My fle review

[MickeyMind]

Got to experience the new fantasyland last friday, while it WAS beautiful, I must say, I was extremely underwhelmed.

The area itself adds some new life to fantasyland, but mostly it just seems like a beautiful setting with not much to do.

We were able to eat at be our guest, the ballroom was beautiful, but the best part was the windows with the falling snow. The food was not really good at all. I had the steak sandwich, my girl had the turkey carving sandwich, and neither one of us really liked it. We toured the other dining rooms, and I think the grand ballroom is definitely the best.I definitely felt a strong harry potter and the forbidden journey vibe going through the gates and into the castle.

Enchanted tales with belle, WOW what a waste of time!... The wardrobe wasnt talking, and the coolest thing about this experience was the mirror portal and the lumiere animatronic, but everything else felt like a big waste, it all felt very unoriginal and rushed, belle was even pushing the kids away as soon as they were done taking their picture. I cannot believe disney was actually going to make 3 of these things for the new fantasyland.

The little mermaid ride, the exterior was beautiful, but the ride is the exact same ride as the california one, its definitely a step up from peter pan and pooh, so I appreciate that they tried to make it better than the regular fantasyland rides they have there, but its not something I would write home about either.

Storybook circus, looks really nice, but I wish they would have atleast kept mickeys house somewhere.

Overall the fle was much to do about nothing, Everything was really beautiful, but that is basically it, there is no substance there, the only thing that would want me to go back is to take a stroll through the area and soak up the ambiance but I will be in and out of there in about 15 min.

IMO they could have done sooooo much more with this area! They could have given us a couple of fantasyland type rides. They really could have made this area shine, but alas I left very dissapointed and just wanted to leave the area since there was really nothing to see but the area itself.

 

[jmb2676]

This is almost word for word what I would say after my visit. I didn't think Be Our Guest was bad, but didn't think it was really all that good either.Not sure that I would go back. The rest of your review is spot on in my opinion.

Oh, forgot to add that I almost fell asleep in Mermaid...

 

[CP_alum08]

My experience was almost the exact opposite. I thought Enchanted Tales was great. Everything worked for us and it was a lot of fun. That's one of those attractions where it really depends on the audience to make it enjoyable though. If no one is into playing their part then no, it's not going to be fun. I have not been on the Mermaid ride in DL so I can't compare but I thought it was well done. You said it was better than Peter Pan or Pooh, so what more did you want?

Be our guest was awesome. Ok, I guess the food wasn't awesome but it was still good, better than the majority of MK food. But the building interior and exterior are awesome.

I guess I don't understand how you could have been underwhelmed. I assume you had some vague idea of what you were going in to? It's not a new park, not even a new land, it's JUST an expansion. AND it's not even done yet.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

My experience was almost the exact opposite. I thought Enchanted Tales was great. Everything worked for us and it was a lot of fun. That's one of those attractions where it really depends on the audience to make it enjoyable though. If no one is into playing their part then no, it's not going to be fun. I have not been on the Mermaid ride in DL so I can't compare but I thought it was well done. You said it was better than Peter Pan or Pooh, so what more did you want?

Be our guest was awesome. Ok, I guess the food wasn't awesome but it was still good, better than the majority of MK food. But the building interior and exterior are awesome.

I guess I don't understand how you could have been underwhelmed. I assume you had some vague idea of what you were going in to? It's not a new park, not even a new land, it's JUST an expansion. AND it's not even done yet.

I just got back from the World, and I was not one of the lucky ones that got to experience the Expansion. But every time I walked by with my mom I made a joke about how I was going to sneak into the area ie telling my mom to move a garbage can containing me into the area past the CM wristband check. I would have truly loved to just see a new area in one of my favorite parks in the world, maybe second to Epcot. This review seems to put as much negativity to each area of the new expansion, rather than see it as a new, unfinished Magic Kingdom.

 

[MickeyMind]

My experience was almost the exact opposite. I thought Enchanted Tales was great. Everything worked for us and it was a lot of fun. That's one of those attractions where it really depends on the audience to make it enjoyable though. If no one is into playing their part then no, it's not going to be fun. I have not been on the Mermaid ride in DL so I can't compare but I thought it was well done. You said it was better than Peter Pan or Pooh, so what more did you want?

Be our guest was awesome. Ok, I guess the food wasn't awesome but it was still good, better than the majority of MK food. But the building interior and exterior are awesome.

I guess I don't understand how you could have been underwhelmed. I assume you had some vague idea of what you were going in to? It's not a new park, not even a new land, it's JUST an expansion. AND it's not even done yet.

Ive been following the project since it was first announced, I knew exactly what to expect. But I was atleast hoping to be pleasantly surprised. I WAS surprised by the architecture, by the landscaping, by the area itself. I think it is really beautiful, but like I said there really is nothing there of substance.

Enchanted tales with belle seemed like a big build up for nothing, you walk through this meticulously designed cottage(great), you are led through this magic mirror portal (awesome) all to watch a bunch of people parade around with party city cutouts of beauty and the beast characters (?)

Be our guest is beautiful, the ballroom, the windows, its all very well done... but the food, while having a fancier menu than just corn dogs and french fries, just was not up to par. If you are going to have such an amazing dining place, the food should be just as amazing.

I am just looking at it from a non fanboy perspective. Disney is announcing this new area like it is the next best thing in Orlando, but I am afraid that once people experience it for themselves, they are going to wonder what the big fuss is about.

We have yet to see what the mine train will look like, but I just hope that they really do THAT ONE right.

 

[MickeyMind]

I just got back from the World, and I was not one of the lucky ones that got to experience the Expansion. But every time I walked by with my mom I made a joke about how I was going to sneak into the area ie telling my mom to move a garbage can containing me into the area past the CM wristband check. I would have truly loved to just see a new area in one of my favorite parks in the world, maybe second to Epcot. This review seems to put as much negativity to each area of the new expansion rather than see it as a new, unfinished Magic Kingdom.

This is just my opinion on the land, I am not trying to sway anyone one way or another. It is a beautiful addition, its worth checking out, I just really thought they could do alot better.

 

[scpergj]

I have to agree with the OP on this one...except to add that LeFou's Brew was a hit with my kids and I. Wife thought it was too sweet, but the rest of us thought it was just right!

 

[CP_alum08]

I am just looking at it from a non fanboy perspective. Disney is announcing this new area like it is the next best thing in Orlando, but I am afraid that once people experience it for themselves, they are going to wonder what the big fuss is about.

I totally agree with that, they are marketing and advertising this like it's a whole new land and I think people seeing these advertisements and expecting it to be like Harry Potter Land (because lets face it, this is Disney's rebuttal) are going to be disappointed.

I don't consider myself a fanboy, there are plenty of things Disney does that I don't like/care about, but I think for an expansion of a land that desperately needed more, it's pretty good. I think in a couple years once the advertising settles down and the construction walls are removed we will just have a nice, big Fantasyland.

 

[WED Purist]

Got to experience the new fantasyland last friday, while it WAS beautiful, I must say, I was extremely underwhelmed.

I'm curious; what would your reaction have been had you never seen pictures or updates about the expansion? If you heard that they were building, and went to the park one day walked into what you just experienced?

 

[jmb2676]

quote="WED Purist, post: 5213209, member: 81779"]I'm curious; what would your reaction have been had you never seen pictures or updates about the expansion? If you heard that they were building, and went to the park one day walked into what you just experienced?[/quote]
My girlfriend went into the expansion barely knowing anything about it and she was as underwhelmed as I was.

 

[MickeyMind]

I'm curious; what would your reaction have been had you never seen pictures or updates about the expansion? If you heard that they were building, and went to the park one day walked into what you just experienced?

I think I would have been just as underwhelmed. I would have been wowed by the landscaping/architecture like I was, but I dont think NOT seeing any pictures/videos/updates would have made my experience any different. If anything I probably would have been even more disappointed because here is this new land that I never heard about, and I dont know what to expect, I dont know what enchanted tales with belle is or the littler mermaid, and based on the outside area I probably would have expected a couple of REALLY nice rides or something. butto go through all that wait for belle just to see a couple of kids play with some cardboard cutouts, I probably would have been seriously dissapointed.

I know I am probably not the demo they are targeting for this area, and my opinions really dont matter much, the opinions that matter are the little girls who want to meet the princesses. But as a fan of disney parks, It is dissapointing to see so much potential wasted. They really could have done alot better with this area. Like I said, the area itself is beautiful, but there is just nothing of substance there, tlm ride is the only exception, even though, I feel like THAT could have been done better, but atleast its a step up from the cheap fantasyland rides that exist there today.

My girlfriend has never heard about fle, she went into this with not one update/pic/no knowledge that anything was even going on, and she was just as dissapointed as I was.

 

[TP2000]

Interesting comments here, gang.

I think this is what a lot of us are already thinking. If Disney tries to market this like crazy as an "AMAZING NEW LAND!" then they are setting themselves up for failure. It's a cute new Mermaid ride with some pretty shops and restaurants and a snazzy girly meet n' greet. Mermaid is the big deal here as the lone new ride, and even Mermaid isn't exactly a huge hit, especially when in Fantasyland slotted next to Small World and some other very good rides.

If Disney hypes this too much, they are in for some heartache with paying customers. It's pretty to look at, and nicely landscaped. But let's not pretend this is some major NEW! thing to plan a family vacation around.

 

[voodoo321]

I think TLM is a step BELOW other FL attractions. Yes, it is more elaborate, longer and more expensive but it misses the mark entirely by being, "just not fun". It falls flat IMO. Sad really.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I think TLM is a step BELOW other FL attractions. Yes, it is more elaborate, longer and more expensive but it misses the mark entirely by being, "just not fun". It falls flat IMO. Sad really.

Agree.

TLM has a couple of advanced animatronics, but everything else inside the ride is sort of blah, IMHO. Some rides like Pirates also have good animatronics, (pirate auctioneer), but they also have all the details. I think others have complained that on the inside of Mermaid you can see the floor/tracks, ceiling lights, the "bars" holding up the fish mobiles, and it doesn't feel like you are transported to another world.

Some of the final scenes uses duplicate plastic fish from earlier scenes, and some use screens and the cardboard cut-out Ursula at the end is plain silly and cheap.

About $80-100 million was spent on both versions of Mermaid on each coast, can you build a good ride for $40-50 million? I think this just covers the building, the recycled omnimover/clamshell mobiles, and the rockwork, with not much left over for the inside of the building. This is why we get plastic fish glued on walls on the inside and rockwork built around flatscreen t.v.'s. Not very magical at all.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Interesting comments here, gang.

I think this is what a lot of us are already thinking. If Disney tries to market this like crazy as an "AMAZING NEW LAND!" then they are setting themselves up for failure. It's a cute new Mermaid ride with some pretty shops and restaurants and a snazzy girly meet n' greet. Mermaid is the big deal here as the lone new ride, and even Mermaid isn't exactly a huge hit, especially when in Fantasyland slotted next to Small World and some other very good rides.

If Disney hypes this too much, they are in for some heartache with paying customers. It's pretty to look at, and nicely landscaped. But let's not pretend this is some major NEW! thing to plan a family vacation around.

Disney advertises every major new thing they do in the parks. The good stuff, such as Carsland/Indy, along with the bad stuff, i.e. DCA 1.0.

It is very ominous that a lot of folks are suggesting that Disney *not* market FLE. It is not like they can market FLE as, "hey, we made some minor improvements, a great new restaurant, and a clone of a poorly received ride from DCA".

Either they advertise it like it is the best thing since sliced bread, or they don't advertise it. The point of advertising new theme park attractions, such as Potterland, is precisely to get families to book trips. You can't say, "hey, this ain't anything to get excited over, much less plan a trip . . . but . . "

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

If anything I probably would have been even more disappointed because here is this new land that I never heard about, and I dont know what to expect, I dont know what enchanted tales with belle is or the littler mermaid, and based on the outside area I probably would have expected a couple of REALLY nice rides or something. butto go through all that wait for belle just to see a couple of kids play with some cardboard cutouts, I probably would have been seriously dissapointed.

The landscaping is nice, and 7DMT might be a solid ride, but the theming makes it seem like there is an amazing ride somewhere in the land, which currently isn't the case. Sure, little girls love the Disney Princesses, but they, and their teenage big sisters also love rides. It's the one thing everybody in the family wants: to go on rides.

It is sad that Tokyo DL's Fantasyland has an E-Ticket Fantasyland attraction in Pooh's Honey Hunt, with the LPS vehicles and the queue. Disneyland has alot of great exclusive rides, but MK's Fantasyland still doesn't have an E-Ticket to make it equal to the Fantasylands in other parks.

Will 7DMT do it?

