Category Archives: Disney News

Good Afternoon Readers,

I want to make a correction to the article I posted yesterday in regards to the Grand Opening Announcement for Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.  In the description about the Gaston’s Tavern  will be serving alcoholic drinks on their menu.  This information is incorrect, the Be Our Guest Restaurant will be the one serving alcoholic drinks.  I will be posting further information as to when it will be served during the day.  

In my opinion, these kind of refreshments are best served during the dinner time where the consumption of said drinks are done in the restaurant.  This is the first restaurant in the 41 years of operations of the Magic Kingdom to serve alcoholic drinks to regular guests during meals.

Disney has expressed to guests that the introduction of alcohol is in keeping with the theme of the restaurant and area of the park.  There have been many discussions about this in the Disney Fan communities on both sides of the debate.  I honestly can say I am going to wait and see what will happen over the next couple of months.

Update:  The official opening of the Be Our Guest restaurant is November 19th, 2012.  

Walt Disney World Resort has officially set the Grand Opening date for Fantasyland as December 6th, 2012.  They have also announced that previews will begin as early as November 19th.  The following areas are expected to debut during the Grand Opening:

• Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid, a duplicate of the new adventure that opened in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California last year.  This is a dark-ride that will take guests through the underworld life of the characters of the Disney Classic Film, “The Little Mermaid”, which debuted in movie theaters in 1989.  This attraction will come out into the Character Meet and Greet area known as “Ariel’s Grotto“, where guests will be able to meet Ariel herself.
• Be Our Guest Restaurant, is slated to debut officially on this day.  There will be multiple themed dining rooms ranging from the grand ball room to the mysterious “West Wing”.  This is going to be a duel serving type of restaurant depending on the time of day.  During Lunch, the restaurant will serve meals as a quick-service restaurant where guests will walk up to counters and order their meals before sitting down.  During the dinner meals, the restaurant will be a full service dining experience.  This will unfortunately not be a character meal location.  
• Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts, will open in the nearby village allowing guests to do some shopping and to wet their palate.  Early menu’s for the Gaston’s Tavern shows that there will be some nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks available for sale there.  
• Enchanted Tales with Belle will open in Belle’s cottage just outside of town.  This will be a interactive re-telling of the, as Disney puts it, “tale as old as time.”  This will allow guests of all ages to take part in story time.  Guests will also be able to explore Maurice’s (Belle’s Father) workshop.  The actual tales take place in the library of the Beast castle where guests will be magically transported to.  Belle and Lumiere are the characters slated to be a part of this experience.

Disney has also tentatively set the openings of Princess Fairytale Hall and The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train starting in 2013 and as late as 2014.  I will definitely keep you all informed of future announcements from Disney regarding the official dates for these attractions.

(Note:  Source for this article is:  http://wdwnews.com/releases/2012/08/07/fantasyland/)