Disney Village Paris Fans

Disney Village Paris Fans

Tuesday, 17 November 2015

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Food

Now it wouldn't be a trip to Disneyland Paris without trying any of the wonderful food on offer! I've already mentioned in previous articles about where we eat on our recent trip in October, so I'll be including some reviews for those places as well as telling you about some of the different places you can find food in the parks as well as in Disney Village, and also some of the places where we just enjoyed a drink. I'll also tell you a little bit about how you can use some of the food offers which may be included as part of your Disneyland Paris hotel package. I feel like I haven't written one of my trip reports for a while, so it's nice to get back into the swing of things!

Our trip this October was my first time using any of the Disney hotel food offers. When our holiday was booked we were lucky to have the Standard Half Board meal plan as part of our package. This was great because it would save us extra money on food each day. Another good thing about booking this was that we could both decide on where we would like to use the meal vouchers. I can't tell you exciting it was to look online at all the different places we could eat. Even though I've stayed at some of the hotels before and eaten breakfast in the restaurants, I had never had another meal in them. We wrote a list beforehand of where we wanted to use our meal vouchers and although I've lost that list, I'm pretty sure we eat at all the places we wanted to! We were still planning on where we wanted to eat while on the Eurostar journey to Disneyland Paris! 

La Grange at Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon, Disney Village

Our first meal was at La Grange, which is situated above Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon. Surprisingly being an avid Disney Village fan, I had never stepped foot inside Billy Bob's until this trip. The theming inside the bar downstairs was fantastic. Just like the name, Billy Bob's is themed like a saloon bar right out of the Wild West. La Grange is upstairs and features the same theming found downstairs. We presented our meal vouchers, ordered our drinks, then were shown to our table. I think it's fair to say we made a wise choice choosing this as our first food destination, because the food was delicious! There was a great mix of food, mostly barbecued meats and other Tex-Mex style food, similar to the choices at La Cantina at the Hotel Santa Fe. We were pleasantly surprised by this place, but then again, you don't expect poor food anywhere on a Disney site! My only disappointment with La Grange was the desserts on offer, I personally thought there could have been other choices. Still though, it was very enjoyable! After filling ourselves up, we left in good spirits, then headed back to the Disneyland Park to watch the first Dreams show of our trip. 

Rating: 7/10

La Grange is situated just above Billy Bob's. 

Rio Grande Bar, Hotel Santa Fe

After a very tiring first day, we just wanted to settle down after packing our bags and enjoy a nice cold drink! Instead of buying a bottle of drink in the hotel gift shop, we decided to treat ourselves and go to the Rio Grande Bar. Having never been there before, we really enjoyed it. Okay, it might not have very elaborate theming compared to some of the other Disney hotel bars, but it was still nice, and quite peaceful too. The bar was also showing the Rugby World Cup, which kept a lot of the guests occupied! We didn't visit the bar other than our first night, but we did enjoy it there, and I would definitely go back there on my next trip for a drink.


Rating: 6/10

Enjoy a peaceful drink at the Rio Grande Bar.

La Cantina, Hotel Santa Fe

Our first full day at Disneyland Paris began at our hotel's own restaurant, La Cantina. I had heard negative reviews about this place before we went, but I never really listen to them as I prefer to judge for myself, and I'm glad I did, because we loved it! The setting at La Cantina was great, it was like being in a roadside service station on Route 66, not surprising as the hotel is heavily themed after the famous Route 66 in America and the Cars films. Continental breakfast was on offer each morning, which suited me and my fiancee just fine. I've always thought that it's important to get a good breakfast at Disneyland Paris as it sets you up for the busy days ahead, so we certainly filled ourselves up each morning!

