Disney At Work Podcast

Everyone loves to play" arm chair" Imagineer, so when new attractions or the details around those attractions are announced we immediately question, "what's going on? Why are they doing that". But on our "to do" list of "First World Problems" we can sometimes be too quick to not just speculate but downright criticize something long before it opens to the public. Turning to the Disney parks we look at examples of that, but moreover, look at how we do it in our own Imagineered lives. With new attractions and offerings such as Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Moana's Journey of Water and the "out of left field" Smellephants on Parade announcement we can see how this plays out. But no where has it emerged more than with the long-ago announced, but finally showing up at a Haunted Mansion near you Hat Box Ghost, where some question not only where it should go but why it should even be put in the first place. I'll share some personal insights and lessons learned since I can be guilty as any of not assuming positive intent.

I'm so excited to share with you a big announcement of something I've personally been working on for some time. After that we are going to share important news of this week that may have huge bearing on the company moving forward. Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer, both former executive leaders of The Walt Disney Company, have returned to solve some its biggest issues tied with ESPN and the long-term prospects of network/cable television. We'll share the story of how we got to this place, and why it may be important that these two princes have returned to the kingdom. And finally, I'll share a few personal thoughts about the departure of my friend, Jim Korkis. Be sure to check out and subscribe to Disney Insights!

It's still very much summer, but the Fall Food & Wine Festival for Epcot is on. We head over to the park to check out all the latest happenings. We taste test and review a dozen entrees, and we share our thoughts on a number of returning offerings. If you've never been to Epcot's premiere Food & Wine Festival, or if you only come once every couple of years, or if you are an annual pass holder, we have insights for you to help you make the best of this experience. Along with myself, my daughter Madison joins us, as well as David Zanolla of Out the Door Travel and his son Jonah. Join us as broadcast within Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival for 2023. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through keynotes, workshops, seminars and amazing benchmarking programs to organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. If you are seeking to improve you

It was a privilege to experience Disneyland as it takes center stage in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Disney. This is what the 50th anniversary for Walt Disney World should have looked like! We chronicle all of this, but we also talk about other fantastic events happening. Rogers the Musical is really worth seeing, and San Fransokyo is well underway. Indiana Jones has been re-touched with more chills and thrills than I've ever seen in the many years I've been. And then there is the newly revised Mickey's Toon Town. Join us as we canvas Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on this the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company! This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through keynotes, workshops, seminars and amazing benchmarking programs to organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. If you are seeking to improve your customer delivery, to re-

I just spent a week at Disneyland. I don't know that this is a trip report. If it is, it's one of the most unusual chronologies that you may ever heard. At the heart of this four day journey is an opportunity to celebrate my autistic son's 21st birthday with my wife and daughter. It's hard to imagine any day that wouldn't be nearly perfect at Disneyland. But this one is a roller coaster of expectations, emotions and joys. And there's a little bit of a twist at the end of it all that asks the question, "Why do we love Disney?" We will talk in an upcoming podcast about all that is happening at Disneyland to include the 100th anniversary. But allow me in this podcast to open up a little of my heart as I share the experience of personally taking my family to Disneyland. Join us on our Disneyland journey. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through keynotes, workshops, semin

In the last 24 hours a number of insights have surfaced. It began with an announcement that the Disney board has voted in favor of Bob Iger's contract being extended as CEO through 2026. CNBC's David Faber asked some real questions on what's working and what's not. This includes selling cable networks such as ABC; putting ESPN into streaming mode; and buying Hulu from Comcast. He then defends the attendance slump at Walt Disney World, which was the headline on CNN today. Finally, Iger discusses the impact that Governor DeSantis is having on the company and why Disney has filed a lawsuit around 1st amendment rights in court. Join us as we detail these many announcements and insights happening around the Walt Disney Company.

Our tenth Disney cruise took us to the waters off Alaska where we spent 7 nights on board the Disney Wonder. Our last podcast told you about the experience onboard the ship and our efforts to make this cruise happen. Sailing mostly in the waters of the Bahamas and the Caribbean, taking a cruise with Disney is usually more about the experience of being on board the ship and less about different excursions. But Alaska is so much more. Our excursions were for the most part amazing and became very much the centerpiece of our experience. We will take you through those ports of call to include Sawyer Glacier, Icy Point with an outstanding whale watching event, Juneau along with Mendenhall Glacier, and Ketchikan. For us, each of these were unique in and of themselves and made the entire experience one to remember. Join us for Part II of our Disney cruise to Alaska. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringin

There are many reasons for going on a Disney Cruise, and for many, visiting Alaska is a big bucket list item. Combine the two and you make for a wondrous journey. Join us as we take in the Alaskan waters on board the Disney Wonder for an 8-day, 7-night journey. We discuss the many decisions one has to make in determining if, when and how to take this cruise. We talk about the opportunities and issues around boarding in Vancouver. And then we talk in detail about being on a Disney cruise ship not in Bahamian, Caribbean waters, but in the cold realms of Canada and Alaska. We'll talk about the accommodations, dining, entertainment, recreation and other amenities of this ship, and what's it like to be on the Wonder for such a long trip. Join us for the first part of our voyage as we go onboard the Disney Wonder for Alaska. For show notes, images and videos, please visit DisneyInsights.com Jim Korkis Needs Your Help! The 72-year-old, internationally-respected Disney historian who has authored thousands of articles

When added up, it's been a busy June at both Walt Disney World and at Disneyland. We'll cover some important headlines--from Disney dealing with governors in Florida and California, to changes in the Genie+ program; to new shows and lands coming to Disneyland; to new attractions and holiday parties here in Walt Disney World. Join us for this June Disney update!Special Announcement! Jim Korkis needs your help! The 72-year-old, internationally-respected Disney historian who has authored thousands of articles and dozens of books about all things Disney. He has also been a guest on several Disney Insight Podcasts. Moreover, he's been a friend for years. Jim is now struggling with a series of major medical issues and is in need of financial help to pay his bills. We invite you to help! Photos, videos and links can be found on Disney Insights! There are three ways you can support Jim with any or all of the following: Go to Go Fund Me and make a direct contribution to Jim Korkis. Join our Patreon Group, the Wayfinde

Sixty years of the Enchanted Tiki Room doesn't just mean a lot of decades of bird shows, although that number is enormous. Opened on June 23rd of 1963, The Enchanted Tiki Room represents Walt Disney's first foray into Audio-Animatronics, a new "space age" technology that allowed inanimate characters to perform on cue--and even talk. Six decades of Abraham Lincoln, swashbuckling pirates, singing dolls, Big Al, Dinosaurs, Mark Twain, Figment, Extraterrestrial Aliens, Avatar Shamans and Dancing Baby Groots all take their roots from a thatched hut. We pay homage to this amazing attraction--Simple in concept but never simplistic in execution. We see how this attraction has played out for generations of audiences over the years, and has evolved into entire resorts like Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Aulani. Join Jose, Fritz, Michael, Pierre and more as we celebrate one of only two attractions that carries the name of its founder, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Lots of photos, videos and links s

You see it all the time, headlines that say attendance is down at Walt Disney World or Universal's Epic Universe is going to take away all the business from Disney. Well, is it? We have a strong sense of how parks are faring after the pandemic, now that TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) and AECOM (Architecture, Engineering ,Construction, Operations and Management) has released its Global Attraction Attendance Report for 2022. From this we can begin to read the TEA leaves (get it?) as to how these parks are faring. There are a number of surprises, not just among parks in Florida, but in California and internationally. Plus we look at astonishing numbers for water parks--especially at Disney. Join us as we examine the theme index report of 2022 to see how theme parks are really faring, and where they are going to in 2023 and ahead in 2024. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringing best in busine

When we started this podcast series examining the lands of Disneyland Park in the Disneyland Paris Resort, we began our first focused podcast with Fantasia Gardens, moved past the Disneyland Hotel, and down the left side of Main Street U.S.A., to include the Liberty arcade. We have then moved through Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland. Now we will return to Main Street and move down the right side toward the castle. One might think this is a lot of podcast for what is a lot of shops and eateries but I hold that this is perhaps the best designed retail and dining experience in the world. Even better than any of the other Main Streets found in parks world-wide. The attention Imagineers put toward the design of this street is unparalleled in terms of attention to detail, especially for something that is not really about rides and attractions (though we will talk about the Disneyland Railroad). In fact, we will consider this as to whether this is the best combined indoor/outdoor entertainm

The success of Pixar's Toy Story and its sequels have given way to a number of park attractions and offerings in Disney parks around the world. The biggest compilation of these has been in creating Toy Story Lands in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Orlando. The premise of these lands is the idea that Andy has created his own playground with his Toy Story pals in his back yard. We look at all of these lands with their attractions, food & beverage and retail offerings. We'll compare all these lands, talk about how they fit into their respective parks and ask the question, which of these is the best of the best? Join us for this podcast as we compare Toy Story Lands.

Today Apple made a big announcement. The tech giant announced a new platform, in the same scale as the iPhone, iPad, and the Apple Watch. Apple Vision Pro and its headset is Apple's way of embarking in a major way into virtual reality. It offers many benefits and creates an experience that may be unlike any other platform they have previously sold. To that end, moments later Disney CEO Bob Iger presented on stage at this conference to share that Disney will be making its Disney+ content available on the new platform on Day 1 when this device is sold at the Apple Store. But there is much more to this in terms of what could be offered. All the while, this foray into partnering with Apple is juxtaposition to Disney's recent decision to layoff many of the people involved with developing product for the Metaverse. So is Disney moving into artificial reality? We'll consider that question along with whether Disney's involvement suggests that Apple and Disney may merge as one corporation.

Of all the Tomorrowlands in all the Magic Kingdom-style parks, there is no version more unique than the one in Disneyland Paris, whose title is not Tomorrowland but Discoveryland. Intended to celebrate the scientists and futurists of Europe, the look and feel of this land really stands out above the rest. If steampunk had a theme park, much of this land would serve as home to it. We'll visit the attractions, shops and restaurants of this section of the park as we continue our celebration and examination of the many lands of Disneyland Paris. We'll look at how some of this original design dates back to early attractions Tony Baxter once conceived for Disneyland. And we'll explore some rumors of new attractions that might be coming to this land. Join us in Discoveryland as we go to the past to explore the future.

Six years ago this last weekend Disney premiered its newest land, Pandora: World of Avatar. Based on James Cameron’s successful film, this land set a new level of experiences not seen anywhere else. The centerpiece of this experience was Avatar’s Flight of Passage. It is called Flight of Passage because the flight is a rite of passage. We will look at what exactly are those rites of passage that play out in this attraction. Moreover, we will talk about how we are ourselves have our own rites of passage that we must observe. Our focus on this attraction will take on a new level of understanding and insight as we not only see the fruits of a well Imagineered Disney experience, but see how those same concepts play out personally and in our professional lives. Join us as we continue our celebration of Disney’s Animal Kingdom as we study the Rites of Passage on Avatar’s Flight of Passage. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and

We're heading into summer and it's time to think about how to make it work when you're visiting Disney theme parks--particularly Walt Disney World during the summer months. People are often surprised how hot, humid, wet and rainy a typical summer day can be. We're here to give you decades worth of smart steps you can take as you embark on a Disney day during these months. You can still have a great summer vacation--if you follow these practical ideas for enduring the weather. Join us for Beat the Heat Hacks for Summer at Walt Disney World! This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its 20th year as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through keynotes, workshops, seminars and amazing benchmarking programs to organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. If you are seeking to improve your customer delivery, to re-engage the morale of your workforce, or to improve the leadership of your organization, we offer not onl

As part of the 25th Anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, we want to talk about how this park came to be and the leaders that made it happen. I had the privilege of meeting back up with Rick Barongi, the first animal care zoo keeper hired by Imagineering to develop and make Disney's Animal Kingdom a reality. Roy E. Disney, Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, and Imagineers like Craig Russell, Paul Comstock and of course, Joe Rohde. He shares the role Jane Goodall played in supporting the park and of adventures in constructing it. Join us as we talk about the pioneers of Disney's Animal Kingdom who were the leaders that truly made this park a reality that we know and love today. Our big thanks to Rick Barongi who joined me for this podcast and has done so much to further the betterment of animals, nature and conservation throughout the world. Check out his latest undertaking, Longneck Manor in Fredericksburg, Texas. This podcast as well as all others are brought to you by Performance Journeys, which celebrates its

While we like going into the weekend with lighter news, this week a couple of key announcements were made, and they are reflective of some tough financial decisions being made particularly at the Walt Disney World Resort. First and foremost, Disney has announced that the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser will cease operations in a few months. We explore why this is coming to an end, and most importantly, what lessons can be learned from it. Disney has also announced that it is no longer going to relocate staff into a planned campus that was to be located in a Lake Nona campus here in Orlando. And we also look at the tea leaves to see how attendance is doing at Walt Disney World. This conversation is timely, as we have worked with organizations big and small to consider how they can save their customers time. It’s one of the major processes that really trip up a customer experience. At  Performance Journeys, we work with organizations in the public, private and non-profit sector to help give their customers the g

The biggest guest complaint at Disney Parks is how long the waits are. Guests are always wondering how they can enjoy the experience without getting worn out waiting for one ride after another. Tools such as the Disney app showing wait times, or Touring Plans can direct guests as to where to go next when they are in the parks. But those tools don't always offer context as to what is happening that creates that wait time. And sometimes those tools are simply not accurate. How do you determine that accuracy? With decades of experience being in these parks I wanted to present a simple tool for thinking through all this. I present Disney CSI+. Disney CSI+ stands for the following: Capacity, Schedule, Interest & Genie+. We will present the issues to each of these in a simple way that you can identify for yourself what attractions will easily be walk ons and which ones are going to involve serious consideration as to when to ride. Disney CSI+ will give you the key concepts and principles that will help you make