Chamber of commerce Archives

Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour

February 7, 2013 by Jess 2 Comments

I was lucky enough on a recent trip to take part in the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at The Magic Kingdom. Let me tell you, this is well worth the price of admission. I used my annual pass to get a 15% discount on the tour. My total was around $66 for the 5 and 1/2 hour tour which included lunch at Columbia Harbour House.

My tour began at 9 am, but we were allowed into the Magic Kingdom at 8:30. This was great since the park was not open yet and we could take those wonderful photos of an empty main street! We checked into our tour at The Chamber of Commerce and were treated to some super cute name tags and bottled water. We were also given our ear pieces at this time and selected what we would eat for lunch.

At 9:00 am sharp we met our tour guide, Molly. Molly was everything that is good about Disney! She was fun, funny, informative, entertaining, and so knowledgeable. She was also an amazing story teller. I absolutely adored her. Molly informed us that we would not be allowed to take any photos on the tour, either “on stage” or “backstage” and we were happy to comply. For this reason, you will not be seeing any pictures that were taken during the walking tour.

Molly began our tour with a walk down Main Street, explaining to us what the Keys to the Kingdom are: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. It is upon these building blocks that the entire Magic Kingdom and Disney World as a whole is run. As we walked down Main Street she explained how beginning at the train station you are seeing a show. The station acts as curtain concealing the star; Cinderella Castle. As the curtain lifts and you enter Main Street you will see concessions such as popcorn and soda for sale and walk along a red walk way that is representative of the red carpet! The windows of the buildings act as credits for the people who brought this production to life.

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Filed Under: Do and See, Original Articles, Parks & Resorts, Planning, Reviews, Tips &Tricks, Tips and Tricks, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Chamber of commerce, Cinderella Castle, disney, Keys to the Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Main Street U.S.A., Utilidor, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World Resort

Family Magic Tour at Walt Disney World

April 16, 2012 by DisneyDiva 8 Comments

This February my family and I signed up to take the Family Magic Tour at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

We called 407-WDW-TOUR and signed up for four people. The cost is only $34.00 per person and let me tell you that it is totally worth every single penny!

This tour is ok for all ages and takes 1.5 to 2 hours and is a walking tour so make sure you wear comfy shoes and check the weather. Park admission is not included in the price so make sure you have tickets also.

So let me run down the experience for you, because I definitely think you will want to book this tour!

You will check in at the Chamber of Commerce. When you come into the park the Chamber of Commerce is on the far left. When you go in they will check your reservation and give you this cute name tag.

We only had one other family with us, but I don’t think they get much bigger than three families in order to keep it manageable. There is free water and coffee for you to grab before you get started and make sure you go to the bathroom next door before you get started.

Once everybody is there your tour guide will tell you about what you are looking for. Captain Hook has been up to no good in the Magic Kingdom and has been stealing some of the characters favorite things and hiding them all over the park. Mickey needs us to help retrieve the items and bring them back so he can get them to the characters.

There are clues that take you from item to item and they’re NOT easy. They really take some thought, but its fun to solve as a family.

The clues take you all around the Magic Kingdom park, but it doesn’t have you crossing the park more than one time. You move sequentially through the park.

Our tour guide was AMAZING!!! She’s great at getting the kids to play along! But all of you fuddy duddy parents who NEVER play along like you are supposed to (like the ones who wont participate in Monsters Laugh Floor or Turtle Talk with Crush… really what is your problem people?!?) you need to play along in order to get your kids to!

Its fun to because there are random people in the park who have clues and hints to get you further in your journey! You never know who is going to help you next.

As a part of the tour you also get to ride a ride to look for a clue. Your tour guide will have fast passes for everybody so you will go directly into the ride. Our ride was Winnie the Pooh. This would potentially save you some time during your trip!

AND, there’s a surprise Character Greeting with PETER PAN! Oh yeah! So no need to stand in line and waste all your time to meet him. You’ll get to play a game with him, get autographs and take photos!

You can even take a second and CROW with Peter! Pretty cool!

Right after this we got to take a break as it was right around the one hour mark. We ate a little snack (we had brought one with us, one is not provided) and went to the bathroom.

As we continued on our hunt we suddenly heard someone talking to us about our quest. I turned around and it was PUSH THE TRASH CAN! I’m not going to lie, I squealed as I had never seen Push before!

Then we started playing a follow the leader game which was so fun! (Again, fuddy duddies… get with the program!)

Finally we had collected all of the items Hook had stolen and thought our tour was about to end when our tour guide informed us that we were going to get to return the items to the Big Cheese himself.

We went into a secret entrance and waited for a few minutes. We decided to take a picture with all of the kids and our guide because we had really all bonded at that point.

And then it was time! Our guide told Mickey and Minnie we had found all the items and we got to spend a good 10 minutes or so with them taking pictures, getting autographs and just going around all together! Talk about saving some time! Meeting Mickey, Minnie, Peter Pan, riding a ride, AND getting oriented to all of Magic Kingdom while having a great time as a family!

I highly recommend this tour to ALL of you! I was absolutely amazing and so super fun! Absolutely worth the money PLUS some and I feel confident your family will LOVE IT! Call 407-WDW-TOUR to book your Family Magic Tour! You won’t regret it!

The Avengers Monorail Debuts At Walt Disney World (chipandco.com)
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Filed Under: Best things I love.., Do and See, Planning 101, Tips &Tricks, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: Chamber of commerce, Magic Kingdom, recreation, The Walt Disney Company, Theme Park, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort

Disney Executive Honored As Hispanic Community Champion

December 8, 2011 by Chip 1 Comment

Eugene Campbell, vice president of domestic minority business development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, was honored as this year’s Hispanic Community Champion at the annual Don Quijote Awards, which recognize business excellence, dedication to service and outstanding professionalism in Central Florida’s Hispanic community.

Campbell, who was one of the five honorees announced at the ceremony, said the award is the result of a true team effort.

“Disney’s contributions to the Hispanic business community stem from a commitment across the company to support the growth, development, expansion and increased utilization of minority-owned business enterprises,” Campbell said. “Our efforts are all about building solid partnerships with diverse businesses, community leaders and organizations, locally as well as nationally.”

The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc., and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando created the Don Quijote Awards to recognize top Hispanic entrepreneurs, professionals and leaders in the region.