Disney Tours

Backstage Magic Tour – for the Disney Fan Who’s Seen it All

25 February 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

As a former cast member now married to a cast member of almost 30 years, we have between us amassed quite a bit of parks knowledge and history. I’ve been backstage at Walt Disney World more times than I can count, as a cast member, a guest of one, or during special events and tours. As excited as I was for the backstage tour I was about to experience, I was also a little jaded that it was probably “stuff I already knew.”

NOT JUST ANOTHER TOUR…

Within minutes of starting the Backstage Magic Tour, all of that (and any potential internal feelings of superiority) was thrown out the window. I took careful steps down the cement stairs, protective eye wear on my face, and looked to my right to see Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin sitting together, mere inches from where I stood. I assure you, my safety glasses were not rose-colored!

Yes, I was now standing backstage at the American Adventure, something 8 year-old me would’ve sold her entire Barbie collection to experience. I even began to tear up a little thinking of my original, beloved EPCOT Center. I told one of our guides, Amber, that I thought I might cry. Without hesitation, she said “go ahead and cry, we understand, it’s really cool!” And it was then that I knew, I was going to love this tour. And I did.

Many of you may know that my day job is working at MEI & Mouse Fan Travel. I’ve been there for over 6 years, and along with many other fun hats I get to wear, I occasionally get to experience some amazing events. It’s a fun crossover from my blogging life where I’ve been sharing adventures like this for the past 10 years. This week I did just that as our agency got an invite to enjoy the 7 hour Backstage Magic Tour at Walt Disney World.

You’ve no doubt heard of the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at the Magic Kingdom, which is another 7 hour tour, but based solely within the Magic Kingdom. Keys to the Kingdom does go backstage but the Backstage Magic Tour is entirely facilitated by the Adventures by Disney team, and takes you out of the parks. You book the tour the same way, thru 407-WDW-TOUR (or having your Mouse Fan Travel agent book it for you when you book your next vacation package!).

In addition to walking through the famed Utilidor, the Backstage Magic Tour provides unprecedented access to areas of the Walt Disney World Resort usually reserved for Cast Members only.

Here are the highlights of the Backstage Magic Tour:

Epcot
Explore the inner workings of The American Adventure as we reveal the feats of engineering and artistry behind this inspiring Audio-Animatronics stage show.
Magic Kingdom Park
Become immersed in the story that started with Walt himself on Main Street, U.S.A.—navigate the “utilidor” tunnels, a network of underground passageways constructed beneath the theme park so Disney Cast Members and delivery vehicles can move around undetected.
Creative Costuming
Observe the talented professionals who design costumes for Character, show and parade performers.
Central Shops
Get up close with the artisans whose skill and craftsmanship make dreams come true all around the park—from the tiniest details to elaborate stage sets.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Settle in for a delicious family-style barbeque lunch at Whispering Canyon Café—included with your tour.
Textile Services
Unfold an experience like no other within one of the world’s largest laundry facilities—complete with a unique photo opportunity!

TOUR DETAILS:

Disney was kind enough to invite MEI & Mouse Fan Travel out to experience this tour first hand. Not to sound dramatic, but it was life-changing. The 1970’s technology used to run the American Adventure show has aged well in its 37 years. In fact, they still use the same computers to run the show. I don’t want to give away too much of the process, since it was so impressive to me. I hope everyone can have that same jaw-dropping experience. Suffice it to say, the entire American Adventure portion of the tour was full of fun facts and history that any EPCOT Center fan will appreciate. Even I learned a new fact or two!

CREATIVE COSTUMING:

I thought the American Adventure section was my favorite, but then we arrived at Creative Costuming. I was again blown away by what goes on while we are riding rides and eating popcorn down the road. This location creates and updates costumes for all 12 Disney parks, Disney’s Aulani Resort, and Disney Cruise Line. We saw the entire costuming process from sketch and CAD design, to pattern, to construction and embellishment.

There are quite a few surprises within the Costuming building too. I’ll just say fans of the Great Movie Ride and the original Red Head will be very happy. There is so much history there – you’ll see a lot of old favorites and new designs. Creative Costuming did not disappoint.

