DLRP Today

New Disneyland park plan launches

Tomorrow is the start of a new season at Disneyland Park, when Autumn kicks in and the Halloween Festival begins, so it seems the perfect time to finally launch the brand new, radically redesigned park plan. The two new guides will hit the racks under Main Street’s Disneyland Railroad Station tomorrow, and our reporter Kristof (Photos Magiques) has sent us two quick cameraphone images of the new designs.

Extra long Christmas hours

We reported back in August that this year’s Autumn and Halloween park hours would be extended on busier days, and now it seems a trend that began back in May will continue right through into 2007, as the latest Christmas park hours have just been announced…

Once upon a dream job?

What’s your dream Disney job? Disneyland Hotel manager? Phantom Manor haunter? Guest flow at the Studios? Well, if it’s to be a part of next year’s new Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade, you’d better get yourself in shape right away.

It’s Halloween-lo-ween already?

This year’s Halloween Festival at Disneyland Park begins around one week later than usual, kicking off on the 7th October 2006. Despite the late start, the Seasons & Entertainment department isn’t wasting any time in returning the horrors of previous Halloween seasons to the park…

An enchanted harvest in Fantasyland

Recap article: News from 9th September 2006.
L’Arbre Enchanté (The Enchanted Tree), Fantasyland’s new food kiosk, opened quickly at the start of August without the actual fabled tree in sight. Now, exactly one month on, the fruits of the Imagineers’ hard work on this relatively small project can finally be seen… literally.

Casting (and unveiling) the dream

Recap article: News from 12th September 2006.
The Monday 11th September 2006 edition of French daily free newspaper 20 Minutes featured an advertisement by Disneyland Resort Paris for two casting calls for the upcoming Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade. The colourful announcement doesn’t just give details of the performers required for the cast though, it also features a silhouette of the full line-up of new parade floats!

Summon the Kraken!

Disneyland Park in Paris might not have Jack Sparrow animatronics or an eerie Davy Jones projection, but the blockbuster film franchise has finally been introduced to the park’s Pirates of the Caribbean in its own small way.

The big Big Thunder project begins

Big Thunder Mountain’s long-awaited full refurbishment began nine days ago, and already a large part of the attraction has been covered in scaffolding and tarp. Fully-themed signs on the construction walls at the entrance explain the closure to guests and the attraction area has been filled with work equipment, paint and other accessories.

Another enchanted Christmas on the horizon

We’ve still got two months to go to Disney’s Christmas Season, and then another two months still until Christmas itself, but already the hotels are becoming booked up, details are spilling out and advertising has kicked off with a new key visual (see right), so let’s recap what we know so far about the 2006/07 season.

Parade changes

The Wonderful World of Disney Parade recently changed name once again to Princess Parade. The order of the floats has been changed the past few days as well.

The current line-up is:
- Cinderella
- Snow White
- Sleeping Beauty
- Mary Poppins
- The Little Mermaid
- Beauty and the Beast
- Aladdin
- Steamboat Willie

Strikes and SOS signals

It hasn’t been a particular positive news day for the resort today, and it seems to be thanks mainly to one of the resort’s work unions, CFDT EuroDisney. The first piece of interesting news is that the park photographers (the Cast Members who snap guests with characters and relay the images live to the computer servers so they can be called up at the photo boutiques) have taken official strike action against the resort in the hope of receiving what they would believe to be a fairer salary, along with better working conditions and prospects for promotion

A pinker pink for Disneyland Hotel

Disneytheque.com posted a nice wide-angle photo of Disneyland Hotel by Olivier a couple of days ago, that brilliantly shows the latest progress with the hotel’s major refurbishment project. Just taking a quick glance at the hotel, the difference between old (left wing) and new (right wing) stands out immediately.

Long *Autumn* nights?

We’re used to long summer nights, but this year Disneyland Resort Paris appear to be introducing a brand new concept: long autumn nights. It has been a DLRP tradition almost since the resort’s opening for late-night park opening during the Summer months, giving guests more time to enjoy the attractions as the hot Summer days slowly turn to warm Summer nights, but it has been almost unheard of for the park to remain open until 10pm or 11pm during September and October. This year, though, the dream has come true!

Awaiting the enchanted tree

The construction fences surrounding Fantasyland’s new maisonette have been removed, and the new snack kiosk is open for business! With a highly-pitched red roof, wooden beam supports and functioning shutters, the themeing here is undeniably strong for such a small addition. Currently on sale at the market hut are drinks, snacks and a selection of pastries.

Tow me at once, the way you did once…

The 7.15pm royal procession of the Disney Princess Parade experienced some problems yesterday, as Sleeping Beauty’s float broke down as it rounded the corner onto Central Plaza. Aurora and Prince Phillip were forced to continue waving to the amused crowds as “Dancin’ (A Catchy Rhythm)” continued playing…