Would I be stupid to miss Disneyland Paris if we were in Paris?

[ogreenlee]

I know there is a forum specifically for that resort, but I guess I'm kind of wanting opinions from those who haven't been more than have been.


We are going to Germany next June to see a good friend of mine. I found out today that she is pregnant and will be due less than two weeks from our arrival. She still wants us to come, and I still want to go, but our plan was for her to watch my DD6 for a few days while my husband and I go to Prague. She was the one who offered when we first made plans to go.

We, of course, would never ask her to watch our DD after just having a baby. So, we've decided to not go to Prague, but go forth with our initial plan to go down the Romantic Road and see all the castles, then to Munich for a few days, but instead of Prague, head west to Paris.

My husband and I have been, and my DD is always talking about the Eiffel Tower. She loves Madeline books and Fancy Nancy, and knows exactly where it is. We thought this would be a nice surprise.

But.. now that I'm in the throes of Disney, I can't help but want to go to Disneyland Paris while we're there. Is it worth just visiting for one day? Does it really require a few days? Would y'all go??

We'll be in Europe for 2 weeks, and Paris around 5 days. I'm wondering if Paris will soon wear thin on a 7 year old. Maybe the parks would be a much needed break from cathedrals and museums?

[ShelShelsmommy]

I have never been, but my mom and 3 sisters have. They really enjoyed it! Until there camera got stolen, and they ended up in the American Embassy. My sister post on here so maybe she will come and tell you more about it. I have never been, and if I was in Paris I would totally go!!! How many chances do you get to go there?? My mom and sisters also said they would love to go back... even my grumpy sister who doesn't like much. hahaha

[KateMW]

Paris is wonderful for children. There are a number of good books out there about things to do in Paris with children. They have tons of playgrounds, street performers, pastry shops, candy, old fashioned toy stores. I am jealous!

[larryz]

I wouldn't presume to call you stupid if you didn't go. But if I were in Paris, and didn't go, I would call myself stupid...

[kate_wdw]

IMHO, I think that time would be better spent exploring Paris and its unique attractions, rather than exploring a modified version of something you can get at home. If you were going to be there longer, I would say go for it, but I think that Paris itself warrants at least at least 5 days.

[ogreenlee]

We stayed 5 days the last time we were there (pre-child). I could move there tomorrow. We loved it. I can smell the bread from here!

I'd like to go for one day and not stay at the resort, but just go to the park, but is one day worth it? What's the size difference to MK?

Thanks y'all! :)

[cbg1027]

As much as I love Disney, I would advise you NOT to go to DLRP, especially if this will be your first time in Paris.

I've never been to DLRP, but I lived about an hour outside Paris for a year and never made it to DLRP. I thought that since I was in a foreign country, my time would be better spent seeing the actual country. I know DLRP is somewhat similar to Disney in the states, and while I would certainly love to go, it was more important (to me at least) to experience France.

Paris has soooo much to offer, that I think it would be a shame to miss any of it for to see something similar to what you have access to in the States. It's kind of like going to McDonalds in Paris....why would you eat that when you could get real, quality French food?

Of course I WANTED to do to DLRP, and my will was very tested when the family I was working as a nanny for took each of the girls there on their birthdays. But again...I thought seeing something like the Cluny Museum was time better spent while in Paris.

BTW, if you want any suggestions for restaurants, cafes, museums and sights, I have a ton I can give you!!! Just PM me.

[ogreenlee]

We're going to take it easy and not try to cram too much into the alloted time that we have. I want to do a few certain things while in Paris, but the rest of the time.. eat, play in the parks, do what Parisian kids do, eat good bread and cheese...

I will definitely go to Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, Eiffel and the Louvre, but other than that.. go slow and do little. The Louvre can take a week alone, but I want her to go and see the Mona Lisa, just so she can say she has. :)

[Tara]

Enjoy Paris - having done both Paris and DLP, I don't really think you're missing anything. It's nice to be able to say you've been, but it really does not compare to WDW. I'm glad I went I guess, but I wouldn't do it again unless I already had a significant time in Paris.

[cbg1027]

Sounds like you have the right idea for Paris! I think the best part of the city is simply sitting in a cafe and people watching. The Parisians are so interesting!

I would suggest going to the Luxembourg Gardens - lots of fun for small children there. It seems to be the place for Parisians to take their children for a relaxing afternoon.

[Sarah_Rose]

I'm not going to get into whether you *should* go see DLRP, but I can answer the question of whether you *can* in one day. It's very easy to get there on the RER from Central Paris (about 30 minutes) and the station is right at the entrance to the parks. There are two parks, but honestly only Disneyland Paris is worth visiting. The Studios park is really quite poor, with almost no themeing, and we saw everything worth seeing by about noon. The only real draw is the Tower of Terror, and that is the same as the DL and WDW versions. Disneyland Paris is smaller than the MK and you can easily see the main attractions in one day, if the crowds aren't too bad. If you like roller coasters, Space Mountain was a highlight for us; it's absolutely hands down better than the North American versions. Phantom Manor (DLRP's version of the Haunted Mansion) is also excellent. There is also an outdoor Indiana Jones roller coaster, a Crush coaster, and a Pinocchio ride. Other than that, most of the other rides are almost carbon copies of the MK or DL attractions.

We flew into Paris from London and our plane landed at 8:30 am. By 9:30, we had gotten onto the RER out of the airport (no luggage to claim) , changed lines in central Paris, and then taken the RER to DLRP, and gotten in line for tickets. By the time the park closed at 8:00 pm, we were confident that we had seen everything we wanted to see. We did do a second day, and went to Walt Disney Studios in the morning, but then spent the rest of the day at Disneyland, but we could have easily done with just one day. The one piece of advice I do have, if you do decide to do it, is to buy your tickets in advance (over the internet) if at all possible. If not, go to Walt Disney Studios to buy your park ticket and then walk over to Disneyland; we waited over an hour in line for tickets at Disneyland, but learned the next day that there is never any line up for tickets at Walt Disney Studios, and the ticket you buy there is good for either park.

Anyways, whatever you choose, I'm sure your DD will love Paris. It just comes down to how much you will want/need a Disney fix. If you go to WDW regularly, it might not be so important as spending time in Paris. As for us, we did spend 3 of our 4 days in Paris at DLRP on that trip (but DH and I had been to Paris before), but that was the entire point of the trip. We were living in England and working as teachers and had had a very rough first few months with the kids.... we needed a trip somewhere magical and familiar. And we had a great time.... we were there over Christmas and the decorations were fabulous. Spending our days outdoors in a theme park in near freezing weather was a different story, however.... :rotfl: It did help with the Christmas spirit, though!

[caseybruna]

I have never been, but my mom and 3 sisters have. They really enjoyed it! Until there camera got stolen, and they ended up in the American Embassy. My sister post on here so maybe she will come and tell you more about it. I have never been, and if I was in Paris I would totally go!!! How many chances do you get to go there?? My mom and sisters also said they would love to go back... even my grumpy sister who doesn't like much. hahaha

My aunt got her camera stolen/lost (we still arent sure what happened) in DLP too!! :mad: Very depressing as it had so many photos from our week in Paris there.

[Brewmeister]

I spent a week in Paris as an early teen (LOOONG before DLRP was built), and I can't really imagine spending time at DLRP with all of the other non-Americanized things in Paris to do unless I had more than two weeks or so. I have to say that the theming of Versailles is far better than anything that Disney can do. :D So if you have a chance, visit there as well. Besides, you will be seeing plenty of Castles in Germany....which were my favorite castles of all (counting England, Scotland, France, Germany, and Spain (which had really nice castles as well)).

[Danauk]

I personally would go. I have been to DLRP, WDW and Disneyland and out of the 8 parks the Disneyland park at Disneyland Paris is my favourite. Like others have said it is really easy to get to from Paris on the RER (red line A) and the train station is right by the park entrance (like 30 second walk). If you stick to the Disneyland park then you can do it in a day. If you are a big Disney fan I would definately do it. There are elements at DLRP that you do not have at WDW but are at Disneyland. Plus there are some unique elements, being able to go up inside the castle and visit the dragon in the basement, plus Walts restaurant on Main Street is definately worth a visit. If you do get a 2 park pass Crush's coaster in the studios park is unique to Paris and is a great ride.

[loobylou44]

I would go for it as it is definitely possible to do most of both parks in one day as the two parks are right next door to each other (like Disneyland California). I think you would regret it if you didn't go and perhaps didn't get the opportunity again.

[scottish mum]

I think that since you are already in Paris you should try and go to DLP. It is a nice park and you will manage to see and do nearly everything in one long day. I think your DD would enjoy it. The castle is really beautiful and some of the rides are different to wdw.

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to our Disneyland Paris board.

[eliza61]

Definitely subscribing.
I have a trip plan for Paris in May of 2010 and was wondering the same thing. I'll be there for 6 nights, 7 days.

Does anyone know how hard it is to get to DLP from Paris central?

[disney_princess_85]

I'd like to go for one day and not stay at the resort, but just go to the park, but is one day worth it? What's the size difference to MK?

One day would be adequate. You might not have much time to explore Walt Disney Studios but there's much less to do there than in Disneyland Park.

Does anyone know how hard it is to get to DLP from Paris central?

You can get a direct train from Paris to DLRP. The parks are a short walk from the station.

[Experiment_626]

There's no way I'd miss it if I had the chance. I know it is similar to the Magic Kingdom, but it isn't the same. And I'd go just to see the things that are different, and to see how the themeing differs. BTMRR is on what would be Tom Sawyer Island here. Space Mountain is very different, and Phantom Manor is updated significantly enough from the Haunted Mansion. Also, is a castle just a castle? I don't think so, and Paris has the most stylized castle of any park.

Yeah -- personally, I wouldn't miss it!

SSB

[marcus.ka]

If you are in Paris you have to do DLRP as well.

We just returned from our first WDW trip after 18 visits to DLRP.
And we loved WDW but just now I know how much more beautiful my DLP is.

Be there early in the morning and do Crush at the Studios. This attaction is worth the entry fee for two parks. Afterwards do the tower and then spent the rest of the day at the DL park.

If you like Main Street USA and Fantasyland at WDW you will love it at DLRP. We (as European) thought that these two areas of the MK looked like fake. But in Paris they seem to be more real.
We in Paris have the better castle, and also Phantom Manor, POTC, Peter Pan, BTM, Space Mountain, Buzz and many many more are much better then at WDW.

In my opinion 5 days ore more are more than boring for a child at Paris.
Paris is my favourite city in the world but even I get bored after 3 days there.
:)

[disney_princess_85]

There's no way I'd miss it if I had the chance. I know it is similar to the Magic Kingdom, but it isn't the same. And I'd go just to see the things that are different, and to see how the themeing differs. BTMRR is on what would be Tom Sawyer Island here. Space Mountain is very different, and Phantom Manor is updated significantly enough from the Haunted Mansion. Also, is a castle just a castle? I don't think so, and Paris has the most stylized castle of any park.

Yeah -- personally, I wouldn't miss it!

SSB

I agree with everything you said and I must say that your opinions, as an American, are very much appreciated. I've found that too many people (unfairly) compare DLRP to WDW. In a way, it's like they're completely unrelated resorts, as they're so different.

LOVE your username by the way!

[Indio]

I just got back from my 1st trip ever to Paris - we were there 4 days (6 days total, but 2 were travel days so they don't count). We actually stayed at DLP resort (Santa Fe) and commuted back into the city. We had park tickets for 3 days - went to the parks 2 full days, then on the night before we came home we went back into Disneyland to hit the highlights. We went into the city for 2 days and saw everything that was on our list of must-do's. It was a very easy commute - caught the RER from DLP into downtown Paris - got off at the stops that were closest to what we wanted to visit that day and when we got finished each night - caught the Red A line back to DLP. We are hard core tourist - go at a very fast pace and pack all we can into a vacation. For us (my sister and I), it was perfect! I agree with one of the PP's - I think I'd get tired of the city after 6 days!

[ogreenlee]

I didn't get tired of Paris at all when we were there last time. I felt like 5 days just weren't enough. However, with a 7 year old.. I'm sure she'll just love all the city parks and seeing the Eiffel, but would also want to go to Disney.

I would love to think that at 7 she'd be worldly and want to tour Alsace or Provence, but alas... heehee.

Now... we just have to convince her father. lol


Hey Marcus.. do you have children? Have you taken them up the Fairy Tale Road? We also considered that since we'll be in Frankfurt. We're definitely taking her to Neuchwanstein before stopping off in Munich.

[marcus.ka]

No I don't have children. And I never have heard of the Fairy Tale Road before. But it sounds good.

And your doughter will love Neuschwanstein. And then you have to take her to DLRP to show her the most beautiful castle of all Disney parks in the world. :wizard: