Best time to go and a few other questions

[singjenn]

Hey y'all! My husband and I are looking at DLP next year. We are used to going on cruises and WDW in Florida and don't really know anything about traveling to another country besides cruises.

We live in NC, USA.
Are the seasons the same for both countries? We don't want to go when it's super hot, and we would like less crowds with lower pricing.
I have been looking up the best times to go and I have been finding info that's contradictory.


So here are my questions:
1. when is the best time to go as far as crowds and weather?
2. when is the value season?
3. do they offer free dining plans like WDW?

Thanks!!

 

[torsie24]

Hi Jenn.

Avoiding UK and France bank holidays and school holidays is the best tip for catching low crowds. Pricing tends to reflect this too.

The cheapest time of year is January but then it really is freezing cold

I'd suggest this time of year or late September as you'll have the best chance of sunshine as well as avoiding big crowds.

There aren't precise 'seasons' like WDW really. Just a case of comparing the prices for different dates.

Also no, there's no free dining really. And they don't have a dining plan with flexibility like WDWs either. You can get full board or half board meal plans but they aren't really value or money.

 

[singjenn]

Hi Jenn.

Avoiding UK and France bank holidays and school holidays is the best tip for catching low crowds. Pricing tends to reflect this too.

The cheapest time of year is January but then it really is freezing cold

I'd suggest this time of year or late September as you'll have the best chance of sunshine as well as avoiding big crowds.

There aren't precise 'seasons' like WDW really. Just a case of comparing the prices for different dates.

Also no, there's no free dining really. And they don't have a dining plan with flexibility like WDWs either. You can get full board or half board meal plans but they aren't really value or money.

Thank you for your reply. What are the crowds like in late April through May? That is when we could possibly go and I think crowds are more of an issue than price.
Is it usually busier or as busy as WDW? I know that during Spring Break and other school Holidays they reccomend staying as far away from WDW as possible.
I didn't know if it was like there in Paris.
I understand how fastpasses work at the park, but someone posted they got 4 per day...I didn't know if she had 4 people in her group or if she meant they got 4 per person, per day. I was looking on the website for DLPH and i didn't see options to select different room categories. I didn't see that for any hotel. Is there not the ability to see different rooms I can select?

What exactly does it mean half board anf full board. I know board means food but I don't know what it really means together. If there is no value in getting that then what are the benefits of it?

Does DLP typically run any specials at certain times of the year? I *think* that right now they are doing 30% off....I am actually almost positive that's what I saw on the site.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Half board is breakfast and dinner - Full board is breakfast, lunch and dinner

With the €/£ exchange rate there isn't any real advantage in buying the meal plan in advance unless you prefer spending the money and it's paid for up front.

It's better to put the money aside and then just take it with you and see what you want to eat on the day

As for crowds it depends when in April/May as Easter time is busy and you get school holidays around Easter.
May has several public holidays which increase crowds.

 

[singjenn]

Half board is breakfast and dinner - Full board is breakfast, lunch and dinner

With the €/£ exchange rate there isn't any real advantage in buying the meal plan in advance unless you prefer spending the money and it's paid for up front.

It's better to put the money aside and then just take it with you and see what you want to eat on the day

As for crowds it depends when in April/May as Easter time is busy and you get school holidays around Easter.
May has several public holidays which increase crowds.

If the hotel we stay at provides breakfast then I don't think we would do the meals. I would rather just decide on the day that we needed to decide on. Is there a website where I can make reservations at restaurants like WDW has or do I have to call?

Can you tell me what the holidays in May are?
If you could pick any time to go, when would you go?

 

[Carrie_Cat]

If the hotel we stay at provides breakfast then I don't think we would do the meals. I would rather just decide on the day that we needed to decide on. Is there a website where I can make reservations at restaurants like WDW has or do I have to call?

Can you tell me what the holidays in May are?
If you could pick any time to go, when would you go?

Restaurant reservations can only be made by phone at DLP. The restaurants take reservations no earlier than 60 days before so you've got time

Next May bank holidays are the 1st, 8th, 9th and the 20th

French school holidays are split over 3 zones and next year go from the 13th of April through to the 13th of May.

If I didn't live next door I'd go either early June before the 15th or September after the 15th so that I'd avoid all the summer holiday period and I'd still be getting good weather

 

[singjenn]

Restaurant reservations can only be made by phone at DLP. The restaurants take reservations no earlier than 60 days before so you've got time

Next May bank holidays are the 1st, 8th, 9th and the 20th

French school holidays are split over 3 zones and next year go from the 13th of April through to the 13th of May.

If I didn't live next door I'd go either early June before the 15th or September after the 15th so that I'd avoid all the summer holiday period and I'd still be getting good weather

Thank you for all of your responces.
What is "good weather"? One of the things I reeeeally hate about WDW is how hot it gets so I really like to go to Disney when the weather is nice.

Im not sure I understand how the schools work in Paris. They are only in school for 4 weeks?

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Thank you for all of your responces.
What is "good weather"? One of the things I reeeeally hate about WDW is how hot it gets so I really like to go to Disney when the weather is nice.

Im not sure I understand how the schools work in Paris. They are only in school for 4 weeks?

The school holidays run from the 13th of April until the 13th of May ... that's when they are off school next year for the Easter break so the park will be busier during that period

There are 3 school zones in France and they take staggered hoildays so that all the children are not on holiday at the same time.

Good weather is normally in the mid 20°s

 

[jothp]

English schools will be off week beginning 27th May so that week might be a bit busier than others.

 

[singjenn]

The school holidays run from the 13th of April until the 13th of May ... that's when they are off school next year for the Easter break so the park will be busier during that period

There are 3 school zones in France and they take staggered hoildays so that all the children are not on holiday at the same time.

Good weather is normally in the mid 20°s

OOOOH!! Ok... I got it now. So pretty much what y'all are saying is thatit's NOT good to go between April 13th and May 13th?

But anytime after that as long as its before September 15th? Did I understand that right?

Is June, July, and August hot over there? It can get past 100 here and it brutal for Disney vacations

 

[Carrie_Cat]

OOOOH!! Ok... I got it now. So pretty much what y'all are saying is thatit's NOT good to go between April 13th and May 13th?

But anytime after that as long as its before September 15th? Did I understand that right?

Is June, July, and August hot over there? It can get past 100 here and it brutal for Disney vacations

Best time to go when you are avoiding all European (school) holidays and the weather is nice is like I said beginning of June or after September 15th if you can

Otherwise you will be surrounded by crowds of people and don't forget that Europe is not air conditionned like in the US so restaurants etc are not places where you go to cool off

It can get up to 30° in summer but it's a drier heat we have here not a humid one

 

[singjenn]

Best time to go when you are avoiding all European (school) holidays and the weather is nice is like I said beginning of June or after September 15th if you can

Otherwise you will be surrounded by crowds of people and don't forget that Europe is not air conditionned like in the US so restaurants etc are not places where you go to cool off

It can get up to 30° in summer but it's a drier heat we have here not a humid one

I was not aware that buildings were not air conditioned. Is EVERY building at Disney like that? That is a huge turnoff. Do you at least have sweet tea
What about our hotel rooms? Are they air coditioned? My husband is not going ot be happy if they don't have air or heat.... Is there anywhere to go to cool off, or does it not get *that* hot there?
30 degrees is celcius (spell), correct? So that would mean it would be 62ish? That's not hot at all... Is that correct? I just checked the weather there and currently it says 52 and rainy. Right now is WDW it's 87 and sunny. What a huge difference!

I think at this point the best time to go is when you said.....Beginning of June of through mid September.

 

[jothp]

30 degrees c is actually about 86 degrees farenheit.

 

[singjenn]

30 degrees c is actually about 86 degrees farenheit.

Wait...did I calculate that wrong? Hahahaha

What are the restaurants/shops like as far as temps when it's 86 outside? Is it horribly hot inside?

 

[Michael623]

Is June, July, and August hot over there? It can get past 100 here and it brutal for Disney vacations

If you look at the North American longitude equivalent, Paris is at about the same parallel as Seattle, Fargo ND and north of Ottawa Canada. It doesn't get the same extremes in temperature that you're probably used to. 85 is considered to be very hot and 35 is considered very cold from what I've seen. Our last trip DLP was in Mid-June and it didn't really go above 72 or so and it cooled into the low 60s at night. We stayed at SL and our room was always comfortable and I like it cool to cold when I sleep. If you're considering May and June I think you'll avoid the extreme temps but I live outside Boston where we've had -10 in the winter and 102 in the summer so I'm pretty much used to anything.

 

[zavandor]

The Values hotel have not air conditioning, but unless in July or August it's rarely needed (and often even not during Summer).
Other hotels all have air conditioning and pools.

If you love WDW be aware that you'll probably be disappointed with dining in DLP. Not as much variety and quality than in WDW. I know that WDW got worst in the latest years, but in my opinion it's still superior to DLP.
However you'll probably be lucky to get a reservation a few days before or even in the morning for the evening (unless in a busy day). About this it's much more similar to Disneyland in California than to WDW.

About weather, France has a much (much much much) cooler weather than Florida. A friend of mine a few years ago got freezing temperatures in early June and it's not uncommon to get rainy days during the summer. Not afternoon short rain like in Florida, but all day long rain.
However, you'll not get that hot and humid days like in the Florida Summer; I much better prefere to be in the summer in Paris than in Orlando (but it's a personal taste, I suppose).