Disney Facts Thread

when deciding on the location for the european site initially Britain, Italy, Spain and France were all considered as possible locations, though Britain and Italy were quickly dropped from the list of potential sites because they both lacked a suitably large expanse of flat land.

The most likely site was thought to be in the Alicante area of Spain, which had a similar climate to that in Florida for a large part of the year, however the area was also beset by the notorious Mistral winds.

Eventually the French location won, and a site was duly investigated at Marne-la-Vallee, partly because of its close proximity to Paris, and also it's central positioning within western europe. A factor that was though to be crucial to the park's future success if it was to attract sufficient visitors. The proposed location put the park within 4-hours drive for around 68 million people, and 2 hours flight for a further 300 million or so.

 

No they're not mixed.

 

wow that is so cool (the paris stuff).

i have been to alicante. it was so warm but i was wearing a jumper as the winds made me really cold!!

 

That is really interesting on how they picked the european site, but it was totally right because there would be no sense in putting it in Britain, personally that is what i think, but others may disagree.

 

there is no space here. plus alton towers wouldnt be happy lol!

it makes it special to travel to disney...all the organisation beforehand and everything.

 

Ye, they should actually have their own airline Disney. That would be amazing.

 

haha and the flight attendants would be characters! lol

 

The Eurostar that goes directly from London to DLP is called the Disney Express!!
And the last time i went there at Halloween they had characters going up and down the train which was pretty special!! I'm going again in November for the Fireworks Spectacular week and i'm so hoping they will have characters on the train again so i can get more autographs!!

 

wow that's so cool! i got curious and loked up travel info for next time i'm in the UK and the journey's only 2hrs and 40 min! that's really good ;D

 

Yea it's excellent, and the time flies by, cos you're so damn excited about going lol
I've just booked 4 days and 3 nights in the Sequoia Lodge (i wanted Newport Bay but couldn't afford it) from 4th Nov for £310. That's a really good deal considering it's when the fireworks are on!! I can't wait, hopefully I will know by then if i've got the job or not aswell!!

 

yeah that'd make it even more of a special trip and more of a reason to celebrate! but if you do get the job don't buy too much in Paris if you can help it cuz you'll have you're CM discount to abuse when you go to WDW ;D

 

Yea i totally thought that, it's gona be really hard to not but stuff tho, i'm sure i will talk myself into it lol

 

I wish i was going, i have never been to disneyland paris, and i have been told by many people to go so maybe i might go at christmas time for a couple of days, that is if i have the money to go.

 

I've never been to DLP, but I've heard mixed reactions.

I'm thinking of maybe going there for my birthday next year with a few friends - after all, I intend to go to Florida (and, natrually, WDW) for my 21st

 

Do they all speak french al DLP? I could get by anyway cuz i speak french but I was just wondering if you didn't if it's a problem? Are all the announcements and stuff only in french or french/english?

 

No not at all, they normally do announcements in French first and then English, and most of the people that work in the shops and food places speak good enough english. I'm a bit of a DLP addict, i've been 7 times now, including Christmas, New Year and Halloween, and doing Fireworks week this year!!

 

Wow that's awesome! If I lived in the UK I'd go as often as possible too. I actually came pretty close to moving over there cuz it's where my mum was born/grew up and where my grandparents live. I actually am a UK citizen technically, I've got a passport and everything....sorry for straying a bit lol. I'll throw in some Disney facts to make up for it...

-Goofy's first name was Dippy Dog.
According to Disney A to Z, Goofy's original name was "Dippy Dawg" then became "Dippy the Goof" and finally "Goofy." "...Goofy was part of the gang that included Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Clarabelle Cow, and Horace Horsecollar. In the newspaper comic strips, this new character was first given the name Dippy Dawg. A 1938 book indicated the first change to Dippy's name, The Story of Dippy the Goof and by 1939 the final change was made with the release of the cartoon Goofy and Wilbur. Goofy was created as a human character, as opposed to Pluto, so he walked upright and had a speaking voice..."

-the Disney characters usually work short shifts. If you wonder why you always see them. It's because they switch out constantly. Do you know when it's time to switch? An Cast Member will walk up to the character and say something like "Mickey! Minnie has been looking all over for you! (Mickey has an embarrassed look) you better go to the...and find her! Mickey takes off and gets a break.
Ask any cast member and he will tell you he does not work short shifts. 10 and 12 hour shifts are routine, especially in summer and at Christmas. Yes, there are some short shifts, but by no means all. Due to the union pay structure, cast members want to work long shifts, as pay increases after 8 hours.

-In order to play the role of the beloved mouse you must be between the heights of 4'6" to 5'2". No exceptions. The WD Co. believes strongly in the idea of consistency, thus the tough appearance policy (no facial hair, 1 ring per hand, no visible tattoos, hair must off the ear for men and one natural color....I could go on forever) They also have specific height requirement for all their characters, because there is "only one " of each of them when they go off stage and come back on in a few minutes, they must be the same height. Hot shots just walk the park like any other Cast Member and are expected to act just like any Cast Member would.
Someone sure thinks Mickey can be tall. 5'2" A 5'0" Mickey is considered MONSTROUS, and 5'2" is almost too tall for the next size category (which is chipmunks, pooh, etc.) There are no characters in the park between the height 5'3"-5'6". Also, look at the people hosting the characters. Don't they seem to be either really short or really tall? Guess what they do when they're not hosting?

 

Did you know Disneyland tokyo is the only Disney theme park not owned by the Walt Disney World company.

 

Not technically true.

While it's true that the Tokyo Disneyland Resort is owned by the Oriental Land Company, Disneyland Paris is owned by Euro Disney S.C.A., of which 39.78% of shares are held by The Walt Disney Company, 10% by the Saudi Prince Alwaleed and 50.22% by other shareholders. Also, Hong Kong Disneyland is owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks, of which the Hong Kong Government holds 57% stake, while The Walt Disney Company holds 43%.

And just for the record, because i'm eeeevil like that, Disneyland and Walt Disney World are fully owned segments of The Walt Disney Company operating under the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division which also operates Disney Cruise Line, ESPN Zone, DisneyQuest, The three World of Disney stores (NYC, London and WDW, I believe), Disney Vacation Club, (which includes Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort) and last but not least, Adventures by Disney.

Just for the record, of course!

 

:-\ Thanks for that Kev! Its nice to elaborate.