Keys To The Kingdom Tour

[aladdin2007]

Lunch was terrible (cold and Cosmic Ray's quality, but in Liberty Tree for some reason) and the information was really high-level facts and info most Disney fans know.

The guide was really repetitive with her "spiel" and rambled way too much. I'm not even a Disney expert and I felt like I knew a lot more about the rides in particular.

We got to ride Haunted Mansion.

Overall time backstage was almost nil besides some time in the utilidors and parade area. In general, the tour was kind of lame and boring. You stand out in the sun for hours listening to a guide ramble about stuff you've likely heard about or could know in a 5 minute read.

Must have had the same one we had. And said cm didnt know the answers to most things and had to keep texting guest relations for the answers . Its obvious they are using whoever they can now for these and are not true guest relations guides like they use to be. They are overbooking, and having a hard time getting enough guides. And I agree it was way too long standing in one spot outside listening to the person ramble on, they need to change this. I dont mind standing, but not for 30 min or more in one spot.

But we found our time backstage to be worth it, explored the stretch between Main Street and the Jungle Cruise. Rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. Lunch was preset at CHH. Then the tour went into the ultilidors, which was great, but again standing for too long in various spots listening to said cm ramble. We went through costuming, then under the castle all the way under Main Street down there the entire length, and then came up behind Main Street near Tony's. That latter half was worth the price, to us anyway. Whole different world when down there, a lot going on, and until you see certain characters doing there thing backstage you come back to reality that they are just real people. Aladdin walking along on break eating a mickey ice cream, Merida with a gym bag over her shoulder, etc....its fun to see.

Our tour did not include parade production or pirates etc.....all of these are probably decided on day of based on park operations for that day and or the guide at hand.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I felt bad going to complain because I think she would have actually gotten in trouble if they believed me.

But you would have spared some other tour group from having a bad experience had she been kept in the role and continued on. Disney is at fault putting someone in a role like that without properly vetting her knowledge.
And maybe she would have then understood she was in a position that she wasn't ready to take on and it was beyond her capabilities. She may have come away from that tour thinking she had done a good job.
Criticism can be a benefit if one learns from it and is willing and decides to improve.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Must have had the same one we had. And said cm didnt know the answers to most things and had to keep texting guest relations for the answers . Its obvious they are using whoever they can now for these and are not true guest relations guides like they use to be. They are overbooking, and having a hard time getting enough guides. And I agree it was way too long standing in one spot outside listening to the person ramble on, they need to change this. I dont mind standing, but not for 30 min or more in one spot.

But we found our time backstage to be worth it, explored the stretch between Main Street and the Jungle Cruise. Rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. Lunch was preset at CHH. Then the tour went into the ultilidors, which was great, but again standing for too long in various spots listening to said cm ramble. We went through costuming, then under the castle all the way under Main Street down there the entire length, and then came up behind Main Street near Tony's. That latter half was worth the price, to us anyway. Whole different world when down there, a lot going on, and until you see certain characters doing there thing backstage you come back to reality that they are just real people. Aladdin walking along on break eating a mickey ice cream, Merida with a gym bag over her shoulder, etc....its fun to see.

Our tour did not include parade production or pirates etc.....all of these are probably decided on day of based on park operations for that day and or the guide at hand.

Again that's sad and disappointing to hear. At least you thought there was enough good in the tour that it was worth your time and money. If that's the way the tours are going to be, Disney should just give all guests a headset and a connected device that plays a pre programmed speil as you reach certain points and the CM is only responsible to monitor the walk through. Texting for answers, although it gets you proper answers shows that your guide is inept and its bad show.

 

[nickys]

That’s such a shame about recent guides. We had a fantastic guide. As we were walking down Main Street she pointed out some of the windows and spoke about the creatives in question. When someone asked about another one, she knew who it was.
When we were in Adventureland she pointed out some of the animal engravings and then had us write down as many as we could find in 10 minutes, with a prize for the winner.
She knew so much. Talked about Pirates and HM design (after riding so it wasn’t a spoiler), the Liberty Bell.
We cut through Tortuga to see how the roofline from both lands was hidden from the other side.
Lots of quizzes about stuff like the stretching room (up or down, how each one died) after going on it. Where’s the askew shutter in LS. All sorts of interactive stuff that got us looking and figuring things out.

It was like having a walking guidebook. She also told us what else to look out for in Fantasyland.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Must have had the same one we had. And said cm didnt know the answers to most things and had to keep texting guest relations for the answers . Its obvious they are using whoever they can now for these and are not true guest relations guides like they use to be. They are overbooking, and having a hard time getting enough guides. And I agree it was way too long standing in one spot outside listening to the person ramble on, they need to change this. I dont mind standing, but not for 30 min or more in one spot.

But we found our time backstage to be worth it, explored the stretch between Main Street and the Jungle Cruise. Rode Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. Lunch was preset at CHH. Then the tour went into the ultilidors, which was great, but again standing for too long in various spots listening to said cm ramble. We went through costuming, then under the castle all the way under Main Street down there the entire length, and then came up behind Main Street near Tony's. That latter half was worth the price, to us anyway. Whole different world when down there, a lot going on, and until you see certain characters doing there thing backstage you come back to reality that they are just real people. Aladdin walking along on break eating a mickey ice cream, Merida with a gym bag over her shoulder, etc....its fun to see.

Our tour did not include parade production or pirates etc.....all of these are probably decided on day of based on park operations for that day and or the guide at hand.

Yep, exactly my experience. We literally stood in front of main street probably 30 minutes to start the tour and there was nothing interesting. We also didn't get pirates and parade was utterly boring, so consider yourself lucky.

I agree, utilidors was kind of cool just to be there. I started tuning her out by then so looking around was pretty cool, although limited.

My guess is they just dress up the CM in GR uniforms to make them look official, but the training is too bad to justify wearing the uniform. I hate to say it, but it needs more structure. A lot these stories seem like it's variable and/or the CM just riffing. "Hey, take the guests out a few hours and develop your own spiel."

It almost needs to be pseudo-scripted.

 

[aladdin2007]

Yep, exactly my experience. We literally stood in front of main street probably 30 minutes to start the tour and there was nothing interesting. We also didn't get pirates and parade was utterly boring, so consider yourself lucky.

I agree, utilidors was kind of cool just to be there. I started tuning her out by then so looking around was pretty cool, although limited.

My guess is they just dress up the CM in GR uniforms to make them look official, but the training is too bad to justify wearing the uniform. I hate to say it, but it needs more structure. A lot these stories seem like it's variable and/or the CM just riffing. "Hey, take the guests out a few hours and develop your own spiel."

It almost needs to be pseudo-scripted.

Bingo I think that's it exactly. Said cm even stated where they usually work and one could tell this was not the normal routine or position for the cm. They are pulling from whoever is available or willing to fill in...... I know someone who works there who I saw in the utilidors while on the tour which was fun, but later that day after the tour speaking with him he said I don't know where they got that one, had never seen the person before. I think he could hear all the rambling on.