I'm Back! First timer, who's seen 'em all.

[ian180]

Well, just a brief review of what I have seen after spending 4 nights in DLP at the DLP main hotel in the park. I have now (I am proud to say!) visited all the parks - Tokyo, Hong Kong, Florida and Calfornia and at long last, Paris.

People said I would be disappointed compared to some other great parks, but I wasn't. I had managed my own expectations and knew it wouldn't be Florida or Tokyo; I had done my research and knew what to expect, and I got it - some exceeding, some not, but all in all, we had a great time!

Arrived on Eurostar direct to DisneyLand. Immediately I thought the signs were sparse in getting to our hotel and I could see we were not the only ones, with other wondering quite aimlessly, guessing the rough direction to go. Went through bag security check, but (sillily in my view) we were waived through as we said we were staying at the hotel - what difference that would make not to be a threat I do not know, but it saved time, and we followed the crowd and with the help of a cast member, found our way in to the hotel.

We usually stay in the Grand Floridian and I would liken this to a (much) smaller version if this. Not quite to ostentatious, glitzy, atmospheric or floral, but neverthless, gave a good first impression. There was quite a long queue to check in, and we had someone 'finding their ears'. It seemed a drawn our process and we were checking in for around 15 minutes, but it was courteous and friendly and we soon found our way to our 2nd floor room off the main lobby (same floor as the restaurants further down the corridoor). Our room was on a corner, with a small balcony, quite spacious and one queen size bed. The bathroom was OK, a bath shower and loo in a (small) off shoot of the main bathroom. Little Disney touches and sillouettes adorned the room, and we had a sofa bed in the corner and a rather old TV that had to have a PIN code entered into it by a maintenance man before it would work, and then we had to go through a laborious task of various menus each time I wanted to catch up with a bit of news! But Disney is not about TV and we soon unpacked and wanted to dash to the park.

We went to DisneyLand first, right on our doorstep, and it is thematically similar to all the other parks. Similar atmosphere and lay out, albeit much smaller than most of them.

Positives: Preferred Big Thunder Mountain - seemed smoother ride and more fun, with a longer tunnell towards the end of the ride. Actually looked forward to going on it again, and with the once a day 'super fast pass' you get with being a guest at the hotel, you could bypass the queues even more quick, even if you didn't have a regular FP (basically it is an extra FP for staying at a resort hotel, redeemable for one ride per day, not betwen 1-4 pm, in addition to any other FP you maty have).

Haunted Mansion - preferred this too (one of my faves except the Tokyo Halloween special with Jack Frost - superb!) - took a bit of time getting into the main ride bit, but the 'Haunted Bride' theme and haunting music made it for me. Never a queue and always fun.

Space Mountain - preferred this to the Florida ride, my second favourite after HK. Smoother than Florida, different track it seemed and no 3 mile exit walkway! Just as thrilling.

Toy Story - again seemed slightly better than other parks and the fact I beat the wife ( a rare event!), made it even more appealing!

Small World - similar, but brighter and newer (obviously) - seemed more languages sung, and as ever, enjoyed the (just the one) ride!

Pirates - My favourite of all parks, with a nice long lead in and 2 drops. Smaller characterisation and plot line it seemed, and the animatronics were not as polished as the refurbished Florida, but it had a better atmosphere and overall, very enjoyable. The Blue Lagoon staurant looked inviting too, on the shore of the early part of the ride.

Indiana Jones was closed and Autopia always had a 60 minute wait, so didn't do either of these. With no kids, didn't do Peter Pan, Carousel etc. Did Nautilus, very underwhelming!

Negatives:

Food was disappointing in the park - had a burger in the big theatre type restaurant whilst watching some old cartoons (nice touch and saw all of Steam Boat Willy for first time), but burger was lacklustre and expensive. Service was ok-ish and didn't really enjoy our first dining experience. Found it expensive - saw 15 Euros for a cheese and ham baguette in one shop, little variety or choice as far as fast food goes, certainly comapred to other parks. Since we were on the Deluxe/Premium Half Board package (and Walts didn't do dinner whilst we were there), we didn't have dinner in the park, and found lunch to be wanting.

Queueing wasn't too bad but noticed people liked to push in - very un-British! (But we coped!)

Nothing else expecially negative to say really - it is as it is, and had a good couple of days there.

Disney Studios:

Positives:

TOT - Great, second fave behind Florida. Seemed faster up and down and whilst taking longer to load/offload because of no seperate lift shaft as in Florida to allow a more continuous flow of riders, the 'Quatriemme Dimension' made it more fun with slightly different effects and an almost as long a ride as Florida, made this a great ride, although slightly less atmospheric than others, we had great fun. Some of the cast memebers were very good in character here, something seen less and less in this ride and this made it more special.

Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Enjoyed this, similar to Florida and minimal queue.

Crush's Coaster - new ride to us and queued for 40 minutes and didn't disappoint. Wanted to go again the next day, but was closed for 2 days. With no Indiana Jones and no Crush, and with only 2 other 'e-ticket' rides in the Studios, thought this was a disappointment, expecially for people not there for very long.

Car Stunt show - slightly different to Florida, but just as enjoyable, as was the behind the scenes tour.

(Slight) Negatives - Cinemagique and Animagique were OK and fairly fun in themselves, but lacked something in my view. The park needs something else, slightly more 'showy' and whilst these were ok in themsleves, they didn't add any particular wow factor. We saw the Toy Story part nearly finished and this will add to the parks value, which it probaly doesn't wholly have right now.

