Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf at Disney World Review & Tips
Fantasia Miniature Golf features two 18-hole courses, within walking distance of Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Crescent Lake resorts at Walt Disney World. In this post, we’ll review the courses, offer tips on which to choose, and share photos from our visit to Fantasia Gardens & Fairways.
We were looking for something to do after the Walt Disney World theme parks had all closed particularly earlier one recent evening, and found that Fantasia Gardens (open until 11 pm!) was our best option. It was pretty much either that or Disney Springs, and on a weekend, that didn’t sound tremendously appealing.
This was actually our first visit to Fantasia Gardens, something we always told ourselves we’d do “next time” or “someday” because, as with Winter Summerland, it looks pretty cool when passing by. One of the things we love about Walt Disney World is that even though we visit regularly, there are still things we have never done, and each trip can include something new-to-us.
Unsurprisingly given the name, these miniature golf courses are both themed to Disney’s classic animated film Fantasia. As noted, there are two courses. Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is the whimsical, family-friendly option with a ton of thematic flourishes, twirling obstacles, dancing fountains, and musical surprises. There’s a lot going on here.
By contrast, Fantasia Fairways Miniature Golf Course resembles a traditional golf course built on a miniature scale. For better or worse, this cuts the cuteness and whimsy, and emphasizes skill over chance. There are sand traps, bunkers, water hazards, and sloping greens, some of which are over 100 feet long. Fantasia Fairways Miniature Golf Course is serious business.
Originally, we were just going to do the Fantasia Fairways. Not my personal choice, but the friend we were with are quite competitive about that course, and actually have an annual competition there (complete with trophy and everything). Towards the end of that round, we ran into a huge back-up, and a Cast Member generously offered to let us move over to the Fantasia Gardens side.
Full disclosure: I’m not a golfer. I have golfed many times (largely not by choice), and let’s just say I understand why so much of the sport on an amateur level involves the copious consumption of alcohol. I’ve found golf to be excruciating. In fairness to those of you who enjoy golf, I’m incredibly impatient. It also certainly doesn’t help that I am atrocious at golf. Typically, when I’m that awful at something, I just don’t do it. (Blogging aside.)
The point of that tangent is that Fantasia Fairways is much more my speed than “real” golf. Everything has been condensed and it’s generally easier but still requires actual skill. It’s also more of a social activity since you’re never that spread out, and is quite fun.
I was pleasantly surprised, as I was sort of dreading the experience when I saw that we were doing the Fantasia Fairways course. We both agreed that we’d absolutely do it again.
With that said, we wouldn’t recommend Fantasia Fairways to families with small children, or really anyone just looking for whimsical fun.
For one thing, all the thematic elements of the Fantasia Gardens side are visible from the Fairways, so your kids are going to question why you’re torturing them with the “boring” side when they could be chilling with dancing hippos and whatnot.
As for the Fantasia Gardens side, it was a blast. Here, skill is still relevant, but it takes a back seat to luck. Both take a back seat to course design, details, and themed elements. That’s primarily what we enjoyed about Fantasia Gardens–the interactive nature of the themed experience.
Some of the holes here involve skill and creative thinking. I finally had a chance to put some of the lessons I learned during the billiards scene from Donald in Mathmagic Land.
Other holes at Fantasia Gardens seem to have been dictated entirely by chance, which was a bit frustrating. You’d put towards a small target, and the other side of that target would spit the ball out onto various tracks on a (seemingly) random basis.
Nevertheless, Fantasia Gardens was a lot of fun. We weren’t really keeping score at this point, just having a good time. To that extent, I think we definitely benefited from playing (much of) Fantasia Fairways first, as we got the competitiveness out of our systems there, and moved our to Fantasia Gardens for a more laid back and fun round.
We’d likewise do Fantasia Gardens again, but probably only when accompanied by children.
I know miniature golf has become serious business, and there are a number of exceptionally well-done mini golf courses. It’s worth noting that we come to this review pretty much “cold.” While we both really enjoyed our experiences at Fantasia Gardens & Fairways, our real world mini golf experience is minimal.
