First time trip to Paris Disneyland - need planning help and advice please

[T2Mum]

Won't recommend anywhere, but rather will steer you away from somewhere slow.

I've never seen a queue of less than six deep at Cafe Hyperion/Videopolis and despite having about eight registers they could have open, there's rarely more than two of them staffed (maybe three during the lunch rush), so it's a long queue no matter what time you go there. And when you do finally get served, the burgers are mediocre at best and it can be hard to find a table - mainly because they're occupied by other families who have also been waiting ages for their person in the queue!

Sounds like an awesome experience… not! Thanks - will definitely avoid this.

Any other ideas - or is bringing a packed lunch the best plan? Is it allowed to bring a packed lunch?

 

[Woodview]

We are travelling from Australia. The day in Paris Disneyland is part of a bigger five week holiday to Europe. The priority was other sightseeing in Europe. The day in Paris Disneyland was a nice to do for the kids, but I didn't want to spend two days there. However if we are going for one day then I want to make the most of it!

We have been to Disneyland in LA twice and while we enjoyed it we think one day at Paris Disneyland will be plenty.

The reason for not staying onsite is that we already have accommodation booked in Paris for the week and are leaving Paris the next morning (with an early departure). I did not want to have to travel on site from a Disney Hotel back into Paris the next morning.

Thank you for the reply Now ......... As you have been to a Disney Park Maybe a change might be an idea

Look up Parc Astrix Theme Park

Next question is Where else are you going to ?

I live In Cork Ireland but travel a lot in EU countries

If you need Hotel Ideas Or car rental co

Note Travel Plugs are 2 pin Round ( Ireland & England are 3 flat pin )

 

[T2Mum]

Thank you for the reply Now ......... As you have been to a Disney Park Maybe a change might be an idea

Look up Parc Astrix Theme Park

Next question is Where else are you going to ?

I live In Cork Ireland but travel a lot in EU countries

If you need Hotel Ideas Or car rental co

Note Travel Plugs are 2 pin Round ( Ireland & England are 3 flat pin )

Thanks, but just interested in tips for a one-day visit to Disneyland.

 

[Karin1984]

Sounds like an awesome experience… not! Thanks - will definitely avoid this.

Any other ideas - or is bringing a packed lunch the best plan? Is it allowed to bring a packed lunch?

I gave a list of suggestions a few posts above. Otherwise, a packed lunch is the most cost effective, and it is allowed, a lot of people do it.

When you arrive on the train there is a store Relay that sells food & drinks.

 

[ratherbeshiny]

If you avoid peak lunch and dinner times it will be faster and easier everywhere.

I pack food and buy one meal in the park. The rumours are true, you don't go to DLP for the food!

 

[T2Mum]

I gave a list of suggestions a few posts above. Otherwise, a packed lunch is the most cost effective, and it is allowed, a lot of people do it.

When you arrive on the train there is a store Relay that sells food & drinks.

Thank you! I had missed the post where you listed the food outlet suggestions. That is very, very helpful Really appreciate your great tips.

 

[steve_rob]

Would back up @Karin1984 in saying Cowboy Cookout is a good choice - it's still only "decent for a theme park" food, but better than most (I'd rate the chicken over the ribs over the sausage out of the three meats on the BBQ platter) and the crowds there are a lot slower to build up because it's off the beaten track.

In a similar vein, if you wanted pizza or pasta, then head to Colonel Hathi's - it has exactly the same menu as Pizzeria Bella Notte only with the one exception of not having the Lady & the Tramp Spaghetti, but sees far fewer guests because PBN is so centrally located in comparison.

 

[T2Mum]

Super helpful suggestions! Thank you so much!

 

[DoraBA]

Second the advice re eating early - we stayed offsite so ate croissants from a local boulangerie while waiting for rope drop. Then ate lunch in the parks around 1130-1200. Queues were horrid around 1230-1330. (Since our youngest is 5, we left around 6-7pm and dined at home)

Also I strongly recommend mobile ordering while waiting in line then walking to wherever until your time slot arrives. Don't forget to press the I'm here button! The app lets you see which 2-3 places do mobile.

 

[T2Mum]

Second the advice re eating early - we stayed offsite so ate croissants from a local boulangerie while waiting for rope drop. Then ate lunch in the parks around 1130-1200. Queues were horrid around 1230-1330. (Since our youngest is 5, we left around 6-7pm and dined at home)

Also I strongly recommend mobile ordering while waiting in line then walking to wherever until your time slot arrives. Don't forget to press the I'm here button! The app lets you see which 2-3 places do mobile.

Thank you! I did not know about mobile ordering - will look into it.

