When to Start Booking for Summer 2017

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

With all the construction in WDW and DLC next year, my family decided to visit DLP next summer. Unlike WDW, where I book my flight and package (BounceBack offer) a year ahead. I am loss with my DLP planning. I went to Paris 10 years ago with just a day visit at DLP. This time around, I want to stay 4-5 days at DLP and 4 days in Paris. Probably will add another few days at London in between.

When is a good time to book flight, DLP package and hotels? Do I need to wait for certain time for a summer offer like WDW?

Thanks for the help.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Visiting DLP is far far less stressful and more relaxed than both WDW and DLC. Most of us only book maximum 8 out, my last trip I booked at 5 months out.
There is not just one offer at a time for DLP. Each of the main European countries have different offers on their websites. What many of us do is decided when we want to visit, then at about 7 months out start checking the different websites and then when we find an offer that we like, we book it.

Websites to check
http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/
http://www.disneylandparis.ie
http://www.disneylandparis.fr
http://www.disneylandparis.de
http://www.disneylandparis.nl
http://www.disneylandparis.be
http://www.disneylandparis.it

The DLP website prices are package prices ie hotel and park tickets and all the onsite hotels include breakfast. Disney really push the meal plans but most people find that they are not good value and often people dont use all the vouchers.

All the onsite hotels are walkable from the park but there are buses too. There are 6 onsite hotels and 8 partner (good neighbour) hotels. The partner hotels dont have access to EMH

ADR are not really necessary unless you are going to be there in peak time or want to do character dining. I always do ADR as I find it structures my day. ADR can only be made by phone and are available at 60 days out.

DLP has legacy paper Fast Pass, same as DLC.

As for flights, around about the same timescale. You havent said where you are flying from ie Europe or America. I always use www.skyscanner.com to check flight prices. Around 7 months out is a good time to buy flights.

If you want to visit London, I would start there. Fly to London, spend
a few days there, fly to Paris , get a cheap hotel at the airport as a base to visit the city, then get http://magicalshuttle.co.uk/ from the airport to Disney and back to the airport and then fly home from Paris

If you are flying from America, you will end up buying 2 single flights, which is always more expensive than a return flight

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

If you are flying from America, you will end up buying 2 single flights, which is always more expensive than a return flight

Thank you so much for all your wonderful insights. You have shown me the yellow brick road. Thank you!!!!

I will be flying out from New York and you're 100% right about 2 single flights. When I was using this August to estimate my cost, an one way flight to Paris is almost double of a round trip. I was thinking about taking the Eurostar from DLP to London and back to Paris. The weekend fare is more budget friendly. With 2 girls age 9 and 6 at the time, I'm not sure about making multiple stops at our first European trip. Well, I guess when the time comes I will have a better idea what is best for my family.

 

[tennisfan]

Thank you so much for all your wonderful insights. You have shown me the yellow brick road. Thank you!!!!

I will be flying out from New York and you're 100% right about 2 single flights. When I was using this August to estimate my cost, an one way flight to Paris is almost double of a round trip. I was thinking about taking the Eurostar from DLP to London and back to Paris. The weekend fare is more budget friendly. With 2 girls age 9 and 6 at the time, I'm not sure about making multiple stops at our first European trip. Well, I guess when the time comes I will have a better idea what is best for my family.

I would recommend flying into Paris and then go to London via Eurostar especially if the cost of flights double by not doing a return. Tickets for Eurostar can be reasonable of purchased when first released for the dates you want to travel

 

[albertamom]

I'm eagerly following along. We, too, are planning a summer 2017 trip to DLP, also spending a few days in Paris and London. We would be flying from Calgary.

I hope it's okay if I ask some questions, as well, rather than start my own thread.

When will the Disney sites release their Summer 2017 packages? Are there usually good deals right off the bat, or are we better to wait a bit? Is payment due in full when booking through a Disney site? Our Canadian dollar is doing very poorly against the USD, but even worse against the Euro. I had quite the sticker shock when I initially priced out a stay for this summer. The packages, when staying at a Disney hotel, are SO expensive.

 

[BadPinkTink]

When will the Disney sites release their Summer 2017 packages? Are there usually good deals right off the bat, or are we better to wait a bit?

I dont watch the deals, so Im not sure, hopefully some one else will know

Is payment due in full when booking through a Disney site?

If you book online through the website, payment id due in full when booking. If you book over the phone, then usually just a 15 % deposit is taken and the balance payable 30 days before arrival. I did this for my last trip, booked September 2015 over the phone with the French call centre as I wanted the deal on the French website (I am from Ireland) Although I have seen where people booked over the phone and the full amount was charged to their card.

