Disney's Transformation: A Journey through Joy and Disappointment

Brace yourselves, Disney fans: prepare to be transported on a magical journey as we reminisce about the evolution of the LTAD podcast, share some personal life updates, and dive into a deep discussion on the latest happenings at Disney parks!  And boy, do we have a lot to unpack! The recent D23 event has caused quite a stir amongst us Disney aficionados, and we're here to discuss the bittersweet announcements, from the anticipated makeover of Dino Land USA into a Ecanto and Indiana Jones. 

If you thought that was all, hang on tight as we venture further into the universe of Disney theme park expansions. Will the Muppets Theater be replaced with Star Wars theming, or is there a more fitting tribute in the works? And let's not forget about the upcoming Haunted Mansion movie starring Jared Leto as the Hat Box Ghost. How does this align with the iconic attraction's history and what could it mean for the future of Disney parks? Pour yourself a cup of tea, or perhaps a swig of rum from the newly introduced Pirates Lounge, and join us as we navigate through these exciting prospects.

Finally, we're expressing our frustrations and disappointments with Disney since March 2020. Despite this, we keep our Disney spirits high and look forward to the future, discussing the possible additions to Toy Storyland and the concept art for the next Avengers campus attraction. Wrapping up, we cast our eyes toward the horizon, excited about our upcoming fall trips and eager to keep bringing you more captivating content. So sit back and get ready for a wild ride through the wonderful world of Disney on this episode of the LTAD podcast!

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Transcript

Jana: 0:16

Welcome everybody to the LTD podcast.

Mike: 0:19

It's almost Halloween.

Jana: 0:21

It's been a couple of weeks, I think, since we spoke last on the podcast. It has, yeah, been a few weeks. I think I feel like I've lived an entire lifetime since the last podcast. Yeah, me too.

Mike: 0:35

Well, y'all just keep popping them up and just going and going, and going. I'm like we should like do it like monthly, not weekly.

Jana: 0:42

I don't think that's going to happen anymore, I think. I think we're beyond that.

Mike: 0:45

That was our plan. You know, these microphone stands suck.

Jana: 0:48

I know. I'm thinking, I'm going to lean down on this stupid thing, okay.

Mike: 0:52

Sorry, we got new microphone stands and they're awful.

Jana: 0:53

They're not awful, but they're awful short. So, like I'm hunched back trying to reach mine, I'm the shortest one of the bunch here, so I was talking about how I literally feel like I've lived a lifetime since the last podcast, because, for those of you who are OGL tatters, I'm talking circa 2005,. The voice of LTD. Do you have that queued up?

Mike: 1:16

I got it somewhere in here.

Jana: 1:18

We're going to find it, but our voice of LTD. She was four and a half years old when she recorded this.

Mike: 1:23

if Mike can find it, oh, yeah, I got it right here, go ahead and play it.

Jana: 1:32

I think the music was louder than it. Yeah, let's just pull that music down and do it again.

Mike: 1:38

Hey, let's talk about Disney.

Jana: 1:41

She was four and a half years old when she recorded that.

Mike: 1:44

And then we got this one.

Jana: 1:46

Let's talk about Disney. No, that was Aaron and he was four. I think he was right at four when he recorded his, but regardless, because he was more like three, three and a half.

Mike: 1:58

We had to make him do one word, and then we put that together.

Jana: 2:01

But the voice of LTD, our daughter Kendall, who everybody remembers from the very first mouse fest. That very first mouse fest in December, she was five years old. She was walking around, Everybody was buying her stuff and wanting to ride with her and all these things. She got married to her fiance, who is now her husband, Charlie, and we love Charlie to death and everybody who ever met them together is going to love them to death. They're just a super, super fun and just precious couple. To be honest, they're. They're super fun and they get along and they're best friends and all the things. But I just think it's funny for everybody who can think back. She's what? 23 years old.

Mike: 2:43

Is that what she is? I don't know how long we've been married 23 years old.

Jana: 2:46

Hang on, let me do the math. She's always a year younger than what we got married. So 2023, minus her birthday, so she's 20,. She just turned 24.

Mike: 2:56

Yeah.

Jana: 2:57

So me and Mike's been married for 25 years and Kendall is 24 years old. So, but yeah, so everybody who can look back and think of all those early, early mouse fest days the voice of LTD is now married. So, but two days of actual wedding activities, cause we did the flowers and stuff but everything else was done for us. It was a whirlwind. It was so crazy and so fast, but it was a great weekend. Kendall looked absolutely gorgeous. Oh my gosh, her dress was beautiful. So it was just a crazy weekend and we came back and we crashed. But it's funny because back in July, when me, you, dana and juice went to Disney and I was like, okay, that's the last trip for me this year, my daughter's getting married I got to get in wedding mode and all the things. Well, since then I've been to Jamaica. I'm going. We had the wedding. I'm going to Alaska Friday.

Erica: 3:59

Friday.

Jana: 3:59

Yeah, what's the date? 22nd On Friday, and then we're doing Halloween Horror Nights on October 7th. Excited about that, and then I'm either doing Disney or beaches, Turks and Caicos, or both that first weekend of December. I hadn't decided yet what the exact plan is there yet?

Mike: 4:21

but I'm excited about the Turks and Caicos part If we go the rest.

Jana: 4:26

So, anyways, I just wanted to let all the OG LTDers out there know that our little voice of LTD is married and I'm sure y'all's children have also grown up and moved on and life experiences and things like that and it's just it's really crazy to think how quick that went.

Mike: 4:45

We got some old bumpers that were the like some little girls and boys that were older than Kendall at the time. We still have those.

Chris Lanning: 4:51

Yeah.

Jana: 4:52

And I wish we could know who they who they were? Because I don't, I don't remember Well, I remember Papa Goose girls did some, and then a little girl named Moira did one. There were several. I don't remember who I'll did them, but there were several. So, um, so we were supposed to talk about fall road trips today. However, I want to introduce who is actually with us today. So me, it's Jana, I'm here, you're EQ. Then we have Mike. Mike, nothing else better Mike. And then we have it's Erica.

Erica: 5:26

How's everybody doing?

Jana: 5:27

All right, dana, say hello Dana. Oh, that's right, she's not here.

Chris Lanning: 5:33

She's not here.

Mike: 5:35

Dana's not here right now Dana Wow.

Jana: 5:40

So apparently Dana's electricity is off by a car wreck up near her house took out the light pole or electric pole, whatever you call them these days, and her garage door won't open and she can't get it open and her car is stuck in the garage.

Mike: 5:54

So no Dana today.

Jana: 5:56

Now, however, I did just get a text before we started recording that Russ is on his way to save the day. She might come crawling in halfway through this podcast, we'll see. If she does, we'll be like, oh okay, we just got our text, he's here. So Russ is here and she's almost free.

Mike: 6:13

You know, she can just walk outside I know right, so anyways.

Jana: 6:17

So we will talk about the fall foliage road trips on the next podcast, which won't be next week because I'll be in Alaska, and when we come back we'll talk about fall, fall foliage. I might talk a little bit about Alaska, some of the highlights, and keep it short. So what we're going to do today instead is talk about the biggest news that came out. So we're going to talk about the D23 announcements for domestic parks Correct, disneyland and Walt Disney World. But before we do that, speaking of OGL Tatters, mike, do you remember Jilly Bean? I do, okay, so Jilly Bean is going to Disney World. She lives in California, but she is going to Disney World here in a few weeks. And she was asking me about the show at Diamond Horse Show. It's Monday, yeah, but I do that every day. She was asking me if the show was good at Diamond Horse Shoe and I was like, wait a minute, there is no show at Diamond Horse Shoe. So we want to talk a little bit right now and I've got Erica queued up to do this the differences between the show, the venue at Disneyland versus Disney World. And I'm going to tell you the first difference is at Disneyland, it's called the Golden Horse Shoe Review and at Disney World it is the Diamond Horse Shoe. So, erica, go ahead and tell us the differences on those things.

Erica: 7:33

Well, first of all, the Diamond Horse Shoe inside of Magic Kingdom is table service. You can make advanced dining reservations 60 days in advance. It is a Thanksgiving. I call it a Thanksgiving themed lunch or dinner, it's all you care to enjoy.

Jana: 7:47

Well, the food comes from Liberty Tree, correct? So that's why it would have a Thanksgiving feel, correct?

Erica: 7:55

Yes, which, of course, if you're traveling down there for Thanksgiving right and you're there on. Thanksgiving. That's the absolute hardest reservation to get Sure is During that time frame Now in regards to Disneyland, because that's my home park and it's the best the Golden Horse Shoe.

