What would you like to see in the new era?

[MonaMN]

All of this introspection has made me think about what I'd love to see in the new era as it relates to the podcast and content... so this might be a way to channel all of this in a positive way.

For my part, I'd love to see something like the Daily Fix come back. I don't always remember to check Disney Parks Blog or all the other social media sites that post the headlines... so I would love to see a quick 5-10 minute daily update to stay on top of announcements and news. That would open up the weekly show to just focus on a couple things and keep it a little tighter. This could even be a Patreon offering - none of the other content has inspired me to support via Patreon but a daily news update would get me (I'm a news junkie).

What would you like to see? Let's keep this productive, please... there's enough negativity right now.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Something that I feel is lacking is input or a prospective of the international Disney guest. Walt Disney World and Orlando based package holidays have been heavily promoted in UK and Ireland for over 30 years. Its such a big market that Disney has a separate booking system, website and ticket deals. There are thousands of UK , Irish and other European families travelling to Orlando who would benefit from huge amount of experience and knowledge of a platform like DisUnplugged.

In the past, it was necessary to have contributors be physically in the studio or at the same location. But those times are no more. We saw in 2020 and 2021 how it was possible for shows to be produced without the contributors be physically in the studio or at the same location. The technology is now available for a remote contributor.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd love to see J&K resume dining reviews. They were always good, even when the restaurant was bad. A plus for me was that my food tastes are very similar to theirs so if they liked a place there was a good chance that I'd like it too.

 

[john7994]

Something that I feel is lacking is input or a prospective of the international Disney guest. Walt Disney World and Orlando based package holidays have been heavily promoted in UK and Ireland for over 30 years. Its such a big market that Disney has a separate booking system, website and ticket deals. There are thousands of UK , Irish and other European families travelling to Orlando who would benefit from huge amount of experience and knowledge of a platform like DisUnplugged.

In the past, it was necessary to have contributors be physically in the studio or at the same location. But those times are no more. We saw in 2020 and 2021 how it was possible for shows to be produced without the contributors be physically in the studio or at the same location. The technology is now available for a remote contributor.

To that same end, Latin America along with Latin Americans would be a significantly large demographic to be focused on. I think they tried something in the past in that direction, but seems like an obvious choice as well.

 

[Swaggerwagon]

I’d like to see a more frequent shopping videos with Ryno. I think he’s hilarious in those.

I’d also like to hear more about taking kids to Disney. A lot of the podcasts seem adult oriented (best steak, best ambiance, best alcohol, etc). I would love somebody to just do YouTube videos/podcasts covering the baby care stations at the parks, best splash pads for kids who can’t swim, best restaurants for toddlers who can’t sit for more than 30 minutes . They could do a day at the parks riding only rides that don’t require a height limit. Best bubble blowers. Best goats at Animal Kingdom. Why the Winnie the Pooh Ride is absolutely terrifying….

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

To that same end, Latin America along with Latin Americans would be a significantly large demographic to be focused on. I think they tried something in the past in that direction, but seems like an obvious choice as well.

Yes they did try with SI DISNEY but that was a project lead by the former main host, and possibly tainted by the same toxic workplace environment.

What is really lacking with DisUnplugged is a proper marketing plan, which covers all the various Disney guest types, not just the local view.

 

[john7994]

Yes they did try with SI DISNEY but that was a project lead by the former main host, and possibly tainted by the same toxic workplace environment.

What is really lacking with DisUnplugged is a proper marketing plan, which covers all the various Disney guest types, not just the local view.

Current and/or past “taint” aside, I Would agree on the lack of (Marketing) business plan, as I never felt there was much of a traditional roadmap in place guiding direction of content, growth of audience, or engagement beyond checking a few boxes here and there (at least in the current era) Missed opportunities I suppose and likely not disconnected from the leadership to-date.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Current and/or past “taint” aside, I Would agree on the lack of (Marketing) business plan, as I never felt there was much of a traditional roadmap in place guiding direction of content, growth of audience, or engagement beyond checking a few boxes here and there (at least in the current era) Missed opportunities I suppose and likely not disconnected from the leadership to-date.

