Disneyland Paris help

bazwaldo

Hi,

With all the ads on TV, the mrs wants to bring the family to Disneyland Paris and make use of the special they are running at the moment. Free kids and 40% off or something.

We have never been but I have briefly looked into the planning of it. We have 5 kids ranging from 10 to 2 years which limits our choice of accomodation so its probably a case of picking whichever can squeeze us in without having to book two rooms which makes it very expensive.

Next is getting there. Flights with Ryanair Beauvois are much cheaper than Aer Lingus to CDG but its probably a little more expensive to get from Beauvois. Is hiring a car a good idea or would I get screwed having to pay for so many child seats? Or should I just use a private shuttle so we can get collected from the Airport and dropped straight to our destination.

If anyone has any pointers, recommendations, suggestions, links for booking disney or shuttle or car hire, or experience if travelled there before with a few kids, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

finbarrk

Discussed loads of times here before. Do a search. Expensive place to go to. A waste of money for kids under 7.

jay-me

Been a few times myself! First on travel agent package and was ripped off horribley! Then I booked flights and accomodation myself and went for a fraction of the cost!

I booked a van from beuvais to the hotel and back again for 7 people at 120 each way which was cheaper and less of a head wreck than public transport!

Definitely shop around for flights and accomodation as the park is on the metro line and it is much cheaper to stay in a hotel on the line than in the over priced park accomodation.

Also in regards ages I found the "magic" is lost for kids over 7 but they still love all the rides at any age!!

naughtysmurf

We have used www.a-t-s.net Beauvais to Disney before, have also used them out of Nice, no problems either time. From memory I think you can book a shared transfer cheaper than a private one, if they don't have any others going to Disney, you end up getting a private transfer for the price of a shared one.

Haven't stayed at a Disney Hotel, stayed at www.dreamcastle-hotel.com , had a room with a large Kingsize bed + bunkbeds, park shuttle, it was grand, breakfast wasn't hectic and a bit of a free for all but suited us & would stay there again if the price was right.

Friends of ours recently stayed at Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch and were happy

SilverSparkle

bazwaldo wrote: »

Hi,

With all the ads on TV, the mrs wants to bring the family to Disneyland Paris and make use of the special they are running at the moment. Free kids and 40% off or something.

Hi. I am returning to DLP for the 19th time in June. You will love it!

We have never been but I have briefly looked into the planning of it. We have 5 kids ranging from 10 to 2 years which limits our choice of accomodation so its probably a case of picking whichever can squeeze us in without having to book two rooms which makes it very expensive.

The hotel I would reccomend for you is The Explorers Hotel http://www.explorershotels.com/us/home.php
Although it isn't a Disney hotel, it is a Disney selected hotel. It has a nice pool too. They have rooms that can accommodate up to 10 people, whereas if you were to book a Disney hotel you would have to book 2 rooms and request that they are interconnecting. The hotel is about a 5 minute free shuttle bus ride to the parks.

Since there are 7 of you, normally I would reccomend booking the Explorers hotel not through Disney themselves but either through the Explorers website or through Alpharooms or Expedia and then buy your tickets separately. However with the kids go free offer it might be better to book through Disney. If you ring Disney on their Irish number then someone would be able to assist you better. 016058383

Another option is the Adagio City Aparthotel which can accomodate 7 people in a 2/3 bedroom apartment. It also has a swimming pool and might be more handy for you as you could cook in the kitchen and save a bit of money some nights. The apartments are about a 5 minute free shuttle bus ride to the parks.

It is going to be very expensive for 7 of you in Disneyland so my next reccomendation is regarding your tickets. I have a ticket called an Annual Pass that gives me 10% off on food and 20% off in restaurants. If you do not book a package with Disney and decide to book your hotel separately then this could be an option for you as with 7 people it will definitely pay for itself. The Fantasy Annual Pass is €159 and has restrictions on it date wise. The Dream Annual Pass is €199 and has no restrictions. Here is a link which is very useful http://www.dlrpmagic.com/planning/booking/annual-passports/

Next is getting there. Flights with Ryanair Beauvois are much cheaper than Aer Lingus to CDG but its probably a little more expensive to get from Beauvois. Is hiring a car a good idea or would I get screwed having to pay for so many child seats? Or should I just use a private shuttle so we can get collected from the Airport and dropped straight to our destination.

With 5 young kids it definitely makes more sense to get private shuttle to transfer you form Beauvais to DLP than to try and use public transport or even the Disney shuttle. It will cost about €120 for a shuttle from Beauvais to DLP and about €70 from CDG to DLP. Just dont forget how much more expensive Ryanairs luggage charges are than Aer Lingus. I normally fly to CDG but usually there is only 2 of us.

If anyone has any pointers, recommendations, suggestions, links for booking disney or shuttle or car hire, or experience if travelled there before with a few kids, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

I would really reccomend www.dlrpmagic.com to help you plan your visit. It is not run by Disney but it is much better than the DLP website itself.

If you have any other questions just ask! And your kids will love it. Its so magical!

bazwaldo

Wow!!! Thank you for all the very helpful replies. It is very much appreciated. I'll take this info and go do more research over the next few days. Weekends are a write off for getting time to do stuff like this.

bazwaldo

Just a quick update.

To avail of the Disney offer I must stay in a Disney Hotel. The Davey Crockett Ranch is the only one that can accommodate us in one room which would cost about €750 for 4 nights. Half board an extra €350. Unfortunately there is no shuttle from there and your own transport is required. There is the option to book two rooms in another of the hotels.

If hiring a car for 5 days, the cheapest 7 seater was €300 and theres an extra €60 or so for child car seats.

