Cost of Disneyland Paris Versus Disney World?

[have2getaway]

My family and I have gone to Disney World 4 times and Universal and DW 3 times. The first time we went to Disney, we stayed a week at the Polynesian. The second time we went, we stayed at Portofino Bay and the Polynesian, and for these first 2 trips we did the deluxe dining plan at Disney. The third trip, we stayed at Portofino Bay 4 nights Club level and 3 nights at Yacht Club without the dining plan. Our most recent trip, we spent the entire week at Portofino Bay Club Level and only visited Disney World for the two new attractions at Epcot. It was easily our most stressful day. Each year, we have been wanting to go to Disney less and less. Some of it is our boys are now 14, but honestly a lot of it is the cost at Disney is too high relevant to what you get. Our last trip to Universal was great, but we feel like, at least until more updates happen at both parks, and Epic Universe opens, we need to try something different. We considered Disneyland, but the location doesn’t appeal to us. None of us have ever been to California. I have had the opportunity to visit France for 2 1/2 weeks and loved it, so naturally started to consider Disneyland Paris.

My questions for those who have been to other parks, and specifically Disneyland Paris:

—How does the cost compare? I know airfare will be more. We would be traveling from the East Coast.
—Is February break busy at Disneyland Paris?
—I know hotels in France are not always comparable. Given the hotels we’ve stayed at before, are there any hotels at Disneyland Paris you would recommend?
—If we do not stay at Disneyland Paris, where should we consider staying?
—Will the language barrier impact our trip negatively? I speak a very small amount of French. Everyone else really not at all.
—Are the rides and/or shows ever translated to English?
—Does Disneyland Paris nickel and dime you like Disney World? We hate Genius+ and LL.
—Is there enough for three 14 year olds to enjoy there?
—If not Disneyland Paris, then what park/experience would you recommend. As I said, we have considered Disneyland in CA, where we could also visit US Hollywood, but it felt like it would be too similar to our trips to Florida and not as enjoyable. Is this correct?

TIA

 

[Karin1984]

1. Hard to say, some say it's cheaper than WDW, some say it's more expensive. Best is to look into what you would normally spend per day on hotel, parktickets and food and then see what you can get in France.
2. When is February break? There is a school holiday that time of year. Can you be more specific?
3. If you want deluxe, you have to go for Marvel or the Disneyland Hotel. They will probably let you down anyway, as they are hotels and not resorts (Europeans want a place to sleep, decor and amenities are not as important), but if you are used to deluxe, these are the only two I would recommend.
4. Other option is maybe a deluxe hotel in Paris? Everything nearby is focused on cheap places to stay or a basic apartment with kitchen etc. for families to do their own cooking.
5. No issue at all in Disneyland Paris, everything is bi-lingual. On ocassion you might run into a CM who speaks less English, but those are usually like the cleaning crew who not necessarily have to interact with guests.
6. What do your 14 year olds enjoy? Are they into the classic Disney rides? Like most Disney parks there is only a handful of real thrill rides?
7. If you ask this question on the DL board on Disboards, most would agree that Disneyland California is much better than Disney World, so... It depends who you ask Parc Asterix (40 minutes to the North of Paris) gets good reviews. I've still never been there, but it's getting competitive with Disneyland Paris. Other option is to rent a car and go to Europapark across the border in Germany. 2nd most visited park in Europe after Disneyland Paris.

