Whombex

Have an awesome time - you know we would love a trip report if you have the time after you have returned.

Ah! Well the ride group were a big mix of nationalities. The bi-lingual ghost girl got the message across enough. Noted for if I ever go back. Our next big trip will likely be in '27 to Orlando.

We've of the same vintage I see.

Snort - who goes to the Gold Coast theme parks on Boxing Day? Ha ha, silly people. Wait. That’s us. We went to Disneyland Paris during French school holidays, AND on Halloween - a very popular time at any Disney park. We didn't have much choice, and I'd planned to get a quick pass or two to help with the crowds. Mrs and I jumped on the Metro in the dawn light (7:30am sunrise in late October) and took the short trip to Les Halles, a big station that combines Metro and the next rail service up from that, the RER. The cool thing with being on the right platform there is that the stops on the way flash as the train approaches and waits. If the Marne-La-Vallee - Chessy light's flashing, jump on that train. Despite my forward planning, we snagged an earlier train than I had planned. We jumped on our train and began to notice lots of people dressed up for Halloween. At 8:00 in the morning. They were coming to Disneyland Paris as well. As the park gets decorated for Halloween, guests are welcome to dress up as well. Best part about it was that most of the people dressed up, were in some kind of spooky theme. A 50 minute train ride later and we had arrived. Having been 9 years earlier, we knew the process of security and ticketing, but even though we had arrived before rope-drop, there were still significant lines. This was the point I realised it was going to be a very busy day. As the place is split up into two parks, Disneyland Studios and Disneyland Park, I had availed myself to a few game plans to fit in as much as possible, especially those in the thread here on Parkz. So it was to be into the Studios park first, as there was many new, and a few missed attractions since last time. Queue-jumpers, may you engage in unsatisfying bedtime encounters with yourselves. People had been lining up for over an hour (we were lining up 45 mins or so) and people just forced themselves in. Arrgh. Once in DLS, our first stop was the Ratatouille ride, as it wasn't yet there in '13. We had agreed that part of the best way to fit in as many things as we could, was to go in the single rider lines. You miss a little bit of the queue theming, but you’re not waiting 45min - 2 hours! So we were almost a walk-on at Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, which if you're not familiar, is an indoor trackless car ride, as a rat joining Remy in the kitchen and restaurant. Some scenes are screens with you using 3D glasses, others involve being in oversized rooms themed to the fridge or serving trolley. Well worthy of being regarded as one of the best dark rides in the world. Luckily, Mrs and I were put next to each other, even though the single rider queue is meant to put one person at a time on rides to fill seats, and separate groups doing what we were doing. The way the ride works, with 3 trackless cars that often change spots in their group, works really well. Adding water and smell effects really enhanced the experience. Walking to our next attraction, we passed where the new Arendelle land is going in - a whole new land themed to the combined universe that Frozen and Tangled are set in. Will be a great new addition to the Studios park, which needs one big new area to round it off. Allegedly it was a tough decision between Arendelle and another Galaxy's Edge, and I think they made the right call. This will make an attraction unique to this park for visitors to come from all around the world. We next moved over to the Hollywood Tower, a Twilight Zone ride we didn’t do last time with a 9 year old. In the zig zag exterior line I started composing my daily recap of the day before for my Facebook post to the family back home...but with head in a phone screen in an outdoor mouse maze queue, the 30 mins went quick. The old early 1900s theming was perfect, moreso when waiting at our 'elevator'. The hotel bellboy who sorted our ride and checked our seatbelts made the pre-ride so enjoyable. Unlike Movie World these days, it’s great to see park where ride operating cast being in character absolutely adds to the experience. He was creepily aloof, yet eerie in his engagement with people. Perfect. When at DLP/DLS, you quickly adapt to the rides, staff and signage being bi-lingual in French & English (often adding Spanish as well based on who is in your ride group). On this ride, you really didn’t need to understand what was being said by the scary ghost girl in the elevator - we were in for a bad time with the hotel’s spirits! The poor kid next to us who was conned onto the ride by his dad was beside himself - to me the story was quirky, but through the right eyes, it's quite scary! Just around the corner is the new Avengers Campus, with the re-theme of the Aerosmith coaster skippable I’d been on before, and the new Spider-Man W.E.B ride which had a single rider line. The general queue had a 90 minute line, and the single rider 45. Again, absolutely worth it. The tricky thing they did was taking the whole single rider queue in at once to the pre-show. You wonder why so many people go to go in, until realising the exit of the pre-show puts you into another single rider queue. Well done. Well done. For the pre-show, you join Peter Parker in the Stark WEB lab (a converted Stark Motors factory), where a prototype self-replicating spider-bot has gone rogue. The whole pre-show is in French (great French by the way, Tom Holland!) but is easy enough to follow. He ‘goes to get Spider-Man’, and you rejoin the queue (now within sight of the station), where you hop on board the ride with 3D glasses. You use your hands to launch webs to either catch the bots or use the environment to help destroy them. You’re joined by Spider-Man and team up top defeat the bots. Great fun ride that is made more fun with your interaction. Luckily Mrs and I were grouped together again! Of the 4 people in our car, I had a come-from-behind win in the points issued to the riders. I'd figured out how to make combos by using explosive environment assets to take out more bots at once. This ride is move to a screen, action happens, move to next screen, but it works really well. We wandered through the Avengers Campus next, waving at Captain Marvel. It doesn't matter who or how old you are, if a character as a Disney Park interacts with you, you play along! Pym’s restaurant was booked out and the Stark one didn’t impress, but we found a retro 50s diner in the area and sat down to have an early lunch of New York sandwiches. Limited menu, but not pricey either. While having lunch I opened the app and bought Fast Passes for Thunder Mountain over in Disneyland Park, as it was the main ride I'd missed out on back in '13. You get the pass as a scannable code you use at the ride entry via email and the app, so it was quite flexible. It was very helpful being able to book a fastpass for a ride, even though I was in the other park. On our way out of the Campus we watched a gathering of many Avengers on an elevated platform, including Black Panther, the Dora Milaje, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel. Cool to see if you’re into the Avengers stuff! The super heroes are likely rotated through based on staffing and whatnot. At the end of the performance, they waved and walked away, except Spidey, who did another lap of the platform in a playful way. 10.MOV I'd forgotten to check in advance if there's an animatronic Spiderman slinging over the Campus in DLS, or just in California Adventure Campus. I couldn't find an area similar to the version in LA, so we continued on. Having done mch of DLS on our last visit, our plan was to spend the rest of the day in Disneyland Park, so we decided to try our luck at Ratatouille again before leaving. The single rider line was almost as short as the first time, but this time we had to ride it separately. Still, a fun and exciting ride, and this time I noticed small water and smell effects much more knowing when to expect them. With real estate a bit of a squeeze, this is one of the few rides at DLP/DLS where the gift store isn't directly part of the ride exit, but certainly in the themed area of the ride's exterior. We made our way out of the Studios which were still filling up, and crossed over into the main park. We then noticed plenty of signage outside between the parks that stated the place was a sell-out AND there was no entry without tickets & bookings. When was the last time a GC park had a "sold out" sign out for something other than a special event..? Upon entering DLP, we wandered down Main Street, jaws agape at the Halloween theming - lots of trimming on buildings, many statues of scarecrows and ghosts, but in that fun Disney way. The 30th Anniversary decorations are still in place as well. We entered Frontierland, with the Halloween theming now that of Coco. Many static characters from the movie were along the paths, all in the land of the dead style. The fast pass line for Thunder Mountain was further along than the main entry, and the line looked huge in the general queue. We had our passes scanned, and used the fast pass queue that had its' own queue to the station, joining alongside the general queue near the platform. We were about 2 trains worth of people away from riding - before the ride had either an e-stop or breakdown. With the fast pass ($18EU each) we’d only have waited 10 minutes, but for the big line of people waiting over an hour, the feeling of the lines being cleared out must have been very frustrating! At the fast pass entry they re-validated our pass for anytime later in the day we wanted. I had taken the kid on Phantom Manor last time (as Mrs had done the Californian one before), so this time I wanted to ride it with her. We had seen the Muppets Haunted Mansion special last year so I was keen to ride it - unfortunately so did many other people who had exited the Thunder Mountain line. The theming is always on point at any Disney park, even in the zig zag overflow queue for Phantom Manor. I continued to compose my day-before-recap while in this queue. When we finally got on after our longest queue of the day, the best part of 80 minutes, the ride had a stoppage just before we boarded. We were dreading the potential ride close twice in a row - I’d have laughed at the situation, then it restarted and we boarded… unfortunately the ride stopped and restarted 3 more times while we were on it, breaking the immersion. Still, it’s one of the classics of Disney and worth a ride every visit. As we exited the ride, Thunder Mountain was running empty train tests, so we quickly returned to the fast pass line as the ride reopened, with the head for the general line already growing quickly, it was still worth the pass. We had a great time on the ride, with three separate hill climbs it certainly feels like a couple of rides in one! The pitch darkness parts as the ride goes to and from the island its on are crazy fast. With my bucket list of rides done (from the '13 ad this visit), I turned the day over to the Mrs and we went straight to the castle (and Fantasyland) and explored places we hadn’t last time, including the tower, themed to sleeping beauty. By this stage it was well into the arvo, and we popped into and out of the dozenth shop by this point (they merchandise so well!). Gifts for the family were certainly on the menu. Most haven't been to a Disney Park before. Passing back through the castle, we encountered Maleficent herself! Her grace and eloquence at giving park guests a bit of slander was amazing. We caught the back end of the Halloween parade, and then made our way into Discoveryland to ride Star Tours, the Star Wars ride. It had been re-themed since '13, and was great. No spoilers, but the droid you're expecting to 'fly' your ship isn't flying your ship! A very well known droid from the Star Wars universe is flying by accident. Being a Star Wars fan (most sci-fi in general), the gift shop after was an exercise in restraint! We grabbed burgers for dinner from Hyperion as it began to drizzle outside. A addition since last time here in '13, inside the same building as Hyperion and the stage show area, is a room full of power points and a hirable phone charging locker. We sat, plugged the phones into a floor plug, and ate. The room was a bit darker, with blue-ish ambient light and simulated stars. The perfect place for someone who might need somewhere if they we having issues with sensory overload. Then, it was on to the fireworks and evening show- The only big downer of the day was that by the time we got close to where you could watch it, the staff were already funneling visitors towards the front of the park and out the gates. If you weren’t plonked somewhere well beforehand, you kinda weren’t going to be able to watch it at all. The Park was to reopen that night for the special Halloween event, so it sadly made sense for them to clear it out as son as they could. Other than this, we had an excellent day there. The plus side of leaving just as the show was ending, was that we snagged some seats on the train back to Paris. Questions welcome of course. I hadn't planned to document the whole day, so that's why there's very little pics of rides such as W.E.B and Thunder Mountain - apologies.

As I haven't had a VRTP pass for a while, regarding the Dolphin lagoon between the tavern, Vortex and Leviathan. Were the Dolphins relocated to Affinity with the others during construction? Are there any there now? This area was just a nursery in the past?

I chose to make a reference to a circuit that still exists. I'm old enough and have watched many OP races on TV. But all of these last few posts are off topic.

The Royal Palace of Oz (Green Palace) looks to be in the same spot as the Lethal Weapon preshow room where you watched a car chase/action scene. This room was bypassed when it was rethemed to Arkham Asylum. I believe this was often used in the Halloween events as well. Does any part of that building still stand, or will they/have they raze it completely and start the Palace from scratch?

After people mentioned the Phantasialand Flyer, I went and looked it up. DW definitely need to do this with their flyer if they're adamant about putting it in where the Fountain is. Source: Phantasialand Press Imagery Although themed like this it could go into Ocean Parade - Trolls Village or Wipeout seem like good spots.

LOL. If I was given a few hundred thousand to change Moto I'd add a fake racing circuit juuust underneath the rails along the whole length. Some racing circuits have bridges over other parts of the track such as Suzuka, so this is doable. But back to topic, "raising" the ground closer to the track could be done (if the ride/supports/footing locations have already been designed for example). To me, a coaster themed to a jeep driving along a jungle dirt track would benefit from something that looks like a dirt track underneath it. This isn't a criticism, just a perfect world dream.

Loved seeing the "oh shit" from @Bikash Randhawain that video. Purely unscripted and a natural reaction of a first time rider. To me it looks like an Atlantean god summoning a creature or performing an incantation. Is there a POV in Landscape yet? The 2 vids posted by @Dean Barnetton the last page appear broken to me:

The thing with Big Bear Mountain (sure it's only a rendered video), is that as a "car" themed ride it's in the air a lot. If Jungle Rush hugged the terrain more (the few seconds in the video on Page 2 of this thread make it feel elevated when not in the tunnel), it would be much closer to the theme. Airtime elements would be where the car has gone over a crest in the road, or over a ridge. Any air moments could be 'jumps', especially if jumping over the Murrisippi. Looks fun regardless!

