Anybody use points in Paris?

[BigTigger]

One other funny little wrinkle we've had in using DVC points for Disney hotels:

"Members cannot book and travel on Disney Collection vacations (excluding DisneylandResort hotels in California) within the last 4 months of their use year."

I'm not sure what your use year is, but one reason I'd stayed offsite one visit was due to this rule.

 

[Sammie]

Thank you Sammie for the links - those will be very helpful. The timing / schedule is perfect. We could have all day in Paris on Tues. and travel overnight to Barcelona & be there by like about 9 am. This would eliminate having to buy that day 5 of the park tix that was pissing me off so badly!! I'd just have to figure out what to do with the luggage - I'd assumed Bell Services would hold it for us if we checked out of our room on Tues. am? But I suppose being that it's Europe and nothing else works like it does in the US I'd better double check that huh!? LOL.

But now just to clarify...I didn't see a "T3" as an option on this Elipsos train. SO if we booked a T4 we'd be separated because we're only 3 people?? They would not put all of us together & leave 1 empty bed? DH & DS would be together with whoever & I would be shoved somewhere else? REALLY? We may as well book the reclining seats!! Surely they wouldn't be any worse than flying coach for 10 hours!? They would not separate us then would they? We cannot afford the "premier" thing...

Thank you again...do I really need a TA? LOL...isn't that what the DISboards are for??

Well the DISers are very educated and well traveled but a TA will not cost anything and I would at least check with one to see if they know of any specials and they can be sure about the seating.

My understanding is yes if you are two males and one female, your two males would be with two other males and you with 3 other females, unless you can find a T3 option.

I think you can elect to pay for a T4 and only use the 3 beds but you would have to pay for the empty bed.

What does “gender specific” mean?
It means we keep the boys and girls separate at night, unless you and your travel companions book all the beds within a compartment. It specifically applies to the Elipsos, City Night Line, Lusitania (train from Madrid to Lisbon), and Spanish Night trains. And as romantic as those trains are, we just had to do it.

 

[bavaria]

at the risk of alienating my partner in crime.....

Those links are to agencies which tend to put a mark up (often a very high one) onto tickets.

I travel very regularly across France, or France-Germany, or Germany-UK on trains, often in First Class, for generally 49 Euros or less, including taking the Eurostar. Quite often I can cross France for 29 Euros.

Use the local sites like www.bahn.de or www.sncf.fr or www.idtgv.fr for the better rates, not the tourist prices that other sites charge. I am shocked sometimes when I read here what people are paying, or what I hear in stations in Europe for what people paid by booking through a travel agent or though a US site.

And I tend to completely disagree that DLRP isn't 'worth' more than a day - the Studios has increased substantially and the 'Magic Kingdom' is the largest in the world. I far prefer my very frequent DLRP trips to my WDW trips, even though I visit every few weeks or months.

And no, I would never recommend using points for DLRP as it is a waste unless one has many to spare. And yes, I agree that one should not forego seeing the real world and go to DLRP; do so only if you truly have enough time after seeing reality.

For non-Disney trips I strongly suggest www.virtualtourist.com or www.tripadvisor.com or other sites. Those of us who work and live and travel regularly in those areas are more apt to know the details of decent pricing etc.

And for www.ratp.fr and other sites, turn the language into local language to ensure full viewing and avoid tourist prices. The ratp site in English doesn't list all ticket prices and pushes higher priced tourist packages.

 

[bavaria]

And I don't understand the 'DLRP for 5 days is more than 2 weeks at WDW' argument. I get two years out of my DLRP AP for 89 Euros. That includes some amazing discounts during the year on shopping, dining, special events, and hotels. I find the quality of the offsite hotels better; there are often rooms for well under 100 Euros at some very decent hotels, like the Dream Castle, Magic Circus, Radisson, etc with a shorter bus ride than at WDW to reach the parks. (There are some wholesalers which market very cheap WDW holiday to UK travellers, but DLRP also offers very low priced deals to UK visitors although not to Germans)

I find the food very reasonable too; I had lunch with Remy a few weeks ago for under 20 Euros for a full buffet including desserts and unlimited hot drinks ie lattes, etc and a cold drink. The counter service combos are too large for one person.

It is all relative I suppose, but I now far prefer visiting DLRP than WDW.

