Trip Report: Oui Oui! Disneyland Paris Part 2

Accueillir à nouveau! I hope you all enjoyed part 1 of my Disneyland Paris trip. Here is part 2 of my fantastic adventure. Here is just a quick recap: my girlfriend and I took a 3-month European adventure and our first stop, for an entire month, was Paris. We went to Disneyland Paris on a wet and cold day, which is why the crowd wasn't a factor. This was great because my girlfriend and I could take our time and enjoy  the sites of the park. 

 The second ride we got on was Indiana Jones: et le Temple du Peril. The ride was fun and fast but I really did enjoy the line queue. There was some good detail put into this ride.

 Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) was our next stop and the outside of the ride was amazing. I loved just walking around, looking at everything. This seemed to be very common between many of the rides in Disneyland Paris. The outside of rides were amazing to look at but it is what is inside that really matters and Phantom Manor was disappointing. My girlfriend and I were stuck, inside the queue, because something went wrong with the ride. We waited for about 20 minutes for the ride to get back up and running.

After the lack luster haunts of Phantom Manor, we decided to walk around and enjoy some of the sites around the park. The castle at Disneyland Paris is amazing, inside and outside. The backside of the castle looks just as amazing as front.

Inside the castle is fantastic. There is a stair case that takes you up the upper level of the castle; where you can walk around and look at some beautiful stained glass windows that tell the store of Sleepy Beauty. 

When my girlfriend and I went to Disneyland Paris there was construction going on for the 20th anniversary. I wish I could have been there for that celebration but it wasn't in the cards.

 The water was taken out of the lagoon that surrounded the castle and stuff was being put in for Disneyland Paris's Disney Dreams show. 

Big Thunder was the last ride we decided to get on and it was, hands down, my favorite ride in Disneyland Paris. A very fun and exciting ride which is why we rode twice. 

My favorite place in Disneyland Paris was Liberty Arcade. Walking into the arcade makes you feel like you are in the early 1900's . It is a hall that is dedicated to the history of the Statue of Liberty which was a gift from the French. Breathtaking exhibit.

We didn't get a chance to ride the Disney train but we did get to see these strained glass windows,   inside the train station, that are dedicated to each of the lands in Disneyland Paris. I wish they sold miniatures of these.

After a long and wet day in Disneyland Paris, my girlfriend and I decided to walk around Disney Village (Downtown Disney). I'm sorry to say that Disney Village was a let down. There aren't any good stores or restaurants. Once The World of Disney is built, maybe the Village will become a place to visit.

 I couldn't leave Disneyland Paris without getting a couple of souvenirs. I got a postcard, of the beautiful Disneyland Paris castle, and a simple Disneyland Paris pin. 

Going to Disneyland Paris was an experience I will never forget and I would love to visit again when more attractions are built. Disneyland Paris is the best looking Disney park but there are many improvements that need to be made. I can't wait to see what is in store for Disneyland Paris Resort in the years to come. If you want to see my entire collection of photos, from Disneyland Paris, you should check out my Flickr page.

Trip Report: Ulala! Disneyland Paris Part 1

Bonjor tout le monde! Guy asked me to share my Disneyland Paris experience and I was more than happy to do so. I decided to take a 3-month trip through Europe, after teaching English in Korea for 1-year. I took this amazing trip with my girlfriend and it was an experience I will never forget. For the first month, we rented an apartment in Paris and lived like a Parisian. Since we were going to be in Paris for an entire month, we both decided to take a day trip to Disneyland Paris. We didn't visit Walt Disney Studios because we really had no interest in going. Our Disneyland Paris adventure took place on a wet and cold January 24th.

First, let's take a look inside the park guide.

Map of Disneyland Paris. It is interesting to notice how similar all Disney Parks are laid out.

Even though we didn't go into Hollywood Studios, here is a look at the map. As you can see, there isn't much going on in the park. Hopefully the Ratatouille ride will make this park more appealing when it is built.

