Okay - Getting Serious - Some Questions

[BrianL]

Hi, All. I am getting pretty serious about going to Paris and of course DLP. I have a few beginner questions though for those inclined to help me out.

First, is two days enough? It seems like it, but that's also tight. I may be travelling with some people who won't "tolerate" more, ha ha.

I am looking at the September/October window. Is this a good time? It shouldn't be peak season for Paris, but what about DLP? Do they scale back? It looks like they have Halloween there - looks cool!

I am thinking about staying onsite. I see they have reasonably priced hotels like Cheyenne or Santa Fe. Does anyone have thoughts on these hotels? Are they close enough to the parks to walk?

Speaking of, we of course will also want to visit Paris. Is it easy enough to use the Disney hotels as our base and go into the city for the day or is it too far? It doesn't seem that far, but I don't want to spend tons of time in transit. Is it better to move to another hotel for that portion of the trip?

What does everyone like to do in Paris? I mean, I'll be honest, DLP is the main draw for me personally. What is super cool to see? I hear The Louvre and Eiffel Tower are so crowded and barely worth it.

As a city, London appeals more to me. Is it easy to travel there on the train? I was thinking about an itinerary that brought us in through one city and out through the other. I would appreciate anyone's experience with that.

Anyway, I am starting to get excited about all of this, but it is a bit overwhelming. I need to exercise my passport more so I'm getting this rolling. Now, if Phantom Manor opens up in May, I should be all good.

Thanks for the help!

 

[olafLover]

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[BrianL]

Have you read all the thread with information for first timers? That's a good start.

Paris is easy to visit from DLP, but it does take an hour one way, I always said I wouldn't do it for more then one day in a trips (either staying in Paris and going to DLP or the other way around), but I just returned yesterday from a trip with friends, staying in Santa Fe, 2 days in the parks and 2 days in Paris
Both hotels are close enough to walk, one of my friends a little bit difficulty walking (she sad down a lot while touring Paris) and she was able to walk it a few times. But we also took the free shuttle bus sometimes (never did it before, I like that you don't have to wait if you walk and you go through the less crowded security check) and it was easier and quicker then I expected (for some reason I thought we'd go past all the different hotels, like they do for the partner hotels)

My friend had never been to Paris before, they were really impressed with the outside of the Louvre (free!) and to look at the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go in either of these, but if you're in Paris, you have to see them!

Yeah, I'm only thinking about a day or two in Paris proper. Yeah, I think I'd want to see the Eiffel Tower, but not go up in it. I would really want to see Notre Dame. That's about it. I will check out the first timers thread. Thanks!

 

[Karin1984]

Hi, All. I am getting pretty serious about going to Paris and of course DLP. I have a few beginner questions though for those inclined to help me out.

1. First, is two days enough? It seems like it, but that's also tight. I may be travelling with some people who won't "tolerate" more, ha ha.

2. I am looking at the September/October window. Is this a good time? It shouldn't be peak season for Paris, but what about DLP? Do they scale back? It looks like they have Halloween there - looks cool!

3. I am thinking about staying onsite. I see they have reasonably priced hotels like Cheyenne or Santa Fe. Does anyone have thoughts on these hotels? Are they close enough to the parks to walk?

4. Speaking of, we of course will also want to visit Paris. Is it easy enough to use the Disney hotels as our base and go into the city for the day or is it too far? It doesn't seem that far, but I don't want to spend tons of time in transit. Is it better to move to another hotel for that portion of the trip?

5. What does everyone like to do in Paris? I mean, I'll be honest, DLP is the main draw for me personally. What is super cool to see? I hear The Louvre and Eiffel Tower are so crowded and barely worth it.

6. As a city, London appeals more to me. Is it easy to travel there on the train? I was thinking about an itinerary that brought us in through one city and out through the other. I would appreciate anyone's experience with that.

Anyway, I am starting to get excited about all of this, but it is a bit overwhelming. I need to exercise my passport more so I'm getting this rolling. Now, if Phantom Manor opens up in May, I should be all good.

Thanks for the help!

