Disneyland Paris v. WDW

BryceM

Well-Known Member
As far as the Studio parks go, do you think that Disney's Hollywood Studios is on equal grounds with Walt Disney Studios Park? I did a full walk-through of Walt Disney Studios Park, and I still believe that Disney's Hollywood Studios is the far better of the two. I just wanted to see what other people's opinions are when it comes to which is better... (DHS is my second favorite WDW park)
 

WDWFigment

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As far as the Studio parks go, do you think that Disney's Hollywood Studios is on equal grounds with Walt Disney Studios Park? I did a full walk-through of Walt Disney Studios Park, and I still believe that Disney's Hollywood Studios is the far better of the two. I just wanted to see what other people's opinions are when it comes to which is better... (DHS is my second favorite WDW park)

DHS is my least favorite WDW park, and I still think it's miles above WDS. MILES.
 

Azerin

Active Member
Yeah, I have been here a long time but don't post that often never seem to have time :\ (and thank you for the kind words :D )

Glad that you got to see Animagique and liked it... I too have taken pictures of it :p I understand the reason for the rule; however, if you can take pictures without visible light (which obviously both of us can do) I don't see what the big deal is; however, there are so many people that can't seem to understand basic restrictions that I guess they have to make it a blanket rule.

Filler is probably a poor term because I definitely don't think it is meaningless... all the other stuff adds so much to the parks that it is what it really makes them special and as you said is the "heart of a Disney park". I do think they could make it a good park without completely razing it... that being said I think they need to make some big changes and get rid of some stuff to really allow it to work... remove the tram tour so that the park can grow in that direction is the first thing, possibly getting rid of Studio 1 and make an actual Hollywood Boulevard, etc... basically I think it is the center of the park that needs to be replaced... the front and sides I think could survive although most parts of the sides (Animation Courtyard, Backlot) definitely need more theming/placemaking. I think they did themselves a HUGE diservice when they built the park with how it is laid out because they don't have enough room currently to really make the whole park great. Normally when we go over there it is for a specific purpose and end back at Parc Disneyland pretty quickly as there just isn't anything to really keep us there for longer periods of time. So I don't completely disagree with you about the park... but I try to see the good in it :)
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
That was a great, honest report. You touch on a LOT of areas, and its nice to read from a first timer who's a US Park veteran.

Sorry about Blue Lagoon and Walts. We found the former to use its location more than food to get people in, but Walts has become a favourite of ours. Overall, we found food to be better than average, with more chances to eat more than fast food without paying an arm and a leg like in the MK. However, I will say this year that getting burgers and fries at Videopolis in Discoveryland even surpassed Electric Umbrella at noon on July 4th for wait time!

Maintainence is coming along leaps and bounds. As you rightly say, they do have a long way to go. The DL hotel seems to have an inherent issue with its popcorn lighting. Elsewhere, cosmetics are still taking time to get back to top standards but at least attraction SQ has been hit head on. So many details in the D and E rides were working I wouldn't know where to begin. It was a joy to see. And also in DLPs favour, they admit things got bad and that they are working to bring standards back up and above where they should be. They aren't sitting on their DVC laurels like Orlando. They publically say they have problems and they are actively working to resolve them.

Finally, for now, I think you were partly right about the Studios Park. It's too small. It has areas of greatness amongst mediocrity. For some reason the park has slowly edged its footprint out instead of adding a substantial development of physical space. Ratatouille will add to this mystery. A flagship E Ticket should be at the end of a longer Sunset Blvd, not pushed out in the berm out of sight. They got Towers location wrong, and they're missing the chance again. Even so, we found the WDSP to be almost a full day - given its shorter hours and cramped space for summer crowds. It is however both attraction-wise and aesthetically-wise far better than our first visit just after opening in 2002. Hard to believe maybe! It also has to be approached as a different type of park to that next door. I think that is a big problem. It's as different to DLP (and the MK) as DCA is to DL.
 

Bolna

Well-Known Member
I'll be the first to admit that I am not familiar enough with DLP to spot all of the maintenance issues that a regular might be able to see. To my untrained eye, things didn't look too bad. Certainly not nearly as many issues as there were in 2011 when that Parkology post to which I linked was written. I think we benefited a lot from refurbishments for the 20th anniversary.

Our first few trips, the enthusiasm of the WDW Cast Members really helped "make" the trips. The novelty of it wears off, and knowing that some of it is fake (not all of it--I know plenty of CMs who really, really love their jobs and are actually enthusiastic) makes it lose its luster, too.

Oh, yes definitely there were a lot of improvements for the 20th - and I read somewhere that they continued the refurbishments after the busy season. So maybe you already got the benefit of things they addressed in the autumn.

I find it interesting what you say about the novelty wearing off - most of my DLP visits were before I started to travel to WDW more frequently. And on my recent trips I missed the enthusiasm much less. Maybe because I myself have become a "seasoned" Disney traveller and have started to look for other things than during my first trips.

Also, I read your comments about WDS and to an extent I agree that the only way to help this park would be to totally rebuild large chunks of it! However, you have no idea how bleak it was in 2003 (when I first visited) before ToT, before Crush, before Toy Story Playland (which I find a waste of money, but at least it is a little bit whimsical to look at). I never thought that Disney would be able to build something so devoid of any charm. By now I have come to tolerate it as it does have a few nice attractions (Cinemagique, Animagique, the French versions of RnRC and ToT).
 

Bolna

Well-Known Member
However, I will say this year that getting burgers and fries at Videopolis in Discoveryland even surpassed Electric Umbrella at noon on July 4th for wait time!

I thought the universal Disney food rule was: never buy food in Tomorrowland (or the Paris version of it)... :D
 

Jo DeVil

Well-Known Member
I love the report and the photo. We have been to DLP but for us it is WDW's poor relation! The cost for us from the North of Scotland is just too much to justify for 3 nights at the Disney Sequoia lodge, which is mid range, flying to Paris, for 2 adults 1 child, would cost us about £3000 ($4800) for B&B and park entry. All I can think about is that is £3000 towards 14 nights at WDW, with better food, and lots more to see and for a longer trip. TTFN Jo
 

Tiggerfanatic

Well-Known Member
I love the report and the photo. We have been to DLP but for us it is WDW's poor relation! The cost for us from the North of Scotland is just too much to justify for 3 nights at the Disney Sequoia lodge, which is mid range, flying to Paris, for 2 adults 1 child, would cost us about £3000 ($4800) for B&B and park entry. All I can think about is that is £3000 towards 14 nights at WDW, with better food, and lots more to see and for a longer trip. TTFN Jo
Yeah, that dollar to euro exchange rate was a killer. If I hadn't already been in Scotland, I know I would never have made the trip. I could have spent a week at WDW for what I spent for 3 days in DLP. But, like I said, it was a once in a lifetime experience (besides, DH offered to pay to there was no way I was passing on that!)
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Firstly, great report, Tom. And so happy you guys got to see another side of Disney. Too many people think WDW is all there is when it comes to Disney theme parks and that is so far from the truth.

My comments will likely be shorter than planned. But, frankly, the hysterics over Disney Bloggers and how many free events they can get into has sort of zapped my energy for the boards (mixed with a general disgust for our society brought on my the school slaughter).

That said, I really don't care much about the Steelers and Cowboys so here goes.

