Disneyland Paris
Topic: A Mid-June Visit to DLP and the Wonderful City of

#	Author	Message
1	mstaft Wed 9/5/2007 5:27p	Hi Everyone, (Sorry for the delay as I was on a couple of month break from the internet!) My wife and I were able to visit both DLP, WDSP and the amazing city of Paris in mid-June. Thanks to everyone's help, our visit was wonderful! We stayed at the Hotel Elysee- which was absolutely terrific. We enjoyed the shopping district, buying fresh currants at the market (which we cannot get here in the US) and a balloon ride over the resort. Our first day was at DLP including lunch at Walt's. The park looked stunning. And this visit, the castle was not boxed up, so we were able to tour this artistic masterpiece and go below to see the dragon. All around impressive. Space Mountain 2 was fun, but I must admit I LOVED the old Jules Verne version more. Phantom Manor, one of my favorites was closed, but we were able to experience many of the major attractions multiple times since the crowds were minimal. And we were able to go on a few attractions we did not see in 1998- Casey Jr., Storybookland, Aladdin tableau, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear (I do miss Visionarium) and the train. Pirates remains one of our favorites and is easily better than the much loved California version. In fact, this is the most detailed and beautiful Magic Kingdom I have ever seen. Thanks to everyone's DLP "secrets", we had much fun discovering the park from that angle. Our lunch at Walt's was worth every penny- including the dessert, the caramel creme brulee ice cream. Delectable! Day Two was at the Studios. I know there are great strides being made to improve this park, but I must say DCA in California is an imagineering masterpiece in comparison. Toon Studios additions were much smaller than I thought they would be. "Crush's Coaster" is a VERY fun coaster. We did enjoy Armageddon, Rock N Rollercoaster, and the backstage tram tour, but the rest of the park was not impressive. (We could not time things right to get to see Cinemagic and had seen the Cars stunt show in Florida last year.) We returned to DLP after about 3 hours, of which 1 and 1/2 was spent waiting for Crush. I know this park will improve with the coming additions. The City of Paris continues to be my very favorite large city! Just beautiful. We did all the expected tourist sights and spent many hours exploring far off places where it seems only the locals live and visit. In the USA, there is sometimes the perception we are not welcome there. We, once again, found the exact opposite to be true. Thank you, Parisians, for welcoming us to your beautiful and magical city! Mark
2	irishfan Wed 9/5/2007 8:39p	Sounds like a great trip. A shame you missed Cinemagique(one of the resorts absolute best), but there is always the next time.
3	davewasbaloo Thu 9/6/2007 1:36a	Great stuff, thanks for sharing. And I echo Irishfan, it is a real shame you missed Cinemagique, it is a real diamond of an attraction.
4	u k fan Thu 9/6/2007 2:15a	I was going to make a comment about Cinemagique, but I think that dead horse has had enough! Glad you had a great trip!!!
5	Spirit of 74 Thu 9/6/2007 9:38p	<<The City of Paris continues to be my very favorite large city! Just beautiful. We did all the expected tourist sights and spent many hours exploring far off places where it seems only the locals live and visit. In the USA, there is sometimes the perception we are not welcome there. We, once again, found the exact opposite to be true. Thank you, Parisians, for welcoming us to your beautiful and magical city!>> I too have fallen in love with Paris (and DLP), and I share your opinions about their citizens. Although on one hand I'm apt to point out how NYC residents are, for the most part, wonderful and yet you hear the opposite in the USA ... I can't help but feel the BS told about the residents of France is part of the current political climate in this country to scare people away from seeing there's a whole world out there and in many places the people have a far higher quality of life than many Americans. So if you're in the heartland and never leave, it plays well. Shop at WalMart and pass the Freedom Fries! Ignorance is bliss.
6	mstaft Sun 9/9/2007 12:36p	^ Demographically, I'm actually alot closer to the stereotype you present, but don't pass us all off as ignorant buffoons. Besides, Paris is Paris! :)
7	TDLFAN Tue 9/11/2007 12:57a	So mark, any thoughts on WDW's MK after your wonderful visit to DLP and Paris?
8	mstaft Tue 9/11/2007 7:28p	^^ Do I ever! I was actually at WDW in October, and DL the July before that. Of the 3 MK parks I've seen, WDW's lacks in just about every area when compared to the others. (Liberty Square aside.) Fantasyland is a mess- just a hodge podge(The refurbished IASW was pretty nice, though!)the name "Pooh" playground says it all; Adventureland is ruined by the Carpets- the Jungle Cruise needs serious work- and the foolish remake of The Tiki Room,; Tomorrowland is cool looking but full of too many cartoon characters.Its soul is gone. Frontierland fares best, I think, although BTMR and Splash are too close together. That said, we still had a great time. But only spent one day there vs 2 at Epcot and 2 at DAK (which becomes better and better each visit!) In Paris, each land is wonderfully designed. I must admit the Indy side of Adventureland is lacking, but other than that, the whole park is so well laid out and thought through, I just love it! The water elements in Fantasyland are really a nice touch, along with the hedge maze, beautiful gardens, and the terrific dungeon and dragon. Frontierland feels as if it tells a full story the way it is laid out. We loved sitting on the porch by Phantom Manor just watching the lay of the land and the people walking by. Discoveryland is great, except the recent changes I noted above. Even Main Street, an area I generally do not spend much time in, was filled with detail, charm, and not too many shops filled with plush. The stained glass at the train station is really beautiful, as are the arcades. IMHO, DLP ranks number one in terms of general appearance and design, DL #1 for the sheer number of "E" tickets and number of attractions overall- it is a two-day park, and WDW's #1 only because it is next to two other great parks, Epcot and DAK! ;) It seems at WDW, they are satisfied to just get by. Good enough seems good enough. Hopefully that will change. And soon. If I was someone who was able to visit WDW every year or so, at this point I wouldn't even bother with the MK or Disney's Hollywood Studios. One day, I WILL see Tokyo Disney Resort and HKDL (hopefully after a new Pirates and Haunted Mansion)!
9	TDLFAN Tue 9/11/2007 11:08p	>>It seems at WDW, they are satisfied to just get by.<< EXACTLY my gripe. I am glad someone else realizes that..
10	davewasbaloo Wed 9/12/2007 2:37p	Msaft - I whole heartedly agree with your assessment, absolutely spot on. If only yhe rest of the Disney fan community would wake up and smell the coffee.

All times are Pacific Time (US)

Note: Information on the discussion boards is sometimes based on rumors or incorrect information and should not be assumed true. Messages do not necessarily reflect the opinion of LaughingPlace.com or its editors.

More messages:

1-10

11-20

21-30

< Previous Topic

Next Topic >

You must be a registered user to post messages.
Click here to register.
After registration you will automatically be brought back to this topic

Antenna Toppers and Accessories
Antenna Toppers of all styles including sports, holiday, animals, occupations and more. Hundreds to choose f rom.

What's on
The Latest
Miley Cyrus tour bus in fatal crash, Miley not aboard
Captain EO on the way back?
Mobile Magic Application Transforms Verizon Wireless Phones Into Electronic Tour Guides to Navigate Disney Parks
Disney Executives Swap Jobs
2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Sailor Mickey Mouse Plush Available Online
Disney Digital Books Expands Its Vast Library with Princess and the Frog Books
Disney Interactive Studios Starts a New Holiday Tradition with Disney's A Chrsitmas Carol Video Game
Jonas and Sonny With a Chance Video Games Invite Fans Onstage, Backstage and Beyond
Disney Cruise Line in Macy's Parade for the first time
Space Mountain preview

Click here for The Latest