I think 7DMT should have been on the periphery of the berm, to allow for a large showbuilding. As is, the ride looks great what is there, but its like having 1/4 of a great sandwich for lunch, you want more and feel unsatisfied, even though what is there is good. A couple of Dwarfs Mine scenes and a Snow White in her cottage scene, plus the swing mine cars . . . kind of feel let down and figure that they had to put something where the meet and greets would have gone, so they are trying to get away with 1/2 of a ride.

 

[Atomicmickey]

Thanks for this review. Haven't been there, but it sounds about right.

I think the whole thing is missing innovation. There's no attraction that is going
to get buzz as a "must ride". Nothing that you haven't seen before, except some
new scenery. And I've ridden Mermaid in DCA and I agree, it is not "transportive",
it shows itself as a plastic ride--despite the new gorgeous queue.

I think the best they're going to get is "have you seen the New Fantasyland? It's a must-walk-through."
What's going to keep people coming back, though?

 

[tomman710]

Interesting comments here, gang.

I think this is what a lot of us are already thinking. If Disney tries to market this like crazy as an "AMAZING NEW LAND!" then they are setting themselves up for failure. It's a cute new Mermaid ride with some pretty shops and restaurants and a snazzy girly meet n' greet. Mermaid is the big deal here as the lone new ride, and even Mermaid isn't exactly a huge hit, especially when in Fantasyland slotted next to Small World and some other very good rides.

If Disney hypes this too much, they are in for some heartache with paying customers. It's pretty to look at, and nicely landscaped. But let's not pretend this is some major NEW! thing to plan a family vacation around.

Don't worry. They won't try and oversell this or hype it up. Yup, no worries about that.

Sincerely,
Fantasmic Bench Additions

 

[tomman710]

My two cents on FLE ... similar to everyone else, the area is beautiful, themeing is great but the actual "meat" of the expansion is totally underwhelming.

I couldn't help but think as I was walking through there that this cost 450 million-ish and RSR cost like 360 million? I'd trade this whole land for one solid E-ticket, it doesn't have to be a thrill ride per se, just a lavish e-ticket.

 

[ParentsOf4]

We made it to the New Fantasyland (NFL) on November 19. Its apparent target audience (young girls) should adore it. My family had a more subdued response. We liked it but were not impressed. There still are many areas and attractions within MK that are superior.

The overall theming and detailing was well executed but no better than (for example) Mickey’s and Minnie’s Houses, which were torn down to make room for this.

The additional Lumiere and Wardrobe animatronics were nice but, as actual entertainment, Enchanted Tales with Belle was slightly worse than the old Story Time With Belle. At least it’s out of the sun and air conditioned.

Ariel's Grotto was a well themed meet-and-greet but my DDs thought the old Ariel's Grotto meet-and-greet was good. The new one is an improvement, mostly better theming.

Journey with the Little Mermaid really is no more than a C Ticket attraction; very young girls should love it. Snow White’s Scary Adventures frightened many small children and Journey with the Little Mermaid is a definite improvement over that. Perhaps they went too far. Ursula was practically nonexistent. You better know the plot of the Little Mermaid before riding the attraction because otherwise the attraction makes no sense. I don’t know why but I kept thinking of E.T. at Universal while riding Journey with the Little Mermaid. Maybe it’s because the animatronics on both feel dated.

Be Our Guest was nicely themed. We went there for lunch. My family had a positive opinion of it although we strongly disliked the lunch-time kiosk ordering system. I had the steak sandwich and, like several have commented, was surprised at how dry it was. Still, I thought it was perfectly acceptable WDW fare. The rest of the family found their meals acceptable as well but it’s unlikely we will be making plans to revisit any time soon.

We did not eat at Gaston’s Tavern so I can’t comment on that. We did pop in for a moment and were surprised at how little seating there was.

The Bonjour! Village Gifts store was perhaps the biggest disappointment. Being rather cynical of TWDC’s intentions as of late, I was expecting a major retail shop. Instead, the store was relatively small with only a modest selection of merchandise. We spent less than 5 minutes inside.

I’m sure the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be the star of the new area once it opens.

Overall, we thought NFL was a solid addition to MK but nothing to get excited about. I can’t believe TWDC spent an estimated $425 million on this and Storybook Circus. I wonder what Universal could have done with that amount. At the annual earnings conference call, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that the NFL was “going to be pretty spectacular”. I hope he said this only to please shareholders. If he actually believes this, WDW is lost.