From Paris to Anaheim - Solo visit - May 2024

[Karin1984]

A week ago I visited Disneyland in Anaheim. It was my second visit, my first visit was 10 years ago. I had 3 full days and 2 half days, with 5 day hopper tickets and I stayed at Motel 6.

I have been a highest tier annual passholder at Disneyland Paris for over 10 years. And while my park has many flaws, I still love it.

After having visited all the Disney parks in the world, Disneyland Anaheim is the one I would love to be an annual passholder as well. It is a great park for locals. I had a wonderful, relaxed time and I can’t wait to go back. Let’s hope it won’t take another 10 years.

Here are my (random) thoughts:

Anaheim versus Paris
Disneyland in Anaheim looks like my park, but with deliberate mistakes made. It feels similar, but different. Like how Frontierland and Adventureland are switched around in Paris. Whenever I thought ‘there should be a bathroom/store/whatever here’, it was often on the opposite site. So familiarizing myself with the park took a little bit longer. Also, your castle is sooo tiny

You can see that Paris has learned from the ‘mistakes’ made in the US. Disneyland Park in Paris is so much more spread out and they used much more space to decorate around the rides. Like how our castle is built upon a hill and has the space to breathe, same with our Haunted Mansion (Phantom Manor) ride, the area around the ride is huge and decorated. It is no doubt the prettiest Disney Park in the world (Yes, even over DisneySea Tokyo)

That doesn’t mean that Anaheim is not pretty. My favorite area was New Orleans with all the little shops, pretty and well-themed. Enjoyed the food booths in CA, with all the places to lounge and people watch, it really fitted well with the park. And one of the reasons I would love to be local to this park. I could totally see myself visiting and just hang out.

The crowds
The crowds didn’t impact my enjoyment of my visit to Anaheim much, however, it was the biggest downside. You can see and feel that it was built for smaller crowds, and that it’s not suitable for the masses of today. Granted, on my first and last day it was Grad Night, so, it was busier than a normal day. I did start to avoid Fantasyland or the walkway in Adventureland on these days. These areas are probably always crowded, but on the Non Grad Nights these didn’t feel as bad.

I had the similar feeling when I visited Prague in the Czech Republic, beautiful city. But also a medieval city with lots of tiny streets and alleys, which might still work when there are no tourists. But with millions a year coming to visit, it gets uncomfortable. This was not what the city was made for.

The days with Grad Nights were the worst, and if I ever visit again this time of year, I will avoid them. Saturday, Sunday, Monday were much more comfortable. Even on Mother’s Day it didn’t feel as crowded as it was on the Grad Night-days.

I thought the wait times were reasonable, but it felt busy. On my final day, which was Early Entry for Disney Hotel guests, I was able to do 4 rides in Tomorrowland within one hour: Buzz, Space, Autopia and Nemo. It would have been possible to also add Star Tours and Astro Orbiter. After 11am it became more crowded. On this day there was early entry at Disneyland Park.

Cast members
One thing that can determine the vibe of a Disney visit are the cast members.

I have had so many wonderful encounters with cast members during my visit. East coast cast members have a “Oh my God, best day ever!”-energy to hype up the crowds. The west coast cast members are less energetic, but I do believe I have had more sincere and genuine conversations than I would have in Disney World. Could have something to do with the scale of both resorts. It felt more laid back, more relaxed. And that was just what I needed for this vacation.

I know from a US pov French cast members in Paris can come across as rude and uninterested, but it is more a job like any other for most of them. We didn’t grow up with an uncle Walt and it’s not a lifelong dream to work for Disney.

From a European pov WDW cast members can came across as over the top or fake. Anaheim is almost a mix of both, very friendly and open like Americans are, but also more businesslike.

Whenever I said that I was from Europe, their first response was a unanimous: “Welcome”. And I think they all meant it. I felt welcome.

As I was fairly new to this park, I asked several of the CMs for recommendations for restaurants, or best spots for the fireworks and parade, and from there it usually resulted in a nice conversation.

