Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
It has been open every day for at least the last week or two, so I can't see why not... It is even open during the Christmas party special ticket event at night.. I think, if you go on a weekend, you'll be fine...
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YOUR Fantasyland Expansion Review
- Thread starter Ignohippo
- Start date
We did it all on November 12th. Had story time with Belle, which was great. Did Ariel's adventure, which we thought was great, especially my daughter. Met Ariel, which is always great. And ate at Be My Guest, which was dark but great. Yeah, I actually had to pull out my phone to read the menu.
A couple days later we went back and had pork shanks and that fancy drink at Gaston's tavern, which were also great, nearly as good as a turkey leg and dole whip. Overall, happy. The detail and theming are quite incomparable.
By the way, we saw Marty Sklar in the Land Pavilion at Epcot on November 13th. He even agreed to take a picture with us. Perfect gentleman, and quite a surprise.
A couple days later we went back and had pork shanks and that fancy drink at Gaston's tavern, which were also great, nearly as good as a turkey leg and dole whip. Overall, happy. The detail and theming are quite incomparable.
By the way, we saw Marty Sklar in the Land Pavilion at Epcot on November 13th. He even agreed to take a picture with us. Perfect gentleman, and quite a surprise.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Great to hear you had a great time!
luv
Well-Known Member
Yeah, you should be. It's on both the regular MK map and the MVMCP map, just like everything else. It is even the cover of the regular map, with the Beast, his castle and the words "New Fantasyland." They wouldn't make it the focus of the map if they were going to have it closed, I don't think.
Unless something is up, the place is open. It isn't even listed separately on the current Times Guides, except to note the FPs...though they're still calling GG "The Barnstormer."
IAmFloridaBorn
Well-Known Member
Going today! I'll have a review!
CommyHolly
Member
I've only walked through it so far (Plan on going and eating at BOG tomorrow and seeing some more things while there),,,,,,
but it feels more crunched in than it looked in the large pictures they had up,,,,,,maybe it will help when they finally get the coaster up and running,,,,,,,,,there's still walls around it,,,,,,,
I did like it though,,,,,,,,especially the Beauty and the Beast area,,,,,,,I think they did a fabulous job, but then I always think they do a fabulous job with esthetic stuff,,,,,,
Be Our Guest looks amazing,,,,,,
but it feels more crunched in than it looked in the large pictures they had up,,,,,,maybe it will help when they finally get the coaster up and running,,,,,,,,,there's still walls around it,,,,,,,
I did like it though,,,,,,,,especially the Beauty and the Beast area,,,,,,,I think they did a fabulous job, but then I always think they do a fabulous job with esthetic stuff,,,,,,
Be Our Guest looks amazing,,,,,,
CommyHolly
Member
Tom
Beta Return
Not going to type full review yet because I'm on a tablet on our flight home, but full honest review coming Sunday.
my opinion differs from the OP in many ways. I have a few cons but mostly positive. Granted, I'm basing my opinions SOLELY around what was delivered, and not comparing to the million "it coulda been" scenarios. We got what we got, and that's what I analyzed. The horse has been beaten to death regarding ride quantities and scales. I'm done with that.
Stay tuned for an open minded, untainted write-up from the eyes of a Disney fan, construction guru, unofficial food critic, and perfectionist
my opinion differs from the OP in many ways. I have a few cons but mostly positive. Granted, I'm basing my opinions SOLELY around what was delivered, and not comparing to the million "it coulda been" scenarios. We got what we got, and that's what I analyzed. The horse has been beaten to death regarding ride quantities and scales. I'm done with that.
Stay tuned for an open minded, untainted write-up from the eyes of a Disney fan, construction guru, unofficial food critic, and perfectionist
Not going to type full review yet because I'm on a tablet on our flight home, but full honest review coming Sunday.
my opinion differs from the OP in many ways. I have a few cons but mostly positive. Granted, I'm basing my opinions SOLELY around what was delivered, and not comparing to the million "it coulda been" scenarios. We got what we got, and that's what I analyzed. The horse has been beaten to death regarding ride quantities and scales. I'm done with that.
Stay tuned for an open minded, untainted write-up from the eyes of a Disney fan, construction guru, unofficial food critic, and perfectionist
I look forward to review. I don't think it's unfair to review it against other expansions of similar budget however.
Tom
Beta Return
All I meant was that my review won't be in a format like, "This sucks because it's not 2 E-ticket rides and 4 restaurants." I will be offering my objective opinion on the final product that Disney delivered.
We all know that there were several versions Blue Sky'd, and millions more created in our fanboi heads, but "it is what it is" now.
That's all I was try to say....and I wasn't implying that anyone had done otherwise, since I didn't read the entire thread on the plane either.
However, I'm going to begin typing my review now, since I'm good and tired, but not tired enough to fall asleep (even after 8 days in the World). Maybe the Ambien will help my wordsmith abilities.
IAmFloridaBorn
Well-Known Member
My Honest Review of Fantasyland expansion!
So I'm 22 years of age with no children. That being said, this is an unbiased review of my thoughts on Fantasyland Expansion
My girlfriend and I went to Magic Kingdom, Dec 1, 2012 for our monthly WDWR visit as Annual Passholders.
First thing noted, Magic Kingdom was especially crowded due to the Christmas movie they were filming right down Main Street. Pedestrian traffic was organized as you could not cross Main Street or walk on it as usual. First thing I noticed was how many people were chatting about the expansions amongst themselves as we walked the direction of Cinderellas Castle. We stoped for our normal trip to Main Street bakery (Still ed about it's transformation to Starsucks) and waited for a while to see if the pedestrian traffic would move a bit faster. Wasn't happening. So we made our way through the detours finally stepping into Fantasyland.
I took note of everything I saw. The first of all to be noticed was the unfinished Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I didn't realize how massive this project was in scale until I saw it in person. You'd think Disney would want to hide or cover it up a bit as it is an eyesore dead smack in the middle of the expansion. We noticed the new Castle walls which gave a sense of leaving Fantasyland and entering a NEW Fantasyland, if you get what I mean. We saw the "Be Our Guest" eating location with lines as long as the "Belle's Tales" attraction. We skipped anything with beauty and the beast. So I can't honestly say anything negative about the place except Disney did a terrible job on the forces prospective of Beasts' Castle. It' is small. It's small far or near. HOWEVER the theming of the area was put to extreme detail and can not be missed.
After that we headed straight for the "Little Mermaid Ride". First Impressions - WOW! You feel as though you are on an island or just on the shore of somewhere where marine life is. The walk up to Prince Eric's Castle is more breathtaking than walking up to Beast's Castle. The queue on the outside is rather boring as for as interactions but for the most part, the waterfalls, rock work, and palm trees give you something to look at. Once you start heading inside things get interesting. From messages on the walls to very interactive what appears to be some Magical Wall Screens that react as you make gestures, everyone seem to be entertained. The Under Sea treasures built into the walls and put on display also made it feel once again as if you were along the shores of an ocean or bay. Now these on wall screens or so seemed to really be aimed at children. Adults and older teens didn't seem all that interested but was enough to crack a smile. That's one portion of the queue. It transitions into another portion with a bird-like animatronic and a larger on wall screen which showed the same crab like creatures all on one screen doing various performances for the audience. Really interesting for a queue line I must say.. After that you step into the loading station and board your clam.
There is nothing special about the loading station. It's another Disney Omni-Mover and the clam is nothing special. Just Pink. However, the ride itself was enjoyable. Not something I'd wait 40 minutes for again but definitely something for small children to enjoy as many times as their bundle of happiness will let them.
The ride starts off with all the clams surrounding the bird animatronic who was showed in the queue. At this point I was convinced he was the narrator. Then the Clam turns backwards and leans backwards forcing one to look up! I did so, and while doing so projections of waves,bubbles and of course the sound of bubbles and the darkening of transitioning to the next portion of the ride made it as if you were really going underwater. They has a LCD screen on the ceiling in which you saw Ariel and a yellow and sea-blue like Fish dancing and making hoopla. I have to admit again this was pretty cool being I was unexpected for this to happen. The clam goes back to normal and facing forward and you continue with the ride.