 

[Karin1984]

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice about Cafe Hyperion/Videopolis at Disneyland Paris. It's always helpful to have insider tips when planning a trip. It sounds like the queues can get quite long and the burgers may not be up to par.

Hyperion used to be on my 'no go' list, and a few years later I gave it another try and it was okay. Not great, but also not as bad as it was. But apparently... now it's going down again?

I think the queues are caused by that Hyperion is the only food option in Discoveryland. It has loads of seating options, but not enough cashiers. And there is one food booth outside. Not nearly enough for the amount of rides in the area.

Fantasyland has Pinocchios, Toad Hall & Bella Notte. The Old Mill, the March Hare, Arbre Enchanté for snacks
Adventureland has Hakuna Matata & Colonel Hathi's. At least 2 or 3 booths.
Frontierland has Fuente del Oro (soon to be Coco), the Tex Mex place and Cowboy Cookout. Also at least 2 snack booths
Main Street has the bakery and Casey's. Same, 2 or 3 booths.

 

[Sepia Superstructure]

Just wanted to say that I am loving the tips for visiting Disneyland Paris. I have only visited the US parks and plan to visit the international parks in the future.

 

[T2Mum]

Yes, thank you so much everyone for the tips! Really appreciated - it will really enhance our enjoyment of the day.

I have thought of another question - the park opens at 9.30am - what time do we need to arrive? We will be travelling in from Paris.

 

[T2Mum]

Follow up question - we have realised that we will be in Walt Disney Studios Park for lunch. Are the Stark Factory and the Super Diner ok?

It seems like the Restaurant En Coulisse is not great (both in terms of wait times and the actual food) if the reviews on Trip Advisor are accurate...

 

[T2Mum]

Ok - thanks to everyone for the tips and advice! Here is our general plan. (One thing we have prioritised is minimising walking). We realise that we might need to adapt the plan on the day if rides are unexpectedly closed etc)
We are gong to purchase Premier Ultimate Access Passes and Priority Seating for the Lion King and Mickey Magic Shows.

9.30am - start at Walt Disney Studios Park - head for Toon Town. Consider doing Toy Soldiers Parachute drop and/or RC Racer if lines not busy. Then Ratatouille using Premier Pass.

approx 10.30am Crush's Coaster using Premier Pass

10.45am-11.15am Avenger's Assemble Flight Force and Spider Man WEB Adventure using Premier Pass

11.15am - Tower of Terror using Premier Pass

11.30 - Stark Factory - lunch

12.30pm for 1pm Mickey and the Magician Show (with reserved seating)

1.30pm-2pm - walk to Discoveryland in Disneyland Park

2pm-2.30pm - Star Tours and Space Mountain using Premier Pass

2.30pm get spot for 2.55pm Dream and Shine Brighter Parade/Show

3.25pm - Walk to FrontierLand

3.30-4.30pm - Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril with Premium Passes (can do one of these later after dinner if it turns out there is not sufficient time).

4.30pm for 4.50pm Lion King Show (with reserved seating)

5.30 Cowboy Cookout Barbecue for dinner

7.00pm Peter Pan's flight (with Premium Passes)

7.15 Alice's Curious Labyrinth

8pm - Le Pays De Contes De Fee

8.30pm It's a Small World (happy to skip this if it turns out that other things have taken longer than expected)

9pm - Walk back to Discoveryland

9.15pm - Autopia using Premier Pass

9.35pm - Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast using Premier Pass

9.55pm - Snack time and get spot for Disney D-Light Show

10.50pm - Disney D-Light Show

11pm - Disney Dreams Nighttime Extravaganza

Comments? Suggestions? (Our family has relatively good stamina and we have done a full day like this before at LA Disneyland when the kids were much younger - and enjoyed it! - so I think it will be OK. I have tried to break up the walking around parts with things like shows / meals etc where we can sit down for a while.)

 

[SPINster]

I think your overall plan looks good, a few comments/suggestions based on my September 2022 trip:
1. You can totally skip the Toy Story rides. The parachute drop is the best of them but unless you can walk on, you aren't missing anything.
2. Tower of Terror has two different versions-the version that loads from the upper level is legit the most terrifying one I have ever been on (in a good way, if you like that sort of thing). The bottom level is way more tame, in terms of drops and the storyline.
3. Personally I thought Mickey and the Magician was just OK. I know most people love it but I kind of didn't get what the big deal was.
4. I would try to squeeze in a ride on Pirates-it's a much longer version than Magic Kingdom
5. Dream...Shine Brighter is AMAZING. I think we watched it 3x a day. But don't stress too much about getting there 30 minutes before, you can usually get a good spot just a few moments before if you happen to be running late.
6. Cowboy Cookout-check the hours in the days leading up to your trip, while I was there it was only open for lunch.
7. It's not on your schedule, but in case you were wondering-I would not bother waiting for any of the character Meet & Greets, either inside or outside. The lines move MUCH slower than they do in the US.

