Episode #163 - Saving Mr. Banks

Today's podcast is a movies review of... Saving Mr. Banks. Short version: I loved this film! I hope you did too. My lone problem with it was that it was a slightly Disney-ised and revised look at the history. It didn't quite work out this way, and I fill in the proverbial blanks on that. Still, it was great, and I can only imagine what it was like to work for the Walt Disney studios at that time.

Now I do have a couple of other Disney movies that I mention on this podcast (I was busy catching up over the last few weeks!).

Episode #162 - The latest on MyMagic

Today, I have still more information on MyMagic+. There's some new news, and a few updates….there is (as we expected) an active and passive RFID reader, and there isa requirement to have a biometric scan for park entrance. Meanwhile, old paper-based FastPass machines are being removed, and there are some increasing costs.

Come on in and take a listen, and comment below.

Episodes #160 & 161 - The Reedy Creek Improvement District

Today's podcast is a look at the history of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and how it works within Walt Disney World. Full disclosure: this is not an original work by me. I am reading from a work from the Florida State Law Review, MERGING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GOVERNANCE: HOW DISNEY’S REEDY CREEK IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT “RE-IMAGINED” THE TRADITIONAL DIVISION OF LOCAL REGULATORY POWERS by Chad Emerson. I present it for your consideration, but give full credit to Mr. Emerson for his work on the project.

I personally love learning more about the history of Walt Disney World, and am fascinated by some of the things that happened to make the park we know and love.

Episode #159 - Disney News for November 2013

Its a full dose of Disney news: Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland, a few MyMagic pieces, holiday "creep", movie news, and a whole lot more! Check out the candlelight processional video below.

Episode #158 - Enjoying a day at the parks

I went up to the parks at the end of October, and had a chance to check out some of what's going on with MyMagic, so I talk about that. Plus, I went over to Epcot and ate some yummy food at the Food & Wine Festial. And there are a few other fun things to talk about!



iphone http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hidden-mickeys/id470449374?ls=1&mt=8
ipad http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hiddenmickeys-large/id517703952?ls=1&mt=8



http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pin-trading/id521552029?mt=8



https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wdw-pressed-penny/id712615447?mt=8

Episodes 156 & 157 - Details and thoughts about MyMagic

Today I have a double podcast! I take a longer look at the Magic Bands, and MyMagic+, and consider why Disney is spending this kind of money on something that has a limited return on it from Disney's point of view.

My approach was to look at in this way:

what is mymagic?

How does it work?

Rollout, costs, and questions

Patents driving it

customer relationship management

Pros and Cons

My thoughts

In the podcast, I quote from several articles. Including:

At Disney Parks, a Bracelet Meant to Build Loyalty (and Sales)

Branding Lessons From Walt Disney World, Part 1: Designing the Customer Experience

How the MagicBand and MyMagic+ Works

Episode #155 -- Leftover audio from a recent trip

I have some audio left over from a recent trip.  I talk about the monorail being unavailable during off-peak times, and ride the ferry boat to the magic kingdom. Plus, I tell a few stories as I wander around.

Of course, the fun part is the history of who Admiral Fowler is.  So take a listen and find out.

Episode #154 -- Disney News

On this week's podcast, its a dose of Disney news.  I've got some info on Cars Land, Star Wars Land, and Avatarland.  And I talk about the changes to the Guest Assistance Card, some resort updates, and a whole lot more!

I also mention Sam Genneway's book, The DisneyLand Story, which is off to print. You can "hear" the entire story in Episode #147, where Sam and I discuss it.  And you can pre-order (or order if its available when you read this) a copy of it "here"

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Pressed Pennies app now available!

What makes it unique, special, and cool?  Well, you can search for pennies by name, location, or near you.

You can see pictures of the pennies in each machine.

And best of all, you can store images of the pennies you have on you i-device, to keep track of them.

And of course, you can also find the pressed quarters that exist around the parks.

The listing and maps that you can get at guest relations are nice, but they don't give the detail that I have in this app.

I hope you enjoy the app!  Please let me know what you think of it!

Pressed Penny app for iPhone & iPad

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iPhone Hidden Mickeys app 

iPad Hidden Mickeys app

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Pin Trading app for iPhone & iPod

Episode #153 -- Monorail Epcot Loop

On today's show, I hop onto the monorail at WDW that is heading from the Transportation and Ticket Center (or TTC as they call it in Disney 'code') and head over to Epcot. Then, I make the return trip. Come along and take a listen, and enjoy the ride!

