🎢 Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast – Episode 248

Disney just debuted Zootopia: Better ZOOgether inside Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug, and we’ve got thoughts — including Tom’s favorite part!

We also talk:

🦅 Soarin’ Across America (new version coming Summer 2026)

🐭 Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure returning in 2D

🎭 Six Flags’ DC Heroes Fest replacing Holiday in the Park

🎢 Universal Orlando’s Finnegan’s refurb

🎠 Silverwood’s acquisition by Herschend

🌏 Global news: PokéPark KANTO, Infinity Planet Project 

 🥐 Plus: Tom reviews the Parisian Breakfast at Chefs de France at EPCOT — bottomless mimosas, buttery croissants, and all.

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

🔗 vacationeerspodcast.com

📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@vacationeerspodcast

🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/vacationeertom

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vacationeerspodcast/

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VacationeerTom

 ☀️ So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

In the final VacationScares Podcast of 2025, Tom is joined by his skeleton crew of Jittery Jon, Deceased Dave, and Cremated Kris as they descend upon Atlanta for a triple-dose of terror! From the blood-soaked brilliance of Netherworld Haunted House, to the screams of Six Flags Over Georgia’s Fright Fest, to a rush of RMC airtime at Fun Spot America Atlanta—the crew breaks it all down.

They share every scream, scare, and coaster count (including Tom’s 227th!), plus Jon recounts his own Halloween Horror Nights experience from Orlando. It’s an episode packed with haunted thrills, theme park chills, and plenty of laughs from beyond the grave.

🕷️ Recent YouTube Vlogs:

Haunted Mansion Holiday • Monster Stomp on Ripper Row • Total Terror Haunted Attraction • Oogie Boogie Bash • Howl-O-Sprint 5K • Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party • Brick or Treat • Scream-A-Geddon • Jock Lindsey’s Halloween Hangar Bar • HHN Premium Scream Night

💀 Subscribe & Support:

Facebook: Vacationeers Theme Parks and More

Twitter: @VacationeerTom | @pastorJonSelf

Instagram: @vacationeerspodcast

Website: vacationeerspodcast.com

👕 Shop the Merch:

🛒 Rip Ride Rockit Tee

🛒 Scaredy Cat Halloween Shirt

🛒 Graveyard Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Tee

🛒 I Came for the Boos – Disney Inspired

🎢 Locations Featured:

Fun Spot America Atlanta • Netherworld Haunted House • Six Flags Over Georgia Fright Fest

🧟‍♂️ Until next Halloween season, keep having nightmares.

In Episode 246 of the VacationeerScares Podcast, Taggled Tom is joined by Electrocuted Ian to discuss Ian’s two-night HHN trip to Orlando, Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Howl-O-Scream, Total Terror Haunted Attraction in Virginia, and the Howl-O-Sprint 5K at SeaWorld Orlando!

From possessed corn mazes and wolf attacks to holiday-horror hybrids, we cover it all — and decide which events truly deliver the screams this season.

🎥 Watch our latest haunts and theme park adventures:

YouTube Channel

🛒 Get your Rip Ride Rockit shirts: Rip Ride Rockit Tee | Graveyard Rip Ride Rockit Tee

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

Welcome to Episode 245 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast!

Tom is joined by Jon Self (@pastorJonSelf) for a jam-packed episode featuring a fiery week of theme park news — literally! From Universal’s Rip Ride Rockit catching fire during demolition to Disney’s latest ticket price hikes, we cover every spark, shock, and surprise across the parks.

Then, Tom breaks down his California weekend getaway, with stops at Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, and a full day at Disneyland that included Oogie Boogie Bash, 20 attractions, 8 Lightning Lanes, and a breakfast chimichanga that might just top Dole Whip.

• Busch Gardens Tampa: Iron Gwazi locker crackdown (paid lockers now enforced)
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Guest climbs Tempesto coaster (and gets arrested)
• Icon Park: 100,000 sq. ft. expansion with new Arte Museum coming in 2027
• Disney Parks: Ticket price increases, PhilharMagic refurbishment, virtual queue return
• Gordon Ramsay at The Carnaby coming to Downtown Disney
• Muppets takeover of Rock ’n Roller Coaster confirmed for 2026
• Haunted Mansion guest incident at Disneyland
• Universal Orlando: Rip Ride Rockit fire during demolition
• Stardust Racers reopens after safety investigation
• Epic Universe teases Christmas events in Celestial Park and Wizarding World
• Banana Ball coming to ESPN Wide World of Sports (May 29–30, 2026)

• Stayed at Whiskey Hotel Hollywood and The Anaheim Hotel
• Lunch at Seaside on the Pier, Bloody Marys & bottomless mimosas
• Explored Santa Monica, Hollywood & Disneyland (20 attractions in one day!)
• Total cost: $2,425.55

🎢 A perfect mix of sunshine, churros, coasters, and chaos!

