Traveling Abroad About This Page:

[tjkraz]

Anyone care to offer advice to a newbie who would love to visit DLP someday?

My wife and I have never made it further than Canada. I took 4 years of French back in high school, but that was 20 years ago. Obviously the language barrier is something of an issue (although I've herad the French tend to be conversant), not to mention the somewhat intimidating prospect of simply being in a foreign land.

What's the best approach to traveling abroad? I'm not much of a sight-seeing guy, but it seems like we should take in some of the land if we go that far. Is it best to simply work with a travel agent to set something up and assume the language issues can be overcome? Would we be better off booking some sort of a group tour package?

Any basic (or detailed) advice would be appreciated.
Tim

[scottjs]

I believe that travel in general is one of the best things to ever happen to me. There is a book by Lonely Planet called 50 reasons to have a passport--or something like that. I suggest you read it. If you are worried about the language go to someplace they speak English first!! like the UK! Then head across to France. Most people are very friendly. The main thing I am trying to say is TRAVEL!!!!!!!!

[chezp]

I would say the best thing is to do lots of reading up, so you know the best time of year to go and how long to go for. We don't tend to use a travel agent, although I can see why you would, particularly if it's your first trip aboard. It really does depend where you want to go.

If you want to head for say Paris and DLP, that would be fairly straightforward to book yourself in terms of flights, hotels and park tickets. Ditto London. It's if you want to start touring the country, then you might want to use a travel agent.

It might not be a bad idea to either join a French course or buy some books / CD's to brush up on your French and obviously you're going to need passports, if you don't already have them. Allow plenty of time to get them.

I hope that helps and if you've got any specific questions, ask away and we'll do what we can to answer them.

[Dave Marx]

The language "barrier" can be an odd thing. I know a smattering of several languages, and it can be amazing how much of that comes back to me when I need to use it. French, Spanish, and Italian were all helpful for our Mediterranean research trip, and I managed to accomplish everything I needed to do with very rudimentary abilities in those languages. All I did before visiting France/DLP for the first time was to read through the chapter on language/phrases that was part of one of my guidebooks. It was enough to "prime the pump."

One of the nice things about human nature is that when you try to communicate with folks with their own language, they often try to meet you half-way. Sometimes, of course, it can turn into a game of charades, but that can be fun, too. Sure, there are stereotypes about people being rude/arrogant to folks who don't speak the local language fluently, but I've rarely encountered that. Most people want to be helpful, so when they see you're sincerely trying to connect with them, they respond in kind.

Disneyland Paris is a great place to start a trip to France, by the way. The park's attractions are bilingual, and the cast is required to be fully bilingual. Do DLP first, and it'll probably enough to ease you back into French.

As to preparing for the trip, I encourage you to get a good guidebook asap. It really pays to know before you go (or make your reservations). The Rick Steves books would be a good choice for everything but coverage of DLP (it's not Rick's thing), but there are plenty of other fine guides, too.

The help of a good travel agent can be invaluable, but they can do an even better job for you when you have some specific ideas of where you want to go and what you want to do. You'll almost undoubtedly learn about a few places/things that get you really excited about your visit. As you probably know from your Disney travels, anticipation of your visit extends the pleasure you get from the trip.

It can also help to relate your destination to your Disney experiences and knowledge? Wouldn't it be cool to visit some of the original sights portrayed at the France Pavilion at Epcot? How can you not want to see the real Notre Dame after seeing Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame? What about a restaurant like Gusteau's from Ratatouille? And so on.

No matter how famous a city may be as a tourist attraction, it is first and foremost someone's home town. If there are things you like doing at home, you'll probably find something quite similar in the places you visit - sporting events, restaurants, gardens and parks, recreational activities, concerts, bars, stores... It's fascinating to see how they differ from what you're familiar with and how much they actually have in common. Every culture comes up with a brilliant and surprising approach to something or other - I love encountering these cool reminders that no people in the world has a monopoly on inspiration, talent, wisdom, etc.

There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all.

[Disneybine]

Very well said, Dave

First of all, let me say that traveling is the best thing that ever happened to me! It has broadened my horizon a great deal, and I'm still excited like it's my first day of school everytime I get aboard an airplane.

I've been to a lot of countries where I didn't speak a single word of the local language (like Italy or Japan, for example). People have always been friendly and helpful when I tried to ask for directions and stuff. What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't worry about the language barrier too much. Sure, the French aren't too fond of the English language per se - but as a first-time visitor, you're likely to go to places where most locals do speak English out of necessity (Paris and DLP).

