Drew Ostler and his family had an opportunity to visit the Disneyland Resort during a few weeks ago right before masks were again required indoors and on attractions. We hear from Drew and his experiences in the park. We offer all the highlights of Avengers Campus and compare it to Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure. We talk about the Coco addition to Mickey's PhilarMagic. We discuss the significance of changes made recently on the newly renovated Jungle Cruise over at Disneyland P...
Aug 17, 2021•53 min•Ep. 291
After our previous podcast that studied the issues attending to signing up and embarking on the Disney Dream, we bring you an entire review of how that first voyage went. If you are at all thinking about going on a Disney cruise in the weeks and months ahead, this is the podcast for you. We are joined by Leah and David Zanolla of Out The Door Travel, who gives us their insights and perspectives of the entire experience. From rooms to dining, from kids clubs to entertainment; from poolside to Cas...
Aug 15, 2021•49 min•Ep. 290
We join David and Leah Zanolla as they prepare and step aboard the Disney Dream for the first cruise since the pandemic began. We'll talk about all the new requirements made of both passengers that have and have not been vaccinated. David & Leah will step aboard to see how things have been modified as the ship takes off on embarkation day. They'll share their impressions not only of the ship and staff, but in context of cases of COVID rising here in Florida. At the same time, news has come o...
Aug 10, 2021•39 min•Ep. 289
Forget the 2.8 million you need to go into space with Jeff Bezos or even the 250K you need to board Virgin Galactic's space plane. More affordable pricing can be found on the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, even if technically you don't ever really go any higher than your second floor accommodation. Still, meals and more are included in this two night, but not quite two day voyage. We'll look at the price points for this new Walt Disney World offering. And we'll study the sample itinerary to see...
Aug 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 288
Even though Walt Disney World reopened nearly a year before Disneyland came out of COVID, Disneyland's new annual pass program, Magic Key, has been announced. We look at what makes this different not just from the previous Disneyland passport programs, but how it differs from the current Walt Disney World annual passport program in place. Moreover, we look at what implications there may be when Walt Disney World resumes the new sales of annual passes in time for Walt Disney World's 50th annivers...
Aug 04, 2021•31 min•Ep. 287
Ratatouille opens soon on October 1st, but what queueing systems will be part of that attraction experience? There has been a lot of talk recently about the future of FastPass, whether it was coming back, or whether something instead would come in its place. Recently Disneyland Paris has opened up Disney Premier Access which invites guests to purchase a FastPass option to go on popular attractions. This is somewhat in alignment with what Shanghai and Hong Kong have already done. Many in the Disn...
Jul 31, 2021•54 min•Ep. 286
Amid confusing notices, Disney has announced that beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas. All the while many former park offerings and experiences have been announced as reopening. We'll look at a number of these announcements as Wa...
Jul 29, 2021•28 min•Ep. 285
In this Disney at Work post and podcast, I'm joined by my good friend and colleague Claudemir Oliveira, of the Seeds of Dreams Institute. Together we visit all six lands of the Magic Kingdom and in each land we share a story about best practices at Walt Disney World that you can apply back to your organization, whether you are in the public, private or non-profit sector. Claudemir and I were both associated for many years at the Disney Institute, and over the years we've brought hundreds of gues...
Jul 28, 2021•34 min•Ep. 284
Disney Cruise Line is hitting the high seas again as it begins Bahamian cruises from Port Canaveral in August. With this announcement comes a lot of details you will want to know not just before you go, but before you book. We will look at issues relative to your making a reservation, what is required before you leave home; what embarkation day will look like on the ship; where the ship will and will not be going in the near term; what it will be like on the ship in terms of dining, entertainmen...
Jul 23, 2021•43 min•Ep. 283
Tusker House in Africa at Disney's Animal Kingdom has recently reopened, and we visit for breakfast. We talk about the unusual circumstances that brought us there, and how the experience of seeing Donald Duck was pivotal to my autistic son's enjoyment. We take a look at how they are currently serving the family-style meals inspired by the flavors of Africa, how that has re-shaped the dining experience, and wheth er it was worth the price. We'll also share a little known story of the first time M...
