Parkscope Podcasts

Brain from Inside Universal is here to talk about Universal Orlando's good, bad, and baffling decisions - from Kong 2D to refreshed restaurants to late attraction openings. Then we talk about DreamWorks Land, Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon, and more!

It's Joe and Alex (and Beyonce) this time as they cover the Epic Universe announcement, Alex's west coast trip, and Super Nintendo World at USH.

A massive two-parter of a podcast that should last you through the winter! Joe and Jeff talk theater with friends - including an in-depth look at Sleep No More, the theater show that inspired the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser.Part 1 - Sleep No More (0:00:00)Joe and Jeff are joined by Kyle to discuss the immersive theater production Sleep No More. After over 5000 performances spanning over a decade, the show is scheduled to close later this year. What is it? How did it begin? What is its future? This is a thorough look at the show knowing it will be closing in the coming months. Remember, you can never go back to Manderley again.Find Kyle at jumpscarefactory.comPart 2 - Here Lies Love (2:21:30)Jeff and Joe talk about the short-lived but incredible Here Lies Love on Broadway. This immersive disco musical puts theater viewers in the middle of a disco as the story of Imelda Marcos plays out - from her rise to power and fall as a corrupt dictator to the hands of a peaceful revolution. Joe gets drunk as he lays it all on the line for this show.

Joe and Alex are live, in person, looking at each other across a table in this very very late podcast! Alex goes to Walt Disney World and rides Rat, Tron, and Guardians! Joe sees Josh Gadd and Idina Manzel on a Broadway stage together and then travels with newbies to Universal Orlando. Plus some Epic Universe talk!

Happy 10 Year Anniversary to this stupid little show. Thank you for supporting us, enjoy. Cya on October 1.-----Fantastical Beasts, Universal Decade, Future of IoA, Captain Eo, and more.

Joe and Alex discuss the full Halloween Horror Nights reveal before diving into Alex's big big big European coaster trip. Then we face a bunch of tech issues, Joe talks about Broadway, and we end with a laugh.

Today, Joe is joined by the prolific theme park writer and video producer, Alicia Stella! In this episode, we discuss pickles, escape rooms, Minion Cafe, Villain-Con's pros and cons, USF's 2024 additions, and finally Epic Universe!Orlando Park StopTheme Park Stop

Mike & Nick Go To L.A.Mike and Nick return to the show to discuss their trip to L.A.! Mike experiences Disneyland for the first time and both are flummoxed by Universal Studios Hollywood. Featuring brutally honest reviews of Super Nintendo World.The Legend of Zelda - Buy the Express Pass (1:24:45)Joe is joined by Hunter from Grim Grinning Hosts, Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights, and DIS-Order to discuss all the recent theme park hot goss. Everyone is getting into the closing attractions game, from Disney's Star Cruiser to Universal and Poseidon's Fury. Plus we discuss the theory behind Universal Studios Florida's entrance, Epic Universe hot takes, and a little bit of Halloween Horror Nights.

Joe and Alex talk about all the modern things in amusement parks - Hypersonic XLC, Poseidon's Fury, and last year's Halloween Horror Nights! Plus we talk about Alex's last minute trip to Universal, Hersheypark, and no F1 talk!

Hello world!After a hiatus, the show is back! Joe has RSV or something and is joined by Andrew Hyde from In The Loop fame. We discuss Kennywood safety, Dynamic Attractions filing for bankruptcy protection, Disney sobers up and realizes they have a capacity issue, and finally Universal's new parks.

Joe and Brian discuss the news and their last Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Trip!

Brian and Joe are sitting on a balcony at Bay Lake Tower discussing Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. 

Sean goes to Walt Disney World for the first time as a family! Nick sits in! Joe asks questions. Genie+ is purchased, rides are rode, kegs will be tapped, men will be used.

The eagerly awaited Star Wars Galactic Starcruser themed experience/on-land cruise/LARP has opened! Turns out, friends of the site David Daut and Hastin are fans of interactive themed spaces AND attended the inaugural Halcyon voyage. All aspects of the experience are discussed, from arrival to departure, including many spoilers.

