I’m Wesley Ryan, a Disney Parks Nerd
I know, I know, there are A LOT of Disney Parks-focused websites out there. Everyone's an expert, right? But hear me out…
At version 55.71 my primary objective is to build a Disney Parks Version Tracker - a fun and informative web tool to help you prioritize future Parks visits. Version 55.71 is powered by 4+ decades of Disney experiences from hundreds of Parks visits, to working on both Disney coasts, sailing on Disney Cruise Line, attending special events, nerdy Dis-facts, a love for the community at-large, and passion of family togetherness and making magical memories with old friends and new.
This is my Disney story. I hope you’ll stick around, follow along, and eventually trust what I’m trying to build.
A Native Disneylander
I don’t remember my first trip to Disneyland, and that’s kind of the point. Disneyland always existed. Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom was a permanent fixture in my childhood. Some of my earliest memories, from late last century, distinctly feature riding Pirates of the Caribbean with my grandparents and siblings. I would return to school the following day with wild stories of barreling down waterfalls into ghostly caves - which I definitely exaggerated and diagrammed to show the "steepness" of the drop for my unwitting classmates.
I regretfully remember begging for an over-sized “Happiest Place on Earth” novelty pencil as we stumbled back down Main Street USA close to midnight after the Park had closed. My parents, bless their souls, regretfully yielded and I would unabashedly wield the giant pencil in class as if it were a sword pulled from a stone. I was a lucky kid. I was spoiled. But who among us doesn’t yearn for souvenirs after a long Disney day, right?
A visit to Disneyland wasn’t only for the grade school playground clout. Disneyland was where my young imagination lived. Adventure. Frontier. Fantasy. These weren’t just themed lands with rides. They were open landscapes, fresh canvases, blank pages, empty hard drives, where my youthful fictional narratives were written and stored and wherein I was the protagonist.
We all were!
In the morning, we could be pirates hunting treasure. Later, you and I could discover what’s on the backside waterfalls while floating down uncharted jungle rivers. By lunchtime, I was galloping a Prince’s royal steed and in the next breath you’re an eager explorer navigating caverns and balancing barrel bridges (RIP) on a remote island on the frontier.
While the sun set, the moon rose and I’d rocket to outer space, shot off into the cosmos. A nightcap of fire breathing dragons, colorful fireworks, and a soundtrack of electro-syntho-magnetic music would send us to slumber with joyful sounds and the brights colors in our heads that would, as we slept, be etched in a deep and permanent relief on our mind and souls.
Days spent at Disneyland became an inalienable part of me from my youth until today, and forever.
Fast forward to adult Wesley. I'm older, wiser, and have grown-up money. I also have a wife, children, a love for photography, bills, responsibilities and a need to rest, reset and relive those childhood narratives. I get to adventure with my family, both immediate and extended - not only at Disneyland, but at Disney Parks around the world and even aboard Disney Cruise Line.
It’s a glorious past time
Speaking of Disney Cruise Line
My first Disney Cruise was in 2004 aboard the Disney Wonder. I was in my early twenties, sailing with a friend and my two brothers. This same trip was also my first visit to Walt Disney World. We were Disney Adults before it was cool (or cringe). Disney World was a breath of fresh air for a lifelong Disneylander but Disney Cruise Line absolutely blew me away. The service, the food, the architecture, the theatricality. The whole experience was like discovering a new kind of Disney magic. I still remember the dining team's costume change just before dessert at Animator’s Palate, the hilarity of Hercules: The Muse-ical, and the untouched natural beauty of Castaway Cay.
Since that first walk across the gangway I’ve sailed on multiple Disney ships (Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Wish) and on itineraries from different ports including Port Canveral, San Diego, Galveston, and Barcelona with sailings from Fort Lauderdale and Vancouver booked. I’ve always prioritized routes that stop at Castaway Cay. I cant get enough. My favorite ship is the Disney Dream. Its art deco inspired atrium and refined adult areas give it an edge over the newer, bigger Wish and older, smaller Magic and Wonder.
However, the Disney Dream’s title as fave may be in jeopardy. This November, we’ll be sailing on the maiden voyage of the Disney Destiny. With brand-new shows including the revival of Hercules, dining experiences like Feast of the Lion King, new lounges & bars that take cues from the Parks, and fellow DCL superfans & friends onboard to share it with, it’s going to be an unforgettable once in a lifetime experience.
And if that was the end of the story it’d be a happy ending. But there’s more…
To The Disney College Program and Beyond…
You see, back in 2006 I joined the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World. My first role was in attractions as host at Fantasmic! and the defunct “Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade” at the then-named Disney-MGM Studios. This isn’t the normal gig people think of when you tell them you work in attractions. I didn’t memorize scripts, tell puny jokes, or practice my best pirate impressions. I didn’t load or un-load guests from rides or get to wear any fun costumes. Instead, my role at Fantasmic! gave me and my fellow Cast Members-turned-best-friends some freedom to interact with guests in a more casual way and explore areas of the park during our shift we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. This earned us expert level knowledge of the ins-and-outs of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in just a few short months.
