Sunday, June 18
One Last Time
After a very late night at Disneyland Paris Pride, we slept in on Sunday and headed to Disneyland Park in the late morning. We rode Big Thunder Mountain a second time and then went on a few rides we hadn’t been on yet. We also watched the DLP version of Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Jump ahead to:
- Hotel New York
- The Manhattan Restaurant
- The Skyline Bar
- The Grand Finale
- Attraction and Ride Reviews
- Final Disneyland Paris Review
Hotel New York
Our dinner reservations at The Manhattan, which is located in Hotel New York, were for 6:00 p.m., so we walked over a little early to scope out the hotel, including the grounds, lobby, and gift shop.
(If you’re new to my blog and wondering why we didn’t stay at Hotel New York, you can read about that decision here.)
Situated directly across the water from Newport Bay Club, Hotel New York has a large courtyard that overlooks the lake between the two deluxe hotels. Rather than having a boardwalk or deck next to the water, Hotel New York has large concrete steps like the kind you find along the water in many cities. There are also benches along the walkway, plenty of patio seating, and giant statues of Marvel superheroes.
The front of the hotel, facing the parking lot, resembles many hotels around the world but it’s the yellow taxi that gives it that New York feel. In most places in New York City, the hotel would be taller instead of wider, and so completely surrounded by other buildings that you’d barely catch a glimpse of the sky.
While the hotel lobby doesn’t scream “New York City,” that’s ok because the Marvel touches are the real highlight. From the moving sketches behind the reception area, to the artwork on the walls, and the memorabilia located throughout, this hotel is truly a Marvel fan’s dream.
We walked by, and popped into, several restaurants and lounges and they all had a distinct New York vibe, reminding me of home. The gift shop is small but offers Marvel merch you won’t find anywhere else. On our way to the The Manhattan, we stumbled across this fun photo op!
The Manhattan Restaurant
Hands-down, our best dinner in Disneyland Paris. Everything from the ambience, to the food, to the service was excellent. Even the acoustics are such that you forget you’re surrounded by a couple hundred people.
We were the first people to be seated in the restaurant so for a brief moment we had the place to ourselves!
One thing we noticed about Hotel New York restaurant staff (including those at Skyline Bar) is that they were all playfully snarky and sarcastic. At first we thought it was just our waiter, but when we noticed all the wait staff acting similarly, Christina mentioned that this was probably part of creating that New York atmosphere.
Funny story: We found this character choice interesting because we hadn’t really encountered that sort of thing in the city. Fast-forward one month to July when we were in the city celebrating our goddaughter’s 16th birthday, and our waiter was acting exactly like the waiters at Hotel New York, and we all said, “Ohhhhh this must be what they were going for!”
Anyway, our waiter was snarky but also attentive, funny, friendly, warm, and he spoke nine languages! At one point, a huge storm blew through (like for a minute we thought we were in Orlando) and our waiter and several others had to go outside to stow the patio furniture safely away. He came back in, soaking wet, changed his shirt and came back to serve us without skipping a beat.
There were plenty of options on the menu for all of us, and because The Manhattan is a made-to-order restaurant, almost anything can be modified. We each had the Burrata Salad for an appetizer.
Then for our main courses, Jacquelyn and I had the scrumptious Risotto Milanese with Saffron and Beef Marrow, Doug had Veal Milanese and Christina had Saltimbocca de Pollo (chicken cutlets wrapped in bacon).
For dessert, Christina, Jacquelyn and I shared two of the Pineapple Marinated in Rosemary, with Chocolate and Olive Oil Cream (minus the glutenous hazelnut crumble), Doug had the Tiramisu (sorry, no picture), and we enjoyed some coffee and tea. The chocolate mousse made with olive oil cream was very interesting – the taste was mild and not overly sweet but the texture was unsettlingly gelatinous.
Everything was delicious. My stomach is growling just writing this. We give The Manhattan 10 stars!
Skyline Bar
After dinner, we headed to what is now one of our all-time favorite locations, the Skyline Bar. We loved it so much we came back two weeks later on our way to the airport for our home-going journey! The Skyline Bar does not take reservations and doesn’t open until 5:00 p.m., but we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was no wait.
The highlight of the Skyline Bar is the “view” of New York City complete with Avengers’ Tower and occasional fly-bys of a quinjet, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. All of this happens on large video screens designed to look like windows, giving you the impression that you are at a high-rise bar in the MCU’s New York City. At around 7:30 p.m. or so, the sun begins to set and the scene slowly transforms from day to evening.
