What would you like to see in the new era?

[backformore]

Top Tier - Usually watch every day when new content is available. Disney Vlogger Royalty.. all are authentic in their approach.
Mamouth Club
Ordinary Adventures
TPM
Tim Tracker
The Dis (meanig Craig/Ryno/Erica)

2nd Tier - Sectively watch
WDWNT - News Show only
Deni
I'll see you in Main Street (currently taking a break, would be Top Tier if they were online)
DFB

3rd Tier - Occasionally watch based on topic
PC Dev
TLDR

No longer -
Touring Plans
DSNY
AllEars.Net

I could be the only one, but DSNY,TLDR, PC DEV, TPM? I did get DFB, but the others are alphabet soup to me.
I'd love to know what those sites or vloggers are.

 

[john7994]

Would generally like to see new faces, with diverse points of view and interests and engagement by those faces within the boards themselves as Paul Krieger has started to do on the DVC side of things - much more of this please.

Not really interested in “more of what used to be” as this clearly didn’t turn out well and it didn’t appear to be consistent or even sustainable as it was tied to an individual cult of personality(ies) approach. It makes no difference to me whether John/Kevin are a part of it - because I never got a sense of enthusiasm anyway beyond cruises and ABD.

As other posters have said, time to get a better pulse on what niches are underserved and build a real business plan around it.

 

[Just mousing around]

I have always enjoyed the 7 in 7 series. But the old ones are the best videos inserted into discussions. Enjoying the resort and getting the feel for what it’s really like to vacation in the resorts. Not just going for a day.

 

[Oscar_The_Grouch]

Would generally like to see new faces, with diverse points of view and interests and engagement by those faces within the boards themselves as Paul Krieger has started to do on the DVC side of things - much more of this please.

Not really interested in “more of what used to be” as this clearly didn’t turn out well and it didn’t appear to be consistent or even sustainable as it was tied to an individual cult of personality(ies) approach. It makes no difference to me whether John/Kevin are a part of it - because I never got a sense of enthusiasm anyway beyond cruises and ABD.

As other posters have said, time to get a better pulse on what niches are underserved and build a real business plan around it.

Some people have been on the show so long and are so jaded yet they *have* to show fake enthusiasm for new merchandise or get 'super excited' about a Halloween cupcake. It would be good for their mental health to escape the Disney bubble and do something different. I love Disney but would hate for my life to revolve around it. And although I am a gay man, the show really needs more diversity as it is very gay centric, (I'm guessing half the hires over the years were there because Pete fancied them). More views from across the political spectrum and from people with small children. No more bragging from childless people about the latest concierge level super expensive cruise they've been on. And I say this as a gay, childless man myself, I just want to get some real diversity on the show not just the LGBTQ+ kind. Is it heresy to ask this?

 

[Dizznee Freak]

After reading a considerable amount of the posts here and the "other" site, as much as we may not want to admit it this community as we know it may be dead. There are too many people involved that have shaky at best stories of not knowing or not feeling safe to say. There is no way that I can see Disney working with any of them again at least in this capacity. There are other more relevant and refreshing sites out there. Yeah, I know someone will say "they why are you here?" The answer is simply habit. I have been on these boards for 19 years. I don't post often, however I have read a ton of info on here. Now I am here to support the ones who were victimized. I could care less what John, Kevin or anyone who say they were not aware says, we could tell from a far something was not right but just couldn't put a finger on it. But it happened.

 

[Dizznee Freak]

Some people have been on the show so long and are so jaded but they *have* to show fake enthusiasm for new merchandise or get 'super excited' about a Halloween cupcake. It would be good for their mental health to escape the Disney bubble and do something different. I love Disney but would hate for my life to revolve around it. And although I am a gay man, the show really needs more diversity as it is very gay centric, (I'm guessing half the hires over the years were there because Pete fancied them). More views from across the political spectrum people and from people with small children. No more bragging from childless people about the latest concierge level super expensive cruise they've been on. And I say this as a gay, childless man myself, I just want to get some real diversity on the show not just the LGBTQ+ kind. Is it heresy to ask this?

Preach! This hetero father of 4 agrees. I'm not saying get rid of all of it, just more diversity.

 

[JELLYROLLS4LIFE]

So here's an idea for a new show in the new era.

