* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

Car99

Very helpful and informative posts ppl. Thanks for the help.

junebabies

poisonated wrote: »

If flying into CDG airport, I would take the TGV. It only takes 10 minutes.

I would recommend sequoia lodge. It has a nice pool with a water slide. This might have closed though as it was about 15 years since I stayed there.

This!
Yes pool & slide still there, pool had a big refurb and only reopened after 6mths.

Op kids are a good age, we have gone every since kids were 2 & 3, they are now 13 & 14.
Best ages we found was between 3 & 6 when they completely believed in the magic of it all

kfc1

We're just back, stayed in Newport Bay. Highly recommended & not a 10 min walk to parks. The hotel New York is the one thats being redesigned as a Marvel hotel, it still hasnt opened. I would strongly recommend you book when the free half board offer is on, we are 3 & 2 and average dinner bill was about €150 (no drinks) which was covered by our HB vouchers.
As previous poster mentioned, bring refillable water bottles, plenty of water fountains and take snacks with you. We ended up buying no snacks there but did notice on one stand a can of coke was €3.90.
When you get map, try to do it section by section & tick off what you've done so you can cover it all without back tracking constantly.

Car99

Is it worth upgrading from half board to full board for a total of €282 for our 3 night stay?

St.Brigids

Hi there, a Regular visitor to Eurodisney given a family member working there. We stay in Air BnB in Val d'Europe. Very convenient for the park and also much cheaper then the hotels. Gives you more options food wise in the evenings. Also you have assess to a supermarket in the shopping centre in Val D'Europe which means you can make lunch to take to park saving on money and time queuing in the park.

_Brian

I think it depends on the kids.

We went when our first girl was five, she enjoyed it no doubt, met princesses, enjoyed the parade, did some rides.

Went back when our younger girl was six and elder girl was eleven, we were there for two days again same as before. We had a grand time. Younger girl wouldn’t be mad into princesses or Disney stuff and she liked it but wasn’t blown away by a long shot. Elder girl enjoyed it but nothing special for her either. But the cost had absolutely multiplied in the few years and I thought the whole thing was nice but desperately overpriced for us.

We went to Pui du Fou the following year and both kids marvelled at the attractions and had a far better time as did us adults, much more affordable too.

So my point is don’t automatically think the kids will adore it, yea if they are Disney sort of kids they likely will but it’s not a given and it’s not cheap in any way. We brought snacks in and all that but it’s a dear place to go.

XsApollo

I’ve been there twice.
If your going half board, you gotta be up for breakfast, and don’t under estimate the walk from the shuttle drop off to the main breakfast place inside the park , can’t remember what it was called but it was in the area with space mountain , big arena type place.
I actually went there on my own when pushed for time as the kids were getting annoyed walking the distance fast and picked up all the breakfasts and went back even if you don’t eat them they are good for a snack and a drink during the day.

And you have to book your dinners in advance
Especially the pirates of the Caribbean restaraunt.
If you going half board or full board plan it properly when your checking in or sometime during the first few hours there or you will lose your first day and probably end up eating burgers and chips instead of a meal.

Cheyenne is a good hotel and the sequoia as well, I think Cheyenne got a refurb recently.
All the hotels are the same really , beds and a tv , your kids won’t be up to much at the end of the day, and you will spend all day in the parks anyway.

Car99

I see they have a restaurant reservations number to book all your meals before you go, I hadn't intended to do that but I'll take your advice on board and book in advance. Cheers.

ncmc

I think the half board now includes breakfast at your hotel rather than the quick service place in the parks so you won’t have the problem Xsapollo mentions above. You will definitely need to book your evening meals in advance, especially if you are there during a half board promotion. The popular places will book up months in advance. It’s not really the sort of holiday you can just ‘wing it’ I think a good bit of pre planning is required to get the most out of it.

I wouldn’t bother upgrading to full board. It’s too much food. You’ll spend all day eating rather than getting on rides! If you have a big breakfast and dinner and bring in snacks, you could get away with a light lunch.

Oafley Jones

We were there in March with our 2, 3 and half and 5 year old. I was really questioning whether our youngest would get anything out of it, but he had a ball. Keeps on asking about going back for Buzz lightyear etc.

You can use the Dutch site to book restaurants in advance, rather than having to go over the phone. As others have said this is absolutely essential to do for the more popular establishments. I forget how many months before the bookings go live, but people are waiting and a restaurant can book out fully in that morning.

