Magic Kingdom: Keys to the Kingdom Tour

My family and I have been planning to do a tour at Walt Disney World for a couple years now and finally booked the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom. This tour takes you through some of the classic attractions with a group guide sharing the history and fun facts about them. The tour takes you on 2 rides; Jungle Cruise and The Haunted Mansion. On the Jungle Cruise instead of having the normal skipper telling you corny jokes your tour guide tells you more about the history of the ride. In addition to the rides you walk backstage to the parade line up and storage areas, eat an included lunch at the Columbia Harbour House, and even go under the park to the Utilidors. Backstage and underground are no photography areas, no matter how much we would all love to take some pictures! The neatest thing about being backstage is the chance of seeing cast members working on exclusive material, on my tour we managed to catch a glimpse of a dance practice for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Parade!

This tour is named not for the facts of the park but for the four "Keys" that all of Disney is run by; Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency, in order of importance. Safety is always most important and everything from the color of the sidewalk to crowd control are covered. Courtesy is the guests comfort and everyone visiting the park is treated with a great amount of respect. Show was Walt's understanding that people come to his parks to get away from the real world and this live stage is kept up to the best possibilities of all the cast members. Efficiency is last, which is something I'm grateful for in Florida as one of the most inefficient things done is blasting AC with doors open! While some things seem impractical to most it is usually done to keep to the other 3 Keys. That being said, Disney is also very proactive in being environmentally friendly, they have their own power plant, recycling facility, and if you've ever seen the holiday lights covering the castle they are run with the same power it would take to run only 1 standard refrigerator!

Overall this tour was fabulous for either a Disney know-it-all or a beginner wanting to know more about the magic behind it all. I highly recommend going on the tour if you get the chance!

Some neat trivia from my tour:
~Oswald the lucky rabbit, Walt Disney's first animated creation was taken from him by Universal. Nearly 80 years later Disney traded rights with Universal, Al Michaels for Oswald. Yes that is right, a real person for an animated character!
~Steamboat Willie is not Mickey Mouse's first appearance in film. There were 2 other shorts made before it, but were not released on a national scale until later.
~On Main Street U.S.A. there is only 1 American flag, located at the central flag pole in Town Square, the rest only have 49 stars.
~The only building on Main Street that is truly 3 stories tall is the Kodak Theater. The rest are built with a "forced perspective" where every level is made smaller so that by the 3rd floor everything is half sized.
~Main Street is modeled after Walt's hometown
~Cinderella Castle is made out of fiberglass and there is no actual bricks in it
~The river around the center of the park is also connected to the Jungle Cruise ride and used to have a swan boat ride
~The drop in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is because the Railroad is right above it
~The bridge leading to Tomorrowland is larger than the one leading to Adventureland as the majority of visitors are right handed and have a natural tendency to go right
~You can tell which land you are in depending on the music you hear and the buildings or landscaping of the area.
~Backstage buildings are painted in "Go Away Green" so that any wandering eyes would not be able to discern its presence
~Magic Kingdom is the only park with the underground tunnels for cast members

Have a Magical Day!

Castaway Cay

If you ever get to opportunity to go on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean odds are you will make a stop at the private island known as Castaway Cay. On the island is several age specific areas as well as lovely family beaches with snorkeling and underwater treasures to be found whether on your own or with a tour. When docked you can see the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones' ship from Pirates of the Caribbean, and once you are on the way to the beaches there are many photo opportunities with it as a background. From the cruise ship you walk a little ways and than can catch a tram down to the beaches.

Down by the beaches is where you can buy or rent all your beach necessities. There are also random character meetings all around the island, so if you spot Minni Mouse in her bathing suit don't worry you are hallucinating! The first beach areas you come to are the family beaches and are fairly nice but don't seem to have much in the way of shade and tend to have more people at them all through the day. Walking down farther you might pass the younger children play areas, Spring-a-leak, Pelican Plunge, and Scuttle's Cove.
The teen designated area was still being built when I last visited in October 2010 and was not very fun. There was very little shade and not much to do but they were still working on it. Farthest from the ship is Serenity Bay the adults only beach. Sadly at the time of my cruise I was 16 and not supposed to be down there.
I personally am afraid of the ocean so I stuck to the beaches and hanging out with friends from the teen area but everyone I saw doing snorkeling looked as if they were having a great time and I know there are lots of neat things in the Snorkeling Lagoon.

Spend your time wisely if you are planning on doing more than lazing on the beach as there is lots to do on the island. If you are stuck on what to see you can always ask a cruise director or a crew member what they would suggest as well as check out some other Disney forums to get more opinions!
Some photos from my visit:

DCL: The Disney Wonder

October 2010 I went on my first Disney Cruise. Being an experienced cruiser with close to 20 vacations under my belt I had a general idea of what to expect but there were certain things you just can't prepare for that Disney brings to the table.

Walking on board for the first time you are introduced to the lobby by a waiting caller and then offered directions to different activities currently being held around the ship. If you embark around lunch time I highly suggest eating at Parrot Cay, you get a buffet with out fighting the crowds on the top deck and are served drinks by waiting cast members.

The dining on board is done differently from any other cruise line I've been on. Instead of staying in one room with a changing menu every night, aboard the Disney ships you have 3 different restaurants that you switch between and your waiting staff follows you to each room. On the Wonder the 3 main dining rooms are Parrot Cay, Triton's, and Animator's Palate. Each restaurant has its own special attributes associated to it. Parrot cay which is a buffet feels as if you are sitting inside an expanded Enchanted Tiki Room with all the vibrant colors and tropical birds painted everywhere. Triton's, true to it's name, has a mosaic mural on the back wall inspired by The Little Mermaid and is lit from large jellyfish like lamps on the ceiling making you feel as if you are dining in an underwater wonderland. Last but not least Animator's Palate is the most technological of all the general dining. While you eat the soundtrack of classic Disney movie music accompanies your meal as you can delight in the changing colors and pictures around the room.

There is always something going on to entertain the guests. Many activities you can partake in are in the theaters. The Disney Wonder has 2 movie viewing areas, one large inside which will play midnight releases of new movies (got to see Secretariat on my cruise!), and the outdoor screen by the pool. There is also the large Walt Disney Theater where the major performances are held every night. Just like the shows in the parks these are not to be missed.

As a teen it may seem that there isn't much to do, but like most cruise lines there is a strictly teen lounge. It is a great place to meet up with other people your age and chill out, play video games, or just get away from family for a while. One thing I would not suggest is sitting around bored if there is something going on! Little things such as audience participation which may seem like it is just for little kids is just as fun at 16 and 17! I've made some great lasting friends from cruises, and with social networking sites and texting it is beyond easy to keep in touch.

In true Disney fashion fireworks are not to be missed. The only cruise line to have a fireworks show definitely puts Disney Cruise Lines just another step above. Albeit the show is no where near in comparison to anything at the parks but for being in the middle of the ocean it is a pretty spectacular sight.

Have a magical day!