Disneyland Paris (Euro Disney) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Andre Willey
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 4 Dec 1994
Version: 2.0
Disneyland Paris
(aka EuroDisney)
Frequently Asked Questions and General Information List
Version 2.0 - 4th December 1994
Copyright (c) 1994 Andre Willey
(original version written by Tom Drynda)
Welcome to Version 2.0 of the Disneyland Paris Frequently Asked Questions
List. The previous release was v1.2, from Tom Drynda. Unfortunately, Tom
since lost his regular Internet access, so I have taken over maintaining the
FAQ (with his permission).
Note: this FAQ is still in its early stages - as is Disneyland Paris - so
some of the information may be incomplete, inaccurate, or lacking in
finesse. Your comments, corrections, criticisms and suggestions are very
welcome. I would be especially grateful if people visiting the park could
occasionally pick up an extra copy of the free Guest Guidebook/weekly
Entertainment Programme (available at City Hall) while they're there, and
pop them in the post to me (e-mail me for my postal address). This will help
me enormously in keeping the Topical Information section up to date.
This document is Copyright (c) 1994 by Andre Willey. Some parts from the
original version were written by Tom Drynda, who should also be credited
when any material is quoted. This FAQ is intended for public use, and may be
redistributed freely in its original form ONLY. If you post a copy to a
bulletin board/etc, please let me know so I can send you updates.
The main availability of this FAQ is currently as follows:
[Note: This interim copy is being posted to rec.arts.disney,
rec.parks.theme and the mailing list only. A duplicate posting to
rec.answers and news.answers, plus rtfm.mit.edu FTP availability,
should follow early next week, as soon as I get a problem with our
usenet posting software sorted out]
* Usenet Newsgroups (posted monthly)
rec.arts.disney
rec.parks.theme
rec.answers
news.answers
* Anonymous FTP
Site: yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au
Directory: /pub/rec.arts.disney/faq/
Filename: eurodisney.Z
Site: rtfm.mit.edu
Directory: /pub/usenet/news.answers/disney-faq/
Filename: disneyland-paris
You can email me at "an...@cix.compulink.co.uk" for a copy of this
FAQ. Please let me know if you wish to be added to the updates
mailing list which I have now re-established.
If you require the list to be sent to you split into several parts
(due to news/email restrictions at your site), please email me
directly with your request, and tell me the maximum size email you
can handle. A FAQ will then be sent to you shortly after, split as
required. Please do not ask to be put onto the automated list, as
that is only set up to support single-message mailing.
============================================================================
Contents
1 Topical Information
1.1 Current Opening Hours
1.2 Current Gate Prices
1.3 Current Hotel Rates
1.4 Seasonal Structure
1.5 Current News and Gossip
1.6 Temporarily Closed Rides / Attractions
1.7 New Attractions and Attractions Under Construction
1.8 Share Price History
2 A Brief History of Euro Disney / Disneyland Paris
3 Overview of Disneyland Paris
3.1 Attractions and Entertainments
3.2 List of Shops
3.3 List of Restaurants and food outlets
3.4 Festival Disney
3.5 Hotels
4 Common Questions and Answers
4.1 What are the opening hours and prices?
4.2 Contact Numbers and Addresses?
4.3 Guide Books?
4.4 How To Get There?
4.5 Attractions that no other park has?
4.6 Comparisons between rides?
4.7 What language do they use?
4.8 Getting around Paris?
4.9 How do I get discounts? (Euro Disney Magic Kingdom Club)
5 More details of specific attractions
5.1 Walt's Restaurant
5.2 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
5.3 Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril
5.4 Alice's Curious Labyrinth
5.5 Le Visionarium
5.6 Mysteries of the Nautilus
5.7 Liberty Arcade, Discovery Arcade, Statue of Liberty Tableau
5.8 Adventure Isle
5.9 La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant (walk-through)
6 Acknowledgements
============================================================================
1 Topical Information
1.1 Opening Hours, Winter 1994 - Spring 1995
Dates Hours
------------------------ ----------------------------------
November 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm)
December 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm)
December 31st 10am - 1am (New Year's Eve party)
January 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm)
February 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm)
March 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm)
April 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 10pm)
April 15-16 & 29-30 10am - 10pm (Holiday weekends)
There are several regular parades:
La Parade d'Aladdin 11.30 am daily
(Christmas Parade from mid-November. Lion King in Spring?)
La Parade Disney 4 pm daily
Electrical Parade Currently Saturdays only, an hour
before park closure (weather
permitting). Also daily from Dec 10 -
Jan 8 at 5.30 pm. Dec 31 at 8.30 pm
Call Guest Relations on (+33 1) 64 74 30 00 to confirm times.
1.2 Current Gate Prices (all prices in French Francs)
Passport Category Aladdin Dalmatian Mermaid
(value) (shoulder) (peak)
One Day, Adult 175 225 250
Two Day, Adult 335 425 475
Three Day, Adult 440 565 630
One Day, Child 125 150 175
Two Day, Child 240 285 335
Three Day, Child 315 375 440
Annual Passport, Adult 695
Annual-Plus, Adult 995
Annual Passport, Child 495
Annual-Plus, Child 695
Notes: 10% Magic Kingdom Club discount applies on all of the above
prices. Children are classed as aged 3-11, kids under 3 are free.
The basic Annual Passport is not valid during some peak summer
weekend and holiday dates. The 'Annual-Plus' passport is valid
every day for the full 12 months, and gives other benefits such as
free parking, free stroller rental, 10% off all resort food and
merchandise purchases, a quarterly newsletter, etc.
1.3 Current Hotel Rates, valid until end of April 1995
(all prices in French Francs, unless otherwise noted)
Disneyland Hotel Room Suite
================ ---- ------------
Value 1600 2500 - 12500
Shoulder 1600 2500 - 12500
Peak 1950 3250 - 12500
Castle Club (Disneyland) Room Suite
======================== ---- ------------
Value 2300 2500 - 12500
Shoulder 2590 2500 - 12500
Peak 2750 3250 - 12500
(MKC members get Castle Club rooms at the standard room rate)
Hotel New York Room Suite
============== ---- -----------
Value 1000 1900 - 8500
Shoulder 1000 1900 - 8500
Peak 1000 2100 - 9000
Newport Bay Club Room Suite
================ ---- -----------
Value 600 1250 - 1850
Shoulder 750 1250 - 1850
Peak 850 1400 - 2000
Sequoia Lodge Room Suite
============= ---- -----------
Value 500 1300 - 1500
Shoulder 650 1300 - 1500
Peak 750 1500 - 1700
Hotel Cheyenne Room
============== ----
Value 400
Shoulder 500
Peak 650
Hotel Santa Fe Room
============== ----
Value 300
Shoulder 450
Peak 550
Davy Crockett Ranch * 4-person 6-person 3 nights 4 nights
=================== -------- -------- -------- --------
Value 425 475 UKP 175 UKP 138
Shoulder 650 750 UKP 246 UKP 170
Peak 800 1000 UKP 296 UKP 251
The above prices are for accommodation only; 8% Magic Kingdom Club
discount is available. All prices are in French Francs unless
otherwise stated, and include VAT. Prices do NOT include local
taxes (e.g. there is a FFr 7 per person per night Hotel Tax
charged by the French government).
'Classic Break' package prices are also available, which include
continental breakfast and unlimited park entrance during your
stay. Standard packages can be purchased as 1 night/2 days, 2
nights/3 days and 3 nights/4 days, but extra nights can be added
if desired. The pricing system is complex, with five price bands
based on the date of the start of your stay. The bands largely
follow the main hotel seasonal structure, with packages starting
on a Saturday night being slightly more expensive.
Package deal prices may not be subject to Magic Kingdom Club
discounts, so also weigh up the costs of booking your room and
passport using your MKC card. We found this could give much better
value (around UKP 25 per person per night cheaper for some hotels,
which more than covered the cost of paying for breakfast at the
hotel or in the park).
Special Offer: Book any package deal between 2nd Jan 1995 and 30th
March 1995, and for each adult, one child (under age 12) gets the
same package free.
