Disneyland Paris: General Discussion

[Sam]

Tom Wolber takes the helm at Disneyland Paris as Philippe Gas heads for Shanghai
Tuesday, 16th September 2014 at 19:19 by Anthony 2 Comments



CEO, president, head honcho — however you say it, Disneyland Paris has a new guy in charge as of yesterday, 15th September 2014. Tom Wolber has begun his role as Présidentof Euro Disney S.A.S., with outgoing chief Philippe Gas heading for Shanghai Disney Resort as its first General Manager, a sure sign of Disney’s satisfaction with his tenure here.

Tom is in fact making a return to Paris, having been a part of the Grand Opening team in 1992. Since then, he has held leadership positions at Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, most recently overseeing Orlando’s 28 resort hotels and transportation network. Tom is German and speaks 4 languages: French, Dutch, English and German.

It may be notable that Euro Disney badges Wolber as having overseen a number of expansion projections including the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy cruise ships and the masterplan for Disney Springs, the revitalisation of Florida’s Downtown Disney. He arrives in Paris at a time of fevered rumour for expansion and revitalisation of our own resort, including attractions such as Star Tours 2, expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park and continued growth of Disney Village.

Departing president Philippe Gas will without doubt be remembered as one of the resort’s most successful and charismatic CEOs. Arriving in September 2008 just as the global economic downturn bit and 15th Anniversary expansions such as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dried up, he took on a resort that was still all too often unreliable and erratic in the level of “Disney quality” it provided.



Six years later, the list of good decisions is so long as to be impossible to collate and attribute, but it certainly began in April 2009 with the renaming of Disneyland Resort Paris back to a strong and simple Disneyland Paris. The opening of the three lower-spec Toy Story Playland attractions in 2010 may have divided opinion, and gone almost unnoticed to the public, but this summer’s grand Ratatouille: The Adventure unveiling proved a pivotal point for the resort and its second gate, expertly led from planning to construction to opening. Meanwhile, the 20th Anniversary of 2012 provided a landmark with Disney Dreams! — both its stunning quality and the adjoining extension of Disneyland Parkoperating hours continuing to equalise Paris with its international cousins.

Two new websites, new apps, new technology such as PhotoPass+ and the rollout of free wi-fi leaves plenty left to achieve, but huge ground gained. Better understanding of and communication with the fan community has been an icing on the cake, including better merchandise such as The Art of Disney on Demand and more one-off events like the 50th Anniversary of “it’s a small world”.

An enormous campaign of “cleaning the decks” with endless and huge refurbishmentin almost every corner of the resort has coincided with a quiet plotting of future courses — the Villages Nature, Disney’s own hotel expansion, Disney Village improvements and plenty rumoured for the parks. The horizon feels ever bigger, if not any closer.

What’s needed now from a new president is to actually, at last, see those plans through. Countless times, grand visions have been drawn up for Disneyland Paris and its parks only to fall by the wayside. If Philippe Gas’ reign was about steadying the waters and getting the ship up to standard, let’s hope Tom Wolber can finally let this resort set sail.

Bring us that horizon, Tom.

• Press release 15/09/2014: Tom Wolber to assume leadership at Euro Disney (PDF)
• Press release 1/08/2014: Philippe Gas named General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, Tom Wolber, from Walt Disney World Resort, replacing him at Euro Disney (PDF)

Below: Official corporate video introducing Tom Wolber

Seems like a positive step, and I think a good move for the park to have someone non-French in charge, who might be able to see the flaws clearer.

 

[Sam]

Apparently Star Tours II has been confirmed for 2017.

 

[Harv]

Star Tours II is a pretty meh addition. I have no idea what space is like in the Playland but I think a Midway Mania would be a welcome queue soaker and probably be very popular with visitors. It seems stupid that they built the whole Playland but didn't put Midway Mania in there?

 

[Sam]

The lunacy of the new Frozen meet 'n' greet.

(Looopings)

Meanwhile, the princesses have to walk through Fantasyland like Josef Fritzl on his way into court.

 

[Scott]

They could've at least got a better waiting time sign... It's disneyland yet that looks like something a small hotel could make on Word.

 

[Benzin]

Bearing in mind this is with TWO sets of them as well (due to using the Princess Pavilion's two meet n greet areas, whereas in America they just had the one area and had similar if not longer queues)...

Scary how popular Frozen ended up being when you see this...

 

[Rowe]

With the Elsa and Anna meet 'n' greets, they should really introduce the same time slot ticketing system at Disneyland Cali in order to reduce waits to get into the Princess Pavilion and the traffic around that particular area of Fantasyland. Of course there would be a queue to get said tickets from a vendor but it would have to be on a first come first served basis.

 

[Sam]

The Meet 'n' Greet thing is just nuts. It cannot be in Disney's interest to have a 300 minute queue. It must leave an awful taste in parent's mouths, even if they voluntarily choose to join it anyway.

Unlike a ride, it's incredibly easy to up the throughput on these things very quickly. Why not have 10 Frozen meet 'n' greets, or 20, or 30? I don't understand why they would let queues get that long when it would be so easy just to hire more actors.

