Okay, okay, you’ve been to Disney World like 87 times.
But how would you like a private and exclusive tour to see Walt Disney World like few will? As a former Disney World cast member, I have volunteered to be your tour guide through the world behind the scenes of what makes Disney World so magical.
You’ll have fun learning about a variety of backstage locations. We’ll also take a look under the Magic Kingdom Park and see the locker room, cloakroom, so-called tunnel system, Disney’s tree nursery and farm, waste treatment facility, and other service areas.
Let’s start at the end, with mud. The sludge from the water treatment facility is everyone’s business, dried and then used on the grounds as fertilizer. The reclaimed Tinkle water is used to irrigate the lawn and plants. The water valves are labeled “Reclaimed Water – Do Not Drink”. Thanks for letting us know, Mickey!
Now we are going to visit the plant nursery. Remember all those cool and cute topiary designs around the park? Well, this is where the Disney cast members grow and shape the topiary creatures. All this coldness takes time; around seven to eight years to grow a single topiary character. One of my personal favorites is a smiling Mickey Mouse holding a Disney Vacation Club. [http://www.edisneytimeshare.com] Sign near the entrance to the Wilderness Lodge Hotel.
Then there is the parade storage area behind Splash Mountain. The back of Splash Mountain has many doors labeled, for example, “Access to Scene 31.” Here you will see Mickey Mania, Spectromagic and Electric Water Parade paraphernalia. You can walk around and look at the parade pieces all you want. But no photos please. Spectromagic floats are made of mesh, so the driver can see out, and are covered with tiny computer-controlled Christmas-style lights. There is also a small fan to cool the driver. If you or the children have always wanted to look inside the float of the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid, this is your great opportunity.
When I was a Disney cast member, I would wander the tunnels on my breaks and dine in the underground cafeterias. Very romantic. Actually, the tunnels are fake. Since the water table is very high in Florida, it would be expensive to keep the actual tunnels dry. Therefore, Disney built an orderly system of utility corridors at ground level and then covered them with dirt. This made a new ground level one story higher. The Magic Kingdom was built on top of this. Therefore, Main Street USA is actually on the second floor.
The “Utilitors” make a circle around the park connecting all the Lands and attractions. There is also a utility corridor under Main Street USA that connects the entrance to Cinderella’s Castle. All Magic Kingdom utilities are nested within Utilities. There is water, electricity, fiber optic cable and the ultra fresh vacuum garbage system.
Disney World’s vacuum trash system has become a model for several other very large buildings, and even parts of cities and municipalities. The system uses pipes about two feet in diameter to suck all the trash to a central collection point.
Another unusual device in the Utilidores supplies the various scents to different parts of the park. There’s one under the bakery that releases the smell of chocolate cookie on Main Street. Mickey wanted to use a real cookie scent as I recall. But alas, there was no way to produce non-stop mouthfuls of chocolate chips. So these scent-producing machines are used for cookies and that perfect scent in many other places; smoke, orange groves, etc.
The Utilidor also has several services for cast members, such as a credit union, a 2-hour movie developer, cafeterias, and lockers. The changing room and wardrobe are also located down here. When I worked there it always amused me to see my favorite characters wandering around half-dressed or with their heads held high. The walls of the Utilidores are color coded. There are also plenty of maps and directional signs to help lost cast members (like me).
So when you visit Disney World for its 88th trip, keep an eye out for a sudden and magical appearance of a character. Mickey or Minnie can exit from a hidden door that leads from the Utility below. And you will know his secret!
