Walt Disney World

Backstage Magic Tour

Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Site Services
Magic Kingdom

I don’t think it’s much of a surprise to say that we are in a bit of awe of Disney parks. But aside from the impression an average guest may get from a visit, our interest goes beyond the typical appreciation for attention to detail, immersion, and customer service. It may seem odd to some, but understanding how these parks and resorts operate is another fascination we have, and it’s considerably harder to get at that.

We’ve taken the tour of tours at Disneyland: the Walk in Walt’ Footsteps tour. It’s a 3+ hour journey through the park taking a closer look at many of the details, and experiencing the surroundings in the context of Walt’s dream. I’m sure I say this plenty, but Disneyland is the only park he ever actually walked in, and to be able to uncover the many, many places that had his personal touch was quite interesting.

While it was nice to hear the history and these facts while in the park, allowing you to see, hear, and touch it – most of what we experienced was not new. With the exception of only the lobby of Club 33, we did not tread anywhere we’d never been. Also, much of the information provided was nothing new to anyone with a penchant for Disney and a computer, or even the Travel Channel. That’s not to say we didn’t find the tour worthwhile, perhaps just a little different than what we were hoping for. All the talk of weenies and forced perspective is great, but we wanted to see things and learn things you can’t get from a guidebook and a stroll around the park.

Although Disneyland offers no such behind-the-scenes or operations tour, Walt Disney World does. Backstage Magic is a 7+ hour journey that takes you, not surprisingly, backstage at three of the four parks as well as a number of the main operational sites. Outside the parks, it’s an opportunity to see what goes into running this resort and a first-hand look at the efforts of the immense and diverse workforce needed to operate it. Inside the parks, or rather backstage at the parks, we see several examples of how the magic is created onstage day after day.

If you prefer to think of Disney World only as an escape from reality, transporting you to a world of wonder, this may or may not ruin some of that magic. If you, however, are the kind of person who would be interested in seeing, say, one of the world’s largest laundry facilities in action, then I encourage you to see what the tour offers - even though that’s a weird thing to want to see.

It’s a little scary how easy it was to arrange. I just called a few months in advance, picked a day, charged it, and that was it. There were no tickets, only a transaction number. Thankfully we had gotten a reminder call the evening before the tour as confirmation, though I had no idea that was going to happen. I don’t remember telling anyone that we were staying on-site when I booked. Impressive.

The nice thing about taking a tour is that you can finally take a logistical load off. Everything is planned out for you, once you make the reservation and shell out the money for it, of course. (And this one doesn’t come cheap, mind you. At $199 per person you’re ensuring only the truly dedicated will be along for the ride.) But the plan, the transportation, lunch; it’s all laid out for you, and you just need to be there to enjoy it. For someone like me who can go to extremes in an attempt to maximize the fun of every moment, it’s a much welcomed alleviation. That, and we got about 30 minutes of extra sleep.

We headed out the door at 8am (when we would usually already be at a park for EMH – don’t worry, we didn’t miss one, I scheduled the tour on a day there was no morning EMH session. See? Crazy.), caught a bus to Epcot and arrived a good 30 minutes in advance of the 8:45am start time. Of course it didn’t really start until 9am, but you know how Disney is (and we are) about being efficient.

Groups meet just outside the park, off to the far right of the entry plaza (almost near the bus area), but inside the bag check – so you do have to go all the way around. It’s right in front of the Guest Relations windows, and there’s even a handy sign that says “Tour Meeting Area”. Folks arrived little by little, and then came Monica, our tour guide. There were a few logistics to deal with: signing in, getting ID tags and receiving our audio units. Just like the tour at Disneyland, we got handy earpieces that would let us our guide hear that much easier.

There was a good number of us, about 12 or 14. We started with brief introductions, starting with Monica of course, and I learned something right away. Apparently this tour is offered by the Disney Institute, once a resort and learning center, but now focusing on seminars and professional development. It wasn’t 100% clear why this was, but it was a nice throwback to one of those weird things Disney can only do in Orlando. We went around the circle giving names, hometowns, and our Disney dream job. Of course the guy right before me stole my awesome answer: Monorail Conductor. Then again, it’s no surprise that’s a popular choice, I think even a 3rd person picked it as well. Oh, and Megan went with pastry chef. Duh.

We weren’t given too much in the way of an agenda, though I had read reviews online, so I had a reasonable idea of what to expect. We started with our first VIP moment, adorned with earpieces and name badges we cut the queue at the entry and entered a stroller gate. That would really be the only moment of showing off in front of guests, since we would spend so little time onstage, but I’m ok with that.

Either there was an understanding that most of us were Disney veterans, or Monica picked up on it quickly, since we didn’t spend too much time going over the basics. There was a brief mention of “cast members” versus “employees” and the general Disney attitude towards the experience it’s creating, but it was made clear that this is stuff we would be seeing, not just hearing about.

