cdoc29
Cruising with the Crazies
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2010
A little about myself and family. This was our first trip to Disneyland Paris but we have been several times to both Disneyland California and Walt Disney World. We have stayed both on property at both resorts as well as off property. We are a fsmily of four with a 9 year old girl and a 12 year old boy. We stayed 3 nights in the Sequoia Lodge and spent three days in the parks June 7, 8 and 9
Parc Disneyland
This park is pretty good, the rides are different enough they make riding them worth it even if you have been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. There are many things that make this park unique that make visiting once in your life if you can worth it.
Rides - We rode all the rides and many of them twice. It is easily the best Big Thunder Mountain of all three parks we have been too. Phantom Manor has a great back story if you look it up and that makes it easy to follow along in the ride if you know the story. Indiana Jones is a roller coaster, good for thrills but was not the smoothest ride. Sadly, Pirates was closed so I can’t speak to that. Peter Pan is Peter Pan, Pinocchio is Pinocchio, Dumbo is Dumbo, Small World is in French and is different enough it is worth the ride, Storybook Canal has some dioramas you do not see in California including Wizard of Oz. Casey Junior is a slow kiddie roller coaster that even grandma could ride. Teacups are Teacups. Buzz Light Year is Buzz Light Year and Star Tours is in French. Autotopia is much longer than other parks and Hyperspace Mountain is well themed has a launch to start and goes upside down at least twice.
Attractions – Sleeping Beauty Castle is a sight to behold. It looks good and has three levels, sadly the basement part was closed, and we didn’t see the dragon but the walk trough has two shops and you can walk upstairs and out onto a walkway that overlook Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland’s Labyrinth and the Queen’s Maze are a blast and very well done, my kids a lot of fun playing in this area, at the end of the Queen’s Maze it the Queen of Hearts Castle which you can climb and get a view of the labyrinth and maze as well as Fantasyland. Adventure Isle, Pirate Beach and the whole area are extensive. Think Tom Sawyer’s Island on steroids. There are caves to explore that are multiple levels, rope bridges, swinging bridges, lookout and more. You could easily spend an hour or two exploring.
Food – The food is not a good as (or as diverse) as at other Disneyland’s. With that said popcorn comes with sweet or salty variety, the Croque Monsieur at Market House Deli was tasty otherwise it seems to be burgers and such. We did the character breakfast at plaza gardens, the food was not good but we booked for the characters, we saw Donald, Capt Hook, Eeyore, Tigger, and Pluto. My wife and Daughter did the Princess Dinner and she said the food was excellent, they saw Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Perla the Mouse and one other mouse from Cinderella.
Disney Studious
This park has some unique rides but currently is rather small and we explored the whole thing including rides in about half a day.
Rides – Crushes Coaster is a roller coaster mostly in the dark with a few scenes that whiz by that has the added bonus of the car doing a flat spin as you go through the ride, my kids loved it my wife not so much. Ratatouille was great and as I have not been on the one in Florida was glad to be able to ride it. Cars Road Trip is a repurposed Backlot Tour set to cars theme, Web Slingers is the same in California and Avengers Assemble is the same as Rock n Roll Rollercoaster from Florida except Marvel.
Attractions – They have a scream canister over near Toon Studio that your kids can attempt to fill with their scream and there are several good Instagram photo spots.
Food – We ate a Bistro de Remy. The food was OK but the theming was great. The rest of the food in the park was the same as in Disneyland.
Disney Village
This is small and has a lot of eating options and very limited shopping. We found the parks to have a better selection than the Disney Shops in the village but the food options were more plentiful and in one location. Security works the same in Disneyland Paris as California, once you are through you are good for both parks and Disney Village
Sequoia Lodge
This was by far the worst hotel of 3-week Europe Trip. We stayed here 3 nights, and it was 3 nights too many. The only saving grace was being able to walk to Disneyland and the hotel pool.
This hotel not only did meet the standards I have come to expect from Disney, it was what I expect from a $39 a night cheap roadside crappy hotel/motel. The room was not cleaned properly, the furniture all had wear and tear in the form of chips, cracks, damage or simply broken. The beds were very uncomfortable, not just hard but rather super thin and no support. The walls are so thin you can follow other people conversations in the room next to you not to mention when their baby cries all night. The Music on Friday night from Disney Village that went on till 3am could easily be heard in the room. The A/C does not work and there was no fan available. It also has that smell of it used to be a smoking room and they tried to cover it up with an odor eliminator.
