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Disneyland Paris (Euro Disney) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |
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to be better than most.
5.7 Adventure Isle [report by Tom Drynda and Andre Willey]
You really can get lost in the maze of twisty little passages and
caves, all alike! Skull Rock and Captain Hook's ship are here,
plus a rope bridge, barrel bridge and a shipwreck to look at. Not
much else there, but it's good fun anyway. Set the kids loose here
and go and relax.
5.8 La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant [report by Tom Drynda and
Andre Willey]
Don't miss out on the two shops inside the castle, which are
charming. Upstairs, the story of Sleeping Beauty is told in ornate
tapestries and stunning stained glass, well worth a look. You exit
via the upper balconies of the castle, which afford great views of
Fantasyland.
Downstairs you'll find "La Taniere du Dragon" - the dragon's lair.
The dragon sleeps peacefully next to his pool with the occasional
snort of smoke. Then his tail twitches, more smoke and he begins
to awake... then you realise his chain is broken! Loved it.
Just in front of the castle is "Le Theatre du Chateau", an open-
air stage show. Currently playing is Mickey's Magic Book.
Basically the Snow White/Sleeping Beauty stories, with music and
dance. The magic book itself is enormous, and as each stage of the
story unfolds, so do the pages of the book with pop-up scenery.
Well worth a look.
5.9 Alice's Curious Labyrinth [report by Andre Willey]
A hedge maze, with surprises as you walk around (characters
popping up from behind hedges, etc). The hedges are filled with
tiny blue lights. The hedges had become fairly badly damaged over
time, but have now been repaired fairly effectively. Some
characters still don't pop up reliably, though. The castle in the
middle of the maze makes a good place to get that nice panoramic
photo of the park from a more unusual angle. You can also find the
jumping water fountains here - good to watch and relax, or stand
under and get wet.
An attraction for the younger ones mainly.
5.10 Storybookland rides [report by Jean-Marc Toussaint]
Storybookland is located at the far North of the park, between
Alice's Curious Labyrinth and the Old Mill ferris wheel, behind
It's a Small World. Access to the area via a path under the
Disneyland Paris Railroad (a bit like "Mickey's Toontown" in DL).
The Storybook boat ride, constructed by Mack GmbH of Germany, is a
'no-host' ride, unlike other similar rides at other Disney parks.
It's a continuous cable-towed boat ride, departing from a step-on,
step-off turntable in front of a giant open book. The brightly
coloured boats each carry up to 20 guests. There are open
storybooks along the route identifying the story for each set.
It's simply beautiful, especially at night since every set is
carefully illuminated.
The boats pass under a stone bridge (Casey Junior's track), then
you pass in front of beautifully landscaped, richly detailed
miniatures. On your left you will see the Seven Dwarfs' house (the
mine is in the background, with diamond effects and sounds of the
dwarfs working), Hansel & Gretel cake house, Rapunzel's Tower
(note her long blond hair hanging down from it). On your right, on
the top of a small island, is Mount Olympus from Fantasia.
The boats then pass under a second bridge. You enter the snow-
covered area of Peter and the Wolf (on your left). On your right
is the best model: the village, ruins, cemetery & mountain from
Night on Bald Mountain (from Fantasia), now including Chernabog
sitting atop of the ruined castle tower. The boats turn around the
mountain set and enter Aladdin's Cave of Wonder, through the
tiger's mouth. Inside the cave is a miniature of the treasure, and
a little further on is a miniature of the lamp resting at the top
of the stairs, bathing in a magical beam of light. Leaving the
cave, you see on your left a Sword in the Stone model, then a
large replica of Belle's village from Beauty and the Beast. The
Beast's castle is in the background, with Casey's track curling
around its walls. The final miniature is the Emerald City of Oz,
after which the boats return to the station.
Casey Junior is more of a family-oriented (non-gravity) roller
coaster than a train ride. Built by Vekoma of Holland, two trains
run on the same track thanks to a clever block-system
installation. It surrounds the whole Storybook land area. The ride
is rather fast, with lots of banked turns and 'rabbit hops'. At
night, the only light is the locomotive's headlight, so ride in
the very last car for a backward, fast and completely dark trip!
Note from Jean-Marc Toussaint (100434.505@compuserve.com):
Miniature figures have now been added to the sets of
Storybookland: dwarves in the mine and the evil witch for Snow
White, Prince Eric for Little Mermaid, Centaurs for Mount Olympus,
Peter and the Wolf for Peter and the Wolf, Abu for the Cave of
Wonders, Belle sitting by the fountain in her village, and the
famous Oz quatuor at the entrance to the Emerald City. The sets
now look more alive.
