Is DLP Paris worth it for an American?

[chelynnah]

They look like this! pic credit: ED92

Ooh, I love it! May have to get one for DH even though his birthday isn't until after we leave. But going is his bday present

 

[pa. dad]

Ooh, I love it! May have to get one for DH even though his birthday isn't until after we leave. But going is his bday present

We have a button from disneyland california with very similar design to the one on the right- its in english of course. I haven't seen one on the left here in the US though.

 

[JolandaK]

We have a button from disneyland california with very similar design to the one on the right- its in english of course. I haven't seen one on the left here in the US though.

The one on the left is similar to the one I got in WDW a couple of years ago, so yes the designs aren't new but I am excited they are finally available in DLP

 

[bookgirl]

Just returned about 2 weeks ago. Weather at DLP was beautiful. Lot's of closures and unknown to me it was Marathon Weekend so crowded and FPs ran out by lunch. I was also underwhelmed with the souvenir selection. I did not get a 'button' for my birthday, but did get the sticker.

But I got a special 2 parks for the price of 1 ticket and just bounced back and forth. I rode some rides that they have there but not in the US (RC Racers, Crush Coaster, Ratatouille), and some favorites like Phantom Manor (best Haunted Mansion of the 3 I've been in), Pirates, Buzz, Railroad etc and basically just wandered around ate some lunch, shopped in Disney Village. I did see wondering characters and I watched the Parade from the Main Street Station while waiting for the train.

Totally glad I went, and though I didn't ride much it was fantastic and a nice little Disney interlude on my European vacation. Very much worth it for this American.

 

[chelynnah]

Just returned about 2 weeks ago. Weather at DLP was beautiful. Lot's of closures and unknown to me it was Marathon Weekend so crowded and FPs ran out by lunch. I was also underwhelmed with the souvenir selection. I did not get a 'button' for my birthday, but did get the sticker.

But I got a special 2 parks for the price of 1 ticket and just bounced back and forth. I rode some rides that they have there but not in the US (RC Racers, Crush Coaster, Ratatouille), and some favorites like Phantom Manor (best Haunted Mansion of the 3 I've been in), Pirates, Buzz, Railroad etc and basically just wandered around ate some lunch, shopped in Disney Village. I did see wondering characters and I watched the Parade from the Main Street Station while waiting for the train.

Totally glad I went, and though I didn't ride much it was fantastic and a nice little Disney interlude on my European vacation. Very much worth it for this American.

Such a shame you went on the weekend. The weekends are always busy, and that one even moreso. We were there for the run (well DH was) and the week days surrounding the event were really quite quiet. Surprisingly so.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it though. WDW is still my fave, but I have a soft spot for DLP.

 

[bookgirl]

Such a shame you went on the weekend. The weekends are always busy, and that one even moreso. We were there for the run (well DH was) and the week days surrounding the event were really quite quiet. Surprisingly so.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it though. WDW is still my fave, but I have a soft spot for DLP.

yeah I knew it would be busy since it was a Saturday but somehow completely missed the Marathon. But I had the London part of my trip (including my airfare) set before I decided to add Paris and DLP so Saturday was kind of it. But it's all cool. The ticket was inexpensive, the Eurostar was an experience, and I saw the only two things I really wanted in Paris proper, The Eiffel Tower and The Louvre. So it's all good and I'm glad I did it and I consider it money well spent. However I'm bummed about the birthday button. This whole trip was my 50th Birthday present to myself and I really wanted the button....but ce la vie!

 

[minnie56]

We were also in DLP on marathon weekend as DD was participating as she does all Disney runs.
First time to DLP and we were rather underwhelmed. Just our opinion.
My daughters friend is a CM so kindly gave us a 2 day parkhoppers for all of us so that was a huge plus.
Weather was lovely as has been said and I'm happy to have seen it but won't go back ...

 

[jeanigor]