The first night I went to show management pictures of the room and as we had got in late after a day at the parks my kids were already asleep. I simply asked for the room be thoroughly cleaned the next day. I was assured it would be and sadly that did not happen, they did leave 4 lanyards with simply Disneyland Paris pins but that does not make up for the inability to clean the room.
There are only two wall outlets in the room, and neither was near the beds. You had to unplug the light in line and coffee maker from the other to even use them.
The grounds of the hotel are nice, and the main lodge has some good theming along with an excellent pool booth my kids thoroughly enjoyed. However, if you are considering this hotel look around Val d'Europe as I think you will get much better quality, both mornings when we tried to use the early entry we arrived right at early entry opening and it took us 45 minutes to get into the park, totally not worth it as a perk.
I am disappointed in Disney that they allow this to be a hotel to be in the condition it is, they should be ashamed and embarrassed by the standard of this hotel.
Other Thoughts:
Ultimate Premier Pass we got two days as my son is Autistic but really we could have just done one day and been good. You will get to ride all the major rides and it is easy enough to do with an Ultimate Premier Pass.
Disability Pass - we got a disability pass for our son, we used it a couple of times, worked the same as Disneyland where you get a return time only they keep track of it on paper that you carry around. Just be sure to bring a note from your doctor explaining the disability and need. You go to city hall and sit down with a cast member and explain your needs, pretty straight forward.
On either side of Main Street behind the shops is an Arcade than runs the length, it is a great way to avoid the crush of Main Street and great to explore. There are bathrooms in each with benches nearby. Plus if you take the time to explore there are some hidden areas to find.
Shopping, While many things are located at multiple shops you cannot always count on that. If you see something be sure to note where you saw it to go back and find it.
Pin Trading - there are not as many pins sold in the parks but the ones they sell do look awesome, Cast members who wear lanyards with pins will always be willing trade and this was a great way for my kids to meet new people. The cast members here will accept scrapper pins as I saw someone try to pass a non-disney pin and the cast member told them they couldn't trade for non-disney pins.
Do not make food a part of your park experience, it is not that good and is what I expect when I go to a local theme park.
Language - was not issue I would greet the cast members with a Bonjour and 99% of the time they would respond in French and then immediately switch to English or ask if I preferred English.
Evening show was worth staying for but it gets very crowded on Main Street, Pro Tim you watch it with just as much enjoyment and no obstruction from the entrance to Tomorrowland and that fills up last.
Parades are smaller in scale than Disneyland or Disney World, they happen a couple for times so they are easy to catch.
We tried to see the Lion King Show but the wait was always an over an hour, the one time we waited 45 minutes we didn't't get into the show as they ran out of space, you can pay to reserve your seats but its expensive.
Take as much time to explore the parks as you spend riding the rides, the real gems are discovering things like Adventure Isle, Alice's Labyrinth, the arcade, Frontier Land, etc....
We purchased Photo Pass but none of the photo spots was manned by photographers and all we got were ride shots, hardly worth the $75, in fact at character meet and greets you had to use your own camera.
Smoking is allowed in the park if you are not a smoker this can be a big shock after years of going to Disneyland or Disney World
Final Feelings:
While the Parks are nice, I was disappointed at the lack of maintenance and upkeep. Gardens were not trimmed; paint was peeling from attractions and several things were closed with no good reason. Many of the major rides would close for hours at a time to be worked on and Big Thunder Mountain was closed the entire day number 2. Many m ore than was listed on the Disneyland Paris web site. I wonder how much of the ongoing dispute between the employees and Disney played a part in this, we saw two days in a row the employees marching through the park with signs chanting about unfair wages. There are designated smoking spots in the park, but this is not enforced, and people smoked anywhere they pleased. 90% of the time the ride soundtrack would be stopped so Cast Members could yell at unruly guests but nothing else was done to curb bad behavior. People cut in line and litter was everywhere. With the lack of cleanliness in the room, the lack of upkeep and such it felt like we were at 6 flags. 6 flags can be fun, but my expectations are generally lower at 6 Flags than when at Disney.
