Disneyland Paris with disabled person in wheelchair - experience - NEVER AGAIN

[paulfoel]

Visit Florida every year. Last went to DLP about 10 years ago. This time was a chance to take elderly MIL with grandkids - she wont fly so DLP was the plan.

Good points:-

1. Green card system is very good. All rides have a separate entrance. Some of the wait times were a bit variable but it was very good.

2. Car parking in Disneyland Hotel is very close indeed. In fact, its so close we could see the car from the gate. Brilliant.

Bad points:-

1. Organisation. Got to Studios one dat 15 minutes after opening. All wheelchairs gone but they said they had plenty at main park (why not get them sent over?). They promised to do so. In the end, after going back 3 times (once they got strollers only because they "forgot" about the wheelchairs) I ended up walking over myself. This was not impressive.

2. Smoking. No smoking park? Don't make me laugh. MIL has breathing problems so smoke affects here. It seems no smoking is generally ignored by all - even when my wife spoke to a cast member he seemed VERY unhappy about being asked to stop someone smoking. I got the impression this rule is deliberately not enforced because it would upset too many smokers.

3. Other guests. Never have I experienced such rudeness, Its not easy to push a wheelchair but people seemed to have no consideration at all. The attitude always seemed to be "every man for himself"
People seem to let their kids run riot. Now I'm all for kids having a bit of fun but you need to be respectul to other guests. I'd be mortified if my own kids were falling over disabled people.
In the end, MIL probably had about 10-15 people fall over her wheelchair because they were either not looking, trying to push past, or kids messing around. 3 or 4 times someone fell into her lap. It terrified her and I'm afraid she will never go again after this weekend.

Fully expect I'll get flamed for this and told to chill out and remember its different in Paris than Florida. BUT, Disney should be for EVERYONE to enjoy. Regardless of whether you're "enjoying" yourself you need to be respectful of other guests...

Sorry but its a "never again" for us with MIL in a wheelchair which is very sad indeed.

[duchy]

since when did DLP become a "no smoking park" ?

[paulfoel]

Originally Posted by duchy

since when did DLP become a "no smoking park" ?

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Dunno but there are signs when you go in and smoking is only allowed in designated areas.

But everyone does what they want anyway...

disneylandparis/faq...smoking-areas/

[Peter H]

We went to Magic Kingdom with a friend on a scooter. People just didn’t look we’re they were going. Rudeness is all over.
We have seen CMs stop smoker in DLP. The CMs are worried they will get abuse. The Brits are some of the worst for abusing CMs over this. We are as bad as anyone else.

[neatfrk]

I can't speak for any parks outside of Orlando - but certainly over the years I've noticed a terrible decline in park decorum. I believe the prevailing attitude these days is "I paid a fortune for this vacation so to heck with everyone else...me...me..me...".

Particularly with Disney, there's an appalling lack of common decency or courtesy these days. Everyone is so tied down to ADRs and FP+s, the focus is constantly on getting from point A to point B within a very rigid time-frame; all other park guests are simply 'in the way'. Couple that with higher crowd levels and it is really becoming a tangible challenge for anyone who remembers what the parks were like 5-10 years ago.

I probably sound like an old man getting ready to chase the kids out of my yard... my apologies! Just hits a nerve as the parks of 2018 simply aren't as much fun as the parks of 2008 in my humble view. The behavior of fellow guests is a contributing factor, I think. Not all of them of course...but it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the fun.

[jimmy-google]

As someone who has had push someone around the parks in a wheelchair a lot I found it a lot easier in Paris. More room and better floors.

Smoking has long been an issue at Paris but I've seen significant improvements over the last year mainly due to the number of designated smoking areas they've added.

We had a issue at FanDaze as they had no wheelchairs but they got some from the other park. First time we've had that issue. Only previous issue was when they had run out across both parks

[paulfoel]

Originally Posted by Peter H

We went to Magic Kingdom with a friend on a scooter. People just didn’t look we’re they were going. Rudeness is all over.
We have seen CMs stop smoker in DLP. The CMs are worried they will get abuse. The Brits are some of the worst for abusing CMs over this. We are as bad as anyone else.

See more...

Yes the CM we spoke to looked mortified that he'd actually have to go and tell someone one off...

I just don't understand how a smoker can stand there waving a fag around, blowing smoke when there are little kids around?

[Gill H]

Unfortunately this is mostly to do with France rather than DLP. We have visited many European cities and in most of them, everyone chainsmokes everywhere, over children and adults. I am old enough to remember when that was the norm here in the UK too, and indeed as a London commuter with asthma, I can tell you Brits are just as bad.

I once asked an elderly British lady at DLP not to smoke over my friend’s sleeping toddler. The lady’s grown up daughter spent 10 minutes yelling at me for being rude! Unfortunately many smokers react aggressively or just light up as soon as you move. It’s not nice, but in 11 trips to DLP, I have only once encountered it in a place where I couldn’t move out of the way.

The signage at DLP is much improved and there are announcements over the PA. However, legally only a police officer can actually make someone stop smoking in France. This is an excuse, because DLP is private property, but people know it and they don’t respect the CMs.

As for pushing and shoving, that was just as bad in WDW when we met our friend with the ECV. Also many Europeans don’t leave any personal space - that is a British thing. My French and Italian friends walk next to me and they are so close we might as well be married!

[captain-codeye]

This is what I think!

Btw sorry for the problems you encountered.

It’s not down to the French, in general I find them great company and mostly fine.

There is one exception to this and unfortunately because of where Disney is it can’t be avoided.

The Parisians are all (well mostly) a different breed to the rest of France, they are pushy, rude, don’t care about rules and where they smoke and only think of where they want to be and head in the quickest direction no mater who is in the way.

[jazzluvva]

Many years ago back when our youngest needed a buggy, frustrated by a general lack of awareness/consideration/rudeness I decided to take a bit of a 'When in Rome' approach. If someone was in my way & seemingly oblivious then I would say "Excuse Me, Please". Think about it, its an internationally recognised phrase. If i still get no response after repeating it, then I just ran them over/barge them.out of the way without apology, content that I've done my best to be polite