Thoughts on New Fantasyland

[Big C 73]

What are your thoughts on New Fantasyland?

Does the expansion meet your expectations?
Are the attractions top notch Disney quality?
How is the theming and environment?

What are your thoughts on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride opening in 2014?



I personally think that the Fantasyland Expansion was very well done. The theming is out of this world when it comes to an immersive environment. All of the small details and realistic places make you feel like you have left reality, yet it seems so REAL. The Be Our Guest resturuant turned out great with many food choices along with astonishing fixtures and details. I believe the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will turn out well looking at pictures and construction videos, the only thing I worry about is the length of the attraction.

There are some things about the expansion that I do not like. The Little Mermaid, an amazing queue, not an amazing attraction. This is a direct copy of the DCA attraction that has nothing new or has any real depth. The attraction tries to pack a whole movie into an attraction about 4 minutes long. ( I know this is off topic, but what happened to Disney's 15 minute attractions, they immerse you more when they are longer)

The next problem IS the lack of attractions there is 2 new rides, one a C- Ticket, the other a D or E. In the Storybook Circus area there is nothing but 2 recycled attractions and a meet and greet. (water play area also)
Overall though I do not want you to think I have complained to much, I don't like to, I respect Disney and I think they are starting to get back into the game. But, there is still some things lacking from this expansion. Overall, still it was well done.

Please share your thoughts on New Fantasyland!

 

[disneyfan1995]

Personally, I thought it was over-hyped but I didn't get to experience the entire product. I missed out on Enchanted Tales with Belle (super long and annoying wait) and the Barnstormer. I would love to go back once the Seven Dwafs Mine Train is open and experience that and the other two attractions that I missed.

From what I did do though, I thought every thing was kind of crammed together. The pathway from Fantasyland into the Storybook Circus area was closed off, which was such a big mistake. It really disrupted traffic flow and made for an uncomfortable experience trying to maneuver throughout the area. I liked Ariel's Undersea Adventure, as I thought it was very well done. I don't think it's worth waits upwards of 40-50 minutes, but I think it was a nice addition to Fantasyland. I thought BOG was really neatly themed, but I did not really care for the food that I had while having dinner there. I ordered the strip steak which wasn't what I expected and they would not give us the grey stuff, which really made me upset. I thought the actual structure/inside though was great. I'd like to experience lunch there since I heard they have good selections.

As for Storybook Circus, I thought it was nicely themed as well. I liked the idea of the two Dumbos as it definitely helped to breakup the huge waits. It was nice to ride Dumbo once more since it had been about 10 years since I had ridden it prior to this past trip. I also liked the character meet and greet area. I went around 9PM and no one was in there so I didn't have to wait for any of the characters and I had some nice interactions with them. My only compliant would be that the lighting, specifically with Donald, is horrible. They really need to fix that since pictures aren't the best when taken inside there.

 

[lazyboy97o]

A lot of hype for very little substance.

 

[englanddg]

My kid doesn't know she's going, but she's excited about Be Our Guest. She doesn't know that it's a restaurant though. She thinks it's a ride based on the commercials.

 

[Jessica Meier]

We have yet to visit but I am pretty impressed by the pictures and video I have seen. I am excited to experience Enchanted Tales with Belle, Little Mermaid, and in the very least walk through BOG if we can't get lunch. The theming of the whole area is what Disney does best. I am sure we will enjoy the Pete's Silly Sideshow area as a nice break and a place for our daughter to just let loose and play. I hope The Princess Fairytale Hall will be open by September but not holding my breath.

 

[Marco226]

I like New Fantasyland. The outside environment is designed well, and it feels like we're leaving the safety of the castle walls to explore some new land. I'm sure it'll look even better with all of the trees and landscaping once the Seven Dwarves Mine Train is finished!

I think that the reason why people say it was an over-hyped thing was because it slowly opened in phases, so it wasn't as grand and surprising as it might have been if it all opened up at the same time. Also, the attractions are fine... Very kid friendly. So people were kinda "meh" about it. It was fun listening to all of the music in the LIttle Mermaid though. I just wish it was a bit longer and had more scenes.

I'll be going into the Be Our Guest restaurant for the first time during my next trip in a couple of weeks. I can't wait! Belle's village was nice to walk through. It got crowded in the shops and restaurants, and they probably should have been designed a bit larger to help with traffic flow.

Enchanted Tales with Belle was probably the best character meeting experience for me and my family. The animatronics and special effects were great, and the way that guests interacted with Belle was simple and fun. After seeing Belle, I kinda wish that they kept the plans for the Aurora and Cinderella areas, but I guess the princess fantasy faire thing is good enough. My little ones are gonna love it!

One more thing: I think that everyone who complained that these princess meet and greets were going to be ''too girly'' were totally wrong. There were plenty of boys and dads participating in the activities, and every single one of them seemed to be having a good time. I guess Disney knew what they were doing after all with this new kind of meet and greet idea.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It covers a lot - a big E-ticket ride (Little Mermaid)...

Mermaid is definitely not an E-ticket. Was that a typo and you meant to put D-ticket (serious question, since the letters "e" and "d" are close together)?

 

[Sped2424]

Mermaid is definitely not an E-ticket. Was that a typo and you meant to put D-ticket (serious question, since the letters "e" and "d" are close together)?

I think they might have been sarcastic..Im not sure though.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I think they might have been sarcastic..Im not sure though.

Lol okay, I was thinking that as well but the rest of the post doesn't sound sarcastic at all. I'm confused.

 

[englanddg]

Meh, using letter tickets to define rides is a bit silly. I know it's common, but really, it isn't all that descriptive of the quality of the ride at all.

I know I won't change Disney nomenclature with this post, but to "classify" a ride by the ticket class that is over 30 years old is a bit silly.

That being said...what is LM worth? Well, it's an omnimover (to replace Snow White), and is nearly (outside of the queue) an exact duplicate of the underwhelming ride at Disney where you sortof feel like you are riding through a ride that is full of these:

Will I enjoy it? Probably not all that much. Little nostalgia (even though I grew up with memories of LM)...and little amazing show aspects.

I didn't enjoy the DLC version. Will my kid? Probably. To me, it's not an E-Ticket, to her, it is!

 

[englanddg]

I'll add, remember, at one time the Tiki Room was an E-Ticket, as were the Country Bears.

 

[BiffyClyro]

I haven't been yet, but i'm expecting it to just be something pretty to look at rather than more stuff to do...I am looking forward to the new Mermaid ride though!

Is it very scenic???

 

[englanddg]

I haven't been yet, but i'm expecting it to just be something pretty to look at rather than more stuff to do...I am looking forward to the new Mermaid ride though!

Is it very scenic???

It's ok. It's a clone of the DLC version. Some decent animetronics, but very plastic ones. Worth a ride, but I was disappointed.

 

[real mad hatter]

I haven't been yet to the full thing.What I saw last year looked ok to me,and what Ive seen on video looks good.Anything new at WDW is good for me..

 

[DisneyJunkie]

I've seen enough in the way of photos and videos to say that while I'm impressed with how nice it all looks, I agree with those who say it was a lot of hype with little substance. I'm actually quite surprised how much went into the Little Mermaid ride when it's really very weak and basically you're run-of-the-mill dark ride (albeit with better animatronics) that isn't much to get excited over. I don't care for the Belle's Village concept either as there's nothing to it that screams "must see" and Gaston's Tavern looks like a waste of space (given its limited offerings, it could have simply been something no bigger than the spot you get Dole Whips. The Dwarves Mine Train definitely is needed and looks like it will be a great addition, but I think they dropped the ball overall on a great opportunity for Fantasyland.

 

[Bocabear]

Mermaid Ride exterior and Queue are really quite well done. Problem with the ride is the very short length, and the ridiculous closeness of the sets to the cars. They have the space to build what they needed, but compressed the ride so tightly the settings just do not work so well....and as a whole it is a C ticket ride. Nice, but not worth a long wait. Last weekend the standby line was at 75 minutes. Enchanted Tales with Belle is well done, but not repeatable. One time is enough, and Dumbo is Dumbo...So really the new Fantasyland is resting on the 7 Dwarves Mine Ride...I am sure it will be cute, but I am also sure it will not live up to the hype that has surrounded this entire project...talk about over-sell and under-deliver....

