As widely reported France reduced its value added tax (VAT) as applicable to food and drinks and the related service in restaurants (but NOT for take-way foods and drinks) effective July 1, 2009 from 19.6% to 5.5%. While restaurants are not obligated to hand the reduction down to customers early reports indicated up to 80% planned to do so. So what about the restaurants at the Disneyland Resort Paris? There is a mixed answer here - but guests can save some money. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Restaurants’ Category
East High School at WDS (updated!)
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
The world wide smash hit franchise “High School Musical” is already present at the Walt Disney Studios for the past three years with the various shows performed during the summer half-year. 
However, now a year round option for fans is prepared: as reported earlier the former Backlot Express Restaurant has been emptied of all movie props on display so far and is transferred into a restaurant featuring a “High School Musical” themed area and a “Pirates of the Caribbean” themed area – and the transformation is progressing with large steps. (more…)
Fast Food Restaurant Update
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Following our update about recent developments of the table service and buffet restaurants at DLPR here comes the update for the counter service aka fast food locations. So what’s new at what are the most popular restaurants in the theme parks? As the transformation of the Backlot Express Restaurant in the Walt Disney Studios Park is still an ongoing project, this update concentrates on the Disneyland Park. So what’s new in the Disneyland Park?
According to the current guide map (valid till November 7, 2009) there is a new fast food location in Frontierland … called “Cowboy Cookout Barbecue”! As regular guests of the Disneyland Park know this restaurant is not new, in fact it is one of the fast food locations that opened together with the park in 1992. However what is new is the menu and choice of selections offered. While some burgers and the half chicken is still on the menue, the selection has been updated to fit the themeing of a wild west barbecue better, now including various grilled and smoked items inlcuding skillets of mixed meats and sides. While a la carte ordering certainly is possible, the restaurant also offers pre-set menues which offer a choice between selected meals at a special menu-price – and are heavily advertised outside the restaurant as seen in the photo above.
Table Service & Buffet Restaurant Update from DLRP
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Since 1992 the Disneyland Resort Paris is offering guests a unique choice of high quality table service restaurants (and buffet restaurants) not only in the Disney hotels and the Disney Village but also in the Disneyland Park itself offering a relaxing quality atmosphere for lunch and dinner. After initial problems to fill the seats in the early days guests in the past years frequently had to be turned away at the restaurants if they showed up without a reservation. However, it seems the situation is changing again – not surprising considering the overal economic climate.
In reaction The Silver Spur Steakhouse, The Blue Lagoon (historical the most popular of the table service restaurants in the park) and Walt’s are offering an “Express Menu” for lunch consisting of two courses priced at 19.90 Euro per adult with the promise to serve it in 40 minutes (so also to attract one day guests who may be afraid to miss some of the park’s attractions if they spend time in the table service restaurants).
One location that seems unaffected so far seems to be the Agrabah Café in Adventureland, which in a surprise move closed off the small courtyard from the main walkway with a themed fence and seems to have prepared (more…)
Buffalo Bill, Mickey and friends
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
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. (more…)
Partytime… at Starbucks!
