WDW-Memories Podcast: Come Relive Your Walt Disney World Memories

Memory 094 - Flights of Wonder

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 33:44
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

We’re flying through spring and heading strong into Summer Vacation. While most people are planning trips, some of them maybe a trip to Walt Disney World, I am looking towards January for mine. Yep, that’s our Disney Cruise, but in the meantime all we do is wait and read up online about the cruise. This is the time that just seems to drag on. I know soon things will begin happening again though, so I look forward to that day. Meanwhile, lets get back to Walt Disney World and blaze a trail through the forests Disney’s Animal Kingdom to the back and catch a showing of the Flights of Wonder.

So how many of us are suckers for bird shows? I don’t know what it is about them but I love bird shows, or animal shows for that matter. And this is not just a bird show. As is always the case, Disney has figured out how to weave a storyline into a show and take it to the next level. I love the stage, you really feel like you’re sitting in an old ruin in the jungle. And the birds dive and swoop so low, you can’t help but feel like you’re in the middle of the show, instead of on the outside looking in.

Unfortunately when I was planning this memory, I didn’t leave much time for you to write in and tell me your favorites. There were a few likes on the Facebook page, and even one comment that said that they had never seen it, which I sadly think might be the case in general. A lot of people tend to skip this show, thinking they’ve seen a bird show before, so why go see another, and they’d be wrong. Like I’ve said, this show is different, and maybe I’ll share a video of this attraction in the near future that will help prove my point

In the meantime, we’re going to go back to 2006 on our anniversary trip. Today, my wife and I are joined by her parents for a day in the parks. They had come over from their home in Tampa, and we got them a night in the Animal Kingdom Lodge as an early Christmas gift. We’d gotten to the Animal Kingdom shortly after opening and raced back to ride Expedition Everest, then over to Kilimanjaro Safaris, and back to Everest. After that we’ve started making our way through Asia and came by just minutes before the next show, so this seemed like the perfect time to stop and watch. We’ll join our memory after already being let in and taking our seat. It’s only a few seconds before our show starts, so you won’t have to wait long before our first bird comes out.

Today’s memory is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we are amazed by some very exotic and amazing birds.

Memory 093 - Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 49:35
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So I don’t know about where you live, but here in Kentucky the weather has been about as perfect as you can get. It’s 70 degrees, clear blue skies, bright sunny days, and cool nights. Spring has finally arrived (of course so has allergy season). I know Orlando is much warmer right now, but I’d be lying if I said I’d wouldn’t rather be at Walt Disney World. And today we’re going to be visiting a memory of a newer show that is every boys dream. Today we get to watch cars zoom, fly, and blow up. Today we get to go back to Disney's Hollywood Studios and to visit Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.

So our request came in via that voicemail from Brandon in Memory 092. He requested both Stitch’s Great Escape and today’s memory. He also requested Doug Live which unfortunately I don’t have. But I do have memories to pull from of Lights, Motors, Action!

So I have to admit, I’m torn on this show. I’m a stunt show fan, and Indiana Jones is still my favorite stunt show of all time. This one is a great second, however there are times though I get a little bored. While I get that there is little about this show that can change, it unfortunately doesn’t have the rewatchability that Indi does to me. Maybe it’s just a little too cheezy, I don’t know, but it just doesn’t have that depth of story, or sets that you do just around the corner in the same park.

But that’s my opinion and I wanted to hear yours. So per usual, I sought out your memories of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show on social media and these are the responses I received:

On Facebook, Daniel wrote:

First attraction we seen on our very first wdw visit! My infant son at the time was completely amazed at the fast cars and the flames!! Must see for us!

Also from Facebook, Chris wrote:

I was lucky enough to see it before it officially opened back in May of '05. Fast cars, full scale stunts and a big ole' fireball! Can't wait for it. Took a video of it last time I was there but my camcorder couldn't handle the sounds. Looking forward to the great audio to go with it.

P.S. not a good idea to listen to the soundtrack while driving. Makes you want to do some reenactments

Great advice Chris, guys don’t listen and drive. Great memories also. I’d love to hear more of your memories so make sure you stop by our social media sites to share more.

So for Today’s memory, I had 2 to choose from, and well I’m going with our Anniversary recording from 2006. On this afternoon, Traci and I were joined by her parents in the Hollywood Studios (then Disney MGM Studios). We spent the morning in another park and have hopped over here for the afternoon, mostly so I could share this show with them, my father-in-law especially. We’ve arrived in the park and headed straight back to the back to catch the last showing of the day. As we get there, we’re ushered to some pretty good seats about 2/3rds the way up and just slightly off to the right. We’ll join this memory just as the First Assistant Director comes out and tells us just a little about the show and setting up the “shooting a movie” backstory. She’ll finish and we’ll get to listen to 5 minutes of music and crowd noise, and me blabbering on to my family about everything before our Assistant Director returns and the special family get’s to kick off the show.

Today’s memory is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we are amazed by tricks and choreographed acrobatics all done in a vehicle.

Memory 092 - Stitch's Great Escape! 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 36:58
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well hello from the home of the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion Louisville Cardinals. Yeah, that was some game the other night wasn’t it?! Now if only the Orioles could do the same thing in Baseball. But it’s the start of a long season, so we’ll just have to wait and to see how this plays out. In the mean time, there has to be some way to fill the time. Oh yeah, let’s maybe daydream about another Walt Disney World attraction. Today we’re going back to relive a memory we once visited before. Today we’re going back to Stitch’s Great Escape in the Magic Kingdom. Our request came from a voicemail from Brandon in Texas again.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking. “Didn’t he do Stitch's Great Escape! before?” and you’d be right. Back in 2006 I released a combined show of Extra TERRORestrial Alien Encounter and Stitch’s Great Escape as Memory 004. But I have no problems going back and redoing some earlier memories too that maybe were recorded on a previous recorder. Now I don’t have anything new to share for Alien Encounter, but I did get to revisit Stitch last summer. So we’ll have some new Audio to share.

Personally I like Stitch. I know, it tends to be a bit controversial, but I think that has to do with comparisons to what was there before. Alien Encounter was a phenomenal attraction, and Stitch tends to be a far more cartoony version of the same thing. But if you take it for what it is, Stitch’s Great Escape is a well done attraction featuring some of the best Audio Animatronics available. Combine that with Binaural sound, and special effects lighting in close quarters and you create a very immersive story.

But that’s my opinion. And as usual I wanted to hear yours. So I tossed it out on social media and got the following responses.

On Facebook, Frederick wrote:

This attraction receives a lot of criticism, but my youngest daughter loves it, and she tells me it's her favorite. Hearing my girls laugh so genuinely as Stitch addressed Cinderella warmed my heart. Personally, I think Gantu's comments throughout are what make the show hilarious.

Stacey also wrote on Facebook:

I remember when that attraction was called "Alien Encounter" or something to that effect. That ride was scary and made me cry back when I was a kid. Now? Even scarier. The smell of chili dog will NEVER leave my nose.

Bella wrote on Facebook:

The first time I went I was TERRIFIED!!! The speakers by your ears makes it seem like he is in one place than the other. I got over it though, thankfully!

Well put guys. Thank you for commenting. And as I’ve said before, these were just some of the comments. Just head to Facebook to see more of them and maybe share some of your own.

As I said earlier, today’s memory was from summer of 2012. It’s a warm June evening and I’ve finished my day at the TechEd convention and headed over to the Magic Kingdom to blow of a bit of steam. I’ve seen some other rides and just finished seeing the updated Hall of Presidents. As I exit the attraction I walk straight into the early showing of the Main Street Electrical Parade. I’ll pause here for a minute and make my way over to Tomorrowland via Fantasyland. We’ll join this memory as we’re making our way across the park and eventually to Tomorrowland. We’ll enter the holding area and just listen to the ambient sounds of Tomorrowland for 3 minutes till the doors open. We’ll be ushered in and the show will begin.

Today’s memory is in binaural and recorded with the new recorder, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we encounter again a strange little blue alien.

Memory 091 - Toy Story Midway Mania!

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 30:55
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s another cold and wet Spring morning here in Kentucky. While I could be downhearted because spring still seems to be a week away according to the weather reports, I’m not. The Louisville Cardinals are rolling in the NCAA tournament. And even more exciting, today we’re putting the down payment on our first Disney cruise. That’s right it’s going to happen, the whole family is getting together for my dad’s birthday at the end of January. We’ve decided on a 4-day cruise on the Magic through the Caribbean. We’re so excited. If you’re going to be cruising at that time, drop me a line. I’d love to meet up with you. But let’s get to the real reason you’re here today. We’re talking about Disney parks and reliving our favorite Disney World memories. Today we’re continuing a request from Mandy. She requested both Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Midway Mania, and today we’re going to get the second half of that request.

Mandy continued in her request:

Although I've only been on Toy Story Mania twice I loved it due to the fact Im a huge Toy Story fan and I couldn't get enough of the atmosphere and music.

So when I was heading to California for my brothers wedding a few years ago, I couldn’t wait to try to get to DCA to catch a ride on this new attraction. Sadly, I was a little disappointed. The graphics are beautiful, the games are fun, and the atmosphere is great, but the story is very weak in my mind. I was hopeful this summer that the the new land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be amazing and make up for the rides shortcomings. It was a major improvement over California, but it still suffers in my mind from being a videogame with an imposed time-limit. And in addition, the spinning for small children is uncomfortable. My first ride in California, I didn’t even get to play because I spent the entire ride holding my daughter from falling over and baning into the wall, at which point the attraction becomes completely nothing.

But I’m sure most of you wouldn’t agree with my assessment again, so of course I tossed the idea out on social media to see what everyone thought, and here’s what I heard from you:

On Facebook, Ian wrote:

This is such a cool ride! I love the theming in the queue line, the animatronic Mr Potato Head is awesome, and the game is great too.

Frederick also wrote on Facebook:

We were disappointed when it was being refurbished for our 2010 trip and we weren't able to see what all of the hype was about. However, in 2012, we rode it for the first time and we were not disappointed. It's really a fun ride and seeing Mr. Potato Head in the queue area is such a big part of the experience. I don't know when our next trip is, but I'm looking forward to riding it again!

And finally, I got an email in response to my post on Twitter with this story from Samantha. She wrote:

My favorite memory of the ride was the first time I took my parents on the attraction. We have done to Disney together every year since my Disney College Program in 2007 and the first time they road it was in 2009 I believe. My dad's a huge Toy Story fan. It's his absolute favorite. The entire ride we heard them yelling and and laughing and trying to beat each other and it's become a staple on our trips. We have to FP Toy Story Mania as soon as we walk through the gates to Hollywood Studios and they will never let anyone else ride with one of them. Winner normally gets a turkey leg or dole whip!

I will agree with all of you, the theming is awesome, and Mr. Potato Head is just fun to watch. But the game is just so-so in my mind.

So like I said before, the first time I rode it was in California. I did attempt to record the ride, but due to user error, I hadn’t recorded anything from the day. So when I was in Orlando last summer, I did manage to get the attraction recorded., and that’s the memory we’re going to listen to. It’s a rainy summer night and I’m hoping to catch one final ride before the park closes. I’ve been hiding from the thunder storms going on outside in the Great Movie Ride. My shoes are soaked, but I have electronic equipment that can’t get wet so I’ll slip on my poncho and make my way through the storm to the back of the park. As I arrive, they claim it’s a 40 minute wait, it was 10. I’ve heard on a recent WDW Today podcast that they do that to deter folks from trying to ride the end of the day instead of say closing the ride early. It worked. Anyways, I’ll slip into line, take my poncho back off and spend a few minutes in the que listening to Mr. Potato Head before it’s my turn to ride.

Today’s memory is in binaural and recorded with the new recorder, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we spin through another Toy Story adventure.

Memory 090 - Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 20:36
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So I’ve got some good news. We’ve started planning a Disney trip. And this is one that I have no experience with, so we’re enlisting some help from MouseFanTravel to help us plan a Disney Cruise. Yep, that’s right, we’re looking at taking a cruise. My dad is having a milestone birthday so the whole family is interested doing a cruise together. We’re looking at next January at this point, so plans are starting to come together and I for one can’t wait. We started watching some of the videos online and the kids got very excited to “go there”, but they had no concept of what we were talking about. It will be so much fun. I’m looking forward to seeing their faces as we enjoy this together, kind of like how I’m looking forward to seeing their faces on the attraction from today’s memory.

Today’s memory was requested by Mandy (the same one from Memory 053 - DINOSAUR). She sent me a message on Facebook asking for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. She went on to tell me about her favorite memory:

So I've been to WDW 5 times on holiday. The first 4 years I always came last out of my family, and my sister would always win being very competitive. However on our 5th year I went on just expecting the usual of coming last but I hit all the hidden targets as soon as I went on and was storming ahead and for once I had finally won. My sister wanted to go back to beat my score but never could it was great.

Mandy I can totally relate to family competition, which is kind of the reason I’m not a huge fan of this attraction. It’s a lot of fun, and I enjoy it, but I just don’t see the pull personally for it. I don’t think there is much depth to the environment. Personally, I think the Fronteirland Shooting Gallery has more theming. I say all this because I don’t have very many recordings of this attraction. I just hardly ever go on it.

But that’s my opinion, and I wanted to hear yours. So like usual, I tossed the request out to the social media sites and got the following responses.

On Facebook, Erika wrote:

My family looks forward to this ride every trip! We always have a competition between my mom, dad, little sister, and I to see who can get the highest score. We always have a blast on this ride no matter what we score. And we usually take a picture in front of the jail that Zurg is in in the gift shop afterwards.

Susan also wrote on Facebook:

I received my highest score ever on a recent visit!! The ride was stopped temporarily, perhaps for a guest in a wheelchair to transfer to a ride vehicle, and I took shameless advantage to rack up the points!

One more from Facebook, this one from Michael. He wrote:

I remember on one trip there was hardly a crowd at the magic kingdom and my wife and I went through this attraction 4 times in row! I love how this isn't a passive ride and gives you a chance to be a part of the action.

So yeah, I’m in the minority on this one I guess. That said, I do have a memory to share with you. Today we’re going back to the anniversary trip in 2006. Traci and I have arrived early in the morning of our first full day in the Magic Kingdom. We’ve walked into the park, stopped to listen to the Dapper Dan’s, and made our way toward Tomorrowland. After a quick ride on Space Mountain, we noticed the line was short for Buzz, so we got in line. Unfortunately they were having minor difficulties (as you’ll hear). We still only wait 5 minutes or so before we are loaded into our ride vehicle and we’re off.

Today’s memory is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we spin our way to Infinity and beyond!

Memory 089 - Main Street Philharmonic

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 26:54
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

As the winter days seem to draw on forever, I find myself drifting off to my happy place and dreaming of a trip to warm sunny Florida. I can escape this cold gray sky and feel the sun warming me as I stand on Main Street USA and listen as a smile envelopes you from the inside out. Since a Disney trip isn’t actually on the schedule yet, I will have to satisfy the escapist in me with virtual trips, such as through this podcast and A Window to the Magic.

So I was listening to WTTM #362 - AACB Music Appreciation and was taken back to my college band days. Now, we were never as good as the All American College Band, but we had some talented folks. I then realized that I never finished the other half of Christophers request. Remember in Memory 087 - Main Street, U.S.A. he said he’d love to hear a marching band too? Well today we’re going to hear one of the best in Walt Disney World. Actually, it might be the only one left in Walt Disney World since the Future Corps drum and bugle corp left years ago (go back to Memory 002 - The Future Corps to hear them again).

I love the Main Street Philharmonic. Again, the talent level is just awesome and they bring such a lighthearted attitude to music and entertainment that you can’t help but love them and their artistry. I’m a Tuba player myself, so I’m immediately drawn to big brass sounds, and these guys can do that, they can also do the more subdued and sweet sounds of a Disney ballad.

As always, I tossed the topic out to social media for your thoughts, but without enough time to get responses from everyone. That was my fault, but don’t let that stop you. Please stop by the social media links on the website and share your memories with all of us there.

Today’s memory is another favorite of mine. In December of 2006, Traci and I are in Walt Disney World for an anniversarry trip. We’ll start off on the day of our anniversary. We have dinner reservations at the California Grill in the Contemporary Resort. We’ve spent the day at Epcot enjoying all the holiday goodness and have ParkHopped over to the Magic Kingdom to kill time before our reservation. As we walk into the park, the Flag Retreat Ceremony is underway. We’ll join in the memory as Traci and I walk under the tressel and enter the circle where the Main Street Philharmonic are playing. We try a couple times to find a good spot, and end up pretty close to the show.

Our next memory is from 2 days later. Traci and I finally return to the Magic Kingdom for a full day in the park, and I make it a goal this time to catch an entire show of the Philharmonic. This time we head back up to the front of the park and stake out a spot. Suddenly you’ll hear the drums begin from somewhere and then the band marches in. The show is Christmas themed because of the season and still very fun.

Each of these memories is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we enjoy the talents of some great Disney World Musicians.

Memory 088 - Sounds Dangerous

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 25:03
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s that time of year again. Pitchers and Catchers are reporting to spring training, and this morning I’ve got my Orioles mug filled with coffee here beside me with hopes this year of getting past the Yankees this time and taking the pennant. Baseball to me is one of those wonderful escapes from the hectic pace of a regular day, where time slows down and you can relax and enjoy the sunshine and warmth for a few hours. But we all know another place that allows us to slow down and enjoy some sunshine and warmth right? Walt Disney World definitely comes to mind. But when you can’t be there, we are left with just our memories, but those can be very powerful to. Maybe today’s memory will fill you with warmth, especially if you’re still buried in 3 feet of snow.

Today’s memory is … well … a unique attraction. It was requested by Jason on our Facebook page. He wrote:

I would love to hear sounds dangerous! I loved sitting in the dark room listening to drew Carey play as a goofy detective! I hate tht this show got canceled in may of this year. If u could also include the short mini sound show in the sound rooms at the end of the attraction tht would b amazing! I love when u hear the hair cut scene! It really sounds like ur getting a haircut! And the the BIG CHEESE walks in and it's Mickey Mouse! I don't know if u have gotten requests for this or not but it would b great to hear this attraction...

