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Episode: 394 Welcome to another episode of “Traveling with the Mouse”! This week, we have some exciting Disney news to discuss, including the Tron preview for annual passholders, the start of the Flower and Garden Festival, and the construction of the new DVC tower at the Polynesian.

But first, let’s talk about a topic that’s near and dear to every Disney fan’s heart: rides that are worth saving. We’ve all experienced the heartache of seeing a beloved attraction disappear, only to be replaced by something new that doesn’t quite measure up. One of the most famous examples of this is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Now, don’t get us wrong – we love Winnie the Pooh. But there’s something about Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride that just can’t be replicated. It was a classic dark ride that took you on a wild journey through Toad Hall and beyond, complete with a trip to hell (yes, really). The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, on the other hand, is a cute and whimsical ride that’s perfect for younger children, but lacks the thrills and chills of its predecessor. So, what other rides do we think are worth saving?

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Episode 393: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse we delve into the world of drinks at La Cava del Tequila in Epcot, We debate which beverage reigns supreme in a bracket-style competition. But the podcast doesn’t just stop at drinks. We also cover some exciting news stories happening around the Disney parks, including the annual passholder preview for the upcoming Tron attraction, the return of Sonny Eclipse to Magic Kingdom, and a hologram of Walt Disney himself to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.

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Episode 392: Today on the show we’re talking Q1 earnings call and what the aftermath will be. Some new things were announced like new sequels for some of the biggest franchises and a new experience coming to Disneyland. There were also some things that we didn’t want to hear…There will be seven thousand layoffs across the Disney organization and the Theme Park investments got cut by 700 Million dollars. The company is reorganizing to place ESPN out by itself. We can guess what that means as the company is also trying to erase the debt caused by recent acquisitions. Also, Reedy Creek Improvement District will be renamed but will continue on. However, the new board will consist of 5 supervisors that will be hand picked by the governor. There isn’t much Disney can do about it but wait and see how this goes.

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Episode 390: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we dive into the exciting new developments at both Disneyland and Disney World. First up, Tron Light Cycle Run…Disney has released new information regarding its rider experience. Not only will there be lockers for riders to store their loose items, but an on-ride photo will also be available to capture the excitement of the journey. Next, we take a closer look at Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ, the new dining experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The family-style menu has been revealed. We discuss what we look forward to trying but the real test will be the price. We just hope that it will be on par with other family style restaurants like Liberty Tree Tavern. Runaway Railway has finally opened at Disneyland there are some slight differences between the Disneyland and Hollywood studios versions.

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Episode 389: Today the gang is all back together and we discuss the latest Disney news! Splash Mountain is now closed at Walt Disney World and work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has already begun. We discuss that and how people are reacting to the new Parking lot sections at Epcot. Enchanted Tales with Belle is finally returning as is some more meet and greets that previously hadn’t returned since covid. Is this finally everything that has been closed since covid started nearly 3 years ago? We learned that Bob Chapek got a $20M severance package. The Starcruiser is starting a non-discount, discount promotion. It is still having trouble filling the very expensive 2 day cruises.

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Episode: 388 This week, we’re excited to bring you some of the biggest announcements that were made in the past week. First and foremost, the opening date for the highly-anticipated Tron light cycle Run roller coaster has finally been revealed – the attraction will officially open on April 4th! In addition to the opening date for Tron, Disney also announced that they will be eliminating the parking fee for hotel guests, which is a welcome change for those staying on-site. Another change that was announced is that Annual Passholders will no longer need to make reservations for afternoon entry to the parks. (with a few exceptions) Finally, Disney has announced that they will be adding free on-ride photos as part of their Genie Plus service. This means that guests will be able to capture memories of their favorite rides and attractions without having to pay extra for the photo. In other news, Disney has recently announced a new Chairman of the Board. Also this is the last week of operation for splash mountain.

