Magic Tunnels and Elevation
The entire Magic Kingdom in WDW is actually more than an entire story elevated above the surrounding countryside, lending itself to a network of underground tunnels, dress shops and more. They came into design when it dawned that seeing a cast member from one land, in full garb, was spotted walking through multiple lands, somewhat ruining the magic. On average, you are 14 feet above the natural elevation. As a result, trees in the Magic Kingdom are actually planted one level down! Odd but true.
Flags
On Main Street USA, in the Magic Kingdom USA, there are a tonne of flags. However, as you may know, there are laws surrounding the raising and lowering of all American flags. To get around this and to keep all (bar the single main flag, which is subject to a dusk lowering and a patriotic mini fanfare) up consistently, there are always some minor discrepancies, meaning that the flags stay up for patrons 24/7. And did you know that the flag poles dotted around also acted as lightning rods? Strange, but true.
EPCOT Tunnels
Magic Kingdom isn’t the only park to have underground access tunnels! EPCOT also houses a few of its own, although to a far lesser extent.
EPCOT Spaceship Earth Insulation
The famous EPCOT Spaceship Earth is built in two layers, allowing for all rainwater to run off and into proper drainage systems, meaning that the ground underneath never gets wet.
Coloured Water
The waters in WDW are tinted a muddy green colour. No, that’s not dirt or sewage runoff, that’s on purpose, as it disguises the fact that the water is never more than a few feet deep, giving the illusion of depth.
Frequent Bins
Bins are never more than a few steps away in the parks – in fact there’s a set maximum distance, calculated by the number of steps taken by your average guest before littering: 30 steps. And even if a guest DOES decide to litter, there are people on guard to pick up the trash before it hits the ground!
Gum
Patrons to the WDW theme parks will know that gum is not for sale anywhere in the grounds. It’s a quick, easy way to minimise the amount to gum left underfoot. And if you decide to bring gum into the parks from outside, you can rest assured that Disney staff are on hand to clean it up immediately. Just compare Disney to any other park – no gum 😉
Invisible Barriers
Occasionally, a ride needs updating, building or demolishing. These sites obviously need to be screened from the discerning public and in doing so Disney erect barriers – in a certain greenie colour. People don’t really twig that these barriers exist due to their colour and bright adverts placed on them. The tinge has been dubbed “Go Away Green” and is applied not just to off-access areas but to anything imagineers don’t want you to see, such as fire hydrants.
Piped Smells
Pioneered by Disneyland and then WDW on Main Street USA in the front of the Magic Kingdom, pleasant, food like smells are piped into the air, making patrons hungry for certain foods which are on sale. This technique has been adapted across all Disney parks and even Las Vegas to encourage betting. They were so revolutionary, the even coined their own name: Smellitzers!
Forced Perspective
Another Disneyland first, Disney Imagineers quickly realised that if their signature icons in the parks – the castle, golf ball, tree of life etcetera – became too tall, they would be forced to be adorned with red flashing lights. The solution was simple – forced perspective. The size and angle of bricks on the castle, for example, make people think it is far taller than it actually is. Equally, Main Street USA was built at an angle that made it appear longer or shorter than it actually was.
EPCOT Original Purpose
EPCOT was, until recently, intended to be an actual city! It was Walt’s dream – an Experimental Prototype Community (or City) Of Tomorrow. It was to feature a hotel, industry, school, underground transport centre and more. Eventually this was abandoned and the park became, well, a park. But the dream lives on. In fact, a model of the city can be found on the People Mover in Magic Kingdom, WDW.
Christopher Robin Bedroom
In the English pavilion in EPCOT there is a blocked off area, in which is a bedroom, visible through a frosted glass windowed door. On the bed, there are toys from Winnie the Pooh. The room is, in fact, Christopher Robin’s bedroom, originally a meet-and-greet room. Since it was abandoned, it has been left in state.
Free Water
Florida can be hot. And Disney knows this. So instead of buying water, which is on sale in copious amounts, at a price, just ask for a glass! They have to provide you with some water, gratis. Unfortunately, it IS Florida water, so it’s not the tastiest, but it is free!
The Ground
At the entrance to the Magic Kingdom the walkway is painted red, so that patrons could be given the red carpet treatment. Further to this, depending where you are in the park, from land to land, the ground changes in design. They go so far as to represent in Liberty Square the tradition of waste being thrown into the street – gross, but true.
No Restrooms
As an aside, Liberty Square sports no rest rooms, since in colonial times there were no public restrooms to be had!
