WDW Radio # 731 – 30 Reasons to Visit Disneyland Paris and Disneyland Paris Vacation Giveaway!

Lou Mongello: So I just returned from a few amazing days in Disneyland, Paris, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. And so this week we're gonna look at why now is the perfect time to visit.

In fact, we're going to share 30 reasons to visit Disneyland Paris, from unique attractions to magical shows, dining, decor, and the countless aspects of Disneyland Paris, that not only make this place special, but an absolute must visit. And to prove to you just how much I really want you to go. I'm gonna share how you can win a very special, truly magical vacation to Disneyland, Paris, including a four day, three nights stay at the four star Disney's Hotel in New York. The Art of Marvel. Four tickets for four people for four days valid in both of the Disney parks, food vouchers for breakfast, lunches, and dinners, and many more epic surprises. It's easy to enter for a chance to win the trip of a lifetime.

Stay tuned. I'll show you exactly how, where and when you can do that. Then also stay tuned for a Disney trivia question of the week and more updates at the end of the show. And if you like what you hear, please share the show and tell a friend. So sit back, relax. And enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show.

It took me 30 years, but I finally made it to Disneyland, Paris, which is convenient since Disneyland. Paris is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and I was able to visit for my very first time, very, very briefly after, after our WW radio adventures by Disney to Italy with my wife and my son, and Becky Mankin from m I and Ma and Travel.

And I was very recently able to spend a few days there with my daughter and I can only describe my reaction and response. It, it's like, it's like seeing someone that you are attracted to for the very first time. You go wide-eyed and your heart flutters and you become enamored. But it's when you get to know them longer and spend more time with them that you truly fall in love.

And that is how I feel about Disneyland, Paris. Why? How do I love the, let me count the ways. In fact, that's exactly what we're going to do because Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 30th annual anniversary this year until September 30th. We are gonna celebrate 30 reasons to visit Disneyland Paris, for your first or next time.

I cannot, I will not do this alone. So I wanna welcome back Marion Rose Man. Hello? Ooh, uh, staying with Ladies first. Becky Mankin from the Afor mentioned m e I and Mouse Fan Travel. I

Beci Mahnken: have three pages of notes, so I'm not sure. Wow. 30 is enough for this. That tells you just how much I love

Lou Mongello: this park. Wow.

That may be in all the years I've known you, this may be the most researched. Look, she's showing the pages the most research Becky has ever done, and coming in with no less than four full book fulls of notes. Is Jeremiah good from laughing place.com? Wait,

Jeremiah Good: we were supposed to have notes. Um,

Lou Mongello: you've been there enough, Jeremiah, that I think you probably don't need notes.

Jeremiah Good: Yeah, I, I was lucky enough to just be there a few weeks ago for the actual 31st anniversary, so it is very fresh in my mind and I do love this park.

Lou Mongello: Okay, so in that same order, Marion, Becky, and Jeremiah, I want you to very quickly tell me when your first visit was. Marion, we know yours, and I want you to give me, just off the top of your head, a single one word description of Disneyland Paris.

Go. So I

Marion Mongello: was obviously just there about a week ago, and I would say my one word would be

Lou Mongello: Castle Becky.

Beci Mahnken: I'm trying to remember when the first, I think it was 2017 that I was there for the very first time. Um, my word, I'm just thinking about the overall park, and I'm gonna say charming.

Jeremiah Good: Jeremiah, uh, Mayan was 2019, again, foreign anniversary.

And, uh, to go with the French, Terry Magna,

Lou Mongello: was that your version of, was that your version of French?

Jeremiah Good: Yes.

Lou Mongello: We, I'm not going to even try and I, gosh, when we have to get to the actual naming, the, the, the names of these attractions, I'm gonna try not to butcher these. Um, but this is actually, you know, I think this is a great time for us to talk about Disneyland for the first time because it is the 30th anniversary.

There's a lot happening there in terms of new attractions, decorations, entertainment, food, costumes, merchandise shows, a very special show that we'll talk about that happens for the first time ever inside a, a Disney park. And I thought the way that we would approach this, Would be sort of doing a, almost a virtual tour of the park.

We're gonna start with sort of a, a wide shot and then go through Disneyland, Paris, and the studios and the resorts. And then maybe at the end talk about R one or, or top three favorites and let's sort of look at, at the resort as a whole first. And then just to give you a little bit of, of a primer and and context.

Uh, Disneyland. Paris is located in a suburb of Paris, about 40 or so minutes from the center of city by train. Very, very close to the Charles Dugal Airport. Um, there are a number of hotels, partner hotels, two parks, Disney Village. And the park itself is larger than Disneyland, but smaller than Walt Disney World.

And part of the reason why I wanted to start talking about the location, because I think one of the first things. That is a reason to visit and I think makes Disneyland Paris, a very easy place to visit is not just location, but transportation. So they say that getting there is half the fun. And I think in the case of Disneyland, Paris, it's also super easy and super convenient, which is why I put transportation not inside the park, but to and from the park.

Um, because it, it's, it's about 20 or so miles, um, east of Paris. And I'm probably gonna, this is my first mispronunciation is the name of the town called Chessy, Chelsea Chessy. Okay. Um, and it's interesting too, so nerdy, little bit of, of going back in time for, for whatever it's worth. Do you remember before Disneyland, Paris or Euro, Disneyland was a thing when they were looking to.

Expand overseas. There was a choice that Michael Isner was making, and it was between France and Spain, and he chose France specifically this area because it is so easily accessible from some of the major markets that they were targeting in Western Europe. And Spain really, really wanted this resort because they wanted to get attention and increase tourism.

Um, they were, they were, there was the civil expo and Barcelona Olympics going on in, in 1992, the same year of Disneyland, Paris opened. But location is such an important part and. Becky, when we came from the A, b, D and, and got to France, we stayed actually at the airport. We didn't stay in Disneyland, Paris.

And you are able to take a train directly from the train station at the airport to the parks. And when I say to the parks, I don't mean outside of Disneyland, Paris, I mean, you literally come out right in the middle of Disneyland, Paris. Um, it is incredibly accessible. It's very easy. Um, I actually, we didn't do this, but I found out you're actually able to pay a small fee and they'll, when you come out, they'll deliver your bags right to the resort.

Um, so I love the fact that getting there, even if you are, even if you don't have a car, is very, very simple. A a lot of people

Beci Mahnken: don't realize just how easy that train is from Charles Dugal out there as well. And that's one of my favorite tricks. If you're in, um, Europe and you do a stopover in Paris to do a connection to get home, spend the night at the airport like we did, and then you just go downstairs from the hotel that is in the airport.

It is an eight minute train ride. And a lot of people don't realize just how quick that is just to get out there. If you spend, um, if you get there early in the morning, you just take the train, go out, spend the day in the parks, and then come back and catch your flight the next day.

Jeremiah Good: Yeah. To, to jump on that.

I've been there three times and each of the three times I've done a different mode of transportation. Um, the train is by far the easiest, little bit more expensive. They do have a bus, kind of like the old Magic Express, but. The schedule for that. If you get there early, you're waiting a little while. And then this last trip I did an Uber, which actually wasn't too expensive.

Um, and all three were pretty easy. I preferred doing the Uber actually, so I could actually look at what was around me. And it's, it's very strange living in Florida, growing up in California to see the difference between all three of the landscapes around the park and Disneyland. Paris is the most isolated, but it's

Lou Mongello: beautiful.

Yeah. And we, when I was there with, with Marion, uh, a week or so ago, we extended our trip for a couple days and went into Paris. We didn't take a train, we actually did take a car service. And the time that we left, there was a lot of traffic. But Mary, it took probably about, what, about an hour to get to the city center of Paris.

We were staying right near the Okta Triumph. Um, and so it was a pretty easy ride as well. Yeah,

Marion Mongello: the, the, the car that we took from Disneyland to like the center of Paris, not only was it, I mean there was traffic of course, cuz it's Paris, but it was a really beautiful, uh, car ride. Dad wouldn't know cuz he was asleep.

But the, the way that we went, it was along the sun, you could see everything. Um, and it was a really cool transition, I guess from the more isolated and the different type of beauty that's in the park to the, the architecture of Paris. I guess,

Lou Mongello: you know, the other thing I wanted to talk about in terms of, of sort of the resort as a whole, and we're talking about the transportation and the ease of getting there and the ease of, of getting around there too.

