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15 Interesting Facts About Disney Theme Parks That You Probably Didn't Know

There Are Tunnels Under The Magic Kingdom
As if the Magic Kingdom wasn’t whimsical enough, it turns out that there are tunnels under the beloved building. However, they’re not exactly private passages to an enchanted area, but are instead utility corridors where employees work and move behind the scenes. According to the Daily Mail, the tunnels — which were an idea that Walt Disney himself came up with — “are packed with offices, cafeterias, and a wardrobe department (including an impressive 136 costumes for Mickey alone). There's even a resident hairdresser.”

Walt Disney Had An Apartment At Disneyland
If you’re walking down Disneyland’s Main Street, then be sure to take a look up at the second floor of the fire department building. That’s where Walt Disney’s apartment is located. Built when the park was first constructed and used by the family whenever they wanted to visit, a lamp in the window was lit whenever he was in residence to signal employees of his presence. Nowadays, it’s still lit in honor of the beloved park’s late creator.

Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, offered a look at the space, explaining that the apartment was decorated by award-winning set designer Emil Currie, who worked on movies like Mary Poppins and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and was intended to be her parent’s “Victorian masterpiece.”

Four Babies Have Been Born At Disneyland
The first baby born at Disneyland was Teresa Salcedo who arrived on July 4, 1979, according to Gizmodo, who claim that there have been at least four babies delivered at the park.

The New York Times reported a second Disney baby back in 1984, writing, “Juan Manuel Granados came down from Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride Saturday to learn that his wife had given birth to a daughter in the park's first-aid station. His wife, Margarita, 20 years old, had been told that the park did not allow pregnant women on the ride. While she waited for her husband, Mrs. Granados began to have labor pains. Her husband's uncle, Miguel Coudillo, walked her to the first-aid station, where the baby was born, a park spokesman, Al Flores, said.”

However, Gizmodo also notes that there’s “a surprisingly popular misconception that any baby born in a Disney Park gets a lifetime pass.” While it would be a nice birthday perk, the rumor is “completely untrue.”

Walt Disney World Is The Largest Single-Site Employer In The Country
“According to our research, Walt Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the country,” said Kelly Frank, Disney World's director of employment, according to The Orlando Sentinel. That was back in 1998 when 50,000 employees worked at the park. Nowadays, that number is even bigger. As of July 2019, The Telegraph reported that there were “around 70,000 Cast Members at Walt Disney World in Florida.”

There Are Reportedly Real Bones In The Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride
When Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride was first built back in 1967, real human remains were acquired from UCLA Medical Center’s anatomy department and used to add authenticity to the attraction. While they were eventually replaced by fake bones — and the biological bits were “given a proper burial,” according to former Disney producer Jason Surrell’s book Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies (via Mental Floss) — there are rumors that some of the real skeletons stuck around.

There are various theories as to which of the bones may still be real, but some possibilities include two skulls that sit on an island that can be spotted after the second waterfall as well as a skull and crossbones that decorate a bed’s headboard.

Mickey Mouse Is Hidden All Over The Parks
Disney’s artists and “Imagineers” sneak Mickey Mouse’s image into the park’s design in various and adorably clever way. You can spot the character’s iconic round face and two circular ears in paintings and along walkways, arranged in stones, and carved into rocks, as well as among the leaves and made of metal.

The Beatles Broke Up At Disney’s Polynesian Resort
The Beatles were one of the most famous bands in history, however, you might not have known that when they called it quits, their official split happened at a Disney park. The late John Lennon was on holiday with his 11-year-old son at the end of 1974, along with the musician’s personal assistant (and girlfriend at the time) May Pang, who reportedly talked to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper in 2008 about the moment when Lennon received the documents that would legally end The Beatles, saying, “He finally picked up his pen and, in the unlikely backdrop of the Polynesian Village Hotel at Disney World, ended the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history by simply scrawling 'John Lennon' at the bottom of the page.”

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