THERE'S more magic than meets the eye when you visit one of Disney’s famous

theme parks in the US.

From vacuum-sucked bins to hidden rooms and underground tunnels where

characters travel from one ‘land’ to another, there’s a hive of

behind-the-scenes activity going on to keep the parks running at maximum

efficiency.

Here are 15 incredible facts about the secret world of the Walt Disney

amusement parks...

1. You will never see a bin being emptied

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Small pipes vacuum the rubbish through the hidden tunnels underneath the Magic

Kingdom at 60mph. This process happens every 20 minutes and means that you

will never see people moving trash around.

2. It’s not only rubbish in the tunnels

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There are miles of tunnels underneath the parks and these are used for

employees and cast members to walk through to reach their destinations

without characters being spotted in the wrong land. These tunnels also

contain the costume departments and a resident hairdresser.

3. Cat's how they keep rodents under control

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At night, Disney World is home to around 200 feral cats that are let loose to

keep down the rodent population at the parks.

4. Never a bad smell

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Devices called Smellitizers are hidden in the parks to maintain a pleasant

smell in the air. Examples include the baked goods in Main Street and the

salty sea air at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

5. Organic growing in Epcot

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Epcot gardens grow over 30 tons of fruit and veg per year to help feed the

hungry visitors. Many vegetables are grown hanging from the ceiling – and

pumpkins are cultivated in Mickey Mouse cases so that they come out in the

shape of the cartoon character.

6. No electricity bills

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Disney has its own power plant which lights up the 150 tractor trailer-loads

of decorations for its Christmas holiday celebrations.

7. Secret suite hidden away

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There is actually a secret suite inside Cinderella’s castle which cannot be

booked and is only used for promotional giveaways.

8. Realism in Liberty Square

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There are no toilets to be found in Liberty Square to keep it realistic as

there was no indoor plumbing in colonial America. There is even a brownish

winding path to represent the raw sewage.

9. The Tree of Life cannot die

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The 14-storey Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom was actually fashioned from

an old oil rig that can withstand hurricane-strength winds, meaning its

contents are safe in extreme weather conditions.

10. Aladdin’s spitting camel has great aim

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The Magic Carpet ride has a camel that spits water at passing guests –

however, this is not powered by an electronic machine. Someone is paid to

sit near the camel and when they think they can hit park-goers, they’ll

command the camel to spit.

11. Secret menu items

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In the Be Our Guest restaurant, ask for The Grey Stuff which is referenced in

the Be Our Guest song to try this secret menu item – a chocolate mousse-like

dessert.

12. Enhanced safari experience

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In the Animal Kingdom, there is piped chilled air on the ledge of Pride Rock

to encourage lions to sit up and pose for the perfect picture opportunity.

13. Walt Disney’s private apartment

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In the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Walt Disney had his own

private apartment on Main Street above the fire station. The little-known

Victorian pad remains almost exactly as it did 60 years ago.

14. Edible plants in Tomorrowland

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If you’re hungry but don’t want to splash the cash on an unhealthy overpriced

burger, pop into Tomorrowland in Disneyland – where all the plants are

edible.

15. The original Disneyland only took a year to build

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Construction for the Anaheim Disneyland began in July 1954 and opened within

the estimated time span of 365 days. It cost £11million.