I wouldn't pay for full board. We had Half board (and this is before the DLP cheaped out and didn't include breakfast) and found it fine. Be careful what you use your credit for e.g. I thought I was buying a bagel with room account and the cast member thought I wanted to use my meal credit. Only found out at dinner that day.

We used the Magical Express over, but hired a car back. If our kids weren't so young I'd have stuck with ME.

DLP looks absolutely fantastic now, after years of neglect you can really see "project Sparkle" has brought the place back to it's original condition.

My only really negative there is the food, it's really poor for a Disney park. Even the village lags massively behind it's contemporaries.

SusieBlue

I can only second what everyone else has said. I'd recommend the Sequoia Lodge, I've stayed there 3/4 times and have never had a bad experience. Very easily accessed from the parks too.

Definitely get the meal plan, the food is absolutely extortionate & will cost you a fortune without it. Be sure to get a list of the restaurants in the park/Disney village that your meal plan will be eligible for. I was there most recently in January & I thought a specific restaurant was covered in our dining plan, only found out when it was time to pay that it wasn't & had to pay full whack for it!
If you have fussy eaters there is a McDonalds & a Starbucks in Disney village.

Download the Disneyland app, its free and has a map of the park & rides with real time queue information.
I found it invaluable for trying to decide which ride or park to go to next and it helped make the most of our time. You can download it now, keep an eye on weekdays and weekends and you'll be able to see yourself the difference in wait times during the two - the weekdays are SIGNIFICANTLY shorter.
There is also info on it as to where to find specific characters in the parks for photos. If your kids like a particular character its well worth keeping an eye on it so you can be sure to meet them!

At closing time each day there is an illumination show projected onto Cinderella's castle & fireworks.
Its truly magical and was the highlight of our trip, everyone gathers to watch it, there would be thousands of people standing around the castle to watch. The atmosphere its amazing for it, have a look on youtube to see for yourself. Its a must do!

Oafley Jones

Not sure if it's happened yet, but DLP had announced that fireworks were being changed to weekends only this year.

fdevine

I really don't get where people find the food prices extortionate. Yes, there are table service restaurants in the parks that are expensive but not all the restaurants are that expensive.

You only need to advance book for table service restaurants, which we have only ever done once. Self service places are fine and it's not all junk food. Menus are usually available online.

It's almost two years since we were there last but at the time self service adult menus were universally priced at €12.99/13.99/14.99 and children's menus were €8.99. Annette's Diner in the Village is table service & prices are on a par with places like Captain America's here. In truth DLP can be as expensive as you want it to be but can be done on any budget.

There's also Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe & even McDonalds in the Village. Despite what I have read numerous times the McDonalds prices are more or less on a par with anywhere else.

If driving, stop off at Auchan supermarket in Val d'Europe & stock up. If not it's a single stop away on the train if you feel the need to. There is a small convenience store in the train station for prepack sandwiches & cheaper water/soft drinks.

Staying in Val d'Europe may be cost effective for some, but park tickets are not included and that can easily outweigh the savings.

ncmc

I thought the food at DLP was quite good! Granted, we only ate at counter service places as we didn't have a meal plan and we just couldn't justify the cost of the table service places when our kids were so young and we probably wouldn't enjoy it anyway! Like the previous poster said, the food is expensive compared to McDonalds or the like, but the quality is far superior. We really enjoyed Hakuna Matata, Cowboy Cookout and Market House Deli. In the latter, you can get a huge Croque Monsior For about E8. Not expensive at all and really tasty. I found the snacks to be quite expensive. Beware the candy floss, popcorn, slushies etc, especially in the novelty cups/containers. They are pretty expensive and of course they are so attractive to young kids.

This site has all the menus of the restaurants so you can get a good idea of prices

http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/market-house-deli/


We brought in a snack pack daily for the kids (we brought from home and bought a few things while there) We included raisins, crackers, fruit pouch, bag of corn crisps, a couple of packets of sweets etc and then bought little sandwiches in the shop in the train station. That was the kids fed for the day for buttons. Plus, it kept them occupied during the queues to select something from their ‘snack pack’ Bring one of the super concentrated squeezy bottles of cordial. There’s loads of water fountains and it saves buying overpriced drinks.

Car99

To all who replied thanks for taking the time to post . Very much appreciated.

positron

kfc1 wrote: »

As previous poster mentioned, bring refillable water bottles, plenty of water fountains and take snacks with you. We ended up buying no snacks there but did notice on one stand a can of coke was €3.90..

