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A
- Ambassador
- Special elected Cast Member(s) who serve the resort for a term of one or two years, participating in and hosting various internal, community and media events on behalf of their fellow Cast Members.
- Animal Care Centre
- Day care kennels for dogs and cats situated on the Disney Parks Parking Lot.
- Disney's Animal Kingdom (DAK)
- The fourth theme park to be built at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 22nd April 1998, mixing live animal exhibits and a safari tour with wildlife-based Disney attractions.
- Annual Passport
- Ticket allowing access to the Disney Parks for a full year. Three tiered tickets are available, offering varying levels of access and privileges.
- Area Development
- Themed and often named areas between attractions, restaurants and boutiques within the Disney Parks, adding to and expanding the overall story. For example, Thunder Mesa and Boot Hill in Frontierland.
- Area Loop
- See: Background Music (BGM)
- Attraction
- General term used for rides, walk-throughs and other experiences within the Disney Parks.
- Audio-Animatronics (AA)
- Robotic characters with programmed movements syncronised to sound.
B
- Baby Switch
- System allowing two parents or guardians visiting with a younger child to ride a larger attraction without having to queue twice separately. One parent joins the regular queue whilst another waits in the exit/unload area with the child. Once the first parent has boarded and enjoyed the attraction, they switch places to allow the second parent to ride. Also known as Rider Switch.
- Backdrop
- Large mural or image which sits in the distance of a scene, often making it appear to continue further than it truly does. Example: Hollywood Boulevard.
- Background Music (BGM)
- Music which plays in a loop throughout areas of the Disney Parks. Also known as: Area Loop.
- Backstage
- Any "behind-the-scenes" service area beyond the limits of regular park guests.
- Blackout Day
- Specific date on which certain Annual Passport tickets cannot be used. Also known as a Restriction Day.
- Disney's Blizzard Beach
- Water park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 1st April 1995, based on a freak Florida snowstorm beginning to melt.
- Blue Sky
- The early stages of the design process at Walt Disney Imagineering, when everything and anything is considered possible.
- Boutique
- Shop or store selling merchandise and souvenirs.
- Buffet Service
- Term or category given to restaurants where food is chosen by guests from open buffet counters. Most, if not all, Buffet Service locations are also "all you can eat", meaning a flat fee is paid for unlimited food.
- Business Solutions
- International department dedicated to providing unique corporate hospitality events across the resort, Disney Hotels and Disney Parks for major global organisations and companies.
C
- Disney's California Adventure (DCA)
- The second theme park to be built at Disneyland Resort in California, opened 8th February 2001 featuring themes based on the history of the state.
- Cast Member (CM)
- Disneyland employee working in the parks and resort.
- Casting
- Cast Member recruitment division of the resort.
- Cavalcade
- Usually used to describe a parade-type entertainment running through the park which is not big enough to be classed as a full "Parade".
- Character Location
- Small area designed primarily for Disney Character Meet 'n' Greets.
- Concept Art
- Early drawings, renders and artworks created to depict future projects and attractions by Walt Disney Imagineering.
- Costume
- Work uniform of the Cast Members, often lavish and imaginative, corresponding to the "role" they play within their themed location.
- Counter Service
- Term or category given to restaurants where orders are made and collected at a counter, usually serving "fast food" meals such as burgers and sandwiches.
D
- Dark Ride
- Enclosed attraction with vehicles moving through animated scenes, often featuring Audio-Animatronics. Example: Phantom Manor.
- Disney Character
- One of the famous stars from Disney's animated or live action films, usually used when referring to the live, walk-around depictions of these heros.
- Disney Express Luggage Service
- Luggage transportation service between Disney Hotels and the Marne-la-Vallé/Chessy TGV and Eurostar train station, allowing guests to head straight to the parks. Complimentary for package bookings including rail travel, available at an additional charge when train tickets booked separately.
- Disney Hotels
- The seven Disney-branded hotels and accommodations at Disneyland Paris: Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Hotel New York, Disney's Newport Bay Club, Disney's Sequoia Lodge, Disney's Hotel Cheyenne, Disney's Hotel Santa Fe and Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch.
- Disneyland (DL)
- Singularly and officially, this means the original Disneyland park in California, opened 17th July 1955. However, it can often be used to mean any Disney resort or indeed any "Magic Kingdom-style" style park within those resorts.
- Disneyland Paris
- Official name of the entire Disney resort destination in Paris, originally opened 12th April 1992, now comprising 2 theme parks, an entertainment district, a golf course and 14 hotels.
