TOUR - Keys to the Kingdom

swim-mom

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Apr 12, 2007
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606
Hi everyone -

My dh and I are going to disney without our 4 children, first trip in 13 years alone ;)

My dh has always wanted to do the tour, while I am worried that some of the magic will be taken away.

Has anyone done the tour? I know lunch is included, but what is it?

thanks again
 
We did the tour a couple of years ago and LOVED it. Well worth it. Had a great cast member tour guide, learned alot of all the little trivia things and designs, got to go backstage, we were in the utilidors, went on one ride in each land. Lunch was at Columbia House. I won't tell you what we learned - why spoil it - but it was great. It didn't take away any of the magic only enhanced it! :cheer2:
 
We also did Wild By Design at AK but Keys to the Kingdom is a great first tour
 
KTTK was amazing, you get water tea & coffee whe you arrive and you have lunch at the coloumbia harbour house - which is fab! The magic was trully enhanced however I was a bit worried about seeing a headless pluto, so much so my DH kept an eye out for me as I walked looking at the ground in certain areas :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: We got on three rides during the course of the tour, and our guide told some amazing stories that actually had a couple of use crying at the end!!!!!!!! We left the tour with the upmost respect for cast members & imagineers, and we were quite sad when the tour was finished - unlike the yultide fantasy tour which we were desperate for it to end.......... have a blast xxxxxx
 

We LOVED KTTK. At the time it was DH's 2nd trip and I'm a Disney nut, so I was worried he might not enjoy it as much or that I would be bored. Neither was the case. We both enjoyed it on different levels and learned so much! I don't feel like it spoiled the magic at all. I would highly recommend it!
 
I loved loved LOVED this tour when I took it on my last trip, and I'm planning on taking it again on my upcoming trip (I'm taking two new people to the parks for their first visit). It's affordable, lunch is great, and the tour is fantastic.

It did not ruin the magic for me. If anything, it made everything more magical for me. I enjoy seeing how things work, and knowing just how much work goes into making it look effortless...well...the success they achieve is magical in and of itself!
 
We did this tour in '07 and I had the same concern, but now I am so much more excited about going because of everything we learned!! I have an even greater love and appreciation for what Walt accomplished. Lunch, by the way, was the best part of the tour....upstairs at Columbia Harbor House is now our secret MK getaway spot. You will see why when you go! ENJOY!
 
Took this tour with a friend in 2007 and was so glad I did it! It was a blast, and didn't ruin "the magic" for me at all. It was so interesting. We had a fabulous tour guide (Matthew, who was such a sweetie and had a great sense of humor!). He was so nice - we took the tour on the anniversary of Epcot, and he pulled me aside after the tour, and said he appreciated all of my great questions during the tour - he gave me his special cast-member anniversary pin!

Lunch at Columbia Harbor House was great - you pre-order what you want right before the tour begins, and everything is ready and waiting for you when you break for lunch. (Try the tuna sandwich - it's great!)

We learned tons of inside-information and I'm so glad I went. You'll love it!
 
If you're worried that the magic might be ruined, ask yourself these questions*:

- Do I believe that garbage miraculously disappears?
- Do I believe that the parade floats continuously circle the parks, never stopping?
- Do I believe that the way things are for the park guests are the way they are for the workers?
- Do I believe that the workers somehow don't have the cares and worries of any other job?
- Am I under the impression that there is no support framework whatsoever for the park experience I enjoy?

If you answer yes to those questions, then yes, the magic will be irreparably ruined. However, if you enjoy the park experience and you wonder what goes into making it and you also want to be told some of the painstaking detail that went into making that experience, you'll love the tour.

I'm not a believer in magic, and being told the complete and total attention to even the smallest details (ones that would be otherwise completely unnoticed if they blew it off, like the shutters in Liberty Square) do nothing but enhance the experience, since much of it was stuff I missed just going through the park normally.

* I'm really not joking with these. From what I've seen from some on here, there may well be grown adults who are under the impression that such things may be the case at Disney, even if they are not the case anywhere else in life. It's like they think that everything, even backstage, is nothing but candy canes and unicorns. If you begin with the understanding that there's a mammoth support structure behind the veneer most guests see, you'll LOVE the tour.
 
Same here, we did it last 2 years ago and it turns out good and worth it. We definitely did it again. :thumbsup2
 
Have not done Keys to the Kingdom.

My wife and I, before kids, did Backstage Magic which is an all day tour. It started in EPCOT, then MGM, and ended in MK. We had a blast and I want to do it again. To me it does not take away from the magic, it adds to it. You will be glad you did it believe me.
 
These tours sound really great. We are going in June with the kids, 12 and 5, would you suggest taking them? Would the Back Stage one be better than the KTTK one for the kiddos? How do you sign up or get info. to "book" them? Thanks for any info.
 
These tours sound really great. We are going in June with the kids, 12 and 5, would you suggest taking them? Would the Back Stage one be better than the KTTK one for the kiddos? How do you sign up or get info. to "book" them? Thanks for any info.

Minimum age for KTTK is 16. Nobody younger than that will be taken on the tour. The Backstage Magic tour is the same. To book the tours, call 407-WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687).
 
I'll be going on the KTTK tour in August and I've heard nothing but great reviews. I found that KTTK would be a better choice than Backstage Magic because of the price, length, and reviews. KTTK is much cheaper, has better reviews, and is shorter. KTTK is approximately four and half hours in length. For my family, four and a half hours is perfect because there will still be time remaining in the day to spend at the parks. Hope you have an amazing time on your vacation!
 
We did the tour a couple of years ago and LOVED it. Well worth it. Had a great cast member tour guide, learned alot of all the little trivia things and designs, got to go backstage, we were in the utilidors, went on one ride in each land. Lunch was at Columbia House. I won't tell you what we learned - why spoil it - but it was great. It didn't take away any of the magic only enhanced it! :cheer2:

I absolutely agree with this poster - it didn't ruin the magic for me, it was just fascinating! We were lucky enough to have the best tour guide ever (Matthew, we love you!). He was funny, entertaining, and informative. I'd highly recommend the tour to any adult.

When we went on the tour a couple of years ago, we pre-ordered lunch from Columbia Harbor House. When you sign in for the tour, they have a list of the menu items, and you select them then. I had a great tuna sandwich (yummy!), and they also have things like fish and chips, veggie sandwich, etc. By pre-ordering lunch, it saves lots of time.
 



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