16 Disney World secrets to add extra magic to your vacation

Last updated on October 11th, 2022 at 05:51 pm

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I know a trip to Disney World has seemed like an unreachable goal due to COVID-19 but now we’re finally able to get there, these Disney World secrets will help to make your vacation more magical than ever.

Unbelievable Disney World Secrets Uncovered

After dreaming of Magic Kingdom and all its wonder, I have decided to list some sneaky parts of the parks to keep an eye out for when you next visit. Now, I know the most avid Disney park-goers will probably roll their eyes and be like, “yeah! Tell me something I don’t know!” but when Lee and I visited Disney World two years ago, hunting down these secret features was one of the highlights of our holiday.

Some are more obscure than others and some have even disappeared over time but they are fun to know about.

Easter Eggs and Hidden Mickeys

During our first week, we didn’t have a clue that they existed. Then, one evening, we had a text from my brother at home saying that he’d been on IMDb to read the Mary Poppins trivia and asked if we knew about the wooden leg named Smith being in the Disney park.

This triggered a memory about Easter Eggs and Hidden Mickeys in Disney movies and I decided to do a bit of research… The internet is filled with people’s blogs about these magical and secret items dotted around the Disney parks and our second week took an absolute, unexpected turn… for the better!

So, what are some Disney World secrets?

Secrets Every Disney World Lover Should Know

Tinker Bell causes mischief
The first time we went on the Peter Pan ride, we fast-tracked so completely missed the Darlings’ bedroom. Then, we stayed in Magic Kingdom during the Magic hours (available when you stay at one of the Disney hotels – you get an extra few hours in the park after it’s closed) and had to go through the “normal” way. In here, there’s lots of magic that goes on – there are bells that ring if you move your hand near them… but they’re not real bells! They’re shadows of bells.

Then, we decided to wait around a bit longer… with many odd looks from passers by… until we saw Tinker Bell appear. She dances across the room, knocking things over and sprinkling fairy dust. Then she gets trapped inside the drawer.

Most people miss this if the queues aren’t long but it’s definitely worth waiting for.

Dumbo’s Peanuts
You have to search for these on the ground. Head towards the children’s flying ride, Dumbo’s Magic Feather, and you will see peanuts embedded in the concrete. It’s nothing special but very cute.

Make Your Own Magic

Rapunzel’s Lanterns – Photo Opp
This isn’t a secret of the park but it’s a fantastic photo opportunity. We saw a huge queue for this throughout the day/evening so were going to leave it. Then, on our way out of the park on our last night, we saw that there was no queue (about 12:30am – again, we took advantage of the magic hours) so popped over. I’m so glad we did as this is my most favourite picture of me and Lee.

Disney World Secrets Even Locals Dont Know

Mr Banks’s suit on a rack
This one is found at Epcot. However, the suit doesn’t actually exist. We headed to the London area and popped into the shop – we searched high and low for the clothes rail with Mr Banks’s suit hanging up but it was nowhere to be found. Even the shop assistants were stumped… but, Disney being Disney, these wonderful shop assistants did not want to let us leave disappointed so they invited us into a hidden room at the back of the shop… inside the room was a bedroom with some cuddly toys sitting on the bed. It was Christopher Robin’s room!! We even got a special edition badge too. Wow!!

The Secrets That Make the Magic at Disney World

Jacques and Gus in the castle
Now, we didn’t get to see the REAL mice that we were looking for. Apparently, Gus and Jacques are hiding on one of the beams of the ceiling inside the restaurant of Cinderella’s castle but we didn’t go there for food. We only managed to find these concrete versions inside the walkway of the castle but they are still very cute.

Turn Cinderella into the princess that she is!
Outside the castle, you can find a statue of Cinderella. If you position your camera just right, it looked like the crown is sitting on her head. Cute!

Peek-a-Boo!
The giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk can be found peeping into Sir Mickey’s shop in Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom.

Make sure you look up when entering to find one of the most classic Disney World secrets.

What Not To Miss in Disney World

The haunted tale of the ring
As you queue for the ride, The Haunted Mansion, there is a ring that can be found on the ground that looks like an engagement ring. Fans of the ride, who also revel in the magic of Disney World secrets, have created a whole backstory for this ring and, apparently, the workers of Disney World love it so much that they have kept the ring where it is (they were going to get rid of it once!) – this can be found more easily when you queue up in the main queue. Again, we fast-tracked this the one day and completely missed it so we had to go back during the magic hours.