We hear reboots are all the rage now so lets reboot this podcast! Alex and Joe discuss their recent trips along with a little bit news about Disney's new planned community. Topics Include:-Disney StoryLiving-Iron Gwazi review-Ice Breaker review-Fantasialand & FLY review-Harry Potter NYC Virtual Reality Experiences-Joe's Broadway trip! Music Man with Hugh Jackman, Hadestown, Company, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Joe is back from Orlando and recording well before 2am. This episode he's going further in-depth on HHN30 as he explains his choices while writing the Touring Plans review of the event.

It's 2am and Joe is in his Dockside room with some HHN30 hot takes. Not a review just first impressions. 

Joe drove to Columbus to be with his parents and Mike is drinking away a hurricane. Today's topics include Universal Studios Hollywood's very bad, very dumb, fatphobic tweet; the public backlash to perceived "fatphobia" at Universal in attraction design and test seats; and some more talking about Halloween Horror Nights

Well, Disney, ya finally did it! After lots of rumors, speculation, and angst, the stateside Disney Parks have announced Disney Genie and Lightning Lane products. This week Joe is joined by Hastin and David Daut to discuss the new products, our thoughts, our worries, and where the puck is going with the Disney Parks. Then we switch gears to discuss HHN30 and David's first trip to the event.

This coming September will be the 8th anniversary of our podcast.Eight. Years.Since then we've had marriages, births, and moved all over the place. One big change is also our lack of time. As you might have seen the podcast has gotten more and more infrequent over the years as the gang just can't get together as much as we used to. Look, when you have a job, a house, a wife, and a kid you just don't have the 90 minutes to sit down on Skype and talk about theme parks.So lets try something new. For the next month or so I'll do a weekly 15 minute (or so) show covering one topic, just long enough to finish one drink. Hence the "pints" part. But don't think this is glorifying drinking, I'll be having water, tea, and coffee too! My goal is to have a new episode up every Friday or so.Our first episode is about the NBA Experience, from Iger's power grab after NBA City left to closure. We'll talk about all the weird points in this attraction's life, what went wrong, could it have worked, and my thoughts on a replacement.

We're back baby! Joe! Mike! Ann! We're all slightly tipsy as we discuss Halloween Horror Nights 30 and tackle some "questions" from the UOAP Facebook group.

Universal announced HHN details, Disney brought back fireworks, and more huge news out of the theme park community. And we talk about none of it. Instead we discuss our various trips around the country including Alan riding VelociCoster, visiting Legoland, musing on Orlando, and Snake River Expedition. Then Alex joins in with thoughts on the new Jersey Devil coaster. Plus some auto racing discussion.

Low-fi theme park podcast to chill and vibe to this week as Joe and Sean discuss their big mega Memorial Day trip through Ohio. Join us as Sean discovers Hoof Hearted, the magic of the Flight of Fear preshow, Mystic Timbers, Jacobs Field, Melt, Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Ballpark Mustard, and more!

On this week's podcast, Joe and Alan discuss CDC's lifting of mask mandates for vaccinated people, what that means for the theme parks, and how we perceive discomfort with rapid changes. Then we dive into the WEB Shooters featured in Disney's WEB-slingers attraction and how it could work or go really, really wrong. Then Joe discusses his trip to Hersheypark and Alan talks about his trip to Meow Wolf's House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe. Finally, we close out the podcast discussing theme park operators, changes in operations, attracting guests, and attracting guests in a post-COVID boom.

[Due to an editing mistake some audio tracks overlapped with the last upload. This one has that fixed.] Hey duders, this week Joe is joined by an above-average Disney nerd, Danny! We discuss the return of the Disney College Program, Project Kiwi, WDI R&D, ops vs creative, the Disney Wish, and Disneyland's reopening. Then we dive into Danny's ride on the Jurassic World VelociCoaster!