Sounds Dangerous is quite the attraction. I personally like it (I know, there’s not much at Disney I don’t like). But think about it, I’m a binaural Podcaster. This show helps showcase what binaural sound can do with your mind and your memories. So this attraction has a direct link to this show in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, most of you don’t share our enthusiasim.

As always, I posted the request to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and got a bunch of responses, most of them saying they either didn’t like it, or it was always closed when they were there. I’m going to assume though that those that haven’t seen it would have liked it right?

Anyways, our clip today is from March of 2006. I’ve been fortunate enough to be traveling to Orlando for work. I left work today and ran over to the then Disney-MGM Studios for the evening. I remember it being a pleasant evening and I was already enjoying myself as I unwound from a long day of travel and work. I’ve headed up Hollywood Boulevard to the Echo Lake area and made the turn past the Superstar Television Theater and over to the ABC Sound Studio. The park is a little crowded, but you haven’t had to wait for more than one cycle of this show in a while so I join the small crowd that’s gathered and wait for the doors to open. We’ll join our memory as I’m walking into the room and taking my seat. You can hear the crowd around me, most everyone is laughing and having a good time. I’ll take my seat, put on my headphones over my microphones and we’re set.

After the movie lets out, we’ll jump to a few minutes later as I enter one of the Soundsation Booths in the post show area. I have the booth to myself, I push the button on the wall and follow the instructions from there as we’re treated to a second binaural sound experience.

Memory 087 - Main Street, U.S.A.

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 42:37
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well things got derailed here this yesterday. I was supposed to record this podcast first thing in the morning, but that didn’t happen because I had to go to the basement for shelter because of tornado warnings in Louisville. Really? In January? Thankfully everything was fine, and it looks like most of Louisville came out untouched, but still delayed my recording time. Often when you’re lying around just waiting for the all clear, it’s nice to escape with a happy memory, and I can think of no better place to escape to that Walt Disney World.

Today’s memory was request from Christopher. He emailed me back in June of 2012 saying:

[I] enjoy [those] podcast where you get to just listen to an area outside of the attractions, like walking around the different lands. But do you have any audio of walking up to the castle and into fantasyland. There is just something magical about the sounds, the music while walking up that sidewalk towards the castle, and the sounds coming from fantasyland as you get closer. So if you have any sound clips like that I would certainly love to hear them and if there is any live music that better( including marching bands).

Christopher, it’s amazing. I’ve been receiving many emails about just listening to the back ground music as you wander around the parks. This type of request I can totaly understand. They bring back such strong memories for me, and aparently for you all to. Just listen to a couple of stories I got from Social Media when I posted the topic for this memory.

On Facebook, Lisa wrote:

When my daughter was almost 3, we took her on her first trip to WDW. To prepare her, we ordered the vacation planning VHS tape and she watched it every day. One of the scenes was someone walking on Main St singing, 'I'm walking right down the middle of Main St USA". Yep! That's what she did in all her 2 year old singing glory - sang that walking down Main St to the castle.

Also on Facebook, Doug wrote:

For me, it was a trip with my kids during a really uncrowded time. We were there at rope-drop and walked into town square and onto main street with almost no one else in sight. For just a moment it was like the Kingdom was ours alone. A wonderful memory!

These were only two of the many great stories shared with me. If you’d like to read more of them, head over to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest to find more great stories just like these. I’m sorry I couldn’t share all of them with you, we would have never gotten to our show. And maybe while you’re there, you could also share your favorite memory with all of us too.

So for today’s memory, I’m going to just play some audio from a couple of our trips as we walk into the Magic Kingdom. We’ll have some audio from our anniversary trip in 2006 as Traci and I are walking into the Magic Kingdom. We visited the park a couple times on this trip, so we’ll get to hear a couple of strolls up Main Street U.S.A. I’ll also include some audio from our night in January 2007 where Traci and I got to visit the parks just a couple days into the New Year. Traci had a convention at the Contemporary, so we slipped over to the park to have a bit of fun. We’ll return to the Magic Kingdom again in September 2010, this time with my whole Family for Susie’s first trip to Walt Disney World. And we’ll finish off the show with one final memory from June of 2012 for Mikey’s first trip to Walt Disney World.

Each of these memories is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Memory 086 - Tarzan Rocks!

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Audio **
Time: 1:07:12
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s another cold winters morning here in Kentucky. My Redskins are eliminated from the playoffs. The Orioles are still a month away from Pitchers and Catchers Reporting. And the buzz of March Madness is still a distant hum at this point. So what is a sports fan to do? Talk about Disney of course! Today is chance for us to relive an attraction that is lost. Today we visit Tarzan Rocks!, a former stage show that played daily in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

As always, this podcast started with a request, and this one came in another voicemail from Brandon. Let’s listen to that request: <Voicemail Here>

Thanks again Brandon for calling in and making this request. I’ve been waiting a long time to share this one, and was about to just release it on my own. I’m so glad someone requested it. I used to LOVE this show, and I thought it a great loss when they replaced it. For those that never got a chance to see it, this was basically a rock concert. There is a live band with 3 singers. They add some dancers and “monkeys” for visual effect. The whole thing is pulled together with visits by Tarzan, Jane, and Terk. The Monkeys are the cool factor. They do all sorts of extreme sports on the stage, from swinging from the rigging to flying and flips while on rollerblades. It was a very high energy show that was lost in January 2006 when it closed to make room for Finding Nemo the Musical.

As always, I tossed this request out to the social media sites, and got only one other memory. Most folks don’t remember this show, or never saw it, but Dennis did. He wrote on Facebook:

I loved the very beginning with the band and the monkey skaters flying all around. It was always very cool. Of course my wife always loved when Tarzan swings on to stage. She would always commit on his six pack. That's ok Jane wasn't hard on the eyes either. Always loved the energy of the show.

As you can tell I loved and miss this show. As a casual bass player, I really loved the band and the quality of their performances every time. The monkeys were always exciting. And when Tarzan and Jane come swinging in on the vine, the show just hits a new level. The final sing along with Terk just drives home the fun factor, and there is just no way you walk out of there without a bounce in your step.

Today, we’re going to relive this memory two times. While the show is essentially the same, there are a couple of differences. The vocalists changed, and I believe the lead guitarist was also. Either way, this show is too good not to listen to twice. Both recordings are in stereo. Our first recording is from a family trip in December of 2000. My family and I were there for the day, and started our day off in the Animal Kingdom. We’ve done a couple of attractions already and are contemplating Park Hopping over to The Disney-MGM Studios, but we catch this show for the first time before leaving, and boy are we glad we did. Our second memory is from August 2001. I’m in Walt Disney World for my convention, and what better way to spend a free afternoon and evening than in the parks. I’ve made it there in time to catch one of the last showings and find a seat where I can see. There was always room near the front, so I got a prime location where I could see and hear everything.

Memory 085 - Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Audio **
Time: 29:10
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

First off I want to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas, and also a Happy New Year! I’m sorry I had to take a bit of time off. As you know from a lot of my podcasts, my anniversary is at the beginning of December. Then there’s Christmas, and to add to the whole chaos, I have just been promoted to management in the office and am taking on a large number of new responsibilities. But now that things have started to settle down, I’m glad to report that I’m back and the show will return to normal once again. So let’s get to it shall we?

I’d like to now mention all those who are watching me right now. Yes you heard right, watching. I’m trying something out and would love to hear your feedback. If you’re interested in a bit of the behind the scenes into the WDW-Memories Podcast, I’ve begun using Google+’s Hangout to broadcast while I’m recording the intro and outro’s for each episode. These videos are later available on our YouTube chanel if you don’t feel like getting up at 5:30AM Eastern US time to join me, so don’t worry. If you’d like to know when I’m recording, make sure you follow the WDW-Memories Google+ Page, and I’ll try to update scheduled events there as I’m planning.

Ok, housecleaning done, let’s get down to the real reason you’re listening. Today’s memory is a good one, and one that seems to be very popular. We’re going to return to the movie attraction Honey, I Shrunk the Audience in Epcot.

As always, I wanted to find out from you the listeners what you thought of this great attraction and you didn’t dissapoint. I’m going to have to limit the responses to just two this time.

On facebook, Ian wrote:

I used to go every time i visited WDW and even though it was a little old, i loved watching for the audience reaction to the dog sneezinig

and also from Facebook, Michael wrote:

This was one of the first attractions that my wife and I visited in Epcot on out Honeymoon ( my first of many trips to WDW)
Like I said, I have only chosen my two favorite responses. If you would like to read more, swing by my social media pages which can be found on the WDW-Memories website. Now let’s get down to the Memory.

Today’s Walt Disney World Memory is from 2001. I’m actually at the parks all by myself for a convention. I’ve slipped out for a bit of fun in the parks after my meetings and found myself in Epcot for the evening. I’ve been having fun and decide it’s time to get out of the summer in Florida heat, and head for cooler spaces. We’ll join this memory as I’m walking into the pre-show area. I’ve received my glasses, and begin moving my way towards the front of the room. We’re treated to a the “True Colors” slideshow, and will be shortly ushered into the main theater where we get to enjoy the real attraction.

Memory 084 - Holiday Wishes From 'Ohana At Disney's Polynesian Resort

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Video **
Time: 17:25
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

For those of you watching on YouTube for the first time, welcome. WDW-Memories is a bi-weekly podcast that takes you into the parks virtually through your headphones using Binaural audio, and helps you relive some of your favorite Walt Disney World memories. Come check us out at WDW-Memories.net for more information. For those of you who are downloading this video for our annual Christmas video, I hope it is worth it.

Over the years, I’ve heard many debates about being able to hear the music when you’re at ‘Ohana, especially the Holiday Wishes version. We’ll I figure I’ll put that debate to rest. It’s 2006, and Traci and I were planning to finish up our trip to Walt Disney World with an evening at the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but it was raining, and I mean a lot. They announced that most everything was going to be canceled so Traci and I talked to Guest Services and they graciously gave us some tickets to return to the park at another time. We decided to try and take our reservation at ‘Ohana for dinner that we missed earlier and got in just fine. About half way through our dinner, the lights dimmed and the music came up. I clamored for the video camera and quickly began to record. Unfortunately we’re not in the front row, but after a bit the kids in front of us will settle down and we’ll be able to see just fine.

Memory 083 - Turtle Talk with Crush

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 47:20
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So I don’t know about you but I’m pumped for Christmas. I just feel like “Ok, Thanksgiving is done, time to turn on the Christmas music”. I also start reflecting to a time when Traci and I were about to take a trip to Walt Disney World, just the two of us, for a whole week. All the planning, all the research, and all the excitement were building to what was going to be a great anniversary trip. It turned out to be a great trip, one filled with many memories, memories such as catching Turtle Talk with Crush for the first time with my wife. Then later, we built more memories of this attraction with first visits for my family, my daughter, and then this summer was my son’s.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s first hear (yes, I said hear) our request from Brandon in Texas.

Thank you Brandon for calling in. We’ll be hearing more from Brandon over the next few weeks. And as usual, I tossed the topic out to Social Media to see if anyone else had a great story to share of Turtle Talk, and here are just some of those responses.

On Facebook Eryka wrote:

Eryka Justine Bray I love this! I like to go in and just watch and listen to all of the kids who are amazed that they are actually talking to him. I remember one time we went, Crush asked a little boy what his favorite food was. The little boy said "Turtle Soup". Crush got this funny look on his face and the whole room laughed. It's amazing what little kids can come up with. I love this attraction and can't wait to hear the audio!

And also on Facebook, Laura wrote:

Laura Noker i think every time i've been there a kid has asked crush if he knows the teenage mutant ninja turtles. apparently it's a question to which everyone must know the answer. (i think it's generally no, by the way)

Great stories, and again, there are more. Just go visit our social media pages to read these and other stories submitted by more listeners like you. In the mean time, let’s get down to reliving another great Walt Disney World Memory.

As I was talking about earlier, I’ve seen this show many times, so I’ve got different versions to choose from, so I’ve elected to choose my two favorite. We’ll start off today with a memory from our Anniversary trip in 2006. It’s early December and Traci and I are just starting our 5 day vacation at Epcot. Our day is just beginning and we wanted to catch one of my favorite newer attractions. Remember I’d been traveling to Orlando by myself for a few months so I was able to scout out some great things to do for our vacation, and this was high on my list. So Traci and I wait our turn in line, back when you used to wait in the middle of the old Sea Base floor. Eventually we’re let in, and are treated to something magical.

The second memory I’m choosing is from this summer. It’s June 2012, and my family and I are joined by my father, brother and his family, and sister and her family. We’ve had a great day running around the Magic Kingdom in the morning and then Epcot in the evening. There are a few of the group who have never been to Walt Disney World, so we wanted to make sure we saw one of the most magical attractions in the park.

Memory 082 - The Hall of Presidents 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 28:08
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

One week ago, the United States of America practiced a fundamental principle and exercised our right to vote for our new President. As it turns out, we selected our old President for one more term. The results of great tradition is what we are here to relive today. Our memory for today is The Hall of Presidents Attraction at Magic Kingdom® Park.

The request for today’s memory came from Dan in Michigan. He wrote to me in an email:

My entire family and myself and some friends are planning a return to WDW in june of 2013. I was wondering do you have the updated version of the hall of Presidents with [President] Obama?

Well Dan, your timing couldn’t be much better. As I originally scheduled the podcasts, I hadn’t even realized that this one fell one week after the Election here in the United States. It was just a perfect match for us. And because it’s such a popular topic, I actually got quite a bit of feedback from folks that follow us in Social Media. Here are some of my favorite comments:

Dennis wrote on Facebook:

I love the attraction now and appreciate the history that it tells and the presentation of all the presidents. Now when I was a kid this attraction sacred me more than the haunted mansion. When the president would start to move it always creeped me out not sure why maybe it's because they looked so real. Now when we go back each year I make sure my girls see this attraction each time it's like a a cliff note version of American history 101.

I’ve got another one from Facebook, this time from Frederick. He wrote:

I think it is a good attraction, and I'm glad it's staying the same for now. I was really surprised at how interested my kids were to see it this past August. We actually fit it in before lunch on our first full day because my 8yo asked several times when we were going to see Obama.

And I’ll wrap it up with another one from Facebook, this time from Laura. She wrote:

I used to find this attraction really boring when I was younger, mostly because I didn't really understand what the Presidents were talking about at the time! However, after realizing I wanted to read American Studies at University next year, I now watch this show with new found interest and find it amazing how the Presidents look so incredibly real. I also like how the attraction is an escape from the relentless Florida heat! In our trip in December, we will be sure to make a visit there and see the American Presidents in all their glory once again.

So as you can see, this is a very powerful attraction and one probably not to be missed. It may sound boring, but the renewed sense of pride in America is undeniable. For the longest time though, I had not visited this attraction, and I regretted it once I got back this summer.

Some of you may remember Memory 034 - The Hall of Presidents from November of 2009. At that point, I hadn’t been back to The Hall of Presidents for a few years so I hadn’t had the opportunity to catch President Barack Obama’s speech with the updated theme. So when my trip this summer was coming up, I made it a point to catch this great attraction once again.

Let me set this memory up for you. It’s June of 2012, so as you can imagine, it’s hot. I’ve spent my day at the convention in downtown Orlando, and slipped away in the evening for some fun in the Magic Kingdom. After getting into the Magic Kingdom, I’ve done a few rides, but still haven’t had time for dinner. My Touring Plan had me scheduled to catch The Hall of Presidents, but when I arrived I discovered the next show wasn’t for another 20 minutes, so I went to find food. I grabbed a sweet potato and corn from the nearby market and ate outside while I waited for the next show. I ended up taking a little too long and got to the front door just as they were starting the next show. They let me duck under the rope and I sat down just as they announced the next show.

Memory 081 - JAMMitors

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Mono Audio **
** Binaural Audio **
Time: 16:16
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So yesterday as I was leaving work the internet blew up with news of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilms. I know, it’s major and it probably things in the future. Maybe it even opens the door to the “Disney-Lucas Hollywood Studios” in the future, but today it doesn’t change our memories of our trips to Walt Disney World, and that’s what this podcast is about. So let’s get to a real memory of a a great streetmosphere show at Epcot.

As you wander around Future World, you often forget that there is more to see here than just the attractions. The pavilions are great, but this is Disney and there is often more to see than just attractions. If you time it right by consulting the show times guide, visiting those websites, or by pure luck, you might catch the Epcot Trash Collectors known as the JAMMitors taking their break and leading you in a little fun.

So today’s memory was requested in a post on our Facebook page by Brian. He simply listed (amongst other items) that he wanted to hear the JAMMitors.

I again posted on the social media sites that I was going to feature this attraction in today’s memory and I got the following comments.

On Facebook, Bella wrote:

Oh my gosh, I absolutely LOVE the Jammitors! They are so interesting to watch/listen to. Can't wait to listen!!

And that was it. It’s mostly my fault for not posting it sooner so most of you could see and comment. But I also blame the Disney Lucas signing for taking over the internet news feeds. Oh well, thanks Bella for digging through it all and commenting. I too love the JAMMitors. My original interaction with them was purely by luck. On a trip with a buddy of mine, we stumbled onto their show in the breezeway and loved it. Mostly because it’s magical, the way you feel after the show. It’s like a 5 minute version of Stomp, all done within feet off you. And then they give you stickers.

Since that first encounter, I always check the times guide to see when and where they might appear so I can time my trip through Future World to overlap one of their shows. And today’s Memories are the results of this planning.

Today we’re going to visit 2 memories (mostly because they are just so short). The first one is from one of my original recordings back in 1998. It’s a Monaural recording that I’ve edited to sound almost like stereo. It was a bright August morning and I’ve been in the parks by myself. I had been working for the Disney Store and had a free pass to the parks, so I came over for the day for a bit of fun, and decided to try out this recording idea I had. I picked up my times guide and staked out my spot early in the breezeway to wait for the JAMMitors to arrive. And as the show began, the crowd joined in around me for the fun and laughter that follows this group.

Our second memory is from our Anniversary trip in 2006. Traci and I are having fun on our second day in Epcot. We’ve started our morning with a couple of attractions in the Wonders of Life Pavilion, heading over to the Mexico Pavilion, and purposely came back here just to see these guys. We get there just as they’re starting their break. We quickly grab the cameras and watch as the show envelops everyone around.