 

[Uncle Remus]

My kids dig it. We go a couple times a month and it blew their little minds. My little daughter loves story time with Belle. They seriously act like Magic Kingdom is a whole new park. If that's what Disney was going for they succeeded with my family at least

 

[TRONorail10]

I haven't been yet but it looks really great! It covers a lot - a big E-ticket ride (Little Mermaid), a very well-themed restaurant (Be Our Guest), a more chill food/drink spot (Gaston's Tavern), a kid ride (Seven Dwarves Mine Train), an upgrade/expansion of a busy ride (Dumbo), a beautiful restroom area... What else could we ask for really?

I've heard that Be Our Guest food isn't the best but the atmosphere looks AMAZING and it's cool that you can choose which area you'd like to eat in (for dinner). I feel like the food doesn't have to be the best if the decor is so cool.

Actually, based on those guest surveys people fill out in the parks, Be Our Guest is rated the #1 quick service location in all Disney Parks and Resorts. Dinner is also pretty high on the table service list. People are always entitled to their own opinion, but it's also nice when I get to see some of the actual ranking scores from time to time. The rankings are typically based off of the percentage of time a restaurant receives excellent reviews in terms of food quality and service.

 

[TRONorail10]

We have yet to visit but I am pretty impressed by the pictures and video I have seen. I am excited to experience Enchanted Tales with Belle, Little Mermaid, and in the very least walk through BOG if we can't get lunch. The theming of the whole area is what Disney does best. I am sure we will enjoy the Pete's Silly Sideshow area as a nice break and a place for our daughter to just let loose and play. I hope The Princess Fairytale Hall will be open by September but not holding my breath.

Unfortunately, due to its overwhelming popularity, guests can no longer just tour BOG. All guests must be dining in the restaurant to go inside. Hence the reason why it is the only quick service location with a daily queue line. If you go early enough in the day, usually between 9-10am, they will allow guests into the lobby area only. You can get some great pics of the ballroom and armory, but you won't be able to walk around the whole restaurant. Lunch is totally worth the wait though and I highly recommended it to you and anyone you are with!

A lot of people don't understand that even though BOG is an amazing visual attraction, it is still a restaurant that guests are trying dine at. Despite its large size, there are still capacity restrictions. What makes capacity even more critical in the restaurant is that all of the food is delivered on wooden trolley carts that the cast members need to push through the dining rooms. As well as the bussers who need to maneuver their carts also. If the aisles are clogged with people just wandering around taking pictures, nobody will be able to get their food and tables will not be cleaned. Also, imagine if you actually paid like $75 for your entire family to dine and there were no tables available because guests decided they wanted to come in and relax without paying for any food.

 

[Jessica Meier]

Unfortunately, due to its overwhelming popularity, guests can no longer just tour BOG. All guests must be dining in the restaurant to go inside. Hence the reason why it is the only quick service location with a daily queue line. If you go early enough in the day, usually between 9-10am, they will allow guests into the lobby area only. You can get some great pics of the ballroom and armory, but you won't be able to walk around the whole restaurant. Lunch is totally worth the wait though and I highly recommended it to you and anyone you are with!

A lot of people don't understand that even though BOG is an amazing visual attraction, it is still a restaurant that guests are trying dine at. Despite its large size, there are still capacity restrictions. What makes capacity even more critical in the restaurant is that all of the food is delivered on wooden trolley carts that the cast members need to push through the dining rooms. As well as the bussers who need to maneuver their carts also. If the aisles are clogged with people just wandering around taking pictures, nobody will be able to get their food and tables will not be cleaned. Also, imagine if you actually paid like $75 for your entire family to dine and there were no tables available because guests decided they wanted to come in and relax without paying for any food.

It was my understanding that they had a short window of time between lunch and dinner that you could walk around and see the restaurant. I would never (and hope no one else would but know that is nieve) linger and make those actually eating feel uncomfortable.