Breakfast wasn't the only times we visited La Cantina, we also eat there twice for dinner. We visited La Cantina for dinner on our second night and fourth and final night. I was interested to see what would be on choice at the buffet as it's not one of the ones that a lot of people mention when talking about the hotel buffets at Disneyland Paris. Just like in La Grange, we presented our dinner vouchers, then ordered our drinks and sat down at a table of our choice. One of the good things with La Cantina is the fact that you can choose to sit where you like. We were really pleasantly surprised with how good it was, hence why we eat there a second time! The food on offer for dinner service is a Tex-Mex style buffet, but there are plenty of other options. I enjoyed the tasty meats on offer, including spicy chicken, as well as roast gammon. As my other half would tell you, I love making wraps wherever I can, and this restaurant was no exception. I cut up a lot of the meat and put it in the wraps, as well as some grated cheese of course! Talking of cheese, one of my favourite things at La Cantina, was the fact that they offered the American style hot cheese sauce, perfect for nachos topping, and I certainly enjoyed a lot of it! The desserts on offer here were absolutely incredible! There were so many different cakes, yoghurts, mousses, fruit, just everything you could ever wish for when it comes to puddings. I honestly think that La Cantina doesn't get the credit it is definitely due. I personally think it's one of the best buffets I've ever had. After two lovely evening meals, I can honestly say that it is one of my favourite places to eat when at Disneyland Paris. Even if we don't end up staying at the Hotel Santa Fe on our next trip, we'll definitely be visiting La Cantina, that's a certainty!

Rating: 9/10

Breakfast out of a truck, quite a novelty!

Hunter's Grill, Sequoia Lodge Hotel

This was one of the hotel buffet restaurants that I had always wanted to visit. We decided to head to the Hunter's Grill at the Sequoia Lodge on our third night in Disneyland Paris. Although it wasn't listed as one of the restaurants on our meal plan, we could still eat there and use the meal vouchers to pay the difference, which wasn't that much. After enjoying another nice day in the parks, we went to change our clothes at our hotel, then headed towards the Sequoia Lodge. We had a table booked for the Hunter's Grill at 6pm when it opened. We queued up with some fellow Brits, who we had a nice chat with. After presenting our meal vouchers, we were seated by our waiter, I can't remember his name, but he was definitely one of the best waiters we had while dining anywhere on this trip. After ordering our drinks, we went up to the buffet, and stuffed ourselves silly! Okay, we weren't quite that bad! We did eat a lot of food though. Now the strange thing with Hunter's Grill is that I wasn't overly impressed with it. I liked it, but I felt it was lacking something. It was one of them sort of places where I thought to myself 'what is all the fuss about?' Don't get me wrong, the food was very lovely, and you could tell that some of the food (meats in particular) were better quality than some of the food at the other buffets. I was expecting a bigger buffet in all honesty. I actually thought it was one of the smallest buffets I'd seen at Disneyland Paris, but then again it makes up for it with the nice quality food. The theming wasn't anything special, I would even say that the theming at La Cantina and La Grange was better. This is my own personal opinion of course, and then again, the food is what matters most! At the end of the day though, we did enjoy our meal at Hunter's Grill, and would probably visit there again.

Rating: 7/10


Hunter's Grill is just inside the Sequoia Lodge on the right.

Planet Hollywood

If you have read any of my other blogs, then you will be well aware that Planet Hollywood is my favourite restaurant in Disney Village. I've always had a fondness for the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, which stretches back to as far as I can remember. I still have fond memories of visiting Planet Hollywood at Gatwick Airport, which sadly closed quite a few years ago now. I used to love the original Planet Hollywood in London, which has now moved, and changed quite a bit. My favourite Planet Hollywood restaurant (well other than the one at Disneyland Paris) is definitely the one at Downtown Disney in Florida. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this was the first one that I ever visited. It is very similar in appearance to the Disney Village Planet Hollywood. Anyway, I should really talk about the one in Disney Village shouldn't I! Well what I love about the Disney Village Planet Hollywood is pretty much everything, and I mean everything! I love the theming, the food, the service, just everything! Being an absolute film fanatic, this is where I feel at home. I love all of the film props inside the restaurant. It's quite fun trying to guess which films they are from, although I like to think I know a lot of them! This is a great place for families to eat. The menu is primarily American style food, not surprising as it is originally an American chain, partly owned by the likes of Arnold Shwarzennegger and Sylvester Stallone. Planet Hollywood is known for it's tasty burgers. While I haven't eaten one of their burgers for years, my other half Laura has done.

