Improvements to Disneyland Paris

[Atlantica]

Thought this would be an interesting topic to get people chatting about Paris ....

What do you think could be improved at this park ? I know it is considered the most beautiful, which is a lovely compliment, but there is much that could be done to improve.

For example: Woodys Roundup Village .... this is the biggest waste of a huge chunk of space in the park sadly. Nothing seems to happen there, especially in the winter months. Literally becomes a ghost town. I'm sure there is something of better use they can do there ? Pocahontas has her village which usually shut, but could make more use of that ? Doesn't she have a rapid river ride in America ?

[mitch_evers]

I visited last October for the first time in 20 years and had a amazing time. The park is beautiful and certain rides such as Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain improve upon or are significantly different from the US parks. The biggest room for improvement I feel, is in standards. Granted the park was at capacity but it didn't feel as spotlessly clean as its US counterparts. The drinking fountains didn't look very inviting, the toilets were out of paper first thing in the morning - clearly not replenished, one of the animatronics in Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost was broken down etc. We also found the choice of food a little less varied than in the US. Mostly the fare consisted of burgers, nuggets and hotdogs with cheese as the only available topping and it was very difficult to get a salad!

Parkwise, as I mentioned, it is beautiful; rides, shows, parades and fireworks at least an equal of the other Disney Parks I have visited. I didn't really notice any under-used areas probably due to it being so busy. Pocahontas Village was open and all rides, with the exception of Mike Fink's Keelboats, were operational and the forth-coming Ratatouille ride will bump up the number of attractions in the smallish Walt Disney Studios. I do think the addition of Mickey's Phillarmagic would have been a bonus: with it's heavy reliance on music I feel it would translate well and would presumably be cheaper to install than a more elaborate ride based attraction.

The only attraction that I really found underwhelming was Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin. Which, while pleasant enough, was a little like looking at elaborate department store Christmas windows. I understand it was originally conceived as a dark ride along the lines of Peter Pan's Flight. I was left with the feeling that as a walk-through it suffered in comparison to the Nautilus and the Swiss Family Treehouse but as a ride would have been awesome.

[Atlantica]

Wow, I didn't know that Aladdin was conceived as a dark ride ?! Do you mean like a proper full scale ride through the movie ? That would have been awesome if they had gone ahead; I agree that how it is at the moment does seem rather underwhelming.

What would have been cool is having new dark rides developed for Paris, rather than having Peter/Snow/Pinoccio again. I'm not in any way belittling these rides, (Peter Pan is one of my favorites), but they could have given us all new ones. Like going through with Mermaid as originally planned, then I presume Aladdin. Then we could had maybe one of the other classics ? BATB wouldn't quite work as a dark ride I don't think, Lion King had the show developed ... what could we have instead? Hunchback, to fit with the French theme ?

[Wonderlicious]

I agree that simple day-to-day maintenance is what is needed first of all. It's not terrible, but it does pale a bit in comparison to the near OCD cleanliness of the American parks. It's interesting you mentioned about the variety of food available. I think that a lot of Europeans expect to see "American" food (basically: McDonald's style food) when visiting a Disney park, which is why so much of it dominates the restaurants.

Anyway, I found this post I created on another forum around 2010. The topic was what you'd change if you had a billion dollars. I've changed some parts, but most of it stays the same. The things in bold are the ones I'd press for the most at this point in time:

--

Ultimately, this could hit over $1 Billion, but as long as all of this were to see the day within the next ten years, I'd be happy.

Disneyland Park:
First of all, I'd give the park a general clean-up and re-paint if needs be. I'd also change the name back to Disneyland Paris, especially considering that they came to their senses and changed the whole resort's name back to Disneyland Paris (as opposed to the clunky Disneyland Resort Paris ) For everything else, I'd put forward these points:

• Main Street USA
  There's not much to say about this place in all honesty, as it essentially serves its purpose as a charming themed gateway to the park. If anything, I'd just add a small Main Street Cinema and perhaps refresh some of the shops.

• Frontierland
  Again, little really to say here, although I do have some points.
  • -Give Phantom Manor a refurbishment similar to what the Haunted Mansion in Florida got, especially improving some of the animatronics.
    -I agree that Splash Mountain would be nice, and I honestly want them to keep the Song of the South characters as opposed to using characters from Pocahontas or The Princess and the Frog, as has been rumoured. They could possibly incorporate Splash Mountain into a sort of Louisiana section of Frontierland. As far as a new Critter Country for Splash Mountain is concerned, I don't think that it's all that necessary; I think that Critter Country only came about as a means to rethink a poorly thought-out and under-visited area of the original Disneyland (Bear Country).
    -If we don't get Splash Mountain, settle on Western River Expedition.

• Adventureland
  Nothing perhaps too drastic, just some things that need doing here and there. I'd add a few more signs here and there, though, as the layout is quite confusing. Just a few points:
  • -Add some animatronic animals to the Temple of Peril, just like what appeared in some of the concept pictures. Also add some sign posts in the queue area revealing the back story to the ride, and what Indiana Jones would have been doing here in the first place.

