Euro Disney

[GrandBob]

OK, I know there's a board dedicated just to Euro Disney, and if the mods feel that they have to move this there, so be it. But I'm very comfortable with the regulars and other contributors on this board, so I wanted to ask here.

As some of you may know, my wife's chorus is one of only two in the US, and 6 in the world (I think) that has been invited to sing at the London Olympics. The choir has put together a tour consisting of 3 days in Paris and 5 in London, including performances at places such as Eglise Madeleine, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, and the main Olympic stage, among others. And one of the others? Euro Disney

OK, this much we've known for a couple of months, and we've been jazzed to see the French Mouse. Well, the detailed hour-by-hour schedule just came out, and we'll have a total of 3 1/2 hours at Disney And that includes setup and performance time! I figure by the time everyone gets off the bus and through the official welcome, sets up, and performs, we'll be lucky to have two hours to ourselves. Probably more like an hour. And that includes time to get lunch.

So, we may in fact have no effective time to do anything. But assuming we have a little time, what one or two things would you suggest as the most important? I'm thinking the castle, as I've heard it's really cool. Anything else?

Trey, I'm particularly hoping you'll contribute to this, as I know you've been.

Oh, this will be late morning on a Wednesday, if that matters. Here's what I have in the printed schedule:

9:30 AM Arrive Euro Disneyland
Move to castle stage
Sound check
Performance
Performance concludes
Lunch at own expense
1:00 Depart Disneyland
4:55 PM Arrive ferry terminal, Calais, for transfer to England

-Bob, Olympic bound!

 

[Gisele]

I would have posted Euro Disney questions on that particular forum, it might be more beneficial.

~~ I love you Phil and you will forever be with me! Forever my very best and most special friend! I love you to no end. ~~​

 

[snvanvl]

We really enjoyed their Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain Rail Road. Both were different from Dl and WDW's versions. The Disney Studios there was also very different and it has a crush ride that was alot of fun but with your time frame you may not have time to hop over to that park. We were there almost 2 years ago and everything was very expensive due to the exchange rate of the money. I think our cheapest meal was subway kinda close to Disney for 2 of us and it was over $30.00.

 

[skiingfast]

We really enjoyed their Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain Rail Road.

These would be my first two suggestions followed by Space Mountain.

 

[Rhonna]

We spent one day at DL Paris park. With your extremely limited time frame, I would definitely suggest staying in DL park, not hopping. I went back to their website to remind myself of all the attractions available. I agree with pp's.

#1 Castle: outside landscaping is gorgeous, right out of Sleeping Beauty with the squared topiaries. The dragon underneath was closed so we missed it. It's a walk through so I imagine it would be easy and quick to do. I read it is highly rated. Huge animatronic dragon that belches fire, not just a walk through like DL in CA.

The French really love the nostalgia of the American wild west so they really put a lot of theming into Frontierland.

#2 Phantom Manor is SO different in feel from both DL and WDW, both inside and out. A wooden mining town feel to it.

#3 Big Thunder is also different from the states.

It helps that the two top attractions are both in Frontierland so you won't have to run all over the park.

I know you don't have time so I won't go into sit down meals.

Have fun!

 

[A Small World]

Im from UK so Disneyland Paris is my closest park and Ive been several times - note I say Disneyland Paris as its no longer Euro Disney.

BTM is fun there as its on an island so you go under the lake to get there
SM goes upside down but is quite jerky and rough
Phantom Manor is in Frontierland and is based on the story of the family who own BTM
POC is better there as well I think - the ride is in a different order and the drops are bigger

You are right the castle is really nice - you can explore upstairs and go out on the balcony and also go in search of the resident dragon in the dungeon

If you want a table service lunch I would recommend Walts on Main Street- it has lots of photos and memorabilia and the entrance and lift is designed to be like club 33. Or you could go to Blue Lagoon - like Blue Bayou its inside POC but you walk in through caves so you are really inside. Also the type of food is different

If you any more info let me know - I lurk on this board most of the time

 

[greenkai3000]

I'd say go to Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Castle...don't forget Maleficent's Lair .

 

[spellhex]

A quick stop by the castle and then Phantom Manor would be my suggestion - the castle is gorgeous and impossible to take a bad picture of, while Phantom Manor is completely unlike anything we have in the States. If there's time, maybe Thunder Mountain (it goes under the lake!) or Pirates.

