Archive-name: disney-faq/disneyland-paris Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: 1 Apr 1995 Version: 2.3 Disneyland Paris (aka EuroDisney) Frequently Asked Questions and General Information List Version 2.3 - 1st April 1995 Copyright (c) 1995 Andre Willey (original version created by Tom Drynda) Welcome to Version 2.3 of the Disneyland Paris Frequently Asked Questions and General Information List. This FAQ is intended for public use, and may be redistributed freely via computer networks in its original form ONLY. If you post a copy to a bulletin board/etc, please let me know so I can send you regular updates. Other than for the above use, this document is Copyright (c) 1995 by Andre Willey. No commercial use whatsoever is permitted without written permission from the author. Where other authors' material has been included, they have been credited accordingly. Note: This document is intended as an informal and independent guide for visitors to the Disneyland Paris theme park, and as such it is not sponsored or endorsed by the Walt Disney Company, or Euro Disney S.C.A, in any way. However, no infringement of any of their copyrights is intended, and it is acknowledged that the Disney characters and theme park attractions mentioned within this document are registered trademarks of the Walt Disney Company - including, but not necessarily limited to: Walt Disney, Disneyland Paris, Euro Disney, Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Discoveryland, Festival Disney, Audio-Animatronics, Adventure Isle, Space Mountain, Mickey Mouse and Captain EO. Please enjoy your visit to Disneyland Paris, and do let me know how you got on. Any comments, corrections and suggestions about this FAQ are very welcome. Also, any topical information which you can provide me with after your visit would help enormously in keeping this FAQ up to date. I'd be especially grateful for copies of the free Guest Guidebook and weekly Entertainment Programme (available at City Hall) and/or the newspaper-style Hotel Guide (available from your hotel's Reception Desk). E-mail me for my full postal address. =========================================================================== The main availability of this FAQ is currently as follows: * Usenet Newsgroups (posted monthly) rec.arts.disney rec.parks.theme rec.answers news.answers * Anonymous FTP Site: rtfm.mit.edu Directory: /pub/usenet/news.answers/disney-faq/ Filename: disneyland-paris Site: yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au Directory: /pub/disney/rad/faq/parks/dlp/ Text Filename: disneyland-paris.gz (mirrored from rtfm.mit.edu) PostScript Filename: disneyland-paris.ps.gz (to be confirmed) * World Wide Web URL: http://www.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/cgi-bin/nph-gateway/ hphalle1/~schaffnr/etc/disney/ Note: the WWW site includes 70 full-colour photos of the various attractions, hotels, etc. at Disneyland Paris, plus maps/etc. Would anyone care to volunteer space at an FTP site, too? Around six megabytes should be sufficient. * Electronic mail You can email me at "andre@cix.compulink.co.uk" for a copy of this FAQ. Please let me know if you wish to be added to the monthly update mailing list. 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. * PostScript version I am currently working on a PostScript version of this FAQ, which should be available by FTP shortly. It will benefit from much better layout and neater formatting than the plain ASCII text version. It will not include photos, due to the potential size of the file, but it will probably include a park map at some stage. Please email me (andre@cix.compulink.co.uk) if you'd like a preview copy of the PostScript version in the meantime. ============================================================================ 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 Special Offers, News and Gossip 1.6 Temporarily Closed Rides / Attractions 1.7 New Attractions and Attractions Under Construction 1.8 Current Financial Information 2 A Brief History of Euro Disney / Disneyland Paris 2.1 General History 2.2 Financial History 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? (Magic Kingdom Club) 4.10 Can I contact anyone at (or near) the park by e-mail? 4.11 What DL-P souvenirs are available? Do they do Mail Order? 4.12 What's the weather like? When should I visit? 4.13 Any other tips for avoiding the worst of the queues? 4.14 Are there any net sites with photos of Disneyland Paris? 5 More details of specific attractions 5.1 Liberty Arcade, Discovery Arcade, Statue of Liberty Tableau 5.2 Walt's Restaurant 5.3 Phantom Manor 5.4 Big Thunder Mountain 5.5 Pirates of the Caribbean 5.6 Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril 5.7 Adventure Isle 5.8 La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant 5.9 Alice's Curious Labyrinth 5.10 Storybookland rides 5.11 Le Visionarium 5.12 Les Mysteres du Nautilus 5.13 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show 6 Acknowledgements ============================================================================ 1 Topical Information 1.1 Opening Hours, Summer 1995 Dates Hours April 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm) April 15-16 & 29-30 10am - 8pm (Main Street may remain open until 8pm on Sundays during April/May/June) May 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm) June 1-22 10am - 6pm (Sats 10am - 8pm) June 4 10am - 8pm June 23-30 9am - 11pm July 9am - 11pm August 9am - 11pm Early September 9am - 11pm There are several regular parades and shows. Times vary, especially during the Easter Holidays, so please check the free Entertainment Programme as soon as you arrive. Make sure you get to shows and parades early if you want a decent view. Main Street Parades (weather permitting) Good Morning Main St. 10.10 am & 10.40 am La Parade des 3 pm Princesses Lion King Parade (soon) Mid-morning and mid-afternoon Electrical Parade Not running until June 23 Children's events Minnie's Tea Time 4.30 pm. Minnie & friends entertain the kids behind the Castle Kids' Celebration Midday & 4.45 pm. Character greetings inside the castle Stage Shows La Belle et la Bete Musical stage show inside Videopolis at approx. 12 pm, 1 pm & 4 pm, plus Weds at 5 pm. Weekend times: 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm & 5.30 pm Lilly's Follies Live show at the Lucky Nugget Saloon. Currently weekends only, at 11.30 am, 12.45 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, 5pm Call Guest Relations on (+33 1) 64 74 30 00 to confirm details. 1.2 Current Gate Prices The ticket booths and entrance turnstiles are located on the ground floor level, directly underneath the pink and white Disneyland Hotel. You can also purchase one, two or three day passes at your local (European) Disney Store before leaving home, which might avoid some queuing. New Lower Prices from 1st April 1995 High Season Adult Child Adult Child (Summer + Xmas) FF FF UKP UKP One Day 195 150 23 18 One Day, after 5 pm 150 100 - - Two Days 370 285 45 34 Three Days 505 390 61 47 Low Season Adult Child Adult Child (Winter, excluding Xmas) FF FF UKP UKP One Day 150 120 18 15 Two Days 285 230 34 28 Three Days 390 310 47 37 Annual Passports (FF) Adult Child Standard Annual 695 495 Annual Plus 995 695 10% Magic Kingdom Club (US or Euro) discount applies on all of the above prices. Children are classed as aged 3-11, under 3 are free. Annual Passports may be purchased from the small Guest Relations office which is set back a little to the far right of the entrance turnstiles. Note: you'll need to have your photograph taken when buying an Annual Passport, so during busy periods it's a good idea to book an appointment in advance. The standard Annual Passport is not valid during some busy weekend and local holiday dates. The current exclusion dates, until the end of January 1996, are as follows: March 1995: 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 25-26 April 1995: 15-16, 22-23, 30 May 1995: 7, 26-27 June 1995: 4 July 1995: 14 August 1995: 13-14 The full 'Annual-Plus' passport is valid every day for a full 12 months starting from the first day of use. It also gives other additional benefits such as free parking, free stroller rental, 10% off all resort food and merchandise purchases, a quarterly newsletter (supposedly!), etc. 1.3 Current Hotel Rates, valid until 31 October 1995 Disneyland Hotel Room Room Suite FF UKP FF Value 1650 199 2500 - 12500 Shoulder 1650 199 2500 - 12500 Peak 1990 240 3250 - 12500 Castle Club (Disneyland) Room Room Suite FF UKP FF Value 2300 289 2500 - 12500 Shoulder 2590 289 2500 - 12500 Peak 2750 330 3250 - 12500 (MKC members get Castle Club rooms at the standard room rate) Hotel New York Room Room Suite FF UKP FF Value 1025 123 1900 - 8500 Shoulder 1025 123 1900 - 8500 Peak 1025 123 2100 - 9000 Newport Bay Club Room Room Suite FF UKP FF Value 625 75 1250 - 1850 Shoulder 775 93 1250 - 1850 Peak 875 105 1400 - 2000 Sequoia Lodge Room Room Suite FF UKP FF Value 525 63 1300 - 1500 Shoulder 675 81 1300 - 1500 Peak 775 93 1500 - 1700 Hotel Cheyenne Room Room FF UKP Value 400 48 Shoulder 525 63 Peak 675 81 Hotel Santa Fe Room Room FF UKP Value 300 36 Shoulder 450 54 Peak 550 66 Davy Crockett Ranch 4 or 6 person cabins FF UKP Value 440 53 Shoulder 630 76 Peak 770 93 8% Magic Kingdom Club (US or Euro) discount is available on all room rates. The above prices include VAT, but do not include local taxes (FF 7 per person per night Hotel Tax, charged by the French government). Pound prices are for guidance of UK readers and may be subject to change due to currency rate fluctuations. The above prices are for accommodation only. For an additional charge you can opt to stay bed & breakfast, half-board or full- board. Meals may be taken at your own hotel, or at selected restaurants within the resort. For example, one package allows you to eat at the Yacht Club, Parkside Diner, Los Angeles Bar & Grill, Key West Seafood, Walt's or Plaza Gardens. Another (cheaper) package gives you access to the Chuck Wagon Cafe, Beaver Creek Tavern, La Cantina, Crockett's Tavern or Annette's Diner. 'Classic Break' package prices are available, which include continental breakfast and unlimited park entrance during your stay (including arrival and departure days). 'Forfait Celebration Breaks' at the Disneyland or Newport Bay Club also give entry to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, one dinner at your hotel, a fruit basket & bottle of wine or champagne on arrival, and a day-trip to Paris if staying for more than two nights. With a 'Prestige Break' you stay in a suite at the Newport Bay Club or Hotel New York, and the price includes full-board meals. All packages can be purchased as 1 night/2 days, 2 nights/3 days and 3 nights/4 days, with extra nights available 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. However, DO NOT assume that a package deal will offer better value for money than booking your room and passport separately. This is especially true if visiting off-peak (park hours 10am-6pm) when you are unlikely to gain much by having package access to the park on both your arrival and departure dates. See below (section 4.2) for phone-numbers for making reservations or enquiries. 1.4 Seasonal Structure (1 April - 31 October 1995) Park Seasons High Season Mar 1-Oct 1, Dec 23-Jan 7 Low Season Oct 2-Dec 22, Jan 8-Feb 28 Hotel Seasons Value May 14-Jun 29, Sep 3-Oct 19 (Fris and Sats, plus May 25 & Jun 4, at Peak rate) Shoulder Apr 1-Apr 13, Apr 24-May 11, Oct 22-Oct 31 (Fris and Sats, plus Apr 7, Apr 30 & May 7, at Peak rate) Peak Apr 14-23, Jul 1-Aug 31, plus all Fris and Sats 1.5 Current Special Offers, News and Gossip Elton John will be performing a special concert on the green outside the Newport Bay Club on Saturday the 3rd of June to celebrate the opening of Space Mountain. 40,000 tickets are going to be made available, but I don't know the prices yet. If you're planning on visiting the park that weekend, book quickly as all of the on-site hotels & campsite cabins (except for the Disneyland Hotel) are already completely SOLD OUT - and those last few rooms at the Disneyland won't last for long! A Lion King parade is now running, along with Lion King themed events and music in Adventureland. A new Guest Guidebook has been issued (blue/grey cover featuring Mickey, as opposed to the old red ones). This contains more up-to- date maps and better general information. Unusually, the lands are now listed counter-clockwise, starting with Discoveryland. Perhaps this will make a difference to the standard activity patterns? Note that some park restaurants may still be shut some days of the week. Also check the latest seating times at the table-service restaurants - some are currently as early as 3 pm, e.g. Auberge de Cendrillon, Blue Lagoon Restaurant and the Silver Spur Steakhouse. The table-service restaurants are currently running a special offer of a set three-course meal, including drink, for FF 140. Special Seasonal package deals (while promotional stocks last) Lion King: from May 1 to May 31, weekday 'Classic' packages at the Cheyenne or Sequoia Lodge include a special "Simba" Kids-surprise suitcase (one per child) and a "Simba" certificate (limited, one per package). Space Mountain opening: June 1 to July 13, 'Classic' packages at the Newport Bay Club or Hotel New York include a Space Mountain watch (limited, one per package), a Space Mountain cap (one per child) and a Space Mountain certificate for your first flight to the moon (one per package). When Space Mountain opens, Disney Hotel guests will be allowed access to the ride one hour before the official park opening, daily. 1.6 Temporarily Closed Rides / Attractions Due to the lighter nights, the Electrical Parade will not be running until June 28th when the park is open until 11pm. A number of attractions may be closed at the moment, but will be re-opened before Easter. These include the two Storybookland rides (the boats and Casey Junior Circus Train), Alice's Curious Labyrinth, Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin (the Old Mill ferris wheel), River Rogue Keelboats and the Critter Coral. Some of the outdoor shows are also not running until Easter. Shows currently closed include: Fantasy Festival Stage, Le Theatre du Chateau and the Chaparral Stage. In fact, the only show running at present is the Beauty and the Beast show in Videopolis. The Indian Canoes are no longer operating. Main Street Motors no longer exists as such. It is now just another store selling Disney merchandise. You can sometimes purchase promotional photographs in souvenir holders here. For example, a photograph of you and The Phantom taken in front of Phantom Manor. Some of the table-service restaurants have now changed to counter- service due to lack of demand. The old Explorers Club Restaurant has now been changed into Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost. The Cafe des Visionnaires appears to be permanently closed. 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 at 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 - although even their information is sometimes out of date. Detailed schedules of attraction downtime seem almost impossible to obtain in advance. 1.7 New Attractions and Attractions Under Construction The following attractions have opened recently: 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 Junior, Le Petit Train du Cirque [Fantasyland] (Casey Junior fast train ride around Storybookland) Les Mysteres du Nautilus [Discoveryland] (Walk through Captain Nemo's submarine. With squid attack) Attractions Under Construction: Space Mountain [Discoveryland] - Due to open 1st June 1995 This will be a fast indoor roller coaster ride, similar to that at WDW. Themed on Jules Verne's "From Earth to the Moon", you are fired from a cannon on your voyage to the moon, and the ride then dips down inside the mountain for a wild dark rollercoaster ride. Test runs are already under way with six four-seater cars linked together, with gaps of about 30 seconds between each run. Soft opening for Annual Pass holders is expected late April/early May. Public opening is scheduled for 1st June. From Scott Van Horn (svanhorn@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. From Jean-Marc Toussaint (100434.505@compuserve.com): The ride is nearing completion for an opening scheduled between March and July 1995. The enclosed roller coaster (Vekoma) will feature 4 inversions (loop, sidewinder and corkscrew). Each car will be equipped with its own stereo system for sound effects. The trains will be launched into the circuit thanks to a catapult housed inside a giant cannon flanking the ride building. Interestingly, the little ornaments on the fence leading up to it still have "DM" on them, although all the signs say "Space Mountain". 1.8 Current Financial Information From Associated Press, 26 Jan 1995: BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said the Company's investment in Euro Disney resulted in income of $27.9 million, reflecting a gain of $55 million from the sale of approximately 75 million shares to Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The 1994 Annual Report for Euro Disney S.C.A. was released at the end of February 1995. There's obviously far too much information in the 36 page booklet to go into here, but a summary of some of the figures is given in section 2.2. The Euro Disney share price on the London market at the end of March 1995 was UKP 1.66 (approx. FF 13), a rise of 16 pence since last month's figure of UKP 1.50. For UK readers, Euro Disney London share prices can be found on teletext: BBC 1/2, page 221; Channel 4, page 532 (subpage 27). ============================================================================ 2 A Brief History of Euro Disney / Disneyland Paris 2.1 General History August 1988: Construction starts on the 2000 hectare site located 32km to the east of Paris, in a still-rural location near Marne- la-Vallee. December 1990: Espace Euro Disney (an information centre) opens to the public. September 1st 1991: Casting Centre opens. Late March 1992: Euro Disney opens for testing. During those test-weeks, employees (and their families) of the major sponsors such as Philips and Renault were invited to visit. 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. This may have been partly due protests from French people who feared their culture would be damaged by Euro Disney. During the live opening television broadcast, a major electricity circuit was cut and signposts showing the way to Marne-La-Vallee were damaged. The first phase of development (the theme park, hotel complex and golf course) cost 22 billion French Francs to complete. 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 FF 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. Summer 1993: The new Indiana Jones roller-coaster ride opens. A few weeks after the opening, the emergency brakes locked on during a ride. Some people were hurt and the attraction was temporarily shut down for investigations. 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 due to 'technical reasons', and an analyst's recommendation to sell stock. The company blames the European recession, a fall in real estate prices and poor spending by visitors. 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 Resort, 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, except for some down-time for renovation work (e.g. Newport Bay Club, Sequoia Lodge and Santa Fe). Spring 1995: Disneyland Paris repeats its successful 'Kids go Free' promotional offer, which helps give a much-needed boost to trade during the slack months of January-March. January 1995: A report headed by Jong Jarvis, an assistant professor of communications at Robert Morris College, indicated French cast members were dissatisfied with many of the American working practices. These included exempting the park from established French labour-laws, American managers requiring English to be spoken at all meetings (even if the vast majority of participants were French) and insistence on American standards of dress code and personal grooming. Some of the most offensive requirements have since been relaxed, and workers seem to have accepted Disney values more readily now they are no longer imposed upon them. During 1993, there was a 26% turnover within the park's 8,000 full-time staff, and a further 25% left in 1994. "That's devastating to a business. They're retraining a quarter of their work force just to fill those slots every year," said Jarvis. January 26 1995: BURBANK, Calif. (Associated Press,) - Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said earnings grew 31 percent in its fiscal first quarter. [...] The company's investment in Euro Disney resulted in income of $27.9 million, reflecting a gain of $55 million from the sale of approximately 75 million shares to Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. February 1995: The Shareholder's Annual Report for the fiscal year ending 30 September 1994 is released. Overall attendance for 1994 was confirmed as being 8.8 million, as opposed to 9.8 million in 1993. However, average hotel occupancy was up from 55% to 60% - mainly due to an increase in winter bookings. Total attendance to date has been 28 million (10 million of whom were French, and an estimated 20% being repeat visitors). A brief account of some of the financial information supplied in the Report is given in section 2.2. March 31st 1995: An early recovery in Euro Disney's fortunes has been forecast by a top Walt Disney executive. Joe Roth, who heads the company's films division, said there was "a very good chance that by the end of this year it will be break-even". 2.2 Financial History Share Prices, Paris (Graphical version available from WWW site) Period Price in FF (High) (Low) 1991 October 60.37 57.82 November 59.46 54.33 December 64.68 54.33 1992 January 67.70 60.37 February 69.85 63.04 March 71.23 62.52 April 65.50 55.15 May 58.99 50.88 June 51.74 45.28 July 46.57 35.79 August 40.19 28.55 September 37.95 30.66 October 34.93 26.39 November 35.14 26.09 December 28.76 24.19 1993 January 29.54 25.87 February 34.93 28.09 March 42.69 34.28 April 41.65 29.84 May 33.07 27.90 June 31.05 27.94 July 30.05 23.33 August 28.35 23.50 September 28.31 23.85 October 25.79 20.70 November 21.56 10.22 December 16.30 12.12 1994 January 16.49 13.11 February 16.30 13.80 March 17.16 13.07 April 14.62 13.37 May 14.88 12.16 June 18.70 11.70 July 12.15 9.80 August 11.70 7.55 September 9.85 7.70 October 7.95 6.15 November 9.75 6.70 December 11.90 8.70 1995 January 12.50 9.80 February 28th 12.19 (converted from UKP 1.50) March 30th 13.00 (converted from UKP 1.66) Note: Following the financial restructuring and rights issue in June 1994, the Societe des Bourses Francaises applied a correcting coefficient of 0.431 to previous share prices. Operating Revenue and Expenditure (millions of French Francs) 1994 1993 Revenue: Theme Park 2,212 2,594 Hotels 1,613 1,721 Other 322 559 Construction Sales 114 851 ======================================= TOTAL REVENUE 4,261 5,725 Direct Costs/Expenses: Park & Hotels (2,961) (3,382) Construction Sales (114) (846) ======================================= OPERATING INCOME 1,186 1,497 Depreciation (291) (227) Lease rental expense (889) (1,712) Royalties - (262) General & Admin. (854) (1,113) Financial Income 538 719 Financial Expenses (972) (615) ======================================= LOSS (1,282) (1,713) Exceptional loss, net (515) (3,624) ======================================= NET LOSS (1,797) (5,337) ======================================= Employees (Cast Members) Number Annual Cost (FF, millions) At 30 Sept 1993 11,865 2,108 At 30 Sept 1994 10,172 1,892 ============================================================================ 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. [S] indicates a seasonal attraction. During the off-peak months, some attractions, outdoor shows and food outlets may not be operating, except for popular weekends and holidays. 3.1 Attractions and Entertainments Main Street USA Disneyland Paris Railroad, Main Street station [#] (The park has three real steam trains: the W.E. Cody, the C.K. Holliday and the G. Washington, all specially built in Wales. The 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 (vutpakdi@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. There are BNP Automatic Teller cashpoint machines within both arcades. Liberty Arcade forms part of the covered route to Frontierland in poor weather) City Hall (Guest Relations information point) Disneyland Paris 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 Molly Brown & stern-wheeler Mark Twain) River Rogue Keelboats [S] (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) Critter Coral (Cottonwood Creek Ranch) [S] (petting zoo, closes at dusk) Disneyland Paris Railroad, Frontierland Depot (good place to board, with little queuing) Lucky Nugget Saloon Revue (Lilly's Follies stage show. See also Restaurants section) Chaparral Stage [S] (live country-and-western style entertainment. Outdoors) 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 [S] (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! At the exit is a nice display from the ride's sponsor, France Telecom, featuring small buildings with clever video scenes playing inside) Disneyland Paris Railroad, Fantasyland Station (mid-point of railroad ride. Good place to get off) Le Theatre du Chateau [S] [*] (outdoor stage show: Mickey's Magic Book. The tales of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, as recounted by Mickey. Great fun, see if you can) Fantasy Festival Stage [S] (covered stage show: C'est Magique, a musical trip round Disneyland Paris. Somewhat forgettable) Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin [S] (Small ferris wheel, attached to The Old Mill restaurant) Casey Junior, Le Petit Train du Cirque [S] [#] (mini roller-coaster train around Storybookland) Le Pays des Contes de Fees [S] [#] (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! At the exit is a computer games area organised by the ride's sponsor, IBM. The picture morphing is fun, as is the 12- player interactive space game, controlled by platforms upon which you stand and rock) CineMagique (standard Captain EO - not filmed by Jules Verne. In English) Videopolis stage show (currently playing: Beauty and the Beast, in French) Disneyland Paris Railroad, Discoveryland Station (board the steam train at a futuristic station) Les Mysteres du Nautilus [#] (walk-through the Nautilus; see a squid outside the window. Don't bother if the queue is more than three people!) Space mountain - De la Terre a la Lune (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-out 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) Dapper Dan's Hair Cuts (Yes, real haircuts and shaves & souvenirs. Quartet singers) Disney & Co. (general Disney character merchandise) Harrington's Fine China and Porcelains [*] (Crystal, glassware, china, etc) Contains: Glass Fantasies (lovely Disney glassware, created for you 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 Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost (Adventureland-style clothing, jewellery, etc) Adventureland Bazar [*] (Big covered market complex, with craftsmen making various themed goods. 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) La Petite Maison des Jouets (Disney & Paris souvenirs, toys, etc) 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 Note: you are not permitted to take your own food into the park. There is, however, a picnic site just outside the park, between the main car park and the railway station. Wine and beer are available at all the table-service restaurants, marked [T]. There are also mobile food carts serving popcorn, baked potatoes, ice creams, pretzels, pizzas, sandwiches, drinks, etc. Seasonal changes: During the winter months, some park food facilities, marked [S], are generally closed expect for some weekends and school holidays. Also, restaurants marked [1] may be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, while those marked [2] may be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You may also find that some of the hotel restaurants (especially those in hotels which boast more than one restaurant) are closed some days during winter. It would be a good idea to confirm in advance if you wish to visit a particular restaurant. Main Street USA The Coffee Grinder [S] (coffee kiosk half-way down Main Street) The Ice Cream Company [S] (nice ice-cream kiosk half-way down Main Street) Market House Deli (jumbo sandwiches) Walt's - an American Restaurant [T] [2] (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 [S] (ice cream sundaes, etc) Victoria's Home-Style Cooking (hot quiches and snacks) Plaza Gardens Restaurant [T] (Victorian-style. Nice place for a character breakfast) Frontierland Silver Spur Steakhouse [T] [2] (rather formal, plain old-fashioned steakhouse) The Last Chance Cafe [S] (overlooks Thunder Mountain. Smoked beef/turkey sandwiches) The Lucky Nugget Saloon [T] [2] (Great old-west entertainment. Bilingual show, with audience participation. Food is substantial) Fuente del Oro Restaurante [S] (Mexican food) Cowboy Cookout Barbecue [1] (Fast-food, burgers, etc in old-west barn location. Indoor and outdoor seating. Cowhand Band play several times a day) Adventureland Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost [2] (Pizzas and Italian specialities) Aux Epices Enchantees [S] (varied menu: lamb curry, couscous, beef/chicken brochettes) Cafe de la Brousse [S] (light refreshments; nice waterside location) Captain Hook's Galley [S] (sandwich snacks from the pirate ship) Blue Lagoon Restaurant [T] [1] (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 [T] [1] (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 [1] (order a Mickey Mouse Pizza just for the hell of it) Fantasia Gelati [S] (nice, but expensive, ice creams) Au Chalet de la Marionnette [2] (Pinocchio's restaurant. Fast-food, chicken and salad) Toad Hall Restaurant [S] (fish & chips, steak sandwiches - yummy, says this Brit!) March Hare Refreshments [S] (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 Hyperion [2] (fast-food restaurant inside the Videopolis) Cafe des Visionnaires [apparently now closed] (good views of the parades in Fantasyland) 3.4 Festival Disney This area is marked by 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 loudspeakers 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). Just in front of the Buffalo Bill building is a small coral area where horse-riding demonstrations are sometimes held. Festival Disney includes several restaurants, many of which are rather expensive, especially for drinks. I recommend eating inside the park, if at all possible. The Festival Disney night-life is probably best sampled when the park shuts early. The shops are mostly average Disney stores, slightly themed but with nothing too spectacular that you couldn't get cheaper back home. Regan B. Pederson (xzfr@xmission.com) comments: The only thing I'll say about Festival Disney is that it typifies the cheap sleazy carnival atmosphere that Walt so hoped to avoid (and now it carries his name on it). I was, however, fairly impressed with the Buffalo Bill show. The price for it is outrageous, though. Festival Disney Shops: Streets of America (US-oriented souvenirs, T-shirts, etc) The Disney Store (massive Disney Store selling character merchandise, etc. Lovely centrepiece) Buffalo Bill's Trading Company General Store (cowboy hats, boots, shirts, Indian trinkets, etc) Mickey's Team sportswear (sports merchandise and clothing) Hollywood (movie memorabilia, posters, etc) Surfwear shop (swimwear and surfing-oriented stuff. Anyone seen the beach?) Post Office (genuine French post office, open until 10pm) Seine and Marne Tourist Information (also contains a display of models of the surrounding chateaux and other sights. Borrow free infra-red headphones to hear the commentary in your own language) Marina del Rey (not a shop as such; dock area next to the Steakhouse where you can rent motorised 'toobies' to ride around Lake Disney) Festival Disney Restaurants: (opening hours are often slightly longer at weekends) Annette's Diner (traditional burger-bar with rollerskating waitresses! 50's/60's cars parked outside. Open midday-11pm) Key West Seafood (nice seafood restaurant, well themed. Open 5pm-11pm) Los Angeles Bar and Grill (upmarket Californian style restaurant; pizzas. Open 12.15pm-3pm and 5.30pm-11pm) The Steakhouse (Chicago theme. Nice steaks, but expensive. Open 5.30pm- 11pm) Sandwiches New York Style (Manhattan Deli; great for a late breakfast. Open 9am-11pm) Buffalo Bills Wild West Show (Meal and Wild-West entertainment. Shows at 6.30pm & 9.30pm. See section 5.2 for more info) Festival Disney Bars and Nightclubs: Champion Sports Bar (busy, crowded, fun atmosphere with sports theme; 15 TV screens; outdoor seating area. Open 11am-1am) Rock'N'Roll America Cafe (live rock'n'roll music and dancing. Open 6pm-1am) Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon (elaborate three-level bar with a country-and-western theme & pool tables. Open 6pm-1am) Hurricanes Nightclub (late-opening nightclub; 10pm-3am) 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. Staying off-site may be considerably cheaper if you look for budget accommodation in or around Paris (or maybe try the Novotel in Marne-la-Vallee) but do try to find time for a stroll around Lake Disney and pop into some of the hotels and shops while you're there. All the resort hotels feature rooms with twin double beds or one King-size bed (confirm when booking), en-suite shower/bathroom, TV, etc. A variety of TV channels are available in several languages, plus a Disney movie channel and two in-house information channels telling you about the park in four languages. Hotel check-in is from 3 pm, check-out before 11 am. There are storage facilities for your luggage if you wish to arrive or depart outside of those times. See section 1.3 for current hotel prices. Hotel Disneyland (Four star) Actually the smallest hotel on site, but by far the most luxurious. Even if you don't stay here, pay a visit and soak up the atmosphere in the massive entrance lobby, or experience the relaxing lounge bars and restaurants upstairs, overlooking Main Street. Character breakfasts are available at this hotel. 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) * 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 Cocktail Lounge (overlooks the park) * Three restaurants: Cafe Fantasia (great for breakfast) Inventions (wonderful buffet-style eating. Recommended) California Grill * "Character meals" and "Birthday Cake character meals" * Shop: Galerie Mickey Hotel New York (Four star) 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. It has a lot in common with the Walt Disney World Swan/Dolphin resorts (not surprising; same designer). Very plush, but rather cold and lacking in Disney charm. Remember to request a lakeside view. Adjoins a large conference centre. Note: each room contains a 'Minitel' terminal. This is the France Telecom personal comms system, originally designed to provide all their customers with up-to-date directory information without the need to print new phone books every year. These days the system is much expanded to provide access to information services, shopping and booking systems, etc. There is also a link which allows users to send internet e-mail, for which the access code is "3614 CALVACOM". The Minitel hardware is a very slow and antiquated by modern comms standards, and there is an hourly charge for using it. * 574 rooms (inc 36 suites and 13 rooms for the handicapped) * Rooms have Minitel terminals, mini-bar and air conditioning * Indoor & outdoor heated pools * Health club * Two tennis courts * "Rockefeller" open-air skating rink (winter only); often features weekend skating sessions with Disney characters * Beauty salon/barbers shop * Times Square games room * Laundry and dry cleaning service * Baby-sitting service in room * Convention Centre * Bar/Lounges: Manhattan Jazz Club, 57th Street Bar, Pool Bar * Restaurant: Parkside Diner * Shop: Stock Exchange Newport Bay Club (Three star) 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) * 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 (Three star) 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) * 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: Northwest Passage Hotel Cheyenne (Two star) 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) * 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: Chuck Wagon Cafe (9 themed 'food stores' laid out along the town's main street). * Shop: General Store Hotel Santa Fe (Two star) 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 (rturner@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) * Rooms have mini-bar * Totem Circle Children's Playground ("Anasaki Ruins") * 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 (do make sure you specify which you need) 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. Report from Olav Geisser (Fidonet 2:246/1401.52): Davy Crockett Ranch is located in a very nice forest and each bungalow is equipped with everything you need: Outside there is a grill and a wooden table, with connectors for electricity and water for a caravan. Inside the bungalow it's better equipped than usual apartments in Europe! We had a coffee maker, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator with prepared ice inside the freezer, and every kind of kitchen utensil. At the check-in we received a 'welcome basket' which contained coffee, tee, milk, sugar and a packet of cookies. * 181 camp sites and 414 cabins for 4 to 6 people * All cabins feature bath, TV, telephone, heating and daily housekeeping service * 4-person cabins have one double bed and a fold-away bed in the living area. 6-person cabins additionally contain twin bunk beds * Kitchenette area: cooker, oven, fridge/freezer, microwave, dishwasher, plus an outdoor BBQ grill * 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? Note: The park appears to be in the process of rationalising its various telephone numbers at the moment, so some of the following may now be out of date. If in doubt, please ring the main Guest Relations number, (+33 1) 64 74 30 00. Note: "+" represents your own international dialling code. From the UK, for example, replace "+" with "00". "Disneyland Paris Direct" local booking offices: UK/Eire: 01733 335565 / 335567 Netherlands: 06-0789 Germany: 06196-5980 Sweden: 020 795 555 Denmark/Finland/ (+33 1) 60 30 60 70 Norway Belgium: 0800 19 191 France: (1) 60 30 60 30 USA: (407) 934 7639 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: New direct numbers: (+33 1) 60 30 50 10 (to be confirmed) (+33 1) 60 30 60 53 (English speaking) (+33 1) 64 74 40 00 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) 60 30 60 65 By Telex 232 642 232 647 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 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 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 (smaller Guest Relations office - outside the park, to the far right of the entrance turnstile area) 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 Tourist Information and Excursion bookings: Maison du Tourisme d'Ile de France - Seine et Marne Festival Disney F-77705 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4 France Tel: (+33 1) 60 43 33 33 Fax: (+33 1) 60 43 74 95 Magic Kingdom Club: 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 Magic Kingdom Club Travel Centre: From UK 0171 753 2902 Elsewhere (+33 1) 49 41 49 21 If you're interested in working at Disneyland Paris, apply to: Disneyland Paris Casting Euro Disney S.C.A. G'erant: Euro Disney S.A. Boite Postale 110 F-77777 Marne-la-Vallee, Cedex 4 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 the Paris park 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, much of which is out of date. The rest is about Paris and the surrounding area (most of which is culled from their existing Paris guidebook). If, however, you plan to spend a lot of your time in Paris, this guide book could be useful. Title: Marco Polo Euro Disney Author: Odile Parrard Publisher: Hachette Guides de Voyage ISBN: 2-01-01887-99 Format: Pocket-sized paperback, 96 pages Price: $4.95 (US) Comments: In French; includes colour photographs. Detailed description of park features, in addition to much background information on Disney and relevant American history. [Information supplied by Tish Eastman (tishe@cruzio.com)] 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 (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 FF 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 FF 300. The buses serve all of the resort hotels, and the main gate and railway station, but not the Davy Crockett Ranch. 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 FF 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. 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. 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" or "Espace EuroDisney". Note: The Davy Crockett Ranch 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. Parking costs 50 Francs per day. Parking is free for all hotel guests, except for those staying at the Disneyland Hotel for which there is a daily charge. All resort parking is free for Annual Plus passport holders. Don't forget to make a note of where you parked, the car park sections being named after Disney characters: Alice, Bambi, Donald, Fleur, Jiminy, Minnie, Pinocchio, Winnie and Tigger (the latter is used for coaches). There is a moving walkway which takes you from the main (11,400 space) car park to the centre of the resort complex, next to the railway station. There is also a picnic area nearby, and an Animal Care Centre for boarding pets during your stay. By Rail: The TGV (high speed train) railway station at Disneyland Paris has now been opened. This rail link connects Paris, Lyon and Lille, and will eventually greatly improve access. Passengers from the UK using the Channel Tunnel should change at Lille (not Paris) to join the TGV for Charles de Gaulle airport and Disneyland Paris. The current timetable provides about five trains per day. There is also a local rail service from Paris, which takes about 40 minutes. If you're planning a one-day visit, you may want to get a "Formule-1" Metro ticket, which is a day pass suitable for all RER and Metro lines (see section 4.8). Pick up the RER 'A' line from any station on the A4 route (make sure you get on an A4 line train, not A2). Suitable stations within the central Paris Metro area are: La Defense (business district) Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (Arc de Triomphe) Auber (Opera) Chatelet-Les Halles (central Paris) Gare de Lyon (major TGV train station) Nation (major plaza) Ensure that you are headed in the direction for Marne-la- Vallee/Chessy, and that the illuminated signs indicate that the train actually stops at Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy (some trains terminate before then, or fork off on a different route; avoid trains with the destination 'Boissy'). Note: the last train back to Paris is probably just after midnight. The Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy station is located between Festival Disney and the park entrance, a couple of minutes walk from the main gate. Turn right after exiting the station building. 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 (similar shows are now open at TDL and WDW) (see section 5.5) Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril (see section 5.3) Les Mysteres du 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. See section 5 for more information on specific rides. Pirates of the Caribbean is in a slightly different format to the other parks. The audio-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, but on a wild-west theme and the storyline is better. The narration is all in French. Most of the other standard rides (e.g. Peter Pan) are pretty much identical between the different parks. Orbitron is at ground level (all the others are raised up). Small World has a different layout; instead of being a series of rooms it's one big room with the scenery partitioning it (giving a more open atmosphere). Captain EO is still in English, except for the two-line introduction, but the CineMagique theatre is perhaps an improvement on its predecessors. 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 and park information points should be able to attend you in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and now Dutch. 