Today we’re leaving the sunshine of Orlando Florida and taking this one back to Disneyland Paris. Before we go any further let me just get this out the way; there is no comparing Walt Disney World to Disneyland Paris. The only thing they share is the Disney name and the fact Mickey Mouse runs the show. That being said, Disneyland Paris does have some great aspects to it that make it a great holiday destination. But those will be outlined in a separate blog cleverly named… ‘The Best of Disneyland Paris’. I will try to keep this one short and sweet but I wanted to outline the things about the Paris parks that slightly ruin it for me.
The Size
Okay so I’m aware this isn’t really the fault of the parks so I just want to touch upon this. It’s really very small. I once made the very big mistake of spending 10 days here… never again. 3 or 4 days is probably enough. And even then if we are talking purely attractions, if you’re clever you can get this done in a day or 2. I know this because we have done it many times. This park is absolutely the ideal weekend break for a Disney fan so in that sense it serves the purpose of quenching your Disney thirst before you can get out to Disney World. But because of its small size we have done this park to absolute death now and won’t be going back until all of the upcoming projects are completed like the Avengers Campus coming soon!
The Cast Members
If you have been to the US parks, you will fully understand what I’m trying to say in this one. The cast members in Florida are AMAZING. They contribute to making your vacation next level. Nothing is too much trouble, they are constantly smiling, they laugh & joke with you, they can go above & beyond and really just make everything so special. In Paris this is not the case. The cast members here feel like just your average staff at a theme park.
Now of course, I’m not saying they’re all the same and I have had a couple of stand outs in my 10+ visits. But for the most part they are sort of just… there? Think back to when you walk into a shop or hotel, or when you get on the train. Can you remember any of those staff that helped you do what you need to do? The answer is probably no. It’s just part of the process, they’re not memorable because they do what they need to do and that’s it. This is what Paris is like, but thinking back to Florida all of my best memories have a cast member at its centre. This is, for me, one of the biggest differences between the two parks.
Disney Village
The Disney Village is pretty depressing. It’s in desperate need of a face lift and some TLC. This is the Paris version of Disney Springs, although the two couldn’t be more different. You could spend an entire day in Disney Springs, shop ‘till you drop and eat yourself into a coma. Put this in perspective; your local high street is probably 3 times larger than the Disney Village. There are a couple of restaurants and a few shops, the main attraction being the massive World Of Disney store. This is actually an amazing store and the diamond in the rough of the village. All in all however, this is a very disappointing effort on Disney’s part and something we hope will get some renovation in the near future.
The Constant Renovations
The last thing I want to talk about is the constant work that goes on around the park. This is a double edged sword. Because on one hand it’s great; the park desperately needs it and it’s great to see it getting the attention it deserves. On the other hand, there is just too much of it at once. Because the park is already small, the construction suffocates you even more – particularly at Walt Disney Studios Park. Off the top of my head, just before the global pandemic, the Studios park was 50% under construction for the up and coming Marvel Land. And a fair bit of Discoveryland was also closed for refurbishment.
Over in Florida there is ALWAYS massive construction works and refurbishment works but this is fine, because the place is absolutely massive you don’t even notice it. But in Paris, it feels like it’s everywhere. I just think they should try to space it out more, focus on one thing at a time so as not to heavily impact the guest experience. I would advise checking before you book, just see what is open and what’s closed. Because the fact is you may go and find a lot of the parks closed or behind ugly construction walls.
DISCLAIMER: I want to bring attention to the fact that this post looks like a lot of complaining. It is, but I also want to acknowledge the fact that we know how incredibly lucky we are to travel to these Disney Parks so frequently and some people aren’t in the position to do that. We love these parks and are amongst the first to praise them and spread the word on how much we love them. But all things have their negative points and we feel like we are in a great position to spread advice on both side of the coin. Even Disney has its faults, and we feel our duty to tell you this before you spend your hard earned money on a trip!
So do you agree with these points or have anything else to add? Please let us know!
See you real soon,
Josh & Becky
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