 

[Rhonna]

I would be VERY careful with regard to sit down meals considering how very limited your time is. In fact in your situation (maybe only one hour total!) I would say don't do it! The French take their time in dining in general and it isn't any different at DL. You just cannot get in and out of the sit down dining places quickly. You could be stuck in a restaurant for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or more.

We really enjoyed our meal at the Blue Lagoon restaurant in POC. The atmosphere, food and our waiter made it great. HOWEVER, the hostess was awful (no, she wasn't french) and it took forever to get our food (not our waiters fault, something in the kitchen despite very low patrons) and forever to get dessert and forever to get our bill. It was okay for us since we had finished the park and wanted to have a relaxing dinner before we left. But it would have been extrememely stressful if we had still been touring or had to leave.

 

[Rhonna]

A quick stop by the castle and then Phantom Manor would be my suggestion - the castle is gorgeous and impossible to take a bad picture of, while Phantom Manor is completely unlike anything we have in the States. If there's time, maybe Thunder Mountain (it goes under the lake!) or Pirates.

I agree completely with this suggestion!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I haven't been to DL Paris, but to save time since it seems limited you might want to have a snack in your bag and skip lunch. Then before you leave grab a quick service lunch to go (you might need your own bag) and eat it on your transport to your ferry. If I had limited time there I wouldn't waste it at a restaurant.

 

[Rebekkap]

Oh, this will be late morning on a Wednesday, if that matters. Here's what I have in the printed schedule:

9:30 AM Arrive Euro Disneyland
Move to castle stage
Sound check
Performance
Performance concludes
Lunch at own expense
1:00 Depart Disneyland
4:55 PM Arrive ferry terminal, Calais, for transfer to England

-Bob, Olympic bound!

Congrats to your wife Bob!

My first suggestion - any chance you can go the night before? It's really easy to get to Disneyland Paris on the train, takes under an hour, and if you stayed a night in one of the resort hotels instead of wherever you'd otherwise be staying, you could get early entry at 8am, which would give you a little more time. I don't know what your schedule is like the afternoon or evening before, but hey, you might even be able to arrive in time to do Disneyland Paris in the evening!

The other attraction I'd add to the must do list is Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril - it's different from the Disneyland California Indie ride, it's just a roller coaster really but it's a good one and the theming in the queue is great.

 

[Arizona Rita]

We went in 2010. The castle is worth seeing and make sure you see all of it. Very beautiful!
Dont waste time on sit down dining. If your meals will be included any where you will be better off. We thought that the food was very poor.
If you only have time to go on one more, I would take the train so you can say that at least you saw the park.
If you want a bigger ride I agree with the choices of the others.
Congrats to your wife!

 

[woody73]

. . . we'll be lucky to have two hours to ourselves. Probably more like an hour. And that includes time to get lunch.

We have had annual passes to Disneyland Resort Paris. We enjoy seeing the differences among the different parks (DL, WDW, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong).

Two hours -- or less -- on your own does not leave much time. As for what you do, that really depends on your interests.

• I would skip a sit-down meal, unless you're a foodie.
• If you like roller coasters, go on Big Thunder Mountain. It goes underwater.
• I would skip Indiana Jones, which is a disappointment compared with the theming at DL.
• The castle is a must.
• Leave time for shopping, but look for merchandise exclusive to DLP
• Pin trading, if you enjoy that.
• Take lots of photos.

Woody

 

[rljtwong]

enjoy all of it Euro Disney Rocks!

 

[A Small World]

I would be VERY careful with regard to sit down meals considering how very limited your time is. In fact in your situation (maybe only one hour total!) I would say don't do it! The French take their time in dining in general and it isn't any different at DL. You just cannot get in and out of the sit down dining places quickly. You could be stuck in a restaurant for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or more.

True - this is France and they like to linger over their meals however some of the restaurants offer quick lunches sometimes (not sure if they are still on ) - the menu is limited but its a lot quicker than normal table service. The reason I suggested Walts was because of the memorabilia and if you get a window table you can sit and watch the world go by on Main St however I agree you dont have a lot of time.
A word of warning as well - France dont do quick food so even the counter service options can be very slow.

If you do want counter service you could try Toad Hall (fish and Chips) or Market House Deli for a Croque Monsieur (typical French dish ).
There is an Earl of Sandwich in the Village where you could grab a meal to eat on route but it depends where you are parked whether you go near the Village (Downtown Disney)

 

[HydroGuy]

OK, I know there's a board dedicated just to Euro Disney, and if the mods feel that they have to move this there, so be it. But I'm very comfortable with the regulars and other contributors on this board, so I wanted to ask here.

