help - first time to disneyland paris!

[pedro_s]

I'm taking my girlfriend and little boy to DLP on 24 & 25 May and wanted some first hand advice. This looks*like the best place on the web so here goes - any advice most appreciated!

I'm arriving at CDG 10.20am and need to get to Holiday Inn DLP - is it easiest/cheapest to get TGV to DLP and bus to Holiday Inn?

Does TGV leave from T2 - how much is it? Can I get bus to Holiday Inn from train station?

My little boy has his 4th birthday on 25 May - is it best to book character tea before we leave? Does this include birthday cake? Where is the best place to have birthday tea?

Should I buy park tickets before I leave? My little boy is Disney mad but it seems like Disneyland Park is best for toddlers - is there enough to do if we spend 2 days in Disneyland Park? Not sure he would be that interested in studios?

Where are the best places to see characters esp. Snow White and 7 dwarves?

Is the daily parade held in Disneyland Park or the studios?

Any advice on good but not too pricey restaurants would also be a help.

Sorry if I got carried away - advice on any or all of these would be brilliant.

Many thanks.

Pedro

 

[Cyrano]

Hi Pedro and welcome to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

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With a child in tow I'd suggest VEA shuttle is the easiest route from CDG to Holiday Inn.

Character tea does not include birthday cake but it can be ordered. I'd suggest since you want the birthday that you book in advance. Plazza Garden is the only place that does the tea party. You get lots of sweet, sticky cakes etc

Snow White can be seen at Princess's meet n greet at castle. We have never seen dwarfs except for on a float.

For reasonable table service Annettes Diner is one of the best. In the parks most counter service have similar prices

 

[Ghost]

Should I buy park tickets before I leave? My little boy is Disney mad but it seems like Disneyland Park is best for toddlers - is there enough to do if we spend 2 days in Disneyland Park? Not sure he would be that interested in studios?
Pedro

I go to Disneyland Resort Paris about 7 to 10 times a year (and I am not a toddler ). There is a lot to do. Don't forget, it is not all about the rides, check out all the other things too.

The studios are overlooked by many. Here are some tips. Want to see Mickey Mouse? Go to the Studios. Waiting time around 15 minutes while at the Disneyland park this could be over 1 hour (depending on season you go). Also a great place to meat many other characters.

Depending how old the boy is and what the boy likes you could go to the stunt show. My son has seen this about 25 times since the age of 3. He loved it. (is loud, depends on kid)

Whaever you do, enjoy your stay

 

[Bexx]

Welcome to the DIS pedro s!

I'm arriving at CDG 10.20am and need to get to Holiday Inn DLP - is it easiest/cheapest to get TGV to DLP and bus to Holiday Inn?

Does TGV leave from T2 - how much is it? Can I get bus to Holiday Inn from train station?

I agree about the VEA. Depending on which Terminal you land at, the VEA might be easier for you. It can be quite a hassle having to change terminals if you've got a young child, and possibly a fair amount of luggage!! The VEA does take a lot longer than the TGV - the very best transfer time you could expect would be 40 mins. But it does go more regularly than the TGV for which you may have to wait a while for the next train, so it is possible for the total journey time to be about the same for both options!!

The VEA is currently 16 euros for adult and 13 euros for children from 3 - each way. The TGV prices start from about 16 euros per adult each way (I'm afraid I don't know the child prices) and then go up, the later you book.

And yes - you take the pink No. 54 bus from the station to the Holiday Inn

Here is some information about CDG and the TGV - including timetables. You'll find this and other useful threads in the Useful Info sticky near the top of the page.

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi Pedro and welcome to the DIS!

There are parades at both parks every day. The Wonderful World of Disney Parade is at the Disneyland Park at 4pm while in the Studios the Disney Cinema Parade is at 1.30pm and a smaller but just as nice Good Morning Walt Disney Studios Parade is at 10.45am.

