is this good to do? A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour

[clowndiscus]

is this good to go on?
A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour

my wife and i went on a tour at disneyworld that whet behind the scenes, and underground.

is this a good one to do at disneyland?

what all does it cover

thanks

geoff

[TheGrimGrinner]

We did this last summer and recommend it all the way. We were lucky to be the only ones on the tour and the tour guide customized the tour for us since we already knew a lot about Disney. Not sure if they have changed it since (she let us know that it is changed every now and then) but we got to stick around after the Tiki Room and see how the animatronics worked and learned a lot about the park we never knew. Went into the lobby of Club 33, and rode the Lilly Belle. If you're a Disney lover, I'd definitely say this is a must see in the Disney Parks.

[Radiobarry]

Originally Posted by TheGrimGrinner

If you're a Disney lover, I'd definitely say this is a must see in the Disney Parks.

I've certainly heard of this and have thought about it. How long does it take? And where does one inquire further?

[sarki7]

As far as tours go at Disneyland, it's certainly the most impressive offering. It's around $60 a person, lasts about 3+ hours, includes lunch, but does not include park admission.

If you're interested in the history and development of Disneyland, it is more than worth it. However, if you want serious behind the scenes access, you may be disappointed. The lobby of Club 33 is nice, and seeing one of the animatronic flowers after watching the Tiki Room show is cool - but the entirely of the tour is spend "on stage".

This is in stark contrast to some of the tours at WDW. Many take you back stage, even into the Utilidors at the Magic Kingdom. As a matter of fact, on the Backstage Magic tour, the only time we spent onstage was for bathroom breaks. This is not what you will get at Disneyland. If you're interested in getting some great history and insight, I recommend the WiWF tour, but for most folks who know way too much about Disneyland already, you'll find that most of it you've already heard.

More information can be found here: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...tstepsTourPage

[LittlePrincess1230]

For more information or to book your tour, you can call Tickets and Reservations at 714-781-4400

[Disney Wrassler]

Barry, I saw on the website that it's 3 & 1/2 hours and costs $60 unless you are a premium or deluxe annual pass holder. If so, then you get 20% off.

[OldSchoolMickey]

Out of all of the tours that we have taken, the WIWF tour was the best!

Go for it!

[sarki7]

Yea, the tour itself is just a shade over three hours, and then you've got your lunch (assuming you take a morning tour, I suppose). Really, once they get you back to the tour area to get your sandwich, you're on your own, though there's no reason not to stick around and chit-chat - it's the only time when the guides really go off-script.

Here's my review from a trip report last January:

We started much later, no need to rush the gates early, as we were scheduled for a 9:30am tour. We had booked the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" (a.k.a. Wiwf) tour a few months earlier (which included a 20% discount - thanks Visa!) and were looking forward to the behind-the-scenes-experience. We started at the base on Main Street, introduced ourselves and talked about Disneyland's early days as we went into the museum of the First 50 Years theater. It was a nice guided tour through it, even though it was stuff we had seen before.

We made our way up Main Street, listening to sound clips as our tour guide Wendy regaled us with a ton of history. It was great to hear this stuff while in the park, but it was nothing new to us. For example, forced perspective, the names on the windows being the credits, the horrible opening day. We stopped back in the Main Street Cinema as Wendy talked about what a pioneer Walt Disney was. Again, interesting, but nothing new.

We strolled through most of the park, getting the highlights of each land. There was a stop in the lobby of Club 33, which is apparently a big damn deal. We got to jump on Jungle Cruise and Tiki Room to experience some original attractions, and even got an up close look at some of the workings of the characters in the Tiki Room. That was the only backstage stuff we'd see though. At the end of the 3 hours, we took the train back, and did get to sit in the caboose. Lunch was included as we ate sandwiches and chatted with some of the tour guides. We finally got to hear some interesting stuff there, as they were finally off the script. Overall, it was interesting, but hardly an overwhelming experience. It was definitely worth doing, but next time we'd like a something more in-depth and behind-the-scenes.

(from Trip Report: Disneyland Resort - Saturday Jan. 12th - Monday Jan. 14th 2008)

[wanderw1]

when i went on it we never went backstage but it is still a lot of fun. about 3 hours long but really worth it! do they still offer lunch with it?

[wanderw1]

are there any tours for the general public that go backstage? really backstage and not just the tiki room?

[Sleepless Knight]

For seasoned Disneyland fans and veterans, the tour may offer you a nugget or two of trivia information you did not already have, but otherwise you will know most of what they tell you on the tour. It is very historical with no backstage secrets unless you count seeing one of the original Tiki Room flowers. I do not regret taking it, though I would not do it again just for myself.

For a Disneyland newbie with enough park time to take the tour, it's well worth it. If you're a WDW veteran taking your first trip to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, I think it's a must do to help you understand a large part of what Disneyland is all about.

[sarki7]

That's a good way to put it Sleepless - and I agree, I'm glad I took it, but don't see myself taking it again unless I'm with someone who really wants to.

Agreed, when I first started visiting Disneyland after many trips to WDW, I just didn't get it. It was like Disney World, but much smaller. It wasn't until I slowly came to learn over several more visits and several years how it all started at Disneyland and why it really is so special. To someone whose Disney park experiences are based primarily on WDW, this would be a great eye-opener.

But behind-the-scenes it is not.

[IndianaJenn]

I took the tour last year and didn't get a lot out of it. If you are new to Disneyland, or of you don't know much about Walt or the history of the park, you will get a lot more out of it than I did.

Have a great time on your trip!

[BC_DisneyGeek]

Do they allow participants to ask many questions? They did on the Keys to the Kingdom tour in WDW. It was also a lot of "common knowledge" for us hardcore disney geeks, but if you knew what to ask, you could learn some interesting things.

[IndianaJenn]

Yes. Our tour guide answered questions throughout the tour. A handful of people were only interested in seeing the lobby of Club 33 and left the group right afterwards.