This review is against our own expectations and based upon our impressions, and does not account for how Walt Disney World’s miniature golf courses stack up to real world counterparts. If you have extensive experience with both, we’d love to hear some informed comparisons in the comments.
For about the cost of seeing a movie at the Disney Springs AMC, we were able to play mini golf for a roughly equivalent amount of time. Given that, we have no quibbles with the present pricing of $14 per round. We were a bit surprised to see so many people on the courses after 10 p.m., but I guess a lot of others had the same idea as us with all the parks closed.
It’s worth noting that a round of mini golf is included as a “Plus Option” on that variety of Park Hopper tickets. If you’re going for value, mini golf is a poor use of the Plus Option (they’re better used at Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, or Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course).
Of course, if you’ve already done those things or aren’t interested, mini golf is another way to spend your Plus entitlements. Additionally, some vacation packages include vouches for free rounds of mini golf–just be sure to check time restrictions, as you might have to play before 4 p.m.
As far as transportation goes, your best approach is going to be walking from Disney’s Hollywood Studios (take the Epcot path and head towards the Swan & Dolphin), Epcot, or the Crescent Lake Resorts.
If walking is not appealing, take bus or boat transportation to the Swan & Dolphin. Fantasia Gardens & Fairways is about a 5 minute walk from the Swan & Dolphin. Driving is another alternative, as are Uber, Lyft, or Minnie Vans. There is no direct bus transportation from the Walt Disney World theme parks to Fantasia Gardens.
Overall, we found Fantasia Gardens and Fairways to be an incredibly enjoy experience. The Fairway side was nicely designed and competitive, whereas Fantasia Gardens was ornately decorated and had some fun effects. Whether you have ticket entitlements or have to pay out of pocket, we’d recommend Fantasia Gardens and Fairways, particularly for a night after the parks are closed or a non-parks day at Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
Have you been to Fantasia Gardens and Fairways or Winter Summerland? Have a course that you prefer? Do you agree or disagree with our review and tips? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We had a blast at the Winter Summerland courses. Fantasia Gardens was in need of TLC when we went. Any chance on an updated article for them?
My husband and are golfers but this mini golf course looks amazing and a lot of fun. I imagine this course would give us a run for our money and definitely test our putting skills. If the corona virus ever really gets behind this, we would love to come and take on this mini golf course.
Thank you for sharing this information. My husband and I really enjoyed reading it and reading all the comments.
I’m wondering if there are places to sit throughout the courses and if it is wheelchair/ECV accessible. I have knee problems and can’t stand for more than a few minutes. I will have an ECV for the parks, just hoping I can use them at mini golf too.
We played this course maybe 12 years ago and the Winter/Summerland course on our last trip 7 years ago. Both are definitely ECV friendly as I used one ate the WS course and this one was equally flat. Unfortunately I don’t remember about places to sit down but I don’t think there were many. We also played at a non-Disney mini golf place that was more of a hill shape with lots of steps that was a lot of fun & did have places to sit about every 3 holes, but yeah my knees were killing me before we were halfway done. The trip 7 years ago is the first time I rented a scooter from an outside company instead of just getting one in the parks each day. I have really bad knees too and it was really helpful.
There are benches between many, if not all of the holes, which is helpful if you’re waiting for the people ahead.
We just visited Fantasia Gardens for the first time on our “no park day” during our vacation. We enjoy mini golf regularly while on vacation and have played many different types of layouts. We decided on the Gardens course as it was a hot day and we were more in the mood for a less serious, less competitive round. A fun layout like this with luck playing more of a role tends to “even the playing field” between my wife and 13 and 15 year-old children. As you would expect for a Disney attraction, it was well maintained, had great theming, and was a lot of fun. Some of the holes had very original designs and I thought there was a nice balance of luck and skill required. Although we didn’t play the Fairways course most of it is visible from the Gardens course and it looked amazing. I can’t wait to try it next time. I may have to bring my own putter for that one!
Are there any golf lessons for kids/adults at the various Disney World courses around Orlando? The courses are so nice, and it would be a great way to spend a non-park day.
