What is the best airport to fly into when going to DLP? How do you get there from the airport? By train? Renting a car is out of the question -- "which side of the road... where?"

From the USA I guess you'll arrive at Roissy/Charles De Gaulle International Airport.
From Charles De Gaulle Airport, bus is very convenient. Just follow the "VEA Navettes Disneyland® Resort Paris" signs http://www.vea.fr/ . The price is 14€ for adults, and you have to pay your tickets on the bus.

"Departure from Roissy/Charles-de-Gaulle to Disneyland® Resort Paris:
Disney Hotels & Selected Hotels: from 8.30 to 19.45 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays
from 8.30 to 22.00 on Fridays
from 8.30 to 21.30 on Sundays"

Here's a small MOV video that presents different transportations to DLRP:
http://www.disneylandparis.com/uk/good_to_know/access_and_times/video_pour_vous_y_rendre.htm

And, Welcome !

We flew into GDG and it was easy as pie. You hop on a big painted Disney bus from there and you are off to the resort.

As Not Afraid posts...well...don't be afraid.

It really is as easy as pie.

i guess this is a little off of what you're asking, but my family loves taking the eurostar to disneyland. we fly into london, usually stay a few days with friends, and then take the train via the chunnel directly to disneyland. it's really cute- there's a band at the london train station and it's just a relaxing train ride. :) maybe something to do on a second trip to think about! or take the train to gare du nord in paris and connect on the sncf or metro to disneyland! it's a nice way to see other parts of europe...

or take the train to gare du nord in paris and connect on the sncf or metro to disneyland!

I'm positive you can't get to Disneyland Paris by Metro. It's the RER (the regional transport trains) "A" line that runs there. You can board it from several stations in Paris but I believe the most central station is Châtelet Les Halles.

Also, I know that Eurostar and TGV run there (or did), but I'm not sure about regular SNCF trains. I don't recall ever seeing them there.

i'm sorry- it's been years since i've been out there!! RER, not SNCF... i confused that with the rail line i used to take to paris from poitiers, france... and i remember that the RER can be boarded at the gare du nord, where the metro is, correct? i'm pretty sure that's right, i recall getting lost there my first time travelling alone in paris...

and i remember that the RER can be boarded at the gare du nord, where the metro is, correct? i'm pretty sure that's right

Well, sorta. The Metro is all over the place, including at all the Gares. But that's really immaterial (except as a local connection to the RER) as no Metro runs out to Disney.

And the RER can be boarded at the Gare du Nord alright. But not the "A" line that runs to Disneyland Paris. The only RERs that depart from the Gare du Nord are the "D" and "B" lines (the "B" line is the one that runs up to CDG airport).

You gotta go further South in Paris from the Gare du Nord to the more-or-less central part of Paris to catch the East/West lines, like the "A" line to Marne-la-Vallée (Disneyland).

There are several stations that connect from various Metro lines and other RERs to the RER "A" line along A's route. It's a real web of intersecting line branches all over the place. But the main thing is that you have to eventually get your derrière to the RER "A" to get to Disney from Paris.

From the airport, it's just much easier, simpler, cheaper and quicker to take the VEA/Disney bus non-stop. Especially if you're schlepping luggage. IMHO.

here are some maps.
METRO runs in Paris only.
RER (Réseau Express Régional), runs through Paris and its suburbs.

METRO map : http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/f_plan.php?loc=reseaux&nompdf=metro&fm=gif

RER Map : http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/f_plan.php?loc=reseaux&nompdf=rer&fm=gif

I've been thinking about my post above and realized that to the first-time visitor, all this Metro, RER, SNCF, TGV stuff might be a bit confusing, so...

For the average tourist that is just going to visit the Paris area, the RER and Metro are really the only ones you'll probably deal with. And the difference between the RER and Metro? Not much really other than the Metros are confined to the city proper, while the RERs extend out a bit more to the surrounding "suburbs" like where Disneyland is, and on the other side of Paris..."The majestic gardens of Versailles!" ;)

And the RERs equipment tends to be larger and sometimes even "double-decker" trains. But within Paris they are both essentially what here in the states we would call "subways." But keep in mind that in Europe "subway" usually means a pedestrian underpass, not an underground train! ;)

All very, very easy to figure out and get around with once you've got the Metro/RER map in your hands. It's actually really fun to plot out your "course" to your final destination. And you can get everywhere you need to go to in Paris with this great transport system.

I got the impression that the original poster of this thread was planning on going to Paris specifically to visit Disneyland Paris, so much of what I wrote was geared toward that. And Disney is certainly a great reason to go there, in and of itself. :)

If this is indeed what your main reason is, depending on how many days you have there, you really should get out to see Paris if at all possible. If Disney is your "base" and that's where your hotel will be, it's still very easy to day-trip into Paris and back on the RER "A" line. It's only about a 30 minute ride to central Paris!

I know that there are often folks that are visiting their first country outside the U.S. ever. And sometimes these folks can be a little bit intimidated by it all. I actually have recommend to many folks like this that they make their "base of operations" the Disneyland Paris Resort. This way they are in somewhat familiar surroundings when they first arrive, in very U.S. style hotels. It seems to help them be more comfortable with the cultural transition at first, and build up the courage to adventure outside of Disney. To these type folks I often recommend a 3 or 5 day Zone 5 Paris Visite pass to give them unlimited RER and Metro access. This way they don't have to worry about individual tickets and such. They are free to get lost as much as they'd like! :)

And very quickly they are old hands and checking out of Disney and into some nice charming little hotel off the Rue Moffetard in the Latin Quarter, and traveling around the Metro using their Carte Orange. ;)

No-one here has mentioned the TGV, The TGV in my opinion is the best way to get from Charles de Gaulle to Marne-la-Vallee Chessy, it takes a total of 10 minutes, unlike the vea shuttle which can take anything from 45mins - 1.5hrs depending on Traffic (Ok so I have never been on it, I am going by what I have been told) And depending on the time of day, will either cost less than the VEA shuttle, or sometimes a few Euro's more, but will save you a lot of time. I personally have been on the TGV and the RER from CDG - MLV and the TGV is by far the easiest and quickest of the two.

