Strange things are afoot at Disneyland Paris. Theming is slowly being dropped, inspiration is at an all-time low, and maintenance is clearly not being kept up. These changes have been subtle, taking place over the past few years. However, the impact is undeniable. It’s been a while since I’ve shared an update from Disneyland Paris, and today is going to be difficult. Before I jump into my unfiltered opinion, I want you to understand that my concern comes from a great love of Disneyland Paris. I’m not only a Disneyland Paris customer, but also a former Cast Member. Because I know what the park is capable of, I hold it to a high standard. Today, I will explain the gradual decline of the resort, not only drawing on my own experience but also from professional sources (which will be cited at the end of the article). Unfortunately, Disneyland Paris is a sad shadow of its former self.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty details about the decline of Disneyland Paris, let’s check up on recent happenings from around the resort.
Disneyland Paris’ 30th Anniversary Continues
April 2022 marked the beginning of Disneyland Paris’ 30th anniversary celebration. As is typical for a Disney milestone, the celebration will last a minimum of a year and a half. For the last 5 months, Disneyland Paris has been fascinating guests with its Disney D-Light show. The spectacular has been updated relatively recently to include more drones and new figures. Take a look at the show below:
Additionally, the Disney Dreams firework show returned to the park! As an exclusive spectacular to Disneyland Paris, it’s garnered quite a number of fans. We’re really glad to see this iconic show return to the park.
However, there are a few differences between Disney Dreams’ former version and the recently brought-back one. With the utilization of drones, the firework launch pads are more restricted due to the footprint/airspace needed for the drones. This appears to have affected what kinds of fireworks used throughout the show. The new version of Disney Dreams uses a smaller variety of rockets with less-impressive flares. While we are ecstatic about this beloved show returning, we can’t help but feel nostalgic about the more magnificent version of the past.
I’d like to think that Disney Dreams returning to Disneyland Paris is another act of undoing the damage caused by Bob Chapek in his tenure as Disney CEO. Now that Bob Iger has returned to the reigns (and staying as CEO through at least 2026), nighttime spectaculars at Disney Parks are no longer just an IP propaganda machine, but instead, tastefully using iconic Disney moments and reinforcing the emotional impact with previous shows. This concept can also be seen in the return of Happily Ever After and EPCOT Forever at Walt Disney World. I’m hopeful that Bob Iger can create positive change in the company once again.
Nautilus: 20,000 Leagues Under the Storyline
At long last, Mysteries of the Nautilus has returned to operation. The Disneyland Paris-exclusive attraction had a lengthy refurbishment, taking 3 years and 3 months to complete!
Unfortunately, the version that’s now available is subpar:
- Pros
- Added educational value
- Less frightening, making it more accessible for younger guests
- Cons
- Loss of the giant squid animatronic attacking the Nautilus
- Loss of special sound effects (including crew voices speaking in different rooms)
- Loss of lighting effects
- Loss of animated elements from the organ
- Loss of story-related scenery (the treasure)
- Loss of Jules Verne’s story
- Less coherent with the rest of the land
For comparison, you can see this video walkthrough from 1994 showing all of the above elements.
After being closed for more than 3 years, we’d be lying if we said we’re satisfied with the updates. It’s obvious that Disneyland Paris went the cheap route, getting rid of the impressive animatronic in favor of a looping rendering of various aquatic life. And of the new scenes, there isn’t even a mention of 20,000 Leages Under the Sea’s giant squid! While the loss of the animatronic squid is monumental, the fact that it doesn’t even make an appearance in the new video (not even to attack the sub, it could even just swim by!) is poor judgment.
This creative decision displays the current direction of the resort. It makes me wonder if the creative team read the classic Jules Verne book or even watched Disney’s 1954 adaptation. Well, the person in charge of the project admitted in a Disneyland Paris News interview that she started working on the project without knowing the IP! Unfortunately, that seems to be an all-too-common problem with modern Imagineers.
What’s most upsetting about the redo of the attraction is the sheer principle of penny-pinching. Without an animatronic squid to maintain, that cuts down on costs. And by replacing said squid with a screen (that will never be as realistic or impressive as a giant animatronic), the resort could cut costs even further by using 3rd party video. We did a bit of research and found the exact video used in the overhaul; the 41-second video can be purchased for $1230. Disney isn’t even using Disneynature or National Geographic footage.
New Annual Passes
Last month, Disneyland Paris presented its new collection of annual passes, Disneyland Pass. With three levels to choose from, this is a major overhaul of their current annual pass program. Unfortunately, the changes aren’t for the better.
In short, the passes are not only markedly more expensive but also have a massive reduction in benefits. Here is a table we’ve put together showing the differences between the old range of APs and the new program:
Strangely, Disney claimed that the changes to the pass program was in response to customer feedback and guest expectations. Why would that be the case when passholders are now paying more for less?
