BACKSTAGE MAGIC TOUR
Wow! This was fun. It started with checking in outside of EPCOT. Jeff was our guide; there were 21 people in the group. We were given name tag pins to write our names on. The nametags were rectangle with a shot from Mickey in the Looking Glass. Kind of a play on Backstage Magic.
We went in the front gate of EPCOT, no tickets are needed for this tour, but we did go through a bag check. We watched the opening ceremony at EPCOT and were asked what our favorite Disney movie was and where we were from. There were a couple people from England, and the rest of us were scattered around the United States. (Most popular movies were Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean, but there was also 1 Old Yeller!) Chance for a bathroom break and then...
Then we went backstage, off to the left of the camera shop (while youre facing the camera shop) by Spaceship Earth. Wow. Chainlink fencing and no grass under the trees! Still clean, but definitely NOT what you see in the parks.
We walked past the loading areas for the Living Seas, food & merchandise and animals. There our bus was waiting. It was a full size Mears motorcoach. There was a cooler of small Desani water bottles for us to take as needed. We lucked out that it wasnt a really hot day, but I still drank 2 bottles. The bus drove us around the road that leads around the back of EPCOT in a horseshoe. We went past The Land and around the World Showcase.
We stopped behind America and walked around the front of American Adventure. The World Showcase was not open yet, so there were service trucks all over. They were still powerwashing the ground. Which, by the way, they do every day. We learned some Disney terms most of which WE are familiar with cast member instead of employee, guest instead of visitor, but I learned 2 new ones Good Show and Bad Show. Bad Show is when you see a cast member having a personal conversation, a cast member leaning against a wall, a garbage bag sticking out the side of the garbage can, peeling paint. Good Show is what WE call Disney Magic.
We talked about forced perspective I think thats a requisite on EVERY Disney tour. And then we went around the side of the building and they talked about how its only the visible areas that get the full treatment (real windows, nice paint jobs). We went inside American Adventure and they showed us how it all worked, we got to see the animitronics of Mark Twain and Ben Franklin from just a couple of feet away. And we learned the set up of this ride the scenes are rolled into order and appear on stage in order but are under the audience while they wait their turn to come out.
We headed over to the Cast Member costume area and saw the thousands of costumes for the EPCOT cast members. Even saw a line of 4 or 5 Snow Whites in the wigging room putting on make up.
Back on the bus and over to MGM Studios. We visited the costume department, talked to 2 or 3 cast members who work with the computers in making the patterns. If youve been on the Backlot Tour at MGM, youve ridden the tram through the tunnel where you can look into all the windows where they are cutting and sewing costumes.
Then lunch at Mama Melroses. Lots of choices everything was done family-style. There were 2 or 3 appetizers, flatbreads or pizzas, I believe. 3 main dishes I remember a spicy red sauce, sorry cant remember what else. Its that Californian Italian food, and I am afraid I am just not a fan. But I got to try a new restaurant!
Dessert was a plate of 3 or 4 mini desserts that we had to split (there were 5 of us on my end of the table). Now, Im one of those people that will stand back and ask the group what they want to do, but if no one can make a decision, I will TELL them what they are doing (not meanly, but stop wasting time! Lol). So, after asking how we should figure out the desserts, I picked up a knife and cut the lava chocolate cupcake into 5 pieces. There was another solo woman on the trip who had been asking a lot of questions and well, basically rambling all day. Ill say it she was driving us all a little nuts. And, yes, she was sitting next to me at lunch. She then takes the knife and cuts the cheesecake into 4 pieces. Ugh. Did you NOT watch me cut the cake? Then, one of the deserts is a scoop of ice cream how do you expect 5 people to split a scoop of ice cream???
We leave the restaurant via the back door. I shant return. The bus is in the alley.
Next stop florist. Kinda cool literally, they had us standing in the refrigeration room! Showed us everything from a hanging basket for a theme park to a huge gift basket you can order for a guest.
Next stop holiday warehouse. Again, pretty cool. It was fun to look at all the decorations and figure out where they were headed. The Animal Kingdom tree was being worked on its 4 or 5 HUGE pieces that they truck over and put together. We spoke with a very nice woman, wish I could remember her name, who told us about their season. While we were there (this was the first week of September), we did see the Osbourne Lights starting to go up at MGM.
A short walk down the street takes us to where they work on the props. Safety goggles on, please. Nice look. They were working on various projects a Buzz Lightyear costume, a Space Mountain vehicle was dismantled, and my favorite an Expedition Everest vehicle was being painted it was exciting to see it so early!
Back on the bus. We head over to the Magic Kingdom. We came in through the normal road, l like the busses do. But instead of turning LEFT like the busses, we went straight towards Space Mountain. Then we took the next left (if you look to your right coming IN on a bus, I think you can see the road, but maybe not). We got dropped off behind the right side of Main Street now I found this interesting and it seemed much more noticeable in the Magic Kingdom than any other park, when you were backstage, you could easily get to several areas of the park from where you were. For example, Main Street to Tomorrowland FEELS a certain distance, right? But where we were let out and I KNEW we were behind Main Street, we got to Tomorrowland through a door. My perspective was totally thrown. Another example, MGM. We drove around the backlot, not very far, and got off the bus. We did the costumers area. We came onstage next to Millionaire. I couldnt believe where we were.
Once we were at the MK, we popped out onstage for a potty break, then backstage again to go down a flight of stairs. Everytime I do a Disney tour, I get a little hesitant when its time to go backstage. My very first time was Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase they took us behind Canada to show us the back of the Canadian Rockies. Awesome! But I hesitated stepping through that door. Turns out, what was back of that mountain made me love Disney even further.
Back to THIS tour, we went down a flight of stairs to the utilidors. Wasnt what I thought it would look like. Part of me doesnt want to give it away for people who dont want to know... but it was worth stepping though the door.
When we came out of the utilidors, I didnt want to climb those stairs ever it was pouring rain I mean POURING!!!!! The tour guide had umbrellas for everyone to use ON THE BUS! We decided as a group to make a run for Main Street and came out wet but ok, in Town Square on the right (as you face the castle) by the camera shop. We waited for the tour guide to go to the bus and get the umbrellas and we were waiting for the parade to start. He led us around Town Square so we were standing in front of the fire station and as the parade came by, the rain tapered off.
The Share a Dream parade. I am one of those people who try to avoid parades. Not because I dont like them, I do. But because they make me cry. Theres so much emotion in a parade. Now, make it a DISNEY PARADE. Bawling!!!!! So, I avoid them. Ended up seeing this parade Sunday when we arrived and now again today! How long has this parade been running and Id never seen it then BAMM!!! Twice in one week! Managed not to cry either time, yea me!!!
Then it was back on the bus and dropped off at EPCOT. While we were on the bus each time, Jeff told stories, answered questions, showed pieces of a movie about WDW. It was an interesting and informative tour. But my feet were killing me!
I'm looking into the tours for the next time I go, and this sounds excellent! Do they let you take pictures?