 

[babymaddie]

hi my littlr girl celebrated her fourth birthday at ther end of april in dlp and instead of a charcter tea we just booked dinner at cafe mickey and pre booked her a birthday cake to be delivered to the resturant for the cost of E15 with candles etc and it was bought to the table by tigger, eyore, pluto and minnie mouse.fab!!
we used the tgv transfer from cdg and it took 20 mins to the newport bay, which was the first drop off, door to door service although coming home was a different matter all together.best place to see snowwhite is at the princess meet and greet which we queued two hours for and every half an hour a different set of princesses came out, snow white and belle and then cinderella and sleeping beauty so we watched then change four times. when it was our time cinderella was up with sleeping beauty so you cant be sure which two you will see. it was held between 10 - 12 just near the castle. be make sure you get there early as they do stop you queueing when it gets near the closing time. we too only saw the dwafes on the parade.
we enjoyed the studios too with a yiung one as you see different charcters in the parade such as toy story and lion king, and tinkerbell and peter pan

 

[tinkerbell36]

In terms of restaurants, we usually have our free breakfast which really fills us up, and sometimes "borrow" a couple of pain au chocolat just to keep us going. For lunch we have it in the park - my tip would be to buy the Menu Enfants not only for your son but for yourself, even if you buy 2 they cost the same as the other menus, and you actually get juice with them, as well as fries, a burger, hot dog or chicken nuggets, a yogurt or ice cream and...a toy! Lol, this plan may work better if you go with a bunch of students like I do but hey.

For dinner, don't scrimp too much at the risk of missing out on some really great food. The Rainforest Cafe, Cafe Mickey and Annettes Diner (all in Disney Village) offer some fantastic food at OK prices if you avoid the set menus - this is probably true resort-wide. Both RC and CM's food is incredibly filling, so even if you think you've spent quite a lot, you'll have enjoyed your meal and won't go hungry until the next day. For a huge bowl of pasta at both RC and CM I think it is around 19 euros, and in AD I think its 15 euros for a huge burger, chips, coleslaw and a cookie. I think your son would adore CM though, the character interaction is fantastic. Planet Hollywood also does great food but beware - last time I went it was incredibly hot! However, your little boy will be amazed at all the hollywood memorabilia everywhere.

Anyway, hope some of my rant helps you out, have a fantastic time - I hope you guys benefit from the Demand Based Operating Hours (see recent thread!!)

Jenna xx

 

[pedro_s]

great, thanks to everyone who replied - i really appreciate the advice pedro

 

[sarahc]

I'm taking my girlfriend and little boy to DLP on 24 & 25 May and wanted some first hand advice. This looks*like the best place on the web so here goes - any advice most appreciated!
Many thanks.

Pedro

I would definitely go for the VEA shuttle to DLP as we had a complete nightmare with the train - we had to wait 2 hours for it!!!
There are daily parades in DLP (you'll see Snow White + at least 1 dwarf!) and the Studios but I would say that apart from the parade, the flying carpets and Animagique there's not much else in the Studios for toddlers. You'll definitely fill 2 days in DLPark!
We love Cafe Mickey to eat in as our daughter loves the character interaction. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner -I would definitely go for a birthday tea here as he'll have all the characters around him singing Happy Birthday. The Plaza Gardens tea party was ok but there was nothing else to eat except for cakes and cookies with the odd bit of fruit thrown in for good measure!
We always buy our tickets before we go as it's a pain to have to queue up for them when you get there - believe me you'll just want to be able to walk straight in!
Hope this helps!

 

[jillrobinson]

We celebrated my son's 7th birthday at Cafe Mickey with a preordered birthday cake and it was superb, lots of characters and a fantastic atmosphere.
You can see some photos of the meal in the link in my signature.

If you'd prefer the Birthday meal inside the park, you could try the Lucky Nugget Saloon Character Buffet Lunch in Frontierland, this is another restaurant where you can order a Birthday Cake. The buffet meal selection in here is very good, one of our favourites and again plenty of characters present, who'll come around your table when the CM's bring out the cake and sing Happy Birthday to your son.

Plaza Gardens is I believe the only restaurant you can have a "Birthday Party", this takes place at the same time as the Character Tea Party, and in addition to the Cake, characters, your son will also receive a present.

Have a look here for details and prices,
http://www.dlrpmagic.com/guides/resort/practical/magicaloptions/
whatever you decide I'm sure you'll all have a superb time and a birthday celebration to remember.