Keys to the Kingdom Tour

[DepCor0311]

I took the Keys to the Kingdom Tour about 8 or 9 years ago, and have some questions for anyone who has taken it recently.

1. When we took the tour a bus picked us up from our resort very early...Is this still the case or do you meet at the MK?

2. Is it still held early in the morning, before park opening?

3. I saw on the Disney web site that no cameras are allowed, I recall that one of the coolest parts of the tour was that you could take pictures in the MK when there was no one around. Is this true?

4. What did you think of the tour? Worth it?

TIA.

 

[rwade428]

You can take a bus to you KTTK tour....I think the earliest tour is before park opening or just as it is opening...but they run 2 or 3 times in the morning.

After 9/11 the rules changed...no cameras..no backpacks..and you must have picture id with you.

hope that helps!!!

 

[rwade428]

forgot about your last question.....it is definintely worth it. Those tour guides know things you could never read in a guide book. The information was incredible. My favorite part was the underground tunnels....utilidors???

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I just called and reserved our spots for this tour, a couple weeks ago!

There are three times, each day. I think they were 8:30am, 9am and 9:30am. We are doing the 9:30am tour. We were told to meet in the garden, next to City Hall, at 9:15am. I'm assuming you had a KTTK tour bus pick you up? They don't do that. We will be using Disney Transportation to get to the MK.

We both need picture ID.

No cameras.

Lunch is included. We will eat at Columbia Harbour House. We will place our orders, before the tour. I guess, about halfway through the tour, we will eat lunch.

Can't tell you how good or bad it was until we get back from our trip! This is our first time!

 

[shopgirl72]

HI!

Dh, and I did this tour in Dec. Our guide was Matthew, we felt he did a great job! We thouroughly enjoyed the tour. Lots of interesting info given(secrets)!! No pictures allowed, they offer H2O, and coffee, before tour! Lunch at Columbia Harbour House, you do go into the utilidor( I think that is what it is called!) It lasts 4 to 5 hour! Don't forget if you have an AP, you get a discount!!

shopgirl

 

[DepCor0311]

Great Info guys...thanks!
Yes...When I took the tour it was a special "dedicated" bus that took you to the MK for the tour, and then took you back to the resort.

 

[VA_mouseman]

I recently did the tour 8:30. I left my resort at 7:30/7:45 and was advised to look for a 'special' bus that goes to the parks early for character breakfasts. As it turns out, as soon as I got to the POFQ bus stop, there was a MK bus.

The main street opened at 8:00, and I easily made it to the tour start by 8:15. Coffee was there, but the cold water bottles was out of sight ... it wasn't until one of us asked that they brought them out. Don't know if it was an oversight or not.

Lots of fascinating info is given out ... we did POTC, and we would have done HM but it was temporarily down.

Highlight was definitely seeing the utilidors helping to better understand the grand sense of just what it takes to keep the MK running on a daily basis. Quite the "shock" to go from 'backstage' behind mainstreet and then on to mainstreet. Highly recommend it!

Also, the Disney Visa currently as a 20% off discount for WDW tours.

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

Do the tour needed to be booked in advance?
How far in advance can you book the tour?
Is Visa still ofering the discount and how much is the discount?

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Originally posted by CdnDisneyNut
Do the tour needed to be booked in advance?
How far in advance can you book the tour?
Is Visa still ofering the discount and how much is the discount?

Yes, you should make a reservation

Not sure, but I called, a couple weeks ago, for our trip in early November.

The 20% Disney Visa discount is good until October 31. I missed it by two days! figures!

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

Originally posted by Dopey Sharon
.

The 20% Disney Visa discount is good until October 31. I missed it by two days! figures!

Does it need to be Disnye Visa or any Visa. Canadians can not get the Disney Visa.

 

[snowglobe girl]

It has to be booked with the Disney Visa to get the 20% off. I booked this morning for our trip in October. I'm really excited and it sounds like a wonderful tour.

VA_mouseman: I'm glad you said that about the buses being at your hotel. Our tour is 8:30 and I knew the park wasn't open yet. The CM told me to check at our hotel the day before about riding the character breakfast bus. Your comment makes me feel better about there being transportation available to get me there on time.

 

[DVC-Don]

Just booked this tour this morning for 8/12 @ 9:30. I took this tour last August, but this will be my wifes first. The operator told me this time that cell phones are also banned due to many of them now being able to take pictures. Got the Disney Visa 20% discount. Told the CM I had Disney Visa, AP & DVC and she said the Disney Visa was the largest discount. Last year I got a 10% discount through DVC.

 

[rscotty]

Is there a secure place to leave your "banned items"? I don't want to have to go back to the resort to pick up my camera. Are there lockers nearby?

Also, how extensive is the utilidoor portion of the tour? Do you just duck in and leave or do you actually travel through them for a while?

Thanks!

 

[DVC-Don]

You could use the lockers under the train station. It's right next door to the garden the tour starts from.

 

[VA_mouseman]

Originally posted by rscotty
Is there a secure place to leave your "banned items"? I don't want to have to go back to the resort to pick up my camera. Are there lockers nearby?

Also, how extensive is the utilidoor portion of the tour? Do you just duck in and leave or do you actually travel through them for a while?

Thanks!

1. I believe that you are given the opportunity to leave "banned" items (backpacks, cameras, etc.) with Guest Relations which can be retrieved after the tour.

2. On our tour, we spent approx. 45 minutes to an hour in the Utilidors, confined to the 'mainstreet' section. Our tour guide used this area for questions and answers, so it seemed like we spent a lot of time there. They are actually quite large, forming a rectangle shape around the main street/shops, with a circular portion around the castle and extensions into Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, IIRC. Due north of the MK is the 'mouth' of the Utilidors, where loading, etc. occurs.