 

[bavaria]

You are going in August, so do check whatever site you are going too. August is a big vacation month in Europe, so things may be closed (although the more touristy things should not). Also note not all the hotels in DLP have air conditioning (NY and Newport do, not sure about Sequoia).

Do definitely do DLP. It is a very well designed park. The rides won't blow you away, but it is more detailed than the Americxan ones. Make sure you walk down the arcades behind Main Street and tour the Nautilus too!

The Hotel Santa Fe and Cheyenne do not have AC; the others do.

Have to disagree about the rides - generally it is agreed that BTMRR, Pirates, and Space Mountain are better in the Paris park than in the American ones, and Crush Coaster is completely unique and most similar to the original SM in CA.

OP, honestly reading back on the thread I wouldn't stay onsite. I would find a nice offsite place for a fraction of the cost, which will still be minutes away by bus, and then buy only what you need when it comes to tickets. Those of us in the local area who frequent DLRP don't pay those kinds of prices and it can be done fairly inexpensively if one knows how to book the hotel and the trains etc. Check out some of the hotel websites I listed above for comparison. kathleena stayed at the Holiday Inn (now Magic Circus) a few summers ago when we visited, and I took her recommendation for a decent priced, decent quality offsite hotel for the times when I don't make my visit a day trip.

 

[eliza61]

Eurostar is the train that takes you from London to Paris thru the Chunnel and it also goes to DLP. It does not go to Barcelona. But they do provide connections.

A Europass is a ticket that allows you multiple rides, something that someone that wanted to see Europe by train for an extended period of time would benefit from.

You get info about options from paris to barcelona here:

http://www.eurorailways.com/

http://www.raileurope.com/index.html

Trains prebook just like planes and this is an overnight train, and the occupany is 4 to a cabin, if you do not book a private cabin and there is 3 in your group you will be seperated by gender unless you can get a T3 cabin.

Unless you are very familar with this type of travel I recommend you consult a travel agent.

Adding my thanks and subscribing. I'm not using my points but I'm heading to Paris May 18-24

I'd like to do DLP for one day. Does any one know if it's hard to get to from Paris?

 

[bavaria]

40 min on the RER from Auber Station. Use www.ratp.fr to plan your route.

 

[Tara]

I had figured either 1 day for each park or 1 & 1/2 days which is why I only wanted a 2 day pass. I just called DVC to ask about the breakfast and that is no longer included either!! They are QUICKLY losing any advantage they had to staying onsite except that the European hotels aren't as family friendly and the using points option. From what I've read many European hotels only sleep 2 per room and we have 1 DS that I don't want to have to get a 2nd room for.

You should try the Hotel D'Elysee in Val d'Europe, which is one train stop away from the Marne la Vallee station at DLP. It's very cheap (comparatively speaking) and offers family rooms and junior suites. There would be plenty of room in one of those, especially since you are used to staying in studios. And the nice part is that they offer early entry - I think it's still the only hotel offsite to offer this. You just need to show your room key at the gate. The rooms are clean but no frills. I got a great deal by booking on Expedia - $75 US for the night for a regular room.

They do offer a deal with breakfast as well. The hotel is right across the street from the Val d'Europe train station and the train ride is maybe 3-4 minutes to Marne la Vallee.

 

[Anal Annie]

THANKS EVERYONE for all the great links! I am writing them ALL down in my planning notebook!! I may need to upgrade to a BINDER! I love it!! Being "Anal Annie" I am like a pig in slop with all these planning details & research!!

While I hate that Disney is charging for "length of stay" park tickets and I know there are some lovely local Euopean properties at this point I still think we will most likely end up staying onsite with points. Just going back to my original reasoning of trying to save our cash for the cruise excursions. Part of the reasoning for buying a timeshare was to be able to stay in different places so we may as well...I know the BEST value is at WDW but we've been going there 2-3 times a year so we can splurge off-site here & there. I think that's OK. PLUS since we will not be at WDW that summer we may as well use our points there for a few nights. I mean, it's not like we're ROLLING in excess points but we WILL have our annual allotment of 250 to use so we can surely spring for 3 or 4 nights at either Sequoia Lodge (curr. 34 pts per n) or Newport Beach (curr. 38 pts per n). (BTW our UY is Dec so we should be OK for going in August - thanks BigTigger for that tidbit of info. too!)

