Just returned from Newport bay- 5 days. Very disappointed

dypsy

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 1, 2011
Been at Newport bay for 4 nights/5 days and was really disappointed in the whole experience.

Mostly the cast members from the bars/restaurants/in the parks are so rude and disorganised. Everything takes ages e.g. Visited steakhouse one night, 6pm, baby was hungry but they would not give us the bread for the table until thedrinks were served. This took 30 mins, we asked for 1 piece for the baby (in fact we were standing beside it) but were refused.
Disorganisation in general at Disneyland by cast members is awful and their English understanding seems to come and go depending on when it suits them.
Rooms in Newport bay are way too small for 1 baby, 1 child, 1 teenager and 2 adults.
Got a kettle to wash baby cup but couldnt even plug it in as the plug doesnt fit in the sockets in the desk, have hopefully attached photos to show what i mean.

The queues, ohh my goodness, not much else to say and I know they are outside Disney control but they are sooo long.

Travelled for a family reunion, 18 in total. Impossible to book a restaurant for 18, has to be 2 seperate bookings and then we got seated at 2 or 3 seperate tables. We might as well not have been with the family as we all could not eat and chat together.
Bar in Newport bay is also much too small.
Ohh and 11 euros for what was a sherry glass of a strawberry daiquiri!

Visited the baby change room once and it even has a sign saying no prams inside.

On the plus side the weather was nice and we home again!

Any happy to answer any questions anyone has about rides etc, I promise I am not all doom and gloom.
 

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ok, I wasnt going to do this but you have some unrealistic expections, so lets go through each of your negative points

Mostly the cast members from the bars/restaurants/in the parks are so rude and disorganised.
Cultural differences between America and Europe. You are in France , not America, so customer service is very different. You will not get the over the top, smiliey have a nice day type of customer service in France. AThe same with resturant policies and procedures, Disneyland Paris is in France, so therefore everything is done by French and European standards, not American standards.

Everything takes ages e.g. Visited steakhouse one night, 6pm, baby was hungry but they would not give us the bread for the table until thedrinks were served. This took 30 mins, we asked for 1 piece for the baby (in fact we were standing beside it) but were refused
Cultural differences. In Europe meals are a much more leisurely experience and the service can seem slow to those used to eating in restaurants in America. For example I find the service in restaurants in Disneyland California very rushed, I hate that I'm halfway though my app and the main course will appear, or that they clear my main course and within seconds my desert is on the table. In restaurants in Europe and evening meal in a restaurant can take 2 hours.

Disorganisation in general at Disneyland by cast members is awful and their English understanding seems to come and go depending on when it suits them.
Cultural differences. Aagin you are in France and English is not the first language of the country and its not the first language of many of the CM's. Its very arrogant to go to Disneyland Paris and complain that the CM's don't speak English. Did you even try to greet them in French, did you say Bonjour when you walked into shops or restaurants?? Not even trying to speak French is considered very rude , so therefore you were treated with the same rude attitude back. Thats just to be expected when you are in a country where the first language is not English.

Rooms in Newport bay are way too small for 1 baby, 1 child, 1 teenager and 2 adults.
Research on your part would have given you a better expectation of the room size. European rooms are smaller than American rooms. Did you request a family room or did you just try to cram everyone into a standard room? Did you check out room configurations at the other onsite hotels? Hotel Cheyenne has rooms which would be better suited for your family group, a double bed, a single bed, a couch bed and then a cot for the baby

Got a kettle to wash baby cup but couldnt even plug it in as the plug doesnt fit in the sockets in the desk, have hopefully attached photos to show what i mean.
Again unrealistic expectaions. If you knew you needed a kettle you should have brought one with you. Kettles are not standard in French hotels, so therefore the kettle you were provided with is just one which guest services has in reserve. They may have had to get one from a different hotel for you, Also the rooms don't just have one plug socket. If it was that urgent, I'm sure you could have found an alternative socket to plug the kettle in.

The queues, ohh my goodness, not much else to say and I know they are outside Disney control but they are sooo long.
Di you use the Fastpass system? Di you get up early in the morning for the early access for onsite guests? Did you go to rides during the parade and shows? Did you research the dates, as I'm assuming you were there last week, which was half term holiday for Ireland and UK and possible other countries. I was in Disneyland Paris in 2016 the week after half-term and the CM's all told me I made the right decision as the park is chaos during school holidays.

