Pixie Dust in Paris! A June 2013 PTR! UPDATE 7/2 TR LINK

[ZFamily5]

Welcome!


Before we can get to the fun part, the planning, let’s cover the basics!

Who:

I’m Thing1 here on the DIS. I’m 16 years old and besides planning trips, I’m a dancer, on the speech team at my school and involved with the theater program.

Thing2 is my 12 year old sister. She will turn 13 while we are in Paris. Thing2 is very into the arts: painting, drawing, fashion, photography and singing. She is very much looking forward to all aspects of the trip, but probably Paris more than London.

Thing3 is my 7, soon to be 8, year old sister. She is also a dancer. She is looking forward to seeing London as she is currently obsessed with Princess Kate.

My parents are the ones who instigated the trip. They want us to be cultured and see the world, not just go to the same place every year (though I can usually rally for a Disney trip every couple years!). They’re excited for everything, but probably most excited for the food and history.


Also joining us are my aunt, uncle and one of my cousins. Uncle R is a major history person, he’s looking forward to seeing Versailles and Normandy among other things. Aunt C is pretty much up for anything, she likes history and finding scenic views. Kay, my cousin, is 13 years old. She and Thing2 are very close and they like similar things, so it’s nice that we can travel together.

What: A trip to England and France. Right now we are scheduled for 9 days in France and 6 or 7 in England, though it could change according to when we can get reasonable airfare.

When: June 2013. We are not 100% sure with the dates until we book flights.

Why: We love traveling with Uncle R, Aunt C and Kay. We share similar interests and enjoy the chance to hang out with people we only see a few times a year. In 2010, we traveled to Hawaii together along with my grandmother and Kay’s older sister. In 2011, we went to Disney together and this past summer we went to Michigan, along with the rest of my mom’s family for a reunion. This will be the fourth summer in a row traveling together, but we love to do it!

*I will add a picture of Kay with the girls from this summer and try and make the first picture smaller in the morning, Photobucket isn't working well tonight.

If you’ve made it through all of my rambling, I applaud you! I promise the next post will be more fun. Please jump in and say hi! Thank you for reading! ​

 

[ZFamily5]

All you lurkers, come out and say hi! I don't bite, I promise!

Onto some planning...Unfortunately, we will only have one day at Disneyland Paris. Uncle R is Disney-ed out from the last time we went to Disney World and obviously there are a lot of other things we'd like to see. While I'm a tiny bit sad, I understand. Anyway, due to that fact, I need a lot of help planning! I've never been to Disneyland Paris before and I want to make the most out of the day we're going to be there.

Uncle R and Aunt C are planning a different outing the day we go, so it will just be the girls, Mom, Dad and I. We're planning on getting the 2 Parks, 1 Day passes. Some attractions I think we'd enjoy are:

-It's a Small World
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
-The Indiana Jones ride
-Dumbo
-Pinnochio
-Peter Pan
-the Teacups
-Cars Race Rally
-Crush's Coaster
-Any of the Toy Story related attractions
-Tower of Terror or Rockin' Rollercoaster (Thing3 won't do either and I don't want her to feel too left out)

I know it's not realistic to do all of this in a day along with eat and actually take in the sights. I guess my questions are:

What is worth our time?
How are the crowds in mid-June typically?
Do you have any tips or tricks?

Thank you so much for reading! ​

 

[sky13]

That should be a nice trip and the weather will hopefully be nice in June (lovely long days, although hopefully it won't be raining as much next year as it was this year in England...)

It's been 4 years since I last went - but visited twice in June (midweek, 2007 and 2008).

For my visit in 2008 I had a total of just a little over a full day in the parks (was meant to have been longer, but the French train workers were on strike so we got in much later than we were meant to!). During that visit I remember doing (off your list): It's a Small World, Big Thunder Mountain (at least twice - Fastpass), Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, Indiana Jones, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Crush's Coaster, Tower of Terror and Rock and Rollercoaster. The longest queues we had was Dumbo (45 minutes during the parade!) and Crush's Coaster (can't remember how long but it was long).

