Your Guide to Disney Parks & Experiences

Hello Reader,

Hello, my friend, and happy Wednesday! I’m sorry it’s been a couple of weeks since my last note, and I hope you’ve been doing well. (Really, I do!)

I’ve missed catching up with you here. Life has been wonderfully crazy lately, with speaking, traveling, creating, and a fair amount of suitcase unpacking that probably should have just been suitcase repacking. I’m grateful for every bit of it, but I didn’t want another week to go by without saying hello and sharing a few things I think you’ll enjoy.

And yes, one of them is a Marvel movie I can almost guarantee you’ve NEVER seen. More on that in a second...

Three episodes to keep you company

Did you know Stan Lee loved Disney? My friend Brian Crosby from Marvel Studios joined me at D23 to share what it meant to Stan to see Marvel come to life in the Disney Parks. We also get into Iron Man, Groot, the childhood Peter Pan encounter Brian never forgot, and that Marvel movie you probably missed. Add two Disney and comic book nerds attempting a “55-second lightning round,” and you can probably guess how well we stuck to the clock. Come join our conversation.

An E-ticket experience without a ride? That’s how I felt after spending a day inside The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There are hidden details, connections to the park’s history, and wonderful opportunities to watch, learn, and create, plus a moment with Mulan I never saw coming. I also explain why I felt the need to apologize to Eric Goldberg for my Genie drawing. Step inside with me.

Sometimes the best Disney time machine is something you ate. Carly Caramanna and I explore The Unofficial Disney Parks Retro Cookbook, the restaurants and dishes we still miss, and why those memories are often about much more than the food. From the Adventurers Club to the Handwich, this one comes with plenty of nostalgia and a very real possibility of making you hungry. Pull up a chair.

And since Brian has me thinking about this, what is your favorite Marvel experience in a Disney Park? Hit reply and tell me, whether it’s an attraction, a character encounter, or a little moment that made you feel like you were part of the story.

A little life update, preferably with a snack

Recently, I had the opportunity to share The Disney Difference with a corporate team here in Orlando, then headed to New York City to speak at Podcast Movement about why podcasters need to “Stop Chasing Downloads and Start Building Community.” (Yes, that presentation was about YOU!) Getting to talk about the people behind the numbers, and what happens when you bring them together, means a lot to me. You’re the reason why I believe in it so strongly.

And yes, I ate (well!) while I was there. Pizza, pastrami, chicken cutlet sammie, ridiculously good sushi, a knish, and a BEC with SPK (IYKYK). I believe in making the most of my time in New York, particularly between meals.

Next up for me (I fly out in a few hours) is a corporate workshop in Connecticut, helping a team apply lessons from the Disney Parks to their own financial services businesses. Then I’m home for less than 12 hours before heading to New Hampshire for a conference, back for two days, and off on a Disney Wish media cruise for a Disney Believe reveal event! And YES I WILL be sharing a LOT from there, so watch my Instagram (@LouMongello) for posts and stories!

From the port when I return, I head straight to MCO to head back to New York City to cover New York Comic Con. I get home two days before hosting my four-day Momentum Weekend Workshop, now in its 10th year, which is both incredibly meaningful and a little hard to believe!

Then comes a virtual workshop presentation I'm giving, heading to Disneyland for our WDW Radio Haunts and Heroes events next month 🎟️ (a few tickets are still available for our Oogie Boogie Bash VIP experience and private, pre-opening breakfast in Avengers Campus! Thanks to Mouse Fan Travel for making this magic happen!), and then two more speaking engagements as soon as I get back. I have tentatively scheduled a nap for November 9.

I keep saying, “Exhaustion is a privilege,” and in this season of my life, I mean it with a very grateful heart. Getting to do work I love, meet wonderful people, and bring these experiences back to share with you is something I never take for granted.

If your company, team, or conference could use a little of The Disney Difference, you can learn about my keynotes and workshops at LouMongello.com/Speaking. I love helping people take what makes the Disney experience special and turn it into practical ideas for their own work.

Hopefully, I’ll see you tonight!

I’ll be going LIVE as usual tonight for our Wednesday evening visit. Keep an eye on Facebook and YouTube for an update, and hopefully we can catch up at our usual 7:30 p.m. ET!

Before I go, a heartfelt thank-you if you’ve picked up my new The Disney Interviews: Disney Legends Edition book. Having these conversations become a book you can hold, revisit, and share means more to me than I can say.

It’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, and if you’ve read it, I’d be grateful for an honest review. Sharing it with a Disney-loving friend would mean a great deal, too, and helps these stories find someone who might otherwise never discover them.

Thank you for letting me catch up with you, and for being part of the reason I get to do all of this. Whether you listen on your commute, spend Wednesday nights with me, come to an event, or simply take a few minutes to read these notes, I appreciate the time you choose to share with me.

And because I appreciate you so much (and for making it this far!), I teased something in the Clubhouse last night as I was waiting to see who noticed first... and no one did! So I'm telling YOU FIRST that I've been working long and late behind-the-scenes, and I'm excited to announce the launch the all-new WDW Radio web site! It's interface is not only improved, but it's easier and faster to navigate, with a lot of improvements on the front and back-end of the site (with even more to come!)! Check it out at WDWRadio.com, and please reply to this email and let me know what you think! (There still may be a few "gremlins" lurking about as I continue to test, so if you see something that doesn't work or look right, please reply to this email and let me know!)

I hope there’s something in your week that you’re looking forward to, and a little room to enjoy it when it arrives. I’m looking forward to bringing you along on these next adventures, with stories, discoveries, and probably more photographs of sandwiches than anyone reasonably needs.

Please remember to be kind, choose the good, and keep moving forward one step at a time. I love and appreciate you. Have an amazing day... and an even better tomorrow. 💙

- Lou Mongello