My trip report... (2) - 2006

[R.S.Winters]

Hi folks! Dan here once again – and I have just returned from another trip to Disneyland Resort Paris!
I had a FAB time as usual and we did virtually everything there once again!

Attractions experienced on this trip:

Disneyland Park:
• Disneyland Railroad
• Discovery and Liberty Arcades
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Phantom Manor
• The Mark Twain on Rivers of America
• Legends of the Wild West
• Pirates of the Caribbean (twice!)
• Adventure Isle
• Adventureland Bazaar (Aladdin’s cave)
• La Cabane des Robinson
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• “it’s a small world”
• Snow White and Seven Dwarfs
• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• Sleeping Beauty Castle (inc. Dragon’s Lair and the Sleeping Beauty Gallery)
• Le Pays des Contes de Fees
• Star Tours
• “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience”
• Les Mysteres du Nautilus
• Autopia
• Interstellar Astroport Arcade
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters – NEW!
• Princess Parade

Walt Disney Studios Park:
• CineFolies at Disney Studio 1
• Art of Disney Animation (now featuring a small film-come-advertising about Disney/PIXAR’s latest film, Cars)
• Animagique
• Cinemagique
• Television Production Tour
• Studio Tram Tour Behind the Magic
• Motors, Action Stunt Show Spectacular
• Armageddon Special Effects

We ate in:
• McDonald’s (Disney Village)
• Billy Bobs’ (Disney Village)
• Café Hyperion (Disneyland Park)
• Cowboy Cookout BBQ (Disneyland Park)
• Restaurant en Coulisse (Walt Disney Studios Park)

Closed Restaurants and Attractions on this trip:
• The Timekeeper (permanently closed – Buzz Lightyear now occupies it’s space)
• The River Rogue Keel Boats (been closed for a few years now, but they were meant to re-open this summer finally, but nothing as yet…)
• Critter Corral (no apparent reason, it just wasn’t open – probably too hot for the animals)
• The Castle Theatre Stage was closed for refurbishment – the Winnie the Pooh show is now at Fantasy Festival Stage – during performance times the Fantasyland Station is closed, so the Disneyland Railroad runs straight from Frontierland to Discoveryland
• Arcade Omega (permanently closed due to Buzz Lightyear)
• Hakuna Matata Restaurant (no longer on the guide map – no apparent reason as to why)
• Fuente del Oro Restaurant (again, no longer on the map, but this restaurant backs on to the Hakuna Matata Restaurant – they shared the same kitchens and serving areas – so this was closed too. So now there is a whole ‘block’ that is disused – funny because Disney just repainted the Fuente just recently, now it’s closed… I think they may be refurbishing the kitchens, hence why both eateries are closed)
• Restaurant des Cascadeurs
• Rendezvous des Stars
• Main Street Vehicles for one day of our trip (funny because they were operating one day, but not the next!...)

What’s NEW on this trip:
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (see below for full report on DLP’s latest attraction)
• Monsters Inc. Scream Monitors and Character Meet n’ Greet Photo Location (WDS)
• Chicken Little Meet n’ Greet Character Photo Location (complete with characters from the film and Chicken Little-esq town scenery) at WDS
• Ice Queen’s Throne from Narnia photo location (WDS)
• ‘Bowling and Fun’ at Disney Village
• Disney Village Circus
• Brand new Paris themed Disneyland Resort Paris merchandise

Strangely enough, the Disneyland Paris website recently advertised the exciting news that Jack Sparrow would be appearing as a character in Adventureland and the Pirates of the Caribbean would feature characters from the films too this summer season, but no sign as yet of them making an appearance, and with no scheduled attraction closures or guide map reprints until 27 August at least (when summer is almost over!) it looks as though we may not be seeing him at all ... 

Coming Spring 2007 in Walt Disney Studios:
• Tower of Terror – anyone with a mile of the park can see this! The construction is massive and continues rapidly forward on a daily basis. It can bee seen from nearly everywhere resort wide – yes even in Disneyland Park itself! Maybe some high level greenery needs to be put in place those places it can be seen… there is also a poster at the side of the new attraction that says ‘are you ready for the big drop’ and has a picture of the ToT.
• Toon Studios, including ‘Cars’ and ‘Turtle Twister’ – again progress on this new land at the WDS moves ever forward, with the Turtle Twister taking definite shape now. Advertising for the new movie ‘Cars’ and forthcoming attraction could not be more obvious either – not only does the website remind you every time you visit it that there is the attraction for the movie is ‘coming soon’, but the whole of Studio One’s front is covered with the biggest billboard poster you have ever seen – there is literally two door shaped holes in the wall at the bottom, and that’s it! The entire front is taken up with a Cars advertising poster. As mentioned earlier, The Art of Disney Animation attraction also now features a film about Cars too (they are really pushing this film big time out here!)

