Disneyland Paris 10th – 15th February 2010
Sorry for being a little bit late, but I was skiing the last days and so I had no time to write it.
Last Monday we returned from our recent trip to Disneyland Paris. It was our fourth trip and we enjoyed our time there, although it was not as perfect and magical as the last times.
I want to start our trip report with the hotel: Disney's Sequoia Lodge
After staying three times in the Santa Fe hotel, we decided to try the Sequoia Lodge, because we wanted to stay on site. What a bad decision. The Sequoia Lodge is really a very beautiful hotel, but our room was not. At first we wanted to book a Montana room, but we thought that the money is not worth to stay in the main building, so we took a standard room which is located in one of the lodges. Nevertheless when we checked in we got a Montana room in the main building and we were pleased to get a better room.
Although our room was (somewhat) clean, it was not as nice as the refurbished rooms at the Santa Fe we had during our previous trips. The TV wasn't working very well and our wardrobe with the TV was also a little bit broken. Maybe our expectations were just too high, but we really thought that the quality of the room would be better and maybe the other rooms in the SL are better. The nicest room in a Disney hotel we had, was the one in WDW's Pop Century Resort and this is a value and not a moderate hotel, like SL.
We didn't try the pool, because it wasn't open in the morning and in the evening when we returned from the parks, we were too tired. Instead we had some drinks at the Redwood Bar, which is very cosy with the open fire place.
The breakfast was also okay, but not very different to the Santa Fe breakfast. I think SL offered more cereals, fresh fruits and the restaurants are nicer.
So next time we will stay off site, because the Disney hotels and the Extra Magic Hours are really not worth the money. Maybe we will choose one of the Vienna International hotels, because we have already stayed in one in Prague and it was a lot better than the SL for less money.
Here are some pics of the hotel and the breakfast:
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More later or tomorrow!
This and that:
The Castmembers:
In general most of the CMs were friendly and polite, but we have also encountered unfriendly persons, for example the manager of Walt's who brought us to our table. He asked us if we speak French or English. So we told him, that we only speak English. Nevertheless he talked the whole time in French with us. Not very nice.
I know it was off season, so there are not many international guests, but many CMs at the counter service restaurants had problems with English and spoke only French. That wasn't such a big problem, because they used cards with food pictures to show them what you want to order.
The Merchandise:
Euro Disney SCA is always complaining that people don't spend enough money in the parks. It is not really possible with this bad selection of merchandise to spend more money. In each shop the offer the same. The Mickey's Magical Party merchandise didn't appeal to us and if you are not a girl (Princess products everywhere) it's really hard to find some nice merchandise. The selection of pins was also very small and attraction pins are rare. At least I got a few.
So here is what we bought:
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More of our trip report will follow tomorrow. Now I'm going to watch "Public Enemies" on DVD.
I can understand your frustration with the Sequoia Lodge, Disneyland Paris Hotels have really gone down hill and except for location and perhaps the swiming pool, I really don't see a difference between Santa Fe and Sequoia Lodge. And I agree despite my criticism of WDW the hotels do offer a much richer and awarding experience to the Paris Hotels. Although I would still pick a Disney hotel over one further away.
And if you have a problem with Cast Members not speaking english, I recomend you avoid making any trips out to Tokyo Disney Resort any time soon. As this is all normal behaviour, although Disneyland Paris does a quite a few English speaking Guest visiting its parks each year.
Anyway enjoying the trip report so far :)
Quote from: "Malin"I can understand your frustration with the Sequoia Lodge, Disneyland Paris Hotels have really gone down hill and except for location and perhaps the swiming pool, I really don't see a difference between Santa Fe and Sequoia Lodge. And I agree despite my criticism of WDW the hotels do offer a much richer and awarding experience to the Paris Hotels. Although I would still pick a Disney hotel over one further away.
And if you have a problem with Cast Members not speaking english, I recomend you avoid making any trips out to Tokyo Disney Resort any time soon. As this is all normal behaviour, although Disneyland Paris does a quite a few English speaking Guest visiting its parks each year.
Anyway enjoying the trip report so far :)
Thanks for your answer. At the moment I can't afford a trip to Tokyo so this will not be a problem. Most of the time we hadn't any problems with CMs. When they didn't understand us they called someone else. As I mentioned before it was also no problem in the counter service restaurants to order, because they used these food picture cards. Many CMs were even able to talk in other languages, too.
