This is a half trip report and half general observations from my trip between 30/9-03/10/18 which included the last day of the Marvel Summer of Super Heroes and the first day of Halloween 2018.
Marvel Summer
I don’t have much to say about the Marvel Summer, I enjoy the Marvel films but have yet to be inspired by anything that has happened in the parks for Marvel. Of the three Marvel show at Walt Disney Studio Park I would rank them 1) Guardians of the Galaxy Dance Off 2) Super Heroes United and 3) Star Expo. The GOTG Dance Off was fun and got people really engaged, the Super Heroes United show wasn’t as bad as I had been led to believe but it had a number of effects running in ‘b-mode’ and the story was all over the place along with Thanos speaking French as a ‘voice from somewhere’ which was odd. I believe the intention is to heavily rework the show for 2019 so hopefully with the learnings from this year they can heavily refine it as it has the building blocks of a solid Marvel show. Finally Stark Expo… I don’t think it helped that I accidentally caught the entirely French show but it seemed superfluous unless you were someone who was a Marvel fan and really wanted to see Thor, Loki, Black Widow and Spiderman up-close. As DLP seems resistant to doing Marvel (or Star Wars) meet and greets it does offer guests an easy way to quickly see a number of the main characters.
WDSP - Overall
We only spent half a day in WDSP, we did intend to come back to see Minnie in her Parisian outfit however we didn’t get round to it, hopefully she is still wearing it in mid-November. In general however with Marvel Summer and Rendez-voue Gourmand (mini Food and Wine) it had a nice atmosphere and didn’t feel soulless like it can in the dark and cold winter. Whilst preparation works for the expansion are happening behind the scenes some physical signs of the expansion really can’t come soon enough.
Halloween
Disneyland Park has taken Halloween decorations up to the max this year with previous years decorations returning including the Day of the Dead theme for Frontierland along with new garlands across Main Street. The highlight of the season has to be the reworked Halloween Cavalcade which returned as Mickey’s Halloween Celebration Parade with the addition of Mickey’s Illusion Manor float which not only includes characters inspired by Phantom Manor (the bride and… her dead groom?) but also Mickey in three different costumes! The addition of a show stop in the hub with a catchy song for his 90th birthday and great dance routine turns a four float cavalcade into at least 20 minutes of entertainment.
The Good to be Bad villains show on Castle Stage which is followed by 15 minutes of ‘mix and mingle’ has also been updated to include last years standout character Maleficent Donald who is the star of one of the two variants of the show.
There is also a great range of meet and greets around the park for Halloween and I was able to meet Devil Donald (semi exclusive during extra magic time) Pluto with a halloween collar, Cheshire Cat, Mariachi Mickey and Minnie and Jose and Panchito. Photopass in Paris has a bad reputation however as I bought an Infinity Annual Pass for this trip which includes an annual Photopass I was able to use it for the first time. All of the meet and greets above had Photopass even when they weren’t listed as having it on the Times Guide.
Mickey’s 90th Birthday
Paris seems to be the park that has taken the lead with the 90th birthday celebration so far with the show stop song in the Halloween Cavalcade about Mickey’s Birthday along with the introduction of Philharmagic in Discoveryland Theatre and the addition of a giant cupcake prop themed to each land with accompanying ‘Cupcake Girl’.
Philharmagic has some pros and cons over the Florida equivalent with the overall experience in my opinion coming out at highly enjoyable yet slightly less impressive.
Pros
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but the cupcakes and accompanying Cupcake Girls (which seemed slightly offensive when I first heard about them) but they appear to be a sleeper hit. Twhe Cupcake Girls interact with guests by telling a story of how they made their cupcake and will do photos, sign autographs and each have a complimentary button you are given if you have an interaction with them. Much to my surprise each Cupcake Girl had around 20 people around them each time I walked by one with people seeming to really enjoy the interaction. They also do a pre-parade before Stars on Parade along with the family of the day which had stopped after the end of the 25th so it is nice to have this back.
Food
A huge criticism for Disneyland Paris is the food and whilst WDSP can be questionable depending on what outlets are open I find the food offerings at Disneyland Park to be varied and of an average to good quality (think decent fast food to fast casual) from their quick service outlets. During the trip we ate at Au Chalet de la Marionnette and had a pork shank and curry wurst hot dog, at Fuente del Oro we had a burrito and vegetarian chilli and at Toad Hall we had a chicken burger (on toast, how English!) and a beef pie all with the usual sides/drink.
Disneyland Paris still has some way to go with ‘snacks’ compared to the American Parks however the small selection of Halloween treats have received good reviews, the only one I tried was a ghost shaped chocolate covered marshmallow which was very nice.
We also had a drink at Victorias which opened up during the summer offering speciality milkshakes, iced tea along with a wine and beer selection. Despite the ‘premium’ pricing for the venue I was surprised to see all tables full. As a treat the alcoholic milkshake I had was nice as a one off treat and I would return during the winter for a coffee, hot chocolate or hopefully a mulled wine!
A few other quick fire observations…
If anyone has a trip coming up in Halloween I’m happy to answer any questions that might help your trip planning.