Hey duders, this week Joe is joined by an above-average Disney nerd, Danny! We discuss the return of the Disney College Program, Project Kiwi, WDI R&D, ops vs creative, the Disney Wish, and Disneyland's reopening. Then we dive into Danny's ride on the Jurassic World VelociCoaster!

Trip reports a-hoy as Sean returns from his first visit to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. Then Alan discusses his mega Nevada trip including leaking bathroom light fixtures, resort fees, Freemont Street, fainting in a Chi-Fil-A, and the incredible Omega Mart in Area 15! Plus Alex listens in and Joe grabs a spot of tea.

Alex and Alan both go to Texas but to do extremely different things and experience a world where the pandemic is treated as though it's imaginary. Some parks we think aren't good got acquired! California parks are reopening! Thrill as Alan defers to the people of Anaheim as to determine what's best for them!

Joe and Sean rejoin to discuss the news of the past few weeks! We talk Horror Nights news, WDW's 50th, Epic Universe, Disneyland, our upcoming trips, and more.

We're back! Joe just got back from a huge Orlando trip with his sister Rachel, so she's on the podcast this week! We go through everything we did on the trip including firsts for Rachel such as ALL of Universal, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, Slinky Dog Dash, Homecomin', and more! We discuss the delights, the triumphs, the pitfalls, and the disappointments of the trip PLUS our thoughts on Flower & Garden and Mardi Gras.

Alan and Alex discuss Kentucky Kingdom's acquisition by Herschend, Discovery Cove and Universal Orlando visits, Pigeon Forge, and trying to escape confrontation about leaving the house once in a while.

Joe gets a G&T, Sean talks about the Jungle Cruise, we contemplate the name of the show, and discuss what is coming in the future. PLUS we discuss all the video coverage of Super Nintendo World, from Mario Kart to Yoshi Adventure to the interactive elements. Sean and Joe also ask the questions about why an unbuilt or demolished attraction always garners more interest than something built.

Welcome to the Parkscope Unprofessional Podcast Hour, your #1 Yusuf Islam and folk podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss Disneyland canceling annual passes and the future of that program before doing a deep dive into Las Vegas' lost history of themed entertainment. We discuss how Vegas ended up in the position it found itself in the 80s, the Mirage, free entertainment, lost attractions, closed parks, where things went wrong, and more.

It's our holiday special as Joe, Sean, and special guest David Daut discuss our favorite things of 2020! We give our top pics of video games, podcasts, books, movies, television shows, music, and YouTube in this year of shit. Plus we discuss a rare Captain Eo print on eBay and Super Nintendo World leaks.Here's an expanded list of our favorite things with links to places to find them!Ted Lasso (AppleTV Paid)Schitt's Creek (IMDB TV for Free)Persona 5 Royal (PS4)13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)folklore (album)Nick Lutsko (YouTube)How To Drink (YouTube)Binging with Babish (YouTube)The Expanse (TV)Taste of Luxury (YouTube)GiantBomb dot Com, a website for video games Palm Springs (Hulu)Bill & Ted Face the Music (movie)The Adventure Zone (podcast)Critical Roll (podcast)Gorillaz Song Machine (album/project)Star Wars BooksAlexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (book)The Left Hand of Darkness (book)Axiom's End (book)What if it's Us (book)BDG & Polygon Videos (YouTube)Soul (movie)Invisible Man (movie)MusicalSplaining (podcast)The Good Place (TV, Netflix)Four Seasons Total Landscaping

Alex and Joe discuss the news of the week including Dezerland opening in Orlando, Six Flags attraction delays, Lightning Rod updates, Kings Island Camp Cedar, and the Nintendo Direct reveal of Super Nintendo World. Plus Alex gives his review of Endless Summer - Dockside.

It is Alan, Alex, and Joe this week as we touch on some VelociCoaster and Super Nintendo World news before diving into a last-minute Orlando trip for Alan. We discuss driving, vacation homes, Gatorland, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, we praise Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge discussion, and more!

