The Great Disneyland Ticket Caper (Ep. 584)

The Great Disneyland Ticket Caper (Ep. 584)

May 18, 2026 · 51 min · Episode 584

About this episode

Len Testa and Jim Hill discuss recent theme park news and delve into Disneyland's opening-day ticket scandal.

Len Testa and Jim Hill break down a busy week in theme park news, from Bluey crowd control at Animal Kingdom to Universal’s possible drone-show ambitions. Len also crunches the numbers on the best days to visit Magic Kingdom, because nothing says vacation like 22 million wait times and a spreadsheet with emotional damage. Then Jim digs into Disneyland’s opening-day ticket scandal and why Walt Disney may have had very good reasons to sour on Western Publishing. NEWS • Disney’s Animal Kingdom prepares for Bluey with a virtual queue and some serious toddler-capacity math. • Len explains why Sundays may be your best Magic Kingdom bet from January through July, while party season flips the calendar. • Disneyland’s Autopia goes electric in 2027, raising questions about batteries, car design, and Tomorrowland’s long-overdue tune-up. • Universal Orlando surveys guests about pets, which may hint at Secret Life of Pets possibilities in Florida. • A new Universal patent features an onboard animated figure, possibly a frog, possibly a nightmare with wheels. FEATURE • Jim revisits Disneyland’s chaotic 1955 opening day and the mysterious flood of “legitimate” invitations. • The story points…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Hill

Guest: Len Testa

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Disney, Universal

Places: Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disneyland

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