DISNEYLAND PARIS DISASTER

[opheila]

Took L to disneyland Paris it was terrible. Apart from the price to get in and standing for half an hour in a que to get a disabled pass for fast track rides he hated it.

Went into total melt down at the noise vibrations and the vast amount of people there. I ended up in the play area in total tears.

I tried to take him on the steam train as he loves trains only to be verbal abused by several german people about handicapp child getting on ride there words not mind. When the assistant tried to help us on the train a german man screamed at my son and he would not let us in the carriage. A lovely couple from nottingham let us in their carriage.

 

I went to caseys which is like a mcdonanalds i was paying for the meal i turned around and L and his pushchair was gone. When i asked the couple behined me if they seen him they looked at ground. An assistant behined the counter told me he saw them put his pushchair out the door. By this time i was screaming at them about putting my son out the shop so they could que jump again ignorant german people telling me handicapp should not be there.

The manager and staffed helped me get my son and put them out the shop. I was in totally shock at this time a relative took me to customer services who told us they hadnt had complaints like that before. A staff member took me aside and said it happens all the time. NEVER WILL I EVER STEP FOOT IN ANYTHING TO DO WITH DISNEY AGAIN.

The finally straw came when we were due to leave airport five times i had asked them to contact easy jet for assistants to the plane they didnt and we were pushed on the bus. The other passengers couldnt belive the way in which they were treating a disabled child. When the bus got to the plane noone could get off as they had blocked the isle with my buggy and it was stuck. Again a great bunch of passengers help get us off the bus. L was taken up the steps of the plane and others help me dismantle the buggy on taking it up the steps the ignorant french ground crew man snatch my buggy out my hand if it wasnt for the passengers grabbing me i would have be down god knows how many steps. EASY JET STAFF WERE GREAT AND HORRIFIED AND WHAT HAD HAPPENED I AM AWAITING A LETTER FROM THEM AS TO TELL ME WHAT THE OUT COME OF THIS WAS. I still wake up crying shaking and shouting out and dreaming of falling down the metal steps of the aircraft.

I THOUGHT WE WERE IN EUROPE where we all believed in the same rights for all i can honestly say in my fourty six years i have never seen or been treated in such a way

sorry just so disgusted and outraged at the ignorance of people who treat disabled people in such a way.

[JsMum]

Oh No, we went on a coach trip never ever again, like you say very rude some of the foren people, pushing and shuvving, very verbal they dont mince their words do they, I have experienced very similair 5 years ago and I wonder why I havent been again, its all too much any way, like you say the crowds and the noise, it was very hard work and I would say that its very difficult to manage a child who has special needs in such a park thats suppose to be designed for children.

 

J enjoyed parts of it and we did go for christmas, as we where there christmas day, boxing day and for a further 3 nights.

 

The accomadation was astonishing, they placed us in a room where they had been smoking and so we requested a different room, they moved everything to the last floor with a window that was opened fully so hyperactive children would of had a real good go at bungee jumping, it was a death trap and an accident waiting to happen.

 

we tranferred back to the smoke filled room.

 

got no sleep and the food was a desaster, as J didnt like any of it and starved for the entire holiday, we where also glad to be back.

 

We plan very different holidays now.

 

JsMum

[ellisisamazing]

To Opheila and JsMum,

 

Gosh, you have both experienced bad holidays, so sorry to hear that. I would expected a lot more understanding in this day and age.

 

I would report the holiday resorts to something like Watchdog or similar, they may find this very interesting...........

[Kathryn]

This is appalling - the whole experience and I hope you get some kind of explanation and apology from Easy Jet and Disney, although that won't compensate for your ruined holiday and your son's disappointment. As for queuing half an hour to get a fast track pass - that's crazy!

 

I think bad attitudes to disabled people happen everywhere, not just in "foreign parts". In Britain we're less blunt about it maybe, but I think we have perfected the covert stare, the embarrassed silence, and the art of ignoring people who need help. In our local paper last week there was a story of a man who had fallen out of his motorised buggy because of uneven pavements into a very busy road. The buggy was tipped over and he couldn't get up. Several cars drove around him before a woman motorist stopped to help, she couldn't lift him herself and it took a long time before another motorist responded to her signals for help, during which time she was shouted and hooted at for causing an obstruction!

