Do not trust Disneyland Paris tips for Brits/holiday planning Facebook group

[greenbean789]

When I was planning our trip to Disneyland Paris I joined this group - Disneyland Paris for brits, as it was recommended on MN. However, the group is not what they claim to be, and their purpose is not to exchange useful tips and information on DPL. It is mainly to promote their own businesses, which are somehow related to Disneyland, and most members of the group have vested interests. You will not get objective information or advice, the group pushes down the agenda of Disneyland being magical and rosy. I posted my after-trip report, which although wasn’t completely related to Disneyland itself, mentioned my impression of it being overrated. And I received 150 comments, most of them negative and downright vile. They went through my FB profile and picked it apart, commenting on personal things. I did not intend to criticise DPL in my post, it was just my honest opinion.
The group wants you to have a rosy image of DPL, where the queues can be beaten by fastpass, meals booked in advance, baggies rented to cart children around, all magic, happiness and joy and excitement.
The reality was different - on our first day we barely managed 3-4 rides. We were in the first queue for 2 hours. Children got so tired and bored they didn’t enjoy the rides. My friend and I had to carry our children for 1-2 hours, and hers is very heavy almost 6 year old. The pushchairs were not allowed in the queues. Everywhere I saw exhausted, bored, cranky children, many asleep in their parents arms.The fastpass was not all it cranked out to be: we got our for one ride at 12, and were given a time for 5pm, so we couldn’t use until we finished your first ride. By 5pm the children didn’t want any rides, they just wanted to go home. The second day was a bit better, but still 80%of the time was spent queueing, with children hanging from us. My back is still achy, 4 days on. Our shuttle bus run once an hour only, which was inconvenient too.
So, you are planning a trip, it is important that you know downside as well and be prepared.

Floralnomad, in UK theme parks I could always take the pushchair in the queue, and so it was more manageable!

We were on a weekend of a half-term, didn’t have magic hours, could only start at 10, and could only get in after half ten. Queue for security, then another longer queue to exchange tickets for passes.

That’s just about the epitome of poor planning!

You and other people might have been lucky....

You might call it luck. But it's amazing how lucky you become if you plan well and get up early in the morning.

I don't know a theme park in the UK which allows buggies in queues, it's an evacuation hazard. And yes I most definitely do judge the overall parenting of a six year old who can't manage a weekend of not even full days

children can play freely, with sandpit and climbing frame,

Like pochontas' play village?

Although honestly the idea of Disney really wasn't somewhere the kids do and the adults watch. It always was designed as a place children and adults do together. There is a quote from Disney somewhere on the subject here

The idea for Disneyland came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy’s day with the two daughters. So we’d start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things, and I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and as I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round and did all these things- sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts- I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that’s how Disneyland started.

Youkatzu, you call it epitome of poor planning, I call it epitome of lack of time. As a mother of two, with a demanding full-time job, weeekend activities to ferry my oldest to, loads of work load brought home, school run (at least once a day, as my husbands does half of it depending on his shift), taking two kids to and picking them up from two different providers - half an hour walk in between them, I barely manage even to have lunch most days, and never breakfast. And don’t even get me started on housework, school homework, cooking and cleaning and bedtime routine for children. I am not exception, I am what most of the modern parents are, my husband does a fair share of all above, but has a full time job too.
Not everyone wants to take their kids out of school during term time, and most people have to work for living, so weekend is the only option.
You might know a theme park allowing buggies in UK, but I know as i’ve been on them.

Tilly and Youkatzu are the epitome of the said FB group. What are you interests, I wonder? So you say it is not business, so what is it then?
So this is what I don’t understand: if someone said “I find Marks and Spencer’s overrated”, the adequate reaction of adequate people would be “Oh, what a shame, I rather like it, and actually think it is good value” and that would be the end of it.
The inadequate reaction would be to abuse the person who expressed a different view on M&S, pick his profile apart, judge his lifestyle etc, and force him/her to experience the same elation towards the said brand.
Unless they work on a commission, or employed in M&S PR department, or trolls. Or another explanation is they are plain extremists, blinded by their devotion.
So I am bowing out, as it is getting ridiculous.