If I had any criticism it was at the cast member working at Soarin’, who kept chewing gum when assigning our seats. I do no mind if someone chews gum while at work, but not in a guest-facing role. Please stop chewing when you are talking to a guest. But if this is the worst thing CMs in Anaheim do, they can consider themselves very lucky. Let’s call this an anomaly.

Oh, one very weird thing about cast members… I have never seen so many cast members yawn. It didn’t matter if they were inside or outside, at rides, in stores or doing crowd control. It happened so often I started to notice it more. Maybe they all had a late shift the day before?

Saw one guest with a shirt saying: “Disney needs to pay their cast members better”. They really need to, because they deserve it.

Also a noticeable difference with other Disney parks. I saw so many cast members (manager types) in regular clothes, with a jacket or in a dress. All with a trash grabber. The parks were definitely clean. Not that other parks are a mess, but I rarely see these cast members in other parks, maybe one at most during a visit and without a grabber. It might be small, and it might not be true and only for show, but it did make me feel these cast members were part of the team.

Disney castmember with great energy dancing near the Pixar Dance Party.

Pixiedust
On my second day I went to rope drop at California Adventure and was front and center of the rope at Guardians. Started talking to one of the CMs (Alena), that I came all the way from the Netherlands and that I hadn’t recovered from my flight yet. But hey, I was here for rope drop! A little bit after this conversation she left. When she returned, she asked if I wanted to be the first on Guardians for that day. And yes, I wanted to!

Alena took me out of the crowd and handed me over to two of her colleagues who walked me to the ride. Once inside, two other colleagues gave me a tour through the exhibit hall, which was really cool. I could take all the pictures I want, without any crowds. And then I was on my own in the office. The CM showed me some more hidden gems around the office.

And then I had to walk all by myself through a deserted hallway to the elevators. A bit scary.

Being solo on a ride vehicle is always awesome (had it only happen to me once, on Pirates in Paris, when France was playing the world cup finale), but this was really special and some good old pixiedust.

The CM who handled my elevator even gave me a return-at-anytime-card to re-ride Guardians whenever I wanted that day. It was a great start of the day. So thanks to Alena, Ivana, Sophia and Alondra for making this first full day a special one.

 

[Karin1984]

Characters
If you love characters, you will love Anaheim. I saw 47 characters in 3,5 days. And if I tried a little harder I am sure I could have seen over 50 characters.

It is so much fun to see characters walk through Fantasyland, it really gives it a different feel. Or to see random characters interacting with each other. Seeing Flynn Rider on his own is already unique to me (in Paris if he is out, he is with Rapunzel), but to see him just casually walking around, or Peter Pan running around. And one of the most fun interactions: Gaston arguing with Alice about getting in line to meet Belle.

Downside of the roaming is, that it can be tricky sometimes to get a picture or an autograph, or just interact with them. Just go with the flow of the character. Be polite, do not push yourself or your kids forward. Because of this, interactions are sometimes short. Shorter than when there is a line. Pros and cons to this system. It does give Fantasyland a special feel.

I did feel rushed by the characters at two occasions. In ToonTown at Minnie’s house, it was “snap snap”, and be gone in less than 30 seconds. And a bit at Royal Hall.

Good thing about the Royal Hall is: it’s much better value for waiting in comparison to Paris. That you get three princesses, where we only get one in Paris, is a perk for sure. I felt a bit rushed here, which is a shame, however, it does keep the line relatively short. A CM showed me their little map of the waiting area how they guestimate how long the line is. And I think they have space for about 60 minutes. In Paris the length of the line is equally long, but it can easily take 90-120 minutes. And then you only meet one princess!

Due to Pixar Fest I was able to meet loads of unique (to me) characters who I had never met before.

