Episode 511: This week on Traveling with the Mouse, we’re diving into the latest Disney (and theme park) news before tackling a topic that everyone can relate to, how to do Walt Disney World on a budget!
In the News
There’s never a dull moment in the world of Disney and theme parks, and this week proved it: The Firing (and Un-Firing) of Jimmy Kimmel – In true entertainment industry fashion, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was announced as “out,” only to be brought “back in” shortly after. We break down what happened, what it means, and why Disney always seems to find itself at the center of these public kerfuffles.
Robbery at Disney Springs – A Disney Springs restaurant made headlines after an unfortunate robbery incident. We share what we know about the situation and how it could have happened.
Candlelight Processional Narrator Lineup – The holiday season is approaching, and Disney has unveiled this year’s list of celebrity narrators for the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. But one very surprising name is missing from the list this year. We talk about who’s in, who’s out, and what the absence might signal.
Epic Universe Coaster Incident – Over at Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe, there was an unfortunate incident on one of the new coasters. We discuss what happened and what we know about this tragic event.
After covering the headlines, we shift gears to talk about saving money at Walt Disney World. We all know Disney trips can get pricey, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank.
Episode 270: Today Jason returns to the show and fills us in on the work that he has been doing to help combat the spread of Covid-19. He also gives us his thoughts on what the parks will be like once they reopen. We also discuss Disney’s statement regarding the unjust murder of George Floyd by a police officer. We later go into some other news around spaceship earth and what it will be like when Epcot reopens. Annual Passholders will have the option of partial refunds or date extensions when the parks reopen…but what will the restart date be? Shanghai might be an indication the extension being longer than expected.
Episode: 269. Walt Disney World announced their re-opening dates and we go through all of the details. While it is good to finally know an opening date for the parks and resorts. It was a little surprising at first that they are going with July 11th & 15th. However, after we start going through the details it does start to makes sense. Also, DVC resorts are set to re-open on June 22nd and with likely soft openings of the parks. We break down what some new requirements will be in order for guests to visit the parks this summer. We also discuss some of the other news like what is going on a Disney springs now that they Disney operated stores are open for business…It’s pretty much how you would expect.
Episode 268: Disney Springs is now open! We discuss this and the recent promotion of Josh D’Amaro to Chairman of Parks & Resorts! We will miss him as president of Walt Disney World but as Chairman of Parks and Resorts I have a feeling that we will still see him around. We discuss the positive impact that we think Josh will bring to the guest experience in the coming years. We also talk about the other cooperate shuffling that has gone on this week at Disney. We also noticed that things seem to be picking up over at the Star Wars galactic Starcruiser construction site. Also, we now have masks in our spreadshirt store! 
Episode 267: Today we cover some of the rapidly changing Disney news. It seems like any time we cover the news lately, that something changes the next day. We cover the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland and how that went this week. We discuss the opening of Disney Springs on May 20th and the growing list of establishments that will open next week. Hamilton is coming to Disney+ on July 3rd! We also cover some of the smaller news stories like some facts about the Flight of Passage pre-show, and the old Food Rocks show that used to be at Epcot. We also do our fair share of speculating just when will the parks in the U.S. reopen?
Episode 240: We catch up on the latest Disney news before discussing Jon’s recent solo trip to Walt Disney World! This week we actually discuss the final trailer to Star Wars Rise of Sk
There’s a lot of new things coming to Walt Disney World in 2019 and we are going to break down everything for you! Everyone knows that Star Wars Galaxy’s edge is opening this year but that isn’t the only major experience coming to the parks this year. There’s plenty of new things coming that have us excited and a few things that have us scratching our heads. We start with the new things coming in January some are interesting and some are…meh. We talk about the new Rivera resort and new addition to Coronado springs, we discuss the skyliner, and everything coming to the parks and Disney Springs in 2019. We finish by going over some closures and refurbishment updates that we currently know are taking place this year. 2019 could be the biggest year in theme park history!
To day we are talking all about Disney Springs! We discuss the past present and future of this area. Originally opened as the Lake Buena Vista shopping village in 1975, This area has seen a lot of changes over the years. Mostly during the late 80’s and of course the recent changes that transformed this area from Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. Jon and I talk about some of our earliest memories here which includes a character meal at the Empress Lilly restaurant (now Paddlefish). Below is the photo from 1983 where Pluto jumped into Jon’s Dad’s arms (can you imagine this happening today?)