We also were at DLRP for the runDisney races. There were five of us in our traveling party, three DLRP veterans and two newbies. The races are what instigated our trip and set the dates, but we included four days in Barcelona and eight days in Paris as well.
As someone who has been visiting WDW for over 30 years (that makes me feel really old to write that) and has had the Premier Annual Pass (WDW + DL) multiple years, I enjoyed DLRP.
It is true that you cannot and should not expect WDW to be shrunken down and transported to the outskirts of Paris. DLRP reminded me of the WDW I grew up with in the late 80's and 90's, when Disney didn't seem to be so concerned with maximizing profits. It was nice to not feel the need to plan every minutia of my day with an app or worry about a touring plan to avoid crowds (holy cow, the difference between Thursday and Saturday--night and day!!)
•Disneyland Paris is under a massive amount of construction. I knew it would be. (I wasn't quite expecting it at the level that it was, but that is my own fault.) Even with the construction walls, I felt it more visually appealing than the Magic Kingdom at WDW. Some of the attractions are similar (Storybookland, Casey Jr. Train, Pirates, Small World, Snow White). And some were carbon copies, (Buzz Lightyear, Tea Cups, Carousel), but that is the nature of those attractions. The park isn't laid out as systematically as WDW, but meanders and winds. It makes great use of wide open and more natural spaces. I liked the fore thought/European-ness of the arcades behind Main Street. I also like the style of Discoveryland. To me it is more cohesive with the rest of the park and lends itself to a wider array of ride themes and characters. (Would like for something similar happen in WDW, Tomorrowland is an eye sore.) Dreams--blew Wishes and World of Color out of the water.
•Walt Disney Studios is like what MGM Studios was like when it first opened. It is small. It does have limited attractions. I wouldn't make a trip to go only to WDS. I wouldn't avoid it either. I liked the new Mickey and the Magician (even though the blending of languages was a bit weird in the beginning) and Cinemagique. Because the lines were so light, we were able to do the more standard "off the shelf" rides (Slinky Dog, RC Racers, Parachute Drop, Cars Quatre Roues Rallye) that would have unmanageable lines in the States. To me, Tower of Terror was identical to the version in California Adventure and the Backlot Tour was well just as exciting as the version that closed in Hollywood Studios.
•Disney Village I wasn't over or underwhelmed by it. It just kind of was. Probably the part about DLRP that was the most forgettable.
•Disney Resorts One of the DLRP veterans gave us a walking tour of the six Disney hotel properties. They seemed nice and mostly well themed on the exterior at least. That being said, I am not sure I could justify the prices that were being quoted for lodging. There was definite comparison to each of the hotels to ones found at WDW.
•The Food This is something that I was disappointed in. Not necessarily the quality, but the variety (or lack thereof). It seemed as though every eatery focused on hamburgers. There is so much good cuisine in the world, why oh why just focus on hamburgers? Of our four days, we mostly stuck to a counter service style lunch and a table service dinner. The food quality was on par with theme park food here in the States--overpriced and nothing that left a "I need to eat that again!!" taste in your mouth.
•The Cast Members Every single cast member we encountered was at the very least, polite. I'm not sure if they were being sure to be 'extra magical' because of the influx of foreign guests during the races, or if my vacation was an anomaly. I had some lovely conversations with CM's/fellow Disney enthusiasts, discussing other Disney resorts, events and characters. A few of which are now friends/followers on social media.
•The Guests I am ashamed to say that the only rude people in DLRP (and the other parts of France and Spain which I visited) that I encountered shared the same passport as myself. Smoking didn't seem that much of an issue to me. There were more people smoking outside of the designated areas than in the US Disney parks, but not any more than in any Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch Gardens park. And there were even some instances where Cast Members asked the Guest to only smoke in the smoking area.

I purchased a Dream Annual Pass because it made the most financial sense for our trip. I am glad I did, as now I have planned a return trip in May near Memorial Day. Partially to revisit what I have experienced and partially to see all the new (to me) things which are under refurbishment. And whatever else may be in store for the 25th anniversary!!

My Ranking of the Disney parks I have visited (8 total)
1) Epcot 2) California Adventure 3) Disneyland 4) Disneyland Paris 5) Disney's Animal Kingdom 6) Magic Kingdom 7) Walt Disney Studios 8) Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

[bookgirl]

I noticed the smokers as well and had at least 2 places where CMs had to tell people to put out their cigarettes while waiting in line.

I'm a former smoker so it usually doesn't bother me, but it was something about watching parents pushing their kids in strollers or carrying them in slings while smoking that just made me cringe. Luckily there weren't many it was mostly just kids walking with them while they smoked or sitting at the same small tables, but the up close and personal ones were a little much for me. The many people walking around or leaning or sitting in open areas without kids right next to them, I can ignore.

