Welcome Aboard Thrill Seekers and Adventure Lovers

S1E2: The Road to Disney; Part Deux

Step back into1970s Orlando—long before the theme parks, traffic jams, and endless souvenirshops—as Mike Patrick continues his true story of how an ordinary 18‑year‑oldkid found himself on the front lines of opening Walt Disney World.

In this secondepisode of The Road to Disney, Mike takes listeners from the citrus‑scentedgroves of old Central Florida to the pristine fairways of Bay Hill CountryClub, where a summer lifeguard job unexpectedly becomes the gateway to a 50‑yearcareer in the themed entertainment industry. Along the way, listeners meetlegendary Disney horticulturist Bill Evans, survive a Navy hospital adventureor two, and discover what it was really like to apply for a job at Walt DisneyWorld when the Casting Center was a double‑wide trailer tucked into the woods.

From run‑swim‑runtests on Bay Lake to the strict grooming rules of early Disney cast life, thisepisode blends nostalgia, humor, and insider history in a way only someone wholived it can deliver.

The episodealso answers this week’s trivia question: Which original WDW role required male cast members who were at least 6 feet tall?

Listeners who enjoy behind‑the‑scenes stories, Disney history, or tales of how life’s smallest decisions can change everything will find this episode especiallycompelling.

In this premiere episode entitled *The Road to Disney*, MikePatrick shares the unlikely, entertaining, and inspiring true story of how an18‑year‑old kid—barely out of high school—landed a job helping open Walt DisneyWorld in 1971. From Red Cross swim lessons in Ohio, to lifeguarding for theU.S. Navy, to a fateful encounter with Navy SEALs, to an unexpected job atArnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Country Club, this episode traces the winding paththat set the stage for a 50+/‑year career in the themed entertainment industry.Told with warm humor, vivid storytelling, and a few surprises along the way,this is the origin story behind a lifetime of adventures.

Introduction to new Podcast

"Welcome Aboard Thrill Seekers and Adventure Lovers"