Geez you go on a holiday overseas, and look what happens! I'm impressed with what's going to happen at DW, especially with the return of an old river town style area where ABC has been occupying. The investment as a whole looks positive for the future of the park, while still keeping real estate for future growth (mainly thinking RHLR/Blue Lagoon). I'm curious to see if the Tower of Terror station footprint will go to Rivertown or Dreamland, considering that the train line acts as a natural border. I'm struggling to come to terms with the Flyer at the fountain. For me, whenever I'd visit DW after years of not having been, seeing the fountain reminded me was back where Id had so much fun and adventure with family and friends. Not that it was at the Fountain that I had those experiences, but that entry always was our launching pad. Many a family photo gets taken there as people first enter the park, seeing pics of people with their parents from the 80s or 90s, who are now parents themselves getting similar photos. If you don't connect with the park as you enter in this way, that's fine, but that was my magical moment, not entering the park through the turnstiles, not approaching from the carpark. If the Flyer was added with water fountains surrounding it (boarding platform obviously part of/built from ride base), as @Jobesuggested, that would be nice.

Could you please share the new park map showing this clueless layout and theming?

You're missing that one of the sound stages was actually used on the tour full-time. From memory there was a set in something like an old American mansion, with a staircase. Two guests were selected to dress up and act out a scene, the one I remember was a lady was being pursued by a male villain. He catches her at the top of the stairs, where he turns and evilly laughs back at the audience/camera. To me, this was not in the same sound stage as the sound effects for Lethal Weapon, Superman Green Screen, and Memphis Belle motion control cockpit.

But it has 100% less turbines? In seriousness, once the concrete is painted and the area around those statues is finished, it should look great. I'd like them to install some established trees to help with shade, but that's a minor thing that many new ride precincts have a lack of.

Mrs and I will be visiting DLP again in a few weeks, another one-day visit on October 31. Since 2013, in DLS, Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster has been rethemed/absorbed into Avengers campus, but I might only ride it if the single rider standby is short. Certainly keen to ride W.E.B. Ratatouille wasn't there last time, so very keen to ride it and Tower of Terror (family chickened out last time). Main goal for me in Disneyland Park this time is Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor. Seeing as though it'll still be Halloween when we visit (neither Halloween Parties could be booked when we looked into going), and HM/PM are usually extra-themed, it should be great. PotC will be down for refurb, but not many other big attractions will be down, so that's a plus. I will likely ride Hyperspace Mountain, although I did ride it when it was Space Mountain Mission 2. Being a Star Wars fan made the choice easy, considering Galaxy's Edge isn't coming to DLP (Frozen/Tangled land coming instead in DLS). It will be interesting visiting DLP/DLS on October 31, versus last time in Summer (July 2013). Quite a lot less daylight during this visit, I'm curious to see how that affects our plans. Considering we didn't stay to the Fireworks/Display in '13 as it was at 11pm, we're expecting to see that this time. Kudos to the Mrs who decided on one less day in Czech Republic which became one more day in Paris, enabling this return visit. This whole holiday is for a birthday of hers ending in a zero, so it's her call on where we go. My zero-ending birthday is in '27, so will totally be visiting DL/DW for the first time, & Cape Canaveral (again) when it's my turn.

Good job on crediting the OP Franky 👍

Would not be surprised if some of the delay has been due to Mack sending staff over here.

Like, Zoinks!

You leave Thunderbolt's station alone!

This isn’t a “rebuild the park” post, but a “re theme an area” post. While wandering around after riding Steel Taipan (catching my breath - dunno how people can’t say this is a top-notch ride?) today, I was thinking about the lack of cohesive theming in this part of the park. Perhaps make this area, including ST, Giant Drop, whatever replaces RHLR, and whatever goes into Blue Lagoon’s area (assuming it stays dedicated to being part of the park) themed to Aussie fauna. Re-theme Giant Drop to Drop Bear or a diving bird of prey. Then you could play on the “Dangerous Aussie Creatures” trope (real or fictitious). Bunyip, crocodiles, cassowaries, goanna, spiders, etc. allows plenty of room for various ride or attraction types.

Trident already trying to be the Weenie of New Atlantis.

If you're on the other side of the dolphin lagoon or at the tavern, you'd see above it. Not standing near it.

We tend to have cold and gusty south westerlies in August. Don't factor waterslides into your decision.

This steel frame had better be for much better theming than a 2D mural. Hopefully structure for rockwork, greenery (and statues? 😛 ).