Europe 2016 - Robb & Elissa Traveling Around Riding Stuff

[robbalveySite Admin]

Part 1 - Disneyland Paris
Part 2 - Paris Sightseeing
Part 3 - More Disneyland Paris
Part 4 - Bobbejaanland
Part 5 - Walibi Belgium
Part 6 - Toverland
Part 7 - Efteling
Part 8 - Slagharen
Part 9 - Walibi Holland
Part 10 - Potts Park
Part 11 - Heide Park
Part 12 - Hansa Park
Part 13 - Movie Park Germany
Part 14 - Phantasialand
Part 15 - Holiday Park
Part 16 - Europa Park Day 1
Part 17 - Europa Park Day 2
Part 18 - Europa Park Day 3
Part 19 - Grona Lund
Part 20 - Kolmarden & Wildfire
Part 21 - Final Report! Cruise, Greece, Rome, Rainbow Magicland & Cinecitta World!

BONUS REPORT! Visiting Venice, Italy



So at the moment we are in Europe doing random stuff. I'll post a few things here and there but not sure if I'll have time for a full-blown trip report while we are on the trip. We are live tweeting every day so to follow along, click: https://twitter.com/ThemeParkReview

Anyway, let me get you all caught up over the past two days...


Next stop... Paris! The first leg of our summer TPR adventures begin!


Almost there!


...and now on the other side of the world, we are at #DisneylandParis!





Space Mountain: Mission 2 continues to be the best looking but worst riding of all the SM versions.


On the plus side, #DisneylandParis probably had the best version of Pirates! (Although it was sort of disappointing to see lots of the effects not working: no more swordfight scene, lots of audio not triggering or just missing, etc...)


9:18pm and the sun is just starting to set at #DisneylandParis! Another reason why I love European summers!




I will never understand how such rampant line jumping is not just allowed but almost encouraged in this culture. We also saw smoking & selfie sticks everywhere at DLP even though there are signs saying not to use them.





#DisneylandParis looks freakin' incredible at night!




Disney Dreams at #DisneylandParis is by far the best "castle projection" show (yes, better than Tokyo's, IMO) & in my top 3 Disney night shows!


There is one part of Disney Dreams where it actually looks like the #DisneylandParis castle is on fire! lol

Next day...


It's going to be a #Disney + @Starbucks morning!




First stop this morning? Crush's Coaster! Thankfully it opened early, the line is not too bad!


Was awesome to meet TPR fans on the other side of the world!




Tower of Terror is always impressive no matter what language you ride it in!




If you miss the Studio Tour @WDWToday it's still here at #DisneylandParis but personally, I don't miss it!


Not sure why these old @WDWToday #Epcot Horizons props are on the #DisneylandParis studio tour, but there they are!




Ratatouille was "ok" and it's not a bad ride, I just wish it wasn't what it was. Someone described it as "Disney does a Universal ride" complete with 3-D glasses, a bunch of movie screens, motion based vehicle and water that sprays on you! lol That about sums it up!


Interesting to see how much better Disney Studios #DisneylandParis has gotten since our 1st visit opening year.



The girls got these awesome cute yet terrifying @McDonalds Happy Meal boxes for #Euro2016


OFF WITH THIER HEADS!!!

Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5

— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015

I really prefer the Buzz Lightyear rides that have different shapes for targets. Hit the triangles!


I sort of like that Casey Jr's Circus Train is a powered roller coaster @DisneylandParis!

I'll be honest... I sort of have a love/hate thing going on with Disneyland Paris. This is so much of this park that I love: the look of and feel of many of their themed areas (Discoveryland is just beautiful and you could drop it right into DisneySea and it would fit right in), they have some of the best versions of some Disney attractions (Pirates, Mansion, Thunder, etc...) and the castle is just breathtaking!

but I *HATE* that the park seems to be neglected by it's clientele who don't seem to care or respect the park. The amount of line jumping, smoking, overall just annoying people just really grates on me. And while I realize that's part of the European Culture and I should accept it, which I do, I also don't have to like it.

The staff of the park have at least been wonderful and we are having a good time here, it's just hard to not walk away from the park feeling like "Wow, I really want to *LOVE* this place...I really want to... but I just can't."

We are live tweeting every day so to follow along, click: https://twitter.com/ThemeParkReview

[NrthwndBAYSIDE STATION!!!]

