Traveling with the Mouse, we’re heading back to the 1990s (aka the Disney Decade) and reliving all the things that made it pure magic.
Michael Eisner declared the 1990s would be Disney’s “Disney Decade” and in this episode we are focusing on what we loved about Walt Disney World in the 90’s. We saw some new parks open up like Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney opening new parks at Walt Disney World is something that hasn’t happened since the 1990’s. Disney integrated the success of their animated films and the Disney Afternoon cartoons into the parks in some interesting ways.
It wasn’t just about the new rides or the hit movies. It was the feeling that Disney was firing on all cylinders across the board. Animation, theme parks, music, and merchandise!
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Episode 503: Adam returns from his latest trip to Walt Disney World with fresh, first-hand impressions of two brand-new additions: the long-awaited Disney Starlight nighttime parade and the newly reimagined Test Track. Did they live up to the hype? Did Adam cry during the parade?
Disney Starlight is the newest nighttime parade to debut at Magic Kingdom. This dazzling spectacle combines elements of classic nighttime parades with modern tech and fresh character appearances. Does this parade get two thumbs up?
Test Track, which has gone full retro-futuristic in the newest version. Disney and Chevrolet have leaned hard into the legacy of World of Motion, and the results are a nostalgic dream for EPCOT Center fans!
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Episode 502: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we get our glow on as we dive headfirst into the dazzling world of Disney’s nighttime parades! With the debut of Disney Starlight lighting up the skies, we couldn’t resist the chance to flip the switch and illuminate the rich history of these after-dark spectacles. From the retro charm of the Main Street Electrical Parade to the emotional majesty of SpectroMagic, and now the fresh energy of Disney Starlight, we’re ranking the brightest of the bunch.
You know we’re going to gush about SpectroMagic which is our sentimental favorite. But we also discuss other great parades like Paint the Night – Disneyland’s high-tech masterpiece with a killer EDM beat. Dreamlights – Tokyo Disneyland’s longer, flashier take on Electrical Parade and of course the OG the original Main Street Electrical Parade!
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Episode 501: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re celebrating Disney milestones, peeking behind the construction walls, and asking the real question: Does the new Walt Disney animatronic actually look like Walt?
Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary this week, and to mark the occasion, the spotlight is on a brand-new Walt Disney audio-animatronic set to debut in a new show at the Main Street Theater. It’s a bold move by Disney but will it deliver? We share our thoughts on the design of this brand new show that is sure to get a lot of attention.
Meanwhile, over in Florida, we’ve got our ears to the tracks. Recent permits and backstage construction photos show a possible Walt Disney World Railroad expansion, or at least some form of reconfiguration of the current layout. Also on deck: Disney Starlight, the brand-new nighttime parade coming to Magic Kingdom next week. We look at new images of the lead float and see if it adds to our anticipation of the new nighttime spectacular.
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This week’s episode is a special one, folks. Episode 500. That’s right five hundred episodes of Disney banter, ride breakdowns, trip reports, armchair imagineering, and more Magical opinions than any one podcast probably needs.
We start this milestone episode by hopping in our time-traveling Doombuggy and heading all the way back to Episode 1. Yep, remember when we nervously hit record in 2017 and started talking about what drew us to Disney in the first place? Back when FastPass+ was still a thing and we all couldn’t wait for Galaxy’s Edge to open? Good times.
But, we couldn’t just celebrate the past we had to speculate wildly about the future too. So what will we be talking about in another 500 episodes?
Will there be a 5th Gate or at least blue sky concept art for one?
Will Spaceship Earth finally get that long-promised update?
Will Figment finally get a new ride?
Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or just hopped on for the ride recently, we’re so grateful you’re part of this community. Here’s to another 500 episodes filled with magic, mayhem, and Mickey pretzels.
Thank you!
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Episode 499: On today’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re throwing open the gates of possibility—and imagining what could happen if Disney finally decided to build a fifth theme park at Walt Disney World.
We kick things off by discussing the recent news that Disney has the approval to Build a 5th theme park at Walt Disney World should they choose to do so. This is still at least a decade away but we can’t help but speculate what we would like to see as a new park. We explore everything from villain-themed lands and Disney mythology to international legends, space exploration and Music inspired attractions.
What Would Walt Do?We channel Walt’s spirit via AI and ask: would he go retro-futuristic and build a new EPCOT-style experimental city? Would he create something focused on storytelling and innovation? Or would he surprise us with something we never saw coming?
We share our thoughts on how Disney could honor the original vision while creating something new something that invites wonder, progress, and joy for the next generation of dreamers.
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Episode 498: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re casting our nets into the beautiful, mysterious waters of Bay Lake! Don’t worry, it’s a metaphorical dive, no SCUBA gear required. But before we dip into history, we kick things off with some exciting updates from around the Disney Parks!
Test Track 3.0 Gets a re-opening Date!
The long-rumored reimagining of Test Track now has an official re-opening date of July 22nd! Not only are we getting a fresh new look at the exterior, but Disney has also given us a sneak peek at what some of the interior scenes will look like. We do know that there will be cast member previews as well as Annual Passholder and DVC but what we don’t know yet is exactly when. The other thing we don’t know yet is will Disney use Virtual Queue or Single Pass for Test Track for the first few weeks.
Construction World: Turbocharged Edition
As part of Disney’s promise to turbocharge the parks, we’re seeing a lot of construction progress across property:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is laying down new track faster than a runaway mine train.
- Dinoland U.S.A. area is seeing a lot of construction activity as it transforms into the lush and vibrant Tropical Americas.
- And right on the shimmering shores of Bay Lake, the Lakeshore Lodge is rising up with faced paces construction.
Deep Dive: The History and Legacy of Bay Lake
Now let’s row gently into the heart of today’s episode: Bay Lake the natural, spring-fed lake that predates Disney and has quietly witnessed every transformation of Walt Disney World since the very beginning. We take a look at the Past, present, and future of this natural wonder that is one of the best spots in all of Walt Disney World.
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In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re catching up on all the latest Disney Parks news because things are moving fast, and in true Disney fashion, we’re saying farewell to old favorites while getting hyped for what’s on the horizon.
Let’s start with the big announcement that has set the Disney fandom ablaze: Rivers of America has just one month left before it officially closes to make way for the all-new Piston Peak National Park, We take a close look at the concept art released by Disney and share our thoughts.
It’s official—Muppet*Vision 3D is no more. Walls have gone up around the theater as Disney begins transforming this space into Monsters, Inc. Land. As for Monsters, Inc., we’re curious to see how this new land shapes up. Since Disneyland announced the closing of the Monster Inc. attraction out there will it (or parts of it) be moving to Florida?
Speaking of Disneyland there’s new updates on the new Avatar Land and CoCo attractions coming to California. We take a look at those updates and where they are going to be placed.
We also look at other construction projects going on. Astro Orbiter is looking closer to re-opening as Buzz lightyear is getting ready for its much needed refresh. The Polynesian Village resort is going to get some modifications to the entrance. We also look through the Menu of the newly opened adults only lounge at Epcot Geo 82.
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Episode 496: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into Adam’s Memorial Day weekend trip to Walt Disney World. He arrived on opening day for Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe so naturally we were curious: Would Disney feel the ripple effects of the Epic excitement across town?
Adam takes us through his experiences over the long holiday weekend including opening day of the all-new Disney Villains show, and he gives us a full review.
We also discuss some of the recent Disney news. We will get to Piston Peak next week national park next week. But we do discuss the new details around Disney Starlight nighttime Parade and the many small improvement project that are going on all around Walt Disney World.
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Episode 495: Welcome back, fellow Mouseketeers, to another practically perfect episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In Episode 495, we mix a spoonful of nostalgia with a dash of curiosity as we explore one of the most glaring missed opportunities in Disney Parks history: Why hasn’t Mary Poppins received a significant attraction of her own? But Before we hop on our chalk-drawn carousel horses and soar into the realm of possibilities, let’s run through this week’s Disney news…
We discuss the latest with the Disney Abu Dhabi project. Epic Universe officially opens this week and we will finally see what the impact on Walt Disney World will be. Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween released the dates a pricing for 2025 and they are not so low, in fact the prices are up across the board for the Halloween Parties.
The Curious Case of the Missing Mary Poppins RideNow onto the main topic: Where is our Mary Poppins attraction?!
Let’s rewind the tape…
1964 – The Movie That Practically Perfected Itself
Mary Poppins was a massive hit — critically, commercially, and culturally. Julie Andrews became a household name. The Sherman Brothers gave us songs that still echo down Main Street. So why didn’t Walt greenlight a ride?
Well, our best guess? Timing. Walt passed away in 1966, just two years after the film’s release. The company entered a state of “WWWD” — What Would Walt Do? — which led to a lot of ideas being shelved or slow-walked while Walt Disney World came into being. That being said, We had fun brainstorming what a Mary Poppins attraction might have looked like if Disney had pulled the trigger in different decades: From the end of the Walt Era, through the lost years, into the Eisner era where we did get Mary Poppins included in an attraction but not it’s own to the present day where IP reigns supreme. Mary Poppins is one of Disney’s most iconic characters. She has Oscar gold, a timeless score, and cross-generational appeal — and yet, she’s never been given a proper ride. Ultimately, timing is everything and this popular film just never found the right timing. It’s fun to dream about though.
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Episode 494: Welcome back to Traveling With the Mouse! This week’s episode is packed tighter than a Jungle Cruise boat during rope drop. We’ve got big news, emotional farewells, spicy park debates, and a challenge that will test your park-hopping stamina (and possibly your sanity).
New Park Announced in Abu DhabiLet’s start with the headline heard ‘round the globe: Disney is building a new resort and theme park in Abu Dhabi! That’s right—Mickey and the gang are heading to the UAE, bringing a new kind of magic to the Middle East. We dive into what this means for Disney’s global strategy and speculate on what kinds of lands and attractions might make up this new park.
Mama Melrose’s Closed, Muppets are nextWe pour one out for Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, which has officially closed its doors. It’s the end of an era for Hollywood Studios—and soon for PizzaRizzo and MuppetVision 3D, too. This quirky little corner will soon be transforming into Monster’s Inc. Land. But, hey the Muppets have a new skyliner wrap so that makes up for everything.
The Beak and Barrel – Yo Ho, Let’s Lounge!
We break down everything we know so far, from the parts of the story Disney has revealed to the new details on its theming. Will this lounge have a similar time limit and drink limit to Oga’s Cantina? We think Disney will try to maximize throughput but also keep people relatively sober at Magic Kingdom.
Are the Rafts a Ride?It’s time to answer an age-old question: What counts as a ride at Disney? With AI as our trusty sidekick, we dig deep to define what is actually considered to be a “ride” at Disney parks.
- Do the Tom Sawyer Island Rafts qualify as a ride, or are they just themed transportation?
- Are the Friendship Boats inside Epcot a ride?
- What about the Main Street Vehicles—they move, they’re charming, but are they rides?
We establish a scientific(-ish) framework using Disney’s own classifications, challenge rules and a little sprinkle of theme park philosophy. If you love a good nerdy debate, this segment is for you.
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Let’s be honest: some Disney debates are eternal. Like, Are the rafts a ride? (yes) But perhaps no debate divides the Disney faithful more than this one: Monorail or Skyliner? In Episode 492 We used AI to extensively compare the Skyliner and the Monorail across a whole bunch of categories—wait times, cost, reliability, you name it. In a very close race, the Skyliner edged out the win. I get why on paper the skyliner won but I’m here to say that I am Team Monorail. Always have been, always will be. Here is why…
The Arrival Day Tradition
As far back as I can remember, my family had a tradition on arrival day. We typically arrived in the afternoon and after we settled into our room at the Polynesian (we always stayed at the Polynesian back then), we would take a slow lap around the resort Monorail loop. We’d hop on the Monorail and make our way around, stopping at the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. We’d poke around the shops, grab a snack, and take in the unforgettable Disney resort ambiance. It wasn’t just transportation it was our welcome ritual. By the time we made our way back to the Poly, we felt like we were home. On the day we left, we often made one final loop on the resort Monorail before saying, “See you real soon.” The Monorail was the first and last thing we would do on our trips to Walt Disney World.
The Same Trains, Now with my Kids
You know what gives me in the feels every single time? Knowing that those same Mark VI Monorail trains I rode as a kid in the 90’s are still gliding down the beam today—and now, my kids get to ride in them. There’s not many things you can say that about after 30 years.
Sure, the interiors have been touched up (a little facelift here, a new color stripe there), and yes, the iconic spiel has changed voices over the years. But when I hear Jack Wagner’s voice say “Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas,” I’m 8 years old again, staring out the Monorail window in pure bliss. Thank you, Jack!
Monorail from World of Motion at Epcot 1985My brothers in a Mark IV monorail circa 1984Monorail = History + Street CredIt’s easy to dunk on the Monorail nowadays. You hear, “It’s always breaking down” or “They really need new trains!” And yeah, sure, she’s not in her prime. But It is important to remember that every transportation system has hiccups. The Monorail just happens to have every single one of them documented and dissected by the internet. That’s the world we live in now.
The truth? The Monorail still transports thousands of guests safely every single day. And it has over 53 years of history at Walt Disney World with a pretty stellar safety record. In fact, the Monorail has been operating at Disneyland since 1959 and at Disney World since 1971. That’s a lot of Disney history right there.
One might even say the Monorail is the Phoenicians of Disney theme park transportation—because it invented it. So the next time you move across your car to make room for everyone, say a little thank you to the Monorail.
For the NewcomersIf you’re newer to Disney or you just love a good breeze in your Skyliner gondola, that’s cool. They’re fun, scenic, and still have that new car smell. But don’t sleep on the Monorail. It’s not trying to be trendy—it is the trend that started it all.
My kids are team skyliner, and I love the skyliner too but my heart will always belong to the Monorail. There’s just too much of my own history wrapped up in it for it to ever be out-ranked. So yes, I’m biased toward the Monorail—and proud of it.
Disney can build new transportation systems as advanced and a fancy as they want but I will still say, “It won’t beat the monorail, I don’t care what they put up!”
Join the Legacy: Team Monorail MerchIf you choose Team Monorail, you’re choosing vintage vibes, classic cool, and a slice of Disney that goes back to Walt’s vision. And yes, we’ve got the merch to prove it.
[Rep your Monorail pride here]
[Or be a Skyliner person, I guess… here’s your link]
Pick your ride. Pick your side. Just don’t skip the loop.
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Episode 493: Welcome back, Mouseketeers, to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! This week we’re ready to catch you up on all the latest news swirling around Walt Disney World.
The hype for Universal’s Epic Universe is very real, and guess what? Disney is feeling it. You can tell because Disney is starting to subtly—but noticeably—pivot. From marketing to refurb schedules to surprise guest offerings. The questions still remains, What will be the full impact of Epic Universe on Walt Disney World. We will find out in just a few short weeks.
Refurbishment Round-up: Big Thunder Mountain is shaking up its status quo with a new track replacement. Smoother rides are on the way but we are sure it will remain the wildest ride in the wilderness!
Over in Tomorrowland, Astro Orbiter has a new paintjob. This spinner is getting a complete replacement with hopefully a little more “space” in the ride vehicles this time.
Multiple resorts are in the middle of refreshes—From the Grand Floridian’s lobby to the rooms at Pop Century, there’s a lot of activity going on to spruce up the resorts.
We are also getting ready to say goodbye to the Muppets courtyard and all of its offerings starting this week with Mama Melrose’s restaurant which is set to close on May 10th.
We have an opening date for GEO-82, the new Spaceship earth adults only lounge. It is set to open on June 4th and already has a fireworks special event with a hefty price tag.
If you listened to Last weeks episode you probably have picked a side in the Monorail Vs. Skyliner debate. You can show your support for your favorite mode of Disney Transportation by getting a Team Monorail or Team Skyliner shirt from our store located here!
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Episode 492: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we’re bringing you the transportation battle you’ve all been waiting for: Monorail vs. Skyliner! We set out to settle this debate once and for all by putting both iconic Disney transportation systems head-to-head in a full, scientific-style breakdown. We took an unbiased approach (as much as humanly possible) by creating 14 different categories to evaluate and score the Monorail and Skyliner. From speed to scenery, comfort to nostalgia, we dug deep into every detail to truly find out which one is the better way to get around Walt Disney World.
While the numbers may have given us a “scientific” winner, the truth is, we all admitted we’ve already chosen our sides in our hearts. Whether you grew up dreaming of gliding into Epcot aboard the Monorail or you can’t get enough of soaring over Caribbean Beach Resort in a colorful Skyliner gondola, your favorite is probably already locked in. Where do you stand: Team Monorail or Team Skyliner? Let us know after you listen!
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Episode 491: After a two-week break, we are back! Life threw us a little scheduling curveball with spring breaks falling on different weeks, so we each took some time to recharge in our own way—with non-Disney vacations! Jon shares his relaxing trip to the Florida panhandle, complete with sunshine, sand, and some much-needed downtime. Meanwhile, I ventured up north to Montreal, Canada for a totally different kind of spring break adventure—think cobblestone streets, stunning architecture, and poutine (lots of poutine). But don’t worry—we didn’t forget about Disney! After catching up on our trips, we dive into all the Disney news we missed over the past couple of weeks, from updates to the parks to entertainment announcements and more.
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Episode:490 This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into the Sweet 16 round of our March Madness bracket of the Best Extinct Walt Disney World Attractions! The bracket has been full of surprises and nostalgia so far, and we’re thrilled to see strong contenders from all four parks still in the running. From the golden age of EPCOT Center to classic Magic Kingdom favorites, the matchups are heating up and some tough decisions are being made. As we narrow it down from 16 to the ultimate extinct attraction champion, we debate the merits of rides that shaped our childhoods, attractions that pushed the boundaries of theme park innovation, and those that still live on in our hearts (and YouTube ride-throughs).
In addition to our bracket madness, we break down the latest Disney news: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is finally getting a much-needed refurbishment at Magic Kingdom. While the timing is a surprise, we agree it’s time for the blasters to actually hit what you’re aiming at!
Summer and Fall Discounts Are Here! Disney has officially rolled out their seasonal promos, including the return of the Free Dining Offer for select dates. If you’re planning a trip, now’s a great time to start crunching those numbers—or talk to your favorite Disney travel agent!
EPCOT Fire Alert! There was a small fire at the France Pavilion, and while the smoke were visible from across the park, thankfully it was quickly contained and didn’t cause any major disruptions.
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Episode 489: Hey Disney fans, it’s that magical time of year again—no, not the blooming of spring flowers—it’s time for our annual March Madness bracket here at Traveling with the Mouse! We’re on a thrilling quest to crown the ultimate extinct Walt Disney World attraction. We started with 64 beloved, nostalgic rides, shows, and experiences from across all four parks and beyond, and in this exciting episode, we’ve narrowed it down to the Sweet 16!
Which cherished classics have survived the tough battles so far? Did fan favorites like Horizons, The Great Movie Ride, or Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride cruise safely into the next round, or did we witness shocking upsets by sleeper hits like Kitchen Kabaret or a classic fireworks spectacular?
Join us as we debate, reminisce, and passionately defend our favorites while moving closer to deciding which Disney attraction we miss the most. Will your favorite make it through to the Elite Eight, or did it sadly say goodbye too soon?
Listen in as the magic and memories unfold, and don’t forget to share your thoughts with us on social media—which attraction are YOU rooting for? Let’s see who will take home the prestigious title of “Best Extinct Attraction” from Walt Disney World!
May the best attraction win!
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Episode 488: If you had a time machine and could visit Walt Disney World at any point in its 54-year history, what year would you choose? That’s the big question we’re tackling in this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse!
After covering the latest Disney news—including a look at ticket prices for Epic Universe compared to Disney, New looks into the Monsters Inc attraction, and the new cars attraction coming to Magic Kingdom—we dive into a fun discussion: What would be the ideal year for each of us to visit Disney World if we could time travel?
Jason is going back to 2019, the height of the FastPass+ era and the perfect year for a ride challenge. Disney’s skip-the-line options were at their best, and Parkeology challenges were still possible without the hassle of boarding groups and Lightning Lane headaches. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge had just opened, and the Riviera Resort (his home DVC resort) was brand new. It was a golden age for ride efficiency and planning mastery.