 

[Rowe]

Time for a Last Week Update!

Bistrot Chez Remy has been given a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Theme Park Insider source

The shop by Ratatouille, Chez Marianne, is going to be opening on the 28th November and the windows have been dressed with Rat-chandise (sorry, couldn't resist). Fantasyland has also been getting fresh paint around Au Chalet de la Marionette, Pinocchio and Le Pays des Contes de Fées.

InsideDLParis sources

 

[AstroDan]

And so has the Time Machine at Futuroscope! Ooh la la!

 

[Rob]

I don't know why but the idea of a Disney attraction (Wilderness Explorers, Animal Kingdom) winning something due to a limited budget somewhat amusing. No idea what it is mind!

 

[Scott]

I don't know why but the idea of a Disney attraction (Wilderness Explorers, Animal Kingdom) winning something due to a limited budget somewhat amusing. No idea what it is mind!

It's a cute little trail for kids to do based on the 'Wilderness Explorers' that the kid in Up is a part of. As you go round the park there's little learning stations were kids have to do things to earn a badge and so on.

It's obviously quite cheap to set up and run but it's great for children

 

[Rob]

Details of a meeting on December 8th between DLP Shareholders and Tom Wolber, EuroDisney CEO, Mark Stead, DLP CFO and Yohan, Senior Manager Investor Relations

Well worth a read.

 

[Rob]

Disney and More article on a possible upcoming major Phantom Manor upgrade:

ED92 had some great infos from their reliable sources about a major update of Disneyland Paris Phantom Manor on which DLP Imagineers are apparently currently working on. It should happen in a not too far future, and the news looks great. I did an english translation of ED92 post and french readers can read it in french on ED92 HERE .

One more thing: you can choose to put what you'll read below in the "rumor box" as anything not yet officially confirmed is always supposed to be a rumor, but my feeling is that ED92 sources are reliable and so what is written is most probably right. As usual - and especially in the case of DLP - it doesn't mean that it will be done or that DLP imagineers will have the budget to do it but in this case - Phantom Manor - i'm pretty sure that they will do pretty soon an update of the ride as not only it is needed it but also because it'll be the last Disney "haunted" mansion who didn't had an update yet. Okay, here we go:

Although the date of this Phantom Manor 2.0 project is not yet decided, we can already tell you that this project is close to the heart of many people, even at the highest levels.

For now, the priority is to modernize the entire Phantom Manor existing infrastructure. As we have previously mentioned, the Portrait Gallery will abandon in this forthcoming renovation of DLP famous manor the old slides system for projector technology.

But other surprises should quickly appear. For instance, we hadrecently the pleasure to see the return of the Mirror Ghosts at the end of the ride, let's hope that this time everything will work fine over time.
Okay, let's make a long story short as Mrs. Leota is ready to read the future of the Manor in her crystal ball - D&M Note: or, as we should say the "séance lady" as it's not Mrs Leota head which is inside the crystal ball but someone else to whom DLP Imagineers didn't gave really a name and who is only known as the "séance lady" as she's the one directing the spirits session...

So, our adventure will starts here, outside the Manor because the famous attraction not onlyshould be fully renovated, but the whole Thunder Mesa should gradually undergo a theming makeover to tell us the rich story of the cursed Ravenswood family.

While the patriarch, Henry, will be our host at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as the director of Big Thunder Mining Company, it's his daughter Melanie who will be more than ever the Phantom Manor star. As it is her story that DLP guests will discover, more clear and precise than ever.
We will not go through all the details, of course, as the project is still at this time under design. But many ideas are already advanced enough to have a better idea of what should be this Phantom Manor 2.0.
As you now have probably understood, Melanie, as the attraction star, will be much more present than she is right now. And this right from the boarding room as we will discover a beautiful young Melanie, in her wedding dress, sitting on the steps of the grand staircase of the hall, her still fresh wedding flowers bouquet at her feet.

D&M Note: I'm wondering if they will add a new Audio-Animatronic or simply move the AA of Mélanie that we currently see at the start of the ride. I'm betting on this second option.

Apparently the beauty didn't had her best day as she is crying, her face covered by her hands, and it's only between two sobs that she will lift her head toward us, before going back in her sadness.
Meanwhile, you will embark on new Doombuggies. Did i say new? Yes indeed, as to make Phantom manor ride story even more immersive and disturbing, and just like at the Haunted Mansion, the Doombuggies should be equipped with individual speakers which actually will give you the feeling that the Phantom of the manor will whisper the story of the endless fiancée right in your ear.

So, who says new story, says new recording, right? Well, not really, as WDI sound wizards are digging through Imagineering sound archives to find back all Phantom Manor original tapes and so to keep the magnificent original orchestral recordings, which will go through a well-deserved makeover to give us a sound more stunning than ever.

