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[DGRavenswood]

Mixed feelings about the changes aside, I thought the re-inauguration ceremony was a really nice touch! Judging from the first videos that are trickling in, it was also handled really well... Not too over-the-top, but a fun little event for guests present that day.

And hey, the Ambassadors even kept their speech in theme with the story and setting of Thunder Mesa -- extra bonus points from me!

[pussinboots]

Lovely ceremony indeed. Nice weather, Mickey and Minnie in appropriate attire, musicians on board; it could have been Anaheim. And I really don't mind the new color scheme.

It should be wonderful to be on a riverboat at Disneyland Paris without having to "look past" a serious amount of decay.

Speaking of which, would they have used more weather and time-resistant materials this time around? Fiberglass rather than wood, LED popcorn lights, that sort of thing? Ah well, in any case, this should hold up for a few years.

[Festival Disney]

A picture of the interior (and the embassador's )

Source: Disney Magic Interactive

[Anthony]

Here's my video of the inauguration/re-dedication:

[youtube:vz7j64we]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy-_XRcXwBs[/youtube:vz7j64we]
What a fantastic ceremony. Goosebumps seeing Molly Brown round the corner at the back of the Rivers, and again when the music kicked in, and again when they cut the ribbon and she sounded her whistle. So much fun.

Régis told myself and Kristof later that they basically had free reign with this ceremony, he felt like a child again saying "Can we have Buffalo Bill? Yes we can have Buffalo Bill!" and they chose their costumes themselves from the thousands in the DLP wardrobe. They all wanted to do something to really bring the story of the land to life. Major credit to those guys!

I'll post a second video soon of the actual cruise, including (hopefully, if my camera picked it up) some of the all-new English narration for Molly Brown. It's really, really good.

[davewasbaloo]

Thanks for sharing Ant and Kristof. This is a really lovely little ceremony. Love it. And it is great to see the Molly Brown back on the River of the Far West at Disneyland Paris!

[Anthony]

I should mention actually: Molly Brown went straight back into the dock after we finished our ride! They expect it will be a few more weeks yet until she's completely finished and ready to sail daily (we noticed a few places around the decks where painting wasn't quite finished, etc).

It was a shock when Mark Twain then pulled back in for the people waiting in line, faded and peeling paint all over. Really needs to get the same treatment soon.

[pussinboots]

Such wonderful news, really. They really did a superb job on the ceremony, going for thematically accurate costumes rather than the standard cowboy shtick, and I love the new look of the Molly Brown, historically accurate or not.

Speaking of which, I just want to make a little side note there. Alain Littaye talks on his blog of how riverboats were historically painted all-white. However, the lead paints available until synthetic paints came into existence were actually never white-white. They would have been light beige at the very most. So all that crisp white clapboard we associate today with New England and the Victorian era in America is actually rewritten and repainted history. Therefore, the new sandy tones of the Molly Brown are probably just as historically inaccurate as the bright white of the Mark Twain.

Not that it matters, really. Disney isn't about history so much as our (and America's, and Walt's) perceptions of it, and this color scheme certainly fits into a lot of people's perceptions of the American West.

[Anthony]

Here's the second video as promised, with clips from on-board:

[youtube:1z3nrqeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=620EBKcz7Us[/youtube:1z3nrqeg]
You can hear the new English narration at 3:55 and 4:43 minutes in. I'm absolutely in love with it...

Oooh: And at 5:45, Jeff Archambault, Vice President Communications, does the obligatory "duck under your camera" that everyone does at Disneyland, to me. I was honoured!!

More details about that and the whole restoration (including the official Imagineering line on changing the story, adding "Western River Line") plus 57 photos from the inaugural voyage here: Refurb Roundup Day: New colours, new spiels, new story on-board the Molly Brown Riverboat





And my report from the rededication ceremony here: Refurb Roundup Day: Molly Brown riverboat rededication ceremony photos and video!





Enjoy!

[dagobert]

Thanks a lot for all the pictures and the fantastic report.

The new ship is really beautiful, although it isn't finished yet. That's something DLRP can be proud of.

[Owain]

This opening ceremony is amazing to watch. I love the music, the costumes and the whole show its self, to open up what not many normal guests would consider an attraction compared to us fans. Its just amazing. With all this going on, plus the meeting Anthony and Kristof went too and the news they came back with, i think DLP are really realising now that they need to go back to there heyday where cartoons and new attractions werent always the pull to guest's, it was the experience that came with visting the resort. And thats what really keeps bringing us back   even if its slipped over the years. Ceremonys like this prove there going back to it.

[davewasbaloo]

Amen Owen!

[norhel]

Again, great work and fun to read and watch.
Seems that DLP har done a great effort to get things sorted with refurbishments and ceremonies.

[Owain]

Amen Owen!

I was actually going to quote "like davewasbaloo" always talks about. Because your stories of past experiences are some of the best reads on this forum

Back on topic - I also love the narrations, really make you think your in the wild west !  

One thing id love to know is if the french narration actually sounds western to them in there language ?  :lol:

[dagobert]

I love the music, the costumes and the whole show its self, to open up what not many normal guests would consider an attraction compared to us fans.

It's incredible how many people consider only rides, like rollercoasters, omnimovers, spiners or other powered rides, as attractions. So many people miss great attractions like the Nautilus or Molly Brown and Mark Twain riverboats. There is so much to discover on the ships and you have a stunning view over Frontierland. That's the wonderful thing about Disneyland, it's not only about rides. If you want to experience only rides, then there are better parks, like Cedar Point, where you will find bare steele coaster with no theming.

[CafeFantasia]

What's the name of that piece of music they used during the re-dedication ceremony? It sounds so familiar but I have no idea what it's called. You can hear it at about 3 minutes and 20 seconds into this video:

[youtube:q9n674gy]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy-_XRcXwBs[/youtube:q9n674gy]