Possibly going to DLP for the first time

[awallaceunc]

I've never been to any Disney park other than WDW (though I have been there quite a few times). This year I was planning to make my first non-WDW trek... California to see Disneyland for the first time during its 50th anniversary.

However, I'm now heavily considering traveling to England this summer for a month (it will be my first time outside of the country) and taking a train to DLP for a few days while I'm there. This might mean that I have to call off the DL and WDW trips I had planned for '05. But while I'm in Europe, why not take advantage of what I otherwise may never see (before it closes, God forbid.)

Finding info on DLP has proved a bit more challenging than for the American parks. I've paid it much attention, other than just thinking "I'd like to visit it some day." Now I'm on a quest... even if I end up not going, I'd like to learn more. Thanks to this forum, I'm already on my way... WDWMagic never fails! I also ordered The Unofficial Guide to DLP Volume 2 (which appears to be OOP... is it the most recent edition? It's the only one I could find).

My question is, how big of a deal will the 50th Anniversary be at DLP? I know it's supposed to be a global celebration, but I'm wondering just how much hoop-la there will be.

Sadly, it looks like the way-cool Space Mtn. will be closed this summer. But if DLP is still open years down the road, I'm sure I'll go back (I WILL visit every Disney theme park and cruise line at some point :lol.

Anyways, I'm very excited! Thanks for all the info this forum brings!

-Aaron

 

[PATMAGIC]

Nice to see people going to DLRP, well I know of http://www.dlp-guide.com which is a good site for DLRP info, also for the 50th not much has been said apart from Wishes coming to DLRP, and Space Mountain Mission 2 is launching on the 9th April 2005 in DLP, so if you do go after that date you will be able to get a ride on the journey to a super nova. Also who said that DLRP would close, I am sure it will always stay open in one form or another in many years to come.

 

[marni1971]

Do it. You will not be dissappointed, so long as you treat the studios as another `land` and not a second gate.

My 3 hour DLP Video guide - coming to Disney Central as soon as I can get FTP uploading working properly again. Grrr.

 

[Martin2k5]

I stongly advise you to go when Fantillusion is being performed (I think it stops in March and starts in July), its one not to be missed and out of the night-time parades I've seen (MSEP, Spectromagic and Fantillusion) it's the best.

Martin.

 

[barnum42]

There is also the official website - www.disneylandparis.com. To get there from England you can fly, take a coach (very time consuming) or take the train from London right to park itself.

 

[marni1971]

awallaceunc:

Do feel free to ask any questions you may have about DLP (logistics, parks, resorts, money - anything)

Post here or PM me - a lot of the people here know DLP as much as WDW.

 

[ogryn]

Our viewing of Fantilusion was severely disrupted by a french family who barged in front of us 2 minutes before the show started, then ignored us when we tried to point this out to them...

Hint: Stand your ground!!!

(The French Cast Members are fantastic though. Even though they speak English, I'd still make an effort to do things in French, because I think that it is just curtious to them, and if you make an effort, they are more likely to!) :wave:

 

[barnum42]

Our viewing of Fantilusion was severely disrupted by a french family who barged in front of us 2 minutes before the show started, then ignored us when we tried to point this out to them...

A similar situation happened to me during the parade. I picked a spot behind a group of wheelchair users, so I had a great view over their heads when a group of French people (not meaning to turn this into a French bashing thread) decided to stand in front of everyone. Fortunately I was able to "persuade" them to sod off :drevil:

I've only been to the Paris park once, a few years after it opened. I really liked the park, but found that the European public were a lot ruder and selfish than the American public (and I will include the British in that statement).

I don't know what the situation is now, as this was several years ago.

 

[ogryn]

You have to watch for queue jumpers as well. In Peter Pan, there were a group of three men that took the red route, not the green, then got straight on the ride.

 

[awallaceunc]

Wow, you've all been very helpful- thanks for the advice and web links! Unfortunately, my travel dates are locked in, so if I go, it won't be able to be during the Fantillusion dates if they remain as you posted them, which is a shame, as it sounds awesome. I am very glad to hear that the Space Mountain update will be completed by April, though!

I will make an effort to speak what I can in French. I had 2 years of French in high school and am in my 2nd year of it now in college, so I can handle the basics, but I'm sure my English will have to kick in at some point. Hmmm... I guess it's La Montagne de Space? (I don't know the French word for space, but it seems like it would be a cognate for some reason). :lol:

French guests are ruder than the American ones? Sacre bleu! They must be pretty bad. I think I can weather them, though.

Marni- thanks for the offer. I can say with some certainty that I'll take you up on it at least a few times in the future, especially as we start to look at the specifics of our trip (we just found out that we'd have time for a Paris excursion yesterday). Here's my first question for you: We'd be going with a travel group and our England activities end on a Thursday afternoon, and we don't have to be back in England until Monday night. We're planning on taking the nearest train directly to DLP. How much time should we allot? The entire 4.5 days? We'd like to see at least a few of the major Paris landmarks too.

Also, do you have any travel books for DLP? Like I said in my last post, I just ordered the Unofficial Guide from 2001 (the most recent I could find), as I love the one for WDW. Are there any other good ones?

Oh, and one more question for now and then I'll :zipit:. I have an unused day on a WDW park hopper- can it be used at DLP? I'm guessing not, but I know that it works at Cali's DL, so it's worth asking, I suppose.

-Aaron

 

[barnum42]

Disneland Paris is a separate company, so can't use tickets from other parks.

The train station at the park will take you straight to Paris for when you wish to visit the real world.

It's not just the French guests who are rude - it's all the European nationalities. But as a generalisation, there does seem to be something in the French culture that believes queues do not apply to them.

 

[dolbyman]

It's not just the French guests who are rude - it's all the European nationalities.

jup we're babaric .. don't get to close .. we bite :goodnevil

nahh just kidding

(one thing I noted when I'm in the US .. most of the peeps there are VERY friendly .. thats right :sohappy:

 

[Martin2k5]

All British people aren't like that I assure you lol! I live in the North of England and are shocked at how rude some people are when I go down south, "up north" we tend to be much more friendlier like our American friends, but there are always exceptions!

Anyway... it's a shame you are going to miss Fantillusion, its brilliant even though it has being butchered since moving from Tokyo apparantly.

I know what you mean about people pushing in front during parades, when I was at WDW everyone was so considerate when watching the magical moments parade, spectromagic and the msep. When I was at France during the daytime parade people were pushing us out the way and this really rude french family pushed in front, stood on the parade "road" and talked all the way through it!

Martin.

 

[barnum42]

All British people aren't like that I assure you lol! I live in the North of England and are shocked at how rude some people are when I go down south, "up north" we tend to be much more friendlier like our American friends, but there are always exceptions!

Up North the folk can be more blunt and honest, which is seen a rude by some Southerners. I was born and lived my first eleven years on Tyneside before going down South, so I've experienced both sides of the border.

 

[TheDisneyMagic]

LOL wer could call this thread us Europeans slagging off other Europeans. Joke.

On a serious matter though, I do recognise the difference in polliteness when visiting the parks in America opposed to the Paris park and did notice that when at Paris people didn't seem to be as friendly and pushed and shoved more in the parks.

 

[marni1971]

Having said that, the CM`s in Paris are on a par with those in Orlando - brilliant.

 

[barnum42]

Having said that, the CM`s in Paris are on a par with those in Orlando - brilliant.

Glad to hear that is the case now. When I was there on my single visit several years ago most were no better a bored chav employee at Alton Towers.

 

[grandmath]

Having said that, the CM`s in Paris are on a par with those in Orlando - brilliant.

Alas, I don't agree, to me they are far worse. But hey, I see them everyday and can just compare with the few times I'm going to the US parks, so maybe I'm biaised.

Though some really believe in the Disney magic and make great efforts to help you. It's just that in general, well, it is a level below in terms of service quality. It's not that they are rude, but they look bored and often don't play the game.

 

[barnum42]

It's not that they are rude, but they look bored and often don't play the game.

I'm afraid that's the impression I got. There were of course exceptions - the girl cleaning up in the hotel restaurant (an American), the dispatcher on Space Mountain who let us ride three times in a row without getting off and I also recall a French CM who had climbed onto the sign outside pirates and was blowing bubbles at everyone going in

 

[marni1971]

Hope we didn`t just get lucky....

Of course there was one exception that springs to mind in the TGV Station newsagents.. the girl behind the till (I use the term girl lightly) - I wish I spoke fluent French that day (as in ou est your manager you so and so)

However, this was none Disney, and not a CM. I just needed that little rant. Kind of been inside me for 2 and a half years! Still not a good show on property though... I could have been a first time Disneyer just off the train too.