My wife and I traveled to Disneyland Resort Paris (DLRP) as part of a trip to Paris and London over Thanksgiving (which, oddly, Europe doesn't seem to celebrate). We spent three days in DLRP, visiting Disneyland Paris (DLP) for most of those three days, and the Walt Disney Studios Park (WDS) for a few hours.​
Isn't that odd? I found out the same thing in China two years ago! (But had an amazing T-Day meal nonetheless)​
I'm very glad we did, as we did not notice much of the decay and assorted other problems that have been reported over the years.​
I have heard from friends, including Martin, that things were improving greatly. I can say (as I told you off the forums) that I found the condition of the resort in May to be overall quite bad. Worst show quality I've ever seen and I've been numerous times. I do wonder, though, how much you just wouldn't realize as a first-timer. It's the same thing I say about first-timers to WDW. If something is glaring, then folks notice. But if effects are missing or things have been removed, a newbie isn't gonna notice.​

Overall, DLP seemed like it was in excellent shape. I didn't notice any non-working effects in any attraction besides PotC, which sporadically was without its swinging pirate during our visit, and Mystic Manor, which was without its headless "Dreamfinder" Mayor for the duration of our trip. That said, I have never watched any ride-through videos of DLRP attractions, so other things could have been missing or not working and could have gone unnoticed by me.​
PoC was in the worst shape I had seen in May. No swinging pirate. No dueling pirates. No moving chains on the lift into the fort. Phantom Manor (you thinking about HKDL? :)) was OK except the phantom in the mirrors scene wasn't working. Rides like Small World and Space Mountain were disasters.​
Overall, maintenance/cleanliness seemed solid within DLP. There was some random moss in a few places where it shouldn't have been, but considering the weather in Marne-la-Vallee (MLV), this wasn't *too* bad. We also noticed some "tagging" in a few queues, which was disappointing. Outside of the parks, around the hotels and in the Village, cleanliness was worse.​
The bigger issue, though, was lighting. DLP has a great deal of lighting, especially popcorn lights, and an inordinate number of these lights (except on the Main Street buildings themselves) were burnt out. I know there's some debate on the significance of this, but it was not a minor number of lights that were burnt out in some places. Not as bad as the Grand Floridian, but not just one or two here or there. It was bad enough that I couldn't read the lit marquee for the Plaza Garden Restaurant at night. At was also fairly bad on the Disneyland Hotel, which serves as a gateway to DLP. Even entire strands of lights on the brand new Christmas garland were not working!​
Yep. This is a major issue they have. I think it would take a team working for weeks to begin to deal with it. I have heard that Disney wants to get things in shape (hence the latest restructuring) but time will tell.​
Dining options were also pretty bad in DLP. We ate at Walt's and Blue Lagoon and our meals were so bad at each of these restaurants that we nixed plans for California Grill and Inventions (we still ate at the latter for breakfast). I've heard that dining at DLRP is just so-so, but these meals were truly bad, and I consider myself somewhat forgiving of Disney dining. If you go to DLRP, save your dining budget for (real) Paris, where the food is amazing just about everywhere.​
Never done Blue Lagoon because I've heard horror stories and seen pics of mice in the place (not foamheads, either). But Walt's has always been very good and I can only hope that you just had a bad experience, which can happen anywhere. Some of the meals there have been phenomenal.​
After this, we ate exclusively at CS restaurants, and were pleasantly surprised by these (we heard burgers were universally awful at CS, so we avoided those). None of the restaurants served mindblowing cuisine, and there wasn't much unique fare, but it was palatable, and not too expensive. Toad Hall was the single-coolest CS restaurant I've ever experienced (it's better than Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland...really!), and the fish and chips were solid there. Other restaurants are similarly amazingly detailed, and are worth visiting just to see (we were able to step inside each of them before they opened, as the doors were unlocked). Restaurants were randomly closed on certain days, but apparently you can call and get a schedule. Earl of Sandwich is actually the best dining option (I know it doesn't seem right to go to France and then eat at an American chain, but all of the in-park food is American, and at least Earl is good and reasonably priced), and it has free WiFi.​
The best thing about Earl, which I like but think is one of those greatly overrated fanboi deals like Le Cellier or Dole Whips, is the prices are cheap when compared to anything in the parks, even if it can be inconvenient to get to due to the way security is set up there.​
Toad Hall is also quite good for what it is.​
So the tone of this might sound negative up until now...don't let that dissaude you from going. In general, though, DLP was incredible. It was the most detailed Disneyland-style park of the three I've experienced, and the only thing that prevents it from topping Disneyland as my favorite Disney theme park is the dining and the issue with the lights. The detail and artisanship of DLP is amazing. We spent an inordinate amount of time on Main Street, which is brimming with detail, and has multiple layers of storytelling (not the contrived type, either). Frontierland is the same way, and although Phantom Manor is a substantial departure from other Haunted Mansions, but it works (it's backstory is a tad more contrived, but still solid). Fantasyland is sprawling and beautiful ('it's a small world's' holiday overlay was disappointing, as was the set art in general...and I'm not really a huge Mary Blair fan). Discoveryland is a brilliant take on the Tomorrowland concept, and I loved the look of Space Mountain, even if the ride beat up my ears pretty badly.​
The detailing is quite amazing. They spared very little expense and it shows. ... to be continued.​
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
I know I'm glossing over these, but I'll answer any questions you have about particular lands in more detail...​


