Trade into a Europe resort?

[4DisneyNUTS]

I never traded before any tips? I would love to stay by eurodisney in France any one do this before?

 

[dvc_john]

You can use DVC points to stay at 4 of the 6 hotels at Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Hotel, Hotel New York, Newport Bay Hotel, and Sequoia Lodge).

You can trade into RCI resorts, but I don't believe that there are any anywhere near DLP.

The only timeshare I'm aware of near DLP is Marriott's Village d'lle-de-France, which trades with I.I., not RCI. But units there can be rented.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

Thanks John which is most economical?

 

[Dean]

Thanks John which is most economical?

Probably a private trade or cash rental for the Marriott or it's possible Dial an exchange (independent exchange company) gets some inventory there.

 

[Anal Annie]

I never traded before any tips? I would love to stay by eurodisney in France any one do this before?

Disneyland Paris is about 45 minutes by train outside of Paris...the value to use DVC points there is not very good. The parks at DLP are very condensed and you can do both parks in 2-3 days. I would rent out my points and use the cash to book a few nights on site at a DLP resort and then move into the city to another hotel to sightsee and explore the city. This is what we did when we went and I was super glad we didn't try to "commute" for our sightseeing. We loved staying in the city. I don't think there are a whole of of RCI options to "trade to" in that area.

(PS) It's no longer called Eurodisney. It's just Disneyland Paris.

 

[traceyg]

Before we had points we stayed at the Vienna International Magic Circus Hotel. It used to be a Holiday Inn way back then I believe. It was really nice and the circus stuff isn't as abundant as the web images make it out to be- at least it wasn't when we were there. I don't think our room had any type of circus motif. They actually upgraded us to a suite.

Be careful where you book depending on the time of year. Not all hotels have a/c. Most of the time I guess this isn't relevant but we were there during a heat wave. There were winds out of Africa and it got up to 113 degrees. It made the headlines and people were literally dying. I cannot imagine if we had had a room without a/c, it would have been unbearable!

I don't remember the correct subway line from Paris to Disney. I know we boarded at Gare du Nord in Paris and it seemed like less than an hour to arrive. Once you arrive there are buses to take you to places that are too far to walk. Everything is very easily accessible.

Like previous poster mentioned- I would stay in the city for Paris sightseeing and then stay in Marne-la-Vallée for Disney. You'll miss out on a bunch of things if you stay at Disney the entire time. We stayed at two small hotels in the city. Both were family owned. They both were very clean and small, but wonderfully friendly and just what we needed. I chose not to stay in an American owned hotel while inside Paris because I wanted a Parisian experience. As long as it got good reviews on Trip Advisor, had an a/c, in room bath, and was within the budget I was game. I wish I could remember the names of the hotels...sorry.

Have fun! Oh and their castle is my absolute favorite! They had to up it a notch since most folks who visit are used to seeing castles.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

Omg you guys have been really helpful. My plan is to go in dec 2013. So I definitely want to see Paris and France but reward the kids with a trip to Disneyland Paris. I may just pay cashe for the Disney part and see what I can work out for the Paris part. I also want to try to see England while we are there. My plan is to make it a 14-15 day trip. We have never been to Europe so I want to not be too overwhelmed but see what we can too.

 

[Anal Annie]

Before we had points we stayed at the Vienna International Magic Circus Hotel. It used to be a Holiday Inn way back then I believe. It was really nice and the circus stuff isn't as abundant as the web images make it out to be- at least it wasn't when we were there. I don't think our room had any type of circus motif. They actually upgraded us to a suite.

Be careful where you book depending on the time of year. Not all hotels have a/c. Most of the time I guess this isn't relevant but we were there during a heat wave. There were winds out of Africa and it got up to 113 degrees. It made the headlines and people were literally dying. I cannot imagine if we had had a room without a/c, it would have been unbearable!

I don't remember the correct subway line from Paris to Disney. I know we boarded at Gare du Nord in Paris and it seemed like less than an hour to arrive. Once you arrive there are buses to take you to places that are too far to walk. Everything is very easily accessible.

