his week on Dis After Dark, I'm joined by one of the nicest blokes in the theme park community, Ryan, co-host of the brilliant Theme Park Trader podcast.
Ryan steps into the hot seat to tackle ten questions designed to unlock his favourite Orlando memories, biggest opinions, and toughest choices. What follows is a bloody good chat full of nostalgia, laughs, plenty of beer talk, and a genuine love for everything that makes Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort so special.
From first trips and favourite places to controversial food opinions, extinct attractions and dream purchases, we cover it all. As always, the questions are just the beginning—the real fun comes from the stories, memories and inevitable tangents that follow.
1. The Orlando Origin Story
Let's start with your official stats: Cast your mind back to that very first trip—do you remember where you stayed, and how many times have you been back since to crush that initial visit?
2. The Core Memory Trigger
What is the very first specific sensory detail—a smell, a sound, or a view—that instantly makes you think, "I'm finally back in Orlando"?
3. The Hill to Die On
What is your most controversial, hill-to-die-on theme park food or drink opinion? (And yes... we'll absolutely judge you if it involves Turkey Legs.)
4. Permanent Residency
If Disney or Universal allowed you to live in any ride, land or resort permanently, rent-free, where would you move?
5. The Time Machine Button
You get one chance to bring back any extinct Orlando attraction for one final ride. What are you choosing?
6. The Shameless Guilty Pleasure
What's the attraction or show that everyone else seems to skip, but you refuse to miss on every single trip?
7. The Merch Confessional
What's the most ridiculous, oversized or overpriced piece of theme park merchandise you've ever bought... and where is it now?
8. The First-Timer Trap
If you could introduce someone to just one land or area in Orlando to completely blow their mind, where would you take them first?
9. The $500 Flash Challenge
You're handed a $500 gift card that must be spent in the next hour inside the parks or at Disney Springs/CityWalk. What are you buying?
10. The Perfect Nightcap
After the perfect park day, are you squeezing into the hub for fireworks, riding Hagrid's after dark, or relaxing with a quiet drink in a resort lounge?
And, of course, we finish with our rapid-fire Either/Or round, where Ryan has to make ten impossible Orlando choices with absolutely no sitting on the fence!
If you love Orlando, great conversations between friends, and hearing why certain moments, places and even beers become part of our holiday traditions, you're going to love this episode.
Grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy!
The 10 questions