Aww, your post is making me feel a bit less Scrooge-like about it. :cool:
I'll do that on the Terror thing. Won't be difficult, my son doesn't have an "indoor voice". Thanks.
You're very welcome! Fingers crossed it will work. We're going again in 2016 and are aiming for the week where everything changes from Halloween to Christmas.
Just realised I wrote we went in February on last post. It was the 2nd week of November. Christmas is a must if you ever go again. From the lighting of the tree to the parades to the "snow" falling on Main street USA.
We have just come back from Disneyland Paris, where we stayed at the Cheyenne hotel. For the amount of time we spent in the hotel, it was absolutely fine - good price and clean! Last time we went we stayed at the Santa fe hotel - again clean, warm and cheap. Both are around a 10 min walk from the parks. I would recommend both hotels - the money we saved staying at the Cheyenne over the Sequoia (which we looked at first) we used to pay for a coach trip in to Paris for a day (much more enjoyable than a fancy room!!)
/snip/
Having never wanted to go to Disney, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Would I go again? Absolutely!!
That's really helpful, thanks a lot for all of that. Just realised the offer is for one day more than I'd thought so we were thinking of taking a daytrip into Paris while we're there. If you don't mind me asking how did you arrange/book that?
We stayed in the Sequoia - last time was at Halloween 2006 and it needed a little updating then. Very nice though, and lovely trees paths and garden areas outside. Like a lot of these places it's very expensive to eat inside the park so be prepared for eye wateringly high prices ! Really enjoyed it all though, your children will love it I'm sure.
Thank you. Yeah, they'll have a ball and no doubt, as reluctant as I seem now, I know I will too.
Think we'll pay extra for half board so it's one less meal to worry about.
You're very welcome! Fingers crossed it will work. We're going again in 2016 and are aiming for the week where everything changes from Halloween to Christmas.
Just realised I wrote we went in February on last post. It was the 2nd week of November. Christmas is a must if you ever go again. From the lighting of the tree to the parades to the "snow" falling on Main street USA.
Like your Halloween - Christmas timing. :cool:
If I fall in love with the place and want to go back I think it will be at Christmas time - that sounds wonderful. I'm a sentimental sucker this time of year.
Thanks you lot for all your wisdom - I'm getting a bit excited myself now.
If you haven't found them already go on the Disneyland Paris forum on Tripadvisor. There's everything you could ever want answered on there. Loads of top tips to help you plan.
That's really helpful, thanks a lot for all of that. Just realised the offer is for one day more than I'd thought so we were thinking of taking a daytrip into Paris while we're there. If you don't mind me asking how did you arrange/book that?
Thank you. Yeah, they'll have a ball and no doubt, as reluctant as I seem now, I know I will too.
Think we'll pay extra for half board so it's one less meal to worry about.
Like your Halloween - Christmas timing. :cool:
If I fall in love with the place and want to go back I think it will be at Christmas time - that sounds wonderful. I'm a sentimental sucker this time of year.
Thanks you lot for all your wisdom - I'm getting a bit excited myself now.
I know Disney themselves offer a day tour, it's in the brochure if you can get one with the costs in...or you could do it yourself by train.
Also as another idea, I think you said you would book your flights later, why not consider going a couple of days earlier/or come back a couple of days later and have those couple of extra nights in Paris.
They don't sound very low key. And they don't even like Disney so why not take them somewhere else which is more in line with your budget (cloth, cutting, etc)?
If they want the thrill take them on a kayaking or mountain biking holiday? Cheaper, and healthier.
Also as another idea, I think you said you would book your flights later, why not consider going a couple of days earlier/or come back a couple of days later and have those couple of extra nights in Paris.
Thanks that's great. No, the flights are part of the package and have to be paid in full at time of booking, otherwise that's a good idea. I'll look into the train to Paris. I like their system. We stayed in Chantilly before and took the train to Paris - it was so handy.
