I've now been to Disneyland Paris! - *spoilers if you're saving surprises*

[Awesome_guy]

Cast:

Four guys and great friends taking on Paris and Berlin with Disneyland Paris right between the two cities.

• Me. - Most recent trip was to Disney Parks have been to WDW for Spring Break; first time to Europe.
• G. - A fellow Disney fan; equally Fast Pass knowledgable.
• J. - Up for anything, but starts the phrase "walking rides" for attractions such as the SFR Tree House, of which DLP has quite a few, and starts to veto those (in fun).
• B. - First Disney anything but ready for some rides, discovering each Mountain, and seeing what this is all about.

The basics:

• Stayed at the Marriott Village along Golf Disneyland. We were far more comfortable with the rate of a two bedroom townhouse with laundry/kitchen than any of the on-site accomodations; the rate was also on par with others in the area. We're not owners, just found a rate online. Bailly-Romainvilliers is the village walkable from the resort it was hand to get to both from the RER Train from Paris (approx. 1/2 hour) and to/from the park (continual city busses which we used, but also reserved shuttles). Super secure, great size, pools, hot tubs, store, etc. etc. High praise for this stay for a group like ours or someone looking to "settle-in" a bit in the area.
• Park ticket prices vary like crazy! Both online and in the Paris region. Do some research and be aware, for two reasons: so you don't pay extra and so you don't wait in some pretty substantial lines just to get in on busy days (like ours!). We had tickets delivered from Paris Post Restante (General Delivery, where each La Poste will hold letter mail temporarily for picture i.d., i.e. a passport). It made me nervous thinking something could go wrong in the process, but it worked perfectly and we saved a ton!
• We were there early each day. At DS you could get into attraction lines half an hour prior to park opening, ready for them to begin. At DP you could get to the pinwheel (unless staying on site, then you could get into Fantasyland for select attractions) half an hour prior. Adventureland had the most people at it (presumably for BTMRR).

What we loved:

• We started in Disney Studios we had 2 Day / 2 Park tickets (akin to Park Hoppers). We did Crush's Coater first and it was great to do an attraction unique to DLP to start the day. We could line up prior to park opening (right at the attraction) but the attraction itself opened at park opening time. From there we did RnR (fast and fun and air conditioned but missing some of the WDW effects) and ToT (I wasn't sure if our car would move forward or not, so constantly holding on for the big sequence. The three are amazing, with ToT feeling the most familiar.
• Frontierland and Fantasyland are huge with some great theming and landscaping...and popular (noticeble from cowboy hats and woody costumes). Even Main Street seemed to have a bit of Western flair to it to me… appealing to what might be unique to a European visitor?
• Space. Mountain. 2. … and the fact it never really seemed that backlogged! So, so good! I was kind of into the Discovery Land spin-off too. I liked the feel there.
• Taking in the uniqueness. I kept thinking the colour pallette was kind of its own. Phantom Manor being in Frontierland. Small World having a full Canada wall. Partners being in Disney Studios.
• The 20th Anniversary night show, Disney Dreams. I'd seen some of the castle effects from WDW. I haven't seen World of Colour for the fountains (although much smaller) to compare. It was just SO WELL done, both in its bilingual story telling and how it was all sequenced with fireworks and sounds and effects. The fireworks were not crazy big I noticed, but ambient and fit so well with the rest of the show.
• Eating at Blue Lagoon. I'm glad we had a reservation. People coming for lunch were told they'd have to be back for dinner. I've never eaten at Blue Bayou so this was a nice recharge (to cool off and get away from crowds); really lovely meal.
• BTMRR is an island! It was great, it's SO popular though, we almost didn't get to do it. Even with Fast Pass (it was lined up like crazy).
• Animagique (we didn't get to do Cinemagique) was a great unique one.
• The ambience and the gardening and the feel and the music and the regal feel of the park.
• Fun to do a Snow White's Scary Adventure still (although I did at Spring Break too in WDW).
• FantIllusion was a nice new night parade experience; we were a bit back to get a spot for the Dreams show to follow.
• Hearing French! Peter Pan's "Ima...gi...ner" in lieu of "Here we go" made me smile.
• We found the tunneled ways right into the park! Didn't have to worry about rain or snow..... but some hot, hot sun!

