Trip Report Texas to Paris and back again!

[tweak89]

Well, we've (wife and I) returned from our trip to the Disneyland Paris Resort. We spent two full days in the parks and split 3 other days between Paris and the Parks.

Being from America, we have been to all the Walt Disney World parks as well as Disneyland California (recent enough to experience Cars Land) so I'll be adding comparisons here and there wherever it may seem helpful to those in America looking to visit Disney Paris and vice versa.

General impressions:

We took a direct flight from Houston to Paris (CDG) on Air France. We got to the Resort via private shuttle (Inter Service Prestige). Flight was uneventful and out shuttle was waiting for us. It was a LOT COLDER than we expected and we weren't quite prepared for it!!!

We booked our stay at the Cheyenne. We arrived early enough that our room wasn't ready so we checked out bags and took off to the main park (via the resort shuttle). The shuttle service is pretty much identical to that of the WDW parks. Fairly frequent, and the depot at the parks is well labeled so it's easy to get on the right bus.

We hit the ground running and knocked out quite a few rides. Space Mountain Mission 2 was the high and low light of the day.

It was out high as it turned out to be our favorite ride. It was our low because of the HORRIBLE line management. Just before the queue splits up for loading there are two sharp turns. We were literally crushed rounding the first turn by surge of people trying to shove there way in front of each other. Quite shocking in that smaller kids could conceivably be hurt by the surging crowds. NEVER seen or experienced anything like it at ANY amusement park (and I've been to many). Quite disgraceful.

We also were able to ride Phantom Manor, Pirates, Small World and Peter Pan before heading back to check in and grab some extra clothes for warmth!!

We ended up in the Sundance block, nice and quiet and close to the path that leads to the parks (we walked the path daily, foregoing the use of the shuttle).

After bundling up we headed back to the parks and split the rest of the evening between the two parks and turned in somewhat early (we did no catch Dreams the first night).

The next day, our first full day) we got up early (we chose 7am breakfast) and got to the main park for Early Magic Hours then bounced between the parks trying to stay one step ahead of the crowds.

We caught Dreams this night and loved it. What a great spectacle!

We split the next three days between Paris and the parks. We loved having the train depot so close. We took the RER and used the Metro as well for roaming around Paris.

Detailed impression in the next post.

Random photos from our trip:

 

[tweak89]

In this post it will be more specific with comparisons across Disneyland California (DLR), Walt Disney World Florida (WDW) and Disneyland Paris (DLP).

The details:

Resort:

Those who have stayed at any Disney Resort knows you are paying a premium for Magic Hours and convenient access to the parks as well as a certain atmosphere that can only come from Disney. We have stated on property at each park.

We stayed at the Cheyenne for this trip. At WDW we have stayed at Port Orleans (3 times) and at Paradise Pier at DLR (once). As far as the overall quality of the room the Cheyenne would be last. If this were in the WDW resort chain it would be classified as a value resort. Nothing wrong with it, it was a comfortable place to rest up each night. Room was clean but looked as if it was ready for a refresh. Our bathroom door handle was sort of falling apart (missing screws) as well and you had to jiggle the door handle to get the access card to work.

Food at the resort:

What can I say, sub par. Breakfast was fine (you can't really screw up bread and cheese!!). We had dinner there one evening and it was disappointing to say the least. Quite bland, bordering on flavorless. Tried the chicken, ribs, vegetables, rice, and pizza. Felt that it was money wasted.

The food service itself was somewhat comparable to Paradise Pier in that the main eatery was basically buffet style and there was no ala-carte take away. Port Orleans at WDW wins this on by a landslide with its varied food selection in the main cafeteria and the tasty sit down food in it's main restaurant.


The Parks:

Lets get this out of the way first. The parks of WDW win this one. DLP and DLR are 2a and 2b for some of the same deficiencies compared to WDW.

We love all the Disney Parks for different reasons and we found a lot to like at DLP.

A few of the things we thought were done better at DLP: The Castle, Space Mountain Mission 2, Pirates, Phantom Manor and Thunder Mountain and the Dreams Castle show.

With the Castle, Thunder, and Space Mountain it's not even close. All are just leagues better than their counterparts at DLR and WDW.

Pirates and Phantom Manor have better overall presentations than the other versions as well.

Tower of Terror is a draw between the parks. While WDW has the track part that the other version do not have, the actual thrill part is the same. It's one of our favorites and the DLP version was as well.

Rock'n Roller Coaster....umm....where's rockin' part??? You launch into....SILENCE!! What a bizarre experience, especially if you have ridden the Hollywood Studios version at WDW.

Indiana Jones was just way too darn short. What great theming throughout, but where is the Indy theme during the ride??? Oh, and it's just too short!!!

