An exciting new addition to the parks has now officially opened - the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! The final installment in the major Fantasyland expansion, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a mild coaster that takes you through the story of the Seven Dwarfs, is highly anticipated and has great expectations attached to it. Does this new ride measure up?

First, a word of advice.

The only sane way to experience this ride is by either being the first on the line after opening, or, preferably, having a fastpass+ for it. As with any new ride, wait times are extremely long. The line stretches through the entire queue and spills out into the street, winding down the length of the ride. Almost any ride you wait over an hour for will be a frustration and disappointment, and this ride is no exception.

Let’s start with the queue.

In recent years, Disney has been turning their queues into artful interactive experiences. This certainly applies to the queue for the Seven Dwarf Mine Train. Guests wind around tall grass and birches in a (thankfully) shaded area equipped with strategically placed fans.

This is before passing by water troughs with floating jewels that form an interactive game, encountering a fountain carved with woodland creatures that spouts water, and spotting a drinking fountain among barrels and pickaxes.

Finally visitors reach the entrance to the mine, complete with the key hanging by the door, and step into the cool, dim, underground tunnels. On the way to the trains are a cluster of barrels filled with sparkling jewels that cast glowing images of diamonds. When the barrels are spun, they send projections of the dwarfs whirling across the cave ceiling.

The ride itself takes place in a mine cart that rushes along the track that includes small dips and steep turns. Guests get to see the dwarves at work, hammering away in search of jewels and merrily joining in a chorus of “Heigh-Ho”. Then guests are treated to a glimpse of Snow White and her friends dancing to organ music in their cottage. Just beyond the cottage, the Evil Queen hunches in hag form, cackling evilly.

After the ride, guests walk past the outside of the dwarfs’ cozy–looking cottage, complete with thatched roof and an axe stuck in a tree stump.

The one complaint about this ride would be its length. After so much excitement and hype and, for some, hours of waiting, a ride that barely clocks in at two minutes is disappointing. Not only does this mean less time to experience the ride, but it means that there is not much of a plot to it, unlike the previous Snow White ride, which took guests through the entire movie. Just as the witch appears in hag form, cackling as she clutches her apples, the ride pulls back into the mine and ends. To me, it feels as if the ride ended before the story had really begun. Riding for the second time and knowing what to expect, this length was easier to come to terms with.

Overall, the Dwarf Mine Train is a well-executed project that will be enjoyed by any Snow White fan who doesn’t mind a little speed and a few twists and turns, as long as they know to expect a short experience.

Kathryn Blanco is the Disney Editor for Wandering Educators

All photos courtesy and copyright Kathryn Blanco