HELP !!! Which Tour do we do ?? Need help from other DVC members...

[JMWSR518]

Trying to decide to do the Backstage Magic tour or the Disneys key to the Magic Kingdom Tour ?? Who out there has done them and what is your opinion of the tours. Worth the money ?? Is the cheaper what you pay for ? Is the more expensive definetly worth it ? Help !!!!


JMW

 

[dianeschlicht]

Backstage Magic is an all day tour that takes in behind the scenes tours of Epcot, MK, and MGM. Keys of the Kingdom is just a small portion of that ( the MK part).

 

[athenna]

How about the tour at World Showcase in Epcot? Has anyone done that one? That's the one that I was interested in taking. I was just concerned it was for 1st time Epcot visitors, which I'm certainly not. I think it's called the Hidden Treasures of World Showcase.

 

[tjkraz]

Keys to the Kingdom is a great experience. You'll start on Main Street talking about some of the architectural features and design concepts used at the Magic Kingdom. You will get backstage access to at least two attractions--typically from the group of Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Jungle Cruise. Our tour took us through the Haunted Mansion (talking again about the history of the ride, hidden Mickey's, etc.) and Jungle Cruse (we had a custom tour--not the typical ride spiel.)

At some point you'll break for a private lunch at Columbia Harbor House (they have you pick your lunch before the tour starts).

You'll also go through some of the backstage areas including the Utilidors that run under the park and the parade staging area off of Frontierland.

After reading these boards for years I was concerned about how much value I would really get out of the tour. Boy, was that fear unfounded. I just wish I could remember everything that I've forgotten already.

Just remember that even the shorter tour is a LOT of walking. We did it mid-trip and I'm not exactly out of shape, so I didn't think much about the warnings. But we were really worn out after that tour. With the exception of a few restroom breaks and lunchtime, you'll be moving at a pretty brisk pace throughout the tour.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Most definitely do Keys to the Kingdom. I agree with tjkraz about the amount of information you get. I did the tour a few years ago and when I was there it was payday and everyone was collecting their checks. The have boxes all through the utilidors where they put their paycheck stubs(I know not the most exciting detail, but I love every detail about Disney and that is one I would have not ever known otherwise) On a item that would be more interesting to the non freaks I did get to see the new Halloween parade floats months before they were ever used.

 

[CarolA]

The World Showcase Tour is great and actually I would not recommend it for first time visitors. It goes behind the scenes and had a lot of info on details in the World Showcase.

I've done Keys and liked it too. Haven't done Backstage Magic yet.

 

[athenna]

Thanks for the reply on that, Carol. How far do you think you have to reserve that? Can I wait until I get down there?

 

[kathyseb]

We have done Keys to the Kingdom, the Flower Tour at EPCOT and the Steam Engine Train Tour at MK.
I loved them all. The top two would be the two at MK.
Well worth the money and the time investment.
The train tour I was not too excited about as you had to be there so early in the morning. You park at the Comtemprary and walk off. There was something about walking over there as the MK was still dark. Our tour, five people, were the only ones on Main Street, other than a wedding couple having their picture taken in from of the cstle. It doesn't get any better than that. :jumping4:

 

[kathleena]

The MK portion of the Backstage Magic Tour is very little like the KTTK tour. The only similarity was going downstairs to the utilidors. And even then, you are only shown a hallway and told about how the MK was built. In the KTTK tour, you see costuming and makeup and hair as well as all the above ground stuff.

We did Backstage Magic last March. We started in Epcot and learned about the backstage areas. Spent time in AA learning about how the show works, then went to the Cast building to learn about cast and world showcase costumes. Then we went to the floral building where they make all the floral arrangements (except some resorts do their own) and where they make the gift baskets. We were told that was a new part of the tour - that they are always trying to change something and takes guests to new places. Then we went to MGM and saw costuming there. All the prototypes of the princess dresses in the snowglobe parade etc. Had a wonderful lunch at Mama Melroses (do I have that name right?) Then we went behind the MK to a building where they work on engineering stuff - like they had all the Space Mtn vehicles from Disneyland there for rehab, and the animatromic figures (i.e. Nemo was there) and they also make all the character heads. They said they no longer show those as once a reporter came on the tour and snuck a photo and then did an article about Mickey's head.

