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[cyrilthemilkman]

My thoughts from my trip to DLRP.  Warts and all.


Disneyland Park


Main Street


Generally impressed, ok there are a few bits that need a lick a paint, or a


bit of re-pointing, but the ambience and feel of the place was good.  Does


need some streetmosphere though.
Range of shops was excellent, with a good mix of DLRP specific merchandise and


not.  that can't be said for the whole of the park.  Plenty of characters


around, with proper queues!!!
Food outlets offered reasonably priced food and drink considering where you


are.  Although they are a little penny pinching, as i wanted a second empty


box for the popcorn to split out for my kids, but wasn't allowed as they are


counted and audited.
Ate at Plaza Gardens one night, was OK, thought the buffet at Davy Crockett


Ranch was better cooked though. (That was a real gem)


Discoveryland
Bit of a mixed batch unfortuantely.  What was there was generally well kept


and well themed, but it needs some more attractions.  Especially towards the


back where star tours/back of space mountain/pizza planet is.  As i've seen


elsewhere this would be a prime location for a 'sub-land' like Star wars


(although personally not a fan of star wars).
Space mountain is excellent, as is the theming for Buzz and the ride is great.


Autopia was shut, which meant at night they didn't have the lights on, which


kind of left the land looking soulless at night.  The lighting for autopia


brings that land to life and compliments orbitron and space mountain


perfectly.
My biggest issue is the lack of idea for the old videopolis and cafe hyperion


buildings.  We had a peep in, it didn't look appealing what was in there. 


This needs some kind of re-invention.  Also the exit to star tours was


disappointing, this use to be brilliant, surely they can find some 'technology


of the future' to put in here and make some money from it.


Fantasyland
Can't really grumble here was an excellent time in here, although the tea cups


look like they need a refurb (some had broken bases and really dodgy paint


work), and the labryinth some of the pop-up characters shouted at you but


didn't pop up (not everything can work all of the time i guess). 
Dumbo, Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinocchio and the carousel all great. 
Plenty of character meet and greets (mad hatter, Alice, Pinocchio, Gepetto,


Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum amongst others)
Thought Pizzaria Bella Notte was really good value and good food.  We ended up


going here twice, and walking across the park to eat here for lunch.
Merchandise was a bit samey and you could get most of the stuff on Main


Street, that's a criticism of the whole park.  Not sure what it is like in


other disney parks, but would have liked to see a bit more Fantasyland


specific merch.
Probably the best land for entertainment and attractions, and you could quite


easily spend a whole day here.


Adventureland.
By far the best themed land in the park, Skull Rock, the caves, ship, Swiss


family Robinson tree etc... all brilliantly done. Spent hours exploring the


caves.  Personally one of my highlights.
POTC theming is awesome, Disney Imagineering at its best. 
Ride is great and takes you into the pirate world, although be good to see at


somepoint some new technology in there for the animatronics etc., but its got


a lot more years in it before that needs doing, and you can't keep updating


rides when there are new technologies around, budgets won't allow it.
I know Indy gets some stick for being rubbish, I generally enjoyed the ride


when I went on it on previous visits, but couldn't comment this time around as


was closed for its refurb.
Just feel like Discoveryland also needs an extra attraction, although I guess


the whole idea of adventureland is to explore and have an adventure. Looking


at an aerial there is plenty of space to do something, surely in Disney's


catalogue of franchises there is something they can draw inspiration from to


create a new attraction, whether its a ride or a new walkthrough exploration.


Frontierland
Again awesome theming, great selection of food outlets, the fact that some


bits look like they need repairing actually adds to the escapism.  There are a


few niggles, where in one of the 'fake' buildings the windows weren't very


well done and you could see the white plywood behind, but that's minor.
As with Adventureland this is crying out for a new attraction, BTM, PM and the


Boats aside there isn't really much else here.  Whether that means getting


something in the theatre again or a new attraction it needs something to keep


you in there longer than a few hours.  We went when it was quiet had no queue


for BTM or PM, boats weren't running so we were in and out fairly quickly. 


That included going up to boot hill and round to where the railroad station


is.
We ate at the silver spur, and the food was pretty awesome, would recommend


that.  Setting is exceptional as well, felt like we were eating in a proper


western steakhouse.
Whether i noticed it here more or what but the Merchandise was better tailored


to the land, but again wasn't anything that I couldn't get elsewhere and


didn't really have anything specific to Frontierland AT DLRP.  I want that


stamped on something. 
When I went in 1992 I got a Cowboy hat, as a wee young 'un, that had a Euro


Disneyland Logo on the front and a cowboy mickey on it (still have it), same


hat is still in there but is plain now.  That sort of thing is where the merch


lets itself down i think.
This probably isn't going to be very popular, but out of all the rides in


DLRP, I think PM is the one that has had its day, not in terms of theming but


the ride itself.  I love the grounds and the build up to getting on the ride,


but once within the car, it was pretty meh, i didn't feel scared and neither


did my 4 year olds (apart from the light switch off in the beginning). Like to


see this updated to use new effects and technology and to make it more spooky.




