Disneyland Hotel in Paris Two Nights Help Please First Time

[BeachMouse1]

So we are stopping at Disneyland Paris and staying in the Disneyland Hotel which I understand is onsite. We will be there mid September
We are there two nights and getting the premier access ultimate.
So will we need to plan on all day open to close in the park to get things done?
We are Disney World people and have no idea what to expect here?
Where would we eat? We usually like a sit down meal per day
Will we be able to do most rides and attractions or should we prioritize? If so which?
Any special activities we should do?
Basically we are looking for any suggestions, tips, tricks, recommendations

Thanks

 

[steve_rob]

First recommendation - read the sticky thread "Karin’s Disneyland Paris First Timer Tips". There are so many valuable hints and tips in there for people who are familiar with other Disney parks but are going to Paris for the first time.

Most of your questions will be answered by that, but I'll do a TL;DR version here as well.

• Yes, the Disneyland Hotel is on-site - in fact it's right over the entrance to the main park.
• You don't really NEED the Premier Access Ultimate, especially in September. Maybe a 'nice to have' at a weekend, but it is very expensive for what it offers and gives you passes to some rides that really don't require them. Better to buy Premier Access passes for individual rides as and when on the day.
• If you only want to hit the headliners plus the things that are unique to Paris, then two days are fine. Depending on your touring style (are you go, go, go, or will you stop to smell the flowers?) you might not need to do open to close, but I would recommend making full use of the extra hour for hotel guests in the morning.
• Don't get your hopes up on food - it's not a culinary destination like WDW is. Think typical generic theme park fare and paying through the nose for it. There are some sit down meal spots, but the French service is quite slow (by design) and you may end up using up quite a chunk of your day by doing one. Maybe do a splurge at Walt's on one day, but stick to counter service for the other.
• Don't miss Big Thunder Mountain, best version in any Disney theme park hands down.
• Not much in the way of special activities or tours that I can think of.

 

[LKing]

I would keep your eyes and ears open for what is new in Adventure World. Preview days are in a couple of weeks so we should know soon enough.

I am a newbie as well so take this with a grain of salt (or morsel of cheese). I've heard the decor at Remy's is amazing but the food is just okay for the price.

 

[Teamubr]

Great advice from @steve_rob .

I'm also a WDW regular. As a reference point, our 1st trip to DLP was almost 3 years ago, also 2 days. We didn't do rope drop (not really a thing at DLP) to close each day, but close. We are going back in June for 4 days. We didn't get to appreciate both parks in just 2 days.

We are also staying at DL Hotel this trip. It was closed being remodeled last trip. The DL Hotel is the only on site hotel that is within the security bubble, so no bag check lines to get into the parks.

Agree with steve_rob on not needing the ultimate premier passes. If you are just into rides and don't want to check out most/all of the shows, 2 days will be enough doing longer days and getting individual passes. We only saw 1 or 2 shows last trip, but hit most of the rides we wanted and got to walk around both parks. The Studios Park was partially walled off and Frozen land was still bare dirt. It will be open at the end of March when the park changes names to Disney Adventure World, so there will be more to see there.

DLP is much more like DL- Anaheim. Two parks close together with Disney Village (Downtown Disney/Disney Springs) next to the parks. Food and great restaurants aren't a big thing at DLP compared to WDW. Don't get too excited. There are some ok restaurants, just not to WDW level. There are plenty of sit down restaurants. Theming at Walt's is great. Food and service ok. We didn't eat at PYM, but if you are into Marvel, I've heard it is pretty good. We liked the Steakhouse in Disney Village. It's not the Yachtsman, but service and food was decent. A lot depends on what you like, just keep your expectations low. We found the fast service in the parks as good or better than WDW park food.

Everything is close enough to walk back and forth between the parks or into Disney Village to grab a meal or drink and then head back. Again, think of it like Disneyland California, if you've been there. Not sure if you are into resort hopping. We did a little last trip, but in 2 1/2 days, we didn't do a lot. All the on site hotels are close.

Also, the hotels are NOT resorts, like WDW. They are nice with typical Disney theming, but they don't have the amenities like WDW. They are a nice place to stay and maybe have a late night drink in the lounge, just not a place to hang out all day.


And this! "Don't miss Big Thunder Mountain, best version in any Disney theme park hands down."

j