As some of you may know, my wife's chorus is one of only two in the US, and 6 in the world (I think) that has been invited to sing at the London Olympics. The choir has put together a tour consisting of 3 days in Paris and 5 in London, including performances at places such as Eglise Madeleine, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, and the main Olympic stage, among others. And one of the others? Euro Disney

OK, this much we've known for a couple of months, and we've been jazzed to see the French Mouse. Well, the detailed hour-by-hour schedule just came out, and we'll have a total of 3 1/2 hours at Disney And that includes setup and performance time! I figure by the time everyone gets off the bus and through the official welcome, sets up, and performs, we'll be lucky to have two hours to ourselves. Probably more like an hour. And that includes time to get lunch.

So, we may in fact have no effective time to do anything. But assuming we have a little time, what one or two things would you suggest as the most important? I'm thinking the castle, as I've heard it's really cool. Anything else?

Trey, I'm particularly hoping you'll contribute to this, as I know you've been.

Oh, this will be late morning on a Wednesday, if that matters. Here's what I have in the printed schedule:

9:30 AM Arrive Euro Disneyland
Move to castle stage
Sound check
Performance
Performance concludes
Lunch at own expense
1:00 Depart Disneyland
4:55 PM Arrive ferry terminal, Calais, for transfer to England

-Bob, Olympic bound!

My DLRP experience is 5 years old, but I would say with an hour or two:

- Walk around FantasyLand and take it in - it is beautiful
- Walk under and into the castle
- Ride POTC

- With a little more time, ride BTMRR - it is a bit different than DL and MK and goes under the ROA and onto an island - Big Thunder Mesa I believe.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'd say go to Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Castle...don't forget Maleficent's Lair .

Just saw your post and while I put them in a different order, I agree.

 

[GrandBob]

Thanks to everyone for your replies, and for your good wishes! My wife is very excited to be representing the US in London, as is all the choir. We're really looking forward to it all, including DLP (not EuroDisney )

We really enjoyed their Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain Rail Road.

These would be my first two suggestions followed by Space Mountain.

Seems like everyone is agreed that the top 3 or 4 are the castle, including Maleficent's Lair, HM, POC, and BTMRR. Since the performance is AT the castle stage, that's a no-brainer. I'll make sure we go see the lair afterwards. For the rest, I guess I'll see if any of them have lines that are manageable with our time frame. My inclination is HM; that sounds so cool. POC is another strong possibility. BTMRR isn't one of my favorites at DLR, but the surroundings at DLP sound intriguing.

I would be VERY careful with regard to sit down meals considering how very limited your time is.

I haven't been to DL Paris, but to save time since it seems limited you might want to have a snack in your bag and skip lunch.

Thank you both. No, we wouldn't even consider TS in our time frame. The idea of packing a sandwich beforehand is a good one. Our bus leaves our Paris hotel at 8am, but I'll see if they have a sandwich place open.

Congrats to your wife Bob!

My first suggestion - any chance you can go the night before? It's really easy to get to Disneyland Paris on the train, takes under an hour, and if you stayed a night in one of the resort hotels instead of wherever you'd otherwise be staying, you could get early entry at 8am, which would give you a little more time.

First, thanks again for the congrats. We're both jazzed.

The previous night's activities appear to end around 11pm. I don't think there's any way that we're then going to get on a train and go to DLP. I'm telling you, they have us scheduled every waking minute of the day; and some non-waking minutes, I'm sure

My DLRP experience is 5 years old, but I would say with an hour or two:

- Walk around FantasyLand and take it in - it is beautiful
- Walk under and into the castle
- Ride POTC

- With a little more time, ride BTMRR - it is a bit different than DL and MK and goes under the ROA and onto an island - Big Thunder Mesa I believe.

Thanks for responding to my plea for help, Trey. Sounds like a plan. If we ride POTC, I doubt we'll also get to BTMRR or HM. We'll see. In any case, we're jazzed about the whole trip.

Thanks everyone

 

[greenkai3000]

POTC, Phantom Manor (their version of the HM), and BTMRR are relatively close to eachother. And yes, I agree with Hydroguy about FL...it is BEAUTIFUL!! If only you had enough time to also enjoy Dreams!, their night time show ... It puts WoC to shame!