News / Corporate

The development, covering land and forests surrounding the current site of Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch, is described as “a first-of-its-kind resort based on sustainable development”, developed in collaboration with continental Center Parcs owner Pierre & Vacances.

Covering an area of 520 hectares, the Center Parcs-style nature resort could eventually be home to over 5,000 tourism apartments and homes with 130,000 sq.m of leisure facilities, split into several zones based on the themes of water (a Center Parcs-style water park), sport & health (spas and sports activities), earth (farming, rural life) and forest (Davy Crockett Ranch).

The project could eventually create up to 9,000 jobs in addition to the 12,300 currently at the resort. The first development could be launched as early as 2010 with up to 2,300 apartments and homes, with plans also allowing the possibility of Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch to be expanded and absorbed into the resort. Currently, the resort features 8,000 hotel rooms across its Disney, Val de France and Val d’Europe Hotels, meaning the full build-out of the “Villages Nature” project would almost double the resort’s capacity.

Although it has been reported a separate company would be established by the two groups to run the proposed resort, it has so far not been confirmed how the collaboration would work from either a business or marketing point of view – would the Disney brand be utilised? How much does Euro Disney SCA stand to gain from saturating its market with almost double the current accommodation capacity?

The next steps, however, make clear that this project will not be born overnight, listing countless areas of consideration and feasibility still to be investigated before a general agreement can be signed and the project will truly begin development.

Pierre & Vacances already has a presence at the resort with its Val d’Europe City ApartHotel complex, but a development on such a vast scale as this could effectively take the resort segment of Disneyland Resort Paris one of two ways – help it soar to new heights, or strangle it before it even gets standing.

The press release in full:

The Villages Nature project has reached a new milestone with the signing of a non-binding letter of intent by the French State, Euro Disney and Pierre & Vacances.

Paris, February 13, 2007 … The non-binding letter of intent signed today by the public parties, Euro Disney Associés S.C.A., and Pierre & Vacances, confirms the French State’s and local public parties’ interest and support for this project, which could potentially generate up to 9,000 direct and indirect jobs. This non-binding letter of intent allows the project to move forward with a new study phase where parties will work together to define the conditions for development and implementation of this project that could lead to a ‘general agreement’ (Accord Cadre).

The project would create, 6 kilometres from the Disney Theme Parks, a ‘˜first-of-its-kind’ resort based on sustainable development, which would be complementary to the existing European tourist destination Disneyland Resort Paris.

Exploratory phase by private and public parties (2003-2006)

Collaboration between public and private parties started in 2003 with several conceptual and feasibility studies that focused on the social and economic environment, sustainable development impacts, local development, and market studies.

Market studies indicated the high potential of the concept for families with young children as well as adults from France and throughout Europe.

A unique and innovative concept

Villages Nature is a pioneering ecotourism concept that is European in scope and based on harmony between man and nature. The main themes are water, earth, forest, and the recreational and leisure activities tied to these themes.

During the exploratory phase, world-renowned experts were involved to structure this innovative approach to sustainable development. The WWF/BioRegional ‘One Planet Living’ (OPL) methodology was used and resulted in a ‘Sustainable Action Plan’. This methodology would apply transversally to development, construction, and operation of the project, which constitutes a first for a tourism project.

If approved, the project would provide a low construction density (under 10%) on 520 hectares, and several phases with a total of up to 5,000 apartments and homes in tourism residences and around 130,000 sq.m. of recreational and leisure space, developed on 520 hectares.

Villages Nature aims at helping structure regional development.

The first phase of development would concern an area of 183 hectares (including possibly Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch) with up to 2,300 apartments and homes in tourism residences and recreational and leisure facilities developed in several lots. This first phase could be launched in 2010.
Next Steps

Over the next two years, a steering committee made up of public- and private-sector parties involved in the project will meet on a regular basis to define the conditions for development and implementation of this project into a ‘general agreement’ (Accord Cadre).

Several studies and processes will be conducted before final approval of the project can be given:

– Feasibility of land acquisition process and legal framework of land use,
– Land development conditions,
– Definition of primary infrastructures,
– Public transportation access,
– Financing of sustainable development investments,
– Marketing, financing, and economic studies,
– Real estate, tourism, and economic environments.

Upon completion of these additional steps, the parties will decide upon final feasibility and opportunity of the project and, if so, set a timeline and terms of a ‘general agreement’ (Accord Cadre).

