Ariel's Grotto is a meet-and-greet area at several Disney parks, as well as a former restaurant in

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...

based on Disney's 1989 animated film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

''.

Disneyland

This was formerly a colorful grotto in which Ariel, in mermaid form, was available for autographs and photo opportunities. The meet-and-greet area was decorated with starfish, coral, and waterfalls. King Triton's Fountain leading to the grotto featured a soft-surface "sandy beach" play zone dotted with jumping fountains. On August 17, 2008, the area officially closed. It has now been re-themed to Pixie Hollow, a

Disney Fairies ''Disney Fairies'' is a The Walt Disney Company, Disney Media franchise, franchise created in 2005. The franchise is built around the character of Tinker Bell (Disney character), Tinker Bell from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 1953 anima ...

meet-and-greet attraction amid oversized 'plants' which gives guests the sense of being the size of a fairy. The King Triton statue that once spouted water into the ponds was moved to the rooftop of Ariel's Undersea Adventure in

and is a part of the decor.

Magic Kingdom

In April 2010, the Ariel's Grotto attraction at

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

was closed. It reopened as part of the New Fantasyland expansion along with the ride '' Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid''. The similar meet-and-greet sits beside this attraction. It is in a cave, next to Prince Eric's Castle, surrounded by waterfalls and large rock formations. This iteration of the meet-and-greet closed in March 2020 due to the

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and reopened on January 22, 2023.

Disney California Adventure

Ariel's Grotto was an "under the sea" themed restaurant that offered Character Dining. This gave guests an opportunity to dine with Ariel and other Disney Princesses. The restaurant was located on Paradise Pier, and featured American, Healthy Selections, and Vegetarian cuisine. On January 8, 2018, Ariel's Grotto closed to make way for the Lamplight Lounge, a restaurant that opened with Pixar Pier on June 23, 2018.

Tokyo DisneySea

Ariel's Greeting Grotto was a character meet-and-greet attraction. Originally scheduled to close on March 31, 2020, it was early closed on January 31, 2020, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. However, on September 29, 2020, it was "reopened" inside Mermaid Lagoon Theater as a socially distanced greeting with Ariel in her mermaid form.

References

External links

Magic Kingdom site
{{Disney rides Disney California Adventure Magic Kingdom Tokyo DisneySea Fantasyland Paradise Pier Mermaid Lagoon (Tokyo DisneySea) Amusement park attractions introduced in 1996 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2005 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2020 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2008 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2010 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2012 Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions The Little Mermaid (franchise) in amusement parks 1996 establishments in California 2018 disestablishments in California 2008 disestablishments in California 2001 establishments in California 2005 establishments in Japan 2012 establishments in Florida