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Disneyland Paris: General Discussion

Personally I'd have left Studio 1 as it was and spent the money elsewhere in the park. I'm probably in the minority but I really liked Studio 1 in its current form. After seeing the the additions to Tokyo DisneySea then the recent attractions at Hong Kong and soon to be DLP look pretty disappointing
 
The only issue with studio 1 was that its very congested and narrow with no alternative guest flow, it was lovely but wasn't right for the volume going through the area
 
Visiting Disneyland Paris last week was a very weird experience. We did not book it until a few days before we arrived, and the surprise on the girls faces as we got closer and closer made it all worth while. The drive towards the park seeing the Disney Hotel in front of you is magical, and well worth doing at least once.

Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was doing everything in a rush, maybe it was all the construction work in the village and Studios, maybe it was just coming from Europa Park, maybe we should of never gone to Studios but it just felt like if it was not for the Disney Magic, the parks would be mediocre. Maybe an overreaction for Disneyland Paris, but Studios is not great.

Don't get me wrong, the Disney Magic is what made the two days lots of fun and enjoyable, and we will be going back at some point but it just feels like things have taken a step backwards.

The only good thing about the new Marvel area is the Spiderman ride. It felt new, something different, had a great preshow and story, the sort of thing you expect Disney to come up with. Although it had several issues and downtime while we were in the queue, once we were on, the whole family enjoyed it.

Flight Force feels like a downgrade on Rocking Rollercoaster. This applies to all the rides at Disney, and it may be a stronger feeling after visiting EP, but the rollercoaster hardware needs upgrading. I guess this is where my question about do Mack do 1m inverting coasters comes from in the Voltron thread. While two of the three inverting coasters have 1.2m, and the third has 1.4m, I cant help but feel the current trains are old, uncomfortable (They make even the square wheeled Voltron trains feel smooth), and take away from the ride experience. I get that it costs more to replace the hardware then just change the cosmetics, but they could be so much better. I get the rides are indoors, which limits what you can do, but the Disney rollercoasters feel like they are stuck in the 80s.

I even start to think, should Nemesis Reborn have being new hardware and layout. Would a Voltron style coaster going through Forbidden Valley of been an even better investment. I then tell myself to stop being silly, and Nemesis was to iconic to be replaced by anything else. But Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are just as Iconic, and I guess there is that argument to be made, but I go back to the earlier point that the Disney rides feel like they are from the 80s, where as Nemesis Re-Born feels like a modern ride. Maybe Big Thunder Mountain is the one I would keep the same.

The Stark Factory had so much concrete, it just felt it lacked imagination. Giant hulk buster prop at the entrance, and then nothing else. Only having one till open, so you collect your food and then spend ten minutes waiting to pay makes no sense. The only other meal we had, was at the Golden Forest Lounge the following morning, and this was excellent. Not to busy, plenty of choice, and a great way to start the day off.

Ratatouille has also been down graded with the removal of the 3d effects, I don't understand why. Trying to save money on the cost of running the ride, while charging a a premium to use the fast pass queue is such a Merlin thing to do.

But then you get that Disney Magic with the shows, and everything feels great again. Stich is always fun, and Mickey and the Magician put smiles on everyone's face.

Disneyland Paris is still great. The character meet and greets, and seeing the kids reactions. Star Tours had been updated which was nice, but apart from that, it still feels like nothing has changed in six years (Apart from fast pass disappearing and prices going up).

The weather spoiled the drone show, but the Fireworks were brilliant and magical as ever.

The last thing which felt like it had been downgraded was the photo pass. No lanyard, no app, having to queue for the on-ride photos instead of a code to enter or scan. With the meets and greets, it just makes sense to get one, as it works out cheaper, but it just feels like everything is being done as cheaply as possible.

You would think, with all this negativity, why would you want to go back, but as I said at the start, the Disney Magic really makes a difference, the cast members we interacted with were excellent, and Disneyland Paris is a stunning park.
 
Wait wait, they removed the 3D effects from Ratatouille? I was there in December and they still had them — why on earth would they do that?

