Disneyland Paris in comparison to WDW

Jess6001

Hey there, Mr. Grump Gills. You know what you gott
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Hey all! My mother, sister and I are doing a two week European adventure in August (all adults). We will be spending 5 nights in Paris. We are HUGE Disney people and have spent many magical vacations at Walt Disney World. We are considering a day trip to Disneyland Paris, however I'm a little hesitant about it. Last summer, we did a trip to Disneyland California and were very disappointed. In comparison to WDW, not only were the parks and their setting less grand and secluded like WDW, but we felt that Disneyland really lacked "magic." We met some very rude cast members and, overall, they just did not have Disney spirit. They didn't seem to be happy in their jobs or want to assist customers in any way. It really put a negative spin on our visit. We almost never experienced this in WDW, where a lot of the cast members are college students on an internship and most are kind and helpful - often going above and beyond! For this reason, I have no interest in going back to Disneyland California.

For people who have been to WDW and Disneyland Paris, I as wondering if you could comment on the atmosphere and staff comparison? I have read some tripadvisor reviews that make me concerned there may be a similar lack of Disney spirit. Also, we're not yet sure if we would give up a Paris day for Disney - but hard when you're a Disney lover to miss it!

Thanks!!
 
Hello,
I am a HUGE fan of WDW, but living in Switzerland I can only go once a year maximum....
I could go often to DIsneyland Paris, but honestly, I never felt the Disney Magic there.
The parks are nice, but the problem is the with the CM and visitors.... It's much more agressive and not organized.
Last time I went in Paris, my osn was around 3 years old. We wanted to see the characters and were queuing, but everytime we had people pushing us and trying to surpass us in the queue...
Same thing with the parades. We were used to the ones in WDW and were waiting for the parade to begin. As soon as the music started people was pushing us, trying to stand on our son's stroller (never saw that anywhere else)...
It was a nightmare!
I don't think we will ever go again....
This summer we will try Disney Tokyo! Hope it will be as magical as WDW !!!
 
If you thought Disneyland California was disappointing, I"m afraid you'll find Paris disappointing as well....
 
This summer we will try Disney Tokyo! Hope it will be as magical as WDW !!!
We loved Disneyland Tokyo! We just came back again from Disneyland Paris, we live in Sweden and we said it's our last trip for a while, the only thing it has going for it, is it's the closest park to us but we'd rather save our money and do our more on our trips to other disney parks.
 


You have to adjust your expectations and not expect things back home to be the same, just because the brand name is the same. Culture is a massive influence on the cast members. You could have had bad luck in Disneyland California. Disneyland Paris is in France and French/European culture is definitely not the over the top happy smiley CMs you see in Disney World. There are great CMs, and things are improving. However, in France, working for Disney is just a job as many others. In Disney World, more than in Disneyland California, people's biggest dream is to work for Disney. Then you forgive all the rude guests, the low pay and working conditions ;-) When it's just a job... it's harder to keep smiling.

If you are a massive DISNEY fan, then yes: Go to Disneyland Paris.
If you are a massive WALT DISNEY WORLD fan, then you shouldn't go.
 
We loved Disneyland Tokyo! We just came back again from Disneyland Paris, we live in Sweden and we said it's our last trip for a while, the only thing it has going for it, is it's the closest park to us but we'd rather save our money and do our more on our trips to other disney parks.

Strange how experiences can differ :) I thought Disneyland Tokyo was a disappointment due to CMs, they seemed to have a fixed preference for Japanese / Asian guests over Western and we had several cultural clashes, more than in Shanghai or Hong Kong.
 
Strange how experiences can differ :)
Isn't it though? At WDW some of our favorite experiences have been at restaurants I've heard tons of people complain about the service and vice versa, we've had terrible experiences at places people rave about. Paris though while the higher up CMs have been great, the other CMs and guests have consistently been a disappointment.
 


Strange how experiences can differ :) I thought Disneyland Tokyo was a disappointment due to CMs, they seemed to have a fixed preference for Japanese / Asian guests over Western and we had several cultural clashes, more than in Shanghai or Hong Kong.

