1st trip to DLP & France- suggestions for order of travel

Oh that would be great if it works! Maybe I'll try that.
That's really good to keep in mind. I'll probably do the research to compare prices anyway but I have a feeling that I will just end up doing the package, even if we have extra tickets that we may not use.

you wont get extra tickets. You will get one park ticket which you use for your entire stay, valid from the day you check in to the day you check out.

The only individual things you get which you may not use are
  1. if you book club level, you get 1 printed hotel fastpass per person per day. These are given to you at check in, and are dated for each day of your visit. They are valid for 1 use per day. You get for example 4 in a printed roll, and tear each one off each day and give it to the CM at the ride. These are in addition to the standard normal fastpasses which are available to all park guests.
  2. Meal plan vouchers
Again these are printed at recetion and in a roll. You tear them off and give them to the cms in restaurants
 
Tickets for 4 days, while you only plan for 2 full days might not be a bad thing. In September the parks should still be open till later in the evening, on your arrival day, you could use the evening to already explore the park and just stroll around. I love Adventureland around the Robinson Tree at night.
 
you wont get extra tickets. You will get one park ticket which you use for your entire stay, valid from the day you check in to the day you check out.

The only individual things you get which you may not use are
  1. if you book club level, you get 1 printed hotel fastpass per person per day. These are given to you at check in, and are dated for each day of your visit. They are valid for 1 use per day. You get for example 4 in a printed roll, and tear each one off each day and give it to the CM at the ride. These are in addition to the standard normal fastpasses which are available to all park guests.
  2. Meal plan vouchers
Again these are printed at recetion and in a roll. You tear them off and give them to the cms in restaurants

Yes, when I said extra tickets I meant extra days on our one ticket! Poor choice of words on my part.

Tickets for 4 days, while you only plan for 2 full days might not be a bad thing. In September the parks should still be open till later in the evening, on your arrival day, you could use the evening to already explore the park and just stroll around. I love Adventureland around the Robinson Tree at night.
We are planning on three almost-full days at least! I definitely wouldn't mind having the option to visit for a short time on our arrival evening. But with only two days in Paris we'll probably not arrive until fairly late anyway.
 
3 other differences which American visitors underestimate

1. The hotels are HOTELS, not resorts. They have less amenities than their American counterparts and are really just aimed for sleeping / breakfast and evening meal. Whereas in WDW especially the hotels are resorts and destinations in themselves.

2. Disney Village is far smaller and has less to offer then Downtown Disney and Disney Springs.

In America on arrival day guests would generally just hang out at the resort or at Downtown Disney, watch the fireworks, maybe even do a character meal. In Disneyland Paris, guests would generally go straight to the parks on arrival day. Other than Inventions, the character meals are all in the parks, and the fireworks are not visible without a park ticket.

3 In August / September it stays bright until approx 10pm in Paris. The nighttime fireworks and animations show has to wait until darkness so the parks stay open very late. Even if you arrive after 6pm you will still have a good few hours of daylight in the parks
 


3 In August / September it stays bright until approx 10pm in Paris. The nighttime fireworks and animations show has to wait until darkness so the parks stay open very late. Even if you arrive after 6pm you will still have a good few hours of daylight in the parks

I had gathered 1 & 2 from previous posts on here (mostly information that you were kind enough to share with others!), but I didn't realize that about how late there was light. I think it's easy to forget how far north Europe is and how that affects the sunlight.
 
Happy planning - sounds like an exciting trip!

I thought I'd chip in with a positive word about train travel and seeing France. I live in Scotland and regularly travel in Europe by train. I have travelled by train from Paris to: Belgium, Venice (via Turin and the Alps), Switzerland, Southern France, Barcelona, and more.
The main thing I'd say is: please don't view a travel day as wasted time. European trains are a pleasant experience and the views are breathtaking in many places travelling from Paris to the Riviera. If you can afford it, go for a higher class seat and really enjoy the experience. But, standard class is still a good quality train. If you're used to Amtrak you'll (hopefully) find it to be better. I highly recommend seat61.com for all train planning!

The second thing I'd suggest is considering flying home from Barcelona - it is geographically closer and being a major airport might be an option for you. There's a gorgeous train journey right along the French coast to Barcelona, you could explore it a little and travel home from there rather than reversing your trip back to Paris. Just a wee idea!
 


Happy planning - sounds like an exciting trip!

I thought I'd chip in with a positive word about train travel and seeing France. I live in Scotland and regularly travel in Europe by train. I have travelled by train from Paris to: Belgium, Venice (via Turin and the Alps), Switzerland, Southern France, Barcelona, and more.
The main thing I'd say is: please don't view a travel day as wasted time. European trains are a pleasant experience and the views are breathtaking in many places travelling from Paris to the Riviera. If you can afford it, go for a higher class seat and really enjoy the experience. But, standard class is still a good quality train. If you're used to Amtrak you'll (hopefully) find it to be better. I highly recommend seat61.com for all train planning!

The second thing I'd suggest is considering flying home from Barcelona - it is geographically closer and being a major airport might be an option for you. There's a gorgeous train journey right along the French coast to Barcelona, you could explore it a little and travel home from there rather than reversing your trip back to Paris. Just a wee idea!

Wow thank you so much! These are all super helpful tips.

We definitely don't view travel days as wasted days. When we take trains we typically try to get either the very first or very last train to our destination so we still have most of the day available for fun. Plus, as you say, the scenery can be fantastic. I've never heard of seat61 before so I'll have to check it out. Generally I have used Trainline. I hardly use Amtrak here at home because it's just easier to drive to the closer destinations and I prefer a 3 hour flight to a 25-hour train ride :P. European train travel is definitely superior.

I will definitely look at prices for our return flight out of Barcelona. I never even considered that. Thank you!

Side note: I visited Scotland for the first time in September. You have an absolutely beautiful country and the most amazing people. I can't wait to go back!
 
By no stretch of the imagination should you be visiting DLP on your first trip to France. Maybe your second or third trip at best. Go to the Alps; it's worth it.
 
By no stretch of the imagination should you be visiting DLP on your first trip to France. Maybe your second or third trip at best. Go to the Alps; it's worth it.
I know we are sacrificing seeing some really beautiful parts of France by including DLP, but it is the main reason we decided to travel to France so it's the one thing that isn't flexible on our itinerary!
 
Wow thank you so much! These are all super helpful tips.

We definitely don't view travel days as wasted days. When we take trains we typically try to get either the very first or very last train to our destination so we still have most of the day available for fun. Plus, as you say, the scenery can be fantastic. I've never heard of seat61 before so I'll have to check it out. Generally I have used Trainline. I hardly use Amtrak here at home because it's just easier to drive to the closer destinations and I prefer a 3 hour flight to a 25-hour train ride :P. European train travel is definitely superior.

I will definitely look at prices for our return flight out of Barcelona. I never even considered that. Thank you!

Side note: I visited Scotland for the first time in September. You have an absolutely beautiful country and the most amazing people. I can't wait to go back!

Seat61 is a guy who is a train expert, and after many years of blogging now has a full time job offering detailed explanations of all the train options you can take. As someone who loves train travel (even in the US - I went from New York to New Orleans by train!) it is my favourite site.

I'm so glad you enjoyed visiting Scotland, I must say I agree about its beauty and its people ;)

By no stretch of the imagination should you be visiting DLP on your first trip to France. Maybe your second or third trip at best. Go to the Alps; it's worth it.

I reckon everyone can make their own choice about how to spend their holiday! If you're a Disney fan (as we all are if we're on this forum) there's nothing wrong with spending a few days in Disney parks as part of your trip. I spent 14 days in Japan with 2 in Disney parks, and soon I'll spend 2 days in Hong Kong Disneyland as part of a 15 day trip to HK, Cambodia and Singapore. Visiting DLP as part of a European trip is often comparable for our friends from elsewhere in the world.
 
Dont worry, that is the issue with each country. When Europeans travel to New York, they only see Manhattan ;)
This is the bummer with being bound by time off! Unless I quit my job to become a vagabond, I only have so many days to use to see the rest of the world. And naturally (being a member of the Dis) visiting Disney parks has to fit in there somewhere :P
 

THANK YOU! Just flipping between these sites, the difference in price for the same exact 2 night package at Disneyland Hotel is anywhere from $200-600! Crazy. I would never have thought to look/book through a different country website had I not read your post. Amazing.
 
We made out first trip to Paris and DLP in May of this year... 9 nights plus a travel day on each end - so 11 days...

Looking at your schedule, you are going to be spending most of your time moving from one destination to another... for us those are travel days not a sightseeing day - as well anything and everything can happen... delays, strikes, you miss your train, or connections run late or not at all...

We had a rough time just getting to France, Air France was on strike and it effected our flight time... it was crazy, we booked with delta, and air France is their partner... On our flight day it was not suppose to be a strike day, and it ended up that changed so we had 24 hours notice that our trip was canceled... I spent hours on the phone... fast forward - So we were awake almost 20+ hours when we landed... Once the room was available, we slept for almost 5 hours...

While we were in Paris there was a train strike, so no metro or trains going anywhere.. So if the trains are on strike what's your plan? to get to where you are going? you need to have a back up plan... Which includes hotel you will need somewhere to sleep... We met a couple at our hotel, that got stranded on a day trip out off the city, the trains were running that morning, and when the tour was over, the trains had stopped, and the group could not get back into Paris that night...

All of this is just part of traveling, once you leave the US... things are very different... you need to be able to roll with it, and have a plan in the back of your head in place for the what if...

DLP - is beautiful - the same and different... We were there 3 nights, arriving around 1:00... we hit the parks right away... and we saw everything that we wanted to see in both parks and the night time show was really great, we saw it 2 of the 3 nights...