 

K x

[Flora]

Aw, sorry to hear it was a nightmare... seems to be a common theme for families like ours!

I hope you get some compensation. Appalling.

 

I took the children in 2002 PRE diagnosis of the boys.

 

Ben spent the whole time with his hands over his ears and kept fainting and I had no idea why!! It was so awful he ended up being tested for epilepsy when we got home. Bill was totally hyper (these were the days when he used to leap around every where.. it's impossible to get him to move at all now!) and had melt down after melt down. Luckily I'd gone with my dd's best friends family so at least dd didn't miss out as she was able to go round the park with them. I spent most of the holiday feeding the ducks and swans with the boys.

 

Oddly... all three of them want to go back and I'm seriously (stupidly?) considering taking them in December before the schools break up. After reading your account I might think again.

 

Flora

Edited May 9, 2007 by Flora

[Bagpuss]

That sounds terrible What an appalling way to be treated...you would expect a park geared up for children would make the experience wonderful, and especially so for special needs children. Take care <'>

[Elly]

I am so sorry to hear your trip was ruined by other peoples ignorance. I think I would be tempted to go to the press and let them see that this type of thing is happening in these places. I think I would have been arrested for punching someone in the situation you faced and the persons whom shouted at and moved your child should have been ejected from the park.It is totally unacceptable

 

The Germans are very much a country where disabled people are hidden away, but I am very surprised at the attitudes and problems you had at Disney. We have been twice now and have had no problems. We got our 'exit/fasttrack' passes and never looked back. Last time we went (oct 2007) we not only had the childrens special needs to cope with but also my being in a wheelchair. We never waited long to get on a ride and had no problems with the Disney staff. However, we did get lots of comments and evil looks from people waiting in the queues, which we just ignored.

 

Travelling wise we used eurostar which was OK. Only problem there was when lift to customs broke and nobody knew what to do We also stayed at a disney hotel and were very happy with the way we were treated.

 

I flew to Lourdes via easy jet in March and although I had no problems with easyjet the French airport staff were pretty useless. They also had no lift to get me off the plane and I had to be carried off, on a seat, by airport firemen. Could have been fun i not so scarey

 

I hope you all recover from this quickly

Keep smilin

Elly

[Bambi]

OMG!!!! thats horrible!!! i would definately make a serious complaint about that and its not a cheap hol as it is and to have to put up with that c**p is disgusting!!!!

 

We are going in July and its all booked, myself and my bro with my 2 boys and people can look all they want with us not having to queue (all 4 of us dont have to queue) but they have the easier life! ignorant weasels!!!

 

Bambi x

[Frangipani]

<'> <'> <'>

[allsetuk]

i took my son there for the afternoon, 3 weeks ago we were camping near compiegne and it was my present to him for his 5th birthday , ive been before so i knew what to expect and tried to cushion the blow for my son as best i could as he had been waiting for months to go on buzz lightyear , sadly, the noise of any ride and the immense darkness every ride has on it , flasshing lights etc all of which totally PETRIFIED him, the crowds...long long queues, the noise levels were horrific ....he spent the whole time in a ball on the floor and we didnt even see a single character other than 200 people lineing up to see mickey.

 

in any of the rides the queues were all too much and i made an officila complaint to disney , i urge you to do the same , mind you i am still waiting for a reply

[debz]

i took my son there for the afternoon, 3 weeks ago we were camping near compiegne and it was my present to him for his 5th birthday , ive been before so i knew what to expect and tried to cushion the blow for my son as best i could as he had been waiting for months to go on buzz lightyear , sadly, the noise of any ride and the immense darkness every ride has on it , flasshing lights etc all of which totally PETRIFIED him, the crowds...long long queues, the noise levels were horrific ....he spent the whole time in a ball on the floor and we didnt even see a single character other than 200 people lineing up to see mickey.