Hope this helps - it's a bit outdated though as it was 4 years ago...! I definitely enjoyed it and the weather was really lovely when I went. The only thing when I went was that the parks closed around 7pm - and sunset isn't until past 9pm in June - so it felt a little odd to be leaving the parks when they closed...

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Have fun planning and a good time!

I have been in mid June before and I don't remember it being very overly crowded (I went June 15th-17th). From what I remember in Europe schools let out later than we do in the States so I think there may be more crowds as the summer goes on. So depending on when you get there you may have good crowd levels. I am sure some who know more about the school holidays will be able to tell you more.

What I really love about DLRP is that Disneyland Parc especially is very beautiful! Take time to notice the little details if you have a chance! Main Street USA is lovely - and has two covered arcades (not games but covered walkways) - Discovery Arcade and Liberty Arcade. Alice's Labyrinth is unique to Disneyland Paris - a walk through if any of you are Alice fans and there is a dragon under the castle.

I really love the Paris versions of Pirates, It's a Small World, and Big Thunder Mountain RR - really good imagineering. Phantom Manor is also a bit different with a wild west theme at the end. Peter Pan usually has a shorter wait than the one at WDW as it seats more people which is nice.

At WDS I like Animagique and Cinemagique - unique to DLRP. Crush's Coaster is a great ride but often has a long wait. Toy Story Playland has some good imagineering. The buffet Restaurant de Stars has Remy cart if you have any Ratatouille/Remy fans in the group - plus I think the food is pretty good value.

Anyway - have a lot of fun planning and I am sure you will get some great tips on the board here!

 

[meggiebeth]

Lovely sounding trip Thing1!!! I am so glad you're coming to England to see what we have to offer. London is AMAZING and there will be many things to excite Thing3 with Kate Middleton

DLP isn't too busy in June (except for the first few days which should be busier since our schools are all off on half term break then). The rest should be a pretty good time to go. We break up from school at the end of July and many parts of Europe break up then or a few weeks before.

DLP isn't big at all and you should get it done in 2 or 3 days easily. That leaves a lot of time for the sightseeing! Can't wait to see your plans unravel!

 

[ZFamily5]

That should be a nice trip and the weather will hopefully be nice in June (lovely long days, although hopefully it won't be raining as much next year as it was this year in England...)

It's been 4 years since I last went - but visited twice in June (midweek, 2007 and 2008).

For my visit in 2008 I had a total of just a little over a full day in the parks (was meant to have been longer, but the French train workers were on strike so we got in much later than we were meant to!). During that visit I remember doing (off your list): It's a Small World, Big Thunder Mountain (at least twice - Fastpass), Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, Indiana Jones, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Crush's Coaster, Tower of Terror and Rock and Rollercoaster. The longest queues we had was Dumbo (45 minutes during the parade!) and Crush's Coaster (can't remember how long but it was long).

Hope this helps - it's a bit outdated though as it was 4 years ago...! I definitely enjoyed it and the weather was really lovely when I went. The only thing when I went was that the parks closed around 7pm - and sunset isn't until past 9pm in June - so it felt a little odd to be leaving the parks when they closed...

Thank you so much for joining me!

Wow! You got a lot done during your stay! 45 minutes for Dumbo during the parade?

This definitely helps me. I'm glad to hear the weather was so nice while you were there. I've read that the parks close early but last time I checked the June hours weren't out yet...hopefully soon!

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Have fun planning and a good time!

I have been in mid June before and I don't remember it being very overly crowded (I went June 15th-17th). From what I remember in Europe schools let out later than we do in the States so I think there may be more crowds as the summer goes on. So depending on when you get there you may have good crowd levels. I am sure some who know more about the school holidays will be able to tell you more.

What I really love about DLRP is that Disneyland Parc especially is very beautiful! Take time to notice the little details if you have a chance! Main Street USA is lovely - and has two covered arcades (not games but covered walkways) - Discovery Arcade and Liberty Arcade. Alice's Labyrinth is unique to Disneyland Paris - a walk through if any of you are Alice fans and there is a dragon under the castle.

