Our last morning in Disneyland Paris, and if you are following our adventure, we are a little bit behind with our post. Yes, the events I write about today occurred on 28 October. Unfortunately, yet again, I have failed miserably with attempts to create a live travel blog. However, today’s post will focus on our final thoughts on Disneyland Paris. 2020 and 2021 have been tough years for the resort, but is it recovering. However, will 2022 introduce a new exciting future?
12 April 2022 will be Disneyland Paris’ 30th birthday. Although details are currently slim, the celebrations will start on 6 March 2022. The opening of Avengers Campus at Walt Disney Studios is likely to be the celebration’s highlight, but it isn’t yet confirmed this will be in March. The possibility of a new parade, nighttime show, and a new stage show has not yet been verified. However, don’t expect any additional unannounced major attractions or a revamp of Disney Village in the next few years. It is likely that after recent years, budget allowing, Disney will want to make the 30th anniversary a memorable party.
Avengers Campus is likely to contain the attractions that will bring increased crowds to Disneyland Paris in 2022. The big new attractions will be:
- Iron Man-themed renovation of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventur
In addition, there will be new themed restaurants and shops within the Avengers Campus zone. Avengers Campus is part of a Two Billion Euro expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park in the coming years. Although the pandemic has slowed down the expansion, a new feature lake and Arendelle: World of Frozen land are already being built. A Star Wars Land will be the final part of the announced expansions.
While the future at Disneyland Paris appears very positive, the situation in 2021 is slightly different. In our last two posts, we have highlighted some of the positives and negatives surrounding the resort. We have enjoyed our trip, and it has been great to be back in a Disney Resort, but the negative picture has unfortunately been our predominant view.
On our final day, the negative impressions of the resort again dominated our thoughts. Yet again, there were massive crowds in the parks, and a sign as we entered Disneyland Park highlighted that no additional tickets would be available as the park was fully booked. It is tough to determine whether Disneyland Paris is currently capping capacity, but I suspect current crowds are not far off maximum. As we entered the park, we were greeted by the massive crowds, facing a lengthy wait to enter the park.
The entrance situation is not good, and again Disneyland’s poor IT systems did not help. Print at home tickets slowed down the entry procedures for many guests, and cast members were not available to help. Needless to say, social distancing in these massive lines did not occur.
Despite a sell-out park Disneyland did not have all attractions open at park opening. I do not think it is acceptable for a park not to be fully operating when at maximum capacity. All attractions had long lines within minutes of opening, and there were the regular temporarily unavailable attractions too. Hyperspace Mountain appears to have been closed for more hours than it has been open this week. However, we did manage to ride a couple of attractions, including a final ride on Star Tours.
We finished our vacation back at our resort Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel. We had a last-minute stop at the Super Hero Station to meet Spider-Man and complete the various Selfie Spots. The Marvel Selfie Spots are very clever and worth doing. The Super Hero Station is an excellent addition to the resort but is only available to guests staying at Hotel New York and does require a complimentary reservation.
An Uber ride, and we were back at Charles de Gaulle Airport. In Paris, Uber is a little less clear with prices than we have found in other countries, but the experience is still good. However, on both of our rides, we have had price adjustments made after our journey. Also, currently, all cars have reduced capacity, with the front passenger seat not being available.
A quick world on Charles de Gaulle Airport, do not expect to do much shopping or have a meal. The majority of restaurants and shops at the airport remain closed, and it appears this might be indefinite. We ended up buying lunch in a newsagent, which was the only shop open in our area.
Our last thought on Disneyland Paris
I suspect these recent blogs have come across as very negative. However, we have had a great time at Disneyland Parid, and it has been great to be back. 2022 promises to be a fantastic year, and we can’t wait to return.
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