DLP Guide Forum - The Disneyland Paris magicforum community

Howdy friends, we are now back from our 8 day trip to France to celebrate Jessica and Sarah's birthdays. WE had a great time, and a real mixed bag of experiences. Some really unforgetable, and dare I say, fantastic experiences. Some not so great, that demonstrated the scary trajectory Disney is on, and some really good times including meeting up with on-line friends.

We had a great time overall, and cannot wait until I return. And this thread is a trip report to point out the different experiences overall.

Key Highlights - in no order, celebrating Jessica's birthday with the princesses, Buffalo Bill's (at less than 1/2 price too), visiting the World War 1 trenches, Riding Star Tours 3 times without getting off, Marriott Village Ile de France, Meeting Friends, Mikey conversing with Stitch Live, a private tour of cast only areas on the Mark Twain, the kids' first trips on ToT (hillarious) and Crush Coaster, some great meals, Festival Latina, and so many more. Being on Pirates of the Caribbean with all the house lights on and no music was a cool experience too for us as Disney nerds.

The bad - staggered hours (including no hot dogs at carts after 2pm when the park is open til 10pm!!!!), some maintenance issues, drug deals going down near the train station, and severely dumbed down dining (King Ludwig's anyone?) impacted. Not enough to ruin the trip of course, but yet again a flag of concern for the future.

Biggest surprise - well besides the Mark Twain tour and Stitch Live, was how much we enjoyed the birthday party at Auberge de Cindrillon (inc. the surprise birthday cake arrangements I made in French so as to surprise Sarah as well).

Day 1- Saturday 29th May 2010

After a horrendous working week, and very little sleep, we arose at 5am and were finally underway for 6:30. We arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal and did a little shopping. Looking for some new scents, we fell in love with all the Polo Ralph Loren fragrances, so a selection pack came home with us. Also, I needed some new sunglasses, and was able to procure an £95 ($150) pair of Calvin Kleins for £35 ($53)! Fab.
On the train under the channel, we decided to let Jessica open up her main present, a Nintendo DSi XL, she loved it, and enjoyed using the camera features more than we thought she would (Mikey was a little jealous as he has the original DS). But they had a great time sharing features (and what was wonderful is they hardly touched it on vacation other than lazy days!).

Over in to France, I was thinking about how in the US it was Memorial Day weekend, and how the children are getting to an age to where they could be more aware of the not so nice past. We therefore stopped in Vimy, visiting the trenches of the Great War and the cemeteries with all the unknown soldiers. It is always such a chilling reminder of how lucky the post war generations have been. As always with these sorts of places, it was a very moving experience.

We then grabbed a Mc Donald's in Arras. Sad I know, but we did opt for the French specific McCrocs with royale potatoes and dipping sauce. Lovely, but ouch, the euro zone is expensive € 28 for family of 4 (£26, or $39).

Then we continued our journey, getting stuck in a huge traffic jam 22 miles from the resort.

While waiting to check in, we chatted with families from Italy, Taiwan, the US and the UK. Then for a spot of grocery shopping and some French bread, cheeses, cold meats and wine for dinner. Followed up with a bath in the giant soaking tub as a great way to end the first day. Villas are definitely the way to go for us!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... f64214cb2d (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172959&id=744599997&l=f64214cb2d%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

great report so far and nice photos that villa sure looks nice!

Day 2, we awoke from our slumber at a much more hospitable hour. After nipping out to the on-site bakery, we tucked in to delicious fresh baked breads and pastries with espresso for breakfast. We were not planning on too early a start as we wanted to do park close at 10pm as it would be the only time we could see the park lit up at night during our trip.

I had hoped to get out earlier than we did, but sadly Jessie was so excited, she spilled her apple juice all over me. After a quick change, we were out and off to Disneyland Paris. Today was special, because besides renewing our APs, we were due to meet with Capt Jack and his family!

Parked in Da Vinci parking near the Disney village - close and cheaper/easier than DLP car park. We bought our Aps, and stormed to Cowboy Cookout BBQ to meet Capt jack and his family. We bumped into Pluto and Goofy and had some fun. We met Capt Jack's family, and the kids hit it off straight away. Sadly, Pocahontas playground was closed for some reason, so we let kids play on pirate beach playground. We then rode Pirates of the Caribbean (still my fav version, and the only thing not working was the woman in the barrel - the one Jack Sparrow comes out of in the US), It's A Small World (sadly lot's of AAs not working, but we at least saw progress on maintenance throughout the week). We then parted company for a little while and took the kids to lunch at Victoria's on Main Street, which now does pizza (sadly DLP is slowly becoming more like the MK in WDW offering mainly pizza, burgers and hot dogs – thank goodness we still have the best in-park table service restaurants in the Paris). Also, we were going to grab a hot dog in Discoveryland, but the carts do not serve food after 2pm???!!!! What is up with that (we tried to buy a hot dog at 2:05 when we were told this). Also, Videopolis no longer have the trimming carts for the burgers, bummer.

We had our APs processes and then we stopped and watched the new hub show which was surprisingly good. Meeting back up with Capt Jack and family, we all road Phantom Manor together and although in fairly good condition, the zombies/skeletons in boot hill could use some refurb, they hardly move now. We then enjoyed our free drinks using the voucher from lunch and popcorn (7€ for a bucket) in the new part of last chance cafe.  It was after this that we sadly said our goodbyes to our friends.

We then grabbed a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain and then bumped into Uncle Scrooge in Frontierland. We got in line to ride the train, and just before it arrived, Jess needed the loo). Sarah urged Mikey and I to go ahead and ride after waiting 30 minutes, so we complied. While waiting for us, mama and Jess went to Woody's Round up and saw Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Woody and Jessie, so it all worked out well. I fear we will never see the geysers in Frontierland working again.

For dinner, we went to Fuente del Oro and enjoyed fajitas, chilli, corn fries, churros and Nestea.  Again, they have sadly reduced the variety of the menu (like Cowboy Cookout BBQ which we skipped this year due to no band and a dumbed down menu). But it was ok.

We then used our Fast Passes and rode Big Thunder. Again, the best in the world, but very few effects were working (no earthquake, spinning opossums etc. – at least the waterfall and splashes were working for the first time for us in ages).

We then proceeded through Adventureland and the torches were burning, a fantastic touch I always though.

We then headed back to Star tours (3 times without getting off), then Buzz where near the loading station, we sadly suffered power out. The whole land was 101 accept Autopia which we hopped straight in line. Mikey loved it more than ever, and although he is now old enough to drive alone, he is not yet old enough. But riding with him was once again proof this attraction is an e-ticket for the young ones. Shame we got purposely bumped by a brat, but then again, so many times in the original park in Anaheim I have heard kids say they were going on the bumper cars.
We left the park at nearly 11 and headed back to the villa for a glass of wine and a soaking bath.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 7c59c4aa40 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172967&id=744599997&l=7c59c4aa40%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Quote from: "bigrossco"great report so far and nice photos that villa sure looks nice!

Thanks. We love it. Having all that space makes a big difference to us, and it is cheaper than the Disney hotels, with better pools, and facilities. If you drive, it's the way to go (though the bus is not bad)

Day 3 - 31 May 2010 - The Resort and Val D'Europe.

Today was a slow day for us, waking up naturally instead of an alarm.

We had fresh baked French pastries and bread for breakfast, and then had a conversation over coffee with Moina who we met in Son Antem Majorca 3 years ago. Apparently, a new resort in Hawaii is due for imminent announcement and some details on pint systems too.

We took a stroll around the resort and then off to Val D'europe.  We had an awesome lunch in the Chinese at La Terasse - dim sum, noodles, rice, sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, Chinese tea and water for €42 ($63). Great food, service and for the area, a good deal.

We strolled and enjoyed the live pianist and watching security on their segways. Then popped into the Disney store and the Auchan hypermarket. We bought some great groceries for the week including a number of local delicacies, wine and beer. We skipped the Sealife Centre because although it is good, we can do the UK ones for free with our Merlin Annual Passes.

Back to resort, I taught the kids how to play battleship, then we went off to the complementary welcome party.

After meeting the general manager and discussing the resort, I put my name forward to be on the board, fingers crossed. We enjoyed a lovely local organic Shiraz (or two) then back to villa. Had some local pasta, a wonderful bread, cheese and cured meat bread and fresh green beans Mikey picked with a lovely bottle of Beaujolais. It was a lovely laid back way to enjoy the resort.

We gave the kids a bath and then I enjoyed a long soak afterwards, followed by fresh chocolate éclairs made fresh that day. It is good to be a Marriott owner. We were off to bed at reasonable hour as the next day was earmarked for a full day in the Walt Disney Studios (more than a one day park if done properly).

