We’re back this week with a few photos of another attraction that’s coming later this year to New Fantasyland. Last week, many of you asked for a glimpse into Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, so here’s a sneak peek at the building that will house the attraction – Prince Eric’s castle!
Starting at the top, this Mediterranean-style castle features a Spanish-tile roof and a regal “E” monogram – a nod to the castle’s royal resident.
This castle’s towering balconies reflect a maritime touch with seaweed-themed support beams.
And this photo is my favorite of the three. This is a shot of the ground level. The walls here feature hand-painted artwork that depicts the history of man’s perilous journey on the sea.
So, which royal residence are you more excited to see for yourself when New Fantasyland opens – Beast’s castle or Prince Eric’s?
Thanks again to Walt Disney Imagineering for supplying these great photos!
For more New Fantasyland updates, see the posts below:
Comments
They should have a Cinderella area too! Looks cool though!
Jennifer Fickley-Baker
Thank you for re-visiting your blog entry beyond the day it was posted.
No problem! 🙂
Hello Jennifer-
New Fantasyland is going to look truly amazing once complete! Do you know if the new Fantasyland will be all complete by the end of 2012? My family is planning to go in early 2013.
Thanks
Here’s the most updated info we have at this time:
-Holidays 2012: Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern, and Ariel’s Grotto.
-2013: Princess Fairytale Hall (meet-and-greet area)
-2014: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction
Wow! I can’t wait to get a sneak peek when we are there this summer! Do you think we will get a good look?
Yes. The area that’s being constructed is so large that it’s difficult to miss it.
Prince Eric’s castle looks amazing but I cannot wait for the Beasts to emerge…my daughter is a huge Beauty & The Beast fan and I cannot wait for her to see it all!!! Hopefully it will be well on it’s way in December when we head down. Thanks for sharing!!!
Don’t forget her princess dress! You’ll want some pics of her in this new area!!
Hi! I’m travelling to Disney in september. Will be open one of castles on that date? Thanks!
I literally cried when I saw the pictures. To see something from my favorite movie come to life like that is incredible! I’ve been watching this movie religiously ever since I can remember. If you play the movie, I will say all the dialogue and sing all the songs along with it- word for word. I cannot wait until I can go and be immersed into my favorite story.
Wow, sounds like you’re a huge Mermaid fan! I hope you love the area when it opens. It looks amazing and we’ve only seen a tiny bit.
So excited for TWO new castles. I’m super excited to see both of them. Here’s hoping the Princess Half Marathon will go by both so I can get a photo by Eric’s in my Ariel costume complete with 3 foot tail and my BFF can get one by Beast’s in her Belle running gown complete with full length gloves. Lol Disney does a never ending job of bringing the kid out in all of us.
Those would be cute photos!
Hello Jennifer,
New Fantasyland is going to look truly amazing once complete! Do you know if the new Fantasyland will be all complete by the end of 2012? My family is planning to go in early 2013.
Thanks! Theresa
No – a very large portion of it will be open. Princess Fairytale Hall opens in 2013, and the Mine Train will open in 2014.
I was hoping that this section will be open late in September when we come, Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time classic movies!!! Any ideas when this will open and if we will be able to eat at Be our Guest??
#18 – Anonymous
Wow! Antarctica!! Maybe we could swap jobs for a couple of weeks,…….
……. now if I just had a Disney job with which to swap with!
I REALLY hope that Drago is right! A Tangled tower would be AMAZING!!!!! That’s one of my favorite movies. Rapunzel is one of my favorite princesses, and Flynn Rider is definitely one of my 2 favorite princes (Naveen is up there too…). When I went to Disneyland, they had an awesome Rapunzel tower meet-and-greet. Disney World should get one too, especially now that Merida has taken over her old spot!
I have to pick Beast’s Castle, just because Belle is my favorite princess. But I’m SO excited for both of them!
These pictures are awesome. When I was in WDW in January, the Beast’s castle looked pretty complete, but I couldn’t really tell what Eric’s castle would look like yet. This makes me even more excited!
Me, too!
As I mentioned in another post, It definately has to be Beast’s Castle as My Wife is a big Fan.
Walt Disney World will never be finished. This expansion and work is a testimony to Walt’s vision, passion and desire to build the best and most happiest place on earth. Thank you for continuing his vision!
I am very excited about the new additions to the park, but I am curious…
What are the height requirements for the new rides in Fantasyland?