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. James Bohn (jbohn@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu, a former cast member at WDW) noted: In my subjective opinion, the Cast Members are more consistently friendly to more people than the other two parks. Perhaps it's because there are fewer people to be nice to, or perhaps they're fighting to keep the park afloat, who knows? One problem with the Euro-Disneyland Cast Members in general is language. Euro-Disney functions in French, English, German, and Italian (Spanish seems to be ignored, perhaps because of its similarity to Italian?). Euro-Disney Cast Members often know a handful of key statements in all of these languages, but often they haven't learned the 'polite' forms. Thus when getting off a ride, a Cast Member may simply say "off", rather than "please step out to your right". 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 FF 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 d'Ile de France - Seine et Marne") in Festival Disney for more information or to book tickets. Prices vary, but most day trips cost FF 315 for adults, or FF 150 for children. 4.9 How do I get discounts? (Magic Kingdom Club) The Magic Kingdom Club is an ideal way for you and your family to enjoy any of the Disney theme parks and Disney Stores worldwide at reduced rates. You can also get discounts with Disney's preferred travel companies, etc. MKC membership can save you a LOT of money, so don't leave home without one! Note: US Magic Kingdom Club cards are valid for use at Disneyland Paris. There are two ways to join the European Magic Kingdom Club: 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 from the UK, DM 59 from Germany, and FF 200 in France. Payment is accepted by Franc or Sterling cheques, as well as Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Whichever way you decide to join, or if you're already a member, the following family benefits apply to holders of a Magic Kingdom Club card: 10% discount on all theme park Passports (including Annual) 10% discount on purchases above FF 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 Disneyland Paris 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-65760 Eschborn Deutschland Tel: (+49) 6196 595 09 Fax: (+49) 6196 595 980 (+49) 6196 595 990 4.10 Can I contact anyone at (or near) the park by e-mail? At present, I don't know of anyone who works at Disneyland Paris who is contactable by e-mail. Anyone out there reading this? However, Disney & theme-park fan Jean-Marc Toussaint can be contacted via his Compuserve account, 100434.505@compuserve.com. Jean-Marc lives 30 minutes away from the park and is a frequent visitor. He is quite happy for people to get in touch with him for up-to-the-minute information, but please do check that the info you are requesting is not already in the FAQ first. 4.11 What DL-P souvenirs are available? Do they do Mail Order? Obviously, as with any other Disney theme park, there are thousands of opportunities to buy that 'special' souvenir to take back home. It's impossible to list them all (especially the ever- changing range of clothing) but here are a few collectible items that are specific to Disneyland Paris. You should be able to find most of these in The Storybook Store or The Emporium in Town Square at the end of Main Street. You can also order by mail from the park, but overseas shipping and handling charges are exorbitant. For example, at the end of 1994 the handling and airmail charges to the US were 150 Francs for orders valued at less than 300 Francs, and 300 Francs for orders over 300 Francs. "Euro Disneyland": Thin-ish paperback book giving a basic tour of the park, with plenty of good (recent) photos. Available in four languages. "Euro Disney": Large format hardback book (purple cover). A more detailed (and more collectible) tour of the park and hotels, but very out-of-date photographically. Some pictures are not even of Disneyland Paris, and others are artists impressions. When this book is updated with new photos it will be a 'must-have', at which point the current one will surely become a collector's item. Available in four languages. Euro Disney wall map: This is great; a full colour artwork wall map of the park, with all the attractions, shops and restaurants listed. Includes recent rides such an Indiana Jones and Space Mountain, but these are shown as forthcoming attractions. CDs "Euro Disney: C'est Magique", "Euro Disney: Feel the Magic": These contain the soundtrack of the "C'est Magique" stage show which plays at the Fantasy Festival Stage (similar to the "Disney World is Your World" and "Disneyland is Your Land" shows in the US parks). The show includes pop versions of many of the pieces of music used in attractions around the park. Available in English or French, but note that the English version does not contain the overture. Disneyland Paris 1995 Calendar: Pleasant wall-hanging calendar. Each page features a photo from La Parade Disney, plus some nice background line-art from a Disney film. The text is trilingual (English, French and German). 4.12 What's the weather like? When should I visit? Disneyland-Paris is promoted as an all-year-round attraction, but even the most ardent Europhiles would be hard-pressed to find a visit in the middle of Winter as pleasant as one in peak summer. Some of the food outlets and attractions will be closed, and the weather will very likely be wet, windy and rather cold (the temperature can easily be sub-zero). On the plus side, of course, winter attendance is lower (expect during the Christmas/New year weeks, which are packed) so queues are very much shorter. It's hard to say exactly the best time to visit, since European weather patterns are not very predictable. Probably the best periods to choose would be May/June or September/October if you want reasonable weather while still avoiding the busiest school holiday periods, or July/August if you want the best guarantee of good weather but don't mind queuing! The park's designers have made every effort to enable you to enjoy your visit even if the weather is poor, even down to choosing colour schemes that will show up as well against dull grey clouds as they will against blue skies (for example, the pinks and blue/greens of the castle). You can get from the main gate to Frontierland, and then on to Adventureland and Fantasyland, completely under cover. Most of the attractions are indoors, with fairly well-sheltered queuing areas. Some, of course, are unavoidably in the open - such as Big Thunder Mountain, the Indiana Jones ride, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, Orbitron, etc. Graham Allan (grahama@spider.co.uk) comments: Seeing the park for Christmas was very nice, but it was freezing cold (snow on the ground, too). I would hesitate to recommend going at this time of year, especially on weekends when there might be a crowd - standing in lines in sub-zero temperatures was not pleasant! However, there were loads of walk-arounds out in the park on the Monday morning (when the park was dead). Many more than one would normally see at DL or WDW at one time. It may be worth noting that the local French school holidays are normally as follows: Autumn (Fall): Last week in October Christmas: A week before Christmas until just after New Year. Winter: Mid-February to start of March Easter: Two/three weeks starting at Easter Summer: Early July to mid-September 4.13 Any other tips for avoiding the worst of the queues? First, check section 4.12 on when to visit the park. Seasonal changes will make a big difference as to how much you can do during your time there. Whenever you decide to go, if you want to get as much done in one day as possible, make sure you arrive a little while before opening time and buy your entrance passes so that you can go straight in when the gates open and move immediately to the most popular rides. These include Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Phantom Manor, Peter Pan and the new Space Mountain. Try to go against the main flow of people, which usually means working in the opposite direction to the order given in the free Guidebook. Some rides, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World and Le Visionarium, may look like they have longer queues but they actually load pretty quickly so you won't find yourself waiting too long. Watch the parades (if you wish to see them) from their starting points. As soon as the last float as gone by, head for a normally- busy ride (perhaps Star Tours?) while the rest of the crowd is still watching the parade. If you are spending several days in the park, watch the parades on your first day, and if you find you don't want to see them again, use the time to do the rides. This is especially true of the Electrical Parade, during which time most of the rides are pretty much deserted. For example, in peak August last year I did Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White and Pinocchio as walk-ons between 10pm and 10.45pm. Don't forget that you won't easily be able to cross the Parade route once it has started. If visiting during the shorter off-peak days (10am - 6pm), check whether Main Street is going to be open late, which would allow you to do rides during the day and then spend a couple of hours shopping in Main Street before you leave. If you are planning on splurging on one good meal during an off- peak visit, check whether the Inventions Restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel is open on the evening you're there, and eat there after the park itself has closed. Otherwise you'll take a big chunk out of your day by eating at Walt's, or one of the others inside the gates. 