Does Disneyland Paris or the Asian Disney Parks make up for the language barrier?

[HauntedPirate]

I really enjoy Disneyland Paris, but my feeling whenever this question comes up is that if you travelled to Paris specifically to visit DLP you probably would be disappointed. If you're a Disney park fan and happen to be in Paris, however, it is definitely worth a trip.

Disneyland Parc itself is a beautiful piece of theme park design and is getting its act back together when it comes to maintenance. On that front, it's honestly not any worse than MK and probably in fact better. The attractions are certainly plussed versions of what you get at MK without the insane queues. Compared to Disneyland, I'm not sure that's the case. What everyone says about WDS is true. It's also true, though, that you'll have a good time there on attractions like Crush, ToT, and Ratatouille before hopping back over to Disneyland. I've also stayed at Santa Fe, Sequoia (my favourite), and Newport Beach Club, and liked the little French Disney bubble... in part for the weirdness that such a bubble exists in France!

I find it hard to imagine traveling from the US to Paris just to see Disneyland Paris. On the other hand, if someone was looking for an alternative to their usual Disney theme park vacation, you could do a lot worse than both seeing both Paris and spending a few nights at DLP!

Good summary. We visited DLP last year as my wife wanted to get the Castle-to-Chateau medal from runDisney. We'd have not done DLP otherwise, but I do want to go back after all the announced projects are complete. What we saw of Paris was good (only spent one day in the city), but needing to have your head on a swivel the entire time, and having encountered at least one pickpocket before we even made it to the city (and then saw many others throughout the day), was not enjoyable at all. The Tokyo parks are at the top of my bucket list.

The only thing about DLP we didn't care for was the price of the food. And that we missed Phantom Manor. I've been to 3 of the castle parks and still have only seen the Orlando version of HM. BTM at Disneyland Parc is the best version of the ride, hands down.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It's a theme park, not rocket science. I think getting to the theme park via taxi/train/whatever will usually be harder than getting around in parks.

I'd heard horror stories about getting to Shanghai via taxi, which is why I opted for the train from the airport. I did have Disney call me a taxi from Toy Story Hotel when I went back to the airport and had no issues.

All of the international parks are very easy to get to via train or subway, however, with easy to read and follow maps of the different lines in English. Honestly the hardest subway system I've ever tried to use was New York's, by miles. All of the international ones I've come across have been much easier!

I feel like for the Asian parks, many people who have never been to that side of the world have visions of being surrounded by a sea of unintelligible Chinese/Japanese characters and being unable to determine where to go or what to do, but that's just not the case. Train transit is consistently bilingual (at least, in cities likely to be frequented by foreigners), with signage and even train announcements sometimes in English as well as the local language.

Another perk of the international parks I don't think has been mentioned yet: Paris' prices look like they're creeping up a bit now that Disney has more control, but admission prices for the Asian parks are about half that of the parks in the states, and all of them are AT LEAST the same quality of experience as the US parks.

 

[bryanfze55]

Better is always subjective, but if you are a fan of the Disney parks, then Disneyland Paris is ABSOLUTELY worth a visit.

Disneyland Paris is the culmination of the castle park, where WDI took all of the lessons they'd learned with previous parks to create a masterpiece. It is beautiful, yes, and absolutely on another level when it comes to design. The detail, intricacy, and thought put into it is far closer to Animal Kingdom or DisneySea than to Disneyland.

Disneyland is wonderful because you can see WED learning the rules of themed design as they went along; Disneyland Paris is wonderful because it is a masterclass of design, the final exam, the pinnacle. Subsequent castle parks Disney built have their merits but absolutely DO NOT top it on any substantive level.

It depends on what kind of park fan you are; if you love themed design, atmosphere, and detail, you'll love it. If you're looking purely at which park has the best attractions, you might find it wanting (although the best of DLP is absolutely comparable to or better than Disneyland in Anaheim; they absolutely have the best Big Thunder, many people would say the best version of classic Pirates too).

The resort around Disneyland Paris isn't always flawless, but the park itself has always been and remains exceptional. I would go, but then I've always thought that all of these parks are special and worth experiencing.

A ringing endorsement, for sure.

I'd heard horror stories about getting to Shanghai via taxi, which is why I opted for the train from the airport. I did have Disney call me a taxi from Toy Story Hotel when I went back to the airport and had no issues.

All of the international parks are very easy to get to via train or subway, however, with easy to read and follow maps of the different lines in English. Honestly the hardest subway system I've ever tried to use was New York's, by miles. All of the international ones I've come across have been much easier!

I feel like for the Asian parks, many people who have never been to that side of the world have visions of being surrounded by a sea of unintelligible Chinese/Japanese characters and being unable to determine where to go or what to do, but that's just not the case. Train transit is consistently bilingual (at least, in cities likely to be frequented by foreigners), with signage and even train announcements sometimes in English as well as the local language.

Another perk of the international parks I don't think has been mentioned yet: Paris' prices look like they're creeping up a bit now that Disney has more control, but admission prices for the Asian parks are about half that of the parks in the states, and all of them are AT LEAST the same quality of experience as the US parks.

