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Categories: Day-Trips from Paris, Family Travel

Some people come to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and some come because they are Disney fans and they want to experience Disneyland Paris! You know these people are intense and will pay attention to every detail, right?

That’s why I’m so glad to have Debbie on the show today to share her experience and help you plan your perfect trip to Disneyland Paris.

Insider Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris with Debbie

• 2’45 Introduction
• 4′ Why come to France? For Disneyland Paris!

Stay in Paris or Stay at Disney?

• 4’45 Should we stay at Disneyland Paris (DLP) the whole time or spend a few nights in the city of Paris? It’s a 45 minutes RER ride between DLP and Paris center, we recommend you choose a more central hotel in Paris.
• 6:15 Is it easy to take the RER to Disneyland Paris? Yes, extremely!
• 7′ Shall we take an Uber to go to Disneyland Paris? It’s a great choice if there are 3 or 4 of you.
• 8′ Do you mostly travel to Disney? What other types of trips do you do?

What Else Did They Visit in Paris?

• 10′ The 4 days you spent in Paris, what did you visit?  They went to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, and took a day trip to Versailles
• 10’45 Sunset is late in France in the summer.

How Is Disneyland Paris Different from Other Parks?

• 11’30 What are similarities and differences between Disneyland Paris and other parks you’ve visited.
  • For the most part, it is the same.
  • The Disneyland Paris Fast-Pass system is different: the time window is shorter than in other parks.
  • Main Street USA is cobblestone, which is cool!
  • The Liberty Arcade is an area that runs along Main Street USA and it’s a good place to get out of the sun or rain or shop on your way out of the park.

Do You Need to Know French to Visit Disneyland Paris?

• 16′ Did most cast members speak good English? Yes, they knew how to talk about their area of expertise for sure, some knew a lot more. The maps are also in all sorts of languages, including English.

Is Disneyland Paris Safe?

• 18’20 Disneyland Paris feels really safe because everyone has to go through a metal detector and a bag check. Unlike the center of Paris, there are no pick-pockets, the premises are watched closely.

How Are the Rides Different at Disneyland Paris?

• 20’16 Tell us about Disneyland village.
• 20’33 The rides at Disneyland Paris are more thrill rides: Hyperspace Mountain goes upside down. The Indiana Jones ride also goes upside down. The Big Thunder ride is also more thrilling. That’s because Europeans like more of a thrill park. At Disney World there are thrill rides, but they are spread around four parks.
• 22’40 Disneyland Paris is missing a couple of old attractions: no Tikkie Bird, no Jungle Cruise. There aren’t enough indoors attractions where it’s air-conditioned.
• 24′ There is also a Studios park, it was a little bit disappointing to Debbie and her family. They have to Rock-and-Roller coaster, the Tower of Terror. The Crush coaster was great there, and the new Ratatouille ride. Ratatouille is a high tech ride that they don’t have yet in other parks.
• 25’22 Description of the Ratatouille Ride. The whole area is themed like Paris. This ride is unique to France, so is Crush coaster.

How Busy Is Disneyland Paris in June?

• 27′ Attendance in June was moderate, Debbie thought it would be quieter because French kids weren’t out of school yet, but it was busy.
• 28′ How many days are enough at Disneyland Paris?

What Are the Things You Wish You Knew Before You Came?

• 28’50 Are there some things you wish you knew before you came?
  • Make sure you know what attractions are open and closed. There’s an App now that shows what’s under refurbishment. They were thinking of coming in March, but a lot of rides were closed in anticipation of the 25th Anniversary celebration.
  • Make sure you know if your hotel has AC, they often don’t in France, don’t assume!
  • There are a lot of quick serve restaurants with interesting themes. Some of them close at unexpected times. Toad Hall wasn’t open as much as they thought it should be, that will show on the App too.

How Are the Hotels and the Food at Disneyland Paris?

• 34’15 Are the restaurants different at Disneyland Paris? The themes are really well done in Paris.
• 35’15 How did you like the food?
• 34′ What’s a good daily budget for food? More or less 16€-20€ per person per meal.
• 37’30 There were no problems paying with credit cards anywhere, no need to carry cash.
• 38′ What sit-down restaurants did you try? They tried Bistro Chez Rémi. The Silver Spur smelled really good, but they didn’t get to try it. In the village they tried Buffalo Bill Wild West Show (a must-do for French people!), it’s a dinner show, very fun.   King Ludwig’s had German food and it was very good.
• 41’20 They stayed at the Sequoia Lodge which has a pool and is 15 minutes walk to the park. It’s a mid-range price hotel. This is a Disneyland hotel.
• 42’39 Annie stayed at an out-lying hotel called the Vienna House Dream Castle at Disneyland Paris which had 2 queen-sized beds in one room. The wait-time for the bus was sometimes a bit long.

What Did You Like Most and Least at Disneyland Paris?

• 47′ What was your favorite thing that you did on this trip?
• 48’30 What didn’t you like? They didn’t like the train because it takes forever as there is only one on the track, and there isn’t much to see along the route. The back lot tour was also a disappointment because it was boring.

Final Tips for Listeners

• 51’30 What are some tips you want to share with the listeners?
  • Don’t buy the photo pass because there are too few photographers out.
• 55′ The night-time show projected on the castle was lovely!
• 57′ If you need transportation to or from the airport, the Magical Shuttle is a really good option. You can schedule it in advance.

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Categories: Day-Trips from Paris, Family Travel