Shout out to the actor playing Bert on May 13 and 14. He gets extra points for recognizing me on the second day, but I have never met an actor at Disney who was so knowledgeable about his own universe. And this actor didn’t just know the movie. I am sure he knows the books. That he referenced Mrs. Corry and her daughters took me by surprise. He looked the part, he could do the accent and had the right energy for the character. Whether he was on his own or with Mary Poppins, he was absolutely amazing. If he had a dedicated meeting spot, for sure I would have watched his entire set. But he was roaming and I didn’t want to stalk him.

Also very good encounters with Gaston (perfect mix of arrogance, self-centeredness and humor), Elena (great energy and imagination), Meilin and Mrs. Ling (They are just fun together and well-cast together) and the Evil Queen (a little loud, but perfect high energy).

Kinda awkward encounter with Belle, I had met her at the entrance of the park and maybe an hour later I met her again at Royal Hall. We both had a “Oh it’s you again”-vibe. Which was just awkward.

One tiny remark about something I would like to change, but not sure how: I like that live-action Ariel is out and about. However… her costume is so unremarkable, she can too easily be mistaken for a guest. Especially when she is roaming around without a handler. It gets a little weird when a person (who looks like a guest) starts randomly waiving at little kids. I spoke to some character handlers about this, and they all acknowledged that it happens often that live-action Ariel doesn’t get recognized.

Also, I met Goofy in ToonTown. One of the better interactions of the trip. And at the end he spoke! Well, he said “Gawrsh”. I have never heard a fur character speak, except making kissing noises.

Entertainment
Bands
Besides characters, there is a lot of entertainment in Anaheim. I love that there were so many bands playing in Disneyland. It was a quiet morning when I was watching the Pearly Band, who asked for next song suggestions, love that. Also that they rode the carousel together. And it only got better when the bands incorporated characters. Like Mary Poppins with the Pearly Band or Belle dancing with the big band, or Mickey conducting one of the smaller bands on Main Street. It contributes to the immersive feeling of Anaheim.

Shows
It is a pity that there were no big shows when I was there. Rogers the musical was closed and the Fantasyland theater was home to the Pixar Dance Party. The party was fun for kids and meeting characters, but I missed a big show.

Paris has stepped up in the past few years with several new shows, Mickey & the Magician, Rhythms of the Pridelands, Disney Jr. Dream Factory, and hub shows like Shine Brighter, Pirates & Princesses and Junglebook Jive. These are top quality. And I was missing shows like this in Anaheim. I understand that is just no space for a hub show in Anaheim, but it would have been nice to have something big.

On the other hand, you can park me at the Royal Theatre for the entire day and I would be a happy bunny These two shows of Tangled and Beauty and the Beast are so incredibly well done. It’s suitable for all ages, lots of humor, some songs, a little bit interactive. And Mr. Jones and Mr. Smythe just make me laugh.

Parades
There were two parades at the time I was there. Magic Happens in Disneyland Park and Better Together in California Adventure. I did prefer Better Together over Magic Happens. It’s not a bad parade, but Magic Happens feels like a textbook Disney parade. There was nothing outstanding. Not the song, the theme, the characters or the floats. Did like it that Sword in the Stone got some love. I saw it two times, which was plenty.

With Better Together I felt there was more creativity in the costumes but also using skaters or bikers instead of dancers. I liked the song, certain parts did remind me of the Barbie song “Pink goes with everything”.

Question: is Turning Red truly popular in Anaheim, or is it Disney pushing it? When I saw Better Together for a second time, I sat next to a group of girls (late teens, early 20s) and they went nuts. Screaming at the boyband like it was One Direction/The Beatles/fill in popular boyband of your teenage era. I was at the beginning of the route and when I walked out of the park, passing the crowds still watching the parade, I heard more screams. Turning Red was definitely present in other parts of Pixar Fest, with a M&G, at a food booth and some kind of foam cushion of Magic Key holders? I do understand that California has the largest Asian American community in the US. Might have something to do with it?