Adam, who balances nostalgia with a love of modern attractions, would time travel to 2000—a sweet spot where the Disney of the ‘90s was still alive, but new innovations were coming in. The paper FastPass system was fully operational, allowing for strategic planning without overcomplicating the experience. Plus, Test Track was brand new, Splash Mountain was at its peak, and EPCOT still had its classic charm before the big changes of the 2000s took hold.
Jon, the biggest EPCOT Center purist among us, is traveling back to 1993. This was the golden age of original EPCOT, where Horizons, World of Motion, and the original Journey into Imagination were all still thriving. FastPass didn’t exist yet, so there was more spontaneity, and the Polynesian Resort was still affordable enough to stay at without breaking the bank. No need to plan every minute—just vibes, monorail rides, and classic Disney experiences.
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Episode 487: Welcome back to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! This week, we’re diving into some of the latest Disney news stories, checking in on the progress of Universal’s Epic Universe, and capping things off with some spicy hot takes about Walt Disney World. Let’s get into it!
Epic Universe: The Countdown to Opening
Universal’s Epic Universe is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious theme parks we’ve ever seen, and as we get closer to its grand opening in 2025, we discuss how things are looking. With lands themed to Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon, Dark Universe, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this park is set to bring some serious competition to Disney.
Hot Takes: Do We Agree?
To wrap up the episode, we dive into some of the most controversial opinions about Walt Disney World. Are the Skyliner gondolas really better than the Monorail? Is Hollywood Studios really a half day park? We give our takes on these and more. Some we agree with, some we strongly disagree with, and a few might just surprise you.
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Episode 486: Welcome back to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! We’re diving into the latest Disney news and I’m sharing details about my recent trip to the Grand Canyon. It’s a packed episode full of updates, insights, and, of course, a bit of travel inspiration!
Guardians of the Galaxy is officially off of Virtual Queue
It only took 1005 days but Guardian’s of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is officially off of Virtual Queue. We take a look at the first few days of Standy wait times and ask why did it take so long? What was different about this attraction that kept in on Virtual Queue longer than any other?
Disney’s Ticket Pricing Model Rumors
One of the biggest stories making waves in the Disney community is the rumor that Disney is considering a major shift in how they price park tickets. If this comes to fruition, it would resemble the airline industry’s dynamic pricing model, where ticket prices fluctuate based on demand, time of year, and other factors.
While Disney already uses some level of dynamic pricing for park tickets and Multi-pass, this rumored change could mean even more variability in what guests pay for admission. Could this mean cheaper tickets on slow days? Or will it create even more complexity when planning your trip?
Construction Everywhere
If you’ve visited Walt Disney World recently, you’ve probably noticed—there’s a lot of construction going on. Mostly, small projects right now like sprucing up the train station and plaza restaurant at Magic Kingdom. The Italy Pavillion at Epcot and Woody’s Lunchbox finally getting some shade. The bigger projects are just on the horizon though and we expect an announcement any day about the official closure of Rivers of America now that permits have been approved for construction. In future refurbishment news, The large guitar in front of Rock N’ Rollercoaster is scheduled for some work. It makes us wonder is any of this work in preparation for converting the ride over to the Muppets theme? Otherwise, why do this so close to the ride being re-themed?
A Grand Adventure at the Grand CanyonShifting gears from Disney, I recently took a trip to the Grand Canyon, and wow—it was an experience unlike any other. As someone who loves theme park magic, seeing nature’s version of awe-inspiring landscapes was a refreshing change of pace. We took the Grand Canyon Railway, a nostalgic and fun way to approach the park, and it added a whole extra layer to the trip. If you’re considering a visit, this is a must-do! The small route 66 town did give off a radiator springs vibe. As a Disney fan I couldn’t help but notice and I will always find a Disney connection!
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Episode 485: The latest episode of Traveling with the Mouse is here, and we’re diving into some of the biggest news stories from Walt Disney World. But beyond the headlines, we’re tackling a question that’s been on the minds of many Disney fans—if Disney truly wants to add value to the ever-increasing cost of a Disney vacation, what should they bring back?
Bring Back Magical ExpressLet’s start with the big one: Disney’s Magical Express. For years, this free transportation service took guests straight from Orlando International Airport to their Disney resort, making travel seamless and stress-free. It was a true perk of staying on-property, saving guests the hassle and cost of rental cars or rideshare services. When Disney ended this service in 2022, it left many feeling like they were paying more for less. Wouldn’t it be great if they brought it back?
Remember the days when you could shop to your heart’s content in the parks without having to lug your purchases around all day? Disney used to allow guests to send their purchases either to the front of the park for pickup at the end of the day or straight to their Disney resort for convenience. This was especially helpful for big souvenirs, like artwork or fragile collectibles. This simple service made park days more enjoyable, and we think it’s time for Disney to bring it back!
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Episode 484: Last year Disney has launched its newest iteration of the skip-the-line service, and we’re diving deep into Disney MultiPass, breaking down how it works, our experiences using it across all four Walt Disney World parks, and the best strategies to maximize your time.
We begin the episode catching up on some recent news stories like the closing date for Tough to be a bug and The fix for a long time issue with Rise of the Resistance out at Disneyland. The old Star Cruiser building is being turned into office space and we’ve noticed that a lot of little cleanup projects have begun around the parks as a result of increased capital expenditures this year.
We spend the bulk of our time talking about maximizing the Multi-pass system. Jason joins us as we discuss the key differences to this system and how to effectively use this version of Disney’s skip the line offering. We go through each park and give our suggestions and strategies on how to best navigate each of the 4 Disney World parks.
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Episode 483: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, Jon takes us on a journey through his latest trip to Walt Disney World! He shares all the details about his stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, his experience using Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and some first impressions of the latest attractions added to the parks.
Staying at Wilderness Lodge
Jon’s home base for this trip was Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, one of the most beloved deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World. Nestled along Bay Lake, this resort offers the perfect mix of rustic charm and Disney magic. He shares his thoughts on the atmosphere, amenities, and why it might just be one of the best places to stay for a more relaxed Disney experience.
He also dives into the transportation options, including the pros and cons of taking the boat to Magic Kingdom versus relying on buses to other parks. Plus, he weighs in on whether the dining options at Wilderness Lodge—like Geyser Point and Whispering Canyon Cafe—lived up to the hype!
Multi-Pass and new Attractions
Jon gives his take on the Multi-pass skip the line system. He gives his pros and cons of Multi-pass his take on how it stacks up to previous versions. This trip also gave Jon the chance to experience some of the newer rides at Walt Disney World for the first time. He shares his thoughts on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Journey of Water among others.
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Episode 482: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, I’m taking you through my first-ever experience running in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon! From the moment I decided to sign up to crossing the finish line, it was an unforgettable journey filled with early mornings, thrilling moments, and, of course, a well-earned margarita at La Cava del Tequila.
The Road to RunDisney: Signing Up and Training
If you’ve ever looked into a RunDisney event, you know that signing up is an event in itself! Spots fill up fast, and you’ve got to be ready when registration opens. Once I secured my spot, then the real work began—training.
Race Weekend: The Energy, The Magic, and the Early Wake-Up Call
Race weekend is a full experience, and Disney does it BIG. From the expo, where I picked up my race bib and some exclusive merch, to the pre-race energy on race morning, everything was electric. Except for the rain! The 3:00 AM wake-up call was tough but the adrenaline and excitement take over. Being there with thousands of other runners and a touch of Disney magic, it was worth it.
The race itself? Absolutely incredible. Running through Epcot and Magic Kingdom as the sun began to rise was surreal. Seeing The electric water pageant boats our in the lagoon to welcome us into the Magic Kingdom was a fun surprise. (We love the Electric Water Pageant) Seeing my family as I ran down Main Street, U.S.A., was a highlight I will never forget, and the character stops along the way is what makes a Disney event truly unique. The crowd support, cast members cheering, and Disney’s impeccable organization made for an unforgettable experience.
Final Thoughts: Would I Do It Again?Absolutely! The Walt Disney World Half Marathon was a one-of-a-kind experience that blended my love for Disney with the personal challenge of a race. The community, the energy, and the magic of running through the parks made every step worth it. If you’re considering doing a RunDisney event, I say go for it—you won’t regret it.
So, what’s next? Maybe a full marathon? We’ll see!
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Episode 481: Welcome to the latest episode of Traveling with the Mouse! This week Adam and Jon share exciting details about their upcoming Disney trips. This episode is packed with Trip previews, goodbyes to beloved attractions, and everything you need to know about visiting Walt Disney World in early 2025. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect.
Adam’s Half Marathon Prep
Adam is gearing up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, part of the runDisney event series that draws athletes and Disney fans from all over the world. He’s sharing his thoughts pre-race and since it’s his first time, He talks about what it’s like from the newbie’s perspective. Tune in next week for the full breakdown if the race experience and lesson’s learned from taking on a run Disney race!
Jon’s upcoming Trip Plans
Jon’s upcoming trip coincides with EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts, one of the most vibrant events on Disney’s calendar. He will be staying at Wilderness Lodge and talks us through his plans to experience some new things and say goodbye to some old ones.
Ride Closures and Early 2025 Tips
Disney is starting 2025 with several ride closures as part of their ongoing park updates. In this episode, we discuss what this means if you plan to visit in early 2025. We discuss the attractions that will be unavailable during early 2025 and how to navigate these closures and when to expect attractions to re-open. There’s also some good discounts that Disney is rolling out for early 2025 that guests should take advantage of even if some rides are down for refurbishment.
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Episode 480: Today, we’re taking a journey through the highs and lows of 2024 and casting our gaze forward to what 2025 has in store. It’s been quite a year for Disney fans, with exciting openings, bittersweet closures, and some major announcements that left us eager for the future. Let’s dive in!
2024: A Year to Remember
This past year brought us the closing and re-opening of the Country Bear Jamboree (now the country bear musical jamboree). Perhaps the most anticipated was the debut of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. When the attraction has everything working properly it truly is amazing. The introduction of the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass brought a new dimension to planning park visits. We’ll call it a hybrid of the different skip the line iterations that Disney has had recently. And, Of course, the D23 announcements signal a major investment to the parks in the coming years. The plans for “Beyond Big Thunder” the transformation of Dinoland into the Tropical Americas, Monster’s Inc land and Villains land all are ambitious, to say the least. While these projects are years away, 2024 set the stage for a new era in the parks.
2025: A Year of Transition
At first glance, 2025 might seem quieter compared to the big moments of 2024. But don’t let that fool you—this year is all about laying the groundwork for what could become an impressive new chapter in Disney history. If the promised investments in the parks come to fruition, 2025 could be the start of something truly transformative.
- Continued Construction and Previews: The projects announced at D23 will likely see major progress in 2025. While we may not get to enjoy them just yet, seeing these projects take shape is important.
- New Experiences: There are a few new things coming this year that have us excited. Test Track 3.0 is the obvious front runner this year. The new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom also has me hopefully optimistic. As a Disney adult I am looking foward to the 2 new lounges opening this year. Also, the Disney Villains show at Hollywood studios is a good sign that Disney is investing significant capital into the parks again.
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Episode 479: Welcome back to another festive episode of Traveling with the Mouse! We’re thrilled to have Jason join us again as he shares all the magical details from his recent trip to Walt Disney World during the holiday season. From special ticketed events to delightful discoveries, Jason has plenty of insider info to get you in the holiday spirit.
Jollywood Nights: Year Two Impressions
Jason kicks things off with a review of the second year of Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He compares this year’s event to its debut, highlighting what has improved and what still needs some pixie dust. From character encounters to the live entertainment and overall crowd levels, Jason provides a thorough breakdown of how Disney’s newest holiday offering is evolving.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas PartyNext, Jason dives into the beloved classic, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. He details the enchanting parade, snowfall on Main Street, and, of course, the free holiday treats. He also shares his thoughts on whether the fireworks dessert party is worth the extra cost and how it enhanced his viewing experience of Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.
Festival of the Holidays at EPCOT
EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays is always a seasonal highlight, and Jason’s trip was no exception. He shares his favorite food and beverage picks from the holiday kitchens, as well as some new hidden gems he discovered for refreshments. If you’re looking for some unique spots to relax and enjoy a drink, Jason has you covered!
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Episode 478: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re diving into Disney’s big year at the box office, looking ahead to what 2025 holds for the company, and covering some major updates that Disney fans won’t want to miss. From the surprising success stories of 2024 to the latest theme park changes, there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s break it all down!
Disney’s Box Office Domination in 2024
2024 was a banner year for Disney at the box office. Moana 2 continues to perform strong and with Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine making billions, all eyes are now on Mufasa: The Lion King, set to release this week. In the episode, we discuss whether Mufasa can live up to the hype and continue Disney’s winning streak into 2025.
Another Unexpected Ride Closure for Refurbishment
This week we were surprised to learn that Gran Fiesta Tour is closing for refurbishment in early 2025. It will be closed from January 6th through March 15th. We speculate on whether this is just a standard routine maintenance or is this enough time to convert the ride to a Coco themed attraction?
Updates to the Run Disney Marathon Course
Calling all Run Disney fans! The 2025 Marathon course map has been released, and there are some changes to look out for. This year’s course offers a few changes to the Magic Kingdom section of the route, including a run through Cinderella Castle!
Previewing the 2025 Epcot Festivals
Epcot’s festivals are always a highlight of the Disney calendar, and 2025 is shaping up to be no different. From the International Festival of the Arts to the 30th year for the Flower and Garden Festival. We did notice that Disney seems to be returning to a more traditional schedule for these festivals. It looks like 2025 will have more weeks of “diet Epcot” than any other year since the pre-covid era.
Exploring the Disney Treasure
Last but not least, we take a closer look at the Disney Treasure, the latest addition to Disney’s cruise ship fleet. This ship brings a whole new level of storytelling to the high seas with its unique design, themed dining experiences, and entertainment options. We discuss what sets the Treasure apart from Disney’s other cruise ships and why it should be on your travel bucket list.
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Episode 477: Welcome back to Traveling with the Mouse! In this week’s episode, Adam takes us on a journey through his recent trip to Walt Disney World during the most wonderful time of the year—the Christmas season! From twinkling lights to festive treats, he shares his magical experiences and offers tips for making the most out of your own holiday visit.
It’s no secret that Disney knows how to deck the halls, and this year was no exception. Adam breaks down the highlights, including the awe-inspiring holiday decor at each park. From the towering Christmas tree at Magic Kingdom to the glimmering lights on Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the parks were truly a winter wonderland.
Candlelight Processional: A Highlight of the SeasonOne of the trip’s standout moments was Adam’s visit to Epcot for the Candlelight Processional. Featuring Josh Gad as the celebrity narrator, this iconic Disney tradition brought warmth, laughter, and goosebumps as the story of Christmas was told through powerful music and narration. Adam opted for the dining package to secure guaranteed seating—and let’s just say it was worth it.
Testing the Multi-Pass SystemAdam also took this trip as an opportunity to test the Multi-Pass system, Disney’s newest take on skipping the lines. He dives into the pros and cons of the system, comparing it to past offerings like Genie+, FastPass+, and even the old paper FastPass days. While the convenience of bundling several attractions into a single pass was a game-changer, he critiques some of the challenges, including availability and cost. Tune in to hear his thoughts on whether the Multi-Pass is worth it for your next trip.
From Christmas magic to thoughtful critiques of Disney’s evolving offerings, this episode has something for every Disney fan. Whether you’re planning your own holiday visit or just want to live vicariously through Adam’s adventures, Episode 477 is packed with festive fun and practical advice.
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Episode 476: As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re thankful for the steady stream of updates from the parks, but some of these changes are stirring up debate in the Disney community. Let’s dig into the biggest headline: we finally have confirmation on where the much-anticipated Monsters, Inc. land will be going in Hollywood Studios. Drumroll, please… It’s taking over Muppets Courtyard. Yes, you heard that right. That means the days of Muppet fans enjoying the beloved Muppet Vision 3D are numbered. This attraction, a fan favorite for its humor, nostalgia, and Jim Henson magic, will be replaced as part of the Monsters, Inc. expansion.
Disney isn’t bidding farewell to the Muppets just yet. Instead, they’re making their way over to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. We’ve known for a while that Aerosmith’s days as the face of the coaster were limited, and now it’s official: the Muppets are stepping in to fill those big rock-star shoes.
We want to hear your thoughts! Are you excited about the changes? Devastated to see Muppet Vision 3D go? Let us know in the comments or on social media. And don’t forget to tune in to this week’s episode for our full discussion on these updates, plus a look at what else is happening in the Disney-verse.
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TWTM 475: Welcome back to Traveling with the Mouse! In episode 475, we dive into the details of the Walt Disney Company’s 2024 earnings call, and while some of it may feel like déjà vu, there are a few tidbits that have us raising an eyebrow. Grab your Mickey ears and let’s unpack the numbers, strategy, and what’s brewing for Disney’s parks and beyond.
Revenue Up, Attendance Steady – The Chapek Legacy Lives On
No surprises here – Disney’s revenue has increased, even though attendance hasn’t significantly spiked. The strategy of managing crowd levels while driving revenue through higher ticket prices, premium experiences, and merchandise sales appears to still be the blueprint. Whether you love or hate the lingering Chapek-era philosophy, it’s clear that Disney is prioritizing guest spending over simply filling the parks to capacity.
This approach has certainly drawn criticism over the years, but there’s no denying its success on the balance sheet. From Lightning Lane upsells to exclusive experiences, Disney has continued to perfect the art of making us want to spend more during our visits.
Epic Universe? “Not Our Concern,” Says Disney
One of the more surprising comments from the earnings call came when the competition was mentioned. Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe is set to open next year, and while fans speculate on its impact, Disney seemed unfazed. The company expressed confidence in its ability to maintain its market dominance, emphasizing its iconic brands, established guest loyalty, and upcoming park expansions.
Are they right to shrug off Epic Universe? Only time will tell, but with rumored game-changers like Nintendo Land and Universal’s growing reputation for immersive attractions, Disney’s confidence could either be strategic posturing or genuine assurance. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2025 and beyond.
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Episode 474: As we kick off the holiday season, we’re ready to dive into the magical festivities happening at Walt Disney World in our latest podcast episode! From dazzling Christmas parties to a brand-new celebration, we’re covering everything you need to know to make your Disney holiday trip merry and bright.
Christmas Party & Jollywood Nights No holiday season at Disney is complete without Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. While we love the Christmas Party, The price tag has continued to increase. We take a look at how much the party has increased since 2019 and how that tracks with other types of events. Will Jollywood Nights be better this year? Stay tuned as we look to see if this event improves over the mixed reviews it got last year.
EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays
EPCOT continues to be a standout with the International Festival of the Holidays, celebrating global holiday traditions through food, music, and cultural experiences. The Candlelight Processional returns, bringing the Christmas story to life with celebrity narrators, a 50-piece orchestra, and a choir. There’s a new spaceship earth gingerbread house this year!
Seasonal Treats & Sweets It wouldn’t be the holidays at Disney without the delicious treats! We talk about everything from classic gingerbread cookies to a few new twists on holiday sweets. If you have a sweet tooth, there’s plenty to be excited about.
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Episode 473: Welcome to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! We’re diving into some exciting Disney news, including a new option for skipping the lines, holiday updates, and even some breakfast news! Here’s what we cover in this episode.
Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment Prep
You may have noticed a few changes around Big Thunder Mountain lately. Disney is already laying the groundwork for a major refurbishment of this classic attraction. While we don’t have all the details on what the refurbishment will entail, we talk about what this means for Big Thunder and speculate on the updates we might see. This wild ride is about to get wilder—or, at the very least, refreshed for future visitors!
Jingle Cruise Returns!If you’re heading to Magic Kingdom for the holidays, you’ll be happy to hear that the Jingle Cruise is back! This holiday overlay of the Jungle Cruise ride brings festive decorations, themed jokes, and a dash of holiday spirit to Adventureland. We chat about why this seasonal favorite is a must-do and what you can expect if you’ve never taken a trip on this unique holiday adventure.
Breakfast at Satu’li CanteenFinally, we’ve got a tasty update for those early risers! Satu’li Canteen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has brought back breakfast service. This Pandora favorite is now serving breakfast, offering a great start for those looking to fuel up before exploring the beautiful landscape of Pandora and the rest of the park. We dive into the breakfast menu and recommend what we’re excited to try next time we’re there.
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Episode 472: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into a hot topic that’s got everyone buzzing—Disney’s latest price hikes! From ticket prices to Annual Passes and even snacks, Disney recently rolled out some significant increases across the board. And with the grand opening of the newest, most opulently themed Cake Bake Shop at Disney’s BoardWalk, it’s clear that Disney is doubling down on luxury experiences. But with prices that are enough to make your wallet sweat, we have to ask: Is it really worth it?
While Disney’s prices continue to soar, there are still a few gems in the parks that we think offer great value for your money. We break down some of our favorite go-to spots for quality food, drinks, and experiences that won’t require a second mortgage. First up? The Baseline Taphouse. Located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it’s the perfect spot for grabbing a beer or cocktail without the Disney premium that other places carry. Not only is the atmosphere super chill, but the selection and prices make it a win for any park-goer looking to unwind. Then there’s the trusty quick-service options. While not as flashy as the table-service experiences, Disney’s quick-service restaurants offer some solid options that are worth every penny. Despite the price increases, there are certain experiences and treats we think are worth loosening the purse strings for.
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Episode 471: Buckle up because we’ve got a lot to cover this week! In this episode, we dive into the major refurbishment plans coming to Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Universal’s big news for Epic Universe, and Disney’s latest paid perks for DVC members and deluxe resort guests. Let’s break it down.
Big Thunder Mountain’s Upcoming Refurbishment: What’s Going On?Big Thunder Mountain is set to undergo a significant refurbishment, and it’s raising some eyebrows. This iconic ride is already a fan favorite, but could Disney be planning something even bigger? With Rivers of America seeing a major update with the construction of the new cars attraction we can’t help but wonder if there’s more going on behind the scenes. Could this be part of the larger reimagining of Frontierland? You know Disney loves to keep us guessing.
Epic Universe at Universal: Mark Your Calendars for 2025While Disney is busy with refurbishments, Universal has set an official opening date for Epic Universe in 2025. This massive new park has been highly anticipated, and now we’re finally getting details on some of the lands and attractions. From Super Nintendo World to the rumored Universal Monsters area, Epic Universe is shaping up to be a game-changer. We discuss what this means for Disney and how the competition between the two entertainment giants could impact the guest experience.
Disney’s New Paid Perks: Worth the Price?Disney just rolled out some new paid perks, and of course, we had to dig into the details. DVC members and guests staying at deluxe resorts now have access to some pretty exclusive add-ons, but are they worth the extra cost? The Lightning Lane Premiere Pass will test how far people will go for a little extra convenience we break down what each perk offers and answer the burning question: is the convenience really worth the price? Are you better off sticking with Genie+ or splurging for the premiere access? We’ve got opinions, and we’re not holding back!
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Episode 470: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into the storm that shook things up at Walt Disney World—Hurricane Milton. We talk about how the parks responded, why Jon ultimately canceled his much-anticipated trip, and what this means for Disney fans going forward.
Beyond Milton, we take a journey through the history of every time Disney has had to close its doors over the past 53 years. From other hurricanes and 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s fascinating to see how Disney has navigated these unprecedented challenges. These closures were rare, but are happening more frequently in recent years.
Finally, we wrap up the episode with some of the latest Disney news, including updates on park operations post-Milton.
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Episode 469: Hey there, Disney fans! Welcome back to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse! After taking a week off to recharge, we’re diving headfirst into the latest happenings in the Disney world. We’ve got a lot to cover this week, so let’s get into it! First up, let’s talk about the weather. Hurricanes can impact travel plans, and we want all our listeners to stay safe out there. Whether you’re at home or planning a trip, it’s essential to stay informed and prepared.
Big Discounts for 2025In more exciting news, Disney has already released some big discounts for 2025! That’s right—if you’re planning ahead (and we know you are!), now is the perfect time to start looking at options for your future trips. We’ll go over the best deals and how you can snag them before they disappear. It’s all about planning smart to get the most out of your Disney experience!
Jon’s Upcoming Trip to Walt Disney World
This week, we’re particularly excited to preview Jon’s upcoming trip to Walt Disney World! He’s got a packed itinerary, and he’s aiming to hit all the must-see attractions before they potentially change. Jon is making sure to explore The Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom, Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, and he’s even planning to visit Muppets Courtyard. Who knows what changes might be coming? So, he’ll definitely be stopping by Pizzarizzo and Muppet Vision 3D just in case! You never want to miss those classic experiences.
We’ll also dive into the process of booking the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass in advance. With so many rides and attractions to experience, knowing how to navigate the Lightning Lane system can save you a lot of time and stress. We’ll share tips and tricks to make the most of this feature so you can maximize your park time and enjoy all your favorites without the long waits.
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Welcome back to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! On this week’s show, we’re diving into the latest Disney news, and then we’re shaking things up with a fun, yet thought-provoking, hypothetical game. We’re asking ourselves: of the attractions on the chopping block, which one would we save?
We discuss some things in the news like the points chart for the new Tower rooms at the Polynesian set to open in December. We have an update on both of the new housing projects that Disney is undertaking on both coasts. Dok-Ondar is back at his shop in Galaxy’s edge and we are still trying to figure out what exactly is happening over at Woody’s Lunchbox.
To wrap up the episode, we take a walk down memory lane and highlight some major milestones that happened this week in Disney history. Whether it’s a ride debut, a key film release, or a landmark event, we look back on the moments that shaped the parks and the company we all love. From classic ride openings to the launch of iconic films, this segment is filled with Disney nostalgia and celebrates the moments that made us fans for life.
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Welcome back to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In today’s show, we dive into the latest Disney news and give our thoughts on the changes and updates happening around Walt Disney World. We’ve got a lot to cover in episode 467, so let’s jump right in!
How’s Tron Holding Up Without the Virtual Queue?
It’s been a full week since Tron Lightcycle Run dropped its virtual queue, and we’ve been watching closely to see how things play out. If you remember, the virtual queue was both a blessing and a headache—helping to manage lines but also adding an extra layer of stress for guests hoping to ride. Now that it’s gone, standby lines are the new reality, and in this episode, we break down how wait times have fared, the pros and cons of this change, and what it might mean for how guests will rope drop at Magic Kingdom.
Next up, we’ve got updates on the ongoing refurbishment of Jungle Cruise. Then, we dive into the progress on the Pirates Tavern construction in Magic Kingdom. Set to bring some new life to Adventureland, this upcoming tavern has generated a lot of excitement.
Test Track 3.0 – What’s Next?
You know we love a good ride revamp, and Test Track is on deck for a makeover with the upcoming 3.0 version. In this episode, we talk about what we’ve learned so far about the changes coming to this fan-favorite ride. Will it live up to the hype? What can we expect from the new design and technology? We break down everything we know, plus some of our wild speculations. Stay tuned for all the latest details!
Walt Disney World Restaurant Rankings: Agree or Disagree?
Lastly, we couldn’t resist talking about food. If you’ve been to Disney World, you know that dining is a huge part of the experience. Recently, some trusted travel sites have ranked the top places to eat at Disney World, and let’s just say… we’ve got opinions! In this episode, we review the rankings and weigh in with our own thoughts on which restaurants deserve the top spots and which ones might be overrated. From signature dining experiences to quick-service favorites, we’ve got the inside scoop on what’s worth your time (and money) during your next Disney trip.
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Episode 466: In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we sit down with one of our absolute favorite cast members, Jose Barbas, from La Cava del Tequila! Barbas brings his infectious energy and deep passion for his work to the show as we explore what drives him as a cast member. We dive into his love for creating magical moments for guests, his journey at Disney, and why La Cava del Tequila holds such a special place in his heart.
Barbas takes us behind the scenes of La Cava, sharing what sets it apart from the many other lounges and bars around Disney World. Whether you’re a tequila aficionado or someone just dipping your toes into the world of agave spirits, La Cava has something for everyone, and Barbas helps us break down the diverse menu. We go over everything from the perfect beginner’s margarita to rare and premium tequila options for the more adventurous guest. No matter your taste or experience level, you’ll leave knowing more about this not so hidden gem in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion!
Of course, we also sprinkle in some of our classic Disney news updates. This week, we discuss the big change for Tron Lightcycle Run as it moves away from virtual queue and what that could mean for your future visits. It’s an episode packed with great insights, fun stories, and some essential Disney news.
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Episode 465: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into some of the hottest topics swirling around the Disney community right now. From a headline-grabbing lawsuit to perplexing hotel availability and a comparison of Halloween events at the parks, we’ve got a lot to cover. Let’s break it all down!
You might have seen the recent headlines about a wrongful death lawsuit involving Disney, and let’s be real—the news can make things sound wild! But as we dug deeper into the details, we found that while the situation is indeed serious, it’s important to separate fact from sensationalism. We take you through what’s really going on.
If you’ve tried booking a Disney hotel room for that one October weekend, you might’ve noticed something strange—limited availability across the board! We’re scratching our heads too. Is it a glitch in the system, or is something big happening that weekend?
With Halloween right around the corner, we couldn’t resist comparing two of Disney’s most popular seasonal events: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the After Hours events.
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Episode 464: Welcome back, Disney fans, to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse! Today we dive deep into the ripple effects of the recent D23 announcements and how they’re shaping the future of Walt Disney World. Now that a couple of weeks have passed since the dust settled, we’ve had time to digest the news and reflect on what these changes mean for the parks, the resorts, and our beloved Disney experience.
Shifting gears, we take a look at the highly anticipated Polynesian DVC Tower, which is set to open later this year. There’s no doubt this new addition will be a hit, especially with the DVC crowd. But, as we reflect on the history of changes at the Polynesian, it’s clear that not all updates have been warmly received. The Polynesian is a resort that’s very dear to many Disney fans, and with each renovation, there’s always a question of whether it will enhance or detract from its iconic status.
While we’re on the topic of resorts, we also take a moment to reflect on the value of staying at Disney resorts in general. There’s no denying that location is the biggest draw for many of Disney’s on-property hotels. Being able to hop on a monorail, walk to a park, or be a short bus ride away from the magic is a convenience that’s hard to beat. But with the prices of these resorts climbing higher and higher, we have to ask: is location the only thing keeping these resorts relevant?
Lastly, we wrap up the episode with a discussion on Virtual Queues. Disney has kept Virtual Queues around for the most popular attractions, like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle / Run, and now, the big question is: when will they retire the Virtual Queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
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Episode 463: Hey Disney fans, welcome back to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In episode 463, we dive deep into some of the hottest topics in the Disney universe right now. From speculating about the location of Monsters Inc. Land to discussing the latest updates to Peter Pan’s Flight, we’ve got a lot to cover!
The Future of Monsters Inc. Land: Where Should It Go?
One of the most intense debates swirling around Disney right now is the location for the new Monsters Inc. Land that was announced at D23. We couldn’t resist speculating about where this new land might end up. We each reveal where we hope to see this monster-filled world come to life. But it’s not just about the location. We also debate which attractions we’d be willing to sacrifice to make way for Monsters Inc. Land and we’d love to hear your thoughts on which attractions should stay or go!
Peter Pan’s Flight Updates
Next, we shift gears to discuss the recent updates to Peter Pan’s Flight. This classic ride has seen some changes, and naturally, we have opinions! Did Disney hit the mark with these changes, or did they miss the pixie dust? Tune in to hear our verdict.
Theme Park Attendance: Who’s Up and Who’s Down?
We also dive into the latest report on theme park attendance worldwide. It’s been a wild 2023 for Disney parks, with some locations seeing a spike in visitors while others experienced a dip. We analyze the numbers and speculate on what might have contributed to these changes. Whether it’s new attractions, park expansions, or just the general state of the world, there’s a lot to unpack in this report. If you’re curious about which Disney parks are on the rise and which ones might be struggling, you won’t want to miss this segment.
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Episode 462: Hey Disney fans! In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive deep into all the major announcements from this past weekend’s D23 parks panel. If you missed it, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with all the details, updates, and, of course, our own thoughts and speculations.
The Monster’s Inc. Land Surprise
Let’s start with the biggest surprise of the event – the announcement of a brand new Monster’s Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios! Ever since the film first graced our screens, fans have been dreaming of a roller coaster that lets us experience the wild ride of those suspended doors, and now it’s finally happening! The only question now is – where exactly is this land going to fit in Hollywood Studios? We discuss the potential locations and what it could mean for the future layout of the park.
Goodbye Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island
In a twist that left us all stunned, Disney also announced (after D23) the closure of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island to make way for a Cars attraction at Magic Kingdom. The loss of these iconic areas is sure to be felt by many long-time Disney goers, but we’re curious to see how the Cars theme will be integrated into the Magic Kingdom experience. Will it be worth the trade-off? Only time will tell.
Villains Land – It’s Official!On the flip side, one of the most highly anticipated announcements was the official confirmation of Villains Land. After years of speculation and fan theories, it’s finally happening! Will it live up to the hype? We discuss our expectations and what we hope to see when it finally opens.
Worldwide Parks UpdatesBut it wasn’t just the domestic parks that got some love during the panel – there were announcements for Disney parks worldwide. We go over the key highlights and what they mean for Disney fans globally.
The Missing Announcements
While we were thrilled with most of what we heard, there were a few things that left us scratching our heads. We share our disappointments and speculate on what might be coming down the pipeline, even if it wasn’t ready for the D23 stage.
What are you most excited about, and what left you wanting more? Let us know in the comments or over on our social media!
Until next time, keep traveling with the mouse!
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Welcome back, time travelers! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we delve into the history and evolution of Disney World’s skip-the-line offerings over the past 25 years. From the original paper FastPass to the current Genie Plus and Lightning Lane systems, we discuss the pros and cons of each. Plus, we cover the exciting news about the new Disney Destiny cruise ship and celebrate Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s 25th anniversary. Let’s dive in!
The paper FastPass system was introduced in 1999, revolutionizing the way guests experienced attractions at Disney World. This system allowed guests to obtain a paper ticket with a return time, effectively reducing wait times at popular attractions. In 2014, Disney introduced FastPass Plus, a digital system that allowed guests to book FastPasses in advance using the My Disney Experience app. In 2021 the era of paid offerings began with Genie Plus, a service that allows guests to pay for access to shorter wait times via the Lightning Lane. Recently, Disney introduced the Lightning Lane Single and Multi-Pass options.
We also cover the exciting announcement of the new Disney Destiny cruise ship. This latest addition to the Disney Cruise Line promises innovative features, magical experiences, and destinations that will captivate Disney fans of all ages. We discuss what we know so far and our excitement for this new venture on the high seas. Finally, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. This thrilling ride has been a staple at Disney’s Hollywood Studios but how much longer will this ride stay in its current form?
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Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into our hopes and predictions for the upcoming D23 Parks panel. From anticipated announcements to our ultimate wish list, we cover it all. Plus, we review Inside Out 2 and discuss the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass system. Let’s get started!
As the D23 Parks panel approaches, excitement is building for what Disney might unveil. We anticipate more details about the transformation of Dinoland into the tropical Americas. This new land will feature Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions. We also expect Updates on the Beyond Big Thunder expansion including potential new lands and attractions that will enhance the Magic Kingdom experience. We’re hoping for some unexpected surprises that will thrill Disney fans, such as new attractions or experiences across various parks.
We also take a look at Inside Out 2 and share our thoughts on the film. We share Ideas for how Inside Out 2 could be integrated into the Disney parks. There’s some existing structures that could easily house an attraction based on this franchise.
Finally, Disney’s new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass system is rolling out, and we’ve got some early thoughts as this new system is rolling out. As with any new change Disney makes there’s pros and cons. Being able to book in advance and hold 3 lightning lanes at a time is a good thing but same day availability is in short supply. The kinks will get worked out and we hope with time that this system will have more positives than negatives.
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Episode 459: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we take a delightful trip down memory lane, reminiscing about our favorite times visiting Disney parks in the 80s and 90s. Plus, we dive into some important updates and news from the world of Disney. Let’s get started!
Jon and Adam share their fondest memories of visiting Disney parks during their childhoods. We explore what made the 80s and 90s such magical decades for Disney fans and discuss what we believe was the best age to visit during those times.
We discuss the current reliability of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Rise of the Resistance. Both attractions have faced their share of technical issues, and we delve into what’s being done to improve their uptime and guest experience. Disney is testing a new single rider line for Rise of the Resistance, and we share our thoughts on how this could impact wait times and ride efficiency. We discuss the potential benefits and any concerns we might have.
Thank you for joining us on this nostalgic and informative journey. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on social media for more Disney news and updates. Until next time, keep dreaming big and keep traveling with the mouse!
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Episode 458: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, Jon and Adam take you on a journey through their summer adventures, share their thoughts on the latest Disney news, and reveal some exciting new merchandise. Get ready for a fun-filled episode packed with travel stories, fireworks comparisons, and Disney insights!
Jon’s Trip to Dallas, TX
Jon kicks off the episode by sharing highlights from his trip to Dallas, Texas. He took a road trip with his family to Texas. He shares the different sites and attractions that he visited and we even shared some presidential history between his trip and Adam’s trip to D.C.
Adam’s 4th of July in Washington D.C.
Adam recounts his exciting 4th of July celebration in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. He had the chance to experience the patriotic festivities and even managed to find some Disney tie-ins during his trip. Adam also compares the 4th of July fireworks shows in D.C. to Walt Disney World’s.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree: A Pleasant Surprise
Jon and Adam share their reactions to the newly revamped Country Bear Musical Jamboree. They discuss how the updated show has exceeded their expectations and brought a fresh, entertaining experience to the park. Their relieved and pleasantly surprised reactions highlight the success of this classic attraction’s revival.
D23 Parks Panel: What Does “Horizons” Mean?
The upcoming D23 parks panel has been given the intriguing title “Horizons,” and the artwork features a retro Epcot vibe. Jon and Adam delve into what this could mean for the future of Disney parks. They speculate on potential announcements, attractions, and themes that might be revealed, drawing connections to the beloved Horizons attraction from Epcot’s past.
New Merchandise Alert: Challenge Runner Gear
Exciting news for all our Disney challenge enthusiasts! We have new merchandise available, including exclusive Challenge Runner gear. Whether you’re gearing up for your next Parkeology or Every Ride challenge run our new merch has got you covered! Be sure to check it out and grab your gear before your next Disney ride challenge. You can find it here
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Episode: 457 Welcome back, Disney fans! In this special episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re joined by the incredible Ryan and Reagan, also known as The Brothers WDW. These two Disney enthusiasts recently completed not one, but two Parkeology runs back to back, conquering an impressive 52 rides in a single day across all four Walt Disney World Parks. Get ready for an action-packed episode filled with strategy, close calls, and the latest Disney updates!
We kick off the episode by welcoming our special guests, Ryan and Reagan. The Brothers WDW have taken on the Parkeology challenge and emerged victorious. They recently completed 2 back to back runs of 52 rides. They break down the key elements that helped them succeed, recounting some of the close calls and unexpected hurdles they faced along the way. Their quick thinking and teamwork ultimately tipped things in their favor.
As Disney prepares to implement changes to the Lightning Lane system, we discuss how these updates might impact future Parkeology challenges and regular park visits. We discuss how to run the challenge or just to get the most out of your Disney vacation you have to adapt and roll with whatever the day gives you.
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Episode:456 Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re diving into some firsthand experiences and exciting updates from the Disney parks. Grab your Mickey ears and join us as we explore the magic!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Passholder PreviewAdam and Jason had the incredible opportunity to preview Tiana’s Bayou Adventure twice this past weekend. With the official opening just around the corner on June 28th, we’re here to share all the details and our thoughts on this highly anticipated attraction. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a nice addition to the Disney parks, offering a fresh and engaging experience that honors the beloved film. We can’t wait for everyone to experience it starting June 28th!
Test Track
Test Track 2.0 has been a thrilling favorite, with its high-speed adventures and interactive design elements. Our last ride was filled with nostalgia and excitement, appreciating all the elements that made this version special. While we’re sad to see Test Track 2.0 go, we’re excited about the possibilities for its refurbishment. We discuss our hopes for the new version, including more immersive storytelling and cutting-edge technology.
Other Disney News
With the massive construction project at Epcot now complete, we discuss the new features and attractions that have been unveiled. Communicore Hall is very underwhelming especially after what was originally planned for Epcot prior to 2020. This entire area is the finally of a severely cut back and watered down project. It painfully shows with this lackluster area in my favorite park.
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Episode 455: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we’re diving into some exciting Disney news and letting our imaginations run wild as we brainstorm new attractions for each World Showcase pavilion.