At least the restaurant manager of Walt's should be able to speak English in an international theme park. He asked if we speak French or English and so we told him that we only speak English. So I think he was able to speak English and he talked to other guests too, who were obviously not French. Maybe he didn't like us, because I asked for a table at the window when he seated us.
Hi, I have stayed at the two Vienna International hotels several times and in my opinion they are better than all of the DLRP hotels with the exception of The Disneyland Hotel. Disney seem to have lost the plot with their hotels and Just do not offer that extra special service that would make the prices worthwhile. With regard to early magic hours, If you could plan two visits within 12 months then an annual passport may be worthwhile and would get you discounts in the parks. I have an AP and for the last two renewals have been offered 18 months for the price of twelve which I can only guess is a discount offered to us guests who live outside France and cannot afford to visit that often! I live in the UK.
I look forward to the rest of your report.
The Food:
Claudia, my girlfriend, is vegan which means she doesn't eat any animal products (not meat, fish, dairy or eggs). So we tried to contact the Disney Dietitian Service, a service that was very helpful in September 2008, but this time they didn't even answer our emails. Last time they told us that we should tell them where we want to eat and they will contact the restaurants so that they can prepare something special. But not this time. They told us that the only meals Claudia could have are vegetables in oil. Great! However we thought that they can help us in the restaurants, like they did in WDW. No they did not and most of the restaurant managers just wanted to get rid of us. Nevertheless the fast food was okay and Agrabah Café, our favourite restaurant in DLP, serves really good food.
Park Maintenance and Attractions:
I would say that the attractions were in a very good condition, especially Phantom Manor. Did it get a refurbishment during the last year, because we have seen effects we haven't seen in 2008? DLRP has some problems with the floors, especially in front of DV and in WDS Front Lot, where many tiles are missing, I think they broke because of the cold weather and haven't been replaced until now. In general the parks were very clean and we haven't seen any overloaded dust bins, like in recent years.
Some buildings really need some refurbishment, but I hope when the weather is warmer these things get repaired. Disney Studio 1 is still under scaffolding. During our stay the castle bridge and a building on Main Street got a refurbishment.
Some attractions like Autopia or the Studio Tram Tour were closed all days, except Sunday, because of the cold weather.
What also annoyed us, were the different opening hours of the attractions. Some opened at 10 and others at 11 o'clock. Some closed at 6pm or at 7pm and others at 8 or 9pm.
Extra Magic Hours:
We had them every day in the morning and we tried to make full use of the EMHs. We were a little bit disappointed by them, because only SM:MII, Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Le Carousell de Lancelot, the Tea Cups and Dumbo were open every day. That's also a reason why it doesn't matter to us that we will not stay in a Disney hotel anymore. However we used them every day and enjoyed the opened attractions. I think they didn'z open more, because it was off season and so there weren't so many guests in the park.
I will post our arrival day and some pictures later!
Quote from: "captain rocket"Hi, I have stayed at the two Vienna International hotels several times and in my opinion they are better than all of the DLRP hotels with the exception of The Disneyland Hotel. Disney seem to have lost the plot with their hotels and Just do not offer that extra special service that would make the prices worthwhile. With regard to early magic hours, If you could plan two visits within 12 months then an annual passport may be worthwhile and would get you discounts in the parks. I have an AP and for the last two renewals have been offered 18 months for the price of twelve which I can only guess is a discount offered to us guests who live outside France and cannot afford to visit that often! I live in the UK.
I look forward to the rest of your report.
We are also thinking about getting an AP for our next visit, because I think it is cheaper to book the VI hotels on ther Austrian website and to buy an AP, than booking the hotel with the park tickets.
Do you get a higher discount with the AP than with the Shareholder's Club Card, because we have one?
Day 1 – Arrival
We started our journey to DLRP at 6:30am and we drove from Salzburg via Munich, Stuttgart and Strasbourg to DLRP. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very nice, it snowed a lot in Germany. So after a long 10 hours drive we arrived around 5pm at the Sequoia Lodge. We checked in and after we dropped our luggage off in our room, we went to the Disney Village, where we checked out the merchandise. Many people on the forum were disappointed with the merchandise, so I was not really surprised by the bad selection.
At first we had a drink at the Sports Bar and afterwards we had dinner at the Rainforest Café. We have only been once at a RFC in Chicago and it was okay then, but nothing special. However, we had a very pleasant experience in the RFC this time - our waitress did everything to make sure that Claudia gets a nice vegan meal, she checked several time with the kitchen. The result was a really tasty stir-fry over rice. I had the Veggie Burger, which was also very good. The quality of the food was better than in Chicago. So I think next time we will eat there again.
