1st time to DLP and clueless!

[Carter'sMommy]

ANY advice is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!! Sorry this might get long!

I have been to DLR and WDW many times (40+) in the past 13 years - let's just say they are "Home".
But.. DLP is killin' me. I need some help and I am desperate - I am a planner and feel stressed out.

There is very little information on the DLP website and I feel like I missing out on so much that I don't even know about.

Here are our basic details:

Arrival from Paris on Tuesday 14 May (we will take the RER A from the city and can arrive at DLP early if we choose) and will depart on Friday 17 May - back to the US (Colorado)

Travelers: DH and myself - we are celebrating his 50th BD and our 20th Anniversary - so NO kids!

Hotel: Sequoia Lodge - we booked room through Expedia and is supposed to come with park tickets - Still trying to verify if they are for 4 days... 3 days... I am hoping that we are covered for at least 3 days. The "packages" through DLP were whacked out crazy expensive - I saved about $800 booking with Expedia. even IF we have to buy additional days - I think we did okay.

Dining: We have no dining reservations. I saw a post about booking 60 days out... we are right there... and to go through the Dutch site for some reason - Luckily I am 1/2 Dutch so I can read what it says!

We are not fancy diners but would like to have 1 nice dinner to celebrate - we can careless about Character interactions - mostly about the food! Chez Remy ?

Will there be fireworks, like they have in the US?

I am a big pin trader, is that such a thing in DLP? With cast members? Where?

So many questions.... I just don't know where to start!

Help.... please!

 

[Karin1984]

Okay, calm down, relax and let send your inner-planner on a holiday. You do not need her for Disneyland Paris.

- Park tickets
You are doing good by double checking for how many days. But it would be unusual if it's less than 3 days. I didn't know Expedia also had ticket packages, so you learn something every day
- Dining
You can check now already, apparently the rule of 60 days before arrival is no longer in place and you can already book for the month of May.
I'm full Dutch so I've made a post with the translations, https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...n-the-dutch-disneyland-paris-website.3736651/
Chez Remy is a good choice. Keep in mind DLP is not a dining destination like WDW is. For good French food, book a nice place in the city of Paris.
- Fireworks,
Yes, we have Fireworks, current show is called Illuminations (not to be confused with Epcot). As in the US, it get's more and more about projections on the castle. Environmental regulations etc, less fireworks than in the US.
- Pin trading
It is not really a big thing at DLP, but most CMs in the stores and at the carts will have lanyards.

Me and some others made some topics about how to approach a visit to DLP (when you are used to other Disney parks)
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-crowds-weather-language-wifi.3736354/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-photopass.3736285/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...-disneyland-paris-to-the-other-parks.3735105/

You have plenty of days, and you go after school holidays in Europe, so crowds won't be an issue, weather will be good. Take things slow. Start with the rides/shows you do not know, then add the ones you know different versions of, and just go with the flow.

And if you have more questions, what you would normally do at WDW or DL and how you need to approach these at DLP, just ask

 

[olafLover]

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[Carter'sMommy]

Okay, calm down, relax and let send your inner-planner on a holiday. You do not need her for Disneyland Paris.

Thanks! She needs a holiday too!

- Park tickets
You are doing good by double checking for how many days. But it would be unusual if it's less than 3 days. I didn't know Expedia also had ticket packages, so you learn something every day

I had the option to book a room only for $259 per night on one line and $302 per night on another and that INCLUDED park tickets - so for the 2 of us that was only a total of $43(USD) per day difference for park tickets - SOLD!

- Dining
You can check now already, apparently the rule of 60 days before arrival is no longer in place and you can already book for the month of May.
I'm full Dutch so I've made a post with the translations, https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...n-the-dutch-disneyland-paris-website.3736651/
Chez Remy is a good choice. Keep in mind DLP is not a dining destination like WDW is. For good French food, book a nice place in the city of Paris.

Thanks - I will use your link and look around!

- Fireworks, Yes, we have Fireworks, current show is called Illuminations (not to be confused with Epcot). As in the US, it get's more and more about projections on the castle. Environmental regulations etc, less fireworks than in the US.

You are correct... I was confusing "Illuminations" and thought it was what they do on the lake at EPCOT. DL has been moving to projections also. They use IASW and the Castle and the buildings of Main Street. It is best to get a good viewing point or you will only see part of the show.

