#15233 by MarkJ
22 Sep 2006, 21:59
After having been to WDW on 7 occasions and aso to Disney land a couple of times and Disneyland Paris too we decide that on this trip we would take it eastyt round thew parks and enjoy all the stuff we really liked be it rides or shows or whatever and then if we had time at the end of the 10 days to take in one of the behind the scenes tours.:)

This worked out really well as the first couple of weeks in September are really off –peak in Orlando and with the weather being pretty good we managed to do everything on each day we visited – and by everything I do mean at least 8 goes on the Tower of Terror and about 6 on Mission Space( intense training!) – well its got be done.[y][y]

So we opted for the Backstage Magic Tour which takes in a behind the scenes look at Epcot, MGM, Magic Kingdom and the supply network to the parks. This takes a whole day 9- 5. There are other tours offering half days in the MK, or the “seeds of Epcot” or “flowers of the world” or “Disney Trains” and a whole host of others – the Disney web site lists them and all the Guest Relations places have a really good brochure of what’s available.

We booked the tour when we were out there with The Disney Institute and there were 20 people on the tour.

Met at 845 at Guest Relations outside Epcot – its just to the right of the main gate. You need Photo Id but a photocopy of your passport is enough if you don’t want to carry it around. The info leaflet says not to bring cameras but the guide we had said they were OK but that you could not take pictures “Backstage” – like when we saw Woody off stage into a backstage area – nope, forbidden, verboten, nah![V]

The guide introduced himself – spookily enough he was called Mickey!! He used to work on the phones in Guest Relations and changed his answering name for the telephone to Brandon because at first every call would go like this:
“Hi thank you for calling Walt Disney World Guest Relations my name is Mickey how can I help you today!! To whish he would get the response:
“Wow!!! Hi Mickey – How’s Minnie!!” Every time!
So in the end he became “Brandon”!!![:I]

He had been with Disney for 13 years and had worked in a number of areas currently he was in the international cast members team where they worked to bring overseas cast members to WDW and then looked after them for the year that they spent. He obviously loved his job and was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

A 50 seater tour bus picked us up and we got our first glimpse of “backstage” as we passed the back of the “Living Seas” as we circled Epcot to go to the American Adventure. “Money is spent front of house” – we were told and whilst this is evident the backstage is pretty neat too! We saw a holding pool for sea life which was new to the Living Seas and a good view of the greenhouses at the Land Pavilion – but from outside! The backs of buildings are, of course, mostly façades – except where the hotels can see them !![:w]

At the AA we were shown how the whole exhibit works and how each of the animatronic scenes is shifted into place on a stage that has no actual “stage” and where computers run the whole event at the push of a button. The AA is also used for weddings and conferences and is actually build 3 stories into the ground so that the US Pavilion was not made to look bigger than all the other countries ( but it still does anyway!!) They can do characters at any corporate event, put a soda fountain in the ordinary fountain outside the building and even paint it a special colour for you – oh and make sure your pretty well off for all these “extras”![:?]

After AA we went to Mickey’s base at International Cast Members and chatted with Wanda who had been at WDW since the ground was broken for the MK – she was very interesting and again – loved her job!

Then into the cast member entrance building – which is HUGE! We saw the details of the three week training course that all WDW employees go through, the rows and rows and rows of lockers – WDW employs 58,000 people in Orlando and that’s before any sub contractors or partner companies – like Mears who have over 1000 busses dedicated to WDW activity!!!

We also saw the outfit “supermarket” where cast members collect their uniforms – 5 allowed out at any time and you can either launder your own or return them and get another 5 – every size available!! I want to have a Mission Space one but I couldn’t sneak it out!![V]

Saw the make up area where some princesses were having the final touches applied – a standard make up is created for every character – oh and we did chat about characters - they will never tell you what they do but that the “assist in the portrayal of Donald Duck” for example!! Cool eh?

Then onto MGM – security is tight and the bus gets a bag search – glad to see it. They have barriers at the security entrances that will stop a lorry at 90 mph!!

