Disney World News: Muppet Coaster, Passholder Previews, and Mission: SPACE

In this week’s episode, we celebrate Mother’s Day and provide a comprehensive update on the latest developments across Walt Disney World. We cover various maintenance projects, including painting efforts at Magic Kingdom and the ongoing transformation of the former DinoLand area in Animal Kingdom. 

Furthermore, we share exclusive details for Annual Passholders regarding previews for updated attractions at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. In our spotlight segment, we take a deep dive into the technical specs and physical demands of Mission: SPACE, offering personal insights into the vastly different intensity levels of the Green and Orange missions. 

We also explore a piece of Disney cinema history by reviewing the 1956 film The Great Locomotive Chase, discussing its production and historical significance regarding the first Medals of Honor. We wrap up with essential vacation planning advice focused on the importance of maintaining a flexible itinerary. 

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Transcript

Nick 0:31

Hello, everybody. Welcome to this week's episode of the Main Street Talk podcast, your go-to podcast for all things Walt Disney World related, all the news and updates and tips and tricks. I am your host Nick, and as always, with me is Joni.

Joni 0:45

Hello, everyone, and Happy Mother's Day.

Nick 0:48

gonna say, today we're recording on May 10th, so happy Mother's Day to all those moms out there who make the world go round and keep us all in line and make sure we have our socks on and our shoes tied. Including myself.

Joni 1:02

Mm-hmm. Yes.

Nick 1:03

So yeah, happy Mother's Day, and if you're celebrating in Disney World even all the more better for you.

Joni 1:08

you. Mm-hmm. All right,

Nick 1:10

right, well, you ready to get onto

Joni 1:11

I would love to be in Disney World right now,

Nick 1:13

I would love to be in Disney World right now. However,

Joni 1:15

we did just have an event yesterday.

Nick 1:16

We had a big event, and we are extremely tired- so bear with us.

Joni 1:21

We've been tired for a few weeks

Nick 1:23

now. We have been. Go ahead and tell them what we

Joni 1:25

we had a marriage in the family. Our son Zachary, got married yesterday, so-

Nick 1:30

It's, yep,

Joni 1:31

it was a late night.

Nick 1:32

a big wedding. It was a very long day. It was a very good day. Yeah, it was beautiful weather. It was a outdoor wedding, and the reception was right inside. Yeah, it was a great day. Very long day. Weddings, man, they take so long to plan, and then they're over in, in a day.

Joni 1:48

you know what? I love him to death, but thank goodness it's over.

Nick 1:52

goodness it's over.

Joni 1:53

But- Yeah. Anyway,

Nick 1:54

It was a good day, yeah congratulations

Joni 1:56

Zach and Makenna. Yeah.

Nick 1:57

So yeah, you ready to get onto the news?

Joni 2:00

Sure, let's do it.

Nick 2:01

Starting Magic Kingdom. Both the rocks surrounding Cinderella Castle as well as the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland bridges are in the middle of being painted at Magic Kingdom. Ooh. This was kinda surprising. The Magic Kingdom welcome show, Let the Magic Begin, featuring Mickey and other characters, will not return in full. The show ended performances in January due to the painting of Cinderella Castle, and since then, an o- only an audio message has welcomed guests to the parks. Oh.

Joni 2:29

Oh.

Nick 2:30

Disney has announced the welcome will remain audio only, and the characters will no longer appear on stage at the park's opening. No reason why. No that's just all they released.

Joni 2:40

Okay.

Nick 2:41

So just know that if, so you're not standing in front of the stage waiting for Mickey to come out and welcome you to the, welcome you to the park.

Joni 2:47

Right. Aw. Yeah. Well, again, check the My Experience app.

Nick 2:52

check the app

Joni 2:52

be there, and it'll not be there.

Nick 2:54

Over to Epcot. Okay. Walt Disney

Joni 2:56

was it for Magic

Nick 2:57

That was it for Magic

Joni 2:58

Oh, wow.

