Disneyland Paris, WDW and DL Trip Report 2013 - Round the World in 2014!!

[Royal Consort]

I've not posted on this forum for a while since getting back from our Disneyland Paris/Walt Disney World/Disneyland trip in Oct. It's always hard when you come back - and to come back and find our house was being sold by the landlord was worse!

However, it was a really wonderful trip! This was our 2nd trip to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and third trip to Disneyland Paris and we were taken by surprise on a number of occasions.

First, the lows: WE HATED MAGIC BANDS. I can't tell you how these things hampered our experience. I wasn't sure I wanted to ride Space Mountain at 3pm on a Tuesday and by 2:30 I was pretty sure I didn't. Yet, you couldn't alter the FP+ for another headline because they were all booked up (on a recommended Party day in Oct). For the week I felt pretty herded by Disney rather than popping a FastPass for something when I felt like it. I'm an uber planner but this was too much. The fact you used it for everything began to bother me too. Almost felt like a guinea pig being manipulated by some all powerful Walt Disney automaton they have installed in the castle suite.

We wanted to experience Food and Wine (no Aussies at the Aussie kiosk ) but FP+ only lets you schedule one ride per hour. Over the next three hours we were running back and forth from World Showcase to Future World. Did my head in. The good news is we met wonderful people who were also crabby about their magic band experience and this made the FP line when Test Track broke down more pleasant.

We have a booking for Walt Disney World next year and we've decided to cancel it. We both feel we have exhausted the parks (still lots of other things to do, I know) and that Magic Band has taken the spontaneity and 'magic' out of the holiday. The funny thing is, I wasn't really one of those people who decried the fall of civilisation when the bands were announced but had a 'wait and see attitude'. I've waited, I've seen it, I hate it. Lots of investment into something customers weren't asking for and never really needed. New attractions (and a new Space Mountain track) would be a better investment considering Islands of Adventure and Universal seem much more exciting with their construction. We had quite a few chats with Disneyland CM's and they were all really suspicious and wary of magic bands, hoping that DL wouldn't adopt it. Several told us to write to Disney to tell them not to implement it in DL at all. I can't see how the bands would do anything but spoil Disneyland.

Flying straight from WDW into Disneyland was a relief. We popped FastPasses, we popped other FastPasses. We got to tour the kingdom as we wanted and it really was wonderful. My favourite thing to do in Disneyland is to sit at the Jolly Holliday cafe with a coffee and my Mickey cookie. We just sat there in the hub and watched the world go by. Peter Pan came running past and Mary met up with Bert from different directions, walking arm in arm towards the Matterhorn. Couldn't help but have a smile on my face. THIS is what a magic kingdom is MEANT to feel like.

Disneyland Paris gets a lot of flak. I. don't. get. it. Doing all three parks almost back-to-back convinced me that Disneyland Paris is the BEST magic kingdom park. The rides are superior (Pirates - better; Space - SUPER AMAZING CAN"T COMPARE BETTER; Big Thunder Mountain - Bigger, taller, faster, more exciting ON AN ISLAND) and the landscaping is stunning! The entire park just looked resplendent. Forget Wishes, World of Colour, etc. Disney Dreams is hands down the best night time spectacular I've seen Disney produce. Simply stunning. We spent five days (spend 2 nights get 2 free offer) and although I thought it was going to be too much, it never was. We watched the parade go by from the window at Walt's on Main St, drank every night in the Fantasia bar (where they have Disney wine with the castle on the bottle!), and had the park to ourselves for two hours during early entry. By the time we got to Magic Kingdom's smaller Big Thunder Mountain we were calling it 'Little Drizzle Hill'. I understand that there are financial issues in DLP but I wonder whether people just 'get on board' with the poor reputation rather than opening themselves up to DLP. People say the rides need maintenance but the worst ride is MK's Space that wants to throw you out at every turn and ensure you slip a disc. Not to mention Pirates finishes as soon as you step into the boat. Either way, WE ARE GOING BACK IN 2014 under the same 2 night free offer. (As an aside, I don't think the elderly CM at Space Mountain in the MK was overly impressed when I said it was interesting they sold new pairs of underwear in the gift shop after you exit the ride).

