Wrapping up 3 nights, 2 days at DLP. This makes 6 out of 6 Disney resorts worldwide for me, and my first time in France.
I know this isn’t an opportune time to visit, with so much under construction and WDSP’s rebirth underway. But since I was already in Paris, I couldn’t pass up the chance.
Surprisingly, DLP didn’t really meet my expectations of a Disney resort. Here are some thoughts:
Hotel
I stayed at Sequoia Lodge because it’s an affordable moderate close to the parks with pretty good historical reviews. I’d read that some think it's tired and dated, and that a full renovation is coming in January. I thought about switching my booking to Newport Bay but decided not to, something that I now regret. The rooms really are in need of updating, especially the bathrooms. The dark, dingy tile floor is not quite gross, but it's close. I think the lobby is actually pretty nice still, but overall the hotel needs work.
Beyond that, the room presentation was also disappointing. There was a large clump of hair on the shower curtain at check-in, the toilet smelled throughout my stay and the bedside lamp had burnt-out bulbs. Not the Disney standard I expect, especially at moderate pricing. I ended up asking the front desk if I could switch to Newport but was told there was no availability. Hopefully Sequoia will shine post-refurb, but for now I’d strongly recommend upgrading to Newport if possible.
Cleanliness & Maintenance
The biggest shock was a systemic lack of cleanliness across the resort. It was far below Disney standards and worse than any other resort I’ve visited. Paint was chipped everywhere: in queues, attractions and open spaces. Ride vehicles often had trash on the floor, including used tissues. About half the hand dryers in any given restroom didn’t work. I saw a WDSP stall with no toilet seat and no door lock. At night, I noticed every outdoor light fixture from the park entrance to Disney Village was off, with rented generator lights being used instead. Funnily enough, show maintenance actually seemed pretty solid, but overall upkeep was very poor. I complained at City Hall about this, not because I wanted to be dramatic but just in the hopes that my voice could be one additional data point.
Attractions
The lineup is fine, but I felt not much really stands out compared to other resorts. My favorites were easily Phantom Manor, PotC and the best version worldwide of BTMR (also have to shout out the castle dragon, which is easily one of the coolest things in any Disney park ever). It's fascinating how different Phantom Manor and PotC are and I would love to read more about why they were designed that way (any suggestions?). However I don't really know if I would say they were "the best" versions of those rides. I often hear people saying DLP has the "best" classic Pirates ride. But PM and PotC here are more like "remix" versions, which go out of their way to subvert existing expectations of those classic attractions, so to me they don't really play in the same category.
Where DLP really suffers is in cheap retrofits. PhilharMagic is easily the worst version worldwide and might be one of the most low effort attraction installations I've ever seen in any Disney park, with a completely dark, unused pre-show space with TV monitors that still have the Captain EO logo burned into them. And Cars Road Trip is so bad that it's actively annoying to ride.
As for WDSP, it’s still bad. I’d agree it’s the weakest Disney park in the world. With so few attractions, I can’t imagine what it was like at opening. Hopefully the expansion really turns it around cause it certainly needs it.
Entertainment does seem to be a strong point, with a very good day parade and fireworks show. However unfortunately I had to miss a lot of it as much of it was dark. Both Lion King and Mickey & The Magician were not showing.
Overall
I really am not trying to sound overly negative, there are actually a whole list of other let downs I could have mentioned (like how I found European guest behavior to be generally quite bad, only ahead of Shanghai), but the truth is that DLP honestly left me disappointed, the first Disney resort to do so. It really surprised me, as outside of WDSP I'd always heard good things, and I know there is a community that really loves this park and its history.
That said, I realize this isn’t an ideal time to visit. Hopefully from 2026 onward, with the renovations and expansions, I can give it another chance.
I know this isn’t an opportune time to visit, with so much under construction and WDSP’s rebirth underway. But since I was already in Paris, I couldn’t pass up the chance.
Surprisingly, DLP didn’t really meet my expectations of a Disney resort. Here are some thoughts:
Hotel
I stayed at Sequoia Lodge because it’s an affordable moderate close to the parks with pretty good historical reviews. I’d read that some think it's tired and dated, and that a full renovation is coming in January. I thought about switching my booking to Newport Bay but decided not to, something that I now regret. The rooms really are in need of updating, especially the bathrooms. The dark, dingy tile floor is not quite gross, but it's close. I think the lobby is actually pretty nice still, but overall the hotel needs work.
Beyond that, the room presentation was also disappointing. There was a large clump of hair on the shower curtain at check-in, the toilet smelled throughout my stay and the bedside lamp had burnt-out bulbs. Not the Disney standard I expect, especially at moderate pricing. I ended up asking the front desk if I could switch to Newport but was told there was no availability. Hopefully Sequoia will shine post-refurb, but for now I’d strongly recommend upgrading to Newport if possible.
Cleanliness & Maintenance
The biggest shock was a systemic lack of cleanliness across the resort. It was far below Disney standards and worse than any other resort I’ve visited. Paint was chipped everywhere: in queues, attractions and open spaces. Ride vehicles often had trash on the floor, including used tissues. About half the hand dryers in any given restroom didn’t work. I saw a WDSP stall with no toilet seat and no door lock. At night, I noticed every outdoor light fixture from the park entrance to Disney Village was off, with rented generator lights being used instead. Funnily enough, show maintenance actually seemed pretty solid, but overall upkeep was very poor. I complained at City Hall about this, not because I wanted to be dramatic but just in the hopes that my voice could be one additional data point.
Attractions
The lineup is fine, but I felt not much really stands out compared to other resorts. My favorites were easily Phantom Manor, PotC and the best version worldwide of BTMR (also have to shout out the castle dragon, which is easily one of the coolest things in any Disney park ever). It's fascinating how different Phantom Manor and PotC are and I would love to read more about why they were designed that way (any suggestions?). However I don't really know if I would say they were "the best" versions of those rides. I often hear people saying DLP has the "best" classic Pirates ride. But PM and PotC here are more like "remix" versions, which go out of their way to subvert existing expectations of those classic attractions, so to me they don't really play in the same category.
Where DLP really suffers is in cheap retrofits. PhilharMagic is easily the worst version worldwide and might be one of the most low effort attraction installations I've ever seen in any Disney park, with a completely dark, unused pre-show space with TV monitors that still have the Captain EO logo burned into them. And Cars Road Trip is so bad that it's actively annoying to ride.
As for WDSP, it’s still bad. I’d agree it’s the weakest Disney park in the world. With so few attractions, I can’t imagine what it was like at opening. Hopefully the expansion really turns it around cause it certainly needs it.
Entertainment does seem to be a strong point, with a very good day parade and fireworks show. However unfortunately I had to miss a lot of it as much of it was dark. Both Lion King and Mickey & The Magician were not showing.
Overall
I really am not trying to sound overly negative, there are actually a whole list of other let downs I could have mentioned (like how I found European guest behavior to be generally quite bad, only ahead of Shanghai), but the truth is that DLP honestly left me disappointed, the first Disney resort to do so. It really surprised me, as outside of WDSP I'd always heard good things, and I know there is a community that really loves this park and its history.
That said, I realize this isn’t an ideal time to visit. Hopefully from 2026 onward, with the renovations and expansions, I can give it another chance.
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