Disney Insights

We have a busy update that takes us from the Parking lot of the Magic Kingdom, on a masked monorail ride to the park, and then through all the six lands to see all the things happening in the park. We see where masks are no longer required, and we get a sense of what that feels like when waiting in a busy line for attractions. That attraction is the Jungle Cruise where we check out new additions b...

In the last week news has spread world-wide of parks, attractions, resorts and restaurants re-opening while COVID regulations are reduced. We go from Walt Disney World to Disneyland to across the globe and even to the Disney Cruise Line to hear what's now happening, what's coming shortly in the months to come, and what's still waiting to return. From renovated attractions to new shows to Halloween...

The success of The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is due to so many things--among them polished performers, amazing technical effects, and a tie to a great film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. That film has its own story around trust, but the show at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World wouldn't have come together if it wasn't for Jerry Rees, who took a stunt show and made it into somet...

Did you know there are only two Disney intellectual properties that can be found as an attraction in every Magic Kingdom style park around the world. It's not Star Wars or Marvel. It isn't Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid or even Frozen. In fact, neither were blockbuster hits, and the one we're studying in this post and podcast failed in the box office. One is Dumbo with it's symbolic spin...

This week on Disney at Work we have the good pleasure of being joined by Kim and Mac Cantrell who works with companies and leaders in creating organizational excellence. At the heart of this has been some recent experiences of Kim and Mac at Walt Disney World. We look at the link between leadership and creating a strong customer service brand via a customer-focused culture. We discuss not only Dis...

On October 15th, 1971, the world saw some of the first images of Walt Disney World as they spread across the pages of Life Magazine. We provide a deep dive of those pages and show you how the Vacation Kingdom of the World was first presented in this weekly news article. Here we'll study who was present when 1,500 Cast Members gathered together in front of Cinderella Castle. We'll look at the origi...

Disneyland fans living outside the state of California have now been given the chance to come visit the "Happiest Place on Earth". We look at what that involves then turn our attention toward other magical happenings occurring at the Anaheim Resort. As Avengers Campus prepares to open we look at how players can advance their gaming success--for a price. At Snow White's newly refurbished and named...

When out-of staters think about visiting Orlando theme parks in the summer, they might think about hurricanes. While that's a factor in our discussion, the reality of summer is not so much your next hurricane but the daily grind of heat, humidity and thunderstorms. These factors more than any can affect the enjoyment of your next Central Florida vacation. We look at what months of the year it's ho...

We provide you this week a whirlwind tour of Epcot as we stroll a mask-free World Showcase. The International Flower & Garden Festival is still very much in bloom with butterflies, food & more. We check out the new Gelateria Toscana in Italy. Is it as good as L'Artisan des Glaces in France or as a sundae at Beaches & Cream? Morocco is closed or under the knife in many places. We look at what's hap...

After more than a year of being closed to the public, the most favorite entertainment show at Walt Disney World has reopened. Yes! The King has Returned! We look at the reopening of Festival of the Lion King to understand what is different about this revised show while exploring what has made it so special from the beginning. Along the way, we note the absence of the guest participation scenes (it...

We are at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on the first day that masks are no longer required while outside on the streets of the park. We are here to capture that experience and show you what it looks like when boarding resort transportation, visiting attractions and experiencing retail. We'll take you through the queue of Big Thunder Mountain as well as Peter Pan's Flight, where we will ma...

We bring you sudden breaking news from Disney today that Masks are no longer required--or are at least optional--throughout all of Walt Disney World including the theme parks and Disney Springs. We also share that Disney has added additional reservation slots for those staying at select hotels and those purchasing theme park tickets. We cover these two announcements and the context behind them. Jo...

In the last 24 hours sweeping news was announced by the CDC that profoundly impacts the path for completely removing all COVID restraints in Disney Parks and the Disney Cruise Line. To that end, Bob Chapek in the quarterly report call yesterday made significant comments that suggested that masks might be removed at Walt Disney World by summer. While news continues to evolve rapidly, we examine wha...

We canvas every corner of Disney's Hollywood Studios in this week's update where we see how this Walt Disney World park is still very much under the influence of a pandemic. From attractions and entertainment; from dining to shops to even park services we look at some 40 offerings that are still closed to guests. This is why guest crowds look as large as they do when in truth the attendance is sti...

Are you ready to return to Disneyland? After observing the first week of Disneyland's reopening, we offer ten smart tips for how to manage your next visit to Disneyland. These insights will help you to not only navigate your stay at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, but will offer you thoughts on when you may want to pull the lever and head to Anaheim. These same principles are also impo...

Starting from the Ticket and Transportation Center we share news about all things happening at the parks, especially here at the Magic Kingdom. To dropping fever checks to new paint and final touches, the Magic Kingdom is preparing for its 50th anniversary. We hear from the Dapper Dans and check out Mickey in his character cavalcade in front of Cinderella Castle, where all the finishing touches ha...

News came out on May the 4th be with you regarding the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser that will give people a chance to live out their Star Wars stories. Only this isn't story telling, according to Disney. It's Story Living. Here you’ll be plunged into a Star Wars story where your decisions and actions – or even the casual conversations you may have – determine how your personal journey unfolds. T...

Welcome to this Disney at Work podcast. Walt's opening words when he dedicated Disneyland was: "To all who come to this happy place...Welcome!" Welcoming guests is a hallmark of the total Disney experience. One of the four Disney keys is Courtesy. A critical customer service behavior expected of all Disney Cast Members is that they greet, welcome, and thank all guests. I saw much of that when gues...

Disney Cruise Line made major announcements regarding the Wish, to include when reservations are open. We will look at signature features of this new ship, the first of the Triton class of three ships to be built. We'll look at the top deck with all of its pools and water features. We will check out all the hangouts for kids. We'll overview entertainment and look at the different staterooms being...

Let's take a ride on the PeopleMover. This week the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover reopens. Disney fans rejoiced as they waited in what appeared to be long lines to experience the PeopleMover. This is an attraction embraced by so many. Why? What is the appeal of the PeopleMover? We look at the attraction at re-opening, experience the attraction first-hand, and then seek to understand w...

With the re-opening of Disneyland, it's a great time to remember what makes this flagship park so special. In this post and podcast, we look at the artistry & magic of Disneyland's Fantasyland. From art to sculpture to landscaping to characters themselves, we journey to find amazing characters and craftsmanship. Along the way we find what truly makes this the most magical of all the lands of Disne...

Welcome to this Disney at Work post and podcast. It's about the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, but it's also about change in its different forms. We look at this nearly 40 year old attraction to learn how change occurs and how to best address that change. I've called this the Gran Fiasco Tour Starring the Three Cambios. There are three places where the dynamics of change or cambio...

It's Earth Day this week at Disney's Animal Kingdom. While that may not make any more sense than year long anniversaries at Disney that run 18 months, the good news is that there is time to check out all things conservation if you're near Walt Disney World. If not, then this video and/or podcast is perfect for you, as we explore a number of things associated with the messages of Earth Day to inclu...

April 15th was the day that every Californian could book reservations for Disneyland. But being from Florida, I had no option in joining half the state of California in booking reservations for Disneyland. Still, I knew my great friend Taleia, who has joined me in previous podcasts on what we love most about Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, would be working hard to get a reservation. I...

This week I've been in three of the Walt Disney World parks and noticed that opportunities for purchasing food & beverage were limited due not so much to COVID, but simply poor decision making on the part of management. In the wake of this, when Disney needs to make all of the money it can to get through this once-in-a-generation moment, we have instead money being left on the table by guests who...