I personally love planning our vacations without having to abide by what a tour operator offers. When I first started traveling to foreign countries, however, I did use travel agents and tour operators a lot, simply because I wasn't familiar with the whole process. So if it's your first real trip abroad, I'd definitely work with a travel agent. He/She will know what to do/avoid/pay attention to etc. It'll make it A LOT easier for you. A group tour is by far the least stressful way to travel as pretty much everything is pre-planned for you. You wouldn't have to worry about the language at all, as the tour guide will take care of everything. I don't know how much time you'll have but maybe you could start off your vacation with an organized group tour (like 5 days, for example) before you venture off by yourselves?

I second what Dave said: Get a good travel guide ASAP! I personally like the Lonely Planet books. They tend to cram a lot of detailed information into their books, though. You should decide for yourself what countries/regions you are interested in: Paris/DLP only, other parts of France, maybe other European countries as well? Tour operators offer a huge variety of tours, including multi-country tours, trips to the wine regions of France, city trips etc.

I hope this helped a bit. Let us know if there's anything in particular you'd like to know!

[herezaquarter]

My wife and I moved to Paris for 1 year (2004 to 2005) and loved it. For several months before we went I used Michel Thomas and Pimsleur tapes, which really do provide a pretty good basic grounding in the language. I also took a handful of lessons and began reading and studying a little french on my own. My french actually was pretty good by the time went to France. As Dave mentioned, one of the best ways to make people feel comfortable with you is to try speaking there language, even if you do so badly. The French appreciate the effort and do resent Americans just assuming that the French should speak English. One other point in defense of the French. their school system is rigorous and students are generally made to feel inferior if they cannot do something very well. So, although most French communicate reasonably well in English, years of being berated in school has made many a little shy about doing so.

Regarding DLP, we went several times during the year. It is a lot of fun, but just don't expect the same experience as in the USA. The people are friendly and communication will not be an issue for you. The experience is however very French.

I am happy to answer (if I can) any specific questions about Paris or DLP.

[jimmymac]

Most of the hotels have English speakers at the front desk. If you even try to speak French, most people will try to help you. The Metro is a very nice way to get around town. There are plenty of other things in Paris to see besides DLP
The Louvre
Musee d'Orsay
Musee Marmottan
Musee Rodin
Hotel des Invalides
Notre Dame
Sacre Coeur
Montmarte
Marais
Eiffel Tower
bateau-mouches
La Conciergerie
Versailles (about 45 minutes outside Paris)

[tjkraz]

Hey everyone.

I thought I would revive this old thread instead of starting another since all of the advice here was so good. No sense people thinking they need to repeat advice that has already been received (and appreciated!)

The DLP trip is still something in the back of my mind. Here are a few specific questions that are also tumbling around in that mind:

1. Let's say that we want to be able to see all of the Disney theme parks and also spend a day or two seeing the sights around Paris. What is a good trip duration? For reference, we just visited Disneyland in Anaheim. We spent most of 5 days at the Disney parks, and thought that was a good amount of time for our first visit there. We did nearly every attraction (except some of the WDW clones) and hit a few for a second time. Does a week in Paris sound reasonable?

2. Is it safe to assume there are tour packages we could buy to take us around Paris over a day or two? We'd like to see the major sights, but would probably be more comfortable being lead around by the nose.

3. Any recommendations for lodging for a trip like this? I assume one of the Disney resorts would work best for our theme park days given the close proximity. Should we look at sticking to a Disney hotel for the entire stay, or consider splitting it up with perhaps a tour package that puts us in a different hotel for a night or two?

4. Any general comments about visiting with kids? Ours are ages 5 and 7 right now. Are kids that young (or perhaps 7 and 9) welcome in tour groups? Will the pace be too much for them? Any other general concerns about traveling internationally?

5. This is a really vague question but feel free to share any thoughts on the matter. With airfare being what it is these days, this is certainly not a trip we would make often. In my position, would you suggest expanding the trip to other cultures as well? Should we try to turn this into a 10-14 day European oddessey with visits to Italy, Ireland, UK, etc. Or will that just prove to be too hectic?

I appreciate any feedback you care to offer!
Tim

[chezp]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

1. Let's say that we want to be able to see all of the Disney theme parks and also spend a day or two seeing the sights around Paris. What is a good trip duration? For reference, we just visited Disneyland in Anaheim. We spent most of 5 days at the Disney parks, and thought that was a good amount of time for our first visit there. We did nearly every attraction (except some of the WDW clones) and hit a few for a second time. Does a week in Paris sound reasonable?

