There are only a few places in Disneyland Paris where you can get a photo like this, and most of them are not accessible for guests. Luckily the Legends of the Wild West walk-through offers this stunning view of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror looming behind another run-down building: Phantom Manor.
Different parks, different styles, yet the same eerie look and feel.
See more:
We’re starting a brand new series on the Photos Magiques blog: Panoramagique. From time to time there will be blog posts with a panorama photo of a Disneyland Paris area which can be panned, zoomed in and out, etc.
First Panoramique is Halloween in Frontierland. Pumpkin Men have taken over the “Popcorn Stage” area between The Lucky Nugget Saloon and Thunder Mesa Mercantile Building.
Would you like to see more of these? If so, of which areas in the resort? Share your suggestions with the comment box below the panorama photo!
The Sleeping Beauty Suite is located in the Disneyland Hotel and is the most prestige and elaborate of all the suites in the entire resort. It’s also the largest with its 187m² and features a living room with piano, fire place, a dining room for 10, a bed room with canopy bed and a marble bathroom. The suite has a private elevator which gives direct access to Disneyland Park’s main gate. The large balcony oversees Main Street, U.S.A. and has an unobstructed view of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant.
Many celebrities have stayed here before and a few of them have left their signature under the marble coffee table, including Michael Jackson, who stayed often in the Sleeping Beauty Suite in the early years of Disneyland Paris.
Without further ado, let’s take a photo tour of this top-of-the-range suite in the Disneyland Hotel.
Cars Land, the impressive new area at Disney California Adventure Park with three new attractions, restaurants and shops based on the Cars franchise, is set to open on June 15 and is currently previewing for Cast Members and selected guests.
But many Disneyland Paris fans will now that Cars Quatre Roues Rallye was the first attraction ever to be based Cars. Construction even started long before the movie was released!
Although the Paris version of Radiator Springs is on a much smaller scale than the California version, it’s still full of atmosphere and nice references to John Lasseter’s animated feature.
(Re-) discover it here in our newest photo tour:
Is Marvel coming to Disneyland Paris? There have been numerous rumours circling fan message boards and social media ever since Philippe Gas hinted at a possible Super Heroes themed third park. But do we have to wait until 2030 for Iron Man or Spider-Man attractions? Probably not, because there are plenty of possibilities at both parks, but Walt Disney Studios Park is the most likely location for Marvel attractions or even an entire land. Not so long ago a wild rumour was released on the Disney Central Plaza forum hinting about a possible layover of the Backlot area. The current attractions could be rethemed to the most popular comic book characters like The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor or any other character from the Marvel catalogue.
But again, these are just plain rumours, like so many that have hit the internet the past years (remember the rumours about Jack Sparrow being added to Pirates of the Caribbean or the Phantom Manor make-over), but if you can’t wait to experience Marvel in a theme park, you’ll have to travel to Universal’s Islands of Adventure where the Marvel Superheroes Island is located with several attractions, shops and restaurants based on the comic book franchises. Universal Studios currently holds the right to use Marvel characters in their East Coast theme parks (meaning you won’t see any of them at Walt Disney World any time soon).
That Marvel “land” is an indication how a possible Backlot lay-over could look like. Since Universal doesn’t own the rights to use the live-action movie portrayals of the characters, they have to use the original comic book versions of them. That’s why the land is designed to look like you’ve walked in a comic book, with 2D-like façades, bright colours and large cut out characters on all the buildings.
There are four Marvel-based attractions: The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, Storm Force Accelatron and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, which is a 3D movie motion-simulator that can move through sets. On top of that there are meet ‘n’ greets and a daily parade with the characters from the Marvel universe.
We’ve visited Islands of Adventure a few times since 2005. Here’s a selection of photos from our last trip in 2009.
If and when Marvel will hit the resort remains a question, but one that could be answered sooner or later.
When you visit Walt Disney Studios Park and you’re in for a snack, there’s Disney Blockbuster Cafe right across Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster avec Aerosmith. It has two themed rooms: High School Musical and Pirates of the Caribbean, but did you know this wasn’t always like that? Up until June 2009 the place was called Backlot Express Restaurant and was themed to a props storage room!
(Top: Backlot Express Restaurant; Bottom: Disney Blockbuster Café)
Upon entering Backlot Express, you would’ve noticed a large collection of stuff (or junk) you’d find at a flea market, all grouped together. But among that “junk” there were also real movie props from productions as Dinotopia, 102 Dalmations and Armageddon. In the main room where the food counters were located, there were a few bigger props attached to the ceiling. Among them a large generic shark, a Kit Kat glider and an original Imperial Speed Bike from Star Wars Episove IV: Return of the Jedi. There was even a Space Pod from the now closed Horizons attraction from Epcot.
In the room on the left hand side of the main room, more generic “props” could be found. The walls were decorated with clocks of all sizes, as well as photo frames and signs. There were also several storyboards on the walls, including artwork for a Kit Kat commercial.
A shelf suspended from the ceiling hid several props from Armageddon, as well as a scale model of Disney’s California Adventure Park information kiosk and blue prints of a “Special Effects Building” for Disney-MGM Studios.