They don't sound very low key. And they don't even like Disney so why not take them somewhere else which is more in line with your budget (cloth, cutting, etc)?
If they want the thrill take them on a kayaking or mountain biking holiday? Cheaper, and healthier.
No thanks, we're good. They don't dislike Disney, they just don't have a favourite character they'd have a hernia to meet. Doesn't mean they won't love the whole experience.
And our budget is fine, thank you. It's not breaking the bank. We've saved for this for a while. I just don't like falling for any unnecessary costs for any holiday so thought I'd ask for advice and any tips.
We've mountain biked and canoed the last two August holidays. This year we're doing Disneyland.
"Cloth, cutting, etc" and "they don't sound very lowkey". Erm, what?
It's hard to tell here but it sounds like you're being a little snotty just for the sake of it. Apologies if I have that wrong.
Our kids are pretty lowkey in that they don't ask for much. They're happy to go and see the parades, go on a few rides - they don't need added extras. We've talked about Disney for a long time. Like most kids they would love to go but they know its expensive and know it's not handed to them on a plate, that there would be a lot saving first. We actually almost booked last year but they overheard me saying to their dad I'd do some extra weekend shifts to top up what we'd saved so they said they'd rather save for another year rather than see me working more hours. They then stepped up their own "Disney fund". Every penny they've been given by grandparents or earned from chores has gone in there. This was completely unprompted by us. They aren't greedy kids or spoilt - far from it. They know value of money, take nothing for granted and appreciate everything they're given. If you were making a judgement on them, like I suspect you were, you could not be more wrong.
Thanks that's great. No, the flights are part of the package and have to be paid in full at time of booking, otherwise that's a good idea. I'll look into the train to Paris. I like their system. We stayed in Chantilly before and took the train to Paris - it was so handy.
No thanks, we're good. They don't dislike Disney, they just don't have a favourite character they'd have a hernia to meet. Doesn't mean they won't love the whole experience.
And our budget is fine, thank you. It's not breaking the bank. We've saved for this for a while. I just don't like falling for any unnecessary costs for any holiday so thought I'd ask for advice and any tips.
We've mountain biked and canoed the last two August holidays. This year we're doing Disneyland.
"Cloth, cutting, etc" and "they don't sound very lowkey". Erm, what?
It's hard to tell here but it sounds like you're being a little snotty just for the sake of it. Apologies if I have that wrong.
Our kids are pretty lowkey in that they don't ask for much. They're happy to go and see the parades, go on a few rides - they don't need added extras. We've talked about Disney for a long time. Like most kids they would love to go but they know its expensive and know it's not handed to them on a plate, that there would be a lot saving first. We actually almost booked last year but they overheard me saying to their dad I'd do some extra weekend shifts to top up what we'd saved so they said they'd rather save for another year rather than see me working more hours. They then stepped up their own "Disney fund". Every penny they've been given by grandparents or earned from chores has gone in there. This was completely unprompted by us. They aren't greedy kids or spoilt - far from it. They know value of money, take nothing for granted and appreciate everything they're given. If you were making a judgement on them, like I suspect you were, you could not be more wrong.
No judgement at all, just an observation. They sound lovely and, as you say, sensible. All down to parenting. Again, not a judgement! Have a lovely time (my 8 year old would love to go Florida, but only because her friends do; If she took the same approach as your children I'm sure we would be more willing to look into it, too).
And I do apolgise for the cloth cutting comment; I admit that was unnecessary 😯
If you haven't found them already go on the Disneyland Paris forum on Tripadvisor. There's everything you could ever want answered on there. Loads of top tips to help you plan.
Not the best advice IMO as I said earlier in the thread, it's full of sycophants and the "Destination Experts" there think they are some kind of deities that must be worshipped, I even witnessed one of them publicly berate a poster for not saying "thank you" to her when she had replied to a question. It's a place best avoided IMO you can plan perfectly well without people like that.
Having been 13 times and also holding shares in Disneyland Paris, I will try to advise you on some tips.
