NEW Fantasyland

So excited that the NEW Fantasyland expansion is officially opening next week! The grand opening is set for December 6th, but luckily, most of the area has been available to preview since October. They call it a dress rehearsal which means that at any point they reserve the right to stop letting people into the area.

Good news for me as I went down in October twice, and got to see the whole area between the two trips. I have already given you the low-down on Belle's cottage area in a previous post. So today I will focus on the Ariel section.

Isn't she pretty?!

The Journey of the Little Mermaid is a ride inside Eric's castle and around the corner, you can actually meet Ariel herself in her grotto!

 I was so stinkin' excited!

 Just like over in Belle's area, not a single detail was left out. I only got to see this part at night so I will have to get some better daytime pictures in January when I'm down again for the Marathon!

 I know it's hard to see, but the theming of this area is impeccable!

Below are some pictures I took from inside the ride (don't worry, I didn't have a flash so no one's experience was ruined). Oh and don't judge my picture taking skills. These were not only done at night but with my iPhone instead of my good camera. Ooops!

 So there you have it! If your familiar with other rides in Disney, I would tell you this ride is a cross between The Living Seas with Nemo and Haunted Mansion in terms of technology and how the ride feels. The overall concept fits right in with the rest of the "kiddie" rides in Fantasyland. It's an abridged version of the movie just like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Snow White (was).

So if your planning a trip to Disney this year, be sure to plan for extra time in the New Fantasyland section as there is a ton to see! Also, the Be Our Guest restaurant is in Beast's Castle (I've heard GREAT things about it. It's a quick service by day and a sit down by night), Gaston's Tavern where you can get these little beauties (Le Feu's Brew), and Belle's Cottage is all open starting next week!

Stay tuned as there are more sections to be opening as part of this expansion. Such as the Dwarf's Mine roller coaster and an entire Fairyland (curious to see how this turns out).

Now get to planning your Disney vacation!