Dave’s Disney view

 Today's podcast is a look at where to stay when you are at Walt Disney World. I talk about the categories of hotels, the amenities, and which hotels fall into these categories.  And I talk about some of the things that you might look for in each type of hotel.

To me, the Art of Animation is probably has the best overall combination of amenities and price point, and is attractive for that reason.

While this podcast lays out the basics, I do recommend visiting an authorized Disney travel agent to find the one that best suits your needs, and to price your vacation.

One resource that I recommend is to contact Shannon over at thehttps://thewdwguru.com website.  She'd be delighted to talk about your next Disney vacation. 

 Today's podcast is a look at 4 fun things to do on the western part of what is now Disney Springs. Featured are a look at the AMC 24 theaters, Splittsville, DisneyQuest, and Cirque Du Soleil. Each has something special about it, and yet three of them are not Disney owned or operated. The cool thing is that they provide quality things to do. I encourage you to watch the videos and check them out on a future visit.

 This week's show is another dose of Disney news. First, Downtown Disney's evolution into Disney Springs is coming together. Next, there was a groundbreaking for Avatarland. And finally, FastPass machines are gone from the Animal Kingdom, Studios, and Epcot…I talk about all of those, and a whole lot more!  

 Today's podcast is a primer of sorts - a Disney World 101.  Over the last few weeks, I got a number of general questions about the resort.  So, I thought I'd help set the stage for what's what at Disney World, and give a sort of 'lay of the land'…hopefully if you've never been to the Orlando resort, this answers those general questions you may have about what a "theme park" is, and what else you can do for free and what else is ticketed.

If you have more questions, please let me know! 

 Today's podcast is a movies review of... Saving Mr. Banks. Short version: I loved this film! I hope you did too.  My lone problem with it was that it was a slightly Disney-ised and revised look at the history. It didn't quite work out this way, and I fill in the proverbial blanks on that. Still, it was great, and I can only imagine what it was like to work for the Walt Disney studios at that time.

Now I do have a couple of other Disney movies that I mention on this podcast (I was busy catching up over the last few weeks!).

 Today, I have still more information on MyMagic+. There's some new news, and a few updates….there is (as we expected) an active and passive RFID reader, and there isa requirement to have a biometric scan for park entrance. Meanwhile, old paper-based FastPass machines are being removed, and there are some increasing costs.

Come on in and take a listen, and comment below. 

 Today's podcast is a look at the history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and how it works within Walt Disney World. Full disclosure: this is not an original work by me. I am reading from a work from the Florida State Law Review, MERGING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GOVERNANCE: HOW DISNEY’S REEDY CREEK IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT “RE-IMAGINED” THE TRADITIONAL DIVISION OF LOCAL REGULATORY POWERS by Chad Emerson. I present it for your consideration, but give full credit to Mr. Emerson for his work on the project.

I personally love learning more about the history of Walt Disney World, and am fascinated by some of the things that happened to make the park we know and love. 

 Its a full dose of Disney news: Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland, a few MyMagic pieces, holiday "creep", movie news, and a whole lot more! Check out the candlelight processional video below.

 I went up to the parks at the end of October, and had a chance to check out some of what's going on with MyMagic, so I talk about that. Plus, I went over to Epcot and ate some yummy food at the Food & Wine Festial. And there are a few other fun things to talk about!

 Today I have a double podcast! I take a longer look at the Magic Bands, and MyMagic+, and consider why Disney is spending this kind of money on something that has a limited return on it from Disney's point of view.

My approach was to look at in this way: