Disney's Hotel New York France

Great family rooms with all the facilities and a service you would expect of Disney. Worth paying a little more for.

My children were apprehensive about doing a "local" disneyland, having been spoilt by four years on the trot of "the real one" in America, so to ease the unease we decided that we'd push the boat out and stay on site to make it more of experience. You have to hand it to Disney they are experts at creating an experience.

I can honestly say that nothing was missing from the hotel decor, the ambiance or atmosphere was spot on. Breakfast with the characters, such an integral part of the Disney experience, was crowded and boisterous but incredible fun. Even my 13 year old who thought it was uncool delighted in playing up the experience for the younger ones. I do advise stocking up on breakfast as it does seem a long time til lunch - walking around certainly burns up calories. Luckily the hotels are so close to the park itself that you don't have the interminable walks to the coaches or car parks that anyone that has done Florida will remember with dread.

Food is pricey here and the cheap burger and chips meals are poor quality even for fast food. The French just don't seem to have got the hang of fast food, you are better off paying that bit extra and eating in some of restaurants around. Meals in the hotel in the evening were a real pleasure. We even braved the train into Paris for a trip down the Seine one evening and that was another real plus point of being on site and right next to the train station.

Should you go on a birthday, remember to mention it at reception. They made a complete princess of my daughter for the day, giving her a badge which led to every member of disney staff wishing her a happy birthday all day and making a special effort with her... when we got back to the room a birthday card was on the bed from Mickey Mouse and Captain Hook broke completely with tradition and sang Happy Birthday to her in English! Definately something she will treasure.

Overall a faultess hotel, you pay for what you get and this deserves it's high price tag.

The Hotel New York is excellent value for money. It is a short walk to the parks and is child friendly without being over run with children. The hotel staff knew my son's name by day 2 and were very welcoming. It was lovely for DS to meet the characters before breakfast each morning. The hotel is clean, spacious and well presented.

A Disneyland Paris holiday is so much more relaxing with young kids in tow than Florida- no long flight, and the train gets you to the heart of the action. No waiting for baggage etc. Perfect. Plus, because you can walk to the parks from the hotels, there's no lugging tired kids and buggies onto crowded buses at the end of the day. As the park is smaller, you can see everything at a slow pace on a 5 day holiday and not miss anything out.

Top Money Saving Tips:
Buy your sandwiches/ water from the bakers in the station on the way to the parks, to save money. Also, bring refillable bottles with you, then you can fill them from the water fountains scattered throughout the parks.

If you book over 8 months in advance, you'll often get a 15% booking discount. Also, Eurostar is muich cheaper in advance- you can book on the phone before the dates go online- up to a year in advance. If you book early, there's great savings to be made.

Going off peak is excellent- your kids get lots of character interaction in the park and there are no queues.