Did you know that Walt Disney envisioned a Mississippi-style riverboat in the first plans for his “Mickey Mouse” amusement park back in the early 1950’s? Yes, Walt always wanted a working riverboat in his park, no matter where it was going to be located. This week, we take a look at the unique riverboats in the North American Disney Parks, with this week’s Word of the Week – Riverboat.
The Liberty Square Riverboat is a classic Walt Disney World attraction that has been in operation (almost) since the Magic Kingdom’s Opening Day. The ride along the iconic Rivers of America around Tom Sawyer Island has changed over the years, but it’s still a familiar, pleasant, and fun experience that every Magic Kingdom guest should have!
This week, I’ll give you some history on the riverboats, a little trivia, and tell you what will be happening next along the Rivers of America!
On Episode 43 of the show, my guest Johnny Shortsleeve tand I talked all about our favorite places to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of Walt Disney World.
If you haven’t yet listened to that episode, you can listen by clicking here: Part 1
Of course, we went on WAY too long so we had to break the episode up into two parts. Check out the exciting conclusion in this week’s show, Episode 44: Best Places to Get Away From It All in WDW Part 2!
This week, we wrap up our talk about the best places to get away from it all in Walt Disney World. Johnny Shortsleeve and I talk about little hideaways and lesser-known spots that will help make your WDW vacation a little more relaxed. Oh, by the way, don’t tell anyone about these places, they’re our secret!
If you’re picking up on what Johnny and I are putting down and would like to hear more episodes that we recorded together, check these out:
Episode 32: Top Reasons to Visit WDW at Christmas Part 1
Episode 33: Top Reasons to Visit WDW at Christmas Part 2
For the last 15 weeks, I’ve been coming up with these Word of the Week Podcast ideas by myself. This week I decided that the letter Q offered the perfect opportunity to answer some questions from Disney fans and listeners to the podcast. That’s why settling on the idea for this week’s Word of the Week – Questions, was an easy decision to make.
From the best activities outside the parks to Disney land & sea vacations, this is a quick and informative episode that answers some frequently asked questions!
In the episode I mention an interview that I did with an amazing WDW entertainer, Yehaa Bob Jackson. You can listen to that interview by clicking HERE.
Big shocker here: I LOVE Walt Disney World. It is my favorite vacation destination in the world and that is why I do what I do for a living. But that doesn’t mean I always love the crowds, heat, and overall hustle and bustle of the parks and resorts. Sometimes you just have to step out of the crowds and take a break from it all in Walt Disney World. That is how we came up with Episode 43: Best Places to Get Away from It All in WDW (Part 1).
This week, my good friend Johnny Shortsleeve joins me to talk all about those quiet places we’ve found in the parks and resorts where you can go alone or with the family to take a little break. This episode will be especially helpful if you have little kids or just want to step aside and take some time away from the sensory overload that is Walt Disney World.
Pirates Of The Caribbean has been delighting Walt Disney World guests ever since it premiered in the earlier days of the Magic Kingdom. But, did you know that Pirates wasn’t an original, opening day, Magic Kingdom attraction? This week I’ll tell you all about the history of this iconic attraction in the Word of the Week – Pirates.
Originally, Walt Disney’s Imagineers had no intentions of bringing the popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction to Walt Disney World. Central Florida was much too close to the real Caribbean for everyday park guests to be interested. Well, guess what? Disney’s Imagineers were wrong!
This week I’ll talk all about the history of Pirates, the changes over the years, and why it is still an iconic and popular attraction after all these years!
Whether it’s your first ever trip to Walt Disney World or your twentieth, let us help you avoid making those mistakes on your vacation that we’ve already made for you! Check out Episode 42: Biggest WDW Rookie Mistakes!
Want to know just how you should handle your Hotel Reservations, FastPasses, Dining Reservations, and more? This week my guest Herb Leibacher and I will tell you exactly how you SHOULD NOT handle all of these when planning your trip to Walt Disney World. We also go into detail about strollers, over-planning, under-planning, and much more! This episode will be very helpful to those who are about to plan or are in the middle of planning their next Walt Disney World vacation.
To hear more from Herb Leibacher or to listen to his podcast, head on over to the World of Walt at worldofwalt.com.
Walt Disney World, just outside Orlando, Florida, is one of the most highly visited tourist destinations in the entire world. It holds 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping and entertainment district, golf courses, more than 20 resort hotels, and much, much more. This week, I take a look at why it’s all there, in the middle of Florida, in the Word of the Week – Orlando.
Many locations were considered before Walt Disney and the Disney company settled on the swamplands of Central Florida. New Orleans, St. Louis, Niagara Falls, and more all had reasons to attract the Disney Company to build a theme park in their area. Why did the Orlando area get Walt Disney World? I’ll fill you in on this and more in this week’s episode!
What do you think is the BEST attraction at Epcot? This week, I do my best to answer that question as I give you my Ultimate Ranking of Epcot Attractions.
It’s a little surprising to read that Epcot currently has 23 attractions for guests to experience. That does not include walking through and experiencing all of the pavilions in World Showcase or taking in the live entertainment that is constantly changing in Walt Disney World’s second theme park.
Do you agree with my ranking of the Epcot attractions? Let me know in the comments section or send me an email to phil@eartotheretravel.com.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my ranking of the Magic Kingdom attractions:
Even though it wasn’t one of the original pavilions in EPCOT Center’s World Showcase, Norway has had a special place in Disney fans’ hearts for decades. With it’s beautiful architecture, wonderful and friendly Norwegian cast members, and fantastic attractions, the Norway pavilion is one that many guests look forward to immensely on their trips to Epcot. That’s why I’m taking a closer look at the pavilion in this week’s Word of the Week – Norway.
The Norway pavilion has not been without it’s fair share of controversy lately, however. With Frozen Fever taking over a lot of Walt Disney World over the last few years, Norway has been turned into a bit of a Frozen Showcase. Has the pavilion lost it’s way or is it still as charming and quaint as ever? You’ll have to listen to this week’s episode to find out!