2025 Planning from the USA with a 7 year old- is my plan too "American?"

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Hi All!

I'm in the U.S. looking to finally make the much longed for and pandemic suspended DLP trip, looking at 2025. We (my then 7 year old and I) will we going with my adult friends and their 15 year old twins, along with another adult friend as a group, (although my son and I will likely have our own hotel room). I know obviously things can change, but I have a few questions. Primarily, having gone to WDW and DLR all my life, I'm concerned I'm "Americanizing" my trip and wanting to do things in a way that would make sense at an American park, but might be totally not the way to go about things in a park tailored to a European audience. Any suggestions on either my questions below, tips from other Americans who have gone, or Europeans who have come to the U.S. parks and can state some big differences would be very welcome!

-First, because U.S. schools tend to have long summer breaks, we're looking at going between June and August, since our own children will be out of school. In the States, out of these three months, August is the best time to go, as many of the schools in FL and CA start school at the beginning of August and crowds (and prices, to some extent) die down. Is there a different period in June, July, or August that might be light in Paris that I could be overlooking due to differing school schedules?

-Second, how feasible is a "split stay" at DLP? This is where I'm concerned I might be thinking too much like I'm visiting an American park. In the States, it's pretty common for guests to split their stay between two Disney hotels, either for cost savings or just to experience two different resorts. Disney will typically move your luggage for you (or at least they used to, not sure if that's still a thing post 2020), and the whole process is pretty seamless. Being as this is likely a once, maybe twice in a lifetime trip for us, I'd really love to stay the majority of our days at Santa Fe for the cars theme, then switch to HNY for Marvel for maybe our last two nights. Would this throw a huge wrench in the trip, luggage, etc. ? I likely won't have a vehicle, will Disney move my luggage, or would be have to take Disney transport from one hotel to the other with our bags? Still might do it if so, but it's definitely something I'd want to consider ahead.

-How is dining? Should I plan more or less time to eat than U.S. Parks? What times should I avoid dining that are likely to be busy? I've heard in France meals are generally longer, and I remember years ago when I went to Paris that was sort of the case, but wasn't sure if it was the same in the park atmosphere. Are reservations as cutthroat as they are at WDW or DLR? I definitely plan on making advanced reservations as soon as I can because of the nature of the trip being once in a lifetime and wanting to be sure I can experience as much as possible, but I wasn't sure if I needed to be online right as they are released like you often do in the states. Also, how can Americans book ADRs? Can you do it right on the DLP website or is there a special process we must follow, like calling in?

-Americans who have come form the States, how did you get to DLP? What airport did you fly into, what ground transport did you use to take you to the resort, etc. ? Anything you'd do differently? We'd be flying out of probably JFK, Philly, Boston after connections. Somewhere on the east coast I'd imagine. What do I need to know about customs? Any single parents travel with their child, and if so, was there any documentation you needed from the coparent showing they were aware of and ok with the trip?

-I've always seen people say not speaking much French isn't really a problem at all at DLP. Is that true? We'd be staying in the Disney bubble for all of our DLP days, and just heading off to Paris to do big attractions like the Eiffel tower, maybe see the Mona Lisa... nothing crazy, especially since I can't imagine my 7 year old will be that into the museum/ monument type things, but I think it's important to expose him to it regardless. Does anyone foresee any issues getting to those places without speaking French? Like getting an Uber, etc? That's the only part that makes me a little nervous. I remember years ago it was no issue in the city of Paris as long as you stayed in the big touristy areas, but I was a teenager on a school trip then so our chaperones handled everything.

-Fastpasses? How do they work in DLP? I've seen a lot of people say you can buy them day of, and just for specific rides. This sounds ideal and like a big money saver if it's not a busy day, but is it like Lightening Lanes where there's a good chance they could run out of them if not purchased in advance? Especially for more popular rides?

-Finally, I'm looking at 5-6 nights nights. Probably 4 park days and 1 day in the city. Does that sound good? Do they have a "hopper" option similar to WDW and DLR? I know Walt Disney Studios may not have enough and we may want to dip back to DLP. Then again, I'm not 100% up to speed on what they have planned that might be there by 2025, so maybe we would want more time there than we initially think. Are there any new lands or expansions on the books I should be aware of at either park when considering the length of my stay?

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my behemoth post. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm a planner and like to have all my ducks in a row.