Hong Kong and Shanghai Disney the same level of quality as Disneyland? I find that hard to believe. Have you been?

 

[bryanfze55]

I'd heard horror stories about getting to Shanghai via taxi, which is why I opted for the train from the airport. I did have Disney call me a taxi from Toy Story Hotel when I went back to the airport and had no issues.

All of the international parks are very easy to get to via train or subway, however, with easy to read and follow maps of the different lines in English. Honestly the hardest subway system I've ever tried to use was New York's, by miles. All of the international ones I've come across have been much easier!

I feel like for the Asian parks, many people who have never been to that side of the world have visions of being surrounded by a sea of unintelligible Chinese/Japanese characters and being unable to determine where to go or what to do, but that's just not the case. Train transit is consistently bilingual (at least, in cities likely to be frequented by foreigners), with signage and even train announcements sometimes in English as well as the local language.

Another perk of the international parks I don't think has been mentioned yet: Paris' prices look like they're creeping up a bit now that Disney has more control, but admission prices for the Asian parks are about half that of the parks in the states, and all of them are AT LEAST the same quality of experience as the US parks.

And for the record, I have NOT been to the Asian Parks. I didn’t mean to sound condescending. I just find it hard to believe Hong Kong and Shanghai could be on the same level as Anaheim.

Hong Kong is basically just Disneyland with far fewer attractions and a Toy Story Land within the castle park (gross). It seems to be a charming and beautiful park, but with less than 20 rides and no second gate, I can’t imagine it holding up to Disneyland. I know Mystic Manor is revolutionary, but I don’t think one ride can make up for all the greatness that is Disneyland.

Shanghai, meanwhile, just seems cold and charmless. I’m sorry - I know a lot of people like it. And it’s nice that they tried something new. And I have only seen walkthrough videos, but it just seems to be the antithesis of what I want my castle park to be.

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[SplashJacket]

Just gonna bud in. My favorite park in the world is Anaheim, and I feel as though DisneySea is the best park in the world. A trip can be warranted to any of the resorts around the world if you are a theme park enthusiast. Last summer I did the three Asian resorts starting from Shanghai, then Hong Kong then finished in Tokyo. By far the best vacation I had ever been on. The general rule of thumb was to visit the city itself for a day or two, then spend the rest of the time at the parks. We spent 4 days in Shanghai, 3 in Hong Kong, and 7 in Tokyo. Despite Hong Kong being our least favorite, it was definitely worth doing.

If you go to Paris for the primary purpose of DLP and spend at least a couple of days within the city of Paris (You could spend a week and still have things to do and see) you would have a very enjoyable vacation. As @marni1971 said earlier, I would also wait a few years, especially if you're on the fence about going. Walt Disney Studios, considered by many to be the worst park in the world, is receiving a colossal overhaul which will completely change the park's identity. Going now would still be a fantastic trip. All the parks, despite not being equal, all have their own charm and are worth visiting.

 

[PiratesMansion]

And for the record, I have NOT been to the Asian Parks. I didn’t mean to sound condescending. I just find it hard to believe Hong Kong and Shanghai could be on the same level as Anaheim.

Hong Kong is basically just Disneyland with far fewer attractions and a Toy Story Land within the castle park (gross). It seems to be a charming and beautiful park, but with less than 20 rides and no second gate, I can’t imagine it holding up to Disneyland. I know Mystic Manor is revolutionary, but I don’t think one ride can make up for all the greatness that is Disneyland.

Shanghai, meanwhile, just seems cold and charmless. I’m sorry - I know a lot of people like it. And it’s nice that they tried something new. And I have only seen walkthrough videos, but it just seems to be the antithesis of what I want my castle park to be.

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

I guess what I'm getting at is that even though Disneyland is twice the price of the Asian resorts, I'm not getting twice as excellent of an experience in CA as I am in Asia. The Asian resorts get me just as good of an experience when it comes to service, food quality, maintenance, cast, etc. that I get in Anaheim, IF NOT BETTER. And that's not just Tokyo, it's really all of them!

Disneyland is my main resort of choice, and it is the one I have the most nostalgia for; however, looking at it from a big picture perspective, what becomes noteworthy about Anaheim vs the other properties in the world are the attraction collection and density of DL Park specifically, and the charm and feel. Now if those are the definitive criteria of what you're looking for, than DLR is unbeatable, but each resort has its own strengths, its own areas where they excel and differentiate vs the others.

It's very easy to criticize Hong Kong and Shanghai on paper, but actually experiencing them is somewhat different. Hong Kong's deficiencies are well known, but the park is incredibly charming and well-maintained. It's beautiful and relaxing in a way the other resorts aren't, and honestly hangs together as a cohesive resort better than Anaheim, where everything feels like it fits in and supports a resort whole.

Similarly, a lot of the criticisms of Shanghai didn't register in person; even the ones that did didn't bother me much.

Are they better overall than the California parks? Perhaps not. But I can't imagine anyone going to them as a fan of the Disney parks and regretting it. I think if anything it broadens the scope of your appreciation for the parks and what WDI is capable of, and how they have evolved (or not) over time. And even if that turns out not to be the case, then you get to go and tour an amazing world city once you're done with the parks.

