Ear to There Disney Podcast

A tour of Walt Disney's apartment above the firehouse in Disneyland does not go quite as expected

Which queues should you not skip with Disney Genie+? We've got you covered!

Which Value, Moderate, Deluxe, & Deluxe Villas would be the best fit for your family? We'll help you decide!

Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi needs not these things. Unless you're onboard the Starcruiser!

Author and food & wine pro Marcy Carriker Smothers joins me on the show this week to talk all things Disney dining, including some great Walt Disney stories and a whole lot more!   As we once said on our "it's a food world" segments, Walt Disney World is not just burgers and hot dogs. The food options in all of the parks and resorts, both currently and historically, are certainly much finer than the normal fare that you would find in an amusement park or theme park.   

In 2021 the Disney Company has given its fans new attractions, restaurants, shows, movies, & much more! Listen into find out what Disney Things We're Thankful for in 2021! While it's easy to want to put everything we love about Disney on our lists, my guest this week and I really took a good look at the Disney things that really made us happy and thankful this year. Please listen with a family member or a friend and Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Our first ever Disney+ Deep Dive focuses on a classic comedy from the 80's that still stands up well into the 21st Century, "Adventures In Babysitting". This week we will break down this Elisabeth Shue blockbuster and give out our own awards including The Sleeping Beauty Award for the character that does the most with the fewest lines, the Hayden Christiansen Award for Wooden Acting that Almost Ruined a Movie, & the Julie Andrews Award for Acting that's Practically Perfect in Every Way!

We are celebrating Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary with stories, our favorite memories, and more!

We have lots of listener questions to get to including ones about Disney Genie, WDW's 50th Anniversary, family trip traditions and much more!

Claude Coats was an artist, background artist, animator and set designer, known for his work with the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering.

I took a trip to visit those other parks down the road at Universal Orlando on my last trip to Walt Disney World. This is how it went. Universal Orlando reopened amid the Covid-19 pandemic more than a year ago. It had been more than 9 years since my last visit to Walt Disney World's biggest local rival. I decided that it had been long enough and it was time to pay a visit to the home of Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and Marvel's Superheroes (at least east of the Mississippi River).

The 50th Anniversary Celebration for Walt Disney World begins on October 1, 2021. We'll give you the scoop on what new things will be opening in 2021 and beyond! Disney & Pixar films like Ratatouille, Moana, Tron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more are coming to the parks in 2021 and 2022! The Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser Resort is also on the horizon. When can we expect these experiences to open? Listen in and find out!

Who better to tell us stories about the earliest days of Disneyland than original Disneyland Imagineer, Bob Gurr? Bob Gurr was hired by Walt Disney himself in 1954 to work on the bodies of the Autopia cars for Walt's ambitious theme park, Disneyland. Little did Bob know that he was just beginning a long and storied career with the Disney Company, full of wonderful stories, incredible imaginations, and unrivaled creativity.  

The Disneyland & Walt Disney World Monorail Systems are truly one of the seven wonders of the modern world! Who better to go more in depth into the history of the Disney Monorail Systems than Disney Legend and Imagineer, Bob Gurr? Walt Disney himself asked Bob to design and build the first ever monorail in the Western Hemisphere and Bob's creation premiered in Disneyland in 1959. 

There's something very special about taking a trip to Walt Disney World with parents even though we (at least some of us) aren't kids anymore! It's only right to take our parents on trips to Walt Disney World after they saved and took us when we were children. This week my guest and I talk all about our favorite reasons why it's such a great time visiting the theme parks with our parents.

Did you know that Disney's Animal Kingdom is many things, but it's definitely "Nahtazu"!  Okay, actually, Walt Disney World's fourth and largest theme park actually doubles as a zoo. It's also a world class theme park with amazing attractions, sensational shows, and fantastic food! There are also many things you might not know about the park including history, never built attractions, and tributes hidden in plain sight! I hope you enjoy this week's Word of the Week - Nahtazu!

There is no shortage of heroes in the Disney universe. Princes, Princesses, Kings, Queens, Gods...they're all represented. But who are our favorites? 