Nick 2:59

Walt Disney World annual pass holders will be able to experience Soarin' Across America at Epcot before it opens on May 26th.

Joni 3:05

Mm-hmm.

Nick 3:06

On May 19th and 20th, annual pass holders can preview Soarin' by joining the standby queue during regular park hours. And speaking of Soarin', crews continue to replace the carpeting throughout the Soarin' queue in Epcot with a brand-new design. They have also started to refurbish, the blue lighting in the second half of the queue. And I'm not sure how to pronounce this, Palais du Cinema, which has been closed for refurbishment in Epcot, reopened a day early on May 9th.

Joni 3:34

Okay. It

Nick 3:34

supposed to open on May 10th, but they got it ready to go-

Joni 3:37

So it's already open regardless of when you're- Yeah. When you get this, it's already open regardless

Nick 3:42

open. Congrats. Yep. So. If I

Joni 3:44

if I could back you up just a little bit, you're speaking of Soarin', and I forgot to mention last week- Oh, yeah Soarin' was my ride. So I just wanna throw this in there. Sure. You've well, as of tomorrow, listening to this, you will have two more days to experience the Soarin' Around the World because May 13th, 2026 is when it's going to be on a temporary shutdown.

Nick 4:06

the switchover. Correct. Okay.

Joni 4:08

So just keep that in mind. Yeah. So you, you'll have a couple days from the air date of this podcast.

Nick 4:15

Good information. Thank you. Hollywood Studios, when Rock'n' Roller Coaster starring The Muppets opens to the general public on May 26th, it will not use a virtual queue. This has been a trend for Disney lately. When new rides are, you know, rethemed rides or new rides are opening, they have not been using the virtual queue. No reason why. Maybe it's just they don't feel it's needed, but it's definitely been a trend.

Joni 4:38

Hmm.

Nick 4:38

And Walt Disney World has announced details of the annual pass holder previews of the Rock'n' Roller Coaster. Previews will take place on May 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. On the day of the preview, pass holders who have a park reservation for Hollywood Studios can join the virtual queue at 7:00 AM. At 11:00 AM, pass holders with a reservation to any of the theme parks can request to join the virtual queue. Then at 3:00 PM, the virtual queue will open to all pass holders, regardless if they have park reservations or not.

Joni 5:07

Oh, wow. Yeah.

Nick 5:09

So basically, if you're at Hollywood Studios and you reserve there, you can get in at 7:00 AM. Right. If you're at ano- any of the other parks- Sure you can hop over, but you can't join until 11:00. And if you're just sitting at home, not at a park at all, you can join- You

Joni 5:23

"Hey, I wanna go."

Nick 5:24

you don't have a

Joni 5:24

reservation. And if, and if you think it's-- I mean,'cause my first thought is, wow, that's a long time to let a bunch of other people get in there and, and jump ahead of you. Yeah. But you gotta keep trying because people cancel their reservation toward, or, you know, their spots and

Nick 5:38

Possibly, yeah. Things come up, for sure. So-

Joni 5:41

So just keep trying. As Dory would say,"Keep swimming. Just keep

Nick 5:45

swimming." Did not have a Dory quote on

Joni 5:47

my-

Nick 5:47

Right on my bingo card for this show.

Joni 5:49

show.

Nick 5:50

But it's always fun to have a Dory quote. Leave

Joni 5:52

Leave it to me. Okay.

Nick 5:54

Vacation Fun, the original animated short with Mickey and Minnie, has reopened after it was used for May the 4th merchandise event. Mm-hmm. And refurbishment work is underway on columns in the outdoor queue of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Mm. And that's it for Hollywood Studios. Yeah. Animal Kingdom, the Encanto ride building has exterior paneling, and crews have started constructing the Tropical Americas Carousel in the old Dinoland area. Ooh.

Joni 6:21

So new- I wonder how that's coming along.