Disney Dreams is incredible and uses technology brilliantly. The story is sort of flimsy, but I appreciate that there is a story rather than a random montage.​

I didn't find the story flimsy at all. What I also loved was that it wasn't Princess-centric and that it featured many films, especially Hunchback of Notre Dame, that get left out of Disney shows in favor of the Toy Story gang or Nemo.​

And it's about time they built a nighttime show around Peter Pan instead of Tinker Bell.​

DLP looks beautiful for Christmas, and even its 20 year old tree (I hear they're getting a new one next year) doesn't show its age too badly. The new Christmas Cavalcade is cute, but nothing special. Overall, Magic Kingdom and Disneyland both do much more for Christmas, but DLP is definitely no slouch.

I have never been at Christmas, so I have nothing to compare it to. But the only resorts that update their Christmas entertainment regularly are the Asian ones. TDL has a new parade practically EVERY year. I realized last year in Anaheim (where I hadn't been for Christmas since 2007) how truly tired The Christmas Fantasy Parade is. And looking at pics of the MK, it seems like the decorations are the same ones that were up 20 years ago (or more). You need to change things up.​


What really impressed me is the layers and layers of detail wherever you looked. Shops, restaurants, queues, etc., were all designed with meticulous attention to detail. I can see why that park cost so much. The Castle is beyond incredible. The park is amazing.​

So so true. From having a dragon in the castle dungeon with a 'secret' entrance in a shop to the props around BTMRR to the signage on Main Street, there just is a layering that you only get at TDS as a whole.​

Then, you go next door to WDS. That park is worse than DCA 1.0. I had heard bad things about it, and suspected people were exaggerating. They were not. The park is a mess in every conceivable way and needs some serious placemaking. We spent three hours there, and that was about 2 too many. Crush's Coaster was okay, but it's really overrated and probably wasn't worth the 30 minute wait we endured in its largely generic queue.​


The stark contrast between WDS and DLP was really surprising. Toad Hall, alone, is probably more detailed than all of WDS. Hopefully the Ratatouille dark ride and its surrounding area will make things better...​

Placemaking will never work for that park. Did you notice the one key element it lacks that can be found in every other Disney Park in the world?​

It was built on the cheap and to ensure Disney didn't lose the land. But it has a depressing vibe that I've never felt in other parks. That said, it actually has some wonderful attractions. Cinemagique is one of the best at the resort. Anamagique is very good too. Armageddon is the best special effects show of its type. ToT is the same as DCA and has some great CMs. I prefer RnRC at DSP when the effects are working fog and stage lighting beat plywood cutouts in O-Town. I even would enjoy Stitch Live over Turtle Talk, but that's a personal taste. I like Crush's Coaster as well, but agree it isn't worth the waits it regularly has.​


We stayed in Sequoia Lodge at the recommendation of @marni1971 who said it was recently refurbished, and it was an excellent choice. I visited every single other hotel (but not the campground), and I definitely think we made the right decision. For a value resort, Cheyenne was pretty cool, but for the price and distance from the parks, you'd be better off staying in Val d'Europe and taking the train. (We stayed there our first night in a beautiful, brand new hotel for less than it would have cost to stay at the Cheyenne.) All of the other hotels besides Disenyland Hotel seem fairly dated (especially the distinctly-Graves Hotel New York). Hotel Santa Fe is downright creepy as many of the buildings are closed to the public as it undergoes a massive rennovation. DLH is pretty, but not pretty enough for its nightly price. So my suggestion here for anyone using this as a trip planning post would be Sequoia or off-site.​

My strong recommendation would be to stay off-site even in Paris and train in. The resorts were pretty much ignored for 20 years. Only Sequoia has had a full renovation and, even there, I noticed many corners were cut. I stayed in a Grand Villa at the nearby Marriott Village, which was amazing. But usually I'll Priceline a very nice hotel in Paris (4-star) for between $80-150 a night. The Disney service at the Parisian resorts generally makes WDW's look top-notch.​


Disney Village is a mix of old and new. The World of Disney store is brand new, but there are several dated stores nearby.​

WoD wasn't open in the spring. But the entire Village needs (and will be getting) a major makeover. It is very ugly and was always the weak point of the resort from an architecture standpoint.​


As far as overall layout goes, DLRP is a mix of DLR and WDW. It's small enough that you can walk everywhere, but there are more hotels than at DLR. It's still much closer in nature to DLR than it is WDW.​


A lot of people have asked me about Cast Members and other guests. In general, we found the French to be great. That said, I always made an effort to initiate every conversation in French, and concede after a couple sentences that I comprehend a little French and can't speak it well. At this point, most gladly spoke English. If you approach people and immediately start speaking English, don't expect the same results. Then again, how many of you are extremely pleasant to folks who come up to you and only speak another language? In our experience, the popular sentiment that the French are rude is a myth. If you're disrespectful to them, many will be rude. Isn't that true in any society, though?​


In DLRP, almost every Cast Member can speak enough English to assist guests.​

That's always been my experience and my French is likely no better than yours. Most CMs speak English or understand enough to help you. The only resort where you won't find this is Tokyo.​

The CMs were definitely not as cheery as US Cast Members, but we didn't mind this at all. I'd rather have real enthusiasm than feigned enthusiasm, and at least you know that's what you're getting when you encounter an enthusiastic CM in DLRP. None of them were rude to us, but we also didn't hear many say "have a magical day!" Personally, this is something I don't need. I'd rather have an awesome park to experience than 20 people tell me to have a magical day. YMMV on that.

One of the worst aspects of WDW, to me, is the 'Have a MAGICal Day' nonsense or the "Welcome Home' crap. I love that the other resorts don't participate in this hokey 90s way of pretending to care, but still try and attain a high level of genuine guest service. I know some folks need those hokey greetings as part of the Pixie Dust addiction, though.​

Another thing I noticed was that there weren't many strollers and I didn't notice a single ECV. I'm not going to open a can of worms by commenting on this, so I'll let it speak for itself...

You can see plenty of strollers in more crowded periods. But they are not the giant double-wides that make WDW a living hell on moderately busy days. And ECVs ... well, you'll only see those if someone has a medical need. There's not the morbid obesity issue that we have here (although those UKers seem to want to be like us!)​


Other guests were generally fine, too. There's a lot of smoking in the park. I've heard of guests walking on grass and throwing trash on the ground, but I didn't notice this. We went during a particularly slow season, so there was really no need to walk on grass.

Trash hasn't really been a problem on my visits (and I've had an AP for something like five of the last eight years), but I have seen the walking on the grass and camping out for parades and shows in the planters/ walled off areas. Some people like to blame the Spanish (sorta the way WDW fans will attack Brazilians) but I've seen people clearly from all over the world do this there. And, unfortunately, the cast does let them get away with it.​


This is already really long, but I think this is a good start.

