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Episode 462: Hey Disney fans! In this week’s episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive deep into all the major announcements from this past weekend’s D23 parks panel. If you missed it, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with all the details, updates, and, of course, our own thoughts and speculations.

The Monster’s Inc. Land Surprise
Let’s start with the biggest surprise of the event – the announcement of a brand new Monster’s Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios! Ever since the film first graced our screens, fans have been dreaming of a roller coaster that lets us experience the wild ride of those suspended doors, and now it’s finally happening! The only question now is – where exactly is this land going to fit in Hollywood Studios? We discuss the potential locations and what it could mean for the future layout of the park.

Goodbye Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island
In a twist that left us all stunned, Disney also announced (after D23) the closure of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island to make way for a Cars attraction at Magic Kingdom. The loss of these iconic areas is sure to be felt by many long-time Disney goers, but we’re curious to see how the Cars theme will be integrated into the Magic Kingdom experience. Will it be worth the trade-off? Only time will tell.

Villains Land – It’s Official!

On the flip side, one of the most highly anticipated announcements was the official confirmation of Villains Land. After years of speculation and fan theories, it’s finally happening! Will it live up to the hype? We discuss our expectations and what we hope to see when it finally opens.

Worldwide Parks Updates

But it wasn’t just the domestic parks that got some love during the panel – there were announcements for Disney parks worldwide. We go over the key highlights and what they mean for Disney fans globally.

The Missing Announcements
While we were thrilled with most of what we heard, there were a few things that left us scratching our heads. We share our disappointments and speculate on what might be coming down the pipeline, even if it wasn’t ready for the D23 stage.

What are you most excited about, and what left you wanting more? Let us know in the comments or over on our social media!

Until next time, keep traveling with the mouse!

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Welcome back, Disney fans! In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into our hopes and predictions for the upcoming D23 Parks panel. From anticipated announcements to our ultimate wish list, we cover it all. Plus, we review Inside Out 2 and discuss the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass system. Let’s get started!

As the D23 Parks panel approaches, excitement is building for what Disney might unveil. We anticipate more details about the transformation of Dinoland into the tropical Americas. This new land will feature Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions. We also expect Updates on the Beyond Big Thunder expansion including potential new lands and attractions that will enhance the Magic Kingdom experience. We’re hoping for some unexpected surprises that will thrill Disney fans, such as new attractions or experiences across various parks.

We also take a look at Inside Out 2 and share our thoughts on the film. We share Ideas for how Inside Out 2 could be integrated into the Disney parks. There’s some existing structures that could easily house an attraction based on this franchise.

Finally, Disney’s new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass system is rolling out, and we’ve got some early thoughts as this new system is rolling out. As with any new change Disney makes there’s pros and cons. Being able to book in advance and hold 3 lightning lanes at a time is a good thing but same day availability is in short supply. The kinks will get worked out and we hope with time that this system will have more positives than negatives.

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Episode 420: This week on “Traveling with the Mouse,” Jon and I are all set to unwrap the trove of updates and announcements brought to light at the D23 parks presentation, a stage where the future paths of Disney parks were delineated, some taking us by pleasant surprises and others leaving us yearning for more! A central highlight was the rejuvenation ushered in for the much-adored Country Bear Jamboree, a cornerstone of Disney’s rich heritage. The Animal Kingdom segment was a lot different from last year with the addition of Indiana Jones adventure replacing Dinosaur, and Encanto replacing the Dino-Rama area. Another change from last year was Zootopia replacing the “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” attraction. Over at Epcot we got some opening dates for things like Journey of Water, LimunoUS, the new fireworks show and the construction pit also known as World Celebration. Test Track is also getting a new makeover thanks to the help of their sponsor Chevrolet.

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Episode 352: On this episode, Jon and I have a discussion about Disney CEOs. We talk about the good and bad from each one and even have a little fun ranking them from best to worst. We start with some news discussion. The major topic of the week is the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind had an official opening date. Passholder and DVC previews were also announced but as of the time of this episode there isn’t any confirmation of dates. Disney is also planning more solar farms and affordable housing in Florida. Out in Disneyland there will be the first entry of Encanto into the Disney parks by way of the projection show on the front of It’s a Small World. We speculate about them adding an Encanto piece to the Enchantment fireworks as they did some after hours testing recently at Magic Kingdom. We’d love to see Encanto included! Now, back to the CEOs…We’d love to hear your rankings so let us know!

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Episode 341: This week we talk about some news and we give some reviews of some of the recent things we’ve watched on Disney+…We also go through some park strategy from a listener’s email. We get started with some news…We don’t talk about Chapek, no, no, no. (but we kinda do, a lot) The CEO recently talked about the 3 pillars for success in the Walt Disney Company and we go through each one. We cover some of the other recent news and then move into our Disney Plus reviews of Encanto and Book of Boba Fett. We wrap the show by going through a listener’s email about park strategy in 2022. We weigh in with our thoughts on a 2 day strategy for fitting in all 4 parks.