Disney Insights

  We visit Epcot on a beautiful Spring day as we see blossoms and topiaries in full bloom during this year's flower & garden festival. It begins at the entrance of the park, where new flag stanchions, and a beautiful new score welcomes guests as they first enter the park. We check out flower & garden favorites such as the butterfly corner in Future World and the container gardens in Italy. We talk...

We spend an evening visiting the Magic Kingdom to check out the crowds, construction, and the latest happenings at the park. During our time we take you on a spin at the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. We head over to the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland and the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square. We then take a look at what's happening at "it's a small world" and Mickey's PhilarMagic. We check...

More guests are deciding to return to the parks even though restrictions and restraints due to COVID-19 are still in play. With little expectation that such restrictions will change much over the remainder of the year, guests planning a visit in the months to come must make important choices as to how they dine. This is always a big part of the Disney theme park experience, but its relevance is ev...

On a very windy and rainy day we head out to Epcot to check on a number of activities going on. Before entering the park, we take a look at the new colorful Leave a Legacy display that has been added to the front entrance to the park. Inside we talk about new announcements made for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, to include a new light aesthetic being planned for Spaceship Earth. We check ou...

Bettina Crzeskowiak is no ordinary Disney Cast Member. Her story of seeking out an opportunity to work at Epcot in Germany is just a sampling of her tenacity. She also was part of the original team when the Disney Wonder launched. But her own life story beyond that is what really makes Bettina truly magical, as she fought poverty, abuse and other challenges only to rise to become a leader in helpi...

Some of the greatest gems in Disney's theme parks are not so easily seen or known. A term given to these treasures is "sleeper" attractions. We talk about what this term means, share an example from Epcot's Cranium Command, and then set sail across the globe to see examples of great "sleeper" attractions in Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney, and Tokyo Disney Resort. You may h...

The Walt Disney Company held it's quarterly call for the first quarter. We take an in-depth look at the announcements and references made for its theme parks and beyond. We look specifically at The Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and all parks globally. We not only share what was stated during the quarterly call, but what has been shared by leaders elsewhere. More importantly we give f...

There is an architectural expression that "form follows function". But in our recent stay at Disney's Boardwalk & Villas, we found that the unique form that creates Boardwalk's turn-of-century charm can sometimes stand in the way or at least make one forget that function does really matter. We'll look at different elements of a stay, from arrival and check in, to rooms themselves. We'll explore re...

We are long overdue for an update at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and despite a little rain, it was a great time to be in the park. We check out what's happening in Pandora, and then passing through Africa, we talk of the good news and bad news of Festival of the Lion King returning this summer. What does it mean for all Walt Disney World shows? From there we try out what may be the best counter servi...

We stroll the Magic Kingdom on a beautiful, sunny, but cool day. The crowds are soft but the park looks great. We check out all the lands of the park, and we look at not one, but three character cavalcades as they flow through the park. We talk about changes to the Jungle Cruise, and construction on Tron. We discuss rumors and headline bating around the PeopleMover and The Hall of Presidents. We a...

Classic attractions at Disney like the World Famous Jungle Cruise are nothing to take for "granite" especially when others consider it to be sandstone. Disney has announced changes to the Jungle Cruise at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. These changes breathe new life into this venerable and popular attraction, while at the same time being thoughtful and respectful and more inclusive. We loo...

Aye, Matey, Welcome Aboard! This be Disney at Plays and I'm your host, Captain Jeff Kober. We be sailing the Seven Seas today looking at Pirates of the Caribbean the world over. Only we're not just looking at the rides themselves, we are looking at the entire lands in which they are placed in. We're taking a look at theming, entertainment, dining, shopping, additional attractions and so much more....

We have a big update from Epcot as the gates to the new section of France where the Ratatouille attraction will be has now opened. With the ride waiting to open shortly, we check out the path leading to this new corner of Epcot. We also find Elsa making outdoor meet 'n' greet experiences in Norway. Lots of discoveries are made as we visit the Epcot International Festival of the Arts to include tes...

