Royal Consort
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
Last month I embarked on a ‘Disney Around the World’ trip where I visited numerous Disney parks and resorts in succession. I have begun posting my trip report of each resort in the corresponding board. Opinions given within these reports are purely subjective.
Episode 1: Hong Kong Disneyland
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469028#post52469028
Episode 2: Tokyo Disney Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469087#post52469087
Episode 3: Disneyland Resort Paris
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469155#post52469155
Episode 4: Disneyland Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52514347#post52514347
Disneyland Paris
I’m going to get this over with and come out and say it: Disneyland Park in Paris is the most beautiful and detailed of any magic kingdom. Prior lessons have been learned in the construction of this park which allows it to showcase the best Disney had to offer at the time. In Anaheim Imagineers learned how to use space to their advantage, in the Magic Kingdom they learned to expand the hub and spoke design into something larger and more spectacular, with Tokyo they learned how different cultures respond positively and embrace the Disney brand. All of which provided a confidence to spend big and build what was to rival other resorts worldwide – EuroDisney, now Disneyland Resort Paris. I am including pictures in this report from both the recent trip a month ago and the one I took last year.
Anticipation and Main Street
I’ve mentioned in my Hong Kong and Tokyo trip reports that building anticipation before entering a magic kingdom is important. No other park can do it like Paris. Here the picturesque Disneyland Hotel rises above the turnstiles obstructing any view of the iconic castle until that moment when you turn the corner from town square onto Main St. Even today I am filled with excitement as I approach through Fantasia Gardens from the Eurostar terminal. As a child I visited Disneyland Paris and promised myself I would one day stay in the Disneyland Hotel as an adult. Last year I fulfilled that promise to myself. This year, with budget constraints more prominent, I opted for Sequoia Lodge. More on that later.
Paris’s Main Street combines the small town cosy sensation of Anaheim with the larger scale of the Magic Kingdom. The paved street adds much to the overall look as the bitumen is a detraction in the US. Each building possess intricate detail and theming and the sounds of piano lessons playing from Market St and the window shades all add to the convincing effect. Main Street leads the eye directly to the centrepiece and most impressive Disney castle of them all.
Sleeping Beauty Castle melds out from the Eyvind Earle mountain with rectangle trees decorating the grassy mound. The castle possesses the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough as told through stained glass and tapestry and the piece de resistance below; the dragon, at one point the largest animatronic in existence. The recent refurbishment has returned her to some of her former glory. Rather than simply a gateway to Fantasyland, the castle becomes an attraction in itself.
Point your camera anywhere in this park and you’re bound to have captured something beautiful. I do wish there’d be some more quality merchandise available featuring this beautiful castle. I had wanted a little model replica for some time and all that was available was an insultingly poorly made resin model at an outrageous price for its 20th anniversary.
Frontierland
Frontierland ties together like no other. Henry Ravenswood was a prospector who began to prosper from the mining operation he established within Big Thunder Mountain. He built his mansion overlooking the newly formed township of Thunder Mesa but things went wrong… Ravenswood Manor has become Phantom Manor. A story similar in substance to the Phantom of the Opera and a departure from the more tongue in cheek Haunted Mansion. Walt himself may have balked at the dilapidated mansion but I think the American Gothic style is well suited and Anaheim’s is far too attractive in general.
The world’s best Big Thunder Mountain exists here on its own island. This allows the train to move faster and pick up speed underneath the river. The final section returning to the station through the dark is surely the highlight (irony since there’s no light?).
Frontierland’s extra little details such as the imprint of horseshoes on the ground adds to the sense you’ve been transported to an idealised wild west. It seamlessly transitions between the American side to the Mexican side, then leading to Adventureland. I don’t think there’s one thing I would change in Frontierland except how expensive Silver Spur steakhouse is.
Adventureland
Whereas each magic kingdom has interpreted Adventureland in the same way Walt envisioned (a jungle theme), Paris has shirked this in favour of an animated style Arabian theme. Disneyland Paris was created at the time Aladdin was coming out and he has been integrated into the land in a passageway which tells the story through static and moving figures. Adventureland is split into three separate but connected regions. First, the Arabian, then the African (Hakuna Matata counter service restaurant only opens during busy periods) and finally the Caribbean/Pirate region. Each section feels distinctly different but blend well. The blessing of space has been used to its utmost here.
I liked the homage to Anaheim’s old pirate ship and you can tell how deeply affectionate the imagineers were for the original park. The best version of Pirates of the Caribbean is also here. This park feels like hitting the jackpot! The queue within the battlements allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness over time. Then after the lengthy queue filled with skeletons, cannons and palm trees, you board your boat for the only Pirates left without Captain Jack. Really, he’s not needed here. The swinging pirate is now back in action after the recent refurbishment. One tip though; if you decide to eat at Blue Lagoon restaurant inside the ride you may want to rethink requesting a water table. Although you are told not to take flash photographs no one abides this rule making lunch or dinner unpleasant as boatloads after boatloads sail past blinding you time and time again.
