Disneyland Paris Trip Report
We did a three-night stay at DLP before our trip to Tanzania. This trip was a DVC point exchange for both DLP and Tanzania.
Lodging - Disneyland Hotel - This location is very convenient as it is located at the entrance to the park. Stay included breakfast and park admission. This would compare to a WDW deluxe hotel. Décor was a fantasyland theme. Peter Pan in the doors to the TV cabinet, Snow White and Dwarfs carved into the bathroom mirror trim, a Castle inlayed on the headboard, and various Disney characters in the bedroom trim. Rom appointed with king bed, table and two chairs and a nice couch. The selling point here is Location, Location, and Location. A 50-yard walk to the park entrance was very convenient.
The Park, after MSUSA we will explore in a counter clockwise flow.
Mainstreet USA- The forced prospective was not as apparent to me as it is at WDW. The plaza seems very open and larger. All the shops connect so as to keep guests out of the weather. There is a walkway, behind the shops, that runs the full length on both sides of MSUSA. These walkways have entrances to the shops as well as interesting displays. A very good one dedicated the Statue of Liberty. I expected the shops to carry more DLP specific merchandise.
Frontier Land- This is where you will find Phantom Manor the DLP version of the HM. There is a western US theme. The story line, my interpretation, is a bride grieving for a lost husband to be who has met his demise as the result of the Phantom. Pretty much the same traffic flow as WDW and DL. Notable differences are the western theme in the grave yard and at the end there are no hitchhiking ghosts just a skull that appears above you doom buggy.
Mark Twain - Pretty much the same, longer ride on the Rivers of America around an island that contains BTMRR.
BTMRR is bigger and better than WDW and DL. You board you train on the shore of the River and are taken via a tunnel to the island where the ride continues. Earthquake section is replaced with a TNT room that explodes.
Adventure Land - main entrance is an Agrabah theme from Aladdin styling.
Discovery Island is a lush version of Tom Sawyer Island. Manny passages, a Pirate Ship, caves and lookout points abound. This is a fun place to explore. This is where you will find the Swiss Family Tree House.
Col. Hathy's Pizza is pretty good. The interior is like the Jungle Cruise que.
Indiana Jones Temple of Peril roller coaster is interesting in that you ride this coaster backwards. Themed around the archeological dig of a temple the anticipation of a reverse loop is pretty good. Doing the backwards loop is interesting and different. This is a rough ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Here the same type of ride vehicle is used and starts you through the Blue Bayou Restaurant (which has Caribbean theme) and then you enter the fortress that pirates are assaulting. Here you see the jail scene. Then you slide to the harbor battle scene and enter the village. Dialogue is in French. They have a pirate chasing a girl and a girl chasing a pirate, and a sward fight scene. Then you drop to Davey Jones locker to see the cursed treasure in caves like WDW and DL. Good story line and flow that works very well. This is heads above WDW and DL and my favorite of the three I have experienced.
Fantasy Land -
Peter Pan - Dialogue is in French, big difference is the ride vehicles have two rows.
Snow White and Pinocchio are about the same. Dialogue is in French. Both have a fresher look, due to their being newer.
Story Book Land was closed.
Dining at Toad Hall was my favorite, great soup that was perfect fro the cold wet days.
No water at the base of Dumbo and the carousel is similar to WDW and DL.
Alice has a fun labyrinth and Belle has a series of Christmas shops in individual kiosks.
Tea Cups are the same.
The Castle is pink, this is not a birthday pink and it works well. There is a great walk through with the Sleeping Beauty story with great stained glass windows. The dungeon has a sleeping dragon that awakens every so often to snort and growl.
Discovery Land - AKA Tomorrow Land)
Star Tours same but in French.
Le Visionarium - Here 9 eye takes you on pretty much the same journey WDW timekeeper with some added scenes. There are headphones to translate.
Space Mt. Journey to the Moon. Jules Vern themed. You are loaded into the breach of a gun barrel and shot to the moon. Good soundtrack The ride seem close to R&R with plenty of twists and turns. We rode three times strait due to no lines.
Autopia and Nautilus and HISTA both closed.
Train stops at all the lands. Grand circle tour will let you see the Grand Canyon diorama.
THE STUDIOS at DLP
The entry plaza leads to a large sound stage building. Inside it is like Hollywood Blvd with shops and restaurants. There was a 4-6-piece show band playing show tunes from the second story as you walked through the building to get to the park.
Backstage tour was close to MGM. Here you board the tram by language sections. First time through in German and Japanese left me a little confused. So check the flags in the queue area. Catastrophe Canyon, props and wardrobe etc. Also NYC scenes from some dinasour show Sorry I cannot recall the name.
The stunt show is a motorcar stunt show. Sorry again jet lag is keeping me from remembering the name. Great auditorium with jumbo TV Screens to see the action. Good driving and motorcycle riding. I liked it better than IJ Stunt Show. Some audience members chose to participate. Scenes are filmed and edited for all to see at the end.
