I've got the 'Keys to the Kingdom'!! :)

 Hi everyone!!

When I went on my 'Mommy time' trip to Disney World I decided to treat myself and take a tour that I've wanted to take for a while. I took the Keys to the Kingdom tour! It really was a great experience! I was the only single person on the tour, there were 5 honeymoon couples, 2 retiree couples, 2 couples there whose kids were back at the hotel room and me, but I was surprisingly ok with that :)

I took the 8:30am tour and was traveling from Coronado Springs Resort to get to MK by 8:15. I was worried the first bus of the morning wouldn't get me there in time so I took a cab from Coronado Springs to Contemporary Resort and walked over to Magic Kingdom!! I LOVE that walkway! That's where I got this great picture of Monorail Gold. :)

Anyway, I digress... early morning, pre-park opening is my favorite time in Magic Kingdom! There's something so magical about seeing the hustle and bustle on Main Street getting ready for a day full of Pixie Dust moments so I wanted to get myself on the earliest tour possible. We met at City Hall, where Package Pick up is located and were each given a name pin and an earpiece so that we could hear each and every word that the tour guide spoke and so that the tour guide didn't have to speak any louder than their normal voice allows. While we were waiting for the tour to start we were given a lunch menu and were told to place our lunch order and there was coffee, tea and bottled water available for us to drink there or to take on the tour with us!

Our tour guide was amazing. Her name was Rae and, I have to tell you, she made the tour even greater than it would have been with another guide. She was full of energy and love for all things Disney. She knew history and stories and the most wonderful little trivia tidbits about Walt Disney, Roy Disney, the history of the Disney Company, Disney Land, Disney World and so much more. She was so great to listen to and I found myself falling in love with Disney all over again because of her! :)

While we were walking the Magic Kingdom we bumped into the Mayor, Honorable Christopher George Weaver. The interaction between Rae and the Mayor was great! 

We did get to ride The Jungle Cruise in the morning part of the day. Anyone who knows me, knows that the Jungle Cruise is my son's favorite ride so I was happy to be riding it. :) Instead of the Jungle Cruise skipper's 'punny' ride, Rae took over! She had some one-liners that could compete with the best of the Jungle Cruise skippers!

We got to go behind the scenes in some parts of the Magic Kingdom that morning and see the staging area of the parades. That was pretty amazing to see behind the scenes and where the pixie dust is sprinkled to make the magic in the park happen.

We were able to break for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Lunch was included in the price of our tour and we were brought upstairs to the 2nd floor dining area. I love it up there in CHH. Our lunch was waiting for us at the table and right in front of my plate sat this:

This is what was inside:

My very own KEY TO THE KINGDOM!! :) LOL Not really, it's really a pin but I love it and still have not taken it off of the card it came on! 

The afternoon was the part of the tour I was looking forward to the most! We rode The Haunted Mansion and spent some time in Fantasyland and then, it was time. We went into the Utilidors! Can you say absolutely incredible?!?! 

For anyone who has no idea what the Utilidors are, it's a fancy word for tunnel!! The utilidors occupy 392,040 square feet of space under the Magic Kingdom and are bustling with action. Beside navigation information the walls are covered with motivational information, such as the 7 rules of a Cast Member, guest feedback and other items to insure that your stay is magical and some amazing original pictures of the building of Magic Kingdom and DisneyLand and other Disney historical moments and memorabilia. This is the secret underground world where the magic is born. Pixie Dust is bottled up here and spread through the whole Kingdom by thousands of cast members who converge here every morning! It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the tour and an amazing way to end the day at the Magic Kingdom!

Here's some information on the Keys to the Kingdom tour:

The Keys to the Kingdom Tour is an approximately 4.5-hour walking tour that explores the stories behind the remarkable creation and growth of Magic Kingdom theme park. You will hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and learn how his innovative ideas, revolutionary visions, creative philosophies and amazing accomplishments brought the Theme Park to life. The journey includes stops at backstage facilities and a variety of favorite attractions. The cost of the tour is $74.00 and it is for guests ages 16 and over. There are 3 tours daily. 

If you are taking a trip to Walt Disney World and have 5 hours (plus travel time) without your young children this is DEFINITELY a tour that I would recommend! :)