Hey Pete...thank you...but ..

[Gary Stocker]

From one Jersey shore boy to another...

You are the DIS and your honest takes each week help me immensely with my trip planning. Most other channels or vlogs stay close where their bread is buttered and paint a prettier picture than reality.
Ryno and your current team are really awesome in their own right...however it is you that brought me here.
If nothing else make some appearances at the table or the occasional guest host.
Love you Pete...your covid shows were incredible even though you were bleeding $ due to no travel. I still have never been to Hollywood and "slime" due to your review and cannot walk into the Grand Floridian without chuckling at your review when you took your mom.
Your story and your opinions are part of my Disney experience....so please don't abandon the weekly show forever.

 

[JodieJRanch]

From one Jersey shore boy to another...
View attachment 756169
You are the DIS and your honest takes each week help me immensely with my trip planning. Most other channels or vlogs stay close where their bread is buttered and paint a prettier picture than reality.
Ryno and your current team are really awesome in their own right...however it is you that brought me here.
If nothing else make some appearances at the table or the occasional guest host.
Love you Pete...your covid shows were incredible even though you were bleeding $ due to no travel. I still have never been to Hollywood and "slime" due to your review and cannot walk into the Grand Floridian without chuckling at your review when you took your mom.
Your story and your opinions are part of my Disney experience....so please don't abandon the weekly show forever.

Pete carried the show, Pete is or was the show. The show gained its tremendous following and lasted 17 years because of Pete, period. Oh well, all good things have to come to an end. Thanks Pete.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Pete carried the show, Pete is or was the show. The show gained its tremendous following and lasted 17 years because of Pete, period. Oh well, all good things have to come to an end. Thanks Pete.

I agree. I think his team is solid in their complementary roles but he is the (stealing from Reggie Jackson) straw that stirs the drink
Curious now that he is getting married if the show will be filmed somewhere other than his home

 

[Huskerpaul]

Sounds like after 17 years Pete finally suffered Disney burnout. Maybe some time away will rekindle the spark of fandom again for Pete. One can hope.

 

[Gary Stocker]

I can't see him not wanting to add his commentary on Disney suing the state of Florida the day after his announcement.

 

[rotlex]

He's quit the show before and come back. He can't stay away, and honestly the show is not the same without him. He is the reason most people listen. The rest of the team leave a lot to be desired when on their own.

 

[Nursemanit]

How to kill a brand 101 ...

They need a manager who is level-headed and will enforce some professionalism. Some of the competition is just getting too good and stays laser-focused on the parks and resorts, reporting on the news but not making drama.

 

[kylenne]

I’ll be totally honest, I stopped listening to the weekly shows a long time ago (this week was the first time in ages). I’m probably in the minority with this but I legitimately don’t care about opinions or commentary on news that’s been talked about to death on Twitter/Reddit/etc by the time Tuesday comes around and I feel like that’s all that’s on offer with the Dis anymore. The dining reviews are the only thing I tune in for anymore and those are fewer and farther between.

I definitely agree with Pete about the need to get back to focus on trip planning, perhaps selfishly because that’s what I care about, but tbqh the competition has been running circles around them on that for quite a while now. The eat/treat/trash dining shows are a novel concept and the kind of thing that could be leaned into, except the actual content is weak when you have people opining on places they’ve never even eaten at, which made me turn off the HS one. And that kind of thing happens a bit too often for me tbh. Then they took it to the logical conclusion and did a whole show about places they’ve never eaten at. I unsubscribed. I am totally fine with opinions and commentary—I actually want it on food, because it’s highly subjective!—but I want it to be informed by firsthand experience. That’s the kind of “back to basics” content needed.

 

[glamdring269]

But in reality, how many episodes can one really do on trip planning? It was one thing to do that 17 years ago. This is a thriving community that allows for back and forth q&a. The DIS is basically a one-way channel of communication. Are people who have been visiting these forums for years, listening to that show for years, etc. really looking to get trip planning advice at this point (from that medium)?

Here's one example. I recently found Mouse Ears. That guy does a great job explaining Genie+. It's hands on, in the park, multiple episodes on it. I find that useful. It would be really difficult to replicate something like this on the Dis in 2023. 17 years ago was a different ball game.

