Adventures by Disney provided a morning of unprecedented backstage access at Magic Kingdom Park during the first full day of Walt Disney World fun as part of Disney Parks Around The World – A Private Jet Adventure. We arrived before the park opened and stayed until it closed.
Coffee and tea were set up in the Grand Floridian Convention Center, where we went through a security screening before boarding Mears coaches to the park at 6:30 am. By 7:00, we were standing in front of Cinderella Castle for a group photo with the whole park to ourselves.
Be Our Guest Restaurant took deep pride and great pleasure in hosting us for breakfast, a rare treat since they typically only serve lunch and dinner. Tables were set with pastries, including gray stuff eclairs, while main course small plates included a braised short rib hash, baked egg ratatouille, and Mickey waffles.
Taking a leisurely stroll to Storybook Circus, we boarded the Walt Disney World Railroad and rode the train backward into the roundhouse, which is below where the monorails are stored. No photos were allowed, but you can see some in our review of “The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour.”
Our first stop was Holiday Services, where we were divided into 2 tour groups. Our tour guide was Lisa, who manages the operation and allowed us to take photos of the impressively cataloged warehouse of decor themed to each park, land, and resort.
As a special surprise, we were allowed to peruse a few ornament racks and select one to take home. Next, we went to Central Shops (no photos allowed) to learn about how ride vehicles and animatronics are cared for. Of particular interest was a train from Guardians if the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is already receiving some TLC. It’s ahead of schedule on purpose to get ahead of the routine schedule to keep them performing at their best. We also got to see a Jungle Cruise elephant receiving new skin, feel the difference between types of animatronic skin used, and see what it looks like beneath the epidermal layer.
Our tour ended on the second level of the roundhouse for a tour of the Monorail Workshop. No photos were allowed, with the exception of a photo op set up with a model of Monorail Green. The engineers talked us through how the monorails are cared for and maintained, showing examples of the chassis, wheels, maintenance vehicles, and a demonstration of how the new light packages can be changed for holidays and special events.
In addition to the ornament from Holiday Services, Central Shops gave us a pin and a laser-cut keychain, and the Monorail Workshop gave us an engraved piece of busbar, the metallic strip that provides power to the monorail.
To get back to the park, we boarded Monorail Green and got to travel backward over switches to get on the express line, backing into Magic Kingdom Station.
A buffet lunch was set up at Tomorrowland Terrace, offering stunning views of Cinderella Castle and cover from the first of several afternoon rain showers.
Lunch included chicken, a Greek salad, sweet potato casserole, and cheesy bread rolls. There was also an open bar, in addition to non-alcoholic refreshments.
Before lunch was over, we were given our pin of the day, featuring Cinderella in front of the castle with a monorail passing by. After lunch, we were split into groups of 10 and paired with a VIP Guide, who will be with us throughout our 3 days at the most magical place on Earth. With Shane, we experienced the following attractions with Lightning Lane access:
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Prince Charming Regal Carousel
- Haunted Mansion
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
Dinner was at your choice of pre-chosen restaurant. We chose Cinderella's Royal Table, but other options included Be Our Guest, Jungle Skipper Canteen, Tony's Town Square, and Liberty Tree Tavern. The novelty of Cinderella's Royal Table is that it’s in Cinderella Castle. It’s not known for the food and the restaurant was having challenges getting Guests on the Adventures by Disney trip sat, but we walked away with souvenirs in the form of a magic wand and heroes sword.
While the food wasn’t memorable, the signature dessert – The Clock Strikes Twelve. It’s a dark chocolate mousse paired with hazelnut gelato.
More rain was in the forecast, but thinking like Pollyanna, the good thing is you get rainbows after. This one looked like it was shining upon TRON Lightcycle / Run. Of our group of 10, we were the last 2 standing for Happily Ever After, the nighttime fireworks spectacular, which we enjoyed from the VIP viewing area typically reserved for Guests with a VIP guide.
Happily Ever After was the perfect kiss goodnight to a full day at Magic Kingdom Park. Tomorrow, we’re off to conquer 2 more parks – Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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Disney fans will soon be able to travel the globe from the comfort of their homes with Disney Around the World from Ravensburger. We brought along an early review copy of the game and look forward to playing it during downtime on this adventure.
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More Disney Parks Around The World – A Private Jet Adventure Trip Reports
- Pre-Trip Report – Travel Kit
- Day 1 – Disneyland Welcome
- Day 2 – The Walt Disney Studios
- Day 3 – Disneyland VIP Tours
- Day 4 – The Walt Disney Family Museum, Lucasfilm, and Summit Skywalker Ranch
- Day 5 – Summit Skywalker Ranch
- Day 6 & 7 – Flight to Tokyo
- Day 8 – Tokyo DisneySea with Imagineers
- Day 9 – Tokyo Disneyland and Club 33
- Day 10 & 11 – Shanghai Disneyland
- Day 12 & 13 – Hong Kong Disneyland
- Day 14 & 15 – Taj Mahal
- Day 16 – The Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza
- Day 17 & 18 – Disneyland Paris
- Day 19 – Paris City Tour
- Day 20 – Walt Disney World Welcome
- Day 22 – Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Day 23 & 24 – EPCOT and Departure