Like previous poster mentioned- I would stay in the city for Paris sightseeing and then stay in Marne-la-Vallée for Disney. You'll miss out on a bunch of things if you stay at Disney the entire time. We stayed at two small hotels in the city. Both were family owned. They both were very clean and small, but wonderfully friendly and just what we needed. I chose not to stay in an American owned hotel while inside Paris because I wanted a Parisian experience. As long as it got good reviews on Trip Advisor, had an a/c, in room bath, and was within the budget I was game. I wish I could remember the names of the hotels...sorry.

Have fun! Oh and their castle is my absolute favorite! They had to up it a notch since most folks who visit are used to seeing castles.

We also wanted to book a smaller boutique hotel in Paris to get the real feel for the city. We loved our hotel and stayed in the Saint Germain des Pres area. It was a wonderful area - close to several metro stops and within walking distance to Notre Dame & the Seine, the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Pantheon. The neighborhood was very nice and we felt very safe walking around there at all hours. There were tons of cafes and it gave us a real feel for the city.

OH, and we also loved Sleeping Beauties castle at DLP - you're right - it is VERY WELL DONE. It sits up on a little hill and the landscaping was gorgeous with the squared off trees. Loved it!!

Omg you guys have been really helpful. My plan is to go in dec 2013. So I definitely want to see Paris and France but reward the kids with a trip to Disneyland Paris. I may just pay cashe for the Disney part and see what I can work out for the Paris part. I also want to try to see England while we are there. My plan is to make it a 14-15 day trip. We have never been to Europe so I want to not be too overwhelmed but see what we can too.

I wrote a trip report for this particular trip because it included our DCL Med cruise (although I never quite finished the last 2 days). There is a link in my siggie that will take you to it if you're interested in seeing more about Paris! We spent 4 nights there - LOVED every minute!! Wish we could go back again.

 

[Dean]

Omg you guys have been really helpful. My plan is to go in dec 2013. So I definitely want to see Paris and France but reward the kids with a trip to Disneyland Paris. I may just pay cashe for the Disney part and see what I can work out for the Paris part. I also want to try to see England while we are there. My plan is to make it a 14-15 day trip. We have never been to Europe so I want to not be too overwhelmed but see what we can too.

Dec should be an easy time to go and likely to get an exchange through II. There is a fair amount of availability for the Marriott currently through II for 2 BR's there. If you know someone who is an II member, maybe they can help you with this.

 

[traceyg]

Omg you guys have been really helpful. My plan is to go in dec 2013. So I definitely want to see Paris and France but reward the kids with a trip to Disneyland Paris. I may just pay cashe for the Disney part and see what I can work out for the Paris part. I also want to try to see England while we are there. My plan is to make it a 14-15 day trip. We have never been to Europe so I want to not be too overwhelmed but see what we can too.

I just looked at the pricing of the Magic Circus hotel and in the middle of Dec it's 139 euros- pretty reasonable.

As far as traveling back and forth from London to Paris, the Eurostar was fascinating.

My husband had work at the Farnborough airshow. A day before he was finished, I flew into Heathrow and we stayed in Windsor for a few nights. Then spent a week in London. We took the chunnel to Paris, stayed in Paris for 4 days or so and then went to Disney. We then went back to Paris for a few more days and then took the chunnel back to London. All in all I was there almost a month.

Getting around each city is easily done. Much like NYC or DC, there are subways (tubes) and taxis.

Since we split our stay in Paris we stayed in hotels in different areas so we could be closer to different parts of the city. Our first hotel was close to the Louvre and the second was close to the Eiffel Tower.

We did the "Ceremony of the Keys" one night. You have to write a letter to get your name on the list. It wasn't the absolute best part of the trip but it was really really neat. If you have time I would recommend doing it. It's where the Tower of London (think Queen's jewels) gets locked up for the night. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/theceremonyofthekeys

I had a blanket that I took on the plane that we ended up using on numerous occassions for picnicking. One night we went through different stores on our way to the Eiffel Tower and bought cheese, fruit, lunchmeat, crackers and wine. We spread the blanket out and ate dinner and watched the lights twinkle on the tower. There were tons of other people there doing the same thing.

