Whats the best way to 'survive' Disneyland Resort, Paris in July?

Question

All hints and tips welcome! (will be with wife and 5yr old boy)

Answer 1

I know he's five but you may want to bring a stroller, your own, from home. It depends on how much walking he's used to doing. You know your child best and if he can handle a lot of running around, then skip it. Just don't rent the ones in the park. Horrible and they get nicked...

Try to stay in one of the hotels right in the park. The one at the entrance is best. This will save you time going back and forth.

This forum was super helpful when we were planning our trip. They really know the park, have lots of tips that saved me major money and it is not a Disney-sponsered site;

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.ph...

Reserve lunch in the morning or night before. Read up on where you want to eat and have the hotel reserve it for you.

Someone else told you to get up early in the morning. I can second this good tip. What I would like to add is that what we did was return to the room after lunch. We relaxed, ate dinner and then I returned alone with my oldest to hit some of the more popular rides.

He's probably too old to nap but make sure he at least gets some "down time" in the hotel room for later on. You probably will need it too!

My husband stayed with the little sisters that evening and my son and I went back and waltzed right into some of the rides that had 2 hour waits earlier in the day. Check closing times as the rides stop at different times. During the day, take a note of what he really wants to do and tell him that he'll get to do it that evening. You can then concentrate on the attractions with shorter lines, visit some play areas and perhaps see some shows during the day. When returning in the evening, go straight to what he wants to do, in order of how much he wants it, keeping in mind the closing time.

I'll second also the tips on backpacks, keeping things light and good walking shoes.

Hang in there!

Answer 2

If you have ever been to any US disney paris disney is a piece of cake.  The park is SOOOO much smaller than US disney ..  But be patient.   I was there last year.  End of June Early July.

Answer 3

Get drunk.

The rides are ok, just go on lots of rides.

Answer 4

I'm afraid the answer is to take lots of cash :o(

Food and drinks are expensive but carrying round a picnic and bottles of water is hard work.

Try to keep bags to a minimum - they get in the way when you go on rides.

Only take a mac or brolly if you are sure it will rain - if you are caught out you can buy plastic ponchos.

Wear a "bum bag" type pouch - not trendy but handy for sun glasses, keys etc when you go on rides.

Take something to keep your child amused in queues - what about an audio book on a small mp3 player?

Most of all take an easy going attitude and good luck! ;o)

Answer 5

Hi there,

i was reading through the answers and you got some great tips. i myself am going in July, it will be my first time there in that month but i have been 3 times before in the months of August 06, April and November 07.

I think the best tip is definately about the shoes, bring good footwear, you often don't notice how much walking you're doing until the evenings when your legs are killing you! As someone else said it might be a good idea to take your pram but you can rent them at the entrance to the Disneyland Park if you would prefer that.

I would say being prepared for weather is another one, i have been there in both types of weather, best tip is to wear light clothing but also take a coat to wear in the rain. umbrellas can just be a hasstle in the crowds. AS someone else mentioned you can buy ponchos but they can cost 8-12 euros each, so save yourself the money and bring a light coat with you.

One you get one of the disney maps and a guide that tells you about shows and meet and greets with characters, sit down and decide what you want to go on and your wife and child. If your only there for a few days it can be hard to get around everything. Check out meet and greet times and places if your child would like to get up close and personal with some of his fav disney characters, it's also a great photo opportunity.

You don't have to waste your time buy going into all the shops, biggest tip is to let you know that they all basically sell the same stuff! It was one thing i was amazed at, there is so little variation and by not going into them all you will also save your pennys!

I found finding a suitable eating place hard when i first went. A lot of the places sell the same food- basics of burgers and chips and that kind of food, usually costing about 10 euros for a meal per person.

here is a site that gives a guide on all the possible eating places in disneyland,take note of which park they are in or if they are in the villiage and it will also tell a rough price guide

http://www.dlpfoodguide.com/style.html

don't worry too much about it though, there are plenty of places to choose from for food, but just check the prices first if you want to save a bit of money. If money is not an issue you could take the opportunity to go to Cafe Mickey in the disney villiage, you will need to make a reservation which you can do from home or when your checking in. Cafe mickey can be a little expensive but there is a great atmosphere and the disney characters come around each table to meet and greet. This can be more relaxing than fighting off all other parents and there kids, to get to characters in the parks when they are about!

As other people said try to get a good spot for the parade, which is usually about 4 or maybe 6 in the evening. The same parade will happen everyday at the same time, so if you are staying for a few days, it might be a good idea to actually take the opportunity to go do a few of the rides that are normally very busy when the parade is on (when you've already seen it) as rides maybe slightly quiter, as people rush to see the parade!

There is buses too and from the disney hotels to the parks every 12 mins approx. I personally find these a nightmare as people skip the queue and push and shove to get on esp early morning buses from the hotel to the park and the buses from the park to the hotel after closing time..in july it will be extremely busy as July and August are disneyland paris's high season months. It's like survival of the fittest. when queuing for the bus stand near the front and keep your family members all together and people can get lost in the rush. It's at this time i find so many people will skip ahead and are so inconsiderate and rude and to be honest the only way to make sure you get on the buses is to do the same...sad but true!

from the 5th of jult onwards there are fireworks quite late in the evening in the disneyland park, displayed behind the castle. My advice would be stand quite far down the street, not up near the castle for 2 reasons. one theres a better view if your not too close and two, when the fireworks end there is a rush of people all leaving the park and heading to the buses...so the nearer you are to the back of the crowds during the fireworks, the easier you will get out at the end!

Disneyland Paris is an amazing place, i know many of the tips given make it sound like a nightmare but it's a place very enjoyable for both adults and children! I am in my 20's and am going with my mum whos in her late 50's for the 3rd time. It's a great experience and I am sure your you will all have a great time!

here is another link to a fantastic site which gives loads of information on disneyland paris:

www.dlrpmagic.com

best wishes!

p.s don't forget the sun lotion!

Answer 6

Patience. Just so You know, the rides in the studio park are far more hardcore. The aerosmith rollercoaster hits 60 in 3 seconds.

Answer 7

Go painfully early to avoid queues. By "painfully" I mean wake up at 5am to get there at 5:30am if you want to see the entire Park.

There's two areas: Disneyland Park (the big, proper fun one) and Walt Disney Studios Park (the smaller spin-off, more geeky one). You can only visit one or the other, unless you bought a ticket which lets you see both.

If you're only seeing one, I highly recommend Disneyland Park first. Then, on your third visit, you can see Walt Disney Studios Park.

You can also see Disney Village, which is basically loads of cinemas, restaurants and shops. You can enter it at anytime, no matter which park you went to.

WEAR TRAINERS. TRAINERS ARE ESSENTIAL. I cannot stress this anymore. You will be walking. A lot. Make them extra comfortable, because you'll also be stationary a lot.

Also, GET A BACKPACK. One that isn't too big, but will fit everything in and is comfortable on your shoulders. You could take sandwiches and a couple of drinks with you if you want, but not a picnic because you'll be moved to a designated picnic area (which is right near the entrance). If you don't want to carry around food, then carry around your credit card!

Get a camera, and a camcorder. Make sure both have a good quality zoom, just in case you're standing far away.

When you get to the car park, you'll see a long line of what looks like carnival tents, enter one of them and you'll begin what I call The Endless Line of Conveyor Belts. You'll have fun for a bit pretending to be the Bionic Woman, shooting past pedestrians on the conveyor belt things.

But when you go back home, you'll appreciate the moving floor idea.

You'll eventually reach the queue where they check bags and stuff. After that, there's another queue where you have to stick your ticket in a scanner machine and then you're in Disneyland Park. This is one of the biggest queues, and be warned, people do push in a lot. I got so angry the first time this happened to me, but after a couple of visits you learn to keep your place in the queue.

Get about five or six Park Guides. They'll be propped up on a wall in different languages. It seems wasteful, but you'll need that many, because if you only get one it ends up tearing apart in your hand. It's only made of paper.

Plan your journey well. You don't want to end up walking up and down the Park (which stretches for miles).

You'll notice that there is a train that goes around the Park. It's really nice, but do NOT go on the train when it is raining. I made that horrible mistake and I regret it.

Get one of those Fasticket things. They'll cut off at least 5 minutes off the predicted queue time, but every little helps.

Aim for open-plan areas - as soon as more than three people are left in a small plot of land it gets wayyy too crowded.

Arm yourself with LOTS of cash - it's really expensive, and your five year-old will want to buy everything from the gift shops. I did, anyway.

When buying stuff from gift shops, make sure they'll keep your child occupied in the queues. Trust me, they are long. Really, really, painfully long.

You must try to visit the Parade last, which happens on the Main Street quite late in the afternoon. This is when you'll need a camcorder and/or a camera. It's really good, but make sure you turn up early so you don't end up recording footage of people's heads.

Sorry this is really long, I just wanted to make sure that you don't make the same mistakes that I did!

xCherryx

Answer 8

Get up early and have early breakfast. It gets so busy from 10am onwards and the queues are absolutely horrendous. You can be waiting up to 2 hours for rides. Try and get fast pass.

I went Halloween 2 years ago and although magical the waiting for rides was terrible. As far as i know the park does not open until 8.30am! So pointless getting there at 5am!