We came into a festive, well spirited part of the ride with sea creatures dancing, singing, moving all around you. Elaborate colors, lighting and sound, made it feel as though you were right on time for the party! NO matter what mood you were in that part of the ride was eye catching. I could not get details on everything I saw because there were so many things to try and see at once it's impossible to do so unless you solely focus on that while on the ride. The ride then transitions through a dark point where a rather well-fed sea octopus ladylike individual seemed to be up to no good. ( have never seen the little mermaid movie. I apologize for not knowing characters). Again the colors, sounds, and lighting really wowed me, as we continued on with the clam ride. The clams would turn to the focal point of the animatronic or specific scene to give all riders a first view prospective of that part of the ride which really made everything around you "Blend In" if you may say. After that the ride continues and transitions ending eventually with Ariel and Prince Eric being together.
Overall I enjoyed the ride and definitely give it a positive thought. Very Disney like, creating the magic and overall experience of riding the story. For children this is a major attraction draw and Disney did well with targeting it's crowd. I also forgot to mention that it is a well suited family ride, something everyone from old to young big and small can enjoy together.
We strolled on over past The Fryers Nook (Which was closed) and headed for the Storybrook Circus area.
Quick and short, The Dumbo Flyer's were the most interesting thing there, after that depending on the group you are with, may want to skip this area. Circus area isn't really worth it. The Great Goofini ride was horrible. I understand it is not for grown adults but, it's not a family coaster IMO. Woody Woodpeckers Nuthouse Coaster at Universal Studio Florida or The Flying Unicorn (Yes I still refer to it as that)at Islands of Adventure are FAR more smoother, better themed, and IMO a bit more enjoyable for an adult to ride with a child. The Goofini coaster had HARD seats that hurt your back and made turns sharp and quickly. The ride was not smooth otherwise this would have been fun.
The new Casey Jr. Splash Station is a win for Disney. It was rather cool at 77 degrees so it wasn't an ideal day for most people but for the brave souls that take on cooler weather, they enjoyed the Splash Station. It suits that area well for children and a water alternative to a splash ride.
We then Exited the new fantasyland. I'll also say this. Winnie the Pooh, 'te ride is very interesting. After riding Snow White Scary Adventures when it was open, I had very low hopes that were far exceeded. Winni the Pooh is a ride I'll get on again because I actually enjoyed it for a dark ride. Not to mention has one of the best queues around! I really was happy that it was open and it was extremely crowded. Same for Peter Pan, I enjoyed both and they are wonderful rides.
Overall I was really okay with the expansion. I got the chance to see for myself and experience it first hand and have decided Disney did a great thing targeting it's audience. It's not spectacular, but it's far beyond terrible as many people are making it to be saying they need to add more and what not. I think Disney added what will be crowd drawers for people with small children which is exactly what they wanted. Like I stated it's an excellent overall experience. I was only unhappy with the Beats Castle forced prospective and the lack of effort put into the Circus area. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be a magnificent addition to the area and will be no doubt the center piece of the expansion.
I hope every ones enjoys the new Fantasyland. It's not worth a second trip for me but for many it will be.
So I'm 22 years of age with no children. That being said, this is an unbiased review of my thoughts on Fantasyland Expansion
My girlfriend and I went to Magic Kingdom, Dec 1, 2012 for our monthly WDWR visit as Annual Passholders.
First thing noted, Magic Kingdom was especially crowded due to the Christmas movie they were filming right down Main Street. Pedestrian traffic was organized as you could not cross Main Street or walk on it as usual. First thing I noticed was how many people were chatting about the expansions amongst themselves as we walked the direction of Cinderellas Castle. We stoped for our normal trip to Main Street bakery (Still ed about it's transformation to Starsucks) and waited for a while to see if the pedestrian traffic would move a bit faster. Wasn't happening. So we made our way through the detours finally stepping into Fantasyland.
