17 Crazy Behind The Scenes Secrets of Disney World

[@jazzy464]

As a former cast member who worked in the Magic Kingdom at Casey's corner; I will say one of the coolest things was after the parks closed to guest cast members on Main Street got to see Cinderella's Castle lit up with at the most maybe 30 people around it was so awesome. The quiet, the lights it was always so magical and even after our super long shifts it would bring a smile to my face. I can also say the thrill of the tunnels wore off pretty quickly because of the smell lol. I just love your videos AJ they make me go back down memory lane. Thank you!

[@gracehawk2187]

Mickey looks like he's enjoying this 4/20! 😂 Love your videos! I may never actually get to Disney, so I'm kinda living vicariously through them! ❤

[@liamrichards403]

I'm sorry, that pic of Mickey in the thumbnail always makes me laugh because he looks like he's about to get kicked out of Epcot for drinking around the world.

[@themaestro3034]

He wouldn’t be the first kicked out for drunkenness either 😉

[@insidebillyshead]

Or stoned

[@juliepayne7839]

Watching daily videos and patiently waiting for this channel to hit 1 million :) Almost there!

[@wdwexploreandchill]

Happy Thursday, y’all! 🎩🥂🖤

[@amberford5658]

AJ...thank you for this awesome information. I have,had two major strokes. I don't get to do much...but watching these videos makes me feel like,a child,and not a 51 year old woman. I have always dreamt,of Disney and this makes me feel closer to the magic.💓💓💓

[@alexandramacias6385]

Oh man, AJ just unlocked a core memory. Those 24 hour parties at Magic Kingdom were insane. There's nothing like arriving at MK around 11pm and leaving at sunrise. Talk about exhaustion! But so so amazing.

[@IamSnowbird]

I recommend the Keys to the Kingdom Tour for a lot of background information. Worth the price.

[@Justme-ok3bf]

Lakeland Antiques Mall sells stuff from the hotels, rides and more!

[@anarizmoore]

Wishing you all the love, laughter, wealth, and fun! Have a magical day! ❤

[@birbluv9595]

My brother and I spent a fun non-park day during our February 1984 visit, and we went to Discovery Island. I mostly remember the cool birds. We also rented a canoe and found a pond full of turtles, and floated along with a family of ducks. It was a very memorable, terrific day.

[@richardsavaglio523]

The keys to the kingdom tour is definitely worth the money!!!!

[@pete_stumme]

Always love your content and all the videos. Thank you for what you do.

[@MCRgrrl4ever]

"The prettiest girl in school, the Epcot Ball" THANK YOUUUUU I SAY THIS ALL THE TIME LOL None of my friends ever get it cause they aren't on that side of tiktok

[@mercedeshall3306]

Thank you for your time and energy! Love your videos!

[@gitakiss5801]

I love these fun facts and secrets. The man made island has some interesting roots. When Montreal was hosting Expo 67 (where Walt got the inspiration for Spaceship Earth) the city didn't have place for it. The city was also building a Metro line and the dirt from those tunnels had to go somewhere. So the island it sits on is what we have today :D

[@auntiepoo2]

I used to work Glow in Magic Kingdom during my college program, so I'm very familiar with the glow cage. Loved hearing the call-out!

[@pamelacaron54]

When I was in high school we won’t say how long ago that was we marched there with band but we were asked to be a part of the Goofy Olympics ok I just dated myself anyway we got to go back stage for practice and fitted for costumes plus got to be up in front of the castle and perform plus practicing there before the park opened I will never forget it!

[@frankdash8677]

Great video. Except for tailchasers ( never been). You can thank my son for fish tails having their play area is enclosed. That main fence at the dining area continued around play area. He climbed through and almost ended up in the bay.

[@robroy4452]

Can confirm utilidors do have a subway. DCP 2016 alumni here who worked in Adventureland and Liberty Square, and was also a consumer of subway quite often on lunch breaks. :D

[@Jabroniville]

haha, I love CM secrets. One performer said the buildings in Liberty Square have break rooms at the top XD.