I really love the Paris versions of Pirates, It's a Small World, and Big Thunder Mountain RR - really good imagineering. Phantom Manor is also a bit different with a wild west theme at the end. Peter Pan usually has a shorter wait than the one at WDW as it seats more people which is nice.

At WDS I like Animagique and Cinemagique - unique to DLRP. Crush's Coaster is a great ride but often has a long wait. Toy Story Playland has some good imagineering. The buffet Restaurant de Stars has Remy cart if you have any Ratatouille/Remy fans in the group - plus I think the food is pretty good value.

Anyway - have a lot of fun planning and I am sure you will get some great tips on the board here!

Thank you so much for joining in!

I believe we're scheduled to get into Paris on the 12th, so I'm hoping DLP will be one of our first days while the crowds may be a little better.

I've heard lots of people say that Disneyland Parc is so beautiful! I've seen a few pictures but I'm hoping to see more soon. The castle is stunning; can't decide if I like this one or the Florida castle the best!

I'm glad to hear that the rides I was most excited about are some of your favorites! I've read some things about it, but it's even better hearing it from someone who loves Disney as much as I do!

Thank you so much!

Lovely sounding trip Thing1!!! I am so glad you're coming to England to see what we have to offer. London is AMAZING and there will be many things to excite Thing3 with Kate Middleton

DLP isn't too busy in June (except for the first few days which should be busier since our schools are all off on half term break then). The rest should be a pretty good time to go. We break up from school at the end of July and many parts of Europe break up then or a few weeks before.

DLP isn't big at all and you should get it done in 2 or 3 days easily. That leaves a lot of time for the sightseeing! Can't wait to see your plans unravel!

Thanks Meggie! Glad you stopped by!

I'm super excited to see England! Yeah, Thing3 has a bit of an obsession with Kate Middleton...

I'm glad to hear that DLP shouldn't be too busy when we're there! We're going to try and go during the beginning of our trip, so the middle of June.

Thanks for helping with the planning!

 

[ZFamily5]

Hello again!

I hope all of you readers (and lurkers) had a nice holiday!

Mom and Dad got me a Disneyland Paris guidebook for Christmas, which I have been looking through the past few days. After talking to Mom and Dad and seeing the limited time we have at DLP, we've decided just to go to Disneyland Parc and not see the Walt Disney Studios. As much as I'd love to see the Toy Story area, we decided we'd rather see more of one park, than bits and pieces of two. I'm hoping with the change, we'll be able to see most of the attractions we want to in that day.

Does anyone know when the park hours are released for the summer? Right now they're up through March but nothing beyond that. Also, the book doesn't cover too much on CS eating, which we planned on doing to maximize park time. Any suggestions for dining?

Finally (for now), can you walk from Disneyland Parc to Disney Village? I don't want to waste time in the park picking out a souvenir, but I know I will want to pick one out.

Thank you for reading! ​

 

[Neeny17]

Hello again!

I hope all of you readers (and lurkers) had a nice holiday!

Mom and Dad got me a Disneyland Paris guidebook for Christmas, which I have been looking through the past few days. After talking to Mom and Dad and seeing the limited time we have at DLP, we've decided just to go to Disneyland Parc and not see the Walt Disney Studios. As much as I'd love to see the Toy Story area, we decided we'd rather see more of one park, than bits and pieces of two. I'm hoping with the change, we'll be able to see most of the attractions we want to in that day.

Does anyone know when the park hours are released for the summer? Right now they're up through March but nothing beyond that. Also, the book doesn't cover too much on CS eating, which we planned on doing to maximize park time. Any suggestions for dining?

Finally (for now), can you walk from Disneyland Parc to Disney Village? I don't want to waste time in the park picking out a souvenir, but I know I will want to pick one out.

Thank you for reading! ​

Hi! It looks like you have a great trip lined up! Yes, Disneyland Parc and Disney Village are literally right next door to each other so there will be no problem there.

 

[wannabee]

i cant wait for your report. I am thinking about a similiar day in June 2014. We should have about a week or so in France and I have got to see DLP. My husband will probably spend the day in a museum and just my son and I will go to DLP.