5.11 Le Visionarium [report by Andre Willey]
One of the best themed attractions in the park. Based on Circle-
Vision 360 technology, The Timekeeper and his robot assistant, 9-
Eye, are your hosts on a Circle-Vision trip through time, picking
up Jules Verne en route. Very impressive period detail; must have
been quite a feat to film! Features Michel Piccoli as Jules Verne,
and guest stars Gerard Depardieu as an airport baggage handler,
Franco Nero as Leonardo da Vinci, Jean Rochefort as Louis XV and
Jeremy Irons as H.G. Wells. "From Time to Time" was directed by
Jeff Blyth (who also did Cheetah for Disney) and produced by John
Badham.
The show is in French, but headsets are provided with English,
German and Italian soundtracks. The animatronic guides are
excellent, and the pre-show waiting room is fascinating, with lots
to see: a video wall (French narration, translated in English,
German and Italian by LED signs), plus models of real, futuristic,
and Wells/Verne modes of transport hanging from the ceiling.
A MUST-SEE ATTRACTION.
(This is now also showing at Tokyo Disneyland, and in a slightly
modified form at WDW, Florida. Apart from the layout of the pre-
show waiting areas, the main differences are in the voices and the
Red Square/Concorde section has been replaced with shots of New
York).
5.12 Les Mysteres du Nautilus [report by Andre Willey]
To be honest, the biggest mystery of all was why is queue so long?
I guess it must be because this attraction looks so good from the
outside. A very authentic-looking Nautilus waits docked in a
lagoon near to the new Space Mountain, inviting you to come
aboard. You enter a nearby lighthouse and descend down a spiral
staircase, and then walk along a long underground corridor.
Entering the sub, you walk through several rooms (treasure room,
Captain's quarters, airlock/diving-suit room, etc) until you reach
Captain Nemo's room - complete with iris-shuttered portholes on
either side, and his grand pipe organ at one end. A short, rather
uninspiring, show takes place in which a giant animatronic squid
attacks and is repelled by electric shocks (you get to see this
through the large porthole screen) and then you leave via the
engine room.
Basically, there's nothing much to it. The engine doesn't move at
all, the squid attack is lack-lustre, and it's painfully obvious
that the walk-through is nowhere near the submarine you saw in the
pen outside (in fact, you come out facing it!). If only they had
at least attempted to give you the feeling of entering inside a
submarine from the long corridor (perhaps by walking beside a hull
mockup, or even by going through some sort of connecting tunnel or
bridge) but they didn't.
Unless the queue is short, don't waste your time. A shame, really,
as this could have been rather good if properly imagineered in
true Disney style.
From Scott Van Horn (svanhorn@anetbbs.com): The new Nautilus ride
was a disappointment, it seemed like a "we need something, how
about this?" I felt a bit embarrassed being in it.
5.13 Space Mountain (de la Terre a la Lune) [Report by Jean-Marc
Toussaint]
Attention FAQ readers, the following section contains SPOILERS for
Disneyland Paris's fortieth and newest wonder, Space Mountain. The
ride is located next to the Nautilus lagoon in Discoveryland, and
is themed on Jules Verne's book "From the Earth to the Moon". For
those of you who still wanna read more, welcome to the fastest
ride ever built at a Disney Park!
Going to the station is a very good teaser, since you have to walk
a long and very dark corridor through the entire building, and you
may see some portions of the ride and sets through large openings
in the walls. There is also a 'chicken' route which allows you to
view the pre-show without actually going on the ride.
Once inside the station you board one of the trains (6 cars, 4
seats per car) themed like sci-fi vehicles designed in the 1900s,
featuring over-the-shoulders restraints. After a long turnaround
inside a tube, you reach a sudden drop that leads you to the
bottom of the cannon. A hook attaches itself under the train and
you are pulled into the enormous Columbiad Cannon.
A very loud detonation is heard, smoke fills the cannon and the
train is catapulted into the circuit. A short drop is followed by
a long downward helix in complete darkness. You dodge some little
asteroids and then you plunge into the looping. Leaving the first
inversion, the train rushes through a huge "space mining" machine
and a series of trim-brakes which lead you into the core of a
melting asteroid. Then comes another sudden drop into the
corkscrew. After a 360 degree inversion, the train "hangs" briefly
at a 90 degree angle before a fast section of track to the second
lift. The train climbs the hill very quickly - a 'road sign' says
"to the Moon: 50,000 km" - and you reach the Moon, which looks
like the one in George Melies' 1902 film.
The train drops suddenly as you leave the satellite orbit and
rushes through some other meteorites. The train negotiates a
"horseshoe" (a flat standing upward turn) and gains speed as it
reaches another downward helix with dark light effects simulating
re-entry into the atmosphere. The train hits the brakes through a
shower of sparks inside the "Electro de Velocitor" machine, and
then goes back gently back to the station.
