Disneyland Paris booking tips

[leavethewallalone]

We are hoping to book Disneyland Paris for March 2023. This will be a really big spend for us given the cost of living but we both have big birthdays next year and have a child who will love it.

I've costed up for Feb at the moment because March eurostar tickets don't seem to be out. I've looked at Eurostar Mon depart Fri return, hotel (Santa Fe works out cheapest by the looks of things), park tickets. I've used a package website at the moment. It's working out at about £1,500.

We will still need to arrange transport to St Pancras to get the Eurostar, food, and spending money. We'd like to do one of the Disney village restaurants at least one night which I know cost a fortune. So currently easily over a 2k holiday for Monday - Friday.

Is there a cheaper way to do this? Looked at eurotunnel but it's not much cheaper. CDG Airport is manic so would prefer not to fly in.

Gone for Paris as I assume it'll be much cheaper than Florida (although I could be wrong) and less travel time with a 4 year old.

[peepee123]

We meet this Easter with DS11. Stayed at Santa Fe and ate in one of the restaurants whilst there. I wouldn't bother. Hotel was dreary (think young child's bedroom with woodchip and cheap paper border on walls. Food atrocious and all the restaurants serve the same things to a point.
Go to the theme park but stay in Paris or elsewhere and train in.
DS preferred Alton Towers or Thorpe Park.

[Gazelda]

I recently booked Eurostar using Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
And I booked accom (Davy Crockett) and park tickets through Quidco which gave me £80 cashback.

[nearlyspringyay]

Depends what you want. It is expensive if you stay on site, eat on site. it's also a bit shit--

We did October half term, 3 nights, stayed at Sequoia. I don't think it's open any more or it's being refurbed. The hotel was nice, dinner was good.

The restaurants in park awful overpriced and crap food. The best meal we had was the character breakfast in the Plaza Gardens. It wasn't cheap!

The rides break down, a lot. There is a lot of queuing.

The queues for the busses at the end of the day out to the off site hotels looked like carnage.

[leavethewallalone]

Stayed at Santa Fe and ate in one of the restaurants whilst there. I wouldn't bother. Hotel was dreary (think young child's bedroom with woodchip and cheap paper border on walls. Food atrocious and all the restaurants serve the same things to a point.

That's what I'd expect for a Disney budget hotel and what the pictures online depict. DD will be 3 coming up 4, having stayed in Paris many times if prefer to be near to disneyland with her then taking her through Paris late in the evening on trains.
They also want you to eat in the Disney village where the food is nicer and the experience is different (but you pay a pretty penny for it). We've been to DLP before, just not with children, always a last minute deal for 2 adults.

[leavethewallalone]

The restaurants in park awful overpriced and crap food. The best meal we had was the character breakfast in the Plaza Gardens. It wasn't cheap!

Having done DLP in the past, my advice is generally to take food in your luggage and take lunch in with you if they'll let you as the meals you get there will cost a lot. We will be doing a character breakfast or similar though, for DD, who is Disney obsessed.
That being said, we did get a 2 course meal at one of the park restaurants for 12 euros each in 2017.

I'm looking for guidance on booking the trip itself as we've only done last min deals for 2 adults before, this time it'll be a planned family holiday.

[Inmyownlittlecorner]

Always book directly through DLP, you can shop around on other countries offers by changing the language. I’ve always had good deals with the German website. Cafe Mickey in the village is closed permanently, but my DC have always liked Annette’s Diner & King Ludwig’s. Vapiano is great value pizza & pasta. Kids menu is €9 I think. We also grab sandwiches & water from the shop in the station.
The character breakfast at Plaza Gardens is good but no Mickey & Minnie, if you can afford it I’d do the character dinner there instead. We were there last month in Sequoia Lodge, which is our favourite hotel & ate at Downtown in the Marvel Hotel & it was hands down the best buffet meal we’ve eaten there in years!
We were in a Golden Forest room & breakfast was included as was afternoon tea & all soft drinks in the Golden Forest lounge which was great. We also topped up one morning to get the plaza Gardens breakfast.

[leavethewallalone]

Really helpful, thank you Inmyownlittlecorner. Has there ever been any problems problems booking from other countries websites?

[leavethewallalone]

Also with the Disney hotels, can you walk in to each one to use their restaurants? We've only stayed at partner hotels in the past.

[Inmyownlittlecorner]

I’ve never had a problem before. All your correspondence will be in that countries language though!

You can eat in any hotel restaurant you want to but definitely book ahead. I did all of mine this year on the app, when you get to your hotel the concierge can book for you too.
I’ve eaten in nearly all the hotel restaurants & have always found them good, although expensive, but I expect that from DLP!
We drive over now & stay offsite for the first & last nights so we manage to get some shopping in too!

[Inmyownlittlecorner]

Check out FB DLP groups such as Disneyland Paris for Brits & the magic of Disneyland Paris, they’re quite helpful in planning.

[Icannever]

Could you drive instead and stay at centre parcs? A week in March works out at 700 euros (£600) 4 day disney tickets are around £630 for three people. So that’s £1230 for a week plus the costs of euro tunnel and petrol. You’ve got a kitchen that way so you can keep costs down for food and you have the pool complex too.
you could also look at annual passes and have
more than one holiday as I think the prices are similar to four day passes