Nick 6:23

that's coming

Joni 6:24

I wish somebody local had like a-- Well, I know you can't just like-- But Disney can put up aerial views.

Nick 6:29

views. I- There, there is a, that I frequent a lot, there is a Twitter page that does a lot of aerial views,

Joni 6:35

that. Yeah, I would not recommend going out and getting your own and- Don't. Yeah,

Nick 6:39

don't know if this guy is, like, contracted or if he has some special license to do it. Yeah. But it's, I, I think it's from a drone. I doubt he's doing it, you know. There's gotta be

Joni 6:48

some sort of- Illegally or- Yeah you know, quote,"illegally."

Nick 6:51

illegal. But that's it for park news.

Joni 6:53

Wow, okay.

Nick 6:54

On to resorts. From July 22nd through August 26th, the Welcome Home Weeks returns for DVC members, featuring tasty treats, special experiences, and enhanced discounts for eligible DVC members. Now, check the DVC website for the full list of offerings and locations. On to miscellaneous. This I found mind-blowing. the media research firm Nielsen, which is in charge of tracking all ratings for all shows. Oh, yeah, And

Joni 7:21

Yep.

Nick 7:22

guess, in the United States alone, guess how many minutes of Star Wars was streamed in 2025. Now

Joni 7:29

Oh, you asked me this. I was way off.

Nick 7:32

Oh, you do know the number. I did ask you

Joni 7:33

but I don't remember the number. But you did ask me, and I was

Nick 7:36

way off. This is both streaming minutes and linear, and linear means, like, you know, if it's on TBS or TNT. Sure.

Joni 7:43

Well, you gotta think. There's how many films, and each one of them is how long. Right. And if you're binge-watching like we do, and you just spend a whole

Nick 7:51

weekend- Mm-hmm sitting on the

Joni 7:53

sitting on the couch eating popcorn and pizza, watching movies.

Nick 7:56

The number of minutes Star Wars was streamed in 2025, 33 billion. Yeah. With a B. B.

Joni 8:04

Yeah. I said million. Yep. I was way off. 33

Nick 8:08

billion minutes of Star Wars. That is insane.

Joni 8:11

I- Too much time on

Nick 8:13

insane. I- Last time on- I love Star Wars. I'm a big Star Wars fan, but that, that even blew my mind.

Joni 8:19

Well, we got a, we got a lot of fans out there then

Nick 8:22

is. There's some diehards and I can't

Joni 8:23

and I can't say that I have not done that binge-watching of those. Mm-hmm. But I can't get more than three in a day, in a night, or a weekend.

Nick 8:33

Speaking of Star Wars, Bath Body Works has debuted The Mandalorian and Grogu collection. And The Devil Wears Prada 2 was number one at the box office in its opening weekend, surpassing expectations to make$233 million globally. I've never even seen the first one. I don't even know what the movies are about. Well,

Joni 8:53

first one. I don't

Nick 8:54

We're gonna watch

Joni 8:54

movies are about. Well, guess

Nick 8:56

We'll get there.

Joni 8:57

We'll get there.

Nick 8:58

Young manatee Soleil, Soleil, I'm not sure how to pronounce that, who arrived at Epcot in February, has been released back into the wildlife after a brief rehabilitation. Oh,

Joni 9:08

good.

Nick 9:09

And back to Star Wars, the Star Wars Celebration 2027 tickets are on sale.

Joni 9:14

Mm-hmm.

Nick 9:15

Next year marks Star Wars' 50th anniversary, and tickets are already available for the celebration. The Star Wars Celebration takes place April 1st through the 4th, 2027 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Joni 9:27

I'm sure that's going to be epic.

Nick 9:28

I'm sure that's going to be epic. I'm sure the 33 billion minutes- Yes of those people streaming those movies are gonna be there. It's a mile marker.

Joni 9:34

a mile marker. I'm sure it's gonna be epic.

