Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Any last minute advice from the experts? What should I expect crowd wise during the week? I'm not expecting much since BOTH parks are closing at 6 p.m. every day. Any can't misses? Any skips? How many hours do I really need for DSP? Most importantly, food. Any suggestions for full serve meals (non character, non buffet and -- most assuredly -- non Rainforest Cafe/Planet Hollywood chain types)? Thanks, LPers!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Don't miss Space Mountain. And for that matter don't miss any of the Magic Kingdom's E ticket attractions (Pirates, Big Thunder, etc.). Most of them are a cut above those at DL and WDW. Be sure to have lunch or dinner at Walt's on Main Street. The sevice is poor (not unusual for France), but the food and ambiance are excellent (not to mention that you can order wine and cocktails with your dinner for a uniquely Euro Disney experience). Finally, make sure you tour Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The 2nd floor stained glass gallery is stunning offering terrific views of Fantasyland, and the dragon's liar below is very impressive. You can skip Disney Studios. If you decide to visit don't say I didn't warn you.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Thanks Hans. I had planned on doing all the E-Tickets (hopefully more than once). I see the Indiana Jones coaster is closed but I don't see that as a big loss. Walt's looked intriguing, so I think we'll have lunch there. Are advanced reservations needed like at WDW? I won't skip DSP. It's considered much worse than DCA, which however flawed I find enjoyment in, so on that basis alone it's worth a peek. I am planning 3-4 hours there. No more. I want to see Cinemagique and the Animation show. I'm sure I'll do RnRC too. Maybe see the parade? But 80% of my park time will be at DLP, no doubt. Did you stay onsite? We are staying at Newport Bay and the reviews are very ... iffy .
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Hey Spirit, Have a look on this section and you'll find my review of all the restaurants of the resort. Outstanding options include: California Grill at the DLH (better than Fla's IMHO), Walt's, Silver Spur, the Steakhouse in the Village, and Manhattan Grill at the Hotel New York. Do not miss Phantom Manor, Big Thunder, Tarzan, Pirates of Caribbean, The Castle and the Dragon's Lair, It's a Small World, The Lion King and Space Mountain. Unique exploration at Adventure Isle and Alice's Curious Labrynth if you have time. In the studios - do not miss Cinemagique. Also I prefer DLP's RNR Coaster to WDW's personally. I also like Armageddon, but I know I am in the minority (I also like Twister and Backdraft). The Studios parade is better than DLP's IMHO. Have a great time, and if you want to hook up with the Baloo's let me know. Oh, and the Newport Bay Club - hmmmm, I'm not a fan. Beautiful from a distance, but it needs refurb and the service is poor. It is the biggest hotel in europe though. And it's one of the very few places in Europe where I can get clam chowder - actually the Yacht Club restaurant is good too.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Oh, and do not miss Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show - this is fantastic entertainment. Much better than Wil Bill's, Medieval Times, Arabian Nights etc. We've seen BBWWS 12 times now, and I just love it!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I agree on Buffalo Bill's. Back in 1992, they had the best chili in France there.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Have a look on this section and you'll find my review of all the restaurants of the resort. Outstanding options include: California Grill at the DLH (better than Fla's IMHO), Walt's, Silver Spur, the Steakhouse in the Village, and Manhattan Grill at the Hotel New York.>> I know we're going to do Walt's and lkely the Silver Spur. I've mentioned doing Cal Grill, but the prices are scaring the rest of my group. <<Do not miss Phantom Manor, Big Thunder, Tarzan, Pirates of Caribbean, The Castle and the Dragon's Lair, It's a Small World, The Lion King and Space Mountain. Unique exploration at Adventure Isle and Alice's Curious Labrynth if you have time.>> Time shouldn't be a problem. I've heard from many people that Lion King is the best live show in any Disney park, so that is a must. I intend to skip things like Star Tours and Honey, We Should Have Retired This Movie in 1998 ... likely the dark rides except for Peter Pan. <<In the studios - do not miss Cinemagique. Also I prefer DLP's RNR Coaster to WDW's personally. I also like Armageddon, but I know I am in the minority (I also like Twister and Backdraft).>> I like Twister and Backdraft as well, so maybe Armageddon is worth a look see. <<The Studios parade is better than DLP's IMHO.>> I'll keep that in mind. <<Have a great time, and if you want to hook up with the Baloo's let me know.>> I'd love to, although I likely won't know my schedule until late Monday or Tuesday morning. If you want to get in touch with me both Labuda and TDLFAN have my email and are welcome to pass it on. When are you going to be at the resort? <<Oh, and the Newport Bay Club - hmmmm, I'm not a fan. Beautiful from a distance, but it needs refurb and the service is poor. It is the biggest hotel in europe though. And it's one of the very few places in Europe where I can get clam chowder - actually the Yacht Club restaurant is good too.>> Funny and long story, but suffice to say this wasn't in my top three choices, but all sorts of thing happened to kind of stick me here. Had I gone with my first option (New York) I think I would have been happier. Brother wanted Sequoia, and by the time he convinced me, it wasn't available.