Help. First timer for Disneyland Paris and overwhelmed!

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

Well. A billion (ok I exaggerate) trips to WDW has not prepared me for DLP!

I will be in Paris May 1, then flying to Venice May 5th

We were thinking of checking in on afternoon of Friday 3rd, check out morning Sun May 5th.

When I go to try to price this, it defaults to 3 day tickets. We only need 1 day, “maybe” 2.
Are we not able to adjust to not have tickets for the 3rd day?

Is there a recommended hotel near by that may not be Disney owned?

I believe we are staying by the Arc du Triomphe for our first few Paris days. How long is the travel and how do get to DLP?

It seems to be equal distance from DLP to CDG airport as it is from DLP to ORY. Is one easier to fly out of?

As seasoned Disney goers, we have seen so much. We don’t feel like we need to see any shows. If a character is convenient we will stop and say hi.
Can we pick and choose rides to get done in both parks over one open to close day?

do they do fp or are they on the new system as WDW.

Any other tips ie discount releases would be so apprecoated

 

[Karin1984]

No, via the DLP website they only sell packages. 2 nights = 3 days access to the parks. It usually is cheaper that way. If you want to stay onsite and have less days, you have to call or book your hotel via a platform like booking.com and then your tickets separately.

There are a few partner hotels around the corner with free shuttles, you can find these on the DLP website.

You can use Googlemaps to look up your hotel near Arc the Triomphe and see how long it will take you to the station at Chessy (the name of the village)

CDG is for international flights, ORY is for more regional/European stuff. Look up online which flights to/from your country.

I think not seeing shows is a mistake at DLP, as it is one of the things they do best. Unless, you do not like shows of course.

If you just do rides, go open to close, go in with a plan, maybe buy priority access here and there, it is doable in one day. Especially if you skip some duplicates. First week of May is our Spring break for most of Europe and the 1st of May is a bank holiday in many countries as well, so you will see crowds.

Have you checked the DLP website for how their fastpass system (called priority access) works? It is basically pay per ride. There are packages, but I usually advise against that, depending on the group, time of year and interests.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

As seasoned Disney goers, we have seen so much. We don’t feel like we need to see any shows. If a character is convenient we will stop and say hi.

This is a big mistake, thinking oh we have seen that / done that in the American parks , we dont need to do it in Paris.

While Disneyland Paris is Disney, its NOT Magic Kingdom, scooped up, made smaller and transported to Paris. It should be looked at as a standalone park. It has familiar elements like Main Street and the general layout, but its a different variation.

One unique thing both for rides and shows is that audio is bi lingual. They make a huge effort to be inclusive, so both languages are given equal importance. In shows Mickey might say some dialogue in English and Minnie will answer him in French.

The shows are NOT the same shows transported from America to Paris, they are unique creations just for Disneyland Paris.

Two rides that come to mind that are very unique to Disneyland Paris are Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Haunted Mansion has a name change to Phantom Manor and is familiar but different. The same with Pirates. Its the same overall concept but a different presentation of the concept.

While you are say you are seasoned Disney goers, what you are actually are is seasoned to the American version of a Disney park. You are a first time visitor to Disneyland Paris and you need to be in the mindset of experiencing everything for the first time.

If you are just expecting it to be like a mix of Magic Kingdom and France at Epcot you will be disappointed.

 

[Karin1984]

so both languages are given equal importance

Well... It depends a bit on the show, the new Pixar show Together is less 50/50, still fun and you can understand what is going on even when you don't speak French, but in certain scenes you will miss dialogue.

Some rides you can skip if you are short on time, like Buzz Lightyear or Peter Pan, they are very similar. But Big Thunder Mountain is unique through all 6 disney resorts worldwide (and the best).

 

[Karin1984]

Oh forgot to answer one question:
At the moment the package deals are the most discounts you will get. There are not really ticket companies, like undercover tourist in the US, who sell discounts better than DLP itself.

If you find a discount, it might save you a few euro, but nothing massive.

 

[kathy884]

Well. A billion (ok I exaggerate) trips to WDW has not prepared me for DLP!

I will be in Paris May 1, then flying to Venice May 5th

We were thinking of checking in on afternoon of Friday 3rd, check out morning Sun May 5th.

When I go to try to price this, it defaults to 3 day tickets. We only need 1 day, “maybe” 2.
Are we not able to adjust to not have tickets for the 3rd day?

For us we did three nights that gave us four park days and just used 2 1/2. The package, though, was cheaper than standalone room for three nights and two days when that became available. The nice thing is that packages can be canceled too if you change your mind. I booked on the UK instead of the US website FYI as it was cheaper (had to check currency exchange. Packages come out way in advance where the opportunity to do room only if you are looking at staying onsite for our dates was only available much closer to the stay.

Is there a recommended hotel near by that may not be Disney owned?

I believe we are staying by the Arc du Triomphe for our first few Paris days. How long is the travel and how do get to DLP?

It seems to be equal distance from DLP to CDG airport as it is from DLP to ORY. Is one easier to fly out of?

As others mention CDG is the international airport, so I'm guessing you'll need that one.

