The seven-hour "Backstage Magic" tour takes people behind the scenes at three parks: Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. The tour also goes to the central shops area near the Magic Kingdom, where work on ride cars, attractions, audio-animatronics and more takes place. This lengthy tour takes the better part of a day and does not require theme park admission (but you will not have access to the theme park or attractions outside the confines of the tour).
A number of tours take guests behind the scenes at Disney's Magic Kingdom Theme Park. One of the most popular of these is called the "Keys to the Kingdom Tour." The five-hour walking tour includes a trip into the Utilidors, or service tunnels that run underneath the park. The three-hour "Magic behind Our Steam Trains" tour takes place before the Magic Kingdom opens, allowing train buffs to get a close-up look at the park's four trains. "Family Magic" is not so much a behind-the-scenes tour as a family activity, while "Mickey's Magical Milestones" looks at the career of Mickey Mouse.
Epcot has more tours than any other park. One of the most popular of these is "Around the World," which takes place in the World Showcase section of the park before it opens and allows guests to tour the "nations" on a Segway. Other tours here include "Behind the Seeds," an hourlong look behind-the-scenes at the greenhouse in The Land pavilion; "The UnDISCOVERed Future World," which looks at Walt Disney's original vision for Epcot; "Dolphins in Depth," a look at the dolphins in the Seas pavilion; and the "Simply Segway" tour, which is called a tour but is really more of a beginner's guide to these devices rather than a look behind-the-scenes. Two other tours at "The Seas" allow guests to swim inside the massive saltwater tank at the heart of the attraction. One, "Epcot DiveQuest," requires scuba certification. The "Seas Aqua Tour" uses a snorkel and does not require scuba certification.
"Wild by Design" is a three-hour look at the creation of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. This tour doesn't focus on the animals so much as the concept and design. " Backstage Safari," on the other hand, looks at the care, feeding and logistics of the park's most famous inhabitants---the wildlife.
A number of other tours look behind the scenes at the hotels. "Animal Programs" is a look at the wildlife of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. "Wilderness Back Trail Adventures" is a Segway tour of the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.