Night time shows

I saw World of Color with the dessert party package. Really enjoyed it, had a great table, the food was nice and I thought it was worth the price. I did the second seating. In the future I would do the first seating. You have more time to enjoy the space and the drinks at the first seating.
More in this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/woc-dessert-party-1st-or-2nd-show.3946490/#post-65506683

My view


The food, all good. Loads of sugar ;-)


Non alcoholic option. Pretty nice.


I had 3 options to see the Pixar fireworks, Together Forever, in Disneyland Park. I saw it once. The first night I was just too tired and too jetlagged. On the second night I decided to stand at the end of Main Street. This was far away from the castle, but I did have some personal space.

My personal space ;-)


My view a few minutes before showtime


Downsides of this spot:
1. Too far away from the castle to see the projections. Here you would have benefitted from a bigger castle. Even when Main Street in Anaheim is shorter than ours in Paris.
2. Due to the angle and the trees it was not really possible to see the projections on the buildings on Main Street. I saw some, but I would have a better view if I was on Main Street.
3. Not the specific spot, but I was unlucky with the person in front of me. It was a young womanin her early twenties, who was (trying to) waiving a glowing wand to the beat of the projections/fireworks, while simultaneously watching the show on Youtube on her phone. I assume some cognitive disabilities, but not sure of course. I didn’t care that much about this fireworks, but yeah, it wasn’t the best way to see the fireworks.

On my last day, I thought about watching the projections opposite Small World, but again tired and I didn’t want to wait another hour for 10-15 minutes of projections and decided to go back to the hotel.

I didn’t see the Star Wars fireworks, as I am not into Star Wars.

 

[Karin1984]

Rides
I didn’t do that many rides, I think. I did most of them once, some several times, but I think I focused more on the ambiance and the entertainment on this visit than rides.

I recently had read reports about of rides temporarily closing / breaking down at Disneyland Anaheim. And I did have some unexpected stops while on the ride, Toy Story Midway Mania and Web Slingers, for example. But I didn’t went to a ride only to find it closed, or saw that it was closed on the app.

Haunted Mansion was closed. Sad about this. My previous visit was in November and so it was in Nightmare before Christmas-style. Which I was not particularly a fan of. So it was a pity I couldn’t see the original this time. It does give me a reason to get back.

Biased opinion: Big Thunder Mountain in Paris is the best of all the Disney parks in the world. But the decor during the ride is better in Anaheim. Like the town at the end, the animals during the ride. It felt better dressed than ours. Same with the Disneyland Railroad, you have much more to see than we do in Paris (our Railroad is boring).

I liked that several rides had a voice over, like the Riverboat and the railroad. It added some extra to these rides. For Storybook Land Canal Boats, I could have done without it (or I had a very boring skipper). I like that in Paris our version is without voiceover/skipper, it’s a great ride for some downtown, plus ours is in the back of the park, so lines are usually short.

Matterhorn was smoother than I remembered, still a little rough, but in my memory 10 years ago, I came off feeling like a scrambled egg.

Surprised that Autopia wasn’t more popular in Anaheim. In Paris this ride has long lines the moment the park opens (also handicapped by the long offloading process). Handing out the driving licences at the beginning is a cute touch.

Also surprised that in Anaheim Small World isn’t a full water ride. There is a space between the boats and the displays where you can stand. A few months ago in Paris we had a mother who was fed up when the ride broke down, she got into the water, lifted her kids out of the boat and walked away. Would have been a lot easier (or at least dryer) if she did that in Anaheim.

Casey Jr. is in Paris a kiddie coaster. It gets some speed and a great way to introduce your young kids to coasters. In Anaheim it was soooo slow. I know it’s an original ride from 1955, but it could use an update, in my opinion.

Interesting that you still have the canoes. With us they were only in use for 2 years after opening (1992-1994).

Guardians of the Galaxy, I love this ride, regardless of which version it is. We still have classic Tower of Terror in Paris, with the addition of the little ghost girl. Ours is definitely more scary, yours is more fun.

