Random WDW Info - I Never Knew!

[Snoopygirl]

Just got done reading through this thread!! It's great! I don't have anything to add as people already posted what i would have. This gets me excited for my Sept. 06 trip!!!!

 

[Shugardrawers]

While the "ring" is there. The way I understand it, the ring was not placed there by the Imagineers. But in reality is just a left over piece of a gate from when they were moved. When you actually see the thing you will see that other than being a round piece of metal it really doesn't look like a ring at all. Not to mention she would of had to have had really very thin fingers.

When I found it I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. You're right, it doesn't resemble a ring at all except in shape. Had it been placed there on purpose the Imagineers would have made it much more realistic looking.

 

[momof2mouses]

Cinderella's castle is one of the most photopraphed buildings in the world.

WHERE WAS THIS SECOND PICTURE TAKEN FROM? BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

 

[SJSKJ]

Don't know if this is true or not (told by a bus driver), but I found it interesting.

He told us that in Space Mountain, when you look overhead and see the meteors flying by...they didn't have any "photos" of real meteors to go by, so the imagineers used a photo of chocolate chip cookie. It does look like a cookie to me now. Anyone else hear this?

 

[princessarielle]

We were told that too by our KTTK tour guide 9 years ago.

 

[AKQJ10]

Some of the shells are made specifically for Disney. However the shells themselves are purchased from a variety of vendors around the world.

Disney is the second largest purchaser of explosives in the country next to the US military.

 

[AKQJ10]

That's unfortunately an urban legend that just won't die

 

[SueM in MN]

This is true but after Walt's death it became first the telephone operators office and now is used for storage. I'd give the world to stay there!

There was going to be an apartment there, but it never was actually finished into one.
It was used for telephone operators, then storage and is now used for a backstage/dressing area for the performers in the castle outdoor stage area.

 

[fitzperry]

The coaster track for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was built first then the building was built around it.]

I thought I read the opposite--maybe it was in the UG(?)--that the reason there aren't higher drops is because the coaster had to fit inside an existing structure.

 

[peter11435]

I thought I read the opposite--maybe it was in the UG(?)--that the reason there aren't higher drops is because the coaster had to fit inside an existing structure.

Nope. The track was built first.

 

[SueM in MN]

The entire outside of the ball is smooth, it just LOOKS like the triangles are sticking out all over the place.

Enjoy.

Um.. No that is false. The triangles are sticking out all over the place.

Like these triangles sticking out (look at the edge and you can see that peter is correct).......

and these............

(I couldn't get the images to work, but the links should).
It's not possible to have a completely smooth surface on a sphere made of triangles.

 

[JCTigger]

there are approx. 3.37 million gallons in the moat surrounding Cindy's Castle

on Rex your Star Tours guide there is a little red tag attached to him on it it says 'Remove Before Flight'

The Steam Boat Willie ship at the end of Fantasmic is 80 feet long with a 16 feet beam and it weights about 70,000 pounds...

 

[LaLa]

I'm lovin' this thread!

Got a few of my own to add:

The utilidors were acutally built on ground level and then filled in around them and on top with the dirt from what would later be known as Seven Seas Lagoon. The Magic Kingdom was then built on top of the utilidors, that's why there is such a hill when you are walking up to the park. You are actually walking onto the "second floor" disguised as ground level.

The streets in the Magic Kingdom are actually steam cleaned every night.

They made the walkways in Epcot pink because it was shown to highlight the color green, thereby making the grass look greener.

They use real gold leaf on the horses on Cinderella's Golden Carousel.

When you first step onto Main Street, the buildings are the tallest. They get slightly shorter as you walk toward the castle so it gives the illusion of the castle being bigger.

The water jets on Crush n Gusher shoot so much water at such a high rate of speed, that it could fill up the entire wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon in 3 hours' time.

 

[susie2]

thanks peter, that solved that mistery, but i dont think i will tell the kids, they have so much fun trying to find the ring, susie2

 

[tinkgurl]

bump!!

 

[netposer]

I haven't confirmed this all the way but every store on main street has a doorway to the adjacent store so you could walk down main street through the stores. This is a good way to avoid the crowds outside.

I think I read this in the "Unofficial Guide to WDW".

If this is a dup, I'm sorry. I was too lazy to read through almost a dozen pages of posts

 

[Lancer]

Walt Disney World breaks even on gate receipts and makes their profit through merchandise and conscessions. Now you know why everything is so expensive!

 

[Enchanted]

This is a great thread! So informative!

Here are some facts that I found in The Walt Disney World Trivia Book:

1. If you count all of the Dalmatians in the 101 Dalmatians section of All Star Movies Resort, including the large Pongo and Perdita statues, you will find that there are exactly 101 of them.

2. When the Rock N Roller Coaster was being built, Disney engineers worried that the Tower of Terror's two drops coupled with the Rock N Roller Coaster's launch might cause MGM's entire power grid to shut down! To solve the problem, an entire electrical substation was built to power the coaster!

3. When the Tower of Terror was being built, it was struck by lightning.

4. During the initial testing phases of Test Track (loooong before the ride ever opened), one of the ride cars jumped the track. To fix the problem, the Imagineers added a computer system that fits into a cooler-sized compartment in every car. These computer systems are so powerful, just one of them could control all of the rides and shows at Magic Kingdom at once!

5. The "stretching room" of the Haunted Mansion in DW stretches up and not down as many people believe. The floor remains still while the ceiling moves upwards.

6. When Aerosmith came to MGM to preview Rock N Roller Coaster, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry rode the ride twelve times in row!

7. The antique mining equipment on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is genuine and cost over $300,000.

 

[cjhentschel]

Great thread - great info - keep them coming!!!

 

[cpthook623]

*The skippers in jungle cruise have one day to learn a 200 pg script. Also the skipper really does not drive the boat.

* At the back of Adventure land there is a road where the parade floats wait there turn to roll down the parade route.

* From what I was told the rides in disney are constantly running 24/7.