On the hotel side of things, it depends on your budget and what deals you can get. The Cheyenne a good themed hotel, especially if any of your children is into cowboy theming. The downside of the hotel is the breakfast; it is quite dis-organised and can be very busy at times with everyone trying to get to the food at the same time.
If your budget can stretch to it, Sequoia Lodge is a good hotel and good for breakfast, but in my opinion, Hotel New York is by far the best (however it is expensive).
The Early Magic Hours (EMH) are usually in the main park, and as another person has said, there is only a limited amount of rides operating between 8am and 10am. However you can usually go on the rides several times within the two hours and no queues. I think we managed to go on Buzz Lightyear around 6 times in the space of 20 minutes, basically it was a straight walk-on. Sometimes they do EMH in the Studios, but this is very rare.
Depending on when you go, the ride queues can be anything from good to terrible. Usually the big rides have a queue time of 15-30 mins, however I have seen times of 120mins on busy days in peak time (mind you I've seen 180min waits at Alton Towers so I don't see DLP as a mega-queue park). Some rides offer a Fastpass ticket where you can get a timed ticket (usually within a 30min time slot) so you can enjoy other rides and then return at the give time slot. However you can only get one Fastpass per person and you can only get another Fastpass after the existing ones expire.
There are buses laid on for hotel guests to and from the park. They usually run from 7am until gone midnight, so if you don't want to walk from your hotel to the park (max 20 min walk along the Rio Grand river) you can hop on the appropriate bus.
Meals can be expensive, however you do have some cheaper options. There's a McDonalds in the Village with the prices similar to home; and if you like Subway subs, then there's The Earl of Sandwich which, in my opinion, are far better than Subway. If you eat at the restaurants, then it is better to make a reservation. This can be done prior to your visit, at your hotel or at City Hall (just by the entrance to the park). There are certain restaurants that do not offer reservations. These ones you just have to go an queue. However I do recommend Annette's Diner (a 50's American Diner). You will find some of the waiter/waitresses on rollerskates, and if you are there at around 7pm or 9pm, they usually do a sing-song and dance (songs from the Blues Brothers film).
In the Studio, I would recommend getting there before the 9.30 gate opening, then, when they open the gates, run to Crushes Coaster (out of the Studio 1 building and head to you right) and wait in the queue. The reason for this is this ride has an average queue time of 90-120 mins and is very slow loading. Tower of Terror is very good if you get a good Cast Member in character.
If you have children that want to go on their own in the park, then I would recommend taking some cheap 2-way radios (walkie-talkie). They will cover the majority of the park and will save you loads of money on mobile calls.
If you know that you are likely to go to Disneyland Paris quite a few times, it may be good in buying shares in the parent company (Eurodisney SCA). 100 shares (at 3 Euro each) will give you access to the shareholders club. You receive discounts on restaurants, shops (including UK Disney Stores), as well as special offers. You also get exclusive access to Salon Mickey, where, between 9am and 12pm, you can visit and unwind in comfort, have free drinks (tea, coffee, chocolate, orange juice water) and a cookie/brioche/muffin/cake
I would recommend visiting the two main forums below:
Thanks so much for all of that - that is so helpful. I think I'm going to have to print a lot of stuff off here and take it with me. Absolutely brilliant.
I LOVE the sound of Annette's Diner. Fingers crossed it's one of the 6 restaurants included in the standard half board that we're after.
We've seen lots of reviews and photos of the Cheyenne and i see what people mean about it but we're happy enough with it - we'll be prepared for the chaos at breakfast - forewarned and all that - thank you. Think the bunk beds sealed the deal. Of all things.
Went to book today but travel agents closed unfortunately. They usually have Sunday opening hours but not today apparently. All being well we'll do the deed tomorrow.
Another recommendation for Annette's Diner here. Last time we went, we had a large breakfast to last us through to dinner and made our way to Annette's in the early evening.
