Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel - A Theme Park Podcast

This week, we welcome my dear friend and colleague Zach Laks on the show to school us about EUROPA PARK! Did you know that random German theme park with the fake Spaceship Earth has a PHANTOM OF THE OPERA COASTER INSIDE!? Or that they have even more country pavilions than Epcot?!

This one is a theme park doozy and I can't wait to share it all with you!

RELEVANT LINKS:

Zach’s website!

Zach’s recent coaster story for Travel + Leisure!

Our Very Amusing episode on Eatrenalin at Europa Park...

I am OBSESSED with The Mouselets — the hilarious sister-duo who do such extensive and entertaining coverage of Disney Parks -- that we all thought, hey, why don't we gab about the D23 news together?!

So! Prepare yourself for a MEGA episode this week, giving our full, unfiltered takes on all the new theme park lands, rides and experiences coming to Disney World and Disneyland!

(And, while we're at it, learn the ONE thing The Mouselets and I will never, ever agree on...!)

Enjoy!

Follow The Mouselets!

Listen to Sisters, Si...

...because we have a VERY special crossover with my faves, The Mouselets' Sisters, Sisters!

Stay tuned for one of our best yet!!!!!!!!

Is it some Reputation: Taylor's Version clownery for theme park news? Or just one journalist's very grounded predictions that have actually business and financial reasoning for coming true? ONLY TIME WILL TELL!

Tune in for my very fair, balanced, accurate and truly kind of revolutionary D23 predictions. Nothing crazy kooky here, truly — just a couple dozen things I GENUINELY believe will be announced on stage at D23's Horizons: A Carousel of Progress Experiences Panel Presentation this Saturday, August 15!

RELEVANT LINKS:

Airport Luggage Transfer (it’s already happening!!)

WSJ story on WDI<...

Too scared to experience Halloween Horror Nights? Never fear!! Lora Sauls (Assistant Director of Creative Development and Show Direction for Art and Design, Entertainment at Universal Orlando Resort) is on Very Amusing this week to share EXACTLY what you need to know if you fear HHN fog.

Lora's been working on Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort for almost THIRTY YEARS, which means she knows the event inside and out.

(The Queen of Halloween creating the scares and then telling us how to survive them?! ICONIC!!)

The thing is, even if you're no...

Universal's surprise coaster opening, the wildest Broadway production in NYC, popcorn price hikes at Disneyland, a laughable bucket list trip and the return of an old favorite television fixation?! All this and more, in our July Gab Sesh episode!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip and answer any Disney questions for free! (We thank you in advance!) www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Relevant Links:

Todd’s Fast and Furious story: https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2026-07-24/toluca-lake-noise-universal-studios-fast-furious-roller-coaster

We had to bring our sportiest friend of the pod on the horn to do a *mini episode* on WHAT THE HECK THE MUPPETS WERE DOING AT THE WORLD CUP!!!!

Enter: Madeline Hill, co-host of The Sports Gossip Show, genius behind the Impersonal Foul newsletter, and truly of the coolest smartest people in the world who *just happens* to know as much about pop culture as she does sports.

The Venn Diagrams of our interests have never overlapped this much, so this week's minisode is a convo about how we think The Muppets may have...

THE STREETS OF OLD MILWAUKEE ARE MARKED SAFE FROM ME NOT SEEING THEM BEFORE DEMOLITION!!!!

I zipped my lips since the second I visited this BRILLIANT soon-to-be-closed-and-moved museum on my trip back home to the Midwest and now I'm ready to proclaim that IT WAS A DANG DREAM!!!!

LIKE...IF EPCOT WAS A MUSEUM...IT WAS THIS!!!!! and I can't wait to tell you about it!!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip and answer any Disney questions for...

A mini episode with all my essential info about Disneyland and some yapping about my faves! Whether or not you have an imminent trip, this one is as fun to listen to as it is to send to a friend who is traveling so you dont have to make them a whole guide! hehe

Spend more time with @CarlyeWisel on...

Instagram! 

Twitter! 

TikTok! 

Facebook! 

Website! 

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip...

YEEEEHAW we’re answering all your questions on this Churros Hotline episode! Overseas Disney theme parks, D23 planning, Wisconsin Dells, French fries!? We’ve got it all! 

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip and answer any Disney questions for free! (We thank you in advance!) www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Spend more time with @CarlyeWisel on...

Instagram! 

Twitter! 

TikTok! 

Facebook! 

Website! 

Give us a CALL at 747-CHURROS! We’ll be waiting b

It’s…a chaotic gab sesh! Call it a summer solstice or just my entire family wanting to be a part of the action but we got the gabbing done regardless of school being out (omg) and things being kooky bananas.

