10 Things You Should Know About Visiting Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland

When visiting the Magic Kingdom, guests have the choice of visiting one of six themed lands. The largest and most popular of these lands is Fantasyland. Between dining experiences, attractions, and character interactions, there is much to know about visiting Fantasyland – here our ten things that you should know before your next trip!

10 – Impromptu Character Interactions – Fantasyland is home to a lot of pop-up character interactions that are not listed on your Times Guide. In addition to those characters, guest may run into fan favorites such as the Seven Dwarfs, Lady Tremaine and Cinderella’s step sisters, the Fairy Godmother, and maybe even Wendy. These interactions are not announced, but tend to occur in the early morning hours, so you may want to have Fantasyland be one of your first stops!

9 – Variety of Restaurant Choices – guests choosing Fantasyland for some fun have a wide array of restaurant choices to satisfy their appetite. Guests looking to take a load off and relax can find delicious options at Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest. Guests who are looking for a quicker (and cheaper) option can find great choices at Pinocchio’s Village Haus, Friar Nook’s, or Gaston’s Tavern. Guests who don’t want to miss a moment of fun can grab a pretzel or popcorn from snack carts outside the entrance to Storybook Circus. Plenty of options means that you won’t ever need to leave the land if you don’t want to!

8 – Distinct Mini-Land – with the construction of New Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown Fair was re-themed and is now called Storybook Circus. This distinctly-themed area of Fantasyland is home to the Barnstormer, Dumbo, as well as Pete’s Silly Sideshow (where guests can meet Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy), the Fantasyland Train Station, and Big Top Souvenirs. Families with little ones may also want to take in the Casey’s Jr. Soak Station if they’re visiting on a particularly hot day and need a respite from the heat!

7 – Happily Ever After – Fantasyland is a great choice of location to watch the evening show – Happily Ever After. While the massive crowds will swarm Main Street, Fantasyland offers the iconic castle backdrop, but shows the fireworks in an entirely different perspective. Some of the areas of Fantasyland are off-limits because they are in fireworks drop zones, but guests can get great (and uncrowded) views from Fantasyland! It’s true that you won’t see the projection aspects of the show which are relegated to the front of the castle, but when Main St. USA is swarmed with people, fantasyland is a welcome reprieve to enjoy the fireworks.

6 – FastPass Hot Spots – between Princess Fairytale Hall, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Peter Pan’s Flight, Fantasyland is home to some popular attractions – you may want to consider adding at least one of these to your FastPass touring plan if you want to experience any of the attractions as standby wait times for these attractions can easily reach triple digits on busy days at Magic Kingdom.

5 – Oldest Attraction – Fantasyland is home to the oldest attraction on property. Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel was once found off-property and was at risk of being stripped down and sold for parts, but Disney was able to save it and have it relocated to be the centerpiece of Fantasyland as guests gaze through Cinderella’s Castle as they walk down Main Street, U.S.A. There isn’t anything fancy about this carousel, but you’ll love taking a ride on it when visiting!

4 – Hidden Magic – Fantasyland is home to some great hidden pieces of Disney magic. We love looking at the Cinderella statue from two different perspectives (when viewed from a child’s perspective, she looks happy; from an adults, sad). We also like watching little kids (and sometimes adults) pull on Excalibur in front of the carousel and see if they have what it takes to be king. Lastly, we love trying to find the magic portals from the Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom game – it is always fun to see one of these portals light up unexpectedly!

3 – Characters Galore – in addition to the surprise characters, Fantasyland is home to a HUGE amount for guests to meet: Peter Pan, Belle, Merida, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Anna, Elsa, Ariel, Beast, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie. All of these characters have regular meet and greet times and guests wishing to meet them simply need to consult their Times Guide to see when they will be appearing!

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2 – Fun For Everyone – between the large attractions that let everyone participate (Philharmagic, Winnie the Pooh, and it’s a small world!) to some that are a little more intense (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the Barnstormer), there is plenty to see and do for every member of your family! We love re-discovering old favorites and finding new ones every time we are there!

1 – Delicious Snacks – Fantasyland is where we love to snack the most – between Mickey pretzels, popcorn, and churros, guests can also find delicious and decorative sweets at Big Top Souvenirs, sample decadent and hearty snacks from Friar’s Nook, or enjoy amazing soft-serve from Storybook Treats! With so many good choices, you’ll want to bring plenty of spending money and room in your stomach so you can sample it all!

Fantasyland is a great land to spend at least half a day so you can explore all of the corners and alcoves hidden for your enjoyment, as well as take in everything that it has to offer. Be sure to follow some of these tips for an enjoyable trip! What is your favorite thing about Fantasyland?

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