It is D23 week, and if you follow Disney at all, you already know the entire fan world is holding its breath waiting on the parks panel. Chip and I sat down the night before to put our predictions on the record, park by park, no hedging. If you are listening to this after the announcements dropped, go ahead and fact check us. Tell us where we nailed it and where we were completely nuts.

We start with the big picture. My expectation is that D23 is mostly going to be a weekend of updates rather than shocking new reveals. Expect names, details, and maybe some rough timeframes for Tropical Americas, Villains Land, Piston Peak, and Monsters Inc land, but not a lot that we did not already know was coming. Chip goes a different direction. His biggest prediction is hotels, including a new moderate and a DVC resort, and he calls his shot on exactly where that DVC resort is going near Epcot. We also get into Lakeshore Lodge, the complaints that it looks like a Marriott, and why adding rooms that are not DVC would actually help bring costs down for every family.

Two things I really got into. First, the Space Mountain rumors have been red hot for about a month now. Second, I go on a bit of a rant about the calls for a second Halloween party at Walt Disney World.

We close it out with Disney Cruise Line, and there is a lot going on!

Chapters

01:53 What D23 Is and Why the Parks Panel Matters

04:43 Chip’s Big Prediction: New Hotel Announcements

05:02 Illuminations, the Epcot Nighttime Show Problem, and a Drone Show

07:04 Where Chip Thinks a New DVC Resort Is Going

07:45 Lakeshore Lodge, Island Tower, and Why More Rooms Would Help Families

09:16 The Tower of Terror Hotel Pipe Dream

11:11 A Rapunzel Ride in Germany and the Figment Refurb Question

12:20 Updates, Not Surprises: Tropical Americas, Villains Land, and Piston Peak

13:13 The Space Mountain Overhaul and the PeopleMover Problem

14:33 A Full Tomorrowland Refresh and Disney’s Recent Show Flops

16:25 Villains Land Details, Opening Windows, and the Fantasyland Rumor

18:23 Hollywood Studios and the Skyliner Expansion Debate

19:59 Does Walt Disney World Need a Second Halloween Party?

22:29 Why the Free Candy Criticism Misses the Point

23:20 Animal Kingdom, Bluey, and the Avatar Problem

25:26 Disneyland: Zootopia, Marvel Land, and the IP Debate

29:35 Disney Cruise Line: Ship Shuffling and a Galveston Port

31:15 The Treasure Discount That Saved My Client $6,000

32:34 Breaking News: A Wreck It Ralph Attraction in Tokyo

33:28 Disney Springs, Level 99, and Splitsville

35:19 Final Predictions and Closing

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