Five Things to Know About Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel is one of the few remaining opening-day attractions at the Magic Kingdom. Nostalgic, fun, and a true work of art, it’s great fun for all ages today and a beautiful reminder of elaborated amusement park rides of the past. If you want to learn more about its storied history, read on. Or if you want to gallop over to the nuts and bolts, here’s your shortcut.

1. Mount up and ride!

The queue for The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel wraps around the perimeter of the attraction. It’s partially covered and open-air, but at busy times, the line can extend into the sun. There are 90 horses arranged in 18 rows with 5 horses in each, and because the ride loads s-l-o-w-l-y it can take quite a while to board.

When it’s your turn, pick your steed and climb aboard, one rider per horse. (Adults are allowed to stand next to a child rider). After that, it’s pretty much like any other merry-go-round you’ve been on. While the music plays, the horses go up and down, round and round, and after two minutes, the ride is over. But it’s fun to hear Disney songs played on what sounds like an old-timey organ. Chances are pretty good that you’ve never ridden on such an ornate carousel with so much history behind it.

2. It’s the oldest attraction at Walt Disney World.

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel was actually built in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., over 100 years ago. It started out as the Liberty Carousel at Belle Isle Park in Detroit Michigan, and at 60 feet in diameter, it was the largest carousel at the time.

There were 72 horses, each hand-carved out of maple wood by German and Italian craftsmen. There were also four “chariots” for riders who preferred to skip the up-and-down motion. Since the theme was “liberty,” the horses were originally painted red, white, and blue. (You can still see the image of Lady Liberty in one of the decorative carvings, if you look with keen eyes.)

In 1928, the carousel moved to Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey, where it remained until 1965. It was slated for demolition when Disney Imagineers found it in 1967 and deemed it perfect for the new park they were working on in Orlando.

3. Imagineers turned the carousel into a fairy tale.

Once Disney owned the carousel, a massive refurbishment was undertaken. The horses were stripped down to the wood and painted white with different colors used to highlight each one’s unique carvings. As a final touch, each horse was decorated with actual gold, silver, and bronze.

To provide 90 horses, 18 new horses were manufactured from fiberglass molds of the original steeds to ensure they stayed true to the design. When one of the original Liberty Carousel chariots was found languishing in a Disney California warehouse in 1997, it was restored and re-installed on the Carrousel. To complete the renovation in a way that tied it into the story of Cinderella, some of the original artists who worked on the animated Disney classic were employed to hand-paint 18 scenes telling the fairy tale on the overhead panels.

 

The name of this attraction was originally Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. It was changed to Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel on June 1, 2010. Disney said the name changed to “further develop the rich storylines in Fantasyland and help tell the rest of the Cinderella story”. This included providing a “legend” about how the Carrousel was a replica of a training device Prince Charming built to prepare for jousting tournaments.

4. The horses have some secrets.

⭐ In the United States, we usually spell the word “carousel” with one “r.” But “carrousel” with two r’s is the French spelling, and since Cinderella is a French fairy tale, Disney went with the double “r”.

⭐ There are 2,300 “popcorn” lights (plus or minus) on the Carrousel, making it a remarkably beautiful sight in the evening. They also add some sparkle to the ride in the sun during the daylight hours!

⭐ There is a specific horse on the Carrousel that is often called Cinderella’s horse or “Cindy”, with a gold ribbon tied around its tail. But Disney doesn’t officially confirm it “belongs” to the princess. Fact is, one of the Imagineers responsible for helping maintain the ride believes Cinderella’s horse would not be on the inside row and would be far more elaborately adorned if that were truly the case.

⭐ It’s easy to miss unless you’re standing at the right angle, but the Carrousel is centered in the archway as you look out. There’s a story told that says when the Carrousel was first installed at Disney World, Roy Disney noticed it was not centered correctly in the Cinderella Castle archway. Despite the cost, Roy had it moved eight inches to align properly, knowing his brother Walt would have wanted it that way.

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel sits behind Cinderella Castle right in the middle of Fantasyland. The Carrousel is covered, so rain or bad weather typically doesn’t affect its operation. Depending on how long the queue is, guests waiting may be partially exposed to the elements.

When boarding, the largest horses are on the outside and the smallest on the inside. Guests need to step up to board the Carrousel, but mounting a horse will require a larger step — and in some cases a pretty big step, depending on the height the horse was at when the carrousel stopped. (The same will be true when the ride ends and it’s time to dismount.) There’s also a loose belt on the horse that acts as a safety belt for riders.

For those who may the big step a bit of a challenge, there’s a bench on the Carrousel. Guests using wheelchairs/ECVs must transfer. Guests with service animals should check with a Cast Member at the attraction for boarding information. There aren’t any health and safety advisories, but if you’re prone to motion sickness, there’s a chance you may want to skip this ride. There is no height requirement for Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and no Rider Switch.

The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel only has a standby queue, so no Lightning Lanes are available. The carousel does operate during Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours – and it’s truly a sight to see at night.

The Bottom Line.

Is riding the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel a must-do? If you have a little who’s really enthralled by merry-go-rounds, yes. But for older folks, it may be more of a must-see, especially at night. You’ll likely never encounter such an elaborate carousel anywhere else. The music and lights create an atmosphere in Fantasyland that just can’t be duplicated. For me, it’s yet another example of Disney magic.

When did you last ride the Carrousel? What’s your favorite thing about it? Let us know in the comments.