Your best Disney fact or insider story...

[bcrook]

I am going to WDW with my father again in June. This will be almost exactly 40 years after he took me as a child in 1973. Even though we have both been back many times on our own, this will be the first time we are returning together. He is kind of a Walt Disney Historian (amateur of course ).

I need some new material to dazzle him on this trip. What are those tidbits of knowledge that you save for the hardest to impress? What are your favorite things to show people? It can be about Walt or anything at WDW. I need your help.

 

[Itinkso]

I am going to WDW with my father again in June. This will be almost exactly 40 years after he took me as a child in 1973. Even though we have both been back many times on our own, this will be the first time we are returning together. He is kind of a Walt Disney Historian (amateur of course ).

I need some new material to dazzle him on this trip. What are those tidbits of knowledge that you save for the hardest to impress? What are your favorite things to show people? It can be about Walt or anything at WDW. I need your help.

Has he taken the KTTK tour? The tour is filled with insider tidbits as well as many looks backstage. My daughters and I found it fascinating!

 

[jackieinJuneau]

I would recommend the podcast The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill. After the Dis unplugged it's my favorite! It's not travel tips but an ongoing conversation between Len Testa, who runs the Touring Plans website and is one of the Unofficial Guide authors and Jim Hill Disney historian and author. It's funny and I have learned so much Disney parks trivia! I didn't know there was a wave machine in the 7 Seas lagoon when the Polynesian opened. It worked too well and washed all the sand off the beach!

 

[bcrook]

I would recommend the podcast The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill. After the Dis unplugged it's my favorite! It's not travel tips but an ongoing conversation between Len Testa, who runs the Touring Plans website and is one of the Unofficial Guide authors and Jim Hill Disney historian and author. It's funny and I have learned so much Disney parks trivia! I didn't know there was a wave machine in the 7 Seas lagoon when the Polynesian opened. It worked too well and washed all the sand off the beach!

That is a good one! That would be a good one to tell on the monorail or boat ride from TTC!

 

[micmac727]

I am going to WDW with my father again in June. This will be almost exactly 40 years after he took me as a child in 1973. Even though we have both been back many times on our own, this will be the first time we are returning together. He is kind of a Walt Disney Historian (amateur of course ).

I need some new material to dazzle him on this trip. What are those tidbits of knowledge that you save for the hardest to impress? What are your favorite things to show people? It can be about Walt or anything at WDW. I need your help.

I recommend getting a hidden secrets of Disney world book, to find some cool hidden secrets revealed.

 

[bcrook]

We are both Disney veterans. We are familiar with the books. Hoping to hear the favorites of the veterans on here. Compare notes. It's a Father's Day trip, the best thing I give him is good stories.

 

[surferdude]

My favorite thing is that if you look at the roof of HM, you will notice that the pillars (I guess that is what they could be called?) are shaped like chess pieces (I believe knights and rooks). The designer loved chess and liked to incorporate it into his rides (the reason that POTC has the 2 skeletons playing chess). Its something people tend to overlook (after all how many people look at the top of HM).

 

[lucas]

Has he been down in the tunnels of the MK?

Definitely do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. We just did it a couple of weeks ago and it was well worth the time and money.

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

Our ferry driver mentioned to us as we were waiting to go from the MK to the GF that one of the islands in the Seven Seas Lagoon has a waterfall on it because the Imagineers had some leftover concrete and tHat no one goes to the island but it's just there. Not sure about the validity but it was interesting. Sadly I've forgotten the names of the two islands that he pointed out.

Also I heard that Roy Disney insisted that the castle be the first thing finished in the construction of the MK to inspire the workers as they came to work each day.

 

[bcrook]

My favorite thing is that if you look at the roof of HM, you will notice that the pillars (I guess that is what they could be called?) are shaped like chess pieces (I believe knights and rooks). The designer loved chess and liked to incorporate it into his rides (the reason that POTC has the 2 skeletons playing chess). Its something people tend to overlook (after all how many people look at the top of HM).

Great stuff!

Has he been down in the tunnels of the MK?

Definitely do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. We just did it a couple of weeks ago and it was well worth the time and money.

I will recommend it to him.

Our ferry driver mentioned to us as we were waiting to go from the MK to the GF that one of the islands in the Seven Seas Lagoon has a waterfall on it because the Imagineers had some leftover concrete. That one goes to the island but it's just there. Not sure about the validity but it was interesting. Sadly I've forgotten the names of the two islands that he pointed out.

Also I heard that Roy Disney insisted that the castle be the first thing finished in the construction of the MK to inspire the workers as they came to work each day.

I will see what I can verify. Fun story!

 

[mesaboy2]

The odd pink color of Tower of Terror is supposedly to make it blend with Morocco when viewed across WS lagoon from near Mexico.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I haven't read any of the books but here's a few I've picked up along the way:

• 
  The off color brown pavement in Liberty Square represents the sewage that would have run through a colonial town.

• With the exception of the flag pole in town square, all the flags on main street are not true American flags so that they can be left out overnight.

• The castle is 199 feet tall, to avoid having to put a red light on top for aviation safety.

• The color that construction walls are often painted is called "Go Away Green", it was chosen specifically because guests are less likely to notice it.

• When the park first opened, many different colored flags were placed along the roadways coming into the MK. Guests were polled as to which color they noticed. Purple was the most commonly spotted color, which is why the directional signs on Disney property are purple.

