Extra Magic: Disney's Extraordinary Guest Experiences

Where can you dive into one a 5.7 million-gallon aquarium and swim with more than 65 species of marine life? Where can you don a grass skirt and dance the hula? How about taking a spin on a Segway? Or getting a trim in an old-fashioned barber shop? And where on earth can you design your own roller coaster and then go for a test ride?

Walt Disney World Resort, of course! Disney offers dozens of behind-the-scenes tours, as well as scientific, recreational, and luxury experiences. Here are just a few:

• DiveQuest, in The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion at Epcot, lets certified divers become part of the show while they commune with tropical fish, turtles, sting rays, and even sharks! (Cost: $140/diver; must be at least 10 years old and have proof of SCUBA certification.)


• Disney's Polynesian Resort offers hula dancing lessons, and hosts a traditional Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau twice weekly. (Prices range from $25.99-$59.99 for the dinner luau.)


• Several Segway tours are now offered throughout WDW. Epcot hosts an Around the World tour in the World Showcase area. For a more rugged experience, you can tour the Ft. Wilderness resort property. (Tours vary in price. For more information, call 407-WDW-TOUR.)


• Harmony Barber Shop (Main Street in the Magic Kingdom) is a working, full-service barber shop! You can come in for a trim, get baby his/her first cut (complete with first set of Mickey ears), or simply get the color treatment--colored hair gel with Mickey confetti! (Walk-ins only, so be prepared to wait a bit. Cuts are $14 for kids and $17 for adults.)


• DisneyQuest's Cyber Space Mountain (located at Downtown Disney) is not for the faint of heart! This attraction allows guests to design their own thrill ride, saving the design to a digital card that then goes into a simulator which then re-creates the experience for the guest, visually and physically. If you build it, you can ride it! (Admission to DisneyQuest is $42.60 for adults and $36.21 for kids 3-9.)
  

For more information on extraordinary guest experiences at Walt Disney World, call 407-WDW-TOUR. Or, drop me an email: affordingthemouse@att.net.

Oh, and here's one more thing you can do at Walt Disney World: become the star of the show!

My husband and I were recruited to be in the show during the Backlot Tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios. That's me on the far right.

Playing the part. Notice the rain gear: "You will get wet in this show!"