Our Canadian dollar is doing very poorly against the USD, but even worse against the Euro. I had quite the sticker shock when I initially priced out a stay for this summer. The packages, when staying at a Disney hotel, are SO expensive.

Remember that the Disneyland Paris hotel packages are for room, breakfast and park tickets. If you were to price up the room only and then pay for park tickets separately it would be more expensive (unless you already had a DLP AP)

 

[albertamom]

I dont watch the deals, so Im not sure, hopefully some one else will know


If you book online through the website, payment id due in full when booking. If you book over the phone, then usually just a 15 % deposit is taken and the balance payable 30 days before arrival. I did this for my last trip, booked September 2015 over the phone with the French call centre as I wanted the deal on the French website (I am from Ireland) Although I have seen where people booked over the phone and the full amount was charged to their card.


Remember that the Disneyland Paris hotel packages are for room, breakfast and park tickets. If you were to price up the room only and then pay for park tickets separately it would be more expensive (unless you already had a DLP AP)

Thank you so much! So there is no problem with booking on another country's website? I've read that you just need to put that country as your country when filling out the form online. Seems deceitful to me (I'm a goody 2-shoes). When you phoned, were you up-front about your location? You had an English speaking person on the phone?

 

[A Small World]

Yes theres no problem with it at all. You can book on any countries website you want to get their deal - its all legal and above board so don't worry.
If you book online you put your address but leave the country as the one you are booking from - nothing is posted to you
If you phone up either phone the number for that country or the easiest way is just to phone the number you normally would from your country and tell them you want to book the deal from X country. Usually this is fine but If they say you can't then tell them you know you can and insist on it or hang up and call back later and speak to someone else

One thing to remember when looking at prices on other sites is that the price is in that country's currency.
Most of Europe including Ireland use Euros. UK doesn't so that price is in Pounds Sterling.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thank you so much! So there is no problem with booking on another country's website? I've read that you just need to put that country as your country when filling out the form online. Seems deceitful to me (I'm a goody 2-shoes). When you phoned, were you up-front about your location? You had an English speaking person on the phone?

Dont worry, its not deceitful or illegal, I think its something to do with European law, as in our freedom of sale of goods and services , so it applies to all countries. All the bookings are electronic, ie you just get confirmation emails and when you actually check-in to your hotel you get your park tickets, meal vouchers etc etc. Nothing is sent in the post.

I checked all the different country websites and the offer on the French website suited me best. I took down all the details and then rang the phone number on the Irish website, which then gets answered in Florida!!! I said I wanted to book the offer listed on the French website and the American male CM said fine , no problem , I will transfer you to the French call centre. An English speaking French female CM then did my booking over the phone, no problem or issues when I said I was Irish and gave an Irish billing address and contact phone number. I got a confirmation number from the French CM and a confirmation email about 2 days later.

Once I had the booking confirmation number, I then went to the French Disney Website (not the Irish one) and created a My Disney Account. When I logged in , all my booking details were there in the My Reservations section. It was all in French, of course, but I know basic French and Google translate helped with the words I couldn't figure out.

There is also an online payment form to pay the balance, as I had only paid a deposit. I used the online payment form to pay my balance in January, when I did, that payment section then disappeared from my screen. I got a payment confirmation email about 2 days later.

A few days later I repeated the whole process, rang the Irish number, answered in Florida, but this time I asked to be transferred to Dining Reservations as I wanted to make some ADR. Again no problems or issues, I just gave my confirmation number, my name and booking details were confirmed and then I said which restaurants, day , time, amount of people. For DLP you dont get an physical record of your ADR ie an email, you just turn up at the restaurant and they have a printed list at the host stand.

 

[albertamom]

Dont worry, its not deceitful or illegal, I think its something to do with European law, as in our freedom of sale of goods and services , so it applies to all countries. All the bookings are electronic, ie you just get confirmation emails and when you actually check-in to your hotel you get your park tickets, meal vouchers etc etc. Nothing is sent in the post.

I checked all the different country websites and the offer on the French website suited me best. I took down all the details and then rang the phone number on the Irish website, which then gets answered in Florida!!! I said I wanted to book the offer listed on the French website and the American male CM said fine , no problem , I will transfer you to the French call centre. An English speaking French female CM then did my booking over the phone, no problem or issues when I said I was Irish and gave an Irish billing address and contact phone number. I got a confirmation number from the French CM and a confirmation email about 2 days later.

Once I had the booking confirmation number, I then went to the French Disney Website (not the Irish one) and created a My Disney Account. When I logged in , all my booking details were there in the My Reservations section. It was all in French, of course, but I know basic French and Google translate helped with the words I couldn't figure out.

There is also an online payment form to pay the balance, as I had only paid a deposit. I used the online payment form to pay my balance in January, when I did, that payment section then disappeared from my screen. I got a payment confirmation email about 2 days later.

A few days later I repeated the whole process, rang the Irish number, answered in Florida, but this time I asked to be transferred to Dining Reservations as I wanted to make some ADR. Again no problems or issues, I just gave my confirmation number, my name and booking details were confirmed and then I said which restaurants, day , time, amount of people. For DLP you dont get an physical record of your ADR ie an email, you just turn up at the restaurant and they have a printed list at the host stand.

Thank you SO much! I love knowing exactly how things will happen. Definitely sounds like something I could handle!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

 

[albertamom]

Yes theres no problem with it at all. You can book on any countries website you want to get their deal - its all legal and above board so don't worry.
If you book online you put your address but leave the country as the one you are booking from - nothing is posted to you
If you phone up either phone the number for that country or the easiest way is just to phone the number you normally would from your country and tell them you want to book the deal from X country. Usually this is fine but If they say you can't then tell them you know you can and insist on it or hang up and call back later and speak to someone else

One thing to remember when looking at prices on other sites is that the price is in that country's currency.
Most of Europe including Ireland use Euros. UK doesn't so that price is in Pounds Sterling.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. My family makes fun of me because I'm such a worrier.

I'll definitely put my google dollar converter to work!

 

[kiapepito]

Thank you for posting! I was about to do the same, as we decided that we are skipping WDW and instead going back to Europe but with a stop to Paris Disney in July 2017. Eeek can not wait!

 

[kiapepito]

Our plan at the moment is to go to Paris for two days and then head over to DP. Is it better to stay the night before we head into the park or is it possible to get to the park before rope drop?

I'm going to have an abundance of questions as well.. lol.. we are all in this together aren't we? We will be coming from California!

 

[albertamom]

Our plan at the moment is to go to Paris for two days and then head over to DP. Is it better to stay the night before we head into the park or is it possible to get to the park before rope drop?

I'm going to have an abundance of questions as well.. lol.. we are all in this together aren't we? We will be coming from California!

Hi fellow traveller! What would we do without Disboards?

We can excitedly plan together!

We are tentatively planning 3 nights at DLP, going into the parks the day we arrive and the two full days of our stay. Probably the last week of July.

 

[kiapepito]

No kidding! Last year we took our first Disney Cruise and WDW trip and my research was a full year... I feel like we are doing it all over again!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Is it better to stay the night before we head into the park or is it possible to get to the park before rope drop?

hi
if you stay onsite (6 hotels, all types of budget) you package includes room, breakfast and park tickets. The park tickets give you access on your arrival day and on your departure day. All onsite hotel guest have access to EMH which is from 8am to 10am. General opening is at 10am. Before 10am they hold the general public at the bag check area, you can only get through if you have a hotel easypass.

As you have access to the park on your arrival day and departure day, many people try to arrive as early as they can and leave as late as they can.

For example, my last trip a few weeks ago. I got the first flight from my country (departure 6.50am) to Paris, which landed at 9.30 am Paris time) then got the 10.30am bus to Disney and was in the park at 12.30pm after checking into my hotel. Some people arrive the day before their check in at Disney and either stay at a cheap hotel at the airport or at cheap hotel in the town beside Disney called Val d'Europe. Then the next morning, go to Disney, check in and go to the park for an almost full day.

I did the opposite. On my departure day I checked out of my Disney hotel, put my bags in the luggage store and stayed the full day in the park. When the park closed, I collected my bags and got the bus over to Val d'Europe (10 minutes) and stayed overnight at a cheap hotel. Then the next morning I got the bus to the airport.

 

[albertamom]

hi
if you stay onsite (6 hotels, all types of budget) you package includes room, breakfast and park tickets. The park tickets give you access on your arrival day and on your departure day. All onsite hotel guest have access to EMH which is from 8am to 10am. General opening is at 10am. Before 10am they hold the general public at the bag check area, you can only get through if you have a hotel easypass.

As you have access to the park on your arrival day and departure day, many people try to arrive as early as they can and leave as late as they can.

For example, my last trip a few weeks ago. I got the first flight from my country (departure 6.50am) to Paris, which landed at 9.30 am Paris time) then got the 10.30am bus to Disney and was in the park at 12.30pm after checking into my hotel. Some people arrive the day before their check in at Disney and either stay at a cheap hotel at the airport or at cheap hotel in the town beside Disney called Val d'Europe. Then the next morning, go to Disney, check in and go to the park for an almost full day.

I did the opposite. On my departure day I checked out of my Disney hotel, put my bags in the luggage store and stayed the full day in the park. When the park closed, I collected my bags and got the bus over to Val d'Europe (10 minutes) and stayed overnight at a cheap hotel. Then the next morning I got the bus to the airport.

