Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel was put in the Magic Kingdom by Uncle Walt himself. Walt spent months creating each of the 90 horses with his own hand and carried them into Fantasyland, putting each piece together with is own hand. He programmed the pipe organ with his favorite show tunes, and spent months painting the murals that are around the top.
OK, maybe Uncle Walt didn’t actually build this Carousel, but it was his idea. He loved taking his daughters to ride the merry go round at Griffin Park in LA. He had one installed at Disneyland, and like everything else at Disney World, Uncle Walt had a bigger one built here.
Location
The Carousel is located right behind Cinderella Castle and in Fantasyland.
The Carousel
This beautiful ride was originally built in 1917. Uncle Walt and the boys bought it in 1967 from Olympic Park in Maplewood, NJ when the park closed. They took it and rebuilt the entire ride.
There are 18 scenes from the Cinderella story that are hand painted on the wooden canopy above the horses. The Disney music was added when the ride was rebuilt.
New Name
A while back, the carousel had a name change. It changed from Cinderella’s Golden Carousel to Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel. The new story is the a bit confusing, but after the royal wedding, peace reigned in the land and the Prince had time to take up jousting. He built a special jousting training device where all the royal subjects could come and take a ride on one of the horses.
I’m not so sure about this one.
Fun facts
- Each of the 90 horses was hand carved and painted by hand. Every horse is unique. They have their own shape and coloring. A number is painted close to the bridle.
- There are 18 rows of horses with 5 horses per row.
- Cinderella and Prince Charming have their own horses. Cinderella’s is in the second line of horses. (It’s number 37.) It has a gold ribbon in it’s tail. The one next to it is Prince Charming’s.
| Factoid: Is it a Carousel or a merry go round?
A carousel and a merry go round are different. On a carousel, all of the horses move up and down. On a merry-go-round they don’t. Trust me. |
The Ride
The Carousel is an eternal ride that lasts just less than two minutes, according to Disney. For Dad it’s two years of sheer terror. (Dad’s experience with Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel.) For two minutes the horses go round and round and up and down. Disney music plays and everyone has a grand time. (Except Dad.)
The ride is almost always in the shade, so it’s a nice place to take a break on a hot day. The best place to take pictures or video is from the wall that surrounds the ride.
Dad’s Ride Information Table
Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel |
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| Description: A beautiful carousel in the middle of Fantasyland | ||||||||||||
| Height Requirement – none | Fastpass: no | Length of Ride: 2 minutes | ||||||||||
| Type of ride: Horse ride for younger children | ||||||||||||
Dad’s Ratings
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| Other Information: Due to the shortness of the ride, the lines tend to move pretty quickly. There are 90 horses, which means at least 90 guests board every 2 minutes. A few extra parents go along and stand next to the kids. Lines of 30 minutes or more are not uncommon.
One thing that greatly effects the length of lines is when a Mickey’s Philharmagic show ends. If the line is too long, you might check back in 20 minutes and see if it’s shorter. |
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The Best Time to Ride
Mornings and evenings are usually the best times to ride Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel. The same is true for most of the rides in Fantasyland. Crowds seem to swell in the afternoons.
Dad’s Bottom Line
Dad’s not real objective about rides that go round and round. It’s a very pretty carousel. The kids tell me that it’s fun. But I can’t even watch them ride.
