Where's the love for Tales with Belle?

I remember when this first opened, it was SOOOOOO hyped up. I literally rushed my family’s PPO breakfast at CP and dragged them over there and then didn’t get picked for anything and we were all very bored and sort of let down. I think my kids were too old at that point to appreciate it, I guess. If you have kids younger than 7 it’s maybe worth doing. Otherwise, it’s just meh, IMO.

I have three kids and we all love ETWB. However, I understand this sentiment. The reason I love it is because my girls (8 and 4) love it. If I didn't have kids who love participating in the show, it would lose most of its appeal. Still worth doing at least once to see the effects, but probably not an every trip kind of attraction the way it is now for us.
 
This is one of my favourite attractions at Disney World. Last time my 9 year old daughter got picked to be beast and got to dance with Belle...so cool. Lumiere and the wardrobe also so neat. This is a must do I think for anyone with kids under 12.
 
Tales with Belle was truly magical when my daughter was 2. It was one of the highlights of that trip. My (older) parents went with us on that trip and my dad was struggling with all of the walking and heat, but as we were sitting in Tales with Belle he said, "This was worth it." Just to be there and experience that with her. We really enjoyed it again when she was 4 - she wasn't quite as awestruck then but she was less shy and able to participate more. Definitely a unique experience at WDW!
 


I've been a Knight twice. We'll probably do it in November, even though my kids are 14 & 12. It's a great opportunity to observe some Disney magic and a memory that will last a lifetime for the children that get selected to be cast members.
 
My family loves it and it’s definitely a must see each trip for us. Its unlike anything else. Imagineers did a great job with that one I think.

We loved it also. Absolutely adorable, although I did say, I am not sure if it is an attraction that can stand the test of time like Peter Pan.
 
Our first trip in 2010 ETWB was in the Rose Garden where Merida meets (or used to meet, I haven't been in 3 years so maybe she moved). It was called "Story Time with Belle". It was the same deal, Belle comes out with a book, is going to tell you a story and then asks if you want to hear her story. Then she chooses kids in the audience to participate.


I found a youtube video for you.

Anyway we didn't have kids at the time but it was a cute show. I was shocked when I heard this was becoming it's own attraction in New Fantasyland. I mean, it's cute and all, but it's not better than a ride or other attraction.

In my opinion they should have left Story Time with Belle in place and added something new in it's place in New Fantasyland. I would have recommended a boy-friendly attraction like the Disneyland dark ride of Pinnochio or something. Instead we got 3 princess attractions and one boy-friendly attraction.
 


This is on some lists as a good one to use a FP on. Is that still true? I think it sounds great, but I'm struggling on whether to use a FP on it or just wing it.

When we were there during moderate crowds the queue was generally 15 - 45 minutes depending on the time of day. It's also generally available day of, so it's a good 4th FP to use. We grabbed a FP for it while we ate dinner and then headed over.
 
My daughter has always loved to meet the characters, and Belle in her gold dress used to be a must as she is one of DD's favorites. Since ETWB started, the only way to meet her in that dress outside of an Akershus meal is to sit through ETWB- and then you get a rushed meet and greet where you barely get to speak to her and if you are lucky you are either positioned where you can snap a quick photo or the photopass photo will come out (we have had our whole session completely lost by photopass and we have had the photopass photographer rush her through so quickly that the photo was a complete blur).

It was fun the first time or two. It is especially fun if your kid gets picked for a good part and you get some decent photopass photos. After that, it is just a hassle to have to spend that much time sitting through storytelling just so your child can say Hi to Belle and try to get a photo with her. The cottage is cute and the effects are cute and we could look at those over and over- but the telling of the story is not something we want to sit through over and over. We were never Storytime with Belle fans either. Give us a show with actors and music and we are there--we always do the show at DHS and it never gets old. DD finally gave up ETWB all together because she didn't want to have to sit through the whole thing again to see Belle. If they had a meet and greet with her in her gold dress in one of the parks somewhere, and then ETWB was just a show we would be fine with it, but for us it is just annoying that you have to sit through it for the meet and greet.

