Located behind Cinderella’s Castle in the rear of the Magic Kingdom is Fantasyland.
I could spend 2 or 3 days in just this land and still not be completely satisfied. This land is home to my daughter’s favorite ride “Peter Pan’s Flight” and my son’s favorite “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”.
Disney World’s Fantasyland is currently expanding to include more attractions. Some of these rides might be closed. Be sure to check the park map and/or Times Guide for newest info.
– 1:30 long.
– Sit kids on the inside
– There is a lever in the elephant that will allow you to adjust the height of the elephant. Unfortunately the ride starts and ends by raising the elephants to their fullest height. (yes, I am scared of heights. And Dumbo scares me.)
Prince Charming Regal Carousel
– There are 100 horses on this Carousel. Judge the line and don’t get in it if there are too many people. Usually there won’t be though.
– Lasts 2 minutes
– Make this one of your last rides in Fantasyland because the line is usually short.
– The horses on the outside go faster than the ones on the inside. If you have small kids, put them on a horse on the inside.
– Cinderella has a horse on the carousel. It has a golden ribbon on it’s tail!
– There is sword in a stone in front of Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. Yes, it is THAT sword in the stone. Be sure and take a picture with it!
– Don’t get in this line if it’s more than 15 – 20 minutes. It loads fast and the line is often short. If you see a long wait, try it again later.
– If there are 2 lines, go to the left!
– Ask to sit in the front of the boat. it’s the best view and it has the most leg room.
Mad Tea Party / Spinning Tea Cups
– This ride doesn’t usually have a long line. I wouldn’t wait over 15 minutes. The line will be short again in no time.
– You can spin the tea cup by turning the wheel in the middle of the cup. If you don’t want to spin, hold the wheel still.
– You can often find characters from Alice in Wonderland near the exit. Look for Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and more!
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
– Uses FASTPASS. Remember the first fastpass return time is one hour after the park opens. You might want to grab a Fastpass on your way in or out of the ride.
– Lasts 4 minutes
– You can often find characters from Winnie the Pooh near the entrance.
– The best seats are in the middle of the theater.
– After you see the movie, stop by the shop behind the theater. You will see where Donald landed after he got shot out of the cannon!
–Â Uses FASTPASS. One of the most popular attractions at the Magic Kingdom. If you are here before 10 am, make sure you grab a fastpass before you get in the stand by line. If you are here after 10 am, don’t get in the line if it is longer than 15 minutes. Instead grab a fastpass and come back.
– When you see Wendy on the plank, be sure to look up!
Update: closing to make way for the Fantasyland expansion.
– This might scare your kids. The main focus of this ride is the witch. They actually added Snow White after it was already in operation because it scared so many kids. My daughter was scared but we ended up riding
Bathrooms
1. Back in the corner behind Dumbo and next to Pinocchio Village Haus
2. Behind the Enchanted Grove snack bar near the Mad Hater’s Tea Party.
3. Beside Peter Pan’s flight, near the transition to Liberty Square.
Please share any tips you have about Fantasyland or any questions or concerns you might have. Also let me know if any of this information is inaccurate!
Disney World is the Most Magical Place On Earth. Be sure to learn how to make the most of your trip by reading the Disney World Training series. You can also browse all the articles I have written in an easy to use outline. And if you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner (plus it’s FREE!).
Just wanted to tell you that your entire Disney series is AMAZING! Thank you endlessly for putting all this info together! My fam is taking our 1st trip on 5/1/13 & I have printed off many of your articles to take with us! Thank you!!!!!!
I’m so sad they are taking out snow white’s scary adventures. :(
I am planning a trip for next weekend 4/14-16. What is the best place to meet the fairies? My daughter is turning 4 and had told EVERYONE she is spending her birthday with the Fairies and the Princesses! Any suggestions on where to go first etc is greatly appreciated!
The Fairies only meet in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. I would get to the park around 8:15 am (for a 9 am opening) and head straight to the fairies when the park opens to avoid a line. :)
Thanks for the post, I haven’t been to WDW in years, I don’t remember any of it!
Quick question- why do I need to look up when Wendy is walking the plank? A hidden Mickey, perhaps?
Mickey’s PhillharMagic is so great! It’s another CAN’T MISS for us. I sing along (loudly) during the whole thing. :)
One trip to MK it rained everyday, but being from Florida that is a common occurance for us. People started leaving the park at midday, and we just started riding rides with no lines. As long as there is no thunder or lightning they leave most of the rides open. Our trip was peak Summer (Florida’s rainy season). On another trip we took advantage of EMH, and rode splash mountain 10 times without getting off the ride! It was my daughters favorite part about her trip, and her favorite ride.
Don’t forget about the bathrooms just past Peter Pan’s flight, near the transition to Liberty Square. They’re usually far less busy.
And, around the Castle, don’t forget about the Storybook Garden!!
