DLP Update : A closer look to the Last Chance Cafe Terrace - Panoramic pictures

Here is a "take two" on the new Last Chance Cafe terrace. In a previous article, i've told you what i thought about it, but now that it's totally finished with tables and chairs under the terrace, and guests too, i wanted to have a second look at it.

What i really wanted to see was the "visual intrusion" of this new terrace. I mean, before it was built, we had this soft curve of western buildings going from the Lucky Nugget Saloon to Phantom Manor's entrance. We still have it of course but now there is the terrace in the middle of it and the best way to show how it look and if there is a visual intrusion or not was to do panoramic pictures. As i didn't had a digital camera able to shoot panoramic pictures ( i will have one soon ) the panoramic were done by putting the pictures together with Photoshop. So, it's not perfect but it will give you a good idea - and i've shoot virtually on every angle outside the terrace but also inside to show what view you have when you're sit and enjoying a cup of coffee or chocolate.

Let's begin by the pictures showing the terrace fron the outside. I will come back on the making itself but right now we can see the visual intrusion and how the gentle curve of the buildings is broken forever. However,to be perfetly fair, there is also some good points as we will see in the pictures shoot from the inside. But for now, have a look to the panoramic pictures below, and of course double-click on each to see them in big size.













Let's have a look now at panoramic pictures showing you what one can see from the terrace. As you will see the view is pretty good and, depending of where you sit, you'll have a great view of Big Thunder Mountain or the riverboats arriving or beginning their cruise on the rivers of the far-west or on Phantom Manor if you sit on the left side of the terrace.







The next pictures are in normal size and we'll have a closer look on the decoration and the cafe itself. But first, it's time to tell you what is precisely the storyline of the Last Chance Cafe. In Frontierland's mythology Fort Comstock was the first building built a long time ago, then, thanks to the gold rush the first prospectors arrived to search gold on Big Thunder and the first buildings of Thunder Mesa to be built were those you find on the right side when you enter the land and, on the left, the Lucky Nugget saloon and all buldings until the Silver Spur Steakhouse.

The Last Chance Cafe was a place where cow-boys and prospectors came to have a good meal before they leave, for the cowboys to the flatlands of the far west, and for the prospectors before they go to search gold on Big Thunder. That's why it was called the "Last Chance Cafe", because the place was the "last chance" to have a good meal before they go outside Thunder Mesa.

The reason why i'm telling you the true story of the Last Chance Cafe is not only because it's interesting to know about it but also because, obviously, any theming should be related with this original mythology. Let's have a look now to the other pictures. The first one shows the entrance. It's the original sign that was before on the cafe facade and now on the front of the terrace.

When you're under the terrace you notice different props which will look to the guests perfectly "western style" - saddles, winchesters, mine lamps etc... - but the theming could have been more elaborate. For instance, it would have been more interesting to have done something based more on the idea of "last chance": the pans of Miners that were never seen again, or gamblers, etc...









Tables and chairs - and guests! - are now in place under the terrace.



The main problem with the terrace building is what i've told you in my previous article: the architecture does not perfectly match with the time era of the buildings behind. May be it look like a purist point of view and probably the guests won't notice it but if we don't search for perfection at Disneyland, where will we? Also, the wood was ovbviously paint - and there is no really a problem with the colors - but i'm not sure that they've tried to do some "aging" as they did on the buildings behind when the park was built. Time will "age" naturally the terrace but it's going to take some time, of course.

On the very back is the cafe entrance, just where it was before, nothing has changed but it's there where things get worse. The Last Chance Cafe was already pretty dark before the terrace and to avoid the lack of light due to the new building they've let a space between the terrace and the cafe.



Alas, it's still not enough to bring light inside the cafe which, even with the lights inside it, is now almost as dark as a cave. They are probably aware of the problem and all we can hope is that they find a way to bring more light inside it because this darkness is not really appealing. It's so dark that i was obliged to shoot the picture below using the flash mode, so you can imagine how it look in real.



The two next pictures show the left and right wall of the cafe with its famous old historical pictures.





Honestly, now that all is in place it looks a bit better than on the first time i saw it. Although it's true that guests will have a great view while they'll enjoy their meal and drinks, the visual intrusion of the terrace is too strong to get my full approval. Now the Last Chance Cafe terrace is there for a loooong time, so i suppose that all we have to do is to try to see it on its positive angles.


I'll have soon another DLP update but in the meantime make sure to read my "best Christmas gift" article below about the DLP book!


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All pictures: copyright Alain Littaye and Disney and more.

Disneyland Paris Update : Frontierland's Last Chance Cafe Terrace - Pictures and Video by Mouetto

We will have a Disneyland Paris update today as Frontierland's Last Chance Cafe has had an expansion. Thanks to Mouetto from Disney Central Plaza forum we have pictures and videos of this new addition, which open last Saturday.

