Allie5 Disneyland Paris Sept 04 - Part 6

[allie5]

Cast Members:

Allie (me!) - 37, Disney fan and shopaholic
Neil, DH, 31, A very generous soul who finances my Disney Plans and Schemes!
Jessamy, DD aged 4. Fantasyland is her second home! Peter Pan her fave film, ride and character!
Daniel-Noah, DS aged 2. Character junkie. Loves anything tall and furry.

Tues 21st September 2004. Last Day.

Daniel is the first awake this morning at the mind numbing hour of 6am. Jessie is shattered and I leave her in bed whilst I start packing. Forgot to mention in yesterday's report that I popped down to the hotel shop last night to collect my purchases that should have arrived. No problems there, but I was a little shocked at QUITE how large the boxes were. I fear packing the car this afternoon will be a Krypton Factoresque challenge!

Packing done, we left the cases and went down to brekkie. Being a weekday, the hotel was now an oasis of tranquility, and the only other diners were normal families, not the scary OAPs! Had a nice leisurely breakfast and smuggled out a few supplies for the journey home . Went back to the room collecting a luggage trolley en route. Luggage was able to be stored before we set off home this afternoon. Bus arrives soon after and we set off for our final visit to the parks!

Have a deep and meaningful conversation with the kidlets on the way to see which park they wanted to do. Daniel was fairly consistent with a reply of "YoHo YoHo" and Jessie was only interested in the "Proper Park" not the "silly studios that isnt MGM". Neil and I were both hoping to see the Moteurs Stunt show, but we are kind and loving parents, and bowed to the pressure. Also, MGM WILL be getting the Stunt show soon, so hey, we can afford to be generous .

Disneyland Park it is then and off to....FANTASYLAND! There is no one here, and the kids get to ride everything with no lines. Neil takes Daniel on Pirates, whilst Jessie and I see just how many times it is possible to do Peter Pan in 20 mins (about 4 if you are interested!). Do the teacups, Its a Small World and the carousel for the millionth time! Watch the Small World clock strike the hour and all the little people come marching out. Very cute. Reminds me of the one in Trumpton (anyone old enough to remember that?). Dumbo is done for the final time and we have to think about grabbing some lunch and leaving. We had saved a nice restaurant till last, Auberge de Cendrillion and I was looking forward to the Glass slipper dessert! However, plans are once again thwarted as on arrival at the restaurant, the "Closed For The Day" sign hung on the door. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

The only other option we fancied was the Plaza Gardens restaurant, and mercifully, at least this was open. Once again, the kids get a set meal for €10 and the adults buffet is €25. Wasnt over keen on the food as the majority was unidentifable and you had to take a tiny piece of everything and sort out the good from the bad! There was some steak that was nice and the sliced potato and cheese dish that is very popular in DLP. I found a moussaka that was also tasty, but that was about it. Desserts were good though, and I smuggled a couple of brownies into a napkin for snacking on later.

One thing here, though annoyed me greatly. Daniel needed a nappy change during the meal, so I took him to the toilet. There was no baby change unit to be found. Eventually, I noticed that it SHOULD have been in the disabled toilet, but had been pulled off the wall!! Gaping holes in the plaster and everything. Having no choice, I changed him on the floor, and well, it was disgusting. I had to use baby wipes to clean a small space for his mat and even then...what came off of the floor was gross. Now, NONE of the toilets at DLP were what I would call clean, but this was truly appalling. Someone NEEDS to address this situation, as I would seriously be thinking twice about a return visit because of this.

Left the restaurant (did try and convey the toilet problem to the waitress, but she lost all use of the English language rather suddenly) and headed towards the exit taking in as many shops as was possible!! Bought Daniel the cutest leather jacket with Mickey on the back and Jessie picked out some Princess rings, chocolates for her nursery friends and a Mickey camera bag for Nanny (we bought her a digital camera for our WDW trip in December so this was a practical gift!).

