As a Certified Travel Planner® who specializes in Disney and a lifelong Disney guest, I finally experienced the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort.
Of course, I wanted to share it with the world, but I had to quickly note everything from the 5-hour tour afterwards into my phone notes because you cannot take photos, videos, or have your phone out for most of the tour. Here’s my takeaways from behind the scenes at Magic Kingdom (at least everything I can remember)!
First, a little bit of information about what the tour actually includes!
- 5-hour walking tour through Magic Kingdom with access to backstage areas, including the Utilidors (the underground tunnels).
- There is a wearable listening device so you can hear your tour guide clearly throughout the entire tour.
- Covers history, design, and storytelling of most lands.
- Led by a Disney-trained guide who shares anecdotes and insider details. She also answered questions both “on stage” and “off stage” so we could ask questions we may not normally get answers to because keeping the magic intact is paramount!
- Includes lunch and a special souvenir key pin, plus I had my button name tag prettied up at the Christmas store and kept that as an additional bonus.
Behind-the-Scenes Magic (Where You Actually Go)
Main Street, U.S.A.
Walt Disney is the only person whose window faces forward into the park (and toward the castle) and his window is at the end of the shops in front of the Plaza. When you first enter the park, Roy Disney’s window should be the first one you see as a nod to him as the financier and completer of Walt’s dream. You can see his window above the Main Street Confectionary. Roy used the alias Roy Davis when purchasing Florida land to keep prices low and this window is a bit hidden down a “side street”. They were able to purchase almost all of the land necessary for Walt Disney World before they were found out and the price increased drastically. Speaking of price and finances, there’s a tribute window to the mediator who helped Walt and Roy resolve business disagreements (usually about money); his emblem is a head with a brain showing on the same side as the Emporium about halfway down.
Opening day was emotional at Magic Kingdom because the finished park was never witnessed by Walt, so Roy asked for Mickey to stand beside him and officially announced it as Walt Disney World during the dedication speech.
Adventureland
Let’s start with how the Jungle Cruise originally had no jokes! A skipper ad-libbed them and was off script, but when Walt found out that the skipper had people that would specifically wait for him, that humor became a staple treat for park goers. Jungle Cruise was added to Walt Disney World after its success in Disneyland.
Pirates of the Caribbean had costume designer Mary Blair busy making costumes for the opening of the ride. She made two full sets of costumes despite only being approved for one, secretly storing the extras “just in case.” Thankfully she did because the ride’s emergency system was triggered and all of the original costumes were damaged just days before opening. Did you know the breezeway near Pirates leads to one of the strategically placed restrooms outside Frontierland.
Frontierland
The land is designed to move west to east coast, beginning at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and ending at Columbia Harbour House. I learned there are no restrooms inside the border of Frontierland for historical accuracy! There are facilities but they are strategically placed in adjacent lands and if they seem to be in Frontierland (such as in the Columbia Harbour House), they actually aren’t inside the border.
Liberty Square
Liberty Square is home to the Liberty Tree which was grafted from two trees because the original broke in transport so it had to be grafted to survive. The Liberty Bell that is also in Liberty Square is the most visited Liberty Bell replica in the world and it is a replica from the original cast!
In the Hall of Presidents: George H. W. Bush’s animatronic wears his real watch! After his nervous habit during his inauguration of checking his watch was brought to his attention, he took off the watch and gave it for use with his animatronic because he admitted it was just a nervous habit and he didn’t need to know the time.
Haunted Mansion
The “Ghost Host” shares a voice actor with The Pillsbury Doughboy, Paul Frees. Just think about the differences in those voices for a minute! Madame Leota’s likeness was taken from Leota Toombs but her voice wasn’t used for the character because her voice is more high pitched.
Backstage (Utilidors & Beyond)
This was the most amazing experience! Seeing the cast members working on costumes, seeing the multiple lands represented on the walls, and being able to ask questions about all the secrets of Magic Kingdom without ruining any magic was a wonderful experience. The Utilidors run under only part of Magic Kingdom because as it was expanded, the Utilidors could not be added onto, so this area of Magic Kingdom will not grow.
The underground layout is reversed from the park layout (front is back, back is front). I felt so lost in these tunnels and I have no idea how we ended up back at the front of the park! Thankfully, they color code the tunnels for cast members. Cast members enter from outside, change into costume, and head to their assigned land.
I thought it was super interesting, but then felt completely logical, that costumes are tagged with RFID chips and friends of characters can’t take home their costumes.
Aside from the Utilidors, there are backstage areas where some larger props are stored. In the Parade Float warehouse (S.H.E.D.), all of the parade floats are kept for easily lining up the parades and performing routine maintenance. Someone checks every bulb before parades with those light up floats and some floats have over 500,000 lights!
Fun Insider Facts I May Have Known and A Few I Learned
“Imagineer” combines imagination + engineer. This phrase was, and is still used, to describe the brains behind the rides, animatronics, shows, etc. that bring the magic to life. “Cast Member” replaces “employee” because when you are hired, you are then cast into a role. Cast members for character roles must meet a specific range of height requirements. Face characters are taught makeup, personality, and signature consistency requirements to ensure uniformity across friends.
The Cinderella Castle Suite was originally built as an apartment for Roy Disney but was later transformed into a royal guest suite. The thought was that Roy would use it similar to how Walt used his apartment at Disneyland, but Roy didn’t want to use the apartment. The famous “icicle lights” on the castle that occurred for Christmas quite a few years ago stopped being used because removing them each year required cutting and repurchasing the entire light set. That’s a shame because those were my favorite Christmas decorations for the castle. However, I completely understand not being so wasteful.
Is It Worth It?
I highly recommend this tour for Disney enthusiasts! The level of Disney nerd you are surrounded by with others on the tour and being able to interact with a knowledgable cast member is great fun. The tour is designed for adults and older teens (16+) who want the “how Disney does it” perspective. Children under 16 are not permitted on the tour, so keep that in mind when you plan.
As someone who plans Disney vacations professionally, this tour deepened my appreciation for the creative thought behind every guest experience. As someone who has their childhood rooted in magical memories of Disneyland vacations, I genuinely appreciated the history lesson and getting a glimpse of behind the scenes magic! I would probably attend it again just to listen for what I forgot from the first tour.
Seeing the Magic Kingdom through this tour gives you a whole new respect for Walt’s vision and Disney’s attention to detail. If you’re ready to experience Disney beyond the surface, let me handle the planning so all you have to do is enjoy the magic.
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