When you are in heavily "touristy" areas make sure you don't have a wallet or purse or anything easily accessible to pilfering hands. We encountered Gypsies in a few places and actually felt their hands rubbing our bodies. I always had a body pouch for my money, credit cards and passport. I also carried a fabric wallet about 3x3 inches that I put money in and safety pinned it to the inside of my pants everyday. I pinned it to where the button is at. Then when I needed to pay for something I could easily pull it out and be inconspicuous.

These are some of the highlights of our trip:
London:
Tower of London
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
Big Ben/Parliament
Eye of London if the weather is nice
Westminster Abbey
Climbing to the dome at St. Paul's (lots of steps)

Paris:
Eiffel Tower
Tuileries
Arc de Triomphe/Champ-Elysees
Louvre
Notre Dame
Catacombs (creepy but interesting)

If you have any particular questions about any of them feel free to PM me. One of the best pieces of advise I got was to buy your Louvre tickets in the Tube at the platform exit before you get there. Absolutely no line there, if we had bought at the entrance we would have waited for a long time.

 

[Anal Annie]

I just looked at the pricing of the Magic Circus hotel and in the middle of Dec it's 139 euros- pretty reasonable.

As far as traveling back and forth from London to Paris, the Eurostar was fascinating.

My husband had work at the Farnborough airshow. A day before he was finished, I flew into Heathrow and we stayed in Windsor for a few nights. Then spent a week in London. We took the chunnel to Paris, stayed in Paris for 4 days or so and then went to Disney. We then went back to Paris for a few more days and then took the chunnel back to London. All in all I was there almost a month.

Getting around each city is easily done. Much like NYC or DC, there are subways (tubes) and taxis.

Since we split our stay in Paris we stayed in hotels in different areas so we could be closer to different parts of the city. Our first hotel was close to the Louvre and the second was close to the Eiffel Tower.

We did the "Ceremony of the Keys" one night. You have to write a letter to get your name on the list. It wasn't the absolute best part of the trip but it was really really neat. If you have time I would recommend doing it. It's where the Tower of London (think Queen's jewels) gets locked up for the night. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/theceremonyofthekeys

I had a blanket that I took on the plane that we ended up using on numerous occassions for picnicking. One night we went through different stores on our way to the Eiffel Tower and bought cheese, fruit, lunchmeat, crackers and wine. We spread the blanket out and ate dinner and watched the lights twinkle on the tower. There were tons of other people there doing the same thing.

When you are in heavily "touristy" areas make sure you don't have a wallet or purse or anything easily accessible to pilfering hands. We encountered Gypsies in a few places and actually felt their hands rubbing our bodies. I always had a body pouch for my money, credit cards and passport. I also carried a fabric wallet about 3x3 inches that I put money in and safety pinned it to the inside of my pants everyday. I pinned it to where the button is at. Then when I needed to pay for something I could easily pull it out and be inconspicuous.

These are some of the highlights of our trip:
London:
Tower of London
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
Big Ben/Parliament
Eye of London if the weather is nice
Westminster Abbey
Climbing to the dome at St. Paul's (lots of steps)

Paris:
Eiffel Tower
Tuileries
Arc de Triomphe/Champ-Elysees
Louvre
Notre Dame
Catacombs (creepy but interesting)

If you have any particular questions about any of them feel free to PM me. One of the best pieces of advise I got was to buy your Louvre tickets in the Tube at the platform exit before you get there. Absolutely no line there, if we had bought at the entrance we would have waited for a long time.

What a fabulous trip!! That sounds awesome!!

