There'’s Nowhere To Go But Down... To The Utilidors! NEW TR LINK 6/4

[amberg93]

It's okay, life gets busy, we understand.

Ooh first adult beverage!

What a sweetie of the CM. Also what an awesome tattoo. I like tattoos in theory but I feel like I've been poked with enough needles to last a lifetime, so I wouldn't ever get one.

Oh wow, it is a beautiful arrangement. Then again everything the Voices of Liberty does is beautiful so I'm not surprised.

Those jumping pictures! Jealous. Then again, I suppose single person jumping pictures are easier than group jumping pictures, which are ridiculiously difficult.

Oh my goodness, Wishes dessert party! That's amazing. I'd be screaming and crying too.

WL someday for us too Courtney. You will make, Marie and I will make it. Someday.

I didn't know that at WCC you could opt not to join in. I like that option being present.

Sounds like you all had an awesome meal. I'm glad your waitress was so much fun!

 

[Sisa]

Love that you took the time to color a Duffy, that is awesome!

Very cute pics of Snow White with Kylie and Emily.

OMG, a Wishes Dessert party invite?! How amazing is your mom?! And how hilarious is your Dad?! LOL! So happy for you!

Your dinner at WP sounds like it was a blast. I think I'd be crying from laughing so hard. Way to go Lazy Susan!

Eek...can't wait for the tour details!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad you enjoyed Via Napoli again - that is definitely one place we haven't hit up yet that we need to at some point

and I am sure you are not the first tattooed adult to enjoy and adult beverage and then color a Duffy

That's very cool that you got surprised about doing the Dessert Party! Actually, the whole "dinner invite under the door" thing is just super cute in general

Sounds like you had a lot of fun at Whispering Canyon! It's cool that they have the cards to flip over if you don't want to participate - I can see some people wanting to watch but not play. While I can understand being thrown off if you went there and didn't know what to expect, but still a tiny bit of research should reveal that

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hahahaha, fin-flipping-tastic, I'm going to have to remember that one!

Awesome that the autograph book was up at Guest Relations! I would have been really sad if I had lost something like that too.

Pinventory. You make me chuckle.

Lt. Dan is always a good choice. Lt. Dan! Ice cream!

Ugh, I hate it when the people in my Mission:Space car don't listen! Seriously people, this is real life here!

Clearly you were not happy about it. Your face is priceless.

OMG, that interaction between Belle, Kylie, and Emily is perfect!

My Pop got that pastry from the bakery too! He loved it.

That Merida meet and greet sounds perfect! I haven't met her yet either, but she's another one on my list this upcoming trip.

Ah yes. The birth of a TR title. Always a good time. I actually find myself getting nervous if something funny doesn't happen for a while! Then I'm like "what am I going to title my TR!!"

Yay for your first adult Disney beverage! I hope it lived up to expectations.

Love the arancini! I always get that when we go to Via Napoli.

I love the margherita pizza too. It's what I always order when we go.

Pffft, you did not look crazy sitting there coloring with no kids around.

Wishes dessert party! I LOVE IT! That is such a great surprise.

Whispering Canyon is so much fun! We had a great server there too named Wendi. We told her how awesome she was and that she made our morning. It was a great way to start the day.

Anyone joking about diarrhea is always funny, no matter the age.

 

[CarolAnnB]

I could definitely go for some Via Napoli pizza - Papa Gino's does not compare. No busboy bringing Kylie endless drinks this time, but the birthday song was very fun. And they certainly glam up a vanilla cookie!

I don't know what that Aurora was saying but Kylie said she was one of the nicest face characters ever.

Spaceship Earth photo shoot is always the best.

You were hysterical about that Dessert Party, that's for sure. Nice to know I can still surprise you when it comes to Disney.

WCC was pretty good. The last time we went there was not that great but it made a comeback. The server you get is what makes the big difference there. She was funny about not showing her entire face in the photo. She must have something to hide. We had so many laughs at that meal. That Magic Bar was the BEST. And it was huge!

 

[CarolAnnB]

Kylie just told me what was going on in that Aurora picture. Kylie had told Aurora that her 16th birthday had been the day before. Aurora told her to stay away from spinning wheels! And also that she may meet the love of her life.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Via Napoli Best restaurant in World Showcase and I concur with Kylie, the Via Napoli special dessert is delish, simply done but OH so good. I'll have to try that pizza next time I'm at Via Napoli (we WILL visit on our DCP).

Your Duffy is presh and now I'm going to have to scan all your photos for your tattoo. I think my cousins and my aunt want to do something similar with my Nana's name.

Love all of Kylie and Emily's photos with the princesses! Snow White and Aurora are just so flawless and perfect. And those Disneybounds again, on-point.