Don't be overwhelmed, see it as an exciting adventure (without a map ;-) )
1. Two full days is plenty to do all the highlights and repeat some things, see the shows in both parks. If you would focus just on the different rides between the US parks and DLP it is even doable in a day. If you have three days you really can take your time. It depends how much of a Disney fan you are, your touring style, is table service important to you (as this takes a lot of time)

2. Great time! The busiest period is the weekend of the 22nd of September as this is the Run Weekend with loads of guests from abroad coming in. They don't really scale back in rides, but more in closing restaurants (early) or less dancers in the parade, that kind of stuff. If you enjoy Halloween, I would go in October, we do not have parties except on the 31st (which gets very busy) and no adjusted fireworks. But we do have loads of characters out, at least one Halloween show and either a special parade or pre-parade.

3. I stay at Cheyenne and Santa Fe most of the time, I spend most of the time in the parks, so I don't need a large room or amenities, I need a bed and I prefer that bed to be onsite and walkable.
Depending on where you are on the grounds of the hotel it's 15 - 20 minutes walk on average. As I walk this every day to work, it's not a big distance to me. However, I know some people on the other side of the ocean take a car to go to the supermarket next door (so to speak), your mileage may vary

4. Paris is about 45-60 minutes by public transport. If DLP is the main reason to go to France, then I would stay onsite and don't change hotels. Trains to the city go frequent and they go from early in the morning to late in the evening. I did a Disney-focused trip to Asia, and only in Shanghai we changed hotels due to the transportation options.

5. What I understand from most US visitors, they stick to the highlights. The list you get when you google 'highlights in Paris', but due to this, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are very busy. Notre Dame is gorgeous, but also can get busy. Check for each tourist attraction which have a 'skip the line' option.

6. You can book tickets going from the US to London and return Paris to US (or the other way around) however, this can be more expensive.
I would suggest you check the website of the Eurostar for fares and timetables. It takes about 2,5 hours to go from the city center of Paris to London.


Some links to get you started:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-crowds-weather-language-wifi.3736354/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-how-to-meet-characters-in-dlp.3736237/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-photopass.3736285/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...n-the-dutch-disneyland-paris-website.3736651/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...age-are-standard-at-disneyland-paris.3735076/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...-disneyland-paris-to-the-other-parks.3735105/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-disabled-queries.3736286/

 

[BrianL]

Don't be overwhelmed, see it as an exciting adventure (without a map ;-) )
1. Two full days is plenty to do all the highlights and repeat some things, see the shows in both parks. If you would focus just on the different rides between the US parks and DLP it is even doable in a day. If you have three days you really can take your time. It depends how much of a Disney fan you are, your touring style, is table service important to you (as this takes a lot of time)

2. Great time! The busiest period is the weekend of the 22nd of September as this is the Run Weekend with loads of guests from abroad coming in. They don't really scale back in rides, but more in closing restaurants (early) or less dancers in the parade, that kind of stuff. If you enjoy Halloween, I would go in October, we do not have parties except on the 31st (which gets very busy) and no adjusted fireworks. But we do have loads of characters out, at least one Halloween show and either a special parade or pre-parade.

3. I stay at Cheyenne and Santa Fe most of the time, I spend most of the time in the parks, so I don't need a large room or amenities, I need a bed and I prefer that bed to be onsite and walkable.
Depending on where you are on the grounds of the hotel it's 15 - 20 minutes walk on average. As I walk this every day to work, it's not a big distance to me. However, I know some people on the other side of the ocean take a car to go to the supermarket next door (so to speak), your mileage may vary

4. Paris is about 45-60 minutes by public transport. If DLP is the main reason to go to France, then I would stay onsite and don't change hotels. Trains to the city go frequent and they go from early in the morning to late in the evening. I did a Disney-focused trip to Asia, and only in Shanghai we changed hotels due to the transportation options.

5. What I understand from most US visitors, they stick to the highlights. The list you get when you google 'highlights in Paris', but due to this, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are very busy. Notre Dame is gorgeous, but also can get busy. Check for each tourist attraction which have a 'skip the line' option.