I do have another question now about the trains. Does this RER commuter train and the Elipsos train use the same station? How do you get there from DLP? You walk it right? Are there shuttle buses or do we walk on the sidewalk & schlep all of our luggage ourselves (we will have a LOT I'm sure) when we use the Elipsos or do we call for a taxi? LOL...I am so used to planning all of our trips myself I don't even know how to find a good TA! We have some friends who did a big 15 day trip to Italy last summer & I think they used a TA who handled EVERYTHING so I suppose I could ask them for a referral? Seems silly tho for the most part if we use DVC points & have the cruise booked thru Dreams Unlimited / DCL. I did find a 1-866 ph. # in FL on one of those train websites so I figured I could call & ask some questions if I need to maybe.

 

[Tara]

I do have another question now about the trains. Does this RER commuter train and the Elipsos train use the same station? How do you get there from DLP? You walk it right?

The station the RER uses (also TGV) is literally right outside Disney Village - I was shocked when I walked out and saw just how close it is. How far it is from the hotels, though, I have no idea. The only hotel I saw was the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[bavaria]

I do have another question now about the trains. Does this RER commuter train and the Elipsos train use the same station? How do you get there from DLP? You walk it right? Are there shuttle buses or do we walk on the sidewalk & schlep all of our luggage ourselves (we will have a LOT I'm sure) when we use the Elipsos or do we call for a taxi? LOL...I am so used to planning all of our trips myself I don't even know how to find a good TA! We have some friends who did a big 15 day trip to Italy last summer & I think they used a TA who handled EVERYTHING so I suppose I could ask them for a referral? Seems silly tho for the most part if we use DVC points & have the cruise booked thru Dreams Unlimited / DCL. I did find a 1-866 ph. # in FL on one of those train websites so I figured I could call & ask some questions if I need to maybe.

The RER is a regional train but acts as a local train for a peak route in Paris. It tends to be very packed ie VERY packed at peak rush hours and midday between CDG-Etoile and Auber stations. Rush hour in Paris is later than in America ie 8am-930am and 6pm-7pm, with noon-2pm being quite busy on some routes as well.

Some of the trains on that route are one level; others are bi-level. If the train is full, don't expect room for your luggage; literally during peak times think of the Richard Scary plane to Rio, or the metro in Japan. Plus many stations have stairs and not elevators (the www.ratp.fr site will tell which have stairs only) You will need to go up or go down a few stairs on the bi level trains unless you plan on standing in the entry way the entire trip. Don't plan on bringing more than a 22 inch size suitcase - what Americans consider a 'carry on' and what Europeans take as checked luggage because it will be refused by the airline as carry on.

The longer distance train will have a small luggage rack shared by everyone in the carriage. Often on peak times/days/routes that luggage rack is packed and overflows into the entryway of the carriage, so people stand for the journey holding their bag.

By law in France any bag you store must be tagged. There is also a rack above your seat which you are expected to your for the majority of your items.

Please also note if you are booking a quiet car or not on long distance trains; what idTGV calls 'zap' and 'zen' and which is named different things on different routes. Quiet means no cel phone, no loud headsets, no loud talking, no children making noise. We live in very tight quarters and there is a lack of physical space, so in compensation we are very concious of leaving an emotional distance. Making noise in a quiet car is considered very rude, even if unintended. I point that out because often foreigners don't realise that they booked a quiet car and don't follow the rules.

When you exit the RER at Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy watch for the exit signs. The exit is on the side of the station, right next to the Disneyland Hotel and the bag check for the main park. It is just a few seconds away.

If going to your hotel first then you can exit out the main doors and take the hotel busses which leave from directly in front of the station. All are walkable; the Santa Fe is furthest and is only 10-15 minutes via Disney Village; the Cheyenne, Sequoia and Newport Bay are about 10 minutes, while Hotel NY and Disneyland Hotel are about 5 minutes. The busses take about 2-5 minutes depending on hotel.

Also note that there are often endless queues for the ticket windows at that station. There are machines which are very simple to use and which are in many languages, but they do require coins. If you are returning to Paris via RER then have enough coin to use the machine, or buy a ticket at an off time if you must use the window.

I honestly don't know what service a travel agent could provide, unless you find one very well versed in the local travel. Not to offend, but a travel agent sitting in Kentucky, or Florida, or Oregon won't necessarily have ever been to the country you are visiting, and won't necessarily know the ins and outs. You are better off visiting those websites I linked above for local knowledge. I travel all over the world and rely on locals to give me advice rather than MaryLou sitting thousands of miles away who has never been to my destination. (Think of when someone comes to your hometown, and how much real life advice you can offer to them)

 

[Anal Annie]

at the risk of alienating my partner in crime.....