Travelled for a family reunion, 18 in total. Impossible to book a restaurant for 18, has to be 2 seperate bookings and then we got seated at 2 or 3 seperate tables. We might as well not have been with the family as we all could not eat and chat together. Bar in Newport bay is also much too small.
Big family groups like 18 people are NOT the normal type of guests at Disneyland Paris. This is unrealistic to expect the restaurants to accommodate you , they did the best they could and you are STILL not happy!

Ohh and 11 euros for what was a sherry glass of a strawberry daiquiri!
Did you research the price of food and drinks at Disneyland Paris? All the menus are on the Disneyland Paris website and a simple Google search would bring up many photos of the bar menus. I always check out the menus and prices before visiting a Disneyland Park, so that I can plan my budget accordingly. Also the prices of drinks in the bar are a direct coloration to the level of the hotel. Prices in the budget hotels, Santa Fe and Cheyenne are cheaper than prices in Newport Bay and Sequoia Lodge.

Visited the baby change room once and it even has a sign saying no prams inside.
WOW, seriously, whats the big deal, is it THAT hard to take your baby out of the pram? Its not like you were solo, you had 17 other people there to watch the pram while you changed the baby!!
 
Harsh but some valid points.
Parisians have a certain way, a certain manner, which may appear brusque but most are utterly charming. I agree that even an attempt at a few words of French would have helped. I think that the OP may have been trying to put the plug in the socket upside down.
 


476191
(Yes, its a Hobby of mine);)


I will be in Paris / Disneyland Paris in a little over 999 more hours from now -
First time Visitor there as well -:goodvibes

Solo traveler -
Sorry to see you had a rather rough time of it -:grouphug:


But.... to others I promise to write about my experiences as well -
Has my expectation level been set too high or......???


STAY TUNED -popcorn::






T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL
 
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Cultural differences shouldn't supersede Disney standards but they do. This is why just about every American complains about DLP once they're back home. You get used to the Disney standards in the US while at DLP they make no effort at all. I've been to DLP twice so I'm not talking out of school, I've experienced it first hand.
 


Cultural differences shouldn't supersede Disney standards but they do. This is why just about every American complains about DLP once they're back home. You get used to the Disney standards in the US while at DLP they make no effort at all. I've been to DLP twice so I'm not talking out of school, I've experienced it first hand.
The US Disney standards cannot be upheld by people who are not US. You also don't have the same Disney standards in the Asian Disney parks. A Disney standard (if it even exists) cannot be copy/pasted. You cannot ask a French man to be more American.
 
The US Disney standards cannot be upheld by people who are not US. You also don't have the same Disney standards in the Asian Disney parks. A Disney standard (if it even exists) cannot be copy/pasted. You cannot ask a French man to be more American.

Again, I‘m trying to be fair.... I certainly wave my Canadian flag symbolically when travelling to differentiate from Americans.:cool: But stereotypes work both ways. A quick glance at OPs posts shows they are from Belfast, Ireland.
 
I think that BadPinkTink´s post said it all (and it is a great post).

You can not compare US and European Disney parks. I really do not know if it would be better to get the standart from the US in Europe (or the other way). Both cultures are way to different.

I´ve never met a rude CM in DLP and we stay there each year since 10 years now.

I will not offend any CM but I guess working for Disney in Europe is just a job....working for Disney in the US could be different and a lifetime experience.

We always try to speak some French words when staying there. I can do "Bonjour" or "Merci" even I can not speak any French. When I told the CM that I am from Germany they are happy about my little French and it is a good start for a friendly conversation.

We have a theme park in my hometown too and believe me compare to them the CM at DLP are the best in the world....sorry...Europe ( :thumbsup2 )
 
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I think that BadPinkTink (BPT) was out of line with some of her comments, and making unfounded assumption about the OP.

- OP claimed only that DLP Staff was "rude and disorganised", so it was safe to assume that OP expected the staff to be "courteous and organised", and I find that to be a reasonable expectation. "Over the top, smiliey have a nice day type of customer service" was never mentioned by the OP, so that is unfounded assumption #1.

- OP's only specific complaint about "Everything takes ages" was only about not getting bread for the table/baby, and seems reasonable. If a meal is going to take two hours, who wants to spend 25 % of that time idly waiting for something to eat/drink? In fact, the OP had no complaints about the pace of the meal, and never mentioned the pace of meals in America, so that is unfounded assumption #2.