I, I, one of the things I, I think is, is a huge plus for this park too. We talked about sort of in context versus Disneyland and, and Walt Disney World. This is also a very, very. Easily walkable park in between the two parks and the village and the many resorts, right? There are seven different resorts, and we'll talk more about those later, but especially, you know, Disneyland Hotel is at and in the center of the park, the Disney Hotel, New York, the Art of Marvel, the Newport Bay Club, the Sequoia Lodge are just a few minute walk from the entrance to the park, Disney Village and, uh, Walt Disney Studios Park too.

And, and I love that, right? You don't have to worry about buses, monorails boats, Ubers, taxis, other modes of transportation. It's, it's a very, very easily walkable park too. And I love that, that quaint size of it. It, it is very, very, it's a very self-contained park. It's

Beci Mahnken: really well designed just for that. So out of the seven, uh, resorts that are there, typically it's about a 10 minute walk.

If you're at the New York Hotel, 15 minutes for a couple of the others, 20 minute walk is the farthest of the Disney resorts that are, um, that are there except for obviously the, well, actually the ranch is kind of within, FIF is farther out, but they all have shuttles too. So if you can't manage that walk, uh, that's between 10 and 15 minutes, uh, or 20.

In the case of Cheyenne or Santa Fe, um, it's about an eight minute shuttle. So there's that option if you're, you know, not really wanting to walk or your feet really hurt at the end of the

Jeremiah Good: day. Yeah, it's, it's very much for everybody who's been to Walt Disney World and thinks of taking the shuttle from the hotels and how long that can take.

I was surprised I stayed at, uh, The Sequoia the first time I went and that bus, it just crosses the street. You, you don't realize how close you are, but at the same time, you don't feel like you were right across the street from the parks. It is very separate and very nice, but I, I did say it Newport and walked and it was beautiful, especially in the morning in France.

It was just, you know, you think of a little chill in the weather and you'd get over there and then you'd have a great day in the

Lou Mongello: park. Well, and that, I think that's actually a great segue to what was first on my list when we start talking about the park itself, because that walk into Disneyland, Paris, even before you get through the entrance gate, you use the word and it, it's the first thing on, on this sort of next part of my list, one of the reasons to visit Disneyland Paris for me is she is beautiful.

It is an absolutely spectacular park. And what made me think of that is even as you approach that main entrance gate, Marion, we were talking as we came in and outta the park, how beautiful that sort of park-like area is. That main sort of entranceway that is, um, has these meandering paths and, and flowers and trees and fountains as you approach the Disneyland hotel.

But the park itself, specifically Disneyland, Paris is Becky. I think you used the word. It's charming, it's elegant, it's romantic, it is colorful. The landscaping is spectacular. And I think each land's aesthetic and theming is bold and it's colorful and the placemaking of this park is, is spectacular. And I think the park is meant to be.

Taken sort of slow and savored like a fine croissant on a Parisian sidewalk. Like it sparks exploration, it sparks discovery and even that sort of main entranceway under the hotel, uh, Phantom Manor and Frontier Land and Discovery land and the arcades. I think the beauty of the park itself, without even stepping into a building or onto attraction, is a reason in and of itself to visit.

I completely

Beci Mahnken: agree that I, I had that as one of my, um, top things on my list was the park like setting in feel that allowed you to relax. I don't know, the, the greenery and the flowers. And it really does feel like it's not a theme park. It feels like a park. It feels, um, just that type of thing on a Sunday where you go and stroll through the gardens.

And go on a, on a, on a ride or two or five. I think it's beautiful. I think it's one of the most beautiful parks, um, o of, of the Disney, you know, theme

Marion Mongello: parks. I think that the garden outside is particularly special because unlike, uh, at least Disney World, which is the most familiar to me, there's no sort of like, I'm gonna use the word like unpaid, like public, I guess sort of park setting in Walt Disney world, unless you're staying at a resort or you go into a park.

But I think the most unique thing about that garden outside of Disneyland, Paris, is I could see myself going there to study or do work on a bench in the shade, in a gazebo. Like there's really nothing like that, very chill and beautiful park setting anywhere else. And I think that's super unique and super cool.

And not only that, It's incredibly convenient. I could definitely see myself leaving that park and, you know, chilling outside and then, you know, taking the walk over to the other park or back to the resort or whatever.

Jeremiah Good: Yeah, you really hit it on the head. There is a gazebo just outside the gardens heading into the Disneyland Paris Hotel that every time I walk by I just want to sit there for an hour and enjoy and look out into the gardens.

Um, and this, this is something I, I'll try not to harp on this too much. I, I'm sure Becky also has the memory of a little before you guys just visited and saw what they're transforming that area into. Um, a few years ago it wasn't so, so much. The security was built around and it was a little bit more free flowing.

And very much more relaxed, but it was also a little dilapidated when Disney took control of it a few years ago. They've gone in and made it so beautiful. I can remember my first visit, the water was only green and now you know that fountain in front of the hotel, you can just stand there and look at the lights and you get lost for a few hours.

Lou Mongello: Yeah, I think it's beautiful and it, it really helps not only set the stage, but I think the tone, um, for what to expect. You know, it's almost like a coming attraction of what to expect once you get through the gate, because that. That landscape, that architecture, although it's different themes throughout and, and the plants and the flowers and trees are all very different, very appropriate to where you are.

It does set the sense that the stage for this very, um, there's this sensory overload of, of just, um, of, of, of, like I said, time and, and, and placemaking To that point, the next thing on my list, and it almost could have been the first thing on my list, and again, I'm gonna try and, and do my very, very best de la de la ab doman, which I think means sleeping beauty castle is don't laugh at me, I'm trying my best.

I apologize to everyone who is French or in France. Um,

Jeremiah Good: sleeping beauty, apologize to a whole country. I just

Lou Mongello: we're the planet for that man. I'm just, yeah. Um, this castle. Maybe and we can sort of have this conversation and, and Walters old is my home park and Sleeping beauty castle in Disneyland is, is special.

But this castle may be the most beautiful. Um, it is elaborate and delicate. I love how it extends along the right side in this mix of gothic with French inspiration. And they, you know, when they were designing it, they talked about how it was inspired by Francis own, um, Mo Michelle Monastery and Germany's No Stein.

And the fact that these castles exist in this area really challenge them to think very carefully about the design. And that's what, what Tony Baxter had talked about. But it's beautiful from a distance and it's remarkable up close as you start to look at, you know, the 16 turrets. There's 16 turrets because Aurora was 16 when she had her finger pricked by the sprinting wheel.

Each turnt is at a different height. Each turnt is unique. Uh, each turnt has its own unique weather vein. There's snails climbing up. Some of the tur turrets will get inside in a second. But even Mary, we spent a lot of time walking around and through the castle and I, I noticed like the trees were, were pruned into these cubes because that's the way they looked in the Sleeping Beauty film.

The, um, at night, those turrets are lit. Um, inside, we'll talk about. The, the attractor or attraction that is in there, but there's an upper level inside that you can walk through that has a gallery dedicated to the story of sleeping beauty with tapestries and a spinning wheel and books and stained glass, which is just absolutely incredible.

And we could sort of go on and on, but, but I think that this, this arguably may be one of the most, um, beautiful, if not the most beautiful of all the castles in a Disney park.

Jeremiah Good: I, I don't think the word arguably is needed. It is the most beautiful, uh, I, I love this castle. Um, also is your new sponsor, turrets.com, because you said turrets like 15 times right there, Liz.

Lou Mongello: Well, cause I can't believe that I, the more that I look Jeremiah at, at the pictures, because sometimes you're so. We're so caught up in the 30,000 foot view that we, we missed some of the details, and the more I got into the details, I was, I was amazed at that, the thoughtfulness that went into the design.

Jeremiah Good: Oh, no, I, I can definitely say that. You know, my first trip to Walt Disney World, I took pictures of Cinderella Castle. It was beautiful. My first trip to Disneyland Paris, I spent my first day just looking at the castle. It wasn't until my second day that I even have a first picture, because it is so awe-inspiring.

