Backstage Magic or Keys to the Kingdom?

[Minnie824]

Trying to decide which tour to do next summer. It will be myself, DH, DD18 and DD16. Has anyone done one or both of the tours? Which would you recommend? We definitely would like to go to the Utilidors.

 

[e_yerger]

I did Keys to the Kingdom over labor day weekend and it was fabulous. It was a nice way to take up half the day and still have time later to do other attractions! We did an 8:30am tour, with 7am EMH. We ate breakfast, took some empty main street photos, and did some shopping before our 8:30 check-in. We could have rode some rides but we were both feeling a little sick from traveling the day before.

We rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion together. We went backstage to see the parade floats, and went through the utilidoors during our journey back to main street. Lunch was served at Pecos Bills.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I’ve done KTTK twice and the VIP Guides were amazing. Nice tidbits of info throughout the tour.

Being in the Utilidors and seeing the signs for Castle access when you are standing below the Castle is awesome! My DD is an Entertainment CM so the tour gave us the opportunity to view her ‘work’ environment and it didn’t disappoint.

 

[kevjen01]

Both these tours look so fantastic. My son and I will be there in May. We can only do the Backstage Magic tour because you have to be at least 12 years old, whereas you need to be 16 to enjoy the KTTK, wonder why?

 

[philharmagic fan]

We've done both, although 3-5 years ago so my info may be a bit out of date. KTTK was pretty much as e_yerger described. Backstage Magic goes to 3 parks, so time in each is limited, but seeing backstage at American Adventure at Epcot was awesome. At Studios we went backstage behind Tower of Terror. The real highlights of the trip were the visits to Central Shops where they build and repair ride vehicles, and Horticulture where we saw topiaries under construction. They took us into the utilidors near the front of the MK but we only saw a bit near the Pin Replenishment window. With KTTK we spent perhaps 4 times as much time "downstairs". Lunch was QS for KTTK and TS for BM.

 

[saving our pennies]

I did the KttK tour in 2015 with my equally Disney obsessed MIL. We did the early tour, and had lunch at Columbia Harbor. Our group was pretty full, and it was sometimes hard to get to the front to see everything the guide was referring to, though we had earpieces so we could hear everything. It also was very hot (early November), and it was a lot of standing with little shade (bring extra water!). A lot of the "trivia" our guide was sharing is probably commonly known by those who are Disney super-fans.

All that said, it was a really cool experience, and I'd definitely do it again. It was fun to be with others who were just as obsessed as we were. The behind the scenes stuff like the warehouses with parade floats, costumes, and florals was neat. Getting to go into cast member only areas - especially the utilidors felt super secret . We even got a special tour pin at the end.

These tours are a great way to add to your Disney experience, especially for those who have been to WDW many times and are looking for a way to "plus it".

 

[Ross Kratter]

I took the Backstage Magic tour at the beginning of this month. It was an incredible experience, worth every penny.
My guides were Tiffany and Harry. They were both full of knowledge and enthusiasm for the Disney parks and the Disney company in general, and they were super nice people.
They have now replaced the Hollywood Studios and Horticulture portions with going backstage at Rivers of Light, and lunch is now at Tiffins, which was an amazing meal, so the stops are as follows:
Epcot - American Adventure
Creative Costuming
Rivers of Light
Lunch at Tiffins
Central Shops
Utilidors
While there's not much time spent in the Utilidors, the rest of the day certainly makes up for that.
I have not yet taken the Keys to the Kingdom tour; I may do so on my next trip just to see how it compares.
It's worth noting that you do not need park tickets for Backstage Magic, because whenever you enter a park, you do so from backstage, whereas you do for Keys to the Kingdom.

 

[Pamela M]

I took the Backstage Magic tour at the beginning of this month. It was an incredible experience, worth every penny.
My guides were Tiffany and Harry. They were both full of knowledge and enthusiasm for the Disney parks and the Disney company in general, and they were super nice people.
They have now replaced the Hollywood Studios and Horticulture portions with going backstage at Rivers of Light, and lunch is now at Tiffins, which was an amazing meal, so the stops are as follows:
Epcot - American Adventure
Creative Costuming
Rivers of Light
Lunch at Tiffins
Central Shops
Utilidors
While there's not much time spent in the Utilidors, the rest of the day certainly makes up for that.
I have not yet taken the Keys to the Kingdom tour; I may do so on my next trip just to see how it compares.
It's worth noting that you do not need park tickets for Backstage Magic, because whenever you enter a park, you do so from backstage, whereas you do for Keys to the Kingdom.

Thanks we have reservations or the Backstage tour for our trip in December

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I did both this year, and they were both incredible. You truly can't go wrong. I personally got more out of Backstage Magic. It was incredible to see the places in the other parks in addition to the utilidors, and the places I wasn't looking forward to turned out to be my favorites. Who knew?