What is it that makes Epcot's World Showcase so unique and so special among all of the Disney theme parks? Our Top Ten is only the tip of the iceberg! Epcot's World Showcase is so much more than rides and shows. Originally planned as its own theme park, World Showcase is like taking a trip around the world without ever leaving the friendly confines of Central Florida. With amazing cultural representatives from each host country, amazing culinary experiences, and the magic of Disney around every corner, World Showcase is not just another section in an amusement park!

Did you know that Walt Disney World partially built Phase 2 of Disney's Pop Century Resort? I promise, this episode will be Legendary! At the end of the 20th Century, the powers that be in Walt Disney World came to the conclusion that another Value Resort needed to be built on Disney property. This new resort, tentatively named Disney's Pop Century Resort, was set to double the number of rooms available to guests at Value Resorts. Due to a number of unforeseen factors, only half of Pop Century was ever finished. What happened to the second, partially built part? You'll have to listen in to find out! 

Which things do we wish were still available in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom? We have at least ten to tell you about! The memories may remain, but over the years many things have been removed from the Magic Kingdom. Beloved attractions, favorite characters, delicious snacks and entertaining shows have all been removed from the Most Magical Place on Earth over the years. Jump in our DeLorean with us as we explore out favorite things that we miss about the Magic Kingdom!

Finally, the news so many Disney fans have been waiting for is here, Disneyland is almost set to reopen! We'll also go into Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World news!

If you're a Disneyland history buff like me, you'll want to check out these lesser known stories from the early days of the park! I recently downloaded and listened to an audio tour of Disneyland which was narrated by Disney Legend and Imagineer Rolly Crump. I had never heard some of these stories before and since I can no longer find the tour online, I wanted to re-tell some of his stories this week on the Word of the Week. I may not tell the stories as well as Rolly does, but I hope you find them as interesting coming from me as I did hearing them from Rolly!

Have you ever been hit with a smell all of a sudden that instantly transports you back to Disney? This episode is for you! The Disney theme parks aren't just about the sights. They are a full sensory experience that flood all of your senses with amazing sights, sounds, touches, and especially smells. Our sense of smell is strongly linked to memories, even more so than any of our other senses. So, of course, everyday smells can sometimes return us to the moments that we've last smelled those certain smells. Walt Disney World and Disneyland are full of restaurants, attractions, shows, and even streets that have their own very distinctive smells. This week we'll explore some of those smells that take you back to WDW as soon as you smell them!

Flowers? Check. Gardens? Check. Amazing food, fantastic beverages, and fun for the entire family? Check, check, and check!  Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival is no longer the lesser of the park's two festivals. Find out why you should go to Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival this year!

Did you know that Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom has 15 opening day attractions still in operation? The Disney company has always understood that nostalgia is a large part of its brand. Guests want to take their children and grandchildren on attractions that they themselves once rode as kids. Guests come back year after year to experience all that is new and all that is old and classic in the parks. These attractions have become nostalgic classics that hopefully will never be removed from the park.

While there are WAY more than ten great things about Pirates, we did our best to narrow it down and give you our favorites! Pirates of the Caribbean opened in Disneyland on March 18, 1967. It has been a guest favorite since day one. Who doesn't love to sail among the swashbucklers while singing "Yo Ho"? The attraction was so popular that when Magic Kingdom opened without it in 1971, guests complained and demanded that Walt Disney World open a Pirates attraction in the park!

Even confident, professional (hopefully!) Disney travel agents can make mistakes sometimes! I present to you, The Great Snow White Debacle.

Which Walt Disney World audio animatronics are the coolest, according to us? I can almost guarantee there will be no spitting camels on this episode! The Disney theme parks have given us world class audio animatronic figures since the 1960's. Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and the parks around the word are loaded with robotic characters that range from the wildly simplistic Tiki Birds to the amazingly complicated Shaman from Pandora: The World of Avatar. So which of these figures made our Top Ten List? You'll have to listen in to find out! 

Disneyland's first ever Director of Entertainment lived an extremely fascinating life. This week's Disney Word of the Week is all about "Tommy the Toe" Walker! Tommy Walker is responsible for several of the amazing traditions of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. So why isn't his name up there with the likes of Tony Baxter, Joe Rohde, Marc Davis or Bob Gurr? We'll take a deep dive into his amazing life this week and try to figure it out!

