Finally going to Disneyland Paris!

[jiminy579]

It has been my dream to take my family to Disneyland Paris during Christmas time, and finally it is going to happen! I have received the brochure in the mail, read it cover to cover atleast 50 times, and am leaning towards either the Disneyland Hotel or Newport Bay. I am a Nautical nut, with most of my house filled with lighthouses, so really am thinking of Newport Bay. Any info on both hotels would be great.

Also, has anyone gone to The Enchanted Christmas Ball, The Magical World of Tinkerbell Show, or Disney Character Christmas party? I know I am planning early, but have anxiously awaited this trip for 2 years now!!!!

THANKS in advance!!!!!

 

[missypie]

I've requested a brochure on line three times over about the last 5 months and have yet to receive one!

 

[jiminy579]

But then, out of nowhere, I received all of them in the mail. One by one they started showing up! If you don't receive it soon, try again, or I would have no problem sending you one of mine. Do you know where you are going to stay? I couldn't believe all of the amazing things they offer at these 2 parks!

 

[missypie]

We are a family of 5, which would limit our DLP hotel choices to either 2 rooms, or a family room at Newport Beach. I've been told that the weather in mid-March can be rainy and cold, so we are staying the whole time in a 2 bedroom flat in Paris; the flat is a short walk from the RER red line that goes straight to DLP. That way we can go to DLP on whatever days the weather is nice, and not have to commit to a certain three days in advance.

 

[jiminy579]

Are you going through a Travel Agent? I tried to research everything on my own, and couldn't believe all that is involved with a trip like this. I did purchase a Disneyland Paris guide book from Amazon.com, but it is still so overwhelming. Are you buying your passes direct from the parks when you arrive? One thing you can't miss is the Tea Party with Goofy. It looks amazing!!
The brochure shows all of the current specials, but mine only goes through Autumn/Winter 2002-2003.

 

[missypie]

No travel agent - just me.

I bought a few shares of DLP stock, so I will wait to buy my tickets when I get there so I can take advantage of the shareholder's club discount.

I searched and searched for apartments over the internet and I think (hope) I have found a nice one for a good price. (It has a washer and dryer so FOR ONCE we will be able to pack light.)

I had enough frequent flyer miles to get 3 of our 5 tickets. I bought the tickets at the end of July for mid-March. The ticket price has already gone up $100 per ticket since then. Also, when I got the tickets, the agent told me that I had booked the last 3 available frequent flyer seats (8 1/2 months in advance!)

I'm still trying to figure out in-Paris transportation. I think the Carnet of 10 tickets will work better for us than either of the metro passes.

The next edition of Simon's book on DLP comes out in February (available at UK amazon.com). If I can wait until then I'll buy the new edition. If not, I'll buy this year's.

I'm trying to work on touring plans over the next few months. I've started to take note of what is closed on what day. I'll have to plan in small blocks that can be changed easily if the weather is bad.

I plan to buy 3 day park hoppers, unless 2 day hoppers are available for the time we're there.

I would like to check out a few of the on-site hotels. In a few years we will probably take the kids to London and we might end the trip with another visit to DLP.

 

[DocRafiki]

I got the 3-day/2-night package at the Disneyland Hotel (and added a final night at Santa Fe -- yuck!) and cannot imagine staying at any other hotel in the future. It was SO great to be so close to my hotel room, and I didn't even have kids with me.

I did the carnet thing, too. I didn't use the Metro nearly as much as I thought I would -- maybe an average of 3-4 times a day. Most things are so close, and you really don't want to spend your time underground if you can walk it in a few minutes and be able to see the sights at the same time. But I did go up to Montmartre a few times, so I took the metro up there and back.

When I go back, I will probably do the hop-on/hop-off bus like they have in London. You might look into that.

 

[jiminy579]

Missypie,
Wow....you have done a lot of research! I can't wait to hear about your trip when you return.

DocRafiki,
How was your room at the Disneyland Hotel? The hotel looks gorgeous in the brochure, but then again so does the Newport Bay. Did you happen to see that while you were there?
What are some "not to be missed" items in the parks???
Thanks for your reply!!!

 

[DocRafiki]

I loved my DLP room! I didn't have the best view, maybe because I was solo, but I still loved it! I took lots of pictures... just have to upload them. I had a king-sized (I think) bed, a small table, and a full-sized couch. The room was not big by any means, but would have been plenty for me and another person. It was more spacious than what I got at AKL at WDW. I only saw the Newport Bay from afar, but I walked from Santa Fe to the RER, so I walked past all the other hotels. I was SO glad that I had stayed at the DL hotel!

I have to say I really enjoyed Small World, even though I'm not the biggest IASW fan in general. I rode it a couple of times. What I really enjoyed was the exploring and taking photos. I loved the inside of the castle -- the dragon underneath and the walkway above. I also liked the Liberty Arcade and -- oh what was the other one called? -- on either side of Main Street (not arcades like video games but the breezeways where you could access the Main St shops). Other than that, it's mostly the same stuff you'd like at WDW. I was a little disappointed with the Haunted Mansion... I always heard it was so different and so much more scary. Eh. Indiana Jones is nice to do once, but it banged my head around so much that it was definitely enough. I felt like it was pretty much all like WDW, only done to the extreme (yes, a little better). Now that's the Magic Kingdom. As for the Studios, I say skip it. The only thing that I liked there was the stunt show, and they'll be having that at WDW soon, so it's not even worth the bother. The stage shows there are completely lame, not at all up to par with the WDW shows.

 

[jiminy579]

Thanks so much for the info! I can't wait to see your photos!!!