It’s one of Walt Disney World’s oldest continuous performances and you might have never even seen it. This week’s Word of the Week is all about the Electrical Water Pageant!
The Electrical Water Pageant has been entertaining guests since the month Walt Disney World opened to the public. If it ain’t “Baroque”, don’t fix it!
Taking a trip to Walt Disney World can be a complicated vacation to plan. Between booking a resort, dining reservations, FastPasses, navigating four theme parks and two water parks, etc., there is A TON to know before you go. That’s why this week’s episode will focus on my Top Ten Disney World Hacks.
Want to vacation in Walt Disney World like a boss? My Top Ten Hacks will help you have the best WDW trip ever!
Walt Disney once said, “You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make that dream a reality.” That couldn’t be more true. This week I wanted to put the focus on the Disney Cast Members with the Word of the Week – Disney Difference.
What separates Disney’s service from everyone else’s? The cast members. This week I’ll share 4 phenomenal examples of Cast Member Magic!
Karrie’s son, Adam, and the awesome cast member he wasn’t aware of!
Adam being entertained by another fantastic cast member! Thank you, Karrie, for the pictures and your story!
As Walt Disney always had hoped, Disneyland has never been completed. It has changed and evolved over the decades and is a very different park than the one Walt opened in 1955. But much of his park is still there. We’ll talk all about it on Episode 84: Walt’s Disneyland With Jim Denney.
Part 2 – Walk where Walt walked. Touch what Walt touched. Disneyland has Walt Disney’s fingerprints (literally) all over it…if you know where to look.
For Part 1 of my talk with Jim Denney, CLICK HERE
For more from Jim Denny:
As Walt Disney always had hoped, Disneyland has never been completed. It has changed and evolved over the decades and is a very different park than the one Walt opened in 1955. But much of his park is still there. We’ll talk all about it on Episode 84: Walt’s Disneyland With Jim Denney.
Walk where Walt walked. Touch what Walt touched. Disneyland has Walt Disney’s fingerprints (literally) all over it…if you know where to look.
For Part 2 of my chat with Jim Denney, CLICK HERE.
For more from Jim Denny:
As the icon of Magic Kingdom, Cinderella Castle rises 183 feet from the ground (or is it 189 feet?) right in the middle of the park. This week, I’ll tell you all about the castle’s history and more on the Word of the Week – Cinderella Castle.
Did you know that (allegedly) a woman once attempted to sue Walt Disney World because a Cinderella Castle brick fell onto her head?
For years, Walt Disney World was billed as the Vacation Capital of the World. WDW is a true place where the young and young at heart could go to enjoy being a kid. This week we wanted to help those who are feeling a little older feel young again with Episode 83: How To Feel Like A Kid Again in WDW.
“That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old.” We’ll help you remember!
Do you remember Mickey’s Birthdayland? I never had the opportunity to check it out in person, but still remember a lot of what was left in Mickey’s Toontown Fair when I finally got there. I’ll tell you all about it on this weeks’ Word of the Week – Birthdayland.
If you don’t remember Mickey’s Birthdayland in Magic Kingdom, you’re not alone! Take a trip back in time with me as I tell you all about it!
I’ve been trying to get Disney Legend Bob Gurr on the show for over a year now. Who knew that the best way to get him on was to just email him and ask?! Check out Episode 82: Disney Legend Bob Gurr.
It’s been said that if it’s on wheels and it’s in Disneyland, Bob Gurr built it. Bob’s sheer brilliance really comes through as we talk all things Disney this week!
Walt Disney World is always in a state of change. Walt Disney wanted his theme parks to never be completed. They were to be living, breathing things that Walt could change around and evolve. But what happens when one of those things closes and is never replaced? The building(s) still stand, but they sit, abandoned for years. I’m tackling some abandoned locations on this week’s Word of the Week – Abandoned.
WDW, like Disneyland, was never meant to be a museum. Things are in a constant state of change. But what about those things that close and sit for decades…Abandoned?
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is finally at the end of a huge refurbishment. With the new waterfront cabins, new restaurants, and new villas, now is a better time than ever to book your WDW vacation at the Lodge. We’ll talk about those reasons and more on Episode 81: WDW Resort Roundup: Wilderness Lodge.
Always wanted to stay at the Wilderness Lodge? We’ll give you at least ten reasons why the newly renovated Lodge is a phenomenal place to stay on your next WDW trip!
Want to hear more Resort Roundups with Johnny Shortsleeve? Click any of the episodes below:
Episode 67: Resort Roundup: Yacht & Beach Club
Disney’s entire marketing campaign around their Animal Kingdom theme park in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s was that it was not a zoo, or Nahtazu. See, many guests were skipping WDW’s newest park thinking it was just a zoo, which it certainly is not. It does, however, have all of the top certifications that any zoo in the United States would need. That’s what I want to focus on in this week’s Word of the Week – Zoo (Or Nahtazu).
Walt Disney World commercials throughout the late 90s and early 00s told us that Animal Kingdom was Nahtazu. I’ll tell you what makes the park better than the average zoo!
My family and I recently returned home from a trip out to Disneyland in California. It was the first trip their for our kids and I wanted to get their opinions on the record on Episode 80: Family Review of the Disneyland Resort.
From Main Street to Cars Land, from Dole Whips to Monte Cristos, my family and I talk about all of our favorite things you will find in Disneyland, USA!
The D23 Expo in Anaheim, California is one of the most anticipated events on almost every Disney fan’s calendar. This year one of the most anticipated presentations at that most anticipated event was all about what was coming to our favorite Disney theme parks in the next several years. Check out Episode 79: D23 Expo Parks & Resorts Recap.
By now you’ve probably heard the announcements that came out of the D23 Expo. We’ll analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly on this special D23 episode of the show!
Yesteryear is admittedly a strange word for a Word of the Week show, but I just got home from a trip to Disneyland where my family and I had a private tour of Walt Disney’s apartment. So, it makes perfect sense that this week’s Word of the Week is Yesteryear.
Join me as I take you on a virtual, audio tour of Walt Disney’s private apartment in Disneyland. You can feel Walt’s presence all over the park but being in his apartment is an amazingly emotional experience.
When Walt Disney World’s newest theme park, Epcot Center opened in 1982, there were only two characters present. These characters, the charming and whimsical Dreamfinder and the curious purple dragon, Figment, were both originally portrayed in the park by the same man. This week we talk with that man on Episode 78: A Chat With Epcot’s Original Dreamfinder, Ron Schneider.
Ron Schneider has worked in theme parks for more than 40 years in many different roles. Disney fans will instantly recognize him as the face and voice of the original Dreamfinder.
Francis Xavier Atencio, known simply as X Atencio, is one of the true living legends of the early days of the Disney Company. He’s responsible for such Disneyland greats as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. I’ll tell you much more on this week’s Word of the Week – X Atencio.
He helped animate Monstro the Whale, created the Auctioneer Scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, and wrote two of the most famous songs in Disney history!
The Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida share many of the same attractions. Many are almost exactly the same, like Soarin’, and some are very different, like Pirates of the Caribbean. We’ll decide which versions are better on Episode 77: Better in Disneyland or WDW?
Is Peter Pan’s Flight better in Disneyland or Walt Disney World? What about Haunted Mansion? We’ll debate them all this week!
If you like the cut of Lauren’s gib, check her out on these other episodes of the show:
I’m weird. That’s right, I admit it. I’m a weird guy. I don’t know how to fix a car, I’m not really handy around the house, and I’ve never changed a flat tire. I can, however, tell you the dates Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney’s MGM Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, etc., had their opening days. That’s right, I’m weird. That’s the thought process behind this week’s Word of the Week – Weird.
You and I are a lot alike. We both love Disney, Walt Disney World, and listening to Disney podcasts. But have you fully embraced the weird?
I’ve eaten a lot of meals in Walt Disney World. More than a lot, actually…a TON. The majority of my meals in Walt Disney World have been fantastic but of course there are those exceptions. That’s why this week we wanted to talk about restaurants (or stands or kiosks) that we’d recommend trying again, on Episode 76: WDW Restaurants That Deserve A Second Look.
Many WDW restaurants (or stands or kiosks) have changed a lot over the last several years, but too many Disney guests don’t know about those changes. That changes with this episode.
If you enjoyed Johnny Shortsleeve’s appearance on the show, check him out on these episodes:
Episode 43: Best Places To Get Away From It All in WDW
Episode 49: Top Ways to Prepare for a WDW Trip
If you are thinking about taking a trip to Walt Disney World over the holiday season, you might want to look into attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. From character meet & greets to special a nighttime parade and fireworks show, here’s what you can expect at the party on this week’s Word of the Week – Very (Merry Christmas Party).
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the ultimate combination of Christmas and Disney that will turn even the biggest Scrooge McDuck into Tiny Tim!
When Walt Disney imagined EPCOT, it was to be his Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. It was going to be a utopia: a city that would be on the cutting edge of technology, health, transportation, and much more. With his untimely passing, the Disney Company ultimately moved ahead with EPCOT Center, a theme park that for years focused on “edutainment.” That may all be about to change and we’ll talk all about it on Episode 75: Epcot, A Change Is Gonna Come.
Epcot is going to change. That’s happening. We talk all about the news, rumors, and more and want to know what you think this week!
Most Disney fans know the story of the early years of Walt Disney’s life. He grew up on a farm in Marceline, Missouri, joined the Red Cross underage, and moved to Los Angeles in his early 20’s to pursue his passion of animation. But do you know the story of the guy behind Walt Disney who was just as instrumental in the success of the Disney company in many ways? This week I’ll tell you all about that other guy on the Word of the Week – Ub.
Ub Iwerks was Walt Disney’s right hand man for many of his successes and failures. He often gets overlooked, however, when it comes to the praise and accolades that Walt received throughout his adult life. This week, let me tell you all about the guy behind the guy behind the guy, Disney Legend Ub Iwerks and why he was a big part of Walt’s success.
Walt Disney World is the ultimate family vacation destination. With world class theme parks, amazing resorts, phenomenal dining, & so much more, there is no better time to take a trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth than right now! If you’ve been putting off that family vacation because you have toddlers or babies, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t on Episode 74: What Can My Toddler or Baby Do in Disney World?
If you’ve been putting off your WDW vacation because you think there’s nothing there for babies or toddlers, maybe you should think again! Listen in as my wife Amy and I fill you in on each and every attraction your little one can do in Walt Disney World. By the way, we missed a couple! Your little ones can also take part in the Na’Vi River Journey in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Frozen Live on Stage in Hollywood Studios, Frozen Ever After in Epcot, & Enchanted Tales with Belle AND Under the Sea in Magic Kingdom!
It’s no secret that Trader Sam’s is my favorite bar in both Disneyland and in Walt Disney World. When the Disneyland version debuted in 2011, it was so popular that Disney’s higher ups had no choice but to bring a version out to the East Coast. This week I wanted to tell you all about my two favorite watering holes in the Word of the Week – Trader Sam’s.
I LOVE both versions of Trader Sam’s so much that I am building a mini version of the bar in a room in my home. That’s 100% true! I’ll tell you what makes them so special on this show!