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 936f68e4a8 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172986&id=744599997&l=936f68e4a8%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Day 4 - 1 June 2010 in Walt Disney Studios

The morning started with some fun with nature as we were paid a visit by about 19 ducks and ducklings at our back door. One duckling even kept trying to cuddle. It was a great way to start the day.

After waking up too late to do extra magic hours justice, we headed to the parks after breakfast. We were into the studios shortly before opening and proved that despite the hyperbole on the web, this little park does truly take more than one day to do it justice. And it was a real mixed bag day with some unforgettable experiences, and some I hope to forget quickly. But overall, I still do love WDSP.

We had hoped to hop crush coaster first thing, but it was down and we opted for cars instead, and bumped into one of the opening day cast members I have known over the years, and he came over to shake my hand, it was good to see a familiar face.

Then into Animagique, which the kids loved as always (Sarah too). I do appreciate some of the backlight craft too.

It was then over to Stitch Live for an English showing. For the living character programme at WDI, we do think this is better than Turtle Talk, which we also enjoy. We were overjoyed when Mikey was chosen by Stitch to talk, and it tickled him pink. Because of his slight speech impediment, sometimes he is a little shy, but he came right out of his shell. Fantastic, and an unforgettable experience.

But it was the next adventure that amused me. Both kids (age 4 and 7) declared they wanted to go on Tower of Terror. We made them watch it for a while. Still they wanted to go. In the queue, they thought it was cool. Then in the library, Mikey thought it was cool, Jess not so much. Then the boiler room Jess insisted on a cuddle. Again, we asked them if they wanted to leave, not a chance. We got on the elevator, and Mikey loved the ghost mirror and ghosts (Jessica freaked out). During the drops, Mikey freaked and Jessica cracked up laughing. Overall, they didn't like it and ended up wanting hugs (until they got in the shop where they soon regained their senses of humour). I asked them (trying to hold back the laughter), if they wanted to go again. They both said "no thank you", to which Mikey added maybe when he becomes a teenager. Lol. But as we left the car park later in the evening, they both asked to see if they could try it again to see if they were already braver! Lol. I think we will wait a while again for them.

After a little shopping (we were amazed, the range of merchandise is much better this year, including different sets of Mouse ears), we went to book for Buffalo Bills. It is the one treat Jessica asked for her birthday. The great news is Annual Pass holders get a free ticket their birthday week, and as Jessica's was on Thursday and Sarah's is on Monday, that means 2 free tickets. Sadly they were fully booked for the Tuesday 6:30 showing (though great news for the resort) and were dark on Wednesday and Thursday, so that is how we chose to spend the last night of our vacation. It is such a great deal.

Since Buffalo Bills was off for the Tuesday, it was time for something to eat. So we opted for Annette's. Great as always and loads of roller skating cast members compared to normal. The kids had hot dogs and fries in their frisbee plates, with ice tea; I had the Annette's Greatest hits - chicken burrito, cheese burger, chilli dog and fries (a lot, I know, but soooo good) with an old fashioned style traditional cherry coke; Sarah had the chilli bacon cheese burger and a cherry coke too. Then for dessert the kids had ice cream with fresh strawberry coulis and smarties; I had a hand dipped chocolate shake with chantilly cream; and Sarah had the cafe gormand (a coffee, mini vanilla shake, dark chocolate brownie and a doughnut). Lovely, and although a little pricey at €70 ($105), it felt good value by DLP standards.

After lunch, it was back to the Studios. Motuers Action had a full house and great atmosphere (always a real treat, disappointed no backwards jump, but looked like it was a driver's safety decision, which was understandable in the rain). And the standing ovation shows it is still a real crowd pleaser, I do not understand why this is not as popular in WDW.

Then on to Cinemagique which we always think is a real treat. I must have seen it 2 or 3 dozen times now, and the end still gets the waterworks going for me, testament of the quality. And again, the applause at the end always show I am not alone in enjoying the show.

Looking at the tip board, we had maybe 90 mins left before the park closed. Rock n Roller coaster was posted at 5 mins. But sadly a guest had a protein spill while we waited and it meant the 5 mins became 25. It was not running at 100%, but most effects inc. the smoke were working. I got Sweet Emotion too, which is my favourite track. Poor Sarah was not as lucky when she rode. There was no sound at all :-( bummer.

We had 45 left till closing and had to choose what next. It was raining quite a bit by this time, so on to the tram tour – with views of the horrid Toy Story Play Land (testing rc racer), no video except after catastrophe canyon, no earthquake shaking (despite attraction down for months - paint job shows some refurb), it was very disappointing.

We did some shopping and made dining ressies for the rest of the week. Then to the Village to pick up our purchases from earlier in the day. It was heaving, so much so we were very glad we were at Marriott. We picked up the shopping and went back to the villa, soaked.

We stripped down and had a dinner of cured meats, european crisps, vegetables, and belgian red fruit Leffe beer (yummy). Lovely. Followed by choc mousse while watching animated batman sub zero on TV (we never had time to use the DVD player despite taking a number of films). Fun day overall.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 695d65f8e8 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172997&id=744599997&l=695d65f8e8%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Day 5 - 2 June 2010 - EMH and the Silver Spur

Early start, with coffee and madeleines in the car for breakfast to get the most out of EMH. Got into park about 10min after EMH started.

We headed straight to Peter Pan, then the carousel and tea cups (not spinning as much as usual - nice refurb, but incomplete - light bulbs missing and half the cups still need work - hope Dumbo comes out of its refurb in better shape).

Then onto It's A Small World, currently acting as a replacement to Dumbo.

We then walked over to Buzz and waited over 20 min during EMH (we knew at that point it was going to be a busy day).

We then visited the dragon, awesome as ever though Jessica was a little frightened, lol. And over to Pinocchio which opened early and we were in line when the park opened.

WE then made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean, this was in excellent condition, only 2 effects out.

Walked to Frontierland expecting to grab a fastpass for Big Thunder, but the queue just for fast passes was mammoth.

So we thought we would head to the hub and see what was going on and had the pleasure of catching the Paddy Wagon as the toon train arrived.

At Town Square, we waited for Tiana and Prince Naseem as we wanted to see the Dixieland band; sadly the musicians were nowhere to be seen. I was saddened by this, but at least we were able to console ourselves with a ride on the Train Eureka, the newest of the DLP livery for one circumnavigation around the park, and as we stepped off, we were ecstatic as the band were with Tiana and Naseem this time, and they were excellent.

It was then a mad dash through the Liberty Arcade to get to Frontierland for our 12:30 reservations at the Silver Spur, one of my fav table service restaurants in all the Disney parks around the globe. And there was a very welcome surprise. In addition to great food, great service, a show kitchen and a wonderful setting, there was also a music duo - piano and trumpet, which kicked it all up several notches.

We were greeted with our complementary Kirs and orange juices for the kids (I love the VIP treatment of the Dream Annual passes). Then the kids had the salad, ministeak and fruit salad combo (I had to take their artichoke hearts though as they were not keen - poor kids, they were lovely).

I had a Serrano Ham and olive focaccia starter, followed by the 58 day aged steak and Sarah had the same starter, with a bbq rib, veal sausage and smoked chicken combo. This was washed down with a lovely fair trade organic Grenache, very nice.

For dessert, I had the vanilla cheesecake and raspberry coulis. Sarah opted for the dark chocolate and pistachio cake which we followed with a double espresso and dark chocolate. As usual, the experience was sublime.

After our 2 and a half hour dining extravaganza, it was on to the Mark Twain. When I was explaining how the wheel worked, the cast member took a shine to us and gave us a tour including the cast member only boiler room! Awesome lady!

After that really fantastic memory, it was into Phantom Manor, followed by an exploration of boot hill. Sadly, it seems like the geysers may never erupt again :-(

But the kids always get a kick out of the crypt with the beating heart.

We then went into Adventureland and explored Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Sadly the visibility was not good enough today to see the Eiffel tower. But the kids got a kick out of it.

We then made our way down to Main Street, and it was heaving with people waiting for the parade. Thank goodness for the arcades. We nipped through them and 10 minutes before the parade started (probably the best parade in the English speaking parks), we found an unobscured spot where we could sit down and watch (one of my secret locations). It was good, and some of the Toy Story army men made a fuss of Mikey. Their line dance routine was a first for me, they were good.

