Review of our first visit to DLP - some good some bad

[julieannbabe]

I am in the US and go to WDW 4 times a year because we are 18 hours away by car and 2 hours by air..But that said the visit to DLP was because my wife happened to be in Ireland on business so we hopped a cheap air france flight to CDG to visit the parc.

The shuttle was quick via VEA and well worth the price we paid, The problem we had was the long wait because the bus picked up at all the other terminals before they got to us so we had to wait for 3 buses to come and go until we finally were able to board...Once on there it was 45 minutes to the parks..

Once at the Sante Fe we entered the lobby and it is very small..based on most other hotels we have stayed at in WDW standards...There were 10 people in front of us but it moved quickly. I got my initial paperwork and found out that it was all written in German because we used a German travel company(because of my TA friend in germany). I had to refill out the form again and then the process was all manual again at the desk because they dont use computers at check in like US parks...

The rooms are very small but probably large to european standards..and there was no A/C controls at Sante Fe which surprised us as we figured that all Disney resorts had this in the rooms but none...The resort itself was small but I can understand this matter because the parks dont attract like US parks do..
The major problem and the thing that lost the magic for us was the lack of care and concern for the customer. It wasnt just me but others who were in line at the concierge desk when we asked where the laundry facilities were located..we were shown on a map but they said they probably didnt work we may have to take it over to Cheyenne to do our clothes..Now by Disney standards this is odd..The whole idea of magic is that your paying them for a product and if the product doesnt work,get it fixed..I am on vacation and paying a premium price for the visit. Treat me like a guest not an inconvienence. we did go to Cheyenne only to find out that they had 2 washers and 2 dryers that had people lined up for the next 3 hours..I went back to sante fe and asked them what happened and why they couldnt fix the machines there..They called a manager and he basically told the CM to have us go back to cheyenne and wait in line...
Now before people start telling me that europeans dont do laundry on vacation or that its an extra perk for laundry and dont expect the machines..PHOOEY..This is not a Ibis,this is not a small hotel no one knows the name brand..Its Disney..worldwide known branding,whether its owned 7% by Disney Co or 100% private held you expect that service and the service to be superior to other hotel brands/chains.

Now to the parcs..clean but so much broken or not working..IE: small world all of the charecters with guitars had broken strings or others not working period. I asked a CM why and was told no overtime and repairs done on a budget..Huh???..its disney, redirect labor to night shift so that way no overtime and with the parks closing everyday at 6pm the days we were there should have allowed them to work as soon as last guest off the ride..

as for size of parks it is small but its fine,easy to get around and the ques were quick..no problems here..rides working fine and clean..Its the extras and backgrounds that make the ride complete that needed work.

I guess I expexted to see CM smiling and happy your visiting theyre park..when we told people we were from US they asked us if the world shocase at WDW was something that would be a good experience for a CM from DLP..I told them they would probably want to stay there after that experience..
we did meet a CM at the Fast pass distribution for Space mountain that had just returned back from a 2 week trip from WDW. He mentioned that the CM there approached him asking if he needed help where as the idea is backwards at DLP where guests have to track down a CM for help...Plus he mentioned how he saw no work during day there and that he was amazed at how if things in his room didnt work or were broken they had maintence come and fix it in a matter of hours and not days..

My overall view of DLP was that it is an amusement park with rides with the Disney name on it, For true magic I will still say WDW takes the prize.

I would go back and stay at the HI or one of the others off property and make the trip just to visit friends who live in europe. But my overall trip was not magical, I felt it was a huge disappointment to the build up..The only thing that impressed me was the few rides or variations of rides that we dont have here.

Oh and the lack of ques at the shuttle stops really surprised me..I was pickpocketed on the shuttle back to sante fe and it was a pushing match just to load and unload..The drivers stay in theyre seat and let it happen. Ridiculous and a huge safety risk for children..I know,thats the way it happens but unacceptable by any large city standard here. They need to do something for crowd control and make people stop swarming the bus when the doors open. If I wasnt handicapped and able to walk the distance from santa fe to the main gate I would but I had to suffer the shuttle rush ritual...

