Tag Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Disney Podcasts – Are you a Podperson?

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IMG_2493My family (aka The Fam)?  They get me.  They’re great to have as my support system for the whole Disney obsession sitch.  Unfortunately, they’re not always around, you know?  We have jobs and school (some have both).  So while I’m off making my contribution to the family coffers, bringing bacon and all that jazz, I’m pretty much alone out in the world with my Disneyness.  Or am I?

Turns out there are these way awesome little things called podcasts…particularly, DISNEY podcasts that can keep me company any time I’m jonesing for a hit of Disney!

I found out about Disney podcasts from a former coworker and fellow Disney fan for whom a Disney fix was equally as important.  That’s when I started to listen to The Dis Unplugged.  Shortly after that, I added Mouse Chat, then, yes, I admit it, I started trying new podcasts all the time, here and there, whenever I could score a quick fix.  After a while, I was totally addicted, but there are only 24 hours in a day, so I’ve had to pare them down to a few regulars.  I listen while I run, on my commute to/from work, during my lunch hour – any time I need a little dose o’ Dis.

You may enjoy some Disney podcast action already, but just in case you haven’t yet discovered the joys they have to offer….Here’s a list of my current Disney podcast subscriptions from iTunes and why I’m listening.  (I tried to list them in the order of length-of-time I’ve been subscribed.)

The DIS Unplugged (Orlando Edition) –  From the people who brought you the DisBoards!  FairIMG_2495 and balanced reviews, lively discussions, Disney news, and – my favorite part- a big budget and large team of experts – this means more than just Disney World info.  They go on Disney cruises, Adventures By Disney, visit Aulani, and more!  Listeners benefit from all that first-hand travel knowledge.  Bonus – there’s also a version for Disneyland fans.

Mouse Chat –  I’m a very loyal listener and don’t miss an episode.  I just like this group of Disney-lovin’ folks (Lauren, Chris, Lisa, Steve, and Bob) and how they interact with each other.  They talk general Disney, Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line most of the time.  Also fair and balanced with reviews – if they don’t like something – they say so!  I especially enjoy their Disney World dining reviews.  Good place for helpful tips for traveling with and without children.

WDW Radio – Lou Mongello is easy on the ears!  In general, my favorite episodes are the ones where he discusses a particular aspect of Disney World with Jim Korkis.  Unfailingly cheerful and positive in his love of Disney, Lou shares hidden gems, little-known facts and overlooked details – I always learn something new about Disney World in nearly every episode.  My all-time favorite episode is #338 where Ryan Wilson (Main Street Gazette) joins Lou for a talk about the past, present, and future of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular – my dog isn’t named Henry Jones, Junior for nothing y’know.

Podcasts from Across the Pond!

IMG_2500Disney Dream Girls* (takes over where The Mini Minxes left off) – These ladies (Michelle and Jayne) are adorably fun, delightfully passionate, and creative in their contribution to Disney Podcast-dom.  If you missed the 12 days of Minxmas go back at catch every episode.  The Dream Girls got their own favorite Disney podcasts to record special episodes just for the holiday season.  Good times.

Dis After Dark*- These guys know how to have fun while discussing all things Disney.  Join them for a pint as they meet at the Mouse’s Head Pub for an evening of fun and frivolity – oh, and some pretty lively Disney debates.

*Let’s face it – The hosts and hostesses of these two podcasts could discuss routine maintenance on lawn tractors or the joys of cleaning gutters and I’d still listen – it’s the accents!  Sooooo lovely.  Take them for a listen – you’ll see what I mean.

Be Our Guest – Hailing from my home state of Missouri, fellow Tiger fan Mike Rahlmann and his co-hosts Rikki Niblett, Pam Forrester, and Debbie Robertson do an especially great job with their “Listener Questions” episodes.  Their listeners ask some pretty difficult stuff and the BOG experts provide excellent answers.IMG_2497

WDW Today – Short, sweet, and to the point.  The episodes might be brief in duration but they’re packed with fun.  Hosted by Matt Hochburg, Mike Newell, Mike Scopa, and Len Testa – some of the most legendary Disney experts around!   I like that many of the episodes are short enough that I can hear an entire show in the car on my way to the mall.  GREAT info here on runDisney events.  Is it just me or do these guys talk really fast?

Resort Loop – Tim and Bob!  Who wouldn’t love these two Disney super-fans who appreciate the amount of time and money that goes into planning and taking Disney World vacations – their tips can help you get the most of your investment!  They have a laid back, easy-going approach to talking Disney World with listeners.  I especially love episode 77 – I listen to the beginning over and over (they talk about ME!)  “Please stand clear of the doors.”

Enchanted Tiki Talk – Fun, funny Disney talk by a bunch of guys (Alan, Sean, and Keith) who just love the Mouse.  Jump on into the Tiki Hut now since these guys are just getting started (only 10 episodes to date).  Recently the Tiki Talk guys had Bill Farmer (Goofy!) on as a guest – be sure to catch episode 7!  Tune in and find out what #TikiOoze is all about!

