* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

fennor72

naughtysmurf wrote:

Check in at 7am, get your room key, head to the park for early entry, you can head back to the hotel pool for a break in the middle of the day, back to the park later

Sorry I meant to ask you have you done this. They do state that check in is from 4pm.

naughtysmurf

fennor72 wrote: »

That's a very good idea I looked at both to stay for the 2 weeks but they are very expensive.
The only other park we were thinking about getting passes for was Busch gardens and it's quite reasonable 50 dollars per adult and 30 for a junior.

Not sure when your traveling but if you hit Busch between Monday & Wednesday there will be no need for their version of express pass, it doesn't ever really get the ridiculous crowd levels that the parks in Orlando get

naughtysmurf

fennor72 wrote: »

Sorry I meant to ask you have you done this. They do state that check in is from 4pm.

We stayed at Hard Rock, yes it's no problem, many do this, arrive around 7am, if your room isn't available leave your overnight bags, they will give you dummy room keys which act as your express pass, you used to have to print off a separate express pass with your photo at a machine in the lobby but I think this has changed now

They will text you when your room is available later in the day

fennor72

naughtysmurf wrote:

Not sure when your traveling but if you hit Busch between Monday & Wednesday there will be no need for their version of express pass, it doesn't ever really get the ridiculous crowd levels that the parks in Orlando get

Thanks for the advice. We went on Easter Saturday last year thinking it might be quieter than Orlando. But it was still busy but more manageable than universal or Disney. We have said next year will be our last big holiday for a good few years so we wanted to make it extra special for the 2 children, hence the questions about the express passes.

naughtysmurf

fennor72 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. We went on Easter Saturday last year thinking it might be quieter than Orlando. But it was still busy but more manageable than universal or Disney. We have said next year will be our last big holiday for a good few years so we wanted to make it extra special for the 2 children, hence the questions about the express passes.

In the past we normally did Busch early in the week, never had any problems re crowds, last year in May we went the Friday of Memorial weekend ,just the way it worked out, no issues with crowds, everything was pretty much walk on so any day Monday to Friday will be good but Monday to Wednesday will be best as regards low crowd levels

Dodge

Another vote for a stay at the Royal Pacific Resort. We stayed one night last August and tbh, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the parks without express

We checked in about 10am, went into the parks until about 5pm. Went back to room, chilled for a bit and then back out until closing time in the parks. Had an hour in the pool that night and slept in until 10/11

Checked out. Left bags with concierge. Back into the parks until about 6 or so. Did everything we wanted multiple times

Cost for one night was less than the price of one-use express for 3 of us for one day and we got 2 days unlimited

You can check in at 7 (without room allocation) but now that express covers all rides (previously the Harry Potter rides were excluded) there’s no need to make use of the early opening. If you’re up though, that could be a bonus for you too

mamajo6590

Hi,

I was hoping to get some help with booking a trip to Disney land Paris, I have never been myself, and have been looking up details about booking for weeks now, but it seems impossible for me to actually choose a date, hotel, and site to book with.

I'm a single mum with 2 kids who are currently 3 & 4, I'm hoping to get Accommodation, Flights, Transfers & Park Tickets for around 1200e - 1600e for 5 nights. My son is starting school in September as he will be 5 in June so I'm limited to summer/mid terms/ xmas.

They're young so they go to bed at about 7.30 so winter and darker hours wont be a massive issue. I would also like to spend a day in Paris and bring them to maybe 2/3 main sites (I know I'm crazy dragging two kids around a big city but it may be my only opportunity to see Paris with them)

I have checked a few sites for the end of August and that's coming in at 1500e without park tickets the same for Halloween.

I really need some advice and guidance on when to book, where to stay, what site to use, and what extras I need to have booked before I go. Any advice really on travelling with kids to Disney land as this is our first trip on a plane. I'm feeling overwhelmed already so I need everything planned to a T.

Thanks so much for any advice.

Johanna

Luis21

My advice is they are too young. Neither of them will remember it. Wait until they are older.

mamajo6590

Luis21 wrote: »

My advice is they are too young. Neither of them will remember it. Wait until they are older.

I hear ya, I was concerned about this too. A lot of people tell me they will enjoy it at this age cause they will love the characters now as opposed to when they are older and just want to go on the rides. My daughter is 4 in January so im looking into those dates too, but i think im set on bringing them within the next year.

Icsics

Go, stay in a Disney hotel & do the sights another time.

alchemist33

Kinda agree with Luis there, that they won't get too much out of it and it could be quite stressful for you.

But if you're determined to go you have to make it as simple as possible for you. It would be best to stay at a Disney hotel for convenience - they're all good and have regular shuttle buses to the parks. There's a direct train to the Disney station (Marne Chessy???) from CDG airport. The top attractions will have long queues so it's probably worth getting a Fastpass. You'd have shorter queues for the attractions for smaller kiddies but for e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, they'll be long. That said, check the height restrictions on their brochure before you go.

You'll need to plan your Paris accommodation well too. You don't want a bunch of Metro stops with the kids and bags. If I was you I'd keep it as simple as possible and do Disney only.

ozbackineire

I was in Disneyland Paris last week so can give you lots of information.

I don't agree with the comment above about them being too young, there was lots of children of that age and it was absolutely magical to see their faces light up with all of the sites and sounds. They will love the parades down Main street

With regards to flights we actually went from London on the train but flew back from Charles de Gaulee, we got flights for €30 but they obviously wont be that cheap at the time that you want to go. Orly is also close by, both airports have buses that will bring your directly to Disneyland from the airport so no need to wrangle children, cases and yourself through the Paris underground. the bus cost €23 per adult direct from my hotel to the airport and took 55 minutes.

With regards to hotel we did not stay on site in a Disnye hotel but stayed in an affiliate hotel, Vienna Dream Castle,http://www.disneylandparis.ie/hotels/dream-castle-hotel/. we booked through Booking.com and got a fantastic deal with breakfast included. the breakfast in the hotel was fantastic, it was a buffett and had so many choices. There was fresh bread rolls every morning and we actually cut them up and filled them with ham and cheese to bring to Disneyland for lunch to save some money and time. The hotel was 10 minutes on a bus to Disneyland, there is a free shuttle form the hotel every 20 minutes so this wont cost you anything.

We bought our hotels on https://www.attractionticketsdirect.ie/. we did the 2 parks so Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios for 2 days. Buying those tickets directly through the Disney site was €150 each. we got them for €124 each along with a money off voucher for Planet Hollywood and Earl of Sandwich. These came in handy for dinner and lunches to save some money. Park tickets will obviously be less if you only do Disneyland.

If you need any more information let me know.

mamajo6590

alchemist33 wrote: »

Kinda agree with Luis there, that they won't get too much out of it and it could be quite stressful for you.

But if you're determined to go you have to make it as simple as possible for you. It would be best to stay at a Disney hotel for convenience - they're all good and have regular shuttle buses to the parks. There's a direct train to the Disney station (Marne Chessy???) from CDG airport. The top attractions will have long queues so it's probably worth getting a Fastpass. You'd have shorter queues for the attractions for smaller kiddies but for e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, they'll be long. That said, check the height restrictions on their brochure before you go.

You'll need to plan your Paris accommodation well too. You don't want a bunch of Metro stops with the kids and bags. If I was you I'd keep it as simple as possible and do Disney only.

Yeah im prob being way to optimistic hoping to het into Paris too, thanks a mil for the advice, it will definitely help. Wouldn't have thought of the height restriction part.

fdevine

Our first trip to DLP was booked through an agent (Breakaway) staying in the Santa Fe hotel.

Subsequently we booked the New York hotel via disneylandparis.ie and flights with Ryanair.

Our most recent visit (5 days) was again through Breakaway but only for the accommodation. Price was very close to the direct booking price, with the added advantage of being able to pay an initial deposit following by a final payment. You can do similar with Disney but you have to ring them.

Some will say you can save a fortune booking through the .de, .fr or whatever DLP sites but in our experience this has not been the case. If you are booking independently the advice is to shop around and explore all price options.

As it's your first time though I would suggest that you at least talk to an agent, maybe in person, explaining your budget and date restrictions which will give you a much better idea of where you stand.

I would be inclined to agree with other posters in that your children, and therefore you, will gain or enjoy little or nothing from trekking into Paris.

On our first stay, with two children of similar ages to yours, we got the train into Paris, stopped at Trocadero, looked at the Eiffel Tower from about mile away, had lunch and left and that was as much as we or the kids could handle.

Go to DLP, preferably an on site hotel, relax, enjoy, take in the hotel pool, have at least one late start and enjoy the nighttime parade and fireworks. If you were staying for longer then by all means I'd go to Paris and see the sights but not on a five day trip.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

mamajo6590

ozbackineire wrote: »

I was in Disneyland Paris last week so can give you lots of information.

I don't agree with the comment above about them being too young, there was lots of children of that age and it was absolutely magical to see their faces light up with all of the sites and sounds. They will love the parades down Main street

With regards to flights we actually went from London on the train but flew back from Charles de Gaulee, we got flights for €30 but they obviously wont be that cheap at the time that you want to go. Orly is also close by, both airports have buses that will bring your directly to Disneyland from the airport so no need to wrangle children, cases and yourself through the Paris underground. the bus cost €23 per adult direct from my hotel to the airport and took 55 minutes.