Just wanted to mention that one of the absolutely best things we did in Paris was to buy the Paris Museum Pass http://en.parismuseumpass.com. Entry to just almost every monument & museum in Paris is free for 18 & under so you only need to buy it for the adults in your party. You can buy it at any of the locations it covers or you can order it before you go. It is 39 euros per adult for a 2-day pass and it covers your entry into like 60 museums & monuments in Paris. (They also sell 4-day and 6-day passes.) But so for example individually, entry to the Arc de Triomphe is 9 eu per adult and the Louvre is 11 eu and the Musee de l'Arme is 9,5 eu - that's already 29,5 eu and you haven't even made it to the Musee d'Orsay, the towers of Notre Dame, the Pompidou Centre, the Pantheon or Versailles yet!! But perhaps the most valuable asset of the pass is that it offers a totally separate entrance line to each of these places!! When we went to the Louvre the line went all the way around that square where the glass pyramid is by the entrance - we waited in a line of about 12 or 15 people!! Same thing with the Arc de Triomphe and Musee d'Orsay and the Army Museum - we totally skipped their entire lines!! It saved us SOO much time - we never would've made it to as many places as we did in 2 days if we'd have had to wait in a line at each place just to buy tix.

The one big Paris attraction that is NOT covered with the pass is the Eiffel Tower. You're on your own for that!! If you can decide on a time to go for that before your trip (like waaay before) you can pre-buy tix for the Eiffel Tower and save a lot of time to not have to wait in the line there. (It can be like 90 min. long!) Luxembourg Gardens is free to walk through to enjoy on your own. OH, and they also sell something called a Paris Pass that includes more stuff (shopping discounts and access to the HOHO tour buses etc.)

 

[cwdefouw]

We used points to stay at The New York Hotel at Disneyland Paris in the mid 2000's. We did not go to the city on that trip as we had just been there two years prior. They offered bus transportation from CDG to the hotel, just like they do in Florida. At that time, admission to both parks was included so the value was much better. The hotel was nice, rooms were a little smaller than the ones at the American Resorts, but that is true throughout Europe. They did offer a complementary continental breakfast at that time, the chocolate croissants were to-die-for. We walked through the other hotels and thought the Sequoia Hotel was the nicest. We also did a tour of the Marriott time share nearby, it is very, very nice, we almost bought in. There is also a huge mall nearby with an attached outlet mall, one stop away on the train. Visiting that was a nice experience.

On the earlier trip when we stayed in Paris, we did take a day trip to Disneyland, it was pretty convienent to get there on the train. We were there on Grand Opening Day for the Studios Park, but it was a private event, so we didn't get to attend. We did see celebrities who were in town for the event, everywhere that we went in Paris.

 

[traceyg]

What a fabulous trip!! That sounds awesome!!

Just wanted to mention that one of the absolutely best things we did in Paris was to buy the Paris Museum Pass http://en.parismuseumpass.com. Entry to just almost every monument & museum in Paris is free for 18 & under so you only need to buy it for the adults in your party. You can buy it at any of the locations it covers or you can order it before you go. It is 39 euros per adult for a 2-day pass and it covers your entry into like 60 museums & monuments in Paris. (They also sell 4-day and 6-day passes.) But so for example individually, entry to the Arc de Triomphe is 9 eu per adult and the Louvre is 11 eu and the Musee de l'Arme is 9,5 eu - that's already 29,5 eu and you haven't even made it to the Musee d'Orsay, the towers of Notre Dame, the Pompidou Centre, the Pantheon or Versailles yet!! But perhaps the most valuable asset of the pass is that it offers a totally separate entrance line to each of these places!! When we went to the Louvre the line went all the way around that square where the glass pyramid is by the entrance - we waited in a line of about 12 or 15 people!! Same thing with the Arc de Triomphe and Musee d'Orsay and the Army Museum - we totally skipped their entire lines!! It saved us SOO much time - we never would've made it to as many places as we did in 2 days if we'd have had to wait in a line at each place just to buy tix.

