Author and food & wine pro Marcy Carriker Smothers joins me on the show this week to talk all things Disney dining, including some great Walt Disney stories and a whole lot more!
As we once said on our "it's a food world" segments, Walt Disney World is not just burgers and hot dogs. The food options in all of the parks and resorts, both currently and historically, are certainly much finer than the normal fare that you would find in an amusement park or theme park.
In 2021 the Disney Company has given its fans new attractions, restaurants, shows, movies, & much more! Listen into find out what Disney Things We're Thankful for in 2021!
While it's easy to want to put everything we love about Disney on our lists, my guest this week and I really took a good look at the Disney things that really made us happy and thankful this year. Please listen with a family member or a friend and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Our first ever Disney+ Deep Dive focuses on a classic comedy from the 80's that still stands up well into the 21st Century, "Adventures In Babysitting".
This week we will break down this Elisabeth Shue blockbuster and give out our own awards including The Sleeping Beauty Award for the character that does the most with the fewest lines, the Hayden Christiansen Award for Wooden Acting that Almost Ruined a Movie, & the Julie Andrews Award for Acting that's Practically Perfect in Every Way!
We are celebrating Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary with stories, our favorite memories, and more!
We have lots of listener questions to get to including ones about Disney Genie, WDW's 50th Anniversary, family trip traditions and much more!
Claude Coats was an artist, background artist, animator and set designer, known for his work with the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering.
I took a trip to visit those other parks down the road at Universal Orlando on my last trip to Walt Disney World. This is how it went.
Universal Orlando reopened amid the Covid-19 pandemic more than a year ago. It had been more than 9 years since my last visit to Walt Disney World's biggest local rival. I decided that it had been long enough and it was time to pay a visit to the home of Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and Marvel's Superheroes (at least east of the Mississippi River).
The 50th Anniversary Celebration for Walt Disney World begins on October 1, 2021. We'll give you the scoop on what new things will be opening in 2021 and beyond!
Disney & Pixar films like Ratatouille, Moana, Tron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more are coming to the parks in 2021 and 2022! The Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser Resort is also on the horizon. When can we expect these experiences to open? Listen in and find out!
Who better to tell us stories about the earliest days of Disneyland than original Disneyland Imagineer, Bob Gurr?
Bob Gurr was hired by Walt Disney himself in 1954 to work on the bodies of the Autopia cars for Walt's ambitious theme park, Disneyland. Little did Bob know that he was just beginning a long and storied career with the Disney Company, full of wonderful stories, incredible imaginations, and unrivaled creativity.
The Disneyland & Walt Disney World Monorail Systems are truly one of the seven wonders of the modern world!
Who better to go more in depth into the history of the Disney Monorail Systems than Disney Legend and Imagineer, Bob Gurr? Walt Disney himself asked Bob to design and build the first ever monorail in the Western Hemisphere and Bob's creation premiered in Disneyland in 1959.
There's something very special about taking a trip to Walt Disney World with parents even though we (at least some of us) aren't kids anymore!
It's only right to take our parents on trips to Walt Disney World after they saved and took us when we were children. This week my guest and I talk all about our favorite reasons why it's such a great time visiting the theme parks with our parents.
Did you know that Disney's Animal Kingdom is many things, but it's definitely "Nahtazu"!
Okay, actually, Walt Disney World's fourth and largest theme park actually doubles as a zoo. It's also a world class theme park with amazing attractions, sensational shows, and fantastic food! There are also many things you might not know about the park including history, never built attractions, and tributes hidden in plain sight! I hope you enjoy this week's Word of the Week - Nahtazu!
There is no shortage of heroes in the Disney universe. Princes, Princesses, Kings, Queens, Gods...they're all represented. But who are our favorites?
What is it that makes Epcot's World Showcase so unique and so special among all of the Disney theme parks? Our Top Ten is only the tip of the iceberg!
Epcot's World Showcase is so much more than rides and shows. Originally planned as its own theme park, World Showcase is like taking a trip around the world without ever leaving the friendly confines of Central Florida. With amazing cultural representatives from each host country, amazing culinary experiences, and the magic of Disney around every corner, World Showcase is not just another section in an amusement park!
Did you know that Walt Disney World partially built Phase 2 of Disney's Pop Century Resort? I promise, this episode will be Legendary!
At the end of the 20th Century, the powers that be in Walt Disney World came to the conclusion that another Value Resort needed to be built on Disney property. This new resort, tentatively named Disney's Pop Century Resort, was set to double the number of rooms available to guests at Value Resorts. Due to a number of unforeseen factors, only half of Pop Century was ever finished. What happened to the second, partially built part? You'll have to listen in to find out!
Which things do we wish were still available in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom? We have at least ten to tell you about!
The memories may remain, but over the years many things have been removed from the Magic Kingdom. Beloved attractions, favorite characters, delicious snacks and entertaining shows have all been removed from the Most Magical Place on Earth over the years. Jump in our DeLorean with us as we explore out favorite things that we miss about the Magic Kingdom!
Finally, the news so many Disney fans have been waiting for is here, Disneyland is almost set to reopen! We'll also go into Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World news!
If you're a Disneyland history buff like me, you'll want to check out these lesser known stories from the early days of the park!
I recently downloaded and listened to an audio tour of Disneyland which was narrated by Disney Legend and Imagineer Rolly Crump. I had never heard some of these stories before and since I can no longer find the tour online, I wanted to re-tell some of his stories this week on the Word of the Week. I may not tell the stories as well as Rolly does, but I hope you find them as interesting coming from me as I did hearing them from Rolly!
Have you ever been hit with a smell all of a sudden that instantly transports you back to Disney? This episode is for you!
The Disney theme parks aren't just about the sights. They are a full sensory experience that flood all of your senses with amazing sights, sounds, touches, and especially smells. Our sense of smell is strongly linked to memories, even more so than any of our other senses. So, of course, everyday smells can sometimes return us to the moments that we've last smelled those certain smells.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland are full of restaurants, attractions, shows, and even streets that have their own very distinctive smells. This week we'll explore some of those smells that take you back to WDW as soon as you smell them!
Have you ever been hit with a smell all of a sudden that instantly transports you back to Disney? This episode is for you!
The Disney theme parks aren't just about the sights. They are a full sensory experience that flood all of your senses with amazing sights, sounds, touches, and especially smells. Our sense of smell is strongly linked to memories, even more so than any of our other senses. So, of course, everyday smells can sometimes return us to the moments that we've last smelled those certain smells.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland are full of restaurants, attractions, shows, and even streets that have their own very distinctive smells. This week we'll explore some of those smells that take you back to WDW as soon as you smell them!
Flowers? Check. Gardens? Check. Amazing food, fantastic beverages, and fun for the entire family? Check, check, and check!
Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival is no longer the lesser of the park's two festivals. Find out why you should go to Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival this year!
Did you know that Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom has 15 opening day attractions still in operation?
The Disney company has always understood that nostalgia is a large part of its brand. Guests want to take their children and grandchildren on attractions that they themselves once rode as kids. Guests come back year after year to experience all that is new and all that is old and classic in the parks. These attractions have become nostalgic classics that hopefully will never be removed from the park.
While there are WAY more than ten great things about Pirates, we did our best to narrow it down and give you our favorites!
Pirates of the Caribbean opened in Disneyland on March 18, 1967. It has been a guest favorite since day one. Who doesn't love to sail among the swashbucklers while singing "Yo Ho"? The attraction was so popular that when Magic Kingdom opened without it in 1971, guests complained and demanded that Walt Disney World open a Pirates attraction in the park!
Even confident, professional (hopefully!) Disney travel agents can make mistakes sometimes! I present to you, The Great Snow White Debacle.
Which Walt Disney World audio animatronics are the coolest, according to us? I can almost guarantee there will be no spitting camels on this episode!
The Disney theme parks have given us world class audio animatronic figures since the 1960's. Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and the parks around the word are loaded with robotic characters that range from the wildly simplistic Tiki Birds to the amazingly complicated Shaman from Pandora: The World of Avatar. So which of these figures made our Top Ten List? You'll have to listen in to find out!