Disneyland Paris?

[DeeCee735]

We are wanting to go to Paris in 2015. Is it a silly idea to use points (We bought all our contracts direct) to stay at Disneyland Paris and tour the city (and go to the park) that way? Just pay for flights and food...
Or should we look to do this completely outside of Disney?

We've never been to Europe and we are considering it, but have to consider cost as well. Any ideas are welcome and thanks.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Personally, I would only use points at DLP for the time you plan to spend touring the parks. The DLP points costs are quite high and, IMO, you will do better by paying out-of-pocket for your time in Paris.

We made our first trip to Paris/DLP last year and chose to rent an apartment in the city. It was far cheaper than getting a hotel room and made us feel like we were really living there...even just for a bit. Another plus was that we had a kitchen at our disposal, which was very nice. There are so many lovely street markets where you can get fresh produce/meats, not to mention the bakeries on every corner for fresh bread.

We went through Vacations in Paris and found them to be completely professional and reputable. We did spend two nights at DLP but we chose to stay off-property as it was much, much cheaper. Yes, it would have been nice to be right on property, but we really didn't mind the walk/drive to the parks. There are several hotels in the area. Some offer shuttle transportation to the parks and others are one train station away. The DLP train station is right on property so everything is very convenient.

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like more info on our trip or if you have any questions.

 

[gtrist4life]

We (me and DW) used our DVC points last year for 6 nights at Sequoia lodge and had a fantastic time, Disney offers coach tours to Versailles and into Paris. Also, there's a subway/train station right by the park. We did it all and had a blast. Enjoy your planning and trip!

 

[ldo]

You can price out DLP options and decide if it is good use of points. For ex, if you have points expiring, etc. I do not rent out my points, so we use them or lose them.
OT--but info from someone who just got back from DLP. We just stayed in Aug. for 5 days at the Marriott Vacation Club at DLP. We chose this b/c we had 6 persons--VERY large 2BR villa in adorable village setting--goggle it and you will see why we loved it. M is an easy shuttle or local bus ride (every 30 minutes) to DLP. Hotels at DLP are even more convenient. You can take a DL resort bus right to the nearby train station (at the main gate of DLP) and either catch a local bus (we went to Provins, a medieval town 45 minutes away on a direct bus for 2 euros each--excellent 1/2 day trip, kids climbed up a castle built in the 1200s, they also do a medieval dinner show, etc.). There are trains every 20 minutes into PAris, trip takes 35 minutes. Fare is 15 euros for 12+ for all-day pass that includes all buses/subway. It is easy to get into PAris, but the downside is no place to rest in the middle of the day. The next time we go, we will eat a sit-down lunch at a bistro with A/C and then take a stop late afternoon for ice cream, so that we can stay until dark. This Aug., we were pooped by 5pm.
Bottom line, we LOVED the DLP area and esp. LOVED the M and will go back just to stay at the M. We went on a Med. cruise, then onto London--but the Marriott DLP part of the trip was DD16's favorite part and probably mine too.
When we go again, we would stay for 5 days and do the following:
1st day, relax, food shop, take the bus to Val d'Europe (large, very nice shopping mall with grocery store, DD16 was in heaven). We loved cooking our "french" meals. Also could walk to a small village with groceries from the M. M has a shop with basic supplies, as well.
2nd day-train to PAris
3rd day-DLP
4th day--rent car and go to Fountainbleu--which is only about an hr drive
5th day--go back into Paris or drive to Reims--45 minutes and see the cathdral and tour champagne houses.
DLP area is easy driving--no big roads, no big city. DO NOT try to drive into Paris.
Also, since you have never been to Europe, I would suggest adding London. It is an easy 2 hour Eurostar train ride. They even have a nonstop 1X a day DLP to/from London. London is an easy add-on and then you get 2 really different places. IF you book tickets early (5 months out) the Eurostar is only $65 from London to Paris. As London hotels are very $$$, you might consider using DVC for London.
Have fun! Elaine

 

[DeeCee735]

Thank you both for two different experiences and opinions. We will look into both ways to do this.

 

[dvc_john]

+1 to everything Ido said above.

I also stayed at Marriott's Village d'ile-de-France a few years ago, and would recommend it. It's the site of, as rumors go, a proposed site for a DVC many years ago, but became a Marriott instead.

 

[ldo]

I would add that if Paris is your primary destination, then I would stay in PAris and just to train out 1 day to DLP. Paris has much to offer and you need several days to do it justice--so renting an apt for a week is an excellent choice to really get a good feel for the city--my boss did this in June with her family (kids 12, 15) and loved it. But, if other areas of France, castles, DLP, etc. are also in your plans (meaning you would be traveling out of Paris anyway at least several days), then DLP can be a good base. We needed lodging for 6 persons and knew we would only go into Paris for 1 or 2 days max and definitely wanted to go to DLP, so the M made more sense to us. have fun! I highly suggest Rick Steves books for planning/logistics. Elaine

 

[JustTinking]

We lived in Europe for a few years, and never went near DLP, even though we are DVC members. Europe has so much to offer, I gave away all our points those years and just enjoyed Europe. That's just us though; some of my other ex-pat friends would do day trips to DLP and loved it. Would suggest staying in Paris and doing the train; it's not that far.

 

[DeeCee735]

Is there an exchange fee. If so, is it per night or per reservation?
We want to definitely do Disney, but also Paris....of course. And now that I see there's a train from DLP to London, we'd figure that in too

 

[zavandor]

If you have an apartment near a RER A train line station, the trip to DLP would not be much longer than the bus trip from AKL to MK.

 

[Mississippian]

Is renting a room at DLP a good value? Suppose you were to rent out your points at $11 per point and use the cash to pay for your room. Which would be a better deal. My understanding is that you should never use DVC points for any purpose other than staying at a DVC resort.

I also agree with what the other poster said about just doing a day trip to Disneyland Paris if you go at all. Yes, it is neat to see the Euro version, but there is a lot to see in Paris. We got a small apartment on our last visit and it was nice to be able to cook some inexpensive meals for ourselves. It's almost an hour RER ride to EuroDisney, so in my opinion the Disney hotels are not a good place to stay if spending most of your time in Paris.

Do you have any other places in Europe that you want to see? For how long are you staying? As another poster mentioned, you can get to London in a jiffy with the Eurostar, about $120 round trip with advance purchase. London is a far more expensive city than Paris, so don't plan to linger too long.

 

[Anal Annie]

We are wanting to go to Paris in 2015. Is it a silly idea to use points (We bought all our contracts direct) to stay at Disneyland Paris and tour the city (and go to the park) that way? Just pay for flights and food...
Or should we look to do this completely outside of Disney?

We've never been to Europe and we are considering it, but have to consider cost as well. Any ideas are welcome and thanks.

We went to Paris for 4 nights prior to our DCL Med cruise in 2011. We thought the point requirements there for the hotels were ABSURD and at that time you had to also buy "length of stay park tix" so we booked a 1 night / 2 day package on cash at one of their "value" resorts. If you sign up for emails & announcements on their website you can get emails for discounts etc. I think we got a 30% off deal for what we booked. The parks are right next to each other and although it's a real push you CAN see both in 2 days. Oh, and we did a points transfer to another DVC member (rather than renting out our points) so we could use the cash to help pay for this part of the trip. Much better deal than using points at DLP.

Anyway, at the end of our 2nd day we moved hotels and went into the city to stay for 3 more nights. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED staying in the city and were SOOOO glad we weren't trying to "commute" for our sightseeing. It was a much more complete experience doing it this way and I would 100% do it like that again (although I would probably upgrade to at least a "moderate" level hotel at DLP). In Paris we stayed in the St. Germain des Pres area and it was wonderful. We were within walking distance to several metro stops, the Seine, Notre Dame, the Pantheon, and Luxembourg Gardens. We felt like the neighborhood was completely safe and there were TONS of charming cafes to pick from.

I still have a link to my trip report / blog in my siggie if you want to check it out. I put in lots & lots of pictures & details. Paris is a beautiful city and I would highly recommend doing a split stay (some at DLP and some in the city) to get the most out of it.

 

[Brian Noble]

We just did this trip last summer---eight days in Paris, and four at DLRP. For the Parisian 2/3ds, we rented in apartment in the 3rd Arr. for convenience. I would do it that way again, and would not want to be staying out all the way at DLRP for visiting the city.

 

[ParrotBill]

Make sure you take time to learn how to buy tickets and use the RER railway. US credit cards do not work in the train vending machines, so you must get in a line and you need to be ready to speak a few words of French.

The RER is very crowded on weekdays during rush hour!

We stayed in Paris near Gare de Lyon for about $160 per night a few years ago and took the RER out to DLP for a day.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Make sure you take time to learn how to buy tickets and use the RER railway. US credit cards do not work in the train vending machines, so you must get in a line and you need to be ready to speak a few words of French.

The RER is very crowded on weekdays during rush hour!

We stayed in Paris near Gare de Lyon for about $160 per night a few years ago and took the RER out to DLP for a day.

My US credit cards worked. The secret is to have a Chip and pin card. It must have the chip not just a pin. Citibank has some as does USAA