TEXTILE SERVICES:

Another surprise winner on the tour was the Textile Services building. One of four on property, they are the 4 largest facilities of their kind in the nation. You might be thinking, “what could possibly be exciting about laundry?!” but just you wait…

When you see the largest track system in any theme park (think a laundry bag roller coaster) – machines washing 150lbs and drying 300lbs at a time – other machines pressing and folding. The end result of which is 2.5 million pounds of laundry washed and folded a week – you may change your mind! It is an impressive and efficient assembly line. You may not think about it, but it’s an extremely important part of the Walt Disney World Resort experience!

CENTRAL SHOPS:

The next part of our tour took us to Central Shops; the favorite of many guides for a reason. You just never know what you’re going to see when you step inside! Here at this backstage location is where ride vehicles, animatronics, props, and even trash cans receive maintenance, updates and refreshing. Sometimes it’s a quick fix or a coat of paint, but everything undergoes “cyclical maintenance” at certain intervals of time. This is when each ride vehicle, animatronic, etc, gets stripped down to its frame. Hardware is replaced, new paint or skins are applied. Whatever is required to appear as fresh as when it first appeared in the park, happens here.

Our guides shared (and we got to touch!) the different types of animatronic skins:

realistic silicone, which was really realistic feeling!
hot melt molds (which you see in older animatronics)
tougher plastisol – for animatronics exposed to harsh Florida weather conditions (blazing sun, daily rain, even hurricanes). Think Jungle Cruise animals.

We also saw several ride vehicles and parks items in various stages of maintenance, including:

Expedition Everest
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Space Mountain
Primeval Whirl
Pandora’s Flight of Passage “banshees”
Several animals from Jungle Cruise

Quite an eye-opening portion of the tour! Before we left, we were treated to an epic photo-op. The now-retired giant polar bear from the Maelstrom attraction in Epcot’s Norway pavilion was pretty exciting for this Maelstrom fangirl.

THE UTILIDOR:

We ended our day with a tour of parts of the underground (well, it’s at ground-level really) Utilidor beneath the streets of the Magic Kingdom. As a former Main Street, U.S.A. cast member, this was like going back home for me. It’s always exciting to see the bustling activity and efficiency under the kingdom. There have definitely been improvements since I walked to work this way back in 1995!

WHAT ABOUT FOOD?!

The halfway point of the tour is marked by lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe. We enjoyed an all you care to eat skillet (any food allergies or special dietary needs are met as well). Lunch is a nice break, and a great way to get to know your fellow tour members and guides a little better. Snacks and water are available on the coach as you travel to each destination.

IS IT WORTH IT??

Our fabulous Adventures By Disney guides share stories, trivia, and tales of Walt Disney World history throughout the tour. Amber (mentioned at the start of this post) felt like an old friend by the time our tour was over. Part of the charm and enjoyment of this tour is hearing accurate stories of Disney past and present. Hearing the stories from cast members who clearly love their roles, and embody the ideals Walt would be proud of. It is a very full 7 hours, but the content makes the time fly by.

Unlike Keys to the Kingdom tour, guests aged 12 and up can experience Backstage Magic with a guardian 18+present. So if you have a budding Imagineer or Cast Member, you’ll be able to enjoy this tour with them too! I know when my youngest turns 12 in 2 years, we’ll definitely be going on this tour again.

Photos are not allowed backstage, but as you can see above, the guides take several fun photos along the way. You have instant access to download these photos at the end of the tour. You can then share your amazing experiences with your friends and family as soon as you get home!

TOUR UPDATE NEWS:

At the end of our tour, we were given some insider info, which Disney will be announcing this week. Starting June 1, the Backstage Magic Tour will experience two new changes! Lunch will now no longer be at Whispering Canyon, but rather Tiffins restaurant inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. Tiffins will make more sense, since the Textile Services tour will be replaced by a Rivers of Light backstage experience! We love the Rivers of Light show, so this is an exciting update! Now you have a choice! Book this tour in the next 3 months to see the mind-boggling Textile Services building (which will be inaccessible after June 1)…Or wait and experience the new parts of the tour? A tough choice – maybe both?!

HOW TO BOOK:

Contact your MEI & Mouse Fan Travel directly, to book the amazing Backstage Magic Tour with your next vacation package. Or, call 407-WDW-TOUR to book directly with Disney. The cost is $275 per person, but in my opinion, worth every cent! In addition to the 5-days-a-week Backstage Magic Tour, three more ABD-run tours are available to book:

Gardens of the World – during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, in partnership with the Epcot Horticultural Department.
Yuletide Fantasy – behind the scenes of all it takes to create and display the holidays at Walt Disney World
Holiday D-Lights – an enchanting evening reveals some of the secrets behind the most special traditions at Walt Disney World

Have you experienced an Adventures by Disney or any Disney parks tour? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Disney invited MEI-Travel to experience this tour at no cost, but my thoughts and opinions are our own.

