WDW Radio: Your Guide to the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #53 for the week of February 10, 2008. I’m your host Lou Mongello, and I want to thank you for tuning in again this week we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the WDW Radio Show. Although I’ve been podcasting since 2005, this past week marked the first anniversary of this show, and I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your support and for listening over the past year. It’s been an incredible, amazing journey, and I believe that things will only continue to get bigger and better. In fact, I have to tell you that I am more excited about this week’s show than I may have ever been, in large part due to my very special guest. Joining me this week in an exclusive interview is Samantha Brown, host of a number of popular series on the Travel Channel, including a number of specials all about Walt Disney World. She has explored some of the finest resorts on property, as well as the incredible experiences that Guests can enjoy during one of the most magical of seasons. My conversation with Samantha will talk about her work on the Disney park and resorts specials, including the most recent Holidays at Walt Disney World, and she reveals what’s next for her and the Travel Channel as she continues to entertain us with her travels to and exploration of the Disney resorts. Being a long time fan of her work, this interview was not only fun and exciting to do, but one that I think you’re really going to enjoy. In this week’s Walt Disney World News, we’ll cover some of the latest news, including announcing the Star Wars weekend dates for 2008, and I reveal the new live, interactive and high-energy attraction that’s coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Let’s just say that if you ever wanted to be a star and were looking for your big break, here’s your chance! The Walt Disney World Rumor Mill for this week has a number of big stories, including an Epcot pavilion possibly losing a sponsor, a rumored new attraction based on a Disney film that just might surprise you, and a very big, semi-confirmed rumor about not just demolition, but more importantly new construction at one of Walt Disney World’s resorts. This one could be big, so stay tuned. With the recent re-opening of the attraction, I’ll also have a full review of the updated Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, courtesy of a listener. Speaking of new things coming to Walt Disney World, I’ll also speak with another listener who gives a first-hand, detailed review of Disney’s Magical Connection, the handheld device currently being tested in the Magic Kingdom. You can learn not only about what the device does and how it works, but hear from a Guest just what they think of the device and technology. And as part of this anniversary show, I will also announce the new project I’ve been working on and alluding to for some time now. It’s going to be released soon, and I wanted to give you the first glimpse at what I have planned. It’s something I’m really excited about, and hope that you’ll enjoy. I won't have time for your emails this week, but as always, stay tuned for the end of the show, where I play a number of your voicemails. So sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #52 for the week of February 3, 2008. I want to thank you for tuning in again this week. I visit the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill this week and talk about recent permits filed by Disney about the Imagination pavilion, and a survey about Guest experiences at Walt Disney World with some very interesting questions. In honor of the upcoming Chinese New Year, Jeff and I do another DSI: Disney Scene Investigation, and this week, we explore the beauty, mystery and symbolism of the China pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. I'll answer more of your emails and stay tuned for the end of the show, where I play a number of your voicemails. So sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #51 for the week of January 27, 2008. Unexpected circumstances have prevented me from producing a regular show this week with a variety of segments. However, this is a great opportunity to answer many of your listener emails that cover a broad range of topics, so Jeff Pepper will join me as we answer your questions together. Next week’s show will return to its regular format, so sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #50 for the week of January 20, 2008. Thank you for tuning in again this week. With not a lot of Walt Disney World News to report this week, we'll jump right in to a visit to the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill, where we'll talk about what’s going on (and up) at Disney's Contemporary Resort, more updates on the rumor of handheld devices in the parks, possible changes going on throughout the resort property-wide and more. After that, it's all about the recent Walt Disney World Half Marathon, as I invite Mike Scopa and Bryan Ripper to join me in a roundtable recap of the weekend's events. It’s a fun look back at an exciting weekend for both runners and spectators alike, and offers some great tips for people who may be considering running next year. Afterwards, Eric Hollister joins me as we not only announce the winner of the 13th and final mile marker challenge, but the Grand Prize and winner as well. We also look back at what was a fun contest that gave back to the community and touched the lives of many people in a number of different ways. We'll have time to play a few of your voicemails, and will answer many more of your emails next week. So sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at WDWradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #49 for the week of January 13, 2008. I’m your host Lou Mongello and by the time you hear this episode, I will have run, and hopefully completed my first - and possibly last - Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Since I have to record and produce the show early this week, there won’t be any news or rumors, but I do have a few segments that I think you’re going to enjoy. First, we take a detailed look at, and review one of Walt Disney World’s premier restaurants and prove that food in the parks is more than just burgers and fries, as Glenn Whelan and I take a trip to Canada in Epcot’s