A sceptics trip report from a heatwave

[scoobysnax]

I've been an avid reader of the forums for the last couple of months in anticipation. If we were doing this, then we (I) were going to get the most out of 3 days. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which deals really well with all languages plus their DDs & DSs. There is a good pool and well stocked gym. The free shuttle is a godsend and runs every 10 minutes from 0800-1900ish and every 20 mins outside of that.

Unfortunately global warming meant that France has had a mini heatwave this week with temps of 27, 29, 26 and 25 Tues-Fri. Urgh Strollers are available at 750€/day. Which would you rather have, a whiney 6yr old DD or a happy one as you push her around? Easy choice after the first day. From the ache in my ankles and looking at the maps, I reckon we covered 2.5-3 miles PER DAY!

DLP is smaller than I somehow envisaged, and we agreed that it is certainly more cramped. I would hate to be near the Dumbo/Peter Pan rides in July or August as even on a hot day like a Tuesday in April it was getting a bit too cramped and frantic, especially when the train parade comes out in late mornings.
I'll semi apologise now for my review, but I really don't understand how people could get so enthusiastic about what is essentially a theme park runs by a corporation that is actively aimed at extending the whole kids/parents/wallet idea. If you walk up for a day pass its 53€ thats what, £35? and not before food.

Right, that leads me to food.
Advice, get out of the parcs and go to WDV. The food is better in WDS, the are no queues to be found and you get to sit in comfort. I got the impression that in the parcs pizza, burgers and chicken nuggets were basically it unless you went for the sit-down option. France is a warm country so why can't they do a decent salad and frites for 8€?

In WDV, Annettes Diner was good for lunch and the burgers were satisfactory but overpriced. The kids menu was better priced and you get a free frisbee.
I was very underwhelmed about the food in general considering the reviews that soem have put up on the forums. We had day1 dinner at Cafe Mickey - my wife had ribs and coleslaw which were basically that. Some ribs (slightly overdone) and a tomato scooped out and filled with coleslaw. For 14€ (£10). I mean come on, for £10 you should get something better than that, but of course, you're paying for the whole "experience". My salad was good though, I have to admit. But not for the inflated price. Billy Bobs Country & Western all you can eat buffet had a good selection of various tastes and a better than average dessert counter.

Fancy a cup of tea and a sit down? I couldn't find tea and Nescafe was the only cup of choice. Not great but worth it at 3PM.

Back to DLP. Our strategy on day 2 was to split up for rope drop at 10AM. Mrs. T and DD went to join the queues for Minnie, then Mickey and I got them Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear as we had all loved it. Then I shot off into Frontierland & Adventureland to do Indiana Jones, BTM, POTC and get a look around.

Advice 2, do Fantasyland and Discoveryland before 1130 because by then the main crowds are getting into teh parcs. Plan the Fast Passes because they're really worth it. Mrs. T. didn't understand until I walked her down the FP line at Buzz past the poor soles having queued for 30 minutes.

WDS. I'm a film/movie fan, so was interested to get into WDS. When compared to DLP it's almost empty! There was a 15-20 minute queue for Studio Tramtour so we did that early teh next day, but I walked onto Rock n Roller Coaster 3 times over 2 days. No queue! Compare that to something like BTM in DLP... Armageddon was a hoot, but the construction going on for TOT and CC etc could have been better designed. Why didn't they get the imagineers to paint murals or something rather than plain 8 foot high walls with occasional posters.

Advice 3, want to meet Mickey and Minnie and other characters but hate the idea of a scrum in DLP? Get to WDS where there is an orderly queue of 2-3 people... hurrah!

I've tried to be sceptical because I feel that some of the posts I've read over the past few months have been a bit gushing. I got sentimental too seeing the look on my DD face, but in the end it's aimed at kids by suits making decisions in a meeting room with a whiteboard and flip chart. Its there to make a profit, and if you've ever played ThemePark then you'll be impressed with attention to detail that goes into the whole shebang.

