May 21, 2024 • 47 mins
Unlock the secrets behind the whispers of unionization at Gideon's Bakehouse as Dustin and Ashley brew up a storm of conversation in our latest Orlando Unplugged episode. We're stirring the pot with a look at the Ghosts of Gideon's, a group of bakery employees and their demands for better working conditions shaking up Disney Springs. But it's not all controversy; we also shine a light on the cultural shifts within Disney, as we reminisce over Splash Mountain's history and eagerly await the magical transformation to Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
This week's episode is a carousel of deep dives into pressing issues and exciting changes. We tackle the tough questions about workplace conditions while also reveling in the joy of Disney's commitment to inclusiveness and storytelling. From the whispers of discontent at a beloved bakery to Disney's vibrant reimagining of a classic ride amid lighting controversy, we cover it all. Plus, we spill the tea on what D23, Disney Vacation Club members, and Annual Passholders need to know for Tiana's Bayou Adventure preview events, offering pro tips to navigate the virtual queues.
As the curtains close on Splash Mountain, we ready our hearts for the jamboree that is Tiana's Bayou Adventure, reflecting on the journey from concept to near-completion. We share exclusive insights on the transformative process and the zest of anticipation that surrounds the grand opening. We're casting a spell of excitement as we guide you through Disney's latest chapter. And remember, while the world of Disney enchantment beckons, let's not forget the real-life cast members who bring the magic to life. Join us for a session of storytelling, empathy, and forward-thinking as we celebrate the spirit of Orlando and the unstoppable evolution of its attractions.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
you're listening to orlando unplugged, celebrating
life in living color with dustinand ashley.
Grab a cocktail or a mocktailand let's get unplugged, orlando
.
I don't know what has causedthis weird feedback in our
headphones the last couple days,but it's driving me insane I
(00:23):
don't get anything good morning,what's up, besties.
Welcome back to orlando.
Unplugged episode number 19 19that's a lot of episodes we've
done this, jesus christ 19 timesevery week.
Have we done this for 19 weeksstraight?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
we missed one week because I was sick well, no, we
posted super no, we did.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
We miss the whole week, or did?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
we just post it online.
Yeah, we missed the whole week.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Okay, wow.
You had to go and get sick onus.
I know, bless it's dying.
Well, hey guys, welcome back.
I'm Dustin and I'm Ashley, andthis is Orlando Unplugged
(01:07):
episode 19,.
As we just determined, um,we've got a fun episode planned
for you guys.
Today might be a kind of aquick episode.
We'll see how this goes um, butwe have more information about
tiana's bayou adventure yes atwalt disney world yes and uh, a
little pre-show topic a littlebit uh, a little bit uh I like
it.
I like controversy and I reallylove it say that word again
controversy controversialcontroversial topics controversy
(01:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
You want to talk about it hey, what are you
drinking this morning?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
coffee with that I'm drinking coffee we're doing this
um something unusual for us.
We're doing this at 10 45 inthe morning I hate that for us I
love that for us.
Um so a couple updates comingup for you guys.
So after this week our uhpodcasts will air on tuesdays
(01:53):
wednesdays.
Wednesdays wednesdays so we dotypically our schedules.
Usually we try to like linethem up over the weekend and we
usually end up recording at 10pm on a Sunday.
And then I have to edit it andtry to get everything out by
midnight, and I don't want to dothat anymore.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
We don't want to do that anymore.
We feel like our quality isjust not going to give you the
best, you guys, the best that wecould give out, because you're
only turning around a two hourspan there.
It's not enough.
So, yeah, so you're getting aWednesday instead, guys.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So enjoy today's episode, and then we will see
you again in a week and a half.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I'm getting email notifications already.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, week and a half .
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, we'll see you next Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah.
So Ashley and I have and Robhave something super fun to go
do later today with Universal,which will be next week's
episode.
We can't talk about it becauseit's a private thing.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, we can.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Nope, cannot.
We'll discuss later, but it'sgoing to be fun.
We can talk about it after nextmonth.
We can't talk about it untilthen.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Okay, never mind, alright, but we do get to talk
about today's episode, let's go.
So.
Something pretty crazy happenedthis week and if you have not
been watching the news,especially here locally- you're
(03:23):
missing out, I mean.
I'm sorry.
Okay, if you've been readingTwitter, Reddit, Instagram, any
form of social media, you'vebeen pretty familiar with what's
been going on.
So have you been to Gideon's?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Never even heard of it before you told me about it.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Okay.
So for those that do not know,Gideon's is the steampunk
bakehouse that's over at DisneySprings.
They specialize in thesemassively giant cookies.
It's almost like crumble cookie, but bigger, and it's like very
dark and mysterious.
It's very themed to like EdgarAllan Poe vibes.
(03:58):
It's very dark.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So you said this is at Disney Springs.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Is this a?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Walt Disney World company.
No, it's a third-party companythat Disney does not own.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So Gideon's also has another location in Tampa, so
this is their second location.
They were so popular and so bigthat Disney was like, hey, we
have to have you, we want towork with you, put up a shop in
our place.
This is right across the streetfrom the um, uh, irish, uh,
fish place.
Uh, dublin's, what is it called?
(04:31):
I don't know the irish pub indisney springs that great I'm,
it's gonna bug me, um, but those, uh, those workers, they they
kind of decided to to stir upsome some stuff this week.
So the workers at theSteampunk-style Gideon's Big
House at Disney Springs haveannounced plans to unionize.
They have come with claims,sharing online, of ghastly low
(04:53):
pay, unsanitary work conditionsand alleged retaliation for
speaking up about it.
Now the organizers have gone onto become what they've called
the Ghosts of Gideon's, whichthey are the workers of Gideon's
at Disney Springs location.
Now we're not sure how manythere is here.
It's unclear exactly how manyof the employees have decided to
all speak and all come forwardabout these things, but they've
(05:17):
shared their concerns withOrlando Weekly in a press
release over the weekend whenthey went public with their
demands for change at thepopular bakehouse.
Now, they didn't do this onjust like hey, let's go talk to
a couple people.
No, they went to social mediafirst they went straight to
reddit and instagram to createthis.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Hi, we're very upset about what happened which, in,
I'm just gonna say, unpopularopinion, is not always the best
route to go, especially whenyou're dealing with companies,
because if you don't at least gothrough the appropriate
channels first, correct um youmay get a lot of social media
hate, no, no, a lot of socialmedia backup yeah but those are
(05:58):
keyboard warriors.
Oh yeah, um, but yeah, so didyou say.
Are they trying to?
Are they trying to unionize?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
They're trying to unionize.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I have opinions on unionization in food locations.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
This one's messy.
So now the bakery ownership andleadership have built a toxic
empire of lies.
According to the ghost ofGideon's Instagram account, they
feel that they are unsafe,underpaid and are being severely
taken advantage of purely sothey can reap a fortune.
Now, as somebody who has grownup in the food and beverage
(06:28):
world, this hit pretty home forme, because this is really sad.
Now, according to the Ghosts ofGideon's, the bakery rakes in
upwards of $40,000 each day,which does not surprise me
whatsoever.
Disney Springs is a very busyspot and a cookie that costs
anywhere between five to eightdollars six dollars is their
(06:48):
mega cookies and five to eightdollars for their cold brews
they should be making a ton ofmoney.
That's a lot of cookies.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Are they open?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
every single day every day every single day their
hours are every single day andthey match up with the disney
springs hours we're gonna theyclose roughly around 10 to 11
o'clock every single night.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
We're going to assume we're going to average that
they make $40,000 a day.
Yep, According to the Ghost ofGideon's.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
This is what they're saying that they make is on the
upwards of $40,000 each day, Afigure they can see on their
cashier's till.
One employee told OrlandoWeekly.
Meanwhile, the front of housestaff at the shop earns just
eight dollars an hour.
Isn't that insane?
Speaker 1 (07:31):
it is so back to what I was saying oh, by all means
go ahead so if they make fortythousand dollars a day for 365
days, that's I might be sayingthis wrong $146 million a year.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
One, two, three comma .
Oh my God, one, two, threecomma.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Remember when we said this was going to be a short
episode.
This is the episode whereDustin learns how to do math.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
There's no commas in this calculator number sign Any
whoozles.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
This means that their front of house staff, though,
earns just $8.98.
The bare minimum that employeesin Florida can legally pay
their workers, who customarilyreceive direct wages in tips.
Now, this low rate thatenforces workers living in
Orlando, in Florida's mostexpensive metropolitan area,
(08:20):
which, for us, it is veryexpensive to live here.
It is not not cheap.
The organizers of the groupwhat the lackluster pay is a
major point of grievance.
In the eight page demand letter, yes, they went on Reddit and
(08:41):
Instagram and demanded eightpages worth of concerns, worth
of things that they need to bechanged.
In the letter they say thatthey were told on May 6th, the
meeting, they could no longerask for tips anymore.
So these people who are basingtheir rate they're basing their
livelihood and their wages offof tip pay are not allowed to
ask the customers for tipsanymore, so they're just getting
(09:03):
$8.68.
Isn't that insane?
Cuckoo for cocoa puffs I don'tlike you right now any who's now
.
You know what was crazy to me,what I saw?
That if you go on gideon'sbakehouse right now at disney
springs, there's a job listingto work for them Currently,
(09:26):
right now.
That's up.
Do you know what their baserate is?
That they're showing peoplethat you would get if you work
for Gideon's.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
What $8.88.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That is $0.10 below Florida's legal minimum wage.
How crazy is that I don't yep,are you fact checking me right
now?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
no, I'm fact checking .
So there's two differentminimum wage rates in florida
one for non-tipped employees andone for tipped employees.
Non-tipped- employees must bepaid at least $12 per hour.
Tipped employees must be paidat least $8.98.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And right now the listing on Gideon's is $8.88,
which is 10 cents lower than theminimum required wage
Interesting.
That's horrible.
Now, now orlando weekly, theydid reach out to gideon's
ownership and you know what theysaid about this what steve lee.
That's the man that ownsgideon's big shop at disney
springs, um, he claims that thepublication of the subliminal
(10:39):
pay rate was a mistake andthey're actively trying to get
it updated I mean I could seethat, that being a typo 88
versus 98 it's 10 cents off andthat's like one letter off on a
keyboard, but even still likecome on now we live in a world
where no one pays that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
However, I'm gonna play devil's advocate for a
moment and say that all thesepeople are being pissy and
hateful and demanding more money.
You looked at that job offer.
You applied for that job, uh-uhno no, you applied for that job
while they, when theyadvertised 898 or 888 tips.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
They are now being told they cannot ask these
people, these customers, fortips what is asking?