The kids nearly fell asleep when waiting, so we decided to leave after the parade, delayed a little by the mime artists and the excellent street dance crew in the public train station plaza. Sadly, the street vendors appear to be selling more than just Eiffel towers and cuddly toys. I discovered their stash procedure it seems for Dizzyland. Not very magical it all. Thankfully the kids were oblivious.

We got to the car and were pleasantly surprised to find it was 24 degrees. So we headed back to the villa and changed to head off for a swim.

After a nearly 90 min session, Sarah took the kids back and let me chill out in the Jacuzzi, followed by a Turkish bath in the club house.

Then it was a light meal of local bread, brie, roule and salami with crudities and fresh juice. Lovely!


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... ac66dc24df (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173019&id=744599997&l=ac66dc24df%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

loving your trip report  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>

Thanks Smurfy. I am having problems uploading photos, but here is the next installment. The rest may need to wait until further in the week.

Day 6, Jessica's 5th birthday 3 June 2010

No alarms today, such bliss. Instead I was awakened by the birthday girl cuddling us in bed, at about 7.

We had a lazy morning watching cartoons in bed with cookies until her brother got up. Then it was present time. She had already got her Ds, but today she got some accessories, games, a zhuzhu pet robot hamster and some new clothes.

We were keen to get her dressed up and out to the park, but the birthday girl asked to go swimming again. So we had a brunch of eggs, french bread, smoked sausage and apricot juice, and it was time for a tidy and a swim.

We tried the outdoor pool, but despite the 80 degree temps, it had been cold for a few weeks before and the outside pool was freezing, so into the indoor pool. Mikey is starting to get there with some swimming without floatation devices, but not quite. We finished off with the jacuzzi and a chat. Jessica said she wanted to stay in the pool all day, however, we coaxed her out, stating we wanted to get her sweets to give out at school.

After putting her in her ball gown, applying a little light make up, it was off to the parks. We managed to get a parking spot really close to the entrance and were in the park for a little after 1:30.

We went straight to City Hall to get Jess a birthday sticker and she was treated like a princess. We were then escorted to a private office where Mickey had left a birthday message for her. She was thrilled. Mikey also got a name badge to make him feel more special.

We got to the hub about 7 minutes before the Next Generation Show was due to start and found a prime viewing position behind a trash can. Although I am really disappointed with how little live music is in DLP compared to the US parks, and I am missing the big extravaganzas in the theatres, this show is pretty good and the kids love it. Mickey changing costumes for each scene, and the transformation of Nazeem from Frog to Prince is very special indeed. It is a definite improvement over last year's Mickey's Magical Party. Overall, very good.

We then explored the Nautilus, which I adore. A load of people were expecting a ride, which is a shame, this is a great atmosphere piece (though it could use some tlc). Mike was a little freaked out by the AA squid attack. Jessie loved it. Yet when it comes to the dragon, it is the other way around. Lol.

We swung by HISTA/Capt EO to see if there were any previews. Sadly not. Oh well, good excuse to come back in the summer.

While going for a pit stop in the Hyperion, we were very pleased to see the African Tam Tams. Annoying they were performing in Discoveryland rather than in Adventureland where they belong, but they were a very welcome sight, always a pleasure.

We high tailed it over to Fantasyland for Jessica's surprise treat at 3pm. We had dinner reservations at Auberge De Cindrillon. We always used to adore dining in this fine french restaurant, but they introduced the new character experience with the €59 ($90) per adult €24 ($36) per kid menu a few years ago that put us off. But the kids are growing up fast and Jessica is Cinderella mad, so we went for it. And I am really glad we did.

As we entered, Cinderella greeted the children and wished Jessica a very special birthday. They had their photos taken and 7 prints were delivered (included in the price) at the end of the meal. We were then shown to our table, and had a wonderful cast member who saw to our every need (including seamless service when Mikey knocked mama's wine all over her and her dinner - within 5 mins there were fresh linens, a new dish with fresh food and a new glass of wine - with discretion and a smile, as well as a wonderful way with children).

We were served with our non alcoholic cocktails and garlic prawns when we arrived at our table, the children opted for milk. Then shortly thereafter the herald announced the arrival of Belle and her Prince (also joined by princess Aurora, Ariel and the mice of Cinderella). They came in and next to our table, Beauty and the Beast waltzed. I know it sounds precious, but it was lovely, and Jess was star struck. We had meet and greets, and when they were done, the starters were served (kudos to DLP on this one, most character meals are annoying as the food is interrupted by the characters, but not in this case).

The meal I am pleased to say was of a high quality. The kids started with a medley of salmon mouse, garlic and tomato tartar, and a buffalo mozzarella and tomato kebab. We had smoked salmon, the tomato tartar and pate fois gras with fresh bread and D'Isgny (yes, where Walt's family are from) butter.

There was a choice of white, rose or red wine included with the meal, we opted for the red which had quite a good bouquet.

For the main course, the children had parma ham mickey raviolli and a tomato and basil sauce. It was very good. Sarah had opted for lamb with potatoes au gratin and veggies; and I had the sublime veal with the au gratin and veggies. It was excellent.

Then on to another surprise. Jessica looked disappointed whenever another table had a birthday wish. What nobody, including Sarah knew, was I had arranged for a cake. To ensure discretion, I had made arrangements in French so the family did not know it was coming.

So after the meal, about 8 cast members, plus Ariel, Belle and the Beast came to our table singing happy birthday with hugs and kisses for Jess. She and Sarah were overwhelmed (and I must confess my eyes misted up a little too). Even Mike enjoyed it.

The chocolate cake had a white chocolate tablet where it said in French "Happy Birthday Jessica". So great.

So dessert consisted of for the kids - a candy floss strawberry milkshake, sorbet cone, a white chocolate Cinderella slipper and birthday cake. For the adults we had the cake, a raspberry tart, a chocolate, apricot and chantilly cake, and a pistachio mouse. Sublime. We followed up with coffee and petit fours. It was wonderful, and testament that DLP does offer some of the best dining experiences in a MK park.

We opted for a ride on Snow White's Scary Adventure, and then were going to look around Alice's Labyrinth, but it looked like half the effects weren't working and there was a long queue. So we opted for Pirates of the Caribbean with a 5 min wait. It was fun, but we were in the jail scene before the 1st drop for quite a while backed up. Then when we were in the burning village before the 2nd drop, the ride stopped. After a while the soundtrack stopped and the pirates still danced with no sound. It was eerie. The announcements came up in 5 languages to stay seated and then the house lights came up and cast members appeared. They said they were going to restart the attraction and if that did not work, we would have to evacuate. Mikey was very nervous at that prospect. But we rode the rest of the way round and got off. The nerd in me really enjoyed it, but I felt for the first timers.

We then spent some quality time exploring the caves of adventure isle and crossing the suspension and barrel bridges. I always love finding the hidden throne, treasure and looking up through the caves into the leaves of the tree house. Sadly, I fear the seesaw rock will never function again :-(

We then got in line for Big Thunder Mountain 3 mins before park closing. 20 mins later, it broke down and they announced an evac. So we got out of the line, enjoyed the end of the last Next Gen show and picked up Jessica's classmate sweets as promised. As we got to the car, Jess proclaimed it was her best birthday ever. Pure magic.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... edca3dc184 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173030&id=744599997&l=edca3dc184%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Part 2 photos to follow later in the week.

Great report DavewasBaloo.  :D
Auberge sounds like its really worth it.  :D In the Auberge thread it has been said the slipper had been discontinued for the children's dessert. Its good to hear your little ones managed to enjoy it. :)
Your villa and the facilities sounds pure heaven!  :D

Thanks for your great trip report. I'm glad you liked Auberge de Cendrillon and your kids had such a lovely time there. We haven't been there since Disney transformed this lovely restaurant into a character restaurant. We loved this restaurant and were so disappointed when they changed it.

So what do you think about the condition of the whole resort, the parks and attractions? I know that DLRP is far from well maintained, but in February we were very surprised by the good condition of the attractions and the cleaness of the parks. We really didn't expect that.

I'm also glad to hear that Disney is offering a broader selection of merchandise. Now I hope that they will bring back more attraction based pins and merchandise. In February we were very disappointed by the merchandise and so I had to write a complaint to Disney. That wasn't the only thing we had to complain about.

It's really annoying that Disney is still doing these strange opening and closing times of the attractions.

I enjoyed you TR very much. And I`m soooo jealous, that you got to see Belle in the Auberge. I`m seriously thinking of doing a meal there in fall, when we go...
Thanks for posting, and great pictures too.
Aurora

Quote from: "tubbsy"Great report DavewasBaloo.  :D
Auberge sounds like its really worth it.  :D In the Auberge thread it has been said the slipper had been discontinued for the children's dessert. Its good to hear your little ones managed to enjoy it. :)
Your villa and the facilities sounds pure heaven!  :D

Well, to be fair, it is not the big White Chocolate Slipper full of sponge and dark chocolate mousse anymore. It is a little white chocolate slipper. They kids are not keen on the more bitter European dark chocolate anyway, so this went down much better with them.