Needless to say, this ride is excellent - the best at the park and
the best steel roller coaster in France. Special effects and sets
are superb. The soundtrack (a bit John Williams-ish) is
magnificent, and the onboard audio system is CD quality.
I've been on the ride dozens of times now (the cast members think
I'm a bit deranged, and pretend that I hold the world record!) and
it is still pure amazement.
Bienvenue a Paris, space travellers!
Special thanks to: Cast members Aurelie, Jamie, Isabelle, Kirsten
and Monte for smooth dispatch, excellent ride operation and long
and passionate chats about Disney and roller coasters. All the
cast at the Star Traders shop for ultra kindness.
Building statistics
Diameter 62 metres
Height 43 metres
Depth 5 metres below ground
General Ride Statistics
Construction started March 1993 (Vekoma)
Ride opened 1st June 1995
Length of track 1 kilometre
Thrill elements 360 degree "sidewinder" loop
"corkscrew" loop
180 degree "tongue" loop
Speed Up to 70 kilometres per hour at peak
speed, 30% faster than any other Disney
thrill ride
Ride controls Redundant programmable logic controller
based system, employing six main
computers and 1,300 impact/output
points
Rocket ship vehicles
Launch system Electric-motor-propelled catapult
(similar to system used for aircraft
carrier launches)
Seating capacity 24 (6 rocket ships, 4 passengers each)
Audio 6 built-in speakers per seat. Digital
audio with automatic playback speed
adjustment to synchronize the musical
score with key elements of the show.
Music written by movie composer Steve
Bramson
Columbiad Cannon
Acceleration Up to 1.3g during the catapult launch
(approx. 1.8 seconds to the top of the
mountain)
Launch capacity One rocket ship every 36 seconds
Length 22 metres
Inclination 32 degrees
Weight 15.5 tons
Width of barrel 5 metres
Special Effects Steam smoke system, synchronized
lighting and audio "boom"
Decorative cladding 24 kt. gold leaf on the archer, sun-
face and moon-face
Space Mountain Merchandise
(Many of the following have now been discontinued, so look
for remainders. Logo T-Shirts, Wool jackets and coffee mugs
are still generally available)
T-Shirt A Dark blue or gray. SM logo transfer on
front (95 FF)
T-Shirt B Dark blue. "Space diagram" transfer on
front; "I survived... did you ?" and SM
logo transfer on back (150 FF)
Long sleeved shirt Dark blue. SM logo embroidered patch on
chest (225 FF)
Rain jacket Dark blue. SM logo transfer on chest,
"Space diagram" transfer on back (250
FF)
Wool jacket Dark blue. Disneyland Paris logo
embroidered on chest, large SM logo
embroidered on back (850 FF)
Baseball cap Dark blue & suede, with SM logo
embroidered patch (120 FF)
Sticker Round, SM logo (5 FF)
Postcard Four exterior views of building and
cannon on one card (3 FF)
Key Chain Transparent plastic. Round, with SM
logo (15 FF)
Pen Silver & dark blue with SM logo (30 FF)
Mug White & dark blue with shooting stars
and SM logo (35 FF)
Also seen, but not for sale
Cast member watch Dark blue. Plastic, with SM logo and
"June 1995". (Note: it is believed that
if another watch isn't designed, this
one could make it to the stores)
Cast member button SM logo with "Entrez dans la legende -
Juin 1995" ("Be part of the legend -
June 1995)
Bumper sticker "I survived", with colour drawing of
train rushing through the meteors (as
seen on the control booth window)
5.14 Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show [report by Tom Drynda]
This show is a wild and exciting show obviously themed around the
American Wild-West Cowboy days. Get your tickets early (there is a
discount for MKC card-holders). There may be two shows per day
(check at Guest Relations or at your hotel). Plan to start queuing
at least an hour before the show is due to start. You must
purchase your tickets beforehand. How early you purchase your
tickets depends on the day you go, and which show you intend to
see. You can purchase your tickets well in advance by phoning the
reservations number shown in section 4.2 (it's the same number
used to reserve hotel rooms).
You don't get allocated seats until you enter the building just
before the show. I'd advise anyone going to see this to start
queuing fairly early as the earlier you get your seats, the closer
to the action you are.
The tables aren't really tables as in a normal restaurant, but
just a bench that can hold about ten people with a long table in
front of you over which you see into the arena. The tables all
overlook the arena and so everyone has a good view.
The 'table numbers' are coded by colour letter and number. The
lower the number, the closer you are to the action. The letter
defines the sector in your team area in which you will sit, and
the colour defines the team you will support during the show. The
team colours are representative of American ranches:
Golden Star Ranch, Texas
Blue Moon Ranch, Wyoming
Green Mountain Ranch, Montana
Red River Ranch, Colorado
After being issued with our hats, we passed through to the
extremely large bar having our photo taken officially on the way.
The bar is truly enormous, but fills up quickly. Order a beer as
soon as you get there. You could order a beer in their souvenir
beer glass which is in the shape of a cowboy boot. You can also
order cocktails here.
If you want to order wine with your meal, you have to go to a
smaller bar that you pass on the way in before you get to the main
bar.
Pre-show entertainment and cowboy training takes place before the
arena is loaded. The entertainment we had was the band appearing
at Billy Bob's Country and Western Nightclub in Festival Disney
(currently The Dooby Brothers). They played a number of country
and western songs and took us through "How a cowboy cheers"
(lifting your 'chapeau' off your head, waving it in the air and
shouting YAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO at the top of your voice) and a host of
other fun-type things. This really sets you up for the show.
The loading of the stadium takes place a colour at a time. The
colours are green, red, yellow, and blue.
I don't really want to spoil the fun of Buffalo Bill's Wild West
Show by giving away too much detail here. Just let me say the food
was very good, the beer (or cola) was as much as you could drink
(whenever the staff came 'round to your table with their pitchers)
and the entertainment was funny, exciting, and in short it was one
of the best evening's out I've had in a very long time. Do not
miss this. DO NOT MISS THIS ON ANY ACCOUNT!
============================================================================
6 Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the following people for their invaluable assistance:
Tom Drynda (now at a new email address, tad@netspear.co.uk) for
starting this FAQ in the first place. Thanks Tom, and I hope that I'm
doing your concept justice.
Reinhard Schaffner (schaffnr@informatik.tu-muenchen.de) for providing
WWW access for the FAQ, and Tim "Quetzal" Pickett
(quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au) for FTP availability and putting it on
the "List of Lists".
Regan B. Pederson (xzfr@xmission.com), a cast member at WDW, who has
provided a LOT of great insights into the differences between rides at
the parks. Also Gordon E. Peterson II (gep2@computek.net) for his
excellent and detailed notes based on his 66 (!) visits to the park,
including a good number of details which I'd previously forgotten to
mention. Gordon has a document covering some of the rides in more
detail than I can here, so e-mail him for a copy if you're interested.
Gary Cook (garyc@mistral.co.uk), Ian Judge (ian@judgei.demon.co.uk),
Guido Bonati (bonati@inea.flashnet.it), Mark Verbeeck
(markverb@innet.be), Graham Allan (grahama@netcom.com), Peter Schouten
(jps@dataweb.nl), Mark Keiser (Mark.Keiser@Eng.Sun.COM), Wim
Dewijngaert (100334.1062@compuserve.com), Julie Dawe
(julie_dawe@hpgrmac.gr.hp.com), Luz Echeverria
(echeverr@mimosa.unice.fr), Yvonne Loo (yvonne@lightning.nsc.com) and
Jean-Marc Toussaint (100434.505@compuserve.com) for general update
information.
Scott Kessler (sdk@asdi.saic.com) for the great photos of the Dragon
and Phantom Manor at night, now available at the WWW site.
The following park visitors for their comments and for mailing me
current timetable information, etc. Thanks all!
Nik Rosser (kitkat@cix.compulink.co.uk)
Rachel Bell (rachel@flatline.demon.co.uk)
Edward Summer (dinosaur@interport.net)
Frederic Bouquet (Frederic_Bouquet@ascus.com)
Ian Parkinson (I.W.Parkinson@bms.salford.ac.uk)
Susan Fuhs (fuhs@rand.org)
Barry Bedford (IRE0040@AppleLink.Apple.COM)
Paul Fischer (pfischer@knoware.nl)
Louise (rhubarb@cix.compulink.co.uk)
Werner Kuehnert (kue@zerberus.hai.siemens.co.at)
Shawn Clover (clove@ix.netcom.com)
John Stafford (stafford@claude.ma30.bull.com)
Some news items recounted from the "Magical Moments & Memories" UK
Disneyana Enthusiasts magazine. For details contact: MM&M, 31 Rowan
Way, Exwick, Exeter, Devon, EX4 2DT, England. Subscriptions: UKP 15 per
year.
and...
Everyone else in rec.arts.disney for their support and information
+----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Andre Willey | Encore Entertainment Ltd. |
| Email: andre@cix.compulink.co.uk | Email: encore@cix.compulink.co.uk |
| Tel: (UK/+44) 0121 308 5251 | Tel: (UK/+44) 0121 447 8223 |
| Cast Member, TDS #813 (B'ham UK) | HTTP://www.compulink.co.uk/~encore/ |
+----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Maintainer of the Disneyland-Paris FAQ List. E-mail me for details, or |
| via WWW at: HTTP://www.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/~schaffnr/etc/disney/ |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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