Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #297 for the week of October 21, 2012.

I’m here to help you have the best possible Disney vacation experience, and bring you some Disney magic to to wherever you are with this podcast, videos, blog, live broadcasts, events, trivia books, CDs and more. You can find it all at WDWRadio.com

I like to look at Walt Disney World in terms of “layers of the onion,” meaning that beyond the enjoyment of parks and resorts, as you dig deeper and peel back some of those layers, you uncover some amazing details and stories. And while they may not always be apparent on first glance, by learning more and understanding the meaning and purpose in everything encounter, you will ultimately have a much richer experience. So this week, we’re going to stop by the residence of one of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ landmarks, and take a look at the story (both real and Imagineered) of Sid Cahuenga.

Answer the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then have some announcements at the end of the show, including information about a new contest, upcoming events and live video broadcasts. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is your “Holy Grail” of Disney movie memorabilia you wish you had in your collection? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Mini-Guide to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival! – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%!

Follow Lou on Twitter and

The post Show #297 – October 21, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #290 for the week of September 2, 2012.

The 17th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival takes place between September 28 and November 12 this year, and will once again take guests on a culinary adventure around the world. With delicious food and refreshing beverages from across the globe, celebrity chef demonstrations and concerts, there’s something to satisfy every taste and interest. And with so much to see, do and eat, I want to help prepare you for this year’s event. So this week, we’ll cover not just the basics of the Festival, but what’s new, special events, what not to miss, as well as tips and strategies to get the most out of the event.

Answer the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for your chance to win a Disney prize package. And be sure to stay for other announcements, including information about the next WDW Radio Meet of the Month and some special events going on during the opening weekend of the Food and Wine Festival, including Epcot’s 30th anniversary. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What are you most looking forward to at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival this year? Leave your answer in the comments section below

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
  
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Mini-Guide to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival!  – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%!
• 

Follow Lou on Twitter and

The post Show # 290 – September 2, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #288 for the week of August 19, 2012.

This week, we’re going to explore Epcot and uncover some of the Hidden Treasures of Future World. From overlooked experiences, to story, details, trivia, opportunities and more, we peel back some of the layers of the onion to help enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of the park.

Answer the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for your chance to win a Disney prize package and be sure to stay for other announcements, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is YOUR favorite “hidden treasure” or overlooked experience in Epcot’s Future World? Leave your answer in the comments section below

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%! Money-back guarantee!

Follow Lou on Twitter and

The post Show # 288 – August 19, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

“Getting there is half the fun.”  These wise words are very true.  If you are driving to Disney World, staying entertained might seem hard – especially if you are traveling during the night hours.  Here are some ideas that will keep you and your “car mates” amused and upbeat.

Car Bingo
Car Bingo is a classic game that my brother and I have played on every road trip since we were 6. Everybody gets a bingo card but instead of numbers there are things like “birds on a wire” or “toll booth” (you can buy them from various stores or print a few online).   When you see any of these items, you cross it off on the card.  The first person to get 5 x’s in a row wins!  Sounds simple, right?  Well, you can change the difficulty by changing “cows” to “anything that starts with a g” or maybe even make it Disney related with things like “a 3-circle Mickey” or “a D that looks like a G.”  You can do this for hours and not get bored!

Create Your Own Game
Whenever my family and I go on a road trip, I create a game based of a popular TV game show.  Of course, your game doesn’t have to be Disney-related. One year I did Cash Cab (It’s a TV show on the Discovery Network in which Ben Bailey picks people up in a standard NYC cab, and the ceiling lights up once they are inside, and Ben announces that they are inside the Cash Cab, a game show in which you answer trivia questions for different amounts of money. Each question was worth an amount of money between $100 and $500. The questions in my version were about our past vacations).  Another year I did a game inspired by Family Feud (I watched a few episodes to get all the answers)!

