Keys to the Kingdom Tour/Utilidors Question

[Muddy Rivers]

Have always wanted to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour to see the Utilidors. The tour description that was updated now explains you will be taken to the "entrance" of the utilidors. Has anyone taken this tour recently and have you been taken to beyond the entrance of the utilidors?

Also would you recommend this tour?

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

Does this help any: AllEars Forum - KTTK Tour?

We also toured the Utilidors. You can't really see much in the Utilidors and the tour is mostly conducted with photos and maps.

 

[lsbgvadvcer]

We've done the tour twice and both times included a pretty good walk around the utilidors. We saw the cast break areas, training rooms, offices and storage areas. Keys to the Kingdom is a great tour and I would highly recommend it!

 

[kaligal]

You walk down stairs and down a short hall. You turn a corner and look at some maps and pics on a wall. They point out the doorway to a break room. Then you leave.

It is not an extensive tour of the utilidors.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

You walk down stairs and down a short hall. You turn a corner and look at some maps and pics on a wall. They point out the doorway to a break room. Then you leave.

1) They don't take you into the rooms.
. . . characters are taking breaks
. . . those "in fur" have their costume heads off
. . . they are lounging, slouching, laughing and telling jokes
. . . others are eating, slurping drinks, chowing-down
. . . this IS NOT the Disney way - at least not for guest viewing
2) Showing "backstage" is one thing.
3) Showing anything detrimental is different.
4) Besides, the "entrance" to the tunnels is in the back of MK.
5) The other acces points are scattered throughout the park.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Just took the tour in March and I found the utilidors the least interesting part of the tour. We exited thru a door in the Emporium, went down to the utilidors, walked around a bit and came out on the other side of main street. I enjoyed the stories and the detail of the attractions that everyone walks past every day without even thinking about. We got to ride the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion without waiting in line. The tour also included a nice lunch and we were joined by the tour guide at our table. If you are taking the tour just to see the utilidors save your money.

 

[Halloweenluv03]

You're not really missing much. As a formal cast member, I've been down there a few times especially since my roommate worked at MK. Nothing much to see, break rooms, costuming, locker room, bathrooms, trash compactors (Yucky!), and a long list on the wall that list all the characters and the requirements of height, weight, etc. Other than that, there's really not much to see and isn't really exciting. It kind of reminds me of sports arenas down behind them. If you go in Pinocchio Village Haus, and look out and down the window, you can see the entrance and you will usually see a bus pulling up and dropping off cast members.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

1) They don't take you into the rooms.
. . . characters are taking breaks
. . . those "in fur" have their costume heads off
. . . they are lounging, slouching, laughing and telling jokes
. . . others are eating, slurping drinks, chowing-down
. . . this IS NOT the Disney way - at least not for guest viewing
2) Showing "backstage" is one thing.
3) Showing anything detrimental is different.
4) Besides, the "entrance" to the tunnels is in the back of MK.
5) The other acces points are scattered throughout the park.

1)Got news for you
2)we saw Jesse (guy) without the head on
3)Minnie (short african male) without the head on
4)and we saw a CM with a pack of Marlboro reds in his hand.
5)All of this by the trash system, utilidors and the backstage area where they keep the parade floats.
6)They dont hide this stuff
7)that is why you have to be 16 to take the tour.

 

[CarrieR]

Take the tour! The utilidors is interesting, and really, the bit of time spent down there is enough to get the gist. The rest of the tour is what makes it phenomenal!

 

[jlevis]

We did KTTK last September, we the entered Utilodoors from backstage Main Street via an elevator. Now, my wife & I need ECV's so that may be why we used an elevator. Anyway, the tour took us through quite a lot of the utilidoors BUT there really isn't much to see. For me the highlight was the pin exchange room with the board with all the CM pins on it. I think most people, me included, have high expectations of the utilidoors and reality is a bit disapointing.The tour itself is well worth the time and money, however.

 

[aubriee]

1)Got news for you
2)we saw Jesse (guy) without the head on
3)Minnie (short african male) without the head on
4)and we saw a CM with a pack of Marlboro reds in his hand.
5)All of this by the trash system, utilidors and the backstage area where they keep the parade floats.
6)They dont hide this stuff
7)that is why you have to be 16 to take the tour.

We saw Dale without his head. You are not supposed to take pictures back there, but someone in our group did. The tour guide didn't see it, but Dale did and came running over and chewed the guy out. The tour guide took his camera, deleted the headless chipmunk, and told him that he'd warned all of us before the tour about taking pictures backstage and if it happened again, he'd be off the tour. We had a great tour guide, but that was the one time he showed a temper. He and the young man playing Dale really chewed the man out. We also saw Goofy without his head.

 

[World Showcaser]

If you go in Pinocchio Village Haus, and look out and down the window, you can see the entrance and you will usually see a bus pulling up and dropping off cast members.

Sounds like a great tip. Do you go to the top floor to do this? (I've never been to Pinocchio's.)