They can't tell them accordingto the ghost of gideons, they
are not allowed to say hi, I canreceive tipsideons.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
They are not allowed to say hi I can receive tips.
Okay, we are not allowed to puta tip jar out.
We weren't allowed to do thatat Starbucks either.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Their job is based on their tips.
They are told when they arehired they make $8.98 plus tips.
You are verbally andcontractingly said that.
Contractingly, no, no, Idisagree with you.
I'm sorry, but I, yes, I, Iunderstand where you're coming
from, that people, that that youknow these workers and
(11:53):
employees and people doing anextra money and they, they want
all these things, but they can'talways combat what they're
they're giving and I get that,trust me, been there, understand
it, have the documentation toprove it.
What I don't understand here isthat you actively told these
employees that they were goingto make a certain rate plus tips
and now you're telling themthat they're not allowed to talk
(12:15):
to the guests or the customersabout this according to ghost of
gideon according to ghost ofgideon's correct.
Now here's the part that's evencrazier to me.
Now, beyond the pay, the ghostof gideon's also has alleged
unsafe and unfair workingconditions.
Their demand letter voices acrazy allegations from
insufficient cleaning proceduresfor baking sheets and
(12:35):
insignificant and ineffectiveinefficient thank you.
I'm just like so upset I lostmy whole spot.
Efficient and performative coldbrew, thank you.
Thank you, I lost my whole spotinefficient and performative
cold brew thank you.
Thank you, I lost my whole spot.
Um, cold brew procedures.
They want to a lack of safetyand training procedures for
(12:57):
emergency situations such as afire bomb threat, a lack of a
fire exit from the kitchen, alack of an ada compliance in
staff areas such as an employeeusing a wheelchair, other
mobilities that would not beable to maneuver behind the
service counter or through thekitchen.
What, what?
Here's my crazy logic that mybrain goes to here.
(13:20):
If this is true, if whatthey're saying is true, right,
if there's unsafe cleanlinesspractices that are happening,
unsafe conditions that arehappening, do you know what the
state of Florida makes?
All restaurants go through Ahealth code, right, like a
health code walkthrough.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Any restaurant requires that.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Why hasn't anybody checked in Gideon's?
Speaker 1 (13:46):
So this is where I'm going to again play devil's
advocate and say this is comingfrom Ghost of Gideon's.
Yes, the health departmenthasn't come out and said that
they've been fined.
I want to know, I want to knowwhat their health code rating is
, because there is a possibilitythat it's not ADA compliant in
the back because of direct storemanagement and store employees
(14:07):
improperly storing materials andproducts they could be I mean,
it could be the case of becausemy Starbucks store was not ADA
compliant from the back of house.
There was no way to get awheelchair out of our back door,
and the issue with that wasbecause our store manager always
overpurchased everything and wedidn't have storage space for
it.
So then our back got clutteredup with stuff and then we had no
(14:29):
nowhere to go no, the otherpart that kills me here is the,
the comment and the commentary.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
When it comes to the fire, there's a lack of fire
exit from the kitchen andthere's no emergency training
for fires or bomb threats.
How, how?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
You don't know, because most jobs that training
is.
You exit the building and thisis where we meet up.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Not just for most jobs, all jobs, especially those
working for a very well-knowncompany such as Disney World,
they have those proceduresalready in place.
That is already something thatyou are well aware of.
This is crazy.
And then the Ghosts of Gideon'shave also come out and said
that there is a lack of coolingmeasures for the staff working
(15:14):
outside.
According to the workers,Gideon's dress code requires
them to wear long pants and allblack clothes, they say.
Unlike other employees on theDisney Springs property,
Gideon's staff working outdoorsdo not have access to fans or
any other form of relief fromthe heat exposure.
When Florida's temperaturesrise and boy does Florida get
hot.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That's crazy to me If Chick-fil-A can put up fans and
they I mean you and I were justat Chick-fil-A a week ago and
they put an ice pack on her backand it wasn't even that hot yet
yet I'm curious to see what isin their job description.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
When you get hired, though, because I worked at when
I worked at Dollywood, when weaccepted the job, we had to sign
um like a job responsibilitypage yep we can lift this much.
We can do that and it said thatwe had to be comfortable working
extended period of extendedperiod of time in extreme
temperatures, extremetemperatures being negative 5
degrees to 114 degrees four longperiods of time.
(16:13):
So I'm interested to see nowI'm not saying that they don't
deserve fans, they definitely dobut I'm interested to see like,
did these employees acknowledgethat they would be working in
these positions and then theygot in there and now they're
working them and they're tiredof it and they're complaining
about it?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
or did Gideon's not say this?
is something they were going tohave to do um yeah, I'm also
curious to know if maybe thereis a procedure that is supposed
to be in place that the maybe astore manager is not following,
because the ghost of Gideon'shave also come out and said that
their management team they arelooking to replace they would
like, as part of their demandsof this eight page, is that they
(16:49):
are trying to get their managerto be retrained in order to
then be brought back into thestore.
They're asking for him to beremoved, retrained at an actual
location where they can give himall the proper training that
they need of this person, andthen brought right back.
So my question is is there apolicy and a procedure already
in place for their outdooremployees, for those tip
(17:12):
positions, for that fire andbomb threat that management is
not aware of and or notfollowing through?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I don't know, it'll be interesting.
It'll be interesting tocontinue to follow this to see
where this goes because, they'veput out their list of demands,
but we've not heard any kind ofresponse from Gideon's yet
correct.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Actually, unfortunately, that is false.
As of this morning, Gideon'sBakehouse owner has released a
statement about all of thesethings.
I'm not going to go throughthat entire statement because
boy oh boy, is it longer thanthe eight-page documentation of
demands.
But Steve Lewis, who is thatowner of Gideon's Bake Shop?
He has shared an officialstatement responding to the
allegations of the dirty,dangerous and toxic workplace
(17:49):
and in summarize of that, hegoes on to say that he complies
with all health and safetyregulations, he values inclusive
and representation and aims tocultivate a welcoming, safe
environment for everyone whovisits and works for Gideon's.
And that's basically all hesaid.
He has yet to address any ofthe concerns about any of the
tips, any of the pay, any ofthose hazardous work conditions.
(18:11):
He just says you know what, I'maware of it, Thank you, and
that's it.
Interesting Very much soundslike an owner of a restaurant to
me.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Very political answer .
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Very, very political answer.
So I'm wondering what the ghostof Gide gideons will say to all
of this, and I will keep youguys updated as much as I can um
, I will.
You can actually put uh, if yougo through any social media
platform and look up ghost ofgideons, you can read that a
page um demand letter.
I'm not sure if that'ssomething that we'll be sharing
on our social media platform,but it is definitely something
(18:42):
that you guys can look up andread through instagram and
through reddit.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Maybe we can maybe we can reach out to ghost of
gideon's in the future, havethem on our podcast.
But yeah, um, gideon staff, ifyou're out there, we understand.
I apologize, I play devil'sadvocate.
I look at everything both ways.
But we support you guys.
We want fair and equalworkplace for you.
We hope everything works outwell for you all and if, if not,
just remember there's fivebillion jobs in Orlando and if
(19:10):
Gideon's doesn't take care ofyou, go find someone that will.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I just, you know what .
I wonder what will come out ofthis, because I'm wondering how
many other places are going tostart, you know, wanting to
become unionized and wanting tofeel.
You know what, if Gideon's ispaving the way for this and they
can have a voice and say things, I wonder what other
restaurants, um, or places aregonna start popping up and doing
the same.
The world of social media, it'swhat we live in.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Starbucks all over again.
Well, are you ready to talkabout Tiana taking a tumble?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I am really ready for Tiana's tumble.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
All right.
So here we have finally gottensome updated information about
Tiana's Bayou Adventure comingto Walt Disney World Florida
very, very soon.
But in order to talk abouttiana's, we have to first talk.
Uh, or take a look back 82 yearsago that's crazy on november
(20:34):
12th of 1946, walt disneyproduced a movie musical that
was part live action, partanimated.
The film song of the south wasreleased by rko radio pictures
and featured a series excuse me,featured stories by Joel
Chandler Harris.
Harris was an Americanjournalist and fiction writer
best known for his collection ofUncle Remus stories.
(20:55):
Born on December 9th of 1848 inEatonton, georgia.
Born on December 9th of 1848 inEatonton, georgia, harris
became famous for preserving andpopularizing African-American
folktales, and there's a littlehistory lesson for the day.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Wow, love that for us .
Thank you so much.
Now the film is set in thepost-Civil War American South
and it follows the story of ayoung boy named Johnny who goes
to live on his grandmother'splantation.
While there, johnny befriendsUncle Ramus, an African-American
former slave, who captivatesJohnny with the tales of Briar
Rabbit, briar Fox and Briar BearGosh.
(21:37):
That briar word just tongueties me up every time.
Now these animated sequencesfeatures the mischievous Briar
Rabbit and his adventures, whichserve as moral lessons for
Johnny as he navigates throughhis own challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Now, the film was particularly famous for its
songs that were composed byseveral different artists, and
some of those notable songs areZippity-Doo-Dah sung by Uncle
Ramos, who was played by JamesBaskett.
Now this song won an AcademyAward for Best Original Song and
has literally become one ofDisney's most iconic tunes.
However, have we noticed that,since the ride closed,
(22:14):
Zippity-Doo-Dah has sincedisappeared from Disney's park
opening lineup music that playson Main Street?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yes, it has.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
And another song that I'm not familiar with at all is
Everybody's Got a LaughingPlace, which is another
memorable song from the animatedsequences and I think played a
pretty decent role in theattraction when it was open?
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Oh definitely.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
So Song of the South was controversial since it was
released due to its depiction ofAfrican-American characters and
its nostalgic portrayal for theplantation life in the
Reconstruction era.
Critics argue that the filmpresented and sanitized and
romanticized that's a lot of EDsview of the South and downplays
(22:56):
the realities of slavery andracial discrimination.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Boy Limited release.
It was due to the ongoingcontroversy.
Song of the South was neverfully released on home video in
the United States.
It was re-released in theatersseveral times up until the
mid-1980s but has since beenwithdrawn from the public by
Disney.
It was around this time in the1980s that Disney's Imagineer,
tony Baxter, conceived the ideaof Splash Mountain attraction.
(23:22):
Splash Mountain attractionBaxter wanted to create a log
flume ride that would integrateDisney's characters and
storytelling to provide a uniqueexperience different from other
amusement park log rides.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
So in the initial pitch it was originally called
the Zippity Doodah no ZippityRiver Run.
So the ride's concept was to bebased on the 1946 Disney film
Song of the South, whichfeatures the characters such as
Briar Rabbit, briar Fox andBriar Bear, along with the
iconic song Zippity-Doo-Dah.
