Disney Insights

The success of Pixar's Toy Story and its sequels have given way to a number of park attractions and offerings in Disney parks around the world. The biggest compilation of these has been in creating Toy Story Lands in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Orlando. The premise of these lands is the idea that Andy has created his own playground with his Toy Story pals in his back yard. We look at all of the...

Today Apple made a big announcement. The tech giant announced a new platform, in the same scale as the iPhone, iPad, and the Apple Watch. Apple Vision Pro and its headset is Apple's way of embarking in a major way into virtual reality. It offers many benefits and creates an experience that may be unlike any other platform they have previously sold. To that end, moments later Disney CEO Bob Iger pr...

Of all the Tomorrowlands in all the Magic Kingdom-style parks, there is no version more unique than the one in Disneyland Paris, whose title is not Tomorrowland but Discoveryland. Intended to celebrate the scientists and futurists of Europe, the look and feel of this land really stands out above the rest. If steampunk had a theme park, much of this land would serve as home to it. We'll visit the a...

Six years ago this last weekend Disney premiered its newest land, Pandora: World of Avatar. Based on James Cameron’s successful film, this land set a new level of experiences not seen anywhere else. The centerpiece of this experience was Avatar’s Flight of Passage. It is called Flight of Passage because the flight is a rite of passage. We will look at what exactly are those rites of passage that p...

We're heading into summer and it's time to think about how to make it work when you're visiting Disney theme parks--particularly Walt Disney World during the summer months. People are often surprised how hot, humid, wet and rainy a typical summer day can be. We're here to give you decades worth of smart steps you can take as you embark on a Disney day during these months. You can still have a grea...

As part of the 25th Anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, we want to talk about how this park came to be and the leaders that made it happen. I had the privilege of meeting back up with Rick Barongi, the first animal care zoo keeper hired by Imagineering to develop and make Disney's Animal Kingdom a reality. Roy E. Disney, Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, and Imagineers like Craig Russell, Paul Coms...

While we like going into the weekend with lighter news, this week a couple of key announcements were made, and they are reflective of some tough financial decisions being made particularly at the Walt Disney World Resort. First and foremost, Disney has announced that the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser will cease operations in a few months. We explore why this is coming to an end, and most importan...

The biggest guest complaint at Disney Parks is how long the waits are. Guests are always wondering how they can enjoy the experience without getting worn out waiting for one ride after another. Tools such as the Disney app showing wait times, or Touring Plans can direct guests as to where to go next when they are in the parks. But those tools don't always offer context as to what is happening that...

We continue our series focusing on the many lands of Disneyland Paris. This week we explore Fantasyland, which not only built out one of the elegant versions of this land, but sought to create a level of whimsy and magic well beyond just being another European village, which can be found anywhere on this continent. We explore the many attractions, restaurants and retail experiences. A study of all...

Big announcements were made to the Disney experience that affects your reservations, your stay and potentially your dining experience. We will walk through these announcements and try to understand what is happening and what is not. We’re also going to try our hand on why all of this is about 2024 and not a day or month sooner. Are there additional changes we like to see that haven’t been announce...

Some of Walt Disney World’s best restaurant experiences are within her resorts, and the deluxe resorts are the focal point of that kind of dining, epicurean adventure. We visit two such restaurants. First we check out Narcoose’s for dinner with John and Lori Scali at Disney’s Grand Floridian Restaurant. Then my wife and I enjoy an evening at Artist Point for a character meal with Snow White, Dopey...

There is so much happening in the Disney parks and resorts across the world, and it's time to catch up. From Walt Disney World to Disneyland, From Paris to Tokyo, there are really cool things happening and we want to share them with you. Even happenings on the Disney Cruise Line as they celebrate their 25th anniversary. And yes...there are some lawsuits as well. We'll take a few moments to catch y...

