All Florida parks built on second floor?

[DisneyLandMan]

As most of us already know, Magic Kingdom is actually on the second floor with the utilidors below, but my question is this.....are all the Florida parks built this way? Idk why this came to mind, but I am curious as I have never heard it talked about in any other park, yet I assume they are built that way to keep cast members out of sight. Anybody have any real answers?

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Nope MK is the only one, the others don't have utilidor systems and were build directly on the ground floor.

A little utilidor trivia for you: There are times when you are in the MK and as a guest can be on the first/ground floor but not in the utlidors, do you know where those spots are?

 

[DISHoppy]

As most of us already know, Magic Kingdom is actually on the second floor with the utilidors below, but my question is this.....are all the Florida parks built this way? Idk why this came to mind, but I am curious as I have never heard it talked about in any other park, yet I assume they are built that way to keep cast members out of sight. Anybody have any real answers?

No.

-Kevin

 

[DISHoppy]

Nope MK is the only one, the others don't have utilidor systems and were build directly on the ground floor.

A little utilidor trivia for you: There are times when you are in the MK and as a guest can be on the first/ground floor but not in the utlidors, do you know where those spots are?

Hmmm....Splash and Space would seem to be likely areas for this to be the case.

-Kevin

 

[WDSearcher]

As most of us already know, Magic Kingdom is actually on the second floor with the utilidors below, but my question is this.....are all the Florida parks built this way? Idk why this came to mind, but I am curious as I have never heard it talked about in any other park, yet I assume they are built that way to keep cast members out of sight. Anybody have any real answers?

MK is the only park with a full utilidoor system as its "first floor". There are a few "underground" areas at Epcot, but the system is very limited and not nearly as utilized as MK's tunnels. Neither DHS nor DAK have any sort of tunnel system.

 

[mesaboy2]

Epcot has a very simple version of the Utilidors underneath FW connecting the Innoventions area at least, but not much else.

As for your trivia, I'll take an obvious shot: PotC, from after the small drop to the moving walkway at the exit. Possibly also Space, since there's a long exit beltway ramp moving up to ground level there too.

 

[DisneyLandMan]

Nope MK is the only one, the others don't have utilidor systems and were build directly on the ground floor.

A little utilidor trivia for you: There are times when you are in the MK and as a guest can be on the first/ground floor but not in the utlidors, do you know where those spots are?

I would guess Space Mountain maybe? I honestly have no idea. haha. Do tell!!


And that's odd that they didnt make the utilidors for all the parks. Was it realized that it just wasn't a good idea? Not necessary for other parks? Not cost effective?

 

[Hunclemarco]

Pirates of the Caribbean...at the end of the ride?

 

[DisneyLandMan]

Epcot has a very simple version of the Utilidors underneath FW connecting the Innoventions area at least, but not much else.

As for your trivia, I'll take an obvious shot: PotC, from after the small drop to the moving walkway at the exit. Possibly also Space, since there's a long exit beltway ramp moving up to ground level there too.

O yea, PotC is a good guess too.

 

[smitch425]

Nope MK is the only one, the others don't have utilidor systems and were build directly on the ground floor.

A little utilidor trivia for you: There are times when you are in the MK and as a guest can be on the first/ground floor but not in the utlidors, do you know where those spots are?

I'm going to guess PoTC and IASW. Simply because when you enter the queue you go downward to actually get on the rides.

 

[WDSearcher]

I would guess Space Mountain maybe? I honestly have no idea. haha. Do tell!!


And that's odd that they didnt make the utilidors for all the parks. Was it realized that it just wasn't a good idea? Not necessary for other parks? Not cost effective?

Comes down to -- as you would expect with a Disney park -- a mixture of theming and practicality.

When Epcot was built, the initial conceit was that Future World would maintain the MK "model" while World Showcase was supposed to be a "world's fair" kind of place where people of all different cultures would mingle. Hence the tunnels under FW and the "backstage / onstage" set-up for Epcot. Basically, Walt's thought was that you didn't have to "hide" World Showcase cast, because World Showcase was "real" as opposed to "fantasy".