On our trip this year, we decided to go here for my birthday meal, which was also our last day in Disneyland Paris. We came in for the lunch service, and it was pretty quiet, but then again, the parks were quite quiet as well. One of the things that always makes me laugh about Planet Hollywood in Disney Village is that I always get sat near other Brits. I'm not quite sure why this is but my guess would be that it's because they have waiting staff who have better English speaking skills working in that part of the restaurant. As it was my birthday, I thought I would treat myself to a white chocolate milkshake. Words cannot even describe how fantastic it tasted! I've never quite had a milkshake like it, it was just amazing! For my meal, I had the penne chicken broccoli, minus the broccoli! This has been a favourite dish of mine at Planet Hollywood restaurants for a long time now. It always tastes great, and this year was no exception. As I mentioned, Laura had one of the Planet Hollywood burgers, and as she wasn't talking, I knew she was enjoying it, because Laura doesn't tend to talk when she is enjoying her food! It was a very enjoyable meal as it always is at Planet Hollywood.

One thing that always gets to me about Planet Hollywood in Disney Village is the fact that a lot of people simply don't like it and tend to bash it a bit. I'll always defend it, but that's probably because I've been a fan for years. I cannot understand the hatred some people have for this place. Some people say it's dated, but I think the theming works, especially all the film props. The food is also very good, I've honestly never had a problem with food at any Planet Hollywood restaurant. Quite simply, I love this place, and our recent meal was very enjoyable here.

Rating: 10/10

Love Love Love this place!

The Sports Bar, Disney Village

Now we didn't eat here on our October trip or our trip last year but we did visit the bar for a couple of drinks. I personally think that the Sports Bar is a true gem in Disney Village, and not enough people visit it. Okay there may be a more adult vibe here as it is primarily a bar, but it is still very family friendly, and I've seen many families have a quiet drink here to relax after a busy day. There are many drinks on offer here, and it's probably the best place in the Disneyland Paris resort to grab a beer if that's what you fancy! As the name suggests, many live sports are shown on all the television screens inside the bar. There is also a very large screen on the wall opposite the outside seating area. This is one of the places in Disney Village where you're most likely to find fellow Brits. On our trip this year, we visited the Sports Bar twice. Both times were only for drinks, but they were at completely different times. The first time we visited was in the early afternoon, and it was very quiet inside. The bar staff were very efficient and friendly. The next day we came back here in the evening. We hadn't planned to visit again, but when I noticed one of the screens was broadcasting a Liverpool match, I couldn't resist watching my boys and having a pint of beer! I felt like a typical Brit on holiday, watching football and drinking a pint! I have to say there was a very goof atmosphere that evening. We visited during the Rugby World Cup, and the French match was on at the same time as the Liverpool game, so you can imagine how loud and passionate all the French were! It was a really good night!

Although we didn't eat on this trip or the previous trip, I have eaten here a couple of times before, and the food is very good. It's pretty much your typical American burgers and hotdogs fare, although being in Disney, it's better than average! I highly recommend a visit to the Sports Bar, whether it's to grab a quite bite to eat, or just a drink. 


8/10


Enjoy a beer while watching live sport here.

Rainforest Cafe, Disney Village

Now I just had to include this one in a Disneyland Paris food blog! We didn't actually visit the Rainforest Cafe on our October trip (although we visited the restaurant shop) but we did eat there last year, and I have on other trips too. As with Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe is a worldwide food chain, and it's another one associated with Disney. Like Downtown Disney in Florida has Planet Hollywood, it also has a Rainforest Cafe. When talking about Planet Hollywood, I mentioned how they have one in London. Funnily enough, there is also a Rainforest Cafe in London, literally just a five minute walk away from each other! Anyway, enough of me rambling on about London, time to talk about the Disney Village restaurant!

The theming inside the Rainforest Cafe is just like something out of a Disney attraction! As soon as you enter through the entrance, you have animals above your head which move about. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk through the shop first, which is pretty amazing in itself. Although most of the animals inside the restaurant are animatronics, there are also some pretty big tanks with very beautiful and exotic fish. A bit like Planet Hollywood, the menu here is very American in style. My other half Laura enjoyed a burger while I enjoyed a pasta dish with a rather cool name 'Rasta Pasta!' We really enjoyed our meal here, which wasn't surprising as I've always enjoyed my meals at all of the Rainforest Cafe's I've been to. If you have the chance to dine here, then go for it, you won't be disappointed!

Rating: 9/10

Even the theming outside is impressive here!