How's everyone's week going? Well? Quiet? Calm? Joe invited special guests Shelby and Hunter to distract themselves from *waves arms* to discuss theme parks! We talk about the Beetlejuice house surprise opening, our final thoughts on Universal's fall 2020 Halloween event, HHN Facebook, what Halloween 2021 will bring, Puppet Theatre, reopening hotels, Christmas decorations, Holiday Tribute store, and much much more!Follow Shelby on Twitter, listen to her on Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights, or check out her merch online.Follow Hunter on Twitter, listen to him on Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights, and on Grim Grinning Hosts.

It's a late-night party as Joe drink some white wine with Mike! We discuss the latest Apple event, Jurassic World Velocicoaster announcement, then dive into Mike's trip to Universal Orlando to experience their Halloween event.

Alan and Alex clean up the remaining trip reports from this summer and also discuss the underlying issues of sexual predators, abuse, and grooming in the amusement industry.

Joe is joined by Alex and Dan to discuss their last trip to the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Laugh at Alex's misfortunes, amaze at Dan's Galaxy Edge impressions, wonder at an empty Magic Kingdom, and find out our impressions on Universal's Untitled 2020 Halloween Event including the two haunted houses.

Jeff and Joe talk about daytime spooks rumors. Then we discuss our weird, stupid, and odd Labor Day trip to Kings Island and Cedar Point! Then we debate "what's the point of theming a rollercoaster?"

Alan and Alex talk about their weekend adventures in Pennsylvania (and technically New Jersey). Hershey talk! Dorney Talk? Land of Make Believe; is that a real place? Also ALAN WITH HERETICAL STATEMENTS. It's all coming to you this week on Parkscope.

OG Crew is back as Joe, Mike, and Sean talk about how this year has destroyed all our plans and how to exact our revenge next year. Our plans for crazy resorts, decadent dinners, and superfluous splurges all around Walt Disney World and Univeral Orlando Resort. 

Well... here we are. Joe is joined by Clint from ThrillGeek to talk about the cancelation of Halloween Horror Nights 30 in Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights 2020 in Hollywood. Come for the funeral, stay for the celebration.

It's July and all our favorite regional parks are reopning! Joe, Alan, and Alex discuss the reopening days and new attractions this year at Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood, and others. Plus we dive into how our plans have been turned upside down this summer and more.

Alex has trip reports to discuss from Candymonium at Hersheypark, PIgeon Forge, Dollywood, Helen Georiga, and Six Flags over Georgia.

Joe and Nick are joined by theme park podcasting legend Chris Wakefield to discuss the massive amount of Walt Disney World news dropped this week plus Chris' small trip to Florida, including his stay at Endless Summer and ride on Hagrid.

In this week's sports themed podcast Joe and Lane are joined by writer and critic Josh Spiegel to discuss his Disney Parks Attractions bracket that swept the Twitter world. Plus the NBA and MLS playing at Walt Disney World, theme park additions to Disney+, the 10 year anniversary of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and The Bourne Stuntacular guest previews.

Bonus episode! Joe is joined by Kenny from In the Loop and Grin Grinning Hosts to talk about the charity event Helping Haunts! Money donated goes to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and you receive a special bonus HHN podcast AND a chance to win a huge prize pack!

Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal this week to discuss the NBA and MLS playing at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Universal Orlando reopening, new public health and safety protocols at Universal, USF retro merch, and more. #BlackLivesMatter Carrd.co for News, Resources, and How to HelpRiots are destructive, dangerous, and scary — but can lead to serious social reforms30 Black Americans Killed by Police Since George Floyd11 Things You Can Do to Help Black Lives Matter End Police ViolenceHow to Safely and Ethically Film Police MisconductHow to Be an Activist When You’re Unable to Attend ProtestsHow to Protest Safely in the Age of SurveillanceBooks About Race & RacismPodcasts that Talk About Racism

One year ago the much-hyped Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opened at Disneyland. Joe, Sean, and special guest David Daut discuss the land over the past year of operation, our disappointments, the triumphs, and final impressions. Included topics: Rise of the Resistance, Smuggler's Run, music vs atmosphere, lack of shows, food and beverage options, Data Pad, merchandise, and land design.