Magical Kingdoms Disney Blog

The biggest land at both parks, being home to the most attractions, Fantasyland at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Paris shares quite a few similar attractions.

At WDW’s Magic Kingdom, guests can board a horse for a ride on an old-fashioned carousel on Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel, whilst at DLRP’s Disneyland Park they can hop onto Le Carrousel de Lancelot. Disneyland’s version holds 86 hand-crafted horses (plus two carriages), and WDW’s features 90, each uniquely decorated. Riders on both carousels can enjoy listening to a selection of Disney tunes as they bob up and down on their steeds for two minutes.

Peter Pan’s Flight can be found at both parks, although guests on the Paris version will have to listen to the attraction in French, although this doesn’t really detract from the experience. Both offer Fastpass, and it’s advisable to make use of the free service as this is an eternally popular attraction! Guests can climb aboard a flying pirate ship for a three minute journey over a starlit London, then it’s off to Neverland where you’ll see Peter Pan & Captain Hook.

Dumbo The Flying Elephant is another attraction common to both parks. Each made up of 16 elephants holding 2 guests each, this has got to be one of the slowest rides to wait for, and is equally as popular with kids at Paris as it is in Orlando.

You either love it or hate it! Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about “it’s a small world“, a favourite of many a child, and probably hated by more adults than any other Disney attraction. DLRP’s version has a much more elaborate facade than WDW’s, and is much more like Disneyland California’s. On the quarter hour, a parade of wooden dolls emerge from the outer facade’s giant clock. Inside, the rides are very similar and neither has yet been given the Disney doll treatment that sister attractions in Disneyland California and Hong Kong have recently received. The Paris version does however feel much brighter inside, and has a number of interactive exhibits in the post-show area.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures’ French equivalent is known as Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (which translated is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and is equally as dark, and perhaps scary to some younger children, in both parks. Guests board cars themed after mine trains and embark on a fast-paced journey through the story of Snow White.

Magic Kingdom has the Mad Tea Party while Disneyland Park has Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. Essentially the same ride, with 18 over-sized tea cups that spin around when you turn the centre wheel.

Now we’ll move onto attractions that can’t be found in both parks…

DLRP’s Alice’s Curious Labyrinth is a fun maze, with the Queen of Hearts’ castle at its centre. Find your way through the maze, encountering characters from the Disney movie along the way, watched over the whole time by a giant grinning Cheshire cat. The attraction is unique to the Paris park and can’t be found at any other Disney Resort.

Casey Jr. - le Petit Train du Cirque can’t be found at WDW, but can be found at Disneyland California. Tucked away at the back of Fantasyland is a mini roller coaster based on the train from Disney’s “Dumbo.” The train speeds through the miniature towns of Storybook Land, which guests can experience on another Disneyland Park ride - Le Pays des Contes de Fees. If Casey Jr is too fast paced for you, try the slow boat ride of Le Pays des Contes de Fees, which is based on a similar attraction at Disneyland California, “Storybook Land Canal Boats.” This attraction features miniature settings from Disney movies, including The dwarfs’ mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Prince Eric’s seaside castle from The Little Mermaid.

Lastly at DLRP but not WDW is Les Voyages de Pinocchio, a dark ride that takes guests on a brief journey through the story of Pinocchio. Again a similar attraction can be found at California’s Disneyland as well as Tokyo Disney.

The Magic Kingdom has, in my opinion, one of the best Disney attractions, which Disneyland Park would be wise to add. Mickey’s Philharmagic is a magical 3D film spectacular following Donald Duck as he travels through scenes from various Disney films, complete with special effects.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is one other attraction that visitors to WDW will be able to ride, but DLRP is lacking. Boarding large “hunny pots”, guests travel through scenes from the storybook pages of the Hundred Acre Wood, experiencing a blustery day, bouncing along with Tigger, and encountering Heffalumps & Woozles.

Pooh’s Playful Spot is a minor attraction and the last one that is unique to Magic Kingdom. A small kid’s play area, based around the tales of Pooh and friends, it’s a good place for kids to let off steam while parents have a brief rest.

Both lands are overlooked by their respective castles - Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom and Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant - both compared in the previous Main Street article.

So, that’s our journey through two similar Fantasylands over with. Next time we’ll look at Tomorrowland / Discoveryland.

© MagicalKingdoms.com

If you like this post then please subscribe to the RSS feed.

Bookmark

             

Powered by Bookmarkify™