Limited Time Magic: Cinderella Castle Suite Tour

21 October 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Note: This post was originally written by Joe Morisco as a guest blogger for zannaland back in April of 2013. Enjoy!

As part of the ongoing promotion Limited Time Magic, Walt Disney World has been giving extremely limited tours to lucky winners through an email contest. I was lucky enough to win a spot on a tour for arguably the best tour given out at the Magic Kingdom. The winners of the tour met at the Magic Kingdom at 8:30 AM. What was supposed to be a group of 25 ended up being only 15, with 10 no-shows. The group was then split, with half going to tour the suite, the other half heading over to Be Our Guest at Beast’s Castle.

This tour with an Imagineer was a 1 1/2 hour tour. The highlight of the tour was the Cinderella Suite, since this is not normally accessible to any day guests. The Imagineer that worked on the suite walked us through, pointing out all the tiny details. I included a photo gallery below of everything we saw in the suite. After being in the suite for about 45 minutes, we were brought over to Be Our Guest and through each room in the restaurant. The Imagineer explained the theme for each room as well as details that you may overlook. At the end of the tour, they brought out a dish of “grey stuff” for us. Overall, this was a great experience that we could not normally partake in!

Cinderella Castle Suite Elevator Art Work

Floor going into Cinderella Castle Suite

Stained Glass windows tell the Cinderella Story

We hope you enjoyed the photo tour – keep watching the Disney Parks Blog for future Imagineer Tours as part of Limited Time Magic!

VIDEO: Disney’s Wild Africa Trek-A Passage to Africa

8 May 2012 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

Correspondent Nicole Siscaretti rounds out her coverage for us with a personal tour of the Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As you may recall, I was able to preview this trek before it opened to the general public, and shared the Wild Africa Trek Facts and Figures. It remains one of my favorite things to do at Walt Disney World, because it is simply so unique. It is worth every penny, and the experience is one you will remember for a lifetime.

I never shared the video I took that day, but it’s good I didn’t because the tour has been improved since I saw it. You now get to hang by a harnessed cable over crocodiles as well as hippos, and the safari truck tour at the end is covered. I feel like the tour narration was much more in-depth on Nicole’s video and you learn so much about the animals on the trek!

Let’s go on safari with Nicole:

To recap from the Facts & Figures post, the Wild Africa Trek is a 3-hour group tour held at various times throughout the morning and afternoon at Animal Kingdom. You are also served an African-inspired breakfast or lunch, depending on the time of your tour, and given a PhotoPass CD of the experience. Pricing varies seasonally but right now you can save $50 on tours at or after 11:45 a.m. from 5/29/12 – 8/25/12. Call Disney for pricing details and to book at (407) WDW-TOUR or (407) 939-8687.

I would like to take a moment and thank Nicole for her amazing coverage here on the site and twitter and facebook, giving Zannaland readers all the latest with great photos and videos. Nicole has a new site she’s creating as we speak so keep an eye out for her magical new venture! Asante sana Nicole!

Behind The Seeds Tour: The Best Value at Walt Disney World!

20 April 2012 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

The Behind the Seeds Tour is one of those things I’d see at Epcot, each time we went on Living With the Land (back to when it was Listen to the Land) and always wanted to do, but never got around to it. Finally, last September, my newly local friends and I decided to fix that and I finally got to experience this wonderful tour first hand.

Most of the special tours Walt Disney World offers are well into the $50+ range, and the backstage ones can get up to over $200 per person. Having three children, that adds up quickly. Also, many tours are for ages 16 and up, so as not to ruin the magic for any younger visitors.

Family Magic Tour: at $27 for adults and children, this is another great value. We last went in 2006 and I think my little guy is almost old enough to take the tour himself. I cannot recommend the Family Magic Tour enough, it’s just perfect for families with little ones. I’d say ages 4-9 will enjoy this the most. It’s a family scavenger hunt style tour with some surprise visitors along the way. When we take our youngest, I’ll be sure to report on it in-depth!