The only camera disclaimer we got was pretty basic, when there are no guests around, no pictures were allowed. Basically, everything you could see on your own onstage as a regular visitor, you were allowed to photograph. Bummed, of course - surprised, not at all. We took our first step backstage through a door just past the bathrooms to the right of Spaceship Earth.

Future World
Immediately we learned about, and saw, two “secrets” right away. The first was proximity – it’s a lot easier to get around the various park’s facilities when you are off-stage than when you are on it. Never mind the dearth of crowds - the physical distances were dramatically reduced. We had just been in the shadow of the Spaceship Earth and passing through the door, we were now at a cast entrance to the Seas pavilion. Any guest making that walk will have to go halfway through Future World, cut through Innoventions West, and loop all the way back around, almost to the park entry. Most of the time, walking backstage is a handy timesaver. It’s interesting to think how much smaller the park must seem to the experienced employees who know all these shortcuts. Take a look at Google Earth and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Not a stunning surprise, but cool to see firsthand.

The next was also pretty obvious, but a pretty stark contrast nonetheless. Backstage is nasty. The streets are dirty, there are dumpsters, and even piles of junk all over the place. Really, it looks like any heavy industrial area, but compared to the stunning cleanliness of what’s on the other side of the fence, it’s a little startling. Again, not something I wasn’t aware of, but fun to see for myself. And Monica was all about this, happy to point out, and even have us point out, all the gross things that were going on back there. It really shows the pride they take in the areas people are supposed to see.

Waiting immediately in front of us was our private coach. It would be our transportation between the various parks and sites around the resort. For now, it would make the loop around the back of the park on the main access road. Past the greenhouses of the Land, and the hangar for Soarin, which is actually immediately next to the Imagination pavilion. That explains the long walk through the queue. Without a doubt, your entire perspective of how the park laid out is messed with when you come back here.

Continuing around to the World Showcase, we passed by the back of the France pavilion, and noticed something odd about the Eiffel Tower. From inside the park, it seems as though the structure looms in the background, towering behind the scene seemingly in the distance. But from back here, you can clearly see the thing is actually quite small, inside the border of the park on the roof of one of the buildings, and only the top half of the tower. Now I never thought that Epcot had built a full-scale replica, and I suspect no one does, but to see how the structure really looks, and to see how the designers get so much out of so little is impressive nonetheless. The funny thing is Disney has reconstituted the entire tower in their 3D recreation on Google Earth. I guess they’re attempting to extend the magic.

World Showcase
We made our first stop behind the show building for the American Adventure. Walking back into the park, it was explained that we were still behind-the-scenes, since the World Showcase had not opened yet. In fact, Monica asked for signs that the area was not “show ready”. There were cast members walking about in nondescript work gear, there was an electric vehicle in the middle of the midway, and there was no music. Now I’ve been to plenty of amusement parks outside their normal operating hours, but for some reason it seemed especially creepy to see part of Epcot “down.”

On the main path to the area, Monica did give us a quick spiel about forced perspective, but with a twist. Pointing out that the American Adventure theater appeared to be a three story building, she had a couple of us who were close to 6 feet tall walk towards it. Now that we were looking for it, it was pretty obvious that the building was significantly taller as we seemed to shrink the closer we got. We all know how the castle and buildings on Main Street are made to look taller with this visual trick. Here was the first time I had realized forced perspective can be used for the opposite effect.

You see, buildings from the era of this pavilion in this architectural style wouldn’t have been more than 3 stories tall, but designers had to somehow “hide” the enormous 1000+ seat theater inside. By stretching the floors, using oversized windows, doors and other accents, and by subtly sloping the ground, its true scale is disguised. Again, looking at it after knowing this, it’s pretty obvious that the building is in fact quite large. But one thing, though, stands out to me: I had never noticed it one way or the other before. And really, isn’t that exactly what the Imagineers are going for, to make everything seem in place with everything else?

We went back behind the theater and saw how the building became significantly less themed. No more brick and mortar treatment, less convincing windows – eventually it just turned in a plain old wall. Yup, the good old line-of-sight cost saving technique. But that’s come somewhat further as the resort has as expanded. Now they have to worry about views from hotel balconies and even from one park into another. Can’t think of where you can see another park from ground level? Well it’s right here in the World Showcase, where you can plainly see the Tower of Terror in the distance behind the Moroccan pavilion skyline. If you’ve never noticed it before, you’re not alone. The back of the tower was designed with an architectural style in concert with the North African region. And here is where it hits you: every detail is planned, nothing is an accident or left to chance. Disney exerts a methodical control over the environment it has created, and often it’s taken to the extreme, as in an example like this.

American Adventure
Our first real treat was in store as we headed into the backstage area of the stage show itself, to see the elusive scene shifter. As those who have seen the performance know, it’s made up in part by a series of scenes raised into view with various animatronic characters representing histories finest. What you won’t see is that there actually is no stage; it’s simply a large open pit where these scenes are mechanically raised and lowered by impressive hydraulic arms.

