Disney’s Big Earnings Surprises and the Pirate Makeover of Magic Kingdom (Ep. 544)

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Leisure, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 979 Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Len Testa and Jim Hill break down Disney’s latest earnings call, including park attendance trends, hotel occupancy shifts, and how Epic Universe may be quietly impacting Orlando tourism. They also review a fascinating new Disney Cruise Line survey that tests potential discounts and onboard perks, as well as what those offers could mean for future sailings. Listener questions cover everything from the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow projection tech to Walt Disney World’s mysterious white bus lane lights, and Jim continues his multi-part history of how Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa found their way into the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions. Along the way, they explore the behind-the-scenes stories of the Pirate Tutorial, the Pirates League, and Disney’s new Beak and Barrel lounge at Magic Kingdom. Disney’s domestic attendance and hotel occupancy results How Epic Universe is influencing local tourism What a Disney Cruise Line survey reveals about future promotions Why Captain Jack’s meet-and-greets were tightly controlled The evolution of pirate-themed experiences in the parks Time Stamps Intro (00:18:18) Break 1 (00:29:24) Break 2 (00:42:05) SHOW NOTES Support Our Sponsors Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. ⁠⁠⁠Learn More⁠⁠⁠ DVC Resale Market Thinking about joining Disney Vacation Club or selling your contract? DVC Resale Market is the leader in the secondary market, with over 70,000 satisfied DVC members. Their expert team of 21 former DVC Cast Members brings unparalleled knowledge and experience to every transaction, making buying or selling DVC simple and stress-free. ⁠⁠⁠Learn More⁠⁠⁠ DVC Rental Store Dreaming of deluxe Disney accommodations at a fraction of the cost? The DVC Rental Store connects guests with incredible savings on Disney Vacation Club resorts. Whether you’re a DVC member looking to rent your points or a guest looking to stay in style, the DVC Rental Store offers a seamless process for both. Don’t forget—they also offprovideciting point swaps for unforgettable experiences like cruises and adventures! ⁠⁠⁠Learn More⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to another edition of the Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill. It's me, Len Testa, and this is our show for the week of Schmerzday, August 11, 2025. On the show today, we dive into Disney's earnings call. Then a new Disney survey asks, do you know what sand is? And in our main segment, Jim continues the history of how Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa wound up in the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.
0:23.6	Let's get started by bringing in the man who says that arachnophobia is stupid, and we should just let the spiders marry whoever they want.
0:30.3	It's Mr. Jim Hill. Jim, how's it going?
0:31.6	It is going well, Len, and interesting that you bring up arachnophobia.
0:38.0	I, of course, when I hear that term, I think of the Disney film from July of 1990.
0:46.6	The movie, yeah.
0:47.5	Very first film to be released by Disney under their then brand new label Hollywood Pictures,
0:54.9	which you might remember the title card of it was a sort of stylized version of the Sphinx,
1:01.2	which also led to a kind of a famous saying in Hollywood,
1:06.6	given how terrible a lot of the movies were that came out under Hollywood pictures,
1:10.8	that if it's the Sphinx, it stinks.
1:13.8	All right.
1:15.2	All right. Well, there you go. All right, then.
1:16.9	I remember it also for the...
1:18.7	It was another thing where Steven Spielberg got really mad at Disney, and it's how we lost the
1:23.6	Roger Rabbit sequel?
1:24.9	That is true. That is true.
1:26.5	Another interesting bit of trivia, though, associated with arachnophobia is some folks who saw
1:31.8	the film may remember the Delbert McClintock character, the licensed exterminator that
1:37.1	John Goodman played in the movie.
1:38.5	Well, Goodman's character drove around in a van that had the name of his extermination company on the side of it, which was Bugs Be Gone.
1:50.7	And I swear to God, Glenn, this is true.
	...

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