First Timers-lots of questions

[KatieKepic]

Hi everyone! We're visiting DLP this coming July before our cruise. While I've technically been once before, I was a teenager and only went for the day and that was a few decades ago so basically this is all new to me. I've tried googling and searching but I've been getting a lot of conflicting info and some is dated and pre-covid so thought I'd ask here. We're a family of 4 with the kids being 15 & 13 at travel time.

First, how many park days should we plan for? We want to do several of the shows, parade, fireworks, characters meals and of course rides. Is 3 sufficient if we're doing one sit down restaurant a day?

Where to stay? I love the look/decor of Newport Bay but the reviews don't seem great? I'm also looking at Sequoia Lodge but I'm not loving the decor in the rooms. My son would love the marvel hotel but it it worth paying $300 more a night for? For reference, we're DVC so used to the deluxe resorts at WDW and we tend to stay at good neighbor hotels at DL-CA.

Character dining: we're looking at doing both character dining options. Are their differences in the characters between breakfast & dinner at Plaza Gardens?

Dining: I'm having a hard time finding menus for the restaurants. The few I've pulled up from various blogs/websites seem to be different. Is there somewhere I can look at current menus? We're most interested in Walt's and Captain Jack's. I also saw a post that your package had to be paid in full before you can book dining, is that true?

Any other advice or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ms Poppins]

I think 3-4 days is good for a first visit. We’re just back and really enjoyed the Hotel New York but I think it is expensive, as is everything at DLP. NPB is ok but honestly I’d rather stay at Hotel Cheyenne if not at HNY. It’s a more basic hotel and smaller rooms, no pool, but I prefer the theming here over NPB. I haven’t stayed at SL so can’t comment there. It really depends on ages, personal preferences. I’d definitely recommend on site though to make the most of your stay. You can walk easily and quickly from the on site hotels to the parks.

I have trip report links at both Cheyenne and NPB in my signature and am in the process of posting a new HNY trip report on the tr board if that helps. I really think hotels are a personal taste so very difficult to recommend. Lots of people say they just use the hotel to sleep but we like to enjoy the hotel, bar etc and in the summer we like a pool to break up the day.

Menus are in the official DLP app. I think booking times vary but should be available on the app 60 days I think before your visit. We didn’t do character dining this time so I can’t help there.

Walt’s us beautiful though.

Hope you have a lovely trip.

 

[Karin1984]

Tip #1 for all people used to DVC and deluxe hotels in the US Disney parks: Disneyland Paris has hardly something that is comparable.
We have hotels, not resorts. People in Europe want a place to sleep and do not spend a lot of time in the hotels. Therefore less amenities, less decor and smaller rooms than you are used to in the US.
Please do yourself a favour and do not try to find something comparable, as it's not really there.

Next question you have to ask yourself: How much time will you spend looking at decor?
If you plan to be in the parks from open to close, which will be from 8:30am to 11pm (and let's add at least an hour for breakfast & getting to from the park in total) , you will be exhausted and your brain will not process any pretty decor.
Unless you plan to spend any extended time in your hotel room awake, go for something that has a bed and a shower. If you want to have a drink at a nice bar, you don't have to stay at the hotel for that. Unless you plan to get wasted, but bringing 2 teens with you, I think that's unlikely. ;-)

To my knowledge no difference in breakfast and lunch at Plaza gardens.

With 3 days you can do a lot, it'll be busy as everyone in Europe is on holiday, but with good use of the EMH and late closing times, you should be able to get a lot done.

You can find the menus on the DLP website and the app, but of course there can always be changed. Go with 1,5 hours at least for a table service meal in DLP.

 

[KatieKepic]

I think 3-4 days is good for a first visit. We’re just back and really enjoyed the Hotel New York but I think it is expensive, as is everything at DLP. NPB is ok but honestly I’d rather stay at Hotel Cheyenne if not at HNY. It’s a more basic hotel and smaller rooms, no pool, but I prefer the theming here over NPB. I haven’t stayed at SL so can’t comment there. It really depends on ages, personal preferences. I’d definitely recommend on site though to make the most of your stay. You can walk easily and quickly from the on site hotels to the parks.

