Walkabout The World - A Disney Podcast - Celebrating Three Years Of Walkabout And Episode 200

Episode Date: March 3, 2024

Hello Travelers! Join all five hosts with an in-park message, as well as several of YOU listeners this week as we celebrate three years of podcasting and two hundred episodes! Thank you SO much for being with us on his journey. So sit back, grab a frosty beverage, and have some fun with us as we chat about what Walkabout means to each of us. Enjoy!   As always, use good listening devices as we always record in 4 channel surround sound. We hope you enjoy the episode and thanks so much for following along!   If you like what we do, consider joining our crew on Patreon. These wonderful people help us keep the microphones crisp and the servers warm at night.   Visit us a walkabouttheworld.com - find links to all the things - attraction episodes, Insta accounts of all the hosts, and even how to buy your own Walkabout shirt!   Look us up at @WalkaboutWDW on Instagram and drop us a note to say hi.   You can now also drop us at line at [e-mail]. Say hi, tell us how you found us, and give us some suggestions on things you'd love to hear. Please consider giving us a rating and review wherever you listen - it really helps.   Walkabout The World is a weekly Disney podcast, always recorded on property at Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort with the simple goal of making you feel like you are in the middle of the magic.

Well hello travelers, welcome back to Walk About the World and welcome back to Disney's Animal Kingdom from Discovery Island right next to Flame Tree BBQ. Just listen to this. Very crowded Animal Kingdom day, but right over here, right now, right where I am, nobody but us. Just got to seek these little places out. Standing amidst a sea of bromeliads here that look gorgeous. Right next to the seating area of Flame Tree. Today's a special day because today is episode 200 of Walk About the World.

On March 2nd, 2021, we had our very first episode. Planned a little before that josh and i and then officially went live on march 2 2021 and today each of the hosts is tasked with seeking out one of their favorite spots in the park recording a little bit and then talking to you listeners about what the podcast means to each of us. And what being a part of it means to us. And I'm sure we'll talk about you too because you're the reason we do it.

And also, we will hear from some of you. Hey, here's a snack cart. You buy Flame Tree, so you're going to have the snack carts. And I can blab. Hey laughing stop laughing and i know this and so i'm gonna try to keep my segment short i'm gonna go first and so i wanted to i've i've debated about how real to be so i'm gonna go for broke here but keep it it brief. Since we launched in 2021, in the past three years, two of those years, a vast majority of two of the years I have spent really, really struggling with severe anxiety and panic disorder. And you can read a lot between these lines. I don't want to belabor it, but just to say that it's the biggest challenge I've ever faced in my life. And I'm in my 40s.

I've shared openly about my first little foray into this in mid to late 2021. But I also had another round in 2023, and it was hard. Got through it. But I say this not for sympathy. Oh man, I love this song. Hold up. Let's hit pause. Deep breath in. Out through the mouth.

But I'm sharing this with you openly because I'm kind of an open book and I want you guys to know where I'm coming from, but mostly I want to let you know that the crew here at Walk About the World is family. I mean it. Like Like we're beyond friendship. It is absolute family. We have an Instagram group just for the hosts and I have shared with them on many of my very darkest days. Literally I've been in tears some of those days and these people are solid rocks the best humans i mean it that you will ever meet they have held me up we support each other we talk about our victories our struggles

we're open and i cannot brag on them enough just for just how amazing they are and the caliber of people that they are. And I need you guys to know that some podcasts, man, you have egos, you got drama llamas, you got this and that people trying to build empires and start businesses. We are a humble folk. Um, if anything, we have to try really hard not to self-deprecate constantly. And the fact that you listen and the fact that you're there, we're not joking when we say it amazes us. Like, why are these people listening to us? Because we're just folks like you who enjoy Disney, who think these places are magical places of escape. And we need it, like, just as bad as you. Oh, hey hey snack cart and the last thing i want to say

about this and about my personal journey is that you guys in this podcast have pulled me into the park on days where i did not want to go you're like dude you didn't want to go yeah i didn't because there were days where i could barely take a drive by myself. I'm not kidding. It was hard times for months, not just a couple of days. It was really hard. And this podcast gave me an excuse to say, hey, let's get up. Let's get on our feet. Let's get back in the park. If we got to shake our way in and shake our way out, that's what we'll do. And some days I did, but it gave me a chance to get behind this mic, talk to you. And I've said it before, but when I come in here and turn this mic on, I disappear. I'm just hanging out with you. I, a little bit to my own detriment,

I'm kind of unaware. So my fellow travelers don't like that. Um, but I'm going to shut up now because I need to hand this over to the other hosts. I just want to say I cannot thank you enough for the bottom of my heart for joining our merry little band of pirates here and listening to us week after week. Thank you so much for being there, listening, dropping a note.