Those links are to agencies which tend to put a mark up (often a very high one) onto tickets.

I travel very regularly across France, or France-Germany, or Germany-UK on trains, often in First Class, for generally 49 Euros or less, including taking the Eurostar. Quite often I can cross France for 29 Euros.

Use the local sites like www.bahn.de or www.sncf.fr or www.idtgv.fr for the better rates, not the tourist prices that other sites charge. I am shocked sometimes when I read here what people are paying, or what I hear in stations in Europe for what people paid by booking through a travel agent or though a US site.

And I tend to completely disagree that DLRP isn't 'worth' more than a day - the Studios has increased substantially and the 'Magic Kingdom' is the largest in the world. I far prefer my very frequent DLRP trips to my WDW trips, even though I visit every few weeks or months.

And no, I would never recommend using points for DLRP as it is a waste unless one has many to spare. And yes, I agree that one should not forego seeing the real world and go to DLRP; do so only if you truly have enough time after seeing reality.

For non-Disney trips I strongly suggest www.virtualtourist.com or www.tripadvisor.com or other sites. Those of us who work and live and travel regularly in those areas are more apt to know the details of decent pricing etc.

And for www.ratp.fr and other sites, turn the language into local language to ensure full viewing and avoid tourist prices. The ratp site in English doesn't list all ticket prices and pushes higher priced tourist packages.

But bavaria if I don't turn it to Englsih then I don't know what it says! I tried to use your train links for the cheaper tix to get to Barcelona but apparently I need more info. about the exact stops. I couldn't figure it out. And THAT is why us American tourists end up paying top dollar for things like train tix!!

Why don't you meet us in Paris on say Monday, August 8, 2011 and give us a tour of the Parisian highlights?!

(PS) Another question - I am SO naive about this! What do you do with your luggage on the train? Do they check it like on a plane?

 

[bavaria]

sidewalk & schlep all of our luggage ourselves (we will have a LOT I'm sure) when we use the Elipsos or do we call for a taxi?

Besides my comment about limited space for luggage on trains, do note that unlike in America, there is no red cap or porter service to help with your luggage. I have had assistance on TGV trains before but it was unexpected and due to an injury. I would never travel with more than I can carry.

Also remember that most stops are a minute or two at most, and many people need to exit and board at each stop, so you have just a few seconds to grab your luggage and get on or off the train. If you are at the end of the line you have a bit more time, but plan to exit and enter very quickly. That is why more than one small case per person really isn't feasable when travelling by train; space and time are an issue.

In France as well you need to validate your train ticket at the yellow SNCF machine for long distance TGV trains. It is a violation not to do so and you could be fined so do so before you board.

 

[bavaria]

But bavaria if I don't turn it to Englsih then I don't know what it says! I tried to use your train links for the cheaper tix to get to Barcelona but apparently I need more info. about the exact stops. I couldn't figure it out. And THAT is why us American tourists end up paying top dollar for things like train tix!!

Why don't you meet us in Paris on say Monday, August 8, 2011 and give us a tour of the Parisian highlights?!

(PS) Another question - I am SO naive about this! What do you do with your luggage on the train? Do they check it like on a plane?

I get 71 Euros for a random day for one adult to Barcelona (if we are talking the city Barcelona and not the planet Barcelona); I didn't try a reduction or family rate. www.bahn.de does do trains for most of western Europe, and if you turn it to English it should still give you a decent fare.

There was someone on the Community Board listing her train fare for a German route and it was about 4x what any of us would pay, so I have no idea where she priced it. I pay 49 Euros for Cologne to London on Eurostar via Brussesls, 29 Euros from Cologne to Paris on Thalys, 29 Euros for Karlsruhe to Paris, 29 Euros for Paris to Strasbourg, 29-49 Euros for Paris to Nice, as a few indicators of regular fares I pay.

I don't know my schedule more than a few weeks in advance but if I am in Paris in August 2011 I would be delighted to assist! kathleena really opened my eyes to how 'foreign' train travel can be to Americans, as you don't use the train as much except on certain routes (and my colleagues in America think that I am nuts for travelling on Amtrak quite often!)

On an RER nobody will note your luggage, but you DO need to pass through a turnstyle, so if your bag is too big you will be lifting it over or trying to shove it through. Some stations like the one at DLRP do have a few larger gates for luggage, but many do not.

On TGV trains you stamp your ticket, board, and store your luggage. On idTGV trains you print your ticket online, and it is scanned by a human. Hence idTGV tends to take more note of luggage, but I don't really ever see anyone going over the published limit because it is simply too difficult to travel with that much.

 

[bavaria]

A few final comments before I head to bed; if there are four in your party then I would just book a shuttle van for about 100 Euros from Paris centre to DLRP. It will be more than taking the RER for four people, but if you have quite a bit of luggage it is less hassle than possibly metro-RER-Disney hotel bus.

Visit www.seat61.com - it is a great site about train travel in different countries and has photos and instructions on how to 'use' the train.

 

[Anal Annie]

The RER is a regional train but acts as a local train for a peak route in Paris. It tends to be very packed ie VERY packed at peak rush hours and midday between CDG-Etoile and Auber stations. Rush hour in Paris is later than in America ie 8am-930am and 6pm-7pm, with noon-2pm being quite busy on some routes as well.

Some of the trains on that route are one level; others are bi-level. If the train is full, don't expect room for your luggage; literally during peak times think of the Richard Scary plane to Rio, or the metro in Japan. Plus many stations have stairs and not elevators (the www.ratp.fr site will tell which have stairs only) You will need to go up or go down a few stairs on the bi level trains unless you plan on standing in the entry way the entire trip. Don't plan on bringing more than a 22 inch size suitcase - what Americans consider a 'carry on' and what Europeans take as checked luggage because it will be refused by the airline as carry on.

The longer distance train will have a small luggage rack shared by everyone in the carriage. Often on peak times/days/routes that luggage rack is packed and overflows into the entryway of the carriage, so people stand for the journey holding their bag.

By law in France any bag you store must be tagged. There is also a rack above your seat which you are expected to your for the majority of your items.

OK, soooo even on this Elipsos overnight train we can't take luggage? Bummer. I was looking forward to the train idea. I guess the train is now out then as I am SURE SURE SURE we will each have 1 carry-on size bag and at LEAST one large checked size bag (probably about 30") as we cannot go on a cruise for 10 days with any less (day clothes + dinner clothes etc).

When you exit the RER at Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy watch for the exit signs. The exit is on the side of the station, right next to the Disneyland Hotel and the bag check for the main park. It is just a few seconds away.

If going to your hotel first then you can exit out the main doors and take the hotel busses which leave from directly in front of the station. All are walkable; the Santa Fe is furthest and is only 10-15 minutes via Disney Village; the Cheyenne, Sequoia and Newport Bay are about 10 minutes, while Hotel NY and Disneyland Hotel are about 5 minutes. The busses take about 2-5 minutes depending on hotel.

Also note that there are often endless queues for the ticket windows at that station. There are machines which are very simple to use and which are in many languages, but they do require coins. If you are returning to Paris via RER then have enough coin to use the machine, or buy a ticket at an off time if you must use the window.

I thought we could order tickets for the Elipsos at 90 days out & get them shipped to us via Fed Ex?!

I honestly don't know what service a travel agent could provide, unless you find one very well versed in the local travel. Not to offend, but a travel agent sitting in Kentucky, or Florida, or Oregon won't necessarily have ever been to the country you are visiting, and won't necessarily know the ins and outs. You are better off visiting those websites I linked above for local knowledge. I travel all over the world and rely on locals to give me advice rather than MaryLou sitting thousands of miles away who has never been to my destination. (Think of when someone comes to your hometown, and how much real life advice you can offer to them)

I do appreciate your local knowledge & advice...I just feel sooo naive right now. I thought I could call this 866 phone number & talk to someone in English before I purchase the wrong thing - I thought I could ask more about our booking options for the Elipsos (T3 vs T4 etc).

One more question...I don't know which airport we'll be using yet - does DLP offer a Magic Express equivalent or how does one best get to DLP from the airport? Is there a better airport we should use in this case? (Orly or CDG)?

 

[Anal Annie]

Good night Bavaria! Thanks again!