I’m not a fan of rides that use a lot of screens, but if they do they should surely at least attempt to bed them into the world of the ride? Removing the 3D and thus any sense that the screens extend deep into the background sounds like an awful choice
 
After the success of our Plopsaland trip we're all keen to head back to Europe and Disney seems the next logical step.

Because of my sons condition we need to stay offsite (eg AirBnB) so i'm just wondering if anyone has much experience of taxis to/from the park? Ideally we'd get the train over but then we'd need to taxi to and from the park each day, wondering if that will be a logistical nightmare or if there are Ubers on tap?

Also when we arrive/leave we'd have our luggage so would there be any storage onsite for non-hotel guests or would we have to allocate those as travel days?

I'm guessing there's not a car hire place at the Disneyland station (for obvious reasons) but asking anyway!

Ultimately i think i'll have to bite the bullet and drive...

Edit: Just to add, i've also found some AirBnB that seem to be within walking distance. They claim 15-20 minutes, does that seem feasible? Could be a potential solution!
 
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Right depends on needs for air BnB there are lots of apartments to rent (hotel style but apartments) 1 stop out on the metro near the shopping center, if you want air b n b search around the metro stops.

Yes lots of uber/ bolt drivers but allot will actually avoid the shorter journeys leaving you waiting sometimes.
 
Val d'Europe is bound to have a few around. Then you can either hop on the train or walk (bout 30 mins).

Park does have a luggage drop area on the right hand side as going in. I've no idea what the charges are these days but presumably astronomical.
 
Benzin said:
Val d'Europe is bound to have a few around. Then you can either hop on the train or walk (bout 30 mins).

Park does have a luggage drop area on the right hand side as going in. I've no idea what the charges are these days but presumably astronomical.
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There’s also a good few around Bussy Saint Georges, which is just one stop further.

Fairly sure last time I went it was €6 to leave a bag there all day, which isn’t horrific
 
Bowser said:
Basically I’m getting options like this which claim they’re a 15 minute walk, does that look accurate?

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This cluster definitely are. They also come with the advantage of the walk meaning you enter the Disney security screening at a not much used location (near the Five Guys entrance) which can make getting into the parks much quicker and easier.

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AT86 said:
This cluster definitely are. They also come with the advantage of the walk meaning you enter the Disney security screening at a not much used location (near the Five Guys entrance) which can make getting into the parks much quicker and easier.
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Brilliant, thank you. Might hit you up for more specifics on that route nearer the time!

Is Christmas a terrible time to go in terms of crowds? We'd probably go after Christmas itself so late December or early January. Equally not in a rush and if February half term is more sensible happy to look at that period...
 
Bowser said:
Brilliant, thank you. Might hit you up for more specifics on that route nearer the time!

Is Christmas a terrible time to go in terms of crowds? We'd probably go after Christmas itself so late December or early January. Equally not in a rush and if February half term is more sensible happy to look at that period...
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Yes Christmas (and especially between Christmas and New Year) is a very popular time, one of the most popular in fact.

February half term would be more manageable crowd wise.
 
There is the risk of snow in January of course. Probably more in the quiet late January time rather than Christmas/New Year though.
 
Just bear in mind that late January/early February can often see a number of attractions going through rehab after the Christmas period, so expect there to be some closures.

Being a 365 resort there’s almost always going to be something closed whenever you visit, but they do tend to schedule larger closures for quieter times in between or after big events (E.G. between Christmas and Spring or just before the Halloween and Christmas periods begin).
 
Bowser said:
Presume the majority of rides would still operate though what with being indoors?
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I think some things like Big Thunder might have issues in very cold weather (although it has operated in snow), but the main issue is just being outside generally.

Not been myself during that time of year so don't know for certain.
 
Ian said:
Just bear in mind that late January/early February can often see a number of attractions going through rehab after the Christmas period, so expect there to be some closures.

Being a 365 resort there’s almost always going to be something closed whenever you visit, but they do tend to schedule larger closures for quieter times in between or after big events (E.G. between Christmas and Spring or just before the Halloween and Christmas periods begin).
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Good point! I assume closures are advertised well in advance so i can try and work round this for any particular attractions we deem essential?
 
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