Disney Insights

Currently the two biggest announcements for 2027 at Disney are moving in about the same timeline toward completion in 2027--and yet they couldn't be more different than the other. This week the Disney Cruise Line announced not only that the Disney Believe is setting sail on December 18th of next year, but they announced much of what this fourth Wish-class ship is going to be like. At the same time...

I would be remiss if I didn't take the time this week to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Walt Disney World. Every October 1st is a date to celebrate the Most Magical Place on Earth, but 55 is a moment to really cherish the joy of this place. And what better way to do that than being in the Magic Kingdom itself. We will visit all the original attractions that are still here today. We'll talk abou...

We return to our 25th anniversary review of Disney California Adventure as we explore all the lands of the park. Originally titled Hollywood Pictures Backlot, what is now known today as Hollywood Land opened at first as the symbol of everything wrong with Disney California Adventure. And 25 years of changes hasn’t really fixed this dead-end corner of the park, which was probably one of the most te...

As I moved through the new Magic of Disney Animation on opening day a manager sought me out and asked how my experience was with the new attraction. My response: You have taken my soul, turned it inside out and made it into an attraction. There are many reasons I love Disney's Hollywood Studios, but this made the top of the charts immediately. I am so impressed with the level of attention, investm...

We are coming to a time when we will have a lot to share on this podcast, but there are a number of things I've been thinking about that I need to share/vent/talk about. We're going across the board from California Grill to Wolfgang Pucks; From Liberty Square bathrooms to Piston Peak additions; from Moroccan views to Tower of Terror colors; from Walt Disney World ground breaking ceremonies to Labo...

Summer is coming to a close, and Fall is well…falling right behind, and at Epcot, the International Food & Wine Festival begins. Only this year, Epcot is celebrating the 30th anniversary of this festival. It was the first of the four festivals during the year, to include Flower & Garden, Festival of the Arts, and the festival of the holidays. And its advent has perhaps shaped how guests ap...

Now that the dust has somewhat settled, and though I have already done some very detailed announcements around Piston Peak, Imagination, Tomorrowland and Villains Land, there are so many other details from my experience at Disneyland and at the expo that I haven't really unpacked. It's taken me many days to get my head around everything that took place. This podcast is my effort to summarize all o...

The Parks & Experiences D23 presentation at the Honda Center has concluded and with it came two big pieces of news in what was literally the last two minutes of the entire program. Disneyland fans rejoice with the fantastic news that Tomorrowland is finally going to get some serious TLC as it gets set to be remodeled in time for Disneyland's 75th anniversary in four years. Meanwhile, Walt Disn...

Be sure to check out my latest endeavor,  Disneyland Insights: Inspiration, Ideas & Magic for You and Your Organization . __________________________________________________ Disney Insights YouTube Page --Check it out and subscribe. DisneyInsights.com- -So many resources at our home site. Be sure to subscribe to receive notice of upcoming podcasts. My newest book,  A Century of Powerful Disney...

A hallmark of what has made Disney a world-class organization is its attention to its customers—and especially to return customers. They of course refer to them as guests in their parks, which is a sign that this commitment on Disney’s park is intentional and is more about relationships than it is about transactions. But there’s a lot more intentional effort made when creating guest or customer lo...

D23 is truly right around the corner and so many have chimed in to share their hopes and expectations of what is coming. Get ready as I share my insights as to what I see is likely be announced, not just for Walt Disney World and Disneyland, but across the globe and even for the Disney Cruise Line. I think this D23 will make us more hopeful and excited for things to come. We’ll look at the possibi...

Almost every part of Disney California Adventure has experienced considerable change over the years. And that has happened to some degree in Grizzly Peak. But in truth, it's been very little compared to the rest of the park. And that's because this part really has held the heart of the park--and its mountainous symbol--since day one. Here we'll summarize the original Golden State and then look at...

I'm way overdue for reviewing Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets--there's several reasons for that, but I'm excited to share my thoughts on this remake--not just for the coaster but for the muppets in the park. And that's not all that's going on at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Monsters Inc. is in big build mode--everything in scaffolding and iron girders going vertical. We'll talk about t...

It's mid summer and the right time to take a look at what's happening at Disney Parks across the globe. More is happening than you might imagine, and we want to capture all the highlights. Our family was there for all the major Fourth of July holiday events at Walt Disney World and we'll share the Red White and Blues of all of it. We'll also look at the larger attendance trends not just at Walt Di...

We are here at Epcot to enter The Land Pavilion and check out the new Soarin' Across America to provide a play by play POV review of this new attraction. Note that since it has opened times can vary greatly, from 20 minutes to over 90. If you can't walk on it first thing in the morning, I recommend dinner time. If the queue is long, hover around the area doing other attractions until you see the t...

The Hall of Presidents is something that goes back decades—nearly as early as Disneyland itself. We look at its original incarnations, from Liberty Street, to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, to ultimately the Hall of Presidents itself. There is much to learn and much to cherish from these attractions. We’ll look at its history, the details and insights that will truly help you to appreciate not on...

We imagine the excitement of heading to Florida to visit Walt Disney World, Universal, Sea World, beaches, sunshine and more. Our itineraries fill up quickly with things to do, and yet one of the most important ingredients in any vacation is where to stay. This is particularly true if you’re planning on a total holiday vacation stay, or if you are being joined with other friends and family, or if...

So far in 2026 we’ve gone through a walk through of Disney California Adventure of when it opened, and of two projects that were considered previously in its place, WestCOT and Port Disney. Today we begin our exploration of today’s Disney California Adventure, beginning with the entrance to the park, Buena Vista Street. We look at the thinking and the design choices made by imagineers as they remo...

This last week Disney announced that the Carousel of Progress would be closing after July 5th to be completely refurbished. John and Sara and the family will all be part of this four act show, but it will be set in completely new eras. We showcase the news of what this show will look like, and provide insights about what it means. But we're also taking the time to step back in history to see how t...

Summer is here and several new attractions have premiered at Walt Disney World and at Disneyland. We focus on a new mission for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, one that is led by Din Dijarin, the Mandalorian, along with Grogu. We look at how this compares with the previous version of the attraction, and whether first time as well as repeat guests will enjoy this experience. And we preface all o...

We are using 2026 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Disney California Adventure. And while we did an overview of this park on that anniversary date, it is nearly summer and we've yet to go into the lands of the park. In the interim we took a big left turn to talk about Westcot, which was proposed long before the concept of Disney California Adventure was created. Now we take another left turn t...

I'm so excited to talk about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which makes its return after a lengthy remodel. It has been well executed and it's as fun as ever--though perhaps in a slightly less bumpy way--at least for the moment. We will cover not only the history of this mountain but of its sister mountains at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. My business partner, Mark David Jones...

For years I've been trying to talk my two good friends, John and Lori Scali into taking a Disney Cruise. They finally made that happen on the Disney Wish--and in Concierge no less! They are long-term Disney fans, and they offer us a very insightful review which we recorded at the Disney Vacation Club Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Village & Bungalows, which they offer some thoughts on as...

So many things at Walt Disney World create magic for millions of guests. And yet there are those less than magical moments. I listened to a vlogcaster go on for an hour about everything wrong at Universal and Disney. Indeed, that individual not to be named seems really negative in most of his videos. But I have to admit there are a handful of things that could be improved upon, and I'm using those...

We are behind in celebrating Disney California Adventure through its 25th year, and yet one cannot really talk about this park, without considering what was to have been created originally in its place. WestCOT may be the most popular park concept that Disney never built. A west-coast version of Epcot, this park was in many ways more ambitious than its neighbor across the promenade, Disneyland its...