When we first went to Disneyland Paris as a couple a few years ago, we had four full days and we found we'd pretty much done everything at the end of day three, so that would be my recommendation - three or maybe four days for the parks. That would then leave you three or four days for Paris, which again sounds reasonable to me.

2. Is it safe to assume there are tour packages we could buy to take us around Paris over a day or two? We'd like to see the major sights, but would probably be more comfortable being lead around by the nose.

I'm sure there are. There seem to be for most cities these days. I've found lots for our trip to Japan next year.

3. Any recommendations for lodging for a trip like this? I assume one of the Disney resorts would work best for our theme park days given the close proximity. Should we look at sticking to a Disney hotel for the entire stay, or consider splitting it up with perhaps a tour package that puts us in a different hotel for a night or two?

I think one of the Disney resorts would be your best bet - just keep in mind that they don't come cheap at DLP. It's very rare to find good deals, unlike WDW, which is a bit of a shock to the system.

4. Any general comments about visiting with kids? Ours are ages 5 and 7 right now. Are kids that young (or perhaps 7 and 9) welcome in tour groups? Will the pace be too much for them? Any other general concerns about traveling internationally?

As we don't have kids, I can't help you with that. I can say that I travelled internationally from a very young age and I loved it - it was one of the highlights of my childhood.

5. This is a really vague question but feel free to share any thoughts on the matter. With airfare being what it is these days, this is certainly not a trip we would make often. In my position, would you suggest expanding the trip to other cultures as well? Should we try to turn this into a 10-14 day European oddessey with visits to Italy, Ireland, UK, etc. Or will that just prove to be too hectic?

If you can stay for up to 14 days, I definitely would. Whenever we go to America, we go for the longest period of time possible. Never mind the flight costs, it's also the length of time the flight is! It usually takes us a couple of days to recover from the jetlag and you can wipe out day 1 over here, as you will be absolutely exhausted after taking the overnight flight - nearly every flight from the States to Europe is overnight.

I think you probably need to work out what you really want to do and where you want to visit. You can get internal flights around Europe pretty cheaply - the likes of UK based carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet offer very cheap fares, then there's the option of travelling by train. Of course, you have the Eurostar between Disneyland Paris or Paris and London and there are many other high speed train services around continental Europe.

Hope that helps.

[Disneybine]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

1. Let's say that we want to be able to see all of the Disney theme parks and also spend a day or two seeing the sights around Paris. What is a good trip duration? For reference, we just visited Disneyland in Anaheim. We spent most of 5 days at the Disney parks, and thought that was a good amount of time for our first visit there. We did nearly every attraction (except some of the WDW clones) and hit a few for a second time. Does a week in Paris sound reasonable?

Hi Tim, I’ve been to Disneyland Anaheim once and DLP many times. Since the parks at DLP (especially the Walt Disney Studios Park) have grown quite a bit in the last year or two, I’d suggest allowing 4-5 days total to explore everything. That’ll give you enough time to explore the parks and leaves some time for an afternoon swim at the resort (indoor) pool, for example!

Originally Posted by tjkraz

2. Is it safe to assume there are tour packages we could buy to take us around Paris over a day or two? We'd like to see the major sights, but would probably be more comfortable being lead around by the nose.

Yes, there are plenty of guided tours you can book that pick you up at your hotel and take you to the city of Paris. Disney (well, a contractor – the tours aren’t led by Disney employees) offers two tours to Paris: One full-day tour (I think 7 hours?) and an evening tour. With kids, I’d recommend the day tour. It’s a bus tour through the city, with stops at all major sights and time to do some exploring on your own. You can check out the tour details at www.disneylandparis.com. Just click on U.S. to be taken to your country site, then click on “and even more” (top/right) and then on “excursions from Disneyland Paris”. It’ll give you a list of excursions you can book as part of your Disney package.

Originally Posted by tjkraz

3. Any recommendations for lodging for a trip like this? I assume one of the Disney resorts would work best for our theme park days given the close proximity. Should we look at sticking to a Disney hotel for the entire stay, or consider splitting it up with perhaps a tour package that puts us in a different hotel for a night or two?

