Shannon chats with journalist and Disney fan Scott Gustin. If you aren’t on Twitter or aren’t familiar with Scott, you are in for a treat!
Who is Scott Gustin?
Scott’s career began in local news in North Carolina and transitioned into digital before joining the national team for digital media.
He has always been on a national content team creating digital content. His day job is still there but his personal connection with Disney has him combining non-sensationalized news for Disney to share.
His main role in content for his day job does include some Disney World and Disneyland Theme Park news. He works with the writers who write about Disney.
Scott is exclusively on Twitter because it’s what he has always used as a journalist. He likes Twitter for the real-time news updates. While it’s not a platform he loves, it’s the best place to monitor real-time news updates.
It’s really important to Scott to provide unique content. He doesn’t want to create something someone else is already doing. He also isn’t interested in Clickbait – he is interested in sharing news.
Scott is the source to find and share accurate information that isn’t sensationalized. He wants his followers to know that he is a good source of information, not clickbait.
Scott doesn’t stir the pot in terms of his day job. What he is doing and posting isn’t necessarily representative of his employer. Scott has never had an issue with it because he’s not interested in hot takes.
The Parks!
Scott started loving Disney because he went to the parks as a kid. When he was in college he started going more frequently. He and his wife have DVC as do several long-time friends.
He travels from his home in North Carolina and used to travel 4-5 times a day and has cut back a small bit. He now goes 4 or so times a year.
He has considered moving to Florida, but he couldn’t handle the heat of the summers. The humidity is too much. He also really loves North Carolina.
Scott’s favorite park is Epcot, even with the construction. His favorite attraction is Splash Mountain. He’s very excited about the retheme. He and his family also really like PeopleMover.
Scott and his wife are contemplating a trip for Festival of the Arts but will try to make it over to PeopleMover as well if they make the trip!
Scott loves traveling to Disney World from January to March. The weather is just perfect. The crowds used to be a big reason to go then as well because they were less, but now it is difficult to predict.
With regard to restaurants, Scott isn’t much of a foodie. He did say that he likes to eat what is convenient. They enjoy staying at Wilderness Lodge and Whispering Canyon is good. His preferences have changed with traveling with his children as well.
Skipper Canteen is a big favorite, but he used to not like it. He’s changed his mind because of some recent good experiences.
Disneyland
Scott also likes Disneyland and will be there soon for the 100th Celebration. He only started going about 10 years ago and goes about once a year.
For someone who loves Disney World, Scott recommends going to Disneyland to have the experience. Because Disneyland is more of a local park, there is a different feel.
Scott strongly recommends experiencing both Disneyland and Disney World!
Popular Questions
When will Annual Passes come back?
Scott doesn’t know, but his guess is in February. Disney tends to make ticket changes in February. He expects to see something by the end of February.
What about the dining plan?
Scott doesn’t know about this. He thinks that the FREE dining is over. He doesn’t think that the Dining Plan will come back until the reservation system is gone for dated tickets. He thinks that’s where we are headed.
The other thing to consider is inflation. With the dining plan you purchase food at a fixed price well before your trip. It’s hard for Disney to predict what the food costs will be in 6-12 months.
Scott thinks that Disney should give people what they want – which isn’t necessarily the Dining Plan. They want to be able to budget for their trip and knowing their food costs would be helpful.
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
There are lots of fun things to look forward to in 2023 at Disneyland – Disney 100, new shows, and Magic Happens Parade. He’s excited about Tron at Magic Kingdom and how Disney handles the crowds associated with it.
He’s also excited for the construction to be done at Epcot and to see what the new version looks like. Shannon hopes that some of the evening shows at Disney World will improve this year.
Will things be different with Bob Iger?
Scott hopes so. It will definitely take patience as there are other priorities than just the parks. It’s hard to know how long these things will take.
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