Since April 4, 2009 (or March 20th, 2009 if the preview performances are counted in as well) the dinner show “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show” in the Disney Village after nearly full 17 years (which makes it the longest running show of the resort) is presented in an updated version, which had “Mickey and friends” inserted into the story line of the longest running show of the Disneyland Resort Paris.

With the addition of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy as well as Chip’n'Dale the creative team not only wanted to liven up scenes such as the camp scene but also wanted to counter a trend over the recent years that saw the number of guests booking tickets for the dinner show dwindle. The logic here is that guests may have refrained from paying for the dinner show due to a lack of an obvious “Disney element” in it.

Whether this theorey turns out to have been correct needs to be awaited. In any way the resort is now pushing the new version of the show heavily. Not only has a huge poster been added to the entrance facade of the dinner show, but also two smaller posters above the exit gates of the Disneyland Park (one in French and one in English) to remind guests when exiting the theme park that the fun can continue just a few steps further down into the Disney Village.

However, also only a short while ago the resort introduced a two tier pricing for the dinner show. Originally all seats were priced at the same level and were assigned on a first come first serve basis when guests entered Colonel Cody’s Saloon prior to the show. Recently the auditorium was separated into two sections. the first category encompasses the lower rows (closer to the action) in all but the sections closest to canyon backdrop (guests seated in these two are repeatedly looking at the back of the performers), while the second category includes all rear rows as well as the sections closest to the canyon backdrop. In addition only guests in the first category are treated to a free non-alcoholic welcome-cocktail and sweet treats with their tea or coffee at the end of the dinner. The pricing was adjusted at this occassion as well, as tickets for the first category now run 71.00 / 57.00 Euro per adult / child respectively 59.00 / 45.00 Euro per adult / child in the second category – certainly inlcuding the show experience, the full dinner as well as unlimited beer, coca cola or water. Considering the current economic climate even the addition of the Mickey and friends to the show this pricing may still turn away guests making it difficult to assert the influence of the update on the success of the show.

However, there are at least two major discounts regular guests and fans may be eligible for to enjoy the dinner show for a reduced pricing: Annual Passport holders receive a special price of 45.00 Euro in the first category till June 30th, 2009. The offer is limited to the passport holder and a maximum of five guests. As of July 1st only holders of the Anual Passports Dream and Fantasy receive a 15% discount on regular tickets (for a group of maximum 5 guests). Members of the Shareholders’ Club can buy tickets at reduced rates of 49.00 Euro in the 1st and 37.00 Euro in the second category (for adults and children) for all performances till August 20th. After this date recuded tickets are available to Shareholders’ Club members at the price of 61.00 / 49.00 Euro for adults / children in the 1st category, respectively 49.00 / 37.00 Euro for adults / children in the 2nd category. In any case the discounts for members of the club are limited to groups of up to 5 guests per member.

Currently the show is scheduled to be performed daily at 6.30 pm and 9.30 except Wednesday and Thursday till March 7, 2010 – however, the show may be dark on selected additional days or limited to just one performance, in particular during the off-season, or may add additional show times depending on demand.

This entry was posted by Dirk on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 7:22 am and is filed under Disney Village, Disneyland Resort Paris, Entertainment, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.