MAGICal DLP News, Rumours & Thoughts

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Mini rant time. DLP maintenance and show quality is miles better than it used to be, and ahead of Orlando, but my 2 pet peeves.

When will Space Mountain lighting be fixed to look like this again?

F732B616-137D-4C63-A5CB-4BEBE2706343.jpeg


And please scrap the flat LED flood of castle lighting. Go back to using the moat lighting to supplement the built in lighting:

9B1EC452-75BF-42C5-AFC0-D6DC00B498E3.jpeg


The parks really look great at night - but these 2 icons could look even better.
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
This show? 😁😁😁


Such a great show!

Overall, I was very impressed with my experience at Disneyland Paris over Friday to today (Monday). It really seemed like an outpost of the Disney park experience that hasn't been screwed up by all these over-complicated systems for managing reservations, queuing, upcharges, etc. In a way, the paid Premier Access might be a positive as it has eliminated Fastpass and not many people use it, so standby queues are still reasonable. This was a school holiday weekend and the usual suspects (well, Spiderman as well as Crush) had long queues, but with some planning and moving around you could still get on to everything without 1 hour+ queues despite the fact the parks were super busy. I'm generally against upcharges, but if it just targets the odd person here and there who decides they want to pay for one particular attraction rather than wait then I can live with it.

Must also say that show quality was a lot better than I have seen at WDW for a very long time. This, again, actually felt like old-school Disney with fluid animatronics, functioning effects throughout the rides, appropriate show lighting levels, etc. Cast also seemed in the best mood I've witnessed... despite the fact it was a bitterly cold weekend!

Drone show at the studios was cancelled the last two nights, though, due to high winds. Was nice to see the Studios open late, and also to see them stay very crowded late into the evening.
 

Absimilliard

Well-Known Member
https://outsidears.fr/2023/02/exclusif-pavillon-est-la-derniere-brique-de-la-zone-lake-promenade/

Outsidears just published an article discussing the missing piece from the lake promenade coming to the Walt Disney Studios. The east pavilion as they call it is located south of the new Rapunzel ride/east of the new table service restaurant and was originally going to carry a Tiana's Pacalace theme. Now, they are going more for a generic Paris design with an elevated tower that will house the control booth for the lake shows and is the only remnant of the original Tiana's Palace idea.

The multi function building will house bathrooms, a snack and drinks counter, a 50 seats covered terrace, backstage rooms, the control booth for the show and dressing rooms and a rest area for cast members. Nice elegant way to make a back of the house building useful for guests as well.

18-1024x576.jpg


Near the new building, a covered shelter is getting built, to respect french regulations in regards to cover in case of lightning. This is the part that makes me very happy, as WDI is going a non IP route with it and instead, going for the classic "Guimard" Paris metro entrance design. It will have seating facing the lake all along its length.

23-1024x576.jpg


The Guimard art nouveau "Entourage" metro entrances were designed around 1900's in Paris and the only authentic one outside of Paris is in Montreal. RATP, the operator of the Paris Metro donated a removed Entourage to the city of Montreal for its new metro system. Installed at Square-Victoria-OACI station, it was restored and fully installed in 2003 after a special exception to the local building code was given to the STM (Metro operator in Montreal.) The following photos are of the Guimard Entourage entrance in Montreal.

Guimard Square Victoria.jpg


Guimard Square Victoria sign.jpg
 

cjkeating

Well-Known Member
https://outsidears.fr/2023/02/exclusif-pavillon-est-la-derniere-brique-de-la-zone-lake-promenade/

Outsidears just published an article discussing the missing piece from the lake promenade coming to the Walt Disney Studios. The east pavilion as they call it is located south of the new Rapunzel ride/east of the new table service restaurant and was originally going to carry a Tiana's Pacalace theme. Now, they are going more for a generic Paris design with an elevated tower that will house the control booth for the lake shows and is the only remnant of the original Tiana's Palace idea.

The multi function building will house bathrooms, a snack and drinks counter, a 50 seats covered terrace, backstage rooms, the control booth for the show and dressing rooms and a rest area for cast members. Nice elegant way to make a back of the house building useful for guests as well.

18-1024x576.jpg


Near the new building, a covered shelter is getting built, to respect french regulations in regards to cover in case of lightning. This is the part that makes me very happy, as WDI is going a non IP route with it and instead, going for the classic "Guimard" Paris metro entrance design. It will have seating facing the lake all along its length.

23-1024x576.jpg


The Guimard art nouveau "Entourage" metro entrances were designed around 1900's in Paris and the only authentic one outside of Paris is in Montreal. RATP, the operator of the Paris Metro donated a removed Entourage to the city of Montreal for its new metro system. Installed at Square-Victoria-OACI station, it was restored and fully installed in 2003 after a special exception to the local building code was given to the STM (Metro operator in Montreal.) The following photos are of the Guimard Entourage entrance in Montreal.

View attachment 701159

View attachment 701160
It's no secret I am quite a fan of the lake promenade styling and I think the kiosk and shelter will help give the park somewhere to kick back and relax which currently the park is really lacking. Avengers Campus has a small area near Stark Factory and in the summer there is a terrace outside Remy's but they are both in really high traffic areas. I think the viewing areas of the lake will also have some seating areas too which will be nice and not busy until people are waiting/congregating before a lake show.
 

LondonTom

Well-Known Member

I am gutted :( This ends literally the day before I arrive!!

Why can't DLP ever give us proper notice on these things? 🤣 Even a few weeks ago I could have adjusted my plans (we got cheap Eurostar tickets in a sale into Garre du Nord, so visiting Paris proper for the first time and I just finalised that aspect last week)
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I am gutted :( This ends literally the day before I arrive!!

Why can't DLP ever give us proper notice on these things? 🤣 Even a few weeks ago I could have adjusted my plans (we got cheap Eurostar tickets in a sale into Garre du Nord, so visiting Paris proper for the first time and I just finalised that aspect last week)
A hunch says Paris didn’t call the shots with this one.

Regarding the QS, nice as it looks, I wonder how long it’ll be until the open sides receive some sort of window / retractable side. I can just imagine the wind blowing across the lake in the winter.
 

UpAllNight

Well-Known Member
Maybe been to Paris 5 or 6 times in my life but not for the past 15 years, in which time I’ve become an Orlando regular, and visited California too. Anyway, boring backstory done, I’m at Paris now and here’s some random musings;

Positives I’ve found

Cast members have been fantastic throughout. Cant complain at all.

30th Celebrations are really great. Lots of energy. Love the drones.

Lots of characters, and random ones. Walking around too.

6 on-site hotels, of which 5 of them are currently open, and there’s an HOUR early entry to BOTH parks. I can’t underestimate how much better an experience this is than Orlando’s stressful half hour situation in each park, to service the many more hotel guests.
I got on 6 rides before day guests came in.

Park hours are respectable. Open at 9.30, Magic Hour at 8.30. Close 9 / 10

Oh my days, single rider. 6 or 7 rides with it in Studios alone. It’s an absolute treat, and we end up on the same ride cycle more often than not

I haven’t bothered with any kind of paid fast pass, it’s not been required at all. Although it is winter, and cold, which is probably impacting busyness

The main park is stunning (no shock here it’s well established) You really get a sense they went all out, the little details are absolutely incredible. It’s top drawer & it feels very “expensive”

I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the studios. Some good highlights in there. Visually it’s a hot mess, but it’s got a better ride line up than most parks

Without a doubt the best version of Thunder Mountain. Phantom Manor is fantastic although I do miss a few MK elements. Pirates is a delight. Enjoyed Space Mountain but I think there was too much light on the screens, as they were evidently screens. Could maybe do better here. Loved the updates on ToT.

