Backstage Tours We Wish Would Return to Walt Disney World

As someone who writes about Walt Disney World and is in the midst of planning her next Disney vacation, I’ve been keeping a close eye as restaurants, shows, attractions, and experiences reopen on property.  

Every “unavailable” description online that finally turns into “available” months after Walt Disney World’s reopening has me turning cartwheels (figuratively, not literally. No one wants to see that).

The cause of my most recent Disney-related internal acrobatics? The impending reopening of select backstage tours in Disney’s Enchanting Extras Collection. Beginning February 6, Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom, Savor the Savanna, Wild Africa Trek, Up Close with Rhinos, and Caring for Giants tours will return to Walt Disney World – hurrah!

This made me wonder: what other exclusive behind-the-scenes tours might Guests be sorely missing?  There are far too many experiences to list, but here are just a few of the backstage tours we wish would hurry up and return to Walt Disney World.

What would you add to the list?

Dolphins in Depth

After riding The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Disney’s EPCOT theme park, we always spend time checking out all the sea life in this pavilion. And, like many Guests, the bottlenose dolphins are some of our favorite residents here.  

The EPCOT Seas Adventures – Dolphins in Depth is the perfect way to snag even more quality dolphin time, and we can’t wait for it to return.

Credit: Disney Tips

This three-hour encounter allows Guests to learn all about these fascinating, intelligent marine mammals, and you can ask their trainers and researchers all of your burning dolphin questions.  You’ll see backstage areas at The Seas Pavilion, and find out how dolphins are trained.  

Finally, you’ll have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend 30 minutes with the dolphins themselves in waist-deep water (which means no need for SCUBA certification, or even swimming experience). Disney never forces the dolphins to participate in this encounter, but since dolphins are usually pretty curious and playful, chances are they’ll swim by to check you out! At least, they will once Dolphins in Depth becomes available again.

Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom

Named after Walt Disney’s hometown in Missouri, Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom is a three-hour tour located in Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park.  

It focuses on little-known details about Walt’s life, along with insider information about the magic he created, and allows Guests to go behind-the-scenes where typically only Cast Members are permitted.

Think of this tour as a lighter – and cheaper – version of the five-hour Keys to the Kingdom tour. You’ll still be able to go backstage at a classic Magic Kingdom attraction, in addition to enjoying VIP, narrated access to other rides, but there’s no meal involved and no Utilidors.  

The shorter duration and smaller price tag, however, may make it more practical for some families. We’d love to see this backstage tour return to Walt Disney World.

Disney H2O Glow Nights

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park finally reopened this month after its lengthy closure, to the delight of Walt Disney World Guests. But those Guests might not know that there’s a special evening event here that, while currently unavailable, might make you see Typhoon Lagoon in a whole new different light.

Credit: Disney

Disney H20 Glow Nights is exactly what it sounds like – a nighttime glow party in a water park (sign me up, please). Once Typhoon Lagoon has closed to other Guests, it stays open – along with all its attractions – for participants of the event, with the addition of special glowing light effects throughout the Park.  

If the idea of illuminated nighttime waterpark fun isn’t enough, there’s also a DJ dance party on the beach, a souvenir glow wristband, and themed food and beverages. We can understand why, in pandemic times, Disney H2O Glow Nights remains unavailable – but we can dream, can’t we?

Disney’s The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour

If, like me, you have fond memories of quality time spent with your grandfather over the elaborate train set in his basement, Disney’s The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour might be a great choice for your next Walt Disney World vacation – when it’s once again available.

Credit: Disney Tips

Guests arrive at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park before it opens for a three-hour tour with Disney engineers, where they’ll learn about Walt’s interest in steam trains, and go behind the scenes to see where the Park’s steam engines are stored, and how they’re maintained.

The UnDISCOVERed Future World

Walt Disney World’s EPCOT theme park is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment, and there’s nowhere on Disney property with a more fascinating history. This four-hour walking tour of the Park is the perfect way to learn about EPCOT’s origins – and discover a few secrets along the way.

The UnDISCOVERed Future World takes Guests backstage in what was formerly known as Future World, now divided into three different neighborhoods (World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery) to compliment the other neighborhood of the Park: World Showcase.

Guests head behind the scenes to EPCOT’s wardrobe department, and to Test Track (how cool would it be to watch cars speed by above you?), while learning about Walt’s dream to build the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and how it morphed into today’s EPCOT Theme Park.  Come back please, UnDISCOVERed Future World tour!

Bottom Line

Practically every aspect of life has changed over the past couple of years. While we’re grateful that Walt Disney World is open, it’s still not quite business as usual, and that goes for Disney’s Enchanting Extras Collection. Happily, there are several backstage tours that WDW Guests will soon be able to enjoy while we wait for the others to become once again available.