Walt Disney World News: Carousel of Progress Changes, Bluey Updates, EPCOT Mexico Pavilion & More

This week on the Main Street Talk Podcast, we dive into the Disney announcement that has fans passionately debating the future of Carousel of Progress. We discuss the major overhaul coming to the classic attraction, including new scenes, updated timelines, and the addition of a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic.

We also cover patriotic decorations at Magic Kingdom, the return of the Big Thunder Mountain possums, a new Soarin’ Across America milkshake at EPCOT, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring The Muppets, Bluey’s Wild World updates, Art of Animation’s upcoming refurbishment, Disney+ perks, Disney Springs changes, and much more Walt Disney World news.

In This Week in Disney History, we revisit milestones from Disneyland, Typhoon Lagoon, Toy Story Mania, Galaxy’s Edge, and more.

Our Spotlight on Attraction begins our EPCOT World Showcase series with Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros and an in-depth look at the Mexico Pavilion.

Plus, Joni reviews Disney’s 1956 western Westward Ho the Wagons, and we share a simple resort campfire tip that can save you money on your next vacation.

Nick's June travel deal is still available! Book a qualifying Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line vacation by June 30 and receive a $50 Disney digital gift card before you travel.

Get a FREE Vacation Quote here!

Visit our Website! www.mainstreettalkpod.com

Follow us on Facebook

Join our Facebook Group

Follow our YouTube Page

Follow our Instagram Page

Follow us on TikTok 

Follow My Travel Instagram Page

Follow our YouTube Page

Follow us on Substack Here

Contact The Show here

Click here and use code MAINSTREETTALK at checkout to get 15% off your entire order from The Magic Candle Company!

Transcript

Nick 0:07

Hello, everybody. Welcome to this week's episode of the Main Street Talk podcast, your go-to podcast for all things Walt Disney World related, all the news, updates, and tips and tricks. I am your host Nick, and as always, with me is Joni

Joni 0:21

Hello everyone How goes it?

Nick 0:23

Today is May 31st. So happy June.

Joni 0:25

Yeah.

Nick 0:26

the time this airs, it'll be June 1st. Summer is flying by. Did have a bit of news that kinda set the internet on fire a little bit. The Disney internet anyways, but we'll get into that. Well, it's coming later. Okay. But before we get into the show, I wanna remind everybody of my amazing travel deal I have going on this month all the way, through June 30th. You get a $50 gift card if you meet certain criteria when you book with me. That would be Walt Disney World or Disneyland packages, a five-night stay, must include tickets, and Disney Cruise Line sailings four nights or longer. So you book those with me, and you will get a $50 gift card- Okay sent to you the week before you travel. You've had some takers. An

Joni 1:07

already had some takers?

Nick 1:08

I have had, yes, I've had quite a few inquiries actually. So get on me if that's something you wanna do. Have some Mickey bars on me. Okay. Or a couple quick service meals or some Dole Whips. That's right. How- however you wanna do it. All right, we ready to get into the show?

Joni 1:21

Sure.

Nick 1:22

Here it is. This is what Disney announced that kind of set the internet on fire. Disney has announced that major changes- will be made to the classic Walt Disney Carousel of Progress attraction at Magic Kingdom, including creating several new scenes as part of the drastic timeline shift. The final day of operation for this version of Carousel of Progress will be July 5th, 2026. The attraction will be closed beginning July 6th, 2026, and then Disney expects the overhaul to be completed in 2027. Now, we knew this. We knew

Joni 1:53

we have a month? No.

Nick 1:55

We knew that this was coming. We knew that they were adding a Walt Disney animatronic in there. They are going much further

Joni 2:01

That's a minimum six months closure.

Nick 2:02

The minimum, yeah

Joni 2:03

Six to 12

Nick 2:04

12 It's a major overhaul

Joni 2:05

18

Nick 2:06

18 In addition to adding the Walt Disney to the attraction, Imagineers will also be updating all the scenes to new time periods.

Joni 2:14

Mm.

