first full day of vacation and we thought we’d join ten thousand of our closest friends for the first open to the public weekend at Disney’s *new* Fantasyland.  A friend had said, ‘it’s really REALLY good.” ….

right.  So, I started this blog in, I’m not gonna lie to you, December.  Two vacations ago.  We’ve since cruised to Grand Cayman/Mexico, jetted to Denver, celebrated Christmas in Sarasota and New Years belated Christmas brunch at home, had out of town guests and walked the Color Run.  But, the lingering memories of ‘New Fantasyland’ are these….  The castle is remarkable.  Beautiful in it’s somewhat medieval Frenchness of grey stones and far off turrets.  They outdid themselves in the humor of the statues and their homely winning faces.  We waited in line for lunch and ate in the ballroom where Belle danced with her Beast and with snow falling outside (or is it inside?) the windows and toured the West Wing with a cloched rose dripping petals.  We had a Le Fou’s brew (frozen apple juice-don’t bother) in her village at Gaston’s tavern and rode clamshells through Ariel’s home turf.   Lunch in the castle had a bit of Disney tax – we had tasty pot roast with French green beans and croque monsieur. It was fun to be served lunch from glass enclosed trolley’s rolling by.  All in all, it was really really good.