fly or eurostar to disneyland paris? + other disney questions

[givemeaclue]

Hi, been to disneyparis a few years ago with nieces who live in london so we went by eurostar.

now going with the dcs we live in the south west so it may work out cheaper to get sleasyjet flights locally rather than train to london and then eurostar (plus the eurostar is quite early so we may need to stay over in london the night before which adds to cost)

from paris charles de gaulle airport- how doyou get to disneyland paris?

Also - we went for 4 days last time (3 nights) - is that long enough for dcs aged 4 or should we be thinking of longer?

thinking of disneyland hotel (stayed newport bay last time but want to be nearer the park) - any experiences?

Also is it cheaper to book via the disneyland website or through an operator

thanks

Can answer some of these. I would say 3 nights is fine - thats how long we stayed with DD and it was enough. We could have done more, but we were 'Disneyed' out and had done all the main stuff. We booked direct with Disney and sourced all the transport and hotels ourselves (stayed in the Explorers hotel - which has a bus - as it offered the best layout of rooms for us and meant we didn't have to share a room with DDs as there are inter-connecting rooms with bunkbeds.) Think it was better value this way, and we got exactly what we wanted.

I think there is a bus link from CDG to EuroDisney, but have never used it.

Hi there,

I agree that 3 nights is absolutely fine too, you can do more but you can do less too! We have been with DS 3 for a day trip, at age 5 for 2 days, at age 6 for 2/3 days. It's enough!

We have done Eurostar, very pleasant and easy.

We have flown to Paris CDG, also fine and then we hired a car and drove ourselves there, again easy.

We have also self driven there from UK as an add-on to a holiday.

You will pay a very high premium to stay at the Disneyland Hotel but then it is right at the gates.

Weigh up the options and price differences but the New York, Sequoia and New Port are all still within a good 10-15 min walk. We have stayed at the Sequoia and were happy with it, the pool is nice. But wherever you stay if you plan to eat in the hotel then book it beforehand!!

Also a little known fact but staying in Val d'Europe at the Hotel L'Elysee will save you a lot, it is right by the train for 5mins into Disney and has a shuttle bus too and the best bit...it is some kind of Disney partner hotel and so gives you the perks of early access like the Disney Hotels!! And you are right by several restaurants and the huge mall with shops/supermarkets/food court so you are not restricted to Disney food!!

We have also stayed at the Explorers because our son loved that pirate swimming pool!! IMO this is the main reason to stay there. It is fine as a base, and we were ok as both times we had a car there and so could come and go easily. There is a bus but we didn't use it. Breakfast is fine but basic, get up early though or it will be very busy! For dinner there is a bar/pizza takeaway counter which is fine and very casual, approx 10E per pizza plus extra for chips/salad/desserts whatever. Kids can play in the play area whilst you eat/drink. Or there is a nicer restaurant serving a set menu, it is more expensive but it is actually very nice and good value indeed. You get a starter and dessert buffet and a chosen main course and some wine included if I remember corrrectly for a reasonable amount. It's nice. There is also a bar upstairs which may serve bar food but its hours vary, and there is a coffee/snack/pastry/sandwich place but again check its hours.

Re. cheapest place to book, usually something like Expedia in our experience.

Have a nice time!

Hi there,
Firstly, there is a designated forum for Disneyland Paris on Trip Advisor where people who know DLP very well can answer any questions you have about resort and trip planning.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g2079053-i21935-Disneyland_Paris_Marne_la_Vallee_Seine_et_Marne_Ile_de_France.html

Also see the Marne La Vallee forum which also covers Disneyland. The two forums are linked but the Top Questions lists are not the same.

The Disneyland Hotel is very convenient especially in the colder months as built over the DL Park entrance, but it is the most expensive. The New York is the next closest to the Village and parks - about 7 mins to the parks entrances walking through the Village and past Chessy railway station. The HNY is also very close to Cafe Mickey, a popular Character Dining restaurant.
I have written two detailed reviews of the HNY which should help. The theming of this hotel is quite adult being 1930's Art Deco, and the indoor pool is deep so not as child friendly as some of the other hotels.

You will find the link for my earlier review underneath this newer one.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g226865-d262678-r119909114-Disney_s_Hotel_New_York-Marne_la_Vallee_Seine_et_Marne_Ile_de_France.html

How long you may need there to do and see all that you want can depend on when you go and crowd levels. You will get less done during school holidays and weekends in one day than in term time when parks are not as busy. It can be the difference between walking straight onto rides or just a short wait, or anything up to 2 hrs for some at peak times. This also applies to the length of queues for meeting Characters in the parks, or the Princesses in the new Princess Pavilion in Fantasyland which opened in October.

