You aren't bothering me and I started the thread, so feel free to take the conversation wherever it flows to. Threads die when there's nothing new to talk about ... besides, I'd rather talk about DLP now. I'll sound much more positive.
Thanks for the encouragement. So I will try to help to keep the thread alive!
It is the only part that doesn't feel so cold and sterile. But I don't know how much they can do. The layout of the park and decision to make mostly large soundstage buildings has kind of hamstrung them now.
Tower is same version as in DCA as it was 'borrowed' quickly when DCA faultered at opening. A different version in a different location was supposed to be built around 2006-07.
Anyway, back to DSP ... the one thing that's going to really hurt is the lack of water and greenery. DLP is so lush and DSP is so not.
I have heard that ToT is the same as in DCA. I really prefer the Orlando version where the elevator also travels horizontally... But i have read on DLP websites that the theming is a bit more thorough than at DCA. Did you notice any of that?
I think getting more of that Hollywood treatment would be good for the Studios in Paris. I think this is something that would get Europeans to come to the park. I once read that Frontierland is larger in DLP because of the strong love of the Europeans for the Wild West. This always made sense to me and I think it would work with the Hollywood theme for the Studios as well. Especially for the German tourist market which for some reason is nearly ignored by all DLP marketing.
I guess the only solution for much of the Paris Studios is to rebuilt huge chunks of it. In 2003 the only area we liked was the entrance outside Studio 1. :shrug:
So far, so good. I think ... she is in Nuremberg now for NYE. Was skiing somewhere. Also was in Munich and is headed to Berlin for three days before heading back to FLA. ... She's been to Germany once before, but none of the above.
That's funny, I live in Nuremberg and work in Berlin at the moment, she got to visit my two home cities! And I went to university in Munich. I hope she enjoyed all three cities, they are quite different from each other. At least she got to see Berlin covered in snow which is not a regular sight in winter...
I love shows, well, good ones. Those two were really wonderful. Better than anything at WDW, so I do miss them.
Perhaps I ought to have tried them - too late now. :hammer:
And I don't (normally) wear women's clothing so I can't comment on that!:ROFLOL:
Actually thinking back on you being dissapointed with the merchandise. You mentioned getting other things which sound like you are a bit of a collector. I think those collectibles are much less common here in Europe in general. I would say that most Europeans see shopping much less of a vacation activity than Americans (I even read about a study that was done on that) with the exception of the British. Souvenirs here tend to be much more practical things you can use in your every day life, but which are a nice memento of the vacation.
In 2007 I was impressed by the quality of design on the normal souvenir things like mugs and T-Shirts. Most WDW mugs and T-Shirts do look very cheesy to me and a bit cheap (of course the price does not reflect that). Especially those yearly designs look from my German point of view too much over the top. What I really liked at DLP was for example a sweater which had some pink flowers on the shoulder and between those was a tiny pink Tinkerbell. I love this sweater and wear it to the office on a regular basis. The Tinkerbell looks like just a nice design to everyone else there. My friend got a very stylish brown handbag which has a small Minnie on the strap. It's things like that which I thought were really great.
And which were improved from our point of view in comparison to our previous trips. 1995 still seemed to have much more varied and unique merchandise than later trips. So it was wonderful to see this coming back in 2007.
But it is much different from what a Disney collector would want to get.
I'd go. And I think I will! And I'm a lot further away!
Ok, I guess you have me convinced by now that I need to go to DLP in 2010! I think I might even try to go during the summer season, I would love to see fireworks there!
As for MK, I largely go out of habit. Although I really did have a great time there a few weeks ago ... I think the cool weather and empty park definitely had something to do with that.
But largely, my WDW trips are about EPCOT, DAK and resorts, and then everything else. Dining used to be way up there, but that's all changed since the DDP took over.
On my upcoming trip in three weeks I will take my sister to WDW for her first time. She has been to DLP with me in the past and we are planning to spend very little time at the MK during our ten days: The rest of WDW will be much more exciting to her! I love AK and I think she will too - we are even booked on the Wild by Design tour there. And we will still enjoy the dining, but for us it comes with the special attraction of trying to eat "ethnic food" (i.e. American food) while at WDW.
Yeah. DCA isn't close to the cold empty feeling of DSP and never has come close. And HKDL (another park 'built on the cheap') is like a masterpiece in comparison too.
I think if they had built DCA instead of the Studios in paris, it would have been very successful, all this California theme would have been great for us Europeans!
I dunno ... I hear about this a lot and I have to say that DLP CMs were universally good to GREAT on my last trip. I filled out four compliment cards at City Hall and could have done 40 (btw, they were shocked that we were doing so). I get the idea that Europeans feel the French have 'tudes and go in with 'tudes themselves (especially the UKers who are still fighting wars from the middle ages!) ... CMs were just so friendly, so helpful and (dare I say it, as an American used to seeing 300-pound slovenly WDW CMs, very attractive ... both female and male!)
The worst guests seemed to come from Spain. I'd compare the way the French and British (see, they have something in common) bitched about them to the way Brazilians are ripped by WDW regulars, as they tend to be loud, tend to treat queues as suggestions and are often not pleasant to be around. Yet, one of the nicest families we met were standing in a queue for Crush's Coaster with us and we talked for about 45 minutes (part English, part Spanish), so I just don't like to paint groups with broad brushes. ... I mean, even I admit I like some Disney execs!
:animwink::xmas:
To a certain extent I think you are right, if you expect negative experiences, those will be much more obvious than the good ones.
What I don't like about the French is that DLP used to be a very international park in the beginning and when they had those financial troubles, they started to focus much more on the local visitors and therefore put more empathize on French in the park. In 1995 it still felt like a place open to all Europeans, in later years it was a French park. I think this has improved again, at least with regard to English. So many things are now French and English.
One thing which I miss at DLP is however just that it is a multilingual park. At WDW you can talks to nearly everyone (wether guest or CM) in English without any problem. Different languages make communication much less easy and it takes away from possible interactions you can have. I think it is wonderful that you got to talk to this family in the Crush queue. But I think these interactions are much rarer at DLP than at WDW. And if I happen to have converstations with strangers here at home, it very often is Americans starting the conversation. :wave:
