Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Lotion-View-1419.asp" target="_blank"><b>LP Lotion: Princesses Will Call Fantasy Faire New Home in Disneyland on March 12</b></a> Doug Marsh gets an early look at the new Fantasy Faire area coming to Disneyland on March 12th.
Originally Posted By Bellella Oh, we all know how this is going to go. This area will be completely over-run constantly causing mobility issues and a lot of angry families who can't understand why they have to wait for hours on end just so their kids can meet a princess. I can't wait to see the angry queue lines. So, what happens to the Fantasy Faire actually located in Fantasyland?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros It's fine by me if this area becomes a congested clusterflop. That means that congestion will be removed from other areas of the park, and relocated to this out-of-the-way location. The old Fantasy Fair location will return to its old self, as a working theater that can put on shows for thousands of guests at a time. Mickey and the Magic Map will debut in late spring/early summer. Am I the only one a little concerned that the "semi-private" meeting quarters might not be isolated enough from each other? I know that the space in the Fantasyland Theater didn't have full height walls, but they also only had one set of princesses. It might ruin the magic if you can hear the conversation on the other side of the wall, since they'll have duplicates of the same princesses here. And does anybody know if the new princess shop will mean that one of the locations within Fantasyland proper might change its merchandise selections? I know that's probably wishful thinking, but I'm not sure we need 3 stores within 100 yards of each other all selling only princess merchandise. Overall, great update! I can't believe how far along they are already, especially on the interiors.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Ferret, it was explained by Lutz several months ago that there were going to be two identical meeting corridors on each side of a solid wall. I think this excellent photo essay by Doug shows just one of those corridors, with the little alcoves for each princess along that corridor being described as "semi-private". Semi-private is also used to describe recovery rooms in hospital wards, which might be apt for this concept. Personally, I'm THRILLED with this Fantasy Faire concept and its execution. The Plaza Gardens was an unused dead corner of the park, filled in with flopping tartlets and thuglets in sequins and heavy makeup doing the latest bump-n-grind routines to pop songs under the direction of various "Dance Studios" from the suburbs. Barf. The previous afternoon use of this otherwise dead space. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkTGyHA6W3U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...GyHA6W3U</a> WOOHOO! GO MADISON! And evening swing dancing, which was a more gracious use of the space than its afternoon tenants, was also aimed at a tiny minority of park visitors. Mostly AP's who came in and camped out for a few hours regularly. Fantasy Faire puts all this previously under-used space to excellent work, and with a princess boutique and snack bar the space also become revenue generating where before had just been AP's nursing Cokes all night as their big expense, and suburban tartlets performing for their chaperones. Let the stroller brigade descend on this previously dead corner and duke it out amongst themselves. Gotta get that picture or the entire childhood is RUINED, after all.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I can appreciate this project from a architectural point of view (despite the fact the whole meet+greet concept falls completely flat for me) - <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/Lotion-View-1419-4.asp" target="_blank">http://www.laughingplace.com/L...19-4.asp</a> It looks like they are applying the same level of detail .. found in the Buena Vista Street shops and restaurants. It's coming alone nicely. Someday ... I'll have to check it out in person ... just before closing of the park, when all the princesses and such .. have gone away for the evening (Get lost! ;-) ) - but the area still open .. to roam through. And check out the fine details of the structures. Thanks for a great report!