Plaza Gardens, Disneyland Park

Plaza Gardens has got to be the best place to eat in the Disneyland Park. Other than my favourite La Cantina, I would argue that Plaza Gardens is the best buffet restaurant in the whole Disneyland Paris resort. Sadly we couldn't eat in Plaza Gardens on our October trip because it was going through a refurbishment, but we did eat there for the first time last year. This was our first time eating at a Disney buffet and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but quite honest, I was pleasantly surprised and loved it! I couldn't believe the wide range of food on offer here. There was literally everything you could think of! Meats, pastas, salads, breads, cheeses, desserts, everything! The theming inside was quite reminiscent of the Victorian era, similar to inside the Disneyland Hotel. It was very busy when we visited last year, and it was obvious to see why, with all the wonderful food on offer.


Rating: 8/10

Casey's Corner, Disneyland Park

Casey's Corner is a favourite of many Disneyland Paris fans, and it's very clear to see why. Casey's is very popular for it's famous hot dogs, which I personally love! There are also some other options like chicken nuggets and fries. One of the best things about this place is definitely the location of it. While there is seating inside, there is also seating outside, which many people take advantage of for viewing the evening Dreams show. Casey's Corner is a great place to grab something quick to eat, or something you can enjoy while strolling around the parks. We eat at Casey's a couple of times last year, but on our October trip, we used Casey's as part of our Pause Gourmande (Tea Time Treat) deal, and enjoyed it. One thing I will say though is expect to queue here. I've never seen Casey's Corner quiet, there are always large crowds there. The seating is also very limited, so consider yourself lucky if you manage to get a seat there!

Rating: 6/10

A standard pose for me outside Casey's Corner.

Meal Vouchers/Dining Plan

To finish, I would just like to let you know about our experience with the Disney Meal Plan. When booking our trip for October this year, we were lucky to have the Meal Plan included without any extra charge. We were given the Standard Half Board meal plan, which allowed us both to enjoy one meal per a day at any of the restaurants included. As I mentioned in the little restaurant reviews above, we used the meal plan at La Cantina, La Grange, and Hunter's Grill. It really is simple to use these vouchers. All you have to do is present the vouchers when you enter the restaurants, then your free to enjoy your meal, it's really as simple as that! Like we did at the Hunter's Grill, you can also use the vouchers at other restaurants available on more expensive meal plans, and all you have to do is pay the difference.

Again, I'd like to apologise for the delay in publishing this trip report. It's been a long time, but hopefully you've enjoyed reading this and it's been worth the wait! Thank you again for taking the time to read this, really means a lot to me.

I would also like to pay my respects to all of those who sadly passed away in the Paris tragedies last Friday. It was truly horrible, and I would like to send a prayer to every one of them souls, now resting up in heaven.

Keep sharing the Disney Village Paris love!


Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Disneyland Paris - Readers Questions Interview - Part 1

As any of my readers will know, Disneyland Paris is one of my favourite places in the world. Due to a long held admiration for it, as well as various trips there, I have built up quite a bit of knowledge about the place. It was only until my most recent trip that I decided to start up this blog. I'm so glad I did because I have truly enjoyed writing every post on here and it's very rewarding to know that a lot of my readers enjoy the posts. Recently, I asked some of my readers through social media if they had any questions for me to answer. I had a great response, and a big thank you to everyone that asked me the questions. As promised, here are my answers for all of your questions!


How many times have you visited Disneyland Paris?

To be honest, I couldn't tell you the exact amount of times. I know I first went when I was very young, too young to remember in fact. I would probably say I've been over 10 times.

How many times do you visit in a year?

Only once. Believe me, if I could afford it, I would go at least 3 times a year!

Which is your favourite park at Disneyland Paris and favourite ride within that park?

That's an easy one. It has to be the Disneyland Park for me. Don't get me wrong, I do love Walt Disney Studios as I'm a massive film fan, but I just think Disneyland Park is so much better for many reasons. I'd say Disneyland Park tops it for me because it has much better theming than Walt Disney Studios, and there are better attractions in the park. My favourite ride in the Disneyland Park is easily Pirates of the Caribbean. I've always loved Pirates. In my eyes, it's the ultimate Disney ride in the Disneyland Park, it is though, not my favourite overall attraction, which I will talk about in another question.

What is your favourite attraction within both parks?

As I mentioned above, my favourite attraction in the Disneyland Park is without a doubt Pirates of the Caribbean. Like I said, it's just the essential Disney experience for me. I love everything about it. The queue, the ride, the music, everything! Walt Disney Studios, is actually home to my favourite overall attraction. Being a massive film fan, it's quite fitting that my favourite attraction is none other than Cinemagique. Aside from rides, Disney is well known for putting on fantastic shows, and Cinemagique is one of them, and I've never seen anything better! I could go on for ages about why I love this attraction, so I'll leave that for another post!

What is your favourite thing about Disney Village?

Wow, what a question! Where do I even begin? Without my love for Disney Village, this blog would simply not exist! For many different reasons, Disney Village has always been one of my favourite things about the Disneyland Paris resort. I just love how it's an entertainment complex all dedicated to Disney, yet it's not in your face so to speak. I have many favourite things about Disney Village, but it would probably be the fact that it is home to my favourite restaurant, Planet Hollywood.

What would you say to someone who is visiting the parks for the first time? What tips would you give them?

My biggest tip is a simple one, just relax! I know it can be quite daunting for a first time visitor with so much to take in, but I believe that you will benefit so much more if you relax. Try not to rush to see everything. Maybe a bit of simple planning could help. For example, plan in the morning what attractions you most want to experience and try to head to them first. A lot of people tend to go for a couple of days or 5 days. If you're there for a couple of days, you simply won't have enough time to experience everything, so just make sure you head to what you want experience the most first. If you're experiencing a 5 day trip, then you'll definitely be able to experience everything you want, unless there's any ride closures of course! My other big tip is three words, 'Extra Magic Hours!' If you are staying onsite at one of Disney's many wonderful hotels, then you get the privilege of using the Extra Magic Hours. These allow guests to enter the parks a couple of hours before normal opening time. All you have to do is show your 'Disney Hotel Easy Pass' at the park entrance then you're on your way! Extra Magic Hours are so beneficial because you can beat the crowds on some rides and have the chance of meeting lots of the main Disney characters before the big crowds roll in. The only downside is the fact that only some lands in the park are open for the earlier hours.

Do you have any traditions when you visit Disneyland Paris?

I wouldn't say I had any traditions in particular, but there are always certain things that I always like to do. One of my favourite things I always do is walk around Disney Village before heading back to the hotel. I know I see the same things every night, but I still love walking around all the shops and just taking in all the atmosphere! Another thing I've enjoyed doing on the past couple of trips is leaving one evening to walk around all the hotels and look inside the gift shops and just experience the different atmospheres at each hotel. I mean think about it, where else in the world can you experience the Wild West, the hustle and bustle of New York, the beautiful American pine forests, and the American yacht clubs. There's just nothing quite like the Disney hotels in Paris. I would definitely say the hotels in Paris are better than the Disney hotels in Walt Disney World in Florida!

What is your best experience with the characters?

To be honest, it was only this year that we went out of our way to look for the characters and meet them. I would probably say my favourite experience was meeting Eeyore and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh because Eeyore is my favourite Disney cartoon character, couldn't resist hugging him could I! Rabbit was also great because he put my trilby hat on one of his ears when I was posing for a photo. My other favourite experience was when I met Peter Pan and Smee. Being a facial character, I had a funny chat with Peter Pan, who kept mocking Smee. It was quite a laugh!

Do you like any theme parks from your own country or other countries, or is it just Disney?

As much as I love the Disney parks, they're definitely not the only ones I like. Being from the UK, we have quite a few of our own theme parks. I've been to Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, and Chessington World of Adventures. While none of these compare to the magic of Disney, I was really impressed by Chessington World of Adventures on my recent visit earlier this year. Another theme park I like is PortAventura in Salou, Spain. I've visited this one twice and I think it has some brilliant theming, but then again, it was made by the Universal company, so you would expect some pretty nice touches! When it comes to Disney parks, I've been very lucky to have visited Walt Disney World in Florida on nearly 10 occasions. Florida really is the home of the theme park. Disney aside, I absolutely love the Universal Studios Resort. As I have mentioned, I'm a massive film fan, so Universal Studios is of great appeal to me. My favourite Disney park in Florida is definitely Hollywood Studios, although you can't beat the Magic Kingdom.

How many attractions are there at Disneyland Paris?

Well in simple terms, quite a few! It depends on what you count as attractions. I would personally include rides, shows, and things to explore in that list, so I count a grand total of 35. Walt Disney Studios has far less attractions and I count 17 in the park. In all fairness Walt Disney Studios is a lot smaller than it's sister park.

