864 · What Does It Actually Take to Lead Disney? Chairman Thomas Mazloum - His First Interview

Lou Mongello: 00:00:36

What does it really take to lead 12 Disney theme parks, 57 resort hotels, Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Signature Experiences, while also supporting more than 180,000 cast members around the world and still make every single guest feel like they're the only person in the room?

Well, I sat down with Thomas Mazloum, the new chairman of Disney Experiences, in his first interview since taking over the role from now Disney CEO Josh tomorrow, as he is the man who now has that responsibility when we spoke one on one at Disneyland in a very honest, thoughtful, and, I think, powerful conversation.

And what he told me about trust, people first, leadership, guest experiences, the future of Disney parks around the world, and what Walt still means to him personally is something that every Disney fan needs to hear. Andy explains why what matters most hasn't changed, even as everything else has.

Hello, my friend, and welcome to WDW Radio, your guide to Disney parks and experiences around the world. I am Lou Mongello, and this is show number 864.

And whether this is your first time listening or you've been with me since the very beginning more than 20 years ago, thank you for being here and welcome home. Before we dive in, come join the community and conversation over in the WW Radio clubhouse.

Watch and chat with me every Wednesday night at 7:30pm Eastern on Facebook and YouTube for WW Radio Live. And sign up for my free weekly email newsletter over WDWRadio.com.

And when you're ready to plan your next Disney vacation, visit my friends over@m MouseFanTravel.com for completely free expert vacation planning. I'm gonna give you one more week to answer our last trivia question contest as I really want the focus to be on my conversation with Thomas.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WW Radio show. I look forward and appreciate the opportunity to have every guest on the show.

But then there are also some guests who make me so genuinely grateful for what I get to do and more importantly, share with you. And Thomas Mazloum is the latter.

rt of the Disney family since: 1998

n returning home to Disney in: 2017

to double the Cruise fleet by: 2031

Most recently, he served as president of Disneyland Resort, leading more than 36,000 cast members through the park's 70th anniversary celebration and guiding the Long range Disneyland Forward expansion initiative.

And if you listen Back to show 810 of WDW radio, just a few months ago, you heard us sit down together to talk about the future of Disney Cruise Line right after the christening of the Disney treasure. Now he's taken on the biggest role of his career.

He is now the chairman of Disney Experiences, which is a portfolio that spans all 12 theme parks, 57 resort hotels, Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Vacation Club Adventures by Disney, Nat Geo Expeditions, Aulani, Golden Oak Story Living by Disney, and Disney Consumer Products, with a worldwide team of more than 180,000 cast members.

And I think what's even more important than the scope of his role is how he leads, because he stepped into this role from Josh tomorrow, who was obviously recently named CEO of the Walt Disney Company.

And what you're about to hear is his first interview in this new role, recorded one on one, in person, just the two of us, Disneyland at a very special Make a Wish event, which I'll talk about more on a future episode. But what I love about this conversation is just that it's just he and I having a real unscripted discussion about him and his new role and vision.

Trust, people first, leadership, what Walt still means to him personally, which I love, and his promise, direct and unhesitating to every Disney guest and cast member around the world.

And I think you're really gonna love this one because it's one of those that I think really matters and because of, I think who Thomas is as both leader and cast member and just as a person. And we talk a lot in this conversation about trust, about how Disney earns it and protects it and why it matters so deeply.

So I want to ask you, what is that moment that made you trust Disney? The experience, the interaction, the cast member, the memory that made you think like, yes, this place is different.

This place and these people are special. I want to hear from you because the trust is really so important, not just to our conversation, but but I think our experience as Disney fans.

-: 9391

I genuinely can't wait to read and hear your answers. Once again, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the time that Thomas spent with me and to welcome him back to WW Radio.

I hope that you feel that you are sitting at the table with the two of us and enjoy my conversation with Thomas Mazloum.

