Backstage tours

[sovietsong]

Hi all , have been looking at doing a behind the scenes tour this trip and wondered if anyone can reccommend anything , I quite like the look of the wild Africa trek at ak but willing to consider anything

 

[disneyholic family]

i've been on most of them and all were good, so i recommend going on whatever sounds interesting to you.

i especially enjoyed the segway around the world, the segway at fort wilderness, the dophins in depth, and the aqua seas tour.
But as i said, i enjoyed all of the ones i've been on.

I've been on the following so if you have any questions, i'd be happy to answer:

- Backstage Magic
- Backstage Safari
- Sunrise Safari
- Segway around the world
- Behind the Seeds
- Dolphins in Depth
- Aqua Seas Tour
- The Undiscovered Future World
- Wilderness Backtrails Adventure
- VIP tour

plus another one at epcot that has since been discontinued - and i can't remember the name.

I'm going to do the wild africa trek this october.

 

[Elise79]

I've also enjoyed all the tours I've done and got something out of all of them. My favourite was Dolphins in Depth because I love dolphins.

I have done:

• Backstage Magic (twice)
• Keys to the Kingdom
• Undiscovered Future World
• Dolphins in Depth

 

[catherine]

We've done the Wild Africa Trek, so if you any questions about this feel free to ask. PPs have already posted about the others that we have done, but again if you've any questions feel free!

 

[disneyholic family]

I've also enjoyed all the tours I've done and got something out of all of them. My favourite was Dolphins in Depth because I love dolphins.

I have done:

• Backstage Magic (twice)
• Keys to the Kingdom
• Undiscovered Future World
• Dolphins in Depth

you should try the aqua seas - you get to actually swim in the tank...
it was so much fun i can't begin to describe it...
and it's not really snorkeling...they call it snorkeling, but you use a scuba tank...it's just that they don't give you a weight belt, so you don't go underwater....but you have a scuba tank on making it really really easy to go around....most fun thing i've done at WDW....

and they let you swim wherever you want...i kept waving to the people inside the living seas....sounds stupid, but it was entertaining...and that huge sea turtle in there!! he kept whacking me...cheeky fellow!!!

 

[disneyholic family]

One thing I forgot to say - I really didn't like the VIP tour at all.
It does get you into everything without lines and whips you around behind the scenes but you completely lose the magic of wdw

 

[dtm316]

Hi,

Same as the others, I've done
Wild Africa Trek
Undiscovered Future World
Segway around the World
Behind the Seeds

So please let me know if you have any question. I can say quickly though that the Wild Africa Trek was my favourite.

Quick question to Elise and Disneyholic, what are your thoughts/opinions on the backstage magic tour? This is something I was considering for my next trip

 

[thestevied]

I've only done Segway around the world. That was amazing, and so much fun. Plus, we had a really good guide, he constantly had us in stitches.

I have the same question as PP. I'd love to do the backstage tour at MK, but wouldn't like it to take the magic away so not sure whether to do it or not. I love tours and finding stuff out, just don't want the magic to ! Any advice?

 

[disneyholic family]

Hi,

Quick question to Elise and Disneyholic, what are your thoughts/opinions on the backstage magic tour? This is something I was considering for my next trip

the backstage magic tour was brilliant!!!!!
i really enjoyed it!!....
i think it was 7 hours long and included lunch at whispering canyon cafe - and boy were the CMs at WCC on for our group - they were even more insane than usual..

the tour is really fabulous! it's very geeky though - so if you're not interested in all the nitty gritty, perhaps you'd find it boring...
but if you like to learn about how things run, it's soooooooooo interesting!!!!

oh and no, it doesn't take away any of the magic at all....actually i think it added to it for me...
it's really amazing how they do everything....at least it's amazing to me...

in fact, i think i'll go on that tour again when i'm there in october by myself...
that one and the wild africa trek..

 

[GirlDreamer]

I'm considering to surprice my DBF with a tour as a birthday present. Can anyone tell me about the Seas Aqua Tour and Backstage Safari tour? Like was it good? What times does the tours start?

