Dustin: Let me first start out by saying how much I enjoy the work that you and the Team put out there. It is obviously a lot of work, and takes up a tremendous amount of time and effort, and can be thankless. So let me first say thanks. I begin in that manner because I do not want any "suggestions" that I have to come off as "criticisms". But if they do, know that they are constructive in nature.
I like the direction that the podcasts have taken, and I am enjoying the increased level of professionalism that others may find to be "too scripted". I'd rather have structure than free form, most of the time. And I love the addition if JL. She brings an "everywoman" quality to the podcast packed in a "look" that every woman would die for! Personally, the more she interjects, the better the podcast. And now, for a comment/suggestion.
Over the past few years, you guys and gals have "lived the life". You have been to Aulani several times, been on multiple cruises, been to
Disneyland several times, been on
Adventures By Disney trips all over the world, have been to Disneyland Paris, and most importantly, you live in the WDW area and go to the parks and resorts with enviable frequency. But with all of that comes a "closeness" and familiarity with which most people cannot relate. The podcasts would truly benefit from the views, perspectives and opinions of more "typical tourists" as opposed to people who are immersed in Disney World. And I am not talking about an email show or a question and answer show. You need, (at least every once in a while) the viewpoint of a person who is a visitor to the area instead of a group of people whose experiences read like: "Well, I've eaten at that restaurant 7 times and the first 5 times were awful but my last two visits were great." Or: "We popped in to Epcot yesterday to check out the new beer that they are serving in the Pub". These are awesome things for you guys to be able to do, but they do not really relate to the way your listeners come and visit the area. I realize that you cannot divorce yourselves from the way you approach and consume WDW. That is the way you folks live, (and we envy you for it). But often times I get the sense that the "true visitor" experience slips through your collective hands. Little (and big) things that impact and/or bother a typical guest are often overlooked (or worse, dismissed as petulance) by some members of the Team. We sometimes hear: "
I don't get it!" in response to an issue that is brought up on the Boards. And it is clear that this is so. Something that bothers a guest who visits once every two years may not bother the person who just flew back from their third visit to Aulani and who has 5 ADRs lined up at WDW over the next month and who can skip past the line at the Mine Train on Tuesday because they can always come back on Thursday and ride it when the line is shorter.
That is not our reality.
I've been thinking about how to address this issue, and one suggestion would be to do an extension of what you folks did with your written submissions by listeners. But instead of a written submission, have listeners who are willing to join a podcast for an afternoon write to you with their expressed interest, and after vetting and selecting appropriate candidates, one person (per month maybe?) could join the podcast by Skype. Or if they are willing to give up an afternoon when they are in the Orlando area, they could actually join you in the studio. It would be a tremendous addition to hear the voice of the Disney guest instead of the Disney resident. I think that such an addition would move the podcasts away from the "Clubhouse of the Familiar" and more toward a roundtable where differing perspectives are presented, discussed and respected. I love listening to Kevin talk about his experiences going to WDW when growing up. His youth was my youth. We are the same age. We grew up about 75 miles apart. We went to WDW with our families for annual visits. Stayed at the same places. Ate at the same places. When he tells us what Disney World was like for him as a visitor, it brings an entirely different approach to the discussion. But through no fault of his own, (and instead, to his credit), he is now a local resident with a local's perspective. While it is great to hear about the visitor's perspective from trips in the 1970's and 1980's, we really don't get much, if any of that from the 2015 perspective. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to figure out a way to make that happen.
Keep up the great work!