Nick 2:15

Act One will be the 1960s, Act Two the 1980s, Act Three the new millennium, and Act Four, the possible future.

Joni 2:24

Hmm.

Nick 2:25

This hit a nerve with quite a few people. I know. I mean, this is-

Joni 2:29

are you gonna take that out? This is- Why are you gonna take out the-

Nick 2:30

the- It's gonna be the same family-

Joni 2:32

Mm, I know. It's gonna be the same- But the Mistout- No, it's not gonna be the same scenes.

Nick 2:36

No, it, it's gonna be the family that's, like, in the scenes. Oh. It's gonna be the exact

Joni 2:40

scene. Well, I'm with all the naysayers on that. See, I'm with the- Just add, don't take away. I'm

Nick 2:45

with the, I'm, I'm ready.

Joni 2:46

Oh, no. It's not. See.

Nick 2:49

yeah. There's,

Joni 2:50

I was born at the wrong time.

Nick 2:51

a lot of emotions in this- Mm-hmm but it is outdated, very outdated.

Joni 2:56

know, but

Nick 2:57

I know it And it, it had to be done at some point. People are upset

Joni 3:02

Without history, we wouldn't have a future

Nick 3:03

I understand. You know me, I love history. I love history, but Tomorrowland's all about the future and car- and the prog- the word progress is in the name of the attraction, so.

Joni 3:13

You're still not gonna win

Nick 3:14

this one. I'm, I'm in the, judging by the, the internet reaction, I am definitely in the minority.

Joni 3:19

Yeah. Yeah

Nick 3:21

okay, moving on from Carousel of Progress. Patriotic decorations have arrived at Magic Kingdom for the summer holidays. They have decorated it for the 250th anniversary and July 4th and, and Disney has promised that the possums are returning to Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom. They used to dangle from a tree about halfway through the ride, but were removed during the ride's extensive refurbishment, but they have promised they are coming back. Joan Cusack, you know Joan Cusack?

Joni 3:48

the little things that people miss,

Nick 3:50

It's the possums hanging

Joni 3:51

the

Nick 3:52

the- It's stuff like that. It's the a- being able to add a gift card to your My Disney Experience app that, that's missing.

Joni 3:59

hand to hand. Yeah. Okay. Anyway, I apologize. What was your

Nick 4:02

topic? Joan Cusack, the actor she's the voice of Jessie in Toy Story 5. She recently visited Magic Kingdom and went to the new show at Diamond Horseshoe called Jessie's Roundup. So she was photographed in there enjoying her time. Okay. That's it for Magic Kingdom.

Joni 4:17

All right.

Nick 4:18

All right. At Epcot, now that Soarin' Around the World has temporarily rebranded as Soarin' Across America, there's a new specialty drink available at the Sunshine Seasons. This is S'morin' Across America.

Joni 4:30

Oh,

Nick 4:31

It's a s- it is, S'morin' Across America Milkshake is 9.99. S'mores milkshake, toasted marshmallows, chocolate bar, graham crackers, and a Soarin' hang glider on the top of

Joni 4:41

Oh, how neat is that?

Nick 4:42

Across America.

Joni 4:44

perfect. And, you know, it's campfire, summertime. It's perfect timing- Perfect for all of it

Nick 4:50

Hollywood Studios. Obviously, this goes without saying, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring The Muppets has finally opened. I looked at the wait times the first day of opening. The highest I saw was about two hours, so I don't know if it got more than that, but I checked several times and that was the highest I saw, but you never know. It was very highly anticipated. And new pressed pennies themed to the recently opened Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with The Muppets are now available at Hollywood Studios. And Disney has filed a new permit that affects the Alien Swirling Saucer attraction in Toy Story Land. The permit is for Icarus Exhibits Inc. to install set elements. Disney has not announced any updates or closures, so this is likely just to refresh some of the ride's elements, so it is possible that the ride will remain open during this time. And a massive steel frame has risen for the Monsters Inc. Roller Coaster. I saw overheads of this. It's huge, and the frame is just going up. It's going up quick. So that's pretty exciting. And over at Animal Kingdom, Bluey opened on Monday. I saw some videos. It looks like a really good time for the kids. A lot of fun activities they have going on in there. So everybody thought this was gonna be a virtual queue for a while, but just a few days after it opened, the virtual queue system in place for its debut is ending. It will be replaced by a standby queue. Bluey, that starts June 2nd, if I'm not... I didn't have that in my notes. I'm pretty sure I read it was June 2nd it'll be starting for a standby. In Jumping Junction, the Australian animal exhibit at Bluey's Wild World Is delayed until further notice due to the animals still acclimating to their new environment. You can still view the animals from behind a fence, so you just can't go through the walking paths right now. Yeah. But you Can st- Can we,