- Disneyland Park (DLP)
- Used here to describe the original "Magic Kingdom-style" theme park at Disneyland Paris, opened 12th April 1992, formerly known as Euro Disneyland.
- Disneyland Resort (DLR)
- The first Disney resort, originally opened 17th July 1955, now comprising 2 theme parks, an entertainment district and 3 hotels.
- Disneyland Resort Paris (DLRP)
- Full official name of the entire resort destination used primarily from 2002 to 2009, when it returned to simply Disneyland Paris.
- Disney-MGM Studios
- See: Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS), or for the studio-based park in Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park
- Disney Parks
- The two theme parks at Disneyland Paris: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.
- Disney Village (DV)
- Dining, shopping and entertainment district located between the Disney Parks and the Disney Hotels area.
- Disney VoluntEARS
- Scheme allowing Cast Members to participate in events and programmes, such as hospital calls or special park visits, primarily to benefit worthy communities and individuals in the local area.
- Disney University
- Backstage training and development buildings for Cast Members, located primarily next to Disney's Hotel Cheyenne.
- Downtown Disney
- Dining, shopping and entertainment district at both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. For the equivalent area in Paris, see Disney Village.
E
- EMV
- Enhanced Motion Vehicle, a type of "super dark ride" where the vehicle not only moves through scenes but tilts and turns as it does so, like a motion simulator, allowing the terrain to feel rugged or hills steeper, for example. Example: Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland, California).
- Environmentality
- Internal programme at Disneyland Paris to promote environmental issues, recycling and sustainability, hosted by Jiminy Cricket.
- Epcot
- The second theme park to be built at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 1st October 1982, featuring both a Future World of inventions and discoveries and a World Showcase of international lands and experiences. Previously known as EPCOT Center.
- E-Ticket
- Generally used to mean the biggest, most lavish and most expensive of Disney attractions, the term orinates from the original ticketing system used at Disneyland and Walt Disney World whereby guests would pay a smaller fee to enter the park and subsequently buy "ticket books" to acccess the individual attractions. Ranging from A to E, the tickets were ripped out and handed in at the entrance to attractions, with E-Tickets used only for the biggest rides..
- EuroDisney
- Original name of the entire resort destination, from its announcement in 1987 and grand opening in 1992 up until 1994, when it became Disneyland Paris.
- Euro Disney S.C.A. (EDSCA)
- Operating group which tecnically owns and operates Disneyland Paris, paying licences to The Walt Disney Company for use of characters and names. 39.78% shares are, however, held by The Walt Disney Company itself, 10% by the Saudi Prince Alwaleed and the remaining 50.22% by other shareholders. The company is the result of an agreement in 1987 between the French Government and The Walt Disney Company.
- Euro Disneyland (EDL)
- Original name of Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris.
- Euro Disneyland Imagineering (EDL-I)
- Remains the official title for Walt Disney Imagineering's Parisian base, working primarily on Val d'Europe and smaller projects within the resort.
- Extra Magic Hours (EMH)
- Special early opening of Disneyland Park two hours before regular park opening, exclusively for guests staying at Disney Hotels and Hotel L'Elysée Val d'Europe or holding an Annual Passport Dream. Only certain attractions in Fantasyland and Discoveryland operate during these hours.
F
- Façade
- Themed exterior of a building.
- Façadomy
- Situation where the themed exterior of a building sits almost entirely independant of the interior, with the true "insides" not being reflected outside.
- Fastpass (FP)
- Free time-saving service at certain attractions allowing guests to collect a printed ticket showing a half-hour timeslot when they can return to join a special queue line with little to no wait. Official title: Disney's FASTPASS.
- Forced Perspective
- Technique used in the design of buildings to affect how they are seen by a viewer. For example, the first floor of a façade can be made smaller than true height to in fact make the building appear taller. Example: Buildings of Main Street, U.S.A. or backdrop of Hollywood Boulevard.
G
- Gare Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy
- Railway station located at the heart of Disneyland Paris, providing high speed TGV and Eurostar connections and suburban RER trains to central Paris.
- Guest
- Visitor to the Disney Parks.
- Guest Flow
- Department of Cast Members dealing exclusively with crowd control and general operations, such as preparing parade routes or opening theatre shows.
- Guest Relations Window
- Main information and customer services desks located just outside the gates of each Disney Park. Provide ticket sales and deal with special requirements, complaints and other issues.
- Guest Satisfaction
- Internal system used by Disney to determine public reactions to attractions, entertainment, restaurants and hotels at the resort.
