One of the most popular attractions in France is Disneyland Paris. This is a fabulous place where a huge number of children and adults are drawn like a magnet. The park is located in the suburbs of Paris, in the small town of Marne-la-Vallée.

The most convenient way to get to Disneyland is by commuter train. This will take about half an hour and will avoid numerous traffic jams.

Below are 10 interesting facts about Disneyland Paris that will help you understand why this park is so popular. So, here we go:

Disneyland opening date

Disneyland Paris opened in April 1992.

Disneyland area

In addition to two theme parks, Disneyland has a golf course, as well as a large number of restaurants and hotels.

Age of Disneyland visitors

Tested for myself - once in Disneyland, even an adult turns into a child. By the way, the oldest visitor to the amusement park was 106 years old.

Alcoholic drinks at Disneyland

Interestingly, Disneyland Paris is the only Disneyland in the world that sells alcoholic beverages.

Queues at Disneyland

There are a lot of people at Disneyland at any time of the year, so there are huge queues for the most popular attractions. In this case, a fast pass can help. This is a ticket that says when you need to go to the attraction you are interested in.

Popularity rating of Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris is the most popular attraction in Europe, ahead of the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Colosseum and other attractions. In addition, the Parisian amusement park ranks fourth on the list of the world's most visited attractions. The first three places are occupied by Disneyland in California, Florida and Tokyo.

The size of Disneyland Paris

Disneyland occupies an area equal to a fifth of Paris. Therefore, at the entrance to the park you just need to take a map. It is compiled in different languages ​​(including Russian) and is free.

The most popular attraction at Disneyland Paris

The most popular attraction in the park is the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which is visited by six and a half million people a year.

Opening hours of Disneyland Paris

Disneyland is open seven days a week. Every day, around 5 p.m., the famous parade of cartoon characters begins.

Photos at Disneyland Paris

On many attractions you are filmed by specially installed cameras. There are screens at the exit where you can see yourself from different angles and print the image you like for a fee.

By the way, our tourists, as a rule, do not bother with printing and simply photograph their image on the screen. This saves you from standing in line for a photo, and is also free.

Disneyland Paris is not the most prominent tourist attraction in France, but it provides a great opportunity for parents and children to have fun. Visitors (mostly families) flock to the park to be frightened in the chilling Tower of Terror, dive with Captain Nemo, ride at a speed of 70 km/h on the Space Mountain rocket, shake Winnie the Pooh's paw, and share the festive atmosphere with their favorite characters Disney: Mickey and Minnie, Buzz and Woody, Donald and Goofy. And the children always seem to have little. As the advertising slogan states, at Disneyland "the fun never ends."

Disneyland Paris is famous for its animatronics (artificial characters that move and talk), good service, large crowds, long lines, high prices, and its commitment to bringing out the Disney magic as fully as possible: employees are not "staff" but "actors" of the park. kept in perfectly clean condition, everything works like a perfectly oiled machine. For example, you can't find two identical Disney characters within sight. The focus of Disneyland is, of course, on children, but their parents are just as welcome.

With 15 million visits in 2010, Disneyland Paris overtook the Eiffel Tower as the French capital's most popular tourist attraction. It is the most visited theme park in Europe and the fourth in the world. But the path to success of the first European Disneyland was not easy.

Euro Disney, as the park was known when it opened in 1992, suffered a great deal of criticism and ridicule, especially in France, where building an American-style theme park was considered a manifestation of cultural imperialism. Many were afraid that the arrival of Mickey Mouse and his friends would be a real test for French national pride. The chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Michael Eisner, was pelted with eggs by French protesters and greeted with signs saying “Mickey, go home!” (Mickey, Go Home!) Journalists accused Euro Disney of everything from cultural imperialism to the death bell of French culture, and even called it a “cultural Chernobyl.”

During the first three years of Euro Disney's operation, it was in difficult financial straits. Many Europeans felt that Disney's vision of a good time - high ticket prices, an alcohol-free park with unbearably long lines and tasteless fast food - did not quite match their idea of ​​a quality holiday. Rules that worked in the United States (no alcoholic beverages in the park's restaurants) did not work in Europe, where beer and wine are a mandatory part of the meal. It is not surprising that with this state of affairs, Euro Disney was unable to attract the necessary millions of visitors and billions of francs that its creators had hoped for.

What Euro Disney failed to do, Disneyland Paris did quite well. Ticket prices were reduced, alcoholic beverages were allowed, the number of attractions was increased, the name of the park was changed, and this strategy worked. Within a few years, it had become France's most important tourist attraction, which is not easy to achieve for the world's No. 1 travel destination.

Disneyland Paris consists of:

Disneyland Park

Walt Disney Studios Park

Disney Village shopping area, consisting of shops and restaurants

Golf courses and hotels.

Disneyland Park has forty-nine attractions in five themed lands. It is built in the shape of a wheel with a central one on the square in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, from where the alleys, like spokes in a wheel, diverge into five thematic zones:

Main Street, U.S.A.
Age of the Wild West (Frontierlands)
Adventureland
Fantasyland
Discoveryland

Main Street, U.S.A.

After purchasing tickets and entering Disneyland Paris, visitors find themselves on Main Street USA. It looks a little different here than at other Disney theme parks around the world. The decoration of the building facades is more reminiscent of the 1920s than the turn of the 20th century. Electric trams were initially planned to replace horse-drawn trams, which would have been more in keeping with the urban atmosphere of the 1920s, but this plan was later abandoned.

Another feature that sets Main Street USA apart from other Disney theme parks around the world is the presence of covered walkways on both sides of the street called arcades. The decision to build them was made taking into account the often cool and rainy weather of Paris.

In all other respects, Main Street USA looks little different from other theme parks: shops, cafes, restaurants, city hall, cinema, fire station, train station, old double-decker buses, horse-drawn trams, fire trucks, cars.

Age of the Wild West (Frontierlands)

Designed in the style of the 19th century American Wild West, this themed area is home to cowboys, homesteaders, saloons, period shops and red rocks reminiscent of the Gold Rush era. Like Main Street USA, Wild West Era displays many advertisements from the period.

Wild West Era at Disneyland Paris is the largest of all such Disney theme parks around the world. On its territory they created an artificial river called the Far West, on which there are two steamships Molly Brown and Mark Twain. There is also a pier for river keelboats. They were once found at Disneyland Orlando and Disneyland California. Today they remain only in Disneyland Paris. Keel ships were widely used to transport goods during the Wild West. Usually, they moved along the river with the help of oars. At Disneyland, they all have engines, and tourists are invited to take a trip on them.

Big Thunder Mountain

Located in the Wild West era, Big Thunder Mountain is one of the five most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris. The average waiting time in line is 90 minutes, even for Fast Pass ticket holders. The main action takes place on the island and is based on a complex backstory about the city of Thunder Mesa, the founding and prosperity of which is associated with the discovery of gold deposits by Henry Ravenswood in 1849.

An old train takes participants into a long, dark tunnel under a Far Western river and then begins a journey on Big Thunder Island, during which spectators see abandoned mine shafts and travel through the tunnels. Unlike most other roller coasters, whose appeal lies in the sensation of going fast in an open space, the thrill of Big Thunder Mountain comes from the dilapidation of its tunnels and the threat of collapse. On April 22, 2011, the threat of collapse became a reality when a piece of fiberglass simulating rock struck a train and injured five passengers. Participants are photographed during the journey and photographs can be purchased at the end of the trip.

Haunted House (Phantom Manor)

To better understand the essence of Disneyland's popular Haunted Mansion, it is necessary to delve into its backstory. Settler Henry Ravenswood discovered gold deposits on Big Thunder Mountain and founded a mining company and town of the same name. Ravenswood became wealthy and built a luxurious Victorian manor high on a hill overlooking Big Thunder Mountain, where he lived with his family and raised his daughter Melanie.
There were rumors that there was a Thunder Bird living on Big Thunder Mountain. According to legend, her anger could cause a terrible earthquake, but Ravenswood did not believe this story. As time passed, the gold reserves on Big Thunder Mountain became depleted. To extract gold, miners had to penetrate deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth.

Melanie grew up and became engaged to a train driver who, much to Henry's dismay, intended to travel far away with her. Henry Ravenswood did everything he could to stop the wedding, but all his attempts were in vain until a terrible earthquake struck, killing Henry along with his wife Martha.

On Melanie's wedding day, a mysterious, unknown Phantom appeared in the house. As Melanie prepared for the wedding in her room, the Phantom lured her groom into the attic and hanged her.

The bride was sitting alone in the large hall. The hours passed, but the groom did not appear. The guests slowly left and Melanie was left alone in the house. “Someday,” she said to herself, “he will come.” Never taking off her wedding dress and always holding a bouquet, waiting for her beloved to return, she wandered aimlessly through the rooms of the house and sadly sang songs about lost love.

The ghost was in the house all the time and made fun of her deep feelings for her beloved. One by one, he invited his dead friends from that world, and they joined the eternal party.

Years passed. Inside and out, the house slowly fell into disrepair. Dusty cobwebs covered every inch of the house, the maids did not care about their duties. There were rumors that Melanie had gone crazy. She wandered the rooms for years, quietly singing songs about her fiancé, while demons and ghosts danced and rejoiced around her. Every corner in the house reminded her of the failed wedding. The Phantom's constant laughter penetrated the walls of the house all the time.

The house became covered in mold and fell completely into disrepair. As if anticipating the presence of evil spirits in the house, not a single living soul appeared here anymore. Melanie continued to live in hopes of her lover's return, and never understood why he left. Poor Melanie never left this house, and waited in it for her beloved until the last day of her life.

Many fans of the attraction believe that the Phantom is Melanie's father, Henry Ravenswood, who is taking revenge from the other world. Others believe that it is an evil spirit and that a curse has fallen on the young girl.

Walking through a haunted house is the essence of this attraction. Participants witness Melanie's lonely cry, the Phantom's maniacal laughter, the faint clinking of glass and the voices of party guests, a piano playing without a pianist, the reflection of a spirit in a mirror instead of seeing itself in it. Participants spend most of their time in doombuggies—black, one-by-one seats that move visitors around the house.