Also available as a PDF here: http://www.eurodisney.com/data/308.pdf

‘¢ Revenues increased 6% to € 284 million
‘¢ Theme parks attendance and hotel occupancy increased driven by strong Halloween and Christmas seasons
‘¢ Negotiations with trade unions successfully completed

This first quarter revenues report covers the quarter up to 31st December 2006, reporting increased sales of € 284.1 million from € 268.5 million in the same period last year. The Theme Parks sector saw the biggest surge with sales up almost 10% to € 153.6 million from € 139.8 million in 2006, thanks once again to special offers for local French guests, merchandise sales and the slight increase in ticket price.

Even more impressive, perhaps, is the rise of Hotel occupancy by 5.8 percentage points, measuring the amount of rooms filled over the quarter. This amounted to around 29,000 extra room nights compared to the same period in 2006, and helped give the Hotels and Disney Village sector an overall rise of 8% to € 108.7 million.

In his traditional statement to shareholders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Karl Holz appears satisfied with the results and confident the good news will continue into 2007:

“We are pleased that our business continues to improve with both strong park attendance and hotel occupancy as well as increased guest spending. This improvement is consistent with the trend of our last three quarters.
This quarter’s performance is encouraging for fiscal year 2007, and we look forward to commemorating the 15th-year since we first opened the gates of Disneyland Resort Paris. We will celebrate this anniversary by unveiling exciting new entertainment and attractions, which include the spectacular Disney’s Once Upon a Dream parade in the Disneyland® Park and the opening of two new attractions, Cars Race Rally and Crush’s Coaster in the Walt Disney Studios® Park.

We are also pleased to report that we have reached agreement with our labor unions on two important matters: the 2007 salary plan and the amendment of our 35-hour workweek agreement. We have built a solid foundation for our cast members as the agreements strike a balance between our cast members’ expectations and the Group’s need for increased flexibility to accommodate our guests’ visiting the Resort at different periods of the year.”

The report also gives an update of the upcoming events for the 15th Anniversary, similar to that recently given in the latest Shareholders Club newsletter:

In fiscal year 2007 we will commemorate the 15th anniversary of Disneyland® Resort Paris.
As a backdrop for the party, the Disneyland® Park’s Sleeping Beauty Castle will be decorated with delicate sculptures of Disney Characters and 15 birthday candles. Each night, the candles will sparkle to life during Candleabration, a birthday show featuring favorite Disney Characters.

In the Disneyland Park, Disney Characters will star in the all-new Disney’s Once Upon a Dream parade. The parade will feature famous dream moments from Disney stories. Throughout both the Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios® Park, there will be even more opportunities to meet Disney Characters, including the new Disney Characters’ Express that transports a trainload of characters several times daily down Main Street to meet guests in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and at other special locations.

Two new attractions will open at the Walt Disney Studios Park during the celebration. Crush’s Coaster family thrill ride plunges guests into the underwater world of Disney/Pixar’s hit animated film Finding Nemo. This experience will transport guests into the adventurous world of Nemo and his ‘surfer’ turtle friend … Crush. Nearby, Cars Race Rally, inspired by Disney/Pixar’s Cars, lets guests of all ages take a ride on the famous Route 66.

A positive report such as this bodes well for the rest of financial year 2007, with the final two quarters in particular hoped to be particularly remarkable. However, the resort may yet face disappointment with its First Half 2007 results in April, since the first three months of the Second Quarter leading up the start of the Anniversary on 1st April lack their usual seasonal celebrations and may be avoided by guests postponing their visit until later in the year.

The next Combined General Meeting of Shareholders is scheduled for 21st February 2007.

You can read the first quarter results in full here (PDF).

Despite this, more details and comment from the firm are now available, including a statement from the CEO that “the aim of the bid was to gain management control and renegotiate the operating licence agreement with Walt Disney Co.”

PARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) – An obscure Swiss firm with no operations failed to tell baffled Parisian journalists, investors and regulators on Thursday if it is serious about trying to take control of Disneyland Paris.

Center-Tainment AG, which sent tremors through the Magic Kingdom by announcing plans to buy debt-laden operator Euro Disney on Wednesday, called a news conference to launch a bid worth 11 euro cents a share and then drew back.

“Unfortunately our chief legal counsel is sick so we have had to postpone the action for a few days. The official offer will come in the next days,” said Kurt Andreesen, who identified himself as an independent investment banker for the company.