Nick 9:37

be epic. Hoca- Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in development with the original Wicked Trio back for a third round of Halloween magic. Ooh. We watched Hocus Pocus 2 on The Dream- We did back in October.

Joni 9:49

We sure did.

Nick 9:50

And Jon Favreau

Joni 9:51

it's my daughter's when she was young, it's, well, one of her favorite films. Her all-time is"Twister," but"Hocus Pocus" was her favorite. Yeah. Yeah.

Nick 10:00

But- That was one of her- Hocus was her favorite. Yeah. Yeah. That, people around their age, 30-ish, I mean, they all love that movie. I mean, that was their childhood Hall- Halloween movie. Mm-hmm. So. Jon Favreau confirmed Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series releasing in 2027 on Disney+. Cool. That's

Joni 10:15

Cool.

Nick 10:16

what I got.

Joni 10:17

Well, I thought you were gonna be a little heavier than that.

Nick 10:19

Nope, that's what I got. let's go on to Spotlight on Attraction. What do we have

Joni 10:23

on Attraction. What do we have today? Okay, let's do. Well, before I get into our new land of World Discovery within that section of our park, I do want to touch back on something that I did forget to mention when we were talking about the World Celebration segment.

Nick 10:39

Disney

Joni 10:40

Visa card member photo opportunity for members only I did forget to mention that when we were going over the celebration, so here you go. Located in the World Celebration, specifically in the Imageworks area, next to the Journey Into Imagination with Figment ride. It is generally open daily from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., offering a private meet and greet with surprise characters and complimentary downloads. A valid Disney Visa card is necessary to enter, and the characters featured in the meet and greet are Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, or Goofy, but they are not announced ahead of time. So- You

Nick 11:17

show up and see who it is. You

Joni 11:18

show up and see who you get. So anyway, forgot to mention that, wanted to throw it in.

Nick 11:23

It's a nice perk for a, for a card member, Sure a private meet and greet, so-

Joni 11:27

Yeah, and complimentary downloads. Yeah. I

Nick 11:28

it doesn't really matter who you meet, I don't think. No,

Joni 11:30

No, sure doesn't. Go a few times. Hopefully they're all there. So onto our regularly scheduled program. We're gonna talk about Mission: SPACE today. So the Disney description is blast off on a thrilling simulated NASA style mission to Mars, or orbit the Earth as each member of your four cadet crew assumes an important role as navigator, pilot, commander, or engineer. During your flight, cadets will be instructed to initiate a mission critical sequence, so be prepared. The attraction type is a space simulator. Height requirements must be 40 inches or taller for green mission, or 44 inches or taller for orange mission. Supervise children at all times. Children under seven must be accompanied by a person 14 years or older. The capacity of the ride, there are s- four spinning rooms that have 10 capsules in each room for a total of 40 capsules. Four guests in a single row, per capsule. This ride accommodates about 1,600 riders per hour.

Nick 12:37

That's higher than I thought w- that would be, That's surprising. Well, go ahead.

Joni 12:41

It is a tier two. The accessibility is you must be able to transfer from your wheelchair or electric vehicle. There is a transfer practice vehicle available. Transfer access devices are available, as well as video captioning and assistive listening devices. Service animals are not permitted. There is no action photo. The ride is a b- just over five and a half minutes. They had a soft opening August 15th, 2003, with the official opening being October 9, 2003. Cost to make this ride,$100 million. Hmm. Yeah. So this attraction was built on the site Of the former Horizons attraction, which was closed permanently in 1999, and when it opened, it only featured a high-intensity spinning version, now known as The Orange. Mm-hmm. The milder Green Mission was added later in 2006. The seating restraints may prohibit riders of certain body shapes or sizes from riding. Expectant mothers should not ride either color Mission. Nor should you ride if you are uncomfortable by enclosed dark spaces or simulators.

