Secret Rooms

[Alaqua]

This is one that I hadn't heard prior to Sat, 3 May 2003!!
A friend of mine and I met a guy who swears that there are 7 hidden rooms scattered over WDW. If you are clever enough to find them, you're welcome to go in. He says that he's been in 2 of them!
What have any of you heard on this subject??
(I'm a newbie on this forum and posted this on the "Tips" forum before I found you folks, here.) So, if you want to read my longer explanation of what this guy told us you could go there.
Thanks.:confused:

[Dznefreek]

He says that he's been in 2 of them! What did he say was in there? Did he have pictures? What is there purpose? I think you are the victim of a "hose."

[Luv2Roam]

I suppose it is how you define hidden. You could consider the church (?) in WS Norway a hidden room, as the doors are closed. (Which in most Disney areas, doors are kept open to welcome guests.)

[EUROPA]

Now there are doors in the Magic kingdom in some of the building fronts that lead down to the utildoors but your not allowed in there.

[MikeScott8]

or maybe he is talking about the corporate lounges at some of the sponsored places. Example my brother worked for MetLife and we went to thier lounge in the Wonder of Life (I think) building. We had to go down this narrow hallway and he had to show he work ID and then we were let into the lounge and they had comfy chairs and free soft drinks.

Most of these have special access to the ride portion. IE a friend who works for Delphi (part of GM) gets in the GM lounge at Test Track and they can get right to the front of the lines from the lounge.

Are these the "hidden rooms" he means, if so not everybody can get into them. but if you frequent one enough you get to know the CMs and they can get you into the other lounges.

Mike

[sonicblaze]

I was at Epcot in world showcase, at the JAPAN pavillion and there was this side door across from a cafe... I can't remember it very well... Anyway... I was leaning against it with my friend and we saw there was an art gallery inside so we opened the door and went in. There were no signs saying not to. THe park was packed but I bet nobody thought to open that door... It was wonderful, air conditioned, quiet and private. And we stayed there for nearly half an hour alone with these amazing pieces of japanese art. It was very special.

[AllisonG]

I would love to solve this great mystery. My interest is definitely peaked!
Can anyone,
Safari Steve, Mr. Show, AV????????
Help Alaqua? :confused: :p ;)

[hopemax]

sonicblaze, take out an Epcot park map, look at Japan, see where it says "Bijutsu-kan Gallery" that's where you were. :)

[turbodisney]

Last year we went to the lounge in The Land for AP holders. Has anyone been there this year? Is is still open?

[Luv2Roam]

The Land lounge has not been open to AP holders for months.
It was really the Nestle VIP lounge, so we were told on the FW tour. Disney took it over briefly since Nestle was not using it much. But towards the holidays is when the lounge ceased being used for WDW AP holders. I always wondered if Nestle was going to start using it during the holidays.

[Another Voice]

At the risk of being called names again, I’ll respond.

I guess it depends on what you mean by “secret rooms” that aren’t actually employees-only types of areas.

There are some areas that are just plain overlooked. The exhibit area in the Japan pavilion is a good one. The area was originally designed to be part of the ‘Meet The World’ attraction (the queue and preshow actually), but when that attraction was cancelled prior to opening, the room was converted. They have had some very interesting exhibits in there are well; I remember one on pre-history cultures in Japan (a subject of immense controversy) and a more recent exhibit on baseball (the sport was brought the country in the 1870’s) and the subtle differences between how Americans approach the sport and the Japanese do. The Stave Church in Norway is in a more prominent location but few people seem to venture inside.

There’s also the rose garden near the castle in the Magic Kingdom, some river side spots at Animal Kingdom near the Barbeque restaurant, and some other nocks and corners. They’re not really hidden or secret, just not as obvious as the entrance to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

But I think the tip was really talking about the sponsor rooms the other posters have mentioned. All of the major Epcot pavilions opened with special lounges for use by the corporations who paid for the attraction. The idea was that the lounges were a “perk” for the company where they could hold business meetings, entertain clients, and where executives could wallow in their privileged status.

The areas themselves were amazing. United Technology’s lounge had floor to ceiling windows that look out on the tank at ‘The Living Seas’, you could get a similar view into the Health pavilion from MetLife’s area, or a grand view of the central fountain from AT&T’s place. Some of the older nighttime pictures of the World of Motion show that lounge with the light on so you can see inside (it was right over the entertance to the pavilion). The General Electric lounge in ‘Horizons’ was fitted with a monitor hooked-up to a massive zoom camera on the roof. I’ve heard “rumors” of associated visitors being able to zoom in an see people in hotel rooms near Sea World with those cameras (not that I could imagine who would do such a thing).

