Disney Insights

In this episode we'll celebrate a personal milestone for myself. Then we'll visit two fountains at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at Disney California Adventure. These fountains anonymously acknowledge William Mulholland and his contribution to bringing water to the state of California. He was a key figure in Golden Dreams, an early Disney California Adventure presentation that celebrated the heri...

So thrilled to have Rick and Sherri Williams--great friends of mine and advid Disney enthusiasts. They live in Orlando, so they're in the parks all the time. But they had never done a Disney cruise. And their first one ended up being The Disney Wish. This gives us a view of how this ship feels to a Disney fan who doesn't have the assumptions that come from voyaging on the other previous four ships...

I am sharing this podcast on the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. Founded on October 16th, 1923, Walt and Roy agreed to produce a series of Alice cartoon shorts. It was a start that was clouded by bankruptcy, unemployment and illness. But that start has endured and is now one of the most successful--if not the most successful--entertainment companies in the world. We celebrate the ann...

I'm pleased to announce that my newest book, "A Century of Powerful Disney Insights" is now available on Amazon . This book is tied to the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company being commemorated this month. Volume 1 shares the Walt and Roy Disney years from 1923 through 1973. In introducing this book, I've invited my son, Cameron Kober, to interview me and discuss the book. Very much like...

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is synonymous with Halloween at Walt Disney World. But that event is now sold out. Are there other options? Absolutely! There is so much to see and do--and eat. We'll canvas the whole of it at Walt Disney World to include some fun and scary things you can do, activities you can be involved in, food, beverage, photos and more. From Magic Kingdom through the oth...

Previews are well underway for Journey of Water: Inspired by Moana. But it’s also inspired by Epcot! This is really what Epcot was always about–learning and interacting and inspiring and entertaining all at one time. In a simple, but not simplistic manner this walk-through experience does all this and more. We look at the various elements of this new attraction and how it truly complements this ne...

Destination D23 had considerable publicity around that, with social media agents blogging, vlogging tweeting and podcasting the highlights to fans the world over--but mostly at Walt Disney World. We'll cover some additional details and aftermath of that. We'll consider some additional thoughts on what was announced there. But almost under the radar this week was an entirely different presentation...

Josh D'Amaro hosted a major presentation at Destination D23 where many new and newly revised attractions were announced as well as the details of many attractions already announced. We go into detail and study each of them. We also talk about attractions and other offerings not mentioned at all, yet still very much in the works. And we talk about projects announced only a year go that seem to have...

Disney Cruise Line announced the inaugural sailings for the Disney Treasure, as well as many of the details about their newest ship. Joining me is David Zanolla of Zanolla Travel, who will help me to study the details of this announcement, and how it compares to the more recent Disney Wish. We will look at the itineraries, the overall design, new dining and lounge concepts, entertainment, stateroo...

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant or Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Paris is perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings Disney has ever created in its empire of themed attractions. This podcast takes you inside and out, down to the dragon and up to the spires, and then even beyond to the courtyard. Three shops compliment the castle experience, and a wonderful princess dining experience...

This week we met up with a light saber celebration to commemorate the opening of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. This greatest addition to the Studios park came with enormous anticipation. We'll dial back the clock to commemorate those moments and talk about the most galactic memories I've had experiencing this corner of the cosmos. We'll also go through...

We podcast directly from Epcot where we seek out some cozy and quiet corners around Epcot. As we move through the park we discuss happenings around property, from the new Moana attractions coming to the resort; from a new Figment meet 'n' greet; Construction on CommuniCore; Reedy Creek employees losing Disney park pass benefits and the lack of attendance in the parks. And we sample new offerings a...

Welcome Foolish Mortals! The Haunted Mansion is one of the most beloved attractions ever created for a Disney theme park. It has entertained millions since its original opening in 1969 at Disneyland and has been in one form or another in Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. What makes this attraction work is the creative compromise that Disney Imagineers sought to put into it over...