Now, despite the controversysurrounding the film, disney
(23:55):
decided to use the animatedsegments and characters for the
ride.
The idea was to capture thewhimsical adventure of Briar
Rabbit and his escapades toprovide a light-hearted and fun
experience oh yeah now.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
The development and construction of the splash
mountain at walt disney worldbegan in the late 1980s.
Imagineers worked meticulouslyto blend the ride's storyline
with intricate auto animatronicsand elaborate set designs.
Now splash mountain officiallyopened its doors at magic
kingdom in walt disney world onjuly 17th 1992.
(24:29):
It was one of the mosttechnologically advanced rides
at the time because it featuredover a hundred auto animatronic
figures and a complex series ofscenes and drops I love you.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
It's audio animatronics not auto
animatronics?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I don't um.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So the ride experience was a themed journey
that took riders through variousscenes depicting briar rabbit's
journey to his friend'slaughing place, while being
pursued by briar fox and briarbear.
The ride accumulates in athrilling five-story drop into
the briar patch and key songs uh, from the movie song of the
south, including zippity-Dah andEverybody's Got to Laugh were
(25:07):
integral parts of the ride'sexperience, enhancing the
narrative and the atmosphere.
Now we're fast-forwarding tothe present day so over the
years.
Growing awareness andsensitivity towards racial
representation led to anincrease of scrutiny of song of
the south and its associationwith splash mountain.
(25:28):
Reimagining uh the attraction.
In june of 2020, amid socialjustice movements and the
broader re-evaluation ofcultural symbols, disney
announced that splash mountainwould be reimagined.
So for those of you that don'tknow, reimagining at disney
means they're going to take anattraction.
It's going to close downcompletely.
It's going to be completely well, not completely scrapped
(25:49):
correct um, the theming,essentially, is going to be
completely scrapped and it'sgoing to reopen as a new
attraction I'm trying to thinkof ones that have been
reimagined um.
So one thing that wasreimagined was the people mover
in disneyland, california closed.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It reopened as the terror at in disneyland, at
disney, california, adventure,which is now guardians of the
galaxy, correct?
Speaker 1 (26:10):
same concept, same ride, escape or something
something like that um same ride, same attraction.
However, it is just a re-themeto a different um uh theme theme
yeah, so the new theme would bebased on the hit 2009 film the
princess and the frog, featuringdisney's first african-american
princess, tiana love her andyou know, I recently ran into a
(26:34):
guest at one of my jobs, um, andI could tell she was disney
bound as diana, diana, hi diana,my bestie tiana, and um, I had
made the comment to her and Iwas like, oh my god, are you
Tiana?
And she was like, yeah, she hasbeen my favorite since I was a
kid, because she was the firstDisney princess that wasn't
(26:55):
white, and this was a person ofcolor that I was speaking to.
So she said you know, shefinally felt like she belonged
in the Disney franchise becauseshe finally related to a Disney
princess, princess I love it, Ilove it um.
Now the new narrative of theride, the reimagined ride, will
follow princess tiana and herfriends on an adventure set
after the events in the film.
So the goal was to create anexclusive and inspirational
(27:18):
experience for guests of allbackgrounds I really love that
now.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
The guests have speculated on an opening date
for the ride for the last fewmonths, as we've seen finishing
touches that have been added tothe exterior and the lighting
that has been turned on at night.
Recent videos have surfaced ofDisney Imagineers riding the
attraction and signage beingdisplayed saying on-ride testing
was happening.
Finally, on Mother's Day,disney announced that the ride
will officially be opening onJune 28th.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I want to talk about the lights for a moment.
Absolutely, because I love howpeople take the simplest things
and then they run with it,because that's what we do in
modern day America.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
No, that's what Disney adults do.
Let's be real.
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I'm talking about a certain demographic of people
and you're going to understandin a moment when I say this.
I don't know if you know aboutthis maybe.
Um, so you can catch glimpsesof Tiana's right now.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yes, at Disney, they've got the lights on the
ride's been running and it isbeautiful the amount of greenery
and the lights.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
It's so pretty on the exterior of the attraction
they're using a lot of blues,purples and pinks.
Yes, and I, I and I think it'sbeautiful.
I think it's probably going tohelp create that story that
they're trying to live.
However, the keyboard warriorsare already going off on Disney
because they are saying thatthey are yet again pushing the
(28:36):
gay agenda because thisparticular sequence of lights
represents bisexuality.
Jeez, oh, please, Now that beingsaid, we noticed when we
watched the TV show Heartstopperthat there's the use of purple
and blue lighting, and theyspecifically came out and said,
yeah, we use this specificlighting because this is about a
bisexual person, correct.
(28:57):
But Disney, you're reachingguys, come on.
Come on, it is lights.
It's Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
There's not a gay or bisexualperson in that movie.
Calm down, it looks gorgeous.
It is one of the mostbeautifully aesthetic.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
It's very pretty and it just it's driving me insane.
But we have to jump Now.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is thereimagined version of the
classic Splash Mountain ride atDisney's theme parks.
The reimagined version of theclassic Splash Mountain ride at
Disney's theme parks based onthe 2009 animated film the
Princess and the Frog.
While the ride maintains a corephysical structure and
(29:32):
mechanisms of Splash Mountain,it features new theming, new
story elements and updates toreflect the new narrative.
Here are some things to kind ofexpect.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
So ride specifications.
We didn't go over this forSplash Mountain because for the
majority it's all the same.
So the height of the drop thatsignature drop remains the exact
same, approximately 50 feet setat a 45-degree angle.
Whee Poof Splash.
The length of the ride remainsthe same length at about 2,600
(30:03):
feet.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Bye, oh, bye.
Now the ride is also stillaround 10 minutes, which is
quite a long flume ride.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
I love long rides, though I'm a big fan.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Now, each log holds up to eight passengers and
maintains that same theoreticalhourly capacity of about 1,800
riders, and the ride system isstill going to be a long flume
system, so be a long flume log,log words.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
It's too early, guys, be prepared to get wet so, as
we kind of said earlier, we'rerepeating ourselves a lot in
this episode, but that's finewell, this part we didn't say
tiana's bayou adventure takesguests on a journey with
princess tiana and her friendsas they prepare for a unique
Mardi Gras celebration Set afterthe events of the movie
Princess and the Frog, the rideexplores the rich culture and
(30:49):
vibrant music of New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Have you seen?
So recently, disney has beenreleasing a lot of teaser videos
.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
We've gotten to see some of the animatronics.
Yeah, we got to see Tiana wegot to see Tiana, we got to see
the old lady, we got to see thealligator, and what is amazing
to me is they've brought backall of the original voice actors
from the movie to play those,and then those actors got to go
in and see their animatronicsworking.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Did you see what happened when the woman that
plays Tiana saw her animatronic?
I had not seen that one.
She started crying.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
I mean, I feel like I would, unless you're chris
pratt.
I love daddy crap but he's he'sreally gotten he's.
He's kind of irritated me inthe last couple years because
he's upset about how he'sassociated with jurassic world
and I'm, like you, have beenprobably forever, if not, you
know, for many decadesimmortalized in some of the big,
(31:44):
in two of the biggest themepark franchises in the world,
with walt, disney world anduniversal studios all right well
, and also he plays a very bigrole in the lego community oh
yeah, as he was in the, is he ina lego land ride was?
Speaker 2 (31:56):
in the lego movie and which made him in lego land,
correct.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
So he's in three theme parks, three, and he's
over here.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Theme parks, three very well-known.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
He's over here being pissy about how people only
associate him with this oneattraction.
So it makes me happy to seethat the performers with
Princess and the Frog.
Oh, they were very heart-well.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
It was very heart-whelming and it was one of
those moments that you'rewatching that and you kind of
got that Disney magic back.
Even as an adult like I gotgoosebumps and I wanted to cry
right along with her.
It was very, very magical.
It was really sweet.
It was almost like watching um,the, the Disney documentary
about what the Haunted Mansion,and knowing that the girl at the
(32:34):
very end is the daughter ofMadame Leota.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
That was very neat for me.
Now the ride features newscenes inspired by the film,
including the bayou, which I hadto learn how to spell the other
day b-a-y-o-u I'm so proud ofyou um the bustling streets of
new orleans, which I'minterested to see how they're
going to pull that one off andtiana's place and you know
that's her restaurant, right?
Speaker 2 (32:56):
yes, I'm so excited to see that.
I just I hope that when youwalk through it it smells like
gumbo, that we get that smell.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I saw on Twitter.
I don't know if this is goingto be true or not, but I saw
something that says that Disneywill be installing smellitizers
in that area, where they will dobeignet smells, stop.
So guests can expect to see thebeloved characters such as
Princess Tiana, prince Naive andLouis the Alligator.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Give me a little bit of Prince Naveen.
I thought to me when I watchedthat movie.
I had the biggest crush on him.
I thought he was so cute.
Now the music for theattraction is going to
incorporate music from the film,including the favorites like
almost there and down in neworleans oh, my gosh along with
(33:40):
new songs to enhance theexperience.
Now we're also going to see anintense retheming that is going
to transform this rideenvironment into a lively new
orleans bayou, with updatedanimatronics, digital effects
and detailed set pieces thatreflect the film's aesthetic so,
looking at the animatronicsthat we've seen on, instagram it
looks as though we are gettingthe animatronics that we have
(34:02):
been seeing in the asiancontinent disney's yes, super
lifelike animated the.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
We are getting away from the projection faces
correct and we are going tolifelike faces and life.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
This is almost like um, if you've ridden frozen,
you're taking the frozenanimatronic and the right the
the river of navi animatronicsand you're putting them together
and you're creating a brand new, lifelike version.
It's.
It's almost like looking at youand I.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
It's very, very impressive yep, now some of the
technical details for theattraction.
So the ride uh will retain itsthree lift hills, so you're
going to go up three times tospeak on the animatronics Again,
the ride will featurestate-of-the-art audio
animatronics with new figuresand enhancements to existing
ones, ensuring high levels ofdetail and realism.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
I'm not super excited about this part.
Now the ride is going tomaintain its various water
features, which includes thatfinal big, massive splash and
smaller drops.
Now this is going to contributeto the ride's excitement and
immersive experience.
But boy, I'm telling you,you're gonna get wet.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
This is not a dry ride so, for the exterior area
and the queue area, this is whatwe know, or what's been best
determined by the pictures thatpeople have been posting.
Yes, so the queue is redesignedto reflect the themes of
princess and the frog, immersingguests in the story of the
movement from the moment theyenter.
The area will likely featureelements from New Orleans
(35:29):
architecture and bayoulandscapes.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Now the exterior of the ride is previously known as
the Chickapin Hill.