So for a first timer with a little Belle fan I think it is great. They need to have another way to meet Belle in that dress that is not a character meal. If you want to see it without spending a lot of time or wasting a FP, go later in the evening. We would go hit it at night and usually waited 10 minutes or less.
 
I don't believe at all that it is only an attraction meant for ones with children. My family that comprises of 5 adults did it one year to try it out.
Myself and my siblings were all chosen to be a part of the show as a knight and Salt and Pepper. It may be one of our funniest memories together, and the pictures we have are hilarious.
We didn't go the last time we were in Fantasyland only because it had a longer wait than we anticipated and meant to 'come back around' for it but never did.

When I go with my SO next year I definitely will make time to check out ETWB again with him as he has never been to Disney.
 
We did it last trip. I loved the mirror and all of that. BATB is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was in love with it all. The show was very cute and DD9 was picked for a scene. My 15 year old son thought Belle was gorgeous and said it a few times. The lady in front of me thought it was my SO saying it (and probably thought this old guy is being a creep!) and gave him a dirty look. LOL We cracked up for a while over that.

Next trip it's just DD12 and myself going. I want to do ETWB again and I'm sure DD will be good with it as long as she isn't picked. When this trip started she said no meet and greets. Now I hear her mentioning meeting a character or two.

Disney isn't just for the rides for me. It's the experience. And I have to remind my kids about that. They will make a comment when we go to a show because it's not a big ride but once we are done they will mention how cool that was or how different something was or how they remembered doing that as a kid.
 
I am taking my 4 year old for the first time to WDW in February. The Enchanted Tales with Belles is definitely on my list! I didn't know you got to meet Belle, so now I'm super excited!
 
Also I don't mind watching other peoples kids doing a show. Turtle Talk with Crush is one of my most favorite things to do. I always leave almost in tears from laughing so hard. Kids say and do the funniest things.
 
Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite movies, I love that we venture from Belle's cottage through the mirror to the castle... but then the whole experience really slows down. Really can't hold a candle to Peter Pan. While Peter Pan is a fast fly through immersive movie recreations, ETWB after the line tends to fall as flat as the cardboard cutouts they hand out to the kids. After you've done it once it loses its charm. I get that they wanted to "jazz up" the meet and greet experience, but I think this took things just a little too far. Also for an adult who might like to get a character picture, this experiences forces you to participate in the little play to get that option. I did it once and honestly it was kind of embarrassing and uncomfortable, I can see that not being everyone's cup of tea. I don't know if they have room for a dark ride in that space but I think the best part of this attraction is the line. I still try to do it at least once, but I would totally skip the little play at the end if it was an option.
 
Our first trip in 2010 ETWB was in the Rose Garden where Merida meets (or used to meet, I haven't been in 3 years so maybe she moved). It was called "Story Time with Belle". It was the same deal, Belle comes out with a book, is going to tell you a story and then asks if you want to hear her story. Then she chooses kids in the audience to participate.


I found a youtube video for you.

Anyway we didn't have kids at the time but it was a cute show. I was shocked when I heard this was becoming it's own attraction in New Fantasyland. I mean, it's cute and all, but it's not better than a ride or other attraction.

In my opinion they should have left Story Time with Belle in place and added something new in it's place in New Fantasyland. I would have recommended a boy-friendly attraction like the Disneyland dark ride of Pinnochio or something. Instead we got 3 princess attractions and one boy-friendly attraction.
We did this in 2009. My son was chosen to be Gaston. He is 19 years old now. We still say "You will marry me, Belle" (his line) when he starts talking about girls. We really liked that show. Belle interacted with all the children before and during the show. My daughter was 5 and did not get picked so she was a little disappointed but still liked seeing her brother.
 
This is one of the only attractions I feel uncomfortable doing without a child. It sounds like it would be wonderful with a kiddo who wants to participate.
 

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