backstage magic tour

[nitsirk987]

hello,

dh and i are heading down oct 16-24th and was thinking about doing the "backstage magic" tour. this will prob be the last year we go down before we decide to have a family, so i thought it would be best time .. anyone have any info that they would like to share? was it worth the $200.00, i think we get a discount because we are dvc owners. where did you have lunch at? and it also says little surprises were given too? anything good?

thanks for any info!!

kristin

 

[nitsirk987]

anyone???

 

[ncbyrne]

DH and I did this just last week. It was a wonderful tour! You will tour many unusual places in the MK, Epcot, and MGM and learn all sorts of interesting things about WDW! I especially liked seeing the utilidors (tunnels) that are under the MK, and the working wardrobe!! Awesome. Your tour involves walking as well as being driven in an a/c luxury motor coach from place to place. You will receive a special pin (DH and I both got one, so I traded mine in the parks during the week), plus you get bottles of cold water. (Pins are worth $6.50 ea and water bottles cost $2.50 in the parks. Lunch was at Mama Melrose in MGM and it was WONDERFUL!!! Worth at least another $30 pp. Although it seems pricey at $199, it is well worth it. If you add it all up and take everything into consideration, it's actually the best tour bargain that WDW offers anywhere on property! The other tours are only half as long, (or less), and they all require that you pay park entry on top of the tour costs. The Backstage Magic tour is all day (9-4), you get driven around in comfort, a fabulous all you can eat lunch is included, a pin you can trade, complimentary water bottles AND you have spent a day in the parks without having to use a day on your park hoppers! Go for it!

 

[Noelle]

My husband and I did this last July and we loved it. I agree with the previous poster...It's definitely worth the money. It gave us a whole new view of WDW! I'm sure you'll enjoy it too! I can't really imagine anyone who wouldn't.

I especially like the wardrobe part of the tour. It's amazing to see how they put all of those costumes together. When we were there, they were refurbishing the Spectromagic costumes. So we were able to feel them and see just how they work.

 

[Micca]

We did Keys to the Kingdom which is a scaled down version of the tour you're considering. Our tour was very enjoyable, and we are students of the Disney story and still learned new information.

 

[scakul]

Sounds like you had a great time. We are doing this tour for the first time in July.

How much time did you spend in the utildors?
Did you ride any attractions during the tour?
What was the menu at Mama Melrose's?

 

[pintrader]

this is one of the tours included in one of the dreammaker plans, so so it then and skip the $200 pp charge.

 

[wdw4us]

we did this tour and it was well worth the $$. Gave it to my son one year as a Christmas present and he LOVED it.

Go, have a blast, who knows when your'll be able to do this or can afford it once you have kids.

denise

 

[nitsirk987]

thanks for all the info!!

i thought of a few more questions though, did you have a special menu from mama melrose's or did you get to pick off the whole lunch menu?

and the other one, how far in advance did you call and book?


thanks again!!

 

[Tamickey]

We really enjoyed it when we went 4 years ago and would do it again. My dd was 16 1/2 at the time. We didn't order at Mama Melroses, they just kept bringing out food, fabulous food at that. We sat at long type of tables and everyone was able to pass things if they wanted to. There were several types of pizza, pasta dishes, salads, appetizers and beverages too.
I don't remember how far in advance we booked. But they take a limited number of people on each tour, so I'd book when I know.

 

[ncbyrne]

We spent about 15 minutes in the utilidors. They were really not anything like what I expected, but very interesting to see. We did not ride any of the attractions. The only "on stage" thing we did was to see one of the parades in MK. One of the fun things was to be in the side of Epcot when it was closed. The menu at Mama's is prepared specifically for this tour group. The food is served family style and is brought out in courses. There was something for everyone - you could choose any beverage plus there were chicken dishes, meat dishes, pasta, a few types of salads and even a variety of desserts to choose from. One lady in our group had food allergies and they chef came out to speak with her and prepared special meals just for her.

 

[DisneyMim]

I have done both the Keys to the Kingdom and Backstage Magic. Both are wonderful. If you can afford it Backstage Magic is more in depth. Lunch ar Mama Melrose is family style, the just keep putting more and more food on the table...and the desserts!! YUM! We booked it a day before.

ENJOY!!!

 

[JC Butterfly]

Well I haven't actually done this yet but this post inspired me to book it for my September trip. I'm an annual pass holder so they gave me a 15% discount, $169.15. I can't wait to experience this!

Brenda

 

[anne930]

We want to book the Backstage Magic tour one day during our trip. Is lunch served early enough to enjoy a good sit-down dinner somewhere else that evening? Or should we plan on a very light dinner that evening?

 

[MouseClubMom]

Sounds like the old "Innovations in Action" seminar that I used to teach when I was a CM. That seminar was only open to groups attending conventions on property at the time. The backstage stuff is really neat to see and I would highly recommend it for anyone who has wondered how things work "behind the scenes".

MCMom

 

[JC Butterfly]

I just wanted to report back after having taken this tour Sept 29th. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had at Disney, truly a "bargain" for what I felt I got out of it.

Met the tour guide at EPCOT at 9:00 a.m. We had a very small group, only 12 of us. (I believe they can accomodate 30 or so). The guide was very knowledgeable and lots of fun.

We were invited unto the bus and driven around the perimiter of EPCOT. You would be amazed how close some of the buildings are in actuality to each other. We were able to spend about an hour behind the scenes at the American Adventure. Learned a lot about what it takes to get World Showcase ready as well as this specific attraction.

There is a lot more to "backstage" than what I had thought of. Like their very own woodworking and metalworking shops, their own florist department. The Christmas storage areas along with props department. We saw the backstage cast member areas (where their costumes are kept, lockers, etc) Each park has one.

There was so much more to Disney than I had ever imagined. There was truly no time to go on attractions, this would have been a waste of time.

Lunch at MGM was served about noon. When we first met our guide we were asked if we had any food allergies or anything we just really didn't like to eat. No one voiced anything. So for lunch we were brought out 3 different wood-fire pizzas, two different salads, three main entrees: veggie, pork, & chicken. Plenty of beverage and about 5 different dessert choices. This was all family style and they would bring out as much additional stuff as we wanted (and checked to make sure everyone was finding something to eat).

The pin has a "value" more than $6.50 in the sense that the only way to get it is to take this tour so it's not recommended that you trade it for "just anything".

There was plenty of water available. Several scheduled bathroom breaks and there was a bathroom on the bus.

But the tour kept moving along at a pretty regular pace, some people in the group seemed quite tired at the end.

I ate a good amount of lunch but with all that walking, I was still plenty hungry for dinner.

I would take this tour again in a heartbeat!