Fantasyland has always been one of my favorite lands that the Disney parks have to offer.  No matter how old you are, the moment you step foot in that land you instantly become a little kid again.  It carries so many memories of childhood dreams coming true.  But sometimes it can be super crowded, with hour and a half lines for a 4 minute ride.  My number one way to avoid these crowds, is to go at night!  

Fantasyland takes on a whole new life when the sun goes down. Most families with younger kids have returned home after the parade and fireworks which means, Fantasyland is up for grabs!  The lights are on for every ride and the atmosphere has completely changed.  This is a great time to get on those rides that have had an hour plus wait all day.

As you enter into Fantasyland that is in the shadow of either Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella Castle, the view of the carousel and the other attractions is breathtaking.  The lights are on, the crowds are thinner, and it is literally a dream.  

A ride that is a must to hit at this time is Peter Pan’s Flight.  Even though this ride is an indoor attraction and the nighttime doesn’t add to it, the line is much shorter.  So you can get on the ride in less time and still have time to hit up other places in Fantasyland. Another one of my musts is my favorite ride to go on at night: The Mad Tea Party. The lights are vibrant and just adds to the joyfulness this ride gives you. To me, the experience is just a lot more fun.  

New Fantasyland at night is also a blast.  During my first visit to Walt Disney World, my mother and I stayed in Magic Kingdom until 2am in the morning.  We decided to hit up the newly opened New Fantasyland and boy, was that a blast.  We rode The Barnstormer when there was no line at all.  This ride is a fun little kid roller coaster, but at night in the dark, you can’t see what is up ahead, so it takes on an extra thrill.  There was also no one else there, so the cast members allowed us to just stay seated and continue riding until we wanted to get off.  We also took this opportunity to do some character meet and greets at Casey’s Circus. Again, there were no lines so we had a great time meeting Goofy and Donald.  

Even when it rains, Fantasyland at night can be a blast.  On my honeymoon with my husband Andrew, it was pouring down rain the night we wanted to walk through the land. The lights were reflecting in all the puddles which added a whole other magical element to Fantasyland.  I also must say that riding Dumbo in the rain is also really fun.  Again – there were no lines and because it was night time, riding up high gave you a beautiful view of all the attraction lights with Cinderella Castle glimmering in the background.

Fantasyland is so much fun and I believe the magic comes to life just a little bit more when the sun goes down and the lights come on.  Enjoy!

– Melissa L.