YOUR Fantasyland Expansion Review

MickeyMouseObsessive

MickeyMouseObsessive

New Member
I was in WDW 1/6/13- 1/10/13 and here are my opinions on FLE:

•BatB area
The theming and atmosphere overall was wonderful! I felt like the castle's forced perspective did work, and it looks magnificent.

Be Out Guest
We did not eat here (way too crowded at lunchtime and never made a reservation) but did go in to preview the ballroom. It was beautiful! The attention to detail was beautiful, especially the snow in the windows. I wish I could have seen both the west wing and the gallery, but only the ballroom was available for viewing.
Gaston's Tavern
This was a wonderful little place to eat a quick snack/breakfast, and the LeFou's Brew is very good! *Tip* if you can, sit at the table in the back corner near the window in the smaller dining room. The view of Cinderella Castle is beautiful!
Gift Shop (can't remember the name)
All of the items in the shop are absolutely beautiful, and I would love to have bought something.
I can't review Enchanted Tales w/ Belle, never went, but probably will have to next trip with my sister!

TLM
Ride
I felt like the ride was the exact opposite of everything in BatB: rushed and at points badly done. Seeing exit signs in the middle of Under the Sea, AAs that only have one reappeared movement (Kiss the Girl) were not at all highlights of this ride. I did think, though, that the Ursula AA and the queue were done perfectly.

The Grotto
Did not visit Ariel in her Grotto, so cannot give a review.

Did anyone else feel like this area was missing something (a gift shop or snack stand, maybe)? If there are any rumors of more coming in, please tell me.

I think the mine cart ride looks like its coming along great and I can't wait to see it fine next year!

I really did not do much in Storybook Circus. We walked around there our first night and only did the re-themed Barnstormer, which seems so much shorter, but well themed. What I did see of the area looked wonderful, this will probably be a place to look at next trip.

Overall, think FLE looks great and I can't wait to see it done next trip (Aug.2014)!
 
prfctlyximprct

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
MickeyMouseObsessive said:
I was in WDW 1/6/13- 1/10/13 and here are my opinions on FLE:

•BatB area
The theming and atmosphere overall was wonderful! I felt like the castle's forced perspective did work, and it looks magnificent.

Be Out Guest
We did not eat here (way too crowded at lunchtime and never made a reservation) but did go in to preview the ballroom. It was beautiful! The attention to detail was beautiful, especially the snow in the windows. I wish I could have seen both the west wing and the gallery, but only the ballroom was available for viewing.
Gaston's Tavern
This was a wonderful little place to eat a quick snack/breakfast, and the LeFou's Brew is very good! *Tip* if you can, sit at the table in the back corner near the window in the smaller dining room. The view of Cinderella Castle is beautiful!
Gift Shop (can't remember the name)
All of the items in the shop are absolutely beautiful, and I would love to have bought something.
I can't review Enchanted Tales w/ Belle, never went, but probably will have to next trip with my sister!

TLM
Ride
I felt like the ride was the exact opposite of everything in BatB: rushed and at points badly done. Seeing exit signs in the middle of Under the Sea, AAs that only have one reappeared movement (Kiss the Girl) were not at all highlights of this ride. I did think, though, that the Ursula AA and the queue were done perfectly.

The Grotto
Did not visit Ariel in her Grotto, so cannot give a review.

Did anyone else feel like this area was missing something (a gift shop or snack stand, maybe)? If there are any rumors of more coming in, please tell me.

I think the mine cart ride looks like its coming along great and I can't wait to see it fine next year!

I really did not do much in Storybook Circus. We walked around there our first night and only did the re-themed Barnstormer, which seems so much shorter, but well themed. What I did see of the area looked wonderful, this will probably be a place to look at next trip.

Overall, think FLE looks great and I can't wait to see it done next trip (Aug.2014)!
Click to expand...


Supposedly Ariel's gift shop is attached to the mine ride. If you look at recent pictures there appears to be a gift shop coming along the side that faces TLMR
 
Skibum1970

Skibum1970

Well-Known Member
I thought that FLE was very nicely themed and that the SDMT area will make that area even more impressive (no work walls and unfinished steel which is obviously expected). Still very impressed with The Little Mermaid. Setting was beautiful and I liked the ride but I probably don't worry about some details that might drive others bonkers. As stated in a different post, the Beast's castle didn't work for me. Still pretty up on the hill but the forced perspective was lost. I did NOT like hitting the dead end of the pathway past Mermaid as I had a long walk back. That was probably my fault for thinking it was open but I still didn't like it.
 
