Best "Behind the Scenes" tours??

[neutie88]

My DH and I are FINALLY going to WDW sans kids - our first time since our honeymoon in 1998! We have always been interested in the guided tours that you can take to see things "Behind the Scenes". Since most of them are a significant time committment, I would like some opinions on which ones are worth the time (and cost).

We are specifically interested in the Segway tour at Epcot, the 3 park behind the scenes tour, and the Keys to the Kingdom. But we would like to hear about any of them - good or bad!

Thanks!

 

[Thumper4me]

I have taken the Keys to the Kingdom tour. It was great but also very long with alot of walking. Some people actually didn't finish. They were to tired to complete the tour.

I have also done the Segway tour at EPCOT. This is definitely a great time and I would recommend it!

I have also done the EPCOT Aqua Tour. This was great fun and involved snorkeling in the aquarium.

Best of luck with your decision.

Kelly

 

[Donald is #1]

I have done both the EPCOT Segway tour and Keys to the Kindgom. I really enjoyed them both. Now I just have to figure out what my next tour will me.

 

[erin.w]

We loved the "Backstage Safari" at the AK. We will do that again in the future. And are looking at taking the KTTK tour in September.

 

[ahoff]

Also did the KTTK, enjoyed it very much. Was long though, but I felt it was worth it. Also during the flower festival they had free tours of the greenhouses, which was very cool. And did a sunrise safari, which is sort of a backstage safari, I think. Next up is a Segway, one of these days.

 

[gismo1554]

As a kid I did the three park tour but thats changed a lot since I did it!

I have done the Backstage Safari at Animal Kingdom and found this fantastic. We were in the first group ever to be allowed in to the Elephant house with one of the Elephants being in there. Couldn't take photos though which is a bummer but it was great

I've done Dolphins in Depth in EPCOT and this was good. The time in with the Dolphins seemed to fly by and you did get alot of information about what the living seas do for conservation etc.

My Dad's done the Hidden Treasures tour in EPCOT (the one that did Morrrocco not sure if this was East or West) and this he says was fantastic. You learnt about the architecture and plant life.

I've also done Keys to the Kingdom and I think this is one of the most interesting tours. For someone that did this on their 26th trip (I think) to WDW I thought I would have known it all. God was I wrong! There was so much information and the lunch was lovely.

Oh and I did the Family Magic. Now we did this tour as a group of 3 adults and it was a blast. The tours really aimed at kids but if you don't mind making a foul of yourself such as dancing at Playhouse Disney in MGM youll love this. Its a treasure hunt around Magic Kingdom where you are trying to find a Disney Character (I think it might change but we had Peter Pan and Wendy). You have to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things like crawl around Cosmic Rays and skipping down Main Street. Even my Brother-In-Law who claims to hate Disney loved this! It was so much fun and at the end we got to ride Its a Small World without waiting and with Peter Pan and Wendy with us! It was so much fun.

 

[gismo1554]

Also did the KTTK, enjoyed it very much. Was long though, but I felt it was worth it. Also during the flower festival they had free tours of the greenhouses, which was very cool. And did a sunrise safari, which is sort of a backstage safari, I think. Next up is a Segway, one of these days.

The greenhouse tours are now available all year round and are $12 I believe (theres an information desk next to Soarin' where you can book on to one). They're pretty fun you can walk through the back of the greenhouse and see various plants.

The Sunrise Safari I believe is only offered to conceirge guests. I have done this and its fun. You go around the back area of Animal Kingdom before the park opens, go on the non-Disneyified safari (no hunt for Little Red) and then have breakfast in Tusker House. It was nice and you got a lot of talk about the way Disney looks after the animals, how the landscape was arranged etc.

I've also done the Sunset Safari which is definately Animal Kingdom Lodge conceirge only, or at least was when I did it. This one you get a tour around the AKL savannahs and stop for photos etc. You are with one of the game keepers there and can learn a lot of stuff from it (in to animals so for me this was heaven). You're in an open topped jeep thing where you can stand up to get great pics. Then you have a photo op with a Giraffe behind you (the keepers feed them next to the fence behind where you stand for the photo). After this you then went to Jikos for a fabulous meal with wine pairings. It was really nice but a lot of money (you're basically paying for the meal which having eaten in Jikos I wasn't that bothered about).

 

[neutie88]

I have done the Backstage Safari at Animal Kingdom and found this fantastic. We were in the first group ever to be allowed in to the Elephant house with one of the Elephants being in there. Couldn't take photos though which is a bummer but it was great.

Is the Backstage Safari just limited to the pens where they keep the animals, or do you tour other areas, like how they separate the animals from the ride vehicles, and the vet clinic? Do you ride in a vehicle or walk the whole time?

Thanks for all of the great info!

 

[gismo1554]

Is the Backstage Safari just limited to the pens where they keep the animals, or do you tour other areas, like how they separate the animals from the ride vehicles, and the vet clinic? Do you ride in a vehicle or walk the whole time?