Yay for the Wishes Dessert Party! What a great surprise for y'all! I totally would've had the exact same reaction if that happened to me.

Wilderness Lodge is one of my dream resorts too. That CM discount is already burning a hole in my pocket if you know what I mean

Whispering Canyon sounds so good and so funny! I love how you can tell them if you want to get picked on or not by the way your coaster is. If only you were able to do that at 50s because I feel they just pick on bigger parties rather than smaller ones. *sigh* LOL @ "Artsy because it's tilted" TRUTH

Can't wait to hear about your KTTK!

 

[RGirl]

Hi Courtney! I’m so glad that your TR is moving about as fast as mine - makes it a little easier for me to keep up!

Mmmm, prosecco - one of my faves as well! Oh, and the VN food looked good too.

A Duffy fan! I have GOT to remember that brilliant idea.

Y’all really took advantage of what World Showcase has to offer. There are a few things you did that I have never done yet - always being dragged to the next ride by someone in my traveling party…..

Oh, the pics that y’all got with Spaceship Earth are SO fun!!!

Love your moms invitations - such a cute idea. And the dessert party! YAY! Ha! Your dad is too funny.

The Wilderness Lodge. I think you should stay there sometime next July. :

That little Pluto is affectionately known as “Alaska Pluto” in our house because he was purchased aboard the Disney Wonder on the cruise to ….. Alaska!

Looks like y’all had a great (and yummy) time at WCC. I love the red/green coaster idea. Very smart move by Disney!

I love the pins you got - especially the cupcake and the shoe. Those would both be great collections - I wonder how many they made of them. So cute!

 

[JessM]

Ahhh Via Napoli, so freaking good! I've already been thinking about what I want to order Thursday... judge me

I'll admit I like the American Adventure just for the Golden Wings song haha, and it's always good for a break

SO awesome you guys got to do the Dessert Party!!! Seriously one of my favorite things!

Whispering Canyon sounds like sooo much fun. Who wouldn't want to participate?! Craziness.

 

[KelleyK75]

Your food all looks amazing in this update.

The character greets look like a lot of fun!

Love your Duffy!

That's awesome you were going to the Wishes Dessert Party!!! Can't wait to hear about it.

Wilderness Lodge looks so pretty! I haven't visted there yet.

That's great you had a good waitress. She sounds like a lot of fun!

 

[buckeyeprincess24]

Hi! I'm new to the DIS, and I just discovered your TR. Love your writing style and can't wait to read more!

 

[emilyindisney]

Hey Courtney!! Hope everything is well and you survived your semester/finals week!

That is seriously the best dessert party surprise! I'd love to do that myself one day so I'm pumped to hear your take on it. As usual, your dad cracks me up!

 

[courtneybelle]

Via Napoli...DROOLING NOW, OKAY?!?!

I fell in love with suppli in Italy, which seems similar to the arancini, so we are TOTALLY getting that next time we go there. Seeing the pavilion is so different now that I have actually been to THE St. Mark's Square. SIGH. I miss Italy!!!

What a GREAT surprise that your mom booked the dessert party and kept it a secret!

Ooooh, the WL. I'm feeling so nostalgic now. I hope since we are getting AP's that I might have an opportunity to stay there again with a nice AP discount in the future. I love it SO MUCH there!!! Dinner at WCC sounds fun! It's always great when you get a CM good at her job & her role.

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all!

I'm perpetually missing Via Napoli pizza!!!

The arancini is absolutely delicious so I definitely recommend it!! I know, right? It was crazy looking at the winged lion and realizing that I had seen the originals.

It was the BEST surprise. I seriously had no idea!

I am so excited you're getting APs!!! And I hope that leads to a WL stay. I need to stay there. My desktop background right now is of the Wilderness Lodge lobby at Christmastime.

Via Napoli looks SOOOOOOO GOOD. OMG. The only two restaurants at EPCOT I've eaten at in the past two trips have been Rose & Crown and Akershus. It's a must-do for our next trip.

Uh, what's with you guys running into the most beautiful face characters I've ever seen? Literally, snow and aurora are #GORG.

THE RAIN CANCELED MY DUFFY MEET, TOO!!!! I was so sad

I'm so over the seagull merch. MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE

What a magical surprise! Can't wait to read about the dessert party

I've never been inside the Wilderness Lodge. It looks like you guys had a really good dinner.

I really enjoy your pin photos at the end of every day. That's a really cute and good idea. I'll have to steal that next time I'm at WDW.

Keep updating! I'm in love with this TR!

I definitely recommend Via Napoli!!! If you split a few pizzas it's not much more than a QS, and it's so good.

