Upset! : ( Booking through DVC so no meal plan for us!!!

[Cad0587]

I am booking our DLP trip through the Disney Vacation Club. I ASSUMED I'd be able to buy my park tickets and dining plan through them but nope! not for Paris! And I can't purchase a meal plan separate so no meal plan for us! This is putting a major dent in my plans. We will be there for 7 nights/8 days. If DLP is anything like Disney World food is probably expensive, can anyone help me figure out what I should now adjust our budget to to account for food (2 adults, 2 children). Also I have to purchase tickets my self. I went to the DLP website, we will be doing 5 days in the parks and the only option I really see for us is the 5 day (for the price of 4) ticket with the park hopper option. We never park hop, is there just a regular ticket I can buy that will be cheaper? At Disney World they have park hopper tickets and base tickets. I also heard something about dated tickets being cheaper but I don't see the dated option unless you're only doing 1 day.

 

[Cad0587]

By the way, I like to OVERESTIMATE my budget. I like to estimate more than it might be rather than underestimate and then be surprised I have to pay a lot more so don't be afraid to over inflate your estimates for me! lol

 

[Danauk]

If you are there for 5 days you would be better off buying an annual pass. This would also get you a discount on food and shops (the discount depends on the exact pass you buy). This would possibly work out cheaper than the meal plan. Park hopping at DLP is very easy as the parks are next to one another, almost like walking between lands. We park hop most days at DLP whilst we probably would not at WDW.

 

[A Small World]

I was going to suggest an annual pass as well as it will probably work out cheaper than buying tickets.
Also you are much more likely to park hop at DLP as the parks are literally a few minutes apart.

The meal plans are not always very good at DLP as you often don't save much money.
Have you looked at some of the menus on the restaurant sticky- CarrieCat has updated a lot of them recently - this will give you an idea of how much to budget.

Where are you staying? Remember breakfast is included in the Disney hotels and depending where you are staying you might be able to get away with a large breakfast, small snack at lunch and then one main meal

 

[Cad0587]

Great! Thanks for the info! Sounds like an annual pass is the way to go. Although all communications about the annual pass are ONLY in French. I am allowed to buy one over here in the states right? lol my cousin who speaks French is going to help me look over the website. We are staying at Sequoia Lodge and I did see breakfast was included at some hotels but was unsure right now if that was for all hotels. If it is, great!

 

[A Small World]

Great! Thanks for the info! Sounds like an annual pass is the way to go. Although all communications about the annual pass are ONLY in French. I am allowed to buy one over here in the states right? lol my cousin who speaks French is going to help me look over the website. We are staying at Sequoia Lodge and I did see breakfast was included at some hotels but was unsure right now if that was for all hotels. If it is, great!

Yes it is included at all the Disney hotels although Sequoia Lodge doesn't have a cooked breakfast unless you are booked into a Golden Forest Room.

Have you seen this website? There is a lot of useful info including some about annual passes

http://www.dlpguide.com

There is also a sticky thread at the top of this page with useful info about annual passes

 

[Cad0587]

Looks maybe I can't buy an annual pass ahead of time, that's only for french residents? does anyone know if there will be any restrictions on buying an annual pass when we arrive and using it for our entire stay right away? I will post this on the annual pass thread too...

 

[Danauk]

You can buy a 1 day park pass then go to the annual pass office and buy an AP. They take off the cost of the 1 day ticket from your AP. If you are there at the same time as an existing AP holder (if you ask here someone might be able to help you) then you can get a further 10% off if they sponsor you.

 

[DLPdaft]

Looks maybe I can't buy an annual pass ahead of time, that's only for french residents? does anyone know if there will be any restrictions on buying an annual pass when we arrive and using it for our entire stay right away? I will post this on the annual pass thread too...

you are staying onsite at the Sequoia Lodge? Then there are no restrictions on you buying fantasy annual passes and using them straightaway on arrival at DLP. You can pay for them at any of the ticket booths at the entrance to the parks, or at Guest Services (also at the entrance to the parks). Take your passports with you for photo ID purposes, and then sometime on the same day you bought the annual passes, take your temporary ticket and receipt to the AP office inside the main park, where they will make up your permanent laminated AP for you. Anyone, from any country, can buy APs in person at DLP.

