The Main Street Electrical Podcast: A Disney Podcast

In the 195th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are hoping you came to the show hungry today... because it's all about dinner at Disney.

To properly review and discuss as the great dining that was had in the recent agency trip, 3rd co-host #KylaKylaKyla joins to show -- first to give her tips on adults enjoying Disney Jr Live on Stage, and to comment on Animal Kingdom and what is removable. 

Then a rundown of meals shared together, either with Jenn, Dave, and Kyla all taking part, with just Dave and Kyla and significant others, or Dave and Lovely Steph.  Included in this episode is a review of The Yachtsman Steakhouse... Rose & Crown... Raglan Road... Mama Melrose... Shiki Sai in Epcot... The Hollywood Brown Derby... and a quick look at Topolino's atop the Riviera Resort. 

And along the way, lots of laughs and some nonsense, as does happen when the three get together.  

In the 194th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, it's a chat straight from the past weekend when the Upon a Star team met up in WDW, and participated in a large team scavenger hunt that put 29,000 steps on d$'s step counter, and put the teams all over the parks. 

First, Jenn is continuing to catch up from being gone over the weekend, and Dave is proud of wearing the right shirt for his anniversary dinner.  And big congrats to Quasi-Producer Heather, aka the Moana Mom, for running the 5K and 10K

Next, they discuss 2025 pricing being released so early in the year (and speculate as to why), then take a look at not only the Team Challenge that Jenn created, but also give ideas for other park challenges YOU may want to do.

If you are going to the parks for the first time, definitely do your parks touring plan... but if you've been several time and are looking for a different way to experience the parks, we have some ideas!  Food challenges and ride challenges and scavenger hunts and much more! 

And let us know what YOUR fave park challenges are!  Drop us an email at TheMSEPodcast@gmail.com! 

In the 193rd episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are preparing for a long weekend down in WDW.  Jenn, as the owner of Upon a Star Travel, is getting ready to lead the team in a great competition thru the parks, while Dave is just happy to make through the upcoming 5K.  Plus, snacks and more.

We also say goodbye to a fellow podcast who is closing up after many successful years. 

Then, we look at the parks and decide which attractions are truly "Untouchable". Which rides will be a part of Walt Disney World 10, 30, 50, maybe 100 years from now?  Haunted Mansion? Everest? Tower of Terror? Figment?  

And which attractions are okay to go... which ones would we not fuss over were they gone from the parks in the near future?  Certainly Jenn loves the chance to lash out at It's Tough to Be a Bug again. 

In the 192nd episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave takes a little stroll down the street to the other park, Universal Studios, to talk about the Epic announcements, how special guests are accommodated, and we might have a new least fave, beating out Fast & Furious.

First, making her debut on the show, from The Main Street Moms, Sarah Blackmon is on the episode!   She, Jenn, and Dave first chat up Tiana's new Bayou Adventure, and it's new opening time.

Then, our attention does shift down the road to the other park, where Sarah walks through using the Disability Access service - the pre-trip work to be done, getting to Guest Relations, what to do when it's impossible, avoiding a massive Gringott's meltdown, what do to if the system isn't cooperation, and more!

Then, Jenn, Dave, and Sarah look ahead to Epic Universe, chat up the info we know and don't know, and what might be in each land.

In the 191st episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave have already had long weeks, and it's only the middle of the week! 

It's a quick ep tonight, first recapping the craziness of Jenn's week, then Dave giving a quick review of his trip to Dauphin Island on the very southern tip of Alabama with his kid (on a school field trip!) 

Then, hitting some news, with a Universal roller coaster not working... Taylor soon to be streaming... a new take on an old Disneyland hotel... a whole list of upcoming Disney films and release dates... Jenn's take on Deadpool... and what Pixar should do to introduce Toy Story 5.

And finally, a quick conversation on the habit of queue jumping... when it might be acceptable... and mostly when to avoid trying it. 