First up, the massive construction overhaul at Epcot is finally complete! This ambitious project has brought new life to the park with updated attractions, enhanced landscaping, and futuristic new areas. We discuss the highlights of the changes and what guests can look forward to on their next visit to Epcot. Next, we’ve got an exciting update for all you classic Disney fans. The Country Bear Musical Jamboree has an official opening date! We share the details and our thoughts on the revamped show, which promises to blend beloved classic elements with fresh, Disney-themed musical numbers. Last but certainly not least, passholder previews for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure have begun! We hope to experience the attraction ourselves and give our reviews next week.
Now, onto the main event of this episode! We let our imaginations soar as we brainstorm ideas for adding a ride to each existing World Showcase pavilion at Epcot. We hope you enjoy our ideas and invite you to share your own! If you could add rides/attractions to the world showcase what would they be? Would you base it on an existing Disney IP that would fit in that country?
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Episode 454: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into some fresh Disney news and explore our visions for the future of Walt Disney World. Buckle up and get ready for a journey filled with imagination and magic! The cast member previews have started for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and we discuss our initial thoughts of the attraction. We then discuss what we would do with the capital investments that Disney has agreed to put into Walt Disney World over the next 10-20 years. We give our thoughts on improvements we would make if we were in charge. Also, Happy 90th Birthday to Donald Duck!
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Episode 453: Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we have a lot to cover, from heartfelt tributes to exciting new attractions. So, grab your Mickey ears and join us as we dive into the magic! We start this episode on a bittersweet note as we honor the passing of Disney legend Richard Sherman. Richard, along with his brother Robert, composed some of the most iconic songs in Disney history. Their music has been the soundtrack to our childhoods and continues to bring joy to millions around the world. Next, we shift our focus to something spectacular lighting up the skies at Disney Springs. The new drone show, Dreams That Soar, is a breathtaking display of technology and artistry. This innovative show uses drones to create dazzling patterns and images in the night sky, accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack. We then dive into the latest news on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, set to officially open later this month. Finally, we get into Adam’s trip report. Adam recently returned from a visit to Walt Disney World, and he’s got a lot to share!
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Welcome back, Disney fans, to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! This week, we dive deep into the world of virtual queues and explore how they’ve evolved, their current use, and what we can expect from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure once it opens. Virtual queues were introduced to manage the demand for Disney’s most popular attractions and enhance the guest experience by reducing the time spent waiting in line. Instead of standing in line for hours, guests can join a virtual queue and enjoy other park activities while waiting for their turn. The concept first gained popularity with the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The success of this system led to its implementation for other major attractions, such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, and most recently Tron.
We couldn’t wrap up this episode without diving into the Passholder Foodie Challenge. As avid Disney foodies, we’ve been sampling our way through the delicious offerings, and we’re here to share our favorites and what’s still on Disney’s must-try list.
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Episode 451: Finally, the wait is over! We’ve got all the scoop on Tian’s Bayou Adventure, and Disney is shaking things up for the passholder preview this time around. Instead of the usual long waits and frustrating virtual queues, passholders will need to be in the park on the date of the preview and snag a virtual queue spot at one of two times during the day. Fingers crossed this new system works better than the old one! But wait, there’s more! If you’re a DVC member or a D23 Gold member, you’ll also get a chance to preview Tian’s Bayou Adventure. However, these opportunities are a bit more restrictive, we go through those specific details.
And in other news, the drama at Gideon’s Bakehouse continues! We’ll dive into the latest developments. Stay tuned for the full story and our thoughts on how this might affect future visits. Now, let’s talk about something truly magical—the new drone show at Disney Springs! This new show is lighting up the skies later this week. Lastly, there’s a rumor circulating that the old 1.0 Magic Bands might be decommissioned soon. We’ll discuss what this could mean for park-goers and how to prepare if you still have one of these classic bands. Make sure to follow us on all our social media channels and subscribe to our podcast for the latest Disney news and adventures. See ya real soon!
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Episode 450: We just got the news Finally about Tiana’s Bayou Adventures opening date of June 28, 2024. We recorded this episode shortly before that news broke so we will cover that in detail next week. However, this week we do have some other things to discuss. Mainly the delightful look into Fantasy Springs at Tokyo Disney Sea. We talk about what we would hope could get imported from Japan to our domestic parks. We also cover some other news and end with a few popular forum topics that have been making the rounds lately. Mainly, the current state of Disney Merchandise. We reminisce on the old days where you could really find some unique merch. Another topic that was popular lately is what attraction at Disney would you most want to sleep overnight on? We give our takes. Lastly, we look at a scenario that is fairly common, You have to check out of your hotel room at 11am but your flight isn’t until much later. What would you do at Walt Disney World to pass the time?
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Episode 449: Welcome back, Disney fans, to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! Today, we’re packed with fresh news and exciting updates from across the Disney universe. From anticipated attractions to anniversary celebrations and beyond, we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!
First up, we discuss the much-anticipated Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the official opening date, and rumors are swirling about possible preview dates. Disney’s Hollywood Studios just celebrated its 35th anniversary with new Merch and that’s about it. Speaking of anniversaries, can you believe it’s been 25 years since “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” was released? We discuss our thoughts on the film looking back 25 years later and if we want to see it again in theaters while it is on it’s limited run.
In Disney Cruise line News, Disney has recently shared the map of their new private island, Lookout Cay. It is definitely impressive but will we miss seeing the ship off in the distance while we are chilling on the beach? Lastly, Adam vents some frustrations with the Run Disney registration process. Many fans have encountered challenges and complexities when signing up for these popular events. Adam shares his personal experiences and offers tips on snagging a registration.
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Episode 448: Hello Disney enthusiasts! Welcome back to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse. This week, we’re joined by our very own Jason, fresh from his enchanting week at Walt Disney World. He’s here to share all the magical details and new experiences he enjoyed during his trip, including splashing around at Typhoon Lagoon, dining at Via Napoli, and being mesmerized by the new nighttime show, Luminous. Plus, we’ll sprinkle in some of the latest Disney news.
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Welcome back to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! As summer heats up, so does the magic at Walt Disney World, and we’re here to guide you through everything you need to know for a spectacular summer visit. From exciting new attractions to exclusive summer events and fantastic discounts, we’ve got the scoop on how to make your Disney vacation truly unforgettable.
One of the most anticipated highlights of the summer is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. We’ve got some strong indication on the previews and opening date. Disney is also rolling out some fantastic discounts this summer. We’ll outline the best deals on hotel stays, park tickets, and dining plans. Whether you’re a Florida resident looking for a quick getaway or planning a lengthy family vacation, there are plenty of savings to take advantage of. We also update you on things that are closing this summer (Test Track) or other attractions likely to close before the end of the year. (Dinosaur).
Navigating Walt Disney World during the busy summer months can be a challenge, We’ll share advice on: Beating the Heat: Strategies to stay cool and hydrated.
Avoiding Crowds: Optimal times to visit. Dining Reservations: How and when to book to ensure you don’t miss out on sought-after restaurants.
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Episode 446: Welcome back to the podcast, fellow Disney enthusiasts! We hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break. As we jump back into the magic, there’s a treasure trove of Disney news waiting for us. From program updates to new concept art, and even some corporate drama, let’s dive into what’s been happening in the wonderful world of Disney. First up, Disney has rolled out some changes to the Disability Access Service (DAS) program. These updates aim to enhance the experience for guests requiring additional assistance at the parks. We’ll walk you through what’s new, what’s changed, and how these adjustments could impact your next visit. Disney has released some tempting summer discounts that basically extends the spring discounts all the way to October. There is also a “free dinning” option for Disney Visa Card holders. Disney has also unveiled new concept art for Test Track and the Pandora themed land coming to Disneyland. So tune in, get caught up, and continue your journey in the ever-evolving world of Disney with us.
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Episode 445: Welcome back! We’re wrapping up our exhilarating March Madness bracket to finally crown the best Disney song of all time. With Jason joining us, the competition is fiercer than ever as we dive into the melodies that have enchanted us for generations.
Of course, it wouldn’t be our show without a sprinkle of the latest Disney news. Whether you’re planning your next Disney vacation or just looking to stay up-to-date with all things Disney, we’ve got you covered.
Jason shares his excitement for his upcoming spring break trip to Disney World, and he’s got something special planned. Imagine racing from Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom to the Millennium Falcon in Hollywood Studios, using only the Disney Monorail and Skyliner. How fast do you think he can make it? It’s a unique challenge that’s sure to add an extra layer of adventure to his trip. Be sure to follow @sirpoovey on X to catch all the action live and see just how quickly Jason can complete this challenge.
And if all that wasn’t enough, we’re throwing in a bonus bracket where Disney legends go head-to-head. From animators and imagineers to voice actors and live-action stars, we’re putting the spotlight on the individuals whose creativity and passion have shaped the Disney experience. It’s a tribute to the legends behind the magic, and we’re excited to see which icon our listeners believe stands above the rest.
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Welcome back, to another magical episode of Traveling with the Mouse! This is episode 444, and today we’re diving into a beloved tradition with a twist – our annual March Madness Disney Bracket. But this year, we’re tuning our ears to the harmonies and melodies of the Disney universe as we pit iconic Disney songs against each other in the ultimate showdown to crown the best Disney song of all time!
Our bracket this year is divided into four enchanting categories: Classic Animation, Modern Animation, Live-Action (with a focus on original films), and Theme Park Attractions. We’ve carefully selected 16 matchups that promise to spark debates, tug at your heartstrings, and maybe even surprise you with some upsets. From the timeless charm of “When You Wish Upon a Star” to the powerful ballad “Let It Go,” every song in our bracket has left an indelible mark on Disney fans worldwide.
Until next time, keep dreaming, keep believing, and keep traveling with the mouse.
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Episode 443: In this installment of “Traveling With The Mouse,” we dive into some of the latest Disney news, Spring break is in full force, and we share a unique trip report from a visitor experiencing the magic of Disney World after a hiatus of over three decades. Furthermore, we continue our nostalgic journey from last week’s episode, with a deeper dive into Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We share our own experiences, tracing the transformation of this iconic park over the years. From its early days as a tribute to the golden age of Hollywood to its current status as a hub of thrilling adventures and immersive storytelling, we discuss how Disney’s Hollywood Studios has grown and changed, shaping our memories and experiences along the way.
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Episode 442: Welcome back to “Traveling With The Mouse,” where in this episode, we dive into the latest happenings in the Disney universe and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to celebrate the upcoming 35th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. First up, we discuss the exciting news coming out of Disney, including the introduction of a new multi-day dining search feature soon to be available on the My Disney Experience app. This update promises to make meal planning easier for visitors, enhancing the overall park experience. We also touch on the fresh additions to “Living with the Land” at EPCOT. Also, the debut of the first projection-mapped topiary for the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT marks a new era of creativity and technological integration in the park’s displays.
The main topic today is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As we approach its 35th anniversary, we reflect on the park’s evolution since its opening in 1989. From its early days as a working film studio to its current status as a land of immersive experiences and thrilling attractions, Hollywood Studios has undergone significant transformations. We’ll reminisce about past attractions, discuss the additions and changes that have shaped its identity. (or lack thereof).
Check out this video of then MGM Studios from May of 1989 from our Youtube Channel
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Episode 441: Welcome back to “Traveling With The Mouse,” where episode 441 brings us an exciting blend of Disney enchantment both at sea and on the tabletop. This time, Jason returns to the fold, not just with tales from the high seas aboard the Disney Magic but with an infectious new obsession – Disney Lorcana, the latest card game craze sweeping through the Disney fandom.
Jason takes us through a detailed exploration of the game, highlighting some of the most interesting and valuable cards in his collection. For those uninitiated, Disney Lorcana is more than just a card game; it’s a dive into a richly imagined world where Disney characters wield incredible powers in stunning artwork
Jason also just returned from a 5-night voyage on the Disney Magic, setting sail from New Orleans. Despite the Disney Magic being one of the fleet’s older members, Jason reveals how its recent updates breathe new life into the vessel, making it stand shoulder to shoulder with its larger counterparts. He walks us through the highlights of his journey, from the unique ports of call to the onboard entertainment that makes Disney cruises unforgettable.
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Episode 440: In this nostalgic journey of Traveling With The Mouse, we dive deep into the heart of Disney’s rich history, exploring the attractions that once brought magic to its parks. We’re not just reminiscing about the past; we’re reimagining it. Imagine a world where money is no object, and we have the power to bring back any Disney attraction, but with a twist: they’re updated with today’s technology and creative insights. We kick off the episode with the latest Disney news, catching up on the newest updates But the core of our discussion is a trip down memory lane, with a futuristic vision. What classic attraction would we bring back if we could? Listen to what our picks are and what we would do to modernize them. Then let us know, what classic Disney attraction would you like to see make a comeback?
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Episode 439: In this episode of “Traveling With The Mouse,” we delve into the latest happenings around Disney parks and share our curated list of must-do non-ride attractions across all four parks at Walt Disney World.
News Update: We kick off with exciting news about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, including the reveal of the new Tiana animatronic. With the ride currently in testing, anticipation is building for its summer opening at Walt Disney World. We speculate on possible opening dates and discuss what this means for the park.
Main Topic: Moving beyond the thrill of rides, we explore the essence of Disney magic through its non-ride attractions. From the immersive storytelling of the Enchanted Tiki Room to the serene beauty of the World Showcase at Epcot, we guide you through the experiences that offer a different pace but no less excitement. Whether it’s marveling at the intricacies of Animal Kingdom’s trails or enjoying the interactive exhibits in the parks, there’s a world of wonder awaiting beyond the queue lines.
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Welcome back to another episode of the Traveling with the Mouse Podcast, where we dive deep into the world of Disney, bringing you the latest news, reviews, and insider tips. This week, we’re unpacking the highlights from Disney’s Q1 earnings call and exploring other significant stories that have unfolded over the past week. The latest earnings call from Disney revealed that the parks continue to be a robust source of income for the entertainment giant. However, the big question on every Disney enthusiast’s mind is: when will we see further investment in the parks?
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Episode 437: Welcome back, Disney enthusiasts, to another episode of the Traveling with the Mouse Podcast. Episode 437 is packed with the latest Disney news, updates on Universal’s Epic Universe, legal battles, and our thoughts on the new Pixar Place hotel. We’ll also dive into some practical trip planning advice, including the best parks to visit on a rainy day. So, buckle up for a magical journey through the latest happenings in the world of Disney and beyond.
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Episode: 436. Welcome back to another episode of the Traveling with the Mouse Podcast! In Episode 436, we wrap up Adam’s boys trip report to Walt Disney World, dive into some delectable dining experiences, and bid an emotional adieu to a beloved classic, The Country Bear Jamboree. One of the most heartfelt moments of Adam’s trip was his final visit to The Country Bear Jamboree. This classic attraction, beloved by many, has been a staple at Disney parks since 1971. In this episode, we take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, discussing the history of The Country Bear Jamboree, its inception, and the joy it has brought to generations of Disney fans. This episode is a blend of delightful culinary adventures and a heartfelt tribute to a Disney classic. The Country Bear Jamboree will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we eagerly await the new experiences Disney will bring to continue the legacy of this cherished attraction. Join us in celebrating the memories and looking forward to the future of Disney magic!
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Episode 435: Today we have a mini episode (not a Minnie episode). Jon is under the weather this week so we will be back next week with a full episode. However, while we were at Walt Disney World last week, Jason and I recorded a mid-trip report while we were having dinner at Mama Melrose’s at Disney’s Hollywood studios. In this mid-trip report we discussed our experiences at Garden Grill, Space 220, 50’s prime time and a live review of Mama Melrose’s. We discuss how the trip was going at that point and what we were looking forward to for the second half of the trip. Jason and I recently went on a boys trip with our kids and stayed at Riviera.
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Episode 434: Today we’ve packed a delightful mix of news, nostalgia, and fun challenges that will whisk you away to the enchanting world of Disney. We delve into the nostalgic closure of the Country Bear Jamboree. This beloved attraction has been a part of Disney’s magic for decades, and we discuss its legacy and the our hopes for the updated show. Disney is showing some love to the locals with a brand-new Florida Resident Discount this winter. The long-awaited lifting of Park Hopping restrictions is finally here! Now Annual Passholders and guests with Park hopper tickets can hop between parks as often and as early as you like. Finally, Jon turns up the excitement by challenging Adam to a game of Disney Trivia!
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Episode 433: If you’re planning a magical trip to Disney World in 2024 and want to avoid the crowds, our latest episode is a must-listen! We delve deep into the crowd data from 2022 and 2023 to uncover trends and clues for this year’s attendance patterns. We’ve pinpointed what are statistically the best times to visit Disney World in 2024. These periods promise lower crowd levels, offering a more relaxed and enjoyable experience. In this episode, we also cover the latest news and updates from Disney World. We preview the upcoming Festival of the Arts at Epcot and the new popcorn bucket that is sure to draw a crowd. Disney has also released a number of good discounts from the spring all the way through the fall.
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Episode 432: Happy New Year from all of us at “Traveling with the Mouse”! We’re back with another exciting episode that’s all about what’s on the horizon for Disney parks and entertainment in 2024. We kick off 2024 with a sneak peek into the new attractions and experiences set to debut at Disney parks. From the main headliner this year, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to the new Little Mermaid show and a Country Bear Jamboree revamp in between. But it’s not all about the new; we also dive into the completion of ongoing construction projects that will enhance the magic of your Disney visits.
We also take a closer look at Disney’s film lineup for 2024. Is this year’s cinematic offering as enchanting as we’d hoped, or are we in for a more low-key year in the world of Disney entertainment? Our opinions might surprise you. As we embark on this new year of Disney discoveries, join us in Episode 432 for a lively discussion about what’s to come in the world of Disney, from the parks to the big screen. We’re your trusted guides to all things Disney
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Welcome back to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse,” where we dive deep into the latest Disney developments and share our candid thoughts and experiences. In Episode 431, we’re exploring the new wonders of EPCOT, reviewing the latest adventure from our favorite archaeologist, and reflecting on a family’s first Disney trip gone awry.
Luminous, has finally made its debut at EPCOT, and we’re here to spill our thoughts. Does it live up to the legacy of its predecessors like IllumiNations and How does it compare to Harmonious and EPCOT Forever? We discuss the visuals, music, and overall experience of this new show, providing you with everything you need to know before your next park visit.
The construction walls are (mostly) down, and EPCOT’s World Celebration area is now open to guests! We take you through the transformed space, discussing what’s new, what’s changed, and how it impacts the overall EPCOT experience.
Next, we switch gears to the silver screen with our review of the newest Indiana Jones movie, “The Dial of Destiny.” Jon and I delve into our perspectives on the film and its place in the iconic franchise. We also discuss the broader picture of how Lucasfilm has been managed under Disney’s stewardship.
Lastly, we dissect a post from a family whose first trip to Walt Disney World didn’t quite meet their expectations. We break down their experience, pinpoint where things may have gone off course, and offer advice on what could have been done differently. Whether you’re a Disney veteran or planning your first visit, there are lessons to be learned and tips to be gleaned from this discussion.
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Welcome to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse.” This week in Episode 430, we take a slight detour from our usual Disney-centric discussions for a special segment on Jon’s recent trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Then, we dive headfirst into the latest happenings in the world of Disney, from executive interviews to unexpected park incidents.
Jon takes us on a journey beyond the Disney parks to the charming town of Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. He shares his experiences with the local attractions, the unique vibe of the Smokies, and how they compare to our beloved Disney destinations. Jon specifically talks about the Sky Fly attraction and how it compares to Soarin and Flight of Passage.
Back in the realm of Disney, we dissect the recent interview with Disney CEO Bob Iger. Iger’s insights were not only revealing but also painted a vivid picture of where the company stands and the direction it’s headed before his tenure wraps up in 2026. We then discuss the current state of Disney movies and why this year has been a particularly tough year at the box office. From theatrical releases to streaming strategies, we ponder what could reinvigorate Disney’s cinematic magic.
Recently, Disneyland witnessed an unusual and concerning event: a guest streaking on the “It’s a Small World” attraction. We discuss this incident, reflecting on why such occurrences seem to be on the rise and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar events in the future. And Finally, the iconic Hatbox Ghost has officially taken up residence in the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World. We share our impressions of this spooky addition to a beloved attraction.
