Disneyland Paris Admission for DVC Member

[peshowe]

Is it still true that if you stay at a Disneyland Paris Hotel on DVC points that admission to the parks are free.

If that is true then if I am staying with my wife and two Children (3 and 7), do we all get into the park for free?

 

[wdwendyd]

This is what is stated in the Member Guidebook:
Reservation Points listed include admission to Disneyland Paris Theme Park for the length of the stay for the number of registered guests up to the maximum number of guests permitted in the accomodation.

 

[Tigger1]

I have a son in Italy I would love to visit. I would only be allowed to see him one day. How far is Disney Paris? How could I get from Italy to Paris? How many points in March?

Tigger

 

[Caskbill]

You don't say where your son is in Italy, but in any case you would want to fly.

Paris to Italy is a long way, and it's right through the Alps. You really don't want to drive it since you probably don't have that much time. There is train service, but we've never done that so can't really comment there.

We only drove it once, years ago, and took several days traveling between Rome and Paris, stopping at numerous places along the way. But I still recall that the total was still a good deal of driving.

Note: If you fly into Paris to go to Disney, remember that Disneyland Paris is quite a ways outside of town. There are trains that run right from Disneyland into Paris.

March is Dream season. There are 4 hotels to choose from, all right there on Disney property.

Sequoia lodge: 28 pts S-Th, 33 pts F-Sat
Newport Bay Club: 30 S-Th, 35 pts F-Sat
Hotel New York: 33 pts S-Th, 38 pts F-Sat
Disneyland Hotel: 45 pts S-Th, 50 pts F-Sat

The Disneyland Hotel is the nicest, and right at the entrance to the park. The others are decent hotels also, but are located a few blocks away. You walk through a 'City-Walk' type area to get to the front gates. I say City-Walk because it's more like Universal's City Walk than it is like Disney's Downtown Disney.

Now that the MGM studios are open there too, things may have changed. (MGM opened this past March). Anyway, you now have two parks to go to, and the free passes are good for both parks.


We stayed at the Sequoia Lodge which was very nice. In low season it's only 26 points a night, Sun-Sat.

 

[vernon]

DLP is quite close to the Charles De Gaul airport, by train from the airport it is maybe 15 minutes. There are other airports in Paris and they are a lot further away from the park. I don't think it would be worthwhile to travel from Italy to DLP for just one day , but I'm not sure if that was what you meant.

I've stayed at the Sequoia and Hotel New York and I prefered the ambiance of the Sequoia. With 4 guest IMHO the points cost is quiet reasonable, particularly when you consider that includes a pretty good breakfast for all of you.

For anyone thinking of travelling between London and DLP the Eurostar train service that uses the channel Tunnel is by far the easiest way to travel.

 

[Nick Beecham]

Hi Vernon

We are going to DLP and staying at the Sequoia Lodge on points, next month. I didn't know that the points included breakfast.

Are you able to explain how this works, please.

Nick

PS I've given up trying to access the UK site. Has it closed down for good?

 

[Tigger1]

YES, Italy for just one day. My son joined a church (not by my choose) that does missionary work in Italy. He is only allowed to spend time with parents on his one day off/week. I am not even sure if he is allowed this time. He is in Rome now but could be transferred to a new location at any time without notice. Transferes are usually every 6 weeks I am told. By the time I find out where he is he may already have been there for a week or two (He is only allowed to email or write once a week, no phone calls allowed).

I have never been to Europe but really have no interest in touring at this time . I really just want to see my son. Since I own DVC, I thought I might be able to stay at Disney-Paris and save a few cash$$. I am not sure if its a good idea though.

Tigger

 

[Scott H]

Vernon,

Where might I get the details of rail transport from CDG to DLP? We are planning a stay there in Jan of 2003 prior to an excursion to Africa. I know January will be a might cold, any thought on that particular time of year fro DLP.

 

[lsutigger]

Thanks for the information on DLP! I'm planning a trip to Paris for my next "milestone" birthday in 2004 and had been asking myself some of these same types of questions. The info on the hotels is great to know as is the info on how to get around. I'll probably have MANY more questions as time passes.
Thanks again

 

[larry_poppins]

Now if they would only post the Paris points for December 2002 and for 2003!

Larry Poppins

 

[WDWguru]

Buona Sera, Tigger! It really doesn't make sense at all to stay in Paris to visit your son in Rome. Yes, both are in Europe, but Europe is a big place - bigger than most Americans realize. It's about 800 miles between the two. That's like staying in Atlanta to visit New York City - not very practical.

The good news is there are lots of hotels in Rome. March is a little early for the big tourist season, and Easter is in April next year so you should be able to find a room no problem. Keep in mind that there is a wide variety of accomodations in Italy. You'll want to watch for key things like "private bath" as many hotels have one per floor or have several rooms that share a common bath. Most hotels in Europe also include breakfast, which is nice. Just do a little research and you'll be fine.

