00:00:00:00 - 00:00:09:20 Chris We are back. Last year we brought the podcast to Walt Disney World and this year we are doing it again live and onsite at the most magical place on Earth. 00:00:09:22 - 00:00:19:07 Katie And we are not showing up empty handed. We are giving away a trip for four people that includes airfare, hotel, park tickets, a Disney gift card and more. 00:00:19:09 - 00:00:30:08 Chris Plus, we have two incredible guests joining us today, a Walt Disney World expert breaking down everything new this summer, and a planned Disney panelist with everything you need to know about how to plan the perfect trip. 00:00:30:10 - 00:00:41:17 Katie If you have been waiting for an excuse to finally book that Disney trip, this is it. 00:00:41:18 - 00:00:44:23 Chris Hey, I'm Chris. Welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast, and. 00:00:44:23 - 00:01:00:03 Katie I'm Katie, and today is all about Walt Disney World. Before we get to all of the fun though, don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you're watching or listening. And be sure to share this episode with a travel and Disney loving friend. 00:01:00:05 - 00:01:17:17 Chris All right, well, today we are recording live onsite at Walt Disney World for the second year in a row, and we brought something special. This episode covers everything new at the parks this summer and how to plan the perfect Disney trip. All the details on our biggest giveaway yet as well. 00:01:17:18 - 00:01:24:15 Katie Yes, and it's also the second time that we've ever recorded this in the same room together, so that's worth mentioning. 00:01:24:15 - 00:01:26:19 Chris It is real. 00:01:26:21 - 00:01:46:23 Katie And Chris is real. It's true. And to celebrate, we are giving away a trip for four people to Walt Disney World, and this grand prize includes airfare, hotel, park tickets, a Disney gift card, and more. Plus, we are going to select ten first prize winners, which will each receive a $50 Disney gift card. 00:01:47:00 - 00:02:10:09 Chris That's right. And the best part and no purchase necessary. Sweepstakes starts on May 4th, 2026 and ends on May 26th, 2026. You must be a US resident aged 18 years or older to enter. Total RV of all prizes is $8,417.76. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received. For official rules, go to the link in our show notes. 00:02:10:09 - 00:02:13:20 Chris Void where prohibited. Sponsored by Upgraded Points, LLC. 00:02:13:22 - 00:02:21:21 Katie Yeah, we were actually here at Walt Disney World right now working hard, but we've had a little bit of fun too. What did you get into yesterday, Chris? 00:02:21:23 - 00:02:43:15 Chris Yeah, well, the best part is when we checked in, we're staying at Disney Resorts. You actually have access to the water parks on your first day staying at Disney Resort. So we headed over to Blizzard Beach, which was so much fun. My kids were down the waterslide. We were doing the lazy river. It was just such a great way to to get, you know, settled at Disney after a long plane ride. 00:02:43:17 - 00:02:57:20 Chris So that was really relaxing. And then, the following day we went into Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom and those are just classic parks. We rode Tron at night and the The Tower of Terror earlier. It was just so good. What about you? 00:02:57:22 - 00:03:12:11 Katie Yeah, I was a Hollywood studios. Yesterday morning I did the Slinky Dog Bash. So am I, so Gus is so much fun. And then I headed over to Epcot, and I went to straight to France to get a crepe. Because I always have to have a crew. I don't. 00:03:12:11 - 00:03:13:20 Chris Have sea. 00:03:13:22 - 00:03:16:19 Katie And walked around. I really love that. I forget what it's called the. 00:03:16:19 - 00:03:18:05 Chris World, the World Showcase. 00:03:18:06 - 00:03:27:13 Katie Okay, yes. I really enjoy that at that. So at that ride and, the Ratatouille ride. Yes. I have to always regret it. 00:03:27:13 - 00:03:31:10 Chris So they just change. It's not 3D anymore. Did you win it? How did you. 00:03:31:12 - 00:03:37:04 Katie Oh you're right. Yeah, I think I was like, something was slightly different, but I didn't I didn't put it all together. 00:03:37:05 - 00:03:45:16 Chris Didn't negatively impact your experience. So really enjoyed. Excellent. Yeah I didn't like the 3D before because I just have one more thing to add. So I'm excited to try. I'm going to that. Yeah. 00:03:45:16 - 00:03:55:07 Katie So now I really enjoyed it. If, you know, I, I almost went again, but then I didn't. So. Okay. Yeah. So I really enjoyed that. And one of the things I really actually enjoyed is the Skyliner. 