 

[Jewels7278]

My friend & I just took this tour on Wednesday & it was great. If you are a true Disney fan you will enjoy yourself. You will learn all about Main Street including those names on the windows. You then go on the Jungle cruise and hear the story about it. Next you go backstage behind Frontierland and see where the parade floats are stored which is pretty cool (we also saw a few characters without their heads on taking a break). You hear about & see the reservoir for splash mountain and how they get rid of all the trash throughout the park and where it is sent, then move onto lunch at Columbia harbor house which is included in the tour. You then go into the cast member entrance of the haunted mansion. Our tour guide Steve was great he told us the story about how the mansion was created and the secrets that were involved in it. From there you move on to the utilidors where you spend about 20 minutes down there looking at posters and the original plans of WDW, you also watch a video explaining the process of laundry and uniforms at WDW which was actually interesting. At the end of the tour he brought us to the Roy & Minnie statue and told us the story behind it too. Overall WELL worth my money. If you love Disney and want to know more about behind the scenes at the Magic Kingdom take the tour! Oh and you also get your own key pin (like having your own key to the kingdom)

 

[bytheblood]

My friend & I just took this tour on Wednesday & it was great. If you are a true Disney fan you will enjoy yourself. You will learn all about Main Street including those names on the windows. You then go on the Jungle cruise and hear the story about it. Next you go backstage behind Frontierland and see where the parade floats are stored which is pretty cool (we also saw a few characters without their heads on taking a break). You hear about & see the reservoir for splash mountain and how they get rid of all the trash throughout the park and where it is sent, then move onto lunch at Columbia harbor house which is included in the tour. You then go into the cast member entrance of the haunted mansion. Our tour guide Steve was great he told us the story about how the mansion was created and the secrets that were involved in it. From there you move on to the utilidors where you spend about 20 minutes down there looking at posters and the original plans of WDW, you also watch a video explaining the process of laundry and uniforms at WDW which was actually interesting. At the end of the tour he brought us to the Roy & Minnie statue and told us the story behind it too. Overall WELL worth my money. If you love Disney and want to know more about behind the scenes at the Magic Kingdom take the tour! Oh and you also get your own key pin (like having your own key to the kingdom)

The tour is not always the same and the rides do vary. Also, the amount of rides vary. If you have somebody in your group that wants to ask a lot of questions or pretend to be as knowledgeable as the TG (talking too much), then you may only get one ride. The rides CAN include Pirates, Haunted Mansion & Jungle Cruise. I have heard of other attractions being included when the parks are super-busy and a lot of people are doing the tour.

 

[W.E.D.]

Take the tour! It's so worth it. I just did it back in December. We entered the utilidors behind CP and came up on the other side of Main Street, behind TL. Got to see where Tinker Bell lands each night.

I thought there was a lot to see down there, but it might depend on your guide. We spent a lot of time looking at memorabilia and getting some great info/stories from our guide.

 

[bytheblood]

1)Got news for you
2)we saw Jesse (guy) without the head on
3)Minnie (short african male) without the head on
4)and we saw a CM with a pack of Marlboro reds in his hand.
5)All of this by the trash system, utilidors and the backstage area where they keep the parade floats.
6)They dont hide this stuff
7)that is why you have to be 16 to take the tour.

We saw the same when we did the tour. Characters without their heads on. It was a bit funny to tell you the truth, but I pretended that they were not Disney characters but just wanna-bes. When the TG started talking about 'how many Mickey's there are', I put my fingers in my ears and went "la-la-la-la-la-la" - he thought it was hilarious and apologized for lying to the group.

We also heard some very moving stories about how Disney has touched lives, especially one of an autistic man who had not spoken in almost 15 years and when he saw Turtle Talk with Crush, he had an amazing break-through. There was not a dry eye on that tour.

 

[Best Aunt]

We saw Dale without his head. You are not supposed to take pictures back there, but someone in our group did. The tour guide didn't see it, but Dale did and came running over and chewed the guy out. The tour guide took his camera, deleted the headless chipmunk, and told him that he'd warned all of us before the tour about taking pictures backstage and if it happened again, he'd be off the tour. We had a great tour guide, but that was the one time he showed a temper. He and the young man playing Dale really chewed the man out. We also saw Goofy without his head.

Sounds like your tour was a lot more interesting than ours -- you got a great story out of it.

Our utilidor experience was the same as a PP who said you go in there and look at pictures on the wall and see a video. Not much fun.

I think your enjoyment of the tour depends on what you like about Disney World, and what your tour guide likes about Disney World. I'm fascinated with how the parks are run, and the decisions that go into what you see and what you do. My tour guide was fascinated with Disney history, which is not of interest to me. It was not a good match. However, I booked the tour because I thought my over-16 nephew would enjoy it.

 

[MKRuns 26]

Kind of an off topic question. I grew up and lived in Central Florida up till 2010 and have many friends who are CM and they all refer to the MK underground as the tunnels not the utilidors. Why do so many people still use the name utilidors and not the phrasing that Disney uses?

 

[kaligal]

Kind of an off topic question. I grew up and lived in Central Florida up till 2010 and have many friends who are CM and they all refer to the MK underground as the tunnels not the utilidors. Why do so many people still use the name utilidors and not the phrasing that Disney uses?

Because they didn't grow up in central FL and don't have friends who work in the parks.

And because utilities are much cooler than tunnels.

 

[MKRuns 26]

Maybe your correct kaligal, using utilidors and not tunnels is cooler to say. I thought it was just a carryover phrase from when MK was first constructed.