Disney Insights

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.

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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.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

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Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

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.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

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 our 493rd podcast for Disney's Art and Management of the Theme Show.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

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

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

I had the great opportunity to meet up with David Zanolla of Zanolla Travel to chat about his recent visit to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. This Disney Cruise destination offers a new stop for guests looking for a catered Disney experience. We'll discuss the beaches, activities, entertainment as well as the food & beverage. We'll also take time to talk about a lot of new announcements by Disney Cruise Line to include four new ships, another new ship in collaboration with Oriental Land Company, the Disney Treasure coming out this year, the Disney Destiny now announced for November 20th of 2025, and the Disney Adventure mega ship, which sails out of Singapore also somewhere in 2025. And then there is the announcement in D23 of four new additional ships. Lots to talk about in this Disney Insights podcast as we set sail with the Disney Cruise Line.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

A long-time favorite event at Walt Disney World is the annual Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Many of you have been at one time or another. Some of you have never been. While I've been many times, I've never actually done a recording since starting this podcast. So we have lots to talk about! We'll discuss the parade, the castle show, the fireworks, other entertainment, food, beverage, character meet 'n' greets and especially, the Headless Horseman. Moreover, I'll talk about this experience as I shared the entire evening 1:1 with my grown Autistic son. So lots of craziness and magic lies ahead. Join us as we talk all things about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on this our 490th Podcast.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

In my last podcast I noted an incredible array of projects that were announced at this year's D23 event. These projects which included a Cars set of attractions at Magic Kingdom that were presented before a paid audience were all encompassing, and were impressive examples of what Imagineering can potentially do. I then expressed frustration at the end of my podcast at how two days later, a graphic was shown illustrating where the Cars attractions was really going.

After the podcast I wondered why I was so personally irritated at this news. Yes, I really don't think that you need to remove the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island to add these projects. But that wasn't the real source of my frustration. In hindsight I really felt that Josh D'Amaro, who I had great respect--even admiration--had really played games with Disney fans. I felt it was in a subtle way a betrayal of trust, and that such a move on Disney's part was really something Disney should not do.

This podcast seeks to explain why Disney struggles with fans believing in their word and in what they are doing. We will look at a history that goes decades back to where The Walt Disney Company has made promises and have reneged. We will look at a larger issue that goes from a project called WestCOT all the way to Disneyland Forward. It's about trust, transparency, and being forthright, no matter who you are. Know that I am bringing out issues I would share with any client I had in an attempt to help them improve their organization.

Walt Disney said: "When they come here they're coming because of an integrity that we've established over the years. And they drive hundreds of miles. I feel a responsibility to the public." Guests today fly thousands of miles, and they spend thousands of dollars on a Disney vacation. Trust and integrity on Disney's part is the "responsibility" Walt is speaking of. And it's what we are speaking of in this podcast.

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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 podcasts.

Disney Insights Facebook Page--Come join and interact in conversation with others.

The Wayfinder Society--Disney Insights Patreon Page--More Disney Insights to interact with, while supporting the podcast. Here we bring the best in Disney both in terms of the magic of the parks as well as the business behind the magic!

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

With a full orchestra, and a grand and colorful stage, the arena was set for announcements at this year's D23 presentation and spectacle. We're here to share that information and give insight to these new announcements that share what's happening in Disney Parks, Resorts and Cruise Line globally. Josh D' Amaro led this event, noting from the start that "nothing was blue sky" and that everything shared was in development. The theme was Horizons and the opening number underscored not only the legendary Epcot attraction, but what was ahead for The Walt Disney Company. And then, as an afterthought, a huge, unbelievable announcement was made Post D23 changing the entire Frontierland experience. Join us for very big Park announcements and Disney Insights from D23.

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

This upcoming week is D23 and there is heightened expectation around what we'll be shared by the Disney Experiences group led by Josh D' Amaro. Called Horizons a D23 Disney Experience Showcase, Disney fans are in great anticipation of what will be announced. We go across the globe to all Disney Resorts as well as the Disney Cruise Line. We discuss what details we think will, could and should be presented at D23.

Note: Since recording this, permits were being pulled for Reflections, a DVC resort being located on Bay Lake adjacent to Fort Wilderness. We will discuss more in the next podcast.

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!

Most of the listeners on this podcast were probably not born much less visited the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Yet perhaps no project outside the Disney Parks has had more influence on the Disney Parks themselves than the New York World's Fair. So many attractions that we know and love like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, and the Peoplemover have their roots in the four exhibits done by the creativity and imagination of Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers for the fair. After considering how Disney captured the interests of those seeking to build a pavilion at the fair, we look at four projects themselves: General Electric's Progressland, Ford Magic Skyway; Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln; and "it's a small world". We'll share little known stories and we'll see all of these ended up in some form or another at Disneyland and subsequently Walt Disney World. And we consider today how almost every attraction built by Disney such as Star Wars Galaxy's Edge has roots in the New York World's Fair. Join us for this 60th anniversary special.

________________________________________________________

Check out Zanolla Travel to book your next vacation!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com

________________________________________________________

Performance Journeys

This podcast and post is provided by J. Jeff Kober and Performance Journeys, which celebrates more than 20 years as a training and development group bringing best in business ideas through books, keynotes, workshops, seminars and online tools to help you take your organization to the next level.

Want a Keynote Speaker? More than just nice stories, I offer proven insight and solutions having worked in the trench.

Need Consulting? I’ve worked for decades across the public, private and non-profit arena. 

Need Support? We offer so many classroom, online, and other resources to help you improve your customer service delivery, leadership excellence, and employee engagement.

Contact us today, and let us help you on your Performance Journey!