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*Note-This post will contain information regarding the Keys to The Kingdom Tour in the Magic Kingdom. If you are someone who likes to be surprised, this post may contain spoilers regarding what you will get to see and do during the tour.
When my birthday dream staying-in-a-treehouse-on-an-island trip was cancelled, I racked my brain to come up with an alternative. Then I remembered that spending my birthday week at Disney World was still on my Disney bucket list.
The next job was to come up with something extra special to do on my actual birthday. At first I thought I would pick a fancy dinner, but with so many restaurant options, I couldn’t decide. In the end, taking the Keys to The Kingdom Tour, felt like the perfect, Disney, birthday gift.
Arrival
Keys to The Kingdom Tours depart every half-hour starting at 8am and ending at 9:30 am.
Leaving the Caribbean Beach Resort (but actually the Riviera), we arrive to the transportation center, via Lyft. Taking a bus would have worked out in the end, but we want to ensure we make it to our tour on time.
It’s early. The Magic Kingdom monorail isn’t running yet, so we hop on the resort line.
Gliding around the monorail loop, the enchantment begins. The sunrise alights the sky in orange, gold, and pink. Que Circle of Life song from The Lion King.
It’s going to be a spectacular day.
After confirming with the entrance cast member that we are scheduled for a tour, we’re able to enter the Magic Kingdom, before official opening.
It’s enthralling to be in the park when it’s not crazy crowded.
The tour check-in is at the Town Square Theater. It’s to your right as soon as you enter the Magic Kingdom.
After confirming that we are on the 8:30 tour, we are given our name tags (that you get to keep),
and our headsets, so we can hear our tour guide even if we’re in a noisy section of the park.
The check-in cast member hands us a menu, so we can circle what we’d like for lunch.
The Tour
The Keys to The Kingdom Tour begins with a briefing on how the day will run and the rules.
The biggest rule, there are no pictures allowed. This is taken seriously. They don’t want behind the scenes pictures taken that would ruin how the magic happens for those who don’t want to know. There is also a rule about asking questions. When “on-stage,” meaning areas where guests are, you cannot ask questions like, how many Cinderellas does the park have? But you can ask those types of question “off-stage,” in areas where there are no guests.
Our tour guide is Micheal. He’s awesome. Michael is the perfect balance of knowledge and entertaining, without a hint of cheesiness. We learn at the end of the tour that it’s also Michael’s birthday.
Most of the tour involves the group stopping at spots in the park to listen to Michael tell interesting facts and stories about the Magic Kingdom and Disney World.
One of my favorite pieces of information, if a cast member forgets their name badge, they are given a badge that states that they are either Pat or Chris from Orlando, FL. For the rest of the trip, we are on the lookout for the Pat/Chris-Orlando cast members.
Our first official behind-the-scenes activity is visiting the parade storage and staging area.
It’s neat getting to see the parade floats up close. We learn how they are made, how various floats operate, and how the seasonal floats are preserved and stored. While we’re touring, we even see new parade dancers learning a dance routine.
Riding Attractions
Riding attractions during the Keys to The Kingdom Tour isn’t guaranteed. The attractions you go on vary per tour.
Our first attraction is The Jungle Cruise. Our group fits in one boat. Instead of the usual Skipper banter, Michael conducts the cruise, pointing out all sorts of Jungle Cruise details I’ve never noticed.
Michael is a massive Haunted Mansion fan, as am I, so I am ecstatic that it’s our second attraction.
We enter the mansion through a hallway seldom seen by guests. The corridor is reminiscent of the servants’ area on Downton Abbey.
Micheal gives talks before and after the ride, but during, we experience the attraction as usual.
Lunch
Lunch is a testament to the well-oiled machine that is Disney. After arriving at Pecos Bill’s, the group is lead into a private room. Our meals are already waiting, set in front of place cards. The place cards hold a special, surprise, Keys to The Kingdom Tour gift. Let’s just say, if you collect a certain, popular, Disney item, you’ll be really excited about the gift.
The Utilidor
The Utilidor is the main reason most people take the Keys to The Kingdom Tour. Aside from becoming a Disney Cast Member, this is the only way you will get to see this area of Disney World.
There is no magical gate, or castle like door. The group is lead into a tunnel, that slopes down into the main, cast member, backstage area.
I read a blog post by someone who was thoroughly unimpressed by this part of the tour. His complaints were that it’s just a bunch of cinder blocks and office doors.
As someone who loves to learn about how things are built, run, and organized, this was the icing on the Keys to The Kingdom Tour cake for me. I would gladly spent half the day wandering around in the endless tunnel system. There is Disney memorabilia that is only displayed in the underground tunnels. Michael stops here and there to point out specific areas and explain how things work, like princess hair styling, employee training, and making sure there are enough containers at the popcorn stand.
I feel like Cinderella as the five hour tour comes to an end. The clock chimes and we must go from being special tour people, to regular park guests.
The Keys to The Kingdom Tour was fun and fascinating. It’s a great option if you want to do something extra special and/or if you are an uber Disney nerd. The Tour was well worth the time and money spent, and made my Disney birthday.
If you don’t want to spend the time or money on The Keys to The Kingdom Tour, but want a little behind-the-scenes action, I highly recommend the Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot. It’s less money, only lasts about an hour, and you get to walk through the farm in The Land Pavilion.
After the tour, we road more attractions, and I got to indulge in some of some favorite park snacks.
Since the day started with a sunrise from the monorail, we ended with fireworks from the monorail,
zipping our way to one more Disney bucket list wish, a night at Trader Sam’s…
