Who's been on Keys to the Kingdom Tour?

[FLgirl1203]

Hubby and I are going on a 2 night adults only trip to WDW in late April. We want to do things that are more adult oriented but fun at the same time. We're looking into signing up for the Keys to Kingdom Tour on the Sunday that we leave...hopefully we can be done by early afternoon and head home.

I'd love to hear from anyone that's been on the tour before and what type of experiences that you had.

Thanks for the help!
Beth

 

[DisneyLisa]

My DD (16) and I did it in October and it was fantastic. Definitely do it. It's a 5 1/2 hour walking tour and even though we walk the parks for longer than that on any given day, we were exhausted after the tour so keep that in mind. Our guide was Ben and he was great. You learn so much about the park that you wouldn't know otherwise...go for it.

 

[DisneyMim]

I've done Keys to the Kingdom and I've also down the Backstage Magic Tour (the 7 hour one), I loved them both. Keys to the Kingdom is a wonderful tour even for real Disney fans like me! LOL!! Our guide was Mark and he did a great job. I especially loved the utilodor. I went with my brother who is in real estate and owns and operates a bunch of property and he was in awe of all the "technical" stuff, like the waste management operation, etc. I would say that anyone who is into Disney would love Keys to the Kingdom. We had lunch at Columbia Harbour House where they set a roped-off table for the tour group. Everything is set out for you and it really makes you feel special!

Have Fun and I hope you like it as much as I did!!!

 

[cindyfan]

Having the right guide is really a big part to whether it is worth it or not.
I went a few years ago and would say.....NOT worth the time or money. Our guide, while informative, had no energy! That made it very boring. I understand that they cannot run through the areas, but this guy walked like he should have been a greeter at the Haunted Mansion. And I don't think he ever smiled.

There were a few times, I thought about escaping from the group.

And we did not have lunch set up for us. He just told us the few different places we could "grab a bite", then he disappeared for 30 minutes.
Maybe, hopefully, they have made a few changes since I went.

 

[dgaston]

I am another person who strongly recommends the KTTK tour. Lunch is definitely planned at Columbia Harbor House ( you choose your food from picture menus next to City Hall before the tour begins), a special pin, and in our case, wonderful energetic CMs who appear to love Disney. For us it was Rae who had lots of Disney stories, magic, and fun facts in August 2003.

I think our next backstage tour will be in AK.

 

[WANNABE@WDW]

I loved Keys to the Kingdom!! I also liked the info on things like the waste disposal system. We had never eaten at the Columbia Harbour House it was a very nice suprise. One of my favorite parts was seeing the parade floats... we saw the Nemo floats the day before they debuted! I plan on doing more behind the scenes tours in May.

 

[bobbiwoz]

It depends on what you mean by "early afternoon" we did it in November and it was getting dark as we were looking at the floats.

Bobbi

 

[becka]

I also highly recommend the KTTK tour if you have the slightest interest. DH and I took the tour in January 2001 and it was a great experience and well worth the $$ in my opinion.

Lunch was at Columbia Harbour House at that time and we ate as a group. The day was pretty exhausting and that suprised me a bit since I figured it would not be more tiring that a normal park day but I was wrong. We had a great guide and I think the tour ended up taking about 6 hours total.

If you are concerned about time then I would schedule the earliest possible time (I think we had 3-4 times we could pick from) and then if worse came to worse you could also leave a little early.

 

[uva185]

I went of the KTTK Tour last July and it was great. My tour guide was excellent and did a great job of explaining everything. We got to see all the floats and many other "behind the scenes" things, including a the Haunted Mansion (without waiting in line). Lunch was planned and included at the Harbour House. It was well worth the price.

 

[LUVMICKEY]

We went on the tour several years ago and loved it. We had a great guild, however, I don't remember his name. I do remember that it started right at 10:00 in the morning and it was done right before the afternoon parade. If you have a chance to do it, you won't be disappointed.

