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Disney World Fantasyland

Final Countdown To New Fantasyland

We are just 6 days away from the highly anticipated Grand Opening of the Newย Fantasylandยฎ Area in theย Magic Kingdomยฎ Park. Officially opening on Thursday, Dec. 6th to park guests is the Enchanted Forest, consisting ofย Under the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid,ย Enchanted Tales with Belle,ย Ariel’s Grotto, Be Our Guest Restaurant, and Gaston’s Tavern.ย Storybook Circus, also part of theย Newย Fantasylandยฎ expansion, previously opened to guests.ย Future additions to New Fantasylandยฎย includeย Princess Fairytale Hall(2013) andย Seven Dwarfs Mine Trainย (2014).

We thought that someย Newย Fantasylandยฎ Fun Facts would be a great way help pass these few remaining days!

  • Originally 10 acres, the Newย Fantasylandย expansion doubles the size to 21 acres!
  • Inside the Library atย Enchanted Tales with Belle,ย guests will find over 12,000 “books.”
  • Beastโ€™s Castleย contains 115 windows.
  • The design teams called the lion-like figures flanking the door at the entrance toย Be Our Guest Restaurantย โ€œgolions,โ€ a combination of goat and lion. The figures above the entrance doors, eagles with snake tails, were called โ€œsneagles.โ€
  • Be Our Guest Restaurant’sย centerpiece chandelier measures more than 12 feet tall and 11 feet wide. It boasts more than 84 candles and more than 100 jewels that hang down to give it added shine.
  • As a way to identify them, the six stone figures on the bridge leading toย Be Our Guest Restaurantย were all given the name โ€œFrankโ€ during the design phase.
  • At the Magic Kingdomยฎ Park, Disneylandยฎ Paris, Hong Kong Disneylandยฎ, and at the Disneylandยฎ Resort, Timothy Mouse carries a magic feather atop theย Dumboย attraction. At Tokyo Disneylandยฎ, he holds a circus whip.
  • Talk about authenticity! The music heard from the old fashioned calliope in the front ofย Peteโ€™s Silly Sideshowย was recorded from a set of antique circus crank organs owned by a collector in Southern California.
  • Of the 183 characters inย Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid,ย more than 70 percent (128, to be exact) are featured in the โ€œUnder the Seaโ€ scene.
  • Theย Audio-Animatronicsยฎย figure of the sea witch Ursula is 7 1/2-feet tall and 12 feet wide.

Photos: A Look Inside Magic Kingdomยฎ Park’s Enchanted Forest

Guests who visited theย Magic Kingdomยฎ Park this past weekend received an extra surprise when they were treated to a “dressย rehearsal” for the Enchanted Forest of theย Newย Fantasylandยฎ Area. Guests were able to experience theย Under the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid Attraction, take part inย Enchanted Tales with Belle,ย and meet and greet everyone’s favorite mermaid insideย Ariel’s Grotto.ย Althoughย Be Our Guest Restaurantย wasn’t serving food, guests were permitted to go inside and look around.

Whileย Enchanted Forestย remained open all weekend long, it is unclear how often these “Dressย Rehearsals” will happen between now and the scheduled soft opening date on Nov. 19. Special previews will be held starting Oct. 20 – Nov. 11 for registered parties of select groups, including Cast Members, Annual Passholders, D23 Members, and DVC Members.

Photos: Castle Walls Emerge In New Fantasylandยฎ Expansion

Construction walls have come down around a section of the castle walls that will be part of the Newย Fantasylandยฎ at Magic Kingdomยฎย Park. Guests will be amazed at the amount of detail that they will see in the wall and the sections that are still to come.

Click the images in the gallery below to enlarge:

The grand opening of the Enchanted Forest section of theย Newย Fantasylandยฎย is set for Dec. 6, 2012, with limited previews of the area starting Nov. 19, 2012.

Magic Kingdomยฎ Park’s Be Our Guest Menu To Feature Wine & Beer

Walt Disney Worldยฎย Resort recently announced that beer and wine will be included on the dinner menuย when theย Be Our Guestย Restaurantย opens on November 19th.

โ€œAs part of the overall theming, we wanted to offer wine that enhances the guest experience and complements the French-inspired cuisine. The wines focus primarily on Franceโ€™s famous wine-growing regions, including Champagne, Alsace, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy and Bordeaux.” –ย Stuart McGuire, Beverage Director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

The restaurant will also offer the leading French beer, Kronenbourg 1664, and various Belgian beers from that same themed area.

Longtime Disney Chef Roland Muller, a native of Alsace, France, has lead a team ofย Walt Disney Worldยฎย Resort’s Culinary Cast Members in creating the lunch and dinner menus for the restaurant. After more than three years of work, they are sure that guests will be happy with the selection.ย See a full listing of menu options here.

Enjoy this preview of some of the dishes you can expect fromย Be Our Guest Restaurantย when it opens in just a few short months!

