Just back from our first trip

[Revtel]

My family and I returned home from our three-day first trip to DLP. Have to say that we all feel rather disappointed for three main reasons.

Firstly, weather. I know that Disney can't do much about this, but it really is a strange feeling walking around the Magic Kingdom in heavy coats and umbrellas. It may be a beautiful park, as some say, but it depends on the weather!

Secondly, the French. Again, I know this is inevitable (mainly because it is in France!), but the "cast members" have a great deal to learn from their Florida counterparts. At WDW, they are part of the show, even whilst waiting and boarding the rides. At DLP, they seem totally disinterested. Eye contact is unusual, and a smile is even more rare. This doesn't apply to them all, of course, and there were a few honourable exceptions. But generally, they could do with a good dose of Disney Magic.

Thirdly, we stayed at the Newport Bay Hotel. It was ok, but the crowds at breakfast had to be seen to be believed. The queue stretched out of the restaurant, up both sets of stairs and into the lobby.

All in all, definitely not worth the money (or the DVC points which we used). Next time, it's back to Florida, even with the long flight and the additional cost.

JMHO

Terry Hudson

 

[markymark]

Pity you didn't enjoy it Terry, I have to say both times I have been the weather has been great.

I know what you mean about the CM's but when I went, I really went with the view that they wouldn't be as good as the CM's in WDW, this was probably due to a subliminal racial stereotypeing deeply rooted in my mind!!

I think the thing to realise is that whilst it IS Disney, it ISN'T DisneyWORLD and all that that entails.

Just wondering, what did you think of the park itself? I think it is much better than the MK at WDW.

 

[NowInc]

I have heard similar complains before about the CMS...I, too noticed it when I was there. Of course, I am also VERy used to the FL CMs, so they had some stiff competition.

Overall, I was able to look past that...but I can see how all the factors of your trip would make it more unbearable. Did you at lesat enjoy Space mountain and Phanom Mannor? Those 2 are some of the best things Disney has to offer...

 

[Revtel]

Yeah, we did enjoy the rides. The park was so quiet that we were able to walk onto them all, including those you mention. Space Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean and others were definitely better than their WDW versions.

But for me, there is much more to Disney than just the rides. What is important is the whole "Disney Magic" and it just seemed to me that this was seriously lacking at DLP. Nice park for sure, but the lack of ambience and "pixie dust" means that I will not be in a hurry to return.

Still, we continue to love all things Disney, despite the occasional disappointment!

Terry

 

[epcot71]

disney should have known this would be like this.i think they should have gone to another country like england but i know they did it because of the ease to get to park from all points in europe. the park it self i think it a litle better as far as the upkeep and the way it looks but the cast members are not as good as the disneyland/disney world counterparts.heres the main problem-french law is very hard on companies in relation to how they treat employees-

in france u cant tell an employee they have to shave,wear any certain kind of clothes or costume and believe this u cant force an employee to smile either-thats kind of hard when disney wants u to be clean shaven,wear costumes and smile at guests.luckily for the most part disneyland france cms are generally willing to comply but if the choose to wear an earing or not shave or even untuck their shirts disney has no legal recourse and cant fire them

 

[christophe]

I went this weekend to DLP and i wanted to buy a book that wasn't in stock anymore. 2 castmembers did really everything they could to help me. They even opened a closed store in the disney village for me. They were really friendly.
But i agree that in florida the CMS are better in general, but in paris they're not all bad.

 

[markymark]

Originally posted by christophe
I went this weekend to DLP and i wanted to buy a book that wasn't in stock anymore. 2 castmembers did really everything they could to help me. They even opened a closed store in the disney village for me. They were really friendly.
But i agree that in florida the CMS are better in general, but in paris they're not all bad.

That has actually reminded me! We bought a pottery "scene" with all the characters from Pooh, and when we got back to our hotel in Paris, we found that only Piglets feet were there! So the next day we went back to DLP but didn't want to pay for another days park entrance as we had something planned for later that day. We went to a store in the Disney Village who were very helpful, infact one member of staff ran through to the store in the park where we had bought it, and ran back with a new one - very helpful indeed!

 

[Maria]

We are used to the american way of doing things... which is not bad, eh? I have friends working in DLP and we visited them in the housing comlex.... God, nothing like The Commons or Chatham Square or even Vista Way!

My friends who worked in DLP said the same thing you are telling... there isn´t as much spirit as the one that WDW cm´s have. The thing that they loved were the costumes! They were a lot more elegant than the polyester ones used in Florida!

I experienced first hand the kindness of french people in general... while there are very kind people, there are also very rude ones who stand out for the stereotype! A lady yelled to us inside the bathroom of a restaurant, the subway ticketsellers were most of the times rude, etc. We found a very nice lady selling snacks at a metro station and we stopped everyday for juices there, just to "talk" to her cause she was really nice.

We also had a lady at a McDonald´s by the Disney station (sorry had to have a burger! It was my first day in Paris, I was starving and that seemed like the easiest thing: wrong!); she was very helpful and approached us when she noticed we had no clue of how to order! that was nice of her and funny! but my roommate and I could go on with the stories of kindness in Paris... Still... loved the trip!

