The Park Hopper Society - A Disney World Podcast

We leave for Paris in two days from publishing this! So we figured we'd tell you guys everything we've done to get ready for this adventure. From the planning process, to the stuff we've bought, to our strategies (or lack thereof) to combat jet lag, we cover it all in this episode. Have we done it all correctly? Probably not, but at this point we've done all we can and we'll go boldly where we haven't gone before! Make sure you check out the follow up episode in a couple of weeks!

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We are joined by our real life friend Matt Gainey to talk about his time in the Disney College Program! We talk about the application process, what he did while he worked there, lots of behind the scenes stuff, and more. Plus Matt hangs around to play everyone's favorite game Sail, Float, Sink! This episode was a ton of fun to record and we hope you all like it! Massive thanks to Matt as this episode absolutely could not have been made without him. Especially since it's pretty much all about him.

This is the audio from our September 14, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we recap the 2026 Food and Wine Festival (at least what we've done so far) and we look at the recently announced Spring discounts. We also answer questions about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party versus Jollywood Nights, talk about our pers...

We asked two travel agents to help us plan the perfect trip for two scenarios. The first one features a couple who has been to Disney more times than they can count. The kind of people who have annual passes and absolutely wear them out. What is there left for them to do to keep the magic alive? The second is a bachelorette trip to Disney to live it up. They want to keep the party going and prove that Nashville isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Huge thanks to Angel De La Torre and Cassie...

We answer the common question of when does it make sense to buy an annual pass. That's a little more nuanced though than you might think! From blockout dates, to discounts, to actually figuring out how to pay for the pass, we cover it all. We also debate whether or not Disney actually loses money on AP holders who go hundreds of times a year. Plus we tackle memes from the internet when we discuss which Disney resorts we would be willing to live in for an entire year to get a lifetime pass to Disney World.

We tackle one of our favorite topics and one that we know you can’t get enough of: a festival menu preview! We preview the entire Food and Wine menu and discuss everything we’re excited about for this year’s festival! We absolutely love Epcot festivals and so far this one is no exception. Let us know what you’re most excited about!

D23 just wrapped and we got tons of updates and first looks at a lot of upcoming projects. We also got a few unexpected announcements. We dive in with our own thoughts and reactions to everything announced at the Experiences showcase. This is an edited portion of our After Hours Social Livestream from August 17, 2026. We do these about once a month. Check out our socials and come hang out with us next time so you can be a part of the show too!

D23 will be August 14-16, 2026 and Disney always has at least a few major announcements up their sleeve. We decided we would take a crack and predicting what sorts of things they might announce. We can definitely expect some updates on previously announced things. We also weigh whether some of the rumored things are likely or not to actually be announced. And we make some bold predictions of our own! What do you think Disney will announce?

We also bring back Sail, Float, Sink as we try to decide which one of a kind Disney event we...

We set out to plan the perfect Disney trip, and quickly realized we should probably get some outside perspective on it. So we brought in two travel agents and got their expert opinions. But just planning the perfect trip was too easy. So we instead created scenarios for each of them to deal with. The first was a first time family who knows just enough about Disney to be dangerous, and the second was a couple that doesn't want to go to the parks at all. We honestly learned a ton in this episode (especially about enjoying Disney without...

Each Disney park has some pretty awesome stuff, but what if we could build the perfect park using the best things from each real life park? This is the first part of a new series where we'll be building The Perfect Park. Well at least our perfect Castle park. We start off by choosing our ideal entrance, Main Street, and Adventureland. This park is going to take awhile to build...

Which Disney rides and experiences need to be updated? With Carousel of Progress now officially closed and being replaced with a completely new version, we take a look at what other Disney attractions would benefit from a redesign. Not just adding a little bit here and there, but a completely new version. And what would it take for us to try to get off of a ride during the middle of it? It seems to be a popular thing to try and do these days (for some reason), so we examine some of the recent stories and try to...

This is the audio from our July 11, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we recap our recent one day trip where we managed to fly down, ride things in all 4 parks and eat at a new restaurant, and then fly home all in the same day. We also answer listener questions about roma...

Happy birthday America!

