Welcome to this Disney at Work podcast. Walt's opening words when he dedicated Disneyland was:

"To all who come to this happy place...Welcome!"

Welcoming guests is a hallmark of the total Disney experience. One of the four Disney keys is Courtesy. A critical customer service behavior expected of all Disney Cast Members is that they greet, welcome, and thank all guests. I saw much of that when guests first pored into Disneyland last week as the gates finally reopened after a long hiatus. I myself felt very welcomed when I first came down Main Street U.S.A. as I entered the Magic Kingdom on Day 1 when it reopened last July. But how do you make it happen every day and in every Guest interaction? That's what we'll address in this Disney at Work podcast. We'll talk about the concept of "assertive" friendliness. We'll showcase different approaches for making people welcomed, and we'll offer you complimentary souvenirs that you can apply back in your own organization.

Welcome to this podcast on welcoming others!

Disney Cruise Line made major announcements regarding the Wish, to include when reservations are open. We will look at signature features of this new ship, the first of the Triton class of three ships to be built. We'll look at the top deck with all of its pools and water features. We will check out all the hangouts for kids. We'll overview entertainment and look at the different staterooms being offered. And finally, we'll check out the cuisine being offered. This is not just a remodeled ship like the Dream and Fantasy. While the exterior follows the familiar design of the previous two, major changes have been made throughout the ship in where all of its features are going. Plus, a heavy dose of Disney Magic attends to all of it. We'll look not only at the ship from stem to stern, but also discuss when Disney is opening up reservations and discuss the progress of reopening the entire fleet.

Check the accompanying post with charts, photos, links and more at Disney at Play.

Let's take a ride on the PeopleMover.

This week the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover reopens. Disney fans rejoiced as they waited in what appeared to be long lines to experience the PeopleMover. This is an attraction embraced by so many. Why? What is the appeal of the PeopleMover? We look at the attraction at re-opening, experience the attraction first-hand, and then seek to understand why the PeopleMover matters. There is an emotional connection many have to this attraction. We want to explore that connection, what it means, and how it applies to you.

You can find the accompanying post with videos, photos and additional links here at Disney at Play.

With the re-opening of Disneyland, it's a great time to remember what makes this flagship park so special. In this post and podcast, we look at the artistry & magic of Disneyland's Fantasyland. From art to sculpture to landscaping to characters themselves, we journey to find amazing characters and craftsmanship. Along the way we find what truly makes this the most magical of all the lands of Disneyland. Through narrative, photos and video, we invite you to take a stroll with us as we take a look at this happy place.

You can find the photos and videos that accompany this podcast at Disney at Play. 

Welcome to this Disney at Work post and podcast. It's about the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, but it's also about change in its different forms. We look at this nearly 40 year old attraction to learn how change occurs and how to best address that change. I've called this the Gran Fiasco Tour Starring the Three Cambios.

There are three places where the dynamics of change or cambios can occur:

• Unexpected Change

Looking at what is happening at Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, we're going to explore those concepts of change and how we address them. At the end, we'll offer you some souvenirs for you and your organization as you consider change and how to embrace it.

Also, if you like this podcast, we really appreciate you helping out the “littlest podcast that ever could" by visiting iTunes and giving us a positive rating and review. This helps more people find us out there.

It's Earth Day this week at Disney's Animal Kingdom. While that may not make any more sense than year long anniversaries at Disney that run 18 months, the good news is that there is time to check out all things conservation if you're near Walt Disney World. If not, then this video and/or podcast is perfect for you, as we explore a number of things associated with the messages of Earth Day to include a newly updated book for Disney, efforts to bring a love of nature to children's hospitals, baby mandrills, new 360 photos, sand sculptures and of course cupcakes. Every celebration at Disney's Animal Kingdom has cupcakes, and this one has three! You can't have a celebration at Disney's Animal Kingdom without cupcakes. Plus we check out and do a review of two trips made to Nomad Lounge. Lots to talk about this week, from Pandora to the new Festival of the Lion King as it returns next month. Join us!

April 15th was the day that every Californian could book reservations for Disneyland. But being from Florida, I had no option in joining half the state of California in booking reservations for Disneyland. Still, I knew my great friend Taleia, who has joined me in previous podcasts on what we love most about Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, would be working hard to get a reservation. I text her on the 15th to see how it was going. No response. A day later I get a text from her at mid day. It took 16 hours the first day with no luck! Then she started again at midnight and finally got them two hours later. She scored two, two-day tickets at 2 am that morning. 18 hours total! She paid $470 ($235 a piece) for those two sets of two-day tickets, which would have handled the better part of a single annual pass for her a few years ago. Is it worth it? You bet! For that reason, I'm stating 18 reasons to wait 18 hours for reservations to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. It still may be a while before I get there since I'm an out-of-stater. But I can still dream, and I'm dreaming of when I get to go back. This is that list!

This week I've been in three of the Walt Disney World parks and noticed that opportunities for purchasing food & beverage were limited due not so much to COVID, but simply poor decision making on the part of management. In the wake of this, when Disney needs to make all of the money it can to get through this once-in-a-generation moment, we have instead money being left on the table by guests who frankly are ready to spend in the parks.

In this Disney at Work podcast we look at 7 ways Disney is missing the opportunity to improve their per caps. You may not run a restaurant--that's not important here. But if you have a business, you may learn some thing about how you could be generating greater revenue than you thought possible--especially in uncertain times like these.

It's a beautiful day here at Walt Disney World as we start the morning here in the Magic Kingdom. So much to check out in this podcast and video. We start in the parking lot looking at ongoing transportation issues (could Epcot monorails be returning?) and then on to entering the park using the new facial recognition system. In Town Square we check out changes that have been made to the fire house after Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom has come to an end (and yes, a new interactive experience is underway). Cinderella Castle continues to get layered with a treatment of bunting, spiraling ribbons and baubles of jewels for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary. We check that out and head right into Fantasyland where touches of gold have also been added to the carousel. Moving on to Storybook Circus we see that Casey Jr. is getting spiffed up, but that's nothing compared to ongoing construction of the new Tron coaster. Additional surprises await as we see the Tomorrowland Peoplemover in motion in hopes (cross your fingers) of an opening within a few days or weeks. In Adventureland we talk about changes underway on the world-famous Jungle Cruise, and some thematic details you may have never noticed at Pirates of the Caribbean. The Rivers of America look tranquil as does Liberty Square but work is being done on Peter Pan's Flight and we take notice that Be Our Guest is not open for breakfast. We finish our tour of Main Street Cinema that has temporarily become the confectionary for Main Street while the corner shop gets a major refurbishment. All this and more on this podcast and YouTube video post. Join us!

There are so many things happening around the world that are affecting Disney Parks. Look at all we have to cover:

• Epcot--New offerings coming this summer

All this and our own insights as to what is happening! Join us!