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Fantasyland Expansion - Part 2

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A message from Tom Staggs via the Disney Parks Blog.....

New Magic in the Making at Walt Disney World Resort
From flying over Never Land to taking a spin in a tea cup, Fantasyland has been home to some of our guests’ favorite experiences at Walt Disney World Resort since opening day. So when we set out to reinvent the most popular land at our most popular Disney destination, we knew that it had to be something truly spectacular – and I’m proud to say that New Fantasyland is exactly that.

Last Friday, I toured the construction site as we complete the finishing touches for our official opening on December 6, and while the entire expansion is extraordinary, there are a few aspects in particular that I think will be huge hits with our guests.

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Part of what makes Disney Parks so special is our ability to connect people with the Disney characters and stories they love. With Enchanted Tales with Belle, we’re doing that in a magical new way. Guests will enter Belle’s cottage, step through an enchanted mirror and be transported to the world of “Beauty and the Beast,” where they’ll help Lumiere, Belle and The Wardrobe recreate “the tale as old as time” by becoming part of the story themselves. Our Imagineers have brought these characters to life in ways that are sure to delight guests both young and old.

One of the hallmarks of a great Disney experience is the meticulous attention to detail that goes into the worlds we create, and the queue for Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid is another fantastic example of “the more you look, the more you see.” Before taking a voyage under the sea with Ariel and her friends, guests can explore the caves and grottos in and around Prince Eric’s castle, interacting playfully with Scuttle and a few of his friends along the way. The rockwork that’s been done is spectacular, and the paintings that adorn the vaults beneath the castle help draw visitors to New Fantasyland even further into the story of the beloved animated film.

One of the most gratifying aspects of this expansion is the way that our new attractions, entertainment, merchandise and food offerings all come together to create a singular experience that is a worthy addition to a park as iconic as Magic Kingdom Park. The result is only possible through the hard work and the collaboration from people across Disney Parks and Resorts, and I am extremely proud of what they have accomplished. We can’t wait to take guests beyond the walls of Cinderella Castle to discover the new stories, new adventures and new magic that will help them make shared memories that last a lifetime.


From Disney Parks Blog

Interactive Timeline: Explore the History of Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park
The December 6 grand opening celebration for New Fantasyland is fast approaching, and in honor of the debut of this wonderful expansion, we thought we’d share a look back at the full history of Fantasyland here at Magic Kingdom Park.

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Our Fantasyland Timeline begins in 1965, when Walt Disney announced to the world that a Disney theme park would be built here in Central Florida. It then continues through construction, the opening day of Magic Kingdom Park, and the many changes the land has undergone over the park’s 41-year history.

It also features never-before-released photos from the beginning of Fantasyland and Magic Kingdom Park, as well as Walt Disney Imagineering videos from the New Fantasyland expansion. And be sure to keep checking back as we update the site.

Click the timeline image to discover where Fantasyland reigns.


Finally, some movement on the meet and greet......

From WDWMagic

PHOTOS - Princess Fairytale Hall temporary signage and scrim
Fantasyland's upcoming Princess Fairytale Hall has some new temporary signage and a decorative scrim while the building is under construction.

The Princess meet and greet will be opening to guests in 2013.

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Ill finally be able to see whats new this Tuesday morning, signed up and got picked for previews that morning. Read on twitter they may actually soft open it back up to the public pretty soon ,even on days they have the Ap previews
 
That's good thn for everyone else who doesn't do the previews. At least gives them a chance to see everything later in the day. Anyone know how crowded these previews have been each morning?
 
Went to the park today around 2pm and they had tech rehearsals open to everyone.

I got to experience The Little Mermaid which was definitely the definition of "tech rehearsals" as it went down multiple times and things seemed to be missing from the queue. I thought it was a good standard Disney dark ride although I think the battle with Ursula should have been in there somewhere. They just kind of skip to the end.

Tried Lefou's Brew and am not a big fan. It literally is just an apple juice slushie.

Everything in the area looks fantastic.

Didn't make it into Be Our Guest. When I got to the entrance they would not let me in with a cup of Lefou's Brew; the policy of not letting someone enter a restaurant with a drink baffles me. Figured I would come back later, but never got around to it.

Belle had a 50 minute wait so we said no way to that.

Overall a nice looking area, but it's not really for me. I look forward to the 7 Dwarves Mine Train though.
 
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Went to the park today around 2pm and they had tech rehearsals open to everyone.

Figures that I left there around noon to head over to Epcot. How long did it stay open? Going to MK on Thursday for Christmas Party and wondering if they might just keep it open for that.
 
So I finally made my way into the expansion of Fantasyland this weekend. We were able to get into the area on Sunday night to get a few rides in on the Little Mermaid, as well as sight-see the area. It truly is a beautiful area, which I never doubted from the get-go. The small attention to detail is very evident in Mermaid queue.

The ride itself does not change my opinion from the DCA version. There's a few tweaks here and there, but overall the ending still kills it.

We did do Enchanted Tales with Belle, since it was a 20 minute wait, and my g/f was dying to do it. The AA's in the attraction (The mirror, Wardrobe, Lumiere) are some of the best I've ever seen. Besides that, meh. My g/f's thoughts, since she was looking forward to this most:

"I mean, it's cute! But I don't think we'll do it again, especially if the wait is so long. I just wish I would have been able to meet Belle, especially if you waited longer than 20 minutes. All we did is watch other kids re-enact the story in 5 minutes and she's up and gone after a couple quick phots with the participants. I wonder if other parents will feel the same way?"

While waiting for Belle, we got into a conversation with a grandfather taking his grandson in. My g/f, being the social butterfly she is, asked the little boy if he was excited to meet Belle. The grandfather replied "Wait, this isn't a ride?"

"No, it's a pretty much storytime with Belle, and you meet her at the end."

The man looked at his grandson, then asked "Where's the new ride?". Pointed him in the direction of Mermaid, and they left.

We got into a couple conversations with folks, with children, about this after checking out the attraction and all pretty much agreed. "It's cute for what it is, but it's not worth that wait time. Once is enough." One of the parents was a Disney pro and compared this "Tales with Belle" with the old one by the castle. She said that it "was different because Disney is making a big deal of Belle in the new area" whereas the old one was "just another thing you can do while visiting the park."

The Be Our Guest Restraunt was fantastic. We had lunch their on Monday and was pleased to see the ordering system work fluidly. Out of all the additions to the Expansion, I believe this will be the biggest hit of them all. My only beef with the area is that castle's perspective looks off.

Gaston's Tavern is ok. My g/f's first reaction was "Can we get Butterbeer here?". :lol: I do like LeFou's Brew, but only because the Mango/Passion Fruit foam is delicious.
 
I was wondering if anyone knows if the 7 dwalfs coaster is even fully designed, as in are they winging it. Considering the ride wasn't in the original plans but was added not all that long after, they really wouldn't of had much time to get anything but the bare basics planned before construction had started.
 
I still don't see a comparison between Gaston's and Broomsticks aesthetically. They both have antlers, that's about it.

Antlers. Large barrels (hogs heads, to use the archaic term) of "beer" that isn't really beer, with taps. Lots of dark wood. A large round table in the corner.