Um, you know, you were talking about the details. I, as I said, I've been there three times now. I've spent multiple days. This last trip, I actually found that there's a hidden passageway in one of the shops downstairs into something that we haven't talked about. And I'll wait till you bring that up. Uh, but yeah, the detail is amazing and the thoughtfulness that, you know, Walt Disney World has a giant stage in front of the castle.

It distracts from the castle at times. Disneyland Paris. They built the stage on the right hand side so you get the full view of this work of art. And Tony Baxter, you know, no matter what the best thing he ever did was that castle. He, he put forth to the imaginary to create a perfect castle. And there is no better castle than the Disney pantheon.

Beci Mahnken: You just nailed that one by saying work of art, because when you walk up to it, um, the castle itself is, is stunning, but the surrounding as well with that, that sloping green greenery that comes down the side and the trees perfectly manicured around it. It has just this feel. That there's nothing else around you for a moment the way it's set up.

You, you're not seeing park, you know, or attractions behind it or to the sides of it. You're just standing in front of this beautiful castle surrounded by meadow. And it, it does, um, have that feel of just being a gorgeous piece of artwork.

Marion Mongello: I feel very passionately about this castle. This is my, by far, my favorite part of the Disneyland Paris trip was the castle.

Um, and each day we were there, we went up into the castle two separate times each day. Um, and of course explored the surrounding area. But I think something that really stands out to me about it is unlike the Walt Disney World one, which of course I still love, this castle tells a story based on multiple, you know, parts of it inside the stained glass windows, obviously tell the story of sleeping beauty.

With the tapestries, with the spinning wheel. Um, and of course with the stained glass and the balcony that you can actually stand on on the back, the rose gardens and the turrets around, sorry, turrets have. Engravings of the animals or of the trees, but depending on where you are in the castle, the what is on the pillars and the the turrets changes.

If you're closer to the magical entrance that I guess we're talking about later, there's sort of maleficence symbols like the crow and the dragon. But if you're over on like the rose garden, uh, stage side, there's the owls and the birds and the squirrels that you see in Aurora's imagery. Um, and I think one of the coolest parts that we've forgotten to mention is this castle.

They shoot fireworks off of multiple levels of it. I'm sure we'll get into the firework show later, but that's something that completely caught me off guard. That is such a, such a cool detail. Um, And it like, in conclusion, there's just a lot of l layers and levels to it that you're not really able to explore.

Um, in some of the other ones, obviously there's the, what I'll call the basement level. I didn't get to see that in its pure magic, which we'll dive into. I'm very, uh, I'm so excited about that anyway. Um, but just physically you're able to explore these levels, but in the story, in the storytelling that it gives you, you're also able to explore the layers of Aurora's story and it sort of carries you through the park.

Um, and about the stage. I also feel very passionately about this as somebody that's going into, uh, like stage technology and stage management. I think that the, the, the way that they engineer this is literally. Perfect. Um, any view that you have of this castle is magnificent and the way that the stage is framed on that right hand side where it sort of bleeds into the discovery land aesthetic, but works so perfectly together with fantasy land.

Um, and it just creates a gorgeous picture. I'm really, I really wish that we could have seen a stage show on there, um, cuz that would've been just so cool. Um, but I'm sure that they can incorporate the water in there as well, which is another part of the castle. There's like, unlike the ones that we've seen, there's like a, um, I guess there's a moat around ours too.

But this moat seemed special, um, because of the way that it was designed. Um, it was just really beautiful.

Jeremiah Good: And so I I Lou, I have to throw in one more thing about the walkthrough. That is by far the best small touch. Um, as you go through the castle, it does tell the story of sleeping beauty from her birth to her birth party without Melissa being invited to the spinning wheel.

But when you get over to the part where the three fairies put everybody to sleep, they have two nights. And if you go up close enough, you can actually hear them snoring. And that is the touch that is not needed. But is that one, like every time I go there, I forget about it and I walk up and I just hear the snoring and I just lose myself.

It's,

Beci Mahnken: the details are just amazing.

Lou Mongello: Yeah. And I think that the castle, depending on where you look at it from, Takes on a, a, a different shape and a different story. Like looking at it head on from Main Street has a very different look than if you look at it from the, the castle keep inside of Fantasyland versus the Discovery Land side.

And these rolling sort of Vernon Hills on the side with the waterfalls and the water features. It, it is nothing short of, of spectacular. And, and she's very photogenic. Um, you know, depending on when and where you look at it from. Um, it, you know, same thing too, like all the other castles, like it's deliberately situated so it faces south, right?

So it's not back lit when you're trying to sort of capture photos from the front. So, so everything is, is incredibly intentional. Let's go from the, the outside and sort of the, the second story of the castle to below the castle and Marion. I know this is very hard for you. The one thing my daughter wanted to see when she went was the dragon lak du dragon, uh, in this dark dungeon where this monstrous prisoner lurks, um, chained against these jagged rocks, sometimes dozing, sometimes awake.

Um, when it was first built in 1982, it was the largest animatronic of its kind in the world. It was spearheaded by Imagineer Terry Harden, who had been working with Disney since the, uh, eighties, and to try and give context to the relative size, she's 27 meters, about 89 feet in length, weighing about 2,500 kilograms.

But not only is she she huge, but. She moves, she breathes the, again, the details, the eyes, the wings, the expanding, um, you know, as she, as she breathes the scales, the smell right. There's sort of this dungeon, sort of damp dark smell in there, the growling and the rumbling. It is, it is an experience. I think the dragon is, if it's not already, it, it is considered an attraction in and of itself because it is that spectacular.

And again, you can enter from the front, from the side, you can enter or exit through the gift shop. And each of these entryways and, and exit passages give you different views of this beast that appears to be living and breathing. It was

Beci Mahnken: phenomenal to me. I, when I first saw the dragon, I, I did like we normally do.

I, I didn't do any research and by the way, I was wrong. My first trip was in 2013, I wasn't awake. Um, but when I had no idea the dragon was in there and you just kind of mean, meander down that path and walk in. I think I was in there for an hour and a half watching all of the movement and, and listening to all the sounds down to, you remember how her tail kind of wraps around the rocks?

Mm-hmm. And it's barely visible, so they didn't have to go to all of that time and expense to make sure that that tail twitches the way it does randomly. But it does. So to me, that just told me that was somebody's baby, that was someone's work of art, that they made sure that it was as realistic as it possibly could be.

And when we returned, I was looking, I. Just to see if that tails still twitched the way it did, because over the years, we all know animatronics sometimes have an issue or two. But no, everything was just as perfect as it was the first time I saw it. I, I think that that is probably one of the number one reasons to visit Disneyland Paris, is to see that majestic creature.

Lou Mongello: And it was originally supposed to be a static figure, but Terry was like, no, I, I can make this a continuous motion audio animatronic, which, which made it the largest one. And then there was a, you know, a, a discussion, a decision like how. Yeah. Do we have to, there was a talk about having a skeleton of Maleficent down there, right?

Sort of paying homage to the Maleficent Dragon form that they eventually abandoned. Cause they were trying to figure out like, how do we sort of incorporate Maleficent in here, but Maleficents not there anymore. So they created a, a backstory about how this dragon was found in an egg by Merlin and, and put under his magic shop for, for safekeeping.

So I love that there's a connective story to it, but, but how she had the foresight and the confidence to be able to say, no, I, I can make this thing, I can bring this thing to life.

Jeremiah Good: Marion. It's, it's not worth it. It's really not that cool. There's no reason to be upset. You didn't see it.

Lou Mongello: Uh, wait, wait. Very quickly, Marion.

So the, it was the first thing we were going, like, we made a beeline there. When the, the lower entrance was closed. I said, oh, let's go up. I'm sure we can maybe get in through the gift shop. Marion tell Mary runs away from you, has a car.

Marion Mongello: I can't even describe to you how shattering this was. So we walk, we walked on the first entrance, we're like, Hmm, blocked off.

We'll just go to the other one. Like I, maybe there's, I don't know, something went around to the other one and we walked and we're like, Hmm, this one's close too. It's probably just like a day thing. And we walk out of the store and he's like, we'll come back tomorrow. I said, no, we're finding out if it's a day thing right now, right this second.

