La Fidelle

La Fidelle ("the faithful" in English) is a chair swing type flat ride intended for Disneyland Paris’s new 'La Voie des Amoureux' land, loosely inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2 (HOND2) in terms of aspects like the name and theming, but not directly based on the film (similar to the Adventureland Treehouse), instead taking more of a history-based story with references to multiple Disney properties included. Despite being a flat ride, the swing is richly & beautifully themed from the queue to the exit, letting it fit in more with the rest of the land (note: unlike the infamous flat rides of DCA long past). 

In fact, the history of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine are incorporated into the ride, a rare use of religious elements in a Disney park, albeit more in a historical context. The ride’s exterior does feature La Fidelle itself displaying the ride structure as partially outdoors and partially obscured by the ride building, similar to what DCA did for Orange Stinger being encased in an orange. The entryway is partially outside as well, starting with a sign warning of the health conditions that La Fidelle may trigger due to the ride’s nature as a swing ride. “La Fidelle is a swing ride that takes riders several meters off the ground and into the air, spinning them around in the name of love." 

Entering the show building, you will see a statue of Saint Valentine himself looking at riders to your front; on the left side are mosaics discussing the history of Saint Valentine, including his matryrdom (though not in too much detail), and on the right side of the screen a history of the holiday itself apart from the man it’s named after, also bringing up the related Japanese holiday of White Day. The queue overall resembles a cathedral, with candles on candelabras and chandeliers, stained glass windows (one is depicting none other than Luz & Amity), sculpted & painted reindeer putti in the role of “grotesques”, and a carpeted floor. Keep walking, then make your way over to the central area, where sculptures of our reindeer character, Romeo J. Reindeer (more on him later), demonstrating the seats for safety precautions can be seen for the benefit of the audience.

Be sure to make sure that the metal bar is connected to the chain at the bottom of the swing seat with the lock for maximum safety & security. The seats are lightweight yet also comfortable and well themed to ensure a fitting and safe swing-along and add to the experience. The seat covers themselves are themed, these themed decorations visible from the front or the back of the seat, to make sure riders get glimpses of the theming. There are three distinct sets of seats to sit on, each with different groups of couples; these seats are organized into three categories set up across from one another as concentric rings; Disney (the animated classics, plus other works with the classic characters), Pixar, and “other” (TV, sequels, Marvel/SW, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc). Seats are assigned as they come by the ride operators and assistants, with the riders sitting down. 

Then the ride will begin, as the seats slowly rise into the air, giving riders a view of the scenery around them, even viewing the rest of the land. The ride then begins to rotate clockwise, gradually accelerating in speed as the swings begin to rotate outward for the full-fulcrum experience of human tailwind. The spinning lasts for 2 minutes and 45 seconds of hang-time, followed by a 30 second cooldown as riders return down to earth below. The most interesting feature about the physical design of the La Fidelle ride is that the three circles of seats move at slightly different speeds, giving riders a changing, cycling view of the other seats as well as the ones in front of them on the same circle, to show how love comes in a bajilion flying colors, yet it’s all the same in the end regardless of who truly loves who. 

To be complete; the couples depicted on the seats include the following:

Once the ride ends, make touchdown and unlatch your seats, the attendants will help you do so. Now walk out through the exit of the “cathedral” back to the rest of the land, passing by a stained glass window of Romeo J. Reindeer holding valentines gifts on the way out.

Next: Romeo's Gazebo