6. You can book tickets going from the US to London and return Paris to US (or the other way around) however, this can be more expensive.
I would suggest you check the website of the Eurostar for fares and timetables. It takes about 2,5 hours to go from the city center of Paris to London.


Some links to get you started:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-crowds-weather-language-wifi.3736354/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-how-to-meet-characters-in-dlp.3736237/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-photopass.3736285/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...n-the-dutch-disneyland-paris-website.3736651/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...age-are-standard-at-disneyland-paris.3735076/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...-disneyland-paris-to-the-other-parks.3735105/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-disabled-queries.3736286/

Awesome advice. I am a huge Disney guy so I feel like 3 days is needed. I will want to repeat things and also ride things that are in other parks to compare and contrast. Anyway, I am good with walking. I know we Americans are lazy, but I stay further than that when I go to Disneyland in Anaheim, and I walk. It's no problem (though I do sometimes drive to the grocery store a block away, but will walk when the weather is nice).

What you are saying about the Eurostar is that it may be best to fly in and out of Paris, but just take the train over to London, then back? That may make sense. It's what I did in Japan to go to Kyoto. We flew in and out of Narita, but took the train to Kyoto and back. I will not take the train back the same day as my flight as we ended up cutting things pretty close due to not understanding a schedule.

Thanks.

 

[Karin1984]

Awesome advice. I am a huge Disney guy so I feel like 3 days is needed. I will want to repeat things and also ride things that are in other parks to compare and contrast. Anyway, I am good with walking. I know we Americans are lazy, but I stay further than that when I go to Disneyland in Anaheim, and I walk. It's no problem (though I do sometimes drive to the grocery store a block away, but will walk when the weather is nice).

What you are saying about the Eurostar is that it may be best to fly in and out of Paris, but just take the train over to London, then back? That may make sense. It's what I did in Japan to go to Kyoto. We flew in and out of Narita, but took the train to Kyoto and back. I will not take the train back the same day as my flight as we ended up cutting things pretty close due to not understanding a schedule.

Thanks.

Yes, I meant indeed flying (for example) US-London, train to Paris and a flight Paris - US. This would be the most practical and probably shortest travelling time. But it can be more expensive than US-London-US and a train London-Paris-London, but would depend on how many days do you have, how much do you want to see/do in each city etc. If you do not have the time, I wouldn't do London - Paris by train and that same day Paris - US by plane, way too stressful.

One thing I forgot, end of October the Autumn breaks start in Europe, in France schools are out from 21OCT - 4NOV, so you can bet this will be a busy period as well.

I love comparing Disney parks too, so I would definitely recommend three full days then, if the others in your party don't want to go three days, I would send them off to the City of Paris for an extra day.

 

[BrianL]

I love comparing Disney parks too, so I would definitely recommend three full days then, if the others in your party don't want to go three days, I would send them off to the City of Paris for an extra day.

Yeah, I could do that!

 

[pamcarey]

I can't comment on DLP, as I haven't been there (yet!), but I am doing a trip involving DLP, Paris, and London in May. We are flying into Paris (CDG), then two nights in DLP, then train (RER) to Paris for 4 nights, then train (Eurostar) to London for 4 nights and flying back to the US from London. It was not any more expensive for me to fly into and out of different cities. This may depend on the airline.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

If you would prefer 3 days at DLP but the rest of your party would not, what if you split off from the group for the 3rd day and did DLP yourself while they went back into Paris or on a day trip?

I'm in the midst of planning our first Paris/DLP trip and it will be in September, so same general time frame that you're looking at. The folks here have been very helpful, especially with a lot of general knowledge/FAQ threads that have recently been created. Definitely check out the ones that were listed in an earlier post!

As far as the tourist sites being busy in Paris, definitely do some research on what sounds interesting to you. The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower both have options to buy tickets in advance which can help you save time and even skip the line, as PP mentioned. And hopefully if you're going during the off season, the city won't be filled with hoards of tourists.

 

[rndmr2]

4. Paris is about 45-60 minutes by public transport. If DLP is the main reason to go to France, then I would stay onsite and don't change hotels. Trains to the city go frequent and they go from early in the morning to late in the evening.

How late in the evening does it run? I will be in Paris on November 9th (Saturday) for a concert and hoping it won't be too difficult to get back to DLP that night.

 

[A Small World]

Usually til about midnight

 

[Karin1984]

How late in the evening does it run? I will be in Paris on November 9th (Saturday) for a concert and hoping it won't be too difficult to get back to DLP that night.

You can look up the timetables here https://www.ratp.fr/en/itineraires

 

[Christina McKenna]

Paris...at least three days. DLP is tiny. One day works.

 

[jujubiee4]

I can't comment on DLP, as I haven't been there (yet!), but I am doing a trip involving DLP, Paris, and London in May. We are flying into Paris (CDG), then two nights in DLP, then train (RER) to Paris for 4 nights, then train (Eurostar) to London for 4 nights and flying back to the US from London. It was not any more expensive for me to fly into and out of different cities. This may depend on the airline.

Which airlines did you use to fly in/out different cities? Im finding huge increases doing that on all but Norwegian (and they are a crap shoot because
of flight cancellations).

thanks

 

[Leilanie94]

We are going to London and Paris in October 2019. This is our family's first European trip. (We went to Japan last summer.)

We are staying 4 days in London (our home base: travel in and out) and 3 days in Paris.

We are planning to go DLP, just 1 day though. We are Disney lovers, but there are so many other things to see and do in Paris.

We are flying Delta.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Which airlines did you use to fly in/out different cities? Im finding huge increases doing that on all but Norwegian (and they are a crap shoot because
of flight cancellations).

thanks

You need to find an airline which has a multi city option on their online booking. I fly Aer Lingus from Dublin, both transatlantic and Europe. To get the multi city on their website I have to click to a different page.

Otherwise airlines are quoting you 2 one-way flights, which is why you are getting huge price increases.

 

[pamcarey]

Which airlines did you use to fly in/out different cities? Im finding huge increases doing that on all but Norwegian (and they are a crap shoot because
of flight cancellations).

thanks

I am flying on Norwegian. I wasn’t aware of any issues with them regarding flight cancellations. My daughter has flown with them and they were fine.

 

[petals]

I've stayed in Cheyenne and Santa fe before. Both are fine, imo Cheyenne is slightly better though.

I've also done Paris from DLP before. It does take about an hour to get in to Paris but it's fairly easy to use the trains and metro to get around to the major sites. It's been a few years since we did it but when we went to the Eiffel Tower early in the day it was very crowded so we went to Notre Dame and went back to the Eiffel Tower around 5 ish and it was alot quieter and we were lucky as when we went up the tower it was daylight but as we came down the sun was setting and the tower started twinkling and it was fab to see.

I also visited London last year. London is huge and like Paris you'll need to pick the main things you want to see. You can get the train from Disneyland though. If you're a Harry Potter fan I totally recommend a visit to the Warner Brothers studios and a muggle walking tour of London. We did both last year and they were great

 

[norhel]

I am flying on Norwegian. I wasn’t aware of any issues with them regarding flight cancellations. My daughter has flown with them and they were fine.

It's not that many cancellations. Only a few with the Boeing 737 Max that many countries has put on ground.

 

[jujubiee4]

I've stayed in Cheyenne and Santa fe before. Both are fine, imo Cheyenne is slightly better though.

I've also done Paris from DLP before. It does take about an hour to get in to Paris but it's fairly easy to use the trains and metro to get around to the major sites. It's been a few years since we did it but when we went to the Eiffel Tower early in the day it was very crowded so we went to Notre Dame and went back to the Eiffel Tower around 5 ish and it was alot quieter and we were lucky as when we went up the tower it was daylight but as we came down the sun was setting and the tower started twinkling and it was fab to see.

I also visited London last year. London is huge and like Paris you'll need to pick the main things you want to see. You can get the train from Disneyland though. If you're a Harry Potter fan I totally recommend a visit to the Warner Brothers studios and a muggle walking tour of London. We did both last year and they were great

If you had 8 days how would you divided the days? 3 Paris 5 London? Looking back would you have preferred to stay in Paris to sightsee or taking
train from DLP was fine? Thx!