Mike: 8:16

That's the hill I'm willing to die on.

Erica: 8:18

The Golden Horse Shoe used to have a show with like a piano player and characters and they would do audience participation and stuff and bring you up on stage and put you in these costumes and it was. It was horrendous, it was so bad, it was so embarrassing, and I speak from experience. It was awful. Um, as someone that's kind of introvert, it was awful. But the Golden Horse Shoe at Disneyland is pretty much quick service and it's you know, chicken tenders, it's all these different kinds of foods.

Jana: 8:46

So Danny's favorite meal.

Erica: 8:47

Danny's favorite meal, chicken tenders, yes, Um, but the biggest difference is well, right now it's closed at Disneyland for reefer, but at the Diamond Horse Shoe inside of Magic Kingdom in Florida, it is that advanced dining reservation. There is no show. Um, I think the most famous thing there is that ooey gooey cake. The dessert Like that's what everybody really goes for. Is that dessert?

Jana: 9:10

And I think what Jilly Bean was confusing it with was Hooptie Do at.

Erica: 9:14

Walt Disney World.

Jana: 9:15

Okay, so she was thinking there was a show. There was a show at Hooptie Do review, which is at Fort Wilderness, and then Diamond Horse Shoe is in Magic Kingdom, over in the Liberty Square area and into uh, which call it Adventureland, not a frontier Frontier?

Dana: 9:32

no, yes.

Jana: 9:35

I got all these words swirling through my brain. Yes, so just know that they're very different experiences and, like she said, it sounds like probably is better at Disneyland, regardless of the embarrassing costumes and what they put you through there. But Whoop-D-Doo at Walt Disney World is a fantastic show. We do highly recommend that you do that and go see that show. It's super fun. So okay, so we are gonna move right along.

Chris Lanning: 10:06

If you view the Disney parks as the world's biggest stage, then performance is in your blood. Too bad, you can't have a Disney vacation for a song. That's where Jana Smith at Main Street Travel Company comes in. Main Street Travel Company is an authorized Disney vacation planner and Jana has been planning the perfect Disney trip for clients for years. So whether it's a family vacation, group trip, choir tour or even an entire festival, Jana can help you plan a trip in harmony with your budget. Call Jana Smith today at 800-593-1262-Extension 6000 or visit Main Street Travel Cocom.

Erica: 10:39

Just Jana.

Mike: 10:40

Nobody calling me, it's all me it's all Jana.

Erica: 10:42

It's like somebody, like a performing stage, just Jana, like with a banner and like In flashing lights.

Mike: 10:47

I think, when that was made, it might've just been just Jana. It was just Jana way back then.

Jana: 10:51

Well, I was doing the podcast and I was carrying the load of what I was getting through the podcast, but my extension is not 6000.

Mike: 11:00

Oh, I forgot about that. That's our old extension.

Jana: 11:02

It's the old, it's 700. But if you want to book a group trip, that is what you're gonna call me for, and if you want to book an individual trip, you can still call me, but you're gonna work with either Erica or Dana on that. So they are the queens of Disney knowledge these days. I still have quite a bit, but I don't know it as well as I used to. I don't have time to know it as well as I used to know it, so let's talk about D23. Sorry.

Erica: 11:30

So we're a little bit late on this only because you know Kendall got married and business is booming and we're so busy and everything, and yeah, trying to put things on the calendar to record just doesn't happen sometimes.

Jana: 11:39

Right, especially when we got groups going. Right now, we got a lot of groups going. I'm just like my hair's on fire. I feel like half the time Like Hades. Yes, yeah, okay.

Erica: 11:47

It's a good match for me. It is so. Destination D23 happened earlier this month. It was September 8th through 10th and I know you guys were busy. You didn't watch it. I was watching it.

Jana: 11:57

Well, that was a wedding weekend.

Erica: 11:58

It was. So we my husband and I were watching it on our TV stream through YouTube, and there were quite a few times where, I have to be honest, it was disappointment D23. That's what we started calling it, and I got up a few times and threw the remote on the couch because it was very disappointing and I had to get up and walk away. So I have like highlights of what they talked about at D23. And again, we're a week late on this, but just in case people didn't watch D23 or you haven't read any type of blog or anything, phone's ringing. Yeah, we're not open yet, that's okay. We're not open yet Please call back in 15 minutes, thank you. So I started my list of least disappointing to most disappointing, so I'm gonna end on the absolute worst no possible. Lots of things about Animal Kingdom that are so controversial right now and so many people are upset about and I need to be clear on this Nothing has been confirmed. The way they're verbiage that they use on stage is so like people aren't paying attention to it, and you kind of need to, because it's all and they know that. They know that, but it's getting them publicity, it's getting them talked about and everything.

Jana: 13:10

That's how Sam post on Facebook Everybody getting excited over this announcement. That's not actually an announcement. He's so right. It's absolutely accurate. It's everybody yes, well, we're getting this. Well, no, we might not be getting any of it.

Mike: 13:22

That's the one way up. We're gonna do this, do this, every one of them. Then nothing can happen Every year.

Erica: 13:27

Oh, this is what we're thinking about doing over the next decade. They actually said over the next decade. The decade and I'm like do you guys not understand that Epic Universe is opening in 2025? You have a brand new theme park to compete with and you're literally giving us a new nighttime show and a replacement for a Bugs Life show that nobody asked for, Nobody asked for and nobody wants it.

Jana: 13:48

Nobody cares. I said to Erica Saturday when we were at the event at the school is they're so out of touch? To me they seem so out of touch.

Mike: 13:58

And the parks are empty. And the parks are empty, that's when they should, you would think they would listen.

Jana: 14:03

And they're ignoring all the talk and the chatter that's happening. They're just doing their own thing. They're just so out of touch. And if it's a financial thing, I get it, because COVID was hard on Disney, and I know it was, and nobody is faulting them for that. That was beyond their control. But it's like come on, pay attention, listen to what people are saying, and I think a lot of it is coming down to. People are just like. I hate to say it, but I'm getting to the point where I just if I didn't go again, it wouldn't bother me, because I just don't feel like it's not anything, like it was pre-COVID, nothing. It's a completely different place.

Mike: 14:44

We're going to Halloween Horror Nights. What next month?

Jana: 14:46

And.

Mike: 14:46

I am excited, not for Disney. That's the first time I've ever been excited about going somewhere in order to have.

Jana: 14:52

Well, I'm also gonna have to say that I've been to Disney so much. I can't say that I'm not personally burned out a little bit, but if they would bring new stuff, in it would give me a reason to want to go and be excited. Moana Journey of Water does not belong in Epcot. I will say it till the sky turns dark.

Erica: 15:07

Wait, Epcot is after Animal Kingdom. Okay so let me get through the Animal Kingdom bullet point. So Zootopia Last year Disney began the discussion on retheming Dino Land USA and one of the ideas that was tossed around was going to bring some of that Zootopia, the elements that we've seen overseas at Shanghai.

Jana: 15:29

Disney, which I think would be cool, which I think would be fantastic, and I think it's a great part for that.

Erica: 15:33

So they're bringing a show. The Zootopia show is going to replace what is currently. It's a Bugs Life or, I'm sorry, it's Tough to Be a Bug Really. Yes they're taking it's Tough to Be a Bug out and putting a Zootopia show.

Mike: 15:46

Everybody's horror show.

Erica: 15:47

Yes, and it's something. There's going to be a new show centered around the Zootopia, with the Tree of Life as well. We already have Beacons of Light. Like I don't understand why we're doing another show.

Jana: 16:00

While they continue to push the animation, the characters that we're seeing on Disney Channel, onto the icons in the park has blow in my mind Quit, like it does not belong on the Tree of Life. Yes, they're animals, but just because they're animals doesn't mean it works and belongs on the Tree, Inside the Tree. Sure, Bugs Life is an old story. Let's move a new story in. We've got Little Bitty Kids who loves Zootopia, Like our kids loved Bugs Life when we were that age. But Okay.

Mike: 16:28

One of them did. One of them screamed in terror.

Jana: 16:29

I know he screamed in terror oh, but.

Mike: 16:32

It's so much fun going in there. Yes, let's refresh the show.

Jana: 16:35

That's fine with me. I'm not going to complain. Everything needs to change a little bit and keep up with the standards. But on the outside of the Tree, stop it Right.