I took note of everything I saw. The first of all to be noticed was the unfinished Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I didn't realize how massive this project was in scale until I saw it in person. You'd think Disney would want to hide or cover it up a bit as it is an eyesore dead smack in the middle of the expansion. We noticed the new Castle walls which gave a sense of leaving Fantasyland and entering a NEW Fantasyland, if you get what I mean. We saw the "Be Our Guest" eating location with lines as long as the "Belle's Tales" attraction. We skipped anything with beauty and the beast. So I can't honestly say anything negative about the place except Disney did a terrible job on the forces prospective of Beasts' Castle. It' is small. It's small far or near. HOWEVER the theming of the area was put to extreme detail and can not be missed.
After that we headed straight for the "Little Mermaid Ride". First Impressions - WOW! You feel as though you are on an island or just on the shore of somewhere where marine life is. The walk up to Prince Eric's Castle is more breathtaking than walking up to Beast's Castle. The queue on the outside is rather boring as for as interactions but for the most part, the waterfalls, rock work, and palm trees give you something to look at. Once you start heading inside things get interesting. From messages on the walls to very interactive what appears to be some Magical Wall Screens that react as you make gestures, everyone seem to be entertained. The Under Sea treasures built into the walls and put on display also made it feel once again as if you were along the shores of an ocean or bay. Now these on wall screens or so seemed to really be aimed at children. Adults and older teens didn't seem all that interested but was enough to crack a smile. That's one portion of the queue. It transitions into another portion with a bird-like animatronic and a larger on wall screen which showed the same crab like creatures all on one screen doing various performances for the audience. Really interesting for a queue line I must say.. After that you step into the loading station and board your clam.
There is nothing special about the loading station. It's another Disney Omni-Mover and the clam is nothing special. Just Pink. However, the ride itself was enjoyable. Not something I'd wait 40 minutes for again but definitely something for small children to enjoy as many times as their bundle of happiness will let them.
The ride starts off with all the clams surrounding the bird animatronic who was showed in the queue. At this point I was convinced he was the narrator. Then the Clam turns backwards and leans backwards forcing one to look up! I did so, and while doing so projections of waves,bubbles and of course the sound of bubbles and the darkening of transitioning to the next portion of the ride made it as if you were really going underwater. They has a LCD screen on the ceiling in which you saw Ariel and a yellow and sea-blue like Fish dancing and making hoopla. I have to admit again this was pretty cool being I was unexpected for this to happen. The clam goes back to normal and facing forward and you continue with the ride.
We came into a festive, well spirited part of the ride with sea creatures dancing, singing, moving all around you. Elaborate colors, lighting and sound, made it feel as though you were right on time for the party! NO matter what mood you were in that part of the ride was eye catching. I could not get details on everything I saw because there were so many things to try and see at once it's impossible to do so unless you solely focus on that while on the ride. The ride then transitions through a dark point where a rather well-fed sea octopus ladylike individual seemed to be up to no good. ( have never seen the little mermaid movie. I apologize for not knowing characters). Again the colors, sounds, and lighting really wowed me, as we continued on with the clam ride. The clams would turn to the focal point of the animatronic or specific scene to give all riders a first view prospective of that part of the ride which really made everything around you "Blend In" if you may say. After that the ride continues and transitions ending eventually with Ariel and Prince Eric being together.
Overall I enjoyed the ride and definitely give it a positive thought. Very Disney like, creating the magic and overall experience of riding the story. For children this is a major attraction draw and Disney did well with targeting it's crowd. I also forgot to mention that it is a well suited family ride, something everyone from old to young big and small can enjoy together.
We strolled on over past The Fryers Nook (Which was closed) and headed for the Storybrook Circus area.
