Disneyland Paris

[retired_member32]

Has anyone took the kids Disneyland Paris ?

I am looking for pointers because it will be my first trip abroad with the little ones so i want a good holiday experience for them.

I have been looking at the Disneyland Direct site but there are so many hotels and packages it is mesmerizing.

If anybody could me some advice on hotels ,what to do and what not to do i would appreciate it.

Regards

Mark

 

[binny]

I went in late March 2008 and it was bloody freezing, think it was an unusual temperature blip tho.

We stayed in the Sequoia Lodge Disney hotel, which wasn't too bad inside but the food was utter shite and the kids menus were the worst bit. The Disney hotels are all within walking distance from the park located around a big man-made lake thing but there are buses every few minutes from the front of the hotels as well.

We had a nipper under 1 as well as a 3 and 5 year old so we ended up eating in the park and the MacDonalds outside as the kids turned their noses up at the hotel food. It was a problem getting food for the little 'un tho. Disney have made sure there are no normal shops around too so you are prisoner to their bad nosh as there is nothing except for a petrol station nearby.

There were other types of hotel dotted around, the benefit of the Disney ones is being close enough to walk and also get earlier entry to the parks, but maybe those other hotels have edible food!

The parks are good, clean and weren't mega busy when we were there.

I pre-booked a bus that runs from the airport to the resort and back every 40 mins or so, it run on time and was easy enough, everyone on the bus is in the same boat having luggage whereas on the train you'd be a pain in the arse. The train station is beside where the hotel buses drop people off at the park so you'd have a short bus run to your hotel if you took the train.

Kids don't notice the food and luggage haulin probs tho so they had a great time.

Oh...............and we flew back into terminal 5 on the day it opened.........nice.

 

[orchardapple]

Dont forget your wallet, your gonna need plenty of cash, its all expensive and as binny says not a lot of choice so you gotta pay

 

[Rich]

If you can pay the extra and stay in the Disney hotel - well worth it

If you fly book a car in advance to take you from airport to disney and back. costs about €30 more (€100 compared to €70 return) than what the disney coach would cost but well worth it.

Should have also said go during the week and in term time as weekends/school holidays the place gets roofed with long ques for the rides

**By book a car I meant book a private transfer service (not hire one and drive yourself) where the driver meets you at the arrivals gate, takes you to the car and drops you off outside your hotel. On the return journey he picks you up outside your hotel and drops you off outside departures.

 

[retired_member32]

so would you guy's suggest getting a package including meals,transfer flights or try to do it all independant ?

 

[accelerator]

Out of interest:

Do you definitely want to fly there?

Do Disney themselves do packages that involve travel?

Rgds

 

[Admin]

You can get the TGV from Charles De Gaulle airport to ED.

TGV Train CDG to EuroDisney | Paris by Train

I took my kids in the summer, stayed in a hotel in Paris and took the train out to ED. We spent 11 hours in the park on the first day!

Decide in advance what rides you want to go on and make an anti-clockwise circuit (people tend to go clockwise).

I managed to get pictures of my kids with Mickey Mouse so watch out for character appearance times and get ready to queue.

The parade at night and fireworks were worth the late stay, although if you have younger kids they may be asleep by then!

Have fun.

Admin

 

[Admin]

Other option is by train:
Eurostar : Tickets, Bookings, Timetables, fares and offers

This may be better getting through security etc on the trains is much simpler than flying plus the kids have more freedom to move around on the journey.

 

[stender]

i've flown, driven,coached and eurostarred there and would recommend eurostar. stayed in a few of the hotels and found them all pretty similarl. also made the mistake once of checking uk school holidays, geeting there and it was french school holidays.
I tend to do centre parcs more now.

 

[retired_member32]

thanks for all the advice guy's you have all been stars.

the reasoning behind flying over eurostar is i have never flown and we have never took the kids on a plane so it is really down to novelty value really.

Also we would have to catch a train down to the Smoke when it would be more viable to catch a flight from either Birmingham /East Midlands Airport.

We was looking at early June time when the kids here haven't broken off from school (we will check Paris school term) and i have a decision to make either as admin stated booking a Paris Hotel and traveling to Euro Disney or booking at an internal hotel and spending 3/4 of the time inside the resort and the odd day in Paris.

Anti Clockwise around the Park.....heeeh (lateral thinking) i like it

Mark

 

[mat]

One thing to note is that a few of the hotels have really good train links. You can pretty much get the eurostar, take another train and end up walking distance from the hotel and Disney...

 

[cm1975]

Having got the TGV from the airport to Disneyland Paris and a taxi back, I'd strongly recommend the train!!

As the others say, try and get a hotel on site, but there are regular buses to some of the other large hotels in the area. I stayed at the Radisson about 3 years ago. A nice hotel and if you play golf there's a 27 hole course out the back. Only about 10 minutes on the free bus, but with two kids in toe at the time, it meant a trip back to the hotel during the day.

 

[spondishy]

Get this book or the earlier edition...

Brit Guide Disneyland Resort Paris 2010-2011 Brit Guides: Amazon.co.uk: Simon Veness, Susan Veness: Books

Also, I know you're travelling with the young uns, but have you priced the Paris trip up, just be interested to know what your budget is so I can compare it to going to Orlando.

 

[Index]

Eurostar was great when I went, Conductor and staff dressed as mickey mouse etc. Plus childrens competitions all over teh train and stations to keep them occupies.