Hey Gang yet another load of first timer questions

[Greenlawler]

Okay with the cancellation of this year's DL half marathon, we (wife and I) are taking the plunge and coming to DLP for the DLP half-marathon weekend.

We are huge Disney people (obviously), I mean huge. So we want to see everything. And I know I am weird but I am much more interested in DLP than anything in Paris....I know we are "those" people.

Anyways.....

Just some quick questions:

Sequoia or Cheyenne?
How many days in the parks to see everything?
How much does it cost to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower?
I know there are plenty of things to last months seeing in France but aside from the aforementioned three what do I really "have" to see?
Meal Plan worth it at DLP?
Are their markets, similar to a convenience store there close to the hotels? (sorry just no concept of what we are dealing with)
What other things should I know going in.

For context before I get the "go see Paris" stuff, My whole life I have wanted to visit London and Wales. So we are doing that the week before we go for the races. We using most of our free non Disney time on that. We will go into Paris but only for one or two days. I do really want to see Notre Dame.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

These are all based off a month's study abroad in Paris in June

I didn't stay on property so I can't answer that. I stayed at an Airbnb in Paris in the first arrondissement and it was perfect. About 45 minutes on the RER to the parks.
I went to the park 2 and a half days and saw everything I wanted to.
All the cathedrals in Paris are free to walk into. To see the Notre Dame treasury is 5 euros. Louvre is 15 euros I believe and Eiffel Tower is also 15 euros to go to the top.
I would see the Orsay and Orangerie museums. Orsay is the impressionist's museum and Orangerie is where Monet's water lilies are housed. Also, the Cluny was one of my favorite museums, but you might not have the time for it. See L'Arc de Triomphe just to say you saw it, but don't bother going to the top though. The Sacre Cœur is one of the most stunning things you will ever see. Make the effort to go to Montmartre and go to the church and also see the artist's district. Take a day to explore the city and get lost. An attempt to speak French will lead to much nicer locals.
I couldn't tell you about meal plans or any convenience stores near the parks but there's a lot in Disney Village you can find.

I quite frankly wouldn't bother with London. You'll get almost everything London has to offer in Paris with better food, better atmosphere, better sanitation, and everything less expensive. Go to London for a day to say you did it, but really don't bother. I never got to see Wales so I couldn't tell you about that.

 

[AndyS2992]

Okay with the cancellation of this year's DL half marathon, we (wife and I) are taking the plunge and coming to DLP for the DLP half-marathon weekend.

We are huge Disney people (obviously), I mean huge. So we want to see everything. And I know I am weird but I am much more interested in DLP than anything in Paris....I know we are "those" people.

Anyways.....

Just some quick questions:

Sequoia or Cheyenne?
How many days in the parks to see everything?
How much does it cost to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower?
I know there are plenty of things to last months seeing in France but aside from the aforementioned three what do I really "have" to see?
Meal Plan worth it at DLP?
Are their markets, similar to a convenience store there close to the hotels? (sorry just no concept of what we are dealing with)
What other things should I know going in.

For context before I get the "go see Paris" stuff, My whole life I have wanted to visit London and Wales. So we are doing that the week before we go for the races. We using most of our free non Disney time on that. We will go into Paris but only for one or two days. I do really want to see Notre Dame.

- Sequoia Lodge is a moderate and Cheyenne is a value, I prefer Sequoia but if on a budget then Cheyenne is fine.

- 3 days if you want to see absolutely everything but if you just want to hit up the good stuff then two is perfectly adequate, one whole day for Disneyland and half a day for Walt Disney Studios then hop back over to Disneyland for the remainder of the day should you choose to.

- Eiffel Tower is 7 euros to take the stairs to the second floor, 11 euros to take the elevator to the second floor, 17 euros to take the elevator all the way to the top.
Louvre entry is 15 euros.
Notre Dame entry is 10 euros.
If you really want to do a lot of attractions and tours and use public transport then I recommend looking in to getting a Paris Pass. https://www.parispass.com , it may save you money.

- Well for beginners I suggest: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc De Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Musee d'Orsay, Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, Flame of Liberty, Palace of Versailles and should you want to, Moulin Rouge. I highly recommend a Seine river boat tour, you see many sites along the way. If you like morbid then a tour of the Paris Catacombs would also interest you.

- The food at DLP is ridiculously expensive. A cheeseburger, fries and a soda costs 14 Euros ($16.30) so if you plan to eat three meals a day then yes it is worth it. The breakfast is counter service whereas lunch and dinner are all you can eat buffets. The dining plan is only accepted in select restaurants though. We usually just eat McDonald's in Disney Village though, much cheaper. Here's the park menus:
http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/

- Inside the Chessy Train Station on Disney property is a small mini mart which sells snacks, drinks and sandwiches and there's also a gas station across the road from the Cheyenne/Santa Fe Hotels which sells food and drink.

General Disneyland Paris info:
-Everything is walking distance like Disneyland CA.
-It has two parks, Disneyland & Walt Disney Studios and has the Disney Village shopping and dining district, 7 Disney hotels and a golf complex.
-Majority of rides are French language only with only snippets of English. Shows spilt between English and French and face characters speak English and French. A lot of Cast Members speak English but not all so be patient.
-Disney hotel guests benefit from Extra Magic Hours.
-Disneyland Paris uses the old paper Fastpass system. Included attractions are:
xPeter Pan's Flight
xHyperspace Mountain
xStar Tours 2.0
xIndiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
xBig Thunder Mountain
xBuzz Lightyear Laserblast
xRatatouille
xRock N Rollercoaster
xTwilight Zone Tower of Terror
xFlying Carpets Over Agrabah
-The daily 'Disney Stars on Parade' is at 5:30pm and Disney Illuminations fireworks are at park closing.
-There's a dragon under the castle.
-If you want to go shopping but don't like Disney Village and don't want to go in to Paris then there is a mall a five minute train ride away called Val d'Europe.