This leads me to our 2014 trip. We booked our flights yesterday. The original plan was to spend 2 weeks in WDW. We've booked that but we are going to cancel. Instead we are going to spend 4 days in Tokyo Disneyland via Hong Kong Disneyland. Then off to Disneyland Paris and London before flying to New York with a stop over in Disneyland on the way home. We realised last night that with the exception of WDW, we're hitting every Disney resort in one trip!!

Some may say it's crazy (it is), but we've spent a lot of time seeing the cities of Europe and although I love them, I really enjoy a holiday where I don't have to plan to race around on flights/public transport in other languages. It's a challenge and stressful! Of course London and New York will break up the Disney

So let the planning begin! Although I know WDW pretty well I think, I've got no clue on Honkas and Toyko - I think I shall be on their respective boards over the next several months.

 

[zanzibar138]

Wow! Totally jealous of your upcoming trip I wonder if I can fit in your suitcase

We seem to have very similar views on Disney parks. I have never been to WDW, and to be honest, am not that interested. It seems like far too much work, and from what I've seen and heard, the parks seem fairly sterile with nowhere near the charm of Disneyland (although the new Fantasyland seems to be a step up). Now these magic bands are in, I'm not sure I'll ever bother!

We stayed at DLP for 5 nights too, and loved every minute of it. I also don't understand all the complaining I rode Space Mountain about a dozen times and thought Dreams was AMAZING! The park itself is very beautiful, especially dusted in snow

Having said that, DLR is still my favourite. I love how you can feel Walt's presence, just makes it all the more magical There's a charm in the original Disneyland that I haven't found in any other park to date. Can't wait to go back next year

Can't help with TDL, but you can ask any questions you like about HKDL - it can be tricky to find information. I've been twice now (feel free to browse my TRs in my sig), but have yet to visit Mystic Point. I actually find it to be quite a charming park too. Grizzly Gulch is the best themed land I have seen yet, and if Mystic Point is anywhere similar, it would be amazing too. Be sure to catch their parade too. I don't have much to compare it to, but I'd guess that it must be one of Disney's finest

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[Royal Consort]

We seem to have very similar views on Disney parks. I have never been to WDW, and to be honest, am not that interested. It seems like far too much work, and from what I've seen and heard, the parks seem fairly sterile with nowhere near the charm of Disneyland (although the new Fantasyland seems to be a step up). Now these magic bands are in, I'm not sure I'll ever bother!

Don't get me wrong, I quite like Walt Disney World. I don't entirely think it lives up to its promise though. My favourite thing at Walt Disney World is the dining. We make this central to our trips. No other resort can pull off dining like WDW. The parks are fine and we may only stay a morning in Hollywood Studios now (we have the day in Animal Kingdom though). I would say there's some nice components of the Magic Kingdom but what is lacking is any sort of nice landscaping like Paris/Hong Kong/Disneyland seem to possess. Animal Kingdom is stunning though! I would say it's one of the best Disney parks ever built. It needs a ton of new attractions but it's so detailed and beautiful.

The Floridian landscape is really dominant and during our first trip I wasn't sure how to cope with the flatness and swampy green hues. But the resorts are lovely. We tend to bar hop and spend a great deal of time in the resort restaurants really.

As for planning, I spent a good year on it for our first trip. So much so I feel full of useless information about the place. It seemed you really have to dedicate yourself to getting your schedule right. I don't mind that, it was just the added extra of the magic bands that pushed me over. I remember someone surveying us about the Magic Bands but weren't interested in our opinion because we lived in Australia. Right.

