These 2 Magic Kingdom Rides Are Older Than Disney World Itself

Disney World is all about the glitzy and brand new, right?

With all the construction projects, new attractions, and new restaurants that have been popping up at Disney World lately, you’d be forgiven in thinking that everything is relatively new. If you didn’t know, there are two rides in particular that actually pre-date Disney World! Let’s talk about it!

Magic Kingdom is approaching 53 years old — it opened October 1st, 1971. And as we said, if you didn’t know, there are two rides at Magic Kingdom that are actually older than Disney World itself — Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and the Carousel of Progress.

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel has a really interesting backstory. It was built way back in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the Detroit Palace Garden Park. Back then, it was decked out in patriotic colors of red, white, and blue, with figures of Miss Liberty standing tall.

After some rehab work in 1928, it moved to Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey, where it stayed for almost 40 years. It was Disney who discovered it there in 1967, and decided to give it a complete makeover. They added 18 hand-painted scenes of Cinderella to the canopy and restored the hard-maple horses to their original glory.

The horses are arranged in five different sizes, with the biggest ones on the outside and the smallest ones on the inside. And as you ride, you’ll hear the sweet sounds of the band organ that’s been with the Carrousel from the start.

After all that hard work, the Carrousel was ready just in time for the grand opening of Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. If you’ve never been on it, don’t miss out on it the next time you’re at Magic Kingdom.

Carousel of Progress

Now let’s take a trip over to Tomorrowland and visit the Carousel of Progress. This ride was originally created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair (called Progressland). It was conceived by Walt himself in a collaboration with General Electric. It truly was one of the most successful and exciting exhibits at the 1964 World’s Fair.

When the New York World Fair closed, the Carousel of Progress was moved to Disneyland where it, and the original music, played from 1967 thru 1973. Over 30 million people saw the show during the six-year run.

In 1973, it was then moved to a new theater at Walt Disney World, opening in 1975 with a new theme song, “The Best Time of Your Life.” A 1993 rehab returned the original show music, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” which still plays.

Just like with the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, if you haven’t been on the Carousel of Progress, you are seriously missing out. It’s a genuine piece of Disney history and you’ll need to add it to the list of must-dos on your next trip to Disney World.

That’s just a bit of backstory on those two Magic Kingdom attractions, and we’d love to hear your experiences with them! Until then, stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney World news and tips!

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Have you been on the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and Carousel of Progress? Tell us all about it in the comments!

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