Help get me to DLP!

[Courtman]

I'm trying to make a sidetrip to DLP during an upcoming trip to London. I know, whole seperate country and all.. but it seems so close considering i'm flying across the Atlantic as it is It's all about perspective.

So.. I've started researching how to go about it, and well.. i have no clue. I can't really find information about the process. I did discover that doing it all via Disney would cost a small fortune ($500 a night for the hotel? Are they nuts?)

I'm going during what is apparently the peak tourism season, since nothing seems to have decent rates.

So, how does one go about getting off "the island?" Where would you recommend staying if i want to spend the night over near/at DLP?

I really know nothing about the rest of the world's transportation it seems. Easyjet and Eurostar help anyone?

Thanks in advance!

Merf,

What day are you going? We are going in early August too, might be able to sort out some transportation for you. We normally stay in the Holiday Inn which is a 10-min free shuttle bus from the resort and prices start there from €130 (about $100) per night - which is more than I normally pay oddly. Tickets in the park are £75 ($45) for a two-day hopper ticket.

 

[minnie2000]

You could try this company:-

http://tothemagic.leger.co.uk/index.aspx

We went with them a few years ago, and they were fine. I think you have to telephone to make the booking though.

I don't find DLP's own site very easy to use either.

If I think of any similar companies, I will post them.

http://www.crestaholidays.co.uk/Anitenextpage.asp?p=SPCDISNEY&s=549290347

Haven't been with cresta, so I can't comment.

Also, a few years ago, we went with Thomas Cook Signature - the company and holiday were great, but their website is absolute ****!

We have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and the Sequoia Lodge - both fine - and a friend has just stayed at the Möwenpick Dream Castle and said it was wonderful.

Hope this helps!

 

[ChuckFromCanada]

Go to a travel agent in London and book a package trip on the EuroStar .The train is excellent and quick .

 

[Philo]

Eurostar will be the best way to get there - you go right into the park and from there you can catch a bus or walk to your hotel (well, most of them anyway!).

I've just quickly checked and the price I got was £600 (about $1190) for 3nights and 4 days at the sequoia lodge (moderate range) including tickets and breakfast for one person or £714 (around $1400) for two. This was with a checkin date of 6th August.

As far as I know you can't buy the hotel and tickets seperatly and breakfast is expected (by most) to be included so you can't not get that. It is a great breakfast though!

Im 99% sure that all the tickets are park hoppers aswell so you can jump between MK and MGM all day if you want (its about 20 seconds walk from one gate to the next).

For travel the eurostar will cost about £50 each (sorry, can't remember if thats return or not) but you can get some super cheap flights if your lucky. If you want to fly then try looking at flying from London Stansted using a company like ryanair, thompsonfly or easyjet to Orly (I think thats how you spell it). Disney then provide a fairly cheap bus to the parks from the airport. Last time I went I flew there (not from stansted though) for about £15 each and then caught the eurostar back.

 

[ScrapIron]

Are there some sort of special events I don't know about..?

France goes on vacation in August; a glib retort, but pretty much true all the same.

OK, get on the AMERICAN version of the site. At the bottom of most pages is a "change your country" link. The US is under "other countries". If you said how many are travelling I missed it, but entering one person for 2 nights arriving August 2 and staying at the Santa Fe with breakfast and ticket included, the total package price I was given was $536. I hope you see this before you pay more, thread hasn't seen action for a few days.

It is possible that booking on the UK site meant paying UK taxes, which would explain a lot right there. It is my understanding that all bookings with Disney include tickets, but that you can book room only on expedia. However, in this case you need to be on a European version of expedia.

Note that the Cheyenne and Santa Fe do not have AC. There are morning EMHs (2 hours before opening) if you book a package with Disney for their hotels or the Hotel l'Eysee Val d'Europe, which is one stop away on the RER (commuter train like SF's BART). They also have a shuttle. We booked a package there to get EMH, but would've saved $100 booking seperately. I've read on another board that they only look at your room key for EMH entry, which may mean you could book seperately and still get the EMH perk, but that is information, not advice. You can also try the Holiday Inn web site for their hotel there.

The prices for the Disney hotels are preposterous! When you deduct your ticket from $536, that's still over $200 a night for the cheap hotel. We were going for the Sequoia to get the AC, but the price in July (soon, soon, soon!) was over $375 per night, which is more than the Animal Kingdom Lodge at WDW (and they have zebras!).

A bientot.

 

[cmatt]

:ROFLOL: :ROFLOL: :ROFLOL: :ROFLOL: :ROFLOL: :ROFLOL: :ROFLOL:

Like you REALLY need air conditioning its france - not the sahara! the cheyanne has ceiling fans and windows that open :wave: judging by the crap weather over here - you wont need it at all if its the same in august as it will be in july

max temp probably 30/32oc

... talk about creature comforts :lol:

 

[ScrapIron]

If my celcius (sp) knowledge is correct, I definitely want AC at 30-32 degrees. Moved across a continent to escape heat. Wasn't there a major heat wave in Europe a summer or 2 back that made 32 seem almost chilly? Unless I get a guarantee it won't happen again, I'll take an AC I can turn off if not needed over one that doesn't exist if it is? On the flip side, in winter I use the heater less than most. Takes all sorts, eh? And once you figure in a wife with hot flashes......... But that really doesn't matter. Some of the hotels have it, some don't. It may matter to mousemerf, it may not. I shared information that I think is accurate; what he does with it is out of my hands.