We’re talking everything from theme park rants to coffee hot takes to widow’s bay obsessions to my absolute go-to kitchen product that has changed my life in this episode!!!! Don’t miss it!!!!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire tri...

Listennnnn I just spent half a month at Disney World having two very different trips in the same place and boy do I have some THOUGHTS TO SHARE!! The good (how much money I saved with discounts!!!!) The bad (transportation jfc wtf!!!) and The Unexpected (number 18 will blow your mind!)

Tune in to hear ALL of them and all about my week-long trip to Walt Disney World!

Relevant Links…

Zootopia Shanghai Episode!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your en...

It’s the end of the school year…so we’re passing out yearbook-style rankings across all of Walt Disney World with writer, podcaster and a hero of a man, Drew Taylor! (The Wrap, Light The Fuse, a bunch of books!)

Most underrated experience? Best non-Lightning Lane attraction? Most likely to close by 2028?

Find out our top rankings in this week’s very special episode!

Thanks to our special guest...Drew Taylor!

Read Drew's stories for The Wrap!

Buy Drew's new book!!

Listen to the official Mission:Impossible...

**THE ISSUE WITH OUR INTRO HAS BEEN FIXED -- IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, PLEASE REFRESH YOUR FEED! EXTREME APOLOGIES + THX! - THE MANAGEMENT**

My voice is (mostly) back which means I have enough energy to scream into a microphone about EVERYTHING new at Disney World this summer AND what I think it all means for the future of Magic Kingdom + Disney as a whole!

This episode...ooh it has it all.

Full reviews of the half-dozen new rides and experiences at Disney World? CHECK!

A full Congress...

We're doing a *mini-episode* this week because I lost my voice screaming about Kermit the Frog (in my defense, who wouldn't!!!) so we are instead going to focus on MY INTERVIEW WITH A FRIGGIN MUPPETS ROCK BAND!!!!!

This experience changed me for my entire life and im so delighted to share it with you!!!

I will be back in full force NEXT WEEK when my voice actually works, so I thank you for your patience, I love you all, and we'll be back soOOooON!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next...

and I'm literally here!!!! it's 1:30am I should be asleep but instead I'm here so delighted to tell you about all the new things at Disney World that I'm planning to experience this week. while I'm here! because I'm here! this one is fun fun fun so ENJOY!!!

Relevant Links:

Eater Universal Map!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip and answer any Disney questions for free! (We thank you in advance!) www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Spend...

I am DELIGHTED to welcome LA Times' Todd Martens back onto Very Amusing for a new concept we're calling 3x3, wherein myself and one of my colleagues battle it out with our hot takes about three topics we each bring to the table.

This week, the author of LA Times' incredible new Mr. Todd's Wild Ride newsletter comes on the show to discuss ride removals, Disneyland vs. Disney World, what news we expect from D23 and so much more!

Thanks to our special guest…Todd Martens!

Relevant Links…

Mr. Todd’s Wild R...

We all have been sleeping on Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade...and that ends today!!! Cross this one off the dream episode bucket list, because we're about to learn the ins and outs of how Macy's puts on these spectaculars on the eve of their 100th parade, right down to wind tunnel testing and the freaking FDNY (!!)

I was jaw on the floor this ENTIRE interview, and you will be too. Macy's is basically the closest we'll ever get to a theme park department store and I'm delighted to hear how it all comes together!!!

Sp...

oooh baby we're getting into it this month! Hear my wild and wacky Disneyland routine shift — and an observation I am pretty sure a Disney corporate finance person will wanna hear — along with a few new life philosophies that are working out VERY well for me (degrumping!!), my hot takes on universal Hollywood's newest event, and even a little bit on enneagrams! enjoyyyy!!!

Relevant Links…

Dreamy disney playlist!

New favorite earrings!

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip a...

I FINALLY MADE IT TO DOLLYWOOD AND I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT!!!!!!!

Relevant Links…

Spend more time with @CarlyeWisel on...

Instagram! 

Twitter! 

TikTok! 

Facebook! 

Website! 

Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel! They will book your entire trip and answer any Disney questions for free! (We thank you in advance!) www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Give us a CALL at 747-CHURROS! We’ll be waiting by the phone

When I'm asked for Disney World planning advice, it's often the same thing — Lightning Lane approaches and hacks and jamming multiple parks into a day and where to make all those Advance Dining Reservations. But when it comes to my own trips? That's...not really how I do it!

I'm heading on a proper vacation to Walt Disney World this summer, and now that I've got the trip planned and booked, I realized it's the perfect time we discuss my unique and (debatably) unhinged approach to visiting Disney World's theme parks!

Come for the reliable pl...

see you next wednesday!!!

