Tour Comparison: Backstage Magic & Backstage Safari

[themommamouse]

Hi all-- DH and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary next month at the World. Looking to have some different experiences this time and we're signed up to take the Backstage Magic tour. I'm also considering the Backstage Safari tour but it occurred to me that there might be overlaps with the two tours. Does anyone know if you see completely different things in each tour or are there overlaps?

 

[aubriee]

It's been a few years years since I've taken them, but if I remember correctly there would be no overlap at all. Backstage Safari takes place solely at Animal Kingdom. Backstage Magic (unless it's changed) takes you only to Epcot, Disney Studios, and Magic Kingdom. It skips Animal Kingdom.

Backstage Safari takes you backstage at Animal Kingdom where you see the animal barns, we got to pet a white Rhino named Harley, you see some of the food they grow for the animals, visit the area where they prepare the food for the animals, vist backstage at Conservation Station and get to talk to a vet, we got to pet a spiny lizard there, they then took us on our private safari, and we got a snack. It was a good tour, but that's really all I remember about it.

Backstage Magic, we got on a big bus and they took us backstage at Epcot, into the German pavillion, then around to the American pavillion, where we went beneath the American Adventure to see the animatronics they use in the show, then back up to the outside of the American Adventure building, then back backstage to a CM building, where they have all the uniforms the CMs can sign out, then we got back on the bus and went over to DS where we got to go into the bottom area of Tower of Terror to see how it works, then we ate lunch at Whispering Canyon (think lunch is at DS now though), then over to MK where we saw some of the utilidors, then went into another CM area, then another building where they sort laundry, then another building where they sew costumes, then another building where they refurbish ride vehicles, carousel horses, animatronics, etc, and then we were taken out to see the afternoon parade. We probably saw some more stuff I'm forgetting, but do know we didn't go anywhere near AK that day.

Oh one thing, on another trip I did the KTTK tour and we actually went down into the Utilidors and walked around, but on Backstage Magic, we just took a quick peak down one of the tunnels. We didn't actually go down into the Utilidors.

 

[Richfield]

Backstage Magic goes to AK - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/backstage-magic/

 

[mrzrich]

Backstage Magic now goes to all 4 parks, plus a few very cool backstage areas, but it does not overlap at all with the Backstage Safari.

 

[Sugarglider]

I did Backstage Magic in 2011 and the AK portion was a visit to the parade float shed, and then later in the day we came in through a CM back entrance and watched the parade go past, and then back out on the bus.

A few differences from Aubriee's experience - like no Germany Pavillion, no laundry.

I preferred Keys to the Kingdom tour.

 

[Fantaluminishes]

All of the tours mentioned are wonderful. I really liked Backstage Safari last summer. It was a highlight, as I was the only guest on it. So it made for a "private" tour. Maybe you both will be as lucky. I'm taking Wild By Design tomorrow.

 

[themommamouse]

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like Backstage Safari will show us different things than we'll see with the Backstage Magic tour.... good to know!