Joni 6:29

can we talk about this a little bit

Nick 6:31

bit? Sure. What, what do you

Joni 6:32

Sure. I want so bad to go in there. Okay, so you li- literally get to walk on the paths and see these kangaroo and wallaby, and they can cross paths right in front of you, right behind you- Yes come right up to you.

Nick 6:46

can be pretty close to them, from what I understand

Joni 6:48

close to you. And yes. And when... They can, like, literally cross your path. Like, they can come up directly toward you. Don't fear though, because it is said that the male are the species that do the boxing.

Nick 7:02

The aggression, the aggressive ones, yeah

Joni 7:04

The aggressive, the aggressive ones. So these are all mamas, and then there are some that have little joeys. Yep. So I am super beyond excited to go to this. Absolutely super beyond.

Nick 7:16

we saw some videos of some vloggers and like I said, the fences were up, but you could see 'em beyond the

Joni 7:20

Yeah。

Nick 7:21

Yeah. So, and you can see where the sidewalks are, you're gonna be well able to walk on, so. Yay. And Imagineering files a third permit in a month for the Indiana Jones ride sets. I also saw an overhead of this. They have the steel up around where Indiana Jones is gonna be, where Dinosaur was, and the, the frame definitely, is a pyramid. A Mexican style pyramid. Oh, nice. So pretty cool

Joni 7:43

Okay.

Nick 7:44

That's it for parks. Onto resorts. Starting summer 2027, the family suites and guest rooms at Disney Art of Animation will be getting an extensive refurbishment. However, the resort will remain open and available during the refurbishment. The Little Mermaid guest rooms, while maintaining their animation quality, will also receive pull-down Murphy beds that give the room both a second bed or table, depending on, you know, what you need, 'cause they fold down into the, into the table. So this is the first major refurbishment for An- Art of Animation.

Joni 8:15

Now refresh me. In Art of Animation, which ones are the most highly sought after? Which theme land or area?

Nick 8:22

People like the Cars area because of the Cars, you know, the, the theming of that whole area

Joni 8:28

It looks really good. The landscaping looks really good

Nick 8:30

I th- I would say from what I, I've always heard is Cars and Nemo are the two ones that people like to get

Joni 8:35

Okay. 'Cause Lion King set off and then Little Mermaid is even set off further

Nick 8:39

Little Mermaid's way in the back. And Little Mermaid is only studios. The rest of it is all suites. Okay

Joni 8:45

So does it... I'm sorry, did it re- did you say which ones they're starting their refurbs?

Nick 8:50

It, it, it said all of them. The whole resort. But it did specifically mention the Little Mermaid rooms are getting the Murphy

Joni 8:55

Okay, so perhaps starting there first. Just keep it in mind if that's your

Nick 8:59

Yep. We'll have more information

Joni 9:00

spot of choice.

Nick 9:01

once it gets closer, I'm sure they'll start releasing a lot more information. And Disney Vacation Club has quietly updated the booking options for the three-bedroom grand villas at Disney's Boardwalk Villas, giving members the ability to choose between two different layouts beginning January 5th. Previously, all grand villas at the resort were listed under one general three-bedroom grand villa category, but now you can choose between a a two story or a regular villa And Donald's D- Donald's-

Joni 9:30

mortgage on your home.

