Turkey Leg Talk

How can you possibly squeeze a full day of experiencing the history of the Walt Disney Company into a less than 2 hour podcast? We'll do our best on Episode 129: Imagineering, Disney Studio, the Archives & More! If you've ever dreamed of walking where Walt Disney walked, touching what he touched, and seeing and hearing what he saw and heard, then this episode is meant for you. I hope you enjoy it!

This week I have been lucky enough to spend a few days in Southern California and in Disneyland. I've done more in a 3 day span that a lot of Disney fans might get to do in a lifetime, and I'm not taking any of that for granted! One of the cool things I got to do was record this episode live while I was walking around Disneyland park. I hope you enjoy Episode 128: A Walking Tour of Disneyland! The...

Over the years there have been many stories to come out of Walt Disney World. This week I wanted to focus on the ones whose authenticity are most debated. This is the Walt Disney World Word of the Week – Falsehoods. There's a basketball hoop in the Matterhorn? True. There's an underground tunnel system beneath Magic Kingdom? True. Walt is frozen under Pirates of the Caribbean? Let's find out!

Walt Disney World's attractions are full of fantastic and magical scenes. Where else could you sail with Pirates, become the 1000th Happy Haunt, or search for the mysterious Yeti in the Himalayas? This week is all about our top scenes of all time! Check out Episode 127: Favorite WDW Attraction Scenes! Join us this week as we travel past wondrous castles and through the Hundred Acre Wood, ending up...

On it's a food world, we mostly focus on the food, obviously. But some restaurants in Walt Disney World offer so much more than dining options. 50's Prime Time Cafe mixes a fantastic and fun dining experience along with some great menu options. I hope you enjoy it's a food world – 50's Prime Time Cafe. Fantastic meatloaf & fried chicken? Check! Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake? Check! Fun, hilariou...

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." This is a quote from Walt Disney about his passion project, Disneyland Park. Much like Disneyland (which we do touch on in this show), Walt Disney World too will never be completed. We'll take a look at all of the latest updates coming to WDW this week on Episode 126: WDW Under Constru...

Epcot has no shortage of restaurants and other places to eat. With a table service restaurant in every country's pavilion (besides American Adventure), you could eat a different meal in the park every night for months and never have the same thing twice. This week, however, it's all about American cuisine on it's a food world – Liberty Inn. Liberty Inn might be in the perfect location for lunch or...

I don't know about you, but when I talk about Walt Disney World with my friends and family I tend to focus on the rides. There are so many fantastic WDW attractions and rides that we often leave the shows and entertainment out. This week is all about the entertainment on Episode 125: WDW Entertainment Cheat Sheet. When it comes to the shows and entertainment all over WDW, figuring out what to see...

Walt Disney first unveiled his plans for his Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow in 1966. Unfortunately, he passed away that same year. Who knows what Epcot would have become if he had lived to see the city or park built. This week, I'll talk all about what Epcot did become as a theme park on the Word of the Week – Edutainment. With all of the changes coming to Epcot, is it moving away fr...

As Walt Disney World fans, we all like to think we know everything about the parks we love. From restaurants to attractions to shows to the little things, there's nothing we don't already have a handle on. I'm hoping to debunk that thought process on Episode 124: Things You Never Knew About Magic Kingdom. This week, Johnny Shortsleeve and I go head to head, trying to stump each other on lesser-kno...

The Disney Dining Plan has undergone a lot of changes over the years. This week, my goal is to help you understand exactly what you'd be buying on the Word of the Week – Dining Plans (2018 Edition). To add a Dining Plan or to not add a Dining Plan. That is the question. Well, hopefully I have the answer this week! I'll talk all about the Dining Plans and help you decide!

Walt Disney World has become known for having a wide variety of restaurants that will interest almost any appetite. But what happens when you don't want to take the time to sit inside a restaurant to eat. Snack Day, of course! This one is all about the snacks! Enjoy Episode 123: Snacking Around Walt Disney World! The challenge: to spend a day in WDW eating only snacks. This week we will tell you h...

Since the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York, Disney has been synonymous with dark rides. From "it's a small world" to Na'vi River Journey, these attractions have been entertaining guests for generations. This week my guest and I talk about our favorites on Episode 122: Favorite Disney Dark Rides. How does a Disney super fan choose his or her FAVORITE dark rides? I have to tell you, this was a tou...