Exactly, it seems to me that so much came from a disconnected leadership. Its very likely that current and or former contributors worked on marketing plans, customer profiles and content for various customer profiles but due to the workplace environment and culture, there was a resistance to change and a lack of understanding of basic marketing principles.

Its like the saying jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe thats one of the biggest changes that need to happen, either appoint someone from in house or hire someone new as an online marketing manager, whose job is solely marketing, an off camera position which has nothing to do with the content creation.

 

[john7994]

Exactly, it seems to me that so much came from a disconnected leadership. Its very likely that current and or former contributors worked on marketing plans, customer profiles and content for various customer profiles but due to the workplace environment and culture, there was a resistance to change and a lack of understanding of basic marketing principles.

Its like the saying jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe thats one of the biggest changes that need to happen, either appoint someone from in house or hire someone new as an online marketing manager, whose job is solely marketing, an off camera position which has nothing to do with the content creation.

I don’t have any insight as to their actual operations and only recently seen the anecdotal backlash about their dysfunctions, and based on recent public availability of legal financial troubles, hiring additional personnel may not be in the cards for the near future until things are more financially sorted.

Nonetheless, I have observed that even large companies with far deeper pockets tend to “feast on their own dog food” before embracing outside ideas from outside sources (despite even hiring consultants asking for the input). There are likely some simple antidotes that could be put in place as well to help speed along recovery of the ailing patient - as long as they are willing to accept the medicine. I assume all eyes will be on those assembling in California later this week for a prognosis.

 

[MonaMN]

Exactly, it seems to me that so much came from a disconnected leadership. Its very likely that current and or former contributors worked on marketing plans, customer profiles and content for various customer profiles but due to the workplace environment and culture, there was a resistance to change and a lack of understanding of basic marketing principles.

Its like the saying jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe thats one of the biggest changes that need to happen, either appoint someone from in house or hire someone new as an online marketing manager, whose job is solely marketing, an off camera position which has nothing to do with the content creation.

I definitely get the sense that there are only a couple people (Craig and Ryno, with a bit of Erica) holding everything together right now. But they need more people to help... they can't do all the planning, all the filming, all the weekly shows... good grief, Craig has a tiny human in his house. When everything is a scramble, there's no room for creativity or planning... it's just always flying by the seat of your pants.

Here's hoping some of that can be addressed moving forward... they all need some work-life balance!

 

[SeanWM48]

A Dustin appearance would be fantastic. Not to talk Pete or any of that (he's been more than generous with sharing his experiences) but just to revisit what got him involved with Disney in the first place as a kid, what he's up to now, etc. Ditto JenniLynn and other former teammates

Wouldn't hurt to check in with Deni and what's new with GKTW.

 

[Jrb1979]

IMO I would change how they do the weekly show. Make it less about the news unless it's a major story. Talk more things going on in the parks. Maybe combine Disney and the Universal shows.

 

[ainswokp]

Goes without saying by not providing more content geared towards parents they have eliminated a massive section of audience. Doesn't have to be all diaper changing all the time but you need some content aimed at families.

 

[Pluginbaby]

I mean, it goes without saying what I want to see the most right? However, if we're talking purely from a 'Post-Awful Person' era perspective:

- I think the brand could probably do with a reset after all of this. I get that 'The DIS' holds a long standing level of brand recognition, but it is not fair or right that what has gone on may taint what comes next. I think a rebrand, new logo, new name, new theme tune, new, new, new would be a great step to showcase the absolute fact that this is 'The Conners'.

- I'd like to see more of the creativity and willingness to try a different style of production as seen in the recent Food and Wine vlog. A little more entertainment, a little more happiness goes such a long way and they all seemed like the shackles were off, it was great fun.

- It would be nice to see some old faces appear every now and then, if they fancied it! Even virtually, like, just why not if they're up for it? People have left and been seemingly banished - if they still have a passion for Disney and are interested in contributing as non-employees to specific discussions and what not, that would be fun. Dustin, Sean, JL, Fiasco, Oliver, Steve etc etc? I am not suggesting this becomes like Super Smash Bros on Nintendo and has an absolute free for all of ex-staff as guests all at once (although....that sounds fun) but just seeing that level of openness and embracing the old to go with new would be nice, to me anyway.

