Help from the DLP experts--

[GinaDice]

Hi

I am looking for some help from the experts on Disneyland Paris. We have been to the parks in Orlando and California several times. This would be our first trip to an international Disney park.

Coming from the US and am looking for any advise about the Paris park that you can offer? What is a good hotel? Good time of year to go or not to go? This may be silly question - but is english common at the hotels, park, restaurants?

As you can see - any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[SandraVB79]

The best advice about DLP that I can give is: Do NOT compare each and every detail with the parks in the US. It is not a clone of them, it's a park on its own.
Now that you know that: do enjoy all the little details! This is the most detailed park, and to me, it makes it the most beautiful one. You might want to look up some facts about it online or in a book or so, and then you'll be so excited to see it in real life. At least I am that way

Other things not to miss is the delicious food. People go all crazy about WDW-food, but IMO, DLP-food is better. And you don't have to make ADRs 180 days upfront

What is a good hotel? I stayed onsite at the Santa Fe and at the Hotel New York, and both are good hotels for their category. It all depends what you want (to spend) I don't think there is such thing as a bad Disney hotel.

I, personally, love Christmas season the best. Just try to not go the week before Christmas, or the week between Christmas and New Year. early December is, imo, the best time to go. Of course, be prepared it'll be cold and it might be raining. Buty Christmas at DLP... it's worth it!

English is spoken by about everyone, so don't worry about that.

 

[wendybird7]

Hi there

It all truly comes down to personal preference. In terms of hotels, you can go for budget onsite (Santa Fe and Cheyenne) mid-range onsite (Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay Club) or 4 and 5 star (Hotel New York and Disneyland Hotel), or if you have a car even do self-catering at Davy Crockett. For a first time visit to simplify things, i would recommend staying onsite, as this includes your hotel, park passes for your stay and buffet breakfast. Sequoia Lodge is a favourite on these boards, and as I am staying there for the first time in *16* days, I will let you know how I get on!

In terms of when to go, again, comes down to personal choice. Summer is usually hot, open later (11pm) and has Wishes and Fantillusion, but is so busy that you can barely do any rides during the day, and having done this several times and then starting to go in off-peak times, I would DEFINITELY recommend going at quieter times.

A good time may be the end of March-start of April - avoiding the UK easter holidays as the park is very busy and expensive then. Also, the start of September and start of October are pretty good, weather is OK, not as busy and you can sometimes get 4 nights for the price of 3 etc.

Cast members are usually really great at speaking English very well. Even if you cannot have a whole conversation on every occasion, they will know what you are talking about and be able to help.

I hope this info helps!

 

[MazdaUK]

Most menus have english as well, so you can point to stuff. A few words of French do oil the wheels but you don't need to be fluent. When we went a lot of the shows had commentry in both english and french (sometimes german and spanish for greetings as well). Hotel New York is very nice. One word of warning - its expensive everywhere to eat (and buy stuff) - you might want to bring some snacks that travel well like pringles and cookies. The water fountains are fine for refilling bottles to save money on drinks.

To find out when to go, at the top of this section is a useful threads bit which includes holiday dates. As the previous poster said, try to avoid french and UK school holidays, also any french national holidays as it gets packed.

And finally, its still a theme park, not "real" France or even real Europe! None the less enjoyable, of course

 

[SandraVB79]

I have to disagree about the cost of meals. CS meals are a little more expensice than fastfood meals over here, but TS are not any more expensive as eating at a TS restaurant in Brussels or any other place in Belgium.
There are fixed price menus, which give you a choice for each course, and they are very reasonably priced/
www.dlpfoodguide.com gives you an idea what you can eat and how much it'll cost.

 

[GinaDice]

Thanks everyone for the great information. A lot to consider - and think about for planning a trip to the park.

 

[Cyrano]

Have a look also in the Restaurant FAQ as many reviewers post up the cost of their meals which will help with the planning.

Likewise I agree with Sandra that the prices are comparable when you consider that you are in a theme park. Any attraction such as zoos, safari parks, theme parks have a similar pricing structure since they have a captive audience

In our trip report the costs of BK etc at home and in England were definitely not cheaper

 

[Ware Bears]

Likewise I agree with Sandra that the prices are comparable when you consider that you are in a theme park. Any attraction such as zoos, safari parks, theme parks have a similar pricing structure since they have a captive audience

I agree. In fact we have to pay more to eat out at home even if we're not in a theme park etc!!

 

[MsFreud]

Gina- seeing you are in Vermont- I can offer an American view, if it helps.

I have to agree with the others on a lot of points. Having been to Anaheim since I was a little kid, things are different than stateside.... But it is the most beautiful park. The amount of time and detail put into everything is incredible. One of my favs was the Wonderland Maze, and it is an exclusive to DLRP. They have gone over to Space Mtn Mission 2, and it is absolutely awesome. This park really sparkles in a way all it's own.

We stayed at the Santa Fe the first time, and it was off-peak season. The room was nice- but if you need a comparison on room size, I would say... a little smaller than Motel 6. All rooms here are a bit smaller. But the room was clean, and the beds comfy. The park shuttle runs very regularly and often. It made it easy to take off for awhile during the day for a rest, and head back after a kiddo nap. The hotels each have their own themed restaurant

We have also stayed at the Elysee. The shuttle from there doesn't run as often, but with some planning, it is no big deal. The rooms are a bit bigger-Incl. bathroom, and it has a hair dryer in it. I found the beds to be REALLY hard- but they offer wireless internet for a fee, and your breakfast there is included if you buy it with a Disney package.

I found the prices in the park not so bad. Typical Park food prices- we usually get the half board meal added on (something you can't do at the Elysee, or other off site hotel)- which saves plenty of money on meals, and offers some pretty good dining options, like the Plaza Gardens- which has a wonderful selection for lunches, and lets you eat at some of the hotel restaurants too! The half board ends up running about the same as buying the "Fast Food" each day for every meal, but if you want the option of sit down dining too, I would go with the half board. As for prices on swag- it is actually really a good price, I found. Sweatshirts for $30-$40, T-shirts as low as $-8 to $10. Depends on what kind of swag you are looking to take home.

Just be sure when planning your budget to include an extra 30% in prices listed- because frankly, the dollar $uck$ against the Euro, and it can be a bit of a shock when it comes out of the account if you aren't expecting how much an extra .30 or .32 on the dollar can add up to.

All of the employees I spoke to not only spoke english, but we very friendly and helpful... (In fact, we made it into Paris, and everyone we met there was super nice, too.) I think you'll love it and have the time of your life. Just make sure you look into the deals and such before you finalize any money- as you can save a bundle with careful planning.