What lies beneath is actually a massive trolley, easily 50 or more feet on a side, though surprisingly difficult to judge its exact scale. Before each show, the entire mechanism is silently and invisibly rolled underneath the seats of the theater. In the course of the performance, each scene unit in the first row (each row has a few scenes) is pushed up into view and lowered, and the trolley rolls away from the audience lining up the next row of scenes for their cue. It’s an ingenious design solution, though I tend to wonder if it’s any cheaper than employing live performers – but that’s obviously not the point, now is it?

We were given an up-close view of one of the spare animatronic heads without any of the detailed features – no coloring, no eyebrows – just a bald Mark Twain. We learned that the eyes were specially made for Disney by an outside company (as is the case with many of these sorts of specialty show pieces), and we were even allowed to touch the synthetic skin. It was surprisingly tough though still soft, much like real skin I suppose. Here we were first introduced the history of animatronics, starting with the A-1 from the 1960s up to the A-100 models of today. But there will be more animatronics fun later.

As cool as seeing all that was, the highlight was getting to watch the scene shifter roll into its starting position for the first show of the day. Not a sound. To see something so large and so mechanically complex move so silently was beyond impressive. And most people will never even know.

Heading back to the bus, we heard a bit about the original plans for the World Showcase. Unfortunately many of the designs of a perpetual Worlds’ Fair have been forgotten as countries seem less and less eager to sponsor a pavilion, but there is still room for at least two or three additional countries. Guests may notice the gap between China and Germany, which was once slated for an African pavilion, though thanks to Animal Kingdom that has become entirely unlikely. Discussions with Russia, Australia, Spain, and a handful of other countries have all but ceased. Do I expect to see a new country anytime soon? Seeing as it’s been over 20 years since the last was added, I find it highly unlikely. I’m not sure if all the focus on Future World over the last decade will continue, or if it will eventually result in cries of attention for World Showcase. Time will tell.

Also, the original idea was to have the American pavilion, as the host nation, at the front of the lagoon, before both Mexico and Canada. It was quickly deemed that the transition from Future World to a colonial America would be too jarring. Instead, it was placed at the back, as the centerpiece of the area, and as far away from the future as possible. Instead, long, nondescript pathways take you from the one half of the park to the other, and each of the countries is presented in essentially modern times. The trip from the future to the 1700s may still not be entirely seamless, but I’d venture that most guests wouldn’t give it a second thought, probably because Disney did.

Cast Services
Continuing the loop around the back of the park, we made our next stop just behind the Norway pavilion. Here we would visit Cast Services. On our way into the building we passed the library. While little more than a trailer, it’s unique to Epcot because of all the young international cast members who come to work at their respective pavilions in something of a cultural exchange program (not that we send anyone over there). It’s nice to see these folks are able to continue with their studies while they help to enlighten American tourists of the concept of different cultures. It’s an uphill battle, I know.

The Cast Services is really the central hub for all the cast members who work in the park. Each park has one, and it’s a combination of administrative, logistical, and human resource offices. Everything from a computer lab to career development services to a café and break area. This was our brief chance to see the day-to-day lives of these employees.

The main hallway is quite the hub of activity, people going every which way – some carrying costumes, some carrying text books, some carrying breakfast. The walls are lined with awards, bulletins, tons of pictures and artwork. There was an internal newsletter that I really wanted to steal, as well as a photo array of some of the resort executives – all with their name tags of course. The rumor that these higher-ups are expected to spend much of their time in the park might be true, we ran into one who said hello to us as he briskly headed into the park. I think he was a GM of something or other.

Monica took the opportunity to talk about support, both from the company to the workers, and among the employees themselves. She stressed a very strong culture of cooperation and determination to provide a positive experience. I could only think how helpful it would be if those Six Flags executives and managers could see and hear this for themselves.

Even the music was upbeat. But one thing it wasn’t – Disney. This apparently was a reminder to cast members that here they were in their own space. There was even an entire corridor painted from floor to ceiling by members of dozens of different departments and employee organizations. It wasn’t about putting on a show here; it was about getting everything you needed to help you do the best job you could. And sometimes, that clearly meant getting away from the mind-numbing, repetitive music. There’s a reason they call the background music throughout the parks “loops”.

On the logistical side, we went into the wardrobe services to see how the costuming process worked. For the most part, cast members wear relatively simple outfits specified for a specific region of a park. This is in contrast to special costumes used for shows, parades, or characters. This normal day-to-day wear can be checked out for up to a week, and folks are allowed to have 5 full versions. No more daily check-in and check-out of clothes apparently. We went into the room and saw this all first-hand, including what looked like a line at a department store as cast members got their wardrobe pieces scanned by barcode and swiped their ID cards.

