| Another example is Phantom Manor. You enter the attraction just like you
enter the grounds to an estate. There is a gate, gardens, front porch,
and cemetery which has tombstones and crypts that overlook steaming
geysers on the banks of the Rivers of America. The space becomes
involving as you explore and discover the grounds of this attraction. By
contrast, the show building for WDW’s Magic Kingdom is propped up on a
hill - out of reach - that we just sort of look at as we walk by it in a
straight line to a set of doors that lead us to the attraction.
Disneyland Paris has a better “show”. As you enter the front doors of
the Manor from the front porch, you go into the foyer leading into the
stretching room which opens into a hallway (a hallway that really FEELS
like a hallway from an old Manor) into a furnished room that has grand
staircase (ala Gone With The Wind). Here is where you get on the ride
vehicles. This is an example of how involved “the show” is at Disneyland
Paris. |
| The hotels: Once you leave the park, you walk by the Disneyland Hotel.
The Disneyland Hotel is built at the entrance to the park. The
restaurants at this hotel have views of Main Street as do some of the
rooms. (I believe these are “Castle Club” rooms and I am SURE you pay
for it.) After the Disneyland Hotel is the train station. Beyond that is
the Disney Village. This is Disneyland Paris’ version of Downtown
Disney. It is slightly longer than the length of Main Street. At the end
of the street you are looking at Lake Disney. If you look to you left,
you will see The Hotel New York. Look to the right and you see Newport
Bay Hotel (further away) and right across the lake is the Sequoia Lodge
Hotel. So, the closest is New York. The other are not THAT much further
away. Between the New York Hotel and the Sequoia Lodge Hotel is a
“river” spawned by Lake Disney that leads to the two budget hotels. It
is ironic that the nicest themed hotel is a budget hotel. The Cheyenne
is outstanding for . |
| How do you out-charm Europe? The answer - Disneyland Paris’ Fantasyland.
Fanasyland feels like a real storybook town. The place oozes charm and
makes WDW’s Magic Kingdom look like a tacky roadside carnival.
Discoveryland is brilliant with the Jules Verne theme (I still really
like Florida’s Tomorrowland) and Adventureland is very “Animal
Kingdom/Typhoon Lagoon-like” with a dash a Epcot world showcase
pavilion. The suburb design is only outdone by the construction quality
and upkeep. The place is perfection. |
| The staff were terrific! I talked to some of the cast members. It is
evident that they do not get a lot of information about what is going on
in the resort. I knew more about the new park being built than they did!
(I tried to give one a website to look at but I wrote it down wrong.)
This CM was so nice and helpful. I was on a quest to find pins that said
“Disneyland Paris”. We got into a conversation about merchandise and
American’s attitudes with Disney and so forth. He actually gave me his
cast member pin! I tried to give him a pin in return but he wouldn’t
except it. I felt like I should do something nice back but all I gave
him was a wrong web address! If anyone goes to the Hotel New Youk and
runs into a youngish guy (part Scillian, part Egyptian named Fayiel
(sp?) )
on the night shift in the Hotel’s boutique, give him this web address
http://www.mousekingdom.de/index_e.htm (I wrote down .com instead of
.de) He called on the phone to try and locate the merchandise I was
talking . |
| The attractions and spaces are more involving as well. For example: The
castle. At WDW’s Magic Kingdom you look at the castle and walk through
it - pretty much done. You do not get a sense of exploring the space or
becoming involved with the building unless you book a table for the
restaurant upstairs. It is like a “pretty piece of china to look at” as
one imagineer put it. By contrast, the castle in Disneyland Paris
becomes a space to explore. It has pathways that wind around it, below
it (including a dragon’s liar with an animatronic roaring dragon), an
upstairs room that leads to an outdoor balcony offering wonderful views
of Fantasyland. |
