MANY questions

[sweetbambi]

We are Americans who will be living in Italy for seven months beginning Saturday. In December, our daughter and her two children will visit us in Turin for two weeks. We are Disneyholics and want to go to Disneyland Paris. We have gathered from the board that the weather will be cold--we can handle that. Should we take the train from Italy to Paris? If we drove, we would need snow tires--right? The Disneyland hotels don't look too expensive, but how will they compare to a Priceline hotel in Paris? If we stayed in Paris, could we get to the parks via train? Is there some hotel you would recommend? Is there food available that my very picky grandson will eat such as burgers or any kind of fish? I had one year of high school French and my grandson is currently taking French--will we have enough understanding to get by? Are the packages at Disneyland good value?

Please answer any of my questions soon.

Kathy

 

[Happy Tappy]

That's alot of questions. I'll try to answer as many as possible!

Should we take the train from Italy to Paris? Never done it but it's possible. Look here: www.raileurope.com

If we drove, we would need snow tires--right? Probably not, never done the journey myself but people don't really use snow tyres in europe.

The Disneyland hotels don't look too expensive, but how will they compare to a Priceline hotel in Paris? The Disney hotels can be cheap or expensive. Some days in December are peak season so look around. I've found that you can get some good room only rates on www.expedia.de. Some of the good-neighbour hotels are very good value, especially the holiday inn (book directly through their website). Priceline has some good deals for Paris. It all depends on if you want to stay in the magic or in Paris I suppose. Hotel rooms in Paris are VERY small compared to American standards.

If we stayed in Paris, could we get to the parks via train? Yes, it's very easy. It takes about 40 minutes on the Orange RER line. Just make sure it's the correct train when you get on as the line splits in two!

Is there some hotel you would recommend? In the resort Disney's Cheyenne is the best value. The holiday inn just outside is nice too. In Paris I've stayed in a lovely hotel called Hotel de la sorbonne. The rates are very good but the rooms are tiny. Use www.tripadvisor.com to find a hotel to suit you. It has reviews of almost every hotel in the world!

Is there food available that my very picky grandson will eat such as burgers or any kind of fish? Disney food is American food. Burgers, burgers burgers!!! In Paris there is a wide variety of food. They have many good pizza places as well as Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe. Food should not be a problem!

I had one year of high school French and my grandson is currently taking French--will we have enough understanding to get by? I can't speak a word of French and I always get by. Most Parisians have a decent grasp of the English language. Most Disney staff speak English fluently.

Are the packages at Disneyland good value? The packages differ depending on where you're from. In England we're currently offered one extra night on stays in early december. The package prices all include buffet breakfast and park passes. If you can get a deal they can work out cheap. Otherwise I don't find them to be particularly good value.

Hope that helps!

 

[martinacris]

Hello Kathy, I live in Italy. Will you be in Turin whenyou go to Disneyland ? Why don't you check with airfrance on line...they have some really godd fares. There is also Alitalia...which I would not reccomend too much..they always have strikes and you never know what happens. I know that from Turin to France is not too long, so you could looks at prices and how long it will take for you , either by plane, driving or by train.
Enjoy your stay in Italy !!

 

[bavaria]

I've made a lot of posts recently which may help you on this subject, as some address your questions directly - do a search by clicking on my name and search for my posts... that may help.

Should we take the train from Italy to Paris? air travel within Europe is even cheaper than within the US, while gas (petrol) is much more expensive, especially what you are used to in Atlanta. You may find flying is least expensive and for the time it takes, better value, unless you are looking for a long drive as part of the holiday. If you haven't driven much in Europe, you may want to be aware that driving on the interstate in the US is not like driving in Europe - I have driven all over the US and all over western Europe

If we drove, we would need snow tires--right? no, it doesn't actually snow that much in this part of Europe

The Disneyland hotels don't look too expensive, but how will they compare to a Priceline hotel in Paris? If you travel from Paris, it will take you average an hour to get to DLRP. (I have been living in Paris this past month and have done the route via metro and RER) I would stay onsite at a Disney hotel while you are at Disney - see my past posts on finding room only rates at expedia.de

If we stayed in Paris, could we get to the parks via train? the RER A/red line will take you - but the line splits so make sure that you take the one which goes to Marne la Vallee/Chessy. You can buy a carte mobilis for 1-5 zones for less than a tourist card - also see my post re taking the metro to/from Paris on this board for more information

Is there some hotel you would recommend? The Cheyenne is a good choice, but be aware that hotels in Europe don't have the same comforts as in the US. (I live in hotels 300 days/year, mostly in the US but also in Europe). The Cheyenne has hairdryers for a deposit, no mini bar, limited TV, and smaller rooms ie like a value resort at WDW but feels smaller due to the bunk bed. Try the Sequoia if you are looking for a nicer resort

Is there food available that my very picky grandson will eat such as burgers or any kind of fish? The food at DLRP is actually more adventurous than WDW, but you will find places that serve a variety of foods such as tomoto soup, fish and chips, croque monsieur, at the counter serve places. See dlpfoodguide.com for sample menus. I suppose that burgers DO exist at DLRP but I have never looked for them

I had one year of high school French and my grandson is currently taking French--will we have enough understanding to get by? at DLRP yes, you will be fine. Some shows/attractions are in French or a comibnation of French/English and all cast members speak some English. I speak French so can't vouch for travel around Paris, but many people do have basic English especially at tourist locations and in hotels

Are the packages at Disneyland good value? see my post on buying room only rates - I think that it's better to buy a lower price annual pass and room only, or if there are 25% off discounts have one person buy the Dream pass for the hotel discounts

 

[bavaria]

also, re weather - yes, it can be cold at DLRP, but this past week it was much warmer in Paris than it was in Atlanta. Temperatures ranged from 12-18 degrees all week; next week will be about 4-12 degrees

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi Kathy, welcome to the DLP board!

 

[Cyrano]

Hi sweetbambi and welcome to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

If you have not had a look yet, posting guidelines can be found here and details regarding help on signatures here

 

[lisatradingspaces]

Hey neighbor,

I live in the Atlanta area as well (even though my thing on here says CA I think...we've moved since I joined) and just returned from DIsneyland Paris on Sunday.

I have lots to tell you as a fellow American who also only took one year of high school French and is a picky eater herself. It's my son's birthday today though so I have lots to do and will write later! Hopefully tonight.