So, Thomas, it is so good to see you again. I am so grateful for the opportunity to speak with you again.

probably back in November of: 2024

And I've always appreciated your perspective and your candor in terms of where things are going and how you think about your role and leadership and experience and the people behind it all. But before we start talking about that, I think it's so important contextually to talk about why we happen to be at the same place at the same time.

There is a very special Make a Wish event going on just outside the doors here. And I've always loved how important the relationship is between Make a Wish and Disney. Very quick story.

rted writing my first book in: 2003

And I've been working with Make a Wish ever since and to show, like, the real power of community. Like, we've raised more than $550,000 to send. Yeah. And to get to meet some of those kids and those families.

So to see this and just the way that you continue to embrace it and create an event like this and a night like this for those families is very special. I just want to acknowledge that to you, first and foremost.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:08:23

Thank you, Lou. You know, I also have a personal story when it comes to Make a Wish. And there's so many things I could say about Make a Wish.

Not only about the event tonight. But I shared this often with people within our organization as well as at home, quite frankly.

And I remember it vividly because many years ago I was on a flight to California and I had to change planes in Salt Lake City. I never forget it.

And I remember going on the plane, taking my seat, and the captain came on over the PA and announced that we have a Make A Wish child on the plane. And in the same sentence, you said, and the kid, the child wanted to go and will go to Disneyland.

And then, of course, within a split second, the entire plane started to applaud. But there was something again, that reminded me again about the power of how we can make a difference in someone's life.

And if you think about this, I sometimes have to pinch myself or remind myself, the Walt Disney Company or Disney, we grant a wish almost every hour of the day. It's one of our longest standing relationships. I think it's one of the most. Not just most important, but they really matter immensely.

They matter for the beautiful children. They matter for our cast members. Our cast members feel incredibly proud of what we do to Hopton.

And if you think about this, if you think about it, for me, it's actually a privilege to be part. And for all of us, it's a privilege to grant these wishes. And in fact, I'd go a step further.

I say it's actually humbling because when you think about this, these beautiful children choose Disney at one of the most important times in life. And it's something that all of us in the company take very, very seriously. And I personally am rather proud.

I'm also going to join the board of Make a Wish in America here. So I'm very proud of that.

It's a longstanding relationship, and it's one of these moments where, you know, you make a real difference in someone's life. So I can't say enough about how grateful we are not just for the relationship with the Make A Wish organization, but for the difference that we make.

And for the, as I mentioned, the beautiful, wonderful children that really choose Disney at this moment in their life, it's quite humbling.

Lou Mongello: 00:11:17

And I think it's quite miraculous, too, the effect that's been documented on these children, the families and the siblings.

And, you know, we were talking about cast members earlier to watch how the cast members just welcomed and embraced them so wonderfully and emotionally and sincerely was a beautiful thing to watch, very much so.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:11:34

And as I've mentioned during my times, whether it was at Walt Disney World, at the cruise Line or at Disneyland. I always could sense how proud our cast members were when they saw what difference we make in granting these wishes.

And there's a very special moment when often the characters and the stories and these children come together. It's really something that is almost difficult to describe accurately with words, but you feel the emotion without a doubt.

Lou Mongello: 00:12:08

And listen. We could talk about make a wish all night because it's a long time. It'd be important.

It is. But I certainly want to talk about you.

And again, congratulations to you on taking on this new role because your portfolio now is 12 theme parks and 57 resort hotels and consumer products and cruise line and imagineering and 180,000 plus of the wonderful cast members across the globe. We were just talking about them on the adventure. I know you have always been so very hands on with all of the cast members.

At this scale and at a business this large, how can you sort of manage that from both a 30,000 foot view while also still being sure that you have those individual cast member and guest touch points?

I've watched you, not in a weird way, I've watched you in the parks before and the way you interact with guests and it is remarkable just the attention that you give them and the way, the way we're talking now, the person that you're speaking to is the only person in the room. How do you make sure you don't lose that when there's 180,000 plus people?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:13:15

Well, I think it's a fair question, but in my view, the scale of this organization and the volume, it doesn't change what matters. Right? Scale doesn't necessarily change what matters.

