Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour Review: Our Behind-the-Scenes Experience
- Practically Perfect Pixie Dust
- 3 hours ago
- 13 min read
On our most recent Walt Disney World trip, we finally experienced Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour at Magic Kingdom. This five-hour, behind-the-scenes tour is one of the only opportunities for regular guests to visit the famous utilidors beneath the park We had wanted to do this tour for a long time, but just could never squeeze the expereince in. However our 4th of July trip was slightly longer than our typical ones, and we decided it was finally time to dive in.
Keys to the Kingdom Tour at a Glance
Length: 5 hours
Price: $169–189 plus tax
Includes: Lunch
Park admission required: Yes
Age: 16+
Photos: No
Accessibility: Wheelchair and ECV accessible
What Is Disney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour?
The Keys to the Kingdom tour takes place over 5 hours as your tour guide brings stories of the park and its history to life as well as fun details of some of the mechanisms behind the running of the Magic Kingdom. There was a stop mid-tour for a pre-selected lunch from Columbia Harbour House, included in the price. (The menu was more limited than the regular Columbia Harbour House menu, but we still found several healthy and tasty options and enjoyed our meal.) Guests will also get to experience two attractions: Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion (though we have heard of Tiki Room getting subbed in for Jungle Cruise), plus a behind-the-scenes look at the parade floats and a trip down into the utilidors. You will be walking or on your feet for most of the 5 hours and the tour is predominantly outside, so time of year is something to consider when booking your tour. The tour is ECV and wheelchair accessible. While the pace wasn't strenuous, there was very little sitting outside of lunch, so comfortable shoes are a must. Guests must be at least 16 years of age to participate in the Keys to the Kingdom tour at Walt Disney World, and they do require a government-issued ID at check-in. The Keys to the Kingdom Tour at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom costs between $169 and $189 per person plus tax depending on the date and a 15% discount is available for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members.
Keys to the Kingdom is just one of the many Enchanting Extras available at Walt Disney World. If you're looking for more behind-the-scenes experiences, check out our complete guide to Walt Disney World Tours and Enchanting Extras.
Is the Keys to the Kingdom Tour Worth It?
We recommend this tour for guests who have visited the parks before and are looking for a more in-depth perspective of how the history and realities of maintaining the park shape the guest experience today. As long-time Disney adults we adored seeing the behind-the-scenes tidbits and hearing personal stories of how things were created.
We would not recommend this tour for first-time visitors or guests who are short on park time. It is a five-hour tour and takes up a considerable portion of the day. Also, if you are hesitant to pull back the curtain on the magic, we probably wouldn’t recommend this tour for you. We felt the behind-the-scenes elements didn’t detract from the magic we experience in the parks, but your mileage may vary there.
Overall, if you're a repeat visitor who loves Disney history and wants to see what happens behind-the-scenes, we personally found the Keys to the Kingdom Tour to be well worth the time and cost.
If you're still getting your bearings, our Magic Kingdom Guide is a great place to start before booking specialty tours like this.
What to Expect on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour
As we walk back through this experience with you, we won’t cover all of the behind-the-scenes details and backstories that we were told, however we’ll give you a better rundown of what to expect and how the day went, so you can decide if this is something you will enjoy.
Because you'll spend much of the five-hour tour outdoors, weather is something to seriously consider. We booked the first 8 a.m. tour of the day to avoid the worst of the July heat, and we'd make the same choice again. Since the tour runs rain or shine, bring a poncho or umbrella if the forecast looks questionable.
🧚 Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Book the earliest tour of the day if you're visiting during the warmer months. Much of the five-hour experience takes place outdoors, and starting at 8:00 a.m. helped us avoid the worst of the Florida heat while still leaving plenty of time to enjoy Magic Kingdom afterward.
Because much of this tour is outdoors, we'd definitely recommend checking out our Beat the Heat at Disney World Guide before booking a summer tour.
One thing we were concerned about was arriving on time. Since Disney now allows guests onto Main Street before official park opening, all of the tour participants ended up entering alongside everyone else, causing us to have to factor in the crowd and bottlenecks that happen at rope drop. The tour staff understood this, so arriving a few minutes after 8:00 wasn't an issue.
Tour check-in happens at the Town Square theater, just to the right as you enter Main Street U.S.A. We found a table to the left as you enter the theater building, very clearly marked for the Keys to the Kingdom tour. After selecting our lunch options, we were also given a free bottle of water at check-in, a definite perk considering how hot the days had been leading up to the tour day. (We actually learned EMTs at the park recommend at least 5 bottles of water before noon - any less and you aren’t keeping pace with how much you are sweating.)
We also grabbed a photo here with the Keys to the Kingdom sign. There are absolutely no photos allowed on this tour and phones had to be put away for the tour as well. This is a hard rule even while you are just walking around the main area of the park, but especially backstage. We were told multiple times that if we were caught even holding a phone or camera backstage that the tour would be halted and everyone’s devices confiscated. Consequently this was our only photo.
🧚 Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Take any photos you want before the tour begins. Once you're checked in, photography isn't permitted for the remainder of the experience—including while you're simply walking through the park with your guide.
