Feedback on staying off-site and then moving to Disney Hotel

[parkbr]

I am thinking of coming into DLP mid-day after doing Paris for a few days. Stay off-site hotel (will they have free shuttles that run frequently?) and just look around the Disney Village, gift shops, and be acquainted with the area and have dinner.

Then the next morning, wake up early, take Uber or shuttles (if there is any - will there be?) to the Disney hotel around 7:30 AM, and leave the luggage, get the park tickets and head to the park for EMH.
We will stay for 2 or 3 nights and on the last day, stay until the firework (what time will that be in the summer usually?) then go to the hotel near CDG airport and fly out the next day - flight is at 12:20 PM (will Uber be okay at night? We are hoping to see the fireworks and not sure whether there will be TGV that late and also the cost varies.) or stay at the partner hotel one extra night then go back to Paris. (We have some flexibility to add DLP to the middle of our trip or do it towards the end.)

We're thinking of this option to save $$ as the Disney hotels come with tickets and we won't be really using it to the max.
I am wondering if this is totally absurd or some do such things. Or maybe I am missing something and will be either wasting $$$ over a small saving and/or wasting a lot of time.

Any feedback will be very helpful. Please help me!

 

[Louise97]

It's not a bad idea, we've done the last night at an airport hotel for the same reason that we wouldn't make use of the last day of the tickets in the package. And in October we're planning to do our first night in Val d'Europe and then take the RER / shuttle to DLP the next morning because we won't arrive until the evening.

Some off-site hotels have free shuttles, I haven't previously used one so don't know how frequently they run. From vlogs they look quite busy in the morning so depending on how much luggage you have, an Uber might be easier.

Fireworks are quite late in the summer because it doesn't get dark until later. They're generally at park close which could be 23:00. We watched the fireworks on the days when we were staying on-site then on our last day took an evening TGV to the airport and had dinner at the hotel. I haven't tried taking an Uber from DLP at night but it could be pretty busy after the park closes.

 

[Karin1984]

As long as you keep in mind that Disney Village is very small (in comparison to wdw and dl) it's a handful of shops and restaurants. You won't spend hours here.

 

[parkbr]

It's not a bad idea, we've done the last night at an airport hotel for the same reason that we wouldn't make use of the last day of the tickets in the package. And in October we're planning to do our first night in Val d'Europe and then take the RER / shuttle to DLP the next morning because we won't arrive until the evening.

Some off-site hotels have free shuttles, I haven't previously used one so don't know how frequently they run. From vlogs they look quite busy in the morning so depending on how much luggage you have, an Uber might be easier.

Fireworks are quite late in the summer because it doesn't get dark until later. They're generally at park close which could be 23:00. We watched the fireworks on the days when we were staying on-site then on our last day took an evening TGV to the airport and had dinner at the hotel. I haven't tried taking an Uber from DLP at night but it could be pretty busy after the park closes.

Thank you. I didn't even think about RER!

How long did you do DLP last time?
I am debating btw 2 nights/3 days and 3 nights/4 days. We absolutely love the fireworks, so we don't want to miss it on the last day - but maybe it's okay to miss the last day's firework and head to the CDG a bit earlier (like 7-8PM), if the firework is kinda the same?

 

[parkbr]

As long as you keep in mind that Disney Village is very small (in comparison to wdw and dl) it's a handful of shops and restaurants. You won't spend hours here.

Oh it is not?
So I don't have to 'plan' almost a full-day at Disney Village then.
I don't remember as it's been 27 years since I visited Disney Village and Disney Village only. (we arrived late in the afternoon in January, park closes at 6PM and my parents said we can't afford to get in. So we just went to the Disney Village.)

 

[RunnerMom71]

I think you're making it way too complicated. Just stay in Paris until the day you want to go to DLP. There's basically nothing to do in Disney Village IMO except grab a Starbucks: the shopping at the World of Disney store is really disappointing compared to the stores at WDW and DL California.

We took a car service *early* in the am to get to DLP from Paris: arrived around 7:30 am, checked into the hotel (make sure you fill out your security / police paperwork ahead of time - DLP will send it to you before check in). Keep in mind that there are multiple layers of security for DLP and the hotels: way more than the states. Security check when you are at the gatehouse for the hotel, scan you luggage and security check before getting into the hotel, then security check into Disney Village. We were still able to take advantage of early entry on our arrival day!

Keep in mind of you take the RER they do have a luggage check service for the hotels. Not sure how it works with getting your park passes as it was so much easier for us to just use a car service and go directly to the hotel.

 

[Karin1984]

World of Disney is not visible on this picture, it's to the left of Planet Hollywood (which is closed)
These are the shops
- World of Disney (Everything)
- Disney Store (Toys)
- Disney gallery (paintings, figurines etc.)
- Disney fashion (the better outfits, also for adults)
- Lego store (Lego)
- World of Toys (Toys)

Restaurants:
- Annette's
- Royal Pub (formerly known as King Ludwig's Castle)
- Billy Bob's County Western Saloon
- Starbucks
- Steakhouse
- Rainforest Café
- McDonald's

So no... I wouldn't plan a full day there Depending on how much you love shopping, take an hour.
And then go for dinner, Annette's Royal Pub and Rainforest are all good options in my opinion. None of them take reservations. If the parks close around 7 ot 8, make sure you are in before the parks close and the mass exodus begins.

 

[parkbr]

I think you're making it way too complicated. Just stay in Paris until the day you want to go to DLP. There's basically nothing to do in Disney Village IMO except grab a Starbucks: the shopping at the World of Disney store is really disappointing compared to the stores at WDW and DL California.

We took a car service *early* in the am to get to DLP from Paris: arrived around 7:30 am, checked into the hotel (make sure you fill out your security / police paperwork ahead of time - DLP will send it to you before check in). Keep in mind that there are multiple layers of security for DLP and the hotels: way more than the states. Security check when you are at the gatehouse for the hotel, scan you luggage and security check before getting into the hotel, then security check into Disney Village. We were still able to take advantage of early entry on our arrival day!

Keep in mind of you take the RER they do have a luggage check service for the hotels. Not sure how it works with getting your park passes as it was so much easier for us to just use a car service and go directly to the hotel.

Thank you for letting me know about the paperwork! This is great to know!!
When you said a car service *early*, does this mean Uber? And how 'early' are you talking about?
I read that there is Magical Express and you can get the park ticket at the train station as well. But it comes with some fees, and for 3 ppl, the costs add up.

 

[parkbr]

World of Disney is not visible on this picture, it's to the left of Planet Hollywood (which is closed)
These are the shops
- World of Disney (Everything)
- Disney Store (Toys)
- Disney gallery (paintings, figurines etc.)
- Disney fashion (the better outfits, also for adults)
- Lego store (Lego)
- World of Toys (Toys)

Restaurants:
- Annette's
- Royal Pub (formerly known as King Ludwig's Castle)
- Billy Bob's County Western Saloon
- Starbucks
- Steakhouse
- Rainforest Café
- McDonald's

So no... I wouldn't plan a full day there Depending on how much you love shopping, take an hour.
And then go for dinner, Annette's Royal Pub and Rainforest are all good options in my opinion. None of them take reservations. If the parks close around 7 ot 8, make sure you are in before the parks close and the mass exodus begins.

View attachment 751464

WOW THANK YOU!

I hate shopping, so I think an hour is perfect for me. LOL. But we love Lego, so we think we will spend at least 1/2 hour at the Lego store to just see what they have and play, if they have an 'open' play area. We have rainforest cafe in Niagara Falls, so I think I'll pass that one, but may try Annette.
Or what about the restaurants at the hotels?
I am not sure, but we often go explore different resorts at WDW - like spend an hour at Poly and walk over to Grand Floridian, then go to AKL to see the animals, etc.
Are the hotels at DLP similar in themes? Can anyone go in and walk around and see the hotels? Or are the hotels worth checking out for fun?

 

[Karin1984]

Yes, you can walk around all the hotels, they are publicly accessible. They already themed, but it is less than in the US. I never understood resort visits in the US. The decor looks nice, but to take away from park time... nope, don't get it!

I think Cheyenne is the most fun to see out of all the hotels in Paris. And if you are into Marvel the public spaces of the Marvel hotel might be worth it.

Santa Fe - Cars
Cheyenne - Wild West
Sequioa - Grand Californian / Wilderness Lodge
New Port Bay - Beach / Yacht Club
Marvel Hotel - Marvel

 

[parkbr]

Yes, you can walk around all the hotels, they are publicly accessible. They already themed, but it is less than in the US. I never understood resort visits in the US. The decor looks nice, but to take away from park time... nope, don't get it!

I think Cheyenne is the most fun to see out of all the hotels in Paris. And if you are into Marvel the public spaces of the Marvel hotel might be worth it.

Santa Fe - Cars
Cheyenne - Wild West
Sequioa - Grand Californian / Wilderness Lodge
New Port Bay - Beach / Yacht Club
Marvel Hotel - Marvel

That's great!
Hahaha. I hear you!
We ususally go for about 2 weeks when we go to WDW and do about 6 Parks. So we have a down-day every other day or so. That's why we have time to go around the resort.
Also, we like eating at their restaurants as well, so we must travel to the resort anyways. lol.

Thank you so much! This is super helpful! <3

 

[Teamubr]

I never understood resort visits in the US. The decor looks nice, but to take away from park time... nope, don't get it!

"Resort hopping" is definitely a thing at WDW. We go to WDW quite a bit and stay for at least a week. Often 10-16 days. The max park ticket I can get is 10 days without buying an AP (not on sale at the moment). On our non-park days we check out the other resorts, ride the Skyliner or take the monorail around.

j

 

[Louise97]

Thank you. I didn't even think about RER!

How long did you do DLP last time?
I am debating btw 2 nights/3 days and 3 nights/4 days. We absolutely love the fireworks, so we don't want to miss it on the last day - but maybe it's okay to miss the last day's firework and head to the CDG a bit earlier (like 7-8PM), if the firework is kinda the same?

It's a tough call on how long to stay. Last time we did 2 nights / 3 days at DLP, but that was our third trip and we knew we'd be back (we were planning to get APs later this year, fingers crossed they go back on sale by our September trip!). We've done 3 nights / 4 days before and it lets you go a bit more slowly or fit in lots of re-rides. With 4 days we even took a mid-afternoon break from the park to grab a coffee while lines were at their peak.

If you're planning to be there from open to close, you should be able to see it all in a couple of days, in three days you should be able to see it all at a leisurely pace, particularly with early entry. Another factor is whether you plan to have table service meals - that can be a couple of hours out of your day!

 

[RunnerMom71]

We did 3 days, 2 nights at DLP last summer: stayed at the Newport which was great for us.

We used a car service (pre-booked - not Uber) for all of our transfers in Paris. It was less than 70euro for each trip and between the three of us, our luggage (we were in Europe for a month) plus our small dog that was traveling with us it was significantly easier and cost effective. I *highly* recommend the car service we used: great reputation, they were punctual and very accommodating. https://www.isprestige.com/

My only complaint is that you cant pre-pay and you do need to pay in cash.

To get to DLP from Paris (Les Halle area) we were picked up promptly at 6:30 am to get to the Newport before 7:30 am. Worth it in that traffic can be something in and around Paris. Our driver happened to be an annual pass holder and he shared his families favorite things to do in the parks.

 

[Teamubr]

Thanks for the car service recommendation. That is one I didn't have saved and they are 10 Euros less than the others.

Anyone else used this service? We will be coming in from Rome for our first DLP visit.

j

 

[Karin1984]

Thanks for the car service recommendation. That is one I didn't have saved and they are 10 Euros less that the others.

Anyone else used this service? We will be coming in from Rome for our first DLP visit.

j

With the search option I found this:

https://www.disboards.com/search/49...t&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=77&o=relevance

 

[Teamubr]

Thanks @Karin1984

I've been following the different posts about various car services and I didn't have this one saved. I remembered one recent post where they had a bad experience with one of the services, but I couldn't remember which one.

I think I'll be booking this one. €10 isn't a deal breaker, but it might buy a drink at the hotel bar.

j

 

[jf256]

"Resort hopping" is definitely a thing at WDW. We go to WDW quite a bit and stay for at least a week. Often 10-16 days. The max park ticket I can get is 10 days without buying an AP (not on sale at the moment). On our non-park days we check out the other resorts, ride the Skyliner or take the monorail around.

For future reference check out the post about attractiok tickets.. it looks like the tickets are still not restricted by being a uk resident. If you are there that long.. you can get a 14 day ticket over 18 days for $650 dollars. (Pending exchange rate) which is creeping back up... annoyingly as our trip is now finished and was at 1.2 for most of the time.

Free memory maker aswell

 

[Teamubr]

For future reference check out the post about attractiok tickets.. it looks like the tickets are still not restricted by being a uk resident.

Thanks @jf256,

I'm in the US though. We are limited to 10 day tickets. Anything more than that and you have to purchase another multi day ticket or just go for the AP. I've done the math on it and generally, because the US tickets decrease in "daily" cost the more days you buy, after the 4th day of the 2nd 10 day ticket, it is cheaper to get the AP. The AP also gives you discounts on food and merchandise, so you could say by the 2nd or 3rd day.

Here is the US pricing.



Add on the Park Hopper and it is for a 10 day ticket:



The US price for an AP is $1399

j

 

[jf256]

Thanks @jf256,

I'm in the US though. We are limited to 10 day tickets. Anything more than that and you have to purchase another multi day ticket or just go for the AP. I've done the math on it and generally, because the US tickets decrease in "daily" cost the more days you buy, after the 4th day of the 2nd 10 day ticket, it is cheaper to get the AP. The AP also gives you discounts on food and merchandise, so you could say by the 2nd or 3rd day.

Here is the US pricing.

View attachment 757532

Add on the Park Hopper and it is for a 10 day ticket:

View attachment 757533

The US price for an AP is $1399

j

Read the thread on attraction tickets in the uk forum section..as they are now e tickets and there are no currently no restrictions on using a us credit card. You should be okay to buy the 14 day ones.

Worth reading and finding out. Its a substantial saving.