Parkscope Podcasts

Alan and Alex talk about their weekend adventures in Pennsylvania (and technically New Jersey). Hershey talk! Dorney Talk? Land of Make Believe; is that a real place? Also ALAN WITH HERETICAL STATEMENTS. It's all coming to you this week on Parkscope.

OG Crew is back as Joe, Mike, and Sean talk about how this year has destroyed all our plans and how to exact our revenge next year. Our plans for crazy resorts, decadent dinners, and superfluous splurges all around Walt Disney World and Univeral Orlando Resort. 

Well... here we are. Joe is joined by Clint from ThrillGeek to talk about the cancelation of Halloween Horror Nights 30 in Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights 2020 in Hollywood. Come for the funeral, stay for the celebration.

It's July and all our favorite regional parks are reopning! Joe, Alan, and Alex discuss the reopening days and new attractions this year at Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood, and others. Plus we dive into how our plans have been turned upside down this summer and more.

Alex has trip reports to discuss from Candymonium at Hersheypark, PIgeon Forge, Dollywood, Helen Georiga, and Six Flags over Georgia.

Joe and Nick are joined by theme park podcasting legend Chris Wakefield to discuss the massive amount of Walt Disney World news dropped this week plus Chris' small trip to Florida, including his stay at Endless Summer and ride on Hagrid.

In this week's sports themed podcast Joe and Lane are joined by writer and critic Josh Spiegel to discuss his Disney Parks Attractions bracket that swept the Twitter world. Plus the NBA and MLS playing at Walt Disney World, theme park additions to Disney+, the 10 year anniversary of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and The Bourne Stuntacular guest previews.

Bonus episode! Joe is joined by Kenny from In the Loop and Grin Grinning Hosts to talk about the charity event Helping Haunts! Money donated goes to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and you receive a special bonus HHN podcast AND a chance to win a huge prize pack!

Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal this week to discuss the NBA and MLS playing at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Universal Orlando reopening, new public health and safety protocols at Universal, USF retro merch, and more. #BlackLivesMatter Carrd.co for News, Resources, and How to HelpRiots are destructive, dangerous, and scary — but can lead to serious social reforms30 Black Americans Killed by Police Since George Floyd11 Things You Can Do to Help Black Lives Matter End Police ViolenceHow to Safely and Ethically Film Police MisconductHow to Be an Activist When You’re Unable to Attend ProtestsHow to Protest Safely in the Age of SurveillanceBooks About Race & RacismPodcasts that Talk About Racism

One year ago the much-hyped Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opened at Disneyland. Joe, Sean, and special guest David Daut discuss the land over the past year of operation, our disappointments, the triumphs, and final impressions. Included topics: Rise of the Resistance, Smuggler's Run, music vs atmosphere, lack of shows, food and beverage options, Data Pad, merchandise, and land design.

This week Joe, Lane, and Mike are joined by theme park and travel journalist Carlye Wisel! This podcast is jam-packed with news: Josh D'Amaro the new chairman of Disney Parks, Experience, and Products; Disney Springs and CityWalk reopening; SeaWorld aims to reopen in late June; Universal Orlando laying out plans; and Gatorland's Social Distancing Skunk Ape!Plus Mike's disdain for Disney Springs, Carlye's shock to Mike's revelation, a kinship over the love of Gelatoni, what we miss from theme parks, and more!You can find Carlye on her website, Twitter, Insta, and SyFy.

Alex and Alan talk mostly about the world of tomorrow, and we don't mean EPCOT. We literally mean the world...and tomorrow. Also some stuff about Indiana Beach and Alan's poor choices of YouTube viewing.

It's a full house with Joe, Lane, Mike, Nick, and Sean! This week we welcome back to the podcast Len Testa of The Unofficial Guide and Touring Plans to discuss all the craziest happening in the world of theme parks. Topics include The Bobs, the future of the Disney Cruise Line, how the parks could reopen with COVID-19, hotel deals, writing the Unofficial Guide, and the guest ratings for the latest additions to the parks. You can find Len at TouringPlans.com, The Unofficial Guide, and Disney Disney with Jim Hill.

Joe and Sean are cooped up in their homes, dodging cabin fever, and longing to visit the parks again. So we invited fellow theme park fan and comedy legend Justin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother & Me to the podcast! We talk about all our favorite things from the Disney parks, what a path towards reopening them would look like, our favorite restaurants at WDW, and more.Visit TheMcElroy.family to check out Justin and his family's universe of podcasts, videos, and books.

We are back baby! With nearly every park in the world currently closed, Joe, Alan, and Alex decide to discuss another park that closed in 2005: the odd duck Astroworld. Opened in 1968 and designed by the same man who brought us Six Flags over Texas, Kings Island, and Hersheypark; Astroworld offered an assortment of prototype and innovative attractions to the Houston area for nearly 40 years. We talk about its opening, our experiences at the park, the reasons for its closure, and cover some of the noteworthy rides inside the park.

Alex talks about his Disneyland Paris trip and the world falls apart. Recorded March 11, 2020, for context.

Time to self-quarantine folks. Joe is joined again by Brian from Inside Universal to discuss all the COVID-19 news. We discuss flattening the curve, preventative measures, the impact on the parks, and have a period of self-reflection on the last decade of theme park coverage. Also, don't be an asshole.House Passes Coronavirus Relief After Democrats Strike Deal With White HouseTrump’s False Claims About His Response to the CoronavirusTrump Disbanded NSC Pandemic Unit That Experts Had PraisedFlattening the CurveCDC Site on COVDI-19

The world is crumbling and we all we can do is talk about theme parks.  Joe is joined by Brian from Inside Universal and Banks Lee from Attractions the Show! They preview Universal's Endless Summer Resort - Dockside opening March 17. Then they close out the show covering Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disney's Hollywood Studios and their impressions on this new family ride.All of this while the world collapses around them.

There is so much news this week Joe has teamed up with Andrew Hyde from In The Loop to create a two-episode EP of a podcast! The first half, available here, covers Endless Summer Dockside's food and drinks, Coronavirus closures and concerns, Six Flag's woes, Kings Dominion, South Dakota's new coaster, and the rash of incidents at the Magic Kingdom this past week.On the second podcast available at In The Loop, Joe and Andrew cover Bob Chapek as Disney's CEO,  Disney's cost-cutting, Dollywood's expansion, the massive growth of the theme park fandom, and finally your questions!

Alan and Alex confront their own mortality in the demise of Apex's amusement park division and decide to dance around it for a long period of time trying to find joy, before embracing the void. Plus the folly of virtual queues, Rise's woes, and more!