Remember that Disney World has three monorail loops: the Epcot loop, the Resort Loop (which you can hear in my last podcast), and the Express Monorail (which everyone knows so well when they head into the Magic Kingdom, and then back to their car).

All three originate from the TTC, and make their way around to their destinations.

Episode #152 -- Monorail Resort Loop

Today's show is quite simply a ride on the monorail. Come along, close your eyes, and pretend you are there!

A couple of thoughts: I don't really like the new narration. Its not as interesting and the host isn't as personable. He sounds almost mechanical in nature. And - I talk about the renovations that were recently unveiled at the Contemporary....at the time I recorded this, the new "Top of the World" as it used to be called was still under construction.

Episodes #150 & #151-- Favorite Disney Vacation

Today is my 150th podcast! So, to commemorate the moment, its sort of a double length show! I welcome Curt, Gary, and Doug to a roundtable discussion, where we talk about our favorite Disney vacations. Come and take a listen and see if you catch some themes that match with your experiences. We are all different ages, and have experienced Disney in our own ways - and yet there's a common thread about our experiences that keeps us coming back! Enjoy the show.

On the podcast, I mention the Great Disney Scavenger Hunt. Here are my podcasts on that experience:


The Great Disney Scavenger Hunt, Part 1
The Great Disney Scavenger Hunt, Part 2
Wrapup from the Hunt

And here is the complete story in writing: My Blog entry about the hunt

And I mention my pin trading app, which you can find here:
Want to keep track of your pins and be able to see them while you are out pin trading?  Then this is the app for you!

Pin Trading app for iPhone, iPod & iPad

Want to hear more about Pin Trading?  Check out the My podcast about Pin Trading


Autism Speaks: Tower of Terror 10-miler

Episode #149 -- Free (and cheap!) Souvenirs at Disney World

Want to save a few bucks and still have a memento from your trip? I've got you covered! Today's podcast is a look at some of free souvenirs you can find in the Walt Disney World Resort, and a few that have a nominal cost. You can find a lot of things around that have little or no cost that will help you make a memory....

I have 30 items on the list, that are under $20. I do them in descending price order, so it starts with the more expensive items, and ends with the free stuff.

Disney's outlet stores:

• Disney’s Character Premiere store, located at Orlando Premium Outlets, Vineland Avenue
• Disney’s Character Warehouse store at Orlando Premium Outlets, International Drive (formerly  known as Prime Outlets Orlando, originally Belz Factory Outlet World).
• Character Corner store at Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores (and they have printable coupons!).

And I mention my pin trading app, which you can find here:
Want to keep track of your pins and be able to see them while you are out pin trading?  Then this is the app for you!

Pin Trading app for iPhone, iPod & iPad

Want to hear more about Pin Trading?  Check out the My podcast about Pin Trading


Autism Speaks: Tower of Terror 10-miler

Episode #148 -- Pirate League and Agent P

On today's podcast, Dave is off playing games in the park. I'm not talking frisbee or football here, but rather the Pirate League Adventure in the Magic Kingdom, and the Agent P experience in Epcot. Come join me as I try out the activities, and tell you what I think about them.

I will tell you that the Pirate adventure was kind of like Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom: cute and clever, but doesn't hook you in. ...and you can hear all about that activity back in Podcast #103.

The Agent P experience was a different story all together. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it!

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I am an i-device developer, and created an iPhone and iPad app for seeing and sharing Hidden Mickeys.

You get them from iTunes:

iPhone Hidden Mickeys app

iPad Hidden Mickeys app

The great part is you can see them all, and add your own!

Don't have an i-device?  You can still take part. Just point your device to http://disneypodcast.net/hidden-mickey to view them online.

Autism Speaks: Tower of Terror 10-miler

Episode #147 -- The DisneyLand Story

Today's Podcast features Sam Gennawey, author of The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream to talk about Walt Disney's vision for DisneyLand, how it came to be, and how it shaped the future of the parks and the company.

It was fun talking with Sam, since he has such a wealth of knowledge about the history of DisneyLand. I think you'll enjoy hearing it - and reading the book.

You can pre-order Sam's book here









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Autism Speaks

Dave's Disney View Supports an organization called Autism Speaks. Check out the Autism Speaks: Tower of Terror 10-miler as a way for you to contribute AND get a Disney fix!

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