Once Upon a Castle Podcast

Gini introduces part one of a two-part crossover with Steph from Magic Key Adventures, previewing that part two (Sept. 1) will cover the D23 convention floor and the Honda Center Horizons showcase. She shares a listener review, then recounts her solo Disneyland day before D23: traveling from Colorado, staying at the close-but-dated Desert Inn & Suites, browsing shops, eating at Refreshment Corner, watching Main Street entertainment, riding the Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Pirates (and discussing the new animatronic), and Big Thunder, then taking a hotel break before returning for a Tomorrowland dance party, Casey Jr., Galaxy’s Edge cold brew, and meeting Steph that night. With Steph, she recaps D23 Day at Disneyland: early start, Fantasyland rope drop, Toontown and Runaway Railway, lunch at Tiana’s Palace, Pirates, the Legends Cavalcade (highlighting Susan Egan, Imagineers, and Walt’s family), meeting friends, Mark Twain with mint juleps, Galaxy’s Edge character interactions including Luke Skywalker and spotting Joe Rohde, PhotoPass castle photos, and ending with the Star Wars projection show.
 
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Learn more about Disney travel: https://dearanddarlingtravel.com/agents/gini-west/ 
Magic Key Adventures Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/magic-key-adventures-podcast/id1688830469 
 

In the final Bayou Country episode of Once Upon a Castle, Gini has a personal conversation with her close friend Joee Benson, who grew up visiting Disneyland frequently in Southern California and has deep nostalgia for Bear/Critter/Bayou Country and the former Country Bear Jamboree. Joee shares favorite foods (churros, Mickey pretzel with cheese, and the Critter Country pickle), favorite land and attraction (New Orleans Square and Pirates of the Caribbean), and her view that updates like the new Pirates animatronic reflect Disney innovation. They discuss why guests still miss Country Bear Jamboree, how Disneyland has shifted from place-based lands to IP-driven experiences, and why Disneyland feels like home for Joee, recommending first-timers stay for the parade and fireworks. Gini announces an upcoming D23 crossover episode and reveals she is now a certified Disney travel planner with Dear and Darling Travel.
 
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The episode of Once Upon a Castle traces the dining history of Disneyland’s Bayou Country, arguing that food is a key part of themed storytelling. It begins with the Golden Bear Lodge (opened September 24, 1972), a rustic quick-service riverside restaurant integrated with the Mike Fink Keelboats loading dock, then covers its 1977 retheme into the Hungry Bear Restaurant and its long run until closing July 8, 2024 for refurbishment during the Critter Country/Tiana’s Bayou Adventure construction. The host details the current Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree’s Country Bear character theming and barbecue-focused menu. The script also recounts the Mile Long Bar (1972–1989), its 1989 renaming to Brer Bar with Splash Mountain-era theming, and its eventual absorption into Pooh’s Corner, now a Winnie the Pooh–themed candy kitchen and shop offering handmade confections like the honey pot apple.
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Gini continues a Bayou Country series by focusing on entertainment history in the land’s footprint, while also announcing she’ll attend D23 with friend Steph Sanchez and noting the episode releases on Disneyland’s 71st birthday (July 17), which is also her friend Anna’s birthday. The episode traces the area from Disneyland’s 1955–1971 Indian Village, discussing its performers, rotating tribal representations, demonstrations, notable figures, and aspects that have not aged well, before covering Teddy Barra’s Swingin’ Arcade (1972–2002/03) and its remembered lemonade stand. It then reviews Br’er Bear, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Rabbit meet-and-greets (1989–2020) and finally details the origins, technology, layout, songs, sponsorship, and 2001 closure of Disneyland’s Country Bear Jamboree, plus surviving versions and musical nods, ending with how Winnie the Pooh meet-and-greets and theming came to anchor the area.
 