Adventureland

World of Adventure recreates the jungles of Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. Recreating an exotic jungle in a place where winter is sometimes very harsh is not an easy task. This was the reason why there was no Jungle Cruise attraction, as most of the animated animals would have been affected by bad weather.

The Adventure World consists of four thematic zones:

The first part - Adventureland Bazar - recreates an eastern city based on the fairy tale “A Thousand and One Nights”.
the second part of the Adventure World resembles Africa and consists mainly of shops and restaurants
the third part introduces the mysterious Asian jungle, the site of the popular attraction Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
The last and largest part is occupied by the area of ​​Central and South America, the site of another popular attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the five most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris. Participants in this indoor shipboard attraction are immersed in a lifetime of pirate adventures, with cannons firing, cannonballs exploding, buildings burning, swords clashing, pirates carousing and plundering, battles between sea robbers and soldiers, all accompanied by the iconic song, "Yo Ho." (A pirate's life for me).
Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Paris does not reflect the actual characters from the famous film and has many other differences from the original, which sets it apart from all similar attractions at other Disney theme parks around the world.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Danger

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Danger (Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril) is a roller coaster ride based on the Indiana Jones films. Participants will travel in miner's vans through the wild jungle, into the ruins of a temple, a lot of turns and, finally, an inversion - as they move, participants are turned upside down. Duration of the trip is 1 minute 30 seconds, length 599.8 meters, height 43 m, maximum speed 75.6 km / h.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland has a number of Disney movie-themed attractions, but the main attraction in this part of the park is Sleeping Beauty Castle, an iconic symbol of Disneyland Paris.

The castles at Disneyland in the United States are architecturally based on medieval palaces in Europe. For Disneyland Paris, this approach would be too banal and would hardly help visitors to be transported into a fantasy world. Therefore, they considered options from slightly modified versions of existing Disney castles to radically different buildings on the site of a traditional castle. Disney designers copied the spire of the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel (located on the island of the same name in Normandy) with a number of illustrations from the 15th century manuscript "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry", the result was probably the most beautiful Disney castle in the world. Each castle tower is topped with pinnacles or weather vanes. Each one is unique, skillfully created by French craftsmen using traditional methods.

In the basement of Sleeping Beauty Castle there is a dragon, 27 meters long from head to tail - the largest animatronic (capable of movement and sound) figure in the world at the time of the opening of Disneyland Paris in April 1992. Inside the building there is

A gallery illustrating the story of Sleeping Beauty in tapestries, stained glass and drawings;
shop selling Christmas decorations (open all year round);
another store specializing in handmade glassware.

It's a small world

Located in Discoveryland, It's a Small World is one of the five most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris. It consists of more than 300 animatronic dolls representing children from all continents of the planet. Participants on boats sail through a tunnel into a huge building and return from there fifteen minutes later. They see animatronic dolls in traditional costumes singing together the song "It's a Small World (After All)", each in their own language. The boats sail and show their visitors different regions of the world, emphasizing that the world is small and interconnected.

Discoveryland

The Discoveryland themed area at Disneyland Paris shares many similarities with other similar lands at other Disney parks around the world (called Tomorrowland) with an emphasis on the future through the eyes of famous European thinkers and writers Leonardo da Vinci, H.G. Wells, but especially the founder of science fiction by Julie Verne.

Space Mountain: Mission 2

Discovery Land's most popular attraction is Space Mountain: Mission 2, a roller coaster with a travel-in-space theme. It is one of the five most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris, and is based on Jules Verne's novel From the Earth to the Moon (1865). Unlike other similar attractions around the world, this version has an imposing appearance with a huge Columbiad (spaceship), all in keeping with the futuristic design of Discoveryland.

First, the train takes participants inside the Columbiad. The countdown begins before the start, and the train rushes up towards the Moon. Travelers encounter cosmic comets and asteroid fields. They reach the top of their journey and then head back towards Earth, crossing fields of molten asteroids. Space Mountain: Mission 2 is an inversion ride (turns participants upside down as it moves). Dizziness from driving fast is guaranteed. The duration of the trip is 2 minutes 18 seconds, the maximum height is 43 meters, the maximum speed is 75.6 km/h.

Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast

Located in Discoveryland, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast is also one of the five most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris. Its plot is based on the Disney computer animated film Toy Story 2 (1999) and revolves around the evil Emperor Zurg's attempts to steal the batteries needed to power the spacecraft of the "little green men". Buzz Lightyear's mission is to protect the Universe from the machinations of Zurg and his team with the help of blasters. Participants join Buzz Lightyear and help him destroy space robots.

The attraction combines elements of a shooting gallery and an indoor attraction (premises with simulated movement in space). Participants sit in cars that move in a chain along a track hidden under the floor. Each of the cars is equipped with two laser pistols and a joystick. Pistols are used to fire laser beams at objects, which are scored with a different amount of points. Targets hit while illuminated are scored with a much higher score. The digital display on the dashboard shows the number of points accumulated. Goals of different shapes are scored accordingly: circle 100 points, square 1000, diamond 5000, triangle 10,000. The results of the top 10 players are displayed on the scoreboard at the exit, as well as an image of the winner's face.

