Did you know about the Utilidors?

Did you know...
That there are a series of "underground" tunnels that run throughout The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The Utilidors are not actually underground, because of the water table they are actually the first floor of The Magic Kingdom.

What are the Utilidors actually used for? Well the legend goes that one day while Walt Disney was walking in Disneyland he saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland. At that moment he decided that Disney World would have a system of tunnels that housed trash, costuming, and other employee areas. This allows the Cast Members to travel throughout the park without creating a disturbance in the "show." All doors into the Utilidor system are unmarked in the park. The walls of the Utilidors are color coded based on land and also due to those who are color blind there are pictures. This allows the Cast Members to "appear" in the land that they belong in. Here is a map of the Utilidors!

The actual tunnels are 15 feet tall and resemble a parking garage. The system originates at the castle and spreads out like spokes to the other lands. There are access roads in the Utilidors for Cast Members as well as service vehicles. They have wardrobe, locker rooms, offices, computer rooms, storage, kitchens, cafeterias, and other support departments. The Wardrobe Department has 1.2 million pieces of clothing and is the largest operating wardrobe department in the world. There is only one tunnel in the system that allows gasoline powered vehicles to drive in it due to safety reasons. This tunnel is for cash collection, the armored car is a tight fit in the Utilidors with only 4 inches of space on each side.. Also in cases of extreme emergency an ambulance can drive through any of the tunnels. All other vehicles are battery powered golf carts.

There is a tour you can take when visiting Disney World where you get to go into the Utilidors but all guests must be older than 16 so that the magic is not ruined for small children. This is so that small children are not alarmed by the sight of two Pluto's walking past each other or a Mickey Mouse without a head. There are also similar systems in other parks but none are quite as large as the ones at Magic Kingdom.

I hope you have enjoyed my factoid of the week. It is a dream of mine to someday see the Utilidors for myself. If you have ever been in the Utilidors I would love to hear your experience!