Staying On-Site vs. Off-Site

[WDW Princess 71]

Please help me with deciding to stay at a Disney on-site hotel or one of the neighboring hotels. I am planning my first trip to Disneyland Paris for July 2013 for 3-4 nights after our Disney Mediterranean cruise. In the US it is a big advantage and much more magical experience staying onsite at a Disney hotel in Disney World and Disneyland, California- I would never stay outside the parks. But, I'm wondering if that is also the case at DLP or if the situation is different. Are the DLP hotels as magical/higher standard of experience as they are in the US, or is it less important to stay onsite? Are the hotels offsite much nicer or better value? Please share your experiences. Thank you!

 

[Hipster Meg]

I've never stayed off site so can't really compare it to onsite in terms of the different standards between the hotels. What I can say is that staying onsite you get quite a few perks - Extra Magic Hours (EMH) which allow you into the park at 8am rather than 10 (a big plus in July which will be busy), character meet and greets in the hotels themselves, the shopping service which allows any purchases made in the park to be delievered to the shop in your hotel and the fact that all the on site hotels are within walking distance of the parks.

If you do decide to stay off site then you might find that it works out cheaper for you to buy an annual pass rather than a 4 day ticket - the Dream annual pass costs 200 euros and allows you access to the EMH's as well as money off in the shops and restaurants, whereas a 4 day, 2 park ticket is 192 euros.

 

[torsie24]

The hotels aren't of the WDW standard, but they are nice. And you get the perks of EMH.

I've only stayed in WDW deluxes (AKL, GF, BW & BLT), and none of the DLRP resorts compare to any of those, but the DLH comes pretty close.

Sequoia Lodge and Hotel New York are probably your best bets unless you feel like splashing out on DLH. I'd say they're similar to the WDW moderates in room size and decor etc.

 

[tennisfan]

The advantages of staying on-site is that you get 2 hours extra in the morning (depending on season), breakfast is included & most of the time your park passes are included in the price unlike the US.

 

[allymc]

We went a couple of weeks ago and actually stayed off site in a gite so can't really compare the hotels side of things as such. Staying off site worked really well for us, we have AP so could come and go as we pleased and could take advantage of the EMH etc but at the same time it meant we could 'take a break' as such. We were staying with my parents who weren't doing the Disney experience so we got the best of both worlds. Having a room onsite to pop back to have an afternoon nap would have been handy though!

 

[Ware Bears]

I've stayed both onsite and off and it's nowhere near as different an experience as at WDW. Offsite hotels are much better value but the location of the Disney ones, especially the DLH, are reflected in their price. You can still feel the magic if you stay at one of the four off-sites ie. Explorers, Kyriad, Magic Circus and Dream Castle as all have a Disney shop where you can have your purchases sent for collection just like you can at the Disney hotels and they are all serviced by a free shuttle bus. The main difference is there aren't any Disney character meets (although you are welcome to visit the Disney hotels to take advantage of these) and lack of access to EMH although you can get round this by buying annual passes.

Have a look at the reviews in the Hotel FAQ - they'll give you a good idea plus there's lots of photos.

 

[tinkertaylor05]

I'd take Warebears advice and read through some reviews, there have been quite a few from US families that have travelled to DLP with really mixed views but I think they may give you the best perspective. Do you intend to do sightseeing in Paris too? I've not been to WDW yet but know there is no direct comparison between the two, they both seem to be magical disney experiences for different reasons

 

[sammie1884]

I have stayed in AKL and ASM at WDW and Hotel Chyenne at DLP (we are staying off site this weekend so will update my view when I get back!) My opinion is that whilst there is nothing wrong with them the hotels at DLP do not even come close to the ones in WDW the only advantage being extra magic hours.

 

[jothp]

We have stayed both offsite and onsite in 4 of the different hotels. For us the main advantage of staying onsite is being able to walk back to your room and not having to use the shuttle buses which can be a bit of a scrum. Even the furthest onsite hotels are only a 15 minute walk from the parks so it is easy to get back after the parks close at 11pm and also you don't waste too much time if you want to pop back for a nap/rest/swim during the afternoon.

 

[Michael623]

I've priced out staying off site and buying passes before but the savings don't seem to justify the inconvenience of having to take a shuttle, no EMH etc. The packages through DLP are quite competitively priced and it is sort of one stop shopping where you don't have to do a lot of digging since it is accommodations as well as park hopper tickets. The hotels at DLP (as many others have said) are not up to the WDW standards but they are decent and the ability to walk back to your room goes a long way in my book. I did spend 1 night at the Magic Circus (8 years ago when it was a Holiday Inn) and it was very nice.