Memory 080 - Walt Disney World Transportation Buses

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 1:28:57
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s another early morning. I’ve got my Baltimore Orioles mug of coffee and a laptop and I’m ready to begin putting together our next memory. Sadly the O’s have been knocked out of the postseason, and so have the Nationals and Reds, so I don’t have much of a vested interest in what’s left of the Baseball Postseason other than someone beat the Yankees. Of course by the time this goes out, maybe Detroit will have completed my request. Here’s hoping.

In the meantime, let’s talk about something that helps us escape from all our troubles, and that is vacationing in the best place in the world, Walt Disney World. Today’s request is a different one. First off, it came from Facebook, and secondly it’s not your traditional attraction. Today, we’re going to get to ride on the Walt Disney World Buses.

So Joey simply wrote on our Facebook page:
“I think you should do the Buses...”
And immediately Laura responded with a quick comment:
i love the buses :) i have the ride from the magic kingdom to the wilderness lodge almost memorized... which now that i think about it is kind of sad haha

And per usual I tossed the idea out to the social media world and got a lot of responses. Here are only three of my favorites:

Chris wrote on Facebook:
i love the buses. my wife has a fond memory of one driver working the Carribean Beach resort loop. he had a thick Island accent. "Trinadad North-Trinadad North". i wasn't there but still makes me smile. Trips later at night are great too, especially when you get a trainee and supervisor. always friendly and a pleasure to chat with.

Dennis wrote on Facebook
I remember one late night leaving EPCOT heading back to the Wilderness Lodge. There were several cranky little ones on board. The driver who could have just drove us to the resort started singing Disney tunes. And within a few short minutes crying turned to singing and laughter. I think we could have got into the record book as the world's largest traveling choir. Everyone was singing it was a perfect way to end the day. Everyone thanked the driver as we left the bus saying how wonderful he was.

And Susan wrote on Facebook:
Christmas day returning to my resort everyone was singing Christmas carols.
And I must give a quick nod to Frederick. He wrote a very funny story on the Facebook page which you’ll just have to go read. And feel free to share your favorite stories with us while you’re there.

Personally, I love the buses. I know, people complain about crowding, and yes a rental car is easier. But there is something much more relaxing about not having to drive, not having to worry about your keys, and not having to find your car at the end of the night. And often times as the stories above showed, the bus drivers will spread the magic just a little bit, making this an attraction unto itself.

I guess we should get down to business here. Today we’re going to take two trips on the Walt Disney World buses. We’ll start out with a memory from our free day at Walt Disney World I tell you about in Memory 037. We’ve finished dinner at the Garden Grove and we’ll be taking the bus from the front of the Swan Hotel over to the Ticket and Transportation Center outside the Magic Kingdom. We’ll join that memory just as we’re loading on to our bus and being whisked away. We’ll then take the return trip back to the Swan Hotel. We’ve just finished a loop around the Magic Kingdom Monorail Resorts, seeing all the Christmas Holiday decorations. We’ll again join in as we load onto the bus. As we’re pulling away, we’ll spot the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom, and we get to show Susie (who is two at the time) and she loves them.

Our second memory is from this June while I was at my conference in Orlando that I talk about in Memory 072. I was trying to use the system to my advantage and had my shuttle drop me off at the Magic Kingdom and took the bus from the Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Hollywood Studios so we’ll ride along as I’m heading over to my first visit to Star Wars Weekends. Then we’ll catch the reverse trip back from the Studios back to the Magic Kingdom.

Memory 079 - Mad Tea Party (aka The Teacups)

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 11:53
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So how many of the Walt Disney World attractions have you done? Alright, maybe it’s easier to ask, how many have you not done? Well as of June my list of missing attractions got one shorter, and because of that, I finally have this audio memory I can share with you. Today we’re going to catch a ride on the teacups, or more formally known as the Mad Tea Party in the Magic Kingdom.

This memory was first requested by Alex back in April of this year. Alex wrote:

“...Can you do a podcast on The Mad Tea Party? I like that ride especially when you go early morning when the park opens and your one of very few people in the teacups. :) I would only really like the music of the full duration of the ride and the part when Alice comes on and says all of the safety instructions.”

As always, I tossed the podcast idea out to the social media world to see if there were other great memories people had of riding the Mad Tea Party. This time on Facebook, we heard from two new people. First, Alisha wrote:

That was the first ride my dad took me on and one of my daughter's favorite rides (my parents also went with us- 3 generations on the side ride)

And then Tina wrote:

took our son for the first time last year and he rode it 4 times loved it

I had to confess to Alex (and now to you), but at the time, I had never been on the Teacups. I’ve been BY them many a time on my way between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, but never actually stopped by to catch a ride on this classic attraction. There’s a part of me that was afraid I might get sick, but also that most of my family would DEFINITELY get sick, so it’s never really been an option.

Thankfully, when my trip to Orlando came up in June, I was pretty sure I was going to be able to spend some time in the Magic Kingdom by myself, and that would definitely lend itself to a ride on this classic attraction. So I programmed my choice attractions in my custom Lines itinerary to make sure I would not miss it.

I arrived in the evening and caught a few rides around the park. As the sun went down, the lights came up and the park revealed it’s magic. I caught Wishes from my favorite place to watch them (on the bridge to Tomorrowland) and as it ended I was pretty easily able to slip back into Tomorrowland and around to the Teacups. The wait was almost nothing. We’ll join this memory as I’m walking up to the ride and getting into line. We’ll wait our turn, and then we’re on.

Memory 078 - Finding Nemo - The Musical

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 46:58
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So as you know, I’m the father of two children. Susie who is about to turn five, and Mikey who is almost two. Until becoming a father though, I don’t think I ever fully understood the story of Finding Nemo. If one of my children were lost, I too would swim the entire ocean to find them. So when I relistened to the memory today in preparation for this podcast, it really hit me. Finding Nemo – The Musical is a very powerful and emotional show, with strong themes and deep emotion, more so than any other stage show in Walt Disney World. It really draws you in and makes you feel the pain and later elation, all while entertaining everyone from every age.

Obviously, today’s request is for Finding Nemo – The Musical. And it came to us again from Mike, the same one that request Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Memory 075. He wrote about this show:

I first saw the Finding Nemo musical with my wife on a much more recent trip to WDW. It was 2007 and I've been wanting to see the Tarzan Rocks show but we found out it had been replaced by the Finding Nemo show. We didn't know if we would like it because it was a new show back then and didn't hear anything on it but we figured what the hey and and saw the show and were both amazed by the end of it! I feel that out of all the musical shows in WDW, this one is the best!

As always, I tossed out to the various social media sites to see what other listeners thought of this great attraction. Here’s some of the best ones:

On Facebook, Daniel wrote:

We didn't watch this show till our third trip to [Disney World], and I feel like we missed out!! Very well performed, almost as good as the movie itself. Highly recommend.

Also on Facebook, Michelle wrote:

I'm not a fan of Animal Kingdom so I seldom visit the park, but I cried the first time I saw this beautiful show and now I make it a point to see it every time I'm at WDW. As many times as I've seen it, the puppets and music blow me away every time!

Here’s another one from Facebook, from Frederick this time. He wrote:

Saw this for the first time ever just a few weeks ago, and I'm glad I didn't miss it again. It was an inspiring production. The theatre also provided excellent shelter when a strong thunderstorm rolled in.

And one final one from Facebook. This one from Adam, he wrote:

One of the sort of hidden secrets of the Animal Kingdom, missed it the first couple of times there and finally decided to go in and loved every minute of it

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts and stories. I too was sad to see Tarzan Rocks! show go, but never fear we’ll get to revisit that memory at a later date due to a recent request. In the meantime, Finding Nemo – The Musical is no slouch. But sadly, I’ve only seen this show one time, and it wasn’t on my most recent trip. I unfortunately didn’t make it over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this summer, so we’ll just have to rely on the audio from a previous trip. For today’s memory we’re returning to that anniversary trip in December of 2006.

Now the timeframe is kind of important for this memory. You see, the show opened for previews in November 2006, and didn’t officially begin operation till January of 2007. So this memory is technically from the previews. I don’t believe the show has changed much if any since then, so your memory should still match this one.

So as I was saying, it’s December of 2006. Traci and I are joined today by her parents, and we’ve been having fun this morning in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We’ve done the new Expedition Everest a couple times, been on Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition, and seen the Flights of Wonder. I’ve heard other people’s recordings of this show, so I know it’s going to be good. So the family and I head over to Dinoland U.S.A. and get into the show with little to no problems as the park is not very crowded in the beginning of December. We arrived about 10 minutes before the show starts, and the theater is pretty full. We were forced to the far right wall, near the back half of the theater. Doesn’t matter though, because there are no real bad views of this show. We’ll join up with this memory as we’ve taken our seats and Traci and I are discussing what we want to show her parents. This is their first time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and we’re also going to Park Hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for their first visit their later today. The show announcements are made, we settle into our seats, and it begins.

Memory 077 - Space Mountain 3

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 12:48
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World (and in today's case, Disneyland) Memories when you can't actually be there.

Fall is approaching, my Orioles are still in the hunt for a Baseball Pennant, the Redskins are opening their season this weekend, and I'm enjoying a 3 day work week. What could be better right? Well how about riding a favorite attraction in our favorite place on earth? And there aren’t many better attractions that Space Mountain. In fact, this will be the third time we get to ride this attraction.

Now the reason we’re coming back for another ride on this attraction is because of an email Chris sent me back October of last year. He wrote:

Hey Lou, I obviously know that your podcast is about WDW. But I thought it would be interesting to hear the differences between the attractions at DL and WDW, So I was wondering if you've ever thought of doing just that with a podcast differing two of the same attraction.

We emailed back and forth and based on my library, he selected Space Mountain as the attraction we would compare.

Now I won’t be replaying the previous Memories from Walt Disney World, but if you want you can listen to Memory 025 where we ride Space Mountain in it’s “quiet” form. Or if you prefer, you can listen to Memory 066 where we get to ride this time with the music and sound effects added. Instead today we’re going to catch a ride on the Disneyland version.

Again, since we’ve already visited this attraction, I couldn’t just ask what people remember of Space Mountain. So instead, I wanted to hear from folks which one they liked better. Here’s what people said:

Chad wrote on Facebook:

I say WDW. Single-file seating adds to the feel of a space rocket.

And Chris wrote on Facebook:

i have to admit, the spaceship at DL is an awesome piece of art. but the "games" in the line at WDW are cool too, even though i've never waited in line long enough to try them... as for the ride, the seats on the DL ride are definatly smaller (being 6' 4") and i feel like the tracks were way too close to my head for comfort! Not to mention that i could see them coming because its brighter. My vote is in favor of WDW.

Good points all. Stay tuned after the memory to hear my thoughts on which is better, but for now let’s get on the ride.

Our memory today is from our trip to California in June 2010. We are in California for my brothers wedding and a short vacation also, so of course we had to come to Disneyland. We have a great day so far, but the big kids need their turn for some fun. While Traci and my dad watch the little ones (Traci was pregnant with Mikey at the time so she couldn’t ride) the rest of us slip away for a quick ride on Space Mountain. We’ll join this memory as the group is nearing the loading area. We’re divided up into rows and loaded into our spaceship and we’re ready.

Memory 076 - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio, Stereo Audio **
Time: 46:19
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So about two weeks ago I went with some of our friends to Kings Island, an amusement park outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Now I grew up going to the sister park, Kings Dominion in Virginia, so I was looking forward to comparing this park to that. Instead, Traci and I would find ourselves comparing it to Walt Disney World. Attractions were just simply attractions, without the build up or theming that you find a Disney park. Themed buildings were just very simply done, where stores and sponsors logos dominated the building taking away from any aesthetic. And shows, well let’s just say they looked like the people in them almost didn’t care.

That can definitely not be said about today’s memory. In this show, if you are checked out or don’t care, someone could be seriously hurt or worse. I’m of course talking about the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is a marvel of timing and precision. The music accompaniment is of course steller. And the lighting and effects easily transport you to a place where you swear you’re watching the movie unfold right before your eyes.

As usual, we received a request for this Memory via email from Mike. He wrote:

I first saw the Indiana Jones stunt show as a kid in the early 1990s. I remembered being very excited to see this show because I loved the Indiana Jones movies. Although my mom had to explain to me that wasn't Harrison Ford getting chased by a mammoth ball. This made me upset because I really wanted his autograph to go into my autograph book! Nonetheless I still enjoyed watching Indiana avoiding the traps, fighting it out with the bad guys, and feeling the heat from the huge fireballs. On every trip back to Hollywood Studios (I still call it MGM haha) I always make sure that the show is one of the attractions I experience.

As usual I tossed it out to you the listener for any of your memories or thoughts of this show and got these responses.

On Facebook, Daniel wrote:

Being a huge fan of Indiana Jones, I couldn't wait to see this show on our first trip and it didn't let me down. The stunts and the special effects were great!! A must see at Hollywood Studios.

Great suggestion and story Mike, and you too Daniel. I too have a favorite memory I have to share. You see, I was picked one time to actually be in the show. Sadly I wasn’t thinking and took my recorder OFF and handed it to my family before going on stage. Now the mike would have been under my smock because I didn’t have my binaural microphones yet, but still would have been cool to share. For now, stay tuned after the memory, and I’ll recount what I can remember from being in the show.

Now, today’s memory is going to have to be spliced together from two trips in 2006. Most of this final audio will be from our Anniversary trip in 2006, but I’m having to splice in a solo trip from a trip in 2000, because the audio from our anniversary trip is partially corrupted from my hard drive crash I talk about in Memory 18a. So I’ll be splicing in the first scene from the March 2006 trip, but unfortunately this audio is just in stereo. So we’ll start the memory as the participant selection is just starting. Traci and I, and her parents (who had joined us for the day) are seated and listen to the selection going on. As the selection finishes we’ll switch over to our stereo memory from 2000. We’ll stay with that memory, and as the extras are introduced while they are switching to the Cairo Marketplace, we’ll join back into our binaural memory from December of 2006 once again.

Memory 075 - Walt Disney: One Man's Dream

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 37:19
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

I still can’t believe how much I got to experience over my last trip. I hope everyone enjoyed the trip report shows and the special audio I included in them. Today though is a return to normal. We’re going to get back to our traditional listener request format and feature audio you wanted to hear. So let’s get to it shall we? Today we’ll spend some time in Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Today’s request was from long time listener Brendan. In his email from November 2011 he wrote:

I wanted to know if you had a recording of one mans dream in Hollywood studios. I love it cause it's the inspiring story of walt Disney and his struggles in his life.

As always I tossed the request out on our social media sites and got the following responses.

On Facebook, Dennis wrote:

I was born the year after Walt Disney passed away but still feel like I grew up with him being here. I remember the first time I went through one man's dream it was it was cool looking at Walt's office then the section where it talks about
his death so sad. I stood there getting joked up reading about a man who had died before I was alive but yet it felt as though I was reading about a dear friend. Someone that I never met or spoke to but had brought so much happiness joy and great memories to me throughout my life. Then to see the models of things to come. His legacy of making magic and memories still going strong. Thanks Mr. Disney for everything.

And on Google+, Disney Professional Internships wrote:

I have two memories. 1) I remember when it opened and you went from the black-n-white side to the color side. that was cool. 2) When I worked at the Studios, I would take my trainee's through to give them a great overview on company history, impact, and size. Most of them had no idea how large Disney truly is

Thanks all for your responses. I too think it’s an amazing attraction. Up until this recent trip I didn’t have much audio to speak of so I had to put this request aside until I was able to visit this attraction. But as you might remember from my trip report in Memory 072 - June 2012 Trip Report (Part 1) and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror I was able to visit this attraction.

We’re going to begin this memory on a warm Sunday afternoon in June 2012. It’s the last day of Star Wars Weekends, and I have only been in the parks for a few hours. I just finished lunch, and had a close encounter with a small droid, and am now making my way up Mickey Avenue. This is where we’ll join this memory. As I walk in, I check for the time till the next movie, and the cast member at the door doesn’t have that info available, so I go ahead on in. Shortly after I get in, you’ll hear the announcement for the next movie to begin in 10 minutes, so I decide to wander around the displays, trying to take some photographs, and maybe tweet a little. Then they call the next movie and I head back to get a seat in the relatively empty theater.

Some things I remember. In addition to the regular displays of Walt’s Office, the Multiplane Camera, and Walt’s Announcement of the Orlando Project, there is a display there of the new Fantasyland that just looks awesome. I couldn’t even tell you all the details I saw. There were also a model of the new Little Mermaid attraction. I can’t wait for these to become reality here in Walt Disney World. The other thing I remember is the movie. While it is a great movie and a wonderful documentary with audio of Walt himself interspersed with pictures and movies of the man through the years, I was saddened by the state of the theater. Particularly, you can hear what sounds like a blown speaker. I hope that they fix that, since they’re trying to pay tribute to the man who started it all.

Memory 074 - June 2012 Trip Report (Part 3) and Dumbo

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 42:33
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Today’s again going to be a departure from our normal Request and Memory show. Today we’re going to do a trip report from my trip last month in June. This trip was over 4 days, the first three of which were in the evenings or before my convention in Orlando, and the 4th was with the whole family. I’ve broken this report up into 3 consecutive episodes which I have released on 3 consecutive weeks. And today, we’re going to be wrapping up the trip report with day 4 with the whole family at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Then we will finish this podcast with a ride on the Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Now for those of you unfamiliar with how I like to do trip reports, listen up. I will be doing a lot of talking, but listen closely to the audio behind me as I’ll be trying to intersperse what I’m talking about with little clips of stuff from that moment. Then at the end of the report, I’ll include a special memory from that time period to continue sharing my memories with all of you with each podcast. Don’t forget, all of these clips will be in binaural.

Memory 073 - June 2012 Trip Report (Part 2) and Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 48:18
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Today’s again going to be a departure from our normal Request and Memory show. Today we’re going to do a trip report from my trip last month in June. This trip was over 4 days, the first three of which were in the evenings or before my convention in Orlando, and the 4th was with the whole family. So I’m going to break this trip report up into 3 consecutive episodes which I’ll release on 3 consecutive weeks. That’s right, instead of every other week, I’m going to put these out on a special weekly schedule. And today, we’re going to be continuing the trip report with day two at the Magic Kingdom, and day three at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, since they were just evenings after my meetings were done. Then we will finish this podcast with a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority or TTA.

