State of Disneyland Paris

[AndyS2992]

Just got back from Disneyland Paris and had an awesome time! However some things worried me.

1. Graffiti everywhere. There is graffiti on the walls of Tower of Terror, Flying Carpets queue, Dumbo queue, Big Thunder Mountain queue, PotC, Phantom Manor. It's everywhere and no one is doing anything about it Was there all three days. If it was WDW it would have been removed within a day or so.

2. Smoking everywhere, not just tobacco but cannabis/weed as well. People were smoking everywhere as well as in the queues with no regard to anyone else. While I was in the queue for Tower of Terror and Phantom Manor people were smoking weed and no one did a thing. Disney seriously needs to do something about this. Cast members walked past and ignored it. Very rarely do you see this at WDW or DLR.

3. Queue Jumping. Happened several times. I tried my best to dissuade the people but to no avail. Still the CMs let them through. People also pushed infront for shows and parades too when we had been standing there for an hour.

4. People climbing on scenery. Several times I saw kids climbing over the railing into themed and water areas and no one stopped them. This happned mostly around the Castle moat and the garden around Phantom Manor.

5. Unhappy CMs. The CMs I had contact with were all neutral or unhappy and seemed like they were just there to do a job whereas at WDW and DLR the CMs are mostly happy and will talk to you and do anything for you which is what makes WDW so great and these happy employees give the place a nice atmosphere. DLP unfortunately does not have this same atmosphere and is just one of a standard theme park.

I know the parks just had a huge refurbishment for the 20th Anniversary but a lot of stuff is now becoming dirty again due to bad guest behaviour. Really disheartens me.

People here complain about WDW all the time but they really need to take a trip here to see how bad DLP is in comparison to WDW.

I still love Disneyland Paris but hope they would put measures in place and enforce them to stop all this from happening.

 

[croboy82]

Did you by any chance contact any Cast Member or leave a feedback because of this?

I was once in Paris and Anaheim so far and the difference is biiiiiig regarding CM

 

[AndyS2992]

Did you by any chance contact any Cast Member or leave a feedback because of this?

I was once in Paris and Anaheim so far and the difference is biiiiiig regarding CM

Unfortunately not. Contacting a CM probably wouldn't have made any difference. I will email them my concerns but as usual I will not get a response from them so I doubt they will even read what I have to say.

The American CMs make Disney what it is whereas the European ones don't add anything. I'm sure there is a reason for it but if I worked at DLP I would be the happiest one there

 

[marni1971]

1-4 are sadly a European problem. I'm sure you'll agree a trip to Alton Towers, Blackpool and the like have similar issues. Cast Members are either worried for safety or overwhelmed a lot of the time to intervene. I agree, and a bigger security presence is needed.

 

[croboy82]

Well I think that generally Disney(land) is still seen as childish in Europe, while in the US it's like an experience.

I live in Switzerland and none of my friends understood why I was going to Disneyland Paris. How do you find great CM then?

 

[AndyS2992]

Well I think that generally Disney(land) is still seen as childish in Europe, while in the US it's like an experience.

I live in Switzerland and none of my friends understood why I was going to Disneyland Paris. How do you find great CM then?

It has that connotation in the UK too.

How do I find great CM then? I'm not sure what you're asking as I did not meet any great CMs at Disneyland Paris They were either neutral and doing their job (no smiles etc) and ones that just looked downright depressed.

 

[marni1971]

I have to say as well, we found average to great CMs.

And a few bad ones. At DLP. And WDW. And DL.

 

[PhilharMagician]

You will find good, average and bad CM's at all of the parks. No matter how you look at it, it is still a job and everyone will have a bad day at some point.

 

[AndyS2992]

I know all of the parks have bad CMs, same for all businesses but I honestly can't recall seeing any bad or miserable looking CMs at WDW or DLR. And of course there are also good CMs at DLP, I just didn't encounter any

Besides, the CMs are the least of my worries. The weed smoking in lines and graffiti are what I am most concerned about.

 

[Tloz]

Did you by any chance contact any Cast Member or leave a feedback because of this?

I was once in Paris and Anaheim so far and the difference is biiiiiig regarding CM

Yes, I think that the CM/guest relation is a big problem. They don't have at alle the same orders from their team leader than in the US. Sadly, if you choose not to listen a CM in DLP, they can't do anything (except if you're acting in a dangerous way). I've heard that if a US CM tells you to get out of restricted aeras (like gardens for exemple), and you respond rudely, you can get expelled from the park. We won't see it in France. I think that's because of the debt. As long as the guest spend money in restaurant and boutiques, the managment don't care at what they do. And this is, in my opinion, the worst thing that can happen in DLP. That's the same thing for smokers. I've breathing diseases, and nobody respects the smoking areas.

I'd like to say something about the refurbishment mentioned in the first post. It wasn't huge. Not at all. Some rides got closed for maintenance reason, but I think that all the money went into World of Disney. They just spent more money to make us spend more money the did. That's a shame.

I've been to the Salon Mickey last weekend, and I talked to somebody way more into finance and business that I am (as I'm a IT student), and he believed that WDC will buy the entire EDSCA when the contract with the state will come to an end. If so, I hope that the rules will finally be applied like in the US

 

[marni1971]

I'd like to say something about the refurbishment mentioned in the first post. It wasn't huge. Not at all. Some rides got closed for maintenance reason, but I think that all the money went into World of Disney. They just spent more money to make us spend more money the did. That's a shame.

I'm afraid you're wrong there.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Tloz, what about...
Disney Dreams, the best nighttime castle show out of all the Magic Kingdom style parks.
http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=726

 

[WED99]

It's sad to hear about the weed and graffiti problems. People should realise they're in Disneyland, not in their living rooms.

Bad CM's is a problem everywhere, but not too severe in the US. I have been to both US parks and Hong Kong DL. Disneyland CA was had the biggest problem with them by far, but nothing to ruin the day. Mainly because it's a lot of younger staff who do it for the money and don't care how they act. However, there are a lot of great CM's there!

WDW has a few baddies but there are plenty of elderly CM's who love their job and always make me happy

HKDL is just wow. No one stops smiling! I found my self looking around for the sniper towers every now and again. They are happier than the guests!

But even though it has problems, I would love to visit DL Paris one day!

 

[Tloz]

I'm afraid you're wrong there.

What do you mean? Dreams? I'll get to this just under that.

Tloz, what about...
Disney Dreams, the best nighttime castle show out of all the Magic Kingdom style parks.
http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=726

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Dreams. I've seen it 12 times in live, many more on the web, and I will watch it plenty more in the future. I still don't get bored watching it, I still cry when I watch it, I still arrive one hour and a half before the beginning in order to be sure to have a good point of view. I'm even trying to re create it at home. I really love it and I don't have words strong enough to say it. Yes it's was expensive to create (around $10 millions I think), and is still expensive to perform day after day after day (something like €40.000/show). But my point was that's not a refurbishment. Honestly, I admit that the 20th anniversary needed a huge show to celebrate it, and I'm glad they did. I admit WDS needed a dark ride (btw, I'm talking about Ratatouille for those who don't know what I mean) and I'm glad they did. But honestly, find me a guest who think that DLP needed a new shop instead of a real refurbishment, or something else than Meet Mickey. There are many things that could have been done and won't be because of this boutique. The worst part in this, is that we are now forced to take a detour to WoD when you leave the park, because fences has been placed in order to force you enter the shop

 

[croboy82]

Sorry what I meant with "how do you find great CMs then?" is how is the company supposed to find great CMs if Disney has a "childish" reputation. For most it's just a job, but it should also be a passion.

 

[AndyS2992]

Sorry what I meant with "how do you find great CMs then?" is how is the company supposed to find great CMs if Disney has a "childish" reputation. For most it's just a job, but it should also be a passion.

Oh I see. Yeah I totally agree.

 

[AndyS2992]

The worst part in this, is that we are now forced to take a detour to WoD when you leave the park, because fences has been placed in order to force you enter the shop

Kinda. When I left the parks this was the first place I went without planning to and then went on to spend $100 on merchandise lol

 

[marni1971]

What do you mean? Dreams? I'll get to this just under that.

Nope. Dreams is a great show. The rest of the park, in and out, had money spent on it. Long standing broken effects in the E Rides are working again. PotC had no visuals out of action, PM had two. Not bad going.

are many things that could have been done and won't be because of this boutique. The worst part in this, is that we are now forced to take a detour to WoD when you leave the park, because fences has been placed in order to force you enter the shop

The World of Disney budget was nothing to do with the parks. The money HAD to be spent there. And its a vast improvement over the old Disney Store.

The fence? Wrong again. It is a crowd control measure to finally segregate the public square (outside the TGV\RER) from Disney property, and to minimise security checks once and for all. Both parks and the Village are now all linked by an area inside the 'clean' area. The fence does not force you to the store. You can still walk right past. Theres plenty of room.

 

[Tloz]

Nope. Dreams is a great show. The rest of the park, in and out, had money spent on it. Long standing broken effects in the E Rides are working again. PotC had no visuals out of action, PM had two. Not bad going.

I can assure you that last weekend, the duelists weren't at their spot in PotC. Some times they are there, working, sometimes, they are there, not working, and sometimes they just disappear. Flashes during the final fall appears randomly, you can't be sure to see them. And let's talk about PM, one of my favorite ride. The pianist's shadow doesn't move since the rehab (well, there was no shadow before...), Léota is still looking weird (the first one, the second is amazing). Many smokes and light effects are down, and the mayor, who couldn't move his arm, has now disappear. But you can still hear him... And quoting a CM from PM

Mais pour répondre à d'autres, sachez que les réhab ne signifient pas que TOUS les détails sans exception seront opérationnels, loin de là !

Which roughly means: "Having a rehab doesn't mean that every details will work, we're far from there."

(source: www.disneycentralplaza.com/t30977p460-phantom-manor look for EVE 's post)

The fence? Wrong again. It is a crowd control measure to finally segregate the public square (outside the TGV\RER) from Disney property, and to minimise security checks once and for all. Both parks and the Village are now all linked by an area inside the 'clean' area. The fence does not force you to the store. You can still walk right past. Theres plenty of room.

No, not wrong. By a certain hour, they move the fences. And believe me, it's not a problem of security. there is plenty room that can be used on both sides of the control points. The security checks are already minimize the morning when you arrive, and you can move freely between the two parks and the DV with no more checks.
And yes, we are not "forced" to go to WoD. We are strongly led to this store when everyone leaves the park (I don't know at what time exactly), and forced to make a big detour, and therefore, we walk very close to each other when leaving the park. And yet, there is a big space we can't use on the other side of the fence, and there is NO ONE there

 

[marni1971]

Nope. Fences don't move. They are fixed in the new planters. Strongly led? Can you elaborate? You mean the new fencing moves hotel guests closer to the store when walking towards the village? In that case yes, it does. As was the plan, to continue the Village border from the Cinemas towards the Studios. But it doesn't force you into the store. You just walk past it. And remember, prior to this the main entry gates used to be closed and locked, forcing hotel guests with day guests to go through the bag check tents for each park.

The big space outside the fence is not Disney property. It belongs to Marne le Valle. That's why it appears empty.

And good luck with the CM interview btw