All the princesses we met were so stunning!!

I just wanna see Duffy!!! He's my fave. Sorry you couldn't meet him either

Me too!!! I got my roommate the Mine Mine Mine shot glass for her 21st birthday haha.

It was the best surprise, I'm so excited to tell everyone about it.

WL is absolutely gorgeous and Whispering Canyon Cafe is soooo fun!

You should! I like doing it because it's fun seeing how many pins I trade per day. My record is 13 in one day hahaha.

Thank you so much for commenting

Super Mega Update!!!

In my world as I read your update, Andrea is female. Just sayin'.

Sparkling wine is the only wine I will drink, so good choice.

See I love when people get tattoos that actually mean something. So many are just random, so I really appreciate the connection you have with your's. Plus... In Disney, colouring without kids should in no way look odd. I think it's precious.

VOICES OF LIBERTY!!!! I remember you messaging me when they were singing “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” and me being all jealous and stuff. Love love love them!! I got something pretty good too though.

I've still never seen the American Adventure, but I'm usually tied up chatting with the Voices which is obviously the priority.

Oh YAY WISHES DESSERT PARTY!!!! What a lovely surprise.

Ah Wilderness Lodge!!!! I hope to stay there one day...

I didn't know there was an "opt out" option at Whispering Canyon, but honestly, why would you eat there and not take part. If you don't do your homework... too bad, lol.

Hahaha I wonder if you went to Via Napoli alone, would they summon a beautiful female waiter? It seems like I only get hunky males.

Same here!!! Not a big beer/wine person tbh but I like the bubbles.

Awww thanks Rob. I still have the Duffy I colored. I need all the Duffy memorabilia.

Voices of Liberty…I was thinking of them earlier today because I want to hear them do Christmas songs. I heard "White Christmas" back in November and it was so great.

Voices of Liberty > The American Adventure. By a long shot. So you're not missing out on much by hanging with the Voices.

Best surprise ever!!!

Okay, rub it in…I wanna be where the people are (at Wilderness Lodge)

I know! I was talking about it with my mom and we figure people didn't do research and assumed that a restaurant at a deluxe would be all classy, but that's not quite the case hahaha.

Awesome update!!! You are making me want to eat at Whispering Canyon... hmmm, maybe add an ADR for my January trip?

Thank you!! Whispering Canyon is so fun and the food is pretty great too!

Love your Epcot picks! Everyone looks like they are having a blast.

We haven't gone to Via Napoli, but that pizza looks great. If I wasn't dying from Thanksgiving, I would be hungry for it.

We have only eaten lunch at Whispering Canyon, but had an awesome time. We were going to eat breakfast there our last trip but had to cancel thanks to the illness. We have booked it for our upcoming trip. I can't wait!

We had such a great day at Epcot!

The pizza is AMAZING, I would definitely recommend it.

I really want to try the breakfast there! You'll have to let me know how it is.

We ate at both Via Napoli and Whispering Canyon Cafe on our last trip. We did not order enough pizza that night. We'll never make that mistake again. And we had a great time at WCC. Our grandson was dressed in his Pluto costume for MNSSHP and the extra attention was so much fun.

And we got ketchup, too.

THAT PLUTO COSTUME!!!! I love it soooooo much! Absolutely adorable!!!

I LOVE Via Napoli! I'm glad you enjoyed your meal.

I think it's funny that you take a nap during American Adventure. We all have to have those attractions.

FIREWORKS DESSERT PARTY! I'm thrilled you got the opportunity to go, and I look forward to hearing how you liked it. We tried it during our last trip and thought it was pretty fun.

Yet another fun meal of the day - WCC has never made the cut onto the list but it sure looks fun. It's too bad your restaurant placement wasn't great, but I'm glad your awesome server made up for it!

Via Napoli is soooo good!!

Hahaha I paid attention the first few times…and now I take a nice snooze.

It was such an amazing surprise! I really liked it so I'm excited to write about it.

WCC is so fun and the food is pretty great too!

 

[courtneybelle]

It's okay, life gets busy, we understand.

Ooh first adult beverage!

What a sweetie of the CM. Also what an awesome tattoo. I like tattoos in theory but I feel like I've been poked with enough needles to last a lifetime, so I wouldn't ever get one.

Oh wow, it is a beautiful arrangement. Then again everything the Voices of Liberty does is beautiful so I'm not surprised.

Those jumping pictures! Jealous. Then again, I suppose single person jumping pictures are easier than group jumping pictures, which are ridiculiously difficult.

Oh my goodness, Wishes dessert party! That's amazing. I'd be screaming and crying too.

WL someday for us too Courtney. You will make, Marie and I will make it. Someday.

