First Trip - 101 questions!

[Renowen]

Apologies if I am repeating previously asked questions. I have tried to find the answers myself but struggling

The plan is to surprise my 3 daughters (8,7,3) this Christmas with a trip to DLP!
I am on a budget so trying to keep cost down as much as possible.

In a nutshell our requirements are to stay 2 nights in a Disney hotel (Sante Fe is fine but not Davey Crockett as we don't drive) from 5th-7th Jan 2014 but can do the 6th-8th Jan if this changes price dramatically though.

That's it really .... not too worries about shows or meal plans as I'm sure we can fill our time!

My questions are -

Is it cheaper to book transport separately? I see there are no direct Eurostar trains on Tuesday but I can live with that. Tried booking the whole thing through DLP website and seemed to charge 200 pounds more than if booking trains through Eurostar ... does this sound right

Am I also right in thinking booking hotel and tickets together through DLP website is the best priced option?

Travelling wise,we don't drive and we are coming from London, so is my assumption that Eurostar will work out the cheapest and most convenient mode?

Again apologies if I am repeating questions already asked, I just haven't taken my family out of the UK before so am a little over anxious

 

[jothp]

Hi, it is pretty much always cheaper to book your travel separately to your hotel and tickets. Generally you are best off booking hotel and ticket packages directly through Disney because other places don't have any better offers.

 

[Ms Poppins]

Congratulations on your trip!

Yes, you have this right. Cheapest is usually to book hotel/ticket package directly with DLP and travel separately.

If you're in London I'd definitely recommend going Eurostar It is so easy and the train station at Disney is literally right beside the park and the shuttle bus station, that you can use to get to your hotel.

Happy planning

 

[Ms Poppins]

Forgot to say - if booking with DLP you can phone to book and pay a deposit. If you book online you need to pay the full amount when booking.

 

[markpsych]

For those dates, you could go for 4 nights, as you'll get the early booking offer 2 nights and 2 days free + free hotel & park tickets for kids under 12

And yes, generally cheaper to book transport separately.

Same price for Santa Fe or Cheyeene at £236.

 

[jothp]

Also meant to say that they are doing an early booking offer for this winter so you can get 4 nights for the price of 2 (2 nights free on any stay of at least 4 nights) so you could stay a little longer for the same price. Alongside that children under 12 are also free.

Is it just you and your children or is there another adult travelling too? I ask because DLP is quite restricted on where you can stay if you are a family of 5 and the larger rooms tend to be more expensive because they aren't normally included in the discounted offers.

 

[Renowen]

Thank you for all your replies

Ms Poppins, that is good to know! I was trying to work out how I was going to pay it all upfront!

markpsych & Jothp - that offer didn't come up would that because I was looking at 2 adults and 3 kids? TBH my partner probably wouldn't mind staying at home but I wasn't sure how easy it would be with 3 kids regarding rides .... any advice on this? Youngest is 3 and currently 90cms, middle will be 7 when we go and is about 110cms and eldest is 8 and currently just over 120cms ..... if older two are able to go on most of the rides together I can stick with the midge

 

[Renowen]

Just looked and if just I go it works out we can go for 4 nights for 200 pounds less!! Think Hubby may have to stay home with the dog

 

[markpsych]

markpsych & Jothp - that offer didn't come up would that because I was looking at 2 adults and 3 kids? TBH my partner probably wouldn't mind staying at home but I wasn't sure how easy it would be with 3 kids regarding rides.

It should come up!

Just looked again, and with 2 adults it'll cost you £356 for 4 nights....so only £120 extra for the 2 of you

I wasn't keen the 1st time we went, but I've been back about 30 times now

Doable on your own, but may be a little easier between the 2 of you?

 

[jothp]

Have a look at the info about the offer on the website. It may be that the family rooms at the santa fe aren't included in the offer. At the moment I can't get the site to show me any availability of family rooms for four nights on your dates so you may have to phone and ask.

If you do decide to go alone with the children bear in mind that your youngest will not be allowed into the queue for any ride she is not tall enough for so your older daughters would have to queue alone as well as ride alone.

 

[Renowen]

We it's booked! Me and the girls are going in Jan for 4 nights

Hubby is staying at home (he wasn't bothered tbh, he isn't a Disney nut).

The reason it wasn't coming up for 5 of us was because there wasn't any available rooms in the hotels I was looking at, only in dearer hotels which pushed the price right up
I've promised him a weekend away just us two and he seemed happy with that lol!

Some more questions coming up -

Buggy hire, how much is this? I can't find a price on the website. Is this worth doing or should I just bring my own - trying to keep luggage to a min as it's only me.

Do you get wifi in the hotel Cheyanne and do you need to pay?

