Coming from Oz, first time at DLP, tips tricks, HELP!!!!!

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

My little family of 4 are visiting Europe for the first time in Mar/April 2013. We are bringing our lovely Grandma along since she has just lost her husband after a 3 year battle with cancer and we really wanted to give her something to look forward to. What better than a trip Europe and even better, ending the month long journey with a few days at Disneyland Paris.

My family has been to Disneyland LA once, WDW once but we are visiting there again in December so we are well versed with Disney but DLP is very new to us.

We definitely want to stay at one of the onsite resorts, dream of DLH but think the prices might be a bit scary so would definitely look at others. Since we are 5 people for this trip I think that definitely changes everything. I wonder would we be better to stay at a cheaper resort and get 2 rooms or is staying at DLH absolutely worth the expense and a must do?

I was originally thinking 2 nights at DLP. We will have been staying in Central Paris for 7 nights prior and I thought we would catch a cab or a private transfer over to DLP on the morning of 21 April. We would then fly out of Paris late on 23 April but I would be happy to extend the trip an additional day if you more experienced DLP people think we need longer?

Please share your thoughts as I haven't booked the international flights yet and can move a little on the dates.

Are there any cannot miss shows/rides/experiences, etc? I hate wasting precious time and missing out on amazing experiences and since we may never get back to Disneyland Paris, I want to see and experience everything with my family.

I probably have a million more questions but I think the above will be a good start.

I would truly appreciate any or every piece of advice/recommendation you can share.

Thank you in advance....

 

[Ms Poppins]

We definitely want to stay at one of the onsite resorts, dream of DLH but think the prices might be a bit scary so would definitely look at others. Since we are 5 people for this trip I think that definitely changes everything. I wonder would we be better to stay at a cheaper resort and get 2 rooms or is staying at DLH absolutely worth the expense and a must do?

DLH is beautiful, but the other hotels are nice too. One benefit of the DLH is that you can get a family room for 5, comprising of two double beds and a single sofa bed. You'll also be right at the gates to the park, which is wonderful after a long day in the park The Newport Bay also offers rooms for 5, as does the Santa Fe. At the other hotels you'll need 2 rooms, depending on how old your children are. If any of them are classed as infants (under 2 or 3 I think), then you'll be ok to share 1 room. Most of the hotels have 2 double beds. The Cheyenne has a double and bunks. If you can't stretch to the DLH in terms of price, then I'd recommend the Hotel New York, which is just at the end of the Village - a 10 minute walk to the parks. It's lovely and in my opinion, the next best to DLH.

I was originally thinking 2 nights at DLP. We will have been staying in Central Paris for 7 nights prior and I thought we would catch a cab or a private transfer over to DLP on the morning of 21 April. We would then fly out of Paris late on 23 April but I would be happy to extend the trip an additional day if you more experienced DLP people think we need longer?

In April the park tends to be open slightly shorter hours, maybe closing at 8pm for the main park and 6pm for the studios. You will benefit from the Extra Magic Hours, between 8am and 10am where you'll be able to see lots of Fantasyland and some of Discoveryland. I think you'd be able to see most things, as you'll have 3 days (if leaving late on a flight). If you can afford an extra night, then I'd do it - only to ensure you're not completely exhausted and that you can see everything at a good pace.

Are there any cannot miss shows/rides/experiences, etc? I hate wasting precious time and missing out on amazing experiences and since we may never get back to Disneyland Paris, I want to see and experience everything with my family.

The Studios have some lovely shows - Cinemagique, Animagique, Stunt Show, Stitch Live and Playhouse Disney - great for spending an afternoon if the weather turns bad. Dreams is currently showing at park closing time, at the Castle, but we're not sure if it will still be going next year. It's supposed to be for the anniversary year, which officially ends on 12 April, but we're hoping they'll keep Dreams as it is amazing There will be a parade in both the main park and the studios each day.

Sounds like a lovely trip you've got planned

Hope this is of some help. What ages are you children? I can also recommend Ezyshuttle if you're looking for a private transfer from Paris to DLP and also from DLP to the airport. Very reliable

Any more questions, please just ask away

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Sounds like a lovely trip you've got planned

Hope this is of some help. What ages are you children? I can also recommend Ezyshuttle if you're looking for a private transfer from Paris to DLP and also from DLP to the airport. Very reliable

Any more questions, please just ask away

Ms Poppins, thank you so much for all of the great advice. I've been pricing up some of the different hotels and finding it hard to choose. We could afford DLH, but I'm not sure whether it is worth the cost of just under 1700 euro for 2 nights. We coulds tay at Cheyenne for 814 euro or New York Hotel for 1374.

With the hotels that are a little further from the entrance, do they have shuttles or buses that take you to the gates or do you need to walk? How far would it be from either Cheyenne or Sequoia Lodge?

Which of the cheaper hotels would you recommend?

 

[Ms Poppins]

All the on-site hotels have free shuttle buses, with exception of DLH as it's too close!

We don't use the bus when at HNY, the walk is quicker. SL and NPB are a bit further away, but not much - maybe 10 minutes max?

The only other onsite hotel we've stayed at is Cheyenne, but to be honest I thought the room sizes where quite small, but many other people like it. I've heard that SL is nice in winter too. For me the price difference between SL, NPB and HNY is not too much, therefore we always end up at HNY. You'll get hot items with breakfast at HNY and DLH, but not the other hotels unless you pay extra. Small things like towels for the swimming pool are included for HNY and DLH, but not the others. I also like being in the same building as reception/restaurants etc. At SL, Cheyenne, Santa Fe, you may be in a separate building. NPB is all one building but is very, very big, so you might be about 15 mintues from reception. DLH is a massive price difference but it is really beautiful inside and would be great to nip back there during the day if it was cold.

I think it depends on what you're looking for. We are not 'just sleep there' people. I like a hotel to be nice, spacious and have some nice facilities. I'm afraid I'm a bit biased towards HNY and can't really see past it, so you might not get the best advice from me Have a look at the hotel sticky thread to get some ideas and reviews.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Thank you again for taking the time to answer. We generally aren't just sleep only accom people either. I definitely think since we are 5, it would more more economical to stay somewhere cheaper than DLH and get 2 rooms. We can get 2 rooms at NYH for 1374. I will sleep on it and then decide. I loved the theming of Cheyenne because it is different from anything we have experienced. We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge at WDW and think that Seq Lodge would be similar so could probably skip that. About to take our 3rd trip to NYC though so perhaps the NYH hotel would be a good fit for us.

Thanks for your input. I hope some other's on the board will jump in with thoughts as well.