Magic Mondays: it’s a small world
The “mountains” get all the hype and Dumbo seems to draw in all the kids but nestled in the heart of Fantasyland is perhaps the most iconic of all Disney rides. The happiest cruise that ever sailed sets sail all day long at it’s a small world.
Modeled after the original it’s a small world ride from the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, the original opened in 1966 in Disneyland. The Disney World version of the ride was part of the opening day attractions on October 1, 1971 and since then each of the Magic Kingdom style parks has had their own version of it’s a small world.
The premise and set up of the ride are simple enough: you load into your boat and set sail. There are 7 different rooms that you sail through, each representing something different: Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America, the South Pacific, the Finale, and the Goodbye Scene. In each of the rooms you will find scenery depicting what region you are in and the audio-animatronic dolls will be dressed in native garb of the region. Through different portions of the ride you
will hear the famous song “it’s a small world (after all)” in 5 different languages: English, Swedish, Japanese, Spansih, and Italian. The finale is a grand scene featuring a carnival-like atmosphere with dolls from around the world all dressed in their native garb but in coordinating colors of whites, frosty blues, and pale golds. In Disney World, the goodbye scene features large, colorful flowers with good-bye sayings in different languages.
During peak times, the lines can get long and there is no FastPass option for this ride. Luckily, the queue moves quickly and is indoors. The queue has recently been re-designed and there are now two different lines. Both lines move at fairly equal rates, so pick either one and stick with it. And finally a note about unloading. During peak seasons the boats can sometimes get backed up and will get bumped from behind as new boats join the queue. Please take caution not to stand and to not allow children to stand as you could get injured when the boat is bumped.
This Disney classic has been around for a long time and my personal opinion is that everyone who heads to Disney should ride it at least once in their life. And remember it really is a small world after all!