Walt Disney Studios Park

On March 16, 2002, Walt Disney Studios Park opened its doors (a decade after the opening of Disneyland Paris). Disney studios were planned to open back in 1996, but the Euro Disney financial crisis made significant adjustments to the company's plans. Most of its attractions are borrowed from other Disney parks in California, Florida and Tokyo, but there are also original designs used later in other theme parks.

Executive Film Studio (Front Lot)

Modeled after the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, the Executive Studios serves as the central entrance to Walt Disney Studios Park (the equivalent of Main Street, USA). It is designed in the style of the administrative districts of Hollywood film studios during the "golden age" of cinema (1930s). The main attraction of this part of the park is Disney Studio 1, with many restaurants and shops selling souvenirs.

The Toon Studio

The Animation Studio is an extension of Mickey's Multitown concept at Disneyland Anaheim and Tokyo. Guests interact with Disney's most popular cartoon characters. At Walt Disney Studios in Paris, Disney characters "work", that is, produce animated films themselves using ordinary film equipment.

Crush's Coaster

The most popular attraction in this area of ​​the park is Crash the Turtle Coaster, based on the 2003 Academy Award-winning animated film Finding Nemo. Crush and his friends invite participants to ride a turtle-like shell through some of the most memorable scenes from the film.

The journey begins with the “immersion” of a shell in the ocean. The first part is an indoor attraction (the action takes place indoors with imitation of movement in space). Participants travel to the Great Barrier Reef, where they meet Nemo and Squirt (cartoon characters). Guests then plunge into an abyss where the sun's rays do not penetrate, where they encounter voracious fish, then reach a sunken submarine surrounded by many jellyfish; here they meet a school of sharks and Bruce (the shark who helped search for Nemo).
The second part of the attraction immerses participants in the fast flow of the East Australian Current (the fastest ocean current off the Australian coast, in some places the speed is 13 km/h). At the end of their journey, the turtle-like barnacles return to Sydney Cove, where they are greeted by Crush and his friends.

Production Courtyard

The theme of Production Courtyard revolves around the glamorous atmosphere of Hollywood and its myths. Consists of two separate parts:

Hollywood Boulevard
Place des Stars

The most popular attraction in this part of the park is Stitch Live. During the course of the action, the participants of the attraction talk with the animated character Stitch, the main character of the cartoon “Lilo and Stitch”.

The audience sits in a large room called the Space Traffic Control room, and children are encouraged to sit close to the front so Stitch can see them during the show. When the host asks to look for the ship's captain to talk to, the computer contacts Stitch's spacecraft. After this, guests (children and adults) are invited to chat with Stitch. Stitch can communicate with all participants and take pictures of them. Hidden behind the scenes, actors imitate Stitch's voice and movements, allowing the character to fully interact with guests. Stitch looks and moves the same as in the famous film, imitating the appropriate facial expressions and gestures.

Fast Pass

Disneyland Paris is always a pleasant experience as long as there are no queues. Near many of the attractions in the park you will see signs that say "waiting time 45 minutes", which is unlikely to please anyone. Therefore, it is recommended to use the Fast Pass service - a free service that allows you to significantly reduce time and avoid long queues for the most popular attractions. To do this, you need to insert a ticket into the Fast Pass machine at the entrance to the attraction, which will return a ticket with the specified time of visit. At the time indicated on the ticket, you return here and in a matter of minutes, often avoiding the queue, you can participate in the attraction.

Visiting time

The best time to visit Disneyland Paris is on weekdays other than public holidays and school holidays. The least visited period is September-October and May-June. Considering the French weather, June can be considered the best time period. If you're lucky, you won't even have to wait in line except for a few of the most popular attractions, and even then the wait time may not exceed a few minutes. But visiting Disneyland during this period can be disappointing with limited entertainment shows, parades and fireworks.
To more or less fully explore Disneyland Paris, you will need at least two days.

Disneyland Paris offers four types of admission tickets:

“1 day 1 park” (1 day 1 park) the owner has the right to visit one park (Disneyland® Park or Walt Disney Studios® Park) for one day;

“1 day 2 park” (1 day 2 park) the holder has the right to visit two parks (Disneyland® Park and Walt Disney Studios® Park) within one day. The ticket must be used within a year from the date of purchase;

“2,3,4 or 5 days/2 parks” (2,3,4 or 5 day/2 park) - multiple visits to two Disney parks for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days .

In addition, the company offers a “Fast Pass” ticket, the holder of which can enter the attraction and avoid a long line within the time period indicated on the ticket.

How to get there

Disneyland Paris is well connected to two international airports in Paris.

From Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Terminal 2) you can get to Disneyland using the TGV high-speed trains (TGV - the French high-speed electric train network). The journey takes ten minutes.

Orly Airport is the second international airport in Paris. Orly Airport serves mainly for passenger traffic within France. Three transfers are required. First, take the Paris metro line Orlyval to travel from Orly airport to Antony station. Then transfer to RER line B from Antony to Chatelet-Les Halles, and finally to RER line A4 from Chatelet-Les Halles to Marne-la-Vallee Chessy.

Alternatively, take the VEA bus directly from Orly Airport to Disneyland Paris.

