Hangin' at the Hangar Bar -- A Disney Adults Podcast

Scott Minks

Pull up a chair with Scott and Candice, a Disney-loving married couple who have been visiting Walt Disney World together for decades. Hangin' at the Hangar Bar is a Disney podcast for adults who love the parks, food, resorts, cruises, movies, history, nostalgia, and all the wonderfully ridiculous conversations that come with being a Disney fan. We're not a news show. We're longtime Disney adults who still love the magic but aren't afraid to question it. Grab a drink and join the conversation!

  1. 4d ago

    Scott's Perfect Day: Hollywood Studios

    What does a “perfect day” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios look like when Scott gets to make all the rules? This week, we’re continuing our Perfect Day series with a full day at Hollywood Studios! Scott has planned the day from morning to night, and his goal is ambitious: can he create a Hollywood Studios itinerary good enough to change Candice’s less-than-enthusiastic opinion of the park? Before we get there, though, we tackle an important Disney debate: Halloween or Christmas? We talk about why Christmas at Walt Disney World feels extra magical, the questionable timing of Florida’s Halloween season, and why fake snow on a warm Florida evening somehow works better than it has any right to. Then it’s time to head to Hollywood Studios! We’re staying at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, sleeping in just a little, and taking the Skyliner over to the park. From there, Scott’s perfect day includes: • Breakfast from Woody’s Lunch Box• Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania• A big lunch at 50’s Prime Time Café• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway• Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster featuring The Muppets• An afternoon beer break at BaseLine Tap House• Walt Disney Presents• Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage (with The Little Mermaid as a backup!)• Waiting until DARK to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge• Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — preferably in Chewie Mode• Nighttime wandering, shopping and photos in Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land• A casual dinner around Echo Lake• Fantasmic! to close out the night• A relaxing boat ride back to Beach Club Along the way, we debate whether Tower of Terror is still a must-do, why Scott doesn’t need a $250 lightsaber living in a closet, whether Disney should offer a “build it but don’t keep it” lightsaber experience, and just how much backtracking Candice will tolerate before abandoning Scott on a park bench. And somehow we end up imagining ourselves still recording this podcast in 2042, complaining about attractions Disney removed while riding around the parks on scooters. AARP, please don’t cancel us. Would this perfect day change YOUR opinion of Hollywood Studios? What would you add, skip or rearrange? Come hang out with us! Follow Hangin’ at the Hangar Bar on Instagram @hanginatthehangarbar and find us on Facebook. And if you enjoy the show, follow the podcast, leave us a review, and share the episode with another Disney adult! Remember, there’s always a great big beautiful tomorrow — and we’ll see you real soon!

    Scott's Perfect Day: Hollywood Studios
  2. Aug 31

    EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: Let’s Talk About the Food

    The appetizer is over. **Now we eat.**In Part 2 of our 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival series, Scott and Candice are working their way through the festival menus—from CommuniCore Hall all the way around World Showcase—to figure out what we'd order, what we'd skip, and what has us seriously regretting that we aren't going this year.This year's festival celebrates its **30th anniversary**, and Disney is reaching into the archives to bring back 30 dishes from previous festivals. That means we're finding menu items dating all the way back to the original 1996 festival alongside plenty of new additions.Along the way, we're talking about:🍷 New and returning dishes from around World Showcase🥨 Germany's schnitzel, Schinkennudeln and returning Apfelstrudel🧀 A LOT of cheese—and Candice is understandably pleased🥒 Pickle wings, fried pickles and the inexplicably immortal pickle milkshake🥃 Enough Old Fashioneds for Scott to contemplate an entire Food & Wine Old Fashioned crawl🍺 Beer, cider, cocktails and some increasingly ridiculous beverage names🐌 France's returning escargot bites—or, as Scott quickly rechristens them, "snail bread"🥩 Why you should adjust your expectations before criticizing the doneness of a tiny festival-booth steak🍰 Bread pudding, cheesecake, crème brûlée, funnel cake and plenty of other ways to abandon moderationWe also discover that you could build your entire festival day around a theme—Old Fashioneds, desserts, plant-based dishes, cheese, or whatever sounds good—and use that as your own personal Food & Wine crawl.But after looking at the entire 2026 lineup, we have to ask: **Is Food & Wine still one of EPCOT's best festivals?**There are plenty of dishes we'd happily try, and we're glad Disney brought back favorites from the festival's 30-year history. But the overall menu left us feeling a little...whelmed. There's plenty of solid, elevated theme-park food, but are there enough adventurous and innovative dishes to make a festival built entirely around food feel truly special?As always, those are just our opinions—and we want yours!If you're headed to EPCOT Food & Wine this year, tell us what you're planning to try. Better yet, come back after your trip and tell us what was fantastic, what disappointed you, and whether our completely uninformed opinions based solely on menu descriptions were spectacularly wrong.Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Discord and come hang out with us!

    EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: Let’s Talk About the Food
  3. Aug 24

    EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: Everything BUT the Food

    The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is back for 2026—and before we start eating our way around World Showcase, we're looking at everything ELSE the festival has to offer!This week, Scott and Candice kick off a two-part Food & Wine series with a guide to the festival beyond the marketplace menus. We start with the important question: Is Food & Wine actually our favorite EPCOT festival? Candice makes the case for Food & Wine, while Scott remains firmly on Team Festival of the Arts.Then we're exploring what you can see, do, collect, hear and experience at this year's festival, including:🍷 The 30th anniversary of EPCOT's original festival🧀 Emile's Fromage Montage and how the cheese challenge works🐀 Remy's Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt🎶 The Eat to the Beat Concert Series, dining packages and why they may be worth considering🧀 A new cheese-themed experience coming to CommuniCore Hall🛍️ 30th-anniversary festival merchandise📸 Food & Wine PhotoPass Magic Shots—including one Scott would happily wait far too long for🍽️ Disney's new festival eating shelves and the long-overdue possibility of retiring the EPCOT tradition of dining on a trash canWe also share some lessons we've learned from experiencing Food & Wine over the years. The festival can be a great place to stretch your culinary comfort zone, but expectations matter. These dishes are being produced outdoors, in huge quantities, for thousands of guests. Enjoy them for what they are, be kind to the Cast Members, ask questions if you have dietary concerns—and maybe eat your food while it's still hot instead of spending ten minutes creating content with it.And seriously: those new shelves are for eating. They are NOT changing tables. We can't believe we have to say this either.This episode is just the appetizer. Next week we're digging into the 2026 marketplace menus booth by booth, talking about what sounds fantastic, what we're curious about, and what we'd probably skip.If you're attending Food & Wine this year, we want to hear from you! Once you've tried some of the dishes, find us on Facebook, Instagram or Discord and tell us what lived up to the hype—and what definitely didn't.Grab a drink, get comfy, and come hang out with us!

    EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: Everything BUT the Food
  4. Aug 17

    Disney Heroes & Villains: Behind the Costumes

    What happens when you take Disney movie magic off the screen and put it on a mannequin? This week on Hangin’ at the Hangar Bar, we’re taking you along on our birthday-weekend road trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where we visited The Walt Disney Archives presents Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume at The Durham Museum. We went in expecting incredible costumes, Disney storytelling, and maybe a little of the immersive experience we remembered from Disney100. What we found was a little different — but it gave us plenty to talk about. We discuss what it’s like to stand inches away from costumes actually worn on screen and whether seeing how the magic is created makes it feel less magical — or makes you appreciate the work behind it even more. Some of our favorite and most surprising costumes included: Johnny Depp’s incredibly detailed Wolf costume from Into the Woods Captain Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean — including Candice sniffing Jack Sparrow’s costume. For science. Meryl Streep’s Witch costume from Into the Woods Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent Helena Bonham Carter’s Queen of Hearts Costumes from Mary Poppins Returns Jafar from the live-action Aladdin Oprah Winfrey’s gorgeous costume from A Wrinkle in Time Danny DeVito’s surprisingly tiny costume from Dumbo Belle’s yellow dress from Beauty and the Beast, which looked very different standing in a museum than we expected from seeing it on screen We also talk about how much costumes contribute to creating a character. Fabric, texture, color, accessories, fit and even something as simple as Barbossa’s hat can completely change how we perceive someone before the actor says a word. Then we turn our attention to The Durham Museum itself. We enjoyed our visit, but it led to an interesting realization: Have years of visiting Disney parks completely ruined us for traditional museums? We’re accustomed to Disney telling us why every object matters and surrounding it with story. At the Durham, we sometimes found ourselves asking, “Okay…but what are we supposed to be getting from this?” Is that a museum storytelling problem — or a Disney adult problem? We think the answer may be a little of both. Ultimately, the exhibit also connects back to a question we’ve been exploring recently: Are we losing the Disney magic? Maybe understanding how the illusion is created doesn’t diminish the magic. Seeing the craftsmanship and work behind these movies might simply give us another, deeper way to connect with stories we already love. If you’re near Omaha and enjoy Disney, movies, theater, costuming or filmmaking, we think the exhibit is worth a visit. Our advice: slow down, read the placards and look at the details. There’s a lot hiding in plain sight. We Want to Hear From You!D23 brought some big Disney announcements, but Hangin’ at the Hangar Bar isn’t really a Disney news podcast. So what would you rather hear? Should we do a full episode with our D23 reactions, or weave our thoughts into cold opens and future episodes when they’re relevant? Come tell us on Facebook, Instagram or Discord — and check out our social channels for photos from the costume exhibit! Grab a drink, grab a snack, and come hang out with us. There’s always a great big beautiful tomorrow — and we’ll see you real soon!

