Keys to the Kingdom

B

balto

New Member
I've been looking for a recent review of this tour, but have only been able to find reviews from 2001 and 2002.

Has this tour changed since then? I assume with Pirates of the Caribbean under renovation that the tour does not do this ride ;) However, do they do another ride?

We are going for a long weekend (3 days). Should we do this on the last day (right before our flight home) or on the 2nd day?
 
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Amber

Amber

6+4+3=2
Premium Member
We did KTTK a year or two ago. It was fun, for sure. We went on Jungle Cruise and The Haunted Mansion. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know, but I got to see the tunnels (sorry, utilidors). The only complaint that I had was that our group was as big as they allow, and sometimes I was too far away that the little ear thing didn't work and I couldn't hear everything that the guide said. Especially when we were on HM, because she was in the first doom buggy and we were in the last.
But it was still very cool!
 
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I

it398

New Member
i did this tour last summer, it was a really interesting and informative tour, we were taken anround the park where our tour guide explained how the park was designed (theming etc) we were taken on the jungle cruise where we (the tour) had our own boat and our tour guide explained about the ride, we also rode the haunted mansion. we were then taken into the utilidors and backstage behing splash mountain and behing mainstreet / tomorrowland.
This tour has inspired me to want to take the backstage magic tour on our next trip.
provided you book it i dont think it will matter when you actually take the tour.
 
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swordsman_24

swordsman_24

Member
Took the tour June 2005

The tour for us started around 9:30 AM and ended around 2 - 3 PM. It was money well spent for any Disney fan. There is a very interesting overview of the history of WDW and some background that I had not heard before. You get some real insight into the park operations and the information on the Jungle Cruise (Disco!!) and the Haunted Mansion (Hidden Mickeys galore) was really cool. They do provide lunch at Columbia Harbor House and the tour guides are very well informed. We've also experienced the Backstage Magic tour in December 2005. Overall the Keys to the Kingdom tour does have some material not found in this other tour. A good overview of all the tours that Disney offers can be found at : http://allearsnet.com/btp/tours.htm. They have a number of recent reviews on that site.
 
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PintoColvig

PintoColvig

Active Member
AMH97 said:
We did KTTK a year or two ago. It was fun, for sure. We went on Jungle Cruise and The Haunted Mansion. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know, but I got to see the tunnels (sorry, utilidors). The only complaint that I had was that our group was as big as they allow, and sometimes I was too far away that the little ear thing didn't work and I couldn't hear everything that the guide said. Especially when we were on HM, because she was in the first doom buggy and we were in the last.
But it was still very cool!
Click to expand...
Your guide spoke during your ride on HM? Ours didn't. She put us on the ride and then met us afterward. I know you had trouble hearing but what did she talk about? Hidden Mickeys or other things too?
 
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mhead

mhead

Active Member
PintoColvig said:
Your guide spoke during your ride on HM? Ours didn't. She put us on the ride and then met us afterward. I know you had trouble hearing but what did she talk about? Hidden Mickeys or other things too?
Click to expand...

What little ear thing? I do not remember such a thing when I did the tour a few years back.
 
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PintoColvig

PintoColvig

Active Member
mhead said:
What little ear thing? I do not remember such a thing when I did the tour a few years back.
Click to expand...
Everyone on the tour gets a receiver with an earpiece so that when the tour guide talks into his/her microphone, everyone can hear what is said even if you are not so close to him/her.
 
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mhead

mhead

Active Member
PintoColvig said:
Everyone on the tour gets a receiver with an earpiece so that when the tour guide talks into his/her microphone, everyone can hear what is said even if you are not so close to him/her.
Click to expand...

Wow - wish they had such a thing back when I did the tour.
 
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Pumbas Nakasak

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
I did the tour in August, we had the ear pieces, lots of stuff about hidden Mickesy etc . Lunch at Columbia House, nice key pin, time and money well spent.
 
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Amber

Amber

6+4+3=2
Premium Member
While we were riding HM she spent a lot of time talking about Hidden Mickeys, and scrim. Before the ride, we heard about the effect that makes the ghosts move in the dining room, and she also told us the storyline, which was interesting because it wasn't the same story that I had heard, but it was close. After the ride she showed us the "wedding ring."

As for breaks, we had a sit in Adventureland before we went on Jungle Cruise, when she was talking about where Walt started and that kind of stuff. We also got a break when we were in Liberty Square talking about everything from the lanterns in the trees to the trailer houses that are on Disney property. I think there was one bathroom break, and then there was lunch at Columbia Harbour House too. All in all, it was a good time. I wouldn't want to do it in July, because there is a lot of walking and that would get hot. But it was still fun.
 
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PintoColvig

PintoColvig

Active Member
AMH97 said:
While we were riding HM she spent a lot of time talking about Hidden Mickeys, and scrim. Before the ride, we heard about the effect that makes the ghosts move in the dining room, and she also told us the storyline, which was interesting because it wasn't the same story that I had heard, but it was close. After the ride she showed us the "wedding ring."

As for breaks, we had a sit in Adventureland before we went on Jungle Cruise, when she was talking about where Walt started and that kind of stuff. We also got a break when we were in Liberty Square talking about everything from the lanterns in the trees to the trailer houses that are on Disney property. I think there was one bathroom break, and then there was lunch at Columbia Harbour House too. All in all, it was a good time. I wouldn't want to do it in July, because there is a lot of walking and that would get hot. But it was still fun.
Click to expand...
We were told about the HM before we got on and where to find them. We also learned the stories behind HM and, of course, the "wedding ring". But we weren't told anything about the ride effects. In fact, this was my one disappointment. I assumed that a behind-the-scenes tour would take us behind the scenes of a few rides. I was especially excited about going behind the scenes at HM. Alas, the only behind-the-scenes part we saw there was a side entrance from the exit of the ride to just outside the stretch rooms.

Otherwise, it was a lot of fun and very interesting. I'll do it again many years from now. But first, I'm going to do all the other tours!

Oh and we did the tour in August but since it was first thing in the morning, it wasn't that hot.
 
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Amber

Amber

6+4+3=2
Premium Member
balto said:
Is it true that they give you fast passes at the completion of the tour?
Click to expand...

Ummm, no. But the two rides that we did go on we didn't have to wait at all.
We did get a name tag and a pretty decent pin, though.
 
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swimmom

swimmom

Well-Known Member
My MIL will be with us on our next trip and she has never been to WDW. I'm really looking forward to doing this tour. Since she has never been to WDW, should we do the tour later in our trip after she sees the park or doesn't it matter?
 
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Hakunamatata

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
swimmom said:
My MIL will be with us on our next trip and she has never been to WDW. I'm really looking forward to doing this tour. Since she has never been to WDW, should we do the tour later in our trip after she sees the park or doesn't it matter?
Click to expand...
Yes, she needs to experience the magic before she finds out that behind the sets is basically a wharehouse district.
 
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