Flights with Ryanair ranged from €400 to €650 and Aer Lingus's cheapest flights were €900 for the lot of us.

The hassle of getting there is putting me off. It would be hard going with the youngest two. I still need to get prices for two rooms in one of the other hotels. At least then I can book a shuttle to/from airport and use the free shuttles to the park daily.

SilverSparkle

bazwaldo wrote: »

Just a quick update.

To avail of the Disney offer I must stay in a Disney Hotel. The Davey Crockett Ranch is the only one that can accommodate us in one room which would cost about €750 for 4 nights. Half board an extra €350. Unfortunately there is no shuttle from there and your own transport is required. There is the option to book two rooms in another of the hotels.

If hiring a car for 5 days, the cheapest 7 seater was €300 and theres an extra €60 or so for child car seats.

Flights with Ryanair ranged from €400 to €650 and Aer Lingus's cheapest flights were €900 for the lot of us.

The hassle of getting there is putting me off. It would be hard going with the youngest two. I still need to get prices for two rooms in one of the other hotels. At least then I can book a shuttle to/from airport and use the free shuttles to the park daily.

So you can't book a Disney selected hotel. What dates are you thinking of going?

Did a quick search there for arriving on the 12th of March for 4 nights for 1 room for 1 adult and 3 kids aged 2, 4 and 10 in the cheapest hotel the Santa Fe... Its €384 so for 2 rooms its €768 (plus €15 booking fee) and then ask them to have the rooms as interconnecting rooms...

Dodge

Sorry to hijack thread. We've been thinking about heading next year when out little one is 3. I'm not sure there'll be enough for her to justify the price. Any opinions?

RosieJoe

Have been there every year for the last 5 years and the kids are now 7, 5 and 2.

Dodge, there is plenty to do in the park for a 3 year old. You have loads of shows over in the the Studios park and load of rides that a 3 year old will enjoy. Only thing you'll miss out on is the roller coasters really.

As for booking, we usually book direct ourselves with Aer Lingus and http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/index.xhtml. Check the difference in price and offers between the .ie website and the .co.uk website. Usually better to book using the .co.uk site.

Last year we booked with Michael in breakaway.ie and he did a great job for us.

We initially got the VEA bus from CDG to the Park but it was a nightmare so would definitely recommend you hire a private van to get you to and from the airport. Can work out cheaper but it is quicker with less hassle. They even provide car seats for the kids, if needed.

EDIT: Of you do go make sure you book one meal in Mickey's Cafe, it'll make your trip. Food in the Disney Village is OK but the fact you have the Characters running around is great for the kids.

SilverSparkle

RosieJoe wrote: »

Have been there every year for the last 5 years and the kids are now 7, 5 and 2.

Dodge, there is plenty to do in the park for a 3 year old. You have loads of shows over in the the Studios park and load of rides that a 3 year old will enjoy. Only thing you'll miss out on is the roller coasters really.

As for booking, we usually book direct ourselves with Aer Lingus and http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/index.xhtml. Check the difference in price and offers between the .ie website and the .co.uk website. Usually better to book using the .co.uk site.

Last year we booked with Michael in breakaway.ie and he did a great job for us.

We initially got the VEA bus from CDG to the Park but it was a nightmare so would definitely recommend you hire a private van to get you to and from the airport. Can work out cheaper but it is quicker with less hassle. They even provide car seats for the kids, if needed.

EDIT: Of you do go make sure you book one meal in Mickey's Cafe, it'll make your trip. Food in the Disney Village is OK but the fact you have the Characters running around is great for the kids.

That is strange. I always find the Irish site to be cheaper! I guess it depends on the dates of travel!

And I agree with Cafe Mickey! It is the best option for getting pics with the characters and the food is good too! Also is the only place in Disney to get a proper pizza!

slave1

I know you have your heart set on Paris but when we looked at this we decided to save for another year and do Orlando, you get everything there, much more parks, weather, variety, everything.
For the 5 of us last year return flights direct from Dublin to Orlando were €2.6k and then your onto any amount of villas, then car hire.
Yes, it is more expensive but if you can go at an off-peak time (April/May) it's cheaper and the weather perfect.
Anyhow, just thought I'd throw that into the mix.

bazwaldo

slave1 wrote: »

I know you have your heart set on Paris but when we looked at this we decided to save for another year and do Orlando, you get everything there, much more parks, weather, variety, everything.
For the 5 of us last year return flights direct from Dublin to Orlando were €2.6k and then your onto any amount of villas, then car hire.
Yes, it is more expensive but if you can go at an off-peak time (April/May) it's cheaper and the weather perfect.
Anyhow, just thought I'd throw that into the mix.

Cheers Slave1. I spent a little time today investigating going to Orlando. Flights and house for a week varied in price depending on when you went but usually around 450 each. I guess you would need car hire on top of that and the tickets to the parks too. Probably at least another 1k on top. The downside was that the cheap flights were all with 1 stop rather than direct. Aer Lingus were about 620 total per person to Orlando and going through Paris with accommodation in Orlando was still 150 or more cheaper. Maybe worth the hassle if the connection waits are ok. I must admit that Orlando is appealing to me more. We have a relative in Tampa too so could extend the trip to see them in addition. Plus do Busch Gardens.

slave1

Try Air France, Dublin to Orlando with stop off (2/3 hours) in Atlanta, they're about the cheapest (the planes are actually Delta).
The 5 of us are heading to Orlando this summer at peak time in July for €3k return flights, that's by far the best price I could get.

naughtysmurf

Flew to Orlando from Dublin in March 2011 with Aer Lingus for €1850 return direct (4 people)

You can't compare Disneyland Paris to Orlando, I agree with a previous poster, save for another while and do Orlando, watch the flight prices daily