00:03:55:10 - 00:03:57:06 Chris Yes. So good. 00:03:57:08 - 00:04:17:01 Katie And so I'm not as experienced with you, at Disney World, this is only my second time staying at a Disney resort, and the first time I'm staying in a Disney resort that has a Skyler stop. And it just makes the day so much easier. You just walk, not even five minutes, hop on the Skyliner and you can get to Epcot. 00:04:17:01 - 00:04:34:12 Katie You can get to Hollywood Studios, you can get to some other resorts. And it's kind of like a ride in and of itself. Like it's really fun. Yeah. And it just makes all that transportation stress go away. Yeah. Because I think I told you the first time I came here, as an adult, we did not stay on property. 00:04:34:14 - 00:04:47:01 Katie We were on a budget trip, and we stayed at, you know, like a courtyard or something, which was fine, but you got to deal with public transportation in and all that, and it was just it takes away so much stress. I really appreciate that. And it's also just a lot of fun. 00:04:47:01 - 00:04:59:04 Chris Yeah. No it's fun. And yet the logistics at Disney is just next level. And they know what they're doing here. They know how to move some people around. But yeah, this is my first time staying at a resort with the Skyliner. And yeah, it's a it's a ride in itself. You're absolutely right. 00:04:59:04 - 00:05:23:18 Katie Yeah. For sure, for sure. So today we were talking all about spending summer 2026 at Walt Disney World at the parks. We have a couple of interviews that we are going to share to show you all about how to book a fantastic trip to Walt Disney World, and why you might want to, what's new for this year and what you need to look out for as a first timer, or as someone who has been to the parks many, many time. 00:05:23:18 - 00:05:36:00 Katie Yeah, so whether you have never been to Disney or you are a seasoned pro, we've got some great tips for you from some Disney experts and we will be right back with that after the break. 00:05:36:02 - 00:05:46:07 Chris Yeah. Hey, real quick, before we jump back in, if you're listening to this podcast, you're exactly the kind of person we build our free newsletter for. 00:05:46:09 - 00:05:56:10 Katie We break down the best credit card offers, transfer bonuses, award alerts, and travel news that actually matters. No fluff, no spam. Just the stuff we text a friend. If something big dropped. 00:05:56:12 - 00:06:01:09 Chris A lot of the deals we talk about on the show don't last long. The newsletter is where we fly those fast. 00:06:01:11 - 00:06:10:04 Katie It's totally free, and you can sign up at upgraded points.com/newsletter. 00:06:10:06 - 00:06:19:17 Chris You. Okay. Welcome back. We are here with Easton. She works in marketing here Walt Disney World. Thank you for being with us today. 00:06:19:17 - 00:06:20:01 Easton For having. 00:06:20:01 - 00:06:34:08 Chris Me. We want to talk about summer at Walt Disney World. And summer means extended hours across the parks, which is amazing. Tell our watchers and listeners and readers what does a well-planned Disney Day look like in the summer? 00:06:34:10 - 00:06:58:18 Easton Yeah, for sure. I think it really depends on what your group is doing. Like whether you're a young family or a group of friends. That's going me personally, I know we always like to hit like a variety of, like attractions and also shows and also a nighttime spectacular, which is a great thing about longer summer hours. It gives you more time to do all of those things, and it really gives you a great opportunity to see, like those nighttime experiences. 00:06:58:19 - 00:07:14:17 Easton They are open later. They got a lot of time when it's dark outside. So I know, like happily ever after, I Magic Kingdom, Disney Starlight, those are kind of classic night times. My personal favorite. I love luminous The Symphony of Us at Epcot. Oh yeah. It's a really, really great show for nighttime. 00:07:14:19 - 00:07:15:07 Chris Awesome. 00:07:15:11 - 00:07:28:22 Katie Okay, so you mentioned luminous and there are so many new and refreshed experiences this summer. What would be your top 1 or 2, maybe other than luminous of what someone should make sure they do not miss this summer? 