Disneyland Paris Visit THIS March (2019)

[kinglouis246]

My wife and I are headed to Paris for a little anniversary getaway and we have to go to the Disney Parks. We're huge Disney fans and knew we couldn't miss it if we were going to be over there! So we decided to do 1 day-2 parks, with most of our attention being at Disneyland and going to the studios in the morning for Rat and Crush's Coaster. I've also been told the Mickey Magic show is worth the watch. I wanted to ask around if there was any other MUST DO at the Studios? We're pass-holders here in Florida, so the Paris versions of ToT and Rockin' Roller Coaster just don't seem worth the time. Also is there a favorite restaurant we should stop at (either park)? Mine as well include a MUST DO at Disneyland (main park) too.

We're so excited about this trip so any recommendations will help us plan. (BTW we got in on the low season so it's only $188 for BOTH of us for 1 day-2 parks, I thought that was amazing lol).

 

[AndyS2992]

Studios Must Dos:
-Crush's Coaster
-Ratatouille
-RC Racer
-Tower of Terror
-Rock n Rollercoaster
-Mickey and the Magician
*Backlot Tour (It's terrible but still has Catastrophe Canyon if that is something you care about, Lights, Motors Action is also still in in the park)

Disneyland Must Dos:
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Phantom Manor
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Indiana Jones & the temple of peril
-Peter Pan's Flight
-It's a Small World
-Hyperspace Mountain
-Star Tours 2.0
-Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
-Disney Illuminations
*Also don't forget to check out the dragon under the castle

If you go in the off season and make good use of Fastpass (or even buy premium FP if you have to) you can easily hit up all these attractions and more in a single day. Also if you are burger and fries kinda person then do not eat in the parks, extremely overpriced, walk out to Disney Village and go to McDonald's instead, it's half the price. But if you don't care about prices then Walt's on Main Street USA and Bistrot Chez Remy in Studios are pretty popular choices. You also have Rainforest Cafe and Five Guys in Disney Village. If you are looking for merch then The Emporium on Main Street, Studio 1 in Studios and World of Disney in Disney Village are your best bet. Should you want a unique experience from your visit then the PanoraMagique balloon in Disney Village is also an option if it is operating.

 

[kinglouis246]

Studios Must Dos:
-Crush's Coaster
-Ratatouille
-RC Racer
-Tower of Terror
-Rock n Rollercoaster
-Mickey and the Magician
*Backlot Tour (It's terrible but still has Catastrophe Canyon if that is something you care about, Lights, Motors Action is also still in in the park)

Disneyland Must Dos:
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Phantom Manor
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Indiana Jones & the temple of peril
-Peter Pan's Flight
-It's a Small World
-Hyperspace Mountain
-Star Tours 2.0
-Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
-Disney Illuminations
*Also don't forget to check out the dragon under the castle

If you go in the off season and make good use of Fastpass (or even buy premium FP if you have to) you can easily hit up all these attractions and more in a single day. Also if you are burger and fries kinda person then do not eat in the parks, extremely overpriced, walk out to Disney Village and go to McDonald's instead, it's half the price. But if you don't care about prices then Walt's on Main Street USA and Bistrot Chez Remy in Studios are pretty popular choices. You also have Rainforest Cafe and Five Guys in Disney Village. If you are looking for merch then The Emporium on Main Street, Studio 1 in Studios and World of Disney in Disney Village are your best bet. Should you want a unique experience from your visit then the PanoraMagique balloon in Disney Village is also an option if it is operating.

Thank you so much! According to my research Phantom Manor and Big Thunder will be closed when we are there, so I'm thinking (while extremely bummed) this may help us hit all the attractions you listed. Do we have to use all three FPs before we can get a 4th like the old FP at WDW?

 

[Swissmiss]

Make sure you go directly to Crush’s Coaster because there is no FP for it and the line is always long. Ratatouille has a single rider line that is usually very quick as ride vehicles are two rows of three. My DD and I pretty much only use the single rider line and we are more often than not in the same ride vehicle.

 

[kinglouis246]

Make sure you go directly to Crush’s Coaster because there is no FP for it and the line is always long. Ratatouille has a single rider line that is usually very quick as ride vehicles are two rows of three. My DD and I pretty much only use the single rider line and we are more often than not in the same ride vehicle.

Thank you! So I shouldn't grab a FastPass for Ratatouille first and then run to Crush? Just go to Crush first?

 

[aquitania]

Make sure you arrive early for Studios entry and head straight for Crush! Chances are when you've finished, the line for Ratatouille will still be fairly short, if not there will be plenty of fastpasses left. I've managed to ride Crush and Ratatouille before the Studios park has 'officially' opened so may not be worth using a FP for this. Seconding the point that the Single Rider for Ratatouille is always very short and you're often sat close by (in my experience in different rows or different carts but within the same group).

For FP's as long as the previously held one has timed out you can get more than just three.

 

[Swissmiss]

Thank you! So I shouldn't grab a FastPass for Ratatouille first and then run to Crush? Just go to Crush first?

Not unless you absolutely want to ride Ratatouille sitting next to one another - and you’ll waste precious time when the Crush line will grow longer. And as a PP said, there will still be FP left for Ratatouille, the only question will be for what time.

Are you planning to go to the parks during the week or on the weekend? A weekday in March this year shouldn’t be too crowded as the school ski holidays should be finished and the spring break period won’t have started yet.

 

[IMDREW]

As an annual passholder for both WDW and DLP I'd spend my day like this: do Crush first thing in the morning, after that do ratatouille as single rider and then head to the main park. Maybe Mickey and the Magician if you like shows. Not even worth to walk around Studios imho. Disneyland park is beautiful and you probably want to spend as much time as you can there.

Must do's in Disneyland park for a WDW pass holder imo are:
- Big Thunder (best in the world with some beautiful views)
- Space Mountain (too bad it's Hyperspace at the moment, still very good if the sound cooperates and extremely different from all other Space Mountains)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (better than WDW imo)
- Peter Pan's Flight (better than WDW imo)
- Phantom Manor (may still be closed?)
- Indiana Jones (if you like rollercoasters, but def not worth a long wait)
- If it's nice weather and the sun is out, Le Pays des Contes de Fees boat ride is really relaxing and very old school Disney
And maybe It's a Small World, but other than the beautiful exterior, it's not that different imo. Ofcourse it's always fun to do the fantasyland dark rides they don't have in WDW anymore like Snow Whites scary adventures and Pinocchio's daring journey.

Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear are practically exactly the same as in WDW, and DLP has very beautiful fireworks shows (though Illuminations is not their best). You can skip the Disneyland Railroad.. Not much to see.

I agree with @AndyS2992 that the food in the parks is not the best, and very overpriced. On top of that, the cast members are extremely slow. Disney Village food is far better and even with the walking time in mind, you'd probably still be faster than waiting for food in the parks.

But of course the most important thing is HAVE A GREAT TIME! I love DLP and the main park really is extremely beautiful. Worth it to just walk around the lands and take it all in. I hope these tips help!

Oh! One more thing, don't forget to spend some time in and around the castle. See the dragon underneath and go up in the castle itself. And you've got to take your time walking though Adventure land. I did it last time for the first time and really had so much fun!

Sorry for such a long post, got a little excited there

 

[kinglouis246]

Not unless you absolutely want to ride Ratatouille sitting next to one another - and you’ll waste precious time when the Crush line will grow longer. And as a PP said, there will still be FP left for Ratatouille, the only question will be for what time.

Are you planning to go to the parks during the week or on the weekend? A weekday in March this year shouldn’t be too crowded as the school ski holidays should be finished and the spring break period won’t have started yet.

We will be going on a Monday in March. It's their lowest price point so I'm assuming it won't be too crowded. We've done single rider a bunch so I'm not opposed to that. We just only want to spend the morning at the Studios as both parks close at 7PM.

 

[kinglouis246]

As an annual passholder for both WDW and DLP I'd spend my day like this: do Crush first thing in the morning, after that do ratatouille as single rider and then head to the main park. Maybe Mickey and the Magician if you like shows. Not even worth to walk around Studios imho. Disneyland park is beautiful and you probably want to spend as much time as you can there.

Must do's in Disneyland park for a WDW pass holder imo are:
- Big Thunder (best in the world with some beautiful views)
- Space Mountain (too bad it's Hyperspace at the moment, still very good if the sound cooperates and extremely different from all other Space Mountains)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (better than WDW imo)
- Peter Pan's Flight (better than WDW imo)
- Phantom Manor (may still be closed?)
- Indiana Jones (if you like rollercoasters, but def not worth a long wait)
- If it's nice weather and the sun is out, Le Pays des Contes de Fees boat ride is really relaxing and very old school Disney
And maybe It's a Small World, but other than the beautiful exterior, it's not that different imo. Ofcourse it's always fun to do the fantasyland dark rides they don't have in WDW anymore like Snow Whites scary adventures and Pinocchio's daring journey.

Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear are practically exactly the same as in WDW, and DLP has very beautiful fireworks shows (though Illuminations is not their best). You can skip the Disneyland Railroad.. Not much to see.

I agree with @AndyS2992 that the food in the parks is not the best, and very overpriced. On top of that, the cast members are extremely slow. Disney Village food is far better and even with the walking time in mind, you'd probably still be faster than waiting for food in the parks.

But of course the most important thing is HAVE A GREAT TIME! I love DLP and the main park really is extremely beautiful. Worth it to just walk around the lands and take it all in. I hope these tips help!

Oh! One more thing, don't forget to spend some time in and around the castle. See the dragon underneath and go up in the castle itself. And you've got to take your time walking though Adventure land. I did it last time for the first time and really had so much fun!

Sorry for such a long post, got a little excited there

WOWOW! Thank you so much! This helps tremendously! As WDW Passholders, I'm so grateful for the comparisons. This will have a huge influence on our ride decisions. Thank you again! Disney Village for food is what we'll do!

 

[IMDREW]

WOWOW! Thank you so much! This helps tremendously! As WDW Passholders, I'm so grateful for the comparisons. This will have a huge influence on our ride decisions. Thank you again! Disney Village for food is what we'll do!

So glad I could help! Have a great time!

 

[es135]

I'll be there in mid-May, so this thread has been very helpful!

 

[JillC LI]

I agree that you should do Crush first then Rat. Don't miss POC (better than WDW and DLR) and Indiana Jones as well as the dragon in the lair under the castle. Those would be my top Do Not Misses.

 

[kinglouis246]

I agree that you should do Crush first then Rat. Don't miss POC (better than WDW and DLR) and Indiana Jones as well as the dragon in the lair under the castle. Those would be my top Do Not Misses.

Okay great! Thank you!

 

[fradz]

I'll be there in mid-May, so this thread has been very helpful!

You might get to ride Phantom Manor! Maybe. Potentially. If they don't delay it again

 

[es135]

You might get to ride Phantom Manor! Maybe. Potentially. If they don't delay it again

I hope so! Does anyone know why it keeps getting delayed?

 

[fradz]

I hope so! Does anyone know why it keeps getting delayed?

From what I've heard, when they started the renovation, they discovered a lot of asbestos ("amiante" in French in case my translation is not correct). This substance is extremely unhealthy, causing grave respiratory diseases.
They had to remove all of it ; and IASW will have to go through this as well, so a long closure is expected for that ride too

 

[britain]

From what I've heard, when they started the renovation, they discovered a lot of asbestos ("amiante" in French in case my translation is not correct). This substance is extremely unhealthy, causing grave respiratory diseases.
They had to remove all of it ; and IASW will have to go through this as well, so a long closure is expected for that ride too

I sure hope it's something like that, and not some second-guessing the new additions.

"Eh, not scary enough! Change it!"

"Eh, too scary! Change it!"

It would be a shame if Phantom Manor had to go through something like Alien Encounter did in order to get some enhancements.

 

[es135]

Yeah that definitely sounds like it would take some time to resolve!
I'm only planning on having one day at the parks while I'm there. Is it best to stay on property, or is it easy to access from the city?

 

[tomast]

You might get to ride Phantom Manor! Maybe. Potentially. If they don't delay it again

I am going on june and I really hope I can ride it, by the way, does the Backlot tour and Rock n roller be close?? I seem to have read that somewhere