Yes – Dumbo will be closing and expanding, reopening for the expanded Fantasyland.
My Son’s most favorite rind in the whole world is Peter Pan. When we were at Disneyland in January it was pouring rain and we pretty much had the park to ourselves. So he road Peter Pan about 10 or 11 times. No kidding! We would just get off, walk back around and get back in. Now we are spoiled and it will be so frustrating to have to go back to waiting in line for an hour.
There were even a few rides like Pirates that they just sent us through again and again with out having to get off! I think we road every ride in Disneyland and California Adventure about 4 times each in 3days!!!
OH NO! It looks like people are starting to stress about the planning! Kristin, maybe you should do a post dedicated to that!
I am a big-time planner, but here’s how I approach it: I am not planning every second of every day, but I do enough research ahead of time to know things like 1) what rides are the most popular so I know to hit them first, 2) what attractions are “must-sees” for my family, 3) a general game-plan – know the layout of the park ahead of time, so you’re not trying to bounce from one end of the park to the next to get to specific rides, 4) where the restaurants are that have food my kids like.
Just because you plan, doesn’t mean you must stick to a rigid structure that takes all the fun out of your trip! You just want to know what to expect so that you can get the MOST fun out of your trip! Just ENJOY IT!
Glad to know I am not the only adult scared of Dumbo! lol
We spend a lot of time in Fantasyland too. And, yes, you really do need to plan your day to get the most out of it. Follow a few “rules” like Kristin has outlined, and the rest is a delicate dance or watching the lines. :-) But it shouldn’t be stressful–the planning should alleviate the stress!
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My family went 2 years ago from Jan 10 – 19. It is my understanding that this is their slowest time of the year. We didn’t have to wait very long to ride anything, and it never felt crowded to me. We did have to pull the kids out of school for this but we live in NH, so between the MLK holiday and the 2 snow days they ended up having back home, they only ended up missing 2 days 0f school for a 10 day trip. It was Awesome!
Thanks Kristin, I’ll look for your 2009 trip report, I’m sure that will help too since it was the same time as when we’re going. I’m a planner, but not even CLOSE to your planning skills!!
I read somehwere that they are adding on to Dumbo. Is this ride closed?
We LOVE Mickey’s PhillharMagic! What an awesome show!
Kristin, have you been to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? I know this is not an option for some, but is so worth the effort. We live in Florida, so it is a bit easier for us. We also homeschool, so school ours are not a problem. We love Disney on the weekdays and avoid weekends as much as possible. We go every year. Mickey let’s you in about 4 pm and kicks out everyone else around 7pm. This way you can ride the attractions that are not open for the party like the Jungle Cruise. After that you can walk on to about every ride except Peter Pan. But, it’s only about a 5-10 minute wait. We did not even have to get off the tea cups to ride again as there was no one else in line. Hoping to go this year for the Halloween party also!
Yes Kelly, you are a little bit wrong but you don’t have to be stressed out. We went at the exact same time last year that you are going this year. The crowds will be thick but not bad. If you have a plan and you know when to ride which ride, you won’t end up having to wait in line. Have you read my 2009 trip report? That would give you some ideas. You are also welcome to email me. I’m always glad to help people work out their plans.
All your tips every day are awesome, and I’m grateful, but I’m freaking out! It feels like I need to have a plan for every minute of the day or I’m just going to be waiting in line after line. we’re going for my son’s 5th birthday on May 13th and I thought since most schools aren’t out quite yet, it should be quieter and I wouldn’t have to worry about all the…make a mad dash to Dumbo, get a fast pass for Peter Pan…etc….am I wrong?? Do I have to be stressed out??
Great tips! I thought this was interesting because our family “made up” the tradition that we ride Dumbo the very first on the first day and the Carousel very last on the last day. Of course we do Disneyland so the lines are not quite as insane I would guess. But we all love that we know those two things for sure, with a lot of Dole Whips inbetween!
I was 34 years old when we went in 2007 and rode Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Let me tell you – it is appropriately named! I was scared to death. It gets pitch black dark in some parts of it and I was honestly waiting for something to reach out and grab me! :-)
When we were there last June, my dh went to get fastpasses for Peter Pan and we got “pixiedusted” with bonus fast passes for the Phillharmagic! Such a great show! Love the blog and btw, I am so impressed with your savings! Have a great trip!
When we stayed on Disney property and took advantage of the extra magic hours in the morning, we absolutely loved it. We were able to get into Fantasy Land and get onto many of the rides with hardly any wait. I would definitely recommend that if you are able to do it.
Fantasy Land is my favorite area in the Magic Kingdom also. So many fun rides. I can’t wait to go back.
Its a MAGICAL place! I work there in FantasyLand……Are you going to point out the MANY hidden Mickeys on the rides & stores as well?!
Thanxs 4 ALL you do