We walk back in and I walk onto this little guy and I'm like, hi, uh, when will the dragon be open? And he goes, July. I said, like, July, July, like next month. And he's like, yes. And I said, okay, thank you.

Lou Mongello: And then I Mary's like, does July mean tomorrow in French? Like, well,

Marion Mongello: the thing is, the thing is that was okay.

That was the only thing I wanted to see. I said, that's the first thing I wanna do. When boom, there I was like, what's the next thing I wanna do the next day or not? The next day, a few hours later, I wanted to go to the Alice walkthrough. We walk up to the Alice walkthrough and it's closed. I said, Hmm. Hey, when do you guys open again?

He goes, July. I said, July. Does July mean tomorrow? And then we went back the next day, and July did mean tomorrow for the Alice walkthrough. I don't know what that man was thinking that he said July, but I'm happy that it meant the next day. So Lou did not happen for the Dragon, though.

Jeremiah Good: I, I know that you're not very experienced on planning vacations or know anybody that can check on this.

I know where you're going. But you do know that on the app it talks about closed attractions, right?

Lou Mongello: Listen, man,

Jeremiah Good: booya, okay. The dragon. Um, yes. The dragon is by far one of the most amazing things. I, I, myself has spent many an hour down there. Uh, like I was referencing, I'd gone into the magic shop, or the whatever the shop is now, uh, inside the castle, completely missed the entire backstory that leads down into the upper level until this last trip.

And I was just, I stood up there for 20 minutes watching the dragon go through her cycle. I mean, to, to break the fourth wall. Yes, it is an animatronic, yes, it has like a three minute cycle of when it wakes up, it roars, it moves its head and it wings and tail. But y you know, that isn't like, There is nothing else in any Disney Park that I've just sat there and watched Me too, so intently and so, so passionately to just enjoy just basic movements of a, something that, you know, it, it's like seeing the dinosaurs at Jurassic Park.

We will never see those in person. We only know what they are because of the movies and the theme parks. This dragon is as close to real life as you can ever get.

Beci Mahnken: And apparently we're gonna need to go back to Paris. I

Lou Mongello: was gonna say clearly we need to, we need, I'll go

Beci Mahnken: in July. Clearly we need to go back in

Lou Mongello: July.

Well, now that we know how easy and accessible it's to get there, we can shoot over very quickly. So, uh, alright. Right. Let, let's move on to, I think this is number six, number seven. It's sort of, we can't count where I know this. Um, the next thing, and I, and this is not in sort of any type of, of, of order of walking through the park, but in order of things that for me were reasons to go and visit.

And I have two words for you, my friend. They are phantom. Manor Phantom Manor is the Disneyland Paris version of the Haunted Mansion, but it is a very different to a certain degree mansion than you're used to in Walt Disney World in Disneyland. I wanna be careful. This is a very, very, very deep rabbit hole that we can go into, and I think it almost may deserve its own show at some point because the story of the Mansion is very different.

The story of how it came to be is different, but it's, it's not a haunted mansion, it's a phantom manner. One, to help sort of translate from for a non-English speaking audience. But this is a manner that not only looks different from the outside. But has a much darker theme and much darker story. And there's some inspiration from Phantom of the Opera, but it's also one that was modified and expanded to tie it into Frontier Land, right?

There's no Liberty Square here, there's no New Orleans Square here. This exists in Frontierland. Again, Tony Baxter, brilliant Imagineer, um, had to take this attraction and modify it for the tastes and preferences of a French and European audience, the Haunted Mansion, being a among those and tying it into this Frontierland story and, and a, a manner that would be congruent with Thunder Mesa, the fictional town and, and everything that would happen around that.

But the story is expanded. There is expanded scenes inside. I don't even know where to start. From the gazebo outside with the music box to Vincent Price, who, whose original recordings, um, as the ghost host, weren't used when the park opened, but in 2019 his narration re returned with, with a French accompaniment.

Like you walk in through it. It's the only mansion, I think. Yeah, it's the only mansion where you sort of walk through the front door. Um, but it has this wonderfully dark and disturbing backstory of Henry Ravenswood, the owner of the Manor and his daughter Melanie, who, you know, attracted the attention of, of four different suitors who each came to a very mysterious and untimely end, but suffices to say that.

This mansion is not just dark, it does not just have this additional, um, scene of the, the, the western scene of the end. But this man mansion, like many other things we'll talk about is downright kind of scary.

Jeremiah Good: Yeah, I, so my backstory with the mansion, uh, this was the one thing that I wanted to see all my history with Disneyland, Paris.

Um, and when I went in 2019, of course it had been closed, but we were there for a special announcement and a special event where thankfully the imagineers took the time to walk us through step by step everything that this ride was going to be. A week later for the soft opening. So I didn't get to experience at my first visit.

I did again, walk around the entire man or manner, take lots of photos. Uh, when I did go back, I was blown awake. You know, I think Becky, you, myself and Lou, we've seen the travel videos. We, we remember the old days of the Disney Channel where they'd go and show us things. So there were always photos and videos of things that, to me, I knew back then was phantom manner.

But now that were so far removed, my mind was almost completely empty of what was happening. And when you go down into the grave and you see the skeletons playing the skeleton head, you see the mayor lifting his head. That sure does sound familiar and more so look familiar on the head, um, saying Welcome foolish mortals.

It. You just never expect anything like that in a Disney park. You know, everybody's like, alien encounter was so intense. No, this is, this is up there as far as the, Hey, you want to get freaked out, you want your kids to have nightmares. Yeah. Come and do a phantom manner. But it is a another, like, I will say this just about everything in Disneyland, Paris.

It's a work of art. It

Beci Mahnken: is dark and twisty and cool. I love Fantom Manor and to me this is the, the best of the best of the best of the haunted mansions a across the globe. Um, the storytelling is rich. It is, um, visually stunning and creepy, and you wanna write it over and over again because this is one of those attractions that you will never see all of the detail at, even after you've ridden it 50 times.

I think, uh, the first time I was there, we wrote it about three times and I learned or saw something new every single corner, and some of it is familiar, yet it's unfamiliar. And I remember seeing it for the first time and looking at it and going, Huh, tumbleweeds, you know, it just didn't match to anything that I understood the Haunted Mansion to be until you get in there and really kind of soak in the story and the, the Dark and Toastiness.

I love this attraction and is one of the highlights of the entire Disneyland Paris

Marion Mongello: Park. I would say, I would describe this ride as like the cool, edgy, older cousin of the haunted Mansion that like the haunted mansion's. Like, oh, one day I'll be as scary and cool as the phantom manner. Like it's, it has that kind of, it, it, it wants to cross that line of like, kind of like horror, like scary.

I mean, in order to really understand the depth of the story, you have to do a little bit of research, I think so. I did that after like our second ride. Um, and that made me appreciate some of the details so much more cuz it really is an interesting story. Um, and there are some moments that I got freaked out.

I got creepy. The, the animatronics lunges at you, like Leslie, like grab, you added the little buggy. I got scared. Um, but there are like plenty of really cool details and interesting, uh, changes in the scenes obviously. Cause it's a completely different story than what I'm used to. Um, but it still maintains the same structure, I guess like story structure of the rooms that you visit.

Um, so it's a cool way, uh, it's a, it's a twist on what we already know. Um, Just to make it more interesting, more fun for the people, I guess that have been to the other mansions. I

Lou Mongello: liked it. Yeah. I mean, even from, you know, when you approach this mansion, you're gonna see it looks very, very different than what you see than these very, sort of royal regal, um, a, a estate type homes, which actually was a, a, a cause of controversy.

Imagine your legend, imaginary Mark Davis very much disliked and did not approve of the sort of derelict of, uh, aesthetic of the building, saying Walt would never approve of this. Right. It's why the a hundred mansion in Disneyland did not look like an old rundown abandoned home, but something that was currently inhabited here.

They felt that the, they, they, they would be con, the, the French and European audience would almost be confused if it had this sort of, You know, completely updated appearance like, like the American mansions did. Um, even the music is, is, is very haunting. Um, there's a, there's an, an orchestration by John Deney that, that takes grim grinning ghosts and makes it much darker and more romantic, and then gets a little bit more upbeat in that final Phantom Canyon scene.