With regards to hotel we did not stay on site in a Disnye hotel but stayed in an affiliate hotel, Vienna Dream Castle,. we booked through Booking.com and got a fantastic deal with breakfast included. the breakfast in the hotel was fantastic, it was a buffett and had so many choices. There was fresh bread rolls every morning and we actually cut them up and filled them with ham and cheese to bring to Disneyland for lunch to save some money and time. The hotel was 10 minutes on a bus to Disneyland, there is a free shuttle form the hotel every 20 minutes so this wont cost you anything.

We bought our hotels on . we did the 2 parks so Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios for 2 days. Buying those tickets directly through the Disney site was €150 each. we got them for €124 each along with a money off voucher for Planet Hollywood and Earl of Sandwich. These came in handy for dinner and lunches to save some money. Park tickets will obviously be less if you only do Disneyland.

If you need any more information let me know.

This has been so helpful, thank you so much. I really think its a great age to bring them and that it will be magical for them.

I'm gonna check out those links now, hopefully I will be somewhat closer to booking a date!

With regards to the actual Park, are there many expenses once inside, such as shows, rides and all that. would be great to have an idea of how much I should expect to spend daily. Is there anything in particular you think I should avoid with young kids or anything that is a must see there with them? thanks again, this has been so helpful.

mamajo6590

fdevine wrote: »

Our first trip to DLP was booked through an agent (Breakaway) staying in the Santa Fe hotel.

Subsequently we booked the New York hotel via disneylandparis.ie and flights with Ryanair.

Our most recent visit (5 days) was again through Breakaway but only for the accommodation. Price was very close to the direct booking price, with the added advantage of being able to pay an initial deposit following by a final payment. You can do similar with Disney but you have to ring them.

Some will say you can save a fortune booking through the .de, .fr or whatever DLP sites but in our experience this has not been the case. If you are booking independently the advice is to shop around and explore all price options.

As it's your first time though I would suggest that you at least talk to an agent, maybe in person, explaining your budget and date restrictions which will give you a much better idea of where you stand.

I would be inclined to agree with other posters in that your children, and therefore you, will gain or enjoy little or nothing from trekking into Paris.

On our first stay, with two children of similar ages to yours, we got the train into Paris, stopped at Trocadero, looked at the Eiffel Tower from about mile away, had lunch and left and that was as much as we or the kids could handle.

Go to DLP, preferably an on site hotel, relax, enjoy, take in the hotel pool, have at least one late start and enjoy the nighttime parade and fireworks. If you were staying for longer then by all means I'd go to Paris and see the sights but not on a five day trip.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks so much, think I'm def gonna avoid any sight seeing, and just focus on DLP.

Do you think 5 nights is enough there? I expect on the first day we would make it to the park at about lunch time and would have to leave the park at about lunch time on the last day, so will possibly only have 4 full days in the park. is it worth having tickets for the 6 days or should i just make the most of the 4 full days and take it easy on the travelling days? thanks again.

alchemist33

mamajo6590 wrote: »

Thanks so much, think I'm def gonna avoid any sight seeing, and just focus on DLP.

Do you think 5 nights is enough there? I expect on the first day we would make it to the park at about lunch time and would have to leave the park at about lunch time on the last day, so will possibly only have 4 full days in the park. is it worth having tickets for the 6 days or should i just make the most of the 4 full days and take it easy on the travelling days? thanks again.

5 nights is more than enough, and probably too much. You'd see everything you want in 2 days, and maybe a 3rd to revisit your favourites. It's nothing like as big as the Orlando Disney.

NinjaTruncs

I booked last January to go in May. Here's what I found when booking

* Look out for offers, I got 4 nights (five days in the park but we'll miss most of the last day) for the price of 2 and under-7s go free (not sure if this is always the case), currently they are doing 25% off and free half-board.

* Compare prices on the UK site, use a different internet browser for checking, for what I was booking the UK site was about 200 cheaper.

* Flights introduce some issues, if you stay in a Disney hotel you get tickets on the day you arrive and the day you leave. To use (well get the most out of) the park on the day you arrive you need an early flight, Ryanair flights are around 6:30am, so an early start. We're actually getting a later flight the day before and Staying in a hotel in Paris for the night, so that we can get to the park early enough without having to be up at 4am.

* Look at the Club rooms, they include breakfast and some other perks, I've been told food in the park is pricey so loading up at breakfast is a good start, for us picking the Club room was slightly better value than adding breakfast on its own.


