Disneyland Anaheim or Paris?

[pklein09]

I need help! I wasn't sure where to post this and figured this was the best board. Mods, please let me know if there's somewhere better.

We have our 2012 (WDW and DCL) and 2014 (DCL to be booked on 2012 cruise) trips planned. We need to fill in our 2013 trip, and we're discussing going to either Anaheim or Paris. These trips would be at least 8 days, possibly a day or two longer for Paris.

Here's some background:

There are 6 of us (with passports). We're DVC members and would use points for the room. We're in NJ, so international airports are not an issue. We plan on adding days outside the park visits no matter which location we choose. I've never been to Anaheim (never been west of Chicago!) or Paris. DH has been to Anaheim when he was 12, and he did a brief visit of Paris (2nights) with his brother about 24 years ago as part of a layover to a larger trip.

We think we would do 4 days in DL if we go to Anaheim and probably do 4 days elsewhere in the area. We would use DVC points for the DL days and get a hotel elsewhere for the rest of the time.

How many park days would you recommend for DL Paris? Three? Four? We probably do the same as Anaheim....stay in a hotel near the park for that time and then relocate to another hotel to see other sites.

If we go to Anaheim, we would rent a van. If we go to Paris, how good is the public transportation? Renting a vehicle in a foreign country is a bit intimidating (at least they drive on the same side of the road!)

Any advice or comments would be welcomed!

TIA!
Michelle

ETA: Ages of kids at time of travel: 17, 16, 14, 12

 

[mikelan6]

Given your criteria, I'd choose the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. There's so much more to do and Cars Land will be open by then at DCA.

After Anaheim, you could spend time in San Diego, San Francisco, or maybe even a few days in Las Vegas.

Good luck.

 

[disprincessatheart]

If it was me, I would do Paris! All I know about the parks and the area is mainly from the fall dis unplugged trip report, but if you can afford to do a big trip like that with all of your kids, before they start heading off to college - I would! From what I remember of the show on DLP, I think three days sounded like it would be more than enough. Then I would plan lots of time exploring Paris and other parts of France and Europe! Maybe even think about doing an adventures by Disney trip with it. Either way I'm sure you would have a great trip!

 

[MinnieGarden]

Another vote for Paris! We were lucky enough to be on the Dis trip last September, and DLP was simply amazing. We are doing Backstage Magic in Anaheim in July, so I really can't compare the two.

Disneyland Paris can be easily seen in 3 days. It's a very pretty park with lots of hidden gems. At some point during our adventure, there was discussion about using DVC points (or it may have been on the DLP board) and the general consensus was that it wasn't a very good value. I don't remember the reasoning, other than the Disney hotels are VERY expensive. We were there in September, on the cusp of low season, and everything was booked.

Public transportation in Paris is very easy and inexpensive. We stayed for a few days after the adventure and used the Metro a lot. We also purchased train tickets and went to Epernay for a champagne tour.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I would have to agree with others who have posted.....

If you have the opportunity and the wherewithal to visit Paris, you should grab it with both hands.

That's not to say that Disneyland is not awesome and terrific.....but it's not Paris.

What can I say? Paris was everything I hoped and more.

 

[tink576]

Paris! That park is absolutely AMAZING. Although it is smaller the rides there were all put in after the rides here in the states so they fix all the quirks...Space Mountain, you can't even see your hand in front of your face...I just loved it! We spent two days at the park when we were at Paris and with crazy timing planning able to see most but if you had the time I would spend the 3 possibly the 4th day. I see your one child will be 17, I'm not sure if that will mean senior in high school or possibly freshmen in college. I went to my college orientation days prior to my trip to Paris and had my college ID made, you can get great discounts for having that card. DLP on their French site had crazy discounts for college students. My mom printed the page and we brought our ID and was able to use the discount (the discount wasn't posted on any of the English pages). I don't know how she found the page because none of us speak french, probably on the DLP board here . It is also so amazingly easy to get into central Paris from DLP the station is literally a couple hundred yards from the turnstiles. There is so much history in Paris, it would really be an amazing trip for your family.

 

[steve76]

I've never been to Anaheim, but I would say Paris. Disneyland Park is beautiful, and most of the "cloned" attractions are quite different to the WDW versions. Walt Disney Studios isn't the prettiest or largest of Disney parks... but it does has some really great attractions (and only a few clones). Plus, there's one of the great cities of the world on its doorstep!

Three days is probably about right if you want to do most things - maybe three and a bit if you want to do absolutely everything and at a reasonable pace. It also depends on when you're going - bear in mind that in 'off season' the park hours can be quite short (when I last went I think the Studios were open 10am-6pm).

I wouldn't bother renting a car - it's more hassle than it's worth and unnecessary. Paris is easy to get around using the subway. There's a direct train from the centre of Paris to and from Disneyland Paris - in fact the train station is nearer the parks than the parking lot is!

 

[k5jm]

Disneyland Paris is amazing!! It is beautiful, and it has enchanted creatures that come out at night and clean the park.

Disneyland Paris is also Beautiful! It takes DLR and WDW MK and kicks it up another notch and takes many "lessons learned" from its older brothers.

