Help me get started, first trip to dlp!

[snowmouse]

We are planning our first visit to Paris this June and plan to include 2-3days at DLP. Have been to both parks in the US many times, so looking for the little things that makes DLP stand apart from those. Also looking for advise on where to stay and how to get the most from our Euro. It will be hubby and I and out DD16. Any and all suggestions welcome. Merci beaucoup!

 

[sky13]

Been a long time since I went to WDW, but based on what I remember and compared to what I saw at Anaheim last year my (incomplete) list of things that stand out or are quite different in DLP are:
- Dreams - night time show at park closing time in Disneyland park. Not to be missed, on par with World of Color at DCA (and I liked it better than Fantasmic)!
- Incredible theming in Disneyland - it's just wonderfully themed, and the castle is amazing. And has a dragon!
- Unique shows/rides/etc in DLP: Indiana Jones (roller coaster), Alice's maze, Crush's coaster, Toy Story Playland, Cinemagique, Animagique.
- Shows/rides/etc that are different at DLP: POTC (slightly different, and no Jack Sparrow as of last December), Phantom Manor (similar to Haunted Mansion but different), Space Mountain (more intense!), Big Thunder Mountain (goes under the river and has its own island), Star Tours (it's still the old version and in French - personally I like the new version in English better!).

As for where to stay - I generally find the on-site hotels expensive, but did get a good deal on Hotel Cheyenne with Expedia UK, and got another good deal on the Sequoia Lodge using the two nights free offer that was running a while ago. The advantage of on-site is you get EMH and they're closer to the parks! A number of off-site hotels are easily accessible - a few of the hotels (including the Kyriad) run a shuttle service, while there are a few other hotels just one train station away (via the RER trains).

 

[snowmouse]

Thanks for the ideas. The attractions sound like a great mix of classic favorites along with new choices with some euro-flair.

I think we want to stay at one of the Disney resorts as this is such a great part of our visits to wdw. We've stayed at a lot of the resorts in Fl and have found something to love in them all, so really have no idea where to stay at DLP. The idea of staying right at the park entrance at DLH is really enticing, but trying to resist taking the big plunge. Will I really get the magic at the other resorts.

Also wondering about weather in early to mid June. How warm? Will there be much humidity and/or rain?

What about dining? Looking for options that don't include buffets at every meal. Also, will they let an adult order just a starter or from the kid's menu. I am on a very restricted diet.

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Early to mid June should be lovely weather-wise but can never be guaranteed here - it could be wet or cold or both but you have the best chance of warmth and sunshine and the park looks at its best in late spring/early summer as the planting and landscaping is stunning.

We've stayed in all the onsite hotels except the DLH (one day, I hope) and IMHO you can't beat the Sequoia Lodge. It is fairly close to the parks and has nice theming, a good pool and breakfast is more civilised than that at the Cheyenne or Santa Fe.

Walt's is our favourite table service restaurant and not to be missed really for food or atmosphere.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

As an adult you won't normally be allowed to eat from the childrens menus at t/s - At c/s nobody cares of course.

If the rest of your table are eating meals you could just order a starter or a salad or something without any pb. You don't have to ordr a full 3 course meal

I'd second Walt's as a t/s choice - my favourite park restaurant.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

What about dining? Looking for options that don't include buffets at every meal. Also, will they let an adult order just a starter or from the kid's menu. I am on a very restricted diet.

Dining is one of the big problems, it can work out ridiculously expensive and some of the food on offer is average.

There are some really nice restaurants such as Walt's and Blue Lagoon (where we ate last year), however even for just the 3 of us it was close to 100 euro's. Was just probably a one off, it was very nice (the restaurant is located within the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride), but needs to be for that price.

Plenty of fries/burger/hot dogs type offerings around the parks and one or two decent Counter Service, including Toad Hall at the Disneyland Park which is nice and good value for money.

You will see a lot of people take their own snacks and sandwiches, partly to save money.

The Disney Village has a variety of dining options, such as Rainforest Cafe and Planet Hollywood. It is hard to find value for money though, you can buy some grocery provisions at the Relay store within the train station, bottled water & soda for example there are signifiicantly cheaper than inside the parks.

Best advice is to check the thread here, might give you some idea but you will find it harder to find value for money than at WDW.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1181765

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Don't forget the Express Menus that Walt's and Blue Lagoon do though so that you can keep costs down but experience a nice t/s meal.

They cost 20€ and consist of a main course - a choice of either a meat dish, a fish dish or a végé one plus a café or tea gourmand which is a hot drink and 3 mini desserts .

