The Festival of Fantasy Parade debuted on March 9, 2014. As much as I wanted to drive right over to see the parade, I waited patiently knowing I would see the parade while I was at Walt Disney World for the Type-A WDW Conference at the end of the month. I couldn’t help but see pictures of the beautiful floats in my social media streams before I saw the parade in person but I refrained from watching videos of the parade because I wanted to experience it for myself first. I am so glad I waited! We were able to catch the parade twice while we were at the parks surrounding the conference. This parade is magnificent, beautiful, magical and whimsical. I can’t wait to see it again.

About the Festival of Fantasy Parade

Disney Festival of Fantasy parade is the first of a new generation of parades for Disney Parks featuring never-before-used technology on eye-popping floats adorned with Disney characters from more than a dozen fairytales. Set to an all-new musical score, the dazzling parade floats will soar up to three stories tall with spirited performers donning dramatic costumes crafted at ten different design houses across the country.

“The parade celebrates and pays homage to what the Magic Kingdom is all about,” said Randy Wojcik, senior show director Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Creative Entertainment. “It has the most beautiful floats, enchanting characters, vibrant costumes that come to life; and the choreography is just glorious. Yet, it is also very kinetic, relevant and powerful on a scale never seen before at Walt Disney World.”

Seven unique units comprised of nine spectacular floats march down Main Street, U.S.A to the beat of an original soundtrack inspired by favorite Disney films, composed by Mark Hammond, known for his work on World of Color at Disney California Adventure and the Flights of Fantasy parade at Hong Kong Disneyland. The parade has its own voice with a theme song customized for each float followed by a medley of songs woven throughout the cavalcade.

The Floats of the Festival of Fantasy Parade

The Princess Garden

This pageantry of princesses celebrates Disney royalty. Cinderella, Tiana and Belle accompanied by their respective princes, ride in a garden of topiaries with woodland creatures, birds and more. Cinderella’s dress playfully twirls like a turntable, while Swan Court couples lead the 50-foot-long majestic float, capped off with a special appearance by Anna and Elsa from Disney’s hit animated feature, “Frozen.”

Tangled

A massive long ship on the high seas showcases Flynn Rider and Rapunzel in search of adventure and another Best. Day. Ever! Rapunzel’s iconic tresses weave throughout this 36-foot-long float decked out with swaying pendulums carrying dastardly thugs.

The Little Mermaid

Ariel and her friends sit atop a colorfully kinetic seashell music box that boasts an enchanting musical jubilee. There’s no shortage of whimsy on this Under the Sea float with conga dancing fish kicking up their fins and bubbles galore. Shimmering fabrics and intricately designed costumes for the Lion Fish, Coral Fish, Seashell and Sea Horse performers are runway-inspired.

Peter Pan

Straight from Never Land come Peter Pan and Wendy soaring high aboard the famous Jolly Roger pirate ship complete with smoke effects and special surprises. A rainbow arch shines over Skull Rock and Tinker Bell nestled among giant flowers, while Captain Hook takes center stage on a swinging anchor. “Newsies-inspired” Lost Boys kick up their heels to high-energy choreography.

Brave

Celtic couples and a vessel shaped like an enormous bagpipe announce the arrival of Merida perched high on her majestic crown. Scottish dancers step to melodies of the Great Highlands in celebration of the popular Disney*Pixar film, “Brave.”

Sleeping Beauty

The heroic Prince Phillip battles a Steampunk-inspired Dragon as the wicked Maleficent. This float stretches 53 feet in length and 26 feet tall with a prickly spinning wheel dead center of the float. With fiery eyes and glowing effects the spectacular dragon was built on an articulating chassis allowing the float to bend and flex as it moves along the parade route – a first for Disney parades. This float was designed in a partnership with Tony Award-winner Michael Curry. There’s Prince Phillip, thorn-inspired stilt performers, dramatic raven dancers, plus the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather glide along the parade route.

Finale

The parade culminates with a 90-foot-long magical caravan of characters featuring Pinocchio, Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Mad Hatter, Pluto and more in a splashy carnival of color. There’s Pegasus horses, dancing hippos and sassy Bubble Girls with cotton-candy-like hair celebrating Storybook Circus in New Fantasyland. Sporting zany new costumes Mickey and Minnie Mouse sit sky high in Mickey’s Airship — a giant hot air balloon that rounds out Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade.

The Mom Maven’s Thoughts

If you are planning a Walt Disney World vacation, plan to see this parade more than once! The first time you watch it don’t use your phone or camera, just enjoy the parade. Let the music wash over you as the joy of the parade envelopes you. The second time you watch it, go ahead and take photos and capture the memories, not just of the beautiful parade but of the smiles on your kids’ faces as they watch the parade.

If you don’t have a vacation planned in the next few years, or if you just aren’t patient enough to wait, here is a compilation video by my friend John at BigFatPanda.com. He took videos of the parade on 3 different days from 3 different vantage points and compiled them into one awesome video. Enjoy!

