By |

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.

By |

Episode 370: There is an ongoing debate in the Disney Community about which form of Disney transportation is best, Monorail or Skyliner. (sorry Bus) Well, in order to truly get to the bottom of that we must fully explore all of what makes them both great. There are truly some great restaurants that are on the monorail and if you include the boardwalk area there’s many more options on the skyliner. But which of these two forms of transportation has the best overall restaurants? We give our top 5 picks for each and then decide which one overall has the better restaurants. We do also cover some news stories. The Disneyland resort is finally allowing renewals of their Magic Key (annual pass) program. The prices are different though. We also talk a little about this year’s Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party!

By |

Episode 343: Today we welcome James back to the show! James is Jon’s brother and although he has technically been on the show before, this is the first time we have properly had him on the show as a guest. James just returned from Walt Disney World after a week long trip! He and his family did a split stay and Caribbean Beach and the Polynesian. They rented DVC points for their stay at Polynesian and he talks about that process and why it works well for them. This was their first trip since the pandemic started so they experienced several firsts for them. They did try out Disney Genie on multiple days of their trip and he gives and honest opinion on it. They also experienced several different dinning experiences including a character meal. We also find out that James is the first one of us to actually go see the Hall of Presidents in this century and that his dream job would be to do maintenance work on the monorails.

By |

Episode: 326 We catch up on the news this week and talk more about the Disney Genie. After a week to mull over the Disney Genie news we discuss how we feel about it today. In other news The monorail continues to have issues. Fingerprint scanning is back. Club cool is nearing completion. Rumors are circulating that the budget has been slashed for the Splash mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog. We really hope that these rumors turn out to be false. This leads us into a discussion about how the Chapek era so far has been a season of price hikes and decreased value. Perhaps some competition from Universal can help? Let us know your thoughts!

By |

Episode 325: Disney finally let the Genie out of the lamp this week but is he working for Aladdin or Jafar? We break down what we think of the new paid fastpass service. Can we find a silver lining? We have known that this was coming for quite a while and now that it is here, we break down what we know about it. We are quick to say that it could certainly have been far worse in terms of the type of money grab that most people think that it is. That being said, we aren’t that happy with fastpass being a paid service now. We go through what attractions will be included in the lightning lane only upcharge for each park. Rumors are that there will be 2 attractions at each park that will require the per ride fee. We also, look at each park and decide would we pay the $15 per person fee for the Disney Genie+ service. Our answers might surprise you. In other news, I go through the list of construction projects and what we think will be the current opening time for each. We wrap up the show with a rapid fire of other news stories from the week.

By |

Episode 318: Today we cover the rapidly evolving Disney park news! Covid restrictions are being rolled back faster than the launch at Rock n’ Rollercoaster. We highlight some notable ones like the monorail no longer has dividers as well as other attractions like Jungle Cruise. Distancing Markers are nowhere to be seen except for the impressions the left in the pavement. (Perhaps a little something to remember them by for years to come) In other new, Boo Bash is starting to sell out even though the price is higher and the experience is more limited than the Halloween Party was. With all of the things going back to normal, we point out the noticeable absence of Fastpass and it can’t help but make us wonder…is a paid system just around the corner? Perhaps the biggest news of the week is that Fireworks are coming back! You thought I was going to say that the noodles are back at Ohana, didn’t you? Those are back too, but FIREWORKS! I am very excited to see some Happily Ever After again! We wrap up the show by examining an article about what resorts to guests tend to repeat visit more than others. We look at each resort category and see which resorts rise to the top of the list.

By |

002C2186-9272-4CAE-861F-64868A74A241Episode 266:We start this week by covering some news…A Disney Park (Shanghai) will finally be open again starting May 11th! In our main topic, It is Mother’s Day this week and Jon and I interviewed our Moms about Walt Disney World. It turns out that our love of Disney is really and extension of their love of Disney. It started for them back in the 1950’s with the Mickey Mouse Club and the Wonderful world of Color on TV. Our Mom’s went to Walt Disney World several times in the 1970’s and we asked them what it was like back in the old days of Walt Disney World. We asked them about the early days of Epcot as well. We had a great time asking them all of these questions that we will certainly have to do this again. Maybe we can convince them to be on the show live next time?