Shares in Euro Disney traded at nine cents, unchanged, after rising sharply on Wednesday on word of an offer.

The purported bid for the loss-making operator of Disneyland Paris, a European cousin of the U.S. Disney theme parks, started with a statement in broken English on Wednesday.

Center-Tainment CEO Ulf Werner, 60, told reporters the aim of the bid was to gain management control and renegotiate the operating licence agreement with Walt Disney Co.

[…]

It was unclear how Center-Tainment intended to overcome the legal hurdles that protect Euro Disney’s management, which is currently delegated to a 100 percent-subsidiary of Walt Disney.

Under Euro Disney’s statutes, the Walt Disney subsidiary has the exclusive right to nominate any new manager should the current arrangements change for whatever reason.

Center-Tainment insisted it could get around these rules if it achieved its goal of obtaining 50.01 percent of the company.

Andreesen said Center-Tainment would be in a position to manage the park “without Walt Disney”, if necessary, although Werner said this was not the company’s intention.

[…]

There was no immediate comment from Walt Disney.

Euro Disney said it had been unable to find out anything about its suitor. “Despite our attempts to obtain information from them, we have been unable to secure material information on this company,” a statement said.

An official at French regulator AMF, who declined to be quoted by name, said earlier the regulator had not been contacted by Center-Tainment.

German regulator BaFin said it had no background knowledge about Center-Tainment, although a bid by a Swiss company for a French one would not fall under its jurisdiction.

Management Control

[…]

Center-Tainment said 45 shareholders, led by an unidentified German company, owned 99 percent of the stock and that the remaining one percent was traded in the market.

Sceptical journalists pressed Werner and his entourage for details on their backers and their own backgrounds, but received vague answers. The company said its executives had decades of experience in the leisure industry, including indoor soccer.

Center-Tainment has a market capitalisation of 70 million euros after more than halving on Thursday, compared with Euro Disney’s 312 million euros. Any purchaser would face an immediate headache over Euro Disney’s debt of 1.6 billion euros.

[…]

Officials said they had bought Orca purely as a shell company for the purpose of mounting a Euro Disney bid.

Andreesen said the company had a plan B in case Euro Disney investors rejected its planned share offer. “Maybe there will be a cash offer, as a next step, if our share offer doesn’t work.”

Article sourced from Reuters.

Center-Tainment chairman confirms Euro Disney bid plan
11.30.2006, 06:43 AM
PARIS (AFX) – Ulf Werner, chairman of Swiss leisure group Center-Tainment AG, confirmed that his company plans to launch a takeover bid for loss-making theme park operator Euro Disney SCA ‘in coming days’.

He will notify Paris bourse regulator AMF today of his intentions, Werner said at a news conference here.

The proposal will be an all-share offer for Euro Disney’s free floating stock, aimed at giving Center-Tainment a 50.01 pct stake, Werner said.

The ratio will be Center-Tainment shares worth 11 euro cents for every Euro Disney share, the company said.

At 12.10 m, Euro Disney shares were steady at 0.09 eur, giving the owner of the Disneyland Paris resort a market value of 350.8 mln eur.

Euro Disney is 39.8 pct owned by The Walt Disney Co, and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has a 10 pct stake.

Centre-Tainment, which is based in Zug, Switzerland and is listed in Frankfurt was formed ‘with the sole aim of creating a company able to initiate a share swap offer for Euro Disney’s floating capital,’ it said in a statement yesterday.

The company said it is led by ‘very experienced managers’ who are ‘influential in the leisure industry’.

Last night Euro Disney said it had not been able to obtain any details of the supposedly forthcoming takeover bid, despite requests to the company following press reports about the intended offer.

A report from MarketWatch gives details about what a takeover plan could actually mean for the company:

Center-Tainment AG to make bid for EuroDisney – report
11:58 AM ET Nov 29, 2006
PARIS (MarketWatch) — […] A press release purporting to come from Center-Tainment, and received by Dow Jones Newswires, said the company was created with the sole purpose of launching a takeover bid for EuroDisney.

The release, inviting journalists to Thursday’s press conference, said Center-Tainment is being advised by “very experienced and influential managers of the leisure industry,” but didn’t elaborate.

No-one was answering the German phone number given in the invitation, and only an e-mail return of address was given.

The release said that Center-Tainment “expects very hard resistance” from

EuroDisney’s management and from its main shareholder; the company pledged to put its own management team in charge of EuroDisney if the bid is successful.