Every single time you guys send us a note on Instagram or email, we always share it in our instagram group we all read it we're all just like amazed and smiling and appreciative and so know that if you send us a message it is always seen by all five hosts and we really appreciate you thank you for being there and with that i'm going to say adios from Disney's Animal Kingdom today and hand this over to our producer, Josh, who was our very first co-host and has stood with me in support of this little venture from before the very first episode.

So, Josh, love you, buddy. Take it away. Hey, thanks Jeremy You caught me at a great time Because if you can hear, I am in Tomorrowland I'm about to pop into the Starlight Lounge Taking a set from our favorite Zorky crooner, the one and only Sunny Eclipse. Let's head in.

Oh, my God, there he is, there he is, there he is. Thank you. He meditated, he danced it on a whiteboard He never did the numbers of the birds of the wild Oh, look, there's our man, yeah Thank you very much Hey, speaking of planets Donald Duck and Goofy were here a few minutes ago looking for Pluto. Man, are they a few million miles off or what? Did you know that a comet is a star with a tail?

Come to think of it, Mickey Mouse is a star with a tail too. Smart boy, eh? Sonny's got jokes. I love it. I don't want to give you the whole set, but you can go back and check out the whole set, because guess what? We definitely have an episode.

So go back and check that out. So let's see. 200 episodes. And I'm so happy to have been a part of the majority of them. I mean, producer behind the scenes for, I guess, all of them. Since the very beginning. But Jeremy coaxed me into

being in front of the mic, on the mic, with the mic. So it's honestly been some of the most fun I've had at theme parks in a very very long time.

So I'm always thankful that Jeremy gave me this opportunity and asked me to be a part of it because it seriously brings so much joy. I mean, between just walking around and recording and sharing with you guys, but then the editing, like, it's my favorite. I've found so much joy in just, you know, bringing all these sounds and these wonderful sounds and music and experiences with you guys and reliving them when I'm editing. It's just fantastic. Ah, Tomorrowland. It's such a massive space. If only there was some kind of a transportation device that could show us around the entirety of this massive land of tomorrow.

Wait a minute. There is. There is. Let's hop in line and get on that people mover. Shall we? Please step carefully onto the moving platform. Then step into the car. For your safety, remain seated at all times.

Put your feet up. Relax. Enjoy the ride. This is the TTA Blue Line. Non-stop service around Tomorrowland. Greetings, intergalactic travelers. Welcome aboard the People Mover, presented by Enterprise. I'm Morak Five, your guide aboard this highway in the sky,

and the absolute best way to see Tomorrowland. Like my stars, is there ever lots to see? From spacecraft to monster labs, there's really nothing like today in Tomorrowland. For your safety, if you have wings, jet packs, or gravity polarizers, please do not take flight while on board. The next station is Tomorrowland Urban Planning and Sword Traders. Transfer to Green and red lines. Don't worry, your express train keeps on rolling through the future, right by two of my favorite spots.

First up, Progress City. Walt Disney's amazing dream for a community of tomorrow. Did you know Progress City inspired Epcot? And a lot of the visionary ideas throughout Walt Disney World. Look, there's even a tiny people mover. I wonder if that means there's a tiny orac. Now to Progress City. On your right is Star Traders, home to the greatest goods in the galaxy. Except extra stars. Those are the longest.

Now approaching Tomorrowland Speedway and Tron Light Cycle Run. I love a good circuit, and these are two of the best tracks in the cosmos. This is Starboard 75, or as we local call it, Space Mer. Our high-speed rocket port to distant deep space destinations. Let relaxation wash over you like the most refreshing retreat in the galaxy. The four moons of Pisces 7. You've H20 into yourself, book today! Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow. Please contact Mr. Johnson at the control tower to confirm your flight to the moon. Thank you.

To your right is the Astro Orbiter, our celestial symbol of interplanetary harmony and fellowship. Hop aboard and launch high above Tomorrowland for a spin amongst the planets. Now approaching Tomorrowland Transit Authority Station. My fellow sentient lifeforms, our people-roover journey has nearly come full orbit. Thanks for riding with us. It's been a pleasure to have you aboard. And even though we're concluding, this is always my favorite part because now is the time.