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Episode 429: Welcome back to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse.” As the holiday season twinkles into full swing, we’ve got some festive surprises and insightful discussions lined up for you. First up, we’re thrilled to reveal our new holiday logo this week! It’s a merry blend of Disney magic and festive joy, perfect for getting into the spirit of the season. And here’s an extra treat: in celebration of Black Friday, we’re offering a special 30% off on all our merchandise, featuring the new logo. Mark your calendars and get ready to add some Disney holiday flair to your wardrobe! Link to our shop. Next, we dive into the first night of Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. While we were brimming with excitement for this new ticketed event, it seems the opening night had its share of hiccups. From long lines to technical snags, we dissect what went down and what it means for the future of this holiday extravaganza. When then share our top 3 picks on a variety of Disney World topics. From the most thrilling rides and best-hidden dining spots to the top drinks at Epcot, our lists are packed with personal insights, tips, and maybe a few surprises. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Episode 428: In this episode we discuss some tips on Traveling to Walt Disney World during the cooler months of the year. We also talk about some of the latest news. We talk about the new incoming CFO and what that could mean going forward. We talk about the newest additions for the holiday season this year and we take a look at Disney’s new private island Lookout Cay at lighthouse point. Some of the soundtrack for Luminous has been released, we give our thoughts on that. As well as the smaller barges that seem to be a part of this new nighttime spectacular. Finally we talk about a story that recently came out about guests relieving themselves in lines for some popular attractions. Some cast members have confirmed that these stories are unfortunately true.
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Episode 427, Welcome back to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” – your go-to audio guidebook for all things Disney. This week, in Episode 427, we’ve got a blend of the latest Disney news and a playful twist that will have you seeing the parks from a whole new angle! First up, we dive into the Disney headlines. The Monorail had some tire issues this week. The holiday season is now in full swing and Disney’s legal battle with the state of Florida is heating up. We continue on to our main topic this week where we ask and answer some questions that don’t normally get asked about Walt Disney World. Things like, Which ride has the most uncomfortable seats or the ride with the worst on-ride photo. We want to hear your thoughts on these quirky Disney questions. Share your opinions and your hilarious ride photos with us on our social media channels – because if you can’t laugh at a picture of yourself staring blankly on Haunted Mansion, then where’s the fun in that?
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Hello Disney enthusiasts and travel aficionados! Welcome to another magical episode of Traveling with the Mouse. This week, we’re thrilled to have Jason with us. We Dive into the Disney realm as we cover some spellbinding news that’s sure to pique your interest. Spirits and spirits collide! Disney is bringing a hauntingly delightful experience for fans with a new Haunted Mansion-themed bar on the soon to set sail Disney Treasure. We discuss the potential themes, drinks, and unique offerings we hope to see. With more enchanting details unveiled, Jollywood Nights is shaping up to be a must-attend event. From captivating entertainment to themed treats, we delve deep into what guests can expect from this festive event. Of course, we touch on much more in the episode, from hidden gems to exciting announcements. With Jason’s trip on the horizon, we also chat about his plans, what he’s looking forward to most, and if any of our discussed news items will make it onto his itinerary.
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Episode 425: Welcome back, fellow Disney enthusiasts, to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”! This week, as we navigate through the sea of recent Disney developments, we anchor down on a topic that many of you have asked about: doing Disney World on a budget. Yes, it’s possible, and no, you don’t have to miss out on the magic! Many believe a Disney vacation means a hefty price tag. But we’re here to tell you, with a little savvy planning and some insider tips, you can experience all the wonder of Walt Disney World without breaking the bank. We look at things like, Staying at Disney Value Resorts vs. off-site locations and the perks of considering vacation rentals. Disney is one of the few places where you can bring your own food into the parks and we also discuss our most economical dinning choices at Walt Disney World. We also discuss some other ways of saving money that are a little outside of the box but can really add up savings if things line up the right way.
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Greetings, Disney enthusiasts! In Episode 424 of “Traveling with the Mouse,” we delve into a cocktail of Disney delights, from fresh park news to a trip report! Firstly, let’s raise our Mickey ear hats to the return of all-day park hopping! This beloved feature has been missed by many, and its return signals a step closer to the full Disney magic we know and love. But as with all tales, there’s a twist. Along with this joyful revelation, we’ve seen price hikes materializing faster than a puff of pixie dust. Parking, delectable food & beverage options, exclusive tours, and even the coveted annual passes have seen a spike in prices. Next, for those of you who’ve been eagerly awaiting the roster of hosts for the iconic Candlelight Processional at Epcot, wait no more! We’ll give you the full rundown, along with our personal picks and why they stand out in this festive lineup. Last but certainly not least, join us as we recount Adam’s recent expedition to Walt Disney World. From being amongst the fortunate few to experience the ‘Journey of Water’ during its soft open to sipping on delightful concoctions at La Cava, it’s an adventure packed with highs and lows. And speaking of highs and lows, the holiday weekend brought with it the challenges of navigating the labyrinth that is Genie+. Tune in to hear the ins, outs, and in-betweens of this new system during peak park times.
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Episode 423: This week’s episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” is dedicated to the trip planners! Those ones who scour the internet with queries and curiosities about the most Magical Place on Earth.To start off our deep dive, we tackle one of the most frequent questions: Where to stay? From luxurious resorts with monorail views to budget-friendly options that still let you bask in the magic, we weigh in on our top picks and why. Genie Plus, how do you maximize it? Is it worth the cost? We break down strategies to make the most of this new offering, ensuring you can hit those top attractions without wasting a precious Disney minute.Disney World can sometimes feel like it’s emptying your wallet faster than you can say “Scrooge McDuck.” But with a sprinkle of know-how, you can experience the magic without breaking the bank. We delve into top tips for those on a tighter budget—from dining hacks to souvenir shopping secrets. We also cover the age-old debate of the Disney Dining Plan’s value. With its mix of quick-service meals, snacks, and table service options, is it truly worth the investment? We dish out our thoughts, along with some anecdotes on our own dining experiences. So, whether you’re a seasoned Disney vet looking to catch up on the latest or a first-timer keen to soak up all the tips, Episode 423 is your trusty guide!
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Episode 422: Hello to our beloved Disney aficionados, In this week’s adventure on “Traveling with the Mouse”, we rev things up with a whirlwind of favorites and fun “this or that” questions. And, as we navigate through our fond memories, we also take a moment to bid farewell to the Galactic Star Cruiser. There’s something undeniably magical about recalling favorites. The memories, the emotions, the scents and sounds – each favorite transports us back to a treasured moment at Walt Disney World. In episode 422, we decided to race through our top picks across the resort. From that delectable snack that hits the spot every single time, to the ride we can’t help but revisit, this rapid-fire session is a love letter to the countless joys Disney offers.
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Episode 421: In this week’s episode of “Traveling with the Mouse,” we’re diving deep into a rather ‘un-bear-lievable’ incident that had Magic Kingdom buzzing with more than just enchantment. Just when you thought Disney had showcased every character in its arsenal, along came an unexpected, furry, four-legged guest wandering into the Magic Kingdom. That’s right, a real-life bear made its grand entrance, and it wasn’t a bear from the Country Bear Jamboree. This surprise visitor caused quite a stir, leading to half of the park temporarily shutting down. We delve into this curious event, discussing the park’s response, and the eventual safe removal of our forested friend.
While the bear certainly stole the spotlight, it wasn’t the only headline-grabber. Major investments are on the horizon for Disney parks globally, signaling ambitious plans for expansion and enhancement. Yet, in a paradoxical twist, Disney’s stock didn’t seem to mirror the enthusiasm of these announcements. We delve into the financial intricacies, speculating on possible reasons and the broader implications for the Walt Disney Company.
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Episode 420: This week on “Traveling with the Mouse,” Jon and I are all set to unwrap the trove of updates and announcements brought to light at the D23 parks presentation, a stage where the future paths of Disney parks were delineated, some taking us by pleasant surprises and others leaving us yearning for more! A central highlight was the rejuvenation ushered in for the much-adored Country Bear Jamboree, a cornerstone of Disney’s rich heritage. The Animal Kingdom segment was a lot different from last year with the addition of Indiana Jones adventure replacing Dinosaur, and Encanto replacing the Dino-Rama area. Another change from last year was Zootopia replacing the “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” attraction. Over at Epcot we got some opening dates for things like Journey of Water, LimunoUS, the new fireworks show and the construction pit also known as World Celebration. Test Track is also getting a new makeover thanks to the help of their sponsor Chevrolet.
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Episode 419, We peel back the layers of the recent upheavals at the helm of the magical world of Disney, chronicling the roller coaster journey from the early days of Bob Chapek’s CEO tenure to the trying times faced by Bob Iger in what has arguably been the most testing period of his reign. The conversation kicks off with an in-depth analysis of the insightful article published by CNBC, a narrative painting the vivid highs and lows of Disney in the last three years. From Chapek taking the mantle in early 2020 to the current dynamic scenarios, we have seen it all, and yet, the story is still unfolding. While the recent events signal a turbulent time at Disney, we cannot help but hold onto the magic that has always defined this incredible brand. We share our candid thoughts on what lies ahead. We will have full coverage of the Destination D23 event and all of the announcements from the parks panel next week!
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Episode 418: Greetings, fellow Disney aficionados! The calendar has brought us to Labor Day and what better way to relax than to dive into the enchanting world of Disney with the “Traveling with the Mouse” crew? Whether you’re lounging by the pool, grilling up something, or just cozying up in your favorite chair, Episode 418 promises to be your perfect Disney-infused companion. We discuss some of the latest news. Things like the crowd levels this month. The price of Genie+ has been low, Animal Kingdom is getting extra nighttime hours this fall, and Journey of water is ready for guests to start flowing in. We touch on several other topics as well. Jason has a trip coming up where he will get to go to the Halloween Party.
Finally, what would a holiday be without a hearty round of “Would You Rather?” We dive deep into quirky, whimsical, and sometimes downright challenging Disney scenarios. If you’ve ever thought about what it would be like to have Mickey’s hands for a day or be photo-bombed by Olaf in every park picture, you’re in for a treat. And we challenge you to play along with us – make it a game with family or friends and see who’s the true Disney dilemma master!
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From the sun-kissed shores of San Diego to the heart of the most magical place on earth, two hotels stand out as monuments to luxury, class, and timeless architectural beauty: The Hotel Del Coronado and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. But how do these two iconic establishments stack up against each other? Let’s delve in.
History and Inspiration:
The Hotel Del Coronado, affectionately known as “The Del,” opened its doors in 1888. This National Historic Landmark, with its stunning Victorian architecture, has played host to celebrities, presidents, and royalty throughout its illustrious history. Its unmistakable red-roofed, white wooden exterior and opulent interiors make it a showpiece of the Californian coast.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, on the other hand, transports visitors to the Floridian coast of yesteryears. Opened a century after The Del, in 1988, it’s undeniable that the Grand Floridian borrows heavily from its Californian counterpart’s aesthetic. The Victorian elegance, the sprawling lobbies, and the picturesque waterfront setting echo the charm of The Del.
- Hotel Del Coronado Entrance
- Grand Floridian Exterior
- Hotel Del Coronado Exterior
- Hotel Del Coronado from the Beach
- Courtyard Area at Hotel Del Coronado
- Courtyard Area ad Grand Floridian
- Main Lobby at Grand Floridian
- Main Lobby at Hotel Del Coronado
- Lobby Bar at Hotel Del Coronado
- Enchanted Rose at Grand Floridian
- Weathering outside of Hotel Del Coronado
- More Weathering at Hotel Del Coronado Scroll Through the Gallery above to more pictures comparing the two iconic hotels
The Aesthetic Comparison:
Both hotels exude a similar air of timeless elegance. The vast, intricately detailed lobbies, the grand staircases, and the meticulous landscaping tell tales of a bygone era of luxury. The overarching theme is a nod to the Victorian age, but each hotel offers its unique touch — The Del with its Pacific Ocean backdrop and the Grand Floridian with its Magic Kingdom vistas.
Upkeep and Maintenance:
While both establishments aim for perfection, on my recent visit to The Del, I couldn’t help but notice a stark contrast in upkeep when compared to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Despite its historical significance, some areas of The Del showed signs of wear, perhaps a testament to its extensive history and the challenges of maintaining a property by the salt-laden sea. I noticed a lot of exterior flaws in the paint for example. This much visual wear and tear wouldn’t be tolerated at the Grand Floridian. At least not in my experience.
Disney’s Grand Floridian, however, seemed pristine. The Walt Disney World Resort, known for its impeccable attention to detail, ensures that the Grand Floridian remains in tip-top shape, retaining its charm and magic year after year. From freshly painted exteriors to immaculately groomed gardens, Disney’s commitment to guest experience and preserving the magic is evident. I know that as the writing of this the lobby and some of the buildings at Grand Floridian are undergoing an extensive refurbishment. That also speaks to the fact that Disney is always looking to improve and keep this property in pristine condition.
In Conclusion:
While The Hotel Del Coronado and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort share a kindred spirit in design and elegance, their experiences differ. The Del offers a rich, historical journey on the Californian coast, while the Grand Floridian provides a magical escape in the heart of Walt Disney World, with the added touch of Disney’s renowned maintenance standards.
Both have their unique charm and offerings, and choosing between them boils down to personal preferences: a historic coastal getaway or a magical Disney experience in a setting inspired by history. I say you should visit both! While they look very similar on the outside the experiences will be very different. while walking the grounds of the Del, I couldn’t help but feel like I was touring a new addition to the Grand Floridian that I didn’t know about.
Have you had the opportunity to experience both these iconic hotels? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
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Episode 417: of “Traveling with the Mouse” is jam-packed with the latest and most thrilling news from the magical world of Disney. As always, Jon and I are here to give you the inside track on what’s happening and what’s to come. One of the most anticipated events on the Disney calendar, Destination D23 is […]
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In our recent episode, while diving deep into Jason’s Disneyland trip report, a theme park more than 2,000 miles away still managed to tug at his heartstrings – the one and only Epcot at Walt Disney World. “The thing I missed most while out there in California? Epcot. There’s just nothing quite like it…” Indeed, […]
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Episode 416: Pack your bags, don your Mickey ears, and prepare to journey across the country with us in this exciting episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”. Our co-host, Jason, recently embarked on a captivating trip to Disneyland, California with his son Andrew. Jason takes us along, regaling us with tales of his adventures in […]
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Episode 415: Greetings, Mouseketeers! Ready for another enchanting episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”? This week, we’re diving deep into exciting news, whirlwind rumors, and some delightful, imaginative brainstorming that’ll have every Disney enthusiast’s heart racing. We kick things off by dissecting the latest earnings call from Disney. What’s up, what’s down, and what does […]
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Welcome back, Mouseketeers! This week’s episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” promises to be an insightful Disney experience as we welcome our special guest, Raul. Raul recently embarked on a magical journey to Walt Disney World with his Mom and Nephew, and what makes this trip truly unique is how we, the “Traveling with the […]
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Episode:413 Hello, Mouseketeers! Prepare for an exciting episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” this week as we delve into all the Disney news that’s been making waves and offer a sneak peek into Jason’s upcoming adventure at Disneyland! First up, we venture into the world of Disney news, which has been anything but quiet recently. […]
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Episode: 412: Greetings, Mouseketeers! Welcome back to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” – your go-to podcast for all things Disney! This week, hosts Jon and Adam have brewed up an extra magical serving of Disney chatter that’s sure to whisk you away to the Happiest Place on Earth. Kicking off this week’s episode, […]
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Episode 411: Welcome back, Mouseketeers, to another exciting episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”! As always, we’re here to sprinkle a little pixie dust on your week and keep you up-to-date with everything happening at the Happiest Place on Earth. In this week’s episode, we dive into the latest news and rumors swirling around the […]
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Episode 410: Welcome, fellow Disney enthusiasts, to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In this edition, we join Jason and Adam on their recent trip Walt Disney World. Join us as we delve into their experiences staying in a treehouse villa, reconnecting with friends who hadn’t visited in years, and Adam’s extra day […]
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Episode 409: Welcome to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast! In this week’s episode, Jon recently returned from a trip to Walt Disney World. He fills us in on everything from his stay at an Air BnB to attending an exclusive Epcot after-hours event, and being the first of us to try […]
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Episode 408: Welcome back, fellow Disney enthusiasts, to another exciting episode of the Traveling with the Mouse podcast! This episode Jon and I catch up on the latest news and rumors and we can’t help but chat about our latest Disney World trips. We will go more in depth in next week’s episode but we […]
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We have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks with each of us having trips close together. Hopefully we will be back on schedule next week. Feel free to enjoy some episodes from the archives in the mean time. Thanks for listening.
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Episode 405: Welcome back to another exciting episode of the Traveling with the Mouse podcast. Today, we have an exhilarating lineup as we delve into our summer trip previews. Our first adventure takes us to the enchanting wilderness of Fort Wilderness, where our co-host, Jason, previews his memorial day weekend trip. We will hear more about that next week. Next, Jon is eagerly counting down the days until his visit to Orlando. With Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort on his itinerary, he will be staying at an Air bnb in the Windsor Hills area. I will also be returning in a few weeks with Jason back to Disney but this time we will be staying in a treehouse villa. Of course, we can’t forget the latest news from the ever-evolving world of Disney. In this episode, we’ll be discussing some exciting updates, including the upcoming VIPassholder days in June. This exclusive event is a fantastic opportunity for Annual Passholders to enjoy extra perks, unique experiences, and unforgettable moments within the parks. Star Cruiser is now sold out and the Pixar Place hotel concept art is interesting. So, fellow travel enthusiasts, join us on this episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast as we embark on incredible journeys, discuss the latest news, and fuel our wanderlust. Whether you’re camping at Fort Wilderness, exploring the magical parks of Orlando, or eagerly awaiting your next adventure, this episode is sure to ignite your passion for travel and all things Disney.
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Welcome back, fellow travelers, to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast! Today, we have an episode packed with intriguing news from the magical world of Disney. In this edition, we explore the recent series of unexpected announcements that have sent shockwaves through the Disney community. Join us as we delve into the closure of the Star Cruiser, the cancellation of the Lake Nona project, and the mixed reviews for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Disney has decided to permanently close the Star Cruiser experience. While the closure itself may not be entirely surprising, what has caught everyone off guard is the decision to pull the plug by the end of September. The Star Cruiser, an ambitious and immersive Star Wars-themed hotel experience, was initially met with great enthusiasm and anticipation. Unfortunately, various factors have led to its demise, leaving fans disappointed. As we bid farewell to this unique venture, we reflect on the impact it has had on the Disney landscape and give our thoughts on what Disney should do with it in the future.
One of the notable decisions made during the Chapek era was the Lake Nona project which was going to move Imagineering to Florida. This week Bob Iger announced this project is now officially cancelled. The timing match up politically with what is going on in Florida but this project was most likely doomed the moment Chapek was fired.
With much anticipation, the last installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” has arrived. The Film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. The early reviews, however, present a mixed bag of opinions. Harrison Ford did receive a standing ovation at the premiere and it is also John Williams final film score. Do we think that these early critics are wrong and the film will deliver to the fans? We all know that critics are often not in line with audiences…we’re looking at you Last Jedi….
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Episode 403: As the world recovers from the pandemic, Disney is making some updates to enhance your visit to the most magical place on earth. Here are the top five updates announced by Disney that will make your visit easier starting in January 2024. We discuss these and give our opinion on them. A few of these are pretty vague but we talk about what we hope these updates will mean.
Park Reservations Will Slowly Be Going Away in 2024
One of the biggest changes announced by Disney is the gradual phasing out of park reservations in 2024. Starting with dates based tickets on January 9th.
Annual Passholders and Cast members Will Have “Good to Go” Days
Annual passholders and cast members will have special days to visit the parks without making a reservation. This is a great perk for those who like to make spontaneous visits to the parks or for those who want to avoid the hassle of making reservations. However, no details are given as to how many “good to go” days will be available. It is a step in the right direction at least.
The Dining Plan Is Coming Back
After being suspended during the pandemic, the dining plan is finally making a comeback. This popular feature allows guests to prepay for meals and snacks at select restaurants throughout the parks and resorts. To start with there will only be 2 plans available to book.
Genie Plus Will Be Available for Advance Purchase
Genie Plus is a new feature that allows guests to skip the regular standby lines for select attractions by paying an additional fee. Disney has announced that Genie Plus will be available for advance purchase. No further details have been given about how far in advance and how many lightning lanes could be reserved in advance. Sounds a lot like they are going back to the way Fast Pass plus was but just with a price tag now.