The release also said Center-Tainment is engaged in negotiations with other potential, though smaller targets in the European leisure business.

To be successful, a takeover bid for EuroDisney would have to be approved by U.S. Walt Disney Co. because of EuroDisney’s legal status as a partnership by shares.

And here is the Euro Disney SCA statement in full, which was also forwarded to all members of the Shareholders Club early this morning:

Euro Disney SCA Statement

(Marne-la-Vallée, le 29 novembre 2006) Euro Disney S.C.A.’s Management is aware that a company recently listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and based in Zug, Switzerland, has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow to announce its intention to launch an ‘unfriendly takeover offer for Euro Disney’. Despite our attempts to obtain information from them, we have been unable to secure material information on this company.

The Management of Euro Disney remains focused on its daily operations as well as its long-term growth strategy and is committed to building on the progress achieved this past year.

And finally, from Reuters, confirmation that the stock market regulators also know nothing about the bid:

Regulators have no news of a Euro Disney bid
Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:03am ET
PARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Stock market regulators were unable to shed light on Thursday on plans by a little-known Swiss-registered company to bid for theme park operator Euro Disney.

Frankfurt-listed Center-Tainment assembled journalists in Paris on Thursday to announce what it said in a media invitation would be “an unfriendly takeover offer for Euro Disney,” which expressed bemusement over its surprise suitor.

Center-Tainment said in its notice that its share bid for 50.01 percent of the stock would value Euro Disney at 11 euro cents a share, about one third above its current trading level.

The undated note, issued ahead of a news conference, did not say how the bid value was calculated.

An official at French regulator AMF, who declined to be quoted by name, said the regulator had not been contacted by Center-Tainment.

German stock market regulator BaFin said it had no background knowledge about Center-Tainment, although it said a bid by a Swiss company for a French company would not fall under its jurisdiction.

Euro Disney said late on Wednesday it had been unable to find out anything about the purported bid. “Despite our attempts to obtain information from them, we have been unable to secure material information on this company,” Euro Disney said.

Euro Disney shares traded one cent lower at eight euro cents ahead of the news conference on Thursday. Center-Tainment shares were also lower, although in very light volume.

Shares in both companies have risen sharply since Center-Tainment listed in Germany in September. Center-Tainment has a market capitalisation of 140 million euros compared with Euro Disney’s 312 million euros. Euro Disney’s net debt stands at 1.6 billion euros.

Center-Tainment appeared for the first time in the Swiss business registry on May 19, 2006, when it changed its name from Orca and changed its purpose to that of a broad-purpose financial-services and real estate holding company.

The company said on Wednesday it was a holding company for activities in the leisure industry like indoor playgrounds, indoor soccer and leisure parks.

The press conference by Center-Tainment was scheduled to begin at 11am Paris time today. You can find their very basic website here.

(Marne-la-Vallée, France) In the place where dreams come true, Christmas is the season for not only magic, but also for generosity. On 18 November, just a few days before the anniversary of the Convention for Children’s Rights, 150 disadvantaged children from the Seine-et-Marne department were the special guests of Disneyland Resort Paris.

Together they helped assemble Frimousse dolls for UNICEF under the watchful eye of the event’s patron, Laëticia Hallyday. The Frimousse operation was created in 2001 to provide children in developing countries with vital vaccinations.

Like their creators, each Frimousse doll is unique. Aided by volunteers from Disney and UNICEF, the young people of Seine-et-Marne will use their creativity to bring hope to other children. All of the dolls will be given to UNICEF, who will then put them up for ‘adoption’ for a minimum donation of 20 euros – the equivalent of a child’s vaccination program. Disneyland Resort Paris hopes to offer 250 dolls.

This exceptional event seals the almost fifteen year partnership between UNICEF and Disneyland Resort Paris. Disney Cast Members had been working several weeks on making this an unforgettable affair, with many of the special Frimousses already crafted by Disney VoluntEARS.

News from Euro Disney SCA.

You can find out more about UNICEF here, and see the 2003 Disneyland Resort Paris charity CD Single “needmag?c” here.

(Marne-la-Vallée, November 8, 2006) Euro Disney S.C.A. (the “Company”), parent company of Euro Disney Associés S.C.A., operator of Disneyland Resort Paris, reported today financial results for its consolidated group (the “Group”) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006.