All of these props disappeared in the Disneyland Paris Imagineering archives and got replaced by the Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical props and costumes, none of which are originals…
Though it wasn’t perfect, one has to agree that the theming of the restaurant wasn’t the main issue, the food offering was and still is, as no changes have been made there…
Take the photo tours and judge for yourself:
For many Disneyland Paris fans, Café des Cascadeurs is the only table service restaurant that can be found in the park and sadly, it’s rarely open. But did you know besides the fact it serves burgers & fries, it has an actual history going back to 1950?!
The whole metal diner shell actually originates from New Jersey, New York where it was used as an actual diner called “The Excellent Diner”. It served classic American fast food up until 1995 when it was sold and shipped to Germany. It’s history from there on is unknown, but somehow a group of Walt Disney Imagineers found out about this excellent retro gem and purchased it for the Walt Disney Studios Park.
The interior of the diner was completely rebuild and brand new signs were designed to match the existing design.
Café des Cascadeurs opened a few months after Walt Disney Studios Park had opened on 16 March 2002.
Next time when you have the chance to have lunch here, remember you’re probably sitting in one of the oldest items that can be found in the entire resort!
Take the photo tour:
A big thank you goes to Jordan Zakarin who e-mailed me the history of The Excellent Diner a few years ago. Read his blog post, including a picture of the original diner here.
While the permanent Meet Mickey Mouse location is under construction at Fantasy Festival Stage, a temporary photo location has taken over the old Critter Corral / Woody’s Roundup Village. This temporary solution even has its own story line; it’s a travelling show. There plenty of well themed signs and posters all over the old animal stables that guests can admire while queueing to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Souvenir photos taken by a Disney photographer can be purchased at the photo kiosk, located in the old Woodcarver’s Workshop.
In part 4 of our Disney Fantasy photo tour we’ll have a look at the swimming pools and Goofy Golf.
Swimming pool deck 360°
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In the third part of our Disney Fantasy tour we’ll have a look at the ship’s restaurants. There are quite a few, making sure guests aren’t left with an empty stomach any time of the day.
Let’s start with Cabanas, a buffet service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and casual dining. It features a Finding Nemo theme with a huge tile mural and sculptures from the Seagulls and Nigel the pelican.
Flo’s V8 Cafe is an outdoor counter service restaurant on Deck 11 (where the swimming pools are located) that serves pizza’s, burgers, paninis, wraps and fresh fruit. Located nearby is Frozone Treats, a pay-for smoothy bar and Eye Scream, a self-service ice cream station.
There are three rotational dining restaurants. This system, invented by Disney, places guests every evening if their cruise in a different restaurant, each time with the same guests around their table and the same waiters.
The first restaurant is located in the Atrium and is called Royal Court. It’s themed after the Disney Princesses and features lavish tile murals. Located one deck down is Enchanted Garden, which is inspired by the gardens of Versailles and changes from day to night using clever lighting technics.
Animator’s Palate shares the same name as a restaurant on the Disney Magic and Wonder, though its theme is entirely different. It’s based on the workshops where animators design feature films. There are lots of references to Disney movies and the screens found around the ship display tons of artwork and stills from Disney productions. A special animation made with drawings made by the guests brings an evening at Animators Palate to an ending.
Then there are 2 adult-only restaurants that are not part of the rotational dining system and require an extra fee. Palo, also found on the older ships, is an Italian-inspired restaurant, while Remy’s serves French cuisine. Meridian is a lounge that’s located in between both restaurants and serves as a waiting area for guests with a reservation at either restaurant.
Animator’s Palate show time:
Next Disney Fantasy blogpost: Pools & kids’ spaces
In part 2 of our Disney Fantasy tour, we have a video of the wonderful Enchanted Art that can be found on board the ship. These picture frames that seemingly “just” hold a piece of Disney art come to life when standing in front of it. For example, the Disney Fantasy exclusive Dumbo art, features Casey Jr the Circus Train travel from one painting to the other! Another one has Pirates of the Caribbean’s Wicked Wench attacking the Fort. Take a look at a selection of Disney Fantasy’s Enchanted Art.
The Muppet Adventure Game is unique to the Disney Fantasy as well. While the Disney Dream focusses on Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, on the Disney Fantasy this interactive game is all about The Muppets! Using a special flashcard guests have to solve a mystery by using a map and finding the right Enchanted Art photo frames that will reveal clues and hints by holding the card in front of it. Through mini-games more and more clues are revealed, which will lead to solving the case!
Next blog post: Disney Fantasy restaurants
In this first blog post about Disney Cruise Line’s latest ship the Disney Fantasy, we’ll take a photo tour around the ship and its general areas.
But first, let’s start with a short introduction. Disney Fantasy was, just like its sister ship Disney Dream, constructed by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. On 16 February 2012 the ship left the port of Bremerhaven for a transatlantic crossing to New York City where it would be christened. It would then continue its voyage to its permanent home in Port Canaveral, Florida.
The design of the ship is similar to that of the Disney Dream, with some distinct differences. A major difference is Disney Fantasy’s theme, which is Art Nouveau, while the Disney Dream is inspired by Art Deco. Especially the ship’s atrium brings this art direction really to life.
The staterooms are spacious and well equipped. There’s plenty of room underneath the bed for suitcases and the bathroom features a small round tub. Most Disney Fantasy staterooms feature a verandah with ocean view, while the inside staterooms are equipped with a “Magical Porthole” that will show a live feed of the ocean and features Disney characters coming by once in a while.
Disney Fantasy atrium 360°
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Next blog post: Enchanted Art
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