Originally Posted By Malin DLP has been promoting tickets for the show on Facebook today. And I'm rather tempted to book tickets for the show for my upcoming trip. Just one question though has anyone checked the show out since the introduction of Mickey & Friends and has this hurt the original show in anyway?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo WE have not yet, but Jessie want's to go for her birthday, so I can let you know how it is in a couple of weeks. UKFAN went, I think he posted about it a while back and was not complementary. That makes me nervous. A lot of folks on the DIS boards seem to love it, but they seem to love everything. What I always loved about the show was how it felt totally like an authentic reproduction. Therefore I was really unhappy about the rubber heads coming in.
Originally Posted By Malin *** WE have not yet, but Jessie want's to go for her birthday, so I can let you know how it is in a couple of weeks. *** I would love to get your feedback on the show. Many are saying the Characters only have a small role to fill in the show. And that they presence is rather low key. We can hope.
Originally Posted By u k fan I saw it last April, just after it had opened. I'll find my review and post it, but Dave's right it ain't pretty!!!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss The old show was great. But like DLP's Space Mountain, they couldn't leave well enough alone.
Originally Posted By u k fan From DLRP Review (interestingly despite being over a year old my review is still the most recent). <<<Ok, so here’s my review of the new show. The good part is that we saved some money by using our premium dining plan vouchers. We paid an extra 12 euros for premium seats. The bad part is… To start,I know that the characters involvement is controversial, but the experience as a whole was lacking. There was a character meet n greet set up in the bar, but we didn’t linger so I have no clue who was there or for how long. The preshow was much much shorter than I previously remember it. Three audience members were dragged on stage to mime to a short burst of the Blues Brothers. This was a huge downgrade from some of the genuinely talented acts who’ve filled this slot before. We were then taught “Y’all Come” (or whatever it’s called) by the band who were accompanied on stage by Goofy, who seemed to serve no other purpose than to remind us that characters would be present. It was then time to enter the arena. We were seated in Red River Colorado (we were originally assigned to Green, but Mum asked to swap as we’d been Green before). We were seated on the front row about half way along the arena on a table of 4. It was a perfect view, but not the perfect place to sit as it turned out for reasons I’ll explain later. As a premium ticket holder we were treated to a non-alcoholic cocktail at our table. If by non-alcoholic cocktail they mean half a glass of Five Alive then they certainly delivered. As people took their seats it was genuinely sad to see whole rows left completely empty. I’d say it played to less than half capacity in the end (this was a 9:30 show). There was a very vocal group of teens who were celebrating a birthday in the Greens and without them the wait for the show to start would have been very boring. The show started in the usual way, but very quickly Auguste(sp?) introduced us to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Chip n Dale. I can’t remember the context, but it was along the lines of them presenting it I think. Anyway, they went away and the show continued as normal. Meanwhile on the service front, as we were at the very end of a section on our own we were often overlooked for drinks etc. as the jugs were empty before they got to us and the didn’t come back. Through the whole show my Dad on the very end got one refill of Coke and that was because we called a server over. Likewise with the food everyone else would be half way through theirs while we were still waiting. Whilst we’re talking about the food it was mediocre at best. I’ve never considered the food part of the draw at BB’s, but with the show so bad now it’s got to step up to the plate and sadly it didn’t. The potatoes were horrible (none of us ate them) and the meat was merely ok. Anyway, on the show front everything was going along nicely (atmospheric Red Indians etc.) until Annie Oakley came out. Her part has always been a bit hokey, but the inclusion of Mickey and Minnie to hand over the medal for the best shot was completely unecessary and just slowed things down. It also gave me my first clue that the characters would be around more than I’d hoped. As expected the characters came out during the campfire singsong and led us in a few choruses of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” amongst others. Needless to say this went over real well with the 9:30pm crowd of mostly adults. This section went on far too long. Obviously they have to give us time to eat, but it was boring ultimately. When the games began the characters stuck around and kind of acted as unofficial mascots for the different ranches, but their purpose on stage was never really explained. During this part the Rodeo Clowns did their best to keep the half-empty arena enthuised and they did a good job, but I don’t remember them being so mean-spirited before. The Green Clown took my Dad’s hat and stomped on it. I was not impressed. I noticed the Blue Clown doing similar as well. As it turned out our ranch won, but they really struggled to find volunteers to go on stage. Back on the food/drink front they took our cold drinks away half-drunk to bring round the coffee (which the server knew we wouldn’t be drinking) so we were drinkless for the rest of the night. They did this in stealth mode whilst we were watching the show so it was done before we could say anything. The show then carries on with the heist with Mickey et al getting in on the act at the end. I’m a bit patchy on the ending as if I’m honest I’d started to lose interest. The moving finale is still intact, but I do remember Mickey and pals coming out at least once more before the end. Ultimately, the show was lacklustre. The best bits were the atmospheric moments with the Red Indians and the finale (read: the bits they left alone), but ultimately the characters killed any kind of atmosphere that could have been present. This was only made worse by two things; first, the shows small audience and second, the fact that some of the performers seemed like they were going through the motions. There was no sense of excitement like there had been before. I could barely care if our medicine ball made it to the stage let alone into the basket. What enthuisiasm there was seemed forced and unnatural. This coupled with the mediocre food and poor service made this show the lowlight of our trip. I really feel like we wasted the chance of a good meal elsewhere. The whole of my party felt the same. I spoke to a couple of retail CM’s in the Village after the show and they all agreed that the show was better before. As an epilogue, I had a customer satisfaction survey waiting for me when I got back (I hadn’t been in the park 10 minutes on my first day before I was asked if I would give them my email address) and I certainly made sure they knew what I thought. I would rather they ripped it out and replaced it than let it mosey off into the sunset like this.>>> Don't know if it's changed since then...!!!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Question: was the Wild West show losing audience before the change, or was it usually full?