One caveat I want to add before concluding is that although I pay close attention to detail in the parks, I know there were things I didn't notice. I know this because I've since looked at some DLRP forums (auto-translate in Chrome is such an awesome feature) and people have pointed these things out. Some, like the large apparatus that secures the garland strands, were so obvious that I can't believe I missed them. I'm sure there were some other things.​


In closing, I think DLRP is often overshadowed by TDR, and I can understand that. But DLP is a really special park that's definitely worth a visit if traveling to Europe. The rest of DLRP is interesting, too, but nothing around which I'd plan a visit. A serious Disney fan could spend a ton of time exploring DLP, though.​


EDIT: I forgot about the WDW comparison. This is already too long, but in DLP v. MK, DLP trounces MK. Hotel-wise and dining-wise, WDW is superior. Maintenance-wise, I'll give a slight edge to DLP.​


I always suggest WDW regulars to visit DL before anywhere else, but when traveling beyond, DLP is the first place I'd advise a US Disney fan to go. It's beautiful. Has many unique attractions and features. And the cultural differences aren't as great as going to Asia. DLP offers a lot and I wish I were headed back before my AP expires (not likely). I'd only suggest that there really is more worthwhile in DSP than you gave it credit for. It isn't a park for great photography, though, and since that's a part of your trips I understand why you'd want to be at the beautiful Parc Disneyland instead.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Space Mountain is totally different than WDW's. The inversions rattled me up pretty good.

It's very rough to the point of barely being worth it for me.

Riding in the front row, which I request now, helps some.

But it needs some major work, likely new trains.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
As far as the Studio parks go, do you think that Disney's Hollywood Studios is on equal grounds with Walt Disney Studios Park? I did a full walk-through of Walt Disney Studios Park, and I still believe that Disney's Hollywood Studios is the far better of the two. I just wanted to see what other people's opinions are when it comes to which is better... (DHS is my second favorite WDW park)

DHS is my least favorite WDW park, and I still think it's miles above WDS. MILES.

In theming and overall feel, TPFKaTD-MGMS is miles better than DSP. ... In actual attractions I enjoy experiencing, DSP wins by a bit.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
I thought the universal Disney food rule was: never buy food in Tomorrowland (or the Paris version of it)... :D

HAH!

Cosmic Ray's is at least OK. ... and I became a regular at the Comet Cafe at HKDL when living in China ... but, generally, I think T-land's have the worst food in the MK-style parks.

Pizza Planet was decent at DLP the one time I tried it in '09. I think it's a buffet now, though.
 

FrankLapidus

Well-Known Member
PoC was in the worst shape I had seen in May. No swinging pirate. No dueling pirates. No moving chains on the lift into the fort. Phantom Manor (you thinking about HKDL? :)) was OK except the phantom in the mirrors scene wasn't working. Rides like Small World and Space Mountain were disasters.

POTC was the same when I went to DLP, none of those effects were working. Space Mountain also went down and didn't re-open while I was there and Big Thunder Mountain went down twice, although we did manage to get on that. Is maintenance an issue at DLP or did we just pick a bad week to visit? We had a couple of problems with dining there as well which kind of brought down the overall experience and we haven't been back since but it's a cheaper option for us if one year we can't get to WDW or DLR.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
POTC was the same when I went to DLP, none of those effects were working. Space Mountain also went down and didn't re-open while I was there and Big Thunder Mountain went down twice, although we did manage to get on that. Is maintenance an issue at DLP or did we just pick a bad week to visit? We had a couple of problems with dining there as well which kind of brought down the overall experience and we haven't been back since but it's a cheaper option for us if one year we can't get to WDW or DLR.

When did you visit?
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Not to nit pick, but I am happy to say that (amazingly) all the effects 74 noticed missing on PotC were all working in July. I admit i was surprised. And that Space Mountains visuals looked amazing again. The SQ makeover for the 20th seems to have really worked.

And let me think... Missing from WDSP, present at the other 10 parks....

Water?
 

Lee

Adventurer
The trains themselves shouldn't be the problem, I don't think.
The wheel assemblies and such underneath would be the most important change.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom