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Episode 506: In this episode of Traveling with the Mouse, we put on our accountant hats (don’t worry, they’ve got Mickey ears) and dive deep into Disney’s pricing strategy over the years. Resort hotels have always been a core part of the Walt Disney World experience, but just how much more expensive are they now compared to when the doors first opened in the early 1970s?

We track down standard room rates from the Polynesian and Contemporary all the way back to 1972, adjust them for inflation, and compare them to today’s 2025 rack rates. The results might surprise you… or maybe they won’t. (Spoiler: Disney’s prices have definitely outpaced inflation, especially at the Deluxe resorts.) Moderates and Values tell a slightly different story, but either way, the price of staying on property has changed dramatically in real terms.

And while we’re crunching numbers, we also take a look at the cost of seasonal events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Party tickets that used to be a budget-friendly add-on are now a serious investment. We compare today’s prices to past years and ask: at what point does spooky season at the Magic Kingdom start scaring away wallets more than ghosts?

It wouldn’t be Traveling with the Mouse without a healthy dose of Disney news:

The Beak and Barrel reservation launch at Magic Kingdom… let’s just say it didn’t go according to plan. We talk through what went wrong and what it says about Disney’s ongoing struggles with online systems.

Construction check-in: We look at progress across the big projects currently underway at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. One project in particular looks like it’s flying ahead of schedule compared to the others, and we break down what that might mean for opening timelines.

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Episode 495: Welcome back, fellow Mouseketeers, to another practically perfect episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In Episode 495, we mix a spoonful of nostalgia with a dash of curiosity as we explore one of the most glaring missed opportunities in Disney Parks history: Why hasn’t Mary Poppins received a significant attraction of her own? But Before we hop on our chalk-drawn carousel horses and soar into the realm of possibilities, let’s run through this week’s Disney news…

We discuss the latest with the Disney Abu Dhabi project. Epic Universe officially opens this week and we will finally see what the impact on Walt Disney World will be. Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween released the dates a pricing for 2025 and they are not so low, in fact the prices are up across the board for the Halloween Parties.

🌂 The Curious Case of the Missing Mary Poppins Ride

Now onto the main topic: Where is our Mary Poppins attraction?!

Let’s rewind the tape…

1964 – The Movie That Practically Perfected Itself
Mary Poppins was a massive hit — critically, commercially, and culturally. Julie Andrews became a household name. The Sherman Brothers gave us songs that still echo down Main Street. So why didn’t Walt greenlight a ride?

Well, our best guess? Timing. Walt passed away in 1966, just two years after the film’s release. The company entered a state of “WWWD” — What Would Walt Do? — which led to a lot of ideas being shelved or slow-walked while Walt Disney World came into being. That being said, We had fun brainstorming what a Mary Poppins attraction might have looked like if Disney had pulled the trigger in different decades: From the end of the Walt Era, through the lost years, into the Eisner era where we did get Mary Poppins included in an attraction but not it’s own to the present day where IP reigns supreme. Mary Poppins is one of Disney’s most iconic characters. She has Oscar gold, a timeless score, and cross-generational appeal — and yet, she’s never been given a proper ride. Ultimately, timing is everything and this popular film just never found the right timing. It’s fun to dream about though.

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Welcome to Traveling with the Mouse, the podcast that takes you on a journey through the magical world of Disney! In this episode, we bring you the latest news and have some fun with AI by having it write a game for us to play. But First up, we have some exciting news for all the Disney fans out there. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets are now on sale! This is one of the most popular events at Disney World, and it’s not hard to see why. So if you’re planning a trip to Disney World this fall, be sure to grab your tickets before they sell out. Next, Disney has announced a new discount on lightsabers at Galaxy’s Edge. The Galactic Starcruiser has also extended its discounts this summer to Disney Visa card holders. Moving on, we discuss the latest incident involving the fire breathing dragon. This time during a performance of Fantasmic at Disneyland. Finally, we have the latest drama with the Reedy Creek Improvement District. We end the episode with a little game that AI created for this episode.

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4F767C33-868C-400E-97D9-30771E46D854Episode:272. It is becoming more difficult to keep up with the frequent changes coming from Disney as they prepare to re-open in just a few short weeks from now. We discuss some of the major changes like the cancellation of all Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party’s for 2020. There is some good news though, the food and wine festival at Epcot is starting July 15th and will last through the fall. The event will be scaled back considerably, however. We also discuss some rumors of more projects being cancelled like the Reflections resort. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet but we expect to hear in the coming months about some major cost cutting. We will talk more next week about the new reservation system and see how it works.

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TWTM_240Episode 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 Skywalker and give our thoughts and theories about it. Fuel Rods are now going to cost $3 per swap, and Disney is doubling down on the Villains after hours events in 2020. Jon recently visited Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party and got to spend a lot of time on the Skyliner during his stay at Pop Century Resort. Jon shares some tips that he learned about riding the Skyliner with us. During his trip he also got to hang out in Batuu and visit Jock Lindsay’s Hanger Bar at Disney Springs. 

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Episode 197 – Here are the news topics for today

  • The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is getting an update
  • Will the Skyliner open earlier now that Galaxy’s Edge will be open in August?
  • New Bus Station is open at Hollywood Studios
  • James Gunn has been reinstated as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3
  • A new film called Awesome Planet is coming to the old Circle of Life Theater in Epcot
  • A new fireworks show will be replacing HalloWishes this Halloween season
  • The moat around Cinderella Castle has been drained at Magic Kingdom
  • The Walk Around the World Bricks will soon be removed
  • Rafiki’s Planet Watch will re-open this summer
  • Some theme park hours have been extended for April
  • Hollywood Studios parking lot sections have been renamed after Disney Characters
  • The Disney 21st Century Fox merger is now official
  • Toy Story 4 trailer dropped this week
  • Disney Play app will transform to interactive app while in Galaxy’s Edge

 

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Today on the news episode of Traveling with the Mouse we discuss the following stories…

  • Latest Construction update on Tron Coaster
  • Disney Purchases even more land in Osceola County near Celebration
  • Disney Skyliner construction update
  • Cosmic Rays main dining area and Sonny Eclipse are under refurbishment
  • New DVC Kiosk at Hollywood Studios is near completion at Grand Avenue
  • Walls removed around future exit for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Construction worker files lawsuit against Disney for injury at Animal Kingdom
  • New credit card policy at Disney resorts will go into effect February 27th.
  • Halloween Party tickets are now available to purchase
  • H2O Glow Night tickets at Typhoon Lagoon available now to purchase as well

 

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Instead of doing a regular news story this week we decide that since we are behind on the news stories that we would just have an open discussion on the current Disney related topics that we thought were the most interesting. We start by talking about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and how we feel about the Halloween season starting in mid-August now. We then cover news topics like, the two tragic deaths that have happened on our near Disney property in the last week, Disneyland’s hotel battle with the city of Anaheim, and rumors of what attraction will replace Stich’s Great escape.

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It’s summertime so that means it is time to start thinking about Halloween? If you’re a Disney fan it is! We are previewing the new experiences coming to the 2018 Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party! This year we are getting some unique experiences from new lighting and sound effects to a new dance party. There are new things for the whole family this year. I think we are most excited about the new experience coming to Pirates of the Caribbean! Start making your plans now because the Halloween party is on select nights from August 17th through Halloween night.