Great information! I didn't realize that a 3 night stay got you a 4 day ticket.

Great advice about a Val d'Europe hotel before and/or after. Even though it's so expensive, I'm pretty sure we'll stay at the Disneyland Hotel. It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and my daughter (whose high school graduation we'll be celebrating) would be absolutely blown away. A Val d'Europe hotel the last night of our trip would be a very economical way to extend the stay.

Which hotel(s) do you suggest there? Can you explain how the bus transportation works between the Disney hotel and that one? No problem with luggage?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Great information! I didn't realize that a 3 night stay got you a 4 day ticket.

Great advice about a Val d'Europe hotel before and/or after. Even though it's so expensive, I'm pretty sure we'll stay at the Disneyland Hotel. It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and my daughter (whose high school graduation we'll be celebrating) would be absolutely blown away. A Val d'Europe hotel the last night of our trip would be a very economical way to extend the stay.

Which hotel(s) do you suggest there? Can you explain how the bus transportation works between the Disney hotel and that one? No problem with luggage?

Yes most people dont realise that, and dont use their arrival day / departure day time wisely. I stayed at The Disneyland Hotel a few weeks ago. I had originally booked Hotel New York and Disney gave me a free upgrade to Disneyland Hotel. OMG, it was amazing, but honestly Im not sure if I would PAY the extra. When I checked what it would have cost to stay in the room I ended up in, one night was the equivalent of what I paid for my 2 night / 3 day package in Hotel New York!

The hotel I stayed at in Val d'Europe is http://www.hotelelysee.com/en/ but there are many others. You will have to walk from Disneyland Hotel, to the train station, which is just beside Disney Village. There is a bus station area beside the train station. The buses for Val d'Europe pick up on the side nearest Disney Village. There are a few bus pick up areas, just walk down until you find the one that says Route 50 Hotel E'Lysee It says the hotel name also on the front of the bus. The journey took about 10 minutes and the bus parked about 1 building down from the hotel. You can also get a train to Val d'Europe, just one stop. The hotel is directly across the street from the main huge mall of the area, well worth a visit if you have the time.

 

[albertamom]

Yes most people dont realise that, and dont use their arrival day / departure day time wisely. I stayed at The Disneyland Hotel a few weeks ago. I had originally booked Hotel New York and Disney gave me a free upgrade to Disneyland Hotel. OMG, it was amazing, but honestly Im not sure if I would PAY the extra. When I checked what it would have cost to stay in the room I ended up in, one night was the equivalent of what I paid for my 2 night / 3 day package in Hotel New York!

The hotel I stayed at in Val d'Europe is http://www.hotelelysee.com/en/ but there are many others. You will have to walk from Disneyland Hotel, to the train station, which is just beside Disney Village. There is a bus station area beside the train station. The buses for Val d'Europe pick up on the side nearest Disney Village. There are a few bus pick up areas, just walk down until you find the one that says Route 50 Hotel E'Lysee It says the hotel name also on the front of the bus. The journey took about 10 minutes and the bus parked about 1 building down from the hotel. You can also get a train to Val d'Europe, just one stop. The hotel is directly across the street from the main huge mall of the area, well worth a visit if you have the time.

I know...the price is crazy, especially with our sucky exchange rate. But, like I said...once in a lifetime!

I would love to hear more about your stay there. Which room type did you have? We would just get the most basic (ie. cheapest) level. What was your breakfast experience like? Any general tips?

Back to the bus...do you buy your tickets ahead of time?

 

[BadPinkTink]

I would love to hear more about your stay there. Which room type did you have? We would just get the most basic (ie. cheapest) level. What was your breakfast experience like? Any general tips?

I am going to write up a trip report, and alot of details will be in that but just for now

I was in a standard room on the 3rd floor. My view was overlooking Fantasia Gardens, which are being refurbished. It was the most basic, just 1 double bed. Breakfast is a buffet, with cooked items such as pancakes, bacon, sausages, scrambled and hard boiled eggs as well as the usual selection of cold meats and cheese, fruit and yoghurt's, bread for toasting and pastries. Tea and coffee were served at the table, fruit juices were part of the buffet.

Tips
Go for breakfast early
Use EMH - characters in the park, signature rides in Fantasyland and Discoveryland open, pick a signature ride to wait for at rope drop at 10am
Use fast passes and single rider lines
Study the maps, know what shows etc you want to see, check which restaurants are open and plan your meals
Pin Trading - not as popular as in USA, best time is during EMH to lunch time
Use the pool at least once

Back to the bus...do you buy your tickets ahead of time?

The route 50 from Disney to Hotel E'Lysee / Val d'Europe is free