 

[bavaria]

I do appreciate your local knowledge & advice...I just feel sooo naive right now. I thought I could call this 866 phone number & talk to someone in English before I purchase the wrong thing - I thought I could ask more about our booking options for the Elipsos (T3 vs T4 etc).

One more question...I don't know which airport we'll be using yet - does DLP offer a Magic Express equivalent or how does one best get to DLP from the airport? Is there a better airport we should use in this case? (Orly or CDG)?

ok, I am still awake....

For the airport CDG is better for DLRP. It is 10 minutes by train via TGV train, or 45-60 minutes via VEA shuttle. Check my comparison thread somewhere on this site for detailed descriptions ie if you want FAST take TGV, if you want EASY take VEA. (I vote for FAST but that is just me.... ) http://www.disboards.com/archive/index.php/t-1511273.html Note that was written quite some time ago and there is no longer an inter-terminal shuttle bus at CDG but a CDGVal train if one needs to get to the TGV station from another terminal.

To get to/from central Paris by metro/RER is not so nice, but there are busses run by Air France or Roissybus which you can take even if you don't fly on Air France, and they run to very well located areas, and then you can take a taxi to your hotel. http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/...cess/public-transport/paris-cdg-roissybus.htm and http://www.cars-airfrance-pro.com/index.php?language=en A taxi from CDG to central Paris can run 50-100 Euros depending on day of week, time of day, and location. A shuttle service to central Paris or DLRP runs over 100 Euros now.

You can take luggage on the train, but the problem is what do you do if the rack is already full? Sometimes you can store it, sometimes you cannot. I took the train a few weeks ago to CDG and it was PACKED. I had one tiny flight bag and a very small luggage and had to stand in the entry way with literally heaps of luggage around me. Not very pleasant, and that was only a 30 minute journey or so.

You can also fly Paris to Barcelona. Check all airports, but if you are looking at the super budget carriers note that the 1 Euro fares end up being as much as mainline carriers by the time you add in fees - on RyanAir that can be check in fee, foreigner credit card fee, boarding fee, wheelchair fee, carry on fee, etc etc etc. AND there are very very strict limits on carry on and checked luggage, so read those first. If you are booking mainline carriers it can be cheaper to price out a return ticket and throw away the return rather than book a one way; I do this on Lufthansa all the time to get the 99 Euro return fares.

I would never fly RyanAir because of the complete lack of respect they show their passengers, but even the Red Plague (Air Berlin) ends up costing me more than a Lufthansa ticket. Often those carriers go into airports not even close to the city - the 'Frankfurt' one RyanAir uses is almost in Holland, and over an hour away from the real Frankfurt.

 

[bavaria]

Here is what www.seat61.com has to say about rail passes vs point to point tickets (sound familiar? )

Don't assume you need a rail pass...

In fact, I'll be quite categoric: You should always assume that point-to-point tickets will be cheaper than a railpass, unless you can show otherwise.

Many overseas visitors, especially (if you'll forgive me for saying so) Americans, appear genetically programmed to ask for a $500 Eurail pass just for one or two $50 train rides. Boy-oh-boy is rail pass marketing good in the States! For a simple train trip from A to B, or even A to B to C and back to A, normal point-to-point tickets will almost always be cheaper than any rail pass, especially if you are prepared to book in advance on a no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis, with a budget-airline-style cheap fare now offered on many routes in western Europe.

In fact, even a tour involving several train trips can often be made more cheaply with tickets like these if you pre-book. So let me spell it out for you again: Always assume point-to-point tickets will be cheaper than a rail pass unless you can demonstrate otherwise.

 

[Sammie]

The suggestion to use a travel agent was due to the fact that unless you are a local and travel these routes frequently as Bavaria does it can be very confusing.

Our travel agent might not be located in Spain but she does have local agents there she works with and throughout Europe.

I agree that for a trip from one city to another, in this case Paris to Barcelona a rail pass is not needed. However I am sure many use Rail passes more for the convenience, just as many buy Disney World packages than actual savings. Most always packages are less about saving money and more about convenience.

I did notice that Seat61 stated that for US travelers, they recommended using the Raileurope site even though as Bavaria stated it might be slightly higher.
I am sure again this is due to the convenience of being able to take care of it in advance and not at the station where you stand and try to figure out what the heck you need to do, while your train leaves you. Believe me this has happened to many of my friends.

I had friends traveling in Switzerland that could see their train but could not figure out how to get across to the loading area, they got left behind.