And what matters and what has always guided me is I always believe you gotta put the guests and the people that are coming in the center of your decision making. Right. And whether that is on a cruise line, whether it's in one park, or whether it's globally around the world.

Because at the end of the day, I can't stress enough. Scale doesn't really change what truly matters. And what truly matters is still making decisions that are in the interest of our guests.

And you know, my background, you know this, Lou, is hospitality.

And in hospitality reality, one of the things that I've learned very early on is that you've got to continue to work on the trust, of earning the trust. And in our case, when it comes to Disney, Disney matters to people. Right.

And protecting that trust that we have is incredibly important to me and to everyone else in the organization. But yes, it is, of course, an impressive Scale. And there's many of our beautiful parks and ships around the world and our consumer products.

But it really doesn't change if we continue.

And I certainly intend to do this like I've done throughout my career with Disney, making sure that when we make decisions, we put the guest experience and the guests in the center of our, of the way we make decisions. And it isn't just one guest, as you know, because the one thing that all of our guests have in common, they all want their perfect Disney Day.

And whether it is what we call lovingly, the Disney adults, the young families, someone that proposes, as I've witnessed especially at Walt Disney World and Disneyland here, they all are seeking their way of experiencing Disney, of experiencing our stories. And I've always looked at this as a privilege of figuring out how do we harmonize all the various people that come and want to enjoy it.

And most importantly, make sure that we make decisions that are in the interest of all the various groups that come and see us. And so whether it's in one park, on one ship, or whether it's on the coast, because I truly believe scale doesn't change what matters.

And what matters is really making money, the right decisions in the interest of our guests, our experience, and by the way, our cast members, who truly are the ones that we need to enable to ensure that our guests have their perfect Disney Day.

Lou Mongello: 00:16:10

So I am smiling extra wide because this is not about me, but I literally just stepped off stage right before coming here, speaking at an event about the Disney difference and the way Disney does things in terms of customer service. And the words that you just said exactly echoed the words you talked about. Trust. Right. It takes a lifetime to earn. I lose it in a second very much.

But the ability to care at scale is something that I have continued to see from you, from Josh, who I know obviously now you work so closely in concert with, and it is something that has never changed. And certainly from you, I certainly see continuing the ability and the responsibility of making sure you do that.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:16:50

Yeah, we take that responsibility very serious. Like I said to you, protecting the trust matters immensely to me.

And I'm glad you mentioned that because, you know, you talk about scale, but what I talk about is we focus a lot on when we look for cast members. Right?

I mean, at the end of the day, we are going through a period right now where we are so grateful because cost satisfaction is at an all time high. Retention is better than it's ever been before, which is great, which is consistent. But when you think about our Global footprint.

We still hire thousands of people every year. Right. And what we're working on really, really hard is not just hiring, but it's really seeking the right personalities.

I call it hire for attitude, trained for skills. Right. And it's really that focus, that focus on making sure. Because, you know, Walt said it perfectly.

I keep quoting him, and I know some people sometimes look at me, but it is to me, one of the most remarkable quotes when he said, you can build the most beautiful places in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality. And that's exactly what we're doing.

And that's why I'm continuing to focus on working with our team, making sure we're hiring the right cast members, making sure they are not just trained appropriately, but they are supported and they feel supported.

And right now, I'm so proud of, since I had the pleasure of taking over from Josh, that we really have a cast space that is happy, is proud to be here and understands what truly matter. And what truly matters to them is they know full well is our responsibility of reinforcing the trust in Disney and the guest experience.

Lou Mongello: 00:18:41

I love that you call it responsibility and look at it that way. And you keep repeating trust, which I know is sort of one of your three pillars.

The other being quality and simplicity and being able to make sure you explain things. Talk about maybe the challenges of being able to keep to those three pillars with a company now your role that has such operational complexity to it.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:19:03

Yeah.

I think what happens is when a company grows, and right now, we are going through a wonderful period of not just expanding at every park around the world, on every one of our cruise lines. But what happens is when you grow, it's really important that you focus on priorities.