Erica: 16:43

So I think the biggest disappointment was Dinoland USA, because that was the rumor from last year was that was going to become Zootopia, which I'm all for because it makes sense with the animals and everything. So I was completely on board with that rumor Like I would be fine.

Jana: 16:58

And then nothing.

Erica: 16:59

And then nothing. Well, now they're saying for Dinoland that they're going to make it kind of themed after tropics, tropical America's land, with new experiences inspired by Incanto no and the always thrilling no, indiana Jones.

Jana: 17:15

No. Ooh I don't that belongs the Magic Kingdom over as an extension to it.

Mike: 17:20

No, no, I think you're talking about the other one in Disneyland.

Erica: 17:25

Okay, so we argue, we banter back and forth about bringing stuff from Disneyland over to Disney World and whatnot, and my husband, I will argue about this too, and Mike, it sounds like we're going to argue about it too. Indiana Jones is not relevant. I don't care how many movies they try to remake, harrison.

Jana: 17:40

Ford. Well, that should go to Hollywood Studios.

Erica: 17:42

It should go to Hollywood Studios because, number one, they have a pop-up bar there and they have the stunt show.

Jana: 17:46

Right, so put it over there Talking about but Incanto goes in Magic.

Erica: 17:50

Kingdom. Well, Maribel is at Magic Kingdom right now for Meet and. Greets too. There's just so much nonsense going on. And what if they're just throwing?

Jana: 17:58

stuff in these parks that makes no sense to the parks. The parks had a purpose. Their theme, their stories within had purpose. They matched the park. Animal Kingdom is about animals, magic Kingdom is about fairy tales and stories. Epcot was about the future and technology, like Hollywood, was about the movies, so Indiana. Jones goes in Hollywood, incanto would go in Magic Kingdom, zootopia, which kind of skirts along there. But it would make way more sense in Animal Kingdom than it would in Incanto If they were to redo Dinoland USA to Zootopia.

Erica: 18:30

They could easily re-themed dinosaur. Yeah, to like a ride with oh shoot the sloth, dash, dash, 100-yard dash or something for the sloth that drives fast.

Jana: 18:42

Can you imagine a giant sloth coming down to get?

Erica: 18:43

you, It'd be so fun, Like that. They're totally missing. I feel they're totally missing the mark with Dinoland USA. So that's pretty much everything that came out of Animal Kingdom. But again, this is not confirmed. They're thinking about it.

Mike: 18:57

So nothing will happen.

Erica: 18:58

Nothing's going to happen right away, so then moving over to.

Mike: 19:02

You know how long it's been since I've been to Animal Kingdom? Yeah, I don't think since the last four or five trips we've gone, we've not done Animal Kingdom.

Erica: 19:08

Animal Kingdom gets overlooked a lot.

Jana: 19:11

Well, when we're down there with groups, the groups are not spending very much time, if any at all, in Animal Kingdom, because they're usually there for on average a three-day ticket and they're skipping that part Right.

Mike: 19:22

So they need something.

Erica: 19:23

They need something. So my laptop just died because why not?

Mike: 19:27

But Should have got a Mac.

Erica: 19:29

Good thing I have all these notes on my phone too. They're making fun of me because I have a Mac and I don't use it, but I need to. So moving over to Epcot, so again we're about a week late on this, but I think the biggest thing that came out of Epcot, where I would say most people were excited about, was the figment meet and greet. You can now meet figment and have your picture taken.

Mike: 19:53

Wait, that's the one where he's fallen 13 times already.

Erica: 19:56

Yes, so I don't know if there's something going on. It rolls down, the little roll away there. If you've seen the videos and stuff on TikTok or Facebook. The figment character has fallen down a few times, so maybe that's a design flaw.

Mike: 20:10

Is this a person in that?

Erica: 20:11

thing, yes, no, and I really it's a figment of your imagination.

Jana: 20:14

I think they have a blonde spot because they're hitting that little railing and it's tripping them. So there's gotta be a blonde spot in the costume. Yeah, I would like to know the process of creating the costume for the character, why that has to be such a huge announcement. Or are they just making it a huge announcement to get somebody-?

Erica: 20:31

Because they have nothing else.

Jana: 20:32

Right, that's kind of wondering, because surely it can't be that big of a deal to create a costume and put somebody in a park. But then they and I know it's figment I get it. But if they were bringing back how they used to do it in the 80s, where the little man I forget his name walked around with figment, that's different. But this is just a character meet and greet, I don't understand the excitement In the first day.

Erica: 20:53

Well, I can understand the excitement on the first day that you were able to go in and meet figment and have your picture taken with him. They had to cut off the line. It was a five hour wait. That's insane. That is insane.

Mike: 21:05

Why.

Erica: 21:06

A five hour wait to meet figment. That's worse than the popcorn bucket, yeah and I've got two of them that's worse than the figment popcorn bucket.

Jana: 21:14

I think why wouldn't they do a virtual queue? I did the popcorn bucket on virtual queue.

Erica: 21:18

Because they just don't care.

Jana: 21:21

They don't listen. It seems like it.

Erica: 21:24

I have a lot of disappointment, I know it, disney at the moment, especially after D23.

Jana: 21:29

But you are a huge Disney proponent and you completely agree with us. You're listening to the wrong podcast. Yeah, you are, we gonna give it to you straight.

Erica: 21:37

Well, I feel like there's so much fluff, especially on social media, when it comes to the brand and the parks and whatnot, like sometimes you need somebody to be realistic with you and say, look, we know these parks, we know this brand, we've grown up with it, like we've done this for years and everything. But there are so many things that have changed and I feel like you know, do we feel there's been a mass exodus type event of Imagineers.

Jana: 22:03

And now they've just got new people in who don't necessarily know the history and the wishes of what we feel Disney probably was Like. When I'm talking about how the wrong themed attractions are going in the wrong parks, they're just throwing stuff out there. Moana Journey Water does not belong in Upcott period. It should have been in Animal Kingdom. So it's like, why do we have people in there who just don't realize that this is kind of how it was pre? Why are we making all these changes? But then you've got those people who did used to work with Disney opening that theme park in the middle of Oklahoma or something. Where's that at? Yeah, Tornado Alley, Tornado Alley, Oklahoma. Is it destination Americas?

Erica: 22:41

or something. It's something like that. Yeah, we're gonna have to look into that, yeah.

Jana: 22:45

But it's like the people who were and worked with Disney for all these years at least a few of them have left and they're pursuing other things. Okay, why Were they taken out with the whole COVID layoffs and things like that? Or did they leave because they solved the direction of the company changing and they didn't agree with it? Like? I'd like to know the backstory there.

Mike: 23:05

This is probably a good podcast for Dana. She'd be over here crying.

Erica: 23:08

Oh, we'd have her tears in the air. We're talking bad. Well, Dana, what do you think?

Mike: 23:10

Not talking bad about Disney, but just not talking great about Disney.

Jana: 23:13

Well, just ask her Dana, go ahead. What do you think? Are you sad cause you're awful quiet? I don't like it. Ha ha ha. It sounds like her too, dana. We don't like it either. We don't like it either.

Erica: 23:26

No, and I mean trust me. You know Disney Dana, you know we've had conversations and whatnot, but she's diehard and whatnot, and so am I. But there comes a point where you're like what are we doing here? Why am I continuing to spend all this money to go to these parks where there's so much stuff that just doesn't make sense, and we have seen that this year.

Jana: 23:43

We our phones are not ringing for Disney. This year. Our phones are ringing with people saying, hey, we want to do something different, because there's nothing new for them to go and experience Right.

Mike: 23:53

And it's so overpriced I mean everything now that we used to have. That was so expensive to go to go book nobody could afford. But now Disney's punched prices up so high everything's almost equally priced. It's almost as cheap to go to Europe.

Jana: 24:07

Yeah, we booked more Europe this year than we booked anything ever. Absolutely yeah.

Erica: 24:12

Okay. So getting back to your bullet points, the Epcotts are kind of went on a low rant there. Test track is being reimagined with help from Chevrolet after the OG world of motion. So world of motion was before my time at Walt Disney World. That's when I was in Disneyland. So what was world of motion for people that don't know? You don't know either. I never wrote it, Okay, well then.

Jana: 24:35

Um, that's, that's really. I think it was. We really started going in diving into the parks gosh around 2005,. Right, when Aaron was born um, Kendall was about four or five. That's when we really got into Disney. Pre that, yeah, we've been.

Mike: 24:52

I remember the ride before they've done this, when they made all that new queue that you can put all your. I remember that, but I don't remember it well.

