This final trip report is about some disappointments we experienced on our trip last year. There aren't many of course and it's not all doom and gloom because this is also going to be about some of the big stand out moments for me on the trip. Enjoy!
A Few Disappointments
Extra Magic Hours
Don't get me wrong, I think Extra Magic Hours are an amazing perk for anyone staying at the Disney hotels as they give you early access to one of the parks depending on the time of year. It's also a blessing because you can get in and pretty much be guaranteed to meet all of the main Disney characters before the large crowds come in. The reason I've put Extra Magic Hours as a disappointment is because there simply isn't enough of the park open for these hours. When we went, only Main Street USA, Discoveryland, and Fantasyland were open, and even in those parts, not all of the rides were open. I appreciate that you can get in early and meet the characters but if you're staying for more than a couple of days then you don't really want to do that every day. It's such a shame that Frontierland and Adventureland aren't open during these hours because they feature some of the parks best attractions like Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean for example. I personally think that if the areas are open for Extra Magic Hours then they should have all of the area's rides open. When we visited each morning, Star Tours was never open in Discoveryland, and neither was Autopia. In Fantasyland, only the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Peter Pan's Flight were open. As I've said, I'm not knocking Extra Magic Hours in anyway, but I just think if you are staying for a little while like 5 days for example then you can get quite stuck for things to do during those two early hours.
Please open this up early!
No Characters in Discoveryland
If you read my trip report about the characters then you'll know that we met a lot to say the least! We couldn't quite believe our luck with how many we met but one thing did bother me. Every part of the park, other than Discoveryland, had characters. Why not have any characters in Discoveryland? This is such a missed opportunity as you could have lots of different characters in this area. As it's space themed, you could have lots of characters dressed in space outfits. Take Star Tours for example, you could have lots of different Star Wars characters in this area. With the success of the new Star Wars film, hopefully Disney will add some Star Wars characters into Discoveryland. I'm sure many people would want to meet Star Wars characters, especially the likes of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my honeymoon trip to Disneyland Paris next year that I'll get to meet at least one Star Wars character!
We need some Star Wars characters!
Where's Sally?
Before going to Disneyland Paris last year, I asked a lot of members on different Disneyland Paris Facebook groups about what to expect at the parks during Halloween. Pretty much everyone I spoke to said that there would be a photo opportunity with not only Jack Skellington but also Sally, both from The Nightmare Before Christmas. We met Jack on his own during our trip in 2014. He was a great character to meet but I wasn't fussed about meeting him again on his own, but after being told Sally would be with him too, I couldn't wait to meet them both together. This wasn't to be though. Every morning we went to the meet and greet spot where Jack was and Sally was never there for each of our five days of the trip. I was so disappointed. Still, maybe next year!
Where's your girlfriend gone, Jack?
Crush's Coaster
Now this one really did disappoint me on our 2015 visit. I honestly think Crush's Coaster is one of the best coasters to be found at any Disney park. The reason I had to put this as a disappointment this time though was because of the reasons I didn't actually get to ride it. It was open every day of our visit but one thing was missing, the Single Rider line not being open. I couldn't quite believe or understand this. Considering the queue for Crush's Coaster was well over two hours each day, you would expect them to keep open the Single Rider line, but they didn't. This is one of the only times where I've ever compared Disneyland Paris to Walt Disney World in Florida. There is no way they would keep a Single Rider line closed in Florida if a ride was so busy. I did ask the Cast Members at Walt Disney Studios why the line was closed each day and I got different responses such as staff shortages or simply it was just shut. I would say this ride is Walt Disney Studios' most popular ride so it really baffles me why the Single Rider line was closed each day. This isn't the first time it's happened though, in 2014, the Single Rider line was only open two days out of five. Bit of a strange one really.
Please open the Single Rider line!
Please Update Walt Disney Studios!
I love Walt Disney Studios. I'm a massive film fan so this place really appeals to me. It's very similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, but you shouldn't really compare them as the Paris park is much smaller. My biggest problem with Walt Disney Studios is the fact that some of it seems quite dated even though it's only 14 years old. Two attractions need a total makeover in my eyes. The two I'm referring to are the Studio Tram Tour and Armageddon. Although I enjoyed experiencing Armageddon for the first time on my 2015 trip, I did get the impression that I hadn't really missed much. Don't get me wrong, it's very impressive to witness the special effects right in front of you, but not that much really happens. I actually enjoyed the pre-show interaction more than the main event itself. I know from talking to others and reading comments online that the Armageddon special effects show is not particularly liked by many and a majority of people would like a new attraction in its place. I agree to be honest. While the special effects are good, there's not much story or anything that makes you leaving the show and wanting to experience it again. Also, the film Armageddon wasn't that amazingly successful and you don't really hear many people talk about it these days, kind of making the attraction seem quite dated. The Studio Tram Tour is also another attraction in need of big changes. It does look like the attraction will be getting a much needed refurbishment, thank god! It is still a good attraction, especially the Catastrophe Canyon scene. However, some of the big set pieces are very very dated. I mean yeah, the Reign of Fire film set of a ruined London looks very impressive, but be honest, how may people remember the film or have even seen it! Also, the large set from Dinotopia seems extremely out of place for some reason. Like Reign of Fire, I'm sure most people have never seen the Dinotopia series. Hopefully with the new refurbishment on the cards, we will possibly see these removed with some new set pieces. Fingers crossed!