I didn't know that at WCC you could opt not to join in. I like that option being present.

Sounds like you all had an awesome meal. I'm glad your waitress was so much fun!

And life got super crazy again haha but I'm back now!!!

I'm officially a grown-up now

That CM was awesome. Totally understand on the needle front, though.

Voices of Liberty = perfection.

Yeah we tried group jumping pics last year and it was disastrous so now we just stick with the single person ones. Much more effective.

Seriously though!! I was soooo excited and Kylie and Emily just had no idea what was going on.

We can and we will stay at WL! One day!!

I think it's a nice thing to include. I think it would be good to do that at '50s as well, I feel like they tease you more there.

Love that you took the time to color a Duffy, that is awesome!

Very cute pics of Snow White with Kylie and Emily.

OMG, a Wishes Dessert party invite?! How amazing is your mom?! And how hilarious is your Dad?! LOL! So happy for you!

Your dinner at WP sounds like it was a blast. I think I'd be crying from laughing so hard. Way to go Lazy Susan!

Eek...can't wait for the tour details!

Aww thank you!

It was a great meet! Snow is one of Ky's favorites so she was happy.

My parents rule. I'm so happy they did that for me!

It was an absolute blast!

Coming up soon!!!

Glad you enjoyed Via Napoli again - that is definitely one place we haven't hit up yet that we need to at some point

and I am sure you are not the first tattooed adult to enjoy and adult beverage and then color a Duffy

That's very cool that you got surprised about doing the Dessert Party! Actually, the whole "dinner invite under the door" thing is just super cute in general

Sounds like you had a lot of fun at Whispering Canyon! It's cool that they have the cards to flip over if you don't want to participate - I can see some people wanting to watch but not play. While I can understand being thrown off if you went there and didn't know what to expect, but still a tiny bit of research should reveal that

I absolutely recommend Via Napoli, great food and a good drink selection as well.

HAHA it sounds so great when you put it that way.

I loved the invites, that would be something fun for your kids once they all can read

Yeah I was really surprised people didn't know what they were getting into, but maybe they assumed that a dinner at a deluxe resort would be classy and peaceful…

Hahahaha, fin-flipping-tastic, I'm going to have to remember that one!

Awesome that the autograph book was up at Guest Relations! I would have been really sad if I had lost something like that too.

Pinventory. You make me chuckle.

Lt. Dan is always a good choice. Lt. Dan! Ice cream!

Ugh, I hate it when the people in my Mission:Space car don't listen! Seriously people, this is real life here!

Clearly you were not happy about it. Your face is priceless.

OMG, that interaction between Belle, Kylie, and Emily is perfect!

My Pop got that pastry from the bakery too! He loved it.

That Merida meet and greet sounds perfect! I haven't met her yet either, but she's another one on my list this upcoming trip.

Ah yes. The birth of a TR title. Always a good time. I actually find myself getting nervous if something funny doesn't happen for a while! Then I'm like "what am I going to title my TR!!"

Yay for your first adult Disney beverage! I hope it lived up to expectations.

Love the arancini! I always get that when we go to Via Napoli.

I love the margherita pizza too. It's what I always order when we go.

Pffft, you did not look crazy sitting there coloring with no kids around.

Wishes dessert party! I LOVE IT! That is such a great surprise.

Whispering Canyon is so much fun! We had a great server there too named Wendi. We told her how awesome she was and that she made our morning. It was a great way to start the day.

Anyone joking about diarrhea is always funny, no matter the age.

I loved that! Ariel was super clever.

I was so relieved GR had it too.

THANK YOU! I thought it was pretty clever.

LOL not a fan of the tour groups. I actually asked my mom to put that pic on the Christmas card this year but I was voted down.

Belle was awesome!! Definitely a memorable meet.

I am glad Dad's pastry is Popadon-approved

I hadn't met Merida in a very long time, not since the movie came out, but now she's a must-meet for me.

HAAA I feel that way too! The last two trips I came up with the title on the first day so I was nervous when we got to day 5 and I had no idea what to name it.

Everything at Via Napoli was amazing. Love that place so much.

It was the best surprise ever! I did not see it coming at all but I'm so happy it happened.

Whispering Canyon rules and I'm so happy you also find diarrhea humor funny

I could definitely go for some Via Napoli pizza - Papa Gino's does not compare. No busboy bringing Kylie endless drinks this time, but the birthday song was very fun. And they certainly glam up a vanilla cookie!

I don't know what that Aurora was saying but Kylie said she was one of the nicest face characters ever.

Spaceship Earth photo shoot is always the best.

You were hysterical about that Dessert Party, that's for sure. Nice to know I can still surprise you when it comes to Disney.