 

[have2getaway]

1. Hard to say, some say it's cheaper than WDW, some say it's more expensive. Best is to look into what you would normally spend per day on hotel, parktickets and food and then see what you can get in France.
2. When is February break? There is a school holiday that time of year. Can you be more specific?
3. If you want deluxe, you have to go for Marvel or the Disneyland Hotel. They will probably let you down anyway, as they are hotels and not resorts (Europeans want a place to sleep, decor and amenities are not as important), but if you are used to deluxe, these are the only two I would recommend.
4. Other option is maybe a deluxe hotel in Paris? Everything nearby is focused on cheap places to stay or a basic apartment with kitchen etc. for families to do their own cooking.
5. No issue at all in Disneyland Paris, everything is bi-lingual. On ocassion you might run into a CM who speaks less English, but those are usually like the cleaning crew who not necessarily have to interact with guests.
6. What do your 14 year olds enjoy? Are they into the classic Disney rides? Like most Disney parks there is only a handful of real thrill rides?
7. If you ask this question on the DL board on Disboards, most would agree that Disneyland California is much better than Disney World, so... It depends who you ask Parc Asterix (40 minutes to the North of Paris) gets good reviews. I've still never been there, but it's getting competitive with Disneyland Paris. Other option is to rent a car and go to Europapark across the border in Germany. 2nd most visited park in Europe after Disneyland Paris.

Thank you for the feedback and suggestions. I’ll look into both of those parks and check the Disneyland forum for more insight about that park. Our boys loved Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot and RoR at Star Wars, and Mission Space. They loved the HP rides at Universal and all the Roller Coasters. The liked the Rock and Roll Coaster. The enjoyed pretty much all the main attractions at Disney, but have somewhat outgrown the more milder ones. They enjoyed Ratatouille, but didn’t love it. They like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates ride. They enjoy the super hero attractions at US and Volcano Bay. February break for us is during the President’s Day holidays, so would be February 17 to 24 next year.

 

[sheilafri]

We went to DLP in November. It was very easy to get to from Paris on the RER, about an hour by train and less than 20 Euro. I felt like there were plenty of thrill rides to appeal to older kids. Especially in the Studios park. There are also more walk-through attractions which DH and I enjoyed. Most shows were in French and English. Language shouldn’t be an issue. Sizing is more like DL where it is easy to hop between parks. They offer an express pass offering front of line access to each ride once at any time. Make sure your smart phones are set up for it (with the App) and charged up! Made for a stress free day, but not cheap. We love Paris and took our children first when DSs were 13 and 7. They enjoyed it and were very adventurous regarding their food selections. It can be cold in February, as it was when we went in November, but we prefer the less crowded times of year.

 

[have2getaway]

We went to DLP in November. It was very easy to get to from Paris on the RER, about an hour by train and less than 20 Euro. I felt like there were plenty of thrill rides to appeal to older kids. Especially in the Studios park. There are also more walk-through attractions which DH and I enjoyed. Most shows were in French and English. Language shouldn’t be an issue. Sizing is more like DL where it is easy to hop between parks. They offer an express pass offering front of line access to each ride once at any time. Make sure your smart phones are set up for it (with the App) and charged up! Made for a stress free day, but not cheap. We love Paris and took our children first when DSs were 13 and 7. They enjoyed it and were very adventurous regarding their food selections. It can be cold in February, as it was when we went in November, but we prefer the less crowded times of year.

Thank you! It’s encouraging to hear that they have a fair amount of thrill rides for them to enjoy. We are used to cold weather, so that won’t bother us a bit, especially if there are fewer crowds.

 

[Karin1984]

Well, about those crowds... That week is a holiday week for the most of France, including the Paris region. The UK will be before, The Netherlands also that week. So it will be busier than other days in February. However, it can be alright as people prefer to go to warmer climates in February to escape their own dreary weather. Don't think Christmas or Summer crowds in WDW, but reasonably busy. Disneyland Paris is more spread out, so crowds usually feel better than the same amount of guests in the US parks.

The 5 big coasters in Disneyland Paris:
- Space Mountain
- Indiana Jones
- Big Thunder Mountain (it's the fastest and best version of the ride)
- Crush Coaster
- Avengers Assemble.

 

[sheilafri]

Please note that the DLP IT sucks as much as WDW IT. The big frustration we had was accessing our tickets. Fortunately, we had taken screenshots of our tickets when we purchased them so we were able to use the QR codes from that to get into the parks and to access the express ride lanes. Also, no paper maps were available so we felt lost for the first few hours.