It is rethemed to represent abayou and surrounding areas with
lush greenery, vibrant colorsand thematic elements that tie
into the film's setting.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
And let me tell you from what we can see it's
beautiful, and I know this maybe a controversial statement.
I think that the exterior ofthis attraction looks so much
better than it ever did asSplash Mountain oh, 100%, 100%.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I think it ever did.
A splash mountain oh, 100%,100%.
I think it's going to be great.
Now the queue in the ride mayinclude interactive elements to
engage guests and enhance thestorytelling experience.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
We don't know if that is a fact.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
However, my fingers are crossed that that is not the
case.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
We've seen.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has something similar.
Winnie the Pooh ride hassomething similar to this.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
I don't like this concept.
I do and I don't.
I like it because it keepspeople busy, and when you keep
people's hands busy, they'reless likely to break things.
When I worked at Lightning Rodat Dollywood, we had this issue
where people would literallydrill holes in the stucco walls
and destroy the building and,ironically, funny enough, this
was the same year Dollywoodstarted selling fidget spinners,
when they were really popular,oh wow.
And we immediately saw adecrease in vandalism in the
(36:50):
queue lines across the entireproperty because people had
something to keep their handsbusy.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I just hate it because it doesn't move the
guests.
You get kids that will throwfits because they are not able
to touch those things and notable to do it and not able to
just walk around them yeah, butyou can't because I'm gonna get
super mad at you.
But we're also going to seeenhanced lighting, sound and
projection technologies and willbe utilized to create a more
immense and um dynamicenvironment so tiana's bayou
(37:17):
adventure aims to bring a fresh,fresh, cultural rich experience
to disney parks.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
while preserving the thrill and excitement of the
original Splash Mountain ride,the reimagined attraction
celebrates diversity and thespirit of New Orleans, offering
a new chapter in the legacy ofone of Disney's most beloved
attractions.
Now the ride is opening soon.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
On June 28th.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
However, prior to June 28th, there are going to be
a slew of different types ofpreviews and ways that you can
potentially experience thisattraction, so we have broken
down all of the differentpreviews that will be happening
in the coming month months.
So the first one that we'regoing to go over Ashley's
favorite thing that she wants tobe a part of, so I'm going to
(38:00):
let you take the lead first I ama part of, so I'm gonna let you
take the lead first, I am apart of.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Thank you very much, okay, and that is a d23 preview.
Let's start with the d23preview details.
During this separately ticketedevent, d23 gold members will
have the opportunity to be amongthe first people to enjoy
Tiana's Bayou Adventure at MagicKingdom.
D23 gold members will be ableto ride the attraction again and
again and then take some timeto enjoy the chanting evening
(38:25):
ambience of the bayou, with livejazz performances, tasty treats
that will be available duringthe celebration of tiana's bayou
adventure actually I got itwrong.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
It was the next one that I thought you wanted to be
a part of what you do.
However, um, some informationthat I didn't put down that I
probably should have.
Not all D23 members will beguaranteed rides.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
No, it is only gold members as well.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Those outside of the gold will have the opportunity
to virtual queue it Correct.
That being said, for all ofthese previews, disney has made
it very clear that there is noguarantee that you will be able
to ride, even if you get aticket or pass or virtual queue
that says you can correct um.
So the next one is the disneyvacation club preview.
This is what I want to be apart of, so there's also going
(39:07):
to be the vacation club previewwith uh dvc, offering eligible
members and their guests a sneakpeek of tiana's bayou adventure
at magic kingdom before itopens to the general public.
The event registration opens onthursday, may 16th, at 10 am
eastern time.
For access to the registrationlink, keep an eye on your inbox
and the news and alerts sectionof the disneyvacationclubcom.
(39:29):
Pre-registration is required andspace will fill up quickly very
, very fast those event datesare going to be for wednesday,
june 12th, from 1 to 4 pmeastern time, and wednesday,
june 19th, from 9 am to nooneastern time.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Now the eligibility for this is you must be a disney
vacation club member who areeligible June 19th, from 9 am to
noon Eastern Time.
Now, the eligibility for thisis you must be a Disney Vacation
Club member who are eligiblefor members extras benefits.
They must hold a qualifyingDisney Resort reservation using
their membership and to attendyou and the number of your
guests on your resortreservation, as of May 12th 2024
, must have a valid theme parkadmission and a theme park
reservation for Magic Kingdom onthe day of the preview event,
(40:06):
unless you are not required foryour admission type.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Now the last one that we have.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
There is a lot of steps we're going to go through
them very slowly.
We'll also be posting all ofthis on social media, so this
will be something you canreference back the entire time.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
So the last preview that we have, which is where
majority of people are going tobe trying to get on, is the
annual Passholder previews thatwill take place on June 13th,
14th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I'm really proud of Disney for giving us, for giving
Passholders there, quite a bitof days there compared to the
others.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
That being said, you have to have a park reservation
and a virtual queue.
So even if you get a parkreservation, still not
guaranteed to get in.
Nope, here's the problem.
The website for reservationscrashed almost immediately after
these dates were named Correctand guests have they've said
it's not worked well since thenand I believe all of the
(41:05):
previews are those dates.
The reservations are full.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Correct Now, in order to do all this, we're going to
give you all the steps here andwe're going to help you as much
as we can.
However, we cannot guaranteethat following all these steps
is something that you will beable to accomplish.
You will actively be able toaccomplish getting a Tiana's
Bayou Adventure preview andgoing through those steps Now.
If you are familiar with avirtual queue which you should
(41:30):
be if you've read Tron Guardiansof the Galaxy.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
We have that later.
We have virtual queue later.
Go through the steps.
We're running out of time.
Ashley and I have somewhere tobe in like 30 minutes.
Yes, we really do.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Now you first are going to make a park reservation
at Magic Kingdom Park on thepreview date to have the
opportunity to join at the 7 amvirtual queue for that day, or
you can make a park reservationat any theme park on a preview
date to have the opportunity tojoin the 1 pm virtual queue.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
So you are only eligible for the 7 am virtual
queue if you have a MagicKingdom reservation.
That's correct On yourreservation date.
Request to join the virtualqueue by using the my Disney
Experience app.
There will be two opportunitieseach day to join these previews
.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Now, the 7 am, virtual queue will be available
to pass holders with a parkreservation to Magic Kingdom
only for that day.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
The 1 pm virtual queue will be available to pass
holders with a park reservationfor any theme park that day.
As a reminder, pass holdersmust enter the theme park where
they have the reservation beforevisiting Magic Kingdom, or on
June 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th or20th.
They can enter the MagicKingdom park without a
(42:35):
reservation after 2 pm.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Now Passholders do not have to enter a theme park
when they request to join thevirtual queue.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Planning on riding Tron, light Cycle Run or
Guardians of the Galaxy, cosmicRewind?
Don't worry, you can hold avirtual queue for one of those
attractions and for Tiana'sBayou Adventure, passholder
Preview at the same time, whenavailable.
This special perk is onlyoffered during Passholder
Previews.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
That's correct.
Don't go thinking you can do ittwice.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
So some important info.
Oh, that was important so sorry.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Pass holders must have a Walt Disney World Resort
annual pass with a validadmission on the preview date
Applicable pass.
Blackout dates apply, so parkreservations are unlimited and
subject to availability.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
Each pass holder can request to join a virtual queue
no more than once per day canrequest to join a virtual queue
no more than once per day.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Now pass holders may hold boarding groups for the
preview virtual queue and anattraction virtual queue at the
same time, when available.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the
ability to participate in thepreview.
Boarding groups for the virtualqueue are limited, subject to
availability and are notguaranteed.
Not all boarding groups will becalled to return based on the
availability of the attraction.
You can learn more aboutvirtual queues.
Offering dates and hours aresubject to change.
(43:51):
That was a weird.
I thought that you learn moreabout virtual queues and then it
just ends.
Go ahead and do your thing.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
You can learn more about virtual queues on Disney's
website.
Now you can offer.
Dates and hours are subject tochange or cancellation without
notice or liability.
Remember, guys, this is apreview, so at any moment a ride
could go down, things couldhappen, life happens.
This attraction is not open yetto the main public, which means
they're kind of getting alltheir nicks and crannies out of
the way before it does open toeverybody.
(44:19):
So have some patience and besuper kind to those cast members
.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
So have some patience and be super kind to those cast
members.
Now, if you don't get to comeuntil June 28th or after, here
is some helpful information onhow you can get to ride as the
standby line or, as, if youdon't know, just standing in
line and waiting for theattraction will not be available
until a later date.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
Now the public opening is going to be a drop in
on a virtual queue yet again.
When Tiana's Bayou Avengeropens up on Juneune 28th, it
will be a using a virtual queue.
Guests will request to join thevirtual queue via my disney
experience app at one at of twodifferent times, 7 am or 1 pm.
Now, with a standby queue notbe available during the
(44:56):
attractions initial opening date, we can expect an opening
standby queue soon after theattractions opening and that is
a disney statement.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
We can expect a standby queue soon after the
attractions opening and that isa disney statement we can expect
a standby queue soon after theattractions opening.
Hopefully it's not two years soyou can visit disneyworldcom
forward slash virtual queue formore information about how
virtual queues at disney worldwork and what you need to know
before you visit the magickingdom park or you can use
disney genies plus service.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
Diana's Bayou Adventure will also be included
as a Lightning Lane entrance inDisney Genies Plus.
You can purchase this serviceon my Disney Experience app,
which helps you to get some ofyour favorite attractions faster
through Lightning Laneexperiences, and includes
digital downloads of selectDisney PhotoPass attraction
photos taken in the park on theday of your purchase at no
additional charge.
Guests may check the app on theday of their visit for pricing
(45:46):
and availability.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
And, as always, please plan before you go.
Be educated.
Disney parks and universalparks do not work like regular
theme parks across the country.
They are a whole new world.
So we recommend that you visitDisneyWorldcom and for more
information about Lightning Laneyou can visit DisneyWorldcom
forward slash Lightning Lane formore details on that and how it
(46:08):
works.
I'm actually not super familiarwith how Lightning Lane works,
so do you not have to have avirtual queue if you buy it in
the Lightning Lane?
No, I can only imagine how muchthat is going to cost per
person.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
It's $60 a person, $60?
$16.
$1.6.
Oh that's actually not that bad.
Yes, but that's per each ride.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yeah, but if I'm just going to, virtual queue,
tiana's, and that's it.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yeah, but can you imagine all these people that
pay for each individual?
Speaker 1 (46:30):
ride.
That is wild and crazy.
Can you imagine paying?
