While last week's post shared lament over the closing of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, we return to Disneyland's 70th Anniversary to celebrate the heritage of Frontierland. While you might think Frontierland is a thing of the past, knowing the past of this land will give you appreciation for the remarkable role it has played in four of Disney's theme parks around the world. We'll step inside the fort entrance to hear some stories many may have never heard before about the history ...
Jul 09, 2025•50 min•Ep. 561
It's been nearly a year since the wake of D23 where we learned that the Rivers of America, the Liberty Belle, and Tom Sawyer Island would be changed out into a new off road Cars experience. The way we learned that news was troublesome--hiding it from the official D23 presentation. But even if they had been more transparent about it, it would still be hard to lose. I've come to terms as I've shared in previous podcasts what's working about what lies ahead for the Rivers of America. I think ultima...
Jul 01, 2025•50 min•Ep. 560
In recent weeks there have been a large number of details released not just for Walt Disney World but for Disneyland as well. While previous podcasts have been reminiscing all things Muppets the end of MuppetVision 3D and taking a look at Adventureland at Disneyland, there have been considerable announcements, hints and insights that have occurred. And we want to cover them all! From Disneyland we'll look at Avatar and Coco at Disney California Adventure, as well as a new park entry. Then we'll ...
Jun 25, 2025•48 min•Ep. 559
Welcome to our ongoing celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary. In many ways, Adventureland is truly the most immersive of all the lands of Disneyland. And yet, from a pedestrian space, it's perhaps one of the smallest. If you're just walking through it you can go from entrance to exit in about a minute. Unless of course Fantasmic! is going on in New Orleans Square and Fireworks are getting ready on Main Street. Then it's one of the most congested places on the map. And yet, day or night, A...
Jun 18, 2025•53 min•Ep. 558
Something happened over the weekend that I probably never quite envisioned. And neither did thousands of guests who always found time to spend a few moments with Jim Henson's Muppet-Vision 3D. We celebrate this film, and its creator, sharing some insights of how all this came to be. We'll take a look at the Muppets over the years as they've come to be a part of The Walt Disney World Resort. We'll talk about all of the components that made up Muppet Courtyard, and what made Muppet-Vision 3D so re...
Jun 10, 2025•46 min•Ep. 557
News this week and last has broken out about happenings at the Magic Kingdom, and they include some very important dates. Last week was an announcement of Disney Starlight Parade's opening date. Plus they showcased the finale as well as the order of the parade floats. We'll talk about that and the implications of this date to its nightly schedule and what it means to thousands of pass holders who will want to go to the Magic Kingdom alongside all other tourists. But first we look at some big ann...
Jun 05, 2025•41 min•Ep. 556
This summer has not only brought a completely new theme park to the Orlando tourist scape, but within it, two impressive theatrical shows within its park's gates. At the same time, Disney's Hollywood Studios has opened two theatrical shows within its studio gates. In a showdown, we'll look at Le Cirque Arcanus in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter--Ministry of Magic as well as The Untrainable Dragon from the Isle of Berk--both premiering at Epic Universe. We'll also take a look at two new shows...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 555
There is so much to love about Universal’s new Epic Universe. And if they get it to work, it will be even better. Many have already done podcasts early on and shared what they loved or didn’t love about the park. Reviews of favorite attractions, food, souvenirs and so forth are out there. My wife and I, two of my daughters and my son-in-law have all attended, and for the most part, we had not only a solid experience, but we look forward to the time we can go back again. It’s definitely a place w...
May 22, 2025•40 min•Ep. 554
We are on the monorail heading to the Magic Kingdom to canvas many updates from the Emporium to Big Thunder, from the Astro Orbiter to the new DVC lounge, McKim's Mile House. In the process we'll check on all sorts of construction activity, visit a number of shops throughout the park, and take in Gaston's Tavern, where we try out some new tasty treats. Join us on the Magic Kingdom Update here at Disney Insights. _________________________________________________________________________ More Disne...
May 15, 2025•31 min•Ep. 553
Yes! We predicted yesterday that Disney was going to announce a new park in Abu Dhabi, and that announcement has come to pass! "A whole new world" is coming to this corner of the world. With over four billion guests having visited some six Disney theme park destinations around the world, let's look at this newest Disney resort in Abu Dhabi, which will be the seventh in the world. This was part of its 2025 2nd quarter presentation, and the announcement dwarfed everything else. Why build here, and...