The one big Paris attraction that is NOT covered with the pass is the Eiffel Tower. You're on your own for that!! If you can decide on a time to go for that before your trip (like waaay before) you can pre-buy tix for the Eiffel Tower and safe a lot of time to not have to wait in the line there. (It can be like 90 min. long!) Luxembourg Gardens is free to walk through to enjoy on your own. OH, and they also sell something called a Paris Pass that includes more stuff (shopping discounts and access to the HOHO tour buses etc.)

AWESOME advise!!!!

Three amusing stories-
We are from Texas, but I grew up in Los Angeles. I am a speech therapist and can help people with dialects and such. I don't consider myself to have an accent. We were at the top of the Eiffel Tower and was approached by another couple just being friendly. I don't remember the exchange but after about 4 words the husband says "oh I hear you are from Texas". lol

One of my favorite things on the trip was lighting a prayer candle (forgive me if I called it the wrong thing) at Notre Dame. There are boxes of them. You pick one up and put money in a wooden box next to it. It's all on an honor system. I think it was 1.5 euros. I put one on the candelabra and lit it. My husband wasn't paying attention until this moment I suppose and says pretty loudly "what are you doing?!? You're not even Catholic or anything!" I guess he thought you had to be a parishioner of ND to buy a candle. As we are walking out there this a little desk selling items. I see a pretty necklace with a medallion. Luckily it's in English and it's St. Christopher the Patron saint of (something) protection? maybe? Now I really am not Catholic but it's beautiful and the thought behind it is really cool and for a moment I think about purchasing it. I realize that my motivation isn't for the religious aspect of it but rather greed (of owning a beautiful necklace) and put it back. My DH is behind me again and says "you don't need no saint!" Now normally he could have cared less what I bought and is pretty laid back and usually reserved in the way of giving his opinions. I don't know what it was about Notre Dame that was bringing it out in him, but finally I say "well aren't you just the Jed Clampet of Notre Dame today!?! If I want to become Catholic and if I want a St. Christopher I will buy it, or two or ten" He starts laughing and discreetly asks how much it costs. lol

We leave Notre Dame and I realize that I really really have to pee. In most American metropolitan cities there are Starbucks or McDonalds on just about every other corner. In Paris and London there were some fast service places but they were few and far between. Around Notre Dame there is absolutely nothing! I was about to be sick from hurting I had to go so bad. I see a sign for "hospital". In American hospitals there are usually bathrooms at the front of the building so I figured I'd take my chance. I walk in and the first thing that meets me is a lady at a desk. I say in my best broken French... s'il vous plaît un toilet? She starts to YELL at me! I mean the stereotypical yelling that you see on commercials. (This was the ONLY time I encountered anyone in all of France or England that wasn't pleasant). I quickly retreat because I realize she isn't going to help me. As I am walking out she says to me in French "Hospitals are for sick people!" I look her in the eyes and say "I am sick! I have to go to the bathroom! My stomach is sick!" She then starts apologizing profusely and says "come back come back!". Long story short I walk a few feet and go into a sit down restaraunt and am prepared to eat whatever they are willing to sell me so I can go to the bathroom! lol They ended up having pay toilets (that took me like three tries, because each one took my money but wouldn't open the door, and it was like .50 Euros each). I would have ordered escargot and lobster if that's what the price for admission was! lol Crazy!

 

[Anal Annie]

AWESOME advise!!!!

Three amusing stories-
We are from Texas, but I grew up in Los Angeles. I am a speech therapist and can help people with dialects and such. I don't consider myself to have an accent. We were at the top of the Eiffel Tower and was approached by another couple just being friendly. I don't remember the exchange but after about 4 words the husband says "oh I hear you are from Texas". lol