The lounges never really caught on; most of the companies just found them too expensive to use for meetings. Orlando’s fairly well out of the way for most companies. A lot of them were opened up to all the employees of the sponsoring companies. As the original agreements came up and were cancelled, most of the lounges seem to have fallen into disuse. The newer sponsors don’t want to pick up the added expense (they paid for their lounge, it wasn’t a gift). The one at The Land was turned into an AP lounge as an experiment and occasionally you’ll hear about turning another into a restaurant or a shop.

For a while there was also a teacher’s lounge at Epcot. You had to be an educator to get in (or fake it well). They had soft drinks and classroom materials pertaining to the topics showcased at the park. That area was closed when CommniCore was turned into Innoventions.

The key in all of this is to remember that Disney maps out the property to see how much revenue each square foot of ground generates. It is not a company that would set aside “special surprises” on the hopes that guests (and their wallets) would stumble on them.

[EpcotRanger]

Ok...it is time to name that VIP lounge.

It is a definite circus of time, but this two floor lounge even scares the clowns out of me.

Can you guess which Epcot© lounge it is. Oh...and if your company has enough pull, you can rent the lounges like in the Living Seas. And can even see a clear piano take center stage.

[Alaqua]

Before I get flamed, the man that told us this stuff sounded sincere. Our conversation was focusing on the fact that the 3 of us chatting were all Disney-Freaks!
That said, I do think at worst, it's possible that he was sending us on a wild goose chase and at best, he could have been telling the truth!

But, he did say that he had been in 2 of them. To be honest, my friend and I were running late for an appointment with another friend, so perhaps we didn't catch everything that he was telling us.

But, one of the rooms, he claimed, is in the very back area of Morocco. Remember how it kind of meanders? He said that there's a door that blends with the wall. If you find it and push it, it opens to a $30,000,000 14K gold leaf room. I asked him what it was used for. And, he said that it was a "Prayer Room". Now, that tells me that either there's someone in there that is a cast member to answer questions or, if they see you go in, someone comes around later. Or something to that effect.

My understanding is that the countries represented in WS were all designed and paid for by the sponsoring country. Is that correct?

Likely the guy was just trying to start another "Disney-Urban-Legend". Sounds fantastical, to be sure, but isn't that what Disney's all about? Of course, I hope that its true, it just adds another layer of mystery to WDW.

[sonicblaze]

It ends up I was in China. I know there is an art gallery there but this one is on the side...and I don't think it's open... at least it wasn't at the time...

[mjstaceyuofm]

Originally posted by Another Voice
At the risk of being called names again, I’ll respond. Welcome back.

[OnWithTheShow]

To follow up on what AV said the art gallery in Japan may not be open much longer. The space may be retasked to its original purpose of a queue and preshow for a certain semi-cloned attraction. Also im not quite sure how Orlando is out of the way for most company's considering it is the host to more major trade shows, conventions, and business meetings than almost any other city in the country. Check out http://www.cityoforlando.net/executive/eco_dev/tourism3.htm

[DIGGER68]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Another Voice
At the risk of being called names again, I’ll respond.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yes, as mjstaceyuofm stated Welcome back AV.

:)

[Luv2Roam]

We have been on three behind the scenes tours.
One tour took us into the VIP lounge in the Living Seas. But it's not generally just open to the public.
There is a prayer room in Morroco. Not exactly a secret, but most people may not know it is a prayer room. It's just very elaborate hand made decor. We were told the King of Morroco sent his personal artists over and they are the ones who made this room to replicate one of the king's own rooms. Does seem like there is gold in it. Think it was mentioned by the guide, but can't say for certain.
I guess if you want to really be loose with the terms, you could count the *secret* (overgrown) path in DAK.

[mulgar]

I may be just embelishing on childhood memories,But I seem to remember a long hallway right inside the entrance to Mk that led to a room that had in it among other things.
The Oscars from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and a 3-d model of the original design of EPCOT.
Am I imagining things or did this room really exist?


Shawn :jester:

[Walt's Frozen Head]

mulgar,

I'm pretty sure you're talking about the Exposition Hall... first building on the right after coming through the train underpass, on the "bus entrance" side.

You know, the Kodak store. ;)

Originally, this was the site of the Walt Disney Story. After that, it served as a preview area for Epcot, before becoming the mouse-eared Fotomat it is today.

Your memory sounds like the two earlier versions of that building smooshed together, to me.

That said, I do think at worst, it's possible that he was sending us on a wild goose chase and at best, he could have been telling the truth!


It's far more likely that he was giving you the bits and pieces of the story that he knew; trying to be helpful and friendly. He'd just gotten some wires crossed on certain details... either in his memory or from wherever he originally heard it.

There's no evidence that he was trying to mislead you, but it is certainly "the truth" that the details he presented are not accurate; and at least one of the details he presented can get a person kicked out of the park, if they act on the suggestion.

