🎢 Welcome to Episode 256 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast!

This week we’re diving into festival season in Florida — from SeaWorld Orlando’s Seven Seas Food Festival (including sampler card value + my personal “winners and misses”), to Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras (food booths, tribute store love, and parade observations), and a full rundown of our day at the Florida State Fair in Tampa (pigs, corgis, circus, and some very “atmosFAIR” food).

📰 News Roundup

• Busch Gardens Tampa: Cheetah Hunt is back open
• Universal Orlando: Volcano Bay goes cashless on Feb 25 + Annual Pass promo (3 extra months)
• Disney: Josh D’Amaro CEO transition details + water park schedule update
• Disney: New Disney Inspire Credit Card (we discuss what’s new and why it matters)
• Six Flags: Gold Pass/Membership Regional Park Access (4-region model)

🎯 Main Topics

• SeaWorld Orlando Seven Seas Food Festival (Jan 30 – May 17 on select days)
• Universal Orlando Mardi Gras (Feb 7 – Apr 4, daily)
• Florida State Fair Tampa (Feb 5 – Feb 16)

🎧 Listen to the podcast on your favorite platform

🌐 Website: https://vacationeerspodcast.com

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vacationeerspodcast/

🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vacationeertom

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VacationeerTom

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

Tom and Jon are back with Episode 255 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast — and we’ve got a packed show with updates, rumors, festival talk, and a Halloween survey from United Parks for some intrigue.

News we cover:

• Universal Orlando Resort announces Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift (plus what it means for Fast & Furious: Supercharged)
• Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval concert lineup revealed
• Revenge of the Mummy incident update (medical examiner findings + attorney Ben Crump involvement)
• Missed last episode: the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! boulder incident at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney Skyliner closure window + other Walt Disney World Resort updates (including Cinderella Castle show adjustments)
• Garden Rocks Concert Series lineup drop at EPCOT
• Harambe Market reopening menu, plus Gideon's Bakehouse expanding with Six Ravens
• SeaWorld Orlando Seven Seas concerts + Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Mardi Gras dates
• Development Watch: Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks filed plans near the Disney area

Rumor Report:

• Pokémon at Universal (global partnership is real — Orlando location is the speculation)
• Supercharged replacement guesses

Main topics:

• EPCOT International Festival of the Arts thoughts
• Full recap of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Mardi Gras weekend: Serengeti Safari, food samples, Springs Taproom, and yes… the “lost lanyard” saga.

More from Vacationeers: https://vacationeerspodcast.com

Follow Tom: X/Twitter: @vacationeertom | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vacationeerspodcast/

So until the next vlog, podcast or livestream, keep making memories.

In Episode 254, Tom is joined by Jon, Dave, and Kris for a full 2025 stats breakdown—YouTube performance, podcast numbers, park visit tracking, ride counts, and the takeaways your data is screaming at you. Plus: Disney Springs news, a Disney+ arbitration controversy update, a Universal Epic Universe incident making headlines, SeaWorld’s “duck lawsuit” dismissal, Disney summer deals, and Cool KIDS’ SUMMER 2026 park-by-park.

Welcome to Episode 253 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast — and our first episode of 2026.

After a short break from the news desk, Tom and Jon are back with a packed episode covering major industry headlines, park changes, Disney announcements, and a full Rumor Report segment where the fog rolls in and the fact-checking clocks out.

In this episode, we discuss the passing of SeaWorld Orlando’s killer whale Katina and former Disney Imagineer Eddie Sotto, major IP news as Sony acquires control of the Peanuts brand, attraction updates across Florida parks, Disney’s newly released 2026 calendar, ticket deals, and a mountain of announcements from Walt Disney World.

Plus, we dive headfirst into rumors, including potential changes coming to Busch Gardens Tampa, Universal Orlando rumors, and early speculation surrounding Halloween Horror Nights 2026, including rumored houses, scare zones, and live entertainment changes.

Proceed with caution — this episode covers facts and speculation.

It’s the final VacationCheers episode of the season and the last podcast of 2025, so naturally we went big.

In Episode 252, Tasseled Tom is joined by Caroling Kris for a holiday-packed rundown featuring a Tennessee Christmas weekend, festive theme parks, concerts, and haunted holidays.

We kick things off with a Christmas-filled trip to Pigeon Forge, including our stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Pigeon Forge on the Parkway, dining mishaps (and wins) at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, and festive fun at Anakeesta during Enchanted Christmas.

