There are lots of wonderful rides, shows and sights in
Disney theme parks. The iconic rides like Big Thunder Mountain, Spaceship Earth
and the Great Movie Ride. There are also newer attractions like Soarin, Everest
and Toy Story Mania. The great shows have been delighting guests for years. The
thrills of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, the laughs of the Musical
Finding, Nemo and the sheer wonder of Cirque’s La Nouba. You can find all these
entertaining activities and several others in any WDW brochure; there is plenty
of information available. But, like many places, Disney has secrets built into
its parks. We’ll be covering something of them in this article.
For starters, ever wonder why you never see different cast
members in different lands? That’s because in the Magic Kingdom there is a
system of underground tunnels all throughout the park. Cast members will show
up in their own clothes, walk to their corresponding area via the tunnels and
then dress out. Another secret takes places just outside the bounds of the
park. Everything behind the scenes that can be seen in the park is painted
green. Walls, fences, it all fades into the background as it is all green.
Speaking of what happens outside the park, there’s something interesting about
some of the night watch staff.
Dating back to Disneyland there are cats that roam the park
at nights to keep down the mice inhabitants. They have several feeders around
the park as well as cat wranglers to make sure the cats are back in their care
station before the park opens. One strange piece of trivia is that Disney World
qualifies as its own city. When WDW was opening, the land Walt wanted stretched
over two counties. This meant that he had to contend with two local offices.
So, Mr. Disney asked to have Walt
Disney World count as its own city. Since the governments knew that the
new, ground breaking theme park would bring tons of money and tourism to the
area, they approved this.
It’s not just behind the scenes secrets. Something very fun
to try is in the Hollywood Studios. When you are walking around the park,
you’ll see various characters but there are some in particular you should be on
the lookout for. If you happen to see, Woody, Buzz, Jesse and other characters from
the Toy Story movie. If you shout “Andy’s Coming!” they will freeze and stop
what they are doing. They will stay this way for a bit and pose for photos.
Another secret in Hollywood Studios concerns the Tower of Terror. It’s believed
to be a free-fall when in fact the ride is pulled down faster than gravity. Or
maybe you are one for a scavenger hunt? There are hundreds if not thousands of
“hidden Mickeys” throughout the parks in all sorts of rides, walls, signs etc.
This over the years has become a very popular trend and there are even books
published on it now.
Lastly we come to an urban legend of sorts about the Magic
Kingdom. Some say there are actual ashes spread along the track in the Haunted
Mansion. The story goes that a family went through the ride and carefully
spread the ashes of a boy who loved the Haunted Mansion. This has obviously
been denied by the Disney Company but the legend persists to his very day!
