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New Fantasyland to open December 6 at Magic Kingdom; previews start November 19

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At long last, the waiting is almost over. We finally have a date. The bulk of the New Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World will officially open on December 6. There will be passholder and DVC previews and likely some previews for all guests starting November 19.

Included in the new section of the land opening later this year are:

  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid;
  • Be Our Guest Restaurant;
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle;
  • Ariel’s Grotto;
  • Gaston’s Tavern; and
  • Bonjour! Village Gifts.


The ride portion of the Little Mermaid attraction will be identical to the version of the ride at Disney California Adventure park, though the queue and entire exterior theme will be completely different. The attraction will have Fastpass. Enchanted Tales with Belle is a plussed-up meet-and-greet that is expected to be so spectacular that it will also open with a Fastpass entry. Ariel's Grotto will be your place to meet and greet the popular aquatic princess.

Be Our Guest Restaurant will be a completely new concept in Disney dining. The location will provide enhanced quick service at lunch, then turn into a table service location with reservations for dinner. It is likely that Be Our Guest may require as early reservations as Cinderella's Royal Table. Gaston's Tavern will provide another dining location in previously-sparse Fantasyland. Bonjour! Village Gifts will be the area's merchandise location.

The first part of Storybook Circus opened earlier, featuring the re-themed Barnstormer featuring Goofy as The Great Goofini, the double Dumbo spinner attraction, and the Carol Pacific railroad station. The last pieces of Storybook Circus, Pete's Silly Sideshow meet and greet location and Big Top Souvenirs, are expected to open before November.

Exact dates for Passholder and DVC previews have yet to be announced, but they will likely precede the previews for all guests. Keep your eyes open, and we'll keep you up to date as we find out the news.

After the big opening in December, the only remaining pieces of New Fantasyland (at least, those that have already been announced) will be Princess Fairytale Hall, a mega-princess meet and greet location, opening in 2013 and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, opening in 2014.

What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments below or on our MousePad discussion forums!

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