After dinner we had another beer at the Sports Bar and then we went back to the hotel, where we had to check out the Redwood Bar and Lounge. We loved this bar, because as I've already said before, it is such a cosy place with the open fire place. After a last beer we went to bed early, because we were tired.
Photos will follow!
So here are some pictures of our arrival day:
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If I have time, I will post our first day in the parks in the evening.
Day 2 – First Day in the Parks
After getting up we had breakfast at 7am. We chose the earliest breakfast time, because it was always quiet and relaxing before all the families with their little ones arrived. Breakfast was served in both restaurants, the Hunter's Grill and the Beaver Creek Tavern. We are not big fans of the Nescafe products so we always had tea and on the way to the parks we stopped at Starbucks to get a real cup of coffee (Starbucks also carries soy milk, so that made Claudia happy).
After breakfast we headed to the park to make full use of the EMHs. Our first ride was Buzz Lightyears's Laser Blast followed by Space Mountain. Since there weren't more attractions open we walked to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan and the Tea Cups. Around 9am we left DLP for Starbucks. After a cup of fresh coffee and a Soy Latte we headed to the Studios, because we wanted to ride Crush's Coaster. There we got in line and after some minutes a CM told us that the ride wouldn't open because of technical problems. So we decided to ride the Tower of Terror and the Rock'n'Rollercoaster instead. The CM's at the ToT are so great, they are so creepy. RnRC was in a very good condition, the sound worked always very well and there was always a lot of fog in the attraction.
We returned to DLP to make some restaurant reservations at the City Hall. We also asked about Claudia's special diet, but unfortunately no CM could help us. All advice they could offer was that we should directly ask at the restaurants for a special meal, and that the chefs would prepare something special. But they were not willing (or able) to contact the restaurants for us ahead of time, which would have been convenient – many foods in DLRP are pre-cooked, so if there is chicken stock in the rice, then probably the chef would have no time to cook extra rice for us in a short amount of time. At this point I really missed the guest service of WDW. So after riding it's a small world we decided to have an early lunch at the Hakuna Matata restaurant, where we ordered fries, the vegetable rice and the green salad.
After lunch we strolled around Adventureland to ride PotC, one of our favourite attractions, and Indiana Jones. Most of the time PotC was a walk on attraction.
At 3:30 pm we had a reservation at Agrabah Café. We have already eaten there in 2008 and so we knew that there are many salads suitable for Claudia. The food was really good and we enjoyed our time there.
Before we left the park, it closed at 7pm, we rode Big Thunder Mountain and strolled through the shops, but the merchandise selection wasn't better than outside in the DV.
King Ludwig's Castle still had the happy hour. You get two beers for the price of one. Many people had the same idea so it wasn't always easy to get a table.
For dinner we went to the Sports Bar. I had a Four Cheese Pizza and Claudia had Nachos with Salsa and French Fries.
Afterwards I bought some pins and we went back to the hotel, where we had a last drink before we went to bed.
Photos will follow!
Here are some pictures of the first day in the parks:
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More to come!
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More tomorrow!
Disneyland park seems sp deserted at some of the photos.
@ norhel: I have taken many photos during the EMHs and so there aren't so many people in the pictures. The crowds were okay on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday it was very crowded.
Day 3 – Second Day in the Parks
Breakfast was again at 7am. Although the EMHs don't offer many attractions we decided to use them again. After riding SM and BLLB we walked over to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo and Le Carousell de Lancelot. After walking through the castle's gallery we headed again to Starbucks.
Afterwards it was time for the Studios. After ToT we got in line for Crush, because waiting time was only 40 minutes. We love this ride, although the ride inside could be themed a little bit better, but the ride experience itself with the spinning cars is a lot of fun. Unfortunately we could only ride Crush once, because the waiting times are crazy even during off season.
Next was Armageddon. We did this attraction only once in 2006, because the pre-show is a little bit too long. Nevertheless we liked Armageddon and we will do it again.
For lunch we had a reservation at Café Mickey, because there they offer real Italian Pizza and so it was possible for Claudia to order a pizza without cheese. I had Genie's Pasta in garlic sauce and dried tomatoes served with garlic bread.
Needless to say we had a lot of fun with the characters, too. It was for the first time that I've seen Scrooge McDuck at DLRP. He is my favourite Disney character, because I'm a big fan of the Scrooge McDuck Comics by Carl Barks.
After a delicious lunch we went back to DLP where we rode Phantom Manor, BTM, PotC and Indy. Then we strolled around the park and checked out many shops. Since we were a little bit tired and cold, we bought two hot teas at the Old Mill, the wind wheel was spinning, and boarded the Disneyland Railroad.
Afterwards it was already 6pm, so we decided to leave the park to have a happy hour beer at King Ludwig's Castle. There we also ordered fries and a pretzel. Then we did some shopping and had a drink at the Sports Bar. Later we returned to our hotel and enjoyed a drink at the open fireplace at the Redwoodbar and Lounge.
Photos will follow!
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Lovely photos, i miss disneyland, love cafe mickey!
Day 4 – Third Day in the Parks
Again early breakfast. On our way to the parks we stopped at Starbucks to get some coffee, like everyday. We started our day with SM and Buzz Lightyear. Since Orbitron was also open this morning, we took a spinning ride. Over in Fantasyland we rode Peter Pan and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups.
After PM we had a Fastpass for BTM. Unfortunately when we arrived at the loading station, the ride had to close due to technical problems. Half an hour later the ride was back in operation. At 11 am we had again an early lunch at the Fuente del Oro. Sadly they changed the menu and so the restaurant didn't offer the Fajitas with grilled vegetables anymore we had last time. So we ordered fries and nachos with guacamole.
Then it was time for Indy, PotC and Star Tours. For this day we had again a reservation at the Agrabah Café where we had a delicious meal.
Afterwards we headed to the Studios to ride ToT and RnRC. We also watched Animagique and Cinemagique. Both shows are great, especially the latter one. We never miss them during our trips. Since it was Saturday WDS stayed open until 7pm and so we could make some pictures of the park with all the lights. WDS is really beautiful after dark when everything is illuminated.
Nevertheless we had to have a happy hour beer at King Ludwig's Castle and afterwards we walked back to DLP which was open until 22 o'clock.
We enjoyed the evening hours a lot, because there weren't many people inside the park and so every attraction was to walk on. Claudia and I rode Snow White, Pinocchio, PM, PotC and Indy. Before leaving the park we had to ride BTM. After the first round there weren't any new guests and so the CM asked if we want to ride again. Of course we wanted!!!
Since it was already 10pm we left the park and had some drinks at the hotel bar.
Photos will follow shortly!
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Day 5 – Fourth Day in the Parks
Like everyday we had breakfast at 7am and a coffee at Starbucks. After Peter Pan and the Tea Cups we walked over to Discoveryland where we rode SM and BLLB. The board in front of Autopia said that the attraction will open at 10 am and we realized that CMs prepared the ride, so we got in line, since we have never done this ride before. A few minutes after10am a CM told us that they are not sure if the ride will open and sent us away. You can imagine that all the people in the queue were a little bit angry.
So after this disappointment we had tea and snacks at Salon Mickey. Then we walked to the Studios. There we did the Flying Carpets and Stitch Live. Stitch Live uses the same technology like Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor at WDW, but the Monsters Inc. attraction was funnier, but that's just our opinion.
Lunch was at Café des Cascadeurs. We ordered fries and the Veggie Burger with grilled vegetables, which was really good. Afterwards we watched Lights, Motors, Action! We like the Paris version better than the one in Florida, because there they describe the effects before and then they did the show. Here in Paris it was always the other way round.
At 3pm we had a reservation at Walt's. We have already eaten there two times and it was always our favourite restaurant at DLRP, but this time it was a big disappointment. As already mentioned, we had a very unpleasant experience with the manager at Walt's who kept talking French to us even if it was obvious that we couldn't understand him. We asked if it was possible to create a special vegan meal for Claudia - and this was suggested by the City Hall, they've told us it would be "no problem". Well, it turned out that it actually was a big problem, because first they told us that all Claudia could have was a salad with tomatoes. Walt's has a lot of vegetable side dishes, and this was all that we could get? So we wanted to leave and eat somewhere else. Suddenly the waitress asked the cook again what he can prepare for Claudia, and assured us that she would get something. That 'something' was grilled vegetables and a green salad (with hardly any dressing). It was like a bad joke, especially since they charged us 18 euros for this "meal". I had the Ravioli, which were fine, but I really couldn't enjoy my meal, I was too upset. When I paid, the waitress told me that we were not the first guests on this day who asked for special meals, but that there is nothing for them to eat. Oh, and the manager came to our table and asked if everything was fine. We told him that it actually was not fine, and that he should overthink the menu, but suddenly he didn't speak English anymore... More and more people have special diets, due to food allergies or ethical concerns, and this is what you get? At WDW they try to do everything to satisfy the guests (they do a lot of awesome vegan meals), but at DLRP most of the CMs tried to get rid of us. Maybe next time we will save our money for a trip to WDW.
Afterwards we went back to the studios. I have never seen this park with so many guests. The waiting times at Crush and ToT were 95 minutes and 60 minutes at RnRC around noon.
Our last ride in the studios was our favourite attraction with the best CMs in the resort, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
After buying some souvenirs in the studios store we had again a happy hour beer and fries at King Ludwig's.
Then we headed back to DLP, because the park stayed open until 9 o'clock. We did PotC, PM and BTM. Unfortunately Indy was already closed.
After park closing we did some shopping in DV and then went back to the hotel where we had a huge cocktail at the hotel bar.
Day 6 – Returning Home
We had breakfast at 7am and we left the hotel at 8am. After a long drive home we had a great dinner at our local Chinese Restaurant.
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That's it.
I just finished catching up with your trip report.
I love your pictures!! You have some really great ones - and it looks as if you really had perfect weather (well, maybe a little bit cold...)!
I'm really sorry about your experience at Walt's, just because it's the low season it's no excuse not to treat the guests right...
Conclusion:
We had a great time in the parks. The attractions were in a very good condition compared to 2008. We had also the impression that the park was very clean with no overloaded dust bins.
As I've already mentioned in the beginning of my trip report, we had a hard time to find something great to eat for Claudia. We have always compared the DLRP guest service with the one in Florida, which was really great. There they tried to do everything for us. Maybe we shouldn't have done this.
Now after calming down we are still planning to go to DLRP again, although I said that we will save our money for WDW. Next time we will be better prepared, because now we know what us awaits there.
Guest Behaviour:
This time we haven't encountered any rude guest behaviour, except a group of teenagers that skipped nearly the whole queue at ToT. We didn't also see any people smoking in queues and in buildings.
Next time we will also stay off site, because the SL was really not worth the money. Maybe we were just unlucky with our room, but it was really not in such a good condition as the rooms we had at the Santa Fe. Next time we are thinking about booking one of the two Vienna International hotels, lets bring our money to an Austrian company, that's patriotic, isn't it? :lol: :lol: :lol:
I hope you liked our trip report and thanks for all your answers!!
Quote from: "never2old"I just finished catching up with your trip report.
I love your pictures!! You have some really great ones - and it looks as if you really had perfect weather (well, maybe a little bit cold...)!
I'm really sorry about your experience at Walt's, just because it's the low season it's no excuse not to treat the guests right...
Thanks for your answer.
The weather was fine, although it was cold. Sometimes it snowed a little bit. At least it didn't rain. Snow is definately better than rain.
Hallo Dagobert,
thanks for TR. I enjoyed reading it. And great pictures too. Especially the night shots. I love them! Gives me some ideas for pics, when we go in april.
A question, where did you see the Mickey and Donald figurines, at te Studios. I never noticed them.
Aurora
Quote from: "Aurora"Hallo Dagobert,
thanks for TR. I enjoyed reading it. And great pictures too. Especially the night shots. I love them! Gives me some ideas for pics, when we go in april.
A question, where did you see the Mickey and Donald figurines, at te Studios. I never noticed them.
Aurora
Thanks for the comment.
The figures are in front of the blue sorcerer's hat at the Animation Building in WDS. There are more like Tinkerbell and others.
Have a great trip in April!!
I remember when I stayed in Sequoia back in 2006 (they did "last minute" deals over the website back then and we got to go in June for € 83 per person for 2 days one night so we just went for it) that I really liked the hotel but that the room was surprisingly small, smaller even than rooms in Santa Fe.
Apart from that, it was a lovely hotel, which is why I went for that for my birthday trip in July.
(that and my bf really wanted a hotel with a pool)
I often notice that there are a lot of CMs about that only speak French. I speak French as well as English, but my vocabulary in English is much more extensive than in French so sometimes I can't express myself in French as well as I would like and that can get problematic.
I think that people in key positions or at important locations (such as managers, people working guest relations, city hall and the AP office) should at least be able to speak both languages.
Quote from: "HildeKitten"I remember when I stayed in Sequoia back in 2006 (they did "last minute" deals over the website back then and we got to go in June for € 83 per person for 2 days one night so we just went for it) that I really liked the hotel but that the room was surprisingly small, smaller even than rooms in Santa Fe.
