Disney Insights

The Global Attractions Index Report was recently released by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and the Economics Practice at AECOM. We look at how Disney has fared in the last four years from 2018 to 2021. This includes both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And we compare those numbers how Universal is doing on both coasts. Of course COVID played a big role in every park dropping attenda...

What happens when a Disney cruise you take is longer than the time you spent planning for it? That's nearly what happened when we chose to go on the Disney Dream with little notice. At the heart of that decision was a change in vaccination policy that allowed our son to board. We'll go into that and the challenges getting everyone on board. But at the real heart of this cruise was the time we spen...

We return to our 50th anniversary series where we see the Magic Kingdom as brand new Disney Cast Members learned about it back in 1971. We've covered Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square & Fantasyland. The smallest and most unprepared of all the lands was Tomorrowland. Technically it opened with only two attractions. Yet the handbook offers insights that we don't seem to have f...

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting a dozen senior directors and managers from a non-profit organization in a week-long program at Walt Disney World. These individuals were wanting to improve the workforce experience back home. This experience encompassed four Disney theme parks in as many days plus visits to two world-class organizations, JetBlue and Give Kids the World. Since many of...

Welcome to Fantasyland! We return to our 50th anniversary series where we see the Magic Kingdom as brand new Disney Cast Members learned about it back in 1971. Again, Walt Disney World is set to open. You have thousands of new Cast Members, most of whom have never seen a Disney theme park, and you need to orient them to that experience. The only problem is that the park isn’t open or ready yet eit...

On this the 40th anniversary of Epcot, I feel it well to ask the question: "What is Epcot?" For most every Disney fan out there, the answer is Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. We explore what that means and what its implication is to the world we live in today. Beyond the idea of a physical city, or an eventual world's fair-style experience, I believe that Epcot is more than a brick a...

Hurricane Ian has just come and gone from Central Florida. Being in the middle of it and so many others like it, perhaps it's time to share some of my experiences dealing with hurricanes, their cleanup and most of all, my experience with Disney during those times. But we want to cover more than hurricanes. There are tornados, earthquakes and even typhoons. And no, we're not talking Typhoon Lagoon....

After a break for all things D23 we return to our 50th anniversary series where we see the Magic Kingdom as brand new Disney Cast Members learned about it back in 1971. Again, Walt Disney World is set to open. You have thousands of new Cast Members, most of whom have never seen a Disney theme park, and you need to orient them to that experience. The only problem is that the park isn’t open or read...

Disney Parks D23 Presentation has come and gone, and it's left a lot of uncertainty in its wake. Many podcasters and bloggers have already expressed their confusion. In truth, the crowd at D23 largely seemed like they were very pleased with the presentation. And if everything that was even mentioned was created or actually built, it would be fairly amazing. There was nothing presented that wasn't...

Disney's official fan convention, D23 Expo, just concluded at the Anaheim Convention Center. It's where thousands and thousands of fans gather, and we are bringing you down through the expo floor to see it all. In this vlogcast, we'll showcase exhibits Disney has put together from the Disney Archives 100th anniversary to the Mickey One, Walt Disney's own personal plane. We'll look at the vendors a...

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth. We bring to you a walk through of Disneyland on the eve of D23. We start from the JW Marriott hotel where I am staying to show the spectacular views of the Disneyland Resort in the distance. We then move into the park to walk through the entire guest experience from Main Street, U.S.A. to Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Galaxy's Edge, Critter Country, New Orleans...

With D23 just days away many podcasts include ours have all called out the need for a new Tomorrowland--particularly at Disneyland, where it has idled poorly over the years. Since Disney desires new and revised attractions to be linked to intellectual properties they own, we first visit what those options are and their suitability for being in the parks. We also look at the overarching direction o...

We bring you Part III of our series where it’s 1971 and Walt Disney World is set to open. You have thousands of new Cast Members, most of whom have never seen a Disney theme park, and you need to orient them to that experience. The only problem is that the park isn’t open or ready yet either. So how do you give them that understanding? Enter a series of handbooks put out by the University of Walt...