Marvel Summer
I don’t have much to say about the Marvel Summer, I enjoy the Marvel films but have yet to be inspired by anything that has happened in the parks for Marvel. Of the three Marvel show at Walt Disney Studio Park I would rank them 1) Guardians of the Galaxy Dance Off 2) Super Heroes United and 3) Star Expo. The GOTG Dance Off was fun and got people really engaged, the Super Heroes United show wasn’t as bad as I had been led to believe but it had a number of effects running in ‘b-mode’ and the story was all over the place along with Thanos speaking French as a ‘voice from somewhere’ which was odd. I believe the intention is to heavily rework the show for 2019 so hopefully with the learnings from this year they can heavily refine it as it has the building blocks of a solid Marvel show. Finally Stark Expo… I don’t think it helped that I accidentally caught the entirely French show but it seemed superfluous unless you were someone who was a Marvel fan and really wanted to see Thor, Loki, Black Widow and Spiderman up-close. As DLP seems resistant to doing Marvel (or Star Wars) meet and greets it does offer guests an easy way to quickly see a number of the main characters.
WDSP - Overall
We only spent half a day in WDSP, we did intend to come back to see Minnie in her Parisian outfit however we didn’t get round to it, hopefully she is still wearing it in mid-November. In general however with Marvel Summer and Rendez-voue Gourmand (mini Food and Wine) it had a nice atmosphere and didn’t feel soulless like it can in the dark and cold winter. Whilst preparation works for the expansion are happening behind the scenes some physical signs of the expansion really can’t come soon enough.
Halloween
Disneyland Park has taken Halloween decorations up to the max this year with previous years decorations returning including the Day of the Dead theme for Frontierland along with new garlands across Main Street. The highlight of the season has to be the reworked Halloween Cavalcade which returned as Mickey’s Halloween Celebration Parade with the addition of Mickey’s Illusion Manor float which not only includes characters inspired by Phantom Manor (the bride and… her dead groom?) but also Mickey in three different costumes! The addition of a show stop in the hub with a catchy song for his 90th birthday and great dance routine turns a four float cavalcade into at least 20 minutes of entertainment.
The Good to be Bad villains show on Castle Stage which is followed by 15 minutes of ‘mix and mingle’ has also been updated to include last years standout character Maleficent Donald who is the star of one of the two variants of the show.
There is also a great range of meet and greets around the park for Halloween and I was able to meet Devil Donald (semi exclusive during extra magic time) Pluto with a halloween collar, Cheshire Cat, Mariachi Mickey and Minnie and Jose and Panchito. Photopass in Paris has a bad reputation however as I bought an Infinity Annual Pass for this trip which includes an annual Photopass I was able to use it for the first time. All of the meet and greets above had Photopass even when they weren’t listed as having it on the Times Guide.
Mickey’s 90th Birthday
Paris seems to be the park that has taken the lead with the 90th birthday celebration so far with the show stop song in the Halloween Cavalcade about Mickey’s Birthday along with the introduction of Philharmagic in Discoveryland Theatre and the addition of a giant cupcake prop themed to each land with accompanying ‘Cupcake Girl’.
Philharmagic has some pros and cons over the Florida equivalent with the overall experience in my opinion coming out at highly enjoyable yet slightly less impressive.
Pros
- Screen image is very clear and the 3D works
- Addition of floor rumble effect
- No smells
- No changes to the screen size however a good workaround to replicate the small to large screen reveal has been created
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but the cupcakes and accompanying Cupcake Girls (which seemed slightly offensive when I first heard about them) but they appear to be a sleeper hit. Twhe Cupcake Girls interact with guests by telling a story of how they made their cupcake and will do photos, sign autographs and each have a complimentary button you are given if you have an interaction with them. Much to my surprise each Cupcake Girl had around 20 people around them each time I walked by one with people seeming to really enjoy the interaction. They also do a pre-parade before Stars on Parade along with the family of the day which had stopped after the end of the 25th so it is nice to have this back.
Food
A huge criticism for Disneyland Paris is the food and whilst WDSP can be questionable depending on what outlets are open I find the food offerings at Disneyland Park to be varied and of an average to good quality (think decent fast food to fast casual) from their quick service outlets. During the trip we ate at Au Chalet de la Marionnette and had a pork shank and curry wurst hot dog, at Fuente del Oro we had a burrito and vegetarian chilli and at Toad Hall we had a chicken burger (on toast, how English!) and a beef pie all with the usual sides/drink.
Disneyland Paris still has some way to go with ‘snacks’ compared to the American Parks however the small selection of Halloween treats have received good reviews, the only one I tried was a ghost shaped chocolate covered marshmallow which was very nice.
We also had a drink at Victorias which opened up during the summer offering speciality milkshakes, iced tea along with a wine and beer selection. Despite the ‘premium’ pricing for the venue I was surprised to see all tables full. As a treat the alcoholic milkshake I had was nice as a one off treat and I would return during the winter for a coffee, hot chocolate or hopefully a mulled wine!
A few other quick fire observations…
- Overall the park was looking in a good condition and most areas that have been heavily refurbished in the past few years are maintaining the quality.
- One ride that looks the best I have ever seen it is It’s a Small World with nearly every doll and moving part working… one ride that needs some attention is Pirates which had both the swinging pirate and sword fighting pirates out of action.
- Phantom Manor looks stunning and I can’t wait for it to reopen. Also the photo opportunity is a great touch.
- Work on the new Frontierland Theatre is progressing.
- The problematic smoke effect on Big Thunder worked on one of our rides much to my surprise.
- Miguel is back near Fuente del Oro.
- Guest Star Day continues on Tuesday despite the rumour of it taking a break for Halloween, this week was Governor Ratcliffe with Percy and John Smith.
If anyone has a trip coming up in Halloween I’m happy to answer any questions that might help your trip planning.