Loved Soarin’ around the World, I had already seen this version in WDW in 2022. And in my memory I was more annoyed by the hard cuts between scenes, but it didn’t bother me that much.

Incredicoaster was such a smooth coaster. Impressed.

Photopass
I had expected more Photopass photographers around. They certainly were there, but not in places where I expected them.

I was surprised that at Royal Hall there were no photographers or at Arendelle (only met Anna). And when the classic characters were meeting at the start of Main Street there were some with a photographer (Mickey, Minnie, Daisy), but others were roaming around without a photographer (Chip & Dale and Pluto). I get that Mickey / Minnie get a photographer, but Daisy felt random.

I had expected some photographers in Adventureland/New Orleans but didn’t see any. I didn’t expect them at the Sword in the Stone or the Teacup, but it was fun to have them there.

And sometimes I ran into a photographer standing off to the side where it wasn’t clear if they were at work, or if they were waiting for something/someone. Near the bridge left of the castle, or near the Matterhorn. They were playing around with their camera, and just didn’t look as if they were at work. When I approached them and asked to get pictures they always were available.

Had several great photographers, Lance in Batuu, Ray at Zocalo park, and the young woman whose name I didn’t write down near the castle who took some nice pictures on the bridge for me.


One photographer (if I remember well his name was Omar) didn’t check his camera and I ended up with some messed up pictures. This was my last day and I did take pictures in front of the castle on another day as well, so not much lost there. But yeah, check your pictures before sending me off.

 

[Karin1984]

Food
Food is definitely better in Anaheim than it is in Paris, I only did quick service. I know how this happened, but I wish Paris had a better mindset than food = fuel. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of in Anaheim was the bread of the breadbowls. Too much bread and not enough soup/beef curry.

Tried to eat relatively healthy and only had 1 burger/fries meal (Hungry Bear, not a success). Ate most of my breakfasts at the Red Rose Tavern. The Little Harvest Bowl tasted great, and it felt like it was a healthy option. Also Bengal BBQ was a favorite. At my first visit, they did mess up my order and by accident gave me the spicy skewer, and yeah… it was spicy.

Loved the San Fransokyo area. It’s a perfect place to relax and people watch. Fan of the Lucky Fortune Cookery, the Honey Lemonade was delicious.

Unfortunately, there were hardly any mocktails in either park. Not that Paris has that many, but somehow I had thought Anaheim would do a better job at this. Don’t think the two Terraces in CA had any non-alcoholic options. I would have taken a break at one of the Terraces if they had served non-alcoholic options (besides water or soda).

Very happy with mobile order, it’s so convenient. I can’t wait for Paris to finally implement this throughout the park. I think at the moment we have 2 or 3 quick services with this option, but at time of implementation there were loads of issues with non-French bank cards.

Quinoa bowl - Red Rose Tavern


Teriyaki chicken and pot stickers from Lucky Fortune Cookery


Honey Lemonade from Lucky Fortune Cookery


Butternut Squash at Harbor Galley


Hummus trio and chicken & porkbelly skewer from Bengal BBQ



Gumbo and beignet at Tiana's palace. Spicy but so good!


Bao at one of the food booths. Be aware that they run out of the ginger sauce from time to time. The sauce didn't add much for me.

Honey Spiced Chicken Sandwich (Hungry Bear), not a fan.



Wifi
Wifi was okay. It was spotty, sometimes I lost connection even when sitting still. No big issues occurred due to this problem. But it was annoying

I had more issues with my phone on this trip. In previous years I could call with my phone package, somehow I couldn’t now anymore. Which became an issue when the car service I had ordered (Karmel, as recommended on the Disneyland website) needed to be called upon arrival. I had to go to an information desk to use their phone.

Later in my trip I bought a US SIM card, including unlimited roaming. If I return to Anaheim, I would probably buy one at the airport upon arrival. Something to budget for.

Weather
I should have been better prepared for the weather. It was chilly in the morning, usually cloudy, and later in the day it became very warm, and then chilly again in the evening. I had only checked the max temperature per day.

DAS pass
Not a fan of the sign up system in the US. I understand why it is designed the way it is in the US, but I prefer to just handover a doctor’s note like I do in Paris. In the US I feel like I have to defend myself for needing accommodations. I get anxious about the procedures in both the US and in Paris, but in Paris I am not as dependent on the opinion of the CM.

I qualified still under the old system and my trip started and ended before the new rules started. I was really happy with this, it made a huge difference to my trip. I am still getting used to my limitations, I should have taken more breaks. But overall I listened more to my body than ever before. It helped that I was travelling solo, because it was easier to just turn around when I needed a break. When I am with my Disneypark-buddy, I often push it further than I should because I do not want to disappoint my friend.

On day 2 I took a break in the Grand Californian. Really nice to have the hotel almost in the park to lounge and relax. On day 3 I had a little breakdown and went to First Aid for some painkillers. As the parade was about to start, I asked the nurse if she knew of a quiet place where I could go to have a time out. And she offered to hang out at the First Aid station, she double checked if I didn’t have a fever and then let me in. There is a room with 7 or 8 lounge beds that could recline. I stayed there for about 45-60 minutes, I felt a lot better and went back into the park.

The rides were no issue. It is great to be able to book DAS rides on your phone. Disneyland Paris still uses pen and paper, which is annoying as it makes you crisscross the park more. But hey, one day Disneyland Paris will embrace technology. They have finally learned about mobile order, next step DAS!

I did think that the volume of the sound on certain rides were too loud. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Indiana Jones, for example. I gave MMRR another try with headphones, but opted out to ride Indiana Jones a second time due to the loud sounds.

I rode Jungle Cruise twice, first time I was asked to merge with the rest of the queue. Which I didn’t have a problem with. However, it wasn’t clear for the other guests that people were coming in. There was some dirty looks. Little design flaw.

Second time, I requested a seat next to the Skipper and the CM at the entrance let me board with the wheelchair users. This was not so much a DAS thing, but because English isn’t my native language, it’s easier for me to hear the spiel if it comes directly from the Skipper’s mouth than through the sound system. You can probably request this when you get to the end of the regular line, but it was nice not to worry about it.
I had Skipper Bob and definitely best Skipper ever. Never heard so many jokes per minute.

Most complicated thing with DAS were characters. It wasn’t possible with the roaming characters nor the Pixar Fest characters. But it took some time figuring out what to do with Mickey in ToonTown. There was no CM to be seen anywhere. I walked all the way through Mickey’s house, but no one was there (still wonder why there wasn’t a line either). In the end I asked other CMs in ToonTown and they brought me in through the back. Apparently I had to go to Guest Relations to request a return time. This wasn’t mentioned anywhere, that I could find. Doesn’t make sense to me to get a return time at Royal Hall for the princesses or at the entrance of Pixie Hollow for Tinkerbell, but have to go to Guest Relations for Mickey.

Other strange thing with these characters, none of the CMs asked me if I was eligible for DAS or asked me to show on the app that I had been approved. They all believed me without question.

Some Fantasyland rides had a DAS option, but you couldn’t redeem it, you had to go up to the CM, show the app and then cancel it. Didn’t really get why they couldn’t scan you in, like they do at Jungle Cruise for example.

Motel 6
Downside of travelling solo. You have to pay for the hotel all by yourself. Hotels, even those offsite Disneyland, are not cheap. Motel 6 is fine. For little over $100 a night near a major tourist attraction, what can you expect?

The room itself was clean, the bed was comfortable. And I was so tired after long days at the park, that this is all I wanted.

It’s little details where you see that this is a value resort, like no tissues or similar in the bathroom. The sheets on the bed were wrinkled. I do not care about this at all, I do not iron my sheets back home , but it does show where your money goes to and what it doesn’t go to.