Just another tip. There's a covered walkway which runs from Main Street right through Frontier Land and ending up at the edge of Fantasy Land/Adventure Land (right next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride). This will help you when it's raining, or to miss the crowds on Main street.
There's an Esso petrol station just outside the Santa Fe hotel where you can stock up on soft drinks, beer, wine, chocolate and other items that are usually sold at petrol stations. From the Cheyanne it is a 5 min walk away, through the Sante Fe hotel grounds and it is right next to the security gate of the hotel. Alternatively take the Sante Fe bus and you will see the Esso when you enter the hotel grounds.
There's also a guided tour of the park if you so wish. It costs 15 Euro per adult (can't remember the cost for kids) and can be booked at City Hall. They run two different ones (Park and Studio) and have English on one day and French on another day. Takes approx 2 hours (1.5 hours for the Studio one) and gives you the story behind the disney parks (was well as personal details of Walt Disney's ideas). The last time we did a tour, we were given a special Disney pin and was allowed in the VIP area for the Parade (next to the start of the parade route). We were also give a "behind the scenes" tour of the Star Tours ride.
Talking about the parade, the best place to see this is outside the Bella Notte restaurant (by the "It's a Small World" ride). You can sit on the wall and it doesn't matter if someone stands in front of you as you will be higher than them (and you could always stand on the wall)
Goodness, don't apologise for giving me more info - it's great stuff, exactly the kind of thing I'm after (and more!). I laughed because my ever practical husband is particularly pleased to hear about the Esso station. We keep him going about his inability to settle when we go away until he knows where the nearest petrol station or mini mart is. But I have to say he's always vindicated at some point when we inevitably desperately need something or other.
Thanks a million for taking the time to type that all out. Really, really appreciate it.
My tip would be to save up for a few more years and go to Florida.
Me too, we have been to Florida a couple of times and going again with the grandkids next year. You get the warm weather in Florida which you don't get in Paris, and the Americans are far better at customer service and are friendlier than the surly French.
Not the best advice IMO as I said earlier in the thread, it's full of sycophants and the "Destination Experts" there think they are some kind of deities that must be worshipped, I even witnessed one of them publicly berate a poster for not saying "thank you" to her when she had replied to a question. It's a place best avoided IMO you can plan perfectly well without people like that.
The FAQ section on there is more comprehensive than if this thread ran for another 2000 replies IMO.
www.dlptoday.com is another great site with ride details and restaurant details.
The DEs and posters on the forum are no more passionate about the parks than some people get on here about threads.
we went a few years ago. stayed at davy crockett - by far the nicest in the range, you get a caravan which is nothing like a caravan! Beds were comfy, kitchen well stocked, quiet etc.
My biggest recommendation is to get any food deals you can, when we went you could buy mickey dollars or something which meant you could eat at certain places. Whilst its restricting its worth saving the ££££ as we spent nearly 500 on food alone for 5 days (4 of us). Granted we could have saved by going to mcdonalds but its not really suitable for the whole weekend! We did cafe micky and my daughter cried the place down and food was sub-standard. Agree bill's was terrible too!
There are plenty of other options and you do see the characters about, you need to look at the map for set times and get there early or you miss them.
I do have to agree with the member who said save for florida tbh, its the best of the lot (although I've not done tokyo), La was lovely but small, france was good but pricey.
That's really helpful, thanks a lot for all of that. Just realised the offer is for one day more than I'd thought so we were thinking of taking a daytrip into Paris while we're there. If you don't mind me asking how did you arrange/book that?
I booked the Paris trip online through City Discovery - it's their 'Magical Day Tour of Paris' trip. It cost about £60 each (adults) which included a city sightseeing trip, free time (about 2 hrs), riverboat cruise and a ticket to go to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. The coach picked but from the New York hotel at Disney at 9:45am and got back around 6:30pm. I would recommend the trip to anyone! I do believe you can book this through Disney once you are there, or on the website beforehand (I had issues logging in to the website so booked elsewhere, but it is the same trip as offered by Disney).
