As someone who gets to DLP at least three times a year, I thought I would post some updates - some of these are in relation to other posts I have read in this forum, so sorry if it sounds a bit incongruous...Having been to DP three times this year, WDW for a week, and DL in Ca just recently, there are some comparisons as well.
OVERALL:
THe parks now have a park hopper option - the Passe Partoute -- it is highly recommened, especially for adults without kids, as both parks can be done in one day.
DISNEY STUDIOS:
The TOT ride is progressing very quickly - the entire building now looks like the frame is complete - this is online for a 2008 opening. It will not be Twilight Zone themed - the "Twilight Zone" theme has little meaning in most of Europe. Instead, it will be a haunted hotel theme. The story is not yet set.
Armageddon is still open and playing to capacity crowds most of the day. The park cast members had no idea people were rumouring it to close, but it can do so easily. It will be directly adjacant to the new TOT and might be raised for themeing purposes.
It is true that there will be a new Toon section - it IS to go in the northern area of the park as rumoured. The Imagineers are still working on the entire concept, and I don't expect to see this for a few years.
RNRC has caught on in popularity - one used to be able to ride it over and over with no line. There is now a line for most of the day lasting about 45 minutes. The passe partoute ticket option has made this THE ride at DS - people will go over merely to ride this, and then head back to DLP.
DS remains a disappointment to anyone who has been to either Disney-MGM studios, or to Universal Studios. THe attractions are limited, and even the local visitors have been complaining that there is not enough to do. The major attractions can be visited in less than three hours.
DISNEYLAND PARIS
DLP is now filled with people every single day - rain or snow, sun or gray - and like the US parks, it is highly suggested that visitors arrive at least 1/2 hour before the park opens.
SMII - Space Mountain II's new themeing has changed the attraction from a "trip to the moon" to a "trip through the galaxy". The multicolored moon/tunnel/cookie, etc are gone. While there are a few "solid" objects, the changes primarily consist of stars that are now projected everywhere - track, walls, etc and it is actually quite pretty. Otherwise, the initial canon-shot remains exactly as is, but has been slightly sped up - making the entire ride feel faster and smoother. For the argument - there is one upside down loop and two corkscrews - it has always been that way. It remains the best of the Disney coasters in any of the parks.
NOTE: SMII seems to break down quite frequently. It is not surprising to find the ride down first thing in the morning -- get a fastpass - they usually have it up and running within the first hour of the park opening, and they let the fastpass line on the ride first, then open the general line.
Buzz Lightyear: Is on time to open in April, with a soft opening planned before that. It is in the Visionarium building, which has been rebuilt.
Discoveryland traffic flow is very disrupted at this time - one 12 foot alley heading in and out, and at times very bottlenecked. I recommend using the northern entrance from Fantasyland rather than the direct entrance from the central hub.
Phantom Manor is also experiencing many breakdowns -- this remains my favorite of the three parks I have visited, it is longer, and the themeing of the story is quite more involved than that in the US parks -- still, for some reason, they are having frequent breakdowns with the doom buggies...when loading properly, this is the fastest loading of any of the Disney parks haunted manors...when you see the line weaving through the entire garden area, come back later, it is having breakdowns.
Frontiertown: I spoke with some Imagineers as to why I always feel this is the prettiest of the many park's frontier themes- it is because it was designed that way for DLP - with Indian teepees and the Fort, and other buildings to make it "look more western" than the US parks - they did this specifically for European visitors as their conception of what is "USA frontier" is different from what US visitors expect.
Indiana Jones - Backwards! NO LONGER runs backwards. It runs forwards. There were too many ear injuries when it ran backwards. This attaction is always a walk-on, and it is fun, if no longer a headliner attraction. I wouldn't be surprised to see major changes to this ride in the coming years - it is a no-repeat ride, and that is doom for any Disney attraction - if you can't get people to ride it a second time, it eventually becomes cost-ineffectual.
Pirates of the Carribean is the longest of the three rides I have gone on - not only is it newer and the animatronics better, it has additional story components loaded in - floating through the carribean fort, then down and around it, then through the ride pretty much as at the other two parks, then an additional section down another hill and into the caves where the jewels are hidden - this is the most creative part of the DLP POTC - many puns and funny themeing as the pirates play in the jewels, the captains "cabin" and the skeletons throughout - and, ironically, this is where the DLP "dead men tell no tales" can be heard (albeit in French) rather than at the beginning of the ride as in the US parks. THis is my absolute favorite and I always ride it two or three times on each visit. One note on the lines here: it is all one line until you reach the actually loading room - there, the line splits into THREE -- none of them move any quicker than the others. Pick one and stay in it.
As in the US parks, a ride on Big Thunder Mountain is better at night than during the day. I particuarly like the way this ride is designed - loading on land, going under the lake to the island for the ride, then returning under the lake back to land. There is always a long long line for this ride.
One final note on Splash Mountain -- the reported cost of this at WDW was "100 million", meaning in real money, it cost at least twice that if not more. DLP does not have that money to spare. Second, the weather conditions in Paris make this a ride that would only be functional for 8 months each year. This is not cost effective. Finally, the "song of the south" themeing in the US is unfamiliar and meaningless to most Europeans. Unless it was completely rethemed, 90 percent of what makes the ride what it is would be "lost" to non-English speakers.
I do not expect to see any water-based rides go into DLP proper, although an indoor water park near the shopping outlets at Marne le Valle has been rumoured for years. There is nothing there to indicate that that will actually occur - i.e. no landscaping, no work permits pulled, or any indication that anything outside of the current parks and resort is in the works.