I would encourage a trip to Walt Disney World just to see it because it's unlike Disneyland or Disneyland Paris. It's how I imagine Australians travel parts of Asia - warm weather, sitting by the beach or pool relaxing, going out for meals but just with theme parks added during the day too.

 

[zanzibar138]

You make a good point, and I'm sure I will make it there one day, if for nothing else than to see what all the fuss is about And to enjoy the resorts and dining, with a bit of theme park on the side

 

[Aust]

I'm glad you had a great trip, and to hear such good things about DL Paris. I'm starting to really look forward to going there now, and happy we added it to the trip because it almost got the flick! We only have a day and a half there unfortunately. Do you have any advice for which order to do rides in during early entry?

Also your comparisons of DL and WDW are really interesting, we are considering a trip to WDW in a couple of years but mainly only due to one of my kids being a mad Harry Potter fan and wanting to go to Universal. We love Disneyland so much I've been afraid of being disappointed in WDW.

 

[Royal Consort]

I'm starting to really look forward to going there now, and happy we added it to the trip because it almost got the flick! We only have a day and a half there unfortunately. Do you have any advice for which order to do rides in during early entry?

You were going to do WHAT?! I can't imagine why anyone would want to miss Disneyland Paris! That's madness. Where are you staying?

Early entry has several rides in Fantasyland and Discoveryland open only.
Often times it's:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Peter Pan's Flight
Mad Hatter's Tea Cups
Le Carrousel de Lancelot
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
Space Mountain

Generally we'll head to Peter Pan, ride Dumbo on the way over to Space Mountain which we ride several times before Buzz. Since we've only been in low season I take a good half hour or so before I hit Peter Pan to take photos of an empty park. I make sure I'm there about 20 mins before early entry so I'm first at the turnstile to take shots of an empty main st and hub when I get in.

Also your comparisons of DL and WDW are really interesting, we are considering a trip to WDW in a couple of years but mainly only due to one of my kids being a mad Harry Potter fan and wanting to go to Universal. We love Disneyland so much I've been afraid of being disappointed in WDW.

I get excited at the idea of discovering new magic kingdom parks and love they're so different!

I find it hard to compare Disneyland and Walt Disney World as entire resorts. Though the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland are the same hub and spoke design, they don't look nor feel like each other. Magic Kingdom is on a much much larger scale than Disneyland (which can be impressive as Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland is a disappointment). There are things though that you cannot get at Disneyland such as Animal Kingdom and the wonderful themed hotels. The themed restaurants are on a very different scale too. You have to go to WDW being fully aware that you're going to spend a lot of time outside of the parks too. This is also Disney time.

If you're comparing rides then I would suggest, on average, the Disneyland versions are longer and better than Walt Disney World's which have a quick turnover. One thing I really enjoy about the Magic Kingdom is that the lands don't run into each other. There's hardly any room for the lands in Disneyland and Frontierland is more like a walkway in DL than a land. Each MK land is very distinct and very separate. You certainly don't bang your head against the Fantasyland back wall as soon as you come through the castle. The layout of the MK is very different to Disneyland too. The theme of the park may feel familiar but the location of rides and lands alters substantially. I'm one of the few who doesn't care for Epcot so I generally don't talk about it - unless you're there for Food and Wine.

You may find you miss or prefer Disneyland but I dare anyone to see Cinderella Castle or Sleeping Beauty Castle in Paris and take Disneyland's one seriously. I do like a big castle. So far I like the Magic Kingdom the least and Disneyland a second to Paris's magic kingdom. In saying that there are things I'd take from each of them to create a 'perfect' park.

 

[Aust]

We only have 2 weeks in Europe,, and I'd read some bad reviews of DLP, but I'm travelling with my brother and my sister-in-law who have never been to any Disney park and sister-in-law especially really wants to go. Now I'm really excited to be going, especially since it's probably another 2 or more years until we can get back to DL. We're staying at Sequioa Lodge. I've already warned the others to expect a full on day and a half and a precise plan to be followed so we can make the most of the time.

