[Pictures] Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

[JDN]

Christmas Marketsspace exploration being possible for man by using enough gun powder to blast us to the moon. As such, the ride starts off in the barrel of a large shotgun mechanism, and the riders are “blasted” up into space with the same magnet propulsion used on the DCA California Screamin’ Coaster. [BeDay clarifies some of my errors: Mission 1 was based on Jules Verne's From Earth to Space with the shot gun, whereas Mission 2 you are catapulted to a supernova. Now that I think about it, last time I rode (mission 1) there was a drawing of a moon with a face on it we were rushing up to. Also, please note the mechanism for the launch is different from the CA Screamin' coaster. See BeDay's post for lots of good information.]







Marine vessels from around Space Mountain (more Joules Verne theme) and Autopia (sponsored by Ford).









Star Tours. Something I don’t usually see at Disneyland in California, cast members are helped maintain a positive body temperature with portable propane heaters.





Main Street and the Castle at night. There was a tree lighting ceremony show, where the tree lights up, then the blue street lamps light up, and it starts to “snow”.











Then there is a show with Mickey and Friends (and dancers), followed by the lighting of the castle. I situated myself in between the stage and the castle, so my pictures are washed out with stage lighting.



Finally, a few pics from the Fantillusion parade.













I put together some video clips of scenes around the park, the tree lighting, the castle lighting, and the castle lighting show.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2D4u9bLBLY"]YouTube- Disneyland Paris December 2009[/ame]

Hope you enjoy!

[DLRP_bopazot]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

I hope you had a great day at Disneyland Paris even with the strikes on Public transport .

Space Mountain wasn't rough this time ? What about Phantom Manor ? Isn't that weird that coming from California and being used to Disneyland Resort . The first thing you see from Outside is DCA's TOT lol .

Sad you couldn't make it to the WDS . This park make DCA more enjoyable for all DL Annual Passholders who complained about this park .

[JDN]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Ha, you are too funny.
There's a little bit more to the story with the RER strike... I left the park before fantillusion began so I could catch the "last train" on the reduced schedule. Turns out it had already left, so I had to talk my way back into the park to catch the parade!

With space mountain, and in fact all of the coasters, I found it interesting that all of them had instances where the coaster vehicles were slowed down on the tracks (on space mountain this was right before going through the middle of the meteor). Indiana Jones had something similar in the middle of the ride. I will say that I found the 2 coasters more intense than what I was used to, but I was willing to write that off to my still adjusting to the 9 hours time difference, and not eating anything that day. Nota Bene: DLP food options are scarce outside of traditional meal windows. Here in the US you can stuff your face with junk food practically 24/7.

Your comment about WDS making DCA look better... haha. I kinda like DCA for what it is. I am also not an annual passholder, as I live ~350 miles away. So in small doses, DCA is just fine. Nothing spectacular, but still full of disney magic.

[Olivier]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Thanks for sharing. Love your pictures

[PhillipA82]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Great pictures

[Goover]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

It's so strange to see Indiana Jones as a basic roller coaster, but the alice maze thing looks super fun!

Thanks for the awesome report!

[OC2Epcot]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Nice pictures. I enjoyed the video, thanks for posting.

[dmtnt55]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Awesome pics, I have never really seen much of DLP.

[Rocker]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Great job on your Trip Report, JDN!

The photos you took of Disneyland Paris were amazing. I really liked your photos from around Main Street, both daytime and nighttime. The City Hall there looks really nice, and much more grander than here in the US.

I also liked the shots of Space Mountain. From what I've heard there are about three inversions (I know I haven't been on it, but it looks really awesome), right? It looks like fun.

Your Big Thunder Mountain photos were awesome, too. I've seen footage of it, and your photo proves it has more detail.

This Trip Report makes me want to go there really bad!

[xalesa]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

This is a really wonderful trip report; thanks for sharing. Great photos!!

[JDN]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Hey Rocker, it was nice meeting you the first weekend in October this past year!

As for space mountain, I was actually enjoying the ride and not being my normal analytic self and logging the track. Maybe if I had gone on more than once... From what I remember there were one or two inversions, ... I can't remember for sure between space mountain and Indiana Jones, but I think there was a loop and a corkscrew. Also, near the end on Space Mountain there was a tube you go trough with neon light where the lights are twisted to give the illusion of you corkscrewing or vortexing or something, similar to the rotating lights on the chain up in DL space mountain.

Thunder Mountain had a slightly more comical scene with the goat.

Did I mention that in Pirates the story is jumbled up from what we're used to? Also, the pillaging scene is more "authentic"... the pirates are chasing the women. In fact, there was a window with shadows of what would appear to be a woman being pushed around and picked up and thrown over the shoulder of a pirate or two! I was too stunned watching to think to grab my camera in time!

[nojarama]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Just beautiful! Thank you for sharing your piccies!

[BeDay]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Hello JDN, and the rest of Miceage/Micechat

I think this is my first post however, there are so many things in the report were i want to comment about. no offense. Just some explanation why things are, the way they are at DLRP.

This is partly true. Indeed there are annual passes which do cost about E90,-. These are however passes with a lot (for paris) of block-out days acces to the park for 300 days. The regular annual pass with park access 365 days a year costs about E190,- (about $285,-). In earlier days, about 2 years ago the mentioned cheap annual passes were only available for people within the greater greater paris area. There is one more pass for about E130,- with 335 access days.