Memory 072 - June 2012 Trip Report (Part 1) and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 42:12
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So today’s going to be a departure from our normal Request and Memory show. Today we’re going to do a Trip Report from my trip last month in June. This trip was 4 days spread out over the course of a week, the first three of which were in the evenings or before my convention in Orlando, and the fourth was with the whole family. So I’m going to break this trip report up into three consecutive episodes which I’ll release on three consecutive weeks. That’s right, instead of every other week, I’m going to put these out on a special weekly schedule. And today will be the first part of this trip report, day one at the Disney Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.

Memory 071 - Star Tours 2 (Or Is It 1)

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Audio, Binaural Audio **
Time: 35:14
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s good to be home. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my 15 days in Florida, but sleeping in hotels or beds, or just beds that aren’t your own can really wear on you after a while. But I’m back in Kentucky now and glad to be back with you recording from my studio. But the good part about a vacation in Florida is trips to our favorite place Walt Disney World. And I got to spend quite a bit of free time at the parks and I’ve got some great audio. But today isn’t about my recent trips but is about a time now lost. Today we’re going BACK to Star Tours the original ride.

So last week I threw together a quick podcast with my first ride on the revamped Star Tours ride. It was a blast and I really like how the recording came out, but I also wanted to share with you some of my memories of the original attraction.

As always, this memory was requested by some of you the listeners. First, Michelle emailed me:

Do you have a recording from Star Tours by any chance? I was apart of the college program and I served as an operations member on the old ride and I absolutely love (and miss!) all the old spiels, sounds and music from the ride. I loved Rex and even the beginning spiel with the lady with the funny looking hair even though I literally listened to it about a million times a day when I worked there. I've been on the new ride just once and it was fun, but nothing will ever compare to the original.

I also received an email from Brendan, requesting the new attraction though, but he really highlighted why he liked it better:

I was wondering if you could possibly make a video or recording of the new star tours and I think it'd be really cool if you had multiple podcasts for all the missions that you do that were recently created. The reason I love this attraction is because I'm a huge Star Wars fan.when the ride first opened it was great.but I got a little tired of doing the same thing over and over especially with a droid that wasn't from the original Star Wars. Now in the new version they have C3PO as the pilot more crowd interaction and other places that you can go to.

As always, I tossed the memory idea out on the social media world to see what everyone else thought of these attractions and I got the following responses:

On Facebook, Frederick said:

I haven't ridden the new version yet, but I'm looking forward to riding it for the first time in August. Star Wars has been my favorite movie since I was 7 years old, but I thought the original ride was good but not great. I'm hoping this version will meet my expectations. I've always loved the queue! Thanks for sharing all of your memories.

I love this. I really enjoy the conversation we’ve got going here on these great versions of this attraction. Michelle, Brendan, and Frederick thank you for commenting and writing in. I’m going to love reliving these old memories with you. And yes, I did say memories. Because I’ve got the luxury of time since I’ve only got to revisit the old version, I think we’ll catch two rides on Star Tours, just for fun. So let’s begin, shall we?

Our first memory will take us back to 2001. I’m in Walt Disney World for a FileMaker DevCon (it’s a technology I used to work with) and every afternoon and evening I slipped away and went to the parks. Today I’m the then Disney MGM Studios. It’s a very hot summer day, but that doesn’t sway me as I’m sure it wouldn’t sway you either. I’ve only been in the parks for a little while now, but I’ve had lots of fun. As we join this memory, I’m just walking up to the attraction queue area. You’ll hear the ATAT walker firing its cannons, shooting that cool mist down on us. Our time in the queue area isn’t that long as the lines for Star Tours have already started to lessen as the attraction seems to be slipping in popularity. We’ll be at the boarding gate in no time and then off on our adventure.

The next memory will take us back to 2006 while I’m in the parks by myself. I was down in Orlando for work, and as I said before, my evenings were always in the parks. It’s a beautiful spring evening, and we’ll join up as I’m walking into the queue area again. We’ll again make it to the loading area pretty quickly and then onto our Star Speeder 3000.

Now, memory one is in stereo, but memory two is in binaural. Either way, I would suggest that you put your headphones on now.

Memory 070 - Star Tours

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 37:48
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So for those of you not following me on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, you may not know I've been in Orlando for the past couple of days at the time of this recording. Actually, the day that this memory releases, if all goes as planned I should be in the Magic Kingdom. So this is a real good time for me. Don't forget though, if you want to follow me, I do still plan on tweeting a bit while I'm in the parks maybe at some poin this next week too, so keep checking it out.

Today however is going to be a little departure from the norm. I'm still doing a memory, however it's a recent one. Like 5 days ago. Right now as I'm recording in my hotel room, it's Monday night. I'm doing this a little quick and dirty, but I wanted to make sure you had something cool to hear for Memory 070, so that's why I thought I'd do my first ride on the new Star Tours.

So let's set the stage and give you a bit of a trip report from my half day. I land in Orland around 1PM, take a cab to my hotel, but now I have to wait for my pre-arranged shuttle to the Magic Kingdom. You see, my shuttle only offers specific return times, and if I want to stay past the exact hour the park closes, to say see Fantasmic, I'll need to get a shuttle from the latest park, which happens to be the Magic Kingdom. So I take the shuttle to the Magic Kingdom, then catch Disney Transportation to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Then I'm into the park.

It's a busy warm June day and I'm following my custom Touring Plan, hoping I'll be able to hit all the attractions. I pick up a FastPass for Tower of Terror and then head to Star Tours. The predicted wait time is almost dead on. We'll join up with the memory as I'm in line. I won't make you just wait with me outside since there's really not much to hear, so we'll join up as things begin to get a little more interesting.

Let me caveat this by saying, this is my first attraction with the new recorder, so I haven't found the sweet spot for the levels yet. So sadly, the audio distorts a little bit like 3 or four times. I am adjusting it throughout the ride and I think I've found that good level now, so hopefully that's behind us.

Now, this attraction was requested by both Brendan and Michelle, so here you go guys. Also, the audio is in Binaural, so headphones on.

Memory 069 - Journey Into Imagination With Figment

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio, Stereo Audio **
Time: 30:57
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Wow, my trip is almost here. A week from the release of this podcast I’ll be packing up and heading to Orlando for my convention. That first week I’ll be tied up there, but like I said I hope to slip over to the parks in the evenings or before the convention begins. I have a friend who works for Disney and with his help, I hope to see some things at the parks. At the end of the convention, my wife and kids and extended family will arrive and we’re planning to do a day together at the Magic Kingdom. This should be a blast as we’ll have a couple of the group who have never been to Walt Disney World including two little ones under two. I’m so looking forward to this. Maybe you have some ideas of what we should do to help keep the kids happy and cool throughout the day, just email me or post on one of our many social media sites. After that, we’re all going to head to the beach for an extended vacation. I’m still trying to convince the wife, but we may come back over to the parks for one more day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which I think the kids will love, but that ones not set in stone yet. I’ve made dining reservations just in case though, a good Junior Woodchuck is always prepared. So as you can tell, I’m pretty excited. I’m going to try and utilize my social media accounts while in the parks, so keep an eye on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook between June 10 and 24. And as for the podcast that should be released on the 15th, I’ll have something. Who knows, maybe I’ll record it live in the park and just release that. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Now on to our regularly scheduled podcast. Our request for today’s podcast came from Amanda in Barcelona, Spain. She originally just wrote in saying she wanted to hear Imagination, plus some of the other great Epcot attractions. I’ll just sum up her emails as saying, she has many memories of spending time there at Epcot as she grew up in the Orlando area, everything from eating in World Showcase before Prom, to drinks in the UK every Friday after turning 21. The requests for Imagination though was just a nostalgic one.

As always I tossed the idea out to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and got the following responses:

On Twitter, Steve wrote:

not a big fan of figment.

And on Facebook the sentiments were many and similar to Steves. But here are my favorites:

Laura Said:

i was about to ask about that one!!! i can't completely remember the old one, but i know i liked it better. mostly because of the first time we rode the new one i think. when i was younger i hated loud noises and when figment turns into a skunk there is definitely a loud noise, no matter what my family says. so while everyone else on the ride covered their nose, i put my hands over my ears. i will never live that one down... regardless, i like this choice :)

And Dennis said:

I can remember as a kid my parents along me then EPCOT Center and me being bored with almost everything except journey into Imagination. I'd go around of the day singing the song.

So sadly I don’t have the original ride recording available today, which is what everyone wants. I know I have some video clips somewhere that I can maybe work into a useable podcast someday, but that will have to wait for now. Today though, I do have the Second and Third incarnations of the Imagination attraction.

So let’s start off by traveling back to December of 2000. My family and I have made our annual pilgramage to Florida for the Christmas Holiday, and have taken a day to slip over to Walt Disney World for some fun in the parks. We started off in Animal Kingdom, jumped to the Disney MGM Studios and now are in Epcot for a bit before we finish up in the Magic Kingdom. It’s a long day for sure, but if you only do it once in a while, you have to make the most of it right? Anyways, it’s late afternoon and we’re looking for a relaxing ride with no line, and this attraction fits that description perfectly. We’ll join up with this memory as the cars begin to pull away from the loading area and we’re off to Joney Into YOUR Imagination With Figment.

Our second memory is from December of 2006, the Anniversary trip. It’s the last hours of our trip. We’ve got a little bit of time before our flight in the afternoon so we decide to spend it in Epcot since there are still things we haven’t seen, even after almost 2 full days in that park. We didn’t get there very early, but as most of this trip has been, there are still no crowds. We head straight over to the Journey Into Imagination With Figment, and of course there’s no wait. This is where we’ll join our second memory, as we walk down the queue, taking a bit of time to look at some of the details and doors as we walk. Then we’re loaded in and off on another adventure.

Our first Memory is in stereo, but the second one is actually in Binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on now.

Memory 068 - The Liberty Square Riverboat

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 29:15
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So the pieces are coming together for my trip to Orlando. I have my ticket down purchased, we have plans to be in the park one day with the whole family, and if things go well I will spend a couple evening after the conference in the parks, or at least at the resorts. And what I’d love to hear is would anyone be interested in meeting up sometime between June 10-14? Just email me or call the voicemail line and let me know if you’ll be down there and we can maybe coordinate a get together of some sort.

Now on to the real reason you’re listening. Our request for today’s show came from and email from Michael. He wrote:

I've been collecting WDW attraction audio for quite some time, but after recently having my computer wiped out I've lost some of my favorite tracks. One of those, and I especially enjoyed listening to it while out in my boat or kayak, was a trip around he Rivers of America onboard the Liberty Belle...

Michael as it turns out, I do have that audio. It’s not source audio, but I think it’s better. It’s in Binaural and it’s live recorded from the parks, which will put you right there.

And as I usually do, I tossed the question out to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ seeking input from you the listeners, and I got the following responses:

On Facebook, Lisa wrote:

It's a quiet escape from the rush of the Magic Kingdom. And, as my parent aged, it was an attraction that we could all do together and wanted to!

Dan wrote:

I have no real memories of that attraction but I would love to hear it and have it stored in my collection.

And Joey wote:

I love it, second favorite, my first is the tomorrow land speedway

As I said before, this memory is in Binaural, so headphones on. For this memory, we’re going back to December of 2006 on our anniversary trip. Traci and I have been enjoying our trip, but it’s coming to a close. This is our last day and we’re spending it in the Magic Kingdom. We’ve already had lots of fun in the parks today and we’re looking for a bit of relaxation. Now, I don’t remember ever riding the Riverboat before, so this is a new attraction for me. We’re going to jump into the memory as Traci and I are walking through the loading dock and onto the boat. As we’re waiting to get underway, Traci and do a bit of wandering around looking at plaques, checking out the different views, and really just getting to know the boat. We settle on a spot at the bow of the boat and take a seat on a bench. As the boat gets underway, we’ll move around a bit trying to take in all the views.

Memory 067 - The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 12:19
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

As the days click forward towards my trip to Florida, I can’t help remembering all the fun times I had at the parks with the family. Especially all the fun times as Susie got to experience things for the first time. Now it’s going to be Mikey’s turn, and I just wonder what he’ll love. Will he be afraid of Mickey? What will he think of Beverly? Will he be a thrill ride junkie? I guess I’ll just have to wait to find that one out, but a good way to tell is to see how they do on the attraction in today’s memory. Today we’re going to catch a ride on The Barnstormer.

Today’s Memory was requested by Cameron. He originally wanted to request a video of the attraction, which sadly I don’t have. So we’re going to have to use your memories to provide the video, and I’ll provide the audio.

And as I usually do, I tossed the question out to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ seeking input from you the listeners, and I got the following responses:

On Facebook, Daniel wrote:

On our first trip to WDW, we rode this with my then 5 year old little boy. It was his first "roller coaster" ride, and I think I enjoyed it as much as he did!

And Frederick wrote:

We rode this for the first time in 2010. We've never been able to fit it in previously. We waited in line for a good 20 minutes, rode it, and when it rolled to a stop, I thought, "It's already over?"

So most of you know or have heard about the renovations taking place in Fantasyland/Mickey’s ToonTown. Now I haven’t been back to the Magic Kingdom since they began and The Barnstormer opened back up, so today’s memory won’t feature any of the new sounds from Storybook Circus.

In fact today’s memory is from January 2007 and is in Binaural, so headphones on. Traci and I have returned to the Walt Disney World Resort as Traci has a conference at the Contemporary Resort. After checking in and registering, we drop our stuff in the room and head to the parks for some evening/nighttime fun. It’s now later in the evening, and we’ve been enjoying wandering around the park not doing much but soaking things in. Remember, we just did a week of fun in the parks just weeks earlier for our anniversary, so we weren’t feeling the need to run from attraction to attraction. We wander back to The Barnstormer (since it was an attraction we didn’t get to see last time) and pretty much walk straight on. We’ll slip into this memory as Traci and I are wandering through the queue area making our way up to the loading zone. We chose to ride in the back of the train, so we have to wait one extra cycle for our turn. Then we load in and we’re off.

Memory 066 - Space Mountain 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 19:50
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

As I woke up this morning, I realized “I’ve got to release a podcast in a couple of days”. And because I have only a couple of days to record the intro and edit down the audio, I didn’t get a chance to post on all the social media websites soliciting comments like normal. For that, I want to apologize to all of you. That said, today we’re actually revisiting a previous memory. Today we’re going to go back and re-ride Space Mountain.

Our request today came from Dan who wrote on the facebook page:
...How about the music as you walk through the Space Mountain Que?

Well Dan, I only have a little more of the audio from the queue that I haven’t already released. As I said, this is a revisit of an earlier memory. Back in 2008 we got to ride Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain in Memory 025 which was a memory from my 2006 trip. In 2009 Space Mountain was closed and refurbished, adding audio to the ride. So when we went back to the parks in 2010, I had to see the changes for myself.

So it’s September 2010. Traci, Susie, and I were joined by my dad and sister for a day at the parks. In the evening, I wanted to catch a ride on some of those refurbished attractions, so we split up for a couple of hours. My sister and I caught Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion while Traci and my dad took Susie to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. We’ll be joining this memory as my sister and I are walking through Tomorrowland towards Space Mountain. We have fast passes from earlier in the day that we are going to use, so sorry Dan we don’t spend too much time in the tunnels area either, although the lines are short to begin with. You’ll hear us discussing briefly the Lines app by TouringPlans.com (no they are not a sponsor, but I can’t recommend them highly enough). We’ll only spend a second in tunnels because there is no line for either side. You’ll hear me explain to my sister some of the changes that have been done and what to expect. Realise though, all my knowledge is from reading blogs or listening to other podcasts, and this is my first time experiencing these changes too. We wait in the switchback area for a few minutes, and then it’s our turn.

Memory 065 - Wandering Around The Magic Kingdom

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 26:08
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well I goofed. For those of you not following on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, I discovered at the last minute that the memory I was going to post for 65 was Carousel of Progress. That sounds fine, except I realized as I was setting up the release information that I posted this memory for Memory 022. So I figured I’ll have to come up with something else, and I’ve kind of had this one sitting in my back pocket for a while and figure I can do it whenever I need something.

Actually it’s based on a request from Denise. She said in an email from 2009:

Something else I was thinking about. One of my favorite things to do is just walk around listening to the background music. Especially Main St and Adventure Land (love them drums) and in Hollywood Studios. Maybe you could just walk around, telling everyone where you are and just listen the atmosphere.

Now as you may have realized, as I do my intro’s and outro’s each week, there is audio as if you’re there in the park. Well I think it’s about time I let it shine on it’s own. Today, we’re going to start with the Magic Kingdom. I’ve got a few clips I can choose from so we’ll just have to see what we get here.

Memory 064 - Spaceship Earth 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 30:46
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

I know they say it’s spring, but it sure doesn’t feel like it to me. These warm days make me think fondly of wandering around Walt Disney World on a warm Summer Vacation. I’d much wrather actually be there, but since I can’t, it seems like a good time for another Walt Disney World Memory, and today’s is a revisit of an all-time great one.

Today we’re going back to Spaceship Earth, and today’s request is a special one. It’s our first Voicemail.

*You'll have to listen to the podcast to hear the voicemail, sorry.*

Thanks Jeff for calling in and using our voicemail line to make your request. It’s great to hear your voices, since you all always get to hear mine. Jeff, when you first called that voicemail in August of 2010, I hadn’t yet gone on the latest version. But just the next month, I was able to ride the latest version with Dame Judy Dench.

Since I’ve already done the previous version (see Memory 003) with Jeremy Irons, it’s only fair that I revisit the attraction for this new version. And for all those who have asked if I have the original Walter Cronkite version, sadly I don’t believe I have enough to make it worth it. Remember, I only use audio that I recorded in the parks, none of my stuff is source audio, and because I’ve only been recording since 1998, that’s going to leave me without some of those classic attractions that are now gone.

As always I tossed the idea out to Twitter, Google+, and Facebook and got the following responses from you the listeners.