Revenues increased 4.5% to € 1,087.7 million in fiscal year 2006 reflecting increases in theme parks attendance and hotel occupancy. Theme parks revenues increased 5.4% to € 579.2 million, following an increase of0.5 million in attendance, which reached 12.8 million in 2006. Hotels and Disney Village revenues increased 4.2% to € 412.2 million due to a higher occupancy rate of 83.5% compared to 80.7% for fiscal year 2005, as well as increased guest visitations at Disney Village.

Operating margin before depreciation and amortisation increased 29.6% to € 147.9 million from € 114.1 million as a result of growth in revenues combined with a slight increase in costs and expenses. Operating margin before depreciation and amortisation as a percentage of revenues increased 2.6 percentage points to 13.6%.

Costs and expenses for fiscal year 2006 grew 1.6% compared to the prior year reflecting management’s ongoing focus on cost containment. The Group’s operating margin improved € 29.5 million to a loss of € 2.4 million for fiscal year 2006, from a loss of € 31.9 million in the prior year. Other net financial charges increased over the period due to a higher effective interest rate on the Group’s debt.

For fiscal year 2006, net losses of the Group amounted to € 88.6 million. Excluding the non-recurring, non-cash gain in fiscal year 2005 that resulted from the Group’s 2005 legal and financial restructuring (the “2005 Restructuring”), net loss on a comparable basis attributable to equity holders of the parent decreased 20.5% from the prior year to € 73.1 million. Net loss on a comparable basis attributable to minority interests amounted to € 15.5 million.

Cash and cash equivalents increased by € 24.2 million from the prior year to € 266.4 million.

Commenting on the results, Karl L. Holz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Euro Disney S.A.S., said:

“We are pleased with our year end results and we look forward to maintaining this momentum as we continually reinvigorate our Theme Parks. We believe that our growth strategy is delivering its benefits as we remain focused on improving our margins, while continuing to provide our guests with a unique experience. These efforts contributed to a 30% improvement in our operating margin before depreciation and amortisation.
This year, we benefited from several events, such as the launch of Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast®, and introduced various original offers that appealed to our visitors. Next year, we are hosting the most magical celebration in our history to commemorate our 15th-year anniversary. We are also developing thrilling new products, including a parade in the Disneyland Park and three attractions in Walt Disney Studios Park. All these things plus more combine to create the Disney dream holiday for every family.

Our encouraging results have been achieved thanks to the dedication and hard work of our cast members, who continue to make our theme parks the most popular tourist destination in Europe.”

Further Analysis
Theme parks revenues increased 5.4% to € 579.2 million from € 549.7 million in the prior year, primarily as a result of increased attendance and average spending per guest on admission. Increases in attendance levels are largely the result of new marketing and sales initiatives aimed at attracting the local French market, special offers and the opening of Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast®.

Hotels and Disney Village revenues increased 4.2% to € 412.2 million from € 395.4 million in the prior year reflecting higher hotel occupancy and guest visitation at Disney Village.

The increase of 0.5 million in theme parks attendance primarily reflects the solid performance during the second half of the year. Attendance by French visitors increased 12% over the prior year resulting in a French visitors’ share of total visits up from 39% to 42%. This was mostly as a result of special offers targeted at local markets, including a new ticket, the “Francilien”, marketed in the Ile-de-France region, as well as special offers made to certain workers councils (“Comités d’Entreprise”).

Hotel occupancy rates increased 2.8 percentage points, which translated into an additional 59,000 room nights compared to fiscal year 2005. This increase was mostly driven by higher attendance of Spanish visitors, who predominantly stayed on-site.

Theme parks spending per guest increased 1.1% driven by a moderate price increase in theme parks admissions, partially offset by special offers.

The 2005 Restructuring, Cash Flows and the Future

Based on existing cash positions, liquidity from the undrawn € 150.0 million line of credit from The Walt Disney Company (TWDC), and provisions for the unconditional and conditional deferral of certain royalties and management fees and interest charges pursuant to the 2005 Restructuring, management believes the Group has adequate cash and liquidity for the foreseeable future, subject to the Group’s compliance with its debt agreements as discussed below.

The Group has covenants under its debt agreements that limit its investments and financing activities. Beginning with fiscal year 2006, the Group must also meet financial performance covenants that necessitate improvements to its operating margin. Subject to final third-party review as provided in its debt agreements, the Group believes that it has complied with these covenants for fiscal year 2006. This compliance was achieved through revenue growth which outpaced the increase in the Group’s costs and expenses during the period.

