There’s something about the magic of Disney World that keeps people coming back for more. And for those who simply can’t get enough of the magic, Disney offers a variety of extra separate ticket tours that go beyond the average day in a theme park.

Disney’s Backstage Magic Tour

You don’t have to be a Disney employee to discover some of the secrets behind the magic of Walt Disney World Resort. Disney’s Backstage Magic Tour offers an inside look at some of the creative and technical operations utilized behind the scenes. This is a unique opportunity to see how Disney utilizes innovative special effects to create world-class entertainment while bringing elaborate attractions to life.

At Epcot, the tour reveals some of the details that make The American Adventure such a popular attraction. Tour guests will also get a different view of Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom when guided through a hidden world - the park’s legendary underground “Utilidor” tunnel system.

After a family-style lunch at the Whispering Canyon Café at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, guests will visit the Disney World Nursery & Tree Farm to see how horticulture and landscape design are to create an endless variety of uniquely themed environments.  

The tour continues to Disney’s Hollywood Studios where you’ll see how Disney Imagineers combined cutting-edge design with breakthrough technology to create the popular Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

You’ll also discover how wardrobe plays such an important part of the Disney magic. See how the Creative Costuming team outfits show and parade performers. And then complete your 7-hour long tour with an up-close look Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The Backstage Magic Tour is open to guests 16 years and older who carry government-issued photo identification. Lunch is included with the tour. Theme Park admission is not required or included.

Disney’s Family Magic Tour

For a shorter family tour, you might want to try Disney’s Family Magic Tour. Guests are invited on a 1 ½ to 2-hour guided interactive quest to save the Magic Kingdom from the dastardly plans of a Disney Villain.

Although guests of all ages are welcome, this tour is ideally designed for those 4 to 10 years of age. Led by a tour guide, you’ll be asked to search for and follow clues throughout the Magic Kingdom, solve diabolical puzzles and participate in a fun-filled scavenger hunt.

Magic Kingdom theme park admission is required and is not included in the price of this tour.

Keys to the Kingdom Tour

Who wouldn’t want the keys to the Kingdom… the Magic Kingdom! This unique tour highlights the long and fascinating history of Walt Disney World Resort while offering backstage access to secret areas of the theme park.

Guests must be at least 16 years of age to participate in this 4.5-hour walking tour. You’ll explore some of the stories behind the Magic Kingdom while learning how Walt Disney’s innovative ideas, revolutionary visions and creative philosophies made it all possible. The tour includes stops at backstage facilities and a number of favorite attractions.

One special highlight is a trip below Magic Kingdom theme park into the legendary service tunnels referred to as Utilidors, or utility corridors. Guest accessible areas of Magic Kingdom are actually on the “second floor” of a massive structure. The first floor, called the Utilidors, allows Cast Members, deliveries and even trash to be unknowingly transported without disturbing the guests’ experience in the theme park.

Magic Kingdom theme park admission is required and is not included in the price of this tour.

Being a Leap Year, 2012 brings us an extra day on Feb. 29. And to celebrate, Disney will keep two of its parks open for a full 24-hour period from 6 am on Feb. 29 thru 6 am on March 1.

The “One More Disney Day” promotion is the first of its kind for Disney which will keep Orlando’s Magic Kingdom as well as Disneyland Park in California open on Feb. 29.

Disney also announced that its theme parks will extend their “Let the Memories Begin” campaign throughout 2012. By staying open 24 hours on Feb. 29, Disney is aiming to give guests an opportunity to take advantage of every minute of that extra day to make special Disney memories.

All of your favorite old theme parks are ready and waiting for you in Orlando in 2012. But as usual, you can look forward to discovering some exciting new options and attractions in those parks.

While Universal Studios’ opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter^TM dominated the Orlando theme park landscape the last two years, 2012 will be highlighted by new changes at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom is currently undertaking a massive $425 million expansion of its Fantasyland area. The initial phase of the project includes the spring 2012 debut of the revamped Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride. The ride for toddlers is being relocated and expanded to include a second Dumbo ride and an interactive queue area. The children’s roller coaster formerly known as Goofy’s Barnstormer is also being re-themed for the area and will be called the Great Goofini coaster.

Fantasyland changes will continue throughout the year and later in 2012, Disney will introduce another all-new attraction, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. The indoor ride is based on Disney’s animated film, The Little Mermaid.

Two other popular Disney movies will also be represented in the new Fantasyland.

Be Our Guest, will be a new Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant set to open in 2012 and an indoor, family roller coaster based on the adventures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

For information on discount Disney and other Orlando area theme park tickets, or discount Orlando resort accommodations and family vacation packages, please go to http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

Santa Claus is coming to town.