The cars 'parade' - well, I'm not sure if someone had their foot on the accelerator, but it was over in 5 minutes. There ony seemed half a dozen cars and nothing much else. One of the poorer parades we had both seen. Disappointing.

Food, as DL - 'ok'.

We had lunch at Annettes Diner on one day in the Village, which was good fun. Nice variety on the menu, good service and food was good. Enjoyed the atmosphere.

Planet Hollywood, we were greeted as we walked up the stairs by a hostess smoking a cigarette, not quick to put it out! It was overpriced and average quality, and again, was 'ok'.

For dinner, taking advantage of the Premium half board, we ate in New York Italian restaurant, Manhattan which I would give 3.5 / 5. Service was fine, but choice and quality was only average. Lacked a bit of atmosphere.

Inventions in our hotel was a superb buffet, with choice, quality and quantity. Characters were abundant, from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Doormice, Pinocchio and Gepetto. We had salmon, prawns, lobster, cold meats, variety of salads, soup and croutons, steak dishes (fillet), chicken dishes, lasagne, veggie stuff, chickes strips in breadcrumbs, vegetables, sauces and much more. We took our time and had our fill Dessert was OK, not so much variety, but all in all, it was in very solubrious surroundings, lovely atmosphere and the wine was surpisingly good value for around 25 Euros for a decent bottle of South African red. Recommended.

Our 2 other dinners were at the Californian Grill. First time we went, service was mediocre, second time, it was fine, with 'Amuse Bouches' to keep us happy, a good waiter and extra rolls! Steak was delicious and wine was same as Inventions. Very pricey and had to pay extra, but had 2 lovely meals there.

So, all in all, had a great 4 days, exceeding my expectations in some respect. Love the other parks we have been to, but whilst this is different, we would go back again at some time. In summary, some good quality rides, food was underwhelming in the fast food places, Studios could be so much more (and will be when Toy Story opens), service was mostly good, though certainly not 'A La Americain' and our hotel and restaurants therein were fantastic - Vive le DLP!

[JamelUK]

Thanks for this report Ian!

[TinkerBabe]

Thanks for your trip report Ian, I really enjoyed reading it. I totally agree with your observations, we are fans of both DLP and WDW and try not to compare, as they are both fab places in their own right. We too have found the dining in DLP a little disappointing, however all in all we really enjoyed each of our visits and look forward to going again in the future.

[frankb]

Just came back yesterday after 5 nights, this time at the Santa Fe. I agree with your assessment of the rides, however, we do like Cinemagique a lot. We found, without exception, the cast members were the best we had ever encountered on our trips to Paris - as good as those in Florida. That's not something I thought I'd ever say.

The Santa Fe was fine, better than on our last visit to Paris four years ago. I think the rooms had been refurbished.

Unfortunately, there were three 'dead' zones' in the MK. Videopolis used to have some great shows on there:- La Belle de la Bette, the Lion King and a Disney Revue. Now it is just a dark, cavernous fast food eatery. The whole thing needs redesigning. The Chapparrel Theatre, again, used to have the Tarzan Show - now nothing. The Fantasyland stage - again nothing. These three venues along with the Lucky Nugget have all been in operation at the same time in the past. Very disappointing.

Food - so many restaurants have now gone over to buffet meals at 23 euros upwards each - it makes it prohibitive for many families to have a good sit-down meal and not a fast food quick fix.

There is so much to like about Disneyland Paris, but it could be so much better if they maximised what they already have in place.

One last thought - Captain EO. I'd long forgotten how good it was. Brilliant!

[ian180]

Originally Posted by frankb

Just came back yesterday after 5 nights, this time at the Santa Fe. I agree with your assessment of the rides, however, we do like Cinemagique a lot. We found, without exception, the cast members were the best we had ever encountered on our trips to Paris - as good as those in Florida. That's not something I thought I'd ever say.

The Santa Fe was fine, better than on our last visit to Paris four years ago. I think the rooms had been refurbished.

Unfortunately, there were three 'dead' zones' in the MK. Videopolis used to have some great shows on there:- La Belle de la Bette, the Lion King and a Disney Revue. Now it is just a dark, cavernous fast food eatery. The whole thing needs redesigning. The Chapparrel Theatre, again, used to have the Tarzan Show - now nothing. The Fantasyland stage - again nothing. These three venues along with the Lucky Nugget have all been in operation at the same time in the past. Very disappointing.

Food - so many restaurants have now gone over to buffet meals at 23 euros upwards each - it makes it prohibitive for many families to have a good sit-down meal and not a fast food quick fix.

There is so much to like about Disneyland Paris, but it could be so much better if they maximised what they already have in place.

One last thought - Captain EO. I'd long forgotten how good it was. Brilliant!

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Hi Frank

Thanks for that - I too agree about the 'dead zones' - lacked a good old show, but I guess we might have been a bit early season for them to bother due to the decline in the economy? - shame though. Yup, buffet meals very disappointing - saw a cheese and ham baguette for 15 Euros! Didn't even look that nice!

And on reflection, Cinemagique wasn't that bad! (Cinemagique... cinemagique, la la la la laa... darned tune!)

Regards.

[Guest]

Thanks Ian for a great trip report - enjoyed reading it.

Thanks for the info about the "super fast pass" if you stay in a resort hotel - that is something they didn't have when I stayed last at DLP approx 5 years' ago. Will definitely make use of it this trip - thanks.

[Gill H]

Originally Posted by ian180

Hi Frank

And on reflection, Cinemagique wasn't that bad! (Cinemagique... cinemagique, la la la la laa... darned tune!)

Regards.

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That's Animagique!

Cinemagique is the one in the cinema (oddly enough...)

Love 'em both in their own way.