Best version of Frontierland I’ve seen.

Seasonal maybe, but early mornings are quiet and the parks die around 5 or 6 so although the crowds are there, you can get on all major rides with a 10 minute wait at some point in the day.

The past 2 days we did 18 and 19 rides respectively and that included breaking away to hotel / bar for a few hours.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve just had a much better time than I have done recently in Orlando


Negatives

They need to just rip Disney Village down and start again. Absolutely nothing worth saving, it’s really poor

Are they leaving money on the table, or is the demand not there? I was contrasting to city walk in Universal - similarish set up in many ways and such a different vibe

As such the food options throughout the resort are severely underwhelming

Web Slingers. Rare do I come off a ride and say never again, and this was one of them. What were they thinking? So poor.

Sequoia Lodge. Ok this is minor, and the hotel itself is nice but there’s 1 charging point in the room, the beds are creaky as hell, and what on earth is the deal but no in room coffee machine? Is this resort exclusive? Disney Paris? Or a norm in france? Crazy, the coffee machine is other end of the wing. Don’t think this is good enough really. Channel options are really poor on the TV. Pool is heated but you’d barely know it, it was freezing. However I enjoyed the bar and the general decor is good.

Think both parks are in need of a few major new rides, and then tbh, I might skip Orlando!
 
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J4546

Well-Known Member
Maybe been to Paris 5 or 6 times in my life but not for the past 15 years, in which time I’ve become an Orlando regular, and visited California too. Anyway, boring backstory done, I’m at Paris now and here’s some random musings;

Positives I’ve found

Cast members have been fantastic throughout. Cant complain at all.

30th Celebrations are really great. Lots of energy. Love the drones.

Lots of characters, and random ones. Walking around too.

6 on-site hotels, of which 5 of them are currently open, and there’s an HOUR early entry to BOTH parks. I can’t underestimate how much better an experience this is than Orlando’s stressful half hour situation in each park, to service the many more hotel guests.
I got on 6 rides before day guests came in.

Park hours are respectable. Open at 9.30, Magic Hour at 8.30. Close 9 / 10

Oh my days, single rider. 6 or 7 rides with it in Studios alone. It’s an absolute treat, and we end up on the same ride cycle more often than not

I haven’t bothered with any kind of paid fast pass, it’s not been required at all. Although it is winter, and cold, which is probably impacting busyness

The main park is stunning (no shock here it’s well established) You really get a sense they went all out, the little details are absolutely incredible. It’s top drawer & it feels very “expensive”

I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the studios. Some good highlights in there. Visually it’s a hot mess, but it’s got a better ride line up than most parks

Without a doubt the best version of Thunder Mountain. Phantom Manor is fantastic although I do miss a few MK elements. Pirates is a delight. Enjoyed Space Mountain but I think there was too much light on the screens, as they were evidently screens. Could maybe do better here. Loved the updates on ToT.

Best version of Frontierland I’ve seen.

Seasonal maybe, but early mornings are quiet and the parks die around 5 or 6 so although the crowds are there, you can get on all major rides with a 10 minute wait at some point in the day.

The past 2 days we did 18 and 19 rides respectively and that included breaking away to hotel / bar for a few hours.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve just had a much better time than I have done recently in Orlando


Negatives

They need to just rip Disney Village down and start again. Absolutely nothing worth saving, it’s really poor

Are they leaving money on the table, or is the demand not there? I was contrasting to city walk in Universal - similarish set up in many ways and such a different vibe

As such the food options throughout the resort are severely underwhelming

Web Slingers. Rare do I come off a ride and say never again, and this was one of them. What were they thinking? So poor.

Sequoia Lodge. Ok this is minor, and the hotel itself is nice but there’s 1 charging point in the room, the beds are creaky as hell, and what on earth is the deal but no in room coffee machine? Is this resort exclusive? Disney Paris? Or a norm in france? Crazy, the coffee machine is other end of the wing. Don’t think this is good enough really. Channel options are really poor on the TV. Pool is heated but you’d barely know it, it was freezing. However I enjoyed the bar and the general decor is good.

