Boo! Hoo!!

[auntpolly]

I'm going to be in Italy for awhile and I'm visiting some friends in the north - I was thinking about going to Paris and doing Disney after I leave.

Can I ask some dumb basic questions? Is there a train station near the park? Is there a Disney hotel? Where should I stay? How many days do you need to do Disneyland Paris?

Thanks in advance!

 

[diberry]

Hi auntpolly!! There is a train station called Marne-la-Vallee immediately outside the gates of DLP. It's about half an hour from Paris on the TGV (train service). There are 7 hotels plus others not belonging to Disney. The Disneyland Hotel is the biggest (and most expensive) and is situated right outside the gates of the main park. In fact I beleieve you can sit in the restaurant and look out over Main Street USA and the Castle. Lots of people on this board are mad about it and will no doubt be delighted to tell you more. I'd say 3 or 4 days would be ideal though you can do it in less depending on how long you can spare. There are 2 parks but the Studios is quite small and you can do it in about half a day.
Incidentally a lot of people ask if there'll be a language problem - there isn't! All CMs speak English plus other languages and most things are in English anyway - signs, some shows etc.
I'd suggest you start a new thread as more people will see it as this is a relatively old thread. Everyone here is extremely friendly and eager to share their knowledge so ask away!! DLRP is different from WDW and Anaheim but just as special - we love it and I'm sure you will too.

 

[MinnieYC]

I'm going to be in Italy for awhile and I'm visiting some friends in the north - I was thinking about going to Paris and doing Disney after I leave.

Can I ask some dumb basic questions? Is there a train station near the park? Is there a Disney hotel? Where should I stay? How many days do you need to do Disneyland Paris?

Thanks in advance!

Check out www.raileurope.com/us
Depending on where in Italy you are coming from, there may not be a direct train to Marne La Vallee Chessy (DLP's stop). You may either need to switch mid-way or go to Paris and then go to DLP.

Northern Italy to Paris by train is a long trip. Turin to Paris is 9 hours, and Turin's the closest Italian city to Paris- it's in Northwest Italy, I believe. Venice (Northeast Italy) to Paris would be probably more than 12 hours. Milan (central northern Italy) to Paris is probably somewhere in between.

There are a lot of well-priced flights within continental Europe. It would probably be cheaper, and faster, in the long run. Try to check out EasyJet (I've heard this airline likened to a European JetBlue). Maybe Ryan Air also flies from Italy to Paris? Even the major European airlines (Air France, Alitalia, etc.) might be cheaper than the train.

But if you do decide on the train, it is nice to remember that when it comes to trains, Europe has the US beat by a long shot! They are so much nicer, and the organization is so much better!

 

[auntpolly]

Thanks for the replies! I didn't realize I'd posted inside someone elses thread!!! I must have been tired last night - I thought I'd started my own thread.

I never think about flying once I get to Italy, but I should. I love the trains. I order my tickets from Raileurope before I leave every time! Sometimes I think I'd rather hop on a train and take all day getting somewhere than spending the day getting to the airport, going through security, waiting, waiting, waiting......baggage claims, cramped seats, no scenery.

I'll get to Disneyland Paris one of these times if not this one!

 

[MinnieYC]

auntpolly-
Another thing to consider if you haven't yet bought your ticket to Italy is possibly flying to Italy via Paris, and then on your way home stopping in Paris for a few days. I know that Air France often has great rates on stop-overs within Europe for those flying from the US. It once came out significantly cheaper for us to fly to Rome on Air France, and the layover was not bad at all. They usually (if not always) have no penalty for adding days in Paris in between legs of the flight.

 

[auntpolly]

auntpolly-
Another thing to consider if you haven't yet bought your ticket to Italy is possibly flying to Italy via Paris, and then on your way home stopping in Paris for a few days. I know that Air France often has great rates on stop-overs within Europe for those flying from the US. It once came out significantly cheaper for us to fly to Rome on Air France, and the layover was not bad at all. They usually (if not always) have no penalty for adding days in Paris in between legs of the flight.

I usually fly to Rome with Continental miles. Do you happen to know if there are any 50,000 mile awards to Paris? If so, I'd go that way every time. I'm sick of paying 100,000 miles!!!! Yeah, I've already got my tickets for this trip, but thanks for the suggestion!