Crush's Coaster was a fun little coaster, not worth more than a 20 minute wait. It's similar in concept to Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom (WDW) and there is rarely a wait for that version! Theming can make a huge difference in making a ride desirable.

We were a little disappointed at just how small Walt Disney Studios is. Seems to be the smallest of all Disney parks we've been too. We enjoyed the unique to this park shows, but it was just so tiny!!!!

Another thing we liked a lot about DLP was the strong theming of Discoveryland (Tomorrowland at DLR and WDW) and Fantasyland. Just a much more integral look to those lands.

So, with so much to like at DLP why is it not number one? Ride management, queue management and CM attitude.

Ride management: Too many instances of too few cars running for too many people and a lot of breakdowns.

Queue Management: The line cutting we encountered as well as the ridiculous "mosh pit" area of Space mountain could be contained with CM's placed strategically at choke/wide open areas of ride queues. If no one is around to say DON'T, people always will. We noticed a lot of the queues went from wide to narrow to wide with several ambiguous areas (mostly at turns). We have never had any issues on our visits to DLR and WDW.

CM attitude: This one is not even close. The CM's at WDW must be hatched somewhere on property to love their jobs. Always cheerful and into their "theme".

DLP and DLC are nearly identical in this category. It's not that their CM's are doing anything badly, they just seem to go through the motions. The only exception at DLP were the "elevator operators" at Tower of Terror. They seemed to be the only ones who "get it" for lack of a better term.

In the overall rankings DLP would have been a clear second were it not for the new Cars Land at California Adventure. It's like walking right into the movie. Probably the best themed area at any of the parks (we have not visited WDW since the new Fantasyland expansion opened).

So, overall we were thrilled to have the chance to visit Disneyland Paris. It's home to our new favorite, Space Mountain Mission 2 and has the best castle hands down. Walt Disney Studios seems like it could have been a "land" in the main park rather than its own separate entity.

A few more random shots:

 

[Isila]

I love your photos

 

[markpsych]

Rock'n Roller Coaster....umm....where's rockin' part??? You launch into....SILENCE!! What a bizarre experience, especially if you have ridden the Hollywood Studios version at WDW.

Just to clarify....it shouldn't be silent

But is so often is

Why they can't sort this out after so many years is beyond me

 

[tweak89]

Just to clarify....it shouldn't be silent

But is so often is

Why they can't sort this out after so many years is beyond me

We figured as much, but it was still jarring nonetheless. Really detracts from the overall experience. We also like the looks of the ride cars at Hollywood Studios better, they look like classic hot rod cars and better fit the overall theme.

As beautifully realized as lands are over at the main park, I'm surprised that Walt Disney Studios seems somewhat disconnected for lack of a better term. It's like they kept adding random ride/show ideas until it was big enough to justify it as a separate park.

A few more comments on our overall experience:

We liked the euro influence on the park menus. Crepes, waffles (not sure what they actually called them), the sugary popcorn (called Kettle Corn here in the states) and the euro style sandwiches were a nice change from what we encounter at theme parks in the US.

Forgot to mention earlier when commenting on rides, we really like this version of It's a Small World. Maybe because it's the newest version, but it was a much brighter, cleaner look than the other parks.

Here are some pics from our adventures around Paris:

 

[MinnieVanMom]

As an expat living in Europe I truly appreciate your trip report. I think the CM's are what truly set the WDW apart from any other. They are the magic.

 

[DLPdaft]

Thanks for this TR, its very interesting to read your thoughts and comparisons. It looks like you needed those extra layers of clothes to keep cosy too .

 

[nycdisneygal]

Thank you for the report and comparison!
I love all of your pics!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Thanks for your report! (Fellow Texan here - it can be a strange thing to be at a Disney park when it is so cold - had a cold DLRP trip once - brrrr! Then again at Christmas the weather totally fits and makes it even more special IMO!)

 

[nyck]

Loved reading your report! I live in Illinois and will be going to DLRP Jan 3-6th 2014. Like you, I have been to DL and WDW since I have my DVC and know DL Paris will be different, but I am looking forward to something new! I go to DL once a year and WDW every 4-6 months, so change is good! Me and 2 friends are doing what I call the Ultimate Disney trip, 3 nights in DL Anaheim, then 3 nights at WDW, then 3 nights at DLRP, then 4 nights in London (no Disney here but the Harry Potter Tour looks wonderful and London IS only 2 1/2 hours via Eurostar from Disney so why not)! We are staying at the Disneyland Paris hotel. I had thought about the Newport Bay hotel since it look similar to the Yacht Club at WDW, but we decided to "Go Big" or go home with this trip.

 

[MPwifey]

I loved your TR. I have been to DL and WDW, and will be traveling to DLP in June. I have a very random question for you, where were you at in those last photos of Paris, especially the one where you can see the Eiffel Tower behind you( and the bars to keep people from falling)