- Diversity within the crew shouldn't be a suggestion, it should be an expectation. Not replacing anyone when I say that either, I mean to add a different angle and insight to those already in place. Don't misconstrue this comment as purely a point on race either, it would also be nice to have topics/discussions that pull from people like Craig and Julie specifically with their angle as parents. I have a 6 year old daughter, I am sure loads of the audience are parents and it would be nice to have that perspective being discussed/called out a bit more (to me anyway). After all....we're talking about the literal tourism mecca for children here in Walt Disney World.

- I am an international Disney guest (UK) and agree with the comment further up, but appreciate that might be of limited interest as I am not sure how big that demographic is in terms of international listeners?

 

[JimmyV_2.0]

My $0.02. I'd like to see the Tuesday show return to a focus on Park/Restaurant/Resort visitation. The DIS still produces a lot of content covering those items, but the video content became too spread out, parked on YT without any studio discussion, and it was hard to follow it all. The core content became divorced from the Tuesday show. We often hear: "We'll be posting a video of our first look at TRON." No. Don't "post the video". Show it on the Tuesday show followed by a discussion. And then post it. The focus needs to be on the Tuesday show. There was a time when the show had videos embedded in it, such as dining reviews and hotel reviews, touring strategies, which were then followed by a discussion. But then things changed and all of those types of videos got posted separately, elsewhere, outside of the Tuesday show sphere and the show struggled to find 60 minutes of relevant content. It's almost as if the YT channel became the sole space for WDW travel content, and the Tuesday show became the whipping post for internal Disney corporate personnel changes and Florida legislation, with 30 minutes of DCL and ABD infommercials tossed in. Viewers left and are leaving in favor of other sites that present core WDW visitation content. Viewers want that far more than they want pontification of whether the "cleaning lady" should be fired, or who should lead film development. So much has changed about WDW since the Covid pause that viewers want some expert advice on visitation strategies and real world experiences. WDW has never been more complicated to visit, and we count on the DIS Team to coach us through it. Talk to us. Show us. Teach us. I can read about Reedy Creek on my own time.

Also love the idea of the Daily Fix. I understand the limitations, so maybe the "Three Times A Week Fix".

 

[MaryKatesMom]

My Ideal Outcome

“The Dis” returns to its original mission according to Bob Varley. A group of friends passionate and knowledgeable about traveling to and enjoying Walt Disney World. Aka Ryno’s “The Connors”. Talking about the ins and outs of enjoying a WDW vacation. As Ryno has said, The Dis isn’t a place of regular Vloggers about WDW rather a company that wants to inform travelers that will be coming to WDW. Vloggers in WDW are there to entertain others and enjoy the park themselves. It is also a larger community of people that read the boards, watch the podcast and travel with the team and go to Disunplugged events.

• Craig and Corey purchase The Dis
• Payments for the purchase are set up to repay DU, - John and Donna for losses they have incurred.
• Panda comes back as the host. He is very passionate about WDW and extremely knowledgeable about the parks. He still loves them and enjoys his time there. He has a fabulous on camera personality that is completely authentic. Very relaxed and positive with a really fun self-depreciating humor. No ego about being more informed or opinionated. He was the best addition in years.
• Craig will produce the show and video content. I love him dearly, but I know his attention is divided when he hosts. He can’t help himself and is divided mentally when on air. He is an absolute rock and has held The Dis together for the last few years. He deserves our love and support.
• Ryno covers film, merchandise, pop culture and whatever he wants. I love him dearly too and he needs to do and cover what will make him happy and he will shine doing it. He needs this opportunity to move forward with the freedom to explore. A few minutes of UO and Disney Pop Culture on “The Dis” a week would be informative and entertaining.
• Julie and Teresa cover the practicalities of travel to WDW. This is The Dis bread, butter and all the groceries. This is what people want to hear. “Has the price of strollers gone up?” “Should I bring my own?” “Should I buy a cheap umbrella stroller down there then leave it behind?” “Should I rent in the park or rent from offsite?” Teresa often chimed in about what her clients are telling her. A segment called “What are our clients asking us” gathered from DU agents would be HUGE.
• No one mentioned one word on MCO getting more direct flights from other airports.
• Erika moves to social media and joins the Dining program segments on plant-based dining. She does not have the expertise to speak on planning travel and getting groups of people, families, to and from the park. Places to stay, where to get the most value for money spent. She loves the parks and enjoys her time there, but she doesn’t plan vacations or spent money to travel there.
• Corey spends time making WDWinfo the go-to-spot to plan a vacation in WDW. Directing traffic to segments on The Dis Youtube channel on how to navigate Genie + or without The Magical Express how to get around. Again, finding out from the DU agents what their clients are asking and giving the DU agents a place to send their clients when they have questions.
• Add John and Kevin to the dining program on the finer restaurants WDW and around Orlando. If they went back to Il Mulino they would be aghast at how bad it has gotten since the pandemic. A segment about getting around WDW in a scooter would be perfect and a great addition to the WDWinfo website. DU must have clients that have trouble getting around WDW. Here is how to grab that business.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I love The Dis dearly and they have seen me through some dark times and I owe them. Anything I can do to help I will do. I bought an iPod just to listen to their Podcasts. I was heartbroken when Bob died and was slow to transition to video but you really can't enjoy EPCOT F&W without video. I remember when they didn't want to have their pictures online and when Ferris was born.