* The Davy Crockett Ranch is only available for multi-day stays
until the end of March, and prices appear to be the same for the
four and six person cabins. You can choose to stay three days
(arriving on a Friday) or four days (arriving on a Monday). The
booking office only had the UK pound prices listed when I phoned
them.
See below (section 4.2) for phone-numbers for making reservations
or enquiries.
1.4 Seasonal Structure, Winter 1994 - Spring 1995
Park Seasons
Aladdin (value) Nov 7-Dec 22, Jan 2-Feb 10
Dalmatian (shoulder) Nov 1-6, Feb 11-Apr 14, Apr 24-30
Mermaid (peak) Dec 23-Jan 1, Apr 15-23
Hotel Seasons
Aladdin (value) Nov 6-Dec 22, Jan 2-Feb 10
(Sat nights at shoulder-season rate)
Dalmatian (shoulder) Nov 1-5, Feb 11-Apr 13, Apr 24-27
(Sat nights, plus Mar 31 & Apr 7, at
peak-season rate)
Mermaid (peak) Dec 23-Jan 1, Apr 14-23, Apr 28-30
1.5 Current News and Gossip
Current Special Offer: Book any package deal between 2nd Jan 1995
and 30th March 1995, and for each adult, one child (under age 12)
gets the same package free.
Christmas at Disneyland Paris started on November 15 and lasts for
the next 55 days. A number of special parades and shows are in
evidence, plus Christmas fare at the restaurants.
Christmas Parade: Runs every morning instead of the Aladdin
parade. Led by wooden soldiers, it culminates with Santa's
float
The Lights of Winter: 1,000 Christmas lights arched above
Main Street until March 12.
Christmas tree: 60ft tree in Town Square will be turned on by
a selected boy & girl visitor each day at dusk until Jan 8.
Noel de Mickey: Christmas stage show starring Mickey and the
gang. Daily at the Fantasy Festival Stage until Jan 8.
The Lucky Nugget Saloon (Dec 1-20) and Buffalo Bill's Wild
West Show (from Dec 8) have special Christmas flavour shows.
Also, the Hotel New York will present its 'Jolly Holiday
Show' twice nightly (with meal) from Dec 21 - Jan 1.
Special Christmas meals on Dec 24 and Dec 31. Kids eat free
at early sittings.
New Year's Eve: Fantasia in the Sky firework display above
Sleeping Beauty's castle.
1.6 Temporarily Closed Rides / Attractions
Main Street Motors no longer exists as such. It is now just
another store selling Disney merchandise.
Some of the table-service restaurants have now changed to
counter-service due to lack of demand.
The firework display over Sleeping Beauty's Castle has
encountered a few problems. It appears that the theme park
straddles two adjacent districts controlled by different
French mayors, and that one of them objected to the daily
firework display during the summer which kept his children
awake. The fireworks were thus moved to Festival Disney, an
area under the other Mayor's jurisdiction, around 15 minutes
before park closure. This had the added benefit of attracting
visitors out of the park ready for closing time. However, the
firework displays have now been suspended completely (even on
Saturdays, when they would previously have been run). It is
unknown whether this is due to political problems or is just
a winter cost-cutting measure.
Please check with Guest Relations for further info.
1.7 New Attractions and Attractions Under Construction
The following attractions have opened in the last 12 months:
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril [Adventureland]
(Mine-car roller coaster ride, with 360 degree loop)
Le Pays des Contes de Fees [Fantasyland]
(Cruise gently through the canals of Storybookland)
Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque [Fantasyland]
(Casey Junior fast train ride around Storybookland)
Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin [Fantasyland]
(Small ferris wheel, attached to The Old Mill restaurant)
Discoveryland Railroad Station [Discoveryland]
(a new boarding point for the Railroad, near to Star Tours)
Mysteries of the Nautilus [Discoveryland]
(Walk through Captain Nemo's submarine. With squid attack)
Attractions Under Construction:
Space Mountain [Discoveryland] June 1995
This will be a fast indoor roller coaster ride, similar to
that at WDW. Themed on Jules Verne's "First Man in the Moon",
you are fired from a cannon on your voyage to the moon.
Construction is currently ahead of schedule, so don't be
surprised if it is open for Easter. Was to have been named
Discovery Mountain.
From Scott Van Horn (svan...@anetbbs.com): The new Discovery
Mountain (I heard it had changed names, but I'm not sure)
looked spectacular! They were still working on the cannon,
but the building looks (and is) VERY large. I took a picture
from a distance and it looked as if they had painted a large
backdrop with that on it. The rollercoaster shoots right up
along side of the mountain and then dips down into the main
building, but everyone will think they're being propelled
into the sky. :) Very fun looking.
1.8 Share Price History
Note: This is largely Tom's work, and I haven't been able to keep it up
to date over the past couple of months. Is weekly Share information of
interest, or should I drop it in favour of occasional mentions in the
extended general timeline in section 2?
This is patchy at best, but it may give an indication of he trends.
Prices are in UK pence (UKP/100) and are rounded up to nearest penny.
Date Price Notes
--------- ----- ------------------------
02-Feb-94 415 ED Announce further UKP 63m
loss.
07-Feb-94 381
08-Feb-94 373
11-Feb-94 414
22-Feb-94 423
23-Feb-94 403 Annual Report published.
28-Feb-94 385
09-Mar-94 409 Announcement of strong
possibility of deal between
banks and ED.
13-Mar-94 424 Announcement of a deal
between ED, WD, and
banks.
14-Mar-94 393 Bourgignon says not to
expect a profit next
year.
21-Mar-94 401
28-Mar-94 391
04-Apr-94 390 Frank Wells, key Disney
executive dies in tragic
accident.
06-Apr-94 387
18-Apr-94 370
29-Apr-94 371
11-May-94 337
16-May-94 355
20-May-94 369 Creditor banks accept
financial restructuring
package.
03-Jun-94 390 Saudi (?) prince offers
$500 million to ED in
return for some stock.
--------- ----- ------------------------
High/Low for 1994: 457/334
Euro Disney Share Price Graph
------------------------------------------
430_ _ _430
420_ _- /| || _420
410_ -- .-- | | | / | _410
400_ | | | | | / | _400
390_ | | |_ __/ ./ \_ _390
380_ |_ | - `--_ _380
370_ \| `--.____ _370
360_ _360
31 07 14 21 28 07 14 21 28 04 11 18 25
|Feb |Mar |Apr
Euro Disney Share Price Graph
------------------------------------------
430_ _430
420_ _420
410_ |\ _410
400_ | \ _400
390_ __- \_ _390
380_ / _380
370_ ___ | _370
360_ \ / _360
350_ | | _360
340_ | | _360
330_ `-' _360
320_ _360
02 09 16 23 30 06 13 20 27 04 11 18 25
|May |Jun |Jul
============================================================================
2 A Brief History of Euro Disney / Disneyland Paris
August 1988: Construction started.
December 1990: Espace Euro Disney - an information centre - opens
to the public.
September 1st 1991: Casting Centre opens.
April 12th 1992: Euro Disney opens. Inaugural ceremonies broadcast
to entire continent by five national networks. However, the
expected 500,000 visitors did not turn up for the first day of
business: in fact, barely 50,000 people were admitted.
May 1992: Up to 3,000 employees have reportedly quit over pay and
working conditions. Attendances are low - sources say that on
sunny weekend days the park is attracting about 20,000-25,000
visitors, much lower than the predicted 60,000. Only 3 out of 10
visitors are French. Company stock falls to FFr 123 ($22.70), down
from $30.50 before the opening.
August 1992: The park is now expected to draw around 9.6 million
visitors this year, as opposed to the 11 million that had
originally been projected.
Late 1992: European recession causes property slump and Euro
Disney falls into serious financial difficulty. High interest
payments on its massive start-up loans further exacerbate the
problems, and the cheap dollar rate meant that many tourists found
it cheaper to fly to Florida for their holidays. Further blame is
placed on overstaffing and over-capacity at the Euro Disney hotels
(since visitors can do the park in one day). Newport Bay Club
hotel is therefore closed during the quiet winter months. Souvenir
and food prices are also seen as being prohibitively high, meaning
that visitors aren't spending enough money while inside the park -
hopes were that each visitor would spend around $33 per day, but
analysts reckon spending is around 12% lower.