Top 7 Disney Must sees:
Disneyland
1. Big Thunder Mountain
2. HyperSpace Mountain
3. Phantom Manor
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
6. It's a Small World
7. Star Tours 2.0
Walt Disney Studios
1. Crush's Coaster
2. Ratatouille
3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
4. Rock N Rollercoaster
5. RC Racer
6. Mickey and the Magician
7. Lights, Motors, Action.
In a Rush Top 7
1. Big Thunder Mountain
2. HyperSpace Mountain
3. Phantom Manor
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Crush's Coaster
6. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
7. Ratatouille

 

[AndyS2992]

I quite frankly wouldn't bother with London. You'll get almost everything London has to offer in Paris with better food, better atmosphere, better sanitation, and everything less expensive. Go to London for a day to say you did it, but really don't bother. I never got to see Wales so I couldn't tell you about that.

Are you freaking serious?! London is amazing, you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Are you freaking serious?! London is amazing, you don't know what you're talking about.

I don’t know what London you visited but I visited the wonderbread version of Paris.

 

[jasonlse]

1) Sequoia over Cheyenne easy, Disneyland Hotel is you can swing it.
2) 3-4 days depending on your Disney fan level. At least 2 days to see it all, extra days to dive deeper.
3) Unsure specific amount, but definitely worth doing on a 1st visit.
4) Add on the Musee d'Orsay mentioned above, maybe Lafayette galleries (especially at holiday time). Eat a lot of pastries.
5) Meal plan definitely worth it. If you're not big eaters to the half board--breakfast and another sit-down meal, you can find a quick service for lunch. Go to Walt's on Main Street, then Bistro Chez Remy. Blue Lagoon is way overrated.
6) Disneyland Hotel had small shop with essentials, unsure what else is available. Maybe in Disney Village?
7) Other things: Take advantage of the extra hours you get for staying at a Disney hotel, easy to accomplish a lot before other crowds arrive. Staying at Disneyland Hotel or a club room at Sequoia or Newport Bay will get you extra fast passes. Mickey & the Magician show is good, about 1/2 in English and the entire story is understandable if you don't speak French.

*Also--kudos to you for spending time in London. We've been to 29 countries and London is probably our favorite city, been there 8 or 9 times. Right amount of hustle & bustle, great tube system, very friendly folks, lots of great dining and entertainment, mild weather, etc. Paris is fine--great stuff to see once, pastries can't be beat, but not our favorite for return trips.

 

[JillC LI]

How many days in the parks to see everything?
How much does it cost to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower?
I know there are plenty of things to last months seeing in France but aside from the aforementioned three what do I really "have" to see?

We visited DLP two summers ago as part of 3 days in Paris (and 12 days in Europe) with the kids. We stayed in the city and took the RER to DLP for one day. We were able to see and do everything we wanted to do in both parks in that one day. We had no sit-down meals and did not visit characters, but we hit all the big rides and all the unique-to-DLP attractions. That left us 2 days to explore Paris. The Louvre, Notre Dame, and Eiffel Tower are musts but I would add to that Sacre Coeur at Montmartre and the Arch du Triomphe. Of course there's tons more to do, but those are the biggies. If you want to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I strongly suggest getting a tour ticket that includes a brief tour at the base and expedited (Fastpass!) elevator to the top. Otherwise you could wait hours and hours and hours. We were so glad we did this because all but one of the elevators was broken on the day we visited and without that expedited tour ticket, we could not have gotten to the top. This is the company we used - they're legit: www.EasyPassTours.com. Get your Eiffel Tower elevator tickets the moment they go on sale if you do it online yourself because they sell out fast (and don't forget the time difference).

 

[Tinkerkelle]

Sequoia is nearer the parks so a quick walk and a lovely hotel - it's my husband's fav hotel in DLP. It has a pool whereas Cheyenne doesn't. Cheyenne is nice too, but when we stayed there, we ended up taking the bus as we struggled to find the walking path (20 min walk)
There is a shop in the train station but we've never used it.
The meal plan mean we don't have to budget food when we get there. There are 4 plans: breakfast only is a buffet breakfast at your hotel; half board and full board both include buffet breakfast at your hotel and half gives one sit down meal, full gets you two. Premium is buffet breakfast at hotel and two sit down meals that includes the Wild West Show and character meals. We ate a LOT of food with the full board but didn't bother with snacks outwith and got to eat at some great restaurants - Chez Remy was really good and we like Plaza Gardens buffet and Capt Jack's (was Blue Lagoon)
We did the Louvre on a Fri evening which worked well - pretty quiet and straight in with out queuing. We did the Eiffel Tower early morning then walked to the Arc de Triomphe, then right down to the Louvre with a detour to see the Grand and Petit Palaces and took in Champs Elysee, Place de Concord, the Tullieries, the Louvre, the Seine... The Sacre Coeur is amazing and the views are worth seeing too, followed by a stroll around Montmartre.
London is fab. We did DLP, Paris and London in October and it was all brilliant. I'd second the poster who said prebook the Eiffel Tower. Saves time in a huge queue. Also works for London Attractions which see big queues like the eye.
Have an amazing time.