For me, the minimum is 3 days there, with one day in each park and a 3rd day for doing favourite things again or things we did not have time for. The Studios usually closes earlier than the main park, and some theatre shows here last 40 - 45 mins. You also have to consider time for watching parades in both parks, including some waiting time to get a prime position along the route if you want kids to have a good view.

I like 5 days there - Monday - Friday, and we usually catch the train into Paris for sightseeing on Wednesday. When our boys were young sometimes we spent a week there in July / August, so they had time for swimming every afternoon for a few hours away from the busy park.

I went for 3 days at the beginning of October with my hubby for the start of Halloween Festival and the parks were not busy on Monday - Weds. We flew to Orly and I booked a recommended private company for transfers. I booked directly with Disney and it was £100 cheaper for 3 nts flying Sunday evening, than 2 nts flying Monday morning, with a 40% off hotel, tickets, transport offer.

Next year is going to be very popular with the 20th Anniversary, so we may not get as good offers as last year on the Disney UK site. One offer for 30% off hotel / tickets / transport ended on 28th November. Some people prefer to book flights or Eurostar separately and book the hotel / tickets with Disney, Expedia, Booking.com, or other resort hotel agents.
It is worth checking prices for different arrival dates and also a few different hotels. I usually phone Disney and check a few at the same time.

08448 008 111

Some people book a cheaper hotel without park tickets or a hotel near the airport for arrival night if they have a late flight, and transfer to their Disney hotel with park tickets included the next morning, so they are not wasting a day's ticket.
Hotel Elysee in Val D'Europe is indeed a Disney Associated hotel, and guests staying here do have Extra Magic Hours. There is a free shuttle bus but this begins running later than the Disney hotels buses, so you need to catch the RER line A train for EMH which is usually 8am - 10am in the main park. As you have been before and stayed in the NBC you will probably remember this.

The Sequoia Lodge situated between NBC and HNY on the long side of Lake Disney is a cheaper option and only a couple of mins longer walk than the HNY to the parks.
Rooms here are currently being refurbished with a new Bambi theming. Lodge rooms are finished, but not the main building. Work has currently stopped during Christmas Season and will recommence after 8th January.
The NBC is the next hotel to be refurbished - I think they have already started redecorating the hotel restaurants.

There are 4 options for transfers to/ from Disney and CDG airport -
RER train which is cheapest but takes a long time and you have to change trains in Paris.
Fast TGV train which takes 10 mins but you have to consider other factors, and it is not always as simple as it sounds. You then have to get to your hotel from Chessy station.
VEA bus is the official Disney transport, but again is not always the most convenient or cheapest option.
Private door to door transfer is recommended for families with young children, luggage, buggies etc, booking one of the companies used by people on the TA DLP / MLV forums who are known to be reliable. You do NOT pay in advance. One way varies from ? 60 - ? 70 for up to 6 people.

Trip planning for DLP is a huge subject, but friendly posters on the TA forums can help make your holiday more successful.

The VEA Disney airport bus currently costs ? 18 adult and ? 15 child aged 3-11, so ? 66 for a family of four.
A private transfer is a similar price, and less hassle as the driver will be waiting for you at arrivals and take you straight to your hotel. Same for return journey - you need to leave resort about 3hrs before your flight for CDG and Orly airports. This allows up to 1 hr for the journey and 2 hrs checkin.
With clear roads the journey will only take 30 mins but best to play safe.

If you do use the direct Disney Eurostar you will arrive in resort around 1.30 - 2pm depending on departure time. If you book the Express Service you will be given your park tickets etc on the train if boarding at St Pancras, or at Ashford / Ebbsfleet stations. On arrival your luggage will be taken to your resort hotel so you can go straight into the parks from the station. Worth doing.

I found that taking the train from Bournemouth to Waterloo, then two underground trains to St Pancras ( return ) plus the Eurostar train cost more than flying from Southampton with Flybe and much longer travelling time.
With an early 7am flight arriving around 9am France time, then straight to Disney with a private transfer, I can be at my resort hotel by 10am if roads are clear.

It was a pity they moved the Eurostar from Waterloo to St P !

Reading Trip Reports is a good way to decide how long you may want in Disneyland, especially ones written around a similar time of year or dates that you are planning, and also if they have similar aged children.

See TRs on the TA forum which each have a brief description so you can find ones that might help.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g226865-i2224-k3535130-Trip_Reports_find_them_here-Marne_la_Vallee_Seine_et_Marne_Ile_de_France.html