On Google+ Mark wrote:

I have two favorite memories:
1) The futuristic city model at the top of the ride (was this the concept for EPCOT?)
2) The awesome concept displays after the ride ie. The Lean Machine!

and Timothy wrote:

Having done this ride a few times over the years we decided to select a different language than english to enjoy the ride. Pick one that you have no background in and listen to see if you can make out what is being discussed. Kind of fun if you like pushing yourself a little.

And on facebook Allison wrote:

We love this, especially the starry sky,awesome!

and Chris wrote:

love the soundtrack! use it to fall asleep almost every night.

and Dan wrote:

Wow, I have so many memories on this attraction, from the first naration to the current one. I would love to hear this one,go for it.

As I believe I’ve stated before, I LOVED Jeremy Irons, and I’m not such a fan of Dame Judy Dench. The AA’s are amazing, but I just don’t like the “Return to Earth”. But all that’s neither here-nor-there. Today we’re going to relive a memory that... well let’s just say it’s not one of my prouder daddy moments.

It’s September 2010, and my family has just arrived at Epcot (in fact, you can hear most of the ride over on the Monorail in Memory 062 - Walt Disney World Monorails). We’ve entered the park, and in just the short walk from the monorail to Spaceship Earth, Susie has fallen asleep. I figured that she would probably transfer to my shoulder and sleep through the dark attraction, but sadly I was mistaken as you’ll hear. Don’t worry, she settles down, and rested quietly on my shoulder, but hindsight is always 20/20. Anyways, we’ll join the memory as we’re walking up to Spaceship Earth. We’ll wake Susie up and head inside for a ride through the attraction. I’ll stay with the memory for a few minutes after we get off and are wandering around the area after the attraction, and you’ll get to hear my Sister, Dad, Traci, and I discuss this attraction and all the new displays you can see.

Memory 063 - Mission: Space

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 25:38
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Ok, so it’s official. I’m heading to Orlando in June. Yes it’s for a convention at the Orange County Convention Center, but I can’t travel that far and not see the parks. So I will figure out a way to make it there, even if it’s for a day or just an evening. Maybe I’ll even plan a time to meet up with any of you who might be there at the same time, but no official plans yet. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

Anyways, this really has nothing to do with today’s memory. Today, we’re going to relive one of those polarizing attractions again, Mission: Space. I say polarizing because I know people love to hate this attraction because it replace the beloved Horizons. I think Dan said it best in a tweet when he said “noooooooooooooooooooo, That took over for the best attraction in WDW...” I agree with Dan, but I won’t go so far as to protest Mission: Space. It’s a pretty good ride in it’s own right. I LOVED Horizons, don’t get me wrong, but I am sadly coming to grips with the understanding that things must evolve to keep from getting stale. I just wish it wasn’t this attraction that was destroyed. That said, at least Mission: Space isn’t so bad. I love the background music as you approach the attraction, the feeling of the initial G forces as you “take off”, and the feeling of weightlessness as you “leave the Earth’s atmosphere”.

Originally the request came in from Scott back in 2010 for this attraction and Test Track which we did back on Memory 050. I later got a similar email from Cameron just simply requesting it. As always though, I wanted to hear from more of you, so again I tossed it out on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, and I got some great responses. You already heard what Dan said on Twitter. Frederick responded on facebook by saying:

“After riding it in 2003, Mission: Space was the first WDW ride which made me say, "never again". I was glad when they came up with the Green and Orange Versions, because now I can enjoy the ride without the hangover afterwards...“

And finally Julie responded with a great story, which if you can go to Facebook and read the whole thing. I’ll just summarize it by saying, she loved it and her parents weren’t such big fans. However, you should really listen to the suggestion to face forwards at all times. My brother almost found that out the hard way also.

So now on to the memory. It’s 2007, and we are at Epcot with Traci’s parents for Flower & Garden Festival. We’re wrapping up our day at Epcot and are going to head to the Magic Kingdom shortly for some fun there, but before we leave, we wanted to ride Mission: Space. Traci and her mom opt to not ride, since Traci is pregnant, so her dad and I take our Orange Team cards and get in line. We’ll join this memory just as the party is splitting up, and we’re entering the queue area, and we’ll stick with it right through the attraction and as we exit the attraction into the Advance Training Lab and meet back up with Traci and her mom.

Memory 062 - Walt Disney World Monorails

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: **34:12**
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well I’ve got some exciting news. Well not news really, but it could be. So Traci and I were talking this week, and we’ve both got the itch to return to Walt Disney World. Now it so happens that work might be sending me down to Orlando for one of two conventions this year, and if it works out, Traci may accompany me down just for a couple of days before the convention begins, and we’ll probably go to Walt Disney World for a day or two. So I may have some new audio to start incorporating into the memories.

In the meantime, I’ll have to continue to satisfy the WDW itch with my current memory collection. And today’s memory is a Walt Disney World classic. Our request for today’s memory came from Laura in Pennsylvania. In a continuation of her email (she requested the World Showcase Players) she said:

My last request is audio of a ride on the monorail around the Magic Kingdom hotels. That may sound strange, since the ride is really made by what you're seeing, but honestly it's nice to just hear it and then imagine what you would be seeing.

Laura, I don’t have an uncut version around the complete resort loop. But I do have others that are still just as cool. In fact this is going to be a long memory as I’m probably going to include a bunch of good stuff. I also tossed it out to Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, and all I got was a “That would be pretty cool” from Dan, and a couple of likes on Facebook. I would love to hear what you all think of the monorails.

Anyways, let’s get to the memories. We’re going to start off where everyone wants to start, by going to the Magic Kingdom. It’s 2006 and I’m at the parks by myself after work. I’ve hopped the monorail at the TTC to get to the Magic Kingdom and we’ll join up right as the monorail is pulling away. Pay attention and you’ll get to hear the special Disneyland Anniversary announcements in the monorail spiel. Next, we’ll jump to September 2010. The family has been having fun in the Magic Kingdom but now we are headed to Epcot for a couple of hours before we go back to finish out the evening at the Magic Kingdom. We’ll hop the Monorail from the Magic Kingdom to the TTC, and then strait into another monorail from the TTC to Epcot. Once we arrive at Epcot I’ll jump to our final memory, a special return trip from Epcot to the TTC. This memory is from our anniversary trip in 2006, and it’s actually our Anniversary day. Traci and I have taken it easy and are headed over to the Magic Kingdom for a little while to wait for our dinner reservations at the California Grille. And to make this ride even more special, we were able to ride in the front of the Monorail. So the audio today is from that now lost special treat of riding in the front with the driver.

Memory 061 - World Showcase Players

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural & Mono Audio **
Time: 26:43
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Let me start off with an apology. Two weeks ago, my extended family all returned back to the home we grew up in to celebrate Christmas and my Dad’s birthday. It was a wonderful weekend, but in the process of planning and packing for the trip I totally forgot that I was supposed to release a podcast. I had contemplated putting something out, but after returning things were just crazy and I never got around to it. So that brings us to this weeks memory.

This week, we’re going to listen to some older memories of a troupe of performers that can often be found in the United Kingdom, and on occasions, Italy in Epcot’s World Showcase. If you haven’t guessed it, we’re going to listen to the World Showcase Players.

Our request for today's memory came from Laura in Pennsylvania. She wrote in an earlier email:

My second request is the street show in Great Britain in Epcot. You know, the one with King Arthur? I figured you would probably have that audio since every one of your shows ends with the end of that show.

Well, she’s right you know. Since starting this podcast, I’ve featured a brief clip from the World Showcase Players to honor the true stars of the podcast, the memories. So Laura, your request will be granted.

So for this memory I’m going to feature the audio that I pull the clip from (so don’t assume the podcast is over when you hear it the first time), then we’ll catch a second memory recorded at a much later date. Memory 1 is from August of 1998, and in Mono. As always, I’ll tweak it some to make it sound in stereo, but it’s not really. It was a gorgeous day, and I was enjoying my day by myself in the parks. My family doesn’t usually stop for shows in the streets as we’re sprinting to the next attraction, so I was determined to stop for these guys this time. I started the recording just seconds into the show. Memory 2 we weren’t so lucky. We arrived late and missed a few minutes at the beginning. It’s 2006 and Traci and I are on our Anniversary trip again. It’s our first day and we’ve been having a great time in Epcot when we round the corner and see the large crowd congregated there, we slide up and we’re into the show.

Memory 060 - The Enchanted Tiki Room

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 44:44
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well so it’s been a few weeks since I last released a podcast, but I first wanted to start off by saying Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas or whatever you celebrate. Our family had an iteresting one to say the least, but I’d have to say I love watching my kids open up the gifts we got them, and then playing with everything while watching the Disney Christmas Parade on TV was probably the highlight of my day.

So this last year we lost a beloved version of an attraction... Ok, maybe not so beloved, but there were some people that liked it. Take for example Christopher. He wrote me this wonderful story:

I've recently found your podcast and I'm really enjoying it. You have sparked a lot of memories of year past when I was a child. My birthday and the school winter vacation always coincided and that is when my parents to the family to Florida and we stayed at my Grandparents house. Can you imagine spending every childhood birthday at Disney World, that was what I got. Well I'm 45 years old now and my parents are gone now. So thank you very much. You have brought back many memories I have forgotten.

I was wondering if you have any memories of the Tiki Room including the out side cue area. that was one of my favorites because it was out of the weather (heat or rain) and we got to sit down and enjoy the music and the AA birds. Some people don't enjoy this attraction as much as the others but this one has so many memories for me. The original was what I grew up with but the new under new management version is just as nice.

I’ve said it before, this is exactly the point of this podcast, to help spark those memories of ours. Some of those memories may be from a week ago, and others may be decades old, but there is something still amazing about listening to that attraction again that will bring a smile to everyones face. As I said in an email to Christopher, his story is very similar to mine. With a birthday just days after Christmas, often times we’d be down in Tampa visiting family for Christmas, and we’d take a day and head over to Disney World to spend a day there. So I’m sure our memories of the parks are quite similar.

So Christopher, I hope this memory is a good one for you. We’re going to get 2 attractions today in fact. I don’t have the recent re-released version of Enchanted Tiki Room from Walt Disney World, but I do have the Under New Management version, AND I have the original Enchanted Tiki Room from Disneyland. So that’s what we’ll get to hear instead.

We’ll start off with the original version in Disneyland. It’s a beautiful day in June 2010. We’ve been at Disneyland all day and Susie is starting to tire. We decide who wouldn’t like some Dole Whip and a show, so we go inside the waiting area as the preshow has already started. I’ll be walking around looking at all the tiki gods, trying to follow along to the narration, then we’re ushered into the show, which is surprisingly full for what everyone considers a classic attraction.

From here we’re going to jump to a memory from our Anniversary trip in 2006 again. It’s been a slightly rainy day which is bad because we were planning on staying for the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but that’s another story. We’ll enter into the pre-show area well before the show begins. You’ll hear the music gently playing in the background behind the waterfall. We’ll turn to the left and make our way in to an empty tiki room and take our place for the show.

Memory 059 - Here Come The Muppets

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

** Mono Video **
Time: 17:28
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Merry Christmas!

I love this time of year, snow, presents, time off... what could be better. I know, MUPPETS!

So it’s been Muppet mania every where you look right now. It seems the Marketing guys are getting bonuses for the number of different ways they can push their product, and I think they’re going to get a big bonus. So I figured that this would be a perfect time to share with all off you an old video I have of a long lost attraction. I didn’t realize how unique this attraction was when I first saw it, or even until recently.

Here Come The Muppets was a temporary stage show featuring all your favorite pals in one place. Today’s memory was from Summer of 1990. My dad, brother, sister, and I are back in the Disney-MGM Studios. We’ve seen a few attractions already and decided to see this new Muppet thing. I’d read somewhere that Disney and Jim Hensen were working on a collaborative thing, but that would still be in the future, so this show as a little surprise to me. In any case, we’re going to join this memory in the waiting lobby. There is a small TV, which is a little hard to hear, but we’ll start by watching that. Then we’re ushered in to the main auditorium where we turn the camera back on, a few seconds into the show. You haven’t missed much but Kermet walking on stage.

Memory 058 - Celebrate! A Street Party

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 24:40
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So today kind of snuck up on me. As I went to bed last night I realized I had never sent out a message seeking comments on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook. So sorry about that folks, but I figured you’d rather have podcast. So I’m just rolling with the initial request I’ve got.

Today’s request is from Kyle (you know, the same Kyle from Memory 048). He had also requested Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! As I explained to him, not living in Florida causes some limitation as to what I can record, one of those being the latest parades. So I decided to share the parade I do have, and it’s actually from Disneyland and not Walt Disney World.

This is our California trip for my brothers wedding in June of 2010. It’s our second day in California. We’ve had a great day at Disneyland already, but as much as it pains me, we must leave before closing. We are still on Eastern time, and while it might be 7PM here in CA, it’s 10PM to our bodies, and two-year-old Susie hasn’t napped all day. We’ve had a great time but we decide it’s best to head out, however to get out we must negotiate the parade crowd who’s waiting already. So half-way down Main Street, the parade begins and we’re stuck. We decide to just stop and watch. I take Susie out of the stroller and put her on my shoulders, then try a couple of different spots, but get told we’re blocking the path, or we’re blocking an entry way. So finally, we decide we should try to make it to a bathroom for Susie before the parade ends and everyone else does the same thing. Don’t worry, we don’t actually go in, but instead find a spot in front of the Carnation Cafe, and finish out the parade there.

Memory 057 - The Voices of Liberty 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 20:37
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

With Thanksgiving being celebrated here in the United States, my time has been completely consumed. We’re cleaning and cooking, picking up family and laughing at the kids. It’s a time of joy and... well... thankfulness. I thought what better thing to be thankful for than good music, and patriotic music at that. So today I’m going to visit a memory I haven’t shared yet, the Voices of Liberty.

We’ve heard the Voices of Liberty before, back in Memory 011, but that was before I recorded this memory. On a trip to Epcot for Flower and Garden in 2007, we got to enjoy this phenomenal show once again. It’s been an entertaining day, filled with flowers and butterflies. We’ve just finished lunch at the Germany Pavilion where we got to enjoy some great German food, and heard the band there at the end of our meal. We’ll be joining this memory as we’re walking over from Germany in hopes that we can make the next set of the Voices of Liberty. We arrive just a few bars into the first song of the set, and take our seat on the floor as close as we can get.

Memory 056 - Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and The Timekeeper

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
** Mono Audio **
Time: 52:54
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well like last week, I’m scrambling to get caught up. I think the recent changes to Google+ have taken too much of my attention, and now I’m behind in my planning for our next memory. So I actually had to get up early this morning and still write the script before I could even record. Thankfully it’s about some recordings I’m very familiar with.

So today’s memory is a unique one and does require a bit of introduction. It all started with a request from Chris in Montreal, Canada. He wrote:

...also if you could manage to get The new attractions in all 4 parks and compare them with old attractions that'd be awesome.

Well Chris let me choose which comparison I wanted to do, so I got to do one that I’d been waiting for since I’ve started this podcast journey years ago. I decided to showcase Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club and it’s predicessor The Timekeeper. I know, there have been more attractions prior to this, but sadly these were the only two I have recorded. So that’s as far back as I could go.

So sometime after reaching that decision, I also received an email from Laura in Pennsylvania. She wrote:

I actually have three requests, and they really have nothing to do with each other, so if you only do one, I'll completely understand. The first is the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. I know that it changes slightly every time, but one recording would probably be a good representative, right?

Laura, I sadly can only give you one recording. I think I might have seen this attraction twice, but I only have one recording to work with, so I guess that works out for us right.

So when I tossed the topic out on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ I got the following responses. On Facebook Robert said:

Timekeeper was one of the best shows ever!

and Daniel Said

Monster inc. to me is very good and different. My little boy has to see it every visit!

and Dan said:

Monster inc.would be different...

And on Google+, Pat wrote:

Having only been to WDW five times, my experiences are very limited. My first time was in 87, and my last time was last year. (my next time is next year). One thing that Disney does better than everyone else is putting an imprint on your memory with every attraction they create. Although I only saw the Timekeeper once, it is such a dominant memory. I would love to hear that memory. Thank you for your hard work.

Thank you all for the comments, I can agree with all of you. The Timekeeper was such a great attraction, but I think it was so underrated in the parks. I don’t remember ever seeing a line for this attraction, which is probably the reason I only ever rode it once myself. I assumed it was some lame attraction, or didn’t even know it existed because there never was a line or much of a sign to begin with. But once I saw it, I always looked for it to be open again, in hopes that I might be able to get back in there and see it one more time. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is a good attraction in it’s own right, and definitely a unique one in the Magic Kingdom. Even if you don’t see the full backstory, or know the movie, you can still enjoy the attraction, and I know Susie sure did. Anways, on with the Memories.

So let’s start off in the present, or with the current attraction at least. We’ll begin on what has been a beautiful spring day in 2007. My wife and I were joined today by her parents. We’ve spent most the day in Epcot, and have park hopped over to the Magic Kingdom for the evening and a couple of staple attractions. We actually began our evening by turning right in the plaza, and heading down to Tomorrowland, and this was our first stop. The crowds aren’t too bad today, so our wait is minimal. We’re going to jump into this memory as we’re standing in the queue area waiting to enter the attraction. As a bit of interest, as we’re waiting to enter the attraction, I actually comment to Traci about how this attraction replaced the Timekeeper.

Our second memory goes a bit further back. In this one, we’re going to jump back to August of 1998. This was one of those trips were my family and I came over from Clearwater, FL for a day at the parks. It’s been a full day hopping between Disney’s MGM Studios, Epcot, and now Magic Kingdom. We’ve seen a lot, even though wait times on the average have been over 30 minutes. Sadly, I don’t have any more of this attraction other than when we were let into the show, so we’ll jump into this memory just as we’re let into the room.

So our Memory from 2007 is in Binaural, so headphones on, however our memory from 1998 is in a Modified Monaural, so it may sound stereo, but it’s not. You may not need to have the headphones on for that one, but I still would, as you might miss some of those special audio details.

Memory 055 - Haunted Mansion 2

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 18:53
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So this week got turned on it’s perverbial ear, and I sadly didn’t get to ask you what you thought about our next featured memory, so instead I’m going to update a previous memory. Today we’re going to stick with the time of year we’re about to celebrate and catch a new ride on the Haunted Mansion. This time, the sound system has been upgraded, and you’ll really hear the affects. It’s much improved over the recording I featured on Memory 019.

