Tag Archives: WDW NE Podcast

Listening In: Disney Podcasts

Posted on by

I enjoy reading other people’s perspectives on topics I love, like Disney in general and today, Disney podcasts in particular.  Please join me in welcoming back my good friend and fellow Disney fan Andrew Carrieri.  Andrew listens to Disney podcasts like I do – daily!  We listen to some of the same shows, but Andrew has introduced me to a couple of new ones in today’s article.  Here are Andrew’s favorite shows and why he listens.

Listening In: Disney Podcasts

I am admittedly bizarre when it comes to Disney podcasts. I am a shy geek and consider the hosts of the shows I listen to to be friends even though I have never met any of them in person. I always enjoy our conversations on social media and enjoy the respective shows even more because of this interaction. With that said, I regularly listen to six Disney podcasts, which I will detail below in the order I started listening to themRM-WDW-Today-Podcast

1) WDW Today (www.wdwtoday.com): Ol’ reliable. Hosted by Matt, Len, a pair of Mikes, and Annette with assorted guests on occasion, WDW Today has been running regularly since 2005. New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and focus primarily on trip planning. The episodes are shorter than those of most Disney podcasts, usually lasting between fifteen and thirty minutes. The Monday and Friday episodes usually consist of general discussion about Walt Disney World-related topics, while Wednesday episodes are devoted to answering listener questions—be warned that the email queue is notoriously backlogged, so your question will probably not be answered immediately save for the rare occasions when Mike Newell serves as the primary host.

My favorite episodes are the ones where Len, the owner of touringplans.com and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, reveals the results of the book’s annual reader surveys. Episode 1335, for example, highlighted reader opinions on attractions at the Magic Kingdom. The tone of the show can be positive or negative depending on the topic being discussed; the hosts will bluntly tell you if they do not like something. The panel has a great sense of humor and some episodes can be hysterically funny. The panel also does a monthly live show on a Sunday night where listeners can call in with questions.RM-Be-Our-Guest-Podcast

2) Be Our Guest (www.beourguestpodcast.com): This show, hosted by Mike, Rikki, Pam, and Debbie, runs the same Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule as WDW Today, and also focuses on trip planning. The three shows have different emphases. Mondays are devoted to listener trip reports, Wednesdays bring listener questions, and Fridays feature a general panel discussion about specific Disney topics. Some of these Friday topics are creative and thought provoking; a recent episode, for example, had the panel thinking of ways to “spookify” Walt Disney World attractions in honor of Halloween. The panel also hosts one live call-in show each month.  Discussion emphasis is placed on Walt Disney World, but Disneyland, the Disney Cruise Line, Tokyo Disneyland, and Adventures by Disney have also been dissected. One of the best features of the podcast is the related message forum. The members are incredibly fun and supportive of one another, and I definitely recommend becoming a member!RM-Generation-Mouse-Podcast

3) Generation Mouse (www.generationmouse.net): This show brings “a young adult’s perspective on all things Disney.” Episodes have been released sporadically as of late, but the shows are fun. The hosts, Mark, Libby, Ashleigh, Jen, Elizabeth, Kim, and the producer, Chris, clearly enjoy talking Disney and have an awesome sense of humor. Episodes vary in length from around twenty minutes to about an hour and highlight recent Disney news and topics, including movies and television in addition to the theme parks.RM-Disney-Film-Project-Podcast

4) Disney Film Project (www.disneyfilmproject.com): Each Monday, Ryan, Todd, Cheryl, and Rachel analyze a specific Disney movie. I usually listen to this show after watching the film in question so that I can compare my thoughts with those of the panelists. The highlighted movies range from classic animated features such as Dumbo (1941) to divisive sequels such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) to obscure live-action flicks like The Strongest Man in the World (1975) to new releases like Frozen (2013).RM-WDW-NE-Podcast

5) WDW NE Podcast (http://www.thebestmagic.net/wdw-northeast-podcast.html#/): On this fairly new show, a great group of Disney fans from the northeastern United States—Dean, Paulie, Sal, and Mike—discuss Disney news and general topics, including the individual Walt Disney World parks, Downtown Disney, and the Disney Store. The latter subject, rarely tackled by other podcasts, has produced some interesting conversation on this show. Episodes have ranged in length from about forty-five minutes to nearly two hours. Most episodes culminate in a contest segment called “Paulie’s Corner.” Here, Paulie dishes out a hypothetical subject for the others to “imagineer.” Sometimes, Paulie lets listeners decide the winner through twitter and email votes, so be sure to cast your ballot!RM-Fit-Mouse-Podcast

6) FitMouse (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/fit-mouse-podcast): This new show combines general health and fitness information with Disney discussion. The hosts, Bekka and Marci, are huge Disney fans and have fun with the show. A recent Halloween episode discussed Halloween candy before delving into a discussion of popular Disney Halloween movies.