Friday, June 19th, 2009
The Starbucks Coffee shop in the Disney Village will officially open it’s doors tomorrow, Saturday June 20th, at 8.00 pm. To celebrate the opening of the very first Starbucks’ location inside a Disney resort worldwide and the new addition to the Disney Village the coffee house is – just as this news is being typed – celebrating a party in the new location with invited guests. Those not invited however are (more…)
Last Minute Rehabs…
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
The crews are rushing to finish the last scheduled rehabs inside the Disneyland Park (and also to a lesser extent in the Walt Disney Studios) before the official summer season commences in a couple of weeks. Currently the outdoor playground “La Plage des Pirates” in Adventureland is undergoing a sproucing up (till June 19) while the “Robinson Tree House” next door undergoes a major “all around” rehab since Monday and till June 26th (the first such extensive rehab for the popular walk through attraction). For the same time window the Flying Carpets over Agrabah (in the Walt Disney Studios Park) are also closed. Alice’s Curious Labyrinth which already underwent several smaller rehabs has three more scheduled for June 22nd to 26th and 29th to 30th as well as July 1st till 3rd, basically being reopened for the weekends - however, guests should note that even if open during the date of their visit, the labyrinth since this spring has limited operational hours, i.e. opens after the park and closes in early afternoon. But attractions aren’t the only objects of rehabs in the final weeks of spring… (more…)
Studio Construction Update
Monday, June 15th, 2009
The Walt Disney Studios still remain the premier construction site at the Disneyland Resort Paris, if general rehab work is excluded. So time for a short round-up of the status-quo…
The work on the Studio Store is finished. The shop windows have been replaced with wider versions and new, wider entrances to the first and last section of the building been installed as well as the planters in front of these two entrances made considerable smaller to invite guests to take a short diversion into the shop, whose interior has also been carefully re-arranged for a better shopping experience, especially moving the cashiers closer to the exits. As a side-effect the large black limousine used as a photo backdrop for Character Meet’n#Greets was also moved further to the back of the Frontlot in front of the Studio 1, so not to block the entrance to the first part of the Studio Store.
The front facade of Studio 1 facing the Frontlot is still covered by scaffolding covered by a printed canvas of the facade. However, there is no (more…)
Name-Change in the Studios
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
The restaurant “Rendez-Vous des Stars” (on the building: Rendez-Vous des Stars Restaurant) in the Walt Disney Studios has become another opening day element of the theme park that was “adjusted”. While operations of the restaurnt continue in the recent weeks it was renamed to “RESTAURANT des STARS”. Signage on the building has been replaced and a new canopy in a warm color with a newly designed logo for the restaurant was added above the entrance. However, the menu signs are still referring to it as “Rendez-Vous des Stars” – but should be changed soon enough as well.
Besides the change in the name and according adjustments on the signage it is pretty much operation as usual for the restaurant – but then the restaurant already underwent changes in the past, when it switched from the original “cafeteria” concept to an all you can eat buffet with drinks served at the table. Speaking of “operation as usual”: despite reports from US websites that indicated that the miniature character of Remy (the small chef and star of Ratatouille) might have moved to EPCOT at Walt Disney World, he is still wheeled out into the dining room by a junior chef repeatedly throughout the day to make sure guests enjoy their food and entertain them even with a little dance. The small sized live character (the size of a real rat) had its world premier in the Walt Disney Studios – and it must be his twin who is now helping the chefs at Les Chefs de France in EPCOT. According signs announcing his residency at “Restaurant des Stars” were removed from the roof of the building, but are now adorning the walls in the direct sight lines of guests.
DLRP attacked over Foie Gras
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009Animal activists for several years already campaign against “Foie Gras” – a French speciality created out of the goose and duck liver that has been specifically fattened. This fattening is frequently accomplished through force-feeding of the animal – considered cruelty against the animals by animal activists, who therefore campaign against this typical French delicacy.
In the recent days several blogs (including antikewldaily and cartoon brew) posted an animated short created on behalf of Wakker Dier (a Dutch activist group) attacking Disneyland Resort Paris over its offering Foie Gras, which is available in selected restaurants on property, such as The Steakhouse (in the Disney Village) and The California Grill (in the Disneyland Hotel). However, the short was actually already released on December 17, 2007 – so this is not a current or recent activity. Nevertheless, the recent posts on blogs has brought the topic back into at lest parts of the internet discussion.
Whatever one thinks about the campaign against Foie Gras and them singleing out the Disneyland Resort Paris – the animated short is technically well done and impressive. The short showcases the “production” of Fois Gras in cartoon style next to an stylized Sleeping Beauty Castle emplyoing characters clearly resembling famous Disney stars.
You can find the full animated short below the jump…