Quick and short, The Dumbo Flyer's were the most interesting thing there, after that depending on the group you are with, may want to skip this area. Circus area isn't really worth it. The Great Goofini ride was horrible. I understand it is not for grown adults but, it's not a family coaster IMO. Woody Woodpeckers Nuthouse Coaster at Universal Studio Florida or The Flying Unicorn (Yes I still refer to it as that)at Islands of Adventure are FAR more smoother, better themed, and IMO a bit more enjoyable for an adult to ride with a child. The Goofini coaster had HARD seats that hurt your back and made turns sharp and quickly. The ride was not smooth otherwise this would have been fun.
The new Casey Jr. Splash Station is a win for Disney. It was rather cool at 77 degrees so it wasn't an ideal day for most people but for the brave souls that take on cooler weather, they enjoyed the Splash Station. It suits that area well for children and a water alternative to a splash ride.
We then Exited the new fantasyland. I'll also say this. Winnie the Pooh, 'te ride is very interesting. After riding Snow White Scary Adventures when it was open, I had very low hopes that were far exceeded. Winni the Pooh is a ride I'll get on again because I actually enjoyed it for a dark ride. Not to mention has one of the best queues around! I really was happy that it was open and it was extremely crowded. Same for Peter Pan, I enjoyed both and they are wonderful rides.
Overall I was really okay with the expansion. I got the chance to see for myself and experience it first hand and have decided Disney did a great thing targeting it's audience. It's not spectacular, but it's far beyond terrible as many people are making it to be saying they need to add more and what not. I think Disney added what will be crowd drawers for people with small children which is exactly what they wanted. Like I stated it's an excellent overall experience. I was only unhappy with the Beats Castle forced prospective and the lack of effort put into the Circus area. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be a magnificent addition to the area and will be no doubt the center piece of the expansion.
I hope every ones enjoys the new Fantasyland. It's not worth a second trip for me but for many it will be.
Tom
Beta Return
A Review of New Fantasyland
by Tom Edwards (edwardtc)
I will summarize my thoughts into a brief paragraph for those of you who don't like long posts. But then I'll elaborate.
In a nutshell, I think Disney did a fantastic job on the exterior of both BatB and LM. Circus is obviously 1000x better than what it was, and while the tackiness of it is not for me, there is a generation/demographic that loves it. Inside of BatB, I give them an A+++. No, they did not precisely re-create the animated rooms from the movie (which is tough since they have no dimensions, proportions or continuity when animated), but the main ballroom and the Beast's Lair were both stunning! Food...I'll take dinner over lunch. Mermaid ride, I classify it as a C+/D- (on the Disney ride scale, not letter grade). It's still no pirates or HM, but it's also a step up from Snow White, Pooh and the other dark rides. And to top it off, it's even more beautiful at night.
More detail....
We rode LM about 6 times (with no waits, since we went during Xmas Party and at closing a few times). I just wanted to walk the queue over and over. I liken it to Pirates or Tower of Terror when it comes to the immersive nature of the theme in the queue. Plus, the cute little crabs that don't interfere with the queue or cause unnecessary interaction, are a nice touch. Scuttle is a fun diversion. And boy can that queue hold a lot of people when it needs to. Fortunately, we never ended up in any switchbacks.
I simply love the water features at both pavilions. We got some pretty awesome night shots of the Beast's waterfall. I will admit that the Beast's castle does look silly up on that hill, but the rest is amazing. The bridge, the pavement, the lights, and the pine forest they created....all amazing. And you can't beat the kinetics of water.
Pavement throughout New FL was clever, but I never did have an allergic reaction to the peanut imprints back in Circus Land, hmmmm.
As for the LM ride....meh. I would give it a higher score, but they needed to work a bit harder at masking off what you're not supposed to see. At least in the Mansion, the buggies are shaped to cut off your peripheral vision, and it also aims you better. In LM, the clams don't shield your vision from enough of the superstructure of the building, the theater lights, and (worst of all) all of the fiberglass acoustic panels nailed to the walls to dampen the sound. Even some black drapery or better aiming/masking of the show light fixtures would prevent the guests from seeing so much non-show stuff. I was disappointed because I was distracted by the building itself, enough to pull my eyes away from the show. Granted, I am always craning my neck to see how stuff works at Disney, since I build buildings for a living, but I didn't have to strain hard to see what I saw.
