Okay, fess up men…how many of you secretly watch The Little Mermaid with your daughters? Let’s face it: cute girls in seashells don’t just attract small female children. Ariel’s grotto in Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom gives people young, old, male and female a chance to meet Ariel, pose for pictures, and get an autograph.
Since Ariel is such a popular character, it makes sense that people would want to meet her. But…”flipping your fins you don’t get too far”. Poor Ariel’s virtually immobile on land while she’s a mermaid. So Disney built a special place just for her to meet and greet her loyal fans. And it’s shaded, which is an extra bonus for Ariel.
Don’t even think about popping in and out in a couple of minutes, though. The line to see Ariel can be truly frightening. If you have older children that don’t really want to see Ariel, you may want to divide and conquer. Standing in line with bored children for that long doesn’t exactly promote familial peace and harmony.
The main attraction at Ariel’s grotto, is, of course, Ariel, but there’s also a soft-surface play zone complete with squirting fountains. Your kids will get wet, so plan on it.