What is the most recent attraction?

The most recent attraction is Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy, or in English, Ratatouille: Remy's Totally Zany Adventure, although I prefer to just call it Ratatouille! This one officially opened on the 10th July 2014. There haven't been any recent announcements for any new attractions in the pipeline, however, 2016 will see a lot of rides receiving some major refurbishments.

When is the highest attendance at the parks?

It tends to vary, but the busiest periods for the park are definitely the summer holidays, so between July and early September. The Christmas season (November 7th to January 7th) is also another popular time for visitors, especially Christmas week. I have to admit, I would love to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day at Disneyland Paris!

Do Disneyland Paris put on any special seasonal events and how long do they last for?

They certainly do. The first big seasonal event each year is the Swing into Spring season, lasting from March 1st to May 31st. Swing into Spring typically celebrates the Easter holidays, and you will normally have the chance to have meet and greets with character such as Thumper from Bambi. Halloween season is the next big one. The Halloween Festival lasts from the 1st October to 1st November. I was out there for the start of the Halloween season this year. There is of course a Christmas season. Disney's Enchanted Christmas lasts from November 7th to January 7th. Let me tell you, you haven't experienced Disneyland Paris until you've witnessed it in all it's Christmas season glory! There are also other special events such as St Patrick's Day, Disney's Halloween Party, and New Year's Eve.

Where are the most popular destinations for food at Disneyland Paris?

A majority of these are in Disney Village. However, in the Disneyand Park, the most popular places to eat are Walt's restaurant, and the brilliant buffet Plaza Gardens. In Walt Disney Studios, a lot of people eat at the new Bistro Chez Remy which is situated right next to the Ratatouille ride. You even exit the ride right next to the restaurant. Being the mecca that it is, Disney Village has it's fair share of restaurants, and with so many, you'll find this is the place most people tend to head to for food. Being a worldwide restaurant chain, Planet Hollywood is very popular with visitors. Rainforest Cafe is also another popular choice. The most popular though is Cafe Mickey, where guests can dine with some of the Disney characters, providing a very memorable experience. Another popular place for guests, Brits in particular, is Earl of Sandwich. Like the name suggests, this place specialises in sandwiches, all of which are toasted and made to order. I've quite honestly never had a toasted sandwich as nice as the ones there, okay, maybe in America, home of the toasted sandwich!

What is your favourite restaurant at Disneyland Paris?

Planet Hollywood, no contest! This has always been a favourite of mine ever since I can remember. I've been dining at various Planet Hollywoods around the world for years. The restaurants in Disney Village and Downtown Disney in Florida are definitely my two favourites. It's just the ultimate place to dine if you're a film buff. The food is great too in my opinion. I could spend hours walking around the restaurant looking at all the film memorabilia dotted around the walls of the building.

What are the best dishes that you have tried?

Well my favourite dish I've eaten can be found at Planet Hollywood, and that is the Chicken Penne Broccoli. I ask for it without the broccoli, but the pasta has an amazing creamy sauce and the chicken just adds to it's amazing flavour. It's so nice I have it every single time! I've also enjoyed some lovely burgers at the Rainforest Cafe and Annette's Diner. One of my favourite places to eat though was definitely La Cantina buffet at the Hotel Santa Fe. The food there was just amazing, and such a great choice too!

Have you ever eaten any Mickey Mouse shaped food?

I have, but not in Disneyland Paris. On a Florida holiday I once eat some Mickey Mouse shaped waffles for breakfast, oh my they were delicious!

What is your favourite shop at Disneyland Paris?

Now that is a hard question to answer! I have many favourite shops at Disneyland Paris. My favourite three would be the World of Disney store, The Disney Gallery, and Planet Hollywood Boutique, all inside Disney Village. World of Disney is quite a recent addition to Disneyland Paris, but it's certainly a good one! It's probably the best Disney shop you'll see in your life, other than maybe one of the ones in America. There are just so many amazing things to buy in there that you could easily spend thousands in there! The Disney Gallery is another of my favourite shops because it has some of the best Cast Members you'll find. The staff in there are so attentive and friendly, you won't find better service anywhere else. Oh, and the artwork is out of this world! I could clear my bank account in that shop! I also love the Planet Hollywood Boutique because I love their brand of clothing as well as merchandise. Got to buy a Planet Hollywood cocktail glass!