Now before everyone says that I dont understand the way europe attitudes are or that things are just fine at DLP, go to WDW or if you cant go to DLR and spend 2 days walking around..Then go back to DLP and spend 2 days...90% of you would dream of the day you could return back to WDW and will look at DLP in a whole new light..
I have been a Disneyana fanatic for over 15 years now and an amusement park visitor for over 25 years and by far the parc was nice but just didnt give me that squishy warm feeling inside when we were there.I didnt feel like a kid again like I do when we go to WDW.All we could think of was when our flight was back to dublin for our flight home.

thanks for your post.

man i am worried now!

i have been to WDW three times and ADORE the place and been to disneyland in Anaheim twice. I am going for my first trip to disneyland paris next month - I AM GONNA TRY MY HARDEST NOT TO COMPARE.

all i want is to have fun and enjoy myself.

 

[wideeyes]

hopefully someone who has been to both parks will come along and reassure you

 

[emkat]

Try not to worry as you really will have a great time, honest

I personally, don't think that you can really compare all of the Disney parks, they are all special in their own way. Didn't have a great experience in Anaheim-but would go back, loved WDW (a SUN thing ), and really love to visit DLP.

Keep an open mind, look forward to it and you will have a fantastic time

em

 

[SandraVB79]

I have been to all 3 parks, and love them all (OK, I admit, I don't really love WDW... I merely survived it)

They are all 3 different, and all 3 have their positive and negative points.
Just come to DLP and see it with your own eyes, instead of keeping some negative trip reports of others in your head.

Besides, one of the comments here contradicts itself a couple of times...

 

[wideeyes]

would also add that the hotels at DLP are not really "resorts" so it is unfair to compare the actual size to a wdw hotel which are resort hotels.

 

[jillrobinson]

Well I love DLRP and too be honest I get a bit fed up of reading about how wonderful WDW is in comparison.
When I suggested to a colleague (WDW veteran) the other day that by all accounts DLRP Magic Kingdom was not only bigger but also better than the one at WDW - she almost had heart failure, and anyway her daughter went to Eurodisney in 1993 on a school trip and it was rubbish ! - there is a snobbery associated with WDW with DLRP as the "poor relation".

I totally agree on the points raised in the post above re: laundry facilities not working, but whatever hotel I stay in I would expect the facilities to be in good working order, that's good, fair customer service irrespective of brand name.

As far as I can see there is no comparison between the 2 apart from the Disney stamp. Size, culture, weather (believe me we don't need Air Conditioning very often in Northern Europe), location all play a part in the overall experience and perception.

During our 3 trips - two of them staying at value Disney hotels, we have had nothing but excellent service, the CM's I have met have been pleasant, friendly and helpful, perhaps I appreciate them a little more because in my job I work in the front line with the general public and some of you are absolutely awful, present company excepted of course - demanding and ill mannered.

We are in the very early planning stages of a WDW trip, so I may be back to eat my words, but I hope not.

 

[julieannbabe]

I have been to all 3 parks, and love them all (OK, I admit, I don't really love WDW... I merely survived it)

They are all 3 different, and all 3 have their positive and negative points.
Just come to DLP and see it with your own eyes, instead of keeping some negative trip reports of others in your head.

Besides, one of the comments here contradicts itself a couple of times...

sandra - out of interest - what didn't you like about WDW?

 

[SandraVB79]

I didn't even know the Santa Fe had laundry facilities, I thought you were supposed to go over at the Cheyenne... and since not that many Europeans do laundry while on vacation, I understand why there aren't that many.

Whenever I went to DLP in the summer time, it was always warm weather, and never did we feel we needed A/C. A/C is not something that is very common in Northern Europe. If you really need it, then you'll have to pay for a hotel category or two higher, they have it.


As Jill said, there is some WDW-snobbery towards as well DLP as DL. Quite frankly, just being back from WDW, I don't understand it.

Yes, they have more hotels. So what? I think at DLP, there is a good variety of different Disney hotels.
They have 4 parks. I think DLP covers many of the attractions/ rides being present at WDW (apart from epcot) It even has some more rides and attractions (I missed the storybookland boats and casey jr, they don't have a dragon, ...)

If you expect to find WDW in front of your nose, you should go to WDW. If you're open for other experiences, you'll enjoy DLP.



PS: If you book your trip through a German TA, then don't be surprised you'll find your documents being in German. I think DLP does a good job providing many different languages. At WDW, I couldn't find anything in my language (not that I expected)
PS2: If the fact that check-in happens "manually" versus per computer troubles you... well...
PS3: Every time I checked in at DLP, there has been an envelope ready at check-in with all documents in it, and they hand it over to me "manually". What is wrong with that? You can't expect them to have a computer doing that?

 

[SandraVB79]

sandra - out of interest - what didn't you like about WDW?

In general: the fact that the whole of WDW was so "huge". I was used to DL and DLP, where you can walk from one park to the other. Although the DLP-park-with-castle is the biggest one, it felt way cosier than the MK.

It also felt very much like a "factory" to me. The how-can-we-get-as-much-money-out-of-your-pockets-factory. Dl and DLP try to do the same thing, but it has never felt like that. At WDW, the logistics involved were too much.

At the MK, many things also felt very "fake", especially in Fantasyland. I can't really describe it other than: at DL and DLP, I get the feeling I'm in a real village towered by a castle. At WDW, I couldn't refrain from thinking they put bad facades in front of some rides. I mean, iasm isn't the same without the great facade with the train going through and the doll-show every 15 minutes!



It is not that I really didn't like it (OK, I really didn't like epcot), it wasn't the same sort of magic I was used to until then.

And since you'll want to know why I didn't like Epcot: 2 reasons:
1. FW: Land and Sea pavillions: very hectic, loud, ... I'd rather stay in line for Soarin in the sun than in that pavillion with all the noise!! Also, it felt a lot like some science museum to me, which isn't bad. But I went to WDW to feel DISNEY, and I didn't feel that over here. Next to that, I think some of the rides are outdated. I think they appeal mostly to people who have experienced them as kids, and like them out of nostalgia. Of course, that's not completely their fault, but it didn't make me like it.

2. WS: Well, I have been to many of those countries already, and wasn't too thrilled about seeing some representation of cliches. Next to that, I was alone. WS is a lot of eating and drinking and enyoing shows, and that doesn't work when you're alone. So, this wasn't really their fault either.

 

[StarGem]

Let's remember your going to hear far more from people with 'complaints' about DLP than you are from people who loved it. There are plenty of people who come and go at DLP everyday who have throughly enjoyed it.. there are plenty of happy smiling faces leaving the park at the end of the day... thats what it's all about!!

I personally find it very magical.

 

[bartty]

As a Floridian, who just happens to be living in germany right now, we like DLP fine. As a matter of fact I think DLP's space mountain and pirates of carribean ride is much better than the ones at WDW.
As for the hotels, we stayed at the sequioa in Feb and I was not too impressed with it, but I am very picky - my DH calls me a hotel snob - Americans have a higher expectation for "resorts". The sizes/condition of the rooms should never be compared to those of US hotels.
For service, the only time we had a problem was last year when we couldn't find the princesses and was finally told after asking 4 different CMs (all different answers) they had a "special event" going on... well, wish they told me the first time I asked because we wasted 2hours waiting!!!
But I don't let that one bad thing get in the way of me visiting, we are trying out HNY next month.

