DLP Guide Forum - The Disneyland Paris magicforum community

Another series of threads has prompted me to explore some ideas. I have kept it so you can only choose one option. Although many or all of them may apply, what is the biggest factor to you and your family/friends when going to DLP?

That's a tough choice, but I chose "To soak up the atmosphere, sense of time and place". At first I was thinking about taking #2, but at the moment the other parks are creating better rides than WDI. During our recent visits to DLRP we realized that it wasn't about the rides anymore. We spent much more time in just walking through the parks and enjoying the atmosphere.

i can't choose just one option, but I would have voted for number two and number three, the Disney rides and to soak up the atmosphere.

The whole point however is to have you go for an overarching option. The primary reason.

It's about both for me, otherwise I might just as well go to a theme park here in England. It's the atmosphere of Main Street and the other lands which are world class, and the rides that make Disneyland for me. But I wouldn't go without the rides.

I know I have made it tough on purpose, I suppose I wanted people to really think about their answers (I was also very interested to see how my own views fit in with that of others).

To get away from reality as much as I possibly can!

Tough one, really tough one!  While I love the whole atmosphere of the park, the real reason we're going back to Disney so soon after our last trip (we went at the beginning of October for Halloween and are returning at the end of November for Chrismas) is because of our little boy.  His reactions to the character are priceless, he has absolutely no doubt that the Mickey Mouse he met in Inventions was the real Mickey Mouse.  We decided to do a Christmas trip while he was still in nursery so that we don't have to take him out of school and because at 4 he's still young enough to have an unwavering believe in Father Christmas.

I'm not a fan of other theme parks - I'm a big wimp when it comes to rides, Pirates of the Carribean is about my limit!  BTM scared the life out me!  So places like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are wasted on me.  Disney with its combination of family friendly rides, shows and spectacles is for me the perfect theme park.

I chose "To ride and see amazing attractions that can only be found in a Disney park." I love the stories of the rides and lands of Disney Parks and how they've been translated so effectively into real life. It still amazes me that after over 50 years of WED Imagineering, other theme parks still can't get it right (at least, not any of the ones in Britain or Orlando). They don't immerse you into the stories as well as the Disney attractions and lands.

Hi just had a quick vote with the family OH, our 16yo daughter and I like the atmosphere and the little finishing details of the rides but not the big ones I can do BTM but Crush scared the life out of me :-(

this time, definitely to soak up the atmosphere - this will be my 3rd Christmas season trip to DLP and it really does take my breath away. I will admit to spending a good part of my time in the parks after the sun has set each evening with a huge lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at how beautiful it is with the tree, castle, Main St, and Santas Grotto all festooned in lights and lanterns.

Elaine

The rides!!!!  :D  :thumbs:

As a young couple with no children we're all about the rides and the thrills! But soaking up the atmosphere comes in a close second, we love the little details and the themeing.

Definately to soak up the atmosphere, the rides are a close second but without the atmosphere I might as well go the Chessington. I'm not bothered about the characters but the children like them.

Thanks for the input so far everyone, this is really interesting reading....

Atmosphere for me too, though meeting the characters are for me part of it... I love the rides and spend most of my time in the parks doing them, but the magical feeling comes from simply walking around the park, soaking it all in...

Absolutely the atmosphere for me, especially in the summer =D>  The crowds are no problem to me :D , the more the merrier making for a wonderful experience.

It was tough, though I went for "To soak up the atmosphere, sense of time and place."
I chose this as to be brutally honest, a lot (not all) of the rides/attractions are things that can be found (or very similar) elsewhere. But it's the sheer atmosphere, attention to detail and theming which is the major pull factor.

Ok that was a tough choice but I chose to see the look on my childs face.
I chose this because nothing gives me greater joy then seeing my daughters face light up when she sees her favourite characters and when she says to me "Mummy we are home". Nothing can beat that feeling.
If I didn't have a child I would of gone with soak up the atmosphere option. I love people watching, and looking at everything in detail and just being totally immensed in all things Disney.

If you had asked me when my kids were smaller, I would definitely have said to see the looks on their faces-just magical. However the more often we have been, the less important it has been to get on rides or into shows and more about just being there and immersing yourself in the sheer magic, artistry and escapism that DLRP represents. I am always surprised at how few people are smiling because I am always beaming from ear to ear! I always have difficulty, at the age of 51, in explainig to other people what it is about DLRP that I love so much, but if they haven't been it's vitually impossible.
 Christmas is a stunning time to go and I can't wait till my next trip. Jan 2nd 2012 here I come. :D

Thanks for the input folks, and i am very pleased, as I am in line with most folk's here's motivations. I wonder how new visitors that hab yet to go would answer this? And isn't it interesting that the atmosphere and attractions are the two top answers. And yet the advertising focuses on the kids and characters?

Quote from: "davewasbaloo"And isn't it interesting that the atmosphere and attractions are the two top answers. And yet the advertising focuses on the kids and characters?

Ummm, in the way of all surveys, this might be giving misleading results. For example, a lot of people might think that having the characters very visibly about are a very necessary part of the atmosphere; also those people who go for the rides might also like character theming on those rides....

Happy children might also be considered an important element when it comes to atmosphere.

I've gone straight to answering rather than reading other people's responses so apologies if anything is repeated but I wanted to answer with no influence from other responses.

Whenever I talk to people about visiting Disneyland Paris and they find out that I don't like thrill rides they ask why I bother spending the money to go. I explain that there are actually far more non-thrill rides, attractions and shows than there are thrill rides but I think I shock them even more when I tell them that they aren't my primary reason for going, but it's just being there and soaking up the atmosphere which is our primary reason.

