I know there is a DL Paris board but...

[farmfresh]

...haven't had much luck there yet! Wondered if anyone here had been and could offer touring tips. I have a friend travelling there soon who would really appreciate the help!

 

[Iceman93]

That's like asking, "I have a friend going to Disneyland in Anaheim and need some touring tips." Your request is way too broad! Entire books have literally been written with touring tips for Disney destinations. Give us some more details on the situation so that we can at least scope our advice accordingly.

 

[farmfresh]

Sorry - let me phrase that more clearly, as I did on the other board...tips for someone very familiar with DL who is going to Paris - in other words, what's different? Do you still head for Fantasyland first thing on a MM? Does the 30 min before park opening rule still apply? The kind of advice WDW vets look for on this board....

 

[AussieCaribou]

Okay, it's been 4 years since we went to DLP...but for what it's worth:

We stayed 'off site' castle hotel and bus in - took only a few minutes. We, experienced DLers, got there 45 minutes pre opening...we were literally the only people there. The entry is under the hotel (beautiful gardens!!) and we walked under to wait...the entire entry is gated...with a lot of turn styles behind...knowing that some gates at DL open later than others, I was able to chat with a CM (broken English/French) and was told that all of the gates open at the same time. We went to one in the middle and waited. Time went on, more people showed. A few minutes before opening, the gates stated to be drawn back...except the one in front of us (of course). Eventually a lovely CM came to us and asked if we would like to be the family of honour (yes please!). DD opened the park with Mickey...then we were treated to a few extras. We made it to rope drop and did BTM ... Definitely do BTM!!! And early!!!!

The park is small, the lines are LONG. And be warned, food closed early!!! We could get snack food only from 430. However, their DTD stays open forever and has some nice places to eat...

My biggest suggestion is to figure out those rides that are must does, and do them. The shows were great, the parade was so much fun (though it was the most uncomfortable time I have ever had at a Disney park - we had an area to ourselves - 3 of us, able to walk around and interact with the characters and everyone else sardined in trying to figure out who we were). Space Mt (keep your head back!), Star Tours, BTM, and phantom manor are all amazing. The castle has amazing features inside...and a balcony for awesome photo taking.

We didn't do the other park as we only had one day there.

Not sure if that helps or not. :0)

 

[farmfresh]

Perfect! that's great info! I'll pass all that on (especially the entry info). Thanks for your help

 

[KatrinfromGermany]

Hi! I live in Germany and I have been to Disneyland Paris many times. In WDW I have been once, in 1997. And next week I will visit Disneyland in Anaheim for the first time!


I will start with a few basics....

Accomodation:
First of all, your friend should stay onsite - because you can walk to the Disney hotels, for example for an afternoon nap (I know Americans usually don't walk so much - at least this was my experience while visiting WDW years ago - but Europeans do it. Therefore, forget any Disney hotel shuttles - in most cases there aren't any even if there should be. Well, it's France!).
If you stay at the two cheapest hotels (Hotel Cheyenne or Hotel Santa Fee) it is a 20 minutes walk. If this is too long, you should have a car and just drive.
One side note: I wouldn't choose Hotel Santa Fee -it is really ugly.
If you are on a budget, choose Hotel Newport Bay Club. It looks beautiful (a little like the Yacht Club in WDW), and it is a 10 minutes walk until Disney Village (=Downtown Disney).
If you want to splurge yourself, choose the Disneyland Hotel. The entrance of the DLP is just under this hotel. And it is soooo beautiful. Another big advantage is, that you get one extra fastpass per day and person, which you can use whereever and whenever you want. If money doesn't matter, stay in the Castle club floor. It is first class, and you get a VIP fastpass which enables you to use the fast pass line as often as you want. It is a real treat, especially I you travel in high season!!!!

Season:
Avoid high season (check the French school holidays). DLP gets really crowded during school holidays!

France:
Well, I don't want to be politically incorrect, but be prepared, that French cast members are different from what you are used to. There are, hmm, well, yes, often less friendly. In my opinion sometimes even rude. I would prefer more perfection and cleanness. But that's the French way of life and perhaps I am just too German.... and of course there are also lots of friendly cast members.

Parks:
There are two parks, the Disneyland Park and the Disney Studios:

Disneyland Park: I love it! It is similar to the Magic Kingdom which I have visited in 1997. You will recognize a few attractions, but even if the names are the same, the attractions are sometimes totally different. For example Indiana Jones: It is a roller coaster with a small loop, not a simulator as I assume it is in Disneyland Anaheim. And Space Mountain is more wildly and faster in Paris, with many loops and corkscrew loops.