The ride itself is a few steps above Snow White and Pooh, in that the AA's are much better (well, they exist), the music is great, and it tells the complete story in a very succinct manner. Plus, everything has three dimensions to it, instead of the 2D plywood cut-outs in the older dark rides.
I'm not going to comment any further on Storybook Circus, since we spent nearly no time there. The text in my opening paragraph is enough. It looks nice....for the demographic it caters to.
Lastly, food. We made dinner reservations at the 180 day mark....and so did everyone else. The hostesses were telling walk-ups that they were booked until April. Guests would laugh, and the CMs would say, "No, really. You have to book this 6 months in advance."
There were 4 adults, a 3-yr old and a 3-mo old at our dinner table. All of the adults loved their meals - and we all had something different. The French Onion soup is some of the best I've had.....and I know my French Onion soup! Service was fantastic, and we were treated with a table in the Beast's Lair, where it was dark and we'd hear him roar occasionally. The dropping rose petals were a nice touch, but it was entertaining to see people take pictures of it, then stare at their LCD screen wondering why nothing showed up.
As I mentioned earlier, we all thought the inside of BoG looked fantastic. We never expected them to re-create something that only existed on celluloid. They tried hard, and they did well, in our opinions. From a construction stand-point, they did NOT skimp on cost of materials used (this is NOT where you get to interject arguments about cost cutting). The entire floor is terrazzo, which is just about the most expensive flooring system you can install, and it will last forever. Everything else seems quite durable as well. I could go on and on....and pictures do NOT do it justice....so just book dinner there in 6 months and see if for yourself.
Lunch....meh. We queued up at about 10:40 and they started shuffling us into the building by 10:50. We got to see the menus and at 11:00 they began dispatching us to ordering stations. We got our rose pucks, filled our drinks, got utensils/napkins/condiments, and chose a table in any of the three rooms. We chose the main ballroom since we dined in the Lair the night before and the third room (which is only open for lunch) is pretty boring (but quiet, for those of you with youngins). Within minutes they had wheeled our order to our table and we were eating.
As for the lunch food, neither of us enjoyed our meals too much. I added the French Onion soup again, and it was the best part of lunch. My Croque Monsiour (grilled ham and cheese) was so-so. I'm not a fan of grainy breads, so that didn't do much for me. My wife enjoyed her bite of it. But her turkey sandwich was extremely bland. She got a couple desserts and they were not good at all. Both were lemon - one a cupcake, one the puffed pastry. She said they tasted like they were made with dirty dish water - so maybe just a bad batch.
On the night we hung around and were literally the last 2 guests out of the MK (end of the Xmas Party one night), we hung out back in the new area taking photos for a while. We'll get them up online some time, but everyone knows what it looks like through a lens, so we're not in a hurry.
As the OP stated, I hope this thread continues to be filled with contributions from those of us who have physically experienced New Fantasyland. I wish some guests could be more open-minded, and just forget about all the dissent toward TDO for not building 3 rides and 2 restaurants and a meet-n-greet. Look at what they gave us, and give your opinion of THAT. Not how this compares to concepts that don't exist in real life.
Again, my summary is that the outside is incredible. The inside of BoG is incredible. The LM ride is a C+ on the Disney Ride Scale. And Circus is, well, circus.
When the walls come down around the Mine Train, the place will look totally different. It felt quite claustrophobic back there, but I think it was because of the walls.
I DO like how the area between the castle walls and carousel is so open. That almost makes up for the tightness as you head north to BatB and LM. It's not usable space, and makes a great place to diverge traffic at one of the most populated thoroughfares in the park.
Feel free to ask questions about anything I said above. But again, I WILL NOT compare what we got to what we "could have gotten" - period. I will only give my personal and professional opinions on what we've been given.
by Tom Edwards (edwardtc)
I will summarize my thoughts into a brief paragraph for those of you who don't like long posts. But then I'll elaborate.