Once again, thank you to everyone that asked me the questions. I hope you all enjoyed reading the answers. If you ever have any other questions then please don't hesitate to ask me, I'm always happy to help!

A special thanks to Bobbi Christina O'Reilly, Daniel Graham, Jack Rodgers, and Chantelle Woodruff!

Keep sharing the Disney Village love!

Sunday, 1 November 2015

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Cast Members

For anyone unaware, the staff at Disneyland Paris are known as Cast Members. This applies to all Disney parks staff around the world. Each Cast Member plays a valuable role in ensuring all guests have a magical experience, and the Cast Members at Disneyland Paris are no different. There has been some bad press about the quality of service provided from the Cast Members at Disneyland Paris, but this is so untrue. I will admit, on previous trips, some of the Cast Members hadn't been overly friendly compared to the ones in Florida, but on our last two trips in November last year and October this year, the Cast Members were absolutely exceptional! Dare I say it, but the Cast Members in Paris were even better than the ones in Florida!

I have had the privilege of visiting Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Paris, and I love both parks for various reasons. As I mentioned, Cast Members always play a vital role in ensuring a good experience while on site at any Disney property, whether it be a park or hotel. The Americans may be more renowned for their over friendliness compared to the French, but this really wasn't the case on our last two trips to Disneyland Paris. I would honestly say that the trip this year in particular had the best staff service I've ever had from Cast Members. There were a number of reasons for why the Cast Members were so brilliant, but I would have to say it was mostly down to their friendliness.

Phantom Manor Cast Members, love the dapper purple suit!

On trips to Walt Disney World, I've worn many different Disney t-shirts, but I've never had any Cast Members point them out or make conversation about them. On our trip to Disneyland Paris in October though, we had quite a few conversations with Cast Members about clothing. On our first and last day on the trip, I wore a Frozen t-shirt with Oaken and his saying "Yoo-hoo! Big Summer blowout!" On our first day while waiting for the Magic on Parade show to start, one of the Cast Members kept looking at me and I though to myself 'What's she looking at me for?' then all of a sudden she goes "YOO-HOO! I love your shirt!" I said thank you and couldn't stop laughing! It wasn't a bad impression from her in all fairness. A couple of other Cast Members pointed out the shirt and smiled as well as a little girl on our Eurostar train home, bless her. My other half Laura also had some interactions with Cast Members in relation to her Disney t-shirts. One Cast Member at the Pirates of the Caribbean boarding area pointed out Laura's Little Mermaid t-shirt and said how she loved the film. Another day and another Little Mermaid shirt, one Cast Member noticed the shirt, which read 'I'm a real Mermaid' and she asked Laura whether she really was. Playing along Laura said yes of course, and the Cast Member said how she loved the film too. A lot of Little Mermaid fans at Disneyland Paris it seemed!

Yoo-hoo! Have to love that shirt!

Considering the Cast Members are mostly French, their English speaking skills were mostly impeccable! I think there must have only been a couple who could only speak basic English but most of them were fluent in the language. I can't speak a lot of French but I have always said that I think it's important that us English visitors make an attempt to learn some basic French words, I mean it doesn't take much to say thank you in their own language does it! I've always found that the staff always appreciate it when you try to speak their language, even if you get it completely wrong. Some people are put off visiting Disneyland Paris by the fact that the Cast Members are French speakers, but it really isn't anything to worry about, as like I said, most are fluent in English.

Even Pirates like having their photos taken y'know!

One of the things I love most about the Cast Members are the fantastic costumes that they wear. As we all know, Disney is well known for theming, and this includes the Cast Members. All Cast Members have their own costumes depending on which land in the parks they are working at. Many of the Cast Members will wear costumes corresponding to the attractions they are working on. One such example is Pirates of the Caribbean where all the staff wear various different pirate guises. Pirates of the Caribbean is my favourite attraction in the Disneyland Park, and I think the Cast Members add to the amazing experience of the attraction. Phantom Manor is also another attraction where the Cast Members play a vital role, and oh my, they certainly look the part! Every Cast Member is made to feel equal and this is evident by their amazing costumes, even the cleaners look amazing! As I love the Cast Members so much, I asked some of them if they would mind posing for photographs, and they were all more than happy to do so. I have to say the best Cast Member was the guy at Pirates of the Caribbean who after I asked for a photo, said 'Hold on wait a second!' then took out a pistol for the photo. Loved it!