Arrivaderci!

Originally posted by Tigger1
I thought I might be able to stay at Disney-Paris and save a few cash$$. I am not sure if its a good idea though.

 

[vernon]

Breakfast is a "continental buffet" , I thought it was really good. It's best to book a time before you arrive because it can get very busy.

Scott
I went in December last year and it was a little strange going around a park in an overcoat, but they had some nice Xmas decorations and some fun "seasonal shows". You could try to contact the park direct for information on the train links.

Tigger 1, if you go all the way to Italy PLEASE spend some time in Rome, it is a wonderful city, you can take a day trip to Pompeii as well . I've added a coupel of links so you can have a look at some of the things there
. http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~jhauser/pictures/history/Romans/Pompeii/index.html http://www.eternaltourist.com

 

[Tigger1]

When I go I do plan spending a couple of nights in Italy. The night before and after the day I see my son. I may also be traveling with my DH (Dear Honey) also. He has lived in Germany and traveled to many places while there.

What is the typical cost difference of Hotel, food, ect between Paris/Italy and U.S.

What is a reasonable airfare?

Thanks Tigger

 

[vernon]

This might give you an idea of hotel prices in and around Europe, this company is a slightly more "upmarket" Travel Agent so you should be able to get cheaper than this. http://www.magictravelgroup.co.uk/frameHome.htm

IMHO if you're looking to travel a bit round Europe I would suggest picking fewer towns and spending more time at each venue. Rome is really a minimum of 4 days ( 5 if you plan to include a day trip to Pompeii) The Cistine Chapel in the Vatican is somewhere I could spend hours and the Vatican Museums are worthy of a couple of days in themself. If you're not going to be in Europe for more than 10 days I would suggest staying in Italy and visiting the historic cities there. It's cheap and easy to get about using the trains and with Florence , Rome, Venice and some of the beautiful coastal towns like Sorrento there is more than enough to keep you busy. For air travel from the US to Europe you're going to be looking in the region of $800-1,000 per person as the quote but you should be able to find flights in the $500-600 range if you're going from the Eastern Seaboard big cities if you search hard enough. It would be worth getting a travel agent ( or an airline) to price up a trip incuding hotels as often this will work out a cheaper way of doing things and you may get the train tickets and hotels discounted.

Eating can be VERY expensive in some European cities if you don't know where to go. Italy also has a lot of smaller family run cheaper "trattoria's" and pizzeria's if you feel confident enough to try them. Eating in hotels, in general, is more expensive and you get worse quality. Also be aware coffee in some of the street cafe's can work out real expensive, you can be looking at $7-10 for a small cup and it's no free refills

 

[Tigger1]

Thanks for the advice Vernon.

I will llikely be there less than a week. I have no idea where my son will be in Italy. He may be move every 6 weeks and does not knoe about the move until it happens. That means that I would need to plan my trip right after I find out about a move which could be a week or two after he moves. Or I coulld just find him in Italy after I get there. Therefore I will have only a couple of weeks to make reservations or have to find a place to stay after I get there. Whats the likelyhood of finding a decent place to stay? With DVC I usually make reservations at 11 months out. I would not even want to travel in the states without reservations.

Tigger

 

[vernon]

Looking at the way you plan to travel I would suggest booking a package for a week in a hotel in Rome and if you're only visitting you son for the day either travel back to Rome that evening if it's close enough to do so, or rely on your son to find a reasonably priced hotel for the night near to where he's staying. It does mean you'd be paying for a room in Rome and not using it, but it will save you time in not having to pack up all your stuff and allow you just to take an overnight bag to whereever your son is staying. It may cost you an extra $70-100 for a room but IMHO it will be worth it for the time it will save and the peace of mind knowing you have your accommodation booked. I would spend 4 days sightseeing Rome and take a day trip (on a coach) to visit Pompeii and the coastal towns around Naples. This is certainly a FULL DAY trip, we were picked up at 7 in the morning and got back to the hotel at 10 in the evening so I'd allow for a "relax" day after that.

If you live near one of the major hub airports then I would call/visit the website of whichever airline uses it and see what sort of packages they offer. It's also worth a call to AlItalia and British Airways as both of those may also offer decent deals.

 

[Tigger1]

Thanks again Vernon.

That is a very good idea you have. I was not sure how far I would be from everywhere else in Italy. How do most people travel when vacationing in Itatly, bus, train, rental car. I wold rather not drive, I would have no idea what the signs say, hehe.

I once saw a web site that had an auction for travel packages. It had some for Italy with a couple nights hotel. has anyone used these?

Thanks tigger