Go to the costume design dept which you can see on the backlot tour at MGM – but this time from the side where the work is done – interesting to see costumes being made and designed and bits and pieces to repair – like Peter Pans belt!

Walk through a backstage door – its amazing when you are “front of House” that you tend not to spot where the cast members come from – and across the Streets of America to Mama Melrose’s for a fine Italian Lunch – served “family style” and lots of it!!![:p]

Oh and loo breaks are plentiful all the way round too with time being given for the next one – so no panic – and you can also leave things on the bus!!

After lunch – out through a back door like an Italian Gangster and onto a backstage ring road – get to see Woody, Buzz, Daisy and Plastic Soldier come off stage and go into a room behind the stage area – and then 4 hot and sweaty looking people come out 5 minutes later – it was rude to ask who they were!!! Also saw two cars for the film “Cars” – both running along silently – then the red sports car ( sorry don’t know the name) “turned on” the engine noise and music just for us – neat!! (no cameras was the cry!!)[V]

Bus picked us up and we then went to the Disney Florist and Gift department in a warehouse area near Wide World of Sports – wow this was an Aladdin’s cave – there does not appear to be anything in the world that you cannot buy with something Disney on it – and the packing and combinations were really neat you can even order a Disney Christmas Tree complete with lights, small soft character toys, chocolates and gifts and have it delivered anywhere in the world – cost – about $500 for US delivery!! I’m not a big flowers fan but the arrangements and the amount of stock they had was enormous – they even deliver flowers across Orlando as one of the top florists in town!

Then onto the huge warehouse complex at the back of the Magic Kingdom.

First up the Christmas and decorative warehouse – this is huge – and currently is FULL of all the Christmas trimmings for everywhere in WDW and also for the cruise ships and beach resorts – it also had a whole range of props for pretty much any event you wanted to stage – fancy a Lion King scene with Scar and Simba – you go it! Prancing Fantasia Hippos – you go it – Winnie the Pooh and a hunny tree – well you get the idea!!

Then into repair and fabricating – a large warehouse factory area doing light engineering – but instead of washing machines or car manufacture it was Disney things - Space Mountain ride car, Winnie the Poohs Ride car, elephants blowing water from their Jungle Cruise, animatronic Donkeys from Big Thunder Mountain – so cool and we even saw someone carrying a famous characters head – and no even I wont reveal which character! Sssshhhhhhh!![:w][:w][:w]

Then the final stop – the MK – park up backstage and see the backstage diner – if you knew how to sneak out of the park and into here then your food would be a third of the price!!

We just arrive in time for the 3pm parade and watch this for 20 minutes – we then take a walk up Main Street and see how the parade triggers the music and announcements so that it synchs with the parade position – that the windows in the shops open to reveal loudspeakers for the music right on cue and that the performers keep performing until they cross a golden line – at which point they collapse in a tired heap!!

We also have some areas you don’t normally notice or bother with – the windows and signs on the buildings on Main Street all have names of people involved with WDW and the MK from the early financiers thru to the designers – and there are even “in” jokes for some of them – I’ve never noticed this stuff before


Then we go through a door area and down two flights of stairs to the “Utilidors” – the famous tunnels that run under the whole Magic Kingdom and which service three purposes – goods in, goods out and one of Walt Disney’s personal requirements – to allow characters in costume to enter a “world2 without having to walk through another area – he apparently got cross when he saw a cowboy in Tomorrowland at Disney land and vowed to prevent this at WDW!!

This area is so fascinating – all paper waste is sucked out of the park through big pipes in the Utilidors by a giant vacuum! Cast members have areas for continuous customer service training and are given weekly info about park times and special events – there a big area with pictures of the park being built and a great aerial shot of the MK.

Got back to the bus at about 430 pm and then the short trip back to Epcot with a q and a session – however you can ask ANYTHING on the tour and the guide will either answer or find out the answer – here’s some of mine – do they “really” drive the vehicles on the Safari at AK – yes they do – and the boats on Jungle Cruise – on a track but they control the speed, has anyone ever jumped off a ride – yes they have and then they are asked to “leave the park”!![:(!]