 

[Chuckers]

I booked my June Vacation at DLP back in October. At that time, it was cheaper for a DLP trip w/airfare, than it would have been for the same trip to Orlando. (Leaving from Boston). However, If I were to book the same trip NOW for June, I think DLP would be more expensive. DLP's hotel prices change and get more expensive as you get closer to the date you want to go. I don't believe WDW does that with their hotels. Also, I am staying at a better class of hotel at DLP (Sequoia Lodge) than I would be at WDW (a Value - probably Pop Century or All Star Movies).

 

[Chuckers]

Oh, English is not a problem at DLP. When I went the last time, every CM I spoke to was fluent in English. However, make sure you start every conversation with a greeting. Don't just ask a question, as it is deemed rude to not greet the person you are talking to first. A simple bonjour, excuse moi, etc, goes a long way.

 

[Teamubr]

I'm a regular at WDW. We go every year for at least 8 days, sometimes more than once a year. We are going to DLP for the first time this June. It will be the last 4 days of 17 days touring Western Europe. We have a 4 day/3 night reservation at Sequoia Lodge in a lake view room (no dining plan or concierge/club level). For 3 adults for the 4 days, it is costing about $1900. The same stay at WDW at POFQ Pool view (similar "moderate level" to Sequoia Lodge). That would cost me $3175. DLP is MUCH cheaper for us, if you only consider the hotel and park tickets.



Travel and Food are the other big factors. We stay at Fort Wilderness in our motorhome so we drive down (1000 miles each way from St Louis). That runs about $1100 in fuel for the round trip. Driving a car would save fuel, but we would have to stay in a resort and buy every meal. (A value resort is usually about the same or a little more per night than a night at the Fort. )



We eat about half the meals at the motorhome, so that saves some. We will already be in Europe. Our only other travel expense if getting from CDG to DLP. I'm booking a car service for €70 each way. We only have one dining reservation at The Steakhouse. We eat fairly light and planned on just grabbing counter service at Disney Village or in the parks.

I did compare the same trip to Disneyland California. DLC is more comparable to DLP. The same stay with hopper tickets, staying at Pardise Pier in a standard view (premium view wasn't available) is $3100. Disneyland Hotel is over $4000.

Either way, for us, DLP is considerably cheaper that WDW.

j

 

[Araminta18]

Ooh, we just did a few days at Disneyland Paris this last September! I honestly found that it felt cheaper than a DisneyWorld trip, though I didn't factor in airfare, since we were traveling to Paris anyways. We stayed at Hotel New York Art of Marvel, and loved it - the room was large and nice and just really spacious, and we loved how close it was to the parks (for walking).

The rides are great - Big Thunder Mountain is by far the best Big Thunder Mountain version, and Space Mountain is way more thrilling than at DisneyWorld or Disneyland. Your kids may be a bit old for Adventure Isle but they have this whole awesome cave complex that you can wander around and explore. Over in Disney Studios the Avengers Flight Force coaster is pretty thrilling.

Not speaking French isn't a problem - everything is translated. The one show I saw they did half in English and half in French so it wasn't an issue.

The food was great - everything I'd read ragged on the food at DLP, but we had some great meals. Some of the meals were a bit more expensive but overall they were really good.

The only "nickel and diming" that I felt was for the fastpasses - we decided to buy the fastpasses when it felt like we wanted to, and so that was a bit nickel and diming, but on the flip side, you could just rollup and be like oh, I want to ride this and buy the fastpass. You didn't have to buy them ahead of time or at 7 am (like at WDW). So that kind of made up for it, for me.