And it means you need to be even more focused on the priorities and have the discipline to understand that you stick to your priorities and what truly matters. What truly matters. Because it's very easy sometimes to get distracted, especially in a large global organization. Right.

You can sometimes chase the shiny object, but it's truly about the basics.

And the basics I keep going back is about what are we doing every day to ensure that the responsibility we have in reinforcing the trust that our guests have in the Disney brand and doing that by really making sure that we put all of the various constituents that really come and enjoy their time, whether it's on our parks and our cruise ships, by putting them into the center of our decision making. And as you acquire scale. You asked me before, how do you do this?

The More you grow, the more it is important you keep your priorities and you keep focusing on what's truly important. And that also means you gotta have even more discipline to ensure that we never lose what made this place and many of our places so special to.

Lou Mongello: 00:20:31

Begin with and generationally special very much for people. And you know, you talk about this, this unprecedented growth and Josh talked about turbocharging, the experience.

When you are given this new role and new responsibility, what do you say to yourself in terms of, okay, how can I make the most impact now that I do have this ability to manage this? What for you is sort of high in terms of priority in terms of what Thomas's impact is going to be on this growth?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:21:01

It's actually very simple. One is I've been so fortunate to inherit this portfolio with Josh and from Josh. And there's a lot of experience that we're going to bring to life.

So the number one thing I'm going to focus on is execution.

Remember all of the things that we do around the world, whether it's on our ships, whether it's in the parks, whether it's in the consumer products, I'll be executing, I'll be fulfilling the promise that we made to our guests and our cast members. Number one is execution.

Number two is to really, as I've mentioned before, to continue to make sure we focus on what truly matters, have the discipline, continue to make decisions with the guest experience in mind. And number three, and I can't say that often enough is to ensure that we use as our guiding, as our North Star.

The very thing that I said to you is Disney matters to people and protecting that trust matters enormously to all of us. So these are really the three things, at least in the short term I'm going to focus on the most anyway.

Lou Mongello: 00:22:03

We were talking before we started recording about Disney Cruise Line and you know, the plans to double really the size of the fleet over the next couple years. I just got off the adventure I still have. I'm wonderfully grateful for having the jet lag that I have.

But the adventure, a disruptor in that part of the disruptor in terms of storytelling driven, family oriented cruise line as you continue to expand globally, a new cruise ship coming to Tokyo and everything that's happening in the new parts of the world that Disney is going to be able to reach. It hasn't had the experience that we had. What do you see in terms of both opportunity as well as some of the challenges?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:22:48

Well, I think there's lots of opportunities for us if you think about this, we have hundreds of millions of people around the world that we are grateful for the fact that they love Disney, but they don't always have an easy way to access the next theme park. And so there is many of them who haven't actually had a chance to see our theme parks.

And I see all of our parks, this beautiful portfolio of our parks around the world continue to thrive with all the new investments. But I see the ships as a way to connect a lot of our portfolios together. Right.

And to also enable us to serve these fans where they are and immerse them in our stories. I think our ships are doing a great job in telling our stories.

I think the reason they're so popular, I often say this is, Lou, they're really three vacations in one. We immerse you in our Disney stories. You have the benefit of having the convenience of a cruise, right?

And last but not least, you see beautiful destinations, whether it's the private destinations that we have in our Bahamas or whether it's just the beautiful destinations that we visit. So I see lots of.

Lou Mongello: 00:24:01

Or in the adventure's case, the ship is the destination.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:24:02

The ship is the destination. So I see plenty of opportunity left there, both domestically, whether it's east coast, west coast, but around the globe.

And it's a very, very highly rated product. Our guests are telling us we love what you do in there.

Lou Mongello: 00:24:17

I saw it firsthand going in, having no idea what to expect. Maybe some preconceptions are like, well, there hasn't been a Disney cruise ship out here.

People aren't going to understand door decorating and fishing. How wrong was I?

