The opportunities for fun at Walt Disney World are not limited to the rides and shows. Disney also offers a variety of tours that give guests a look at Disney from a different perspective. Behind-the-scenes tours include "Hidden Treasures," "Gardens of the World," "Behind the Seeds," and "Backstage Magic." The tours cost anywhere from $10 to $199 and are worth every penny. Bruce and Zack went on tour called "Disney's Magic behind our Steam Trains, and I will leave it to them to share about their experience.Victoria and I took the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour, a five hour tour (lunch included) that showed us the logistical, technical and operational sides of the Magic Kingdom. We learned the four Keys to the Kingdom -- courtesy, safety, efficiency and show. Everything that the cast members do at Walt Disney World fulfill at least one if not all four of the keys. Our tour guide, Matthew, shared the story of Disney and gave us a peak into the things we might not notice about the park so that we would realize that it really is in the details.
For example, we were in Liberty Square, the area in the Magic Kingdom that is themed around the American Revolution, with buildings representing the Federal or Colonial architectual styles. One day, Matthew was giving a tour like ours when he noticed that some of the shutters on some of the buildings were crooked, leaning farther away on the top than on the bottom. Thinking that he had discovered something 'wrong' with the way the the buildings were designed, he went to the Disney imagineers with his discovery. They laughed a bit at his naivete and gave him a brief lesson in American history.
At the time when those buildings were built in places like Philadelphia, the country was at war and metal was difficult to come by. It was not only very expensive, but it was necessary for all metal to be used for military purposes. The common people were not able to purchase metal hinges for their homes, and so they had to use leather to hang their shutters. The climate and weight of the shutters eventually caused the leather straps on the top to stretch and thus the shutters began to tilt. The upper class residents were able to use metal hinges, so the shutters stayed straight. So, in the design of Liberty square you can see that it is all in the details -- some of the shutters are tilted, some are straight, representative of the different types of buildings and the classes who might have resided in the buildings.While walking through Liberty Square, Matthew called our attention to the pathways. The 'roads' were designed with lighter bricks in the middle, making them very decorative and attractive. Matthew explained that this was another detail that pointed to the authenticity of the design. The lighter colored bricks were representative of the Colonial American sewage system. They did not have pipes hidden below the streets as we do today. In that era, the sewage flowed in gullies down the middle of the street. To that end, there is no indoor plumbling found within Liberty Square. The accessible bathrooms are actually located on the edge of the neighboring lands. Though the Magic Kingdom can seem like a very big place, it is very compact and the buildings are much closer than they appear. That is one of the secrets that we learned on our tour.
One of my favorite rides in the Magic Kingdom is "The Haunted Mansion." Unfortunately, the ride was closed during our visit. They are renovating the building and updating the technology to make it an even better experience for park visitors. I was very disappointed, but it gives me an excuse to go back again soon!
There is a show in Liberty Square called "The Hall of Presidents." This audio-animatronic theater presentation tells the story of America in the voices of her presidents. It is amazing to see them all on the stage, to notice the insignificant details that make the characters look real. One of the presidents had a twitch in his foot. Another tapped his fingers. The characters who spoke appeared life-like, with characteristic body movements and facial features.
We had one of our character dinners in Liberty Square at the Liberty Tree Inn. Character dinners are a wonderful way of guaranteeing a visit with some of the Disney characters, but it is good to make your reservations early for these dinners. At the Liberty Tree Inn, the cuisine is a good old American Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and stuffing served family style. The characters visit every table, giving each family the chance for authographs and photos. Some of the characters act very silly. Pluto took Bruce's hat off his head and tried to wear it for a bit. Dale (as in Chip and Dale) picked up a man's map and tried to give him directions until he realized that the map was upside down! Minnie was hostess and she wore a lovely colonial frock, as you can see in the picture. We also met Goofy and Chip.For some people, Liberty Square is a way to get from one land to another. There are only two rides in the area -- the Haunted Mansion and the Liberty Belle Riverboat. However, there is good food and shopping -- well worth some or your time.