Actually the monogram says EDRR, Euro Disney RailRoad. These are very expensive details to remove or replace. Nevertheless even the cheap details, like a painted Euro disneyland Railroad sign on the Frontierland water tower was only removed 2 weeks ago. Probably the monogram on Main Street station is one of the only physical memories in the parks of the Euro Disney period. People around here (Netherlands) do however still call it informally Euro Disney. The operating company of the Disneyland Paris resort is as well still called Euro Disney SCA.

There are 6 rows/car and 2 cars/train. The attraction is already going forward since 2004, so you haven't been in Disneyland Paris for some time. The backward operation was started in 2000 and lasted until 2004 indeed for just a few years. Space Mountain was build in 1994 (opened 1995) and the rebuilt to space mountain mission 2 was in 2005. So the space mountain claim is pretty false. It is indeed a pretty intense coaster, a standard Intamin. Raging Spirits in TDS is exactly the same lay-out (maybe mirrored, I'm not sure) but indeed more themed. This was indeed the very first Disney coaster with an inversion.

Space Mountain has only 2 real inversion and 1 fake. Rock 'n Rollercoaster has 3 inversion. Disneyland Resort paris is also world leader of the the disney resort with the most inversions.

the only thing I missed was the ride music I love so much at Disneyland.

Did you have no music at all, or did you have different music then the disneyland (anaheim) music? The composition for the new (mission 2) music is of the same composer as the disneyland music. Did I mention that Space Mountain was the first indoor coaster with synchronized ride music? The actual first coaster with synchronized music was Casey Jr. in Disneyland Paris, a powered coaster next to storybookland (Le pays des contes fees). Both rollercoasters are manufactured by the Dutch rollercoaster manufacturer Vekoma.

Actual this is the story of 'mission 1'. The canon (Columbiad canon) is borrowed for mission 2. In mission 1 the journey went to the moon. In mission to we are shot to an exploding supernova. The blast system is far from the same system as California Screamin'. Not only California Screamin' is from a different manufacturer (Intamin) instead of Vekoma. California Screamin' is indeed catapulted with with 'magnets' (LIM or LSM) which is somewhat similar to the launch of Rock 'n Rollercoaster (but not exactly similar). Space Mountain is launched with a catapult system which is similar to the catapult system used on a flight carrier.

Hopefully you had a wonderful time in Disneyland Paris (as the resort is now officially called) and more specific in Disneyland Parc or in english Disneyland Park. I even more hope you had a wonderful time in Europe.

Greetings Barth

[Starshyne]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Thank you so much for sharing your photos and information about DLP! I am going in June and am I a little scared and excited all at the same time! Knowing that the train station is right there was a wonderful thing to share!

I will be there at a busy time, so I hope to get to ride many of the rides you posted here. I am going with my mom, who HATES roller coaters. So if I had to just do one, do you think Space Mountain or Indy???

Sara

[JDN]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

BeDay, Welcome to MiceChat! This was my first post, too!

Thank you so much for all the great information (and clarifications / corrections) to the details I posted. I am definitely not a DLRP expert (I've probably spent less than 10 hours total in the park), but I am a fan, and was just trying to convey some of what I (thought I) knew to those who have even less experience than I do!

In my head, I hadn't figured out that Space Mountain Mission 2 was actually a new version of the same coaster in Paris... I was merging the two together and assumed it was always called mission 2, hence my mixing of the back stories.

I am so glad you chimed in. I hope you will continue to enlighten us with your expertise in the forums!

[JDN]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

So if I had to just do one, do you think Space Mountain or Indy???

Starshyne, if I had to choose, I would do Space Mountain Mission 2. Indy is a decent coaster, but as far as theming and story and such, it is lacking.

Yes, the train station is very convenient. Just get on an RER A train that has the "Disneyland Parc" stop lit up on it. You will also need a ticket for the outer regions, as Disneyland isn't in the "city center", so the ticket is a few more euros than a standard subway ride. Depending how much you will be riding the subway, you might looks into a Paris Visite card for unlimited metro/bus rides for designated number of days. Also, it gets you discounts at museums and disneyland tickets. Hotels in Paris also regularly have tickets for sale, so if you want to save a few euros, shop around to see what the best deal is.

Oh, and one more thing -- I don't know how good your French is, but don't be nervous at all about that in the park... Everyone is very helpful in whatever language you need (it would seem)!!!

[Mac Daddy]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Thanks for sharing these great shots with us, JDN. I really love the look of this park and I hope to visit it some day.

[startours1]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Iv'e never really looked at photos of the other Disney Parks. Paris is totally different than Disneyland and looks totally different than WDW. The Castle though really upsets me. The castles at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are awesome, I saw the castle at Paris and thought "thats the castle? Thats it?" Whats up with Discoveryland? Why isn't it Tomorrowland? It seems like it's a weird Disney park to visit

[davewasbaloo]

Re: Disneyland Paris Dec 11, 2009 - Trip Photos by JDN

Funny, I hate WDW's castle because it looks too much like a fortress than a palace. And IMHO, Discoveryland is a much nicer environment than any of the Tomorrowlands. The differences of DLP is what makes it great. It has the magic of DL, the size of MK (it's actually bigger) and the attention to detail of DAK.

Sadly the park has been in decline for over a decade in terms of watering down the quality, but what the imagineers developed is some of their best work.

And the castle is awesome, especially inside, with the AA dragon in the dungeon and the wonderful tapestry and stained glass work in the gallery. In a place where there are 100's of castles that look like WDW's within an hour or two drive, or like DL's in a few hours, they needed something very different and special.