Disneyland Resort Paris is a vacation and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, near Paris. It is maintained and governed by Euro Disney SCA, a corporation 61% owned by The Walt Disney Company and 39% owned by the French government.

Construction began in 1988 and the entertainment resort officially opened as Euro Disney on April 12, 1992, but attendances were disappointingly low. Of what was expected to amount to about 500,000 visitors upon opening day turned out to be just a fraction of this amount and the park's popularity lasted for only the first three months. Furthermore, the theme park faced protests by those who thought a Disney park in France would harm French culture.

In October 1994, Euro Disney changed its name to "Disneyland Paris" (and later to "Disneyland Resort Paris"). As a result of the name change, the addition of more attractions, and the retooling of the entire theme park complex to better appeal to European tastes, in 1995, the Disneyland Resort Paris finally turned a profit.

The resort consists of the following:

• Disneyland Park

A theme park modelled on the Disneyland park of Anaheim, California, with five themed lands, and the majestic Castle of the Sleeping Beauty at the center. It is the most popular theme park in continental Europe.

• The Walt Disney Studios

The second theme park in the resort, with several gated lands. The park is themed around a bustling 1940s working movie studio in Hollywood, and features exhibits on how Disney animated classics are made. The continental European Disney Channel broadcasts from the park to France, Germany and Spain

• Disney Village

The Disney Village is a bustling and popular shopping complex just south of the two parks. Many see it as the European equivalent of the American Downtown Disney complexes. It features many high quality resturaunts and popular shops and nightclubs.

• The Disneyland Resort Paris Hotels
  • The Disneyland Hotel ****
  • Disney's Hotel New York ****
  • Disney's Newport Bay Club ***
  • Disney's Sequoia Lodge ***
  • Disney's Hotel Cheyenne **
  • Disney's Hotel Santa Fe **
  • Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch **

The park is easily reached by car; near Paris, large billboards guide visitors. The park also has its own train station where the TGV (named Thalys when coming from Brussels) stops as well as its own RER (commuter train) station, so visitors to Paris can easily take the RER straight to the park. (However, the park lies outside of the central Paris metrozones. Therefore, a slightly more expensive ticket is needed to avoid a fine and to exit the station.)

In 2002, Euro Disney SCA and the Walt Disney Company announced their first annual profit for Disneyland Resort Paris. Plans for a World of Disney store at the Disney Village, a Tower of Terror ride at Walt Disney Studios Park and a new 'gate', or area added to the WDS aim to improve the number of guests.

External link

• Disneyland Resort Paris Official Site
• Theme Park Insider, Disneyland Paris