Jul 21, 2021•30 min•Ep. 282
The Little Mermaid : Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is a dark ride attraction based on the Note! Thanks for joining us. We've had technical difficulties the last couple of days getting a new podcast out to you, so we thought we'd see what happened when we sent a previous podcast. This is our first Dis Reviz! It's from early on, so many of you probably have not heard it before. 1989 Disney animated classic, The Little Mermaid. It sits in Fantasyland Forest in the Magic Kingdom. Guests are able to jou...
Jul 14, 2021•34 min•Ep. 281
We're back at Disney's Hollywood Studios with a very busy update. We'll talk about all guests completely going through the FastPass line at Rise of the Resistance as well as a modified Rey briefing being provided to guests. There's a new menu at Docking Bay 7, and we'll look at that closely. Fairfax Fare also has a new menu. We'll check out the entirety of the park and see what's going on. The park looks busy but not the parking lot, and there's a reason why as we walk through the park. While on...
Jul 10, 2021•43 min•Ep. 280
There is much on Disney+ that not only teaches us about what matters most in life, but what works at work! This week Pixar released a new series of shorts that center around the work life of Monsters Inc. This humorous adventure shows how change occurs when the product being produced goes from scares to laughs. It's particularly impactful on a new employee who planned his whole life to work at Monsters Inc., but now finds himself in the maintenance department when he no longer can use his streng...
Jul 08, 2021•32 min•Ep. 279
What would you think about doing a one night's stay at Disney's Art of Animation Resort to include a visit to see Epcot's fireworks return for the first time in 15 months! That was the goal of our short Walt Disney World staycation. From there, just about everything went south--more than you could expect to happen in less than 24 hours. Did we mention two adult autistic children and one brand new grandchild visiting for the first time? We don't usually do trip reviews, but this one not only stan...
Jul 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 278
It's been busy here as we've been working to help organizations in their efforts to be world-class. But that gives us an opportunity to share a client experience I had while at Walt Disney World this last week. In this Disney at Work podcast, where we share lessons from the Happiest and most Magical Places on Earth, we talk about customer expectations, exceeding them, and building positive perceptions from negative ones. We do this in the setting of Topolino's Terrace--found on the top of Disney...
Jun 30, 2021•51 min•Ep. 277
Big announcements came out today all tied to Walt Disney World's 50th Golden Celebration. Beyond announcing an opening date for HarmoniUS, Disney has announced a new nighttime show for the Magic Kingdom, as well as a new daytime show to Disney's Animal Kingdom. Additionally, new entertainment and offerings will complement the entire Walt Disney World celebration. And then there's new books being offered for this event. But what is missing in action? What significant offerings are not yet outline...
Jun 22, 2021•32 min•Ep. 276
We have a busy update that takes us from the Parking lot of the Magic Kingdom, on a masked monorail ride to the park, and then through all the six lands to see all the things happening in the park. We see where masks are no longer required, and we get a sense of what that feels like when waiting in a busy line for attractions. That attraction is the Jungle Cruise where we check out new additions being added to this world-famous experience. From there we check out what else is gone, and what's be...
Jun 18, 2021•33 min•Ep. 275
In the last week news has spread world-wide of parks, attractions, resorts and restaurants re-opening while COVID regulations are reduced. We go from Walt Disney World to Disneyland to across the globe and even to the Disney Cruise Line to hear what's now happening, what's coming shortly in the months to come, and what's still waiting to return. From renovated attractions to new shows to Halloween events to even fireworks we look at how the parks are quickly starting to look like--the parks! We ...
Jun 16, 2021•37 min•Ep. 274
The success of The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is due to so many things--among them polished performers, amazing technical effects, and a tie to a great film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. That film has its own story around trust, but the show at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World wouldn't have come together if it wasn't for Jerry Rees, who took a stunt show and made it into something both epic and spectacular. We look at how that came to be, and in Disney's trust in Jerry's abi...
Jun 11, 2021•31 min•Ep. 273
Did you know there are only two Disney intellectual properties that can be found as an attraction in every Magic Kingdom style park around the world. It's not Star Wars or Marvel. It isn't Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid or even Frozen. In fact, neither were blockbuster hits, and the one we're studying in this post and podcast failed in the box office. One is Dumbo with it's symbolic spinner style. But the other surprisingly is Alice in Wonderland. Five of the six parks have spinning cu...