 

[Mamabun]

Some quick answers

#1) French are still in school in June and the weather is typically a tad cooler, so I’d shoot for June.

#2) Not sure about split stay, but transport with luggae from Santa Fe to DLP and then from DLP to HNY is pretty easy, but not particularly quick. No direct transport.

#3) Don’t have much to say about dining at DLP

#4) You will likely fly into Charles de Gualle (CDG) and there’s a direct TGV train (10 min travel time, pricing varies depending on how far out you book, and it can sell out for popular times)

#5) there are several variations of premiere access (fastpass) with a range of costs, booking individual rides, or buying one ride on a set of rides, etc. the lines have always been pretty quick and we’ve liked using it. We’re always been able to get a time pretty quickly on demand (like within an hour, even for popular rides like Crush and Indy), so never purchased ahead of time, but later in the day it can sell out.

#6). Tickets work a bit differently, when you book a hotel, say for 5 nights, you get tickets for all 6 days (no choice). I think you can call and specially buy tickets and hotel separately, but thats not common, and likely wouldn’t save you much if anything as hotel package includes a discount. All package tickets are 2-park (hopper) tickets. Be aware that it gets dark late (by American standards) in Paris in June, so fireworks are at 11, but the drone show and castle fireworks are pretty cool.

Hope that gives you some answers for a start

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Some quick answers

#1) French are still in school in June and the weather is typically a tad cooler, so I’d shoot for June.

#2) Not sure about split stay, but transport with luggae from Santa Fe to DLP and then from DLP to HNY is pretty easy, but not particularly quick. No direct transport.

#3) Don’t have much to say about dining at DLP

#4) You will likely fly into Charles de Gualle (CDG) and there’s a direct TGV train (10 min travel time, pricing varies depending on how far out you book, and it can sell out for popular times)

#5) there are several variations of premiere access (fastpass) with a range of costs, booking individual rides, or buying one ride on a set of rides, etc. the lines have always been pretty quick and we’ve liked using it. We’re always been able to get a time pretty quickly on demand (like within an hour, even for popular rides like Crush and Indy), so never purchased ahead of time, but later in the day it can sell out.

#6). Tickets work a bit differently, when you book a hotel, say for 5 nights, you get tickets for all 6 days (no choice). I think you can call and specially buy tickets and hotel separately, but thats not common, and likely wouldn’t save you much if anything as hotel package includes a discount. All package tickets are 2-park (hopper) tickets. Be aware that it gets dark late (by American standards) in Paris in June, so fireworks are at 11, but the drone show and castle fireworks are pretty cool.

Hope that gives you some answers for a start

Thank you SO much! This is an excellent start!

 

[zavandor]

Look at the school holidays in France:
https://publicholidays.fr/school-holidays/
Paris is in zone C and it's the region that really impacts crowds. I agree with June, long park hours, because the main park closes late when it's dark enough for the night show, lower crowds and better chances at pleasant weather.

Split stays are not really a thing at DLP. I do not know if they transfer your luggage for you, but it's easy to walk between the hotels.
But, would you do a split stay between Paradise Pier and the Disneyland Hotel at DLR? Hotels in Paris are not destination resorts, they're just hotels. Also, everything is in walking distance, if you walk from the Santa Fe to the parks, you'll walk in front of the other hotels, it's easy to make a quick detour to check out the common areas or a restaurant. I do split stays all the time at WDW, but I wouldn't bother at DLP.
The only thing is that Santa Fe and Cheyenne don't have a pool. So if that is important for you, maybe the split stay is a good idea.
I'd rather do a split stay between Paris and DLP. The train to the city center is very convenient, but if you plan more than a day or two, an hour commute each way every day becomes annoying pretty soon.
If I were in you, I'd do 3 full days at DLP and at least one week in Paris.

DLP has nicely themed restaurants, but food is just "good enough" at best. I would not go expecting amazing French cusine. I tend to favor the buffet restaurants to table service. That said, the theme at Remy's, Capitan Jack or Walt's is really good. They all have fixed price menus, so check if you'll like the options in advance.
Restaurants are booked via the app and if you stay onsite you can book earlier, which is needed for many restaurants. Just link your reservation in the app. Not all availability is released immediately and there is no hard rule when it is. Just keep checking if there is something you really want.

If you do early entry and go week days you can easily do everything without Premier Pass. I would just buy it on demand if you really need it or if people in your group are not up to for early rope drops. Of course it's very convenient and removes all the stress from touring, but with multiple days I don't think it's needed. Crush is the only attraction where I would consider it, because it has a very long line from the moment it opens (people run for it at rope drop) to close.