I've found this, too, as far as how much experiences can differ. For us, we loved Tokyo disney and the only time we felt "left out" not being Japanese was with the photopass package, as it is not available for foreign visitors. Aside from that, we felt so welcomed and even felt our daughter got preferential treatment at times with character greets and being offered special seating for shows.

We're heading to Disneyland Paris in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the rest of the parks.
 
I mostly go to WDW, but I’ve been to DLP twice, both for race weekends. I absolutely loved it. I think the parks are wonderful. Even with the race weekend crowds the lines weren’t that bad. I found the food leaves a lot to be desired, but there’s always plenty of popcorn! :D

Magic Kingdom is definitely the better of the two parks, and the castle is beautiful (definitely the best of the 3 parks I’ve been to). Small World is also significantly less grating (I actually enjoy it there and I would rather gnaw off my own arm than ride it in the states). Space Mountain is also fantastic. They don’t really have fireworks, which is a bit disappointing, but the castle projections are wonderful. It’s very easy to go back and forth between the parks during the day so you can take advantage of shorter lines.

I didn’t find the service or the people any worse than WDW. I do think there were a lot of rude tourists, but I also find a lot of WDW tourists to be incredibly rude, so no real difference on that end.

You could definitely do both parks in one day if you’re there on a weekday and plan it well. I got a little tired of the parks after 5 days, so shorter trips are better in comparison to WDW. If you’re a big Disney fan, I think a one day trip out from Paris (the RER is really easy to use and get out there) should absolutely be on your to do list.
 
I really appreciate everyone’s thoughtful replies. I think one reply probably hit the nail on the head - we are more likely Walt Disney WORLD fans than any Disney Park fans. When you grow up always going to WDW, probably hard to compare. It’s not that I want the CMs to be over the top happy all the time, but we actually ran into several RUDE CMs in Disneyland that really hurt us and made us question if we wanted to keep giving substantial money to Disney. In addition, we only have a few days to see beautiful Paris so maybe not the right decision for us to go to Disneyland Paris. Thanks guys!!
 
i think it depends on what kind of Disneyfan you are? If DLR was dissapointing, I’m affraid Paris will be as well. It’s a beautyful park, but it’s smaller and might feel a little boring compared to WDW.
Enjoy your vacation in Europe
 
I am a regular visitor to Disneyland California and I created this thread especially for people who have been to the American parks and are visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time
Managing Expectations When Comparing Disneyland Paris To Other Parks

what you have to remember is that the Disney park you visit most often, in your head becomes your home park. Then when you visit other parks for the first time you subconsciously compare the new park to your home park. Your brain gets confused as it expects certain experiences , things to be the same, etc etc.

This is what frustrates people and makes them have a negative experience of the new park.

Also you need to understand cultural and social differences. Disney does not equal American. Many people have a negative experience of Disneyland Paris because they expect the cultural, social and behavioural norms of America. But Disneyland Paris is in FRANCE so therefore the cultural, social and behavioural norms are European NOT American.
 
I really appreciate everyone’s thoughtful replies. I think one reply probably hit the nail on the head - we are more likely Walt Disney WORLD fans than any Disney Park fans. When you grow up always going to WDW, probably hard to compare. It’s not that I want the CMs to be over the top happy all the time, but we actually ran into several RUDE CMs in Disneyland that really hurt us and made us question if we wanted to keep giving substantial money to Disney. In addition, we only have a few days to see beautiful Paris so maybe not the right decision for us to go to Disneyland Paris. Thanks guys!!

I am curious what you would consider rude behaviour. If we know what was going wrong, we can see if it would be the same at DLP.
A big difference between US customer service in restaurants is, in Europe a waiter will leave you alone for most of the time. As you are enjoying a meal with frienda/family/colleagues. In the US waiters are constantly at your table. To some US citizens waiters in Europe can seem uninterested, but it is a different mindset.

Also in Europe it's not very custom to bend over backwards to please a customer. In Europe it happens more often that you hear a "no".
 