 

[JodieJRanch]

Sounds like after 17 years Pete finally suffered Disney burnout. Maybe some time away will rekindle the spark of fandom again for Pete. One can hope.

No I think that happened years and years ago shortly after moving to Orlando. He realized that the show was a GREAT marketing tool for the business so he stuck with it and it worked. However for the most part, Cruises are where Dreams makes its money, so it makes since that he's planning to spend more time there. Kevin and John are already there for that same reason, so it may get a little crowded.

 

[Her Dotness]

Really will miss Pete but hope once he's a bit past newlywed euphoria that he'll drop in on the show occasionally other than about cruising.

I will also, like many I bet, miss the Pete-Rants. Not only informative, even if I disagreed, but entertaining to see how animated he could become over various issues.

I'd like to see the show do a retrospective bit every so often like XX years ago, this was the new animated feature released, <New ride/show> opened at whichever park, etc. Not omitting the important historical moments relating to the early years of the company and Disney family either. Maybe an On This Date, X years ago or in xxxx, etc.

Wouldn't need to take up much time, just a quick "Do you know?" about some fun or significant bit of history.

 

[VandVsmama]

The Connecting With Walt podcast is really great and doesn't have any of the political commentary that the Dis Unplugged show has turned into. I think that Pete was a great asset to the Dis Unplugged show and will miss him on there. I've decided to take a break for awhile from the Dis Unplugged...I'll tune in in a few months when some of the Disney VS Politician battles have simmered down a bit.

 

[DLgal]

He's quit the show before and come back. He can't stay away, and honestly the show is not the same without him. He is the reason most people listen. The rest of the team leave a lot to be desired when on their own.

Speak for yourself. I prefer the younger hosts, personally. Nothing against Pete at all, just my preference.

 

[StargazerNova]

He's quit the show before and come back. He can't stay away, and honestly the show is not the same without him. He is the reason most people listen. The rest of the team leave a lot to be desired when on their own.

 

[StargazerNova]

ok so I read all the comments on this matter of Pete leaving and if I may like to give my opinion.
"I Think" we are missing something here. Why do we listen or watch, in this case, the dis unplugged ?
Or better yet why is it so popular among so many ?
Ans: Personality, Entertainment, Opinion (Whether agree or disagree with it) and pure enjoyment. It is not merely "Information" there is a plethora of podcast and such that you can go to for "information". Pete brought Personality, Entertainment, Opinion and Enjoyment. That my friends is what I am very disappointed about, we lost that. I was very bummed about the news and still am. Pete was The dis unplugged for me . Does it mean I didn't like the cast? No not at all, just believe the cast "added" to what Pete brought to the table (no pun intended) That being said you cannot add to what is not there and because of that you will see a huge decline in the audience. If you disagree look at the numbers when he is not present. I don't believe I am alone in this assessment. I unsubscribed immediately when he announced it. That doesn't mean I won't pop in once and a while to see what's going on like other sources i go to , but the captain left the ship and I am baling out. I will miss the "what a jerk" the "what a genius" the "I don't like him" the "I love this guy" that Pete gave to me . I will miss that greatly. Is it as bad as Mickey leaving Disney ? No. But close enough for me ....I'm out! Pete you will be missed and will remain hopeful of your return.
* I believe I speak for many.

 

[VandVsmama]

ok so I read all the comments on this matter of Pete leaving and if I may like to give my opinion.
"I Think" we are missing something here. Why do we listen or watch, in this case, the dis unplugged ?
Or better yet why is it so popular among so many ?
Ans: Personality, Entertainment, Opinion (Whether agree or disagree with it) and pure enjoyment. It is not merely "Information" there is a plethora of podcast and such that you can go to for "information". Pete brought Personality, Entertainment, Opinion and Enjoyment. That my friends is what I am very disappointed about, we lost that. I was very bummed about the news and still am. Pete was The dis unplugged for me . Does it mean I didn't like the cast? No not at all, just believe the cast "added" to what Pete brought to the table (no pun intended) That being said you cannot add to what is not there and because of that you will see a huge decline in the audience. If you disagree look at the numbers when he is not present. I don't believe I am alone in this assessment. I unsubscribed immediately when he announced it. That doesn't mean I won't pop in once and a while to see what's going on like other sources i go to , but the captain left the ship and I am baling out. I will miss the "what a jerk" the "what a genius" the "I don't like him" the "I love this guy" that Pete gave to me . I will miss that greatly. Is it as bad as Mickey leaving Disney ? No. But close enough for me ....I'm out! Pete you will be missed and will remain hopeful of your return.
* I believe I speak for many.