[raidermatt]

Show, I think AV's point was that Orlando is too far out of the way for companies to justify paying for a year-round lounge. Sure, they may (or may not) participate in a convention or conference in the area, but they wouldn't need the lounge for most of the other 45-50 weeks of the year.

To your point, it might make sense to not make the sponsor pay for them, and instead use them as a perk for a wider range of companies.

[Another Voice]

“My understanding is that the countries represented in WS were all designed and paid for by the sponsoring country. Is that correct?”

Only in case of Morocco, their Ministry of Tourism has a desk there. Other than that the pavilions have no affiliation with the governments of the countries. You can think of the pavilions like they were a shopping center; Disney built the facility and then leased the stores and restaurants to other people. Some of the stores have an affiliation with a company from the “country” (like Twilinger’s Tea in the U.K. pavilion), some are run by people from the country and starting a new business (like the chefs from France that run the restaurants there), and some are just local businesses selling goods. There’s really nothing “official” about anything in World Showcase.

That doesn’t Disney hasn’t tried for more government participation. Both the tourism offices in Spain and Israel came pretty close to signing deals. The costs of the sponsorships and the benefits a nation would get from one just don’t work out*. In the 1980’s the government off South Africa wanted to sponsor a pavilion – but it was at a time when no one wanted to deal with them. Disney, in fact, was proceeding with an Africa pavilion without any form of sponsorship (construction had already begun). The management at the time felt it was important to represent that area in the “community of nations”. However, the management that followed felt that profitable sponsorships were more important and so the pavilion was cancelled. But at least we got another place to buy a Coke and a plush doll. As a general rule of thumb these days nothing happens in Epcot without someone else picking up the tab.


In a development of 43 square miles and upwards of a quarter million visitors per day, there are bound to be some services and places that aren’t widely publicized. Like the prayer room which was constructed to meet the needs for certain cast members and guests. I wouldn’t really call it “secret”, it’s just off the beaten track. You could say the same thing about the sundial and credit union in the Team Disney building or even the rotunda at the Casting Center (probably the most “Disney” spot in all of WDW). There’s nothing stopping guests from going in there, it’s just that few have the interest to.

Again, I think that calling the places “secret” implies there’s some sort of scavenger hunt underway for the trendy few who who’ve about it. Everyone like to consider themselves an “insider” and there’s no better way than the chanting “I know something that you don’t…”.


My comment about Orlando wasn’t meant for conventions or trade shows. Companies of the size that sponsor a pavilion are always pulling the “let’s get the regional sales reps together for a day to talk about the lay-offs” kind of meetings. Everyone thought that EPCOT Center might make a nice place to host those internal get-togethers. But when you’ve got people flying in from New York, Seattle, Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Boston and Memphis – a more centrally located city like Chicago or Dallas works better. The lounges were used for sales and customer meetings, “executive retreats” and employee “morale building” trips, but I don’t think any of the company’s really found there were all that amazingly useful for regular business meetings.




* - “But all those potential tourists” the cry will go up. But think about it, you’re advertising to people that have already made up their mind about where to spend this year’s vacation (they’re already on it!). Sure they might think about you next year, but wouldn’t the money be better spent on glossy brochures and TV ads that will make them give you money now rather than next year? It’s the same reason you don’t see massive marketing at WDW for you to visit Disneyland, Tokyo or Paris; you’ve already purchased your Disney vacation for the year. Why throw marketing dollars at you when you won’t make a decision for another 12-36 months? The key to marketing is to hit the consumer just before they make a decision.

[OnWithTheShow]

Norway also has a tourism desk but I'm not sure if it is from the nation's tourism ministry or a private travel company.

[Another Voice]

I think (but I'm far from sure) that the desk in Norway was sponsored by SAS Airlines. I also think they were the original sponsors of the film after the 'Malstrom' attraction. I also have vague memories of the government of Sweden wanting some sort of participation as well, but for a larger Scandivain pavilion. Perhaps, since SAS is a state-owned airline by Norway, Sweden and Denmark, that is how they are participating.

The Norway pavilion always struck me as a rather odd deal - I think the only real sponsors were SAS and a clothing firm (they have the large shop just outside the attraction). They weren't major sponsors and I don't know how much they got out of the place - although the bakery is fantasic.

Disney has talked to Nestle serveral times about a Swiss pavilion and I think that government's tourism office was brought in as well, but nothing really seems to have come of those conversations.

[WebmasterCricket]

Originally posted by Another Voice
The Norway pavilion always struck me as a rather odd deal - I think the only real sponsors were SAS and a clothing firm (they have the large shop just outside the attraction).

Tag-Heuer?

[Planogirl]

Speaking of the Exposition Hall, we discovered something new for us at least during our last trip. We wandered to the back of the hall and found a tiny theater continuously showing the old cartoons once seen in the Main Street Theater. I watched Steamboat Willie in fact. I wonder why Disney keeps this little theater so hidden away?