Nick 13:53

So,

Joni 13:53

how do you choose which Mission's right for you? Though each of them offer the same exhilarating training missions, they do offer different intensities. The Orange team, who orbits and lands on Mars, is more intense training and highly turbulent motion simulator thrill ride that spins and creates G-forces during launch maneuvers that can result in, here you go, ready? Nausea, headache, dizziness, disorientation, even if you have never experienced motion sickness before. So, there is also a warning, a big warning. Orange Mission warning. For safety, you should be in good health and free of high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.

Nick 14:39

I, I think there are, if I remember right, I think there are several warnings before you get on Mission Orange. Yes.

Joni 14:46

So the milder Green team, who orbits the Earth, is an exciting motion simulator ride that does not spin and is less likely to cause motion sickness. We've done both.

Nick 14:57

Yes,

Joni 14:58

I will never go on Orange again.

Nick 15:00

never step foot on Orange again.

Joni 15:01

I suffer from very

Nick 15:02

I suffer from m- very mild bouts of vertigo from time to time. Yeah. I have never experienced motion sickness on a ride in my entire life. I mean, we just did VelociCoaster in

Joni 15:14

I got a little bit on that.

Nick 15:16

I see, and it d- that didn't bother me. When I walked off Mission Space Orange, I was not right for about an hou- for about an hour. I don't, I laid down on the bench for y- 15 minutes while you were doing whatever you were doing. I remember that.

Joni 15:29

shopping or eating. I-- Just be, be extremely cautious. Yes.

Nick 15:32

Just be extremely cautious. Yeah. Like I said, I have never experienced motion sickness, and this got me.

Joni 15:37

Same.

Nick 15:38

as you. So green is not, green affected me n- it didn't affect me at all.

Joni 15:43

at all. I think the first time we rode it, we went Orange. No, we went Green. No, we did go Green because we had the boys with us.

Nick 15:48

we didn't wanna

Joni 15:49

we're like,"Hey, let's go like big kids," and- Yeah. And We're by ourselves, and eh, let's go back with the

Nick 15:55

Yeah, n- yeah, I'll go back on green. That's right.

Joni 15:57

So that's what I have for Mission Space, but I also wanna throw in the Advanced Training Lab, which is part of the Mission Space. So that is at the exit of this ride. And

Nick 16:08

That's where I laid down on the bench. Yes. In that room.

Joni 16:10

So I was probably off playing in the lab. Oh, I was, because I wanted you to come over and take a picture-

Nick 16:15

I was like, give me a minute."

Joni 16:17

That's right. So the Disney description here is: Train for your next Mars mission at a high-tech play area featuring space-themed games and activities for all ages. It's an indoor interactive, and you can, in here, remain in your wheelchair or electric vehicle. This also opened August 15th, 2003. It was originally sponsored by Hewlett-Packard from 2003 to 2015 as part of the ride's opening. Get ready for your next space mission by virtually flying over the surface of Mars in a jet pack. Race against other players to send a rocket into space. Make and send video postcards from the very edge of space. The smallest space explorers will be inspired to reach for the stars as they crawl through wormholes in a fun, interactive playground, while older cadets play digital games that prep them for future missions. I'm just wondering how many times I can say space in that, in that wording.

Nick 17:19

Without messing it up.

Joni 17:20

Without messing it up.

Nick 17:21

The word mission and space, if you say them back to back repeatedly- You're gonna mispronounce something. So

Joni 17:27

I apologize.

Nick 17:28

All right, that's what we have.

Joni 17:29

Yeah. That's it.

Nick 17:30

Okay. Thanks, Joni. Yeah, you,

Joni 17:32

you bet.

Nick 17:33

Take your chances on orange if you're feeling brave. Good. Just don't, s- we, don't say we didn't tell you.

Joni 17:37

Yeah.

Nick 17:38

Yeah. All right, onto this week in Disney history. May 14th, 1923, a young Walt Disney, still in Kansas City, writes a pivotal letter to distributor Margaret Winkler regarding the Alice's Wonderland pilot.

