Feasible to stay at DLP for trip to Paris?

[mndisfam]

Hi everyone! I am new to this board but not the Disboards.

I have never been to Paris. My mother and I have a chance to go to Paris this fall, if I can swing it financially by really watching my pennies.

We own a lot of DVC points, so our stay at DLP would be free. I realize it is 40 minutes in each way to Paris.

I completely understand we are missing the Parisian complete experience by staying at DLP, and taking the metro in every day. I am thinking that we would sign up for a bus tour every day that we would catch in central Paris. I know that also might be a hassle.

On the flip side tho, it would be free lodging. Also, my mother has mobility/vision issues, so a hotel in Paris with cobblestone streets, etc, wouldn't be all that great. To clarify, I can't see us wandering Paris at night to hit the charming cafes.

Is this crazy? I am just thinkingDLP might be so much physically easier for her.

 

[GummiBerry]

I've done this loads of times. The RER stops at Charles de Gaulle Etoile (not the airport - near the arche de triomphe and the start of the Champs de l'Elysee) and Chatelet-Les-Halles and you can walk or get a taxi to lots of places from there.

We usually went into Disneyland for the extra magic hours and then got the train into Paris, and returned to Disneyland just as everyone was leaving after the parade.

Unless you have a huge budget, a hotel in central Paris might not be in an amazing location and for myself, I like the area where DLP is situated. I like taking a shuttle to Explorers and walking around the lake. I like going to the big supermarket and designer shopping outlet. There's a tourist office beside the train station at DLP that will give you information about the castles and zoos and so on which are near DLP.

Also, you can do bus tours of Paris which leave from Hotel New York - those are fun if your mother would like to sight-see without too much walking. The one we did had a boat tour and a trip up the Eiffel tower.

 

[Eliza32]

As GummiBerry says, go for it. The journey into Paris is really easy and you know you'll get a good hotel at DLP.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hi - I'm from MN too - and we are planning to just the same thing (only not use DVC probably)!
We'll be in London first, take the train to DLP and do day trips to Paris to tour and sightsee. I'm planning on a bus tour where you can get on and off at the sights. We of course will spend a couple days at the parks too!

 

[A Small World]

I might be wrong on this but Im sure if you are staying DVC you still need to buy park tickets for the whole of your stay whether you want them or not

If you want to do bus tours in Paris the best station to get off at is Auber which is right across the road from the main bus tour office

 

[mndisfam]

Thank you to everyone!

Your responses really helped.

MN girl - where are you from?

 

[janischa]

hiya, i've been looking at going to DLP as well and at first thought of renting DVC points as well, but the clue was indeed that we'd need to get length of stay passes, which made it pretty expensive. So now we're renting an appartment elsewhere (10 minutes from DLP and quite close to paris as well) -- to give you an idea of the cost, the owner is charging me 400 euro for a week and it's comparable to the disney studio's with a double bed and a sofa sleeper and a kitchen (if you include some additional costs like final clean up etc, it'll cost us like 450 euro in total). Then, for the DLP part, we're getting annual passes, which with a discount via a site (just google here for the link) will cost us 110 euro a person (fantasy annual pass). So, this trip, without flights and food, would cost both of you 670 euro for a week of stay.
If you rent out your points at 10 or 11 usd a point, you'd already recoup a part of that.
I think the advantages of this for you would be
1) likely cheaper
2) could cut on your travel time depending on where you want to spend your most time (go for an appartment closer to paris if that's where you'll be spending most of your time)
3) use the money saved to take taxi's and spare your mother's feet
4) more authentic experience

Further, for your first day in Paris, i'd take those hop on hop off busses as they tour you everywhere and you can stop, explore and hop on again without paying extra. (try getting a discount when the sales approach you, they're everywhere, handing out brochures).
Don't forget to stroll the Galleries Lafayette and their beautiful window decorations.
You could also do a split stay; part in DLP and part in a B&B in Paris. Google tripadvisor and then look for the highest rated B&B's.... Paris has so many B&B prices can be pretty competitive and it's always nice to have a local point you around....
If you have any more questions, you can pm me.

 

[mndisfam]

Janischa - thanks for all of that. But, we are staying free using our points for 9 nights. So no cost there. We did have to buy park tix, but compared to US they were very cheap, so we were ok with that.

I completely agree it won't be an immersive expereince and that worries me. But, there are a few things on the other side of that issue - my mom's limited mobility, and the face she leaves from this trip for a Rhine River cruise and a week in Prague.

As to the Hop on Hop off - we were thinking 2 day tickets for that for that - does that seem too much? I have to look up the galleries you mentioned. I am also really anxious to visit the old town under Notre Dame. And we are also very anxious to visit Fontainebleau, and Provins.

Did you ever use the Visite Paris? looks like a good way to see Paris to us.

More tips???!!! We will GLADLY and GRATEFULLY take them!