A child’s first Walt Disney World vacation is an experience they’ll never forget. It’s also a fun opportunity to shamelessly impress them by pointing out some of Disney’s coolest secrets. Want to catch a few magical moments? Make sure you have the camera ready when you show the kids these insane details at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
1. The secret lights in Future World
It’s the little things that make the biggest difference at Walt Disney World, and a great example is one of Epcot’s most beloved touches of Disney magic. Next time you’re visiting Future World after the sun has set, take your little one on a stroll near Innoventions on either side of Spaceship Earth plaza. Sections of the concrete throughout this area come alive at night with colored lights like sparkling stars and mesmerizing swirls. The secret is an elaborate series of fiber optics embedded in the concrete, the same type of lights Disney used for Magic Kingdom’s Spectromagic parade. Kids and adults alike love this captivating display.
2. The Tomorrowland power palms
Despite having grown slightly dated in its view of a theoretical future, Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland continues to thrill visitors young and old. While most kids tend to focus on the cool factor of the Astro Orbiter or Space Mountain, there’s one magical detail of Tomorrowland many young guests miss.
It’s often assumed that the metal palm trees lining the paths throughout Tomorrowland open and close when shade is needed. In truth, the trees never move, but the backstory behind why this rumor spread is pretty neat. The search for sustainable energy sources is a recurring theme in Tomorrowland—Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, the Arcade, and the PeopleMover all hint at this. The story behind the Power Palms is that they were designed to soak up solar energy when their leaves are spread, storing that energy in the Power Coconuts at the fronds’ base.
One of the Power Palms is different than the others—its fronds are set to a more closed position and the Power Coconuts are missing. The idea is that they’ve been harvested to power Tomorrowland. Pretty cool!
3. Epcot’s stealth drawbridge
Video: YouTube, More Sunshine Please
Engineering minds might wonder just how Disney gets the floats for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth on and off World Showcase lagoon. Depending on what time in the late afternoon you visit World Showcase, if you plan to pass through The Outpost in between Germany and China, you may get to witness one of Epcot’s most surprising secrets.
The bridge between The Outpost and China is actually a full functional drawbridge. The entire bridge lifts out of place once a day to allow the show’s massive globe float to pass through. It’s easy to miss how big the float is until you’re watching it go by. While these traffic jams can annoy impatient adults, for kids, the magic of the hidden drawbridge is pretty neat. See if yours will believe you if you tell them the secret while it’s still lowered. The reaction on their faces when they get to see it raised will be priceless! If they’re particularly snarky, bet them a sip of Beverly and see who has the last laugh.
4. The secret under the sea at the Art of Animation
Image: Disney
Not all of Disney’s coolest little secrets are in their parks. While Disney has plenty of neat magic to go around, one uniquely fun kid-favorite can be found at the Art of Animation Resort. The resort’s Big Blue Pool has a special secret. Kids who dive into this huge Finding Nemo themed pool will find this pool uses 100% magic (and some cool technology) to play classic Disney favorite songs underwater. Good luck getting your little mermaid out of that water!
5. Pascal’s garden
Image: Amy, Flickr (license)
Not all Disney magic has to be flashy to awe your kids. Every kid loves discovering secrets that grown ups miss. Next time you visit Fantasyland, take a detour into the Tangled courtyard next to It’s a Small World. See if your sharp-eyed little one can spot Pascal’s friends hiding in the garden in this area. Supposedly there are 10 little Pascals hiding here, though some guests claim there are more. Even many longtime Magic Kingdom fans have missed this neat scavenger hunt. Oh, and see if you can find Maximus’ footprints too!
6. A very goofy birthday greeting
Image: Disney
This one is for families with a child visiting near their birthday. Princes and princesses visiting Disney Hollywood Studios around their birthdays might receive a little extra touch of Disney magic at the opening gate (this can also happen at other parks, but my experience was at DHS). You can pick up a birthday celebration button from Guest Services or any of Disney’s resorts or drop a hint to a cast member at the gate. They will direct you to a nearby phone where your little one will receive a special birthday phone call from Goofy himself! If it doesn’t work out to do this in the parks, back in your resort room, dial 8-224-2144 to kick off that special call. There’s even a second one you can do for your non-birthday kids by dialing 8-224-2142.
7. Magic Kingdom’s hidden underground
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega (@mykingdomforamouse Instagram)
This one is a little more difficult to see firsthand without a tour experience, but most kids cannot believe their ears when they learn about Magic Kingdom’s secret underground. It’s a fairly well-known Disney secret now, but what most guests don’t realize is that the network of tunnels cast members use to traverse Magic Kingdom isn’t technically underground—rather, the entirety of Magic Kingdom is built on a second story! Florida is such a soggy place that it wasn’t possible to truly put the tunnels underground (this is the same reason that basements are somewhat rare in Florida homes). Instead, all of Magic Kingdom was built at 108 feet elevation. Got a little Disney junkie in the family? Both the Keys to the Kingdom and Backstage Magic tours take guests into the tunnels. Check with Disney for age requirements (there used to be some kid-friendly versions of the tours available through Disney Institute, but these experiences are harder to find now).
8. Tom Sawyer Island
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
We can’t go on enough about how much we love Tom Sawyer Island. It remains a Disney magic paradise, and the entire place is brimming with details to leave your little ones gaping. In Fort Langhorn, make sure to give your little ones a boost to peer through the barred windows and doors to see the sleeping fort-denizen and audio-animatronic animals (the cold, dead eyes of that chicken might haunt your dreams). The Mystery Mine is filled with glowing gem deposits and neat corners to explore, and even the signs throughout the island bearing Tom’s handiwork are fun to read… and yes, if your little adventurer is stouthearted enough, there is plenty of skin-crawling, eek-this-is-a-living-nightmare Disney magic to be found in Injun Joe’s creepy murder cave.
9. Almost everything in The World of Pandora at night
Image: Disney
We would be remiss if we didn’t give a nod to the glowing heapfuls of magic to be found in Animal Kingdom’s The World of Pandora. The place is cool enough during the day—see if your kids can find the giant bugs in the water or the sleeping stingbats hanging on the cliffs—but The World of Pandora really comes to life at night. From bioluminescent color splatters on the ground to glowing plant-life of every variety, to the giant mecha-suit outside of the Satu’li Canteen, Pandora is just so insanely cool. It’s seriously a kid’s dreamscape. Just pick a direction and point and your little one will definitely find something magical.
10. Hidden Mickeys
Image: JeffChristiansen, Flickr (license)
There is possibly no Disneyphile pastime more beloved to pass down than searching for Hidden Mickeys. Entire books have been written on the near-uncountable Mickey homages scattered throughout Walt Disney World. Helping your kid spot their first can kick off a seriously fun hobby during your Disney World time, particularly since kids see Hidden Mickeys in so many bizarre places where adults wouldn’t. A few starter ones to point out include the paint splatter in the Renaissance section of Spaceship Earth, the Mickey-shaped rock pattern in the sand on the ride portion of The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and the bark of the trees just before the entrance queue for Peter Pan’s Flight.
What is your favorite detail or secret at Walt Disney World that blew your kid’s mind?