Everyone loves to play" arm chair" Imagineer, so when new attractions or the details around those attractions are announced we immediately question, "what's going on? Why are they doing that". But on our "to do" list of "First World Problems" we can sometimes be too quick to not just speculate but downright criticize something long before it opens to the public. Turning to the Disney parks we look...

I'm so excited to share with you a big announcement of something I've personally been working on for some time. After that we are going to share important news of this week that may have huge bearing on the company moving forward. Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer, both former executive leaders of The Walt Disney Company, have returned to solve some its biggest issues tied with ESPN and the long-term pro...

It's still very much summer, but the Fall Food & Wine Festival for Epcot is on. We head over to the park to check out all the latest happenings. We taste test and review a dozen entrees, and we share our thoughts on a number of returning offerings. If you've never been to Epcot's premiere Food & Wine Festival, or if you only come once every couple of years, or if you are an annual pass hol...

It was a privilege to experience Disneyland as it takes center stage in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Disney. This is what the 50th anniversary for Walt Disney World should have looked like! We chronicle all of this, but we also talk about other fantastic events happening. Rogers the Musical is really worth seeing, and San Fransokyo is well underway. Indiana Jones has been re-touched with m...

I just spent a week at Disneyland. I don't know that this is a trip report. If it is, it's one of the most unusual chronologies that you may ever heard. At the heart of this four day journey is an opportunity to celebrate my autistic son's 21st birthday with my wife and daughter. It's hard to imagine any day that wouldn't be nearly perfect at Disneyland. But this one is a roller coaster of expecta...

In the last 24 hours a number of insights have surfaced. It began with an announcement that the Disney board has voted in favor of Bob Iger's contract being extended as CEO through 2026. CNBC's David Faber asked some real questions on what's working and what's not. This includes selling cable networks such as ABC; putting ESPN into streaming mode; and buying Hulu from Comcast. He then defends the...

Our tenth Disney cruise took us to the waters off Alaska where we spent 7 nights on board the Disney Wonder. Our last podcast told you about the experience onboard the ship and our efforts to make this cruise happen. Sailing mostly in the waters of the Bahamas and the Caribbean, taking a cruise with Disney is usually more about the experience of being on board the ship and less about different exc...

There are many reasons for going on a Disney Cruise, and for many, visiting Alaska is a big bucket list item. Combine the two and you make for a wondrous journey. Join us as we take in the Alaskan waters on board the Disney Wonder for an 8-day, 7-night journey. We discuss the many decisions one has to make in determining if, when and how to take this cruise. We talk about the opportunities and iss...

When added up, it's been a busy June at both Walt Disney World and at Disneyland. We'll cover some important headlines--from Disney dealing with governors in Florida and California, to changes in the Genie+ program; to new shows and lands coming to Disneyland; to new attractions and holiday parties here in Walt Disney World. Join us for this June Disney update! Special Announcement! Jim Korkis nee...

Sixty years of the Enchanted Tiki Room doesn't just mean a lot of decades of bird shows, although that number is enormous. Opened on June 23rd of 1963, The Enchanted Tiki Room represents Walt Disney's first foray into Audio-Animatronics, a new "space age" technology that allowed inanimate characters to perform on cue--and even talk. Six decades of Abraham Lincoln, swashbuckling pirates, singing do...

You see it all the time, headlines that say attendance is down at Walt Disney World or Universal's Epic Universe is going to take away all the business from Disney. Well, is it? We have a strong sense of how parks are faring after the pandemic, now that TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) and AECOM (Architecture, Engineering ,Construction, Operations and Management) has released its Global Attr...

When we started this podcast series examining the lands of Disneyland Park in the Disneyland Paris Resort, we began our first focused podcast with Fantasia Gardens, moved past the Disneyland Hotel, and down the left side of Main Street U.S.A., to include the Liberty arcade. We have then moved through Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland. Now we will return to Main Street and...