8 Walt Disney World Park Secrets Revealed

8. Disney-speak

There are a number of words and phrases used at the Disney parks that have slightly different meanings than they would in the real world. For instance, if you work for Disney, your outfit is not called a uniform, but rather it is a costume. It is a costume because you are part of a show. The guest areas of the park are considered “on-stage” and whenever you are on-stage you must be in costume.

7. Not all hidden Mickey’s are “official”

Hidden Mickeys are tributes to the mouse in the form of the classic three circle design, that are placed in attractions, restaurants, shops, and well, anywhere by Imagineers. Some Mickeys slip their way onstage even when Imagineers do not place them there. One classic example of this is the hidden Mickey in the plates of the ballroom scene of the Haunted Mansion. Cast members who work at the mansion rearranged the plates one day, and it was decided that the Mickey worked well, so they’ve been there ever since.

6. Dragons at Animal Kingdom

You might have noticed that some of the signage for Animal Kingdom, such as the sign seen when entering the park from the resort buses, features a dragon in the logo amongst the other animals. This is because there was originally going to be an extra land in the park unofficially called, “Beastly Kingdom,” which would have been dedicated to mythical animals. While the idea has since been scrapped, dragons can be seen in some Animal Kingdom logos to this day. Pandora – The World of Avatar does however feature a Banshee which is a dragon-like animal from the film, Avatar.

5. One if by land, two if by sea

While in Liberty Square, be sure to check out the Hall of Presidents. One of the windows of the building that houses the show features two small lanterns. These lanterns are meant to reference Paul Revere, from Longfellow’s poem which mentions, “one if by land, two if by sea.”

4. The legacy of Mr. Toad

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was removed from the Magic Kingdom and replaced with the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, though thankfully guests can still experience the former attraction in Disneyland. If you’re visiting Disney World, and you do visit Pooh’s attraction, keep your eyes peeled for a painting of Mr. Toad handing the deed of the land over to Owl. Also look for Mr. Toad in the pet cemetery of the Haunted Mansion.

3. Gum is not sold at Walt Disney World

If you absolutely need to chew gum on your next Disney vacation, be sure to buy it at home. To decrease the chance that gum will get stuck to the ground, tables, or anywhere else, the Disney parks do not sell chewing gum in any of their shops.

2. Abundance of trash cans

You might have noticed that Walt Disney World seems to have an over-abundance of trash cans compared to other places. This is actually 100% intentional. In designing the parks, Walt Disney wanted to make sure the parks would be kept clean, and a major way to do so is to decrease the opportunity to litter. Disney has done research into how far the average person will walk carrying trash before he or she throws it on the ground, to determine how many and where trash cans would need to be placed.

1. Utilidor

The Magic Kingdom that you see as a guest is actually the second floor. A series of tunnel collectively known as the Utilidor make up the first floor. After seeing a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland at Disneyland, Walt Disney wanted to come up with a way to avoid the meshing of different themes for his new park in Florida. The Utilidor allows different costumes to remain within their lands and still travel about the park. It also makes it easier for cast members to get where they’re going backstage, as they do not need to go around the perimeter of the park to do so, they can simply go down a flight of stairs or two, and cut across to where they need to be. A number of cast services are also conveniently located in the tunnel, making it easier for cast members who work in the Magic Kingdom.