Nick 9:31

Donald's double feature gift shop is now under refurbishment at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort. This was pretty exciting if you're one to stay off-site. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort has officially been named a Walt Disney Gateway Hotel. The designation allows guests to book the hotel, located just minutes from Walt Disney World, as a part of a Walt Disney World vacation package. if you're a Disney+ subscriber, listen up to this. You can now enter through Disney+ perks to win a family trip for four to Walt Disney World, including flights, park tickets, transportation, lodging, a VIP tour, and $1,000 in spending money. Ooh. The winner will receive a five-night vacation to Disney World for up to four people.

Joni 10:13

Wow

Nick 10:14

Yeah, that's on Disney+ perks. Wow. And Hoppers will be available to stream on Disney+ starting June 3rd. And The Mandalorian Grogu becomes the lowest Star Wars box office opening. The domestic box office opening of the movie brought in 102 million, while the international box office saw 63 million. The 102 million four-day domestic opening fell slightly behind 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, which previously held the record as the lowest Star Wars. And the first-

Joni 10:43

They can't complain. They got so

Nick 10:45

much money. No, Star- Star Wars is- Star Wars made- is gonna be just

Joni 10:47

multi-billion dollar industry. Yeah, no hurt feelings there

Nick 10:51

The first new Disney pop-up store opened to massive crowds and long lines in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I saw videos or photos of this and it was, it looked like a light- He's like, "You had to get a Lightning Lane to get into

Joni 11:03

Oh, wow

Nick 11:05

So, and the Disney Springs food trucks will close permanently next month. There was no reason why, but these food trucks are on the west end of Disney Springs. They are closing. And AccuWeather adds a Disney feature to the weather app for Disney Parks and Resorts. So I downloaded the app and, 'cause this is an app I usually don't use, but I downloaded it to see if I could find it. The only thing I could find was in the search area, like your search your location. Yeah. You can type in Walt Disney World. Okay. And that comes up.

Joni 11:33

that's the app I use

Nick 11:35

Oh, AccuWeather is? Yeah. Yeah, you can type, now type in Walt Disney World. Oh, okay. So at the top of it to get the-

Joni 11:40

All right

Nick 11:41

for there. That's all I have for news this

Joni 11:43

okay. No cruise news?

Nick 11:45

No cruise news? No cruise news. Okay.

Joni 11:46

So

Nick 11:47

So that is it.

Joni 11:48

all right

Nick 11:49

All right. All right, let's go on

Joni 11:50

quite a bit

Nick 11:51

Spotlight on Attraction.

Joni 11:52

righty. 1956, Westward Ho the Wagons. Another little theme-y song there that they sing with this. It's got the same tune as Davy Crockett, but different wording

Nick 12:03

but- It's Fess Parker. Yeah. It's-

Joni 12:04

And again, we have Mr. Fess Parker starring in here. So-

Nick 12:08

He must've been a fan favorite back then

Joni 12:10

Well, I got a little bit of bonus information on, on his whole career here in just a moment. So this was released December 20th, 1956 in the US. Runtime is 90 minutes. The budget was roughly estimated at 2 million. Box office pulled in 2.75 million, so not... It's above their budget, but not much as what they were hoping. Creators were director William Bodine or Bodine, whichever way. I'm not sure how to pronounce that. With the screenplay being by Tom Blackburn and production by Bill Walsh, cinematography by Charles P. Boyle, editing by Cotton Wartenberg, Warburton rather, and music by George Bruns. This is based on the 1934 novel titled Children of the Covered Wagon by Mary Jane Carr, which was actually Carr's first book. She had done, like, plays and different things like that.

Nick 13:05

a bad deal. You write a book and your first book gets turned into a movie.

Joni 13:08

Yeah, when she was contracted with Disney, as I was reading a little bit about her story. Okay. So this takes, this story takes place, like the original, it takes place across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains along the Oregon Trail, traveling from the Missouri River across the plains. And in doing so, we're passing key landmarks like Chimney Rock in Nebraska and Fort Laramie, which is a historic outpost in eastern Wyoming, with the final destination being the rich farmland of the Pacific Northwest, which is known as Oregon Territory.