Think both parks are in need of a few major new rides, and then tbh, I might skip Orlando!
the disney village shopping district is currently undergoing a massive renovation and expansion so in a couple years that area looks like it will be much nicer
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Was also at the park on the weekend and only really differ from your impressions in that I think I am already content to stick with DLP and give Orlando a miss! Just the fact you can have a normal day without planning everything out and still get on all the rides you want to without crazy waits as used to be the case at WDW is a big plus.

Sequoia Lodge. Ok this is minor, and the hotel itself is nice but there’s 1 charging point in the room, the beds are creaky as hell, and what on earth is the deal but no in room coffee machine? Is this resort exclusive? Disney Paris? Or a norm in france? Crazy, the coffee machine is other end of the wing. Don’t think this is good enough really. Channel options are really poor on the TV. Pool is heated but you’d barely know it, it was freezing. However I enjoyed the bar and the general decor is good.
We also stayed at Sequoia, which is my favourite hotel at DLP. I will agree, though, the one outlet in the entire room is bizarre. There was even an unplugged floor lamp in the room next to an outlet that didn't work. Everything else was fine for us and I really like the atmosphere of that hotel... but how on earth did they design hotel rooms with only one power outlet?!?
 

cjkeating

Well-Known Member
We also stayed at Sequoia, which is my favourite hotel at DLP. I will agree, though, the one outlet in the entire room is bizarre. There was even an unplugged floor lamp in the room next to an outlet that didn't work. Everything else was fine for us and I really like the atmosphere of that hotel... but how on earth did they design hotel rooms with only one power outlet?!?
Honestly can't wait for the rumoured Seqouia room refurbishment coming after Disneyland Hotel. Hopefully it can be done in a way that keeps the hotel open as I don't think the common areas need a massive refurbishment and the hotel externals have just been completed.
 

UpAllNight

Well-Known Member
Another aspect in Seqouila is the energy saving heads on the showers, which change colour depending on usage. A fantastic idea, but the showers themselves are the issue as your colour changes to purple before you’ve found a good temp - better showers would pay for themselves with the cost of energy
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Been talking about the Sequoia power palaver recently (again). Seems in 2012 on the last major refurb they didn’t envisage multiple tech and usb requirements !

NY certainly learnt from it, and I may be wrong but Newport (and maybe Cheyenne ?) seem to have figured it out without a major upheaval by adding some extra furniture with more outlets built in. Makes me wonder if Sequoias power supply could handle additional built in sockets being added under the TV in the existing slot in the furniture.

@UpAllNight - glad you enjoyed it though. In room coffee is an odd one ( the vending machines are ok until you’re in your underpants!) - only NY (and I assume new DL Hotel) has them in the room. Maybe club level does too but certainly bucket class Newport and lower doesn’t.
 
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mrflo

Well-Known Member




What do you think?

The hotel needed some renovation & upgrades. But I am not a fan of having it purely themed after Disney royalty. While some more subtle integrations actually look nice, I particularly dislike the heavy use of all the character art everywhere. It feels like some Mattel product managers took over from the Imagineers to make their version of the Disneyland Hotel.
 

cjkeating

Well-Known Member




What do you think?

The hotel needed some renovation & upgrades. But I am not a fan of having it purely themed after Disney royalty. While some more subtle integrations actually look nice, I particularly dislike the heavy use of all the character art everywhere. It feels like some Mattel product managers took over from the Imagineers to make their version of the Disneyland Hotel.

Same... I am fine with the design style except for the generic screen cap art on the wall. Part of me is hoping the art is just 'place holder' pictures for actual artwork to be used, I was expecting more art like you get on Disney Cruise where it is mainly concept art from the films etc. and not just screenshots, that is not a premium five star environment.
 

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