Here's a look at the restaurants inside Disneyland Paris. I wasn't amazed by the restaurant selection at all. My girlfriend and I ate at The Lucky Nugget Salon. The live music was fun to watch while eating but the food was a let down

Here is the front of the program guide.Too bad I didn't notice that I picked up the French one. 

Here are both Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios schedules. I'm not that much of a show or parade person so we didn't see any. I was surprised to notice that the parades still went on, even though it was raining.

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Here is my Disneyland Paris ticket. Got it for a really great price at the Virgin Mega Store in Paris.

 Entrance to Disneyland Paris is a bit tacky.

Disneyland Hotel is just a stones throw away from the parks. The hotel looks amazing and I would love to stay there one of these days.

The wait times were killer short because we went on a weekday, in the middle of winter, and it was raining on and off all way. One of the advantages of going to Disneyland on a wet and cold day.

Disneyland Paris's castle is breathtaking! It looks amazing, even in the cloudy weather. The inside is just as amazing (you will get to see pictures of the inside in part 2).

Our first stop was Discoveryland (their Tomorrowland). I do have to say that Discoveryland, from the outside, looks amazing. I loved just walking around looking at the land. My favorite ride in Discoveryland was Space Mountain: Mission 2. Great coaster with lots of detail.

Even though the exterior of Disneyland Paris is amazing to look at, the inside of most rides are not taken care of. As you can see in Star Tours, the inside of this ride was a mess. Things were broken and dirty. This is something that should never be accepted at any Disneyland park. It brought a tear to my eye to see such things.

 Here are some more photos of how unkempt Disneyland Paris is (picture taken from the Captain EO theater). No care at all is going into many of these attractions. Let's hope that things get fixed and repaired when the parks starts to get some more money.

More pictures and thoughts, about Disneyland Paris, coming in part 2. Please check back soon!

Trip Report: D23 Day at The Walt Disney Studios and Archives Part 2

The next part of the tour brought us to the Frank G Wells Building. Home of the Walt Disney Archives!

The lobby has various Disney theme park, film and animation artifacts in the lobby behind glass cases. 

We were brought in to the Walt Disney Archives where we met the director Becky Cline. 

She showed us some interesting items like the first Disneyland admission ticket, the first Disneyland parking pass, and the first Disneyland ticket book. She pointed out that the first Disneyland ticket book had no E tickets, because there were no E-ticket rides back then!

Becky then brought out some priceless items from Steamboat Willy. The original script (hand written by Walt Disney and kept in his desk until he died), and an actual animation cell from the film. It was amazing seeing these in items real life.

We were also shown one of Walt Disney's Academy Award statues. Each person in the tour group had a chance to take a picture with the statue. 

There were hundreds of other amazing items on display in the archives. To see the rest of them be sure to visit the complete set of pictures from this trip report on my flickr page.

On display in the archives, the first Mickey Mouse watch.

I've heard urban legends about this statue. This is the original Disney service award statue. Supposedly it was banned because Tinker Bell is in a suggestive position. The newer version of the statue features Tinker Bell in her more traditional flying pose.  

Back in the lobby of the Frank G Wells Building, the model used for the filming of Captain EO.

A head from the classic EPCOT Center attraction World of Motion. 

An Atommobile from the queue of the classic Disneyland attraction Adventure Thru Inner Space.

The final part of the tour took place in Legends Plaza where Disney legends are immortalized on bronze plaques. Seen here is a jumbo sized version of the statue that each Disney legend recieves when they are inducted. 

The statue is full of beautiful details. 

Disney Legends plaques show the inductee's name and what they were famous for. Legends that passed away before the program started are inducted posthumously and recieve plaques without their hand prints. 

 The Legends Plaza features the statue of Roy O Disney and Mini Mouse also found at Magic Kingdom.

At the end of the plaza is the Partners statue found in Disney theme parks around the world. The difference being you can walk up to this one for pictures or to just admire the details. 

The logo on Walt's tie is from Smoke Tree Rance, a resort where he spent many vacations. 

Looking up at the Michael D Eisner Building. After the visit to Legends Plaza the group was brought back to the Studio Shop where we were given one last chance to shop for gifts.