We also briefly visited the locker area, where everyone could store their personal effects – keys, purses, watches, etc. Here we learned about “Good Show” and “Bad Show”, the legendary Disney policy about the standards of physical appearance. Everything from the shape of sideburns to the style of sunglasses to the material of shoes is outlined in a series of posters. Hey, if there wasn’t some over-the-top effort for consistency and control, it wouldn’t be Disney, would it? On a much lighter note, we also walked over a random series of different carpet styles in a high traffic area. These were for testing the durability and wear of samples before they were put into use throughout hotels and attractions. Pretty clever. On the way out, we passed by make-up where a handful of face characters were getting ready for the day. We could see the poster templates of how makeup should be done for each of the different characters, but it was mostly cool to see Alice and Mary Poppins getting ready for work.

As we got back on the bus and headed for our next destination, we could again see how close various attractions really are, as the Mexico pavilion and the show building for Test Track are all of 50 feet apart. The onstage walk between the two is easily 5+ minutes, something we experienced firsthand many times. We also passed by the high-speed area of Test Track. I found it astounding, but it seems most guests, and even people on the tour, didn’t realize that this was where that portion of the ride took place. When I correctly answered this (Monica loved to quiz us) I had to admit that I had been here before. I was lucky enough to perform as part of Disney’s Magic Music Days on two different occasions in high school. This meant a parade in the Magic Kingdom, a recording session at Epcot, and the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes as a ‘cast member for a day’ at both. Megan also correctly noted that it wasn’t just a parking lot that Test Track swirled over – all the cars were GM models. Monica seemed suspicious of us for the rest of the visit.

Back to the top

It’s a pretty quick drive from Epcot to the Studios, and once we got there we again played “name that show building”. Here we passed behind Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, the old animation offices, and stopped next to the back of Toy Story Mania. There was also a parking deck we passed, just so you know it’s not all cool stuff backstage. Instead of playing some 3D arcade games, we went across the street and entered the Creative Costuming department.

Creative Costuming
This is not to say that the costumes most cast members wear throughout the resort aren’t “creative”, but this is where the truly exceptional wardrobe pieces are conceived, designed, and made. We entered the reception area and our presence was announced throughout the building – supposedly in case anyone was doing a fitting. The costumes in the lobby area were impressive themselves, scale replicas of three princess costumes for a parade. The detail was amazing, a starfish necklace and a scale-like overlay as part of the dress for Ariel. These were some of the very subtle though very thoughtful design elements.

It was time to meet some of these people. We stopped by a number of workstations, and they were gracious enough to talk about whatever they were working on. Our first stop was to meet a designer, who was sketching out designs for a costume for the new parade. It was also assembled in muslin, a cheap fabric used for clothing protoypes, on a mannequin. She was also working on a repair of a jacket used in SpectroMagic. As we passed that around, along with its battery pack, we were able to see how intricate it was, both visually to enhance the lighting effects, as well as functionally to accommodate all the bulbs, wires and circuitry while still allowing the performer freedom to move and even dance. Needless to say, getting a hands-on look at this was impressive.

We also picked up a little bit of trivia. When switching from the Main Street Electrical Parade to SpectroMagic, show designers wanted a way to enhance the light effects without the extra cost of additional lights. The idea was to design dozens of tiny mirrors into each costume. After testing this out in the studio, it looked great - as bright and sparkling as could be. But once it was put into use, everyone was disappointed by how dull it looked. They eventually realized why – that because the parade takes place at night, most of what was being reflected by the mirrors was just darkness. They didn’t add light, they actually replaced it. Since then, all of the mirrors have been replaced with more iridescent rhinestones.

From conceptual design, we went to the CAD area, where the models were scanned and captured in computer form to ensure consistency. Once again, we met the workers as they were in the process, and they were happy to orient us to some of their tasks and projects. The room we were in is actually visible as part of the Tram Tour. Though it was down for refurbishment, you would normally be able to see all of this, ever so briefly of course, as you drove by the windows. Instead, we were lucky enough to watch and talk to these people directly.

We passed by rows of seamstresses hard at work. Some were working on new designs, others were making complicated repairs. Near them was the fabric cutter, a long table straddled by a computerized cutting mechanism. Designs from the CAD would be put into specifications on a cleverly named ‘spec sheet’, which would be punched into the cutter, and with layers of material laid flat on the table, sliced into the necessary pieces that would then be combined to make the costumes. Unfortunately the apparatus wasn’t being used, though the operator went to great lengths to describe how it worked and hunt down a spec sheet. Again, everyone was very friendly, very happy to walk us through their process, and seemed very proud of their work and of being a part of the team.

It was time for a restroom break, so after we got back on the bus and drove back around to the base of the Tower of Terror, we headed onstage, popping out besides the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster queue area. With a free minute, I thought I’d stick it to the system and pop in our tickets for a Fastpass since we would be spending our evening here – not to mention that the park was surprisingly crowded. No luck, these guys are cleverer than I give them credit for. I instead received a disclaimer that since the admission tickets had not been scanned at the entry, I wasn’t allowed to pick up Fastpasses. I didn’t even think about it, I was inside the park without going through the gate. I jokingly complained to Monica, and even she had forgotten about that rule. Oh well, not as many loopholes in the system as I thought.

