(disclaimer -- Before I start getting hate mail, understand that I'm only reporting on what we saw and then comparing to Disney World. I'm not making this stuff up!)
Thanks to an awesome business trip to Europe this August, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris. I had originally intended on doing a generic trip report on what we liked and disliked vs. Walt Disney World but instead we both found ourselves in disbelief. Fortunately, the main part of our trip had us in Monte Carlo so it wasn't a total bust but WOW would we have been disappointed if we booked a trip with DLP being the only reason; although I'm not sure if anybody does that anyway!
For starters, we knew going into this that it would be insanely crowded in August because it was Holiday. Being that we are WDW regulars at this point and have visited there a few times over July 4th and New Years Eve, this didn't concern us much. We were also looking forward to something new being that we have been going to WDW at least once every year since 1999. And some years, depending on luck and business travel, we've been there 4 or 5 times in a year. So needless to say, we know WDW inside out and have owned annual passes many years even though we live in NJ.
I'm also a big believer in Kevin Yee's declining by degrees series. I firmly believe he is right on track and we have also seen things happening little by little over the years since there are usually gaps in our visits. However, this recent trip to DLP set me straight and made me realize that things really aren't THAT bad.... yet, here at WDW. It does scare me a bit because I do believe we just saw where we are heading if things don't turn around soon.
So onto the review/comparisons...
First impressions say a lot. We were staying at the Marriot in Roisyy which is right by the Paris airport (CDG). This was partly because we could stay there using my rewards and partly because of the great access we'd have to the TGV (High Speed Rail) and the RER (Regional Rail) lines. We ended up paying more, I think about 15 Euros, and took the TGV both days. You can't beat a 12 minute train ride at 200MPH.
Awesome Train
[smg id=791]
The TGV drops you off right in the main hub area for Disney Village (think Downtown Disney), Walt Disney Studios and of course, Parc Disneyland. While I didn't expect things to be all rosy, we were a bit surprised at just how run down this whole area was. There were street dealers selling made-in-china crap on towels right on the ground, photographers hounding you and broken up pavement everywhere.
Broken Pavement
[smg id=796]
[smg id=786]
We then headed to the security checkpoint for the pointless bag check. There was ZERO organization here and it was just a frustrating mob. Zero cast members assisting with anything either.
[smg id=789]
Once through, I did like how they have the Disneyland Hotel out front. However, I didn't like it as much when leaving the park because is messes up the perspective of the train station. But that's a minor gripe.
[smg id=780]
Hard to see the train station looking this direction
[smg id=790]
Once through, I couldn't get over how much room there was! I really wish Florida had made some of their sections this big. The entire hub area felt larger, the buildings themselves had a better look and feel to them and the entire Main Street area had an awesome vibe. Unfortunately, it appears they decided to stop taking care of it 10 years ago. The designers did an amazing job in building what I'd personally consider a far superior Main Street USA only to then let it rot. Everywhere you look there were signs of neglect and it was dirty.
[smg id=784]
[smg id=787]
[smg id=788]
[smg id=793]
At WDW, I always geek out and play a game of finding the burned out light bulbs. I've never found more than 10 on any given night. I'm sure there is at times but it's just so few and far between that it's hard to spot them. At DLP, you can't play this game. There were probably hundreds of burned out bulbs. I gave up since it went from being a fun game because of how outstanding the show is at WDW to being depressing.
Another aspect of Main Street that we LOVED at DLP was the "arcades" on either side. They were basically back alleys behind all of the main street shops with their entrances disguised as arcades. AMAZING idea! This helps HUGE with crowd control during park closings I'm sure and also gives you a way to beat the weather but still go in and out of the shops (there were back entrances to each shop). Unfortunately, even here ,the awesome themeing was disturbed by always having 25% of the beautiful gas lamps not working.
This is how backstage should be done!
[smg id=795]
Working our way up to the hub we saw what we both felt was a far more impressive castle. WOW was this thing amazing. You could also walk under, through, and on various levels of the castle. The cave into the dungeon with the Dragon was one of my personal favorites of the trip. Even here there were signs of neglect; though not as bad. But everywhere you looked there was an issue. Take this photo for instance where you see that weed-whacking isn't really done at DLP. This was the case all over the resort. Not a big deal but there were so many areas with over grown weeds like this.
[smg id=783]
[smg id=785]
[smg id=782]
[smg id=792]
[smg id=798]
[smg id=797]
We then headed over to Discovery Land, DLP's version of Tomorrow land. This area is home to Space Mountain, Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, Captain Eo and the Speedway. Again, upon entering, I see something unusual for a Disney park. Graffiti on the rocks as you enter.
Click to enlarge if you can't see it
[smg id=781]
Next up was a ride on Space Mountain - Mission 2. AWESOME ride! A slight bummer because this isn't something the younger kids could go on but since ours weren't along, who cares! This ride rocked! Again though, graffiti all over the place in the queue.
[smg id=794]
After that we rode Buzz which was FAR superior to Florida with the removal shooters, target feedback, aim assistance and overall cooler layout. Great ride! We then went in to see Michael Jackson one last time although another recurring thing happened in that there was no air conditioning in the theater. In fact, ac was nowhere to be found. Not even the shops! At times it was hotter in the shops than outside which was a problem being that it was 85 degrees out!
Coming soon, Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland and our final impressions of DLP before heading over to that 2nd gate. The 2nd gate that they shouldn't charge for.
Topic: Disneyland Paris Trip Report (Read 1727 times)