Daytrip Upon Arrival?

[pixiedustedme]

My son and I are scheduled to arrive at CDG from America around 8am on a Monday this May. I will likely be tired that day as I don't sleep well on planes (my son will sleep fine), yet we won't want to sleep mid-day because we need to adjust to Paris time.

We weren't originally planning to go to Disneyland, but now I think that spending the rest of our arrival day at Disneyland might be a good way to enjoy that first day & stay awake, despite my fatigue.

Does that sound workable? We would not feel the need to visit both parks or have table service meals or stay for fireworks. We would just want to explore Disneyland Park and ride several rides.

The stumbling point is our luggage. We'd either have to go all the way to our Paris hotel first to drop it off and then take the train to Disneyland (taking up a lot of time), or rent a car (expensive, but potentially useful as we're going to Versailles the next day), or use CDG's luggage locker service (only open until 9:30pm).

I know it's a bit complicated, but we're game for it and we're USA Disney vets. Thoughts? Would crowds make it unworkable? We've never been to DLP or Paris before. So excited!

 

[Karin1984]

Just to make sure I understand your plan.
Arrive at 8 at the airport, go to DLP, go to your hotel in the city of Paris and the following day to Versailles?

I would take your luggage to DLP and store it at the concierge, I think it is about 15EUR(?) for a large suitcase. That is the most time efficient.

I am just worried about how you will experience both DLP and Versailles after a overnight flight and then a full day at a Disney park. I think I would plan a table service meal or at least take time somewhere in the middle of the day to relax and recover a bit. How old is your son? If adult, I would suggest drinks at the Fantasia Bar at the Disneyland Hotel

 

[pixiedustedme]

Just to make sure I understand your plan.
Arrive at 8 at the airport, go to DLP, go to your hotel in the city of Paris and the following day to Versailles?

I would take your luggage to DLP and store it at the concierge, I think it is about 15EUR(?) for a large suitcase. That is the most time efficient.

I am just worried about how you will experience both DLP and Versailles after a overnight flight and then a full day at a Disney park. I think I would plan a table service meal or at least take time somewhere in the middle of the day to relax and recover a bit. How old is your son? If adult, I would suggest drinks at the Fantasia Bar at the Disneyland Hotel

I didn't know DLP had luggage storage. That's great info. I reflected on what you said about the schedule, and think you're right about the itinerary provoking exhaustion. I really do want us to be fresh for Versailles- we've booked the King's Apartment Tour. Realistically, sandwiching DLP between an economy overnight flight & a big day at Versailles probably won't work.

Perhaps saving Disneyland for the last full day of our trip would be best. That way we could arrive at opening, have a full day experience and stay as late as we want without worrying about fatigue the next day. It won't matter if we're tired on the flight home- it's an afternoon flight, anyway. I could also keep this as a surprise for my son for the last day, as Disneyland was never part of our original plans.

Wow! I'm getting even more excited about it now. Thanks!

 

[Baduist]

Both CDG & DLP are too far from Paris for this plan to be enjoyable imho.

The good news is Paris is not only walkable, but kind of addictive. Regardless of how tired I am whenever I get there I just want to walk and get lost until it's dark For me it's just as enjoyable as being in Disneyland (but Paris is probably my favorite city, so I might not be objective).

If you let us know here you're staying we can try and come up with good day trips for you.

Also, a quick idea: I once took a Graffiti tour on arrival day (like this or this). It was a really nice way to get a tour of the lesser known, less touristy areas, get used to the city, and meat some people (we even practiced using the Metro ;-)). We were EXHAUSTED afterwards, which was perfect because on the one hand it forced us to use that day instead of sleeping, and at the same time, we slept like babies afterwards which helped us get used to the timezone.

Again, if you give us some details about your hotel or the area where you're staying we can try and make more suggestions.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Both CDG & DLP are too far from Paris for this plan to be enjoyable imho.

The good news is Paris is not only walkable, but kind of addictive. Regardless of how tired I am whenever I get there I just want to walk and get lost until it's dark For me it's just as enjoyable as being in Disneyland (but Paris is probably my favorite city, so I might not be objective).

If you let us know here you're staying we can try and come up with good day trips f'or you.

Also, a quick idea: I once took a Graffiti tour on arrival day (like this or this). It was a really nice way to get a tour of the lesser known, less touristy areas, get used to the city, and meat some people (we even practiced using the Metro ;-)). We were EXHAUSTED afterwards, which was perfect because on the one hand it forced us to use that day instead of sleeping, and at the same time, we slept like babies afterwards which helped us get used to the timezone.

Again, if you give us some details about your hotel or the area where you're staying we can try and make more suggestions.

Yes, after thinking about what the PP said, I've decided to go to DLP on the last day full of our trip, rather than try to squeeze it in at the beginning.

I'm very excited about Paris, so much so that DLP never even occurred to me until yesterday, and we've had this trip planned for several months. I just realized that DLP might be a nice way to begin or end the trip. We already have two other day trips planned: one to Versailles and one to Giverny. Our hotel is in the Marais neighborhood. We currently have plans for the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Picasso Museum, Pompidou Center, Musee d'Orsay, Le Petit Palais, Tuileries Garden and Musee de l'Orangerie.

 

[Baduist]

Yes, after thinking about what the PP said, I've decided to go to DLP on the last day full of our trip, rather than try to squeeze it in at the beginning.

I'm very excited about Paris, so much so that DLP never even occurred to me until yesterday, and we've had this trip planned for several months. I just realized that DLP might be a nice way to begin or end the trip. We already have two other day trips planned: one to Versailles and one to Giverny. Our hotel is in the Marais neighborhood. We currently have plans for the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Picasso Museum, Pompidou Center, Musee d'Orsay, Le Petit Palais, Tuileries Garden and Musee de l'Orangerie.

Great location.

So maybe do Picasso on the first day, and walk there and back, then have dinner at one of the cafes on the street .

Quick tips for your other destinations:
- Skip eiffel. It’s just a checklist item and usually a horrible experience. Instead book a window table at the restaurant atop the montparnasse tower (tallest, ugliest building in Paris), where you get the best view of the Eiffel (especially at night with the lights). Bonus: the view is without the tallest ugliest building in Paris lol.

- Arc de triomphe is also boring with so many tourists taking pics and it’s jist a nightmare with all the crowds. What we do is set a destination in the area and walk by the arc so that the day isn’t lost. Our favorites are the Haagen Dazs store on Champs Elysees or L’entricote - one of our favorite restaurants in the world (look it up and read about the concept). It’s about a 10-20 minute stroll from there.

Louvre - arrive super early, look up the best entrance in terms of crowds, and get your ticket online or beforehand. Give at at least half a day if not more imho. And forget the Mona Lisa it’s the most overrated, Lear’s impressive piece there (plus you can’t really see it with the crowds...)