MouseStation 292 – The Disney Podcast Directory with Mike Hamilton
(Download show – Main podcast page – Subscribe – Podcast radio player)
Show run time 0:52:30
In today’s show, Mike Hamilton of the Disney Podcast Directory joins Mike and Mark to discuss the most complete listing of Disney podcasts on the Internet and how Mike listens to so many podcasts every week.
You can subscribe to MouseStation from the links at the bottom of this page, or via your favorite podcast aggregator. If you’d rather pop up our podcast radio player into a separate window so that you can continue browsing MousePlanet in this window, click here. (NOTE: Our podcast radio requires Adobe Flash Player. You can dowload the player here.)
Let us hear from you!
Send in your suggestions, comments or tips via our email feedback form or via voicemail on our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278).
We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.
If you want to contribute a story for our Tuesday Magical Moment segment (and possible inclusion in the Cast Place column here on MousePlanet), you can either use our email Magical Moment story form or the toll-free feedback line. (We love it when you use the voice mail system, because then we can play your call on the show!)
Thanks to our sponsors
Today’s show is sponsored by:
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. A luxury hotel one mile from Walt Disney World, where special MousePlanet rates ALWAYS get you at least 15% off the normal rates available for the property, and right now you can get rates as low as $129 per night – that’s about what you’d pay for a Disney moderate resort!
Advantage Vacation Homes. A great vacation home rental company that gives you a place to stay with lots more space than a regular hotel room for a lot less money.
Feature: The Disney Podcast Directory with Mike Hamilton
Mike started listening to podcasts early on, then started following Disney podcasts as they appeared. Jesse’s MousePod podcast was the first, Ricky Brigante and Paul Barrie were also early podcasters with Inside the Magic and Window to the Magic, and the official Disneyland Podcast with Michael Geoghegan started around the time of Disneyland’s 50th birthday in 2005.
Since Mike works as a computer programmer, he spends most of his time working at his desk with his headphones on, so he gets through 40 hours of podcasts at work, plus another few hours at home and over the weekend. He even listens as he’s getting ready to go to sleep. He has all of his podcasts categorized in many smart playlists, from length to time of day to topic and so forth. He also has some non-Disney podcasts that he listens to.
He turned his catalog of Disney podcasts into the Disney Podcast Directory, where you can check out the entire list of Disney podcasts and try them out before you subscribe to them. Right now, there are about 100 or so active podcasts, some of which have multiple feeds.
Mike talked about his criteria for a show being moved to the “Extinct” category.
Mark and Mike H. talked a little bit about Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which is now available as an audiobook from Podiobooks.com. It’s a great science fiction story about one possible future, with much taking place at Walt Disney World, though it’s definitely not for all ages.
Mike doesn’t really have major likes and dislikes in what he listens to, though he really likes interviews, so he really likes some of the interviews that we’ve done, as well as some from All About the Mouse. We took a side trip talking about Beauty and the Beast, and Mike told a story about how, at MouseFest 2007, he and his family went to Mouse Guest Weekly’s Beauty and the Beast meet, and after Belle held his hand following the meet, Mike’s son only wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast. He has since shifted his fixation to Cars.
Mike wanted to talk about the advice that we had given about not being able to have your bags travel on Disney’s Magical Express without you. He reminded us that you can do advance airline check-in on your way back to the airport, they just can go from the airport to the resort without at least one member of your party riding on the Magical Express bus.
There were a few shows that were really rough to listen to, some that were up and gone before he added them, such as some kids talking about the Disney Channel shows. There are some good teen Disney podcasts, though, such as Keegan at Adventures of a Teenage Disney Geek and Luke Manning at Disneyland News Today.
Some long-running shows have been pretty consistent with their format, while others have made major changes due to either running out of originally planned content or adding new content by turning listener contributions into regular segments. Our own original Magical Moment Podcast ran out of gas because the number of people contributing Magical Moments dropped off.
Mike spends so much time listening to podcasts that he hasn’t listened to any new music since 2005.
A few weeks ago, Mike contributed a tip of the week about using “Safety Tats” temporary tattoos to put his contact information right on his kids in case they get separated. His son likes wearing the tattoos, so they just put it right on his arm and he loved showing it to everyone. He hasn’t noticed any issues regarding the sun and uneven tanning through the tattoos.
We’d like to thank Mike Hamilton for joining us on the show today.
Listener Feedback
Instead of our usual listener feedback this week, we ran the responses to some questions that Mark was asking on Twitter and Facebook last week. If you’d like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
What’s your favorite table service restaurant in all of Walt Disney World?
5
Le Cellier
4
Artist Point
3
California Grill
Spoodles
2
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Victoria & Albert’s
Turf Club
Citricos
Boma
1
Coral Reef
Liberty Tree Tavern
‘Ohana
Yak & Yeti
Nine Dragons
Rose & Crown
Kona Cafe
Hollywood Brown Derby
Mike’s pick is Jiko, while Mark’s pick is Flying Fish Cafe.
If you could design a character meet-and-greet, who would it be, where would it be and what would it look like?
- I would want something with villian for the boys! There is so much for the girls at WDW.
