22 hour 55 minute layover in Paris... What would you do?

[LovesTimone]

We are going to do a cruise from Barcelona, and we will be meeting up with 2 possibly a 3rd couple in Barcelona. DH said why don't we go a day ahead and give us a chance to check out Barcelona and get on the time zone there. So when I was looking for airfare, I found a flight with a lay over which at first when I glanced at it and thought it read 2 hours and 55 minutes, then when I really looked at it was 22 hours and 55 minutes. When I read it out to DH... I was laughing and said that's some layover. Then he was like we could do that, and go to Disneyland Paris... or whatever... I sat there with my mouth hanging open... I was like are you serious... he said why not... and could we stay there... I was still sitting with my mouth hanging open...

Nothing is written in stone right now... is this doable...

So we would land at around 8:00 or 9:00 am - at Charles De Gaulle -
How far to DLP from the Airport? best way to get there?
Could we visit most of the park in one day?
Spend the night... Not sure on cost..?
Check out early the next morning back to Charles De Gaulle for a 1 and 45 min flight to Barcelona.
Meet up with our friends and head for the cruise ship...

So I was talking to my friends that have family in France and she suggested that we book everything separate so you have more control over your flight times, cost and luggage control.
Then other friends are don't do this.... do that...

So any help, suggestions...anything at all would be helpful...

 

[DLPdaft]

Land at CDG at 9am, you could be through immigration/security/baggage claim in under an hour, it takes around 40 minutes by private or shared shuttle transfer booked in advance to get from CDG to the gates of the DLP parks. So you could be there by 11am. You haven't said which month you are going, but if its summer the main park is open until 11pm. You could get a lot done (not all by any means) but a lot, in that time. There are loads of nearby hotels with free shuttle transfers to and from the parks, so you wouldn't necessarily have to pay over the odds to stay onsite, especially if you only want one day's park access.

In short, I'd do it!

 

[BadPinkTink]

I agree, do it

The cheapest way would be to get a 2 day 1 night package at a Partner / Good Neighbour. These packages are park ticket and hotel room packages. Hotel http://www.disneylandparis.ie/hotels/#/partner-hotels/

Take Magic Shuttle from Charles de Gaulle Airport http://magicalshuttle.co.uk/ direct from the airport to the partner hotels.
Check In to your hotel then get the free shuttle from the partner hotel to the parks.

Depending on traffic and hotel drop offs, with a flight landing at 9am you would be in the park at approx 1pm.

If you book with a layover, ie all on one booking you wont collect your checked luggage. When you check in at your USA airport you will boarding cards for ALL your flights. When you land you just exit the airport , and dont go to the transfer area. When you come back to the airport, you dont have to check in as you will already have your boarding card. You will go straight to the TSA security. When you book all on one ticket, you will have the transatlantic checked baggage number and weight allowance for all flights.

If you book separate flights ie USA to Paris, Paris to Barcelona, you will have to collect your checked luggage. When you return to the airport you will have to check in at the airline for the Paris to Barcelona flight. If you do separate flights you need to be aware that the European checked baggage number and weight allowance may be smaller than the Transatlantic checked baggage number and weight allowance.

Also be aware that round trip flights ie USA airport to European Airport, European Airport to USA Airport are cheaper than single flights. Example New York to Barcelona with a layover in Paris, Barcelona to New York with a layover in Paris will be cheaper than New York to Paris, Paris to Barcelona, Barcelona to New York.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It sounds exciting but personally, I would pay the extra to have more time in DLP and Barcelona and do separate flights so that we could do maybe 2 days at DLP, fly to Barcelona, then tour the city. jmho

We cruised from Barcelona in 2013 and I wouldn't want to be flying on the morning of the cruise. At all.
We had 2 nights in Barcelona because we wanted to adjust to the time zone a bit & tour the city before boarding the ship. We also had a morning arrival and we were fine, a little sleepy, until about around 3 pm then we absolutely hit a wall. Think about it, our watches were set on 3 pm but our bodies were still feeling like it was 9am but with very little sleep on the plane, almost like being up all night. It will be even worse if you live west of the Eastern time zone.