Most purists will ask: "All the tapes?". Yes, all of them as here is probably the most exciting of all the infos: As Phantom Manor specialists know, before DLP famous mansion opened its doors in 1992, the Phantom was voiced by legendary horror films actor, Vincent Price, and you can see at the bottom of this article a video shot during his recording sessions.

For reasons of understanding for DLP guests different nationalities, the whole french soundtrack, back in 1992, was re-recorded in french, keeping only the inimitable Vincent Price laugh. These recordings unfortunately happened to be Price last great performance as he passed away shortly after. But why am I actually doing such a digression? Because right now, deep in WDI archives is hidden the original tapes recording of Vincent Price, which are in fact the first version of the attraction, when the visit was to be fully guided and telling the story of Melanie!

Few knows about it, but during his recordings, Vincent Price recorded a version in French. Unfortunately his french was not understandable enough because of his accent, so at the end DLP Imagineers decided to keep only Vincent Price English version before asking a French actor to record it again in french. Actor, by the away, who was the one who was dubbing Vincent Price in the french version of Price movies.
So, now you've understood ... WDI should do wonders, a true miracle, as they plan to completely clean the original tapes, edit and tweak them with the latest technology and thus offer us in the ride the recordings of Vincent Price, in French or in English as needed!

D&M Note: I have some doubts about this part - to have Vincent Price voice all along the ride - as in fact his voice was recorded only for the part until guests load in the doombuggies and then Price had some lines at the very end of the ride when we face the mirror ghosts but not in-between, which mean that there is no tape existing with Vincent Price voice telling a story all along the ride like the ghost host is doing at DL Haunted Mansion. Which could mean that either DLP Imagineers will find someone else with a voice close to Vincent Price's voice - which is not going to be easy - or that they will be no off voice all along the ride. But in this case why putting on board speakers?

But while i talk on the subject, our doombuggy has already finished his visit ... We finally did not pay attention to all new Melanie appearances and to the new effects that should be added in the ride. Unfortunately, the wait for this new version might take a while and we don't know the date yet... WDI secrets are well kept. But who knows? Maybe by 2017 we will have the luck to ride this new version of Phantom Manor, and in the meantime we'll just have to wait to actually live it.

A famous Pumpkins King have already made an offer to transform Phantom Manor eventually in a winter residence, but that's another story that we'll keep for another day...

 

[AstroDan]

Good.

I hope all of these projects can be accelerated!

Must visit DLP for the 25th!

 

[Rowe]

Through browsing Disney & More's blogposts, I was quite surprised to find this very recent documentary showing the everyday runnings of the parks. It's strange that they blur out the logo on the back of the WDS cast member's jacket though.

 

[Rob]

A couple of bits of DLP news from Loopings. Firstly regarding Space Mountain:

Disney fans are out of luck. Disneyland Paris grabs the prolonged closure of Space Mountain roller coaster not to make big changes. Visitors will after a six-month renovation probably can detect any modification.

Space Mountain is closed on Monday, January 12th for a massive overhaul of half a year. Many regular visitors assumed that the popular indoor rollercoaster would be returned to their original condition, with stylish decorations instead of flashing neon lights and classical music instead of a dance beat.

But the party is canceled for budgetary reasons, please notify usually well established Twitter account InsideDLParis. Also new, more comfortable roller coaster trains, behind the scenes for years worked on, we need reportedly temporarily not expected. There would be technical complications.

So it sounds like a lack of money is stopping Space Mountain getting any big changes which is a shame.

Secondly, new on Big Thunder which is closing for 13 months:

Disneyland Paris is not finished with the closing of major attractions. End of this year must coaster Big Thunder Mountain believe it. The popular attraction is thirteen months closed.

Big Thunder Mountain will remain closed from November 2015 until December 2016. The mine train gets in that period the biggest overhaul since its opening in 1992. One part is replaced by technology, so the capacity will go up and down waiting time.

The 'wildest ride in the wilderness' is also awaiting an upgrade. Disney installs include an interactive queue, and a lot of new securities during the ride, including digital projections. The Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland California in 2013 underwent a similar makeover.

Big Thunder Mountain is the third major attraction at Disneyland Paris that will close this year. Crowd pullers Space Mountain and It's a Small World also get their turn. Both rides in 2015 for six months not operational.

That is a long time, although I believe that BTM in California was closed for 14 months. Hopefully the Paris version gets that really cool effect added to the third lift!

 

[DiogoJ42]

In other words, no one in their right mind would want to visit the place for the next few years.

 

[AstroDan]

It is true, you definitely would want to wait now until the 25th anniversary in 2017 to visit Disneyland Paris.

I find it staggering however that it takes Disney such massive amounts of time to refurbish a ride? I know they will do a good job on BTM... but 13 months? Really?

They need to get Disney Village sorted too. It is horrible. Vile. Disgusting.

In fact, I wasn't really as impressed with DLP in December as I thought I might have been. It was perhaps a *tad* better than April, but not much - and reliability wasn't a whole lot better. Christmas decoration was weak compared with EP.

 

[EuroSatch]

So all those thinking the debt buyout equated to increased investment were wrong if SMM2 refurb is cut due to budget