Just back: Lows & Highs

[Wuzefelix]

Hi,

I'm just back from a 3 day / 2 night trip to DLRP and since I don't go there quite as often as I used to, this is an excellent opportunity to share my Highs & Lows. Except: I'm going to do it the other way around because all in all we had a fantastic trip, so the High's are what matters in the end .


Lows:

-Maintenance
Oh my god, after having been to all the Disney Parks in the world, it is just shocking to see in what a bad condition the entire Resort in Paris is. Many attractions were really dirty and in desperate need of a paint job. The special effects in many attractions were broken, there was moss growing on the speakers in Walt Disney Studios, broken lightbulbs everwhere, etc. This has been constantly getting worse in the last 10 years if you ask me...

-Hotel New York
Even with promotions such as 2=4, the value does not come close to justifying the prices. We had issues at check-in, a broken room lock, housekeeping not bringing new toiletries, etc. With the old-school television and the general wear and tear on all the furnishings and wallpaper, you can really see this hotel went 20 years without receiving a well needed facelift. I didn't let it spoil the trip though.

-Food
Incredibly slow service and high prices at the counter service restaurants are not new to us. The disappointment this time was that the selection at the buffet restaurants was reduced to a bare minimum. While I'm certain they did it only because of the low crowd levels this week, we still paid the same prices as usual, so we expected similar value.
Also, we were bummed that the Earl of Sandwich no longer offers the PB&J sandwich. When we asked about it, they said it wasn't popular enough among the French customers. What a shame, it used to be our favorite.

-Cast members
While nothing out of the ordinary happened, we were just reminded once again that most Parisian cast members don't come close to the level of service their colleagues provide in Hong Kong, Orlando, Anaheim or especially Tokyo.

-Sales
The 2nd Wednesday in January is the beginning of the big sales in France. DLRP is no exception. With the constant decline in merchandising quality, we didn't find anything nice though. They used to have many fine collectibles or high quality clothing. At least it saved us some cash .


Highs:

-Disney Dreams
After almost a year, Disney Dreams is still amazing. It is a little short on fireworks but we can easily look over this flaw, because it means we get to experience the nightly show even in the winter and on slow days. It is such a great finale to a fun day in the parks and I hope it stays with us for years to come!

-Character Interaction
The interaction my little niece got from Mickey Mouse at the Hotel New York was fabulous! It's probably because there were hardly any other guests.

-Crowds
There weren't any! Like always, weekdays in January were so slow you could hop on most rides without any waiting in line. Most rides were less than 5 Minutes except Crush Coaster (15 Minutes) and Big Thunder Mountain (10 Minutes). We did many rides 5 times each .

-Parade
At 5pm it was already getting dark and with the misty weather, the parade lights sparkled beautifully. There were fewer floats than in the past but it was really magical!

-Family and Friends
A trip to any Disney Park is an excellent opportunity to spend more time with family and friends. That's part of the magic for me. This trip was no exception .


All in all we had a great time and will be coming back in spring or summer. We'll try cutting back on trips to DLRP though to save the money for going to the international parks more frequently. Also, we can't really recommend staying in the Disney Hotels until they get a full refurbishment.


Best Regards,
Wuzefelix

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Welcome back! Glad you had a fantastic time overall and could appreciate the benefits low season brings. I'm a bit worried now about the Hotel New York though as we've just booked there. We stayed there about 12 years ago and it doesn't sound as if it has had any attention since then...

 

[kizzabel]

Hi and welcome back. You've just gotten me so excited!! Off in 10 days and the lack of crowds sounds like bliss!! Also staying at HNY but I had a fab room back in May so fingers crossed for more of the same!
As regards the sales that is such a pity as you would expect better selection of items on sale.

 

[Isila]

Sad HNY was a low. We stayed twice and loved it both times. Envy about the crowds, would love to be in DLP at this time, but not so brave to go in January. Always think it's too cold!

 

[the_princess]

Welcome back I'm happy to hear about the crowd level. We are going tomorrow and I'm hoping for short waiting time on all the big rides...

 

[glenpreece]

I find it weird when people say there's so much disrepair on things around the parks I never noticed anything out of order when I went but maybe cause it was my first trip I didn't notice. One day I'd love to go to Tokyo I hear that one is AMAZING.

I'll have a closer look in about 100 days

 

[Ware Bears]

Welcome back, glad you had a good time.

I find it weird when people say there's so much disrepair on things around the parks I never noticed anything out of order when I went but maybe cause it was my first trip I didn't notice. One day I'd love to go to Tokyo I hear that one is AMAZING

I think I must have my rose-tinted specs on whenever I visit as I don't seem to notice things either.

Tokyo's on my bucket list too.

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

Welcome back! Can't wait to read your trip report. I am returning to HNY in June have loved our last two stays there!

 

[Royal Consort]

I haven't noticed really either (outside a couple of things but then MK is a bit ick in places too), but then I think part of that is because I think DLRP is the prettiest of all the Disney Magic Kingdoms in the first place. Maybe that offsets it.