They are very nicely done and that's what I often eat at Walt's

 

[Madhattermad]

While I enjoy a good sit down meal - the one thing I look forward to most about DLP is Casey's Corner - it's a counter service which serves tasty hot dogs and only about 6 Euro if my memory serves me correctly! A tasty and cheap eat

 

[torsie24]

Accommodation wise - my advice is either go for the DLH (very similar to GF, with the added benefit of being practically in the park) it's so magical and really makes a DLRP trip something special.

If you want to save money then I say go for the Sequoia Lodge. It's a bit of a walk (10-15 minutes) but we preferred the themeing to the HNY so if we go on a budget trip again it'll be back to the SL.

There are some good cheap meal options in the village - Earl of Sandwich being my favourite.

 

[tennisfan]

Food is expensive in Disney, even more so due to the € rates. I find buffets the best value but you want to avoid them.

Earl of Sandwich is good value and lovely sandwiches. I think for about €11 you can get a sandwich, drink and side (salad, crisps etc).

Something worth noting is that you don't have to tip on meals in Disneyland Paris as service is included.

 

[snowmouse]

Thanks for the ideas. Still haven't decided about hotel but am leaning toward dlh as this may be our only visit to dlp and we are only staying 2 nights.

As for dining, Walt's sounds like a good choice for us. My concerns have more to do with portion size than cost. I am about to have bariatric surgery (next weeK), and I know that even an appetizer will be a lot for me to eat. I also have to make sure I get protein first, and very few if any carbs and sugar. I figure our overall savings of really only feeding DH and my dd16 (who barely eats anyway) will outweigh the high prices. I suppose dd and I could share a meal, but that might even be a lot. I really don't mind paying for what we get, I just really hate the thought of paying it and wasting it! I am really surprised at how many buffets there are at dlp (it seems far more than wdw). Also at wdw, they will allow adults to order kids meals, my mom has done this for years, so a little disappointed that this wont fly in Europe.

 

[torsie24]

Thanks for the ideas. Still haven't decided about hotel but am leaning toward dlh as this may be our only visit to dlp and we are only staying 2 nights.

As for dining, Walt's sounds like a good choice for us. My concerns have more to do with portion size than cost. I am about to have bariatric surgery (next weeK), and I know that even an appetizer will be a lot for me to eat. I also have to make sure I get protein first, and very few if any carbs and sugar. I figure our overall savings of really only feeding DH and my dd16 (who barely eats anyway) will outweigh the high prices. I suppose dd and I could share a meal, but that might even be a lot. I really don't mind paying for what we get, I just really hate the thought of paying it and wasting it! I am really surprised at how many buffets there are at dlp (it seems far more than wdw). Also at wdw, they will allow adults to order kids meals, my mom has done this for years, so a little disappointed that this wont fly in Europe.

Europe is very different to the US (and not in a good way) when it comes to dining and what's acceptable in restaurants.

People don't share meals, or go into a restaurant and not order, or get doggy bags. But then our portion sizes are a lot smaller.

One reason why we love America!

What you could do is just order a Main while the rest of your family have a 3 course meal etc. And if you order something they might like to try too, then you can always share it with them.

Good luck for your surgery.

 

[zanzibar138]

I was also surprised by how many buffet style restaurants there are at DLP. Not being a big fan of them, it really limited our options (especially since Blue Lagoon was closed). We stayed offsite and ate most of our main meals near our hotel where there was more choice and reasonable prices, and mainly stuck with CS meals at the parks. Even that was a bit of a mission because half of them are closed in the quiet season!

Obviously anything goes with CS as far as ordering from the kids menu, or sharing a meal etc. We liked the African chicken and rice from Hakuna Matata - it was a nice size and it would be easy for you to mainly eat the chicken. In the Studios we couldn't really find anything but burger and chicken nugget type stuff (although the chicken nuggets were tasty). We also had EOS one day, which was quite good and decent value. If you're trying to avoid carbs you could have one of their salads, or even a wrap might be alright.

We did lunch at Walt's one day and I can add my recommendation. It wasn't cheap as others have said, but the atmosphere and food were both great. As others have said, portion sizes are smaller in Europe than the US, so you might find that you can eat a decent part of a main meal. Mum and I both had fish covered in a herb crust that came on a bed of baby spinach leaves, so that might be ok for you too as far as carbs.

