Magic Kingdom tour of Trains

[JakeontheCob]

Has anyone taken the tour of the Magic Kingdom trains? If so, what did you think? Worth the $40?

I was thinking of having my father and son take the tour on our trip as my Dad is a big train fan. Just curious if it is worth the price.

[VWL Mom]

DH did it with my younger son and they both really enjoyed it. If your dad likes trains, I would say go for it. You also get a collector's pin at the end.

[TheDuckRocks]

I'm still getting thank yous from my DSIL for arranging the behind the scenes train tour for him and my DGS. He is an avid "trainer" and was told by many people he had met in his train clubs that this is a much coveted tour.

[JakeontheCob]

Thanks for the replies. My DS is turning 10 at the end of our trip and I see they recommend age 10 minimum for the trip. He is a pretty intelligent boy though so I think he will understand it all. My only fear is that he would see something that would be "behind" the scenes in nature with the characters. Is that a possibility? I ask because he still has all those beliefs a kid has, if you get my drift. Just would hate for him to see something that might change his view of Disney.

[aapriputin]

I have a question -- once I saw this, I immediately asked my travel agent to try and get reservations :secret: as a late birthday present (his birthday was yesterday but we don't go for another 10 days) -- but... if she is successful, how do we get there from PC?? :confused: I know the buses don't run that early (it's not a day with magic hours) -- if I drive, how do I not pay for parking?? show my room key?? and anybody have a guesstimate how much a cab might be? would it be worth a cab to avoid hassles??

thanks for any help!!

Allison
Dunlap TN

[TheDuckRocks]

You need to get a cab from your resort and have them drop you off at the Contemporary and then walk over to MK. I'm pretty sure the cost was well under $20 from POR. The meeting time for the begginning of the tour is 7:15 as they start the tour promptly at 7:30, well before the busses to the parks for the character breakfasts.

[pixiesmimi]

Can anyone tell me what this tour involves? I asked my DH if he wanted to take the tour when we go in Aug. because he is into trains. He wanted to know what was involved and how long it took before deciding.

[aapriputin]

we will be doing this for the first time on St Patrick's day... it lasts 3 hours and you have to be at the gate at MK at 7:15 am -- and the price has gone up a little from the website I saw -- it is $45 pp but DH (who was very surprised by my making these reservations -- late bday present for him) seems to think it will be worth it!!

Allison
Dunlap TN

I'll do a "report" when we get home!!

[mcjaco]

1.) The question about the child seeing behind the scenes stuff - not likely. The train and monorail maintenance areas are not near most of the character areas backstage. He should be fine.

2.) You can drive. Just go to the Contemporary. They'll have a five minute walk over to the MK. I'm assuming there would be limited Monorail service at that time, as people do go from resort to resort for breakfast, etc. I've never had an issue telling the parking attendant what I'm doing and getting directions from them for such tours.

[grwoolf]

Can anyone tell me what this tour involves? I asked my DH if he wanted to take the tour when we go in Aug. because he is into trains. He wanted to know what was involved and how long it took before deciding.

We did this tour in last month and thought it was great. You get to ride out to the round house on the Lilly Belle, which is only used for photo shoots and the morning ceremony. They talk about how the trains are maintained, safety stuff, great history and operational details and stuff like that. You are allowed up in the cab and they show you how the trains are fired up in the morning and how they are operated. My boys (11 and 12) got to sit at the controls (lots of very hot parts up there, kind of suprised me, but very neat), ring the bell, do some conductor stuff. We saw a guy light a diesel-soaked ball on fire along with his gloved hand (boys liked this) and threw it in the firebox resulting in a flame shooting out when they started the fuel (again, cool stuff). We rode the train back to main street and our guide reviewed some things in the train station and talked about some additional history. The guide was really great, really knew the history of Disneyland, WDW, and especially the railroad. At the end, everyone got a special pin that is only available to those that take the tour. You do see some backstage stuff, but it's facilities and roads, I didn't see any place that characters would be. I'd highly recommend the tour to anyone that is into trains, mechanical stuff, etc.

[Mickey91]

We took this tour a couple of years ago. The cool pin alone is worth it. But, the roundhouse and being able to sit up in the cab and really seeing the controls etc...all I can say is WOW! A must see for any train enthusiast and the history of Walt, Roy and also Roger Broggie is priceless. I had tears from being so moved by the story telling. Our tour guide was Jim. He was totally awesome!

[pianobabe]

DH and I did the train tour on our trip in 2006. He is really into trains. The tour was very interesting. I am not a train enthusiast, but it did keep my attention and I learned a lot. The gentleman who did our tour really knew his "stuff". We got there by taking a taxi from Movies. I don't remember the cost of the ride, but it wasn't too expensive. I am not sure if it has changed, but when we first booked the tour they had told us no cameras were allowed. When we got there, we were able to take all the pictures we wanted.

[pixiesmimi]

Thanks! This helps us to make a decision. Sounds like fun. How many hours does it take? Just trying to find something interesting for DH since I want to do a Keys to the Kingdom Tour. We will be on our anniversary trip and want to do some different things this time.

Sorry, just saw where it takes 3 hours. :)