^ Sad to read that the stuff in Pirates still isn't working. When we were there, (Sept!) not only no sword fighting figures,
but no dog-with-key either! Pirates in jail with the bone were still there though, which made it look really bizarre.

Yes, we saw and smelled smoking all over the place, too. I'm so glad I quit over a year ago! But, for some
reason we actually didn't run into any line jumpers. Our luck, I guess.

Glad you still enjoyed a lot of what the resort does have to offer. And respected it, unlike a lot of the locals there.

[robbalveySite Admin]

This wall of text is going to be a rant...

Today we took a wonderful private group tour of the Paris Catacombs with a very informative Italian tour guide. He was awesome!

However, this small 18 person tour reminded me of exactly why I can never be a tour guide again and had to stop doing our public tours before I would go legit insane from my pure hatred of most people.

We saw just about every example of terrible behavior represented in this small group that I can easily cross reference to our own TPR tour groups that we have encountered over the years.

For example...

Self-entitled people not following directions and doing whatever the hell they felt like, people touching things when they were just told not to, people taking flash pictures when it clearly says no flash, assburgers people who can't sit still and ask a million questions and keep talking and talking and talking, people asking just insanely stupid questions that make everyone around them dumber for listening, people who would interrupt and blurt stuff out over what the guide would say to show everyone how smart they were, people questioning the guide on minor details as though their information was more important or more accurate or somehow mattered, obnoxious kids who were fucking CLIMBING on ancient ruins and falling off them annoying the rest of the group, people trying so hard to impress everyone else with all the French they knew as if the next person actually gives half a shit, and of course people leaving the tour and not tipping the guide after he just put up with their shit for over two hours.

And then there was us. The four of us who quietly kept to ourselves enjoying the tour, listened to what the guide had to say, respected all the rules and our surroundings and didn't try to go out of our way to impress total strangers with whatever pointless comments we would have made.

Is it really too much to ask for people to just be like us? And what we've realized over the years is that it is. People just can't quietly enjoy something without having to feel so important and blurt out factoids, corrections, organize their own personal agenda around ours, brag about their personal coaster counts, and other pointless inane crap that they think everyone cares about but nobody does. And after ten years of putting up with that crap, I just couldn't take it anymore and only want to travel with people more like us. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so.

At the end of the tour we thanked our guide, gave him a nice tip, and wished we could tell him that I fully respect him for having more patience with people than I ever had, but I'm not sure he would quite understand.

Anyway, it was a great tour. Looking forward to our next one that is a private personal tour without any other idiot people because I'm pretty sure if our tour went any longer we would have been adding more bones to the catacombs.

Thanks for reading. /end rant

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

The next time I'm in Paris, I'll definitely check out the Catacombs. Say hello to the gargoyles at Notre Dame for me (they are pretty cool).

[Married a CanadianDoes Jeff Johnson count this donkey as a credit?]

How is the security over there right now with the Euros going on?
Has it been noticable..especially getting into the park?

[robbalveySite Admin]

How is the security over there right now with the Euros going on?
Has it been noticable..especially getting into the park?

Not anything that bad. I mean there is extra security and metal detectors but it's still gone more smoothly than let's say getting through Universal security.

[GaretAm I allowed to eat donkey during lent?]

I feel like entitlement in general is a big issue. The amount of times I see both from students (whose parents complain when teachers tell them off for breaking rules) or people in the apartment blocks or on the road who seem to think the rules are for everyone but them has increased so much recently compared to just a few years ago. It went from every few days or so 6 years ago to every day to now when I literally see about 8 things that make me shake my head in despair and just hate the world in just 1 trip to the local supermarket and back.

[coasterbillWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

While thankfully I've never worked in the tourism / service industry, it always amazes me how the vast majority of those people can put on a patient, happy front while dealing with some of the dumbest people planet earth has to offer.

I'm glad you're having fun though despite being surrounded by pure idiocy.

DLP is a park that I never really hear about or see many pictures of. Is it bad I didn't know they had a Tower of Terror? Space Mountain 2 looks gorgeous, appreciate the reviews and photos!

Tip - the only French I know is "beau twah" (eff you)

[KBrylczykI'd like to buy a vowel!]

Say hello to the gargoyles at Notre Dame for me (they are pretty cool).