We are promptly at Disney's Hollywood Studios at its official opening time of 9:00 am to check out the park. We usually suggest getting earlier, but we decide to see what the park is like right at opening. Our first hour we are able to do Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway as well as Rise of the Resistance. We check out the construction on the new Toy Story Barbecue Restaurant, and look at new me...

If there weren't enough major announcements coming out of Disney Parks this week, it has now been announced that Disneyland is ending its annual pass program. We'll study the announcement, study the response that has been made by Disneyland fans, look at the ramifications of this announcement as well as the solutions for moving forward. I'll also share my personal experience with Disneyland's annu...

Walt Disney World made two major announcements that affect not only guests staying on property but also annual pass holders. It was announced that Disney's Magical Express providing complimentary airport transportation to and from The Walt Disney World Resort will be discontinued in 2022. Also announced was Early Theme Park Entry that will replace Extra Magic Hours that provided exclusive resort e...

Our family visits Epcot on a cold but sunny start to its annual International Festival of the Arts. We check out the new fountain outside Spaceship earth, plus construction on Innoventions West and Guardians of the Galaxy, which is taking over the Universe of Energy. Then its on to Epcot's Taste of International Festival of the Arts, where we check out activities, booths, food, entertainment and m...

As we experience difficult and heavy news and current events, I think the timing of this podcast is really needed. Jacob and Jonah bring our fourth Kingdom for Kids podcast focusing on Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. These boys have done a wonderful job of articulating their love of this park, and their coverage is both fun and insightful. This podcast is a spoonful of sugar for swal...

Our previous podcast spoke of so many things happening in 2021 across Disney Parks globally, that we didn't have time to do justice to the Disney Cruise Line. While things are moving at a glacial pace compared to the reopening of the parks, they are moving notwithstanding. We look at a number of video presentations done to include new TV spots, a new announcement of the Cinderella statue on the Di...

Despite all of the challenges that the pandemic is bringing on, Walt Disney Attractions is still moving forward with many projects and new attractions. We visit all of the possibilities for 2021 as we go through all of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Parks globally. We'll look at re-opening dates, resuming pre-covid attractions, entertainment & other offerings, new attractions and offeri...

It's the first Monday between Christmas and New Years and we're off to the Magic Kingdom to check out the crowds. We'll visit each land of the park and check out all of the holiday happenings. We'll check on construction going on in the park to include Tron Lightcycle Coaster and a completed exterior to "it's a small world". We see some interesting ways that guests are being moved through other at...

Disney is busy trying to do what it can do to address theme parks around the world re-opening during this Pandemic, while trying to open up the new attractions it previously announced. Yet a new challenge arises with DinoLand. Not only has the Primeval Whirl been shut down for good, but Universal's Islands of Adventure is about to put a new spin on all things Dinosaur with its new Jurassic World V...

Crowds have gathered for this holiday time of year, and so during this week of Christmas, we thought we'd share with you what's going on at Disney's Hollywood Studios. From boarding groups to extended queues to restaurants that are re-opening. Plus some interesting merchandise popping up and selling out. We offer you all the happenings here at the Studios in Walt Disney World. Be sure to check out...

Part of what makes Disney posts and podcasts so much fun is that we get to play armchair quarterback. In that role, we all have our opinions strong and otherwise about movies, shows, characters and attractions found throughout Disney. But sometimes it's more than differing preferences. Sometimes it's an ongoing pessimistic rant of what is wrong with Disney. In that role they can sound not too unli...

We head to Epcot's Festival of the Holidays at Walt Disney World to check out all things at the park and to experience the Cookie Stroll. Along the way we not only sampled five different cookies, but had a chance to see the Jammitors, Joyful and The Voices of Liberty (we provide you their big music number at the very end of the podcast). We check out some construction going on, particularly the ne...