[@robroy4452]

@@Jabroniville It's very possible! One of my first nights training, my trainer took my group to a rooftop in Adventureland and we got a super cool view of Cinderella Castle. Was after hours at 3AM in the morning so we were able to get away with this. I imagine there are probably rooftop areas out of view that CM's can chill in.

[@ninabeena83]

There also used to be a Subway in a cast break room called Take Five at Hollywood Studios, gone now I believe but it was on the back side of the building for Disney Junior Live on Stage, IIRC. I ate many a sandwich there😅my work location was on the backlot tour

[@richardmercer2337]

A great history lesson (and other topics ...) AJ!I I once took a "behind the scenes" MK tour. Among other things they took us down into the Utilidors, and I immediately became a little homesick. It was SO much like the underground tunnels at my local university! Except of course there were no students changing classes.... just cast members of all kinds.. PS If you watch fireworks from the beach at Fort Wilderness, you can see how far back they are from the Castle! PPS On my first trip (a long time ago), I was able to visit Discovery Island.

[@karenjordan5731]

Thanks

[@MichaelMcDermott927]

We actually own a 3-4ft tall Mickey Mouse statue from Disney world. Along with a Walt Disney World Classic Collection store curio cabinet. We inherited from my wife's Grandparents.

[@crabbypapa3862]

In 2011, Disney upgraded our All Star Sports room to Saratoga Springs. King bed, Queen sofa bed, kitchen, washer/dryer, spa tub, large walk in shower, Very nice. Cheerleading competition going on, DVC reps stopped offering after the 4th day.

[@mkschiavone]

So if the MK only has utilidors, where do Disneyland CMs move around without being seen?

[@_pqul_7931]

Great video! Some of these were surprising 😮

[@Jabroniville]

Wow I really want to get into Cast Connections now, haha. Imagine the cool stuff they might have there! As much as it's probably a lot of chairs and tables they don't use anymore and nobody would recognize.

[@godsfamilyhomechurch7215]

The thing about Kodak using red comes from the reason Dorothy's slippers were ruby red. The original color of the slippers in the book of the Wonderful Wizard id Oz was Silver. Kodak film in 1938 could not see silver so they changed Dorothy's silver slippers to ruby slippers because as you said red pops.

[@clvincent4291]

Great video!

[@DeadSea225]

Cool I didn’t know Epcot had one under ground

[@Bananacustardcostuming]

Can we talk about that amazing “hatters gonna hat” shirt?

[@jacquelinecase8208]

Fun! So what happens to the lost and found items after they go unclaimed? All the sunglasses and hats?

[@anneholden9908]

One of my brothers worked for 30 years at IBM, so we always called it the IBM Selectric Ball.

[@matthewlandrus4285]

I remember staying at one of the Disney Institute villas once. Was quite nice having the extra room and the cost wasn't horrible...for Disney anyway. Lol We stayed at Wilderness Lodge for our honeymoon back in '97 and they would bring animals and birds over from Discovery Island in the evening.

[@synnixty1782]

AJ you’re the best 😊

[@kotym9487]

Love these videos! About to do a whole deep dive on your channel now that I have an annual pass!

[@wdwexploreandchill]

Congratulations! 🎉

[@naimac1015]

I have family members that are current cast members or retired. Can confirm about past hotel furniture and goodies to be found at Cast Member stores. Mom actually has a former Polynesian hotel entertainment center in her house.

[@marciyoung2217]

I remember going to Discovery Island in 1994. We saw Hulk Hogan there filming his TV show.

[@stephencarter1635]

My family are privately owned Luxury Custom Home Company was invited to build in Golden Oak. We accepted and built homes at Four Seasons Private Residences area, where the most expensive t homes are. We started at the beginning, and as of January 1, 2023, the most exclusive lots are sold out, and the houses are finished. For privacy, I can say we built about fifteen homes. Yes, they cost millions of dollars. Guess what? Not one of the owners of these homes lives there full-time. The homes cannot be rented or leased. The houses are just one of many these families live in around the world. Note: they pay Golden Oak between 20K-23K per month to care for the property. Of course, the owners' names are confidential. While we met many of the owners, we have yet to. Those homes allowed us to retire. Also, it is a full circle for our company. We all worked at WDW during high school and college and ended our careers at Disney. Personally, I started as a Monorail Operator at the Opened Space Mountain. My last job prior to leaving in 1978 was working as a teller and Vault Teller preparing money to be sent to the bank.

