We all know that one girl who dreams of being a princess. In my family, that is me. I not only love princesses, but I was obsessed with fairytales as a child. It’s not something that I hide. Most everyone who knows me, knows that about me. I consider myself to be an expert on princesses and fairytales, especially Disney ones. As a result, I thought that I would help everyone out and give the run-down on all of the princesses experiences that you can find at Walt Disney World. Put them all together, and you have the ultimate princess experience for the princess lover in your family. I’m going to break it down by park, then cover all the experiences outside the parks. I’ll cover rides, shows, character meet and greets, and dining. I’ll even throw in some hidden gems that hide in plain sight. Are you ready?
Obviously, the Magic Kingdom is going to be the most princess-y park of them all. After all, it is a castle park. It has the most princess-themed attractions, and the most princess meet and greets of any park. It all starts on Main Street. You all were expecting me to start with the castle, right? We’ll get there, but first, you need to look at the windows at the Emporium. They feature vignettes from different classic Disney films, and many of them are princesses. Here, you will find Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and Aladdin. Next comes Cinderella Castle, which is every bit as magical as you would expect. Be sure to go inside the castle, where you will find a mural telling the story of Cinderella. Fun fact, the stepsisters in the mural are done in red and green, showcasing their rage and jealousy. As you enter Fantasyland from the castle, be sure the check out the Cinderella fountain on the left of the castle, and Cinderella’s wishing well down the path on the right. Be sure to make a wish in the well. The coins are collected periodically and donated to Make-a-Wish. Inside Sir Mickey’s, you will find Princess Minnie, as well as everything a little princess, prince, or knight needs to make their outfits complete. Oh, and don't forget to check out the Tangled bathrooms. Now, on to the attractions. Prince Charming Regal Carrousel tells the story of Cinderella in the pictures depicted within the carrousel. You can get up close and personal with several princesses at Mickey’s Philarmagic. You can catch a glimpse of a dancing Snow White at the end of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid is a must for any Ariel fans in your group. It’s an adorable dark ride that tells the story of the movie, and is really fun. It’s actually one of my favorite rides. Enchanted Tales with Belle lets you go through Maurice’s Cottage to see where Belle grew up, then you go through the magic mirror to go to the library in the castle, where you get to meet Belle and help her act out her story. It’s a must-do for any Beauty and the Beast fans. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are a fun way to fly on a magic carpet through Agrabah just like Aladdin and Jasmine. Watch out for those spitting camels! Can you really have a princess experience without meeting princesses? I don’t think so. At the Magic Kingdom, you can meet Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Merida, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Elena of Avalor. Snow White meets in the Town Square, in front of the Town Square Theater. Jasmine meets with Aladdin in Adventureland near to the Magic Carpets. Belle can be met during the Enchanted Tales. Ariel meets in her Grotto to the right of Under the Sea. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Elena meet in the Princess Fairytale Hall. Merida currently meets in the Fairytale Gardens near the Mad Tea Party, but Disney just announced that she is being replaced in favor of Mirabel from Encanto. Check the My Disney Experience app for updated times and locations. You would think that princess dining would be prevalent in the Magic Kingdom, but you would actually be wrong. There are only two true dining locations that I would consider for princess lovers. The first is Cinderella’s Royal Table, where you can meet many different princesses while you dine inside the castle. Check out my recent post about my experience here. The other location that I would consider is Be Our Guest. While you don’t actually get to meet princesses here, you do get to meet the Beast, and dine inside his castle. It is a remarkable experience, especially if Beauty and the Beast is your princess-lover’s favorite Disney movie. Other locations that are not exactly princess dining locations, but still have princess ties would be Gaston’s Tavern, which is again, very cool for Beauty and the Beast lovers, and Prince Eric’s Village Market, which is nothing spectacular, unless you really want a turkey leg or a pretzel. Storybook Treats is another location if you are looking for fairytale-themed desserts. Also at the Magic Kingdom, be sure to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade, Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire on the castle stage, and the nighttime fireworks. At the time this post is written, Disney’s Enchantment is still showing, however Happily Ever After will be making its triumphant return very soon. Happily Ever After is my favorite nighttime show ever, so it’s a must see event. This sums up the Magic Kingdom. Let’s move on to EPCOT.