00:07:28:22 - 00:07:50:09 Easton Yeah for sure. I personally am a huge Star Wars fan, so I am very, very excited for the new update with Mandalorian and Grogu on Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run. I think that will be a super, super great addition to the, ride. And for anyone who loves Star Wars and especially like I know so many people love Grogu, so it's going to be a great opportunity to see him. 00:07:50:11 - 00:08:02:05 Chris So yeah. We were at Hollywood Studios yesterday and I saw Grogu. It was incredible. So yeah, the Millennium Falcon smuggler's run. For those not familiar, there will be an overlay coming in May, is that correct? 00:08:02:07 - 00:08:03:01 Easton Okay. Any second. 00:08:03:06 - 00:08:11:00 Chris So for fans of the original, what can they expect? And I mean I'm nervous I'm excited. It's so good. 00:08:11:00 - 00:08:12:16 Katie Yeah. It's exciting. Yeah. 00:08:12:18 - 00:08:14:08 Chris But what can we expect. 00:08:14:08 - 00:08:37:03 Easton Yeah I would say so. The biggest difference coming from here, I mean, you're going to get to go to all different locations and you're going to see The Mandalorian, you're going to see Grogu. And a big change in this is that the engineering role on this ride is going to have a much different role in the experience. So the engineer is actually going to be able to communicate with Grogu and kind of help him lead us where we go on the attraction. 00:08:37:03 - 00:08:38:17 Easton So it'll be very exciting. 00:08:38:17 - 00:08:45:13 Chris That's great news, because there's always that little kind of fight within the family. And who's going to be the pilot is the gunner and then. 00:08:45:15 - 00:08:47:06 Easton Everyone in this will have a really great. 00:08:47:06 - 00:08:50:08 Chris Time. Excellent news. 00:08:50:10 - 00:09:09:12 Chris All right. Well, I'll keep things going. Two more of my favorite rides Tron Light Cycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. These are awesome rides. Different parks. They're totally different. How would you describe them to someone trying to choose between, you know, where are they going to spend? You choose their last ride of the day, right? 00:09:09:12 - 00:09:33:21 Easton I mean, they're both really, really great. It's like, especially if you love thrill rides, they're both should be on the must see question. It's a hard question, but Tron, I would describe it as like you're on your on your late cycle, and it is very much like you are actually on the light cycle. You're in that position of riding the light cycle, you're shooting off, and you are really like living kind of the story of Tron. 00:09:33:23 - 00:09:48:04 Easton I love Guardians of the Galaxy, so I that's always on my must do list whenever I visit the park. So I love, you know, finding out what song you're going to get. And just if you love thrill rides like it's such a unique experience for thrill ride. So it's really great. 00:09:48:07 - 00:09:48:23 Chris Awesome. 00:09:49:01 - 00:09:59:16 Katie Okay, let's move over to water parks, because that's one of the best reasons to come to Disney during the summer, and resort guests even get on their check in day. Every day at the water park is actually. 00:09:59:18 - 00:10:06:06 Easton This summer resort. Guests, on the data they check in will have an opportunity to visit the water parks for free. 00:10:06:07 - 00:10:16:23 Katie Awesome. And both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are open this summer summer, which is a big deal. So how do they differ and how does someone choose between those two? Which one should they go? 00:10:17:00 - 00:10:35:22 Easton Yeah, they're so different. So honestly, if you have time, they're both really great to do. The theming is really what kind of separates them. So Typhoon Lagoon, it has much more of that tropical island feel. Whereas Blizzard Beach is very unique from other water parks. It has the theme of like a ski resort that has kind of melted. 00:10:36:00 - 00:10:42:06 Easton And so you are swimming in like the melted ski resort. So it's super, super different. The theming is really great. 00:10:42:07 - 00:10:42:20 Katie Yeah. Yeah. 00:10:42:23 - 00:10:56:13 Chris Okay. All right. So in the summer there's Disney after hours. There's also the actual glow after hours. So these are all, extra paid extra events right. Yes. So now what can guests expect and how can how can they make sure that their money is well spent. 00:10:56:13 - 00:11:14:19 Easton Right. For sure. I love Disney show Glow After Hours. I think it's just such a unique experience for someone who's ever been to a water park and been like, I wish I could be here at night because water parks typically kind of closed around sundown. Yeah. So that's an experience that is a little bit more unique. So it's super fun. 00:11:14:21 - 00:11:22:01 Easton You get some ice cream, some popcorn, handouts, there's some character meet and greets that are unique to the stage after included. 