first trip to DLRP! i know nothing, please help!

[collegejunkie]

we are WDW experts and go every year, so we know how to make the magic work for us there. we are now thinking of going to DLRP in march. we know it will be coldish, but other than that, we pretty much know nothing, so please help!

1. do you recommend booking a hotel + ticket package on the DLRP website?
2. how do you make dining reservations? is it possible to do it online like for WDW?
3. how many days do you need per park? we were thinking of doing 3 total, assuming we are able to hop between parks
4. if we stay off-site, do you have any off-site recommendations and what should we know about staying on-site versus off-site? it seems like character meals in the hotels are only available to guests staying on property (correct me if i'm wrong).
5. what general tips and advice do you have? for example, we always watch the later parades at WDW and do rides while everyone watches the earlier one.
6. what is the best way to get to DLRP from the city?
7. any must-have souvenirs?
8. is there a fastpass system and does it work the same way as it does at WDW?
9. we are thinking of going during the week of march 15, but we could also go the following week. are either of these a better choice (european spring breaks/holidays, etc)? also, we are thinking of going mid-week instead of over a weekend to hopefully get less crowds

any other information would be greatly appreciated! as i said, we are only just thinking about going and we know absolutely nothing. thank you in advance!

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I'm going to follow along if you don't mind~ I'm a DLR expert planning my first trip to DLP too!!!!!

 

[Jonjo]

1. do you recommend booking a hotel + ticket package on the DLRP website?

Yes, but do shop around on the various DLP websites as there may be different offers running for each country.
Always try the UK site first as there are normally very good offers available to UK guests. Avoid the US DLP site at all costs, it's the most expensive.

2. how do you make dining reservations? is it possible to do it online like for WDW?

You need to call the Restaurant Reservations Department on +33 (0) 1 60 30 40 50 to make dining reservations.

3. how many days do you need per park? we were thinking of doing 3 total, assuming we are able to hop between parks

Two days in the Disneyland Park and one day at Walt Disney Studios should be enough.

4. if we stay off-site, do you have any off-site recommendations and what should we know about staying on-site versus off-site? it seems like character meals in the hotels are only available to guests staying on property (correct me if i'm wrong).

I always stay at on-site Disney hotels. But it does not matter where you stay, you can to book a character meal at any of the restaurants offering them.

5. what general tips and advice do you have? for example, we always watch the later parades at WDW and do rides while everyone watches the earlier one.

The parades at DLP and at WDS are only on once a day. If you stay at an on-site Disney Hotel make the most of Extra Magic Hours for the DLP park. the park opens two hours earlier for guests of the Disney Hotels.

6. what is the best way to get to DLRP from the city?

By Train is far the best way.

7. any must-have souvenirs?

Have a look at this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Stitch59000 which has photos of lots of DLP souvenirs available.

8. is there a fastpass system and does it work the same way as it does at WDW?

Yes there is and it works the same way

9. we are thinking of going during the week of march 15, but we could also go the following week. are either of these a better choice (european spring breaks/holidays, etc)? also, we are thinking of going mid-week instead of over a weekend to hopefully get less crowds

Mid-week is much quieter and that week will be very quite, but very cold. We were at DLP for that week this year and it snowed. Be aware this is the off peak season at DLP and many rides and attractions will be closed for refurbishment. The St. David's Day Welsh Festival is also held around this time of year so look you to see if it's being held during your visit.

 

[Danauk]

I'll have a go at helping you!

1. do you recommend booking a hotel + ticket package on the DLRP website?
When we have booked packages we have booked on the website and then booked travel separately. Not sure what the current advice is though as we have AP's and book everything separately.

2. how do you make dining reservations? is it possible to do it online like for WDW?
No, you have to ring the dining line to book meals. Dining can be booked 60 days in advance.

3. how many days do you need per park? we were thinking of doing 3 total, assuming we are able to hop between parks
You can easily hop between the 2 parks as they are right to one another. 3 full day should be fine.

4. if we stay off-site, do you have any off-site recommendations and what should we know about staying on-site versus off-site? it seems like character meals in the hotels are only available to guests staying on property (correct me if i'm wrong).
You can book character meals in and out of the parks if you are staying off site. If you are going for your 1st trip though I would stay on site. We often stay off site now though at a hotel just one stop down the RER line (so 5 minutes away by train) as the entrance to the train station is right at the park entrance.

5. what general tips and advice do you have? for example, we always watch the later parades at WDW and do rides while everyone watches the earlier one.
They don't have multiple parade times at DLP so that will not work. If you want to ride Crush's Coaster in the studios make sure you are at the park entrance for 9:30 when the park opens (although the rides open at 10am, the gates open 30 minutes early) as the line for this is long throughout the day.


6. what is the best way to get to DLRP from the city?
Getting to DLP from the city is easy. Just take the RER line A to Marne La Vallee - Chessy (Parc Disneyland). It takes around 30 minutes to get there from the centre of Paris. As I said earlier the train station entrance is right by the park gate so it is easy to use the metro.

7. any must-have souvenirs?
Depends what you collect. If you collect pins DLP does some nice ones.

8. is there a fastpass system and does it work the same way as it does at WDW?
Yes there is fastpass, it works like the FP system used to work at WDW (and as it does at DL) You can get one pass when your previous one expires, or 2 hours after you got the ticket which ever happens 1st. The FP machines at the 2 parks are not connected so you can hold FP's for rides in both parks at the same time if you want to.

9. we are thinking of going during the week of march 15, but we could also go the following week. are either of these a better choice (european spring breaks/holidays, etc)? also, we are thinking of going mid-week instead of over a weekend to hopefully get less crowds.
I am not sure about mainland European holiday dates around that time, I would think it would not be that busy. Week days would be quieter than the weeks, but then the parks could close earlier and less restaurants could be open.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[collegejunkie]

Yes, but do shop around on the various DLP websites as there may be different offers running for each country.
Always try the UK site first as there are normally very good offers available to UK guests. Avoid the US DLP site at all costs, it's the most expensive.

wow, turns out this is insanely better. do we need to book with a UK address? i do have friends that live there, but i'm trying to figure out the logistics of making it work in that case. for less than the price the US website gave us, we got what we wanted + a meal plan included.

also, is the meal plan worth it? half board or full board? can we go to any restaurants we want or are there restrictions and is there a credit system like at WDW?

 

[collegejunkie]

4. if we stay off-site, do you have any off-site recommendations and what should we know about staying on-site versus off-site? it seems like character meals in the hotels are only available to guests staying on property (correct me if i'm wrong).
You can book character meals in and out of the parks if you are staying off site. If you are going for your 1st trip though I would stay on site. We often stay off site now though at a hotel just one stop down the RER line (so 5 minutes away by train) as the entrance to the train station is right at the park entrance.

yes, helped a lot, thanks! can i ask what the off-site hotel is in case we feel comfortable enough to do that?

 

[Jonjo]

wow, turns out this is insanely better. do we need to book with a UK address? i do have friends that live there, but i'm trying to figure out the logistics of making it work in that case. for less than the price the US website gave us, we got what we wanted + a meal plan included.

also, is the meal plan worth it? half board or full board? can we go to any restaurants we want or are there restrictions and is there a credit system like at WDW?

No you do not need a UK address. Everything is sent via Email, and you can just put in your normal US address and leave the country as UK.

IMO the meal plans are not worth adding to your package. Great if they are included free - like they are with the present UK offer, but not worth it on their own.

They are just vouchers that you can use for a meal on a special menu or towards the cost of a meal, and you are limited as to which restaurants you can use them in.

 

[ILOVEDLP]

I'm sure the 15 march still in French school holidays so I would avoided that time and the two weeks before.
Weekends are not fun at DLP.
We arrive 17th march no French or English holidays so hoping the parks will be quiet, it's st Patricks day mickey Minnie etc will be in Irish costume there will be Irish dancing etc should be a fun day .
You can get some cheap off site hotels we are staying in the sejours et affaires VDE for very little next October.
You can get some cheap tickets from CE multiavantages or promoparcs.
Weather could be a mix we always pack for cold but if it not then its a bonus.

 

[kizzabel]

we are WDW experts and go every year, so we know how to make the magic work for us there. we are now thinking of going to DLRP in march. we know it will be coldish, but other than that, we pretty much know nothing, so please help!

1. do you recommend booking a hotel + ticket package on the DLRP website?

Yes - its probably the most straight forward and the deals will probably be the best value you'll find. Try Disneylandparis.co.uk and I would also try disneylandparis.ie too as the Irish sit has good offers from time to time. The Dutch offer has 40% off at the minute so many try the Dutch site too - you can change country down the end of the disneylandparis.co.uk site.


2. how do you make dining reservations? is it possible to do it online like for WDW? You can make reservations 60 days in advance - you can find the number on the useful info sticky at the top of this forum page

3. how many days do you need per park? we were thinking of doing 3 total, assuming we are able to hop between parks I think three days midweek is good but 4 would be great!! It is very doable in three days though - as another PP said if you want to do Crush's Coaster I would arrive at WDS for 9.30am and quick walk/sprint to the entrance for this ride as it gets manic and has no FP

4. if we stay off-site, do you have any off-site recommendations and what should we know about staying on-site versus off-site? it seems like character meals in the hotels are only available to guests staying on property (correct me if i'm wrong). You can dine at all the restaurants in the the whole resort - Walts is nice and a bit special - its on Main St USA. We also like some of the hotel buffets - especially the Santa Fe's and the Cheyenne's. As regards offsite it can take a few minutes longer to get back to your hotel by shuttle but not much more then the shuttle to the Santa Fe or Cheyenne. I think its just less stress to stay onsite but there are some lovely looking hotels close by. Look at Val D'Europe too - its a 3 minute journey away by train and has a big shopping centre and outlet shopping centre.

5. what general tips and advice do you have? for example, we always watch the later parades at WDW and do rides while everyone watches the earlier one.
The parades are only shown once a day in DLP - you can meet some of the characters from the Stars in Cars parade (WDS) before the parade. For Dreams (the nighttime show projected onto the Castle) try to get a spot in the hub infront of the Castle or one of the benches that surround the main hub It is worth the wait - even if it is cold - its amazing!

6. what is the best way to get to DLRP from the city?
Take the RER A to Marne La Vallee/Chessy. Its the last stop so it makes it very straight forward. You can find handy maps at the rapt website and theres a great journey planner and a printable pocket map of the RER (Train) and metro routes.

7. any must-have souvenirs? We also love the pins! They start at around €7 each. There are also small boxes of shortbread biscuits for €2.50 - great for presents for those at home!

8. is there a fastpass system and does it work the same way as it does at WDW? Im not sure if it works the same but it gives you a half hour time slot to come back during and you can get another FP when the current one expires or two hours after you 1st got it - whichever comes 1st

9. we are thinking of going during the week of march 15, but we could also go the following week. are either of these a better choice (european spring breaks/holidays, etc)? also, we are thinking of going mid-week instead of over a weekend to hopefully get less crowds
If you look at the useful info sticky at the top of this forum theres a link to websites that list European holidays - its a great resource! You need to click on the French one and a UK one - if neither are on holidays it should be quiet. France is broken into three regions in regards to school administration and they take holidays at different times - I think Zone A is the Paris / Ille de France region and thats the one that will most effect crowd levels as lots of locals have Annual Passes for DLP.

any other information would be greatly appreciated! as i said, we are only just thinking about going and we know absolutely nothing. thank you in advance!

Stay to the left when you have a choice in the Big Thunder Mountain queue - it will save you time on wait times

Also as regards Meal Vouchers - you can use them at face value and pay the difference if its more in all Disneyland Paris restaurants (those excluded are Earl of Sandwich, McDonalds, Starbucks, Rainforest Cafe and King Ludwig's Castle). But always ask for the bill before paying by vouchers - you may not need to use all your vouchers every night and could then use it against your lunch another day or splash out on a swanky dinner! (character meal but you can share a pizza - they are huge - instead of eating of the menu which can be pricey or way too much food - this makes character dining a bit cheaper! Th garlic bread is huge too)

What hotel are you thinking of?

Hope this helped a bit

 

[Danauk]

yes, helped a lot, thanks! can i ask what the off-site hotel is in case we feel comfortable enough to do that?

We stay at the Residhome Val D'Europe. It is an apartment style hotel so the room has a kitchen in it. The rooms are quite small, but they serve us fine. It is literally a 30 second walk from the hotel to the RER station, then 3 minutes to the park; one stop down the line.

 

[Michael623]

As you can see by my signature I'm a US park veteran and a 2-time DLP visitor. The hardest part is going in with an open mind and keep from comparing DLP to the US parks. They are very different in many ways. That being said, you’ve gotten some great advice already but I’ll add my own.

I know it seems intimidating to book on the UK site as a US resident, but don’t be nervous about it. As others have said just book using your US address and leave the country as UK. I did this last time I visited with no problem and I saved like $500 over the US DLP site. It’s not like visiting WDW were they mail you a reservation, everything is done via email. There are never deals on the US site that compare with the UK site.

I find the packages are your best bet vs booking off site and adding passes. Just keep in mind that the packages come with length of stay tickets so if you arrive at 9pm on your day of check in you’ve technically paid for a day of park tickets without being able to enter the park. Breakfast is included at the on-site resorts.

There are 6 on-site resorts:
Disneyland Hotel-Awesome location, very expensive. Sort of grand Floridian-ish and it is directly over the entrance to DL. If money is no object then this is your place.
Hotel New York-Nice hotel, second closest to the parks, felt a little sterile and business convention(ish) to me. I would definitely consider staying here though.
Newport Bay-Supposed to be like YC/BC but fails miserably. Stayed here in 2004 and never would again, huge sprawling resort with poor upkeep in my opinion. Lowest rated DLP resort on tripadvisor.
Sequoia Lodge-Think of it as a WL meets a moderate resort. Stayed here in 2010, would stay here again. For the price I think this is the best resort, still a reasonable walk to the parks.
Hotel Cheyenne-Wild west themed Motel (not a true resort in my opinion). Not a bad place on a budget but the distance from the parks hurts this motel. Think a notch below All Stars/Pop Century
Santa Fe-New Mexico themed motel. Adobe prison-like buildings. I don’t really get this place at all. A notch below Cheyenne. Unless budget is extremely tight, I’d skip this one.

I have never had a stand-out meal at DLP unfortunately. We went over Easter the first time and had no problem getting dining reservations anywhere we wanted. It’s not like the insanity of WDW dining. I really don’t think you need to make reservations. The dining plan is not worth it at all. It doesn’t save you any money and you typically get burned by the exchange rate. The thing you need to watch is if the parks are closing early when you’re there, the restaurants in the parks don’t serve dinner. As a result everyone is leaving the parks at the same time and flooding into the resorts/Disney Village so the lines are instantly astronomical. A huge complaint of mine last time I visited. If this is the case you may want to consider dinner reservations in the Village after the parks close but again, i think this can be arranged after your arrival at DLP. Actually I remember King Ludwigs castle being pretty good. Neat atmosphere. Most restaurants have a Pre Fixe meal that is the best priced option. Beware if you're a soda drinker because it is very expensive in restaurants in Europe and the portions are tiny. Think a 12oz cup for like $4. Wine/beer is frequently cheaper.

