See WDW! Near & Far

11/20/20 - We are back with episode 26 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, John talks about the media preview of the Give Kids the World Holiday Event. He was invited to by GKtW to the official media preview. This gave him an even better opportunity to understand what the organization is all about and see the final state the houses were in before the general public got to check it out.  N...

11/13/20 - We are back with episode 25 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we discuss reasons you might consider a vacation to Universal Orlando instead of Walt Disney World. What is different and special about Universal? How does it compare to the offerings at Disney? We discuss everything from intellectual property to the resort hotels. Join us for a change of pace as we explore this al...

11/6/20 - We are back with episode 24 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, John talks about his preview of the Give Kids the World Holiday Event. He was invited, by the organization, to check out this event. They are calling it Night of a Million Lights. If you have never heard of this charity, tune in to get some of the details. This event is for a worthy cause and is sponsored by most of...

10/30/20 - We are back with episode 23 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we turn our attention to the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). Why is this resort so popular? We discuss DVC renting, things to do at the resort, and the places to eat. In the end, we hope this podcast will peak your interest to at least visit AKL and catch the savanna or get a bite to eat. AKL truly is a destination, in...

10/27/20 - We are back with episode 22 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we return to our discussion on the direction the Walt Disney company is taking WDW. Specifically, we discuss the Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios. We discuss retheming attractions, IP attractions, and talk about how the company is handling things going forward. What do we think about Galaxy's Edge and...

10/18/20 - We are back with episode 21 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we discuss the Disney layoffs and how John's family is dealing with the aftermath. This podcast was actually recorded shortly after the actual layoff occurred. It took a while to get this out there so some of the references might be dated by a week or two. Understand that this podcast is the most raw and unchained...

10/2/20 - We are back with episode 20 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we discuss the direction the Walt Disney company is taking WDW. Specifically, we discuss the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We discuss retheming attractions, IP attractions, and talk about how the company is handling things going forward. We let it all out on this one and reveal some of our more controversial opinions. Tu...

9/25/20 - We are back with episode 19 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we return to and conclude our series discussing the details of making the move to the Orlando area. This series covers everything from the beginning. We take you on John's journey from regular park visitor, DVC owner, and Pennsylvania resident, to the big move. This is from the perspective of a middle class family....

9/17/20 - We are taking a little break from the moving to Orlando series to cover Mike's trip to Walt Disney World on the week of Labor Day. He and his wife drove the 1000 miles from Pennsylvania and back to experience the parks and resorts as things currently exist. We discuss the experience from the vacationing perspective during this period of safety measures. We also discuss the conditions at...

9/11/20 - We are back with episode 17 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we continue our series discussing the details of making the move to the Orlando area. This series covers everything from the beginning. We take you on John's journey from regular park visitor, DVC owner, and Pennsylvania resident, to the big move. This is from the perspective of a middle class family. As a result, t...

9/4/20 - We are back with episode 16 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we start a new series discussing the details of making the move to the Orlando area. This series will cover everything from the beginning. We will take you on John's journey from regular park visitor, DVC owner, and Pennsylvania resident, to the big move. This is from the perspective of a middle class family. As a re...

8/28/20 - We are back with episode 15 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we discuss our favorite quick service park. Quick service is Disney's term for counter service or fast food options. We have tackled our favorite individual quick service restaraunts, in the past. In this episode, we take a broader look at what we feel is the best overall park for these food options. Here's a hint,...

8/20/20 - We are back with episode 14 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we give you some tips and options for when the parks are overcrowded. Whether it is a holiday, event, or just peak season the Disney parks tend to draw the crowds. Before the pandemic, the concept of an offseason had all but faded away. After the pandemic, with new attractions, and the likelihood of aggressive marke...

8/14/20 - We are back with episode 13 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we conclude our series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. Previously we talked about Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios/MGM, EPCOT, and Magic Kingdom. This week we discuss outside of the parks. This episode is a bonus discussion in that...

8/7/20 - We are back with episode 12 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we continue our series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. Previously we talked about Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios/MGM, and EPCOT. This week we discuss Magic Kingdom. This episode is part two of our Magic Kingdom discussion. We hope...

7/30/20 - We are back with episode 11 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we continue our series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. Previously we talked about Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios/MGM, and EPCOT. This week we discuss Magic Kingdom. This episode will be in two parts with the conclusion, next week....

7/23/20 - We are back with episode 10 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we take a break from our park experience series to talk about the reopening of the parks. John has been there and gives us all the details. You will not want to miss this one. Especially if you have a trip planned before the end of the year.  You can send comments and questions to see.wdwnearandfar@gmail.com Wh...

7/16/20 - We are back with episode 9 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we continue our series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. Last week we talked about Disney's Hollywood Studios/MGM. This week we discuss EPCOT. We hope you come along with us on this experiential journey. You can send comments and questions to se...

7/9/20 - We are back with episode 8 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we continue our series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. Last week we talked about Disney's Animal Kingdom. This week we discuss Disney's Hollywood Studios. We hope you come along with us on this experiential journey. You can send comments and qu...

7/2/20 - We are back with episode 7 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. This week, we start a new series covering the experiences, memories, smells, objects, etc. that remind us of our trips to the Disney parks. We are going park-to-park starting with Disney's Animal Kingdom. We hope you come along with us on this experiential journey.  You can send comments and questions to see.wdwnearandfar@g...

6/24/20 - We are back with episode 6 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. In January of 2020, Mike and his wife planned their first kid-free trip to Walt Disney World taking advantage of free dining offers. A few months later, the parks would be closed indefinitely for the first time in history. Fast forward to June and the parks are starting to open. However, Disney opening comes with some major cha...

6/17/20 - We are back with episode 5 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. In January of 2020, Mike and his wife planned their first kid-free trip to Walt Disney World taking advantage of free dining offers. A few months later, the parks would be closed indefinitely for the first time in history. Fast forward to June and the parks are starting to open. However, Disney opening comes with some major cha...

6/10/20 - We are back with episode 4 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. We take a deep dive into their favorite dining experiences. From character dining to quick service and a few surprises in between, there is something for everyone. These are our best experiences and not necessarily a top down list. We hope you join us and listen in on the conversation.  You can send comments and questions...

6/3/20 - We are back with episode 3 of See WDW! Near and Far podcast. Mike and John count down their WDW theme park lists with some unexpected results. Join us as we go in depth with the reasons for each choice. We hope you enjoy this fun, thought provoking, and memorable conversation. Who we are - John, the founder of See WDW and See UO lives in the Orlando area. This makes him the "near" of this...

5/27/20 - We are back with episode 2. We discuss Disney transportation in all of its forms. From the buses to the boats. We cover it all! We discuss our favorite and worst experiences and talk about what we like or don't like with all of these forms of transportation. In our freestyle segment, John discusses his family and friends experience at the Disney Springs opening including a certain incide...