Tower of Terror
This sure beat getting to stick around at the Tiki Room in Disneyland. Once backstage again, we headed right for the maintenance bay of the Tower of Terror. No one to greet us or show us around this time, but we were able to enjoy a few minutes talking about the technology of the ride, while all of a few feet from one of the ride vehicles.

It certainly wasn’t news to me how the vehicles are automatically controlled, as they wirelessly follow the path of a copper wire embedded in the concrete floor, but to see the mechanisms up close was a real surprise – I didn’t even realize this was a part of the tour. It was also cool to see how the floor of the “elevator” is several feet above the ground, leaving room for the machinery that allows the vehicles to roll around with 360 degrees of freedom. I can’t say I learned anything new here. I knew the ride was unique for its fourth dimension scene, I knew the drops are faster than the acceleration of gravity, and I knew that when Otis was originally approached about their involvement, they immediately rejected the offer, noting that they had spent the entire history of their company trying to avoid exactly what Disney was trying to recreate.

There was one small piece of trivia. Apparently an oversized jar of pickled sausages was accidentally left in one of the scenes and was subsequently glued down by the set designers who mistook it for a prop. The jar remains today, visible to the left of center in the storage room behind the post-ride pictures. Why there is a detailed and creepy room here and not just a wall is beyond me, and yet another reminder of how impressive this attraction is.

Unlike visiting the Tiki Room, we did not get to experience the attraction. It was merely a coincidence that we had yet to visit Hollywood Studios at this point, and this only made us more excited. Fortunately we’d ride Tower of Terror first thing after arriving in the evening and we’d be satisfied. For now, it was time to head to lunch, and for satisfaction of a different kind.

Back to the top

The satisfaction of awesome barbecue, to be specific. We got back on the bus and drove to the Wilderness Lodge, one of the more impressive accommodations in the resort. No question the nearby Contemporary Lodge is grandiose, but the detail and lush décor of this place surely has it beat. Themed after the grand resorts of the Pacific Northwest, it was the model for the equally stately Grand Californian over at the Disneyland Resort. All that really needs to be said is that this is a deluxe resort indeed; don’t let its rustic appearance fool you.

We sat at a single long table and chatted a bit with our neighbors. To our left was a woman coincidentally also from San Jose, on her first visit to Disney World. Across from us was a couple from Yonkers who were quite the veterans, having stayed at this very resort on several occasions. They were even members of the Disney Vacation Club, though they fortunately didn’t try to recruit us. So well versed were they that they even warned us about asking the wait staff for ketchup – an odd inside joke at the restaurant that can be witnessed merely by doing so.

Our lunch would be an all-you-can-eat cavalcade of barbecue. Of course there was corn and potatoes and corn bread, but the highlights were ribs, sausage, and chicken fresh from the spit. The sauce was outstanding, and the meats tender and juicy. I have no idea what would be in store for a poor, poor vegetarian (or even someone on a diet!), all I knew was that I was in heaven. The sausage was easily tops. Dessert was a hot, gooey, strawberry crisp pie, served with ice cream on top.

As we enjoyed the meal, the friendly wait staff was very engaging and interactive (almost to a fault). In fact, the whole atmosphere was very welcoming, and there were even games for kids, including a wooden horse race around the restaurant. In case your kids weren’t exhausted enough from their morning in the parks, this would do the trick. It was definitely a fun place for a hungry family – and great for us because it’s probably not a venue we would have otherwise gone out of our way to sample. If anything, it was a little odd that we’d go to such a family-friendly place when the minimum age for the tour was 12 and there was no one in our group even near that. Either way, the food was terrific, so I wasn’t about to complain.

Back to the top

We headed back out towards World Drive and passed the amazing wooded entry to the hotel. On the way in we had learned these trees were specifically brought here from British Columbia, and they really set the scene. Taking a right we headed north past the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom. Not too much further up the road, just past the park’s border, we got a nice view of the roundhouse for the monorails and the trains. Oddly enough, it isn’t actually round, but cool to see nonetheless. If only that was a stop on the tour.

Textile Services
Instead, our visit would be paid to a less glamorous but no less critical facility, the laundry shop. I suppose shop is a bit of an understatement, it really is a gigantic warehouse full of some impressive industrial equipment, all to make sure everything in the resort is fresh and clean. Actually, this is one of a few such facilities throughout the resort. While others handle the massive amounts of linens and towels from the hotels, this one is for wardrobe, specifically the outfits you see throughout the hotels and on your average park employee.

The process is not much different than what you do at home, except both the scale and the automation help manage the incredible volume that comes in the door every day. Our visit was during a “quiet” period. While the place is operated 24 hours a day, most of the work is done overnight, saving on peak electricity use, avoiding issues with water pressure – and besides, people are using their clothes during the day. That last one really isn’t the case, the inventory of outfits are so deep there’s almost no chance of shortage.