See ya. 👋

You seem to enjoy being offended, OP, from your other posts. Perhaps you should get some perspective.

If you hate Disney, that’s fine. There are bits of it I don’t enjoy. First time we went we made mistakes that affected our enjoyment. We didn’t bitch and moan about it. We did things differently the next time.

5th trip shortly and not one has been at a weekend or during a school holiday. I’d personally rather not go than go when it’s heaving.

Each trip has been different but magical in its own way. We don’t spend a fortune, we don’t exhaust ourselves. We just go and have fun with our kids.

I think you were unlucky with your trip. I have been 3 or 4 times. I don't love it but had a stepson and now my own DC who do. We went in August last year and it was incredibly busy. We self-cater off-site so couldn't get in early (got there in time for normal opening hours) and the queues to get in were much worse than they used to be pre the security checks.

It was extremely crowded inside. I went at the same time of year about 10 years ago and it was so much busier this time. Even so, the longest we had to queue for anything was 45 minutes and we got to go on every ride we wanted during the day. I won't be rushing back though, I think it's been a victim of its own success.

The FB group sounds rubbish. Disneyland has many flaws and there is no harm in pointing that out. Also, it is difficult to be that well prepared if you've never visited before, no matter how much online reading you do.

Hey I am back, couldn’t resist a last dig at Tilly 😀! So your children either don’t go to school, or you have no qualms about taking them out of school during term time, and you don’t work! Otherwise how would you find time to look through other people’s profiles? And your life must be really boring if you have to do this to amuse yourself!

Childrenothesun, you are one of the few sane posters in here, thank you!

Tiggers, thank you, I am glad there is one more unbiased person here, who didn’t get angry about six year old being carried!

Wowbatter, even if there are free play areas, which I doubt as I didn’t see any, you cannot be there and have your place in the queue reserved at the same time. You have to be physically present in queues.

I agree, totally overrated and actually we all found it a bit boring

Hey I am back, couldn’t resist a last dig at Tilly 😀!

It’s Titty.

So your children either don’t go to school, or you have no qualms about taking them out of school during term time,

Child, and no. No problem taking kids out of school here in Wales. She’s top of her class.

and you don’t work!

I lost certainly do. Full time. There’s a legal entitlement to this stuff called annual leave.......

I also run a business, am chair of trustees of a charity and I’m doing a degree with the OU. My excellent time management has helped hugely with enjoying Disney.

Otherwise how would you find time to look through other people’s profiles?

Takes seconds, darling, if you have any sort of cognitive function.

*most

Wowbatter, even if there are free play areas, which I doubt as I didn’t see any, you cannot be there and have your place in the queue reserved at the same time. You have to be physically present in queues.

One adult in queue. Other adult takes children to play area (there are a couple and yes, they are free). There are also the treehouses and caves to run around in. Brings children back to waiting adult when they have moved up the queue. It’s our approach to every meet, ride and parade. But hey, it’s obviously just us biased folk that can come up with such a plan.

But why would you want to spend thousands taking your kids to Disney to have them play in a play park similar to one you could go to for free at home? Disney is a different experience entirely, and it is fair enough if it isn't for you, but why so aggressive about it.

One adult in queue. Other adult takes children to play area (there are a couple and yes, they are free). There are also the treehouses and caves to run around in. Brings children back to waiting adult when they have moved up the queue. It’s our approach to every meet, ride and parade. But hey, it’s obviously just us biased folk that can come up with such a plan.

I am doing my research for our first trip and I had been wondering if this was possible. Are there any rides where it wouldn't be suitable to do this, and do other people get funny if you appear with two kids and rejoin the queue with the other adult?

I think there are some queues where it's quite difficult to rejoin as there are so many barriers, or partly indoor/partly outdoor queues so might be hard to see where the adult in the queue is. Also, most of the younger children's rides are in fantasy land and there aren't any play areas there. This strategy could probably work for the parade, although you'd have to be quite bolshy to be able to save 3 extra spaces. IME people crowded quite close together.

