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 family did a split stay and Caribbean Beach and the Polynesian. They rented DVC points for their stay at Polynesian and he talks about that process and why it works well for them. This was their first trip since the pandemic started so they experienced several firsts for them. They did try out Disney Genie on multiple days of their trip and he gives and honest opinion on it. They also experienced several different dinning experiences including a character meal. We also find out that James is the first one of us to actually go see the Hall of Presidents in this century and that his dream job would be to do maintenance work on the monorails.

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 to step down. Disney Springs will get a highspeed rail station in the coming years, where will it go and how will that impact travel to Walt Disney World? Park Hopping is going to return to Walt Disney World in January, we talk about potential strategies for hitting multiple parks. We also give some more construction and refurbishment updates. Jon talks us through the good, the bad and ugly of his trip to Walt Disney World. There were some issues with food service and room maintenance at Caribbean Beach but overall the convenience of the skyliner was a big plus. He got to do Runaway Railway and it was a big hit with the family but there was some disappointment with Rise of the Resistance. Crowds were also an issue at times. Will he go back again anytime soon?

3D0E2A1A-789F-488C-B216-10F92A1B9F18Episode 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 during uncertain economic times. When then go into our main topic of the day, The Walt Disney World Moderate Resorts. We compare them by price, location, food & dining options, pools and amenities, and transportation. Which resort stands above the rest? It turns out the we all agreed on which 2 resorts stand out above the rest…Can you guess which ones? Tune in to find out!

Today on the show we list the pros and cons of the Disney Moderate and Value Resorts! We hope that this episode (and last week’s episode) will be helpful if you are trying to decide which Disney resort is right for you. (Also, We realized that we left out Animal Kingdom Lodge from the last episode so we include it as well. As we found out with the deluxe resorts there are conveniences that come along with them but with a hefty price tag. The Moderate and Value resorts have a much more reasonable price tag but with that you are giving up some of those deluxe conveniences. We hope that this series of episodes will help you weigh the pros and cons of the Disney resorts to find the one that is just right for you!

 
This episode details my recent Walt Disney World trip to catch the end of Food & Wine Festival as well as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for this year. This also marks my first stay and a Disney Value resort. I stayed in the Little Mermaid section of Disney’s Art of Animation. Overall I had a good experience but I look forward to checking out other Value resorts that have the newly refurbished rooms! I give my opinion on this year’s Christmas Party and list my favorite treat locations. I also have 2 new restaurant recommendations…I had exceptional meals at Enzo’s Hideaway at Disney Springs and Sebastian’s Bistro at Caribbean Beach resort. I will go out of my way to eat at these locations again!

Today’s news topics are:

  • Peter Pan’s Flight will close in January for a month long refurbishment
  • More details about the Millennium Falcon attraction released
  • First look at Jon Favreau’s new Star Wars live action series
  • 2 Month refurbishment of Tom Sawyer Island will begin soon
  • Construction photos leaked from former Great Movie Ride
  • Anaheim Living Wage Measure Would Not Apply to Disneyland
  • Constructions walls come down at Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Sebastian’s Bistro menu is now available
  • Jack Sparrow meet and greet is now daily at Magic Kingdom
  • Animal Kingdom has limited time photo pass magic shots

Today’s news topics are:

  • Walt Disney World Raises Snack Item Prices
  • the Former Disney Junior Live is will soon be the Disney Junior Dance Party at Hollywood Studios
  • PizzeRizzo is going to seasonal operation
  • Sebastian’s Bistro is now taking reservations at Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Stitch’s Great Escape officially closed for good
  • Earl of Sandwich re-opens and Disneyland’s Downtown Disney
  • New Southbound Flyover ramp on World Drive will open soon
  • Jake meet and greet is ending at Hollywood Studios
  • Rafiki’s Planet Watch will not be closed forever but will re-open in 2019
  • New Details Released for the Millennium Falcon Ride..Will it have low capacity?
  • First look at newly remodeled rooms at All Star Movies resort

 

On Today’s episode Jon and I start a new series where we go through all of the significant (and sometimes not) events that happened during a particular year in the past at Walt Disney World. We are selecting the years at Random and then going through the year that is selected and mentioning the dates where a new ride or resort opened or perhaps when an attraction closed down for good. In this episode the years 1991 and 1988 were randomly selected. The randomness keeps us on our toes because we are relying on our memory and knowledge of the events that occurred in a particular year. Let us know what you think of this format and if we should change it up any.

Today we are doing our resort tour of Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort! This resort is one that Jon and I both stayed at together. However, it was 26 years ago…I guess we need to plan our return visit to this resort soon. Jon has visited the resort recently and we have had friends and family who have stayed at the resort recently as well. We give you an overview of all of the amenities and special things that this resort has to offer. We also give an update on the massive construction going on in this area….There’s construction on the resort itself, the Disney Skyliner, and the Riviera resort which is just footsteps away. This is Walt Disney World’s original moderate resort and the only one to be considered an EPCOT moderate resort.