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Fantasyland Expansion - Part 2

Nothing in the FLE IMO is worth a 50 minute wait. Haunted Mansion on the other hand...

HTF, you just love to cause problems, don't you? :)

Dumbo is worth it, because 30 of those minutes you get to be in an air conditioned place where the kids can run around and leave you alone - lol You will learn to love those moments when your LO is born and old enough to go to parks and drive you crazy.
 
My gripes are that a majority of the wait is done outside and that not everyone will get to actually meet Belle.
Not meet Belle?! I'm bringing my princess adoring daughter to MK next month, and we planned on seeing this with the assumption that we were going to meet Belle in an intimate storybook telling setting. If that's not guaranteed, then why blow a hour of my time. How do they choose who sees her and who doesn't? After going through the entire walk through, and not allowing some kids to meet Belle(who's name is in the attraction), talk about disappointing!
 
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Not meet Belle?! I'm bringing my princess adoring daughter to MK next month, and we planned on seeing this with the assumption that we were going to meet Belle in an intimate storybook telling setting. If that's not guaranteed, then why blow a hour of my time. How do they choose who sees her and who doesn't? After going through the entire walk through, and not allowing some kids to meet Belle(who's name is in the attraction), talk about disappointing!

Apparently only the people (I.E. kids) chosen to help Belle tell the story of Beauty and the Beast get to meet and greet and grope Belle. Of course, I read conflicting information on different sites. Maybe someone who has been through the meet and greet can help shed more light on the subject.
 
Apparently only the people (I.E. kids) chosen to help Belle tell the story of Beauty and the Beast get to meet and greet and grope Belle. Of course, I read conflicting information on different sites. Maybe someone who has been through the meet and greet can help shed more light on the subject.


I have.. :lol:
 
Soooo, this coaster. Whats like the low down on the storylines yo? like are we just chillin in the mines or do a bunch of orcs like try and chase us out while Gandalf gets eaten by a giant fire monster??



Seems legit.
 
I never got the praise for the dumbo queue area. It's a simple play area that they just threw in a queue. The Curious George foam ball play area at Universal Studios Florida is a much funner concept AND (Get This!), it's an experience that the whole family can enjoy (and can be a war zone at times). The only other difference is it's not attached to a ride. Let's also remember that this has been part of the park since 1998.
 
Apparently only the people (I.E. kids) chosen to help Belle tell the story of Beauty and the Beast get to meet and greet and grope Belle. Of course, I read conflicting information on different sites. Maybe someone who has been through the meet and greet can help shed more light on the subject.

Based on what I saw in soft opening during Not So Scary, this is the case, although they pretty much gave a role to any kid who wanted one (whether this is still the case with massive crowds I don't know). And "meet and greet" may be too strong a term--it was just a quick picture then hustled out. No autographs, not much playful banter.
 
I never got the praise for the dumbo queue area. It's a simple play area that they just threw in a queue. The Curious George foam ball play area at Universal Studios Florida is a much funner concept AND (Get This!), it's an experience that the whole family can enjoy (and can be a war zone at times). The only other difference is it's not attached to a ride. Let's also remember that this has been part of the park since 1998.

The circus play area isn't too spectacular. It is nice though being able to sit inside the air conditioning while waiting for the ride itself. They limit the amount of people into the play area but even so it seemed overly crowed with kids to the point my little ones were too afraid to go play.
 
Apparently only the people (I.E. kids) chosen to help Belle tell the story of Beauty and the Beast get to meet and greet and grope Belle. Of course, I read conflicting information on different sites. Maybe someone who has been through the meet and greet can help shed more light on the subject.

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law took my daughter to MK one day during softs and they did do this. My daughter is way to young to have a part (she wasn't even 2 at the time), but at the end she was "chosen" to sit near belle and get a picture taken. I believe they try and make sure all kids get a picture with Belle at some point during the show. Also, they get to spend more "time" with Belle since it is a story and everything. I was told the kids really enjoyed the experience. I was asking if it was worth it for me, I know my daughter would love it again. Also, it was really cool because everyone got a photo pass at the end of the session and it had a ton (I think over 50) pictures on it that were taken during the story telling time. So you get to have more than just pictures posed with Belle, but if your LO is part of the story you get pictures of that too. I thought that part was neat.

I never got the praise for the dumbo queue area. It's a simple play area that they just threw in a queue. The Curious George foam ball play area at Universal Studios Florida is a much funner concept AND (Get This!), it's an experience that the whole family can enjoy (and can be a war zone at times). The only other difference is it's not attached to a ride. Let's also remember that this has been part of the park since 1998.

It has a lot of little touches to it that if you go around and look at are pretty neat. The sounds it makes when kids do certain things is neat, the fireworks area is cool, the play net has a thing the kids can walk across that is pretty cool. The 2 - 3 year old area is a huge hit for LOs and the fire truck is very popular because there are so many little things on it that the kids can play on. I have seen 6 or more kids playing with it at one time. Two sitting in it, two at the rear playing with the buttons, one playing with the wheels, and one playing with the lights in front. There i also a puzzle thing near it that was added later that LOs enjoy. My daughter is pretty shy and even on busy days she is walking around wanting to do various things in it. Not only are some of things innovative in it, but the fact that they tied it to a ride so instead of standing in line with a whining kid for 30 minutes you are sitting inside with your kids playing.