 

[markymark]

I have always found the people of Paris to be fine, I guess I am lucky judging from what other people say. It is one of my favoutir cities, this with the added bonus of Disney being 40 mins away by train just makes it even better!

 

[Lome]

Originally posted by Revtel

Secondly, the French. Again, I know this is inevitable (mainly because it is in France!), but the "cast members" have a great deal to learn from their Florida counterparts. At WDW, they are part of the show, even whilst waiting and boarding the rides. At DLP, they seem totally disinterested. Eye contact is unusual, and a smile is even more rare. This doesn't apply to them all, of course, and there were a few honourable exceptions. But generally, they could do with a good dose of Disney Magic.

Yeap... in my Services Marketing class we saw the Disneyland Paris case... and one of the main problems when Disneyland Paris started was that one.. Disney was trying to install the Disney Quality Standards in Paris, just as they did it in Orlando. They had to deal with several cast member issues. Starting with the Disney Look (its totally different at WDW than in Paris... fingernails, hair styles, necklesses, etc). Another problem was that they couldnt tell the cast members to keep smiling because if they didnt want to smile, they were not going to do it, and that's not considered a lack of service in France... so, the problem is that they tryied to stablish a different culture, without understanding the real culture of the country...

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by Maria
We are used to the american way of doing things... which is not bad, eh? I have friends working in DLP and we visited them in the housing comlex.... God, nothing like The Commons or Chatham Square or even Vista Way!

That bad huh?

 

[Married@WDW]

Revtel --

I hope you get this and can help me out! We're headed to DLP with our DVC points in June, staying at Newport Bay, too. I know park passes are included, but were breakfasts included? Was anything else included that I should know about?

Normally I love the DVC, but they couldn't tell us any of this and said to call DLP to be sure. Needless to say, I've called DLP twice and haven't found someone who knew the answer there, either. If breakfasts are included, we'd like to eat at the Character Breakfast one morning and in the park the other -- if not, we'll grab something on our own because if I remember correctly it was just cereal, pastries and the like at the inclusive breakfasts.

And I do think the CMs at DLP are just more reserved, not as "bubbly" for lack of a better word, than in the states. They're just different there. Our first trip to DLP was full of wonderful people helping us find our way -- one cast member actually helped me use the phone to call the states so I could tell my mom we got there safe. I felt totally pathetic until she said she had the same problem in the U.S. the first time she was there! Whether she was telling the truth or just making me feel better, it was true Disney class!

Thanks!

 

[Revtel]

Yes, breakfast is definitely included at Newport Bay when staying on DVC points. Be aware of humungous queues though. The food is pretty much as you describe - cereal, pastries, drinks etc. Not bad at all though we did feel very rushed (because of the hundreds of people in the entrance way waiting for a table!).

My wife and I skipped the included breakfast one morning and went to Walts for the Character Breakfast. Excellent experience, even for us oldies. Great food, service etc.

As we were staying on site, the charge at Walts was around ten euros each, which was excellent value for money. There is also a character breakfast available in the Village, but eating at Walt's allows you early entry to the park which is well worthwhile. You need to prebook the breakfast at the Concierge at the hotel.

Try Walts for breakfast - you won't regret it!

Regards,

Terry

:lol:

 

[Married@WDW]

Terry --

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I'll try calling to book the breakfast at Walt's ahead of time -- it sounds great. We're so excited -- my father-in-law lives outside London so we're taking the train from London to Paris (the train to/from DLP was booked up by the time we made reservations). We're also thrilled that we'll be in London for the Jubilee Celebration -- the only thing cooler than seeing fireworks over a Disney castle is seeing fireworks over a real royal residence!

Thanks again!
Sandy

 

[Strawberryblond]

It is very interesting to read about other's experiences at Disneyland Paris. We went in April two years ago when my son was 3 and my DD 2 mths old. It was a bit crowded but not in the first couple of hours in the morning. We got there before the rope drop each morning (two days stay) and Mickey was there to great us and take a picture with, no waiting or crowding! It was very windy, cold and wet. I wore my DD in a sling under my coat, she just slept and nursed for most of the two days while we focused on our three year old's enjoyment (brand new brother needed the attention, lol). I loved exploring the differences from Disneyland CA and Magic Kingdom and thought it was a worthwhile trip.

We took my sister's family there this last Feb. for just the day. What a difference a huge crowd makes! The weather was better than the April two years ago, sunny and we could take off our coats. What really seemed to wear us down was the smoking in the queues, just couldn't get away from it. Alot of shoving in the queues as well and not many smiles from anyone. A CM driving a vintage car just laid on the horn as he sped down main street with a sour look on his face, so early in the day too (just think how his attitude would have been by noon, lol). My bil just hated it and he got alittle homesick for the states (he enjoyed touring England). They got to experience Pirates of C., SM and TMM but not the maze (it closed at dusk, just missed it) and we missed Mickey not realizing that he would not be available after 11 am! My DS loved Star Tours (he is now 5) and my DD loved It's a SW. I took her on it 3 times while the rest went to PM, her smile and delight made the day worth while Don't know if we will ever make it back. Can't wait to go to WDW this comming Dec. !!!!!!