- Pin trading It is not really a big thing at DLP, but most CMs in the stores and at the carts will have lanyards.

I can accept that trading is not big. I am looking for some different pins than I have so trading with CM will be just fine!

Me and some others made some topics about how to approach a visit to DLP (when you are used to other Disney parks)
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-1st-time-visitors-crowds-weather-language-wifi.3736354/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/faq-photopass.3736285/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...-disneyland-paris-to-the-other-parks.3735105/

You have plenty of days, and you go after school holidays in Europe, so crowds won't be an issue, weather will be good. Take things slow. Start with the rides/shows you do not know, then add the ones you know different versions of, and just go with the flow.

Yes... we moved our dates around to avoid weekends and the holiday. I hope the weather is dry but a little rain never hurt anyone! We will just bring our bumbershoot!



And if you have more questions, what you would normally do at WDW or DL and how you need to approach these at DLP, just ask

Thanks so much... I am sure this will not be all of the questions I will have!

 

[Carter'sMommy]

If you have a special celebration diner and no kids, I'd go to Walt's, or at least, it's our go to for special occasions. Somebody gave a really good tip the other day (and I wish I would've been able to do it on my birthday, but the restaurant was closed!) try to be there during the parade! I've never done it, and already loved Walt's, but during the parade, you should get a really special view. The parade is around 5.

Thanks - I will look into Walt's!

 

[Kelsanna]

I'll be there a week or so before you! This will be my second DLP trip and I've been to WDW and DL many times. I would expect your park tickets to be for the full 4 days, most Disneyland Paris hotel packages include tickets for every day including arrival and departure (e.g. one night stay equals two day tickets).

I would echo what someone else said earlier, look for the things you can't experience anywhere else (Ratatouille, Crush, Alice's maze, etc) then then spend remaining time things you want to compare (Big Thunder, Pirates, etc). I also enjoyed trying the different restaurants and treats; you're in France, get the crepe! One thing I experience that surprised me was that the amount of people wearing Disney clothes and Disney ears in the crowd was significantly less than at Disneyland or World.

Since we booked with Disney we have a dining plan, that's the only reason I've eaten at some of the table service restaurants and buffets. This time we are trying Captain Jacks and Plaza Gardens. Last visit we tried Annettes, Silver Spur, Remy's, Agrabah Cafe, and Hakuna Matata. My experience with food was that it was decent but not memorable, I think I remember the atmospheres more than the food. Check the menu's and make sure there's something you'd actually want to eat. We just made our reservations for early May via the reservation phone line and had the pick of what we wanted, the cast member seemed surprised we'd want to book that far in advance.

I am a huge pin addict! I didn't find a huge amount of people to trade with, and the selection wasn't as varied from store to store. However I did find that there was some great Paris exclusive pins and even better, when I found cast members earlier on in their shift they each had one really quality pin on their lanyard that was one of the better pins you could currently buy in store. I got a nice phantom manor, spider-man, and Donald duck pin this way (trading with cast members).


Hope you have a great birthday/anniversary celebration and enjoy your trip!

 

[CynBeth]

We will be there for a day and a half this summer as part of a 2 week London and Paris trip. We are adults no kids and have never been. Are so excited!

 

[Winnowill]

We'll be there in late July, so busy time, I know. We'll be three nights at DLP, staying at Hotel Cheyenne in between a few days in Normandy visiting the D-Day sights and a week in Paris exploring.

We intend to have a car for Normandy, but will be turning it in prior to going to DLP. Tell me if this idea makes sense - my husband prefers to arrive at DLP in the car (so that we don't have to deal with getting our luggage onto the train at least in one direction). Then he's planning on driving back to CDG to turn the car in and take the TGV or RER back to DLP while DD and I go to the parks. This will be on a Tuesday. Does this plan make sense, and about how long will it take him?

Alternatively, is it possible to rent the car at CDG and turn it in somewhere closer to DLP?

 

[olafLover]

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[Winnowill]

Thanks! When he books the car, I'll tell him to look into return options closer to DLP. We don't want to pay to keep it longer than we need it - we won't be using it at DLP or in Paris itself.

 

[olafLover]

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