I could go on, but I think my point is made. OP expressed legitimate concerns, and BPT made numerous unfounded assumptions in order to minimize/dismiss these concerns.
 
I have stayed at NPB and I had a great stay. However I agree with the plug socket comment, we brought our own kettle with an adapter and it took brute force to get it to work and there was no other suitable socke. But the rest of our stay was great, and was have visited Disney world and Disneyland Anaheim previously so had high hopes
 
I think that BadPinkTink (BPT) was out of line with some of her comments, and making unfounded assumption about the OP.

- OP claimed only that DLP Staff was "rude and disorganised", so it was safe to assume that OP expected the staff to be "courteous and organised", and I find that to be a reasonable expectation. "Over the top, smiliey have a nice day type of customer service" was never mentioned by the OP, so that is unfounded assumption #1.

- OP's only specific complaint about "Everything takes ages" was only about not getting bread for the table/baby, and seems reasonable. If a meal is going to take two hours, who wants to spend 25 % of that time idly waiting for something to eat/drink? In fact, the OP had no complaints about the pace of the meal, and never mentioned the pace of meals in America, so that is unfounded assumption #2.

I could go on, but I think my point is made. OP expressed legitimate concerns, and BPT made numerous unfounded assumptions in order to minimize/dismiss these concerns.

I agree with you 100%

Every American who comes back and complains about their trip to DLP is basically treated the same way on this board. Everything you complain about is wrong, your opinion is essentially wrong and we're right. It's basically why I do my best to ignore this section of the boards. Do you think every American is super enthusiastic? The answer is a hard no. Disney trains their cast members to be this way, to project the Disney spirit to enhance guests experience. They make you feel glad you came, glad you spent your hard earned vacation money here rather than Six Flags or Busch Gardens or anywhere else there are miserable employees just collecting a paycheck. They could do this in Paris, they chose not to do it. When I go to DLP I feel like I'm at a mediocre Six Flags with a Disney overlay.
 
As a broad generalisation, French people and British people have different social norms than our American friends. This does not mean that British people are not polite and charming or that French people do not exude bonhomie, but just that we would rather suck sour lemons than be artificially happy. We are also naturally suspicious of fake happy, overzealous welcomes etc. Save for when it comes to apologies, less is generally more. 😉
Parisians are, well, different. No matter to where we travel in the world, I wonder whether it makes experiences more enjoyable, to embrace those differences, irrespective of whether we are amused, bemused or confused by them. For example, the whole tipping thing... most (another broad generalisation) Brits think Americans are truly bonkers for tipping 18, 20 %, but, even though it is for us an anathema, we smile and follow your example. We grumble about it, of course; it makes a change from complaining about the weather. 😂
 
:drive:** WOWZERS!**


I take all this commentary listed above as a personal challenge to bring my American TEXAN accent across the pond and have a field day with the locals while enjoying seeing the sights and sounds of France for the very first time (2nd week in April).

Besides.....
savoir un peu de français peut faire beaucoup ...
** (essayez de dire cela avec un accent Texan)**:laughing:


Remember -
in Texas, we "warsh" our "thangs" in "jewelry" cleaner while saying a color when we answer the phone ("Yellow"):lmao:



SERIOUSLY though.
I'm a Visitor in France, will be respectful of the Culture there and promise to have fun blogging about my experiences -


in mean hey, I survived visiting New York City a few years ago (the Bronx, Bleeker Street, Central Park, Slyvias, The Apollo theatre, Times Square, Elizabeth Arden Spa, Statue of Liberty, etc)
and survived ---;)
New Yorkers are something else!
(DONT EVER TICK OFF BY ACCIDENT THE SUBWAY TOKEN LADY).....:laughing:
But...
from the food to the atmosphere, I LUV NY:goodvibes

........>
So I get a feeling I will do just fine over in Paris.::yes::






970 heures de plus et je serai en Francepopcorn::
477097
 
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WDW struggled to meet our group size for the one dinner reservation we had at Epcot's Mexican Pavilion restaurant and our group size was 12. Also our local Texas Roadhouse restaurant has a sign that they will not accommodate groups larger then 8. Large groups are not the norm and at busy dinner time it's hard to expect them to move enough tables around to make it work.

