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

859 · EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival Sweet 16 Bracket-Style TournamentWhat happens when you take the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival Sweet 16 desserts, and put them into a bracket-style tournament, recorded LIVE at the Festival?You get delicious chaos.After the success of last year’s Savory 16, we’re doing it again. But this time we’re diving into the sweetest side of EPCOT’s most beautiful festival. From nostalgic cereal milk shakes to fruit sushi, funnel cakes, frozen cobblers, and unexpected surprises, 16 desserts go head-to-head across World Showcase to determine one champion.I am joined by two fellow foodies (who joined me for our Savory 16 tournament last year), as we walk the promenade, taste every contender, debate favorites, and crown the Best Sweet Treat of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.Along the way we talk festival strategy, surprising standouts, value picks, and the dishes you absolutely should not miss.If you love EPCOT festivals, Disney food, or just playing along with your own bracket in the parks, this one is for you.Subscribe for more Disney insights, reviews, and conversations, and join the community in the WDW Radio Clubhouse.📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com📬 Stay Connected:- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube 🎧 Explore More:WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and moreWDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewardsWDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nightsEvents & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!

857 · 50+ Disney Cruise Line Insider Hacks | The Ultimate GuideWhat if your next Disney cruise already had upgrades built right in... and you just did not know where to look?Recorded LIVE aboard the Disney Magic, Lou Mongello is joined by cruise expert and Mouse Fan Travel’s Beci Mahnken to reveal 50+ Disney Cruise Line insider hacks that experienced cruisers use to sail smarter, avoid crowds, and unlock hidden experiences most guests never discover.Together, they break down the ultimate insider playbook.We cover:How to book at the lowest possible priceStateroom hacks most guests never think aboutDining strategies that completely change your experienceSecret snack moves... and custom creationsSpa, port arrival, and upgrade strategiesA hidden speakeasy onboardThe “Golden Hour” most guests never take advantage ofHidden experiences people walk right pastAnd dozens more Disney Cruise Line insider hacksThese are real insider moves, little-known tips, secret snacks (yes, they exist), and pro strategies that turn a great voyage into an unforgettable one.Whether you are planning your first sailing or your fiftieth, you are going to hear at least one thing that makes you say... “Wait... you can DO that?!”Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and come share your own best Disney Cruise Line insider hacks in the WDW Radio Clubhouse.📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com📬 Stay Connected:- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube 🎧 Explore More:WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and moreWDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewardsWDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nightsEvents & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!

857 · Top Ten Extinct Walt Disney World Experiences We'd Bring Back Some of the most powerful memories you have from Walt Disney World probably aren’t tied to a single attraction.They’re tied to something else.This week, in Episode 857, we’re counting down our Top Ten Extinct Walt Disney World Experiences We’d Bring Back. No rides allowed. No $2 ticket books. Just the details, the atmosphere, the in-between moments that quietly changed how the parks felt.These weren’t headliners.They weren’t rope drop priorities.But somehow… they became part of our story.From the unexpected to the emotional to the “Oh wow, I forgot about that,” this list is going to spark memories... and maybe a little debate.And as you listen, I want you building your own list.Because I guarantee at least one of yours won’t be on mine.Join the conversation, share what you’d bring back, and be part of the community at WDWRadio.com.📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com📬 Stay Connected:- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube 🎧 Explore More:WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and moreWDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewardsWDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nightsEvents & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!

856 · I Just Got Off a Call With Disney’s New CEO, Josh D’Amaro...Disney just named only its ninth CEO in more than 100 years, and days later, I found myself on a video call with Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro.In this episode, I share what that on-the-record conversation revealed about Josh’s leadership style, his Josh D’Amaro Disney CEO leadership vision, and his commitment to remaining accessible to fans and Cast Members even as his role expands. We talk about why so many people feel a personal connection to Josh, and how that authenticity shapes the way he leads.We also explore why the pairing of Josh as CEO and Dana Walden as President and Chief Creative Officer may be one of the most important structural decisions Disney has made since the Bob Iger era - and why this leadership design matters more than the title change itself.We discuss what this moment means for Disney Parks, storytelling, technology, Cast Members, and the Disney fan community, and why this doesn’t feel like a simple succession, but the beginning of a more unified Disney.This is an honest, thoughtful look at the Josh D’Amaro Disney CEO leadership vision and why it could redefine how Disney shows up as one company, everywhere we experience it.📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com📬 Stay Connected:- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube 🎧 Explore More:WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and moreWDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewardsWDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nightsEvents & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!

855 · My Interview with Tony Baxter on Figment,and the Art of Imagination at DisneyHow did Figment become one of the most beloved and enduring symbols in Disney Parks history?Disney Legend Tony Baxter reflects on Figment, imagination, and creative legacy in a rare conversation recorded at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts. Joined by Michael Young, CEO of Disney Fine Art, this episode explores how Disney art and storytelling connect generations of fans.Tony Baxter is one of the most influential creative leaders in Disney theme park history. Over his decades at Walt Disney Imagineering, he helped shape iconic experiences including Journey Into Imagination, Figment, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, and the creative vision behind Disneyland Paris.In this episode, Tony looks back on imagination as the emotional heart of EPCOT, the mentors who shaped his creative philosophy, and the personal artwork he created years before many of his most famous Disney projects ever existed. He also shares what he hopes fans feel when they live with a piece of Disney art in their home.Lou is also joined by Michael Young, who offers insight into Disney Fine Art’s role in preserving artistic legacy, curating storytellers across generations, and why Disney art is about far more than what hangs on a wall.This is a conversation about imagination, mentorship, legacy, and the enduring emotional connection Disney fans have with art and storytelling.📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com📬 Stay Connected:- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube 🎧 Explore More:WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and moreWDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewardsWDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nightsEvents & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!