Disney At Work Podcast

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 possibilities with new projects named such as Bluey, and the theater in Monstropolis. And we offer some smart low-hanging potential projects Disney could take advantage of to fill its attraction roster. So join us for Disney Insights on construction calendars for new and upcoming Walt Disney World projects. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcas

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, explore caves, board ships and swing across bridges. All of this is brought to life for you via our Disney Insights Pirates of the Caribbean Interactive Journey, which I'll not only share some backstory on, but share with you how you can have a 7 Day Free Trial. So join us for Disneyland Paris: A New Take on Pirates. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting th

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 not have heard about these phenomenal shows. And we'll step over to Epcot to talk about a new exhibit that has just opened up at CommuniCore in World Celebration. It's just one component of a very popular time of year in this park. Join us as we celebrate 30 years of Disney on Broadway at Epcot's International Festival of the Arts. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! Disney Insights YouTube Page--Check it out and subscribe. DisneyInsights.com--So many resourc

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 Customer Experience, where we see how it plays out both tactically and strategically. We look at examples from Disney as to what they do, good and bad, in addressing that customer experience. And we consider how this plays out in your organization, big or small, whether in the public, private or non-profit realm. Join us as we consider the Emotionally Intelligent Customer Experience: Disney Insights for Any Organization. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! Di

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 however, is the original, and speaks not only to those that followed, but to Epcot as well. We'll look at the history, and then take a ride on the old PeopleMover to consider the attractions that once were and continue to be part of this land. We'll then come back to Why Tomorrowland Matters and some thoughts about what the future might behold. Join us for Disneyland's Tomorrowland: Vistas of the Future. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 19

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 joining us on this podcast! ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence. ___________________________________

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 snowflakes on Main Street? We'll see, but we'll also go to Disney California Adventure and see the holiday decor there, attraction overlays and a big finale in World of Color: Season of Light Holiday show. There is so much to Christmas nighttime magic at Disneyland. Join us for this seasonal celebration. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The W

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 Orleans Square; we bring you daytime holiday magic at Disneyland. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence.

Welcome to a corner of the Happiest Place on Earth where we take a look at a big set of changes to come to Disneyland. Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened recently and with it a new land, Bayou Country, which replaces the old Critter Country. We see all of Tiana's from front to back, from queue to ride--and it's a wet one! We also check out Louis' Critter Club and Ray's Beret's--new retail locations at Bayou Country--plus another Tiana themed retail location most people never pass by. We then stop to check out the newly refurbished and retitled Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree! Plenty to see, so join us as we head down the Bayou at Disneyland! ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out L

Back from Disneyland and we have so much to share! First, we'll talk about announcements that are happening here at Walt Disney World. Then as our main feature, we'll canvas changes to the Haunted Mansion, from Magnolia Gardens to the new extended queue system, to the new store at the exit of the attraction, Madame Leota's Somewhere From Beyond. In the process we'll see there's a lot of really great stuff happening--and some real misses as well. Join us as we look at new bookends being made to one of the most venerable attractions to be found at The Happiest Place on Earth. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-

It's Thanksgiving week and I wanted to share my thanks on this 501st podcast to all of you my listeners with a special podcast and an opportunity that focuses on Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland. But we preface all this with new announcements made in the parks including the location of Monster's Inc. at Disney's Hollywood Studios and what will happen to the Muppets. It's a busy podcast for sure, made bigger by my offering to you that I will announce at the end of this podcast. So Join us For Mystic Manor Insights & New Disney Announcements. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence. ________

We have arrived at this milestone of having delivered 500 podcasts! As I have canvased these many podcasts since 2017, I have found an entire history of Disney milestones mixed with life itself. We will walk through many of those moments, share the emotion of those experiences and see how it has brought us to the present. More than an opportunity to reflect, it's really a celebration of how so much has happened in these last number of years. I also want to make some announcements of what lies ahead, as there is much to look forward to. So join us as we commemorate our 500th podcast! ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand In

We have more insights to what's coming to Walt Disney World as we share news that came out of D23 in Brazil. No it wasn't a new World Showcase pavilion, but it along with other insights help us understand what lays ahead for this resort. Then we turn our attention toward the holiday season as we go around the four parks at Walt Disney World to share what's happening in the weeks ahead, to include a look at Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade, plus hotels, parties, lights and more. So join us on this 499th Disney Insights podcast as we share D23 park announcements as well as what's new and beloved at Walt Disney World this Christmas season. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check

