Complete details on this venue, including pricing and capacity, may be found in Carrie Hayward’s Fairytale Weddings Guide.
This video shows how much of the space remains following the 2019 renovation. Only the back half of the space was removed. (Video courtesy of Mariela Betancourt)
Can you fit more than 50 if you do not have a dance floor?
Yes!
Could I hold my champagne celebration here? Will this venue leave the tables and chairs? Is this a character visiting venue?
You can use any venue that is available for a reception. As it says on pages 130-131 of my guide, all venues include tables and chairs. Characters may appear at any indoor venue unless specifically mentioned otherwise in the venue description in Chapter 3 of my guide.
Hi! Does Ariel’s have a venue rental fee? I didn’t see it in your book and wanted to make sure!
If you don’t see a venue rental fee listed in the guide, that means there isn’t one!
If you have a reception here, where does the food come from? Is it cooked at The Beach Club?
It’s made by the catering team at the Yacht Club Convention Center.
I was wondering how many people can fit in Ariel’s if you don’t have a dance floor?
You know, they don’t list that number anywhere, probably cuz they assume all weddings will want to use the dance floor. But I did the math on the percentage increase in capacity based on Ariel’s old, larger capacity numbers before the remodel that shrank it. Based on the new max of 50 people with dancing, I got about 75 people max if you use the dance floor for seating. It might be slightly lower, though, since there’s that permanent bench positioned about a quarter of the way into the dance floor that may limit you to two rounds of 10 there.
If we are choosing to select Ariel’s as the venue location for our champagne celebration, can we add any additional food or would we be obligated to pay reception food and beverage minimums?
Yes, as long as your event is 2 hours or less, it qualifies as a celebration at $50/person and you can add any kind of food you want! If it’s after 12pm, there is a chance that Disney will say that certain types of food bump you to the $1,800 “dinner” food and beverage minimum for Ariel’s instead of the $1,200 “reception” food and beverage minimum. Usually it’s if you want things like a carving station and other heavier, sit-down foods. You can work with the chef on a custom menu that fits your budget though.
Thank you so much! You’re literally THE BEST! My fiancé and I love your online guide! It’s been super helpful in our planning process!
Yay! I’m so glad you’re finding it helpful!
If I want to book a reception without going through DFTW (to avoid the per person minimum vs the venue minimum) do I contact DFTW still or is there someone else to contact to book the venue?
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings will not book a wedding reception without charging you their Event Minimum and Per-Person Food and Beverage Minimums, and Disney Catered Events will direct you back to Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings if they think you are trying to hold a wedding reception without going through DFTW. They also have their own $5,000 overall minimum to do an event. If you did book via DCE, you would not be able to wear your gown, have a wedding cake or do any of the things traditionally associated with a wedding ceremony (garter toss, first dance, etc.).