Budget for DLP

[wdwstateofmind]

About how much should we budget to do a DLP vacation? I take it's not like WDW where I can plan an entire week around it or maybe I'm wrong. I know the prices will be high since I'm travel abroad, but something that's not really the issue as it is just what I should look at to budget to make it happen. I really haven't researched it, but it's something my wife and me are interested in maybe in 2 years. Just looking for a little input if anyone has experience with DLP...

 

[englanddg]

I've looked at it the past two years...opted for different trips each time (partially cost, partially because the kid wasn't quite old enough to appreciate international travel yet, I decided to wait)...

Anyhow, based on the planning I did...I was looking at the following itinerary for a 14 day trip...

1 day - Fly into Heathrow (~2400)

6 days in London / Salisbury (do a double decker tour, tower of london tour, tower bridge tour, ride the eye, see a changing of the guard, Hamleys, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle tour...among other things...) (~4000 including meals, lodging, misc transport, tours and spending money)

Take the Eurostar to Paris ($250)

4 days in Paris (Eiffle, Louvre, Notre Dame, Versailles, sightseeing sail on the Seine, etc.) (~3000 including meals, lodging, misc transport, tours and spending money)

5 days - DLP (~$6000 US including dining plan, tickets, spending money, though they run "stay free" specials so I've seen it as low as ~3000, including all the same)

1 day - Fly back to US from Paris (~2400)

The whole trip, with spending money and flights and accounting for exchange rate always came around to something like 15 - 20k US. Mind you, if I got serious about the plan I'd reach out to friends in the UK for the lay of the land, and could probably cut that down significantly, but I like to start the plan expensive, and then whittle down from there...so, that's the analysis you see above. I'm sure it could be done far cheaper.

I looked at Adventures By Disney and a few other sites (including this one, which was an interesting concept - http://www.discoverenglandtours.co.uk/prices.html )

If you do a split trip that's just not Disney (something I'd recommend, unless you travel to Europe often), if you are both under 35, check this place out. http://www.contikivacations.com/?source=google

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Need more info -- do you want to stay there? Or are you just doing a roadtrip for the day from paris?
You can always get discounts on tickets if you are from the US at the disneylandparis website...I just got one-day park-hoppers for September for 55 dollars each. Normally they are about 75 dollars.
There is far far far far less to spend money on at DLP than at either of the US parks. Primarily counter service food. Souvenirs not too interesting, very little DLP logo gear, mostly the same stuff you find at the US parks when it comes to toys, homegoods, etc. There is nothing like "dole whips" and other things we throw money away at in WDW...
If staying in Paris, then the RER is about 11.00 for round trip train tickets.
Depending on the time of year you go, you can do almost every major attraction in both parks in one day -- and absolutely everything in two days. There is no such thing as a "week" at Disneyland paris -- you would have nothing to do.
I recommend staying in paris and going to DLP by train either one or two days if you want to. Your budget for your Europe trip will be far far bigger than your budget needed for DLP.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

We want to stay there...and I think we're gonna make it part of visiting my family in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and drive to Paris (nothing against trains, I've just always like to drive where I am)...

From the sounds of it we'd probably make it into two days (figured that out last night when I did do a little reading on the forums afterwards)...we pretty much only stay at the Contemporary and walk to MK everyday so I don't think size of the resort is a huge issue...afterall, MK isn't that big to begin with once you really know the layout...

But, alas, we're really only considering visiting family cause we want to go to DLP. And I'm now thinking a lot of people feel it is a big waste and walk away disappointed (I don't know, maybe they expected WDW?)...maybe I should reconsider Germany since I've been there already and do HKD or TDL...originally we wanted to do HKD, but it just seemed like it would cost ridiculous amounts more than DLP.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-Württemberg

 

[croboy82]

It's not really huge so there is not too much to do. Plus there is pretty much no entertainment and the downtown disney bit isn't really huge either. The 2nd Park doesn't have too many attractions.

Having said that, I'd reccomend two full days still. Just to be able to take your time and enjoy it We arrived one morning and left the other day at late afternoon. We wish we had just one more day to enjoy a bit more.

It's still a beautiful park and worth visiting. Don't expect anything USA-like though. And don't do any dinnerplans or anything imo.

When do you plan on going? Maybe you want to wait till next year when the new Ratatouille ride opens (summer 14)

 

[Animaniac93-98]

If you want to stay on site take advantage of offers like extra nights free or whatever % off. Like WDW, there's always one going on. I'd recomend staying on-site as the trip from the city can take anywhere from 40 min to an hour (each way) depending upon where you stay. Avoid Newport Bay Club because it badly needs a renovation.

www.dlrpmagic.com is a good planning resource.

 

[croboy82]

Hm I actually stayed at Newport Bay Club and thought it was lovely. Sure it wasn't a new hotel but I didn't see anything wrong and I loved the walk around the lake. Plus wasn't it renovated a while ago?

 

[Bolna]

Newport Bay Club is currently getting rennovated. And Sequioa Lodge just went to a complete refurbishment. However, prices for these two hotels are totally crazy. If you are lucky and can get one of the many discounts that are around, cost can come down by quite a bit, but it never is a bargain. If you are willing to stay at one of the hotels at Val d'Europe (one stop on the RER away), you can cut down cost significantly. These deals are usually offered through the different European websites (Germany usually gets the least advantageous deals, but my sister was able to book through the Irish site and got a 50% discount for July). Also prices vary a lot depending on time of year.

Someone else aready suggested dlrpmagic.com as planning resource and I would second that. They also have menus so that you can get a feel for prices. I would suggest to have a meal at Walt's as this is a beautiful restaurant on Main Street. Every room is decorated with the theme of one of the lands, but in turn of the century style. I also always had very good food there.

If you plan on driving, there are also hotels in the area that are only a short drive away. I stayed once at the Marriott Vacation Club and that was a beautiful resort.

If you plan on going to Baden-Württemberg as well, you might want to consider to spend a day or two at Europa Park. I have heard great things about it and they have a lot of very nice looking themed hotels as well.

 

[croboy82]

Oh yes Europa Park is awesome! The rides are amazing seriously.

 

[a2grafix]

We want to stay there...and I think we're gonna make it part of visiting my family in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and drive to Paris (nothing against trains, I've just always like to drive where I am)....

Just returned from a trip to western Germany (Ramstein, Landstuhl, Kaiserslautern), and did a one-day trip to Paris via the autobahn and autoroute with some of my coworkers. A word of warning: be prepared to pay significant Euro on the autoroute. There are some big tolls. On the A4 we paid $22.40 EACH WAY on a stretch that covered about 250km, as well as other smaller tolls. In all we spend nearly $70 Euro on the autoroute.

 

[Ralphlaw]

In 2014, we're actually planning to stay at the Sequoia for a few days, using our Disney Vacation Club points, and then taking the train back and forth to Paris for a day or two. It would be my wife and I and 2 kids, and something tells me I'd rather stay at DLP and take the train to Paris rather staying in Paris and taking the train to DLP.

I also heard that DLP has a shuttle straight to/from the airport

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I also heard that DLP has a shuttle straight to/from the airport

Yes, it's 19 Euros/person to CDG (and hours drive) and more for Orly, but I don't know the price off hand. You can pay on the bus and check the times it leaves at the front desk.

Be warned it only stops at one terminal and it may take a while to walk to your location. If the bus doesn't leave exactly 3 hours before you flight, get on one even earlier. You don't want to be rushed for time.

 

[croboy82]

We used that shuttle bus from and to the airport. Use this link that has all the infos:

http://vea-shuttle.co.uk/timetables-prices/charles-de-gaulle-shuttle-schedules/

Be warned about the return though! We planned a bus that leaves 3 hours prior our flight. The bus didn't arrive (without anouncement) and we had to wait for the next one one more hour! In the end it all worked out cause we arrived at a terminal that was very small so very easy check in and it was within Europe but just take rather a bus earlier.

We stayed at the Newport Hotel and it may be that the other bus was too full so didn't come to pick us up I dont know. I don't know if they use one bus for every hotel.