This may have got lost at the end of a previous thread, so I've decided to resurrect it and give it its own thread for now after our recent up-date trip.
As Susan indicated, we have just returned from an extensive trip around DLP (and the environs) and I wanted to post a few quick thoughts here before getting down to the real work of the re-write (which will certainly incorporate some of the ideas put forward on the Brit's Guide 2006 thread).
The Eurostar journey over from Ashford was again extremely quick and efficient, by far the best method of travel if you live within striking distance of London or Ashford. The convenience is simply unbeatable.
We did a quick tour of the Val de France hotels one afternoon, and stayed at the Holiday Inn, and, to our eyes, these are looking better value all the time. They are quieter (with the exception of the Explorers between 5 and 8, when it is at its busiest), well served by the bus system (with a few exceptions - see below) and their food and vfm seem distinctly above the Disney hotels right now (which is not to say the Disney hotels are bad, but they do charge slightly over the odds, we think, and the huge queues for breakfast even at hotels like Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay, are distinctly off-putting).
The big discovery of this trip was the Movenpick Dream castle, which is a really lovely hotel and has some great extras. It is one of the most family-friendly (especially the rooms), and the food we tried one evening (their set-price Italian buffet) was outstanding. Drinks prices were also roughly half of those in Disney Village.
The only drawback to this hotel seems to be its last place on the bus system, where the Explorers gets picked up first, then the Kyriad, then the Dream Castle. One morning at 8.45, we had to wait for a second bus at the Holiday Inn as the first one was absolutely full, which means the Dream Castle would have been worse off still.
In the parks, apart from the fact the loos STILL need better and more regular cleaning, we were impressed by the general state of things in the Disneyland Park. It was Susan's first visit and, as an American park aficionado, she had no hesitation in making this her favourite Disney park of them all. No small distinction. In fact, we needed 3 separate visits (1 evening, 1 9am-5pm visit and a second evening) to feel we had really covered it properly. Indiana Jones is now running forwards again (as most people know), and this seems to be a more comfortable ride, if lacking the suspense of the backwards loop, which I really enjoyed. The Lion Kind show is very well staged, if lacking a little of the depth of the Festival at Animal Kingdom. We also thought the ticket system was extremely badly planned and publicised; make sure you know about this in advance, as there were queues just to pick up the (free) tickets for shows much later in the day. Disney surely should be able to do better than this.
The park's version of Wishes is truly enchanting (as well as being quite different to Orlandos). It is more small scale, less 'explosive' (you can hear the Magic Kingdom several miles away, as we well know, while this one can hardly be heard in Disney Village) but thoroughly choreographed and very captivating. Don't miss it. We had to watch Fantillusion twice to see all the different parade elements at work - it seems they don't stop as often as they used to, so it's possible to miss out on one of the sections showing off its special effects.
In the WDS, there is still much to be done here, even allowing for all the planned new development. We were in at 10am and had done everything (with the exception of the flying carpets) by 3.30. The Good Morning parade is a little bemusing and the Cruella DeVil show is simply dire. Whoever gave this the green light should be shot! A terrible idea, confusingly presented and badly acted (a rare thing for Disney), with very few people staying for the whole show (we managed it through gritted teeth!). The Lilo & Stitch show is great for kids, though, and well worthwhile. The brilliant Cinemagique remains one of my top Disney attractions of all time, and Rock n Roller was a near walk-on for much of the day (quite indicative of the low crowds - it only really seemed to get very busy from mid-day to about 2pm). The park's essential 'energy' seems way down on when it first opened, though, and the new attractions can't come soon enough. The complete lack of anything to do or see in the queuing areas for Cinemagique, Animagique and Armageddon remains a major minus point, while, even in early August, only 2 of the four main food outlets were open (we went out to eat in Disney Village).
The new Panaramagique ride in the Village is a 'must-do' if the weather is good. On a clear day you can see the Eiffel Tower, and the views over the immediate areas are stunning and quite intriguing (so much space still to use!). The IMAX cinema is superb, and they will have English audio available soon for all presentations.
We also did the Cityrama tour of Paris, which remains great for first-timers to the city, visited the SeaLife Center (again, excellent with younger children for a couple of hours) and the shopping areas (essential research!) and found Bert's Cafe in La Vallee a great place for breakfast or lunch.
I think that just about covers things for now, but, if anything else occurs to me, I will post again (perhaps, if time permits!!).