 

[zanzibar138]

We only have 2 weeks in Europe,, and I'd read some bad reviews of DLP, but I'm travelling with my brother and my sister-in-law who have never been to any Disney park and sister-in-law especially really wants to go. Now I'm really excited to be going, especially since it's probably another 2 or more years until we can get back to DL. We're staying at Sequioa Lodge. I've already warned the others to expect a full on day and a half and a precise plan to be followed so we can make the most of the time.

We had 2 weeks in Europe, and spent 5 nights at DLP! Didn't regret a single second of it

Would have loved to stay at Sequoia - it looks beautiful!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Which hotel did you stay at? I was going to stay offsite but the 2 night free offer has me rethinking I'm still unsure if we are going to Paris this trip or if we should wait till 2015.

 

[Royal Consort]

I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. Just gorgeous. The last time I went we stayed at the Cheyenne which I really like too. I generally find prices comparable with the 2 night free offer with other surrounding hotels at places like Cheyenne.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. Just gorgeous. The last time I went we stayed at the Cheyenne which I really like too. I generally find prices comparable with the 2 night free offer with other surrounding hotels at places like Cheyenne.

that's what I am thinking and as I will be on my own with the kids for this part I think I'd rather be onsite I would love to stay at the Disneyland hotel but there is a £800 difference between that and Cheyenne and the Santa FE.

 

[zanzibar138]

Just to give you a comparison to other options in the area, we stayed off site in Val d'Europe at Hotel l'Elysee. The hotel room was lovely modern and spacious, and we had a large variety of very decently priced dining options in the area. It was a nice area and we felt very comfortable walking around late at night. There was a quick and easy free shuttle bus, or the train station directly across the road only one station away from DLP. We paid around AUD $500 for 3 adults for 5 nights, and got APs for DLP at a good price, which also gave us dining and merchandise discounts at the parks. FWIW, Hotel l'Elysee is an official good neighbour hotel.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Just to give you a comparison to other options in the area, we stayed off site in Val d'Europe at Hotel l'Elysee. The hotel room was lovely modern and spacious, and we had a large variety of very decently priced dining options in the area. It was a nice area and we felt very comfortable walking around late at night. There was a quick and easy free shuttle bus, or the train station directly across the road only one station away from DLP. We paid around AUD $500 for 3 adults for 5 nights, and got APs for DLP at a good price, which also gave us dining and merchandise discounts at the parks. FWIW, Hotel l'Elysee is an official good neighbour hotel.

Thanks for that I was going to stay offsite but with the pay for 2 get 2 free offer onsite is coming up cheaper than the Hotel l'elysee as a package and I have priced the APs separately not the hotel though will do that now did you book direct?

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for that I was going to stay offsite but with the pay for 2 get 2 free offer onsite is coming up cheaper than the Hotel l'elysee as a package and I have priced the APs separately not the hotel though will do that now did you book direct?

Oh, nice work

I'm not quite sure whether you're asking about booking the hotel or the tickets, so I'll just do both

I booked the hotel through Expedia. I think there was some sort of special on at the time now I think of it.

I bought our APs through Promoparcs - a French discount site. You have to pay to join and it was a bit of work to buy them, but it was a good discount (worked out quite a bit cheaper than going direct even with the fee to join) and worked out well in the end.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Oh, nice work

I'm not quite sure whether you're asking about booking the hotel or the tickets, so I'll just do both

I booked the hotel through Expedia. I think there was some sort of special on at the time now I think of it.

I bought our APs through Promoparcs - a French discount site. You have to pay to join and it was a bit of work to buy them, but it was a good discount (worked out quite a bit cheaper than going direct even with the fee to join) and worked out well in the end.

Thanks I was just asking about the hotel, I should of been clearer off to price the hotel on expedia

I've checked the Disney package is still the best price thanks for your help