My Recommendation is visit the park if you are in Paris, do not stay on property. If you are going for several days stay in Val d’Europe. Do not get the photopass and if you are planning a trip wait until after the Olympics when everything should be open and running and hopefully the employee disputes is over and the park is in better shape.
If you have any questions hit me up and I will answer as best I can.
Parc Disneyland
This park is pretty good, the rides are different enough they make riding them worth it even if you have been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. There are many things that make this park unique that make visiting once in your life if you can worth it.
Rides - We rode all the rides and many of them twice. It is easily the best Big Thunder Mountain of all three parks we have been too. Phantom Manor has a great back story if you look it up and that makes it easy to follow along in the ride if you know the story. Indiana Jones is a roller coaster, good for thrills but was not the smoothest ride. Sadly, Pirates was closed so I can’t speak to that. Peter Pan is Peter Pan, Pinocchio is Pinocchio, Dumbo is Dumbo, Small World is in French and is different enough it is worth the ride, Storybook Canal has some dioramas you do not see in California including Wizard of Oz. Casey Junior is a slow kiddie roller coaster that even grandma could ride. Teacups are Teacups. Buzz Light Year is Buzz Light Year and Star Tours is in French. Autotopia is much longer than other parks and Hyperspace Mountain is well themed has a launch to start and goes upside down at least twice.
Attractions – Sleeping Beauty Castle is a sight to behold. It looks good and has three levels, sadly the basement part was closed, and we didn’t see the dragon but the walk trough has two shops and you can walk upstairs and out onto a walkway that overlook Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland’s Labyrinth and the Queen’s Maze are a blast and very well done, my kids a lot of fun playing in this area, at the end of the Queen’s Maze it the Queen of Hearts Castle which you can climb and get a view of the labyrinth and maze as well as Fantasyland. Adventure Isle, Pirate Beach and the whole area are extensive. Think Tom Sawyer’s Island on steroids. There are caves to explore that are multiple levels, rope bridges, swinging bridges, lookout and more. You could easily spend an hour or two exploring.
Food – The food is not a good as (or as diverse) as at other Disneyland’s. With that said popcorn comes with sweet or salty variety, the Croque Monsieur at Market House Deli was tasty otherwise it seems to be burgers and such. We did the character breakfast at plaza gardens, the food was not good but we booked for the characters, we saw Donald, Capt Hook, Eeyore, Tigger, and Pluto. My wife and Daughter did the Princess Dinner and she said the food was excellent, they saw Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Perla the Mouse and one other mouse from Cinderella.
Disney Studious
This park has some unique rides but currently is rather small and we explored the whole thing including rides in about half a day.
Rides – Crushes Coaster is a roller coaster mostly in the dark with a few scenes that whiz by that has the added bonus of the car doing a flat spin as you go through the ride, my kids loved it my wife not so much. Ratatouille was great and as I have not been on the one in Florida was glad to be able to ride it. Cars Road Trip is a repurposed Backlot Tour set to cars theme, Web Slingers is the same in California and Avengers Assemble is the same as Rock n Roll Rollercoaster from Florida except Marvel.
Attractions – They have a scream canister over near Toon Studio that your kids can attempt to fill with their scream and there are several good Instagram photo spots.
Food – We ate a Bistro de Remy. The food was OK but the theming was great. The rest of the food in the park was the same as in Disneyland.
Disney Village
This is small and has a lot of eating options and very limited shopping. We found the parks to have a better selection than the Disney Shops in the village but the food options were more plentiful and in one location. Security works the same in Disneyland Paris as California, once you are through you are good for both parks and Disney Village
Sequoia Lodge
This was by far the worst hotel of 3-week Europe Trip. We stayed here 3 nights, and it was 3 nights too many. The only saving grace was being able to walk to Disneyland and the hotel pool.
This hotel not only did meet the standards I have come to expect from Disney, it was what I expect from a $39 a night cheap roadside crappy hotel/motel. The room was not cleaned properly, the furniture all had wear and tear in the form of chips, cracks, damage or simply broken. The beds were very uncomfortable, not just hard but rather super thin and no support. The walls are so thin you can follow other people conversations in the room next to you not to mention when their baby cries all night. The Music on Friday night from Disney Village that went on till 3am could easily be heard in the room. The A/C does not work and there was no fan available. It also has that smell of it used to be a smoking room and they tried to cover it up with an odor eliminator.