WCC was pretty good. The last time we went there was not that great but it made a comeback. The server you get is what makes the big difference there. She was funny about not showing her entire face in the photo. She must have something to hide. We had so many laughs at that meal. That Magic Bar was the BEST. And it was huge!

No Francesco bringing Kylie drinks! Or was it Adriano?

I love our Spaceship Earth pics.

You definitely succeeded at surprising me! I loved it.

I liked WCC, it's not an every trip meal for me but I enjoyed it a lot. I LOVED that magic bar!!!

Kylie just told me what was going on in that Aurora picture. Kylie had told Aurora that her 16th birthday had been the day before. Aurora told her to stay away from spinning wheels! And also that she may meet the love of her life.

That is so clever!! I love that!

 

[courtneybelle]

Via Napoli Best restaurant in World Showcase and I concur with Kylie, the Via Napoli special dessert is delish, simply done but OH so good. I'll have to try that pizza next time I'm at Via Napoli (we WILL visit on our DCP).

Your Duffy is presh and now I'm going to have to scan all your photos for your tattoo. I think my cousins and my aunt want to do something similar with my Nana's name.

Love all of Kylie and Emily's photos with the princesses! Snow White and Aurora are just so flawless and perfect. And those Disneybounds again, on-point.

Yay for the Wishes Dessert Party! What a great surprise for y'all! I totally would've had the exact same reaction if that happened to me.

Wilderness Lodge is one of my dream resorts too. That CM discount is already burning a hole in my pocket if you know what I mean

Whispering Canyon sounds so good and so funny! I love how you can tell them if you want to get picked on or not by the way your coaster is. If only you were able to do that at 50s because I feel they just pick on bigger parties rather than smaller ones. *sigh* LOL @ "Artsy because it's tilted" TRUTH

Can't wait to hear about your KTTK!

Via Napoli will be a semi-regular thing on our DCP, it's not even that expensive for a Disney restaurant, and PIZZAAAAA

Actually a Photopass photographer took a pic of my tattoo when I met Tiana so it'll pop up eventually!! If I ever get to that point in this TR…

The princesses were so gorgeous and fun! And I'll pass along the message about their DisneyBounds. I think these were my favorites.

AHHH I WAS SO EXCITED. Wishes + desserts = LOVE.

I think they should do that at '50s too!! I LOVE the artsy tilted pics.

Coming up next…!!!!

Hi Courtney! I’m so glad that your TR is moving about as fast as mine - makes it a little easier for me to keep up!

Mmmm, prosecco - one of my faves as well! Oh, and the VN food looked good too.

A Duffy fan! I have GOT to remember that brilliant idea.

Y’all really took advantage of what World Showcase has to offer. There are a few things you did that I have never done yet - always being dragged to the next ride by someone in my traveling party…..

Oh, the pics that y’all got with Spaceship Earth are SO fun!!!

Love your moms invitations - such a cute idea. And the dessert party! YAY! Ha! Your dad is too funny.

The Wilderness Lodge. I think you should stay there sometime next July. :

That little Pluto is affectionately known as “Alaska Pluto” in our house because he was purchased aboard the Disney Wonder on the cruise to ….. Alaska!

Looks like y’all had a great (and yummy) time at WCC. I love the red/green coaster idea. Very smart move by Disney!

I love the pins you got - especially the cupcake and the shoe. Those would both be great collections - I wonder how many they made of them. So cute!

My DIS hiatus for finals is over so I can update now! But yeah, it's been a while

I LOVE prosecco! The pizza was great, don't get me wrong, but I am all about that prosecco.

It was a fantastic idea! It was so unbelievably hot that day…

We did get a LOT done given how hot it was. Hahaha I can only imagine Willow just wanting to get back to the Tower of Terror. Don't tell her you can see it from Morocco!

Thanks!! We always try to have a photo shoot there and I love it.

The invites are SO great, she got them from the DISigns board if you and Shannon wanted to do some for your big trip!!

Don't tempt me!!! Haha if I could get a CM discount at that point, then we'd be in business.

Oh my gosh, I want an Alaska Pluto!!! He does look Alaskan.

I'm not sure how many are in the total collection, but I think I have five cupcake pins and four or five shoe pins! I should put a pic of my whole pin collection on the boards sometime

Thanks for commenting!!!

Ahhh Via Napoli, so freaking good! I've already been thinking about what I want to order Thursday... judge me

I'll admit I like the American Adventure just for the Golden Wings song haha, and it's always good for a break

SO awesome you guys got to do the Dessert Party!!! Seriously one of my favorite things!

Whispering Canyon sounds like sooo much fun. Who wouldn't want to participate?! Craziness.