One adult in queue. Other adult takes children to play area (there are a couple and yes, they are free). There are also the treehouses and caves to run around in. Brings children back to waiting adult when they have moved up the queue. It’s our approach to every meet, ride and parade. But hey, it’s obviously just us biased folk that can come up with such a plan.

Please don't do this for the rides. It is one of the definitions of queue jumping and can get you a park ban. I don't think they are necessarily hot on enforcement yet, but they will become more so as the Disney company tale over really starts making its mark

Youkatzu are the epitome of the said FB group. What are you interests, I wonder?

Why thank you. I think it's a shame if you blame a place and an advice group when the actual reason the trip didn't work for you was that you couldn't get to the park in time to make the best of the day or to put into practice the kind of advice that is given on the group all the time. That's not Disneys fault, that's not the groups fault, had you said I'm bee going on a half term weekend and I won't get there until 11 I should imagine the overwhelming response you'll get is you really won't see the best of the park. Nothing wrong with peak times but not getting there ahead of opening is really the killer

another explanation is they are plain extremists, blinded by their devotion.

Given I can quite disney to your complaint I think this seems a reasonable assumption!

But I my defence trips to Disney have got me through some really tough times. Your experience isn't the norm, it's a shame if it puts anyone off.

You did disney wrong! We go every year and if you listen to the advice from people in the fb groups you would plan correctly so so don't spend time queuing.

I'm not in that group anymore as I know disney well enough to not need to be, however the first couple of lines of your post are unfair as they are incorrect.

Daniel potter's group I am still in as they post info about new stuff so I can keep updated.

But hey- don't go again. One less person there suits me.

One adult in queue. Other adult takes children to play area (there are a couple and yes, they are free). There are also the treehouses and caves to run around in. Brings children back to waiting adult when they have moved up the queue. It’s our approach to every meet, ride and parade. But hey, it’s obviously just us biased folk that can come up with such a plan.

Please don't do this for the rides. It is one of the definitions of queue jumping and can get you a park ban. I don't think they are necessarily hot on enforcement yet, but they will become more so as the Disney company tale over really starts making its mark

This, a million times over. Queue jumping - drives me mad.

It’s ribbish you had such a bad experience but I do think your lack of planning and your
Defeatist attitude wouldn’t have helped tbh. You’re very angry with everyone.

We went in the Easter holidays this year and longest we queued was 50 minutes once for autopia. In the queue we played, had snacks etc.

I was in Disneyland Hong kong last week and the staff were not allowing one parent to queue with children joining at a a later time. Parent was told if they wanted the rest of the party to join her, she would need to go back to the start of the queue.
I've never heard of the group you mention, but you do need to plan the day to get the most out of it. Also no pushchairs allowed in the queues at HK Disney.

*I agree, totally overrated and actually we all found it a bit boring

^This

I think there are some queues where it's quite difficult to rejoin as there are so many barriers, or partly indoor/partly outdoor queues so might be hard to see where the adult in the queue is.
Sorry. I was only referring to the outdoor bits of queues.

First time we went I started queueing afor the PP during EMH. DH took DD -then 3- off and brought her back at 10am. He then went off to the big rides while DD and I queued for another hour and three quarters. Never again. Life’s too bloody short!

Generally speaking now we don’t queue more than 30 mins. Planning and the waiting times app are key. It’s much easier now the girls are older.

Even on the day we arrived, we had lunch, went into the park at 1.30ish and got on at least four rides before the parade - May last year.

Joined that Facebook page and it actually turned me off going as I did not feel I could sustain the level of enthusiasm or spend the cash willingly like people on the page. Serious Disney fans!

Oh dear!!

Disney costs an awful lot of money and we couldn't afford to go and have crap time.

Nevern rely on sole source of information. Ever, put those down to experience!!

I'm still confused about queuing stuff...

I don't want play areas to elleviate queue wait times.

I want them so dc have more and something different to do, where you can sit and relax on one spot...

Others theme parks have so many different play areas. At efteling in holland you could entertain yourself without a single queue just from all the different play areas... And places to look at and go.. You wouldn't need to go on single ride and have a lovely day.

Efteling is my standard of a good park and Disney although great fun falls short.