 

[Isila]

where did you find march hours? we go in March, but I haven't seen them yet.

 

[ZFamily5]

Hi! It looks like you have a great trip lined up! Yes, Disneyland Parc and Disney Village are literally right next door to each other so there will be no problem there.

Hi! Thanks for joining me!

Thank you, I hope so! Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. We're thinking about going there after the park closes to get souvenirs.

i cant wait for your report. I am thinking about a similiar day in June 2014. We should have about a week or so in France and I have got to see DLP. My husband will probably spend the day in a museum and just my son and I will go to DLP.

Thank you for joining me!

You sound like you're in the exact situation I'm in; I told my parents I couldn't be in France and not see DLP! I hope I'll be able to help somewhat!

where did you find march hours? we go in March, but I haven't seen them yet.

Thank you for joining in!

My apologies, I misread the DLP website! When they had a calendar for March, I assumed it had park hours listed in it, but it was blank. Sorry about that!

I did find this website, however, that had guess-timates of the park hours:

http://www.mickey-mouse.com/dlphours.htm

 

[Isila]

I thought I missed that , good to know. Planing makes me go crazy!

 

[teachermommy78]

Hello there!!! I'm so happy to reconnect with you! I'm so excited for your family! I hope you plan on reporting on all parts of the trip and not just the disney parts.

 

[ZFamily5]

I thought I missed that , good to know. Planing makes me go crazy!

Me too! I've been researching like crazy!

Hello there!!! I'm so happy to reconnect with you! I'm so excited for your family! I hope you plan on reporting on all parts of the trip and not just the disney parts.

Hi! I'm glad to hear from you again too!

Thank you so much, we're very excited too! Yes, I plan to report on the non Disney parts of the trip too! I can hardly wait and we still have a few months to go!

New ticker, I noticed! When are you planning on going? Is Sophie still taking gymnastics? So good to hear from you again!

 

[ZFamily5]

Hi guys! Sorry it's been a few weeks!

Since winter break has ended we had finals week at school, I got sick, I've had a few speech tournaments, began work on the set for the freshman/sophomore play at my school and started assistant teaching two dance classes at my studio! Needless to say, it's been a busy time!

If any of you could help with these questions, I'd appreciate it!

Would it be best to eat breakfast on the way to the park to save time?

Where would you recommend for a CS lunch in Disneyland Parc?

As you can see, we're very concerned about food in this family!

I was talking to Kay over winter break while we were together and she mentioned pin trading. During our 2011 trip to WDW, she developed quite the love of pin trading. Is pin trading a big deal in DLP? Should we bring our pins or would it not be worth it?

Thank you for the help! ​

 

[teachermommy78]

Sophie has moved from gymnastics into cheerleading. She LOVES it. It is her niche in life. Perfect mixture of dance and tumbling. She was the only advanced tumbler on the team so she got featured lots and loved the attention!!! Finn is one year past his open heart surgery and is doing AWESOME! Ethan is still Ethan . He has an IEP for a reading learning disability and he is doing soooooo well now that it has been identified. I'm still plugging away with teaching. 5th and 6th grade this year. We are planning a trip to Washington DC this summer and then our mega Disney blowout (10 days and 20+ people again) in 2014. I was trying so hard to get a Disney trip in this summer, but 5 days just doesn't make sense to us now that we have been for 10. The price of park tickets just isn't worth it. But now that we decided on DC (plus we are visiting 2 six flags parks- DC and NJ AND stopping in Hershey PA) I am having fun planning for this. We put in a request wit Senator Dick Durbin for a White House Tour, Printing/Engravery tour, and Capitol tour, so that should be fun. We are apparently on a US history kick because last summer we went to MA for Plymouth and the Mayflower. A teacher' dream come true! Sorry about being so chatty today. I've just had coffee! Are you still running? You are in your junior year this year, correct? Any college prospects?