Um, but it is, it's a beautiful, wonderful, detail oriented attraction. But you're right. It, it is, you know, the word to sort of use is, is scary. Um, not in a way that's, you know, it, it's incredibly frightening. But, uh, you know what, I actually had scary, go ahead. I had scary on my list. I actually had scary on my list as a reason to visit Disneyland Paris.

And I'm gonna sort of, I'll connect the dots here because. When I say scary, I don't mean in a, in a you should be scared off kind of way. But there are sort of aspects of this park that are mature. And what I mean by that is, is there is a horror element to phantom manner, right? It is this classic ghost story that is just dark enough and daring.

I think really daring enough to really be appreciated by older guests. And I think that there's other attractions in Disneyland, Paris that have that too. And maybe ones that you would not necessarily expect. And I don't mean this as a way to scare off, but Marion, even when we rode things like snow white, scary adventures, right?

It's still scary here, right? It's, it used to be Snow White adventures in in Walt Israel. Cause I took the word scary out this. Um, this Rio has scary elements to it. Pinocchio's daring journey is very like, You get into Parochials Dairy Journey, you get into the scary parts of that movie. Like you go right into,

Marion Mongello: they skip, they skip the whole beginning, the

Beci Mahnken: whole become of a boy.

Lou Mongello: Right? The

Marion Mongello: donkey land. It is, I I was like, where is the Blue Fair? And then at the end, she's there. But they want, they want the children to have a little bit of a nightmare. And then they, then they'll, then they'll come back for more. But I was, I was creeped out by that one and by the Snow White one. That was like a, another like just creepier version.

Um, I felt like there was one more if you, I'm forgetting something.

Lou Mongello: Well, I mean, I think those two are, are important to mention. Because they exist in fantasy land. Right. And the thing that was, was somewhat unsettling about Pinocchio was it does skip sort of the warm and, and heartfelt fuzzy, like the old man who just wants to have, and he makes this little boy, you go right into the, the, the donkeys and the cage and the whale and it's, it's, it's macab, right?

There's there's written elements. Yeah.

Beci Mahnken: That, that's a great word. And uh, the thing I was interjecting before is it's not quite as scary as say, Hong Kong at Halloween.

Lou Mongello: That's a whole separate. But it

Beci Mahnken: does take across the park when it comes to these things. It does take a little bit more of a macka approach, um, to the storytelling than we see in the us.

And I, I frankly appreciate that and adore it, but I will be quite honest with you, the moment that it got into the donkeys and the cages when we first went in, I'm like, oh, I'm out. If I could, if I could have gotten out, I would've, um, that's not a way to start a story for me, but, uh, but yeah, it's, Laka is a great word.

Jeremiah Good: So one of the things about Snow White and Pinocchio, they're actually direct lifts from the 83 Fantasyland and Disneyland because Tony didn't want, he always felt that those, because that was one of his first major projects was the 83 Fantasy Land, and they are, Perfect storytelling and really perfect dark rides.

I mean, a dark ride was always meant to be a little bit scary and a little, you know, it's kind of like the makes you jump and makes you hold the person you're next to. So they do a great job with that. But I agree, the especially Frontier Land is so the entire story that travels through it, that is Big Thunder, is the di, is the horseshoes, is all the shops.

They do a great job of place making. And this was done well before Star Wars, Galax Edge, or Avatar. This is an entire land that if you pay attention to the story and you notice like I, I, I can almost guarantee that you didn't go up into the Stockade Lu and explore that because they don't have a Tom Sue Island.

The entrance of Frontier Land is a whole exploration area. And they have the bits and pieces of the story that set up the grander story of Frontier Land that is really the payoff of Phantom Manor. And, you know, one of the things about the scariness is it's, I, I've always felt that outside of America, the storytelling, they always try to focus more on a broader range of, Hey, we're not just gonna scare our kids with Freddy or Jason.

We're going to tell the story that intrigues them. And I think that's what Phantom Manor does the most, is it intrigues people to learn the story and go deeper into

Lou Mongello: it. Yeah. And even, um, you know, at Admire, we didn't get a chance to, to ride it, but even Twilight Zone Tower Tower, tower of Tower, um, was reimagined to become a new dimension of chills with new drop sequences and effects and storylines.

That expanded on the original one. I get. I know, I

Marion Mongello: didn't know that. When you said we, it's like, oh, we we're tired, da. I was like, oh, that's really good. We should go. You didn't tell me there was new things. It's amazing. I like amazing how they on Cause it's probably different. Wow. It's it's your fault.

You're, you're the Disney guy. Huh? The Disney guy should know. Tell me, go

Jeremiah Good: on it. So I'm gonna jump into this cause I've done this and

Lou Mongello: dad, I wanna go shopping. Whatever the

Jeremiah Good: tower pair at Wal Disney Studios Park is. Was built exactly as the one at Disney, California Adventure was, uh, it is the lesser version of the amazing, probably one of the best Disney attractions in the world.

Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios. But what they did, because it was the lesser attraction, they took each of the three shafts and made a different story that revolves around the little girl. And the little girl is warning you not to go on the ride. And there's, in true Twilight Zone fashion, something that is causing problems with the elevator that you don't know.

And the first time I wrote it, I, I'd heard, oh, there's a change to it. Yeah, sure. It's whatever. And I, unlike Lou, made time to make sure I could do it at least once, even waiting in an hour for it. And I wanted to get right back on and do it again. Um, this past time I did it three times. Sadly, each of the three times I got the exact same drop shaft.

So I had the same, but having the girl appear and she's like, don't go in there, I warned you. And then there are sounds and the drop sequences and it's not just the basic, oh look, here's the mirror, and then everybody disappears. She appears, gives you this creepy message. Uh, you know, it takes, if they hadn't changed tower in Disney, California Adventure to Guardians and they did this update, people would have lost their minds that they were closing this attraction.

Lou Mongello: Well now, Marilyn, that sounds

Marion Mongello: really awesome, doesn't it? That just sounds so fun.

Lou Mongello: Don't be ungrateful. Maybe when we go back. I love this conversation. Maybe when we go back next year, you can, we have something to look

Marion Mongello: forward to. No, we're definitely going on it

Beci Mahnken: next year. I have an idea about that. We'll talk about that later.

Lou Mongello: All right, let, let's move on because we, we have a lot of things that we, we, we have to cover. Uh, one of the other things that I really, that I loved about Disneyland, Paris were the main street u s a shopping arcades. And I appreciated them even more once we went to Paris Proper because when you see some of these shopping arcades located throughout the, the, the city, You understand the, uh, the inspiration for these, um, 19th century sort of glass ceiling passageways, that, that and these Parisian arcades, that house shop, and these are located on either side of Main Street.

They're beautiful to walk through. They house little shops and, and you know, separate entrances to the main street shops, but each one. Tells a different story, right? There's the Liberty Arcade, a Walk to Liberty, which has these beautiful gas lanterns and, and tells a story of the Statue of Liberty with photos and illustrations and, and artwork and, and some great shots of, uh, the construction.

Some of the, the wrought iron work in there is beautiful. And then the other one is the discovery arcade. Walk through yesterday's visions of tomorrow, and it's an, an homage to, and it sort of connects, I think, directly to Discovery Land, some of the imaginative ideas and inventions and, and thoughts of what the future.

Would be, um, from different patents to this visions of what this future utopian world would see would, would look like with display cases and, and posters. And again, that that wooden and green iron work in there is spectacular. But I, I, I love having not just these covered sort of walkways or passageways or, or throughways, but that each one tells a story and is so deliberately and intentionally designed to each tell a different story as well.

So,

Jeremiah Good: Lou, you talked with such passion about this. Did you happen to walk behind the wall to see the little display? That I did? I did. I spent too much time sitting there just immersed in these French. Immigrants coming to America, looking up at the Statue of Liberty on the 4th of July or whatever it is with fire.

Lou Mongello: So explain what it is, because it even Becky's like, I've never seen this. Becky. It also could have this also, Jeremiah could fall into the, into the scary conversation too.

Jeremiah Good: Yes. Um, yes. I took my friend in there and he felt the same way. So as you're walking down, they're telling the story of the Statue of Liberty and there's this little, uh, think of like the Main Street cinema in Disneyland, how they're curtained, and then there's the ticket taker and you have to walk around to go in.