4.14 Are there any net sites containing photos of Disneyland-Paris? Yes, the World Wide Web site which stores this FAQ also contains a series of full-colour JPEG photos of various aspects of the park. All of the unique attractions are featured, plus many other details such as shows, parades, hotels, a colour map, and several other images. The URL for the official DL-P FAQ & Photos www site is: http://www.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/cgi-bin/nph-gateway/ hphalle1/~schaffnr/etc/disney/ If anyone would like to volunteer some disk space to make these pictures available by FTP too, please let me know. ============================================================================ 5 More details of specific attractions (Personal reports from park visitors are welcome) 5.1 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. 5.2 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 Imagineering 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. 5.3 Phantom Manor [extended report by Regan B. Pederson] Phantom Manor is absolutely, positively, definitely, my favourite theme park attraction. They did everything right here. The Haunted Mansion (at DL or WDW) is number 3, behind Star Tours. The name change is perfect. At DL and WDW, all the guests call the Haunted Mansion the Haunted House. Now, at DL-P, when they are wrong they are at least completely wrong! Phantom Manor is an original name that belongs to an original house. The greatest improvement from the Haunted Mansions is the music. Even as much as I love the original Grim Grinning Ghosts, Disney worked some of it's greatest magic here. Grim Grinning Ghosts was re- orchestrated, slowed down, romanced, dignified, changed in the most wonderful ways, and re-recorded in several different versions for different sections of the ride's interior and exterior (yes, you can finally hear the music outside in the waiting area). You'll forget that it really is the tune of Grim Grinning Ghosts, until you get to the singing busts. Phantom Manor is in Frontierland, and they made it so it really does fit in. The house exterior is again totally different. They did well in making it intriguing but not blatantly haunted. It looks like an old western house that is seriously dilapidated. The Manor 'yard' is something to see in itself. Like the house it looks like it was very beautiful at one time, but nobody's taken care of it. There's a gazebo, plant holders, lots of nice stairs & structure, all meant to look like it was really nice and lavish at one point in time. The queue winds through part of it, and there is a very large sheltered waiting area with a fountain in the middle. The entire 'yard' is (of course) built on a hill and the house sits on top. You finally get up to the deck surrounding the house and walk around to the front doors. This is a concept that was lost at the Haunted Mansions in DL and WDW: you actually go in via the front doors. When you get inside the foyer, Phantom Manor finally begins to resemble the Haunted Mansions. There's the chandelier with cobwebs and the two doors into the stretch rooms. Otherwise, the decor is still very different. It's very antique western. There is a small mirror in-between the two doors. When the Phantom starts speaking, you can see a picture of the bride in the mirror. By the way, Paul Frees died before he could play the voice of the Phantom. I don't know who does it now, but you only hear the Phantom speak (entirely in French) in the entrance foyer, in the stretch room, and a little bit in the portrait hall. There is no spoken dialogue during the ride itself. Due to language barriers, and the fact that the scenes are so great and the music so well- done, I think it's good that they don't have much spoken sound. Incidentally, Vincent Price did the original Phantom narration in English, but it was quickly replaced after the French complained. (You can hear Paul Frees in the Manor, though. He is the voice of the Mayor, using a line from the American parks, "we have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for a thousand...") It's interesting to note that the floor design of the ride is almost identical to Disneyland. The elevator has rightfully returned to the stretch room (yes, you do really go down at Disneyland Paris). There is also the tunnel where the changing pictures have been returned (these were left out in Florida). The 'basement' is actually dug into the hill, with the tunnel going beneath some trees behind which the show building is hidden. The tunnel does NOT go beneath the railroad tracks; the entire attraction is housed within the same building as the Grand Canyon Diorama. So what is Phantom Manor all about, anyway? I spent hours trying to figure that out - I went on it about 20 times in 2 days. This has become somewhat of an obsession for me, and I am still endeavouring to find out how it really goes. This information was put together from my own personal observations, and also by asking the Manor staff and City Hall. I do not guarantee its accuracy at all, since one CM even told me that the story is based on Hitchcock's Psycho movie! (only the shape of the house bears any resemblance at all) The year is 1860. The Phantom (he probably has a real name but I couldn't find out what it is) owns the Manor and most of Frontierland as well. This is, of course, why the house sits on a hill overlooking Frontierland. When two of the town's residents decided to get married the Phantom insisted they have the wedding & party at his place. All of the preparations were made. The bride got all ready and waited for her groom to show up. She never saw him, for the Phantom had hung him soon after he walked through the door. She waited and waited: her bouquet began to wilt; the wedding presents stacked in the ballroom went unopened; the cake began to sag and topple. The bride sobbed as she watched the Phantom's guests come out of their tombs. She looked behind her, and out the window she saw the Phantom laughing at her and she suddenly realized what his real intentions were. He had dug a grave for her, right next to the freshly-filled one for her former fiancee. She decided to put an end to her agony, so still in her wedding dress, and still holding her bouquet, she poisoned herself. The Phantom just laughs, and stands ready to claim his next victim, right after they see their predecessors in Phantom Canyon. If anybody knows the real story, or just knows that I'm plain wrong, please tell me, I would be greatly indebted to you. 5.4 Big Thunder Mountain [report by Regan B. Pederson] Big Thunder Mountain is significantly wilder than the versions in the states. The trains (especially their paint jobs) are also a lot more realistic. Overall, DL-P's Big Thunder is top notch. Like in the states, there are still three climbs and they're like the ones in the states: The first one goes past the stalactites & stalagmites and the rainbow pools and under the waterfall, the second one is outdoors, and the third one involves the earthquake (which is a great deal more convincing and well-done here). The long tunnels through which you go under the Rivers of the Far West are also very exciting. The visuals during the ride (animals & such, except for the earthquake) I would rate on a par with Disneyland, but not quite as good as WDW because they've got that town of Tumbleweed. 5.5 Pirates of the Caribbean [report by Regan B. Pederson and Graham Allan] Pirates of the Caribbean is superb, it really works here. The theming at the load area is one of a Caribbean island (rather than Florida's fort or the southern bayou of California/Tokyo). I especially liked the queuing area (although it's very long). The last scene you walk past (on your left) before entering the 'village' is also the last scene you sail past (also on the left) before reaching the unload station. Every scene makes sense and contributes to the story. You sail through a Caribbean jungle lagoon and go up a "waterfall" ramp into the fort where the pirates have started to make their raid. The sophistication of the animatronic figures is truly outstanding here, as well as the creativity and placement of the figures (and the silhouette is first class). Almost everything in this scene is original to DL-P, except for the jail scene; it's near the beginning here, instead of the end, since at this point in the story the pirates haven't yet raided the town. You then sail through a cave and receive your proper warning and then you slide down a flume and right into the battle between the pirate ship and the fort (which has been going on at Disneyland and WDW for so many years). The next few scenes are nearly identical to the ones in the US. Everything is more detailed and realistic, though. There is a silhouette in the town fire scene that is way, way, way first class. Right after you get out of the fire scene, the ride changes from its predecessors. You now slide down a second flume into the powder room, and the burned out town goes down in a huge explosion. You escape into secret caves (Davey Jones' Locker). You see the skeleton at the wheel in the storm and the pirate's secret treasure. As you leave the caves you can see the dock looming ahead of you. I highly applaud the changes and adjustments Disney have made; it all worked very, very well. 5.6 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. [Additional report by Regan B. Pederson] Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril was a mistake. Like you've probably heard, it's just an off the shelf roller coaster that they built around something that's supposed to look like an excavated ruin. The queue area is only mildly interesting. The temple itself is somewhat impressive (especially as you ascend the snake staircase). It has nothing to do with Peril, though. You never go in it, and nothing ever happens. There is no story, no plot, no cause of action. You just decide to ride a 'mine' car around this temple thing, even though there is no mine. In addition, mine cars do not normally go through loops. However, to Disney's possible credit, the mine cars are extremely jerky and bumpy, just as you'd expect one to be. However, the restraint system is awkward and the jerkiness can make it painful. John Stafford (stafford@claude.ma30.bull.com) mentioned: My youngest daughter said the ride could be very jerky and not much fun unless you keep your head firmly against the head rest. They have been on similar rides, and found the head rests on this ride to be better than most. 5.7 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. 5.8 La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant [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. 5.9 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. You can also find the jumping water fountains here - good to watch and relax, or stand under and get wet. An attraction for the younger ones mainly. 5.10 Storybookland rides [report by Jean-Marc Toussaint] Storybookland is located at the far North of the park, between Alice's Curious Labyrinth and the Old Mill ferris wheel, behind It's a Small World. Access to the area via a path under the Disneyland Paris Railroad (a bit like "Mickey's Toontown" in DL). The Storybook boat ride, constructed by Mack GmbH of Germany, is a 'no-host' ride, unlike other similar rides at other Disney parks. It's a continuous cable-towed boat ride, departing from a step-on, step-off turntable in front of a giant open book. The brightly coloured boats each carry up to 20 guests. There are open storybooks along the route identifying the story for each set. It's simply beautiful, especially at night since every set is carefully illuminated. The boats pass under a stone bridge (Casey Junior's track), then you pass in front of beautifully landscaped, richly detailed miniatures. On your left you will see the Seven Dwarfs' house (the mine is in the background, with diamond effects and sounds of the dwarfs working), Hansel & Gretel cake house, Rumplestiltskin. On your right, on the top of a small island, is Mount Olympus from Fantasia. The boats then pass under a second bridge. You enter the snow- covered area of Peter and the Wolf (on your left). On your right is the best model: the village, ruins, cemetery & mountain from Night on Bald Mountain. The boats turn around the mountain set and enter Aladdin's Cave of Wonder, through the tiger's mouth. Inside the cave is a miniature of the treasure, and a little further on is a miniature of the lamp resting at the top of the stairs, bathing in a magical beam of light. Leaving the cave, you see on your left a Sword in the Stone model, then a large replica of Belle's village from Beauty and the Beast. The Beast's castle is in the background, with Casey's track curling around its walls. The final miniature is the Emerald City of Oz, after which the boats return to the station. Casey Junior is more of a family-oriented (non-gravity) roller coaster than a train ride. Built by Vekoma of Holland, two trains run on the same track thanks to a clever block-system installation. It surrounds the whole Storybook land area. The ride is rather fast, with lots of banked turns and 'rabbit hops'. At night, the only light is the locomotive's headlight, so ride in the very last car for a backward, fast and completely dark trip! 5.11 Le Visionarium [report by Andre Willey] 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! Features Michel Piccoli as Jules Verne, and guest stars Gerard Depardieu as an airport baggage handler, Franco Nero as Louis XIV and Jeremy Irons as H.G. Wells. Directed by Jeff Blyth, who also did Cheetah for Disney. 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 (French narration, translated in English, German and Italian by LED signs), plus models of real, futuristic, and Wells/Verne modes of transport hanging from the ceiling. A MUST-SEE ATTRACTION. (This is now also showing at Tokyo Disneyland, and in a slightly modified form at WDW, Florida. Apart from the layout of the pre- show waiting areas, the main differences are in the voices and the Red Square/Concorde section has been replaced with shots of New York). 5.12 Les Mysteres du 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 lagoon 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 walk through several rooms (treasure room, Captain's quarters, airlock/diving-suit room, etc) until you reach Captain Nemo's room - complete with iris-shuttered portholes on either side, and his grand pipe organ at one end. A short, rather uninspiring, show takes place in which a giant animatronic squid attacks and is repelled by electric shocks (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 (svanhorn@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. 5.13 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: Golden Star Ranch, Texas Blue Moon Ranch, Wyoming Green Mountain Ranch, Montana Red River Ranch, Colorado 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! ============================================================================ 6 Acknowledgements Many thanks to the following people for their invaluable assistance: Tom Drynda for starting this FAQ in the first place. Thanks Tom, and I hope that I'm doing your concept justice. Barry Bedford (IRE0040@AppleLink.Apple.COM), Paul Fischer (pfischer@knoware.nl), Louise (rhubarb@cix.compulink.co.uk), Werner Kuehnert (kue@zerberus.gud.siemens.co.at), Shawn Clover (clove@ix.netcom.com) and John Stafford (stafford@claude.ma30.bull.com) for mailing me current guidebook and timetable sheets from the park. 'Hick Hurtenflurst' (schaffnr@informatik.tu-muenchen.de) for providing WWW access for the FAQ, and Tim "Quetzal" Pickett (quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au) for FTP availability and putting it on the "List of Lists". Regan B. Pederson (xzfr@xmission.com), a former cast member at WDW, who has provided a LOT of great insights into the differences between rides at the parks. Also Gordon E. Peterson II (gep2@computek.net) for his excellent and detailed notes based on his 66 (!) visits to the park, including a good number of details which I'd previously forgotten to mention. Gordon has a document covering some of the rides in more detail than I can here, so e-mail him for a copy if you're interested. Graham Allan (grahama@spider.co.uk), Peter Schouten (jps@dataweb.nlfor), Mark Keiser (Mark.Keiser@Eng.Sun.COM), Wim Dewijngaert (100334.1062@compuserve.com), Julie Dawe (julie_dawe@hpgrmac.gr.hp.com), Luz Echeverria (echeverr@mimosa.unice.fr), Yvonne Loo (yvonne@lightning.nsc.com) and Jean-Marc Toussaint (100434.505@compuserve.com) for general update information. Scott Kessler (sdk@asdi.saic.com) for the great photos of the Dragon and Phantom Manor at night, now available at the WWW site. and... Everyone else in rec.arts.disney for their support and information +------------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Andre Willey | Cygnus Software Development | | Email: andre@cix.compulink.co.uk | Sutton Coldfield -- England | | or: ...{mcsun}!uknet!cix!andre | Tel: (UK/+44) 0121 308 5251 | +------------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Maintainer of the Disneyland-Paris FAQ List. E-mail me for details | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+