Travel Disneyland Paris in September (tips for traveling with kids??)

[Sternchen]

Hi everyone!!

We are in the midst of planning a family vacation in September to Disneyland Paris!! I will be going with my mom, my husband, my daughter (1) and my cousin who has been living with us part-time (5).

I've been to Disneyland in California a number of times, so I know the general feel of Disney...But I have never been with a 5 year old or to Disneyland in Paris.

Nicole knows the main characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Goofy, etc and she does like some rides so I think Teacups, Dumbo and It's a Small World would be good for her!

We are planning on staying in the New York hotel or the Newport Bay Club. Have any of you stayed at these hotels??? If so, what did you think? We definitely want to stay in a disney hotel!!!

Also...any tips for Disneyland? We'll be traveling in September when it's cheaper and it's the "off" season, so we are expecting it not to be as full as it is during the summer!

I'd appreciate any tips! Even if you've never been to Disney!!

Also, we would be staying for 4 days / 3 nights - that way we have enough time to see the parks without feeling the need to rush. We are also planning on booking at least ONE breakfast with the characters and also an evening meal or two.

 

[BagsRmyLife]

I went to Disneyland Paris when I was on my honeymoon last year in May. I don't know too much about the season different but the rides and attractions aren't much different. I think it actually might be smaller than the one in CA (I've never been there). They do have character parade that comes out a few times during the day so she'll be able to see them there. They also had the Disney castle which was nice.

I don't remember there being a Teacup ride but then again I could be wrong. There was a really nice boat ride that took you around the park and I think that would be good for the family.

We stayed in Paris and just took the train out there so I can't help with hotel suggestions.

Hope that helps!

 

[Alidoll]

I was at Disneyland Paris last September but stayed outside the "main" Disney hotels at the Dream Castle Hotel which is about a mile or so from the park. There is a regular shuttle bus from the hotel to the park though (but it could get REALLY busy at times!!) so can't comment on the hotels you were thinking of staying at.

There are two parks - the studio and Disneyland itself. Both are worth a visit but you could probably do the studio in an afternoon / morning. It has more shows (such as the stunt show) so better for older children, Disneyland is better for younger children as there are more rides there for them. Try and use the fast pass tickets if you can (there are little booths near each ride where they issue you with a ticket that has a time printed on it e.g. 2-4pm. You can then stroll up to the front of the line at that time and get straight on without having to stand for ages!!

If you want a break from the parks and fancy a spot of retail therapy, get on the train towards Paris and alight at the next stop - there is a large shopping centre and one of those designer discount villages [La Vallee] which has lots of lovely shops - including a few children's wear ones selling stuff like D&G, Escada for kids etc. Serious damage to the credit card!!

September can be warm but can also mean rainshowers so take rain jackets and an umbrella. We got caught in a downpour during the afternoon parade at the studios and there wasn't many places to watch and stay dry unless you went onto an actual ride.

The food is quite expensive in the park (we tended to head along to that shopping mall for evening meals as there is a number of nice restaurants there).

If you are arriving at Charles De Gaull airport, try and take the high speed train (TGV) as it takes only about 15 minutes from the airport direct to Disneyland and saves heading into Paris then back out again on the metro. It's clean, efficient and the kids would love it! You can get tickets before you travel but make sure you stamp them before getting on the train (there are small yellow machines at the top of the escalators). The train station is below the airport.

The Disneyland village is a bit of a tourist trap - shops and a few restaurants which are quite pricey as the exchange rate is poor at the moment (especially for the dollar but bad for the UK pound as well).

We had a fun time at Disneyland and I would go back. We also spent a few days in Paris as well (takes about 40 minutes to travel into the centre of Paris using the metro station at Disneyland).

Have fun!!

 

[Sternchen]

Thanks Ali!

We are in Germany so we will be traveling by car directly to the hotel. We were also thinking of maybe taking a trip to Paris on a day where we maybe don't want to go to the park. We will see though!

Thanks for your suggestions, really appreciate it!!