Disneyland Paris advice needed :) About This Page:

[Chelledun17]

Yay! I am leaving for London tomorrow and will be there for summer schol for six weeks. About half way through hubby and I get to visit Disneyland Paris. Anyone been there? I have a few questions...

1. What attractions are must-sees/can be skipped for someone who has been to Disney World many times? Are some attractions exact replicas? (Honey I shrunk the Audience, for example)

2. We are going at a very crowded time of year, what should we ride early to avoid lines?

3. Any suggestions of good counter-service restaurants would be appreciated.

4. Does anyone know of a good, cheap, off-site hotel near the park?

Thanks everyone, if there is a better place to post this let me know. I didn't see a category for general Disney travel.

Michelle

[gwugirl03]

Michelle, I don't have any advice because I have never been, but I wanted to say have fun! What an amazing trip to be able to take! I hope one day I get a chance to go too.

[Chelledun17]

Thanks! I'm really excited. People think I'm nuts for wanting to visit Disneyland while I'm in Paris...but how can I not? Of course, people on this website will understand...

[Wild4Diz]

I had the opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris for two days in Dec 2003. Unfortunately, it was spur of the moment for me as I tacked to the end of a work trip so I didn't have a lot of time to prepare...I'm such a planner it makes it difficult for me to do anything without sufficient research time !

We stayed at the Newport Bay Club which was quite nice - although Europe doesn't seem to have the same ratings for hotels as we do here in the States. The hardest part for me was the fact that it seemed like everyone smokes - in lines, in restaurants, hotel rooms, everywhere. I only mention this because I'm allergic to smoke and it made it difficult for me at times.

I would suggest checking out the website and seeing what attractions interest you most - are you in to thrill rides, or shows or just the atmosphere? After you have an idea of the attractions you can kind of make a schedule of what you want to see. I would not miss Space Mountain (especially if you like Space Mountain at WDW), Indiana Jones (a backwards roller coaster), Animagique (Disney Studios), Rock n Roller Coaster (I missed this one), Big Thunder Mountain (this was being rehabbed when we were there), Phantom Manor (this was also being rehabbed when we were there), Pirates, It's a Small World (if you're a fan)...You get the idea - I love them all!

One thing you shouldn't miss is the dragon - you really want to go and see the dragon - very cool !

The only counter service meal we had was at Pinocchio House (Au Chalet de la Marionnette) - it was pretty standard fare although a bit pricey considering the exchange rate at the time.....I don't think you could go wrong with any of the counter service eateries.

There are also some great sit down restaurants and you might want to try out at least one while your there.

Again, best advice I can give you is to check out the website www.disneylandparis.com - this will direct you to the site where you can check out hotels, parks and more...

Good luck planning and be sure to write us a trip report after your visit!

[chezp]

Oh my goodness, you couldn't be coming over here at a better time! We're right in the middle of a heatwave with temperatures in the 90's, although the bad news is that the weather is due to break tomorrow and we're going to get heavy rain and hail.

As to Disneyland Paris, as Amanda said, most of the rides that are replicated from WDW are different, like Pirates, Phantom Manor and Big Thunder Mountain - I wouldn't miss any of those, as we noticed differences to WDW.

The ones I would avoid are:

Star Tours, Snow White and Peter Pan - for the same reasons really, they're all similar to WDW and where there's speech, it's all in French with no English subtitles and probably better enjoyed in WDW. Equally, the Mad Hatters Tea Cups and Dumbo are essentially the same rides, as is the Flying Carpets of Aladdin at the Studios.

I'm not sure I'd do Honey I Shrunk the Audience either, as this is the same as in WDW - there are headphones with the English for this attraction, but the French is so loud, you may have problems hearing the English.

I'm not sure that the Stunt Show is worth seeing now either now that it's at MGM. This version is done in both French and English and I suspect that the WDW version may flow better.

Not to be missed are Cinemagique and Animagique in the Studios - we loved both of these, completely unique attractions. Oh and the dragon under the Castle is worth seeing - and don't miss the tour of the Castle either.

[Chelledun17]

Thanks guys! That was very helpful. I'll let you know how it all turns out . I'm in London now and trying to plan my time for the next few weeks, looks like I'll be in Paris in about three.