need some enthusiasm for this place ...

[juttawdw]

We have been to DLRP 38 times and WDW 3 times and we enjoyed both of them.
Personnaly we like the castle and some atractions better in DLRP than WDW.
One thing we like more in DLRP is it is mostly not as hot as in WDW.
And eveything is closeby, walking distance from every disney hotel to the parks.

Don't compare and enjoy the differences.

[Guest]

From what you have said I would go at Christmas. If not you are going to be comparing it with Florida. And thats what people do they compare a 2 week holiday in Florida (not just WDW) and a few days in Paris.

Christmas is unqiue at Disneyland Paris. Yes they can try and do it in FLA but its not cold and its not the same. Quite simply its magical at that time of year and completely different thing to what you have done before in FLA

[Guest]

Many of us love it, some people don't, I'll never agree with or understand the DLP haters but each to their own. It will never be a 3wk holiday in scorching heat (thank goodness) but it's great for what it is. DLR in California is only small too and DLP is more akin to that from what I can tell. I guess I'm not the only person sick of defending DLP and trying to sell it to people who don't really want to go. If someone doesn't want to go then don't, shorter queues for those of us who know how to enjoy ourselves in this magical place and I don't want to be surrounded by miserable people while I'm there (though I'm probably having too much fun to notice anyway).

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Dacoops321

The only thing I would say and this is my own opinion...

Depending on where you want to stay, DLP can either be not so lovely or amazing! The Disneyland park is nice and pretty much the same as the magic kingdom. The studios however doesn't even compare to Hollywood studios, no Fantasmic to start with!

So back to my original point, first time we went we stayed at the Santa fe hotel, (cheap option). In my opinion it really does feel cheap, the restaurant was like feeding time at the zoo. Barging and pushing in line, no one waiting their turn. People filling cool bags full of stuff, (everyone takes the odd pastry with them, but this was almost emptying the shelves) The buses are also a nightmare, like a rugby scrum people trying to get on and off!

However...

second time we went we saved a bit more and stayed in the Disneyland Hotel. This was a completely different experience. The price tag represents the service you get, no scrum for food, characters in the hotel, turning over service (think that's what its called) No buses as you are right on the entrance to the parks. This is a very magical hotel and completely made the holiday for us.

DLP shuts much earlier than WDW, so you will spend time in your hotel, Santa fe's bar was packed and there were a lot of drunk people and kids running riot. Disneyland hotel has a piano bar, which is much much more elegant, the kids sat quietly drawing while the wife and I had a nice well deserved cocktail.

DLP is what you make of it, as a stop gap between WDW trips its an ideal fix!

See more...

Can't believe I'm getting involved, swore I'd avoid this thread but anyway...

Regards hotel, we will never be able to afford or justify the expense of the Disneyland hotel, we stay in the Cheyenne and love it, the theming etc is great for the kids. However, we never eat at the Cheyenne, at DLP you can eat eherever you want, in the parks, in the village or in any hotel, we like plenty of restaurants including Inventions in the DLH. Yes breakfast can be chaos but is a perfectly acceptable continental breakfast, however we have breakfast in the park as often as possible (free alternative, arranged at check in) and always in the DLH on checkout day, we pay for that but well worth it. Even though the parks used to close earlyish, we never spent any time in our room, we stayed out in the village and the parks open later now (poster not been since 2008). We also like a cocktail in Cafe Fantasia or the bar at HNY en route back to the Cheyenne. There is no need to waste time on buses, it's a lovely 15min walk to the parks, and we probably beat ther people on the buses as we go through the small bag check near HNY for onsite guests but if you take the bus you go through main bagcheck witheveryoen coming in on the train/offsite etc.. And we go see the characters in the DLH on our way into/out of the parks.

Regards the parks themselves, since 2008 a lot has changed, plenty of new attractions in the Studios and Dreams show certainly compares with Fantasmic.

So it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly enjoyable budget holiday in DLP. I've just priced Cheyenne up for us 4nts/5days arriving 16 Dec for £549 (excl travel as we drive and book eurotunnel separately), I think that is excellent value (even better arriving 6 Jan 2014 for £356 but after christmas season ended). I can't even get 1 return flight to MCO for that.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Disney mum

Can't believe I'm getting involved, swore I'd avoid this thread but anyway...

