Backstage Safari/Keys to the Kingdom tour reviews

[diswedwish]

We ( myself and DH) went on the Backstage Safari tour last Friday and Keys to the Kingdom last Saturday. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help

We absolutely loved the Backstage Safari tour!!! There were only 5 other people in our group, Paul was our guide, and the tour left at 8:30 on Friday morning. We started backstage, got to see the elephants, giraffes, got to touch a rhino, see where the food was prepared, the inside of the vet clinic in Conservation Station (no operations going on), and then got to speak with one of the CMs that works with reptiles where we got to touch a snake. At that point we were given bottled water/coffee/or hot chocolate and cookies and brownies. We also received our pins, conservation bags to AK, and guide books to AK that they don't sell in the parks anymore (and the reason why). After that we went on-stage and Paul took us on the Safari tour, only with him narrating and the usual story-line turned off. It was very interesting, and we had a lot of fun I think it costs $65 per person, but it was part of our Gold Plan.

We enjoyed Keys to the Kingdom, although I think we would have appreciated it *much* more had we done this tour first. For us, it was almost a let down after the Backstage Safari. So, if anyone is considering both *go on this tour first*!!! Afterwards, when we were talking to my parents about it, we realized how much we actually enjoyed it, but at the time we were disappointed. We took the 9:00 tour with about 15 other people and Lauren as our guide. We stopped at a few places on Main St., and she explained various different things. We headed to Adventureland and rode the Jungle Cruise with her as our guide. Then it was off to the backstage area where they keep the parade floats, then off to Liberty Square. I learned a bunch of stuff there that I hadn't picked up on these boards (I've been around too long ) so I enjoyed this part the most. Then we had lunch at Columbia Harbour House where we received our pins, followed by an explanation of HM, and a ride of the HM. Then we went into the utilidors for a bit - actually for what seemed like a long time standing in one place, and she allowed us to ask questions. She escorted us back on-stage and that was that - it was around 2 by the time we were finished. I think this tour is $58 per person, again we were on the Gold Plan so it was included.

Next time we're looking forward to trying more of the tours, especially the Epcot tours. There's so much stuff that you miss just walking through, and we both felt that we enjoyed the parks much more after being on the tours.

 

[HGD24]

How do you book a Backstage Safari tour??

 

[bunnyfoo]

Thanks for the review of the Backstage Safari tour! I'm thinking of doing this tour next trip ... One question for ya... on the safari part of the tour, does the vehicle go a bit slower than if you were on the actual ride? Just curious if it would be easier to get pictures... TIA

 

[TammiMcMan]

I did the Backstage Tour at AK two weeks ago. The cost was $65 and a portion of that goes to support conservation. Our guide Paul was very informative. I think because of the cold weather we were able to see a lot of the animals before they went out on the safari grounds. We saw elephants, patted the white rhino, and saw a Rothschild giraffe in their pens. We got to see the food preparation area and then were brought into a classroom where we met a staff member. He had a small alligator for us to touch. There was a brief video and snacks and drinks were available. We went over to conservation station, but there was nothing scheduled for the day. We did get to tour one of the exam rooms. Paul then brought us the back way onto the Safari ride. It was wonderful going through with him as our guide. The ride was really not much slower, as we did have to keep up with the other trucks. We were asked to take part in a survey following the tour and given a special pin and a few other keepsakes. There is an age limit on this tour and you must be 16 or older. Because it was so cold when we were there, we had the luxury of driving in a van, but I understand that it's normally a walking tour.

Tammi

 

[diswedwish]

The number to book the tour is (407) 939-8687.

It was kind of cold when we were there as well, so we also got the luxury of the van

Ditto to what Tammi said, we weren't allowed to slow down too much as we had to keep the flow, but our driver did slow/stop a bit where we had a really good view of the animals.