The first night I went to show management pictures of the room and as we had got in late after a day at the parks my kids were already asleep. I simply asked for the room be thoroughly cleaned the next day. I was assured it would be and sadly that did not happen, they did leave 4 lanyards with simply Disneyland Paris pins but that does not make up for the inability to clean the room.
There are only two wall outlets in the room, and neither was near the beds. You had to unplug the light in line and coffee maker from the other to even use them.
The grounds of the hotel are nice, and the main lodge has some good theming along with an excellent pool booth my kids thoroughly enjoyed. However, if you are considering this hotel look around Val d'Europe as I think you will get much better quality, both mornings when we tried to use the early entry we arrived right at early entry opening and it took us 45 minutes to get into the park, totally not worth it as a perk.
I am disappointed in Disney that they allow this to be a hotel to be in the condition it is, they should be ashamed and embarrassed by the standard of this hotel.
Other Thoughts:
Ultimate Premier Pass we got two days as my son is Autistic but really we could have just done one day and been good. You will get to ride all the major rides and it is easy enough to do with an Ultimate Premier Pass.
Disability Pass - we got a disability pass for our son, we used it a couple of times, worked the same as Disneyland where you get a return time only they keep track of it on paper that you carry around. Just be sure to bring a note from your doctor explaining the disability and need. You go to city hall and sit down with a cast member and explain your needs, pretty straight forward.
On either side of Main Street behind the shops is an Arcade than runs the length, it is a great way to avoid the crush of Main Street and great to explore. There are bathrooms in each with benches nearby. Plus if you take the time to explore there are some hidden areas to find.
Shopping, While many things are located at multiple shops you cannot always count on that. If you see something be sure to note where you saw it to go back and find it.
Pin Trading - there are not as many pins sold in the parks but the ones they sell do look awesome, Cast members who wear lanyards with pins will always be willing trade and this was a great way for my kids to meet new people. The cast members here will accept scrapper pins as I saw someone try to pass a non-disney pin and the cast member told them they couldn't trade for non-disney pins.
Do not make food a part of your park experience, it is not that good and is what I expect when I go to a local theme park.
Language - was not issue I would greet the cast members with a Bonjour and 99% of the time they would respond in French and then immediately switch to English or ask if I preferred English.
Evening show was worth staying for but it gets very crowded on Main Street, Pro Tim you watch it with just as much enjoyment and no obstruction from the entrance to Tomorrowland and that fills up last.
Parades are smaller in scale than Disneyland or Disney World, they happen a couple for times so they are easy to catch.
We tried to see the Lion King Show but the wait was always an over an hour, the one time we waited 45 minutes we didn't't get into the show as they ran out of space, you can pay to reserve your seats but its expensive.
Take as much time to explore the parks as you spend riding the rides, the real gems are discovering things like Adventure Isle, Alice's Labyrinth, the arcade, Frontier Land, etc....
We purchased Photo Pass but none of the photo spots was manned by photographers and all we got were ride shots, hardly worth the $75, in fact at character meet and greets you had to use your own camera.
Smoking is allowed in the park if you are not a smoker this can be a big shock after years of going to Disneyland or Disney World
Final Feelings:
While the Parks are nice, I was disappointed at the lack of maintenance and upkeep. Gardens were not trimmed; paint was peeling from attractions and several things were closed with no good reason. Many of the major rides would close for hours at a time to be worked on and Big Thunder Mountain was closed the entire day number 2. Many m ore than was listed on the Disneyland Paris web site. I wonder how much of the ongoing dispute between the employees and Disney played a part in this, we saw two days in a row the employees marching through the park with signs chanting about unfair wages. There are designated smoking spots in the park, but this is not enforced, and people smoked anywhere they pleased. 90% of the time the ride soundtrack would be stopped so Cast Members could yell at unruly guests but nothing else was done to curb bad behavior. People cut in line and litter was everywhere. With the lack of cleanliness in the room, the lack of upkeep and such it felt like we were at 6 flags. 6 flags can be fun, but my expectations are generally lower at 6 Flags than when at Disney.
My Recommendation is visit the park if you are in Paris, do not stay on property. If you are going for several days stay in Val d’Europe. Do not get the photopass and if you are planning a trip wait until after the Olympics when everything should be open and running and hopefully the employee disputes is over and the park is in better shape.
If you have any questions hit me up and I will answer as best I can.