 

in any of the rides the queues were all too much and i made an officila complaint to disney , i urge you to do the same , mind you i am still waiting for a reply

 

Make a complaint. I went when Alex was three and we could not believe how the french pushed hin round and shouted at him. Disney sent us a massive box of toys and an apology and a free return we went back in the most expensive hotel when he was five and had a better time. However I would not go there again, we have been to florida six times since then and the americans are great its all about you having a good time. They were sweet to Alex everytime even though he does not look disabled they took my word for it that he could not cope with things and helped us loads.

[av16]

I'm really sorry you had such a bad time. We were there on Sunday, our boy was 10. I had no proof that he was AS but they gave us a blue card and for the most part it was fine. DS enjoyed the rides but we chose very carefully those that didn't have queues that were too long, we only used the blue card once. (At DS's request- didn't want to be different). He hated the parade and was curled up under a bench for a while. So different to when he was 2- screamed the place down and clawed my face to pieces.

We had no problem with the other visitors but there were 5 of us so we could form a protective barrier. So sorry that you had such a bad time-I wish people could be more thoughtful and tolerant.

[dolly]

Sorry you had such a bad time. We went last year while watching the parade a french woman was pushing right up against kofis buggy blowing cigarette smoke all over him as i turn to ask her to move she nearly burnt my face . We have been to florida 3 times and smoking is only allowed in designated areas and the american people go out of there way to help

[opheila]

I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITTING A COMPLAINT TO DISNEYLAND WAITING ON REPLY FROM EASY JET AS THEY PROMISED ME THEY WOULD TAKE THE MATTER SERIOUSLY.

If any are going i suggest coming back through Charle De Gaulle airport if you have a blue badge take it with you and show to the check in staff. They do not call people disabled to my dismay they still call people handicapp. Dont move from check in desk to you are a 100 per cent sure they have contacted the airline to inform them you need assistance. Thankyou all for you kind words but i thought if any of you were going it was to warn you that you might be in for the same treatment.

Finally if you do go to caseys or anywhere similar and your child is in buggy make sure it is infront of you that way they cannot remove it from que. I hope this info will help others have a better time then we did

 

Opheila

[hev]

ophelia your post made me go cold how awful,it sounded terrible.

 

i hope you get replies to your complaints <'> <'>

[stressedmumto2]

I too had a bad experience when I went their some years ago.

 

Stayed in the main hotel as children dad was trying to get back with me and in good books (in 7 years together we had never had a proper holiday so I insisted we stay there for i to be easier with transport etc). It was a nightmare and we finished shortly after.

 

One day he almost got into a punch with some ###### rude german man who was shoving and trying to push in front of us with his family. We queued for up to 2 hours for some stupid little childs rides as we were not aware at time of blue scheme, this caused lots of distress to my son with poeple being so close to him.

 

The characters came around at breakfast time to shake hands with guests and my son would hide under the table when he could hear the commotion from children getting excited as the characters were nearby, he was terified whist my daughter on the other hand wanted to chat with allof them, so bit of a nigtmare.

 

We watched a show one evening which featured cowboys again my son hated the bangs and hid under tables almost knocking all our food over, when we asked for extra drinks and fior it to be cleaned upwe got grunts from staff.

 

Son would not go through one of the tunnels to get to the other side of the park as he was petrified, looking back now I can see how much he wasn't enjoying it but at the time I didn't understand it. His dad couldn't understand why he would not go through the walkway as it was only shops inside.

 

###### pinochio chased my son whilst we was in reception area of hotel which led to my son having a screaming/swearing fit.

 

Overall it was a bit of a nightmare, me and dad did not have agood holiday and I came back wishing I never went, however I would like to go back again and see if we are supported any different now we know of his difficulties, it would also be good to see if he still had the *irrational*? fears at the time that were simply ASD I realise now.

 

Sorry forgot to add to that I think you should definatly make a complaint. I wish I did ;-)

Edited May 9, 2007 by stressedmumto2

[curra]

Ophelia,

 

What a nightmare! Sorry you had such an awful time. You're right to complain, I would also send a copy to Disneyland in Florida which seems to have more consideration for disabled children.

