Thanks for the encouragement. So I will try to help to keep the thread alive!
Thanks! It's a very busy work period for me, so I have no idea how much I'll be able to pop in!
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 prefer Orlando's ToT myself. It is one case, IMHO, where WDW has the better version by a good deal. ... As to the theming, I can't really say there's a huge difference between DCA and DSP ... Paris is slightly better, but not great.
And you're absolutely correct about Europeans and the Wild West and Hollywood ... those themes are very strong across the Pond and Disney isn't oblivious to that fact.
Frontierland is a thing of beauty at DLP ... but Hollywood at DSP (like the real one) could use a lot of work!
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:
I like Studio 1 ... a lot. But it doesn't work as the Main Street of DSP because it is so small and dark. The front of it is blah to me, to be honest. I like the Mickey fountain and the few craftsman touches, but it really just looks cheap to me overall.
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...
That's what I've heard. She's either on the way back now or will be within the next few hours, so I'm looking forward to her stories.
I've traveled extensively in Europe, but never made it to Germany ... yet. It's on my 'must see' list!
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 really see pretty much every resort having very little that I'd want anymore. I say it's worst at WDW, but that may not be fair since I am there more than the others. It's easier to see 'fresh' items in Paris that really aren't.
DL has the best selection for collectors, no doubt. And not surprising considering the market there.
But still, there's a whole lot of homogenization of products and lines. You shouldn't be able to buy the same items everywhere. And I don't want Disney-branded items everywhere either.
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!
That makes two of us. I have always visited DLP in spring or early fall and I have never seen pyro there, despite having an AP. I have heard they generally don't do great shows there because of local regulations, except on a few holidays.
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.
DAK is great. And it shouldn't be hot weather when you're here. I'd take her to Sea World if she likes wild-life too. ... And yeah, if she's spent time at DLP, I can't see her being thrilled with MK.
And if by 'ethnic food' you mean chicken nuggets, burgers and plain pizza, she should be in heaven! :ROFLOL:
Ithink 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!
And if they built DCA right to begin with in Anaheim, it would have likely been a lot more successful too!
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.
Yep. There was a conscious effort starting about a decade ago to make DLP more of a French park. Even with the APs, they only put out the info/newsletters/emails in French, which is very unfriendly to the APers in the UK (they have a lot!), Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain ... and even the few of us in the USofA.
And I absolutely believe many believe they're going to get 'French 'tude' at DLP and wind up acting with tude on their own.
Much like here in the States when you hear that NYC isn't friendly when it is one of friendliest places. Sure, there's a certain attitude of the locals. But that exists everywhere you could think of.
With some places ... like Paris and NYC ... it takes on a life of its own.
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:
Yes. That's true. Much more likely to get into a conversation at WDW, but people will communicate or try if you do. I don't expect everyone to be proficient in English in Paris ...hell, that's tough in Orlando!