I felt my door was naked because I didn't decorate it. And I loved seeing and I loved watching guests, like you said, from around that part of the world.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:24:40

And truth be told, Louis, our parks, especially our parks around the globe and international destination have helped us a great deal with it. Because if you think about this, you know, we've opened Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo in the 80s.

So when you think about this, we've learned a lot there. Harry's not to forget, right? So we've learned a lot as we entered this country.

So we've learned things we did well and things we could have done better. And taking all that experience now and. And enables the cruise line to ensure that we set it up for success as we expand internationally.

But like I said, I see plenty of opportunity left there, both domestically and internationally, and especially how we're going to connect them even to our theme parks and Our destinations around the world.

Lou Mongello: 00:25:26

Yeah. Because I think the adventure is bringing the theme parks to the sea very.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:25:30

Much to a brand new audience.

Lou Mongello: 00:25:32

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I personally can't wait to go back, but that's fine.

Coming back and continuing to think about expansion, Disneyland Forward is some of the most, I think, important expansion that's happening domestically, certainly out here. For you, what is sort of your North Star that's guiding that project?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:25:53

Do you know what my North Star is? I know I see you smiling, but I tell you every time when I.

Every day when I was here, my North Star was really a quote that was in my office by Walt that said, this event will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world. And that was my North Star. It was my North Star. It's a true story every single day.

Because we, you know, unlike in Florida or some of our other parks around the world, the space is more limited here. But this is why I enjoyed it here and why everyone enjoys it, because it isn't just the original.

Sometimes the restrictions of not having all that space requires you to be even more creative. And I think Disneyland Forward just continues to bring the best out of us from a creative point of view.

And I was always guided by the fact that there is more to do here. We're gonna figure it out. We did. Right now, we start a lot of projects. But I truly.

If you really asked me what guided me, I always looked at that plaque in my. It's still there. And it's the one that inspired me. And I think ultimately, that's what Disneyland Forward is all about.

As long as there's imagination left in the world. And believe me, we have a lot of stories left to tell. There's a lot of stories left to tell.

There's a lot of different stories that we haven't told yet, including here at Disneyland.

Lou Mongello: 00:27:17

Thomas, I hope you know how much I already admire and respect and appreciate you. But to hear you talk about Walt and quote Walt not once, but multiple times, it is even more so than before.

Because it's important that we don't lose sight of not just the mouse, but the man. Yeah.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:27:35

And it's interesting you mentioned the mouse, because the reason why I say this is. And I think it was Walt who said, I hope we never lose sight of the fact that it started with a mouse. Right.

And my point was always, hey, it's always extremely important. You respect your heritage and how you started. You don't want to be beholden by it because you need to Continuously evolve.

And you need to understand that generations change. There might be new demands from consumers, may be different this generation versus the last generation.

But it's extremely important always to understand where you and we are. We are a company that's constantly evolving. Bolt already did this. Bob did this. Now, Josh, certainly a big one that has continued to evolve.

But always understand what are the things that are timeless and what are the things, where did you come from and how you start. And it's always about finding the right balance between to. And when it comes to the history. To me, it's important that we.

We understand it, we respect it without being beholden to it. But really understanding and respecting it gives you the best chance to succeed in the future.

Lou Mongello: 00:28:45

You know, you. You used a word that made me think, and I think it was you talk about expectations. Yeah. And you always talk about being committed to people first.

Leadership.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:28:55

Right.

Lou Mongello: 00:28:55

Which is why cast members love you, guests love you. I love you.

But in this new role, from a practical perspective now, you are more visibly accountable to Wall street growth projections and targets and things like that. And that leadership style, does that change at all? Does that change focus at all? And how do you sort of maybe balance and negotiate the two?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:29:19

Listen, Lou, I've always say, I get this question quite frequently, and I always say it's not about the what, it's the how. Of course, every company is responsible to someone. Whether it's your shareholders, you're always responsible to someone.

But it's always important to focus. How are you doing things?

Because if you focus on how you're doing things and if you do it in the right way, the what will be or there, the results will be there. It's always important not to focus on the result itself, but how you get to the result. Right. Because to me, the results. And of course, you have.