In September of 2010, Traci, Susie, and I joined my dad and sister on a day at the parks. We’ve had a full day, but there are a couple of more mature attractions my sister and I hoped to ride. So we split up. Susie, Traci and my dad headed over to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and my sister and I headed over to do Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. We’ve already walked on Space Mountain, and now are walking up to the Haunted Mansion. Crowds are light, as they have been all day, and we’re shortly ushered into the portrait room before being ushered into the stretching room, and our adventures begin. To kind of play with the binaural sound, I actually answered a phone call from my dad as we leave the stretching room (I think I’ll probably leave that in).

Memory 054 - Favorite Walt Disney World Memories

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: **32:14**
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Well as you know, Walt Disney World and specifically the Magic Kingdom turned 40 this past week. Sadly I wasn’t able to swing a trip down there to attend the festivities, though from what I’m reading and seeing from the day, I’m not sure I missed much. Still, it’s a time to celebrate and remember these 40 special years, and what better way than through you the listeners. So I threw the question out on Twitter and Facebook and got some great responses. I’m not going to read all of them, but if you’d like to see what others had to say, stop by our Facebook page (you can find the link on the WDW-Memories.net website).

Let’s start with a story from Calum. He posted on Facebook:

Two years ago when we went, we decided to go see the parade one more time on our last night and we were up front watching where it all starts. Well, they picked my youngest to help carry the pole at the end of the parade (he was 9 at the time). Half [way] to the castle he let my oldest (just turned 16 while we were there) take and carry it which was awesome.

This year we took advantage of our early Magic Hours and headed straight for Space Mountain. Well, we rode it, then fast passed it,then rode it again and again...next thing you know in a lil less than 1.5hr we had rode it 7x times straight! [It] was a TON of fun as we would pose for the cameras with our "7s" held up with all 6 of us from our group.

Then there was this story from Lynn also on Facebook:

The earliest memory I have of WDW is when they were celebrating 15 yrs. I believe I was 8 yrs old. I still remember the theme song for the parade "15 years, we're having a party" and remember the floats. I also remember that they were giving things away as you entered the park. I wanted to win one of those hat visors that had lights on it. I never got it but my mom won a free ticket to the MK which we used a couple years later. My first visit to WDW was in 1983 but my first real memory of it was during the 15th anniversary. Now I can't count how many times we have been and all the memories I have, my husband and I were even married at the [Wedding Pavilion] in 2007 and I have 3 children and 2 of them have celebrated their birthdays at WDW and my youngest, 19 months, just celebrated his first trip to WDW and first hair cut at WDW about 3 weeks ago.

Next, Kastin shared a great story, again on Facebook:

January 2009 my boyfriend and I spent the day at Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Epcot for my 24th birthday. It was an amazing day that ended in Epcot with a dinner at Le Cellier steakhouse and fireworks it was an amazing birthday. Then in August of that year we went to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom for his 25th birthday. We had an amazing day. The weather couldn't have been more perfect surprisingly for a august day in Florida is wasn't that hot. Every time we got off a ride he would check his pockets I thought it was strange but didn't think anything of it. Later that day we ended with fireworks in front of the castle and after they were over my boyfriend got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Of course I said YES! It was the most amazing day I've ever had at the Magic Kingdom! Before we left we made sure to get a Disney themed picture frame with the year so we could always remember that day :) And last month we purchased annual passes! We plan on celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary in march at the all 4 Disney parks.

And finally my favorite came from Jennifer. She posted this on Facebook too:

This year we visited in February with our whole family (myself, husband, daughter, mother, father & mother in law). We were in Magic Kingdom the last night during extra magic hours when everyone decided they were ready to leave early. My daughter (9) and I wanted to stay. We rode several rides and played like we were the only one in the park. We had no idea what time it was when we decided to come back through Cinderella Castle towards Main Street. When we got to the bridge we saw a group of people standing looking up at the castle. We turned around right as the clock up on the castle "struck" midnight. We decided to chime the hour and everyone standing there joined in. The moment was kind of surreal making us feel like we had been the princess and our [coach] was getting ready to turn into the pumpkin. With that we decided to call it a night which was a perfect last night to our vacation.

So, like all of you, I too have had so many memories in the parks, it really is hard to just pick one. And to be honest, I think really my favorite memory changed every time, because I think that things have honestly gotten better every time. I remember going there in 86 (I think this was my first time by the way) with my family. We are avid amusement park goers and this was definitely more special than anything we’d seen before with sights and smells that you just don’t find anywhere. On a subsequent trip, I remember wandering around Tomorrowland in search of Alien Encounter which was new and I’d read about, but we couldn’t find it. The park closed and we were on our way out of tomorrowland, and a Cast Member said, “last show, come on in”. I didn’t know what it was, but shoot, it was the last show, so we can’t pass up a bonus ride on something right?! Once we got inside I realized we’d found it, making this such an amazing end to an already awesome day. Another trip I got chosen to be a part of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and was asked to to the diabolical laugh (boy do I wish I had my recorder at that time). Then standing just feet away from the action is still just awesome to me.

But the greatest memory for me has to be meeting the Mice with Susie here in Walt Disney World. Now, she has already met both of them in Disneyland, so it wasn’t her first time, but it was the first time here in Walt Disney World. When we were let into the room, Susie almost sprinted ahead of everyone, as if Mickey and Minnie were just waiting for her to arrive. When it was finally our turn, she was almost speachless, but you could see her excitement. She tried talking to them, and giving them hugs and kisses. When the rest of the family went up, both Mickey and Minnie took a moment to point to Traci’s baby belly, and another memory was created for us.

So today, I’m going to let you all join in this memory with us. We’ll jump in this memory as we walk through Mickey’s house, into his back yard, and into the judges tent. Susie is in Grandpa’s arms and enjoying the cartoons while we wait. It’s been a fun morning, but we’re all getting a little hungry now, and our breakfast reservation is still a little ways ahead of us. Finally we’re lead back to our room where Mickey and Minnie are waiting. We’re the last family to enter, but this works out in the end as we don’t get shoved out by the next group entering. Instead, we get a fair amount of time to really enjoy interacting with the pair, taking photos with the immediate family, and then with everyone else too. Now, during the pictures I actually take the microphones out and let them hang down my back, so the sound isn’t always in true binaural, but it still sounds really good, so I’d still suggest headphones.

Memory 053 - DINOSAUR

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
** Stereo Audio **
Time: 31:49
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

I can’t believe what I just witnessed. I’m a huge sports fan, and in particular a baseball fan. Sadly my team, the Orioles have been out of it since opening day, but waking up this morning to find out they played spoiler, in addition to Tampa pulling off the comeback of the season to clinch the wild-card... just an awesome morning. But this podcast isn’t about baseball, it’s about one of my other great passions, Disney. And today, we’re going to be revisiting a polarizing attraction, one that seems to have many lovers and haters. We’re going to be catching a ride on DINOSAUR.

Now many of you might love this thrill ride, while others don’t enjoy the fear factor, or maybe it’s even the ride vehicle itself throwing you around. And the rquests alone were many and their reasons were varieed. In fact, our attraction today was requested by no fewer than 5 different people. It was originally requested by Mandy from Newcastle, UK. She wrote:

I would like to make a request for DINOSAUR at animal kingdom as its the best attraction at the Animal Kingdom and one of my favourite attractions. I love the audio, suspense and thrill of the ride. I would really appricate if you could do this.

Then Jared wrote in saying:

I have one request for a WDW Memory. Dinosaur. Whether you remember the old "Countdown to Extinction" or the current Dinosaur, this is one of my favorite attractions in Animal Kingdom.

Of course, there’s Mary’s reason for requesting it:

Can you make a recording of Dinosaur please? My family loves that ride and to this day, we still like imitating our friend's face when we took her on it.

I also got an email from Jessica in Homestead, FL saying:

I was wondering if we can hear Dinosaur which I just love and remember when I was a kid it was called "count down to extinction"

And finally I got one last email from Brendan saying:

...I was wondering if you could do the dinosaur in animal kingdom.I remember my first time riding it.I was in the front row and was so scared because the big t Rex was roaring in my face and started chasing us and it banged us around so much my head was spinning by the time I got off and my heart pounding...so I sort of need this podcast to make me forget the time for when I go with Cameron in april so that I can ride it and not be as scared as I was.

So as you can see, even our thoughts and memories are pretty diverse. On Facebook I heard from Daniel who probably summed it up best by saying:

The first ride we ever rode at AK. Extremely loud, extremely Big, and extremely Fun!

I personally enjoy the ride. It’s not my favorite, but it’s definitely thrilling. That said, as a dad of 2 little ones, it will be a LONG time before we get to ride this as a family. In the mean time, there’s always child swap and fast passes.

So now let’s get to the reason we’re all here really, our memories. The memory today we’ll be sharing is from December 2006. It’s that anniversary trip again. Traci and I splurged and got a room for her parents who lived in Florida at the time but had never stayed in an on-property resort. So this morning, they were joining us for a bit of holiday fun in the parks. We started out our day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and have done quite a bit already. I’ve been debating weather or not to take them on this, as I know they haven’t seen the movie, and the story or the thrill aspect might be lost on them, but we go on anyways. We had picked up Fastpasses earlier, and are now heading back to utilize them. We’re going to join this memory as we apprach the Dino Institute. You’ll hear us discussing the little red badge the Cast Member gave us. We make it up to the front of the fastpass wait area, and it appears the attraction broke down, so we’ll get to listen to a bunch of the queue audio. Finally they let us down the hall to the pre-show area where we finally our back story, and from here a short wait and we’re on the ride.

Now, if that’s not enough for you, I’m going to throw some bonus audio in also. In December of 2001, my family and I took a day trip over to the parks, and one of our early stops was DINOSAUR. The reason I’m including this memory is for what’s missing. As we pulled away from the loading area, it’s become pretty apparent that somethings missing. Apparently Dr. Seeker didn’t make the trip, so we’re left with no narration, and nothing but the attraction audio and our own fears. It was actually more intense in my opinion, but you’ll be able to tell from listening to everyone else on the ride what they thought too.

While the audio from 2001 is only in stereo, the audio from 2006 is in Binaural, so in either case, headphones on.

Memory 052 - Pirates of the Caribbean

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
** Stereo Audio **
Time: 30:37
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Today’s memory was requested by Bret in Chicago, IL. His original email from January 2010 said:

I went on my first trip without the bulk of my family this past June, and my brother told me about your podcasts while we were there, I've been listening to them on and off since then and especially the past few days... I was wondering if you had a recording of Pirates of the Caribbean before it was changed to add Jack Sparrow. It has been one of my favorites since I was little, even before all the movies, so I'd love to get a refresher as it used to be.

Now, you might be thinking “didn’t I already hear Pirates of the Caribbean?” and you’d be right. Back on Memory 13, I released my binaural recording from 2006, featuring Captain Jack Sparrow. But Bret wanted to hear it before the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow, so that’s what we’re going to do. In fact I’m going to, as a bonus, re-release the binaural audio with Captain Jack, this time with more of the queue line audio included.

So to begin, we’ll start out in 2003. It’s a day trip for my family and I. It’s still early in the morning, and we’ve hit a couple of headliner attractions in the Magic Kingdom when we decide that we haven’t seen Pirates in a while, so we head that way. We’ll join in on this clip as the family is nearing the boarding area. We’re loaded into the boat and off on our journey.

After this memory, we’ll jump ahead to 2006. It’s December, and this time it’s Traci and I on our Anniversarry trip. It’s the middle of the afternoon, and the lines are still short. So we’ll actually join this memory as we’re walking into the fort. It’s a very short wait, and we’re on our boat.

Now memory 1 is in Stereo, but memory 2 is in binaural, so in either case headphones on.

Memory 051 - Country Bear Jamboree

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 23:00
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s another early morning here in my “studio” and once again, I’m up before the sun. But thankfully today, we’re going back to a memory that is full of enough energy and happiness that it’s sure to pick me up. Today, we’re going to return to Frontierland to watch the Country Bear Jamboree.

I know some of you are probably thinking “didn’t he already do that?”. Well not really. In Memory 042, we did get to see a special Christmas edition of the attraction, but I still haven’t fullfilled the request for the traditional show audio. So it’s time I did that.

Today’s request is from Dan in Soo, Michigan. He emailed me:

Maybe when you next visit WDW you could get audio from The Country Bear Jamboree, that would be awesome as it's one of my very favorite attractions.

Well Dan, today’s your day. I hope you stuck with me since you emailed me in 2009 for this attraction (I guess I’m not as caught up as I thought). In any case, as before, I’ve tossed the attraction out to Facebook and Twitter to see what people thought, and this is what I got back.

On Facebook, Skylar wrote:

I liked it, very vintage. I have not seen the seasonal ones, but I loved the magic about it, the performance.

And Chris wrote:

Can't believe they made a live action movie about them. Have not seen them in many years. Probably won't see them again until in have little ones to take to the show.

You know what Chris, I can’t believe they did either. Sadly, I own the DVD and still haven’t watched it. I don’t know why really, I guess I’m scarred it’ll just disappoint me. Anyways, I personally think this show is so underrated. Yes, it’s great for kids, but I think it has some magic that creates kids out of any old adult. There’s something infectious from the very first Yehaw! that catches you and changes your age, and you quickly forget all the adult things you’re supposed to do, and are glad to be a kid again.

In fact, today’s audio is from December of 2006, our anniversary trip, so it’s just Traci and I, with no kids yet. It’s been a great day in the parks, the crowds are light, and the afternoon parade is going on, so we duck inside the Country Bear Jamboree and wait the minute or so till the next show. As we wait, I slip back outside to take a few pictures of the passing parade from in front of the building, and then just step right back in as the doors have just opened. We are ushered into the auditorium and take our seats. This is where we’ll join the podcast. We’ll sit for a minute till everyone has found their seats (there aren’t that many of us today because most folks are watching the parade outside) and then the show begins.

Memory 050 - Test Track

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 20:12
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s finally here, 50 shows. It seems like only yesterday I began this podcasting journey. In reality it’s been almost 5 years. You may not know this, but I released my first episode back on September 21, 2006. I started out with good intentions, hoping every week I would release a new show, but I quickly realized that took far more free time than I had, and I quickly attempted to switch to a bi-weekly format. Sadly over the years I’ve released on a very inconsistent schedule, and that get’s us to where we are today, 50 shows (plus some bonus ones) in 5 years, but I’ve hopefully found a rhythm now, and feel like things are getting more consistent. And it seems to be paying off too, as our numbers are starting to grow. So I thought I’d take this moment to welcome all my new subscribers, and maybe reintroduce myself and this show.

So to recap, my name is Lou. I’ve been a lifelong Disney fan, but it really took hold probably in my teenage years. Our family began making day trips to Walt Disney World when we’d go to beach in Clearwater, FL every year, and I soon came to love everything that the parks had to offer. The music, the rides, and the theming are always the gold standard I compare everything too, and it became a hobby of mine to keep up to date on rumors, to read all I could on the history of the parks and Walt Disney himself, and to collect all the pictures I could find of the parks. Then technology caught up, and a personal website was born. I could share my pictures and thoughts on the parks. I also became a Disney Store Cast Member, and continued to fan the flame of my passion there. At some point, I earned a free pass to the parks through work, and decided before I went over that I wanted to record some of the musical acts that I loved in the park. I picked up a MiniDisc recorder, and a cheap microphone and went to the park. I got a few good recordings of the live acts, but thought I’d try it out also on a couple of attractions, and soon discovered I could see the ride in my “minds-eye”, and feel just like I was there while I was listening. I’ve upgraded equipment over the years, now using Binaural Earbuds to get a true life representation of what I hear, and now I don’t take a trip to the parks without my recorder running.

Through the years I’ve shared these recordings online through many different sources, but when Podcasting came along, I soon realized this was my ideal medium for sharing. I began this podcast as a way to share my time in the Parks, riding rides, or catching shows in a live format as a way to allow you the listenter to experience it as if you were sitting right there. I don’t actually live in Orlando, so my recordings are not always up to date, but I like to think that they are still timeless really. So if you have a favorite show or ride, going back to the past even, I might have some recording of it somewhere.

So that’s enough about the past, let’s get on with this weeks memory. Today we’re going to visit that great thrill attraction at Epcot, Test Track. This request was from an email I received an email from Brendan back in February. He wrote:

I love the roar of the motors and the wind blowing on my face and screaming in my ears as I go whizzing around the track.although my favorite part has to be when you supposedly go through a wall and they snap your picture ,although I always have my head down.

Now Dan pointed out on Facebook that this doesn’t really translate to an audio only podcast, but that’s the beauty of using your memories in conjuction with my audio. I want you to close your eyes and in your minds eye you’ll be able to relive that memory too.

Daniel on Twitter thought:

Absolutely the GREATEST ride in Epcot!! Can't wait to hear this!!

Richard said on Facebook:

I would like to hear it

Robert said on Facebook:

Awesome

Personally, I’m with all of you guys. I don’t know why I love this ride, but I do. I have a car, I drive it on the highway every day, but for some reason I love riding this ride. I guess who doesn’l love hi-banked turns at 65 mph in a convertible? Or maybe it’s the wind whipping through my hair? I don’t know, but it’s pretty much a don’t miss when in Epcot.

Anyways, today’s recording is in Binarual as usual. It’s May 2007, and Traci and I are joined today by my in-laws. It’s been a beautiful day and we’ve been having a great time at the Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot, and are planning to Park-Hop over to the Magic Kingdom for some fun this evening. We’ve done quite a few rides and shows as crowds are light, but we’re still going to utilize our FastPass for Test Track, and get to jump strait to the pre-show pens with no wait. We’ll join this memory outside the pre-show area as they’ve got a large group of us waiting for the doors to open. Soon, they open up for us, and we cram into the littleroom to see the pre-show video explaining what’s about to happen. We’ll stick with the audio in the following short queue (I may cut some of it out) and then we’ll take our exhilarating ride around the GM Testing Facilities with Test Track.