Our last big road trip was last August when we drove to Walt Disney World, so this trip’s game WAS Disney related.  I created a trivia game using Lou Mongello’s Trivia Books and the Internet.  Our categories were:  Music, Theme Parks, Movies, Characters and “Mouse”ilanious (see what I did there?)  Each category had 15 questions in it, ranked from easy questions (1) to the hardest (15). For each question you got correct, you would get the amount of points that the number was ranked. For example, one of my questions ranked at a 15 was “Is the larger lamp in the Luxo Jr.  short film his Dad or Mom?”   If somebody answered it correctly, they would be awarded 15 points (and if you were wondering, the answer is:  his Dad.) There are four members of the family (3 if you don’t include me) and we split into two teams.  My dad knows more about Disney than my mom and brother, so he was on his own and my brother and mother joined forces since it would be unfair for me to play because I would know all of the answers!

Choreograph A Dance
This is always a fun thing to do whether you are a kid or an adult.  What you do is very simple and easy-pick a song that you know well, and choreograph a dance!  Now there are two ways you can do this.  You can choreograph the dance in the car or choreograph it before your trip with another member of your family without telling anybody.  My brother and I are working on this now for when we go on the WDW Radio Cruise in November.  My mother knows this but she doesn’t know what song it is to, so there is her surprise.  You could also do a dance that somebody else has already choreographed, like the Harvard Baseball Team’s easy arrangement of “Call Me Maybe”.  You can have your own little flash mob in your car!

Guess the Disney Song
In my opinion, one of the most iconic things about the Disney Company as a whole is the music. People know before lyrics are sung if it is a Disney song by its beat and mood.  This is what inspired this game.  All you have to do is play the beginning of a song, and see who can guess it first.  Some good songs are “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (Mulan), “Go the Distance” (Hercules), “I’m Late” (Alice and Wonderland), and “A Whole New World” (Aladdin) because it has a pretty recognizable tempo before the singing starts.  This is a good game for the driver to participate in because they can keep their hands on the steering wheel.   They can even pick the song! There is no pre-planning needed – just decide on a song and play.  The person in the end who got most of the songs right wins.

If You Could … Disney Questions                                                                                                                       

While sitting around the dinner table, my family asks “out of the ordinary” Disney questions that really make you think.  For example, if you could spend the night in any WDW Park, where exactly would it be and why?  If you could contribute to the refurbishment of any ride or attraction, which would it be and what would you do to change it?  If you had to choose only one food within Walt Disney World to eat, what would it be?  If you could sit in any location to relax, where would it be?  The possibilities are endless!  Move this from the dinner table into your vehicle and it’s a great way to pass the miles.

No matter how far away you are from Walt Disney World, there will be some parts of your car ride when nothing is going on. These are perfect fillers for those moments. I hope you have fun whether you are on an airplane or in a car when you go to Walt Disney World. I sure do!  Do YOU have any traditional ways you pass the time while traveling to Disney?  Share your ideas in the comments below.

This week’s “Where in the World?” picture was captured in an iconic place in one of the parks.  Where in the World was this picture taken?

See ya REAL soon!
~Makena W.

The post Pass The Miles Driving To Disney In Style appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #286 for the week of August 5, 2012.

This past weekend, I attended the PNW MouseMeet, an annual fan event which takes places in the Pacific Northwest, and once again had the privilege of interviewing a true Disney Legend. On this week’s show, I’ll share my interview with the voice of Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Paige O’Hara. We’ll discuss her career, the role of Belle, creating the film, and much more.

I’ll then have the answer and winner for last week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new question for your chance to win a Disney prize package!

Be sure and stay for the announcements, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is your favorite song from Beauty and the Beast? Leave your answer in the comments section below

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
  
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%! Money-back guarantee!
  

The post Show # 286 – August 5, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #269 for the week of April 8, 2012.

