852 · The State of the Disney Parks: What 2025 Changed and Why 2026 Matters
WDW Radio: Your Guide to the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!
Lou Mongello - Disney Expert
4.8 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 January 2026
⏱️ 112 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
852 · The State of the Disney Parks: What 2025 Changed and Why 2026 Matters
If you had to describe Disney in 2025 and what it means for 2026, what word would you choose?
2025 wasn’t a year defined by massive new attractions. Instead, it was a year of movement, transition, and emotional goodbyes. Lands closed. Atmospheres shifted. Comfort gave way to construction. And for many fans, it felt like Disney was asking us to trust what comes next.
This is not simply another 2025 Disney year in revue and look ahead to or predictions for 2026.
This week, we have a very honest, thoughtful conversation about Disney in 2025 and what it means for 2026. We look at what closed, what opened, what surprised us emotionally, and why this year may end up being one of the most important setup years in Disney history. We also explore what Disney needs to deliver in 2026 to make all of this feel worth it.
Join the conversation, share your memories, and be part of the WDW Radio community.
📣 Comment in the WDW Radio Clubhouse or 📞 Call the Voicemail: 407-900-9391
✈️ Looking to visit a Disney Park, Disney Cruise Line, or any vacation destination around the world? Let our friends at Mouse Fan Travel help you with expert planning at no cost to you! - visit MouseFanTravel.com
📬 Stay Connected:
- Subscribe for email updates + get my FREE Disney book!
- Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
🎧 Explore More:
- WDWRadio.com - Blog, archives, podcasts, and more
- WDW Radio Nation - Support the show and unlock rewards
- WDWRadioLIVE.com - Watch and chat LIVE Wednesday nights
- Events & Cruises - Join us for group trips and in-person meetups!
- LouMongello.com - Creator or solopreneur? Turn your passion into your profession with coaching, courses, and events, including our Momentum events in Walt Disney World. I am also a keynote speaker who shares how to leverage lessons from Disney on customer service, experience, and leadership.
🙏 Thank you for listening, being part of the WDW Radio family, and helping the show be recognized as the Best Travel Podcast for nine consecutive years - and for the incredible honor of being inducted into the ⭐️ Podcast Hall of Fame.
Please subscribe, tell a friend, and join me again next week... and as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome recruits to the Galactic Federation Prisoner Teleport Center. |
| 0:05.0 | Hi, travelers, this is Space Mountain Mission Control. |
| 0:08.0 | Please bear with us your ship is being prepped for launch and should be ready to go soon. |
| 0:13.0 | Now you've already been organized into teams, and soon each of you will be assigned a position. |
| 0:19.0 | Navigate, pilot, commander, or engineer. |
| 0:24.3 | Here we go. |
| 0:29.5 | To the universe of energy. |
| 0:33.6 | Join us behind the scenes, where we are working to ensure that tomorrow's world will continue to be a world of motion. |
| 0:47.5 | Disney in 2025 was a year of transition, and maybe even a test of trust. |
| 0:57.0 | Because this past year in Walt Disney World wasn't about big headline attractions. |
| 1:01.0 | It was about change, transition, and saying goodbye to places that meant more to us than maybe we even realized. |
| 1:07.0 | And in many ways, it felt like Disney was asking us to trust what comes next. |
| 1:13.6 | So this week, we're going to look back at Disney in 2025 and what it means for |
| 1:17.4 | 2006, what we lost, what surprised us, and what Disney needs to deliver moving forward. |
| 1:24.0 | Hello, my friend, and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney Parks and Experiences from around the world. |
| 1:30.4 | I am Lou Mangelo, and this is show number 852, and whether this is your first time listening or you've been with me since the beginning, all 20 years, welcome home and welcome back. |
| 1:40.4 | Don't forget to be part of the community and conversation over in the Clubhouse at www.com |
| 1:45.4 | slash clubhouse. |
| 1:46.9 | Watch and chat with me live every Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. Eastern on Facebook and YouTube |
| 1:51.1 | and get a dose of Disney delivered to your inbox every week for free, plus a free gift when you register, |
| 1:56.9 | for my free newsletter over at www.com slash newsletter. |
| 2:01.0 | And when you're ready to plan your next Disney vacation, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lou Mongello - Disney Expert, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Lou Mongello - Disney Expert and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.