It’s the happiest place on Earth (or, well, one of them). For most of us, going to Walt Disney World is a really special treat, and a guaranteed fun time.
But there’s a lot more to the park than meets the eye. Disney World has tons of secret facts and features attached to it, and knowing some of them just makes the park even better .
Disney World has strategically placed trashcans.
Ever noticed how Disney World is, like, super clean? Well, a lot of that has to do with their strategically placed trashcans, which are situated every 30 feet, making them optimal for when guests need to get rid of food or drinks.
Some of the trash even does a bit of a disappearing act.
The entirety of Disney World makes use of an AVAC pneumatic system that sucks up any nearby trash. Out of sight, out of mind (for the guests, at least).
The system was introduced in Europe.
It’s still used in many places across Europe, too. Though it was first introduced stateside via Disney World , it never really caught on in the rest of the country. It’s actually a bit of a shame.
There’s a super exclusive suite inside of the Cinderella castle.
Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t. But chances are, you’ve probably never seen the super special suite inside of the parks landmark castle. Originally meant as a place for the Disney family to stay , it’s open for others to use.
Though, very few have had the chance to actually stay in the suite.
You can’t actually book a stay in the suite, so only a very lucky few have been inside. But thanks to social media, Disney has graciously allowed us common folk to see the magical suite for ourselves.
There are secret tunnels running under the park.
Or, I guess they’re not-so-secret tunnels. But they’re also key in how cast members get around the park without breaking the immersion of each area. After all, they wear different thematic outfits in each section.
Disney often reuses elements of past rides in their newer ones.
It makes sense, of course, since Disney parks have so many rides and will often take some down to make way for new or upgraded attractions. Like how they’re planning to revamp Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog themed ride.
The artwork in Be Our Guest includes images of the Imagineers and their kids.
The Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant includes a lot of hidden details that the Imagineers added in: the cherubs in the décor are modeled after their kids (and themselves as babies)!
There’s also a hidden (and accidental) detail at the Tower of Terror.
Apparently, the Imagineers were real pranksters, and loved pranking each other with a jar of… pickled sausages.
One night, an Imagineer left the jar at the set when they were gluing props down, and it became a permanent fixture of the attraction. You can actually see it behind the photo pickup area .
Haunted Mansion is full of hidden details.
Every park has its own version of the Haunted Mansion ride (in Paris, it’s the Phantom Manor, and in Hong Kong it’s the Mystic Manor), but the one thing they all have in common is their abundance of spooky (and cool) hidden details.
There are plenty of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments throughout the attraction.
For instance, the plates in the dining room scene move to make a hidden Mickey Mouse head for just a second. An armchair in the attraction is also decorated to pay homage to Donald Duck. Pretty neat stuff.
‘Star Wars:’ Galaxy’s Edge is full of details for the most diehard of fans.
Galaxy’s Edge is basically a love letter to any Star Wars fan, and while it focuses a lot more on the newer entries of the franchise, there’s still plenty for older fans to love, too.
A lot of merch for sale is actually modeled after older ‘Star Wars’ films.
Apparently, they used digital scans of the actual props and costumes used in the original films to make select merch sold at Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney World is home to a number of secret clubs.
In fact, a number of Disney parks have them (including California’s Disneyland, of course). These hidden clubs, collectively referred to as Club 33 , are hidden in plain sight across the different parks.
But what are these clubs for exactly?
Well, they’re private dining clubs. They’re for the Disney fan who’s also fond of a VIP experience. You can actually contact them to inquire about membership , but it seems to be pretty exclusive.
The flags of Main Street are technically not real American flags.
Regulations around flags require them to have the ability to be raised and lowered for different events, and Disney omitted certain details from their flags (a star here and there) in order to get around that.
The flagpoles have a secret of their own, too.
The flagpoles in the park also double as lightning rods, which means if there happens to be some pretty nasty weather out, guests will be a lot safer.
One of the Animal Kingdom rides shares a surprising similarity with a Disneyland ride.
The Dinosaur ride in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and the Indiana Jones Adventure ride in Disneyland actually share similar tracks. A cool detail to look out for if you ever find yourself going to both parks.
Even the sidewalks at Disney have hidden features.
The different colors of the Main Street sidewalks are meant to help guests find their way at night or during an emergency. They’re also meant to keep guests from tripping, which is just peachy.
Main Street’s second level pays tributes to real-life Disney employees.
Much like how Main Street itself pays homage to Walt Disney’s hometown, the second level features tributes to notable employees from the company’s history.
Look at the windows in Main Street , and you’ll see the names of staff who have contributed to the parks in meaningful ways.
