After years of construction and 2 billion euros of investment, Disneyland Paris inaugurates its colossal expansion this Sunday. With the village of Arendelle, a three-hectare artificial lake, and unprecedented attractions, the second park changes era and officially becomes “Disney Adventure World.”
New attractions, an artificial lake, and especially the village of the Snow Queen: after several years of work, Disneyland Paris in Seine-et-Marne opens its new expansion to the public, a 2 billion euro project.
The new space, aimed at boosting the attendance of what is already Europe’s top private tourist destination, offers a traveling experience through several worlds of the Disney universe.
At the heart of this area, a three-hectare lake designed for a nightly show, with water jets, pyrotechnic effects, and hundreds of aerial and aquatic drones.
Deep inside, the snowy mountain of the world of the Snow Queen rises to a height of 36 meters, overlooking the fictional Scandinavian village of Arendelle and its pointed houses distributed around an icy fountain, straight out of the 2013 film.
“Frozen Ever After,” the flagship attraction, takes visitors into the icy world of Anna and Elsa, a boat ride with music, river descents, and encounters with the main characters of the classic.
The area themed after the Snow Queen is intended to strengthen the appeal of the Walt Disney Studios Park, the second park of Disneyland Paris, which will be renamed “Disney Adventure World” for the occasion. Opened in 2002, the space had not succeeded in achieving the popularity of the classic park founded in 1992.
But the extension also offers access to other Disney universes: the film “Tangled” has notably inspired a spinning boat attraction. And the work is not yet complete: in the years to come, the park will welcome an attraction based on another big company hit, “The Lion King.”
The world of “The Snow Queen” at Disneyland:
…boutiques and restaurants complement the offer, including an Art Nouveau restaurant with a view of the lake and a bar that serves alcohol, a first at Disneyland Paris.
The extension was announced in 2018 by the Walt Disney Company on the Marne-la-Vallée site, with a multi-year development plan topped with 2 billion euros.
“This investment decision is a vote of confidence from Disney in France, the rest of Europe, and the potential of our company,” explained then-CEO Bob Iger, citing a shift in “political, economic, and social climate” since Emmanuel Macron took office the previous year.
The President welcomed this announcement on social media, seeing it as a sign that “France is back.” He will visit the Disneyland Paris complex on Friday afternoon for the end-of-project tour of the new park to highlight the importance of these investments in territorial development, employment support, and strengthening France’s economic attractiveness.
At the end of its transformation, this park will have “almost doubled in size,” explained Natacha Rafalski, President of Disneyland Paris, last fall.
Disneyland Paris, which employs around 19,000 people, remains very discreet about its attendance figures or revenues. But its new attractions should attract more customers and also make them stay longer, with more overnight stays in the region.
Disney boosts tourism
“Disney is a major lever for economic and tourist attractiveness,” says Alexandra Dublanche, Vice President of the Île-de-France region in charge of economic development and attractiveness, mentioning 63,000 indirect jobs.
“Foreign tour operators are asking for new things. This can give visitors a good reason to come back,” she says, betting on the territory’s radiance as a whole.
“The goal is then to showcase another facet of the region after Disney,” she says, mentioning the Fontainebleau Castle, also located in Seine-et-Marne.
Disneyland Paris – which operates 7 hotels and two conference centers – has already alerted visitors on social media that extended wait times are to be expected on Sunday.