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Episode 387: In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing Adam’s recent trip to Walt Disney World over the Christmas holidays. One of the highlights of his trip was riding the Walt Disney World Railroad. It is so good to have it back in service. He noticed that one particular station had the shortest lines while he was there. Another highlight of Adam’s trip was a visit to La Cave del Tequila. One of our favorite spots in all of Walt Disney World and the staff there is just amazing. He also got to sample Jock Lindsey’s “Holiday” Bar at Disney Springs and really enjoyed it. We also cover the Disney news and rumors that we missed over the past couple of weeks.

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Episode 386. Jason recaps his Every Ride Challenge run with his son Andrew. He talks about using Genie+ with the new modify feature. He used it with great results during his challenge. We do also cover some of the news. Te Fiti is now visible over the constructions walls at Epcot. The Journey of water is scheduled to open in 2023. Speaking of 2023, We discuss more about what we think the timing will be of the new things coming to Disney World in 2023. Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ, Tron and the WDW Railroad to name a few. We also took a detour by coming up with our own challenge to visit 10 lounges in a day. We just have to figure out what those 10 will be and then we will get right on that. Jason then goes into the details of his challenge run where he and his son finished 30 rides and 545 points.

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Episode:385 On the show this week we have a little fun with some artificial intelligence. We let the ChatGPT AI write some intros to the show for us and then we used some bots to read them for us. The scripts weren’t bad but it did lack a little of that human touch. So I guess our jobs as podcast hosts are safe for now. Jason then talks about his Every Ride Challenge run with his son. At the time of this recording he hadn’t done it yet. Be on the lookout for a full report next week. In the news we talk about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the upcoming closing date for Splash Mountain. We talk about Disney CFO Christine McCarthy and how she is the current front runner for taking over when Iger retires for the 100th time. Genie Plus added a much needed feature this week. We wrap up with a little comparison of Toy Story land and Galaxy’s Edge.

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Episode 384: We are back after a week off. This week we have Jason with us and He previews his upcoming challenge run to help raise money for Give Kids the World! We discuss more of the aftermath of the ousting if Chapek. We talk about how Bob Iger’s first week went. I sprinkle in some tidbits from my recent trip to Walt Disney World. We also cover some other news that we found noteworthy over the past couple of weeks. Oh, and we have an official sponsor now!

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Episode 382: This week’s episode got cut short by some technical issues. We did manage to discuss some news and two of us have trips coming up soon. Jason is in Walt Disney world this weekend to see Fantasmic and I will be there soon as well. We discuss some of the latest holiday happenings around Walt Disney World. Bob is at it again and we discuss the Q4 earnings call. We got some new details on the Disneyland treehouse redesign. It is going to be kind of back to the original Swiss Family Robinson but not quite. We have a date for when Guardians will add the holiday track to cosmic rewind. A rare hurricane in November impacted the Disney World resort this week. We also experienced some technical difficulties that cut this episode short.

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Episode 381: It’s November now and that means that it is Christmas time at Walt Disney World. We talk about that transformation from a long Halloween season and then going directly into Christmas. The Galactic Starcruiser is having a major slowdown in bookings. What is the future going to look like for this pricey 2 day experience? In some happy news Fantasmic is back and we really like the updates to the show! I know we have given this show a hard time over the years but it was outdated and the changes that were made to this show have given it new life. On another positive note, the Toy Story meet and greets are coming back. The Jingle Cruise, one of my favorite holiday overlays, is also back! There’s a lot of fun things going on This holiday season.

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Episode: 380. This is Halloween, This is Halloween, This is Halloween and we bring you a special spooky edition of Traveling with the Mouse. We talk all things scary, like the latest news from Bob and Josh. We give our thoughts on the changes that we know will be in Fantasmic when it returns in a few days. It’s no secret that we weren’t the biggest fans of Fantasmic but will these new updates entice us to go see it again? Blizzard beach is seeing some new IP related updates for when it reopens. It’s looking like interest in the Galactic Starcruiser is starting to fade. (but we are open to a comped star cruise if your are listening Disney) We also have a discussion around our favorite Disney villains.

