“IF THIS IS A DREAM, I DON’T WANT TO WAKE UP!” – POP! Goes The Solo Trip **THE END**

[DisneyKid4Life]

Bummer about the monorail being down... seriously, what ARE the odds?

Glad to see that you escaped the riff raff and their nefarious plots of tripping you before you got through the gates. How many evil eyes did you have to dodge?

Seeing Main St (and WOW... EMPTY!!!) still just takes my breath away and makes me smile.

And now that you have seen the "secret" vending machines in the ladies room, I do believe that you either need to convert or be put to death.... sorry.

Haha, I know right!? Such a bummer.

It was so awesome to bypass everyone. I know lots of people have done tours and ADR's, but this was a first for me. So exciting!!!!

This was the best part. Seeing the photographers almost outnumber the people was truly magical. It definitely made me smile.

Bahahaha, oh man that could have been so embarassing. This was part of the tour I wasn't expecting.

I'm really enjoying your TR! I'm planning a solo trip for next summer and it's just making me all the more excited

Aww thank you so much Sarah. . It's so excting to have a UK reader!
I took a quick peak at your tumblr. My God that picture of the baby Manatee is adorable!!!
Plus I saw that you're a hopeful future UK pavillion CM. I sincerely hope that works out!

Solo trips are truly unique and wonderful. You'll love it!

You're killin' me with hilarity here!! Ladies restroom! Did you think it odd that there were no urinals? Perhaps in MK the gents prefer private quarters? Thank goodness no ladies were present.. could have been awkward.

Now I've forgotten all that I was going to comment on other than I still must take the ferry somewhere! After 7 WDW trips, I still have never stepped foot on the ferryboat.

I am definitely looking forward to hearing about your KTTK tour since Em and I have that booked for August.

Now I remembered something.... Complimentary coffee?? Do tell... is it included in the tour?

Love the shirt!

Bahaha, omg, I don't know what I was thinking Brenda. It's so funny that you mentioned that because I honestly did not notice the lack of urinals. But right after that's the first thing that popped into my mind. I must confess to preferring the privacy though.

I highly recommend the ferry at least once. It's such a different experience.

OMG you're gonna love it. Wow, KTTK and Walk in Walt's Footsteps so close together. That's awesome.

Yup. There is free coffee available when you check in. I'd heard this beforehad which is why I only had one at POP. It was a nice little extra. I did have some trouble operating the machine though, until the lovely CM helped me... and made fun of me... but in that CM sort of way that I like.

AHH Thank You!!! I had never seen one, so I just had to make one. The CM's LOVED it!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

That waffle looks super yummy. I want one! Alas, I will have to wait for September.

I love getting in early! Main Street with no people, seeing the castle in all it's glory...perfection. I can't wait to hear about the tour!!

Oops about the bathroom. At least you didn't bump into anyone. Could have had a duckie moment like pretty in pink. Hey, why do girls get candy machines in here?!

Ah but September will be here before you know it Jennifer. It was so yummy!

Oh me too, and this was a first for me. It was just so magical!

Bahaha, so funny. I'm so glad no one was around. Thankfully being so early, it was abandoned.

Awesome pics!

Thanks very much!

Ok seriously loved this last post. LOL for real tampons
I loved that you posted pics of the TTC, you don't see too many of those and I found myself just staring at them for a while.
The ferry really is a nice way to get to MK, it forces you to just relax for a few minutes and take everything in.
Excited to read about your experience with the Keys tour.

Aww thank you. Haha, it was certainly an amusing incident. OMG

I love the TTC. It's that little "buffer" to Magic Kingdom where the excitement really starts to build.

It really is and it really does.

Thank you. I certainly hope my account does it proud.

 

[marDgreen88]

There is nothing better than en empty Main Street! HAHAHAHA I'm sorry, but that was a pretty hilarious mistake. (Forgive me.) Can't wait to hear about the tour!

 

[singsweetnightingale]

Aww thank you so much Sarah. . It's so excting to have a UK reader!
I took a quick peak at your tumblr. My God that picture of the baby Manatee is adorable!!!
Plus I saw that you're a hopeful future UK pavillion CM. I sincerely hope that works out!