Memory 049 - 2010 Walt Disney World Trip Report and The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 43:59
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

In September 2010, my family (consisting of my dad, sister, Traci, and Susie) all went to Walt Disney World for the day. This was Susie's first trip into a Walt Disney World park, and she loved it. Today's podcast is a 3 parter. First we're going to relive the day with various audio clips from the park as I recount the days activities.

Then we'll get to hear what Susie thought of her first trip to Walt Disney World. Finally we'll finish with a special ride on The Seas with Nemo and Friends in Epcot (Susie's favorite part of the day). I hope you enjoy listening to me as I remember a great day in Walt Disney World.

Memory 048 - Festival of the Lion King

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Audio **
Time: 37:10
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

I’m not sure about you, but it’s hot here. We’re in the midst of a record heatwave, something that reminds me a lot of Walt Disney World, and in my opinion the hottest of the parks, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, thanks to modern technology, our memory today can be enjoyed from the comfort of a highly air-conditioned room, sipping your favorite cool beverage. What’s worse (and thankfully I never experienced this) our memory today is of a show that used to be in an outdoor arena in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I’m speaking of course of Festival of the Lion King.

Our request today is still from a ways back (we’re catching up though) and was sent in by Kyle. He wrote:

“...I would love to request Festival of the Lion King ... I guess the reason is that I love the lion king and seeing all of the songs performed in a huge show is just fantastic!... And the tumble monkeys haha”

Of course I tossed the topic out to Facebook and Twitter again and got the following responses. Chelsea said “she’s never been” and Dan said:

“No no please no....sorry to be so blunt”

Sorry Dan, but Kyle asked, and personally I like it. Purely from a talent stand point, there are some phenomenal singers in this show, and depending on the day, you can get a great show, or just a so so one.

This memory, I think is somewhere in the middle however. It’s Christmastime in 2001, the parks are pretty quiet (September 11 was just 3 months prior) and we actualy arrive just as the show is about to start. We’ll actually jump strait in. My Dad, brother, sister, and I are seated in the Warthog section, just about where the bleachers reach the floor. The music starts, the singers emerge, and our show begins.

Memory 047 - El Rio del Tiempo / Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 28:32
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

We’re rolling along through our request list still, and it’s feeling good. I’ve had so many requests over the years, and I’m glad to finally be getting caught up. And to celebrate the United States Independence Day, let’s visit that very patriotic pavilion... Mexico in Epcot.

Yeah ok, so not so well planned out on my part, but this request has been waiting for a while. Once again, we’re going back a few years (to 2009 to be exact) to a request from John on the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. He wrote:

I would like a hear a podcast of the Mexico ride in Epcot, originally El Rio del Tiempo - The River of Time, and now reopened as "Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros!". It's is a very colorful, festive and pleasant ride and [a great way to] unwind after a long day at Disney World and it is one of my favorites when we visit.

Later, I got an email from Stan saying:

We have a request. Could you please do “The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros”? It is one of our favorite rides. We love the relaxed, fun atmosphere that the boat and animation offer and enjoy watching for the hidden Mickey at the volcano.

And just recently I received another email, this time from Amanda in Barcelona, Spain saying she too would love to hear El Rio del Tiempo. So finally it’s time to fulfill these requests.

Like last time, I tossed it out to our Facebook Page members and Twitter followers to see if there was any thoughts and this is what I got back.

On twitter @DPackerFan says:

After WDW, Mexico is one of my favorite destinations. [Gran Fiesta Tour] gives me a little bit of that.

So let’s get to it. We’re starting off our memory in spring of 2006. I’m on a solo trip after work, and have headed over to Epcot for a bit of fun (and food of course). We’re going to join this memory as I’m walking up to the building. You’ll hear me climb the stairs into the pyramid, making my way down to the loading area, and it’s a quick walk right up to the boat as there was no wait. At this point in time, we’re still riding the classic El Rio del Tiempo, so you’ll hear some very old sounding audio.

Our second memory is from Susie’s first Walt Disney World trip in September 2010. We’ll again join Susie, Traci, my dad, my sister, and myself as we are moving inside. We just lucked into a meet-n-greet with South American Donald outside, and got our pictures taken with him. Again, the ride line is short due to low crowds this time of year. You’ll hear us discussing the changes, as it’s the first time on Gran Fiesta Tour for my father and sister, and the very first ride on either for Susie. Listen closely for her little voice as we try to point things out to her.

Memory 046 - "it's a small world"

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 42:49
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Watch out, I’m on a roll here folks. It’s been only two weeks and I’m back with yet another Memory. At this rate, I might be caught up on my requests by... oh... next year. Ok, so I’ve still got a ways to go, but this is a good start right?

So this is yet again another “old” request. Initially, Chris (our requester from Memory 45) also requested this attraction back in 2009. Since then, I’ve received another request from Andy in NY for a recording of “it’s a small world” from before 2000 (which unfortunately I don’t have).

And again like last time I threw the question out to Twitter and Facebook and got the following responses.

On our Facebook page Barbara wrote:

I love the clock... it opened when I was standing right in front of it.

And we got some feedback on twitter this time, from @DanielWalker116:

one of the all time classics. It isn't a trip unless you ride this!

Thank you all for writing and commenting. I too love this classic attraction. Yes, the song gets stuck in your head, but listen to the words. They have a message that even today still ring true, and how often can you say that of a 60 year old attraction.

So instead of two versions of the attraction over time for Andy, we’re going to catch two rides over space. Today, we’re going bi-coastal. We’re going to start out with a night trip to the Magic Kingdom in January of 2007. Traci has a convention at the Contemporary Resort this week, and after checking in, we head to the Magic Kingdom for some casual fun. It’s not that crowded, considering it’s just a couple days into the New Year. We do have a short wait, and we’ll join up with this Memory in the queue, just before it our turn to ride.

After we finish in Walt Disney World, we’re going to take a jump to our June 2010 trip to Disneyland. It’s been a gorgeous California day. We out here for my brothers wedding, so the whole family decided to take a day at Disneyland a few days before the wedding. We’ll join the group in line again as we’re coming down the ramp to the boats. You’ll hear lots of conversation between the whole group, and unfortunately that doesn’t stop in the ride either. I guess that’s what happens when you get 11 friends and family on a boat all to themselves. Remember what I said about the words, listen to our conversation. We’ve ridden this attraction dozens of times over the years, but it finally hit us.

And this is my first time seeing the new Disney Character Figures that have been added and they are fantastic. I didn’t think I would like them initially, but boy was I wrong. These dolls fit in beautifully, and don’t detract from anything that already existed.

Memory 045 - Ellen's Energy Adventure

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: **39:34**
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Hey, it’s been only 2 weeks and I’m already putting out a new show. I know... it’s a miracle. Well I know how much you all appreciate the shows, so I really want to keep this momentum going. So I’ve got my coffee, my computer is warmed up, and the audio is ready to roll, now let’s get this going.

Today’s memory was requested by Chris, in Montreal, Canada. He wrote:

I'm Chris, from Montreal, Canada, and I LOVE your show as well as LOVE WDW and the Disney theme parks, is there a possibility that you have or can you manage to get a copy in binaural of Ellen's Energy Adventure with Cast Member Spiels to go with the Attraction

And For fun, I thought I’d also toss out the question to the Facebook and Twitter followers to see their thoughts on the attraction, and here’s what I got back:

On our Facebook page Tara Lyon wrote:

It's one of our favorites. I just love everything about it. It's cool when you're hot and Jamie lee Curtis is funny!

And on Twitter.... nothing. I guess that’s what happens when you only have 19 followers on Twitter. So come help me grow that number please.

Anyways, thanks Chris and Tara, I’ve been waiting for someone to request this ride. I personally believe it is overlooked far too often, and pretty much utilized for naps and escapes from the extreme weather in Florida.

Unfortunately, as I looked through my archives, I discovered I too have apparently been skipping this attraction. I’ve only got one recording to choose from, and it’s from a solo evening trip in 2006. I’ve been at work all day, and this evening I headed over to Epcot to have a little fun in the parks. I’m actually going to mix in a few seconds from a prior stereo recording because this binaural recording misses the very first line from Ellen. After that, Ellen takes over and introduces us to our back story. Soon a dream begins, and we’ll join Ellen on her adventure.

Memory 044 - Living With The Land

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:00:00 +0000

** Stereo Audio **
** Binaural Audio **
Time: 35:08
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

I firstly have to apologize for my lack of posts, both on the blog and on the podcast. I think it would be an understatement for me to simply say that life has gotten busy. Between a 5 month old who is now teething, and a 3 year old who has patiently waited for daddy to complete her new swing set, there has been little free time to write and record a new podcast. So I’m trying something new. Instead of my daily 5AM trip to the gym, this week I’m going to try and record an episode and hopefully be able to edit it down during breaks, in order to get it out sooner rather then later. So if I sound a little groggy still, that’s the reason. So let’s get to the reason we’re all listening.

Today’s memory will be one that was requested quite a while ago, and by a few people. Today, we’re going to take a ride on Living With The Land. I have received requests from Dan, Shayne, and Daniel to relive this memory. To make it up to all of you for the delay, I’m going to actually include two memories in one.

Memory one will be from November 2003, and is in Stereo only. Now if you think about it, in 2003 they were still being narrated by a live Cast Member. It’s a rainy day, and my family and I are enjoying a day at the Parks. We’ve been waiting for a while in the queue, and this is where we’ll join the memory. We’re standing in the loading area, and another boat is just pulling away, then it’ll be our turn. You’ll hear my dad, brother and sister all laughing because my dad and I are pretty cramped in the front seat with a couple other people. Anyways, the boat pulls away and the ride begins.

Memory two is from May 2007 and is in Binaural. The recording again begins as we’re waiting to board. It’s flower and garden festival time at Epcot, and Traci and I are waiting to board with her parents. It’s early in the morning, and you’ll hear us discussing what we want to do or see in Epcot today as we look over the brochures. Soon, our Cast Memberless boat arrives, we board into our row and we’re off.

Memory 043 - Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 16:04
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

So it’s been snowing out here a lot, and it’s got me thinking about that warm and magical place we all know and love. Yes, I’m dreaming about Walt Disney World again, and dying to relive another memory with you. So as I return to my request queue, I see that this memory is going to be another favorite of mine. Today we’re going to hop a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.

So our request came in a couple of years ago now (yes, I’m that far behind) from Mark in England. He wrote:

Could I please request a recording of the TTA, I know it is out of service for a while but maybe you have a back log of recordings.

He went on to list in a later email some of the reasons why they like the TTA:

We have so many happy memories of this classic ride.

We always say "It's not a holiday until we have been on the "People Mover" as we still call it.

Always our 1st ride in the MK after going for Space Mountain Fastpasses.

We love the relaxing nature of the ride and I love to catch a sneak peek of Space Mountain, especially if the lights are on.

"Tom Morrow" always makes us laugh.

I love Walt's vision of the future scene, I want to live there :-)

We have probably ridden the TTA many hundreds of times over that last 17 years or so.

We cannot resist bouncing on the travelator that takes you up to the loading station

Well Mark, this one has been a long time coming, but here it is finally. Today’s recording is from a single night trip in January 2007. It’s late in the evening, and the Christmas decorations are still up around the park. Traci and I have no wait (as usual), and we’ll begin by stepping onto the ramp and hopping on the loading carousel before being whisked around Tomorrowland on a very relaxing and fun ride.

Memory 042 - Country Bear Jamboree Christmas Special

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

** Mono Video **
Time: 13:13
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

For our special Christmas Memory this year, I'm digging deep for one that is really special. So I have recently begun the work of migrating all our old video tapes to DVD. This has unearthed a plethora of special memories, and I found one that is perfect for our special Christmas Memory. This video is of the MIA Country Bear Jamboree Christmas Special.

As I mentioned, I'm converting a bunch of our old family video tapes to DVD, and this tape was probably the reason for my Disney addiction. We used to watch it every week, so there aren't many parts that I don't have memorized. I've been thinking about showcasing this video for a while, and figured this was a perfect time. This tape was from our family trip in 1986, yes, that's almost 25 years ago. So you'll have to forgive the quality of the picture and audio. Digital cameras with stereo audio were not available yet. Also, tapes weren't nearly as cheap, so my father will cut the recording every now and then to save on tape, so it's not a complete recording, but still most of it is here.

So imagine with me a cool evening (daytime temperatures in the 60's). The day is wrapping up, and we're all wearing down. The family is reuniting for one last attraction, catching a family friendly showing of the Country Bears. It's a full house, and we're seated towards the back. The lights dim, and a singular voice to our right begins the first verse of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". This is where we will join up with this memory.

So I hope you enjoy this video from my childhood, and it reminds you of your very own Walt Disney World Memory. Merry Christmas!

Memory 041 - Disneyland Trip Report and Dumbo

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:00:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 39:38
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Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

Earlier this year we took a trip to California which included 2 days at the Disneyland Resort. In this memory, we revisit that trip with commentary by both Lou and Susie (Traci opted out this time). After the trip review, stay tuned for a special audio clip of Susie's first Disney ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Memory 040 - Mickey's PhilharMagic

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:02:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 21:15
Download

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can't actually be there.

It’s another beautiful day, and my plans have already changed. I was thinking this would be a fun time to review my days at Disneyland, but that’s going to have to wait, at least for one more week. Instead I’m going to bring you another request. This one came from a pair people. Both Chris from Montreal, and Denise. And Denise was kind enough to share her memory of Mickey’s PhilharMagic with us:

I was in Disney World in 2000 for my honeymoon and I did not get back until I went with my Mom and Aunt in Feb 2006. It was a very long 6 years to wait. I had Mickey's Philharmagic (and others) on a mp3 download that I found on the web and listened to them ALOT. When we finally got there, this was the first thing that we did when we arrived. As I was sitting there watching it, I was remembering how many times I had sat at my desk, listening to it and now I was actually sitting here watching it in person. I did start to tear up..... So this will always be one of my favorites because it was the first memory of a long over due trip.

Well Denise and Chris, here’s your request. We’re visiting a memory from 2006, and it’s the anniversary trip. Traci and I have barely begun our day in the Magic Kingdom, working our way around from Tomorrowland. We stop in and only have to wait for a short period before it’s our turn. We’ll jump into the memory as we start walking up through the queue area, and into the holding space just before the doors open automagically towards us.

Memory 039 - Prairie Drifters

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:20:00 +0000

** Mono Audio **
Time: 28:37
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So I’m back from California and boy what a trip. Disneyland is really a special place, and I think I have managed to fall more in love with Disney California Adventure, even without seeing the new World of Color show. But my trip report is for another podcast. Let’s just say, I’ll take Walt Disney World over Disneyland, but take either one of those way before the next park.

So today is going to be a special show, but before I forget yet again, let me start off with some housekeeping. I’ve been branching out on the social media realms a lot recently. It first started by getting my own fan page on Facebook (Facebook.com/WaltDisneyWorldMemories). Then I branched out to Twitter (@WDWMemoriesLou). Now I’ve even got my own voicemail line 336-WDW-MEM0 (336-939-6360). So you now have many ways to reach me, leave me feedback, find out what I’m doing, and of course make a request. So feel free to reach out to me through any of these mediums, and don’t hesitate to pass the word around. I’d love to see our fan base grow.

Now on with the actual memory. Today’s memory is one of my own requests. I was looking through my audio collection, trying to find something patriotic that I haven’t done before, and finally found something. As I figure, Frontierland is kind of Old Americana, so I thought “What can I do from there that’s different”? Have you ever heard of the Prairie Drifters? I’m not sure where these guys ended up, but back in 1998 they could be found in the Diamond Horseshoe. This was a daily show consisting of 4 guys playing 4 stringed instruments (Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, and Bass). They were some of the most talented musicians I’ve seen, and well worth the catching the show. In fact, on the night of this memory, I caught them twice.

So back in 1998, I was in Orlando for a convention, so of course I went to the parks in my spare time. This evening, I had gotten a Turkey leg, and gone upstairs to watch from the balcony as the show happened. I started the recorder just as the show began, but unbeknownst to me, my battery was low, and halfway through the show, it died (that will be the end of our first memory). I realized later my audio was cut short, so I decided to return to see the Prairie Drifters again that evening. The next show I was ready, but again audio troubles plagued me, and I managed to overwrite some of my audio, losing a good chunk of the second set. So this isn’t the best audio, or even a full show. It’s not even in Stereo, but it’s something that is gone and very much missed, and a bit of the American Old West.

Memory 038 - Reflections/Wonders of China

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:44:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio ** ** Stereo Audio **
Time: 44:28
Download

Well it’s been a long time. My work has been absorbing all of my week days, meaning the weekends go to my family, so that unfortunately has left me with little time left over for hobbies. But that’s beginning to change, and I’m hoping to get back to my every other week format of podcasting, but we’ll just have to see.

Now before we get into the memory, I have a big announcement. I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND. That’s right, not Disney World, Disneyland. In June I’ll be making a trip to California for my brothers wedding and our family vacation. Part of that, will of course be a couple of days in Disneyland, where I hope to collect some memories that I can share with you.

But back to the the show. Today we’re back to our orignial format, and that means requests. Today’s request completes that email from Brian. His last request was for the Wonders of China movie. And I do believe he hasn’t been the only one to make that request. So this is one we should all enjoy. It’s going to involve two stops at the China Pavilion in Epcot. The first one is in December of 2001. This is a stereo memory, in which we’ll jump right in to the movie. We’ll meet up with my family just as we’re getting the last of the warnings about the theater, and the movie begins. The second memory is from May 2007. In this binaural memory (headphones on) we happen up on Si Xian who is playing some folk music before the movie begins. My wife, my inlaws, and I take our spot and the movie begins again.

Now you may ask, why 2 versions. Well in 2003, Disney changed the movie from Wonders of China to Reflections of China. The moves have some similarties, but there are noticible differences. It’s not quite as drastic as say Canada, but it is noticeable.

Memory 037 - A Free Day Trip Report

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:03:00 +0000

** Binaural Audio **
Time: 47:15
Download

So I’m branching out a little bit this time. Today, we’re not going to have a show completely devoted to audio like we normally do. This time, we’re going to have a quick trip report.