Joni 17:53

Mm-hmm. The

Nick 17:54

is the spark that led Walt to move to Hollywood and found the Disney Brothers Studio. May 13th, 1933, Mickey Mouse takes to the skies in the theatrical release of The Mail Pilot. This short is a fan favorite for its early action-adventure tone, featuring Mickey as a mail carrier battling a mail-stealing Pete during a mountain storm.

Joni 18:14

Huh.

Nick 18:14

May 14th, 1944, happy birthday to Disney legend George Lucas. While he didn't, yeah, while he didn't start at Disney, his creative partnership led to Star Tours, Indiana Jones Adventure, and eventually the total integration of his franchise into the Disney family

Joni 18:32

Mm-hmm.

Nick 18:33

May 12th, 1956, the horseless carriage officially began cruising Main Street USA at Disneyland. It remains one of the most charming low-tech ways to soak in the atmosphere of the park. May

Joni 18:44

16th- I would love to ride that Yeah.

Nick 18:47

16th, 1991, exactly one year after the passing of Jim Henson, Muppet Vision 3D opened at Disney MGM Studios. This was the final Muppet project Jim Henson directed.

Joni 18:59

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Nick 19:01

May 13th, 1992, Fantasmic! is dedicated at Disneyland. Using the Rivers of America as a stage, it introduced the world to the concept of water projection screens and set a new gold standard for theme park nighttime spectaculars. And finally, on May 12th, 2017, the projection-heavy spectacular Happily Ever After debuts at Magic Kingdom, replacing the long-running Wishes. It redefined how Cinderella Castle could be used as a storytelling canvas. And that is this week in Disney history.

Joni 19:33

All right. Great. I love that segment.

Nick 19:36

Yeah. What's going on in the mo- I'm excited about this movie. We watched this movie, and one, I'm a history buff, and this movie was based on a true story. Mm-hmm. And it was really good. So what, what do we got this

Joni 19:47

We are talking about the 1956 not rated Disney film,"The Great Locomotive Chase."

Nick 19:53

It was very good. Yeah. I can vouch for this one.

Joni 19:56

And if Nick had his way, he would've be a

Nick 20:00

teacher. But you can

Joni 20:01

So the first appearance of this film, June 8th, 1956 in the United States. The runtime is 85 minutes. The budget was approximately 2.5 million. Box office pulled 1.7 million. So as much of a lover of it as you are, not many others

Nick 20:17

public did not agree with me. No,

Joni 20:19

you are kinda different. The creators, we have director Francis D. Lyon, written by Laurence Edward Watkin, cinematography by Charles Boyle, and music by Paul J. Smith. Primary filming took place in the Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina with most of the scenes along the 58-mile shortline railroad that ran between Cornelia, Georgia, and Franklin, North Carolina. This line, called the Tallaha Falls Railway, was chosen because it still featured wooden trestles and non-motorized tracks that accurately resembled the 1860s. The town of Clayton in Rabun County, Georgia, served as the production hub. Local landmarks like the Clayton Depot and the Clayton Cafe, which was then known as Cagle's Restaurant, appeared in the film and were frequented by cast and crew. Other Georgia locations were captured in Habersham County and towns like Lakemont There was some supplemental background footage that was provided by filming in Virginia. And while the real historical event took place in the Western and Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, that line had become too modernized for filming by 1955. So Disney used, they went the more rustic route.

Nick 21:45

So, To make it more

Joni 21:47

yeah, exactly. So this here, this action, family, adventure, and historical drama film is based on the true story, as Nick said, of the Civil War, specifically the date of April 12th, 1862, for the Andrews Raid, where Union spies led by James Andrews, played by Fess Parker, steal a Confederate train to sabotage Southern railroads by destroying bridges and telegraph lines, thus leading to a dramatic chase with conductor William Fuller, who was played by Jeffrey Hunter, in pursuit. The film, shot in and color, focuses on Raiders' mission to destroy supply lines, portraying it as a heroic effort, though it takes some dramatic liberties with the historical events. are no direct follow-ups or sequels, the historical events were famously adapted in the 1926 silent film called The General, starring Buster Keaton, which was, have you seen that?

