Tell me about the KTTK Tour!

[WI_DisneyFan]

My DW and I are very much looking forward to our September 2007 trip (keeping my fingers crossed that Haunted Mansion is operational when we are there!). DW’s first and only trip was September 2005 for our honeymoon. And while we certainly didn’t see all that we wanted to see, we experienced enough to know what we can skip next time around. So we are looking for something new to try. One thing that caught my eye was the Keys to the Kingdom tour at Magic Kingdom. So what can you tell me about it? Is it worth the money? (‘Cause lord knows we are just looking for ways to blow our money! ) Is it offered more than once during the day? And if so, when is the best time to go? And any other experiences, plusses/minuses, etc. would be much appreciated!

 

[goofy4tink]

I just did the tour on Monday, the 11th. We had Jerrod, and he was just terrific as a guide. I believe there are several tours a day. I did the first one at 9:00. I loved it. Yes, it was long, about 5 hrs. But, there were lots of potty breaks provided, as well as areas where we could sit for a bit while we had discussions. Lunch at Columbia House was really good. We gave them our orders when we checked in first thing in the morning and it was all sitting there, with place cards, at the restaurant.
The 'behind the scenes' sections were wonderful. I have to say that it is night and day going from a park area to the backstage area. For someone who feels that she is fairly knowledgable about WDW, I still learned some things. I met some DISers on our tour, made some new friends also. I would completely recommend it. I did the Yuletide Fantasy tour the next day and didn't like it nearly as much, although it was more expensive, shorter in length and no food was provided. Too much time riding around on the bus with that one.

 

[phisigprincess]

We just did it on the 13th and DH and I both loved it! I'm a certified Disney nut and DH has only been to WDW once before the trip. We both got a ton out of it. Our guide was Fred, and he was very knowledgable. You start the tour in the a.m. next to city hall on Main Street (we were the 8:30 tour and there was a 9 as well). You check in and they get your order for lunch and there are some beverages. before the tour starts you get a headset that fits over your ear so that you can always hear the guide clearly and they dont' have to yell.

You start your tour down Main Street and then to Adventureland. I know some tours ride Jungle Cruise, but we did Pirates and Haunted Mansion. The behind the scenes stuff was really cool! We were surprised at how unattractive the Spectromagic floats are during the day!! The section in the utilidors was pretty cool too.

I would definately recommend the tour and we got a lot out of it. Definately worth the money.

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Thank you so much for the responses so far!!!

One question. What are your options for lunch? My wife is a picky eater, so that is always a concern of mine.

 

[dgaston]

The lunch options are from the regular menu at Columbia Harbor House. I had the pecan chicken salad, and DH some sort of sandwich. Remember that the backstage tours can be discounted a little with AAA, AP, DVC, and Disney Visa (that's the deepest at 20%). I think the CM tour guide makes or breaks the tour too.

 

[DepCor0311]

We went on our 2004 trip and had a great time. It is a great way for adults to see the MK in a new way. As posted before, you see lots of "behind the scenes" stuff, and you get to ride rides with your tour guide. Each tour may ride different rides. We rode the Jungle Cruise, with just our tour group on the boat. It was great because our guide (Stephen) was a former Jungle Cruise Capt. and knew tons about the workings of the ride.
I think it took us about 5 hours or so to do the whole tour and there were (at least in my opinion) lots of sitting breaks.
Lunch at Columbia House was middle of the road (I think we had the Chicken Fingers/Fish combo). At lunch you get an exclusive "Keys to the Kingdom" pin.
IMHO it is totally worth every penny. It was one of the highlights of our trip.