Jana: 24:59

Yeah, I just don't recall ever riding that. I remember Ellen's Ellen's energy thing we did. I think I've rode that once in my life but honestly it's just not anything that we did. Um, it was kind of before our fandom began and it was still there for a long time. We should never got on it, Okay, that's fair.

Erica: 25:18

Um, next thing that came out of D23 about Epcot um, as part of the Disney 100 celebration, soaring over California is coming back for a limited time. Um, at beginning the 22nd, so just here in a couple of days. Um, I actually prefer this version. I do too. Over soaring attitude around the world. I like the California, I like the orange grove, yeah. Smell like the golf ball coming up?

Mike: 25:41

Yes, Just so they fixed the film a little bit. It was getting a little Well, I hope they do.

Jana: 25:47

The newest one, the one that's there now. The way you're going soaring around the world, it bothers me more than the. I never got bothered by the California one. Talk about motion sickness.

Mike: 25:54

Yeah, that one's shaky. I thought the the old one was shaky. I think the new one was better, I don't know.

Jana: 25:59

The new one bothers my motion sensitivity more. The old one never bothered me at all. It was fine, but the first time I did soaring around the world I was like whoa, I'm going to have to met up before I do this.

Mike: 26:09

The best thing about that version the new version is the Eiffel tower If you get on the right hand side or left hand side.

Erica: 26:14

Oh yeah, it's better, sorry, yeah, soaring, so soaring over California. It is coming back just for a limited time. And I know Zach and Brittany from circle of parks podcast when they went to California over at DCA they were they were hoping that version was going to be soaring over California but it wasn't, so they never got to experience that. So now they're going for fall breaks. So they're. I'm excited that they're going to be able to do the sort over California.

Jana: 26:41

The real story?

Erica: 26:42

Yeah, I thought they're going to be able to experience that.

Jana: 26:44

Yeah, I prefer the over California as well. I just think that's. Maybe it's cause it's original, but I don't know. I just thought it was better. I liked it. I think it had some of the effects in it were a little bit more like the golf ball coming at you. I think that was a little bit more fun than what we do Otherwise.

Erica: 26:59

Yes, another news coming out of D23 for Epcot is a new nighttime show called Luminous, the symphony of us, okay.

Mike: 27:07

Begins.

Erica: 27:07

December 5th of this year.

Mike: 27:08

How is this one going to fail?

Jana: 27:10

It's a few letters different than harmonious. It's like come on, y'all, please don't do this Again. I think harmonious fell because it was all of that animation in the middle of the lake that not really everybody could see. And then you've got animation on the castle at magic kingdom, and then they want animation everywhere. It's like stop with the animation, right Stop. When they had illuminations it was fantastic. It was just a good firework show and it had a couple little things like when they blew the torches out prior to the show, like that was cool.

Mike: 27:45

Yeah.

Jana: 27:46

It was Epcot. It was Epcot. It had an Epcot feel. They're trying to force so much animation and cartoon characters on all these things. They can not going to bring the people in. No, it doesn't bring the people in At first fall. It makes me mad. When I first saw the new one, they did magic kingdom for the 50th. What was that called? Not, happily, ever after.

Erica: 28:08

Oh, the one that we do not speak about. Yes, okay.

Jana: 28:13

I was one of those people. I was down there by myself. First of all, it was a solo trip and I was like you know, I'm going to sit right here by this partner statue and I'm staying here. I sat there for eight and a half hours before that firework started. I had two P's, so bad.

Chris Lanning: 28:25

You know me so well.

Jana: 28:26

I sat there, Jana sat there for eight and a half hours and when that started I was livid, I cannot. And everybody around was going oh, was that it Boo? Like nobody liked it. The cartoon characters on the fireworks shows have got to stop because it's not working.

Mike: 28:44

We watched, we watched illuminations every single time it happened Every time we were at Epcot. We watched illuminations, we watched that new one, I don't know what the big barges out in the middle Once once maybe twice.

Jana: 28:56

I think the second time we saw it we were there with Jennifer and her family and we they were up against the thing watching it.

Mike: 29:01

We were just kind of standing back talking these to be five, six people deep. Now you can go, walk right up to the front and watch it anywhere you want to watch it, because nobody's there watching, nobody cares for it.

Erica: 29:08

Well, this new show, luminous, the symphony uh, symphony of us. They didn't give us too many details, shocker, um, but what we do know is it will include fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects and music. So nothing really about animation, so we just we just don't know. I mean more than likely there's going to be animation, because that's just what they do.

Jana: 29:27

But they didn't say that everything is such a disappointment. Everything new they do is such a disappointment.

Erica: 29:32

We need drones.

Jana: 29:33

It's like we need something.

Erica: 29:34

Oh my gosh, can you imagine it's amazing if they could bring over that drone show from Disneyland Paris?

Mike: 29:40

Oh my gosh, so easy. All they got to do is just float them out there and they can take off. Yeah.

Jana: 29:45

And what we had. We weren't going to talk about the international parks. But the international parks are the ones getting all the cool stuff.

Erica: 29:49

Oh, there's so much better and we're getting crumbs.

Jana: 29:52

We're not even getting crumbs.

Mike: 29:53

We might get crumbs. It's like they're testing it on a stupid Americans.

Erica: 29:57

Yeah, that's what it feels like, yeah.

Mike: 30:00

Um, okay.

Erica: 30:01

So what Mike wants to seem to talk about is Moana, a journey of water.

Mike: 30:05

No, I don't. That's just the only thing that's there.

Erica: 30:08

So it officially opens October 16th. Um, and now you'll be able to meet Moana herself at world nature but we could meet her at other places. You can meet her at animal kingdom right now. So I don't know what's going to happen with that Just come October 16th. I don't know if they're going to remove the Moana meet and greet from animal kingdom and she will only be at Epcot. Who knows? I honestly I have no idea.

Mike: 30:30

Just need a weed whacker, Just mo all that crap down and bring innovations back Right. Um, nobody went to sorry.

Erica: 30:37

So I'm just I'm just guessing that means that you're not going to be able to see Moana at animal kingdom anymore.

Jana: 30:42

Dana, what do you think?

Mike: 30:44

That? Why are you doing it to me? Hold on, here she comes. I really like it.

Erica: 30:50

Oh, you do, you like it. Oh, do we agree on something this episode Okay, perfect, um big news.

Mike: 30:56

I don't know what to say it could.

Chris Lanning: 30:59

This could be Daniel we're here, you just brought up the you know that's more, daniel for sure.

Erica: 31:04

That sounds like the Dana from Ghostbuster. That's Dana, that's Dana. Um, so I mean, I guess exciting news for Epcot is the walls are finally going to come down. Wow, construction is finally going to be over. Knock on wood when world celebration opens in December.

Dana: 31:20

Woohoo.

Erica: 31:21

Yay. So um world celebration was described, that it was going to be the land that ties the two other fresh faces in Epcot world discovery and world nature together and completes the trifecta of the neighborhoods in the park.

Mike: 31:36

There's been so much construction for so long.

Jana: 31:38

Well, I will say this I love. I think Disney hit the mark when they redid the entrance of Epcot for the 50th. I think it's much better. I think those beacons of light on Epcot I'm sorry spaceship Earth are fantastic. Like those should have been there forever. They're so cool and how they do the light and music show on spaceship Earth is super cool. I think that's the highlight of that part. Whatever happened to the Mary Poppins thing in UK?

Erica: 32:08

Oh, don't even get to scratch that?

Dana: 32:10

Why did we get?

Jana: 32:10

Moana journey of water instead of Mary Poppins in the United Kingdom.

Erica: 32:15

Like, which is absolutely where she belongs. Mary Poppins is not relevant. But they just redid all those rooms at Grand Floridian after Mary Poppins.

Mike: 32:21

Yeah.

Chris Lanning: 32:22

Citrus.

Erica: 32:22

Coast is after Mary Poppins.

Chris Lanning: 32:24

So they why not Cause I'm.

Erica: 32:26

That's one thing I'm very disappointed about, cause Mary Poppins is my second favorite Disney character.

Jana: 32:30

So instead of this amazing United Kingdom edition with the Mary Poppins stuff, we get Moana journey of water, which should be an animal kingdom, correct? It just blows my mind.

Erica: 32:41

The last bullet point I have for Epcot is and I'm probably going to say this wrong, cause honestly I haven't seen anything about this movie. There's an upcoming Disney film called wish and there's going to be a character, meet and greet, meet and greet, and the name is Asha. Asha, I'm probably saying it wrong, but yeah, that character is coming to Epcot Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.