My daughter is going to cry when she realizes that Snow White is gone, I can’t imagine the drama if she can’t go on the other rides either…
I’m a nervous Mommy. Any info would be helpful. Thanks.
No word on height requirements yet. I’m sure she’ll be closer by the time the attraction opens in 2013. Don’t forget, we’ll still have character meet and greets with Snow White!
Although I’m very eager to experience all of New Fantasyland and the castles, I am much more excited for Prince Eric’s than Beast’s. I work in Antarctica most of the year and am planning on landing a seasonal job at WDW this holiday season so that I can experience it all and take it in slowly 🙂 Thanks for the pics and info! They’re wonderful ways to brighten my world until the sun rises again in August!!
Wow, that’s an amazing plan! What an interesting life you must have – time split between Antarctica & Disney?! Cool (no pun intended).
I am definatly more excited for Eric’s castle. I have loved the Little Mermaid since I was 2 years old and can’t wait to see this hopefully in October!!!
Not sure which is my fav. I loved Mermaid…until B&B was released!!
They are both great and I cant wait to see it all. We will be there December 1st through the 8th….Do you think either one will be open…I truly hope so.. Thanks so much for the pictures
All we’ve heard is “holidays 2012” for a lot of New Fantasyland, so visiting in December would give you a good shot.
Definitely more excited for Prince Eric’s castle. I am very interested in seeing more and hearing more information about the hand painted artwork that features “the history of man’s perilous journey on the sea” and what the Imagineers’ thinking was behind these paintings. It just seems to me that the idea behind these paintings is less connected to The Little Mermaid and more tied to the location of this ride’s previous resident, 20,000 Leagues. Is there any way you could find out some more info on this for us? Thanks.
Oh my! Now I’m excited for both castles! Thank you for another fantastic blog, Jennifer!!
Thanks, Jessica!
More , more please! Love the sneak peaks but it left me wanting to see more! PLEASE!
Thankyou!
Cant wait for this!!!! It looks amazing!!! Is the castle just going to be a show building for the queue? Or will there be a meet and greet for Ariel and Eric near by too???
This doesn´t look like it was just build but just excavated. It looks magical, can´t wait to go under the sea.
I’m sure the Imagineers would love to heart that!
Both, but I think Eric’s as you have more artistic license given your not trying to recreate a specific room from the movie.
Definiteyly more excited for Prince Eric’s castle!!!!!!!! I am a HUGE Little Mermaid fan and have been waiting for a ride from the movie in Walt Disney World for 23 years since the movie first came out. I have been taking photos of the construction of Prince Eric’s castle from over the walls since construction first began, but it’s really nice to see these amazingly detailed close-up photos. Keep the photos and info about into Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid coming!!!
Thanks, Lauren. I love the details in these photos.
Jennifer –
Can you give us any scoop on what’s going in at the old Skyway Station?
Rumor has it that Rapunzel’s tower will be over there, built with the restrooms and such.
I know you can’t spill all the beans, but can you give some hints as to what’s being built over there near Haunted Mansion? The construction site is much too big for it to just be new restrooms, but not big enough for a ride…so a royal meet and greet seems appropriate.
Any scoop on this?
Not yet. Let me see what I can find out…stay tuned!
Much more excited for Prince Eric’s castle than the Beast’s, but super excited for Gaston’s Tavern 🙂
Yes, I can’t wait to find out what kind of food/drinks they’ll serve at Gaston’s AND Be Our Guest!
I can’t wait to see Beast’s castle, since that was my favorite movie, but I have to take my two boys, Sebastian and Aric, to see Prince Eric’s castle!
I’m more interested in Beast’s castle, though I can’t wait to take my little Prince Erik to Prince Eric’s castle. Seeing as we’re in SoCal now, we’ve seen The Voyage of the Little Mermaid here. It’s a great ride and will be a great addition to the new Fantasyland. I’m so sad none of it was open when we were there in March. 🙁
That will be exciting. I’m sure my son would LOVE if there was a castle with a prince that had his name (or one similar!).
Would that be a hidden mickey in the clouds!?!?
This Just Made Me SOOO EXCITED! Ariel is my favorite! Thank you for sharing these photos! I plan to visit early October for my Birthday and I hope Ariel’s section will be opened! 🙂
We were just there last week and had hoped to see it more up close, but could not. Thanks for the photos-any new info on opening date predictions?
None yet. I’ll be sure to share the dates as soon as I get them.
Eric’s castle looks amazing – I love the hand-painted artwork! I’m excited to see this castle, but most excited to see Beast’s castle!
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