I'm sure wherever you stay/decide to go you will have an amazing time!
Have a great time!! We're going in February (did I mention that?) and are also going to Walt Disney World in Florida in May for 15 days. So excited!
Where did you end up booking, Hotel wise?
Wow. Two Disney trips -Paris and Florida - no wonder you're excited!
We went for the original one quoted: 4 nights at the Cheyenne, 5 day passes, standard half board (which does include Annette's Diner :cool:) and the Extra Magic Hours.
I know what people said about the Cheyenne but I think it'll be ok - its just a base and the bunkbeds are a draw . Besides we are so used to slumming it in the caravan, soaked to the skin up mountains and in forests during our usual holidays a pokey and grotty Cheyenne will be luxury to us!
Thanks again to you and everyone for your help. Enjoy your trips.
In case anyones's reading because they're thinking of going i think it was £1669 & an extra £260 (or thereabouts) for the half board option, for 2 adults & 2 kids over 7. Think under 7s go free with most offers. Although I imagine you could shop around or book flights separately to get a better deal. We just went with the Co-Operative package because it's handy for us but I'm sure there are smarter ways to book. You need to pay flights in full and 15% of the hotel at time of booking.
We hope to have time to go to Paris a day and think we'll get a Ticket Mobilis and go in by train. The ticket mobilis should let us travel for the day on the RER train and metro system. Last time we went we used the metro to get about and it was great - the kids will love it.
Found this site which tells you how to get about it if it's any use to anyone:
This thread has actually made me book 4 days in Disneyland in February (during half term) for my 5-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old cousin. We will be staying in the Cheyenne too. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was almost a kid myself, so it'll be a new experience for me and I will let you know how we get on. Hopefully I will come back sane and not bankrupt.
I've been around 5 times and TBH I refuse to go there any longer. Unless you are SUPER into disney then I would avoid. Its very expensive, food in the evening at hotels can easily top £100 for 2 adults and 2 kids, fasat food on the park is not as bad. As mentioned the places on the strip between the park and hotels is your best bet.
Queuing can be horrendous, 1 to 2 hours or more. If you want to do rides then think about the fast pass. There are other things like the shows which you can use to break up the time between queuing.
I should mention that you can't get photos with characters unless you go to character events. When they walk around the park they had minders which moved you along if you tried to take a photo. You best bet is to book character breakfast (more cost).
Xela M, sorry but I went in Feb half term a couple of years ago (my last visit), It was freezing, wet and massively busy. We actually didn't bother going to the park on the last day and went into Paris instead.
Xela M, sorry but I went in Feb half term a couple of years ago (my last visit), It was freezing, wet and massively busy. We actually didn't bother going to the park on the last day and went into Paris instead
And yet when I went in February half term there wasn't a cloud in the sky on the day we went to Disney yet it emptied the two days in Paris on either side.
Xela M I went as an 8 year old child back in 1993 (I think Space Mountain wasn't even there) but enjoyedit far more as an adult a few years ago.
And yet when I went in February half term there wasn't a cloud in the sky on the day we went to Disney yet it emptied the two days in Paris on either side.
Checking dates, Paris has school holidays from 16/02/15 to 26/02/15 which would overlap with holidays that my kids have.
Not sure what you mean by it emptied the two days on either side ?
Comments
You're very welcome! Fingers crossed it will work. We're going again in 2016 and are aiming for the week where everything changes from Halloween to Christmas.
Just realised I wrote we went in February on last post. It was the 2nd week of November. Christmas is a must if you ever go again. From the lighting of the tree to the parades to the "snow" falling on Main street USA.
That's really helpful, thanks a lot for all of that. Just realised the offer is for one day more than I'd thought so we were thinking of taking a daytrip into Paris while we're there. If you don't mind me asking how did you arrange/book that?
Thank you. Yeah, they'll have a ball and no doubt, as reluctant as I seem now, I know I will too.