Nick 13:40

Mm-hmm.

Joni 13:41

However, the Disney filming was done entirely on location at the Conejo Ranch, C-O-N-E-J-O, in Thousand Oaks, California

Nick 13:55

The entire film was

Joni 13:56

entire film was filmed- The entire film was formed, filmed in California, yes.

Nick 14:00

I, it was yeah, it looked, it looked like they were

Joni 14:02

recently Very, yeah. Exactly. Sure did. So this is a live-action Disney Western that follows a caravan of pioneers traveling the dangerous Oregon trail A live-action Disney Western that follows a caravan- Of pioneers traveling the dangerous Oregon Trail during the 1844 gold rush era, led by the heroic wagon master, James Stephen, and a young doctor named Doc Grayson, who is played by Fess Parker. The pioneers face harsh terrain, internal conflicts, and the constant threat of Native American attacks. The tense journey reaches a turning point when the wagon train arrives at the Fort Laramie. When the young son of the local Sioux chief is critically injured, Doc Grayson used his medical skills to save the boy. This act of kindness diffuses the hostility, secures peaceful truce, and allows the pioneers to safely complete their journey to the Pacific Northwest. That's just a brief rundown of the synopsis of there. There are no follow-up movies or prequels, as this is a standalone film. And while it did not achieve critical accolades, its legacy is tied to the honors given to its crew and cast. Lead actor, Fess Parker, who played Doc Grayson, was named a Disney Legend in 1991 for his major roles in Disney Westerns. Additionally, the film sets decorated, Emile Kuri was an Academy Award winner for other Disney films like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. So, little bit of bonus info. The movie is primarily remembered today as a nostalgic, mid-cen-century Disney Western, and for featuring several original Mouseketeers from the Mickey Mouse Club, including Tommy Cole, Cubby O'Brien, and Karen Pendleton. This trio had a very grueling schedule, though, since they had to film the movie on location at the Californian ranch during the day and rehearse their television shows routines daily between takes. So they had quite a schedule, these little, these little

Nick 16:13

kids

Joni 16:14

Fess Parker was intentionally cast in this film to capitalize on the massive Crockett craze gripping the

Nick 16:20

mission.

Joni 16:21

But Parker grew so tired of playing the frontier characters in coonskin caps that he actively fought Disney for more diverse roles. Guess what? Disney refused- Yeah leading Parker to eventually leave the studio to find different work. Disney purchased, this is another side bit of information. Disney purchased and restored genuine 19th century wagons for the film to ensure historical accuracy on camera. And because the movie was filmed in California instead of Nebraska, the production crew built a massive forced perspective miniature replica of Chimney Rock in the background of the set.

Nick 17:03

Huh.

Joni 17:04

So, after its 1956 theatrical run, Disney re-edited the film into a two-part episode for the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color television series in the 1960s, introducing it to a whole new generation of kids. So I did not look to see who these three children were specifically 'cause there's a number of kids and there's- Yeah there's like five main ones. Yeah. Yeah. But I can only assume that the Karen Pendleton is the little blonde girl. Yeah. But the other two boys, I'm not, I didn't dive deeper to see which ones those were. But anyway, yeah. So there you go. Yeah. I think they had the hardest jobs of any of them.

Nick 17:45

The kids? The

Joni 17:46

kids. Yeah. If they had to do the film during the day, and then in between takes they had to tape for their Mouseketeer- Yeah se- shows on a daily basis.

Nick 17:55

that's a long day for a kid. I mean, that's crazy. Okay.

Joni 17:58

it was.

Nick 17:59

Anyways. Well, thanks, Joni.

Joni 17:59

Yeah, you bet.