I get all the videos and news and things like that, but I always have had an issue getting trip advice from what is essentially a bunch of locals. How about a show where each week you bring on two or three guests that is a member of the community. You could have shows on different topics but get the point of views from people that have experienced it. Yes this could be tricky from an audio/video standpoint as you would have to vet their systems prior to the show, but it could potentially make for some interesting topics with a point of view that not many competitors are doing. And there's enough people with decent audio/video on their computer that you could

Just off the top of my head, you could have shows for instance like:

1) First Timer Experiences: What was the best advice I got. What did I wish I knew before I went.
2) Disney with toddlers: Get parents with young kids to come on and say what pieces of advice they would give.
3) Disney with teens: Same thing
4) Disney with grandparents
5) Disney with ECVs/DAS
6) Disney with Food Allergies
7) Disney with a partner that doesn't like Disney
8) Disney with young couples (no kids)
9) Disney with older couples (no kids)
10) Disney with 3 or more kids
11) Disney with large families
12) Disney with foodies
13) Disney on a budget
14) Disney taking friends for the first time
15) Disneyland regulars at Disney World and vice versa

As I said, these shows would likely be harder to set up because you would have to vet the guests, but you keep the shows fairly structured with a list of questions you give the guests ahead of time so it is not a free-for-all. You certainly have a huge pool of guests to pull from though - as you could post the topics on the boards and say "Looking for guests on XXX topic - tell us why you should be on." But I do feel like this would maybe be something that is unique in the podcast/blog space out there.

 

[CookieGVB]

I agree. I think having a set schedule is important to maintaining viewership. If it’s a slow news week, then have a discussion topic or do a review or take questions from chat or put up a Facebook poll the day before and talk about the results but have a show no matter what.

I like the idea of having a poll question a day or two before the show, so that viewers/listeners can contribute if they can’t make it to the live chat. That way, the team can have notes and can respond; there won’t only be the awkward “anything in the chat?” that Pete would throw out when he seemed to get bored with the conversation in the studio.

A list of topics being discussed would be helpful ahead of time. I applauded the team being candid about what was going on in their home state that affected Disney and them. Noting that this would be a topic would help people decide whether they wanted to participate, without getting twisted about the opinions expressed.

I also agree with several points made about covering the travelers’ perspective by either having an out of town guest every once in a while; have someone who has the DAS pass explaining in real time how it would work at one of the rides; the same with rider swap; wheelchair access; that sort of thing. I’ve read about the topics, but some people need to connect with a visual representation.

Good luck with the show.

 

[CookieGVB]

This is not unique to this site. I am a moderator for another discussion forum (not Disney-related). I can edit posts. The only time I do is to remove content that isn't allowed on the site. I never change anyone's words although I do have that ability. I don't even correct spelling mistakes even though they drive me crazy. So I think it's pretty normal for moderators to have editing capability.

Can you make “dinning” a banned word?

 

[disneysteve]

I also agree with several points made about covering the travelers’ perspective by either having an out of town guest every once in a while

I understand the challenge of having strangers come on the show but I really think the non-local perspective could mostly be filled by some of the Dreams agents coming on. Talk about how they approach planning a customer's trip. What are the most common questions and concerns that people have? What aspects of trip planning seem to cause the most issues for guests? What do your clients tell you after their trip that was most helpful and what do they wish they had known in advance but didn't? What are things guests often overlook that can make trips better? That sort of thing.

 

[Kiley]

For me, it was when DCL became the focus of the shows (because Travel Agents earn way more money from cruise bookings than they do from hotel and park pass bookings) which was around the same time that Pete got into DVC resale and then Orlando Real Estate. When all that collided, the WDW content went to pieces. There wasn't even the slightest effort to make Tuesday shows about WDW visitation. Craig, Ryno and team would put up videos on YT with WDW content, but hardly any of that was ever discussed on the Tuesday show.

100%

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So here's an idea for a new show in the new era.

I get all the videos and news and things like that, but I always have had an issue getting trip advice from what is essentially a bunch of locals. How about a show where each week you bring on two or three guests that is a member of the community. You could have shows on different topics but get the point of views from people that have experienced it. Yes this could be tricky from an audio/video standpoint as you would have to vet their systems prior to the show, but it could potentially make for some interesting topics with a point of view that not many competitors are doing. And there's enough people with decent audio/video on their computer that you could

Just off the top of my head, you could have shows for instance like:

1) First Timer Experiences: What was the best advice I got. What did I wish I knew before I went.
2) Disney with toddlers: Get parents with young kids to come on and say what pieces of advice they would give.
3) Disney with teens: Same thing
4) Disney with grandparents
5) Disney with ECVs/DAS
6) Disney with Food Allergies
7) Disney with a partner that doesn't like Disney
8) Disney with young couples (no kids)
9) Disney with older couples (no kids)
10) Disney with 3 or more kids
11) Disney with large families
12) Disney with foodies
13) Disney on a budget
14) Disney taking friends for the first time
15) Disneyland regulars at Disney World and vice versa

As I said, these shows would likely be harder to set up because you would have to vet the guests, but you keep the shows fairly structured with a list of questions you give the guests ahead of time so it is not a free-for-all. You certainly have a huge pool of guests to pull from though - as you could post the topics on the boards and say "Looking for guests on XXX topic - tell us why you should be on." But I do feel like this would maybe be something that is unique in the podcast/blog space out there.

I like all of your thinking and I could see it being extremely helpful.

One notation is there can be too much of cross topics as in people fit into multiple of those buckets so maybe making sure advice doesn't contradict another bucket or at least makes a "but if you also have...." statement.

On number 10 and number 11 three or more kids can just be large families to some but large families can mean multi-generational families or it can just mean parents and a lot of siblings.

Disney on a budget means what? It's probably the most common topic though of going to Disney on a budget but one of the hardest because it means different things to different people. I wouldn't personally consider a Moderate (nor really some of the Values, looking at you POP) as budget friendly because of the pricing (not amenities just the pricing) so certainly not Deluxe but perhaps looking at a comparison of what a low priced moderate is. I wouldn't consider the Dining Plan as budget either. I also wouldn't consider the extra hours events nor the parties to be budget either and most of your TS places are not low enough for me to consider budget. However, maybe a good one there on the food is finding some TS that is on par with QS in pricing with the caveat that pricing can change (as Disney is often doing) to help people out on that part. A lot of posters on this Board are willing to shell out a lot of money for TS and that's a bit hard to give the advice of a more economical choice so maybe it would be nice to include digging deeper into finding some options there.

I just would be concerned that budget would come across still as someone with large chunks of disposable income whose just deciding what they will splurge on. I like your idea here so not trying to negate it just thinking most of the advice on this board is not going to go towards that actual budget traveler that is more on your average person and it's hard to just find that random person who is more your actual budget traveler.

I'll add to that list since it was being talked about elsewhere balancing dual trips with Disney and Universal. Craig and Ryno have a lot of Universal knowledge and could be really helpful there. Yes they are locals but they can also have that viewpoint of going to both parks much more than others. Options such as transportation between the parks, where may be a good place to stay, is a split stay worth it, etc.

Another one that goes along with your number 7 is the perspective of taking someone to Disney that has done theme or amusement parks in the past. That is someone who is more used to how these places work but not familiar with Disney theme parks. That could include someone who isn't into Disney or just someone who never thought they had a reason to go to Disney.

 

[HappySmileyGirl]

As a follower for many years, while recognising the absolute need to reset as The Connors, please don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. The Tuesday (or whatever new day of the week suits) show is a fabulous place to showcase the breaking headlines in an easy to digest way and carry on with informative discussion. I am really missing the show. Ryno & Craig make great hosts - each with their great humour, but the show also needs some more va va voom adding to that base crew going forward to inject a fresh feel.
Suggestions would include:
Having guest interviews in the new studio - possibly folk who work (or have until recently worked) in the parks/resorts, DCL, GKTW, etc
Maybe talking over filmed video segments when highlighting new things happening in WDW. These could act as teaser trailers to longer vlogs posted separately.
Is there any chance of approaching previous popular presenters such as Fiasco, Steve Porter, Deni & Oliver to make ad hoc appearances even if not possible to have them as part of the main core group? Keep Theresa - she’s really entertaining & an absolute hoot!
Completely agree with other comments about including features appealing to more diverse user groups - families, single travellers, less mobile guests.
What about providing more vlogs on how to navigate the parks & showcase hotels - things have changed a lot since the last full tours of the resorts were uploaded & they were really good. This would also potentially drive more bookings for DUT.
There’s a fair few of us Brits watching the show - how about the occasional news item when our offers drop? Perhaps partnering up with a good independent U.K. WDW specialist travel agent on the site & have links available?
And, finally, while the round table format is great for relaxed discussion & free flow of ideas, can the new studio be less cluttered with stuff in the background please?
Wishing you all the very best for the new adventure.

 

[V.B.]

I have enjoyed the shows where they would ask on the boards about different restaurants, or ideas for shows, etc. I'd love it if there were more polls on the boards (and then answered on the Tuesday show). Or, as someone above posted, that they would put a poll or question out during the show.

About the budget question, I think it's a great topic. The economy is tough right now and many of us are feeling it. So, how about a show where they talk about the budget friendly hotels OFF site (for instance, comparing the Disney Springs area hotels, or the dozens outside the different parks) and giving advice on which ones have better shuttle services. To save money, give advice on which companies deliver groceries to your hotel. I know that info is here on the boards, but many who watch the show may not visit the boards. All the details of things they've learnt about Genii plus, where to watch the fireworks from.. I know they've mentioned them every now and then, but an actual video of them standing in a spot in the park (some of us are super visual and need to see the spot, even a photo of the spot as they are sitting in the studio). Disney videos about the late night party snacks and the foods of Epcot are everywhere, so sometimes a show dealing with the practical would be nice (somebody else suggested a show about things that they wished they'd known when they visited Disney when they first went).

 

[rpfennig]

I have tended to listen to the main Tuesday show in the background just for the Disney World vibe and the personalities involved. With the rotating hosts more recently, I appreciated Ryno's emotional check-in with the other members of the team even if it wasn't Disney park related. It's why I would listen to other shows like Off The Rails or the Universal Show.

I'm probably not a typical listener, in that my Disney World travel tends to be connected to conferences and is usually a few days tacked on at the beginning or the end of those and has been a mix of solo trips and ones where I've been able to have my wife come along for part of the conference.

I've gotten a fair bit of good advice and ideas from the various shows over the years that have often become stand-out moments from trips. For example, taking a break from Animal Kingdom to head over to Sanaa for lunch and just check out Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village. So, as I'm listening to the shows I'm making mental notes about what might fit into my next trip based on my interests. So there's a continued accumulation of park awareness that comes from listening to the different shows that I can apply to my own trips rather than "Here's 10 Things Everyone Should Do in the Magic Kingdom".

Things that would help me plan trips (and hopefully others who are returning visitors) would include a mix of "If you liked this, then you might also like this other thing that is similar or even a bit better" and "Here are some things you might not be aware of because they are new or because they aren't talked about often". Currently, that sort of thing comes in the "what's something you enjoyed in the parks this week" discussions.

As locals, there's also an opportunity for the team to provide advice on how to make trips less... fraught (as a public service). Pretty much every trip to the parks I've witnessed, at some point, a family or couple that had hit their limit, the "do you know how much time/money I put into planning this?" moment. It's that accumulation of having a plan that isn't working and the exhaustion that being in the parks can cause. So, a discussion on "you planned your day around going to Hollywood Studios and riding Rise of the Resistance and it's dead, Jim <yes, mixing my Star Wars and Trek references... 'cause that's how I roll> here's all the other cool things you can do in Galaxy's Edge/Batuu/Star Wars Town". The team is in the parks regularly, so they know the pressure points and their own strategies for pivoting to (hopefully) recover on days that don't go as planned. They've covered elements of that in discussions about Baseline Tap House or Nomad Lounge as areas of respite but some more general "Don't Panic! Everything will be alright" discussions would be interesting.

I appreciate all the advice and information that the various shows have provided over the years and look forward to seeing whatever format you decide works best with the strengths of the existing team.

 

[Bea1776]

Very long time lurker, I have tuned in to the Tuesday show for years and years. I loved that you could invest just one hour a week and have kind of a guilty pleasure, stay up to date with what is going on in the parks and what is on the horizon. Kind of just a temperature reading. I only get to visit the ‘World or ‘Land every 4 years or so, and when I get the chance it is always last minute, so I just hit the boards and do some searches for the advice specific to my situation. And I am informed enough to do that because I have been keeping up by watching/listening to the Tuesday show. The time and money I will have to spend in the park is limited. I really can’t risk a bad meal, a boring (or to scary) attraction, or stay at a hotel that is really not a good fit for me, and I would hate to go all that way and miss some limited time awesome thing just because I was not in the know. For example: “I saw Billie D Williams!!!”

Also the show just makes me laugh and infuses joy in my week. I think that is where a lot of us are struggling, we know now that the joy we experienced came at a price. Cause we all noticed some things were off but we only wanted to see the best in everyone cause that’s what Disney fans do best!

All of my best wishes for a fresh start, won’t lie, I will be watching!

And also I can’t not watch Ryno shop. It is better than actually shopping!

Bea

 

[Ursula J]

We need to hear from people who DON'T live nearby, who fly in and get to go maybe once a year or once every two years: how they plan, how they have fun while waiting and getting ready, how they make decisions, There's no reason, with today's tech, that you can't have a panelist from afar!

 

[Teleclashter]

Can I ask a specific question about the 'non-local' perspective? What exactly is the perspective that you're looking for? Like up-to-date info on what it's like to fly in/MCO transportation? Is it the idea that someone who doesn't live here might be less informed so they might bring up good points about what people are asking about/need to know?

As we continue to look at how we want to shape content moving forward, I want to include this, but I need to know 'who' I'm looking for to satisfy what everyone wants from the non-local perspective. Like what are the specific weaknesses of being a local versus a tourist? We are already planning on better ways of approaching Genie+ which I know is a huge request, but there has to be more than that.

