WDW DVCers try DL Paris 2018

mattkev2001

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Just returned from DL Paris, July 31-Aug 3. 3 nights, 2 full days in parks. Stayed at Sequoia Lodge:

Arrived via train from Paris late afternoon on July 31 and checkin went smoothly. 2 Families, each with 2 Adults, 2 Teens. As DVC owners, VWL, we were unfortunately disappointed in the hotel rooms at the Sequoia Lodge and some areas of the facility. Word of caution to DVCers staying at Disney hotels at DL Paris- it is NOT DVC standard, size or amenities. We stayed at one of the lodges, not the main building, and the room was small, tight quarters, 2 double beds, outdated decor, reminiscent of a 1970s New Hampshire motel/hotel. The pool area was small and unkempt. We Literally had to climb over a pile of dirty towels to get into the locker room to get to the pool. Definitely not Disney standard. The locks on the room doors were literally coming out of the wall when you in put your room key in the slot and then pull it out to open the door. Worst of all, the air conditioner was not effective at all. Despite it runnnng and appearing to be set at a reasonably cool temperature, it was not cool at all! Unfortunately, the temps were in the 30s Celsius so it was hot.

BTW, We had 2 separate keys from the hotel; a room key and a charging key - this one never worked despite going back to main desk twice to get them reprogrammed. Then we had a park pass and FPs to carry around so they definitely need to upgrade to the Magic Bands!

The staff was friendly and the grounds were reasonably clean (except pool locker room) - although trash not emptied or cleanup immediately as in WDW. We did not eat at a restaurant at the hotel so cannot comment in that area.

So, caution to all DVC owners - we are spoiled by WDW DVC hotels!

Parks:
We were pleasantly surprised with the parks - the rides especially for the teens! Hyperspace Mountain was awesome - better than Space Mountain. Big Thunder was longer and more thrilling. The Indiana Jones ride was cool, thrilling but short. Haunted Mansion was closed - bummer. There were a lot of closures though. Hyperspace was closed at least 6 different times over the 2 days and Indy and Big Thunder were closed at the 10a opening. They did reopen later that day. The lines were average - 30-60 mins for the big ones without FP. Most people know the FP are still the old version - go to the ride with your park ticket and put in FP machine to receive a ticket FP.

We ate at at Capt. Jack’s at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and enjoy the atmosphere, service and meal. The rest of our meals were quick service in the parks.

At Studios, we also had a pleasant experience. The rides again were terrific, especially the Crush ride - which for some unexplainable reason, did not offer a Fast Pass. Ratatouille was fun, a motion type ride. The little food areas and sitting areas were very cute and enjoyable. Tower of T and Rock n Rollarcoaster were awesome as usual.

The staff at both parks were friendly and helpful although it did not seem like that there as many cast members as we nornmally see in WDW. The parks were still clean and not lacking anything.

Disney Village:
We had to walk through Disney Village from our hotel to the parks. Much smaller that at WDW. We ate at Annette’s Diner on our arrival day which was both very disappointing and expensive. We ended up resorting to Five Guys and Starbucks at Disney Village. The World of Disney Store did accept our DVC membership card and gave us a 25% discount which was huge. The emporium did not accept the card.

Overall, our Disneyland Paris stop (between our Paris and London stops) served its purpose as a new, fun break from the typical sightseeing of Paris and London for our children’s first trip abroad. However, it Is definitely worth noting that the Disneyland Hotels (at least the Sequoia Lodge) are sub par and not reflective of our DVC experiences in Florida.
 
I have stayed at the Sequoia Lodge a couple of times, but in the main building. The rooms there have been updated and were very nice.
 
The rides again were terrific, especially the Crush ride - which for some unexplainable reason, did not offer a Fast Pass.

Crush is a slow loading ride and has a low capacity. According to Google 900-1200 guests per hour while rides like Pirates and Haunted Mansion can process over 3.000 guest per hour. They do have a single rider's line open from time to time, but I fear Fastpass on Crush Coaster would increase the standby line immensely

But who knows, they have done some tests, last one was in January of 2018, I believe. They keep on trying, same with the Princess Pavillion, several tests, but DLP hasn't found the perfect Fastpass structure for this.


Good to read your experiences, and glad you enjoyed the parks :)
 
. The World of Disney Store did accept our DVC membership card and gave us a 25% discount which was huge. The emporium did not accept the card.

.

Whaaaaaaat??!!?!?!?
I'm a DVC member and never thought about trying to use the card for discount at DLP. I have the AP but it's a lower tier so it's 10%. Too late for this trip, I'm at the train station right now and I don't have my card with me, but I'll try next time.

About the DLP hotels:
- they are hotels not resort, so the range of amenities is quite toned down from a Florida resort. I suspect the vast majority of guests use the hotels just to sleep, there is not a culture of doing a vacation spending a lot of time at the hotel, it's all about park time
- standards for room sizes in Europe are very different from the US. Clearly rooms at DLP are smaller, but they're about the average size you'll find in Europe, except maybe the American chains hotels. Alway better than Japan!
- air conditioning in Europe is less effective than in the US. Most Europeans visiting America find it way too cold, again, it's a matter of having different habits

Glad you liked the parks!
 



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