 

[ZFamily5]

Sophie has moved from gymnastics into cheerleading. She LOVES it. It is her niche in life. Perfect mixture of dance and tumbling. She was the only advanced tumbler on the team so she got featured lots and loved the attention!!! Finn is one year past his open heart surgery and is doing AWESOME! Ethan is still Ethan . He has an IEP for a reading learning disability and he is doing soooooo well now that it has been identified. I'm still plugging away with teaching. 5th and 6th grade this year. We are planning a trip to Washington DC this summer and then our mega Disney blowout (10 days and 20+ people again) in 2014. I was trying so hard to get a Disney trip in this summer, but 5 days just doesn't make sense to us now that we have been for 10. The price of park tickets just isn't worth it. But now that we decided on DC (plus we are visiting 2 six flags parks- DC and NJ AND stopping in Hershey PA) I am having fun planning for this. We put in a request wit Senator Dick Durbin for a White House Tour, Printing/Engravery tour, and Capitol tour, so that should be fun. We are apparently on a US history kick because last summer we went to MA for Plymouth and the Mayflower. A teacher' dream come true! Sorry about being so chatty today. I've just had coffee! Are you still running? You are in your junior year this year, correct? Any college prospects?

Aww, I'm so glad Sophie found her perfect activity! Tumbling really is the best aspect of gymnastics! And getting to be featured as an advanced tumbler? That's fantastic! That's great that Finn and Ethan are doing so well too! I've talked to my mom about IEPs and she said the same thing, they really make all the difference. So glad he was able to get one that is helping him! How are your students this year? Hopefully not too rowdy!

We went to Washington DC over spring break and it is amazing! We saw a lot of monuments of course, went to a few of the Smithsonian museums (our favorite was Air and Space), went to the Newseum (my favorite part of the entire trip) and ate some amazing food! We went put in a request with Senator Durbin's office too. If you end up doing that, make sure to ask the guide for tickets to the Senate and House of Representatives chambers. We found out that without those, you just see the lobby of the buildings and not actually where they meet. Are you staying in DC? We stayed outside of DC in Virginia but were able to take the metro everywhere. Sorry for rambling but Washington DC was just fabulous! Definitely one of my favorite trips we've ever taken! If you need any suggestions or tips, just let me know.

We're planning another Disney trip for 2014 too! Hopefully our trips will over lap a little bit and we could meet up for a little bit!

I'm not running (at least at school) anymore, my knees decided they couldn't really handle that. Right now I'm in three dance classes and teach two other classes at my studio, I'm on the speech team, the mathletes squad and the tech crew for the theater program at my school. I'm still a sophomore this year, but I can't tell you how scary it is that I have to start thinking about college! I want to go into education or sports medicine, but I'm not sure where I'd like to go yet. I guess we'll see once I start college visits next year!

Sorry for rambling, I guess I got a little excited! Hope you have a great week!

 

[teachermommy78]

Ooh! Thanks for all the DC advice! Which hotel did you stay in? This is an aspect where we are so confused. We don't know where to stay and how to get around town. The hotels downtown are so expensive and parking is through the roof! And we can't get a handle about exactly how far the hotels are outside DC. It would be great to have a point of knowledge about where you stayed so I can search around that area too. We are planning on the history Smithsonian for sure. And the Mall and monuments, of course. We also HAVE to go to Georgetown Cupcakes where they film DC Cupcakes on TLC. Sophie is planning on making them a card. I'm sure 3 days won't be nearly enough, but it will give us a reason to go back!

 

[disneykid123]

wow, sounds like you're going to have a brilliant day in DLP! It's my home park, I think I literally couldn't love a place more in the world ever haha I'm 16 too, it's great to see someone else of my age group on these boards!

It's a shame you won't be able to see the studios park because rides like Crushes Coaster, Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror are always some of the highlights of my trips! But I totally get where you're coming from with the seeing more of one park than bits of both. The amount of detail in the magic kingdom is fantastic, you notice something new every time!

My top attractions in the MK are probably:

• Phantom Manor
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast
• Indiana Jones

I've only been to WDW once when I was 9 so I don't have the best memory, but from what I hear/vaguely remember, Phantom Manor totally bosses any other version of Haunted Mansion at the other parks. Plus, the queues are rarely very long which I love entirely! My 5 year old sister loves it (surprisingly) so it makes a great family attraction

We're going around the same time as you this year, from sun 9th- thurs 14th june!

