Backstage Tours Returning to Walt Disney World

If you’re a repeat Guest at Walt Disney World, you’re probably always on the lookout for fresh and exciting ways to experience more magic at your home-away-from-home. 

Did you know that there are dozens of new adventures to discover as part of Disney’s Enchanting Extras Collection?

Perfect for Guests who already know a lot about Disney’s theme parks and hunger to learn about how the magic at Walt Disney World works, these unique tours take you behind the scenes to experience areas of WDW most Guests don’t have access to.  

You might swim with your favorite sea creatures at The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Disney’s EPCOT Theme Park, get up close and personal with a rhino at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, or even get a backstage tour of your favorite Magic Kingdom theme park attraction.

The Enchanting Extras Collection has been largely unavailable since WDW reopened, but select experiences are returning starting February 6. Here are some backstage tours you’ll soon be able to enjoy at Walt Disney World!

Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom

This was the first backstage tour we did, and it was one of the most memorable WDW experiences we’ve ever had. Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom takes you behind the scenes of Disney’s Magic Kingdom for a 5-hour walking tour that explores areas that are normally hidden and inaccessible to Guests.

You’ll venture below Magic Kingdom to explore the famous Utilidors that run beneath the Park, allowing Cast Members (and food, and garbage, and supplies…) to travel wherever they need to go without being seen and ruining the magic.  

You’ll leave the show areas of the Park and gain VIP access backstage at iconic attractions and key staging areas that I REALLY want to talk about, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy as a former Keys to the Kingdom participant!

Lunch is included, as are the fascinating nuggets of little-known information about the Park, Walt Disney himself, and the creation of Walt Disney World in Florida.

Savor the Savanna

If you’ve ever ridden Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safaris and didn’t want to leave your vehicle at the end of the attraction, then Savor the Savanna might be for you.  

This two-hour tour takes you on a private, guided tour of Harambe Wildlife Reserve that goes far beyond the show areas you see as a Guest on Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Credit: Disney Tips

Your guide will take you off the beaten safari path to private viewing areas to experience the savannah’s teeming wildlife while sharing animal facts and information about the care these amazing creatures receive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  

When you’re hungry, there’s a variety of (African, of course!) tapas, beer, and wine to enjoy.  After all, you’ll want to savor the savannah with ALL of your senses, including taste! 

Wild Africa Trek

If a two-hour private tour of the savannah isn’t enough, hold onto your safari hat – the Wild Africa Trek has you covered. Guests will embark on a three-hour safari on this backstage tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.  

You’ll learn about the magnificent animals that call the Harambe Reserve home, and you’ll also be able to leave the safari vehicle to take a stroll through the grasslands and over a rope bridge (we dare you to look down at the hungry crocs below!).

African-style snacks await once you’ve worked up an appetite, and complimentary photo services are included, so you’ll be able to download all the images taken of you by the trained photographer during your tour.

Up Close with Rhinos

Rhinoceroses can be elusive, and if you didn’t see as much of them when riding Kilimanjaro Safaris as you’d like, this backstage tour will remedy that – and maybe just tug on your heartstrings too.

Up Close with Rhinos takes you behind the scenes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park to meet our planet’s second-biggest land dweller: the white rhinoceros. You’ll listen to the rhino keepers talk about these gentle giants, and you’ll be able to see them up close.  

On our (pre-COVID) tour, we were able to pet a baby rhino, but this was not guaranteed even before the pandemic, since you never know what mood an animal might be in on any given day.  

Caring for Giants

Fans of Disney’s classic animated or more recent live-action Dumbo films can enjoy an up-close encounter with the world’s largest land animal at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

Credit: Disney Tips

Caring for Giants takes Guests backstage to meet the Park’s African elephant herd while learning about their daily care, and conservation efforts to protect their wild counterparts around the globe. You’ll get within 80-100 feet of the elephants, making this the closest possible elephant encounter within Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.

At one hour in duration and $35 per person, Caring for Giants is one of the shortest and least expensive backstage tours at Walt Disney World, and a great introduction to the Enchanting Extras Collection.

Bottom Line

With four theme parks, Disney Springs, and Disney Resort Hotel activities to explore, there’s more than enough to keep Guests hopping on a vacation to Walt Disney World, even if it’s a repeat visit. I’ve been to WDW more times than I can count, and there are still so many things that I haven’t seen, eaten, or experienced.

Guests looking for an adventure that’s a little out-of-the-ordinary will be doing themselves a favor by checking out the thrilling backstage tours that will soon be available through Disney’s Enchanting Extras Collection.  

There’s nothing like a glimpse of behind-the-scenes magic to make an unforgettable Walt Disney World vacation!