Calling all princes, princesses, beasts, villains, knaves, kids and those of you who are simply kids at heart – New Fantasyland has reached a new milestone today with the official start of the area’s Preview Period.
During the Preview Period, New Fantasyland will be open and accessible to all Magic Kingdom Park guests. Please keep in mind that this is still a preview phase, so some locations may offer limited operating hours compared to the rest of the park. The area will be in regular operation beginning with the grand opening on December 6.
That said, here are some of the new areas you can expect to experience beginning today:
- Be Our Guest Restaurant – This magical dining location was taken straight out of the film “Beauty and The Beast,” and features three amazingly themed dining rooms – the Ballroom, the spooky West Wing, and the Rose Gallery. While lunch is first-come, first-served, reservations are strongly recommended for dinner. You can browse the menus of French-inspired cuisine here.
- Bonjour! Village Gifts – Find goodies inspired by both “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid” at this shop in Belle’s Village.
- Enchanted Tales With Belle – Forget everything you know about character greeting experiences with Disney characters. Here you’re invited inside Belle’s childhood home and are magically transported into Beast’s Castle, where you spend time with Belle by reenacting her fateful meeting with Beast. Disney PhotoPass is on-hand to capture it all.
- Gaston’s Tavern – Head inside Gaston’s ultimate retreat for a sip of LeFou’s Brew, or a bite of a pork shank or a tasty cinnamon roll.
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid – Plunge under the sea to follow Ariel as she meets Prince Eric, battles Ursula the Sea Witch, and makes the choice to become human. Be sure to bring your cameras to this attraction – Prince Eric’s Castle, which tops off the attraction, is guaranteed to impress.
And don’t forget about the part of New Fantasyland that opened earlier this year – Storybook Circus, which includes the “doubled” Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Barnstormer Starring the Great Goofini, Pete’s Silly Sideshow Character Greeting and more!
Which attraction are you looking forward to experiencing the most? Tell us in the “Comments” section below, or share it with us on Twitter with the hashtag #NewFantasyland.
Comments
Hey Jennifer, is there any update on Cape May’s at the Beach Club being open for the holidays? Heard it was being renovated in July, but haven’t seen any updates.
I am taking my daughter for the first time to Fantasyland in just two days and I am so excited for her! She is two and a half and a huge fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I think Storybook Circus will impress her the most. She is not so familiar with the princesses, but there is one she is very well aware of – Cinderella. She talks about CInderella’s castle, but has no idea what it actually looks like. I cannot wait too see her reaction to the real thing! Hope we are able to meet Cinderella while we are there!
with all the hubbub and anticipation for the NEW rides, etc…will we still be able to meet characters old “and” new throughout #NewFantasyland? There seems to be a concentrated, specific focus on particular characters. Would love to meet Rapunzel & Flynn, as well as Merida, Flora, Fauna, Merriweather and “most” rare…all the “Fantasia” characters and “face” characters from lesser known films.
I agree with Allie. My wife and I will be there for the Grand Opening on Dec. 6 and would like to know about any special ceremonies as well. Just 16 more days woohoo!!
I am bring all 5 of my grandkids the second week of December we will be celebrating the 3 youngest one 1st visit and also their birthdays. They are so excited to get to see Belle, Ariel and Cinderalla. So glad the New Fantasyland will be opened by the time we get there.We celebrated the older 2 grandkids birthdays at Disney and they still talk about what a wonderful time they had.Thanks for always making it such a magical experience for all of us.
I went today and the forced perspective on the castle is so amazing! Your brain goes crazy trying to figure out what’s going on! But, as an avid disney goer it’s so scary to walk into the new place and not know where you are. Haha my family and I felt as if we were walking in a freaky dream where disney is so different that you get lost and confused 🙂 for once, I, the youngest of my family, got to lead everyone because I knew EVERYTHING about new fantasyland. Thanks Disney blog!!!!
Hey Jennifer! I am extremely exited with all of this new wonders and magic in store for us as guest in this new land. Me and my wife are slowly but surely saving up to go visit all the new attractions that are arriving.
Although I will not be able to be on Dec. 6th with all of you I think it would have been super fun to see the cast of the Beauty and the beast live stage show to re enact the first song of the movie. 🙂
Any news on when the Customized Maps will be updated with the new section of Fantasyland? We’ve been waiting to order ours, but not sure if there will be time to deliver before our trip. Thanks!
25 Days until we walk through the gate into Magic Kingdom – I CAN NOT WAIT to experience New Fantasyland! I’m about to burst from excitement!
After taking a break from our Annual Passes for the last couple years, we are visiting again in a few weeks. All the closures and construction areas kept us away. Our boys, 4 and 6 now, insist they have never been to Disney World. Of course, they have been to all the parks many, many times. Hurry up guys, finish the rehabs and get back to fun again!
I am SO excited for this! 🙂 I’m going in December for the Grand Opening! Do you have any more information about the opening ceremonies yet?
Fantasy Land: Magical and amazing! Activities and breathtaking scenery made the wait in line not just passable but enjoyable. We eagerly waited in line because we were entertained and given plenty of opportunity to rest and bask in the creativity that is truly only a Disney luxury. Thanks for making the dreaded wait in line a “destination” in and of itself! Fantasy Land is now my favorite experience – not just my favorite Disney experience.