Speaker 2 (46:31):
$16 for Tomorrowland Speedway.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
But we are here 13,.
I think it's going to be 13months after Splash Mountain
closed for.
Tiana's to open to open, sodefinitely not a Tron Light
Cycle Run construction here.
Super proud of them for that.
We're super excited to seeTiana's Bayou Adventure and what
other fun and exciting thingsare happening beyond Big Thunder
Mountain which we may talkabout in the future.
(46:54):
But with that it is now 1130 inthe morning.
We've got somewhere to be in 15minutes.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
So stay safe, stay educated.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
And, of course, share our podcast with your friends,
your family and your favoritebartender.
Please be nice to those castmembers when you see them.
If you pop into tiana's bayouadventure, remember you need
them just as much as they needyou.
Thanks, guys, bye.
you're listening to orlando unplugged, celebrating
life in living color with dustinand ashley.
Grab a cocktail or a mocktailand let's get unplugged, orlando
.
I don't know what has causedthis weird feedback in our
headphones the last couple days,but it's driving me insane I
(00:23):
don't get anything good morning,what's up, besties.
Welcome back to orlando.
Unplugged episode number 19 19that's a lot of episodes we've
done this, jesus christ 19 timesevery week.
Have we done this for 19 weeksstraight?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
we missed one week because I was sick well, no, we
posted super no, we did.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
We miss the whole week, or did?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
we just post it online.
Yeah, we missed the whole week.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Okay, wow.
You had to go and get sick onus.
I know, bless it's dying.
Well, hey guys, welcome back.
I'm Dustin and I'm Ashley, andthis is Orlando Unplugged
(01:07):
episode 19,.
As we just determined, um,we've got a fun episode planned
for you guys.
Today might be a kind of aquick episode.
We'll see how this goes um, butwe have more information about
tiana's bayou adventure yes atwalt disney world yes and uh, a
little pre-show topic a littlebit uh, a little bit uh I like
it.
I like controversy and I reallylove it say that word again
controversy controversialcontroversial topics controversy
(01:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
You want to talk about it hey, what are you
drinking this morning?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
coffee with that I'm drinking coffee we're doing this
um something unusual for us.
We're doing this at 10 45 inthe morning I hate that for us I
love that for us.
Um so a couple updates comingup for you guys.
So after this week our uhpodcasts will air on tuesdays
(01:53):
wednesdays.
Wednesdays wednesdays so we dotypically our schedules.
Usually we try to like linethem up over the weekend and we
usually end up recording at 10pm on a Sunday.
And then I have to edit it andtry to get everything out by
midnight, and I don't want to dothat anymore.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
We don't want to do that anymore.
We feel like our quality isjust not going to give you the
best, you guys, the best that wecould give out, because you're
only turning around a two hourspan there.
It's not enough.
So, yeah, so you're getting aWednesday instead, guys.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So enjoy today's episode, and then we will see
you again in a week and a half.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I'm getting email notifications already.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, week and a half .
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, we'll see you next Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah.
So Ashley and I have and Robhave something super fun to go
do later today with Universal,which will be next week's
episode.
We can't talk about it becauseit's a private thing.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, we can.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Nope, cannot.
We'll discuss later, but it'sgoing to be fun.
We can talk about it after nextmonth.
We can't talk about it untilthen.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Okay, never mind, alright, but we do get to talk
about today's episode, let's go.
So.
Something pretty crazy happenedthis week and if you have not
been watching the news,especially here locally- you're
(03:23):
missing out, I mean.
I'm sorry.
Okay, if you've been readingTwitter, Reddit, Instagram, any
form of social media, you'vebeen pretty familiar with what's
been going on.
So have you been to Gideon's?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Never even heard of it before you told me about it.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Okay.
So for those that do not know,Gideon's is the steampunk
bakehouse that's over at DisneySprings.
They specialize in thesemassively giant cookies.
It's almost like crumble cookie, but bigger, and it's like very
dark and mysterious.
It's very themed to like EdgarAllan Poe vibes.
(03:58):
It's very dark.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So you said this is at Disney Springs.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Is this a?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Walt Disney World company.
No, it's a third-party companythat Disney does not own.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So Gideon's also has another location in Tampa, so
this is their second location.
They were so popular and so bigthat Disney was like, hey, we
have to have you, we want towork with you, put up a shop in
our place.
This is right across the streetfrom the um, uh, irish, uh,
fish place.
Uh, dublin's, what is it called?
(04:31):
I don't know the irish pub indisney springs that great I'm,
it's gonna bug me, um, but those, uh, those workers, they they
kind of decided to to stir upsome some stuff this week.
So the workers at theSteampunk-style Gideon's Big
House at Disney Springs haveannounced plans to unionize.
They have come with claims,sharing online, of ghastly low
(04:53):
pay, unsanitary work conditionsand alleged retaliation for
speaking up about it.
Now the organizers have gone onto become what they've called
the Ghosts of Gideon's, whichthey are the workers of Gideon's
at Disney Springs location.
Now we're not sure how manythere is here.
It's unclear exactly how manyof the employees have decided to
all speak and all come forwardabout these things, but they've
(05:17):
shared their concerns withOrlando Weekly in a press
release over the weekend whenthey went public with their
demands for change at thepopular bakehouse.
Now, they didn't do this onjust like hey, let's go talk to
a couple people.
No, they went to social mediafirst they went straight to
reddit and instagram to createthis.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Hi, we're very upset about what happened which, in,
I'm just gonna say, unpopularopinion, is not always the best
route to go, especially whenyou're dealing with companies,
because if you don't at least gothrough the appropriate
channels first, correct um youmay get a lot of social media
hate, no, no, a lot of socialmedia backup yeah but those are
(05:58):
keyboard warriors.
Oh yeah, um, but yeah, so didyou say.
Are they trying to?
Are they trying to unionize?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
They're trying to unionize.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I have opinions on unionization in food locations.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
This one's messy.
So now the bakery ownership andleadership have built a toxic
empire of lies.
According to the ghost ofGideon's Instagram account, they
feel that they are unsafe,underpaid and are being severely
taken advantage of purely sothey can reap a fortune.
Now, as somebody who has grownup in the food and beverage
(06:28):
world, this hit pretty home forme, because this is really sad.
Now, according to the Ghosts ofGideon's, the bakery rakes in
upwards of $40,000 each day,which does not surprise me
whatsoever.
Disney Springs is a very busyspot and a cookie that costs
anywhere between five to eightdollars six dollars is their
(06:48):
mega cookies and five to eightdollars for their cold brews
they should be making a ton ofmoney.
That's a lot of cookies.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Are they open?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
every single day every day every single day their
hours are every single day andthey match up with the disney
springs hours we're gonna theyclose roughly around 10 to 11
o'clock every single night.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
We're going to assume we're going to average that
they make $40,000 a day.
Yep, According to the Ghost ofGideon's.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
This is what they're saying that they make is on the
upwards of $40,000 each day, Afigure they can see on their
cashier's till.
One employee told OrlandoWeekly.
Meanwhile, the front of housestaff at the shop earns just
eight dollars an hour.
Isn't that insane?
Speaker 1 (07:31):
it is so back to what I was saying oh, by all means
go ahead so if they make fortythousand dollars a day for 365
days, that's I might be sayingthis wrong $146 million a year.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
One, two, three comma .
Oh my God, one, two, threecomma.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Remember when we said this was going to be a short
episode.
This is the episode whereDustin learns how to do math.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
There's no commas in this calculator number sign Any
whoozles.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
This means that their front of house staff, though,
earns just $8.98.
The bare minimum that employeesin Florida can legally pay
their workers, who customarilyreceive direct wages in tips.
Now, this low rate thatenforces workers living in
Orlando, in Florida's mostexpensive metropolitan area,
(08:20):
which, for us, it is veryexpensive to live here.
It is not not cheap.
The organizers of the groupwhat the lackluster pay is a
major point of grievance.
In the eight page demand letter, yes, they went on Reddit and
(08:41):
Instagram and demanded eightpages worth of concerns, worth
of things that they need to bechanged.
In the letter they say thatthey were told on May 6th, the
meeting, they could no longerask for tips anymore.
So these people who are basingtheir rate they're basing their
livelihood and their wages offof tip pay are not allowed to
ask the customers for tipsanymore, so they're just getting
(09:03):
$8.68.
Isn't that insane?
Cuckoo for cocoa puffs I don'tlike you right now any who's now
.
You know what was crazy to me,what I saw?
That if you go on gideon'sbakehouse right now at disney
springs, there's a job listingto work for them Currently,
(09:26):
right now.
That's up.
Do you know what their baserate is?
That they're showing peoplethat you would get if you work
for Gideon's.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
What $8.88.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That is $0.10 below Florida's legal minimum wage.
How crazy is that I don't yep,are you fact checking me right
now?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
no, I'm fact checking .
So there's two differentminimum wage rates in florida
one for non-tipped employees andone for tipped employees.
Non-tipped- employees must bepaid at least $12 per hour.
Tipped employees must be paidat least $8.98.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And right now the listing on Gideon's is $8.88,
which is 10 cents lower than theminimum required wage
Interesting.
That's horrible.
Now, now orlando weekly, theydid reach out to gideon's
ownership and you know what theysaid about this what steve lee.
That's the man that ownsgideon's big shop at disney
springs, um, he claims that thepublication of the subliminal
(10:39):
pay rate was a mistake andthey're actively trying to get
it updated I mean I could seethat, that being a typo 88
versus 98 it's 10 cents off andthat's like one letter off on a
keyboard, but even still likecome on now we live in a world
where no one pays that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
However, I'm gonna play devil's advocate for a
moment and say that all thesepeople are being pissy and
hateful and demanding more money.
You looked at that job offer.
You applied for that job, uh-uhno no, you applied for that job
while they, when theyadvertised 898 or 888 tips.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
They are now being told they cannot ask these
people, these customers, fortips what is asking?
They can't tell them accordingto the ghost of gideons, they
are not allowed to say hi, I canreceive tipsideons.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
They are not allowed to say hi I can receive tips.
Okay, we are not allowed to puta tip jar out.
We weren't allowed to do thatat Starbucks either.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Their job is based on their tips.
They are told when they arehired they make $8.98 plus tips.
You are verbally andcontractingly said that.
Contractingly, no, no, Idisagree with you.
I'm sorry, but I, yes, I, Iunderstand where you're coming
from, that people, that that youknow these workers and
(11:53):
employees and people doing anextra money and they, they want
all these things, but they can'talways combat what they're
they're giving and I get that,trust me, been there, understand
it, have the documentation toprove it.
What I don't understand here isthat you actively told these
employees that they were goingto make a certain rate plus tips
and now you're telling themthat they're not allowed to talk
(12:15):
to the guests or the customersabout this according to ghost of
gideon according to ghost ofgideon's correct.
Now here's the part that's evencrazier to me.
Now, beyond the pay, the ghostof gideon's also has alleged
unsafe and unfair workingconditions.
Their demand letter voices acrazy allegations from
insufficient cleaning proceduresfor baking sheets and
(12:35):
insignificant and ineffectiveinefficient thank you.
I'm just like so upset I lostmy whole spot.
Efficient and performative coldbrew, thank you.
Thank you, I lost my whole spotinefficient and performative
cold brew thank you.
Thank you, I lost my whole spot.
Um, cold brew procedures.
They want to a lack of safetyand training procedures for
(12:57):
emergency situations such as afire bomb threat, a lack of a
fire exit from the kitchen, alack of an ada compliance in
staff areas such as an employeeusing a wheelchair, other
mobilities that would not beable to maneuver behind the
service counter or through thekitchen.
What, what?
Here's my crazy logic that mybrain goes to here.
(13:20):
If this is true, if whatthey're saying is true, right,
if there's unsafe cleanlinesspractices that are happening,
unsafe conditions that arehappening, do you know what the
state of Florida makes?
All restaurants go through Ahealth code, right, like a
health code walkthrough.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Any restaurant requires that.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Why hasn't anybody checked in Gideon's?
Speaker 1 (13:46):
So this is where I'm going to again play devil's
advocate and say this is comingfrom Ghost of Gideon's.
Yes, the health departmenthasn't come out and said that
they've been fined.
I want to know, I want to knowwhat their health code rating is
, because there is a possibilitythat it's not ADA compliant in
the back because of direct storemanagement and store employees
(14:07):
improperly storing materials andproducts they could be I mean,
it could be the case of becausemy Starbucks store was not ADA
compliant from the back of house.
There was no way to get awheelchair out of our back door,
and the issue with that wasbecause our store manager always
overpurchased everything and wedidn't have storage space for
it.
So then our back got clutteredup with stuff and then we had no
(14:29):
nowhere to go no, the otherpart that kills me here is the,
the comment and the commentary.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
When it comes to the fire, there's a lack of fire
exit from the kitchen andthere's no emergency training
for fires or bomb threats.
How, how?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
You don't know, because most jobs that training
is.
You exit the building and thisis where we meet up.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Not just for most jobs, all jobs, especially those
working for a very well-knowncompany such as Disney World,
they have those proceduresalready in place.
That is already something thatyou are well aware of.
This is crazy.
And then the Ghosts of Gideon'shave also come out and said
that there is a lack of coolingmeasures for the staff working
(15:14):
outside.
According to the workers,Gideon's dress code requires
them to wear long pants and allblack clothes, they say.
Unlike other employees on theDisney Springs property,
Gideon's staff working outdoorsdo not have access to fans or
any other form of relief fromthe heat exposure.
When Florida's temperaturesrise and boy does Florida get
hot.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That's crazy to me If Chick-fil-A can put up fans and
they I mean you and I were justat Chick-fil-A a week ago and
they put an ice pack on her backand it wasn't even that hot yet
yet I'm curious to see what isin their job description.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
When you get hired, though, because I worked at when
I worked at Dollywood, when weaccepted the job, we had to sign
um like a job responsibilitypage yep we can lift this much.
We can do that and it said thatwe had to be comfortable working
extended period of extendedperiod of time in extreme
temperatures, extremetemperatures being negative 5
degrees to 114 degrees four longperiods of time.
(16:13):
So I'm interested to see nowI'm not saying that they don't
deserve fans, they definitely dobut I'm interested to see like,
did these employees acknowledgethat they would be working in
these positions and then theygot in there and now they're
working them and they're tiredof it and they're complaining
about it?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
or did Gideon's not say this?
is something they were going tohave to do um yeah, I'm also
curious to know if maybe thereis a procedure that is supposed
to be in place that the maybe astore manager is not following,
because the ghost of Gideon'shave also come out and said that
their management team they arelooking to replace they would
like, as part of their demandsof this eight page, is that they
(16:49):
are trying to get their managerto be retrained in order to
then be brought back into thestore.
They're asking for him to beremoved, retrained at an actual
location where they can give himall the proper training that
they need of this person, andthen brought right back.
So my question is is there apolicy and a procedure already
in place for their outdooremployees, for those tip
(17:12):
positions, for that fire andbomb threat that management is
not aware of and or notfollowing through?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I don't know, it'll be interesting.
It'll be interesting tocontinue to follow this to see
where this goes because, they'veput out their list of demands,
but we've not heard any kind ofresponse from Gideon's yet
correct.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Actually, unfortunately, that is false.
As of this morning, Gideon'sBakehouse owner has released a
statement about all of thesethings.
I'm not going to go throughthat entire statement because
boy oh boy, is it longer thanthe eight-page documentation of
demands.
But Steve Lewis, who is thatowner of Gideon's Bake Shop?
He has shared an officialstatement responding to the
allegations of the dirty,dangerous and toxic workplace
(17:49):
and in summarize of that, hegoes on to say that he complies
with all health and safetyregulations, he values inclusive
and representation and aims tocultivate a welcoming, safe
environment for everyone whovisits and works for Gideon's.
And that's basically all hesaid.
He has yet to address any ofthe concerns about any of the
tips, any of the pay, any ofthose hazardous work conditions.
(18:11):
He just says you know what, I'maware of it, Thank you, and
that's it.
Interesting Very much soundslike an owner of a restaurant to
me.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Very political answer .
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Very, very political answer.
So I'm wondering what the ghostof Gide gideons will say to all
of this, and I will keep youguys updated as much as I can um
, I will.
You can actually put uh, if yougo through any social media
platform and look up ghost ofgideons, you can read that a
page um demand letter.
I'm not sure if that'ssomething that we'll be sharing
on our social media platform,but it is definitely something
(18:42):
that you guys can look up andread through instagram and
through reddit.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Maybe we can maybe we can reach out to ghost of
gideon's in the future, havethem on our podcast.
But yeah, um, gideon staff, ifyou're out there, we understand.
I apologize, I play devil'sadvocate.
I look at everything both ways.
But we support you guys.
We want fair and equalworkplace for you.
We hope everything works outwell for you all and if, if not,
just remember there's fivebillion jobs in Orlando and if
(19:10):
Gideon's doesn't take care ofyou, go find someone that will.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I just, you know what .
I wonder what will come out ofthis, because I'm wondering how
many other places are going tostart, you know, wanting to
become unionized and wanting tofeel.
You know what, if Gideon's ispaving the way for this and they
can have a voice and say things, I wonder what other
restaurants, um, or places aregonna start popping up and doing
the same.
The world of social media, it'swhat we live in.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Starbucks all over again.
Well, are you ready to talkabout Tiana taking a tumble?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I am really ready for Tiana's tumble.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
All right.
So here we have finally gottensome updated information about
Tiana's Bayou Adventure comingto Walt Disney World Florida
very, very soon.
But in order to talk abouttiana's, we have to first talk.
Uh, or take a look back 82 yearsago that's crazy on november
(20:34):
12th of 1946, walt disneyproduced a movie musical that
was part live action, partanimated.
The film song of the south wasreleased by rko radio pictures
and featured a series excuse me,featured stories by Joel
Chandler Harris.
Harris was an Americanjournalist and fiction writer
best known for his collection ofUncle Remus stories.
(20:55):
Born on December 9th of 1848 inEatonton, georgia.
Born on December 9th of 1848 inEatonton, georgia, harris
became famous for preserving andpopularizing African-American
folktales, and there's a littlehistory lesson for the day.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Wow, love that for us .
Thank you so much.
Now the film is set in thepost-Civil War American South
and it follows the story of ayoung boy named Johnny who goes
to live on his grandmother'splantation.
While there, johnny befriendsUncle Ramus, an African-American
former slave, who captivatesJohnny with the tales of Briar
Rabbit, briar Fox and Briar BearGosh.
(21:37):
That briar word just tongueties me up every time.
Now these animated sequencesfeatures the mischievous Briar
Rabbit and his adventures, whichserve as moral lessons for
Johnny as he navigates throughhis own challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Now, the film was particularly famous for its
songs that were composed byseveral different artists, and
some of those notable songs areZippity-Doo-Dah sung by Uncle
Ramos, who was played by JamesBaskett.
Now this song won an AcademyAward for Best Original Song and
has literally become one ofDisney's most iconic tunes.
However, have we noticed that,since the ride closed,
(22:14):
Zippity-Doo-Dah has sincedisappeared from Disney's park
opening lineup music that playson Main Street?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yes, it has.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
And another song that I'm not familiar with at all is
Everybody's Got a LaughingPlace, which is another
memorable song from the animatedsequences and I think played a
pretty decent role in theattraction when it was open?
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Oh definitely.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
So Song of the South was controversial since it was
released due to its depiction ofAfrican-American characters and
its nostalgic portrayal for theplantation life in the
Reconstruction era.
Critics argue that the filmpresented and sanitized and
romanticized that's a lot of EDsview of the South and downplays
(22:56):
the realities of slavery andracial discrimination.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Boy Limited release.
It was due to the ongoingcontroversy.
Song of the South was neverfully released on home video in
the United States.
It was re-released in theatersseveral times up until the
mid-1980s but has since beenwithdrawn from the public by
Disney.
It was around this time in the1980s that Disney's Imagineer,
tony Baxter, conceived the ideaof Splash Mountain attraction.
(23:22):
Splash Mountain attractionBaxter wanted to create a log
flume ride that would integrateDisney's characters and
storytelling to provide a uniqueexperience different from other
amusement park log rides.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
So in the initial pitch it was originally called
the Zippity Doodah no ZippityRiver Run.
So the ride's concept was to bebased on the 1946 Disney film
Song of the South, whichfeatures the characters such as
Briar Rabbit, briar Fox andBriar Bear, along with the
iconic song Zippity-Doo-Dah.
Now, despite the controversysurrounding the film, disney
(23:55):
decided to use the animatedsegments and characters for the
ride.
The idea was to capture thewhimsical adventure of Briar
Rabbit and his escapades toprovide a light-hearted and fun
experience oh yeah now.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
The development and construction of the splash
mountain at walt disney worldbegan in the late 1980s.
Imagineers worked meticulouslyto blend the ride's storyline
with intricate auto animatronicsand elaborate set designs.
Now splash mountain officiallyopened its doors at magic
kingdom in walt disney world onjuly 17th 1992.
(24:29):
It was one of the mosttechnologically advanced rides
at the time because it featuredover a hundred auto animatronic
figures and a complex series ofscenes and drops I love you.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
It's audio animatronics not auto
animatronics?