Jana: 33:05

So it's not even original to Disney.

Erica: 33:06

I don't even know what any of this is yeah, I don't either, so okay. So let's go to and remember this is least disappointing to most disappointing.

Mike: 33:15

Okay. So we're not even at the good stuff. I mean, we just spent 20 minutes on two parks. That this is not even the worst, in my opinion.

Erica: 33:24

So next up is Hollywood studios. There is literally one thing they're doing for Hollywood studios and it's not doing anything with that little mermaid area that's over, you know, by the studios. That has been sitting empty because apparently there's mold or something in there. That's the rumor, like they can't do anything, like it's a health hazard or something.

Dana: 33:42

I don't know, it's room you could get it.

Erica: 33:44

They could, they could completely got it and do something amazing with it. But I digress. Hollywood studios were getting a. I guess it's fine, it's not. They're adding some new images and parts to Star Tours.

Mike: 34:03

Huh, the worst ride in bone property.

Erica: 34:06

From and I'm. I've never wrote it. I won't.

Jana: 34:09

I can't do it with motion. I've never, I've never even attempted to do that one, because I know it's old technology and it'll make me sick as a doll.

Mike: 34:15

Yeah, tear that crap down and put something else in there, weren't?

Jana: 34:17

they doing something. You know how you go in and you turn right at Starbucks and then there's like this little seating area to the right and there was a couple of shops. Weren't they putting something in there? What's that supposed to be? Oh, I don't know.

Mike: 34:27

Shops, I don't know, on the right hand side, where we normally sit.

Jana: 34:32

Yeah, like there was like some kind of walkthrough or museum and one of them shops or something, I don't know. I know it's now for sure shops, but it used to be completely closed up and they were going to I don't know. Oh, and speaking of shops, disney shopping in parks and in resort now is just dumb and boring, because every shop has the exact same thing, the exact same thing.

Mike: 34:52

Except this.

Erica: 34:53

Yes, the Epcot, the spaceship.

Mike: 34:55

Earth.

Jana: 34:56

I mean, I got the spaceship Earth cookie jar. You cannot hire that on shop Disney. Correct Right, you can only get it over an Epcot, but besides that's the only thing, something like it. The contemporary you of course you get contemporary right Labeled clothing and Polynesian like that, but for the most part the besides a few the general merchandise the general merchandise is the exact same yeah.

Mike: 35:15

That sucks because, like Polynesian, that's the best gift shop on property it used to be awesome to shop at Disney and I want even a big shopper.

Jana: 35:20

But man, it was fun just to walk around and see the different things and knowing that if I want this I'm going to have to go all the way back to that part.

Mike: 35:26

So and we did yeah we did.

Erica: 35:28

Sorry, again. Yeah, so there's, there's some new parts coming to Star Tours. That's literally Ed for Hollywood. There's nothing else.

Mike: 35:38

But didn't they change that years ago when they opened up the Star Wars area? Didn't they change the film on that?

Jana: 35:45

See.

Erica: 35:45

I make it kind of they added Ray and Poe and everything what you need to eventually do is move Star Tours.

Jana: 35:54

Oh my gosh. Over into Galaxy's Edge and then understand that it was such a big deal and it was a new park and you had this huge investment already sitting there, because imagine how much it's going to cost to move this, just the front, just the big walker and all that stuff.

Mike: 36:08

That's going to be the expensive part. The other part is like sitting in a building.

Jana: 36:11

It's almost like they should, instead of instead of move it just eliminate the Muppets area or move it, because I love the Muppets, but the Muppets Theater is total trash and it's always a ghost town. right there you sit down in there now, and you don't even want to touch the seats, you don't want to touch the armrest. Everything is sticky and gross, so it just needs to be raised down, although I love the theming of the Muppets and I would hate to lose the Muppets in the parks, because that's very Gen X for Muppets to be there, that's going to go.

Erica: 36:38

Well, you know that the Muppets were at age 23,.

Jana: 36:40

Right, well, but see, they could expand all of that entire corner inside and make it all Star Wars themed, starting with the Ewoks up here by Star Tours and moving all the way back around there, and then add Indiana Jones over on that side. Gosh, what an amazing addition that would be. Muppets need to go somewhere, though. Well, we don't get that. Maybe they could cut the little mermaid and make that area the Muppets.

Erica: 37:07

No well, I mean, there's Star Wars launch bay is over there too. I mean, there's Star Wars here, star Wars. I would say it's everywhere, all over the park. I forgot about the launch bay. Yeah, and it doesn't.

Jana: 37:17

But the launch bay was not originally the launch bay. It was just like something that they did because they had some empty space and Star Wars was coming back popular and they put it over there. That could easily be moved over. I think a lot of that is just simply cosmetic.

Erica: 37:29

No, I agree, but they need to fix it. They do, they really do.

Jana: 37:32

See, they can just swap out Muppets in the launch bay. Hello.

Erica: 37:37

Yeah, that's actually a good point, disney, if you're listening, you can send royalty checks over here.

Jana: 37:42

I know it's like. First of all, you're welcome. They're probably not listening. I know they used to listen to us. We could see them, but not anymore, not right now. We're so renew again that nobody's listening right now. We ain't got no dang voicemails. Where are y'all at? Come on, but anyways.

Erica: 37:58

Anyways, okay, so let's go on to most disappointing Woohoo and I'm gonna feel my ears turn a little red because I get really mad when I talk about this.

Mike: 38:05

I was gonna bulldoze over Magic Kingdom.

Erica: 38:08

That's be great. Would be terrible. It would be awful. Second Epcot that would be terrible, Because Magic Kingdom is my favorite park over there. My cake's Magic Kingdom Boo boo boo. I don't know where my trombones at. So there was so much talk after D23 last year about the blue sky discussion that was happening on stage and I actually went back what they were saying last year about this this beyond big Thunder Mountain is what they've deemed it and what they were going to do with all this land around Magic Kingdom. And Bruce Vaughn, who is the chief creative officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, joined Hunky Josh Tomorrow on stage for a special blue sky. Look you like Josh Tomorrow? Have you not seen him lately? He is a Silver Fox. He is so handsome. Okay, I'm gonna interrupt myself, so listen. During the half marathon in January, there was a girl.

Chris Lanning: 39:00

Did it help you when you?

Erica: 39:00

broke your leg? He did, and let me tell you why. There was a girl that was standing there holding a sign that said gosh, I'll have to pull the picture, but it said something and it had Josh GM or else face on it. She had pajama pants on that had his face all over it. And she was at like mile 10. It was so funny he is. You need to look him up.

Jana: 39:22

He's so good looking. I know exactly who. I've seen him in the parks. I've seen him in person. He's totally gray now. I've seen him. But we just have different tastes. Disneyland, disney World Just Tomorrow.

Erica: 39:32

Dwayne Johnson, I mean, come on Okay so if not, can we put out like a calendar just of Josh GM Orro?

Jana: 39:38

and sell it at the Apporium. That is polar I would buy that I would buy it. But I wouldn't put something like that beyond Disney these days to do something like that. Well, they should, because I would buy it, cause I do know people absolutely worship him and the things that he does in the parks and all the stuff.

Erica: 39:54

He's just very friendly too. When you see him in the parks and you conversate with him like he's very friendly, he's very I feel he's very guest focused and I feel like all this stuff that's happening with the parks right now, I feel like he's being overridden.

Mike: 40:08

I feel like he's being outfote, but don't you have the final? Say so. But.

Jana: 40:11

I kind of feel like that he could have a lot of influence that he's? I don't think he's influencing anybody to do anything. I personally think he's probably responsible for some of the things not changing oh yeah.

Erica: 40:24

Disagreement yes, well, he's hungry and they need a calendar of him, so we're gonna give it your calendar.

Mike: 40:30

They've made so many. They've done these like steps things where it has to go through approval processes, and it makes it to him and it don't go. No, further.

Erica: 40:38

He shoots him down.

Jana: 40:39

I think there's somebody over him. Well, yeah, okay, erica, since you like him, I'm gonna email him and find out. Since you like him, we're gonna need you to go show a little leg, okay, and next time you break your leg at a marathon, do it in front of him, perfect. So, he can like pick you up and carry you out.

Erica: 40:53

Thanks, for jinxing me for.

Jana: 40:54

February thanks and you would just have his ear and just tell him all the things.

Mike: 40:58

We want innovations back. That's what you tell him.

Erica: 41:00

I will tell him that. Okay, so back to what I was saying.

Mike: 41:04

We've cut her off like 300 times.