I think 3 days is plenty. The studios to me is a half day park but don’t miss Cinemagique. It is my favorite show at any Disney park I’ve visited. 2 full day at DL are fine. You’ll be able to ride and see everything you want with some repeat rides. Make sure you notice the details because this park is loaded with them. Biggest disappointment for me is no Splash mountain or Jungle Cruise.

On my 2 visits to DLP I drove once and came from the Airport in the TGV. I’ve never taken the train to/from Paris but it looks like you’ve gotten some good advice on that. We did take the Metro once in Paris and it was very easy.

Souvenirs are a bit tricky depending on what you want. I found it to be more generic Disney stuff (think Disney store) rather than specific DLP stuff. I know they’ve opened a World of Disney in the Village since my last visit and I’ve heard the merchandise has gotten better. I’ve bought pins, a DLP windbreaker jacket and squished pennies (Eurocents actually) at the Rainforest Café in the Village.

I think everything else has been covered. If anything else comes to me I'll post it separately.

Honestly, my trips to DLP were not that pleasurable but I occasionally get a bit of DL/WDW burnout and want to visit another Disney park and DLP fits that need plus, from the east coast of the US Paris is only slightly further than California. The Asian parks are just too far and expensive although they are on the bucket list.

Long range plan has a potential DLP trip late April 2015.

 

[Jonjo]

Here is a bit of an update on the hotel situation since Michael's visit three years go.

There are 6 on-site resorts:
Disneyland Hotel-Awesome location, very expensive. Sort of grand Floridian-ish and it is directly over the entrance to DL. If money is no object then this is your place.

No change at the DLH, still the best hotel at the resort with prices to match.

Hotel New York-Nice hotel, second closest to the parks, felt a little sterile and business convention(ish) to me. I would definitely consider staying here though.

Not much of a change at the HNY, the bar has been refurbished and so has the convention centre. Which unless your attending a conference there you would not know about it. This hotel is due to undergo a refurbishment as soon as work finishes on the NPBC.

Newport Bay-Supposed to be like YC/BC but fails miserably. Stayed here in 2004 and never would again, huge sprawling resort with poor upkeep in my opinion. Lowest rated DLP resort on tripadvisor.

NPBC is undergoing a complete refurbishment, I would avoid this hotel while this refurbishment is under way. All the rooms are being given a total makeover and there are going to be changes to all the public spaces in the hotel. The outside of the hotel is also going to be totally refurbished. They are basically knocking down the hotel from the inside and re-building it.
A wing at a time is being closed while this refurbishment is underway.

Sequoia Lodge-Think of it as a WL meets a moderate resort. Stayed here in 2010, would stay here again. For the price I think this is the best resort, still a reasonable walk to the parks.

SL has just finished being refurbished and the bedrooms are looking lovely with Bambi themed rooms.

Hotel Cheyenne-Wild west themed Motel (not a true resort in my opinion). Not a bad place on a budget but the distance from the parks hurts this motel. Think a notch below All Stars/Pop Century

No change here at the Cheyenne, this hotel is due to be refurbished after the NPBC refurbishment is finished. This is now classed as the budget hotel of the resort.

Santa Fe-New Mexico themed motel. Adobe prison-like buildings. I don’t really get this place at all. A notch below Cheyenne. Unless budget is extremely tight, I’d skip this one.

The Santa Fe has undergone a refurbishment with the resort and rooms given a 'Cars' theme. All the bedrooms have been refurbished and the outside of the hotel has been painted with lots of Cars theming spread around the resort.


Hope this helps

 

[Raenstoirm]

Another first time DLP visitor but WDW vet. We are planning a London/Paris/ (possibly Berlin as well) trip in early to mid april. Disney is not the purpose of the adventure, but i can't be that close to a disney park without at least a day there. We will have one full day in DLP so we have to make the most of it. I will hopefully be pregnant during the trip, so that will put a kink in our normal disney touring style (so no worries about the coaster lines for us this trip). We will be staying in Paris and taking the train in. I have just started planning, so I am open to any suggestions from the DLP vets.