General things
Water fountains, I don't know if it was the time of the year or i was unlucky,


but each one i tried didn't work.  Would've been nice to grab a fill up of


water at some point rather than keep buying sugary drinks.  Although the free


hot drink for later in the afternoon if you have a meal is welcomed when its


cold.
Character meet and greets were exceptionally well organised and a lot better


than the chaos there was previously.
Cast Members were very helpful.
More attractions would help with queue management in the summer/peak times. 


I'm a bit of a thrill seeker so its coming from that angle rather than


anything else, and I know disney isn't really a thrill seekers kind of place.
Why do most of the merchandise have to be guns or swords of some kid for kids.


I don't let my kids have these kinds of toys, but they see them and get


obsessed.  They threw a few tantrums when we said no to them for these and


refused to have any other kind of toy.  Ended up having to avoid stores as


best as possible.
Disney Dreams! was pretty darn good.  Definitely worth seeing several times. 
Overall park experience is brilliant, despite a few little things (although my


opinons are costly things to improve on).  Definitely a great place to go.






Walt Disney Studios


Front Lot
Its a nice entrance to the park, very promising start to your experience. 


Restaurant en coulisse food is ok at best, we didn't intend to eat here but


the blockbuster cafe was shut. The shop althought nicely done, has the same


old problem of poor selection of merchandise. Love the illusion of walking


through a film set and interacting with some props.  And the fact that at the


end of 'tunnel' with the doors closed, you get the odd glimpse of what lays


ahead as the light rushes in.


Production Courtyard
Tower of terror - WOW!!  Awesome ride, awesome theming, i had no queue time so


walked straight on, so even better. The 'area' around it with the fake


boulevard theming upto studio tram tour is ok as well.  Speaking of which


studio tram tour was shut so didn't get to do this.  Disney Junior Live, the


kids enjoyed, was well put together, unfortuantely we didn't get to do stitch


or cinemagique.  The area it self is a bit wide open and feels like it needs


'filling in' somehow.




Toy Story Playland
Theming is brilliant, lots of rides rammed into a little space, which at the


time of year I went was fine, but can imagine in summer it might become a


little unbearable.  Parachute drop is good, great that my littlest one at 18


months could go on that as well.  Didn't get the chance for RC Racer, but that


looked brilliant.  I like the compactness of the area, and reminded me of


being in my tiny bedroom surrounded by toys.


Backlot
Very bland area, this needs some kind of theming, especially around the


attractions.  Aerosmith is an epic ride very well thought out inside the


building, outside though its a bit meh.  Make the area around it look a bit


more rock and roll.  Didn't do the car stunt show as we done it 18 months ago


and didn't fancy doing it again, i went to it when it first opened in 2002 and


i don't think it has changed, just needs a re-vamp.  They should try and


include some kind of theming out side there also.  Armagedon wasn't open when


we went so didn't get a chance to do it.




Toon Studios
A bit like Toy story playland, a lot crammed into a small area.  Crushs


coaster is fantastic, one of the best rides in the whole resort, plus younger


kids get to go on something that chucks them around a bit more.  Cars Rallye,


good for little ones.  Theming is good all round, but can't help think they


should have left some room and done it as a pixar land and incorporated more


pixar films, Something to do with UP! and the incredibles would be good in


there.  Can't understand why we have the flying carpets there, it doesn't


really fit in, plus got similar rides elsewhere in the resort (Dumbo and


Orbitron), having said that refurb it to be some balloons and you have an UP!


ride instead.  Animagique was an awesome show, the kids especially enjoyed it,


building was uninspiring as well though.


In General
The studios has some very good rides and attractions. The problem I found with


it was that it just didn't have any 'magic' no proper theming, felt like you


were just walking from one thing to the next.  Nowhere to explore etc.. very


concrete, very bland.  Has so much potential though with the attractions it


has, just needs that extra something.




Got to say although my report sounds negative, I thoroughly enjoyed my week there and will be going back again next winter.  It wasn't particularly cold, so that wasn't an issue and as the queue times are short its ideal, i'm rubbish at queueing.  Bit of a trade off i suppose with stuff being open, but i guess can't have everything. 


Liam