In the 190th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave borrow a concept from one of our favorite shows - Living with the Landspeeder, where a Disney Attraction is turned into a Star Wars Attraction... "Star Warsifying" it. 

This time, we reverse the concept and "Disneyfy" the three Star Wars attractions in WDW - Smuggler's Run, Rise of the Resistance, and the O.G., Star Tours. And what better way to retheme a ride than to invite on the guys who did it better - Catron, Chris, Ryan, and Derek Frank, hosts of the IAmGeek show and Living with the Landspeeder.

Six new attractions are presented, two for each of the existing Star Wars rides, with ideas from Atlantis to Aladdin to Toy Story... plus Coco gets a ride (finally), we talk more about The Black Hole than any show in recent memory, and even Walt appears at the end of an attraction.

In the 189th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave do things just a bit differently this week. Because of out of whack schedules... or schedules that are not quite... N*Sync... today's ep is the audio version of the YouTube sensation that is sweeping the travel nation... sort of.

Upon a Star Travel features "Travel with the Stars", a weekly show on the UAS YouTube channel, and we decided to give you a little taste of that show this time.

With Jenn hosting, and Dave joining in, Quasi-Producer Heather, aka The Moana Mom, also joins as well as Frequent Show Contributor and sort of 3rd co-host KylaKylaKyla to talk about all Epcot's Festival of the Arts, or "F'Arts", as it's known.

The food, the drink, the performances, and of course, the artistry both on stage and on canvas, and even some on the sidewalk are all covered here, as well as lamenting how short the festival is, and the prizes you can receive through various F'Arts passports.

Make sure to check out the actual show Travel with the Stars, but until then, enjoy this audio version! 

In the 188th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are braving the cold from their homes, drinking from Disney mugs and replacing Disney jewelry, and trying to stay warm - and give a few hints on dealing with a cold snap in WDW.

In the news, the Flower & Garden opening dates have been revealed, as well as the Country Bears closing dates. The Disney Treasure will feature Moana as part of their Broadway style show. And Kali River Rapids' reopening date, which leads to Jenn's mini-rant against the attraction, and which rides she'd chunk out of each park.

Then, they look at both past and present theater shows to determine their favorites - any attraction which features the guest sitting in a theater chair or bench, staring at the stage or screen.  From current - like loving the Tumble Monkeys or Frozen narrators - to past, like Drew Carey's previous park presence or Nemo, old and new.  

And finally, thoughts on updating Carousel of Progress.

In the 187 episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are back for the first show of the new year!  And as per tradition, it's time to take one more look back at the year we just completed, with all of it's highs and lows.  And also per usual, to do that, we bring in our own Quasi-Producer, the Moana Mom herself, aka Heather Kondas!

First, a New Year's celebration wrap up -- where was everyone, how was the party in Epcot (for Jenn), how was seeing the fireworks from the back porch (for Heather) and how was enjoying the New Year's from the comfort of his own couch (d$)

Then, Heather is solving the Disney World's problems, with the parking debacle at Disney Springs on New Year's Eve, and a closer look at the big day that was January 9th, brining back the Disney Dining Plan, and dropping the Park Pass Reservations (and what APs are dealing with)

And next, a look back, starting in January 2023, with the closing of Splash Mountain, to the end of December, with the new Summer House on the Lake -- and all in between, including new meet'n greets... Disney and Pixar's latest flicks... Tron and Journey of Water both opening... the Starcruiser closing... the chaos around Annual Passes returning... the Hatbox Ghost... Bears in the Kingdom... and that guy who jumped into the Lagoon.  Don't do that. 

In the 186th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave close the year with what is now a tradition -- with the Candlelight Processional! 

In year's past, both Jenn and Dave have taken turns reading the narration, pulled directly from the long standing classic annual production at Epcot, with the music from the show intersparsed, but this year, they've asked a few Friends of the Show to pitch in and lend their voices to the narrations.