Apart from that, it was a lovely hotel, which is why I went for that for my birthday trip in July.
(that and my bf really wanted a hotel with a pool)
I often notice that there are a lot of CMs about that only speak French. I speak French as well as English, but my vocabulary in English is much more extensive than in French so sometimes I can't express myself in French as well as I would like and that can get problematic.
I think that people in key positions or at important locations (such as managers, people working guest relations, city hall and the AP office) should at least be able to speak both languages.
I had French for four years in school, but now it is not very good anymore. I can speak some phrases and so I was able to order food. Nevertheless it was a lot easier to use the food picture cards to order. The main problem for me is that I hardly understand the French people with my small vocabulary. I think I will take a French course next semester to refresh my French.
I still would stay in the Sequoia Logde if they had given me a room in the quality of the Santa Fe. That is what makes me so angry about that hotel. Paying more for less quality than you get in a value hotel like Santa Fe.
So if we stay on site again, we will take the Santa Fe, but we tend to stay off site.
Thanks for the report - it was great and I am happy that you despite some food and language problems seem to have had a wonderful time!
I really like your photos - they have made me wanna go during winter season as many of the places seem very beautiful in snowy conditions :) May I ask what camera you use?
Quote from: "forza_united"Thanks for the report - it was great and I am happy that you despite some food and language problems seem to have had a wonderful time!
I really like your photos - they have made me wanna go during winter season as many of the places seem very beautiful in snowy conditions :) May I ask what camera you use?
Thanks for the comment.
I use a Sony Alpha 200, but until now I don't know all the features of the camera :lol: . Disneyland is really beautiful when covered in snow. I think it looks even more magical.
I love night shots, yours are brilliant too!
fantastic trip report love your photos, and really detailed daily experience too. I cant wait to go!!
After we returned home, we wrote a complaint about the things we weren't happy and today I got a reply.
It just says that:
Thank you for your correspondence concerning Disneyland® Paris. Please know that our priority is to deliver Disney quality service at all times. As such, please accept our apologies for any disappointment that may have been caused on this occasion.
We would like to assure you that a reply to your comments will be sent as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
So I'm looking forward to the reply. At least they read my complaint.
Loved the report - I can't see how someone couldn't compare DLRP to WDW, they are supposed to be owned by the same company - therefore, standards should be carried across the board.
Your photo's look great too. Can't wait to try and take some (hopefully just as good) when I go in march.
Did you ever get a response to your complaint?
Quote from: "strawjaw"Loved the report - I can't see how someone couldn't compare DLRP to WDW, they are supposed to be owned by the same company - therefore, standards should be carried across the board.
Your photo's look great too. Can't wait to try and take some (hopefully just as good) when I go in march.
Did you ever get a response to your complaint?
Thanks for the comment!
Yes I did get a response. It just said that they are sorry about our experiences and that they try to deliver high quality to their guests.
I have already deleted the email, but I kept these excerpts for my trip report. Unfortunately I have never posted them:
Disneyland Paris strives to ensure that every guest has a magical and memorable time and therefore, I am disappointed that you may have been left disillusioned by some of the experiences that you report in your correspondence. All Cast Members strive to ensure that every guest is able to escape the "real world", if even just for a moment, and to be swept away by the magic of Disney. Bearing this in mind, I regret that we did not meet all of your expectations on this occasion.
All rooms, which are due to be allocated, are checked by our housekeeping and maintenance teams and should any concerns be noticed these are reported so that they may be corrected before the room is occupied. In this way, a proactive maintenance, cleaning and decoration programme has been established. I regret, therefore, to hear of your comments pertaining to the room you were allocated at Disney's Sequoia Lodge®.
I would like to apologise for any disappointment caused on this occasion and I can assure you that your comments have been forwarded to the relevant departments and management at Disney's Sequoia Lodge® for their information and internal review. I would like to assure you that I have also forwarded your observations and suggestions regarding the merchandise available at Disneyland® Paris to the relevant departments and management. We do use guest feedback as an integral way of examining our operations and, where necessary, implementing changes that will benefit the overall guest experience at the Resort.Disneyland Paris strives to captivate and charm its visitors of all ages with the dreams and magic with which they have come to associate the Disney name. I was therefore surprised and concerned to learn that you feel that Disneyland® Paris is only orientated towards children.The response was very friendly and informative.
TWDC just holds 40% of ED SCA, the operating company, and 51% of legal shares, which gives TWDC the decision making power. I hope that's correct, what I have just said.
