Don't mean to hijack Martin's trip report thread, but just thought I'd share some quick observations on DLP from the train back home to the Netherlands. This was a pretty brief trip of two nights at the Cheyenne which doesn't quite warrant its own thread.
Overall, I had the same positive impression as Martin. I hadn't been since early 2017 and the improvement since then seemed massive. For one thing, the effects around Disneyland Parc seemed to be working in near-perfect condition and this really helped underline how much thought went into the design of the park. The smoke drifting out of the teepees at the entrance of Frontierland, for example, lent a wonderful misty atmosphere to the land's entrance drifting into the hub. All the smoke effects which seemed to be working perfectly on Big Thunder Mountain, which is something I had never seen before. This really plussed not just BTM but the atmosphere of Frontierland as a whole. I also noticed the flaming torches over the Frontierland entrance were lit, which was nice to see. Geysers were also working.
Two other general things that caught my attention were the landscaping and the live entertainment. Particularly in Discoveryland and Fantasyland, all the hedges and topiaries seemed perfectly clipped and the gardens all very well tended, very much elevating the park.
The twice daily mini-seasonal fall/halloween parade was fun and popular, and this runs in addition to the daily parade (which I didn't catch this time). The villains show that runs on weekends by the castle was also quite impressive in its use of effects including the castle fountains. Beyond that, it seemed like there were characters all over the park doing meet and greets. I'm not a massive fan of Illuminations, but it all looked good and people seemed to enjoy it. Overall, the entertainment made the park more lively than I remember MK on recent visits.
The attractions both seemed in much better condition than I observed on my last WDW visit and in almost every instance better versions of those attractions. The refurbished Phantom Manor is fantastic and, IMO, a significant improvement on what was there before. Fantasyland rides all looked good, and I only noticed a few figures (in the Ireland section) not working on It's a Small World. I seem to be one of the few who likes Hyperspace Mountain, and that was all looking good, as was Star Tours.
The unsung hero, though, is the new Tower of Terror. I hadn't really heard much about the new version, but we went on it three times and saw three different versions, including different filmed show segments with the little girl who now features. The Imagineers really did a fantastic job of refreshing the attraction and giving it something that helps it to compete with the WDW version.
On the negative side, WDS is a mess. ToT, Ratatouille, and Crush are all still good, but beyond that the park has little to offer right now unless a preview of Maleficent excites you. I guess it will remain so until the new additions begin to come online. Ratatouille's effects, though, were the best I've seen them.
The other big negative was DLP's bizarre tendency to close their restaurants. Everything was fully booked both nights we wanted to eat in the parks (we had to settle for a 17.15 dinner reservation at Captain Jack's on Friday), yet roughly half the restaurants (Walt's, Silver Spur, Agrabah Café) were closed. Food offerings were generally very uninspiring.
Overall, though, it was a great trip. The parks seemed to be doing well, and Saturday was particularly busy. Very much enjoyed the Cheyenne and would happily stay there again. I've now stayed at Cheyenne, Santa Fe, Sequoia, & Newport Bay, and I think Cheyenne was the one I liked the most after Sequoia. One nice touch was that the in-room toiletries were Woody & Jessie branded rather than generic Disney hotel products.
Yet again, didn't see any of the rude guests or grumpy CMs others seem to report. No cutting in line to report, for example.
), we went to WDW a couple of times the last 10 years. Just came back from Anaheim... and already have a trip booked for WDW next year... but you just convinced me to book a short trip to DLP in the coming months.