AHHH DISNEY. So jealous. I want to be baaack.

I agree with you completely!!!

It was SO amazing. I'm so excited to talk about it and post pics.

I know!!! It's part of the experience to get picked on.

Your food all looks amazing in this update.

The character greets look like a lot of fun!

Love your Duffy!

That's awesome you were going to the Wishes Dessert Party!!! Can't wait to hear about it.

Wilderness Lodge looks so pretty! I haven't visted there yet.

That's great you had a good waitress. She sounds like a lot of fun!

All of the food we had was so delicious!

We met some amazing characters that day, so many fun interactions!

I'm so excited to write about Wishes! It was so much fun.

I LOVE Wilderness Lodge. It's so stunning. And our meal was fantastic!

Hi! I'm new to the DIS, and I just discovered your TR. Love your writing style and can't wait to read more!

Hi!! Welcome to the DIS and thank you so much for reading and commenting

Hey Courtney!! Hope everything is well and you survived your semester/finals week!

That is seriously the best dessert party surprise! I'd love to do that myself one day so I'm pumped to hear your take on it. As usual, your dad cracks me up!

Hi Emily!!! I just wrapped up the semester TODAY so I am very happy to be relaxing!! I hope all is well with you in regards to school and running!

I LOVED the dessert party and I'll be writing about it very soon!! My dad was deadpan at that moment so it was hilarious.

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 30: Keys to the Kingdom

Today we got up early because Magic Kingdom opened at 8 for EMH…oh yeah, and we had to check in for our Keys to the Kingdom tour at 8:15!

We had to say goodbye to Aunt Patti and Uncle Rick this morning. They were on their way to look at more retirement homes…and good news, they just moved to Tampa, not too far from Disney! It was so much fun having them along and we definitely missed them for the rest of the trip.

Since we weren’t rope dropping any attractions, we stood in the center to get a good view of the welcome show.

But first, family pics!

Good morning Magic Kingdom!

I took a million pics of Anna and Elsa and make no apologies. They are queens of everything.

We wanted to see if Mickey was meeting, but he wasn’t. So we just headed over to City Hall to check in for our tour!

I took some pictures in the meantime.

We got some fancy shmancy name tags.

And we placed our orders for lunch at Columbia Harbour House! I want to say there were six choices to choose from. Dad picked a salad and the rest of us picked chicken nuggets. We also got earpieces so our tour guide could talk into a microphone and we could hear him from a distance. This was super helpful, especially since the park got loud.

Then we had a little time to wait for the others, so we went to the restroom and just hung out in the little garden next to City Hall.

Finally everyone on our tour had convened. We met our tour guide, Trent, who was from Louisiana. He started in the College Program selling snow cones in Fantasyland. He’s worked in a few areas of the Disney Company, most recently in conventions and in Guest Relations at MK! He also explained to us the Four Keys of the Walt Disney Company: safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and he said that we would see examples of all of those in our visit today.

Trent had us introduce ourselves by naming our favorite characters. There were 18 people on the tour. This was also the time that Trent told us we were not allowed to take pictures at any point on the tour—even when we were “on stage.” So this section will not have pictures. I also can’t go into a ton of detail about the backstage portions so as to preserve the magic…sorry, guys! But you should really do the tour and see all of it for yourself! And I have tons of Disney trivia to share in the meantime.

Also, if Disney history and trivia interests you, I have to recommend the book Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas. I read it over the summer and it was fantastic. ANYWAY back to the tour!

We started by walking right down the middle of Main Street USA. Trent explained how Walt wanted coming to the Magic Kingdom to be like going to a show—you start in the lobby, and hand in your tickets, and the train station acts as a “curtain.” Walking under the train station, you see posters for “coming attractions” like Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain. And what do you see (and smell) as you walk in? Popcorn! The names on all the windows of Main Street are the opening credits, and the Castle at the end is the main attraction.

Trent also told us that Walt made Main Street on an incline. Guests don’t mind walking uphill first thing in the morning when they’re so excited to get to the park, and it will be much easier for them to leave at the end of the day when they’re tired. He also said that studies show people tend to go to the left, so the walkway to Adventureland is much wider than the walkway to Tomorrowland.

