Dec 2023 Trip DLP (1 Day 2 Parks)

[KrzyAsian]

Hi DisBoards,

My partner and I decided to do a last-minute bucket-list trip to Paris in a few weeks (Dec 8 -15th). We are carving out a full day for Disneyland Paris, but will be cramming as much as possible into a single day (Probably Dec 13th). We are committed to complete both parks and are really looking to prioritize the unique to DLP attractions/details. Can you provide any insight for a trip during the holiday season for a DLR (Anaheim) native?

 

[Karin1984]

Ok, I'm guessing you are not staying onsite. The parks are open to the public from 9 in the morning till 10 in the evening (Studios closes at 9 in the evening). And I'm also guessing you want to do all the rides, thrill or not.

Are you planning to buy Premier Access (fastpasses)?

Your most important rides are:
Studios:
- Tower of Terror
- Avengers
- Ratatouille (unless you plan to go Epcot)
- Crush Coaster (if you can buy only one Premier Access, buy this ride)
- RC Racer (you might want to use the Single Rider line, as it's a slow loading right)

Park:
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Phantom Manor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Indiana Jones
- Space mountain
- Explore the castle & the dragon

Your spare list / to do when you are done with above:
- Small World (almost identical, no Disney figures)
- Alice' Labyrinth
- Casey Jr.
- Pays des Contes Fees (Storybook boats, without the narrator. Nice place to relax for a few minutes)
- Aladdin walkthrough
- Buzz Lightyear (identical)
- Peter Pan (identical)
- Snow White (not sure how identical this still is, but I think ours is still Scary adventures)

I advise against riding:
- Autopia (very slow loading)
- All the Dumbo type rides (kiddie ride, you are not here with kids)
- Route 66 (long and boring, only if you really love Cars)
- Nautilus (terribly boring, especially after they changed the effect to a screen)
- Toy Soldiers Drop (because slow loading)

If you want to do a show and have to pick, either go for the Lion King in the park of Mickey and the Magician in the Studios (both have guaranteed access for 15 euro p/p)

It is possible to see the night time show in the Studios at 9 and then go to see the fireworks in the Park at 10. However, don't do this if you are picky about your viewpoint. (Do not stand on the middle of Main Street, try to find a clear view a bit to the side. The amount of phones are annoying)

There is a Christmas parade, I'm not a big fan. But it's the only one we have at the moment. It runs twice a day, I would say see it in daylight, because you can see the floats. After dark, even when it has lights incorporated into the floats, the characters do not wear costumes with lights, so they are hard to see. If you are into tree lighting ceremonies, there is one, but it's just Santa's voice over.

There is a Christmas Carol show, but I wouldn't bother with it, to be honest. It's okay, but Disneyland Paris has better shows.

Other tips:

• Download the app to keep track which restaurants are open.
• Familiarize yourself with the park on forehand with the app or online maps.
• Don't get your hopes up too high about food. It's okay, but not great. Due to time I suggest go for counter service or snacks.
• If you want to do a table service meal, either make a reservation, or go for an early dinner in the Village (better value for money, and most people will eat in the park or leave after the first parade, depending on timing)
• There is a little food festival in both Studios and Park (you can drink warm wine, while strolling through the park)
• Keep an eye on ED92, Pixiedust.be and DLP Reports on Facebook, they often have daily reporters in the park. They will show merchandise, snacks, etc.

 

[KrzyAsian]

Thank you so much, this is exactly the blueprint I was looking for. You are correct, we are going to be travelling to DLP from Paris (Westin Vendome).

I am all for Premier Access if it's actually worth it, but from what I've been reading here and elsewhere, it seems only to be necessary for a few attractions. Do you think it would be necessary for Wed Dec 13th?

Thanks for the honest opinions about the shows/parades. I'm generally pretty whatever about them, but I'll try to check out one of the shows, but definitely want to see both the night shows.

 

[Karin1984]

I would pay for Premier Access on the day itself, and look at the wait times per ride. Do not buy a package as some of the rides will probably not need it, or are on my skip-list.
If you only have one day, buying for Crush is probably a good idea, regardless of the day. Even with a single rider's line this ride can take 45-60 minutes.

 

[ghtx]

I have a similar plan for February - one full day, both parks, staying off-site in Paris and taking the train in and back.

I am pretty sure that I will just go ahead and buy the Premier Access Ultimate so that I don't have to worry about waiting in any queues or making any appointments. Yes it will be more expensive than a la carte but I'll be buying the peace of mind to not have to worry about it. Just me and my daughter so not too big of a group.

We'll aim to prioritize the rides unique to DLP. My daughter really wants to do the three Toy Story rides in Studios across from Ratatoullie, and none of those use Premier Access so we'll probably hit those at rope drop.

Would love to eat at Walt's, but it looks like it's closing for a renovation in January, and not sure it will be open by the time we are there.

 

[KrzyAsian]

I'm sort of leaning towards agreeing with you, @ghtx, but I think I'll see what the crowd levels are actually like on the day -of. I don't see that Premier Access Ultimate is any cheaper if you buy it ahead of time. Is that correct?

It's looking like it'll be kind of wet during my visit, so I'm hoping it doesn't rain too hard.

 

[Karin1984]

I'm sort of leaning towards agreeing with you, @ghtx, but I think I'll see what the crowd levels are actually like on the day -of. I don't see that Premier Access Ultimate is any cheaper if you buy it ahead of time. Is that correct?

It's looking like it'll be kind of wet during my visit, so I'm hoping it doesn't rain too hard.

Yes, that is correct, it won't make a difference in price.

Bring your own umbrella if it rains. Two weeks ago my umbrella broke and I had to buy a new one. The only ones I could get at Disneyland Paris are 30 euro p/p! It is reasonably sturdy, but still, that's a lot of money for an umbrella. Ponchos are somewhere around 15 euro if I remember correctly.

 

[KrzyAsian]

How does park hopping work there? Do you have to choose which park you start in? When can you hop over? Do you have a suggestion as to which park to start in? How far is the distance between parks?

 

[Karin1984]

You can start wherever you want. The gates are about a 3 minute walk away from each other.

In your case, I would do park-studios-park.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

How does park hopping work there? Do you have to choose which park you start in? When can you hop over? Do you have a suggestion as to which park to start in? How far is the distance between par

@KrzyAsian how was your trip? I'm thinking of doing something similar in mid-March, on a weekday, with my family, i.e., take the RER from Paris to Disney and do 2 parks in 1 day with a focus on unique-to-DLP attractions, shows, and park overall.

I'm debating whether we do the Premier Access Ultimate or just for a few rides (likely Crush, Spider-Man, and BTM). The Ultimate is so expensive (120 euros per person), but I also don't want to spend our 1 day waiting in lines and missing out. What did you do and what would you recommend?

 

[steve_rob]

A la carte is definitely the way to go for Premier Access. Just pick the rides you want as you need them - if you've bought the Ultimate package it's a lot more money and includes rides you probably aren't interested in. Indeed sometimes you might find when you turn up to a ride intending to use Premier Access that the standby line is surprisingly short and you don't need it after all - typically if you wait until you get to the ride before deciding whether to purchase, the next time slot on the app will be no more than 5-10 minutes away; rides don't sell out hours in advance like they do at WDW.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

A la carte is definitely the way to go for Premier Access. Just pick the rides you want as you need them - if you've bought the Ultimate package it's a lot more money and includes rides you probably aren't interested in. Indeed sometimes you might find when you turn up to a ride intending to use Premier Access that the standby line is surprisingly short and you don't need it after all - typically if you wait until you get to the ride before deciding whether to purchase, the next time slot on the app will be no more than 5-10 minutes away; rides don't sell out hours in advance like they do at WDW.

Thanks. I have a feeling I will do this as based on the DLP calendar a bunch of rides we wanted to do will likely be closed then, including BTM and Crush's coaster. The Ultimate pass isn't worth it if it doesn't include those rides, and with the 3 ride limit for the premier access, we can use it on the other rides that tend to have long waits (likely, Spider-Man, Star Wars, and ToT) and manage with standby for the rest.