Unfortunately the standards, especially on food and hotels, between WDW and DLRP are different, at least that's what we have experienced.
Nearly all CMs we have met in Paris were friendly like their colleagues in Florida, except for the Walt's restaurant manager. The overall guest experience is a lot better at WDW. There the CMs and restaurant chefs did everything to create some very delicious meals for us, because we are vegetarians and the receptionist of our hotel suggested that we should ask in the restaurants if it is possible to get something special and most of the time they really did. I thought, since it is Disney, they will do the same at DLRP as well, but don't ask in Paris, because the restaurant manager can get mad at you.
I know that Disneyland has some financial problems, but their hotels really need to be refurbished. The quality is below European standards for the money you have to pay. At WDW we stayed at the Pop Century Resort, a value resort, and this hotel was nicer, cleaner, more modern and offered more to the guests than Sequoia Lodge, which is a moderate resort.
Don't you just hate run of the mill complaints replies - where they just fill in the gaps. :lol:
It would be great if we could think they would actually take note of what visitors say and try and change things for the better, after all, it's us continuing to come back and spend our money that keeps them in business.
I have to say I fully agree with you regarding the merchandise situation.
I was astounded when I visited last year. I was expecting, similar to WDW, every shop to have different items of merchandise.
Don't get me wrong, there were items that were carried across most stores, but each shop seemed to have something different in it. I would love to see this carried across at DLRP.
Similar to the Photopass idea - that would be great if DLRP offered the same, it meant we could get home, view our photos, and order them from the comfort of our settee, instead of deciding there and then if you want the photo (Which is what I am led to believe DLRP do)
Don't get me wrong, I loved DLRP, to the point, I am returning again this year, and will keep returning until I can afford to go back to WDW again, but it is very hard not to compare the 2, when WDW has so much more to offer.
I also like DLRP a lot, in some parts even more than WDW, especially the Disneyland Park in Paris is much better and more beautiful than the Magic Kingdom.
We have been to WDW in 2008 and there we were also disappointed by the merchandise. In the same year we have also been to DLRP and there the variety was better than at WDW, but now it is really disappointing. But you are right at WDW many stores still had some unique items. In Paris Disney is just selling the same cheap stuff in every shop and Marvel merchandise invaded the Disneyland Park.
Quality matters more to me than quantity and so I don't compare WDW with DLRP in terms of size and offerings. But I do compare both in terms of quality regarding the hotels and the food. Both resorts are Disney resorts and so the quality standards should be the same in Paris and in Orlando. Unfortunately the hotels and the food are so much better at WDW and DLRP is really far behind these standards. DLRP's hotels are even far behind European hotel standards. I also think that WDW cares much more about their guests and that isn't a matter of size and offerings. As I have already mentioned the CMs and restaurant chefs did everything to satisfy us.
Friends in the US, who visit WDW or DLR once a year, told us that the quality at WDW is also dropping in recent years. So I would say that Disney doesn't care so much anymore like they did. Nevertheless WDW cares more about their guests than DLRP.
I definitely agree with everything you've just said.
We went in 2006, and I was totally in awe of the merchandise there was on offer - I especially loved the huge shops rammed full of all kinds of themed merchandise after each ride or attraction. DLRP don't seem to carry any where near the same range (Only at a couple of attractions - Star Tours being one of them), but I suppose one could argue, do you really need 'that' much merchandise for each ride(?)
As a Disney shopoholic, I would say yes. :D/
In terms of comparing the parks - I knew that there were certain things I couldn't possibly compare with WDW before I went, such as the size. But you're right - when it comes to hotels and food, there should be a certain standard set, that is then carried across the whole of the Parks franchise, regardless of what country they are in. I am quite certain that Walt Disney fully intended for it to be that way. :(
I didn't stay in a WDW hotel when we went, we left it too late to book,and it was too expensive, so we stayed in an affiliated hotel, just a 5 minute walk from Downtown Disney - fantastically convenient... :thumbs:
Anyway, we weren't overly impressed with our hotel, but would probably stay there again, as they've since been taken over and renovated, and like I say it was incredibly convenient. But I would love to stay in a Disney hotel next time, and see what they're like.
I just hope they don't keep getting worse - it would be a shame if it all ended up disappearing into obscurity due to money cuts and greed, and the standards that Disney should be famous for, slipping to less than average - one thing a Disney holiday should NEVER be.
It looks like you had a good time!<3
FWIW, it is all down to choices. We stayed in a Concierge Room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and then 6 months later the DLH at DLP. WDW offered a far worse experience, sadly.