Language is no problem at all at DLP. Everything is written at least in French and English and all CM speak English, some a bit more than others but everyone enough to have simple conversations. CM at town hall speak good English in case you have any more complex problem. Also, shows are both in English and French. For example, if the Magician says in English "Mickey, you must finish before the moon disappears", then Mickey will answer in French "Sure, I promise I will finish before the moon disappears". So if you understand only half of the conversation you understand anyway.
In Paris I don't think you'll have any issue. Most people in restaurants and tourist attractions will speak a bit of English. If not, use Google translate.

 

[Karin1984]

1. Go for June. Not just because of that most schools are still in session, but also weather will be better. Last few years we have seen more rain in Summer, and not nice Florida rain of 1 hour storms and then dry for the rest of the day. No, full on rainy days.

2. I don't think I have ever heard of someone doing a split stay at Disneyland Paris, so it's for sure not common and the hotel might look at you a bit strange when you ask them to transport their luggage. One, because it's not common, two, it's a five minute walk between these two hotels ;-) Doesn't mean they do not do it, but I would just walk yourself.

Keep in mind, DLP has hotels, not resorts. Europeans do not spend a lot of time at the hotels. They are in the park for most of the time. So, there are less amenities. Rooms are smaller in Europe. Santa Fe does not have a pool.

3. Yes, table service takes longer in DLP than WDW, however, not as long as it does in a Paris restaurant. They are not out to rush you. So take that into consideration. If you are set on specific restaurants, yeah make reservations as soon as you can. The restaurants in the Marvel hotel are among the hardest to get.

Also keep in mind: DLP is NOT and I repeat NOT a dining destination. Food is at a completely different level here than at WDW. It's just not as good. So please adjust your expectations. It's absolutely fine, it's edible, but do not expect the same level. Table service in the park is very overpriced in my opinion.

4. I would fly directly into CDG if you can, and then you have 3 options: One, a car service you hire, two, take the train, three take the bus. There are pros and cons to all of these.
Train is the fastest, but train schedule is irregular. You have to order tickets as soon as you can to get the lowest price. However, when you are delayed etc. you do not want to get into an argument with French staff about changing, and might want to buy your ticket once you arrive, but how comfortable a traveller are you to figure out a ticket machine when you are jetlagged and have a sleepy kid next to you?
Bus is fixed price, and they have a 'regular' schedule. However, it's my least favourite mode of transportation as they do not run on time.
Car service is most convenient, but also most expensive.

5. With your plan, I would not worry about not speaking French. However, as a courtesy, learn some basic phrases and even when someone tells you 'the bathrooms are right next to Phantom Manor' in English, reply with 'merci'. Start your question with 'bonjour', and then continue in English. It will be appreciated. Also in big touristy attractions in Paris, do not worry.

6. Read the webpage on the DLP about Premier Access pass to see the different options. But... if you are going for 4 park days in June and staying onsite... you do not need them. You will have plenty of time to see everything and probably more than once.

7. See above remarks about park packages. Only if you call, or book your hotel separately on a platform like hotels.com/booking.com, you can specify the amount of park days, but it's unlikely to save you money. Everything includes a park hopper. By 2024 Frozen land should be open, but not much more is known about the other expansions. If you are into shows the Studios is getting more and more attractive, all three big shows are a must see, the Avengers area is open with two good rides. So, yes, you will probably spend the majority of the time at Disneyland Park, but do not discard it too easily.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Background
Im from Ireland and I am a regualr annul visitor to Disneyland California, over 10 years. I have also been multiple times to Disneyland Paris and I am planning a family trip in October.

-First, because U.S. schools tend to have long summer breaks, we're looking at going between June and August, since our own children will be out of school. In the States, out of these three months, August is the best time to go, as many of the schools in FL and CA start school at the beginning of August and crowds (and prices, to some extent) die down. Is there a different period in June, July, or August that might be light in Paris that I could be overlooking due to differing school schedules?

June would be a better time to go. Irish schools finish at the end of June, UK schools finish in the middle of July so July and August will get high numbers of UK and Irish families which will really add to the crowd numbers from central Europe countries.


