One of the most classic Magic Kingdom attractions is the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. Every time we walk by, one of my children asks to take a ride. Situated in the center of Fantasyland, directly behind Cinderella Castle, this piece of eye candy is nearly irresistible to children all of ages. But this carousel isn’t just another carousel. Its long history and unique features make the Prince Charming Regal Carousel one-of-a-kind. Here are 7 things you never knew:
7. Double Riders
Before moving to Florida, our toddlers loved the carousel at our local amusement park. Because of their age, I would sit them on top of the horse and then stand next them making sure they would not fall off. The Prince Charming Regal Carousel allows two riders to be on a single horse! This is a great arrangement where parents can climb up and have their little one sit in front of them while riding together. Even though my kids can now ride by themselves, they still love it when mom or dad climbs aboard with them. But this isn’t limited to small children, anyone can ride double. Not only can you have your family closer together, but you are also allowing more guests on board making the line go quicker for everyone. Plus, riding double makes for a great selfie photo-op!
6. Attraction
The Magic Kingdom opened with 23 different attractions on October 1, 1971. Since that time, some of these attractions have closed and many new attraction have arrived. The Prince Charming Regal Carousel has stood the test of time. When you climb on board the Regal Carousel, you are fulfilling a vision that Walt himself had. Because of the long standing tradition of this ride, its fun to go back and browse through old photographs in the family album. Each time you come to the Magic Kingdom, jump on the Regal Carousel, take a picture and watch your family change through time on a timeless attraction.
5. Name Change
The carousel was originally named Cinderella’s Golden Carousel for the Magic Kingdom. It kept that name for nearly 40 years before an official name change occurred on June 1, 2010. This name change better reflects the rest of the Cinderella’s story. Its been said that since Cinderella and Prince Charming found their happy-ever-after story, peace was restored in the kingdom. Prince Charming now invites everyone to practice their horsemanship skills upon riding the carousel.
4. Large Capacity
Though immensely popular, the line is usually not very long and typically moves quickly. There are 18 rows and each row contains 5 horses. This means guests have 90 horses to choose from! In addition, there a few benches that are designed as sleighs where guests can choose to sit if they would like to ride the carousel, but are not able to or do not wish to climb on a horse. With this many available seats and the ability to ride double, youll never have to wait too long to take your turn. Each ride on the carousel lasts approximately two minutes.
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3. Cinderella/s Stallion
Speaking of many horses to choose from, how do you choose? Did you know every single horse on the Prince Charming Regal Carousel is unique? There are both taller and shorter horses and each ornate stallion is unique. As soon as the gates open, most guests just rush around till they find an open horse and climb on without much thought. But there is one horse that sticks out as being even more unique than all others. The next time you find yourself looking for your horse to climb on, look in the second rank of horses and find the only one with a golden bow around its tail. Thats Cinderella’s Stallion!
2. Horses of Different Heights
Each row of 18 horses contains five ranks of horses. While each and every horse moves up and down, not all of the horses move up and down the same height. Horses in the first rank, or those on the very outside of the carousel are taller. As you work toward the center, the horses in the fifth rank are lower and have the lowest amount of movement. This makes a wonderful arrangement for a family like mine with varying ages. While boarding, my older children look for the horses on the outside in the first rank, and find the one thats stopped in the uppermost position, making it feel like they are climbing the biggest horse. In the meantime, we are helping our younger ones on the inside. Because we are a family of six and there are only five horses, one of us hops on as a double rider behind one of the kids. How does your family decide where to sit?
1. 100 Years Old
Though the Prince Charming Regal Carousel has been at the Magic Kingdom since day one, its history goes back way back! The carousel was originally built in 1917! The Philadelphia Toboggan Company was the original creator of the carousel. It was in operation at Olympic Park in Irvington, New Jersey until it closed in 1965. Walt himself purchased the carousel from Olympic Park. The original name of the carousel was Liberty. It was refurbished so that every horse was different. It was then placed inside the Magic Kingdom for opening day.
What do you love about the Prince Charming Regal Carousel? Did you learn anything new that gives you a greater appreciation for this classic attraction? Share your experiences and memories with us!