Originally Posted By leemac Oy vey - I pity the poor Ops cast members that will have to police this concept! I'm struggling to grasp how that space will handle anything more than light crowds.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>...there were going to be two identical meeting corridors on each side of a solid wall.<< Yes, I get the concept, but that's not what they appeared to build. They have two sides that guests can walk through, but they're not completely isolated. If you check out this photo, it shows that the walls go up about 7-8', and have a gap about 3' high before the ceiling, where the chandelier hangs over the walls: <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/Showpic.asp?filename=http://s231432788.onlinehome.us/lotion/pics/SS20130205-DLFantasyFaire/big/P04-3.jpg&caption=Four+semi%2Dprivate+areas+will+be+available+for+guests+to+meet+the+Princesses" target="_blank">http://www.laughingplace.com/S...incesses</a> Now check out the first photo here: <a href="http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/177972-blue-sky-cellar-update-fantasy-faire-photos.html" target="_blank">http://micechat.com/forums/dis...tos.html</a> The area at about 10 o'clock (assuming the fountain is the center) is the same area shown in the first photo, showing how both sides of the experience will share this space, even though the guests will only visit 2 of the 4 bays. It may end up not being an issue once you add in the other noises and background music that you'll hear in there, but it just seems like a very strange design choice to me. Then again, it also seems strange that they released a floor plan that so blatantly shows that there will be 2 separate sets of princesses.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I'll have to check it out in person ... just before closing of the park, when all the princesses and such .. have gone away for the evening> That's probably how I'll see it too, next time I'm back. Is the Figaro on the windowsill going to be an AA? That and the mechanical music box I'd like to see, as well as the buildings themselves. The rest I'll leave for the intended audience.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I hear ya Lee...though I was at DL Christmas week and they handled big crowds/long waits for the princesses along Small World mall pretty well. I think in general DL does a good job of running long queues in tight spaces. That said, I'm sure the initial crowds will be long, like everything else brand new at DL as the locals descend on it for their first look.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Ferret, I can see what you mean. Although I see 6 greeting spots; the four in the back, and then two in the front. My guess is, that it will help with air flow, and also, since there will be so many princesses, and families inside, the din of the kids will probably drown out any potential for identifying that there might be two Cinderellas in there. The potential to see double princesses is minimized too, since the families will be ushered out one side or the other. I don't think it will be a big problem, actually.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Looking at the exits, they've designed it so that you can't see into the other side at all, it's a winding corridor. There really is no chance to see anything on the other side.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Oops, I got the exit and entrance confused. 4 grouped in front, and 2 in the back. Still has winding corridors at the entrance and exit though, to prevent any princess trauma.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Ferret, I think you're the victim of an optical illusion. When I look closely, I see a solid wall there and the chandelier is hanging only in one room, not both. <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/Showpic.asp?filename=http://s231432788.onlinehome.us/lotion/pics/SS20130205-DLFantasyFaire/big/P04-3.jpg&caption=Four+semi%2Dprivate+areas+will+be+available+for+guests+to+meet+the+Princesses" target="_blank">http://www.laughingplace.com/S...incesses</a> There's a solid black wall there, about six inches behind the decorative woodwork, and the black wall will likely get wallpaper or other surface treatment eventually to give the room depth. And the chandelier hangs center in that one room. There would be an identical room and chandelier on the other side of the solid wall there.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I can never look at the old bandstand and not think about this: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR_rOAdrT9w" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...rOAdrT9w</a>
Originally Posted By Yookeroo I was by there yesterday and it's really looking great. Big improvement over what was there before.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>I can never look at the old bandstand and not think about this:<< Wow! I'm sorry!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>When I look closely, I see a solid wall there and the chandelier is hanging only in one room, not both. << In this picture, it sure looks like the chandalier is centered over the intersection of the 4 central photo locations. The angle is looking down one of the walls, rather than toward the intersection of the walls, where the princess will presumably stand. If you look in the upper left, you'll see the edge of the chandalier hanging partly over the wall, but it looks like it also extends beyond the frame of the photo, behind the wall. Toward the right, you can see how big the space is between the divider wall and the ceiling (and I agree that the black space will likely be receiving some sort of wallpaper or something) <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/Showpic.asp?filename=http://s231432788.onlinehome.us/lotion/pics/SS20130205-DLFantasyFaire/big/P04-5.JPG&caption=" target="_blank">http://www.laughingplace.com/S...caption=</a> >>I can never look at the old bandstand and not think about this:<< I think you just ruined the bandstand for the rest of us too. : )
Originally Posted By TP2000 Hans, that was fantastic. And terrifying. I kept marveling at the HUGE SMILES constantly on these kids. And the perky dance steps. And the horrible matching polyester leisure suits. But I also couldn't stop noticing all the smooth painted slurry ground treatments in the whole park. Slurry was everywhere back then. It looked good in Tomorrowland, but horrible in Frontierland. The themed ground treatment they have now at Disneyland looks much better. Plus they probably save a fortune by not having to recoat it every year.