This week, we’re going to look at some of those moments in Walt Disney World that leave you breathless, speechless, smiling, laughing, or maybe even a little teary-eyed. From the incredible to the amazing to the spectacular to the emotional and memorable, we’re going to explore our Top Ten WOW Moments in Walt Disney World.

I’ll have the answer and winner for last week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new one for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then share a not one, but a number of announcements about what the future holds for me, WDW Radio… and you!

I’ll then play more of your voicemails at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is your favorite “WOW” moment in Walt Disney World?

Stay tuned for more information about the WDW Radio E-Ticket Event – “An Evening with the Secret Society of Historical American Adventurers” on Friday, September 28, 2012 at the American Adventure Pavilion in Epcot and survey about our 2013 WDW Radio Land, Sea and World events!

• Lou Mongello will be speaking at BlogWorld and New Media Expo, June 5-7, 2012 – More info & discounted pass registration
• The Dream Team Project is raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America through itssecure donation page on the Make-A-Wish Foundation web site. Read more about the Dream Team Project’s sponsorship with Make-A-Wish here
• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Fan Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
  

The post Show # 269 – April 8, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #266 for the week of March 18, 2012.

To help you plan for, and hopefully appreciate all of the stories, details and opportunities available on your next Walt Disney World vacation, I’m going to open up the inbox again this week and answer more of your emails. Topics include: An extinct themed restaurant in the parks, getting ready for a Disney Cruise, eating vegan in Disney, on-ride photos, rides for an infant, free resort campfire and movie nights, taking a toddler on a Disney Cruise and much more. We’ll also discuss our thoughts on the Best Buffet in Walt Disney World and ask you to share yours as well.

I’ll have the answer and winner for last week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new one for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll have a few announcements and then play more of your voicemails at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is your favorite buffet in Walt Disney World?

Send your Trivia Question of the Week answers to Contest@WDWRadio.com

Video Tour of Storybook Circus in Walt Disney World

• Lou Mongello’s Private Tours of Walt Disney World
• Disney Fan Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations at DisneyMeets.com
• WDWNewsCast – Watch & chat during our LIVE NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET – Be part of the broadcast & discuss live in the chat room at http://WDWNewsCast.com
• WDW Radio on YouTube – Watch past episodes, subscribe to the show and comment on the WDWRadio YouTube Channel

The post Show # 266 – March 18, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Join Lou Mongello from WDW Radio as he takes you on a tour of Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Frontierland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

Learn about the history of Pecos Bill and this restaurant, explore the stories and details inside, and of course, see what it has the testiest burgers in the Magic Kingdom

Thanks for watching!

The post Video: Pecos Bills Cafe – History, Stories, Details and Review appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #261 for the week of February 12, 2012.

With the Academy Awards coming up soon, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Walt Disney and the Oscars. Recorded live at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, Jim Korkis and I look at discuss the history of the Awards ceremony, Walt’s unparalleled achievements, the Oscars that can be found at the Studios and elsewhere, stories about Walt at the Academy Awards, and much, much more.

I’ll share the three announcements we made during this past weekend’s live 5 Year Anniversary event in Walt Disney World before playing more of your voicemails at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is your favorite Disney film? What Disney movie should have won an Oscar, but didn’t?

The Vault of Walt is also the latest selection in our WDW Radio Disney Book Club

Purchase The Vault of Walt by Jim Korkis on Amazon.com

Join us and Richard M. Sherman on the WDW Radio Cruise on the Disney Dream!!

• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Fan Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations at DisneyMeets.com
• WDWNewsCast – Watch & chat during our LIVE NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET – Be part of the broadcast & discuss live in the chat room at http://WDWNewsCast.com
• WDW Radio on YouTube – Watch past episodes, subscribe to the show and comment on the WDWRadio YouTube Channel

The post Show # 261 – February 12, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

During Walt Disney World’s early days, the Disney Company wanted to keep people on the World’s property instead of staying in a cheap motel just outside Orlando. They had struggled with cheap motels and trashy streets at Disneyland and they didn’t want that again, so when Walt Disney went to purchase land in Florida, he bought tons of land knowing he would build several hotels that would suit a Disney theme park. By the time Walt Disney World was being built, the plan was to have several major themed hotels just a Monorail jump away from the Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary was branded as the “flagship” hotel and the Polynesian Village was the next in line on the Monorail line; however, that was just phase one and there were several other hotels to follow that would sit along the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The next in line to be built was The Asian Resort.

