Your secrets revealed... hidden treasures at Disney
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masonsmousermom · 04-09-2006, 09:59 AM

I know I've read a post similar to this somewhere before, but I wanted to see what you all have to say this time around.

The post talked about "the stake at Epcot that marks the middle of WDW", talking trash cans, walls, fountains, etc... I would like to know your secrets of WDW.

If we go down, which one of your secrets is a MUST SEE?

angelalar · 04-09-2006, 11:58 AM

I have looked and looked for the "stake" and I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone have any more detailed directions?

michnash · 04-09-2006, 10:04 PM

I didn't think it was a stake, really. I thought it was a marker of some sort. I've heard two different stories. One is that the center of the place where all the inventors are--near the entrance to The Land--is the place. Then, going from Test Track over to Mexico via the path (takes you by a convention-like facility and a bathroom) there's a small little survey marker in the ground. It's a circle, but it has mickey on it. It just has a survey location or something- nothing saying it is the middle of the "World" but I thought it odd to have a marker there when I've not seen one anywhere else.
Anyone know for sure??

**DopeyGirl** · 04-09-2006, 10:13 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I didn't think it was a stake, really. I thought it was a marker of some sort. I've heard two different stories. One is that the center of the place where all the inventors are--near the entrance to The Land--is the place.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the correct place! There is no stake. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I will see if I can find a picture of it somewhere! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

bradk · 04-09-2006, 10:17 PM

i think it's more or less of a survey marker.

wouldn't be true anymore of it being the center of WDW anyway though.

**DopeyGirl** · 04-09-2006, 10:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i think it's more or less of a survey marker.

wouldn't be true anymore of it being the center of WDW anyway though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, anymore, yes, the EXACT center would be some sort of a survey marker. There's been a lot of land acquisition over the years.

But at one time "Discoveries"/the "Inventor's Circle" was the geographical center.

Joy J · 04-10-2006, 10:09 AM

One of my favourite little hidden treasures is the area in Innoventions where you can design and build a robot. It's very entertaining and you get to race your computer designed robot against other guests' robots. Afterwards, you can build your own little plastic robot which you get to keep as a souvenir.

Joy

RobDVC · 04-10-2006, 01:15 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I know I've read a post similar to this somewhere before, but I wanted to see what you all have to say this time around.

The post talked about "the stake at Epcot that marks the middle of WDW", talking trash cans, walls, fountains, etc... I would like to know your secrets of WDW.

If we go down, which one of your secrets is a MUST SEE?

[/ QUOTE ]
Shelly,
is this the thread you are looking for?
http://www.passporterboards.com/ubb/...p;page=0#83119

christiejay · 04-10-2006, 04:48 PM

Regarding hidden treasures in general, here's what I took on our trip last year:

Go to the Mouse for Less website - downloads page, and check out the pocket guides with "Hidden Gems" in the title, and you get a neat little booklet that easily fits in your PassPocket, PassHolder, fanny pack, or pocket. There's one for each theme park, two for Epcot. I also took the character listing.

Don't worry, the folding instructions aren't that hard to follow - once you do one it's easy.

http://themouseforless.com/tripplann...etGuides.shtml

CindyD · 04-11-2006, 12:14 PM

Christie,
Thanks for the website! I think these are cool, since they are small and will fit into a fanny pack!

**Caldercup** · 04-11-2006, 02:50 PM

I have a small Word doc that lists a bunch of these by park. PM me and I'll email it to you.
Eileen

Stripes · 04-11-2006, 05:06 PM

Not exactly a secret, but a lot of people don't "get" the ending of the HM.

I was told some time ago that the story is once you go through the window, you are falling out of the attic, as the bride did. Up until this point you were alive. (You could watch the party in the ballroom but you weren't "in the scene" you see it from above) Once you fall out of the window, the only other mortals there - the caretaker and his dog - are shaking in fright. But who are they looking at in fright? YOU. Now you are in the graveyard (where you belong) and the ghosts are having a party to welcome you. It's fun and you are "in the scene" when the ghosts come out to socialize.

bradk · 04-11-2006, 05:19 PM

well, if you want a couple of HM 'secrets'...

first, there is no backstory to the attraction other than it's a retirement home for ghosts. sad, but true.

that whole story about the bride and the groom and madame leota and the curse is all made up by fans and CMs. Disney doesn't support it. It's been mentioned recently that Disneyland's version will in fact get a backstory about the bride (that she's a serial killer) and more effects to back up the story.

That 'wedding ring' that's embedded in the pavement by the exit gates is actually part of a post (i don't remember technically what it is). It also looks more like an engagement ring and only if someone's ring size is negative.

There are no cameras in the HM. That's right, CMs can't see what you're doing while on the attraction. The only security in place are pressurized mats on the floor triggered should someone decide to leave the vehicle.

The hidden mickey formed by the plates on the table at the ballroom is also unofficial and is regarded very lowly by the imagineers. It's sometimes fixed (the layout of the plates is so anal that there are photos under each one explicitly showing where it's meant to be), but almost immediately goes back to the mickey formation inexplicably.

They grow blood red roses in the garden of the mansion, only to cut the flowers off.

The Madame Leota tombstone that sits outside the attraction right before you go in is the newest addition to the graveyard and periodically her eyes will open and close.

In the stretching room where the ceiling rises (in DL, the floor lowers because it needs to take you under the berm since the attraction is actually outside the park), there's a scrim on the ceiling. it looks like a normal ceiling most of the time, but if you look up at the end of the spiel, with the lightning, you can see through it and you'll see a hanging body (which is often quoted to be Master Gracey).

I think I was going to add a couple more but I can't remember right now.

**DopeyGirl** · 04-12-2006, 03:40 AM

As you go through the attic window . . . the little "hill" you are going down backwards is exactly 6 feet long. (yes, you are going 6 foot under lying on your back [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )

This has been confirmed by a recent CM. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]

bradk · 04-18-2006, 07:27 PM

ok, since it turned into the HM thread... I thought of a couple more, but then I forgot one.. so here's the one I remembered..

if you take the wheelchair access entrance (labeled 'servants' quarters' i think), on the wall hangs a rack of labeled keys. except that some keys are missing: the one for the ballroom, the one for the attic, the library, etc.