My Honest Review of Fantasyland expansion!
So I'm 22 years of age with no children. That being said, this is an unbiased review of my thoughts on Fantasyland Expansion
My girlfriend and I went to Magic Kingdom, Dec 1, 2012 for our monthly WDWR visit as Annual Passholders.
First thing noted, Magic Kingdom was especially crowded due to the Christmas movie they were filming right down Main Street. Pedestrian traffic was organized as you could not cross Main Street or walk on it as usual. First thing I noticed was how many people were chatting about the expansions amongst themselves as we walked the direction of Cinderellas Castle. We stoped for our normal trip to Main Street bakery (Still Pissed about it's transformation to Starsucks) and waited for a while to see if the pedestrian traffic would move a bit faster. Wasn't happening. So we made our way through the detours finally stepping into Fantasyland.
I took note of everything I saw. The first of all to be noticed was the unfinished Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I didn't realize how massive this project was in scale until I saw it in person. You'd think Disney would want to hide or cover it up a bit as it is an eyesore dead smack in the middle of the expansion. We noticed the new Castle walls which gave a sense of leaving Fantasyland and entering a NEW Fantasyland, if you get what I mean. We saw the "Be Our Guest" eating location with lines as long as the "Belle's Tales" attraction. We skipped anything with beauty and the beast. So I can't honestly say anything negative about the place except Disney did a terrible job on the forces prospective of Beasts' Castle. It' is small. It's small far or near. HOWEVER the theming of the area was put to extreme detail and can not be missed.
After that we headed straight for the "Little Mermaid Ride". First Impressions - WOW! You feel as though you are on an island or just on the shore of somewhere where marine life is. The walk up to Prince Eric's Castle is more breathtaking than walking up to Beast's Castle. The queue on the outside is rather boring as for as interactions but for the most part, the waterfalls, rock work, and palm trees give you something to look at. Once you start heading inside things get interesting. From messages on the walls to very interactive what appears to be some Magical Wall Screens that react as you make gestures, everyone seem to be entertained. The Under Sea treasures built into the walls and put on display also made it feel once again as if you were along the shores of an ocean or bay. Now these on wall screens or so seemed to really be aimed at children. Adults and older teens didn't seem all that interested but was enough to crack a smile. That's one portion of the queue. It transitions into another portion with a bird-like animatronic and a larger on wall screen which showed the same crab like creatures all on one screen doing various performances for the audience. Really interesting for a queue line I must say.. After that you step into the loading station and board your clam.
There is nothing special about the loading station. It's another Disney Omni-Mover and the clam is nothing special. Just Pink. However, the ride itself was enjoyable. Not something I'd wait 40 minutes for again but definitely something for small children to enjoy as many times as their bundle of happiness will let them.
The ride starts off with all the clams surrounding the bird animatronic who was showed in the queue. At this point I was convinced he was the narrator. Then the Clam turns backwards and leans backwards forcing one to look up! I did so, and while doing so projections of waves,bubbles and of course the sound of bubbles and the darkening of transitioning to the next portion of the ride made it as if you were really going underwater. They has a LCD screen on the ceiling in which you saw Ariel and a yellow and sea-blue like Fish dancing and making hoopla. I have to admit again this was pretty cool being I was unexpected for this to happen. The clam goes back to normal and facing forward and you continue with the ride.
We came into a festive, well spirited part of the ride with sea creatures dancing, singing, moving all around you. Elaborate colors, lighting and sound, made it feel as though you were right on time for the party! NO matter what mood you were in that part of the ride was eye catching. I could not get details on everything I saw because there were so many things to try and see at once it's impossible to do so unless you solely focus on that while on the ride. The ride then transitions through a dark point where a rather well-fed sea octopus ladylike individual seemed to be up to no good. ( have never seen the little mermaid movie. I apologize for not knowing characters). Again the colors, sounds, and lighting really wowed me, as we continued on with the clam ride. The clams would turn to the focal point of the animatronic or specific scene to give all riders a first view prospective of that part of the ride which really made everything around you "Blend In" if you may say. After that the ride continues and transitions ending eventually with Ariel and Prince Eric being together.
Overall I enjoyed the ride and definitely give it a positive thought. Very Disney like, creating the magic and overall experience of riding the story. For children this is a major attraction draw and Disney did well with targeting it's crowd. I also forgot to mention that it is a well suited family ride, something everyone from old to young big and small can enjoy together.
We strolled on over past The Fryers Nook (Which was closed) and headed for the Storybrook Circus area.
Quick and short, The Dumbo Flyer's were the most interesting thing there, after that depending on the group you are with, may want to skip this area. Circus area isn't really worth it. The Great Goofini ride was horrible. I understand it is not for grown adults but, it's not a family coaster IMO. Woody Woodpeckers Nuthouse Coaster at Universal Studio Florida or The Flying Unicorn (Yes I still refer to it as that)at Islands of Adventure are FAR more smoother, better themed, and IMO a bit more enjoyable for an adult to ride with a child. The Goofini coaster had HARD seats that hurt your back and made turns sharp and quickly. The ride was not smooth otherwise this would have been fun.
The new Casey Jr. Splash Station is a win for Disney. It was rather cool at 77 degrees so it wasn't an ideal day for most people but for the brave souls that take on cooler weather, they enjoyed the Splash Station. It suits that area well for children and a water alternative to a splash ride.
We then Exited the new Fantasyland. I'll also say this. Winnie the Pooh, 'te ride is very interesting. After riding Snow White Scary Adventures when it was open, I had very low hopes that were far exceeded. Winni the Pooh is a ride I'll get on again because I actually enjoyed it for a dark ride. Not to mention has one of the best queues around! I really was happy that it was open and it was extremely crowded. Same for Peter Pan, I enjoyed both and they are wonderful rides.
Overall I was really okay with the expansion. I got the chance to see for myself and experience it first hand and have decided Disney did a great thing targeting it's audience. It's not spectacular, but it's far beyond terrible as many people are making it to be saying they need to add more and what not. I think Disney added what will be crowd drawers for people with small children which is exactly what they wanted. Like I stated it's an excellent overall experience. I was only unhappy with the Beats Castle forced prospective and the lack of effort put into the Circus area. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be a magnificent addition to the area and will be no doubt the center piece of the expansion.
I hope every ones enjoys the new Fantasyland. It's not worth a second trip for me but for many it will be.