 

[Ms Poppins]

I prefer on-site, really for the same reasons as others have said. I like EMH and being able to walk back to the hotel for swim/rest without taking too much time out of the day. The parks and disney village are all within a few minutes walking distance. The on site hotels are all close by too. Like being in a wee Disney bubble

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Thank you all for the very helpful replies! I think I am leaning more towards staying onsite for the convenience. I have stayed offsite a couple times at Disneyland in CA and I remember how it was a bit inconvenient at times waiting for the shuttle to go back for a break for the pool, or at the end of the night when everyone is leaving at the same time. Also, the extra magic 2 hours in the morning is a great perk- our EMH is only 1 hour at home. Being that this will probably be my only visit to DLP for a long time, I want to make the most of my days so the extra time would be a big help.

We are probably looking at Hotel New York, Sequoia and the Newport Bay Club. I did read the reviews on them last night. Anyone have any more recent experiences on any of these places they would like to share?

Also, in reading some of the DLP hotel threads, some mentioned about security in the parks and in the hotels and Disney Village. I had no idea pickpocketing was a problem in the parks and DV- that is very different than WDW. I have been to Europe many times and understand it is a big problem in the cities, I guess I was just naive thinking it wouldnt be at DLP! My question though is about in the hotels- are there any issues with people breaking into hotel rooms? Are there safes in the room to store an iPad and passports, or do they have to be in the safe at the front desk?

 

[tennisfan]

Thank you all for the very helpful replies! I think I am leaning more towards staying onsite for the convenience. I have stayed offsite a couple times at Disneyland in CA and I remember how it was a bit inconvenient at times waiting for the shuttle to go back for a break for the pool, or at the end of the night when everyone is leaving at the same time. Also, the extra magic 2 hours in the morning is a great perk- our EMH is only 1 hour at home. Being that this will probably be my only visit to DLP for a long time, I want to make the most of my days so the extra time would be a big help.

We are probably looking at Hotel New York, Sequoia and the Newport Bay Club. I did read the reviews on them last night. Anyone have any more recent experiences on any of these places they would like to share?

Also, in reading some of the DLP hotel threads, some mentioned about security in the parks and in the hotels and Disney Village. I had no idea pickpocketing was a problem in the parks and DV- that is very different than WDW. I have been to Europe many times and understand it is a big problem in the cities, I guess I was just naive thinking it wouldnt be at DLP! My question though is about in the hotels- are there any issues with people breaking into hotel rooms? Are there safes in the room to store an iPad and passports, or do they have to be in the safe at the front desk?

I have just come back from staying in the Sequoia Lodge, its a lovely hotel which has just undergone refurbishment & should be finished this year, we were in a lodge rather then the main building this time but it was closer to get to breakfast then staying in parts of the main building. The rooms have safes which could hold an Ipad but not laptops, WIFI isn't free in the hotels. I have never had anything stolen you just need to not let your guard down like you wouldn't anywhere else. Never heard of rooms begin broken into either.

I have also stayed in the Hotel New York & really enjoyed it, it & Sequoia Lodge are my favourite hotels to stay in. The NPB is very big which puts people off from staying but I would if the price was good

 

[tinkertaylor05]

We've stayed at HNY And will be returning in August, we have always enjoyed this hotel it does have a more adult feel to it possibly over some others. There are in room safes but the same as Tennisfan said no free wifi and not big enough for anything more than an iPad.

I've never had any problems whatsoever with security issues at DLP, I think the main problem is the village area is open to all, which would include the hotels, there is a train station directly at the entrance to the village which is great but means the area is very accessible and of an evening particularly there'll be a lot of non park visitors. Also I'm sure I've read that the area around the train station etc is not owned by Disney so they have little control about people hanging around and street sellers etc

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Thank you for the hotel/security feedback. Do you know how much the wifi costs? I am interested in using it to Skype call family back home each day. Also I heard there is a McDonalds in the village, is the wifi free there (or anywhere else at DLP)?

 

[Ms Poppins]

Hotel New York lover here Recent review is on the review thread. Great location, staff and rooms are a good size. Can't fault it.

 

[A Small World]

Thank you for the hotel/security feedback. Do you know how much the wifi costs? I am interested in using it to Skype call family back home each day. Also I heard there is a McDonalds in the village, is the wifi free there (or anywhere else at DLP)?

Yes wifi is free at McDonalds in the village

 

[tennisfan]

I' sure I read that in the SL Wifi is currently €9.90 for a 24 hour period. I imagine its the same for any hotel that has Wifi as its Orange that supply it.