 

[lizbro]

Well I love DLRP and too be honest I get a bit fed up of reading about how wonderful WDW is in comparison.
When I suggested to a colleague (WDW veteran) the other day that by all accounts DLRP Magic Kingdom was not only bigger but also better than the one at WDW - she almost had heart failure, and anyway her daughter went to Eurodisney in 1993 on a school trip and it was rubbish ! - there is a snobbery associated with WDW with DLRP as the "poor relation"

i couldn`t agree more on that point jill!
now we are newcomers to all this and only just caught the `disney bug`but oh my have we caught it! when we came back from our first trip in march we were so excited telling everyone and they were saying `what wdw?` and we would reply `no we went to dlp`and we would get the standard `oh there,we went to wdw and it was fantastic,what a waste of time to go there`
almost like its the poor mans disney!!well you know we wouldn`t actually want to go to wdw yet,the size and the `full-on ness` scares me ,thats what we loved about dlp was that it was just nice and cute and so full of magic but yet you can step away from it if need be ,with 3 kids all under 9 i think wdw would be too much and you would lose the enjoyment of it ,in fact my mum offered to pay for us to go there next year but we asked for a week in the DLH instead!!
sorry rant over !!
liz

 

[Ware Bears]

thanks for your post.

man i am worried now!

i have been to WDW three times and ADORE the place and been to disneyland in Anaheim twice. I am going for my first trip to disneyland paris next month - I AM GONNA TRY MY HARDEST NOT TO COMPARE.

all i want is to have fun and enjoy myself.

I think this is the most important thing - that you don't compare. It's not WDW or DL but DLP It's Disney with a European flavour.

Go with an open mind and you will have a great time!

 

[marcus.ka]

I have been 11 times to DLRP and we are thinking about going to one of the US parks for some years now. And I have to say I'm a little afraid of the size of WDW! I can't imagine not to walk from one park to the other! A friend told me that you need 40 minutes with the bus from MK to AK!
I love the fact that all Hotels in DLRP are near to eachother! You can have dinner at SL and then walk to the bar of the NPBC and sleep in HNY!

 

[SandraVB79]

Marcus, why don't you try Disneyland before Disney World? The Californian House of Mouse can be compared (size-wise, logistics-wise) to DLP!

At WDW, although I had Park hoppers, I tried to avoid park hopping as much as possible, because of the long "transfer times". getting to Downtown Disney from a park by Disney transportation... gave me a good opportunity to see many Disney hotels!

For service, the only time we had a problem was last year when we couldn't find the princesses and was finally told after asking 4 different CMs (all different answers) they had a "special event" going on... well, wish they told me the first time I asked because we wasted 2hours waiting!!!

This is something that also can happen at any park. At DL in October, I wanted to view the Parade from a place where I had the float with Minnie and Mickey on it would stop, to have better picture opportunities, since they are my favourite. Not one CM was able to tell me where to go! That's life, nothing is perfect, not even Disney!

 

[sjaakie]

I have been 11 times to DLRP and we are thinking about going to one of the US parks for some years now. And I have to say I'm a little afraid of the size of WDW! I can't imagine not to walk from one park to the other! A friend told me that you need 40 minutes with the bus from MK to AK!
I love the fact that all Hotels in DLRP are near to eachother! You can have dinner at SL and then walk to the bar of the NPBC and sleep in HNY!

You really must forget park hopping. Look in my log and see. I ended in a wheelchair.(you can read a litlle Dutch?)
To much walking,hot knee,hospital and wheely at yhe end.

Both parks are wonderfull but don`t compare them. Everyone had his own ideas and standards.
Go for the magic.

 

[bavaria]

Welcome zigzag! I believe from your post that you are from the UK - sorry that you didn't have a good time.

Although I have yet to visit DLRP, I believe that many times the less than magical impressions are due to cultural differences and differences in business operations between Europe and other parts of the world.

The Disney parks outside the US do reflect the local culture and this may be why DLRP doesn't always get the best reviews from Americans.