00:11:22:01 - 00:11:22:17 Chris With the ticket. 00:11:22:17 - 00:11:30:02 Easton Yes. Included with the ticket. And then there's some nice, like dance parties. It's just a super, super fun vibe, both for families and for groups of friends. 00:11:30:02 - 00:11:30:22 Chris All right. Cool. 00:11:31:00 - 00:11:50:06 Katie Awesome. So let's let's go back to someone who maybe has never been to Walt Disney World and is thinking maybe I should be booking a trip. What are just the top things? I know we talked about a lot of amazing things for visiting Disney in the summer, but what are maybe the 1 or 2 top reasons to visit in the summer of 2020? 00:11:50:06 - 00:12:08:01 Easton So yeah, for sure. Honestly, one of the major things the water park free on arrival is huge. If you're a guest staying at a resort, getting that free admission to water park on a check in day is huge. When you're traveling. It's just such a great thing to do. The day that you get here, you can relax or you can do some thrill rides too. 00:12:08:01 - 00:12:31:05 Easton It's really up to you. And just those longer summer hours are just really huge. And like all of the new things that are coming, bus, like your Space Ranger spin just opened with a refresh. Big Thunder Mountain will be coming soon and then later this summer, at some point we'll have my best rock and roller coaster. So there's just so many things to do this summer that are going to be new and refreshed, and with more time to do it, so it'll be great. 00:12:31:06 - 00:12:39:16 Katie Well, thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Let's let's go check out the parks. Yes. Let's go. 00:12:39:18 - 00:12:58:06 Chris Hey, we are here with Joanna from Plan Disney. And Katy and I want to learn everything we can about visiting Walt Disney World, saving on a Walt Disney World trip. So, Joanna, thank you for being with us. Welcome. We know that there are four parks here, Walt Disney World. They're all a little bit each a little bit unique, each one. 00:12:58:06 - 00:13:03:17 Chris Do you mind? You've given us, our listeners and our readers, just a quick overview of the park so they know what to expect. 00:13:03:18 - 00:13:30:18 Joanna Yeah, of course. So starting with Magic Kingdom, which is of course, the classic Disney experience, you have Cinderella Castle, which is sort of the key thing that you see when you walk down Main Street USA into the park. That has the kind of classic attractions that Walt Disney came up when he first bought Disneyland in California. And, it has the different layouts Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, that kind of bring you just into different worlds and different attractions. 00:13:30:20 - 00:13:51:04 Joanna And then Epcot, on the other side of the monorail is, you have Spaceship Earth, which is kind of the crown jewel of the park. And, one of the really cool things about upshot is, World Showcase, which brings you into different countries. There are cast members from around the world really bringing their stories and experience, which is really cool. 00:13:51:06 - 00:14:14:18 Joanna Hollywood Studios brings you into your, our favorite movie. So there's Toy Story, alien, Star Wars, which is my favorite. Oh, yeah. And then Animal Kingdom, which is actually my favorite park. Which, if you love animals, it's a really cool place to be. But also there are different areas that are inspired by, countries around the world which for me, which I'm a really big traveler, is really cool. 00:14:14:20 - 00:14:29:18 Katie Yeah, well, we're big travelers to us. So we absolutely agree with you there. Okay, so let's move over to the Disney Resorts collection. There are so many different hotels people can choose from. What are some things that guests should think about when they're trying to decide which hotel is right for them? 00:14:29:20 - 00:14:49:06 Joanna Yeah. So there are three things that I think about. So first is location, where you're going to be planning to spend most of your time. So a lot of times when I'm here with my friends, we might be here for the Epcot festival. So right now we have the International Flower and Garden Festival going on. So, we might want to stay at a resort that's near Epcot. 