More Secret Stories From Walt Disney World Review

Jim Korkis brings more interesting stories from Walt Disney World in this latest collection, featuring hundreds of small tidbits from attractions, hotels, cast members and much more, in small two page stories that are very easy to pick up and read.

There are five main sections, Parks, Resorts, Rest Of Walt Disney World, Rest of the Story and Vacation Kingdom. Though those sections are pretty loose, if your after lots of little interesting notes about the resort, this book is a great read and the format does make it a simple read.

While not every story is fantastic, there is something for everyone, I personally find the stories about how the park was built and attractions that either have gone or were never built, of interest, which come from the “things that never were” and “things that disappeared” sections. Personal highlights include stories on the creation of Celebration, how the RCID works and about the creation of the parks in the early days.

There were other interesting stories such as how Aerosmith helped build the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, the history behind Disney Springs, plus pardoned Turkeys by US Presidents and how two attractions at the Animal Kingdom opened before their movies hit cinemas.

It’s hard to pick favourites as there were so many interesting facts, while it might have been good to go into a little more detail on some aspects, I believe at is kept for his “Vault Of Walt” series, as this book has a two page system that seems to work well and kept me engaged while reading. I think this format allows you to read something your not interested in, knowing it’s only a short time to the next story.

One thing that really stands out is how attention to detail is a key feature for Disney and that shows in the success of the parks, I’ve never visited another theme park in the world which does it as well. Many of these stories told me facts about things I’d have just glided by in the parks, unaware of the work that went into it.

I do like that Jim doesn’t just praise Disney, he talks about the mistakes, the things that have gone wrong and doesn’t sugar coat it. It’s very easy with Disney for the negative to be covered in pixie dust and I like hearing about the things that didn’t work, it makes for a more interesting story but also a large corporation can’t always get everything right.

While this book might not be for everyone, Disney World fans should enjoy these little facts, since this book is full of facts, some you might know, some might not, and that’s what I liked about this book. I came away having learned new things about one of my favourite places on the planet, and I’m sure there are many more tales to be told.