Disneyland Paris

[AmyJahabee]

Hi All,
I’m looking for beat hotels near Disneyland Paris. Any recommendations and what to do

If you can stay onsite, please do. It makes such a difference to the time you have in the parks. All failing we have done the adagio in Val de Europe before. Basic but clean and a shuttle bus in and out of the parks.

We stayed at the Santa Fe on site. Its the cheapest of the on site hotels but did the job.
The extra magic hour is absolutely invaluable and enhanced the experience for us.

We always stayed at the Cheyenne and got the mini bus they provide every 10 mins to the site and back

We always booked online via the official Disney site for Eurostar and hotel.

We have flown via easyJet in the past but I much prefer Eurostar

Thanks everyone if I stay onsite how does it work with the entry tickets to the parks. How about if I stay off site how much does entry tickets cost. Thanks

You just get a ticket that lasts the days you're there. The ticket goes into a machine and lets you in. Like a train station with similar barriers

@HappiDaze thanks I know it seem simple but want to know the price difference and what makes sense from people experience

It was cheaper for us to stay onsite (includes park tickets) than offsite.

Are you driving or flying?

im an annual pass holder and drive over a lot. I almost always stay at Davy Crockett because it tends to be the cheapest of the Disney hotels, and to be honest, the accommodation isn’t at all bad. Davy Crockett is essentially a caravan park though so you do need a car to get to the park, however, it’s a straight road and a five minute drive to the main car parks.

I believe Santa Fe is about to close for a refurb but unsure how much is affected by it.

It was about same price to stay onsite as it was offsite and buy tickets. Also meant we got to go in the park on the last day so actually it was cheaper.

Santa Fe is usually the cheapest but Sequoia was the cheapest for us and was only 10min walk to the park. Never used the shuttle once.

Price up tickets for ur dates and nearby hotels. Then price up direct hotel and ticket package with Disney or attraction tickets.

Can’t edit now but I it’s Sequoia that’s refurbishing rather than Santa Fe. Apologies.

https://wdwnt.com/2023/10/refurbishment-confirmed-for-disney-sequoia-lodge-at-disneyland-paris/#:~:text=1%2C000%20rooms%2C%20two%20restaurants%2C%20the,reopen%20on%20January%2025%2C%202024.

Ticket price is the same on as it is off, or it certainly was. You get an extra hour in the park, before it opens to the public if you stay in an onsite hotel. Often you can walk to the hotel so you don’t wait for the bus at the end of the night. That in itself can be a difficult end to the day.

Ticket price is usually included in a hotel package - which works out less than ticket price+ hotel would be separately.

Hence for the week we went it was actually cheaper to stay onside than we could offsite plus buy tickets (not peak season)

Just to add, I booked through an independent travel agent who arranged everything and it was the same price as direct through disney. The main differences though were flights with Air France rather than a budget airline (the difference is remarkable!) And private taxi transfers from airport. Oh and she made a personalised autograph book for the DC. She was fab.

Definitely stay at Sequoia
It's an expensive holiday mind

Def stay onsite if you can for the magic hours

Cheyenne is the cheapest
Then Santa Fe and Sequoia
Then Newport and Marvel
Disney hotel very pricey

If flying cheapest way to get there is direct train from airport - only 10 mins

Half price meal plan is best value

I'm going in Jan from Scotland so I priced up flights/hotels/tickets separately and directly with Disney and it worked out £50 more to stay directly with Disney. As other people have said the extra hour makes the difference plus you are walking distance to the parks. I have been 5 times before and stayed offsite, the explorers hotel and the magic circus (May have changed names) were good and my favourite without kids was the radisson blu but it didn't have free shuttles so was very expensive for taxis but that was about 13 years ago.

I just got back from DLP on Thursday. Second time of going.

First time we stayed in the New York, New York Hotel (now Marvel hotel) and second time in the Newport Bay Club. Both great locations for walking in with kids and making the most of the magic hour.

It was a mixed experience this time, I've got to be honest.

Good points:

Rides were amazing, especially Tower of Terror and Thunder Mountain.

Chez Remy was an amazing dining experience for the kids.