I recently saw an article online where the author ranked all of the attractions in Walt Disney World. She was way off! Here are the real rankings! On this episode I fly solo and rank all fifty-six attractions (no shows with live performers) in all of Walt Disney World. My goal is to save you time and help you avoid riding attractions that you might've skipped otherwise. The only problem is, I love almost all of them!

We made it. 2020 is over! It's time to start thinking and planning for the future and What We're Looking Forward To in 2021! The Disney Company has a lot of things on the horizon for the year 2021. New original Disney+ TV shows, movies, resorts, attractions and other additions to the theme parks are in store for us over the next twelve months. This week we will take a look at all of it and let you know what you should be most excited for in the coming year!

Sadly, Disney Legend Ron Dominguez recently passed away. His legacy, however, still stands tall inside Disneyland. Ron Dominguez was just about twenty years old when Walt Disney purchased his family's land and home in 1954. Little did he know then that he was about to start out on his path of becoming a Disney Legend in the next half century. 

Which Walt Disney World parks are the best for babies, toddlers, adults, grandparents and more? We'll break it down for you! One question I get almost all the time from first time or first time in forever Walt Disney World guests is, "Which park is the best for us?" While each theme park in WDW has something for everyone, some parks are better than others for different age groups. Whether you're traveling with babies, teenagers, princes or princesses, this episode will help you prioritize the parks you'll need to visit on your Disney vacation!

Trying something a little different this time and bringing you my family's Christmas Eve tradition. Since my wife and I have had kids I've been reading the poem "Twas The Night Before Christmas" to them on each and every Christmas Eve. This year I wanted to bring a little bit of our Christmas Eve tradition to you. So get the fireplace going, get the cookies and milk ready for Santa, grab a drink and a snack for yourself, and relax. It's Christmas!

Where did Buddy the Elf rank on our list of Top Ten Christmas Movie Characters? How about Kevin McCallister? Find out! We expanded our horizons a little bit this week and came up with our list of not only Disney characters, but our all time, overall favorite characters in Christmas movies. I'm joined by my family on this episode and you can feel the buzz of the Christmas season running through my kids and right out of your speakers or headphones!

Over the years many of our favorite attractions have gone the way of the dodo. On this episode we'll take a virtual ride on three of my favorite extinct attractions. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Horizons, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are three classic, favorite attractions we can no longer ride in Walt Disney World. That doesn't mean we can't ride them on the podcast just one more time! I'll give you some fun stories behind each of these favorite attractions and we might even virtually ride through one or two!

The Walt Disney Company has been releasing wonderful Christmas specials and films going all the way back to 1958. On this episode we'll talk about our favorites! From Mickey to The Muppets, from Scott Calvin to Ebenezer Scrooge, Disney has been synonymous with fantastic Christmas entertainment for generations. On this bonus episode that was first released in 2017, my guest and I talk all about our favorite Disney films and specials that make the holidays a little extra special every year.

Trash is almost invisible in the Disney theme parks across North America. How is it removed almost undetected?

Over the years you've probably noticed that Disney & Pixar like to hide little tributes to other movies in their films. We'll tell you where to find them! The animations wizards at Disney and Pixar have been hiding characters and props from other films in their films for years. Think about it: how many times have you spotted the Pizza Planet truck in other films besides the original Toy Story? This week my very sharp and musical guest host and I will clue you in on all of the Easter eggs we've found!

I don't interview a guest this week. Instead, a couple of guests interview me. This week two of the members of the Ear To There Travel team prepared questions for me for the show. We talk about everything from my time as a Disney cast member to going back in time to hang out with Walt Disney. It's a wide-ranging show full of fun stories and interesting topics. Enjoy!

From pardoned turkeys to the infamous Turkey Legs, Thanksgiving and turkey has been a big part of the Disney Parks for decades! This week I'll go into the history of Thanksgiving in the Disney company and talk all about the World Famous Turkey Legs that helped inspire the title for this show! We'll find out how many turkey legs the parks sell each year and even what kind of meat they actually are made of!

The Ear To There Disney Podcast is now Turkey Leg Talk! It's the same fun show with a new name and logo. Find out what we're thankful for in 2020! Disney has helped get us through a very tough 2020. We're thankful for so many things this year including Disney+, looking forward to future trips, not riding a certain Disneyland attraction and more!