Resort Guests Will Continue to Have Early Entry and evening hours for Deluxe resorts
If you’re staying at a Disney resort, you’ll continue to have the perk of early entry times. This means that you can enter the parks before the general public and enjoy shorter wait times for popular attractions. Deluxe resort guests will continue to have extra evening hours for select days. This isn’t anything new but at least they are extending this perk through 2024.
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Welcome to the latest episode of Traveling with the Mouse, where we discuss the best ways to save money on a Disney vacation! While there may not be many discounts on ticket prices, one area where you can save money is where you stay. Disney has a variety of resort types, each with their own unique experiences, but there are also options outside of Disney that can save you money. First, let’s discuss Disney’s resort options. From budget-friendly options like the Value Resorts to the luxurious Deluxe Resorts, there is something for everyone at Disney. We’ve personally stayed at many of these resorts and have found that they all have their own charm and benefits. When it comes to saving money, it’s important to consider the trade-off between cost and convenience. While staying off-site may save you money, it can also mean losing valuable time. You’ll need to factor in the cost of transportation and the time it takes to get to and from the parks. On the other hand, staying on Disney property can be more convenient, we still recommend driving your own car as bus transportation can be very slow. In the end, the best way to save money on a Disney vacation will depend on your individual preferences and budget. Whether you choose to stay on or off Disney property, there are options available that can help you save money without sacrificing the magic of a Disney vacation.
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Welcome to Traveling with the Mouse, the podcast that takes you on a journey through the magical world of Disney! In this episode, we bring you the latest news and have some fun with AI by having it write a game for us to play. But First up, we have some exciting news for all the Disney fans out there. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets are now on sale! This is one of the most popular events at Disney World, and it’s not hard to see why. So if you’re planning a trip to Disney World this fall, be sure to grab your tickets before they sell out. Next, Disney has announced a new discount on lightsabers at Galaxy’s Edge. The Galactic Starcruiser has also extended its discounts this summer to Disney Visa card holders. Moving on, we discuss the latest incident involving the fire breathing dragon. This time during a performance of Fantasmic at Disneyland. Finally, we have the latest drama with the Reedy Creek Improvement District. We end the episode with a little game that AI created for this episode.
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Welcome to the 400th episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast! Today, we have a double trip report for you. Jason and Adam share highlights from their recent trip to Walt Disney World. One of the main focuses of this trip was dining at signature restaurants, and they did not disappoint. Among the standout meals were Takumi-Tei, Le Cellier, California Grill, and Narcoossee’s. They also enjoyed drinks at the beloved La Cava del Tequila and tried out a new experience at Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ. Jason got to experience the Deluxe after hours where he got to ride Tron by himself. We also toured some friends around the parks this week. Thank you for tuning in to this special episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast. Be sure to follow us on social media and stay tuned for more episodes filled with Disney travel tips and reviews.
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Episode 399: Welcome to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse, where we bring you the latest updates on all things Disney! In this episode, we’ll be catching up on the news from the past few weeks, including updates on the Reedy Creek situation, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Magic Kingdom Expansion, Happily Ever After, Tron, and the removal of the Harmonious barges. First up, we talk about the ongoing situation between Bob Iger and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Next, we have some updates on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Construction continues to move rapidly at Walt Disney World and we now have a closing date for Splash Mountain at Disneyland. There’s also some rumors floating around about major changes to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom and those beyond Big Thunder lands. Also, Jason and Adam have just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World, and while we won’t be covering their trip report in this episode, we can’t wait to hear all about it in next week’s show.
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Episode 398: This week we have a special guest and our first repeat guest to the show, Nathan Firesheets. You have probably heard by now that he just completed the Disney global ride challenge where he completed every operating ride at all 12 Disney parks across the globe in 12 days. The challenge itself is no small undertaking. Disney currently operates 12 parks across the globe, each with its own unique attractions and experiences. Nathan had to not only ride every operating ride at each park, but also navigate the logistics of travel between them. During the interview, Nathan shared some of the highlights of his journey. He talks about why he decided early on which route he was going to take and why this only recently became possible again. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the Disney Global Ride Challenge is the sheer variety of experiences that Nathan had. Each park has its own unique flavor, and we asked Nathan what his favorite ride is at each Disney park in the world. If you’re interested in hearing about Nathan’s Disney Global Ride Challenge from the challenge running perspective be sure to listen to our supersize episode of Traveling with the Mouse. We dive deep into the details of his journey, and who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to take on a challenge of your own, whether it’s riding every ride at a single park or exploring all 12 Disney parks across the globe.
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Episode: 397. Welcome back to another exciting episode of Traveling with the Mouse podcast! In this episode, we bring you the latest news from the world of Disney, and a trip report from Disneyland Paris. Our co-host, Jason, recently returned from a trip to Paris, and he has some fascinating insights to share about his experience at Disneyland Paris. From the rides and attractions to the food and atmosphere, Jason gives us a comprehensive overview of his time spent at the park.
In other news, we are thrilled to see that Happily Ever After is mostly unchanged. We cannot wait to see it once again light up the skies with its dazzling display of fireworks and music. We also have exciting news about new meet and greets that will be coming to the parks this year. In addition, we discuss the updated concept for Epcot, which is a bit underwhelming when compared to the audacious concept art from before the pandemic. This week we got a sneak peek of what the inside of Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ looks like. It is more elaborate than we were expecting.
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Episode 396: Welcome back to Traveling with the Mouse, your one-stop-shop for all things Disney! On today’s episode, we’ve got an exciting lineup of topics to discuss, including the highly anticipated annual passholder preview of Tron Lightcycle Run and Jason’s upcoming trip to Disneyland Paris.
Let’s start with the big news, shall we? The annual passholder preview of Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World has been generating a lot of buzz lately, and for good reason. The ride, which is set to open to the public in the coming weeks, promises to be an exhilarating experience unlike anything else in the park.
Now, let’s talk about Jason’s upcoming trip to Paris. Jason is visiting Paris this week and he is going to spend a day at Disneyland Paris. He purchased the premiere pass to skip the lines at the most popular attractions. Jason walks us through his plans for the day as he wants to get in as much as he can at both parks in one day. We can’t wait to hear all about it when he gets back.
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Episode: 395. In this episode, we’ll be discussing the most relaxing attractions at each park, and we’ll be inviting our listeners to share their opinions on what rides they think are the most calming. In particular, which attractions do you think are the most relaxing at Hollywood Studios? We found that to be the most difficult park to find a truly relaxing attraction. In other news, there’s been some drama surrounding the Florida governor and the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which oversees Disney’s land in Florida. We won’t go into too much detail here, but suffice it to say that there are some concerns about the governor’s influence over the district. On a happier note, the Flower and Garden Festival is in full swing, and guests are raving about the new topiaries featuring beloved Disney characters. And speaking of beloved characters, Mando and Grogu from The Mandalorian have finally made their way to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. Guests can now see the duo wandering around the land and posing for photos.
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Episode: 394 Welcome to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”! This week, we have some exciting Disney news to discuss, including the Tron preview for annual passholders, the start of the Flower and Garden Festival, and the construction of the new DVC tower at the Polynesian.
But first, let’s talk about a topic that’s near and dear to every Disney fan’s heart: rides that are worth saving. We’ve all experienced the heartache of seeing a beloved attraction disappear, only to be replaced by something new that doesn’t quite measure up. One of the most famous examples of this is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Now, don’t get us wrong – we love Winnie the Pooh. But there’s something about Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride that just can’t be replicated. It was a classic dark ride that took you on a wild journey through Toad Hall and beyond, complete with a trip to hell (yes, really). The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, on the other hand, is a cute and whimsical ride that’s perfect for younger children, but lacks the thrills and chills of its predecessor. So, what other rides do we think are worth saving?
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Episode 393: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse we delve into the world of drinks at La Cava del Tequila in Epcot, We debate which beverage reigns supreme in a bracket-style competition. But the podcast doesn’t just stop at drinks. We also cover some exciting news stories happening around the Disney parks, including the annual passholder preview for the upcoming Tron attraction, the return of Sonny Eclipse to Magic Kingdom, and a hologram of Walt Disney himself to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.
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Episode 392: Today on the show we’re talking Q1 earnings call and what the aftermath will be. Some new things were announced like new sequels for some of the biggest franchises and a new experience coming to Disneyland. There were also some things that we didn’t want to hear…There will be seven thousand layoffs across the Disney organization and the Theme Park investments got cut by 700 Million dollars. The company is reorganizing to place ESPN out by itself. We can guess what that means as the company is also trying to erase the debt caused by recent acquisitions. Also, Reedy Creek Improvement District will be renamed but will continue on. However, the new board will consist of 5 supervisors that will be hand picked by the governor. There isn’t much Disney can do about it but wait and see how this goes.
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Episode 391: Today we discuss among other things, what are our favorite bathrooms at Walt Disney World. When you have kids like we do, it is vital to know where all of the good bathrooms are. We talk the latest Disney news as well. Cast member previews for Tron are in full swing. The back story for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been revealed. There is also a rumor going around the Pacos Bill’s could be getting a re-theme soon. Jason also previews his upcoming day trip to Disneyland Paris. He gives us the details on their premiere experience to skip the lines at the top attractions.
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Episode 390: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into the exciting new developments at both Disneyland and Disney World. First up, Tron Light Cycle Run…Disney has released new information regarding its rider experience. Not only will there be lockers for riders to store their loose items, but an on-ride photo will also be available to capture the excitement of the journey. Next, we take a closer look at Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ, the new dining experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The family-style menu has been revealed. We discuss what we look forward to trying but the real test will be the price. We just hope that it will be on par with other family style restaurants like Liberty Tree Tavern. Runaway Railway has finally opened at Disneyland there are some slight differences between the Disneyland and Hollywood studios versions.
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So, in honor of splash mountain closing I have decided to release some home video footage that I have of splash mountain to our YouTube channel. Hopefully you will enjoy it. Even though the quality isn’t always the best. Here is the first video.
https://youtu.be/FaWH9XOhQnc
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Episode 389: Today the gang is all back together and we discuss the latest Disney news! Splash Mountain is now closed at Walt Disney World and work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has already begun. We discuss that and how people are reacting to the new Parking lot sections at Epcot. Enchanted Tales with Belle is finally returning as is some more meet and greets that previously hadn’t returned since covid. Is this finally everything that has been closed since covid started nearly 3 years ago? We learned that Bob Chapek got a $20M severance package. The Starcruiser is starting a non-discount, discount promotion. It is still having trouble filling the very expensive 2 day cruises.
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Episode: 388 This week, we’re excited to bring you some of the biggest announcements that were made in the past week. First and foremost, the opening date for the highly-anticipated Tron light cycle Run roller coaster has finally been revealed – the attraction will officially open on April 4th! In addition to the opening date for Tron, Disney also announced that they will be eliminating the parking fee for hotel guests, which is a welcome change for those staying on-site. Another change that was announced is that Annual Passholders will no longer need to make reservations for afternoon entry to the parks. (with a few exceptions) Finally, Disney has announced that they will be adding free on-ride photos as part of their Genie Plus service. This means that guests will be able to capture memories of their favorite rides and attractions without having to pay extra for the photo. In other news, Disney has recently announced a new Chairman of the Board. Also this is the last week of operation for splash mountain.
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Episode 387: In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing Adam’s recent trip to Walt Disney World over the Christmas holidays. One of the highlights of his trip was riding the Walt Disney World Railroad. It is so good to have it back in service. He noticed that one particular station had the shortest lines while he was there. Another highlight of Adam’s trip was a visit to La Cave del Tequila. One of our favorite spots in all of Walt Disney World and the staff there is just amazing. He also got to sample Jock Lindsey’s “Holiday” Bar at Disney Springs and really enjoyed it. We also cover the Disney news and rumors that we missed over the past couple of weeks.
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Episode 386. Jason recaps his Every Ride Challenge run with his son Andrew. He talks about using Genie+ with the new modify feature. He used it with great results during his challenge. We do also cover some of the news. Te Fiti is now visible over the constructions walls at Epcot. The Journey of water is scheduled to open in 2023. Speaking of 2023, We discuss more about what we think the timing will be of the new things coming to Disney World in 2023. Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ, Tron and the WDW Railroad to name a few. We also took a detour by coming up with our own challenge to visit 10 lounges in a day. We just have to figure out what those 10 will be and then we will get right on that. Jason then goes into the details of his challenge run where he and his son finished 30 rides and 545 points.
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Episode:385 On the show this week we have a little fun with some artificial intelligence. We let the ChatGPT AI write some intros to the show for us and then we used some bots to read them for us. The scripts weren’t bad but it did lack a little of that human touch. So I guess our jobs as podcast hosts are safe for now. Jason then talks about his Every Ride Challenge run with his son. At the time of this recording he hadn’t done it yet. Be on the lookout for a full report next week. In the news we talk about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the upcoming closing date for Splash Mountain. We talk about Disney CFO Christine McCarthy and how she is the current front runner for taking over when Iger retires for the 100th time. Genie Plus added a much needed feature this week. We wrap up with a little comparison of Toy Story land and Galaxy’s Edge.
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Episode 384: We are back after a week off. This week we have Jason with us and He previews his upcoming challenge run to help raise money for Give Kids the World! We discuss more of the aftermath of the ousting if Chapek. We talk about how Bob Iger’s first week went. I sprinkle in some tidbits from my recent trip to Walt Disney World. We also cover some other news that we found noteworthy over the past couple of weeks. Oh, and we have an official sponsor now!
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Episode 383: It finally happened. Somebody wished upon a star and now Bob Iger is back as Disney’s CEO. We had already recorded an episode for this week but we recorded a new segment just to cover this major story. At first is was hard to believe it was actually true. We try to be […]
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Episode 382: This week’s episode got cut short by some technical issues. We did manage to discuss some news and two of us have trips coming up soon. Jason is in Walt Disney world this weekend to see Fantasmic and I will be there soon as well. We discuss some of the latest holiday happenings […]
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Episode 381: It’s November now and that means that it is Christmas time at Walt Disney World. We talk about that transformation from a long Halloween season and then going directly into Christmas. The Galactic Starcruiser is having a major slowdown in bookings. What is the future going to look like for this pricey 2 […]
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Episode: 380. This is Halloween, This is Halloween, This is Halloween and we bring you a special spooky edition of Traveling with the Mouse. We talk all things scary, like the latest news from Bob and Josh. We give our thoughts on the changes that we know will be in Fantasmic when it returns in […]
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Episode 379: Jon and I talk Disney news and rumors today. There’s a lawsuit over the park reservation system. We have more thoughts on the price increases and the impacts we think it will have. People went crazy over cups at club cool. Bob Weis is retiring from the company after a 40+ year career. […]
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Episode 378: Prices are on the rise once again at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. We discuss our disgust with the particularly egregious price hikes. Like genie plus and some of the food and drink increases. We sadly predicted the increases at places like Baseline Taphouse. We know that prices will enviably go up over […]
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Episode 377: We discuss our experiences with Epcot throughout the years up to the current day and then we talk about what we think the future will be at our favorite park. We both have a lot of fond memories from the 80’s and early 90’s from the original Epcot center days. We also have […]
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Episode 376: We discuss the impact of Hurricane Ian on Walt Disney World and the surrounding area. Figment is possibly getting his own movie but no word on making his ride any better? Epcot turned 40 this weekend and Jason is getting ready to head back down there this week. The candlelight processional has its […]
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Episode 375: Jason just returned from a solo trip to Walt Disney World. He utilized some last minute DVC availability and stayed at the boardwalk. On this trip he experience a re-ranking of his favorite coasters at Disney as well as his favorite lounges on property. He was able to fit a lot into his […]
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Episode 374: This week Jason joins us as he is about to go on a solo Walt Disney World trip. We get his take on the some of the news from D23 as well as some of the News stories of the week. There was a very intoxicated woman who was slowly escorted out of […]
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Episode 373: The D23 convention wrapped up yesterday and we have some thoughts! Jon and I go through each day of the conference and talk about the highlights and lowlights. The parks panel was a mixed bag of small updates and early concepts that are way out there. Our original predictions for Tron’s opening date […]
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On our podcast we talk a lot about these lounges. We thought it would be a good idea to talk more about them in depth and put together a pros and cons list of each. We haven’t visited every single bar or lounge on Disney property yet but there are several that we keep repeating […]
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Episode 372: Today we answer the age old question, What is the best lounge at Walt Disney World. The only problem is we can’t agree on which one is the best. We listed 11 of what we think are the best top bars/lounges at Walt Disney World and we discuss the pros and cons of […]
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Episode 371: Today we are coving what we think are the best and worst queues at Walt Disney World. We come up with our top five best queues and we give some honorable mentions. We also go through some of the worst queues at Disney World. If you are stuck with having to wait in […]
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Episode 370: There is an ongoing debate in the Disney Community about which form of Disney transportation is best, Monorail or Skyliner. (sorry Bus) Well, in order to truly get to the bottom of that we must fully explore all of what makes them both great. There are truly some great restaurants that are on […]
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Episode 369: We catch up on the Disney news of the week. Disney had a big earnings call this week and the profits are back up to pre-pandemic levels. We talk about how the parks are a big reason for that and what it could mean for future developments. Disney remains silent about magic key […]
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Episode 368: This episode marks the 5 year anniversary of Traveling with the Mouse! We go back to our first episode ever and revisit the content of that episode. It just so happened that our first episode was right after D23 in 2017. A lot of big announcements were made that year. We take a […]
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Episode 367: We’re back with another stellar edition of Traveling with The Mouse! Today we have a special guest host. James’ daughter Emeline joins us for a discussion on the Magic Band plus and we play a game of Would you rather? Disney edition! We also break into ranking the Disney Parks. Spoiler Alert, we […]
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Episode 366: We made it to our leap year episode! This week Jon and I go back in time and discuss the best attractions that Epcot has ever had. We go through every iteration of attractions in each location in Future World and some in World Showcase as well. It’s no surprise that we are […]
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Episode 365: We now have an episode for every day of the year! (except for leap year) Jon and I catch up on the latest Disney News. An Icon has been removed from World Drive which makes us nostalgic for the things of the past. Meanwhile we talk about the Food and Wine Festival and […]
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Episode: 364 This week we have another trip report from Walt Disney World. This time I recently returned from a trip with a group of 14 people. I found out that there are some challenges with a group of that size of course, but also that an enjoyable time with minimal wait times can still […]
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Episode 363: Jon and I catch up on the Disney news of the past month. With all of our recent trips it we haven’t talked much about the latest news. I was impressed by the Indiana Jones merch that came out this month. If only these movie props could’ve been around when I was 10 […]
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Episode: 362 James recently returned from Walt Disney World and he also stopped by Sea World for a day. He talks about his experience with Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind and now it looks like it is James/Adam vs. Jon/Jason when it comes to which coaster is our favorite at Walt Disney World. He […]
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Episode 361: Jason and I just returned from a Disney cruise! It was my first cruise and I talk about what it was like for a first timer. I bookended my trip with a stop at Walt Disney World. I got to ride Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind 4 times during the trip. Jason […]
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Episode:360 Jon discusses his most recent trip to Walt Disney World with a stop at Peppa Pig Park. This trip certainly had it’s ups and down which included highlights such as riding Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind but there were also some lows like having a visit to the local urgent care and having […]
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We will have a show this week. It will just be a little later than usual. Keep your eyes open for a post or notification. We might even surprise you with multiple episodes this week. Stay tuned. We appreciate you listening to us.
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Episode 359: This week we are all traveling to Disney in different ways. We have a cruise, a land and sea cruise and we have Walt Disney World trips. Between the four of us we have a lot of Disney travel this month! Jon and I first discuss the first two episodes of the Obiwan […]
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Episode 358: Today we take a trip down memory lane and discuss our favorite things about Disney’s Polynesian Village resort. James joins us as we talk about the resort that where we have spent the most of our nights at Walt Disney World…especially during our childhood years. We do discuss some of the news as […]
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Episode 357: Today we answer the age old question…Will the Disneyland PeopleMover ever return to operation? Actually, we don’t answer that definitively because nobody knows for sure. What we do know is what it will take and that will require a lot of work and a lot of money. We also cover some news and […]
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Episode 356: We have a full house in this episode as we have Jason and James join us this week! We discuss the latest news. Which includes Tron testing at full speed and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic rewind is in passholder previews. Meanwhile the Disney CEO is touting the Q2 earnings for the company. […]
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Episode 355: We mostly discuss the news this week. Most of the news in centered around Epcot. The previews have started for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The World Celebration area of Epcot and for Moana: Journey of Water. The new Comunicore Hall is a very scaled back version of what was originally in […]
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Episode 354: We catch up on all of the latest news this week. It’s been a while since we covered the news and there’s plenty going on. We give our take on the Reedy Creek Improvement district situation and what we think will actually happen to it. The Halloween Party is back in its full […]
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Episode 353: This week Adam recently return from an Easter trip to Walt Disney World! This episode is all about the much needed getaway. I stayed at Gran Destino but I spent quite a bit of time at the Polynesian. I talk about the significance of that resort and why it means so much to […]
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This week some of us are traveling…(Me) so we aren’t able to put a new episode out but we decided to republish our 300th episode where we discuss our Disney roots and what started our love for Disney. The last several months have been challenging for Disney fans so I think it is important to […]
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This is the video that we were talking about in the latest show.https://youtu.be/Wlz8ytQ18Mk After the show we realized that it was either no longer out there or never there to begin with. Enjoy!
