Earlier this week, Disney celebrated what would have been the 100th birthday of founder Walt Disney.

As part of the celebrations, the parks all over the globe – from Paris to California, will be adding new activities and events to the roster in 2023.

The party will kick off in January and includes new costumes, characters, statues, light shows and even rides.

READ MORE: Walt Disney World secrets revealed including best photo spots, freebies and illusions

If you’re heading to a Disney park next year you’ll surely be blown away.

Our travel reporter felt transported to another planet when she visited Disneyland California earlier this year.

If you want to add an extra layer of Disney magic to your visit you can even hire a special VIP Tour Guide.

The cast members know everything there is to know about the parks – from the best photo spots to how to join the shortest line.

Plus, thousands of facts about the decorations, details and hidden Easter eggs around the park.

Check out these secrets and tips we found out from one of the tour guides themselves:

What happens with lost and found items

They'll do as much as possible to find lost items and post them home to you.

We’ve all left a teddy, pair of sunglasses or an ornament or two at the parks.

The Disney staff will do everything possible to get the item back to you if they locate it from posting it home to tracking you down at your hotel.

But, if they don’t know who the owner is they eventually sell them – all the money from the sales goes to charity!

Wishing Well Magic

Outside every Disney Sleeping Beauty castle there’s a wishing well.

As guests most of us have taken a snap by the well and even thrown in a penny or two.

Who knows? Maybe magic will make it come true.

While we can’t be sure about that the wells do make sure that somebodies wish is made reality.

All of the change gathered from the wishing well money goes to the Make a Wish foundation!

Floor one: Magic. Floor zero: Bins?

Most mega-fans know that the Disney parks are actually on the first floor of the area…

There are tunnels built under the parks themselves so you’re actually walking above ground level when making your way around the various lands.

The tunnels actually let staff move quickly from one area to another without being seen – they’re less winding and disrupted than the paths guests use so take just minutes to run across whole areas.

However, the staff speed up even more as it seems the tunnels aren’t pleasant to be in.

Our VIP Tour Guide told us that they stink of bins because they’re also used to remove the rubbish from the resort.

Makes sense – we’ve never seen a Disney bin man.

Hidden details

There are plenty of tiny Easter egg details around the Disney parks.

In fact, at Disneyland California there’s a carving of Peter Pan and Wendy's initials in the tree near the castle!

You’ll have to bend yourself around the tree to spot it, but it’s said to have been carved there by the pair during their forays into Adventureland.

Mickey madness

Around all of the Disney parks there are obvious Mickey Mouse symbols.

But, did you know that there are thousands of cleverly hidden ones too?

Many guests make a game of spotting all the Mickeys – however, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see them all.

There's no true count of all the hidden mickeys as apparently crew and imagineers slip them in unofficially without approval from the parks as they’re designing and building the lands and rides.

See if you can spot one in the Haunted Mansion by looking up as the floor descends – ror by peeking into the lamps hanging in Galaxy’s Edge.

Notable names

If you spot any dates or names on the various rides, food stand designs or while waiting in line you should know they’re never random.

Many pay respect to the many people who have made Disney magic.

The name of the “Captain” on the wall of Space Mountain is actually the name of the man who imagineered the concept.

Meanwhile the date on the giant Coca-Cola bottle in Pym Kitchen is Paul Rudd's birthday!

World warping photo ops

There's a very cool photo spot in Avenger's Campus at Disney California Adventure Park that makes it look on film like you’re being transported to another dimension.

Head round the corner from the exit of Web Slinger, walk past the shop selling the gauntlets and into the little park.

There’s a pattern on the ground that you should stand on.

Get a pal to take a snap as you jump and the snap will look like you’re being sucked into the Earth!

See if you can find it when you go…

Always go left

This last tip was a VIP guide piece of advice.

When you’re queuing up for a ride and there are two ways to enter the line always choose the left hand lane.

Apparently, most people automatically stick to the right so the left hand lane is usually a little bit shorter.

You’re welcome!

Have you got a Disney theme park tip? We want to hear it – email us at [email protected].

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