Having lived, studied, and worked on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, I have experienced these differences many times. When I started working in Canada, I felt very uncomfortable with some things. (The lack of a formal tense ie 'though' vs 'you' for instance) At the time, being asked for a credit card at check in at a hotel in North America was standard; it was considered an insult in Germany (ie suspect credit). I also had a difficult time with what would be considered overly personal questions in Germany ('are you here for business? what brings you to town?') but are considered polite small talk in Canada.

This even though I had spent significant time in both countries as a child and young adult. When I started working in the United States last year, I had a challenge adjusting from Canada as well.

Like Sandra, I was not enamoured with WDW on my first visit and missed the detail and intimacy of DL. (I have leared to love WDW over the years for what it is - a large vacation resort unlike any of the other Disney theme parks)

I am still hoping to see DLRP this year, and my expectation is a wonderful Disney park unlike any of the others. I believe that comparing any of the Disney parks to one another will simply lead to disappointment, as no two are alike - they all take on some of the local flavour.

Best wishes

 

[BONITATIME]

Although I have yet to visit DLRP, I believe that many times the less than magical impressions are due to cultural differences and differences in business operations between Europe and other parts of the world.

The Disney parks outside the US do reflect the local culture and this may be why DLRP doesn't always get the best reviews from Americans.

Having lived, studied, and worked on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, I have experienced these differences many times. When I started working in Canada, I felt very uncomfortable with some things. (The lack of a formal tense ie 'though' vs 'you' for instance) At the time, being asked for a credit card at check in at a hotel in North America was standard; it was considered an insult in Germany (ie suspect credit). I also had a difficult time with what would be considered overly personal questions in Germany ('are you here for business? what brings you to town?') but are considered polite small talk in Canada.

This even though I had spent significant time in both countries as a child and young adult. When I started working in the United States last year, I had a challenge adjusting from Canada as well.
I am still hoping to see DLRP this year, and my expectation is a wonderful Disney park unlike any of the others. I believe that comparing any of the Disney parks to one another will simply lead to disappointment, as no two are alike - they all take on some of the local flavour.

Best wishes

Thanks for your comments I think it sums up the best I have seen the diferences good/or bad as a point of view of how difficulties arise.

 

[julieannbabe]

Welcome zigzag! I believe from your post that you are from the UK - sorry that you didn't have a good time.

Although I have yet to visit DLRP, I believe that many times the less than magical impressions are due to cultural differences and differences in business operations between Europe and other parts of the world.

The Disney parks outside the US do reflect the local culture and this may be why DLRP doesn't always get the best reviews from Americans.

Having lived, studied, and worked on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, I have experienced these differences many times. When I started working in Canada, I felt very uncomfortable with some things. (The lack of a formal tense ie 'though' vs 'you' for instance) At the time, being asked for a credit card at check in at a hotel in North America was standard; it was considered an insult in Germany (ie suspect credit). I also had a difficult time with what would be considered overly personal questions in Germany ('are you here for business? what brings you to town?') but are considered polite small talk in Canada.

This even though I had spent significant time in both countries as a child and young adult. When I started working in the United States last year, I had a challenge adjusting from Canada as well.

Like Sandra, I was not enamoured with WDW on my first visit and missed the detail and intimacy of DL. (I have leared to love WDW over the years for what it is - a large vacation resort unlike any of the other Disney theme parks)

I am still hoping to see DLRP this year, and my expectation is a wonderful Disney park unlike any of the others. I believe that comparing any of the Disney parks to one another will simply lead to disappointment, as no two are alike - they all take on some of the local flavour.

Best wishes

yes - thanks for the post.

good points.

xjx

 

[moikturtle]

I've pretty much grown up at Disneyland in CA and currently have an Annual Pass, so suffice to say I definitely love the place. That being said, we went to Disneyland Paris this past April and I absolutely adored it. I think that it was planned out very well, and was done beautifully. The only complaint I had, really, was that it closed FAR too early. I wish I'd had much more time to explore the parks because there was just so much to see. And, okay, I had a really hard time with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride there, but I guess it just makes me appreciate the CA version more.