And if you're not sure that any one of the Chinese parks is worth the journey, you can do what I (and several others) have done and easily combine both of them into one trip, and/or do it with Tokyo-the Chinese parks compliment each other very nicely, and it's very easy and cost effective to do them together.

 

[ThemeParkTraveller]

I have a long rant about Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull in Tokyo DisneySea that really accomplishes nothing so I labeled it as a spoiler. Really just ignore everything it says.

Spoiler

My biggest complaint above all for DisneySea was Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. While the ride did boast a superior exterior queue the ride felt largely inferior. Many of the effects which I felt made the ride in Disneyland were removed or retooled. For instance, when you first enter the large room your vehicle slowly bumps down the steps. The effect is absent in Tokyo. The effect when vehicles face each other when entering the bridge was also removed and instead the vehicles were not synchronized in any way. The ride's pacing is off, the music placement is entirely different and I feel is inferior, and the big room falls flat due to a lack of things going on.

I understand my criticism for the is undoubtedly too harsh. The ride itself has more detail in every scene, and the effects such as the tornado and fireball preceding the darts are very cool. The issue I have with the ride is after riding it I was expecting to be blown away as I was in Anaheim, but it was the opposite. I left disappointed.

The intensity of the motion of the jeeps can be inconsistent at times across both versions of the ride. I've definitely noticed the jeeps tilting up and down on the stairs in the TDS version before. And just recently, that same effect was significantly toned down at DL from what I remembered in the past. I definitely agree with you on the music though. There are some pacing issues in the second half with the music cutting out for no reason. Otherwise, I mostly feel the TDS version is superior due to its more elaborate and visually impressive take. DL version's current state of broken or dated effects really cuts into the overall experience for me- the final trio of rooms before the boulder is very weak in comparison.

 

[SplashJacket]

Disneyland is twice the price of the Asian resorts, I'm not getting twice as excellent of an experience in CA as I am in Asia

I found HKDL to be very expensive, despite it being the weakest of the Asian resorts. (Opinion)

Shanghai 1-day pass - $56.65 USD (Raw exchange, doesn't include fees)
Hong Kong 1-day pass - $81.50 USD
Tokyo 1-day passport - $70.00 USD
Anaheim 1-day regular - $129 USD

Anaheim has two parks, and if you really want to fully experience the resort I would say three days are needed, bringing the price down to $100 a day. Tokyo has two parks, and you wouldn't go for just one of them. Adding days brings the per-day cost down.

I think we can all agree Tokyo is the far superior resort among the Asian parks, despite Hong Kong being the most expensive.

For pricing, there is far more to consider than just the raw price of tickets. For example, hotel. Tokyo has Hotel MiraCosta, if you get the Porto Paradiso view it will set you back well over a $1000 a night. I tried checking the pricing, but its entirely booked through January 10th, 2020, as the bookings open up 5 full months in advance. My point is you can pay whatever your heart desires.

Food was by far the most expensive in Hong Kong Disneyland. Tokyo had respectable prices, and Shanghai had shockingly low food prices.

Merchandise was the most expensive in Tokyo, but also amazing. I do not remember the pricing of Shanghai merchandise as it was shockingly weak, therefore only bought one item. I do not remember the hong kong pricing either.

Transportation is probably the biggest factor. Atlanta to Shanghai direct is $1622 with Delta, but the cheapest flight for the same day is $600 through Seattle with Hainan Airlines. Atlanta to Los Angelos on the same day direct is $328 with Delta and $210 with an indirect flight with Frontier. Frontier's rate will undoubtedly be highly inflated due to the fees which low-cost carriers dish out at their customers.

Moral of the story, pricing is very subjective. For theme parks, the price is not experience-based. Visiting Hong Kong Disneyland would probably end up being the most expensive park to visit for me personally, despite being the weakest resort across the world. I will probably return in 20 years if Tiananmen square 2.0 x 100 does not happen. Then again, I guess it did not stop me from visiting Shanghai.

 

[dreamfinder]

I do not remember the pricing of Shanghai merchandise as it was shockingly weak, therefore only bought one item.

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought this. Trying to find something for my son was practically impossible (that wasn't practically identical to something I could get at WDW), thank goodness for the fun Donald cup they were selling at most of the food options, otherwise it would have been a sheet of stickets.

 

[SplashJacket]

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought this. Trying to find something for my son was practically impossible (that wasn't practically identical to something I could get at WDW), thank goodness for the fun Donald cup they were selling at most of the food options, otherwise it would have been a sheet of stickets.

I wanted a really cool Tron shirt that I could boast around MK until Tron opens or just a general Shanghai shirt but really couldn't find anything. I got a really cool POTC puzzle, always a plus!

 

[Goofyernmost]

You know, that is a very good question. I went to Disneyland Paris in October of 2015 and I honestly don't remember anyplace where they didn't at least speak in French or English. We are one of the only, allegedly, advanced society in the world where we stubbornly insist on not being bilingual. Other then that if we are Disney fans, we don't really need to know the language to understand the rides or shows. We are probably aware of the story lines and can fill in the blanks.