I never took my son to Disneyland because he was afraid of people wearing cartoon costumes. When he was 9 we went once to the Edinburgh Dungeon and he was paralised with terrorand then he began to scream when he saw the wax figures in the dark tunnels. They were too real for him. We had to leave the moment we went in and walk back to the entrance against the flow of people. No one complained, on the contrary people were helpful and the Dungeon gave us our money back. I wouldn't recommend it to ASD children.

 

Take care <'>

 

Curra

[sams mum]

what is it about the germans and disneyland paris? we've been once and it was great apart from a german bloke who started to pretend cry at the top of his voice when my son was having a meltdown whilst waiting to go on a ride. we had the exit pass but were forgotten about for one round, that was ok and a genuine mistake, but my son was distraught and got really upset. Over the top of the racket I could hear someone taking the mickey by imitating my son, he was even yelling boo, boo...when we eventually got on the ride.

 

I was seething and didn't know whether to go for his throat or burst into tears when all of a sudden I saw him topple backwards off the wall he was sitting on....he went down like humpty dumpty, to this day i don't know whetehr he was pushed by one of the others in line or wether he toppled over all by himself. Mind you I don't really care becaue 5 years after the event it still ranks as one of the funniests moments I've had since my son was born 16 years ago. I can still see the look of shock on his face as he toppled over backwards

 

We're going back again in august, hopefully we won't have any bother but if we do I'll let everyone around know what is going on and shame the person into shutting up. I might even see if there is a wall to shove someone off.

[Lindyloo]

So sorry to hear you had such a bad time of it. It is sucj a shame that your holiday was ruined like that. I would complain strongly - they need to be made aware of where things are going wrong.

 

We have been to Disneyland Paris 3 times now, and have fortunately not had too many problems. We have been fairly lucky in that DS seems to enjoy Theme Parks - he seems to take some strange pleasure in being scared witless

 

I must admit though, we flow the first time and vowed then never to fly to CDG again. Apart from DS's problems (although we were not fully aware of them at the time) , DP is also in a wheelchair. We were totally appauled by the French airport staffs treatment of DP. On the way out they got us off the plane and in to a little box on top of a crane, and then left us in there at about 30 feet off the ground for about an hour while we waited for someone to get us down again. On the way back they insisted on us checking his wheelchair in with the luggage, and then made him use a really narror chair with no arm rests for 2 hours while we waited in departures. He was in total agony , and he said that that he never wanted to go through that again. Since then we have driven once and used Eurostar once (which I would stronlgly recommend)

 

We have never had any issues with using the blue cards, although you do have to be very thick skinned in Europe because we have had some nasty looks in the past, although we have never had any one actually be verbally abusive.

 

I would have to agree though that it is much better in Florida. The Americans seem much more disabled friendly. We were actually told off by one member of staff for not using our fast access pass - the queue was not too long so we though Luke would be ok.

 

I hope your next holiday is more successful.

 

Linda

[Greenman]

We're going back again in august, hopefully we won't have any bother but if we do I'll let everyone around know what is going on and shame the person into shutting up. I might even see if there is a wall to shove someone off.

 

I think you should learn a few choice German words so you can play them at their own game!

 

You dumb German - Sie simplifizieren Deutsch

 

shut up and go home - schlie�t ab und geht nach Hause

 

If your mouth was any bigger you will trip over you chin - Wenn Ihr Mund irgendein gr��eres war, das Sie �ber Sie Kinn stolpern werden

 

Joking apart - Sometimes it's better not to say anything - "As mud thrown is ground lost!" Enjoy your trip in Augest. Hope it's better than the last one.

 

Andy

Greenman

[allsetuk]

ok i complained would you like to see my answer i recieved from disney ,its taken them 5 weeks to put this together

......note the bit about i am the only person who has ever complained about excessive noise levels and every ride being so dark or having to walk through the dark to get too the ride !!!! apparently so no one else thinks this .........if anyone here can back me up and say they have complained about this ever i would love to have your assistance ....i raised all the problems we have discussed on here , queues and all the rest , would love your input

here we go

 

To begin with, I would like to apologise for the exceptional delay in this response and thank you for your patience in this matter.