As you come around either side, there's just a little diorama with the four or five mannequins and, but they're all dressed and very low. They are playing French conversation with the firework sounds and in the distance there's the Statue of Liberty. And you see the clouds kind of floating past, and the fireworks are going off above Lady Liberty.

And it is, There is no reason it for in the world. Um, they were actually going to, they announced just before Covid that they were gonna remove that and place the barber shop in that area. Thankfully, they have not done that. I don't know if that plan is still going forward, but it is just a little, you know, a little hidden gem of the park.

And I, I spent my first visit probably a half hour in there just trying to video it for no other reason than I wanted it on YouTube, so I could always reference it. And it is just, just a thing, like there's no reason for it to be there, but it is amazing. You spent

Lou Mongello: 30 minutes, we spent less than 30 seconds.

Mary walked in, she's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is,

Jeremiah Good: that's what my friend did also is like, what is

Lou Mongello: this? It's incredibly, I mean, dark almost to the point that it's very difficult to see mm-hmm. The figures that are in there. Um, we had no context because we didn't, it was all in, in French, uh, as opposed to a lot of, just very quickly, as opposed to a lot of the other attractions where you might hear a conversation between two people.

One side is in French, one side is in English, which helps no matter what language you speak, be able to understand the, the context and conversation. But yeah, it, it's very, very hidden. And, and Becky, that's why it, it's very easy to walk right by it, but you should, mm-hmm. You know, at least peek in to see.

Okay, we'll add it to the

Beci Mahnken: list, um, if it's still there.

Lou Mongello: Moving on to next on my list, we talked about the design, the aesthetic, the, the beauty of this park and, and landscaping and, and the gardens and the topiaries, but the lands themselves are spectacular. And a reason to visit Disneyland. Paris is adventureland the layout, the attractions, the theming, the shopping, the dining.

You literally travel to the four corners of. The globe because this Adventureland is, is different than one you'll see certainly like Caribbean Plaza in Walt Disney World because there are other influences and the realtor has broken down into different themed areas. There's the Adventureland Bazaar, which is a recreation of like a city from 1,001 Arabian Knights.

You can sort of very much connect it easily and they do to agba from a a Ladden. The second area has, uh, more African influence and has a lot of shops and restaurants like the Haku. There's a restaurant called the Haku Nu Matata Restaurant. The third represents the mysterious jungles of Asia and exploration.

It features the Indiana Jones and the temple of of Peril, which was unique in a Disney park when it opened in nine in 93. And then last in, in the largest part is this Caribbean area, which really covers most of the surface area of adventure land and features. You know, not just Pirates of the Caribbean, but adventure aisle and you know, the Captain Hook pirate ship.

I think Adventure Land is, is is a visually stunning, I talk about an area that is meant to be explored that is exactly what this land was, was designed for.

Jeremiah Good: Yeah, there is so much to explore in this land. Um, I've talked to people, I. That didn't even know of the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Apparel attraction because it is so far back.

I mean, it was something that was added because they needed something more. Um, and for those of you who don't know, in 1993, the Disney, the Euro, Disney Park was considered a failure by Disney and they needed to try to draw people in. So what they did was essentially go to, I don't remember which crater it was, um, and bought an off the shelf rollercoaster and put in a very weak theme if, if any, themeing at all for the, the Indiana Jones.

And it's a small four person car, has a very tight loop. Um, but it's a fun coaster. And for a long time they actually ran it backwards because it's one of those coasters. But sadly, it's now just one way, not both, but. I found myself getting lost in the caves this time because I actually spent time to explore them.

And you think of Tom Soer Island since they don't have, Tom Soer is a very American literature piece. This is Pirates on Man or Pirates, Peter Pan, um, Swiss Family Robinson. It is all combined into this area and the cave work, if that was even a thought of being built today, it couldn't happen. There's so many layers and levels to this and it, you know, there are times where you're climbing 30 steps to get up to the top to cross a rope bridge, and you get up there and you have the most amazing view, but there's nobody around because nobody else will climb those steps to go up to the rope bridge.

Marion Mongello: Yeah, we had a, we also kind of just stumbled upon it and there's really only, like, there's a little signage saying like, uh, Davey Jones locker is this way, and Skull Rock is that way. Um, and it was kind of an interesting, it was very, it felt very whimsical and you felt a sense of wonder, I guess, as you were trying to, it was like a scavenger hunt in a way, trying to make sure you went down every path.

Cuz everything, you know, it's almost like a maze, you know, you can loop on it and you can take a, you know, do I go right or left? And then it brings you back to the same place. Um, so it was very cool, especially as like a first timer experiencing that, because I imagine going multiple times, I'm sure you can get familiar with it, but it was really fun kind of getting to explore it for the first time and actually, um, actually experiencing that kind of like maze confusion, disorienting feeling of getting to.

Go through it. And then the reward being the really cool views that you get of the brand new pirate ship, um, that was unfortunately closed when we went. But, uh, the, the cool like new pirate ship and then there was like an abandoned pirate ship. Really, really interesting. It,

Beci Mahnken: it felt like, um, a different version of Tom Sore Island in a way, in that area because it's all discovery.

You, you can spend an hour just exploring and discovering and Hey, should I go right now and see where that takes me? Go left and where's that gonna take me? Um, visually it's very cool. It feels spread out over though, even though it's very compact. Uh, I, I love the design of the entire space of this land and all the variety between the attractions that are there to the food options, which are interesting as well.

Lou Mongello: Well, and, and. You know, adventure land, which, like you said, you know, it sits on an island. If you look down and sort over the map, it sits on an island that's connected by four bridges. But Adventure Land, because of the walkthrough and because of these different experiences, adventure Land is almost an attraction in and of itself and Adventure Aisle.

Um, I, I think is, is. It's a treasure that's hiding in plain sight, right? You almost sort of, there's no sort of entrance or exit to it. You just sort of experience it. You just, it just sort of happens. Um, and each one of the four bridges takes you to a different area. I'm, I'm not, they're all in French. I can't try and read them.

But you go to this, um, you know, the, this sea of swashbucklers, and then there's the, um, the, the, the, like the, the Robinson's, uh, treehouse. And then there's the, the shipwreck and the suspension bridge and Ben Gunn's cave and skull rock and, and the pirate ship

Jeremiah Good: it, it essentially it's Captain Hook's pirate ship.

Um, and don't worry, Marion, it's been closed every time I've gone. Also, I don't know if it's actually open anymore. But yeah, it is a, just a full size. I don't know if it's full size, but it is a very large Pirates galion that is based off of the Chicken in the Sea. Sadly, that was destroyed when they closed Fantasy land back in 82.

But this is, you know, again, Tony going, Hey, I destroyed one pirate ship. I'm gonna build a bigger version for people to explore. And it, you know, I've never gotten a chance to play on that, but it is that Peter Pan, captain Hook type ship again, chicken to sea, you know, everything there. You could tell that the Imagineer, Tony Baxter, who helped, who created this park, had the love of everything that is Disney.

He grew up in the park, so he knew what people would enjoy and. Went with it tenfold, sadly, you know? We'll, I'm sure we'll talk about the downfall on another podcast of it, but, yeah.

Lou Mongello: Well, and this again, sort of, this is helping to connect the dots between something else that was very high on my list, right?

We just talked about Adventure island. We, we talked about the, the layer of the dragon I love, and I think some of my favorite parts of, of Disneyland, Paris are the walkthrough attractions. Um, each of the lands has at least one walkthrough, right? You have the, the dragons layer, you have adventure is, um, the in, in, um, In Frontier Land, you have Fort Comstock.

There's sort of legends of, of the Wild West, um, talking about some of these far West legends from the Gold Rush to Buffalo Bill, uh, allowing people to sort of wander through and sort of create their own adventure. Um, I read that at one point kids used to have their own special spa special path that they could go through the Native American encampment outside of Ford Comstock.

Taking a look at some of the tepees, which I now, I think you can see across, um, the water in Adventureland, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, which I had as a separate entry, but we'll, we'll, we can talk about here. Um, we mentioned Adventure Island, Aladin in, in Adventure Land. Aladdin's Enchanted Pal. Uh, passage was.