We celebrate America’s 250th by exploring how Disney has honored the United States throughout its history, from Walt’s patriotic ideals to theme-park tributes. From Walt's own service as an ambulance driver, to supporting the World War II effort, to today's Flag Retreat Ceremony and more, we look at the more patriotic side of Disney. 

Plus we bring back one of our favorite games with several very patriotic rounds of Sink, Float, Sail.

Finally we take a look at the recently released Eat to the Beat concert lineup as we st...

This episode we do a deep dive into one of our all time favorite movies, The Lion King. We talk about our own personal memories of seeing this in theaters as kids, go through the history of its creation, and discuss its legacy and impact since then. This is our first Movie Night episode but we are planning to do more of these in the future. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment wherever you're listening to this or on Facebook or Instagram!

It's our one-year anniversary episode and we decided to celebrate by complaining! We talk about the things that irk us at Disney and rate them on our extremely scientific bothersome scale. Let us know what we got right, what we got wrong, and whether or not we're the passholes.

We also look back over the last year and talk about what we've learned, what our favorite episodes and segments have been, and what our plans are for the future. Thank you to everyone who has listened to us so far whether you've been with us since the...

This is the audio from our June 17, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we talk about Disney's recently announced transportation restrictions from Disney Springs and we are joined by a surprise guest to give his opinion on it all too. We also answer listener submitted questions ranging from must do rides to roma...

We dive into the history and legacy of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, the upcoming overhaul that replaces every scene (and adds a Walt animatronic), and the tension between preserving Walt’s connection and modernizing the show.

We also discuss our upcoming True Life Adventure when we'll be doing a one-day trip to Disney World to ride the new Smuggler's Run and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, say goodbye to the current version of Carousel of Progress, and eat at Spice Road Table. Let us know what else we should try to cram into our way too brie...

This episode we tackle the always appropriate question about Disney, how to deal with the heat. The summer brings hot weather, thunderstorms, and new experiences. We dive into all of those as we discuss how to beat the heat and more new experiences coming this summer. From Bluey to Grogu, Jess to Olaf, and everything in between we preview what's coming and give some of our early thoughts and opinions. 

This is the audio from our May 17, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we talk about upcoming ride re-openings, favorite resorts and Disney Springs restaurants, our best character meal picks, and what we do to beat the heat during the summer.

We discuss our recent trip down to Disney World where we rode the new versions of Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, tried almost everything at Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival, and experienced the madness that was May 4th at Hollywood Studios. We recap our experiences, give our opinions, and forget what promises we have made mid episode. Let us know what your favorite items have been at this year's festival, and if you've ridden the updated versions of Big Thunder, Buzz, Frozen, and Ratatouille what did you think of them?

We are joined once again by the Masked Maniac himself Frankie Goodman! We talk life, Disney, restaurants, the Junkies group, bathrooms, and a whole lot more. As always you do not want to miss this, because you never know where the conversation is headed next with Frank!

This is the audio from our April 16, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we recap the D23 ticket debacle, discuss Disney World news including the Muppets retheme of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, and talk about our upcoming May trip. 

Is there really such a thing as a Disney Tax? Are you actually paying a premium for Disney World just because of the name and the mouse? We decided to dive into the numbers and find out. We compared the cost of everything from tickets, to resorts, even to parking between 5 different theme parks (2 Disney, 2 Universal, and 1 that's near and dear to us), and the results were actually a little surprising. We also bring back one of our favorite segments, Pass or Stay. This time we look at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Follow us...

Step into the Park Tank as we read some of your best pitches to change, modify, and add to Disney World. We took our favorite listener submitted ideas ranging from retheming parts of Animal Kingdom to an entirely new hotel concept, and voted whether we would be in or out. Of course we offer up some of our own ideas as well. Plus, we finally get around to playing Pass or Stay with the deluxe resorts. There are a lot of them though so we kick it off with the Magic Kingdom area resorts. 

This is the audio from our March 23, 2026 After Hours Social Livestream. We do these about once a month on Facebook and YouTube. It’s a more open ended relaxed discussion and we answer your questions in real time! Make sure to check our socials so you’ll be able to hang out with us next time!

This time we hang out and recap a seven-day Disney trip full of new experiences — Festival of the Lion King, Hoop-Dee-Doo, Behind the Seeds, and more.

We also share our opinions on transport (minivan vs. Uber), park-hopping strategies, airport timing...