 

By |

TWTM_Episode237Episode 237: The Disney Skyliner crushed it on it’s first week. (Literally) We discuss what this means and will it be open in time for any of us to ride it this weekend? Also, another Monorail gets a new interior and a moderate refurbishment. We also give our thoughts on Epcot Forever and the end of Illuminations. Adam and Jason will be in the parks this week for the Food and Wine festival. We discuss some possible challenges for us to do in response to donations for our give kids the world donation page

By |

Before blazing into 2019 with our mickey ears flapping in the wind, we decided that on this last day of 2018 to take a look back over the news stories from the past 364 days that stood out the most to us. We begin the episode with one of the latest news stories that we just had to mention, the apparent theft of the Buzzy animatronic from the wonders of life pavilion at Epcot. After that we discuss the major news events of the year and take a look at the top stories from each month in 2018. The common themes from this year were monorail issues, price increases and a lot of construction. We can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store in the world of Disney. We will preview the coming year next week. Happy new year everyone!

By |

Today’s news topics:

  • Disney caught up in theme park lawsuit against 20th century fox
  • It’s rumored that Winnie the Pooh may be replaced at Shanghai Disneyland
  • Renderings of new tower rooms at Coronado Springs resort
  • Estimated ride times on the Disney Skyliner
  • Walt Disney World Railroad will close December 3rd
  • New Trailer for live action Lion King released
  • Ralph breaks the box office this weekend
  • Keanu Reeves will be in Toy Story 4
  • Rumor, Disney hasn’t ordered new monorails?

 

By |

Today’s news topics include:

  • John Lasseter will step down from Disney by the end of the year.
  • Walt Disney World monorail has another unique breakdown
  • My Disney Experience app went down for 45 minutes
  • 2019 vacation packages will be available starting June 19th
  • Block-out dates for Certain Annual Passes lifted for the month of June
  • Richard Gerth…the longtime greater at the Grand Floridian dies at age 92
  • Frozen on Broadway is 0-3 at the Tony awards
  • Solo is estimated to lose $80 million dollars
  • More details on the delays around the release of Toy Story 4
  • Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean re-opens
  • New contest gives the winner a night to camp in Pandora for a night
  • Disney Visa card members can purchase Disneyland’s Halloween party tickets early
  • New merchandise debuts at Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian

 

By |

WDW_M-rail

Today’s news topics include:

  • New Monorail Trains coming to Walt Disney World (Rumor)
  • Fast Pass Plus selections are now available for Toy Story Land
  • Minnie Vans are now permanent at Walt Disney World
  • Epcot France pavilion construction update
  • Tokyo Disneyland will have an expansion but no 3rd gate
  • Guests are no longer able to transfer Fast Passes

By |

Episode_73_PicIn this episode go through my most recent trip to Walt Disney World. I talk about my experience staying at the Contemporary and go over some of the changes that I noticed with the monorails. I also give my thoughts on the festival of the arts at EPCOT and how it compares to the other festivals. I wrap up by going through how I dealt with the crowds on a very busy day at Magic Kingdom.

 

Video Links

Justin Scarred YouTube video from Festival of the Arts

Touring Plans rope drop at Magic Kingdom

By |

Today we are starting a new format on Traveling with the Mouse…Every Wednesday will now be an episode where we discuss the latest Disney news and rumors. In today’s episode we discuss the new privacy policy at Disney hotels, The Monorail system, Disney testing out a cashless system at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Star Wars the Last Jedi reaches $600 million dollars at the domestic box office. There’s a few other news stories sprinkled in as well. We hope you like the new format!

By |

Today’s Episode is all about the Walt Disney World Monorail. Jon and I talk about our experiences with the monorail from when we were kids. We then talk about some of our recent experiences with some of the maintenance issues that we have noticed over the past few years. We conclude the episode talking about the future of the WDW monorail and what we hope to see change in the near future. Let us know what you think about the monorail. podcast@travelingwiththemouse.com

WDW_M-rail

Show notes:

Riding the Monorail past the Grand Floridian during construction

View of a Mark IV monorail Car (From Adam the woo)

List of monorail incidents 

Piece of Monorail Blue falls off near Epcot

Buy Monorail Socks