I was cynical about the Auberge as it is more expensive than Buffalo Bills (which I still think is better value), but I wa suitably impressed. And more importantly, my girls' were delighted with their birthday treats.

Here are the Part 2 pictures from Jessica's birthday including Pirates of the Caribbean with the house lights up.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... f55d7cf060 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173092&id=744599997&l=f55d7cf060%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Quote from: "dagobert"Thanks for your great trip report. I'm glad you liked Auberge de Cendrillon and your kids had such a lovely time there. We haven't been there since Disney transformed this lovely restaurant into a character restaurant. We loved this restaurant and were so disappointed when they changed it.

Me too, but my daughter is princess mad and likes the food, so it was worth it for this special occasion. But I agree, I would prefer it if it were simply a good table service restaurant again.

Quote from: "dagobert"So what do you think about the condition of the whole resort, the parks and attractions? I know that DLRP is far from well maintained, but in February we were very surprised by the good condition of the attractions and the cleaness of the parks. We really didn't expect that.

Hmmm, a real mixed bag. Some things had been improved (like the paint job on catastrophe canyon, the castle bridge, the refurbed Teepees and PotC and PM were in reasonable order), and there were signs of maintenance everywhere. But significant effects were broken in Discoveryland, Big Thunder Mountain, the Tram Tour, Nautilus etc. And to be honest, that is pretty unacceptable. Also the tea cups were only half done, whch was surprising. Also, we did see a lot of broken name bricks at the Studios, which was aweful.  

Also, although we made light of it, there were breakdowns on Buzz, PotC and Big Thunder mountain that meant we queued for ages and then didn't get to ride or in the case of PotC were trapped for 30 minutes (though as fans we enjoyed this, I felt for the newbies where it ruined their ride)

It was the dumbing down of the dining that really got to me. As a result we ate off site more often than not.

Quote from: "dagobert"I'm also glad to hear that Disney is offering a broader selection of merchandise. Now I hope that they will bring back more attraction based pins and merchandise. In February we were very disappointed by the merchandise and so I had to write a complaint to Disney. That wasn't the only thing we had to complain about.

Well they have improved here greatly since our last visit. They have a whole host of merchandise this year that showcase Phantom Manor, Tower of Terror, Indy, the Carousel and Pirates of the Caribbean. Pins, t-shirts, tins, bags, hats, pens etc. As well as mouse ears. It was great to see. The bad news was you could buy the same stuff in all the stores, no point hunting around anymore.

Quote from: "dagobert"It's really annoying that Disney is still doing these strange opening and closing times of the attractions.

Very, we skipped our planned trips off site so the kids could fit in everything they wanted to do. Shame really, but maybe Disney got what they wanted. I know they are not doing very well, but this is bad show IMHO. They do it in the US parks too. But I remember reading how Walt used to insist everything be open for guests all the time. He would have a fit (but back in those days, they had refurbs at night, and the park was closed 2 days a week in the off season where refurbs would be done too).

Day 7 - 4 June 2010

For our last full day, we opted to wake naturally, and Mike came in a panic at 7:30 thinking we had over slept. Lol. It's a vacation, and our days of commando storming the parks from open to close are long behind us, especially with little ones.

We enjoyed some fresh baked goodies for breakfast from the resort bakery, and the kids and I made our way to the pool while Sarah started packing. It was lovely and sunny, but the water was too cold in the outdoor pool. Not for some hardier guests, but it meant we had the indoor pool to ourselves for some time.

We swam and made use of the jacuzzi for a few hours, then dried off in the sun as the pool bar opened. It was lovely. I had a long chat with the manager of the resort, which was very interesting. Mikey and I enjoyed a game of garden chess while Jess was on the swings. We then made our way back to the villa for an al fresco lunch of fresh baguettes with local cheeses and cured meats. The 86 degree temps got a bit much, so a shower was in order and then off to the crowded parks. We got into the studios for about 12:20, a little too late for Stars and Cars, but we hopped into the 60 minute wait for the overrated Crush coaster, but the kids were tall enough for the first time and determined to do it. Ah summer at DLP, a mixed bag; scantily clad clientele and noticeable BO. Fun. :-)

We waited just over an hour for Crush Coaster. Of course it is better than the US Space Mountains. Jessica thought it was great. Mikey enjoyed it, but had his eyes closed during the coaster parts, lol.

After Crush, we thought we should get our Buffalo Bill tickets. There is a wonderful deal right now, if you are at DLP during your birthday week and an annual pass holder, then the birthday celebrant is free with proof of birthday. It meant Jessica and Sarah were both free! Awesome. Sarah got the tickets while I took the kids through the Art of Animation. Darn that Paris sand, my eyes were leaking again.

As it emptied out into the hands on area, Sarah was waiting for us. We painted the cells, recorded our voices and added sound effects, we created a zoetrope scene and learned how to draw Mushu. Excellent!

Then it was time to go to BBWWS, we were in the red river ranch. Preshow was dodgy with blues brother number (that was not around in 1892). Meet and greet with Mickey, great show and good food though. Characters were annoying, but with the exception of their awful singing part, not too obtrusive, but definately dumbed it down. The kids loved it though (and sadly that is Disney's aim these days).

After, we enjoyed the Festival Latina with salsa and tango dancing, but Jessica fell asleep on my shoulders. It was obviously time to get them back.

I enjoyed a visit with some American friends who post on TUG, the best Marriott Vacation Club board, where we discussed all things MVCI over some local libations. It was lovely.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... c52d122211 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173472&id=744599997&l=c52d122211%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing.

shame about your preshow, we had the gunslinger and rope lassoo man and that was authentic - glad you had such a great trip

Glad you had a great trip, seems like a relaxing disney time.. photos top class as usuall.. when you say the food has been dumbed down, was wondering in what ways, how much has the food changed this year..  many thanks

Day 8 the journey home 5 June 2010

A 6:00 alarm is never a fun prospect, especially when on vacation. But despite being up early with plans of Extra Magic Hours, the kids were too tired (and mischievous) to get moving quickly.

We tucked into a breakfast of everything that needed using up - chocopic cereal, bread and cheese, yogurt and chocolate mousse (come on, it's the last day of the vacation), got the car packed and checked out (always a bummer). We snapped a few shots of the resort and said good bye, or. Tout allors, we will be back. We got to the Da Vinci Car Park near the village for 10 (EMH started at 7:30 and the resort was rammed, we decided to do a little shopping and go on elsewhere). Well little did we suspect that we would be in the Disney Village for 5 hours (well Sarah claims she did).

We let the kids spend their money from Nana (Disney character Star Wars toys were the choice - I'm so proud, and some guns -ok, maybe not so proud of this one); we bought Sarah and the kids some clothes, and I tried my luck buying a Vynalmation figure - we got Miss Piggy.

Then we decided it was time for lunch and weighed up between King Ludwigs (they dumbed this place down so much, it's no longer a German restaurant - we shant eat there again until they german up the menu again), the Deli (the queue was massive), the Rainforest Cafe (we nearly did), but the Steakhouse won out thankfully (it's one of my favs).

We were given our normal seats (we tend to be put in the same place every time). We had our complimentary Kirs (you just gotta love the Dream pass), and the kids opted for bbq ribs with corn fries (jessie liked them, Mikey did not); I had the Cesar salad and rump steak (I fancied the T bone, but the early bird special of three courses was cheaper than just the T). I had ordered the steak medium expecting it to be French medium (a little blood), sadly it was cooked English medium). Sarah had the carrot and coriander cappuccino and the steak. It was good. Because I was driving the 340 miles home, no wine though, we opted for water and ice tea.

The kids started acting up over dessert (they were very tired), Jess had a fruit salad in a chocolate biscuit bowl. Mikey had an Apple Flan with Chantilly cream, I opted for the apple pie a la mode (more of an Apple Croissant really, but still good) and Sarah had the Bailey's and pecan creme brullee, which she loved.

Because of the time, we did not have coffee, we were going to cut it fine for getting our channel crossing. The kids slept most of (and Sarah some of) the 200 mile journey to the Eurotunnel terminal. When we got there, it was heaving.

We did a little shopping, though with Euro exchange rate, things were not much different than the grocery store price wise. Then it took well over an hour to check in and board the train. Luckily the 90 degree temps had subsided a little.