Now is the best time to go out and explore tomorrow. Today. See you in the future. That's the good stuff right there. When I was a kid that song that's what that reference is in case you didn't know

that song, now is the time, now is the best time that was the song from the Carousel of Progress when I was a kid before they brought back the original version so in case you didn't know now you know one of my earliest Disney memories So, in case you didn't know, now you know. One of my earliest Disney memories is in Tomorrowland.

It was very rainy. I remember I was probably four or five. And I just remember it pouring rain. We got stuck in the rain. This was when we were new to Florida. And it was pouring. I was in my stroller. There was puddles. And I remember sloshing through the puddles.

My parents ended up just forgetting about the stroller and just carrying me. And we just left because it was such a horrible downpour. But I don't know. That's one of my earliest Disney memories is in Tomorrowland. Maybe that's another reason why it kind of holds that charm to me. Speaking of rain, wow, right on cue. It's raining. Just got off the people mover mover and it started to pour.

Typical Florida shower is just going to pass right over us in a couple minutes. But before I throw it to Rick over on the West Coast on this 200th episode, you'll be hearing from the crew throughout this episode and what this podcast has meant to us as well as some of our favorite memories. But we recently reached out to you guys, our amazing listeners, for some of your favorite memories and what these parks mean to you. So, let's hear from our travelers. Hello, travelers.

Eric Steinhauer coming to you from Sad Face, snowy New Hampshire instead of Animal Kingdom this time. I know I was told not to do one of these, but I'm going to do it anyways because Walk About the World is awesome. My two favorite episodes are probably the one hour of living with the land and the musical Walk About of World Showcase. Huge congratulations to everybody on the 200th episode. It's amazing. The best Disney podcast out there. Really makes you feel like you're in the parks when you can't be. And here's to 200 more. Thanks, guys and gals. What's up, Walkabout crew? This is Derek from Satisfactual Sign Coach. I just wanted to you guys, congrats, first of all, on hitting 200 episodes. That's awesome.

Keep it up. We love listening to you. I love listening to you while I'm working. Everything that you guys do and the time and effort you put into it aren't wasted. Thank you guys so much. Keep it up. Good morning, afternoon or evening travellers. My name is Rowan McMillan. I'm a Walkabout the World fan all the way from Scotland near Edinburgh. I've been going to Disney World since I was about six years old. And I found this podcast somewhere of last year as I was beginning to miss Disney World quite a bit

as I haven't been for a while. But I do have a trip booked now for this June. So this podcast has really helped me out for commuting to work, but also when I'm at work, I'll sometimes put an episode on to remind me I'm just a day closer. So it's a great big beautiful tomorrow at the end of every day. But thanks so much, you guys, for all your hard work and consistency in uploading to Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

And congratulations on 200 episodes. You guys have done incredible. And here's to the next 200 episodes and beyond. Hi, friends. I love listening to Walkabout podcast because I feel like it's just such a privilege to support some of my dear friends and other good people

who are just doing the things that they love at a place or rather places that mean just so much to us all. So in like a weird way, it's like we're all together hanging out even when we are far apart. So congratulations on your 200th episode and happy anniversary to Walkabout. Hey Walkabout crew, this is Christy. Thank you for the recordings of Disney's Zen when I can't be there in person. Some of my favorite Walkabout moments are Epcot water features, Hollywood Studios ambiance and music, and anytime you're all together, that's a lot of fun. Congratulations on 200 episodes and three years. Can't wait to see what's next.

Hey guys, it's Bill Zs, and I just wanted to say thank you for all the time and effort you put into this podcast and community every day, and especially the idea to give this shot three years ago. I love the casual hangout feel of the podcast and community that you have built on Instagram, and I appreciate the friendships that have come out of it, for sure. Here's to many more episodes, Instagram Lives, and hangouts in our future. See you soon in a great big beautiful tomorrow. Thank you so much everyone who sent in those awesome memories to share with us on this little podcast that we call Walk About the World. Appreciate everything that you guys do for us.

Listeners, patrons, all of the above. Thanks for coming with us every week. And I'm going to walk away from Tomorrowland, and I'm going to throw it over to Rick on the West Coast. Take it away, Rick. Well, thanks again, Josh, for that wonderful handoff. Your old friend Rick here in the beautiful, happiest place on Earth, Disneyland, California. You know, obviously, the show means so much to me.