Rooms were not as sound proof as I would like. Initially I was placed in a room at the back, next to the highway. Lots of noise, so I asked to be moved. The next room was better, but there was still some noise coming from outside. No blackout curtains.

I didn’t mind the walk. At Disneyland Paris, I usually stay in the cheapest onsite hotel, which is about a 15-20 minute walk to the park. For a normal, physically healthy adult, Motel 6 is also a 15-20 minute walk to the park entrance. There is a sidewalk and it’s safe to walk. Perfectly fine for me. It was nice to smell the flowers when walking from the motel to the parks.

However, if I had been staying at a hotel across the street, I might have gone back to my room during the day for a break. With the midday heat and all the new impressions, I should have taken more breaks.

Wifi at the hotel was fine to just browse your phone, check your e-mail. However, I did want to upload my high-res photos from my camera to my cloud, and that took forever.

Plenty of outlets.


Survey
When I left to my next destination I received a Disneyland Survey about my experiences. Several questions about breakfast and why I didn’t eat breakfast at the park. Weirdest question was “how much did I spend?” Completely split up in categories hotel, transport, food & drink, merchandise etc. I totally understand a company wants to know. Only thing… I do not want to be reminded how much I spent at Disney, it was probably too much. So, I filled in $0 in each category.

In the end, it wasn’t that bad. I have checked my credit cards and I spent about $60-65 dollar a day on food (all quick services), bought a $18 gift for a friend, and $75 for Photopass. Which is about what I budgeted, so I am happy with my controlled spending, but not something I wanted to tell Disney while on vacation.

 

[limace]

What a great report-thanks for being so thorough. And you make me want to get back to DLP.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Brillant report, thanks so much. Really interesting to see your comparisons between Paris and California.

 

[Karin1984]

What a great report-thanks for being so thorough. And you make me want to get back to DLP.

More than welcome to come back to DLP! Just don't go in the coming months, everything is triple the price due to the Olympics ;-)

 

[limace]

More than welcome to come back to DLP! Just don't go in the coming months, everything is triple the price due to the Olympics ;-)

Oh gosh-didn’t even think of that!

 

[erinch]

Great report!

 

[DonnerB]

Wonderful!

My sister and I visited the Paris parks last year. Our first & only international Disney resort so far, but I think we would both agree with you - DLP is STUNNING. Some of the attractions are a little too wild for us , but we would go back just to enjoy the ambiance (and watch those amazing drone shows).

Also chuckled when I read your comment about Prague - it was the city I was most excited to visit on a multi-country trip back in 2015. Turned out to be my least favorite because of the crowds. I remember telling my Mom "this feels like Disneyland," and not in a good way...

Thanks for taking the time to write & glad you enjoyed your visit to my home park!

 

[Karin1984]

Wonderful!

My sister and I visited the Paris parks last year. Our first & only international Disney resort so far, but I think we would both agree with you - DLP is STUNNING. Some of the attractions are a little too wild for us , but we would go back just to enjoy the ambiance (and watch those amazing drone shows).

Hihihi, I had the opposite, when riding Casey Jr. but also Space Mountain I thought "these are some tame rides!"
Look at my impressed face ;-)



Curious what the Disneyland Anaheim expansion plan will bring. I am sure it will look great!

Also chuckled when I read your comment about Prague - it was the city I was most excited to visit on a multi-country trip back in 2015. Turned out to be my least favorite because of the crowds. I remember telling my Mom "this feels like Disneyland," and not in a good way...

Yes! I was in Prague a few weeks before Easter, before the crowds come in and already I felt like there were people everywhere! The bridge leading up to the castle was a madhouse.

Thanks for taking the time to write & glad you enjoyed your visit to my home park!

Thank you I had fun writing it. I had an amazing time in Anaheim. Can't wait to go back.

 

[KenyaSierra]

This was a great report! Disneyland in Anaheim is my home park and every time I visit Disney World in Florida the Magic Kingdom drives me crazy because nothing is where it supposed to be! I visited Disneyland Paris in 2019 and had the best time. Yes, your castle is much better than ours. I ran the races and the CMs were wonderful cheering onthe runners- Allez! Courage!

