Disneyland Paris/EuroDisney - Questions & Answers

catkinsaver

Jeffiner wrote: »

We're driving to Disney later this week via the ferry from Dover. First time for all of us (me, my partner and our 7 year old daughter). We're on a small budget so any tips on the better value places to eat would be great. Also are there many extras to pay out for once you get in the parks, other than refreshments? We don't intend to go to the expensive shows because they sound like a rip off! Will we be missing out terribly?

Any tips from recent visitors would be great as this thread goes back a good couple of years!!

There are a couple of things with extra charges a shooting range for instance but these are easily avoided as there are so many other things to see/do. We have never been to the Buffalo Bill show (which is the one I presume you mean) as my husband has asthma, albeit very mild, it's a good enough reason that the children never ask! The shows in the park Tarzan etc are free and well worth seeing.
Foodwise, a different mindset is required (particularly at Disney) better value doesn't necessarily mean cheapest! The first time we went our children were little 2 1/2,5 & 7 and people told us that we would be alright eating a big breakfast, having a snack in the afternoon and MacD for tea, Wrong! Everyday as soon as the children's internal clock got to school lunchtime they knew, a snack (hotdog etc only lasted them a few hours and the food prowling started again. The first night we decided to hold on until the park shut (at 8pm) to eat so we didn't waste any ride time, the flaw in this became apparent when we realised that the rest of Disney had all decided to go to MacD as well! We tried our hotel restaurant (SL)
who said they could fit us in at 9.30, much too late for little ones we said and tried to find somewhere else-but failed. We ended up buying 'take-away' pizzas and soft drinks from SL at 11pm, this bargain meal cost us £70 in 2002! After that we learnt our lesson and booked restaurant meals for the evenings.
Last time (August 2007) the parks were open until 11pm and I had done my homework! We ate at antisocial times, mid afternoon or early evening which had the double bonus of avoiding the queues in the restaurants and having shorter queues for rides while other people were eating at mealtimes. We ate our main meals purely at all-you-can-eat buffets (we have 3 boys who can eat for Europe, never mind Britain!) Lucky Nugget, Plaza Gardens, Billy Bob's, Cape Cod etc with the half board meal plan. The buffets are great not just because you never get your meal and think "oh dear that's not very big" but children in particular can pick and choose, they can try new things without risking having a whole meal they don't like (my youngest once ordered an omelette, beautiful it was, but he took one look at it and declared "ugh, it's got egg in it" - he had confused the name with something else, it was years ago, but he's never lived it down), they can mix courses if they want, if they want to make their main course out of starters they can. The best thing of all about buffets is that you can see the food before you order and you don't have to wait for the food to be cooked!
Avoid icecreams in the park, although with one child I suppose it's not too bad, for us an icecream each for the children is at least E10. Snacks and drinks are available from the Relay/Geant shop at the station and I believe also at the garage by the Santa Fe, but I've never been there.
Do your homework before you go - an internet search for DLP menus will reveal prices and food choices- and you can get better value food, don't expect it too be 'cheap'.Take loads of snacks with you as you're driving, particularly drinks, I don't mind paying money for a great meal, but I do begrudge paying lots of money for what are after all 'just snacks'. MacD isn't that much different in price from over here just don't go when the park closes! Although we tend to go there for our small meal.
Have a great time and remember don't stress too much about the prices, Disney is never going to be a really cheap holiday, but it is a magical place that will pay you back many times in wonderful memories.

qetu1357

Jeffiner wrote: »

We're driving to Disney later this week via the ferry from Dover. First time for all of us (me, my partner and our 7 year old daughter). We're on a small budget so any tips on the better value places to eat would be great. Also are there many extras to pay out for once you get in the parks, other than refreshments? We don't intend to go to the expensive shows because they sound like a rip off! Will we be missing out terribly?

Any tips from recent visitors would be great as this thread goes back a good couple of years!!

Buffallo Bill is fantastic.

