Now that we’ve made our way down Main Street, we are going to venture further into the rest of the park and see what we can discover. There are many different directions that we can go once we reach the gardens in front of Cinderella Castle, but today we are going go straight through the center and explore Fantasyland (technically New Fantasyland). While you roam through the middle of the castle, be sure to take in the gorgeous mosaic on the wall. Those little tiles were individually hand-set and tell the story of Cinderella. This is also where you’ll find the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Once through the castle you’ll find yourself standing at Prince Charming’s Royal Carousel. From here, head through the turrets that will bring you into the newest section of the Magic Kingdom. The first section you encounter is themed to Beauty and the Beast. Here you’ll find some of the other gems we’ll be exploring soon, including Be Our Guest Restaurant. Today, though, we are going past provincial France and into the world of Eric and Ariel. Find the front of the ship and Ariel’s castle, and you are ready to venture under the sea.
This is one of my very favorite queues in the park. Standing on the grounds of what used to be the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction, Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid immediately immerses you in the magic. Look under your feet as you walk down the sidewalk and notice the shells and rocks that must have come from Ariel’s home. To one side you’ll get to see a beautiful waterfall just before delving into a cavern that brings you further into the depths of the attraction. Look closely and you might just see a familiar row boat. Here you’ll be greeted by Scuttle, who will encourage you to play a game with a few of his crab friends to help keep Ariel’s grotto organized. Make your way through the line and you will finally find yourself in the enchanted cavern that will whisk you into Ariel’s story.
Against a beautiful backdrop reminiscent of the sunset at the beginning of the story, pink clamshell vehicles glide by, waiting for you to board. Hop on and Scuttle will be ready to greet you. He lets you know that this is the story of Ariel as he remembers it as you go by him sitting on a stack of cargo boxes playing his accordion. As you go around the corner and he warns you that the story is getting away from him, we enter my favorite part of the ride. The clam starts to turn around and a cooler temperature tells you that you are heading into a new experience. Watch the shell in front of you for a gorgeous display of bubbles and waves that correspond with the sound of a splash.
We’re under the sea!
Be sure to look overhead for a surprise!
The ride then follows along closely to the movie, seamlessly blending songs and dialogue along with animatronic scenes that tell you the whole story. I notice something different each time I ride it and I love the chance to sing along and feel like I’m one of the fish dancing around in the water, which is about how big you feel thanks to the scale of the displays. When Mr. Fil traveled with us, he always got growly during the scene with Ursula. I’m sure he thought he was protecting us from the giant octo-woman.
The moment of transitioning from mermaid to human feels appropriately suspenseful and you get another chance to experience that shift from water to land. The temperature gets a little warmer and you see the bubbles disappear. You then have the chance to glimpse in at Eric and Ariel as they fall in love. Be sure to look for Flounder spitting water during “Kiss the Girl”! Just as it should, the experience ends with a joyful wedding complete with fireworks.
Scuttle welcomes you back to reality and assures you that they all lived “happily ever after”.
If your journey has inspired you to spend some more time with Ariel, head next door to her grotto where she meets in her mermaid tail. Visitors even get a chance to sit in her clam shell with her!
This is a favorite experience for my family and one that the baby and I always look forward to riding together during our “Mama-Baby Day” each trip. Ariel is my favorite princess and it makes my heart so happy to see my daughter love her just as much. Almost 30 years later, another little redheaded girl is thrilled to see herself in a strong, creative, independent princess who also gets to be with the person she loves at the end. Perfect.
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Taryn was born and raised, and still lives in Richmond, Virginia. Neither she nor her husband ever had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World when they were children, but when their daughter Avalon came along, they decided she was not going to follow in their footsteps. They brought Avalon for the first time when she was 3 and have been hooked ever since. Now along with Taryn’s mother and equally Disney-loving older brother, they go “home” at least once a year, and by the time she is staring longingly at Cinderella Castle from the ferry on their last night, Taryn is well on her way to planning the next trip. As a group consisting of two adults with Asperger’s, including one who is also vegan, a very accommodating husband, an only child, a senior, and a service dog, they are a pretty special family, but Taryn is excited to show that the World really is The Most Magical Place on Earth and that there is a place there for everyone. When she isn’t thinking about her next Disney adventure and trying to come up with a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party costume that will beat her Oozma Kappa nerd look, she is a professional blogger and novelist, but Taryn also likes to indulge her Disney passion on her Etsy shop It’s Better in Vinyl.
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