So, the park built a big terrace just in front of the small Last Chance Cafe, and from what I've heard, it's because they've realized that guests like to sit and have their meals outside, just like they do on spring and summer days at the Cowboy Cookout Barbecue. Of course, as the cold months of winter will soon arrive at DLP, they needed to have a terrace and, if possible, a heated one, which will be the case for this new one.



Now, why in front of the Last Chance Cafe? Well, it's not because the Last Chance Cafe is the most popular restaurant in the area - actually until now it was closed most of the time. So why not in front of the Lucky Nugget Saloon or the Silver Spur Steakhouse? Well, those two restaurants are table service restaurants, and even if they were not it wouldn't be possible to build a terrace in front of them simply because there is no space available. Actually there is some space available but if you build a terrace in front of them it will create a traffic problem as guests won't have enough space to walk. So, the best place was indeed in front of the Last Chance Cafe which is a fast food counter where guests come to buy food and get out immediately to eat outside. So far there is a logic in this new terrace, at least in the choice of the location. As you will see in a few seconds, things are going to get worse.



The main problem is coming from the architecture of the terrace. The Thunder Mesa buildings all around have the architecture of a Western town at the end of the 19th century. Maybe you don't realize it, but every detail is true to the time period. But if you look well at this new terrace - and although they put props inside - it doesn't look like a building which would have grown "organically" out of the buildings right behind it. There is a story with each Thunder Mesa building whether it's an attraction or a restaurant or a shop. Thunder Mesa is supposed to be a real town and although most of the guests don't know the stories (unfortunately) they can feel the "logic behind".



And I'm sorry to say that the architecture of this new terrace is not right. It LOOKS like a western architecture, but not the one that the Last Chance Cafe's owner would have used if he'd wanted to expand his little cafe 120 years ago because he became successful. I don't know if I'm perfectly clear but believe me, it is important as it is the essence of Imagineering. When WDI Imagineers create a new park the story line is highly important because it's what will give a meaning to everything else: the decors, the colors, the props, everything.



In the case of this new Last Chance Cafe's terrace, the architecture they did would have fit much better near the Cowboy Cookout Barbecue than in this part of Thunder Mesa. Not to mention that the terrace is now "breaking" the lovely curve of buildings between the Lucky Nugget and Phantom Manor entrance.





Many "western" props are also displayed on the shelves of the terrace and it gives the feeling of details, but there, too, you can feel that there was not enough thought behind their choice, with regard to the Last Chance Cafe storyline. Again, it's very subtle: if you look, there are mine lamps, horse saddles, rifles, etc...all kind of props which can be easily identified as "western" props by anyone, but bad luck, it wouldn't have been the kind of props that Last Chance Cafe's owner would have displayed if he had built this terrace 120 years ago. It's very strange, because at first sight it looks right, western style, etc...but you can't stop thinking that there is something wrong somewhere. Guests won't identify exactly what the problem is, but they will probably feel it.





Which leads us to the question: why isn't it perfect? After all, in each Disney theme park there is a division called SQS - "Show Quality Standard". SQS, in fact, is an Imagineering division. They're here to make sure that each new thing built in the park, small or big, is in agreement with the theming all around, the storyline, etc... Now, what generally happens for the kind of building like this terrace is that a manager at the park's food division go to see another one at park's operations division and explain the problem. In this case, something like "we need a terrace in front of the Last Chance Cafe because people like to eat outside, etc...". Then, normally, park operations go to see SQS for the theming part, etc... Alas, SQS have a cost, and from what I've been told it seems that the park is trying to avoid having SQS involved in "small" projects, at least as much as possible. The logic behind this is to save money, in this case the SQS-Imagineering cost. I'm not saying that this is what happened with this new terrace, but if SQS was not involved in its building and theming not only it would explain some of the mistakes i've just told you, but it's also unfortunate as nothing can replace the Imagineers experience. But we know how executives are thinking: they always think that "guests won't see the difference". Which is not only wrong, but almost an insult to the guests intelligence. People are more sophisticated than they think and they DO see the "difference". Let's just hope that in the case of the Last Chance Cafe's terrace they won't see it too much.



Please note that the above pictures were shoot last friday before the opening. This is why the tables and chairs were not in place yet. Let's have a look to the videos now: Mouetto's first short video below was filmed from the Molly Brown and will give you a good view of the whole terrace.




The next video is a travelling inside - i should say "under" - the terrace.




All pictures and videos: copyright Mouetto, whom i thanks a lot.

Many thanks to Nate Walz for the text editing.

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