• Fantasyland:
  Probably still the best looking place in the park, and deservedly so, though it could do with a few new attractions (and when I say new, I don't mean replacements of existing attractions, like what happened with Mr Toad's Wild Ride at Walt Disney World). Aside from a few scenes in Le Pays des Contes de Fées, the most recent Disney film to be featured heavily is probably The Sword in the Stone (the sword itself and the shop in the castle), which came out in 1963! I think we can agree that a number of the modern films (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid in particular) have become as classic as Snow White or Pinocchio, and characters like Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse deserve an attraction of their own. Here's what I would do (some or all of the following):
  • -Add The Little Mermaid dark ride across from Pizzeria Bella Notte, with the planned coral reef look (it's a bit more imaginative and intriguing than the Eric's harbour look being used in Florida).
    -Update some of the effects in the dark rides.
    -Update Le Pays des Contes de Fées to include a few more famous stories.
    -Convert the Fantasy Festival Stage into either The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or Mickey's Philharmagic. Whatever doesn't go there should end up in the Toon Studio.
    -Build the Beauty and the Beast animatronic theatre, or at least adapt it into a dark ride or mystery tour if a theatrical show would be too high-maintenance.
    -Add a mountain rollercoaster similar to the Matterhorn (possibly themed to the Bald Mountain segment of Fantasia). I'm not sure where it'd go though.
    -Create an Ariel's Grotto to go with the dark ride, and create a Rapunzel's tower as a meet-and-greet area for Rapunzel (since her hair is otherwise too long) and Flynn.

• Discoveryland:
  This is perhaps my favourite part of the park, save for perhaps Fantasyland, but I think that the Jules Verne theme is beginning to fade a little and that it could have an unfortunate future of becoming a pot-pourri of general science-fiction and technological exhibits, as the Tomorrowlands in America have become; the purpose of reworking Tomorrowland into Discoveryland for Paris was for it not to end up becoming dated and to lose its original concept later along the line. Therefore, my changes for here would be:
  • -Revert Space Mountain back to more of a Jules Verne (or general late Victorian/Edwardian sci-fi) theme. I don't want to seem regressive, it's just that the Mission 2 storyline doesn't really work as well to me as the Voyage to the Moon concept. Having a sort of sequel to an attraction seems weird, and whilst I can say I do like it, Mission 2 is generally not as good as De la terre à la lune.
    -Move Buzz Lightyear over to the back of Discoveryland. It would fit in more with the Hollywood sci-fi theme if it were next to Star Tours (it would probably replace the tacky Pizza Planet restaurant, or move into the 3D theatre if push came to shove). Where it stands now is a bit bizarre as it's in an area that celebrates pre-WW1 visionaries.
    -Where Buzz is, return either Le Visionarium, or include something that would fit in better with the general idea of humankind thinking of the future, perhaps a hands-on exhibit like Innoventions (though having some more fantastical exhibits to fit in with the retro sci-fi theme).
    -Bring a new show to Videopolis. They could easily add a Pixar-themed show, as a number of those films have a sci-fi feel of sorts.

• Odds and ends:
  Honestly just a few things here. Off I go:
  • -I don't think a new land is needed per se. If they do decide to add one, then give it more than just a few carnival rides à la Toy Story Playland (it does look well themed, but meh). Something "urban" feeling would be fine (think New Orleans Square or Liberty Square), as would a haunted forest land.
    -We need a new daytime parade that harks back to the original parade from 1992. No more "float-sharing", no more "cheesy pop music". Bring back floats dedicated to one film alone, and include a more classical sounding soundtrack based on the original soundtracks.
    -As I've alluded to before, we need some new shows in the theatres. They're cheap enough, and easy to promote.

Walt Disney Studios:
I think that this genuinely has improved over the past few years. I went in 2004 and can remember walking out of Studio 1 and thinking I'd stepped into a converted car park. I came back in 2010 and was so happy to see that they'd dressed it up so much more, even if it uses simple trompe d'œil. The "real movie studio" now works (as opposed to being a cheap cover up), though more could still be done here and there to give it that extra kick.

• -Add some statues of cartoon characters at work in the Toon Studio. The area simply feels a bit odd still.
  -Take out the Magic Carpets. Seriously, the small Aladdin walk-through in Adventureland is better than this monstrosity. In its place, there should be either the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or Mickey's Philharmagic (probably the latter). In any case, they should also add another ride or show based on a 2D-film around here (maybe even Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin ), as the Toon Studios feels very Pixar-centric.
  -Add some new posters, sets and props to the Tram Tour. Does anyone remember Dinotopia? Considering that there have been a lot of big-budget live action films from Disney in the past few years (Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Oz: the Great and Powerful etc), couldn't they add some of those old sets and props there if they still exist?
  -Add Soarin' (presumably Soarin' Over the World, though even Soarin' Over California could work if they put it in context with the theme of Hollywood and making movies). It would go around the Disney Channel studio and Cinémagique, as planned, to create a sort of theatre district.
  -Replace Armagedon with...well...something other than Armagedon. I don't think Toy Story Mania would fit here (seriously, we have so much Toy Story anyway). They should probably create something original, in all honesty.
  -Add World of Colour, Fantasmic or a new water/night-time show.
  -Add some proper restaurants, including the rumoured Animator's Palette.
  - http://www.photosmagiques.com/wdsfans/s ... s_2002.php (Nuff said)
  - http://www.photosmagiques.com/wdsfans/s ... m_tour.php (Nuff said again)