Craig and Kylie were fantastic to my daughter Trish on the Italy cruise. Pete was shockingly rude to me that trip and I actually cried. He wasn't the person I thought he was but I still continued to listen to the Podcast because everyone was so wonderful.

My DH and I sat behind Sean and Pete on the bus during the London/Paris trips. Again, Pete was very cold and just not nice but having heard Sean's account of the trip, it makes a lot more sense why he was so miserable. I avoided him as much as I could. My DH couldn't stand him for his attitude but Pete did have his sycophants.

All my love and support to the team.

 

[15isto2]

Bring back the prizematron

 

[ChristmasJay83]

My Ideal Outcome

“The Dis” returns to its original mission according to Bob Varley. A group of friends passionate and knowledgeable about traveling to and enjoying Walt Disney World. Aka Ryno’s “The Connors”. Talking about the ins and outs of enjoying a WDW vacation. As Ryno has said, The Dis isn’t a place of regular Vloggers about WDW rather a company that wants to inform travelers that will be coming to WDW. Vloggers in WDW are there to entertain others and enjoy the park themselves. It is also a larger community of people that read the boards, watch the podcast and travel with the team and go to Disunplugged events.

• Craig and Corey purchase The Dis
• Payments for the purchase are set up to repay DU, - John and Donna for losses they have incurred.
• Panda comes back as the host. He is very passionate about WDW and extremely knowledgeable about the parks. He still loves them and enjoys his time there. He has a fabulous on camera personality that is completely authentic. Very relaxed and positive with a really fun self-depreciating humor. No ego about being more informed or opinionated. He was the best addition in years.
• Craig will produce the show and video content. I love him dearly, but I know his attention is divided when he hosts. He can’t help himself and is divided mentally when on air. He is an absolute rock and has held The Dis together for the last few years. He deserves our love and support.
• Ryno covers film, merchandise, pop culture and whatever he wants. I love him dearly too and he needs to do and cover what will make him happy and he will shine doing it. He needs this opportunity to move forward with the freedom to explore. A few minutes of UO and Disney Pop Culture on “The Dis” a week would be informative and entertaining.
• Julie and Teresa cover the practicalities of travel to WDW. This is The Dis bread, butter and all the groceries. This is what people want to hear. “Has the price of strollers gone up?” “Should I bring my own?” “Should I buy a cheap umbrella stroller down there then leave it behind?” “Should I rent in the park or rent from offsite?” Teresa often chimed in about what her clients are telling her. A segment called “What are our clients asking us” gathered from DU agents would be HUGE.
• No one mentioned one word on MCO getting more direct flights from other airports.
• Erika moves to social media and joins the Dining program segments on plant-based dining. She does not have the expertise to speak on planning travel and getting groups of people, families, to and from the park. Places to stay, where to get the most value for money spent. She loves the parks and enjoys her time there, but she doesn’t plan vacations or spent money to travel there.
• Corey spends time making WDWinfo the go-to-spot to plan a vacation in WDW. Directing traffic to segments on The Dis Youtube channel on how to navigate Genie + or without The Magical Express how to get around. Again, finding out from the DU agents what their clients are asking and giving the DU agents a place to send their clients when they have questions.
• Add John and Kevin to the dining program on the finer restaurants WDW and around Orlando. If they went back to Il Mulino they would be aghast at how bad it has gotten since the pandemic. A segment about getting around WDW in a scooter would be perfect and a great addition to the WDWinfo website. DU must have clients that have trouble getting around WDW. Here is how to grab that business.

