So much planning help needed...

[ErinC]

I'm currently planning a trip to several cities for March/April next year. Right now we will land in Paris at 1:50p.m. on Sunday, March 29th. We will most likely be slightly jet lagged, but no time to sit around and recoup! Our traveling party will be me, Dh, DD23, DD17. Our main focus in Paris is DLP, but since DD23 is the only one of our party that has ever been to Paris before, I feel like obviously we need to see the city while we are there. We will fly out pretty early on Wednesday, April 1 (7:10a.m. flight). So basically we have Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday to do as much as possible. I'm very torn about how to handle this trip time wise, whether to stay in the same hotel for three nights, or stay two nights at DLP, then the last night close to the airport. So here are my questions, I apologize if these are stupid questions, but it's so hard to imagine things in a place you have never been. Oh and one last tidbit that may be very important to our travel, we will be traveling with DH's triathlon bike. So when thinking about transportation, keep in mind we are lugging a bike around with us. Later in our trip, DH is doing a half ironman race in Greece.

1) City tours: I see on the disney site that a day tour is offered and a night tour is offered. If you have done these with Disney, please let me know if you thought these were worth it. The ones I looked at included the Eiffel Tower, boat cruise, and other important landmarks, I'm not usually a tour person, but we will need to see and do a lot in a short amount of time, so I am considering it. I"m kind of leaning towards the night cruise, but if that's all I see of Paris, will it be enough?

2) Rooms: I've gathered that I can book a room only through expedia. If we were to stay at DLP for three nights, I would not need tickets for 4 days, so I'm leaning towards just booking the room and buying tickets for the days we need. I've looked at both the New Port Bay hotel and the Sequoia Lodge. We are DVC owners at Wilderness Lodge, but I've been told to expect them not to be the same. Sequoia is around $130 per night, and New Port Bay is $180. They are the same size room. Which one should I book and why? I'm not paying $400ish for the Disneyland hotel, that's just too much for my budget. Is one closer to the parks?

3) Transportation: I've done some research on how we can get around, I know there is a train, or we could hire a driver. What would you recommend? Ideally, I would like to store DH's bike at he airport, so we wouldn't have to fool with it during the 3 day period. My concern about this is that it opens at 6:00 a.m. and our flight leaves at 7:10. I'm not sure that would be enough time to claim it, check it, and then get through security in time for our flight.

4) Schedule: Would you plan to stay somewhere else the first night and tour, then go to DLP on Monday, or go directly to DLP and stay three nights traveling from there to see the city and then back, or book an evening tour on Tuesday night, then stay at the airport so that we could be close for our Wednesday morning flight?

I promise I have spent a decent amount of time researching, but the more I research, the more confused I become. Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[Karin1984]

First of all, there are no stupid questions. You cannot learn without asking.

To get to the airport on time, you have to take a taxi/shuttle/car service as there won't be any public transport that early. With the bike, you would definitely take a bit of extra time, so I can see going to the airport the night before and getting some extra sleep might be a good option.

1. I cannot help you here, but your reasoning sounds right. You could do it all on your own, but it will give you peace of mind to have everything arranged on such a busy vacation. I am personally not a fan of night crusies, as you cannot really see the landmarks and sometimes with these things it could look like 'any city'. Of course the Eiffel tower will be recognizable.

2. There is very little difference between the two hotels, except theming. Depending on where your room is, there might be a few minutes more walking involved. But that could be the case for both hotels. To keep in mind: They are hotels, not resorts. So less amenities. Think about how much time you plan to spend in the parks and in the room. If you plan to be in the park all day and only go to the hotel to sleep, I wouldn't spend more than necessary.

3. Really can't help you here. It will be tight, as the airport is new to you, etc. But if these are the facts you have to deal with, one opens at 6:00 and the flight leaves at 7:10 (and cannot be changed), then that's what it is and you will have to roll with it. Study the maps of the airport to see where you have to go. I would go to the airport as early as you can, check in, drop of your other luggage and be at the bike-desk sharp at 6. Is the 7:10 a European flight? If so, the gates close officially 25-15 minutes before departure.

4. I would prefer to stay at the same hotel the entire time. I'm not a fan of hotel hopping. With the exception for your early flight question, then I would move to the airport the night before.

And the only way to stop confusion, to me it's about making notes, make sure you have a clear system to organize all the information you gather and write out the different options with pros and cons.
(That's what I would do )

Don't worry, you will figure it out! Happy planning!

