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Credit: Disneyland ParisImagine flying out to any Disney Park in the world, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland — any of them, paying for your park tickets (which are typically costly, aside from Tokyo Disney Resort), paying for your Disney hotel, only to be told that you should leave the party between the hours of 3 – 10 p.m. each day. This means you would miss fireworks, shows, dinner options, character meet and greets, and the option to ride more attractions, all to avoid crowds.
That is what is currently happening right now at Disneyland Paris.
The Park that started as Euro Disney and then transformed into Disneyland Paris with Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studio Park has grown so much over the past 30 years, and now as the Park continues to expand, we are finally able to kick off the amazing celebrations of the 30th anniversary, which will come to an end on September 30. Sleeping Beauty Castle is now lit with LED lighting, the decor is in place, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the gang have their outfits ready, Illuminations returned, and there is an all-new song for the celebration that sends a party down Main Street, U.S.A.! And that is just the tip of the iceberg; we haven’t even discussed the new drone technology that lit up the night sky.
If you want to know what has changed, in short, there is new packaging on everything, from water bottles to sandwich boxes, Minnie Mouse is looking chic as ever in her new pantsuit, the After Glow show illuminates Sleeping Beauty Castle with an amazing drone experience, The all-new Dream… and Shine Brighter has also debuted, and so much more.
Just yesterday, we reported that Disneyland Paris had new signage asking Guests to stay out of the parks between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day if they want to avoid the large crowds that the theme park boasts. A ticket to Disneyland Paris starts at $119 euros with transportation, so it is highly unlikely that leaving the Park for seven hours is feasible or a good idea for Guests who are visiting Paris and do not live there. It also creates panic for tourists who are coming for the first time, expecting to enjoy their day, and immediately seeing that the theme park is advising them to leave for a majority of the day.
Since the signage was put up, we have started to see that Guests are indeed following the advisory.
Disneyland Paris Guest (@DLPGuestEN) posted, “As DLP advises, it’s 3 PM and we’re leaving Disneyland Park and finish our visit at Walt Disney Studios Park.”
As DLP advises it's 3 PM and we're leaving Disneyland Park and finish our visit at Walt Disney Studios Park. pic.twitter.com/AI5h4GxlFH
— DisneylandParisGuest (@DLPGuestEN) August 14, 2023
It seems that crowding must be a severe issue at Disneyland Paris for the theme park to take such drastic measures. That being said, Guests are of course free to stay until Park close with valid Park entry, regardless of any Park advisory. With transport service to and from Paris currently interrupted, leaving the park early and having to deal with that will likely be a big deterrent for Guests.
Is Disneyland Paris Doing OK?
Things in Disneyland Paris have been a little messy over the past couple of weeks.
At Disneyland Paris, we recently spoke about the closure of two of their parades, ““Dream… and Shine Brighter” and “Disney D-Light” will end permanently on September 30.” Of course, this left many Disneyland Paris Guests devastated, as parades are an essential part of the Disney Park experience.
Now, “The “Disney Jr. Dream Factory” will be closing its doors’ temporality from September 25 to October 20, 2023 included.
This will not be the only show to experience downtime, as “TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure” will not be performed from Nov 6 to Dec 15, 2023. On top of this, there will be several hotel pool closures:
– Disney Sequoia Lodge: Nov 6-17, 2023
– Davy Crockett Ranch: Nov 20-Dec 1, 2023
– Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel: Dec 4-8, 2023
– Disney Newport Bay Club: Dec 11-15, 2023
Recently, we discussed how the shopping experience at the theme park has been completely altered following the receipt ban in France. Paper receipts will no longer be available due to a ban from the French government. Although the cash register receipt, printed automatically after every purchase in a store, was due to be banned in France on January 1, 2023, the measure was subsequently postponed several times. The government finally decided to postpone its effective date for a third time to August 1, 2023.
On a more positive note:
Disneyland Paris opened their newest live show and has undergone multiple changes since it was first announced during last year’s Disney D23 Expo, from its name to its debut date. Initially called Pixar: We Belong Together — likely referencing Randy Newman’s catchy song featured in Toy Story 3 (2010), “We Belong Together” — changed its name to TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure earlier this year. And while the show was initially scheduled to debut on July 8, 2023, its premiere was pushed back to July 15, 2023, likely due to the ongoing Cast Member strikes taking place at Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park — which have forced Disney to lose thousands of dollars.
Disney Parks Blog stated that the Pixar-inspired live musical would combine state-of-the-art stage technology, lighting effects, choreography, and iconic songs from fan-favorite Pixar movies, including Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo (2003), Toy Story, Up (2009), and Coco (2017).
Would you leave a Disney Park early if they advised it due to crowd levels?