Originally Posted By gregzzz Dont worry it's really a fun park to visit... And will be better in a few months... The park cost 600 millions dollars and not 400. Queues at the restaurants were not huge on saturday, except the rendez-vous des stars. The other restaurants (backlot express and en coulisse- disneyland style fast foods) had pretty short lines, beacause of the large amount of cashiers. ANd the 3 restaurants are very huge, in comparison to those of the magic kingdom (more easy to find a place to sit down!)
Originally Posted By filipv for lot's more pictures and a complete park guide go to <a href="http://dlp.disneyfans.com/wds" target="_blank">http://dlp.disneyfans.com/wds</a> Soon to come videos of the park. Enjoy
Originally Posted By tiggerspal At MP you are greeted with "All Is Not Well" and here at LP "Everybody Neat And Pretty". I don't understand why they go out of their way to be negative, it's really disheartening. Thanks for the great pictures and text! I'm really glad I've made the switch and now make LP my Disney internet home.
Originally Posted By ni_teach <Is anyone surprised by the two disparate views? > No, because like artwork more than one point of view can be correct when looking at the same thing. Now I would agree that I think that the entrance plaza looks bland, however do to the harsh weather (in the winter) moving most of the action indoors seems like the logical way to go. It does bother me the pictures of exposed cables with just spray paint over them. It doesn’t cost that much to cover them or to put them into pipes. I look forward to seeing more pictures and reports when the park it open to the public.
Originally Posted By woody The entrance is nice, better than DCA. I like its architecture although the paint job is too bland. All the buildings have the same color.
Originally Posted By bhb007 WOW! I'm usually pretty cynical, but the place seems to work for me. I'll be in Paris next spring and plan to really enjoy the new park! I think the line-up of attractions is actually BETTER than MGM's was on opening day. Considering that is now my favorite park, I think things bode well. It will also get me to extend my stay. DLP is great, but can be done by a Disney geek in a day with proper planning (i.e. ME!). The resort will now get an extra night from me and a parkhopper pass. I think I'm not alone and that indicates good things about profitability. And (most important) there is a WORKABLE FRAMEWORK for this to become a top notch park. There's an old saying that you should invest for the long term. Fifty years from now this park can still be growing and improving from the foundation that was set. Not to go negative (I appreciate the attitude of many posters), but I don't get a similar feeling from DCA. I'm curious as to what other LP'rs think. How does this park seem to succeed in ways that others seem to fail?
Originally Posted By Santa Monica that's cool about the Tower of Terror Project DCA thing. And if seeing the same color scheme upon entering a theme park is bad, then Epcot is bland!
Originally Posted By ed-uk Hi - great to read a positive report about WDS, I was there on Saturday too and enjoyed a really full day from 09.10 till 20.20. The weather was what you expect form Paris in Feb - wet, windy and dull with splashes of sunshine mixed in : a realy mixed bag, but the park coped with this - enough indoor atractions to keep you dry. (even if one did get you wet { you will have to try them to find out which}). The frontlot does not appear to me to be all one colour there are lots of shades of yellow / peach all working well with other colours - this article pointed out things I missed (need to go back -soon). Inside Studio 1 - still called Lights Camera Action in the brochures, there is so much to see and enjoy, most people walked straight thro to reach the other side and missed out on this - except when it rained! Can't wait for the rest of your article - I now you will pick up on things I missed & bring back great memories of all the new experiences of the preview day.
Originally Posted By JACoasterman Hmmm, does anyone else feel like DCA should've just been WDS? I mean, I look at this park and think, "why didn't Disney just build WDS here too?" Oh well, I do like DCA, it's just that WDSP sounds and looks so much better. I also would've preferred a RnR over California Screamin, but that's just me. Hopefully the addition of ToT at both parks will draw the crowds. I don't see WDSP having a drawing crowd problem like DCA though, even though there is a lot less to do there. The theme is a way better draw than "California".
Originally Posted By leemac Hi guys Part Two will be up today. It wil cover the Animation Courtyard. ToT is going in and will be in Part Three (Production Courtyard) as there is some really nice touches to the entrance to the attraction that they have already built! On the DCA front, I'm not convinced that the studio theme would have worked in Anaheim. USH has such a big following now and it really would have just looked like a clone. I'm glad they tried something different for DLR, even if not everyone loves the park. I'm sure given time it will be awesome. I really did not enjoy MGM at the opening in 1989, very little to do and not much fun. However, the park has become a fantastic theme park. Given time both DCA and WDSP will follow. On the cost front, I can assure you that the actual construction costs were $412m at today's exchange rate. That is up until Grand Opening. Not included is the ad spend, marketing costs, merchandise manufacturing costs and other start-up costs. The $600m figure is not indicative of the theme park construction costs, but includes everything. Hope that clarifies a few things and I'm really excited that people liked the first part. I hope I can do justice to the rest of the park. We will be continuing to submit updates until after the Grand Opening once everything is on-line!