Initially, the host seated us at table far to the right and front of the bar where we couldn’t see the main screen. After 15-20 minutes, we realized that we would miss all the best visual effects and so we requested a seat more centrally located. The staff accommodated us with no trouble at all.
We ordered a variety of drinks, and (second) desserts. Again, the food, service, and atmosphere were top notch!
The Grand Finale
After Skyline Bar, we rode W.E.B. Slingers one more time, and then went to stake out a spot for the fireworks, drone, and projection show. This was the night we ran into all the rude people who left their kids standing on wet, wobbly trash cans while they watched and/or live-streamed the show from 15 feet away! You can read more about that here.
Christina and I watched the drone show from the center of Main St. so we could capture a few photos head-on.
Meanwhile, Jacquelyn and Doug were holding a spot to the left of Main St., across the street from Casey’s Corner, just behind a railing where no one could stand in front of us. Once the drone show was over, I moved to take Doug’s spot and Jacquelyn and I watched the projection show from there, while Doug and Christina went to do some last minute shopping at Arribas Brothers.
After the show we headed back to the hotel and stopped one last time (or was it?) for chocolate covered strawberry skewers. Then it was off to bed in preparation for the real road trip around France which began the next day!
Additional Ride & Attraction Reviews
These are reviews for attractions we visited for the first time on Sunday. (Anything else we rode on Sunday has already reviewed in my previous posts here and here!)
Le Pays des Contes de Fées (The Land of Fairy Tales) | 4★
Ridden by: All
Attraction Type: Boat
There is a similar ride in Disneyland in CA and it’s much better than the one in Paris. The DLP version lacks attention to detail and is quite rundown. If you’re short on time, skip it.
Casey Jr | 6★
Ridden by: All
Attraction Type: Train
We’ve never ridden Casey Jr. in Disneyland CA so we can’t compare, but it was fun! Not a thrill ride, by any means, and definitely most appropriate for people with young kids. But when in Disney!
Pinocchio | 7★
Ridden by: All
Attraction Type: Dark Ride, continuously loading
Very similar to the one in CA. Always worth a ride!
Snow White | 7★
Ridden by: All
Attraction Type: Dark Ride, continuously loading
Also similar to the one in CA. Love it, as always.
Mickey’s Philharmagic | 7★
Watched by: All
Attraction Type: 4D Animated Musical Show
This was fun to experience in France! There is a combination of French and English spoken and sung throughout. The screen was a bit smaller and there’s no Donald Duck stuck in the wall at the end, but definitely worth seeing.
Final Review & Recommendations
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Disneyland Paris. If you are not Disneyphiles and the US parks are easier for you to visit, then I recommend staying with the US parks. If, however, you are Disney nerds like us, then by all means visit DLP at least once.
I highly recommend staying onsite, especially if you are not familiar with the area. As Americans in France for the first time, the convenience and peace of mind of staying onsite were worth every penny. While we chose to stay at the Newport Bay Club for a variety of reasons (you can about that here), I have read good reviews about some of the less expensive accommodations and would consider trying them if we ever return.
I recommend the Premier Access Ultimate Pass under any or all of the following conditions: You are there during a busy season. You have very limited time. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime visit. Or if, lucky you, money is no object. Because our trip met the first three conditions, we decided to splurge and we are VERY glad we did. As my readers already know, we used it the first day and it took all the pressure off the rest of the visit which was especially helpful because I came down with a cold on day two.
The big highlights for me were:
• The privilege of visiting another Disney Park!
• Staying onsite at a deluxe resort.
• Experiencing attractions we can’t experience anywhere else: such as Disneyland Paris Pride, DLP’s versions of Big Thunder Mountain and It’s a Small World, Walt’s Restaurant, The Manhattan and the Skyline Bar.
The big question is always, “Would we do it again?” The short answer is: Of course! It’s Disney! But the long answer is: Under the right circumstances, yes. Like if we were planning to visit the region again and had time and money to spare. Otherwise, we’ll spend our resources here at home where the parks are bigger, better, closer, and less expensive to get to!
If you want a more detailed review of this trip, you can read it here. For now, enjoy a few final photos from our magical weekend! And thanks for coming along with us!!! (Next up: Paris to Normandy via Rouen and the Cliffs of Étretat)
Lightning Bug 
Leave a comment