Early 1994: Euro Disney in crisis. Rumours are rife in the press
that the park will have to close due to massive losses. Crisis
talks are held with the banks and backers.
June 1994: A financial rescue package is announced which involves
a number of actions: massive injection of new cash ($500 million)
by a Saudi prince; the Disney Company agrees to waive its royalty
fees for five years while the park finds its feet; agreement by
the banks to support better loan repayment schedules; a new issue
of shares.
August 1994: All of the park's hotels are fully booked during the
peak holiday season. At least there appears to be no shortage of
visitors, and their reactions to the park itself are generally
favourable - although food and merchandise are still seen as being
too expensive.
August 31st 1994: Trading in Euro Disney stock was temporarily
suspended for 15 minutes on the Paris stock exchange after share
prices fell to less then $2 (i.e. a drop of more than 10%). Shares
hit $1.40 in the first 10 minutes of trading. The problems were
blamed on 'technical reasons', and an analyst's recommendation to
sell stock.
October 1994: The park's name is officially changed to "Disneyland
Paris". This is due to public mistrust of all things 'Euro', a
wish to more closely link the park with the romantic city of
Paris, and a desire to disassociate with the poor reputation that
has become linked with the phrase "Euro Disney". The 'Euro' part
of the logo had been reducing in size for some time, and the name
gradually transformed from "EURO Disney" to "Euro Disneyland" to
"Euro Disneyland Paris" to "Disneyland Paris". The entire resort
complex is technically still known as Euro Disney, though.
November 1994: Slightly more encouraging year-end figures are
released. The previous year's UKP 650 million loss has been
slashed to around 200 million. This is despite a 10% fall in
attendance to some 8.8 million visitors (caused largely by the 1st
and 2nd quarter panics that the park would be closed by Summer).
Winter 1994: Unlike previous years, all of the site hotels remain
open for business.
Spring 1995: Disneyland Paris will repeat its successful 'Kids go
Free' promotional offer from last year, which helped give a much-
needed boost to trade during the slack months of January-March.
============================================================================
3 Overview of Disneyland Paris (a brief guide)
Obviously there is enough material to write a book on the contents of
Disneyland Paris. Several people have, in fact (see section 4.3). What
follows here is a very brief overview of the park's attractions, shops
and restaurants. More detailed notes on some of the more interesting
and/or unique elements are provided in section 5.
(*) indicates a must-see attraction (or shop) for first-time visitors.
(#) indicates that you should expect long queues for these attractions
during busy periods, so maybe do them during a parade, or early in
the day. However, some rides are faster loaders than others, so
the queues may move quickly. Pirates of the Caribbean and Phantom
Manor, for example, may have long queues but they load very
quickly.
3.1 Attractions and Entertainments
Main Street USA
Euro Disneyland Railroad, Main Street station (#)
(Journey includes Grand Canyon diorama, and travels through
the back of Pirates of the Caribbean)
Daily Parades (see section 1.1 for current times) (*)
(Note from Ron Vutpakdi (vutp...@houston.wireline.slb.com):
If you are going to watch the parade, watch it from where it
enters the park [near It's a Small World, in Fantasyland].
When they open the doors, you can see some of the parade
people clowning around; I saw Jafar and his guards doing a
little Rockettes-style kicking number)
Main Street vehicles
(Horse-drawn streetcars, firetrucks, etc)
Liberty Arcade, Liberty Court & Discovery Arcade
(Behind shops on either side of street. Liberty Arcade forms
part of the covered route to Frontierland in poor weather)
Euro Disneyland Band
Frontierland
Legends of the Wild West
(walk-through Fort Comstock at entrance to Frontierland.
Includes small Cheyenne Indian village)
Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing
(steam paddle-wheeler & stern-wheeler)
River Rogue Keelboats
(closes at dusk)
Indian Canoes
(closes at dusk)
Phantom Manor (*) (#)
(ghostly haunted house; excellent)
Rustler Roundup Shootin' Gallery
(extra charge)
Big Thunder Mountain (*) (#)
(long queues; try early, or during a parade)
Cottonwood Creek Ranch & Critter Coral
(petting zoo, closes at dusk)
Frontierland Depot Railroad station
(good place to board, with little queuing)
Lucky Nugget Saloon Revue
(see restaurants section)
Wild-west shootout display
Adventureland
Pirates of the Caribbean (*) (#)
(Yo, ho, yo, ho - a pirate's life for me!)
La Cabane des Robinson
(Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse)
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril (*) (#)
(roller coaster with a 360 degree loop. Tends to have long
queues; try early, or during a parade)
Adventure Isle/Captain Hook's ship
(walk around caves, bridges, etc. Great for the kids)
Le passage Enchante d'Aladdin
(walk-through of miniature scenes from Aladdin)
African dancers
Fantasyland
Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant (*)
(Sleeping Beauty's Castle, with nice stained glass windows
upstairs, and the dragon's lair in dungeon)
Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (#)
(Snow White dark ride)
Les Voyages de Pinocchio (#)
(Pinocchio dark ride)
Le Carrousel de Lancelot
(Ride horses on the carrousel; basically a fairground ride)
Peter Pan's Flight (*) (#)
(Magical trip over Neverland in flying pirate ships; lovely)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (#)
(Fly your own dumbo; basically a fairground ride)
Matter Hatter's Tea Cups (#)
(Spinning tea-cups; basically a fairground ride)
Alice's Curious Labyrinth
(maze with a castle in the middle. Nice view from castle)
It's a Small World
(boat ride around the world with little singing dolls. Become
brainwashed by THAT tune)
Fantasyland Railroad Station
(mid-point of Railroad ride. Good place to get off)
Le Theatre du Chateau (*)
(stage show: Mickey's Magic Book. Snow White/Sleeping Beauty,
as recounted by Mickey. Great fun, see if you can)
Fantasy Festival Stage
(stage show: a musical trip round Disneyland Paris. Somewhat
forgettable)
Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin
(Small ferris wheel, attached to The Old Mill restaurant)
Casey Junior, Le petit train du Cirque (#)
(mini roller-coaster train around Storybookland)
Le Pays des Contes de Fees (#)
(Storybookland cruise in little boats. No narration)
Discoveryland
Le Visionarium (Circle-Vision 360) (*)
(wonderful time-travel trip. Don't miss. See section 5.5)
Orbitron - Machines Volantes (#)
(imagine the Star Jets were made by Jules Verne)
Autopia (#)
(ditto, Grand Prix Raceway made by Jules Verne)
Star Tours (*) (#)
(main dialogue is in French, but who cares? Do it anyway!)
CineMagique
(standard Captain EO - not even filmed by Jules Verne. In
English)
Videopolis stage show
(currently playing: Beauty and the Beast, in French)
Discoveryland Railroad Station
(board the steam Railroad train at a futuristic station)
Mysteries of the Nautilus (#)
(walk-through the Nautilus; see a squid outside the window.
Don't bother if the queue is more than three people!)
Space mountain (opens June 1995) --- probably (*) (#) (#) (#)
3.2 List of Shops
Main Street USA
Plaza East Boutique and Plaza West Boutique
(Park souvenirs. At park entrance, so they close late)
The Storybook Store
(Books/CDs/tapes/etc. Sells nice Disneyland Paris wall-maps)
Ribbons & Bows Hat Shop
(Hats and personalised mouse-ears)
Emporium
(Biggest store in park, sells loads of general Disney stuff)
Contains:
The Toy Chest (toys)
Bixby Brothers (clothes)
Silhouette Artist
(yep, get cut-up paper pictures of you here)
Town Square Photography
(Films, cameras, etc. Expensive same-day processing service)
Boardwalk Candy Palace
(fine chocolates, candies, etc)
Disney Clothiers, Ltd.
(clothes)
Main Street Motors
(used to sell old cars, now generally sports-oriented
clothes)
Harmony Barber Shop
(Yes, real haircuts and shaves as well as Quartet singers)
Disney & Co.
(general Disney character merchandise)
Harrington's Fine China and Porcelains (*)
(Crystal, glassware, china, etc)
Contains:
Class Fantasies (lovely Disney glassware, created on-site,
personalisation available)
Disneyanna Collectibles (cels, lithos, figurines, etc)
Frontierland
Thunder Mesa Mercantile Building
General wild-west themed goods. Nothing much special.
Contains:
Tobias Norton & Sons, Frontier Traders (leather items)
Bonanza Outfitters (jeans, cowboy/indian hats, etc)
Eureka Mining Supplies and Assay Office (toys and candy)
Pueblo Trading Post
Mostly Winnie the Pooh merchandise
Woodcarver's Workshop
Real woodcarvings, personalisation available.
Adventureland
Trader Sam's Jungle Boutique
(Adventureland-style clothes, jewellery, etc)
Adventureland Bazar (*)
(Big covered market complex. Nice to wander around, lots of
great detail - ironically mostly pre-Aladdin)
Contains:
Le Chant des Tam-Tams (wicker stuff & Jungle Book)
Les Tresors de Scheherazade - Articles des Mille et Une
Nuits (North African style gifts/clothes)
La Reine des Serpents - Cadeaux Exotiques (worldwide gifts)
L'Echoppe d'Aladdin (Aladdin merchandise)
La Giraffe Curieuse - Tout pour le Safari (safari gear)
Le Coffre du Capitaine
(Pirate gear and souvenirs. Don't miss)
Fantasyland
Merlin l'Enchanteur (*)
(Medieval figures, dragons, etc. Inside castle. Also contains
one entrance to the Dragon's cave)
La Boutique du Chateau (*)
(Holiday and Christmas merchandise. Inside castle)
La Chaumiere des Sept Nains
(mainly kids Snow White merchandise, plus some jewellery)
La Confiserie des Trois Fees
(sweets)
Sir Mickey's
(Disney character merchandise. Giant beanstalk outside)
Contains:
La Menagerie du Royaume (Soft toys, ceramics, glassware)
Le Brave Petit Tailleur (Disney clothes and hats)
La Bottega di Gepetto
(clocks, puppets, music boxes and hand carved toys)
Information - Change Kiosk
(Info and currency exchange)
Discoveryland
Constellations
(General Disney fare. Wonderful Mickey centrepiece)
Star Traders
(Sci-fi souvenirs. Has a big satellite/radar dish on roof)
3.3 List of Restaurants and food outlets
Main Street USA
The Coffee Grinder
(coffee kiosk half-way down Main Street)
The Ice Cream Company
(ice-cream kiosk half-way down Main Street)
Market House Deli
(jumbo sandwiches)
Walt's - an American Restaurant [Table service; wine available]
(Great eating place for real Disney fans. See section 5.1)
Cookie Kitchen
(expensive cookie shop)
Cable Car Bake Shop
(croissants and cakes)
Casey's Corner
(sells one-foot hot dogs. Avoid the chicken ones!)
The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour
(ice cream sundaes, etc)
Victoria's Home-Style Cooking
(hot quiches and snacks)
Plaza Gardens Restaurant [Table service]
(Victorian-style. Nice place for a character breakfast)
Frontierland
Silver Spur Steakhouse [Table service; wine available]
(rather formal, plain old-fashioned steakhouse)
The Last Chance Cafe
(overlooks Thunder Mountain. Smoked beef/turkey sandwiches)
The Lucky Nugget Saloon
(Great old-west entertainment. Bilingual show, with audience
participation. Food is substantial)
Fuente del Oro Restaurante
(Mexican food)
Cowboy Cookout Barbecue
(Fast-food, burgers, etc in old-west barn location. Indoor
and outdoor seating. Cowhand Band play several times a day)
Adventureland
Explorers Club Restaurant
(now sells fast food. Nice waterfall setting)
Aux Epices Enchantees
(varied menu: lamb curry, couscous, beef/chicken brochettes)
Cafe de la Brousse
(light refreshments)
Captain Hooks Galley
(sandwich snacks from the pirate ship)
Blue Lagoon Restaurant [Table service; wine available]
(Great place to eat in a quiet romantic setting. Pirates of
the Caribbean boats float by as you enjoy your meal under a
deep blue 'sky' in tropical surroundings. Good service, and
the food - mostly seafood - is highly recommended)
Fantasyland
Auberge de Cendrillon [Table service; wine available]
(Cinderella's coach sits in the courtyard, and you can see
the wishing well and the rear of Le Theatre du Chateau from
there. Watch Mickey waiting to go on stage - give him a shout
and he may wave at you)
Pizzeria Bella Notte
(order a Mickey Mouse Pizza just for the hell of it)
Fantasia Gelati
(nice, but very expensive, ice creams)
Au Chalet de la Marionnette
(Pinocchio's restaurant. Fast-food, chicken and salad)
Toad Hall Restaurant
(fish & chips, steak sandwiches - yummy, says this Brit!)
March Hare Refreshments
(drinks and un-birthday cakes - which are slightly larger
than cup-cakes, and look as sweet and sickly as heck!)
The Old Mill
(French bread sandwiches - "Sub's" to the Americans, I
believe. Can be busy)
Discoveryland
Cafe des Visionnaires
(good views of the parades in Fantasyland)
Cafe Hyperion
(fast-food restaurant inside the Videopolis)
Note: During the winter months, some park restaurants are only open at
weekends and during school holidays. Also, the Silver Spur Steakhouse
and the Blue Lagoon may be shut on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the
Auberge de Cendrillon may be shut Wednesdays and Thursdays)
3.4 Festival Disney
This area is marked by the enormous silver and red vertical
columns apparently supporting nothing but a bunch of wires. These
wires actually support small lights, but during the day they're
obviously not switched on. At night, they look quite good, but the
pattern they form is only obvious from close-up. The enormous
columns contain mainly small kiosks and/or speakers which emit
music constantly while Festival Disney is open (from 8.30 am to
2.00 am). Festival Disney consists of a number of nightclubs,
restaurants, shops, kiosks, and Buffalo Bills Wild West Show (see
section 5.2).
The shops are your average Disney stores slightly themed but with
nothing spectacular inside. I saw nothing there that I wanted and
couldn't get cheaper at my local Disney Store.
Just before the exit to Festival Disney (the Disneyland end), to
the left there is a large building which contains Buffalo Bill's
Wild West Show. Just in front of this building is a small coral
area where we saw people riding around on horses.
Festival Disney includes several restaurants:
Annette's Diner
(traditional burger-bar; fifties/sixties cars parked outside)
Carnegie's Deli
(you can pick up breakfast here, on your way to the park)
Key West Seafood
(nice seafood restaurant, well themed)
Los Angeles Bar and Grill
(upmarket Californian style restaurant)
The Steakhouse
(nice steaks, but ludicrously overpriced)
3.5 Hotels
The Euro Disney resort complex has six main hotels plus a
campsite/log-cabin area which is a little way away from the park.
A free minibus service links the six main hotels to Festival
Disney and the park itself.
All the hotels feature rooms with twin double beds or one King-
size bed (confirm when booking), en-suite shower/bathroom, TV,
etc. Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am. See section 1.3 for
current prices.
Hotel Disneyland
Actually the smallest hotel on site, but by far the most
luxurious - just soak up the atmosphere in that massive
entrance lobby, even if you don't stay there! Situated over
the entrance to the park, the very best rooms (known as
Castle Club rooms) have a wonderful view right down Main
Street to the castle. If you can afford it, stay here, right
in the heart of the magic. Kids will *love* it! Very highly
Recommended.
* 500 "fairytale" rooms (inc 21 suites and 11 rooms for
the handicapped)
* All rooms have mini-bar and air conditioning
* Indoor heated pool with whirlpool and saunas (free)
* Health club
* Mad Hatter games room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Baby-sitting service in room
* Main Street Lounge (overlooks Railroad station & Main St.)
* Three restaurants:
Cafe Fantasia (great for breakfast)
Inventions (*wonderful* buffet-style eating)
California Grill
* "Character meals" available
* Shop: Galerie Mickey
Hotel New York
Situated on Lake Disney, just past the Festival Disney
complex, this is the second-closest hotel to the park (5-10
minutes walk). Themed on the 1930's New York skyline, this
hotel has a very 'art deco' feel to it. Very plush, but
rather cold and lacking in Disney charm. Remember to request
a lakeside view. Adjoins a large conference centre.
* 574 rooms (inc 36 suites and 13 rooms for the handicapped)
* All rooms have Minitel terminals, mini-bar and air
conditioning
* Indoor & outdoor heated pools
* Health club
* Two tennis courts
* Open-air skating rink (winter)
* Beauty salon/barbers shop
* Times Square games room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Baby-sitting service in room
* Convention Centre
* Two bar/Lounges: Rainbow Lounge and 57th Street Bar
* Two restaurants: Rainbow Room and Parkside Diner
* Shop: Stock Exchange
Newport Bay Club
Themed after a turn-of-the-century New England resort, the
Newport Bay Club is also on the shores of Lake Disney, about
10-15 minutes walk from the park. Some rooms sleep six.
Remember to request a lakeside view. One of the quieter, more
romantic hotels, with great atmosphere. Recommended.
* 1098 rooms (inc 15 suites and 23 rooms for the handicapped)
* All rooms have mini-bar and air conditioning
* Indoor & outdoor heated pools
* Health club
* Croquet Field
* Children's Playground
* Sea Horse Club games room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Baby-sitting service in room
* Bar/Lounge: Fisherman's Wharf
* Two restaurants: Yacht Club and Cape Cod
* Shop: Bay Boutique
Sequoia Lodge
Themed on a Rocky Mountain hunters' lodge, this hotel is
located beside Lake Disney. Five separate accommodation
blocks spread out from the main building, so you might prefer
to request rooms in the main lodge - perhaps with a lakeside
view. The roaring log fire in the lounge area would be great
in winter. About 10-15 minutes walk from the park.
Recommended, especially if you've got kids.
* 1011 rooms (inc 14 suites and 21 rooms for the handicapped)
* All rooms have mini-bar and air conditioning
* Indoor & outdoor heated pools with slides, etc.
* Health club
* Children's Playground
* Kit Carson's Arcade Game Room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Redwood Bar and Lounge
* Two restaurants: Hunter's Grill and Beaver Creek Tavern
* Shop: North West Passageway
Hotel Cheyenne
Inventively themed as a wild west town, the hotel rooms are
located in dozens of out-buildings - so you might find
yourself sleeping above the 'bank' or 'saloon'. Great for the
kids, and the only site hotel which features rooms with bunk
beds. No pool. 15-20 minutes walk from park.
* 1000 rooms (inc 21 rooms for the handicapped)
* All rooms have mini-bar. One double and two bunk beds
* Fort Apache and The Coral children's playgrounds
* Nevada games room
* Baby-sitting service in room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Bar/Lounge: Red Garter Saloon
* Restaurant: Chuckwagon Cafe (9 themed 'food stores' laid
out along the town's main street).
* Shop: General Store
Hotel Santa Fe
The cheapest and most basic hotel, supposedly with a New
Mexico theme. This doesn't quite work, and it looks more like
an unfinished building site - and the entrance driveway is
incredibly tacky! Guest accommodation is spread out from the
main reception building in 42 'pueblos'. No pool. 15-20
minutes walk from park. Avoid, unless you're on a real
shoestring budget (or you're desperate to see the erupting
volcano, or the drive-in movie screen)
Report from Roy Turner (rtu...@netcom.com): It is a bit
plain, not fancy at all, but the rooms are fine. Easy walk to
the park, or there is a shuttle. There is only one on-site
food facility, which is themed as (guess what) southwest
'Mexican' food. We ate there several times, and got real
tired of it. There are only a few items on the menu. But all
in all, it was good value for the money (compared to the rest
of the hotels).
* 1000 rooms (inc 21 rooms for the handicapped)
* All rooms have mini-bar
* Totem Circle Children's Playground
* Pow Wow games room
* Baby-sitting service in room
* Laundry and dry cleaning service
* Bar/Lounge: Rio Grade Bar
* Restaurant: La Cantina
* Shop: Trading Post
Davy Crockett Ranch
About 15 minutes drive from the park, the campsite is themed
as a wilderness hideaway. The 4- or 6-person log cabins have
all the luxuries of home, though. Great activities for the
kids, but too far away from the park to consider if you don't
have a car.
* 181 camp sites and 414 cabins for 4 to 6 people
* All cabins feature bath, TV, telephone, heating and daily
housekeeping service
* Comfort stations with shower, laundry, etc.
* Indoor heated pool with slides, river, whirlpool, etc.
* Outdoor tennis courts and sports fields
* Davy's farm, with pony rides
* Computer Games room
* Bicycle and minicar rentals
* Restaurant: Crockett's Tavern
* Shop: Alamo Trading Post
============================================================================
4 Common Questions and Answers
4.1 What are the opening hours and prices?
See sections 1.1 - 1.4 above.
4.2 Contact Numbers and Addresses?
Park Information:
Guest Relations (+33 1) 64 74 30 00
(direct line to City Hall, just inside the park)
Annual Passport Info (+33 1) 64 74 27 62
(Guest Relations office - outside park, to the right of
the entrance turnstiles)
First Aid Centre (+33 1) 64 74 23 00
(adjacent to Plaza Gardens Restaurant, Central Plaza)
Lost Children (+33 1) 64 74 24 00
(adjacent to Plaza Gardens Restaurant, Central Plaza)
Lost Property (+33 1) 64 74 25 00
(City Hall, Town Square, just inside the park)
Baby Care Centre (+33 1) 64 74 26 00
(adjacent to Plaza Gardens Restaurant, Central Plaza)
Animal Care Centre (+33 1) 64 74 28 73
(near to guest parking area)
Buffalo Bill's Show (+33 1) 60 45 71 00
(Festival Disney)
Golf Reservations (+33 1) 60 45 69 19
Ticket Sales:
Euro Disney S.C.A.
Service Tickets
Boite Postale 103
F-77777 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4
France
Tel: (+33 1) 64 74 43 03
Central Reservations:
Euro Disney S.C.A.
Reservation Centrale
Boite Postale 105
F-77777 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4
France
Operators are available (daily, 8am - 8pm) in the following
languages:
Austrian (+33 1) 49 41 49 95
Belgian (+33 1) 49 41 49 35
(French & Flemmish)
Danish (+33 1) 49 41 49 20
Dutch (+33 1) 49 41 49 80
English (+33 1) 49 41 49 10
Finnish (+33 1) 49 41 49 75
French (+33 1) 49 41 49 41
German (+33 1) 49 41 49 90
Irish (+33 1) 49 41 49 15
Italian (+33 1) 49 41 49 30
Norwegian (+33 1) 49 41 49 50
Portuguese (+33 1) 49 41 49 65
Spanish (+33 1) 49 41 49 60
Swedish (+33 1) 49 41 49 70
Swiss (+33 1) 49 41 49 25
(French & Swiss-German)
By FAX (+33 1) 49 30 71 00
(+33 1) 49 30 71 70
By Telex 232 642
232 647
UK direct booking: 0733 335567 (was 0171 753 2900)
Conference Bookings, etc:
Euro Disney S.C.A.
Ventes, Groupes et Congres
Boite Postale 100
F-77777 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4
France
Tel: (+33 1) 49 32 46 73
Fax: (+33 1) 49 32 46 62
Magic Kingdom Club:
MKC (UK) 0171 605 2842 / 0171 605 2843
(Heather Sheeran)
France: (+33 1) 64 74 51 00
France (fax): (+33 1) 49 32 47 80 (maybe out of date)
Germany: (+49) 6196 595 09
Germany (fax): (+49) 6196 595 980
(+49) 6196 595 990
Travel Centre:
From UK 0171 753 2902
Elsewhere (+33 1) 49 41 49 21
Note: "+" represents your international dialling code. From the
UK, for example, replace "+" with "010".
If you're interested in working at Disneyland Paris, apply to:
Disneyland Paris Casting
44, Avenue des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris
France
4.3 Guide Books?
There is one Official guide published by (or on behalf of) Disney.
There are also a number of unofficial guides, of which the most
authoritative and informative is probably Sehlinger's, closely
followed by the Mainstream guide. I've added some short personal
comments, but obviously I haven't had a chance to try out every
one. If you've got anything to add to this section, please feel
free to send a brief review.
Title: Euro Disney Resort, Paris: The Guide
Author: Collective (BOOKMAKER)
Publisher: Harmsworth Magazines
ISBN: 0-85144-671-X
Format: Large paperback (stiff cover) 157 pages
Price: UKP 5.99
Comments: This official Disney guide is available
in four languages (English, French,
Italian and German). The guide was
printed to be ready for the park's
opening, and is thus now quite out of
date. Many photos inside are either
heavily altered to mask out signs of
construction work, or not of Euro
Disney at all.
Title: The Unofficial Guide to Euro Disneyland
Author: Bob Sehlinger
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 0-340-57475-5
Format: Large paperback, 276 pages, no photos
Price: UKP 8.99
Comments: Very informative, although it does get
rather bogged down in techniques for
avoiding queues on the rides, and thus
you could miss out on the *fun* of the
place. Some adequate maps, no photos.
Highly recommended, but don't always
follow it too religiously.
Title: Euro Disney: The Mainstream Unofficial
Guide
Author: Tania Alexander
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
ISBN: 1-85158-513-3
Format: Normal paperback, 271 pages, no photos
Price: UKP 5.99
Comments: Excellent compromise between the
sycophancy of the Official Guide and
the 'war-plan' of Sehlinger. It does
contain touring plans, but the emphasis
is more on what attractions are fun,
and what can be missed. No photos, and
it needs more maps, but otherwise
highly recommended.
Title: Essential Euro Disney Resort
Author: Lindsay Hunt
Publisher: AA Publishing
ISBN: 0-7495-0520-6
Format: Tall-thin paperback, 128 pages
Price: UKP 3.99
Comments: More of a tourist guide (in the Berlitz
sense) giving ratings of what's
available at the park, but little help
in seeing it all. Good maps and some
nice photos.
Title: Berlitz Pocket Guide: Euro Disney
Resort
Author: Berlitz staff writers
Publisher: Berlitz Publishing Co.
ISBN: 2-8315-2210-2
Format: Pocket sized, 128 pages, fold-out maps
Price: UKP 4.95 (first edition was UKP 3.95)
Comments: Fairly superficial, but easy to carry
around. Contains mostly old (i.e. pre-
opening) photos. Make sure you get the
second edition (with the fold-out maps
on the inside covers).
Title: Michelin Plan-Guide: Euro Disney Resort
Author: n/a
Publisher: Pneu Michelin
ISBN: 2-06-701-271-1
Format: Fold-open one-sheet map/guide
Price: UKP 2.25
Comments: Excellent maps of the whole resort and
surrounding areas. Locates all of the
restaurants, shops, hotels, etc. Highly
recommended as a souvenir map/guide in
addition to Sehlinger or the Mainstream
guide. Some nice photos, but only in
more recent editions; older versions
used artwork. Covers much the same
ground as the free booklet given out at
the park entrance.
Title: Michelin Guide: Euro Disney Resort,
Sightseeing in the Area
Author: n/a
Publisher: Pneu Michelin
ISBN: 2-06-701481-1
Format: Tall paperback, 157 pages
Price: UKP 6.95
Comments: Around 60% of the book covers the park
and hotels, with the rest devoted to
Paris and the surrounding areas. Some
good maps - but once again all of the
photos and illustrations are old (pre-
opening) views.
Title: Fodor's Euro Disney
Editor: Paula Consolo
Publisher: Fodor
ISBN: 0-679-02290-2
Format: Tall paperback, 203 pages, no photos
Price: UKP 8.99
Comments: Forget. There are only about 40 pages
applicable to the park, the rest is
about Paris and the surrounding area
(most of which is culled from their
existing Paris guidebook).
4.4 How To Get There?
By Air:
Paris has two airports: Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly. Most
international visitors will fly into CDG. Both airports operate
shuttle buses directly to the Euro Disney resort complex. Each
airport has several terminal buildings, and the bus pick-up points
are all clearly labelled.
CDG Terminal 1: Go to Departure Level (i.e. downstairs) Gate 30
CDG Terminals 2A and 2C: Use Gate A-11 or C-1
CDG Terminals 2B and D: Use Gate D-11
Orly South (International): Use Gate C, Level 0
Orly West (Domestic): Use Gate K, Platform 7
The shuttle buses run at 45 minute intervals starting at 8.30 am
and continuing until around 8 pm. The Monday, Friday and Sunday
service from CDG runs every 30 minutes until 10.30 pm. The ride
takes 30-45 minutes from either airport, and tickets cost FFr 75
per person (one way). Tickets can be purchased from the airport
Information desk, from your Travel Agent, or on the buses
themselves. Taxis are also available, but they will cost you
around FFr 300.
The buses serve all of the resort hotels, and the main gate and
railway station, but not the Davy Crockett campsite. The drop-off
points are at approximately five minute intervals at: Newport Bay
Club, Sequoia Lodge, Santa Fe, Cheyenne, New York, Disneyland, and
finally the Railway Station/Main Gate. Pick-ups operate in the
reverse order.
By Road:
Note: Major roads in France have both a local Autoroute (A) number
and a newer Euroroute (E) designation.
For ferry travellers driving from Calais: Take the A26 through St.
Omer toward Arras. From Arras, take the A1 (aka E15, or "autoroute
du nord") heading south toward Paris. Turn off at exit 6, after
Charles de Gaulle airport, onto the A104 ("la Francilienne"). This
takes you to the A4 (aka E50, or "autoroute de l'est"), which you
should follow in the Reims direction (see below). Tolls will cost
you around FFr 84, and the total journey is about 328 km. (UK
visitors may want to call the AA Roadwatch premium-rate
information line for Disneyland Paris on 0836 401400)
From the south/west, take the A6 (aka E05, or "autoroute du sud")
or A10 (aka E15, or "L'Aquitaine") toward Paris. Before you reach
Paris, turn off onto the N104 ("la Francilienne") heading
north/east. This will connect you to the A4 (aka E50, or
"autoroute de l'est"), which you should follow in the Reims
direction.
Travellers heading out from the Paris area should take the A4
Autoroute east toward Reims/Metz/Nancy (also known as the
"autoroute de l'est"). The park is about 32 km out of Paris (exit
14 from the A4) and is well signposted as "Parc Euro Disneyland".
From the east, follow the A4 (aka E50, or "autoroute de l'est")
toward Paris, turning off the A4 at exit 14 for the park.
Note: The Davy Crockett Camp is a short way away from the main
resort complex, on the other side of the A4, so watch out for the
separate signs (exit 13) if you're staying there. For all the
other hotels, follow the signs for the park itself.
By Rail:
The TGV (high speed train) railway station at Disneyland Paris has
now been opened. This rail link connects Paris to Lyon and Lille,
and will greatly improve access. The journey between Paris and the
park should take just a few minutes when the full service
commences. Passengers from the UK using the Channel Tunnel should
currently change at Lille to join the TGV for Disneyland Paris.
There is also a local rail service from Paris, which takes about
40 minutes. Pick up the RER A4 line from any station on the A4
line. Ensure that you are headed in the direction for Marne-la-
Vallee/Chessy, and that the illuminated signs indicate that the
train stops at Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy (some trains terminate
before then, or fork off on a different route).
The Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy station is located between Festival
Disney and the park entrance, a couple of minutes walk from the
main gate.
4.5 Attractions that no other park has?
The following are currently unique to Disneyland Paris:
Liberty & Discovery Arcades, with Statue of Liberty Tableau
(see section 5.7)
Adventure Isle (see section 5.8)
La Taniere du Dragon (see section 5.9)
Le Theatre du Chateau (see section 5.9)
Alice's Curious Labyrinth (see section 5.4)
Le Visionarium (see section 5.5)
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril (see section 5.3)
Mysteries of the Nautilus (see section 5.6)
Buffalo Bills Wild West Show (see section 5.2)
Disneyland Paris does not have the following attractions/rides
found in other Disney 'Magic Kingdom' parks:
Jungle Cruise
Enchanted Tiki Birds
Country Bear Jamboree
Splash Mountain
Hall of Presidents
Mr Toad's Wild Ride
Mickey's Starland
Carousel of Progress
Alien Encounter
Skyway
Space Mountain (soon, though...)
20,000 Leagues Voyage/Yellow Submarine Voyage
People Mover
Fantasmic
4.6 Comparisons between rides?
This is difficult to assess without more experience of all the
parks. Please e-mail any differences you have noted.
Pirates of the Caribbean is in a slightly different format to the
other parks. The animatronics are noticeably better. Features two
splash-drops.
The Swiss Family Tree House (Cabane des Robinson) is more
elaborate at Disneyland Paris.
Phantom Manor is similar. The narration is all in French. The
story is different - something about a new bride being forsaken by
an evil husband, and going through great sadness and despair.
Most of the other standard rides (e.g. Peter Pan) are pretty much
identical between the different parks.
4.7 What language do they use?
The park's official languages are French and English, and signs
are multilingual, as are the guidebooks. Hotel reception desks
should be able to attend you in French, English, German, Spanish
and Italian.
However, the simplest answer appears to be to use whatever
language you want! Cast members have flags on their name-tags
which should give you an indication of which languages they are
fluent in. When we [Tom] first arrived, we tried to use our meagre
French (poorly remembered from school). Unfortunately, the cast-
members would assume we were French and would rattle on to us in
French leaving us totally bewildered! We soon found it easier just
to speak in English. Note that this is exactly the opposite in
Paris where we found we were made far more welcome if we just
tried to make ourselves understood in French initially.
4.8 Getting around Paris?
Generally, the Paris Metro transport system is safer, cleaner and
more reliable than most. A good Parisian guide book will give you
better details than I can here, but briefly:
A "Formule-1" Metro ticket costs FFr 85 and allows you to travel
the Metro, local buses and RER all day. This can be bought at the
Disneyland Paris railway station and used to go anywhere in the
Paris area. If you plan to travel more, get a "Paris-Visite"
tourist ticket, which come in 3 or 5 day versions. You may need
your passport in order to buy this ticket.
Watch out for the direction that the trains run. Lines are
indicated by colour and a ringed number (or a letter plus a number
in the case of the RER lines). Train directions are given not as
North/South, but by listing the station at which the line
terminates. This can confuse some visitors.
Excursions to various places of local interest are available,
mostly departing from in front of the Hotel New York at 10 am. Ask
at your hotel reception or at the French tourist office ("Maison
du Tourisme de Seine et Marne") in Festival Disney for more
information or to book tickets. Prices vary, but most day trips
cost FFr 315 for adults, or FFr 150 for children.
4.9 How do I get discounts? (Euro Disney Magic Kingdom Club)
The Magic Kingdom Club is an ideal way for you and your family to
enjoy Disney theme parks and Disney Stores worldwide at reduced
rates. You can also get discounts with Disney's preferred travel
companies, etc.
There are two ways to join:
Many large companies (300+ employees) provide corporate
memberships free of charge. Check with your personnel
department; if they aren't already involved, get them to get
in touch with one of the numbers below - it's free.
Individuals can take out their own memberships. For an annual
subscription, you'll get a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card
(which gives you your discounts) plus a Membership Kit
consisting of a MKC tote bag, luggage tag, pin badge and key
ring. Application forms are available from any Disney Store,
or from the contact addresses below. The personal Gold Card
scheme is now co-ordinated from Disneyland-Paris itself - the
UK and German offices deal mainly with corporate memberships,
although they are still able to provide information to
individuals. Annual subscription currently costs UKP 22 for
the UK, DM 59 for Germany, and FFr 200 for France. Payment is
accepted in Franc or Sterling cheques, as well as Visa,
Mastercard and Amex.
Whichever way you decide to join, the following Magic Kingdom Club
Benefits apply:
10% discount on all theme park Passports (including Annual)
10% discount on purchases above FFr 100 in all Disneyland
Paris, Festival Disney and Resort Hotel boutiques
10% discount on purchases in Disney Stores (except Germany)
8% discount on room and package rates at all resort hotels
(minimum 2 nights stay)
Automatic upgrade to "Castle Club" floor when booking rooms
at the Disneyland Hotel (subject to availability; book early)
10% discount on admission to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
20% discount on the Green Fee at Euro Disneyland Golf
10% discount on P&O European Ferries
20% discount on car rental from Europcar
In France, contact:
Euro Disney Magic Kingdom Club
Boite Postale 122
F-77777 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4
France
Tel: (+33 1) 64 74 51 00
Fax: (+33 1) 49 32 47 80 (maybe out of date)
In England, contact:
Euro Disney Magic Kingdom Club
Beaumont House
Kensington Village
Avonmore Road
London
W14 8TS
England
Tel: 0171 605 2842 / 0171 605 2843 (Heather Sheeran)
In Germany, contact:
Euro Disney Magic Kingdom Club
Kolner Strasse 10
D-6236 Eschborn
Deutschland
Tel: (+49) 6196 595 09
Fax: (+49) 6196 595 980
(+49) 6196 595 990
============================================================================
5 More details of specific attractions
(personal reports from park visitors are welcome)
5.1 Walt's Restaurant [report by Tom Drynda]
This restaurant is a must for serious Disneyphiles. It is packed
full of interesting memorabilia, and various restaurant rooms are
themed to the lands in the park. You also get quite a good view of
Main Street from upstairs at Walt's.
The restaurant is L shaped with the entrance being on the corner.
One side of the restaurant runs along main street and the other
along a side-street. There are two floors in the restaurant
(ground and upstairs). The ground-floor rooms are just elegant
rooms surrounded by Disney memorabilia. The upstairs rooms have
separate themes linked to the different lands. Some rooms have
separate tables catering for couples or families. Other rooms have
just a single banqueting table clearly catering for larger parties
(conference guests, VIP's, etc.).
When you enter the restaurant the whole feel of the place seems to
be that of a luxury apartment or hotel (or maybe even restaurant!)
in Paris at the turn of the century.
The entrance lobby is quite interesting, containing hand carved
wooden furniture and nice stained glass. To the left is what I'd
imagine is the Maitre d's desk which is interesting in itself. It
has one of those spring-loaded message-passing systems. For the
technical persons among you, this is the system where you plonk
the message in a box, yank a handle, and the box containing the
message whangs up through the ceiling to the upstairs desk and
vice-versa. The message-whanging system is very ornate in heavy
scrolled brass.
Incidentally, for Disneyphiles only, the address of the restaurant
is the same address of the workshops in Glendale, California (1401
Flower Street). Flower Street is a side turning off Main Street.
According to the official guide book, the logo with the initials
W.D. appearing on the gas lamps, some furniture, and windows was
designed for the balcony of Walt's apartment in Disneyland. Ahead
of you are the lift and the stairs. The lift is what really gives
the impression of a turn-of-the-century Paris interior. It is
constructed (or appears to be constructed) in ornate black cast
iron scroll work with multi-coloured stained-glass windows. The
lift is fully functional.
The upstairs rooms are themed, as mentioned before, to coincide
with the various lands in the park. The rooms have to be seen to
be believed. I will not describe them fully here as I wouldn't be
able to do them justice. However, they are as follows:
A Gothic style room represents Fantasyland.
An Edwardian style library represents Frontierland and is
supposed to be a library in a western mansion. A number of
indian/cowboy-on-a-horse sculptures can be seen to enforce
this.
One corner of a large room is draped as though in a fine
Arabian tent and is clearly supposed to represent
Adventureland.
Probably the most detailed room was Captain Nemo's room. See
this. I cannot describe it. This represents Discoveryland.
5.2 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show [report by Tom Drynda]
This show is a wild and exciting show obviously themed around the
American Wild-West Cowboy days. Get your tickets early (there is a
discount for MKC card-holders). There may be two shows per day
(check at Guest Relations or at your hotel). Plan to start queuing
at least an hour before the show is due to start. You must
purchase your tickets beforehand. How early you purchase your
tickets depends on the day you go, and which show you intend to
see. You can purchase your tickets well in advance by phoning the
reservations number shown in section 4.2 (it's the same number
used to reserve hotel rooms).
You don't get allocated seats until you enter the building just
before the show. I'd advise anyone going to see this to start
queuing fairly early as the earlier you get your seats, the closer
to the action you are.
The tables aren't really tables as in a normal restaurant, but
just a bench that can hold about ten people with a long table in
front of you over which you see into the arena. The tables all
overlook the arena and so everyone has a good view.
The 'table numbers' are coded by colour letter and number. The
lower the number, the closer you are to the action. The letter
defines the sector in your team area in which you will sit, and
the colour defines the team you will support during the show. The
team colours are representative of American ranches.
After being issued with our hats, we passed through to the
extremely large bar having our photo taken officially on the way.
The bar is truly enormous, but fills up quickly. Order a beer as
soon as you get there. You could order a beer in their souvenir
beer glass which is in the shape of a cowboy boot. You can also
order cocktails here.
If you want to order wine with your meal, you have to go to a
smaller bar that you pass on the way in before you get to the main
bar.
Pre-show entertainment and cowboy training takes place before the
arena is loaded. The entertainment we had was the band currently
appearing at Billy Bob's Country and Western Nightclub (which is
in Festival Disney). They played a number of country and western
songs and took us through "How a cowboy cheers" (lifting your
"chapeau" off your head, waving it in the air and shouting
YAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO at the top of your voice) and a host of other
fun-type things. This really sets you up for the show.
The loading of the stadium takes place a colour at a time. The
colours are green, red, yellow, and blue.
I don't really want to spoil the fun of Buffalo Bill's Wild West
Show by giving away too much detail here. Just let me say the food
was very good, the beer was as much as you could drink (whenever
the staff came 'round to your table with their pitchers) and the
entertainment was funny, exciting, and in short it was one of the
best evening's out I've had in a very long time. Do not miss this.
DO NOT MISS THIS ON ANY ACCOUNT!
5.3 Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril [report by Julie Dawe]
The ride is a short roller coaster ride that has a 360 degree
(upside down) loop in it. The ride seemed amazingly short - about
2 minutes or so (hard to judge time when you're on a roller
coaster). The cars are small - 4 seats, or 8 people per car, with
big fat secure shoulder harnesses to keep you in (uncomfortable,
if you accidentally pull them too tight towards you). I guess I
was a little disappointed - I had envisioned riding something more
like mining carts, but it was really just a short roller coaster,
wilder than Big Thunder. But not very wild, no stomach-lurching
drops, just fast.
The ride is themed very nicely, with 1940s style camp settings,
jeeps, tents, etc, that looked like they could have come out of
the Indiana Jones movie. There is "creepy" music playing to get
you in the mood.
5.4 Alice's Curious Labyrinth [report by Tom Drynda and Andre Willey]
A hedge maze. The hedge is filled with tiny blue lights. The maze
has become fairly badly damaged over time. Some of the surprises
did not work (The Queen of Hearts did not spring out and shout
"Off with her head" too well) and much of the mechanics behind
these surprises is totally visible due to the hedge wearing thin.
The castle in the middle of the maze makes a good place to get
that nice panoramic photo of the park from a more unusual angle.
This is also the place where the "jumping water fountains" are -
where the water appears to jump from place to place. Good to watch
and relax - or stand under and get wet.
An attraction for the younger ones mainly.
5.5 Le Visionarium [report by Andre Willey]
(Now also showing at Tokyo Disneyland, and in modified form at
WDW, Florida)
One of the best themed attractions in the park. Based on Circle-
Vision 360 technology, The Timekeeper and his robot assistant, 9-
Eye, are your hosts on a Circle-Vision trip through time, picking
up Jules Verne en route. Very impressive period detail; must have
been quite a feat to film! Guest roles from stars such as Gerard
Depardieu and Jeremy Irons.
The show is in French, but headsets are provided with English,
German and Italian soundtracks. The animatronic guides are
excellent, and the pre-show waiting room is fascinating, with lots
to see - a video wall, plus models of real, futuristic, and
Wells/Verne modes of transport hanging from the ceiling.
A MUST-SEE ATTRACTION.
5.6 Mysteries of the Nautilus [report by Andre Willey]
To be honest, the biggest mystery of all was why is queue so long?
I guess it must be because this attraction looks so good from the
outside. A very authentic-looking Nautilus waits docked in a pool
near to the new Space Mountain, inviting you to come aboard. You
enter a nearby lighthouse and descend down a spiral staircase, and
then walk along a long underground corridor. Entering the sub, you
then walk through several rooms (cabin, map room, etc) until you
reach Captain Nemo's room - complete with shuttered portholes on
either side, and his pipe organ at the end. A short, rather
uninspiring, show takes place in which a giant squid attacks (you
get to see this through the large porthole screen) and then you
leave via the engine room.
Basically, there's nothing much to it. The engine doesn't move at
all, the squid attack is lack-lustre, and it's painfully obvious
that the walk-through is nowhere near the submarine you saw in the
pen outside (in fact, you come out *facing* it!). If only they had
at least attempted to give you the feeling of entering inside a
submarine from the long corridor (perhaps by walking beside a hull
mockup, or even by going through some sort of connecting tunnel or
bridge) but they didn't.
Unless the queue is short, don't waste your time. A shame, really,
as this could have been rather good if properly imagineered in
true Disney style.
From Scott Van Horn (svan...@anetbbs.com): The new Nautilus ride
was a disappointment - it seemed like a "we need something, how
about this?" I felt a bit embarrassed being in it.
5.7 Liberty Arcade, Discovery Arcade, Statue of Liberty Tableau
[report by Tom Drynda]
These arcades form the back entrances to shops and
restaurants in Main Street. Liberty Arcade is also a useful
covered route to Frontierland during poor weather. Very
pleasant turn of the century style interiors with gas lamps
and lots of interesting displays of inventions and curios of
both American and French (but mainly American) origin. The
Statue of Liberty Tableau is a small display on how France
gave the Statue of Liberty to America. Dull.
5.8 Adventure Isle [report by Tom Drynda and Andre Willey]
You really can get lost in the maze of twisty little passages
and caves - all alike! Skull Rock and Captain Hook's ship are
here, plus a rope bridge, barrel bridge and a shipwreck to
look at. Not much else there, but it's good fun anyway. Set
the kids loose here and go and relax.
5.9 La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant (walk-through)
[report by Tom Drynda and Andre Willey]
Don't miss out on the two shops inside the castle, which are
charming. Upstairs, the story of Sleeping Beauty is told in
ornate tapestries and stunning stained glass - well worth a
look. You exit via the upper balconies of the castle, which
afford great views of Fantasyland.
Downstairs you'll find "La Taniere du Dragon" - the dragon's
lair. The dragon sleeps peacefully next to his pool with the
occasional snort of smoke. Then his tail twitches, more smoke
and he begins to awake... then you realise his chain is
broken! Loved it.
Just in front of the castle is "Le Theatre du Chateau", an
open-air stage show. Currently playing is Mickey's Magic
Book. Basically the Snow White/Sleeping Beauty stories, with
music and dance. The magic book itself is enormous, and as
each stage of the story unfolds, so do the pages of the book
with pop-up scenery. Well worth a look.
============================================================================
6 Acknowledgements
Tom Drynda for starting this FAQ in the first place. Thanks Tom, and I
hope that I'm doing your concept justice.
Werner Kuehnert (k...@zerberus.gud.siemens.co.at) for updates on rides
and prices, etc..
Tim "Quetzal" Pickett (que...@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au) for making the
FAQ available for FTP and putting it on the list of lists.
Luz Echeverria (eche...@mimosa.unice.fr) for reminding me about the
unique tapestries and stained glass windows in the Sleeping-Beauty
castle (Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant) walk-through.
Yvonne Loo (yvo...@lightning.nsc.com) for useful updates and especially
for being the first person to use the FAQ in Disneyland Paris itself!
Julie Dawe <julie...@hpgrmac.gr.hp.com> for a great description of
the Indiana Jones ride and further updates above and beyond the call of
duty.
and...
Everyone else in rec.arts.disney for their support and information
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| Andre Willey | Cygnus Software Development |
| Email: an...@cix.compulink.co.uk | Sutton Coldfield -- England |
| or: ...{mcsun}!uknet!cix!andre | Tel: (UK/+44) 0121 308 5251 |
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
Andre Willey
of JPG picture files of the park (scanned from slides). Would anyone like
to volunteer an FTP site to officially house them? I guess there will be
around 50 of them, at 50-100k each. Any offers?
Andre