A bientot.

(and seriously, my deepest heartfelt thanks to my dearly departed mother-in-law for buying us an AC when we bought our house)

 

[mousermerf]

The ideas of buildings without air is so foreign (in more then one way) to me since i've grown up in Florida.

Everything here in my lifetime has had air.

 

[mousermerf]

Argh!!!!

I went through the resorts trying to figure out how pricing works. It's just a complete crock and rip off.

Why does adding 1 person cost $200 at one resort and $160 at another when their base price for one person is almost identicle?

And the hotels are still $250+ a night. They'd better rock my world for those prices, but these appear to just be the cheapo value resorts.

Like said above, for $250 i can get zebras.

 

[minnie2000]

I know you need AC in Florida, but its really not necessary in France, even in the Summer. I lived in Germany for a year, we had lovely warm weather, but never needed (or had) AC. The same goes for France. Even if the weather is hot, its not like Florida where it is humid. The heat is much dryer and more bearable in Europe. We go to Tenerife at Easter sometimes, and the weather is in the mid 80s but we don't need AC. If you are used to the Florida climate, you'll probably find it quite cold!

 

[marni1971]

I guess the exchange rate dosn`t help you either, Merf?

 

[cdunbar]

I didn't think this was possible but DLP seems to be more expensive than freaking WDW!

 

[cmatt]

I know you need AC in Florida, but its really not necessary in France, even in the Summer. I lived in Germany for a year, we had lovely warm weather, but never needed (or had) AC. The same goes for France. Even if the weather is hot, its not like Florida where it is humid. The heat is much dryer and more bearable in Europe. We go to Tenerife at Easter sometimes, and the weather is in the mid 80s but we don't need AC. If you are used to the Florida climate, you'll probably find it quite cold!

qft - it is not humid at all unless its stormy if that makes sense :wave: i have survived every summer in east sussex which shares the same climate as northern france (disney territory) infact no houses that i know of have ac - more to the point we use radiator's!

trust me you DONT need ac! :ROFLOL:

I didnt even have any when i went to spain one summer with some mates.... AC is too loud for me im afraid when im snoozing, i need everything to be silent...

the heat wave - was just that, a heat wave - it is too cold over here this year for one of those!

 

[mousermerf]

So...

The Explorers Hotel - apparently frequented by Britts - is it any good?

 

[minnie2000]

Try this:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...Disneyland-Marne_la_Vallee_Ile_de_France.html

 

[cmatt]

So...

The Explorers Hotel - apparently frequented by Britts - is it any good?

from what i have heard yes - i stay on property for the rail links to paris. But for a neighbour hotel it is apparentlly about the same level as the cheyanne :king:

 

[mousermerf]

The more i've researched Explorers the more I like - first hotel to have a real website, a real FAQ, and everything else to easy my worries about travel in france.

They tell you what bus number to hop on - other hotels pretend you can get around by magic.

They even upfront state when the pool will be closed and other such things. They give alternative since they dont have room service (one of their restaurants has take-away boxes to order).

So, i'm very happy with the hotel thus far. Reviews are good and they are prepared for any event it seems. Lots of "if-then" information which is exactly what every traveler needs. None of that "we assume you know how to get around paris" crap.

They even detail which languages their front desk speaks.

 

[AEfx]

Merf, make sure you keep us updated on your planning. I'm hoping to do something similar next year, and reading about you going through the process has already helped a lot.

AEfx

 

[mousermerf]

Right now it's looking like - for the best price - to stay at Explorers 2 nights, leave early in the morning the first day out of London Luton. To get to Luton, we take EasyBus which is only a few pounds and takes about an hour from Victoria station (where my beau's aunt's place is).

We arrive way early at Luton, with just our carry-on backpacks and all our credentials. We hop onto EasyJet which was the cheapest flight. All that said and done, we'll be at "Roissy" (the french) or "Charles de Gaul" (to everyone else) airport by 9am.

From there, we need some sort of transport to the hotel/resort. We can either ride the train to DLP's station and hop the free bus to the hotel, we can take a bus from the airport to the hotel for a ~$32 fee, or we can take a taxi. We need to price out all the options.

We arrive, we checked in, they have free luggage storage if the room isn't ready. We then either get comfy or go and check out DLP.

2 nights later, we check out, do anything we want at DLP or even other parts of Paris until pretty late in the evening. Reverse our route back to CDG (Roissy) and hop on yet another Easy Jet and end up back at London Luton at ~11pm and then take easybus back to victoria and then the aunt's apartment.

 

[mousermerf]

Oh, right now we're looking at for air/hotel is about $730 total for the two nights. That doesn't include the to/from the airports nor the DLP tickets, nor any food/beverage while we're there. (well, breakfast is included, but i think i'll pass - i loathe buffets).