Erica: 41:08

So the future expansions for Magic Kingdom in Florida are, quote, the largest ever for the park. According to Bruce, imagineers are looking to tell stories beyond Big Thunder Mountain similar to in scale to things like Star Wars, galaxy's Edge and Pandora the world of Avatar, adding new attractions, restaurants, shows and more details to come in the future. That's what they said on stage.

Mike: 41:29

So it's just way open ended.

Erica: 41:31

Correct. So here's where things start to go downhill for me a little bit. So I'm happy for Florida. The legendary Hat Box Ghost is coming to Haunted Mansion. I'm so excited I feel like I need to say like for you guys. Haven't we been talking?

Jana: 41:46

about this for literal years, like since 2005,. We've been having the same conversation, so I doubt it's gonna happen.

Erica: 41:53

Well, they said on stage and they confirmed that it is coming in November. It's coming in November. I will believe it when I see it.

Mike: 42:01

I heard they've been working on it. They have been working on it. Yes.

Erica: 42:06

So, yes, I'm excited that Florida is finally getting the Hat Box Ghost. They're finally playing catch up to Disneyland the best park.

Jana: 42:13

How hard is it to add a Hat Box Ghost? How hard could that actually be? Well considering, it sat in storage for decades because the technology and don't we have the little man holding the box, and you can see the head in it already?

Mike: 42:24

That's the hat.

Erica: 42:25

No, oh look who is here.

Mike: 42:27

That's the Hat Box Ghost, and look what she was holding there and then holding that.

Erica: 42:31

I think she's talking about the Gravedigger that's holding the lantern with the skinny, malnourished dog Dana's here. Woohoo, we're talking about our disappointments from D23. Oh yeah.

Jana: 42:43

You've had some great opinions on this show.

Erica: 42:45

You have you have contributed so much to this episode. It's amazing.

Mike: 42:49

You have no idea. Do I need to bring a microphone out?

Jana: 42:53

Maybe they could share. Yeah, we can share, we'll have to stop and do all that.

Erica: 42:56

Yeah, so Hat Box Ghost is officially coming to Haunted Mansion inside a Magic Kingdom, confirmed sometime in February Excuse me, sometime in November, I doubt it. So playing catch up to Disneyland. Y'all want a gamble on this one.

Jana: 43:07

I'll lay some money down. Yeah, I'll bet money on this. I'll put $100 down that it does not come. Oh, you're that confident.

Erica: 43:14

OK, bet, ok, OK. So the idea behind the Hat Box Ghost for those that don't know anything about Disneyland and animatronics and what happened with the Hat Box Ghost so the idea behind the Hat Box Ghost was the figure was for its head to vanish from its shoulders and reappear inside of a hat box. And it was posted to happen in time with an adjacent Brides figures beating heart. So his head would leave his shoulders and come into the hat box in sync with the Brides beating heart.

Jana: 43:49

Is this already at Disneyland? Yes, ok, because that sounds like I've seen this before.

Erica: 43:52

So is it? Not there, ok, yeah, that's why I say you're playing catch up with Disneyland, the best park. Whatever, it won't come Anyways. So fun fact, I don't know, maybe Gen X or maybe you don't care, but millennials should care, in the new Haunted Mansion movie, that's coming out, they ruined it.

Jana: 44:12

Remember the one with Eddie Murphy? That was so dumb.

Erica: 44:14

Oh my gosh, so funny, it's so funny, it was so dumb, but the new Haunted Mansion movie that's coming out has the Hat Box Ghost in it. Guess who voices that character, jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars? I don't know what that is, don't he?

Dana: 44:29

also do, you don't know Jared Leto.

Erica: 44:30

He played the Joker, yeah, what?

Chris Lanning: 44:34

What Joker?

Erica: 44:35

Oh boy, yeah, well, that's true, there's so many. I thought that was a fun fact. Did you know that the Hat Box Ghost originally opened with Haunted Mansion in 1969 and then sat in storage until 2015? Cool, that's kind of neat. Just letting you know.

Dana: 44:51

Dana Hi, Dana hey.

Jana: 44:53

Welcome to the Altar Podcast.

Dana: 44:54

Yeah, thanks for having me. Did you get broken out of your garage? I did, I'm free. We're like. No, she can just walk outside, right Out of here.

Erica: 45:05

So, in going with the Hat Box Ghost I have, I'm following the lead of another podcast and I have a trivia question at the end, but I'm going to come back to it. Ok, Are you going to be saying right now, I don't care?

Jana: 45:15

If you say it now, somebody will Google. We know Dana's going to cheat. She'll Google the answer.

Dana: 45:18

Oh, you know I'm all about Googling stuff.

Erica: 45:19

OK, so we'll wait on that. So I don't have much more.

Mike: 45:26

But Much more disappointment I don't have much more disappointment.

Jana: 45:28

Well, there's one more. I know they announced that I actually think is a good idea.

Erica: 45:31

Oh, Pa, are we going to disagree on this? Would you don't like the Parrots Bar? Okay, well, I haven't gotten to that yet, but yes, the Pirates Bar. There's a Pirates Lounge that's coming, which everybody is assuming is going to replace Tortuga Tavern, because that place is hardly ever open. That restaurant, that's right across from. Pirates that's what they're saying is gonna be the new. It makes sense but, the new Pirates Lounge. I mean, if it's not open.

Jana: 45:52

Okay, let's open and make a lounge. Now, this whole idea of alcohol in the Magic Kingdom, I think, is a bad bad idea.

Erica: 45:58

I don't like it either. I don't like it.

Jana: 45:59

It's just. I think all the parks should remain alcohol-free, because there's just so many kids and young people who wants to come and party and it just might cause them.

Mike: 46:08

Quit saying that we're not doing alcohol-free.

Jana: 46:12

Should I remind you of our experience at Upcott back in May.

Mike: 46:15

That was funny.

Jana: 46:16

With those two complete and total assholes.

Mike: 46:17

Yeah, and I was drinking too, but we weren't the assholes. She's the bad word, she's the bad word I swear.

Jana: 46:23

Like we literally we literally almost got in an absolute knock down. Drag out fight from these two jackholes. Jackholes In in what did you call them?

Dana: 46:33

Jacks In Upcott in the Magic Kingdom. Make that cut.

Jana: 46:36

Like. This is an entire story we could tell. We played, I knew what they were doing. We played the game right. We got them removed from the park, but we didn't take the bait.

Erica: 46:47

Okay, so you'll talk about that. Alcohol was involved. Talk about that on the next episode, when we talk about crazy people and stuff happening in the parks too.

Jana: 46:53

Ooh, we could talk about crazy people.

Erica: 46:54

We me and Gail just got a good podcast.

Dana: 46:56

Crazy people talk.

Erica: 46:57

So yeah, the, the new lounge is coming to Adventureland and it's described as a first of its kind. Experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean, and it may. They mainly just showed the artwork and it gives off Oga's cantina vibes. It looks very small but it looks heavily themed. I love the idea.

Jana: 47:15

If it'll just actually come, how much you want to bet it didn't come.

Erica: 47:19

We shall see. Yeah, they didn't. They didn't say there's no ETA on that.

Jana: 47:22

It's like they want to give out all these things to make our pirate excited. Now, some of these things don't make us mad not excited but like this one I would be excited for, but I doubt we'll actually see it, yep.

Erica: 47:32

So, here's Maybe in 10 years. So here's the last thing that I have for for Magic Kingdom. Okay, the worst news, okay, oh no, this is where I got up and threw the remote.

Mike: 47:42

Yes, there are bulldoze in the park.

Dana: 47:44

Mike.

Mike: 47:45

What.

Dana: 47:45

I love it.

Mike: 47:46

So you she didn't hear me say it the first time she went in here.

Dana: 47:49

You're lucky Bulldoze you Wait a minute. It's Epcot too. I did a minute to recover from that Holy cow.

Erica: 48:01

Okay, go, erica. I don't even like saying these words, oh no. I'm sure there's a petition somewhere out there. Already they're redoing Country Bear Jamberry. But there's supposed to be no I know.

Mike: 48:12

No, all they're doing is just redoing the animatron.

Erica: 48:16

But I've written a changing song to the stuff Listen. I want to continue to hear about Blood Shed on the ground. There was, but I want to hear about Blood on the saddle.

Dana: 48:28

But the River.

Mike: 48:29

Woods. Originally they were gonna take it out, and so at least you got it.

Jana: 48:32

Blood on the rock? I don't know that word.