It’s APRIL FOOL’S so we’re celebrating the goofiest things that have ever happened while covering Disney World with theme park king…Scott Gustin!

Come for the Plant Donald and t-shirt mystery, and stay for the greatest online moment of our collective lives!!!

Relevant Links…

Kite Tails! 

NBA Experience! 

Plant Donald! 

The Greatest Tweet of All Time! 

Paddlefish Robbery Mystery! 

Scott’s Favorite T-shirt! 

Poop Candy: 

And the real MVP, Theme Park Turkeys!  

Thanks to our special guest…<...

Who's ready to GAB about everything that's gone down this month!!! From the major new Disney Cruise Line announcement to life and schedules and adulthood and television and everything else in between, this one's a doozy!

Featuring...Disney Stuff We Gotta Discuss, (MANY) Things I've Done Lately That I Wanna Chat With You About, the Tireless Pursuit of Feeling Good All The Time, and Stuff I Am Currently Obsessed With! (new favorite tv show alert!!)

Book your next Disney trip (for free!) with MEI-MouseFan Travel!! They support Very Amusing and we are so beyond grateful...

I just sailed for 3 nights on the Disney Wonder out of San Diego and I have...a lot to say!! Some highlights, some lowlights, but most importantly: an episode that's going to highlight a lot of BIIIIIG Disney Cruise Line *truths* that you simply NEED to know.

This one is sO MUCH MORE than a trip recap — it's basically a big ol' feature story on why you should (or shouldn't!) consider a short Disney sailing.a

AAAAND if it's Disney Cruise Line with toddlers questions you're after, stay tuned for an extended Churros Hotline segment wh...

STEPHANIE STYLES IS HERE!!!! Star of stage (Disney's Newsies! Kiss Me Kate!) and screen (Loot! Curb Your Enthusiasm!) is FINALLY on Very Amusing talking about all things Disney!

She's an incredible actress, singer and performer but most importantly...she's quite possibly THE biggest Disney fan we've ever had on the podcast. A D23 member from the start, she's got the deepest lore about fandom, Disney parks, and even her time as Larry David's Cinderella. (Oh yeah!!)

We literally had so much fun we couldn't stop gabbing about everything from Howard Ashman and life as new...

It's time for some churros calls, baby! we're talking...Disneyland Resort! Disney Cruise Line! life with ADHD! amuse-a-palooza, our podcast event! even the current state of Disney news! we got it ~all~ in this week's episode! eh it's fun just listen enjoy!!!!

Book your next Disney trip (for free!) with MEI-MouseFan Travel!! They support Very Amusing and we are so beyond grateful if you choose to book with them! Save money and time at www.mousefantravel.com/amusing!

Spend more time with Carlye Wisel on...

Instagram! 

Twitter! 

TikTok! 

...

or...is it a mish-mosh?! EITHER WAY, this week we are discussing a little bit of everything!

like...Disney Stuff We Gotta Discuss! Things I've Done Lately That I Wanna Chat With You About! The Tireless Pursuit of Feeling Good All The Time! and...Stuff I'm Currently Obsessed With!

(Y-E-S, we've FINALLY made Gab Sesh an organized affair and I hope you enjoy this extensive chit-chat about Disney news, my favorite new podcast, the two new kitchen condiments that blew me away, why I'm practically sleeping on the ceiling, Wuthering Heights, my unexpected style icon...

Even if you've been ten billion times, there is always something new to do at Disney. OKAY, and yes, sometimes it's just something new to ME, but that counts as new!!!! This place is huge!!!!!! We're talking restaurants I've never been to — and ones I haven't visited in a millennia — and even an attraction I'd never experienced! First-time character meet-and-greets, a brilliant hotel room choice I'll be seeking out again, and even a dish from a spot in Magic Kingdom I never thought I'd visit again.

Who says you can't squeeze an entire vacation of Disney favorites and...

I just got home from our FIRST-EVER podcast group trip and I'm bringing you all WITH ME as we discuss it !!!!!!!!!!!

NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT MEI MOUSE FAN TRAVEL! Support our silly little podcast by booking your next Disney trip with them. They'll do it for free! It's amazing!! (We thank you in advance!) www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Relevant Links…

Spend more time with Carlye Wisel on...

Instagram! 

Twitter! 

TikTok! 

Facebook! 

Her Website! 

Don't forget to call us at 747...

I'm on my way back from Amuse-A-Palooza and I can't WAIT to tell you all about it!!!! I'll have our new episode up as soon as humanly possible on Wednesday (or early Thursday the LATEST!), so stay tuned and thank you for your understanding!!!

CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

No WAY we got the New York Times bestselling author of books like "One Italian Summer" and "In Five Years" to come on the podcast and yap about Disney and motherhood and sitcoms and her personal connection to Gilmore Girls and SO MUCH FREAKING MORE!!!

