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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) |
What should I do there - I have no kids?
No Kids? Great! Then you can have double the fun! Honestly: A Disney Themepark can't be compared with an usual (european) themepark (mostly "Fairytales-park"). Every Detail is planned carefully: The plants, the music, the clothing of the workers (called "Cast Members"). The rides are on an incredible high level - with art AND technic!
OK - there ARE different "Lands" in Disneyland Paris - but not "real" countries (that are in EPCOT-Center at WDW, Florida - called "World Showcase") but the "classical" five lands of a Disney-park: Mainstreet USA (Shopping-Street styled after a little US-town), Frontier-Land (the "wild" west - the land of cowboys and indians), Adventure-Land (meet Pirates, Indiana-Jones...), Fantasy-Land (the characters from your favourite Disney-movies live here!) and Discoveryland (The land of tomorrow - seen from yesterday!).
OK then - but Disney is said to be very expensive!
Even if "expensive" is an relative expression - a trip to Disneyland Paris doesn't has to be expensive! The entrance-fee per day is about $ 30 and covers ALL attractions - a day on the local fair can be more expensive (but with less quality)! Be sure to book on of the hotel-packages - they are cheaper as you might think! The price is calculated per room - so you should gather four persons. The "Classic" package for 3 days and 2 nights including (continental) breakfast is about $ 150 (plus getting there, of course!)
I don't speek french - will it be fun anyway?
YES! Most of the attractions work without words. The few who need a narration are multi-lingual (mostly with english) or there are headphones. Most of the Cast Members are speaking at least one more foeign language - often english - you can see the flags on their name-tags!
First: You can't book with US - we are NOT DISNEY - just FANS! Ask your local travel agency! You can also call directly in Paris - from germany with the costs of a local call (0180-58189)!
Paris can easyly reached by plane, train and car. We use our car because it's "only" a 4-5 hour drive from Frankfurt, Germany. Just keep heading to Paris 'til the signs for Disneyland Paris direct you to the park!
To visit all the interesting attractions at least one time (and often you'll want to go for more than once) you should calculate at least 3 days. In summer, when the park has extended opening-hours and the lines are short (what is unusual in summer) maybe you can "make" in 2 days. If you can't imagine that you can have fun "that" long - you can use the RER (train) to get to paris within just half an hour (leave your car at your hotel - it's cheap and save there!). The station is between the hotels and the themepark.
Just next to the parks are the Disney-themed hotels. Every hotel tells another story. There are two cheaper hotels, two middle-class, one firstclass and one top-hotel. Be sure to stay in one of them - because the hotel itself is an attraction and you can forget the real world for the length of your stay: no car, no traffic-jam, no parking-business...
Cheaper Hotels:
Hotel Cheyenne: Styled as a "wild west" town where you can sleep in the sherrif's office or the drugstore (even the jail!). Every room has one double bed and one two-level-bed (great for kids).
Hotel Santa Fe: Large area with "mexican" pueblos - just across the "Rio Grande" next to Cheyenne. Guest can take their breakfast there, too!
Middle-class:
Newport Bay Club: Large Hotel, styled after a New-England seaside-hotel. Bright and a little larger rooms. Good restaurant and a congress-center
Sequoia Lodge: Rustic hotel themed after the US-Nationalparks-lodges with gigant fireplace (said to be the largest in Europe). Same category as Newport, but the better swimming-pool!
First Class:
Hotel New York: Built in the modern style of the New York Skyscrappers. Looks better from inside than it's facade!
TOP-Class:
Disneyland Hotel:
The Entrance to the Themepark. The ONLY hotel where Disney-Characters were used for decoration! Don't miss to visit this hotel - a good idea is the "Character Breakfast" at the "Inventions"-Restaurant. For ca $ 20 you can eat an american breakfast while the characters are playing with the guests, posing for pictures an writing autographs.
At last there is the Davy Crocket Ranch, which lies a few miles away (we've never been there). The houses there can hold up to 6 people.
All Hotel-rooms are with bathroom, TV (with Disney-Channel), Telephone and sometimes Minibar. Except the cheap hotels there is also a swimmingpool which is free for the guests. If you travel with more than 4 you can ask for rooms with a connection-door! A free bus-shuttle can be used to go for the park - but you also can walk in 15-20 minutes.
My favourite hotel: Sequoia Lodge - in the mainbuilding!
It doesn't matter - if you avoid the weekend and the holidays! Even when it's fun to go there in winter-time - our favourite time is the dry period! Because the summer-months are very crowded spring or fall are fine. We had great days there in march, april, may, june and october. Be SURE to avoid saturdays and sundays! An extended weekend (e.g. Sunday to Tuesday) is OK but even when there are a lot of interesting things to see while waiting in the line - 20 minutes are enough - you won't see mutch more in 2 hours! If you meet someone who didn't enjoy Disneyland Paris you'll discover that they tried to see all in just one day or at the weekend (or both!).
Which attractions shouldn't be missed?
Our personal oppinion is:
Space-Mountain: A flight from the earth to the moon with an incredible shot from the canon "Columbiad" as Jules Verne discribed it in his book "From the Earth to the Moon". With more than 40 mph you are travelling through space with powerful special effects and GREAT music (every seat holds 4 loudspeakers!!!).You don't recogniue that looping and corkscrew-loops are on your way - WHOW!
Big Thunder Mountain: The best roller-coaster I know - but the whole family can enjoy it! No looping - just themed fun!
Star Tours: A simulated flight to the moon of Endor - straight through the battle around the death-star from Star Wars! Meet R2-D2 and Ce3PO and other characters from the movie in the starbase where you wait for your launch!
Pirates of the Caribbean: A boatride through the middle of a pirate-battle! Enlived with a crowd of Audio-Animatronics - realistic roboters which do not only look as man (or an animal) but also move, fight and sing! You have to ride it more than once to get all the jokes! You'll catch yourself after riding "the pirates" whistling "Heyho heyho..."
Phantom Manor:
Le Visionarium: A travel through time with the nuts robot "Timekeeper" and his exploring-probe "Nine-Eye". Timekeeper is member of the newest generation of Audio-Animatronics, where you can't believe it's "just" a robot and not a man in disguise! Among the actors are Michelle Picoli (Jules Verne), Jeremy Irons (H.G. Wells), Franko Nero (Leonardo da Vinci) and Gerard Depardieu (Gepäckarbeiter) even at your 10th visit you'll discover new details!
Captain EO: 3D-Movie at it's best! The producers are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Director: Francis Ford Coppola. With Michael Jackson (sings some songs!) and Angelica Houston and some crazy aliens!
Indiana Jones et le Tempel du Peril: A roller-coaster ride on the tracks of Indiana Jones in an "ancient" temple
Make sure to see the shows and parades - get the schedule at the townhall in Mainstreet USA!
How can I avoid long waiting-lines?
Don't go on weekends! Avoid (french) holidays! Watch the shows and parades at your first day and use this time at the other days to ride an attraction! Watch the main-parade from "It's a small world" where it starts so you can head for to your favourite ride when the last float has passed. The lines are getting shorter when the day ends! Be in the park before all the 1-day-guest arrive and stay after they're gone! On some days guest of the hotel can get into the park 1 hour before the park opens! Ask at your hotel for early entry! Ask the Cast Members at the entrance of the attraction about the waiting-time - the length of the line doesn't tell you much - some rides are loading very fast (Pirates of the Caribbean), others are very slow (Dumbo, Peter Pan).
I have been in Anaheim and/or Orlando before - will it be fun anyway?
Sure! You have seen a lot - but you'll like the Disneyland Paris! Even if most of the attractions are copies from the "originals" in Anaheim or Orlando they are improved in some ways. The Space Mountain for example is totally different from it's ancestors and other rides had their debut in Paris (Visionarium).
