Easter Paris Break inc Disneyland

[Percypig5]

Me, DH, DD (9) and DS (7) are planning a week in Paris over Easter. We haven't told the DCs yet but are looking at including a trip to Disney.

I can only seem to find packages to Disney with travel/hotel but we were thinking of getting a Eurostar plus Airbnb in Montmarte or similar and maybe a day trip to Disney from there.

But am worried that we won't be able to fit it all in if only going for a day - is a couple of days best? Also there seems to be some evening shows so perhaps better to stay onsite so avoiding late night travel? DD not a great traveller so would like to minimise travel as much as poss.

Am now thinking of booking 2 lots of accommodation and maybe Eurostar to Gare Du Nord on way in and from Disney on way home but I may be over complicating it (which is not unusual ). Any advice on combing a Paris/Disneyland break most welcome.

2 days is probably best so you can do both parks and if the dc can stay up that late stay for the fireworks and laser show in magic kingdom. Do check on the dlp website what rides and stuff will be closed while you're there. Loads of stuff was shut when we went.

Thanks Neon. Fireworks and laser show sounds like something the DC's would def want to stay up for. Good tip re rides - had assumed they would all be open.

You will need more than 1 day to see everything at Disneyland, plus there is also the Walt Disney Studios next door and the Disney Village shops/restaurant complex too. So if that is what you want to do then maybe adding a couple of days at an onsite hotel, in addition to your Paris trip is a possibility, although travelling in from elsewhere is doable as well.

A couple of years ago I booked a cottage in France for a two week holiday, that was within driving distance (around 20 mins) from the Disney parks but we used this as our base to also travelled from there (by train) into Paris and to other places e.g Versailles. We only did a couple of full days in the Disney parks really, but as we had season tickets also did a couple of early mornings and sometimes went in for the evening to have a meal or watch a show or a night time rollercoaster ride.

Lots of things have been closed over the last 2 years as they've been refurbishing ready for 2017 which is the 25th anniversary so hopefully by Easter most things will be ready . Why not base your stay at DLP and then go into Paris from there , it's quite simple and the station is right on site , that way you can do as much or little if the parks as you want over the space of your stay .

Next Easter will be just before the 25th anniversary celebrations too, so I'd imagine mostly everything will be running. The last year or so they have had rolling closures on various attractions, while they refurbish them for next year's celebrations.

oops x-post

Wow can't believe it's been open 25 years (makes me feel old). I still quite fancy a Paris apartment or similar for the bulk of the trip as we can self cater (I understand Disneyland can be expensive for food) and don't want to drive everyday (though 20 mins doesn't sound too bad Panda). Where is a good place to stay at Disney?

Sequoia lodge is a good mid range (for disney) hotel. However Last time i went we stayed in a hotel at bussy-st-georges which is one stop away from disneyland and saved us about £800 over the cost of staying in a disney hotel. That makes sense as to why half the rides were shut now! Rock and roller coaster is the best coaster there i was gutted it was closed.

The metro system is so cheap and easy in Paris is worth seeing if you stay there it might be better to ditch the hire car and use the metro instead.

Thanks neon - will check out both of those options. Tbh we are all total wimps when to rides so are mostly interested in the shows/fireworks etc. Would def like to do without car hire if poss. Getting really excited now - we are going to tell DCs at Christmas as a pressie.

If you want to self cater you could always look at Davy Crockett ranch , which is like mobile homes but it's lovely for children and there is a swimming pool , you would have to drive to the parks but it's literally 10-15 minutes and I'm pretty sure you get free parking . Actually driving to Disney from the UK is really easy , 2.5-3 hours from the channel tunnel on good roads . The rides at Disney are mostly tame , there are a couple of 'thrill' rides but on the whole it's very family friendly .

Thanks floral will check that out - mobile home would be great and we've done plenty of holidays like that which have always worked well. I just find we save loads if we can make our own food as so often eating out is not great but still expensive. I need to get my head around the locations/distances.. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Self catering is good as the food inside disneyland is very expensive and not very good.

That seems to be the most consistent feedback about Disney Neon. Am going to research the options today - hoping it won't break the bank!

We are doing something similar for Oct half term.

Having a few days in London first which has been booked for ages. Getting Eurostar direct to Disneyland for 2 nights which gives 3 days in the parks. On arrival our luggage is taken to our room and we can go straight to the park. You get your passes etc on the Eurostar. Staying on site gets you 2 extra hours per day to enjoy the rides before the park is opened to the public. After check out luggage is taken to train station leaving you free to enjoy your last day.

We plan on travelling into Paris late afternoon to arrive at our hotel for check in. We then have 2 nights and 2 full days in Paris to shop\sightsee before flying home on the evening flight.

DH wanted to be based in Paris for 4 nights but I knew we would need several days to do Disney. I didn't want to pay Disney premium prices just to use it as a base for travelling into Paris so this seemed to be the best compromise. It does seem like a lot of mucking about but I was really late in booking it so we will see.