Nick 22:50

one? No, but Buster Keaton was a very popular actor in that time.

Joni 22:54

Yeah. it was considered a cinematic masterpiece. And the great locomotive chase is relatively accurate, a live-action retelling, while The General is more of a comedy-action adaptation based on the same source material of William Pittenger's memoir, who is the

Nick 23:15

Sure. Yeah. Right

Joni 23:16

start the story and end the story. Yep. And while there were no awards won, like an Oscar or whatnot, it was notable for being nominated for a BAFTA award. The film is more frequently cited for the real-world honors of the men it depicts. The first Medal of Honor, the film's story centers on the Andrews Raiders, the Union soldiers who carried out the raid. Historically, these men were the first recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jacob Parrott, one of the soldiers, was portrayed in the film, and he was the first person to ever receive this award. The narrative framing, as I said, you know, you've got the talking beforehand and afterwards by this William It begins and ends with scenes of surviving raiders being presented with these medals by the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. So a little bit of bonus information. Walt was a secret, quote,"secret engineer," as he would reportedly take out the trains for a spin himself during filming breaks.

Nick 24:22

he would. Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? The man had a train in his

Joni 24:25

man had a train in his backyard. Oh, then this is why. Well, further down I'll get to probably why. I'm speculating. Number two bonus, because Walt was busy overseeing the construction of Disneyland at the time, he purposely hired a director and a producer with limited experience so he could maintain, again, quote,"the last word," unquote, on creative decisions without much pushback. Probably why he was able to take the trains out."I need to go test drive'em."

Nick 24:52

I need to s- A- as the executive producer, I gotta make sure this

Joni 24:55

That's right. The engines were also stunt doubles that were used in the films. So while the real General and Texas locomotive were in existence in 1956, they were not operational, so Disney used the William Mason, portrayed as the General, and the Inyo, portrayed as the Texas, with the William Mason going on to appear in several other films, including the 1999"Wild Wild West."

Nick 25:21

Wow. Uh,

Joni 25:22

Yeah. Have you seen that?

Nick 25:24

No, but that's from 19- mid-'50s to the late'90s. That's quite a span. Wow. That's impressive.

Joni 25:30

And the railway used for filming

Nick 25:32

Tullahoma

Joni 25:33

Falls. It didn't have any tunnels, so to stick to the hor- historical script, the crew had to build fake tunnel entrances on the sides of a hill.

Nick 25:42

Okay.

Joni 25:43

You know. So yeah. There was, there was some more l- bonus info as far as, like, the actors and whatnot, but I just wanted to stick to the-

Nick 25:50

the- Yeah, the the story when I watch movies that are based on true stories, I start googling, like, historical facts, and I was reading about it, and I didn't read a ton of it, but a lot of the information was, was pretty accurate. Yeah.

Joni 26:03

What said this one is more so- Yeah historically correct, whereas the other one's-

Nick 26:08

A- and what c- comedic what caught me as funny is, like, movies we watch today, there's, like, high-speed car chases, you know? Mm-hmm. And these, this literally train chase, these were going I think I read 20 to 30 miles an hour.

Joni 26:23

so

Nick 26:24

so yeah, it's just kind of funny to think about a, a train chase. So

Joni 26:28

So one of the things they do, they, they're going through on how they're sabotaging this is they're pulling up the railroad Yeah. The rails. So- Right so the train

Nick 26:37

could get derailed,

Joni 26:38

Because they were trying to, you know, get where they needed to go so they could blow up this bridge, And what was that thing called? It was called a push car.

