Magic Kingdom Tours

I did the backstage magic tour with my parents and it was awesome! The tour guide was hilarious and you get to go through the "secret tunnels." we learned a lot about how much goes on and it's incredible. There really is magic to have it run as smoothly as it does with so many components. The most amazing thing is the costume rooms.. They're like Costco sized (if you don't have Costco imagine a big warehouse)

I loved it, but I will say I don't recommend it if you don't plan on staying for a week or more. It took around 8 hours and we were pretty tired after all was done. But I give it a thumbs up and I've heard great things about the keys to the kingdom tour.

We did the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour last June and it was pretty interesting but it was still alot of walking. We also did the segway tour in EPCOT and that was great too!. That one is hard on your legs. I would still do it again in a minute.

I've done The Backstage Magic Tour, Keys to the Kingdom, and Backstage Safari Tour.

It all depends on what you want to see. The KTTK tour is really wonderful and informative. We went on the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion and learned "secrets" about both of them. It's a shorter tour, about 6 hours and it's all walking. I enjoyed seeing the backside of Splash Mountain and seeing some of the costumed characters walking around with their heads off.

The Backstage Magic Tour compromises all 4 parks and the areas that serve them: Costuming, Ride repair, groundskeeping are included. It's a lot of bus riding from one park to the next. We had lunch at the Fort Wilderness Lodge. The tour ended with us getting a great view for the Jungle Jammin' Safari Parade. Which were the floats we toured before the parade. It starts in Epcot before the park opens. This tour actually brings you back stage on a couple of rides.

The Backstage Safari Tour talks all about feeding and care of the animals. We went in the animal hospital and the backstage rhino pen. We also got to ride the safari ride where we learned what's real and not. I think this tour was about 4+ hours.

Both Backstage Magic and KTTK go into the Utilidors under the Magic Kingdom and most of the information is duplicated.

It wasn't an MK Tour but I LOVVVEDD the Segway tour. It was awesome to scoot around on those Segways in the World Showcase before it opened and it was actually really informative as well.

My husband is a huge steam train buff and for our honeymoon, I surprised him with the Magic Behind the Steam Trains tour. We both really enjoyed it. We got to enter the MK before it opened (I got several pictures of an empty Main St) and then we hopped on the train and went behind the scenes to the backstage roundhouse where they get the trains ready for the day. We learned all about Walt's love of trains and the search for genuine locomotives used in the park. Plus, the tour was only 3 hours, which was nice because we still had all day to spend in the park.

I've done the Backstage Magic Tour, but no Keys to the Kingdom yet. Based on my experience with Backstage Magic (which was years ago), I'd probably start with the Keys to the Kingdom or the Behind the Magic Steam Trains tour. Backstage Magic is LONG -- a full day really -- and I found parts of the tour to be great, but other parts were sort of "phoning it in" if you know what I mean. I've heard nothing but good reviews of Keys to the Kingdom, however.

I would do one in a heart beat, but were usually in the parks for 5 full days, and it would be hard for us to take the 8 or so hours to do one. Like Sammy said... we probably won't do one till A.... kids are done with the parks or B.... were there for more than 5 days.

I would love to do the KTTK tour but this being our first trip I didn't wanna give up a day! haha! But it will definately be a must do in the future!

Keys to the Kingdom tour is 4 to 5 hours. If you get the early one, you don't use the whole day.

We did KTTK in 2010 and really enjoyed it you get lunch included

I would tend to agree with your statement. On the first trip, you want the excitement of being there and exploring everything you can. I think on a later trip, a person is ready to have some of the 'magic' explained.

Can you share a little more about this tour? (Is there more to share?) Would you recommend it? We LOVE animals and are DVC members at AKV. If anyone else has anything to share about it, please feel welcome to jump in as well. Thanks!

- Dreams

KTTK is fantastic! Well worth the money! Very informative, fun, emotional at times (in a good way!), we had a brilliant tour guide who had many wonderful stories to share with us, he'd been with the company for so long! Lunch was delicious too, with our own private floor in the Columbia Harbour House!

I've looking in Backstage Magic but it sounds like you spend a lot of time on the coach going from one park to the next, something I'm not too keen on considering how expensive that tour is!

So does that mean on our anniversary trip?

What's fake on the safari?

I did the Behind the Magic Tour back in October 2010, it was informative and it did include lunch. It was 8 hours long and expensive. I spent more time on the bus. I recommend Undiscoverd Future World at Epcote. I did not remember how much it was. Lunch was not included but I did go on a ride. Also very informative too. I think it was about 4 hours. There is also Behind the Seeds at Epcote, very interesting. This tour is in Epcote at Living the Land and this one is not that long. Kings the Kingdom was worth it. These tours are for 16 and up. These tours are worth taking, but I do not recommend Backstage Magic, it takes to much time. I could have been seeing more of the parks.

I think it depends on what you are looking for in a tour. Most of them are really great.
A good starter tour is the Keys to the Kingdom. It gives you some background info, you get to go in the utilidors, and see things you would not otherwise get to see.

There are definitely some more involved tours as well, which last much longer.

I have done most of the tours--is there one specifically you are looking at doing that you would like more info on?

Sue Ellen