In Episode 244 of the VacationScares Podcast, Taxidermied Tom welcomes Decapitated Dave and Cadaver Kris from Adventures By D for a glowing good time! They kick things off with Wild Adventures Great Pumpkin LumiNights and Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival before diving into Tom’s coast-to-coast Disney Halloween trip report.

Tom recounts his visits to both Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom and Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure—then puts them head-to-head in a Halloween showdown. Which Disney party wins: East Coast nostalgia or West Coast villainy?

🕷️ Watch Adventures By D on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventuresByD

🛒 Get your Rip Ride Rockit shirts: https://amzn.to/4kMk06e

🎃 Visit: https://vacationeerspodcast.com

In Episode 243 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast, Tom covers a wild mix of theme park news and personal adventures.

News highlights include:

• The bizarre scuba-style robbery at Disney Springs’ Paddlefish
• A tragic death and lawsuits tied to Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers
• Glenwood Caverns’ $205M “nuclear verdict” over the Haunted Mine Drop
• Major new attractions: SeaWorld Orlando’s SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep, Legoland’s Galacticoaster, Six Flags Over Texas’ record-breaking Tormenta Rampaging Run, Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition, and Universal’s Jurassic Park River Adventure refurb
• Sesame Place San Diego shifting to seasonal ops

Plus, Tom shares trip reports:

• Camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness (tent mishaps, golf cart fun, and eating big at Trail’s End)
• Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort (cabana rental, resort fee perks, rainy weekend, and Pier 60 livestream during the Verizon outage)

And don’t miss what’s really included in those resort fees — from yoga to bottled water.

🛒 Get your Rip Ride Rockit shirts: RIP Ride Rockit Tee | Graveyard Rip Ride Rockit Tee

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

In Episode 242 of the VacationeersScares Podcast, Tom is joined by Jon Self (@pastorJonSelf) for a jam-packed Halloween recap. Tom dives into his latest experiences at Halloween Horror Nights, including Stay & Scream, food booths, and shows like Nightmare Fuel and Haunt-O-Phonic. He also shares his impressions of Scream-A-Geddon Horror Park with its unique interactive houses, Zombie Paintball, and standout interactive haunts. They also head to LEGOLAND Florida’s Brick or Treat, complete with trick-or-treating, meet & greets, and the Monster Skytacular drone show—plus the big announcement of the new Galacticoaster family indoor coaster opening in 2026.

In Episode 241 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast, Tom is joined by Jon Self to cover the latest theme park news and more. They break down all the big updates from Disney Parks, including Cinderella Castle’s return to its classic colors, the new Tron: Ares overlay, and the long-awaited Carousel of Progress update. They also go over closures coming to Animal Kingdom, including Dinosaur’s official end date.

The panel reviews the 2025 Golden Ticket Awards, where Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe dominated, Volcano Bay finally toppled Schlitterbahn’s 26-year reign, and Carowinds’ Fury 325 and Knoebels’ Phoenix kept their winning streaks alive.

Beyond the news, Tom shares his experience dining at the Beak & Barrel Tavern at Magic Kingdom, while Jon dishes on EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival, including the items you might want to avoid this year.

🛒 Get your Rip Ride Rockit shirts: RIP Ride Rockit Tee | Graveyard Rip Ride Rockit Tee

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

In the continuing VacationScares saga, Tom and Jon discuss their opening weekend visits to both SeaWorld Orlando Howl-O-Scream and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Howl-O-Scream. 

🛒 Merch:

• Rip Ride Rockit Tee
• 
  
• Scaredy Cat Halloween Shirt
• 
  
• Graveyard Rip Ride Rockit Tee
• 
  
• I Came for the Boos (Disney)

Follow & Support:

• Facebook: Vacationeers Theme Parks and More
• 
  
• Twitter: @VacationeerTom | @pastorJonSelf
• 
  
• Instagram: @vacationeerspodcast
• 
  

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

The first VacationScares episode of the 2025 season is here! Tom is joined by Kris and Dave from the Adventures by D YouTube channel, along with Jon Self, to break down everything from Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2025.

We start with Premium Scream Night—Tom gives his unfiltered opinion on whether it lived up to last year’s high bar. Then Dave and Kris share their opening weekend experience, including using Express Pass and Stay & Scream, while Jon adds his own perspective on this year’s event.

Finally, we dig into the house rankings, comparing notes on what worked, what disappointed, and which houses absolutely terrified us.

🎬 Watch our HHN Premium Scream Night vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxKmfJgjev8

📖 Read the full blog: https://vacationeerspodcast.com/2025/09/01/did-hhn-premium-scream-night-2025-live-up-to-the-hype/

🎥 Check out Adventures by D: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventuresbyD

🛒 Merch:

• Rip Ride Rockit Tee
• Scaredy Cat Halloween Shirt
• Graveyard Rip Ride Rockit Tee
• I Came for the Boos (Disney)

Follow & Support:

• Facebook: Vacationeers Theme Parks and More
• Twitter: @VacationeerTom | @pastorJonSelf
• Instagram: @vacationeerspodcast

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.