The train was very warm and stuffy this time, but we were back in the UK for just before 8. We grabbed some portable food at Marks and Spencers and got in for about 10:30 exhausted, and satisfied.

Photos of the last day

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 21b195ee97 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173769&id=744599997&l=21b195ee97%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Quote from: "smurfy74"shame about your preshow, we had the gunslinger and rope lassoo man and that was authentic - glad you had such a great trip

Now that sounds so much more like it. If they had done that and not kiddied up the dining sing along section, I would have been much more happier and could accept the characters a little better.

Quote from: "seanmartina"Glad you had a great trip, seems like a relaxing disney time.. photos top class as usuall.. when you say the food has been dumbed down, was wondering in what ways, how much has the food changed this year..  many thanks

It is a real mixed bag. I am referring more to the counter service and village. The bad:

Victoria's used to offer different food items, now all they do is pizza (as it Belle Notte and Col Hathi's were not enough).

Most counter service places only offer a couple of choices now - mostly burgers, pizza or hotdogs.

Cowboycookout seems to offer half the variety as they used to.

Most of the unique desserts seem to be gone, opting for generic ice cream now.

At Fuente Del Oro - you have to ask for gaucamole and salsa and they no longer do the mixed platter (no replacement, just no longer on the menu).

No trimmings carts any longer at Videopolis

Not food items available from the carts after 2pm (yet the carts are open)

King Ludwigs no longer does German food, it is the same sort of stuff that can be found elsewhere in the resort (this used to be one of my favorite places).

Even the table service restaurants seem to offer more french food that suitably themed foods. It tastes good, but slightly disappointing at places like the Silver Spur and the Steakhouse when I expect them to be more American as they have been for the last 17 years.

The good:

They now sell Churros in carts in Main Street

The Last Chance Cafe actually has an interesting menu

Thanks Dave, very interesting, do you think its the new boss pushing these changes, as he is french, were the last boss was americian..(Silver spur etc )

 i dont know what direction they are heading with this, all generic contents in uniuqe buildings, such a shame, and carts refusing to sell food thats clearly visibile(dont know the logic behind that).. but i am glad there was some good points, the resort has def changed since my first visit they seem to take a little of the quality away each year, forgetting to replace it, and i think they will completly forget about the standards that used to be there, as the older employees leave, but hopefully Mr Gas who was one of the original cast members, can remember... And i am looking forward to july..

seanmartina, I am glad I am not crazy. I have been regularly going to Disney parks for nearly 36 years, and DLP since before it opened to the public. This is why I am so passionate about trying to make people aware when things are lost. Then maybe, like when letters are written about maintenance or merchandise, we see something done about it.

I know there are not limitless resources, and the financial challenge of DLP's accounts means tough choices have to be made, but they need to get the balance right.

As I said, we were in DLP for quite a few days, but we chose to eat off site more than ever.

Quote from: "davewasbaloo"

Quote from: "seanmartina"Glad you had a great trip, seems like a relaxing disney time.. photos top class as usuall.. when you say the food has been dumbed down, was wondering in what ways, how much has the food changed this year..  many thanks

It is a real mixed bag. I am referring more to the counter service and village. The bad:

Victoria's used to offer different food items, now all they do is pizza (as it Belle Notte and Col Hathi's were not enough).

Most counter service places only offer a couple of choices now - mostly burgers, pizza or hotdogs.

Cowboycookout seems to offer half the variety as they used to.

Most of the unique desserts seem to be gone, opting for generic ice cream now.

At Fuente Del Oro - you have to ask for gaucamole and salsa and they no longer do the mixed platter (no replacement, just no longer on the menu).

No trimmings carts any longer at Videopolis

Not food items available from the carts after 2pm (yet the carts are open)

King Ludwigs no longer does German food, it is the same sort of stuff that can be found elsewhere in the resort (this used to be one of my favorite places).

Even the table service restaurants seem to offer more french food that suitably themed foods. It tastes good, but slightly disappointing at places like the Silver Spur and the Steakhouse when I expect them to be more American as they have been for the last 17 years.

The good:

They now sell Churros in carts in Main Street

The Last Chance Cafe actually has an interesting menu

The food served at DLRP is really a big issue for me. I'm vegeterian and in the last years the food went from bad to worst at DLRP. I was so disappointed when Disney changed the menu of the Fuente del Oro. There they served  vegetables fajitas and now the only choice is a cup of nachos with salsa or guacamole.

Then they served nice egg-omlette burger, but not available anymore. In every counter service restaurant you only get pizza or burger. At least in the Cafe des Cascadeurs they serve a nice grilled vegetables burger.

The biggest disappointment was Walt's. In recent years it was never a big problem for the kitchen to create something different for, but not last time. The only thing we got was the unfriendliest waiter I have ever met and one of the worst food ever eaten at DLRP. Our favorite restaurant is the Agrabah Cafe, since they serve really good food suitable for vegeterians. I'm glad that you had a great time in the Steakhouse. Is it operated by Disney, because the restaurants operated by Groupe Flo did a better job. For example the Rainforest Cafe prepared something great for my girlfriend and so did Cafe Mickey. Both restaurants are not operated by Disney. From now we will only eat in DV table service restaurants.

I really hope for Disney that they will improve the food and their hotels, otherwise we will save our money and travel to WDW again. I know the parks and the maintenance aren't any better there, but in 2008 Disney did everything for us. In every restaurant we were treated like kings.

You can imagine that our complaint we have written to Disney was very long. At least they answered my letter and told me that they are trying their best to satisfy their guest.  :lol:  :lol:

Next year we are planning to visit our friends in the US and so we plan to travel to Disneyland California. So DLRP will not see us for thext two years.

I cannot wait to hear what you have to say about DL (the most vege friendly restaurant). I am not sure about the steakhouse. It used to be Disney operated, but I am not sure now.

QuoteI am glad I am not crazy. I have been regularly going to Disney parks for nearly 36 years, and DLP since before it opened to the public. This is why I am so passionate about trying to make people aware when things are lost.

you def not crazy, it has slowly declined, then they have a stroke of genius and nearlly get it right with the 15th aniv. then they get it so wrong.. they really should look back at what was there, 18 years is not long in parks terms so maybe we have a long way to go, but to have the nicest magic kingdom slowly decay its quality would be such a shame, but new visitors wont know, and maybe wont care, but disney can get it right and can make you feel the magic, but not cheap magic, the balance really needs to be right....

You are a star seanmartina. The reason I get grumpy is when DLP opened in 1992, it was the best Disney park in the world IMHO. Ok, it didn't have as many attractions as the others, but it was the most beautiful, with the best versions of the attractions, amazing cast members, live entertainment everywhere you turned, amazing shopping and dining, late hours and fireworks.

Now I know those things cost money, and yes, I do still enjoy our trips. But it makes me very sad, when there is so little live music, and a number of attractions have broken effects and the menues have diminished further. Thankfully not all hope is lost. Live music in the Silver Spur, new teepees, the refurbs around Star Tours, Storybookland, and Dumbo fill me with hope. TSPL does not.

I don't know what to think moving forward. And the other thing is I have investments in MArne la Valee, so the success of the resort is important to me more than just being a fan.

i can fully relate to what your saying, its so true and obvious but previous visitors maybe the family grows up and all they have is memories, new visitors will not notice anything, but regular visitors who come for the charm and magic and escape from relaity notice every little detail. we all know the money is not so good, but during the 15th they did make a small operating profit, but it was great marketing, beutiful park decorations, and a buzz around the resort, still not what it was, but a vast improvment on the dark ages 4 -5 years before that. Dont even get me going about toy story playland, when it was first announced it was meant to be a temp soloution, but i can bet the bank its there for good..what a blotch on the landscape...Going on past events its the music, the extra cast members hired just to be part of a scene, the shows, barber shop quartet, all the small things that make it so special, now they have hacked the food  down to the same old same old..

But i think disney soul aim is to make as much profit as possibile, cut all costs cheapen the brand i think.. before when disney had soul and heart, profits were important but so was the quality of the magic..  when you have 17 million visitors you want them to spend spend spend, last year i found it very very difficult to buy anything at all, all the merchandise was the worst i have ever seen, i had around 500 pounds earmarked for all the usuall stuff for kids back home, i think i got i love mk bag and 4 key rings...the money just came home with me.. such a shame... i just could not bring my self to buy that junk..

well thats my 2 cents lol sorry about the rant,, hopefully this year i can spend some money lol because you know what i really hope deep down that they do get it right, and the resort  becomes amazing again, instead of just good.. maybe for the 20th they might get it right fingers crossed..