My finaly note: DLP remains the prettiest of any of the Disney parks - the true-to-Europe feel of the plants, evergreens, forest trees, and the rolling hills make this park feel like a true "fantasyland".
OVERALL:
THe parks now have a park hopper option - the Passe Partoute -- it is highly recommened, especially for adults without kids, as both parks can be done in one day.
DISNEY STUDIOS:
The TOT ride is progressing very quickly - the entire building now looks like the frame is complete - this is online for a 2008 opening. It will not be Twilight Zone themed - the "Twilight Zone" theme has little meaning in most of Europe. Instead, it will be a haunted hotel theme. The story is not yet set.
Armageddon is still open and playing to capacity crowds most of the day. The park cast members had no idea people were rumouring it to close, but it can do so easily. It will be directly adjacant to the new TOT and might be raised for themeing purposes.
It is true that there will be a new Toon section - it IS to go in the northern area of the park as rumoured. The Imagineers are still working on the entire concept, and I don't expect to see this for a few years.
RNRC has caught on in popularity - one used to be able to ride it over and over with no line. There is now a line for most of the day lasting about 45 minutes. The passe partoute ticket option has made this THE ride at DS - people will go over merely to ride this, and then head back to DLP.
DS remains a disappointment to anyone who has been to either Disney-MGM studios, or to Universal Studios. THe attractions are limited, and even the local visitors have been complaining that there is not enough to do. The major attractions can be visited in less than three hours.
DISNEYLAND PARIS
DLP is now filled with people every single day - rain or snow, sun or gray - and like the US parks, it is highly suggested that visitors arrive at least 1/2 hour before the park opens.
SMII - Space Mountain II's new themeing has changed the attraction from a "trip to the moon" to a "trip through the galaxy". The multicolored moon/tunnel/cookie, etc are gone. While there are a few "solid" objects, the changes primarily consist of stars that are now projected everywhere - track, walls, etc and it is actually quite pretty. Otherwise, the initial canon-shot remains exactly as is, but has been slightly sped up - making the entire ride feel faster and smoother. For the argument - there is one upside down loop and two corkscrews - it has always been that way. It remains the best of the Disney coasters in any of the parks.
NOTE: SMII seems to break down quite frequently. It is not surprising to find the ride down first thing in the morning -- get a fastpass - they usually have it up and running within the first hour of the park opening, and they let the fastpass line on the ride first, then open the general line.
Buzz Lightyear: Is on time to open in April, with a soft opening planned before that. It is in the Visionarium building, which has been rebuilt.
Discoveryland traffic flow is very disrupted at this time - one 12 foot alley heading in and out, and at times very bottlenecked. I recommend using the northern entrance from Fantasyland rather than the direct entrance from the central hub.
Phantom Manor is also experiencing many breakdowns -- this remains my favorite of the three parks I have visited, it is longer, and the themeing of the story is quite more involved than that in the US parks -- still, for some reason, they are having frequent breakdowns with the doom buggies...when loading properly, this is the fastest loading of any of the Disney parks haunted manors...when you see the line weaving through the entire garden area, come back later, it is having breakdowns.
Frontiertown: I spoke with some Imagineers as to why I always feel this is the prettiest of the many park's frontier themes- it is because it was designed that way for DLP - with Indian teepees and the Fort, and other buildings to make it "look more western" than the US parks - they did this specifically for European visitors as their conception of what is "USA frontier" is different from what US visitors expect.
Indiana Jones - Backwards! NO LONGER runs backwards. It runs forwards. There were too many ear injuries when it ran backwards. This attaction is always a walk-on, and it is fun, if no longer a headliner attraction. I wouldn't be surprised to see major changes to this ride in the coming years - it is a no-repeat ride, and that is doom for any Disney attraction - if you can't get people to ride it a second time, it eventually becomes cost-ineffectual.
Pirates of the Carribean is the longest of the three rides I have gone on - not only is it newer and the animatronics better, it has additional story components loaded in - floating through the carribean fort, then down and around it, then through the ride pretty much as at the other two parks, then an additional section down another hill and into the caves where the jewels are hidden - this is the most creative part of the DLP POTC - many puns and funny themeing as the pirates play in the jewels, the captains "cabin" and the skeletons throughout - and, ironically, this is where the DLP "dead men tell no tales" can be heard (albeit in French) rather than at the beginning of the ride as in the US parks. THis is my absolute favorite and I always ride it two or three times on each visit. One note on the lines here: it is all one line until you reach the actually loading room - there, the line splits into THREE -- none of them move any quicker than the others. Pick one and stay in it.
As in the US parks, a ride on Big Thunder Mountain is better at night than during the day. I particuarly like the way this ride is designed - loading on land, going under the lake to the island for the ride, then returning under the lake back to land. There is always a long long line for this ride.
One final note on Splash Mountain -- the reported cost of this at WDW was "100 million", meaning in real money, it cost at least twice that if not more. DLP does not have that money to spare. Second, the weather conditions in Paris make this a ride that would only be functional for 8 months each year. This is not cost effective. Finally, the "song of the south" themeing in the US is unfamiliar and meaningless to most Europeans. Unless it was completely rethemed, 90 percent of what makes the ride what it is would be "lost" to non-English speakers.
I do not expect to see any water-based rides go into DLP proper, although an indoor water park near the shopping outlets at Marne le Valle has been rumoured for years. There is nothing there to indicate that that will actually occur - i.e. no landscaping, no work permits pulled, or any indication that anything outside of the current parks and resort is in the works.
My finaly note: DLP remains the prettiest of any of the Disney parks - the true-to-Europe feel of the plants, evergreens, forest trees, and the rolling hills make this park feel like a true "fantasyland".