In a nutshell, I think Disney did a fantastic job on the exterior of both BatB and LM. Circus is obviously 1000x better than what it was, and while the tackiness of it is not for me, there is a generation/demographic that loves it. Inside of BatB, I give them an A+++. No, they did not precisely re-create the animated rooms from the movie (which is tough since they have no dimensions, proportions or continuity when animated), but the main ballroom and the Beast's Lair were both stunning! Food...I'll take dinner over lunch. Mermaid ride, I classify it as a C+/D- (on the Disney ride scale, not letter grade). It's still no pirates or HM, but it's also a step up from Snow White, Pooh and the other dark rides. And to top it off, it's even more beautiful at night.
More detail....
We rode LM about 6 times (with no waits, since we went during Xmas Party and at closing a few times). I just wanted to walk the queue over and over. I liken it to Pirates or Tower of Terror when it comes to the immersive nature of the theme in the queue. Plus, the cute little crabs that don't interfere with the queue or cause unnecessary interaction, are a nice touch. Scuttle is a fun diversion. And boy can that queue hold a lot of people when it needs to. Fortunately, we never ended up in any switchbacks.
I simply love the water features at both pavilions. We got some pretty awesome night shots of the Beast's waterfall. I will admit that the Beast's castle does look silly up on that hill, but the rest is amazing. The bridge, the pavement, the lights, and the pine forest they created....all amazing. And you can't beat the kinetics of water.
Pavement throughout New FL was clever, but I never did have an allergic reaction to the peanut imprints back in Circus Land, hmmmm.
As for the LM ride....meh. I would give it a higher score, but they needed to work a bit harder at masking off what you're not supposed to see. At least in the Mansion, the buggies are shaped to cut off your peripheral vision, and it also aims you better. In LM, the clams don't shield your vision from enough of the superstructure of the building, the theater lights, and (worst of all) all of the fiberglass acoustic panels nailed to the walls to dampen the sound. Even some black drapery or better aiming/masking of the show light fixtures would prevent the guests from seeing so much non-show stuff. I was disappointed because I was distracted by the building itself, enough to pull my eyes away from the show. Granted, I am always craning my neck to see how stuff works at Disney, since I build buildings for a living, but I didn't have to strain hard to see what I saw.
The ride itself is a few steps above Snow White and Pooh, in that the AA's are much better (well, they exist), the music is great, and it tells the complete story in a very succinct manner. Plus, everything has three dimensions to it, instead of the 2D plywood cut-outs in the older dark rides.
I'm not going to comment any further on Storybook Circus, since we spent nearly no time there. The text in my opening paragraph is enough. It looks nice....for the demographic it caters to.
Lastly, food. We made dinner reservations at the 180 day mark....and so did everyone else. The hostesses were telling walk-ups that they were booked until April. Guests would laugh, and the CMs would say, "No, really. You have to book this 6 months in advance."
There were 4 adults, a 3-yr old and a 3-mo old at our dinner table. All of the adults loved their meals - and we all had something different. The French Onion soup is some of the best I've had.....and I know my French Onion soup! Service was fantastic, and we were treated with a table in the Beast's Lair, where it was dark and we'd hear him roar occasionally. The dropping rose petals were a nice touch, but it was entertaining to see people take pictures of it, then stare at their LCD screen wondering why nothing showed up.
As I mentioned earlier, we all thought the inside of BoG looked fantastic. We never expected them to re-create something that only existed on celluloid. They tried hard, and they did well, in our opinions. From a construction stand-point, they did NOT skimp on cost of materials used (this is NOT where you get to interject arguments about cost cutting). The entire floor is terrazzo, which is just about the most expensive flooring system you can install, and it will last forever. Everything else seems quite durable as well. I could go on and on....and pictures do NOT do it justice....so just book dinner there in 6 months and see if for yourself.
Lunch....meh. We queued up at about 10:40 and they started shuffling us into the building by 10:50. We got to see the menus and at 11:00 they began dispatching us to ordering stations. We got our rose pucks, filled our drinks, got utensils/napkins/condiments, and chose a table in any of the three rooms. We chose the main ballroom since we dined in the Lair the night before and the third room (which is only open for lunch) is pretty boring (but quiet, for those of you with youngins). Within minutes they had wheeled our order to our table and we were eating.