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt “Walt's looked intriguing, so I think we'll have lunch there. Are advanced reservations needed like at WDW?†I would advise getting reservations, however we were able to get in for lunch without them on a busy holiday weekend, and the place was very busy. “I won't skip DSP. It's considered much worse than DCA, which however flawed I find enjoyment in, so on that basis alone it's worth a peek. I am planning 3-4 hours there. No more. I want to see Cinemagique and the Animation show. I'm sure I'll do RnRC too. Maybe see the parade?†I personally enjoy DCA quite a bit, so I was quite surprised at how disappointed I was by WDSP. We ended up leaving the park after about 4 hours. Unfortunately I missed Cinemagique, which I have since read is one of the park’s highlights. Having never been on the WDW version, I was totally unimpressed with RnRC. Check it out for yourself; perhaps your impression will be different from mine. “Did you stay onsite? We are staying at Newport Bay and the reviews are very ... iffy “ The Newport Bay is enormous, and very reminiscent of the Yacht and Beach Clubs at WDW. I rented an apartment in Paris on this last trip, and I only had one day to visit the parks. I have stayed on site at the Cheyenne and thought it was great. All of the DLPR hotels are impressive in that trademark Disney way; however, I do not know what the current situation is concerning guest service these days. I envy you for being able to go to Paris. I love that city. Have fun!
Originally Posted By leemac Don't miss CineMagique. It is the real gem at the Studios. You won't ever see a better Disney motion-picture attraction.
Originally Posted By a1stav "likely the dark rides except for Peter Pan." I would say do the Fantasyland darkrides, they are better than there WDW counterparts and Small World is much better. DLP has fewer attractions than even the Magic Kingdom so you should not have too much trouble seeing the entire park. PS:I rode StarTours in DLP I had a great time because we were in a speeder with a large Spanish group that were laughing and having a blast. The cast member running the attraction was superb. He spoke Spanish and seemed to be having fun teasing the group.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Bon Voyage 74.. I can't hardly wait to read your trip report and for me to reply.. "I told you so, I told you so..."
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^You'll have to wait until I get back to the states, mi amigo. But suffice to say, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the park (DLP, naturally) and the amazing detailing and updating of the attractions (not to mention some amazing live shows atht put anything in the US parks to shame) and whole Marne La Valee region ... I also was saddened by the deplorable conditions of some of the infrastructure ... especially hotels ... pleasantly surprised by ALL the front-line CMs I met, and very, very disappointed in the managers I dealt with. Also, got to speak with some insiders and have some very, very interesting info to share. But for now, I must say so long ... but I would advise any true Disney fan to get their butts over to DLP. But you might want to wait six months to a year for the mess they created to be cleaned up.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I'm even more glad to hear that repairs are underway. I noticed some rehabs taking place while I was there, but it sounds like more far-reaching changes are to come. Some areas of the resort are literally falling apart.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 DLRP looks covered in scaffolding ... every hotel, but NY has it. There is massive work going on in the DLP park itself, and all the construction at the Studios too. Next year, the place will look great again. It already does in certain places ... like Main Street, the all new rooms at SL ... the repainted exterior of half of the DLH. It's a beautiful resort that fell into disrepair due to neglect (sound familiar) that is now getting TLC. I can't wait to return. Also, smoking and line-cutting (except once) were not problems at all. I'll write an encyclopedia when I return though
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Also, smoking and line-cutting (except once) were not problems at all.<< It must have been a slow day at the park.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "DLRP looks covered in scaffolding ... every hotel, but NY has it. There is massive work going on in the DLP park itself, and all the construction at the Studios too." I was there about 3 weeks ago and did not see the scaffolding you mention. Yes, there was some work going on on Main Street, and the construction over at the Studios, but I saw nothing more. I think they had just finished the DLH before my visit. The scariest thing I saw was the very visible mildew (or mold?) on The Castle and Big Thunder Mountain. And hopefully they'll get around to fixing those crumbling potholes out on the Esplanade between the two parks. Not trying to knock the place, but the maintenance situation there is bad. TDLFAN's reports are not exaggerated.
Originally Posted By LindsayC I think BTM and Frontierland will get some attention later this year. The potholes, though are my biggest bugbear about the place. The Studios ‘Star’ pattern was a nice intro into the park which has been ruined by awful patchwork. Trouble is this started very soon after it was laid, so I guess someone either didn’t do their homework very well on the choice of material or dare I say it, it was done cheaply. DLP is suffering badly with it too.