Guests at Walt Disney World Resort can find Santa at multiple Disney locations, starting today.

Here’s where you can find Santa:

Santa’s Chalet at the Downtown Disney Marketplace

Nov. 18-24, open from 5 to 10 p.m. through Thanksgiving.

Nov. 25-Dec. 24, open from noon to 10 p.m. through Dec. 24

Dec. 25-Jan. 1, open from 3-10 p.m. (featuring Santa Goofy).

The American Adventure at Epcot

Nov. 25-Dec. 24.

Each country in the World Showcase also features storytellers who describe local holiday traditions. In many countries, the storyteller is a representation of Santa, such as Pere Noel in France or Father Christmas in England.

Magic Kingdom

Santa will appear in Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Party dates include: Nov. 18, Nov. 27, 29, 30 and Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9,11,13,14,16 and 18. (Dec. 18 is sold out.)

Santa will also appear in most Disney hotel lobbies from 5-9 pm on Christmas Eve. At Fort Wilderness, he will be on the porch at Crockett’s Tavern.

The holiday happenings around Orlando’s major theme parks are ready to kick in. At Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle will be more than a focal point for holiday photos. It will also act as a giant canvas for two special holiday shows.

Beginning Nov. 8, the popular Castle Dream Lights will bask the castle in a shimmering display of icicles. Then later in the evening, prior to the nightly fireworks, the park’s new projection show will also incorporate a holiday feel.

The projection show - The Magic, The Memories and You - debuted in January, 2011 and features up to 500 images of park guests who were captured by Disney PhotoPass photographers that day. Those photos are projected on Cinderella’s Castle while accompanied by special effects and animation. For the holidays, there will also be a special segment where the castle is projected with colorful bows and boughs, gift paper, ribbons, ornaments, candy stripes, multicolored strands of lights and even gingerbread.

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Disney World’s Enchanted Tiki Room attraction is set to reopen in the Magic Kingdom on August 15. The attraction has been closed since January when the building was damaged by a fire.

The Tiki birds have been a tradition at Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland since the park opened in 1971. Revamped in 1998, the show was called The Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Construction. Now with new enhancements, the show will again receive a name change for the Aug. 15 reopening.

The show features more than 200 birds, flowers and tikis. The flock of animatronic birds will be led by four parrot hosts named Fritz, Jose, Michael and Pierre.

Enhancements to the show include remastered audio, a state of the art control system and new energy-efficient lighting.

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The Independence Day weekend has arrived and Walt Disney World Resort is ready to light up the sky with fireworks to celebrate.

At Magic Kingdom, guests can get ready for a double dose of patriotic fun with a special nightly celebration on both July 3 and July 4. The fireworks extravaganza, “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” will be presented at 9 p.m. both nights.

The show will be just as spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 4 with the park’s “Rockin 4^th of July Celebration” beginning at 9:45 pm. The presentation includes fireworks, special effects and music. The park will also offer two productions of the popular special effects show, Fantasmic, at 9 and 10:30 pm.

Over at Epcot, Disney will present the Voices of Liberty in concert at 12:30, 1:45 and 3 pm on July 4 as well as a special holiday version of IllumiNations, the park’s fireworks, laser and water show at 10 pm. Epcot guests will also enjoy meet and greet sessions with Disney Characters in colonial clothing and other Independence Day heroes like Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross.

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The birds are back. Or at least they will be this summer.

According to Walt Disney World Resort, the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is being revamped and updated since a small fire closed the attraction back in January.

One of the original Magic Kingdom attractions, the revised Enchanted Tiki Room will re-open this summer at the Orlando theme park. The show, featuring dozens of animatronic singing tropical birds, will revert back to a version similar to the original show.

M-i-c-k-e-y  M-o-u-s-e!

Disney World just made it a little easier for guests to meet its most famous resident! You can now obtain a FastPass to “skip the line” and meet Mickey Mouse at his new meet-and-greet area within Magic Kingdom.

FastPass for Mickey Mouse will work just like the express tickets for other Magic Kingdom attractions like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Simply print out a ticket indicating a time frame to come back to the attraction and skip the normal queue line, if you choose.

While Mickey’s previous home in Mickey’s ToonTown Fair has been closed for construction of a new and expanded Fantasyland, you can now find him in the Town Square Theater formerly known as Town Square Exhibition Hall.

The theater, located near the front of the park, features a turn-of-the-century look with posters promoting Mickey as a magician and star attraction.