From there, it’s all aboard for Dollywood and their iconic Smoky Mountain Christmas. We talk about rides, shows, lights everywhere and first-time reactions to Big Bear Mountain and Dragonflier.

We also touch on:

• Wild Adventures Theme Park – Christmas Wild & Bright

• Red Vein Haunted Christmas with Ian

• Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday magic with Joanna

Along the way, there are injuries, veteran discounts, hot cocoa economics, percussion appreciation, and a few classic Vacationeers side quests.

We close out the episode—and the year—by saying thank you for the support in 2025 and looking ahead to what’s coming in 2026.

Central Florida goes full sleigh-bell chaos, and we’re here to break it all down.

In Episode 251 of the VacationCheers Podcast, Tom is joined by Jon as they kick things off with Jon’s firsthand experience at Holidays at LEGOLAND Florida, before diving headfirst into the heavy hitters: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Christmas Town, SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration, and Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort.

From LEGOLAND’s family-friendly seasonal fun to millions of lights, ice shows, sampler cards, Grinch sightings, wizarding holiday magic, and Macy’s-style parades, we cover:

• What each event offers
• When they run
• What’s included vs. up-charge
• And what’s actually worth your time (and money)

Whether you’re planning a holiday park crawl or just want to soak in the festive chaos from your couch, this episode has you covered.

🎄 Bring the cocoa

🎢 Watch the wait times

🎟️ Never lose your sampler card

Episode 250 is here — and it’s time to take a victory lap.

In this milestone episode of Vacationeers Theme Parks & More, we celebrate 250 episodes by breaking down the podcast by the numbers. From the most-discussed parks and seasonal spin-offs to co-host appearances, episode lengths, and how the show has evolved since Episode 1 in 2017, this episode is all about the journey.

We look back at the early days, the rise of VacationScares and VacationCheers, the growth into longer-form discussions, and the incredible friends who’ve joined us along the way. Whether you’ve been listening since the beginning or just hopped on the ride recently, Episode 250 is a celebration of theme parks, travel, and the memories we’ve made together.

Thanks for being part of it — here’s to the next 250.

• Episode Number: 250
• Podcast: Vacationeers Theme Parks & More
• Release Date: December 1, 2025
• Length: 45:06
• Host: Tom
• Co-Host(s): Ian, Dave & Kris

• 250 episodes of Vacationeers history
• Podcast stats and milestones
• Co-host Hall of Fame
• Most-covered parks and destinations
• VacationScares & VacationCheers evolution
• How the show has changed over time
• Looking ahead to the future of the podcast

🎙️ Podcast available on all major platforms

📺 YouTube (audio version): https://www.youtube.com/c/VacationeersPodcast

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vacationeerspodcast/

📩 Contact the show: vacationeerspodcast@gmail.com

(Great to include in show notes or on your website)

• 250 episodes released since 2017
• Average release cadence: ~12 days
• Total runtime: 271+ hours (over 11 days of audio)
• VacationScares episodes: 30
• VacationCheers episodes: 15
• Only one solo episode ever: Episode 217

• Universal Orlando
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg
• Walt Disney World
• SeaWorld Orlando
• Busch Gardens Tampa
• Cruises & travel adventures

Welcome to Episode 249 of the VacationCheers Podcast!

I’m your jolly host, Twinkly Tom, joined by Christmas Kris, and today we’re diving face-first into Florida’s holiday trifecta:

❄ Now Snowing at Celebration

🎄 Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

🧊 ICE! at Gaylord Palms

We break down the atmosphere, entertainment, food, surprises, and all the cozy-chaotic fun each of these holiday events brings to Central Florida. Whether you’re hunting for snowfall in 70-degree weather or freezing your mittens off inside a 9-degree ice cavern, there’s something magical waiting for you.

🔥 Related Vlogs You Shouldn’t Miss:

• This year's ICE!: https://youtu.be/A-fnDvlrUGU

• Jollywood Nights Opening Night Vlog: https://youtu.be/Q3bXcJrYUlg

• Last year’s ICE! (for comparison): https://youtu.be/7pgQisZFatY

📺 Latest from Vacationeers YouTube

Livestreams every Wednesday at 7 PM on the Vacationeers YouTube Channel!

🛒 New Merch on Amazon:

Rip Ride Rockit Tee

Scaredy Cat Halloween Shirt

Graveyard Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Tee

I Came for the Boos (Disney inspired)

🔗 Follow & Support Us

Facebook: Vacationeers Theme Parks and More

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/VacationeerTom

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If you enjoy the show, please leave a positive review on iTunes—it helps the holiday spirits find us faster!