Very confused during planning, tons of ??

[Disneybridewifemama]

Hello,
We have our first trip to paris planned this november.
We are spending two nights on disney property and spending two days in the parks.
My daughter is a HUGE character kid, what special characters are there that she can't meet here in the states? Marie is on her bucket list to meet, is she ever out? Since we are pass holders here, I don't want to waste too much time meeting characters that we can meet here. Any tips? Are there any paris exclusive meets that we should plan for?

What about restaurants? We don't have a ton of time there so I need to be picky on what we choose. Whats not to be missed?

It'll be myself, my husband and our 9 year old daughter. We of course, are trying to fit as much in as possible. I have read mixed reviews on the photo pass there, is it worth it? are there ever photographers in front of the castle?

We are huge disney fans and this trip completes our disney bucket list. It's a once in a lifetime trip and we unfortunately don't have a ton of time to do it all. I need help prioritizing. I've had the hardest time finding helpful info. I bought the planning book on amazon, but even that wasn't very helpful.

Any information is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[susannah365]

i always think the best way to meet the characters is to do the character meals. we did the princess meal a few times when my daughter was younger and we loved it (when you book, ask for a table near the fireplace so you see the prince and princesses dance).it is expensive but its money and time well spent! next time we go we are going to do dinner at inventions to see the range of characters there. i know most people like going to plaza gardens where you see winnie the pooh and friends.

restaurants - not generally what we go to disney for!

photopass - we bought this last time and got some great photos, including some in front of the castle, although you do have to keep your eye out as they are not there all the time!

other info - see the dragon under the castle as they don't have that elsewhere. make full use of the extra magic hours!

 

[Antaniasmom]

Did you download the Disneyland Paris app? It looks like it functions just like My Disney Experience so you should be able to see what characters are there. I would do lots of research online, there must be reviews of the restaurants--youtube is usually good for this too. I bet there's people on DIS that will come on later today with more suggestions too.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[A Small World]

i know most people like going to plaza gardens where you see winnie the pooh and friends.

There arent characters at Plaza Gardens apart from at breakfast

There are often different characters at DLP but they are not always advertised and do often change from month to month - thats the beauty sometimes you never know who you are going to bump into.

There are set character meet and greets (sometimes one is Marie) which are on the weekly timetable of events and where there will be a structured line and often a photographer but you also get characters out and about for short periods of time which are not advertised in advance. There is usually no line for these characters so it can be a scrum if its busy although sometimes you can strike lucky and find one with not many others about

You will also sometimes find the more popular characters such as Mickey and Minnie but in different costumes

This site is a good one for overview of the rides, attractions and restaurants etc
http://www.dlpguide.com/

 

[LovesTimone]

We just got back a couple of weeks ago. I am writing a trip report if you want to take a look, " From Marie to Minnie Our Paris and DLP adventure"

I have read mixed reviews on the photo pass there, is it worth it? are there ever photographers in front of the castle? Do not waste your money. We only saw 2 photo pass photographers the whole time we were there 3 nights. I had added it in with my package and everyone here on the DIS told me not to do it... Everyone was right, would not have been worth it. So glad we did not get photos pass.

What about restaurants? We don't have a ton of time there so I need to be picky on what we choose. What's not to be missed? - Chez Remy would be my top pick, it is done so well... really cute and the food was good.

As far as the character we really did not see that many out and about, and none that we have not seen at WDW or DLR.... Could have been our timing was off or that they are mostly in the character meals.

 

[sarahb74]

We’ve run into characters like Launchpad and Scrooge McDuck, Suzy and Perla and Smee but not at a scheduled meet. Definitely check the timetable though. Also depends when you are going, for example at Halloween there are lots of villains out and about.

We love Inventions for a character meal but you never know who you are going to see there. Chez Remy is brilliant for food and theming, also Captain Jacks and Walt’s. The menus are online.

We have got photopass a couple of times - you do have to go out of your way to find photographers but for us it’s worth it for the ride photos.

 

[ninergrl6]

Hello,
We have our first trip to paris planned this november.
We are spending two nights on disney property and spending two days in the parks.
My daughter is a HUGE character kid, what special characters are there that she can't meet here in the states? Marie is on her bucket list to meet, is she ever out? Since we are pass holders here, I don't want to waste too much time meeting characters that we can meet here. Any tips? Are there any paris exclusive meets that we should plan for?

What about restaurants? We don't have a ton of time there so I need to be picky on what we choose. Whats not to be missed?

From my DLP experiences in 2014 and 2016, characters are few and far between. The only ones I saw walking around freely were Alice, Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dee/Tweedle Dum. (They were all near Alice's Curious Labyrinth, naturally). Mickey has his own structure with a long line, and he was a traditional Mickey wearing bow tie and tails, not wearing a special French outfit or anything. We saw the princesses at character dining only, although they may have a princess m&g area somewhere. Again, they looked the same as in the States. No Marie or Quasimodo -- characters I assumed would have a significant presence in France. IMO DLP is more about Americana (lots of American flags on merchandise) than about France. It wasn't what I expected.

As for restaurants, my friend and I really enjoyed Chez Remy. Be forewarned: the quick service restaurants close EARLY. We struggled to find something other than a hamburger or ice cream after 9 pm. In fact, much of the park shut down before the sun set, and Walt Disney Studios closed at 7 pm at least two nights (in June!). Totally strange for my American Disney sensibilities. We literally started taking pictures of "closed" signs. I've never seen the Hakuna Matata restaurant open in my two visits to DLP, even in the middle of the day.

You didn't ask about rides, but while I'm here... check the descriptions carefully. Both the Indiana Jones ride and Space Mountain go upside down, which would be a huge surprise if you're used to the Disney rides in the States. Pirates and Phantom Manor are quite different too but definitely worth riding.