We discuss the history of Disney CEO's starting with Walt and going through Bob Iger (twice), exploring each man's impact on the company's parks, films, and business strategy. Will Josh D'Amaro be a steady hand like Don Tatum? Or will he usher in a new Disney Renaissance like Michael Eisner?

We are joined by friend of the podcast (and friend in real life) Dave to discuss what Disney was like from the very beginning. Dave started working at Disney in 1975 as a bartender before joining Disney University and helping to write training programs for all sorts of roles throughout Walt Disney World. This was a really cool interview, and if you like imagining what a day in the park was like back then (or want to relive it if you experienced it first hand) this is an episode you don't want to miss!

We also preview the...

We discuss the similarities and differences between Disney World and Disneyland. From comparing rides and food, to the "Disney Bubble" or lack thereof, to resort offerings, and more, we dive deep into both destinations and give you our thoughts and opinions.

Plus, in honor of President's Day here in the US we talk about the history and evolution of The Hall of Presidents. We learn some interesting things ourselves about this classic attraction (or classic napping spot).

What if Walt hadn't died? We discuss the evolution of Disney parks under Walt from his original idea as he watched his girls play at Griffith Park, through the construction and opening of Disneyland, to the land acquisition and unveiling of The Florida Project and ask ourselves: what would Walt think of Disney World today?

We also play Sail, Float, Sink to decide which classic Disney attraction we would never change, which one we would give a major overhaul to, and which one we would tear down and get rid of if we were in charge.

We've seen the meme that it's cheaper to go to Disneyland Tokyo than it is to go to Disney World, but is it really? We put that to the test  by comparing three realistic family trips across parks worldwide. We look at hotel, park tickets, and even food prices as well as flights from 4 different cities in the US.

We also preview the booth menus for the 2026 Festival of the Arts (which we very maturely refer to as FArts), and discuss the summer discounts for Disney World.

We take a look at major 2026 additions and refurbishments for Disney worldwide, and debate which international parks are our number one pick to visit this year.

We also share our opinions on the best times to visit Walt Disney World in 2026 — covering festivals, crowds, weather, and price to make the most of your trip.

We make our Disney Christmas Wish Lists. From the mundane, to the unlikely, to the unhinged we list the things we hope and wish could happen at Disney. We hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!

We discuss the history of Lightning Lane at Disney World. From the early days of paying for individual rides, through ticket books, Fast Pass, Genie+, to today's Lightning Lane we discuss how things have changed and what we think of the current version. We also take a look at the 2025 Festival of the Holidays food menus.

We are joined by the one and only Frankie Goodman! We talk Disney, the history of the Disney World Junkies Facebook group, and so much more. You never know what exactly you're getting with Frankie but you always know it's going to be entertaining! He was an incredible guest and we had an absolute blast talking to him.

We talk about what we're thankful for at Disney, and we talk about what we'd change if we could be CEO for a day. Plus we ask the question: Do the seasons change too early at Disney? 

To celebrate our 13th episode and Halloween being almost here we discuss the scariest day you can have at Disney. Including things like getting sunburnt on a 40 degree rainy day. We also attempt to rank our 3 scariest rides at Disney but end up just talking about past, present, and future rides at Disney that could be scary.

We discuss the recently announced price increases at Disney and do a little historical research to try to provide some context. We also play Pass or Stay with the moderate resorts and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness (which on this day were listed as a moderate on the Disney website for some reason).

We discuss our recent trip to Disney where we completed our Speedrun Challenge (a ride and a snack in all 4 parks before lunch). We recap some of our favorite moments and give our opinions on The Beak and Barrel. We also discuss the recently announced Candlelight Processional narrator lineup for the 2025 Festival of the Holidays.

It's our 10th episode!!! To celebrate we all made a top 10 list of our favorite rides and attractions at Disney World and discuss them in an extremely unorganized fashion. We also briefly recap and discuss Destination D23. Thank you to everyone who has listened to any of our episodes so far, you're all amazing! Here's to the next 10 and many more after that too!

It's finally the one everyone has been waiting for! We discuss all of our favorite things at the Magic Kingdom, from rides to food to fireworks. We also talk about what menu items we're most excited about for Food and Wine 2025 (spoiler alert: it's most of them).