Day 438: FAF: Enchanted Tales with Belle

Time for another Featured Attraction Friday! This week we're going to take a closer look at another new New Fantasyland attraction, Enchanted Tales with Belle!

What's On The Map: 

Enjoy an interactive story adventure featuring Belle, Lumiere and possibly even you! (WDW Park Maps). Be magically transported from Maurice's cottage to the Beast's library for a delightful storytelling experience. You'll meet and spend time with Belle, and you may even be invited to play a part in the story. Will you be an enchanted object, or perhaps fill the role of the Beast with a heart of gold? (Walt Disney World Website).

A Brief History Lesson: 

Well, it's pretty new...and unlike some of the other attractions, there isn't much history wise. So I guess we're skipping this one this week.

My Thoughts: 

I have personally only been in Enchanted Tales with Belle once, but I do this the entire concept is pretty adorable. Just the fact that they can get the kids all involved with the story and then Belle comes out and everything, it's great. Plus, it can hold a good number of people at once, although that doesn't really stop the line from getting a bit long each afternoon.

Also the theme of the entire this is brilliant. From the cottage to the library, and with the characters all in between, it's great! Would I like to see this everywhere? No, I don't think so, because it is very character specific, but it's a nice addition to New Fantasyland for sure!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 27 due to Midterms and travel).

Day 403: FAF: Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

Time again for Featured Attraction Friday!

Since it's the beginning of the month, let's talk for a second about the theme: Fairy Tale Month. I'm right smack dab in the middle of my Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales class, and at the moment I'm doing a ton of work for it anyways, so what better theme to have than Fairy Tales!?! Plus it's February, so Fairy Tale February sounds pretty good!

First up let's take a look at one of the attractions inspired in part by one of the fairy tales I've already read this month: Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. And yes, Carrousel is spelled correctly according to the Walt Disney World website. I don't know why it's spelled that way, but it is.

What's On The Map: 

Climb aboard a regal steed on this classic attraction. (The Disney Map). Climb aboard an ornate carousel horse and gallop through a whirling backdrop of color and sound. As an old-fashioned organ plays, parade up and down in a gentle counter-clockwise direction atop your majestic horse. Spin around and feel a cool breeze brush across your face as you behold a menagerie of classic Fantasyland attractions in the not-too-far-off distance (WDW Website).

A Brief History Lesson: 

As the Birnbaum guide states, "Not everything in the Magic Kingdom is a Disney version of the real article." This particular carousel was actually discovered at Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey, and was built in 1917. "That was the end of the golden century of carrousel building, which began around 1825. During the Disney refurbishing, many of the original horses were replaced with horses made of fiberglass" (Birnbaum Guide).

But that's not all there is to the story. As we all know, "Walt Disney came up with the idea for Disneyland park watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round at Griffith Park. Later, when Walt began turning his ideas of constructing a theme park into reality, a carousel became the cornerstone of his future design - and has remained that way ever since" (WDW Website).

"Built in 197, the Liberty Carrousel - as it was originally named - first called Belle Isle Park in Detroit home. Measuring 60 feet in diameter, the carousel was constructed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Rediscovered in 1967 at Olympic Park in New Jersey, the historic carousel was acquired by Disney Imagineers - who performed an extensive renovation before introducing it to Magic Kingdom park in 1971, where it has continued to be a favorite for over 40 years" (WDW Website).

Fun Facts: 

Only one today, but this is one of my all time favorite hidden things at Walt Disney World! Look for Cinderella's Horse on the Carrousel! You can spot it by finding the golden ribbon tied around it's tail. I'm not positive where it is (As sometimes it has been known to move), but keep your eye out. There's a similar tradition at Disneyland, only it's Mary Poppin's horse! I am also not positive that it is still classified as "Cinderella's Horse," but I assume it's still there. My books only go up to around 2007, and it's been refurbished since then (with the new name Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel). I hope it is though, and I'll know for sure soon enough!

My Thoughts: 

I have to be honest: because of my motion sickness, I haven't been on the Carrousel for many, many years. Of course, that will change when I go down in March and need to get on it in order to film, but I used to go on it often enough back in the day. Once I knew of Cinderella's Horse, I always tried to find it. I would stand in the line watching the horses carefully as they went by, trying to spot the horse. And when I found it I would run to it as quickly as possible, just so I would be able to ride on the special horse. I mean, if someone else had already taken it I just picked a different one, but it's just really awesome to sit on it and be like "I'm riding one of the horses from Cinderella's Carriage!"

Have a magical day!

Day 266: Drop Tests!

Just the other day (today actually because that's when I did the statistics) I talked about how there is always something new at Walt Disney World, and one of the newest attractions that is scheduled to open sometime next year is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. So today brings some amazing news that has to do with this particular attraction! Today Imagineers performed their first drop test of the cars, meaning that it's the first time they ran them out of the station with their own gravity!