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Episode 379: Jon and I talk Disney news and rumors today. There’s a lawsuit over the park reservation system. We have more thoughts on the price increases and the impacts we think it will have. People went crazy over cups at club cool. Bob Weis is retiring from the company after a 40+ year career. Rumor has it that the Play pavilion is officially cancelled. We have the menu and pricing for Monsieur Paul and we got a little sticker shock. There is also an official date for the return of Fantastic at Hollywood studios. We discuss this and the dinning package that gives you reserved seating.

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Episode 378: Prices are on the rise once again at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. We discuss our disgust with the particularly egregious price hikes. Like genie plus and some of the food and drink increases. We sadly predicted the increases at places like Baseline Taphouse. We know that prices will enviably go up over time but this increases are substantial at a time when Disney is well above inflation on most prices. undenounced to him, Jason got to visit on the last weekend before these prices were increased. He did a split DVC stay starting at Rivera and ending at Animal Kingdom Lodge. He tested out Magic Band Plus and met up with some friends who are non regular guests. We get to hear what they thought of all of the new things to experience at Walt Disney World.

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Episode 376: We discuss the impact of Hurricane Ian on Walt Disney World and the surrounding area. Figment is possibly getting his own movie but no word on making his ride any better? Epcot turned 40 this weekend and Jason is getting ready to head back down there this week. The candlelight processional has its full lineup of celebrity narrators. We go through the list and discuss our favorites for this year. It’s hard to believe that it is already that time of year. Also, the after hours events are coming back in 2023. Is it still worth it? We discuss, you decide.

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Episode 375: Jason just returned from a solo trip to Walt Disney World. He utilized some last minute DVC availability and stayed at the boardwalk. On this trip he experience a re-ranking of his favorite coasters at Disney as well as his favorite lounges on property. He was able to fit a lot into his 48 hour trip. He let’s us know his thoughts on the boardwalk and getting the most out of Genie plus during his trip. He visited all 4 parks and was able to get quite a lot done. We do also spend a few minutes talking about the news but there wasn’t much new to discuss at the time.

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Episode 374: This week Jason joins us as he is about to go on a solo Walt Disney World trip. We get his take on the some of the news from D23 as well as some of the News stories of the week. There was a very intoxicated woman who was slowly escorted out of Epcot this week. Kite Tails is officially ending at Animal Kingdom. Mysteriously there was roof work going on at the Play pavilion sight even though there was no update on this project at D23. For the first time there will be cocktails served at the Magic Kingdom over at Skipper Canteen. In Jason’s trip preview we try to guess which song he will get at Guardians of the galaxy. He also discusses his initial plans to see both nighttime shows and see which lounges he can hit up along the way. We will see what all happens next week for his trip report. He will be staying that the Boardwalk in a DVC studio facing the boardwalk/Epcot.

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Episode 373: The D23 convention wrapped up yesterday and we have some thoughts! Jon and I go through each day of the conference and talk about the highlights and lowlights. The parks panel was a mixed bag of small updates and early concepts that are way out there. Our original predictions for Tron’s opening date are going to end up being pretty close. There are a few cool new updates coming and a lot of meet & greets. Let us know what was your favorite part of this D23? We all know that the pandemic effect is still a real thing and it showed in the parks panel. Josh tried his best to make it exciting and it still fell a little flat but there’s still some cool things on the horizon and there’s always hope that the next D23 will bring with it some more exciting news.

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Episode 372: Today we answer the age old question, What is the best lounge at Walt Disney World. The only problem is we can’t agree on which one is the best. We listed 11 of what we think are the best top bars/lounges at Walt Disney World and we discuss the pros and cons of each. We then narrowed down that list to our definitive top 5. We all agreed on which ones made the top 5 but we all had our own reasons for picking the order that these should go in. Truthfully, this like all other top 5 lists can change with our mood or over time. See if you agree with our list or if we excluded your favorite altogether. We also cover some of the latest news and oh yeah, Jason is back this week and hosted this episode.