You can find Andrew as a contributing writer at The Mouse For Less and on Twitter @AndrewCfran.

What Disney podcasts do you listen to? Let me know in the comments!

 

I Don’t Hate Disney’s Frozen – Really!

Posted on by

Snow White at Walt Disney WorldIt all started back in June when I wrote this blog post about how burned up I was over Snow White and Aurora getting kicked out of Princess Fairytale Hall – evicted to make room for Frozen’s Anna and Elsa.  Then I got busted by one of the hosts of the WDW NE Podcast (a podcast I happen to love and listen to regularly) tweeting about the Frozen takeover a few weeks back – I’d mentioned in a tweet that I had 10 ideas for how Walt Disney World could have incorporated Frozen into the World without pushing classic princesses out into the street.  So Paulie (@YoPaulieNJ) asked me to provide him with said 10 ideas for his perusal.

Next thing I know, in Episode 11 of the WDW NE Podcast, all four hosts (Mike, Sal, Dean, and Paulie) were debating the merits of each one of those 10 ideas.  (Be sure to listen to this show!!!)  Much strong language and hilarious discussion ensued.  As a result of all this – pretty much created by my own actions then carried on a wave of social media – I may have developed a teeny bit of a reputation for not liking Frozen as much as most other folks.

I’d like to dispel that rumor once and for all.  I do like Frozen (the movie) very much!  I can belt Festival of Fantasy Parade Frozenout every word of Let it Go to the car stereo as enthusiastically as the next person (even if my ability to actually hit those high notes is questionable).  I think Olaf and Sven are adorable side-kicks and Anna and Kristoff do indeed make the most darling couple!  I loathe Hans to the appropriate extent for being so mean and villainous.  Shoot!  I’m even taking a Disney cruise through the fjords of Norway next June knowing it will be full to the brim with Frozen tie-ins, merchandise, and superfans.  Yes, I do own the DVD and have enjoyed watching it on several occassions.  See?  I’m good, right?

I’m glad we could clear up that little misunderstanding.  While you’re here, I’d like to also share with you five very important life lessons I believe can be learned from Frozen and its beloved characters.  Here goes:

1.  If you accidentally injure your sibling while playing, you should be separated from that sibling for the foreseeable future…for everyone’s protection.  Does this only count in cases of magical power gone awry?  Because that one time when Megan dropped her baby brother headfirst onto the stacking donut toy did not result in any type of forced separation.  Does that make us bad parents?

2. If you’re orphaned at a young age and raised by the domestic help, you do not develop the ability to recognize unscrupulous men who want a relationship with you purely to steal your Disney's Frozen - Olaf Pinkingdom.  Good to know.

3. If you, as a young adult, go off to find yourself, it’s perfectly fine to have created a really great sidekick and then forget about/ignore them completely.  Seriously, I was a tad traumatized by Olaf being left out there on his own (nose-less, I might add) for an undisclosed amount of time.  I think there should be laws against that.  Is no one else bothered by this at all?!!?!?!?  I suppose the fact that he’s the most loving, selfless character in the movie means there was no harm caused by Elsa’s seemingly callous behavior.  But do we really know for sure?

4. Parents who discourage unique talents in their children by forcing them to hide their gifts cause a LOT of problems!  Especially if those parents go off and die instead of finding a magical tutor (a member of the Troll community perhaps?) to help the gifted child grow and develop their individuality in a healthy and productive way that does not involve shaming.  Just sayin’.

5. Trolls, maligned in both folklore and mainstream media, are actually very loving, nurturing, and caring creatures who are capable of raising a human child (my, there seem to be a lot of orphans in Scandinavia, no?) into a pretty decent adult…attachments to reindeer notwithstanding.

Don’t forget to listen to the WDW NE Podcast (available in all your favorite podcast-downloading locations).  Especially episode 11…which is pretty darned special, if I do say so myself.

How about YOU?  What were your important takeaways from Frozen?  What lessons did you learn from this delightful tale?