Small portion of popcorn is €7 during the light show & fireworks after sunset. It doesn't seem to discourage people from queuing up and spending like no tomorrow. The real Disney magic.

SusieBlue

Just found an amazing quality video of the illuminations show, it truly is an epic production. There’s no expense spared in any of their shows, that’s for sure!
Link below for anyone who wants to watch

https://youtu.be/dNn9Y9rRCQw

fdevine

With Halloween approaching it might be worth keeing an eye out for non-Disney dress-up outfits, especially princess ones.

Also saw yesterday that Eurogiant have the collapsible/roll up bottles with Mickey Mouse on them.

SusieBlue

Penneys do a lot of Disney jumpers/backpacks/accessories etc. as well.
You can order the Minnie Mouse ears for €1 or so on Ali Express (perfectly safe too, I've done it myself) and have all the bits and pieces ready to go to surprise them with the first morning ye arrive.
The Mouse Ears prices start at €19.95 and the jumpers and bags are upwards of €50 in the parks, so you'll definitely save a bit by having some novelty themed bits with you when you arrive.

P2C

We were there in August with kids of similar age. Bring a stroller as it will speed things up. We booked using the French website and got half board at the same price as tickets and accommodation from the English website. Picked that from another forum. If you want to eat fresh food and very good quality upgrade to full board. I don’t eat fast food and most of the counter stuff is essentially fast food. We were blown away and had a great experience and it was in the middle of August at peak times. Stayed in the sequoia lodge. If I was going again I would stay close to the park offsite and check in super early to the hotel get my park tickets for the full 3days. We ended up getting into the park around lunch in the first day and it was wedged. If your in early during the magic hour you can get fast passes and a lot done in the first hour or two. The shows were amazing

anne burnell

check out breakaway.com thay have good deals for DLP there is a halp board free deal on at the min I think it untill february bookings .... we have stayed in the santa fe plenty of times its basic but clean and friendy , and the cheaper end of the disney hotels , but to be honest your not in the room that much anyway. like others have said bring snacks to the park the garage just utside the park at the santa fe do good sandwich deals and the store as you enter the park is good for bits to as drinks and snackscan be expenisve in the park.. you willhave a blast , I love it and I dont even have small kids, it magical

Livefornow

Too late for the OP but for anyone going to Disney from Beauvais we have used Ezyshuttle twice, in 2011 & in 2016. They are owned by a chap called John, who I think is from Cork although that's probably wrong
Cannot recommend them highly enough, you pay the driver on the day & takes all the hassle out of travelling to and from Disney. Particularly useful if you have a late flight as you can maximise your time at the Parc.

greenspurs

Off here for 4 days in November...
Looking forward to it..

SusieBlue

greenspurs wrote: »

Off here for 4 days in November...
Looking forward to it..

You'll have a blast, there is no place like it at that time of year. The Christmas parade is spectacular!

Aera

Aera wrote: »

Hi, going to Beauvais airport by Raynair on 30 Sept and will be back 1 st of Oct.
Looking for cheap transfer, already checked good few and found the cheapest one 310 euro both ways for 3 people( 2 adults, 1 kid).
Now thinking to rent a car at maximum price would be 200 euro.
Any suggesting about transfer, rent a car etc?

Ok I Wii answer my question)
On arrival in biauvais airport we use firefly and took smallest two doors car (for 3 of us), paid for the two days car and premium insurance 112 euro, plus 26 for petrol. Driving experience was great, we did not use tolls, so spent 1.40 minutes each way, stopped in the small cities. In the Disney we parked for free (for guests only) in Hilton and took free shuttle. We had amazing private trip, no wait, the roads are great. Highly recommended rent a car.

mathewr788

Can someone list 5 most famous pubs in Dublin ?

greenspurs

SusieBlue wrote: »

You'll have a blast, there is no place like it at that time of year. The Christmas parade is spectacular!

We arrive on the 8th - Xmas parade starts on the 9th ! cant wait

Foweva Awone

We're just back from our trip to Legoland Germany so I'm going to leave a quick review in case it might be of use to anyone considering going there.

I'd give it a 10/10 - would 100% recommend it!