Personally, and I might get crucified for this, but don't limit yourself to holiday times, in Junior Infants missing a few days or a week isn't going to make any difference, particularly if you are on a budget, the only concern would be if your child was to miss time from illness, I've been lucky where my daughter hasn't missed any time from illness so I have no issues taking her out for a few days if needed. Also, while you will know best, imo your kids are a bit young, not that they won't enjoy it but I think it will be harder on you, particularly if you're going on your own, I'd delay it a year or so, going before your eldest turns 7.

fdevine

Previous posts of mine from Themeparks Megathread regarding menus, prices & options

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104804480&postcount=1109

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104332136&postcount=1078

Once you're inside the park or Disney Village your spending will be on food & drink, toys, gifts, photos and the likes. There's no further charge for rides, shows or other attractions.

Again, as it's your first time & wanting to remember every ride and meet & greet, consider a Photopass+. We got one last time we were there and although it's not cheap it's cheaper than paying for individual photos. All photos are uploaded to an account where you can view and pick which you want prints of. Alternatively you can print them yourself when you get home.

If your girls already have Disney Princess dresses bring them with you. Same for wands, tiaras or whatever. Penneys/Smyths etc. often have them if you don't already own any. Prices in the park are extortionate for dresses in particular.

ShamoBuc

Dodge wrote: »

Another vote for a stay at the Royal Pacific Resort. We stayed one night last August and tbh, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the parks without express

We checked in about 10am, went into the parks until about 5pm. Went back to room, chilled for a bit and then back out until closing time in the parks. Had an hour in the pool that night and slept in until 10/11

Checked out. Left bags with concierge. Back into the parks until about 6 or so. Did everything we wanted multiple times

Cost for one night was less than the price of one-use express for 3 of us for one day and we got 2 days unlimited

You can check in at 7 (without room allocation) but now that express covers all rides (previously the Harry Potter rides were excluded) there’s no need to make use of the early opening. If you’re up though, that could be a bonus for you too

We did this 2 years ago, it made a huge difference. We loved the hotel and went back last October and stayed there a week, club level, a real step up from our previous hotels but worth every penny.

naughtysmurf

ShamoBuc wrote: »

We did this 2 years ago, it made a huge difference. We loved the hotel and went back last October and stayed there a week, club level, a real step up from our previous hotels but worth every penny.

Yes, well worth it, even moreso now with visitor numbers up, don't think we'd visit either Universal or Disney in the future & not stay onsite for at least part of the holiday & I say that as someone who loves a villa too.

The early entry to the Harry Potter area if you have Potter fans in your group is great for photos & video while the numbers are low

anne burnell

Book on either breakaway or Disneylanparis site and fly to Charles's de gal with art lingus much nearer to the park . There is a transfer bus in the airport fir Disneyland and u can book this before ya go . Don't bother with Paris the kids are to young . You will have a blast in Dpl ...

webpal

Have to say YouTube is a bit of an eye opener, just looking at current wait times and seven dwarfs mine train’s current wait time is 150mins. Looked at it last night in YouTube and it’s just about 60 seconds long. Will need to do plenty of reasearch!

naughtysmurf

It's actually a good little fun coaster but wouldn't wait more than 30 minutes for it, kids & tweens love it

mamajo6590

mamajo6590 wrote: »

Hi,

I was hoping to get some help with booking a trip to Disney land Paris, I have never been myself, and have been looking up details about booking for weeks now, but it seems impossible for me to actually choose a date, hotel, and site to book with.

I'm a single mum with 2 kids who are currently 3 & 4, I'm hoping to get Accommodation, Flights, Transfers & Park Tickets for around 1200e - 1600e for 5 nights. My son is starting school in September as he will be 5 in June so I'm limited to summer/mid terms/ xmas.

They're young so they go to bed at about 7.30 so winter and darker hours wont be a massive issue. I would also like to spend a day in Paris and bring them to maybe 2/3 main sites (I know I'm crazy dragging two kids around a big city but it may be my only opportunity to see Paris with them)

I have checked a few sites for the end of August and that's coming in at 1500e without park tickets the same for Halloween.

I really need some advice and guidance on when to book, where to stay, what site to use, and what extras I need to have booked before I go. Any advice really on travelling with kids to Disney land as this is our first trip on a plane. I'm feeling overwhelmed already so I need everything planned to a T.

Thanks so much for any advice.

Johanna

After pricing around and checking out all the recommendations I have finally made a reservation for St. Patrick's day 2019. Its a bit away but the kids will be 4 & 5 so hopefully not too young, but young enough.

