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Cindy DeRosa - October 2003

The Keys to the Kingdom Tour is a must for any Disney enthusiast.

We met at the Tour Garden where we were issued name tags, "Guest" passes for the backstage areas and ordered our lunch. Our group of 20, led by tour guide Ben, then began our journey on Main Street, USA where we sat on a seldom visited "side street" and learned about the planning of the park, the Main Street buildings, and the attention to details - even the things that most guests don't sseem to notice. We continued our walk up Main Street and on to Adventureland and another seldom used seating area where we learned more trivia. Ben told us some interesting stories about Walt and Roy Disney and the history of Mickey and the parks.

Our first behind the scenes visit was in the staging area for the parades. We were able to get a close-up look at the floats and costumes and see what's behind Splash Mountain - not at all what you'd expect.

Lunch was next. When we arrived we were escorted upstairs to a closed off area where our meals were waiting for us along with a special gift (not going to tell!!) After lunch we continued with some Liberty Square trivia and the storyline of theHaunted Mansion. Then it was in the Mansion's back door and on the ride, but not before Ben gave us some hidden things to look for.

Our next stop was the highly anticipated Utilidors. We were able to spend almost an hour and had the opportunity to ask "anything" and get the real answer which was often very different than the answer to the same question when asked in the "on stage" areas. When we left the Utilidors, we were behind the Main Street stores and we arrived back on Main Street just on time to find a place for the 3:00 parade.

I have tried to be brief and not give away too much, but don't get the wrong idea - there is little down time and even when we took a short break, Ben was still chatting with the group and keeping things interesting.

My best advice - wear comfortable shoes. Its a lot of walking, but worth every step.