00:14:49:06 - 00:14:53:13 Joanna So Boardwalk or Caribbean Beach Resort where I'm staying right now. 00:14:53:13 - 00:14:55:18 Katie Actually, so are we. 00:14:55:20 - 00:15:15:03 Joanna But when I'm here with my nephew, we want to be near Magic Kingdom because that's really where a lot of the rides are that he likes to go on. So we might stay at Wilderness Lodge or a Polynesian. The second thing is theming. So each of the resorts has its own unique theme. And that's really what I love about staying at a Disney resort hotel. 00:15:15:05 - 00:15:39:13 Joanna So it's not just about the theme parks, but really being kind of immersed in the Disney experience as soon as you step foot on property. So for me, I was saying that I love animals. Animal Kingdom Lodge is such a unique experience, and you really feel like you're staying in the middle of. It's about in Africa. If you like animated movies, art of animation, and it has different themed areas and themed rooms. 00:15:39:13 - 00:15:52:03 Joanna So Lion King cars, which my nephew really loves. And the third thing is price point, obviously, they're Disney has such a range of, you know, value. Moderate and deluxe hotels are really all price points. 00:15:52:05 - 00:16:01:20 Chris So that's great. Yeah. So these hotels come with early theme park entry, right. So what can guests expect for those. It's an extra 30 minutes inside the park. Is that right? 00:16:01:21 - 00:16:20:02 Joanna Yeah 30 minutes. So you get in before regular guests and it really gives you a chance to start your day and really maximize the day by getting in some rides with potentially shorter queues. My family likes to do it so we can get as much done in the morning, and then maybe we go back to the resort to enjoy the pool. 00:16:20:03 - 00:16:22:14 Joanna The activities, or to have some nap time. 00:16:22:19 - 00:16:27:00 Katie Yeah. And are there special character experiences at any of the hotels? 00:16:27:02 - 00:16:39:07 Joanna Yeah. So during the summer, select hotels have characters coming for, special meet and greets. And actually I love those because, it just feels a little more intimate and you get more like one on one experience. 00:16:39:11 - 00:17:01:06 Chris Really awesome. All right, well, let's move on to the technology side. The Disney the My Disney Experience app has changed a lot in the in the past few years, and it does a lot. So I wanted your opinion on what our readers, should know about the app, what features that you love, and maybe some features that people are overlooking. 00:17:01:08 - 00:17:24:00 Joanna Yeah. So the My Disney Experience app, and I've been here so many times, like since I was 6 or 6 years old, but I would be lost without the my daily experience. So that is really our guide to even before you even get to Disney World. So you can do things like check into your resort, make your dining reservations or book enchanting extras, you can buy your lightning plane passes. 00:17:24:02 - 00:17:41:06 Joanna But when you're on resort property, you can use it for directions, which is really great. I still even use it because I may know how to get somewhere, but I may not know the fastest, most direct way to get there. So you can just look at Spaceship Earth and they'll tell you exactly step by step, like Google map type directions. 00:17:41:08 - 00:17:49:06 Joanna You can also you'll book your lightning plane passes through there and make your selections. I love it for mobile ordering. Because you can. 00:17:49:09 - 00:17:50:14 Chris It's a big time to. 00:17:50:16 - 00:18:08:08 Joanna Save a lot of time on mobile ordering food. But another thing that people may not know about is mobile checkout. So when you're at a store, select stores, you can actually checkout in the app and then you bypass the regular line. You just stop by a little kiosk on your way out. They scan your QR code and give you a back. 00:18:08:08 - 00:18:08:23 Chris That's a great day. 00:18:09:00 - 00:18:09:21 Katie Yeah, that's a great tip. 00:18:09:21 - 00:18:13:06 Joanna I didn't know if you loved Disney merch. That's yeah, a great tip. 00:18:13:06 - 00:18:28:23 Katie I'll remember that shopping later today. So let's talk about Plan Disney. You are a planned Disney panelist. And what I think it's it's a, it's a tool that a lot of people don't know about what makes it special and what makes it different than just going on and googling some things before your trip. 00:18:29:01 - 00:18:50:06 Joanna Yeah. So we're a group of guests, who are passionate about planning Disney vacations. So when people submit questions, we can give them a personalized answer using our advice and experience. And we come from many different backgrounds, so there is bound to be a panelist who's had some similar experience that they can draw upon to give you kind of a heartfelt answer. 