I liked...
Finding the secrets (the arcades bypassing Main Street, the piano nr Moteurs, the vent, the lighting rig)
WDS CineFolies
Rock n Roller Coaster - no wait!
The attention to detail throughout. Everything is clean, painted and seemingly well made. Cast members smile and greet you. Compare that to Blackpool. :urgh:
The shuttle bus - clean, efficient and regular

I disliked....
being ripped off for food - the so-so quality for mucho €€€
The crowds in Fantasyland/Discoveryland
not enough water fountains and they're not signposted.

 

[Cyrano]

Although I think DLP is aimed at more than kids and was scepticial the first time I visited the park I'm definitely one of the gushers now

Appreciate your honest review. Many thanks for sharing

 

[Rachie B]

Sorry havent time to read all your thread,I have just skimmed it

But wanted to say that a lot of UK parks are around that price for a 1 day ticket !! Drayton Manor £20 Alton Towers £32 on the gate !for an adult ticket and nowhere near as fab as DLRP

( and you should get your tickets before you go from www.365tickets.com or similar to make a saving .......... 1 dayer adult ticket currently just under £30 )

Also the food,again where is there that you can go Theme Park wise where the food ISN'T expensive and mostly junk / fast food?

I dont know what you were expecting TBH ? lol

so would / will you be returning ?

 

[A Small World]

Sorry you didnt enjoy your trip as much as you expected.

When did you visit? Was it over the Easter holidays?

We were there then and it was hot and busy but more bearable queuing temps than the heat in Florida when we've visited there. We've also been lucky and never been at DLP when its rained or been very cold but I think it was probably much more bearable with the heat.

It was as I say also very busy then but it was the start of the 15th birthday celebrations and also the kids under 7 go free. It was also the holidays in several countries.
We also went last Easter and even though it was busy then it seemed much busier this with a lot more young children and a lot more French people. But lets be honest if our local theme park advertised a special celebration with free kids tickets we'd be there wouldnt we.

Unfortunately this means Fantasyland gets vey busy as its where most of the rides for under 7s are. And Discoveryland has Buzz which is a very popular new ride (its only been open 1 year).

Not sure how old your DD is but hopefully the memories of her enjoyment will last longer than your disappointment.

As commented by Rachie theme parks in this country are expensive with awful overrated food.

However there are places in Dis park that do salads. Market Deli on mainstreet offers salads for one and you can also get tea there.

You mention the price for a day ticket but I assume you didnt get tickets each day- when you buy a multi day pass the price decreases a lot.

Again sorry you didnt enjoy your trip but I for one intend to keep gushing as IMHO although not perfect the Dis parks offer the best all round entertainment value for money. The attention to detail is fab and however many times you visit you have never seen or done it all and want to go back again.

 

[disneyangel]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the experience as much as some of us have.

I appreciate when it's busy and really hot it would not be as enjoyable as the times when I've went , when it's been a mixture of weather and reasonably quiet.

I do realise that Disney is a company out to make money as their first priority but I can honestly say I don't care . My DD and I love our time there (and in years to come I think the photo's and memories I have from my trips will be priceless) and I think there is no comparison to theme parks in this country. Like you said compare the theming and work that has gone in to the design to Blackpool or indeed Drayton Manor or Alton Towers (which is much the same price to visit for a day unless you use Tesco Clubcard Vouchers )

I agree they could have made the studios more appealling whilst they are working in it and it's always our place of choice for meet and greets too.

The food is expensive generally but I'm not a fast food fan and tend to do table service which compared to what was offer in Alton towers is much more appealing. We had a beautiful meal worthy of a restaurant in this country in ADC (before it became the Princess themed meal) and at a reasonable price 22 € per adult and 10 or 15€ per child).