World Showcase and visit Le Cellier Steakhouse. Next, young Cody Pepper joins me once again for a fun game of Walt Disney World - Fact or Fiction? Then Steve Barrett and I will talk about new Hidden Mickeys, some other hidden characters, hunting at the resorts, and then he asks for your help in determining whether some questionable ones fit the bill. So lace up your sneakers, get ready, get set, and GO! enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. So as always, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at WDWradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #48 for the week of January 6, 2008. I’m your host Lou Mongello and I want to thank you for tuning in once again, and wish you all a very happy new year. We’re going to start off 2008 just as we did in 2007, with Walt Disney World news, and a wild visit to the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill. In addition to talking about some updated rumors, I’m going to take this opportunity to kick off the New Year with some of the very wild rumors I've been hearing about. Will they all come true? Probably not. But it will be fun to talk about them and speculate as to what the future may hold. In my continuing effort to introduce you to not only some of WDW’s hidden treasures, history, trivia, reviews and vacation planning advice, I also want to open your eyes to some of its overlooked experiences. This week, I have something special for you, as my special guest, Dr. Anne Savage from Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Wildlife Tracking Center joins me to talk about the amazing work that is taking place onstage and backstage, and how you can get involved at the park and when you get home. It’s a fascinating look at the amazing conservation and research efforts that Disney undertakes each and every day. I will also answer a number of your emails in our Listener Feedback section this week, and play some of your voicemails at the end of the show. So as always, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at WDWradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #47 for the week of December 30, the last week of 2007. So it's only appropriate that during my roundtable discussion with Jeff Pepper and Tim Foster, we take this opportunity to look back at 2007, and the news, events, announcements and other noteworthy happenings at Walt Disney World. We'll also look ahead to 2008 - from what we're most looking forward to experiencing, and what rumors just might come true. It’s an interesting retrospective, and fun speculation as to what's ahead. I'll also announce the winner of our last WDW ½ Marathon Challenge Contest, and Eric Hollister will announce the 13th and final challenge to test your Walt Disney World knowledge. So for the last time in 2007 - sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at WDWradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #46 for the week of December 23, 2007. Thank you for tuning in once again and happy holidays! This week's show will start off as always with some news from Walt Disney World, including a number of changes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, new dining venues at the Magic Kingdom, Pirate and Princess Party dates and more. Our trip to the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill talks about Imagination and Space Mountain. Keeping in the holiday spirit, we'll take a detailed look at another of Walt Disney World’s Hidden Treasures, the Winter Summerland Miniature golf courses. Made up of two different experiences, it's an often overlooked gem of the resort that offers hours of inexpensive fun for everyone in the family. Steve Barrett joins me once again to talk about some of Walt Disney World's best, newest and most controversial Hidden Mickeys and we talk about some that come out just for the holiday season. I'll answer more of your emails, including questions about the Legend of the Lion King Show, breakfast at Epcot, characters in Epcot, watching the Super Bowl while at Walt Disney World and more. So grab your eggnog, cozy up by the fire, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at WDWradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show - your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #45 for the week of December 16, 2007. Thank you for tuning in once again. Last week was MouseFest 2007, the annual gathering of Disney fans from around the world in Walt Disney World, and it proved to be the biggest and truly the very best MouseFest ever. So rather than just give my trip report, I thought we would have MouseFest Recap Roundtable with some first time MouseFesters and new members of the Disney community. It’s a fun look back at what for many of us is one of the highlights of the year. Because there was so much to cover, and very little Walt Disney World news this week, we’ll catch up on the news and Rumor Mill on next week’s show. We’ll also announce our latest winner of our Walt Disney World Half Marathon Challenge Contest, as well as give you the clues for our next contest! So sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show, your Walt Disney World Information Station. Thank you for tuning in once again. This is Show #44 for the week of December 9, 2007. With this week being MouseFest, the annual gathering of Disney fans from around the world in Walt Disney World, I have to record the show early, so there won’t be any news or rumors this week. But to celebrate the holiday season, I welcome back Tim Foster from Guide to the Magic to discuss our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Moments in Walt Disney World, as we explore some of the places and ways to spend the holidays in and around the parks and resorts. This is also a great opportunity to answer a number of your emails, so Jeff Pepper joins me to answer questions about everything from Epcot Vybe, to The Making of Me, the steel drum band in Adventureland, Discovery River Taxi, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and many more. So sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show. You can email the show at lou@wdwradio.com or call the voicemail at 206-202-4WDW (4939). Visit the web site at wdwradio.com. Talk about the show by visiting and posting in the WDW Radio Show message forums at DisneyWorldTrivia.com. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!