Please give Walt Disney Studios some very much needed TLC!
Well that's the bad over and done with! Now onto the good stuff, my personal stand out moments from the trip!
Stand Out Moments
The California
Now I know what some of you are thinking. 'What's The California? I don't remember seeing that at Disney!' Well you didn't see it because it wasn't there. The California was actually the hotel we stayed at in London, the night before we got the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris from St Pancras Station. I've added this to my list of stand out moments because we were really surprised with the hotel. We had not stayed at The California before so were reserving our judgement before staying there, and we really were pleasantly surprised! The hotel was in such a good location, literally opposite St Pancras Station! The hotel had a lovely theme inside as well, the room was also very lovely themed and felt very welcoming. Staff were all lovely. I would highly recommend this hotel if you want to stay in London the night before you get your train to Disneyland Paris, or even if you're spending the night or having a break in London. You won't be disappointed.
Characters
As I mentioned earlier, we met so many characters on the trip that it was quite unbelievable! Two characters stood out for me though, Peter Pan and the Ugly Stepsisters. We waited to meet Peter Pan after a Cast Member told us he would be back in a couple of minutes. Most people walked away but we waited and were first in line. I have to say, the guy playing Peter Pan was so in character it was just like being in the film! I had quite a good little chat with him, including discussions about Pirates of the Caribbean. Smee was also standing with Peter Pan, although he didn't speak, he was still pretty funny too! Meeting the Ugly Stepsisters (Anastasia and Drizella) was a great experience! As it was Halloween season, there were photo opportunities with a lot of the villains, such as the Ugly Stepsisters, Gaston, and Jafar. It was a bit of a free for all with these photo opportunities as none of the characters had their own queue or anything. Anyway. Me and Laura were lucky enough to be at the front to meet the stepsisters and we took some great photos with them. They were both just hilarious and really into their characters. If there's one thing Disney does best, then it's hiring the right actors to play their characters!
Cast Members
Like the characters, I dedicated a whole trip report to the different Cast Members we met. They are all so lovely in Disneyland Paris. Sadly, people compare the Cast Members to the ones in the American parks and mention that they aren't as friendly, but I find this to be so untrue. We never met a rude Cast Member in Disneyland Paris. In all my trips of going I've never met a rude Cast Member! In my Cast Members trip report, I mentioned how many of them pointed out the shirts me and my partner were wearing which led to some good conversations. By far the nicest Cast Members we met were to be found in The Disney Gallery in Disney Village. I've never had better service from Cast Members anywhere! One thing I did on this trip that I had never done before was take photos with the Cast Members. They were all more than happy to have photos with me and they made for some really great photos. The best Cast Members for photos were the ones to be found at Pirates of the Caribbean. I love the costumes they wear there. One of the Cast Members I asked for a photo told me to wait a minute then he pulled a pistol out aiming at me which made for a quite hilarious photo, probably one of my favourites of the trip!
Hotel Santa Fe
Again, this is another topic I dedicated a whole trip report to. Hotel Santa Fe was such an unexpected surprise to me, it probably made the holiday for me! A lot of people never speak about the Hotel Santa Fe when talking about the Disney hotels in Paris so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I totally fell in love with it the first time we walked to it past the Rio Grande river. I absolutely loved the theming here, like you're somewhere on America's famous Route 66. The Cast Members here were as exceptional as you'd expect anywhere in Disneyland Paris. All Cast Members made us both feel very welcome at all time, whether it be when we checked in and out or when having something to eat. Talking of eating, the Hotel Santa Fe has an absolutely fantastic buffet restaurant, La Cantina. This is where you also have your breakfast each morning. Breakfast here is your usual Continental fare, croissants and breads, that kind of thing. Dinnertime has a lot of options though, and we ended up eating here twice, using our Standard Half Board vouchers. The buffet is mostly Tex-Mex fare, like chicken, wraps, nachos, etc. We never felt that La Cantina was over crowded at any time like some people have been known to report. It was one of our favourite buffets of the trip. Even if we don't stay at the Hotel Santa Fe for our honeymoon, we'll definitely be paying it a visit for a meal and maybe a drink at the Rio Grande Bar, which I might add is probably one of the most relaxing and quiet of all the Disney hotel bars.