This may be our most high energy episode in a while (!!!) which friends, you know is saying a LOT. I adore Rebecca Serle and her new book "Once and Again" drops March 10 and I can't wait for you all to read it!!!!

Thanks to our special guest…Rebecca Serle! 

P...

Jenny Weinbloom is the coolest Disney executive around — there, I said it! — and this week, she's on Very Amusing!

Our interview aboard the Disney Destiny REALLY feels like peeking behind the curtain of how Disney Cruise Line decides what experiences to bring us. (And even better -- we got to chat in the suite! the suite!!!)

I'm blown away by her career and how she's brought New York's best theatrical experiences into Disney storytelling, and i guarantee you will be too! THIS ONE IS SO FUN!!!!!!

Book your next Disney trip with MEI-MouseFan Trav...

Oh yeah dude, we have SO much to catch up on so let's gab about Disneyland! and Lunar New Year! and life! and scheduling! and shopping! and television! and sitcoms! and so much more!!!!!!

Book your next Disney trip with MEI-MouseFan Travel!! They'll give you expert advice AND save you money while doing it all for FREE! (They support Very Amusing and we are so beyond grateful if you choose to book with them!) Save money on your Disney trip the easy way at www.mousefantravel.com/amusing

Spend more time with Carlye Wisel on...<...

HOW DID WALT DO IT?!! That's right we're talking about Disneyland Handcrafted, the new mind-boggling film documenting the year (THE SINGLE! YEAR!) it took to build Disneyland. As you'll soon hear me yell about at length, director Leslie Iwerks' film is an absolutely stunning look at the process, complete with archival footage that, oh ya know, had no sound until it was added to this film. It's out January 22, but this episode will give you the lowdown on the film, what it was like to attend the Disneyland Handcrafted premiere on the Walt Disney Studios Lot (omg the attendees...

We are back for the second year with our bucket list travel episode (!) featuring seven INCREDIBLE sights you (and I!) both need to see. They're theme park-y enough to give you an absolute thrill but also all domestic (WHEE!) which means it's easier than ever to cross one of these off your list. (even if I wanna cross 'em ALL off because miniatures, audio-animatronics AND indoor cities!? this one's got it all!

Relevant Links…

Fairy Castle!

Dr Feelgood (yikes) 

Fancy luxury colonial hotel!!! 

Trixie Mattel, a genius 

Tarah...

okay in fairness it's not entirely holiday themed, but it is our final episode (!!!) of 2025 (!!!) so embrace the virtual icicle lights and gingerbread lattes and enjoy our 747-Churros Q&A!

~my voice is not one hundred percent back, but I recorded this over multiple days so it should sound good!!!~

have a happy holidays and happy new year, everyone! We are off 12/31 and will be back with our first episode of the year on 1/7!!!

Relevant Links…

Your Disney Cruise Line Questions, Answered!

My Favorite Disney Cruise Line Tips and Tr...

...on account of me STILL NOT HAVING MY WHOLE VOICE BACK! (seriously, we're on like, 9? 10? days now?!)

ANYWAY, I am able to now produce noise which is great but talking for an hour is just....not possible. (you'll hear in this little short clip, I'm hoarse! I'm big time hoarse, and I'm doing my best to recover ASAP.)

Our final episode of 2025 (!) will air sometime between the end of this week (12/19) and next Wednesday (12/14). Yeah, I don't love it either, but I will get it to you as soon as I physically can!!!!

...

Writer, director, comedian and friend of the pod Julia Prescott trekked to FAR, FAR AWAY — both literally and figuratively — to experience the SHREK themed land at Universal Studios Singapore!

Julia wrote one of The Simpsons' most-praised episodes, runs a brilliant screenwriting class and clocked in as Very Amusing's International Shrek Correspondent. WHAT CAN'T SHE DO!!!!

She's here to discuss her WILD AND WHIMSICAL TRAVELS (truly no one does it like her) and walks us through a Shrek-tastic theme park we've never visited!!!!!!!

What a holiday treat of an episode!!!!!!! HAPPY SHREKCEMBER!!!!!!!!

Than...

OH? An absolute GET for our first episode of SHREKCEMBER 2025?! YOU BET!!!

Mike Mitchell — director of "Shrek Forever After", "Trolls" and "Kung Fu Panda 4" —is an absolute legend who spilled sO MANY INCREDIBLE STORIES ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK!

Stop reading and just listen...this is one of the best ones we've ever done!!!

Thanks to our special guest…

Mike Mitchell! (go see his movies!)

Relevant Links…

Book your next Disney trip with Mouse Fan Travel!! They'll give you expert advice AND save you money while doing it all f...