Miscellaneous:
Nothing much to write here. I honestly think that the Disney Village ultimately serves its purpose as somewhere to wind down for a little while, and I can't comment on all of the hotels (I haven't even stepped foot into Santa Fe, Cheyenne or New York). I equally can't comment on Davy Crockett Ranch or Golf Disneyland (anyone actually used the latter?). But a few things:

• -Let more characters roam the parks. They seem governed now more by set appearances as opposed to surprise appearances. The Studios park in particular needs more characters roaming around, and it's not as though they wouldn't fit in there (they do come from films after all). A character from Alice in Wonderland would seem fine walking around in the Toon Studios as much as in Fantasyland. Equally, don't let character appearances be limited to just Mickey's pals, especially in the hotels.
  -Add an international book shop and mini-supermarket to the Disney Village.
  -Add a media-retail chain (perhaps Virgin Megastore or Fnac) to Disney Village.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Based on the 20th Anniversary book, Aladdin sounded more like The Dragon's Den, but with Genie. Haven't heard of a dark ride concept before, which would not make sense given the limited space. I agree it suffers in comparison with Nautilus, the Treehouse and the Castle walk-through in California, but as an attraction it still has potential.

I disagree with both American parks being "OCD" about maintinance, certainly not WDW with AK's many broken effects and MK's general staleness (see: Carousel of Progress) to name but two examples. Exterior building maintenance is the only really good thing at WDW, and something DLP needs more of, along with light-buld replacement and on ride effects upkeep (in that order).

WDSP needs more themeing than rides at this point. One or two more after Ratatouille would make it a true "day" park.

[Atlantica]

As Mermaid has been such a success in the US parks, it would be lovely to see it put back into its original place.

Having a bit of a Fairy kick at the moment ... There is no presence of them in the Paris park; could it replace the Pocahontas village ??

[pinkrenata]

Disneyland Paris Improvements: None. Just move me to Paris, please!

[Atlantica]

Haha yes yes I agree it is an awesome park, but there are elements that can be improved/worked on for sure !!

[pinkrenata]

Haha yes yes I agree it is an awesome park, but there are elements that can be improved/worked on for sure !!

Yes, but I firmly believe that most (if not all) of the world's problems could be solved by my moving to Paris.

Come to think of it, it's really quite selfish of me not to move there!

[Atlantica]

Haha yes yes I agree it is an awesome park, but there are elements that can be improved/worked on for sure !!

Yes, but I firmly believe that most (if not all) of the world's problems could be solved by my moving to Paris.

Come to think of it, it's really quite selfish of me not to move there!

Well get your skates on and gogogo ! Life is too short to dilly dally.

[Big Disney Fan]

I have several ideas. First, I would add the Pirates movie characters to Pirates of the Caribbean, if only to "complete" the roster started by the other Disney parks. However, considering how different Pirates is in France than anywhere else, that will be a little tricky, particularly after you go over the second waterfall into the skeleton-strewn cave, which is at the end of the ride in France instead of at the beginning. Also, I will replace Star Tours with Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, just as they did in Tokyo Disneyland.

Also, I will probably add the Toy Story Midway Mania ride to Walt Disney Studios Paris (to go in the Toy Story Playland area), again if only to "complete" the number of versions found at all other parks (not counting HKDL, although it would go in that park's Toy Story area, too). In fact, Yesterland recently released an article all on the various versions of the ride's entryways and queues. You can read it here: http://www.yesterland.com/midwaymania.html. So maybe look at the article and let's see if we can figure what the entrance can look like in France.

[pinkrenata]

First, I would add the Pirates movie characters to Pirates of the Caribbean, if only to "complete" the roster started by the other Disney parks... Also, I will replace Star Tours with Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, just as they did in Tokyo Disneyland.

Noooo! Those were two things I appreciated when I visited DLP!

[Atlantica]

That they are untouched ? I don't know much about Star Tours, but it would be fun to have Jack in the ride. Not go so overboard to have Davy Jones etc, but would be nice to have him there.

Heck, I'd be all for altering the dueling animatronics so it shows Elizabeth, Will, and Becket ! Think that would be a comparatively easy adjustment to make ?

[Atlantica]

Looking at the DisneyLand Paris Refurb twitter ... the park seems to be in a bit of a sorry state. Instead of building and expanding on the park, couldn't they have spent a little more of the money on general improvements to the park itself ?