This website was so helpful for planning our first trip to DLP, so I figured I'd share my experience to help future visitors.
Background: My wife and I traveled to DLP on November 6, 2012. We're annual passholders at Disneyland in California and we've been to Disney World in Florida a couple times.
Weather: The weather was stunning - sunny, high of about 50 F, but it got cold in a hurry once the sun went down.
Crowds: I don't know what "usual" crowds are at DLP, but it felt a bit crowded for a Tuesday in November. I'm guessing this is because French schools were on holiday. One major difference between DL and DLP is, in CA if you arrive right at opening, which is usually 8am, you can go a solid two hours without any crowds, get at least 3-4 rides out of the way and gather a couple fastpasses. At DLP, since they don't open until 10am, there is no "early bird gets the worm" so to speak.
Overall the crowds weren't too bad though, some of the wait times by noon were:
Star Tours - 20 min
Space Mountain - 30 min
Buzz - 60 min
Phantom - 30 min
Big Thunder - 60 min
Indiana - not sure, it was our first ride, no wait
Pirates - 30 min
Peter Pan - 60 min
Aerosmith - 30 min
Tower of Terror - 30 min
We were at DL from 10am-5pm and managed to get on 9 rides/attractions, then went to Studios from 5pm-8pm for Cinemagique, the Tram Tour, and Aerosmith.
Overall impression: No question DLP is far more beautiful than any Disney park in the U.S. The hills, trees, the overall setting is really stunning. It looks like the park was carved out of a forest. I also loved how Phantom and Big Thunder are set up on elevated hills, really beautiful area of the park.
I'd heard that some of the crowds and cast members in France are a bit rude but that wasn't my experience at all. Nobody cut in front of us in line and the cast members were all friendly, exactly how they are in California.
I also didn't think DLP is somehow less clean or polished than California. The parks were very clean.
Rides: I thought most rides compared well to their counterparts in California. Phantom, Pirates, Space, and Big Thunder are radically different than the CA versions - I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. My only slight criticism is, in Pirates there wasn't much fog so you could see the ceiling - in CA you can never see the walls or ceiling which adds to the atmosphere. Pirates also felt a bit shorter than the CA version.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the Alice walk through - not exactly thrilling, but the view from the top of the castle is spectacular.
The only ride we had planned to ride but weren't able to was Crush, which of course was very disappointing because it's unique to DLP. Since there was early entry for hotel guests, the line was already 60 minutes when the park opened to the general public. So we left and came back in the afternoon - technical problems, closed the rest of the day.
The only "ride" that was a slight letdown was Cinemagique. I had read on many sites that's it's unique to DLP and a "must see." I didn't hate it, but it was just ok. I guess I expected more.
Food: We ate lunch at Colonel Hathi's - I thought it was good. Not the best meal of my life, but pretty good for theme park food. My wife and I shared a pizza, salad, garlic bread, and dessert. The cheese pizza was decent, the garlic bread was excellent. Overall I would recommend it for those seeking a counter service meal.
For dinner we had Earl of Sandwich, which of course is superb.
Overall it was a great day that I will remember for the rest of my life, and we hope to visit again in the future. To people who are worried that DLP is a "crappy" version of the parks in the U.S. - you are dead wrong, go see for yourself! There may not be as many rides, and Walt Studios is a bit low on attractions, but the beauty of the park makes up for all that.
Background: My wife and I traveled to DLP on November 6, 2012. We're annual passholders at Disneyland in California and we've been to Disney World in Florida a couple times.
Weather: The weather was stunning - sunny, high of about 50 F, but it got cold in a hurry once the sun went down.
Crowds: I don't know what "usual" crowds are at DLP, but it felt a bit crowded for a Tuesday in November. I'm guessing this is because French schools were on holiday. One major difference between DL and DLP is, in CA if you arrive right at opening, which is usually 8am, you can go a solid two hours without any crowds, get at least 3-4 rides out of the way and gather a couple fastpasses. At DLP, since they don't open until 10am, there is no "early bird gets the worm" so to speak.
Overall the crowds weren't too bad though, some of the wait times by noon were:
Star Tours - 20 min
Space Mountain - 30 min
Buzz - 60 min
Phantom - 30 min
Big Thunder - 60 min
Indiana - not sure, it was our first ride, no wait
Pirates - 30 min
Peter Pan - 60 min
Aerosmith - 30 min
Tower of Terror - 30 min
We were at DL from 10am-5pm and managed to get on 9 rides/attractions, then went to Studios from 5pm-8pm for Cinemagique, the Tram Tour, and Aerosmith.
Overall impression: No question DLP is far more beautiful than any Disney park in the U.S. The hills, trees, the overall setting is really stunning. It looks like the park was carved out of a forest. I also loved how Phantom and Big Thunder are set up on elevated hills, really beautiful area of the park.
I'd heard that some of the crowds and cast members in France are a bit rude but that wasn't my experience at all. Nobody cut in front of us in line and the cast members were all friendly, exactly how they are in California.
I also didn't think DLP is somehow less clean or polished than California. The parks were very clean.
Rides: I thought most rides compared well to their counterparts in California. Phantom, Pirates, Space, and Big Thunder are radically different than the CA versions - I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. My only slight criticism is, in Pirates there wasn't much fog so you could see the ceiling - in CA you can never see the walls or ceiling which adds to the atmosphere. Pirates also felt a bit shorter than the CA version.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the Alice walk through - not exactly thrilling, but the view from the top of the castle is spectacular.
The only ride we had planned to ride but weren't able to was Crush, which of course was very disappointing because it's unique to DLP. Since there was early entry for hotel guests, the line was already 60 minutes when the park opened to the general public. So we left and came back in the afternoon - technical problems, closed the rest of the day.
The only "ride" that was a slight letdown was Cinemagique. I had read on many sites that's it's unique to DLP and a "must see." I didn't hate it, but it was just ok. I guess I expected more.
Food: We ate lunch at Colonel Hathi's - I thought it was good. Not the best meal of my life, but pretty good for theme park food. My wife and I shared a pizza, salad, garlic bread, and dessert. The cheese pizza was decent, the garlic bread was excellent. Overall I would recommend it for those seeking a counter service meal.
For dinner we had Earl of Sandwich, which of course is superb.
Overall it was a great day that I will remember for the rest of my life, and we hope to visit again in the future. To people who are worried that DLP is a "crappy" version of the parks in the U.S. - you are dead wrong, go see for yourself! There may not be as many rides, and Walt Studios is a bit low on attractions, but the beauty of the park makes up for all that.
(French school holidays do bump up the number of visitors to the parks at DLP).
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I love DLRP - to me it has a special and unique ambiance - and I definitely will plan future visits.