All the best,
Simon
As Susan indicated, we have just returned from an extensive trip around DLP (and the environs) and I wanted to post a few quick thoughts here before getting down to the real work of the re-write (which will certainly incorporate some of the ideas put forward on the Brit's Guide 2006 thread).
The Eurostar journey over from Ashford was again extremely quick and efficient, by far the best method of travel if you live within striking distance of London or Ashford. The convenience is simply unbeatable.
We did a quick tour of the Val de France hotels one afternoon, and stayed at the Holiday Inn, and, to our eyes, these are looking better value all the time. They are quieter (with the exception of the Explorers between 5 and 8, when it is at its busiest), well served by the bus system (with a few exceptions - see below) and their food and vfm seem distinctly above the Disney hotels right now (which is not to say the Disney hotels are bad, but they do charge slightly over the odds, we think, and the huge queues for breakfast even at hotels like Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay, are distinctly off-putting).
The big discovery of this trip was the Movenpick Dream castle, which is a really lovely hotel and has some great extras. It is one of the most family-friendly (especially the rooms), and the food we tried one evening (their set-price Italian buffet) was outstanding. Drinks prices were also roughly half of those in Disney Village.
The only drawback to this hotel seems to be its last place on the bus system, where the Explorers gets picked up first, then the Kyriad, then the Dream Castle. One morning at 8.45, we had to wait for a second bus at the Holiday Inn as the first one was absolutely full, which means the Dream Castle would have been worse off still.
In the parks, apart from the fact the loos STILL need better and more regular cleaning, we were impressed by the general state of things in the Disneyland Park. It was Susan's first visit and, as an American park aficionado, she had no hesitation in making this her favourite Disney park of them all. No small distinction. In fact, we needed 3 separate visits (1 evening, 1 9am-5pm visit and a second evening) to feel we had really covered it properly. Indiana Jones is now running forwards again (as most people know), and this seems to be a more comfortable ride, if lacking the suspense of the backwards loop, which I really enjoyed. The Lion Kind show is very well staged, if lacking a little of the depth of the Festival at Animal Kingdom. We also thought the ticket system was extremely badly planned and publicised; make sure you know about this in advance, as there were queues just to pick up the (free) tickets for shows much later in the day. Disney surely should be able to do better than this.
The park's version of Wishes is truly enchanting (as well as being quite different to Orlandos). It is more small scale, less 'explosive' (you can hear the Magic Kingdom several miles away, as we well know, while this one can hardly be heard in Disney Village) but thoroughly choreographed and very captivating. Don't miss it. We had to watch Fantillusion twice to see all the different parade elements at work - it seems they don't stop as often as they used to, so it's possible to miss out on one of the sections showing off its special effects.
In the WDS, there is still much to be done here, even allowing for all the planned new development. We were in at 10am and had done everything (with the exception of the flying carpets) by 3.30. The Good Morning parade is a little bemusing and the Cruella DeVil show is simply dire. Whoever gave this the green light should be shot! A terrible idea, confusingly presented and badly acted (a rare thing for Disney), with very few people staying for the whole show (we managed it through gritted teeth!). The Lilo & Stitch show is great for kids, though, and well worthwhile. The brilliant Cinemagique remains one of my top Disney attractions of all time, and Rock n Roller was a near walk-on for much of the day (quite indicative of the low crowds - it only really seemed to get very busy from mid-day to about 2pm). The park's essential 'energy' seems way down on when it first opened, though, and the new attractions can't come soon enough. The complete lack of anything to do or see in the queuing areas for Cinemagique, Animagique and Armageddon remains a major minus point, while, even in early August, only 2 of the four main food outlets were open (we went out to eat in Disney Village).
The new Panaramagique ride in the Village is a 'must-do' if the weather is good. On a clear day you can see the Eiffel Tower, and the views over the immediate areas are stunning and quite intriguing (so much space still to use!). The IMAX cinema is superb, and they will have English audio available soon for all presentations.
We also did the Cityrama tour of Paris, which remains great for first-timers to the city, visited the SeaLife Center (again, excellent with younger children for a couple of hours) and the shopping areas (essential research!) and found Bert's Cafe in La Vallee a great place for breakfast or lunch.
I think that just about covers things for now, but, if anything else occurs to me, I will post again (perhaps, if time permits!!).
All the best,
Simon