May 07, 2025•30 min•Ep. 552
Breaking news this morning as rumors about that Disney could be announcing a brand new theme park slated for United Arab Emirates. The possibility is that an announcement could be made Wednesday morning, May 7th, but some sources suggest this may be happening and in time with the 2nd Quarter 2025 announcements from Disney happening at the same time. Check it out! _______________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insight...
May 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 551
We continue our celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary. We started this series at Disneyland with a look at Tomorrow. We now wind the clock backwards and start at the entrance of the park. Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland is a remarkable place. It is the only land in the only park that had an apartment for Walt Disney where he stayed regularly to "walk in the shoes of his guests." That kind of immersion allowed him to see new possibilities in how to create "The Happiest Place on Earth". I ...
May 01, 2025•47 min•Ep. 550
While it’s been more than 5 years since Disney has opened up a brand new park in Shanghai, there is something to be said for the enormous transformation that has been underway for Disneyland Paris as a whole, and in particular, Disney Adventure World, formerly known as Walt Disney Studios Paris. Since Avengers Campus first opened, work has been spent on improving existing rides and shows, as well as creating whole new lands and attractions. Some 90% of the park’s original offerings will have bee...
Apr 24, 2025•22 min•Ep. 549
Since debuting in December just a few months ago, The Disney Treasure has been the talk of the cruise line experience. Part of a new class of ships, and a sibling to the Disney Wish, this Disney Cruise Line offering has become very popular. We're fortunate to have Chris Konecny, also known as DCLCruisingDad, to share with us his family's experience aboard this eight day, seven night journey. We talk about getting there, getting on, and having a ton of fun. We discuss a little bit about its desti...
Apr 16, 2025•48 min•Ep. 548
We visit Walt Disney World to check out Disney's Hollywood Studios and to get an update about everything going on in the park. We canvas the entire property, check out some retail plus food & beverage. Did we mention meeting up with all 7 of the Dwarfs?! Where Star Wars first showed up in this park (and it's not Star Tours)?! How about the best fried chicken in Disney's parks?! Or the cremated remains of Don Onar's Parents?! Join us as we share little known secrets about the park, and talk m...
Apr 10, 2025•48 min•Ep. 547
As if little announcements would keep attention away from the opening of Epic Universe, Disney keeps dropping posts and instagrams about what's on their docket in the next months to come. We'll take a look at this, and give insight to what it means. Disneyland has a big 70th anniversary coming, but what of The Walt Disney World Resort? We'll share what we've learned and what it means, especially in the context of a FastCompany article where Disney experts shared what it means to create the "Disn...
Apr 02, 2025•44 min•Ep. 546
With a new live action film out, There is much to be said about the importance of Walt Disney’s classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Not only was the original animated Snow White successful in the box office, it has been an important part of the Disney theme park experience world-wide. Since Disneyland opened in 1955, Snow White has come alive for guests to visit and experience. Through character meet ‘n’ greets, parades, merchandise, and attractions, Snow White is a significant presence fo...
Mar 26, 2025•46 min•Ep. 545
This weekend fans said their final farewells to "It's Tough to be a Bug." This film has entertained guests since Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. It was the centerpiece of the Tree of Life, which serves as the icon to the park. We look at the origins of how the attraction came to be. We'll look at what was so great--and what was not so great about this attraction. With the official closing this week, we'll talk about the transition to the new replacement show, "Zootopia, Better Zoogether"...
Mar 20, 2025•37 min•Ep. 544
This weekend a Disney Imagineering presentation was given at the South by Southwest SXSW Conference in Austin Texas. Thinking that it was a Future of World-Building at Disney presentation given by Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro, I was surprised to see that there were several Imagineers that made up the presentation. Even more interesting was the fact that Josh was accompanied by Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, who then brought three key studio leaders, Jon Favreau with S...
Mar 10, 2025•39 min•Ep. 543
When Disneyland premiered in 1955, it was so unique above anything else that was found in the world. And yet, its roots are found in sources that are across the globe. We look at those major influences that shaped not only Walt Disney's interest in building an amusement enterprise, but in how that was actually shaped and created. These sources stem from even before his birth and can be found along his travels throughout the United States and Europe. And while his intent was to create a place tha...
