Fantasyland Photo Essay

Today's post is dedicated to the photos taken at Fantasyland. This is one of the themed lands inside the Magic Kingdom.

Fantasyland is slated to undergo massive renovation by 2013, doubling it's size. Many popular attractions (such as Dumbo) will be expanded. New attractions, like a dark ride based on The Little Mermaid, are also on the drawing board.

The Disney Princesses will reside here with each one having their own castle or cottage or other dwelling.

But let's talk about the current Fantasyland. Some of the areas are undergoing some refurbishment right now (like Mrs. Potts' Cupboard, Enchanted Grove, and The Friar's Nook), so they won't be included in the photos.

Fantasyland's most famous structure is also the landmark structure for the entire Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World for that matter. Inside are beautiful mosaic works on the walls. It also houses Cinderella's Royal Table. This character meal is exclusive and well protected. No photos for the non-diners!

I give you Cinderella's Castle.



The streets of Fantasyland are behind the Castle opposite the main entrance through Main Street, U.S.A. It's full of little surprises and magical moments!



Most of the rides are designed for kids, though adults still get a kick out them. Pictured below are "it's a small world", Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.



"Now wait a minute! Those aren't really pictures of the rides at all! Just the exterior! What gives?"

Good point, reader. I will not take pictures on most of the attractions to be polite to other guests enjoying the attractions and because flash pictures may, well, show some of the magic if you get my meaning. That's just not fun, now is it?

If you really REALLY want to know the secrets behind the magic, just do what I did. Visit Disney's Career Website and apply. If you are cast in a role in the show, you'll know more than you ever thought possible.

Can we move on now with my boring old, no secret-destroying pictures now? Thanks!

Some rides are right out in the open, such as Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Mad Tea Party.



One of my favorite 4-D shows is in Fantasyland, Mickey's PhilharMagic. It's a wonderful show about the misadventures of Donald Duck when he deviously puts on Mickey's magic hat.



I can still smell those desserts from the "Be Our Guest" scene! The Mickey and Donald pictured above are actually statues in the PhilharMagic gift store.

Fantasyland houses some additional shopping as well, including Tinker Bell's Fairy Treasures and Sir Mickey's.



There is a stage show performed a few times a day on the main castle stage, Dream Along with Mickey. Do you believe in dreams? Donald sure doesn't. But with a little help from his Disney pals (and no thanks to some nasty villians!), even Donald learns that dreams CAN come true! They also outsmart mean ol' Captain Hook!



Beyond the show, there are other opportunities to see characters in Fantasyland. Belle does a very cool thing in Fairytale Garden. There, she will read you a story. Aww, how sweet!



Not to be forgotten is Ariel's Grotto. Since Ariel doesn't walk around to met her fans, she waits on her rock for guests to come to her. For the sake of doing a complete photo essay, I HAD to visit the Little Mermaid. Don't blame me! Y'all are the ones that want photos of everything. I'm just trying to keep you guys happy.



As you can clearly see and have probably already guessed, this was the worst part of my photo assignment.

Let's not forget the food. There's Scuttle's Landing for some frozen treats (love it!) as well as the Pinocchio Village Haus. Now, I've never visited the Haus, though you can see part of it from "it's a small world". I was truly impressed by everything in there. Really neat stuff!



Hope you enjoyed a visual tour of Fantasyland. I also took some photos of Mickey's Toontown Fair, but those will be a different post.

Before I go, let me share that I will be working Sunday and Thursday at Fantasmic! in Hollywood Studios. Yay! Also, in case I haven't mentioned it before, Stephanie will be in town Monday through Wednesday! Double Yay! We are staying in a corner room in Caribbean Beach, specifically in Barbados. Should be buckets of fun!

I leave you with one shot taken near the end of Dream Along with Mickey.

For this little girl, her day really was magical.