Our hotel was a short walk from Sagrada Familia so we walked around the area, napped, and still were able to sleep that night. We woke up well rested, got picked up for our half day tour (Barcelona Day Tours) had a nice relaxing dinner, then took a cab to see the Magic Fountain after dark, then went to the port in the am.
For us, it was perfect. YMMV.
22 hours in DLP sounds fun til you factor in the jet lag. It will hit you while you're in the parks. If funds & time off make it doable, a real stay in DLP is something to consider.

 

[LovesTimone]

It sounds exciting but personally, I would pay the extra to have more time in DLP and Barcelona and do separate flights so that we could do maybe 2 days at DLP, fly to Barcelona, then tour the city. jmho

We cruised from Barcelona in 2013 and I wouldn't want to be flying on the morning of the cruise. At all.
We had 2 nights in Barcelona because we wanted to adjust to the time zone a bit & tour the city before boarding the ship. We also had a morning arrival and we were fine, a little sleepy, until about around 3 pm then we absolutely hit a wall. Think about it, our watches were set on 3 pm but our bodies were still feeling like it was 9am but with very little sleep on the plane, almost like being up all night. It will be even worse if you live west of the Eastern time zone.

Our hotel was a short walk from Sagrada Familia so we walked around the area, napped, and still were able to sleep that night. We woke up well rested, got picked up for our half day tour (Barcelona Day Tours) had a nice relaxing dinner, then took a cab to see the Magic Fountain after dark, then went to the port in the am.
For us, it was perfect. YMMV.
22 hours in DLP sounds fun til you factor in the jet lag. It will hit you while you're in the parks. If funds & time off make it doable, a real stay in DLP is something to consider.

Jet lag and time zone difference are our biggest worry with this option. We were thinking about leaving the US. (Florida) Thursday or Friday as the cruise leaves on Sunday, A lot to think about and we committed to meet our friends for cruise. So this should be our priority. I am waffling back and forth .... so will have to see. We are booking the cruise this week, then we can firm up all the other stuff.

On the Cruise our ports are Naples, Rome, Pisa, Cannes, and Majorca. If you visited here can you tell me about any excursion you did, thoughts or tips. If you don't mind what hotel did you stay at in Barcelona, and how was it?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We stayed at the Hispanos 7 Suisa. It was a 2 BR/2BA condo style room with full kitchen, not that we cooked at all. We have teen boys so it was nice to not have to cram all 4 of us in 1 litlle room with 1 bathroom.
The hotel itself is tiny by American standards but was not lacking in service whatsoever.

We did same ports except the last on your list. Our stop in France was Villefranche, not far from Cannes. We had onboard credits from DCL from our TA & for rebooking onboard on a previous cruise so that covered a tour of Nice & Monaco that we booked through the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed it (though I'd guess other families with VERY young children who whined a lot might not agree.)

For our Italian ports Rome, Florence, Naples we used a private tour company RomeinLimo.com which came highly recommended on the cruise boards and did not disappoint. They were waiting for us at each port with an English speaking driver who showed us everything. Their fees dont include admission to museums but they offer links to buy tickets online in advance and give what times you should select where applicable, such as what time to climb the tower in Pisa.
We paid extra for separate guides inside St. Peter's Basilica & through Pompeii. We split the cost with my parents which made it very affordable because they dont specifically charge pp.

 

[ScotScroogeMcDuck]

Out of curiosity, why not get the TGV from CDG airport to DLP? 10mins (pending wait time).

 

[BadPinkTink]

Out of curiosity, why not get the TGV from CDG airport to DLP? 10mins (pending wait time).

that time is just the actual travel time. I looked into getting the TGV for my last trip in February 2016. The direct TGV has very limited departure time from CDG airport, which does not match up to the majority of incoming flights. Then you have to factor in the transit time between your arriving terminal and getting to the TGV departure platform. Then when you arrive at DLP you have either to walk from the train station or get one of the free shuttle busses from the train station to your hotel. When you have multiple people in your party, who all have multiple luggage, getting the TGV does not work out as a hassle free / stress free way to get to DLP

 

[LovesTimone]

We stayed at the Hispanos 7 Suisa. It was a 2 BR/2BA condo style room with full kitchen, not that we cooked at all. We have teen boys so it was nice to not have to cram all 4 of us in 1 litlle room with 1 bathroom.
The hotel itself is tiny by American standards but was not lacking in service whatsoever.