Then we went to the Christmas building - the best part of the tour. Really neat. Then went to the MK to the utilidors and to watch the afternoon parade. Could have done without that. <yawn> Then back to Epcot.

I think they did a good job of keeping the tour different from the WS tour and the KTTK tour. It was good, but a long day. Very different from the other two, so hard to compare.

I have done the WS tour twice. We had a really good guide the first time and a lousy one the next time. Heard a lot of the same things, so they must keep that tour almost the same. (I was with two different people.)

I've done the Backstage Safari twice and loved it both times. WOuld even do it a third time. It had changed for the second one and I've read that it's changed again.

You will love whatever you do - it's only your pocketbook that makes or breaks it!

 

[riggins]

We did KTTK in December, and quite honestly, I was disappointed. I've never read a bad review, so maybe it's me. Our guide talked a lot of the history of disney movies and the disney corp, but not as much about WDW as I would have expected. We were given some history and tips about POC before riding. While it was interesting, but it was the same things you could have read in a good guidebook. We then went to HM, where he explained the plot line and how they create the ghosts. We then rode the ride. Honestly, that was the best part of the tour. We went backstage and saw the big "tank" that holds all the Splash Mtn water and some hippos from Jungle Cruise that were being repainted. We also went to the utilidors, but all we did was wander a couple of hallways. We didn't see anything about costumes or characters, although he answered questions about those topics when we asked. We also didn't see any parade floats, but he explained how the parades are run and how hot it is in the snowglobes.

At lunch, we sat with 2 guys who were also WDW regulars, and they also seemed a little underwhelmed. So, maybe it was out guide. But, like I said, I've never read a bad review, so maybe it was an off day or something.

 

[TLinden16]

I just did the Backstage Magic tour last month, and thought it was fantastic. Kathleena did an excellent job of describing it. I thought it was well worth it.

I've also done the Keys to the Kingdom tour twice. The first time I took it, I thought it was fantastic. The second time around, it was a bit disappointing. The first time, we spent a lot of time in the utilidors, the second time, the most exciting thing we saw was the garbage chute. It's still worth taking it, though.

I'd say if you can afford it, go for the Backstage Magic Tour. If not, the Keys to the Kingdom would be great.

Karen

 

[CarolAnnC]

John and I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour this past July. WE both enjoyed it very much and intend to try another tour on our next visit.

 

[poohj80]

We've done KTTK, Backstage Magic, Backstage Safari, Undiscovered Future World, and Dive Quest so far.

If you have never done a behind the scenes tour at WDW, KTTK is a great one to get you started. It's a wonderful tour!

We were always leery to take the longer tours because it would take more time out of our day but between the two I'd have to recommend Backstage Magic if you are willing. Going backstage at the American Adventure was fascinating! Also, Backstage Safari ranks high on our list as well!

Undiscovered Future World as not that exciting to us. From other reports I have read, it may have been that we just didn't have a good guide, but I can't recommend it based on our experience.

 

[athenna]

How far ahead do you have to book for these tours? Can we just wait until we check-in, or should we call from home before we leave?

 

[poohj80]

We booked all ahead of time since there is limited space. Don't forget your DVC discount too!

 

[tjkraz]

KTTK probably does not need to be booked far in advance. It is run three times daily in groups of 20 or so. The other tours, particularly the Segway tour at Epcot, should probably be booked as early as possible if you have your heart set on one particular tour / date combo.

Call with some dates in mind and they should be able to tell you what the schedule is looking like. If you do book in advance, they charge your credit card immediately. You can still cancel later if necessary and receive a refund.

407-WDW-TOUR

 

[athenna]

Thanks pooh!
Oh, I won't forget about the discount! I want to take advantage of any and every discount they want to throw my way! I'm going in mid-April, so I guess if I call a couple of weeks ahead of time, I should be fine.