This walkthrough of scenes and vignettes from the film with beautiful, um, very colorful dioramas and the music in the background. And unfortunately, it's been closed every time I've been the mysteries of the Nautilus, um, inspired by 20,000 leagues under the, I know, I know. I can't wait to go back. Um, to be able to go through and see the different chambers and, and the navigation room and the organ.

But I love this idea, guys, of, of doing these walkthrough attractions. Becky, you sort of mentioned some of the ones that we've done in the past at places like Hong Kong, they really lean into it. Heavily in Disneyland, Paris with, you know, five or six different ones. And I, and I like this idea of not just having a passive experience, but the scent of discovery dis the scent of not knowing what's around the next corner and being able to sort of make a decision that will affect how your experience goes.

I,

Jeremiah Good: I love the, uh, LED walkthrough that had been closed. The other times I'd gone, and this was the chance that I got to go through and explore. Sadly, in my head I didn't, I was always in my work mode, so I went through and videoed everything and then I got out and went. I didn't enjoy that as much as I should have, but it, it's almost like they took the windows of Main Street that they used to do when the new films came out and just expanded it.

So you get the full story of Aladdin. Uh, the Nautilus walkthrough is, that was my number one thing. I, I love Phantom Manor, everything else, but 20,000 leagues is probably one of my biggest gateways into Disney. And that walkthrough I spent so many times going through it, just running out, running back in, like it was an e ticket attraction.

And I know that they are in the process of updating the technology, putting in new effects. So when we all end up going next year, it should be open.

Beci Mahnken: Good, because I haven't seen that yet. That's one that's, that's my dragon for Marion. Every time I've been there, it's always been closed and not able to walk through.

Um, I have noticed that if you go in the fall, a lot of the times you run into that, that case scenario, but it's always been intriguing to look at from the outside wondering just what it contains. So I'm looking forward to

Marion Mongello: seeing it. My personal favorite walkthrough, because obviously the dragon was clothes, um, was the Alice Wonderland one.

Um, I am a huge Alice Wonderland fan. I, I absolutely love that story and I love the, the animation and the characters. And um, the first day again, it was closed, but then the next day was July. So it was open and it was a lot, it was so much bigger than I expected. And I like fantasy Land is always, my ha has always been my favorite, uh, land and I loved how whimsical that was and how you sort of were able to walk through the movie like you were a part of it.

Um, obviously Disney's immersiveness and their attention to detail is so special and through the walkthrough it's. You're able to appreciate those little details more rather than being on a, on a vehicle that your mind can't keep up with. I guess that it's, I love the self-paced aspect of it, and it seems much more relaxed and much more like choose your own adventure.

Obviously it's a maze as well. So it had like adventure aisle, it had that very discovery, uh, aspect to it, which was very cool. And you get a very unique view mm-hmm. Of the park from the top of the Paris, Disney. Paris is full, I guess, of unique views, um, because there's a, there's a, isn't it that the Queen of hearts castle, the king of hearts castle there, that you can go to the top of Super cool.

You can see, uh, sleeping Greediness castle from a different, an angle and perspective, which I

Jeremiah Good: really loved. Well, and what I,

well

Lou Mongello: I'm guessing,

Jeremiah Good: sorry. I'm guessing as you said, Marian, that you could walk through on your own pace. Um, I'm guessing it wasn't a busy day because on the days that I've gone. It, it, I love the Curious Labyrinth.

It is by far the, the most unique thing about all of Disneyland, Paris. Even though they have some of the most amazing attraction, because you do get a stroll and look at the gardens, but every time I've gone, it has been the caucus race with kids pushing me through the entire thing. Um, but yeah, it is. I really hope, and this is something that Disney is going through and reinvesting and re-imagining and updating everything.

Um, in the couple of times that I visited, I've seen the beauty of that with the popup animatronic or popup figures to now where I would stand there and look at something and I'd be like, I could see the top of the queen of heart's head, but she wasn't doing anything. And then you would turn the corner and all of a sudden she'd just pop up randomly, which it's supposed to do, but things weren't working the best.

But yeah, the, the view from up there, the, the pure joy, especially if you love the Disney Alice story, you get everything out of it that you could hope.

Beci Mahnken: That is one of those places that I just adore. Walking through, it's a, a total attraction in itself. And unlike having to stand in line and cue to get on an attraction, the entire thing from the moment you walk in is just fun.

It's, it's playful, it's joyful. It's, uh, again, getting lost in something familiar. Um, absolutely one of those things that I know a lot of people, especially those who are thrill seekers, would just kind of walk past it and go, ah, you know, don't, don't even bother without or take the time. I'm telling you, take the time.

Because it is that fun. It inspires joy and there's a lot of giggles in there. It really is.

Marion Mongello: It's kind of, I think it's important to mention also there's an Alice Wonderland kind of section nestled in fantasy land. Obviously the walkthrough takes up a good amount of real estate, but the Cheshire cat, I wouldn't call it a topiary, I don't know what I would call it.

It's like a, it's like a flat to, what's that called?

Lou Mongello: A floral, it's design F right? A

Marion Mongello: floral design of floral design. Flat toppi area. I like that better. Um, it takes up, obviously a lot of real estate, but there's also the, isn't it called the mad hair, the little ice cream place? Mm-hmm. With like the themed sitting area and it kind of spits you out near, uh, the teacup.

So if you're an Alice Wonderland fan, like me, you kind of are in like a little tiny Allison wonder. Land land, which I, I really loved. And the music also is just so jovial and happy. So

Lou Mongello: Yeah. Doesn't spit you out into a gift shop. It spits you out to the march hair refreshments, which, which we went to Marion had and had some of those

Marion Mongello: snacks.

We created it a d i y Acado. You guys should try. You get the ice cream and you get a shot, and then you do it. You get your sweet and your caffeine at once. Secret menu. It was,

Lou Mongello: yeah. To be clear, this is when we were sort of, we were hitting a wall of exhaustion. We were like, all right, we need to sort of, we need sugar and we need caffeine.

And they sold espresso shots where you can get, again, the, the, the snack carts and, and, uh, places are, are different in terms of what they serve. So Mary made her own aga, but yeah, I, I loved these lush green hedges and how. You know, you, you realize that there's a story being told here, right? It's, it's, it's basically came, it's, it's built in sort of two sections, right?

The first part is Alice's Adventures prior to meeting the Queen of Hearts. And then the second part is based on her encounter with the Queen, who obviously had a labrinth similar to this in the film. But you realize that there's like 10 different scenes and like 20 characters and statues and like, you know, I think there's like a dozen fountains and, and eight dead ends.

So it's, it's not as simple as it might seem like. You, you know, the, and you have a goal, your goal is to reach the queen of hearts castle, where you get this view of, of, um, fantasy land. And like you said, Marion, the, the route itself is, is similar in shape to the body of the, the Cheshire Cat. The music is in there, those familiar scenes, like the blue Caterpillar's mushroom layer and the caucus race.

And what I found out, which I didn't realize, there actually used to be a slide at the tower, so you can climb up this tower. Yeah. There used to be a slide for kids on the way down that, that, um, was eventually shut down. But I, one of you said this, and I think you're right, I think this is. An attraction that many people might think is for kids, it's not for them, and it's, it's very easily overlooked and shouldn't be.

That concludes part one of our virtual visit. Two, and the reasons why you should go for your first or next time to Disneyland Paris. There is a lot to cover. There's a lot to love there, and in fact, I wanna help you do just that. I actually wanna help you get to Disneyland Paris because in case you can't tell, I was and am so excited about it and truly in love with Disneyland Paris.

And more importantly, I really want you to be able to visit experience and understand why I, we adore it so much, and in addition to sharing the reasons. Why we love it this and next week and on social, be sure to check my Instagram stories and posts for more pictures and videos. I really wanna help you get there and it's not just with the why and the how and and the reasons why to go.

I mean, really help you get there. And so do the folks at Disneyland, Paris, and thanks to them, that's exactly what we're going to do because I, with the help of Disneyland Paris, were giving you a chance to win a truly magical family vacation. In Disneyland, Paris, this spectacular and special resort that is deeply rooted in French culture with exclusive experiences that can only be found there and one lucky winner is gonna live out an unforgettable stay for a family of four, including a four day, three night stay in the four star Disney's hotel in New York.