 

[giuly09]

Sorry to hear you didnt get a good time but can understand queues and people going mad at times can not be nice if you are not really fond of Disney.
First i time i was there it was the weekend before easter and i still use to say i had seen all those people togheter just when we have the local horse race in my town (and it's very busy there lol).
Queues were long and boring at times and even more difficult with kids but i still had a wonderful time because there is where i wanted to be .
Second time around it was during week, no special holidays and we made the most of the time there.
Still remember the Annette's Diner meal as one of the best - not food wise but for the atmosphere .
Said that, i know i could stay two weeks in Ibiza for the same price but would not be the same.
You were not in the right mood maybe?
Hope you enjoy more your next holiday

 

[Rachie B]

I do realise that Disney is a company out to make money as their first priority ).

Pretty much the same as any business is ?!

I think you def have to be a child ( or a child at heart ) to *really* appreciate the whole Disney experience

Maybe, it just doesnt appeal to the men folk as much as it does women / children ?

 

[A Small World]

Maybe, it just doesnt appeal to the men folk as much as it does women / children ?

My DH is as Disney mad as me if not worse!!!

 

[lamagique]

I'm sorry that you didn't have a good time. I have gotten the opportunity to go to Disneyland Paris twice (and WDS once) and I enjoyed my time there. In comparison to the other parks that I have been to (WDW and DLR), it obviously was not up to par. But they are new! With time, more attractions will be built and sometimes Disney is just crowded. I was there on Easter and it was very crowded but I still got to do everything that I wanted to do.

 

[dlpSteve]

My DH is as Disney mad as me if not worse!!!

Same goes for me, the first trip was for Denise's birthday but it's become my obsession since July 2002.

I think food prices would seem a tad expensive if you were going for fast food which is why I'm glad I don't like fast food. I'd gladly pay twice as much for the fantastic meals we get in The Blue Lagoon.

It's a shame you didn't enjoy the trip as much as others have. Like you, I am always impressed with the attention to detail.

 

[Rachie B]

My DH is as Disney mad as me if not worse!!!

bless

 

[jillrobinson]

I do realise that Disney is a company out to make money as their first priority but I can honestly say I don't care .

ditto
I must be a gusher too

Scoobysnax
That's the first time I've heard anyone compare DLRP with Blackpool

 

[scoobysnax]

Q> so would / will you be returning ?
Not for 5 or 6 years (jnr #2 expected in July). And I need to rack up more Holiday Inn points for the hotel

Q> When did you visit? Was it over the Easter holidays?
Nope, last week. Tue & Wed AM DLP, Wed PM DLS, Thu DLS then DLP, Friday Paris

Q> Said that, i know i could stay two weeks in Ibiza for the same price but would not be the same.
Funny one that, last summer we had some money burning a hole in my pocket and we considered half-board for a week in Majorca vs 3 days at DLP. We did the "safe" option and went to Majorca and kinda regretted it, but looking back now I wouldn't of enjoyed the August heat AND DLP crowds..

Q> You were not in the right mood maybe?
Nope... I enjoyed the break as a whole especially got to use my limited french and wandered around Paris for a few hours, its just that I just don't like the commercialisation of children per-se. We've actively steered DD away from Bratz or anything similar that pushes kids too far too fast. (Blame the tv). When you see the programme before the toy, then it's a bad idea.

 

[SandraVB79]

Sorry you didn't really enjoy your visit; However, there are a few things tha kind of confuse me.

First of all, I don't think a stroller costs 750 EUR to rent!
Multiple day park hoppers cost less than when you buy a separate ticket for each day.
Salads are available in many restaurants.
Every restaurant serves tea (I know, because I often drink one)
France is not a "warm country". It has warmer regions, but Paris isn't really one of those. This part of Europe is just suffering of a little heat wave; nothing that Disney can do about that, Tinkerbell's pixie dust doesn't work that well
The park-with-castle at Paris is the biggest park-with-castle among all of them.

And once again I really wonder where you all live that you can get better food for a lower price. Here in Brussels, if you want food from the same style/ quality as at Disney, you'll pay the same price, if not even more!!