Jun 06, 2021•33 min•Ep. 272
This week on Disney at Work we have the good pleasure of being joined by Kim and Mac Cantrell who works with companies and leaders in creating organizational excellence. At the heart of this has been some recent experiences of Kim and Mac at Walt Disney World. We look at the link between leadership and creating a strong customer service brand via a customer-focused culture. We discuss not only Disney, but other organizations like Chick fil-A, Ritz-Carlton, Publix and others. Join us for this ins...
Jun 02, 2021•42 min•Ep. 271
On October 15th, 1971, the world saw some of the first images of Walt Disney World as they spread across the pages of Life Magazine. We provide a deep dive of those pages and show you how the Vacation Kingdom of the World was first presented in this weekly news article. Here we'll study who was present when 1,500 Cast Members gathered together in front of Cinderella Castle. We'll look at the original Disney characters and parades that appeared at the time. We'll explore the significance of attra...
May 30, 2021•35 min•Ep. 270
Disneyland fans living outside the state of California have now been given the chance to come visit the "Happiest Place on Earth". We look at what that involves then turn our attention toward other magical happenings occurring at the Anaheim Resort. As Avengers Campus prepares to open we look at how players can advance their gaming success--for a price. At Snow White's newly refurbished and named Enchanted Wish, we learn of details and behind-the-scenes insights. We also learn of the Jungle Crui...
May 27, 2021•45 min•Ep. 269
When out-of staters think about visiting Orlando theme parks in the summer, they might think about hurricanes. While that's a factor in our discussion, the reality of summer is not so much your next hurricane but the daily grind of heat, humidity and thunderstorms. These factors more than any can affect the enjoyment of your next Central Florida vacation. We look at what months of the year it's hot, and what months its worse than hot. We look at practical choices you can make to get through the ...
May 25, 2021•41 min•Ep. 268
We provide you this week a whirlwind tour of Epcot as we stroll a mask-free World Showcase. The International Flower & Garden Festival is still very much in bloom with butterflies, food & more. We check out the new Gelateria Toscana in Italy. Is it as good as L'Artisan des Glaces in France or as a sundae at Beaches & Cream? Morocco is closed or under the knife in many places. We look at what's happening and what could happen (yes, this is a pitch for Sinbad's Storybook Voyage). The S...
May 22, 2021•23 min•Ep. 267
After more than a year of being closed to the public, the most favorite entertainment show at Walt Disney World has reopened. Yes! The King has Returned! We look at the reopening of Festival of the Lion King to understand what is different about this revised show while exploring what has made it so special from the beginning. Along the way, we note the absence of the guest participation scenes (it's alright, you should already know what sound a giraffe makes by now) as well as the missing monkey...
May 19, 2021•31 min•Ep. 266
We are at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on the first day that masks are no longer required while outside on the streets of the park. We are here to capture that experience and show you what it looks like when boarding resort transportation, visiting attractions and experiencing retail. We'll take you through the queue of Big Thunder Mountain as well as Peter Pan's Flight, where we will mask up to take a ride through Neverland. All this plus lots of insights about what is happening curre...
May 17, 2021•36 min•Ep. 265
We bring you sudden breaking news from Disney today that Masks are no longer required--or are at least optional--throughout all of Walt Disney World including the theme parks and Disney Springs. We also share that Disney has added additional reservation slots for those staying at select hotels and those purchasing theme park tickets. We cover these two announcements and the context behind them. Join us! This builds on our previous podcast, so check that out as well as it suggests what implicatio...
May 15, 2021•14 min•Ep. 264
In the last 24 hours sweeping news was announced by the CDC that profoundly impacts the path for completely removing all COVID restraints in Disney Parks and the Disney Cruise Line. To that end, Bob Chapek in the quarterly report call yesterday made significant comments that suggested that masks might be removed at Walt Disney World by summer. While news continues to evolve rapidly, we examine what's going on and what's behind these announcements. We project what it means and how you may want to...
May 14, 2021•31 min•Ep. 263
We canvas every corner of Disney's Hollywood Studios in this week's update where we see how this Walt Disney World park is still very much under the influence of a pandemic. From attractions and entertainment; from dining to shops to even park services we look at some 40 offerings that are still closed to guests. This is why guest crowds look as large as they do when in truth the attendance is still hovering around 35%. You can see it as we start in the parking lot how many empty spaces there ar...
May 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 262