Fantasyland
A wooden gateway connects Adventureland to Fantasyland and once more, Disneyland Paris has come up trumps on being the best themed Fantasyland or the fairest of them all. This Fantasyland takes its inspiration from the Tony Baxter ‘new Fantasyland’ that he created in Anaheim as a Bavarian/Swiss village. California doesn’t have the room but here this land can spread its wings. Peter Pan, Snow, and Pinocchio all exist in various points around the fantasy village with Dumbo providing beautiful views over the magic kingdom.
Another nod to Anaheim is given in Toad Hall which is a fish and chip restaurant. Again, only open during peak periods. This is unfortunately done to save on cost.
Alice’s Curious Labyrinth provides a beautiful garden area and break from a focus on rides and the characters within it seem to be back in action. It was nice to see the Caterpillar smoking again. I’m going to get to smoking in general later.
Once we’ve flown over London and given ourselves whiplash on the jerkiest Peter Pan, been offered one of our five daily serves by the Hag and meandered through the hedge maze we can move forward to Paris’s answer to Tomorrowland.
Discoveryland
Being Discoveryland and celebrating the literary work of the original authors of science fiction, we don’t encounter the same confusing problems as Tomorrowland has. My only wish was that the imagineers had been able to further expand this land as was intended. Space Mountain is unlike the white Ikea minimalism of every other park. You’re no longer shot to the moon but to a supernova. I never experienced the original but I hear it was favoured. Space Mountain is awesome but it hurts. There are several inversions and corkscrews as you fly through planets and it looks amazing. The initial launch at speed never gets old. Unfortunately I cannot repeatedly ride this as my shoulders become bruised from the restraints and my knees bash against the seat in front. I rode this nine times last year and was black and blue. You just must do it. Pain is something to be endured!!!
As its getting dark it’s time to take a spot for Disney Dreams. It ties with World of Color as the best Disney show on the planet. It tugs at the heartstrings and reminds me why the Disney parks and films mean so much to me. By combining the water fountains, castle projections, and fireworks you see the best of all worlds and Disney tech at its finest.
Although we didn’t spend a great deal of time in the Studios (3 hours over five days) we did ride the new Ratatouille attraction. It was great fun and although some criticism is valid for being a 3D movie rather than dark ride, it’s still an enjoyable one!
I am not entirely sure what I should say in regards to the Disney Studios park. It calls out desperately for a California Adventure style makeover. I doubt with the state of finances it will get it. Animagique (a similar storyline to Philharmagic but with black light puppets) and Cinemagique are solid entertainment. Crush’s Coaster is popular too. In my mind this park could be rethemed to the Pixar movies as Ratatouille, Nemo and Toy Story already have a presence.
Disneyland Paris fans have much to rejoice. Many of the staple Disneyland attractions have been perfected in this park. A trip between Disneyland Paris last year followed directly by a trip to Walt Disney World demonstrated how impressive the Paris attractions are. So why is Disneyland Paris written off by so many as the black sheep in the parks family?
The Controversy and Gripes
Disneyland Paris doesn’t make money. Most people know this and unfortunately it has had an impact on the park. Maybe first timers won’t notice but veterans begin to see parts in various states of disrepair. May I also acknowledge that parts of the Magic Kingdom in Florida are in as much disrepair. Cutting up and chucking out Spectro Magic into hoppers anyone? Anaheim isn’t often in state of disrepair because the locals make enough fuss that almost everything is fixed or kept to a much higher standard. Paris prioritises what the upkeep will be and leaves the geysers in Frontierland and rockwork in Discoveryland to disintegrate. I don’t think it’s often as bad as people make out. It tends to be the topic to kick the boot into Paris because the reputation has been established. Yet there is something to be said for the state of the onsite hotels. Rooms feel dated and the upkeep questionable. I was too tired to complain to reception in Sequoia Lodge that my supposedly clean bath towel was covered in two long brown streaks….
Still, it remains without a doubt the most beautiful park.
The second thing Paris gets a poor reputation for is guest behaviour. This, in my view, is valid. I’m an asthmatic. It’s against the rules to smoke in the park. The rule is not enforced. People smoke in queues, waiting for parades, waiting for Dreams, in the faces of infants. It literally makes me sick. I became so ill from the passive smoking in the park that I had to take half a day in bed to recover as breathing became problematic. This is something I feel passionate and angry about. Why should I pay for Disneyland Paris’s reluctance to enforce their own rules? While waiting for Dreams this year I took a surgical mask to cover my face to reduce the smoke. The amount of nasty glances I received for doing so! Smoking has to stop. Children visit here. There’s no excuse.
