Euro Disneyland

Today, we continue our orientation to Disneyland Resort Paris with a look at the map of the Disneyland Paris park. Opened April 12, 1992, it was originally called Euro Disneyland, a name inspired by the newly-formed European Union and indicative of the broad demographic of the park's guests. By 1994, however, the name had been changed to Disneyland Paris, encouraging an association with the nearby French capitol as opposed to the soon-to-be-adopted euro currency.

Disneyland Paris is fairly large at 140 acres, with a general "hub and spoke" layout and features similar to the other Disneyland-style parks. A few key differences:

- The Disneyland Hotel sits at the entrance of the park. The ticket booths are beneath the hotel at ground level, and the turnstiles and railroad station are just beyond.

- Main Street, U.S.A., includes two covered walkways along the back side of its shops and restaurants. The Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade offer protection from the sometimes cold and wet Parisian weather and are a great way to dodge the Main Street crowds during parade times.

- Frontierland at Disneyland Paris, the largest in any Disneyland park, is situated at the lower left in the spot most often associated with Adventureland. Here, the buttes of Big Thunder Mountain rise from the middle of the Rivers of the Far West.

- The entrance to Adventureland (top left) is straight out ofAladdin, while other regions of this land draw inspiration from the Indiana Jones films, Africa, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and Never Land.

- Fantasyland is beautifully landscaped and presented in various layers and levels, creating a veritable wonderland of sights and experiences.

- Instead of Tomorrowland, it's Discoveryland that dominates the right side of the park, taking its design cues from past visionaries the likes of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

Attractions unique to Disneyland Paris include:

#4 - Main Street Vehicles Paddy Wagon and Limousine

#7 - Legends of the Wild West

#8 - River Rogue Keelboats

#9 - Phantom Manor

#13 - Pocahontas Indian Village

#19 - Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin

#20 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril

#21 - Adventure Isle

#23 - Sleeping Beauty Castle & La Tanière du Dragon

#31 - Alice's Curious Labyrinth

#45 - Les Mystères du Nautilus

#46 - Space Mountain: Mission 2

As we explore the park in detail in the coming weeks, we'll be covering all this and more, so keep checking back.