Is there a planning guide or help for a newbie?

[westjones]

We have never been to France (or Europe or any country not attached to the USA for that matter).

We would like to consider a trip to Paris and of course Disneyland Paris, but I must confess, I am nervous about how to get around and see things (we don't speak French).

Does Disney offer some sort of planning help? Do they offer tours to areas nearby?

Thanks,
DJ

 

[MinnieYC]

My main tip would be to separate your visit to Paris from your visit to Disneyland Paris. I'd make Paris your home-base for seeing both the city of Paris and nearby sites other than Disney. Paris has so much to offer, and it's a lot more convinient to be staying in the middle of the city. Disneyland is about 35 minutes away from the city by train. They do offer one-day tour of Paris, but if you're coming all the way from the USA to Europe, one day isn't nearly enough to see Paris, not even close, IMO.

THere are guidebooks out there for Disneyland Paris, but they can be hard to get in the US (and $$$$ if you wind up needing to order it from the UK). But DLP is a lot smaller than WDW, and I really don't think a full book is necessary. DLP's official site is very good (www.disneylandparis.com), and I really feel like the people on this board know just about anything you need to know.

It's really not that difficult to get around in Paris even if you don't speak French. I'm sure you'll be fine. There are a lot of great planning guides for Paris, and I definitely recommend getting one.

 

[westjones]

My main tip would be to separate your visit to Paris from your visit to Disneyland Paris. I'd make Paris your home-base for seeing both the city of Paris and nearby sites other than Disney. Paris has so much to offer, and it's a lot more convinient to be staying in the middle of the city. Disneyland is about 35 minutes away from the city by train. They do offer one-day tour of Paris, but if you're coming all the way from the USA to Europe, one day isn't nearly enough to see Paris, not even close, IMO.

THere are guidebooks out there for Disneyland Paris, but they can be hard to get in the US (and $$$$ if you wind up needing to order it from the UK). But DLP is a lot smaller than WDW, and I really don't think a full book is necessary. DLP's official site is very good (www.disneylandparis.com), and I really feel like the people on this board know just about anything you need to know.

It's really not that difficult to get around in Paris even if you don't speak French. I'm sure you'll be fine. There are a lot of great planning guides for Paris, and I definitely recommend getting one.

Thanks! That sounds good. Maybe 1 day to Disneyland Paris would be enough and then the rest of the time seeing France. That would be a lot of fun.

Thanks again!
DJ

 

[raptor1982]

Hi, our site has pictures of all attractions, restaurants and boutiques. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! We showed around 3 Americans in october, including one day in Paris.

 

[westjones]

Thanks for the link! I will look through the site.
DJ

 

[Ghost]

Have a look over here for some great info on Disneyland Resort Paris...
http://www.dlp.info/Guide/index.htm


1 day??? Never enough

My next trip (going on Sunday) is 5 days...

 

[westjones]

Wonderful! I have no idea how many days we could visit. I have friend coming this summer (and I am going to share this with them) and based on what they report back to us and recommend we will probably plan around that. So I am researching this for them and us.

Thanks for the sites!
DJ

 

[MinnieYC]

I have to agree with going for a day trip. Yes, you can spend several days at DLP, but if you're coming to Europe all the way from the US, it's simply more practical to limit the time in Disney. I love DLP, but if I want several days in Disney, it's a lot more practical for to go to WDW (cheaper, faster, etc., plus WDW is a lot bigger).

Only on my most recent trip to France did I spend more than one day at DLP, actually. In the past, we only did day trips. On this most recent trip, we only spent three days at DLP because we were in Paris for more than a week before, and we're veterans of Paris (we usually alternate our vacations between WDW and Europe).

Just my $.02. But you'll have a great time no matter what you do.