A nod to Tom and Huck
This isn’t one of the hidden secrets in Disney but it’s another cute one to mention. Fans of the ’90s movie with a young Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Rachel Leigh Cooke (or fans of Mark Twain) will love this nod to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Hidden Things To Do At Disney World

Lady and the Tramp’s paw prints
When you enter Magic Kingdom, turn right and you will see a few shops/cafes/patisseries. One of them is Tony’s Restaurant and, just in front, are Lady and the Tramp’s paw prints printed in the concrete. It’s not one of the hidden secrets in Disney but it is very easily missed if you don’t know it’s there.

Maximus’s Hooves
Near Rapunzel’s tower (and where you can have your photo taken with the lanterns), you can see Maximus’s hoof prints in the concrete.

Can You Pull the Sword from the Stone at Walt Disney World?

The Sword in the Stone
The sword is not the hidden item… but, rumour has it, every once in a while, someone actually pulls the sword from the stone. I’m not entirely sure what happens but that would be so cool! Also, on the carousel behind, there is Mary Poppins’ horse. We did not manage to find this so it remains one of the Disney World secrets we need to find upon our return.

Are You Celebrating Something Special at Disney World?

Celebrations! Get those badges!
This is not necessarily one of the secret things to do at Disney as they can be picked up as soon as you arrive at your hotel but many people don’t realise the magic that they hold!
Someone told us to get the ‘Happily Ever After’ badges from the desk in our hotel. My word, I’m so glad that we did. Every single character and cast member treated us so well (we were celebrating getting engaged) by giving us free champers with our meal at Chip ‘n’ Dale’s restaurant, free soft drinks at Hollywood Studios (the cast member congratulated us and said “These are from Mickey!”) and we even got a “congratulations” from one of the Toy Story soldiers when they walked past. It just made our holiday, and our engagement, that extra bit more special.

There is a variety of badges to choose from but we found that the ’I’m Celebrating’ badge just did not hold the same power as the ’Happily Ever After’ badge.

Disney World Secrets You’ll Want To Know

Become Merlin’s Apprentice
Another of my favourite Disney World secrets.
This is an activity for those of you who have the time to race across the whole of Magic Kingdom (and, I believe, the other parks have their own too).
When you enter Magic Kingdom, turn left and head for the fire station. You will see a poster to become Merlin’s Apprentice. This is an interactive game that has you pressing buttons around the park that bring screens to life that give you clues on how to find the next one. Before finding out about this, we didn’t know that it existed. Once we did, we saw so many people taking part around the park.

As part of the game, you receive trading cards (collectibles, indeed!) and a map to help you navigate your way through the various lands. Prepare yourself for some odd looks with this one… but it’s mostly awe from those unaware of the secret things to do at Disney! Once you complete the game, don’t forget to sign the book when you get back to the fire station!

You will be the envy of most of your friends with this one as it’s certaily one of the best secret things to do at Disney and will entertain you and the kids for hours.

The Secrets That Make the Magic at Disney Worl

A wooden leg named Smith
This was where my interest with Disney World secrets was piqued. As I said, my brother informed me of this one but it’s no longer there. The wooden leg (named Smith) should be in the train station when you first enter Magic Kingdom but it’s not. I’ve seen pictures on Google with the leg there but this was what I saw. Hopefully, someone will put it back again to excite those in search of hidden secrets in Disney…

Don’t Miss Out On Any Disney Fun

Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious!
What is a secret about Disney World first time visitors should know?
This one, I heard about when I phoned Disney due to a technical hitch with the ‘My Disney Experience‘ app. As Disney workers are so lovely and chatty, I was telling her all about our upcoming trip to Disney World. I said that our first morning will be kickstarting with a visit to the ‘Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom. She said, “Oh, try the grey stuff it’s delicious!” I laughed and, after a quick thought, responded with… “Wait! Really?”

It turns out, this is a genuine thing and one of the greatest hidden secrets in Disney. Ask one of the waiters/waitresses if you can try the grey stuff and they will bring it back on a plate for you.

And, guess what, it really is delicious!!

Final thoughts…

So, there we have some of the best Disney World secrets to truly enhance your magical vacation. Some are a little more exerting than others so not entirely appropriate for very young children but most are accessible to everybody.
If you are searching for a vacation more suited towards adults, check out this list of Disney resorts for adults.
Please let us know if there are any more that we can keep an eye out for…

Loulabella xoxo