New bungalows and a new theme at Disney Davy Crockett Ranch
The overall renovation plan for the Disneyland Paris hotels continues, and now it's Disney Davy Crockett Ranch's turn for a makeover. The only hotel that hadn't yet been renovated, it is getting two major changes: its bungalows are being replaced and it is being rethemed. With work that began in 2024, let's take a look at what the new Disney ranch will look like.
After the renovation of the Disneyland Hotel and the Hotel New York, only one Disney hotel had yet to be refurbished: Disney Davy Crockett Ranch. The favourite hotel of the little trappers of the Junior Woodchucks badly needed a lick of paint since it opened on 12 April 1992! It has to be said that the ranch’s 584 cottages were starting to show their age: not enough power sockets, rust here and there, tired beds. So what will the new Disney Davy Crockett Ranch look like? Here are a few clues…
Donald and the Junior Woodchucks move into Davy Crockett!
Even though reviews of Disney Davy Crockett Ranch unanimously agree that it’s a much-loved destination for its immersion in nature and the convivial moments it offers, DLP’s management admits that Disney characters have always kept a very low profile there.
Whether at the Crockett’s Tavern or in the bungalows, the decor sorely lacked iconic Disney characters. So, to offer even more immersion and storytelling around the nature-loving, pioneering spirit of this place to stay, on 12 April 2024 Disneyland Paris announced a retheming with the arrival of the most famous scout troop of all: the Junior Woodchucks (Castors Juniors in French) !
Anyone who remembers Le Journal de Mickey (the French Mickey Mouse comic magazine) already knows them well, not to mention, of course, the legendary Junior Woodchucks’ Guidebook, the bible for solving all the riddles of outdoor life. I do hope DLP has the good idea of leaving a little light version of the guidebook in each cottage!
But Huey, Dewey and Louie won’t be alone! They’ll be joined by their Uncle Donald and other members of the family. It wouldn’t be surprising to find Daisy, of course, but also cousin Gus Goose and Uncle Scrooge in the new bungalow decor. So we’re waiting to see the first areas to be rethemed, but it looks like the playgrounds will be the first to benefit.
🔧 At Disney Davy Crockett Ranch, the first area to be rethemed to the Junior Woodchucks is here: it’s the playground!
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) June 21, 2024
The bungalows are scheduled to receive the Junior Woodchucks themed renovations later in the year. pic.twitter.com/dDUe4FyFHr
584 brand-new, reimagined bungalows!
At the time of writing, we don’t really know what the village’s 584 bungalows will look like. On 12 April, only two pieces of concept art were shared.
Both images show the inside of the bungalow and focus on how the Junior Woodchucks are worked into the bedroom decor.
So what will these new bungalows at the ranch look like? What more will they offer? At the conference, Christophe Murphy, Deputy General Manager for Operations at Disneyland Paris, made the following announcement: “The new ones will of course have a new layout, a revamped design and additional amenities.”
Bungalows like the ones at Fort Wilderness in Walt Disney World?
Without pictures, it’s hard to picture it. But there is one likely clue. There is another Disney resort that looks a lot like Davy Crockett Ranch: Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
Disney’s very first campground, at Walt Disney World, has also begun a complete renovation of its “cabin” accommodation, which is due to be finished in 2025. However, it’s hard to imagine similar bungalows at Disneyland Paris, for two reasons:
- The bungalows are timeshare properties through the Disney Vacation Club, a very popular system in the USA (you can even buy them here)
- They are designed and built in Florida by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with local companies
But let’s see what these new bungalows look like, in the hope that they inspire the Paris Imagineers 😉
