It’s been almost three years since Walt Disney World temporarily closed its doors due to the global pandemic. And while the resort only remained completely shuttered for a few months, compared to Disneyland Resort that was closed for over a year, there was a lot that remained closed when the doors of the park reopened. Even years later not every attraction has reopened, but things will get that much closer to “back to normal” very soon as Ariel and Belle and getting ready to return to Magic Kingdom.
Any activity that involved live cast members getting close to guests have been some of the last to return to Disney World. Hugging your favorite costumed character only became possible again last year. But several other meet and greet opportunities continued to remain unavailable.
Today Attractions Magazine reported that two popular character interactions, the Ariel meet and greet, found in Ariel’s Grotto at Magic Kingdom, and the Enchanted Tales with Belle, will be back soon. The Little Mermaid will be back with guests on January 17, while the Beauty and the Beast experience begins again February 22.
These two attraction returns follow Pete’s Silly Sideshow, which gives guests an opportunity to meet up with Goofy and Donald among others. That meet and greet just returned last week. These three experiences make up some of the most significant attractions that had yet to return to Walt Disney World. Once they’re all back Disney World will be largely back to the same list of offerings it had before things closed down.
It's almost surprising to see these attractions return after all this time. While the pandemic was certainly a unique situation for Walt Disney World, it's far from unusual to see attractions in the park close for any reason, and simply never reopen. While Enchanted Tales with Belle and Pete's Silly Sideshow had been listed as "Returning Soon," it was just as likely we would get an announcement they were being replaced with something new as one telling us they were finally coming back.
These finishing touches on Magic Kingdom are taking place just as the park is about to go through some significant changes. Splash Mountain is set to shut down next week in order to undergo its complete transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Only a few weeks later, however, we’ll see a major new attraction open as Tron: Lightcycle Run is set to open April 4.
CinemaBlend has you covered for all your theme park information needs. If you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World soon you'll want to be aware what Disney attractions are set to be refurbished and when brand new Disney World attractions are planned to open so you can get the most out of your experience.