Matt & Susie from The ImagineEars Podcast... Catron, Ryan, and Chris from IAmGeek... Derek Frank from Living with the Landspeeder... Melissa Reagan from The Food for Thoughtcast... and show faves Quasi Producer Heather and #KylaKylaKyla all assist, with Dave and Jenn of course. 

What you'll hear in this show is nearly the exact show you'd hear if you attended the CLP over the holiday season at Epcot. So we hope you enjoy our presentation of The Candlelight Processional.

All rights of music go to the writers, composers, and producers of the musical works themselves, as well as the script of the narration to those who adapted it for the show. 

In the 185th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are holly and jolly, with only a few days until Christmas Day!

Jenn is getting ready for her annual Christmas Week trip to WDW, while Dave is excited that dining went super well, and both are (almost) ready for Christmas to arrive... and then onto 2024!

News brings info about Castaway Club changes on the Disney Cruise line... a new Mermaid show in Hollywood Studios... Rock n Roller Coaster closing for a refurbishment... and SeaWorld finally opening up their own hotel!

Then, a look back at our show over 2023... some of the guests who joined us, who's joined the show the most, and what eps rank as the most popular, most downloaded MSEPod eps of the year? 

Finally, a look ahead and a few predictions for 2024 -- including possible new lands... possible re-openings... and even a new park date for Universal!

In the 184th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are ready for Christmas!  Both are getting their own homes ready for the holiday week, and also thinking of Disney resorts in this season.  And joining the show is frequent guest and almost third co-host #KylaKylaKyla - Kyla Melberg.

Jenn, Dave, and Kyla chat up the Christmas season at Disney World, and give their take on the five best resorts to stay in and visit while at WDW.  From the Boardwalk area to the monorail resorts, to Disney Springs, and even a value resort tossed in.

Plus, Dave explains to Kyla what it means to be a Hallmark movie.  

In the 183rd episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are pumped about the Epcot walls coming down and all the new things opening up. And to give the full scoop, Quasi-Producer Heather, aka The Moana Mom, stops by.

In the news, a little about the new resorts coming to Universal Orlando... after hours events at Disneyland... Pixar films coming to theaters... and an update on the Hatbox Ghost.

Then Heather gives her first hand account on visiting Walt the Dreamer statue... the new pathway lights at Epcot's entrance... a review of the new nighttime spectacular, Luminous: The Story of Us... and looking at what's coming.

In the 182nd episode of the Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn and Dave is a little different this week, as Jenn is currently sailing on a Norwegian Cruise line... so joining the show as co-host this week, fan favorite and frequent guest, #KylaKylaKyla, aka Kyla Melberg, from Upon a Star Travel!

First, they lament this misery of post-trip laundry, then discuss the new Walt statue in Epcot, and the sad case of the guy in the water at Small World. 

Then, Dave gives his overall review of Disney's new film "Wish", as well as thoughts on the direction of Disney Animation.

Finally, Dave and Kyla were part of a larger group that hit Disney World recently, and they give their thoughts and reviews on the big events in the trip - the Wild Africa Trek in Animal Kingdom... Disney's Jollywood Nights in Hollywood Studios... the Epcot Fireworks Cruise in the pouring rain... plus, quick dining reviews on various places like The Edison, Trader Sam's, Boma and more!  

Plus, the most rare Hidden Mickey at Disney World! 

In the 181st Episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

To celebrate, they decided to figure out what is the best thing in the Magic Kingdom... Is it the food, like Dole Whip or Crystal Palace? Is it a ride, like Space Mountain or Tron or Peter Pan's Flight? Or maybe something different, like Cinderella Castle? Main Street USA? An event or parade?

Such tough questions that cannot be answered with just two people... so returning to the show, Sarah Harper, aka, Sarah Goes Bananas, to help the discussion and determine what wins! 

It's a fun conversation to figure out what truly is the best thing about the Magic Kingdom! 

In the 180th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave make it a free-for-all conversation.  A slow news week in the world of magic means the chat goes a little all over the place.