Things were quiet enough for us to get pretty close to the action. We entered through the loading bay, where containers full of mixed items are dropped off. From there they’re brought upstairs to the sorting area. About a dozen or so huge hoppers collect like items as all the incoming clothes are sorted by hand. Employees merely pick items up off the conveyer and toss them in the appropriate hopper. It works like a big funnel as the items fall into a sizeable laundry bag. They’re constantly being weighed, and when the load is full, it automatically detaches from the hopper and makes its way down a series of tracks to wait for the next phase. An empty bag automatically slides in behind it to start the next load. The full loads wind their way overhead and eventually make their way to a drop area.

To see what happens next, we headed downstairs to the washing area. The falling clothes from above are dropped into another bag, where they are held until a washer opens up. These machines are enormous, easily 10-15 feet on a side, and there are about 5 or 6 of them in a row. The door slowly opens, and the clothes are dropped onto a conveyer which shoots them into the machine. When a load is finished, the entire unit rises up and tilts forward and the clothes return to the conveyor. From here, they are taken to the drying area. The computer system to manage this is incredible and complex, based on the look we got of a control panel. The system knows which kinds of clothes come from which hopper, keeps track of it as they make their way one at a time into washing machines, and controls the washers setting for the type of material. And you thought sorting your lights from darks was a pain.

I was somewhat surprised to learn that very little of the clothes are machine dried, but considering what it takes to get clothes wrinkle-free, I could have guessed everything is hung up fresh from the wash and sent through a standing dryer. That is, launderers take each item by hand, scan the barcode, and hang it up on a “smart” hanger where it heads off on an impressive series of rails to be dried while hanging. The hanger is smart because not only does it carry the clothes through all this, it also keeps track of exactly what is on the hanger, and an impressive nest of rails carry dry items to their respective racks.

Items are them spot checked and if they need attention, quick work is done right there. Otherwise they’re sent to Creative Costuming for the more intricate repairs. If they are in good shape, they stay on the final rack and then are transported en masse to their respective destinations. All the Space Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight uniforms are sent to the wardrobe services at the Magic Kingdom, all the Caribbean uniforms are sent to the Beach Resort, and so on. Every respective location in the resort has its row.

I suppose this may all been a bit mundane for some people, but it’s hard to ignore the scale and the efficiency of the operation. To see the enormity of the effort, and to see the ingenuity of the process needed to carry it out is very impressive. To then remember that this is just one of several such facilities in the resort is truly overwhelming, and paints an inescapable picture of exactly how remarkable this place is.

Central Shops
But the real heart and soul of the operation is just across the street. This is where the magic happens, where the parks were, and continue to be built piece by piece. While much of the construction of a new attraction is obviously done on site, many of the little pieces that make it work are built right here. This was actually the first building on the property, and much of the resort was built right here. As far as I am concerned, this is the tour, and everything else was just for reference.

We started in the metal shop, where sheet metal is cut, iron is wrought, and whatever else is needed to keep the place up and running. We’re talking everything from railings to counter tops to light fixtures to station gates. Yes, a lot of things are purchased directly from outside suppliers, but you know Disney will put their mark on everything that comes in the doors.

And that is no clearer than when you hit the main floor and encounter ride vehicles as far as the eye can see. Trains from roller coasters, cars from dark rides, logs from Splash Mountain – here is where the vehicles are literally taken apart piece by piece, inspected, and reassembled as part of their regular maintenance. Seeing a rocket from Space Mountain outside of its molded fiberglass shell or the undercarriage of a vehicle from Snow White is an impressive reminder of the complex and diverse technologies that keep the place running.

We got up close views of Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster trains separated into a series of cars, the same for an Everest train. The logs from Splash Mountain were all over the place, as the entire ride was down for annual rehab. It was a great opportunity for mechanics to attend to as many of the logs as possible so capacity wouldn’t have to be lowered when the ride was back up. There were Dumbos, tea cups, Triceratops; it seemed like every ride in the entire resort was represented. It’s very cool how they have more than enough vehicles to keep the rides running at capacity so that they are able to make repairs at the same time, switching them out in the middle of the night. And that all of this happens 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is impossible to forget.

From there, we made it to the main assembly area, where large projects are able to be constructed from start to finish along the entire length of the massive workshop – it’s more like a hangar really. It was our lucky timing that had this area abuzz with work on the new parade. At one end, a finished float seemingly ready to head into the park. At the other, a plywood and metal skeleton with a lot of attention needed. In between we could plainly see the step by step process of constructing these impressive floats. First the ride system, with the driver’s seat at a good vantage point but hidden through a mesh screen. Next the float platforms and walkways the performers would occupy, and finally the accouterments, trimmings and various design elements. Even people (like me) who could take or leave a parade will still be impressed. Unfortunately, once the parade is on Main Street, the scene before us will all be a memory, but it won’t be long until this area is filled with the efforts of the next great Disney experience, and the process will begin again.

