Disneyland Paris
My dad has just announced that he wants to celebrate his 60th birthday next March at Disneyland Paris. His 50th we celebrated at Epcot but that was pre grandchildren so not sure a trip to Florida would be quite as easy now... So we are really looking forward to going to Disneyland Paris but we don't have a clue on where to stay, how long we would need to stay to really "do" it and all the other hints and tips that make it a fab stay. There are going to be six adults and four children (a six year old, two four year olds and by then Caitlin will be almost a year) B - I read your thing on hotels below. Which one would you reccommend? I love the sound of the Disneyland Hotel but it does sound expensive... Any hints or tips that anyone may have would be very gratefully received. Thanks!! Alex

when I went - which was about 10 years ago we stayed at the Hotel New York. It's also on the resort but a little bit further away than the main Disneyland Hotel and, consequently, a bit cheaper. you still get all the characters hanging around etc which is great for the kids. We had two nights at the hotel and three days at the resort and, to be honest, we were twiddling our thumbs towards the end. It could be that the resort has grown a lot since we were there but I felt you could pretty much do it in two days - three felt too long.

Well, just back and raking throught these messages so bear with me. I have been a grand total of four times, twice with kids, twice without. Have stayed at the Cheyenne - ok but a bit too far to walk. Sequioa Lodge - this was nice but like a cattle market at mealtimes as all crammed in. Disneyland Hotel - magical but MASSIVE scale, very handy at park entrance but you have to walk back on yourself to go to Disney Village for evening meals etc. Just come back staying at Hotel New York and personally preferred it over the Disneyland Hotel. The location is excellent, the restauraunt all you can eat buffet was superb although we only ate in it once (think chocolate fountain and fresh fruit, salads, salmon, duck, chicken, fresh deserts to die for etc etc). Will reply more specifically if you have any other questions but personally would plump for New York. We paid half the cost of the Disneyland and thats what swayed it for us this time. The bar looked lovely too although we didn't get to use it!! Be prepared though that there really is rock all to do with a one year old in the parks! I spent most of my time sat on benches waiting for Ryan and DH to finish on rides!

Thanks b - I think we are beginning to think about the New York one as I just odn't think we can justify the cost of the Disneyland Hotel however much we would like it... I am sure there are a million other questions... Do you have any hints or tips about where to eat to keep the cost down? Are there any shops near by that we could put together packed lunches / buy water from that wouldn't cost a fortune? How long do you think you need to really see it all - we were think about three nights / four days but not sure if that would be too long? Have you been into Paris from there? I must admit I agree that it probably isn't the best time to take Caitlin as I'm not sure that she will get much out of it but hopefully if there are enough of us going we can take turns at going on the rides. Hopefully! Any other hints and tips you might have with it all fresh in your mind would be gratefully received!! Thanks Alex

Mumble, I have the Brits Guide 2008/2009 which I am selling at the moment. Used it just for this trip and its full of tips etc. Contact me if you are interested. Firstly, the New York Hotel is in the best location, near to the entertainment centre, not too far walk to the parks and contrary to what we expected no noise at all from the Entertainment centre in the evenings. The restaurants for evening meals are very expensive to eat in. I personally would stay away from Rainforest Cafe although the theme is great and the kids love it, we paid about 90 Euros for two beers, one kids meal, one burger and chips and one curry and rice, oh and two deserts. Felt a bit ripped off to be honest but we have been there before and knew what we were leting ourselves in for. Planet Hollywood represents better value for money in my opinion and has more choice beyond the usual chips with everything menu. Their pastas are great. For daytime eating you can pop into the shop at the train station, they sell baguettes, pastries and packet sandwiches at a fraction of the cost in the parks. Theres plenty of benches to sit and eat a picnic at in the parks. Same for bottled drinks and water too. I wouldn't recommend getting drunk at Eurodisney! 7.50 Euros for a pint of beer is very steep especially the way the Euro is at the moment. We have stayed for varying lengths of time, this time we stayed for 5 nights/6 days of park passes. It was probably one day too long and thats including the fact that we went out to the Sealife Centre and Shopping Centre for one of those days. So, if you are going nowhere else then I would go for 3 nights, if you want a trip out to say Paris or the shopping then I would go for 4 nights. Paris is easy to get to on the train and the station is at the entrance to the park. I have never been with kids though, went with my sister via train the year disney opened and went with DH by coach from the hotel a few years back. I would allow 2 days for the main park and a day for the Walt Disney Studios but unless you are going on Nemo, Tower of Terror and Rock n'Roller Coaster you won't need a full day in there even. The breakfast in the hotel is good, buffet style, all you can eat cereals, breads, scrambled egg, fresh fruit salad, yoghurts (bacon crap and no toast)! We took weetabix for Andrew as the cereal wouldn't have been suitable. I also took a food bag down every day and filled it with croissants and bread for Andrew and Ryan to snack on in the park! Baby essentials in the park are expensive so try to take enough nappies/food/juice etc. They wanted 1 euro for a pampers nappy (the train station sold them but they didn't have our size - was just glad we had took enough). Baby juice was 1.50 euros for those tiny bottles. I don't usually give Andrew it as he has Robinsons diluted very weak, wish I had taken a supply now. If you are going out to Paris or Sealife Centre, check at Concierge, they seemed reluctant but we saved about 8 Euros just booking our Sealife tickets with them instead of paying on the door. As I said before, the all you can eat evening buffet in the New York was excellent and great for stocking up a baby who you can just feed basically at no cost and no worry about having to use a meal you have brought etc. If Characters is your thing I would book a character lunch at the Lucky Nugget Saloon. Again, not the cheapest but you get to see loads of characters, get pics and autographs without the hassle of queuing for hours in the park, it saves a load of time. We did it when Ryan was 2.5 but he said he really didn't want to this time so we saved our money If I think of anything else I'll let you know or shout for more help! p.s. beware the French are not quite as polite or great at queuing as the Americans so if thats what your used to just be warned that they push in and aren't afraid to push their kids ahead of yours to see the characters etc. They ALL smoke too, in your face, in your kids faces etc. It wasn't as bad this time around as they are supposed to have banned it in the park apart from designated areas although no-one takes a blind bit of notice of that! There seems to be less of it in queues and in restaurants though.

That's fab - thanks for all the advice b! Would def be interested in buying the guide from you... Thanks!! Alex