Originally Posted By Dlmusic So far everything looks nice, but it's kinda stark inbetween attractions. Must say though that the Studio 1 area looks really neat. Sure the park has flaws, but it looks like a more solid start than DCA. However, I can understand most of the critism about the park considering it's next to one of Disney's best (Disneyland Paris). I don't agree with all of it though.
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct <Given time both DCA and WDSP will follow.> EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I look forward to my April visit. Thanks for the pics. What Disneyland Paris is doing is what DCA should have done. A one day WDS ticket gives you "evening access" to Disneyland Paris. This means you enter three hours to park closing. Very smart. The Paris Resort realizes this place is not a full day park. This is something California REALLY botched. I was glad that California was finally offering "park hopping" tickets by the time I made my May 2000 visit. As a side note: I still don't think the California audience "gets" park hopping. I think this concept is a crucial factor in how people enjoy these new parks.
Originally Posted By bhb007 You can go to DLP for 3 hours before close with a Studios ticket? WOW! Again, pure genius... Although the DCA discussion was too bitter for my taste, I think it served a purpose. It seems that lessons were learned and that future parks will be giving a more significant nod to the value expected by customers... And opening WITH a "Hollywood Tower Hotel" gate in place? Again, it says to the visitor "HEY! We're excited about making this a place you want to come back to in the future!" They've done soooo... much right in the opening of this park. Can't wait to hear more!
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct <Hmmm, does anyone else feel like DCA should've just been WDS?> *sigh* I guess it is human nature to always desire what we don't have or is least accesible. DCA looks to be a much more developed park. And the animation building seems to be outstanding compared to WDS's version. It is a trade off I suppose.
Originally Posted By Jim in Pasadena CA dennis-in-ct -- "The Grass is Always Greener" comes to mind too. This Studio Park looks smaller, and far less developed and detailed than DCA. And yet the attitude here seems to be "Well, they only had $400 million, look what they did -- they needed to get this build inexpensively, so they can add more E-Ticket Attractions -- good work guys!" <spotty applause> Yet when it was revealed that DCA was done with a strong eye on budgets, it gets slammed down, sat on, and ground into the dirt. Did anyone notice Aladdin's Carpet Spin? Or the 1/3 length Tram Tour? (by the way, a TRAM TOUR? this is a concept that was copied from the original Universal Studios Hollywood, and then copied again at Universal Florida, then again at Disney-MGM -- and now here) How about the cut down Animation exhibit? And the concentration of merchandise locations? The best thing in this Park seems to be a show. Yes, a stunt show, but a show none the less. Not a big family oriented E-Ticket boat ride with rock work and Audio Animatronics -- but a show. In fact, is there one AA figure in this Park? While I'm not siding for being critical for critical's sake, why isn't anyone crying foul here? And cheap? Instead the attitude seems to be "Ohhh, it's in Paris, look how cute and quaint it is" How do you say 'double standard' in French?
Originally Posted By euroiswe It is funny, but then again there are some of us who didn’t cry foul over DCA, and aren’t crying foul over WDS. Maybe the local fan base for Paris aren’t vocal on these boards, as most of the real criticism seemed to have come locally from DCA. I understand budgets, I understand themeing issues, I’ve seen what a vast expenditure can do (TDS). I wouldn’t describe WDS as cute or quaint. Its fun and interesting, but so then is DCA.
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct <How do you say 'double standard' in French?> EXACTLY <there are some of us who didn’t cry foul over DCA> I left the park in May 2000 saying "I had fun" <Maybe the local fan base for Paris aren’t vocal on these boards> Or perhaps the European attitude isn't so "Buy me, Give me, Get me" like the American audience.
Originally Posted By woody >>How do you say 'double standard' in French?<< Didn't you read the MousePlanet review? It's mostly negative. Cuts in theming and budgets are described in minute detail. At least the cranky French can complain about their DCA import. "Vy are vous breeng-in the awww-fool Ameeri-can paark to Pari?"
