As part of the Limited Time Magic experiences of 2013, I entered a contest for “A Walk in the Park with Phil Holmes” at Magic Kingdom in December. Phil Holmes is the Vice President of Magic Kingdom Park, and has worked there since opening day! When I got the magical email that said I was chosen, I couldn’t contain my squeals! This was the last limited time magic tour of the year, and I was invited to go! I was given the tour date I requested, December 20th, and instructed to be on time and not bring any guests. I did feel a tad guilty going to Magic Kingdom without my husband and daughter, but they were so excited for me and couldn’t wait to see the pictures and hear all about it!
On December 20th, I got up at 4:45 in the morning to get dressed and ready to head over to Magic Kingdom. I was the 2nd car in the parking lot! It was so awesome to see Magic Kingdom before the sun was even up for the day! Soon, some of the other attendees began to show up, and we all talked about our love for Disney while we waited for the Monorails to begin running for the day. Once we arrived at Magic Kingdom, we saw a cast member holding up a “Limited Time Magic” sign. They checked us in for the tour and provided us all with tickets to Magic Kingdom for the day.
A few moments later, while we were being fitted with headsets for the tour, Phil Holmes arrived and began to greet us. He took the time to shake each of our hands and learn our names. The tour began on Main Street, U.S.A., which is one of my favorite places on Earth! Phil and his assistants walked us over to a bench where Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse statues were seated. Phil shared stories with us about working as a blueprint runner when Walt Disney World was just in the planning stages of existence. He recalled one particular instance where he was eating lunch at the same cafeteria as Roy Disney and some other executives. When Roy and his group were finished with their meal, Roy picked up the trays of all of his employees and disposed of their trash for them. This stuck with Phil, he said, because it showed him that Disney was a company built by honest and humble men who truly didn’t want to be treated any differently than anyone else.
We set off down Main Street towards Cinderella Castle. I was so thrilled to be at Magic Kingdom during the holiday season because the decorations are so gorgeous! Once we arrived in front of Cinderella Castle, Phil began to discuss the evolution of the castle through the years. They displayed photos of the castle at various significant points in time. Phil talked about how he was asked for his input when they decided on the current grey color, and he also mentioned the negative feedback they received when they transformed the castle to look like a pink, candy-trimmed cake for the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World. Apparently, this wasn’t a very popular look for Cinderella Castle!
Next, we set off through the castle and emerged in Fantasyland. Once we arrived in front of Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Phil began to discuss all the changes to Fantasyland over the years and how it is often chosen by guests as their favorite ‘land’. He told us that the idea for Princess Fairytale Hall, which opened where Snow White’s Scary Adventures used to be, came about several years before they knew where it would be located. It remained in the Imagineering stage for a long time. Phil said they realized the princesses needed a permanent home in a location that made sense. They didn’t think Main Street, U.S.A. or Mickey’s Toontown Fair were acceptable homes for the princesses. After careful consideration and analyzing the interest levels in some of their older attractions, they made the decision to remove Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Part of this decision was based on the declining number of guests who would visit this attraction, which resulted in longer lines for the other Fantasyland attractions.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Limited Time Magic experience, where I will tell you the surprising and memorable way Phil ended our tour!
Contact us today for your FREE no-obligation quote! We are the leaders in concierge services for all booked clients. Call us at 877-8256146 or email us at admin@thewdwguru.com.