For weeks already, dates have been thrown around, rumoured and even “confirmed”. Running a news service dedicated to Disneyland Resort Paris becomes a bit of a challenge during times like this — to report the date, or not? But now, we give in. The rumours have become deafening, the rumoured dates narrowed down to one single day, the confirmations coming from all angles (such as here on our own magicforum).

It’s Saturday, 22nd December 2007. Yes, 22nd December 2007. Say it again — maybe a few more times — because, in years to come, this date will be just as special as 12th April 1992 and 16th March 2002.

Have Disneyland Resort Paris confirmed the date? Well, not exactly. But when was the last time they did something as helpful as that? It’s far more fun to keep the fans guessing! The most obvious semi-confirmation comes from the Pin Trading department, who — just a few weeks ago — published an announcement (below) for a Pin Event in December on the worldwide Pin Trading website.

Not just any Pin Event though — oh no. Even if you’re one of those Disney park fans who loaths everything about Pin Trading, you really might want to give this a look. Scheduled for the night of 22nd December 2007 (there’s the clue!), the event at Walt Disney Studios Park is set to include exclusive pins and pre-releases, entertainments and competitions, a buffet in Disney Studio 1 and… wait for it… privatised access to the attraction.

The reservations hotline opened on 19th October: +33 825 30 60 30. Prices are €33 for Adults, €30 for Children, or just €29 if you’re a shareholder or Fantasy/Dream passholder.

So, with lucky Pin Traders (and no doubt a few Pin Haters) getting the chance to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror on the night of 22nd December 2007, we can be pretty sure it’ll be ready and open for the public by this date. The completion date of Hollywood Boulevard area is still undetermined, with work possibly continuing beyond the 22nd December unless this next month-and-a-half sees a continued push for the finish.

The press events for the attraction will take place in the first week of April 2008, allowing the resort to extend the lifetime of the initial 15th Anniversary offerings and make a maximum impact with their most important attraction launch for over ten years. This will also coincide with the opening of Stitch Live and the return of High School Musical On Tour.

As confirmed previously, the Tower has been testing on a daily basis for some time. However, a period of Soft Openings (tests with guests in the park invited to try the ride) will still likely take place before the 22nd December 2007, not least because this represents the start of the full high-season and an incredible influx of visitors to the two parks. Straying back into pure “rumour” territory now, we can suggest the weekend of 8th December 2007 is now looking most likely to begin these, running for brief periods across for two weeks as with the Toon Studio rides. The first weekend could also serve as the Shareholder and Annual Passport previews. As yet, however, this should be taken as speculation only.

The opening date of “January 2008” is still to be used in all official public publications, but this now simply means anybody already visiting over the key Christmas season will have a rather nice (or rather nasty) surprise waiting for them in the Studios… depending on their thrill level!