It's a great park -we had a great time. They have drone shows that are AMAZING. Highly recommend. If you're interested in some more specific details, I have a trip report in my sig below.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I have been to DLP multiple times being European, I went there just because it was closer. But it's not even comparable to wdw and DL. It's tiny! I personally find it a huge waste of money and I rather save up for the American parks. If your plan is to visit Paris and France and just have an add on to the park that's fine, but otherwise Disneyland California it's a million times better.

 

[knewton64]

1st timer - going mid next month -

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

1st timer - going mid next month -

Really hope you enjoy, plus see the studios drone show and watch dreams!

 

[steve_rob]

It's funny because if you'd asked me about 15 years ago, I'd have said a two week holiday in Orlando would have cost us LESS than a short 4 night stay at DLP!

There are some caveats there - this was back in the day when flights across the Atlantic were MUCH cheaper and as we were just coming through the financial collapse (2008-9), travel operators were desperately slinging bargains left right and centre to get people to spend. Plus at that time me and DW always did Florida on the cheap - stayed and ate off-site, budgeting carefully where we could, whereas at DLP we always stayed on-site and usually at the Disneyland Hotel.

It's the other way round nowadays - our next trip to Florida is a split stay partially on-site and we fly premium economy or higher (although sometimes that'll be a points upgrade to do so), while in Paris we now stay off-site at Val D'Europe and fly Easyjet!

 

[knewton64]

Really hope you enjoy, plus see the studios drone show and watch dreams!

Im about to bust -
Just secured towncar transpo for my Paris city tours -

then theres
DLP - .... its bound to be my last Disney park i visit so what the hey, im even celebrating my birthday while there -
and my birthday is in Daecember! lol -


IDNK about the drone show - will see it ! THANKS!


t.t.f.n...

 

[Karin1984]

It's funny because if you'd asked me about 15 years ago, I'd have said a two week holiday in Orlando would have cost us LESS than a short 4 night stay at DLP!

There are some caveats there - this was back in the day when flights across the Atlantic were MUCH cheaper and as we were just coming through the financial collapse (2008-9), travel operators were desperately slinging bargains left right and centre to get people to spend. Plus at that time me and DW always did Florida on the cheap - stayed and ate off-site, budgeting carefully where we could, whereas at DLP we always stayed on-site and usually at the Disneyland Hotel.

It's the other way round nowadays - our next trip to Florida is a split stay partially on-site and we fly premium economy or higher (although sometimes that'll be a points upgrade to do so), while in Paris we now stay off-site at Val D'Europe and fly Easyjet!

I wouldn't say that my first visit to WDW in 2012 was cheaper (it was 11 nights ;-) ) but I got an amazing deal, with dining plan included. I worked for an airline so most of my airfare was cheap as well...

Ah, those were the days!

 

[zavandor]

I love DLP, as being the first Disney park i visited and the realization of a dream since I had since a kid it'll always be special. But I don't think it's that special to justify a trip just for it. If you plan to visit France or somewhere else in Europe, then by all means add DLP, it's worth it. As a standalone destination for an American, I'd rather go to Disneyland in California first. Maybe combine it with San Francisco and visit the Disney family museum first, you'll appreciate the historical significance of DLR too.
Or if you really want to visit the most amazing Disney park, then go to Tokyo.

If your kids love roller coasters, then in Europe the destination for you is Europa Park. I've lost count of how many they have, 14 or 15 and every type is represented. And it's not a Sig Flag park, it is also beautifully themed. It's like Epcot, but dedicated to the different countries in Europe and most of the areas are really well made. The onside hotels are deluxe caliber and as themed as Disney hotels. It also has an indoor water park.
I'm not the biggest fan of the park because I get motion sickness on coasters, but it also has a few dark rides and nice shows. If you are afraid your kids have outgrown Disney, then have a look at Europa Park. The only problem it's closed in February, it reopens usually at the end of March.
In Europe, the other two notable parks are Efteling and Phatasialand. Not really destinations by themselves, but any Disney fan would appreciate them if you can add them to a trip.