Magic Kingdom tips for Non-Disney fan

[ransam]

Ok, it's not that my friend dislikes Disney, she just has never experienced it...
so she is going on her first trip this October. her friends family will be in florida, she's going w/ them, and they are spending one day and just one day at Disney and spending the day at MK.
I want to give her some things to look for. things that an adult would find interesting.
she is really a very imaginative girl so I am hoping she'll apreciate Disney more than she thinks she will. She comes from an architecture/Engineering background so if you can think of anything she would find really interesting, please let me know.
I'm looking for some secrets that an adult would appreciate.
thank you!

[Ms. Mode]

Well, you could have her look at the way the era changes on Main Street from the gas lights to more modern electric. There is also a "pathway" in red...although I've never noticed it. :blush:

[IrishMickey]

I lent my neighbors my "Hidden Mickey" book, the husband really enjoyed looking for the Mickey's while the rest of the family rode the rides!

[Daisy'sMom]

Why not point out how the buildings on Main Street get smaller as they go up.:mickey:

[jenperich]

Well, you could have her look at the way the era changes on Main Street from the gas lights to more modern electric. There is also a "pathway" in red...although I've never noticed it. :blush:

REALLY?!?! I had no idea they did that. Heck I've been over 12 times, and I didn't know about the lights.

And what's this pathway you speak of?

[gerald72]

Be sure she knows about the forced perspective with Cinderella Castle and Main Street.

[brownie]

Give her the book The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness. It has lots of interesting things to look for/know about Disney World.

[debandbub]

Another good book is the Imagineer's Guide books- I have the AK and Epcot ones, but wow- lots of cool info. I imagine the MK one would be filled with lots of similar info.

[diz_girl]

Give her the book The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness. It has lots of interesting things to look for/know about Disney World.

I was going to mention the same book. It mentions a lot of details that most people overlook and maybe all of those little details will make a positive impression on her.

Maybe she can check out the Kugel ball in Tomorrowland. It's a very heavy ball that floats on a powerful stream of water. It is so powerful, that if the ball were removed, it would send a jet of water over 100 feet into the air.

Or maybe check out the Peoplemover (TTA) and the linear induction system that they use.

Too bad she isn't visiting AK. Since she has an architecture/engineering background, the fact that the Tree of Life is constructed from an upside-down offshore oil platform might impress her quite a bit.

[Scar]

An adult at WDW for 1 day in October.

I would tell her to look for the sign to Epcot and go there.

[LVT]

Be a kid. I love Buzz Lightyear's ride
Night time electrical parade
Fireworks
Philharmagic 3D
Hall of Presidents

[BrerSchultzy]

REALLY?!?! I had no idea they did that. Heck I've been over 12 times, and I didn't know about the lights.

And what's this pathway you speak of?

I think the red pathway is actually the path in Liberty Square that represents....uh...well...to be delicate, it represents the colonial sewage system.

Also in Liberty Square, you'll notice that all the shutters are attached by leather straps, and not metal hinges...because this town would have melted down all its metal in the war effort.

[ransam]

An adult at WDW for 1 day in October.

I would tell her to look for the sign to Epcot and go there.

i agree...however, she will be w/ a bunch of kids, and that is not an option

[Joannelet]

There are no bathrooms in Liberty Square to go along with the whole theme also :)
Yes the ground in Liberty Square has a brown river going through it in the cement. THat is supposed to be the sewage going through the town.
I'm not sure if that is what the red pathway someone above referred to or not though. Definitely tell her about the forced perspective though on the buildings!!!

[brad192]

If she's got an engineering/architecture background, make sure you walk thru the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. (I still wanna live there :mickey::blush:).

[rrfox0417]

As an engineer myself one of my favorite attractions is the Haunted Mansion. The technology in there is very cool especially the room with the holograms of dancing ghosts. I also like the animatronics in the Pirates. Actually in a previous note someone mentioned the ball in tomorrowland. I never knew about that. I am going to Disney in October and I am definitely planning to look at the ball and the lights down main street.

[PeterPan]

It almost never works to point out a mistake in a post but... There are no holograms anywhere in the haunted mansion.

[CleveRocks]

If you can give her only one piece of advice for a 1-day visit, it should be to GET THERE BEFORE THE PARK OPENS. If the park opens at 9 a.m., she should get there by 8:30 a.m. She'll get more done in the first two hours than many people get done in 4 or 5 hours.

It's pretty common for people who are skeptical of Disney to begin with, to show up at Noon and find big crowds and want to leave by 1:30 p.m. because they've done only one ride.

Oh yeh, make sure she understands how to use FASTPASS, too. :mickey:

[Kenny1113]

Where is the kugel ball in tomorrowland. I would love to dhow DS6 this when we go in a couple of days. We just did a similar expirement with a ping pong ball and hairdryer, he will get a kick out of it!

[Jeri Lynn]

How cool, I never knew about the lights or the shutters, I will wait until my trip and show them to my sister so she will think I am really smart!!! haha!!

[azcavalier]

The only red I can think of is the pavement on Main Street. Disney worked with Kodak and found out that the red pavement makes photos look better.

[joonyer]

I think the touring the utilidors (utility corridors) would be very interesting to someone with an engineering background, but that costs extra of course (Keys to the Kingdom tour).

[CU Tiger]

One way to have the adults enjoy MK is to make sure the kids enjoy MK and reduce the stess that can exist. Explain the fast pass system and how to effectivly use it, have them make a list of the must do's and want to do's and go after them in that order. Tell them the best places to eat and stuff like that. Go on line and get a map for them to review the layout and to see all that is there. For the inexperienced visitor, a lot of time is waisted on deciding what to do and how to figure things out. This worked for my friends who have never been, had a great time,:mickey: and thanked me for my advise.

[Joannelet]

It almost never works to point out a mistake in a post but... There are no holograms anywhere in the haunted mansion.

It's a peppers ghost! :) Maybe tell her to look that up and the ballroom scene in HM will be even better for her!! :)

[disneymom2000]

One of the things I really like is the place at the beginning of MK where you can take your film to be processed has a place in the back with cutouts that you can take your picture with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or the 101 Dalmations.

Also, not very many people take advantage of Tom Sawyer Island but it is a pretty cool place to check out.

[JerseyDad]

......as a civil engineer....I completely love ALL of WDW. From the parks to the whole infrastructure...its just one big text-book of information.

......but don't get me wrong....I'm also a 49 yr old kid!!! I have a blast just being there (picking apart all the rides...attractions....construction...is just a big cherry on top of the whole experience)