Trip Report - First Trip to Disneyland Paris About This Page:

[BeachBabyBongo]

Trip Report - Disneyland Paris, Paris, Venice, Pisa and Rome: March 17-31, 2007

I took my 13 year old daughter to Disneyland Paris for 3 days and then 3 days sightseeing in Paris. We then met up my husband (who had been in Turkey on business) in Venice for 3 days, traveled to Pisa for the day, and then on to Rome for 4 days.

Looks like I'll have to do this in two parts:

PART 1 - Disneyland Paris: We arrived at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris at 6:30 am. We went in search of the shuttle to Disneyland Paris and found out that it doesn’t start running until 8:30 am. We decided to get something to drink and found a little café not too far from where we were to catch the shuttle. We ordered two Cokes and at that moment I realized just how expensive the trip was really going to be. The Cokes were 4 euros each for a total of $10.80. Anyway, the shuttle finally arrived and we were on our way to DISNEYLAND PARIS!!

On the shuttle ride I was very surprised and saddened to see garbage all along the highway. It was in fields and stuck on fences pretty much the entire 40 minute ride to our hotel. But I was also surprised to see so many farm houses and grassy fields. We finally arrived at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe.

I tried to check in (along with a hundred other people) and was told the room would not be ready until 3:00 pm. At this point it was about 10:00 am, the temperature outside was in the 30's, and it was raining. We of course, were still on Virginia time so it felt like 4 am to us. We just wanted to take a nap in a warm bed, but it was not to be. We received our tickets to the parks and decided to make the most of it and catch the shuttle to Disneyland. The shuttle was packed, and I mean packed!! We were compacted in a double length bus pushed up against whoever was standing closest to us. People were NOT nice about it either, they just pushed us out of the way. I was thinking...okay things are going to get better. Luckily the bus ride was short, but to my surprise again the park was packed, rain and all! We decided to find something to eat. Well, one thing I didn’t research was that the restaurants in Paris close between certain hours. There was no food to be found (that’s one thing I love about the US - you can almost always find an open restaurant). My poor daughter was cold, wet, and hungry and there was nothing I could do about it. We decided to go on Phantom Manor, which is pretty much the Haunted Mansion in French. This put us in a better mood and it was now almost 12:00 pm. The restaurants were just starting to open up again for lunch. We left the park and went to Disney Village (which is very small) and ate at Planet Hollywood. The food was REALLY GOOD (I’m usually not a big fan of Planet Hollywood), and we were now definitely ready for a warm bed.

My daughter wore canvas shoes (no socks) and sweat pants which by this time were completely soaked. So we caught the shuttle back to the hotel and waited for 2 hours for our room assignment. The lobby was full of people in the same situation, but most of them had several children most of whom were under the age of 7. The Santa Fe is really designed for families with young children. It was very chaotic with poor customer service, and the restaurant was really not like a restaurant at all. It was more like a food for all with croissants, fruit, cheese, jam and orange juice. And the cleanliness left something to be desired! If I ever go again, I will definitely pay for a moderate or deluxe. The next few days the weather stayed the same. We tried not to let it get us down. We went to the parks and rode all the rides at least once.. Most of the rides were not as good as the ones in DL or WDW, except for Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year. I like the French versions of those rides better. The only ride we went on in Disney Studios was Rockin’ Roller Coaster...which didn’t have the L.A. Signs, it was just some kind of lights. The parks were smaller than I expected, but overall pretty cool. I wish the weather had been better. At one point we were on the roller coaster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril and it was snowing. Almost everyone spoke English and the CM’s were friendly and helpful.

One thing I noticed was that the weather didn't affect the rides at all. They just kept on going during rain, hail, and even snow.

Part II coming soon.

[Colexis Mom]

Sorry the hotel left a lot to be desired, and it was raining all day to boot

More please

[Mauimouse]

That unfortunately is one thing about DLP, they won't let you in before 3:00pm, we found that out too. Sorry about the room situation, we almost stayed at Santa Fe but decided that for 3 adults it was better off to stay over at Sequoia Lodge.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Planet Hollywood. We were going to eat at Rainforest Cafe and got that sticker shock of how pricey the food was so we ended up at McDonald's of all places.

Did you ride Big Thunder Mountain? What an excellent ride, better than WDW or DL in my opinion.

Looking forward to Part II.

[mattnkatsmum]

Thanks for sharing. I've been to DLP several times and I love to read an American perspective on it. We last stayed at the Sequoia Lodge, and I'd definitey recommend it over the Santa Fe.

Looking forward to more.

[lauren-roxy]

Great start!! Sorry your trip got off to a rocky start though. Can't wait to read more!!!!