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Episode 352: On this episode, Jon and I have a discussion about Disney CEOs. We talk about the good and bad from each one and even have a little fun ranking them from best to worst. We start with some news discussion. The major topic of the week is the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic […]
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Episode 351: Today we catch up on the latest Disney news and one of us just booked their first Disney Cruise! We start with the news and even though we don’t talk about Bruno, we had to talk about the Oscars. Encanto won best animated feature but it lost for best song. Oh yeah, and […]
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Episode 350: It’s time for our annual Disney March Madness competition! This year we can’t help but continue our love of Disney food but we also expanded it to include drinks this time! We start with a new category for this year…walk-up locations like festival kitchen’s and food carts. Then we move on to another […]
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Episode 349: This week Jason has return from his family trip to Walt Disney World. He traveled with his family who hasn’t been in a few years. He explains how he felt being his family’s tour guide in the Genie Plus era. For the first time in a while he had several rope to rope […]
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Episode 348: We are joined again this week by James as Jason is currently in Walt Disney World. We discuss the latest Disney news. The CEO has made a lot of headlines this week. We have updates on Tron and Guardians. Disney is adding more lightning lane capacity with meet & greets and the Festival […]
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Episode 347: Today we discuss our initial thoughts about the Galactic Starcruiser. There’s a lot to cover but the early reviews are generally positive. We discuss what we liked and disliked. Also, we try to answer the question, what would it take for us to book a star cruise. Jason is going to be in […]
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Due to a death in the family there will be no show this week. We hope to continue our regular schedule sometime next week. Thank you!
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Episode 346: James joins us once again this week as we catch up on the latest Disney news. Disney is in the community building business once again but will this be more like Epcot or Celebration 2.0? Story Living is Disney’s out of the blue new way of making money without having to shoulder much […]
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Episode 345: Jason is back this week and we talk about maximizing Genie Plus! With the Q1 earnings call happening this past week, we know for sure that Genie is here to stay. We give our thoughts on how to improve it and how to best use it for your next trip. We also discuss […]
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Episode: 344. Today on the show we catch up on the latest Disney news and the Book of Boba Fett. its bee a few weeks since we talked about news so we do a quick recap of some of the top stories. we also catch up on discussing the Book of Boba Fett. It has […]
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Episode 343: Today we welcome James back to the show! James is Jon’s brother and although he has technically been on the show before, this is the first time we have properly had him on the show as a guest. James just returned from Walt Disney World after a week long trip! He and his […]
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Episode 342: Jon just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World! He goes through his trip in which he stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. He gives his review of the resort and his recommendation for room location. He also had several dining reviews at places like, Coral Reef, Boma and Skipper Canteen. He also […]
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Episode 341: This week we talk about some news and we give some reviews of some of the recent things we’ve watched on Disney+…We also go through some park strategy from a listener’s email. We get started with some news…We don’t talk about Chapek, no, no, no. (but we kinda do, a lot) The CEO […]
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Episode 340: We have returned from the holidays and we have a double trip report for you! Yes, Jason returned from a New Year’s Disney Cruise and Adam and Jason both had trips to Walt Disney World. Both of them got to experience Harmonious at Epcot and the New Year’s fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Jason […]
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Episode 339: Jason just return from an impromptu trip to Walt Disney World. He is the first of us to try out Genie Plus and the individual lightning lane for a couple of attractions. Jason gives us his opinion on it and lets us know how he would improve it. Before we get to all […]
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Episode 338: We are back after the Thanksgiving break and we decided that with all of the negative news lately that we should take a look back at some happy Disney memories that we have had over the years! But first we hit some of the latest headlines from the past couple of weeks. There […]
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Episode: 337. Happy early Thanksgiving to all! Today Jon and I are holding down the fort as Jason is on the road this week. Jon gives us an update on booking dining as his trip is now 60 days out. He tells us his experience with searching for and grabbing those important dinning reservations. We […]
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Episode 336: Today on the show we discuss balancing adult fun and kid fun at Walt Disney World. It is always a challenge, especially with young kids but we have the tips for adults to have fun at each park! We go though each park and give our recommendations for what we as adults love […]
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Episode 335: We are back this week with another stellar episode! We discuss what we like about the being Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World. Jason is excited after booking his second Disney cruise so we talk about Disney Cruise line and what we can expect while sailing during the times that we are in. […]
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Unfortunately we couldn’t get together and record an episode this week. We should be back next week though. As always we appreciate all who listen. We enjoy feedback as well. Feel free to comment, message, or email us.
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Episode: 334 Well, it happened. Disney Genie is now officially a thing. We got a chance to play around with it and listened to a lot of first hand experience with the new service. We give our honest opinions of the service. We also go through each park and give a thumbs up or down […]
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Episode 333: In this episode, Jon walks us through his most recent trip to Walt Disney World. With the 50th anniversary in full swing, he lets us know what the crowds were like and his thoughts on seeing the new nighttime spectaculars in person. He also enjoyed a meal at Steakhouse 71 and gives us […]
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Episode 332: This week Jon previews his upcoming trip to Walt Disney World! We also revisit our thoughts on the new nighttime spectaculars and see if our thoughts have changed now that we have had a week to mull it over. We also discuss some news like the return of character meets. It will be […]
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Episode 331: Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World! Jason and I just return from our last pre-50th trip and we have a report on what we saw there last week. At the time of our recording we just finished watching the Disney Enchantment fireworks show that is replacing Happily Ever After. […]
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Episode 330: Jason and I preview our trip this weekend to Walt Disney World! We discuss some of the latest news including the latest from Space 220, the 50th anniversary merch is here, and the new flavors at Club cool. The CEO of Disney made some more comments this week about guest yield and how […]
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Episode:329 In today’s episode we talk a lot about food! Space 220’s menu is released and we take a look through it and talk about what catches our eye. Jason and I try to decide if the menu is enticing enough for us to try and get in the walk-up line for it. Yes, that’s […]
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Episode 328: Today we discuss the latest Disney news and we tease a trip report from Jason! I say tease because don’t actually get to it. Why? well, Jason fell asleep while doing the show. See if you can spot when it happens. Before all of that excitement, we start the show by mancrushing on […]
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Episode: 327. The hits just keep coming! This week we discuss the new and not at all confusing Disney World Annual Pass program. But first we discuss some of the other headlines of the week. Space 220 has an opening date of September 20th but we are still skeptical. The swan reserve is delayed yet […]
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Episode: 326 We catch up on the news this week and talk more about the Disney Genie. After a week to mull over the Disney Genie news we discuss how we feel about it today. In other news The monorail continues to have issues. Fingerprint scanning is back. Club cool is nearing completion. Rumors are […]
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Episode 325: Disney finally let the Genie out of the lamp this week but is he working for Aladdin or Jafar? We break down what we think of the new paid fastpass service. Can we find a silver lining? We have known that this was coming for quite a while and now that it is […]
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Episode 324: Today we recap the latest Disney news and Jason weighs in with his thoughts on the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser announcements. We cover some other news like the first Boo Bash and what we think of it compared to the Halloween Party. Is it worth the hefty price tag? We also start […]
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Episode 323: Jon and I are holding down the fort while Jason is on vacation. We cover the flood of Disney Parks news that is coming out these days. We have major details on the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser. We break down the sample itinerary and the pricing that was released. Spoiler alert, it […]
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Episode 322: I discuss my most recent trip to Walt Disney World to rekindle the magic. With all of the recent negative news about price hikes and money grabs I needed a good weekend at Walt Disney World to remind us why we love it so much. My weekend trip did just that! One of […]
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I'll be at Walt Disney World this weekend to see if I can recapture some of the magic that the recent news has zapped out of us. I'll report back next week!
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This dinner was a much needed break from the reality of the pandemic that surrounded us.
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Episode 320: We are back from our summer travels! We discuss the latest Disney news and rumors. This might sound like a bit of a downer episode because a lot of the news and rumors are frustrating to us. We spend time taking out our frustrations on Bob Chapek. However, I do have two Disney […]
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There was definitely a feeling of...are we supposed to be here? It felt like we were doing something we weren't allowed to do but were somehow getting away with.
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Episode: 319. We take a look at what is coming to Walt Disney World on their 50th Anniversary! We also cover some other news and we take a trip back to 1971 and we ask the question…What you rope drop at Magic Kingdom if you could go back to 1971? We also ask another interesting […]
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Episode 318: Today we cover the rapidly evolving Disney park news! Covid restrictions are being rolled back faster than the launch at Rock n’ Rollercoaster. We highlight some notable ones like the monorail no longer has dividers as well as other attractions like Jungle Cruise. Distancing Markers are nowhere to be seen except for the […]
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The second most important "rope drop" at Hollywood Studios happens at 10:30am. That is when Baseline Tap House opens for business each day. It has become a regular part of our Hollywood Studios routine!
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I was curious, if there is one on Smuggler's Run then there must be one on Rise of the Resistance too, right?
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Episode 317: We are back after a week off and we discuss our recent Trip to Disney’s Old Key West resort! First, we cover some of the news that has happened like the mixed feelings people have about Ohana re-opening at the Polynesian resort. It’s great that is is coming back but people are very […]
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Episode 316: In this episode we talk some Disney news and then preview an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World this weekend! We start with some Disneyland news…Soon out of state guests will be welcomed back. Also, Disneyland’s newly reimagined Jungle Cruise will be opening in July. The big news of the week out of […]
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Episode 315: We take a deep dive into the Haunted Mansion! We explore the history and details of this attraction. Plus did you know that Walt had a favorite stretching room portrait? We do start with the news and cover several of the developing stories this week. Covid-19 guidelines continue to loosen on both coasts. […]
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Episode 314: Today we have 2 special guests join us! TheBrothersWDW as they are known in the challenge community, Ryan and Reagan. We chat with them about the challenge and go through some of their most exciting challenge completions. They have a lot of records and several completions during their many different challenge runs. We […]
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Episode 313: This week we have a lot of Disney news to cover…From Disneyland to Cruise line and Star Wars! We begin with the re-opening of Disneyland and talk about some of the things that have changed like having to shorten Rise of the Resistance, The secret entrance to Haunted Mansion and the new Snow […]
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Episode: 312. Yeah, we waited 7 hours to ride the PeopleMover this week, but it was totally worth it! We were among the very first park guests to ride after being down for over a year. Jason and I recently returned from a trip to Walt Disney World where we got upgraded to the Grand […]
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Episode 311: Today we cover the recent news and preview our Disney trip this weekend! That’s right, Jason and I will be at Walt Disney World this weekend for a rare kid-free Disney experience. Disneyland could soon allow out of state guests and the reservations don’t seem to be filling up as quickly as expected. […]
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Episode 310: We take a look back 50 years ago and discuss a few things at Walt Disney World that haven’t changed. (much) It was another slow news week, aside from the construction updates. We noticed updates to the Contemporary, Several things in Magic Kingdom are continuing to see a refresh, and Epcot has new […]
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Episode 309: Today Jon and I discuss some of the top headlines of the week and then we go through Jon’s trip report to Legoland and a park-less trip to Disney at Art of Animation. You can now go mask less for outdoor photos at Walt Disney World. There’s some more delays on Disney Cruise […]
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Episode 308: Today we finalize our 2021 March madness bracket and crown the champion of what believe is currently the best thing at Walt Disney World. Last week we started with 64 things in 8 different categories and we narrowed that down to 32. Today Jon joined us live from Walt Disney World from the […]
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Episode 307: It’s time for our annual Disney march Madness bracket! This year we are going to determine the best thing about Walt Disney World! We have categories ranging from Park Icon’s to Signature Restaurants and everything in-between. Before we get to that we do discuss the big new story of the week. The Disneyland […]
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Episode 306: We interviewed our kids about what they love about Disney! Before we get to that we start by covering the big news of the week. The big story of the week is that Disneyland in California finally has a re-opening date! April 30, 2021 Disneyland will be open after an entire year of […]
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Episode: 305. After our week off we catch back up on the news. There’s actually some major stories to cover this week. Ratatouille has an opening date. Many weren’t expecting it but once you stop and think, the date that the chose does make sense…from a certain point of view. Disneyland finally has the green […]
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Hey guys! We took this week off from the show. We plan on continuing with our normal schedule next week. As always we appreciate you for listening.
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Episode 304: Today we play a game of Would you rather? Disney Edition! We came up with several scenarios with varying levels of weirdness they we have to choose between. We had fun coming up with difficult choices to try and stump each other with. So look for choices that include rafts, skyliner, monorail and […]
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Episode 303: This week Jason and I returned from Walt Disney World and we give our trip report of what it was like during President’s Day weekend. Also, let us know if you like the new format for the trip reports! First we cover some of the news of the week like some financial reports […]
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Episode 302: Today we revisit our strategy for our first challenge run and we discuss how much we learned from that experience! Looking back on it is pretty funny to hear, knowing what we know today. The inexperience shows in the clips that we play from that episode (episode 192). We have learned so much […]
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Episode 301: In this episode this we discuss the latest Disney news and give a construction update on the various construction project going on at Walt Disney World. Jason, points out that his favorite attraction, The Tom Sawyer Island Rafts. The Soul of Jazz exhibit is now open at Epcot and Annual Passholders will get […]
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Episode 300: We made it to 300 Episodes! We take a trip down memory lane and discuss our earliest Disney memories and what got us hooked! As a way of celebrating we are going to give away a Traveling with the Mouse Shirt! Click Here to Enter First we do cover some news. There was […]
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Take a listen to this clip from our most recent episode (episode 299) where we talk about our experience riding Test Track during a VIP Tour! We were basically driven directly to the ride and went straight to the front of the line! We also got to see a lot of backstage areas at Epcot.
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Episode 299: We got to experience a VIP tour at Walt Disney World! We tell you what it was like and if we think it is worth the price. Before we get to that we did have a few news stories to cover like, Disneyland discontinuing their Annual Pass program. We speculate as to what […]
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Episode 298: This we are catching up after a week off with the Disney news and we preview a possible Disney trip for this week. We say possible because these days anything can happen to ruin the plans for a Disney Trip. Keep an eye on our social media channels to see if we made […]
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Episode 297: Today we say our goodbye’s to 2020! We also do some predictions about the next 10 years and what attractions do we think will see major changes and which ones won’t see much at all. We do discuss some of the latest news also like, we totally spoil the ending of Mandalorian season […]
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Episode 296: We discuss the latest Disney parks news but we focus a lot of attention on the plethora of new content coming to Disney+ over the next few years. (Along with a price hike). The roller coasters at WDW are starting to fill every row now and the parks are still feeling as crowded […]
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Episode 295: We discuss some of the latest Disney news and rumors. Jon and I are a two man crew this week as Jason was unavoidably detained. We talk about Bob Iger leaving the Disney, The actor behind the Darth Vader suit, David Prowse passed away. The Mandalorian has cracked the top 10 for streaming […]
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Episode 294: Today we hear Jon’s thoughts on his recent trip to Walt Disney World. First we cover some news headlines. McDonalds temporarily halted the distribution of the Runaway Railway Toys. Legendary Disney Imagineer Joe Rhode announced his retirement…We wonder if it is just the timing for him or was there any pressure for him […]
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Episode 293: There was quite a bit of news to discuss this week. Mickey Mouse had a birthday and so did our very own Jon…We discovered that he and Mickey are exactly 50 years apart in Age. We did get a few updates on attractions that are under construction. The biggest update was from the […]
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Episode 292: After a week off we are back to discuss the latest Disney news & rumors and give a quick review of the Mandalorian Season 2. We also do a preview on Jon’s upcoming Walt Disney World trip! In the news this week we talk about a price increase for DVC fees that will […]
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Episode 291: The Hurricane slowed us down a little bit this week but better late than never to discuss the latest Disney News. Today we cover more of the depressing layoffs news within the Disney Parks. This week the majority of the performance cast members have been laid off. There’s still drama out in California […]
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Episode 290: We start the show by lamenting about the state of Georgia’s sports teams. They seem to always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After that we dive into the big Disney news of the week which is not good news for Disneyland in California. The official regulations are out now and the […]
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Episode 289: Jason just got back from a busy holiday weekend and Walt Disney World. He gives his full trip report but first we do discuss some of the recent Disney News. The drama out of California is continuing to develop. We discuss the latest with the status of Disneyland and when they might be […]
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Episode 288: This week we discuss some Disney news and give our Disney+ review of The Rocketeer. We are down to a two man crew this week because Jason is currently at Walt Disney World (look for his trip report next week). So it is up to Me and Jon to hold down the fort. […]
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Episode 287: This week we discuss the recent somber news coming out of Disney. 28,000 cast members across the Parks division have been laid off. We talk about what entities have been most affected and what this means for the future of the Disney Parks. California has some very strict guidelines and we go through […]
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Episode: 286 Today we talk about the latest Disney news and we have our first Disney+ movie review! In the news, we discuss the re-opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, and the landlock situation that the resort finds itself in. Epcot is testing fireworks for Harmonious and there’s some mystery construction going on at the Italy […]
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Episode: 285, Today we finally have the long awaited park challenge guest on the show! None other than Kent Mullins himself perhaps better known to the challenge community as UCFKent. We talk with Kent about his Disney fandom and of course how he got started on the Parkeology challenge and go through some of his […]
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Episode: 284 The 2020 Christmas (party) at Disney World has been cancelled. We talk about all of the recently announced changes to the holidays at Walt Disney World this year. Which includes no Christmas parties, no candlelight processional, no gingerbread houses, and no lights on Cinderella Castle. People have gone crazy for the new Madame […]
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Episode 283: Disney released a plethora of discounts for the fall this week but are the discounts really that impressive? We give our take on several different options for a fall discount. The Polynesian Village resort is going to close until next summer and is going to receive a Moana makeover…Just how far will Disney […]
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Here is a video taken a long time ago. 1987 to be exact. I don’t know what kind of camcorder, but let’s just say that it involved putting it on your shoulder and putting full VHS cassettes in the recorder.
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This is video footage of the Skyliner that I took back in October of last year. Hope you enjoy. I have one more video almost ready to go and will most likely release very soon. As in today. Enjoy!
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Episode 282: Today we have a super sized episode for you! We start by discussing the latest Disney news. Josh D’amaro made headlines during an interview where he said that the recent technological advancements that have been implemented in the parks are “here to stay” many believed that to mean that the parks reservation system […]
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Episode 281: We discuss the latest Disney news and get a health update from Jon. Now that it has been 3 weeks since he started dealing with Covid-19 Jon is almost back to 100%. Jon also updates us on re-scheduling his Disney Cruise for next year. We talk about some helpful updates to the My […]
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This was taken back in October of 2013. I was staying at the Contemporary and was up early that morning and managed to catch them switching some monorail cars from the service track to the resort track.