Originally Posted By u k fan This was the first time I'd seen it without it being either full or just about, but I gather these changes were made because of declining sales. I think they should have kept the late show as is. The characters really didn't work for the mostly adult audience and added nothing!!!
Originally Posted By Malin *** Question: was the Wild West show losing audience before the change, or was it usually full? *** I attended a show back in November 2008 and the place was 30% full. I can understand why changes to the format needed to be done. But introducing Characters was probarely not the best move here. I think a new show would of been better suited than keeping with the Buffalo Bill's theme. A Pirates of the Carribean dinner show for instance would of been much more interesting. Thanks for the review UK Fan. I have to admit I am not getting any urges from what you have writen to buy tickets. Will wait until DaveWasBaloo gets back with his thoughts. But its likely we'll be giving this one a miss. Just one question do the Characters have speaking parts? Because I cringe everytime I hear a Character talk in any languege thats not English.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<I attended a show back in November 2008 and the place was 30% full.>> <<the food it was mediocre at best. I’ve never considered the food part of the draw at BB’s>> I bet they would have done better by improving the food instead of changing the show.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<<I bet they would have done better by improving the food instead of changing the show.>>> Thay certainly should have made the changes more "adult" characters just don't work in a show who's main audience is adults. The characters certainly do speak. I think mostly in English, but I can't really remember!!!
Originally Posted By Malin I thought the food was actually high standard for a dinner show. I think the show's problems are more to do with the creative end and most Guest's not being in a position to buy four tickets to see the show. Disney should consider giving all kids free tickets to the show or offering some sort of family combo package. *** The characters certainly do speak. I think mostly in English, but I can't really remember!!! *** Well I may give this show a chance than. Seeing the likes of Mickey and Goofy talk in French is really off putting at times. To be honest I'm really curious about the show now. So will likely book a ticket tonight. It may turn out to be a pile of crap. But its still an alternative to being stuck in the hotel or spending money on merchandise I don't really need inside the Village.
Originally Posted By u k fan ^^^If we hadn't have had meal vouchers I doubt we'd have gone (mostly because we'd seen it before). I'll be interested to hear your thoughts - I'm hoping the quality is better, but when I was there it was poor all round!!!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Worrisome, as this is the special treat Jessie asked for to celebrate her birthday. Plus it used to be my fav thing in the whole resort (yes, even more than the parks)
Originally Posted By Malin So I have just finished purchasing my tickets online though the Disneyland Paris website. Will be attending a 18.30 showing in September. But looking at the prices I'm not really suprised this show has been struggling to fill seats. £ 52.00 is what it will cost you per adult. The show does have another seating option for £63.00 that will include a better seat and a few extra treats. Including a alcoholic cocktail. I'm thinking if the show is as bad as we keep hearing than I can always get drunk on the cocktail and free beer. May make the show a little more bearable to watch. But being serious £52 x 2 Adults + £40 x 2 children = £184 for your average family of four to see this show. With the heavy discounts and meal plans Disneyland Paris is attracting people who do not have high incomes and unfortunately do not have the sort of money to splash out £184 to watch the show.
Originally Posted By u k fan The price is extreme. As above, we only went last year as we were on one of the meal plans. Having seen the show once I wouldn't pay full price again!!!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Actually, the show was packed out every night we were there. ANd I do still feel it is very good value, but even better if you are there as an APer during your birthday: It was a real mixed bag, but overall we still enjoyed it (and the kids loved it). The preshow with a Blue Brother number was an awful travesty. Also, you can no longer see the horses while waiting (guessing bad guest behaviour may have been a risk). There is a Mickey Photo opportunity which is fine (and in the early years they used to do character meet and greets anyway). The new band with a female singer were good, and Goofy being a part of that act was fine. Food was very good, although I am very partial to the menu - mmmmmm chilli and corn bread and ribs, yummy. The show, well the traditional aspects were great as always. The character in the sing song season really has dumbed it down, but the characters are in English and the kids loved it (even if it felt like putting ketchup on a good steak). The characters during the games were fine though. Overall, if they gave it a little more thought and dare I say use American sensibilities rather than a French take on American culture, the delivery could have been stronger. Or maybe do the character thing first show and the original for the late show (like the Luau in WDW), would be better too. But the place was sold out most nights and we had to book in advance to get our seats. The great news for us, is that for AP holders there within 7 days of their birthday get free tickets. As our visit was within 7 days for my daughter and wife's birthdays, that means effectively we got in for half price. I think if someone has never seen BBWWS, like everything else at Disney, they will love it. If you are a fan of the original, it is a bitter pill to swallow. In this case, this BBWWS is better than no BBWWS, but it is another example of Disney's annoying trend to aim mainly at the stroller/pushchair set. And is one of multiple examples of where the restaurants are dumbing down.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I think the pricing issue is more to do with the £ vs the €. Before going to DLP, we thought their prices had really gone up. But having spent €30 on McD's off site for the 4 of us and €80 on Chinese, then BBWWS is still pretty good value compared to the other Disney dining options.
Originally Posted By Malin *** BTW Malin, the coctail is NON Alcoholic. *** Noooo but to be honest I never drink Alcohol while at Disney anyway. Unless its a glass of wine or a beer with a meal. I feel its totally unacceptable for anyone to be drinking alcohol in a family environment like Disneyland Paris. This is why I'm happy with the decision to close Hurricane's.