Solo trips are truly unique and wonderful. You'll love it!

Thank you!! I know! Manatee's are the most adorable things, just didn't know the babies were that adorable! I am! I'm pretty much going to apply every year until I get in haha thank you, me too

I've done a solo trip to Disneyland Paris and it was wonderful. I've never been to WDW before, so a solo trip there is up next! I can't wait!

 

[natebenma]

I'm finally back!!! I just binge-read your arrival day and visit to "The Studios". Wow!

Love your "No Dancing Shirt"

What awesome theming at Pop and AoA. Disney really nailed it! Loved your photo tour. My favorite picture was the one taken from just above the Little Mermaid (the Ariel Arial) shot of the pool.

I love your rant about MGM-Hollywood Studios. Several years ago a CM berated my best friend for calling it MGM "It's Hollywood Studios, now".

But I make it a game to see how much stuff I can find on my trips that reference MGM. For example- the maps of the resort given out at the Beach Club from my last trip (3 years ago) label the boat dock "Boats to MGM Studios".

Great AP- Did you get to pick Mickey?

Too funny about the ToT/Morocco info. I just posted something about that this weekend on the Beach Club FAQ board.

Reading your report, about the long line at RnR just made me realize why I would never wait in a 25 minute plus line at Disney. There is always something else interesting you can do nearby, without a wait. Pretty cool. You chose One Man's Dream and an impromptu Characterpalooza.

I love the display of the items from retired EPCOT attractions at OMD. EPCOT was where I fell in love with Disney, even more than MK, and those are some of my favorite memories. Veggie-Veggie-Fruit-Fruit and the Livin' with the Land song make me happy!

Fun hat pictures (get 'em while you can). Also love your twilight/night time HS photos.

Didn't know about the Attractions Plus card.

What a great Fantasmic Experience!!! How great that you got to enjoy a familiar show at a whole new level of excitement!

I'll come back later and catch up on the rest.

 

[wdwgirl03]

hahaha nice homemade t-shirt!

OK, you are killing me here. Even though my dad and I did the KTTK tour last year I am anxious to hear about your experiences!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

There is nothing better than en empty Main Street! HAHAHAHA I'm sorry, but that was a pretty hilarious mistake. (Forgive me.) Can't wait to hear about the tour!

Oh my do I ever agree Marissa. It was so beautiful. Well, it's always beautiful, but this was EXTRA beautiful.

Bahahha, oh I know, I don't know what I was thinking. I'm usually so aware of things like that. But you know the old saying... What doesn't kill us makes us stronger... and makes a great DISboards TR story.

Thank you!! I know! Manatee's are the most adorable things, just didn't know the babies were that adorable! I am! I'm pretty much going to apply every year until I get in haha thank you, me too

I've done a solo trip to Disneyland Paris and it was wonderful. I've never been to WDW before, so a solo trip there is up next! I can't wait!

Good for you. Never give up on a dream!

You're gonna LOVE WDW I think, and solo trips are so much fun!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I'm finally back!!! I just binge-read your arrival day and visit to "The Studios". Wow!

Love your "No Dancing Shirt"

What awesome theming at Pop and AoA. Disney really nailed it! Loved your photo tour. My favorite picture was the one taken from just above the Little Mermaid (the Ariel Arial) shot of the pool.

I love your rant about MGM-Hollywood Studios. Several years ago a CM berated my best friend for calling it MGM "It's Hollywood Studios, now".

But I make it a game to see how much stuff I can find on my trips that reference MGM. For example- the maps of the resort given out at the Beach Club from my last trip (3 years ago) label the boat dock "Boats to MGM Studios".

Great AP- Did you get to pick Mickey?

Too funny about the ToT/Morocco info. I just posted something about that this weekend on the Beach Club FAQ board.

Reading your report, about the long line at RnR just made me realize why I would never wait in a 25 minute plus line at Disney. There is always something else interesting you can do nearby, without a wait. Pretty cool. You chose One Man's Dream and an impromptu Characterpalooza.