    Disney Heroes & Villains: Behind the Costumes
  5. Aug 10

    Scott's Perfect Day: Epcot

    What does Scott’s perfect day at EPCOT look like? We’re finally finding out! But first, we kick things off with a little Disney news that couldn’t be more perfectly timed. Disney has ordered a pilot for a new Disney+ series inspired by Spaceship Earth. We talk about what we know so far, why Candice was initially VERY excited about the idea (until Scott explained what kind of show it might actually be), and whether we like Disney taking original theme park ideas and turning them into new stories instead of always bringing existing movie IP into the parks. And yes, if they make a show about Spaceship Earth and nobody thanks the Phoenicians, we may have a problem. Then it’s time to officially begin Scott’s Perfect Day series! We’re starting at EPCOT, but before we can enter the park, Scott has some decisions to make. What time of year are we visiting? Where are we staying? And after debating Old Key West, the monorail resorts and Beach Club, Scott makes a potentially dangerous discovery: if this is his perfect vacation, there’s absolutely nothing stopping him from planning a split stay. With Beach Club chosen as our starting point, we head into EPCOT for Scott’s perfect day — and surprisingly, he starts by slowing things down. We’re talking an early Garden Grill breakfast, Living with the Land, Soarin’, time actually exploring the aquarium at The Seas, Figment, Journey of Water, Spaceship Earth, Guardians of the Galaxy and plenty of time to wander instead of racing from attraction to attraction. Then, of course, there’s the food and drink. A brat and beer in Germany. A tequila experience at La Cava del Tequila. Wandering World Showcase without over-planning every stop. Bread and cheese from France to enjoy with a beer in the UK. And somehow Scott manages to temporarily forget about one of his favorite EPCOT treats — much to Candice’s disbelief. As evening arrives, Scott starts repeating a few attractions for a very specific reason: he wants to experience EPCOT after dark. That means another ride on Living with the Land, another walk through Journey of Water, and eventually settling into GEO-82 for drinks, food and a view of the nighttime spectacular — followed by one of Scott’s favorite Disney experiences: letting everybody else leave first. This isn’t about squeezing every attraction into a single day. Scott skips Mission: SPACE, Space 220 and Test Track, and he’s not willing to call the newest version of Frozen Ever After part of his “perfect day” until he’s actually experienced it. It’s about building the EPCOT day that feels perfect to him — good food, favorite attractions, drinks, plenty of wandering, and enough breathing room to actually enjoy being there. Now we want to hear from you: Go back and listen to Candice’s Perfect EPCOT Day and tell us — whose perfect day would you rather join? And what would you change about Scott’s day? Which attraction did he leave out? Where would you eat? What’s an absolute must-do on YOUR perfect EPCOT day? Come hang out with us on Facebook, Instagram and Discord and let us know! Thanks for hanging out with us at the Hangar Bar. Grab a drink, get comfy, and remember: there’s always a great big beautiful tomorrow!

    Scott's Perfect Day: Epcot
  6. Jul 27

    Food shouldn't be homework!!