All of this is spot on and perfect. As a newer listener, It would be great to see people in positions to grow, thrive, and share what they are passionate about. Put people in a place to succeed.
I should add, I'd love to see a little more positivity in the show. And maybe that will change with recent events. Of all the Disney podcasts I have listened to, DIS Unplugged is by far the most negative. It's got to the point where I listen to it less and less. I feel like it's a show about what sucks about Disney, not what's positive or magical. It's ok to be critical, as you should be! But, CONSTANT negativity is a huge turn off. Obviously a negative work environment can lead to overall malaise, so I'm hoping recent changes brings some joy to the crew and podcast.

 

[Dena489]

My Ideal Outcome

“The Dis” returns to its original mission according to Bob Varley. A group of friends passionate and knowledgeable about traveling to and enjoying Walt Disney World. Aka Ryno’s “The Connors”. Talking about the ins and outs of enjoying a WDW vacation. As Ryno has said, The Dis isn’t a place of regular Vloggers about WDW rather a company that wants to inform travelers that will be coming to WDW. Vloggers in WDW are there to entertain others and enjoy the park themselves. It is also a larger community of people that read the boards, watch the podcast and travel with the team and go to Disunplugged events.

• Craig and Corey purchase The Dis
• Payments for the purchase are set up to repay DU, - John and Donna for losses they have incurred.
• Panda comes back as the host. He is very passionate about WDW and extremely knowledgeable about the parks. He still loves them and enjoys his time there. He has a fabulous on camera personality that is completely authentic. Very relaxed and positive with a really fun self-depreciating humor. No ego about being more informed or opinionated. He was the best addition in years.
• Craig will produce the show and video content. I love him dearly, but I know his attention is divided when he hosts. He can’t help himself and is divided mentally when on air. He is an absolute rock and has held The Dis together for the last few years. He deserves our love and support.
• Ryno covers film, merchandise, pop culture and whatever he wants. I love him dearly too and he needs to do and cover what will make him happy and he will shine doing it. He needs this opportunity to move forward with the freedom to explore. A few minutes of UO and Disney Pop Culture on “The Dis” a week would be informative and entertaining.
• Julie and Teresa cover the practicalities of travel to WDW. This is The Dis bread, butter and all the groceries. This is what people want to hear. “Has the price of strollers gone up?” “Should I bring my own?” “Should I buy a cheap umbrella stroller down there then leave it behind?” “Should I rent in the park or rent from offsite?” Teresa often chimed in about what her clients are telling her. A segment called “What are our clients asking us” gathered from DU agents would be HUGE.
• No one mentioned one word on MCO getting more direct flights from other airports.
• Erika moves to social media and joins the Dining program segments on plant-based dining. She does not have the expertise to speak on planning travel and getting groups of people, families, to and from the park. Places to stay, where to get the most value for money spent. She loves the parks and enjoys her time there, but she doesn’t plan vacations or spent money to travel there.
• Corey spends time making WDWinfo the go-to-spot to plan a vacation in WDW. Directing traffic to segments on The Dis Youtube channel on how to navigate Genie + or without The Magical Express how to get around. Again, finding out from the DU agents what their clients are asking and giving the DU agents a place to send their clients when they have questions.
• Add John and Kevin to the dining program on the finer restaurants WDW and around Orlando. If they went back to Il Mulino they would be aghast at how bad it has gotten since the pandemic. A segment about getting around WDW in a scooter would be perfect and a great addition to the WDWinfo website. DU must have clients that have trouble getting around WDW. Here is how to grab that business.

I'd love it if Deni popped in once in a while as well. I miss her.