As seasoned Disney goers, we have seen so much. We don’t feel like we need to see any shows. If a character is convenient we will stop and say hi.

Mickey and the Magician at the Studios is a fabulous show. There is not anything like it at WDW. I would highly recommend it it you like shows.

Can we pick and choose rides to get done in both parks over one open to close day?

Your tickets that come with your room are park hoppers. The parks are pretty close together. Still what we'd do is do a block of things in one park before going over to the other park and doing a block of things. There is more to do in the Disneyland Park than the Studios park IMHO,

do they do fp or are they on the new system as WDW.

It's much different than WDW. I will say the early entry onsite which is for an hour before the general public is really great. We'd get in like four headliners with short waits which really meant we didn't need too many fps. And you can buy the passes individually right on the spot almost if you see regular and single rider lines are long and you want one -- price typically 13-15 Euros for headliners.

Any other tips ie discount releases would be so apprecoated

Have fun! I've been to WDW about 35 times and it was super fun for me to see a foreign Disney theme park, We just visited around the end of September.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

No, via the DLP website they only sell packages. 2 nights = 3 days access to the parks. It usually is cheaper that way. If you want to stay onsite and have less days, you have to call or book your hotel via a platform like booking.com and then your tickets separately.

There are a few partner hotels around the corner with free shuttles, you can find these on the DLP website.

You can use Googlemaps to look up your hotel near Arc the Triomphe and see how long it will take you to the station at Chessy (the name of the village)

CDG is for international flights, ORY is for more regional/European stuff. Look up online which flights to/from your country.

I think not seeing shows is a mistake at DLP, as it is one of the things they do best. Unless, you do not like shows of course.

If you just do rides, go open to close, go in with a plan, maybe buy priority access here and there, it is doable in one day. Especially if you skip some duplicates. First week of May is our Spring break for most of Europe and the 1st of May is a bank holiday in many countries as well, so you will see crowds.

Have you checked the DLP website for how their fastpass system (called priority access) works? It is basically pay per ride. There are packages, but I usually advise against that, depending on the group, time of year and interests.

Very helpful thank you!!

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

This is a big mistake, thinking oh we have seen that / done that in the American parks , we dont need to do it in Paris.

While Disneyland Paris is Disney, its NOT Magic Kingdom, scooped up, made smaller and transported to Paris. It should be looked at as a standalone park. It has familiar elements like Main Street and the general layout, but its a different variation.

One unique thing both for rides and shows is that audio is bi lingual. They make a huge effort to be inclusive, so both languages are given equal importance. In shows Mickey might say some dialogue in English and Minnie will answer him in French.

The shows are NOT the same shows transported from America to Paris, they are unique creations just for Disneyland Paris.

Two rides that come to mind that are very unique to Disneyland Paris are Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Haunted Mansion has a name change to Phantom Manor and is familiar but different. The same with Pirates. Its the same overall concept but a different presentation of the concept.

While you are say you are seasoned Disney goers, what you are actually are is seasoned to the American version of a Disney park. You are a first time visitor to Disneyland Paris and you need to be in the mindset of experiencing everything for the first time.

If you are just expecting it to be like a mix of Magic Kingdom and France at Epcot you will be disappointed.

I think you may have misunderstood me. I do not pretend to assume it is similar at all. Just that while I know WDW inside and out, I know nothing of DLP. Also we are doing a trip to Paris, with a stop at DLP. We will have one full day and so based on limited time, we would opt to miss shows and Character meets if it allows us to maximize our time walking around and doing rides

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

For us we did three nights that gave us four park days and just used 2 1/2. The package, though, was cheaper than standalone room for three nights and two days when that became available. The nice thing is that packages can be canceled too if you change your mind. I booked on the UK instead of the US website FYI as it was cheaper (had to check currency exchange. Packages come out way in advance where the opportunity to do room only if you are looking at staying onsite for our dates was only available much closer to the stay.

As others mention CDG is the international airport, so I'm guessing you'll need that one.

Mickey and the Magician at the Studios is a fabulous show. There is not anything like it at WDW. I would highly recommend it it you like shows.

Your tickets that come with your room are park hoppers. The parks are pretty close together. Still what we'd do is do a block of things in one park before going over to the other park and doing a block of things. There is more to do in the Disneyland Park than the Studios park IMHO,

It's much different than WDW. I will say the early entry onsite which is for an hour before the general public is really great. We'd get in like four headliners with short waits which really meant we didn't need too many fps. And you can buy the passes individually right on the spot almost if you see regular and single rider lines are long and you want one -- price typically 13-15 Euros for headliners.

Have fun! I've been to WDW about 35 times and it was super fun for me to see a foreign Disney theme park, We just visited around the end of September.

Amazing help thanks

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

I just booked a room for next New Years ( 2025) and compared pricing for the UK, US, and French sites. The UK and US amounts were pretty much the same (depending on conversion), but the French amount was 8% less. It’s definitely worth comparing.

It’ll be our first DLP trip also. We’re planning on staying at the Santa Fe- trying to get the cost of this overall trip under control!

 

[Dr. G]

If you are saying near the Arc de Triomphe that is on the Red RER line that goes straight to Disneyland, so that would be a very easy trip. Last week we hopped on the RER at Auber and I think it was 42 minutes, so you should be under an hour on the RER to DLP.

 

[Mennamachine]

We just went 2 weeks ago and stayed at Hotel l'Elysee Val d' Europe. It is offsite, but most people staying there are doing DLP. The hotel was quite nice, very clean and comfortable. The breakfast buffet was stellar, I missed it so much when we left. They had a shuttle to and from the parks, which they shared with 2 other Val d' Europe area hotels. The staff were very helpful and friendly. They have free parking if you are renting a car for some reason. They also have their own drivers for transfers, etc.

The hotel itself is near the mall at Val d'Europe, which has an Auchan in it which is a fantastic French grocery store where you can get lots of delicious snacks and stuff.

The shuttle schedule wasn't as convenient as I would have liked it to be, and the drivers were fairly surly, but it did get the job done. You can also take the RER A from right outside the hotel to the park for about €2 per person.

You don't get the extra magic hour as an offsite guest, but it didn't really seem to make much of a difference. We found it significantly less expensive to get the tickets we wanted to buy and stay at Hotel l'Elysee than to stay at even the cheapest DLP resort. We were there 6 nights, did 3 days of DLP, a day in Paris (took the RER), and rented a car from the Marnee la Vallee train station and drove out to the Champagne region and toured Möet and Chandon one day. It was a great time, the RER was very convenient to get to Paris (I arrived and left via Gare de l'est because I live in Germany on the French/German border).

Overall I recommend Hotel Elysee.

If you are staying by the Arc d'Triomphe in Paris it is also pretty simple to take the RER A out to DLP. It is about €7 per person, and takes about 45-60 minutes to get there (Just make sure you get on the correct RER, that line has 2 different endstation legs). The RER does have some delays due to various factors, and we observed some of that when we were there.

 

[dmancuso]

Anyone have an opinion regarding the onsite hotels? It's just me and my wife.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Anyone have an opinion regarding the onsite hotels? It's just me and my wife.

It depends on your budget.

I'm just back from a family trip at Santa Fe Hotel this is my full trip report https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...isneyland-paris-app-and-premier-pass.3933288/

This is my review of the hotel https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...s-app-and-premier-pass.3933288/#post-65128516

I have also stayed at Sequoia Lodge Hotel. Thats the mid price hotel. Most of the rooms are in separate buildings, similar to Santa Fe Hotel. It is themed like a California forest.

Newport Bay Hotel is at the end of the lake. Its a very large hotel with a Newport style theme. Its also a mid price hotel.

Art of Marvel Hotel New York is the current top tier hotel. It is a as it is named, a Marvel themed New York hotel.

 

[Karin1984]

Anyone have an opinion regarding the onsite hotels? It's just me and my wife.

What is your plan?
I am always of the opinion that if you are going to stay in the park from opening to close, do you need more than a clean room with a bed and a shower? -> go with the cheapest option

If you plan to take breaks, or spend more time in your room, or if you have difficulty walking, pay for a bigger room or a hotel closer to the entrance.

Main thing to keep in mind, especially if you are used to the resorts in WDW, DLP has hotels not resorts, that means less amenities. Also the rooms are aimed at the European market. So rooms are smaller than in the US, and more basic.

 

[zavandor]

Anyone have an opinion regarding the onsite hotels? It's just me and my wife.

One big big difference from WDW is that DLP is very compact. All onsite hotels (except the camping resort) are in walking distance to the parks.
At WDW everyone praise how BWI or BC are so convenient to DHS because they're in walking distance and are ready to pay a premium for it. Well, in DLP the cheapest hotels are a shorter walk to the parks that those.
Sure, the Disneyland Hotel is right at the entrance (amazing) and the hotel New York is a bit nearer than the others, but I don't think that's much of a difference enough to justify paying so much more just for that.

Sequoia Lodge reminds the Wilderness Lodge, but it's a moderate and not as grandiose. (There is no equivalent to that amazing lobby). Newport reminds a lot the Beach Club, but without SAB. If you have experienced those resorts at WDW I'd go somewhere else.

If money is no objection, the refurbished Disneyland Hotel must be amazing. But I struggle to justify paying €1,000 a night for an hotel, even if you can see the castle from your room.
New York (the Marvel hotel) looks nice and a slightly less pricy option.
But personally, my favorite is the Cheyenne. It's a value, second cheapest option and it has a lovely theming (way better than the All Stars, not even in the same league).
The rooms are small, but that is true for all onsite hotels, European and American hotels have different standards. They are cute, themed to Woodie and Jessie from Toy Story.
It's usually similarly priced to the Santa Fe, maybe €10 or 20 more per night most of the times, but worth a little extra money for the better theming.

All in all, all onsite hotels will be a step down from what you're used at WDW, so why pay more? Use the hotel as a place to sleep after hitting the parks all day, spend the money on other splurges, like Premier Pass or a better hotel in Paris.