Mar 04, 2025•51 min•Ep. 542
This month marks the 85th anniversary of The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. While Walt Disney had a couple of other smaller studio locations previously, this location has flourished for decades and has remained the headquarters of The Walt Disney Company. We'll look at how these studios came about, how it became a world-class facility, what set it apart from other movie studios in town, and why it was such an "employee-friendly" place. And we'll look at how all that still happens to...
Feb 19, 2025•33 min•Ep. 541
Join us today as we take a look at not one, not two but three phenomenal Disney Resorts across Asia. Today we're joined by David and Leah Zanolla of Zanolla Travel. They recently hosted a group along with their family that visited Asia over the holidays. This included Hong Kong Disneyland, where the new World of Frozen premiered last year. In China, they had a chance to share their favorite moments visiting the new Zootopia attraction at Shanghai Disneyland. And then there is Tokyo Disney Resort...
Feb 12, 2025•46 min•Ep. 540
Several announcements have occurred in recent days regarding attractions closing to make way for upcoming construction activity at Walt Disney World. That information (and the lack of other information) is starting to tell us much about how attractions are going to come on board in the years to come, and even in the months to come. We look at what attraction building criteria is driving those dates, then take a new look at the calendar extending all the way up to 2030. We look closely at some po...
Feb 05, 2025•52 min•Ep. 539
Welcome aboard, mateys! We set sail to Disneyland Paris to take a pirate's plunge of Adventureland. Here we experience a unique version of Pirates of the Caribbean, where a very different approach to the narrative has been taken. With it lies not just an amazing gift shop at the exit, but a tropical restaurant that rivals the very popular Blue Bayou. We also maroon ourselves on Adventure Isle, home to the stories of Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, and Peter Pan. We climb treehouses, expl...
Jan 29, 2025•57 min•Ep. 538
The Epcot International Festival of the Arts gives us an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney on Broadway. We'll look at the history of this amazing theatrical portfolio, which began with a "Tale as Old as Time" whose roots were more than 30 years ago at what was then Disney-MGM Studios. Today there are over two dozen major shows that have played on Broadway, The West End, and across the globe. I'll share with you some of my favorites and why--along with some stories you may n...
Jan 22, 2025•42 min•Ep. 537
Ever go into a place of business only to leave asking yourself, "What are they thinking?" How could they be so blind when it comes to how they do business? It's a fair question asked often. We speak of emotional intelligence when it comes to individuals and how they relate with others 1:1 or perhaps in small groups, but we really don't talk about it in the context of how we interact with customers, much less approach that relationship strategically. Today we look at The Emotionally Intelligent C...
Jan 15, 2025•47 min•Ep. 536
Welcome to 2025. As promised, my expose and focus on Disneyland's 70th anniversary is a key part of my podcasts, videos and Patreon experiences this year. To that end, I thought to start out on Main Street, U.S.A. But since we're starting a new year, why not look at the future? So our first podcast of 2025 is on Disneyland's Tomorrowland. There have been several version of this and they add up to not only why guests love Tomorrowland, but why it really matters in a world like ours. This one howe...
Jan 08, 2025•55 min•Ep. 535
We are ringing out the old year and ringing in the new year as we review 2024 and give a preview of 2025. I'll cover all of the key moments of last year, as well as what's going on next year, both in the parks here in the U.S. as well as internationally. And then John Frost of The Disney Blog will join me as we give some critical thought as to all that is going on as well as what's on the horizon. So join us for this Disney Insights podcast. We especially thank John Frost of The Disney Blog for ...
Dec 30, 2024•44 min•Ep. 534
Seasons Greetings! Last week we took a look at how the holiday season unfolds at Disneyland during the day with attraction overlays, holiday shows and festive decorations. We now look at how the Disneyland Resort comes to life in even brighter and more amazing ways at night. At Disneyland we check out how Sleeping Beauty's Castle transforms into winter enchantment. We check out the Christmas Fantasy Parade, as well as holiday shows at "it's a small world" and in Tomorrowland. Fireworks and snowf...
Dec 24, 2024•25 min•Ep. 533
Seasons Greetings! There's so much to love about the holidays at the Disneyland Resort! So much that we have two podcasts, one by day and one by night. In this episode we see the garland of Main Street U.S.A. to holiday overlays at The Haunted Mansion and "it's a small world". At Disney California Adventure we check out several lands and see Mickey's Happy Holidays. Did I mention a one-man parade led by Deadpool?! From the Disneyland Resort Hotels to Downtown Disney; From San Fransokyo to New Or...
Dec 19, 2024•31 min•Ep. 532