- A Wall-E meet and greet in Tomorrowland, in front of a Buy-N-Large store facade. A merchandise cart selling BuyNLarge logo products would be there, of course.
- Toontown would be perfect for a silly symphonies meet: clarabelle cow, 3 little pigs, big bad wolf, horrace horsecollar, etc.
- Multiple characters in multiple rooms, so extras of popular characters could be added when lines are
- Dreamfinder at Journey To Imaginatiion and it would like like a New Year’s celebration, lots of balloons and confetti.
Mark doesn’t have any ideas, but Mike thought maybe a character breakfast at Boma or Tusker House where you could meet Simba and Nala, probably done similarly to the way that Ariel’s Grotto is done, where you would walk up to Simba or Nala in a cave, or like a live Turtle Talk with Crush.
Do you drive to WDW from the airport or take Disney’s Magical Express, and why?
- DME. easy and simple, plus you gotta love the video they play on the way there and back!
- DME – free and I don’t need to drive
- Magical Express…the trip into the bubble then officially starts when I get to the departing airport.
- Magical Express, do to the fact I don’ want or need a rental car or its expense when staying on property.
- have never driven. DME or shuttle only
- We’ve used DME every visit since it has been available. Particularly like not having to deal with luggage at the airport. We have the advantage of local relatives to provide off-property transportation, if needed.
- For now it is DME but I am debating on getting a rental for future trips. It depends on my budget for the trip.
- Last time we rented a car since we were staying offsite – this time we’re trying DME for the first time since we will only be doing WDW.
- Done both depending on circumstances. Almost always want a car at WDW. DME last two times.
- I prefer to rent a car to speed up travel to the parks. Plus, the buses are packed! I don’t have any issues with DME – great service
- I use DME because it’s quick, easy and (I believe) faster. On the other hand, we rely on others (you!) to pick up the van so we can go grocery shopping. But DME has always worked well for me. (Mark’s note: Thanks, John. We’ll keep picking up the car.)
- I Rent a car because I like having a car to drive to the parks and to go offsite if I want.
- Drive. Allows us to keep our own schedule when on-site. Not waiting for a bus or being reclassified as a sardine is also a plus. Also the ability to go park-park or resort-resort or DTD-park is good. It’s about freedom.
- Based on the recommendations of my very dear friends and colleagues, we will rent a car. No hassles with buses and we’re planning to also visit the Cape. I want to go to the grocery store, too.
- Personally, I like the “send the luggage with DME and rent a car” option. You do have to split up or rent the car on property, but that way you can do with a smaller car.
Mike prefers Disney’s Magical Express (though he likes having a car when he’s there) while Mark prefers having a car, just because his itinerary usually requires non-standard trips as well as trips off-property.
If the Disney Magic goes West when the first new ship arrives in 2011, where should the Wonder go in 2012?
- Why would the Wonder go anywhere? I thought the whole point was that they wanted three ships in the Caribbean? If it goes anywhere permanently, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it based in Europe. For a season, Australia?
- Europe?
- Greece!
- Greece! Opa!
- Asia!
- Far East to do a tie in with the Parks in Asia.
- Asia….haha. That would be a nice really long cruise
- I’d like to see one on long-voyage e.g. transatlantic / pacific / asia etc.
- Small world attraction? Would eliminate the lines….
- I’d like to see them start doing cruises to Kansas.
- I’ve always dreamed of a Himalayan cruise. They should go there. But maybe it would be best to use the Magic for that.
Mike though that he’d like to see an Alaskan cruise (until Mark reminded him that Disney pulled their applications so it’s not a viable option), then opted for a cruise to nowhere. Mark thought that it would be neat to either see a ship based in Europe or a ship based in Florida that went down and around South America (with Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros tie-ins).
If you only had time left to do one attraction (any park) before leaving for home, which would it be?
2
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Rock N Roller Coaster for me!!!! – Rock N Roller Coaster – front seat!! –
Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania
1
Soarin’
Buzz Lightyear
“it’s a small world”
Illuminations
Expedition Everest
Pirates of the Caribbean
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mike’s choice would be the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, while Mark’s would be Soarin’ followed by Toy Story Mania.
Again, if you’d like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
March of Dimes
Mark was recently named the top walker for the March of Dimes Northeastern New York region for 2008, and second overall in Upstate New York (above the counties of Westchester and Rockland). MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners helped Mark to raise over $5,000 for the worthy charity. We’re looking to beat that this year and raise $6,000! Just go to Mark’s fundraising page and help to provide a better chance to prevent prematurity and to help those babies that are born prematurely.
Facebook and Twitter
We’re now on Facebook! Join our groups:
You can also become a fan:
You can even follow us on Twitter! Twitter links:
MouseAdventure at Walt Disney World, November 14
Don’t forget to sign up for the MouseAdventure Newsletter, which will keep you informed as the MouseAdventure on the High Seas cruise and other details are announced!
Wrapping up
We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.
Don’t forget to visit us in the iTunes podcast directory and give us a good rating!
You can get your MousePlanet (or MouseStation) swag from the MousePlanet CafePress store and the MouseStation CafePress store.
Also remember to go out to our main podcast page and stick a pin into our Frappr map.
Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