 

I was delighted to hear that you and your son were able to visit the Resort recently. We strive to ensure that all guests are able to have a magical and memorable time with us and hope that they are able to take a bit of the fantasy away with them. Bearing this in mind I was sorry to hear that not all of your expectations were met on this occasion.

 

To begin with, I would like to clarify that in order to benefit from our current offer Kids Under 7 Stay & Play Free, our guests have to book a package in a Disney� Hotel or Hotel L'Elys�e Val d'Europe for arrivals from 30th March - 8th November 2007. I am afraid that this offer does apply to our guests who buy their theme park tickets at gate. I sincerely regret if you felt confused by the advertisement and have passed your comments on to the relevant department so that they are aware.

 

I would like to stress that Disneyland� Resort Paris has always placed a high priority on making our Resort as accessible as possible for guests with disabilities and that we pride ourselves on the various procedures that we have in place to best serve our guests. Recognising the unique aspects of a Theme Park environment, Disneyland� Resort Paris is committed to ensuring that a holiday at the Resort is an enjoyable and comfortable experience for all our guests, regardless of age, sex, disability or nationality.

 

With this in mind, I was sorry to hear that your son felt most of the attractions within the park were too noisy and too dark. I have shared your comments with our Quality Manger who has informed me that no similar comments from other guests have been reported to her but she has assured me that she would make the appropriate department aware of your remarks. Nevertheless, I would like to apologise for any inconvenience or discomfort that your son may have felt on this occasion.

 

Before arriving at Disneyland� Resort Paris, all information relating to our attractions, shows and schedule can be obtained in a variety of ways. Our Official Internet site on www.disneylandparis.com is continually reviewed to offer an up to date guide to the Parks and Resorts, and is available for consultation 24 hours a day. The Official Disneyland� Resort Paris Brochure, can be obtained free of charge upon request and our reservation agent can be contacted on the following telephone number: 08705 03 03 03. I regret to hear that you thought Disney?s Fantillusion would be running the day of your visit. With this in mind, I would recommend that you consult our website prior to your next visit in order to plan your visit accordingly.

 

I would like to add that we offer packages tailored to the individual needs of our guests. In this ever-changing environment, we are conscious of the expanding needs and demands of our guests and we have adapted our services to suit. As such, may I suggest that you contact our Special Needs department prior to your next visit on the following e-mail address: dlp.cro.special.needs@disney.com.

 

Overall, I regret that you were not completely content on this occasion and can assure you that every point and comment that you have made has been passed on to the relevant departmental Managers. Such feedback is invaluable to our efforts to ensure that guest needs and expectations are met and, hopefully, exceeded on each visit.

[Tally]

At most theme parks in the UK, people who behave badly are thrown out and banned. There are notices up all around Chessington saying that queue jumpers will be escorted from the park, and it does happen. It's completely unacceptable to allow adults to shout abuse at a child, whether the child is disabled or behaving strangely or what. They need to crack down on this, otherwise they will end up with a very bad reputation.

 

Surely there is a law in France against snatching children, surely the place is crawling with CCTV. People who took your child and hid him outside should have been held until the police arrived. If one staff member was willing to tell you it happens regularly, I am sure Watchdog or someone would be able to persuede staff members to talk to them, even anonymously, and possibly even hand over CCTV footage. I would definitely consider contacting someone like Watchdog. This level of customer 'service' needs to be exposed.

[opheila]

THIS IS THE REPLY I HAVE HAD FROM DISNEY SO FAR MAKES YOU FEEL REAL GOOD

Thank you for your email concerning your recent stay at Disneyland� Resort Paris. Please know that our priority is to deliver Disney quality service at all times. As such, please accept our apologies for any disappointment that may have been caused on this occasion.

 

I would like to assure you that a reply to your comments will be sent as soon as possible.