 

[Cad0587]

I was really hoping to buy it ahead of time and I believe I found the website where I can!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Yeah, I too would buy a Fantasy annual pass - that way you get the discounts on dining and all the other advantages. It is amazing how affordable annual passes are at DLP!

Good luck and happy planning!:surf web:

Just a side note - I have found table service and buffets the best dining option at DLP - counter service meals were expensive and not very satisfying IMO - but there is an Earl of Sandwich that I will definitely plan to enjoy.

dlpguide is a good website to get ideas about food costs - all the menus are listed -

 

[Ware Bears]

Just a side note - I have found table service and buffets the best dining option at DLP - counter service meals were expensive and not very satisfying IMO - but there is an Earl of Sandwich that I will definitely plan to enjoy.

Agree

 

[Cad0587]

Well all 3 annual passes share a 10% discount on food, it seems like the only difference between the 3 are black out dates.

 

[Cad0587]

Ahh looks like I was right. I can not buy it ahead of time if I live in the US.

 

[A Small World]

Well all 3 annual passes share a 10% discount on food, it seems like the only difference between the 3 are black out dates.

If you are staying in a Disney hotel the blackout days don't matter however if you buy the cheapest pass you cannot use it on day 2 and 3 after first use.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Ahh looks like I was right. I can not buy it ahead of time if I live in the US.

Anyone can buy an AP ahead of time but you will only get a fully made up laminated one in advance if you order it by post

Have a look at this thread which explains how you do that.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3076546

Otherwise you can buy a temporary AP which you turn into a laminated one on site at the AP office which is where they take your photo, check your id and you sign the contract

There are no restrictions on any country purchasing either of these options in advance

Or you buy one on site as suggested above with a sponsor and you'd get 10% off your AP's. You then go to the AP office and finish the job

 

[owensamo]

Anyone can buy an AP ahead of time but you will only get a fully made up laminated one in advance if you order it by post

Have a look at this thread which explains how you do that.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3076546

Otherwise you can buy a temporary AP which you turn into a laminated one on site at the AP office which is where they take your photo, check your id and you sign the contract

There are no restrictions on any country purchasing either of these options in advance

Or you buy one on site as suggested above with a sponsor and you'd get 10% off your AP's. You then go to the AP office and finish the job

Carrie Cat,

Thank you for the information. I've looked at this thread before and I'm wary of sending this much information through standard post - both due to the possibility of the mail getting lost, as well as the ease of access to credit card information.

What I would prefer to do is purchase a voucher from DLP's website and exchange it when we get there - however the OP appears to be correct - you can't actually purchase an AP from the US on DLP's site. Going to the French site, the address defaults to France with no option to change the country.

Going to the link for the country change puts me in the US site, which has no option for an Annual Pass - only for a 5 day park hopper that costs more in Dollars than the Dream Pass would in Euros even with a foreign exchange fee.

Is there any way to purchase a Fantasy or Dream annual pass voucher from DLP in the US?

Thanks!

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Hello

You fill in your adress but leave the country as France. Nothing is sent to you by the post, you receive the temporary AP by email and you print it off at home. You have 6 months from the day of purchase to use your ticket

If you don't want to do that on the idf disneylandparis site you can order your AP again to print off on an email from the Fnac - it costs an extra 50cts to print your ticket off at home


http://www.fnactickets.com/place-sp...manif_codman-MI411_hnoeud-1658619347742157416


http://www.fnactickets.com/place-sp...ttraction-PASSEPORT-ANNUEL-FANTASY-MI410.htm#

 

[Cad0587]

If you are staying in a Disney hotel the blackout days don't matter however if you buy the cheapest pass you cannot use it on day 2 and 3 after first use.

Thank you guys for your help on this subject! I will buy a Fantasy annual pass on the day we arrive. I didn't know that the black out dates don't matter if I am staying at a Disney hotel, which we are!, so good to know. Thank you guys!!!

 

[Cad0587]

Just out of curiosity on a black out date how do they know if you are exempt because you're staying on site?