Think we'll pay extra for half board so it's one less meal to worry about.
Like your Halloween - Christmas timing. :cool:
If I fall in love with the place and want to go back I think it will be at Christmas time - that sounds wonderful. I'm a sentimental sucker this time of year.
Thanks you lot for all your wisdom - I'm getting a bit excited myself now.
I know Disney themselves offer a day tour, it's in the brochure if you can get one with the costs in...or you could do it yourself by train.
http://parisbytrain.com/rer-train-paris-to-euro-disney/
Also as another idea, I think you said you would book your flights later, why not consider going a couple of days earlier/or come back a couple of days later and have those couple of extra nights in Paris.
They don't sound very low key. And they don't even like Disney so why not take them somewhere else which is more in line with your budget (cloth, cutting, etc)?
If they want the thrill take them on a kayaking or mountain biking holiday? Cheaper, and healthier.
Thanks that's great. No, the flights are part of the package and have to be paid in full at time of booking, otherwise that's a good idea. I'll look into the train to Paris. I like their system. We stayed in Chantilly before and took the train to Paris - it was so handy.
No thanks, we're good. They don't dislike Disney, they just don't have a favourite character they'd have a hernia to meet. Doesn't mean they won't love the whole experience.
And our budget is fine, thank you. It's not breaking the bank. We've saved for this for a while. I just don't like falling for any unnecessary costs for any holiday so thought I'd ask for advice and any tips.
We've mountain biked and canoed the last two August holidays. This year we're doing Disneyland.
"Cloth, cutting, etc" and "they don't sound very lowkey". Erm, what?
It's hard to tell here but it sounds like you're being a little snotty just for the sake of it. Apologies if I have that wrong.
Our kids are pretty lowkey in that they don't ask for much. They're happy to go and see the parades, go on a few rides - they don't need added extras. We've talked about Disney for a long time. Like most kids they would love to go but they know its expensive and know it's not handed to them on a plate, that there would be a lot saving first. We actually almost booked last year but they overheard me saying to their dad I'd do some extra weekend shifts to top up what we'd saved so they said they'd rather save for another year rather than see me working more hours. They then stepped up their own "Disney fund". Every penny they've been given by grandparents or earned from chores has gone in there. This was completely unprompted by us. They aren't greedy kids or spoilt - far from it. They know value of money, take nothing for granted and appreciate everything they're given. If you were making a judgement on them, like I suspect you were, you could not be more wrong.
No judgement at all, just an observation. They sound lovely and, as you say, sensible. All down to parenting. Again, not a judgement! Have a lovely time (my 8 year old would love to go Florida, but only because her friends do; If she took the same approach as your children I'm sure we would be more willing to look into it, too).
And I do apolgise for the cloth cutting comment; I admit that was unnecessary 😯
Not the best advice IMO as I said earlier in the thread, it's full of sycophants and the "Destination Experts" there think they are some kind of deities that must be worshipped, I even witnessed one of them publicly berate a poster for not saying "thank you" to her when she had replied to a question. It's a place best avoided IMO you can plan perfectly well without people like that.
On the hotel side of things, it depends on your budget and what deals you can get. The Cheyenne a good themed hotel, especially if any of your children is into cowboy theming. The downside of the hotel is the breakfast; it is quite dis-organised and can be very busy at times with everyone trying to get to the food at the same time.
If your budget can stretch to it, Sequoia Lodge is a good hotel and good for breakfast, but in my opinion, Hotel New York is by far the best (however it is expensive).
The Early Magic Hours (EMH) are usually in the main park, and as another person has said, there is only a limited amount of rides operating between 8am and 10am. However you can usually go on the rides several times within the two hours and no queues. I think we managed to go on Buzz Lightyear around 6 times in the space of 20 minutes, basically it was a straight walk-on. Sometimes they do EMH in the Studios, but this is very rare.
Depending on when you go, the ride queues can be anything from good to terrible. Usually the big rides have a queue time of 15-30 mins, however I have seen times of 120mins on busy days in peak time (mind you I've seen 180min waits at Alton Towers so I don't see DLP as a mega-queue park). Some rides offer a Fastpass ticket where you can get a timed ticket (usually within a 30min time slot) so you can enjoy other rides and then return at the give time slot. However you can only get one Fastpass per person and you can only get another Fastpass after the existing ones expire.
There are buses laid on for hotel guests to and from the park. They usually run from 7am until gone midnight, so if you don't want to walk from your hotel to the park (max 20 min walk along the Rio Grand river) you can hop on the appropriate bus.
Meals can be expensive, however you do have some cheaper options. There's a McDonalds in the Village with the prices similar to home; and if you like Subway subs, then there's The Earl of Sandwich which, in my opinion, are far better than Subway. If you eat at the restaurants, then it is better to make a reservation. This can be done prior to your visit, at your hotel or at City Hall (just by the entrance to the park). There are certain restaurants that do not offer reservations. These ones you just have to go an queue. However I do recommend Annette's Diner (a 50's American Diner). You will find some of the waiter/waitresses on rollerskates, and if you are there at around 7pm or 9pm, they usually do a sing-song and dance (songs from the Blues Brothers film).
In the Studio, I would recommend getting there before the 9.30 gate opening, then, when they open the gates, run to Crushes Coaster (out of the Studio 1 building and head to you right) and wait in the queue. The reason for this is this ride has an average queue time of 90-120 mins and is very slow loading. Tower of Terror is very good if you get a good Cast Member in character.
If you have children that want to go on their own in the park, then I would recommend taking some cheap 2-way radios (walkie-talkie). They will cover the majority of the park and will save you loads of money on mobile calls.
If you know that you are likely to go to Disneyland Paris quite a few times, it may be good in buying shares in the parent company (Eurodisney SCA). 100 shares (at 3 Euro each) will give you access to the shareholders club. You receive discounts on restaurants, shops (including UK Disney Stores), as well as special offers. You also get exclusive access to Salon Mickey, where, between 9am and 12pm, you can visit and unwind in comfort, have free drinks (tea, coffee, chocolate, orange juice water) and a cookie/brioche/muffin/cake
I would recommend visiting the two main forums below:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77
http://www.dlpguide.com/
Thanks so much for all of that - that is so helpful. I think I'm going to have to print a lot of stuff off here and take it with me. Absolutely brilliant.
I LOVE the sound of Annette's Diner. Fingers crossed it's one of the 6 restaurants included in the standard half board that we're after.
We've seen lots of reviews and photos of the Cheyenne and i see what people mean about it but we're happy enough with it - we'll be prepared for the chaos at breakfast - forewarned and all that - thank you. Think the bunk beds sealed the deal. Of all things.
Went to book today but travel agents closed unfortunately. They usually have Sunday opening hours but not today apparently. All being well we'll do the deed tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone for all your help.
Follow the steps in the Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkng8zSJweE
Sorry i've got another couple of tips for you.
There's an Esso petrol station just outside the Santa Fe hotel where you can stock up on soft drinks, beer, wine, chocolate and other items that are usually sold at petrol stations. From the Cheyanne it is a 5 min walk away, through the Sante Fe hotel grounds and it is right next to the security gate of the hotel. Alternatively take the Sante Fe bus and you will see the Esso when you enter the hotel grounds.
There's also a guided tour of the park if you so wish. It costs 15 Euro per adult (can't remember the cost for kids) and can be booked at City Hall. They run two different ones (Park and Studio) and have English on one day and French on another day. Takes approx 2 hours (1.5 hours for the Studio one) and gives you the story behind the disney parks (was well as personal details of Walt Disney's ideas). The last time we did a tour, we were given a special Disney pin and was allowed in the VIP area for the Parade (next to the start of the parade route). We were also give a "behind the scenes" tour of the Star Tours ride.
Talking about the parade, the best place to see this is outside the Bella Notte restaurant (by the "It's a Small World" ride). You can sit on the wall and it doesn't matter if someone stands in front of you as you will be higher than them (and you could always stand on the wall)
Goodness, don't apologise for giving me more info - it's great stuff, exactly the kind of thing I'm after (and more!). I laughed because my ever practical husband is particularly pleased to hear about the Esso station. We keep him going about his inability to settle when we go away until he knows where the nearest petrol station or mini mart is.
Thanks a million for taking the time to type that all out. Really, really appreciate it.
Me too, we have been to Florida a couple of times and going again with the grandkids next year. You get the warm weather in Florida which you don't get in Paris, and the Americans are far better at customer service and are friendlier than the surly French.
The FAQ section on there is more comprehensive than if this thread ran for another 2000 replies IMO.
www.dlptoday.com is another great site with ride details and restaurant details.
The DEs and posters on the forum are no more passionate about the parks than some people get on here about threads.
My biggest recommendation is to get any food deals you can, when we went you could buy mickey dollars or something which meant you could eat at certain places. Whilst its restricting its worth saving the ££££ as we spent nearly 500 on food alone for 5 days (4 of us). Granted we could have saved by going to mcdonalds but its not really suitable for the whole weekend! We did cafe micky and my daughter cried the place down and food was sub-standard. Agree bill's was terrible too!
There are plenty of other options and you do see the characters about, you need to look at the map for set times and get there early or you miss them.
I do have to agree with the member who said save for florida tbh, its the best of the lot (although I've not done tokyo), La was lovely but small, france was good but pricey.
Thanks to you lot I have lots of sites bookmarked and loads of reading to do between now and then - all really useful stuff.
Many thanks, it's appreciated!
Where did you end up booking, Hotel wise?
Wow. Two Disney trips -Paris and Florida - no wonder you're excited!
We went for the original one quoted: 4 nights at the Cheyenne, 5 day passes, standard half board (which does include Annette's Diner :cool:) and the Extra Magic Hours.
I know what people said about the Cheyenne but I think it'll be ok - its just a base and the bunkbeds are a draw
Thanks again to you and everyone for your help. Enjoy your trips.
In case anyones's reading because they're thinking of going i think it was £1669 & an extra £260 (or thereabouts) for the half board option, for 2 adults & 2 kids over 7. Think under 7s go free with most offers. Although I imagine you could shop around or book flights separately to get a better deal. We just went with the Co-Operative package because it's handy for us but I'm sure there are smarter ways to book. You need to pay flights in full and 15% of the hotel at time of booking.
We hope to have time to go to Paris a day and think we'll get a Ticket Mobilis and go in by train. The ticket mobilis should let us travel for the day on the RER train and metro system. Last time we went we used the metro to get about and it was great - the kids will love it.
Found this site which tells you how to get about it if it's any use to anyone:
http://parisbytrain.com/rer-train-paris-to-euro-disney/
Queuing can be horrendous, 1 to 2 hours or more. If you want to do rides then think about the fast pass. There are other things like the shows which you can use to break up the time between queuing.
I should mention that you can't get photos with characters unless you go to character events. When they walk around the park they had minders which moved you along if you tried to take a photo. You best bet is to book character breakfast (more cost).
Xela M, sorry but I went in Feb half term a couple of years ago (my last visit), It was freezing, wet and massively busy. We actually didn't bother going to the park on the last day and went into Paris instead.
And yet when I went in February half term there wasn't a cloud in the sky on the day we went to Disney yet it emptied the two days in Paris on either side.
Xela M I went as an 8 year old child back in 1993 (I think Space Mountain wasn't even there) but enjoyedit far more as an adult a few years ago.
Checking dates, Paris has school holidays from 16/02/15 to 26/02/15 which would overlap with holidays that my kids have.
Not sure what you mean by it emptied the two days on either side ?