Michele

 

[Micca]

DW and I have been to MK 60-70 times. Last year we did KTTK and loved it. As Disney fans we already knew some of the information, but we learned a lot and saw the park from a different perspective. It's not cheap, but if you're seeking something new, I'd recommend it

 

[hawkrn]

we would love to do this, but my DS,11, was devastated to find he was not old enough. Why is that? He is so obsessed with WDW he has blueprints of his favorite-HM!

 

[jgates]

I agree~~~~~I think a family version of this would be outstanding. My 11 year old DD would love to do it also! And I'm not really comfy leaving her in the hotel room by herself all day! (She thought it sounded kind of kool though - turn on the disney channel and veg out in front of the TV!!)

 

[Melann]

BF and I just took the tour January 7th, and we absolutely loved it! Our tour guide was Kandi, who had a friend who was also a tour guide with her (I think his name was Clay). We were testing out these headphones that you put on and hear the tour guide. I thought this was a really great idea, as you didn't have to be crowded around her to hear everything. The tour lasted about 5 hours and was very informative. We went on Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise. We saw the floats for Share a Dream Come True parade, and our lunch was at Columbia Harbor House. It was very nice how everything was laid out for you with the special gift in a roped off area. Lunch was okay...you choose in the beginning of the day what meal you would like from the menu. Of course, we spent some time in the Utilidors, but were not down there for very long at all. Still, it was neat to see. You meet in the tour garden next to City Hall, and end up there. We took the 9:30 tour, and made it back by 2:30...which meant we were able to get great seats for the parade. You also get a name tag, which I left on my laynard for the rest of my trip, which made for nice conversations with CM's when they saw I had been on the tour. I would highly recommend this tour, and also if you have triple AAA, you do get a discount...for the both of us the tour cost $98.

 

[terribm]

DH and I did KTTK tour on Jan 11 this year. Our tour guide was Matthew and he was wonderful. He had a real love for the history of the company shared such an insight with us. We were using the "newly tested" mic and earpiece system and I can't imagine the tour without them. We could hear all his comments as we were walking around the park and he didn't have to stop and turn to us to tell us something. We got to walk right on HM and the Jungle cruise. He pointed out Hidden Mickey's . Lunch at Columbia Harbour House was really good and we will definately eat there again.

To the poster who wanted to take her 11 yr old DS, there is a family tour of MK but I can't think of the name right now. It is understandable why they won't allow anyone under 16 on the tour. Many magical secrets are revealed and they don't want to spoil it for the kids. I mean, I saw something backstage that I wish I hadn't seen. The tour guides are even careful with what they say in the "onstage" area of the parks. Any questions about characters and costumes were only truthfully answered in the backstage area to avoid little ears from hearing. I love how careful and sensitive they are about this.

 

[travelbug]

I did KTTK tour on Dec. 27 and loved it. Our guide was Mark, and he was excellent. Lots of interesting stories to tell. I was fascinated by all of it.

Lunch was at CHHouse, all laid out for us as others have said. The 2 rides incorporated into the tour were Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion.

I signed up for the 8:30 AM tour, and we were done about 1:15. I'm really glad I took the tour.

 

[Armadillo4]

We did KTTK on Jan. 18, 9am tour with Brick as our tour guide (yes, his real name). He is an excellent guide (14 years as a CM). And two big thumbs up for the tour!!! I didn't think about why they don't let young folks on the tour, but terribm makes a good point. I guess they don't want to ruin the magic for the younger set--although 16 seems a bit old for the cut-off. BTW, the tuna sandwich at Columbia Harbor House is excellent!

 

[lindsey]

We did this tour Dec 29, 2002 for my son's 16th birthday. We loved it. Our tour guide (can't remember her name) was great. She was very informative and gladly shared lots of interesting things about Disney. We went on POC and HM. Lunch at Harbour House was good. I would highly recommend this tour.

 

[FLgirl1203]

Wow...I posted this a few days ago and I can't believe all the wonderful responses. My decision is made...I'll call in the morning and book it. I think it will be something fun and different on our adult only trip!

Thanks again for all your words of wisdom!