My husband and I had a blast at Fantasia Gardens mini golf during our November 2017 trip to Disney. We had a free voucher from our vacation package. Since we had a free morning/early afternoon before MVMCP and we had already done our Holiday Tour of the Resorts, we decided to play mini golf. There were very few others on the course and my husband set a new record score for the day. They even gave him a cute certificate for it. We mini golf occasionally at home or on other trips, but I felt Disney’s course was easily the most memorable. The obstacles were more creative/involved than other courses. It also was the cleanest and best cared for course I’ve seen in a while. We’d definitely do it again in the future when we need a break from the parks.
We have done Fantasia Gardens more than once on our large all adult family trips. The course itself is fun, but on an average day in summertime Florida, it can make for a grumpy group really fast! It should be noted there is No Shade on this course whatsoever! 🙂
Yay – more activities! (Less construction!) It’s the simple things that make ‘The World what it is. For someone who loves Fort Wilderness, I recommend heading over and taking the Wilderness Back Trail Adventure before there is no more trail. Also horseback riding, archery, boating, seasonal carriage rides, or making s’mores at Wilderness Lodge. You could write an entire series highlighting resort activities alone.
Loved the review. Did Fantasia mini golf last in 1996, then with grandson. Now it is only the 2 of us and our trip in May (CBR) for 2 weeks will be our last. We have been so many times and age does not help the 9 hour flight. So, we will definitely be doing Fantasia this time. We regularly walk HS to Epcot , best walk ever. Which is the best hotel to use please. I thought the boardwalk. Our tickets include the free rounds and we can do every day if we so wish. Great video footage I am sure. Better than television on winter nights. Keep plenty of reviews coming. Only 8 weeks now. Hooray.
Our family are all mini-golf enthusiasts, so we have played on mini golf courses all over the U.S. and even some internationally in Asia, Australia, and Europe! We don’t typically play real golf, but we love intricately crafted, creatively designed, and fun mini golf courses, so that’s what we seek out. Disney World’s Fantasia Gardens and both courses at Winter Summerland are truly some of the best-designed mini golf courses we’ve ever seen – they are the gold standard we use to compare other mini golf courses with!
We love playing the courses at night as well, because the parks close at around 8 or 9 in the winter season, but as you stated, mini-golf doesn’t close till 11pm! Plus, mini golf in the middle of the day in Florida heat and sun is no fun. (Unless you are using Winter Summerland as a nice way to dry off after Blizzard Beach!)
We used to always use our Park Hopper “Plus” entitlements to play, particularly when we visited in the winter and only one water park is open. Unfortunately, the most recent change to park tickets now only allow you to play mini-golf using “Plus” entitlements BEFORE 4PM, which means that the evenings are reserved for cash-paying customers.
We did Fantasia Gardens with our plus vouchers last trip. We Stayed at Coronado and got on bus to Studios, but the driver was fun and talkative. We told him we were on out way to golf. He actually dropped us off at the Swan, then took the rest of the riders on to the Studios. Just shows it never hurts to talk to cast members.
I had done the Blizzard Beach courses years (decades) before and always wanted to try this course, as a Disney fan I always felt it would have more classic theming and IP, which I love.
I found the course to be not as immersive as the Beach courses, but way more themed and fun than any random course off a highway.
Overall we had a great time, and loved the little surprises and water features.
I felt the staff did a good job of pacing party start times. Not easy to do with families of kids staring them down because they want to start. There is an arcade and gift stand not shown in Tom’s post, to kill time until your group is called. Pace never felt rushed, although we would have to wait for the group in front of us to finish each hole. Family behind us had to wait, only on the hole that a ball ended up in the lake and we had to walk up to get a replacement. Not to mention the ball that sank must have been lucky, I went from first to last after switching.
I recommend this as part of a leisure day paired with a stroll to the Boardwalk and some time at Abracada-Bar and/or Beaches to reward the winner!
1. As a math teacher I enjoy Donald in Mathmagic Land. I don’t know if many people have ever even heard of it. My students complain that I never show movies but I did make an exception for Donals when I taught geometry.