The response to Tron Lightcycle/Run in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World has been phenomenal. Guests love the thrill experience, and comparisons are made constantly between it and the new Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rerun. But there's more than just the ride at the center of this attraction. We look at new food & beverage concoctions made available at Energy Bytes. We visit the newly renov...

It's hard to believe that Disney's Animal Kingdom is 25 years old! And with it come so many memories of a park that is truly distinct among all other Disney theme parks worldwide. Join me on on this 25th birthday celebrating not only the park but Earth day. I visit each of the lands of the park and share some unique memories not only of my own experiences here professionally and with my family, bu...

Since D23 last summer there have been many rumors about if and what kinds of expansion plans are in the works for Magic Kingdom. At that time WDW Imagineering Portfolio head Chris Beatty and Walt Disney Animation head Jennifer Lee joined Josh D'Amaro on some blue sky dreaming of what might happen in the Magic Kingdom. Since then a big change came with a new CEO to Disney. With that came even more...

In this special Disney Insights podcast, we review what was shared Monday, April 17th in a News Conference Governor Ron DeSantis held at The Reedy Creek Improvement District Headquarters in Lake Buena Vista. Many sound bites were shared during this conference, but we take a look at the details of the conference and how the governor is firing back at Disney. And we'll look at the implications to yo...

This week we bring back to you an interview we did with Tom Morris back in 2019. This segment showcases not only Tom's work with Disneyland Paris, but that of his colleagues during that time. It's a perfect piece to return to as we continue our Disneyland Paris series on each of the themed lands of this park. While references occur to Disney at Work and Disney at Play, we do bring to you many of t...

My friend Brian went to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon only to find it was closed for capacity during Easter weekend. What happened? By sharing a chronology of nine different water park experiences here in Orlando, we'll offer you context on what is occurring in the very competitive water park arena here in Central Florida. We'll also examine certain red flags that are on the horizon not just for water p...

It may be Paris, but somehow Disney has managed to bring the jungle to the City of Love. In this podcast we bring you Disneyland Paris's Adventureland. This land begins with the streets of Agrabbah, only Disney's Aladdin wasn't even a hit film until after the attraction was designed, constructed and opened. While adjoining Frontierland has no Tom Sawyer Island, this land offers an Adventure Isle o...

On April 3rd, The Walt Disney Company held its 2023 Shareholder Meeting. This meeting included recorded and live portions, to include a question and answer session. We look at the highlights of that presentation and what it means for Disney moving forward. Difficult issues were put forward and more than just responding to them, Bob Iger as CEO set a tone for the shareholder meeting in a way that w...

There are many things happening across Disney these last few days and possibly bigger events in the days to come, so before things move on it's time to acknowledge the news about what is happening in this year's International Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot in Walt Disney World. It's been happening for a couple of weeks now, but we wanted to do a more thorough review and offer insights for visit...

After what has perhaps been the longest wait for an announced restaurant, Roundup Rodeo Barbecue has finally opened in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. What is this restaurant all about and is it worth dining at? We look at the setting, the food and the service. And at the end we compare it to other barbecue offerings around Walt Disney World and even beyond. We e...

Welcome to what is the first podcast under our new title, Disney Insights. Since there are so many new listeners, I decided that I wanted to bring my most popular podcast back for this, our first Disney Insights podcast. It will reference both Disney at Play and Disney at Work, but that's okay because Disney Insights builds on the previous podcasts and posts we have done over the years. This parti...

Last week as part of the press event for Tron, details-sparsely given-were provided on Epcot Celebration and construction at the heart of Epcot that never seems to end. Given an important image made public a few years ago, we seek to explain why this section of Epcot is going to become what it is. It also will help us to understand why the uniquely designed Festival Pavilion never got built and wh...

Howdy! Welcome as we continue our series on Disneyland Paris with a left turn into Frontierland. The French love the American West and Disney delivered a version that is truly over the top. Here you get favorites like Big Thunder Mountain, but you also get Disney's version of the Haunted Mansion, known as Phantom Manor. The Rivers of the American West offers an impressive experience. And this is t...