I listened to/watched the DIS Unplugged show for trip planning purposes, to learn about recent or upcoming changes to the parks, to learn about restaurant changes, to hear what the DIS staff thought about new WDW shows, to hear what the DIS staff thought of new restaurants, etc.

Now instead I'll just get that info from elsewhere. I'll go here on Disboards. But I'll listen to more of a different Disney-related podcast instead. And go to other DL/WDW-related websites also.

I really dislike the plethora of politics lately. I dislike how Disney has made so many things political. I dislike how politicians are making it political. One of the reasons I love DL & WDW is because you can escape from all of the politics. Listening to the DIS Unplugged podcast each week has been a fun way for me to keep that WDW/DL happy bubble in the back of my mind in the long 12-ish months in between trips. If I wanted to watch/listen to political rantings, I could do that on pretty much any evening news talk show that's available on any news network.

The politicization of the DIS Unplugged has now sucked all of the joy that I used to get from it. It's moved it from "oh yay! Another DIS Unplugged episode is out!" to the realm of "Here we go again." It's become like having to watch The View.

 

[Gary Stocker]

I listened to/watched the DIS Unplugged show for trip planning purposes, to learn about recent or upcoming changes to the parks, to learn about restaurant changes, to hear what the DIS staff thought about new WDW shows, to hear what the DIS staff thought of new restaurants, etc.

Now instead I'll just get that info from elsewhere. I'll go here on Disboards. But I'll listen to more of a different Disney-related podcast instead. And go to other DL/WDW-related websites also.

I really dislike the plethora of politics lately. I dislike how Disney has made so many things political. I dislike how politicians are making it political. One of the reasons I love DL & WDW is because you can escape from all of the politics. Listening to the DIS Unplugged podcast each week has been a fun way for me to keep that WDW/DL happy bubble in the back of my mind in the long 12-ish months in between trips. If I wanted to watch/listen to political rantings, I could do that on pretty much any evening news talk show that's available on any news network.

The politicization of the DIS Unplugged has now sucked all of the joy that I used to get from it. It's moved it from "oh yay! Another DIS Unplugged episode is out!" to the realm of "Here we go again." It's become like having to watch The View.

I agree with you..to an extent..recent events drip with politics and are impossible to ignore. I don't blame many on the panel to be personally impacted by it all.. and share their thoughts.
PS. I started watching the DIS when Charles Boda was at the table and found his content top notch..wonder how he is doing.

 

[afwdwfan]

Pete brought Personality, Entertainment, Opinion and Enjoyment. That my friends is what I am very disappointed about, we lost that. I was very bummed about the news and still am. Pete was The dis unplugged for me . Does it mean I didn't like the cast? No not at all, just believe the cast "added" to what Pete brought to the table (no pun intended)

This. I still listen to the episodes when Pete is gone, but I always look forward to when he returns because it was just missing something. Pete added a fire and a passion to the show, even if his personal passion had diminished for the parks. What I've loved about Pete was the fact that everything wasn't viewed through rose colored glasses as it is with many of the other plethora of Disney podcasts. I like his no BS approach to things, and I'm going to miss his insights, opinions and rants in the show. I'm not as interested in DVC or DCL so I guess I won't be listening to the podcasts he's going to keep working with. I'll give the new Dis Unplugged a chance, but we'll see...

 

[Jamie77]

Who's going to say, "Stay out of the dang lakes", now?

 

[guy_incognito]

It is a fickle, fickle territory. Once you miss one, it's easy to miss the next episode, and then you just forget.
There are other vloggers that we used to watch consistently, but when the content changed, we lost interest.
I have a feeling he will sit in on the show from time to time as a guest, especially if they really keep filming in his house... curious if they've addressed that? Will the shows just go remote?