Disney announced that a new Norway pavilion was coming to EPCOT Center's World Showcase in 1985. By 1988 the Norwegians had arrived and with them came an all new attraction within the pavilion that would entertain guests for the next twenty six years. This week's Word of the Week is all about the Maelstrom and its lasting impact on the Disney fan community. Mythical gods, fantastic trolls, polar bears, and oil rigs...let's talk about Epcot's classic, the Maelstrom!

The food in the Disney theme parks is much more than hot dogs and hamburgers. Amazing appetizers, savory snacks, decadent desserts, and elegant entrees are just a few of the things you can expect on your next culinary adventure through the Disney parks! Join me and the author of "The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook", Ashley Craft, for our chat all about the fantastic food available in Walt Disney World and Disneyland! Want to make some of your favorite Disney Parks foods in the comfort of your own home? This episode has you covered!

With all of the flashy new Disney attractions so often in the blog headlines, it's nice to take a nice, nostalgic trip to the classic attractions that started it all. Disney-obsessed people like myself are often obsessed with the next greatest attraction. From Avatar: Flight of Passage to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, we're always waiting to see if the newest attraction is Disney's best ever. We often forget, however, that they are tons of new Disney fans coming to the parks every year who've never ridden the classic attractions we've ridden hundreds of times. That's why this week's episode was so appealing to me when my co-host brought up the topic. I hope you enjoy Episode 216: Rediscovering Classic Attractions. - Subscribe to, Rate & Review the show HERE - Meet Carolina Jatene or contact her HERE

There are no shortage of books about the history of the Disney company, the theme parks, and Walt Disney himself. This week I wanted to do my best to bring you my all time favorites. Enjoy Episode 215: Top Ten Disney Books! With all off the books out there about Disney, how do you choose which ones to buy? Here are my favorites!

Fire up your Disney+ and get your iPhone ready, it's time to watch Mr. Boogedy with me! I first heard about Mr. Boogedy around last Halloween. The Disney cult classic was first aired in 1985 but somehow I missed it over the years. Maybe it was too scary and my parents kept it off the TV or maybe we just didn't have the right channel back then. Either way, this year I decided to finally watch it and ask you, the listener, to watch it with me!

Disney has brought us some very famous dogs in movies and television over the years. We've been inundated with Goofy, Pluto, 101 Dalmatians, and many more. But what about those dogs that are in the Disney theme parks that no one ever talks about? Those dogs that have been in the background of our favorite attractions for years, just waiting to be thanked! That's why this week's show is all about those under appreciated pups! I hope you enjoy this week's Word of the Week - Dogs! Goofy & Pluto aren't the only dogs who should be appreciated in Walt Disney World and Disneyland!

Three words: Return. To. Oz. And that nightmare fuel is just the tip of the scary iceberg this week!   Over the years, Disney has given its fans many intentionally scary things. From the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to Space Mountain to Mr. Boogedy, Disney's had it's fair share of real scares. Then there are the scary things in the parks, movies, and TV that aren't scary on purpose...they're just, scary! I hope you enjoy Episode 213: Unintentionally Scary Disney!

Back by popular demand this week is a three part podcast series all rolled into one episode. Back to the Speedway the Complete Series is a first person story set in Walt Disney World in both the present and the past. I've had a lot of positive feedback on these episodes and combining them into one full show is a great way for new listeners to listen and for listeners who've been around for a while to relive the adventure! What happens when Disney Legend Bob Gurr tells me about time travel technology that not only exists in the world, but was hidden in plain view in a WDW theme park? Listen in and find out!

Walt Disney was a visionary who often would do things that didn't make a lot of sense to those who worked with him. I've read a story where he had workers at Disneyland pave over a beautiful flower garden that guests were walking through instead of putting a fence around it. He told anyone who would listen that obviously there was a reason why the guests were walking through those flowers and that he wanted to make it easier for the guests to get where they were going. This story is a bit like that. I hope you enjoy this week's Word of the Week – Spire. Why is there a 19th century gold spire on top of Sleeping Beauty castle? It all goes back to Walt Disney's vision.