DLP in a Day

[mjmcnns]

I realize it's far from ideal, but my wife and I are considering a day trip from Paris to visit DLP on a Monday in early October. Because of the other logistics of the trip, this is the only option if we're going to end up attending the park(s).

We're a youngish couple with no kids, and we move pretty quickly in general. During our visit to DL a few years back, we managed to get through both parks pretty efficiently in a couple of days.

But I wanted to consult with the experts on a potential one-day DLP trip. Assuming we're in line for rope drop and willing to stay until close to close, would you suggest park hopping or focusing just on DLP itself?

We lean mostly towards the rides and enjoying the Disney theme park experience, but aren't big parade, characters or walk-through experience folks. We're also not hugely concerned about food if we go to the park, so we probably are fine grabbing counter-service. That said, with a strong enough recommendation, we also could enjoy a nice dinner. With that limited information, if you were in our shoes, what would be your "must do's" and are there some general favourites that maybe we could skip (i.e. we've done Tower of Terror a lot in DCA...do we need to experience it at DLP?) ?

Thanks!

 

[A Small World]

I would suggest a hopper ticket as the 2 parks are so close to each other.

Space Mountain is different to DL- it goes upside down and is much rougher
Thunder Mountain goes underground onto its own island
POC is longer and the drops are steeper
Phantom Manor has a different storyline (the whole of Frontierland is based around a town called Thunder Mesa and the storyline is linked to this - worth reading up on first)
Indiana Jones is a coaster so totally different to DL

Crushes coaster, Ratatouille, Toy story Playland (all in Studios) are all unique to DLP

Definitely staying til the end of the day to watch Dreams

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Rides in Disneyland Park you should do: Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
Rides in Walt Disney Studios you should do: Ratatouille, Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, Crush Coaster
Entertainment you should not miss: Disney Dreams! (at closing time of Disneyland Park nearby the castle)

In your case, I would recommend eating in Disney Village for dinner. That way you can go eat after closing time, so you don't miss any valuable time in the parks. Annette's would be my recommendation! It's a table service restaurant, but not expensive (like €25 per person) and you get great burgers, hot dogs, etc. You don't need reservations for this restaurant and it has a great atmosphere. After eating you could shop a bit in Disney Village. There are great shops there with almost everything in stock they sell in the parks. For lunch, you have all kinds of counter service options in Disneyland Park that are great. Hakuna Matata, Colonel Haithi's, Casey's, Toad Hall, Pizza Planet, Fuente Del Oro.. Check http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/ for menu's to see what you like!

Don't forget to get a park hopper so you can do both parks.

Good luck!

 

[mjmcnns]

Thanks everyone. It seems like eating post DREAMS is a good way of partially avoiding the rush for transit back to Paris as well? If we are going to head to eat post-Dreams though, might it be better to select a place that does require reservations?

One other question - are the FP systems between the two parks linked? Could we theoretically (assuming return times lined up) hold FPs for DLP and WDS simultaneously?

 

[mjmcnns]

I figured out the answer to that FP question. Funny how reading more threads can help!

What about a recommended route for a single day trip? Start at DLP or WDS? Is it best to stay at one until you're done or park hop to avoid peak periods?

 

[Holstar]

I figured out the answer to that FP question. Funny how reading more threads can help!

What about a recommended route for a single day trip? Start at DLP or WDS? Is it best to stay at one until you're done or park hop to avoid peak periods?

I usually start with DLP as it's by far the busiest park at opening. We always try and do Big Thunder Mountain first, as the queues can be extreme later in the day. So for us, we go down Main Street and turn left at the castle to Frontier Land, Big Thunder Mountain is just to the right, the haunted mansion is in the far left corner.

