Starport75 - A Disney Podcast

Join Chris and Glenn as we discuss Chris’ cruise on Disney’s newest cruise ship, the Wish—plus an aftershow discussing photography

• Released 10/26/22
• Chris and family sailed on the Disney Wish last week
• Background and history of cruising
• Booking and planning
• Itinerary
• Terminal and Embarkation
  • Dining changes
  • Safety (Muster) Drill
• Stateroom and location
• Theming and decor
• Ship layout
  • Adult areas
• Dining and restaurants
  • Breakfast Buffet - Marceline Market
  • Main Dining
  • Palo v Enchante
  • Casual options
    • Festival of Food
    • Ice Cream
• Kids clubs
  • Special needs
  • Bands
• Information, Communication, Tech
  • An app…of course.
  • Room outlets
  • Internet
• Entertainment
  • Shows
  • AquaMouse
  • Hero Zone
    • Incredicourse
      • Socks
  • Funnel Vision
• Ports of Call
  • Nassau
  • Castaway Cay
    • Weather
    • Last day
    • Towels and Drinks
• Shopping and Merchandise
• After show: Photography Talk

• Released 4/10/22
• Bananas for Cabanas
• Animal Kingdom
  • Mobile dining
• Park Reservations
• Magic Kingdom visit
  • Want to ride rides
  • Genie Plus
    • In the technology all the time
    • Horrible User Experience
    • Peter Pan LL
    • Buzz Lightyear LL
    • Dumbo LL - didn’t use
    • Fantasyland first
    • On average, guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using the Lightning Lane entrance if the first selection is made early in the day.
    • https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/genie/
  • Double gangway for ferry
  • Lunch at Columbia Harbor House

• Recorded on 12/2/21; Released 12/5/21

• Special Guest: Casey Liss

  • Co-host of Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP) and Analog(ue)
  • Creator of the Peek-a-View iPhone app which is a read-only photo browser which was inspired by a trip to Disney World 😀

• Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History

• Recap of the changes since pre-pandemic times; the "changes" episode

• What's different now than before the pandemic shutdown?

  • Disney's Magical Express
  • Face coverings indoors
  • No parades yet; will return in 2022; have cavalcades instead
    • Dragon float catches on fire during Disney World parade
  • No dining plans
  • No parking lot trams to date; announced on 12/2/21 that the trams will return this month
  • Limited character meet-and-greets
  • Resort guests get 30-minute early entry to any Walt Disney World theme park, every day; no more early or evening magic hours, and not all the attractions are open
  • Fireworks restarted in July
  • Annual Passholder discussion
  • Park reservations
    • Park hopping is limited to after 2 pm; you must go to the park where you have the reservation before park hopping
  • Technology
    • Mobile order for dining
    • Dining reservations and check in
    • online check in at resorts; use magic band or app to open your door
    • Theme park entry; use magic band or app (including Apple watch) to enter
    • Genie

      • Genie

        • Free, offers "personalized itinerary"

      • Genie+

        • Ride reservations and line-skipping via the Lightning Lane
        • $15 per person, per day
        • Can make first reservation starting at 7 am
        • After you use your Genie+ reservation or after two hours, you can make another reservation

      • Individual Lightning Lane purchases

        • Prices start at $7 per person, per attraction
        • Variable. Can go up to $15 depending on day
        • Can buy at 2 different attractions each day
        • Resort guests can start purchasing at 7 am/ day guests can start at park opening

        Magic Kingdom

        • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
        • Space Mountain

        Epcot

        • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
        • Frozen Ever After

        Hollywood Studios

        • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
        • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

        Animal Kingdom

        • Avatar Flight of Passage
        • Expedition Everest

   

Join Chris and Glenn on our 100th episode magical celebration! There are no pink castles, but we have two (!) trip reports, including a combined report from the Magic Kingdom! Don't miss it!

• Chris' trip
• Glenn's trip
  • First times
    • Kali River Rapids
    • Skyliner
    • Oga's Cantina
    • Rose and Crown
    • Gideons
    • Everglaze
    • Blaze Pizza
• Chris' next big adventure

• Released on 6/26/21
• News
  • Contemporary redecorating
  • https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/06/first-look-inside-a-reimagined-guest-room-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/
  • https://blogmickey.com/2021/03/incredibles-room-retheme-confirmed-for-disneys-contemporary-resort/
• Chris' trip report for DHS visit
  • Park Reservations
  • Virtual Queue system
  • The day didn't start off great even if it did start early
  • Ah....weather and crowds
  • Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Train (isn't it Goofy's runaway train?!)
    • Reflections on GMR
    • Thoughts on MMRT
    • OH: "How come they have fastpasses and we don't!?"
  • Galaxy's Edge
    • Nothing to do but I love it.
    • Should be 3x
    • Smuggler's Run broken too (60m)
  • Why is it so difficult to get to Pixarland?
    • Alien Saucers (30m)
    • Midway Mania (40m...really 30)
    • Woody's Lunchbox
  • The Disney App - Do people like it?
  • And finally.... $2.50 for a single banana?!?
  • Given all that my score for the day (out of 10) was.......
  • What does it mean for our trips in July