Disneyland Paris: interesting facts

With 11 million visitors, Disneyland Paris is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe, and in terms of visitor numbers it is the leading tour operator in France. In 2009, 48% of Disneyland Paris visitors were from France, 14% from Great Britain, 14% from the Benelux countries (Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg), 8% from Spain, 4% from Italy, 3% from Germany, and 9% from Germany. the rest of the world.

53 Attractions

Disneyland Paris includes two theme parks with 53 attractions. Disneyland® Park includes the wonders and fantasies of a classic Disney theme park, while Walt Disney Studios® Park showcases the magic of the movies.

35 minutes east of Paris

The complex is located 35 minutes east of Paris. The key geographic location provides access to 17 million potential visitors in less than two hours of travel by road or rail, and 320 million potential tourists in less than two hours by plane.

56,000 jobs

Disneyland Paris creates more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs, including more than 14,500 directly at the property.

5,800 rooms in the hotel complex

Euro Disney Group operates 7 hotels. Disney's 5,800 guestrooms offer guests outstanding service and 24-hour service.

Disney Village

Disney® Village, with a total area of ​​30,000 m², is the second largest entertainment complex in France. It includes a wealth of leisure facilities such as PanoraMagique (the world's largest helium-filled balloon), the world's largest multiplex cinema, Disney boutiques, bars and restaurants.

1,000 business events

Disneyland Paris has the fifth largest convention complex and hosts approximately 1,000 business events annually. It includes Disney's New York Hotel and Disney's Newport Bay Club.

Since opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris has boosted the local economy, improved transportation infrastructure and created more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs.

In partnership with 60 different grant organizations, children with serious illnesses and their families are invited to a Disneyland hotel and given VIP access to all theme park attractions. Over the past 15 years, more than 8,000 children from all over Europe have been able to see Disneyland Paris for free.

Disney theme parks are even more amazing than you think. You just need to know what to pay attention to. Even though it is illegal, every year several people attempt to scatter the ashes of deceased people at attractions. No stores in the Disney parks sell gum, which is why you will never see gum stuck to the sidewalks or seats of attractions.
14 attractions that were in Disneyland on its opening day are still in operation.
There is a secret room in Cinderella's castle. It cannot be rented and is used for promotional purposes only.
The trash cans at Disney are located approximately thirty steps apart from each other. Walt Disney went to other amusement parks and observed how long people carried trash in their hands before throwing it on the ground and found that the distance was about 30 steps.
There are thousands of Mickey Mouse head images in the Disney parks that are not visible at first glance.
Parking lots at Disney parks were once named after the six dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Nowadays, parking lots are named after popular Disney heroes and villains.
The “The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” attraction replaced the “Mr. Frog's Wild Ride” attraction; while riding, you can see pictures of Mr. Tod handing over a paper (like a contract) to the Owl. Also in the drawings, Winnie the Pooh poses with a cartoon character named Moly, who was also previously present at this attraction.

The colors of the concrete walkways at Disneyland seem to match the colors of that section of the ride. In fact, they are painted these colors because Kodak and Disney did a study together and found that the light reflecting off colored concrete produced brighter photos.
On the territory of the Disney parks there are a huge number of special devices with fragrances that distribute certain odors in different parts of the complex in accordance with the situation. You'll smell the baked goods and vanilla at the Main Street, U.S.A. theme park, the salty sea air in the Pirates of the Caribbean line, the fresh citrus fruit at Soarin', and the burning logs near the scene depicting the fall of Rome.
At the Frontierland theme park, you can see a wooden leg with the word "Smith" written on it. She reminds me of Mary Poppins. In the film, Bert says, “I knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith,” and Uncle Albert replies, “What’s the name of his other leg?”
Toy Story characters used to fall to the ground when guests started shouting, "Andy's coming!" But this practice was soon stopped due to safety reasons.
Notice the wedding ring in the concrete near the Haunted Mansion. It is said to belong to the bride who was hanged in the attic of the building.
While most lawns at Disney parks are meticulously maintained, the lawn near the Haunted Mansion is sparsely maintained and has a lot of faded grass that matches the dark atmosphere of the attraction.
The brown winding path in Liberty Square symbolizes the flow of raw sewage that flowed through the streets of Colonial America, since public water supply had not yet been invented.
If you look closely at the second floor windows of the Museum of Presidents, you will see two lanterns. They refer to the lines "One for the land and two for the sea" from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride." A special act of Congress was required to place the presidential seals in the Hall of Presidents. There are three of them in total: one in the Oval Office, the second in the hall with the Liberty Bell and the third in the “Museum of Presidents”.
At the top of the Matterhorn attraction at Disneyland there is a secret basketball court for employees.