 

[bcrook]

The odd pink color of Tower of Terror is supposedly to make it blend with Morocco when viewed across WS lagoon from near Mexico.

No way! That is good story whether it is true or not!

 

[bcrook]

I haven't read any of the books but here's a few I've picked up along the way:

• 
  The off color brown pavement in Liberty Square represents the sewage that would have run through a colonial town.

• With the exception of the flag pole in town square, all the flags on main street are not true American flags so that they can be left out overnight.

• The castle is 199 feet tall, to avoid having to put a red light on top for aviation safety.

• The color that construction walls are often painted is called "Go Away Green", it was chosen specifically because guests are less likely to notice it.

• When the park first opened, many different colored flags were placed along the roadways coming into the MK. Guests were polled as to which color they noticed. Purple was the most commonly spotted color, which is why the directional signs on Disney property are purple.

All about color. This is going to be a fun list. Thanks.

 

[soccer_mickey]

To find out how far apart to put trashcans, guests were given a candy at the gates to see how long they would hold onto the wrapper. Walt counted their steps, figuring it was 30, so trashcans are no more than 30 steps from each other.

Mickey has 290 different costumes and Minnie has 200.

A Liberty Bell replica was given to every state. Since Pennsylvania has the real one, they gave their replica to Disney, making Florida the only state to have two.

It took less than 30 minutes to evacuate all the guests on 9/11.

Each species of animal in AK have their own sound that they are trained to come back to be fed when they hear it played over the loudspeakers.

 

[CarrieR]

Are you guys familiar with the Main St Windows? Guessing so if he's a bit of a historian, but if not, I would research those so that you can dazzle him with the history.

One of the Jungle Cruise "natives" says, "I love Disco."

The plane that's crashed on the JC is just half of the plane. The other half is at DHS - in the Casablanca scene.

In COP, in the "Spring" scene there are birds in the window behind the Dad. If they look a little familiar, that's because they're the same birds that whistle along with Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins' "Spoonful of Sugar" sequence.

DAK was supposed to have Beastly Kingdom(me) - which never was constructed. However, as you go across the bridge towards FOTLK, you can see a waterfall off to the right, dumping into the river. It's in the shape of a dragon, the last little homage to the land that never was.

EPCOT has utilidors, too. They only go under the front part of Future World, and are far less "infamous" than the MK's, but they exist.

In DHS, when you ride ToT, look off to the right from the top of the elevator and you can see Blizzard Beach. (Okay, not a terribly historical factoid, but I couldn't think of one for DHS and it felt left out!! LOL!)

There are more - mostly in the MK - but not sure what type of stuff you guys already know...

 

[bcrook]

Are you guys familiar with the Main St Windows? Guessing so if he's a bit of a historian, but if not, I would research those so that you can dazzle him with the history.

One of the Jungle Cruise "natives" says, "I love Disco."

The plane that's crashed on the JC is just half of the plane. The other half is at DHS - in the Casablanca scene.

In COP, in the "Spring" scene there are birds in the window behind the Dad. If they look a little familiar, that's because they're the same birds that whistle along with Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins' "Spoonful of Sugar" sequence.

DAK was supposed to have Beastly Kingdom(me) - which never was constructed. However, as you go across the bridge towards FOTLK, you can see a waterfall off to the right, dumping into the river. It's in the shape of a dragon, the last little homage to the land that never was.

EPCOT has utilidors, too. They only go under the front part of Future World, and are far less "infamous" than the MK's, but they exist.

In DHS, when you ride ToT, look off to the right from the top of the elevator and you can see Blizzard Beach. (Okay, not a terribly historical factoid, but I couldn't think of one for DHS and it felt left out!! LOL!)

There are more - mostly in the MK - but not sure what type of stuff you guys already know...

What's cool about this, is that some of this I have read and some not. But, I had forgotten some of it. This is a good way to refresh my memory. I appreciate the info. I have read about the dragon, but I always forget to find it. Your DHS comment cracked me up.

 

[bcrook]

To find out how far apart to put trashcans, guests were given a candy at the gates to see how long they would hold onto the wrapper. Walt counted their steps, figuring it was 30, so trashcans are no more than 30 steps from each other.

Mickey has 290 different costumes and Minnie has 200.

A Liberty Bell replica was given to every state. Since Pennsylvania has the real one, they gave their replica to Disney, making Florida the only state to have two.

It took less than 30 minutes to evacuate all the guests on 9/11.

Each species of animal in AK have their own sound that they are trained to come back to be fed when they hear it played over the loudspeakers.

The liberty bell story is perfect! Thank you.

 

[bcrook]

I am totally mesmerized by Mary Blair's work in its a small world, gran fiesta tour, and mural at the contemporary. The king of Morocco sent his artisans over to work on the Morocco Pavillion, I also like to point out to people that part of the Boardwalk lake and canals are above the highway! That is very difficult to comprehend even when looking at it.

 

[smkohn]

In the WDW version of Haunted Mansion, the stretching room ceiling rises up. However, in the DisneyLand version the stretching room is an elevator of sorts and the floor drops down.

When Epcot was completed, ambassadors from each country around World Showcase brought water from their country to pour into the Fountain of Nations. During one of Epcot's anniversaries, this water pouring ceremony was done again.

Spaceship Earth has 11,324 triangles, was originally designed to be gold, and has a drainage system built into it so that when it rains the water does not pour off the sides. Instead, it is collected and funneled into World Showcase Lagoon.