Nick 26:45

A push car. The-

Joni 26:46

was literally a flat piece of wood on some wheels, and they were using a stick to kind of like, like you would in a, like a-

Nick 26:53

That was true. Yeah. That actually-

Joni 26:55

A long stick to push yourself alongside, and you gotta run it like you're

Nick 26:58

But- running

Joni 26:59

on a sled or something. I

Nick 27:00

it's basically a piece of wood that goes on a railroad track. The wheels go on the railroad track, and you're pushing it along with a stick like you would oar a boat. Yes. Oh,

Joni 27:08

yeah, yeah. Yep, exactly right. That's right. But

Nick 27:12

good movie. I liked it. Check it out, yeah.

Joni 27:13

I liked it.

Nick 27:14

It was not on Disney Plus. We did have to rent it. That's right. It was disappointing it wasn't on there'cause I would love for everybody to watch it. It

Joni 27:20

I wish that they would have all of them available

Nick 27:22

I don't know if it's a licensing thing or I, I don't know why that is, but okay. Well, thanks, Joni.

Joni 27:28

Yep. Of course.

Nick 27:29

On to this week's tip or trick. This has to do with planning your vacation.

Joni 27:34

I

Nick 27:34

know people spend a lot of time planning these vacations at Disney World, you know,'cause they're expensive, and maybe it's your one and done or, you know, you only go once every five years, 10 years, whatever it is. our advice, is to go in with a plan but be ready to shift that plan. Plan. Plan

Joni 27:51

with a plan.

Nick 27:52

Plan with a plan. Plan with a backup because what we know about Disney is, especially being in Central Florida and just the way it is-

Joni 28:00

Be flexible

Nick 28:02

will probably happen that's gonna throw a wrench into your plans.

Joni 28:05

ride's gonna go down.

Nick 28:06

I see people with these itineraries online. They're like, you know, 9:00 this ride, you know, 10:00 this, and it's just like, that's fine, you know, but don't expect that. probably not gonna happen.

Joni 28:19

Yeah, probably not. And then it just does mess

Nick 28:21

everything up and then it messes up your day, but just be flexible. Be ready to shift.

Joni 28:25

Now we, we like to just-- We have to have some sort of idea what's happening. Right. At least an area that we're gonna do. It doesn't have to be a specific ride, unless it's our top rides. We gotta get those in. But we've learned that it is just way too stressful for us anyway to live that tightly to a schedule. To a strict schedule. And you don't, we don't really enjoy our time very much. We feel like we're working.

Nick 28:50

Yep, exactly. We

Joni 28:51

So just go relax, have a good time.

Nick 28:53

book our Lightning Lanes, and we make our Lightning Lanes on time, and we just fill in the space between that makes sense to us and what's available to do.

Joni 29:02

Yeah, pri- just prioritize what you wanna get done.

Nick 29:05

Yeah. Yeah, and if you're going with a group, you know, let's say you're going with four kids, you know, prioritize, ask everybody in the group,"What is important to you? What is your must-do?" And then prioritize those. Sure. And then fill in the

Joni 29:16

In the order of where you are so you're not bouncing all over the park

Nick 29:19

So that's our tip. Make a plan, be flexible, be ready to shift. So I think that's gonna do it for this week's show. Happy Mother's Day again.

Joni 29:27

Mm-hmm.

Nick 29:28

You can get on our Facebook page at Main Street Talk. Facebook group is Disney World Tips and Tricks. The Instagram is Main Street Talk Podcast. Website is mainstreettalkpod.com. All of our info lives there. We are on YouTube, audio only, no video. And you can contact me for any Disney or cruise travel, nick.garcia@genietravelco.com. My services are free to use. And we are affiliates of the Magic Candle Company. The link is on the website. And use code MAINSTREETTALK at checkout for 15% off. So we will be back next week with more news, new movies, and more updates. That's right. So we will talk to you real soon.

Joni 30:07

Bye everyone.