Refurbishments and Everything Else:
• Main Street, USA has undergone extensive refurbishment work, especially the Emporium. It has been totally re-done, and where before inside it was a lovely mahogany wooden colouring and very old fashioned, it is now all, well lets say ‘very white’ inside! The whole shop has had a new coat of paint and is white from to top toe. The rest of Main Street has been repainted too and I think as far as my memory serves me from previous visits (I’ll check old photos…) some facades have been changed into new ones too, complete with new names for the buildings. Refurb work continued whilst we were there on the Disneyland Hotel at the entrance to the work and on the Stroller and Wheelchair Rental store to the right of the main entrance.
• In Disney Village they have tried to brighten it up a bit, literally, with large balloon like lanterns attached to the sides of the buildings, which glow at night.
• I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, maybe not because it is very subtle, but the FastPass system is no longer available at any attraction in the WDS. FastPass is not even mentioned on the Guide Map and the attractions no longer offer it. I say this is subtle because anyone who visits wouldn’t even think of getting a FastPass anyway because the park is usually dead quite. This is obviously a good move for Disney – no Fastpass-ing the attractions means Guests have to stay longer in the park.
• The Princess Parade was once again in operation on this visit (anyone who has not seen this parade, but has seen the Wonderful World of Disney Parade – this parade is identical but for one thing – the Dumbo Casey Jr. train does not run in the Princess Parade. Over the years Guests has become increasingly disheartened from year to year when the promise of a new parade arrives, and it is the last one re-dressed…) anyway, one thing I was pleased about and is worth mentioning – in all the times I have visited DLP I have never seen the individual floats ‘decorations’ move! No-one would ever know that the parade floats had moving parts because they never have done before! Obviously Disney didn’t go around fixing them all up, they have just never bothered ‘flipping the switch’ to turn them on I guess when the parade is on. But there, in full Technicolor (!) were all the usually static parts moving! For example, on the Beauty and the Beast float the cutlery at the front around where Belle stands all danced up and down and round her, whilst the Beast (which is not a live character just in case you have not seen it) rocked back and forth. On the Aladdin float the snake breathed fire and the turrets of the palace spun! There were more but you get the idea.
• Autopia was in full operation during our visit – I mention this because in all my travels to DLP I have never actually seen it working! And thus have never been on it here! It has either been broken down, in refurb or out of season! But finally after years of curiosity about what the cars are like, what the scenery and track are like, I got to ride it! Actually as silly as it sounds I really enjoyed it and think it is much underrated! Woo long live Autopia!
• There are now new security gates between the parks that separate their entrances from the walkway between them and the Disney Village. Interesting to note that Cast Members also have to use the security stops, but have their own queue actually labelled Cast Members Only.
• Anyone taking a visit to Paris and/or DLP should definitely think about taking the one stop along on the RER from DLP to Val d’Europe. It is a very nice, very big and very worth-a-visit shopping mall and outlet village! The outlet village art of it was actually co-designed by Disney Imagineers too! At the entrance to the mall there is a DLP store called Rendez. Vous Disney and sells official DLP merchandise and very cheap sale merchandise, so even for that it is worth a visit! It is that close to Disney you can actually see the Panoramique Balloon that flies in Disney Village, from the outlet village! There also is a massive supermarket there.

Well guys and dolls that’s it from me for this visit, I will be in Florida in 12 weeks time for two weeks so when I return, you will hear from me once again!

DAN.

 

[disneyangel]

Thanks for sharing.

I think the only thing I remember you could get FP in the studios was The Flying Carpets and as you say we never needed it.

Maybe they'll bring it back for ToT.

 

[Cyrano]

Closed Restaurants and Attractions on this trip:
• The Timekeeper (permanently closed – Buzz Lightyear now occupies it’s space)

Yes this closed in 2004

 

[Cyrano]

Should have said Hi Dan and welcome to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

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[TotallyAngelic]

HI Dan
Great info...we never saw Capt Jack in July either...very disappointing. I notice you are a CM...just interested to know as to what CM you are / were.
Have a great time in Florida!!!!