Pod Soup: Same Question, Different Answer

I mentioned that I wanted to do an offshoot similar to TV show "The Soup", but with Disney podcasts. Well, I found my first topic quite by accident. Let me introduce the podcasts first.

First podcast is WDW Today. Podcasters: Matt, Mike, Mike and Len. Mongello y'all.

Second podcast is Inside the Magic. Podcaster: Ricky. My first Disney podcast. Ever. I started listening when he was still in single digits, and wet behind the ears.

Now what do these two podcasts have in common as of this week?

Both podcasts tackled a similar question, but gave polar opposite answers. And of course it had to be a hot-button issue, too. To be fair, WDW Today answered this question on a live show a month ago, and the question came up just this week on Inside the Magic.

The question:

If you've got a breakfast reservation at the Polynesian, is it ok to leave your car there for the rest of the day and go park hopping?

When WDW Today answered this question, it seemed that Matt was ready to tell the listener that he should be able to park and stay without a problem. But Mike Newell suddenly discovered he had vocal cords (yeah, who knew?) and completely stood his ground about this being a bad idea. Mike Scopa then piped up in support of Newell. Newell said that the guests of the resort can have a difficult time finding decent parking spaces for themselves when those who park there all day take spaces that guests of the resort should have. Scopa said that he encountered that problem personally as a guest of the Polynesian.

But Newell didn't stop there. He suggested that if you know you're going to want to hop for the day, it's not difficult to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), and either take the resort monorail or walk to the Polynesian. I completely agreed with Newell. I've walked from the TTC to Polynesian. It's not a far walk. Those with mobility issues would still be able to catch the monorail. One li'l stop.

So as I listened to Ricky's podcast today, I heard myself mentally screaming at my iPod:

"Ricky, Noooooooo!"

Ricky encouraged the listener to go to his Kona breakfast and leave the car there all day.

Gah. I'm disappointed, Ricky. I know this is one of those hotly debated issues on message boards. And yes, I know people who have no problem giving this advice. Technically, Disney gives you a 3-hour pass to park at a resort. I don't think people should park there all day, but they do. Now Ricky is giving his listeners carte blanche to do this, and I cringe. Mostly because I know there's a convenient alternative at the TTC, and nobody would be breaking any "rules".

I have a feeling Ricky's going to get some listener feedback about this advice. Should I email him and give him my .02 on this subject? Ricky, love the podcast, hate the answer. I hope he changes his tune on next week's show.