We toured a few more of the shops areas, the wood shop where, like the metal shop, so many of the wonderful pieces that make up the parks and the hotels are built right here. In addition, this is where the carousel is tended to, which also had extra horses getting attention. It’s no exaggeration; these classic hand-carved pieces are constantly being restored. Next we took a brief stroll through the sign shop, and if you’ve ever tried to navigate anywhere throughout the complex, you can understand how busy these folks are. Right next door was the paint shop, where we learned that originally the castle was painted the same shade of blue of the original in Anaheim, but just didn’t look right. It wasn’t until they realized that the improved air quality (relative to L.A., anyway) resulted in an altered hue of the sky in the background, and the Orlando castle had to be repainted accordingly. Seriously, they think of everything.

Our last stop in this fabrication paradise was something of an animatronics graveyard. Nearby (and unfortunately out of sight) were the character head shop and the studio where new animatronics are designed, maintained, and programmed. We would have to settle for piles and piles of outdated and retired machinery. One character was left in somewhat functioning form as an example. Bonnie Appetite from the former Kitchen Kaberet (now Soarin’, thankfully) was still hooked up to her controls, and Monica was able to control her movements through pressing buttons which activated hydraulic and pneumatic controls, solenoids and actuators throughout the structure.

Bonnie was a relatively more advanced model, with individually controlled fingers on one of her hands. Interestingly enough, rarely was an entire character made up entirely of one level of technology. Almost always, and depending on the specific movement and animation they were assigned (as determined by the Imagineers and animators designing the attraction) these figures are equipped with certain body parts made of particular technology. That is, if fingers and precise facial expressions are needed, the new and expensive stuff is used. In many cases, only a gross arm gesture is needed, and a less complex piece of machinery is needed. Pretty obvious once you think about it, but this was new information by me. I figured a character’s technology was head to toe. Once again, seeing the inner workings of decade’s worth of animatronic magic in person is not something we took lightly.

Back to the top

We turned in our safety goggles as we headed back to the bus and headed for the Magic Kingdom. It’s funny to stop and compare had we had seen so far to the tour experience at Disneyland. As you can clearly tell, there’s not much in common. We may not have seen every last detail or heard stunning secrets, but everything we did encounter managed to reinforce our longstanding notions that Disney has a commitment to detail and efficiency that no entertainment provider can even approach. It would be nice to step backstage at Disneyland, but you really need to be able to see the size and scope of the operation here in Orlando to get to true impression of what Walt always dreamed of – complete and total control over your environment to create an unparalleled guest experience.

It’s hard to admit, but leaving the shop for the park was actually somewhat anticlimactic. No question seeing the Utilidors was something we’d been looking forward to as soon as we booked the tour, but as far as going backstage, there wasn’t much else on the itinerary. For that matter, I had already been lucky enough to see much of the west side of the backstage area during the pair of parades I performed in back in high school. At least there was something new to see.

Utilidors
Heading back south, just past Space Mountain, we took a right to head into the borders of the park. Just like for Epcot and Hollywood Studios, we got our bags checked on the bus as we passed the security checkpoint. There was a tunnel underneath the railroad, and we were in the management parking area (i.e., for important people). When you pull in, the Carousel of Progress and Galaxy Place Theater (while it lasts) of Tomorrowland are to your right, Main Street is directly ahead, and the Town Square is ahead on your left. I previously had no idea there was even a parking lot here.

Monica seemed almost disappointed that each and every one of us had heard of the Utilidors and knew exactly what they were. We knew all about the fact they were on the true ground floor, and the park was built on the second floor due to the high water table. Again, no real secrets were revealed, but we were able to step down into what used to be fabled territory. There are pictures and even maps of it all online, but heading down the stairs was still one of the more exciting moments of the trip.

And then you’re down there, and it looks like an industrial corridor. There are pipes running along the ceiling (that’d be the “utilities” portion of the name), lots of electronic carts rushing around, and of course plenty of cast members headed where they need to be. This space wasn’t quite as inviting as the Cast Services we saw at Epcot, but really the idea isn’t to hang around here. Sure there were break areas and some memorabilia down here, not to mention a hair salon and the park’s prep kitchens – but the Utilidors are really for getting everything where it needs to be inside the park. (The Magic Kingdom does have its own Cast Services, but it’s adjacent to the employee parking lot, opposite the Site Services area.)

We took a stroll, making an effort not to block folks on the clock. We ran into the Dapper Dans, some likely ride operators, and plenty of maintenance workers. During a quick stop to get some info, we heard the vacuum garbage removal system in action – and it was surprisingly loud. It was interesting to learn that most employees enter the Utilidors directly from true ground level. The shuttle buses from the parking lot drop employees off at the back of the park, into what looks like a loading dock – except the Utilidors are straight head, and the park itself is upstairs – specifically the restrooms opposite from Dumbo are directly overhead as you enter. Not surprisingly, we were disoriented the entire time we were down there, despite all the maps and color-coded walls.