On this past December 27, I had the privelage of spending my birthday at Walt Disney World… sort of. A Few years ago we took a chance and actually went into the parks on my Birthday and that was a big mistake. We made it to the Animal Kingdom early, but by the time we made it to Epcot before Noon, the crowds were already getting Crazy. I’ll never forget that Soarin’ had a 210 minute wait, and we later found out all the parks but Epcot had closed their gates that day. So we opted not to do that again, and try getting some of that Disney Chritmas Magic just by going to the various Resorts and seeing their decorations. I’m going to try my best to recap for you the days events as my family, consisting of my wife Traci, our daughter Susie, and her Grandma and two Grandpas wander around the resorts.

Memory 036 - American Vybe Christmas

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:52:00 +0000

** Stereo Video **
Time: 15:01
Download

So today is Christmas, and as is my tradition, I like to do a little something special. This year, I’ve been going through a bunch of the old family video tapes and came across a video of our trip to Walt Disney World in Christmas of 2000, and smack in the middle of the tape is a recording of the entire show of American Vybe. The best part is, I have the audio recording for this video (you can see me sitting on the floor right in front)

So, it’s two days after Christmas, the parks are busy, and they’ve got a full house. The video actually starts off behind the singers, but my brother quickly realizes he won’t see anything from back there, so he moves around front. The audio is a combination of the two feeds (from the camera and from my mike) and is in stereo sound.

Memory 035 - O Canada!

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:46:00 +0000

**Binaural **
Time: 28:22
Download

Today’s request came from a couple people. First, this attraction was mentioned in the same email I received from Brian in episode 34. But it was also requested by Denise. Again these requests came in a long time ago, but I’m glad to be able to get to them now. Their request was for O’ Canada at the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot. Denise said:

I remember hearing about the change to the movie in Canada before we went down there. And as much as I like the rides and shows to stay the same, sometimes it is good when they are updated. And I was really looking forward to the new movie with Martin Short.

Well Denise, I’m sorry but I haven’t been down to Disney World since the recent change in the movie to Martin Short. In fact, today’s binaural memory comes from my last trip to Disney. It’s a perfect spring day in May 2007. Traci (who’s 4 months pregnant) and I are joined by her parents today. We arrive a little bit before the doors open, so we get to sit on the barrels and wait. Our hostess will welcome us, warning us about the feeling of motion, and then lets us in. You’ll hear my father-in-law mention the sound from the old projectors, and my wife comments about the quality of the pictures compared with the then new Planet: Earth series. I can only imagine the redone video has improved some of these things. In any case, the lights dim and we’re treated to what was probably my favorite 360° show in all of Epcot.

Memory 034 - The Hall of Presidents

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 40:04
Download

Today’s request comes from my good friend Brian, again about a year ago (I sound like Hotchberg). His request was for Hall Of Presidents (amongst others). His request was simple, just a

I’d Like to hear the Hall of Presidents

Well it’s a little late, but it couldn’t be more appropriate. As we American’s give thanks for our country, it’s great to reflect on the freedoms that were and are being defended by our leaders. This show, while some consider boring *caugh Iago*, I personally find it interesting. It’s not my favorite attraction, and often times I’ll just use it to avoid a storm, but I always come out grateful for the 30 minutes I just spent inside.

So today’s audio is a special one. I sadly haven’t been back to WDW in almost 3 years now, so I don’t have the latest incarnation. To make up for it, I’m sharing the previous two editions. We’ll start by revisiting a stereo memory from August 1999 on a trip with my family. The current narrator is Maya Angelou, and President Clinton gives a speech. We’ll then jump to a binaural memory from that same 2006 anniversary trip with my wife, and get to hear the narration by J. D. Hall and a speech given by President Bush. Both audio clips start as the show begins. Sadly I haven’t realized how much fun just hearing the queue/wait areas are yet, and just started recording right when the show begins. It’s still good audio though.

Memory 033 - Muppet Vision 3D

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:18:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 31:03
Download

LOU'S NOTE: I just realized I call this Memory 31. It's actually #33. Don't worry you haven't missed something.

Today’s request comes from my good friend Jessica, oh… about a year ago (sorry Jessica). Her request was for MuppetVision 3D. She wrote:

“I also have one request. I would love to hear any audio you have from Muppetvision 3D in Hollywood Studios… I used to watch the Muppet Show when I was little, it was one of my favorite shows. When I went to Disney for the first time in 2002, that 3D show was the first show that I saw. Not only was it a hilarious show, but it was my first exposure to the amazing 3D technology that Disney uses and I was completely impressed with the quality of the show. It is one of my favorite shows in WDW. I also think that the preshow before hand, with the three televisions in the queue room, is so funny! My little sister loves to quote from it.”

Of course I’m with you Jessica. MuppetVision is far more than just a 3D movie and is truly one of the funniest attractions in the parks. There is so much to see and do here. As a word of advice, take your time and walk through the queue looking everywhere. Check out all of the waiting room during the pre-show, and catch the whole pre-show. If you have to wait a cycle to see it, just do it. It’s so worth it.

In any case, the audio we’ll hear today is from the infamous anniversary trip to Walt Disney World in 2006. We’ve just stepped inside the show building and the pre-show has already started. Sadly we missed the very beginning with the guys getting the sponsor logo strait, and on walks Scooter looking at the 3 different screens. The show progresses from there, and we’re ushered into the main auditorium shortly after, and the laughs continue. The show goes off without a hitch and we exit out to the right.

Memory 032 - The Magic of Disney Animation

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:23:00 +0000

**Mono Audio**
Time: 11:50
Download

Today's memory is for me. With the death of Walter Cronkite, I thought it would be fun to listen to one of the attractions in which he had been featured, The Magic of Disney Animation. Today's audio is from 1998, and not that great, but it's one of the only recordings out there that I know of. I recorded it on a solo trip, and it was part of the reason I began recording attraction audio.

Memory 031 - Jungle Cruise

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:50:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 41:20
Download

So today’s request came from 2 people. First was Jason and his family from Ramsey, MN:

Our family (wife and daughter (age 8)) really enjoy listening and reliving the happy memories of our past trips. We especially like the Carousel of Progress memory. We are wondering if you would be willing or able to do a Jungle Cruise memory?

I later received this request from Lottie in Wiltshire, England:

I would like to request a well loved ride for you to release. I really like Jungle Cruise, and the way the tour guides crack their' own personal jokes that makes the ride that little bit different and special each time. The ride includes lots of fun scenarios that I can never get enough of, and I consider it as one of my most entertaining rides in the whole of WDW. I remember one time when a crazy driver let me control the boat... I was scared silly, but it was really fun!

First off, thank you both for writing in. The Jungle Cruise is a classic attraction, which is one that is made by the captain of your boat. A good captain, and you won’t want to get off. A bad captain, and you’re apt to jump out and just swim back (by the way, I don’t suggest doing that unless you want to see how quickly you can leave the Magic Kingdom). Again, this is another of my favorite attractions, and a must do on every visit to the Magic Kingdom.

Because of my delay in getting this out, I’m going to throw in two memories for the price of one. The first memory came from our great trip to WDW for our anniversary in 2006. It’s a beautiful afternoon and we’ve slipped into a short line to catch a ride on the Jungle Cruise. We are lucky today and get a great skipper named EJ. He does a bunch of the classic jokes, but some of his own hit the mark too. Just listen to the rest of the boat, they’re obviously enjoying it. The second memory came a month later on an overnight trip in January 2007 where we went to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours of fun. This time we’ll get more queue audio, and again we get a skipper who keeps us laughing as he deviates a little more from the script.

Memory 030 - Expedition Everest

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:43:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 7:40
Download

So today’s request came from both Andrew and Silvio. Andrew wrote:

next time you go back to WDW can u get a recording of Expedition Everest. It has to be my favorite ride in all of WDW because of how dark it is when you go backwards. i love the g-forces, because that’s just what i am known for. but the drop is just as amazing. it was my first big roller coaster.

And Silvio said:

The sound is just great. I was wondering if you have any recordings of Expedition Everest? Expedition Everest is my favorite ride.

First off, thank you both for writing in. This is probably one of my all time favorite roller coasters. From the moment I heard about it, I was intrigued.

Well today you get to join Traci and I as we take our family for our first ride on Expedition Everest. It’s a cool morning in December 2006 and we quickly make our way back to the back of the park for our first ride. We have never ridden before, but seen all the TV specials and heard other riders experience. However, this doesn’t change our enjoyment level.

Memory 029 - Off Kilter

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:50:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 1:04:21
Download

Today’s request came from Kirsty of Norwich, England. She wrote:

A second request is Off Kilter, we saw these guys in kilts on our last day … I'd never heard anything like the sound of bagpipes in a rock/celtic band! It was a great 20 mins to end our trip in Walt Disney World!

So for those of you who think the name sounds familiar, yes Christy was one of our requests in episode 26 for the Dapper Dans. This request for Off Kilter is something I’ve been waiting for. Off Kilter is one of my favorite bands at Epcot, and all of Disney World for that matter. Their style and sound is something very unique and not heard almost anywhere else.

So today, we’re going to slip into 3 different memories. Our First, was recorded back in 1998 on a trip with my family. The audio is not great as I only had a mono microphone. I’ll do some editing to make it appear in stereo, but it’s not true stereo. Our family was walking around World Showcase and the concert started, so we’ll get to hear the first couple of songs, then we move on. Memory two is also from 1998. The audio is again in mono, and I will adjust that again. This time we’ll get to hear the entire set, start to finish. Finally, Memory three is from 2006 on our anniversary trip, and therefore in Binaural, so headphones on. From what I can remember, the band has not changed at all since 1998. There is some new music, but like before, it’s just pure fun in Canada.

Memory 028 - Impressions de France

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:21:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 25:24
Download

Today’s request came from Brian Hendricks of Springfield, IL. He wrote:

I have a MAJOR request: I would LOVE to hear the "Impressions de France" movie at Epcot. It is a classic, and it was one of the inspirations behind my choosing France as the honeymoon site for me and my wife 5 years ago. Even if I can never get a video copy of this movie, the music of "Impressions de France" is the main reason I am requesting it. It is outstanding. In fact, Disney had received so many questions about the music for this movie that they issued a memo / press release that showed all the titles that were used. I would be forever grateful to you for doing this one!

First off, Brian, thank you for your patience. To give you all an idea how long he’s been waiting for this audio… well let’s just say my baby girl isn’t that old. So Brian, at long last, here’s your request.

Today’s memory is from the spring of 2007. Traci and I took a day trip with her parents to Disney from their house in Tampa to enjoy some of the Flower and Garden Festival, and the evening at the Magic Kingdom. This memory is in Binaural, so headphones on. We’ll start out in the waiting area where we’re seated on the carpet as we get the announcement that the doors are about to open and we can enter. Shortly the curtains open, and we’re transported from our seats in Epcot to the countryside of France.

Memory 027 - Fantasyland Dark Rides

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:51:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 19:25
Download

Now, this weeks Memory was requested by Chris. This is the same Chris that requested Fantasmic, back on Memory 23. He wrote:

do you have any plans of doing any of the other dark rides? Maybe a show dedicated to all of the Magic Kingdom’s dark rides…

Well Chris, here you go. Today we’re going to visit the three remaining dark rides in the Magic Kingdom, just because they’re all so short.

We’ll start with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We’ll jump into this memory on a beautiful sunny day in December 2006. We find ourselves standing in a short line, just about to board. When it’s our turn, we hop in the back of our car quickly, and we’re wisked off on an adventure through the pages of Winnie the Pooh.

Next we’ll jump into a memory from a cool evening on a day trip in January 2007. As we enter this memory, we find ourselves in line for Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Again, the line is quick as everyone is staking out spots for the upcoming fireworks. Then it’s our turn, we hop in the back seat again of our mine car and we’re off on an Adventure as Snow White.

Finally, we’ll end this show with a return to a memory from December 2006. It’s a cool evening, and the line has shrunk enough that we’re going to catch a ride on Peter Pan. We jump into this memory as we’re nearing the front of the line and about to board. As we climb into our ship, the excitement builds as we’re about to ride my favorite dark ride. Then we’re off, out the window, and into the London night sky.

Memory 026 - Dapper Dans

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:36:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 14:04
Download

Alright, it’s been almost a month, and I’ve been slacking off. I’m sorry. In any case, today’s Memory is a good one. It was requested by Kirsty of Norwich, England. She wrote in and said:

My request is not a ride or an attraction, so to say, its more of entertainment; my request is the Dapper Dans. Again, during my recent visit, we saw these guys for the first time, on the last day of our holiday. They were so great, even posing for photos while they were singing!

Kirsty also went on to ask for a second musical act which we’ll get to in a later show. Unfortunately Kirsty, the Magic Kingdom is the one park I don’t have much as far as street entertainers from. I will recommend my buddy Brian from the Mousin’ It Up Podcast as a great resource for these guys. That said, I do have some audio of the Dapper Dans. In fact, I’ve got two memories for us to enjoy.

The first memory is in stereo and is an abbreviated one. It was recorded on a trip I took back in 2001. It was a blustery afternoon with a storm rolling in as I entered the Magic Kingdom. After passing under the Railroad, and around the main square, I saw them up ahead on the corner. They were already started, so I missed the beginning of the set. And unfortunately because of that storm, I had to leave early, so we’ll get a couple of songs.

The second memory is also an abbreviated one, though this one’s from the anniversary trip in 2006, and therefore in Binaural. It’s a beautiful morning as we enter the Magic Kingdom, and like every other morning, you’ll find the Dan’s singing to guests as you walk down Main Street. Again, we stop only for a few songs, cause otherwise we’ll have to wait forever for Space Mountain. Of course as we walk up, the Dans started talking to us, asking us where we’re from. They’re just so much fun. Unfortunately they couldn’t think of any songs about North Carolina, but that doesn’t stop them from singing.

The Mousin’ It Up podcast can be found at: http://bbdp.libsyn.com/

Memory 025 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:17:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 23:21
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Today’s Memory was requested by Nick from London, he wrote:

As for a request I would love to hear Big Thunder Mountain (including queue music) also definitely if you could walk down the tunnels of Space Mountain!! So I would definitely like to request Big Thunder and Space Mountain!!

He went on to explain:

I personally like Big Thunder and Space Mountain for the inside queue area music are among the best at WDW! Firstly Space Mountain – I don’t think you can beat the sounds of the tunnels as you proceed towards the loading area – it is so deep and mystic! Brings back a flood of memories from when I first went on it at 9 years old – both petrified and excited. Same goes for Big Thunder – I love queuing here especially early in the morning as the day warms up!, the sound of bluegrass and the distant sound of trains and the Mississippi river boat horn just put you in the old west!

Nick, your wish is my command. I’m with you. I just didn’t realize how much that music puts me back in the Magic Kingdom. It’s so simple, but that’s what I’m trying to share here. It’s these Memories that trigger emotions and thoughts of fun and happy times, be it from child hood, or your trip last week. It’s always fun to go back and look forward to your next return.

So today’s memory is again in Binaural, so headphones on. It was recorded on our anniversary trip in 2006. As we slip into this memory, we’re just entering the line and walking up the hill. You’ll hear the music pick up as you look out over sculpted mountain that resembles something from Monument Valley National Park. As you watch a couple coasters fly by, reaching a top speed of 40 miles per hour, you’ll hear the screams of the riders. I think we had fast passes, cause we don’t spend too much time in line, and we’re soon being ushered into our spots, but let’s take the very front instead. So we get to wait an extra cycle, and then we’re off.

Next we’ll be transported to our second memory of the day, a ride on Space Mountain. It’s mid-day and the sun was bright, so as we get inside, you’ll hear Traci and I discussing how dark it really was inside. You’ll get to hear about 2 minutes of queue music, and then I’ll cut us to the front of the line. It’s our turn to ride this attraction build first for Walt Disney World. We climb in and are taken up to the top of the track, past the space men, then it’s blast off into the darkness, only reaching a top speed of 28 miles per hour this time.

MoustGuest Weekly podcast can be found at: http://www.mouseguest.com/

12 Memories of Christmastime: Memory 12 - Christmas Tree Lighting

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 15:35:00 +0000

**Binaural Video**
Time: 10:54
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12 Days of Christmas, Memory 12, Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree Lighting: On the night of our Anniversary in December 2006, we had a bit of time before our dinner reservations at the California Grille, so we rode the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and caught the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony that occurs at the head of Main Street.

12 Memories of Christmastime: Memory 11 - Candelight Service

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:16:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 54:41
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12 Days of Christmas, Memory 11, Epcot Candlelight Service: Today we’re going to attend the Epcot Candlelight service. It’s a beautiful evening and we take our seats in the middle of the theater near the trees. Our guest host tonight is one of mine (and Traci’s) favorite Christian artists, Steven Curtis Chapman. The announcer comes on, and the orchestra begins their holiday medley as the show begins.

Join us tomorrow for our Final Christmas Memory.

Find Steven Curtis Chapman at: http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

12 Memories of Christmastime: Memory 10 - 4 For A Dollar

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:53:00 +0000

**Binaural Audio**
Time: 13:58
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12 Days of Christmas, Memory 10, 4 For a Dollar: As we exited the backstage tour, what do my wondering ears should hear but 4 men singing in perfect harmony. That’s right 4 For A Dollar was performing in the flatbread grille area, to a less than enthusiastic crowd. Traci and I quickly high-tail it over and take a seat near the front. The guys sing 3 more songs to which Traci and I are quite amazed. Afterwards, all four of them walk over to us and chat with us for about 2 minutes (which you’ll get to hear at the end of the recording). Fortunately for us, nobody else was really paying them much attention, because they are one of the best musical groups in all of Walt Disney World, and we got almost a private showing. Anyways, here’s 4 For a Dollar.

Join us tomorrow for our next Christmas Memory.

Find 4 For A Dollar / Return 2 Zero at: http://www.return2zero.net/

12 Memories of Christmastime: Memory 09 - Lumberjack Nowell in Canada

Podcast@WDW-Memories.net (WDW-Memories Lou) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:24:00 +0000

**Stereo Audio**
Time: 7:24
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12 Days of Christmas, Memory 09, lumberjack Nowell: We are seated right in front of his speaker as the lumberjack comes around the corner. He makes his way up to the platform and begins to change clothes. He looks kind of familiar to me, don’t you think?