Fun In Fantasyland

My daughter is 5. She loves dresses, anything pink or purple, and of course Princesses. I knew she would be so excited about the New Fantasyland expansion opening today at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. While we were there in October, we were pleasantly surprised to find that they were holding previews for this new area! So off we went with our little Princess in tow.

Our first stop was Maurice’s cottage for Enchanted Tales with Belle. Upon entering the cottage you will experience a room that mimics where Belle grew up with her father Maurice. There are photos of her as a child, treasured books and even a growth chart. It is homey and simple. Guests are then escorted into the workshop for a glimpse of the Magic Mirror given to Belle by the beast. Then the real magic begins! I don’t want to spoil anything so I  will withhold further details, but I will say this fantastic experience allows for some personal face time with Belle herself. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for my daughter and our family!   

  Next we headed over to Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid. This ride takes you through Ariel’s story.  Sebastian, Flounder, King Triton and Prince Eric are all there, as well as super villain Ursula herself, waving her tentacles all about!  We rode it twice just to make sure we saw everything, there is so much to take in. Once the ride is over we went to Ariel’s Grotto for another unique character meeting. Here is where your little ones get to meet Ariel “WITH FINS!” to quote my daughter.  She was beside herself with excitement to be able to meet Ariel this way, it was a sweet meet & greet for sure! 

Since we were there prior to its official opening,that was all we were able to see. However, we did get to meet Gaston while in that area, he was a lot of fun! Some of the other features of this expanded land include: the Beast’s Castle, Be Our Guest Restaurant and Gaston’s Tavern.  Of course, Disney is not stopping there. In 2013, Princess Fairytale Hall is slated to open. The Disney Princesses will move to use this as their permanent location for meeting guests.  Also the family friendly roller coaster The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is set to open in 2014.

It was so awesome to get a sneak peek at the New Fantasyland while we were there. I can’t wait to get back to experience it all. Little Princesses (and Princes) will love walking into this fairytale and making memories that will “live happily ever after”.