Magic Kingdom – 20 Cool Facts & Strange Secrets
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is so big, it makes it hard to see everything. Here are 20 Cool Facts & Strange Secrets to improve your vacation.
Many asked for a cool follow up list like the one I did called Disneyland – 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do. Since the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is SO big, I thought a list of 20 would be more appropriate.
Below are 20 Cool Facts & Strange Secrets About the Magic Kingdom:
Sorry Pepsi Drinkers – I know, I know. You have to have your Pepsi, but you won’t find it at the Magic Kingdom. At Disney Parks, over 50 million Coca-Cola’s are consumed each year. So, you’ll either have to make the switch, or there’s always water and juice.
Speaking of Water – Should you ever get thirsty while at Disney World, you can rest assured that you’ll never have to pay for water. All you have to do is go into any quick-service restaurant and ask for a cup.
Expedition Everest Yeti – The very advance animatronic Yeti is brought to life atop Expedition Everest with a hydraulic thruster and cylinder that uses more power than a 747 jet engine.
Only 199 Feet Tall? – Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror and Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest stands only 199 feet tall. The reason for this is that any structure 200 feet tall, or taller, would require red flashing lights according to Aviation rules. This would take away from the realism of both attractions.
Throw Your Trash Away – If you have trash that you just have to throw away right this instant, don’t worry. The closest trash can is only 30 steps away. Apparently, Walt Disney did a study and found that park guests would hold their trash for only 30 steps before dropping it on the ground.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – After Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (an original park favorite) was closed, a tombstone for J.Thaddeus Toad was placed in the pet cemetery of the Haunted Mansion. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh took the ride’s place. You can see a picture in the ride of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to Mr. Owl.
AVATAR at the Animal Kingdom – At a cost of more than $400 million, the new AVATAR section inside the Animal Kingdom is expected to open in 2017.
The Ghost of George – During the building of Pirates of the Caribbean, unfortunately, an imagineer, by the name of George, was killed. Rumor has it that his ghost haunts the ride to this day. So, before workers shut down the ride each night, as a superstition to prevent the ride from breaking down the next day, they say “goodnight George.”
No Bathrooms? – In keeping with the time period, at the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square, unfortunately, you will not find any bathrooms.
The Chapeau – Hat Shop – In a nod to the whimsical approach of Walt Disney, when you visit The Chapeau Hat Shop, make sure to pick up the receiver on the old payphone on the wall. You’ll be able to listen in on a very “interesting” conversation.
No Chewing Gum – Ever wonder why you can’t find any gum to buy while at the Magic Kingdom? It’s because they don’t sell it. The reason for this is it prevents people from dropping it on the ground, making a gum tree at the park, or you sitting in it on a ride.
Turkey Legs – Who knew that the Turkey Legs would be so popular? Now you can buy turkey leg hats, t-shirts, and other souvenirs. A whopping 1.6 million turkey legs are consumed at the parks every year.
Cinderella Suite – Did you know there is a secret suite inside Cinderella’s castle? Similar to the suite you’ll find above the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, it cannot be booked. It’s only used for promotional giveaways.
The Dead Live On – Even though it’s not legal to do so, many people want and attempt to spread the ashes of their loved ones on the rides at Disney every year. Insider tip… the rides are cleaned every night and the ashes are probably just vacuumed up.
Haunted Mansion Wedding Ring – Legend has it that the hanging bride that you see in the stretching room and attic scenes on the ride lost her wedding ring and you can find it outside of the mansion. You can locate the ring embedded in the concrete of Haunted Mansion line.
Andy’s Coming! – One of the coolest things that used to happen at the Disney Parks was when guests yelled, “Andy’s coming!”, the Toy Story characters would drop to the ground. Unfortunately, the practice has been discontinued for safety reasons.
The Tree of Life – By the looks of the outside, you would never know that the 14-story “Tree of Life” in the middle of Animal Kingdom is actually an old oil rig. The reason for this is that it had a wide base for a theater, a narrow center for a trunk and a wide topside that could support flexible branches.
The MagicBand – MagicBands are secure all-in-one devices that allow you to access the plans and vacation choices. They’re colorful, waterproof wristbands—resembling a watch or bracelet—that you can quickly and easily touch to a sensor called a touchpoint. They allow you to travel lighter throughout your vacation.
Magic Kingdom Train Station – When visiting the Magic Kingdom Train Station, make sure to take a close look for articles left by other “guests” of the train. You’ll find Mary Poppins and other characters from Disney films.
Underground Tunnels – To make things more efficient at Walt Disney World, miles of underground tunnels, called utilidors, were built. In the tunnels, you’ll find the massive costume departments, garbage chutes, cast member break rooms, and more. One thing Walt Disney didn’t like about Disneyland, was that you would see characters walking in between each land to get to other parts of the park. This interrupted the guest’s immersion in each land. At the Magic Kingdom, you won’t see a cast member from Tomorrowland inside of Frontierland.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park, commonly known as the Magic Kingdom, is the first built of the four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, its layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and is dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters. In 2013, the park hosted 18.58 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the world for the fifth consecutive year.
The park is represented by Cinderella Castle, a replica of the fairy tale castle seen in the 1950 film. – Wikipedia