We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe one evening, which is probably something you're familiar with anyway. Mum and I weren't that hungry, so we shared an appetizer (it was a platter style one meant for sharing, but it was no problem for us to have it as our main meal). The main meals that we saw in there were all big, but at least you know you can just order an appetizer.

Anyway, just thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth in case it's any use to you. Best of luck with your surgery, and have a great time in Europe

 

[snowmouse]

Thanks for the comments. From what I've been told, I would be hard pressed to even eat a european sized main for some time. I guess I'll just ask about an appetizer only and accept that I may have to waste if that isn't an option.

Zanzibar, we do have a Rainforest Cafe at Mall of America very near our home. Not really my favorite, but a familiar option. I'll have to really do some work on finding something at the Studios. We might just have to leave mid day and find something at one of the resorts or something.

I had another question regarding park hours. In Florida it seems that the parks open earlier, and many people wait at the gate for the rope drop, to avoid some of the lengthier queues. Is this the case in Paris? If EMH are at say 8, are you there waiting at 7:30?

 

[torsie24]

No. EMH is way less popular in Paris - which is wonderful!

You need to get to the gate maybe 5 minutes before. Or if you're in the DLH then 1 minute as the turnstile is right by the front door (non-DLH guests get held at bag-check)

You pretty much feel like you're in a deserted park at DLP EMH. It's great.

Be aware that only Fantasyland and 3 rides in Discoveryland (Space Mountain, Buzz & Orbitron (Astro Orbiters) are open. So not really 2 hours worth of rides, but it's an amazing time for photos too.

Best thing (especially if you're staying at DLH) is to do 8am opening, work up an appetite and then have a later breakfast. I can't eat early so I found if we had a 10am breakfast it meant we didn't need lunch really as we could enjoy everything on offer.

 

[zanzibar138]

No. EMH is way less popular in Paris - which is wonderful!

You need to get to the gate maybe 5 minutes before. Or if you're in the DLH then 1 minute as the turnstile is right by the front door (non-DLH guests get held at bag-check)

You pretty much feel like you're in a deserted park at DLP EMH. It's great.

Just wanted to add that this isn't always the case. I'd read heaps of comments like this before our trip and, especially being a quiet time of year and cold wintery mornings, I was expecting the park to be just about empty during EMH and didn't bother to rush too much. Uh... wrong there That section of park was just as busy as ever! All the rides still had long lines - we still had to wait 40 minutes to ride Peter Pan, and we only got in 5 minutes after opening. Just don't want you to have the same disappointment I did!

 

[snowmouse]

I was also wondering how the breakfast thing works. Do I understand correctly that you are assigned a breakfast seating time at your resort check in? I've also read something about in park breakfast? I'm not sure how you get this or how this works. Where does one eat? Are you assigned a time? Do you order from a menu?

Hmmmm, EMH?? We'll definitely be there for rope drop. I don't think it's in my blood to sleep past it at Disney. How early, though? Still my delemna.

Also, we're going to take the train from our Paris hotel out to Disney. After, we want to go to Normandie and Sant Michel for a day. I think we need to rent a car to do this. Where can this be done near DLP? Any tips?

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Also, we're going to take the train from our Paris hotel out to Disney. After, we want to go to Normandie and Sant Michel for a day. I think we need to rent a car to do this. Where can this be done near DLP? Any tips?

I don't know where you are looking at in Normandie as it's a vague term but from DLP to the Mont St Michel it's over 400km and is an 8hr+ round trip so I'd think you'd could be best staying somewhere overnight to make the most of your visit.

It would be at todays petrol prices around 120€ + there are tolls

You can look at http://www.autoeurope.com/ to see the different car hire options.

There is an Avis and a Hertz office at the station at DLP

 

[tennisfan]

I was also wondering how the breakfast thing works. Do I understand correctly that you are assigned a breakfast seating time at your resort check in? I've also read something about in park breakfast? I'm not sure how you get this or how this works. Where does one eat? Are you assigned a time? Do you order from a menu?

Hmmmm, EMH?? We'll definitely be there for rope drop. I don't think it's in my blood to sleep past it at Disney. How early, though? Still my delemna.

Also, we're going to take the train from our Paris hotel out to Disney. After, we want to go to Normandie and Sant Michel for a day. I think we need to rent a car to do this. Where can this be done near DLP? Any tips?

You choose a breakfast slot when you check in but you can turn up any time. Depending on which on site hotel you stay in a park breakfast might be an option. You have to ask when checking in as its not always available. Its a buffet, usually to the standard of the Newport Bay or Sequoia Lodge. If you are staying in the HNY or DLH a park breakfast is not an option