As Disney fans, we've all heard the story of Walt Disney, watching his daughters on the Merry Go Round while sitting alone on a Griffith Park bench. What you might not have heard is the history of that carousel and the other carousels in the American Disney theme parks. I'll tell you all about it on this week's Word of the Week – Carrousel. I hope we never lose sight of one thing…that it was all s...

New York Times Bestselling Author Ridley Pearson stops by this week to talk all things Disney, Kingdom Keepers, Peter and the Starcatchers, and more! I hope you enjoy Episode 121: Kingdom Keepers Author Ridley Pearson! Bestselling author Ridley Pearson stops by to talk all about his backstage access to the parks, resorts, and cruise ships, Kingdom Keepers, and the new series of books he's working...

I'm a lucky guy. I have the amazing opportunity to talk to Disney Legend and retired Imagineer Bob Gurr pretty frequently. Bob is an original WED employee and an original Imagineer. Walt Disney personally hired Bob to design vehicles for Disneyland way back in 1954. I ask Bob questions, both from myself and from listeners to the show, and he answers. On this particular occasion, his answer was so...

On April 22, 1998, Walt Disney World's fourth theme park opened to the public. This week it's all about a theme park gone wild as we discuss the best and worst of it all in Episode 120: Disney's Animal Kingdom Turns Twenty. From dragons to droppings, on the park's 20th birthday, we talk all about the best and the worst of Disney's Animal Kingdom's first twenty years!

Disney's Wilderness Lodge is full of fantastic places to eat like Roaring Fork, Artist Point, and Geyser Point. No restaurant is more fun there though than Whispering Canyon Cafe! Which is why we're talking about it on this week's it's a food world – Whispering Canyon Cafe! Could this be the perfect WDW restaurant? Fun? Check. Great food? Check. Ketchup? You'll have to ask for that one on your own...

Walking through Magic Kingdom a couple of weeks ago, it was difficult to move through the crowds. The parks were packed each and every day we were there, but my family and I still had an absolute blast. How? I'll tell you on Episode 119: How to Avoid Having a Horrible Trip! I want you to have an amazing trip to WDW! Listen in as I go over my strategic formula that will ensure that you have a magic...

Wait, what? Right now you're saying, "Hey, Phil, you stopped doing Word of the Week shows several weeks ago, didn't you!?" Well, hold onto your hats and glasses, because it's time for the Word of the Week – Audio Animatronics! The return of the Word of the Week show features the history of one of the most beloved parts of the Disney theme parks, the Audio Animatronics!

A Disney Vacation should be a trip that absolutely anyone can take. Sometimes, though, it might take a little bit of extra planning and effort to make sure everyone has the same, magical Disney experience. We try to help with this week's show, Episode 118: Disney Vacations with Special Needs. Having just experienced a vacation to WDW & aboard a DCL ship where we needed some extra help, my wife & h...

The Disney Land and Sea Vacation is a phenomenal vacation combination. A few days in Walt Disney World followed by a jaunt on the Disney Cruise Line is an amazing experience. My family and I just returned and I thought I'd share all of the stories from our trip on Episode 117: Disney World & Disney Cruise Recap! Follow along this week as I tell you all about my family's trip to Walt Disney World a...

Once in a while I have the chance to talk to someone who has done some pretty amazing work with the Disney Company. This week was one of those weeks. I was lucky enough to have a chat with Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti! Jeff Kurtti has done it all, from Imagineering, to writing more than 20 books about Disney, to opening the Walt Disney Family Museum. Get ready for a fascinating guy with a fascinat...

When thinking about food at Disney's Contemporary Resort, so many locations come to mind: Chef Mickey's, California Grill, and The Wave all come to mind. One place that should come to mind, however, is Contempo Cafe! With the Magic Kingdom within walking distance & the WDW Monorail whizzing by overhead, there aren't many better locations to grab a meal than the Contempo Cafe!

We've all had those moments in the Walt Disney World theme parks: you're walking through a land or riding an attraction and all of a sudden, BAM, you feel like you're in the movie! That's what made us think of Episode 115: WDW Attractions That Make You Feel Like You're In A Movie! Have you ever gotten lost in the moment in WDW? You're on an attraction and forget that you're not actually there, in...