Was the tour worth the $60 price tag? Yes, if you are a Disney fan with any sort of appreciation for the history of the company. If you are only a fan of Disney theme parks, this tour probably isn't for you, as the mentions of the theme parks are minimal. The two and a half hour length of the tour my discourage some people but time flew by, especially during the visit to the archives which felt slightly rushed. 

These were just some of my pictures of my visit to the Walt Disney Studios and Archives. To see every single picture from my visit please visit my Flickr page.

Trip Report: D23 Day at The Walt Disney Studios and Archives Part 1

This past weekend I went on a tour of the Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Archives. D23 holds tours of the studios a few weekends out of the year so I purchased tickets for my wife and I. The tour was not free, costing $60 per a person (D23 membership is also required).

The tour contained a ton of information about the lot and the various films that have been made there so I won't go over every part of the tour. 

Shown above is one of the entrances to the lot. The tour begins in the Hyperion Bungalow, the first building constructed on the lot back in 1940. Before the tour started there was a small selection of D23 merchandise to purchase. There were some nice items but most of them are overpriced (like the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives book for $50!).

  The Studio Store was open to tour attendees. It features some really nice decorations but the items offered can be found in any standard Disney Store in any mall (Marvel toys, princess merchandiser, etc). There was a small section of nice Walt Disney Studios exclusive merchandise.

An example of some of the great decorations found in the Studio Store. 

Across from the Studio Store you can see Saint Joseph Medical Center. Walt Disney died here.

Our tour guide (I believe his name was Alex) was absolutely wonderful. I've heard good things about all of the D23 tour guides so far. 

 The first stop on the tour is the famous Pluto's Corner at corner of Dopey Drive and Mickey Ave. As you can see from picture above, the studio lot is very well manicured and peaceful looking.

My wife and I at Pluto's Corner.

We walked by (but not in to) the studio's theater where television pilots and films are screened to employees.I love the archway! The architectural style around the lot has a timeless feeling. It hasn't changed much since the studio was built!

Across from the theater is the original Animation Building where the most of the Disney animated films from Dumbo to The Great Mouse Detective were made. We did get to walk through the main hall of the building but no pictures were aloud. The walls have original artwork and placards explaining the animation process. 

Like I said before, the studio grounds are beautiful. There are benches and shade everywhere. I wish I worked on a campus this nice!

As we entered the Animation Building guide said that he wanted to introduce us to a special friend. His "friend" spoke to us in a familiar voice, Donald Duck! THE voice actor for Donal Duck, Tony Anselmo, ran in to our tour group. How cool is that? He even signed the above pictures for everyone in the group. Tony is the official Disney voice actor for Donald Duck and he was trained by the original Donald voice actor, Clarence Nash.

At that point we passed by the Michael D Eisner Building. I'll get to that later in the trip report.

 The Ink & Paint building. This building and the animation building are connected via an underground tunnel. This was so the animators didn't have to take their drawings outside when they were ready for the ink and paint process. 

The third floor corner office of the building across from Ink & Paint it the location of Walt's former office. It currently contains offices for regular use. Walt's actual offices (known as his "working office" and "casual office") were documented and have been recreated and displayed in various places over the years. Once of the offices is currently displayed in One Man's Dream at the Disney Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. The other will be on display when the D23 exhibit opens at the Reagan Library this summer.

The Cutting Buidling (guess what was done here). 

Stages B and C is where voice work is done. The current production taking place is the next Tinker Bell movie.

The massive Stage 1 and 2 is where films that require large sound stages are made. One of the most famous ones being Mary Poppins (stage 2). Stage 1 is the building where the decks for the Mark Twain Riverboat was constructed when Disneyland was being built.

This the Walt Disney Studios water tower. The tour guide says it is no longer being used to hold water.

The studio lot used to have a series of building facades that can be used for outdoor filming. Almost all of the facades have been torn down as the studio expanded. This corner is the last remaining block of building facades on the lot. 

 That is it for part 1 of my Walt Disney Studios tour trip report. The next installment will be the tour of the Walt Disney Archives!