[daipp]

I recently returned from Disney and whilst waiting for our phots, my son wandered to the rear of the Exposition Hall and came across the cinema. He thought it was great and was soon dragging the rest of the family with him.
True, not a secret, but not very well advertised.

[EJ Gracie]

Main Street Cinema FOREVER!!!

[d-r]

Originally posted by sonicblaze
It ends up I was in China. I know there is an art gallery there but this one is on the side...and I don't think it's open... at least it wasn't at the time...


Were you able to find a door out, or did you have to have to go out the same way you came in ;)

On a drinking around the world trip a couple of years ago, our friend Rob got lost in China. When we found him later he was telling us these tales of this "museum" that he stumbled on (literally) in China and spent like an hour in. We joked him about that for months, and when we were there last week we took him back sober to see this "museum" in China-- it is quiet and off the beaten path, but not secret.

OH, besides that "museum" in China, and the stave church, andh the baseball-samarai display in Japan, or the utilidors I guess I have been to two of these secret rooms as well! (The former AP lounges in the Land and DAK :)

DR

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by Planogirl
Speaking of the Exposition Hall, we discovered something new for us at least during our last trip. We wandered to the back of the hall and found a tiny theater continuously showing the old cartoons once seen in the Main Street Theater. I watched Steamboat Willie in fact. I wonder why Disney keeps this little theater so hidden away?

So where exactly is ThIS? I would be interested to find this.


I remember there used to be a actual store front that played movies --back in 1988 I remember standing in what I thought was a storefront on the right hand side as you are walking about 3/4 of the way down?

[Walt's Frozen Head]

Cindy B,

You're thinking of The Main Street Cinema... receptor of all my A tickets, way back when, in the days I was but a mildly chilly head.

The Main Street Cinema nows serves as a gift shop; there is still a screen against the rear wall that has shown clips from recent Disney theatrical releases and advertisements for Disney Parks around the world, the last few times I've been in there.

The more luxurious area they're talking about is in the back of the Exposition Hall (the building just to the right of Tony's Town Square Restaurants... with all the big ol' rocking chairs on the porch). Once inside, keep walking to either the left or right (it's a big circle, in there) around the mass of people buying their Cinderalla Castle pictures: there is more to this building than what first appears.

About as far from the front door of the Expo Center as possible you will find the nice little theatre folks have mentioned.

And it wouldn't surprise me at all if you occasionally got some serious face time with characters, back there in the Expo Center...

[WDWacky]

I'm a GM employee and I can tell you the lounge at Test Track is pretty awesome. Next time you walk up to the ride look up above the entrance ... you'll see some very tall windows going across the entire front of the building (above where the track runs).

Those are the windows in the front of the lounge area. They offer an amazing view of the park and all the way out to the Beach Club/Boardwalk area. It's especially impressive when a monorail goes cruising by ... makes for great pics! ;)

The lounge itself has some GM offices (can you imagine having your office in Test Track???), free beverages, "insider" material on the ride, private restrooms, and some comfy chairs. In addition, they provide you with front-of-the-line passes for the ride itself.

Other than the VIP lounges and the other little nooks and crannies mentioned, I don't know of any other "secret rooms" in any of the theme parks.

[Cindy B]

Thanks Walts Frozen Head!

Thats a very interesting tidbit.. I'm glad I wasn't going crazy.. I do remember standing and watching some old movies...


I will definetely keep this "newer" theater in mind..

[OhMari]

Hey WDWack

My husband works for a GM Dealership, Body Shop Manager.


Do we qualify?:)

[AllisonG]

WDWacky,
Sounds like a 'phat' lounge. Makes me want to go get a job with GM!
We love TT>:tongue:

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by mulgar
I may be just embelishing on childhood memories,But I seem to remember a long hallway right inside the entrance to Mk that led to a room that had in it among other things.
The Oscars from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and a 3-d model of the original design of EPCOT.
Am I imagining things or did this room really exist?


Shawn :jester:

There are some interesting wall exhibits in Innoventions West in Epcot that I found while taking my DD for a quiet ride in her stroller for a nap. It's kinda towards the World Showcase end, and behind the little coffee/drink shop that is right in front of the whole building. You can also see a model of the original design of Epcot on the People Mover in the MK. Perhaps you were merging to parks together? Those oscars may have also been in the Exhibition Hall hallways. Who knows? ;)

[mitros]

:confused: Checked out morocco for that hidden prayer room. Tried every door I found, none would open. The only one I did not try was the one that said CMs only. So I finally asked a CM about a secret prayer room, and he said there was prayer room in the museum, but it was not secret. We went into the museum, and there it was.

[Zimbubba]

The teacher resource room never had refreshments. I was in it many times. Teacher ID was asked for in the beginning and then that changed also.