Well, that was it. Time to leave the "magic" and head back to the Newport Bay for the last time. Brought some water, juice and crayons for the kids for the journey and then Neil brought the car over to the Luggage collect. This is where the fun started!! We had: One large suitcase, one coolbox, one buggy, one gigantic Cinderella Castle, one Snowglobe in a box, one kids suitcase on wheels, one camcorder bag, two rucksacks, around 20 DLP carrier bags, assorted snacks and drinks and two small children. I sat back and watched the fun commence. Things got even better when a Disney delivery truck needed to park where we were! In the end, Neil had the two drivers helping him load up!

EVENTUALLY, everything was IN, and we were off! Time was 3pm and we aimed to get to Calais around 5.30pm. Things didnt quite go to plan, however. The weather closed in and we had to slow down, then we got stuck in a massive traffic jam. We were slow moving for around 40 minutes somewhere about 50m north of Charles de Gaulle. Rather horrifyingly, the cause of the jam was a terrible car crash, where several lorries had rear ended. The middle lorry was crushed beyond recognition and the driver was still in the vehicle. Worse still, there were NO emergency services there....we knew it must have happened at least 40 minutes ago and not even a police car was on the scene. Both Neil and I felt sick as we passed it, those poor people with no one helping them. I feel confident in saying that this would not happen in the UK and count our blessings for that.

Well, after that unpleasantness, the rest of the journey passed quickly. The weather improved as we drove north and became a lovely late afternoon. Reached Calais an hour later than planned at 6.30pm. Stopped at a Macdonalds with a play area for the kids to stretch their legs and then at the Sainsburys for a couple of boxes of wine. Got to the Ferry in plenty of time for our 8pm boat.

A nice smooth crossing and we were on our way home quickly. Both kids crashed out and were asleep within minutes of leaving Dover. Home safe and sound by 10pm.

Final Thoughts

We did enjoy the trip, though I would say for certain that DLP lacks a lot of what makes WDW truly magical. There are too many little annoying things that make DLP simply "not the same". The smoking, the erratic times for shows, restaurants that open at will, queue jumpers, dirty toilets, poor quality and expensive food.

On the plus side, most of the actual rides are far superior to those at WDW.

What we would do differently? Wouldnt take the car again, but would go back to Eurostar.

Would stay at a hotel a bit nearer like the Disneyland Hotel or New York.


Hope you enjoyed the reports.

Allie

2nd October 2004

 

[Bexx]

Great reports Allie - thanks for posting them here too. It really is a "whole new world" doing Disney with children, isn't it!?!

 

[diberry]

I really enjoyed reading your lengthy (well done!!!) trip reports. Lots of interesting detail. I'm off to DLP on Monday with my "little girl" (she's 22!!) but we still love Disney just as much! Have you told guest services about the unsatisfactory aspects? (dlp.communication.visiteurs@disney.com). I do think people need to let them know what's wrong as well as all the good aspects or people will just not return and we don't want to lose DLP!! We also prefer WDW by miles but DLP's certainly nearer for frequent visits!! Anyway thanks very much for the entertainment - we may even feel brave enough to write our own trip report when we get back from Halloween - o - ween!!!

 

[tennisfan]

Thanks for the reports, I would say pass on your comments to disney via their website. I did & you do get a reply. They welcome all comments good or bad.

 

[diberry]

I tried sending comments (negative) via the website on 2 separate occasions (about the same problem) but got no response but I agree it should be effective - maybe I was just unlucky(?)! After writing 2 letters (not easily deterred!) I eventually got a reply which more or less said I was in a small minority and most people had nothing but praise for the parks. I do love Disney but if you send a negative comment to WDW they actually phone you all the way across the "pond" - shame there isn't more of that at DLP. As Allie said - we have high expectations of Disney and DLP doesn't always live up to them sadly. Nevertheless I'll always love the spirit of Disney and do make positive comments too - don't want to sound like an old grouch!!

 

[Ware Bears]

Enjoyed reading your reports, Allie.

I've got mixed feelings about going next year, ....DH says we have to go with an open mind and just accept that it won't be quite as "polished" as WDW.......but I hate the thought of dirty toilets (the only dirty ones we found in Florida were at the Hard Rock), and queue jumpers. The character greets are so well organised at WDW that I don't like the idea of a "free for all".....suppose it is best to concentrate on meeting the characters at a character meal.