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Episode 280: In today’s episode we get an update on how Jon is doing with Covid-19 and Jason went to Florida! We also cover the Disney news of the week. We talk about the latest project at Walt Disney World to get the Axe. We also discus lightning striking near Rise of the Resistance which […]
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Episode:279. Today, we reveal that one of us has tested positive for Corona-virus. We also discuss the latest Disney News. The movie release of Mulan is coming to Disney+ for an additional fee. The Disney 3rd quarter earnings call happened this week and there’s some good and bad things that came out of it. Annual […]
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Episode 278: Today Jason talks about how simple it was to cancel his annual pass He gives us information on what the process is like and when to expect a refund. We also discuss my story that is related to the person who tried to enter Epcot with 2 guns and marijuana in her diaper […]
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Episode:277. I talk about my recent trip to Walt Disney World! I go through the safety measures that Disney has in place and if it made me feel safe. We also cover the recent news like the fact that Disney has officially announced the closure of three attractions. Could more closures be on the horizon? […]
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Episode 276: Today Jon and I talk about the re-opening of all 4 Walt Disney World Parks. Disneyland Paris is also now officially open. However, Hong Kong Disneyland is closing once again. We discuss some of the new procedures that are happening at Epcot and Hollywood Studios and what rides feel safer than other. There’s […]
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Episode 275: Today on the show we discuss some news and the results of our recent social media polls! We caused quite the debate with our poll on which side to start with when visiting World Showcase at Epcot. Do you start with Mexico or Canada? We discuss the differing opinions and give our thoughts. […]
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Episode: 274: Today we “dig a little deeper” into the history of Splash Mountain and discuss the re-theming of the attraction to Princess and the Frog! We start by going over some of the latest news headlines. Construction has returned to the Tron coaster but it appears that it will be done in phases going […]
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Episode:273. That is the question. Will Disney World open on July 11th or will they push back the reopening date because of surging covid-19 cases in Florida? We know that Disneyland in California has had to postpone their opening date indefinitely. Will Walt Disney World follow? It doesn’t look like Florida is going to stand […]
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Episode:272. It is becoming more difficult to keep up with the frequent changes coming from Disney as they prepare to re-open in just a few short weeks from now. We discuss some of the major changes like the cancellation of all Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party’s for 2020. There is some good news though, […]
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Episode 271: Today the team discusses the plethora of new details that are coming out about the re-opening of Walt Disney world! There’s a lot of news surrounding the limitations and restrictions that guests will face once Disney World re-opens on July 11th. Guests who have existing reservations at a Disney resort are not guaranteed […]
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Episode 270: Today Jason returns to the show and fills us in on the work that he has been doing to help combat the spread of Covid-19. He also gives us his thoughts on what the parks will be like once they reopen. We also discuss Disney’s statement regarding the unjust murder of George Floyd […]
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Episode: 269. Walt Disney World announced their re-opening dates and we go through all of the details. While it is good to finally know an opening date for the parks and resorts. It was a little surprising at first that they are going with July 11th & 15th. However, after we start going through the […]
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Episode 268: Disney Springs is now open! We discuss this and the recent promotion of Josh D’Amaro to Chairman of Parks & Resorts! We will miss him as president of Walt Disney World but as Chairman of Parks and Resorts I have a feeling that we will still see him around. We discuss the positive […]
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Episode 267: Today we cover some of the rapidly changing Disney news. It seems like any time we cover the news lately, that something changes the next day. We cover the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland and how that went this week. We discuss the opening of Disney Springs on May 20th and the growing list […]
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Episode 266:We start this week by covering some news…A Disney Park (Shanghai) will finally be open again starting May 11th! In our main topic, It is Mother’s Day this week and Jon and I interviewed our Moms about Walt Disney World. It turns out that our love of Disney is really and extension of their […]
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Episode 265: The Electrical Water Pageant has been operating since 1971 and has been a favorite of ours for many years. This week Jon and I take a fond look back at this “water show” that takes place nightly (weather permitting) along the shores of the 7 seas lagoon and Bay Lake in the Magic […]
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Episode 264: Today, Jon and I take a look at all of the future projects that were either underway or in development before the Covid19 pandemic. We discuss whether we think they will continue as is, change significantly, or will be outright cancelled. We give our best guess as to when these projects will be […]
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Episode: 263. Hey all you cool cats and kittens! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). There’s no new episode this week but I thought it would be a good opportunity to dig into the show archives and put together some parts of older episodes that some may not have heard before. If you are like me, this […]
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Episode: 263. Today is the exciting conclusion of our March Madness in April Walt Disney World attraction tournament! In our last episode we narrowed down the bracket to the elite eight attractions at each park. This week we pick up where we left off and narrow it down until we have one attraction left standing […]
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Episode 262: We are back and what better way to celebrate April than with a little March madness! That’s right we used a complex algorithm to create head to head attraction match-ups at all 4 of the Walt Disney world Theme Parks. In this episode we narrow down the attraction match-ups to the elite eight […]
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Episode:261 All of the Disney parks around the world are currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. So what are we doing? Well, we are social distancing and watching a lot of Disney+. We give you some recommendations of things to watch while you are isolating. We discuss what this could mean for the future […]
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Episode 260: We discuss Disney Moderate resorts! On our recent poll the Disney Moderate resorts won hands down. We begin the show with a news discussion. We Talk about Haunted Mansion’s continued problems, The opening of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and we give our advice on how Disney can save money on construction projects […]
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A few pictures from our Leap Day trip to Walt Disney World. (swipe side to side on Mobile)
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Episode 259: Better late than never! This week we had a delay in our recording schedule because of our recent Disney trip but we have so much news to cover that this is a jumbo episode of Traveling with the Mouse! Disney has a new CEO and Walt Disney world has a very bad week […]
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Episode 258: On Today’s show Jason took an impromptu visit to Disneyland in California! He gives us a live trip report as he is experiencing Disneyland for the first time. Apologies in advance for the audio quality of this episode…We had to sacrifice some quality in order to bring in Jason live at Disneyland. We […]
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Episode 257: We discuss the recent price increases and cover the other news of the week. We then give our thoughts on the Ever Ride Challenge’s new Points Challenge! We start with the news of ticket price increases and I discuss how it happened right before renewing my annual pass 🙁 We then then continue […]
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Episode 256: We discuss the Disney news and we speculate on a point system for the Every Ride Challenge. We begin by discussing the Oscars where Toy Story 4 brought home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. (Thanks to my reverse Psychology) We also give some updates on stories we covered in previous episodes like […]
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Episode: 255 – We discuss the pressing Disney news of the day including details on Lighthouse Point (Disney’s new private island) and more on the Rise of the Resistance boarding group process. Jason is very vocally against the boarding groups and let’s us know why he is not in favor of this system. We also […]
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Episode 254: With the news of Smuggler’s Run adding fastpass soon we thought it would be a good time to do a refresher on the Disney World Fastpass plus system. A few things have changes since our last episode and we wanted to go over everything all in one episode. We do start by going […]
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Episode 253: Jason recently returned from his first Disney Cruise! He walks us through his experience on a 3 night cruise with a stop at Castaway Cay. We get into a review of the food and entertainment on board the ship. He talks about his experience on Castaway Cay and how to have adult time […]
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Episode 252: Today we just have a random Disney discussion. We discuss the latest Disney news and have some random things mixed in. For example, Jason has an idea for a Magic Kingdom challenge where you would ride every ride multiple times…but how many times do you think you could ride each ride in a […]
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Episode 251: We discuss some Disney news and we decide which rides we would marathon at each park. We narrow it down to one ride at each Walt Disney World Park that we would be willing to ride over and over again in a single day. If all goes to plan, we will actually go […]
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Episode 250: I just returned from visiting Walt Disney World during Christmas week. It was certainly crowded but we were still able to ride all of the major rides with minimal waiting. I talk about how we navigated the parks during the busiest time of year and how we were able to ride Rise of […]
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Episode 249: As 2019 draws to a close we take a look back at some of our favorite moments of the year. We took some clips from our favorite and most popular episodes of 2019. From our one ride short Parkeology run to Jason’s dramatic parkeology completion. We also picked out a few news stories […]
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Episode 248: This episode is all about Star Wars! As we prepare for the release of Rise of Skywalker in theaters we take a look back at all of the Star wars films. We pick our best and worst moments, best and worst lines, and We each rank them in order. We also discuss some […]
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Episode 247: This week we cover the opening of Rise of the Resistance, an incident at the Carousel of Progress, and another Monorail gets a refurbishment. We also catch up on our Star Wars re-watch. Jason just finished Attack of the clones and has a lot to say about it. Be sure to tune it […]
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Episode 246: This week we discuss the latest episodes of The Imagineering Story and The Mandalorian. We preview this week’s Give Kids the Rides event to raise money for Give Kids the World. We hope you will follow along today on twitter and consider donating to a great organization! We also preview the opening of […]
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Episode 245: The whole crew is back and we catch up on some Disney news but mostly have a conversation about what we are watching on Disney+. In the news we discuss the big opening weekend for Frozen 2, a New hotel coming to Disneyland among other things. Next week is also the Give Kids […]
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Episode 244: Today Jon and I are holding down the fort as Jason is unavoidably detained this week. We cover some Disney headlines like the new poster for Mickey and Minnie’s Runnaway Railway and some new things coming to The Festival of the Arts in January. We also discuss yet another new rumor about possible […]
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Episode 243: Today we take a look at planning a Disney Cruise! Jason is taking the plunge and booked his first Disney Cruise. Our resident cruise expert Jon goes over the basics of a Disney cruise and answers Jason’s questions. If you are thinking of booking a Disney cruise, we hope this episode will be […]
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Happy Friday! We have a special bonus episode for you with a special guest! Nathan Firesheets @A_Coaster_Story recently completed the #everyridecoastocoast challenge where he rode a total of 94 rides in 36 hours! He started by completing every ride at Disneyland and then hoped on a red eye flight to Orlando and rode every ride […]
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This week on the show we cover the news but we also wanted to do something unique and fun. We hold our first ever Walt Disney World Fantasy Draft. We each select 5 Attractions, 1 quick service restaurant, 1 table service restaurant, 1 resort, a character meet & greet, a nighttime spectacular and a bonus […]
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Episode 240: We catch up on the latest Disney news before discussing Jon’s recent solo trip to Walt Disney World! This week we actually discuss the final trailer to Star Wars Rise of Skywalker and give our thoughts and theories about it. Fuel Rods are now going to cost $3 per swap, and Disney is […]
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Episode 239: We recorded this week’s episode a little early because it is a busy week for us all. Jon is currently visiting Walt Disney World this week and will have a trip report soon. In the meantime we discuss some of the recent Disney news like, the 911 tapes from the Skyliner incident and […]
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Episode 238: We discuss the latest Disney news and Talk about what it’s like to go to Walt Disney World without kids! That’s right Jason and I just returned from a trip with our wive’s and no kids. We talk about what it’s like to go to the Food & Wine festival and eat at […]
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Episode 237: The Disney Skyliner crushed it on it’s first week. (Literally) We discuss what this means and will it be open in time for any of us to ride it this weekend? Also, another Monorail gets a new interior and a moderate refurbishment. We also give our thoughts on Epcot Forever and the end […]
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Episode 236: In this episode we catch up on the news of the past couple of weeks. We focus on some of the recent news like the opening of the Skyliner and the final showing of Illuminations. We also go more in depth on a couple of stories from D23 now that the dust has […]
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Episode 235: Today’s episode is all about Jason’s recent Parkeology run! Jason details his day and give some great insight into what was going on inside the ropes on what was a dramatic but exciting day! Jason takes us through the ups and downs of the day that at one point looked nearly impossible for […]
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Episode: 234. Today on the show we discuss the latest news and Jon walks us through his recent trip to Walt Disney World! We also discuss the major day of Parkeology runs on that took place on September 11th. In the news we talk about Disney returning (for a limited time) the Bedtime call from […]
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Episode 233: In this episode Jon is coming to us live from Gran Destino Tower. He took some time out from his trip to talk some Disney news with us and give us some live updates from the ground at Walt Disney World. We discuss some construction updates and Get Jon’s thoughts on Galaxy’s Edge. […]
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Episode 232: Today we cover the most recent Disney News and discuss the recent deluge of parkeology completions since the opening of Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World. Hurricane Dorian has been lurking off the coast of Florida for several days and it cancelled a challenge run of our own. In other news we talk […]
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Epsidoe: 231 – Today we are breaking down all of the major news that came out the recent D23 expo! We cover the major news from Disney Plus to the new announcement for Disney Parks around the world. We then focus on the many upcoming and ongoing changes to Epcot. We conclude by each giving […]
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Episode 230: We discuss the latest Disney news and talk about Jason and Adam’s recent Passholder Preview day at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge! We start with a rundown of the news like New Forky merchandise, Epcot Construction updates and New Afternoon Magic tickets. We also discuss more unscheduled ride refurbishments at Magic Kingdom, and new […]
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Episode 229: As always we discuss the latest Disney news & Rumors! We cover some new things exclusively coming the the Hollywood Studios version of Galaxy’s Edge. Tower of Terror has completed it’s refurbishment. Epcot’s project gamma is continuing to expand. The NBA experience is now quite operational. There was some unusual maintenance issues at […]
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Episode 228: Today we discuss everything from loaded Blue and Green milk at Hollywood Studios to our recap of the Give Kids the Rides event on July 24th! We also give some construction updates at Walt Disney World. Primeval Whirl continues to have delays on its re-open…And there was another Parkeology completion this past week. […]
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Episode 227: Today we are discussing some of the latest Disney news and giving a lot of construction updates. Later on in the episode Jason and I give our review of our recent stay at the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort! We have a lot more content coming soon so stay tuned!
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Episode 226: We discuss the new fall discounts, Skyliner opening date, and best uses for FastPass at Walt Disney World. We begin by discussing the unexpected ride closures that have been happening this summer. More changes are taking place at the Grand Floridian. The new Lion King movie has been released. We end the episode […]
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Episode 225: It seems these days like major news breaks every week! In this episode we break down the big news that Rise of The Resistance is opening December 5th at Walt Disney World and early 2020 for Disneyland. There’s also a new walkway coming that will connect 2 more resorts to the Magic Kingdom […]
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Episode 224: In this episode we discuss Disney news and recap Jason’s July 4th Parkeology run! Now that we have all seen Toy Story 4 we discuss the film and give our thoughts. It is mostly spoiler free but there may be a few. (Ye be warned) We also talk about the opening of Gran […]
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Episode 223: Today we talk the latest Disney news and preview Jason’s July 4th Parkeology Run! We discuss the feud between Disney Parks Blog and WDW News Today over some rumors that were debunked about Country Bear Jamboree and The Enchanted Tiki Room. Monorail Silver has received a new pain job and interior but what […]
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Episode 222: This episode is filled with too, too, too much good content! We start with some of the latest news and then go into a little game where we compare attractions that have similar ride systems. We start with Toy Story 4 and give our thoughts on the movie (no spoilers). We give some […]
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Episode 221: We have a lot of news stories to cover this week. Price increases have been rolled out at Walt Disney World. There are a few good news stories…The leave a legacy stones have been removed from one side of the entrance to Epcot and Passholder’s are getting a preview of Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios sometime in August! We do have another crazy rumor to discuss that involves the Country Bear Jamboree (say it aint so!) We also cover some construction updates at California Adventure and at Magic Kingdom.
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Episode 220: In today’s episode Jon recaps his recent trip to Orlando with a stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay and visits to Sea World and Disney Springs. We talk about his visit to the new Sesame Street area in Sea World and his overall thoughts of the park. He then gives his thoughts on Disney Springs and has a few dinning reviews to share during his time there. He wrapped his trip up with a breakfast at Kona Cafe at the Disney’s Polynesian Village resort!
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Episode 219: Today we discuss the latest Disney News and Rumors! We talk Disney Animation from Toy Story 4 to Frozen 2 and a new Chip & Dale series coming to Disney Plus. We also get into construction updates on the Tron Coaster and the most recent Disney restaurant/bar that has opened at Walt Disney World. We also give our thoughts on the Disney Villains After Hours event that just started at Magic Kingdom. We wrap up by discussing the merch available for the farewell to Illuminations.
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Episode 218: Today we are recapping our recent Parkeology run from June 1st! For anyone not familiar with this challenge, we attempted to ride every ride in all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks in 1 day. We attempted the challenge for the first time back in March and came up short. On our second attempt we had 2 additional rides to complete but we also had 2 more hours in the day. This day produced a lot of fun and a lot of drama…Our run literally came down to the last minute!
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Episode 217: Galaxy’s Edge is now open at Disneyland! We give our thoughts on what the new land has to offer and what we are looking forward to experiencing ourselves. We do talk about some other Disney news as well like the new fireworks show coming for the Christmas party, a new Toy Story meet and greet, more Epcot rumors and construction updates!
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Episode 216: On the Eve of the opening of Galaxy’s Edge out in Disneyland we discuss more details that are coming out about the land as well as other Disney news and rumors. A lot of changes are coming to Epcot and some wild rumors are floating around. We also discuss the box office performance of the live action Aladdin film as well as some other Disney parks news.
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Episode 215: Today we are joined by the co-founders of the parkeology challenge and the duo that completed the oxygen free challenge, Shane, Ted and Kristina! We really enjoyed the conversation that we had with them and hope to have them back on the show in the future. We discuss the origins of the parkeology challenge with Ted and Shane and then go into the planning strategy for the oxygen free completion run on April 24, 2019 with Shane and Kristina. Please check out Parkeology.com and join their facebook group and also Kristina has a website Epic Disney and a facebook group. Kristina also co-wrote a book: Macallen’s Secret: Park Studios
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Episode 214: Today we catch up on the latest Disney news. Galaxy’s Edge is opening soon at Disneyland and as a result we have a lot of new details on the experiences that guests will have come May 31st. We also catch up on the progress of the many construction projects going on at Walt Disney World. Things are starting to settle down for Jon and I on the personal side of things so that we can get back on schedule very soon!
Also, sorry for the audio quality this week. Still working out the kinks!
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This episode is a combination of two bonus episodes that we recorded earlier this year. We discuss the most googled questions about Walt Disney world and give our answers to those questions. Then we talk about the top 5 projects of Disney imagineer Joe Rohde. We hope you enjoy them and we will be back on our regular schedule soon!
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Episode 212: Today we are going through a timeline of important events when trip planning a Walt Disney World vacation! Those events can start as early as 9-12 months in advance. We talk about the early stages of planning a trip to Walt Disney World which includes things like budgeting and selecting a resort hotel. We then go into the middle phase where you can start booking dining reservations. The final stage of trip planning includes things like selecting fast passes and last minute tips to make sure you are the most prepared that you can be. When a Disney trip is broken down into a timeline like this and can seem much less daunting!
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Episode 211: Today we are discussing the Extra Extra magic hours that will be available after Galaxy’s Edge opens!
Here are all of the topics that we cover:
- Disney Announces tentative release dates for upcoming movies through 2027
- New permits show where the Reflections resort is going to be placed
- Disneyland allowed guests to register for the opening of Galaxy’s Edge
- Extra Extra Magic Hours coming to Hollywood Studios
- Resort Guests will soon be able to purchase magic bands at a discount
- Tron Coaster Construction goes vertical
- New interactive elements coming to the Play Disney app
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Episode 210: Today we are joined once again by Jason as we breakdown the historic Parkeology run on April 24th where we saw the first completion of 2019 and the first ever completion of the “oxygen free” challenge where a team completed all 46 rides without using any fast passes! We also discuss a third run that wasn’t a completion but actually had the best pace of the day. We break down each run and give our thoughts on what were the pivotal moments in each one.
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Episode 209: Today we are discussing everything from summer discounts to the new additions coming to Hollywood Studios!
News Topics:
- A variety of new discounts for this summer have been released
- New Details in Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Special treats menu has been released for the Disney Villains after hours event
- Rumor: Disney may be planning an interchangeable “black box” type attraction
- New table service restaurant is coming to Toy Story Land!
FYI News stories:
- Special Star Wars activities planned for May 4th
- Avengers End Game is breaking all kinds of box office records
- Phantom Manor has finally re-opened
- New Rule changes for Disney Parks are now in effect
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Episode 208: Today we are going over when and how to make your Disney World advanced dining reservations! We discuss some of the most difficult restaurants to get reservations for and we give you some tips for grabbing those hard to get reservations. You can reserve dining 180 days from your arrival but for some like me who plan Disney trips well within that time frame there are still some ways to get those pesky dining reservations. We also have a discussion on character dining and which ones are hard to get vs. the ones that still offer a great experience but just isn’t as popular.
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Episode 207: It’s that time again! We discuss the Disney news from the past week.
Here are the topics:
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios 30th Anniversary details
- It is confirmed that No nighttime parade will be part of WDW 50th Aniniversary
- New details on the Villains after hours event coming to Magic Kingdom
- Possible Major spoiler for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway delayed until spring 2020
Additional News Stories
- This week we saw Skyliner evacuation testing
- Disneyland Cast members wont be able to visit Galaxy’s Edge until August
- Tomorrowland Speedway’s modification nears completion
- Major construction is going on at the entrance of 3 of the Disney theme parks
- Some Disney titles will be modified or not included in Disney Plus
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