I have trip report links at both Cheyenne and NPB in my signature and am in the process of posting a new HNY trip report on the tr board if that helps. I really think hotels are a personal taste so very difficult to recommend. Lots of people say they just use the hotel to sleep but we like to enjoy the hotel, bar etc and in the summer we like a pool to break up the day.

Menus are in the official DLP app. I think booking times vary but should be available on the app 60 days I think before your visit. We didn’t do character dining this time so I can’t help there.

Walt’s us beautiful though.

Hope you have a lovely trip.

Thank you! I think we're leaning towards 3 nights. That will give us 3 full days and then part of a 4th depending on what train we book.

We definitely want to be on site and prefer a walk under 20 min. My son is on the autism spectrum so we will definitely be heading back for a break each day. We had ruled out Hotel Cheyenne since it didn't have a pool. I will definitely check out your trip reports. We spend a decent amount of time in the hotel and are not park open to close type people.

I didn't even think to check the app, I just looked on their website. I'll download that now and take a look.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[KatieKepic]

Tip #1 for all people used to DVC and deluxe hotels in the US Disney parks: Disneyland Paris has hardly something that is comparable.
We have hotels, not resorts. People in Europe want a place to sleep and do not spend a lot of time in the hotels. Therefore less amenities, less decor and smaller rooms than you are used to in the US.
Please do yourself a favour and do not try to find something comparable, as it's not really there.

Next question you have to ask yourself: How much time will you spend looking at decor?
If you plan to be in the parks from open to close, which will be from 8:30am to 11pm (and let's add at least an hour for breakfast & getting to from the park in total) , you will be exhausted and your brain will not process any pretty decor.
Unless you plan to spend any extended time in your hotel room awake, go for something that has a bed and a shower. If you want to have a drink at a nice bar, you don't have to stay at the hotel for that. Unless you plan to get wasted, but bringing 2 teens with you, I think that's unlikely. ;-)

To my knowledge no difference in breakfast and lunch at Plaza gardens.

With 3 days you can do a lot, it'll be busy as everyone in Europe is on holiday, but with good use of the EMH and late closing times, you should be able to get a lot done.

You can find the menus on the DLP website and the app, but of course there can always be changed. Go with 1,5 hours at least for a table service meal in DLP.

Thank you! That's what I had read on the hotels at DLP which is why I was struggling trying to determine which one to book since they don't really have a US comparison.

We will need to go back to the hotel/room for a break each day. How long that is just kind of depends on how the day is going. My son is on the autism spectrum so he can get overwhelmed in new places/situations pretty easily. This is also toward the start of our 3 week Europe trip so I don't want any of us to be completely exhausted by the end that we don't enjoy the next part. We're definitely not park open to park close people. We most likely will do the early hours and then probably do one late night to see the fireworks. And ha, yes definitely no plans to get wasted with the kids in tow.

I think we'll do 3 nights and hopefully that will give us enough time to get in most, if not all, of what we want. The last day will just be a part day depending on what time train we book.
I'm downloading the app now so I can take a look. I appreciate the help with the time to expect for sit downs. I think we will plan on one a day.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Karin1984]

Ah, that makes it easier to give advice. Then I would go for a concierge room in Sequoia Lodge, if you have the money. These rooms are bigger and with two adults and two teenagers spending time in the room, it will be nice to have some space. The lounge in Sequoia is nicer than Newport Bay, in my opinion. Newport Bay is also overpriced

Also, the decor in the lobby, bar, lounge at Sequoia is 'darker', if your son is overstimulated you might prefer areas with dimmer lights.

If you are taking breaks, with time to go for a swim,definitely go for 4 nights and have 3 full days. You might not be able to do it all, but most for sure.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Ah, that makes it easier to give advice. Then I would go for a concierge room in Sequoia Lodge, if you have the money. These rooms are bigger and with two adults and two teenagers spending time in the room, it will be nice to have some space. The lounge in Sequoia is nicer than Newport Bay, in my opinion. Newport Bay is also overpriced

Also, the decor in the lobby, bar, lounge at Sequoia is 'darker', if your son is overstimulated you might prefer areas with dimmer lights.

If you are taking breaks, with time to go for a swim,definitely go for 4 nights and have 3 full days. You might not be able to do it all, but most for sure.

