The Parkscope Podcast

This week Joe, Lane, and Mike are joined by theme park and travel journalist Carlye Wisel ! This podcast is jam-packed with news: Josh D'Amaro the new chairman of Disney Parks, Experience, and Products; Disney Springs and CityWalk reopening; SeaWorld aims to reopen in late June; Universal Orlando laying out plans; and Gatorland's Social Distancing Skunk Ape ! Plus Mike's disdain for Disney Springs...

Alex and Alan talk mostly about the world of tomorrow, and we don't mean EPCOT. We literally mean the world...and tomorrow. Also some stuff about Indiana Beach and Alan's poor choices of YouTube viewing.

It's a full house with Joe, Lane, Mike, Nick, and Sean! This week we welcome back to the podcast Len Testa of The Unofficial Guide and Touring Plans to discuss all the craziest happening in the world of theme parks. Topics include The Bobs, the future of the Disney Cruise Line, how the parks could reopen with COVID-19, hotel deals, writing the Unofficial Guide, and the guest ratings for the latest...

Joe and Sean are cooped up in their homes, dodging cabin fever, and longing to visit the parks again. So we invited fellow theme park fan and comedy legend Justin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother & Me to the podcast! We talk about all our favorite things from the Disney parks, what a path towards reopening them would look like, our favorite restaurants at WDW, and more. Visit TheMcElroy.famil...

We are back baby! With nearly every park in the world currently closed, Joe, Alan, and Alex decide to discuss another park that closed in 2005: the odd duck Astroworld . Opened in 1968 and designed by the same man who brought us Six Flags over Texas, Kings Island, and Hersheypark; Astroworld offered an assortment of prototype and innovative attractions to the Houston area for nearly 40 years. We t...

Alex talks about his Disneyland Paris trip and the world falls apart. Recorded March 11, 2020, for context.

Time to self-quarantine folks. Joe is joined again by Brian from Inside Universal to discuss all the COVID-19 news. We discuss flattening the curve , preventative measures, the impact on the parks, and have a period of self-reflection on the last decade of theme park coverage. Also, don't be an asshole . House Passes Coronavirus Relief After Democrats Strike Deal With White House Trump’s False Cla...

The world is crumbling and we all we can do is talk about theme parks.   Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal and Banks Lee from Attractions the Show! They preview Universal's Endless Summer Resort - Dockside opening March 17. Then they close out the show covering Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disney's Hollywood Studios and their impressions on this new family ride. All of this whil...

There is so much news this week Joe has teamed up with Andrew Hyde from In The Loop to create a two-episode EP of a podcast! The first half, available here, covers Endless Summer Dockside's food and drinks, Coronavirus closures and concerns, Six Flag's woes, Kings Dominion, South Dakota's new coaster, and the rash of incidents at the Magic Kingdom this past week. On the second podcast available at...

Alan and Alex confront their own mortality in the demise of Apex's amusement park division and decide to dance around it for a long period of time trying to find joy, before embracing the void. Plus the folly of virtual queues, Rise's woes, and more!

Joe, Alan, and Alex join forces to survive the crazy random snowstorm to discuss the latest news! Disney's price increases, Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Hollywood updates, Mission Ferrari ever opening?, and our yearly Owa Update. Finally Alan spills the beans on his long weekend trip to Orlando! He talks about FunSpot, the brutalist MCO airport, and his first time to Universal Orlando i...

Talking about coaster construction from sea to shining sea. And we've got some trip reports too! Alan rides his 1000th coaster, Alex skis, Japan theme park woes, China's shut downs, and more!

The dead speak! Joe is joined by guest Kyle to discuss their long weekend trips over Marathon Weekend. Kyle talks about his first visit to Universal in 23 years, including The Wizarding World and reuniting with ET. Then Joe talks a little about his experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios and riding Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.

In the last episode of the decade, Alan and Alex begin by discussing Alan's trip to Philadelphia as Alex obsesses over the cheesesteak details. Alan talks about his Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Netherlands and nerd out on the perfection of Efteling. Alex discusses his recent trip to Orlando with in-depth details about his first experience with Hollywood studios in nearly 20 years. The current...

Merry Christmas! This week Joe is joined by Ashley from Parks & Wreked to discuss the Hallmark Christmas Movie 'Christmas at Dollywood'! We give our hot takes, all the feels, and what things made us ask what the hallmark? Ok we didn't steal that blatantly from another podcast. But we do talk about how they made the streets of Pidgeon Forge look great, line dancing, creating a parade in three days,...

Joe and Nick are joined by Alex and Danny to discuss the biggest opening in Orlando in years... plus Rise of the Resistance! We go into SPOILERS as we discuss the queue, pre-shows, and ride experience of Rise of the Experience.

We've reached the end of Alex's European vacation! Thanks to all of you who've listened and thanks to Alan and Alex for putting these in the bag so Joe can recharge.

Alex. Europe. Part 3.

Bathe in the immersion as Alan and Alex return to discuss the next part of Alex's massive European trip.

We're not letting Halloween go without a fight as Joe is joined by Alex and Dan to discuss Halloween Horror Nights 29. We will cover their second opinions of the event, including Dan's thoughts on attending the event for the first time. Plus some discussion on the Kings Dominion coaster leak.

Another massive Parkscope trip is in the books and Joe, Mike, and Nick cover all the non-Horror Nights things they did this trip. We cover the final showing of Illuminations, the Japanese signature dining experince Takumi-Tei, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, the Skyliner, and more at Disney. Over at Unviersal we talk about our stay at Endless Summer Resort, Hagrid, Bigfire, and more. Plus news from the p...

In this episode Alan and Alex discuss the latest news including the closing of Vortex at Kings Island. Then Alex discusses his European trip in the first part of his trip report. First he discusses... the let downs from the trip.  

Yup, it's that time of the year again. Mike, Nick, and Joe give our thoughts, impressions, and final review of Halloween Horror Nights 29. We discuss the houses, scare zones, shows, merch, and food of this years event. Overall we would consider this a weak year, but one made fun thanks to the peopel we attended the event with.

In this episode Joe and Jeff are joined by Justin Stone from the WDW Tales podcast to discuss the 20th anniversary of the Millennium Celebration! Held from October 1, 1999 till December 31, 2000, the Millennium Celebration featured new attractions around the resort, a refresh of Epcot as the global hub of the celebration, new programs, and even a Super Bowl Halftime show. In this commemorative pod...

Alan, Joe, and Mike hunker down for a long episode covering Six Flag's announcements of The Jersey Devil and Aquaman, Busch and SeaWorld announcements, and SeaWorld's ongoing power struggle and layoffs. Then we discuss Alan's first trip to Japan where he discusses the culture, the health of the amusement industry in the country, and his thoughts on Tokyo Disney Resort.