EPCOT comes in second for princess experiences found in the parks. It’s all waiting for you in the World Showcase. Norway is a great place to meet Anna and Elsa in their Royal Sommerhus, ride Frozen Ever After, and dine at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Frozen Ever After is an adorable ride, and will be loved by all Frozen fans, myself included. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a beautiful location where you can meet many of the princesses in one sitting. It’s also a great alternative to Cinderella’s Royal Table if meeting princesses is your main goal. If you’re lucky, you might can meet Mulan in China. Meet Snow White in Germany next to her wishing well. It’s on the left side of the pavilion, behind the caramel shop. You can meet Jasmine in Morocco. It’s in the back of the pavilion, but don’t lose heart. Just keep going deeper in, and you’ll eventually see a sign and find it. I have found other characters from Aladdin here, but last I checked, it was just Jasmine. The France pavilion is the only place you can find Aurora/Sleeping Beauty any more. She meets in the gazebo next to the path that takes you to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Belle also meets at the same location, at a different time. Inside the theater in France, you will find the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along. In the theater lobby, you will find cases depicting stage and film productions of different French stories. These include: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast. Each of these cases contain items from the Walt Disney Archives, including dresses worn in the films. Be sure to check the My Disney Experience app for all updated character times and locations. EPCOT is your chance to step inside the worlds of the characters, so be sure to take advantage of that.
Hollywood Studios doesn’t have much in the way of princesses any more. It had much more when I was growing up, but now, it is just Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, and Fantasmic!. Both Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic! are excellent shows that are located on Sunset Boulevard. Frozen is located in Echo Lake, to the left of the Chinese Theater. Princesses are also heavily featured in Disney Movie Magic and Wonderful World of Animation, nightly projection and firework shows that take place in front of the Chinese Theater. Walt Disney Presents: Walt Disney One Man’s Dream is a museum-type location with a video at the end. It features a lot of models of attractions and park icons, some of which are castles, or other princess-related items. They even have costumes from the Walt Disney Archives. These rotate out, so it’s a surprise each time you go. While Voyage of the Little Mermaid is still closed, the signage and characters were still outside the last time I was there. They make for a good photo-op, but it may be hard for kids to understand why they can’t go inside. If they want to see Ariel, make sure you go to Fantasmic!
Animal Kingdom is definitely not a princess park, but there is one princess here. This is the only park in which you can find Pocahontas. She used to have a meet and greet location on Discovery Island, but now, she is only seen on the Pocahontas Discovery River Cruise. Basically, keep an eye on the river when in Animal Kingdom. If you hear music and drums coming from the water, get to a bridge and watch closely. You will see different characters on the boats as they float by. If you’re lucky, you might see Pocahontas and Meeko on one!
Outside of the parks, you can actually find a lot of princess opportunities. Most of them are in resorts, although Disney Springs does offer a few things. At Wilderness Lodge, you can experience Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. At the Grand Floridian, you can dine with the characters from Cinderella for dinner at 1900 Park Fare. At the time this post is written, it is currently unavailable, but I’m hoping that it returns soon. While you’re at the Grand Floridian, be sure to keep an eye on the marble floors, in which you fill find Disney characters hidden within the designs. Sharp eyes will find Cinderella and Prince Charming, Mrs. Potts and Chip, Mickey and Minnie, and more. If everyone is your party is an adult, be sure to check out The Enchanted Rose lounge upstairs. It’s themed after the live-action Beauty and the Beast, and has some great hidden treasures for Beauty and the Beast fans. The lounge opens at 3:30, but sometimes you can go inside and look around before it opens. Ariel fans will love going to the Art of Animation resort and looking around at the Little Mermaid section of rooms. The oversized characters are always tons of fun to look at. Over at the Riviera Resort, there is a beautiful Tangled mural at the Skyliner station, which makes for a great photo opportunity. Of course, the ultimate princess fans will love to stay in the princess rooms at Port Orleans – Riverside. There are tons of hidden details in these rooms that represent all of the princesses. At Disney Springs, be sure to find the Cinderella and Aurora statues outside the World of Disney, and go take a look at the Lego sculptures outside, and sometimes inside the Lego store. They change out periodically, but there are usually some princesses or scenes from princess movies depicted. Be sure to check out the menu at Amorette’s Patisserie while at Disney Springs. They often have something princess-themed available, and they are beautiful to look at, even if you pick something else to eat. This wouldn’t be an ultimate princess post without mentioning the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It is the dream experience for young princesses and princes. There are two locations in Walt Disney World. The first is in the Magic Kingdom, and the second is in Disney Springs. The Disney Springs location is currently unavailable at the time of this post, but it may open up again soon.
Young or just young at heart, and you want the ultimate princess experience at Walt Disney World, choose from the experiences, dining options, and attractions listed here, and create your own perfect experience. Be aware though, there is no such thing as a perfect Disney trip, but it can be pretty close if you keep an open mind and watch for the magic. Magical moments can be found everywhere at Disney. We just have to keep our eyes and hearts open to find them. Thanks for reading. Now, go out there and create your own magical, ultimate princess experience.
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