In fact, even though the length of a Disney College Program contract is typically only 5-6 months, I also managed to squeeze in a temporary, month-long assignment as an usher during Atlanta Braves Spring Training at ESPN Wide World of Sports. But more on that later.
In 2007, I returned to Walt Disney World for a Disney Professional Internship with Casting Services. There, I was the first point of contact for applicants in the hourly Cast Member hiring process. I worked alongside other casting departments from character auditions and bus drivers, to culinary and custodial. It was a crash course in the business of Disney and one of the most collaborative, inspiring environments I’ve ever worked in.
My leaders, Bekki and Christina, provided the freedom and trust to explore and share. It was an empowering and fulfilling time as I grew professionally. Together with other Casting Services interns we organized outings and events that educated the team on the physical locations and businesses where we each spent our College Programs. We networked with each other, managers, and leaders around the Resort. We even turned up the fun a bit and shared unique experiences in the form of behind-the-scenes tours of Fantasmic!, early-morning Segway rides around EPCOT, fireworks cruises, tours of the Walt Disney World Railroad roundhouse, visited the Magic Kingdom Castle Suite, and more, all with the POV of the logistics, business, management, and operational skills it takes to run these departments. It was an unforgettable era.
In 2008, I came home to California and helped launch the Disney College Program at The Disneyland Resort as a marketing representative. I partnered with DCP recruiters, like Andy DiGenova, and hit the pavement of local community colleges and University campuses where I fostered partnerships with students, staff, and faculty, in an effort to find the newest candidates to become Disneyland’s next best Cast Members.
Eventually, I moved into Guest Services at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa before deciding it was time to temporarily hang up my ears to focus on finishing college.
From Disney to Broadcast Media
Outside of Disney fandom, my hobbies included sports, photography (I currently shoot with a Sony a7IV) and video editing. When I became serious about finishing college I obviously majored in Mass Communication with a minor in Film Studies at Cal State San Bernardino. I fell in love with and learned live studio production. As a senior, my experience with The Walt Disney Company and Disney’s Wide World of Sports helped me earn a spot on the Ontario Reign (LA Kings minor league team) game day production crew. It wasn’t long before I was working full time as a freelance videographer, editor, and photographer in the greater Los Angeles area. I focused in on the live sports and entertainment scene. I’ve since worked events such as the Rose Bowl, the Tournament of Roses Parade, the MLB All-Star Game, and worked consistently on game-day production crews for the Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Rams, Chargers, USC, UCLA, and others. I'm currently in my 13th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and have two World Series Rings to show for it all.
In 2019, while teaching studio production at Pasadena City College, I received the call that I had been waiting almost a decade for. I was offered an opportunity to combine my interests in Disney and media as Event Specialist on the Communication Events team at the Disneyland Resort. My first assignment? Supporting the media event for the long awaited and hotly anticipated grand opening of Rise of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The Force was strong with this job. It felt like the beginning of a new story.
That story quickly took a major plot twist. The 2020 closure of the Disneyland Resort meant the end of that coveted role. However, the freedom and flexibility of the post-COVID world offered something new to me back in the world of broadcast television and sports and freelanced as a director at Tennis Channel. In 2022 I accepted a full-time position. From our studio in Santa Monica, CA I lead live broadcasts of studio shows and tennis matches being played all around the world with the same commitment and storytelling sensibility I learned with The Walt Disney Company.
What I Bring to the Table (And to Your Feed)
However grateful I am for my current gig, I’m left without a direct connection to the Parks and I’ve developed an itch that needs a scratch. This feeling of disassociation fueled the ideation of the Disney Parks Version Tracker.
Coupled with a big dose of nerdiness, my photography skills and experience creating media I concocted this website as an outlet for it all. My hope is the Parks Tracker can become a new tool for fans to use when planning a trip or just as a fun way to reminisce about past visits. This way, I can have fun building a community and creating something new that bridges my desire to stay connected to Disney Parks and Fans while providing some added value to the broader Disney Parks Fandom.
If you’re asking what the heck a Disney Parks Version Tracker is, read this.
Join the Journey
I’ve worked on both coasts. I’ve onboarded Cast Members, worked with Imagineers, and watched the company evolve from the inside. I’ve planned media events, documented attraction openings, and eaten more seasonal churros than I care to admit. I’ve even dined at Club 33 and visited Walt and Lillian’s apartment above the fire station on Main Street USA.
I’m not here to break news, although I’ll inevitably discuss it. I’m here to offer perspective, share experiences, and create a platform of information sharing in a community of like-mined individuals. I create content that reflects how real fans, like me and you, travel and tour and why it all matters in the first place. My opinion posts, changelogs, trip reports, and personal deep dives aren’t just filler, they’re built from lived experiences and a caring, endearing desire to inform and entertain all who come to this nerdy place.
Whether you're here for nostalgia, trip planning, cruise tips, or just to find out what version of Disneyland you visited in 2005, I hope version 55.71 will help you find an answer.
There’s a lot more to come. So follow along, subscribe, and let’s explore how Disney Parks evolve, one changelog at a time.
Alright, thats it for now. See ya next time.
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