Fantasyland Expansion

New Fantasyland Update

Walt Disney World® Resort has announced that the first portion of the new Storybook Circus area, which is inspired by Disney’s animated film “Dumbo,” will open by late March! The Storybook Circus area is just one part of the New Fantasyland expansion that is taking place right now at the Magic Kingdom® Park. This expansion is the largest in the history of the Magic Kingdom® Park.

The first stage of the progressive openings will include the Fantasyland Station of the Walt Disney World® Railroad, one of the two carousels of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant® Attraction, and the Barnstormer which has been re-themed to star the Great Goofini.

Also, in order to make room for the new Princess Fairytale Hall, the last day of operation of the Snow White’s Scary Adventures® Attraction will be May 31, 2012.

We will bring you more details on the new Fantasyland Expansion as they become available.

Images are Walt Disney Imagineering Concept Art. Actual construction may vary

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:24-05:00February 25th, 2012|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Fantasyland, Dumbo, Fantasyland Expansion, Storybook Circus|0 Comments

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster

New details were released today about the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster coming to Magic Kingdom® Park as part of the Fantasyland Expansion. This new attraction will allow guests take a journey through the diamond mine of the Seven Dwarfs in a new ride system. The ride system allows each mine car to swing back and forth individually as the train twists and turns along the track.

Check out this video to see more:

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:50-05:00August 19th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster|0 Comments

Meet Mickey Mouse with FASTPASS

Mickey Mouse now reigns at a new location in Magic Kingdom® Park to meet and greet his friends at Walt Disney World® Resort. Guests can now go backstage at Town Square Theater for photos and autographs with Mickey — without waiting in a standby queue!

Mickey’s new location in the park also heralds the first-ever use of Disney’s FASTPASS Service for a character meet-and-greet experience. FASTPASS allows guests to reduce waiting by designating a window of time when they can return for a theme park experience.

The fun takes place at the Town Square Theater presented by Kodak, located just inside the Magic Kingdom® entrance. Previously known as Town Square Exposition Hall, the venue has been re-imagined as a turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century theater where posters proclaim Mickey Mouse as the star of a magic show.

A glistening marquee with gold-leaf trim and sparkling lights beckons guests to enter a lobby that serves as a hub for character meet-and-greet queues, the Box Office Gifts merchandise shop and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Lush curtains with gold rope tie-backs, polished-brass chandeliers and a huge tile floor mosaic of the Town Square Theater logo adorn the space.

Just beyond the lobby, guests pass through an ornate arch and enter a queue to meet Magician Mickey Mouse — or a queue to meet the Disney princesses, for whom Town Square Theater will be a meet-and-greet location during New Fantasyland construction.

The meet-and-greet experience begins when magical posters featuring Mickey’s various magic acts come to life, enhancing guests’ journey through queues into the backstage corridors of the theater. Mickey greets guests in a rehearsal-room environment amid posters, steamer trunks and stage props. It’s a classic backstage area with a wood floor and ceiling. One wall is brick, the others are papered in red and black — Mickey colors.

During the Princesses’ limited engagement at Town Square Theater, they will greet guests in an area fit for royalty — replete with plush carpeting, lush velvety-blue drapes with gold tiebacks, and a large mural backdrop of a chateau amid green, tree-covered hills and fields.

Exiting the meet-and-greet areas, guests pass through Curtain Call Collectibles, a shop with design elements suggesting a backstage area used for theater shipping and receiving — with large, barn-like doors through which props and set pieces could pass.

Guests wanting to meet Mickey or the Princesses can either obtain a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket or get in standby queues. FASTPASS tickets, which are available near Town Square Theater, designate an hour window of time during which the guest can return to the theater and have their “magic moment” with Mickey or the Princesses without joining the standby queues.

**Photo not taken at Mickey’s new location.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:58-05:00April 12th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney Princesses Meet and Greet, Disney World Characters, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom Characters, Mickey Fastpass, Mickey Meet and Greet|0 Comments

New Updates for Fantasyland Expansion

A project is currently underway that will nearly double the size of Fantasyland®, the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom® history. Scheduled to open in phases beginning in late 2012, the new Fantasyland® will immerse guests in their favorite stories as never before. Among the highlights planned:

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
A major, all-new attraction during which guests will travel with Ariel and her friends through their exciting adventures above and below the waves – all against a musical backdrop of songs from the classic film.

The Castle of the Beast and Belle’s Village
The Beast’s castle stands majestically upon a hill just across an old stone bridge from Ariel’s new home. The Be Our Guest Restaurant will feature a lavish dining experience in the elegant ballroom, gallery, and mysterious West Wing of the castle. With seating for 550, this magnificent facility will offer counter service by day and full table service dining in the evening. Nearby in Belle’s Village, guests will find the rousing Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts.

Just outside the village is Belle’s cottage and Enchanted Tales with Belle. The adventure begins in Maurice’s workshop, where a magical mirror is the doorway to a captivating new kind of storytelling experience. Guests are transported to the Beast’s library to meet Belle and Lumiere, and share in a lively, interactive, re-telling of the “tale as old as time.”

But that’s just the beginning of what guests will discover when the multi-phase project is completed. Here’s more of what’s in store:

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Hop on board a mine train that will take guests on a rollicking, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” The coaster will feature a first-of-its kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth, responding to every twist and turn of the track. The journey will be accompanied by music from the classic Disney film and animated figures of Snow White and the Dwarfs. (Click photo to see the new coaster.)

Princess Fairytale Hall
Join Aurora, Cinderella and other Disney princesses, such as Tiana and Rapunzel, will greet guests in their new home, an elegant royal court on the site where Snow White’s Scary Adventures stands today.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The sound of the calliope will lead guests to the brand new Storybook Circus and not one but two circling carousels of airborne pachyderms on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Before taking to the skies on this Fantasyland® favorite, guests can experience an array of fun-filled family games and interactive wonders for kids of all ages inside the Big Top.

The Great Goofini
Next door in Storybook Circus, the classic Goofy’s Barnstormer (currently in Mickey’s Toontown® Fair) gets a bright new look as well, featuring Goofy as The Great Goofini. It’s a twisting, turning roller coaster “flight” high above the circus fun.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:24:01-05:00February 9th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Fantasyland, Fantasyland Expansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster|0 Comments

From Magic Maker® Julie Paolino

If you’ve ever been to the Walt Disney World® Resort, you know that the Magic Kingdom® Park is divided into themed lands. Fantasyland® is the place to go to feel nostalgic about some of Walt Disney’s most beloved movies of all time. It is home to rides where you taking flight with Peter Pan, bounce around with Tigger and Pooh, or soar with Dumbo. In Fantasyland® you will also find other attractions such as the classic ride, “it’s a small world” and the more recent addition, Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Very little has changed in Fantasyland® in the 38 years since the Walt Disney World® Resort first opened its doors. But hold on to your Mickey ears, because Fantasyland® is getting significant makeover!

The Fantasyland® makeover will focus strongly on the princess theme. One of the biggest additions is a new attraction based on Disney’s The Little Mermaid, called Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid. New storybook interactive areas will feature three of Disney’s best known princesses in an area called the Fantasyland Forest. Here Guests will visit Cinderella’s Chateau and help her prepare for the ball, visit Sleeping Beauty in Briar Rose’s Cottage just in time for her 16^th birthday party, and have a storytelling session with Belle in the Beast’s library. If you are feeling hungry, you will be able to stop by the Be Our Guest Restaurant for a bite to eat.

In addition to the princesses, little ones will also take pleasure in another area based on the Disney Fairies. This new Pixie Hollow character meeting area will allow Guests to get the feeling of being fairy sized and truly immersed in the Fairy world. Here a visit with Tinker Bell will certainly be the main attraction!

Beyond princesses and fairies, the classic Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction is being relocated. It will soon reside in new “circus grounds” where Guests will participate in interactive experiences, under an air conditioned big top tent, all while waiting to board one of the flying elephants. Parents take note, there will be two Dumbo spinners under one big top which will cut the usual wait time in half! Also being incorporated into the new “circus grounds” is Goofy’s Barnstormer, the kid sized roller coaster, which will take on a clown theme.

You may wonder where all this is going to fit. Sad to say, but Mickey’s Toontown® Fair will be removed to make room for the Fantasyland® expansion. But don’t worry; Mickey and Minnie are rumored to be getting new houses near the front of the park.

The first phase of the Fantasyland expansion, which will include Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid attraction, the Fantasyland Forest, and Dumbo’s Circus is set to debut in the fall of 2012. Pixie Hollow will follow in 2013. Now, with such exciting changes on the horizon, let Off to Neverland Travel® help you plan your next magical getaway!

*Images Walt Disney Imagineering Concept Art, actual construction may vary

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:24:40-05:00May 27th, 2010|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney Fairies, Disney Princesses, Disney World Attractions, Fantasyland Expansion|1 Comment

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