    Planning your Disney vacation can be magical...until dining reservations, dining plans, influencer recommendations, and festival food all start competing for your attention.In this episode, Scott and Candice take an honest look at how their approach to Disney dining has changed over the years. Once enthusiastic supporters of the Disney Dining Plan, they've discovered that the "best value" isn't always the best vacation—and that sometimes less planning actually creates a better experience.Along the way, they discuss:• Why the Disney Dining Plan doesn't feel quite the same anymore• How dining reservations have become one of the most stressful parts of planning a trip• The influence social media has on restaurant popularity—and why you shouldn't always follow the crowd• Balancing table service meals with EPCOT festival booths• Whether Disney should introduce a snack-only dining plan• Restaurants and food that lived up to the hype—and a few that didn't• Why lounges like Nomad Lounge and GEO-82 are becoming some of their favorite Disney experiences• The importance of researching restaurants without overthinking every meal• How travel professionals can help simplify the planning process• Why food should enhance your vacation—not become homeworkYou'll also hear Scott pitch a (mostly tongue-in-cheek...mostly) Disney World bar crawl idea that just might deserve a patent.Whether you're planning your first Walt Disney World vacation or your fifteenth, this conversation is all about finding the dining experiences that fit *your* travel style instead of chasing someone else's must-do list.Because at the end of the day, the best Disney meal isn't necessarily the hardest reservation to get—it's the one that makes your vacation even more magical.---**Question of the Week:**What's your perfect Disney dining vibe? Fancy signature dining, character meals, festival booths, or simply great food in a uniquely Disney setting?Let us know on Facebook or Instagram—we'd love to hear your favorite Disney dining experiences!Follow us:📸 Instagram: @hanginatthehangarbar📘 Facebook: Hangin' at the Hangar BarThanks for listening, and remember...**There's always a great big beautiful tomorrow.**

    Food shouldn't be homework!!
  7. Jul 20

    Changing Our Minds About Disney

    Welcome back to Hangin' at the Hangar Bar! This week, Scott and Candice explore the Disney experiences they were convinced they would dislike—only to discover that some of them eventually became favorites. From classic attractions and Pixar films to bourbon tastings and fireworks shows, this episode is all about keeping an open mind and letting Disney surprise you.In this episode:✨ Why Scott went from avoiding Carousel of Progress to calling it one of his favorite attractions in Walt Disney World—and how its storytelling, history, and connection to Walt Disney changed his perspective.🎢 Candice explains why she expected to hate Expedition Everest, including her roller-coaster skepticism and concerns about "Betty the Yeti," and why the attraction ultimately won her over.🥨 A surprising Disney food confession: Candice discovers that not all bread pudding is created equal, thanks to favorites like the pretzel bread pudding in Germany and other Disney desserts.🎬 The hosts revisit unexpected movie favorites, including Pixar's Hoppers, Disney's live-action Aladdin, and the Amy Adams/Jason Segel Muppet film. Along the way, they debate what makes a great Muppet movie—and why too many humans can ruin the magic.🌌 Candice reflects on her initial doubts about Galaxy's Edge and why the immersive details, sounds, and nighttime atmosphere changed her opinion completely.🐭 Candice shares why she expected to dislike Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and how the attraction's queue, scale tricks, and trackless ride system proved her wrong.🥃 A Disney Cruise Line bourbon tasting leads to an unexpected discovery: Candice may not dislike bourbon after all.🚗 Looking ahead, Candice reveals that she already has strong opinions about the upcoming Cars expansion in Magic Kingdom—and Disney still has time to prove her wrong.🎆 The episode closes with a conversation about EPCOT nighttime spectaculars, including Harmonious, Luminous, and why Disney fireworks hit differently when Imagineering has to tell a story in every direction around World Showcase Lagoon.What Disney experience did you expect to hate but ended up loving? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Discord—we'd love to hear your picks!As always, remember: there's a great big beautiful tomorrow. ✨

    Changing Our Minds About Disney
4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Pull up a chair with Scott and Candice, a Disney-loving married couple who have been visiting Walt Disney World together for decades. Hangin' at the Hangar Bar is a Disney podcast for adults who love the parks, food, resorts, cruises, movies, history, nostalgia, and all the wonderfully ridiculous conversations that come with being a Disney fan. We're not a news show. We're longtime Disney adults who still love the magic but aren't afraid to question it. Grab a drink and join the conversation!

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