Shortly after arriving we were greeted by our tour guide: Hunter. Let us start by saying Hunter was 11/10. Maybe even a 12. He did a phenomenal job bringing the stories he told to life, keeping them engaging, informative, and often very funny. He was also very aware of our comfort throughout the tour, putting us in shade whenever possible, finding us seating when we were in one location for a while.
He was especially attentive to the person in our party who was using an ECV. Hunter would go out of his way to put them at the front of the pack, ensuring they didn’t get lost in the crowd and could see the different things he was pointing out. We really appreciated the extra care, and felt that this tour was very doable for someone with limited mobility.
🧚 Pixie Dust Pro Tip: If you're using an ECV or wheelchair, don't let this tour intimidate you. We found Disney's routes and our guide's attention to accessibility made the experience much easier than we expected.
If mobility is a concern, you may also find our guide to using a Wheelchair or ECV at Walt Disney World helpful.
The tour traveled throughout the bustling, and loud, Magic Kingdom, and were given headsets in order to hear what Hunter was saying at all times.
Exploring Main Street U.S.A.
With the technicalities out of the way the fun part of the tour got underway. To start us off Hunter outlined the 5 keys of the Disney Company: Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency, and Inclusivity. Throughout the tour these keys would come up time and again shaping how the parks are run and decisions they have made since the beginning. From the forward progression in inclusivity where all tour guides were once female and all Jungle Skippers male, and now they are both equal opportunity positions, to how quickly rides will go down when guest safety is a concern.
The walking part of the tour started us on Main Street U.S.A. getting insight into some often overlooked details of the area. For example, did you know that except for the flag on the pole in the center of Town Square, the flags along the street are altered in some way and are not exact replicas of the U.S. flag? Also, the flag poles double as lightning rods to protect guests during those common Florida thunderstorms. Another great feature he discussed was the windows along Main Street U.S.A., which act at the opening credits to your day at the park. Back when credits opened a movie they would always begin with the producer and end with the director. To mimic this the very first window features Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother who handled the financial side of the business. Then at the end of Main Street is Walt Disney, the dreamer who envisioned the whole magical vista. To add to the poignancy, Walt’s name faces Cinderella Castle.
Adventureland and Jungle Cruise
From Main Street U.S.A. we made our way into Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise, the first attraction included in the tour, though with a special twist. Instead of the usual Skipper commentary we had Hunter talking, providing some history on the evolution of the ride and of course some of those infamous Jungle Cruise jokes. Hunter shared the story of how Walt Disney himself, after discovering the popularity of a particularly funny Skipper, encouraged all of the Skippers to lean into the corny jokes instead of simply reciting facts about the jungle. Knowing that history made riding the attraction in this format even more fun.
Following a brief stint outside the Tiki Room to discuss the evolution of animatronics, it was time for our first real look behind-the-scenes as Hunter took us backstage over behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. We have in the past been evacuated from several attractions, including “it’s a small world”, and we have exited out the backstage area parallel to Main Street both before and after fireworks. So this was not our first foray backstage, but it was the first time we got to stop and take it in and ask questions. The exciting part of going backstage in this particular location was this was where they house the parade floats for Festival of Fantasy, Starlight and their holiday parades. While we couldn’t get too close, it was fantastic to be able to view the floats, learn about the difficulty levels in driving them, how cast members get on the floats, and the maintenance that goes into keeping these floats going day after day. Getting to take in the Maleficent dragon and learn about her fire mechanism was amazing.
Lunch at Columbia Harbour House
Next up it was time for an early lunch, and the break off of our feet and to enjoy the air conditioning was very welcome. Our lunch was included in the tour, and since we had ordered at the beginning of the tour all our food was ready to go for us when we got to Columbia Harbour House. We were in a roped off area upstairs, and our meals were laid out on tables with little name placards directing us to our seats. Unlike the quick service restaurant below, our food was plated on actual plates complete with cloth napkins and silverware. The drinks were bottled, and we were able to take them with us when the tour continued. The floor was also accessible by elevator, and there were bathrooms on that floor. We were only allotted 30 minutes for lunch, which the cast members in charge of setting everything up for us kindly tracked so we didn’t have to. The three of us enjoyed a fried shrimp platter, grilled salmon, and a shrimp salad.
🧚 Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Since lunch is included, you don't need to worry about making a dining reservation on your tour day. Even though we had lunch early, we'd recommend having a light breakfast beforehand. You'll be surprised how hungry you are by lunchtime after several hours of walking.
Liberty Square and Haunted Mansion
After lunch, Hunter led us over to the Liberty Tree where we learned the story of this tree, a dominating feature in Liberty Square, hand chosen by Walt himself as well as the difficulty of transporting the tree to that exact location. Hunter told us that the tree is considered incredibly precious to the park. Following big weather events it is the first thing cast members check on, before even the castle, to make sure it is safe.