 

Thankyou all for all your replies it has made me feel a lot better knowing others have been through similar situations. Disneyland has now been banned in our house and a place never to be visited again. you live and learn dont you

[allsetuk]

THIS IS THE REPLY I HAVE HAD FROM DISNEY SO FAR MAKES YOU FEEL REAL GOOD

Thank you for your email concerning your recent stay at Disneyland� Resort Paris. Please know that our priority is to deliver Disney quality service at all times. As such, please accept our apologies for any disappointment that may have been caused on this occasion.

 

I would like to assure you that a reply to your comments will be sent as soon as possible.

 

Thankyou all for all your replies it has made me feel a lot better knowing others have been through similar situations. Disneyland has now been banned in our house and a place never to be visited again. you live and learn dont you

i had that same email as you opehlia , it was sent to me and then after three weeks i complained again, as i still hadnt heard ....so then i complained again, then i got the response ive outlined above ..i will contact watchdog if other people are

[Tally]

I would contact them anyway. Sometimes people are afraid to come forward until they mention something, and then they get a massive response.

[mandyque]

I completely agree, report them and watch the response from others who say the same thing! For a company as massive, and as rich, as Disney, showing some consideration for disabilities should never be too much trouble. Indeed, I'd say a lot of the bad experiences you have had are bordering on illegal, if not actually against the law. For grown adults to treat disabled children like this is sickening.

 

I've stopped taking my dd on holiday any more, she needs more than one to one attention when we are out and about and as a single parent I can't manage it. At least i know not to go to Disneyland, at least unless I have half a dozen burly men to sort out the ignorant gits!

[poppy]

So sorry to hear you had a bad time at disney paris-it should have been a lovely experience for you and your family.

On our visit there 2 years ago with our AS son we found the french people were helpful and understanding.The only prob we had was with 2 older english women who complained that we were cruel to take him on Pirates of the cari when he was screaming his head off and trying to escape-----he loved it when we actually got on there!!!!!!!!!!!

Going there in 7 weeks time-did consider flying but were warned by easy jet that if he played up(never been on plane b4)we wouldnt be allowed to travel.So another �300 to travel to london, stay in hotel overnite and catch Eurostar at 9.30 in morn.

[LizK]

I read this thread initially with a sinking heart as we'd booked to go to DLP over half term. Thankfully we had a better experience and both children enjoyed it . The boys both enjoyed the Eurostar train journey, DS2 was entranced by everything Disney and DS1 enjoyed any ride that span him around and the lifts in the hotel !I do think you have to think carefully taking an autistic child to DLP as I hadn't appreciated just how noisy, bright and in your face it is especially when it is busy. I found it overwhelming at times so a child with sensory processing problems must really struggle. DS's ear defenders once again were worth their weight in gold and helped him enjoy an experience I think he would have otherwise found distressing. Hiring a pushchair so he could retreat in there when he wanted a break helped and the exit pass was very useful. The staff in the parks were friendly and kind, the lady issuing the pass pointed out which attractions DS might not like as they were dark or scary and we had no problems using the pass. Only had two incidents with the public, both British families one with loud tutting and eye rolling when we went on the ride through the exit and one incident in a rtestaurant with a strachy woman with a spiritless child talking loudly about how she taught her daughter table manners when my DS was currently squirming on the floor under the table

 

The hotel wasn't so hot. It was a Disney hotel and after going to DW in Orlando expected better of Disney. Whenever we made an enquiry we were told to ask someone else who then didn't know. The queues for breakfast some mornings were ginormous which DS1 found hard to deal with and when we asked whether there was anything we could do about this we were met with blank expressions. Both boys are dairy free but trying to get the waiters or chefs in the hotel restaurant to tell us which foods were dairy free was impossible. Instead they gave the children inedible cook-chill allergy free packet food and didn't even both to heat it. Tasted vile. Really lazy way of dealing with food allergies and intoelrances I thought. I've got used to this country where either the chef will give me a file detailing what the food on the menu contains or will make something specific for the boys. So will be writing to Disney to let them know they need to brush up on this if nothing else!

 

Lx