The Asian Resort was to sit in between the Polynesian Village and the Magic Kingdom in the same spot that is now occupied by the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. In fact, that land was purposefully held for several years to be occupied by the Asian Resort and it would become the third major Disney resort on property, and what a beautiful hotel it could have been. Imagine a hotel sitting out on the lake from the shore line with the center tower rising 160 feet high while the hotel room wings lay out over the lake giving at least half of the rooms lake views and some rooms Magic Kingdom views. All of this connected to the Monorail for easy access to the Magic Kingdom as well as other hotels on the Seven Seas Lagoon loop.

Much like the Contemporary Hotel’s Top of the World lounge/restaurant/supper club/whatever you want to call it, the Asian Resort was to have a fine dining restaurant and entertainment club at the top of the center tower. The club would have a Royal Thai theme, much like the rest of the resort, and the entertainment and food would rely heavily on Asian culture.

To accompany the new Asian Resort, there would also be a convention center. The convention center would be located underneath the main lobby, suggesting the same use of space that was used at the Magic Kingdom, making the second level the main level and the lower level much more private and for conventioners and staff only.

Mentioning the main level, this floor, most likely featuring the lobby, was to also have a recreation center and swimming pool (no surprise there) as well as other dining and entertainment options. Disney even went as far as to advertise the resort in brochures and guide maps, even showing a road, Asian Way, that led down to the Polynesian and up to the Magic Kingdom.

So what happened to this planned resort? Obviously Disney Imagineers had made it quite far into the planning process. The answer simply comes down to supply and demand. During the 1970s, when the U.S. had energy crises, hotel stays saw a decline in the Orlando area and across the States. That included not just the Disney resorts but even some of the cheaper off property hotels and motels. If Disney isn’t going to make money on a property they had put tons of money into, then why bother building another resort at all. The plans were put on hold for several years, and Asian Way was still left without a resort at its end.

By the mid 1980s, the economic stage across the U.S. had changed and the Disney resorts saw a boom in occupancy. This brought the company to plan for more hotels and resorts on their property. When the plot of land reserved for the Asian Resort was brought up, it was decided that another hotel in the works would fit well in that spot. The Grand Floridian Resort Hotel and Spa opened in 1988 in that plot of land sitting out on the Seven Seas Lagoon which meant that the Asian Resort had no place to call home.

Will the Asian Resort ever be built? Anything is possible, but as it sits on the shelf and other new ideas emerge at Disney Imagineering, one has to wonder if the Asian Resort designs will ever be dusted off and added to list over Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World. In my personal opinion, with the opening of Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary, I see no reason why Bay Lake couldn’t be used as yet another Monorail loop with several resorts attached to it. Make the connection at Magic Kingdom for both loops and make the Asian Resort one of the hot properties on that lake. Disney Vacation Club condos? Maybe, but even if it was a smaller resort geared to a cheaper price tag audience, I think the Asian theme is popular enough in this day and age to sell out its rooms.

Give your thoughts on this weeks topic. Would you like to see the Asian Resort come to life? Would you prefer it over the Grand Floridian or would you rather see it somewhere else on Disney property? Let me know your thoughts this week!

Josh Taylor is a 26-year-old fan of Disney Parks. He has become a travel agent for friend and family lookig to go to a Disney Resort. As a historian of the company, he also has his own blog at www.disneyparkhistory.wordpress.com

The post The Walt Disney World that Never Was: The Asian Resort appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.