Erica: 48:36

I thought it was floor.

Dana: 48:37

And the great big puddles. There are some people. Puddles.

Erica: 48:43

That say, of that there are several Blood on the ground.

Dana: 48:47

Blood on the ground. You have to finish, I'm sorry, I'm curious.

Mike: 48:51

You're welcome, dana.

Dana: 48:53

I know you've missed me. I had to make it for a while so so there are, there we go.

Mike: 48:59

There we go. I just got copyright struck. I'm a little hurt.

Jana: 49:04

Okay, I don't want to get copyrighted.

Mike: 49:05

I will take it off. I don't think it's possible.

Jana: 49:06

You know who originally sang that song? I didn't know that, I just learned Text writer.

Dana: 49:11

Aw stop.

Jana: 49:12

Hey Dan, I'm sorry I would not want them to redo the songs, but I would be a foreign upgrade.

Mike: 49:17

They are doing songs Right.

Jana: 49:18

And same thing. They said that, about, which never happened, but they were supposed to be doing the exact same thing over at that thing that goes in a circle.

Dana: 49:29

With Carousel of.

Jana: 49:30

Progress, yes. Carousel of.

Erica: 49:31

Progress.

Jana: 49:31

They were supposed to redo the animatronics and the music.

Erica: 49:35

Well, they should redo some of those animatronics, cause dude's hand keeps falling off, so but just like we said earlier, Well, here's it ain't gonna happen. Here's where I think, here's why I think it's going to happen. Here's why I think this one is going to happen, because people have started to speak out against the beloved country. Bears saying there are several outdated and inappropriate references.

Mike: 49:58

No here we go.

Erica: 49:59

So it's pirates all over again, it's Splash Mountain all over again. Because now in 2000,. What a year are we in 2023? Now people are figuring out that this is how life was back then and this was society back then, and now everybody's in an upper over it. So A racing history. So here's what they're saying about country bear jamboree the bears will be reinterpreting, reinterpreting Favorite Disney songs In different genres of country music.

Jana: 50:26

Favorite Disney songs it's gonna be stupid. Movie related animations Just a bunch of bears singing.

Chris Lanning: 50:32

You know Never had a friend like me, let it go, let it go, let it go.

Jana: 50:36

That's what they're gonna do, and it's gonna be ignorant.

Dana: 50:39

So here's the rest of it, you know what we can do?

Jana: 50:41

We could get signs and stand outside the country, bear jamboree and sing blood on this out.

Erica: 50:46

Obviously, I'm very good at it. I'm on it, I'm on it. Oh, I like that. So the bears will be reinterpreting favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music, like brace yourself, oh dear, rockabilly, bluegrass, pop, country and other styles.

Dana: 51:08

We need to protest.

Erica: 51:09

Imagineers imagineers are envisioning the new take as a homage to the Grand Ole Opry here in Nashville and they're working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound.

Jana: 51:24

Keep giving me reasons To not want to go, keep giving me reasons to sell other destinations. Just keep doing it.

Erica: 51:31

I can't wait for. Broadway Bear. That's gonna be the new character. We're gonna name him Broadway Bear and he's gonna throw up all over the stage. Well now, I'm just mad. I'm sorry it's done the picture.

Mike: 51:43

I can't stop it Once it starts.

Erica: 51:47

They are taking country bear jamboree and making it like the Grand Ole Opry in Broadway.

Dana: 51:53

Well, that's just us Pop.

Erica: 51:54

Country, Luke Bryan Bear is coming.

Jana: 51:56

Oh my God, if you make a Luke Bryan Bear. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever for the rest of my life, step foot in Disney. If you put a Luke Bryan Bear, do not even make a reference to Luke Bryan. Cannot stand that country music singer Like don't do it. Broadway Bear is coming. I don't go to Disney World for Nashville things. I live in Nashville.

Erica: 52:19

Thank you. You wanna see Nashville? You come to Nashville. Don't go to Walt Disney World and don't ruin my country. Bear jamboree Disney. You did it once at Disneyland. You took it out and you gave us a freaking restaurant and Winnie the Pooh and nobody asked for it. Leave country bear jamboree alone. What she said Go off. I'm very upset. I told you going to most. We're ending at the most disappointing. I'm telling you, broadway Bear is gonna come out drunk and aggressive. That's what's gonna happen with country bear jamboree. Well now I'm just depressed.

Jana: 52:45

Hang on, hang on. This could go a completely different way than. Okay, Disney, here's how you do it, Listen, listen. If Broadway Bear comes out on stage drunk and depressed, there could be some bloodshed in the audience. Totally. He could come use a real live bear, feed him some methamphetamines and give him free reign into the theater at country bear jamboree.

Dana: 53:08

It's a whole new show. Whole new show, and he's taking interactive to a whole new level.

Jana: 53:13

It could be cocaine bear.

Erica: 53:14

All I hear is the psycho thing.

Chris Lanning: 53:16

Don't you remember the cocaine?

Jana: 53:17

bear story that was on the show, the cocaine bear story that came out, wasn't it?

Chris Lanning: 53:23

the Smoky.

Jana: 53:23

Mountains area no A bear. See, that's gonna be. It'd be so awesome. That's what we do. I like it.

Erica: 53:32

Broadway Bear, we're in a pink cowboy hat Some white cowboy boots, drunk and aggressive, throwing up everywhere.

Jana: 53:37

Broadway Bear oh no, eating everybody in the audience. Cocaine bear, cocaine, cocaine.

Erica: 53:42

I say Broadway Bear.

Dana: 53:43

Did y'all talk about the Tree of Lugs Life thing?

Mike: 53:45

Yes.

Dana: 53:46

So I sent my girls the link to the D23 announcements and whatnot. Laura wrote back no, not bugslide, she didn't even swipe. I mean she literally saw the first slide and was tore up and I made the mistake of bringing up country bears and I thought they were gonna cry.

Jana: 54:08

I really thought they were gonna cry. I wish Disney would just leave some of those absolutely old, old classics like Tiki Room and Country. Bear just leave them alone. They're coming for the birds now You've got room to add to, without taking away what your older audience is really appreciating and remembers going to Disney with our parents and our grandparents and those things that we enjoyed together then. But you're taking those memories away and catering to a younger audience, which is fine. Cater to the younger audience.

Mike: 54:37

Just don't mess with the class we're gonna have to look Brian Tiki birds.

Jana: 54:41

You need to quit it.

Erica: 54:44

Why did I come in today, tiki birds?

Mike: 54:46

Since you wish, you're still locked in your garage. Oh my.

Dana: 54:49

God Shake it, Tiki bird, oh gosh.

Mike: 54:51

I didn't even know what song he sang.

Jana: 54:52

No, they make the Tiki birds. They'll make those, lady Gaga.

Erica: 54:55

Oh gosh, could you imagine? Well, she's probably right. Could you imagine? Could you imagine oh man.

Dana: 55:01

Well now, she just gave them that idea.

Jana: 55:02

I'm sure they'll go with it. That'll be the one they take Again send royalties to Janet Phipp Good. Yes, I'll take all creative credit.

Erica: 55:10

So that's what I have for Disney World.

Jana: 55:13

One thing came out for Disneyland Woohoo and the famous words of Dana Woohoo. Yeah, just I mean which isn't even much Love Disney. We love it so much.

Erica: 55:26

Listen.

Jana: 55:27

We love.

Erica: 55:27

Disney. We really do what?

Dana: 55:31

If you know, you know. If you know, you know.

Erica: 55:40

Dana is throwing daggers on a Monday morning, woohoo.

Jana: 55:44

Don't y'all Come on man. Oh my gosh, that was perfect, that was perfect, that was perfect, that was perfect, that was sorted.

Mike: 55:53

That's a all, I mean I. People are already like what did she say Listen if?

Erica: 55:59

you know, you know. If you don't you should, Too bad for you.

Jana: 56:04

What I was going to say is the reason we are so upset and so passionate and so bad-mouthing Disney right now is because we do love Disney. Yes, disappointment, overload and as a travel planner I get that people still want to go. Now I'm going to say this I'm not personally booking individual reservations for any destination much anymore because I'm so inundated under the group reservations and just running the agency in general. But Dana and Erica are who, if you call Main Street, I'm going to book you, I'm going to put you, not book you, I'm going to put you with Dana, erica. These girls know these parks, they absolutely know these parks inside and out, and you know I was already feeling somewhat disenchanted with Disney because there's just nothing new happening. It's same-o, same-o. I'm getting a little bored going down there, but for someone who's never been there before, it's still very, very magical. And we're not trying to talk people out of going, but what this podcast is about, it's about a destination that we love, or at least one of them, because we talk about all destinations here, but this happens to be the one that was. It's where we started. It's kind of what we built this business off of, and I personally am just highly, highly disappointed in Disney since 2020, since March 15th of 2020. I'm disappointed in everything these parks do. I think they are so out of touch with the, the core Disney fan, and I don't know if the core Disney fan is the one who carries the revenue in those parks or if it's all the new visitors. I don't know which demographic of of people make up that, that the revenue, and who's carrying these parks here to year. But I know that they're losing me as a as a long time Disney fan. They are absolutely losing me.