Regards hotel, we will never be able to afford or justify the expense of the Disneyland hotel, we stay in the Cheyenne and love it, the theming etc is great for the kids. However, we never eat at the Cheyenne, at DLP you can eat eherever you want, in the parks, in the village or in any hotel, we like plenty of restaurants including Inventions in the DLH. Yes breakfast can be chaos but is a perfectly acceptable continental breakfast, however we have breakfast in the park as often as possible (free alternative, arranged at check in) and always in the DLH on checkout day, we pay for that but well worth it. Even though the parks used to close earlyish, we never spent any time in our room, we stayed out in the village and the parks open later now (poster not been since 2008). We also like a cocktail in Cafe Fantasia or the bar at HNY en route back to the Cheyenne. There is no need to waste time on buses, it's a lovely 15min walk to the parks, and we probably beat ther people on the buses as we go through the small bag check near HNY for onsite guests but if you take the bus you go through main bagcheck witheveryoen coming in on the train/offsite etc.. And we go see the characters in the DLH on our way into/out of the parks.

Regards the parks themselves, since 2008 a lot has changed, plenty of new attractions in the Studios and Dreams show certainly compares with Fantasmic.

So it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly enjoyable budget holiday in DLP. I've just priced Cheyenne up for us 4nts/5days arriving 16 Dec for £549 (excl travel as we drive and book eurotunnel separately), I think that is excellent value (even better arriving 6 Jan 2014 for £356 but after christmas season ended). I can't even get 1 return flight to MCO for that.

See more...

Well put disney mum.

[jazzluvva]

Originally Posted by Disney mum

Can't believe I'm getting involved, swore I'd avoid this thread but anyway...

Regards hotel, we will never be able to afford or justify the expense of the Disneyland hotel, we stay in the Cheyenne and love it, the theming etc is great for the kids. However, we never eat at the Cheyenne, at DLP you can eat eherever you want, in the parks, in the village or in any hotel, we like plenty of restaurants including Inventions in the DLH. Yes breakfast can be chaos but is a perfectly acceptable continental breakfast, however we have breakfast in the park as often as possible (free alternative, arranged at check in) and always in the DLH on checkout day, we pay for that but well worth it. Even though the parks used to close earlyish, we never spent any time in our room, we stayed out in the village and the parks open later now (poster not been since 2008). We also like a cocktail in Cafe Fantasia or the bar at HNY en route back to the Cheyenne. There is no need to waste time on buses, it's a lovely 15min walk to the parks, and we probably beat ther people on the buses as we go through the small bag check near HNY for onsite guests but if you take the bus you go through main bagcheck witheveryoen coming in on the train/offsite etc.. And we go see the characters in the DLH on our way into/out of the parks.

Regards the parks themselves, since 2008 a lot has changed, plenty of new attractions in the Studios and Dreams show certainly compares with Fantasmic.

So it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly enjoyable budget holiday in DLP. I've just priced Cheyenne up for us 4nts/5days arriving 16 Dec for £549 (excl travel as we drive and book eurotunnel separately), I think that is excellent value (even better arriving 6 Jan 2014 for £356 but after christmas season ended). I can't even get 1 return flight to MCO for that.

See more...

This is the best, and perhaps most valid post in this entire thread!

What it highlights is that, on the DIBB, just as there are people who are totally clued up on WDW and rave about the place (rightly so too), there are also those of us who love DLP and know how to get the max out of our trips

[Beaker7929]

Originally Posted by Disney mum

Can't believe I'm getting involved, swore I'd avoid this thread but anyway...

Regards hotel, we will never be able to afford or justify the expense of the Disneyland hotel, we stay in the Cheyenne and love it, the theming etc is great for the kids. However, we never eat at the Cheyenne, at DLP you can eat eherever you want, in the parks, in the village or in any hotel, we like plenty of restaurants including Inventions in the DLH. Yes breakfast can be chaos but is a perfectly acceptable continental breakfast, however we have breakfast in the park as often as possible (free alternative, arranged at check in) and always in the DLH on checkout day, we pay for that but well worth it. Even though the parks used to close earlyish, we never spent any time in our room, we stayed out in the village and the parks open later now (poster not been since 2008). We also like a cocktail in Cafe Fantasia or the bar at HNY en route back to the Cheyenne. There is no need to waste time on buses, it's a lovely 15min walk to the parks, and we probably beat ther people on the buses as we go through the small bag check near HNY for onsite guests but if you take the bus you go through main bagcheck witheveryoen coming in on the train/offsite etc.. And we go see the characters in the DLH on our way into/out of the parks.