Kids had loads of fun

Bad Points:

Very aggressive DLP staff on the park train, literally shouting at people and berating them over nothing. Very taken aback that visitors were literally being shouted at in a very rude and confrontational manner. One member of staff literally got inside the train carriage to shout in the face of a woman who had sat on the wrong side. Very aggressive bullying behaviour. Bit scary for the kids. Went on to Google and it seems this has been a problem since covid, with staff constantly being reported. So just be mindful of aggressive staff.

Fireworks event, waaay too crowded and like being at a football match. People shoving and shouting at each other. A few scuffles. Our son has ASD and found the experience horrible, so we didn't go back the next night and watched from the hotel.

Food massively over priced in the park and poor quality. We had the meal plan but extra drinks and snacks were extortionate.

Merchandise repetitive and limited. Same stuff over and over in the shops.

Kids had a good time, but not as good as when we first went. Disney are selling too many tickets to maximise profit, which makes the experience way too crowded (75 mins queuing time for some rides).

I would say to still go but really manage your expectations.

Don't rule out Les Villages Nature, which you can book via Disney to get the early access hours and free parking. It's too far to walk to the parks, but there is a bus (for a fee) or it's a short, easy drive.

Bonuses are that you get a kitchen, so can cut down on costs for meals. We made sandwiches and took them into the park each day without any issues. You also get access to the Aqualagon!

For our dates in the middle of the summer holidays, it was significantly cheaper than the Disney hotels.

I’ve stayed there too a couple of times and agree. Though again it’s a place you’d really need a car.
I do sandwiches as well, Davy Crockett has a fridge, microwave and cook top so I tend to take breakfast food with me, do DH and I a drink, sandwiches and a snack to take in for lunch and then we either pre book something for evening such as Pyms, silver spur etc or just go for a walk in with lucky nugget or even five guys up in the village.

On site at Paris is really worth it. We found we came back to the hotel for a rest in the afternoon, used the pool etc. We’d have really struggled with the extra hassle of shuttle buses and the magic hour made a massive difference to crowd levels in the morning. You could stay offsite and spend the extra on fast passes but they were pretty expensive per ride so I think you’d need a really good deal to make it worth it.

We've just returned from a 5 night break including two days in DLP and two in central Paris. We all need space so stayed in an apartment on the same road as the Adagio Aparthotel (we had stayed at the Adagio on a previous visit). I couldn't get a DLP hotel for two nights cheaper than booking separately. My daughter has ASD though and having a quiet place to return to with our own catering suits much better. We were able to take our own food in which saved time and money. We had planned a meal in Disney village one evening but it was heaving so we got the RER to Val D'Europe where there are loads of restaurants and had a very good value Italian meal.

We had visited in 2015 and 2016 using an annual pass to cover both visits. My teens are not early risers so we didn't miss the magic hour this time. It's a shame DLP got rid of the fast passes that used to be available to all visitors. It was a lot easier to get on rides in the evenings when people took little ones back or got their places for Disney Dreams. We got an uncrowded spot in Discovery Land 10 minutes before it started (near the Buzz Lightyear ride) and could see perfectly well. No pushing or shoving at all. We had a great time but after 3 visits I'm done now. My family prefer Efteling in the Netherlands.

Thanks so much everyone for your comment will look into these recommendations. If I decide to stay onsite how about food plan? Is there any cheap on site or surrounding?

We didn't bother with the food plan last time we went because the time eats into the morning magic hour but my DC are older

When they were very young pre school age we did the breakfast meal plan

We like to buy breakfast at the shop in the train station next to the park. You can buy fresh patisserie in a sort of newsagents type thing. And baguettes etc

We always ate in McDonald's for lunch just outside the entrance to DLP. They also have a patisserie stand inside McDonald's. It's tucked away so not easy to find

I always found booking directly on the Disney website was cheaper

@AmyJahabee

As at last week, €8 for a corndog inside Disney studios and about the same for a beignet on Main Street. Nothing in the park is cheap!

We did the meal plan and thought it was really worth it. in the Chez Remy restaurant the bill would have been €170 for 4 of us if we hadn't had the meal plan. If you do get it, make sure you book as soon as you can on the app because you really need reservations. Don't eat in Captain Jack's, it's really gone down hill for quality. Great experience but not great food sadly.

If you don't get the plan, eat outside the park or take picnic if you're on a budget.