The behaviour unfortunately didn’t stop there. This year my partner was bowled out the way for a mother to push her daughter to the front to watch the parade and take photos. Two men avoided a half hour Pirates queue by telling everyone they were meeting up with the rest of their party. They were not. They got on the boat, just the two of them holding cans of beer which they proceeded to drink during the attraction. No cast member intervened. Bottles and cans were thrown into the Storybook Canal ride. The final nail in the coffin for my other half was the mother who pulled her child’s pants down and allowed him to urinate outside Peter Pan’s Flight even though the restroom was 10 steps to the left. By this stage we just wanted to go and eat dinner we had booked 60 days in advance at Blue Lagoon. Locked. No one had informed us within that intervening period that Paris had decided to close the restaurant post refurbishment of the ride. I politely informed the cast member at city hall who reacted nonchalantly and asked “so where do you want to eat then?” I’m always polite but assertive and had she simply said “oh dear, that’s our mistake I’m sorry” I would have been perfectly fine. I know it’s not her fault but empathy goes a long way.
Some of these reasons add to why Disneyland Paris is considered the poor cousin of the US parks. I feel torn. The imagineers have built the Disneyland of dreams and handed it to custodians who, arguably, have a way to go in meeting the Disney standard for quality.
I then propose this: many of these problems related to the parks can be avoided entirely by going in off-off season. I’ve been to Disneyland Paris numerous times but always within really off seasons. Sometimes I’ve been the only one on Main Street during the extra magic hours in the morning. Visiting the park during these periods allows you to enjoy what is on offer without the previously mentioned struggles. I’d highly recommend it.
I left Disneyland Paris heartbroken on this occasion and it was for Disneyland Anaheim to restore my faith.
Next up: Disneyland Resort.
Episode 1: Hong Kong Disneyland
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469028#post52469028
Episode 2: Tokyo Disney Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469087#post52469087
Episode 3: Disneyland Resort Paris
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469155#post52469155
Episode 4: Disneyland Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52514347#post52514347
Disneyland Paris
I’m going to get this over with and come out and say it: Disneyland Park in Paris is the most beautiful and detailed of any magic kingdom. Prior lessons have been learned in the construction of this park which allows it to showcase the best Disney had to offer at the time. In Anaheim Imagineers learned how to use space to their advantage, in the Magic Kingdom they learned to expand the hub and spoke design into something larger and more spectacular, with Tokyo they learned how different cultures respond positively and embrace the Disney brand. All of which provided a confidence to spend big and build what was to rival other resorts worldwide – EuroDisney, now Disneyland Resort Paris. I am including pictures in this report from both the recent trip a month ago and the one I took last year.
Anticipation and Main Street
I’ve mentioned in my Hong Kong and Tokyo trip reports that building anticipation before entering a magic kingdom is important. No other park can do it like Paris. Here the picturesque Disneyland Hotel rises above the turnstiles obstructing any view of the iconic castle until that moment when you turn the corner from town square onto Main St. Even today I am filled with excitement as I approach through Fantasia Gardens from the Eurostar terminal. As a child I visited Disneyland Paris and promised myself I would one day stay in the Disneyland Hotel as an adult. Last year I fulfilled that promise to myself. This year, with budget constraints more prominent, I opted for Sequoia Lodge. More on that later.
Frontierland
Frontierland ties together like no other. Henry Ravenswood was a prospector who began to prosper from the mining operation he established within Big Thunder Mountain. He built his mansion overlooking the newly formed township of Thunder Mesa but things went wrong… Ravenswood Manor has become Phantom Manor. A story similar in substance to the Phantom of the Opera and a departure from the more tongue in cheek Haunted Mansion. Walt himself may have balked at the dilapidated mansion but I think the American Gothic style is well suited and Anaheim’s is far too attractive in general.
Adventureland
Fantasyland
A wooden gateway connects Adventureland to Fantasyland and once more, Disneyland Paris has come up trumps on being the best themed Fantasyland or the fairest of them all. This Fantasyland takes its inspiration from the Tony Baxter ‘new Fantasyland’ that he created in Anaheim as a Bavarian/Swiss village. California doesn’t have the room but here this land can spread its wings. Peter Pan, Snow, and Pinocchio all exist in various points around the fantasy village with Dumbo providing beautiful views over the magic kingdom.
Alice’s Curious Labyrinth provides a beautiful garden area and break from a focus on rides and the characters within it seem to be back in action. It was nice to see the Caterpillar smoking again. I’m going to get to smoking in general later.
Once we’ve flown over London and given ourselves whiplash on the jerkiest Peter Pan, been offered one of our five daily serves by the Hag and meandered through the hedge maze we can move forward to Paris’s answer to Tomorrowland.
