Utilidors

[trendicoff]

I saw the utilidors for the first time when I was 16 going on KTTK tour. It was absolutley magical to see just that tiny glimpse with the partners exhibit on the wall and the display cases and wardrobe, I certainly felt I had gotten my money's worth. Since then as a CM, I have wandered the utilidors many times to see what was down there and yes although the smell is enough sometimes to make you want to run away screaming off to the mainstreet bakery, I still find some magic in "peeking behing the curtain".

As for breakrooms, you're all spoiled! I realized how great breakrooms are when I was working at Tree of Life and THERE IS NO BREAKROOM! there are 2 or three chairs and a water cooler in an 8x8 office that as the name implies, also serves as the attraction's office. Its a 5-7 minute walk each way to the bathroom or to any vending machines through guest areas, so be thankful for what you have. (By the way KSR has a great breakroom with its own bathrooms, vending machines, internet, and a decent sized TV with huge movie library)

 

[trendicoff]

Are there maps of the utlildors? Would be interesting to see ~!

lol, well if you really want a map, draw an octogon with a line through it that goes out one side, thats basically it. If you're talking about a master land use guide that would say which spaces are used by what, yeah that would be cool, but I've never seen one

 

[Dingle66]

In 2006 I was part of tour group of folks in the emergency management profession that was taken into the utilidors. Despite our profession, security clearances and knowledge level, we were still not taken to the emergency operations center (EOC) or any of the "sensitive" areas of the utilidors for security reasons. We were given a lot of information however and because of the complexity of operations that are managed from the utilidors (basically almost the entire Kingdom) they take no chances with exposing anything unnecessarily.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yes, there are a *few* Segways down there that some managers use from time to time, and there is a lot of operational offices down there but nothing glamorous...except for the Main St. breakroom, although that big screen is getting old and worn out (and somehow has the Lifetime channel on way too often)

 

[Chape19714]

Yes, there are a *few* Segways down there that some managers use from time to time, and there is a lot of operational offices down there but nothing glamorous...except for the Main St. breakroom, although that big screen is getting old and worn out (and somehow has the Lifetime channel on way too often)

THANK YOU! It's either lifetime or the News....Now I still would prefer the news over lifetime. And yes, that TV has seen better colors. There's a shiny new one on the wall, but it's never on, I really don't know what it's for.

And now back to the regularly scheduled topic, which is off topic.

 

[mikeymouse]

It was neat to see, but just looks like a regular basement to me.

 

[Laura]

The first time I was ever in the Utilidors, I was in awe. Mostly for the fact that this is all hidden... and thinking of all the amazing stuff that is going on just feet above your head. Most guests have no idea!

To me, the whole system is just amazing. What an awesome idea... and all built for the purposes of maintaining magic!

I think it's human nature to want get a peek beind the curtains... see how things work. Even though you really don't see any of the REAL meat on the Keys to the Kingdom tour, the little glimpse you get is pretty awesome... to me anyway!

*snort*

:ROFLOL:

:lookaroun

Yeah, the things you see on the KTK tour...

 

[ThumpersThought]

The Keys to the Kingdom took you in the back section of the tunnels and showed you the costuming area? That doesn't sound right.

It's been years since I took the tour, but I distinctly remember going to costuming. The guide checked in a shirt during the tour to show us how it worked -- something I appreciated years later when checking in my first costume!

After I became Cast, I tried to find that spot, but they were in the process of changing all the walls in that area.

As a guest, I was enthralled by being in the Utilidors. As Cast, I now enjoy watching the Guest faces as they tour them.

 

[unkadug]

Are there maps of the utlildors? Would be interesting to see ~!

from DonickCo's photo album

 

[PhotoDave219]

I always got lost down there.

 

[TiggersPooh]

I never got the chance to really explore down there.

I just walked to Tomorrowland and at night dragged all lost and found to Main Street.
I agree the tunnels just smell at times (cosmic Rays was nasty)

 

[joanna71985]

As far as the first time I was in the Utilidoors, I can't say that I was really disappointed. I pretty much knew what to expect. The smell is one thing that caught me off guard, though, particularly in the Frontierland area.

Amen! The smell is horrible (especially in the Adventureland area).

 

[daliseurat]

I found the Utilidors fascinating. When I went on the BACKSTAGE MAGIC tour we were down there for a while. We did see the main entry in the back. We saw folks coming in to work, trucks and all sort of utility things. We saw breakrooms, costuming and limited prop storage. We did see PARADE storage, but that was outside, I think. We saw lots of cast members just coming out of make-up, or just coming in from a performance. We were taken to some control rooms and security rooms. We watched them control a day-time parade. They explained all the behind the scenes stuff that triggers music and effect in the parades. I asked lots of questions, so they told us what all the various pipes were for. (Garbage, cold water, power) We used the Utilidors tp travel all around the MAgic Kingdom and were brought out of 2 secret doors and went back down 2 others. This was over ten years ago, but it really was terrific.

 

[unkadug]

So far, we have reports of the Utilidors smelling bad in:

• Adventureland
• Frontierland
• Tomorrowland

Anybody want to chime in about Main Street and Fantasyland ?:lookaroun

 

[joanna71985]

So far, we have reports of the Utilidors smelling bad in:

• Adventureland
• Frontierland
• Tomorrowland

Anybody want to chime in about Main Street and Fantasyland ?:lookaroun

Fantasyland is fine.:lookaroun

 

[unkadug]

Fantasyland is fine.:lookaroun

And Main Street smells like money?

 

[Captain Hank]

The main reason that the tunnels smell so...so...*ahem* unique is restaraunt waste. Tomorrowland smells bad because of Cosmic Ray's. The Frontierland/Liberty Square/Adventureland area has the triple threat of Columbia Harbor House, Liberty Tree Tavern and Pecos Bill's. In addition, the exit point for the AVACS pneumatic trash system is behind Frontierland (very, very close to Splash Mountain, though you'd never know it). Thus, all of the garbage from all over the park makes its way through the Ad/Lib/Frontierland spur.

The major restaraunts in Fantasyland and Main Street have direct backstage access, as opposed to being surrounded by onstage areas like the others. I'm pretty sure that they store their kitchen waste in park-level backstage areas, though I could be wrong. I've never noticed a smell problem in either Main Street or Fantasyland, aside from the occasional disquieting unidentified substance dripping/oozing from the celing. Additional possible contributions to the smell-free nature of Fantasyland and Main Street could be that Fantasyland is close enough to the main tunnel entrance, thus providing adequate ventilation, and that the Main Street area is used for tour groups and thus may be hosed down with industrial-strength Febreeze on a regular basis.

 

[disney1983]

The Keys to the Kingdom took you in the back section of the tunnels and showed you the costuming area? That doesn't sound right. They usually avoid that because that is where you can see our characters in various states of undress. I've never seen a tour group back there, but just because I've never seen it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

I was in that area when I attended a Disney Institute program in 2001. We walked through customing and also saw characters in various states of undress. They told us not to stare but of course that made us look even more.