 

[markpsych]

I've not really noticed poor maintenance either.....but this is definitely a common complaint

-Food
Incredibly slow service and high prices at the counter service restaurants are not new to us. The disappointment this time was that the selection at the buffet restaurants was reduced to a bare minimum. While I'm certain they did it only because of the low crowd levels this week, we still paid the same prices as usual, so we expected similar value.

 

[moorhunhe]

I totally agree on the food issue.
The counter service (and in my experience, Videopolis mainly) is just awefull at times.
The wait is sometimes too long, even though there is only 2 people in front of you / not so crowded, and when it is finally your turn, the food sometimes isn't warm anymore at all :/

The price is quite enough for just some fries and a burger, and when it's (as good as) cold, it's really not enjoyable anymore.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

I think you notice it more in Paris as because of the weather the paint takes a greater battering than in Florida.

The sun might fade the couleurs a bit but all the rain, wind and cold affects things more.

 

[Wuzefelix]

Thanks for all the comments!

Everyone who doesn't notice the disrepair should consider themselves lucky. Maybe it's because I have been going there a lot for the last 10 years and I know all the other parks, so it's easy to compare. I don't have the impression the weather in Paris is any rougher than in Tokyo though, so that's no excuse .

Despite all its problems, especially regarding maintenance, food and service quality, I still like Disneyland Resort Paris and we had a really good time there. Forgive me for I'm too lazy for a full trip report. I brought you some pictures I took from the parade and Disney Dreams to make up for that fact.

Enjoy:

View from our room at Hotel New York.

Our room.

The parade at dusk was magical.

Toy Story float.

Winnie the Pooh is sad for this is the only Disney Resort in the world where he doesn't have his own ride...

Still the most beautiful castle!

View from our hotel room at night.

Disney Dreams.

This is my favorite video effect on the castle!

Singing Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Un jour!!

Here you can see the water fountains they installed for Dreams.

They got lasers, too.

Disney Dreams is really magical.

It gets really hot with all the fire.

On my pictures it looks like they got a lot of fireworks but if you ask me it's not quite enough.

There's the whole gang.

Mickey hopes to see you soon.

Isn't Duffy lovable? I'm so glad they brought him to America and Europe.


Best Wishes,
Wuzefelix

 

[mommy2ash]

i love your pictures!

its great that the highs outweighed the lows. i am another one that doesn't notice the disrepair that much. now and then i will spot a few things but on the whole i don't think it looks grotty. i can never understand why they cant clean the tea cups or why the peter pan queue line is always covered in graffitti though.

i agree with you about the counter service restaurants, more like lack of service most of the time lol. i have been standing there before willing them to move faster. it should only take a few seconds to put three or four items on a tray.

 

[DLPdaft]

i agree with you about the counter service restaurants, more like lack of service most of the time lol. i have been standing there before willing them to move faster. it should only take a few seconds to put three or four items on a tray.

I always think the slowest bit is before you get to the cashier - you know, all those folk in front of you (even if its only 2 ) who wait until the cashier asks them what they want before even looking at the menu boards? Oh and then theres always one who's gone into the queue for his/her family and has forgotten to ask one of them (who have gone off to get a table) what they want for dessert/to drink and so are sort of half in the queue half out of it, hollering across the restaurant trying to get their families attention, and holding up the whole line in the process .

And .... breathe .

 

[PRomano]

Thanks for the pictures! I am going for my first time soon! Which buffets did you find best? I know you weren't thrilled but I am hoping for one good one for a big meal while I am there.

 

[Wuzefelix]

Thanks for the pictures! I am going for my first time soon! Which buffets did you find best? I know you weren't thrilled but I am hoping for one good one for a big meal while I am there.

In Disneyland Park you got the choice between Cafe Agrabah and the Plaza Gardens. Both have a really nice decor and cost about the same. While the choice of food is usually much wider at the Plaza Gardens (Agrabah is mainly Kebab and middle eastern foods), it also tends to be a lot noisier.

In the Walt Disney Studios there is the Cafe des Stars with similar food as the Plaza Gardens for a similar price, however the restaurant doesn't look very nice. It makes you feel like in a school cafeteria.

In the Disneyland Hotel there's Innoventions which is the most expensive but also has the best food. You could easily leave the park to have lunch there and then go back into the park as it's right at the entrance.
If you go on a Sunday, their Sunday Brunch is absolutely amazing, though it costs a fortune!!!

For a dinner buffet, the Cape Cod in the Newport Bay Club is okay, too, and it's cheaper than Innoventions.


My bottom line recommendation: If you are okay with the prices, go for Innoventions as it's the best. Otherwise do Plaza Gardens (on a quiet day) or Agrabah Cafe (on a really busy day) or Cape Cod (at night).


I'm sure you'll have a magical time on your first visit!

Best Regards,

Wuzefelix

 

[PRomano]

thank you, the Sunday brunch looks great but it is very expensive! I was looking at Plaza Gardens and Restaurant des Stars, they both look good. Thanks for the information!

 

[PRomano]

I'll look at the Cape Cod now. We actually live near Cape Cod!

 

[Ware Bears]

We ate at Cape Cod in the summer and were very impresssed with it.