We did same ports except the last on your list. Our stop in France was Villefranche, not far from Cannes. We had onboard credits from DCL from our TA & for rebooking onboard on a previous cruise so that covered a tour of Nice & Monaco that we booked through the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed it (though I'd guess other families with VERY young children who whined a lot might not agree.)

For our Italian ports Rome, Florence, Naples we used a private tour company RomeinLimo.com which came highly recommended on the cruise boards and did not disappoint. They were waiting for us at each port with an English speaking driver who showed us everything. Their fees dont include admission to museums but they offer links to buy tickets online in advance and give what times you should select where applicable, such as what time to climb the tower in Pisa.
We paid extra for separate guides inside St. Peter's Basilica & through Pompeii. We split the cost with my parents which made it very affordable because they dont specifically charge pp.

I can not thank you enough for all the help.

That might work for us at the Condo - with 2 bedrooms and2 bathroom with another couple would make it nice and affordable to split with them. If our other friends decide is there a pullout couch that would work for them?... It's just going to be 2 nights for us and 1 couple and only 1 night for the other couple if they commit.

I am going to check our Romeinlimo.com with being able to split up cost you can get a more intimate experience. The private guide at St. Peters Basilica was it a company or just something they offered when purchasing tickets? Another question On climbing the tower of Pisa...how would you rate the stair, easy, medium or difficult? I have knee issues not terrible but it will aggravate me sometimes, I have start adding steps to make exercise routine and hoping that it will help by the time we go in Sept.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I can not thank you enough for all the help.

That might work for us at the Condo - with 2 bedrooms and2 bathroom with another couple would make it nice and affordable to split with them. If our other friends decide is there a pullout couch that would work for them?... It's just going to be 2 nights for us and 1 couple and only 1 night for the other couple if they commit.

I am going to check our Romeinlimo.com with being able to split up cost you can get a more intimate experience. The private guide at St. Peters Basilica was it a company or just something they offered when purchasing tickets? Another question On climbing the tower of Pisa...how would you rate the stair, easy, medium or difficult? I have knee issues not terrible but it will aggravate me sometimes, I have start adding steps to make exercise routine and hoping that it will help by the time we go in Sept.

The private guide for St. Peter's & Pompeii were both arranged through RomeInLimo. The driver takes you from place to place but doesn't go inside with you. So our first port, La Spezia, we first went to Pisa. It's a bit of a drive so plenty of her telling us about what we're going to see, their culture, etc. Once we got there we agree to meet back at the car in lets's say 45 mins then move onto Florence. IIRC some cities they offered a private guide for 100 euros. We declined the private guide for the Colliseum but in hindsight we would have learned so much more than what our driver could explain. Just standing there looking at something doesn't explain it's history.
For places where we booked the guide, our driver would pull up to the curb with the guide waiting and introduce us and give a time and place to meet when we're done with the guide.

Each day felt rushed with only having 1 day in each city (compared to a land tour) but that's how it is with a cruise.

Pisa stairs were so amazing! but not easy. I have mild COPD (former smoker) so I had to stop a couple times. Because it's over 600 years old, they are worn down from so many feet over the years. Then add the leaning factor which made me lean too. There's no hand rail. It's hard to explain but when you're stepping against the lean it was steeper, when you step toward the lean, it leaned me forward. I didn't feel unsafe but it was bizarre for sure. I have a picture I will find for you.
If you have access to a lighthouse near home that would be a good trial run.

The 2nd bedroom of the condo had 2 twin beds but it can't hurt to ask if they have some with a double bed. I don't recall if the sofa pulls out; we didn't have a need for it. I emailed probably 20 questions before I booked the hotel and their English is good. They do have a small elevator which my parents used and a locked room to store luggage before our room was ready. Also check them out on TripAdvisor.com and you can probably see lots of traveler's photos too.
The desk staff was so kind each time we walked by and they were super helpful when my dad's ATM card was eaten by a machine. They dialed home to their bank for them.

Also RomeInLimo offered a discount to pay in cash in advance. Since there are fees & limits involved with getting cash euros from ATMs, we felt this was a good idea. The weird part is that they wanted us to wire the cash to a bank in FL. This was months before the trip so why a personal check could not be mailed is beyond me. It was very nervous to do this and if not for the reassurance from several Disboards members who did it with no problems, I would not have done it. Shortly after, we were sent a receipt marked paid in full and I was glad to not have to carry around lots of cash while touring.

You will walk your legs off so it's a good idea to build up strength in advance. Maybe get some PT for your knee who can offer you advice also.

 

[ScotScroogeMcDuck]

that time is just the actual travel time. I looked into getting the TGV for my last trip in February 2016. The direct TGV has very limited departure time from CDG airport, which does not match up to the majority of incoming flights. Then you have to factor in the transit time between your arriving terminal and getting to the TGV departure platform. Then when you arrive at DLP you have either to walk from the train station or get one of the free shuttle busses from the train station to your hotel. When you have multiple people in your party, who all have multiple luggage, getting the TGV does not work out as a hassle free / stress free way to get to DLP

That's a good call. We were lucky we fly into terminal 2 and had no wait for TGV but agree with you in that scenario.

 

[LovesTimone]

The private guide for St. Peter's & Pompeii were both arranged through RomeInLimo. The driver takes you from place to place but doesn't go inside with you. So our first port, La Spezia, we first went to Pisa. It's a bit of a drive so plenty of her telling us about what we're going to see, their culture, etc. Once we got there we agree to meet back at the car in lets's say 45 mins then move onto Florence. IIRC some cities they offered a private guide for 100 euros. We declined the private guide for the Colliseum but in hindsight we would have learned so much more than what our driver could explain. Just standing there looking at something doesn't explain it's history.
For places where we booked the guide, our driver would pull up to the curb with the guide waiting and introduce us and give a time and place to meet when we're done with the guide.

Each day felt rushed with only having 1 day in each city (compared to a land tour) but that's how it is with a cruise.

Pisa stairs were so amazing! but not easy. I have mild COPD (former smoker) so I had to stop a couple times. Because it's over 600 years old, they are worn down from so many feet over the years. Then add the leaning factor which made me lean too. There's no hand rail. It's hard to explain but when you're stepping against the lean it was steeper, when you step toward the lean, it leaned me forward. I didn't feel unsafe but it was bizarre for sure. I have a picture I will find for you.
If you have access to a lighthouse near home that would be a good trial run.

The 2nd bedroom of the condo had 2 twin beds but it can't hurt to ask if they have some with a double bed. I don't recall if the sofa pulls out; we didn't have a need for it. I emailed probably 20 questions before I booked the hotel and their English is good. They do have a small elevator which my parents used and a locked room to store luggage before our room was ready. Also check them out on TripAdvisor.com and you can probably see lots of traveler's photos too.
The desk staff was so kind each time we walked by and they were super helpful when my dad's ATM card was eaten by a machine. They dialed home to their bank for them.

Also RomeInLimo offered a discount to pay in cash in advance. Since there are fees & limits involved with getting cash euros from ATMs, we felt this was a good idea. The weird part is that they wanted us to wire the cash to a bank in FL. This was months before the trip so why a personal check could not be mailed is beyond me. It was very nervous to do this and if not for the reassurance from several Disboards members who did it with no problems, I would not have done it. Shortly after, we were sent a receipt marked paid in full and I was glad to not have to carry around lots of cash while touring.

You will walk your legs off so it's a good idea to build up strength in advance. Maybe get some PT for your knee who can offer you advice also.

1st.....Congrats on being a former smoker... One of the men going who is my DH best friend just quit at the end of last year on Dec.26th was 30 days, we all met at the casino to celebrate, We told him if he could make it 30 days we would give him 100.00 dollars, we paid it gladly...and he won with it... Now we are working on his wife, they are the third couple who hasn't decided or not, as she doesn't want to fly that long as she can't smoke for 10+ hours, We travel with them but she will not fly more than 2 maybe 3 hours. So when we go to Vegas instead of non-stop we have to have one stop so she can smoke..

The couple we are going with would be fine if only twin beds are in the other room. It won't really be that big of a deal.

It would make me nervous wiring cash...just thinking about it makes me nervous... So I might want to chat with you about it later on.

I can not thank you enough for all the help, advice and tips...

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

www.cruisecritic.com is a great forum all about cruising. The Disboards cruise section is more about DCL but still port info too. I would have been lost without it. (Or we would have been paying ridiculous prices to tour through the ship and travelling in a herd of 50 ppl.) Just think how much longer it takes to move that many people, all staying together, and inevitably the group ends up waiting for someone not paying attention to meeting places/times.
Moving 6-8 like-minded people is sooo much easier.