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Episode:413 Hello, Mouseketeers! Prepare for an exciting episode of “Traveling with the Mouse” this week as we delve into all the Disney news that’s been making waves and offer a sneak peek into Jason’s upcoming adventure at Disneyland!

First up, we venture into the world of Disney news, which has been anything but quiet recently. The ongoing feud between Disney and the state of Florida continues to capture headlines. We break down the latest updates in this complex saga, shedding light on what it means for the theme park and its guests. Next, we tackle a rather unusual piece of news. In a surprising twist, a Disney hotel has been branded as one of the ugliest buildings in America! We dive into the details of this article, questioning the criteria used for such a dubious honor, and discussing whether we agree or disagree with this controversial claim. But it’s not all drama in the Disney universe. We share some happier news for Disney Vacation Club members, who are being treated to discounted VIP tours. We break down what this means for members and how it might enhance their Disney experience.

Shifting gears from the buzz of Disney news, we join Jason as he previews his upcoming trip to Disneyland! As a seasoned Disney Ride Challenge runner and co-host of “Traveling with the Mouse”, Jason’s trip previews are always packed with valuable insights and tidbits. From planning strategies to must-visit attractions, Jason shares his expectations and goals for this exciting journey to the Happiest Place on Earth.

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California Grill

Back in July 2020 it was a lot easier to get a reservation at signature restaurants like California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This one happens to be my favorite restaurant on property. In fact this year in our March Madness bracket episode we named California Grill as the best thing at Walt Disney World! I love this restaurant so much that I chose to brave covid-19 and dine here last July. It was the first restaurant that I had visited since the start of the pandemic. I was definitely a little nervous but we quickly felt at home thanks to the wonderful cast that works here.

Why do we love California Grill so much?

First of all, the views are incredible. You can look down into the Magic Kingdom and see the tops of the mountain range. When fireworks are happening the restaurant dims the lights and guests can exit the restaurant onto the rooftop to have a unique view of the show. The food is fantastic and the drinks are top notch! I love the sushi, the flatbreads and the bread service is good as well. I almost always order the beef filet which is my favorite. I haven’t had anything bad here.

3 hour dinner

We enjoyed this experience so much last July that we stretched it out as long as we possibly could. We made this dinner last over three hours. It felt so good to have a semi-normal experience again that we didn’t want it to end. We asked our server to bring us everything slowly because we didn’t want to rush. Our kids had full charge on their iPads and my wife and I just sat and enjoyed our drinks. This dinner was a much needed break from the reality of the pandemic that surrounded us.

When it comes to the food. We wanted some of everything since this was our fist sit-down meal in months and at the time we didn’t know how long it would be before we would have another one. We ordered flatbreads for the kids and as an appetizer for us we ordered the sushi. My favorite one on the menu is the Spicy Kazan roll with the fireball sauce…delicious! For the entrées my wife chose the Grouper while I went with the Filet of beef. Both were outstanding! The desserts are also a winner here!

Conclusion

To sum up, We love the California Grill because the staff here make sure that you have a good time. Even when it looked as though we were going to have a very negative experience they more than made up for it. There was a time in 2019 where we were an hour late getting to our table. We had a large group but that was still no excuse. The manager more than made it up to us by comping some appetizers for the table and by giving us all additional fast passes for the next day because we missed out on some that night. That’s why I say it is the best restaurant on property. The food is great, the views are great but also the cast members who work there are amazing!

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Episode: 319. We take a look at what is coming to Walt Disney World on their 50th Anniversary! We also cover some other news and we take a trip back to 1971 and we ask the question…What you rope drop at Magic Kingdom if you could go back to 1971? We also ask another interesting question, If you could go back to anytime during the 50 year history of Walt Disney World, what year would you choose to visit? That’s a tough question! In the news, Jon and I both saw Luca recently so we give our review of it. The Incredibles themed rooms at the contemporary look…nice. Harrison Ford is injured on the set of Indiana Jones 5 and the jungle cruise continues to add new scenes during their operating refurbishment. A fast pass kiosk was uncovered and turned on at Magic Kingdom so naturally it got people wondering if it is coming back. In Disneyland new, their Rise of the Resistance saw a record breaking number of boarding groups called. I was shocked when I saw the number. Can Hollywood Studios catch up to Disneyland’s numbers?