The futuristic palm trees at Tomorrowland theme park close at dusk and open at dawn.
The Tomorrowland theme park has a telephone for intergalactic communication; the device transmits messages from different parts of the Universe. Here's an example of one of them: “Hey baby! This is your agent Johnny Jupiter. You called? I decided that I should call you back. I have a business meeting with important client number one... er, I mean client number two, Sonny Eclipse. You're always number one on my list, baby. You know? Shouldn't we have lunch together? Oh, it's already late! I must fly! The Epcot display appears to be complete, but there is actually room for eight additional counties.
The Animal Kingdom sign has a dragon on it and a dragon's head hanging above the front gate. This park was originally conceived as the “Kingdom of Monsters” and it was supposed to be dedicated to mythical animals.
The "Sea" aquarium is so large that Spaceship Earth can fit inside it
The huge castle behind the German pavilion at Epcot was designed for a boat ride, simulating a trip down the Rhine River.
Dedicated to Great Britain, the Rose and Crown Pavilion takes its name from two of the most common words often used in the names of British pubs.
The Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom has three pipes with chemical formulas printed on them. These are the formulas for ketchup (red), mustard (yellow pipe) and mayonnaise (white). These pipes were installed by the McDonald's corporation, the sponsor of the attraction.
The lobby and queuing area at Tower of Terror are filled with hidden references to the film The Twilight Zone, such as Burgess Meredith's broken glasses and alien manuscript books that have been translated as "To Serve Mankind."
If you look closely at the hieroglyphs in the Indiana Jones sections, you'll see images of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

The plane from the Casablanca scene on The Great Movie Ride is actually the front half of the crashed plane from the Jungle Cruise.

Underneath Disney World there are tunnels that allow employees and cast members to move freely to different parts of the entertainment center. Underground labyrinths also help disguised actors and animators avoid various mishaps, for example, you will never see members of the Tomorrowland theme park in Frontierland and vice versa.

32 km east of Paris is the city of Marne-la-Vallée, on whose territory Disneyland Paris stands, as well as other Disney parks consisting of several thematic zones. The park is listed among the 10 most visited places in the world. And this is not surprising, because 12 million people manage to visit it every year. It includes two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park, an entertainment venue - Disney Village and a huge golf course, Golf Disneyland.

The history of the construction of Disneyland in Paris is very interesting.

Once Disneyland of Anaheim and Orlando gained sustained success, plans arose to create a European version of this amusement park. People first thought about it in 1975, nine years after Walt Disney died. At first, Britain, Spain, Italy and France were put forward as applicants for construction, but then Britain and Italy withdrew from the list due to the impossibility of providing such a large plot of land.

Initially, it was decided to build Disneyland in Spain, in the Alicante region. The climate in these places is the same as in Florida, however, it had one significant drawback - the cold Mistral wind blowing from the northwest. Therefore, after much deliberation, the tiny provincial town in France of Marne-la-Vallée was chosen. The main advantages of which are: close to Paris; Central location in Western Europe.

The success of the new project directly depended on attendance. And this section was convenient because 17 million people could arrive in less than 2 hours by car, and 300 million people could fly from other countries and cities in the same two hours.

The first agreement with the socialist government of France was signed by Michael Eisner in December 1985, and the first contracts were concluded in the spring of 1986. Robert Fitzpatrick, the main organizer of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, was elected president of Euro Disney. After taking into account all the formalities on the territory of 2000 hectares, construction began in August 1988.

In December 1990, the Euro Disney Information Center opened, where all those curious could learn about the progress of construction. On September 1, 1991, the Performer Selection Center began work, and then they began to select actors who would subsequently begin working on the attractions.

The park's test opening took place at the end of March 1992. The guests of this event were the main sponsors of the project and members of their families. The park was officially opened on April 12, 1992. It was planned that half a million visitors would visit the park that day, but the figure barely rose to 50,000 people. It is assumed that this was due to the dissatisfaction of local residents, who were not happy with the fact that such a global amusement park was opening in their area. Of course, this start extremely upset the organizers of Euro Disney.

Euro Disney Problems

First a theme park, a hotel complex and a golf course were built. More funds were spent on this first stage than planned, namely 22 billion French francs. And attendance did not change over the following months. Which led to the fact that the share price of Euro Disney began to fall and, as a result, lost almost a third of its original value.

By August 1992, all projections for attendance had fallen from 11 million to 9 million. And when the recession of late 1992 began, real estate values ​​began to fall, and the company had huge loans that had to be paid off. This led to serious financial difficulties. Everything only got worse due to the fact that a cheap dollar encouraged people not to spend money in the euro zone and go on vacation to American amusement parks. A large number of built hotels also became out of business. The company had to close hotels during the winter period.

In the summer of 1993, the Indiana Jones attraction appeared, which included jumps and slides. Just a couple of weeks after the opening, the safety brake activated, resulting in injuries to riders. Naturally, the slide was closed to understand the causes of the incident.

By the beginning of 1994, the company was in very serious financial difficulties, which attracted a colossal number of negative rumors about the dire condition of Euro Disney, close to bankruptcy. The founders had to arrange a whole series of negotiations with banks and creditors.

So in March 1994, the Disney company presented the banks with a serious choice, more like an ultimatum: providing the necessary financing for the normal functioning of the park, with the condition that the banks would restructure the huge receivables accumulated during the construction and operation of the park. Otherwise, the Walt Disney company will end its existence, leave the European market, and what is most unpleasant, will leave the banks with a bankrupt amusement park with a large amount of unnecessary real estate.

On March 15, the next meeting of the company's shareholders was convened. Faced with the prospect of Disney World announcing to its shareholders that it was about to close, banks began looking for ways to refinance and restructure the massive debt. Therefore, by this meeting, the banks capitulated and accepted an agreement to fulfill all Disney’s conditions, essentially refusing to pay interest for the next few years and giving the company a three-year deferment to repay the loan. But Euro Disney did not remain in debt - $210 million for outstanding maintenance bills and $540 million for 49% of the park price, in addition, the company restructured its loan agreement for $210 million.