Now I know what some of you are thinking. 'What's The California? I don't remember seeing that at Disney!' Well you didn't see it because it wasn't there. The California was actually the hotel we stayed at in London, the night before we got the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris from St Pancras Station. I've added this to my list of stand out moments because we were really surprised with the hotel. We had not stayed at The California before so were reserving our judgement before staying there, and we really were pleasantly surprised! The hotel was in such a good location, literally opposite St Pancras Station! The hotel had a lovely theme inside as well, the room was also very lovely themed and felt very welcoming. Staff were all lovely. I would highly recommend this hotel if you want to stay in London the night before you get your train to Disneyland Paris, or even if you're spending the night or having a break in London. You won't be disappointed.
The California, truly loved it.
Characters
As I mentioned earlier, we met so many characters on the trip that it was quite unbelievable! Two characters stood out for me though, Peter Pan and the Ugly Stepsisters. We waited to meet Peter Pan after a Cast Member told us he would be back in a couple of minutes. Most people walked away but we waited and were first in line. I have to say, the guy playing Peter Pan was so in character it was just like being in the film! I had quite a good little chat with him, including discussions about Pirates of the Caribbean. Smee was also standing with Peter Pan, although he didn't speak, he was still pretty funny too! Meeting the Ugly Stepsisters (Anastasia and Drizella) was a great experience! As it was Halloween season, there were photo opportunities with a lot of the villains, such as the Ugly Stepsisters, Gaston, and Jafar. It was a bit of a free for all with these photo opportunities as none of the characters had their own queue or anything. Anyway. Me and Laura were lucky enough to be at the front to meet the stepsisters and we took some great photos with them. They were both just hilarious and really into their characters. If there's one thing Disney does best, then it's hiring the right actors to play their characters!
Me with Smee and Peter Pan, best character experience of the trip!
Me with the quite wonderful Ugly Stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella.
Cast Members
Like the characters, I dedicated a whole trip report to the different Cast Members we met. They are all so lovely in Disneyland Paris. Sadly, people compare the Cast Members to the ones in the American parks and mention that they aren't as friendly, but I find this to be so untrue. We never met a rude Cast Member in Disneyland Paris. In all my trips of going I've never met a rude Cast Member! In my Cast Members trip report, I mentioned how many of them pointed out the shirts me and my partner were wearing which led to some good conversations. By far the nicest Cast Members we met were to be found in The Disney Gallery in Disney Village. I've never had better service from Cast Members anywhere! One thing I did on this trip that I had never done before was take photos with the Cast Members. They were all more than happy to have photos with me and they made for some really great photos. The best Cast Members for photos were the ones to be found at Pirates of the Caribbean. I love the costumes they wear there. One of the Cast Members I asked for a photo told me to wait a minute then he pulled a pistol out aiming at me which made for a quite hilarious photo, probably one of my favourites of the trip!
Loved this guy!
Hotel Santa Fe
Again, this is another topic I dedicated a whole trip report to. Hotel Santa Fe was such an unexpected surprise to me, it probably made the holiday for me! A lot of people never speak about the Hotel Santa Fe when talking about the Disney hotels in Paris so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I totally fell in love with it the first time we walked to it past the Rio Grande river. I absolutely loved the theming here, like you're somewhere on America's famous Route 66. The Cast Members here were as exceptional as you'd expect anywhere in Disneyland Paris. All Cast Members made us both feel very welcome at all time, whether it be when we checked in and out or when having something to eat. Talking of eating, the Hotel Santa Fe has an absolutely fantastic buffet restaurant, La Cantina. This is where you also have your breakfast each morning. Breakfast here is your usual Continental fare, croissants and breads, that kind of thing. Dinnertime has a lot of options though, and we ended up eating here twice, using our Standard Half Board vouchers. The buffet is mostly Tex-Mex fare, like chicken, wraps, nachos, etc. We never felt that La Cantina was over crowded at any time like some people have been known to report. It was one of our favourite buffets of the trip. Even if we don't stay at the Hotel Santa Fe for our honeymoon, we'll definitely be paying it a visit for a meal and maybe a drink at the Rio Grande Bar, which I might add is probably one of the most relaxing and quiet of all the Disney hotel bars.
Right this way to the Hotel Santa Fe!
Animagique
There was such a good feeling when we watched Animagique on the trip. It was the first time either of us had seen it, quite surprising considering I've visited Disneyland Paris so many times before. We knew the show was most likely more for the kids, but we both came out like kids! I mean I act like a big kid during most of my time at Disneyland Paris, but Animagique was something quite special. I would say I don't want to ruin the show for you but I'm pretty sure most of you have seen it, and it is closing for good very soon, which came as a shock to me. The show features many classic Disney songs which me and Laura sang away to and some of the glow in the dark costumes and puppets were just amazing. It was a very impressive show to say the least. I can't believe it's closing down, typical as we only saw it for the first time last year and were looking forward to seeing it again. Hopefully they'll create a new show which is just as good or even better, although that would be very difficult considering how good Animagique is!
Meeting Jordi and Filip
If you are unfamiliar with these two, then let me explain. Filip is the creator of the YouTube channel 'dlrpfans' and Jordi is the star of these videos, as well as hosting his own channel 'Mr Themeparkfans'. I've been watching their videos for almost two years, which started just before we went on our 2014 trip. I love watching videos of Disneyland Paris before I go there and stumbled onto Filip's channel. I couldn't believe how funny the videos were, especially Jordi and his antics! I added them as friends on Facebook before the 2015 trip and had some great discussions with them about Disneyland Paris and many other things. They're both great guys. I couldn't believe my luck though when they were both at Disneyland Paris at the same time as me. Obviously I couldn't resist meeting them and having a chat. It was great to meet them both, they're both really lovely guys, so passionate about Disneyland Paris as well. I had photos with them both then saw them a couple of times later on the trip. I felt like I had met Disney royalty! When I came back from holiday and started writing my trip reports, I also managed to write up interviews with Filip and Jordi, which you can read here: http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-jordi-from-dlrpfans-youtube.html (interview with Jordi) and http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-filip-creator-of-dlrpfans.html (interview with Filip)
Well sadly that is the end of my trip reports from 2015. I hope you have all enjoyed reading these and I have genuinely enjoyed writing them all. Now I'll be writing some blogs about the history of Disney Village as well as some other things currently in the pipeline. Thanks again to all of you that have read my articles and kept this page going. It means a lot to me. Always happy to share my love for all things Disney.
There was such a good feeling when we watched Animagique on the trip. It was the first time either of us had seen it, quite surprising considering I've visited Disneyland Paris so many times before. We knew the show was most likely more for the kids, but we both came out like kids! I mean I act like a big kid during most of my time at Disneyland Paris, but Animagique was something quite special. I would say I don't want to ruin the show for you but I'm pretty sure most of you have seen it, and it is closing for good very soon, which came as a shock to me. The show features many classic Disney songs which me and Laura sang away to and some of the glow in the dark costumes and puppets were just amazing. It was a very impressive show to say the least. I can't believe it's closing down, typical as we only saw it for the first time last year and were looking forward to seeing it again. Hopefully they'll create a new show which is just as good or even better, although that would be very difficult considering how good Animagique is!
I'm such a big kid!
Meeting Jordi and Filip
If you are unfamiliar with these two, then let me explain. Filip is the creator of the YouTube channel 'dlrpfans' and Jordi is the star of these videos, as well as hosting his own channel 'Mr Themeparkfans'. I've been watching their videos for almost two years, which started just before we went on our 2014 trip. I love watching videos of Disneyland Paris before I go there and stumbled onto Filip's channel. I couldn't believe how funny the videos were, especially Jordi and his antics! I added them as friends on Facebook before the 2015 trip and had some great discussions with them about Disneyland Paris and many other things. They're both great guys. I couldn't believe my luck though when they were both at Disneyland Paris at the same time as me. Obviously I couldn't resist meeting them and having a chat. It was great to meet them both, they're both really lovely guys, so passionate about Disneyland Paris as well. I had photos with them both then saw them a couple of times later on the trip. I felt like I had met Disney royalty! When I came back from holiday and started writing my trip reports, I also managed to write up interviews with Filip and Jordi, which you can read here: http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-jordi-from-dlrpfans-youtube.html (interview with Jordi) and http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-filip-creator-of-dlrpfans.html (interview with Filip)
Me with Filip and Jordi.
Well sadly that is the end of my trip reports from 2015. I hope you have all enjoyed reading these and I have genuinely enjoyed writing them all. Now I'll be writing some blogs about the history of Disney Village as well as some other things currently in the pipeline. Thanks again to all of you that have read my articles and kept this page going. It means a lot to me. Always happy to share my love for all things Disney.
No more trip reports from last year but there's plenty more to come. See you all soon!
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