And i hope all the fanboys realise that ( and i am one of the biggest fanboys), and dont blur out the rough edges because they see it through rose tinted glasses, you know, i know, they know.. and most important is to Make Disney know..

Lol. Well I just did my survey, and I let Disney know what I thought of the good and the not so good.

Hopefully though, you will find the merchandise has improved. We spent about £300 on souvenirs this year whereas last year I think it was closer to £40. Why? Because there were things worth buying. So there is an improvement at least. Can't wait to hear your views after you go again.

Thats great news on the merchindise, at least ill play my small part in improving the finances... 500 pounds on some quality  :D

i hope this year is good, as i am introducing another family to the resort, the fourth we have introduced.. as our teenage daughter is getting older, so we have to hijack other peoples kids lol.. i love seeing there faces as they walk through the gates, even the wow factor of the disney hotel.. i hope i can keep on being proud of our park and see it fulfil its potential..

Finally caught up on reading your report and seeing all your pictures. As usual, a brilliant read, thank you for that!! I really appreciate your views on the state of the parks (both positive and negative). I don't think I'll say you're objective, because you obvisouly love the place very much, but you don't let that stop you from seeing that all is not well. You know what I mean, right?

The POTC without any effects and the lights on, that was weird! We had something similar in Phantom Manor (lights stayed off, but no sound effects or music, it was very strange).

And I'm very jealous of your backstage tour in the riverboat!! Oh, and your lunch at the Auberge, we almost went for it on our last trip (for my birthday) but our friends did not want to book anything for lunch because they wanted to go back to the room for their kids to sleep a bit. So very jealous of that, the food and the experience sound brilliant!

I'm already looking forward to your next trip!!

Thanks never2old. I take a lot of criticism on-line from the fans because of my strong views, but that is because I do love the place and want what is best for it.

Many on line do not know what Disney is truly capable of or see how the rest of the world is catching Disney up. I just hope we continue to see improvements.

What a lovely trip report and photos, even i found myself welling up when you talked about the surprise cake in Auberge!

Glad I could help to work a little magic on-line too!  Thanks.

Just finished reading your trip report, thanks!!
we were thinking of trying King Ludwigs, but I think now we will re-think that!!!
thanks for a really informative report x

Quote from: "toritinker"Just finished reading your trip report, thanks!!
we were thinking of trying King Ludwigs, but I think now we will re-think that!!!
thanks for a really informative report x

The menu of King Ludwigs isn't really great. In 2008 they offered a lot of "German, mainly Bavarian" food, but in February the selection was really bad. Although I'm vegeterian, they offered some delicious veggie meals, but not this time anymore. As an Austrian I really liked the Bavarian food. The only reason for us to go there is the happy hour.

Agreed. When King Ludwigs first opened, it had some wonderful German offerings that are hard to come by in the Uk - Weiss Wurst, Schnitzel, Spaetzle (sp/), Black Forest Gateau or Apple Strudle. Mix that in with great German beers and wine, and it was always a must for us. The decor is great too.

But sadly, when we looked this year, it was normal boring stuff you could get anywhere in any country, like roast chicken and potatoes. There was virtually nothing traditional German (or rather quite unique to Germany) on the menu, not even the desserts. You can still get a good beer there, but it is not worth it with the food being so dull. I am really sorry to say. I hope they rethink this restaurant again.

The King Ludwig's in DLRP should take a look on the menu of the new King Ludwig's restaurant in Munich. There they serve "real" German food. So hopefully the menu will be change in Paris, too. Until then we will just drink some beers there.

http://www.koenig-ludwig-an-der-messe.de/ (http://www.koenig-ludwig-an-der-messe.de/%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Viel Dank Dagobert.

That looks much better. I do wish DLP would do likewise and offer the same menu like they used to. I was shocked to see so many of the stand bys off of the menu.

Quote from: "davewasbaloo"

Quote from: "seanmartina"Glad you had a great trip, seems like a relaxing disney time.. photos top class as usuall.. when you say the food has been dumbed down, was wondering in what ways, how much has the food changed this year..  many thanks

It is a real mixed bag. I am referring more to the counter service and village. The bad:

Victoria's used to offer different food items, now all they do is pizza (as it Belle Notte and Col Hathi's were not enough).

Most counter service places only offer a couple of choices now - mostly burgers, pizza or hotdogs.

Cowboycookout seems to offer half the variety as they used to.

Most of the unique desserts seem to be gone, opting for generic ice cream now.

At Fuente Del Oro - you have to ask for gaucamole and salsa and they no longer do the mixed platter (no replacement, just no longer on the menu).

No trimmings carts any longer at Videopolis

Not food items available from the carts after 2pm (yet the carts are open)

King Ludwigs no longer does German food, it is the same sort of stuff that can be found elsewhere in the resort (this used to be one of my favorite places).

Even the table service restaurants seem to offer more french food that suitably themed foods. It tastes good, but slightly disappointing at places like the Silver Spur and the Steakhouse when I expect them to be more American as they have been for the last 17 years.

The good:

They now sell Churros in carts in Main Street

The Last Chance Cafe actually has an interesting menu

I was mostly impressed with the food we had in Disney Village and the Parks but of course this being our first trip we had nothing to compare it with and we really loved Kind Ludwig's although more German food sounds good as a family on a whole we like variety in our meals and although we do like burgers we have eaten many different sort of meals with the children and thier favourite at the moment is Thai....i think Disney should keep trying to offer a variety of food to thier guests or they may loose out on people dining there for main meals as it's easy to grab snacks throughout the day and those staying offsite may find it a more attractive option to eat elsewhere if the choice continues to diminish

Agreed. I sometimes wish I wasn't a Disney park veteran of 35 years. I grew up going to the original in California every 4-6 weeks or so, have been to Walt Disney World in Orlando a few times, and DLP since before they struck ground. And I can empahtically tell you that although there may be more attractions in Paris than opening day, the soul of the resort is a shadow of it's former self. The food, merchandise and entertainment are all watered down compared to what it used to offer. It is of course still a great experience, and better than not having it at all, as a new guest, you do not have anything to regret the loss of (I envy you ;-).  But it is not as diverse as it once was sadly.

But there are still some very good food experiences to had at places like Walt's, the Silver Spur, Auberge de Cindrillon, California Grill, the Steakhouse, Annette's and Buffalo Bills (sadly the list is shorter than it used to be). And for counter service uniquities, there is still Fuente del Oro and the Last Chance Cafe (which has vastly improved their menu).

How can you have been to DLP since before they struck ground, it was just a field back then ? And for what it's worth I don't think the soul of the resort is a shadow of it's former self.

Yes, I was given a walkthrough before they struck ground by imagineering (we had the plans as we walked the beet fields). Also was a part of the focus group blue skying Adventure Isle back in the early 80's in California.

Then went through a walk through with hard hats 6 months before opening. And I was there opening day!

Quote from: "davewasbaloo"Yes, I was given a walkthrough before they struck ground by imagineering (we had the plans as we walked the beet fields). Also was a part of the focus group blue skying Adventure Isle back in the early 80's in California.

Then went through a walk through with hard hats 6 months before opening. And I was there opening day!

Did you work for Disney or did you work for one of the construction companies.

WE had family connections (remember I am from California, not too far from DL and WDI - family and friends). Also, I had French political conncetions due to my pen friend in the region.

I used to dedicate my life to Disney, reading everything from blueprints to acedemic essays, I have had the pleasure of speaking with many of the great imagineers, and even Roy Disney Jr and Lillian Disney before they died.

Although Disney still is capable of many good things, they certainly are not what they once were, and even the current exec members I know agree with me.

But they love the people who turn the blind eye and are not keen on old school fans. With Dave Smith and his no 2 retiring this week, it will also be interesting to see what happens to the archives.

And when you were given a walk through by imagineering before they struck ground, did you vioce any concerns for the future, like the incredible amount of money that Disney would lose at DLP in the future, and how EuroDisney would have to try and balance their books? It was good of them to take you round in a hard hat though. You say you used to dedicate your life to Disney, I'm surprised you didn't get a job with them.

Well, back then we did not have a crystal ball.  The business case seemed to stack up. More and more Europeans were visiting the US parks, the economy was good, and the channel tunnel was due to soon open to make it easier for UK visitors. The future looked bright.

No one saw the recession of the late 80's early 90's coming before they struck ground, and that is what really crippled EDL. Yes, there were some important lessons learnt from DLP. And you could speculate that if perhaps they had opened with fewer hotels or skipped on some of the detailing in the parks, then it would have been a better financial success. But it is the debts and the huge interest rates that grew in the early 90's that really hurt the resort.