As for the lunch food, neither of us enjoyed our meals too much. I added the French Onion soup again, and it was the best part of lunch. My Croque Monsiour (grilled ham and cheese) was so-so. I'm not a fan of grainy breads, so that didn't do much for me. My wife enjoyed her bite of it. But her turkey sandwich was extremely bland. She got a couple desserts and they were not good at all. Both were lemon - one a cupcake, one the puffed pastry. She said they tasted like they were made with dirty dish water - so maybe just a bad batch.
On the night we hung around and were literally the last 2 guests out of the MK (end of the Xmas Party one night), we hung out back in the new area taking photos for a while. We'll get them up online some time, but everyone knows what it looks like through a lens, so we're not in a hurry.
As the OP stated, I hope this thread continues to be filled with contributions from those of us who have physically experienced New Fantasyland. I wish some guests could be more open-minded, and just forget about all the dissent toward TDO for not building 3 rides and 2 restaurants and a meet-n-greet. Look at what they gave us, and give your opinion of THAT. Not how this compares to concepts that don't exist in real life.
Again, my summary is that the outside is incredible. The inside of BoG is incredible. The LM ride is a C+ on the Disney Ride Scale. And Circus is, well, circus.
When the walls come down around the Mine Train, the place will look totally different. It felt quite claustrophobic back there, but I think it was because of the walls.
I DO like how the area between the castle walls and carousel is so open. That almost makes up for the tightness as you head north to BatB and LM. It's not usable space, and makes a great place to diverge traffic at one of the most populated thoroughfares in the park.
Feel free to ask questions about anything I said above. But again, I WILL NOT compare what we got to what we "could have gotten" - period. I will only give my personal and professional opinions on what we've been given.
CommyHolly
Member
interesting,,,,,,,,I thought Beast's castle looked amazing up there,,,,,,,being so small made it look so much further away,,,,,,
different point of view, I guess,,,,,,,,,,,,but I can't wait to go on Little Mermaid now
However,,,,,,,I also thought the walls made it a bit claustrophobic back there, and it would be so much better when the walls come down. thanks for the reviews!
different point of view, I guess,,,,,,,,,,,,but I can't wait to go on Little Mermaid now
However,,,,,,,I also thought the walls made it a bit claustrophobic back there, and it would be so much better when the walls come down. thanks for the reviews!
IAmFloridaBorn
Well-Known Member
Little Mermaid is a must do, at least one time. !interesting,,,,,,,,I thought Beast's castle looked amazing up there,,,,,,,being so small made it look so much further away,,,,,,
different point of view, I guess,,,,,,,,,,,,but I can't wait to go on Little Mermaid now
However,,,,,,,I also thought the walls made it a bit claustrophobic back there, and it would be so much better when the walls come down. thanks for the reviews!
Tom
Beta Return
I agree. Heck, we rode it 6 times. I was actually a little bummed that we had no wait for any of those 6 rides, so eventually we just stopped to admire the queue and let others go around us. The ride obviously tops any other WDW Fantasyland dark ride (past or present), but isn't a Pirates or HM. It's still entertaining and visually appealing.
IAmFloridaBorn
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Yesterday the wait times were about 20-50 minutes. But we didn't mind. We specifically went to see the expansion before our passes expire.
Tom
Beta Return
I really thought the little crab sets in the queue were clever. And I wish we could have hung out in the Scuttle room longer.
Tom
Beta Return
I agree.
I firmly believe they should allocate a fixed number of tables each day, and each hour, for "that morning" and also for "walk-ups" at every TS restaurant. If they just blocked out one 4-topper for an hour, starting every 30 minutes, that could make a LOT of people happy, and improve guest satisfaction.
And if that's too much to ask of them - because God forbid they go a minute without a restaurant at 100% capacity - I'd vote to knock the booking time back down to 90 days (or less) like it was for a period of time a few years ago.