 

[disneyholic family]

Maybe your boyfriend would enjoy one of the Segway tours

 

[GirlDreamer]

We've already booked the Around the World segway tour in Epcot and are going to the Behind the Seeds tour as well. The reason I'm asking specifically about those two tours is that he loves animals and nature, so I know for sure he would love those tours. He's actually said that it's a dream of his to swim with sharks, which he would get to do with the Aqua tour. The only catch is that it is a little bit expensive, especially when I would have to pay for both of us, so I want to know if it's worth it, and what times the tours start, so I know if we could fit it in.

 

[chmurf]

many of those tours are very expensive, so my question for those who made quite a few of them is : which would be your best value for money tour ?

my question doesn't account for taste or preference. It's just on a sheer value for money standpoint.
Here is what I mean : some "tours" will get you through a lot of blah, small talk and beating around the bush, and in the end you only get "to the point" for a very short amount of time
You may know of those "tours" where you spend hours on a bus to visit a place for under an hour and then move on to the next "point of interest" (such as coaches tour of the west of the US). In the end you've done lots of things (on paper) but you actually ran through them

So my "best value for money" question mainly points towards knowing which tour you felt had you do what you came to do and had the least beating around the bush, time wasted, and gave you the least impression that the "staff" was trying to fill the blanks between real points of interest (hope my question makes sense)

 

[disneyholic family]

We've already booked the Around the World segway tour in Epcot and are going to the Behind the Seeds tour as well. The reason I'm asking specifically about those two tours is that he loves animals and nature, so I know for sure he would love those tours. He's actually said that it's a dream of his to swim with sharks, which he would get to do with the Aqua tour. The only catch is that it is a little bit expensive, especially when I would have to pay for both of us, so I want to know if it's worth it, and what times the tours start, so I know if we could fit it in.

I've done both of them and enjoyed both of them
On the backstage safari I got to pet a rhino
How cool is that? But I'm a total geek so when they showed us how they mix the food, i found it fascinating

On both tours I was with very few people which I think made it a lot better
But you can have more people than that which might make it less fun

On the aqua seas tour we each had our own scuba tank with regulator , mask and fins
And of course a wet suit
You are totally behind the scenes
I mean you swim in that gigantic aquarium!!

I'm writing this on my iPhone so i can't write much now but I'll add more when I get home

Bottom line - the aqua seas tour is the most fun I can possibly think of
It was a total and absolute blast
I so want to do it again!!!

But I'll completely describe it when I get home and can write on my computer

 

[starrysky]

We've already booked the Around the World segway tour in Epcot and are going to the Behind the Seeds tour as well. The reason I'm asking specifically about those two tours is that he loves animals and nature, so I know for sure he would love those tours. He's actually said that it's a dream of his to swim with sharks, which he would get to do with the Aqua tour. The only catch is that it is a little bit expensive, especially when I would have to pay for both of us, so I want to know if it's worth it, and what times the tours start, so I know if we could fit it in.

If you are planning on going to a water park Typhoon lagoon offers the chance to snorkle there and there are small sharks in the tank there. And from memory there is no extra charge for it.

 

[disneyholic family]

If you are planning on going to a water park Typhoon lagoon offers the chance to snorkle there and there are small sharks in the tank there. And from memory there is no extra charge for it.

there is no comparison to what goes on at typhoon lagoon - that's just a silly little nothing that's not even worth getting in line for....
in contrast, the aqua seas tour is worth every penny you pay for it..

 

[disneyholic family]

i just went to the disney website to see how they describe it...

this is what is on the disney website:

The Seas Aqua Tour allows Guests to swim on the surface of the 5.7-million-gallon saltwater tank inside The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion at Epcot theme park. Guests use a supplied-air snorkel system and do not need to be scuba certified.


Guests must be at least 8 years of age to participate. Guests ages 8 to 12 must be accompanied by a paying, participating parent or guardian.

Swim with over 6,000 sea creatures representing over 60 species—including sea turtles, angelfish, eagle rays and sharks. The supplied-air snorkel system is simple to use and the equipment keeps you buoyant, so it is easy to float on top of the water. The system does not allow you to dive below the surface, but you'll have a remarkable view of the tranquil sea life below you.

