A year after his untimley death Michael Jackson is back in 4D form at Disneyland Paris. As predicted by those in the know  at www.dlrp.today way back in April the Francis Ford Coppola produced film ‘Captain EO ‘ has now taken the place of Honey I Shrunk the Kids in Discoveryland in the Disneyland Park.

Originally this was a staple favourite in various Disneyland Parks through the 80’s and 90’s  coinciding with the height of  Michael Jackson’s commercial success  and at the time of being made was ,on a per minute basis, the most expensive film every made at a whopping $1.76 million per sixty seconds.

Captain EO returns to Disneyland Paris

The 4D refers to the fact that as  well as the 3D screen effects there are physical effects in the actual auditorium - I won’t spoil it for you.

I wont spoil the story for you  - so worth checking out.

It looks as if Captain Eo is being rolled out relatively very quietly across the globe with Disneyland Tokyo getting it’s grand opening on the 2nd July 2010.

Usually our friends at Disneyland Paris are fairly forthcoming with info on changes to the parks but this was not the case this time and we had to request information ourselves  - maybe they do not want anything to detract from the New Generation Festival….Either way its definitley another reason to get over to Disneyland Paris this Summer  - Don’t forget the up to 40% discount offer closes for bookings on the 20th July and is selling fast……..

Whilst I may be getting a little ahead of myself , I am sure the the England Team can follow Rafael’s Nadal’s example by visiting Disneyland Paris the day after winning a major sporting event.  According to ESPN Nadal celebrated his victory at The French Open on Sunday by visiting Disneyland Paris and checking out attracions and teh charaters from Disney’s New Generation Festival.

Rafael Nadal celebrates in Disneyland Paris

Apparently he tried out Pirates of the Carribean and It’s a Small World -  fairly tame rides  - I certainly feel the England team shudl celebrate with some more robust attractions  - Spaced Mountain - Rocked and Rolled Rollercoaster or maybe a quick go on Tower of Terror - any other ideas gratefulyy received.

Following on from the two year 15th Birthday Celebrations at Disneyland Paris, this year the resort will host Mickeys Magical Party. Disney listened to feedback from guests and decided that the idea of a party would be more likely to encourage their target audience to visit. This was against ideas like running specific themes through the Parks… which may be used in the future. So I can’t say.

Mickey

The successes of the 15th Birthday Celebrations of Disneyland Paris have been extended with the characters being more accessible and interacting with guest more - Stitch DJ’ing (It’s Dancetime in Discoveryland) and Minnie Mouse hosting a mini-train full of characters up and down Main Street ( Minnie’s Party Train). There will also be a further integration of the Pixar characters following Disney’s purchase of Pixar in 2006, helping to make the Disney Parks more relevant to guests who maybe don’t have as much affinity with Mickey, Goofy, Donald et al (I am now going to be struck down by the Disney ‘Higher Powers’ but it’s true).

There has been a little discomfort in some Disney Paris blogs about how this will manifest itself in the Parks and that it may appear tacky.

My feeling is that Disney, in the current climate, has to concentrate on making the product more affordable - we have seen great sucesss with the discounts and offers that they have introduced into the UK market which have had a huge positive effect on our sales. These have to be continued in one way or another to encourage guests to book (and I think that Disney themselves do appreaciate this).

The marketing/production of Mickey’s Magical Party does look as if it will give those who have travelled before a reason to travel again but I feel that the success of the 15th Celebrations had more to do with the offer of Unders 7’s Going Free than it did anything else.

Whilst the headline figures of good growth on Eurostar traffic and revenue are impressive, they do hide a slightly different story. Up until the Channel Tunnel fire of September 11th, figures were up 21% year-on-year. Post that, revenue and passengers have been largely flat. Most concerning for Eurostar will be the reduction in full-fare business travellers who are either now buying cheaper ticket types or …dare one say it - choosing to fly instead.

As well as the general economic malaise, a consequence of the Channel Tunnel disruption is that journey times have increased (albeit to pre-St Pancras opening delays). These increased travel times could be dissuading business travellers from using Eurostar. Whilst Eurostar are stating that there has not yet been a drop off in UK leisure travellers, it remains to be seen whether this continues.

Our experience is that prior to January, sales were considerably up year-on-year, but have slowed since. Although particular destinations such as Disneyland Paris have remained buoyant. As always, it’s just important to look beyond the headlines.

Here’s the first in a series of regular blogs on how to get the best out of a trip to Europe’s magical Kingdom.

The UK provides the biggest number of non-French visitors to the Parks with approximately an equal volume travelling by air, driving themselves, and those arriving by Eurostar.

From experience, and because it’s the most convenient, I usually travel by Eurostar. The journey is just over 2 ½ hours and the station (Marne Le Vallee) is right at the entrance to the parks (with lovely yellow, regular buses just outside to take you to your hotels). This way you can make the most of your time there.

Book as far ahead as possible – there is only one direct service a day departing from St Pancras (with a scheduled stop at Ashford) and returning from Disney at about 19:30. This service does book very early, especially at peak times weekends, school holidays and when Disney run one of their promotions. Eurostar are very much in line with the low cost airlines, in that the earlier you book, the better the deal you are likely to get.

Travel via Lille – Another way to arrive by rail is to use the ‘indirect service‘. This means taking Eurostar to Lille (as well as being able to travel from St Pancras or Ashford, you can travel from Eurostar’s new station at Ebbsfleet near Bluewater Shopping centre) and then hop onto a fast SNCF train taking you direct to Disney. There are numerous connections and a half hour ‘transit’ time is enough. Sounds like a hassle, but I have travelled this way twice and my wife has done it with my two young sons by herself. It’s made easier by having lifts from the platforms to the station concourse and also having a train plan on the platforms so you wait exactly in place for your carriage. If you are travelling back from Disney via Lille you’ll go through passport control and security at Lille. Again, it’s no hassle.

A Guide to Disneyland Paris, image courtesy padrian2, Flickr

Final tip is to consider using the service known as Disney Express. With this (only available on the direct Eurostar service), your bags are taken from the train to your hotel, allowing you to go directly to the parks when the train arrives at about 12:30. Your luggage is then waiting for you to take to your room when you check in at your chosen hotel. On the way back, you check out in the morning of departure and then head off to the parks, collecting your luggage at the station ready for your journey home. This works especially well if you have a lot of baggage or if you are just taking a short break to Disneyland Paris - either one or two nights. The service costs £12 cost per adult and no charge for children…

Look out for our self drive and flying tips, coming soon.