R&R not nearly as good as at MGM. Rhode it only once. Lack of story line. And interior props. Areosmith starts out the pre-show but not much content.
Armageddon - Good pre-show on movie making special effects. Next to a set of the Russian space station from movie of the Armageddon. Here you get hit with space debris etc with shaking and flames. Pretty fun.
Anamagic - Story is Mickey and Donald are working as animators. Mickey leaves and Donald enter the animation vault. With a dark stage like Little mermaid and Fantasmic you get a review of several Disney Classics. Nice Show.
Aladdin's Carpets. The same.
Cinamagic - Martin Short is transported to the silver B&W screen. He finds a love interest and the story progresses through the history of movies to the present. Very enjoyable.
Animation is a combination of MGM and CA. No contact with an animator like at WDW.
The Studios at DLP is small and can be well covered in ½ to ¾ of a day going slow.
DOWN TOWN DISNEY.
Big Disney Store , Imagine That. We just did a quick walk through. Several restaurants. Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, too close to home for us to experience this.
If you are a share holder there is a Share Holders Lounge at Salon Mickey near the park entrance. You also get a 10% discount at most restaurants and shopping even in the parks. The lounge is rather nice with plenty of pastry and drinks. This made a nice late morning break location. Open from 0900 to 1200.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Smokers can relax at DLP there is smoking everywhere, if you don't smoke you are issued smokes at the gate J.
There are lots of covered areas to get out of the weather if necessary. The crowds are heartier that here in the US as they seemed not to be deterred by the cold wet weather we experienced.
Lots of different pathways that lead from land to land and with in the lands.
During the Parade there were lost of people stand on railings and benches, nary a cast member would tell them to get down. I think this is a statement about the US legal system.
Way to get to DLP from CDG (airport)
TGV bullet train only takes 10 min cost was 25.90 euros for two. Fast and efficient. One would have to schlep their bags to the train and to their hotel at DLP. The TGV schedule might not correspond with your arrival giving you a wait until the next train.
VEA is a nice bus service. Cost 14 euro per person. Run every 20-300 min. Will drop you at your hotel. 45 min plus ride.
RER local train, we did not use it for direct transportation from CDG to DLP. Might be a problem with luggage.
Hope this helps sorry it is kinda long. It was a good trip still in the throngs of jet lag.
Scott H
.
We did a three-night stay at DLP before our trip to Tanzania. This trip was a DVC point exchange for both DLP and Tanzania.
Lodging - Disneyland Hotel - This location is very convenient as it is located at the entrance to the park. Stay included breakfast and park admission. This would compare to a WDW deluxe hotel. Décor was a fantasyland theme. Peter Pan in the doors to the TV cabinet, Snow White and Dwarfs carved into the bathroom mirror trim, a Castle inlayed on the headboard, and various Disney characters in the bedroom trim. Rom appointed with king bed, table and two chairs and a nice couch. The selling point here is Location, Location, and Location. A 50-yard walk to the park entrance was very convenient.
The Park, after MSUSA we will explore in a counter clockwise flow.
Mainstreet USA- The forced prospective was not as apparent to me as it is at WDW. The plaza seems very open and larger. All the shops connect so as to keep guests out of the weather. There is a walkway, behind the shops, that runs the full length on both sides of MSUSA. These walkways have entrances to the shops as well as interesting displays. A very good one dedicated the Statue of Liberty. I expected the shops to carry more DLP specific merchandise.
Frontier Land- This is where you will find Phantom Manor the DLP version of the HM. There is a western US theme. The story line, my interpretation, is a bride grieving for a lost husband to be who has met his demise as the result of the Phantom. Pretty much the same traffic flow as WDW and DL. Notable differences are the western theme in the grave yard and at the end there are no hitchhiking ghosts just a skull that appears above you doom buggy.
Mark Twain - Pretty much the same, longer ride on the Rivers of America around an island that contains BTMRR.
BTMRR is bigger and better than WDW and DL. You board you train on the shore of the River and are taken via a tunnel to the island where the ride continues. Earthquake section is replaced with a TNT room that explodes.
Adventure Land - main entrance is an Agrabah theme from Aladdin styling.
Discovery Island is a lush version of Tom Sawyer Island. Manny passages, a Pirate Ship, caves and lookout points abound. This is a fun place to explore. This is where you will find the Swiss Family Tree House.
Col. Hathy's Pizza is pretty good. The interior is like the Jungle Cruise que.
Indiana Jones Temple of Peril roller coaster is interesting in that you ride this coaster backwards. Themed around the archeological dig of a temple the anticipation of a reverse loop is pretty good. Doing the backwards loop is interesting and different. This is a rough ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Here the same type of ride vehicle is used and starts you through the Blue Bayou Restaurant (which has Caribbean theme) and then you enter the fortress that pirates are assaulting. Here you see the jail scene. Then you slide to the harbor battle scene and enter the village. Dialogue is in French. They have a pirate chasing a girl and a girl chasing a pirate, and a sward fight scene. Then you drop to Davey Jones locker to see the cursed treasure in caves like WDW and DL. Good story line and flow that works very well. This is heads above WDW and DL and my favorite of the three I have experienced.
Fantasy Land -
Peter Pan - Dialogue is in French, big difference is the ride vehicles have two rows.
Snow White and Pinocchio are about the same. Dialogue is in French. Both have a fresher look, due to their being newer.
Story Book Land was closed.
Dining at Toad Hall was my favorite, great soup that was perfect fro the cold wet days.
No water at the base of Dumbo and the carousel is similar to WDW and DL.
Alice has a fun labyrinth and Belle has a series of Christmas shops in individual kiosks.
Tea Cups are the same.
The Castle is pink, this is not a birthday pink and it works well. There is a great walk through with the Sleeping Beauty story with great stained glass windows. The dungeon has a sleeping dragon that awakens every so often to snort and growl.
Discovery Land - AKA Tomorrow Land)
Star Tours same but in French.
Le Visionarium - Here 9 eye takes you on pretty much the same journey WDW timekeeper with some added scenes. There are headphones to translate.
Space Mt. Journey to the Moon. Jules Vern themed. You are loaded into the breach of a gun barrel and shot to the moon. Good soundtrack The ride seem close to R&R with plenty of twists and turns. We rode three times strait due to no lines.
Autopia and Nautilus and HISTA both closed.
Train stops at all the lands. Grand circle tour will let you see the Grand Canyon diorama.
THE STUDIOS at DLP
The entry plaza leads to a large sound stage building. Inside it is like Hollywood Blvd with shops and restaurants. There was a 4-6-piece show band playing show tunes from the second story as you walked through the building to get to the park.
Backstage tour was close to MGM. Here you board the tram by language sections. First time through in German and Japanese left me a little confused. So check the flags in the queue area. Catastrophe Canyon, props and wardrobe etc. Also NYC scenes from some dinasour show Sorry I cannot recall the name.
The stunt show is a motorcar stunt show. Sorry again jet lag is keeping me from remembering the name. Great auditorium with jumbo TV Screens to see the action. Good driving and motorcycle riding. I liked it better than IJ Stunt Show. Some audience members chose to participate. Scenes are filmed and edited for all to see at the end.
R&R not nearly as good as at MGM. Rhode it only once. Lack of story line. And interior props. Areosmith starts out the pre-show but not much content.
Armageddon - Good pre-show on movie making special effects. Next to a set of the Russian space station from movie of the Armageddon. Here you get hit with space debris etc with shaking and flames. Pretty fun.
Anamagic - Story is Mickey and Donald are working as animators. Mickey leaves and Donald enter the animation vault. With a dark stage like Little mermaid and Fantasmic you get a review of several Disney Classics. Nice Show.
Aladdin's Carpets. The same.
Cinamagic - Martin Short is transported to the silver B&W screen. He finds a love interest and the story progresses through the history of movies to the present. Very enjoyable.
Animation is a combination of MGM and CA. No contact with an animator like at WDW.
The Studios at DLP is small and can be well covered in ½ to ¾ of a day going slow.
DOWN TOWN DISNEY.
Big Disney Store , Imagine That. We just did a quick walk through. Several restaurants. Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, too close to home for us to experience this.
If you are a share holder there is a Share Holders Lounge at Salon Mickey near the park entrance. You also get a 10% discount at most restaurants and shopping even in the parks. The lounge is rather nice with plenty of pastry and drinks. This made a nice late morning break location. Open from 0900 to 1200.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Smokers can relax at DLP there is smoking everywhere, if you don't smoke you are issued smokes at the gate J.
There are lots of covered areas to get out of the weather if necessary. The crowds are heartier that here in the US as they seemed not to be deterred by the cold wet weather we experienced.
Lots of different pathways that lead from land to land and with in the lands.
During the Parade there were lost of people stand on railings and benches, nary a cast member would tell them to get down. I think this is a statement about the US legal system.
Way to get to DLP from CDG (airport)
TGV bullet train only takes 10 min cost was 25.90 euros for two. Fast and efficient. One would have to schlep their bags to the train and to their hotel at DLP. The TGV schedule might not correspond with your arrival giving you a wait until the next train.
VEA is a nice bus service. Cost 14 euro per person. Run every 20-300 min. Will drop you at your hotel. 45 min plus ride.
RER local train, we did not use it for direct transportation from CDG to DLP. Might be a problem with luggage.
Hope this helps sorry it is kinda long. It was a good trip still in the throngs of jet lag.
Scott H
.
