Talk to me about taking RER to/from Paris, with luggage?

[XoxoAmy]

Hi- we are heading from Paris to Disneyland Hotel in the middle of an 8 day trip. There are 4 of us (2 adults. 2 teenagers), and we will each have a large rolling suitcase and backpack/carry on bag, plus probably one more smaller rolling suitcase. How hard is it to navigate the RER train to Paris with all that luggage? We were told by our travel agent that it would be easier to book a car service, but I know that will likely take more time. We are leaving Paris at 10:00 on a Monday and returning to Paris from the Disneyland hotel at 10:00 on a Wednesday. Would you recommend a car or the RER train? When we leave we are headed to Gard de Nord for the Eurostar.

 

[NYCgrrl]

It’s doable. I tend to have less luggage but it’s a simple transfer with little to no staircases.
Have fun.

 

[zavandor]

Outside the rush hour it's easy. Normally RER stations have lifts and escalators (some older Metroʻ stations have only access via stairs), I don't know them all, but all those I've been in have. Probably by 10am everyone who needs to be in an office have already arrived, so you should be ok.
During rush hour it might be difficult to enter a train at all and you might get separated from each other, so I would not change your plans to leave earlier.

 

[Karin1984]

Easier to take a car service? For sure. Someone pulls up to your hotel, loads your luggage and an hour or so later you are at Disneyland Paris. You do not have to think about where you are going or constantly checking if you still have your entire party and luggage together. If convenience is your major deciding factor, then go with the car service.

If cost is a more important factor, then go with RER. As mentioned, by ten o'clock rush hour is over. Once the train is out of the city center, it will get a lot quieter, especially at this time of day.
I would probably go for the train myself. Some tips: decide in advance if one person holds everyone's tickets or if each is responsible for their own ticket. And keep the tickets away from your phone, no idea if this is still an issue but in the olden days, the magnetic strip on the train ticket could get deactivated.

Timewise... at that time I do not think it will make a lot of difference. But it really depends on where you are in the city and the traffic.

Where is your hotel in Paris, are you near one of the RER A stations, or will you need to transfer? That might also influence your decision.

 

[NYCgrrl]

sure. Someone pulls up to your hotel, loads your luggage and an hour or so later you are at Disneyland Paris. You do not have to think about where you are going or constantly checking if you still have your entire party and luggage together

A plan certainly but since they are a party of 4, each with a backpack and 5 spinners, it seems difficult and possibly uncomfortable fitting all that gear and people in one car.
Just a thought. Maybe order a larger Uber if convenience is the goal?

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I used an Uber XL to go from Paris to Val d’Europe last year. Cost 64 euros. If you are going to use the RER to get to or from Paris while you’re staying there, like to go to Versailles, then it might be worth extending the pass so you can take it to DLP. But if not, the cost of RER tickets for four might not be less than the cost of an Uber XL.

We did take trains with our luggage into and out of the Paris area. And that was fine, except we reserved seats into Paris from Lyon, and out of DLP to London.

 

[starry_solo]

Cost or convenience? You still have to walk or take a bus (free) to the hotel at DLP from the train station.

We paid 80 euros (plus tip) for a car service (big van) with four checked luggage, four carry-ons, and four personal items from Paris to DLP. But two of my adults are senior citizens and although they packed a lot for the trip, didn't want to deal (too much) with rolling the luggage onto trains. So we took the car service.

 

[zavandor]

If you have compatible phones (Androind with NFC, ie all unless very old, not sure about iphones), I strongly recommend the Bonjour RATP app. You can buy tickets in the app and use it to scan at the turnstiles. I have often seen long lines at the only machine at a station to buy tickets. You bypass all of that with the app and you don't risk to lose the tickets.

 

[Mennamachine]

You should be OK with 4 adult or nearly adult sized people to take the RER and wrangle the bags, but I would consider cutting down your luggage amounts regardless. Dealing with luggage is annoying, and European hotel rooms tend to be pretty small. I usually recommend a max of one rolling suitcase per person, along with a backpack/large purse. It is just much easier to manage transport, taxis, hotel rooms, etc. Even if you budget for taxis for all your transfers, you may not all fit with 8 suitcases and 4 people and have to take 2, etc. Usually my wife and I share one suitcase when we travel for ~1 wk in europe, or just take a backpack each if it's like a long weekend. (We lived in Germany and now live in Ireland.)
It will be easier to book a car service, certainly, but I like the RER and metro for getting around Paris.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

if not, the cost of RER tickets for four might not be less than the cost of an Uber XL.

We did take trains with our luggage into and out of the Paris area. And that was fine, except we reserved seats into Paris from Lyon, and out of DLP to London.

I thought the RER to Disney was subsidized at 5 Euros? An Uber would be 3x-4x the cost. Is that no longer the case?

 

[NYCgrrl]

I thought the RER to Disney was subsidized at 5 Euros

Could be wrong but don’t think Disney is keeping the cost of the fare artificially low as the ticket price is comparable to other RER stations. They did pay about 30% of the cost of the train station though.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I thought the RER to Disney was subsidized at 5 Euros? An Uber would be 3x-4x the cost. Is that no longer the case?

I don’t know. When we went in 2014 I believe we bought a five day pass for the Metro that included zone 1 of RER. Last year we used Uber to get from Paris to Val D’Europe, then bought one way tickets to get to the Eurostar.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Could be wrong but don’t think Disney is keeping the cost of the fare artificially low as the ticket price is comparable to other RER stations. They did pay about 30% of the cost of the train station though.

Ah - I know what it is now. There is a price cap which applies to all destinations except the airport. So while CDG to Paris is about 11e, Paris to Disney, even though it’s a longer distance, is only 5e.