Your other complaints may be valid, but being mad about a group of 18 not sitting at the same table is asinine. You'd be hard pressed to find many places anywhere in the world that would readily be able to or want to accommodate such a large group.
 
unless derailed by travel restrictions, we plan to be in DLP in early April. These threads make it sound terrible; but then I realize that me and my family have attitudes similar to the DLP workers. We dont mind the overly friendliness of Orlando but certainly dont NEED it. We jsut want to get to where we want to go and get it done. We want to eat without interruption (we generally hate dinners on disney cruises b/c the waiters wont leave us alone!)

So we're looking forward to it!
 
unless derailed by travel restrictions, we plan to be in DLP in early April. These threads make it sound terrible; but then I realize that me and my family have attitudes similar to the DLP workers. We dont mind the overly friendliness of Orlando but certainly dont NEED it. We jsut want to get to where we want to go and get it done. We want to eat without interruption (we generally hate dinners on disney cruises b/c the waiters wont leave us alone!)

So we're looking forward to it!

Disneyland Paris is a great park, but things go wrong when people used to US parks expect everything to be the same, are not open minded and focus on the small things, like sockets in this thread. If the post of the OP had been more balanced, and not say 'this, this and this is wrong with this park and the only plus side I will mention now is the weather and that we are home again...', it wouldn't have become such an 'us' versus 'them' thread.

Disneyland Paris has the best Big Thunder Mountain of all the parks, the castle is the prettiest, the parks are logistically designed better as it could learn from the other parks, so more space etc. I do enjoy Pirates most in Paris, because I am used to it, but also that the order of scenes makes more sense to me. Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) is great and I love how they added the additional English lines after the last refurbishments to make it enjoyable for more guests. To name a few things I enjoy about 'my' park.

What I also think Disneyland Paris did better, because it could learn from the other parks is the actual design. When you look at how the castle is situated on the hill with the different shapes of trees on the left and right of the castle. Same goes for Phantom Manor, as you walk up to the ride you see how the entire surroundings are incorporated with the Manor.

And I think DLP has done some interesting seasons with Lion King/Jungle Book, Pirates and Princesses. The current Frozen season is not my favourite but the two shows and the snacks are nice. Star Wars & Marvel are not really my thing so I cannot judge the quality.

That's all the 'hard' stuff, for the soft skills, you just have to keep in mind that there are cultural differences and that you have to go with the flow. Some things are not as enjoyable, the French can come across as arrogant. Some are really nice, like not being bothered during your dinner :)

So, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!
 
Disneyland Paris is a great park, but things go wrong when people used to US parks expect everything to be the same, are not open minded and focus on the small things, like sockets in this thread. If the post of the OP had been more balanced, and not say 'this, this and this is wrong with this park and the only plus side I will mention now is the weather and that we are home again...', it wouldn't have become such an 'us' versus 'them' thread.

Disneyland Paris has the best Big Thunder Mountain of all the parks, the castle is the prettiest, the parks are logistically designed better as it could learn from the other parks, so more space etc. I do enjoy Pirates most in Paris, because I am used to it, but also that the order of scenes makes more sense to me. Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) is great and I love how they added the additional English lines after the last refurbishments to make it enjoyable for more guests. To name a few things I enjoy about 'my' park.

What I also think Disneyland Paris did better, because it could learn from the other parks is the actual design. When you look at how the castle is situated on the hill with the different shapes of trees on the left and right of the castle. Same goes for Phantom Manor, as you walk up to the ride you see how the entire surroundings are incorporated with the Manor.

And I think DLP has done some interesting seasons with Lion King/Jungle Book, Pirates and Princesses. The current Frozen season is not my favourite but the two shows and the snacks are nice. Star Wars & Marvel are not really my thing so I cannot judge the quality.

That's all the 'hard' stuff, for the soft skills, you just have to keep in mind that there are cultural differences and that you have to go with the flow. Some things are not as enjoyable, the French can come across as arrogant. Some are really nice, like not being bothered during your dinner :)

So, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

tumblr_m98j7cHGcY1qbaj4uo1_400.gif
 
I'm sorry you had an unpleasant trip. I love Disneyland Paris, but agree with you that Newport Bay could use some improvements. I stayed shortly after a refurb (spring 2017) and found the hotel in rather sad shape and with some rather unpleasant CMs. I have visited Paris four times, and adore the city so it isn't that I am expecting overly cheery American-style customer service.
 

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