What are your thoughts on the Festival of Fantasy Parade? Have you seen it in person? Did you watch the video or did you just look at the pictures? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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Princess Fairytale Hall is now THE place to meet your favorite Disney Princesses. During the preview we were asked if we wanted to meet Cinderella or Rapunzel…we chose Rapunzel. Most of the media chose Rapunzel too! We had to wait about a half hour to see Rapunzel while the Cinderella line was much shorter.

The attention to detail is amazing, as always. The building is an addition to the castle where Cinderella can visit with the other princesses and receive guests throughout the day. The windows, light fixtures and wall hangings are all very regal yet not over done. In the last section of the queue the wall are adorned with beautiful portraits of some of the Disney Princesses.

Just before you enter the meet and greet area, beautifully displayed, is Cinderella’s glass slipper!

We were excited when we entered the meet and greet space and found Snow White waiting to meet us also!

My friend John from BigFatPanda.com shot this video of his visit to Princess Fairytale Hall and I thought you might like to see it.

I think Princess Fairytale Hall is a great addition to Fantasyland. It will be a very popular spot so I do suggest adding it to your Fastpass+ while planning your visit to the Magic Kingdom.

Join Mouse House Memories

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Located just past the Liberty Square entrance to Fantasyland, the Tangled Rest Area is a highly themed area that includes bathrooms, tables, seats and…charging stations! I am so excited about the charging station because back in October while I was at the New Fantasyland Blogger Event, Tom Skaggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and resorts asked us what they had missed in New Fantasyland. At first we couldn’t think of anything and then several of us said, charging stations. Everyone has smartphones now a days and most of us use them to take pictures of our kids and instantly share them on social media. Unfortunately, our batteries don’t survive a long day in the park, and charging stations would not only help parents but in the end, it would be good PR for Disney because more people will be able to share their pictures from Disney World-showing their friends how much fun they are having. He asked how to hide the charging stations into the theming and we said, “in trees”. This is exactly how they did it in the Tangled Rest Area! I am excited to think that we not only got to make history in the Magic Kingdom that weekend but we also influenced theme park design going into the future.

Charging Stations

The Tangled themed rest rooms are large and dare I say, beautiful inside and out.

Tangled Restrooms

You and your children can even search for Pascal and his friends along the creek bank.

Next time you are at the Magic Kingdom, stop by and take a rest in the Tangled Rest Area, I hear it is even more beautiful at night!

Join Mouse House Memories

1. Write a post about Disney and add it to the Linky. Make sure you link to the actual post and not to your home page. Links that go to a home page will be deleted. Linky will be open Monday-Sunday of each week.
2. In your post mention that you are linking up to Mouse House Memories at TheMomMaven.com.
3. Optional but appreciated. Use the “Mouse House Memories Badge” at the top of this post  in your post, sidebar or blogroll and link back to the main Mouse House Memories post http://themommaven.com/2013/01/mouse-house-memories-2013/.

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#3

Disney Social Media Moms 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is a highlight of every year. This year was extra special because we got to bring Summer with us on her first ever Disney vacation.

#2

Dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant

#1

Making History in the Magic Kingdom To know I am forever a part of Magic Kingdom history is just…magical!

I can’t wait to make new Disney memories in 2013!

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On our tour of New Fantasyland we went to the bridge at Ariel’s Grotto. We were each handed a beautiful Beauty and the Beast champagne flute with water in it. The water was saved from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction which closed in 1994, and stood where the new Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction now stands.

After some brief words by Imagineer Chris Kelly, we all poured water from the Magic Kingdom’s past into Ariel’s Grotto, thus joining the past with the present and future.

I really can’t find the words to describe how it felt to be a part of such a magical, historical moment in the Magic Kingdom.

Disclosure: I was a guest of Walt Disney World for the New Fantasyland preview. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Mussels from Be Our Guest Restaurant

I’d love to hear which dining option you are looking forward to experiencing on your next trip to Walt Disney World. Leave me a comment and let me know!

Disclosure: I was a guest of Walt Disney World for the New Fantasyland preview. All opinions are 100% mine.

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I will be tweeting, Facebooking and Instagramming (MomMaven) as much as the battery on my phone will allow using the hashtag #NewFantasyland so please follow me around, ask questions, like/comment/retweet as much as you can so that we can share this sneak peek of the lagest addition in Magic Kingdom history with as many people as possible.

We won’t receive our itinerary until we arrive at the Polynesian Resort Monday morning so this is just one big surprise after another. Aaron is coming with me and we will be heading to Epcot once we check in so that we can enjoy some more Food & Wine Festival deliciousness before our first scheduled activity at 4pm. We will be at Walt Disney World Monday-Wednesday so if you are around tweet me, maybe we can meet up! I promise, you will get a full report when I get home.

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What are your thoughts? Are you excited about what is on the horizon for Fantasyland? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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