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Credit: DisneyIn a major blow to both Guests and Disney, direct train services have been cut off from two Disney Parks.
Since opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris has welcomed Guests from around the world with the usual blend of rides, restaurants, characters, and Disney magic. Its first Park – Disneyland Park – currently ranks as the most-visited theme park in all 0f Europe, while its second Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, sits in seventh place.
The Resort is currently in the middle of a major facelift, starting with the transformation of Disney’s Hotel New York into Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel and the opening of Marvel’s Avengers Campus at Walt Disney Studios Park. The Park is also set to receive two new lands in the next few years, including one inspired by the world of Frozen (2013), while the Resort’s flagship hotel – Disneyland Hotel – is getting a regal princess makeover.
As with any new addition to a Disney Resort, the goal is to ultimately lure in more new and returning Guests. However, it just got a little bit harder for one of Disneyland Paris’ main demographics – British tourists – to visit their nearest Disney Park.
On June 5, the direct Eurostar train to Marne-la-Vallee (the station next to the theme park) departed from London St Pancras for the last time at 10.34 a.m.
Since 1996, the train has offered Guests a quick and easy way of reaching Disneyland Paris from the UK. Now, however, Guests hoping to visit by train will need to change at either Paris Gare du Nord or Lille, making the trip not only longer and more complicated but likely more expensive.
Eurostar announced the decision last year, putting the route’s cancelation down to its post-pandemic financial recovery. “We need to focus on our core routes to ensure we can continue to provide the high level of service and experience that our customers rightly expect,” a spokesperson said.
Another major factor is Britain’s departure from the European Union, which adds more complexity to the newly proposed EU Entry-Exit (EES) system. This is expected to involve travelers from non-EU countries – which now includes those from the UK – scanning their fingerprints and having their picture taken to register their arrival in any EU member state.
Disneyland Paris is currently in the middle of mass strikes as Cast Members push for higher pay and better working conditions. With the Park’s management stating that it will not reassess its workers’ pay until August and the strikes only growing in numbers and severity, there’s a rough road ahead for Guests hoping to visit Disneyland Paris this summer.