It’s a day tour and its really worth going to the parks first and experiencing it from the customers point of view before doing this – but is it worth it – absolutely!!!

[y][y][y]
#140235 by RichardMannion
22 Sep 2006, 22:06
Wow - thanks Mark. Really looking forward to our tour in just over a weeks time. $199 well spent by the sounds of it (with lunch included).

Thanks,
Richard
#140238 by Decker
22 Sep 2006, 22:29
Mark - excellent! Thank you so much for that!
#140242 by locutus
22 Sep 2006, 22:57
Sounds very similar to back stage at SouthCoast World at Bognor Regis [:o)] Nothing can prepare you for mooching around backstage and seeing Mr Blobby without his head on.

I used to change my name when working in the call centre, mostly because I was the only one answering calls on the admin line, and when people called to complain I'd given them the wrong answer, they didn't realise it was me again. Being told the same thing twice made them realise it was accurate. :D

If I ever make it to WDW this sounds like a fascinating way to spend a day as fast scarey rides are not for me [:$]
#140257 by pjh
23 Sep 2006, 00:39
Originally posted by MarkJ
WDW employs 58,000 people in Orlando and thatÕs before any sub contractors or partner companies Ð like Mears who have over 1000 busses dedicated to WDW activity!!!


I didn't realise it was that big a direct employer. With secondary spending that must mean hundreds of thousands of jobs in that area are dependent on that park.

Paul
#140262 by vs_itsallgood
23 Sep 2006, 04:10
Wow, Mark, thanks for the TR! [y] I've been on a few 'backstage' tours at other parks than Disney, and some have been disappointing for the price. This one sure sounds like money well-spent!

I think I have another thing to do in Orlando next time...:D
#140308 by RichardMannion
23 Sep 2006, 13:54
Originally posted by vs_itsallgood

I think I have another thing to do in Orlando next time...:D


Make sure you book in advance though as they do tend to get very busy, and there is a maximum of 20 people per day.

Thanks,
Richard
#140636 by Kerry
25 Sep 2006, 19:02
Great report, Mark. I'm booked on this tour in December and am looking forward to it even more now!

Kerry
#140640 by Mavrick
25 Sep 2006, 19:18
Excellent, report Mark, thank you. [y]
#140957 by Wolves27
27 Sep 2006, 14:47
Excellent TR Mark.
Its something we've been toying with doing the last couple of times we've visited. I think when we go next you've just convinced us!

Really interesting, thanks, and also sounds like more fun the Nasa Space Centre :)

Dean
#140960 by MarkJ
27 Sep 2006, 15:19
Think I will write to WDW and see if they are going to give me a comission or at the very least a discount for V-flyers!!

Dean - I guess its different to the Kenndy Space centre in that its behind the scenes - and if you have been to WDW then it gives an interesting insight to how it all works - and as I said you may not see everything you want to ( I wanted to see inside the ToT - but you are not able to !!) but you can ask whatever you like!!!
#141016 by buns
27 Sep 2006, 23:21
Mark

Thnaks for taking the trouble share your fab experience[y][y]

There is no mistaking that you enjoyed the Tour[:w][:w]

buns
#141070 by Jon B
28 Sep 2006, 13:09
Great TR Mark [y]

Did a non scheduled tour of the back lot at splash mountain last year in the LA Disneyland. Long story but halfway through the ride it stopped abruptly, leaving us and about 10 other boats stranded inside the ride for about 30 mins..... We were finally taken out through the maintenance exit and out round the back of the ride...... Looked more like 'inner city ghetto' Disney back there [:0]

Obviously not somewhere the normal paying public usually get to go :D

Still have frightening flashbacks of those animals singing....and singing....and singing while were stuck on a boat to nowhere :D
Zipedee doo dah my ****

Jon B
Virgin Atlantic

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