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Lou’s Inbox: Planning a Disneyland Paris Trip

Editor’s Note:  Lou’s email inbox is often full to overflowing with questions from listeners.  As such, he has enlisted the WDW Radio Blog writers to assist him in answering some of your questions.


 

Hey fellow WED-Heads (mind if I call you that?) I’m Zack Kaplan, WDW Radio Blog  contributor and generally a nice guy. Today, I’ll be tackling a Disneyland Paris inquiry, believe it or not, that’s somewhere Lou has not been.

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Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Question

Hi Lou! Before my question I need to tell you how much our family loves this site and your live broadcasts! I listen to them (not live) in order to get through laundry days! Your last show was so so good and I thought of all of my friends and family who say, “Disney again?”! UGH! I also sent the link to my sister-in-law who would like to get my brother down there. It’s the perfect show for him to listen too. Thanks for helping us get our Disney “fix” between trips to the World! Now my question; We (parents & 3 kids) are lucky enough to be visiting Disneyland Paris this summer and are so excited. I am trying to gather as much information as possible and have been searching my trusted websites, including yours. I haven’t found too much, and I am specifically wondering how it is to use Disneyland Paris as your home base for touring Paris? We plan on staying 5 nights and visiting the parks at least 2 of those days. Do you or any of your followers have any info to help us plan? The Disneyland Paris website seems to have been designed by a “non-Disney” company. It can be a bit confusing, especially when talking dining plans or organizing transport. Just not the top notch I’m used to when booking our WDW vacations. Thank you for any help and also for following your dream! -Melanie

By proxy, Lou thanks you for the compliments! When it comes to your DLP (Disneyland Paris) questions these are definitely the ones to be asking before making your journey, regardless of how far away it is from your home. I have quite an expansive answer to your questions.

 

Rail Travel to Paris

Using DLP as a base for city of  Paris trip is possible, but I would advise otherwise. The Disneyland Paris Resort is located in Marne-la-Vallée, about a 40 minute train ride into Paris. A train station is located right outside the resort. There is also a station at Val’D Europe, which may be more convenient for some off-property hotels. Using the DLP station requires you to go through bag check, even if you aren’t planning on going into either park. When I was there last August, a one day roundtrip ticket for one adult was €16.

Additional notes: Paris like any other city has trains with doors the close quickly. So please be mindful, I actually witnessed a little boy being left on the train because of the doors closing quickly. While everything was OK, he got back to his mom, you don’t want to be in that situation. Also, common sense is a must anywhere you go, and the RER train had it’s share of strangers asking for money, or at the very least your attention and eye contact.

 

Time at the Resort

While this was not a part of your question, I thought I would comment on the time needed for a DLP vacation. Believe it or not, my  trip had me spending most of my time in the resort, about 5 full days. However, I was going as someone who doesn’t rush from attraction to attraction and liked exploring the parks many detailed areas. If possible, I suggest you alot 2 days for touring Disneyland Park. You will only need one day at most for Walt Disney Studios, though you could even do a half day just to ride Ratatouille: The Adventure, which is not to be missed.

 

Dining

Disneyland Paris Dining

To book dining in advance you would have to call the reservations number; +33 (0) 1 60 30 40 50. This number is based in France, so it may cost you to call. Also just like Walt Disney World, food at Disneyland Paris is on the very expensive side. The super-expensive burger pictured on the right had foie gras on it.

I would recommend checking out DLP Guide, for detailed information on dining choices.  Dedicated to DLP Podcast is also great if you want to listen to spirited discussions and general banter on the resort.

Hope this was a satisfactory answer Melanie!  To everyone else please remember it’s a federal crime to open someone else’s mail, but this was an email, and I had permission!

 

(Article photos from the author’s personal collection. Profile photo ©Disney)

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Likeness may vary

Based in the Massachusetts Branch of the expansive WDW Radio HQ, Zack Kaplan is a fan of the Disney Parks. If you want to read his thoughts on Disney, video games, society, and maybe Star Wars you can find him on Twitter @SteelDiver

 

 

 

 

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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