I thought of something else which might help you

  1. Walt Disney World is more of destination, holiday park.
  2. The average length of trip for both Americans and Internationals is 7 to 10 days.
  3. A huge amount of visitors are one and done OR people who only visit every couple of years.
  4. Lets just say that the percentage of first time visitors / one and done visitors is 70% and returning visitors / AP holders is 30% .
  5. The whole nature of Walt Disney World, the many onsite resorts, the months in advance dining reservations systems, the multiple themed dining experiences, the pre booking of Fastpasses, means that park visitors invest a huge amount of time and resources BEFORE they enter the park.
  6. The CM culture, attitudes and training over time has evolved to treat everyone like a first time visitor.
  7. CM's possibly have huge awareness that this is the first and only time park guests will experience Walt Disney World, so therefore the level of customer service, and CM Disneyness will be hugely exaggerated.
  8. Guests that return then get used to this exaggerated Disneyness customer service and come to expect it on every return visit.

  1. Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris are the opposite to Walt Disney World.
  2. The average length of trip for both Americans and Internationals is 3 to 4 days.
  3. A huge amount of visitors are locals / AP holders/ people who visit multiple times a year.
  4. Lets just say that the percentage of first time visitors / one and done visitors is 30% and returning visitors / AP holders is 70% .
  5. The whole nature of Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris the small number of onsite hotels, the short advance dining reservations systems, small amount of themed dining experiences, Fastpass systems which are only accessible once you are in the parks, means that park visitors do not invest a huge amount of time and resources BEFORE they enter the park.
  6. The CM culture, attitudes and training over time has evolved to treat everyone like they know the parks, know how things work, and they dont need that much help , guidance or special attention.
  7. CM's possibly have huge awareness that most guests may have a better knowledge of the park, and have experienced things multiple times so therefore the level of customer service, and CM Disneyness will be more laid back.
  8. Guests that have experienced Walt Disneyworld are not used to this laid back less in your face Disneyness customer service
 
Honestly if you found Disneyland California disappointing then you will likely be disappointed by Disneyland Paris. It is more secluded and in a bubble than California but the culture is very different to the US. I find DLP CMs the most rude. It’s a beautiful park and has a lot to offer but if you’re comparing to WDW then it is not the same.
 
I agree that if DLR is not your thing, then DLP will disappoint as well.

Personally, I loved it. Most of The E-Ticket rides are significantly different then their US counterparts and not in a way that makes you miss the version you are more familiar with. It’s almost like Disneyland, but through the looking glass.

Best Space Mountain by far. Ratatouille was a very cool ride and has one of the better themed areas of the parks; A little bit of a New Orleans Square feel except it’s Paris.

Loved POTC and Phantom Manor. The way Frontierland has a story connecting every attraction to each other makes it such an immersive experience.

As a DLR regular, I felt in some ways that it had a similar vibe to California’s park. It was off season when I went and I felt like there were more locals than distant tourists that day. Park hopping was just as easy as in CA and the fact that it is a more intimate park meant that as a side trip to a Paris vacation, I was able to see quite a bit in my 1 day visit and still hit up the best rides multiple times.

As for attitudes, I did not experience anything negative from the CMs but it will definitely be different than most US tourists expect from Disney CMs. If you are comfortable in Europe, it will be fine.

I don’t think I would fly over there just for a DLP trip, but I would definitely slide in an extra day or two on a Paris vacation to visit DLP again.
 
It's a bout expectation management.

It's smaller, the cast members are not as nice/polite/smiley as in America, the weather is not as perfect (grey skies in your castle pics), and there's cigarette smoke everywhere.

BUT, there are things that are unique to DLP. The castle is BEAUTIFUL imho, and, you know, it's Disney. If you set your expectations you can enjoy, but if you expect to get WDW you will be disappointed.

Personally I always thought that WDW is too big to capture the magic I felt at Disneyland in California, but in my experience, the "magic" is also about timing and crowds. It tends to disappear in both on the most crowded days imho. Cast members are less patient, crowds are less patient, etc.

That being said, in DLP you will need to really summon your cup-half-full attitude if you want to feel any magic, which is easier if you really love Disney and prefer it over other experiences. Personally I'd prefer it over Eiffel any day.

Overall I think WDW lots a lot of business over people who went to DLP first, and thought that was the Disney experience and never gave WDW a chance.

One advantage DLP has over Disneyland is that there are still days where it's not crowded. So if you time your visit right that might help.
 

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