And I just want to make it clear, I'm not dismissing this in a way like we've done before when this topic comes up. I think both perspectives are important based on the location. Such as never ask a New Yorker for advice on visiting the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty because they've probably been once or never, but at the same time, don't ask a tourist for advice on the best food you can find in Rome when you can ask the locals. WDW is unique, and while my opinion is to trust people who go more than others whether local or non-local, I also know there are specifics we are missing otherwise there wouldn't be a request for out-of-towners.

 

[AndrewMickey86]

Can I ask a specific question about the 'non-local' perspective? What exactly is the perspective that you're looking for? Like up-to-date info on what it's like to fly in/MCO transportation? Is it the idea that someone who doesn't live here might be less informed so they might bring up good points about what people are asking about/need to know?

As we continue to look at how we want to shape content moving forward, I want to include this, but I need to know 'who' I'm looking for to satisfy what everyone wants from the non-local perspective. Like what are the specific weaknesses of being a local versus a tourist? We are already planning on better ways of approaching Genie+ which I know is a huge request, but there has to be more than that.

And I just want to make it clear, I'm not dismissing this in a way like we've done before when this topic comes up. I think both perspectives are important based on the location. Such as never ask a New Yorker for advice on visiting the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty because they've probably been once or never, but at the same time, don't ask a tourist for advice on the best food you can find in Rome when you can ask the locals. WDW is unique, and while my opinion is to trust people who go more than others whether local or non-local, I also know there are specifics we are missing otherwise there wouldn't be a request for out-of-towners.

I think it would be helpful to have a non-local on every now and then, just to kind of "reset" what it's like to plan a trip to WDW these days. How far in advance do you have to book tickets, how the heck does Genie+ work and do you need it, do you still have to get dining reservations way in advance... that kind of thing. I only get to go every 6 or 7 years but still listen to the show, so sometimes I get lost in the weeds and a big picture overview for the non-local would be good every now and then.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Can I ask a specific question about the 'non-local' perspective? What exactly is the perspective that you're looking for? Like up-to-date info on what it's like to fly in/MCO transportation? Is it the idea that someone who doesn't live here might be less informed so they might bring up good points about what people are asking about/need to know?

Yes, exactly.

From a European perspective, UK and Irish people usually book a package holiday, which is flights, hotel and park tickets. This is booked with a UK / Irish travel agent OR through Walt Disney World Holidays, which is Disneys Official third party booking agent for UK and Irish market OR through an airline such as Virgin Holidays / BA Holidays. Disney have a special 14 day park tickets for UK and Irish people.

UK and Irish people are very price conscious, so doing things on a budget is an important factor.

Where To Stay Information

• Which hotels / resorts are included in the package deals and which are not
• Where the hotels / resorts are located
• What amenities the hotels / resorts have
• What are other things like food or things to do walking distance from the hotels / resorts
• Many people stay in Villas, so they need self catering information, best areas to stay, how far these areas are from the various parks.

Transport Information
1. For people who do not hire a car
2. For people who do hire a car, information about car hire companies, basic cost, hidden extras. Also car sizes are different to what we have in UK and Ireland. People need information about the makes, models, sizes, best size for a family of 4 people, who have 50 pound roller cases x 4 and assorted carry ons for 4 people. Where is the best place to get gas, how much to expect to pay for gas. How to get gas, as in UK and Ireland we self pump and then pay in the shop with card or cash. Where are the gas stations located, are they self pump, do they take cash.

• How to get from the airport to the hotels / resorts. Not all the package holidays fly to MCO, some go to Sanford, some go to Melbourne.
• How long it takes to get from the various airports to the various hotels.
• How to get from the hotels to the parks.
• How to book various transport options, many UK / Irish people do not have cell phone service in America, so WiFi information is important.
• Average / approx prices of LYFT / UBER rides from point A to point B, hotel to Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom to Epcot etc etc.
• How long does it take to get from point A to point B, hotel to Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom to Epcot

Tipping Information
UK and Ireland does not have the same tipping culture as in America. You take it for granted, but we do not know whats expected, when its expected etc. Card or Cash?

Shopping
Many UK and Irish people want to go to shopping malls and outlet shopping. They want to go to the chain restaurants like Cheesecake Factory, Hard Rock Cafe, Ihop, and all the places that you take for granted. We don't have those chains in our countries. They want to go to Walmart, Publix and other supermarket and grocery stores.

This is just a start, the basics for a first time, big blow out once and done family from UK and Ireland, which is the main target market.