We have responsibility, whether it's our shareholders, whether it's our cast members, our guests, that, you know, you have lots of responsibilities. But I'm always a firm believer if you continue to focus on, you know, how you do things, you know, then the outcome will be there.

And it's important not to just, you know, if all I do is focus just on the, you know, the result, you know, then. Then the how will suffer. And. And in my mind, I continue to go back.

We're going to continue to make decisions that are in the interest of our cast and of our guests. We're very guest centric. I firmly believe that this is what creates the trust.

This is what sustains us, and this is what's going to continue to allow us to succeed.

Lou Mongello: 00:30:42

Yeah.

Because sometimes the interests and the desires of the very vocal, on social media guests might be in conflict with those of the very vocal shareholders.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:30:51

Yeah, it could happen.

But I tell you something that I've experienced both at Walt Disney World, at the cruise line and at Disneyland, and that is I always had to remind myself I got a lot of feedback from guests. Right. A lot of feedback, as you can imagine, and from cast members. But you know what?

What was beautiful about this is I discovered very quickly it comes from a place of caring deeply. Our guests, our cast, they want Walt Disney World, Disneyland, our parks and our cruises to be successful because they care about it.

And I see this as one of the most privileged things you can have. You know, you can work for companies where you, you, you. You know, you have to literally fight every day to. To earn a tiny bit of trust. And.

And we are in this unfortunate position where people care about our parks, they care about our ships, they care about our brand passionately. Very passionately. And I appreciate that. I mean, I just think we are so fortunate that our guests do this. And that's why I love the feedback.

It doesn't matter what it is, because it comes from a place of caring deeply about this. And this is why it matters to me, to protect that trust. And it matters enormously. Right.

Lou Mongello: 00:32:15

Because it matters to us, because we love this company, we love this place. It means so much to us.

You know, sort of going back to Walt and some of the core tenants and philosophies you've talked about your continuing belief in the power of Disney storytelling and how that inspires generations to come, generationally speaking, and how the guest experience and generational sort of guest expectation changes. What does that look like to you.

In terms of the feeling that guests are looking for more interactive? We use the word immersive a lot.

But there's an expectation that to be more of that immersion and I think almost more personalized experiences in the parks.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:32:58

Yeah.

You know, as I've mentioned to you before, there's some things that, you know, keep changing from generation to generations, and there are some things that are timeless. So, you know, I hate to say this because it may age me right now. When I grew up, I think we had four TV channels. Right.

And this is how I discovered Disney. Right. Today, maybe the Generation today has 600 channels, or they may not even watch TV and may discover it on YouTube or somewhere else. Right.

But what hasn't changed?

What really hasn't changed and more so today than ever before, is still that desire to experience something together with people that you care about in a physical world, and especially in a world that is very digital these days. You know, we are scrolling every moment of the day. I would actually argue today a Disney experience is more relevant than ever.

It's more meaningful than ever to people with more technology being introduced. And we are using technology. We are embracing technology. We're using it in our rides.

We're using it to see how our guests can enjoy their experience in our parks more.

But we also know they come to this place for something very, very special, and that is really to experience the stories that they discovered and to spend really beautiful time together with the people they care most about. And if anything, that will never change where and how they discover us. We're gonna always make sure we're relevant.

We're gonna make sure we are where the consumers are. We're gonna make sure we meet them where they are.

But like I said, while things change from three TV channels to 600 or maybe today, it's on social media.

What hasn't changed is the desire to experience the stories and to experience them together with the people you care most about and to have your perfect Disney Day. I think it's timeless.

Lou Mongello: 00:34:56

When the changes happen.

With Josh taking over his new role and you sort of advancing into this role, I think about both him and you, not just on an executive level, but on a personal level. I said, this has to be such an exciting time. There's such great opportunity to make even more difference and to.

I know it's not about you, but to sort of put your stamp on it and leave your legacy. And I said, I can't imagine just the scope of. Like, we at home, you know, we think that our jobs are tough. And I'm like.

