DLP First-Timer Questions

[Bleep567]

Hi Everyone! We will be visiting DLP in June while staying with family in Joinville Le Pont for a week.

This will be the first time for us and would like to know what the best plan of action would be in seeing these two parks. We have been to WDW numerous times and DL once.

What is the best way to travel to DLP?

Should we do one or two days?

What are the best days to visit?

Does it make sense to stay onsite for one night vs traveling back and forth?

Is there a system for dining reservations like WDW?

Sorry for so many questions! Feel like a fish out of water since I am a big time planner and don't have a clue about this resort.

Thanks for your help!

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I'm sure someone from the region will pipe in, but here's the thing -- Joinville Le Pont is a SE suburb of Paris, and as such, the only way you would be able to get to DLP on public transportation would be to take the train into Paris and then the RER out to DLP Chessy...Since park opening hours correspond with rush your, your talking 45 minutes into town by train, and then another 45 minutes out to DLP by RER -- 90 minutes is enough of a commute I wouldn't do it in two directions each day...so if you go for more than one day, then an overnight at DLP would be most beneficial (and you'll get Early Entry the second day)...BUT -- in reality, your best option is just to drive right down the A4 and then North to DLP in Chessy -- its probably a 30 minute drive if you have a car instead of a 90 minute commute

The best days to visit are Mondays and Tuesdays -- weekends are packed all year and particularly packed during the summer. In June you won't have to worry about French school holidays -- though you will from other European countries and the UK -- Wednesdays should be avoided at all costs -- kids in France don't have school on Wednesdays and the parks are packed that day. Absolutely the best days to go are days that rain on Mondays and Tuesdays -- locals will avoid the parks like the plague and they can be deserted.

If you have been to WDW, you follow a similar touring plan for DLP -- start with Space Mountain at park opening and cross back to Big Thunder Mountain and then pick up all the other attractions afterwards in whatever order you want. Pirates and Phantom Manner are lightyears better than their US equivalents so don't bypass them. Star TOurs is still running the old version, so you can skip it. There are some cute Fantasyland attractions we don't have in the US....but overall you should be done with DLP by 2:00 or so and then head over to Disney Studios -- the studios do close earlier than DLP in most days, though -- but their headliner attractions (Tower of Terror, RockNRoller Coaster, and Crush's Coaster are all doable -- what you would miss out on with a one day visit is the smaller attractions and the shows -- Cinemagique and Animagique are excellent with no US equivalents. Skip the tram tour - its as bad there as it is in the US. The car stunt show is better, and more creative in the original French (with instant english translations using Disney Speak)...

You don't have many dining options, not like the US parks. There are a couple sit-down restaurants but they are not great. Disney Village offers some other options as well and just opened an Earl of Sandwich too! All ticket information and hotel and dining information can be found at http://us.disneylandparis.com/index.xhtml

SInce you don't say where you are from, I am going to imagine the US....if you are from the US, you can currently get online a 2-park parkhopper ticket good through the middle of October for only 59.00 each -- a good amount off the regular one-day two park hopper -- its a special promotion good only for US residents, so if you are from the UK, sorry, youi'll have to check to see if there are other promotions going on. A two-day park hopper will discount your price even further for just a nominal extra charge. The website has all the information......also check the forum in here purely on DLP posts...

 

[dagobert]

I would recommend to stay onsite even if it's just for ine night, because like RonAnnArbour pointed out, commuting takes a lot of time. Since you have been to WDW already, don't expect the DLP hotels to be as nice as the ones in Florida. DLP is currently refurbishing many of them, but I still think that the WDW hotels are better.

Besides the time savings, another advantage of staying in a Disney hotel would be the Extra Magic Hours for Disney hotel guests. Each morning Discoveryland and Fantasyland are open from 8:00am to 10:00am when the park opens to the public. During these two hours you can do Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and some of the Fantasyland rides. Not all attractions of Fantasyland and Discoveryland are open, but you get the chance to do at least some rides.