-Second, how feasible is a "split stay" at DLP? This is where I'm concerned I might be thinking too much like I'm visiting an American park. In the States, it's pretty common for guests to split their stay between two Disney hotels, either for cost savings or just to experience two different resorts. Disney will typically move your luggage for you (or at least they used to, not sure if that's still a thing post 2020), and the whole process is pretty seamless. Being as this is likely a once, maybe twice in a lifetime trip for us, I'd really love to stay the majority of our days at Santa Fe for the cars theme, then switch to HNY for Marvel for maybe our last two nights. Would this throw a huge wrench in the trip, luggage, etc. ? I likely won't have a vehicle, will Disney move my luggage, or would be have to take Disney transport from one hotel to the other with our bags? Still might do it if so, but it's definitely something I'd want to consider ahead.

Its not common and not something I have ever heard people do at Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Paris hotel and park ticket packages are standard so people book one hotel for the entire stay. The only time I have heard of people doing a split stay is where they stay at the airport or offsite at either the start or end of the trip.

-How is dining? Should I plan more or less time to eat than U.S. Parks? What times should I avoid dining that are likely to be busy? I've heard in France meals are generally longer, and I remember years ago when I went to Paris that was sort of the case, but wasn't sure if it was the same in the park atmosphere. Are reservations as cutthroat as they are at WDW or DLR? I definitely plan on making advanced reservations as soon as I can because of the nature of the trip being once in a lifetime and wanting to be sure I can experience as much as possible, but I wasn't sure if I needed to be online right as they are released like you often do in the states. Also, how can Americans book ADRs? Can you do it right on the DLP website or is there a special process we must follow, like calling in?

I have booked a full board standard dining plan at Santa Fe Hotel for my family in October. The dining reservations open approx 12 months in advance for onsite guests so yes its as cut throat as USA parks. I did my dining reservations at 10 months in advance and I still couldn't get one of the restaurants I wanted. I have booked our main meal for evening time approx 6pm on each of the days. I am planning on about an hour to 90 minutes for our evening meal. I know some of my party will just go back to the hotel but I will be going back to the parks until closing time. We will have breakfast at the hotel and then use our meal plan credits for counter service or quick service in the parks for lunch. I booked the dining reservations through the AP and got an email confirmation. I am in Ireland, so yes it works whatever country you are in.

-Americans who have come form the States, how did you get to DLP? What airport did you fly into, what ground transport did you use to take you to the resort, etc. ? Anything you'd do differently? We'd be flying out of probably JFK, Philly, Boston after connections. Somewhere on the east coast I'd imagine. What do I need to know about customs? Any single parents travel with their child, and if so, was there any documentation you needed from the coparent showing they were aware of and ok with the trip?

I am from Ireland and I have always flown to Charles de Guale International Airport and then used Magic Shuttle to go to Disneyland Paris. Magic Shuttle have a central departure are in the corrider between Terminal 2 E and 2F at Arrivals level. We will be using Magic Shuttle in October. You just go onto their website and book and pay. At the airport once you have paid you get on the next available bus. The journey takes approx 1 hour. They drop directly at every onsite hotel. For the return journey they pick up at every onsite hotel and drop off at each airport terminal.

-I've always seen people say not speaking much French isn't really a problem at all at DLP. Is that true? We'd be staying in the Disney bubble for all of our DLP days, and just heading off to Paris to do big attractions like the Eiffel tower, maybe see the Mona Lisa... nothing crazy, especially since I can't imagine my 7 year old will be that into the museum/ monument type things, but I think it's important to expose him to it regardless. Does anyone foresee any issues getting to those places without speaking French? Like getting an Uber, etc? That's the only part that makes me a little nervous. I remember years ago it was no issue in the city of Paris as long as you stayed in the big touristy areas, but I was a teenager on a school trip then so our chaperones handled everything.

Yes it is true, HOWEVER it is polite to know at least the basics. Evening just knowing hello, goodbye or how much, yes or no etc will get you a long way. Making the effort is whats important, not how well you speak or how much you speak.

-Finally, I'm looking at 5-6 nights nights. Probably 4 park days and 1 day in the city. Does that sound good? Do they have a "hopper" option similar to WDW and DLR? I know Walt Disney Studios may not have enough and we may want to dip back to DLP. Then again, I'm not 100% up to speed on what they have planned that might be there by 2025, so maybe we would want more time there than we initially think. Are there any new lands or expansions on the books I should be aware of at either park when considering the length of my stay?