Indeed you do not have a crystal ball, and nor do any of us. For once I'm inclined to agree with your last post. it's because of the debts and huge interest payments and the current recession, that EuroDisney sometimes have to make some cuts, like a favourite show. It's not because they've lost their soul in my view. Or that some of us turn a blind eye. It's a pity you didn't get a job with Disney. Maybe you could have put some of your theories into practise? You wouldn't be able to just go on about the past , and how DLP used to be so much better. You would have to pay of the debts and manage the recession.

Agreed, there are difficult financial decisons that need to be made. Although I was not thrilled, the hub show rather than 2 stage shows makes better financial sense and to the average guest, that makes sense because the show is of a good quality and will please many.

The staggered opening hours of attractions I think makes less sense however, the savings are negligable and it does have a negative mental impact on guests. This is a real shame, and I think they could find the savings elsewhere.

As for TSPL, I think this is a very poor decision for expenditure. It will have a negligable impact bringing people into the parks and it has a net negative on the asthetics and ethos of the park. They would be better off with a little Rat show in WDSP to build the interest for the upcoming attraction and spending the money on entertainment, refurbs and planning for a better capital investment after Ratatoulle.

Also, the fact the food carts do not sell food after 2pm (but are still open) is a loss of potential revenue.

And I wanted to work for Disney my whole life. But when I came of age, I was worried the magic would disappear if I was in the political hive that is Disney. I decided to become a professional in another field with the view that I could visit Disney more often.

Little did I anticipate that the Disney company of this millenia is very different than the one that was around for the previous 70+ years.

But they have been offering 40% off for holidays at DLP, which is quite a saving. And I don't except TSPL is a poor decision for expenditure. Disney wanted to offer some new rides this year rather than wait. I can see the merit of that. I don't think a little rat show would bring more people in either. And DLP do do refurbs. I'm not saying you should get a job with Disney. The WDC is much bigger now than it was 70 years ago. More theme parks, more films, theatre a cruise line. And you say it's not as good as it used to be. And that's where we don't agree.

Bigger is not always better. I would rather eat a fine fillet steak than pig out on mince. It does not mean I hate mince, but I have a very clear preference.

HKDL is not done well enough. WDW is rotting away. Everything is relying more on toons instead of creating different senses of place. Disney market everything until people are sick of it. My wife wore my EuroDisney shirt from opening year, and yet we have to throw our modern Disney clothes out every few years as they fade.

Yes, Disney can still do some amazing things - World of Colour is a great example of that. But there are more misses than hits these days.

I'm sorry but you're too negative for me. WDW is rotting away for example. And your comments about shirts you cound direct at many companies these days. Most people wouldn't expect to get 20 years out of a shirt these days.

And I think you give Disney too much of a pass, and that kind of behaviour means they will continue to do it.

I am not saying Disney is the only one, but they used to aim to be the best. They no longer seem to. Marriott do though, so does Apple, and even the GAP.

And when you spend a fortune to go to WDW, and every attraction has broken AA's and the furnature litterly breaks when an 11 stone person sits on a chair in Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the buses break down (not once, not twice but three times in one trip), that to me as a consumer, let alone a Disney fan, is not accpetable.

i never find anything i want in Gap these days. And if it's about shirts from DLP, i bought one in the TOT shop two years ago and it's not fallen apart yet. I don't give Disney a pass, and please don't imply that my behaviour causes furniture to break when an 11 stone person sits on a chair in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. i know someone who's been to DLP many times weighs more than 11 stone and has never had a chair break under him yet.

And just to add Apple is run by Steve Jobs, who also happens to be on the board of the WDC and is their biggest share holder.

Yes it is, but the two companies are run very differently (sadly)

I wouldn't say Baloo is too negative. You can talk to many people who have been to DLRP during the early years and now they are disappointed. For example good friends of us are also big Disney fans and went to DLRP since 1992, now they save their money for Anaheim.

My girlfriend and I started to go to DLRP in 2006 so we don't know what it was before and we think that since 2006 and February 2010 the quality of the park and attractions improved. In the same time the quality of the food declined. Compared to WDW DLRP's food is really bad. Okay we are vegeterians but we should be treated like any other guests, but not in Paris. At WDW we were treated like kings. There they prepared everything for us. No one can tell me they save a lot of money by not offering a broader variety on food. Next time we will not at eat in any Disney table service restaurant anymore, instead we will eat in the Groupe Flo restaurants in DV, because they tried hard to cater us. So Disney will not make a lot of money with us next time, because we will also stay in a third party hotel and the merchandise is also bad. The only money ED SCA will get from us next time is the ticket price.

Many people think this way, because the Disney hotels are too expensive for the quality they offer. Even the cheap Pop Century Resort at WDW offers a better quality then Sequoia Lodge which is a moderate resort and not a value. By the way Pop Century was the best Disney hotel we have ever stayed.

I have also the opinion that TSPL will not bring in a lot more people and so it would have been better to save the money for stage shows or a bigger attraction. The best would have been to use the money for advertising DLRP around Europe. That would bring in more people.

Nevertheless we are still big DLRP fans and we will definately return and we will try to see the positive things. While the quality of the parks increased, the quality of the service and food declined. I want to have a DLRP with the food, service and CMs from WDW and with the attractions from Paris.

why do you compare the cheap Pop Century Resort to the Sequoia lodge, and not the cheaper Santa Fe. And according to Dave WDW is rotting away with breaking furniture. So why would anyone go there? I don't agree that the money spent on TSPL would have been better spent on advertising. Disney make money out of Disney Village if you eat there.

Steve jobs must believe in WDC or else he wouldn't have sold Pixar to them. And he would'nt be sitting on the board as their biggest Shareholder.

I compare Pop Century with Sequoia Lodge because SL should offer a better quality than Pop Century since it is a more expensive hotel, but unfortunately it doesn't. Pop Century is a value resort while SL is a moderate resort and so I thought that we can expect a higher standard. Unfortunately the cheap Pop Century has a higher quality than SL.

I wouldn't say that WDW is rotting away. MK was not very well maintained and was not as clean as DLP during our stay in 2008, but the other parks were okay.

I think disney has lost its way a little bit. You just have to look at WDW. Universal built a one of a kind Harry Potter attraction and what is Disney doing? They are going to rebuild Fantasyland with meet and greet houses themed to the princesses. WOW, great. In my opinion it should have been Disney to create such an innovative new ride. At the moment I think Disney is focusing too much on children, especially little girls.

I do understand that WDS needs more rides, especially for children, but I also think that TSPL is not the right way. I can't imagine that RC Racer and the Parachute Tower are suitable for kids, because of the height restrictments.
TSPL doesn't look bad in my opinion, it just features the wrong rides.

Quote from: "ed-uk"And if it's about shirts from DLP, i bought one in the TOT shop two years ago and it's not fallen apart yet.

Can´t agree here. Merchandise at DLP is often very poor quality.

I bought a Jack Skellington Shirt that fell apart after a few months
I bought Sunglasses that broke after 2 days.
I bought a shoulder bag where the buttons rub off after e few weeks
...
...

I don´t buy things at DLP anymore. Its not worth the much money you pay!

ed-uk, don't get me wrong. DLRP is a great place and ED SCA did a great job in my opinion in recent years. The quality of the parks improved a lot. For example in February we have seen effects in PM we haven't seen before.

I just think that the quality of the hotels really isn't good. For that money you can stay in better hotels and we are going to do this next time.

Maybe most of the people think that the food is great, we think that it is not. In 2008 DLRP offered a broader selection of food, but unforunately not anymore.

The merchandise isn't great in Paris, but it isn't at WDW either. In each shop they sell the same cheap merchandise and the quality of many products is poor and really not worth the money. I think DLRP realized the problem and will improve it in the future. We spent a lot of money in 2008 on merchandise but not this year.

Agreed. My wife bought a Jack Skellington top last HAlloween, it lasted 2 washes before is faded and shrunk (she used to be a professional laundrey manager). We bought my sun a buzz laser, it lasted 2 days after we got home (and he was not being particularly rough with it. There are lots of other examples.

But I do have to say, the merchandise does seem to be a lot better in quality and choice this year!

Dagobert, I think you will be very happy with the food and merchandise when you eventually go to California.