Thanks for all of the great info!

It was mainly walking when I did it. You went around some of the pens then you went inside and learnt some of the technics they use for herding the animals and for interaction. You also got to go through the vet clinic (there was an operation next door when we were in there so we got to watch this on a monitor). You also got to meet a few of the vets in there as well which was fun. It was very interesting and definately worth a look. Because its all on foot its mainly based around the Conservation Station as that's where you start the tour on the Butterfly Walk (as our tour guide called it - its a secrete path to the right of the path down from the train station).

 

[NeverlandPixie]

I second the Epcot Aqua Seas tour! It be amazing!

I'll be doing the Segway tour at Epcot as well next trip! So excited! Disney has now also introduced the new Wilderness Back Trail Adventure:

Challenge yourself to the "Wilderness Back Trail Adventure" at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, where you will experience first hand a Segway X2 Personal Transporter. You will be equipped with helmets and have a product overview before we take you outdoors to
travel through the wilderness. This is a 2 hours beginners tour and includes some training time. Even if Guest is an experienced Segway user, it is mandatory they attend the entire training portion of the tour. The first portion of the tour will be in a covered pavilion and goes on rain or shine.

Cameras and video cameras are permitted on the tour.

Allow adequate travel time to reach the Fort Wilderness Pavilion. Guests driving to Fort Wilderness will be required to park in the Day Guest Parking Lot and board a bus to the Settlement Depot. Allow an additional 20 minutes for the internal bus once you arrive at Fort Wilderness. It is a short walk from the Settlement Depot to the Fort Wilderness Pavilion. Guests booking the 8:30am tour must provide their own transportation to the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground as Disney transportation will not be operating at that time. Guests must arrive at the Fort Wilderness Pavilion 15 minutes prior to tour time. Late arrivals will not be able to join the tour.

Same day bookings are walk-up only at time of tour and based on availability. No phone calls accepted for same day bookings.

Rate $85.00 per person
Ages 16 and over
Times: 8:30am and 11:30am
Days: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday​

I may just add this one on yet!

 

[Chellymouse]

TKKT tour was one of the best tours we have taken. It's about 6 hours, but lunch is included. It was very interesting and we learned so many things that we didn't know.
Backstage Safari is also awesome! We got to feed a Rhino and were also one of the first groups allowed in with the elephants. It was interesting to see the kitchens and the hospital as well.
The 3 way tour is ALL DAY (7-8 hours) and is expensive, but it's well worth the money. However, if you don't want to spend an entire day doing that, TKKT is your best bang for the money.
btw...if you happen to have a Disney Visa and you use your Disney Visa when you book your tour, you receive a 20% discount on the tour!

 

[kimis]

We did Keys to the Kingdom and loved it. It is long but the walking wasn't bad. You do rest periodically during the tour. Go for it and enjoy.

 

[ndepaola]

1. KTTK - As other have stated, a long tour with lots of walking, but very interesting, plenty of behind the scenes and insider information, and includes a sit down lunch and a trading quality pin . Dh and I did this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.

2. AK behind the scenes tour - We did this 2 years a go and it was NOT walking based at all! We met up by the front gates and moved from place to place in vans. We visited the kitchens, the vet clinic/animal case facilities, had some classroom time with an animal handler and an animal (our was a lizard). We went to the elephant house, but did not go inside. We DID get to PET the rhino, which was just about the coolest thing ever. My mom and siter did this tour one year later (last year) and did NOT see a rhino. He was being released back into the wild, so maybe that is why. Got an AK trading pin. I would still recommend this tour, even without the rhino.

3. Seed tour at the Land in Epcot - Did this 2 years a go. Its a shorter and much less expensive tour - tickets can be purchased day of at the Land. The interns actually run this tour, which I thought added to the experience over all. We learned about the planting techniques and natural pest control, got to try the cucumbers, and were stared at with envy by every boat that was going through the ride! We also got to see the baby crocs (or alligators - can't remember) and feed the fish. Definitely worth the $12.

4. Epcot Aqua Seas Tour - Did this last year and LOVED it. Included a tour of the facilities, a safety video/speech, then some quality time squishing ourselves into wetsuits! They let you choose whether to walk to the tank behind the scenes or right through the main exhibit area - through the crowds it was for our group! You get tanks and a regulator, but no weights, so while the breathing is like scuba you are limited to trolling along the surface. Everyone looking in the tanks can see you and it was fun waving to the kids! The sea turtles can be curious and one surfaced inches from my husband!!! We got at least 30 minutes of tank time - it felt like a long time - not rushed at all. We got t-shirts and souveneer photos of us in our gear in the tank. (And a cheesy round pin - not a trading pin, for those who are into this kind of thing.) Two thumbs up for this one.

 

[Hedy]

If you're going during December-do the Yuletide tour-a bit of backstage Epcot and DHS, as well as where they store the Xmas decorations.