In my view, there are really three distinct CDG experiences, which are:
-CDG Terminal 2 before roof collapse. I went thru this a couple of times and it was a pleasure-high ceilings, wide hallways, great shopping after security, and ample seating.
-CDG Terminal 2 since roof collapse. The temporary operations have turned the back half of the operation into organized chaos, with bus rides required to many flights, which in turn requires getting to your gate 45 minutes before scheduled departure (my last Delta flight even had this printed on my boarding pass). Perhaps the worst outgrowth of this is that from day to day there is no consistency in how things are done, so neither passengers nor ground personnel have any "habits" to fall back on. I think the repetitive nature of airport operations provides a lot of the efficiency and comfort we usually feel and here it's gone.
BTW, anyone know when 2E will be back to normal?
-Terminal 1. Old, cramped, home to all the orpan airlines who have neither a lot of flights nor any affiliation with AF. I used to try to avoid CDG1 but now I much prefer it because while it is crowded, after check-in, it works well. The new food court downstairs isn't fine dining but can suffice. Passport control both ways takes 10-15 minutes, which as someone noted is much better than in the USA (and they don't have immigration employees yelling orders like a concentration camp). Security is at the front of each concourse and has rarely taken me more than 5 minutes. Shopping is crowded but you can find plenty to read, listen to, eat and drink.
I haven't connected at CDG so I have no perspective on that.