If I were you I'd avoid Casey's Corner at all costs in principle because the service is atrocious and the food can be pretty rough half the time.. but for some ridiculous reason we seem to end up sat out in the arcade eating our weird food watching a bit of the parade.. I'm not sure how this always happens. It's almost a tradition now! For snacks we always go to Fuente del Oro in Frontierland because they sell the tastiest churros so a daily stop there is a good way to pass time while we wait for our BTM fastpass slots It's all mexican food which personally isn't my favourite so we don't often have a meal there but I hear the menu has changed since our visit last year so there could be something a bit more up my street

Sorry for all the waffling!

 

[ZFamily5]

Ooh! Thanks for all the DC advice! Which hotel did you stay in? This is an aspect where we are so confused. We don't know where to stay and how to get around town. The hotels downtown are so expensive and parking is through the roof! And we can't get a handle about exactly how far the hotels are outside DC. It would be great to have a point of knowledge about where you stayed so I can search around that area too. We are planning on the history Smithsonian for sure. And the Mall and monuments, of course. We also HAVE to go to Georgetown Cupcakes where they film DC Cupcakes on TLC. Sophie is planning on making them a card. I'm sure 3 days won't be nearly enough, but it will give us a reason to go back!

I'm not entirely sure where we ended up in DC but it was either the Comfort Inn and Suites, the Sheraton or the Residence Inn in Alexandria. Wherever we stayed had a shuttle service to the Metro that was helpful! Our Metro ride was about 10 minutes to get into downtown (near the monuments and the Smithsonian). We went to Georgetown Cupcakes too! If you have time, we liked the Red Velvet Cupcakery a lot too! I'm so excited for you guys! DC is such a blast!!

wow, sounds like you're going to have a brilliant day in DLP! It's my home park, I think I literally couldn't love a place more in the world ever haha I'm 16 too, it's great to see someone else of my age group on these boards!

It's a shame you won't be able to see the studios park because rides like Crushes Coaster, Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror are always some of the highlights of my trips! But I totally get where you're coming from with the seeing more of one park than bits of both. The amount of detail in the magic kingdom is fantastic, you notice something new every time!

My top attractions in the MK are probably:

• Phantom Manor
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast
• Indiana Jones

I've only been to WDW once when I was 9 so I don't have the best memory, but from what I hear/vaguely remember, Phantom Manor totally bosses any other version of Haunted Mansion at the other parks. Plus, the queues are rarely very long which I love entirely! My 5 year old sister loves it (surprisingly) so it makes a great family attraction

We're going around the same time as you this year, from sun 9th- thurs 14th june!

If I were you I'd avoid Casey's Corner at all costs in principle because the service is atrocious and the food can be pretty rough half the time.. but for some ridiculous reason we seem to end up sat out in the arcade eating our weird food watching a bit of the parade.. I'm not sure how this always happens. It's almost a tradition now! For snacks we always go to Fuente del Oro in Frontierland because they sell the tastiest churros so a daily stop there is a good way to pass time while we wait for our BTM fastpass slots It's all mexican food which personally isn't my favourite so we don't often have a meal there but I hear the menu has changed since our visit last year so there could be something a bit more up my street

Sorry for all the waffling!

Thanks for joining in! I'm always glad to find more people my age on the DIS too!

I know..I'm kind of sad we won't be able to see more but I guess it's just an excuse to go back someday!

All of your favorite rides look like things we'd like to go on, with the exception of Indiana Jones for Thing3. Do you have a certain order you think would be best for us to do things in?

I'm glad to hear about Phantom Manor, hopefully that's something we'll all enjoy!

Ohh! How exciting for your family! It can't come quick enough!

Thanks for the advice on food! We all like Mexican, so we'll definitely have to try Fuente del Oro, even if it's just for a churro!

Thank you so much for all your help and for joining in on this adventure with me!