Gini returns to the Once Upon a Castle podcast after an unexpected month-long hiatus and begins a new series on Disneyland’s Bayou Country, formerly Bear Country and Critter Country, outlining upcoming episodes on attractions, entertainment, food, and a guest conversation. The episode traces the land’s footprint from Frontierland’s Indian Village (1955–1971) and the Indian War Canoes (1956) through Bear Country’s 1972 opening built around the Country Bear Jamboree, then Critter Country’s 1988 rename ahead of Splash Mountain (1989), and finally the November 2024 transformation into Bayou Country with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Key attractions and details include the guest-powered Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, retail rethemes from Indian Trading Post to Briar Patch to Ray’s Berets, the 2003 debut of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replacing Country Bear Jamboree, and the creative development and Louisiana research behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which Gini personally rode once and found too soaking wet.
 
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Email: magic@onceuponacastlepodcast.com
 

The Once Upon a Castle podcast welcomes Disney historian and storyteller Michael Holland, author of The Year Before Disneyland and host of From Out of the Past at Holland Imaginarium. Holland shares how growing up immersed in classic Hollywood shaped his approach to Disney history, including focusing on “facts versus truths” and highlighting Roy Disney’s crucial role alongside Walt, whose TV presence made him the public face as “Uncle Walt.” He recounts early family trips to Disneyland, his love of the Jungle Cruise (including favorite jokes and its evolving live-skipper format), and how curiosity and research deepen park visits. Holland explains how his book and podcast examine July 1954–July 1955 as a period when Disneyland was built alongside major studio milestones like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Lady and the Tramp, the first TV series, the Davy Crockett phenomenon, distribution changes, and hotel plans, emphasizing Disney’s perseverance. The episode closes with where to find Holland’s work and a teaser for the podcast’s next Bayou Country series.
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Patreon: Once Upon a Castle Podcast (Gini)
Email: magic@onceuponacastlepodcast.com
 
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BUY HERE: “The Year Before Disneyland” https://themeparkpress.com/products/the-year-before-disneyland?_pos=1&_psq=the+year&_ss=e&_v=1.0 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-out-of-the-past/id1709872451 
 

Host Gini brings on her husband, Jason West, to recap a packed two-day Disneyland Resort trip after discussing his limited Disney background, first impressions, and preference for atmosphere and exploration over long lines.  At Disneyland they rope-dropped Fantasyland rides, ate at Red Rose Tavern, rode a Main Street firetruck, took the “Women Who Make the Magic” guided tour (with reserved viewing and treats), did Star Tours, Cafe Orleans, enjoyed Bootstrappers with Jack Sparrow, hit Pirates and Haunted Mansion, and used tour viewing for Paint the Night and castle projections (fireworks canceled). At DCA they rope-dropped Guardians, endured a long Web Slingers delay, bought Lightning Lane and a Cars single pass, rode Radiator Springs Racers, ate at Lamplight Lounge, sampled Food & Wine items and live music, and ended with the World of Color dessert party. They conclude the tour/dessert party and Lightning Lane felt worth the cost, and Gini teases an upcoming interview with author/podcaster Michael Holland.
 
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Patreon: Once Upon a Castle Podcast (Gini)
Email: magic@onceuponacastlepodcast.com
 

In the finale of a four-part Once Upon a Castle series on Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, the host Gini recaps prior episodes on attractions, entertainment, and dining, then interviews Teresa Urban, host of the DL Weekly podcast and a travel planner with Concierge Travel. Teresa shares her Disney story, including being terrified of Haunted Mansion on her first Walt Disney World trip in 2000 before it became her favorite attraction, and explains how podcasting since 2017 deepened her Disneyland connections and community. They discuss the “wonder” and layered details of New Orleans Square, Walt Disney’s presence there and on Main Street, exploration tips beyond the main path, favorite entertainment like the Bootstrappers and Fantasmic, and strategy for a perfect park day. Teresa recommends Fantasmic dining packages, especially Rancho del Zocalo, and says she hopes Disneyland’s castle never changes. Gini closes by teasing an upcoming trip report, a New Orleans Square food crawl, the Women Who Make the Magic tour, and a World of Color dessert party.
 
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Email: magic@onceuponacastlepodcast.com
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