I am surprised someone said their kids would not play. The only times I have seen this is with older kids (14+) who think they are too "cool" for a kid play area. But I have also seen that age group run around on the nets and not want to come down when the pager goes off, so I think it depends on the kid. But I have never seen kids around me not want to play because it is crowded and I have been there when it is max capacity. I will admit for my LO it is best when it is EMPTY to the point where people don't have to go in there and can go straight on the ride. She loves it then because she gets to play on the big kids stuff.

I have been to the curious george ball area and personally it was not for LOs under the age of 4. So the nice thing about Dumbo is it is for any child who can walk to whenever they decide it is not "cool" enough :) Heck when I went with my husbands friend he wanted to go crawl up in the area :) I do think it could have been a little bigger to handle a line more than a 40 minute wait, but I have only ever seen Dumbo more than 40 minutes twice. So I guess they are going for the average day and not the Christmas crowd days.

I don't understand how anyone can be against something that keeps kids entertained while waiting for an attraction. That baffles me.
 
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It's not about being against it. I just don't care for it. Yes it's nice to sit down while waiting, but I find that with two Dumbo's now the wait is rarely that long anyway. That's besides the point though. I just think, overall, they could have been more inclusive in the design. Sure many parents like to sit down while their kids play, but others would like to have something for them as well. Why couldn't they have made something for people over the age of 7 to do too?

Oh, and I was at Curious George the other day and saw many kids under four in there and they looked to be having a fantastic time.
 
It's not about being against it. I just don't care for it. Yes it's nice to sit down while waiting, but I find that with two Dumbo's now the wait is rarely that long anyway. That's besides the point though. I just think, overall, they could have been more inclusive in the design. Sure many parents like to sit down while their kids play, but others would like to have something for them as well. Why couldn't they have made something for people over the age of 7 to do too?

Oh, and I was at Curious George the other day and saw many kids under four in there and they looked to be having a fantastic time.

My husband and I enjoy all the little things in Dumbo like the fireworks and I would say it is for kids up to 13. Many above that age may be bored, but I have seen kids older than that climbing around and having fun. But really, if your child is older than 13, I don't see them riding Dumbo anyways. Heck probably once they are 10 they are done with Dumbo. So they built the interactive queue for their target age, which makes sense.

I have seen wait times from 5 minutes all the way to 70 minutes since the two dumbos started. So I would not say it hardly has a wait. The average wait is 30 minutes, which is perfect because that area can hold crowds up to a 30 minute wait. Beyond 30 - 40 minute wait you tend to have to wait in line to get the pager to go in there.

My daughter did not appreciate being hit by balls, so probably why I was saying younger kids might not enjoy Curious George. It is a nice area, don't get me wrong, it looks fun for people with older kids, but I have seen those types of things before in other parks. So that is not unique to Universal. Playgrounds in general are in a lot of parks across the country, but it is the fact that it is your wait to get on a ride that makes it more unique and innovative. I would like them to do this with more rides, but since it does take up space, I see why they would not do this with every ride.
 
For enchanted tales go during or soon after wishes because everyone else is usually on main street and it usually holds at most a 20 minute wait during this time. And anyone who wants a part can have one because they ask at the end of the casting so you can get your picture taken with Belle. Or ask a cast member if you or your child doesn't get picked if you can still get a picture and I'm sure they can help you. The best way to get a part is to act enthusiastic and look like you want to be there because that's how my friend and I got picked. Mentioning that the two of us are 18 and 21 they don't just pick kids for parts. Overall I think it's a great little attraction to do, just don't wait for it during the day because the line will go down and there is no point to kill you and your family in the sun for that amount of time.
 
When we did Storytime with Belle in early January, everyone that took a part in the show (even the adults) had the opportunity to have their picture taken with her. Once they were through with the participants, the attendants then started to go to the remaining kids in the room asking if they'd like a pic. My son declined, but they gave him a bookmark anyways (which he was pretty excited about BC he loves to read).

I agree that the experience is rushed and not as personal as traditional meet and greets, but there was individual interaction and autographs when I went. I think the level of interaction in each show just depends on the wait time, the # of kids and the # of people interested in a photo.
 
Soooo, this coaster. Whats like the low down on the storylines yo? like are we just chillin in the mines or do a bunch of orcs like try and chase us out while Gandalf gets eaten by a giant fire monster??



Seems legit.

I laughed way too hard at this. :lol: Seriously though, what is up with this thing? Let's lauch some firecrackers under Disney's butts and get a move on with this thing.
 
I laughed way too hard at this. :lol: Seriously though, what is up with this thing? Let's lauch some firecrackers under Disney's butts and get a move on with this thing.

Im glad I could make someone laugh. :wave:

Tax evasions are possible...Im not to learned in what that entails but Ive heard some mention it here. I think TDO just doesn't necessarily care all that much.
 
So... these photo updates are just piling up, aren't they? :pound: Don't take that as a crack at the updaters, just the fact that there's nothing to update.
 
From now on Pete's Silly Sideshow will open 45 minutes after the park opens, and will close an hour before park close.

Sure am glad they used that land for a meet and greet! :rolleyes:

They were probably not getting anyone early in the morning. Most people are rushing to see Mickey or Princesses and that place is so far in the back of the park. So it makes sense, no need to have characters out there with no one to greet. I don't think it is any indication on how it is doing in general, it is just more of people rushing into the park and doing something first before heading to the back corner of the park.

Most people an hour before closing are watching the parade or fireworks and most people with Meet and Greet age children are long gone if not doing the first thing I mentioned. Plus with the train closed that part of the park seems to be dead after fireworks because again it is so far back there. I hope once construction ends it won't feel so out there.
 
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