I'm pretty excited for this attraction, since I saw some of the first previews of it back in 2011 at the D23 Expo. Gosh that feels like such a long time ago now...and it is! But you do get the idea. Originally it sounded like this was going to be open for when I would be there with the band, but sadly from what we heard the last time we were there it won't be open until later in the year. That's alright though I suppose, I'm still very excited for it all!

Some have commented that it's just like Big Thunder Mountain, and I just wanted to touch on that too. It is a similar theme, but it's completely different at the same time! From what I understand it's almost like a Splash Mountain format, with a storyline included throughout the entire attraction featuring the dwarves. Plus, the vehicles feature some of the most advanced ride technology, making it possible for each car to swing back and forth throughout the attraction. Meaning that it should be quite the interesting ride when it's all finished.

That's about it for today though since I just spent all that time working on the former blog posts and I still have those two left from the weekend and some homework to do!

Frumpstagram today asked for a picture that was "breaktaking," and there was only one thought in my mind as to what it would be: the view from the top of Bay Lake Tower. I even included that panorama I took in July because it's seriously awesome!

Here's today's Disney History: 2001: A new attraction "Walt Disney: One Man's Dream," showing memorabila about Walt Disney's career and heritage to the public for the first time, officially opens at Disney-MGM in Florida. The attraction has been in soft-openings for the last few days and will officially be dedicated October 1 for the start of Walt Disney World's 100 years of Magic Celebration.

Have a magical day!

Day 112: Snow White's Scary Adventures

The other night, as I was going through my tumblr, I was fortunate enough to find this video. I normally don't watch a lot of these things, but since I was on my laptop and finally am able to do such things again, I hit play. What I was expecting from the comments was a touching story...I didn't expect to cry through almost the entire thing.

The video embedded below is from one of the final days of Snow White's Scary Adventures at Walt Disney World, and the story is of a severely autistic boy named Ben, who has been enchanted with the attraction since he was a young kid. He holds the record for most times on SWSA, with 3500 (a record set thanks to cast members who kept the attraction running after hours just for Ben and his family so he could reach that goal and be the last to ride).

But when it was announced that SWSA would be closing to make room for the New Fantasyland expansion (in this cast, SWSA will be released with a Princess meet and greet sometime in the future), Disney did even more to make it up to the ride's most treasured guest. It was arranged for Ben and his family to have a private meet and greet with Snow White herself, and then, for the family to ride the attraction with the Princess. How amazing is that?

You all know that I love Disney, and I know not everyone is going to love it like I do, but this is one time I really hope you watch this video. People always tell me that Disney is just for kids, and that the magic isn't really real. that there isn't anything for them at Disney and that it's just another theme park. But I think this video is proof. We aren't all Ben, but this still shows that Walt Disney World, along with the other Disney parks throughout the world, are places where the magic does come to life. That cast members spend every single day striving to make things like this a reality, and that, most importantly, it's not just another theme park.

And you know what, I can't wait for the day I can help make things like this a reality.

Here's today's Disney History: 1964: The World's Fair in Flushing, New York, is opened by U.S. President Johnson for the 1964 season The fair features over 100 pavilions on approximately 646 acres. The fair also includes 4 Disney attractions, for Ford, General Electric, Pepsi-Cola and the State of Illinois. The fair will run through October 18, 1964 and then reopen again on April 21 for the 1965 season. 

I'd also like to wish Animal Kingdom a very happy 15th birthday, and wish you all a very Green Earth Day!

Have a magical day!

Day 72: Fantasy Faire

Yesterday marked the opening of the newest attraction at Disneyland, Fantasy Faire. Now, I don't visit Disneyland very often...I've only been there once compared to the 23 trips to Disney World, but I am super excited about this expansion. Why...Flynn. Rider.

A few years ago Flynn was in the parks greeting guests...and then they got rid of him, meaning that he's still not around in Florida. What's one of my dreams? MEETING FLYNN. It's awful hard to do such a thing when Flynn is no where to be found. But it seems to me that Flynn will be making regular apperances at Fantasy Faire at Disneyland...meaning that my only hope of ever meeting him is there.

Granted, first I either have to make it to nationals for FBLA or work really hard to convince my dad to take us on a trip out to California (I'm hoping for option One), but hopefully I will eventually get to meet Flynn. I mean, you can meet Naveen, so why not Eugene!?!

It gets confusing sometimes because he has two names...random I know, but true.

Anyway, for more info on Fantasy Faire, here's a video from The Disney Geek:

And here's today's Disney History: 1928: On a train ride back to California from New York City (with his wife Lillian), Walt Disney sends his brother and business partner Roy a Western Union telegram that reads: Leaving Tonite stopping over KC arrive home Sunday Morning Seven Thirty Don't worry Everything ok will give details when arrive Walt. This is in reference to the fact that although the Disney brothers have probably lost their animated creation Oswald the Rabbit to Charles Mintz, Walt has a new idea for an animated mouse character. 

Have a magical day!