I love the display of the items from retired EPCOT attractions at OMD. EPCOT was where I fell in love with Disney, even more than MK, and those are some of my favorite memories. Veggie-Veggie-Fruit-Fruit and the Livin' with the Land song make me happy!

Fun hat pictures (get 'em while you can). Also love your twilight/night time HS photos.

Didn't know about the Attractions Plus card.

What a great Fantasmic Experience!!! How great that you got to enjoy a familiar show at a whole new level of excitement!

I'll come back later and catch up on the rest.

Best... Arrival Day... EVER!!

Aww thank you Dee! I like it too.

Aerial Ariel shot... AHHHH why didn't I think of that!!?? Really clever

Bahaha, obviously that CM didn't get that some of us like MGM better.

Ha, I try to do that as well. There was just so much that had MGM, it took FOREVER for Disney to remove it all. It wasn't even that long ago that you could still find references in the park itself. For all I know there may still be stuff there.

Actually, the girl picked it, but I would have if she didn't, so it worked out.

Haha, great minds...

Yup, I absolutely LOVE One Man's Dream, so that was easy. It's great doing it alone too so I don't feel rushed. I knew RNRC would come later anyway, so I was rewarded with a little Characterpalooza.

One Man's Deam is just so chock full of nostalgia. I so love it!

Absolutely, and Thank You!

It's still pretty new, but what a deal if you like ride photos.

It was amazing and I will never forget it. There's a link a little later to the video of the finale. I was just filled with goosebumps through the whole thing. It was the best.

hahaha nice homemade t-shirt!

OK, you are killing me here. Even though my dad and I did the KTTK tour last year I am anxious to hear about your experiences!

Ha, thanks Sarah. I was really curious to see how many people would recognize it (other than on here of course).

The sneak peak is I loved it. Details coming soon...

 

[katt789]

WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE YOU BUTTHEAD!!!!!!!

But seriously, just kidding.

Love that they let you just wander down Main Street, I will probably be doing cartwheels I'll be so excited! How awesome that you got to see all the characters come down, I'm usually one of those who lingers around and waits for them to be wandering down Main Street to walk alongside them, it's just cool.

Ahahahahahaha. Honestly, like, any time I walk into a bathroom I do a double check for urinals if I'm in a place I don't know very well, so I could totally have done the same thing.

SO EXCITED TO READ ALL ABOUT THE TOOOIUUUURRRRR.

 

[pooksma]

Sorry I am arriving late, but hey, I'm here

Looking forward to hearing about the KTTW as it is something we have never done.

Happy Canada Day! ( Also late but oh well )

 

[teekathepony]

Pop waffle! So nostalgic right now!
Aw, too bad about the monorail being down. But at least you got there. Love the empty MK pictures, but not more than I LOVE that shirt!!
Cool pics of all the characters coming down the stairs!
OMG I laughed so hard, wrong washroom!

You're killin' me with hilarity here!! Ladies restroom! Did you think it odd that there were no urinals? Perhaps in MK the gents prefer private quarters? Thank goodness no ladies were present.. could have been awkward.

I might have a way around that if you ever find yourself in the wrong washroom with ladies present. Tell them you're grabbing a tampon for your girl who is unable to get them herself. You just might have (most of) the ladies melting at your chivalry. Or maybe not. This theory is untested.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE YOU BUTTHEAD!!!!!!!

But seriously, just kidding.

Love that they let you just wander down Main Street, I will probably be doing cartwheels I'll be so excited! How awesome that you got to see all the characters come down, I'm usually one of those who lingers around and waits for them to be wandering down Main Street to walk alongside them, it's just cool.

Ahahahahahaha. Honestly, like, any time I walk into a bathroom I do a double check for urinals if I'm in a place I don't know very well, so I could totally have done the same thing.

SO EXCITED TO READ ALL ABOUT THE TOOOIUUUURRRRR.

Bahahaha... Best Comment Ever.

You've gotten in early before though right? For ADR's?
It is so fantastic. It's especially great since you're not entering in clusters, so you just have all this room. One of the really cool parts is the PP photogs are out, so it's an awesome time to get pictures without huge amounts of people around.

