To ask if Disneyland Paris…

[Southland02]

…is any good or should we just save for an extra year or two and do Florida?

I’ve never been (obviously) but a few people on my Facebook seem to have gone in the last couple of months but I just haven’t been wowed by their photos.

So much easier logistically than Florida, obviously.

I think paris is great. My kids 7 and 5 loved it. Plenty to do for four days, light show at night is brilliant. We stayed at Davy crocket and the kids loved the pool there too. And we had a couple of nights in Paris too.
For us florida is too much stress, too much heat, too much planning and way too expensive. Friends who just came back said they were shocked by the prices of everything out there now. They’ve been a few times but didn’t enjoy it this time as they couldn’t afford to eat well.

Scrap both and go to California, the original park. Not as overwhelming as Florida and then you can do other stuff too (Universal, San Diego zoo etc). Pretty much guaranteed sunshine without the humidity.

I adore Paris as a city but wasn’t a big fan of DLP. Crowds and queuing are badly organised with lots of pushing and shoving. Lots of pick pocketing. Food terrible.

Like others have said though, DLP is a 2/3 night trip, Florida is 2 weeks.

We went in March with 3yo DD. It was great getting away for a few days and DD loved it, but it wasn’t as good as Florida for me. The parks closed early and there were parts of Magic Kingdom that they started cordening off at like 6pm. The food is crap is comparison to Florida and California- this was a particular disappointment. Unless you spring for a restaurant in one of the Hotels it’s basically burgers, pizzas, chips and chicken nuggets, and they don’t even do those well. We stayed at Hotel Cheyenne and the standard of the accomodation wasn’t as good as the equivalent budget option in Florida- the common areas looked really, really tired. Same goes for Disney Village and some rides, which are really showing their age. The fact a lot of the rides and experiences were in French (obviously, because you’re in fucking France) also took a lot away from it. Lastly, the staff were not as enthusiastic as the Florida or California staff, which again, you’re in France and that’s to be expected- I just didn’t realise how much I associated the smiles and friendliness with the Disney “experience”. We went to scratch the Disney itch, but I wasn’t satisfied at the end of it.

Having said all that, it cost us c.£800 for five nights (too long in hindsight). We costed Florida for January which is very low season and it was £5,000 for a fortnight. The flights and park tickets are 3K for the three of us, and that’s before you get a hotel or buy a single Mickey Waffle. I said after Paris I would prefer to keep saving and go to Florida again, but the way the Florida prices are going is crazy.

We went to paris in 2019 and was looking at going to florida as loved it as a child but was coming out around 12k when you add in food and everything so booked paris again.

One big advantage of euro Disney is you can stay on site and walk to parks every day (15-20 mins) along the water way or get a shuttle bus. Generally in Orlando nothing is walkable.

For a short break at a reasonable price euro Disney wins -and you can do a day trip to Paris one day too.
Orlando needs so much pre planning now and paying extra for genie fast passes and individual lighting lanes and booking all rides in advance- not so much a holiday as A MISSION!

I thought it was OK but wouldn't rush back. I enjoyed it as a day trip with the rest of the holiday seeing other stuff around Paris.

Tbh I vote neither - go to Florinda Universal Studios when they are old enough to be Harry Potter fans instead!

WDW is crazy expensive, involves much queueing, and is full of unattractive Americans. Disney is anti feminist and overtly friendly. In addition, Florida is one of the least attractive parts of the United States. It’s like Hades, but without interesting people.

I think Disneyland Paris is great if you have younger children, as it’s smaller.

We went ( off peak) several times with the children. They used to do deals where under 7’s went free, and sometimes ‘free’ additional nights in the hotel. ( not sure if they still do as numbers were limited for a long while due to Covid.)

I found the staff less ‘Disney’ than in Florida, and got so fed up with poorly managed queues for the rides, slow service in shops and general arrogance/lack of interest.

I went to Disneyworld in July with my now adult children, and despite the searing heat the experience was much more enjoyable, the staff friendly, and the queues much shorter.

If you are definitely only going once I would recommend Disneyworld. It’s never cheap, but it doesn’t have to cost the Earth. There are deals to be had.

We've done both twice. Paris is good for small children .... not as big and less walking. It's great for a few days away. Florida 2/3 weeks and so much to do ... best holiday we've ever had..... but both our trips were when prices were way lower... agree it's crazy now! I would always choose Florida if I had the choice!

I went to Florida aged 7. I remember everything, really enjoyed it. Paris is more long weekend territory to be honest.

I see your DLP and WDW and raise you the original Disney Land California! There are some really good deals on travel agents pages. You can get an excellent non-Disney hotel less that a 5 minute walk and on average its cheaper (and better) than both. You only need a few days, the downside is its a 10hr but Orlando flights are currently around 19/0 now as well though.

Lots of other attractions in the area as well, only an hour from LA, and some very beautiful beaches nearby.

AND
It isnt as hot and the rides are better!

10hr but Orlando flights are currently around 19/0 now as well though.

10 hour flight, but flights to Orlando are roughly 9/10 hours these days as well