Eat as much as you can at breakfast and have your other meals at the McDonalds off site in the Disney Village or at the train station next to the parks.

snaphappyone

Jeffiner wrote: »

We're driving to Disney later this week via the ferry from Dover. First time for all of us (me, my partner and our 7 year old daughter). We're on a small budget so any tips on the better value places to eat would be great. Also are there many extras to pay out for once you get in the parks, other than refreshments? We don't intend to go to the expensive shows because they sound like a rip off! Will we be missing out terribly?

Any tips from recent visitors would be great as this thread goes back a good couple of years!!

We had a hearty breakfast and tried (and usually failed) to get the girls to eat plenty, put a couple of ham rolls and yogurts in our bag for later (not supposed to do this of course, but I saw plenty of other people eating rolls and even dry cereal out of familiar looking serviettes all over the place too). Took a bag of snacks from home and had one good meal every day. Cape Cod, Cafe Mickey, Auberge Du Cendrillon (Not in any way budget!) and we had 2 MaccyD's and had to wait around 20 mins each time. The girls rarely seemed that hungry (too busy) but they loved the rolls. Book early slots for everything if you can. We went pretty much straight in to Cafe Mickey at 6.15, but when we came out at around 8 the queue for people who had booked was pretty long.

I have been to disneyland Paris 3 times and have never been to Buffallo Bill, never felt I had missed much. Pretty much all the entertainment in the parks is included. We spent very little actually, pleasantly surprised. The worst thing was the icecreams which were 3euros. What you spend kind of depends where you choose and if you need to buy lunch in the parks. There are water fountains around so you can refill your bottles. Have a great time,x.

Rachie_B

Jeffiner wrote: »

We're driving to Disney later this week via the ferry from Dover. First time for all of us (me, my partner and our 7 year old daughter). We're on a small budget so any tips on the better value places to eat would be great. Also are there many extras to pay out for once you get in the parks, other than refreshments? We don't intend to go to the expensive shows because they sound like a rip off! Will we be missing out terribly?

Any tips from recent visitors would be great as this thread goes back a good couple of years!!

as you are driving,pack up the car with plenty of snacks,drinks etc!

we even take a flask and those little cups of hot choc / coffee ( from home bargains,or the £1 shop etc)
as i refuse to pay 3 euros for a cup in the parks! lol ( and it doesn't taste very nice either!)

also take water bottles and refill them round the parks.

we tend to eat breakfast then have a light lunch and snacks we have brought with us

then in the evening we eat either in the Village or @ Val D'europe ( few mins drive away or 1 train stop) as we stay offsite

We have never been to Buffalo Bills show, and don't intend to in the near future!

For us it's all about the rides now, as our children are older so have done the character interaction / autographs etc.
We also like the motor stunt show and various other shows / parades ,but these are all included in the entry price

A good value meal was Pizza Planet buffet,but I am not sure when it's reopening

Have a lovely time x

SurfBowlSC

We took our own bottle of squash for the kids and filled up beakers each morning. Then we filled up using either the drinks fountains (the 2 that were working) or cold water taps in toilets.

Food and drink is expensive in the park, so definitely take as much with you as you can.

We spent €300 across the 3 days, which included a lot of souvenirs, but we were already on a half-board package!

Obviously you don't have to really spend any money in there and you'll have just as good a time as everyone else.

Highly recommend the Motor Stunt show though!

SurfBowlSC

snaphappyone wrote: »

There are water fountains around so you can refill your bottles. Have a great time,x.

We only found 2 working fountains last week, both near the toilets at the Studio entrance.
None of them in the park itself were working.

Oaks

hi,
just came back fr DLP last night, now taking another day off work to rest those tired legs. We(3) Stayed in Santa Fe 4d/3n, weather 17-20 degrees (rained on our second last day pm), traveled via Eurostar, bought half board meal plus vouchers (dined at The Walt's, The Lucky Nugget and Cafe Mickey), Total spent > just over £1k. Experience we had > Priceless.

ok, here's the nitty gritty

last table reservation for all table serviced restaurants inside parks is at 3:30pm, which means dinner is out of the question.

Exit from the main train station and the Disney hotel shuttle bus stops were right in front. 5 minutes later, we arrived at the hotel, Santa Fe was ok, clean sheets, comfy pillows and plenty of hot water with good pressure from the shower head. I suspect it may have had a new lick of paint recently. we borrowed a hair dryer from the hotel with a refundable 20 euros deposit. Regular coach service (bendy buses) to the parks every 15min. Our room didnt need tidying daily but the maid came to do it anyway. It was fairly quiet during the first 2 days (As it was during weekdays) so everything was pretty orderly, nevertheless long breakfast queue started to form just b4 8am, I suggest to have yr bf around 7-730 to beat the queue. Those who bring prams, look out for the 'wheelchair access' signs on the ground at the bus stand. you want to get on (if u can) where the wheelchair access sign is painted (more space). Breakfast choices were very basic. Talk about packing yr own lunch, yup I saw quiet a few and some had treated it as the mission of his life to pack the WHOLE rucksack with buns (at least 30 plus buns) and a whole plastic bag full of cooked hams. We didnt pack any since we dont hav a huge appetite anyway and besides we had paid for some of our meals in advance. We however packed lots of snacks for our little one and energy/cereal bars for ourself.

Outside the parks, a 500ml mineral water = 2.5 euro, a bottle of soft drink = 2.2 euro (2 euros fr the vending machines). luckily we brought our own water supply (2x 500ml water £1.5, juice for kids £2.15 for 6 fr Sainsburys). we just filled up the water bottles at the breakfast hall. hey, tht's a saving of 5 euro a day, just enough to pay for 2 little Mermaid pens!!

Day 1, Clear, 17 degrees,
after hotel check-in, we finally got to the Disneyland Park around 1:30pm, walked thru the Sleeping Beauty Castle (currently undergoing some works, thus the 1st floor was shut) heading towards Fantasyland. First ride was A Small World (no surprise here), wait time 15mins, then Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, wait time 20min. We proceeded to explore Alice's labyrinth. Returned to Main Street USA for souvenirs hunting, more photos and finally secured a place in front of the Main Street Station 20min b4 the 5pm afternoon Once Upon the Dream Parade. We were pretty tired by now so we decided to have an early dinner (6pm) at the Planet Hollywood; no queue but service was a bit slow since the restaurant was filling up fast. Ordered a pork spare ribs main course (I preferred TGI's), a fajitas main course, a kid set meal (11.9 euros), 2 glasses of juice and 1 dessert plus a small tip for the waiter > all under 80 euros so not cheap. By 8pm, there was already a 30minutes wait for a table.

autograph booklet = 7-10 euros, we didnt buy one as my dd was not interested in autograph hunting. Study the programme abt the location of various Disney's characters around the Parks, usually away fr the main attractions. Get a proper fat chunky marker pen, it will write better.

Day 2, Clear, T-shirt all day,
Breakfast at 730am. A quick photo with Pluto at the hotel reception and finally got to the park just after 8am (hotel guests only), since the main street was quiet, we had lots of photo opportunities. By 9:30am, we had done Jumbo, the Carousel and Mad Hatter. Queue was forming outside the Pinocchio by 9:45am so we decided to join the queue for the ride to open at 10am. Came out of Pinocchio at around 10:15am and went straight on the the Snow White (located next to Pinocchio) with 5 minute waiting time.

When we tried to meet the Princesses near the Fantasy Festival stage at 1045am, a l....o....n...g had already formed in front of Cinderella, my estimation on the wait-time would put it well over 1.5 hr easily before it reached our turn, so we went to Adventureland instead, only to discover that the Pirates of the Caribbean was shut until 7th April. No problem, more photos around the the Pirate's Beach and Adventure Isle. Couldnt ride on the Indiana Jones as my little one is below the required height.

So lunch at the Walt's at 12:30pm. Restaurant was very quiet so we sat by the window with no problem. Stayed just over 1 hr there while admiring the crowds on the street below and I even charged my camera battery on its' wall socket discreetly, no one objected so I guessed it was ok. Food was very good and well presented. Desserts were equally delicious and plentiful. Too bad we couldn't finish them all. You need to have a seriously huge stomach to accommodate all the food here. Then we went to explore the Frontierland, rode on the Big Thunder Mountain, wait time 55min but only 15min with Fast Pass, so planning helps.

Went to Discoveryland next, got Fast Pass tickets for Space Mountain for 3:30pm and Space Tour later, then proceeded to Buzz Lighyear, wait time 30min. Orbitron, wait time 25min. Finally utilised the Fast Pass tickets on Space Tour, wait time 5min. While my wife and daughter were resting inside the Videopolis watching movies on big screen with their snacks, I snuck away to ride on the Space Mountain with the Fast Pass ticket again, wait time 10 min. I had 2 more Fast Pass tickets for the Space Mountain but I just could not pick myself to churn my stomach again unless I want to embarrass myself! so I swiftly rejoined my family albeit with slight nausea. Discoverland by now has become less crowded as most were heading towards the Main Street USA for the parade, so we decided to stay in Discoveryland to take advantage of this.

Finally returned to Main Street Station and decided to go round the park in the Disney train, wait time 30min.

Dinner at Cafe Mickey reserved for 6:30pm, wait time 15 min. Had photo taken with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Chip n Dale, Pluto, Jessie and Mr Gippetto. Food was good and ample. The grilled mushroom starter was delicious. The Creme Brulee was large enough to feed 3 ppl. We had 'Aline', an English speaking French waitress, she was so good and so patience with us with all the chaos in the background (screaming kids, kids running around, waiters attending services, bringing food in hurry etc etc), we just couldn't walk away without tipping her generously. Stayed for 1 hr and no less than 5 birthday cakes were dished out during that short time, spent another 30min shopping at the Disney Village before heading back to the hotel. It was 7:30pm by this time, as more and more ppl started to wait at the bus stop to return to the hotel, some inevitably would jump queue, I just raised my voice instructing my daughter to be patient (not tht she was impatient) while making sure 'they' heard me loud and clear too and it worked. (she has been so well behaved through out and I felt sorry/guilty for using her as the guinea pig, so I guessed the many overpriced Disney themed gifts for her were justifiable!). Got back into the hotel room and immediately heard some faint noise and it was next door bed frame hitting against the wall in a regular rhythmic fashion, thought it was something else until I pictured some excited kids jumping in the bed. Lights out at 10pm. Tomorrow >>>> Disney Studio

gbandl

Hi there,

Does anyone know what site I can find the cheapest tickets for Disneyland Paris? We're looking at the '4 days for the price of 3' for half our group and just a 2-day pass for the rest. Have already booked Eurostar tickets and an apartment which is only 1 train stop from Disney. I assumed I'd just go to the Disneyland Paris website, but having done a quick search it seems that prices vary across different sites. Anyone found a good price recently? The standard price on the Disney website seems to be £126 for the 4-day pass and £101 for the 2-day pass. Thanks!

blue_monkey_2

Oaks wrote: »

Got back into the hotel room and immediately heard some faint noise and it was next door bed frame hitting against the wall in a regular rhythmic fashion, thought it was something else until I pictured some excited kids jumping in the bed. Lights out at 10pm. Tomorrow >>>> Disney Studio

Great review!!

I had to laugh at the above, must have been honeymooners, there is no way you could find time for that 'after' theme parking with kids all day...... Is there?? :rotfl: I am just glad to fall into my pit!! LOL.

gbandl

gbandl wrote: »

Hi there,

Does anyone know what site I can find the cheapest tickets for Disneyland Paris? We're looking at the '4 days for the price of 3' for half our group and just a 2-day pass for the rest. Have already booked Eurostar tickets and an apartment which is only 1 train stop from Disney. I assumed I'd just go to the Disneyland Paris website, but having done a quick search it seems that prices vary across different sites. Anyone found a good price recently? The standard price on the Disney website seems to be £126 for the 4-day pass and £101 for the 2-day pass. Thanks!

Also, having looked at a few different sites, some are actually selling 'vouchers' which you then exchange at the gate for your ticket. Others say they are selling the actual tickets. Does anyone who has been before have any opinion on whether the vouchers would be inconvenient/a hassle? I assume the main issue is having to queue to exchange them for your actual ticket?