Smart Traveller

In our third post about Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, we’re taking a look at the Fantasyland section of the park.

Fantasyland - Cinderella Castle and Rides

Fantasyland is particularly suitable for young children, as many of its rides are gentle and based on characters from popular fairy tales. The best-known attraction in Fantasyland is Cinderella Castle. The second floor of the castle is home to Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant, one of the Disney venues which operates character dining (i.e. Disney characters are present in the restaurant during the meal).

There are a number of rides in Fantasyland: “it’s a small world”; Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventures; Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel; Dumbo the Flying Elephant; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; and the Mad Tea Party.

“it’s a small world” is best-known for featuring one of the most irritating songs ever written. Once you’ve been on the ride, you won’t be able to get it out of your head. The ride takes you on a boat ride around the world, past animatronic dolls dressed in various national costumes. It lasts for about 10 minutes and is particularly suitable for families with young children.

Peter Pan’s Flight is one of the most popular rides in the Fantasyland section of the park. It’s one of Disney’s older rides and is less high-tech than many of the rides in the park, but it still has a magical feel to it. Guests travel in  “pirate ships”, which fly through the Darling’s nursey, over the city of London and into Neverland. Queues tend to be long for this ride, so take advanage of Disney’s Fastpass system.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures is another of the park’s older rides. On this ride, you’ll travel through scenes from Disney’s animated movie in a mine car. It’s a great family ride, but some very young children may find this ride a bit too frightening. They will, however, enjoy Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel, where they can ride on one of 90 beautifully decorated horses.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is similar in style to Adventureland’s  Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride, and will take you up above the park in a gondola designed to look like Disney’s famous elephant, whilst The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride takes you on a journey through 100 Acre Wood in a “hunny pot” car to see all your favourite characters from A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books (watch out for Woozles and Heffalumps!).

Finally, no trip to the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland is complete without a ride in one of the Mad Tea Party’s spinning tea cups. The ride itself spins, but you can also make your own tea cup spin by using the controls inside of it.

Fantasyland - Other Attractions and Shows

Fantasyland’s other attractions are: Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Storytime with Belle, Ariel’s Grotto and Pooh’s Playful Spot.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a 3D movie featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” and many other Disney characters. Storytime with Belle is a small show, in which Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” tells a story. Children can dress up and play an active part in this show, which is held in Fairy Tale Garden, close to Cinderella Castle. The area outside of the castle is also the venue for the Dream-Along with Mickey show, which is performed several times each day.

You can meet Ariel, star of “The Little Mermaid”, in Ariel’s Grotto, which is decorated with an under-the-sea theme, and toddlers can let off some steam in Pooh’s Playful Spot, a themed playground area.

Fantasyland - Restaurants and Shops

The main restaurant in Fantasyland is the Cinderella Royal Table restaurant, but there is also a counter-service restaurant, Pinnochio Village Haus, which serves pizzas, chicken strips, fries, salads and a range of desserts and drinks.

You can also buy cookies, ice creams and drinks at Mrs Potts’ Cupboard and drinks at The Enchanted Grove.

Shops in Fantasyland include Pooh’s Thotful Shop, where you can buy a range of Winnie-the-Pooh themed gifts, and Seven Dwarfs Mine, which sells Snow White-themed merchandise. Children can also get a Disney-style make-over in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Cinderella Castle.

Fantasyland - New Developments

Disney is planning to redevlop and expand the Fantasyland area of the Magic Kindom during the next few years. According to wdwinfo.com, Disney has announced that a new ride based on “The Little Mermaid” will be constructed and other attractions which enable children to interact with their favourite Disney princesses and villains will be added.

In the next post in this series, we will be looking the other two areas of the park that you can explore before heading back to your hotel or hire car - Mickey’s Toontown Fair and Tomorrowland.

Image: Simsim2009

The Spanish city of Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso, is a popular tourist destination and has many attractions, including historic buildings, beautiful parks and gardens, and more than 20 museums. It’s also within easy reach of a number of other excellent tourist destinations, so if you hire a car during your holiday, you’ll be able to enjoy day trips as well as exploring the city itself.

Here are three places that you can visit on day trips in your Malaga hire car:

1. Ronda. The historic and picturesque village of Ronda is situated to the west of Malaga and it will take you about an hour and 40 minutes to drive there in your Malaga hire car. Park your rental car and take a stroll through Ronda to see some of its historic buildings and ruins, such as the Arab Public Baths, the Palace of the Arabian King and the Palace of Mondragon. Ronda is also known as the birthplace of modern bullfighting, and you can visit its bullring and take a tour of the Bullfighting Museum.

2. Benalmadena. This Costa del Sol resort lies to the west of Malaga and is comprised of three areas: the Old Town (Benalmadena Pueblo), the beach resort (Benalmadena Costa) and the neighbouring commercial district of Arroyo Miel. It will only take you about half an hour to reach Benalmadena in your Malaga rental car.

Head for Benalmadena Costa and take a stroll along the beach or wander through the cobbled streets of Benalmadena Pueblo, where you can enjoy seeing the traditional Andalucian architecture, shop for souvenirs or stop for a meal in one of the restaurants. In the Arroyo Miel district, you’ll find some great family attractions, such as Tivoli World, which has a wide range of rides and shows.

3. Granada. The city of Granada is about an hour and a half’s drive from Malaga, but it’s well worth making the journey, as there is plenty to see and do there.

Granada has some beautiful architecture, with many of the city’s historic buildings showing a strong Islamic influence. Make sure that you visit the Alhambra, which was constructed during the 14th century and was the official residence of Granada’s Muslim rulers. Within the Alhmabra, you’ll find the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the site, and the Palace of Carlos V, which was constructed during the 16th Century on the orders of Emperor Charles V, as well the Casa Real, which includes the beautiful Court of Lions.

Other attractions in Granada include Granada Cathedral, the Archaeological Museum of Granada and Sacromonte Abbey.

Image: Elena Magaeva

If you’re a fan of F1, you may be considering travelling to see some of the races in the 2010 season.  Smart Traveller is going to be featuring a series of posts taking a look at the destinations hosting the races in the 2010 Formula 1  World Championship Race Calendar.

The schedule for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship is:

• Bahrain Grand Prix (12 - 14 March 2010)
• Australian Grand Prix (26 - 28 March 2010)
• Malaysian Grand Prix (2 - 4 April 2010)
• Chinese Grand Prix (16 - 18 April 2010)
• Spanish Grand Prix (7 - 9 May 2010)
• Monaco Grand Prix (13 - 16 May 2010)
• Turkish Grand Prix (28 - 30 May 2010)
• Canadian Grand Prix (11 - 13 June 2010)
• Grand Prix of Europe (25 - 27 June 2010)
• British Grand Prix (9 - 11 July 2010)
• German Grand Prix (23 - 25 July 2010)
• Hungarian Grand Prix (30 July - 1 August 2010)
• Belgian Grand Prix (27 - 29 August 2010)
• Italian Grand Prix (10 - 12 September 2010)
• Singapore Grand Prix (24 - 26 September 2010)
• Japanese Grand Prix (8 - 10 October 2010)
• Korean Grand Prix (22 - 24 October 2010)
• Brazilian Grand Prix (5 - 7 November 2010)
• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (12 - 14 November 2010).

In the next post in this series, we’ll be taking a look at Bahrain, the venue for the first Grand Prix of the 2010 season.