Colin

Thanks for the help everyone, and thank you Opus. Yes I am visiting France for the first time, and mostly to do Disney. However, taking day trips would not be out of the question - after all, I don't want to fly all that way to just see another Disneyland, as amazing as it may be.

It will be the first time I have visited another country overnight. Day trips into Canada and the Carribean are the farthest I've gotten. DLP seems to be less expensive than Tokyo Disneyland, and a little more culturaly connected. I'm really lost and have no idea where to begin with this planning.

I'm familiar with how Disney theme parks work - I know about Mousesavers and how to look for deals. But mainly, I'm concerned with picking when to go, how to get there, and what to do after our plane from the states has touched down.

I wish I could be like Not Afraid.

and the TGV is by far the easiest and quickest of the two.

Again, I assumed (turns out correctly) from reading the original post that the original poster was a first time visitor to France, and I would be concerned that arriving CDG and having to find and take the bus to the TGV station and deal with ticketing and such fresh off a long jet-lagged flight in a new land, is much more trouble and "first-timer stressful" than just going from baggage claim to the clearly spotted Disney/VEA bus.

Further, I've taken the TGV as well several times and I'm not so sure it's always the quickest way to get there. Not because of the speed of the train, but because with adding into the equation all the times and timing of how you often have to find and wait for the proper transfer bus and for a train departure as well. Additionally, some of us used to "race" each other to the property once our plane landed, and those of us that took the bus almost always won. :)

I personally have been on the TGV and the RER from CDG - MLV

Again just to be clear...I don't think you can do RER non-stop from CDG. Unless they've opened up a new line I don't know about.

No there is no Direct Line to MLV Chessy from CDG, you have to get the RER B to Chatelet-les Halles (sp?) and then the RER A to Marne-la-Vallee Chessy, and the whole process takes over and hour if you have good connections, 1.5hrs if you dont. Though taking the RER is by far the cheapest way, I think its ?8.40. And as for Catching Busses to get to the TGV Station, well I had to catch a bus to get to the Bus Terminal, so if you ask me its 6 of 1 and Half a dozen of the other. I personally wouldnt go straight to the Hotel anyway, i'd go dump my stuff at the Concierge as soon as getting to Disney and go straight in rather than going ot the hotel first (But then I have annual pass so dont need to go and pick up my tickets lol :))

Colin

well I had to catch a bus to get to the Bus Terminal, so if you ask me its 6 of 1 and Half a dozen of the other.

You shouldn't have to catch a bus to any Bus Terminal to take the VEA/Disney bus. It departs directly from each CDG Terminal.

Pick up your bags from the luggage carousel (if you have any), look for the sign that indicates which door (or see: http://www.vea.fr/uk/infos-lignes.asp and make a note of it) and hop right on the Disney bus.

Timetables can be found here:

http://www.vea.fr/uk/infos-horaires.asp

I was pricing airfare for a friend today, and I was shocked - SHOCKED - at how much tickets to Paris are right now. When I made my last trip, for the opening of the Walt Disney Studios, we paid a little over $350 r/t.

For my friend, the BEST fare I could find for her dates of travel was just under $1000. It's now just as expensive as going to Tokyo. I distinctly remember that it used to be cheaper to go to DLP from the West coast as it was to go to WDW.

Good thing I am swimming in frequent flier miles, or I would never leave this country again!

AVP

Traditionally, dirt cheap airfares from the U.S. to Europe can usually be found October to mid-April. $350 round trip is not uncommon even from the West Coast of the U.S.

But you're headed into peak tourism season now in May through Summer, and prices have always shot up during those periods. Add to that the general large upswing in business and tourist travel that's been widely reported, and the reduced capacity of seats still lingering post 9/11...and even this travel-savvy businessman is having much more difficulty finding reasonable fares to Europe right now.

You should check the airline's web sites, as well as places like Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz. They work from different inventory pools, so say Delta.com might be offering $1000 as their lowest fare, but the exact same flights might be only $600 on one of the others. You really gotta shop around.

Of course you can always do the Priceline crapshoot, but you don't get to pick your airline and routings can be a pain now and then.

One way you can sometimes get around high airfares is to book a hotel/air package via numerous sites. The "package" travel providers often have blocks of seats available to them at really great prices that can be used in conjunction with X number of hotel nights. If you want to fly a specific airline, visit that airline's affiliated tour company for air/hotel deals. For example, www.unitedvacations.com is the tour arm of United Airlines and can provide various combinations of air, hotel, car, tours, etc...where you build your own package as you want it with just the elements that you want.

Sometimes these even offer "air only" which is cheaper than you can get from the airline directly.

Decent fares are out there. But the bottomline is this year is if you want to travel to Europe in the Spring and especially this Summer at a decent fare, you're going to have to devote a bit more time to shopping around and hunting out that good fare or special promotion.

And even more difficult is finding frequent flyer mileage inventory right now, for all of the same reasons! Unless you cash-in a "Fly-Anytime" award for almost double the miles it would normally cost you. :(