Discoveryland
Being Discoveryland and celebrating the literary work of the original authors of science fiction, we don’t encounter the same confusing problems as Tomorrowland has. My only wish was that the imagineers had been able to further expand this land as was intended. Space Mountain is unlike the white Ikea minimalism of every other park. You’re no longer shot to the moon but to a supernova. I never experienced the original but I hear it was favoured. Space Mountain is awesome but it hurts. There are several inversions and corkscrews as you fly through planets and it looks amazing. The initial launch at speed never gets old. Unfortunately I cannot repeatedly ride this as my shoulders become bruised from the restraints and my knees bash against the seat in front. I rode this nine times last year and was black and blue. You just must do it. Pain is something to be endured!!!
Although we didn’t spend a great deal of time in the Studios (3 hours over five days) we did ride the new Ratatouille attraction. It was great fun and although some criticism is valid for being a 3D movie rather than dark ride, it’s still an enjoyable one!
Disneyland Paris fans have much to rejoice. Many of the staple Disneyland attractions have been perfected in this park. A trip between Disneyland Paris last year followed directly by a trip to Walt Disney World demonstrated how impressive the Paris attractions are. So why is Disneyland Paris written off by so many as the black sheep in the parks family?
The Controversy and Gripes
Disneyland Paris doesn’t make money. Most people know this and unfortunately it has had an impact on the park. Maybe first timers won’t notice but veterans begin to see parts in various states of disrepair. May I also acknowledge that parts of the Magic Kingdom in Florida are in as much disrepair. Cutting up and chucking out Spectro Magic into hoppers anyone? Anaheim isn’t often in state of disrepair because the locals make enough fuss that almost everything is fixed or kept to a much higher standard. Paris prioritises what the upkeep will be and leaves the geysers in Frontierland and rockwork in Discoveryland to disintegrate. I don’t think it’s often as bad as people make out. It tends to be the topic to kick the boot into Paris because the reputation has been established. Yet there is something to be said for the state of the onsite hotels. Rooms feel dated and the upkeep questionable. I was too tired to complain to reception in Sequoia Lodge that my supposedly clean bath towel was covered in two long brown streaks….
Still, it remains without a doubt the most beautiful park.
The second thing Paris gets a poor reputation for is guest behaviour. This, in my view, is valid. I’m an asthmatic. It’s against the rules to smoke in the park. The rule is not enforced. People smoke in queues, waiting for parades, waiting for Dreams, in the faces of infants. It literally makes me sick. I became so ill from the passive smoking in the park that I had to take half a day in bed to recover as breathing became problematic. This is something I feel passionate and angry about. Why should I pay for Disneyland Paris’s reluctance to enforce their own rules? While waiting for Dreams this year I took a surgical mask to cover my face to reduce the smoke. The amount of nasty glances I received for doing so! Smoking has to stop. Children visit here. There’s no excuse.
The behaviour unfortunately didn’t stop there. This year my partner was bowled out the way for a mother to push her daughter to the front to watch the parade and take photos. Two men avoided a half hour Pirates queue by telling everyone they were meeting up with the rest of their party. They were not. They got on the boat, just the two of them holding cans of beer which they proceeded to drink during the attraction. No cast member intervened. Bottles and cans were thrown into the Storybook Canal ride. The final nail in the coffin for my other half was the mother who pulled her child’s pants down and allowed him to urinate outside Peter Pan’s Flight even though the restroom was 10 steps to the left. By this stage we just wanted to go and eat dinner we had booked 60 days in advance at Blue Lagoon. Locked. No one had informed us within that intervening period that Paris had decided to close the restaurant post refurbishment of the ride. I politely informed the cast member at city hall who reacted nonchalantly and asked “so where do you want to eat then?” I’m always polite but assertive and had she simply said “oh dear, that’s our mistake I’m sorry” I would have been perfectly fine. I know it’s not her fault but empathy goes a long way.
Some of these reasons add to why Disneyland Paris is considered the poor cousin of the US parks. I feel torn. The imagineers have built the Disneyland of dreams and handed it to custodians who, arguably, have a way to go in meeting the Disney standard for quality.
I then propose this: many of these problems related to the parks can be avoided entirely by going in off-off season. I’ve been to Disneyland Paris numerous times but always within really off seasons. Sometimes I’ve been the only one on Main Street during the extra magic hours in the morning. Visiting the park during these periods allows you to enjoy what is on offer without the previously mentioned struggles. I’d highly recommend it.
I left Disneyland Paris heartbroken on this occasion and it was for Disneyland Anaheim to restore my faith.
Next up: Disneyland Resort.
I do find I miss many beautiful elements of DLRP! It is a very well imagined Disney park - so beautiful and intricate. I hope I can go again sometime while I am still a cast member - though I am much closer to Hong Kong (which I also love of course).