Ooh, maybe if you like cartwheel and dance down the street, a casting director will see it and BOOM, you're hired!

As soon as that bit of fireworks hit I remembered the characters had to come down. I wish I had set up in a better spot, but it was great anyway. All of them went right out of site, and then Pluto and Marie were the only ones I saw come back out. I've heard and seen photos of people walking along with Alice etc. down the street. Seriously, how cool is that?

Oh my the urinals... how I missed that I will never know. I think for me it's a case of I notice when they are there, but I don't when they're not, if that makes any sense. I guess since some washrooms don't have them, it's not completely unusual for them not to be there? I'm going with that anyway! Ah well, it's a good TR story.

OH YAY... COMING VERY SOON! Honestly I wasn't sure you'd want to since you have it booked so soon. But YAY!

Sorry I am arriving late, but hey, I'm here

Looking forward to hearing about the KTTW as it is something we have never done.

Happy Canada Day! ( Also late but oh well )

Oh my, you are most certainly not late! I am very pleased to you. Wow, another Maritimer! That's exciting.

YAY. I hope I am able to convey how great it truly was.

Ahh and same to you as well! Thanks so much for reading!

And look, you're at POP in only 12 days!! Lucky!

Pop waffle! So nostalgic right now!
Aw, too bad about the monorail being down. But at least you got there. Love the empty MK pictures, but not more than I LOVE that shirt!!
Cool pics of all the characters coming down the stairs!
OMG I laughed so hard, wrong washroom!



I might have a way around that if you ever find yourself in the wrong wash-room with ladies present. Tell them you're grabbing a tampon for your girl who is unable to get them herself. You just might have (most of) the ladies melting at your chivalry. Or maybe not. This theory is untested.

I just had to have one, plus I wanted a photo. Then I got the strawberries which totally covered the POP logo. Thankfully I was able to keep it all intact.

Sadly the monorail seems to be constantly having issues. For some reason I was pretty confident I would not be riding it that morning even before arriving. But, yes, I still got there early enough to explore an empty Main Street.

I love that shirt too! It was fun to see if anyone would get it, and the first CM I interacted with knew it right away.

The characters on the stairs was seriously neat. I love watching characters in unusual places.

Oy, the washroom. At least no one noticed...

HAHAHAHA, that would be so hysterical! It would be interesting to see that play out.

 

[emmysmommy]

Can I just comment and say that there are very few threads that even mention feminine products let alone use the word tampon 4 times already. Great job Rob!!! For some reason I believe that this will be the most memorable DisneyKidforLife TR that I will EVER read.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Can I just comment and say that there are very few threads that even mention feminine products let alone use the word tampon 4 times already. Great job Rob!!! For some reason I believe that this will be the most memorable DisneyKidforLife TR that I will EVER read.

Hehe, my mission is now complete Brenda!! I am nothing if not a trend-setter. Pretty soon you'll see the word showing up all over DISBoards.

So now I'm curious, does your mention here make it 5?

I do agree that I will have to work very hard to embarrass myself even more next trip, but I promise to try!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I HOPE THIS KEY WORKS BECAUSE WOAH, THERE ARE 2 NEW CASTLES… TWO!!!
Day 3 – April 29, 2013 Part 2


Today’s update is dedicated to all my very special American Friends on this Independence Day 2013.

And just to let you know... This updates gonna be a big'un.




When I arrived back out front, my tour was just getting under way.
Because a good deal of the tour takes place backstage, photos will be few and far between.

Like a good DISer, I actually did bring a notepad with me in an attempt to jot down some of the cool and unusual items as they happened.

Unlike a good DISer, I suck at note taking... But we'll trudge on just the same.

Some of the information I'm sure will be old news to many (it was to me).
But, I will still try to convey some of the interesting tidbits received during what was an almost 5 hour tour whether it is common knowledge or not.

Everyone was given a little packet that hung around their neck containing an audio receiver and a tag declaring "Guest".

Now I could add to my previous exclamations…

“Excuse me… Move aside… Walt Disney World Passholder AND OFFICIAL WALT DISNEY WORLD GUEST coming through!”

We were also all given name tags. Woot Woot!

The audio receiver was great as it allowed us to hear our tour guide, Claire, above the ambient (and not so ambient) noise of Main Street.

Our group consisted of 20 people, which I believe is the maximum.

We were first introduced to the tenets of a WDW CM...
Courtesy... Efficiency... Safety... And Show.

We started on Main Street with the observation of some of the windows and some history of the park itself.

This is Claire is full on guide mode.

Most of you are familiar with this, but for those who aren't, the lettering on the windows is often in gold signifying somebody significant in Disney history.
This mostly consists of Imagineers, executives, and the like.
There's way too many to address here, but I will add a few notes as we roll along.

Above Crystal Arts are the names of the fake buying companies used to purchase the land in Florida to keep the price down.

Dick Nunis (on the left) was Executive Vice President of Disneyland and Walt Disney World simultaneously in 1972.
Ron Miller (middle) was Walt's son in law.

This window intrigued me as it lists Ron and Diane Miller (daughter) plus Walt's grandchildren.

What may surprise many is the location of the following window for one Walter E. Disney.

Walt's name does not appear, as one may expect, out in the front of the park or even along Main Street itself.

Instead, it appears essentially in the back of the ice cream parlour, though not surprisingly, facing the castle.

You see, just like in any movie...
The director appears last in the beginning credit roll with the producers at the beginning along Main Street itself.

Since the entrance into Magic Kingdom is designed like a Movie Theater it all makes perfect sense.

You have the Marquee out front, the posters in the tunnels as you come in, the popcorn smell of the “lobby”, the opening credits, and so on.

We had stopped on our Main Street tour in one of the little alleys to get away from the crowds and receive some more little tidbits.

I am happy to report that it was here that I got a question right when it was asked why the castle was 189 feet high.

For those who don’t know, it is because at the time of building, there was a law that any structure at 190 feet and above had to have a beacon on top for planes.

So they stopped at 189.

The law is now 200 and above. Anyone want to guess how high Everest is?

We also learned that Main Street has an incline from the bottom up towards the hub, something I never really noticed before.
Many people felt this was either for water drainage or to make the castle seem even taller (which I think it does).

The real reason is simply brilliant and really shows the respect Walt had for his guests.

When arriving at Magic Kingdom in the morning, people are full of energy and excitement, so walking "up" isn't such a big deal.

But at the end of a long day, that little decline to the exit may be just the extra boost people need.
You’re actually walking downhill when walking towards the exit.

I won't lie. I got a little emotional over that.

A couple other tidbits:
- The streets are color coded. When it's red, it's elevated.
- If you look up on top of the buildings, you will notice lightning rods everywhere.
- The Tomorrowland Bridge is bigger than the other land entrances due to people's natural inclination to go right.
- You won’t have to walk more than 30 feet at any point to find a garbage can.

We were also introduced (in name, not in person) to Blaine Gibson who is currently 94 years young and still part of the Disney Company.
You can thank him for the beautiful Partners statue as well as many others.

We moved along towards Adventureland with Claire pointing out another little thing I had not noticed before despite looking at it who knows how many times.

I always knew about the land “transitions”, but somehow this one escaped me.

On Crystal Place, you can actually see the architecture of the building change as it transitions from "Main Street era" into Adventureland.

Notice the right of the entrance in the photo compared to the left.

The really amazing (and wonderful) thing to me is that the vast majority of guests would never notice things like that, yet they are still done.

Another aid to guests involves the streets design.

Notice how during transitions the street texture changes from a hard surface (asphalt) to a softer surface (wood bridge) back to asphalt.
A little bit of breather for your feet and this occurs throughout the park.

In addition to lightning rods, the buildings also host a slew of Nextel rods.

So if communications go down, Disney is the place to be.

Now, what would a tour of Magic Kingdom be without a ride?

So we were almost immediately led on board our own private Jungle Cruise boat, bypassing all those "tourists" waiting in line.

SUCKERS!!!

For this particular cruise we didn't get the (much loved) puns of a boat skipper, but were treated to some behind the scenes info.

Among the notes:
- The ride features 4 rivers of the world... The Irrawady, Mekong, Nile, and Amazon.
- It took 14 months to complete the landscaping.
- Controlling your boat is not the skipper but is in fact an automobile tire located underneath the boat.
- Because the foliage is real, space heaters are installed along the route for colder weather.
- The gorillas were changed after Animal Kingdom opened because they did a lot of research and found out the gorillas were “wrong”.
- One of the lines a native yells is "I Love Disco".

Honestly, how can you not love this place?

After our informative cruise, we congregated outside the Tiki room where it was pointed out to us that the "wood" shavings that hang down are actually made of aluminum.

Then finally it was time for our first look backstage, so no pictures.

I have to say that this was really tough on me.
I had actually considered handing over my camera for Claire to hold for all backstage visits,
Not because I would willingly break the rules,
But because I was scared I would haul out the camera instinctively without thinking.

I am happy to report that I didn’t though, but I did come close A LOT!

We exited the park through the "Splash Gate" which is just to the left of Splash Mountain.
This is the same location that the parades begin/end.

The immediate area behind the gate is the same color as the walkway in Frontierland because it is still visible to the public.
There is a yellow line painted across it to signify where the guest sightline ends.
Generally this is for the parade performers so they know when they can "bring it down".

One amusing note regarding "friends of characters":
The Queen of Hearts is almost always a man due to the size requirements.

Another character note:
Because they can't communicate directly, the "friends" have a signal to notify others they are in trouble for things like dehydration.

So if you ever see a character place his/her right hand to his/her left cheek, you know they are in need of help.

After entering the backstage area, you can clearly and quickly see the elevation decline.
Magic Kingdom is floor #2 after all.

It was here we got to see some cool stuff, including the Main Street Electrical Parade floats; lights off and charging.
This was seriously cool.
Believe me, it was enormously difficult not to take photos.

They use forklifts to get the characters onto the floats, and all of the floats are driven by a real person, even the rotating ones.
So if you're prone to dizziness, you might not want that job.

By the way, for those who haven’t heard, Spectromagic has been officially retired.

We also got to see the Backside of Water, courtesy of the backside of Splash Mountain.
I wish I could convey to you the size of the reservoir for this ride.
It was enormous.
Of course it would have to be to hold 37,000 gallons of water
It takes 45 minutes to completely drain Splash.

A cute note back here:
On the ground are paw prints (Brer Bear) used to lead anyone unfortunate enough to have been evacuated from the ride.
They are led to a waiting bus which then transports them to the front of the park.

We were then led back through the Splash Gate into Frontierland and over to Columbia Harbour House, where our (included) lunch was waiting to be devoured.


CONTINUED NEXT POST
​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Day 3 – April 29, 2013 Part 2 Cont.


During our amazing lunch, which we had pre-ordered beforehand at check-in,
We were each given a little token to remember the tour, which I just simply love.

I also made a note of a funny remark by our hostess when she was asked,
"Where do Magic Kingdom CM's park?"

Her reply, "Wyoming... It's far."

In truth, Magic Kingdom CM’s do indeed have quite the journey to get to work,
Parking well behind the Magic Kingdom and boarding a bus to a Utilidor entrance.

After our delightful and delish lunch, out next stop was a personal favourite...

The Haunted Mansion.

I love when the wait times are so specific!

There was a ton of info given about this attraction before we rode, so it was tough to take it all in.

Some bits I remember:

- There are chess pieces on the mansion itself as an ode (or joke depending on who you believe) on the creator Ken Anderson, who was a devout chess lover.
- Most if not all are represented except for the knight, because it's always "night" inside.

- Madame Leota was a real person and Disney employee/Imagineer who was much loved.
She actually helped create the Tiki room. Her real last name... Toombs.
- The ballroom ghosts use nothing but an age old magician's trick called "Pepper's Ghost".
The actual animatronics are located discreetly above and below the Doom Buggies and reflected via mirrors to give the ghostly effect.
- The statues that turn and follow you as you go by are done by having the statues carved concave (inward).

We entered the Mansion though a side door of the exit, which was pretty darn cool.
We were given our own private stretching room (no waiting in line for us), but after that we did have to enter the normal fray as we waited to board our Doom Buggies.

I took the following picture upon exiting the Mansion of a couple of my fellow tour guests...
Just because I thought it was so cute.

Genuine Disney love.

After our visit with the 999 Happy Haunts, we headed back to Main Street, entered the Emporium, and exited out the back into what looks like a parking lot.

While back there a guy dressed as Peter Pan walked by, only he was wearing jeans.
So of course this wasn't the "REAL" Peter Pan.

The tour up to this point was fantastic. I did have one small gripe though.
Our tour guide, Claire, made use of questions to us to run the tour.
If you got it right, you got a Mickey sticker.
Not a problem, as I knew a lot, so I wasn't concerned.
However, I kept getting the tough questions, if I was even asked at all.

One example I have (because I wrote it down) was,
"The Imagineers couldn't use fibreglass to build. Why?"
(This was at a certain point like decades ago, not today).

I had no idea, and to be honest I don't even remember the answer.

The very next question to somebody else (and I am not making this up) was,

"Can you picture Magic Kingdom without the castle?"

Oh for God's sake, seriously!!???? Come On!! She even got a sticker!!!!

Anyway...

We chatted a bit before doing the thing that I had been waiting for.

We went through a door... Down a flight of stairs... And entered into the holiest of places...

THE UTILIDORS!

The majestic sounds of trumpets cascaded down upon us as we entered, although that may have been entirely in my head.

Now I'm sure the vast majority of you know the story behind the Utilidors.
But for the odd one who doesn't, the legend goes that once, while in Disneyland,
Walt noticed a "Cowboy" passing through Tomorrowland on his way to Frontierland for work, and completely lost it.
In his mind it destroyed the magic (just another reason to love Walt).
So to make sure something like that never happened in Magic Kingdom, the Utilidors were constructed.

Certainly the Utilidors serve many more functions than simply getting CM’s to work, but this was the initial inspiration.

The first thing I can say about this is, don't go in thinking the walls are made of candy and everything is colourful.

What you do have are wide hallways (we saw a number of golf cart type vehicles driving around) with florescent lighting.
Lots and lots of hallways.
Oh and pipes. Lots and lots of pipes.

It is basically very industrial looking.
It may not be pretty on the surface, but I honestly thought it was beautiful and strangely magical.
For me, it was just such an honour to be there.

We also saw some of the lockers that are used by the CM's as well.

The first thing I noticed was the signage on the walls which directed you towards your land of destination (Fantasyland... Tomorrowland... Etc.)
These hallways are massive and long, and I could see that it would be really easy to get lost.
Each "land" is also colour coded and there are maps on the walls as well.

One of the more amusing (though understandable) things of note was the music playing.
It was not Disney music but Soft Rock.

We also passed by a room where CM's trade out the pins on their lanyards.

Honestly, there's not a lot I can tell you about the Utilidors other than I encourage you to visit them yourself.

You really never know what you’ll see since they’re very active.
We never saw any characters roaming around, but saw lots of other CM’s in uniform moving from place to place.
And yes, everyone was very friendly… even “off stage”.

We were in the Utilidors for quite some time before climbing up the same flight of stairs and emerging into the same lot behind the Emporium.

On the way back to Main Street we passed a security guard absolutely grilling a girl who claimed to be a CM and job shadowing, but didn't have her ID pass yet.
I didn't catch the whole exchange, but it was clear that security was tight backstage.

With that we were back onto Main Street and back to where we began almost 5 hours earlier.

All in all I really enjoyed the Keys to The Kingdom Tour and would highly recommend it, but I wouldn't recommend it on a first visit or anybody relatively new to the parks.

There is a lot of walking, although there are also periods where we sat, so it’s not 5 hours of straight walking or standing.

For the Disney lover, it's an absolute Disney Must Do, so add it to your Stacey list.

For me, it in no way spoiled the "magic"; It only reinforced why I love this place to begin with.
Honestly, I would have paid the money just to go into the Utilidors alone.

Our guide Claire clearly loved Walt Disney and Walt Disney World, and it really showed throughout.
I'm not a big fan of the "constantly ask questions to the group" style because there are often so many wrong answers that it becomes easy to miss hearing the right answer.

That said, for anyone interested in taking this tour,
You can book it by calling (407)939-8687 or (407)WDW-TOUR.

I believe the age limit is 16 years and older.
Disney refuses to "ruin the magic" for the younger set, and I applaud them for this.
The cost is $74.00 plus tax and lunch is included at Columbia Harbour House.

And with that, I conclude my Keys to the Kingdom Tour report.
I hope I didn't give too much away or potentially ruin anything for anyone and most importantly that it wasn't long and boring.

Now let's get back to some Magic Kingdom... Second Floor On Stage.



TO BE CONTINUED…
​

 

[emmysmommy]

Rob I thought about skipping this update since I thought about keeping all aspects of the tour new with no preconceived notions or expectations since we'll be doing it next month. But then I came to my senses and remembered that I like to read the last page of a novel, I prefer to be told in advance if there is a scary part of a movie, and I was the kid who loved homework so in the end I think this will have me better prepared to enjoy the tour. That and the fact that I miss so many things by not paying attention so this was good to read. Thanks for taking notes, I don't find any fault in your note-taking!!

That Walt Disney quote is so perfect for our 4th of July celebration today! So cool!

I love the KTTK pin that is a keeper! Clever design.

I have to say that when you showed that photo of the old couple holding hands that the first thing I noticed was the Vera Bradley Java Blue Backpack that gal has in your photo!!! I'm such a girl!

How did you like CHH for lunch? What did you order and more importantly, if it was a "hot" dish did they serve it hot? I'm thinking of getting a salad so I don't have to worry about the food not being served hot. What was your experience?? Did you sit upstairs? (Sorry, so many questions but inquiring minds and all that....)

Uhhhh.... I can't believe you didn't know the answer to the fiberglass material question. You know everything Disney!! Wow! That's like they punished you or something. I would have said I need to phone a friend or something. I don't want to play that game.

Did you get an AP discount for your tour or had you booked it before you were an AP holder? When I booked it I received a 15% AP discount. There may also be DVC discounts as well.

So many good stories, trivia, and photos from your tour. thanks so much for sharing. You really and truly did a great job!

 

[annie170]

Wow! That sounds like an awesome tour! Thank you very much for sharing that with us.

Claire sounds like some of my least liked teachers. Always asking me the hard question, but easy ones to other people.

I love your KTTK! What a great keepsake.

 

[Tink rules]

I went down to the Utilidors when it wasn't allowed... (back in 1987) before they started tours down there... A friend snuck me down. I had to memorize codes just in case someone asked me why I was there. I had to leave my sweatshirt and my purse outside with my mom. Went in by a door by the Cinderella statue in Fantasyland. Saw some 1/2 dressed charcters being cooled down after they had been out...

Even then it was way cool...

So you didn't get a picture of what you had for lunch? I would have picked the tuna sandwich...

 

[wdwgirl03]

Well, we just got back from our 4th of July fireworks but I had to read this update! GAH this update made me all excited because I remember learning so many of the things you mentioned. That whole transition near Crystal Palace was one of the details that I thought was really cool.

I also thought it was amusing about the non-Disney music in the Utilidors...but to be honest that was one of the first things I noticed when we went down there!

Thanks for the awesome update and letting me relive our experiences on the KTTK tour. I even learned some new stuff from your recap-I don't remember them saying anything about the Queen of Hearts' friends being male! I have to say, for anyone who has not yet done this tour, DO IT!!!! It is well worth the money and I can honestly say I did not want it to end. I loved it! And I would also say do not do it if you are relatively new to WDW. We had some people in our group who must've had some sort of package deal where they got to do a tour because all the two guys (probably late teens) wanted to do was eat. LOL.