One of my favorite things on the trip was lighting a prayer candle (forgive me if I called it the wrong thing) at Notre Dame. There are boxes of them. You pick one up and put money in a wooden box next to it. It's all on an honor system. I think it was 1.5 euros. I put one on the candelabra and lit it. My husband wasn't paying attention until this moment I suppose and says pretty loudly "what are you doing?!? You're not even Catholic or anything!" I guess he thought you had to be a parishioner of ND to buy a candle. As we are walking out there this a little desk selling items. I see a pretty necklace with a medallion. Luckily it's in English and it's St. Christopher the Patron saint of (something) protection? maybe? Now I really am not Catholic but it's beautiful and the thought behind it is really cool and for a moment I think about purchasing it. I realize that my motivation isn't for the religious aspect of it but rather greed (of owning a beautiful necklace) and put it back. My DH is behind me again and says "you don't need no saint!" Now normally he could have cared less what I bought and is pretty laid back and usually reserved in the way of giving his opinions. I don't know what it was about Notre Dame that was bringing it out in him, but finally I say "well aren't you just the Jed Clampet of Notre Dame today!?! If I want to become Catholic and if I want a St. Christopher I will buy it, or two or ten" He starts laughing and discreetly asks how much it costs. lol

We leave Notre Dame and I realize that I really really have to pee. In most American metropolitan cities there are Starbucks or McDonalds on just about every other corner. In Paris and London there were some fast service places but they were few and far between. Around Notre Dame there is absolutely nothing! I was about to be sick from hurting I had to go so bad. I see a sign for "hospital". In American hospitals there are usually bathrooms at the front of the building so I figured I'd take my chance. I walk in and the first thing that meets me is a lady at a desk. I say in my best broken French... s'il vous plaît un toilet? She starts to YELL at me! I mean the stereotypical yelling that you see on commercials. (This was the ONLY time I encountered anyone in all of France or England that wasn't pleasant). I quickly retreat because I realize she isn't going to help me. As I am walking out she says to me in French "Hospitals are for sick people!" I look her in the eyes and say "I am sick! I have to go to the bathroom! My stomach is sick!" She then starts apologizing profusely and says "come back come back!". Long story short I walk a few feet and go into a sit down restaraunt and am prepared to eat whatever they are willing to sell me so I can go to the bathroom! lol They ended up having pay toilets (that took me like three tries, because each one took my money but wouldn't open the door, and it was like .50 Euros each). I would have ordered escargot and lobster if that's what the price for admission was! lol Crazy!

Oh the toilet situation in Europe is horrible in some places! But there actually IS a public restroom facility at Notre Dame!! I can't remember if I had to pay or not - I think there was an attendant but it wasn't required - but anyway, as you face the front facade it is in a small building over to the right. There was a HUGE line but when ya gotta go....ya gotta go. Actually, I think the only place that I HAD to pay was in Monaco. Anyway, we carried small rolls (old almost finished rolls that I put into baggies) of TP with us the entire trip but my absolute worst day where I just couldn't find a place to go was in the Cinque Terre in Italy. OMG. Literally, holes in the floor. I couldn't do it. I "held it" ALLLL day. Finally at like 3:00 or 3:30 that afternoon I told DH we were done. Time to take the train back to the ship 'cuz I was about to POP!!

 

[traceyg]

Oh the toilet situation in Europe is horrible in some places! But there actually IS a public restroom facility at Notre Dame!! I can't remember if I had to pay or not - I think there was an attendant but it wasn't required - but anyway, as you face the front facade it is in a small building over to the right. There was a HUGE line but when ya gotta go....ya gotta go. Actually, I think the only place that I HAD to pay was in Monaco. Anyway, we carried small rolls (old almost finished rolls that I put into baggies) of TP with us the entire trip but my absolute worst day where I just couldn't find a place to go was in the Cinque Terre in Italy. OMG. Literally, holes in the floor. I couldn't do it. I "held it" ALLLL day. Finally at like 3:00 or 3:30 that afternoon I told DH we were done. Time to take the train back to the ship 'cuz I was about to POP!!

It was out of order that day! There was a sign on it and tape if I remember correctly. When I saw it I didn't immediately panic. I panicked when the hospital lady yelled at me. In London there was a facility at the tube platform. I was about to go in and a nice English man came out saying that his daughter was stuck in there because there was no paper and asked if we had any tissues. Unfortunately for her and myself I didn't. He goes back in to search some more and comes out a second later with a toilet bowl brush. With a smirk he asks "will this do?!?" lol