Keys to the Kingdom Tour

[shepherdgirl]

This is the report of Shepherdboy and shepherdgirl's Magic Kingdom Tour. Shepherdboy is very busy, so I'm going to get this tour report posted. He has done a wonderful job on the last few reports of our trip in July -- sans children!

Sunday, July 15, 2001

We got up early Sunday morning in our new, upgraded tower room at the Grosvenor Resort in the Village. We drove our rental car to TTC and walked to the Polynesian for a quick breakfast at Captain Cooks. Then we rode the monorail to MK.

We were the first to arrive for our tour, so we signed in, make our lunch requests from the menu at Columbia Harbor House and waited for our other tour members to arrive. When everyone was ready, our tour guide, Mark handed out cold bottles of water and we were off!

We walked down Main Street and Mark told us about the details of the buildings and windows. This was very interesting and we saw all the intricate details we’ve missed through the years.

Next, we went to Tomorrowland and rode the TTA. Mark shared with us some of the history of the park and Walt’s visions for it. The model city you see on the TTA ride was Walt’s original plan for an EPCOT.

We walked to Fantasyland and learned about the building there and the themes. We also learned some facts about the castle – it’s height, material and what’s in it (other than the restaurant – no, not an apartment for Walt.) In Fantasyland, we entered the utiladors under the MK. Actually, the MK is the second level, the utiladors are ground level – you can’t dig too deep in Florida without hitting water. Here we saw wardrobe, make-up and cast member services. Very cool.

On to Liberty Square, where we learned about the architecture and time periods of the buildings. We got to go in the servant’s entrance to the Haunted Mansion. Mark told us where to spot some hidden Mickeys and some of the history of the ride. After our ride, we took a break for lunch. Our selected entrees were ready and waiting for us at the Columbia Harbor House in the upstairs room. I had the chicken salad and it was wonderful! We also got some cool pins in the shape of a key.

After eating, we walked on to Frontierland. Then we went “backstage” again to see the garbage collection area – absolutely nothing is wasted here, and the floats for the parades. We also saw a really cool aerial photo of the park from 1978. It’s amazing how big the building are that house the rides!

Back in the park, we walked to Adventureland (Walt’s favorite area) and rode Pirates. Mark told us some of the background information on this ride and told us to look for different things, like a pirate with two eye patches on and a pirate with a peg leg.

We walked back to the hub in front of the castle – past the counter where dole whips can be purchased. (I’ve never tried one and if we hadn’t been in a tour, I would have loved one). Mark had a quiz for us when we got back. I know he asked us what the keys to the kingdom are. Does anyone know? There are four.

Then, we were on our own. Shepherdboy (I don’t really call him that) and I went back to our room for a break and then drove to Celebration to take a look around. We went into an Open House someone had. They were asking much more than we could ever afford, but it was neat to see inside one of the homes. We had a snack at the Market Street Café and looked in some shops. It seems like a really nice community (more like Walt’s vision of EPCOT, where people live and work), but a little on the creepy side.

The weather on this day was fabulous! We were expecting hot and humid and lots of crowds. But Sunday morning was very comfortable and there were not too many people in the MK. It was a very pleasant day for a tour. There were only 6 people in our group, so we had no trouble staying together through the park and we got to ask Mark lots of questions. I understand he also does a Family Tour, so we may do that one day. He was a great guide.

I’ll let Shepherdboy pick up with the next day’s report when he has time.


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WDW Trips '76,'80, '81, '83, '91, '94, '95, '96, '97, '00, '01 with AP's!

[ChipDale]

Thanks so much for sharing the details of this tour! It's another one I would love to do!

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Jane

[Beast_fanatic]

Wasn't it a great tour! We did it on our trip in May, and had a fabulous time!

So, I do know the 4 keys to the kingdom, but I'll let someone else answer since I took the tour too!

Good reports - looking forward to more!

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Rhonda

[Jennib]

I have always wanted to do it but I never had the chance. maybe next time!!
Thanks for a great report!

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jenni b

" if you can shape it in your mind, you can find it in your life."

[DisneyWizard]

Great report! What are the four keys?

Thanks for posting

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-Casey
(Kc, Wizzy, DizWiz)

"...I say believe in the future. The world is getting better."
-Walt Disney

[shepherdgirl]

The keys are: safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency. Once you know what they are, you can really see them in action around the parks. When WD wanted to open a theme park, Mrs. Disney didn't want him to because the ones they had been to were dirty, the people were not courteous and it was only fun for their kids. She made him promise that the parks with their name on it would be clean and be staffed by courteous people.

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WDW Trips '76,'80, '81, '83, '91, '94, '95, '96, '97, '00, '01 with AP's!

[LottaLubes]

What a great report - thank you! I would love to go on this tour one day but I'll have to wait until the kids are older. It must be nice to go when there is only a small group. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

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