I went with my parents (late 60s but very active) and my five-year-old son. It was the Halloween break (but as far as I know, they don't have a Halloween break in Germany, so the park wasn't particularly busy. So it's a good time to go!) We flew with Aer Lingus to Munich Airport, which meant we had to get a train from there to Munich Central Station, and another train from there to Gunzberg. It's then a five minute trip by bus or taxi to the theme park. All of the public transport went fairly smoothly, the trains go quite regularly so not much waiting around.

We were staying in the holiday village, in the Lego themed cottages. I would well recommend staying in the holiday village because there are absolutely tonnes of playgrounds there, it's an easy safe walk to the theme park itself, and there's a good choice of excellent restaurants.

I reckon between flights, accommodation for three nights, public transport, our Legoland tickets for the 2 days, food and spending money, it came in at under €2,000 for the four of us, which we felt was very good value. (You can book the accommodation and theme park tickets together on the Legoland site.) We didn't pay for the Express pass in Legoland, and really didn't need it, but I guess that would depend on what time of year you visit.

We knew my son would have the time of his life there, but my parents and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as we did! There are so many rides that are perfect for all ages - my son was too young for some of the fastest scariest rides, but my parents and I all got to go on them! The weather was a bit drizzly, but it really didn't affect our enjoyment of the park - sure we were getting soaked on some of the water rides anyways. The atmosphere is really lovely and safe both in the theme park and in the holiday village. All of the staff were very helpful - though very "German" at time about ensuring all rules are strictly adhered to! Two days in the park were just about perfect to make sure we got to go on everything, without getting bored. (At a busier time of year when there might be queues, three days would probably be required.)

The buffet breakfast which is included with the themed cottages is AMAZING - so much to choose from, would really set you up for the day. The restaurants we ate in were the Steakhouse and the pasta/pizza place in the Castle - would recommend either of them, really decent quality and lots of choice for both children and adults. All of the restaurants in the theme park and the holiday village have Lego play areas for the kids, which meant we could really relax and enjoy our meals while he was off playing.

The Egyptian themed cottage we were staying in was just gorgeous. Two bedrooms (a double bed in one, bunkbeds in the other), plenty of wardrobes, a decent sized bathroom with an excellent shower. Housekeeping was great, the place was absolutely spotless. There's a 24-hour Reception and staff there were very helpful with anything we needed. There are also shops, bowling, other activities on site which would be great for older kids in the evenings - however myself and my son were in bed straight after dinner every night! My parents went out for walks in the evenings (it felt very safe even after dark) and there are bars to go to for drinks etc as well.

I think the only mistake we made was on the first day we walked the main road down to the theme park and back - we didn't realise there was a pedestrian trail. The main road is very dark and dangerous to walk in the evening (no footpaths), and it's a much longer trek too. Don't attempt it, especially with kids! When we discovered the pedestrian trail the next day we were very relieved - in fairness it's well signposted, I don't know how we missed it!

We will definitely be going back, hopefully with some of my siblings and their kids, in the not-so-distant future. My parents just adored the place and can't wait to return! It's great value for money, a nice easy holiday, suitable for all ages. It was the perfect time of year to go. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer. Great place to visit!

greenspurs

Queues …. janey , the Q's.

75 mins for Peter Pan - 2min 'ride' …. not worth waiting for, unless you have 5 yr olds with you.
90 mins for Thunder Mt - 2 mins, but well worth it !
Fast Passed for Ratatouile - great fun.
15mins for Space Mt (whatever its called now) - 2 mins..Sooooo worth it.


We weren't aware Fast Passes were free ? 2 per day ?
Our fault I suppose, but the concierge at the hotel, didn't mention anything about it, and we just 'thought' you had to pay for them !! #Doh

fdevine

greenspurs wrote: »

Queues …. janey , the Q's.

75 mins for Peter Pan - 2min 'ride' …. not worth waiting for, unless you have 5 yr olds with you.
90 mins for Thunder Mt - 2 mins, but well worth it !
Fast Passed for Ratatouile - great fun.
15mins for Space Mt (whatever its called now) - 2 mins..Sooooo worth it.


We weren't aware Fast Passes were free ? 2 per day ?
Our fault I suppose, but the concierge at the hotel, didn't mention anything about it, and we just 'thought' you had to pay for them !! #Doh

Fastpass is free but can't be stacked AFAIK. Get the first one early and once you've used is get your next one and so on. There are itineraries out there with advice on how minimise queuing. Queue for Peter Pan is nearly always ridiculously long. Think we did it once over three visits......