Backstage Magic Tour

[Sir Hiss527]

I was looking through my annual passholder little booklet thing. And I looked at all the tours that Disney had to offer. And one of them was Backstage Magic, and it was under all 4 parks. Is this tour any good? Where exactly does the tour guide take you? Thanks!

 

[Sir Hiss527]

Here are the current tours...

Magic Kingdom

Backstage Magic
Disney's Family Magic Tour
Keys to the Kingdom
The Magic Behind our Steam Trains

Epcot

Backstage Magic
Behind the Seeds
Dolphins in Depth
Epcot Seas Aqua Tour
Epcot Dive Quest
Gardens of the World
Hidden Treasures
UnDISCOVERED Future World

Disney MGM Studios

Backstage Magic
Disney's Yuletide Fantasy

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Backstage Safari
Wild by Design

 

[The_CEO]

Just a suggestion. Give people time to respond ..

 

[Moustronaut]

The backstage magic tour hits three of the fours parks, MK, Epcot, and MGM.

Here's a blurb from www.wdwig.com

This seven-hour program visits backstage!! Travel to the Magic Kingdom to see the utilidors, examine backstage computer controlled attractions at Epcot, see behind the scenes at the Living Seas, have a special lunch at the Disney-MGM Studios, plus other surprises. Offered Monday through Friday at 8:45am. Disney recommends reservations at least 2 months in advance.

If you you to read more about this tour and others go to:
http://allearsnet.com/btp/tours.htm

Or do a search here for the park tours. I've been on a few of them and would highly recommend them if you've been to the parks quite a few times or want a unique experience in them.

Cheers!

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by Sir Hiss527
I was looking through my annual passholder little booklet thing. And I looked at all the tours that Disney had to offer. And one of them was Backstage Magic, and it was under all 4 parks. Is this tour any good? Where exactly does the tour guide take you? Thanks!

I don't want to be harassed for answering too many questions, but I'll go ahead and answer yours, because I actually, personally, took this tour

The Backstage Magic Tour is excellent. It, of course, varies year to year, and tour-guide to tour-guide, but it roughly goes like this:

Meet at EPCOT. Get on a bus and drive backstage, behind Living Seas. We toured the area behind the park perimeter and our first stop was at Bpdy Wars. We saw how one of the simulators worked. Then off to the American Adventure where we went in the back door, before it was open to the public, and saw how the show works. Then we went around the world showcase to the Mexico side. We went in the Cast Services building for EPCOT.

After that we headed to MGM via some backroads. The first time I took it, we toured the Fantasmic Stage. The most recent time, we went right to the Costume Department, where they design and make all the costumes for the characters, cast members, and parade performers. Then we walked New York Street and had lunch at Mama Melrose's.

After lunch we got on the bus and took the backroads to Backstage West of the MK. We went in the Parade Barn and saw the floats up close. We also saw the back side of Splash Mountain and Pirates. After that we drove behind the MK to Central Shops, where they make everything. Then we toured the massive Christmas Storage warehouse.

Then we took the bus to the parking lot behind the east side of Main Street. We went downstairs into the Utilidors and saw the area under Main Street. Then we went back up to Main Street to watch the end of the 3:00 parade. We walkd up main street, noting all the names on the windows, then snuck back behind Main Street thru a fence near the Ice Cream Parlor. After that, we bussed back to EPCOT where we departed.

They may include AK now, but it wasn't on the tour in 2003. Anyway, I highly suggest it if you're a backstage buff, a technical person, or just like secrets. However, if you're more into the Magic Kingdom, the Keys to the Kingdom would be for you, as it goes into the MK history, timeline, architecture and ride secrets more in depth.

 

[MrNonacho]

I took the Backstage Magic tour back in December of 2001. The tour did not go to Animal Kingdom at all.

We started out at Epcot where we introduced ourselves and were let into the park. We immediately headed left and backstage to an area behind the Living Seas. We spent some time here going over onstage vs. offstage and a little about how the pavilion is run from a technical standpoint. We then got on a little bus that took us around Epcot until we got to the American Adventure. I'd say this was one of the more interesting parts of the day for me. You get to see many of the lights and rigging that make the show happen, as well as the massive "war wagon" that holds many of the show animatronics. We got lucky and actually got to see them roll the giant cage back to its starting position. From here it was back on the bus to Wonders of Life, where we got to see one of the Body Wars cabins go through a ride cycle from the outside.

Next up was MGM, where we had a nice big lunch at Mama Melrose's. We then stopped over at the costuming area that is visible from the tram tour. We each got a couple samples of fabric used in characters' costumes.

We then headed over to the Central Shops area behind the Magic Kingdom. We drove past the Disney Transport maintenance facility where the monorails and steam trains are serviced and got off next to the massive shop complex. Everyone was given safety glasses that had to be worn while inside. We saw the metal shop, paint shop, and an area where the horses for the Carousel are painted. There was a lot to see here.

Next up were the utilidors. We drove past the 20,000 Leagues building to the main entrance of the tunnels, where we got off and got a quick walkthrough of the MK costuming area. We were then guided over to DACS, where we got a quick overview of how the parade is run, and then got to see it step off from the control room. After this we made our way through the tunnels until we emerged behind Main Street. We watched the parade in Town Square before hopping back on the bus to go to the parade float storage area. Here we saw floats from Share a Dream Come True, Spectromagic, and the Christmas parade up close. We also walked over and got a look at the barges for the water pageant.

We each got a little clear plastic Mickey as a souvenir on our way back to Epcot. It was a very interesting experience, and I'd highly recommend it. It did last 7 or 8 hours, but it honestly didn't seem that long.

 

[WDWHeadBanger]

Ill have to take a look cuz I have an AP.

 

[meanmice]

I would love to do this tour, but isn't it expencive. I guess it doesn't really matter, I brought up the idea to my mom and some other members of our party and it was pretty much said that if I wanted to go I'd be doin it alone. Not something I'm interested in.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by meanmice
I would love to do this tour, but isn't it expencive. I guess it doesn't really matter, I brought up the idea to my mom and some other members of our party and it was pretty much said that if I wanted to go I'd be doin it alone. Not something I'm interested in.

It is expensive. It's $200 per person, but includes lunch.

It isn't for some people either. It's a LOT of walking and standing, with only time to sit when on the bus and at lunch. Also, it will ruin the magic for people who can't handle both reality and fantasy at the same time. I like knowing how things work, so that's why I take the tours...but it doesn't ruin the magic for me. To each their own - but know that it is VERY different backstage than "onstage".