Tour Suggestions?

[lewdyan1]

My husband and I are sneaking away without the kids for his birthday and I would like to surprise him with a 'back stage' tour. I would appreciate any suggestions on which tour might be best.

[tifandjim]

My husband and I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour in MK. It was wonderful. Not only do you get to enjoy interesting facts about WDW, but lunch is included and you get to enjoy some of the rides without standing in line! You also get a special pin! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[DoomBuggyBabe]

DH and I did Keys to the Kingdom in 2003, and found it to be both informative and enjoyable. We'd recommend this experience to anyone.
Good luck,
Q
:drinking1

[twojo21]

me & my fiance did the dolphins in depth tour at epcot, which is an interactive experience with dolphins, you are educated on marine dolphins, take a tour of living seas & then suit up to join 2 dolphins in the water with trainers to assist with tricks & meet them up close & personal. tons of fun. you also receive an info packet, tshirt & photo of your dolphin experience. one of our favorite pictures, us & rainer, the dolphin.

we also did the backstage safari at animal kingdom, which is a behind the scenes look at animal care, the veterinary facilities, the animal nighttime quarters, where you get to see park animals close, we have never seen a ghiraffe or elephant like this, it was amazing. you also received a park book of the site animals, snacks & a pin.

i would recommend either. both are in the morning, during the week days. i also did the backstage magic tour of wdw with my mom years ago & it was fun to see the tunnel systems, behind the scenes of the parks, & some
special guests.

407-wdw-tour

[mishoe01]

I did the Backstage Magic tour which was amazing! We hit Epcot, MGM and MK and learned some very interesting things. It was long (7 hours), but lunch is included, and while there is a fair amount of walking, there is also a comfy bus.

I would definately recommend it.

[spiceycat]

we did the Garden tours at Epcot several times. I would love to do the architecture one there too.

we also do the MK - keys to the kingdom.

[BunsenH]

I second the recommendation for the AK Backstage Tour. The guide we had was great, a retired Biology teacher. The tour was leisurely and gave a lot of insight into the care of animals. There was plenty of opportunity for questions and interaction with CMs.

[mom_rules]

We are doing the Segway-Around the World Tour in a couple of weeks. Just DH and I-thought it would be a nice surprise for him.

[athenna]

Any of those tours sound great. I have heard that the keys to the Kingdom tour is excellent. Has anyone done the Hidden Treasures of World Showcase tour before? I am interesting in doing it in April, as the WS is my favorite place in all of WDW.

[AJA55]

Yes, I did the HTWS a couple of years ago. WS is my favorite place at WDW also! It’s four hours but we went for 4 ½. Was the first tour that we’d done at WDW and convinced us we needed to book one every time we go. You visit on and off stage, great info and if you get a group like we had (WDW Veterans) way fun. There was no pin for this tour. Any questions let me know.

[athenna]

Yes, I did the HTWS a couple of years ago. WS is my favorite place at WDW also! It’s four hours but we went for 4 ½. Was the first tour that we’d done at WDW and convinced us we needed to book one every time we go. You visit on and off stage, great info and if you get a group like we had (WDW Veterans) way fun. There was no pin for this tour. Any questions let me know.

Oh, thank you, thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to hear, I am so glad you enojoyed it. 1 question, though, how far ahead do you need to reserve it.

[AJA55]

Well I think that depends on the season. We made our ressie’s as soon as we could. I think it was that magical 90 days out thing. I really can’t remember. Sorry. If you want me to find out I can dig through the scrapbook and maybe find the info. I would recommend you bring a water bottle. Either that or you will be buying some liquid during the tour and they don’t stop for anything except one restroom stop. We were thankful that we brought water as that way we didn’t have to stop and miss out on part of the tour.

[athenna]

Well I think that depends on the season. We made our ressie’s as soon as we could. I think it was that magical 90 days out thing. I really can’t remember. Sorry. If you want me to find out I can dig through the scrapbook and maybe find the info. I would recommend you bring a water bottle. Either that or you will be buying some liquid during the tour and they don’t stop for anything except one restroom stop. We were thankful that we brought water as that way we didn’t have to stop and miss out on part of the tour.
Thanks for the advice! I never go anywhere without water, anyway, but that's great to know. I am going in April, I was going to wait about 30 days and call, but maybe I should call sooner.

[Briarprincess]

Word of warning though... if you frequent these boards enough, the Keys To The Kingdom Tour can be kind of boring... We did it about two years ago and already knew everything they talked about. It was still enjoyable, especially the backstage stuff and being able to jump some lines. BUT
and this is a big BUT
I had already seen backstage on a school trip (performance) and it was a that was kinda wasted on me. :rolleyes:

But hey, what can ya do? It's Disney and it was still good

[Schweet]

As soon as my DS18 found out about the "Around the World at Epcot -- on a Segway" Tour, we HAD to sign up (and we're not going till late June). From what I've read on the Disboards, it's a lot of fun and to be honest, I can't think of any guy that wouldn't like it. It takes 2 hours, the first hour is learning to ride a Segway and the second is touring Epcot on them. There's a limit of 10 people per tour and two tours per day.

Here's the link for the tours: http://allearsnet.com/btp/tours.htm#dol

[aubriee]

Oh, thank you, thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to hear, I am so glad you enojoyed it. 1 question, though, how far ahead do you need to reserve it.

I booked three tours (KTTK, Backstage Safari, and Segway) for my solo trip in May and booked them the last day of January. The CM said they can be booked up to a year in advance. Since the Segway tour only takes ten people, I would book it ASAP if you want that one. Although I called last week (at about the 90 day mark) and changed my time for the Segway tour from 9:30am to 8:30am without any trouble, so they did have spaces at the 90 day mark.

[lewdyan1]

I want to thank everyone for all of the suggestions. After much thought, I decided for our first tour, we would try the KTTK tour. I think our next adventure will be the Segway tour, I just need more confidence in my balancing ability.

Thanks again and have a magical day!

[Forevryoung]

I am going in June and will be solo for two days (first and last), I was thinking about Keys to the Kingdom Tour on my last day because I dont know as much as you guys :cool1: . I need to book it now? Do you have to pay for it now too?

Thanks
-K

[lewdyan1]

We are going in two weeks and I just made my reservations and all times were available... We paid now, but it can be canceled within 48 hours of the tour.

[athenna]

Yes, I did the HTWS a couple of years ago. WS is my favorite place at WDW also! It’s four hours but we went for 4 ½. Was the first tour that we’d done at WDW and convinced us we needed to book one every time we go. You visit on and off stage, great info and if you get a group like we had (WDW Veterans) way fun. There was no pin for this tour. Any questions let me know.

I do have 1 question- I thought the tour was 3 hours, even the nice CM I spoke w/today that I made the ressies w/said 3 hours. I don't mind longer, except I then made a lunch reservation at Alfredo's. She said the tour would be 9-12, and I made lunch ressies for 12:45. Do you think this will be a problem?

[SkipperBubba]

DW and I did Keys to the Kingdom... a wonderful tour. Geoff, our tour guide, was very well-spoken and knowledgeable, and it was interesting to see where the magic begins. The lunch at Columbia Harbour House was a nice break and the pins adorn our geek vests.

pirate: :drinking1