I then left the park and headed over to Walt Disney Studios. Goofy was near the entrance and I stopped to meet him. When I was walking towards Studio One, I noticed that there were people congregating just to the left of it. So I decided to explore. Captain Jack Sparrow was hanging out in that area. He evidently got confused about the parks. He was supposed to be near the pirate beach in Adventureland, but he had not been around when I walked past this area. I got in the short line to see him. He was very charming and a true gentleman.
When I was inside the park, I checked out what characters were in the Toon Studios area. They had Woody and Pluto with quite long lines. So I passed. Instead I headed for the Art of Animation building. This was a little confusing. I had heard that there was a Moana meet and greet in that area. I headed in the wrong entrance first, but I was by far not the only person who made this mistake and a cast member pointed us in the right direction. I managed to get in line just before they closed it. I had quite a long wait, but I am glad that I persevered. It was fun watching Moana interact with the people in front of me and they had some of the most magical cast members I ever had the pleasure to meet in that area. Just before it was my turn, Moana went for a short break and they were swapping out Photopass photographers at the same time. I was delighted when my favourite Photopass photographer Christian turned up. This was the only time I saw him this trip. Meeting Moana was very magical. She was very personable and really showed an interest in the people she was meeting. I still have not seen the movie, but I am hoping to do so before we are heading to that part of the world.
Once I had seen Moana, I had a quick look at the shop in that area and then I had some galactic business to attend to. The main reason for scheduling this trip when I did was that this was at the beginning of Season of the Force. This was a real first for
Disneyland Paris. Not only was this the first Star Wars event, but also this was the first time in the history of the park that they had any kind of special season at Walt Disney Studios. There are plenty of seasonal special events going on at Disneyland, but they don't tend to track across to the second park with the exception of Christmas and even that is very limited. I found myself a spot off to the side of the stage by the rope. I did not have to wait long until the First Order March happened. This was really impressive.
Straight after the First Order March was the first show I wanted to see. I was not really sure what to expect from Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away. It turned to be a mix of live character performances and kind of a highlights reel from the Star Wars films. I did enjoy it, but it did not really wow me. I think real Star Wars fans would have appreciated this a lot more. It was a real shame that they did not have any meet and greets with the Star Wars characters. They have now added a Darth Vader meet and greet, but that is near Star Tours in Disneyland.
After the show was finished, I think I made a mistake. I was considering going and seeing Cinemagique, but it was still half an hour until the next show. As it was freezing cold now that the sun was going down, I decided against it although I always enjoyed this show and I had not seen it for a while. Instead I headed towards the Ratatouille ride. Cinemagique permanently went dark with very little advance warning at the end of March. I so wish I had made the time to see it one last time when I had the chance.
At the time, I was really happy with my decision. The waiting time for the single rider line for the Ratatouille ride was 5 minutes, but it was actually walk on. So I did this a couple of times and then moved on to Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin. This was also a walk on. After this, I decided I was done being cold. I actually considered calling it a day and skipping the second Star Wars show, but fortunately I came to the realisation that I would end up regretting this. So instead, I browsed in the main shop for a while and then got a Coke in the quick service restaurant opposite. I say down and spent some time catching up online.
I headed out to find a spot about 5 minutes before the show started. I ended up standing in front of the Cinemagique building about 4 rows from the front. I was pretty much in the middle between the stage and the Tower of Terror. This seemed to be a perfect spot. It had got even colder, but that was soon forgotten once the show started. It turned out that I actually had a pretty perfect viewing spot.
Star Wars: A Galactic Celebration was the best Disney show I have ever seen. As much as it grieves me to admit it, it was even better than my beloved World of Color. It is kind of strange that this is the only element of Season of the Force that has not been extended until the end of September. I think this would have worked wonderfully as part of the summer line up. Star Wars: A Galactic Celebration used the same stage and big screen that was used for Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away, but they also used the Tower of Terror. It was amazing how many different elements there were to this. The show included live characters, fireworks, lasers, projections, animations and film sequences. There were some rather mind boggling special effects. We were not wearing any 3D glasses, but there were parts of the show where things seemed to fly straight at you just like they do in a 3D film. There was another part where the whole Tower of Terror seemed to be breathing. It really was Disney Imagineering at its best. From what I have seen so far the new Disney Illuminations show is of a similar standard so that should be a real treat to watch.
On my way out, I made a point of stopping by guest services to leave my feedback. This was something really special and I hope that Disney will do more of this kind of thing. Then I headed over to Disney Village to get some dinner. I was heading for Vapiano. We actually have one of those here in Manchester, but it was never really on my radar until I read some articles about this on various Disneyland Paris fan sites just before the Run Disney event last year. It was originally supposed to be open by then, but it finally opened in early December. So I decided to check out what the hype was all about.
Vapiano is not in the main Disney Village area, but underneath the IMAX cinema. So you actually have to go through security when you come back. Next to it were signs that Five Guys was opening soon, which made me smile. Vapiano comes firmly in the quirky category. There is an assortment of communal seating as well as some smaller tables for families. In the middle of the restaurant is an olive tree. When I checked in, I was given a smart card that you touch to a reader whenever you order something and then you check out at the end. There are various pods for different foods. They are offering soups, salads, pizza, pasta and risotto as well as bar service and desserts. I started with a tomato soup and then had the Bolognese with fusilli. The pasta dish was cooked while I was watching with fresh ingredients. The basil was actually cut from a pot. It does not get any fresher with this. I also treated myself to a glass of rose wine from the Languedoc. Everything was delicious. The real test was the Tiramisu that I had for dessert and this passed with flying colours as well. The prices were fare as well. I paid just over €20 for a three-course dinner with wine with my annual pass discount. I had enjoyed it so much that we went to the one here in Manchester for our anniversary.
After dinner, I headed back to the hotel. I only had a short wait for the shuttle. I called Graham and read for a bit and then I called it a day. I decided that I would not go for Extra Magic Hours the next morning, but would have a bit of a lie in. I set the alarm and then headed to bed.
