Discover Disney Attractions

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 Discover Disney Attractions

For me, one of the most fun and informative aspects of the Disney College Internship Program is the opportunity to sign up for "Discover Disney" behind-the-scenes tours of attractions throughout the parks. First a disclaimer, because some of the information discussed during these tours are confidential, I will only write about information that is in the public domain, such as what Rock 'n' Roller Coaster looks like with the lights on (1). These tours are generally limited to only 10-20 College Program participant at a time, so monitoring the sign-up website and snagging spots quickly is critical.

So far, I've had the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at the following attractions: Big Thunder Mountain (I work there), Kilimanjaro Safari, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Flight of Passage, and Expedition Everest. I am registered for Millennium Falcon in a couple weeks as well.

My favorite so far has been the Tower of Terror. There are several great public videos showing how the ride works such as the one produced by the Art of Engineering (2). As anyone who has been on the ride can attend, the cast members are trained to act as somewhat spooky hotel employees. I think it would be super fun to be "on stage" with the freedom to be a bit "rude" to guests, but in a very Disney way.

At Expedition Everest, I got to see the Yeti up close and personal. As many including Ruben Bolling have documented (3), the ride was designed and constructed with three separate super-structures: the track, the yeti, and the mountain. However, soon after the ride opened, the engineering team noticed the Yeti frame was splitting, risking damage to the other super structures. So the Yeti has been in "B-mode" for a very long time. When you see what "A-mode" looked like (4) it's a striking difference. I heard directly from the ride team about the history of the Yeti, and what it would take to correct the issue.

Across all the behind-the-scene tours, I learned what cast members do to ensure guests have a great experience at the attraction from safety to theming to guest interaction. As I start to outline my final paper, I am planning to write about why guests keep paying to visit Walt Disney World. These Discover Disney Experiences have really helped me understand what Disney does to try and keep guests coming back time after time.

Topic: Integration of Technology

References

1. https://allears.net/2021/04/26/photos-heres-what-rock-n-roller-coaster-looks-like-with-lights-on-in-disney-world/ (also source of cover image)

2. https://youtu.be/7iGZuA_LSk8?si=xXXdVOf_YkzbgMyt 

3. https://boingboing.net/2023/06/21/the-long-frozen-yeti-at-disney-worlds-animal-kingdom-can-be-fixed-but-it-wont-be.html

4. https://x.com/Yester_World/status/1332925323567116289


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