DLP from the US with an 8 yo boy! first time!

[Disney Lvr of Old]

Hi! I am trying to plan a trip to DLP for either this summer or early 2017 for me and my 8 year old son. I have been to DL many times; I consider it my home park even though I now live in NY. I have never been to WDW and honestly do not know if I will ever go. My plan is to fly in to London, spend a few days there then take the chunnel to DLP and spend about 10 days there with a few trips in to Paris. I know it sounds crazy to spend so many days at DLP but I want the time to do it all, again and again with nothing missed. It will be a once in a lifetime trip. We did DL for 10 days when my son was 5 and missed nothing. Do you think it is possible to plan everything myself or am I better off finding a travel agent? I'm having issues finding an agent that knows anything about DLP here in NY. I am thinking of splurging on DLH suite so I can get the VIP fastpass now that they are not offered at HNY (which was my initial plan). Any ideas would be gratefully accepted. I'm a bit terrified to do this on my own; with planes, trains and shuttles involved! Thanks ever!!

 

[tennisfan]

It is quite easy to plan it yourself, feel free to answer any questions here as most will know the answer to them.

Are you set on staying in a suite? If not then you can shop round for deals depending on what country has them. You can book under any countries deal, suites aren't included in any deals.

I would say if you could hold on until April 2017 then you will get to be in the parks when it is their 25th anniversary (this year several rides are undergoing refurbishment in prep for the anniversary).

Travelling from London will be straightforward as you can get the Eurostar direct to Disneyland Paris.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

Thanks for the reply. Is there any way to get a VIP fastPass other than staying in a suite? I would never trust eBay; I want a legit VIP fastpass. Club level at HNY used to have them. I've been thinking of waiting until 2017 for the 25th but Pirates will be closed from January 2017 until the Summer of 2017 and it is my son's favorite ride; we can't miss it. So that's why I was thinking August or September 2016. I've waited so long to do this that it seems forever to wait another 1 1/2 years!!

 

[A Small World]

To be honest you will not need a VIP fast pass especially if you go in September and are planning so many days
They can only be used on FP rides not all rides and quite a few of those are open during EMH which you will get if you stay on site.
Off the top of my head the FP rides are:
BTM - closed all year I think
Indiana Jones- never a queue so not needed (this is a coaster in DLP unlike DL)
Peter Pan - popular but open during EMH so you can get on it easily
Buzz Lightyear - open during EMH
Space Mountain - open during EMH (this is much rougher than in DL and goes upside down)

Ratatouille - the newest ride so very popular
Tower of Terror
Rock n Roller coaster

There are possibly a couple more but I can't remember off hand or which rides are closed during that time apart from BTM and the railroad

If you stay in a normal room at DLH or Golden Forest at Sequioa (and I assume Empire state at NY and what was Admirals Floor at Newport Bay) you get one fast pass a day per person to use during that day on top of the ones you get with your entrance ticket. These are paper tickets which are dated and usually have a time restriction on them.

DLP is similar to size to DL so easy to park hop and negotiate your way round

Its easy to get the train into Paris for day trips - takes about 40 mins but is a direct train and you can get a day ticket which allows unlimited use of the metro while in Paris as well

You mentioned getting the chunnel to DLP just make sure when you book it not to get confused with the Eurostar and Euro tunnel.
Eurotunnel you drive onto and take your car through the tunnel
Eurostar is a train you get which takes you through
You can get direct Eurostar to DLP (Marne la Vallee ) one a day or there are several each day into central Paris and then you would need to get the train out to DLP. You can also get an indirect train where you change at Lille and then get a normal train the rest of the way but your easiest option would be the direct one to DLP (this goes from St Pancras Station in London)

Feel free to ask for advice on here as already mentioned

 

[BadPinkTink]

lots of great info already. Im a regular visitor to Disneyland California and I am just back from my 3rd visit to Disneyland Paris, so feel free to ask any questions

All the onsite hotel and ticket package include breakfast and access to EMH, which is 2 hours , 8am to 10am
Honestly I wouldn't bother with suites, if you can afford it I would advise a standard room at Disneyland Hotel, that way you get the extra hotel fastpass, cooked breakfast instead of just continental breakfast and you are right at the park entrance.

At the moment, the VIP fastpass is not really worth the extra to stay in suites. As PP mentioned,many of the Fastpass rides in the main park open during EMH, where there are basically walk ons. In the Studios, the main fast pass ride Ratatouille has a single rider line, which is usually the shortest wait time

 

[zavandor]

For a once in a lifetime trip I would really wait until the refurbishments will be finished. The park is in a sorrow state now. Big thunder mountains are the crown jewel of the park and they will be closed. They are doing a deep refurbishment of the lake as well and all Frontierland is walled off. Even if you don't intend to ride it the charm of the land is really ruined.

While not too much inconvenient to go to Paris from DLP, if I were in you I'd move hotel if you intend to visit Paris at least 3 days (you should, it's a wonderful city).