Not as sinister as it sounds. And Actually, the Disney Utilidors are not quite so secret! As you reach the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, you probably wouldn’t even notice that you had been walking up a steady incline ever since you got off the monorail or ferry-boat.
You would also be forgiven for not realizing you were walking on the roof-top of a sprawling city below.
A secret Disney underworld.
You probably wouldn’t have had the slightest idea that by the time you reached the iconic Castle, you were already at third floor level. And that there was a whole system of Disney world tunnels underfoot.
Those clever, sneaky Disney Imagineers!
They created the Disney World tunnels. A secret network of underground Magic Kingdom tunnels completely hidden from peeping public eyes.
Why Were the Disney World Tunnels Created?
Rumor Control has it that as Mr Walt Disney was wandering through Tomorrowland in Disneyland California, a Cast Member (Disney-speak for staff) dressed as a cowboy walked by him on his way to his position at Frontierland.
One glance told Walt that a cowboy dressed in checked shirt, bandana and cowboy boots twirling a six shooter looked totally out of place in Tomorrowland.
This was supposed to be the future world and not the middle 1800s.
Walt racked his brain for a solution.
Minnie and Mickey hand in hand in the Disney Utilidors. ©Disney
He didn’t want anything distracting visitors from their magical experience. How could his cast members be transported to their designated work stations without being seen by the general public?
An underworld Disney was the answer. An impossibility in Disneyland California which was too small. But the much larger Walt Disney World planned for Florida was a different story.
So plans were hatched to build these Disney World tunnels (Utilidors) under the new Magic Kingdom.
Or rather, to build Magic Kingdom on top of the underworld tunnels.
The projected cost of creating the Magic Kingdom was rumored to be $4 million. The addition of the underworld tunnels raised that to $9 million.
Disney started creating the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 1967. ©Disney
Due to Florida’s high water table, digging out a basement would have been practically impossible. Disney improvised by building the tunnels at ground level and creating the public world right on top.
To build this mini-mountain, 8 million tons of earth were excavated from the area in front of the Magic Kingdom. That big void was transformed into Seven Seas Lagoon and gave the surrounding resort hotels prime water-front positions.
Genius!
The excavated earth was then distributed and molded to form a gentle incline, barely noticeable, to create a ground level illusion for visitors who were actually 15 feet above ground level.
Creating the Disney Underworld Tunnels. ©Disney
Disney Utilidors Today
The resulting Disney Utilidors are today 9 acres of underworld tunnels in the form of a circle with spokes leading off in various directions. There’s a central path right down the middle.
The tunnel walls are color coded to make it easier for Cast Members to navigate their way underneath the park to their desired location.
Walt didn’t want his errant cowboy suddenly appearing next to one of his Caribbean Pirates, hitching a ride on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet or poking his head round Space Mountain.
Entrances to the Disney Utilidors is through doors known only to cast members dotted throughout Magic Kingdom.
Cast members park about a mile away and are transported to the tunnel entrance by Disney buses. There, they make their way to their place of work either on foot or are driven on battery operated electric vehicles resembling golf carts.
The moment they step out of the hidden Magic Kingdom tunnels into public view, that’s them “on stage” and on best behavior with big smiley welcomes for all.
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So What Goes on in the Disney Utilidors?
Cast Member Services: This is where Cast Members go about their business away from public peepers. Banking services, dining, transportation, grooming, locker rooms, rehearsal areas and administration
DACS: The the powerhouse of Disney. The nerve center that operates the Magic Kingdom. DACS (Digital Animation Control System) is responsible for making sure audio-animatronics characters are on cue for attractions, controls when stage doors open and close, stages elevate and lower and curtains raise and open. The immense park lighting is optimized for peak performance by this incredible system that monitors over 70,000 functions a second. It oversees sound systems, fire prevention, equipment failure, power loss and knows instantly if anything goes wrong anywhere inside the Magic Kingdom.
Trash Talk: Can you imagine the amount of trash that must be generated by the Magic Kingdom? No amount of pixie dust could make all that trash disappear in a puff of glitter smoke. AVAC does that instead. The Automatic Vacuum Collection System is a Swedish garbage disposal system that zooms waste along vacuumed tubes at 60 miles an hour.
Whoosh. It’s gone.
23 tons of trash is then gathered, sorted, compressed or recycled behind Splash Mountain.
Hidden Deliveries: You’ll never see a delivery truck anywhere inside the Magic Kingdom. Walt would never have the magic shattered by such mundane occurrences. Instead all deliveries are done at service entrances and everything is transported underground on electric vehicles. The only gas powered vehicles allowed in the Disney Utilidors are armored cars to collect cash and ambulances to attend to emergencies.
Disney Utilidors Fun Facts:
- The Magic Kingdom tunnels occupy over 390,000 square feet of space underground
- The Cast Member cafeteria is called The Mouseketeria
- The Cast Member hairdressing service is called Kingdom Kutters
- The Glow Room is where all the neon-lit Mickey Ears, bracelets and swords sold in carts are stored
- There are 29 access points from the Disney Utilidors to the Magic Kingdom above
Can the General Public View The Disney World Tunnels?
Keys to The Kingdom Tour
If you want to know more about the Disney utilidors and see them for yourself, then there’s a tour for that. The Keys to The Kingdom Tour is open to all guests over the age of 16. The age limit is in place so the magic of Disney isn’t ruined for children.
This 5 hour walking tour takes you through secret locations throughout the Magic Kingdom and gives you an up close and personal glimpse of the famed Utilidoors. The day will be filled with facts and Disney trivia and lunch.
Details: Keys to The Kingdom Tour
So, the next time you are strolling along Main Street USA towards Cinderella Castle, remember that slight incline and give a little nod to the secret sprawling city going about its business right beneath your feet!
Accommodation Near Disney World
If you are visiting Disney World, we’d love to welcome you to one of our cozy Orlando Vacation Homes. An awesome alternative to hotels for comfort, space and privacy!
Interesting information.
Can you take the underground tour on a scooter? I’m very interested…
Yes, the Keys to the Kingdom tour is wheelchair or ECV accessible, although you may need to transfer at attractions or walk short distances.
The Utilidors are accessible by elevator. The tours are currently unavailable during Covid safety procedures though.