Mike: 57:53

And I don't think they care.

Jana: 57:54

But that doesn't mean that you can't go and have a great time, especially if you've never been there before. It's been several years. There's a lot of things that are just very different. Different, like you know. We've now got Toy Storyland, which is super cool. Um, you've got all the new things happening in and around the parks and different themed resorts, which I think they missed it on the contemporary yet again. But point being is, if you've never been or if you haven't been a long time, don't let our negativity talk you out of it. I go all the time. I think this year alone I've been down there about 11 times. So, um, if you do something, it's like going to you get a brand new job. You're so excited for your brand new job and you know that hundredth, hundredth one day you're starting to get a little monotone with it. Well, it was fun, super fun, the first day. Now it's okay. What not? That's where I'm at. But you guys who have not been before or, like I said, don't get to go as often as we do it's still very much an absolute fun park. Erica goes, dana goes, as much as anybody. They probably go more than I do and they still absolutely love it Um, just different strokes for different folks, I guess, so don't let us talk you out of it. But those are our opinions on the D 23 announcements which took a Disney land.

Erica: 59:01

Oh yeah, there ain't much for.

Mike: 59:03

Disney.

Erica: 59:03

So they released concept art for the ride vehicle for the next Avengers campus attraction and it looks very cool, don't get me wrong. It's very um, guardians of the Galaxy, cosmic rewind, like it's there. It's, it's a vessel that looks like we're time, time hopping, like timeline, like from from the actual cosmic rewind attraction and whatnot, but it's very much um, it's very Marvel. So I will say they, they missed the mark with web slingers at California adventure park, but the theming so far for this, just for this ride vehicle, is very spot on for Marvel. It's very spot on. So but again, we we only got a concept art of the ride vehicle. We know nothing about the ride itself. We know we know no storyline, we have no date. We there's nothing going on. I know Disney, um California venture, just opened up San Fran, tokyo, like that from Baymax. They redid the whole Pacific wharf and everything. So there's lots of stuff that's going on over there. Um, the hotel paradise pier is undergoing refurb to become Pixar themed and whatnot, which is fantastic. It definitely needed um a refurb and a refresh. It needed a new face to match the park Right.

Mike: 1:00:13

Well, that's not so exciting. It's cause. All that makes sense, everything that you just said, that they're doing. Disneyland makes sense.

Erica: 1:00:19

Everything at Disney World just like but and we're excited about it because it makes sense. But Disneyland doesn't make sense. That's why we're not excited about it.

Mike: 1:00:29

If it was utopia, it would have been. I'm not going to complain if they do Indiana Jones into the dinosaur.

Erica: 1:00:35

Oh, I will.

Jana: 1:00:35

I wouldn't complain. But I am going to tell them how how about they missed it? Cause. It should have been at Hollywood. It's a movie, it should be Hollywood studios, animals belong at. Even if it's a animal themed movie, like it's a bug's life, it belongs, or finding Nemo, it belongs at, um, animal kingdom. I mean, the animal kingdom park to me is almost kind of a animal. What's the movie? Is it was animal kingdom? Is that the movie? What's the movie with Simba, lion King, lord? So for me the animal kingdom park is like a giant lion king because everything fits in it. Zootopia would fit in the in the animal kingdom. The lion king, the Nemo, the fish, you know all the bugs, all that fits in that park, um, as does Moana, january of Water. It just fit into that park it, you know. Honestly, it could have gone a magic kingdom or animal kingdom, but it does not belong in Epcot period, it just does not.

Erica: 1:01:28

I agree with that and I agree with you of what you said. You know cause we're just so passionate because this is what we've done. This is, I mean, you guys. You said you got like a super into Disney right after Erin was born, so that's 2005. This was my whole life. I was born in 82 and we've we always lived 15, 20 minutes away from Disneyland. This is literally my entire life. Yeah, these are all my memories. And we started going to Florida when we moved here to Tennessee in 2020. And now it's just so much easier to get to Florida versus California. We go to those parks and stuff. This is everything I have known my entire life, and I think the reason why so many of the core diehard Disney fans look forward to D 23 every year is because we're waiting. We're waiting for the villains park. We're waiting for you to tell us we keep waiting and we keep waiting.

Jana: 1:02:17

We've been waiting on that park since we talked about that Back in 2005, a villains park We've talked about that for years and it's like I don't know why we just can't get a fifth gate at Disney world.

Erica: 1:02:27

I don't we just keep waiting for them to hear us and what we want? I think, I think and see. This is where we're going to disagree. I think they're starting to come around and I think hunky Josh is really going to start listening to people.

Jana: 1:02:39

You missed it. She's in love with Josh tomorrow. I love it, josh. She wants to break her leg in front of them in the next marathon, I think. Carry her out.

Erica: 1:02:48

I'm just I think, I think they're they're starting to, because they've put out surveys about genie plus, about the phone usage that people have been complaining about. I think they are really starting to Notice. I'm not gonna say listen, I think they're starting to notice.

Mike: 1:03:07

They see them. Parks are empty right now and they got to do it.

Jana: 1:03:09

They need to bring back those fast-pass machines and put them out in front of those things, and let's just start over days. Let's just start over.

Mike: 1:03:15

Tara tabs.

Jana: 1:03:16

It wasn't broken. It was not broken.

Mike: 1:03:18

It was easy and it worked. Yeah, unless it was out of paper.

Jana: 1:03:21

Well, whatever.

Dana: 1:03:23

There was a cast member there to you.

Jana: 1:03:25

Yeah there was.

Dana: 1:03:27

They had a pocket full of them?

Mike: 1:03:28

I don't know wrong, they could just hand you up.

Erica: 1:03:30

Yeah, load of them.

Jana: 1:03:31

Yeah, that was same thing at Disneyland 2, so I guess that's it for us today, dana, we skipped the fall foliage thing because you were not here and I have my Blue Ridge Parkway stuff all ready to go, so we'll do that next time.

Dana: 1:03:43

Okay, awesome, I hadn't done my net at all. Well, you need to get on it.

Jana: 1:03:48

It kind of let me off the hook. Today, when you didn't show up, I was like okay, good, I didn't have to rush it.

Dana: 1:03:52

Thank you, white House. Okay, guys.

Jana: 1:03:54

We know that there are lots of opinions out there about these D23 announcements. Maybe you completely disagree with every last one of us and you absolutely love everything. We want to hear it. We want to hear why you love it and why you're passionate about it. If you think, josh, tomorrow is a hot, I'm sorry. Hot, hot Silver Fox Piece of man. We want to hear it. Erica would love to hear who else loves the Silver Fox, josh, tomorrow, dana would love to hear anything, since she wasn't here to hear any of it today.

Dana: 1:04:26

Yes, please call in and tell me all the things I missed.

Jana: 1:04:28

Yes, so tell Dana what she missed. Mike would like to hear the people who agreed that Disney should have more alcohol or less alcohol in every corner. And I would just love to hear from you, especially some of our OJers guys. 615-246-5823, call in, leave the voicemail. If you are not comfortable leaving a voicemail, shoot us an email. You could just email. Do we have an LTD email?

Mike: 1:04:55

Well, what is it travel at? Ltd podcast calm.

Jana: 1:04:58

Okay, try that, see if it works.

Mike: 1:04:59

I got will let you know when we don't read it on the next podcast 615-246-5823.

Jana: 1:05:07

I think that you know us bringing LTD back this time is actually gonna stick for a while. I know we've disappointed y'all a few times, bringing it back for one or two episodes and disappearing for a year or two more, but this time thanks to Erica because she puts it on my calendar that's right we actually show up way more better and we're here, I will be in Alaska next week, 22nd through, like the 28th or 29th I will. I'll be back on my desk October 2nd, but we'll be back and we'll have those fall Foyledge road trips for you guys and some fun new topics to talk about. Have a great week, everybody. Bye, bye. You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you.