Keys to the Kingdom....

[millie]

Does anyone know how long in advance you have to book the Keys to the Kingdom tour and where you book it. If it is on the phone do you have the number?

Thanks
Lx

[Newhomebuyer]

Tours should be booked weeks in advance to be sure of getting the time and date you require.
Use 407-WDW-TOUR You need a credit card when you call. There is a 48 hour cancellation policy for refunds.You must be 16+.It is $58 dollars and park admission is also required.
I have never been, but am hoping to go this time.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Good advice. We did this tour in March this year and really enjoyed it. I wrote a short page for our park tickets site on it: http://www.park-tickets.com/KeysToTheKingdom.aspx

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Newhomebuyer
Tours should be booked weeks in advance to be sure of getting the time and date you require.
Use 407-WDW-TOUR You need a credit card when you call. There is a 48 hour cancellation policy for refunds.You must be 16+.It is $58 dollars and park admission is also required.
I have never been, but am hoping to go this time.
[/quote]

[millie]

Thanks - as usual!!!

Lx

[SunLover]

As a foot note (no pun intended) : Be prepared to do some serious walking ~ the tour lasts approx 5.5 hours ![:0]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

It's not as bad as it sounds Chris as they get you to sit down in various areas to discuss different things e.g. in a quiet area of Main Street USA about half way up on the right and another quiet area in Adventureland we did not know existed. That combined with the few rides you do and then sittign down for lunch breaks it up nicely [msnsmile2].
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SunLover
As a foot note (no pun intended) : Be prepared to do some serious walking ~ the tour lasts approx 5.5 hours ![:0]
[/quote]

[SunLover]

We actually did this tour about two years ago, and as John says, there are plenty of stops and sitting opportunities, but I have to say that some of the more senior members in our tour party had started flagging a good hour or so before the end. Maybe it was the heat ?

Having said that, it was great fun, and our guide was excellent. :)

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I didn't know you'd been on the tour too Chris. Did you do roughly the same itinery as us (http://www.park-tickets.com/KeysToTheKingdom.aspx) or do they vary it depending on the guide?
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SunLover
We actually did this tour about two years ago, and as John says, there are plenty of stops and sitting opportunities, but I have to say that some of the more senior members in our tour party had started flagging a good hour or so before the end. Maybe it was the heat ?

Having said that, it was great fun, and our guide was excellent. :)
[/quote]

[rosie]

We intend to take this tour on one of our trips after having read the Keys to the kingdom piece on the tickets page. The logistics of this kind of thing fascinate me.

In the Q&A session do you get to find out the numbers involved of things like power consumption, number of visitors, amount of trash, recycling etc etc etc, my list of questions is almost endless .... I know I'm a very sad person [:I] but half of the magic for me has always been how do they do this so well for so long and for so many people

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

You can ask absolutely any question you like. They do say that the answer might be different if you are on-stage (in a public area) or backstage. This is because they are not allowed to say anything to ruin the magic when on-stage.

One of the things they went through was how they deal with the HUGE amount of trash every day. It's very cleverly thought out and is not quite what you expect ... I'll not say any more [msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by rosieuk
We intend to take this tour on one of our trips after having read the Keys to the kingdom piece on the tickets page. The logistics of this kind of thing fascinate me.

In the Q&A session do you get to find out the numbers involved of things like power consumption, number of visitors, amount of trash, recycling etc etc etc, my list of questions is almost endless .... I know I'm a very sad person [:I] but half of the magic for me has always been how do they do this so well for so long and for so many people
[/quote]

[rosie]

Thanks John

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I found the main thing I took away from this tour was the absolute awe at how the whole place is organised and run and also the total dedication of the staff, from the bathroom cleaners all the way up to the top people. It has changed the way I look at Disney and added a whole new level of enjoyment to the parks that I did not have before. It's no wonder WDW is the #1 tourist destination [msnsmile2]

I'd recommend reading Inside the Magic Kingdom - Seven Keys To Disney's Success (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1885167237/qid=1091914391/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-1802899-0267353?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) before you take the tour as you will appreciate and read more into your guide's comments.

On our next trip we intend doing the Family Magic Tour (http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/family_magic.aspx) as we saw a few groups doing this when we were on our Keys tour and they were having great fun - our children would absolutely love it.

[SunLover]

John

The only difference I can see between your tour and the one Peter and I did was that although we didn't get to see where Tink lands after her flight, we did get to see inside a huge warehouse where all the parade floats and Spectro Magic floats were being refurbished and repaired.

There was quite a detailed explanation of some of the minute detail on the floats, that ordinarily would just pass you by in a blur.

Disney Detail at it's finest :D

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Is that the area behind Splash Mountain as we were not taken there but I have heard of others who went there?

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SunLover
John

The only difference I can see between your tour and the one Peter and I did was that although we didn't get to see where Tink lands after her flight, we did get to see inside a huge warehouse where all the parade floats and Spectro Magic floats were being refurbished and repaired.

There was quite a detailed explanation of some of the minute detail on the floats, that ordinarily would just pass you by in a blur.

Disney Detail at it's finest :D
[/quote]

[SunLover]

Yes that's right.

It's entered via a slip road from the park that is blocked off by what looks like regular fencing, just a little further along from the McDonald fries stand.

[tinkerbell]

God this tour sounds really my type of thing, but I can't bear to lose a day actually experiencing the park itself!

[rosie]

Ok we're definately booking this for Sept, it sounds great :)

[traceya89]

is this tour extra to your admission charge. it is the first i have heard of it but it does sound interesting.