I’d recommend staying at a Disney resort hands-down! Stays at Disney’s on-property resorts at DLP can only be booked as part of a package with length-of-stay park tickets. Disney does allow you to reduce your tickets by up to two days – which would work out perfectly for you since you’d like to explore the city of Paris as well. No need to split your stay! The Disney resorts (except the Davy Crockett Ranch) are all within walking distance to the theme parks and Disney Village which is awesome! Also, right by the entrance to both theme parks, there’s a train station. If after having taken a guided tour you feel like exploring Paris once more on your own, you can just hop on an RER train that’ll take you right into the heart of the city.

Originally Posted by tjkraz

4. Any general comments about visiting with kids? Ours are ages 5 and 7 right now. Are kids that young (or perhaps 7 and 9) welcome in tour groups? Will the pace be too much for them? Any other general concerns about traveling internationally?

The pace of Disney’s guided tour to Paris will be perfectly fine for your kids, I assume. It’s a bus tour which means you’ll be driven from one place to the next (not much walking). Then, at the sights, it’s up to you how much walking you wanna do. As far as traveling internationally is concerned, there’s nothing to worry about! I’m sure it’ll be very exciting for them. Just be sure you got all the necessary documents, pack enough games to keep them occupied with during the flight, and keep your kids within eyesight on the airports because it can get crowded.

Originally Posted by tjkraz

5. This is a really vague question but feel free to share any thoughts on the matter. With airfare being what it is these days, this is certainly not a trip we would make often. In my position, would you suggest expanding the trip to other cultures as well? Should we try to turn this into a 10-14 day European oddessey with visits to Italy, Ireland, UK, etc. Or will that just prove to be too hectic?

I have to say that due to the LONG flight time, I’d definitely try to go for two full weeks. It takes some time for your body to adjust to the new time zone. I’m usually a little tired from the flight and everything the first couple days. Whenever we fly to the U.S. we try to stay 3 weeks (but then again we get 6 weeks of paid vacation time per year here in Germany).

So, if I had to decide, I’d opt to fly to London, stay there for a few days and then take the Eurostar train (very convenient and fast!) right to Disneyland Paris (the station is called Marne-la-Vallée) to stay there for a full week (with excursions to Paris and maybe even some other sights in the region – Disney offers several excursions). If you have some more days at the end, you could go to Germany or Italy, for example. Note, though, that it’s quite a ways to get from Paris to Italy so you might wanna consider flying. Alternatively, consider spending a few days at the French Riviera. The Mediterranean Sea is very warm in the summer, and the coast is breathtaking. This would make for a relaxing ending to your vacation.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I’ve been to many places here in Europe and it’d be my pleasure to help with your vacation planing.

[tjkraz]

Thanks again for all of the great tips. This really is helping me bring things together in my mind.

I did a little bit of research and it sounds like things are much busier in July and August than in June. Is that a fair statement? We live in the eastern US and our kids are usually out of school either by the end of May or just a couple of days into June. What could we expect from a trip in early-to-mid June? Weather decent?

Based upon your advice, I like the idea of flying into the UK and taking the train to Paris. How difficult is it to move between, say, London and a popular tourist city in Ireland? My wife's ancestors are from Ireland and I know she would like to visit if we are that close.

Thanks!

[Dave Marx]

Basically, there are two ways to travel between England and Ireland - air, or ferry. Reportedly, a ferry plus rail trip between Dublin and London takes about 12 hours.

Simply to avoid too much back-and-forth travel between your destinations, you may want to think about flying into Ireland from the US. Aer Lingus has had some attractive fares from the States from time to time. Then you might go from there to London (perhaps by air, perhaps not), over to Paris via the Chunnel, and either fly home from Paris (or whatever your last destination on the Continent might be), or fly back to Ireland for the return, round-trip flight, if that's cheaper.

[Disneybine]

I agree 100% with Dave's suggestion about flying to Ireland, then going to London and then to Paris.

Yes, from my experience, July and August seem to be busier than June as far as travel in Europe is concerned. Now the weather is an entirely different story. It's hit or miss, really, as June could have wonderful summer temperatures with lots of sun or endless days of rain. Sorry, that's the way the weather is over here While July and August are usually warmer, your chances of having rain-free sunny days aren't that much higher, though. Hope this helps!

[chezp]

I agree 100% with Sabine. It will be quieter outside of July and August, but weather is the total unknown. This year, the weather was pretty good at the end of May / start of June in the UK, then awful from about early July onwards. However, I've known years of torrential rain throughout much of June. That is just the way our weather is.