[disney_duke]

What a bummer about the weather. Glad to hear you tried to make the best of it. What troopers!! Can't wait to hear about part 2.....

[chezp]

I'm sorry to hear about the rough start to your trip - I hope things improve from here on in. The Santa Fe doesn't sound great, but I can thoroughly recommend the Newport Bay, we really loved our stay there. I'm looking forward to reading more about your trip.

[BeachBabyBongo]

Part II - Paris, Venice, Pisa and Rome

PARIS - Our last day in Disneyland we decided not to go to the parks but just head into Paris. My daughter was bummed by the weather and wanted to do some hard core shopping. She’s 13 years old and already shopping is her favorite past time. So, we took the train into Paris, checked into Hotel Lautrec Opera (a perfect location to the Opera district), and headed to the Gallerie Lafayette. Gallerie Lafayette is a Paris must see! It's a huge department store with the best selection in fashion, accessories and perfume. The shopping is truly amazing and you can't get out of the store without buying something. The roof has a spectacular view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. We spent three wonderful days shopping and sightseeing. It did rain a lot and was very cold, but we were in Paris! We took a tour of the Louvre, had lunch at the Eiffel Tower, caught the end of mass at Notre Dame, did a hop on hop off bus tour of the city, and of course more shopping.

To be honest, I’m somewhat directionally challenged, but the public transportation system in Paris is so easy that even I figured it out. Anyone planning a first-time trip -- just buy a good map and you are good to go!

VENICE- After our three days in Paris we caught a flight to Venice to meet up with my husband. We arrived within a few hours of each other and were on our way via bus then water taxi to the Hotel Ca’ Formenta. The hotel couldn’t have had a better location. The scenery was amazing, and only a five minute walk to St. Mark’s square. We took a walking tour which also included a boat tour of the Grand Canal. On the tour I fell in love in with Venice. This was my favorite three days of the whole trip. The history is so rich and the buildings, scenery, and canals are absolutely beautiful. Venice is one of the most romantic places I have ever been. I’m hoping someday my husband and I can return for a romantic getaway.

PISA- Leaving Venice was hard not just because it was so amazing, but because we had to get up at 5:00 am to catch an early train to Pisa. The train ride was a pain because we had to transfer 3 times before arriving in Pisa. Once we arrived we caught a bus to the Field of Miracles - Leaning Tower. The medieval cathedral and the tower were very impressive. We didn’t go up in the tower, but ate in a little café a stones throw away where we were serenaded while we ate. I got some great pictures of my husband and daughter where they look like they are holding up the tower(pretty Corney I know, but it was funny). The train station in Pisa has a place where you can check your luggage for a few hours while you see the sights. It cost about 3 or 4 euros per bag and was very convenient.

ROME- . After a few hours of sight seeing and a little shopping we got our luggage, got back on the train, and headed for Rome. We arrived in Rome about 9:00 pm and caught a taxi to the Hotel Claridge. The hotel was located in the business district about a 30 minute bus ride to the center of Rome (why my travel agent put us in this hotel I will never know). It’s a hotel for business travelers, not a family on vacation. Anyway, Rome was amazing too! We saw pretty much all the major sights i.e., Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican...etc. My favorite thing in Rome was seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. We spent four glorious days just exploring the city. One good thing is that the weather improved once we arrived in Italy. And yes, my daughter was able to sneak in some more shopping in Rome (my husband was now with us and shopping just wasn’t as easy).

All in all, we had a great time. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. My daughter was exposed to some amazing culture and we really enjoyed it.

[Grammy Grumpy]

Super report, sounds like you had some spectacular experiences!

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you and your daughter had a great trip

[lauren-roxy]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip!!! It sounded really wonderful!!

[chezp]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us - you bought back some wonderful memories for me of Paris, Venice and Rome.

[disney_duke]

Sounds like you had an amazing trip. So glad the whole family got to enjoy it!! Welcome home!

[TWOCEE]

TRIP SOUNDS GREAT...planning a trip to paris next fall so the info was really helpful...planning just a day at the park

[Disneybine]

Thank you so much for the trip report! I'm sorry to hear that your experience at Hotel Santa Fe at DLP wasn't as positive. I've stayed there before and we loved it! It was clean, the staff was friendly, and the theming was elaborate, IMO.

I can tell from experience that the weather at DLP can be a pain in the neck! It does rain a lot here in Europe, that's for sure . Luckily, DLP was built with bad weather in mind. There are galleries on each side of Main Street, U.S.A., for example (behind the shops) where you can walk all the way to the end without getting wet. They even have entrances to the shops on the back side .

I'll go back to DLP in September, and hopefully the weather will be better then!