- Guest Storage
- Facilities outside the gates of Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park to leave bags and luggage you do not wish to take into the parks. Charge applies. Also known as: Consigne.
C
- Half Board
- System for Disney Hotel guests whereby meals can be paid for in advance at time of booking, for a discount, with pre-paid vouchers then given for use at specific Disney restaurants. Three voucher categories are available for varying levels of dining experience.
- Height Requirement
- Where guests are required to exceed a minimum height in order to ride certain attractions. Also known as Height Restriction, these are determined for safety and relate to the intensity of an attraction or the design of its restraints.
- Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS)
- The third theme park to be built at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 1st May 1989, based on themes of film, animation and television in a "Hollywood that never was". Previously known as Disney-MGM Studios Florida.
- Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL)
- The original "Magic Kingdom-style" theme park at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, opened 12th September 2005.
- Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
- The fifth Disney resort, originally opened 12th September 2005, now comprising 1 theme park and 2 hotels. It is owned and operated through a partnership between the Hong Kong Government and The Walt Disney Company.
- Hub
- The central area of the parks or resort, where routes cross. In Disneyland Park, this is specified as Central Plaza, whilst in Walt Disney Studios Park it is Disney Bros Plaza. The main resort hub, between the Disney Parks and Disney Village, is signposted using a variety of names from "Disney Square" to "Center Court".
D
- Imagineer
- General term for someone involved in the design, planning and construction of the resort, parks and attractions.
- Imagineering
- See: Walt Disney Imagineering
- Interactive Dark Ride
- Enclosed attraction where vehicles equipped with some form of shooting or aiming device move through animated scenes which feature targets or games. Vehicles feature a display showing each guests' score. Example: Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
J
K
- Kinetics
- Movement and motion in a scene that give it life and energy. Everything from animated props and programmed lighting to simply the motion of an attraction's vehicles or flags which move in the wind.
L
- Land
- Themed area within one of the Disney Parks.
M
- Magic Kingdom (MK)
- The first theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 1st October 1971, based on the original Disneyland in California. Can also be used unofficially to describe any of the five Disneyland-style parks.
- Maquette
- Scale model created to depict exactly the planned design of a future attraction, allowing Imagineers to asses the creation for real, using miniature cameras, for example, before building it.
- Meet 'n' Greet
- Specially-organised opportunity for guests to meet costumed Disney Characters for souvenir photos and autographs.
- Motion Simulator
- Virtual experience where guests ride in a large, enclosed cabin which rises, falls and tilts in syncronisation with the action displayed on a large screen at the front. Example: Star Tours.
N
O
- Omnimover
- Ride system, usually used for dark rides, where vehicles form a complete, continuous chain through the attraction. Guests must board via a conveyer belt walkway moving at the same speed as the ride. Example: Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
- On-Ride Photo
- Common term, in fact rarely used by Disney, for the souvenir photos taken of guests during several attractions and available to purchase at the ride's exit.
P
- Parade
- Event, usually featuring large, colourful floats, where Disney Characters and dancers follow a specified route through the park to accompanying music, with guests watching the "travelling show" from either side.
- Parade Route
- Designated path through each park followed the daily parades and occasionally other events.
- Park Hopper
- Ticket allowing access to multiple Disney Parks within the same day, allowing guests to "hop" freely between them.
- Park Hours
- Operating (opening) hours of the Disney Parks.
- Photolocation
- Small area designed primarily for guests to take souvenir photos, often with life-size character figures, sometimes with appearances by real characters.
- Pin Trading
- Park tradition of collecting and trading special Disney pin lapel badges depicting the characters, attractions and other related imagery. Guests and Cast Members display their pins on special lanyards to trade with each other.
- Plussing
- The art of Imagineers continuing to add to or improve aspects of a land or attraction, through such changes as new props, lighting or sound.
- Post-Show
- Area at the exit of an attraction, after the main ride experience. Can include such features as interactive games, additional show scenes or merchandise and on-ride photo retail.
- Powered Coaster
- Type of Roller Coaster where the train is driven by motors and an electric circuit in the track for its entire length, rather than force of gravity. Example: Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Cirque.
- Pre-Show
- Area at the entrance of an attraction, before guests begin the actual ride experience. Can range from a simple queue line to a full introductory show or immersive themed environment.
- Programme
- Free guide leaflet available at park entrances, hotels and informaton points providing current entertainment, show, parade and Disney Character Meet 'n' Greet times for both Disney Parks.
