Disneyland Paris/EuroDisney - Questions & Answers

SUPERJULES

Kel wrote: »

Hi all,

We are going to book to go to disneyland paris in November and fly there with Flybe.

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from CDG airport in paris to disney land? We will be arriving at 8.30 at night and will have 2 smallish children with us so obviously want to get there as quick as possible. I'm thinking the train is the way to go but how often do they leave the airport and roughly how much will it cost??

many thanks

Kel

Hi

We just got back from DLP 2 days ago the best way to transfer from CDG for us was by Vea just checkout their website, prices and times of transfers are shown.

HTH

PhilipR_2

I am considering taking my partner and our daughter ( age 4 ) here probably in December but would appreciate some feedback from people who have already been there.In particular with the following:

Suitability in general for a four year old, should we consider taking a friend of similar age to go on the rides with her etc.

Best hotel to stay in.

Food which is a big concern for me as i have been told the prices are very high so not sure if halfboard is a good deal.I especially like 3 good squares a day so any moneysaving tips on this would be good.

And again basically peoples opinions of the place the best part the worst part would you go back and how many days are needed to see the majority of the place.

Thanx in advance.

vikingaero

We went last year with our then 4 & 3 year old. We stayed at the Santa Fe which was 15 minutes walk from Disney. Both the Santa Fe and Cheyenne are 15 minutes walk along a nice river path. We never even took the hotel shuttle bus once during the time stayed as we preferred to walk. In fact we thought most people were strange waiting 15/20 minutes for a bus and then 5/10 minutes journey time.

The Cheyenne and Santa Fe are basic hotels a la Travelodge style. The next three are the Newport Bay/Wildnerness Lodge and New York located around the lake and maybe only 5/10 minutes walk.

We stayed for 4 nights/5 days and we went 4 times to Disney and once to the Studios which was plenty. Most people seem to stay 2 nights/3days or 3 nights/4days. Depends on your budget really.

On our first day we went on The Small World 20+times! But that was what the little monsters wanted so that was what they got! I don't think you need to take a friend. Make it a nice family holiday. Most rides that little one can go on will accommodate 2 adults + 1 child.

Food is very expensive in park. Even in Disney Village it is expensive. We paid 90 Euros for a meal in the Rainforest Cafe (2 adults and 2 kids meals) and both of us are teetotal too! The packages probably are better value. After the first night at the Rainforest Cafe we stuck to the buffet at the Santa Fe for 14 Euros per adult and we also tried the buffet in the Cheyenne. Breakfast is only a continental all you can eat free for all with no hot food but if you have a Character breakfast there is a proper cooked breakfast.

Next time we go we plan to move upmarket to the lakeside hotels. There isn't too much bad about Disney really apart from the hit on your wallet.

There is a book by Simon Veness called A Brits Guide to Disneyland Paris which we found very helpful. We got ours off Amazon. There are a wealth of tips in the book we we found really helpful - for instance a bottle of mineral water is 2.50 Euros in the park. The Brits Guide tells you to refill the bottle at the water fountains for free.

shazziere

hello there.i have been to disney land paris in December and in January.When we booked we had an option to prepay some meals which looking back i wished we had done so that at least you knew upfront what you were paying and could therefore bidget.We stayed in the santa fe...thought the breakfast buffets were fab.....chocolate croissants,nice breads etc...eat as much as you want.We filled up on these so you only need a light snack for lunch.

Dont think you need to take a friend with you.......let the disney atmosphere keep your little one mesmorised!

One note.....the weather is absoulutely freezing......be prepared....lots of layers etc.....and we had a travel blanket which was perfect for snuggling under to watch all the lovely shows etc.stopped the kids getting all moaney....

bestpud

We took our littlie in January (she's five) and had a great time. It was just the three of us and we had a fab time so you don't need to take a friend imo. All of the rides are designed to take children and their parents and this is what people do - adds to the fun! Word of warning though - if you all get in one car on the Buzz Lightyear ride you and your oh will probably end up fighting over the gun !

We stayed at Sequoia (sp?) lodge and dd loved the characters being in the foyer - it was worth paying Disney Hotel prices just for that really.

Food is mega expensive and I would book half-board if I went again - if only because it is easier on the budget to pay up front as someone has already said. We found we didn't want much in the day of we filled up on breakfast and had an evening meal. Most of the park food is nuggets and burgers type stuff so not healthy tbh - it's quite difficult to find a healthy meal! THe hotel evening buffets are good though - all you can eat and a huge range of different foods to choose from (that was a sequoia but I'm guessing they're all much the same).

Clothes wise, dd wore her ski suit and was lovely and snug. It was also ok if it rained as it is waterproof and the other big bonus was she could sit and have a rest without her bum getting cold or wet (also useful for the outdoor shows). Try and attach gloves to coats (another plus for a ski suit) if you can, so you can take them off quickly and not have to worry about holding them when you see a character and want to get an autograph or take a photo.

Hope that helps - I found it really confusing deciding where to go and stay etc, even though we'd been some years earlier.

vivatifosi

Hi PhilipR,

Just got back from DLP Monday, it was great fun. Are you planning to go at a weekend or midweek?

If you are going at the weekend, make sure you get to the park for opening time and go straight to Fantasyland. That way you can wear out your four year old with all of the kiddie rides without waiting in line for too long.

If you are planning to go at the weekend when parks are busier, it is worth checking out one of the Disney Hotels (Cheyenne and Santa Fe are particularly child friendly) or the Hotel Elysee at Val d'Europe (one stop on the RER train, which arrives directly in front of the park). Currently guests from these hotels are being allowed extended hours that other hotel guests are not. Val d'Europe also has a good selection of shops, restaurants and cafes.

Otherwise you may get a good deal at one of the nearby hotels in Val de France (a free shuttle bus ride away). These are the Holiday Inn and Dream Castle (both 4 star) or the Kyriad and My Travel Explorers. Explorers has a great indoor swimming pool with tubes and stuff - though I guess a bit border line for a four year old. I don't like either the Kyriad or Explorers in Summer, as they don't have AC and it can get noisy with the window open, but they are great in the winter.

As shazziere says, it can be absolutely freezing, so hats, gloves, blankets, fleeces are the order of the day.

In terms of food, I take some with me as well as eating at the breakfast buffets. Though a word from the newly wise... don't take packets of shortbread biscuits (those finger ones) on the Eurostar like I did this week as they show up on the scanner like drugs. And you suffer the embarasment of having your bags gone through with one of those drug finder wipes while everyone can see whether your undies match.

Stevev99

Philip,

Went earlier this year, must admit didn't know you could go Half Board, don't think you can in the Disney hotels but can buy meal packages that will let you eat at a number of restaurants incl the hotels.

We stayed in the Hotel New York with our nearly 4 year old and teenagers and it was very nice. Breakfast in this hotel is actually a cut above the others' continental since it offers a small selection of hot (sausages, eggs, beans) at no extra cost.

What a lot of people do (and we will when we return in Nov) is make up a load of Ham rolls at breakfast and take them into the parks for lunch thus saving a fortune. Also take water bottles with you and fill them at breakfast again and at the water fountains in the park.

Bear in mind how much walking you'll do in regards to the hotel, New York & Newport Bay are closest apart from the mega expensive Disneyland Hotel.

PhilipR_2

Thanks for all the replys they have helped a great deal with some of the decisions that have had to be made.

Have decided that just the 3 of us will go and have changed the date from December as needed to be after 21st due to school holidays and its basically to hectic going away in between then and christmas day.Moved the date to Feb 2008 yes i know kids go free lol but it also happens to be my daughters b/day that month.

Anyway just had a quick look at the brochure and came up with the following prices so again any comments on these would be very appreciated.

Hotel New York for 4 nights via Eurostar.

£ 539 Per adult
Child stay, play and travel for free.

Half board ( must be purchased for entire stay )
Adult £17
Child £9

Had a quick scan of the Buf Bill show and looks like it includes food for
Adult £32
Child £22

So up to now i have £539 x 2 = £1078 ( holiday price )
£43 x 4 = £72 ( half board price )
= £86 ( buf bills price )

Total so far £1236

Does this appear to be expensive to what other people have paid if so is there a way to bring the brochure price down.

Just another quick question i thought the idea of making sandwiches from the breafast a great idea but is this ok with the staff as the last thing i need is to be chucked out for making illegal sarnys as i would never get back into the house never mind Disneyland.

bestpud

Hiya

To start with - don't worry about taking food from the breakfast as lots of people do it and the staff don't bat an eyelid. You have to be a little discreet about it I guess but a quick look around and you will see you are not alone! Just take a ruckasack or similar with you to put it in. I'm sure they must factor it into the price myself or they'd be a lot stricter with it.

We went in January (same as you - couple and free child) and paid around £650 for Eurostar (booked direct with them) and Sequoia Lodge for 4 nights. That only included bed, breakfast and park entry though - no shows or evening meals.

Hotel New York is more expensive though so it's difficult to compare fully. We definitely found it cheaper to book Eurostar direct online and the hotel seperately from the Disney site. There were cheaper ways of doing it via a package but they didn't include the park tickets and when we added those on and accounted for the extra faffing, it wasn't worth the few quid we'd have saved.

THere is a Disney board and they are very helpful on there. I can't remember the name but if you google Disney Land Paris forums it should come up.

Hth

Bestpud

bestpud

Here it is:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77