P

Pixiedustmaker

Well-Known Member
MickeyMouseObsessive said:
TLM
Ride
I felt like the ride was the exact opposite of everything in BatB: rushed and at points badly done. Seeing exit signs in the middle of Under the Sea, AAs that only have one reappeared movement (Kiss the Girl) were not at all highlights of this ride. I did think, though, that the Ursula AA and the queue were done perfectly.
Click to expand...

I think all of the Belle stuff is so wonderful because it was designed specially for MK, and the designers had enough time. I think Mermaid was sort of rushed for DCA, and the budget wasn't big enough as Burbank had, before Carsland, been of the opinion that DCA would always be "just" an adjunct to Disneyland, so why spend a lot of $$ on a lavish attraction that nobody will see? TDO shouldn't have cloned Mermaid's inside, but gone with some major upgrades.
 
n2hifi

n2hifi

Active Member
spacemt354 said:
The key is all ages. Harry Potter spans generations and all genders alike. Boys, girls, young, old, Harry Potter is very popular. For my generation, it was the first book we read on our own. For older generations, they watched their kids read it, or maybe they enjoyed it themselves. When comparing the genres to the FLE, i don't know how Belle's cottage or TLM can even be compared to Harry Potter, despite the budget.
Click to expand...

This quote really put things in perspective for me regarding the back and forth arguments here. I find myself in a different place (argueably one not shared by many here). I've never seen or had a desire to see a Harry Potter movie nor have my children (yet they are engrossed in everything FLE). I step back and see that Harry Potter really came into popularity before my children were born while I was busy doing other things. The concept of the storyline never interested me so it sort of follows that I don't really care to go to WWoHP.

I have two girls 5 and 3. I still have pretty much control over what they are exposed to and my wife and I were pretty anti-princess in the beginning. I was a bit anti-Disney as well but Mickey Mouse seemed a pretty safe bet over some of the stuff we were seeing on Nick so that's the direction we leaned. Princesses came along for the ride as did WDW. So why say all this? Because I understand where the quote above comes from, but I don't share it. Potter somehow skipped my circle of family/friends. The only person I know that has seen the movies is my dad. Like I said, I'm sure I'm a minority there because the franchise is immensely popular. I'm in the same boat with the 'Twilight' franchise.

I saw BATB in theatres when it came out and my wife considers it one of her favorite movies. Both of my kids love the movie and everything Belle. In fact my 5 year old was wearing a Belle dress when we visited FLE.

So my first trip to WDW in some 30 years was last October when I got to 'soft open' FLE. I had been on this site for months leading up to it so my wife will tell you I was more excited than my kids were to see it. I loved every bit of it and can't wait to go back. Not only FLE but the entire WDW experience.

Even though I had read all the negativity this site has to offer and expected to see much of the disrepair throughout the properties I forgot to look for it and never really noticed any of it. They pumped the mind control gas into my brain on the bus from the airport and the whole trip was magical. I'm now starting to plan my next trip in 2014 that will again see us fully engrossed in everything Disney. I don't want to take any time out to go the UNI or leave property because I had such a good time on my last trip.

THAT is what TDO manages to achieve (in spite of their shortcomings) for many a park guest so it's unfortunately hard for them to see fault with their methods. I agree with everyone here that more attention needs to be paid to the details so don't hear what I am not saying. I'm just throwing out a bit of a different perspective.
 
Hot4Hudgens

Hot4Hudgens

Member
I drove up in late December for a day at MK. Last minute, so didn't have my day planned as I usually do. Ended up spending most of it being the tour guide for my group, as they all hadn't been in 10+ years. Anyhow, made it a point to at least swing by NF. Finally did at the very end of the night, at which point only TLM was fully operational. Got to ride it. Really liked it, though can't help but immediately think of the Nemo ride over in Epcot. Broke down a few times, which isn't ideal but did give me a chance to look at every last thing in the room. Hoping to go back sometime after it's fully completed and taking my time to check it all out!
 
Mista C

Mista C

Well-Known Member
Was at WDW February 3-6 and here are my .02 cents on the New Fantasyland Expansion:

UNDER THE SEA RIDE:
Exterior façade and queue is probably one of the best in all of WDW. The attention to detail is incredible and the theming is awesome. The exterior, however, made me think that this was not going to be your typical fantasyland dark ride. Boy was I wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked the ride, but was certain that there would be something “more grand” waiting for me inside. I thought that it was going to be a 10-12 minute masterpiece. The scenes seemed small and rushed, with only one big set-piece (the under the sea dance). And there did not really seem to be that many scenes in general. Everything looked a little fake-y and plastic-y to me as well, and some of the AA’s that worked on our first day were already not working on the second day. I was shocked when I saw (both days) that Ariel in the big under the sea room was stationary and not an AA, but then once I got home and came on these boards I found out that she is indeed an AA and was just not working while we were there. Really? Super-rushed ending too. I know that the fantasyland dark rides are not the best at telling the actual story, but this one was awful. Really disappointed with no epic Ursula showdown at the end. Daughter loved it though and I did enjoy it, just a little disappointed. Thought that the Ursual AA was one of the best in all of WDW.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AREA:
It looks GORGEOUS. The theming of the area is top-notch and everything looks incredible. Gaston's tavern, the rockwork and waterfalls at the bridge to the castle, heck even the restrooms were beautiful. Beast's castle up on the hill was very cool looking, but not really sure if the forced perspective worked. It kinda looked like a miniature castle to me. But I really do like the entire area.

BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT:
We had to go for lunch since the dinner reservations were booked. Got in line at about 10:30 and entered the "castle" by about 11:00. Was very impressed with the theming and attention to detail. The system that they have for moving people into the space, getting them to order, the dining experience itself and exiting are top notch in my opinion. It was a little slow at the ordering kiosks, mainly because they were new and there is a learning curve. Having a CM at each station to help is crucial at this stage. There were a couple scattered about helping everyone, but inevitably, a guest would get stuck placing their order and would have to wait for a CM to help them, which only slows the process down even more. But for the volume of people that are entering and ordering, I thought that they did a very good job. The ballroom itself was beautiful and so were both rooms located to the sides. For a quick service lunch, I thought that the food was very good and it came out quickly. Loved how you just leave the rose on your table and they come and find you! Nothing on the dinner menu looks super-appealing to my family though, so it will probably be a lunch-only restaurant for us on future trips.

ENCHANTED TALES WITH BELLE:
Did not go on, as the wait was 45-60 minutes both days. Will see next visit.

STORYBOOK CIRCUS AREA:
Having a four year old, we really enjoyed this part of the park actually. Theming was great and the attractions were as well. A little sad that there was no Pete AA or even a stationary statue of Pete at the entrance to “Pete’s Silly Sideshow” as my daughter is a big Pete fan from watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv. When I told her that was where we were going next she was really excited, then a little disappointed that she did not get to see him once we got there. And the two separate lines for Daisy/Minnie and Donald/Goofy was a little “goofy”. Wait in one line for 20 minutes, get right back in and wait in another 20 minute line. Barnstormer was awesome as usual, but seemed ridiculously short. I video'd the ride for my daughter and it was only about 45 seconds long. The new Dumbo was great, but we used fast passes so no playing in the "queue" waiting area. Once my daughter gets older though, I do not think that there will be too much to do in this area.

OVERALL:
Overall I am very impressed with the FLE. It looks stunning and both my daughter and my wife and I really enjoyed it. We really need to wait until the mine coaster is done to properly assess the area, as it is a big bottle-neck right now. And I must say that I'm a little disappointed with the lack of real “attractions” in this new area though. I guess once the mine coaster is done, there will be two actual rides to go on (Under the Sea and Seven Dwarfs) but the rest is just pretty scenery and the big restaurant. Wished that they could have squeezed one more dark ride into the area though and made Under the Sea a little bit longer/grander. Very well done though and I look forward to visiting it again.
 
WDWFanDave

WDWFanDave

Well-Known Member
Reviving this thread, as we've just had a chance to experience much of the FLE in person, and wanted to share my thoughts on the area as well.

First, I'll say that I know many aren't terribly excited for the SDMT, but I have to say, seeing it being built in person, I'm anxious to see it completed someday. Not sure when that will be (that I'll be back at WDW), but certainly will be on our list of things to do.

Got a bonus FP for lunch at Be Our Guest, so we decided to take advantage of it. What a beautiful place. Didn't think that the quality of the food rose to the level of the experience and setting, though.

Under the Sea...our family really enjoyed the ride. It left me personally thinking that it could have been done better (not a huge fan of the 'Under the Sea' song room, as it's so bright in there, it just doesn't work as well as it should), but overall, I think it's a really nice add to Fantasyland, especially with the loss of SWSA.

Ariel's Grotto...nice area to meet Ariel, but holy crap...did they just completely forget to put some air conditioning in the queue or what? Tiny cramped hallway with no air circulation at all..in Florida? Are they out of their minds? Loved seeing my daughter see her favorite princess, but once will do it for the Grotto unless they get that fixed.

Saw Storybook Circus a year ago when it soft opened, along with Enchanted Tales. Haven't revisited those yet, but may do that before we leave (yes, still on the property, and compliments of the rain, gave up and spending the night in the room taking it easy and catching up on my WDWMagic reading!).