That's great advice.

 

[KatieKepic]

Ah, that makes it easier to give advice. Then I would go for a concierge room in Sequoia Lodge, if you have the money. These rooms are bigger and with two adults and two teenagers spending time in the room, it will be nice to have some space. The lounge in Sequoia is nicer than Newport Bay, in my opinion. Newport Bay is also overpriced

Also, the decor in the lobby, bar, lounge at Sequoia is 'darker', if your son is overstimulated you might prefer areas with dimmer lights.

If you are taking breaks, with time to go for a swim,definitely go for 4 nights and have 3 full days. You might not be able to do it all, but most for sure.

So helpful, thank you! Is the concierge the same as the Golden Forest? The definitely space would definitely be nice.

 

[Karin1984]

Yes, Golden Forest is the name of the Concierge level.

 

[zavandor]

If you book an onsite package you can book restaurants earlier than 60 days, when it opens to everyone. At that point very little to nothing is left and the most sought after bookings (like Remy or the character dining) will probably not be available. How to book in advance and when? I've read conflicting information, some say on the phone, some on the app, some 90 days, some 1 year. It's a bit chaotic, but if you ask the call center when you book they should be able to tell you.

 

[KatieKepic]

If you book an onsite package you can book restaurants earlier than 60 days, when it opens to everyone. At that point very little to nothing is left and the most sought after bookings (like Remy or the character dining) will probably not be available. How to book in advance and when? I've read conflicting information, some say on the phone, some on the app, some 90 days, some 1 year. It's a bit chaotic, but if you ask the call center when you book they should be able to tell you.

Thank you for this. We are booking an onsite package and I've been seeing all different conflicting info on dining as well. I was planning on booking online but I'll give them a call as that may be easier, especially with dining.

 

[Kevin_W]

I think that 3 days is plenty, at least it was for us on our trip. That seems to be the sweet spot for us at Disneyland as well. WDW is easy to do a week, but there are more parks there and LA/Paris offer much more outside the parks than Orlando.

As for where to stay, I'd recommend an apartment/hotel in Val d'europe. It only a little farther walk away (or a 5-minute car ride if you have a vehicle) for a fraction of the price.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

I think that 3 days is plenty, at least it was for us on our trip. That seems to be the sweet spot for us at Disneyland as well. WDW is easy to do a week, but there are more parks there and LA/Paris offer much more outside the parks than Orlando.

As for where to stay, I'd recommend an apartment/hotel in Val d'europe. It only a little farther walk away (or a 5-minute car ride if you have a vehicle) for a fraction of the price.

Yes often the best times I've had are in apartments at ¼ of the price in the Val d'europe area and it's not much further than the TTC to the MK at WDW.

 

[nagshead]

Hi everyone! We're visiting DLP this coming July before our cruise. While I've technically been once before, I was a teenager and only went for the day and that was a few decades ago so basically this is all new to me. I've tried googling and searching but I've been getting a lot of conflicting info and some is dated and pre-covid so thought I'd ask here. We're a family of 4 with the kids being 15 & 13 at travel time.

First, how many park days should we plan for? We want to do several of the shows, parade, fireworks, characters meals and of course rides. Is 3 sufficient if we're doing one sit down restaurant a day?

Where to stay? I love the look/decor of Newport Bay but the reviews don't seem great? I'm also looking at Sequoia Lodge but I'm not loving the decor in the rooms. My son would love the marvel hotel but it it worth paying $300 more a night for? For reference, we're DVC so used to the deluxe resorts at WDW and we tend to stay at good neighbor hotels at DL-CA.

Character dining: we're looking at doing both character dining options. Are their differences in the characters between breakfast & dinner at Plaza Gardens?

Dining: I'm having a hard time finding menus for the restaurants. The few I've pulled up from various blogs/websites seem to be different. Is there somewhere I can look at current menus? We're most interested in Walt's and Captain Jack's. I also saw a post that your package had to be paid in full before you can book dining, is that true?

Any other advice or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

We will also be going to DLP in July before a cruise! Also traveling with a teen (and 8 and 11 year old). We are DVC too so this is the first time we are booking something not DVC so I’m following your post for advice.