There's something very special about being in a Disney park that isn't duplicated anywhere else, no matter how hard they try. It's that feeling of being transported to a different world where you can leave reality behind, check your worries at the gate and enter a world of true escapism. I love the sounds, the smells and some of the most visually stunning views I've ever experienced.

I have to admit that the last time we went I was probably more interested in seeing what Lucas thought and experiencing everything through his eyes, so my motivation may have changed from trip 9 to trip 10. Though I still do love to take a deep breath, look around and take on the majesty of the resort.

It's very hard to answer definitively, and I'm trying to think about our next trip as a family and what is the primary reason. It probably is to see it through the eyes of Lucas and experience all the fun with him. As much as I love Disneyland Paris and have spent previous trips taking in and digesting the atmosphere, now we have Lucas it's all about him, and seeing the world with and through him has become our number 1 source of happiness.

We recently stayed at a haven Holiday camp for the first time and though the entertainment and setting is worlds apart from a Disney Park - Lucas had every bit as good a time there as he did in Disney, maybe more so at times. What it lacked in grand architecture and thrilling entertainment, it made up for with more focused attention of the Funstars (Haven entertainment team members) and characters to Lucas and more personal experiences.

piratesteve. - How old is Lucas??  

I voted seeing my childrens faces but atmosphere is a close second.  

The look on my DD face when one of the princesses speak to her is just priceless, she just looks at them in awe and i love watching her eyes. Makes my eyes water every single time.   My son after his seen mickey, woody or buzz he just keeps saying mummy i love him!!! again priceless!!  My friends think i am mad keep going back (8th time this December) but if they gave it a go i bet they would want to return.

@Piratesteve: I know the feeling, people don't get why I go to DLP so often. But just as much as they like laying on the beach, I just enjoy being at DLP, even when I'm not riding any rides!!!

So my motivation is to soak up the atmosphere. But I don't have children of my own, when I go with my nieces I also enjoy the looks on their faces very much!

Quote from: "PirateSteve"There's something very special about being in a Disney park that isn't duplicated anywhere else, no matter how hard they try. It's that feeling of being transported to a different world where you can leave reality behind, check your worries at the gate and enter a world of true escapism. I love the sounds, the smells and some of the most visually stunning views I've ever experienced.

Earlier I stated that it was the atmosphere for me, and your statement above perfectly sums it up for me =D>

Quote from: "jackieann"piratesteve. - How old is Lucas??

He's three and a half, he was two and a half when we went last. He talks about it almost every day and ho he wants to go on the Cars ride and It's A Small World. He wasn't keen n POTC when we went but listens to a Disney CD with the music and has watched videos of the ride and wants to go on that too - that's my boy :)

Seeing the amazing photos from Halloween makes me realise that not only was the change in direction for Halloween this year the right one, but that I also need to get back over there ASAP. Been looking at booking a last minute trip for this year, but the DLP booking module is down - damn!

piratesteve,

3 and half, brilliant age as they believe is mickey, woody etc. My DD is now 6 and is questioning me about the princesses, as friends at school have told her there not real.  I don't want her to look stupid at school but they just grow so fast i want her to be innocent for as long as possible.

Quote from: "jackieann"My DD is now 6 and is questioning me about the princesses, as friends at school have told her there not real.  I don't want her to look stupid at school but they just grow so fast i want her to be innocent for as long as possible.

Lol. That reminded me of when I was little. When I questioned it when I was about eight, my mum told me they were robots. XD

Hey, Dave, a really nice survey you've created here! I've chosen the atmosphere, too, even if rides like BTM or PM are closely connected to it, because without them, the atmosphere of Frontierland would indeed not be as good as it is ;)
To keep it short: Piratesteve has said pretty everything I could wright here, so I totally agree with him :)
You can go wherever you want, there isn't a Theme Park that reaches DLP concerning the atmosphere. As for the rides, the recent ones (except ToT) haven't been too great. All the subtle details, the stories...I could just stroll through the park the whole day,  absorbing the DLP-spirit and looking fore more details I haven't found so far. And if a 22 year old guy says that he prefers the atmosphere over rollercoasters etc., there has to be something special about that park ;) I mean, like rollercoasters, too, but at DLP I have to admit that I prefer the calm attractions, because there is just so much to see...
Maybe an example: Sitting on the bench behing the Shooting Gallery, watching BTM and the passing riverboats, listening to the music etc...Tell me a park where you can experience anything like that? Ok, I wanted to keep it short, but you just cannot stop talking about DLP ;)

It would have to be the atmosphere for me too. The feeling I get when I walk through those gates is hard to describe. It's just pure magic. And without the atmosphere, everything else on the list wouldn't really exist. The look on your childs face is made even more magical because of the build up of excitement as they walk towards the gates, when they see the beautiful castle for the first time and hear the magical Main Street music, it all helps. The rides are so wonderful because so much effort has been put into making them unique, the amtosphere continues off the 'street' straight into the ride.
I think that without the atmosphere you may as well take your family to any other theme park, because it is the atmosphere which makes people want to return time after time, which lights up your childs face and which helps you to believe that you are walking into a once glamorous, but now curiously desolute hotel......


I also get questioned when I say that I will be returning to DLP, people seem to think that if you've been once, you've done all that there is to do  :shock:
But people seem to be content to spend a fortune to go to some beautiful exotic places and then spend the full two weeks flat out on the beach, that doesn't appeal to me one bit. But spending a couple of days escaping from reality sounds like bliss to me  :D  :D

I also get questioned when I say that I will be returning to DLP, people seem to think that if you've been once, you've done all that there is to do  
But people seem to be content to spend a fortune to go to some beautiful exotic places and then spend the full two weeks flat out on the beach, that doesn't appeal to me one bit. But spending a couple of days escaping from reality sounds like bliss to me    


couldn't agree more with gingajen!!!!