Prince Charming Regal Carousel

[TheGoofster]

I've never given birth to a child. I've never jumped out of an airplane. I've never driven a motorcycle. I've never baked a cake. These are just a few examples of things that I have never done, and since I've never done them, I really can't talk about what it is like to do them. However, I do have family and or friends who have done all of these things, and even though I can't relate my own experiences, I can talk about what they have told me about them.

I have never ridden the Prince Charming Regal Carousel (formerly called Cinderella's Golden Carousel), so I can't really give a first hand review of what it is like. My daughter, though, has ridden it, and I can relate what this ride is like through her eyes.

Like they so often do, Disney takes the ordinary, and turns it into the extraordinary. You can go to any fair, any amusement park, and even quite a few shopping malls, and find a traditional Merry-Go Round. Most of them look pretty much the same. They have the traditional white horses, a few carriages, and perhaps even a unique animal like a tiger or giraffe. They all do the same thing – go around and around and around, and they all use the same kind of music. Basically if you've been on one of them, you've been on all of them.
So what makes the Prince Charming Carousel different? Or maybe I should ask, is it really all that different from the rest? Well, if my daughters face is any indication, there is indeed something extra special about this ride. Something that no other Merry-go Round can match.

I think the difference begins in the location. Unlike so many others, Disney's carousel is located in a magical spot – right in the middle of Fantasyland in the Magic Kindgom. How much better of a spot can you ask for. Rather than being surrounded by loud beeps and buzzes of cheap amusement rides, Prince Charming's ride is the center piece of one of the greatest locations in the world. By the time you actually reach PCRC, you most likely have passed under a castle, and have been immersed in the magic of the surroundings. Rather than being assaulted, your senses have been indulged.

Another difference is the music. Traditional carousel music isn't bad, but it cannot compare to the treat of hearing so many Disney favorites, lovingly reproduced in a quiet, flowing stream. I could sit there and listen to the music from PCRC all day long. I get tired of the repetition of a normal merry-go round's music, but like the Duracell bunny, I want the music from Prince Charming's ride to just keep going, and going, and going.

Most carousels don't have any kind of story attached to them. They simply provide a quick ride to amuse kids. Riding the Regal Carousel is like riding a fairy tale. Every horse, every carriage is part of the overall story that is painstakingly reproduced. It is possible to ride this ride, and not notice the story that it represents, but much more pleasure is derived by looking for the fairytale, and becoming a part of it.

As I watched my daughter delight in the many wonderful features that Prince Charming's Carousel has to offer, I was once again reminded of just how special WDW really is. No other Merry-Go Round has ever produced in her that kind of wonder or amazement. She looked like she was actually part of a magical fairytale, and I was so grateful to have a chance to watch her enjoying herself so much.

Even though I've not ridden it myself, I can confidently say that the Prince Charming Regal Carousel is one of the best children's rides in all of WDW, simply by observing how much joy it produced in my little girl.

How did your kids react to this ride? What memories do you have of this attraction?

 

[ericalynn1979]

It was my DD's first ride EVER at the Magic Kingdom

She LOVES carousels. And it is simply a Magical way to begin a first trip. We're taking my baby in September, she'll be 7 months old at the time, and I'm going to try to make it her first ride at the Magic Kingdom as well.

 

[TheGoofster]

very nice photo! I wish I had a shot of my daughter when she was younger riding this.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Here is my Granddaughter on the Carosel. You can see she is loving it.

 

[Finally08]

While we're on this topic, does anyone know if they've removed Cinderella's horse from this? DD use to love running for it, and most trips she rode it at least once. We spent 2 weeks there in May, and rode the carousel several times...we were never able to find the horse with the gold ribboned tail. We did see a very similar horse, with what looked to be an unusually short tail though.

So did they chop her tail, or take her away? Or are we blind? Can anyone confirm if they've seen her recently?
It was another one of those special little things dd said Disney took away this trip.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Thats a good question. In the picture above My Granddaughter is on Cinderella's horse. It had the gold ribbon on the back.

 

[dragonfly57005]

On my daughter's first trip to MK, we rode the carousel 5 times in a row (must have been a crowd level 1 or 2 day!). She loved every minute of it and it is one of my fav memories of the trip.

 

[Finally08]

Thats a good question. In the picture above My Granddaughter is on Cinderella's horse. It had the gold ribbon on the back.