Well, I guess not everyone can love Disney, that's ok

 

[princess_tigerlily86]

Sorry to hear you didnt enjoy yourself
As much as you clearly had a bad experience, I feel that there hundreds of good trip reports to your one.
Also, unfortunately yes there are queues and it can get crowded, but as a past reply has said, this isnt just disneyland. this is the case for most of the british theme parks, particularly in the summer. fantasyland does get crowded but thats not really disney's fault, theyve just managed to create some very popular rides/lands, which im more than happy about!
I've been twice before in the summer, and altho it does get warm in the park, there are plenty of places to shelter and lots of undercover queuing areas.
Theres only so much that disney can do to aid the crowds, and alot of things, such as the weather, just isnt their fault.

 

[disneyangel]

Q> You were not in the right mood maybe?
Nope... I enjoyed the break as a whole especially got to use my limited french and wandered around Paris for a few hours, its just that I just don't like the commercialisation of children per-se. We've actively steered DD away from Bratz or anything similar that pushes kids too far too fast. (Blame the tv). When you see the programme before the toy, then it's a bad idea.

I agree somewhat with this I have steered my DD away from Barbie and Bratz as I would like her to be a child for as long as possible but I think Disney is far more innocent and child friendly and part of the attraction of going there is knowing who the characters are and thinking you have met the real 'whoever'

 

[scoobysnax]

. fantasyland does get crowded but thats not really disney's fault, theyve just managed to create some very popular rides/lands, which im more than happy about!

I agree that they've created/re-used rides that are popular, but the crowds were noticably larger in FL & DL than the other 2 lands. I put that down to a combination of parc layout and Jo Public's sheep mentality to head straight for the castle and into Dumbo/PP as opposed to looking at the layout and deciding where to go/what to do in advance. The arcade to the left of Main St. was a life saver to get to FL.

I've played Theme Park, Simcity, The Sims etc and you quickly realise the importance of reducing crowds to reduce stress to increase traffic flow to increase €takings€.

 

[jillrobinson]

I've played Jurassic Park, it doesn't make me a paleontologist.

 

[isma]

Sorry you didn`t get what you expected for your money... but I have never been to a park without having to pay too much for food and entrance but I feel I get more for my money at a Disney park.
The problem is that Disneyland is organized in themed areas and the layout of Fantasyland appeals to small children the most so that`s why there are so many crowds... I don`t see how they could have built Pinocchio or It´s a small world in Discovery Land without turning DL into a park like any other.
I think you should wait until your kids are a little older so there are more attractions to go on before you consider going back.
I also think you should be aware that most of us on these boards enjoy Disney as it is because we know tips to avoid and how to deal with the crowds and we are willing to get there early and walk much.
(And I think it was a spelling mistake but 750€ for a stroller would be more than I pay for my apartment in a month )
You could also have a look at the dlpfoodguide before your next trip to plan where and what you want to eat (they have the menues and the prices)

 

[hildasmuriel]

Thanks for the honest review - bravely said, considering how protective many get over all things Disney!
The food is not value for money, but you can sort of guess that will be the case. Every time you visit a theme park, concert, sporting venue etc, the promoters see it as a chance to empty the punters pockets into their fat bank account.
The table service restaurants at DLRP are not what I would call expensive, but they are often only one step up from fast food (like the sort of food you get in a pub chain in the UK, but at three or four times the price). They are not as expensive as a nice restaurant here, but they are nowhere near the quality I would expect in a good restaurant. Frankly the meal I had in Cafe Mickey was 50% inedible and the the bit I could eat was only OK. BUT it wasn't a shock to me AND it was worth it for my daughter's sake. I know though, that if my husband had been with us on that trip he would have been furious.

And once again I really wonder where you all live that you can get better food for a lower price.

Honestly, Sandra we can get the SAME quality food but much cheaper in the UK.


Scoobysnax, perhaps when you go again in 5 or 6 years you will enjoy it more as you will know what to expect and will smile wryly to yourself as you bypass all the kerfuffle in FL and DL. I hope so, anyway.