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141: Dining in Epcot – Part 2

Our culinary tour of Epcot concludes this week as we visit the table service restaurants in Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. We read the menus and give our personal thoughts on places like Teppan Edo, Chefs de France, and Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room. (Be sure to check out episode 136 if you didn’t catch Part 1.)

Also on this week’s show, we do some Armchair Imagineering by coming up with ideas for new table service restaurants at the current World Showcase pavilions. Plus, we play our favorite 20 Questions-style game, “Where in WDW Am I?” Come join us!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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140: Movies to Watch Before a WDW Vacation

Get that Netflix queue ready! On this week’s show we share our picks for the films that will best prepare you, educate you, and give you all the Disney feels before you take a trip to Walt Disney World. From obvious films that have ample representation in the parks to non-Disney films that will help you better appreciate the details, we recommend plenty of movies to help you pass the weeks and months leading up to your vacation.

In this week’s round of “Behind the Magic,” we take a closer look at Journey Into Imagination With Figment on its 15th anniversary. Plus, we play the new game “Chatter Jeopardy” by providing responses in the form of questions to answers such as “Big, angry, and hairy.”

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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139: 5 WDW Add-Ons: Worth It or Not?

While planning for a WDW vacation is exciting and magical, it also can be stressful and burdensome, especially for first-timers who aren’t sure which added expenses are worth the cost and which are unnecessary. While there is no “right” answer when it comes to money and Disney, on this week’s episode we discuss five optional add-ons and give our two cents on whether or not they are worth the cost:

  • Park Hopper
  • Disney Resorts
  • Food (Dining plan, table service, etc.)
  • Dessert Parties and Dining Packages
  • Memory Maker

Also on this week’s show, we share some of our favorite hidden gems in the segment “It’s the Small Things, After All.” Plus, we have some friendly debates on topics such as sweet treats, theming at quick service restaurants, and WDW’s best mountains. Come join the fun!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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138: The Lights of Walt Disney World

At last we see the lights, and it’s like the sky is new! On this week’s show, join us for a closer look at the best lamps, light bulbs, and spotlights throughout Walt Disney World. We go park by park, “highlighting” the best lighting techniques used by Imagineers to bring that special touch of magic to our favorite parks, from the fiberoptic lights below our feet to the popcorn lights that dangle above our heads.

In the new segment “The Windows of Main Street,” we showcase the contributions of those men and women whose names adorn the windows along Main Street. This week we place the focus on Walt’s older brother Roy. Plus, we play the game “Take Five” and share our thoughts on Magic Kingdom’s new fireworks show “Happily Ever After.” All that and more awaits you on show 138!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

 

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137: Meanwhile at Walt Disney World…

This week we’re bringing you up to date on all the latest happenings at the Walt Disney World Resort, from the biggest news (Baby Groot! Johnny Depp! Driverless shuttles?) to an on-the-scene report from our most recent trip. We share stories from the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, the 28th birthday of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, our final viewing of Wishes, and much more!

Also on this week’s show, Matt and Derek review their recent meal at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. Plus, we put on our Imagineering hats and come up with ideas for limited-time Mother’s Day celebrations at WDW. Come join the conversation!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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136: Dining in Epcot – Part 1

Bienvenidos! We invite you to join us as we continue to make our way through the table service restaurants at Walt Disney World. This week our series takes us to Epcot, where we read the menus and give our thoughts on the restaurants in Future World and the Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, and Italy pavilions. Eateries featured in this episode include Biergarten, Nine Dragons, Via Napoli, and more.

In another round of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” we put the spotlight on resort pools. Plus, we play the game “Who Said It: A Disney Villain or Adolf Hitler?” Play along now!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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135: Countdown to Parkstinction – Disney-MGM Studios 1994

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is turning 28 years old this week! While the park might not be its best self right now, the future is bright. And so is the past . . .

In honor of the park’s anniversary, special guest Jeff DePaoli joins us this week as we go back in time and take a virtual tour of Disney-MGM Studios as it existed in 1994, just months after Sunset Boulevard debuted to the public. We look back fondly on extinct attractions like the Backstage Studio Tour and the Magic of Disney Animation, and we discover what the park was like before Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Star Wars made their grand entrances.

Plus, Jeff gives us the scoop on Aulani, Disney’s Hawaiian resort and spa, and shares all about the unforgettable trip he took there. Then, in the segment “Did That Just Happen?” we each share odd, funny stories from the parks.

Be sure to check out Jeff’s podcast Dizney Coast to Coast (iTunes: DCTC) and follow him on Twitter (@JeffDePaoli)!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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134: Hot Topics and Rumors

Does Star Wars Land belong in Disneyland? Will Walt Disney World get its own Club 33? What in the world is happening at Epcot? These are some of the hot topics being discussed within the Disney community, and this week we want to get in on the conversation. Join us as we address these issues and other rumors that have Disney fans buzzing, talking, and debating, including updates on WDW’s rumored gondola system and talk of a contract between Disney and Apple.

In this week’s “Disney Fix,” we chat about the 25th anniversary celebrations that took place in Disneyland Paris, a 1962 film that was shot in Disneyland, and the new virtual queue systems being introduced at Orlando’s theme parks. Plus, we create another Mad Chatters Playlist, this time choosing our favorite non-Disney songs that are featured in Walt Disney World.

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!

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133: Top 5 Film Tie-Ins at Walt Disney World

Incorporating a film into the Disney parks is an art. It requires a delicate balance in which Imagineers must give the movie justice and the treatment it deserves without making it feel forced or shoehorned into a certain space. On this week’s show, we chat about those times when the Imagineers nailed it. From entire attractions to single, fleeting moments, we count down our top five ways in which a Disney film has been brought to Walt Disney World.

Also on this week’s episode, we have some fun with the hashtag #BadDisneySequels. Plus, Derek hosts a rematch of the game “Before and After,” in which Matt and Jeremy solve brand new clues describing mashups of various Disney films, songs, and attractions. Come play along now!

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132: 10 Times Disney Made Us Fall in Love With Polynesia

Aloha! Welcome to our tropical hideaway. We invite you to join us as we look back at Disney’s vibrant history with the Polynesian culture. From 1937’s “Hawaiian Holiday” to last year’s “Moana” (and every Dole Whip in between), we span the decades in order to present our list of ten Polynesian inspirations The Walt Disney Company has brought us.

An episode about Polynesia would not be complete without a closer look at one of Walt Disney World’s most popular restaurants: ‘Ohana. In this week’s “Eating Around the World,” we give a full review of our favorite restaurant on property. Plus, we discuss the big security changes at Magic Kingdom, present the Munch Madness champion, and more!

We’d love for you to connect with us on Facebook (/madchatterspodcast), Instagram (@madchatters), and Twitter (@MadChatters). Or, send your emails to comments@madchatters.net. Thanks for listening!