Yep, I spotted that! I have so many photos of that horse...she is number 37. DD rode her in Nov, so it seemed odd that we couldn't locate her in May.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

While we're on this topic, does anyone know if they've removed Cinderella's horse from this? DD use to love running for it, and most trips she rode it at least once. We spent 2 weeks there in May, and rode the carousel several times...we were never able to find the horse with the gold ribboned tail. We did see a very similar horse, with what looked to be an unusually short tail though.

So did they chop her tail, or take her away? Or are we blind? Can anyone confirm if they've seen her recently?
It was another one of those special little things dd said Disney took away this trip.

Maybe they had taken that horse off for cleaning. Do the horses even come off?

 

[mirage0306]

My boys loved it.

 

[butterfly71076]

DS's first ride with my mom, May 2009!

 

[indigoxtreme]

Erica and Butterfly
Such cute pictures.

 

[mom2rtk]

While we're on this topic, does anyone know if they've removed Cinderella's horse from this? DD use to love running for it, and most trips she rode it at least once. We spent 2 weeks there in May, and rode the carousel several times...we were never able to find the horse with the gold ribboned tail. We did see a very similar horse, with what looked to be an unusually short tail though.

So did they chop her tail, or take her away? Or are we blind? Can anyone confirm if they've seen her recently?
It was another one of those special little things dd said Disney took away this trip.

Well, sheesh...... it's not even HER carousel any more. So it wouldn't shock me if it were gone......... you know........ another victim of that firm commitment to "manning" up Fantasyland. You know....... until the budget got tight and they had to cut all the male characters.........

I've taken tons of photos on the carousel through the years. I find it amusing that when it's my daughter's turn to pick the next ride, she frequently chooses the carousel. Which is fine with me. I feel the about this ride pretty much how I do about the current Dumbo. You can ride these rides at most carnivals. But you can't ride them in the heart of Fantasyland with a view of the castle.




mk3ammphorseridesun by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[Quin]

But Goofster: WHY haven't you ridden it?

I have. Nearly every trip. If you are shy when all the little kids are around, ride it during a late night EMH. But go ride it and then you will understand for yourself.

 

[TheGoofster]

But Goofster: WHY haven't you ridden it?

I have. Nearly every trip. If you are shy when all the little kids are around, ride it during a late night EMH. But go ride it and then you will understand for yourself.

Why, haven't I ridden it? Well, it's because, uh, you see, I mean, it's just that... I'm too busy taking photos of my daughter as she rides it! Yeah that's it. I mean, somebody has to take the pictures, right?

Actually I really wouldn't mind riding it, but my daughter always seemed to prefer to ride it with my wife instead (and since my son would never be caught dead on it, I always stayed with him - and took the pictures). My wife has always loved merry-go rounds (even before we had kids), so it works out really good.

I don't mind, though, since my daughter rides the fast rides with me. Our favorite tradition is just the two of us riding the Tower of Terror three or four times in a row.

 

[mom2rtk]

I mean, somebody has to take the pictures, right?

All you need is side by side horses and a nice wide angle lens!

 

[TheGoofster]

All you need is side by side horses and a nice wide angle lens!

True, true, but don't forget the whole son issue. I mean I couldn't just leave him there by himself, right?

 

[butterfly71076]

Erica and Butterfly
Such cute pictures.

Thanks! He was a bit nervous on all the rides, his first trip (almost 18 months), so the d**n pacifier is in his mouth, in almost every picture. Now, he's almost four and talks non stop about our upcoming trip on Nov!

 

[rock_doctor]

Thank you for starting this thread.

The carousel has a wonderful history... It was built by a company named Philadelphia Toboggan back in 1918 (it is #46). It was built for a park in Detroit and when they went out of business it was then moved to NJ in 1929. It stayed in NJ until 1967 when it was bought by Disney. Disney rebuilt it changing it to a five row all jumping horses. The original "chariots" were saved and are now part of the carousel in Disneyland Paris. It was put into action in 1971 when the MK first opened. There are tons of websites about number 46 but it is important to me because i remember it as a kid plus...i can see the company out my back window. The are still in business and going strong. They are one of the very few companies left that still build and maintain wood roller coasters.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/350/Walt-Disney-World/Magic-Kingdom/Fantasyland/Prince-Charming-Regal-Carrousel

http://www.philadelphiatoboggancoastersinc.com/carousels.php

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9271/The_Tale_of_Cinderellas_Golden_Carrousel

 

[Debinaustin]

We just saw Cindy's horse on our trip two weeks ago.