We also learned that Epcot does have something of a similar Utilidor system, though on much less of an impressive scale. Apparently it only accesses a small portion of the Future World area, instead of the entire park. The theme is more cohesive in the area, so cast members walking from one pavilion to another don’t look out of place. Also, there is much better “outside the borders” access into and out of the park, seeing as there’s no railroad to deal with. And the main reason the Magic Kingdom is the only park in the world with a tunnel system this extensive – it was really, really expensive to put in. Not only was it expensive to build, but then much of the dirt dug up to create the Seven Seas Lagoon was placed over it to create the “second floor”. Take a second to notice the slope from the edge of the water just outside the main entrance, up to the base of the Mickey floral. It’s subtle, but it’s no less than a 15 foot vertical climb. That’s the southern-most point of the Utilidors.

I didn’t get to see the DACS room (Digital Animation Control System), and we didn’t encounter a surprised costumed character without a head and smoking a cigarette, but it was still very cool to see what’s generally considered the heart of the Magic Kingdom, and, outside of tours, one of the most restricted areas in the entire resort. Why they pretend it doesn’t exist is beyond me, knowing about it only makes me want to visit more.

Main Street
Back up the stairs and around the corner of the parking lot, and we would be coming onstage one last time. We entered through the doors between the restrooms near the Tomorrowland Noodle Station and the Plaza Restaurant. After a quick break, we headed down Main Street as guests were lining up for the imminent parade. There was an ever-so-brief spiel similar to the one we got at Disneyland giving the Imagineering basics of Main Street.

One neat factoid was that there is only one set of windows where the business names are real. This is a tribute to the handful of dummy corporations Disney set up to secretly buy up land during the early stages of the so-called Florida Project. There was RETLAW (Walter backwards), the Ayefour Corporation (as in the I-4 interstate), as well as my favorite: M.T. Lott Real Estate Investments (which clearly sounds like “empty lot”).

But the main point of the stop onstage was to see the parade, not because everyone loves a parade, but because it really is a great chance to see everything that we had experienced all day in action and tied together. Between the enthusiastic cast members, the intricate costumes, the elaborate floats, and all the technology it takes to operate – it was surprisingly effective at evoking some serious appreciation for everything that goes into putting together an experience like this. Heck, I almost feel a little guilty for otherwise not liking parades. But to now be able to see so much deeper into the many pieces that have to come together: the smile of a performer, the artistry of the costume, the craftsmanship of the float, the synchronization of the music, and driving of the vehicle - it’s now a much more rewarding experience to be able to enjoy something like this.

After the parade finished up, we left our shaded spot in front of the Fire Station and headed backstage for the last time to catch the bus to Epcot. We turned in our audio units and filed in, and Monica took a last round of questions on the drive. While she couldn’t give a direct answer about park capacity, we learned that the Animal Kingdom has the highest, followed by Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom has the lowest. This was somewhat surprising to me, considering how many attractions the Magic Kingdom has and how few Animal Kingdom has, but the reality when it comes to capacity and fire codes is that it is purely about square footage, and with that in mind it makes complete sense.

Considering this and then adding in popularity on top of that, it’s also no surprise that the Magic Kingdom is always the first to hit capacity, in which case there are three contingency levels. At the first level, only annual pass holders and resort guests are let in. At the next level, only resort guests are let in. Lastly, when capacity is reached, no one is let in. That’s not to say the park closes for the day, but rather that additional guests are only let in once a sufficient number exit. Apparently exercising these contingencies is not entirely uncommon, and happens most frequently between Christmas and New Years, not surprisingly. If you ask me, that sounds entirely unbearable, and I silently congratulated myself for planning our visit when I did.

Monica was also surprisingly upfront about prospects for another theme park. The company is certainly open to the idea, and the amount of land they have is essentially infinite (so much so that pieces are being sold to help pay some bills), so while it will probably happen some day, there is nothing on the horizon. Most of the upcoming development would likely be around more shopping, dining and entertainment areas, akin to Downtown Disney. Apparently this is what comes up most frequently in guest research (why didn’t I get polled?!), though I have to imagine it only helps that there is a healthy profit margin in there too.

Back at Epcot, we disembarked in the bus transfer area, but not before receiving our Backstage Magic pins. I’m certainly not one for pin collecting (nor do I even see the appeal personally), but I’m not about to turn down a nice souvenir. As we left, we were all sure to thank Monica, and promised her that we’d wait at least 24 hours before putting the pins on eBay. She really did a very nice job and it was a fun to get to spend the day with her. Her style could not have been more different than Wendy (our riding-suit-wearing guide at Disneyland), she was very laid back and informal, but no less effective at not only pointing out interesting pieces of the magic, but helping us to notice it for ourselves. It was something that stuck with us for the rest of the visit, and something I hope we’ll continue to notice the next time we’re at a Disney park.

I suspect it goes without saying that we enjoyed the experience immensely, and would recommend it to anyone who is able and interested. While others may refrain from providing the detail I’ve chosen to share here, I assure you that it will not lessen your experience. I was quite familiar with what was in store, and it was still impossible not to marvel at all of it. There’s little question that much of what Disney does and how they do it is not exactly secret these days, but with advanced knowledge or not, to see it in person, happening before you, is a truly unique experience, and something I expect most visitors would delight in.

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