Radio Harambe – Animal Kingdom fans – this is the podcast for you.  These guys (Dave and Safari Mike) are passionate about raising awareness concerning animal conservation.  They’re also chock full of fun and interesting facts and tips to help you get the most from your visits to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (and all the Disney parks).

3 Mom’s and the Mouse – Travel tips, advice, Disney discussions from a mom’s point of view.  I may not catch every episode (my children have flown the coop, after all) but these ladies have plenty of experience (as Disney vacation planners) to help you travel with your kiddos to The Happiest Place on Earth.

IMG_2500Brand New to my Disney Podcast Lineup:

Mighty Men of Mouse – Three guys with totally fictitious-sounding names (Kip Springfield, Russ Shuttlesworth, and Dutch Lombrowski) creatively discuss quite a wide variety of Disney-related topics.  Seriously thought provoking and super entertaining.  I’m hooked!

The Disney Nerds – Only around since September, 2013 – This show, hosted by Farrah, Tom, Jimmy, and Ed focuses mostly on Disney World attractions, activities, resorts and more.  I’ve only had time to listen to a couple of episodes, but I’m nerdy-enough to appreciate what their show has to offer.

You can download these to your phone absolutely FREE or listen online (live feeds and even live and recorded video are available for some).  Check iTunes or Stitcher or the podcasts’ websites for the ones you might like to try – Seriously, these are a great source of news, discussions, tips, reviews, debates, history, and humor – ALL of it DISNEY!  Don’t forget to rate and review on iTunes!IMG_2501

If I haven’t mentioned your favorite Disney podcast(s), I’d love to hear from you to find out what I’m missing!

Note:  Some Disney podcasts carry an “explicit” rating – that’s fine as those shows are directed towards an adult audience.  I absolutely do not enjoy listening to people discuss Disney when the talk is liberally sprinkled with the f-bomb and other obscenities for absolutely no reason.  I’m not a prude – been know to cuss a blue streak now and again myself, but if there’s a time and a place tone down your language, talking about Disney has got to be it – even if your audience is only adults.  Personally, I do not find those shows amusing or enjoyable – to each their own.  Rant over.

Disney Cruise Ports – The Beauty of Key West

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IMG_0226Disney Cruise Ports – The Beauty of Key West, Florida

Just about this same time of year in 2007 – we cruised with Disney to celebrate Megan’s Senior year of high school and ring in the New Year for 2008.  On our Western Caribbean itinerary, the beautiful island of Key West, Florida was one of the first ports of call after sailing from Port Canaveral.  Recently I noticed that the Western no longer visits Key West, but some of Disney’s cruises in the Bahamas do stop there now.

We’d heard about Key West and had high expectations.  Let me just say, it’s one of the best IMG_0250places for living up to its reputation!  It was absolutely gorgeous, pedestrian-friendly and true to what we’d been told, there really were chickens everywhere, key lime pie stores on every corner, and wonderful homes with fabulous gardens that made this town look like paradise.  I’m only sorry we missed seeing one of the famed 6-toed cats!

Knowing that we had excursions booked in Grand Cayman and Cozumel, we decided to tour Key West on our own.  The plan was to debark as early as possible, walk to the continental United States’ southernmost point, then take a leisurely stroll around town – taking in all the sights.  The only important mission we had was to get back to the ship before all-aboard time.

IMG_0278Since Key west is only 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, we thought we could see quite a bit on foot.  As far as plans went, it was simple and, as it turned out, perfect.  Our time in Key West was as laid-back and relaxed as the town itself.  We had a such great day that Key West is now near the top of the list of places we’d love to visit again.

Here are the highlights:

Key Lime Pie-on-a-stick!  Frozen and dipped in chocolate, these delectable treats were a perfect way to sample one of Key West’s most famous foods.  Key West is also know for its conch fritters – unfortunately, we did not get the opportunity to try any of those.

A stroll through the heart of Key West’s Old Town – from the enchanting Victorian mansions toIMG_0265 the famous bars and restaurants on Duval Street, this was a walk through history – so much to take in!  Great little shops with an eclectic assortment of wares and curb-side hat weavers were a couple of more notable offerings.  We found a great tee-shirt shop where you could pick your design from a catalog and have a shirt printed while you wait.

The Southernmost Point in the U.S. – Cuba is

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just 90 miles away!  It’s a fun place to see/visit and a great place to rest for a few minutes and enjoy the view.

The Hogsbreath Saloon – on our way back to the ship, we just couldn’t help stopping in for a cold refreshment and a souvenir tee shirt.  A great way to end one very enjoyable day.

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Disney Pin Trading – Getting Started

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General Dis Pics 11.13 094If you’ve not tried Disney pin trading – It’s a great big bunch of fun!  Disney pins make great (and affordable) souvenirs that don’t take up much room in your suitcase.  Once you get the hang of trading, pins take on a whole new meaning – they’re not just souvenirs anymore!  They become a vacation activity that allows you to meet new people, treasure hunt, and discover new and exciting things about Disney through the enormous variety of pins available. 