I've never been particularly bothered by the Indiana Jones wait, it's never seemed that bad. Space Mountain can be however, so try and work that in early

WDS is literally next to it - you enter DLP through the Disneyland Hotel, which leads straight onto Main Street. WDS is about a four minute walk from the Disneyland Hotel! We've never been ones to do a few rides at DLP and then head over the WDS and then back again - especially if we're just there for a day. We'll usually start at DLP, complete our list of rides, and then head over to WDS. The only thing I'd advise about this though, is that Terror Tower, Rockin' Roller Coaster and Crushes Coaster can all have looooong wait times. So, if you're able to, as soon as you enter fastpass your next ride to at least cut down on some of the wait.

I think it's easily do-able in a day, especially in October, when we've usually found it quite quiet. We get there for park opening, do BTM, Phantom Manor, Indiana Jones, Pirates, Tea Cups, Carrousel, Space Mountain then Terror Tower, Rockin' and Crushes... and usually RC Racer too.

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Thanks everyone. It seems like eating post DREAMS is a good way of partially avoiding the rush for transit back to Paris as well? If we are going to head to eat post-Dreams though, might it be better to select a place that does require reservations?

All the restaurants in Disney Village are no reservations, except for Cafe Mickey, which I don't recommend. You could also choose a restaurant in a Disney hotel. You can make reservations for those. Most hotels have a buffet and an a la carte restaurant. Check the page I mentioned earlier for menu's, prices, etc.!

 

[beachta1]

I'm heading to DLP in October and just doing Park and skipping the Studios. We've been to WDW a few times so doing RnR or ToT in Paris seems like a waste of time to me personally, I'd rather do the thinks at Park that I can't do anywhere else. We can absolutely make a day of it. I think if you try to do both parks in one day you'll be really busy and miss the magic.

 

[A Small World]

I'm heading to DLP in October and just doing Park and skipping the Studios. We've been to WDW a few times so doing RnR or ToT in Paris seems like a waste of time to me personally, I'd rather do the thinks at Park that I can't do anywhere else. We can absolutely make a day of it. I think if you try to do both parks in one day you'll be really busy and miss the magic.

The majority of things that aren't in the American parks are in the Studios - Toystory Playland, Ratatouille, Cars, Cinemagique, Animagique, Crush

 

[beachta1]

The majority of things that aren't in the American parks are in the Studios - Toystory Playland, Ratatouille, Cars, Cinemagique, Animagique, Crush

Sorry, should have re-phrased that. The rides that we would want to do at the Studios are the ones that are at HS at WDW. Having one day at one park is enough for us, there is plenty to see and do there!

 

[mjmcnns]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Given what I know about our touring tendancies, I think we'll make a go at hitting both spots but go in with a well developed plan for what attractions to visit/see. Any tips from the experts would of course be appreciated!

 

[tlens]

I just did both parks a week ago in a day. I was there for rope drop. I did all the attractions I wanted to. The longest wait was an hour for Crushes Coaster ( sorry, don't remember the name). Everything else was under 15 minutes. We left by 9pm to take the RER A back to Paris.

I had no real game plan except I wanted to hit the unique attractions and my regular favorites to see the differences.

So, it definitely doable to do both parks in a single day. My pedometer had us waking 20km that day so wear good shoes.

 

[beachta1]

I just did both parks a week ago in a day. I was there for rope drop. I did all the attractions I wanted to. The longest wait was an hour for Crushes Coaster ( sorry, don't remember the name). Everything else was under 15 minutes. We left by 9pm to take the RER A back to Paris. .

Can you give us a breakdown on how you planned out your day? I'm curious the order you did rides to avoid the lines the best.

 

[Cdaniels1987]

If you are doing both parks in one day, I would thoroughly recommend the Studios first, mainly for Crush's Coaster, the only way to get on this ride without a 2-3 hour wait is first thing.

I would do Studios from opening until around 1ish and then hit Magic Kingdom until close.

Personally I couldn't do it in a day, I just feel like it would be a major rush, even now after we have been multiple times, but that is what I would do if I had no choice.

 

[mjmcnns]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We're not too worried about feeling rushed. We're pretty mobile and tend to prefer a full itinerary. Should be fun!