For fiscal year 2007, if compliance with financial performance covenants could not be achieved through increased revenues, the Group would have to appropriately reduce operating costs, curtail a portion of planned capital expenditures (outside those contained in the Group’s multi-year investment program [Toon Studio, Tower of Terror]) and/or seek assistance from TWDC or other parties as permitted under the loan agreements.

Although no assurances can be given, the Group currently believes that it will meet its financial performance covenants in fiscal year 2007 through increased revenues and continuing cost containment, without the need for any of the additional measures referred to above.

You can read the full report from Euro Disney S.C.A. as a PDF here.

Marne-la-Vallée … 23 August 2006 – With this press release, the Management of Euro Disney Associés S.C.A. intends to make its position clear regarding the recent strike of some Resort photographers that began on 13th August 2006.

After having met and discussed with the striking employees on August 2nd, 10th, 14th and 18th and having listened carefully to their demands, Management would like to go over advantages recently gained by the photographers concerning the organization of their shifts, working conditions, career advancement and pay. For example, in terms of organization, the supervisory structure has been reinforced and photo sales promotion is part of a voluntary program for the photographers. Shifts have also been adapted to take into account the constraints of this activity, especially concerning weather conditions.

In addition, a new work area, new equipment and training sessions have been supplied to the employees.

Concerning career advancement and pay … the central point of the movement … Management has already begun to implement a program to recognize the professional qualifications of the photographers which reinforces the professional development plan already in place. In 2006, promotions were given (+10%) and a market study was performed on the positioning of our pay standards.

The result of this study confirmed that the wages we pay are in alignment with the market, especially when one considers that Disneyland Resort Paris offers stable employment in permanent contracts. Employees work a 35-hour workweek, are paid on a 13-month scale (after one year of seniority) and receive an additional 10% of their pay as compensation for the cessation of the copyrights to their photos. The average monthly salary for photographers at Disneyland Resort Paris (not including author’s rights compensation) is 7% higher than the French minimum wage prescribed on 1st July 2006.

Considering all of these elements, Management does not intend to take into account these new demands by the striking employees, as a number of them have already been covered through the measures described above and that show the level of recognition that the Management of Disneyland Resort Paris has given to the statute of its photographers.

– – – End Release – – –

So, it seems Euro Disney Associés SCA aren’t keen to bestow the photographic team with any more advantages and pay increases just yet, instead attempting to get them to smile (or “say cheese”) with this list of recent improvements to their jobs. You can see some photos of their strike efforts – both in and out of the parks – here.

Your thoughts?

The Cast Members have been given support from their union CFDT, and DLP.info also reports:

“The Photographers have taken place in front of the gates with flags and signs and are informing the incoming guests on the situation.”

This certinaly isn’t the first strike to take place at Disneyland Resort Paris. The resort has a long history of protests from Cast Members, usually regarding pay or work conditions, particularly in the early EuroDisney years. Guests may not notice the absence of a Cast Member to photograph them with Sulley or Winnie the Pooh at one of the increasing number of character locations at the parks, but they will certainly notice a line of Cast Members protesting at the park gates. It’s currently unknown what the resort are doing to solve this problem, but since it’s taking place in the busy Summer season the strike will not only give guests a poor first impression but will also be losing the parks countless Euros every day in photo profits. An agreement will surely be met soon enough.
The second piece of “bad news” comes, once again, from CFDT, but would seem to have a solution already in place. The image featured above was posted online showing the current state of Frontierland’s Molly Brown riverboat, a classic side-wheeler riverboat that is unique to the Paris park but was unfortunately damaged last year when the engine badly overheated. For months afterwards the boat lay covered in tarpaulin at the back of the Rivers of the Far West, before being moved into the service dock once Mark Twain’s already-in-progress long refurbishment was completed. Since then, the boat has been untouched as the resort waits for a budget to be available for the costly repairs, and, as you can see, the unsinkable Molly Brown hasn’t enjoyed her last few months one bit.

The CFDT is calling for immediate action to save the boat before it has to be scrapped, but, after a quick look at the latest refurbishment schedules for the park (released some weeks ago), it seems their wish has already been granted. The latest information available states Molly Brown will finally begin her huge refurbishment project on the 4th September, with the project not being completed until 27th April 2007. Then, on the 30th April 2007, Mark Twain will return to the service dock for another two month refurbishment, further confirming that the resort are infact still well-aware of the importance of this classic attraction and its two faithful ships.

Cancel the SOS!