Disneyland Paris (DLP) Discussion Thread

[cookiex]

Disneyland:

- Fantasyland will get a makeover, could mean the end of Snow White and Pinocchio

- a Frozen ride is planned

I imagine that's where the Frozen ride is going since Snow White and Pinocchio are right next to one another. DLP's Fantasyland doesn't have a whole lot of space and tearing out the Fantasyland station and moving it back probably isn't an option.

 

- Indiana Jones possible for Adventureland

This I'd really like to see (would be enough of a reason to go back to DLP). It sounds unlikely at first but there's plenty of opportunity to tie it in with the fifth Indiana Jones movie coming in 2019. Adventureland is massively underutilized either way so anything that would bring traffic to that side of the park is welcome.

 

- the Tram Tour will be moved back to make way for a proper Hollywood Boulevard

About time this is happening, though I'd like to see it be gutted completely since it's a total waste of space and the worst design flaw in what's already one of the worst-designed theme parks in existence. It's a giant barrier whose existence has forced every other attraction in the park to be shuffled to the side creating a terrible flow in the entire park.

 

- Toy Story Mania is coming

- rides based on Marvel and Star Wars

Expected but welcome.

[peptoabysmal]

Disneyland Paris are teasing an announcement for this Monday on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EuroDisneyEN/status/785539219150278656

 

Excited to see what it'll be.

[peptoabysmal]

Today the following was announced for the 25th anniversary:

 

• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue featuring all new scenes in 3D with a random ride sequence
• Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain will open at the end of March following the installation of new trains and effects
• New Parade: Disney Stars on Parade featuring several brand new floats
• New Show: Mickey Presents Happy Anniversary Disneyland Paris featuring all his friends
• New show on the Royal Castle Stage: The Starlit Princess Waltz
• New night time show: Disney Illuminations featuring scenes from Disney animated and live action films
• The 25th Anniversary season will start March 26th, 2017

 

Full Press Release below:

 

Disneyland Paris will celebrate its 25th Anniversary starting from 26th March 2017.

 

New Guest experiences to include sensational new attractions, a grand celebration with the beloved Disney Characters, a brand new Parade and a breathtaking new night time spectacular. Extra surprises and features to be announced. Join the celebration with a multitude of new shows from morning through to night where Guests are sure to be amazed! A brilliant anniversary celebration beyond your imagination awaits you during the 25th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris.

 

Beginning March 26th 2017, Guests at Disneyland Park will experience Star Tours: The Adventures Continue*. The new attraction will take Guests on an all-new, action-packed intergalactic voyage, all in 3D… Epic. Based on the Star WarsTM films, Star Tours will take Guests to multiple Star Wars destinations where they will interact with characters from throughout the Saga.

 

Every destination will offer unique surprises with journeys through the worlds of Jakku, Hoth, Tatooine, the Death Star and more! Guests will be able to enjoy the attraction multiple times without knowing where the Force may take them. And all of the storyline’s twists and turns will be random, affording Guests the chance to ride the attraction multiple times.

 

Guests will also be able to join the Rebel Alliance by becoming the drivers of Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain1 (Disneyland Park). The Force will be strong with this attraction, which hurtles through the Star Wars galaxy, following the twists and turns of TIE fighters and an intimidating Star Destroyer.

 

Also arriving in spectacular style in 2017, Disneyland Park’s new Parade Disney Stars on Parade, where favourite Disney Stars, together with stunning new floats, create magic and happiness for all. Guests will also be able to discover a new show Mickey presents “Happy Anniversary Disneyland Paris” at Disneyland Park where Mickey Mouse will start the celebration by assembling as many of his famous Friends as possible for a huge anniversary party. This festive show will take place daily for all guests to enjoy. In addition, fans of the Disney Princesses will be able to witness some of their most beloved Princesses as they host their own sparkling show The Starlit Princess Waltz at Royal Castle Stage (Disneyland Park).

 

Finally, as night falls, there will be another spectacular new event: Disney Illuminations. This new show, with dazzling lights, projections and breath-taking special effects, will be conducted by Mickey Mouse onto Sleeping Beauty Castle (Disneyland Park). It will transport Guests to a location where the stories of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Frozen and the motion pictures of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean will come to life before guest’s astonished eyes.

 

What do Mickey Mouse and his Friends hope to achieve during these Anniversary celebrations? To dazzle all guests with amazement! This will no doubt be an opportunity not to be missed! Disneyland Paris 25th Anniversary – It’s Time to Sparkle.

 

 

 

Celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of Disneyland® Paris will start on 26th March 2017. More information to follow at news.disneylandparis.com

Edited October 21, 2016 by jedimaster1227

[A.J.]

So is the Hyperspace Mountain just another temporary overlay?

 

Rough trains aside, I would have loved to have ridden Space Mountain in its original form just once.

[peptoabysmal]

So is the Hyperspace Mountain just another temporary overlay?

 

Rough trains aside, I would have loved to have ridden Space Mountain in its original form just once.

 

Overlay for now. There's some chatter that it may be possible for them to revert back to the original concept once they retire Hyperspace Mountain. Personally, I think it'd be fun to have more seasonal overlays.

[KBrylczyk]

Hyperspace Mountain on their version would definitely be pretty wicked. I'm curious to see how they pull it off. Also, those new trains might get rid of the OTSRs or replace them with the vests, making for a more comfortable ride.

[JordyC]

Behind the scenes look at the new Big Thunder Mountain

 

Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris is as good as new. After a huge refurbishment of more than one year, the famous roller coaster will reopen this month. Take a look behind the scenes, and be one of the first to discover everything that has changed in "the wildest ride in the wilderness."

 

Over the past twelve months, decorators and technicians worked very hard on almost every element of the 25-year-old attraction. "Almost all the parts are cleaned or replaced", said Walt Disney art director Beth Clapperton during a special behind the scenes tour. "Not only the impressive rock work, but also all individual decorations and figures - including bats and donkeys. That was much needed." Even the geysers across the lake, which had been out of action since the late nineties, have been fixed. You will barely recognize the last scene of the coaster. The cave with 'explosives' will soon make use of special effects and video projections. The manufacturer, the Dutch company Vekoma, was brought in to update the technology. "As a result, the system has become a lot more reliable, with fewer failures." The five trains - except the bases - are totally new as well.

 

At this moment, the finishing touches are being made to the attraction. "This renovation will make Big Thunder Mountain the icon for Disneyland Paris that it deserves to be." The official reopening will take place on Saturday, December 17th.

 

 

Source

[Nrthwnd]

It really looks nice, now.

 

Honestly, we were there a month before the shut down, and we could really

see the way the colours had faded on everything, including those cacti!

 

Such a blast to see how revved up it all looks, now! Happy Re~Opening on the 17th!

What we saw in Sept.2015, from the Phantom Manor porch.

[BDG]

And the cleaned up geysers:

 

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

photo: DisneylandBerry, disneyandmore

[cookiex]

Big Thunder Mountain will re-open on December 9th (this Friday) and Star Tours II will open March 18th along with the renovated Discoveryland station. Hyperspace Mountain will open later in the Spring.

 

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.se/2016/12/breaking-news-big-thunder-mountain-soft.html

[viking86]

So it looks like pretty much all the rides will be up and running again by next summer?? Hmm looks like it might be time to get my ass down to Paris soon...

[wmay]

So it looks like pretty much all the rides will be up and running again by next summer?? Hmm looks like it might be time to get my A$$ down to Paris soon...

 

I was there last year for the for the first time in over 10 years, just a few days before BTM closed, and what I saw was not deserving of the extremely bad reputation that DLP has gotten. The Alice labyrinth had seen better days and the fast food was more or less inedible, but otherwise I had a good time, and the park is nice!

They might not have All the attractions that I would like but they do have a ton of really cool walkthrough attractions that you can't find anywhere else:

Les Mystères du Nautilus, while a walkthrough, is a great attraction with DisneySea level of attention to detail.

Skull Rock Adventure Isle is very cool and spooky and has a larger cave system than Tom Sawyer Island at either park.

Alice's Curious Labyrinth, if restored to it's full potential, could be a really fun attraction, especially considering that it' quite large and has several sub-labyrinths so you actually do spend some time there.

Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin was new to me, as despite DLP's overall lack of attractions I had somehow managed to miss it on my previous trips. It's a nice walkthrough with dioramas from Aladdin and pretty lanterns everywhere.

La Taniere du Dragon, located underneath the castle (which btw is the most attractive castle of any park, imho) is maybe the the most impressive walkthrough in the park, mostly because of the giant animatronic dragon that awakens every few minutes, moves around and breathes fire!

 

I'm not a paid spokesperson for DLP or anything. Like I said, there's a lack of some classic attractions, the park could do better at general upkeep and the fast food was terrible (although table service was pretty good, at least the Blue Lagoon restaurant), but as someone who hadn't been there in over a decade I didn't think it was as bad as some people have made it out to be.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Everything you visited on this list, is definitely worth the extra time in one's day at the park.

 

We got to ride BTG over a year ago, just before it went down for it's massive maintenance.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was, none of the watercraft were on the Rivers,

as they were just about to empty it for the renovations.

 

But that was a really minor detail to our wonderful visit and stay, there. The rest, as you suggest,

is really nowhere else in any of the other Disney parks, except there in Paris.

 

And we hadn't visited DLPR in over 8 years!

 

And as far as rude cast members in DLP, and all the blah blah about how some people are not very nice in

parks..... I have seen that both in parks around the world and in people who visit these parks. All my visits

to DLPR have been great ones, and although there have been a little wtfs here and there, I still want to go

back to the Resort, no doubt about it!

 

And this was (I believe?) the first Disney MK to give TPR ERT on BTM, (that reads funny!) if only for

a 1/2 hr or so (the 2008 Europe Tour). But they led us in through one of their backstage areas towards BTM

...and it was awesome! (HKDL repeated this w/Grizzly Gulch in the 2012 China Tour, and added Red Racer,

IAsW and Spc.Mountain!)

Sept.2015 ~ Happy Holidays DLPR! Bill & David ~ Jingle!

[wmay]

^ Everything you visited on this list, is definitely worth the extra time in one's day at the park.

 

We got to ride BTG over a year ago, just before it went down for it's massive maintenance.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was, none of the watercraft were on the Rivers,

as they were just about to empty it for the renovations.

 

But that was a really minor detail to our wonderful visit and stay, there. The rest, as you suggest,

is really nowhere else in any of the other Disney parks, except there in Paris.

 

And we hadn't visited DLPR in over 8 years!

 

And as far as rude cast members in DLP, and all the blah blah about how some people are not very nice in

parks..... I have seen that both in parks around the world and in people who visit these parks. All my visits

to DLPR have been great ones, and although there have been a little wtfs here and there, I still want to go

back to the Resort, no doubt about it!

 

And this was (I believe?) the first Disney MK to give TPR ERT on BTM, (that reads funny!) if only for

a 1/2 hr or so (the 2008 Europe Tour). But they led us in through one of their backstage areas towards BTM

...and it was awesome! (HKDL repeated this w/Grizzly Gulch in the 2012 China Tour, and added Red Racer,

IAsW and Spc.Mountain!)

 

Nice to hear that you had a good time as well!

I think I will plan my trip a little bit better next time because last year I managed to go during the autumn school holidays. It was rather crowded, around 45 min wait for the major attractions, which I've been told is crazy long by DLP standards!

 

I still haven't been to the Chinese parks but would love to go. I'm definitely going once the new Frozen section is opened!

[Nrthwnd]

^We always try to go either one of two time periods of the year: mid-September, as most kids (even in France) have gone back to school. And mid-late/April, when Spring is still happening and the park is lush with flowers and blooms.

 

And kids are still in school, lol.

 

Also, mid-week is usually much better for crowds, than any weekend.

 

World wide truth.

Mid-September (2015). A lovely time to visit DLPR.

[wmay]

It was mid week but since both France and Great Britain had autumn holiday, and it was Halloween season it didn't make much of a difference that it was mid-week.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Understood. And yes, I agree, sometimes it's tricky to figure out various Europe school (and other) holidays, etc.

 

But so far, we've been pretty lucky with those two time periods, especially mid-September.

 

And eventually, I hope - something is going to be done with that prime space in Adventureland!

[JordyC]

First look at the new Big Thunder Mountain.

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

[StephenHamilton96]

I visited DLP this weekend and can offer a few opinions...

 

Big Thunder Mountain:

 

We managed to be amongst the first groups of people to ride the newly reopened Big Thunder. I can say that I looks fantastic walking into Frontierland. The colours on the mountain are vibrant and the sound effects of the trains can be heard from afar and are also brilliant! The new finale is good although I have to say that it is much better at night when the lighting effects are clearer, just in my opinion. Still a great improvement to this classic family attraction. The ride was closed for almost all of Saturday and i'm not sure if there have been issues with it since the update but one of the trains was stuck on the second lift hill for hours. Hopefully it's running ok now!

 

Space Mountain: Mission 2 -

 

Since I hadn't rode this attraction for almost 8 years I was eager to get back on! As ever, it's a very fun ride and simulates being in space the best out of all Space Mountain attractions. A few things to note: The canon steam/smoke effects didn't work all weekend. Neither did the turning cogs on the cannon. I'm unsure if this has been the case for a while but hope not as these are cool effects. The audio on the trains is very patchy now and can really only be heard towards the end of the ride. Hopefully the next big update will fix this. A few minor effects were turned off inside the mountain also, notably the meteorite that we pass through (no lights or smoke)

 

Phantom Manor:

 

I love all of the Haunted Mansion rides and this one is probably my favourite. However, on this trip it was clear that an update is necessary! Many effects are broken or turned off. Several animatronics weren't moving at all and the doom buggies are very shaky! I visited this time with a friend who has never been to a Disney park so wanted her to share in my enthusiasm for the great storylines and history of these rides, especially this one. I was let down as I think due to so many effects being off and the patchy audio, it made the ride quite confusing.

 

Studio Tram Tour:

 

This ride was once quite cool but it has to be said that now it isn't of Disney standard. Not many things to see on the tour and special effects are outdated as is the narration from Jeremy Irons. Guests all looked fairly disappointed. I hope that Disney use this backlot area for new attractions soon!

 

Pirates: My friend and I both enjoyed a ride on this as it is one of my favourites in any Disney park. This Pirates is unique and fun. Even though it is outdated now the refurb planned sounds like it could breathe great new life into this attraction.

 

 

We had a great trip and here I have only taken the time to give opinions on some much needed updates from Disney. Many attractions are looking great and fresh! The update to Peter Pan has left the ride in great shape with bright colours and some subtle new lighting effects. Ratatouille, in my opinion, is a fantastic new family ride at the Studios which is exciting enough to thrill adults and children alike. Many have commented on it being just "another 3D attraction" but DLP doesn't have too many of these types of rides so it really is a great addition!

 

My final comment is that the planned updates for Disney Village are necessary. Although it holds a certain nostalgic charm, most buildings are run down, in disrepair and stuck in the 90's! A few new restaurant will be great when they come along and breathe new life here too!

 

I hope that anybody visiting soon experiences the planned updates and has a great visit!

 

 

Below are a few images from my visit this weekend. Note the "Discovery Mountain" logos STILL on Space Mountain signs!

[StephenHamilton96]

After being amongst the first lucky people to ride the updated Big Thunder in Paris we were given these newspapers! A great souvenir from Disney with funny articles surrounding Thunder Mesa inside!

[A.J.]

Since I hadn't rode this attraction for almost 8 years I was eager to get back on! As ever, it's a very fun ride and simulates being in space the best out of all Space Mountain attractions. A few things to note: The canon steam/smoke effects didn't work all weekend. Neither did the turning cogs on the cannon. I'm unsure if this has been the case for a while but hope not as these are cool effects. The audio on the trains is very patchy now and can really only be heard towards the end of the ride. Hopefully the next big update will fix this. A few minor effects were turned off inside the mountain also, notably the meteorite that we pass through (no lights or smoke)

My goodness, that's too bad. From what I understand, the last refurbishment to Space Mountain was supposed to reliably bring back the cannon effects (in addition to new projections inside), but I guess that was short-lived. Too bad about the audio too, but isn't it supposed to be getting new trains soon as well?

[xstech25]

I'm sure all of that was fixed during the 2015 rehab, but that's normal for Disneyland Paris to spend a lot of money refurbishing something to have it fall back into disrepair about 5 minutes after it re-opens. But DLRP also lost 100 million Euro's that year so this shouldn't really surprise anyone.

[cookiex]

My goodness, that's too bad. From what I understand, the last refurbishment to Space Mountain was supposed to reliably bring back the cannon effects (in addition to new projections inside), but I guess that was short-lived. Too bad about the audio too, but isn't it supposed to be getting new trains soon as well?

It was originally reported to be getting new trains next year, but I haven't heard anything about it lately. It'll close after New Year's to become Hyperspace Mountain though.

[cookiex]

This attraction poster for Hyperspace Mountain seems to confirm the new trains are debuting with the overlay.

 

 

Original trains for comparison:

 

[SharkTums]

Sucks they're not lap bar only, but these will certainly be an improvement.