In order to get current passholders to switch to the new program, benefits abruptly ended on July 19 for discounts on kennels, stroller/wheelchair rentals, lockers; private AP park entrances; access to privilege parking; and access to resort swimming pools. Additionally, as of August 1, the AP location reserved for the nighttime show and parade has been revoked.
The main argument as to why DLP switched annual pass programs is to supposedly make it easier to visit the parks. As long as the park a passholder wants to visit isn’t fully booked for the day, they’re welcome to visit. This is a change from the previous program that utilized a “quota” of annual passes, and once the quota was met, passholders could not book— even if the park itself wasn’t full.
We have a feeling that there may be some artificial tampering with what is considered “full” for DLP. When we checked on July 13 (2 days after the announcement of the new passes), the reservation calendar for July and August booked up nearly instantaneously (APs could choose to join a waitlist in the opportunity a spot may open). A few hours later, reservations opened up again, but it was an interesting look as to what we think may lie ahead.
The implementation of the new Disneyland Pass was a messy experience. There were a few events that took place on July 19 that made the rollout frustrating:
- July 19 was the start date to update old Annual Passes into Disneyland Passes for those wishing to do so. However, the access calendar wasn’t correct and it took Disney 7 hours to realize that and fix it!
- The Disneyland Paris app made it possible to buy a Disneyland Pass ahead of its official start date. Messy!
- One draw to the new pass program is the use of a digital code for admission. However, there were so many problems with the new system that Disneyland Paris cast members asked members of the old AP program to just use their physical card to scan into the park.
From July 21 onward, the problems continued. Disney wasn’t providing adequate support in terms of providing info, so people were reliant on Disneyland Paris fansites. Two weeks before the rollout of new passes, Disneyland Paris closed its DLPHelp service!
To sum up this messy situation:
- Disney isn’t providing the communication and support that it should offer for this kind of product. Especially since they are literally charging more for less benefits.
- DLP was forced to rely on fan sites to share info about how the new pass works since they shut down their own customer service!
- Mistakes were made by DLP but not acknowledged
These are not the actions of an entertainment industry leader.
My biggest gripe with this situation is the decline of the cost/quality ratio. Prices are continually rising but the offerings at DLP are diminishing. There hasn’t been a street show for over 15 years— no singers on Main Street, adventurers in Adventureland or Main Street residents, or even the various Disney characters that used to roam the parks in droves. All that’s left is a band that plays on Main Street or in Studio 1, a TamTam band in Adventureland, and a country band in Frontierland’s restaurant. Since 2020, there’s very little of the atmosphere that the resort used to be known for.
You may think this has all been very harsh… but I’m afraid to tell you that the worst is yet to come.
Development and Quality
After all my years as a Disney Parks fan, it’s obvious that DLP’s biggest problem is a lack of innovation, despite the fact that the resort performs well. And since nonlocals (particularly Americans) don’t see the ins and outs of Disneyland Paris like regulars, they’re under the impression that everything is magical on their infrequent visits. It wasn’t until 2017 during The Walt Disney Company’s takeover of the resort that Disneyland Paris began to structure itself and really work for itself.
It should be noted that when Disneyland Paris was acquired by the Disney Company, the park was 858 million euros in debt. However, since the creation of the resort, DLP has paid 1.2 billion euros to the Disney Company for the rights to use the Disney image and all related franchises until 2017.
Disneyland Paris was bought out by a recapitalization of up to 1.4 billion euros, which in reality amounted to buying out the company for 225 million euros due to the multiple recapitalization and share grouping (1 for 100). What did the Disney Company buy for essentially 225 million euros? 2 theme parks, 7 hotels, and the land everything sits on. As a reminder, the Ratatouille attraction area (the last Disney Studios park expansion in 2014) cost 210 million euros to build. This meant that the Disney Company got a wildly good deal for the resort; the entirety of DLP for the price of building an attraction, a restaurant, and a shop. That said, since 2017, the resort has been doing well. Attendance numbers are solid and profits are back.
However, from what it seems like, Disney hasn’t been investing in creating new things and investing in the expansion of the resort. Instead, DLP has been doubling down on entertainment (shows and parades). In this manner, DLP is postponing the inevitable, the investment that all Disney Parks must make to keep guests coming back.
The lack of expansions bringing new vitality to the resort has been made very apparent. The Disneyland Paris park hasn’t had an expansion in 28 years! There’s only been one attraction change, from Visionarium to Buzz Lightyear. For the other changes, it’s only been updates to existing attractions and new shows. As a result, there’s a tremendous amount of space that can be used for redevelopment. In the map below, all of the colored spaces are areas that could potentially be used as park expansions and/or redevelopment.
Over at Walt Disney Studios, it’s been 9 years since the park’s last expansion. The relatively new Avengers Campus that opened last year was a redevelopment of existing space within the park, ultimately replacing Armageddon for Spider-Man.
And while it’s one thing for the resort not to be continually creating new things, it’s another for the resort not to be upkeeping the appearance of its attractions. For illustrative purposes, let’s take a look at Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. It’s been nearly 15 years since the scenery elements under the coaster’s rails have been removed. This was presumably to avoid having to monitor wooden elements for rot. No matter the reason, it’s shameful that the park has come to this.
And for some months now, we’ve been seeing touch-ups and welding in multiple places at the joints between the supports and also and in sections of the rail.
Having closely followed the theme park industry, these kinds of repairs do not inspire confidence. This coaster appears to be on its last legs. This situation isn’t unique just to Indiana Jones. (Hyper)Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are all in a similar state. DLP’s coasters are at the end of their tether (and Flight Force isn’t too far behind).
DLP’s outdoor attractions are exposed to high heat in the summer and freezing in the winter, with snow and rain storms in between. The attractions in the park that are quite old; Big Thunder is 31, Indiana Jones is 30, and Space Mountain is 28! But our rides don’t seem to be getting the same love and care that Disney parks in other parts of the world get. At one point or another, everything is going to need a major refurbishment!
In an ideal world, it would be great for the coasters to be rebuilt using new-generation technology. But will Disney invest that kind of money into Disneyland Paris? That has yet to be seen. DLP’s 3 coasters are all in bad shape, and there hasn’t been much change or new vitality in many other attractions. And since these coasters are major park icons, even taking one down at a time will make a negative impact on park capacity.
Assuming that a coaster rebuild would take 1-2 years, that would be a long time to have a high-capacity attraction out of commission. And that isn’t taking into account how construction would even take place. Big Thunder Mountain is built on an island, so the lake would need to be drained. Space Mountain is fully enclosed, so the dome would need to be opened and scenery removed. This means that a coaster rebuild would take much longer. This kind of major renovation would not only take a toll on the park’s capacity, but also its image. Building a popular new attraction would give Disneyland the breathing room to start some major renovations. And now that Bob Chapek is gone, we hope Disney can make a financial commitment to making DLP a vibrant destination again.
I do want to mention that I’m glad to see that the maintenance team is doing a remarkable job keeping these coasters open and operating. It’s got to be a huge challenge.
It’s been 28 years since Disneyland Paris park has had a true expansion or update. So the park is still telling the same stories from nearly 3 decades ago. And while the stories are classics, they also don’t accurately reflect the modern stories of Disney today. And making minor transformations, like adding a light Coco or Luca theme to existing restaurants, isn’t going to solve this problem. If a fairytale park doesn’t tell the stories that kids are familiar with today, what’s the point? And if Disney isn’t going to keep the offerings fresh, the least they could do is at least maintain the appearance of things looking nice. Take a look at some of the decay around the park:
Even the icon of the park, Sleeping Beauty Castle is looking worse for wear.
Buildings in Fantasyland have protective netting around structural elements that are crumbling in order to keep debris from falling on guests.
Although Phantom Manor is meant to look like it’s in disrepair, the roof shouldn’t look like it does right now.
Even entering on Main Street, the signs of degrading is apparent.
It’s obvious that the resort isn’t investing in maintenance. But who bears the brunt of this lack of investment? It’s the Cast Members. Even though ticket prices are higher than ever, the guest experience is diminishing. So Cast Members are supposed to make up for the visitor experience— and Disney isn’t making it easy for them with an increasingly complex workload (procedures, safety, liability, etc.) while also not putting money into reinvestment of the resort.
Speaking of Cast Members, there’s an interesting phenomenon at DLP. There’s been an uptick in office jobs, executives, and engineers; as far as operational Cast Members working in the parks, the numbers are decreasing. This means that frontline Cast Members are having to deal with a workload increase with a smaller amount of staffing in the parks. And of course, this also means that the payroll for employing more white-collar workers is significantly more expensive than paying for more “low-skilled” positions in the parks.
We’re not surprised that there have been strikes from Cast Members demanding better working conditions and higher pay— and having been a Cast Member myself, I’m fully in support of these strikes. After seeing how Disney’s US parks dealt with a near-strike and agreed with Cast Member unions to improve conditions, we’re hopeful that Disneyland Paris will follow suit.
Summer 2023
Now that I’ve laid out my case for the current conditions at Disneyland Paris, let’s catch up on what’s new around the resort.
As we already know, there’s no major expansion that is set to open this year. However, there is a new show. Located in the Studio Theater (which hasn’t been used for 4 years!), TOGETHER: A Pixar Musical is a demonstration of technology and music all based on the Pixar universe.