Just read this through, don't I sound negative!!!!!!!!!
Honestly, I am looking forward to it, we are going to travel on Eurostar which will be exciting in itself and I've still got our next WDW trip in 2007 to plan, just couldn't wait three years for more pixiedust and magic!!!

Elaine

 

[NIK]

I'm surprised to hear you say that the loos were dirty! When I went - admittedly it was 2 years ago - I was impressed with how clean they were compared to loos-I-have-known in the UK. Can it really have gone down hill so far?

I did find that some folk were rude though so wasn't surprised to learn that the massed battalion of OAPs made breakfast a nightmare. Trouble is, we are generally raised with the 'wait your turn' mentality [although that is eroding even here!] and no one wants to own up to a pushy brat so we all make our kids wait politely whereas others are not so ordered.

I found I had problems whilst the parade was on - folk seemed to think that their kids could just push to the front ahead of those who had waited patiently. I've no problem with a 'little-y' standing in front of me if they can see better as long as they mind the camera etc. However it's when mum, dad,granny and assorted uncles and aunts seem to think they can barge in front of you as well.

 

[djmatthews]

What a great, funny, trip report.

Just to pick up on a few bits and pieces.... I stayed at the Newport Bay in December 2002, I also found the room and corridors to be a little worn too, and especially considering this is one of the better DLRP Hotels.

The food in DLRP, I found to be over-priced and poor compare to the Florida counterpart. I did find however, the breakfast to be excellent. The buffet lines were fairly busy, but not too bad, the Cast there managed to cope with the demand. I enjoyed the continental style breakfast, rather than having a traditional cooked English. I managed to collect a variety of Disney character plastic spoons!!!

I have to agree with you on the arches of Main Street. At night, the lights are quite magical and "Christmassy" but, it does spoil the view of the castle and also the forced perspective. I believe the arches are used for Halloween, and left up for Christmas. Main Street and the castle in Paris ARE THE BEST!!!

Dirty toilets, that is something that I have not noticed in Paris, I was expecting a dirty hole in the ground there, but I found them spotless... maybe you were unlucky, or standards have slipped.

DLRP is a magical place, but due to its crippling financial situation, there are areas that do not seem "as full" as the Florida parks.... including parades, shows, meet and greets, plus their second park.

Out of interest, what are your thoughts on the WDS? I am hoping to go on a working trip to DLRP this year, I have not yet visited WDS, and I am not expecting anything too amazing.

 

[wilki32]

Great report Allie
Had me nodding in agreement and laughing, we went over at the end of July and found the same things as yourselves.
I think DLP is in a bit of a downward spiral at the moment and lets hope they pull out!
Elaine, go with an open mind, it is beautiful!

Anthony

 

[raptor1982]

I go to DLRP at least once a month for 2 years now, and I've never ever encountered a dirty toilet. Believe me, there are a lot of wild goose stories around on the internet about the DLRP hotels and parks. If you're not happy with something in the park, GO TO CITY HALL. You simply have to fill in a form, which will be processed.

 

[allie5]

Originally posted by raptor1982
I go to DLRP at least once a month for 2 years now, and I've never ever encountered a dirty toilet. Believe me, there are a lot of wild goose stories around on the internet about the DLRP hotels and parks. If you're not happy with something in the park, GO TO CITY HALL. You simply have to fill in a form, which will be processed.

Hmmmmm....Ladies or gents toilets? Have you ever tried to change a baby in toilets at DLP?

With two small children to look after, filling out forms isnt something I am prepared to stand around and do. In my personal opinion, cleanliness of the toilets should be something that is done routinely and well. I did not find any public toilet (with the excpetion of those in the baby care centre) that would come close to being clean. Second, without exception, in every toilet there was at least ONE of the following: Broken lock, over flowing bins, no soap, broken baby change unit, no toilet paper.

I will be composing a letter when I get the time, but it was exactly the same when we visited 4 years ago, nothing has changed.

Im not reporting on what people write on the internet either, this is a first hand report of what I saw 2 weeks ago. Im sure people have different experiences with DLP, and this is MY opinion on what I found. So, we are going to have to disagree on this issue raptor!!