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

872 · Why Disney Changed the Rules… and a D23 Tease
This week I am doing something I almost never do.
I am taking a piece of my Wednesday night live show and turning it into an episode, because you have been asking me about it... a lot.
There is a new Disney Springs transportation rule, and online, people are melting down. So let me pull up a chair and really talk with you about what changed, why I think it happened, and why so much of it comes back to the guest experience.
And here is why I wanted to bring this to the podcast. What I share today is not just about this one rule. I think it applies to so many decisions Disney has made, and will make, and once you see it through that lens, a lot of things start to make more sense.
Along the way I will also take us back to a place a lot of us still miss, the Adventurers Club, and why it really closed. I will share my thoughts on the new Pirates of the Caribbean animatronic, why a place like Level 99 made me so happy, a little bit on choosing the good... and yes, a tease about what is coming from WDW Radio at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

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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!

871 · The Most Surprising Hotel Near Walt Disney World: My ette Hotel Review
One of the most exclusive hotel awards on the planet - harder to earn than a Michelin star, given to less than 1% of hotels worldwide - belongs to a boutique property sitting just one mile from Disney's Animal Kingdom. Yet most Disney fans have never heard of it.
Lou Mongello has stayed at virtually every Disney resort and countless hotels around the world, always believing that where you stay shapes the entire tone of a vacation. So when he was invited to experience ette Hotel, he wasn't quite sure what to expect.
What he discovered surprised him.
In WDW Radio #871, Lou shares his complete, honest review of ette Hotel - from the beautifully designed rooms and Michelin Key recognition to hospitality that echoes the Disney philosophy of "everything speaks." He also dives into one of the best meals he's had in a very long time at Salt & The Cellar, and why the restaurant alone may be worth the trip. Plus, what makes this property different, who it's perfect for, and why it may be one of Central Florida's most overlooked luxury experiences.
If you've ever wondered whether stepping outside the Disney bubble could actually enhance your Walt Disney World vacation, this episode might surprise you as much as the hotel surprised Lou.

📣 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 more
WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
Events & 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!

870 · 10 Reasons to Visit Shanghai Disneyland... and Why This Trip Changed Me
China is a long way to go for a theme park... but Shanghai Disneyland is not a theme park. It is a destination that happens to have a Disney castle at its center.
Lou Mongello had the privilege of being invited by Disney for Shanghai Disneyland's 10th anniversary celebration, with time alongside the Imagineering team who built it. In this episode, he gives you 10 reasons to visit Shanghai Disneyland, and why right now, during its 10th anniversary, is the perfect time to go.
Here is what you will hear:
The one design decision that makes Shanghai unlike any Disney park you have ever set foot in, and why it disorients you in the best possible way
The only place on Earth you can walk through Zootopia, a land so detailed that guests line up just to photograph the lampposts
Why the tallest Disney castle in the world is something you go inside, not just photograph, plus the anniversary-only shows playing on it right now
The trackless boat ride that fans who have been to every Disney park call their single favorite attraction, period
The one land where Disney hands you the controls, and the climb that Lou says sends you back down a different person
The stunt show with a real, raging tornado on stage, performed more than 10,000 times with live performers inside it
The snacks worth flying for, the Cast culture built from scratch, and the brand-new Spider-Man land rising right now with its coaster track already complete!
and much more!

And stay with me to the end, because this is the part I did not see coming. This trip did not just give me new things to talk about. It genuinely, fundamentally changed the way I think about Disney parks, not just what I think about them, but how. I am going to explain exactly how, and why, and why it might just change the way you see them too.
Whether Shanghai is already on your bucket list or you have never once considered it, this one might change your mind.

📣 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 more
WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
Events & 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!

869 · How Disney Magic Changed Baseball - Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas
What happens when someone takes Walt Disney's philosophy and applies it far beyond Disney?
In this episode, I sit down with Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas and creator of Banana Ball, during their sold-out appearance at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports. What began as a conversation about baseball quickly became something much deeper.
Jesse shares how Disney shaped him as a child, the unforgettable Typhoon Lagoon experience that still influences his leadership today, and why Walt Disney's principles of innovation, storytelling, attention to detail, and relentless "plussing" have become foundational to Banana Ball's explosive success. We also hear from Disney Sports Vice President Adam Ball about why Banana Ball and Disney make such a natural fit.
This conversation isn't about baseball.
It's about creating unforgettable experiences, embracing criticism, taking bold risks, building culture, and putting people first.
Whether you're a Disney fan, entrepreneur, creator, leader, or someone pursuing a dream, the lessons in this episode are powerful, practical, and deeply inspiring.
In this episode you'll discover:
How Disney influenced Jesse Cole's vision
The surprising connection between Walt Disney and Banana Ball
Why fan-first thinking changes everything
The importance of "plussing" every experience
Lessons in leadership, innovation, and resilience
Why criticism may be a sign you're doing something meaningful

Jesse Cole - Instagram
The Savannah Bananas - Instagram - YouTube

📣 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 more
WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
Events & 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!

868 · Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress: History, Debate & What's Next
The Carousel of Progress reimagining announcement sparked one of the most passionate Disney fan conversations in recent memory.
Some fans are excited. Others are heartbroken. Many are somewhere in between.
And all of it makes complete sense - because this attraction isn't just a show. For a lot of us, it's a memory. A person. A moment that lives somewhere deep.
But before you land on how you feel, there's a story you need to hear. One that starts not with the announcement - but in the 1950s, with Walt Disney himself, and an idea that never made it off the drawing board. Because when you understand where Carousel of Progress actually came from, and how many times it has already changed, what Disney just announced looks like something very different.
In Episode 868, we trace the complete history - from Edison Square to the 1964 World's Fair to every revision across six decades - and into every detail of what is coming in 2027. The new scenes. The Walt Disney animatronic. The off-planet finale drawn from John Hench's original concept art. The fan reaction breakdown. And the case, built on Walt's own words, for why the carousel moving again after 30 years might be exactly what he always intended.

📣 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 more
WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
Events & 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!