It’s Showtime! Disneyland Paris Unveils Colorful Pixar-Themed Spectacle
While music is a major component of the new show, it feels like the musicians themselves are quickly forgotten— despite accompanying the audience throughout the entire show. This show doesn’t quite capture the same magic like at “Mickey and the Magician” which played just a short distance away.
My two criticisms are that my expectations based on the D23 concept art do not match what was presented in reality. Additionally, there are some technological downgrades with this new show in comparison to the previous Marvel Super Heroes United show that TOGETHER replaced. There are no longer projections in the theater. Clearly, there were some budget restrictions for this brand-new show.
As for other park updates, there’s been some changes to the resort’s parking lot. After more than 2 years of construction, the automated entrances and payment terminals are now operating. We’re dismayed to see that there’s only one line open during the day. This decision can create unnecessary waits— especially considering that it costs the resort nothing to keep the other lanes open since it’s all automated.
Finally, the Disneyland Railroad and Main Street USA Vehicles have been testing a new operating schedule. Instead of the previous 10am-5pm, the park was seeing how guests responded to the attractions running from 1pm-8pm. This was a great test, and we hope that DLP adopts these operating hours. By pushing these attractions hours later, it gives guests time to get the big rides out of the way for the day before exploring the more ambient attractions. However, it’s worth noting that at Disneyland in California, these attractions are operating for nearly the whole day.
Avengers Campus Celebrates 1-Year Anniversary
July 20 marked the first anniversary of Avengers Campus. And just a day later, the Flight Force attraction received a bit of an update. Although the update was originally scheduled for spring 2023, this past July brought two new effects to the Flight Force attraction. The first effect is a laser projection of a star-like soft blue light and light panels that are supposed to be Captain Marvel passing you by.
While the new effects are neat (particularly the depth-of-motion granted by the projections; it’s much more visually impressive than (Hyper)Space Mountain), we still think there could be more done to improve the ride. We’d love to see a physical prop of some kind be integrated into the experience, like on the final inversion there could be a missile that the train has to dodge. All things considered, this is a much better attraction than what used to be here, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
And keeping with the Marvel theme, the popular drone show “Avengers: Power the Night” is returning from September 5 through November 5. This show utilizes 500 drones and is really quite remarkable.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, I have a lot of thoughts about the direction that Disneyland Paris is headed. But I don’t think it’s too late to fix things. I’m a big believer in the mission and magic of Disney, and I have a lot of hope that things can change. A major step would be to invest into Disneyland Paris’ future.
Although Disneyland Paris has had a successful 30th-anniversary celebration with new offerings, there are more serious problems that need resolving. The aging attractions, lack of entertainment, and a serious decline in creativity in the parks must be dealt with. And the new Disneyland Pass really is something that needs a serious second examination.
We hope that The Walt Disney Company will take these issues seriously and invest in developing DLP into a vibrant resort again— and one that will maintain long-term appeal. As lovers of Disneyland Paris, we believe in its potential and ability to evolve. The future of Disneyland Paris lies in the combination of preserving its heritage and timeless charm while adapting and investing in the expansions needed to meet the expectations and needs of future generations of visitors.
To end today’s mega Disneyland Paris Update, we’re concluding on a positive note. On July 14 (Bastille Day), Disney worked with Dronisos (a French drone company) to set a European record for the largest drone show with 1,495 flying machines! The breathtaking performance is undoubtedly a taste of what nighttime shows will be able to do in the very near future. This show is truly spectacular and unlike anything else I’ve seen. Bravo!
Let’s Hear From You
That was quite a lot of info to take in from Disneyland Paris, and I hope you found it informational. If you’ve visited Disneyland Paris recently, what was it like for you? As a Disney Parks fan, is there a level of expectation you need to have met while visiting one of Disney’s theme parks? How do you feel about Disney’s trend of charging more and delivering less? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Sources:
- Forbes – The Secrets Of Disney’s $1.7 Billion Theme Park Profits
- Forbes – Disneyland Paris Staff Reveal When Next Strikes Will Take Place
- Slate – Pourquoi Disney s’acharne à investir dans son parc parisien
- L’UNION – AG des actionnaires d’Euro Disney: parade finale pour Mickey?
- Interview E&S Rides – Seconde vie et Conseil pour les coasters de parcs
- Questions & Réponses – Assemblée Générale Euro Disney SCA 2017
- APPAED – Association des Petits Porteurs d’Actions EuroDisney
- Rapports des l’assemblées générales (avec questions/réponses) de 2012 à 2017.
- L’intégralité des déclaratifs financiers, propriétés et humains de Euro Disney SAS