But I also want to tell you a little bit of a story before we get into that. You know, Disneyland has been a very special place to me literally my whole life. As I stand up here at the train station here at Main Street, looking down on goofy, shaking hands and signing autographs and the wonderful automobiles and horseless carriages and omnibuses riding up and down Main Street, USA, I can't help but think about all the years that this place has been special to me. All the time I've spent here over my life. Some of my earliest memories, sometimes not even good ones, were right here on Main Street.

I can remember all the way back to when I was probably maybe two or three years old. Being here with my mother and my grandmother. And that very same Goofy that I'm staring at right now terrified me as a child. And he kind of stalked us after I went away screaming all the way up to the Carnation Cafe and just hung out outside the window staring at me while we were trying to eat dinner. And my mom and grandmother were trying to calm me down. I've spent my whole life here. You know, I proposed to my wife here at this park. It just means the world to me.

Every time I walk through these gates, underneath the train, hear that train whistle. Hear the chimes of the turnstiles. I'm just taken right back to being a kid again. This place makes me very happy. It's full of memories everywhere I go. Memories that were true and memories of what could have been too. That's part of what's so special about this place. And of course, you know, when I think about what this place means to me personally, it also comes back around to what this means to me personally to be sharing it with all of you. And I hope you appreciate and hear from all of us here at Walk About the World how much it means to us to be very unambitious, but still just sharing the joy of this place that we feel

with all of you. The other thing that means everything to me? This amazing podcast, this amazing crew. It's hard for me to imagine that just two years ago I was fortunate enough to just be a fan and a really good friend of Jeremy's. And as I was sitting here at a Christmas gathering with the family, enjoying the Golden Horseshoe, and I thought to myself, this would make an incredible episode of Walk About the World. So I pulled out my phone and I started recording.

And I messaged Jeremy. I said, I don't know if you want this but I just did this and he said absolutely thank you so much less than two weeks later I had the serious for channel Mike and I was a part of the crew and definitely that day had a huge impact on me and and again it was just about doing what I love enjoying the sights and sounds of the park sharing them with people that care just as much as we do. It means a ton to me to have this amazing crew of friends, truly all amazing individuals. And, of course, all of you listeners out there, you've been so supportive of our dream of having this super unambitious but thoroughly enjoyable podcast.

So just enjoying the amazing sounds that you get here at disneyland and walt disney world thanks so much for all our patreons for supporting us for all those of you who are not patreons we still love you you know it's not it's not just about money that's never been what we do this for we do this because we love this place really appreciate everything that you guys do and the kind words you say when you talk to us and interact with us on instagram and we are very engaged there so certainly if you are not already uh following us on instagram and interacting with us we are thrilled to talk with each and every one of you and if you have suggestions for the show we always

love that too i don't know what else to say other than this has been a wonderful wet day here at Disneyland, but this is exactly the way I love it. This is the best kind of Disneyland day. It's a soft day, as the Irish might say. And thanks again to each and every one of you. And Pete, it's your turn now. Hey, thanks, Optical Jedi Rick. I do appreciate that intro.

And yeah, so this is Pete, a.k.a. Neverland Local. And I am coming to you from Epcot. Now, some of you who know me may say, well, is Epcot Pete's favorite park? It's growing on me, but Epcot is one of those parks where I have core memories as a kid and my family coming down here and driving down from Chicago every spring break, every Easter break, and coming and enjoying the parks. And Epcot was a place that we always went, whether it was Horizons or World of Motion or Living with the Land

and actually at that time with the cast member on the land and that catchy tune that accompanies that ride it's just it brings me back to being

a kid. And I'm not saying that Magic Kingdom doesn't do the same, because it does. But there's just something about Epcot. And the music and the ambiance these days, even though it's different than back in the 80s and 90s, it brings me back to being a kid and enjoying vacations with my family and most of all my mom, who's no longer with us. But this park brings back those memories

and I wouldn't trade them for the world. It's hard to put into words when I come into this park and if I close my eyes, walking through all the model lists, walking in the front hub of Epcot and seeing Spaceship Earth and knowing that there's a ride inside that ball and uh just all the laughs and the fun and everything that we had as kids with my parents um yeah I just this park definitely sparks those memories. And it's truly magical. Not to be cliche, but it truly is. As far as the podcast itself, I enjoy being a part of Walkabout because walking around all the parks and hearing all the music, the nostalgia, and hoping that the ambiance that I bring to you makes it spark those memories in your brain as well. So that you'll have those for the rest of your life.