 

[T2Mum]

I think your overall plan looks good, a few comments/suggestions based on my September 2022 trip:
1. You can totally skip the Toy Story rides. The parachute drop is the best of them but unless you can walk on, you aren't missing anything.
2. Tower of Terror has two different versions-the version that loads from the upper level is legit the most terrifying one I have ever been on (in a good way, if you like that sort of thing). The bottom level is way more tame, in terms of drops and the storyline.
3. Personally I thought Mickey and the Magician was just OK. I know most people love it but I kind of didn't get what the big deal was.
4. I would try to squeeze in a ride on Pirates-it's a much longer version than Magic Kingdom
5. Dream...Shine Brighter is AMAZING. I think we watched it 3x a day. But don't stress too much about getting there 30 minutes before, you can usually get a good spot just a few moments before if you happen to be running late.
6. Cowboy Cookout-check the hours in the days leading up to your trip, while I was there it was only open for lunch.
7. It's not on your schedule, but in case you were wondering-I would not bother waiting for any of the character Meet & Greets, either inside or outside. The lines move MUCH slower than they do in the US.

Thank you so much re: this feedback!

Totally agree re: the Toy Story Rides - we will only do them if we can walk on.

I did not know that re: Tower of Terror and that is SUPER helpful. Our 10 year old twins are very keen to do this ride, but I think they are underestimating the scare factor. Great to know there is a tame version!

Pirates is sadly being refurbished when we are in the park which is why we haven’t included it.

Good to know re: Shine Bright!

Did not realise that re: Cowboy Cookout - that would have been a planning fail. We will swap to Colonel Hathi’s instead.

Yes, happily our party is not interested in Meet and Greets so we can skip those.

 

[Karin1984]

Yes, thank you so much everyone for the tips! Really appreciated - it will really enhance our enjoyment of the day.

I have thought of another question - the park opens at 9.30am - what time do we need to arrive? We will be travelling in from Paris.

I would be there somewhere between 8.30 and 9.

Follow up question - we have realised that we will be in Walt Disney Studios Park for lunch. Are the Stark Factory and the Super Diner ok?

It seems like the Restaurant En Coulisse is not great (both in terms of wait times and the actual food) if the reviews on Trip Advisor are accurate...

I ate at Stark Factory once and thought the fokd was good.

 

[Karin1984]

It looks good, I would skip Autopia, I dont think it is interesting for your party. As you have a very very busy full day planned, I would use some down time instead. Even if you have premier access, it is so annoying to sit in a car on autopia and wait for the offloading taking hours (well, it feels like hours )

 

[gracieclaire]

Thank you so much re: this feedback!

Totally agree re: the Toy Story Rides - we will only do them if we can walk on.

I did not know that re: Tower of Terror and that is SUPER helpful. Our 10 year old twins are very keen to do this ride, but I think they are underestimating the scare factor. Great to know there is a tame version!

Pirates is sadly being refurbished when we are in the park which is why we haven’t included it.

Good to know re: Shine Bright!

Did not realise that re: Cowboy Cookout - that would have been a planning fail. We will swap to Colonel Hathi’s instead.

Yes, happily our party is not interested in Meet and Greets so we can skip

I think your overall plan looks good, a few comments/suggestions based on my September 2022 trip:
1. You can totally skip the Toy Story rides. The parachute drop is the best of them but unless you can walk on, you aren't missing anything.
2. Tower of Terror has two different versions-the version that loads from the upper level is legit the most terrifying one I have ever been on (in a good way, if you like that sort of thing). The bottom level is way more tame, in terms of drops and the storyline.
3. Personally I thought Mickey and the Magician was just OK. I know most people love it but I kind of didn't get what the big deal was.
4. I would try to squeeze in a ride on Pirates-it's a much longer version than Magic Kingdom
5. Dream...Shine Brighter is AMAZING. I think we watched it 3x a day. But don't stress too much about getting there 30 minutes before, you can usually get a good spot just a few moments before if you happen to be running late.
6. Cowboy Cookout-check the hours in the

days leading up to your trip, while I was there it was only open for lunch.
7. It's not on your schedule, but in case you were wondering-I would not bother waiting for any of the character Meet & Greets, either inside or outside. The lines move MUCH slower than they do in the US.

I been going for years and never heard of tower of terror having two different versions?