Just read your trip report Dave, (not checked the forum in ages!) good as always – thanks.
Not been in DLP since October 09, and looking forward to our next visit in three weeks.
I must agree with your opinions regarding the parks, even in my 12 visits in the last seven years, (a bit of catching up on you to do!:lol:)  I have noticed a decline in some areas of the magic. Captain Hook's ship for example was in a terrible state in October with rotting timbers & dull, flaky paint I kinda wished they had covered it up, rather than have it on display to the public in such a poor condition.
I Know, I know – global financial crisis etc., but I think ED SCA are going about this in the wrong way – happy guests are more likely to part with more cash & spread the word. Speculate to accumulate, - it worked for the 15th celebrations.
As for 'Dumbing down' - sadly a problem in most of our society nowadays, not just in the parks.

Good to hear from you Mr Gibbs, long time no see. And yep, I know the world is dumbing down, it is such a shame. Who would have thought Disney would huh?

I'm feeling really sad :( I havent been able to go for three years and we were really looking forward to the trip, but I was beginning to feel that maybe I've wasted my money :(
But then I thought - We go to Legoland regularly and, where I know they're not Disney,(Nowhere near) I do feel I am beginning to look at it in the same way (thats faded, thats broken, Oh no they've removed the baby dragon licking the ducks bottom from the Dragon Coaster!!..... :lol:-lego baby dragon thats supposed to look like its burning the ducks bottom-but it didnt!! :lol:)
I look past this and just enjoy the time with my family as it is so precious and I hope I can do the same in DLP.
BTW I have two tops from 2006 and 2007-they're fine. Steph has a Mickey fleece (Still in good order) and Rob has a Mickey jacket (Cant wear anymore-hes outgrown it :( )

I've found a good quote of Walt Disney concerning the opening of attractions. Maybe we should present it to the DLP management and hopefully they will stop the staggering opening hours of the attractions!

Initial planning for Date Nite presented challenges, such as which attractions, shops and restaurants would remain open during that time, but it was Walt Disney himself who insisted that as long as the park is open, any guests must experience the full Disneyland show, and thus all should remain open.

Taken from the D23 website:
http://d23.disney.go.com/wdarchives.html (http://d23.disney.go.com/wdarchives.html%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

The article is about the "Date Nite Show". It was for the first time that the park was open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

As davewasbaloo said: Put the Walt back in Disney

:thumbs: Love that! :D

Quote from: "tubbsy"I'm feeling really sad :( I havent been able to go for three years and we were really looking forward to the trip, but I was beginning to feel that maybe I've wasted my money :(

I doubt you will feel that way. I am sure you will have a great time. I have rarely felt I have wasted my money at DLP (except the broken items and some areas where the quality has diminished, but I suspect after 55 trips I am going to notice more - like you (and I) do at Legoland).

I am sure you will have a great time and enjoy the attractions and shows that are new to you. It is just for me, I am very concerned with the direction of travel. But not all hope is lost. The teepee refurb, the castle bridge refurb and the new merchandise (as well as the hub show) shows there is still hope.

Quote from: "dagobert"I've found a good quote of Walt Disney concerning the opening of attractions. Maybe we should present it to the DLP management and hopefully they will stop the staggering opening hours of the attractions!

Initial planning for Date Nite presented challenges, such as which attractions, shops and restaurants would remain open during that time, but it was Walt Disney himself who insisted that as long as the park is open, any guests must experience the full Disneyland show, and thus all should remain open.

Taken from the D23 website:
http://d23.disney.go.com/wdarchives.html (http://d23.disney.go.com/wdarchives.html%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

The article is about the "Date Nite Show". It was for the first time that the park was open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

As davewasbaloo said: Put the Walt back in Disney

Yep, and it was the man himself (no stranger to financial hardship and failures) that set the standard I use for comparison. Not comparing to other theme parks and resorts, but the Disney standard itself.

Thanks Davewasbaloo :)
Only 22 visits to Legoland!  :lol: We miss the baby dragon! :lol:

We should meet up there some time.  I had the pleasure of working there opening year. It has changed a lot (mainly for the better since then). And the Legoland fireworks beat out DLP's :)

OOH yeah! that'd be great! :D
And the fireworks! They are amazing :D I do think they're going to struggle to outdo the Star Wars day from 2008. I have a teeny sneaking suspicion there could be a Wizarding theme (depending on copyright) as we have the new game and new sets are being realeased in October to coincide with the film release in Novemeber.

Quote from: "tubbsy"OOH yeah! that'd be great! :D
And the fireworks! They are amazing :D I do think they're going to struggle to outdo the Star Wars day from 2008. I have a teeny sneaking suspicion there could be a Wizarding theme (depending on copyright) as we have the new game and new sets are being realeased in October to coincide with the film release in Novemeber.

We have got legoland passes and went to the Stars wars fireworks in 2008, they were brilliant :thumbs: And there were so many children there with lightsabres it looked lovely when they turned all the lights off :D Have never experienced fireworks at Disney, hopefully next year ;)

We've got annual passes too-just legoland, not Merlin-wont be renewing next year as Mark is away for over 6 months, but then we're thinking of doing Merlin.
I caught the light sabres on video! It was amazing.
"Jedi knights raise your sabres to the sky" (or something to that effect) and they all did! Goosebump  moment :D
I bet you can guess we have planned to see the Disney fireworks this year-Well I see way, might just be me, but we'll have to just see how Rob goes :)

We've got annual passes too-just legoland, not Merlin-wont be renewing next year as Mark is away for over 6 months, but then we're thinking of doing Merlin.
I caught the light sabres on video! It was amazing.
"Jedi knights raise your sabres to the sky" (or something to that effect) and they all did! Goosebump  moment :D
I bet you can guess we have planned to see the Disney fireworks this year-Well I see way, might just be me, but we'll have to just see how Rob goes :)

Quote from: "tubbsy"We've got annual passes too-just legoland, not Merlin-wont be renewing next year as Mark is away for over 6 months, but then we're thinking of doing Merlin.
I caught the light sabres on video! It was amazing.
"Jedi knights raise your sabres to the sky" (or something to that effect) and they all did! Goosebump  moment :D
I bet you can guess we have planned to see the Disney fireworks this year-Well I see way, might just be me, but we'll have to just see how Rob goes :)

We have got the Merlin passes but use tesco vouchers to buy them, think it only costs around £40 each

Is it the noise you think Rob wont like? could always get him some little ear plugs ;)

i'll keep saving them then! :D Got Rob ear defenders to wear-its more like information overload-if hes had a lot going on all day then I dont know if he'll last. Saying that he can do a whole day and fireworks at Legoland!  :D

That one was great, though we also enjoyed the Indy fireworks last year too. The park was packed yesterday, but we had a great time. I am really looking forward to the Atlantis Sea Life dark ride next year, I think that is going to be awesome!

I am annoyed though, the new stunt show is even more kiddy like than the last one. But Clutch Powers and the Pirate Ship are two excellent additions this year.

Here are some Photos from our legoland trip yesterday:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 5ff43fabfd (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=180278&id=744599997&l=5ff43fabfd%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)

Most of Legoland is for Kiddies though, I'm thinking. It's a theme park dedicated to that genre. You seem to really enjoy kiddy things, as long as it's not a mini land called TSPL at DLP, which you've never tried.

Actually, what I enjoy is attention to detail. And the Miniland is full of adult jokes (check out some of the pictures)

And that stupid TSPL does not have much the whole family can enjoy together (unlike Legoland)

Quote from: "ed-uk"Most of Legoland is for Kiddies though, I'm thinking. It's a theme park dedicated to that genre. You seem to really enjoy kiddy things, as long as it's not a mini land called TSPL at DLP, which you've never tried.

Let's see:
Miniland, the Dragon Coaster, Pirate Falls, rocket Racers, the Dino Safari, Lazer Raiders, Loki's Labrynth, Viking Splash, Clutch Powers 3D, Lego Racers 3D, and the fireworks all appeal without kids. In fact, Legoland was my fav park in the UK before having kids.

i've been to Legoland, and have seen the attention to detail and the adult jokes, or the lack of them for myself. Some of it is good. I like the themeing better than thorpe park. But i think most of Legoland is for children.

I like Miniland, the Dragon Coaster and Viking Splash. And the fireworks three or four nights a year.

i wouldn't compare TSPL to Legoland. Legoland is a whole theme park, it's ment to be a full days entertainment. TSPL is a miniland within a theme park.

Quote from: "davewasbaloo"We then spent some quality time exploring the caves of adventure isle and crossing the suspension and barrel bridges. I always love finding the hidden throne

theres a hidden throne in adventureland?? o.O i didnt know.... any chance of a sligtly more detailed location of afore mentioned throne?

sounds like you had a great time =]

You need to spend some time exploring the caves in Adventureland, in there is a hidden throne with stalagtights and a skull.