I've heard you can ask to have your breakfasts in the park ... is this true?

Any other top tips anyone can give me?

So excited, wish it was Christmas now!!

 

[jothp]

congratulations on your booking.

I can't remember exactly how much the buggy hire is but it is quite expensive and the buggies are not very comfy so I would take one with you.

You can ask for breakfast in the park when you check in but it is not offered all the time so there is no guarantee you will get it. If there is none available when you first check in you can ask at the hotel each evening for the following day and might get lucky.

I don't think there is wifi at the Cheyenne yet and I'm sure someone will be along soon to confirm that.

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Congratulations on your booking!

I think stroller hire is 12 euros per day.

I also think it is unlikely that WiFi will be rolled out to the Cheyenne by Christmas but you can pay for Ethernet there at, if I remember rightly, about 4 euros for an hour or 15 for 24 hours. It can be a bit tricky to set up sometimes though and I know we have had problems because the room phone cable and very short Ethernet cable don't allow you to be at your laptop and discuss it with reception at the same time!

 

[sky13]

Yay for booking!

There wasn't wifi in the Cheyenne in March (only paid cable internet). I generally get around the lack of wifi by using 3G roaming with O2 (currently £1.99/day (max 25 MB, soon to become 15 MB though) which I find enough for me). There are apparently plans to install free wifi in the Disney hotels though so it might be available by January!

Yes you can ask to have your breakfast in the park! Not always available though and it seems to depend on how full the hotel is and how much space there is in the hotel restaurant...

Sounds like it will be a fantastic surprise for your daughters!!

 

[kizzabel]

Congrats on your booking
Im unsure on the price per day for stroller hire but theres also a deposit of €70 or a card imprint required. I'd also agreed with OPs and bring my own instead as the hire ones aren't comfy.

Hope the WiFi gets rolled out soon too!!

Happy planning

 

[Renowen]

Figured I would update rather than start a new thread

Well everything is booked and paid for! Holiday and Eurostar fully paid, I have my passport and just waiting for the kids to arrive!

Must say our bargain holiday has cost a pretty penny lol but it will be awesome

Slight change to plans as my mum and her partner are now coming ..... she invited herself I don't mind as it would be helpful to have another pair of hands and she has said she will be taking her partner into Paris for sightseeing so won't be with us all the time, but it would have been nice if she had actually ASKED to come rather than just booking it!!

Now it's all paid for I can plan the big reveal for Xmas day!! Yay!

 

[Renowen]

Just 2 weeks to go!!

I think we are just about ready ... just need to actually pack lol but all travel/Money/new clothes/insurence etc is organised and my mum has informed me that she nad her partner are planning to begger off into Paris on the Tuesday so planning what I can manage on my own with the kids for that day

Few more little questions that popped into my head -

TV - now not planning to watch much of this lol but what is there to watch? Is the Disney channel in English?

Bathroom - looking at the photos of the Cheyanne it looks like there is a bath with a shower in, does anyone know if these are in every room as would like to have a bath for the kids in the evenings?

Plugs! - Do they use the 2 prong plugs in France? would like somewhere to charge my phone and camera so would need to get an adapter.

Also, can anyone recommend an area that's best for the younger kids? As I said above on one day it will be just me and the girls (aged 3, 7 and 8) so need to do things that we can all do at the same time, any particular 'land' that would be best for this or are they all a mixture?

That's it for the moment, thanks for any help

 

[DLPdaft]

Just 2 weeks to go!!

I think we are just about ready ... just need to actually pack lol but all travel/Money/new clothes/insurence etc is organised and my mum has informed me that she nad her partner are planning to begger off into Paris on the Tuesday so planning what I can manage on my own with the kids for that day

Few more little questions that popped into my head -

TV - now not planning to watch much of this lol but what is there to watch? Is the Disney channel in English?

yes - the Disney channel alternates its programmes in a few languages, but there are certainly English shows on the Disney channel in the onsite hotels.


Bathroom - looking at the photos of the Cheyanne it looks like there is a bath with a shower in, does anyone know if these are in every room as would like to have a bath for the kids in the evenings?

yes, bath with shower over is the norm in all the standard rooms at the Cheyenne.


Plugs! - Do they use the 2 prong plugs in France? would like somewhere to charge my phone and camera so would need to get an adapter.

yes, you need a European adaptor plug (pound shops usually have them)


Also, can anyone recommend an area that's best for the younger kids? As I said above on one day it will be just me and the girls (aged 3, 7 and 8) so need to do things that we can all do at the same time, any particular 'land' that would be best for this or are they all a mixture?

That's it for the moment, thanks for any help

I'd suggest the Studios myself, I think its got something for every age, plus all the shows which are universally popular .

 

[Renowen]

Awesome thank you x