• Released on 6/5/21
• Coke Corner is no more
• Things are changing in the world thanks to the Covid vaccine
  • Eliminated the 6-foot distancing rule
  • Remove mask mandate outdoors; still required inside
• Rabbit Holes:
  • Color of sidewalks in Disney Parks. What's myth and what's fact?
  • Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - the moving stage
• Glenn has a WDW trip panned for July
  • Making dining reservations
  • Challenges getting a park reservation
    • Via Napoli in Italy
• Chris' Disney Adventures
  • Magic Kingdom visit on Mother's Day
  • PhotoPass challenges
  • FastPass+
  • Dole Whips
  • Stayed around 3-4 hours
  • Lines are long, but they move fast
• Annual Passes back on sale on August 16???
• PSA about hats in the parks
• When will the WDW Railroad open?
• Chris is pro-no fly zones over WDW

• Recorded on 3/25/21
• Released on 3/26/21
• Chris visits Animal Kingdom
  • Three hours
  • Entrance
  • Asia
    • Animal encounter
  • Tea - Joffrey's
  • Kid adventure passport
  • Africa - Harambe
    • Gorilla Falls
  • Didn't get to see Pandora
  • Exit
• Beastly Kingdom

• Released 3/21/21
• Coke Corner
• Disney News
  • Disneyland will open on April 30
  • Remy's Ratatouille Adventure will open on October 1
  • Harmonious barges installed in World Showcase Lagoon
  • Epcot Entrance finished
  • New Points of Light are being installed on Spaceship Earth
  • EARidescent Turrets are being repainted back to blue on Cinderella Castle
  • New spotlights bring "premier night" every night to Chinese Theater at DHS
  • FastPass signs, and our thoughts on the future of FP
• Chris will be visiting Animal Kingdom!

• Special Guest: Casey Liss
  • Co-host of Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP) and Analog(ue)
  • Creator of the Peek-a-View iPhone app which is a read-only photo browser which was inspired by a trip to Disney World 😀
• History and Genesis of the Hall of Presidents in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
  • The first new land Walt wanted to add to Disneyland was an area devoted to America's founding principles. Plans for the land go back to 1956.
    • It was to be called "Liberty Street" and was going to be located off of Town Square on Main Street
    • The main attraction was going to be called "One Nation Under God" with its finale to be a Hall of Presidents with an animated, life sized figure of each President with Abraham Lincoln being the focus.
    • President Lincoln was one of Walt's childhood heroes
    • The technology wasn't advanced enough in 1956, and audio animatronics weren't developed by WED Enterprises (Imagineering) until 1961, and not used in an attraction until 1963 in the Enchanted Tiki Room.
  • Walt was approached to create attractions for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair
    • Walt’s sponsors at the Fair funded the development of major technical advancements such as Audio-Animatronics technology and the PeopleMover system that he could implement at Disneyland
    • And they helped demonstrate to Walt that there was an east coast audience for his brand of themed entertainment
    • When Walt invited the head of the Fair (Robert Moses) to tour the studio, he was so impressed by the One Nation Under God concept, he insisted on including it in the Fair
    • Walt knew that he would not be able to complete the entire show within the given timeframe, and a show based on Lincoln was created for the State of Illinois pavilion.
    • During the "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" show, a seated Abraham Lincoln stands, gives a speech—made of excerpts of different Lincoln speeches—and sits back down.
    • The show was a hit. So much so, that Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1965, and was running on both coasts during 1965
  • When Walt Disney World was being designed, the Imagineers brought back the idea for Liberty Street and the Hall of Presidents.
  • The Hall of Presidents was an opening day attraction on October 1, 1971 and opened with audio animatronics of all 36 presidents
    • The show starts with a film presentation of the history of the US, then the screen lifts up and the Presidents are shown and introduced, with each giving a nod or wave.
    • Lincoln then stands from his chair and gives his speech from Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
    • As new presidents were elected, a new audio animatronic figure was added to the show.
    • During Bill Clinton's term, the show was changed to include a speech by Clinton, and the narration was changed slightly.
    • Each president that followed (Bush, Obama, Trump) were given a speaking role as well.
  • The show is currently closed and the official word from the Walt Disney Company is that they are going to install President Biden into the attraction
• Future status and rumors
  • Article: Hall of Presidents: We're Done Here
  • Muppets? Hamilton? Something else? Status Quo?
• Other Disney discussion
  • Annual Passes for both WDW and Disneyland
  • FastPasses
  • "Death" of the Disney Influencers
  • Haunted Mansion
    • Boundless Realm: Deep Explorations Inside Disney's Haunted Mansion by Foxx Nolte
    • Technology Connections: The Not-So-Secret Secret Elevators of the Haunted Mansion
  • Columbia Harbour House
    • The pathway room on the second floor of the restaurant
  • Friar's Nook

• Released 12/11/20
• Getting ready to record the episode
• Episode 033 - Books about Walt Disney World and Glenn taking photos on his trip to WDW
• What's happening with Disney?
• Disneyland is still not open
• • California Adventure's Buena Vista Street is open for shopping and is part of Downtown Disney
  • Restaurants have closed again this week
• Could Disney start using robots for meet and greets? - Inside the Magic article
• • Spider-Man swinging animatronic: https://youtu.be/INFm7gYjF60
  • https://la.disneyresearch.com/
• No New Year's Eve celebrations in the theme parks
• Heavy crowds at the parks over Thanksgiving
• When do we think that the mask restriction will be lifted at WDW?
• Park Hopping returns in January
• Martin's Videos http://www.martinsvids.net/
• Candlelight Processional is on YouTube https://youtu.be/u499fuB0OGI
• Episode 012 - Candlelight Processional narrated by Roger Rabbit