Destination D23 2025 took place at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World. This year's theme marked "A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney" and featured several panels, including a Walt Disney Studios Showcase, a Disney Villains presentation, a chat with Roy P. Disney (grandson of Roy O. Disney), Three Caballeros panels, an exploration of the life and career of X Atencio, a Disney 80s/90s Concert, a panel of Disney Channel celebrities (past and present), Disney Archives footage, Disney on Broadway fun, and so much more.

 

In this episode, I'm joined by Jack Kendall from DSNY Newscast to recap Destination D23 2025. While this podcast won't cover every panel and event, we'll highlight our key takeaways and analysis of the weekend.

 

Thank you to D23 and Disney Parks for this special opportunity and for inviting me to attend this event as media.

 

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The Swan and Dolphin are Marriott Bonvoy properties that have been at Walt Disney World since 1990 (their sister Marriott property, Swan Reserve, opened in 2021), and they hosted my family for a two-night stay at the Swan on a recent trip to Central Florida. As a good neighbor hotel officially with Disney Deluxe Resort benefits, the Swan is located in the EPCOT Crescent Lake resort area with easy walking distance (or Friendship boat) access to EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's BoardWalk, and Disney's Yacht & Beach Club resorts, plus bus service to Magic Kingdom (via Transportation and Ticket Center), Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. With comfortable rooms, world-class service, and a wide range of dining and recreation, the Swan is a hotel you should definitely consider for your next Walt Disney World vacation. You can learn more at https://swandolphin.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/swandolphin.

 

In this episode, we discuss everything you need to know about staying at the Swan, reveal details that make this property noteworthy, share reasons why you might want to stay here, and offer suggestions about how to make the most of your stay.

 

To plan a trip, be sure to work with KMV Travel.

 

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Disneyland Hotel was the first hotel or resort to feature the Disney name. Opened by Jack Wrather in partnership with Walt Disney, the Disneyland Hotel was not officially owned by The Walt Disney Company until Michael Eisner's Disney tenure, but it has been delighting Disneyland guests with Disney-themed spaces since October 1955. Today, the Disneyland Hotel includes four towers (Adventure Tower, Discovery Tower, Fantasy Tower, and Frontier Tower), six dining spaces (Goofy's Kitchen, Tangaroa Terrace, Trader Sam's and more), a monorail-themed E-Ticket pool, Disney shopping, and walking-distance proximity to Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney.

 

In this episode, we discuss everything you need to know about staying at the Disneyland Hotel, reveal Imagineering details that make this property noteworthy, share reasons why you might want to stay here, and offer suggestions about how to make the most of your stay.

 

To plan a trip, be sure to work with KMV Travel.

 

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Disney Adults have an affinity for Disney Parks, Disney Animation, Disney Consumer Products, and other Disney Experiences. They make frequent visits to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or any other Disney Destination. They prioritize Disney movies and watch Disney shows. They decorate their home with Disney designs, and they yearn for more Disney experiences.

 

In this episode, I chat with AJ Wolfe of Disney Food Blog about this very topic, exploring what it means to be a Disney Adult and discussing AJ's new book: Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture, available on August 5.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

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Walt Disney Imagineering invited me on a very special and exclusive tour of their headquarters at 1401 Flower Street in Glendale, California. This tour gave me the chance to chat with Imagineers, visit multiple Imagineering departments (model shop, sculpting, sound, animation, and R&D), attend demonstrations and presentations, and experiment with some innovative Imagineering technology. I got to power on a realistic Star Wars lightsaber, play with the lovable BDX droids from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disneyland and Walt Disney World), and touch and feel silicone samples from Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure (Shanghai Disneyland), just to name a few exciting milestones. In addition, I had the opportunity to interview Imagineer Dave Crawford inside Walt Disney Imagineering. All of this will be shared in today's episode.

 

In this episode, I share more details about my behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney Imagineering, including what I saw and what I learned from the experience.

 

Thank you to Walt Disney Imagineering for this very special opportunity.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

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Walt Disney—A Magical Life opened at Disneyland on July 17, 2025 (the 70th anniversary of Disneyland) in the Main Street Opera House (to be rotated with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln). With Walt Disney One Man's Dream as the opening sequence, this new attraction features the first-ever Audio-Animatronic figure to depict Walt Disney. On July 15, I had the honor of attending a special media preview of this brand new show with the opportunity to view the show twice plus hear from the Imagineers (Tom Fitzgerald and Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz) and Walt Disney Family Museum representatives (Kristen Komoroske) who worked on this new experience.

 

In this episode, I'm joined by Jack Kendall from DSNY Newscast to discuss this new attraction, including plenty of honest and detailed analysis about the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic and some discussion about the lobby experience (led by Imagineer Kim Irvine) and film sequence.

 

Thank you to Disneyland for this very special opportunity and for inviting me to attend this media event.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

Tag me and join the conversation below.

Walt Disney Imagineering invited me on a very special and exclusive tour of their headquarters at 1401 Flower Street in Glendale, California. This tour gave me the chance to chat with Imagineers, visit multiple Imagineering departments (model shop, sculpting, sound, animation, and R&D), attend demonstrations and presentations, and experiment with some innovative Imagineering technology. I got to power on a realistic Star Wars lightsaber, play with the lovable BDX droids from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disneyland and Walt Disney World), and touch and feel silicone samples from Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure (Shanghai Disneyland), just to name a few exciting milestones. In addition, I had the opportunity to interview Imagineer Dave Crawford inside Walt Disney Imagineering. All of this will be shared in today's episode.

 

Dave Crawford is a creative ride engineering executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he started in 1998 as a mechanical engineer. He has worked on the ride systems for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, just to name a couple of familiar examples. Dave is also listed as an inventor on over 60 patents and has been involved in every aspect of attraction design and development from early Blue Sky to attraction installation, turnover and certification.

 

Thank you to Walt Disney Imagineering for this very special opportunity.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

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Disneyland Park is celebrating its 70th (platinum) anniversary this year. Over the next year, guests who visit the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California will get to enjoy a new "Celebrate Happy" anniversary song recorded by the Jonas Brothers, special entertainment, anniversary decor and merchandise, festive food and drink, attraction updates, and unique experiences. World of Color Happiness, Paint the Night, Wondrous Journeys, updates to "it's a small world" and Toy Story Midway Mania, and a brand new show featuring the first ever Walt Disney audio-animatronic figure are just a few of the experiences guests can enjoy at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Hotel, Pixar Place Hotel, Disney Grand Californian Hotel, and Downtown Disney District.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

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Walt Disney Imagineers create lands and attractions that often represent real places. From the bustling streets of Harambe to the colorful gardens of the France Pavilion, Walt Disney World offers guests the chance to experience and learn about other parts of the globe. While our discussion isn’t collectively exhaustive, we discuss some of our favorite examples of the ways in which the Imagineers transport us to global destinations without leaving Central Florida.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

Read Cathy Salustri's books and listen to her podcast at https://greatfloridaroadtrip.com/

 

Tag me and join the conversation below.

Walt Disney Imagineers create lands and attractions that often represent real places. From the bustling streets of Harambe to the colorful gardens of the France Pavilion, Walt Disney World offers guests the chance to experience and learn about other parts of the globe. While our discussion isn’t collectively exhaustive, we discuss some of our favorite examples of the ways in which the Imagineers transport us to global destinations without leaving Central Florida.

 

Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel.

 

Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway.

 

Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY

 

Read Cathy Salustri's books and listen to her podcast at https://greatfloridaroadtrip.com/

 

Tag me and join the conversation below.