00:18:50:08 - 00:19:09:01 Katie That's great to be able to get answers from real guests who have been there, and who've done all the things that you're wondering about such a great tool for someone who's never planned a Disney trip before. For those first timers, what advice do you have? Where should they start? What are the big things they should think about before planning their trip? 00:19:09:03 - 00:19:25:05 Joanna Yeah, so I think choosing the resort is the first and kind of that's the key that anchors every trip. So thinking about, you know, like I was saying, where you want to be closest to where you might be spending the most time. I mean, if you're spending time at all four parks, then maybe that becomes less of a decision point. 00:19:25:07 - 00:19:36:07 Joanna But you can still think about location and the type of transportation to the parks. They all have complimentary transportation, which is great. I love that it's like, leave that, leave the driving to Disney when you get here. 00:19:36:07 - 00:19:37:10 Katie Yeah. 00:19:37:12 - 00:19:53:19 Joanna But some resorts like Animal Kingdom Lodge that I was mentioning, it's all bus transportation to the parks. So if you have a stroller, you have to fold it up to get on to the bus. So I was just here with my nephew last month and we stayed at Grand Floridian. You can take the monorail to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. 00:19:53:20 - 00:19:57:02 Joanna You can actually even walk to Magic Kingdom from Cleveland and Meridian. 00:19:57:04 - 00:20:03:02 Katie The Skyliner is amazing from some of the resorts too. I took that a couple times yesterday and it's just so easy. 00:20:03:02 - 00:20:05:00 Chris It has its own ride to it really. 00:20:05:00 - 00:20:06:02 Katie Is it right. 00:20:06:02 - 00:20:06:20 Joanna Before you even get to. 00:20:06:20 - 00:20:07:08 Katie The. 00:20:07:10 - 00:20:24:14 Chris Same with the monorail? I mean, you could do that. Yeah, just drive around. Absolutely. All right, well, so with all these different resorts at Disney, there's a huge range of prices. And you mentioned that earlier. From a pure value standpoint, what is the smartest way to approach a Disney trip right now? 00:20:24:16 - 00:20:44:03 Joanna So definitely checking the special offers page on the Disney World website. There are so many great special offers going on right now. So any resort you stay at at any price point, that's a Disney Collection's resort hotel. You get free admission to the water parks this summer, so that is a great value, especially for a whole family. 00:20:44:05 - 00:20:52:11 Joanna And then, our value hotels are great. I've stayed at Art of animation, which has animation theme, and then the all star resorts. 00:20:52:12 - 00:21:02:21 Chris Yeah, those are great. That's awesome. Well, I think that's it for today. Joanna, thank you so much for joining us. And know our readers and listeners are going to learn a lot about saving with playing Disney. Thank you. 00:21:03:00 - 00:21:03:14 Katie Thanks so much. 00:21:03:18 - 00:21:09:04 Joanna Thank you. 00:21:09:06 - 00:21:30:12 Chris Okay. Welcome back. Those are some great interviews with those, Disney marketing crew and the plane Disney, panelist. Just a quick reminder that this giveaway runs through May 2626. If you're interested, it is free to enter. All you have to do is go to upgraded points. Com and search for the summer Disney giveaway. And yeah, just enter for your chance to win. 00:21:30:12 - 00:21:46:05 Chris Reminder. That's a trip to Walt Disney World for you and three guests with flights, hotel and park, tickets included and more. We got gift cards. And you know what? If you don't win, there's ten first prize winners as well that will get some gift cards, so there's just no reason not to enter. 00:21:46:09 - 00:22:09:09 Katie Absolutely. And we'll drop that link in the show notes. So wherever you're watching or listening, go ahead and click on that link to enter. And be sure to give us a like a thumbs up. Some comments there. And be sure to like and subscribe if you have questions that you would like to submit for us to answer on a future episode, you can reach us at podcasts at Upgraded points.com that will do it for this week. 00:22:09:09 - 00:22:12:20 Katie We are headed out to the parks right now so we will see you next week. 00:22:12:20 - 00:22:13:04 Chris See you!