Pirates' Beach

In October 2011, Looopings reported that Disneyland Paris was dealing with a notable rat and mouse problem. The story followed reporting by the French newspaper Le Parisien, where employees said rodents were no longer only appearing at night but were also being spotted among day guests. Pirates' Beach, known in the park as La Plage des Pirates, was directly affected: the children's playground near Pirates of the Caribbean was closed that week because, according to the report, dozens of tame rats had taken over the area. For visitors this was more than a minor operational nuisance, because the location is a play space for children and part of Adventureland's carefully staged pirate setting. Looopings also placed the closure in a wider context of reported nuisance around Pirates of the Caribbean and Disney Village. Disneyland Paris denied that there were problems, yet the report remains a striking footnote in the history of Pirates' Beach: even a modest playground can become news when backstage maintenance issues spill into the guest experience.