Once upon a time The Fam and I were new to pin trading and at first we were a little intimidated – especially at our first pin trading event – there are some very serious pin collectors out there!  If you’d like to give Disney pin trading a whirl, here are my top five tips on getting started: 

It doesn’t have to be expensive.  You’ll need some starter pins for trading, but you don’tIMG_2322 have to buy them at a Disney store.  There are several sellers on eBay and Amazon that offer pins in lots of 25, 50 and even 100 for very reasonable prices.  As with any online purchase, you’ll want to buy from well-rated, reputable sellers.  Pin purists may argue that you might end up with counterfeit, bootlegged, or “scrapper” pins, but there are plenty of authentic pins for sale on eBay and Amazon.  I have also found the Disney pin guides on eBay to be very helpful.  A great article here offers other tips for saving money on pins. 

Lanyards are optional.  A lanyard allows you to proudly show off some of your favorite pins and display pins you’re interested in trading.  For little ones, it’s great to purchase a pin trading starter set – a lanyard and pins sold together.  Wearing a lanyard is very convenient, but not General Dis Pics 11.13 091absolutely necessary to pin trading enjoyment.  Joseph’s a good example of someone who trades pins from time to time, but does not wear a lanyard.  He just carries a few pins in his pocket so when he sees a pin he really wants, he’s ready for trading action.

Cast Members have some of the best pins for trading!  If they are wearing a lanyard, it will have pins displayed that are all available for trading.  You may need to be a bit patient if the Cast Member is performing some important job – there may be a wait for a moment when the pin exchange can occur, but it’s worth it.  Cast Members often have unusual pins from other locations (like Disneyland Paris) that can add new variety to your pin collection.  As long as you have an official Disney pin to trade that is not already on their lanyard, the deal is good!  Disney World Cast Members wearing green lanyards only trade with children (age 12 and under) – take advantage of this if you have little ones!

Find and try out a pin trading event.  Even if you don’t want to trade any pins, it’s pretty cool to see the collections of pins people bring to these meet-ups for pin trading superfans.  You can find event locations, dates, and times at the Disney Parks Merchandise General Dis Pics 11.13 071website.

Trading is not just in the parks!  Pins available for trading can be found at Disney resorts – check with the resort’s main giftshop for information.  Disney Cruise ships  are also a fun place for pin trading and collecting – Cast Members have pins for trading, onboard pin events are scheduled, and the giftshops have pins to buy and for trading (ask at the counter).  Finally, you can ask your resort bus driver if he has any pins to trade – you might be surprised at the great stashes of pins some of the drivers keep! 

Resources:

General Dis Pics 12.26 003Here are some great Disney Pin Trading articles and tips from others you may find helpful:

Guidelines for pin trading straight from the folks at Disney Parks Merchandise.

Disney Insider has these Perfect Pointers for pin trading.

Disney Pins Blog – everything Disney Pins in one place!

Pin Trading Basics from Laughing Place

Pin Trading Tips from Disney Tourist Blog

Pin Trading Tips for Children at WDW Hints

 

 

 

Disney World – The Christmas Touch

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IMG_0988Disney World – The Christmas Touch

As I’ve mentioned many times, Disney’s all about details.  That’s what makes a Disney vacation so amazing and keeps bringing people (like US!) back time after time.  No matter how often you visit a Disney park or resort, you will always notice new details, big and small.

The Christmas season brings on a whole new level of Disney detail magic.  It gives those Disney magicians the opportunity to go all out and delight you with their imagination, style, humor, and flair for presenting guests with unexpected surprises.   If you’ve neverIMG_0971 been to the World during the holidays, you’ve been missing out on some wonderful experiences guaranteed to fill you with holiday spirit.

We’ve had the privilege of visiting Disney World twice during the holiday season – and yes, because we went during the school break, the crowds were huge!  Except for trying to get out of Epcot once after dinner on New Year’s Eve, the throngs of visitors did not detract from our enjoyment of all the special Disney touches we found.  I’m sorry we aren’t able to visit this year – I hate to miss out on the Jingle Cruise – a new Disney magical surprise this year at Disney World that gives the Jungle Cruise a holiday IMG_0968overlay and seasonal Skipper dialogue!

I’ve put together a list of five of the special Disney holiday surprises we experienced once upon a time:

Chocolate sculpture at the Contemporary – this was an amazingly extravagant scene from Pinocchio entirely made of chocolate.  I’m sure this was a one-time-only bit of magic and I felt very lucky to have been there to see it! IMG_0970

Main Street USA and the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios all decked out in their holiday best.

Christmas Trees!  Everywhere and each one had its own design and special ornaments; themed for each tree’s particular location.  I was especially taken by the ornaments on the large tree outside the entrance to Animal Kingdom – fantastic!

IMG_1135Santa hats – on everyone!  Even the Spitting Stitch at Downtown Disney and the gigantic Dinosaur at Dinoland in Animal Kingdom.

Best of all – Cinderella Castle.  Pictures (mine, at least) cannot do justice to the beauty that is the castle covered in 200,000 lights.  Some people say it looks dipped in sugar – I think it looks like Elsa from Frozen covered it in ICE!  Stunningly gorgeous and completely breathtaking – for me, this is the very best holiday touch at Disney World.

IMG_1244If you’re been to Disney World at Christmastime, what was your favorite bit of Disney holiday magic?