I booked direct with disney as pricing the tickets for 4 days seperately was almost gonna cost as much as the deal i got in the sequioa lodge - forest room which included 2 nights + 2 nights free and free under 7 hotel and park tickets also fast pass, breakfast and kids drinks in the evenings. I have to wait to book the flights and transfers for another few months. hopefully it will all come within budget.

Also convinced my mother to join us so hopefully it wont be as overwhelming as expected.

Thanks so much for all the advice. Any further advice with regards to flights, transfers, restaurants on site and what we should bring that we may not think of is very welcome.

Feeling very excited!!

Icsics

mamajo6590 wrote: »

After pricing around and checking out all the recommendations I have finally made a reservation for St. Patrick's day 2019. Its a bit away but the kids will be 4 & 5 so hopefully not too young, but young enough.

I booked direct with disney as pricing the tickets for 4 days seperately was almost gonna cost as much as the deal i got in the sequioa lodge - forest room which included 2 nights + 2 nights free and free under 7 hotel and park tickets also fast pass, breakfast and kids drinks in the evenings. I have to wait to book the flights and transfers for another few months. hopefully it will all come within budget.

Also convinced my mother to join us so hopefully it wont be as overwhelming as expected.

Thanks so much for all the advice. Any further advice with regards to flights, transfers, restaurants on site and what we should bring that we may not think of is very welcome.

Feeling very excited!!

We stayed in that hotel, loved it! It’s literally just a 10 min walk to the park & it’s a nice walk too along a lake. There’s a lot of perks with the forest room, I think we got vouchers to get snacks in the park during the day.

Duffryman

lemmno wrote: »

I've booked legoland Windsor midweek for the start of July when the UK schools are still open, wondering will I need a QBot for those days? It's been expensive enough and I don't want to buy something if it won't be needed!

Hi Lemmno. Not sure anybody's replied to yet, since most of the talk here is about Disneyland Paris. Was actually on looking for advice on Disneyland Paris myself

Anyway, we spent two days midweek in Legoland Windsor with our young lad (then 3 years old) in late June last year, so also while UK schools were still open. Absolutely no need whatsoever for the QBot thing on those days. Can honestly say we didn't queue any longer than 10 minutes for anything, and that included the new Ninjago ride that they'd just introduced last year.

It was actually comical to see one family a few times who'd obviously paid for a QBot and were determined to use it to try get 'value' from it. More than once, we were queueing with no more than a handful of people in front of us, and they'd come along with their pass and demand to be let in first because they had the QBot thing. Saved themselves maybe two minutes of waiting and ended up on the same ride as us anyway on each occasion we saw them.

So bottom line - save the money you'd spend on a QBot and spend it in the shops or on food there instead.

lemmno

Duffryman wrote: »

Hi Lemmno. Not sure anybody's replied to yet, since most of the talk here is about Disneyland Paris. Was actually on looking for advice on Disneyland Paris myself

Anyway, we spent two days midweek in Legoland Windsor with our young lad (then 3 years old) in late June last year, so also while UK schools were still open. Absolutely no need whatsoever for the QBot thing on those days. Can honestly say we didn't queue any longer than 10 minutes for anything, and that included the new Ninjago ride that they'd just introduced last year.

It was actually comical to see one family a few times who'd obviously paid for a QBot and were determined to use it to try get 'value' from it. More than once, we were queueing with no more than a handful of people in front of us, and they'd come along with their pass and demand to be let in first because they had the QBot thing. Saved themselves maybe two minutes of waiting and ended up on the same ride as us anyway on each occasion we saw them.

So bottom line - save the money you'd spend on a QBot and spend it in the shops or on food there instead.

Perfect, that’s just what I needed to hear! Thanks for replying. Hopefully now we get some nice weather for it too!

kelbal

We're researching going to DLP or Parc Asterix. Because of Tesco vouchers, Asterix is coming in WAY cheaper, about half the price of DLP.
We've 2 thrillseeker kids who'd be well on for rollercoasters, and 2 littler ones.
If you take the "disney magic" out of the equation and just focus on the actual attractions, does DLP have anything to offer to make it worth the extra investment (and business of crowds probably). There seems to be loads to do in Asterix for all kids age ranges.

mittimitti

DLP is worth a visit if you have never been before
It has a few good trill rides in the studios you have the tower or terror / aerosmith rockin roller coaster and crushes coaster ( this has no fast pass and always has long queues) on a less trill is rc in the toy story area
The main park has space mountain / big thunder mountain / Indiana Jones
You also have characters in the park and shows
It is possible to do dlp and parc asterix in the same trip