As I noted in my last “Comparing WDW and DLRP” article, a major difference between the two parks is the location of Frontierland. With Frontierland on the top left of Magic Kingdom Park as you look at the map, but at the bottom left at Disneyland Park in Paris.
Disneyland Resort Paris’ Frontierland is home to more attractions than it’s older cousin in Florida, making it a bigger land area, although Liberty Square doesn’t feature as a land there, so two of its attractions are housed in Frontierland at Paris.
The theming of the two lands is quite similar, with wild west-style buildings, and the Rivers of the Far West (DLRP) / America (WDW) taking up a good part of the land.
At Disneyland Park, Thunder Mesa Riverboat is the equivalent of the Liberty Belle Riverboat at WDW, but located in Frontierland due to there being no Liberty Square. The Rivers of the Far West encircles Big Thunder Mountain, and guests in Paris may find themselves on one of two old-fashioned paddle steamer boats - the “Mark Twain” and the “Molly Brown” – rather than just the one “Liberty Belle” boat in Florida.
Guests who choose to journey through an abandoned goldmine will find the ride time on Big Thunder Mountain at WDW is around the same as at DLRP. Although both mountains stand at 197ft tall the Disneyland Paris version of Big Thunder Mountain is significantly larger than the American version, and as mentioned above is surrounded by the waters of the Rivers of the Far West, which the trains must travel under at the start and end of the ride.
Visitors to Paris who have also visited Florida may be surprised to see no Splash Mountain attraction at DLRP. Located next to Big Thunder Mountain at WDW, it’s always been a fun ride to do before or after riding BTMR. Also absent from DLRP is Country Bear Jamboree, a long-time fixture at WDW.
Disneyland Park features some minor attractions not present at Magic Kingdom, although they don’t make up for the lack of the two popular attractions mentioned previously. Pocahontas Indian Village is an outdoor adventure playground aimed at children.
Another is River Rogue Keelboats, which features two small boats – the Racoon and Coyote – sailing the Rivers of the Far West and travelling past Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor, taking the same route as the Thunder Mesa Riverboat. A seasonal attraction, it’s only open at peak times.
Legends of the Wild West is a very minor attraction, probably only worth visiting if you’ve done absolutely everything else. With watch towers to climb and get a view over Thunder Mesa, plus a selection of tableax which show scenes from the Wild West, it’s overlooked by many who pass by.
Woody’s Roundup Village is set to be a future attraction at Disneyland Park, occupying the space once taken up by Critter Coral, over on the far side of Frontierland. During the Christmas season it was used as the location for Santa Claus’ Village.
Back across the pond, and Tom Sawyer Island is a favourite for many a guest who visits Disney World, but Disneyland Resort Paris visitors may be disappointed by its absence there, instead having to make do with the aforementioned Pocahontas Indian Village.
Budding cowboys and girls will be pleased to find a shooting gallery in Frontierland at both parks. Rustler Roundup Shootin’ Gallery at Disneyland Park, and Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade at Magic Kingdom Park. With the Florida version significantly cheaper to play than its Paris equivalent.
The Chaparral Theater at Disneyland Park plays host to various seasonal stage shows through the year, including Mickey’s Winter Wonderland for Christmas season, and The Tarzan Encounter for the busy summer season.
Last but not least Frontierland in DLRP is home to Phantom Manor, arguably a more superior version of the Haunted Mansion that can be found in Liberty Square at WDW. Standing in the bottom corner of Frontierland, it takes on a more imposing presence than the Haunted Mansion, which is more tucked away and doesn’t stand quite as tall. Entering Phantom Manor through a set of gates, guests must make their way up a long, winding path, much shorter than the Haunted Mansion’s queue area. From here both rides feature the “stretch 
rooms,” before guests a doombuggy to ride through the main attraction. Whilst some of the ride scenes are the same, such as the ballroom, the actual story behind the attraction is different in Paris. Both feature the catchy “Grim Grinning Ghosts” song, but the WDW version of the ride is slightly longer than at DLRP. Guests exiting Phantom Manor often fail to realise that if they turn to their left when leaving the building they’ll come across “Boot Hill,” where humerous inscriptions can be read on a number of gravestones, more than that are featured in the queue area at Haunted Mansion.
Next: Fantasyland
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