Finally, by August 1994, all Euro Disney hotels were filled with guests. And in October of the same year it was renamed Disneyland Paris. This was done in order to forget the bad reputation of the park with the original name and acquire the same good reputation as the city on the Seine.
Thus, by the end of 1994 there was a positive trend towards improving the situation. There were only 200 million losses, compared to 650 million in 1993. Although attendance still fell by 10% due to financial insolvency woes.

By March 1995, Disneyland's founders expected that the park would be able to operate without a loss by the end of that year. This is how new attractions began to open, like the Space Coaster. And in August 1995, the amusement park finally made a £22 million profit. And by November 1995, Disney World reported continued profitability for the previous year.

Disneyland Paris includes five entertainment areas:

Main Street

The main street starts right from the entrance to Disneyland. It houses the bulk of shops and restaurants. Just like in other parks
Disney, this street heads straight to Sleeping Beauty's Castle. From there, guests can go to other areas of the park. Main street is stylized as an American town of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The architectural features suggest that the style was copied from the city of Marceline, near which Walt Disney lived from 1906 to 1910. The main attractions are the Disneyland Railroad - Main Street Station: in a cozy train you can travel around the entire park, Main Street Vehicles (vintage cars from the early 20th century carry guests). It is on this street that the daily Disney parades take place (Disney Parade and FANTILLUSION (night light parade), as well as Wishes (a short version of the most expensive and famous fireworks display in the world, over Sleeping Beauty Castle). In addition to all of the above, horse-drawn carriages run along the main street ( Horse-Drawn Streetcars).

Discoveryland

In the middle of Discoveryland there is a roller coaster (Space Mountain). After a 10-year renovation in 2005, the attraction was renamed Space Mountain: Mission 2. Visitors can take visitors on a thrilling journey to the moon straight out of a cannon through mind-boggling slides and loops. Other attractions in this area: Travel on the Time Machine to the beginning of the century (Le Visionarium), Flight to the stars (Star Tours), Travel on a rocket in orbit (Orbitron - Machines Volantes), Underwater world of the Nautilus (Les Mysteres du Nautilus), Karting track (Autopia).

Fantasyland

This area of ​​the park was created specifically for the little ones. All attractions are stylizations of well-known fairy tales with adapted plots. The most visited attractions: Flight on a flying ship over London with Peter Pan (Peter Pan's Flight), Lancelot's Carousel (Le Carrousel de Lancelot), Alice's Curious Labyrinth, Ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant ( Dumbo the Flying Elephant), Small World (it's a small world) with dancing and singing dolls from all over the world, Cruise on a small boat (Le Pays des Contes de Fees).

Adventureland

The main attractions of the World of Adventures: Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones™ and the Temple of Peril, Robinson Crusoe's House in the Tree Branches (La Cabane des Robinson), the mysterious caves of the Island of Adventure ( Adventure Island).

Age of Colonization (Frontierland)

Frontierland is filled with the spirit of the times of colonization of the Wild West. Here visitors can travel on a small train along Big Thunder Mountain, set off on vintage steamboats at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing, and sail far into the lake on Indian canoes River Rogue Keelboats. And the main notable feature of this area is the eerie ghost house (Phantom Manor), and at the Pocahontas Indian Village playground, even adults will want to play Indians.

Walt Disney Studios Park

Walt Disney Studios Park was conceived in 1996. And due to financial troubles, these plans had to be postponed. So this zone remained at the initial stage of operation. But even after the park complex became profitable, the film studio area was put into operation on a much smaller scale. So in 2002, Walt Disney Studios Park was opened. Many attractions are completely similar to the Disney carousels in California, Florida and Tokyo, but you can find some special ones. This is where the most visited roller coaster attraction, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, is built. Walt Disney Studios Park is divided into 4 parts: Production Courtyard, Hollywood Boulevard (Front Lot), Animation Courtyard, Backlot.

Disneyland Paris has excellent connections to the two international airports of Paris. From Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Terminal 2) you can reach Disneyland in 10 minutes by high-speed TGV trains (TGV - the French high-speed electric train network).
From Orly International Airport you will have to make three transfers, because it is mostly designed for transportation within France. First you need to take the Paris metro line Orlyval to get to Antony station. Then take the RER line B from Antony to Chatelet-Les Halles, and finally the RER line A4 from Chatelet-Les Halles to Marne-la-Vallee Chessy.

You can also get there by taking the direct VEA bus from Orly Airport to Disneyland Paris.

Interesting facts about Disneyland Paris:

Despite the dismal performance of the past, Disneyland Paris has become one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe - 11 million visitors a year. According to 2009 data, 48% of Disneyland Paris guests were citizens of France, 14% - Great Britain, 14% - Benelux countries (Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg), 8% - Spain, 4% - Italy, 3% Germany and 9% from other countries.
The park has a total of 53 Attractions across two theme parks. The park complex is located 35 minutes east of Paris. It provides 56,000 jobs. The huge hotel complex provides 5,800 rooms, which are spread across 7 hotels.
Disney Village, covering 30,000 square meters, has become the second largest amusement park in France. It is home to many amazing attractions: PanoraMagique (the world's largest helium-filled balloon), a multiplex cinema with the largest screen, Disney boutiques, bars and restaurants.