First, Jenn and Dave are both getting ready for trips to The Most Magical Place on Earth, as Dave is also headed to Universal Studios as well.  Dave also gives a review on the newest MCU film, "The Marvels."

Then, a quick look at the resorts of Universal, with d$ staying in Cabana Bay, and some talk about both of their upcoming trips.

There is a new promo that Jenn breaks down for everyone, there is a new character on property, and at some point, they even discuss the William Tell Overture.  Because of course they do. 

In the 179th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave invite back in frequent show contributor Kyla, aka #KylaKylaKyla, to chat all things Disney once again.

First up, d$ talks a little old school Cirque music, while both Jenn and Kyla are getting ready for the big trip coming up. 

The news checks out the Skyliner refurbishment... the Frozen Holiday Surprise show... details about Epcot's new fireworks show, Luminous... then, an unbelievable story about guests behaving badly.

Finally, Kyla and Jenn give their first hand report from their day at Disneyland Paris - the attractions, the similarities and differences in the Paris park and the Magic Kingdom in Disney World, some of the food (and drinks) and the vibe overall.

If you've ever been interested in checking out the park formerly known as EuroDisney, then Kyla and Jenn are who you need to listen to! 

In the 178th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are ready for Christmas!  And Jenn's travels continues as she has just returned from WDW and is headed to the Caribbean for a few days. It's decent work if you can get it, amma right?

Jenn shares her thoughts on her first experience with the Journey of Water in Epcot, while Dave gives a fairly detailed review on the newly released book, "MCU: The Reign of Marvel", then they hop on the news, chatting about the upcoming After Hours Events... the Haunted Mansion lounge on the upcoming Disney Treasure... new runDisney events announced... the Epcot Festival of the Arts... 

And they share both their favorite scary films, and then fave Christmas films. 

Finally, a preview of the Disney World holiday season -- with the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, the new Disney Jollywood Nights, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail, visiting the parks over the Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, tips on getting seats at the Candlelight Processional, and where to find all the Deluxe Resort Gingerbread and Chocolate displays!

Its a fun look at the next two months, all the things to see and do, and what we are all looking forward to! 

In the 177th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are talking Princess Cruises this time around!  And no, not Disney Princess Cruises on a Disney ship with Belle and Aurora... the actual Princess Cruises brand, and d$'s recent sailing to the Pacific Northwest aboard the Majestic Princess!

First, Jenn chats a little about packing for her upcoming WDW trip (which at the time of this episode's release, will be pretty much over...) and Dave talks about "Boo'ing" his neighbor kids... then, a deep dive into the Majestic Princess cruise!

Dave and his lovely wife Stephanie were able to swing taking a 7 night cruise leaving out of Vancouver, so he runs down their flight across the country, traveling to the port, and embarkation.

They give travel tips along the way (like, if you have the chance to just Uber... DO IT), as well as port tips and cruise tidbits.

Dave also gives a review of the ship and the experience itself, including what was awesome, like the staff, and what needs a little work (needing some more USB ports!), why Princess Plus is cool, using the medallion, getting on a Cruise game show, checking out the ports, and how will the internet work in the North Pacific??

Also... who is this cruise for? That ultimate question and much more answered in this great conversation! 

In the 176th episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are back together again, at least on the Zoom screen! 

After catching up a little on recent travels and future travels, Jenn gives her take on recent Disney news, like the Park Hopping 2pm rule ending (she's for it!) and Candlelight Processional's narrator lineup (she's for it!) and the newest promos and discounts coming up (she's for that too!)

Then, Jenn and Dave take a deep dive into the 9 minute Disney short film, "Once Upon a Studio" as they give their glowing review.  They walk through the short a little at time, giving Easter Eggs and things to see, as well as pointing out some of the more obscure characters you'll find through out.

Finally, in honor of Disney's 100th anniversary, they have a meaningful conversation on what "Disney" truly means to each of them -- from their first Disney memories to first Disney movies to the moments they knew they'd be Disney lifers.  And yes, both get a little emotional, so stick around for the dust in the room.