 

[chelynnah]

We also were at DLRP for the runDisney races. There were four of us in our traveling party, two DLRP veterans and two newbies. The races are what instigated our trip and set the dates, but we included four days in Barcelona and eight days in Paris as well.
As someone who has been visiting WDW for over 30 years (that makes me feel really old to write that) and has had the Premier Annual Pass (WDW + DL) multiple years, I enjoyed DLRP.
It is true that you cannot and should not expect WDW to be shrunken down and transported to the outskirts of Paris. DLRP reminded me of the WDW I grew up with in the late 80's and 90's, when Disney didn't seem to be so concerned with maximizing profits. It was nice to not feel the need to plan every minutia of my day with an app or worry about a touring plan to avoid crowds (holy cow, the difference between Thursday and Saturday--night and day!!)
•Disneyland Paris is under a massive amount of construction. I knew it would be. (I wasn't quite expecting it at the level that it was, but that is my own fault.) Even with the construction walls, I felt it more visually appealing than the Magic Kingdom at WDW. Some of the attractions are similar (Storybookland, Casey Jr. Train, Pirates, Small World, Snow White). And some were carbon copies, (Buzz Lightyear, Tea Cups, Carousel), but that is the nature of those attractions. The park isn't laid out as systematically as WDW, but meanders and winds. It makes great use of wide open and more natural spaces. I liked the fore thought/European-ness of the arcades behind Main Street. I also like the style of Discoveryland. To me it is more cohesive with the rest of the park and lends itself to a wider array of ride themes and characters. (Would like for something similar happen in WDW, Tomorrowland is an eye sore.) Dreams--blew Wishes and World of Color out of the water.
•Walt Disney Studios is like what MGM Studios was like when it first opened. It is small. It does have limited attractions. I wouldn't make a trip to go only to WDS. I wouldn't avoid it either. I liked the new Mickey and the Magician (even though the blending of languages was a bit weird in the beginning) and Cinemagique. Because the lines were so light, we were able to do the more standard "off the shelf" rides (Slinky Dog, RC Racers, Parachute Drop, Cars Quatre Roues Rallye) that would have unmanageable lines in the States. To me, Tower of Terror was identical to the version in California Adventure and the Backlot Tour was well just as exciting as the version that closed in Hollywood Studios.
•Disney Village I wasn't over or underwhelmed by it. It just kind of was. Probably the part about DLRP that was the most forgettable.
•Disney Resorts One of the DLRP veterans gave us a walking tour of the six Disney hotel properties. They seemed nice and mostly well themed on the exterior at least. That being said, I am not sure I could justify the prices that were being quoted for lodging. There was definite comparison to each of the hotels to ones found at WDW.
•The Food This is something that I was disappointed in. Not necessarily the quality, but the variety (or lack thereof). It seemed as though every eatery focused on hamburgers. There is so much good cuisine in the world, why oh why just focus on hamburgers? Of our four days, we mostly stuck to a counter service style lunch and a table service dinner. The food quality was on par with theme park food here in the States--overpriced and nothing that left a "I need to eat that again!!" taste in your mouth.
•The Cast Members Every single cast member we encountered was at the very least, polite. I'm not sure if they were being sure to be 'extra magical' because of the influx of foreign guests during the races, or if my vacation was an anomaly. I had some lovely conversations with CM's/fellow Disney enthusiasts, discussing other Disney resorts, events and characters. A few of which are now friends/followers on social media.
•The Guests I am ashamed to say that the only rude people in DLRP (and the other parts of France and Spain which I visited) that I encountered shared the same passport as myself. Smoking didn't seem that much of an issue to me. There were more people smoking outside of the designated areas than in the US Disney parks, but not any more than in any Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch Gardens park. And there were even some instances where Cast Members asked the Guest to only smoke in the smoking area.

I purchased a Dream Annual Pass because it made the most financial sense for our trip. I am glad I did, as now I have planned a return trip in May near Memorial Day. Partially to revisit what I have experienced and partially to see all the new (to me) things which are under refurbishment. And whatever else may be in store for the 25th anniversary!!

My Ranking of the Disney parks I have visited (8 total)
1) Epcot 2) California Adventure 3) Disneyland 4) Disneyland Paris 5) Disney's Animal Kingdom 6) Magic Kingdom 7) Walt Disney Studios 8) Disney's Hollywood Studios

What a fab review. It really sums up how I feel about it. I live in the U.K. now, but grew up in Canada and visited WDW off and on from childhood till I left at age 28. I still love WDW, and we still go as much as we can, but I do also love DLP and I feel it gets such a bad rap from people expecting too much. I completely agree with you about Discoveryland. I really wish that would be picked up in America. The theming is incredible. This was my first time seeing both Dreams and Mickey and the Magician (that show is new this year). Having been at WDW last November, I really felt they were comparable, if not better than some of the shows in WDW.

The CM's - we have now been to DLP in 2003, 2008 and the half-marathon weekend last month and I have never once encountered a cast member who was anything other than friendly, helpful, and typical of what I would expect from Disney. I am always surprised and disappointed when I read negative reviews of Disney staff. So in my experience, it wasn't just put on for the extra foreign attendance.

Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Your post made me happy °o°

 

[DLPDreams]

We also were at DLRP for the runDisney races. There were four of us in our traveling party, two DLRP veterans and two newbies. The races are what instigated our trip and set the dates, but we included four days in Barcelona and eight days in Paris as well.
As someone who has been visiting WDW for over 30 years (that makes me feel really old to write that) and has had the Premier Annual Pass (WDW + DL) multiple years, I enjoyed DLRP.
It is true that you cannot and should not expect WDW to be shrunken down and transported to the outskirts of Paris. DLRP reminded me of the WDW I grew up with in the late 80's and 90's, when Disney didn't seem to be so concerned with maximizing profits. It was nice to not feel the need to plan every minutia of my day with an app or worry about a touring plan to avoid crowds (holy cow, the difference between Thursday and Saturday--night and day!!)
•Disneyland Paris is under a massive amount of construction. I knew it would be. (I wasn't quite expecting it at the level that it was, but that is my own fault.) Even with the construction walls, I felt it more visually appealing than the Magic Kingdom at WDW. Some of the attractions are similar (Storybookland, Casey Jr. Train, Pirates, Small World, Snow White). And some were carbon copies, (Buzz Lightyear, Tea Cups, Carousel), but that is the nature of those attractions. The park isn't laid out as systematically as WDW, but meanders and winds. It makes great use of wide open and more natural spaces. I liked the fore thought/European-ness of the arcades behind Main Street. I also like the style of Discoveryland. To me it is more cohesive with the rest of the park and lends itself to a wider array of ride themes and characters. (Would like for something similar happen in WDW, Tomorrowland is an eye sore.) Dreams--blew Wishes and World of Color out of the water.
•Walt Disney Studios is like what MGM Studios was like when it first opened. It is small. It does have limited attractions. I wouldn't make a trip to go only to WDS. I wouldn't avoid it either. I liked the new Mickey and the Magician (even though the blending of languages was a bit weird in the beginning) and Cinemagique. Because the lines were so light, we were able to do the more standard "off the shelf" rides (Slinky Dog, RC Racers, Parachute Drop, Cars Quatre Roues Rallye) that would have unmanageable lines in the States. To me, Tower of Terror was identical to the version in California Adventure and the Backlot Tour was well just as exciting as the version that closed in Hollywood Studios.
•Disney Village I wasn't over or underwhelmed by it. It just kind of was. Probably the part about DLRP that was the most forgettable.
•Disney Resorts One of the DLRP veterans gave us a walking tour of the six Disney hotel properties. They seemed nice and mostly well themed on the exterior at least. That being said, I am not sure I could justify the prices that were being quoted for lodging. There was definite comparison to each of the hotels to ones found at WDW.
•The Food This is something that I was disappointed in. Not necessarily the quality, but the variety (or lack thereof). It seemed as though every eatery focused on hamburgers. There is so much good cuisine in the world, why oh why just focus on hamburgers? Of our four days, we mostly stuck to a counter service style lunch and a table service dinner. The food quality was on par with theme park food here in the States--overpriced and nothing that left a "I need to eat that again!!" taste in your mouth.
•The Cast Members Every single cast member we encountered was at the very least, polite. I'm not sure if they were being sure to be 'extra magical' because of the influx of foreign guests during the races, or if my vacation was an anomaly. I had some lovely conversations with CM's/fellow Disney enthusiasts, discussing other Disney resorts, events and characters. A few of which are now friends/followers on social media.
•The Guests I am ashamed to say that the only rude people in DLRP (and the other parts of France and Spain which I visited) that I encountered shared the same passport as myself. Smoking didn't seem that much of an issue to me. There were more people smoking outside of the designated areas than in the US Disney parks, but not any more than in any Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch Gardens park. And there were even some instances where Cast Members asked the Guest to only smoke in the smoking area.

I purchased a Dream Annual Pass because it made the most financial sense for our trip. I am glad I did, as now I have planned a return trip in May near Memorial Day. Partially to revisit what I have experienced and partially to see all the new (to me) things which are under refurbishment. And whatever else may be in store for the 25th anniversary!!

My Ranking of the Disney parks I have visited (8 total)
1) Epcot 2) California Adventure 3) Disneyland 4) Disneyland Paris 5) Disney's Animal Kingdom 6) Magic Kingdom 7) Walt Disney Studios 8) Disney's
Hollywood Studios

I have to say, what a superb post and review. I am from the UK, so have visited DLRP a good few times, and I have been to WDW and just based on those two parks, I agree with what you say. I am sure you will have an amazing time in DLRP when you revisit when all is open and working! It is a stunningly beautiful Magic Kingdom....