| Pirates of the Caribbean The left line is shorter. What I mean is if you walked through both side and timed it, you would get there faster going through the left. That also means you get on the ride quicker if you go on the left. The chess pieces being played by the skeletons in the beginning of the ride are arranged in a stalemate. Near the end of the ride, the white haired prisoner is actually a replica of a janitor who worked there. Each day when the cast members arrive at Pirates of the Carribean, they must say hello to George, the resident ghost. If a cast member fails to say hi, or if someone goes on the ride and repeats, "George isn't real," then the ride will break down. There are 66 pirates and villagers, 57 animals and birds. Main Street USA If you make a right onto Center St. (the street that crosses Main at its center) you will here a singing lesson and a ballet class coming from the windows marked "Singing Lessons" and "School of Dance". Every building down Main Street has an American flag. Sure it all looks very patriotic but that's not why they're there. They serve as lightning rods. The Tunnels One day while strolling through the park, Walt Disney saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland. He then decided that for Disney World that some needs would have to be hidden. Trash, costume characters, etc. had to be out of sight. To do this, each area, section, or ride was first planned out in story boards. Then, the Imagineers constructed models, and viewed them in every angle. To hide the utilities, underground tunnels put in for Walt Disney World. Disney built a nine acre network of tunnels so Cast Members would be able to move around out of the public view! No guests under 16 is allowed in the tunnel system because it would bother children, seeing two Goofys passing each other, Mickey without a head, seeing Minnie eating with Snow White, and ruin the magic. The walls are color coded for the land in which they are under to allow easy navigation. Since some people are color blind, the names of the different lands and pictures relating to each land also appear on the walls. This is to allow Cast Members to quickly know where they are and to avoid the mixing of lands. If you walk around Magic Kingdom, you will notice that Disney tried very hard to position things so that lands do not interfere with one another. From the center of the Cinderella's Castle, an elevator with a special key, goes to the famous "secret" apartment inside the castle. When the Princess of Wales brought Princes William and Harry to WDW in the mid 1990s, the Royal Protection Squad insisted that the family travel through WDW via the tunnel system. The boys were nicknamed "The Popup Princes" since they kept popping up at the various attractions. By the way, the Queen insisted that the boys fly on a separate plane from their mother's, in case of an accident. The Queen also required the boys to be in their hotel room by dusk, so the family was not allowed to see any of the nighttime Disney Magic. Unless the person is a Cast Member or on the tour they are not allowed in. Frontierland Above the new Frontierland Train Station - checkout the lost and found area. You will see a leg and an umbrella. Linda Montgomery (WDI lighting specialist) had a replica of Mary Poppin's umbrella made to put up on the shelf. The wooden leg, with the name "Smith" written on it, is a clear reference to the Wooden-Leg-Named-Smith joke from Mary Poppins. Liberty Square Around the corner to the left of the front entrance to the Hall of Presidents, is a small worn marble step. That step is actually from Montecello (Thomas Jefferson's house). There was a plaque identifying the piece at the upper right, but now only its frame remains. The identifying information has been removed. At first I only thought that a few of the Presidents move. But then I realized that after each name is called that President nods his head. During Clinton's and Lincoln's speeches they do the same thing as well as fidget, sway, and even wisper to each other. President Clinton is the only one to record his own voice. It's a Small World Ride If you fall in that water during the ride, you are required to have a tetanus shot. The turrets and gold colored ornaments on the outside of the Small World Ride are actual 22K gold leaf. Normal gold tone paint had been used early on when the ride first opened but the paint would oxidize very quickly and need to be replaced on a continual basis much the same way as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. While initially expensive to gold leaf, the gold is actually more cost effective in the long run. Snow White Adventure After you circle around the well and go through the doors you see a person staring in a mirror and the person in it. It's not a real mirror it's a whole different animation on the other side of the wall. The person in the mirror has a crown on and the other doesn't. Amazingly enough in the original Snow White Adventure at Disney World, there were no sightings of Snow White herself. Finally after many years of complaints from guests that the ride was too scary for young children; Disney decided to add animatronics of Snow White hoping to soften the ride and make it less scary for youngsters. Winnie-the-Pooh Ride As you exit the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and enter the gift shop, there is the distinct scent of honey in the air. All facts were found at www.hiddenmickeys.com. |
| Disney World Facts... |