Because it only takes, whether it's a certain song, an attraction, ride through, or anything like that, to spark some old memories and maybe make some new ones. So that's why I enjoy being a part of Walkabout and as far as just a land or an attraction or anything like that

I think all of it the whole resort itself as a whole to me is my favorite part because I can go to these places and I feel like I'm hearing stuff for the first time

which is truly magical so I want to thank you for listening and following along and now I'm going to send it to my good friend,

Havoc Jedi, Michelle. Michelle, take it away. Thanks, Pete. I'm Michelle, coming to you from Tropical Hideaway at Disneyland. And I just wanted to kind of talk about some of my favorite Disneyland memories. I used to always come as a kid. Like, our whole entire family would come for birthdays or Christmas. And that was always really meaningful to me. As well as, I got engaged here. I've made, like, some lifelong friends here. It's

just a ton of good memories. But, I have one in particular that means quite a bit to me. So, before the Market House was a Starbucks, It was just a regular Disneyland coffee shop. And if you bought a coffee, they would do free refills, like, all day. And so my grandpa, knowing this, would rope drop the Market House, get his first cup of coffee, and then put his cup in his shirt pocket and go back all day like this coffee cup in his little shirt pocket would show up in all our family photos it he took it on all the rides like it was ridiculous but uh i always think about him

and that little tiny coffee cup that he wouldn't let go of so he could get his free refills all day long. And I try and keep that going a little bit, maybe not to the extreme of keeping the cup all day, but, because there's no more free refills, so what's the point? But I walk around Disneyland now, Sometimes when I'm recording Walkabout episodes, and I have his camera, and I have my coffee in hand, and it just brings a smile to my face that I could honor him in some sort of way as I'm doing this. Speaking of the podcast, I know I'm the new kid. It's my rookie season.

But I just want to say that before I was welcomed on as a host, I was an avid listener. I was a huge fan of the show. I mean, I listen to the Peep Mover, Carousel Progress on loop pretty regularly, as well as the 45-minute loop of Living with the Land. My absolute favorite episodes, that's for sure. But I just want to say about my fellow co-hosts that I really do look up to them, and everything that they were able to build with this podcast, I have so much respect and admiration for all of them and what they do.

They're really some of the best people. And I cannot say enough how great they are. That being said, I can't wait to bring you more of what I love about Disneyland. I'm really excited to show you guys some more stuff. There will probably be more duckies. Lots of duckies. That's just because that's who I am but

I just want to say thank you for the warm welcome and I really appreciate it so take it Jeremy as we wrap up this 200th episode and celebrate the third birthday of Walk About the World, I want to give kudos, as we always do, to the lovely people who support us on Patreon.com at the Beautiful Tomorrow level. And they are... Aaron Zeese, Brian E. Grant, Debbie Jabala, Derek at Satisfactual Sign Company, Eric Steinhauer,

John Hamilton, Meredith Izzo, Josh Nakano, Hannah Ginn, David Krause, Jessica Davis, Lindsay O'Connell, Courtney Otter,

and Carol Elise Moody. Thank you so much. It means a ton to us that you support us. And if you are listening and you would like to support Walk About the World, you can do so at patreon.com slash walkaboutwdw. I just want to say thank you again for being there, for listening, for interacting with us on Instagram at walkaboutwdw, for dropping us a line at contact at walkabouttheworld.com. Just having you guys there, being there, listening week in and week out means so much to us.

Our goal, if anything, is we just hope to bring some amount of positivity to the universe through Walkabout the World. If your month, if your day, if your hour at work is somehow made a little bit better, if your burdens are a little bit lighter and if you smile a little bit, then mission accomplished on our part. That's really the goal for the entire team. And lastly, one more time, I want to thank the team because for three years, we have averaged over an episode a week. And I have to tell you, that is not common. There's a lot of podcasts out there, and there's a lot of good ones, but consistency is sometimes hard to find. And that is because of the hard work, week in and week out, of the hosts here at Walk About the World.

And I just want to give you guys a clap. I'm not clapping because it would sound weird, but I just want to give you guys a clap. I'm not clapping because it would sound weird. But I just want to cheer for you here. Thank you for all your hard work. And as always, everybody, there is a great, big, beautiful tomorrow out there. I believe it. Hope you believe it. We will see you in one of those tomorrows on another episode of Walkabouttheworld.

Bye, everybody.