The castle in Paris is much bigger as in Disneyland Anaheim, well, I don't want to hurt any feelings, but I think it is nicer (at least how far I can judge looking at pictures of the castle in Anaheim). And a dragon lives there in the basement. Make sure to visit him!!!

At the moment there is an evening show, called Disney Dreams. It is just wonderful, the best Disney show I have ever experienced! It is a mix from fireworks, projections on the castle, music, actually I can't describe it, you have to see it. It is soooo great! You should check before if Disney Dreams is shown during your stay, it could be on only on the weekends.

Disney Studios: It is quite small, but nice. Touring the studios will only take half a day. Don't miss Crush's Coaster - unfortunately there is no fast pass for this family style roller coaster. Therefore make sure to be there at rope drop and to do Crush's Coaster first. Don't miss the shows there - they are quite cute! And you will find an old friend, the Tower of Terror.

Restaurants:
Well, difficult, because I am afraid that there are differences between the American and European taste. In my opinion the food in Disneyland Paris is quite okay. Make sure to visit the Blue Lagoon restaurant inside the pirates of caribbean. Reservations during high season are a must!


Please feel free to ask any questions which I didn't answer.

Katrin

 

[HydroGuy]

Perfect! that's great info! I'll pass all that on (especially the entry info). Thanks for your help

My report in 2007 is getting a little old but may help. See my signature line.

 

[farmfresh]

Thanks Hydroguy - I recalled you had some o/s info, went hunting for it and obviously missed it!

And Katrin, thanks so much for your feedback - happy to offer any tips for your trip in return, although I'm sure you'll already have had a lot of great advice from the folks here. Have a great time in DL!

 

[NewbieMouse]

We just visited DLP this past July. We go to Anaheim every year (and I have been to WDW a while back), but since we were doing a European road trip we threw three days at DLP in for good measure.

We stayed at the Sequoia Lodge (onsite) and spent three days in the parks. Here's a brief summary of my thoughts about it:

• It is a BEAUTIFUL park. It really is stunning from an aesthetic point of view. Size wise it seems a little more like MK in WDW (meaning things are more spread out than in Anaheim). Some people like this; for me it felt like there was a lot of wasted space (or space that wasn't used very well). But it was really, really beautiful.
• Despite the fact that it is very beautiful, it is also not nearly as clean as DL/WDW, by a long shot. For example, the storybook land canal boats had visible garbage, and weren't nearly as well maintained.
• BTMRR is right on the water and is fantastic. I think it's better that the DL version.
• SM may have more loops and turns, etc., but I HATED it. It made me quite sick, and gave me a massive headache. I preferred the Aerosmith Coaster in the Walt Disney Studios Park.
• If you stay onsite there are 2 hours of Early Magic Hours in the main park, but they only have a few rides open. Like PP, we always get to parks bright and early, but this was kind of unnecessary. After about 45 minutes we were really ready to move on, but other rides weren't open yet for another hour or so.
• The Walt Disney Studios Park was OK, but like someone else said, lines could be very long. And there really wasn't that much there that we were interested in. A lot of shows, a lot in French. Some of the lines that weren't long had FP as well, so it would be great if they could re-jig that around to make more sense. And FP windows are only 30 minutes!
• Line cutting - aaaaarrggghhh! I know this happens everywhere to some extent, but it was more pronounced at DLP.
• The CMs are a little more uneven and don't quite provide the "wow" service you usually can expect at the at US parks. I think some of the variation in service/amenities/cleanliness etc. is because they seem to have less staff (likely because it's more expensive). Although I do understand that issue, given that you really do pay through the nose for Disney, I found that a bit off putting. Some staff also seemed a bit less 'professional' (e.g., there was more "milling around chatting" than you would ever see at a US park).
• The DLP onsite hotels all include continental breakfast, for which you typically have to book a time slot. I had heard that the time slot breakfasts for the regular rooms can be quite crowded. Because we stayed in a Golden Forest Room (which is an upgrade) we had a dedicated breakfast room which was very quiet and an afternoon tea/snack. I liked it. And the pool area at Sequoia Lodge was great.
• As for the food, I think that really depends on your tastes. Not all restaurants are always open. Several places where I had thought we could eat were regularly closed. We did our DL stay at the end of a 6-week trip through Europe, so I was less enthused about European food by that point, just looking for a good "North American" meal. So we ate at Earl of Sandwich 3 days in a row

All in all, it was worthwhile. These are just my opinions - like most people, I have a preference for my "home" park, which is Anaheim. It's small, cozy, and manageable - going to DLP made me appreciate it even more. I'm not sure that I will ever do three days at DLP again, but I think it's worth a stop.