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the extra hours that you get for staying onsite as there are very limited rides open ,it's not the whole park - usually bits of Fantasyland and Discoveryland, and nothing in the studios .

If I were you I would spend the first night at a hotel close to disneyland. I stayed in one called the golden tulip marne la vallee which is really convenient for disneyland, 2 stops on the train and the station is across the square from the hotel. I would have 2 days in disneyland (you can leave your luggage at disneyland very cheaply) then head to Paris to stay somewhere there for the rest of your time.

I honestly wouldn't pay to stay in a disney hotel again, it was easy staying off site and we saved a ton of money.

Disney park tickets were cheapest on travel republic when I looked, we saved about £20 per person

Have been researching today - Davy Crockett cheapest at around £900 but would also need car hire, next cheapest is Cheyenne but over £1k (both for 2 nights inc park tickets). Park tickets alone seem to be about £400. All quite pricey! Think we have ruled out doing day trips to Disney from Paris as think it'll end up around an hour door to door with tired children and don't fancy that. Am going to check out the golden tulip place - thanks Hammie.

Floral I had wondered about the magic hours thing and how likely we would be to use it if we have been up late the night before watching the fireworks.

Your trip sounds great Belinda - Good to know re luggage too.

I just wish the hotels sounded a bit more luxurious for the money and the food options weren't so expensive/crap.

This is my opinion on the food issue at DLP. There are basically 3 options for food

1. Fast food- the cheapest option, €10-15 per person, not brilliant, but to be fair I wouldn't limit this to just Disney. The French don't really 'get' fast food in general. For one it's not fast (think 30 mins plus queuing) and then it's not very tasty either. Best picks would be either McDonald's (at least you know what you are getting )or Annette's Diner, both in Disney Village. The Lucky Nugget Saloon in Frontierland is also reasonable.

2)Nice food, but very expensive- anything up to €50 or more per person. Biggest problem here is that nice French food is often not something the Dc will eat, so a waste. However several of these places in DLP also include character dining e.g Princesses at Auberge de Cendrillion or a show like Buffalo Bill's within the price of the meal.

3)Is what I usually go for- all you can eat buffet. Usually cost around €25-30 per person, with a wide range of food available, so something to suit everyone's tastes. Plus if you don't like it, go back for something different. My DC think it is worth it just for the range of different desserts available (and of course they can try them all). My particular favourite is La Grange in Disney Village.

If you think you would like to do self-catering but not have to drive, have you looked at the aparthotels in Val d'Europe area? I've stayed at one called Sejours et Affaires there, but there are several others like Adagio, Residholme and Hipark. we had a 1 bedroom apartment which consisted of a main room with kitchenette and living room area (with sofa bed) then a separate bedroom with twin beds and a bathroom.

It was reasonably priced at about £60 per night (this was during Xmas holidays) and was next door to the big shopping centre, including a huge supermarket, and also only a short walk to the train station. The trains were 1 stop away to the Disneyland gates or in the other direction about 40 mins to central Paris. That price didn't include park tickets though as it was while we still all had valid season tickets.

If you're looking at Disney hotels directly through the Disneyland Paris website, the current deal is 3 or 4 nights for the price of 2. So looking at 2 nights only means you don't benefit from any discount whatsoever.

This deal is on till the 12th of October. So from 13th October there'll be a new deal which may work out better for you, such as 25% off, or free dining or suchlike.

You can also book any country's deal, and all the offers differ, eg Disneyland Germany, Belgium etc. Just change the country and re-price once you're on the Disney site. You may find an offer that works out cheaper that way.

That's really helpful Panda. I am thinking we just fill up on lovely French food while in Paris and get by on fast food while at Disney. Presumably we can smuggle in some fruit and maybe pack lunch on the first day. Apart hotels sound worth checking out though - thanks for the tip.

Fiery that's good to know re the deals. We don't really want more nights - just money off/something which brings the overall cost down so will wait and see what the next lot of deals offer.

All the advice has been super helpful - think it's one of those trips where you need to do your homework!

The disney hotels definitely are not luxurious they're convenient and have disney theme and a shop. Probably worth it if you have younger kids otherwise not so much

We stayed at the adagio apartments which were a bit basic but did the job. There is an indoor pool which is not that exciting but the kids loved it and played with other children. Short walk to massive hyper market through a big shopping mall and free bus to Disney. The RER station for Paris is close too. We had annual passes as we also went last summer but didn't use the extra magic hours much as the kids were tired from Disney dreams on the first night. No problem with taking your own food in to Disney. You don't need to sneak it in. Kids did enjoy the Micky mouse shaped pizzas on both visits though.

Just realised my post was repeating what Panda said. Hope you sort something out OP. We expected DLP to be a treat for the kids and something to be endured by the adults but we would all love to go again. Will return in 2/3 years hopefully with more emphasis on the Paris bit of the trip next time and a day at DLP for our highlights.