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has come before and shared their opinions and information on this forum. :)
 
RSoxNo1

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
I haven't spent much time in the Fantasyland subforum, but I figured I'd weigh in on this thread:

Personally, I think the new Fantasyland looks great. This includes both Storybook Circus and Enchanted Forest. No, Storybook Circus isn't at the same level as the Enchanted Forest, but I like the way it looks much more than the Peter Pan and it's a small world facades. The facade for Little Mermaid looks fantastic. It is probably my favorite exterior of any attraction on property, it was really well executed. The Belle's Village area is also very well done, but I wish the Beast's castle was made a little larger. The forced perspective doesn't work that well at all angles.

As for the substance, I like The Little Mermaid more than most, but given the exterior the ride is a bit of a let down. There is nothing significantly wrong with the Little Mermaid, but there is nothing overly spectacular about the ride itself. There are some very good Animatronics and the Under the Sea scene is a lot of fun. However, there is no real "wow" moment in the attraction. It's a solid dark ride, but it's a hard sell as one of the anchor's of a $400+ million land.

I went through Enchanted Tales with Belle once, and in deference to Little Mermaid, this has a few "wow" moments, most notably the mirror and the Lumiere animatronic. However, the main part of the show is wholly underwhelming. You have a great effect in the queue/pre-show that is leading up to the equivalent of a World Showcase players type show. If that pre-show was the equivalent of The Haunted Mansion stretch room leading into another dark ride you would really have something. In theory they could demo the show area and put a ride back there, but if it happened in the next 15 years, I'd be shocked.

Be Our Guest also falls in line with the "it looks great" but there isn't enough "there" there. The exterior of the restaurant looks great (save the undersized castle). The interior of the restaurant looks great. The food is nothing earth shattering (I've only had table service). It's not bad, but when you can't get reservations 180 days out, you expect the food to be a bit better. Even though the interior of Be Our Guest is superior, I would much rather dine at Mythos.
 
awoogala

awoogala

Well-Known Member
We went in January 2013
First impressions: looks beautiful.
BOG was an awful dining experience for us. Steaks were charcoal, other meals unseasoned. Ratatouille was amazing, pork chop was good. It's lovely, service was good. Kids meals were boring. desserts pretty good, ok, and awesome, depending on who you asked.

Mermaid ride- Made me very happy to finally ride, but in retrospect, not an impressive ride. I mean, it looks like Peter Pan, which means it's 50 years out of date, already. Plastic and not good enough. Still gave me a little jolt of joy.

Belle. 70 minute waits early morning and off season. Did not even try. My kids could not care enough to wait that long.

Gaston. ERRR.. no. The costume/wig/person comb was, well off. Really off. Like, laughable.

The Brew was good, the tavern was nice, but just nice.. like, I expected something to move or animate, or something.. jut nice looking.

To sum it up, it all seemed..ok. Nothing grand, nothing to lose my mind over. BOG would have been amazing if the food was not terrible. The rest.. seemed exactly equal to old fantasyland. Which, I guess, is cohesive, but.. 30 years, 40 years on, and Disney could not pull off something breathtaking? I just don't get the hullabaloo over it. Hoping the mine train is jawdropping, because the rest is just ..space..
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
awoogala said:
...
I just don't get the hullabaloo over it. Hoping the mine train is jawdropping, because the rest is just ..space..
Click to expand...

Space is exactly what was needed. All that area was area that was not accessible to guests before, thereby increasing the capacity of Fantasyland.
 
Scuttle

Scuttle

Well-Known Member
I think overall the fle is great but, damn they really inclosed the only space to really expand the park in the future. From an infrastructure standpoint it was horribly executed.

And the fact they had to fix the mermaid facade being visible from gastons Tavern..... .imo shows that the new team of '' imagineering'' and contractor's have no idea about sight lines and infrastructure. .. .. Sorry I like the expansion, but you look at all the issues as of now it's a failure

Come on 7dmt prove me wrong Davis and Co.

PLEASE. . . .. .. . IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK AS A FAN!? !! ??
 
Mike730

Mike730

Well-Known Member
Scuttle said:
I think overall the fle is great but, damn they really inclosed the only space to really expand the park in the future. From an infrastructure standpoint it was horribly executed.

And the fact they had to fix the mermaid facade being visible from gastons Tavern..... .imo shows that the new team of '' imagineering'' and contractor's have no idea about sight lines and infrastructure. .. .. Sorry I like the expansion, but you look at all the issues as of now it's a failure

Come on 7dmt prove me wrong Davis and Co.

PLEASE. . . .. .. . IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK AS A FAN!? !! ??
Click to expand...

The only way to reach the land back there now is to completely and utterly demolish IASW..... :eek: ... :cool:
 

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