One story I really enjoyed was about the original purchasing of the land in Florida. People had suspicions that Disney could have bought it, so this journalist went out to California to interview Walt. She asked him if he was the one buying the land, and although he did not lie, he said things like, “Why would anyone buy land there? It’s so hot and it’s all swampland…” Well, the journalist realized he knew a LOT about the land considering he wasn’t buying any of it…so she published a story about Disney buying the land. The price of land went from $180 per acre to $80,000 per acre as a result…

We got to the end of Main Street and saw the Partners Statue. Blaine Gibson was the man who created it, along with other statues and animatronics for Disney. He’s actually still alive, though he is retired and training apprentices. Although Walt was only 5’10, Blaine made him 6 feet in the statue because Walt always felt that the perfect man was 6 feet tall, and Blaine thought he was the perfect man. Trent also told us that Blaine struggled with how tall to make Mickey…after all, he is a tiny mouse in the cartoons, but he’s pretty big in the parks! He ended up making Mickey about waist high, and if people in the park ask why Mickey’s so tall when you meet him, Trent says he’s just larger than life.

We turned left into Adventureland, and Trent made sure to point out the slow transition in theming—the music gets quieter and the foliage gets more tropical.

We made our way to the Jungle Cruise. This attraction was based on Walt’s time as a goodwill ambassador to South America. Walt actually wanted to use live animals, but Roy (who was in charge of the business side) said it was way too expensive. But Disney never gets rid of any ideas, they just shelve them, and Walt’s dream came to life with Kilimanjaro Safaris!

Then we got a very special ride on the Jungle Cruise, but instead of hearing jokes, we learned all about the ride from Trent! One thing I really loved was that he pointed out things on the ride that are also in other attractions. Here are a few:
One of the men on the pole being poked by the rhino is the gravekeeper in the Haunted Mansion.
The architecture of the temple is also used in Asia in AK.
The cobras in the temple are in the Indiana Jones scene of the Great Movie Ride.
The monkeys in the temple are in Living With The Land.

We also learned that since the water from the Jungle Cruise goes back into other waterways in the area, Disney doesn’t use pesticides because they don’t want to poison the water.

After our ride through the jungle, we headed over to a personal favorite of mine…WALT DISNEY’S ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM!

Much to Kylie’s relief, we did not actually see this. Instead, Trent told us about how once Walt brought his team a toy bird that moved and asked them to figure out how it worked. They did, and Walt asked them to make it more lifelike. They did that, and then Walt said, “Wait, the chest doesn’t move.” So they had to make the chest move as well! Honestly, details like that people would not notice, but Walt did and that’s why WDW is what it is.

We also learned that Walt had wanted the Tiki Room to be a restaurant/dinner show, but was persuaded to make it an attraction.

We went to the outside seating area of Tortuga Tavern, and Trent gave us a brief history of Walt’s life. I knew a lot of it already from One Man’s Dream and my own reading but I’ll never get tired of hearing about it. I also got some brownie points for knowing that the Carousel of Progress was one of the Disney attractions at the World’s Fair. Because Disney had 4 of the 5 most popular attractions at the World’s Fair, Walt figured he would have success at a theme park.

One thing I really loved about this was that whenever Trent was talking about things that the Company was doing, he always said “We thought…” or “We decided…” It was clear how totally passionate he was about the Company and that really made the tour for me.

Then Trent talked a little about Pirates, and I heard the fact that seriously blew my mind. The reason there’s a drop in Pirates is not because of the thrill…but because the ride had to go under the train tracks. WHAAAAAAAAT

He also talked about the chess game you see in the queue. I knew that the game was a stalemate—neither pirate can win, so they are stuck there forever. But I didn’t know that once a custodial CM was cleaning up, took all the pieces off…and couldn’t figure out how to put them back. Nobody had kept a record of how they were, so they had to figure out the stalemate again!

Then we had our first trip backstage to see where the parade floats are stored when the parades aren’t going. Like I said, I have to keep this part pretty hush-hush so Trent doesn’t lose his job, but I will say that I was asking Trent when the parades and performers start lining up (30-45 minutes before the parade) and then my jaw LITERALLY dropped because I SAW ELLIOTT FROM PETE’S DRAGON!!! AND I SAW CHRISTMAS FLOATS!!! AND HALLOWEEN FLOATS!!! I promptly died and that is the end of this Trip Report.


Just kidding.

After some CPR, we headed back out and turned toward Frontierland. Once again Trent made sure to point out the gradual transition of theming. Very cool.

We headed over to Liberty Square for lunch and sat on the second floor in our own private section! Our food was already set out, and we received some very special pins as a souvenir.

After lunch, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. I was VERY excited about this because there are so many details in HM that I feel like I never catch.

The CMs in charge of HM here at WDW were really hoping that we’d eventually get the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. We haven’t, so there are a few hidden Jack Skellingtons throughout the ride! Most of them aren’t actually visible on the ride, but I was able to see one in the first portrait before you enter the stretching room, as it flashes and becomes a skeleton.

