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Welcome back to another episode of Traveling with the Mouse! As summer heats up, so does the magic at Walt Disney World, and we’re here to guide you through everything you need to know for a spectacular summer visit. From exciting new attractions to exclusive summer events and fantastic discounts, we’ve got the scoop on how to make your Disney vacation truly unforgettable.

One of the most anticipated highlights of the summer is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. We’ve got some strong indication on the previews and opening date. Disney is also rolling out some fantastic discounts this summer. We’ll outline the best deals on hotel stays, park tickets, and dining plans. Whether you’re a Florida resident looking for a quick getaway or planning a lengthy family vacation, there are plenty of savings to take advantage of. We also update you on things that are closing this summer (Test Track) or other attractions likely to close before the end of the year. (Dinosaur).

Navigating Walt Disney World during the busy summer months can be a challenge, We’ll share advice on: Beating the Heat: Strategies to stay cool and hydrated.
Avoiding Crowds: Optimal times to visit. Dining Reservations: How and when to book to ensure you don’t miss out on sought-after restaurants.

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Episode 290: We start the show by lamenting about the state of Georgia’s sports teams. They seem to always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After that we dive into the big Disney news of the week which is not good news for Disneyland in California. The official regulations are out now and the biggest hurdle is that orange county must be in the yellow tier in order for them to be able to open (they are currently in the red tier). It could be well into 2021 before Disneyland is allowed to re-open. In some good news, we are happy that Gran Destino along with the rest of Coronado Springs resort has now re-opened. Adventures by Disney may be cancelled for the rest of this year but next year they are planning to roll out private tours. How much do we think that will cost? In refurbishment news, the People Mover keeps being pushed back. It is now not scheduled to re-open until January 2021. Disney released some new hotel Discounts for early 2021 that are actually good discounts! Start booking them now if you want a good deal because these will probably go fast. We end the news on a rumor about more attractions being test piloted for a virtual queue. Jon recently went to the Pigeon Forge area and spent some time at Dollywood. He walks us through his trip there as well as some museum tours that he experienced.

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Episode 283: Disney released a plethora of discounts for the fall this week but are the discounts really that impressive? We give our take on several different options for a fall discount. The Polynesian Village resort is going to close until next summer and is going to receive a Moana makeover…Just how far will Disney go? Do they know the way? Will they be saying You’re Welcome after this is over? We hope so. In sad news, Chadwick Boseman passed away this week. We talk about what this means to the future of the Black Panther film franchise. Disneyland may begin their phased reopening sometime later this month and they just started construction on their version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Disney World Annual Passholders have started receiving their “Thank You” magnets (one per household). Disney is also selling a $600 box set of NBA themed magic bands. Will anyone actually buy this?

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9221E064-715E-499E-A61F-1890D477478AEpisode:277. I talk about my recent trip to Walt Disney World! I go through the safety measures that Disney has in place and if it made me feel safe. We also cover the recent news like the fact that Disney has officially announced the closure of three attractions. Could more closures be on the horizon? What other attractions could be at risk? We also talk about the annual pass options for cancelling or extending your pass. During my trip report I talk about the crowd levels on each day and my first ride experience on Mickey and Minnie’s runaway railway. At Epcot I got to experience what I call the Flower, Food, Wine and Garden festival, I give my pick for best dish at the festival. I also had great dinning experiences at California Grill and Olivia’s. Overall if you are considering going to Disney in the near future I would say that you should use extreme caution and make sure that you are OK with the risk but also know that Disney has done a lot to make things as safe as they can.

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Episode 209: Today we are discussing everything from summer discounts to the new additions coming to Hollywood Studios!

News Topics:

  • A variety of new discounts for this summer have been released
  • New Details in Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Special treats menu has been released for the Disney Villains after hours event
  • Rumor: Disney may be planning an interchangeable “black box” type attraction
  • New table service restaurant is coming to Toy Story Land!

FYI News stories:

  • Special Star Wars activities planned for May 4th
  • Avengers End Game is breaking all kinds of box office records
  • Phantom Manor has finally re-opened
  • New Rule changes for Disney Parks are now in effect

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Episode 199: Disney News

Here are the topics that we discussed

  • Disney Cruise Line finalizes the purchase of second private island
  • Mizner’s Lounge at the Grand Floridian is closing for an expansion
  • Disneyland Paris reports a profit for the first time in nearly a decade
  • False alarm causes minor panic at Disneyland Paris
  • NBA Experience set to open August 12th at Disney Springs
  • Casey Jr Splash & Soak station and Kali River Rapids have re-opened from refurbishment
  • Two separate lawsuits filed against Disney for incidents on the People Mover
  • Will Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway open before Galaxy’s Edge
  • Disney has pulled resort discounts from Summer/Fall

 

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It’s the first news day of 2019! We start by talking Walt Disney World discounts! Disney just released some resort discounts for Spring & Summer as well as the free dinning offer much earlier this year than usual. We of course know that is because of Star Wars Galaxy’s edge opening in the Fall this year. There wasn’t a lot of other major news stories this week but we do discuss some minor things like…The Odyssey is now open again at Epcot, Walt Disney’s private plane has been gutted, and the rise of urban explorers on Disney Property. Finally we finish the episode by trying to predict the opening date for the major attractions coming to the Disney parks this year. Let’s see who is the best at guessing the opening dates!

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Today I go over the basics of the Walt Disney World annual Pass! I start by going over the different types of passes and the current rates for those passes. I then talk about the process of activating your pass and how to get your passholder magic bands and magnets. I also, discuss the benefits of being a passholder including, discounts on hotels, merchandise, and dinning. I talk about what I think is the best benefit…the inclusion of memory maker and some of the other smaller benefits that I think are worth mentioning. I hope that this helps you determine if an annual pass is right for you.

Link to the passholder site

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Today’s news topics are:

  • Ticket price increase at Walt Disney World
  • Hollywood Studios name will remain for the “Foreseeable Future”
  • New concept art for Toy Story land
  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open in 2019
  • Discounts for Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World
  • New details for Star Wars hotel

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Picking the right Disney resort for your vacation can be a difficult task. Jon and I give our choices for the best Disney resort in some categories that we came up with. We also give our advice on how far out to book your resort and some ways to get a room discount. Let us know what resort is your favorite.