 

[ErinC]

First of all, there are no stupid questions. You cannot learn without asking.

To get to the airport on time, you have to take a taxi/shuttle/car service as there won't be any public transport that early. With the bike, you would definitely take a bit of extra time, so I can see going to the airport the night before and getting some extra sleep might be a good option.

1. I cannot help you here, but your reasoning sounds right. You could do it all on your own, but it will give you peace of mind to have everything arranged on such a busy vacation. I am personally not a fan of night crusies, as you cannot really see the landmarks and sometimes with these things it could look like 'any city'. Of course the Eiffel tower will be recognizable.

2. There is very little difference between the two hotels, except theming. Depending on where your room is, there might be a few minutes more walking involved. But that could be the case for both hotels. To keep in mind: They are hotels, not resorts. So less amenities. Think about how much time you plan to spend in the parks and in the room. If you plan to be in the park all day and only go to the hotel to sleep, I wouldn't spend more than necessary.

3. Really can't help you here. It will be tight, as the airport is new to you, etc. But if these are the facts you have to deal with, one opens at 6:00 and the flight leaves at 7:10 (and cannot be changed), then that's what it is and you will have to roll with it. Study the maps of the airport to see where you have to go. I would go to the airport as early as you can, check in, drop of your other luggage and be at the bike-desk sharp at 6. Is the 7:10 a European flight? If so, the gates close officially 25-15 minutes before departure.

4. I would prefer to stay at the same hotel the entire time. I'm not a fan of hotel hopping. With the exception for your early flight question, then I would move to the airport the night before.

And the only way to stop confusion, to me it's about making notes, make sure you have a clear system to organize all the information you gather and write out the different options with pros and cons.
(That's what I would do )

Don't worry, you will figure it out! Happy planning!

Thank you so much Karin! I think that I have decided to go ahead and book the airport the night before. We could go ahead and store the bike at the airport upon arrival. It looks like storage is really close to the RER terminal in terminal 2. We could actually train back on Tuesday mid afternoon, get the bike then, and then check in to our hotel at the airport. That way we would not have to concern ourselves with getting it the next morning and cutting the time so close. The flight from Paris to Athens is an Air France flight. I think I would lose my mind cutting it that close. That would give us, Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday morning in the parks. It would also put us at the airport already for our flight. That would also be appealing to my over planning self.

Thank you for your comments about seeing the sites in the daytime. If a tour started at 4:00 p.m. how many hours of daylight would there be left in March? Maybe we could get the best of both? I'm actually looking at some tour sites that have private tours with airport pick up and drop off. A little more money, but again, it takes care of how we are getting from the airport to these sites and the tour of the sites themselves. Still not sure if it's worth the cost though. Probably around $600 for the 4 of us.

Also, in my planning yesterday, I've been checking expedia and the disney site and it actually looks like the disney site might be a better option right now for room and tickets. It also includes half board. Can you please explain what half board is?

Thank you again for helping me sort this out and plan.

 

[olafLover]

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[Karin1984]

Thank you so much Karin! I think that I have decided to go ahead and book the airport the night before. We could go ahead and store the bike at the airport upon arrival. It looks like storage is really close to the RER terminal in terminal 2. We could actually train back on Tuesday mid afternoon, get the bike then, and then check in to our hotel at the airport. That way we would not have to concern ourselves with getting it the next morning and cutting the time so close. The flight from Paris to Athens is an Air France flight. I think I would lose my mind cutting it that close. That would give us, Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday morning in the parks. It would also put us at the airport already for our flight. That would also be appealing to my over planning self.

My main advice to people from outside of Europe planning a European tour is to take things slow, even when it's a once in a lifetime trip and try to do as much as you can. Try to find balance and plan time to rest (or travel). There will be so many impressions and in my opinion it's better to do two or three things well, than a dozen things superficial.

Also, in my planning yesterday, I've been checking expedia and the disney site and it actually looks like the disney site might be a better option right now for room and tickets. It also includes half board. Can you please explain what half board is?

Thank you again for helping me sort this out and plan.

The half board are the meal plans. Not exactly like the dining plan in WDW, but the principle is the same, you have prepaid your meals or it's free. And it can be a good deal if you factor in everything. I would suggest to start reading this: https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-gb/guest-services/meal-plans/
I'm not an expert on the meal plans, as I never use them, but there are several threads about this topic on this board, so start your browsing!

 

[ErinC]

Where does the tour start? If it start in DLP, it will take at least one hour to get to the city. In march the sun will set around 7 (quite surprised by this, it is further south then were we live, but I would have guested 6). So you'd only have 2 hours

Some of the tours I looked at were called "layover" tours. They would pick you up at the airport and then drop you back off. We are going to be staying at the airport for the last night. They were private tours, so you could kind of pick and choose what interests you. It said it was a 5 hour tour, so that would be a few items in the day, and some at night. I think I would prefer to see the Eiffel Tower at night, so maybe we could save that for evening.

 

[ErinC]

My main advice to people from outside of Europe planning a European tour is to take things slow, even when it's a once in a lifetime trip and try to do as much as you can. Try to find balance and plan time to rest (or travel). There will be so many impressions and in my opinion it's better to do two or three things well, than a dozen things superficial.


The half board are the meal plans. Not exactly like the dining plan in WDW, but the principle is the same, you have prepaid your meals or it's free. And it can be a good deal if you factor in everything. I would suggest to start reading this: https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-gb/guest-services/meal-plans/
I'm not an expert on the meal plans, as I never use them, but there are several threads about this topic on this board, so start your browsing!

Thank you! I will check out that link for sure. I'm hoping this won't be my one and only trip to Paris, but if you had to suggest those things I should really focus on, what would they be? Obviously, I realize it's just one person's opinion, but I'd love to know what we shouldn't miss.

 

[Winnowill]

My mom and I stored our cruise luggage at Baggages du Monde at CDG when we did a weekend at Versailles followed by a week-long transatlantic cruise. It was fabulous - well worth the money we spent on it rather than lug our big suitcases with us. It didn't take them long to get our luggage when we went to pick it up, either.

 

[Karin1984]

Thank you! I will check out that link for sure. I'm hoping this won't be my one and only trip to Paris, but if you had to suggest those things I should really focus on, what would they be? Obviously, I realize it's just one person's opinion, but I'd love to know what we shouldn't miss.

I see I've never answered this question you asked me. If I could only do one thing in Paris, it would be see the Notre Dame, even when it's just standing outside the square. That's where I would spend some time. Other buildings like the Arc de Triomphe, or the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, don't have that same feeling for me.
I still need to go to Musee D'Orsay.

 

[ErinC]

My mom and I stored our cruise luggage at Baggages du Monde at CDG when we did a weekend at Versailles followed by a week-long transatlantic cruise. It was fabulous - well worth the money we spent on it rather than lug our big suitcases with us. It didn't take them long to get our luggage when we went to pick it up, either.

Thank you! We actually do plan to store his bike when we land in Paris before departing for DLP. That way we don't have to deal with it on the train ride. My concern about doing that was they open at 6:00a.m. and our flight leaves at 7:10 a.m. I decided that we would stay at an airport the day before our flight. I think we'll be able to ride the train back in from DLP the day before, grab the bike, and then check in to our airport hotel for our early morning flight. We'll do some city touring that afternoon and evening. My DD23 used the storage a few years ago. She was in a study abroad program and they stored their luggage at CDG, while they free traveled Europe for two weeks with just their backpacks. It worked out well for them, and was about the same price as shipping their large suitcases back to the U.S. Thank you for sharing your experience with me, it makes me feel better hearing positive reports!

 

[ErinC]

I see I've never answered this question you asked me. If I could only do one thing in Paris, it would be see the Notre Dame, even when it's just standing outside the square. That's where I would spend some time. Other buildings like the Arc de Triomphe, or the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, don't have that same feeling for me.
I still need to go to Musee D'Orsay.

Karin, what are the options for Notre Dame after the fire? Is it pretty much just viewing it from afar?

 

[Karin1984]

Karin, what are the options for Notre Dame after the fire? Is it pretty much just viewing it from afar?

There is not much open, but when you check this page:
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71292/Tours-de-Notre-Dame-de-ParisApparently the towers are open to be visited. But not the entire cathedrale.

 

[Winnowill]

There is not much open, but when you check this page:
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71292/Tours-de-Notre-Dame-de-ParisApparently the towers are open to be visited. But not the entire cathedrale.

Reading that site, it looks like they just left everything on it that was there before. Because it says in two places that the treasure and towers are closed, but then goes into detail about how you get into them. I'm pretty sure the whole building is closed. Which makes me sad, because that was one of the things we really wanted to do when we're there.

Yep - closed: http://www.tours-notre-dame-de-paris.fr/