A short update today with the latest news about DLP and HKDL. Let's begin with Disneyland Paris. DLP management has hold its breath all last week as the french government wanted to increase the VAT on all theme parks and amusement parks from 5.5% to 19.6%. They finally cancelled this very bad idea and replaced it with a 2% tax on all hotel rooms from and above 200 euros. This concerns not only DLP hotels but all hotels in France, of course.
An increase of the VAT would have been literally devastating for the park as it would have mean that the ticket price would have jump to more than 80 euros and of course it would have had an effect on the parks activity with probably less visitors, etc... Thanks God this was cancelled by the french government as the other theme parks were infuriated by a VAT increase and specially the Futuroscope theme park. Jean Pierre Raffarin, former french prime minister and who is at the head of the Vienne department where the Futuroscope is went really angry with Sarkozy who finally decided to cancel this VAT increase. Who would have said that Disneyland Paris future would have been saved indirectly by one of its main competitor in France - the Futuroscope?
A 2% tax on hotel rooms will have a totally different effect. 2% on a 200 euros room makes an increase of 4 euros only and someone who can afford to pay 200 euros on a room can of course pay 204 euros, so this new 2% hotel tax shouldn't have a bad effect for the park.
Talking about DLP future i am sorry to say that there is no news at all about the two awaited attractions "Ratatouille" and "Star Tours 2". I don't think that there is any major problem or cancellation on the Ratatouille dark ride but if the park don't start soon the works on the Ratatouille ride and area they will have a real timing problem for a 2013 opening. Even if works were beginning right now the ride probably wouldn't be ready before summer 2013. I remind you that DLP 20th anniversary is next year - so in 2012 and not 2013 - and so a Ratatouille opening in 2013 was schedule to give a new impulsion after the 20th Anniversary year. This might work well as long as the Ratatouille ride would indeed open in spring or summer 2013, and for this they really have to start the works as soon as possible...
No news too on Star Tours 2, and this is not good news. It doesn't mean that they won't bring ST2 at DLP Discoveryland but it probably means that DLP fans will have to wait at least until 2014 to get it. Though, if the park finally choose to install ST2 and have it ready for the 20th anniversary, they still have the time to do it, but here, too, works should start right now and the least we can say is that no signs are going in this direction.
Let's move to Hong Kong Disneyland, now. Toy Story Playland is scheduled to open next November at HKDL and the park is recruiting 1,000 new cast members for its biggest expansion since it opened in 2005. Park managing director Andrew Kam Min-ho said "In addition to increasing our physical footprint by 23 percent, the new projects will increase overall park attractions, entertainment facilities and shows to more than 100". HKDL also expect that daily visitor arrivals will rise from 38,000 to 40,000 with the opening of Toy Story Playland. Above and below, two pictures showing the entrance of Toy Story Land with the giant Woody instead than the giant Buzz at the WDS.
HKDL just released these new Toy Story Land visuals, the main one is at the top and below the three visuals for the three attractions.
And here is the video of the press conference in which you'll some shots of Toy Story Land. The language is in chinese but the images are in international language!
Also, the HKDL Haunted Halloween will begin September 22 as you may have read in my previous article HERE and the park released three CGI animated videos. The first one below introduces the Main Street Haunted Hotel...
The next one is all about the new Thaddeus Oswald traveling circus...
And this last on shows a bit of everything but also have some still images with the text in chinese which will be hard to understand for non-chinese
Pictures and Videos: copyright Disney
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4 comments:
Is "Thaddeus" Mr. Toad, who is in the same feature as the headless horseman and "Oswald" the lucky Rabbit? I was wondering...
Good question, Marco, but i don't now the answer... It might be...
I just noticed a set of Disney building logs on e-bay much like the Lincoln Logs of the Slinky Dog era,we played with as a kids and seem missing from Toy Story Land. They would be perfect for creating a safe organic looking toy wall around Toy Story Land as we would have done as kids when we played in the grass with all our vintage toys. John how about Lincoln Logs here and in Paris? PD
The Thaddeus Oswald Traveling Circus reminds me of Disney's Ray Bradbury film "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and the Tony Randal "Seven faces of Dr Lao", that was a part of Disney's Discovery Bay. PD
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