The biggest mistake Americans make with park tickets is expecting hotel and park tickets to be seperate. They are not. It is standard for a hotel and park tickets package. You will get park hopper tickets for your arrival day, your departure day and all days in between.

The Studios park has big expansion and construction works currently going on. My last visit was 2016 and since then Avengers Campus has opened.

 

[Louise97]

You've already got some good answers, so I'll just add some thoughts:

• I agree June would be better, for the weather and to avoid the highest crowds.
• I've only done a split stay where the other hotel has been outside of DLP, I'm not sure on whether they'd move your luggage but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. For moving it yourself, walking is quicker as you'd need to change busses.
• Definitely plan more time to eat than in the US. We're generally 90 minutes or so for table service, buffets you can go at your own pace. There are some reservations that are tough to get at 60 days in advance, but they open up for hotel guests up to a year in advance (though they seem to release in batches rather than at a specific time like the US) so you shouldn't have any problems getting the ones you want. The best way to book is in the app - when you log in, it'll let you book for your dates if the reservations are open.
• We fly into CDG from the UK, and our preferred transfers are by train. I use the SNCF Connect app to book our tickets once we clear customs - the price seems to be higher a month or so out but drops to €19/person around two weeks in advance and stays there. There can be a bit of a wait for a train, but the Magical Shuttle takes longer so it generally balances out. We've not tried a car service because it's more expensive for two of us, but could be worth it for your group.
• Fastpass / Premier Access probably won't be necessary if you have 4 park days. They're not as popular as Genie+ because they're more expensive. In turn that makes the standby lines move faster because less capacity goes to the paid line, so it becomes less necessary to buy it. With a hotel stay you'll have extra magic time, where the lines will be shorter.
• If you get a hotel and ticket package (generally cheaper than buying separately, and DLP only sell packages on their website), you'll have hopper tickets included. I think all multi-day tickets are for both parks, it's just the one day tickets where you choose whether to buy one park or two. I find three park days is enough to see everything and have time to re-ride some favourites, but four days will give you plenty of time to enjoy it all. The new Frozen land might be open by your trip (no confirmed date, originally expected 2024 but likely 2025), which would add a ride and a meet and greet, but that shouldn't make a huge difference to your plans.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Look at the school holidays in France:
https://publicholidays.fr/school-holidays/

Ooooh thank you so much for this! I had no idea it existed. I will for sure use this!

Keep in mind, DLP has hotels, not resorts.

That's an excellent point, and I think that's one area where I'm "Americanizing" a bit. At WDW, it isn't practical to go to all of the resorts just to sightsee because you have to do all kinds of gymnastics with buses, etc. But I think what I really want is to see all of the resorts. It doesn't mean I have to stay at more than one of them. Walking between them like you can at DLC is probably what I'd want to do, just to snap a few photos, etc.

Yes it is true, HOWEVER it is polite to know at least the basics. Evening just knowing hello, goodbye or how much, yes or no etc will get you a long way. Making the effort is whats important, not how well you speak or how much you speak.

That makes perfect sense. I did that years ago when I went to Paris all a school trip when I was 17. I had a little phrase of the day book with me, but this was in the days before smartphones. I definitely want to brush up before we go, I'd like to at least be able to muddle through asking for the restroom, ordering basic meals, etc. without too much struggle.

For moving it yourself, walking is quicker as you'd need to change busses.

I see! I'm leaning against a split stay now after reading everyone's response and how close everything is, it seems like I could just walk to see all of the hotels at some point. I think really, I just want to see them all, but I'd be happy sleeping wherever.

but they open up for hotel guests up to a year in advance (though they seem to release in batches rather than at a specific time like the US)

Oooooh I didn't know this, I'm so glad you told me! I had always thought it was only 60. I'd have totally missed the boat.


I am so glad I thought to ask here. You all had so many wonderful insights and tips and things I would never have thought of. I'll definitely be going June instead of August, and I think I'll nix the split stay. I can't wait!

 

[Karin1984]

I never understood Resort touring. But you definitely have the time to do so. If your kid is into characters ask at the reception when the characters meet at the hotel in the morning, especially Santa Fe and Sequoia have some unique costumes.

One of my fav. Disney vloggers is Adam Hattan (and his friend Gary C), he mainly does WDW and DCL, but sometimes also DLP.

To already give you a preview, at the end of this one they tour Santa F and Cheyenne.

Some bits of New Port Bay here at the end: