The start of the year usually means it is refurb time for some rides and attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. We cover what attractions will be undergoing refurbishments and for how long. We also talk about some of the ongoing construction projects that might impact your vacation this year.
Episode 50 – Avoiding the crowds
The crowds at Walt Disney World can be a lot to deal with. In this episode, Jon and I give our tips for avoiding the crowds. We discuss having a plan in place, using the park hours to your advantage, how to navigate the parks when it is busy, and the best times of year to visit.
Episode 49 – Aulani, Part 2
It’s the long awaited part two of my Aulani trip. If you missed it, go back and listen to Episode 42 to hear Part 1. In this episode however, I go into more detail on my thoughts about the resort and all that it has to offer. I talk about the dinning options and what I thought of the food at Aulani. I talk about the pools and resort activities that are so much fun. I also reveal my favorite resort activity that is a must do. At the end of the episode I talk a little about what kind of things I did outside of Aulani on the island of Oahu.
Link to the video referenced in the episode of Mo‘olelo Fire Pit Storytelling Continue reading
Episode 48 – 2018 Rumors
Today we are talking about updates and changes that are rumored for 2018. In our last episode we discussed the things that are confirmed for this year so we are covering the things that haven’t yet been confirmed. There are rumors about Country Bear Jamboree getting a change, New pavilions coming to EPCOT, new attractions coming to World Showcase and many other small rumored changes. Join us as we dig into them all.
Episode 47 – What’s New for 2018?
Happy New Year! Today we start off the new year by previewing all of the new Disney related things coming in 2018. We preview what things we know are coming to the Disney Parks this year. specifically, Toy Story Land in Walt Disney World and Pixar Pier in Disney’s California Adventure Park. We also preview the new Disney movies that will hit theaters this year. What are you most looking forward to in 2018?
Episode 46 – Fast Pass Plus
We finish out the year having a discussion about the Fast Pass Plus system at Walt Disney World. We give our overall thoughts about it and go through each park and talk about which selections we would make when the most sought after Fast Passes are not available.
New Round up – December 2017
In today’s episode, Jon and I discuss the many news Stories that have been coming one after another this month. We talk about the 20th Century Fox acquisition and we talk Star Wars news. We also discuss other stories including, The re-opening of Hall of Presidents, a new cirque du soleil show coming to Disney Springs, and Disney Springs Hotels are getting some extra perks. Happy Holidays to all!
Episode 45 – Jon’s Trip Report – Part 3
Today’s episode is part 3 of Jon’s trip report from his Disney Cruise/Walt Disney World vacation. Jon walks us through his final day at sea and goes over the various activities that are available on a Day at Sea on a Disney Cruise. Next he talks about his experience at The Beach Club Villas as well as some dinning reviews at EPCOT. On the Last day of his trip Jon talks about riding Flight of Passage and gives his review of the attraction. He concludes his trip report with an experience he had with the customer service at the Beach Club that included an ambulance ride over to Celebration hospital. Tune in for the details.
Episode 44 – Jon’s Trip Report – Part 2
Continuing where we left off in Episode 43, Jon takes us through the next two days of his trip. This episode includes information on the dining options on a Disney Cruise as well as the day at Castaway Cay. Jon walks us through the Pirate Day activities on the cruise which includes the Pirates themed dining menu and ending the night with Pirates themed fireworks at sea. Look for Part 3 coming up next.
Episode 43 – Jon’s Trip Report – Part 1
Jon is back from his Walt Disney World/Disney Cruise vacation. Today we talk through the first few days of his trip which started with a day at the Magic Kingdom including the Christmas Party. The second day Jon walks through the first day of the cruise. Look for Part 2 coming up in the next episode.
Episode 42 – Aulani, Part 1
Today’s episode I am flying solo as Jon is still on his vacation. I talk about my trip to Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii. There is so much to cover that I barely scratched the surface so look for a part 2 episode coming soon. In this part 1 Episode I cover the process that I went through in getting to Hawaii from Atlanta, GA with a 2 year old. I also give my overall impression of the resort.
