The first time I went to DLP I only had a day, which I spent in
Disneyland. I completely missed out Walt Disney Studios and there was a lot of things I missed in Disneyland itself! So would suggest maybe 2 days if possible...
Places to stay:
- On-site hotels: these are expensive but are on-site and give you access to Extra Magic Hours - which would be useful if it's a busy day at the parks.
- Off-site hotels: there are some partner hotels nearby (e.g. Kyriad) that are accessible via free shuttle bus; there are also other hotels near nearby RER stations (e.g. Ibis at Val d'Europe) that are accessible by taking the RER train. These are much cheaper!
Have a look at both the DLP website and websites like booking.com and Expedia to see what is available - though at this point it's probably too early to be booking for August 2014!
Dining: not tried that many food places in/around DLP (something I hope to correct with upcoming visits), but on my last visit I went to Walt's (one of the restaurants in Disneyland) and that was just an amazing experience - very good food and service and a very nice break from the crowds around noon! And there are some tables in Walt's from which you can look out onto Main Street and watch the parade (sadly I didn't have one of them)...
I only know a few phrases in French (mainly "merci", "bonjour", and "parlez vous Anglais") but haven't had too many problems. Most of the CMs I've met speak English. A lot of things are in both English and French (e.g. Disney Dreams and Cinemagique) - the only ride I had problems with language was Star Tours where the dialogue is exclusively in French. So I think you should be fine language-wise!
Things that seem to be different in DLP from WDW (from what I've read and from the little I remember from going to WDW a long time ago, and by no means exhaustive!):
- Castle with dragon and the stained glass panels
- Big Thunder Mountain - the ride goes under the river/lake and is centred on an island in the middle of the lake
- Phantom Manor - version is somewhat different from Haunted Mansion
- Indiana Jones - this is quite a tame roller coaster but seems to be unique to DLP
- Space Mountain - way more intense than any other Space Mountain I've taken, also very fun
- Crush's Coaster - usually has a long wait but is very very fun - I love it and would go on it again and again if not for the long wait...
- Toy Story Playland - seems to be a new land that is so far only in WDS Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland? I could be wrong about this though
- The new Ratatouille ride if it's up and running by August 2014
- Cinemagique and Animagique which I believe are unique to DLP
- Disney Dreams night time show - not sure if will still be running in August 2014 though but is one of the best Disney night shows I've ever seen (right up there with World of Color, and I liked it better than Fantasmic...)
