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Credit: Disneyland ParisThe latest Annual Passholder party was held at Disneyland Paris last night – but if reviews are anything to go by, it wasn’t Disney’s best work.
First announced in February, Treasure Night saw Disneyland Park transformed into an adventurous scavenger hunt. Each land of the park featured an area only accessible by a secret password (all of which were in French) that guests could discover throughout the park.
Related: Disney Finally Resumes Annual Pass Sales (But There’s a Catch)
Beyond these secret areas, the event also featured four shows and multiple character meet and greets that were touted as rare, exclusive experiences.
It was an ambitious concept, something Disneyland Paris typically does very well. As this writer can attest, Disneyland Paris excels at AP nights and after-hour events, pulling out all the stops character-wise in particular. However, those in attendance at Treasure Night have shared their experiences of last night’s event online – and they weren’t entirely positive.
Low Attendance
Disneyland Paris Annual Passholder events often sell out. This was not one of these events. According to DLP Report, Treasure Night had 7,500 attendees, and tickets were still on sale the day before.
There’s notably been a lot of backlash to the Disneyland Paris Annual Passholder program since it underwent a makeover in 2023. With the Annual Pass replaced by the Disneyland Pass, Passholders have complained that they’re paying more for fewer perks with the removal of the AP park entrance, the premium viewing spots for fireworks and parades (something which now comes with an upcharge for all guests), baggage storage, and a reduced discount at the top tier. If fewer people are buying tickets to Annual Pass events, it’s not unrealistic to assume that’s because there are fewer APs.
Even those with an Annual Pass seemed fairly against the event before it even occurred. Those hoping to buy passes were given misinformation by Disney itself on when tickets would go on sale – and whether they had already sold out – and, once the theme was announced, others dubbed the idea “lazy” and compared the concept (and logo) to Harry Potter.
Rainy Conditions
Even Disney can’t control the rain. However, when an event is a one-off, like Treasure Night, it’s always disappointing when exclusive entertainment gets rained out. Last night saw the parade canceled due to the rain, with downpours from approximately 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Musical encounters on Main Street in torrential rain this evening… for the exclusive Treasure Night evening ✨
#DisneylandParis #DLPLIVE
Les rencontres musicales de Main Street sous une pluie torrentielle ce soir… pour la soirée exclusive Treasure Night ✨️#Disneylandparis #DLPLIVE pic.twitter.com/vqtL6OY0ss
— InsideDlpCastle (@InsideDlpCastle) March 22, 2024
Non-Rare Characters
Throughout the night, guests could meet over 70 characters. While some were regular faces (such as Minnie Mouse and Stitch), others were a little bit rarer, such as the Sultan of Agrabah from Aladdin (1992), Merlin and Arthur from The Sword in the Stone (1963), and Tweedle Dee and Dum.
However, what disappointed guests was the fact that even these rare characters aren’t entirely rare in the context of Disneyland Paris events. “As much as the line-up was fun it lacked [truly] rare Disney Characters,” wrote @CharactersPhotosBlog on X. “All the friends out tonight had already been out in 2023 or 2022 at the latest. Honorable mention for J. Worthington Foulfellow which returned to @DisneylandParis since 2020, but can be found in other parks.”
Attendees also reported seeing some characters in the park twice, just in different costumes. For example, @ED92Magic spotted Minnie Mouse twice: once in her princess fit and again in a blue and gold gown.
Do you have an Annual Pass for Disneyland Paris or any other Disney theme park? Let us know in the comments!