Q
- Quick Bite
- Term or category often used to describe small food stands and kiosks within the Disney Parks.
R
- Refurbishment
- When an attraction or other resort location receives repainting, cleaning or other cosmetic improvements. May or may not involve the temporary closure of the location.
- Restaurant
- General term for all dining locations.
- Restrooms
- Toilets, bathrooms, WC.
- Roller Coaster
- Thrilling attraction where guests ride in a vehicle or train at high speed along twisting, dipping and occasionally looping rails. Example: Big Thunder Mountain.
S
- Shareholders' Club
- Membership scheme offering various privileges for shareholders in Euro Disney S.C.A., the group which operates Disneyland Paris and of which The Walt Disney Company officially owns 39.78%.
- Show Building
- Enclosed structure within a Disney Park which contains an attraction. Usually hidden by a themed façade.
- Show Writing
- Discipline of Walt Disney Imagineering which devolops the stories and narratives of each new attraction or location. Their work involves attraction scripts, copy for plaques and names of attractions, lands, parks, vehicles and restaurants.
- Smoking Area
- Designated corner of a Disney Park where smoking by guests is allowed. Smoking is not allowed anywhere else in the park.
- Special Effects (SFX)
- Smoke, fire, lightning, ghosts, explosions, pixie dust, water, wind, rain, snow and sparks: all the extraordinary features which bring scenes to life.
- Stroller
- Term often used by Disney for pushchairs, prams.
- Stroller Rental
- Locations inside the entrances of the two Disney Parks where pushchairs can be rented for the day for a deposit. Also provide wheelchair rental.
T
- Table Service
- Term or category given to full service restaurants across the resort, with menus and food served at-table by waiters and waitresses.
- Theoretical Hourly Ride Capacity (THRC)
- Number of guests per hour which can experience an attraction under optimal conditions. Also known simply as "Hourly Capacity", "Throughput" or "Capacity".
- Tips Board
- State-of-the-art information boards located in the middle of the two Disney Parks, featuring a large park map and displaying live attraction wait times, show and parade times and other daily information via LCD screens.
- Tokyo Disneyland (TDL)
- The original "Magic Kingdom-style" theme park at Tokyo Disney Resort, opened 15th April 1983.
- Tokyo DisneySea (TDS)
- The second theme park at Tokyo Disney Resort, opened 4th September 2001, featuring "ports of call" based on exotic, historic and imaginary destinations.
- Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR)
- The third Disney resort, originally opened 15th April 1983, now comprising 2 theme parks, an entertainment district and 3 hotels. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, which owns a licence from The Walt Disney Company.
- Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
- Water park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened 1st June 1989, based on a storm-hit tropical paradise.
U
- Underliner
- Technique used in the production of both attraction and parade soundtracks, where a constant "underliner" runs through the score, with different accents and themes then layered on top as each float or scene passes by. Examples are Disney's Fantillusion transferring between its three acts, or the different languages of "it's a small world" being layered over the instrumental Underliner as you float past each scene.
V
- Val d'Europe (VdE)
- New town developed by Disney on the Eastern edge of the resort, being completed in stages from 2001 onwards, with a vast Centre Commercial shopping centre, Outlet Shopping Village, Sea Life aquarium, RER suburban rail station, public squares, parkland, office complexes, apartment and housing developments and hotels.
- Visual Intrusion
- When an attraction or theme element from a different land or the outside world can be seen from within another land. For example, Big Thunder Mountain seen from Adventureland.
W
- Walkthrough
- Attraction which does not have moving vehicles and instead allows guests to explore scenes at their own pace. Example: Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin.
- The Walt Disney Company (TWDC)
- Official title of the entire Disney enterprise, spanning theme parks, movies, television, musical theatre, retail, recording labels, video games, online ventures and more.
- Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI)
- Department of The Walt Disney Company which imagines, designs, plans and oversees construction of the resort, parks and attractions, blending the words "Imagination" and "Engineering".
- Walt Disney Studios Park (WDS)
- The second theme park at Disneyland Paris, opened 16th March 2002, based on themes of animation, special effects and movie-making.
- Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (WDW)
- The second Disney resort, originally opened 1st October 1971, now comprising 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, an entertainment district, a sports centre, five golf courses and more than 30 hotels.
- Wienie
- Term coined by Walt Disney for a large attraction or theme element which sits in the distance, "coaxing" guests to walk further, like a hot dog wienie on a stick. For example, Sleeping Beauty Castle at the end of Main Street, USA.
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