I was like, what does Thomas now have in terms of responsibility? And I said, when Thomas lays his head down in bed at night, what for you puts a smile on your face because you're excited about opportunity?

And what are some of the things that make you lay in bed sort. Of staring up at the ceiling, keeping you up late?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:35:50

Oh, there's very little that keeps me up at night, believe it or not, simply because I feel I'm in a very fortunate position. I actually don't see it as something that's complicated. I'm in a very fortunate position.

I am fortunate to take this role from Josh d', Amaro, who had this role for many, many years, and he's prepared an expansion unlike anything we've ever seen. And I see it as a huge privilege to inherit that part.

And my job is to now unlock the full potential, not only of that expansion in terms of how we build new rides and build new ships, but also really unlock the full potential of our cast and the overall experience by continuing to focus on what matters most. And what matters most are three things. To me. It's the guest experience.

It's giving the cast what they need to unlock that guest experience and to ensure that we really protect the trust that people have in the Disney brand and the love that they have for this experience.

Lou Mongello: 00:36:53

Yeah. Thomas, as you could imagine, I could chat with you for hours about you and this role and the changes, but just to sort of.

Because I want to be respectful of your time and the event that's happening outside. What do you want guests, not just domestically, but around the world, to know? And as an extension of that, what is sort of your promise?

When I talked to Josh after he took the role, he talked about his promise and commitment. What is your sort of promise and commitment to guests?

Thomas Mazloum: 00:37:22

My promise and commitment is that we're always going to be a company that is going to listen intensely. We're always going to care about their feelings.

And if we sometimes do something and we don't get it 100% right, we're going to listen and we're going to continue to do the right thing. But I will tell you that my promise, and I continue to say that, is we're going to focus on making decisions that are in the interest of our guests.

We're going to make sure we continue to support and enable our cast members to interact with our guests in a way that is memorable. And we're going to continue to protect what people care about because they trust this brand. And we're going to continue to protect that trust.

That is my commitment to all of our guests and our cast members.

Lou Mongello: 00:38:16

I love it.

And for those who are listening, you can't see the smile on my face of that reassurance that you give and the continuing legacy of what you have done in all the different roles that you've taken over. And certainly now with what you have in this new Thomas. Thank you so much for being so generous.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:38:33

Thank you. Lu, thank you for your time and thank you for being here for this special event.

Lou Mongello: 00:38:37

I'm grateful. It is a privilege to be able to witness what is going on and certainly have this time with you. Thank you.

Thomas Mazloum: 00:38:43

Thank you.

Lou Mongello: 00:38:55

That's going to do it for this week's show. Thank you. So much for being here.

Huge thanks to Thomas Mazloum from taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule and the very special Make a Wish event that we were both attending at Disneyland.

Again, I'll have more about that event and really about Disney and the Make a Wish relationship and my connection to Make a Wish and why it matters so much to me as well. If this episode helped you, inspired you, made you smile, think. Whatever it might be, please do me a favor.

Tell a friend Share it on social Tag me umangello Speaking of which, you can connect with me on social. I am umongello on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. I'd love to hear from and chat with you on any or all of those platforms.

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our Momentum at sea event in: 2027

You can learn more @lumangello.com and you know, after two back to back sailings on the Disney Adventure and a conversation like the one you just heard with Thomas, it reminds me that these experiences at Disney don't just happen. They take planning, expertise and somebody in your corner who cares as much about your trip as you do.

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They are an authorized Disney Vacation Planner and more importantly, they treat your family's vacation like it's their own. Whether you're going to Walt Disney World, to Disneyland Cruise Line or anywhere else, the magic takes you.

Visit the over@m MouseFanTravel.com because their expert advice and planning services are always completely fee free. And finally my friend, and you are my friend whether we have met yet or not. Thank you again for the gift of your time.

I know it is your most valuable commodity and I appreciate you spending and sharing it with me. Always remember to be kind, choose the good, be the good, set an example for others. And always please keep moving forward.

Have a great day and even better tomorrow. So until next time, I love and appreciate you. See ya.