The whole point of the Studios when it was built was to be a working Studio, where Guests would regularly see production or operations cast moving from place to place and get a glimpse of what was going on "backstage". They wanted people to see Characters riding in carts to their next "location" and to see people in costume coming and going. So, again ... no tunnels or underground service areas needed.

With DAK, it would be somewhat impractical to have everything underground, since so much of what that park deals with is animal-based.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

POTC, Space, IASW, and Splash (maybe).

 

[Tomh]

It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean after the drop, Splash Mountain after the drop maybe. I'm pretty sure of small world and pirates being on the first floor. Can't think of any other places off the top of my head.

 

[I Love Pluto]

A little utilidor trivia for you: There are times when you are in the MK and as a guest can be on the first/ground floor but not in the utlidors, do you know where those spots are?

Where -- where -- where????? I won't sleep tonight!!!!!

 

[flortlebap]

That's a very cool piece of trivia, and something I never knew!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean after the drop, Splash Mountain after the drop maybe. I'm pretty sure of small world and pirates being on the first floor. Can't think of any other places off the top of my head.

Sorry had a meeting at work and had to work for a little while.

Some good guesses, the 3 water rides above are correct, at the time building those attractions with the amount of water they require to run would have been very difficult to build on a 2nd floor. JC is also on the 'ground floor' but it has no utilidors over in that section of Adventureland one you walk down off the main 'path' there near Alladin toward JC.

 

[Tomh]

Nice, never thought of JC. I am assuming that the Liberty Belle is also 1st floor.

 

[YellowXterra]

Toontown and BTMRR area

 

[goofyernmost]

Comes down to -- as you would expect with a Disney park -- a mixture of theming and practicality.

When Epcot was built, the initial conceit was that Future World would maintain the MK "model" while World Showcase was supposed to be a "world's fair" kind of place where people of all different cultures would mingle. Hence the tunnels under FW and the "backstage / onstage" set-up for Epcot. Basically, Walt's thought was that you didn't have to "hide" World Showcase cast, because World Showcase was "real" as opposed to "fantasy".

The whole point of the Studios when it was built was to be a working Studio, where Guests would regularly see production or operations cast moving from place to place and get a glimpse of what was going on "backstage". They wanted people to see Characters riding in carts to their next "location" and to see people in costume coming and going. So, again ... no tunnels or underground service areas needed.

With DAK, it would be somewhat impractical to have everything underground, since so much of what that park deals with is animal-based.

Interesting but I have to ask...how did Walt think anything about it since he was dead a full 17 years before it was built. Not saying he wouldn't think that way, but his concept of Epcot and the finished product were vastly different in design and purpose.

 

[mousermerf]

Interesting but I have to ask...how did Walt think anything about it since he was dead a full 17 years before it was built. Not saying he wouldn't think that way, but his concept of Epcot and the finished product were vastly different in design and purpose.

You and I may not agree on much, but I was about to point the same thing out

Epcot's tunnel starts right beside Energy, links to the Innoventions/Communicore building where Guest Relations is located currently (that's an important distinction, since Guest Relations wasn't always there but the tunnel was) and then goes under the plaza and over to roughly the same spot over on the other Innoventions/Communicore building.

It really only exists to let the "central" buildings be accessed without having to go through the park. The east buildings come from the perimeter and the west buidlings come from that side's perimeter.

And operationally, Epcot is lopsided. All the Cast flows in/out from the East behind Test Track/Mexico.

Edit: I feel like I didn't explain that very well.. As far as costume rules and theme are concerned - Epcot is treated a bit different than the other parks. Epcot Future World CMs can go anywhere in a Future World "common area" - essentially outside of a building. They aren't "land locked" like other costumed cast are in other parks, who technically aren't supposed to be cutting through other themed lands. They are technically all the same land. In World Showcase it's the same idea with the Promenade - it's open to all the World Showcase CMs to go to/from but they don't go into the wrong pavilion.

There's actually a group of costumes that's considered "Epcot neutral" that can go between Future World and World Showcase. Otherwise the two groups almost never mingle.