Regards the parks themselves, since 2008 a lot has changed, plenty of new attractions in the Studios and Dreams show certainly compares with Fantasmic.

So it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly enjoyable budget holiday in DLP. I've just priced Cheyenne up for us 4nts/5days arriving 16 Dec for £549 (excl travel as we drive and book eurotunnel separately), I think that is excellent value (even better arriving 6 Jan 2014 for £356 but after christmas season ended). I can't even get 1 return flight to MCO for that.

See more...

Here here!

[Lisa123wm]

Originally Posted by Disney mum

Can't believe I'm getting involved, swore I'd avoid this thread but anyway...

Regards hotel, we will never be able to afford or justify the expense of the Disneyland hotel, we stay in the Cheyenne and love it, the theming etc is great for the kids. However, we never eat at the Cheyenne, at DLP you can eat eherever you want, in the parks, in the village or in any hotel, we like plenty of restaurants including Inventions in the DLH. Yes breakfast can be chaos but is a perfectly acceptable continental breakfast, however we have breakfast in the park as often as possible (free alternative, arranged at check in) and always in the DLH on checkout day, we pay for that but well worth it. Even though the parks used to close earlyish, we never spent any time in our room, we stayed out in the village and the parks open later now (poster not been since 2008). We also like a cocktail in Cafe Fantasia or the bar at HNY en route back to the Cheyenne. There is no need to waste time on buses, it's a lovely 15min walk to the parks, and we probably beat ther people on the buses as we go through the small bag check near HNY for onsite guests but if you take the bus you go through main bagcheck witheveryoen coming in on the train/offsite etc.. And we go see the characters in the DLH on our way into/out of the parks.

Regards the parks themselves, since 2008 a lot has changed, plenty of new attractions in the Studios and Dreams show certainly compares with Fantasmic.

So it is perfectly possible to have a perfectly enjoyable budget holiday in DLP. I've just priced Cheyenne up for us 4nts/5days arriving 16 Dec for £549 (excl travel as we drive and book eurotunnel separately), I think that is excellent value (even better arriving 6 Jan 2014 for £356 but after christmas season ended). I can't even get 1 return flight to MCO for that.

See more...

Fab post!

We have been 9 times so far, and have never even stayed onsite. Every trip has been great, as that's what we've made it.

Really looking forward to staying onsite for the first time this year, but don't intend on spending much time in the hotel, though do hope to get a little time in the pool

Also looking forward to trying those cocktails

[Gill H]

Agree, never use the buses. By the time you walk to the stop, you could be half way across the Village. If legs are tired you can break your journey and sit by Lake Disney with a drink or ice cream. And the walk by the river to Cheyenne/Santa Fe is very restful.

We only ate in Cheyenne once of an evening, and found it too busy and loud. We would rather spend an hour or two somewhere quiet and relaxed like the Manhattan in Hotel New York.

As for breakfast, we always get there 7am and it's virtually empty.

[Peter H]

There will always be mixed feelings on here as it is primarily a WDW board, so comparisons (unfair as far as I can see) will be made. DLP has more in common with Hong Kong, Tokyo and Anahime than WDW. So if you are going to make comparisons they are the ones that you compare.
Service is always a big issue. As Gill said service is European. If I go into a department store or clothes shop here I don't expect gushing service, infact if the style of service in those places was the same as at WDW, you would think it was too much.
Smoking. Here DLP's hands are tied due to French law. On our last trip we did see one CM tell a person waiting for a parade to use the smoking area.
DLP's themeing is beautiful. The ride are newer and better in some cases and there are more and more DLP only attractions which gives it individuality.

The cost. Yes it is not cheap. Neither is WDW. If you actually sit down and work out day for day there is very little difference in price. I do admit it seems expensive.

Our first taste of the magic was DLP. We have since been to WDW. The worst case of pushing in I ever came across was at WDW. The monorail broke down, and some of the guests were very rude (most were not).

I am on the love DLP side, imperfect, but still great.