Nick 18:00

Sure, you bet. On to this week in Disney history, you know, June 3rd, 1949. We start in the golden age of theatrical shorts, the classic Donald Duck cartoon Winter Storage premieres, featuring Chip 'n' Dale desperately trying to steal Donald's planted acorns. May 31st, 1956, Disneyland welcomed its very first international head of state. Indonesian President Sukarno arrives at the park and is personally hosted by Walt Disney, even sharing a famous ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. June 3rd, 1960, a bittersweet day for the foodies. The beloved Puffin Bakery closes its doors on Disneyland's Main Street USA, making way for what would become the iconic Sunkist Citrus House. On June 1st, 1989, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park officially opens at Disney World. Centered around the shipwrecked Miss Tilly, it introduced guests to a massive two-point-five-acre wave pool, completely rewriting the playbook for themed water parks. June 3rd, 1989, the critically acclaimed coming-of-age film Looking for Miracles premieres as the Disney Channel premiere film May 31st, 2008, a massive day for Pixar. Toy Story Mania opens at Disney Hollywood Studio to celebrate a real 12-inch Buzz Lightyear action figure literally blast off into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery June 3rd, 2011, a massive triple expansion day in California. Star Tours: The Adventures Continues opens at Disneyland, while over at Disney California Adventure, both The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure and Goofy's Sky School officially debut. May 31st, 2012, Magic Kingdom closes the classic Snow White Scary Adventure forever. On the exact same day, Disney's Art of Animation opens its very first phase, the Finding Nemo Family Suites. So there you go.

Joni 19:47

Hmm.

Nick 19:47

Art of Animation.

Joni 19:48

Yeah.

Nick 19:49

Yeah. May 1st... Or I'm sorry, May 31st, 2019, the biggest West Coast expansion in decades occurs as Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland Park, allowing guests to step onto the planet of Batuu and pilot the Millennium Falcon. And that's what I have for this week in Disney

Joni 20:07

Wow. Good

Nick 20:08

All right, let's go on to Spotlight on Attraction

Joni 20:11

Okay, well, I goofed. I gave you the movie, so now we will do Spotlight on Attraction.

Nick 20:18

And I didn't catch it either because I was doing the This Week in Disney History, and I just, I was listening. Well- Yeah,

Joni 20:23

...I had, I had my second tab pulled up, and I

Nick 20:26

just

Joni 20:26

like, like clockwork, just went right into yapping away on it, and didn't realize until I just totally finished that I errored. So I, I apologize. Anyway, this is the real Spotlight on Attraction. The other one was the movie of the

Nick 20:41

Movie of the week.

Joni 20:43

So any case, we are in Mexico today. We are gonna start the World Showcase, and we're gonna start Mexico, and we're gonna move from left to right. So we are gonna speak specifically about the Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros

Nick 20:59

That is one of my favorite underrated hidden gem Disney World

Joni 21:03

And we found it by accident. Do you remember how we found it by

Nick 21:06

We stumbled in 'cause it was raining.

Joni 21:07

something, it was raining. It was

Nick 21:08

Pouring. It was pouring rain,

Joni 21:09

Pouring rain Pouring, pouring. And they were like, "Oh, there's a ride in here. Let's just hang

Nick 21:12

do it, and then we, we loved it. Yeah. We fell in love with it. Yeah. Now it's a must-do. Must do every trip.

Joni 21:17

That was our first trip, so we had no ideas. I mean, there, there were some I mean, we did a lot of research, but- Yeah, right we didn't research everything. I think you have to be there, like, I don't know, 20, 30 times before you So in any case, the Disney description is take in the sights of Mexico and the antics of the Three Feathered Amigos on this gentle, slow, and dark boat ride through the Mexico Pavilion. Height requirement is any. Children less than seven years of age must be accompanied by someone 14 years or older. Capacity is 1,656 riders per hour. So there are four to five rows of hard-backed bench seating with no individual seatbelt or lap bars And only a loose side door or a chain per row. The rows are arranged in a straight linear sequence facing forward. Each row accommodates three to four passengers. So when you have add all that mumbo jumbo up that I just said, we get about 15 to 20 guests per vehicle. Okay. And it is a tier two Lightning Lane suitable for all ages with no height restrictions, as I said, no drops and no scary moments. Electric scooters must transfer to a wheelchair, and then the wheelchair can directly access specific boats. You have to let your cast member know that you need a wheelchair accessible one, or if they don't notice it. Yeah. That features a ramp to roll a wheelchair directly on board. The audio description available, handheld captioning available. The boat does sit low, however, to the dock, requiring a step down to board.

