When it comes to birthdays, I am more of an experience person
who prefers a day of rock climbing over a new pair of shoes. I also detest
surprise parties. So, when my husband asked me how I wished to be welcomed into
forty-dom, I told him I wanted to spend time with a mouse.
In my eight years as a Florida
resident, I’ve experienced Disney…a…lot.
Just so you understand the level of Disney Dork that runs through my blood, I
once kept tally and found that we went to the parks thirty times…in just one
year!
So, what better place to pretend I’m not 40 than Disney
World? Only this time, I wanted a different experience. Enter Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom tour.
For $79 per person, Disney offers a five-hour Magic Kingdom tour that focuses on the
keys to Disney’s success (safety, courtesy, show and efficiency), while giving
us a closer look at how and why it all works. Here are some of the pros
and cons I found while on this tour.
PROS:
- Getting an early
morning tour allows you to enter the park before it opens. Seeing the park
without hordes of people is pretty great!
- Instead of having
to plan my day around fast passes and reservations, this tour allowed me
to relax (and we all know that relaxing in Disney is not common). All I
had to do was follow my tour guide and enjoy.
- Because I had no
worries (see above), I was able to pay attention to the minute details
that were pointed out during the tour-like the windows on Main Street, the
shutters in Liberty Square, the reason why all of the doors are always
open, and the hidden Mickeys throughout the park.
- I learned some
notable facts about Walt Disney, as well as the thought and meaning that
went behind some of his decisions when creating The Magic Kingdom.
- The Utilidor
(Disney's First Floor). I have to admit that it wasn’t what I
expected. In my head, it was a pristine white space with the
smartest people in the world walking around in lab coats, designing the
next Disney attraction. But I found it was just employees going to
and from work in this 1.3 mile labyrinth called the Utilidor. Still,
it was cool to see the costume/sewing area, the pin swap area, the locker
area, some unique pictures of Walt, as well as some half-dressed
characters hustling to work.
- On my tour, we
rode the Jungle Cruise, the Haunted Mansion and got to see the Enchanted Tiki Room show (no, we
didn’t have to wait in lines). Before going on each ride, our tour guide
let us in on some of the history and fun factoids about each ride, which
made it more intriguing.
- Lunch was
included with the price, and for Disney pin collectors, you also receive a
pretty awesome pin as a free tour gift.
- We toured the
parade area, and based purely on luck, we even got to see some of the performers
practicing for an upcoming show! The float drivers drive what’s called a
Gizmo, and just like any other place of employment, you have to work your
way up to be able to maneuver the big floats. So, seeing someone
practicing in the contraption that goes inside the floats, along with
Tinkerbell and her fairy friends (not in full costume) was a pretty great
experience!
- You have to be
at least 16 years old to take the tour. So, for five hours, there are no
screaming or cranky children to damper the mood of your day.
CONS:
- We weren’t told
exactly where to go when we booked the tour. Though we arrived before the
park opened, there were throngs of people already in line. It
probably would have been more helpful and less chaotic if there were
better direction or maybe a marked sign for our tour. We eventually found
the correct cast member (the one with the iPad on the left side of the
entrance) and were able to enter the park.
- Florida is
hot…and humid. Most of the tour is outside. You have been warned.
- For me, I don’t
view this as a con, but it might be for some people. This is a five-hour
WALKING tour. Be prepared to walk…a lot (in the aforementioned
heat).
TIPS:
- You will learn
some insider information while on the tour. However, I would suspect you could
probably learn everything that was divulged to us by doing a simple Google
search. It’s about the experience, people! So, if you are looking
for every secret that lies within Disney, I would suggest sending in your
resume instead of taking this tour.
- A lot of the
information given by your guide will depend on the questions asked while
you are in the backstage area. So make those questions count!
If you want a leisurely day at Disney, where you get a chance to
learn some interesting facts, see parts of Disney that most people aren’t privy
to, and walk away with an even greater appreciation of every detail that goes
into planning and executing the dreams of Walt Disney and the Imagineers, then
I would highly recommend taking this tour.
And in case you were wondering, I have now officially changed my
amateur title of Disney Dork to the more accomplished title of Disney
Connoisseur.