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Episode 310: We take a look back 50 years ago and discuss a few things at Walt Disney World that haven’t changed. (much) It was another slow news week, aside from the construction updates. We noticed updates to the Contemporary, Several things in Magic Kingdom are continuing to see a refresh, and Epcot has new things opening this summer. That’s right, club cool is returning as well as the new shop with a new name. Cast members can now show visible tattoos and wear visible jewelry and other accessories. Finally we get into our main topic…With the 50th anniversary looming we want to start peppering in some episodes dedicated to the occasion. We are starting by talking about a few things that were there over 50 years ago that are still around today. Some things have changed a little and others haven’t changed at all. Let us know if there’s anything you think we should talk about that we didn’t include on our list.

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Episode 307: It’s time for our annual Disney march Madness bracket! This year we are going to determine the best thing about Walt Disney World! We have categories ranging from Park Icon’s to Signature Restaurants and everything in-between. Before we get to that we do discuss the big new story of the week. The Disneyland concept art that everyone went crazy over this week. While it looks cool we have to take it for what it is….a concept. We hope that some day an expansion to Disneyland can happen but we know in reality that it will be a challenge to get anything built any time soon…for a number of reasons. Ok, back to our Disney World bracket. We have 8 categories of items that we believe make Walt Disney World great. We are going to narrow this list down to one championship winner that will be crowned “The best thing about Walt Disney World! Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion but also tune in this week to hear the exciting round one matchups!

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Episode 303: This week Jason and I returned from Walt Disney World and we give our trip report of what it was like during President’s Day weekend. Also, let us know if you like the new format for the trip reports! First we cover some of the news of the week like some financial reports for the Walt Disney company and the subscriber count for Disney plus is nearing 100 million. Disney Dining plan will remain unavailable for the foreseeable future and the Park Pass system is here to stay for now. The park hours remain all over the place but seem to be getting extended each week. More construction is continuing in preparation for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary later this year. In the trip report section, Jason and I talk about our experience at Pop Century resort, the Skyliner Bar crawl that we attempted and getting a boarding group for Rise of the resistance for 2 days in a row and showing up late to see what would happen. We talk about the different dinning experiences that we had this time including Olivia’s, Ale & Compass, and my birthday dinner at California Grill.

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Today on the show we continue going through the unofficial guide to Walt Disney world to discuss more tips, tricks, and helpful information. We start by discussing online check-in and how Disney uses the Magic band’s RF technology.  We go through the 2018 Disney resorts report cards to see which resorts had the best overall ratings for things like, check-in efficiency, cleanliness, Transportation, staff, and quietness of the rooms. We list the pros and cons of every Disney Deluxe resort. We hope that this information about the resorts will be helpful If you are planning a Disney vacation and are trying to decide which resort is the best for your needs. Next week we will go through the pros and cons of the Disney Moderate and Value resorts.

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Today we welcome our first guest to the show! Jon’s brother James recently went on a Walt Disney World vacation and we spoke with him about it. As I mentioned in our last episode, Jon is a little preoccupied with the newest addition to his family so I have been going back in the TWTM archives to find some content that we haven’t released before. This is a recording that we made back in May and didn’t know what to do with it. We recorded this through speaker phone so apologies if the quality is not great at times but we hope you will still get some enjoyment out of it. Also, just to let you know, this episode begins as a trip report and then kind of goes all over the place. We talk about attractions, restaurants, and other random Disney topics. It is our intention to get James and my brother on the show to talk about Disney past and present. Let us know what you think and we will get back to our regular schedule soon!

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Episode_73_PicIn this episode go through my most recent trip to Walt Disney World. I talk about my experience staying at the Contemporary and go over some of the changes that I noticed with the monorails. I also give my thoughts on the festival of the arts at EPCOT and how it compares to the other festivals. I wrap up by going through how I dealt with the crowds on a very busy day at Magic Kingdom.

 

Video Links

Justin Scarred YouTube video from Festival of the Arts

Touring Plans rope drop at Magic Kingdom

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ContemporaryToday we are talking in depth about Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We talk about our experiences at this resort and the advantages that this resort has in terms of location. We discuss the uniqueness of the Hotel’s design and give an overview of the amenities. This resort has a lot of history from the way the hotel was built to the political history that happened there. Let us know your thoughts of this unique Disney resort.

 

Links to the Videos mentioned in the episode:

Bob Gurr tells a story about testing the WDW monorail at the Contemporary

Adam the Woo visits the ball room where Nixon made his “I’m not a crook” speech

Adam the Woo points out the room where John Lenon stayed at the Polynesian