Paris is the most amazing city... We fell completely in love with her... The city of lights... We spent 6 nights we went from early in the morning most days, to very late at night, and did not even scratch the surface of this city...There is so much to see, do and experience... Just sitting in a cafe' having caf'e ( coffee) or a glass of du vin ( wine)and watching Paris go by is wonderful and should totally be experienced... Walking the streets, there is so much history you can just walk by... unbelievable...and priceless...
We are planning our second trip to Paris and France right now, this trip will be just Paris and more day trips/tours...

Suggestion for you - make sure you can handle your own luggage... Learn to speak some french, the farther you get away from Paris and the major cities the more you will need it...
Expect the unexpected and roll with it... be prepared for everything...

You are a guest in someone else home ( country)... and you should use your best manners when touring... spend some time learning about the culture, manners, and how things are done, and what is expected.
 
We made out first trip to Paris and DLP in May of this year... 9 nights plus a travel day on each end - so 11 days...

Looking at your schedule, you are going to be spending most of your time moving from one destination to another... for us those are travel days not a sightseeing day - as well anything and everything can happen... delays, strikes, you miss your train, or connections run late or not at all...

We had a rough time just getting to France, Air France was on strike and it effected our flight time... it was crazy, we booked with delta, and air France is their partner... On our flight day it was not suppose to be a strike day, and it ended up that changed so we had 24 hours notice that our trip was canceled... I spent hours on the phone... fast forward - So we were awake almost 20+ hours when we landed... Once the room was available, we slept for almost 5 hours...

While we were in Paris there was a train strike, so no metro or trains going anywhere.. So if the trains are on strike what's your plan? to get to where you are going? you need to have a back up plan... Which includes hotel you will need somewhere to sleep... We met a couple at our hotel, that got stranded on a day trip out off the city, the trains were running that morning, and when the tour was over, the trains had stopped, and the group could not get back into Paris that night...

All of this is just part of traveling, once you leave the US... things are very different... you need to be able to roll with it, and have a plan in the back of your head in place for the what if...

DLP - is beautiful - the same and different... We were there 3 nights, arriving around 1:00... we hit the parks right away... and we saw everything that we wanted to see in both parks and the night time show was really great, we saw it 2 of the 3 nights...

Paris is the most amazing city... We fell completely in love with her... The city of lights... We spent 6 nights we went from early in the morning most days, to very late at night, and did not even scratch the surface of this city...There is so much to see, do and experience... Just sitting in a cafe' having caf'e ( coffee) or a glass of du vin ( wine)and watching Paris go by is wonderful and should totally be experienced... Walking the streets, there is so much history you can just walk by... unbelievable...and priceless...
We are planning our second trip to Paris and France right now, this trip will be just Paris and more day trips/tours...

Suggestion for you - make sure you can handle your own luggage... Learn to speak some french, the farther you get away from Paris and the major cities the more you will need it...
Expect the unexpected and roll with it... be prepared for everything...

You are a guest in someone else home ( country)... and you should use your best manners when touring... spend some time learning about the culture, manners, and how things are done, and what is expected.
Thanks for the info!

I started learning French a couple of months ago so by September I should have enough of an understanding to get around. I definitely don't expect everyone everywhere to know English so I do my best to learn enough of the native language to get by. This also isn't my first trip to another country, just my first to France. So we know how traveling goes and we do our best each time to learn about the culture and assimilate. We're also not too into big cities, so we don't plan to spend a ton of time in Paris. We'd rather get out of the city and see some other parts of the country.

I've also already edited our travel plans (I should go to my original post and edit that) to remove a stay in the Alps. So right now we're just doing Paris, DLP, and the Riviera so that will cut down on travel time.
 
Hello again, helpful people of the DLP forum.

I am (once again) rethinking our plans for France and would appreciate some advice. If you read my original post, you'll see my last thought for a plan was to start in Paris, visit DLP, then end our trip in the Riviera.

I'm not considering staying in Paris, with a few days devoted to the city, a few days for day trips from the city, and a few days at DLP.

If I go that route, where would you suggest putting the DLP portion? Right now I have it in this order: Paris-DLP-day trips, and that puts us at DLP from Sept 1-Sept 4 (Sunday-Wednesday). I would like to avoid DLP on the weekend, so that's the only time frame that works within our dates (Aug 30-Sept 7, not including travel days).

Would you agree with this order or should I not worry too much about avoiding the parks during the weekends at that time of the year?

Thanks all!
 
Are you going to change hotels in this plan? So Paris - DLP - Paris again? Or do you plan to commute from Paris to DLP? It's ok to commute, but I think to do it 4 days in a row would break you up
We would change hotels. So one place to stay in Paris, then DLP, then probably a different place to stay in Paris (maybe closer to whichever direction our day trips will be).
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top