Help...What do you all think - DLP

[beachwarmer]

I need some help from the Podsquad....please....

I have the opportunity to head over to London for a few weeks at the end of May. My husband will be working during the week, but we will have weekends free. We will have 3 weekends including, I think, one long bank holiday one.

Do we take a weekend and head over to Disneyland Paris?
I will have DD5 with me so during the week we will be doing the London museums etc. Is it just crazy to take the train past Paris to go to DLP......I need some Disney lovers support here......we could also take the train to Brussels and get the amazing chocolate, frites, waffles with chocolate & whipped cream....gotta love a country with chocolate on every corner. (We have visited Paris and Belgium in the past.)


Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated?

 

[DisneyKevin]

Ok....you have three weeks in London to visit museums and do whatever you want and you have weekends free to go to Paris and then on to Disneyland?

I'm feeling light-headed.

I need put some water on my face and lay down.

In case I was being vague....yes....I think you should go.

 

[georgemoe]

You mentioned waffles. Don't forget the chicken!

Enjoy London and DLP!

 

[AllyGirl_79]

I vote yes ... you should go to DLP.

Given that your post says you've been to Paris and Belgium before -- and you have such a long visit planned -- Disney is worth a trip. If you have a young daughter, it'll be a nice change of pace from museums and other cultural experiences in London (and on the continent during the other weekends). I'm a huge fan of museums, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you just need a little kid-friendly fun.

When I moved to France for a year during college, my folks and little brother came with at the beginning to get me settled. (I was actually fine, but my mom wanted to go, and I was a very good excuse.) By the end of two weeks, my brother, age 12 at the time, threatened to jump off a balcony at Versailles and make a break for the airport if we didn't do something that wasn't a museum or chateau tour. My parent's answer was to go to DLP for a day. We had a great time, and I bought DLP plates and mugs for my dorm room -- they made me smile for the whole year.

Also, it is very easy to get to DLP from Paris on local trains. You could take the Eurostar to Paris, though I'd check to see if you can get a discount by buying the ticket before you leave the US; use a Paris hotel for your base of operations; and just spend one day at the park, if you felt like spending the other day in the city. (The Rodin Museum is my favorite place if you have time in Paris.)

That said, the Disneyland Hotel at DLP is amazing. It looks like a fairy tale, and you basically roll out the back door into the park. If you can arrange it, we really enjoyed it. (That was 8 years ago, and my memories may be more rosy than is justified, but we had a ball.) They also seem to be having some deals for their 15th anniversary -- my cousins were talking about the kids getting free entrance as a result of the package they bought. That's practically an invitation!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[tinkbutt]

YES then post the pics here!!!!

 

[wilde_oscar]

if the question is, "is it difficult to get there on the train" No it is not difficult to get there on the train, the train from Paris stops closer to the entrance of DLP than the monorail from TTC to Epcot stops in front of Epcot.

if the question is, "should you take a day and head over" um yes. just keep in mind that DLP will be full of "the french"

And even though it is kinda a small park, there are two parks. The MK park and the Studios park... everything is slightly or completely different than WDW. You could spend a lot of time doing a compare and contrast.

 

[alebisi]

Yes, now for the 15th years of Disneyland Paris kids under 7 years old get free entrance, also they get free entrance to the Hotels, so if you have little kids maybe convinient.

http://www.disneyland15.com/

maybe this link can help you

 

[Cyrano]

I'd say go for it. Although the parks will be busier at weekends than mid-week it is still possible to get through all the major attractions.

As others have said Eurostar will take you direct from London (recently voted dirtiest city ) to Paris or Disneyland Paris.
All on-site hotels are at most a 20 minute walk from Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios. They are also served by shuttle buses.

Come over to the DLP board where you'll be warmly welcomed and lots will offer advice and suggestions to help you with your trip planning

if the question is, "should you take a day and head over" um yes. just keep in mind that DLP will be full of "the french"

You keep saying this Sounds the same as saying WDW will be full of Americans. Which of course it is not

 

[BRobson]

I'd say go for it. Although the parks will be busier at weekends than mid-week it is still possible to get through all the major attractions.

As others have said Eurostar will take you direct from London (recently voted dirtiest city ) to Paris or Disneyland Paris.
All on-site hotels are at most a 20 minute walk from Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios. They are also served by shuttle buses.

Come over to the DLP board where you'll be warmly welcomed and lots will offer advice and suggestions to help you with your trip planning

I second that

It would be such a shame to come all that way and not visit if even for just a weekend. DLP is such a beautiful park and you will find that some of the rides are better than WDW (now ducking for cover!!!)

 

[wishspirit]

You can easily get a train from St Pancras International to Disneyland Paris (and i mean RIGHT by it) in about 3 hours. (I am planning my September trip)

The weekend will be busy especially on a bank holiday, but it is a great park, just pick and choose your rides between the two parks, that are both worth a visit. Try and get an early train (and book now by the way or the prices will be through the roof, and stay at one of the Disney or Disney affliliated hotels, so you can get assured a good stay. We are staying in Hotel Santa Fe, which is Disney owned, but i have stayed at Explorers before, which was just fine. So PM if you want any suggestions

May i suggest the London Science Museum for some hands on fun? If you go down to the 'Basement' it has loads of great kids stuff to do. Out of all the museums in London, i HIGHLY recommend that one for a young'un. Madame Tussards wax works are great too, for bit of a Celeb experience.

If you need any help planning your trip to London or Paris, just PM me (im doing some serious planning myself) and i'll be happy to help!

 

[beachwarmer]

Ok....you have three weeks in London to visit museums and do whatever you want and you have weekends free to go to Paris and then on to Disneyland?

I'm feeling light-headed.

I need put some water on my face and lay down.

In case I was being vague....yes....I think you should go.

Did someone get up early in the morning???

I now feel officially park of the disfuncional "family" as I have now gotten a sarcastic comment from Kevin.

Point taken...it was a rather silly question now that I read it in the light of day. I should have said,

Should I spend $650 to take the Eurostar to DLP for only one day in the park?
Add park tickets, and hotel...that is one expensive weekend.


I also guess I am asking the question, How do I justify going to visit DLP, an american icon, instead of visiting the numerious cultural and historic european sites?

If Mr. Smarty Pants could provide me with a 500 word essay on this theme I would greatly appreciate it as I will be needed this information to appease not only my husband but to answer all the "Disney Again....in France????but you could have gone to Versaille, Louvre...." questions from my colleagues and friends who are European History professors, Ethics professors etc....well after you are well rested and have fully recovered from my shocking question. Thanks in advance.

if the question is, "is it difficult to get there on the train" No it is not difficult to get there on the train, the train from Paris stops closer to the entrance of DLP than the monorail from TTC to Epcot stops in front of Epcot.

Thanks WO...

I have actually done the trip in the past....my Disney obsession has been years in the making......my husband took me to Paris for my 30th birthday and because it is New Years Day I told him that nothing in Paris was open on Jan 1 so we had to go to DLP ( ..that is kind of the truth.)

if the question is, "should you take a day and head over" um yes. just keep in mind that DLP will be full of "the french"

Iwould never have imagined that you would suggest a weekend get away Do you have any idea of who I could stalk while I am there....that would add some more legitimacy to the trip.

Everywhere I go is French these days as my DD goes to an all french school. My husband speaks it too. Again only a question of spending $650 to take the train from London over for the day?

And even though it is kinda a small park, there are two parks. The MK park and the Studios park... everything is slightly or completely different than WDW. You could spend a lot of time doing a compare and contrast.

 

[beachwarmer]

I vote yes ... you should go to DLP.

Given that your post says you've been to Paris and Belgium before -- and you have such a long visit planned -- Disney is worth a trip. If you have a young daughter, it'll be a nice change of pace from museums and other cultural experiences in London (and on the continent during the other weekends). I'm a huge fan of museums, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you just need a little kid-friendly fun.

When I moved to France for a year during college, my folks and little brother came with at the beginning to get me settled. (I was actually fine, but my mom wanted to go, and I was a very good excuse.) By the end of two weeks, my brother, age 12 at the time, threatened to jump off a balcony at Versailles and make a break for the airport if we didn't do something that wasn't a museum or chateau tour. My parent's answer was to go to DLP for a day. We had a great time, and I bought DLP plates and mugs for my dorm room -- they made me smile for the whole year.

Also, it is very easy to get to DLP from Paris on local trains. You could take the Eurostar to Paris, though I'd check to see if you can get a discount by buying the ticket before you leave the US; use a Paris hotel for your base of operations; and just spend one day at the park, if you felt like spending the other day in the city. (The Rodin Museum is my favorite place if you have time in Paris.)

That said, the Disneyland Hotel at DLP is amazing. It looks like a fairy tale, and you basically roll out the back door into the park. If you can arrange it, we really enjoyed it. (That was 8 years ago, and my memories may be more rosy than is justified, but we had a ball.) They also seem to be having some deals for their 15th anniversary -- my cousins were talking about the kids getting free entrance as a result of the package they bought. That's practically an invitation!

Have a wonderful trip!

Yes, now for the 15th years of Disneyland Paris kids under 7 years old get free entrance, also they get free entrance to the Hotels, so if you have little kids maybe convinient.

http://www.disneyland15.com/

maybe this link can help you

I'd say go for it. Although the parks will be busier at weekends than mid-week it is still possible to get through all the major attractions.

As others have said Eurostar will take you direct from London (recently voted dirtiest city ) to Paris or Disneyland Paris.
All on-site hotels are at most a 20 minute walk from Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios. They are also served by shuttle buses.

Come over to the DLP board where you'll be warmly welcomed and lots will offer advice and suggestions to help you with your trip planning


You keep saying this Sounds the same as saying WDW will be full of Americans. Which of course it is not

I second that

It would be such a shame to come all that way and not visit if even for just a weekend. DLP is such a beautiful park and you will find that some of the rides are better than WDW (now ducking for cover!!!)

You can easily get a train from St Pancras International to Disneyland Paris (and i mean RIGHT by it) in about 3 hours. (I am planning my September trip)

The weekend will be busy especially on a bank holiday, but it is a great park, just pick and choose your rides between the two parks, that are both worth a visit. Try and get an early train (and book now by the way or the prices will be through the roof, and stay at one of the Disney or Disney affliliated hotels, so you can get assured a good stay. We are staying in Hotel Santa Fe, which is Disney owned, but i have stayed at Explorers before, which was just fine. So PM if you want any suggestions

May i suggest the London Science Museum for some hands on fun? If you go down to the 'Basement' it has loads of great kids stuff to do. Out of all the museums in London, i HIGHLY recommend that one for a young'un. Madame Tussards wax works are great too, for bit of a Celeb experience.

If you need any help planning your trip to London or Paris, just PM me (im doing some serious planning myself) and i'll be happy to help!

Thanks everyone for your comments. They have been a lot of help.

I think I will price the cost of taking the Eurostar from London to Paris Friday night....staying in Paris Friday night. We could do some of Paris on Saturday...take the train to DLP Saturday night....then use DVC points to book Saturday night at DLP. We could do the park Sunday then take the train back to London late Sunday night.

Our hotel in London is accross the street from the Tower of London in The City. Is that a long trip to St Pancras International station? The last time I took the Eurostar it left from Waterloo.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Did someone get up early in the morning???

I now feel officially park of the disfuncional "family" as I have now gotten a sarcastic comment from Kevin.

Point taken...it was a rather silly question now that I read it in the light of day. I should have said,

Should I spend $650 to take the Eurostar to DLP for only one day in the park?
Add park tickets, and hotel...that is one expensive weekend.


I also guess I am asking the question, How do I justify going to visit DLP, an american icon, instead of visiting the numerious cultural and historic european sites?

If Mr. Smarty Pants could provide me with a 500 word essay on this theme I would greatly appreciate it as I will be needed this information to appease not only my husband but to answer all the "Disney Again....in France????but you could have gone to Versaille, Louvre...." questions from my colleagues and friends who are European History professors, Ethics professors etc....well after you are well rested and have fully recovered from my shocking question. Thanks in advance.

Now this is a different question all together isnt it? And yes....I did get up VERY early, but I got to meet Anthony, so it was worth it.

I did not understand that this was an "either/or" situation.

I would have an incredibly difficult time making this decision. Paris or Disney?

If I only had a short time and had to make the choice, I would choose to sightsee in Paris.

A trip through the Louvre, lunch at a cafe or brasserie, a stroll down the Champs Elysee, a vist to Notre Dame.....these would definitely win over a trip to DLP.

And if you factor in the added cost of a park day, it does make for a very expensive weekend.

Welcome to the Dysfunction Junction family.

That was approximately 135 words....will that do?

 

[wishspirit]

Thanks everyone for your comments. They have been a lot of help.

I think I will price the cost of taking the Eurostar from London to Paris Friday night....staying in Paris Friday night. We could do some of Paris on Saturday...take the train to DLP Saturday night....then use DVC points to book Saturday night at DLP. We could do the park Sunday then take the train back to London late Sunday night.

Our hotel in London is accross the street from the Tower of London in The City. Is that a long trip to St Pancras International station? The last time I took the Eurostar it left from Waterloo.

Yes, the trains changed in December, they now leave from St Pancras International rather than Waterloo (which is great for me, but not for other people). It is a gorgeous new station, and is great walking through with Disney music on your ipod, not that i'd know this

To get from Tower of London to St Pancras, use the Tower Hill underground station and take the Circle line to 'Kings Cross St Pancras' (2 stations right next to each other, so they only have one tube station). You will need to arrive AT LEAST 30 minuites before you train departs, and the tube will take at least 20, but add on extra time just incase of delays. So no, its not that hard to get there!

There are tickets avaliable for that weekend for about £90 per adult one way, which is about $180, which isn't the cheapest option! You could always fly to Paris, which is a one hour flight, but it means spending longer at the airport (British airports have a reputation for good reason!) and finding your way to heathrow/ gatwick/ luton/ standstead, by train, which is a pain!

Any other questions?

 

[wishspirit]

I did not understand that this was an "either/or" situation.

I would have an incredibly difficult time making this decision. Paris or Disney?

I don't have to! Im doing both, hahaha!! (sorry small brag there, i will calm down )

 

[tink576]

you won't have any problem with the trains going to DLP, it's a very simple process! Go and have a blast!

 

[wilde_oscar]

do you realize there are three french speaking daycares in Alpharetta, GA?

Did you know the louvre is closed on Tuesday?

The eurostar direct is $269

2 day park hopper is $120

And of course it is france so you can sleep on a park bench.

 

[beachwarmer]

do you realize there are three french speaking daycares in Alpharetta, GA?No
I live in Canada even my Oreos and rum have a french side
Did you know the louvre is closed on Tuesday?Yes

The eurostar direct is $269Is that for one person or three? My price in Candian dollars for the three of us is $650 Cnd

2 day park hopper is $120

And of course it is france so you can sleep on a park bench.But it is a french bench so it will look down on you and make you feel uncomfortable

Thanks for the help WO I appreciate it and your unique humor.

 

[tink576]

2 day park hopper is $120

I also believe annual passes are about the same cost as a 3 day ticket...If that would factor into how much time you spent there...

 

[wishspirit]

I also believe annual passes are about the same cost as a 3 day ticket...If that would factor into how much time you spent there...

really???

hmm, maybe a bit of a re-think!