Booking a Disney hotel usually includes the park-hopper tickets. If you don't want to spend so much money on Disney hotels, there are some cheaper options in Val D'Europe, the Disney planned community. The RER train connects DLP and the city of Paris and Val D'Europe is just one stop away from DLP. One single ride adult ticket is about 2 Euros. English is available on the ticket machines.

Disneyland Paris is really a beautiful park, for many it's the most beautiful MK style park. Keep in mind that DLP suffers some financial problems and so the parks might not be as well maintained as the US parks. However I have to say that DLP was in a very good shape in March. I have been to WDW and I wasn't overwhelmed by the cleanliness and condition of the parks. For Americans the CMs might be not as friendly as expected. Europeans are just not that overfriendly like the US-CMs and I didn't like that. Unfortunately smoking is still a problem in Paris, but at least CMs try to enforce that.

I don't know why RonAnnArbour thinks that the table service restaurants aren't good at DLP, but I love dining at Walt's. I've eaten there several times and the food was always fine. At WDW we have only tried Plaza Garden and Tutto Italia and both weren't better than DLP's table service restaurants. Blue Lagoon is also worth a try, we like that restaurant as well. Compared to recent years, DLP improved their fast food offerings and it's not bad anymore. Just to let you know, DLP serves alcohol at all dining locations. Some fast food locations offer burger, while others offer pizzas and pasta or Mexican inspired food. Our favourite restaurant is the Agrabah Cafe, a buffet style restaurant that serves Oriental food. As for reservations, we always booked our tables at the City Hall on Main Street when we arrived, so I don't know if there's a reservation system.

I would recommend two days for DLP. WDSP is still a small and not a very well themed park, but you shouldn't skip it. Cinemagique is one of the best shows WDI has ever created. Animagique is also cute, but I would only do it if there's enough time.Toy Story Playland is only interesting when you have small kids. For bigger kids, TOT and RNRC are the rides to do, both are slightly different than at WDW.

At DLP you should definitely not miss Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It's by far the best version. Phantom Manor is also a little bit different compared to its American cousins. I can't speak for DL's POTC, but DLP's version is so much better than the one in Florida.
The Indiana Jones coaster is also unique to Paris, but it's just an off the shelf coaster, which I like, but it's definitely not the best ride at DLP.
Fantasyland is so much more beautiful than the MK Fantasyland prior to the expansion (I haven't been to the new one), but there is nothing special to do, except for the dragon beneath the castle. It's truly an AA masterpiece and shouldn't be missed.
Space Mountain is a launch coaster with loopings and inversions and in my opinion so much better than the one in Florida.

The best days to go are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

 

[fbp]

You guys both like phantom manor better than HM eh? I much prefer HM.

I can see an argument for POTC but I still prefer WDW.

For the OP - two days is probably good. I did almost everything at both parks on a fairly busy day in one. But thats me kind of beserking through.

I would have gotten everything done but I was line dumped thrice including a significant investment of time into Crush's Coaster.

 

[Jose]

-What is the best way to travel to DLP?
By plane.

-Should we do one or two days?
You should do two days. Remember you have to see DLP, WDS and Disney Village.

-What are the best days to visit?
Summer (July or August), Halloween and Christmas (too cold).

-Does it make sense to stay onsite for one night vs traveling back and forth?
Two nights. The hotels are wonderful and you'll live a magical moment.

Is there a system for dining reservations like WDW?
You have cupons that are given to you every night. And you can reserve restaurants by disneylandparis.com

 

[Ralphlaw]

What about in the evening? Are there extra magic hours? How are the nighttime shows?

 

[Bolna]

There are no evening EMH. The only nighttime show is Dreams at DL. It usually shows at park close. I am not sure what it's status is going to be after the end of the Christmas seasons (it ends on January 6th). For evening entertainment there is also Buffallo Bills Wild West Show in the Disney Village. It is a dinner show for which you would have to buy a seperate ticket.