Uncle Walt's Insider Marty, Author at Uncle Walt's Insider

A PhotoPass picture from Universal Orlando. Photo by Oksana Yarysh [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons & Emily May [CC BY 2.0] via Flickr, modified.

PhotoPass photographer quietly working at Universal

Disney finds a subtle way to profit from the success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- Steven Weeber, 25, is a Disney cast member, but on his work days you won't find him anywhere at the Walt Disney World Resort. Instead Weeber, a photographer for Disney's PhotoPass service, is assigned to work at rival Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. "My leads found out I have an annual pass to Universal, and they said they'd pay me to set ...

March 15, 2018 by Marty in Florida

The Honorary Dapper Dan card of Indiana native Gus Lozuk.

“Honorary Dapper Dan” gets Waffle House discount

There are some perks that come with singing with the Dapper Dans. SEYMOUR, INDIANA -- For Indiana native Gus Lozuk, singing with the Dapper Dans barbershop quartet was a highlight of his 2012 trip to Florida's Magic Kingdom Park... and the "Honorary Dapper Dan" card he received that day has brought unexpected benefits. "I was eating at the local Waffle House a few years ago and was showing a friend the card. The manager saw it, and told me that it was ...

Disney Legend Ella, a feral cat. Inset image by Purrtacular.com.

Feral cat named Disney Legend

"Ella" is the first Legend who actually resides in a Disney park. ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA -- A cat living in California’s Disneyland Park has been officially recognized as a Disney Legend in a recent awards ceremony, after the honor was announced last fall. The brown and white cat, known by some cast members as “Ella” for how she plays with mice (before eating them), has been living in the park for at least eight years. The Walt Disney Company established the Disney Legends Award program ...

March 10, 2018 by Marty in Florida

Gorton’s to acquire struggling Sea World theme parks

"We know how to best serve the sea life in our care." GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS -- In a statement released Thursday morning, frozen seafood company Gortons, Inc., announced that they had acquired SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. The SeaWorld parks, which have seen falling attendance following criticism of their handling of the sea creatures in their care, have been looking for a buyer for several months. Gorton's spokesman Rudy Hartell tells Uncle Walt's Insider, "It's synergy. They have sea creatures, we need sea creatures. ...

March 8, 2018 by Marty in California, Florida, Other, World

The Dapper Dans perform. Inset photo by Daniel Orth via Flikr, Creative Commons (CC BY-ND 2.0).

News Brief: Dapper Dans to add hiphop, grunge to repertoire

The popular music styles have been around for decades, after all. ANAHEIM, CA & WALT DISNEY WORLD, FL -- Sources within Disney Parks and Resorts have confirmed that the Dapper Dans, the popular barbershop quartet that resides on Main Street USA in California's Disneyland Park and Florida's Magic Kingdom Park, will be adding barbershop arrangements of hiphop and grunge classics to their repertoire. While some see the move as controversial and possibly out of place for Main Street's turn of the 20th ...

March 6, 2018 by Marty in California, Florida