It's been three years since the last D23 and that means that it's time to really make some major announcements on what's happening in Disney Parks worldwide. While we don't have a lot of inside scoop on what's being announced, we do have some interesting notions. Moreover, we have a wish list that would keep the Blue Fairy busy for the next 5-7 years. We'll visit Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, T...

Welcome to Part II of our series where it’s 1971 and Walt Disney World is set to open. You have thousands of new Cast Members, most of whom have never seen a Disney theme park, and you need to orient them to the park. The only problem is that the park isn’t open or ready yet either. So how do you give them that understanding? Enter a series of handbooks put out by the University of Walt Disney Wor...

In late August 2019 Bob Chapek, then responsible for Disney Parks & Attractions, stood up in D23 and announced an enormous slate of new attractions coming not only across the globe, but specifically Walt Disney World. At the time our post showcased some 75 new attractions, restaurants, shops, entertainment, hotels and more. We'll go back in time to see what has happened, and what is still yet to h...

It's 1971 and Walt Disney World is set to open. You have thousands of new Cast Members, most of whom have never seen a Disney theme park, and you need to orient them to the park. The only problem is that the park isn't open or ready yet either. So how do you give them that understanding? Enter a series of handbooks put out by the University of Walt Disney World. In a series of handbooks, Cast Memb...

You would think that with the pandemic pretty much behind us that there everything is back to normal here at Walt Disney World. Well...not quite. We spend a fairly busy time between Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios discussing all of the attractions, entertainment stores, and restaurants and in all four parks and beyond. You may be fairly surprised buy what's happening and what has yet...

This month the new MagicBand+ was released to guests visiting Walt Disney World. Is it worth it? Anyone who has heard enough of my podcasts probably knows where I'm going to side on this product. Still, it's a good time to take another look at this very popular product so many guests utilize during their stay at Walt Disney World. We'll look at the timeline that brought us to today. We'll then ste...

This last week there has been considerable press of a park in Pennsylvania that many people didn't know about before it hit the news. Sesame Place brings Sesame Street to life in a theme park setting especially tailored for children. Or at least it should. The controversy this week centered around a walk-around character named Rosita. A family visiting the park and others have claimed the characte...

This summer marks the 50th year of the premiere of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade. I saw it that first summer it came out and I've been spellbound ever since. With a timeline, we'll look at the entire history of this parade experience. The Main Street Electrical Parade is a technological pioneer and has created innovations we see in Disney parades today. We'll look at its predecessors...

Many Disney fans were stunned last week when Disney's Board of Directors announced CEO Bob Chapek's contract had been extended. While insiders expected this, many are still puzzled as to why when they see prices going up in the parks, quality going down at the movies, and politics whirling everything around in between. I wasn't in "the room where it happened" but we can look at a number of factors...

Want to get a glimpse of the Disney Wish? We welcome you to this podcast, perhaps the first to look at The Disney Cruise Line's newest ship. David, Leah and their family had the good fortune of a special complimentary preview sailing across the Atlantic Ocean as the Disney Wish left Germany and headed to Port Canaveral in Florida. While many things were still being readied for the unveiling of thi...

This July marks the 10th anniversary that a 2.0 Disney California Adventure was re-dedicated by Bob Iger. At the expense of some 1.1 billion dollars, this was at the time the most comprehensive park redo ever attempted. Still, in the first year of re-opening, park attendance went up some 23% and it became far more equal in terms of balancing out the number of guests visiting it and its sister park...

During this 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney Resort, I would be amiss if I didn't pay homage to great attractions that have come and gone from the original park, Magic Kingdom. I celebrate my top 10 favorite and now forgotten attractions that I miss--and include in that number a few that I never had the chance to see. Are there attractions and rides that you miss? Compare your list to mine as w...