What took some adjusting:

• It was hard not having a Splash to zip [a dee do da] down. That's a classic! Hard to know the Paris folks aren't experiencing that one.
• We had an awesome day and the park is awesome but things didn't always have a super ordered feel to them (especially with significant crowds). Attractions would have Fast Pass and Stand-by blend with no attendant (noticeably Indiana Jones Temple du Peril. We were very surprised to see people seeing the night show and parade right on the flower beds (not just the fenced of grass). I CANNOT imagine that happening in WDW. PoC was down and we were routed out the back with no real explanation or direction.
• Disney Studios, Discoveryland (tomorrowland) and Adventureland are quite small; as such, they don't have as many attractions or shows to pull people in. The flow of people then really gets impacted by parades finishing, etc. and by peak periods.
• I could be totally wrong but I didn't feel attactions sang-to-you quite as much (save Small World of course). Phantom Manor and Pirates seemed less song-focused. Maybe because nostalgia isn't quite the same.
• We did get everything done but it took some determination. The park was among the busiest I've experienced and of course new to me. There were some pleasant surprises for wait times... but in general we were not able to take in some of the fun slower parts of the day (Disneyland Train, Autopia, Main Street, just because it took so much to do the bigger attractions. Food in particular would get back-logged, although we did see many people enjoying their own brought food and quiet space.
• We were there on a very hot, sunny day... but I could barely see anything on Peter Pan. Maybe my eyes were just really not adjusted. London was so faint though. I'm not sure everyone would know it was there? I wonder what's up there?
• Folks were definitely passing up rather than passing back. We just had to let it go, and did. There's a different sense of queueing and waiting but at the end of the day we're all getting on and there to enjoy our day.

Admittedly it's now been awhile since I've been to DLR and I've never experienced DCA. But my DLP best-of-the-world would be: Space Mountain, Small World, Crush's Coaster (the only!), Buzz Lightyear.

Okay I think that's it. Hope this makes some sense and is a fair picture of our experience (I'm literally just back home now). We really did have an awesome time!! Go enjoy! Any adjustments were just that and nothing worth avoiding!

[SBETigg]

I've never been. Thanks for the report. Now I have an idea of what it might be like. Sounds like fun!

[Cinderelley]

I've been waiting to hear about your trip. I am so glad you enjoyed it.

[AgentC]

Thanks for the report. It's great to here about a different park. Sounds fun.

[faline]

I'm always interested in hearing about the parks I've never had the chance to visit. Thanks for the update! Sounds like you had a terrific time!

[Melanie]

Thanks for the report and great tips! Although busy, sounds like you all had a great time. Love hearing about the different parks.

[Awesome_guy]

Big thanks to you all for your kind comments.

Now to get to Tokyo (or Hong Kong or Shanghai soon)!

[VWL Mom]

Thanks for your report!

[MNNHFLTX]

Thank you for your report--it was really helpful in wrapping my mind around what it will be like if my husband and I go to Paris (and DLP) next summer. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions as we get closer? Also, what other sights did you see on your trip? I would love to hear about the rest of Paris and your likes/dislikes, etc.

[Awesome_guy]

Beth, of course! ...happy to help. =)

I loved Paris! We typically home-based around the St. Germain area (great shops, architecture, restaurants. For typical likes: the Eiffel Tower (especially at night), Champs Elysees (Paris' answer to 5th Avenue), a boat cruise down the Seine (we did ours just before sunset so we could see everything by daylight, and all lit up... it is after all the city of lights). Off the beaten path a bit, we loved Parc des Buttes Chaumont (a bit of a metro adventure, but such a great local park for a picnic and slower paced day), the Luxembourg Gardens are similarly lovely and calm and great to slow down at. I don't think I could list any dislikes... just don't overdo anything (just like Disney!)... all at a manageable pace. It can be a bit overwhelming.

Enjoy!! Very exciting!