Disney Insights

Do you need Genie+? We explore what it's like in this Lightning Lane world of visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios without any of the cost extras that have been put in place in the Disney Parks. Our family gets in line for Rise of the Resistance, and enjoys a number of attractions, many of which are walk well before the park closes. This comes on the heals of having spent a day at Magic Kingdom usi...

We visit the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on the first day of the new Genie, Genie+ and Lightening Lane program. We look at what it involves to get it set up in the morning prior; we discuss the differences between booking at a hotel or off property; We look at some of the challenges in booking and whether you can book attractions at other parks whether it's with Genie+ or with select attrac...

Part of the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World was the premiere of Disney KiteTails at Disney's Animal Kingdom. We look at this surprisingly cute little offering, which includes two shows, one based on Disney's The Lion King and the other based on Disney's The Jungle Book. We also share other happenings going on throughout the park to include 50th anniversary offerings and more.

Many fans are aware of the Look and Life magazines which came out with covers and articles about the opening of Walt Disney World in October of 1971. Because it didn't have a cover photo, few have remembered Time Magazine's offering, and even less have referred to it. For me personally, it was the very first introduction to me of Walt Disney World in Florida. Its essay, maps and photos unfold litt...

In the last hours of a weekday news cycle Disney chose to release further details around their new Genie+ product, which will launch on Tuesday, October 19th. That's a sign as to whether or not guests will be happy with what's being laid out before them. Along with David Zanolla, we study those details, to include pricing, availability to on-property and off-property guests (not to mention annual...

Disney has called Harmonious one of its most complex night-time spectaculars. In truth, Harmonious is ambitious. We look at how we got to this point in time, and examine the show in depth. We look at the song list for this show, and consider comparisons to the earlier Magic Kingdom fireworks show of Happily Ever After. We study all of the technical aspects that make up this show, and how it comes...

It's not a small thing when a new fireworks show appears at Walt Disney World, and with the 50th Golden Anniversary of Walt Disney World, the Magic Kingdom has a new show in the form of "Disney Enchantment". We talk about the entire experience of seeing the show for the first time on October 1st 2021, of the crowded conditions, and of the show itself. We'll look at its technical merits and importa...

We are here on the morning of Walt Disney World's 50th Golden Anniversary at the Magic Kingdom. Here we have a chance to see the new welcome Cinderella Castle Show. We have a chance to see the head of Walt Disney Attractions Josh D'Amaro and visit with Jeff Vahle who is head of the Walt Disney World Resort. We check in with several woman who were hosted the original preview center. We check in on...

Tomorrow Walt Disney World will begin its celebration of it's 50th Golden Anniversary with an 18 month celebration. When you come to visit, what will you see? We'll cover all of the happenings in the parks with attractions, entertainment, decor, food & beverage and more. We'll also examine what isn't happening, what is missing in action. Is it possible that Disney will announce and premiere other...

In a space nestled between competing Disney California Adventure attractions, Disney Imagineering has created an entirely new place devoted to the Marvel super heroes. Avengers Campus is truly a unique themed land, with impressive rides, attractions and other offerings. We will look closely at this campus setting, explore its two major attractions, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! and We...

With one week to go prior to Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, we talk about what's new as the resort prepares ahead. We begin at Epcot with a look at the new Club Cool and Celebrations Shop. The Space 220 Restaurant has also opened. Should you go see it? We see statues at all four parks, and in the case of Disney's Hollywood Studios, it may suggest the future of Voyage of the Little Mermaid....

While I've grown up with Disneyland and have visited throughout so many years, it's been two years since I last visited. My return was a much needed one that was marked with simple charms and a beautiful park. It was filled with Disney characters making surprise visits to beautiful flower gardens spread throughout to churros at every turn. Timeless and beloved attractions awaited us as well as exp...

