Jeff Barnes, Ph.D., also known as “Dr. Disneyland,” joins the podcast to discuss Disneyland history circa the 1990s and early 2000s when Disney’s California Adventure and the Grand Californian Hotel opened up. Disney wanted to transform Disneyland from a single-day park to a multiple-day destination in Southern California. DCA and Grand Californian were essentially built in the parking lot for Disneyland. After Disney acquired the land for the current Mickey and Friends parking lot, the City of Anaheim paid to have the parking structure built to revitalize the 2-mile area surrounding Disneyland. The city wanted to transform the area into a tourist and convention district. The city used hotel taxes to fund the clean-up efforts. Disney was also considering building a second gate a few miles away in Long Beach. The city successfully kept the second park within its city limits and was able to meet its revenue goals.
Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) stress out almost every guest visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Dustin Checketts, content creator, and owner of the website MouseDining.com joins Chad Pennycuff to help you secure the dining reservations that will make your trip even more magical. Whether you’re trying to score a rare and highly coveted signature restaurant or just missed your 60-day mark and need some help, your Walt Disney World or Disneyland experience will be rocked to the core when you learn about how MouseDining can unlock your best Disney meals. After all, some of us are just here for the snacks! Episode 212
As a DVC-based interview-based podcast, we normally ask members to share their stories and their personal opinions. However, there are countless unsung heroes behind scenes and some on center stage who also have a unique and interesting perspective they can share. Disney calls these people cast members, I call them the magic makers. Episode 189
Fellow DVC Member Scott Conners shares his story of becoming a cast member, a DVC member, a former cast member due to the pandemic, and emerging as a successful entrepreneur. We gain some insights into how Scott’s family uses their membership, insider tips on working with mousekeeping, and the back story of Magical Vacation Grocers.
Scotty Kaufman’s love of Disney started when he was watching The Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color as an expatriate family serving overseas. Scott grew up on the island of Ohau in Hawaii and eventually married and settled in Orlando, Florida. Before Disney started selling Aulani, he transitioned from a sports reporter for the Orlando Sentinal to a DVC guide. His career took off with DVC, and eventually, he made his way to becoming a coveted dedicated cruise guide before leaving DVC direct sales to join DVC Resale Market. Join the conversation to hear his story and explain why Aulani and Hawaii are gems in the Disney Vacation Club portfolio.
Meet Kerri Macpherson and get a brief overview of her career at Disney and cover how she’s currently serving members at the DVC Rental Store. Kerri started her 20+ year Disney career as a Disney College Program recruit. Her first job (and toughest job to date) was selling Mickey Bars in front of Cinderella’s castle on the corner of Main Street. From there, she went on to be a reservation specialist for Disney Cruise Line, became a recruiter for the Disney College Program, went on to be a Disney Ambassador, DVC guide, and sales manager for Club 33. Kerri was part of the 27,000 member layoffs in the pandemic. DVC Rental Store hired her as a brand ambassador and she shares some of the latest news from DVC Rental Store.
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