We leave on Friday. Can.Not.Wait!! 4 more sleeps!
I’m very excited indeed! My sister and her friend came in for the Thanksgiving week, and we’re excited to be heading to the parks tomorrow and on Wednesday! Can’t wait to take it all in!
My daughter and I LOVED Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid when we did the passholder preview. Ariel’s Grotto was great too.
I have a question…You said in this post that at Bonjour! Village Gifts will be selling Little Mermaid merchandise (besides Beauty and the Beast stuff)? Will this be the permanent new location to find Little Mermaid merchandise instead of the Sir Mickeys store where those items were originally? Or will the Little Mermaid merchandise inspired by the ride be in both locations? I ask because we’re big Little Mermiad fans, but there was only Belle merchandise at Bonjour! Village Gifts when we were there for the preview last week. Thanks.
Will the previews still be going on November 29-Decembe 3rd?
Yes – all the way through the grand opening on Dec. 6.
I had a chance to check out the area on the second day it soft opened for dress rehearsals. I love the area and I can’t wait to come back and visit New Fantasyland again!
I’m 19 years old and this is my 28th visit to WDW (and I’m from Ohio) I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! Coming for New Year’s Eve for the second year in a row!
Wow, that will be a ton of fun. Have a great trip.
My husband and I were at Magic Kingdom during the dress rehersals in late October. We both agree that the new area will be fantastic once it is completed. I was lucky enough to be selected to be part of the cast for the Enchanted Tales With Belle. We also loved the new Journey Under the Sea. Make sure you see both while in the Magic Kingdom.
We were lucky to get in during dress rehearsals. Enchanted Tales with Belle was by far my favorite. My 4 year old son was picked to play the Beast. It was the best part of our week at Disney! He was adorable and the whole attraction/show is amazing! It is a memory I will cherish for a long time. The entire area is themed perfectly. The Imagineers hit it out of the park with new Fantasyland!
I was so excited to see this blog this morning ! We are going next week for my daughter’s first trip to Disneyworld with her nana & pop pop ! Dumbo is her favorite ride at Disneyland can’ t wait to experience the new queue! We have yet to meet Daisy at Disneyland & my daughter will be thrilled to meet her at Pete’s silly side show . The attraction I myself am looking the most forward to has to be Enchanted Tales with Belle ! She is my favorite princess ! Is there going to be a fast pass available for this attraction during the preview period ? Thanks Jen for all of the updated posts about Fantasyland. It has been a weekly thrill for my daughter and I each week in anticipation of our visit 🙂
Wow, that will be a great first trip! She will LOVE Enchanted Tales With Belle. Be sure to head there first.
We just starting planning our trip for August! Yay!! I am so excited to see everything, but I think I’m most looking forward to Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid. I know our own 3-year old Little Mermaid is going to LOVE it!! 🙂
With twin 4 year-old girls, as you can probably imagine, we are up to our eyeballs in Disney princess toys, dress-up accessories, books, clothing, bed spreads and even dinner ware! Therefore,6 months ago, my wife and I planned a 7 day visit to Disney World during the first week of December to celebrate our daughters’ 4th birthday. Great timing for us!
We have planned a big blow out with surprise visits from grandparents, eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table on their birthday, new Disney princess dresses and a host of other themed treats. But I don’t think anything will top the look on our daughters’ faces the moment they enter the stone castle gates of the new Fantasyland – a place on earth where their imagination has come to life. So, if you want to call the stone castle gates an “attraction”, then they are what I am looking forward to experiencing the most.
We arrive on Friday, and it’s hard to say what I’m most excited about – eating in Be Our Guest (we snagged a dinner reservation), Enchanted Tales with Belle (she’s one of my very favorite characters) or the music of The Little Mermaid brought to life. And, of course, I can’t wait to see the characters in new costumes at Pete’s Silly Sideshow. This is going to be an amazing trip!
My husband and I were fortunate enough to attend a few dress rehearsals last week and it was amazing! “Lefou’s Brew” at Gaston’s Tavern is so delicious! The tavern is absolutely amazing – so many antlers! Be Our Guest was incredible – everything I could have imagined and so much more. The ballroom is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen and we hope to host our vow renewal dinner in there a few years from now.
The Little Mermaid queue area was phenomenal – definitely outshines the ride!!!
The Tavern is definitely Gaston’s place, isn’t it?
We are headed there next week and can not wait. It will be our son’s first visit (he is 7)!
Have a great visit!
My wife and I were fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend the Passholder Preview for the expansion and were extremely impressed! Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid was our favorite, but everything is top shelf and the expansion looks seamless and that makes it even better!
When WDW does something, they do it right!
My brother-in-law and his family are starting their vacation today with Make-a-Wish. I’m sure they’ll love seeing the new area.
Best wishes to them for a safe and fun trip!
I just love Enchanted Tales with Belle! So special!! Sidenote, when can we expect an article about the Blog Meet-Up this past weekend? Just curious! 🙂
Yes! Please check back later today!
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