We come to you live from Disneyland where we bring you insights on the issues and concerns with visiting the Disneyland Resort in this unique time. We look at opportunities in pricing and availability of airfares and hotels. WE offer lessons learned when it comes to transportation when visiting the greater Los Angeles area. All of this suggests where you may want to stay when you're visiting. With...

We've had a chance to review Remy's Ratatouille Experience last week. Since then we've visited the attraction another three times and have had a chance to really map out the entire extension of the park behind what has been traditionally considered the France pavilion. In size, the addition is the equivalent if not larger of a World Showcase land like the United Kingdom, or Italy. We canvas the en...

Long overdue, we visit Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World not just for an update at what's currently happening there, but as a chance to discuss various happenings occurring throughout all of Walt Disney World. We see preparations occurring throughout the park for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary. We look at attractions that are re-opening such as Beauty & the Beast: Live on Stage...

The title may seem confusing, after all, there is barely a Disney fan that doesn't know that Walt Disney World opened its doors to its first paid guests on October 1st, 1971. And the official dedication weekend was October 23rd, 24th and 25th, with the last day being the moment Roy O. Disney would dedicate the park. But there's another park opening story, and it's about the first day that families...

With Ratatouille opening at Epcot, we had a sneak peak at this new attraction to Walt Disney World. Riding it three times in a row gave us some insights that we want to share with you. What's the attraction like, how does it compare, and how popular will it be? We'll discuss the new area that it sits in, the queue, and the ride itself. Are you going to want to ride this? You bet! Will you want to...

With a few surprises on several levels, the new annual pass program has been announced for the Walt Disney World Resort. Passes will again be sold to all starting September 8th. There are four tiers and we give you the run through of each, discussing not only what is included but what is not. We also look at water park and photo pass add ons, and what they mean. Is it a good value, and how does it...

Join us for this very action packed Magic Kingdom show where we take happenings from two visits to the park this last week and combine them into one big update. Among the many things happening we check out: Main Street Station Completed 50th Medallion on Cinderella Castle Scaffolding on the Be Our Guest Castle and Mountain New shops, eateries and services re-opened Major paint job on Storybook Cir...

The Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World has been a little slower completing its renovation than Disneyland, but what it offers is fun and so worth checking out. Not only have there been major changes made to the attraction, but there are changes to the queue as well. We'll discuss all of this and how it compares to the Disneyland version. We'll then share some other Jungle Cruise o...

Well...the genie is out of the bottle, and it offers phenomenal additional costs with itty bitty value. We look at this new Genie program, what is known as Genie+ as well as Lightning Lane, along with it's two options. We compare this to the previous Disney programs of FastPass, FastPASS+ and MaxPass. We talk about changes and additions to the apps, what's happening to virtual queues, and how Disa...

Drew Ostler and his family had an opportunity to visit the Disneyland Resort during a few weeks ago right before masks were again required indoors and on attractions. We hear from Drew and his experiences in the park. We offer all the highlights of Avengers Campus and compare it to Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure. We talk about the Coco addition to Mickey's PhilarMagic. We discuss...

After our previous podcast that studied the issues attending to signing up and embarking on the Disney Dream, we bring you an entire review of how that first voyage went. If you are at all thinking about going on a Disney cruise in the weeks and months ahead, this is the podcast for you. We are joined by Leah and David Zanolla of Out The Door Travel, who gives us their insights and perspectives of...

We join David and Leah Zanolla as they prepare and step aboard the Disney Dream for the first cruise since the pandemic began. We'll talk about all the new requirements made of both passengers that have and have not been vaccinated. David & Leah will step aboard to see how things have been modified as the ship takes off on embarkation day. They'll share their impressions not only of the ship and s...

Forget the 2.8 million you need to go into space with Jeff Bezos or even the 250K you need to board Virgin Galactic's space plane. More affordable pricing can be found on the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, even if technically you don't ever really go any higher than your second floor accommodation. Still, meals and more are included in this two night, but not quite two day voyage. We'll look at t...