Episode 41 – Other potential locations for Walt Disney World
Today we discuss some of the other potential locations that the Walt Disney World property could have been located. We even discuss some of the early projects that could have influenced the purchase of land for “project future” had they materialized. They locations are spread across the country and any one of them could have changed the course of events the lead to the Walt Disney company purchasing land in central Florida. The book that we referenced for the episode is titled: Project Future. You can get it Here
Episode 40 – Resort Ideas with entrances to the parks
With the rumors out there about a new hotel that would have an entrance to EPCOT it got us thinking about other ideas for resorts that have an entrance to one of the parks. We have a discussion about what theme these resorts might have and where they could be located with a special entrance to one of the parks. We go through each park and figure out just about every possible location that a new hotel could go. What kinds of hotels would you build with an entrance to the parks and where would you put it?
Episode 39 – The Sounds and Smells of Walt Disney World
This may seem like a strange topic but hear us out. We started thinking about distinct sounds and smells that remind us of Walt Disney World and a lot of things came to mind. Some of them are things that we have associated with Disney from our childhood and others are more recent. Disney has done such a good job of creating an atmosphere for the resort hotels, the parks and attractions that we can immediately think of Disney when we encounter a sound or smell that is similar to them in our everyday lives. Let us know what smells and sounds you associate with Walt Disney World.
Episode 38 – The Disney Visa Card
In this episode we discuss the Disney Visa Card. We talk about our experiences with using the card and we list some of the advantages to having it. We go through the list of current limited time offers that the card offers and then we go into some of the lesser known perks of having the card. Some of the perks include character meets, lounge access during food and wine festival as well as discounts of dinning, merchandise and spa treatments. Speaking of discounts…use the promo code Merry17 on December 5th and 6th to get 10% off your entire order at our Traveling With The Mouse Store!
Episode 37 – Coco/The Polar Express Train
This is our first episode that is primarily devoted to something non-Disney related. So…we spend the first 7 minutes talking about Disney. Specifically, the new Disney-Pixar film Coco which I saw during it’s opening weekend. I don’t give away any major spoilers but just go see it, you won’t regret it. Anyway…the point of this episode is to talk about the recent trip that my family took to Bryson City, North Carolina to experience the Polar express train. I give my review of the experience and let you know if I recommend it. On this same trip I also spent a day at the Biltmore in Ashville, North Carolina. I give a brief review of that experience and let you know if I would recommend it for parents with young children.
Episode 36 – Trip Preparations
In this episode, Jon walks us through is preparations for his upcoming Land and Sea trip. He talks about book-ending his Disney Cruise with a stay at Walt Disney World. We also talk a little about using the Disney Visa card and tease an upcoming episode on the subject. Let us know how you like to prepare for your Disney Vacations.
Episode 35 – Why is Walt Disney World so Spread out?
Today we try to answer the question…Why is Disney World so spread out? The answer is more complicated than you might think. It spans several decades and involves a lot of different people. We try to break this question down by going back to the beginning of Walt Disney World’s history and work our way to present day.
Episode 34 – The worst attractions of all time
We go through each park at Walt Disney world and decide which attractions (past or present) are the worst of all time. Deciding which attractions should be on this list is harder than you would think. We debate about some attractions that one or both of us have had bad experiences on and try to decide if that should be a deciding factor in what attractions belong on the worst list. What attractions would go on your worst list?
Episode 33 – Disney Resorts that were never built
In the early plans for Walt Disney World there were plans for 5 resorts. Only 2 of these original resorts were built (The Polynesian and the Contemporary) What ever happened to the other 3 resorts and why were they never built? The other resorts that were planned were the Asian resort, the Venetian resort, and the Persian resort. Jon and I talk about these resorts and examine their proposed locations. Do you wish that any of these resorts were ever built?
Here is an article that we sourced for this episode.