Next we turned our attention to the Haunted Mansion. Hunter explained that while the Disneyland version was made to fit into New Orleans Square, the facade of the Disney World version had to be different to fit into the New England area of Liberty Square. To fit that bill the mansion was fashioned after the 18th-century gothic homes of the Hudson River Valley, most specifically the Harry Packer Mansion. He also pointed out several architectural details we'd never noticed before. Hunter then walked us through how Pepper’s Ghost illusion is used in the ballroom scene, before leading us over to the attraction so we could see the effect firsthand while riding.
Visiting the Utilidors
Following our sojourn with the grim grinning ghosts it was finally time for the part of the tour most guests come for, visiting the infamous utilidors beneath Magic Kingdom. The whole point of the utilidors stems from an experience Walt had in Disneyland, where he saw a cast member dressed as a cowboy walking through Tomorrowland. It bothered Walt to no end that the immersive illusion could be broken by the need for cast members to walk from one place to another. To address this issue in their new Florida park the utilidors were introduced. For those of us who were interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of the Magic Kingdom it was definitely that, and very interesting. At the same time, the utilidors were surprisingly mundane: office spaces, long corridors, Cast Member dressing rooms and lockers, storage areas, and ductwork. This is one of the reasons they will not allow kids on this particular tour; it does strip away a little layer of the magic to the reality of what makes it work. We, however, enjoyed getting to see the pieces that bridge the gap from concept to reality, it gave us a greater appreciation for how seamlessly everything goes on stage.
To finish up the tour Hunter took us through a quick history of the company, from starting out with Oswald, the creation of Mickey Mouse, the feat that was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the outlandish concept of Disneyland to Black Sunday, the idea for a new park in Florida, and the passing of Walt. Then to Roy carrying on the mantle in Walt’s stead, ensuring that his brother’s vision came to life. The story of the Disney company is both fantastical in its revolutionary leaps in the entertainment industry and so very poignant as two brothers work together to make dreams a reality. Having brought the story full circle the tour came to an end, leaving us all a bit more appreciative of the details, dedication, and hard work that is required to make magic every day for thousands of park guests. We imagine every guide has their own favorite stories and presentation style, but Hunter absolutely made this experience special.
What Surprised Us Most
The Keys to the Kingdom Tour was an experience we had really been looking forward to, especially the chance to explore backstage areas and get a peek behind-the-scenes. We expected the utilidors to be the highlight of the day, and we did love getting to see and learn about all of that. But it wasn’t our favorite part. What made the tour most memorable was hearing the stories behind familiar attractions and learning to notice details we had walked past for years. We knew a lot of the stories already, but our guide brought them to life in new ways. We found learning all the details around the history of the Liberty Tree, how the Jungle Cruise became the beloved campfest it is today, and how how the theming gradually shifts farther west as you move deeper into Frontierland were what made the experience spectacular for us.
🧚 Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Don't book this tour just to see the utilidors. They're fascinating, but the real magic is learning the stories behind the park. We left noticing details we'd walked past for years, and that's what has stayed with us the most.
❓Keys to the Kingdom Tour at the Magic Kingdom - Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Keys to the Kingdom Tour?
The Keys to the Kingdom tour is 5 hours long with a break in the middle for lunch.
Is lunch included in the Keys to the Kingdom Tour?
Yes, lunch from Columbia Harbour House with a limited menu is included in the price of the tour.
Can you take pictures while on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour?
No. Photography is not permitted anywhere during the tour, including the regular guest areas. Phones and cameras must remain put away, especially backstage.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the entire tour was wheelchair and ECV accessible, and our tour guide made sure to make that a priority on our tour.
Does the tour include park admission?
No. Separate admission to Magic Kingdom is required.
Is the Keys to the Kingdom Tour worth the cost?
As repeat visitors who love Disney history and behind-the-scenes details, we absolutely found it well worth the price. First-time visitors or guests with limited park time may feel differently.
That’s a wrap
For us, as long term Disney fans with a huge interest in how the parks run, this was a fantastic experience. In fact, since experiencing it, we find ourselves looking at Magic Kingdom a little differently. That, combined with the look behind the curtain, made this tour well worth it to us. It was nice to check off one of our bucket-list Disney experiences and to become more steeped in the Disney lore. Would we do it again? While we plan to prioritize other tours and -6 on future trips, we would absolutely consider taking this one again.
Pixie Dust Hugs,
Bren, Lyn, and Kim 🧚♀️
Keep Exploring Walt Disney World
If you're planning a Walt Disney World vacation, or just dreaming about your next magical trip, here are a few more guides we think you'll enjoy:
New to Magic Kingdom? Start with our Magic Kingdom Guide to learn the layout of the park, attraction guide, planning tips, and favorite hidden details throughout the park to help you make the most of your visit.
Looking for more Enchanting Extras? Explore our complete guide to Walt Disney World Tours & Enchanting Extras to compare Keys to the Kingdom with Disney's other behind-the-scenes experiences.
Visiting during the summer? Don't miss our Beat the Heat at Walt Disney World Guide, packed with our favorite ways to stay cool during those hot Florida afternoons.
🧚 Ready to start planning? Visit our Book with Bren page to request your complimentary quote. She'd love to help make your next Disney vacation practically perfect.
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