Trent also told us about this “Hidden Mickey” made of plates on the dinner table in the ballroom. It’s not an official Hidden Mickey because the Imagineers didn’t design the table that way, but the Haunted Mansion CMs are known to rearrange the plates so there is one. So whether or not you see the Hidden Mickey depends on if the Imagineers or CMs were there last!

We entered through the “chicken exit” and it was actually really themed and spooky?! I don’t know, if I had to leave the Haunted Mansion I wouldn’t want to be spooked on my way out.

My dad got to ride with Trent and I was so jealous! He was pointing out all kinds of stuff.

We headed back to Main Street and stopped in front of the Castle. Trent told us about how the castle is not made of bricks, but of fiberglass, and it is 189 feet tall because at the time if it was 190 feet they would need to put airplane signals on top. Now the height for airplane signals is 200, so Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest got to be a bit taller.

Trent also told us that he is a castle guide for the Cinderella Castle Suite, and he had hosted Katy Perry over the July 4 weekend!

Next…we went down…TO THE UTILIDORS!!! I really don’t want Trent to get fired so I can’t really describe them, but I will say that I loved it and would definitely recommend taking a tour that gets you down there if you’re interested in the history of the company.

One REALLY cool thing I got to see was the room where Cast Members get all their pins…and THAT is where I saw the most pins in my entire life. I COULD HAVE CRIED. Picture Kristoff when he sees the ice castle. PINS ARE MY LIFE!

Trent also told us a hilarious story about Walt and his wife. Lillian was an ink and paint girl for the studio, and Walt really liked her. Roy asked what his intentions were with her, and Walt said he liked her and thought he would marry her. Roy then said that he had to, because she hadn’t cashed a single paycheck and they really needed the money!

We headed back outside into Town Square. Trent told us about how when they were building Main Street, the CMs would look at the clock all day, and once 4 rolled around they’d be less productive. So Walt covered the clock with a sign that said “Remember…Opening Oct. 1971.” On my last trip, I had traded for a pin that said that, and at the time I just thought it was about the opening of the park. Now that I know this story it is one of my favorite pins!

We ended the tour at the Roy and Minnie statue, also by Blaine Gibson. This part was crazy emotional. As we know Walt didn’t get to see the opening of WDW, so Roy was in charge. Walt is at the end of Main Street closest to the castle and he couldn’t go any further, so Roy went the rest of the way, and they’ve saved a seat for Mickey when he gets there. I only got a little teary but I was wearing sunglasses so nobody noticed.

We got a picture with Trent because he was amazing. It is so clear how much he loves his job and Disney.

I LOVED this tour. I learned so much about the park and the company as a whole. I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in Disney history! I will say, though, that if I did it again I would NOT go in July. So much of it is outside and although Trent tried to keep us in the shade, there were moments when we were standing in the sun for 15 minutes at a time and it was so hot. That was literally my only complaint though. Every other part of it was absolutely perfect.

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[IheartDDuck]

Awesome that your Aunt and Uncle moved to Tampa! Someday. Someday I will be in Florida.

The tour guides with a mic are super handy! We had one when we went to the Vatican and toured, and it was nice to be able to hear over all of the noise.

I must be a weirdo then, because we always go right to Tomorrowland! Every single time.

In Disneyland, the reason Pirates has a drop is because it needs to go under the berm of the park. It's pretty interesting.

The tour sounds amazing! Definitely something I'll have to do someday.

 

[emilyindisney]

Hi Emily!!! I just wrapped up the semester TODAY so I am very happy to be relaxing!! I hope all is well with you in regards to school and running!

I LOVED the dessert party and I'll be writing about it very soon!! My dad was deadpan at that moment so it was hilarious.

Thankfully another semester down and school is still going well! Wishing the same to you! Happy vacation, wooooo!

Wow- thanks for the amazing description of your tour! Honestly, the lack of pictures was no big deal (though probably a little bit of a bummer for you) because you saved so many details! I actually just started a hidden Disney treasure book that describes a lot of these things- I wonder if the author took the tour...?

Thank you for sharing the story about the clock pin. I also just picked that pin up on a recent trip and love that there's more of a story than just being the opening date. That's great!!

 

[MissMaryQC]

Keys to the Kingdom sounds wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed the history and behind the scenes stuff. I think a lot of people find that sort of thing takes away from the magic, but I totally disagree, seems like you do too.

What's the DisneyBounding for this day? Mulan?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We did the KTTK tour last March and we really enjoyed it. You have a great memory and retained a lot of details. Your tour guide told you a few things that our tour guide didn't mention (or else I forgot). One of my favorite "secrets" was how the trash is collected. They vacuum it out of the garbage bins into the big (super big) trash collection building. I still can't wrap my head around that concept.