I actually opened an envelope of a note that we received from the Disneyland Hotel at DLRP at the fragrance of the the Disneyland Hotel wafted into our house. That smell brought back so many memories.

A couple of things to be aware of:

• Be aware that there is no concept of personal space. I had people up in my "bidness" constantly.
• The concept of lines is a little foriegn to many folks at DLPR.

 

[mytripsandraces]

I could spend an entire week at Disneyland Paris, happily, if it weren't for the friends and food in Paris. You can get to and from Paris in about 35 minutes and the train station is right at the entrance to Disneyland Paris. I stayed at the Cheyenne and the bus to the parks took about 5 minutes, but we walked in about 15.

For the record, I have spent 3 days at Hong Kong Disneyland (just the one four-land park) and not gotten bored or restless. I think there's more than enough to do in the two parks at Disneyland Paris for a week, not to mention day trips to Paris (or vice versa).

My travel style is to travel abroad as much as possible while I'm still young enough to get around easily. If I had children, I would want to take them out of the country as much as possible while I still could (my parents passed that on to me - I'd been in 20 countries by the time I turned 20).

My favorite park of all is the Anaheim park, but I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to travel abroad.

 

[CastawayJP]

I'm putting in another vote for Paris. I would spend a minimum of 4 days in the parks there. You could do Studios in one day, but Disneyland Park is so well themed and "over the top" that two days just isn't enough.

We just got back from a 3 night stay at Sequoia Lodge, and there was a lot that we didn't get to do. Luckily we bought annual passes and will be back soon!

Something to remember... The hotels at DLP are nice, but they do not live up to the hotels at WDW. The exception might be the Disneyland Hotel. There is theming, but not to the same level, and the quality just isn't there.

I'm in the middle of doing a lot of DLP posts on my blog. There's a link in my signature if you are interested.

Whatever you choose you will love! Good luck!

 

[pklein09]

Thank you for all the replies! I need to really sit down and figure a budget and start saving NOW!!! What scares me most is airfare If we were headed to WDW, we can drive from NJ if airfare is ridiculously high.

I looked at DVC points per night for the time we would travel using 2012 rate charts as a guideline. The Grand California is 70 pts/night (Su-Th), and the Sequoia Lodge is 29 pts/night, and we would need 2 rooms. That makes the points pretty similar. That also assumes we would be able to book the rooms using points. Then again, I just count on and it usually works.

My daughter who will be 17 when we travel will have just finished her junior year of high school, so no college student discounts. (We're doing the Fantasy/Dream for her graduation present in 2014.)

It's good to know the train station is so close and convenient. DH travels into Manhattan everyday for work, so a 35 min train ride to Paris doesn't sound like much at all.

And we'd have to figure out where the bakery was that Kevin and John went to.... : I know it's on the podcast somewhere....

 

[mytripsandraces]

Thank you for all the replies! I need to really sit down and figure a budget and start saving NOW!!! What scares me most is airfare If we were headed to WDW, we can drive from NJ if airfare is ridiculously high.

I looked at DVC points per night for the time we would travel using 2012 rate charts as a guideline. The Grand California is 70 pts/night (Su-Th), and the Sequoia Lodge is 29 pts/night, and we would need 2 rooms. That makes the points pretty similar. That also assumes we would be able to book the rooms using points. Then again, I just count on and it usually works.

My daughter who will be 17 when we travel will have just finished her junior year of high school, so no college student discounts. (We're doing the Fantasy/Dream for her graduation present in 2014.)

It's good to know the train station is so close and convenient. DH travels into Manhattan everyday for work, so a 35 min train ride to Paris doesn't sound like much at all.

And we'd have to figure out where the bakery was that Kevin and John went to.... : I know it's on the podcast somewhere....

I left a really long response early, but it's missing, so I'll try again.

I stayed in the Cheyenne, which is Old-West-themed, even down to the sand roads. There were pony rides and character meet-and-greets (in Western gear) right at the hotel.

If I remember correctly, there's an outlet mall at one of the train stops between Paris and Disneyland.

I have a list for Paris, so PM me, if you want it. Just about any bakery in Paris is going to be good. Laduree is the most famous, I think (there's one on the UES in NYC, too). My friend and I went there before going to Disneyland and enjoyed a Laduree picnic for dinner that night. Angelina's is famous for hot chocolate. Pierre Herme is known for his macarons (my favorite is the creme brulee). For an incredible gourmet food experience, Fauchon is a must-see, but Galerie Lafayette's food hall is a little more affordable and also has a great collection of chocolate bars and I found my favorite Lotus speculoos spread there (that was before Biscoff spread made it to the US).

 

[k3chantal]

Either option does not sound bad to me.

If you end up in Anaheim, you can easily stay on Disney property and go to other attractions throughout the area. Two years ago, we went to Legoland (an hour and half drive) and to Knott's Berry Farm (15 minutes away from Disney and another amusement park). The beach is not far either. There is also SeaWorld (never been there) and Universal Studios. So unless there is a financial reason to change your resort, there is no need.

The Grand Californian is really a fantastic resort. We always have a fantastic time when we are there.

Of course, Paris sounds incredible! I don't think you can go wrong! Lucky you!