Nick 22:52

Okay.

Joni 22:52

It was much lower than what I thought it was gonna be when I first rode this, and I had the brace because I have a bad knee, and it was like, woo. The bounce. Yeah, it was a little bit deep, so just be mindful of that. There is no action photo but you are welcome to take your own photos or videos while sitting in the boat, but no flash photography or external video lighting is permitted as it disrupts the dark ride atmosphere and screens for other guests. So just be, be respectful. The ride is approximately seven minutes. It opened in Walt Disney World April 6th, 2007, and it's based on the 1944 Disney film, The Three Caballeros. The ride is housed within the pyramid-shaped Mexico Pavilion and was the first world showcase attraction to feature Disney characters based on an existing property. This attraction replaced El Rio del Temp-Tempio and was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. This ride combines hand-drawn animators, live action footage, and animatronics. The queue often has a short wait time, making it a good spot to cool off because the entire- Yep area is air-conditioned,

Nick 24:10

So. It's, it's big in that

Joni 24:11

Crazy. Yeah. So that's what I have on that. I have a little bit more to cover on Mexico. Like I said, I think these next few weeks covering this showcase are gonna be quite extensive on my side, 'cause I'm gonna get all of Mexico, and then next week we'll

Nick 24:24

yeah

Joni 24:25

Yeah All of Norway and continue moving. So nextly, we are going to talk about the music of Mexico, which is live music, and it is also located around the Mexican Pavilion, the Mexico Pavilion. And the sets are about 20 to 25 minutes, and they're scattered throughout the afternoon, typically starting at 11:15 and running until about 4:30, but always, always, always check your app it is celebrated across the Mexico Pavilion through world-class live entertainment acts. The performances focus heavily on the rich traditions of regional folk music, particularly from Jalisco. Enjoy a world-famous 12-piece traditional mariachi band that has been performing since opening day in 1982, or you can enjoy the Mexican trio that frequently steps in to perform. That's a lot of commitment

Nick 25:21

Sure to

Joni 25:22

be every day for since 1982. Ooh. During specific times of the year, the story of Coco is also performed, and you get that performance by the 12-piece, and they have, like, color schemes

Nick 25:35

and- Okay

Joni 25:36

things like that in there, so it's super, super cool. Another area in the Mexico Pavilion, is the Mexico Folk Art Gallery, and that one there is this fully air-conditioned gallery currently hosts the exhibit Remember Me by Coco. It explores the history and culture impact of the Day of the Dead, blending historical pieces with artwork tied to Disney Pixar's film Coco. Some key displays include the bride couple, which is an iconic, intricately detailed skeleton sculpture representing love that outlasts death. You have traditional crafts, which are vibrant displays of hand-cut paper and skull replicas made of sugar, which I did not know that. And then you have pre-Hispanic artifacts, which are historical objects detailing the ancient indigenous roots of the holiday. And then Oaxacan wood carvings, which is distinct hand-painted animals. It was pretty busy when we were in there because everybody was trying to evade the rain

Nick 26:43

It, it, it us- it's usually pretty busy in there anyways, but it was double busy.

Joni 26:47

I know they did have at one time a little machine, like a little, where you could decorate your own character with hair and a mustache and a hat and different things like that. So we kinda just hung out over in the corner out of everyone's way that was coming in for other things because like I s- the rides in there, so it got pretty congested in there. There's a dining in there, which we're gonna talk about here. But so this is Choriza de Margarita, I believe is how it's pronounced, and that is one of the walk-up bars that has a snack menu. You also have La Cantina de San Angel is an outdoor quick service. You have La Hacienda de San Angel, which is a table service. The RSVP is highly recommended but not required. And then you have La Cava del Tequila, which is a bar that's inside the pyramid they have drinks and light snacks. And then you have the restaurant inside, which is actually kinda cool because the boat ride goes through the

Nick 27:51

restaurant. Mm-hmm. Yep.