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I don't um.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So the ride experience was a themed journey
that took riders through variousscenes depicting briar rabbit's
journey to his friend'slaughing place, while being
pursued by briar fox and briarbear.
The ride accumulates in athrilling five-story drop into
the briar patch and key songs uh, from the movie song of the
south, including zippity-Dah andEverybody's Got to Laugh were
(25:07):
integral parts of the ride'sexperience, enhancing the
narrative and the atmosphere.
Now we're fast-forwarding tothe present day so over the
years.
Growing awareness andsensitivity towards racial
representation led to anincrease of scrutiny of song of
the south and its associationwith splash mountain.
(25:28):
Reimagining uh the attraction.
In june of 2020, amid socialjustice movements and the
broader re-evaluation ofcultural symbols, disney
announced that splash mountainwould be reimagined.
So for those of you that don'tknow, reimagining at disney
means they're going to take anattraction.
It's going to close downcompletely.
It's going to be completely well, not completely scrapped
(25:49):
correct um, the theming,essentially, is going to be
completely scrapped and it'sgoing to reopen as a new
attraction I'm trying to thinkof ones that have been
reimagined um.
So one thing that wasreimagined was the people mover
in disneyland, california closed.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It reopened as the terror at in disneyland, at
disney, california, adventure,which is now guardians of the
galaxy, correct?
Speaker 1 (26:10):
same concept, same ride, escape or something
something like that um same ride, same attraction.
However, it is just a re-themeto a different um uh theme theme
yeah, so the new theme would bebased on the hit 2009 film the
princess and the frog, featuringdisney's first african-american
princess, tiana love her andyou know, I recently ran into a
(26:34):
guest at one of my jobs, um, andI could tell she was disney
bound as diana, diana, hi diana,my bestie tiana, and um, I had
made the comment to her and Iwas like, oh my god, are you
Tiana?
And she was like, yeah, she hasbeen my favorite since I was a
kid, because she was the firstDisney princess that wasn't
(26:55):
white, and this was a person ofcolor that I was speaking to.
So she said you know, shefinally felt like she belonged
in the Disney franchise becauseshe finally related to a Disney
princess, princess I love it, Ilove it um.
Now the new narrative of theride, the reimagined ride, will
follow princess tiana and herfriends on an adventure set
after the events in the film.
So the goal was to create anexclusive and inspirational
(27:18):
experience for guests of allbackgrounds I really love that
now.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
The guests have speculated on an opening date
for the ride for the last fewmonths, as we've seen finishing
touches that have been added tothe exterior and the lighting
that has been turned on at night.
Recent videos have surfaced ofDisney Imagineers riding the
attraction and signage beingdisplayed saying on-ride testing
was happening.
Finally, on Mother's Day,disney announced that the ride
will officially be opening onJune 28th.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I want to talk about the lights for a moment.
Absolutely, because I love howpeople take the simplest things
and then they run with it,because that's what we do in
modern day America.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
No, that's what Disney adults do.
Let's be real.
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I'm talking about a certain demographic of people
and you're going to understandin a moment when I say this.
I don't know if you know aboutthis maybe.
Um, so you can catch glimpsesof Tiana's right now.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yes, at Disney, they've got the lights on the
ride's been running and it isbeautiful the amount of greenery
and the lights.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
It's so pretty on the exterior of the attraction
they're using a lot of blues,purples and pinks.
Yes, and I, I and I think it'sbeautiful.
I think it's probably going tohelp create that story that
they're trying to live.
However, the keyboard warriorsare already going off on Disney
because they are saying thatthey are yet again pushing the
(28:36):
gay agenda because thisparticular sequence of lights
represents bisexuality.
Jeez, oh, please, Now that beingsaid, we noticed when we
watched the TV show Heartstopperthat there's the use of purple
and blue lighting, and theyspecifically came out and said,
yeah, we use this specificlighting because this is about a
bisexual person, correct.
(28:57):
But Disney, you're reachingguys, come on.
Come on, it is lights.
It's Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
There's not a gay or bisexualperson in that movie.
Calm down, it looks gorgeous.
It is one of the mostbeautifully aesthetic.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
It's very pretty and it just it's driving me insane.
But we have to jump Now.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is thereimagined version of the
classic Splash Mountain ride atDisney's theme parks.
The reimagined version of theclassic Splash Mountain ride at
Disney's theme parks based onthe 2009 animated film the
Princess and the Frog.
While the ride maintains a corephysical structure and
(29:32):
mechanisms of Splash Mountain,it features new theming, new
story elements and updates toreflect the new narrative.
Here are some things to kind ofexpect.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
So ride specifications.
We didn't go over this forSplash Mountain because for the
majority it's all the same.
So the height of the drop thatsignature drop remains the exact
same, approximately 50 feet setat a 45-degree angle.
Whee Poof Splash.
The length of the ride remainsthe same length at about 2,600
(30:03):
feet.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Bye, oh, bye.
Now the ride is also stillaround 10 minutes, which is
quite a long flume ride.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
I love long rides, though I'm a big fan.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Now, each log holds up to eight passengers and
maintains that same theoreticalhourly capacity of about 1,800
riders, and the ride system isstill going to be a long flume
system, so be a long flume log,log words.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
It's too early, guys, be prepared to get wet so, as
we kind of said earlier, we'rerepeating ourselves a lot in
this episode, but that's finewell, this part we didn't say
tiana's bayou adventure takesguests on a journey with
princess tiana and her friendsas they prepare for a unique
Mardi Gras celebration Set afterthe events of the movie
Princess and the Frog, the rideexplores the rich culture and
(30:49):
vibrant music of New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Have you seen?
So recently, disney has beenreleasing a lot of teaser videos
.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
We've gotten to see some of the animatronics.
Yeah, we got to see Tiana wegot to see Tiana, we got to see
the old lady, we got to see thealligator, and what is amazing
to me is they've brought backall of the original voice actors
from the movie to play those,and then those actors got to go
in and see their animatronicsworking.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Did you see what happened when the woman that
plays Tiana saw her animatronic?
I had not seen that one.
She started crying.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
I mean, I feel like I would, unless you're chris
pratt.
I love daddy crap but he's he'sreally gotten he's.
He's kind of irritated me inthe last couple years because
he's upset about how he'sassociated with jurassic world
and I'm, like you, have beenprobably forever, if not, you
know, for many decadesimmortalized in some of the big,
(31:44):
in two of the biggest themepark franchises in the world,
with walt, disney world anduniversal studios all right well
, and also he plays a very bigrole in the lego community oh
yeah, as he was in the, is he ina lego land ride was?
Speaker 2 (31:56):
in the lego movie and which made him in lego land,
correct.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
So he's in three theme parks, three, and he's
over here.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Theme parks, three very well-known.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
He's over here being pissy about how people only
associate him with this oneattraction.
So it makes me happy to seethat the performers with
Princess and the Frog.
Oh, they were very heart-well.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
It was very heart-whelming and it was one of
those moments that you'rewatching that and you kind of
got that Disney magic back.
Even as an adult like I gotgoosebumps and I wanted to cry
right along with her.
It was very, very magical.
It was really sweet.
It was almost like watching um,the, the Disney documentary
about what the Haunted Mansion,and knowing that the girl at the
(32:34):
very end is the daughter ofMadame Leota.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
That was very neat for me.
Now the ride features newscenes inspired by the film,
including the bayou, which I hadto learn how to spell the other
day b-a-y-o-u I'm so proud ofyou um the bustling streets of
new orleans, which I'minterested to see how they're
going to pull that one off andtiana's place and you know
that's her restaurant, right?
Speaker 2 (32:56):
yes, I'm so excited to see that.
I just I hope that when youwalk through it it smells like
gumbo, that we get that smell.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I saw on Twitter.
I don't know if this is goingto be true or not, but I saw
something that says that Disneywill be installing smellitizers
in that area, where they will dobeignet smells, stop.
So guests can expect to see thebeloved characters such as
Princess Tiana, prince Naive andLouis the Alligator.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Give me a little bit of Prince Naveen.
I thought to me when I watchedthat movie.
I had the biggest crush on him.
I thought he was so cute.
Now the music for theattraction is going to
incorporate music from the film,including the favorites like
almost there and down in neworleans oh, my gosh along with
(33:40):
new songs to enhance theexperience.
Now we're also going to see anintense retheming that is going
to transform this rideenvironment into a lively new
orleans bayou, with updatedanimatronics, digital effects
and detailed set pieces thatreflect the film's aesthetic so,
looking at the animatronicsthat we've seen on, instagram it
looks as though we are gettingthe animatronics that we have
(34:02):
been seeing in the asiancontinent disney's yes, super
lifelike animated the.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
We are getting away from the projection faces
correct and we are going tolifelike faces and life.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
This is almost like um, if you've ridden frozen,
you're taking the frozenanimatronic and the right the
the river of navi animatronicsand you're putting them together
and you're creating a brand new, lifelike version.
It's.
It's almost like looking at youand I.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
It's very, very impressive yep, now some of the
technical details for theattraction.
So the ride uh will retain itsthree lift hills, so you're
going to go up three times tospeak on the animatronics Again,
the ride will featurestate-of-the-art audio
animatronics with new figuresand enhancements to existing
ones, ensuring high levels ofdetail and realism.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
I'm not super excited about this part.
Now the ride is going tomaintain its various water
features, which includes thatfinal big, massive splash and
smaller drops.
Now this is going to contributeto the ride's excitement and
immersive experience.
But boy, I'm telling you,you're gonna get wet.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
This is not a dry ride so, for the exterior area
and the queue area, this is whatwe know, or what's been best
determined by the pictures thatpeople have been posting.
Yes, so the queue is redesignedto reflect the themes of
princess and the frog, immersingguests in the story of the
movement from the moment theyenter.
The area will likely featureelements from New Orleans
(35:29):
architecture and bayoulandscapes.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Now the exterior of the ride is previously known as
the Chickapin Hill.
It is rethemed to represent abayou and surrounding areas with
lush greenery, vibrant colorsand thematic elements that tie
into the film's setting.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
And let me tell you from what we can see it's
beautiful, and I know this maybe a controversial statement.
I think that the exterior ofthis attraction looks so much
better than it ever did asSplash Mountain oh, 100%, 100%.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I think it ever did.
A splash mountain oh, 100%,100%.
I think it's going to be great.
Now the queue in the ride mayinclude interactive elements to
engage guests and enhance thestorytelling experience.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
We don't know if that is a fact.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
However, my fingers are crossed that that is not the
case.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
We've seen.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has something similar.
Winnie the Pooh ride hassomething similar to this.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
I don't like this concept.