Beware of the Pirates!

It would be quite hard to say which places in the Disneyland Paris complex had the best Cast Members as there were so many, but these would be my pick of the bunch:

Hotel Santa Fe

If you haven't already read my Hotel Santa Fe trip report (http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/disneyland-paris-october-2015-trip.html) then I must tell you, this hotel had it all for me. I have previously stayed at the Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay Club, and Hotel New York, so I was very excited to stay at the Hotel Santa Fe for the first time this year. It didn't disappoint! While the theming may not be as grand as some of the other hotels, it makes up for it with other things. One such thing is the brilliant Cast Members, particularly the reception staff. We didn't check into the hotel until late on our first day as we enjoyed as much as we could in the park after arriving on the Eurostar. After walking to the hotel through Disney Village and along the river, we went to the reception, and were greeted by some very lovely staff which gave us our room key card and also our suitcases as we had used the Disney Express service. Our keycard didn't work the first time, but Cast Members helped change my card straight away. The Cast Members on the reception desk were very friendly and provided exceptional service. I also met a lovely Cast Member inside the hotel's gift shop who was very friendly and talkative. The barman we met on the first night was also very friendly. I know I've used the word 'friendly' a lot in this article so far, but the Cast Members really were that friendly, and I think they deserve a lot of credit, which isn't always given.

Thunder Mountain Mercantile Building

This shop in Frontierland provided one of my favourite Cast Member experiences of the trip. When paying for my brilliant Phantom Manor t-shirt, I met a lovely French Cast Member, and sadly, I cannot remember his name. His English was pretty good although he wasn't fluent. We had a great conversation, mostly about me being from England. The Cast Member went on to say how he visited England once, staying in Hastings of all places! I know almost every Cast Member can speak English but the fact this one had stayed in England and liked our culture made it a great conversation, and a memorable one at that. Even though I make the effort to speak a little bit of French, it's nice that the Cast Members make an effort to speak English, even the ones which struggle with the language.

Disney Gallery

This has to be one of the best shops not just in the Disney Village area, but in the whole Disneyland Paris complex. Disney is of course famous for animation, so it's only natural for their to be a shop devoted to Disney art, and the Disney Gallery is just that, although it's so much better. There are so many beautiful things to buy in this shop that you could quite easily break the bank! I had quite a bit of spending money on my recent trip but I even had to limit myself in this shop. They sell so many beautiful ornaments of Disney characters, as well as some beautiful canvases. I did treat myself to a set of 12 attraction posters which I thought were an absolute bargain for 29.99 euros! I'm still deciding what I should do with them, maybe make my own Disney gallery on our bedroom wall. Aside from the beautiful things to buy, you can also use the Disney PhotoPass system there. We had a couple of PhotoPass cards which we wanted to use to print off some photos of meet and greets, so we decided to do it in the Disney Gallery. The lady who helped us was absolutely brilliant. We took our time to decide which photos we wanted and she didn't make us feel rushed or anything. She was so helpful and very pleasant. We also met a few other Cast Members in the shop, all very polite and welcoming. All the shops had lovely Cast Members, but the Disney Gallery would be my pick of the bunch.

Hunters Grill, Sequoia Lodge

We enjoyed using our Standard Half Board meal vouchers for dinner each evening and met some very lovely staff at all of the restaurants, however, the Cast Members at the Hunters Grill restaurant really stood out for me. Hunters Grill was not included in our meal plan, but we could pay the different using our vouchers, so we decided to treat ourselves on the third night. Our waiter was so polite to us and made us feel so welcome, it was just such an enjoyable experience. To be honest, Hunters Grill has the best reviews out of all the Disney hotel buffets, but I didn't think it was any better than some of the others. You could tell some of the meats and fish were much better quality though. I will be sure to write a review for the Hunters Grill, as well as everywhere else we eat.

Overall, the Cast Members were so brilliant this trip that they were probably one of the things which I most remember from the trip. We can't wait to go back to the resort and hopefully meet some of the same Cast Members! The Cast Members at Disneyland Paris really deserve a lot of praise. Thank you to each and every one of them for making our holiday so magical!

Now this guy could definitely looked the part!