The Art of Marvel, it's where I stayed. I love it. Four tickets for four days valid in the two Disney parks. Food vouchers for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and some more epic surprises. There's full details, terms and conditions. If you go to ww radio.com/dlp contest, you can read more about that there.

Now, how do you enter? It's easy. Really, there's no complicated tribute questions, nothing to buy. All you need to do to enter is visit my instagram, instagram.com/lu mongie. There you're gonna find a photo post about the contest. The instructions are laid out in the description, but all you really need to do to enter is like the photo.

Subscribe to the podcast, which hopefully already are on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Join the community. That's the clubhouse of run Facebook. Subscribe to the free W W R O newsletter. I'll give you a link to that there as well. Follow me and Disneyland Paris on Instagram. And then just answer in the comments, what part of or attraction in Disneyland Paris would you love to experience most during the Disneyland Paris 30th anniversary?

And then just tag somebody. That you'd love to take with you to Disneyland, Paris in the comments. You can enter more than once, but you have to tag a different friend or family member in each comment. No celebrities or fake accounts. So the more you enter, the better. Your chances of winning this incredible trip are.

The contest is gonna run. Until Sunday, June 25th at 5:00 PM Eastern. I'll then draw the winner and then announce it on the podcast and on my Instagram. I am so excited for you and huge, huge thanks again to Disneyland Paris for providing such an incredible gift. And don't forget that whether you win or not, you should still go and visit Disneyland Paris.

And if you wanna get a free new obligation quote and some guidance from our friends over at Mouse Van Travel, you can visit mouse van travel.com. But again, check out my Instagram at luman jello for a chance to win this incredible vacation prize package. So good luck. Or

it's time for our Walt Disney World Tri Question of the week. Ryan, invite me to test your knowledge of Walt Disney World History or see how well you pay attention to the details in which you see here. Or remember if you're thinking of the answer, you can enter for a chance to win a Disney Prize package.

This week's tribute contest is once again brought to you by you. Seriously, because as part of the W W O Nation, you help bring every episode of the show to life, every live broadcast, the contests and giveaways, they're all thanks to you, and you can find out how you can help the show for as little as a dollar per month and get exclusive rewards every month like scavenger hunts, trivia quest, participate in our group video calls, get access to our private Facebook group, their shirts, stickers, monthly care packages, and much more.

I appreciate you and the friendship, and the love and the support you give me, and I love being able to give back to you each month. And don't forget that a portion of your obviously optional contribution goes to our Dream Team Project to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. Thanks to you.

We've raised more than $550,000 for Make-A-Wish, and you have really made magic and changed the lives of so many people in a meaningful, positive, and profound way. I'd love to thank some new and longtime members of our nation family, including Andrew Prince, Brian Kushner, Christine Thomas, Angela Batista, and Faye Edmonton.

If you wanna find out how you can help the show and be part of the nation family, you can visit ww radio.com/support. Now, before we get to this week's question, we're gonna go back, review. Last week's end, select our winner. So last week I asked you to tell me in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, what is the name of the dog that was clear?

What is the current name of the dog? Cuz it has changed many times over the years. First thanks. First thanks to all who entered, got this one correct and knew that the answer is Rover now. The dog's name has changed many times. It's been Buster Sport, Queenie, and currently Rover. And actually at one time in Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World.

Cuz remember this was moved from Disneyland. The dog's name was different in every scene, but now it's Rover consistently throughout the entire show. Anyway, last week you were playing for a prize package that includes a ww O mug, one of those fancy new pins and a mystery prize. And last week's winner, randomly selected is Dominic Ello.

So Dominic, congratulations. I'll get your prize package out you right away. If you played last week and didn't win, that's okay cuz here's your next chance to enter in this week's Walt Disney World Trivia Challenge. So we're talking about Disneyland Paris. We're gonna go to Disneyland Paris because when Disneyland, Paris opened its doors for the very first time at 9:01 AM on April 12th, 1992.

Five years after signing the original agreement, it wasn't actually known as Disneyland Paris. So your question this week is to tell me what was the original name of Disneyland Paris. You have until Sunday, June 18th at 11:59 PM Eastern to go to ww radio.com. Click on this week's podcast, use the forum there, and this week you're gonna play for a WW radio mug, a pin and a mystery prize from Disneyland Paris.

So good luck and have fun.

That's all the time we have for this week's show. Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in this and every week. I hope you enjoyed the first part of our look at all the reasons to go to Disneyland, Paris, and of course, our special Disneyland Paris vacation giveaway. I'd love to know from you, have you ever been to Disneyland Paris, or should I say, have you been yet?

If you have, what's your favorite aspect of the park? I'll post this question over in the W W E O clubhouse on Facebook. You can answer there and the comments, or better yet, call the voicemail at (407) 900-9391. That's 4 0 7 900 WW one. Tell me your favorite part of Disneyland, Paris, or if Disneyland Paris is on your radar.

I'll play it on the air. You can also connect with me on social. I am at luman Jello on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. And you can email me lou ww radio.com. If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the show, be sure to check out our eventsPage@wwradio.com slash events. Stay tuned for details about our next meet of the month in Walt Disney World, as well as other events on Land at sea, and a few special things we're working on.

Stay tuned. Also, please check out the all new luman jello.com. In addition to everything I do in the Disney space, I'm also a keynote speaker, coach, and I host a number of events for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who are looking to build their business and brand through one-on-one coaching. I have weekly mastermind groups and events, including my Momentum Weekend Workshop in Walt Disney World this fall.

We are back for our seventh year and what I think is shaping up to be our best event ever. It is limited to just 50 entrepreneurs with a 10 person Mastermind Monday. And you learn practical and tactical lessons and strategies In interactive workshops, you do the work in the room. You also find out how to apply these to your business and your life.

It is built on inspiration, education, impact, and community. You can learn more and secure your seat at lu mongie.com/momentum. While you're on the site, you can also find out how they can come to maybe speak to your conference, your event, your business or school. I specialize in helping organizations leverage customer service lessons and strategies from Disney.

And I bring some unique and impactful Disney magic to events and companies and schools through in-person and online presentations as well. And don't forget when you're going to visit Disneyland, Paris, or any of the Disney parks around the world. Visit our friends over@mousevantravel.com for all your vacation planning needs that all come at no cost to you, but with an exceptional level of personal service.

You can visit them over@mousevantravel.com, and as always my friend and you are my friend, whether we have met yet or not. All I ask is that if you like the show and I hope that you do, to please help spread the word. Tell a friend post a link to this or your favorite episode on Social Pet. Screenshot that you're listening to this episode on your phone.

Share it on social. Tag me at luman and I'll reshare it and follow you back. And if you can take just a couple of seconds to rate and review the show over an Apple podcast or a Spotify, I wanna thank some recent reviewers like Joseph Ivan Victor for who says he is the number one fan of the world. Hey Lu Mane, I'm just a fan and for a long time started on the old audio guide to Walt Disney, zero World's Magic Kingdom audio tours and it led me here and I have one episode.

Topic request. Can you talk about the lost history of Roger Rabbit and the future of the film and how it didn't end up coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios? Joseph, Ivan, I've got good news for you cuz if you go to ww radio.com/roger Rabbit, you can go and listen to show number six or I talk where I did a DSI of Roger Rabbit show number 3 27 where we talked specifically about Roger Rabbit in Walt Disney World.

What is, what was and what might have been. And show 360 1. We talk about 25 things we love Miss or remember about the Disney MGM studios. And there's a lot of talk about Roger Rabbit, what was there, what almost was there, and what could have been there as well. Again, go to ww radio.com/roger Rabbit, and again, if you leave your review on Apple Podcasts, I will read it here on the show.

Finally, most importantly, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you. I appreciate you. Always remember to choose the good, to find the good in people and opportunities, and remember that with every action you have the power to create this ripple effect of positivity. Be the positive light, be the positive change that you wanna see in this world.

Set an example for others. Choose the good and have an amazing week. I love you. I appreciate you. So until next time, and or this Wednesday's live show on Facebook every Wednesday, 7:30 PM eastern wdwradiolive.com. So until next time. See ya.