I do and I don't.
I like it because it keepspeople busy, and when you keep
people's hands busy, they'reless likely to break things.
When I worked at Lightning Rodat Dollywood, we had this issue
where people would literallydrill holes in the stucco walls
and destroy the building and,ironically, funny enough, this
was the same year Dollywoodstarted selling fidget spinners,
when they were really popular,oh wow.
And we immediately saw adecrease in vandalism in the
(36:50):
queue lines across the entireproperty because people had
something to keep their handsbusy.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I just hate it because it doesn't move the
guests.
You get kids that will throwfits because they are not able
to touch those things and notable to do it and not able to
just walk around them yeah, butyou can't because I'm gonna get
super mad at you.
But we're also going to seeenhanced lighting, sound and
projection technologies and willbe utilized to create a more
immense and um dynamicenvironment so tiana's bayou
(37:17):
adventure aims to bring a fresh,fresh, cultural rich experience
to disney parks.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
while preserving the thrill and excitement of the
original Splash Mountain ride,the reimagined attraction
celebrates diversity and thespirit of New Orleans, offering
a new chapter in the legacy ofone of Disney's most beloved
attractions.
Now the ride is opening soon.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
On June 28th.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
However, prior to June 28th, there are going to be
a slew of different types ofpreviews and ways that you can
potentially experience thisattraction, so we have broken
down all of the differentpreviews that will be happening
in the coming month months.
So the first one that we'regoing to go over Ashley's
favorite thing that she wants tobe a part of, so I'm going to
(38:00):
let you take the lead first I ama part of, so I'm gonna let you
take the lead first, I am apart of.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Thank you very much, okay, and that is a d23 preview.
Let's start with the d23preview details.
During this separately ticketedevent, d23 gold members will
have the opportunity to be amongthe first people to enjoy
Tiana's Bayou Adventure at MagicKingdom.
D23 gold members will be ableto ride the attraction again and
again and then take some timeto enjoy the chanting evening
(38:25):
ambience of the bayou, with livejazz performances, tasty treats
that will be available duringthe celebration of tiana's bayou
adventure actually I got itwrong.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
It was the next one that I thought you wanted to be
a part of what you do.
However, um, some informationthat I didn't put down that I
probably should have.
Not all D23 members will beguaranteed rides.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
No, it is only gold members as well.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Those outside of the gold will have the opportunity
to virtual queue it Correct.
That being said, for all ofthese previews, disney has made
it very clear that there is noguarantee that you will be able
to ride, even if you get aticket or pass or virtual queue
that says you can correct um.
So the next one is the disneyvacation club preview.
This is what I want to be apart of, so there's also going
(39:07):
to be the vacation club previewwith uh dvc, offering eligible
members and their guests a sneakpeek of tiana's bayou adventure
at magic kingdom before itopens to the general public.
The event registration opens onthursday, may 16th, at 10 am
eastern time.
For access to the registrationlink, keep an eye on your inbox
and the news and alerts sectionof the disneyvacationclubcom.
(39:29):
Pre-registration is required andspace will fill up quickly very
, very fast those event datesare going to be for wednesday,
june 12th, from 1 to 4 pmeastern time, and wednesday,
june 19th, from 9 am to nooneastern time.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Now the eligibility for this is you must be a disney
vacation club member who areeligible June 19th, from 9 am to
noon Eastern Time.
Now, the eligibility for thisis you must be a Disney Vacation
Club member who are eligiblefor members extras benefits.
They must hold a qualifyingDisney Resort reservation using
their membership and to attendyou and the number of your
guests on your resortreservation, as of May 12th 2024
, must have a valid theme parkadmission and a theme park
reservation for Magic Kingdom onthe day of the preview event,
(40:06):
unless you are not required foryour admission type.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Now the last one that we have.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
There is a lot of steps we're going to go through
them very slowly.
We'll also be posting all ofthis on social media, so this
will be something you canreference back the entire time.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
So the last preview that we have, which is where
majority of people are going tobe trying to get on, is the
annual Passholder previews thatwill take place on June 13th,
14th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I'm really proud of Disney for giving us, for giving
Passholders there, quite a bitof days there compared to the
others.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
That being said, you have to have a park reservation
and a virtual queue.
So even if you get a parkreservation, still not
guaranteed to get in.
Nope, here's the problem.
The website for reservationscrashed almost immediately after
these dates were named Correctand guests have they've said
it's not worked well since thenand I believe all of the
(41:05):
previews are those dates.
The reservations are full.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Correct Now, in order to do all this, we're going to
give you all the steps here andwe're going to help you as much
as we can.
However, we cannot guaranteethat following all these steps
is something that you will beable to accomplish.
You will actively be able toaccomplish getting a Tiana's
Bayou Adventure preview andgoing through those steps Now.
If you are familiar with avirtual queue which you should
(41:30):
be if you've read Tron Guardiansof the Galaxy.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
We have that later.
We have virtual queue later.
Go through the steps.
We're running out of time.
Ashley and I have somewhere tobe in like 30 minutes.
Yes, we really do.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Now you first are going to make a park reservation
at Magic Kingdom Park on thepreview date to have the
opportunity to join at the 7 amvirtual queue for that day, or
you can make a park reservationat any theme park on a preview
date to have the opportunity tojoin the 1 pm virtual queue.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
So you are only eligible for the 7 am virtual
queue if you have a MagicKingdom reservation.
That's correct On yourreservation date.
Request to join the virtualqueue by using the my Disney
Experience app.
There will be two opportunitieseach day to join these previews
.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Now, the 7 am, virtual queue will be available
to pass holders with a parkreservation to Magic Kingdom
only for that day.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
The 1 pm virtual queue will be available to pass
holders with a park reservationfor any theme park that day.
As a reminder, pass holdersmust enter the theme park where
they have the reservation beforevisiting Magic Kingdom, or on
June 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th or20th.
They can enter the MagicKingdom park without a
(42:35):
reservation after 2 pm.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Now Passholders do not have to enter a theme park
when they request to join thevirtual queue.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Planning on riding Tron, light Cycle Run or
Guardians of the Galaxy, cosmicRewind?
Don't worry, you can hold avirtual queue for one of those
attractions and for Tiana'sBayou Adventure, passholder
Preview at the same time, whenavailable.
This special perk is onlyoffered during Passholder
Previews.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
That's correct.
Don't go thinking you can do ittwice.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
So some important info.
Oh, that was important so sorry.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Pass holders must have a Walt Disney World Resort
annual pass with a validadmission on the preview date
Applicable pass.
Blackout dates apply, so parkreservations are unlimited and
subject to availability.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
Each pass holder can request to join a virtual queue
no more than once per day canrequest to join a virtual queue
no more than once per day.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Now pass holders may hold boarding groups for the
preview virtual queue and anattraction virtual queue at the
same time, when available.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the
ability to participate in thepreview.
Boarding groups for the virtualqueue are limited, subject to
availability and are notguaranteed.
Not all boarding groups will becalled to return based on the
availability of the attraction.
You can learn more aboutvirtual queues.
Offering dates and hours aresubject to change.
(43:51):
That was a weird.
I thought that you learn moreabout virtual queues and then it
just ends.
Go ahead and do your thing.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
You can learn more about virtual queues on Disney's
website.
Now you can offer.
Dates and hours are subject tochange or cancellation without
notice or liability.
Remember, guys, this is apreview, so at any moment a ride
could go down, things couldhappen, life happens.
This attraction is not open yetto the main public, which means
they're kind of getting alltheir nicks and crannies out of
the way before it does open toeverybody.
(44:19):
So have some patience and besuper kind to those cast members
.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
So have some patience and be super kind to those cast
members.
Now, if you don't get to comeuntil June 28th or after, here
is some helpful information onhow you can get to ride as the
standby line or, as, if youdon't know, just standing in
line and waiting for theattraction will not be available
until a later date.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
Now the public opening is going to be a drop in
on a virtual queue yet again.
When Tiana's Bayou Avengeropens up on Juneune 28th, it
will be a using a virtual queue.
Guests will request to join thevirtual queue via my disney
experience app at one at of twodifferent times, 7 am or 1 pm.
Now, with a standby queue notbe available during the
(44:56):
attractions initial opening date, we can expect an opening
standby queue soon after theattractions opening and that is
a disney statement.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
We can expect a standby queue soon after the
attractions opening and that isa disney statement we can expect
a standby queue soon after theattractions opening.
Hopefully it's not two years soyou can visit disneyworldcom
forward slash virtual queue formore information about how
virtual queues at disney worldwork and what you need to know
before you visit the magickingdom park or you can use
disney genies plus service.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
Diana's Bayou Adventure will also be included
as a Lightning Lane entrance inDisney Genies Plus.
You can purchase this serviceon my Disney Experience app,
which helps you to get some ofyour favorite attractions faster
through Lightning Laneexperiences, and includes
digital downloads of selectDisney PhotoPass attraction
photos taken in the park on theday of your purchase at no
additional charge.
Guests may check the app on theday of their visit for pricing
(45:46):
and availability.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
And, as always, please plan before you go.
Be educated.
Disney parks and universalparks do not work like regular
theme parks across the country.
They are a whole new world.
So we recommend that you visitDisneyWorldcom and for more
information about Lightning Laneyou can visit DisneyWorldcom
forward slash Lightning Lane formore details on that and how it
(46:08):
works.
I'm actually not super familiarwith how Lightning Lane works,
so do you not have to have avirtual queue if you buy it in
the Lightning Lane?
No, I can only imagine how muchthat is going to cost per
person.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
It's $60 a person, $60?
$16.
$1.6.
Oh that's actually not that bad.
Yes, but that's per each ride.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yeah, but if I'm just going to, virtual queue,
tiana's, and that's it.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yeah, but can you imagine all these people that
pay for each individual?
Speaker 1 (46:30):
ride.
That is wild and crazy.
Can you imagine paying?
Speaker 2 (46:31):
$16 for Tomorrowland Speedway.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
But we are here 13,.
I think it's going to be 13months after Splash Mountain
closed for.
Tiana's to open to open, sodefinitely not a Tron Light
Cycle Run construction here.
Super proud of them for that.
We're super excited to seeTiana's Bayou Adventure and what
other fun and exciting thingsare happening beyond Big Thunder
Mountain which we may talkabout in the future.
(46:54):
But with that it is now 1130 inthe morning.
We've got somewhere to be in 15minutes.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
So stay safe, stay educated.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
And, of course, share our podcast with your friends,
your family and your favoritebartender.
Please be nice to those castmembers when you see them.
If you pop into tiana's bayouadventure, remember you need
them just as much as they needyou.
Thanks, guys, bye.
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