 

[Karin1984]

This was a great report! Disneyland in Anaheim is my home park and every time I visit Disney World in Florida the Magic Kingdom drives me crazy because nothing is where it supposed to be! I visited Disneyland Paris in 2019 and had the best time. Yes, your castle is much better than ours. I ran the races and the CMs were wonderful cheering onthe runners- Allez! Courage!

I would love it if the races came back to Paris. I have looked at WDW and DL, but the courses always look like there is such a large part outside of the parks! Fingers crossed for 2025!

 

[KenyaSierra]

I would love it if the races came back to Paris. I have looked at WDW and DL, but the courses always look like there is such a large part outside of the parks! Fingers crossed for 2025!

DLP was definitely the best in terms of in park time and I loved running through the village (Marne Valle?) because it was all new. Also, the humidity was so much better! But I love the WDW and DL races too. I hope you can participate some time.

 

[European]

Interesting trip report.

I wonder how you compare DLR to WDW, though. I still prefer WDW as it feels like one big Disney bubble. I love the authentic feel DLR has, but hate the surrounding area. Every time I go to DLR, I tell myself I will stay at a Disney hotel next time, but I still haven’t. The hotel rooms are too expensive and the DVC rooms (also still expensive) never have availability when I look for a place to stay. Somehow I always plan a trip to DLR on short notice. DLP hotel rooms have skyrocketed as well though.

I know you aren’t a Star Wars fan, but what did you think of Galaxy’s Edge? And Rise of the Resistance?

Food at DLR is pretty good. But I would not do mobile order again at Tiana’s Place. I received such a small portion compared to people lining up. Next time I will just have lunch at 11 am to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

In my 5 visits to DLR, it has always been crowded. And there are too many locals visiting for my liking. Who ruined Guardians of the Galaxy for me. Could not understand or hear a thing. So I am jealous you were able to ride alone

I was not very happy with the Photopass photographers either. Not enough around and most pictures didn’t turn out great.

Crowds bothered me in Prague too. Maybe I expected too much of this city and even though it is beautiful, I was done after 2 days.

Unlike you, I absolutely adore Haunted Mansion Holiday. But I have visited Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom often, I guess they (original version) are fairly similar.

I had the same issue with the weather. It was nice & warm during daytime, but so cold once the sun was down (December).

Matterhorn was rougher than I remembered Did not fancy a second time.

Tip: use an e-sim. I don’t know how I ever managed without.

 

[Karin1984]

Interesting trip report.

I wonder how you compare DLR to WDW, though. I still prefer WDW as it feels like one big Disney bubble. I love the authentic feel DLR has, but hate the surrounding area. Every time I go to DLR, I tell myself I will stay at a Disney hotel next time, but I still haven’t. The hotel rooms are too expensive and the DVC rooms (also still expensive) never have availability when I look for a place to stay. Somehow I always plan a trip to DLR on short notice. DLP hotel rooms have skyrocketed as well though.

I know you aren’t a Star Wars fan, but what did you think of Galaxy’s Edge? And Rise of the Resistance?

Yeah, the price of DLP hotels... I have no idea what they are thinking. Maybe this year it is worse due to the Olympics.

I was amazed the first time I saw Galaxy's Edge as it is so detailed and really feels as a little town/planet, love the little shops, nooks and corners. And Rise of the Resistance is a great ride. My thing is that I do not appreciate it enough because I do not know the backstories behind it.

Controversial: I consider DLR much more a bubble than WDW, because I can walk to the park and walk between parks.
My bubble is a little different

 

[jazzsmith]

Stunning photos and very detailed review, thank you!

 

[Tinkaboo]

Wonderful report..so thorough and such a great perspective to draw the comparisons between parks. Sounds like you enjoyed yourself and had a great time!

So cool you got to ride Guardians all by yourself…what pixie dust!