Back to Behind the Seeds; this tour is $18 per adult and $14 per child, and 15% annual passholder, DVC, Disney Visa, and military discounts are offered. If you have even a slight interest in gardening or horticulture, you will love Behind the Seeds. I had no idea that the cast members that give the tour are actually members of the Epcot Science Team, and really knowledgeable on the topics at hand. I just assumed all these years that they were just regular cast members, so that was a pleasant surprise. The tour groups are kept small, up to I believe 10 or 12 people, but it is still an undiscovered treasure, and our tour only had 5 people, including my friends and me.

The first stop is the Biological Control area. I feel like there should be a warning here for anyone squeamish about bugs, that there are some very icky videos shown of bugs in action, bugs that live inside other bugs and nest and all sorts of gross stuff like that. I’m not really a fan, but it was over relatively quick. Circle of life and all that. The point of this area is to teach guests about good bugs and bad bugs. Of course we all know ladybugs and dragonflies are good bugs, eating aphids and mosquitoes respectively, but there are many others out there, which can control pests that destroy crops and offer a natural alternative to toxic pesticides. It was great to learn that that is the preferred method in the Land greenhouses. At this time, we were all handed a test tube full of frozen ladybugs to hold on to. We were told we would get to release them later in the tour.

We then walk by the Biotechnology Lab, which is really just a look into the window where they are growing crops with different techniques. It’s also where they grow all of those little “Mickey’s Mini Garden” trees they sell out front.

Next, was one of my favorite parts of the tour. There is a plant which is touch-sensitive – it’s scientific name is Mimosa Purdica. We were told to touch the leaves of the plant, which instantly folded up! It was the coolest thing, until our tour guide bumped the pot the plant was in and ALL the leaves folded in. That was the coolest thing.

We then saw the hydroponic methods, elevated growing methods – which yields more fruit or vegetables, aquaculture, and then growing tea and spice gardens. It was such a wonderful tour – completely interactive – we got to touch things, feed fish, release ladybugs, try a hydroponic cucumber (yum!), and identify spice origins. You can also see how they make the Mickey-shaped pumpkins, watermelons, etc. but during our tour they did not have any on display that were big enough to look like Mickey yet. I always feel kind of bad for those veggies, forced to squeeze themselves into Mickey. But then, I’m silly that way, having grown up with Kitchen Kabaret and attaching feelings and emotions to my food groups. 😉 Check out some photos of what we did see on our tour in this gallery below:

Behind the Seeds Tour biological control — Behind the Seeds Tour – Biological Control

Behind the Seeds Tour Mickey's Mini Garden — Mickey’s Mini Garden trees in the Biotechnology Lab – Behind the Seeds Tour

Behind the Seeds Tour hydroponics — Behind the Seeds Tour – Hydroponic growing methods

Behind the Seeds Tour touch sensitive plant — Behind the Seeds Tour – Touch-sensitive plant: Mimosa Pudica

Behind the Seeds Tour tomato tree — Behind the Seeds Tour – Guinness World Record tomato tree!

Behind the Seeds Tour ladybugs — Behind the Seeds Tour – releasing ladybugs to control pests!

Behind the Seeds Tour pumpkins — Behind the Seeds Tour – elevated growing method wth pumpkins

Behind the Seeds Tour hidden Mickey — Behind the Seeds Tour – Hidden Mickey in the tank

Behind the Seeds Tour fish feeding — Behind the Seeds Tour – feeding the fish in the tank

Behind the Seeds Tour tea garden — Behind the Seeds Tour – Tea garden

Behind the Seeds Tour spice garden — Behind the Seeds Tour – Spice garden

Behind the Seeds Tour – I loved getting these amazing views on the tour!

I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat. You can bring children 3 and over too, just make sure they are well-attended as there are parts where you go near the water on the boat ride. Strollers are provided if you need them too. Most of all, it’s just really amazing to see the amount of time and effort Disney makes with these greenhouses. The fruits and vegetables are used in many Walt Disney World restaurants, which is even better!

For more photos of the tour, head to my Behind the Seeds flickr set. You can sign up for tours on the same day, at the desk to the left of the Soarin’ entrance. Tours are every 45 minutes, from 10:30 am – 4:30 am. You can also plan in advance by calling 407-WDW-TOUR. Behind the Seeds should definitely be added to your “Must-Do” Disney list, or even your Must-Do-Again list!