The Utilidors: Disney World’s Secret City Beneath the Magic Kingdom
You are walking through the Magic Kingdom right now, and you have no idea you are on the second floor. Beneath your feet lies a nine-acre network of tunnels called the Utilidors, where costumed cast members, trash, and supplies move invisibly so the magic above never breaks.
A Cowboy in the Wrong Neighborhood
The story goes back to Disneyland in California. Walt Disney spotted a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland on his way to work, and it bothered him. A cowboy had no business strolling past the Space Mountain entrance. Disneyland was too small and too built-out to fix, but when planning began for the Florida project, Disney made sure his engineers solved the problem from the ground up.
Built on Top of a Mountain Nobody Sees
Florida’s water table sits just a few feet below the surface, so digging underground tunnels was not an option. Instead, engineers built the entire tunnel system at ground level and then piled the Magic Kingdom on top. Eight million cubic yards of earth were excavated from the area in front of the park, creating the Seven Seas Lagoon and giving the surrounding resort hotels their waterfront views. Everything guests walk on is technically the second story.
What Happens Down There
The Utilidors house far more than pipes and wires. Cast members use the color-coded tunnels to travel between themed lands without being spotted. Dressing rooms, break areas, a cafeteria, and even a barbershop line the corridors. Twenty-nine access points connect the tunnels to the park above. There is also an automated vacuum collection system that shoots trash through pneumatic tubes at nearly 60 miles per hour to a central sorting facility, so no guest ever sees a garbage truck.
Can You Visit?
The tunnels are off-limits to regular guests, but Disney does offer a backstage tour called Keys to the Kingdom that includes a walk through the Utilidors. It runs about five hours and costs around $114 per person. You have to be at least 16 years old to go.
