i haven't done a trip report, not even highs and lows yet, but here's a quick rundown, including the tour i took before:
Backstage Magic - 7 hour tour including lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe - we visited all 4 parks, including the 'tunnels' at MK (which you also get to see on the keys to the kingdom tour)..
this tour does NOT include riding on any rides, so if that is important to you, you won't get it here...this is very much backstage - you see a lot of operations sort of stuff - the back of the american adventure attraction at epcot (how it works), the cast areas at epcot, the tunnels at MK, a little bit at DHS, the warehouse where the AK parade floats are stored, the topiary growing area, etc....it is very much backstage and you do not ride on any rides.....anyone who is a disney geek or just an operations type geek will love this one....i really enjoyed it a lot as did everyone else on the tour....we had two guides and both of them were excellent...
Undiscovered Future World - this is at epcot, in future world....you do get to ride on a ride for this one - we went in through the backstage VIP door of Soarin and were put into what's considered by disney to be the best viewing row (row 1 center section)...i think that was the only ride we actually rode...we saw a lot of behind the scenes stuff in future world and we also met with one of the international cast members to hear about the program and about him....this was interesting, but i would say take the keys to the kingdom tour before doing this one.....this is a 4 hour tour i think...
Nature Inspired Design - also at epcot - this is a segway tour , riding on those off the road segways with the big tires... - you start out learning how to ride a segway - there were only 3 of us on this tour and all 3 of us already had been on segways, so this portion of the tour was a bit faster for us...
after we learned to ride the segway we were off on our tour.....we also got to ride soarin - also going though the backstage VIP door and sitting in the best row...we also got to see the control room for the massive water filtration system for the living seas....sounds boring, but it wasn't...that was probably the highlight of that tour for me...
and we also got to ride around on our segways in a backstage area for about 20 minutes at the end of the tour...we had two guides on this tour, so that one stayed with the segways when they were parked, when the rest of us were doing something else (so we didn't have to carry anything with us)..this is a 3 hour tour...
Around the world segway tour - i didn't do this one this trip, but i've done it twice before and it's lots of fun....you spend the first hour indoors learning how to ride the segway and the second hour riding around world showcase with your tour guides...definitely a fun tour....depending on the guides, you'll hear details about the world showcase as you ride around...but the main point of this tour is riding the segway....i think this is about 2 hours long...
Fort Wilderness Segway tour - this is basically just riding the segway - but at fort wilderness - in this case you ride the off the road version of the segway with the big tires....you have to get to the bike barn, where you spend about 45 minutes learning how to ride the segway outside (not in a building)....then you're off riding around fort wilderness, including off the road on grass, sand, over tree stumps etc.....i think this tour was about 2.5 hours....as i said, basically just riding the off the road segway..
Aqua Seas Tour - this is snorkeling in the big aquarium in the living seas attraction....they call it snorkeling, but that's not really true, since each person actually uses a scuba tank and regulator (the breathing device attached to a scuba tank)....i hate snorkeling, but that's not what this was....you get to use scuba equipment - you just don't go down in the water but stay at the top as you would with snorkeling...but using a scuba tank to breathe...
i have to say this was SO MUCH FUN!!! i never imagined it would be so much fun...i had seen reviews on the boards about how much people liked it, but didn't really expect anything at all....
well IT WAS FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN..i LOVED it....i got to swim in that big aquarium with the fish and sharks and giant sea turtle and stingrays and everything....how much fun is that??? and we waved at the people watching on the other side of the windows in the living seas....it sounds boring i guess, but it was so much fun!!!
30 minutes in the water....before that, the guide took us on a quick tour of the living seas exhibit and at the very end of the tour (after we had finished the swim) we got to ride the ride....
the guide for the dry part of the tour was excellent, and the guide in the water was also excellent....
we didn't have to have a buddy in the water and could go anywhere we wanted.....they have 2 lockers rooms (one for women, one for men) with showers and lockers...each person is given a wetsuit and booties to put on in the locker room (over your bathing suit)...you lock up your stuff in the locker....then in the aquarium (at the top of the aquarium in the backstage area) they give you flippers, vest, mask and tank....get you suited up and away you go....
it was unbelievable!!!! i will definitely do this one again!!!!!!!! i think it lasted about 3 hours...
Dolphins in Depth - as the name says, on this tour you learn about dolphins.....it's about 3 hours long too i think....there are 8 people on the tour....you first learn about the dolphins in a lecture sort of area, then you go to the living seas attraction and sit by the window where you see a training exercise carried out....then you're taken to the locker room where you change into a wetsuit and boots (so you won't slip) and then you go up to the top of the aquarium (backstage area) where you meet the dolphins up close, spending about 30 minutes with them.....you have more and closer dolphin time than you do on the discovery cove dolphin encounter (which i did a number of years ago)...
Backstage Safari - this is at the Animal Kingdom - i think this was about 4 hours long - there were only 7 of us on the tour, so we got to ride backstage in a van between places we visited...when they have a larger group, they have to walk through the park to get to the backstage areas they visit...
anyway, we first saw one of the bull elephants having a shower before being let out into the savannah.....very interesting....then we met with the keeper of the rhinos...she took us to meet two of the adult rhinos where she told us all about them and about how they're cared for at AK etc and then we got to pet them (these huge adult rhinos)....very cool.....what was funny about these rhinos - they were competing with each other for the attention of the keeper....anyone who has a dog, knows what i'm talking about....each rhino kept pushing the other one out of the way to try to get closer to the keeper so she would pet them...so cute....after that we went to see the animal hospital and met with one of the nurses there.....then on to the kitchen to see food prepared and learn how it's all done....we ended with a ride on kilimanjaro safari...we went in the back way and got our own truck and driver...with the guide providing the commentary ("this is what disney tells you, this is what actually is going on here"....) it was very interesting....and fun to pass all the people in line waiting to get on the ride....
i actually enjoyed all of the tours....if you have any questions, feel free to ask..
i hope this was helpful to you