As for restaurants, WDW is better when it comes to counter service or special requests. But when ordering standard menu items, the table service restaurants of DLP are better than the MK in WDW.
Overall I find modern WDW as disappointing as modern DLP. Neither seem to care as much. For me, only Anaheim, Tokyo and Hong KOng have me wanting to save up to go.
But yes, Disney attractions, entertainment, food, merchandise and hotels have all gone down hill in Marne le Valee and Orlando.
Quote from: "davewasbaloo"FWIW, it is all down to choices. We stayed in a Concierge Room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and then 6 months later the DLH at DLP. WDW offered a far worse experience, sadly.
As for restaurants, WDW is better when it comes to counter service or special requests. But when ordering standard menu items, the table service restaurants of DLP are better than the MK in WDW.
Overall I find modern WDW as disappointing as modern DLP. Neither seem to care as much. For me, only Anaheim, Tokyo and Hong KOng have me wanting to save up to go.
But yes, Disney attractions, entertainment, food, merchandise and hotels have all gone down hill in Marne le Valee and Orlando.
Unfortunately at the moment we can't afford staying at the DL Hotel, because I'm just a student. I was just comparing Santa Fe, Sequoia Lodge and Pop Century. The last one offered by far the best room and the nicest CM's, but of course the Sequoia Lodge has a better theming and we liked the hotel a lot, except for the room.
We didn't eat often at table service restaurants at WDW. We only tried the Tutto Italia at EPCOT and the buffet restaurant Tusker House at AK.
At DLRP we have only tried Walt's, Blue Lagoon, Auberge de Cendrillion before it became a character restaurant and Agrabah Cafe. The food was always great, but the service wasn't. And that matters to me as well. The service in Paris never reached the same level we have experienced at WDW.
I can't wait to see DL Anaheim, since nearly everyone says that it is still the best Disney resort. Hopefully DLRP and WDW will each these standards again.
Agreed, if going budget, WDW offers better value. But the quality at DL is the best. And I understand Tokyo is even better. We are currently saving to try to get there.
Quote from: "davewasbaloo"Agreed, if going budget, WDW offers better value. But the quality at DL is the best. And I understand Tokyo is even better. We are currently saving to try to get there.
And we are currently saving for Anaheim.
your pictures are so beautiful! As someone used to the Florida parks, it's lovely to see attractions covered with snow!
Quote from: "cloudnut220"your pictures are so beautiful! As someone used to the Florida parks, it's lovely to see attractions covered with snow!
Thank you! DLRP is beautiful when covered in snow, but it was very cold. Nevertheless the snow adds a lot to the magic.
Great TR Dagobert. :thumbs:
My wife, son and myself are also vegan and we have found it tricky at DLP, usually enjoying the great hotel breakfast :D , but during the day its just fries, vegetables, fruit and salad :cry: . We have tried making contact with them beforehand and got nothing. On our first trip the travel agent contacted them first and we got no reply then either. We did have a decent meal in the Captains Library at the Explorers though. However if you go into Paris you can get amazing falafel at the two Maoz shops! //http://www.maozusa.com/restaurants/locations/paris
Quote from: "andrewuk"Great TR Dagobert. :thumbs:
My wife, son and myself are also vegan and we have found it tricky at DLP, usually enjoying the great hotel breakfast :D , but during the day its just fries, vegetables, fruit and salad :cry: . We have tried making contact with them beforehand and got nothing. On our first trip the travel agent contacted them first and we got no reply then either. We did have a decent meal in the Captains Library at the Explorers though. However if you go into Paris you can get amazing falafel at the two Maoz shops! //http://www.maozusa.com/restaurants/locations/paris
Thanks a lot!
For me it wasn't that hard, because I'm just vegetarian, but it wasn't easy for my girlfriend. We traveled a lot in recent years and nearly everywhere it was possible to get a good meal, but not at DLRP, which says to have the Disney Magic and everthing is possible. Maybe we were just spoiled by WDW. I know it is also not the best maintained Disney resort, but you get so much more for your money. Especially in terms of food and hotels WDW has a higher standard than DLRP. So if you want to have a Disney vacation without starving, then WDW is the place to be.
Agrabah Cafe serves many salads suitable for vegetarians and vegans and Cafe Mickey serves delicious pizzas without cheese.
You seem to have been much better than we have been with finding vegan food: your report should make our future trips a lot better, so thank you very much. =D> :D