The experience lasts 2.5 hours, and Guests will spend approximately 30 minutes swimming in the massive Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium—which until 2005 was the largest saltwater tank in the world. Participants also learn about many of these beautiful creatures and get to see the massive backstage infrastructure required to filter and maintain a vast manmade ocean flourishing with life.

All snorkeling equipment is provided. Please bring a swim suit.

You can get a closer look at some remarkable aquatic mammals on the Dolphins in Depth tour. If you are a certified scuba diver and wish to dive below the surface of the tank, you may be able to participate in the Epcot DiveQuest program.

The Epcot® Seas Aqua Tour is presented by the National Association of Underwater Instructors.​

ok - so that's pretty accurate....however, the 'supplied-air snorkel system' was just a scuba tank with regulator, but without the weight belt, so you didn't sink down.....you also get a wetsuit, mask and fins...
we were permitted to swim anywhere in the tank we wanted to...
i didn't even have to have a buddy....i swam around on my own...

i had one glitch at the beginning, the air wasn't turned on high enough, so i had to come back in right away and they turned up the air and then i was fine...
i swam all over the place...
they tell you that you're not allowed to touch any of the sealife, but the sealife is allowed to touch you...
that giant sea turtle seems to know this rule and so he came up and whacked me a few times....funny guy...

backing up....you come to the front entrance of epcot - i can't remember if it was before or after the turnstile....over on the far right...
and check in there...you are then taken to a back entrance of the living seas...
there you go to a room where you sign a waiver...and they lecture about the place...and show you the control room (i think that was on that tour, i've been on so many, i can't remember too clearly)..

anyway, at some point they take you to the locker rooms where you get your wetsuit on and leave your valuables in a locked locker...it's a huge locker room with showers and soap and everything you need to get dressed again afterwards, including towels....

you're completely behind the scenes....you see where the CMs who run the living seas are...we then had to walk through the living seas all dressed up in our wetsuits, to get to a staircase that leads to the platform inside the aquarium where you put on your tank and go into the water...

i can't overstate how much fun i thought it was....and i was on the tour by myself....
besides me there was a mother, father and daughter and one other man, a friend of that family....so it was a tiny group...
the CM said that the day before they had 16 in the group or something like that....or maybe 12....but it sounded like way too many to me...our group of 5 was perfect!!!

as it says in the description, the whole thing was about 2.5 hours, with the swim portion 30 minutes....and that part was at the end....after that i think we got our picture, then filled out the survey and it was over...

so much fun!!!

i think i'll go again in october!!

 

[GirlDreamer]

Wow, sounds like the Aqua tour is so worth it! Do you remember what times they offered? Like how early it starts? Or when the last one is? If it is offered more than once a day that is...

 

[disneyholic family]

Wow, sounds like the Aqua tour is so worth it! Do you remember what times they offered? Like how early it starts? Or when the last one is? If it is offered more than once a day that is...

i totally can't remember what days or times..
when i was there on my own, i did 7 tours, so i had this really tight schedule of when everything was, but i don't remember when it was offered...

i'll go see if i can find my schedule on my computer, to give you an idea of when i did it...
but you have to check with them to know when everything is offered..

i remember calling and working out with the CM how i could fit all the different tours into my schedule...it took a bit of juggling to get them all in..

 

[disneyholic family]

i just found the original schedule and it doesn't even have the aqua seas and dolphins in depth on it - so i must have added those two when i was already in florida....i guess....

so this was my original schedule (without the two additions):
Wednesday 8 AM - Backstage Magic
Thursday 8 AM - Backtrail adventure - segway at fort wilderness (followed by Dis dole whip meet at MK)
Friday 8 AM - Backstage Safari AK (dinner that night at V&A with a fellow diser)
Saturday 8 AM - Nature Inspired Design at Epcot (another segway tour that i think no longer exists)
Monday 8:30 AM - Undiscovered Future World Epcot

I'm pretty sure i did either the aqua seas tour on the dolphins in depth tour on saturday right after the nature inspired design tour.
and i'm not sure when i did the other one.

i have to go find a more up to date schedule...but i might have only added it in at the last minute...