Help -tips for buying passes??? 1st timers Europe, DLP, the whole traveling thing

[htegler]

We are staying off site at
Hotel l'Elysee Val d'Europe (has anyone stayed there and are they any comments or tips?)- we are coming in from London ( we arrive there on the 20th - so we should not have to worry about jet lag) and going to DLP on Sept. 23rd -arriving around noon.
We leave on the 26th.( We are joining a Rick Steves tour in Paris and need to be at the hotel by 2pm. (Sorry do not have the name of the hotel handy right this second...) My guess is we would leave before noon on that day.

So... do we buy our tickets on this side of the pond or if we buy them in England can anyone guide us as to the best way to do this? We are total neophytes. It's my first time using my passport

Also for all the veterans - based on the time line above how many days should we buy passes for?
One total un-related but very important question - my son is a very big fan of the Soccer Team ( sorry Football team - please excuse the ignorant American) from Chelsea - where in London can I go to get him some type of Jersey or other official Chelsea item? I think it would be the perfect Christmas present.

Thanks to everyone for reading this and any advise and direction you can give.

Bon Soir
.

 

[jillrobinson]

I Haven't stayed at the L'Elyssee but it looks very nice. Also very well positioned for the train if you need to use it although you will benefit from the free shuttle bus to DLP.
Staying at this hotel means you also benefit from Extra Magic Hours, early park opening from 8.00am and last year the park closed at 8.30pm, so potentially you have 2 x 12.5 hour full days at a quiet time, don't think there are any Europe school holidays at that time plus 2 half days if you want them.
I'd be planning a full day in each park allowing for a nice table service meal in each. Chez Remy in WDS and lots of choice in Disneyland park.
I'd also be looking at a 3 or 4 day ticket, but I love being in the parks and can happily do the same ride over and over.
Usually the hotels sell dlp park tickets and I wonder if it might be worth emailing L'Elyssee (their website doesnt give any price info) to get some prices, do they have the 3 for 2 or 4 for 3 day ticket offers for instance. Tickets can be bought at the gates, but again I'm not sure if dlp have any offers onsite. Online there are lots of sites offering discounted tickets and often you print out the vouchers at home.
I would definitely suggest the Buffalo Bill Wild West show Friday night, its closed Wed and Thurs, again you
can get tickets online at the park or at your hotel. There is a 9.30 show, which means you could stay in the park until closure then go to the show. Includes cowboy hat and beer
Sports Direct are one of our biggest sports shops, its where my son gets his kit and there is a store on Oxford Street, London. I'm pretty sure there was a sports shop in the Val d'Europe shopping centre, its directly opposite your hotel and well worth a visit, maybe a couple of hours Saturday am
The official Chelsea FC store details
http://www.chelseafc.com/shop/shop-instore/stadium-flagship-megastore.html
Good luck with your planning

 

[micksn]

Sorry to disappoint, but the L'Elysee no longer offers EMH's. You might be best to buy a Fantasy AP on arrival. They are 169 euros and will include EMH's and 10% off in restaurants and shops, however the 26th is a blockout day. The official price for a 3 day ticket is 169 euros and a 4 day 209 euros, but you may be able to get a better deal on the disneylandparis.fr website in advance. A Dream AP is 209 euros and includes 20% off in shops and no blockout dates. Also the Fantasy and Dream AP will give you 20% off Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show if that interests you. Hope this helps!

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

I think a three-day ticket will give you plenty of time and you can either go on your day of arrival or departure and visit Disney Village on your other half day. One thing I have learned with travel is it takes waaaay longer to get from A to B than you think. If you have to be in Paris by 2, I would leave Marne-la-Vallée at 11 just to be safe. While you may not need three hours, you have to consider connecting trains and the taxi lines, so that will give you plenty of time for unforeseen things. Better to be early than late, that's what I always say!

We, also as Americans, bought a package through the UK site for our two nights and got half-board meal plan for free. We were very happy we stayed on site vs. an area hotel...just throwing that out there.

We also went to England before France, which you can read about on my blog linked in my signature if you're curious! Have fun!

 

[jillrobinson]

My apologies, didn't realise EMH had been discontinued at your hotel

 

[minniemusician]

We stayed at the Hotel l'Elysee in 2013, and we thought it was great. The first time we went to DLP, we stayed at the Hotel New York. We liked it there too but didn't see much of a difference between staying there and staying off-site. The rooms were comparable, and I think we might have actually preferred the rooms at Hotel l'Elysee slightly more. However, there were no English channels on the TV during our visit, so we did play a lot of movies on our ipad when in the room. Also, as mentioned earlier, EMH are no longer included with this hotel, but we did just fine getting to the parks for the normal park opening time. The staff was friendly, the breakfast was good, and the location was great!
Honestly, I think the best thing about this hotel is it's location. It's right across the street from a large shopping area which is a nice way to spend a free afternoon or pick up last minute gifts/snacks. Also, it's right across the street from the train station. We never took the provided shuttle to the parks, because the train was so convenient. It seems like the train came every 5-10 minutes and the ride to the parks was only a few minutes long. Seeing that the train drops you right off in the Disney Village area, I think we spent less time on our feet staying at Hotel l'Elysee than we would have if we had stayed at the Hotel New York again.
We are actually returning in May and staying at Sequoia Lodge for the first time, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Hotel l'Elysee again. In fact, I've recommended the hotel to several friends who are looking to plan a trip to DLP.
I can't help with the other questions you had, but I thought you might appreciate a first hand account of the hotel - even if it is slightly out of date!

 

[htegler]

Thanks to everyone and sorry for the delay in responding. (life gets in the way sometimes....)What I love about this board is everyone is so helpful and the information extremely useful. I feel great now about our choice and will be counting the days until we arrive......