Joni 27:53

And that one is table service inside the pyramid. RSVP, again, is highly recommended but not required. So within the Mexico Pavilion, you've got, let's see, one, two, three, four, five dining options. And two of them look like table service. So no shortage of drinks or food. No,

Nick 28:12

No, you're not gonna go hungry in the

Joni 28:13

Yeah, not at all. Couple last tidbits here. You get to meet Donald Duck just after the pyramid on the same side as the pyramid.

Nick 28:21

Yep, just a little further down.

Joni 28:23

Yep, so check your app for times on that. And then this one, this meet and greet is not s- specifically within Mexico Pavilion, but she's right before you enter this World Showcase. It's Asha from Wish, so you can meet her right outside, more specifically toward the Mexico entry point.

Nick 28:42

Mexico entry point. Right, yeah.

Joni 28:42

Yeah. So there, you can meet Asha and then just go in a little bit deeper and you'll have Donald

Nick 28:47

Duck. Donald Duck?

Joni 28:48

Donald Duck. Yep. So that right there was a mouthful, but it does take care and wrap up the Mexico Pavilion.

Nick 28:54

Okay. All right. Well, thanks, Joni. Yeah. A lot of information. Thank you. A

Joni 28:57

Yeah, I need a drink of water.

Nick 28:58

Auntie this week, tip or trick. If you're staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, one of the perks of that is every night you get a Movie Under the Stars, which they show a Disney movie every night. You can, you know, lay down in a lounger, watch the movie, take some popcorn or whatever. Another thing all Disney r- resorts do at night is campfires and s'mores.

Joni 29:22

嗯 哼。 Per

Nick 29:26

purchase graham crackers and chocolate for an extra price. I think it's like six or $7 to make s'mores. Our tip or trick is take your own chocolate, take your own graham crackers. Yeah. It is absolutely allowable. Yep. Just take them down with you. We, we pack some in our, our we- we get it on our grocery delivery, and buy a Hershey, couple Hershey bars, box of graham crackers, and we make our own

Joni 29:45

That's right

Nick 29:46

That's right. The ones they sell, I believe they're Mickey shaped, if I remember right. Am I, am I thinking right? The marshmallows? The graham crackers. Maybe not. No. They weren't Mickey

Joni 29:54

I,

Nick 29:54

We only bought them once. It was a long

Joni 29:55

I don't know.

Nick 29:56

I don't, I don't- We've been taking our own.

Joni 29:57

Yeah. And you know what? Those are absolutely acceptable to be an adult and go down there and ask to buy some marshmallows. Sure. You don't have to have Littles with you. I do it all the time.

Nick 30:06

So yeah, take your own graham crackers and chocolate. Include it in your grocery order, save yourself six or seven dollars. And if, you know, if you're down there three nights a week, it's gonna save a lot more than six or seven dollars. All right. Well, that's gonna do it for this week's show. Our website is MainStreetTalkPod. The Facebook page is Main Street Talk. The Facebook group is Disney World Tips and Tricks. Our Instagram is Main Street Talk Podcast. We are on YouTube audio only, no video. And contact me for any travel, nick.garcia@genietravelco.com. And again, do it in the month of June to get a l- a little extra bonus for your trip. And we are affiliated to the Magic Candle Company, where you can bring all the theme park scents home to your house. The link is on our website, mainstreettalkpod.com, and use the code MAINSTREETTALK at checkout for 15% off.

Joni 30:52

Mm-hmm.

Nick 30:53

So we will be back next week with more tips and tricks, all the news in Norway. Yeah. We're gonna visit Anna and

Joni 30:59

We are going. We're heading right over there. It's gonna be a real quick trip.

Nick 31:02

Yep.

Joni 31:03

From Mexico.

Nick 31:04

So make sure you tune in for that. We will talk to you real soon.

Joni 31:07

Bye everyone