DISDads Podcast PLUS

This episode was recorded on the evening of Tuesday, October 19, the "go live" date for Disney Genie Service. Aaron, Tim, and Willie spent the day gathering information and reactions from people who were using the service at Walt Disney World on launch day. This is our assessment of the rollout, based on the feedback we collected. (Note: We know that many people had individual issues with the service. Those are important, and we do not wish to minimize them. But we stand by our assessment, based on the overall weight of the feedback we received both prior to recording the episode and in the couple of weeks since). 

Aaron, Willie & Tim enjoy a few rounds of Disney "Would You Rather" - offering each other a variety of theme park experience scenarios, about which each panelist must choose one option or the other, and explain why that was their choice.

First, we had MyMagic+, which begat FastPass+. Then came Disney+. Now, we're getting "Plus Gen.2" with Disney Genie+. Other companies have gotten in on the act too, with Apple calling their streaming service AppleTV+. But Disney has a history of "plussing" that goes all the way back to Walt himself, looking for ways of providing just a little something extra to give guests a reason to come back to his theme park again. In this episode, Aaron, Willie and Tim talk about areas of Walt Disney World that could use some "plussing," and offer some ideas for enhancing these areas.

Aaron, Willie & Tim talk about the new Disney Genie platform, its key features and how to make the best use of the new flexibility it offers.

Host Aaron Rittmaster, and Co-Hosts Willie Crocker and Tim Hicks welcome Joe Masters and Terry Hawkins back to check in on the planning for DDCC X.

Dr. Kathy MacNaughton Hance, Pediatric Anesthesiologist with a Masters Degree in Public Health joins the guys to comment on cruise line policies, consumer decisions, and their impact on the safety of the cruise industry re-start.

Aaron, Tim and Willie discuss recent developments in the re-opening of Disneyland, continued progress on re-opening at Walt Disney World, and follow-up with Willie about his recent Walt Disney World vacation (the one we previewed for you on the show a few weeks ago).

Aaron, Willie and Tim talk about the news from the Disney Wish reveal. We cover just about everything that has been officially announced by Disney Cruise Line, and speculate about a few other things as well.

In this week's episode, Willie takes the hot seat to talk about the plans for an upcoming family trip to Walt Disney World. We talk about the all of the steps of his planning process, and take a long look at the impact COVID-19 had on the planning and preparation for this vacation. Hopefully, this peek inside Willie's own planning process will give you some ideas that will help as you're planning your next Walt Disney World vacation.

Aaron, Tim and Willie talk about the (at the time) newly-released Disney Cruise Line itineraries for Summer/Fall 2023. The panel talks about the highlights of the itineraries that were released, offers some thoughts about pricing (comparing opening day rates for Summer/Fall 2022 with these prices), and spends a little bit of time on the elephant in the room - Disney Wish. Most of the show is spent talking about Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. But the relocation of Disney Dream to Miami is also addressed.

Terrance Hawkins and Joe Masters join host Aaron Rittmaster and co-host Tim Hicks to talk about DDCC X, coming up January 5 - 9, 2022. 10 years? Yep, this will mark 10 years of Dis Dads Club Convention meetups at Walt Disney World over the traditional Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. This discussion is mostly an introduction to the idea of the DDCC, and some history and reminiscence. We plan to follow with more DDCC conversations, probably about once/month, for the next eight months or so until we get to convention time. For more information about DDCC X, send an Email or Facebook message to Terry or Joe. They can send you an invitation to the Private Facebook Group for the event (since we discuss specific travel plans, many people understandably comfortable with that discussion happening in the open).

You asked for it, you got it! Listener Todd Morgan said he thought it would be interesting to hear about what being a travel agent is like. We did our best to give you a big picture view - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Bottom line - it's never as easy as it looks. But none of the three of us would trade it for anything else!

Host Aaron Rittmaster and Co-Hosts Tim Hicks and Willie Crocker take a step back from travel this week to talk about the content they're enjoying from the Disney+ streaming service.

Aaron, Tim and Willie suggest small changes to existing quick service menus that would make a big difference in our interest in these restaurants.

Your Host Aaron Rittmaster and co-hosts Willie Crocker and Tim Hicks close out their podcast recording year with a review of the year-that-was in the Disney world. Thank you for welcoming the show back this year - we're looking forward to a fresh new year with lots more fun and excitement ahead!