2. I noticed your left handed, I once read an article that talked about the advantages of golfing “backwards” which left handed people are usually better at since the world is generally designed for righties. Next round challenge everyone to play with there non dominant hand and see how you all do.
My husband and I have made a tradition of finding mini golf locations almost everywhere we vacation (including Switzerland and New Zealand!), so we’re pretty experienced in the wide array of mini golf options. We’ve had the free rounds at WDW thrown into our package several times, and made it our normal routine to fly in to Orlando from the midwest in the morning, do our free mini golf at fantasia in the afternoon and then spend the evening in disney springs. Both Fantasia courses really are world class. We’ve never found another golf-like course like Fantasia Fairways, and the theme on the Gardens side can’t be great (but, as an avid Disney fan, i’m admittedly biased). Maintenance/upkeep is key, as I’d label about 75% of all mini golf courses run-down, even if they’re cute or fun. To be fair, though, we also usually pay closer to $7/round, so the price is high even by Disney inflation standards if you’re paying out of pocket.
Yes, they definitely do! One of the highlights for us.
Coincidentally, my wife and I just played a round at Fantasia Gardens last week. We play mini golf nearly every time we go on vacation, and while neither of us is particularly good at it we always enjoy it. This was our first round at Walt Disney World, and we nearly opted for Winter Summerland (which seems on paper to have more whimsical theming) but for the low temperatures that closed Blizzard Beach and, thus, easy transportation in that direction.
We were delighted to find that the gardens course is so whimsical in its hole design, playing around with different angles and obstacles, though too many of the holes have very steep slopes on the first shot (beware if traveling with any golfers who can’t muster some significant power!).
Thematically, this course has so many lovely nods to Fantasia, from the poems at each tee to the statuary, which culminates nicely with an unexpected cameo by Yensid. According to my wife, the musical excerpts that accompany the poetry are actually excerpts from the music used in the film, one of those nice subtle Disney touches. We really appreciate how Disney takes a somewhat standard (even clichéd) tourist activity and puts their unique spin on it. I’d take this over any Pirate’s Cove (or Putt Putt or Craig’s Cruisers, the mini golf I grew up with) any day, despite the course’s more arbitrary nature.
As Disney fans, musicians, and frequent miniature golfers, we loved Fantasia Gardens and will try to return when we next have a no-park day at Walt Disney World.
Pro tip- Never ever, under any circumstances, take an over-tired 7 or 8 year old. They won’t enjoy it. You won’t enjoy it. No one around you will enjoy it. Just… don’t
This made me chuckle out loud. We haven’t had this experience at any of the Disney World mini golf locations, but we have at our local mini golf, and I can confirm that it was miserable!
If I could add a second tip, avoid mini golf if your party includes a toddler determined to chase down all balls, regardless of whether or not they are still in play! 😉
On another note, thank you for this review Tom. We’ve never considered spending any of our Disney vacation time, but this is making me seriously consider it for our next trip. We love staying in the Boardwalk area hotels, and I don’t know why I never realized how close Fantasia Gardens was!
My 9 yo son and I did the easier course and had a great time! The next day when my husband joined us my son wanted to play the “real” course and grossly over estimated his skills. . The challenge plus the heat were bad news. We needed pizza and a dip in Stormalong Bay to redeem the day! Lol. We are going to hit up Winter Summerland next month for the first time!
Tom,
Do the holes still have a little poem at the start of each hole to tell you where to hit the ball? Always liked that feature at Fantasia Gardens.
I’m not Tom but I can confirm the poems were there this past December when I went. They are fun!
Back when my daughter was little and we traveled in the off-season based on discounts, we got free passes for mini-golf several times, but never used them. At the time, we figured there was mini-golf near us, but no world-class theme park. This does seem like it would be good after-hours fun, though.
I don’t have much mini-golf experience, but judging by your pictures Fantasia Golf is far superior to the one course near us (Sports Ohio) and is better than the ones we played at Myrtle Beach ~25 years ago (!). But those might have changed.
Mini golf is something we typically do on our arrival day as we don’t hit the parks until the next day. Disney does keep both the Fantasia & Winter/Summerland courses very well maintained.