After speaking up about lack of transparency on what the new Frontierland additions would be coming to Walt Disney World, I've settled down emotionally, and decided to give insight to what I think this land is all about. After all, this is Disney Insights. There is a lot of cool stuff here, but it's a different Frontierland, and we need to define it. It is about Cars, but not as in the original movie, as some have supposed. It's really coming more from very different animated source. We talk about this, as well a fascinating ride system technology that we need to give insight to. That second attraction? That takes us to a choice that could set a series of dominoes to fall throughout several parks across the globe. We look at all this and more, while still offering some hesitations to what is going on, as I think there is a chance to suggest a compromise to adding this attraction without losing the river and island. Yes! I do have a better idea. So let's look at Cars Off Road Rally in Frontierland at Magic Kin

Announcements were made last week that better clarify the beginning of the end for Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. It is time to give some retrospective to this love it or hate it land. We offer memories of what I love so much about Dinoland. And we'll also share some things I definitely won't miss after its departure. Join us for 7 Things to miss at Dinoland U.S.A. ________________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! Disney Insights YouTube Page--Check it out and subscribe. Disne

This podcast which features the joy of being near Walt Disney World and so many wonderful aspects of life in Florida gives context today to the recent hurricanes, their impact on the community, and how individuals come together in their wake.  Stay tuned! More podcasts to come shortly in the next day or so! ________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. Also, for those examining = other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence. ________________________________________________________ More Disney Insights can be found below! Disney Insights YouTube Page--Check it out and subscribe. DisneyInsights.com--So many resources at our home site. Be sure to subscribe to receive notice of upcoming

Forgive me for not being out of the gate on the International Food & Wine event at Epcot this year. Honestly, I chose to take my time sampling from the menu rather than indulging all on one weekend. I also have tired of just doing food reviews for that alone. But I wanted to give some context to this year's review, and not simply do a quick food review--though there is still plenty of that for those wanting it. We look at how this lines up with the festival ten years ago, as well as last year's and a few others in between. What are the hits and what are the terrible misses? From food to entertainment to facilities, we look at all this and even whether coming to the Epcot festival today is better than attending ten years ago. You may be surprised at the answers, so join us for Epcot International Food & Wine: a 2014-2024 Comparative View. ________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!

So I'm late with this podcast. I'd like to blame Hurricane Helene, but in truth it really just brought things to a standstill, without even really touching the greater Orlando area. But it did give me a chance to cuddle up to my new favorite book Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering by Bob Weis and foreword by Bob Iger. This is an amazing book, and I wanted to draw from it and a few other resources to share the experience of bringing Tokyo Disney to life. People talk about how amazing the Tokyo Disney Resort is. But for all of the resorts world-wide, it has some of the least shared stories. This podcast imparts some of those stories from Bob's eyes, as a newly hired Imagineer brought to create this park from the ground up to the creation of Tokyo DisneySea years later. Join us as we go Dream Chasing in Tokyo Disney: Insights from Imagineer Bob Weis. ________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-

By 1970, Disneyland was not just a unique theme park business, but a well running piece of machinery. But now they had to replicate that kind of thinking to a larger stage as they opened up Walt Disney World. To better prepare for that, they had to educate everyone on how Disneyland worked. To that end, Van France, who originally created along with Dick Nunis the Disney University, wrote Art and Management of the Theme Show. This document, written originally in 1970 and then updated three years later, provides us a snippet in how the organization was ran during that time--a time that included no Big Thunder or Space Mountain, no Mickey's Toontown, no Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, no Indiana Jones Adventure, no adjoining Disney California Adventure, and not even hotels. It was just Disneyland with a parking lot in front. Still, we cover the fascinating insights that are gleaned from this document, as a way of understanding the organizational approach Disney used to create "The Happiest Place on Earth". Join us on o

Perhaps no set of theme park experiences has been more beloved and yet more controversial than SeaWorld, which commemorates its 60th anniversary this year. Visited by millions of people, we look at what has resonated with so many over the decades. We also look at how the disputed care of its orcas has in many ways led to greater understanding of these mammals and even protections. We talk about each of these parks, their offerings and how they have evolved. I also share my memories of visiting these parks for some five decades. There is so much that has been charming, and yet many things that separates the park from what really makes it succeed. Join us as we look back on 60 years of SeaWorld, and even consider the future of these parks ________________________________________________ My new book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available!  Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leade