[@bloodbought6809]

I appreciated the Dave matthews band reference :- )

[@HG-Studio]

Every time I see and more importantly hear one of your videos I can’t help but think you are a media professional or were on TV? If not, you totally should be. You’ve got that it factor. You’re a natural. Anyhow, you said Keys to the Kingdom provides a look and a walk into parts of the tunnel, but doesn’t Behind the Magic do this as well? I’m positive they used to and thought they still did.

[@troymacdonald8257]

Awesome 😎😎😎😎😎😎 go Disney 😎💙👍

[@TheMichelle618]

Did you plan at around minute 33 the kid slipping off of the red sidewalk while you were talking about the difference in the colors?

[@purple_rose7477]

The lost sunglasses part is sort of relevant to me. I lost my actual glasses (they slipped out my pocket) when I was on Kumba in Busch Gardens in 2011. We went back at the end of the day when they were closing the ride and staff helped look for them. The people queuing however were so rude thinking the staff had closed the ride for us so we could look! We were getting shouting at, called name and everything. It wasn't nixe. The staff however were really kind but my glasses were never found and I had to go the rest of my vacation without my glasses 😂

[@purple_rose7477]

I remember River Country too and we went in 1993. We had a blast it was a great little waterpark.

[@Sparty-pi3jq]

It took me up until my mid-30's to finally "get" Epcot. I enjoy it very much now, but hated it for Decades.

[@mclpoison7882]

Cantina, if in California, will never work as a community. Well, they could fully fence it in and lock the rabble out I suppose.

[@handyba5226]

Ahhh I’m the original Toga! Yes many things in the parks have Toga influence!!!

[@largol33t12]

HOAs are always a nightmare but WHY would anyone with an ounce of sanity want the Mouse to be their HOA landlord?? Not even for a free house would I move to Golden Oak.

[@kathymcel]

I read they didn't do the original plan for epcot because it was to be for people actually working there as well. So... you lose your job you are then evicted? People move in and quit their job just so they can say they lived there? Hmm?

[@alyssabaker3000]

Most seniors have been at Disney till 3 am lol

[@rachelmiller1295]

I remember the Disney Institute, because my parents and I took classes there.

[@mazzDroid]

❤

[@shannonrohrbaugh1368]

Hi

[@tinkerfoxx1524]

Unable to watch an all black screen video 😢

[@anneholden9908]

Spaceship Earth.

[@mtgAzim]

That's such a disturbing picture of mickey...

[@downtown_abown]

Nah you'll still see cast members in other lands during parades nowadays. It bugs me more than it should lol

[@carolheringer5513]

Can you still stay at the treehouses?

[@richardmercer2337]

Would also like to know! Our family stayed in one a long time ago (on DVC points!)

[@carolheringer5513]

@@richardmercer2337 yes, my family did too and loved it. I had almost forgotten about it.

[@johnroy9654]

Golden Oak... what kind of idiot is going to shell out $16 million to live there?

[@GavinNishiki-gs1bd]

Omg

[@TheSimpleRomantic]

Did any of those water park areas have problems with alligators slipping in?

[@stephanieiuliano1654]

Wasn't there a pleasure island? Wasn't it adults only?

[@nancy9478]

That is now Disney Springs.

[@The98deville]

If I could afford 16 million for a house I'd buy NEAR Disney for 10% of that and invest the rest.

[@carlkinder8201]

Where's the secret room with Walt's cryogenically frozen body?

[@CMMEDIA13]

METAL H-AY-LIDE, LIKE AY KARUMBA

[@emilycurtis4398]

I would sell a kidney to get a pirate ship bed.

[@emilycurtis4398]

@mooncricket8192 no kidneys and a pirate ship bed?? Sweet!