Every year, Disneyland Paris hosts 1,000 business events. Despite all the difficulties, since its opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris has helped grow the local economy and improve the quality of transport infrastructure.
Thanks to 60 grant institutions, seriously ill children and their families can visit the park and stay in Disneyland hotels. Children are given VIP access to all theme park attractions. Over the past 15 years, more than 8,000 children from all over Europe have visited Disneyland Paris for free.

Secret apartments, secret clubs, real human skeletons and a buried time capsule - we'll tell you 25 things you didn't know about Disneyland! We promise it will be fun!

Plants in Tomorrowland can be eaten

The theme island's dreamlike landscapes are the farm where "humanity produces most of its resources." And yes, the plants and their fruits are edible. Remember this in case you get hungry!

Photo: by Josh Hallett/flickr.com 2

The Pet Sematary is located just behind the Haunted Mansion.

Next time you decide to visit the Haunted Mansion, walk a little further and you'll come across a pet cemetery where there's even Mister Toad's tombstone.

3

Disneyland opened with just 18 attractions

And 14 of them are still there!

Photo: waltdisney.com

The amusement park was built in just a year

Despite financial difficulties, the $17 million theme park opened its doors 365 days after construction began.

Photo: by Orange County Archives/flickr.com 5

Steve Martin and Michelle Pfeiffer worked there

The SNL legend sold guidebooks in a Main Street store in the '50s, and the former Catwoman strutted around the park in the '70s looking like Alice in "Alice in Wonderland."

Photo: pitchfork.com 6

There are secret apartments inside the fire station

Urban legend has it that this was Walt Disney's personal residence.

Photo: smallcrazyworldafterall.blogspot.com 7

One of the attractions has a basketball court

Hidden at the top of the Matterhorn attraction is supposedly a small basketball court where employees can play during their breaks.

Photo: flickr.com 8

More than 200 cats live in the park

They are kept there to control rodents.

Photo: by Aaron/flickr.com 9

All park employees must be clean shaven

Theme park workers were only allowed to grow mustaches in the 2000s.

Photo: landt.co 10

There are real human skeletons in the park

On the opening day of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, real human skeletons were used, rented from. Now, however, there is only one real skeleton left there.

Photo: by Loren Javier Follow/flickr.com 11

Sleeping Beauty Castle is the only castle in the park with a working drawbridge

However, it was used only twice: on the day the park opened and after the reconstruction of Fantasyland.

Photo: by Loren Javier/flickr.com 12

Walt Disney liked to stand in line with park guests

His love for Disneyland was so strong that he would sometimes join other visitors in line for their favorite rides just for fun.

Photo: by Sam Howzit/flickr.com

When it opened, admission to the park was only $3.50.

A Disneyland ticket in the 50s cost slightly more than the 2015 fare.

Photo: pearsonwtkz.soup.io 14

The park has only closed three times in its history.

This was during the national day of mourning for John F. Kennedy, the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Photo: by Herb Real/flickr.com 15

You can hear the name George Lucas from the speaker...

...only the other way around - Egroeg Sacul. Listen up the next time you wait in line for an attraction based on "".

Photo: nerdreactor.com 16

Chewing gum and peanuts in shells are prohibited in the park.

The park management is determined to keep it clean at all costs.

17

Code "V" means one of the guests is vomiting

Now you know what to say when someone starts to feel unwell after a particularly exhilarating ride.

Photo: by Josta Photo/flickr.com 18

You can buy a piece of Disneyland for $150

For this money you can leave the park with the purchased brick in your hands.

Photo: by purpleapple428/flickr.com 19

The King Arthur Carousel is older than the theme park itself

This attraction was built back in 1922, while the property for the park was purchased only in 1953.

Photo: by Justin Ennis/flickr.com 20

More than 2.8 million churros are sold in the park every year.

Apparently, Disney fans are also fans of these oblong donut shapes.

Photo: forgingstars.com 21

Lack of money forced Disney to choose between restrooms and drinking fountains

He chose the restrooms. After critics accused Disney of forcing guests to buy soft drinks, he said: "People can buy a Pepsi-Cola, but they can't urinate on the street."

Photo: by Jeremy Thompson/flickr.com 22

In 1995, a time capsule was hidden in Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Nobody knows what's inside. The capsule will be opened on July 17, 2035, on the park's 80th anniversary.

Photo: by Jeff Christiansen/flickr.com 23

Any flights over the park are prohibited

Aircraft are also not allowed within a three-mile radius around Disneyland.

Photo: blog.alaskaair.com 24

The Opera House on Main Street is the oldest building in the park

Originally a sawmill, the building was converted into an opera house in 1961.

Photo: disneyphotoblography.com 25

There is a secret club at Disneyland where only special guests can enter.

It's called Club 33. There you can hide from the crowds, drink a few cocktails, taste gourmet cuisine and hang out with other celebrities.

Photo: by Tours Departing Daily/flickr.com

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