Artist Rendering of Ariel’s Grotto Released

Theย Walt Disney Worldยฎย Resort has released an artist rendering ofย Ariel’s Grotto, a new meet and greet location that will be part of the New Fantasylandยฎ Expansion.

ย Ariel’s Grotto will be located near theย Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid Attraction,ย but will be a separate experience. When Ariel moves to her new location, she will meet her guests in mermaid form. The new Grotto location will officially open Dec. 6, but a preview period will start Nov. 19, 2012.

 

All images are artist renderings. Actual construction may vary.

Video: Sneak Peek of ‘Enchanted Tales With Belle’

We’ve already seen how many details the Imagineers are including in Newย Fantasylandยฎ Area in theย Magic Kingdomยฎ Park! There truly is no inch of this expansion that wasn’t well planned with creativity and innovation.

Enchanted Tales with Belle is no exception. Imagineers wanted this experience to be more than a meet and greet – something that every guest would remember, regardless of their age or interest in Disney Princesses.

The Enchanted Tales with Belle experience begins inside Maurice’s cottage, Belle’s childhood home, and ends inside the library at Beast’s Castle.

You’re going to love this experience! Enjoy as this two-part video asย Imagineers Chris Beatty, Chris Kelly and Ted Robledo explain how this “tale as old as time” will be brought to life – with you as a star! Parents: You may want to keep these videos to yourself and save the MAGIC for the little ones to experience in person!

The Enchanted Forest portion of theย Newย Fantasylandยฎ Area in theย Magic Kingdomยฎ Park will open Dec. 6, 2012 with limited previews beginning Nov. 19.

Contact your Magic Makerยฎ today and ask how you can experience theย Newย Fantasylandยฎ expansion at a discounted price!

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Grand Opening of New Fantasylandยฎ Slated for Dec. 6th

We are so excited to share a very special date with you!

The grand opening of ย the New Fantasylandยฎย at Magic Kingdomยฎย will take place on Dec. 6, 2012. Attractions included in this phase of opening are:

  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
  • Enchanted Tales with Belleย 
  • Arielโ€™s Grotto
  • Be Our Guest Restaurantย 
  • Gastonโ€™s Tavernย 
  • Bonjour! Village Gifts.

Limited previews of the attractions will begin Nov. 19. Additional phases of theย New Fantasylandยฎย opening includeย Princess Fairytale Hall in 2013 and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Trainย in 2014.

Peteโ€™s Silly Sideshow Coming To Storybook Circus

Our guests who have been fortunate enough to visit the Storybook Circus section of the Newย Fantasylandยฎ area have no doubt been amazed at the new additions to the Magic Kingdomยฎ.ย But while touring the area, it is hard to not notice that the Storybook Circus area is still not completely open. Details on 2 of those unfinished locations were just released today.

One of the big-top tents will house Pete’s Silly Sideshow. Inside, guests will have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite Disney characters who secretly have some circus-like special talents! The other tent will beย Big Top Souvenirs.

Here’s a first look inside Pete’s Silly Sideshow:

An opening date for Pete’s Silly Sideshow has yet to be announced. Once opened, Mickey will continue to greet his guests inside his current location at Town Square Theater onย Main Street, U.S.A.ยฎ.

All images are Walt Disney Imagineer Concept artwork. Actual construction and design may vary. All entertainment is subject to change.

Photo Update of New Fantasyland Progress

Anticipation has been rising as construction of the Newย Fantasylandยฎ continues! The Storybook Circus area has already opened, but theย Fantasylandยฎ Forestย section is scheduled to open in phases beginning Holidays 2012.

Walt Disney Worldยฎย Resort’s Imagineering team has been sharing sporadic photo updates of the area to share their excitement for the expansion. Enjoy all the detail and creativity in what will soon become theย Newย Fantasylandยฎ!

New “Queue-less Queue” coming to Dumbo the Flying Elephantยฎ Attraction

Dumbo the Flying Elephantยฎ Attraction Interactive QueueKids of all ages enjoy taking flight on the Dumbo the Flying Elephantยฎย Attraction when they visit theย Magic Kingdomยฎ Park. But soon, the wait before boarding the attraction will be the “star of the show!”

As part of the Newย Fantasylandยฎ Area expansion, the attractionย will gain a second ride carousel and a new interactive queue which will be inside the big top tent in Storybook Circus. This queue is an innovative area created by Walt Disney Imagineering and will redefine how guests see “wait times.”

Dumbo the Flying Elephantยฎ Attraction Interactive QueueGuests wishing to ride the Dumbo the Flying Elephantยฎย Attractionย will receive a “circus ticket” (similar to pagers used at many restaurants). The “circus ticket” will hold their place in line and notify them when itโ€™s their turn to take flight on the airborne pachyderms. While waiting, guests can take center stage by enjoying several play experiences all centered around the circus theme.

The new “queue-less queue” inside the big top tent is scheduled to open to guests in July. A similar system was tested back in 2009 at theย Rock ‘n Roller Coasterยฎ Starring Aerosmith atย Disneyโ€™s Hollywood Studiosโ„ข

 

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