Okay, okay, you’ve been to Disney World about 87 times.

But how would you like a private and exclusive tour to see Walt Disney World like few others will? As a former Disney World cast member, I have volunteered to be your tour guide through the behind-the-scenes world of what makes Disney World so magical.

You’ll have fun learning about a variety of backstage locations. We’ll also take a look under Magic Kingdom Park and see the locker room, cloakroom, the so-called tunnel system, Disney’s tree nursery and farm, waste treatment facilities, and other service areas.

Let’s start at the end, with mud. The sludge from the water treatment facility is everyone’s business, it is dried and then used on the land as fertilizer. The reclaimed Tinkle water is used to irrigate lawns and plants. The water valves are labeled “Reclaimed Water – Do Not Drink”. Thanks for letting us know, Mickey!

Now we are going to visit the plant nursery. Remember all those cool and cute topiary designs around the park? Well, this is where the Disney cast members grow and shape the topiary creatures. All this coldness takes time; about seven to eight years to grow a single topiary character. One of my personal favorites is a smiling Mickey Mouse holding a Disney Vacation Club. [http://www.edisneytimeshare.com] sign near the entrance to the Wilderness Lodge Hotel.

Then there’s the parade storage area behind Splash Mountain. The back of Splash Mountain has many doors labeled, for example, “Access to Scene 31”. Here you’ll see Mickey Mania, Spectromagic and Electric Water Parade paraphernalia. You can walk around and look at the parade pieces all you want. But no photos please. Spectromagic floats are made of mesh, so the driver can see out, and are covered with tiny, computer-controlled Christmas-type lights. There is also a small fan to cool down the controller. If you or the kids have always wanted to look inside the Sea Witch’s float from The Little Mermaid, this is your big chance.

When I was a Disney cast member, I wandered through the tunnels on my breaks and dined in the underground cafes. Very romantic. Actually, the tunnels are fake. Since the water table is very high in Florida, it would be expensive to keep the actual tunnels dry. Therefore, Disney built an orderly system of utility corridors at ground level and then covered them with earth. This made a new ground level one story higher. The Magic Kingdom was built on top of this. Therefore, Main Street USA is actually on the second floor.

The “Utilidores” make a circle around the park connecting all the Lands and attractions. There is also a utility corridor under Main Street USA that connects the entrance to Cinderella Castle. All Magic Kingdom utilities are nested within Utilidores. There is water, electricity, fiber optic cable and the ultra cool vacuum garbage system.

Disney World’s vacuum trash system has become a model for several other very large buildings, and even parts of cities and townships. The system uses pipes about two feet in diameter to vacuum all the trash to a central collection point.

Another unusual device in the Utilidores supplies the various scents to different parts of the park. There’s one under the bakery that releases a chocolate chip cookie smell onto Main Street. Mickey wanted to use an actual cookie scent, as I recall. But alas, there was no way to churn out mouthfuls of chocolate chips nonstop. So these scent-producing machines are used for cookies and that perfect smell in many other places; smoke, orange trees, etc.

The Utilidor also has various services for cast members, such as a credit union, a 2-hour movie developer, coffee shops, and lockers. The changing room and cloakroom are also located down here. When I worked there it was always fun to see my favorite characters wandering around half dressed or with their heads held high. Utilidor walls are color coded. There are also plenty of maps and directional signs to help lost cast members (like me).

So when you visit Disney World for your 88th ride, be on the lookout for a sudden and magical appearance of a character. Mickey or Minnie can exit from a hidden door that leads from the Utilidor below. And you will know his secret!