Help! My first trip to DLP and I know NOTHING.

[queenarmadillo]

Considering taking a long weekend trip to DLP in March. I have been to WDW many times, but never paris before. It will be a trip on a very small budget. I have a very long list of questions about it, of which my current main concerns are:

-Do you have to stay in a Disney hotel to get the whole experience (I think it is pretty important at WDW, but the DLP site seems to link to some such as Explorers that aren't technically Disney, which have shuttle busses, so maybe that is ok).
-Based on answer to above question, can anyone recommend a cheap hotel with transport to parks etc.
-Is a weekend (all day sat & sun) enough time to see both DLP parks so I can spend Monday in Paris, or will I regret not getting 3 day passes? I would hate to feel like I had missed something, and in Florida we normally spend 12 days in the disney parks, so I have no idea how long it takes to do everything if you're in a hurry
-Is DLP any worse for vegetarians than WDW? How much is food (in the parks or hotel) likely to cost per day
-If parks are closing early (I think its 9pm at weekends then 6 on Monday) is there anything to do in the evening that isnt terribly expensive?
-Are there any good sites anyone can suggest for discounted hotel rates (with or without chunnel tickets).

Thanks for reading through all that (if you got here) and for any answers you can give.

 

[Cyrano]

Hi queenarmadillo and welcome to DLP DIS board
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While on-site is the best option we have had great breaks at the Holiday Inn. Since the off-site hotels are served by shuttle you are no too far from the magic

 

[marcus.ka]

If I were you I would stay in one of the 6 Disney Hotels onsite. The Newportbay Club is very good. And if you can afford it, I would go for the Disneyland Hotel of course.

1 weekend is never enough. Not even for the Disneyland park alone. On almost every weekend the two parks are stuffed. (Even in January!) And in June, July, August, September and October the weekends are very very stuffed!
2 weekdays could be enough if you already knew the parks. But if you are going for the first time I would recommend at least 3 weekdays to see both parks and the Disney Village!

Food is a little bit cheaper than in Paris. You get a great Menu (starter, main dish and desert) for about 27€! (Walt's, Blue Lagoon, Auberge de Cendrilon) Or try the all you can eat buffets at Plaza Gardens for 22€!

And yes there are many (free) things to do in the evening hours. You can walk to the Disney Hotels and have a look at the hotels itself and in the shops. Or you can just walk around Lake Disney (very romantic) or the Disney Village! The evening atmosphere is great. Especially during the summer months!

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi

can anyone recommend a cheap hotel with transport to parks etc.

Have a look at the Hotel FAQ sticky. The Explorers, Holiday Inn, Dream Castle and Kyriad are only a few minutes away by free shuttle bus.

-Is a weekend (all day sat & sun) enough time to see both DLP parks so I can spend Monday in Paris, or will I regret not getting 3 day passes?

If you are set on going into Paris, I would go on Saturday rather than Monday.

-Is DLP any worse for vegetarians than WDW? How much is food (in the parks or hotel) likely to cost per day

All the restaurants offer vegetarian options. Have a look here for prices. Food is more expensive than WDW but then everything is more expensive in Europe than USA. A bonus is that breakfast is included with your room apart from Holiday Inn which gives you the choice of purchasing or not.

-If parks are closing early (I think its 9pm at weekends then 6 on Monday) is there anything to do in the evening that isnt terribly expensive?

How about visiting all the different hotels? One of the perks about DLRP is they are all within walking distance of each other!

 

[queenarmadillo]

Wow. Thanks all for your informative responses. The Disneyland Hotel is DEFINITELY not within the budget (not even sure its within the budget for the entire trip, let alone the hotel budget). I read the hotel FAQs before I posted, but got confused about whether the non-Disney ones mentioned were, in fact non-Disney. So now (I think) I know that Explorers etc. are not Disney, or onsite, but will be satisfactory replacements if the budget doesn't stretch to a Disney one.

I had planned the Paris trip on the monday (if at all) because there are 3 less opening hours of DLP on the Monday, but will bow to your greater knowledge on park fullness etc, and do Paris on the saturday if its being done at all.

Thanks for the menu / price lists etc. I was not aware that breakfast was included in the hotel prices, so that should save some money. E22 sounds like a decent price for a disney buffet, given current exchange rates.

Am definitely going to go ahead and try to put a trip together.

 

[marcus.ka]

But you should keep in mind that the Disneys Hotel Santa Fee (The cheapest of the Disney Hotels) is maybe cheaper than Holiday Inn or Explorers if you bye a "package" and not "hotel and tickets"!

And if the Santa Fee should be cheaper, than I would go for the Disney Hotel. Otherwise the offsite hotels (Holiday Inn, Kyriad and Explorers) are also very good hotels. But they are no Disney Hotels!

 

[sharonbel]

I'm hoping to go to DLP in March too. I have never been to any of the Disney Parks and we've never even been on a family holiday before as my 6 yo is autistic and he wasn't ready to go away.

But now I think he will enjoy a short, well planned trip and I'm trying to get organised, but like you I know nothing about DLP. Well, I know a bit now, having read lots on these great boards!

Sharon

 

[Sav]

I have stayed at the Santa Fe a couple of times and can confidently recommend it as a cheap no frills base within walking distance. It has every basic you need, comfy beds, bathroom, and somewhere to store your luggage while you are out. To be honest, how much time will you realistically be in the hotel anyway. The packages are currently great at the Disney Hotels and include free park hoppers for all the days you are in the hotel (i.e if you stay 3 nights you get a ticket for 4 days including checkin and departure).

Here's an idea. Go see Paris on the Saturday and stay offsite in a cheaper hotel (I know in February a Best Western is doing 1 night bb for 4 people for £51). Get a taxi across to your Disney Hotel on the Sunday morning early. Dump the luggage in storage and get your park tickets for the day. I'd recommend doing WDS park that day as you are likely to start later. You can always hop over to the Disney Park when WDS closes at 6pm.

Then you can go back to the hotel and check in properly. The next morning get up early for breakfast cos the Santa Fe gets horrendously busy at breakfast. Then walk round to the Disney Park (about 10-15 mins) for the rope drop. You'll find the Monday, even though it shuts earlier, is easier to walk around and get things done in the main park.

I'm assuming that you wiull be checking out on the Tuesday morning (but if you have a late departure you can spend some more time in the Park if you wish.

I'd say 3/4 day is enough for WDS and a full day is probably not quite enough for the main Park - but if you plan a little bit up front you can get a great experience in 1 day as long as you accept you can't do everything and don't rush around frustrated trying to do so.

So you'd be booking 1 night off site and 2 nights at the Santa Fe. Have the Sat in Paris, Sun in WDS and Mon in the main Park.

 

[marlaymike]

We will have our first DLP too! We are going to the Med Cruise on June and we are planning to go to DLP before the cruise.

We are leaving Puerto Rico on 06/02, arriving to Paris 06/03 and will be there until 06/06 (cruise)!!!

We are planning to stay at the Santa Fe, and take a tour to the city. What can you all say abot the city tour offered by Disney?

Thank you