I've been thinking about a trip to DLP in January of 2005. Then, all of the sudden, I found a flight on AirFrance for a very reduced price on account of their current promotion.

The fare is great. I need to know if this trip is a mistake, given the time of year. I have the tickets on hold for 23 and a half hours more now, so I need some serious advice to know if I should go through with this.

I'm thinking of spending 4 nights and 5 days in DLP and then taking the Euro train down to Italy and then back to the airport in France to leave.

...Time is ticking... what do I do?? :confused: :confused: :eek:

Ask questions as needed.

I can't give any advice here. But may I aske what the airfare is? :confused:

DLP will be a bit cold and the park hours may be rudeced, but I'd go for it.


Can I go with? ;)

airfare is 468.82 per person after all taxes and fees - phone bookings only

Not Afraid, how cold is a "bit cold"?

Not Afraid, how cold is a "bit cold"?
I only know Paris temps because my Yahoo weather is set to include a Paris listing.:geek:

It occasionally snows at DLP, not a Buffalow snow, but occasional and very pretty. It can be 37 degrees on agerage, but can get up to the 70's.

A lot would depend on what you consider COLD. brrrrr.

Don't know why I am asking this, but 37 degress implies fairenheit right? I'm from Southern California, so, it may comes as a bit of a shock. I just wanted to make sure that DLP didn't drastically shut things down in such weather - and for that matter, the city of Paris and parts of Italy do not shut down.

The prices for this season seem too good to be true, ya know?

Sorry, American here. Fairenheit it is.

We really need on of our French France-adjacent posters to reply.

Maybe start a specific thread about Temps at DLP with a descriptive title.

Here is the deal... I am in Paris right now as I type this but live in the US so I asked the people I am working with who live here about your post.

Weather is not bad here in the winter. It can get cool at night in the winter (low 30's upper 20's) with highs in the day as cool as mid to upper 30's. It only snows once or twice a year here and does not stay. being from Minnesota this isn't cold, just make sure to bring a few sweaters and sweatshirts and a heavy jacket. Also a stocking hat and mittens may not be a bad idea since you are from So Cal ;) DLP has more inside attractions and is laid out different than DL so if you have never been here it will be a great experience. One thing to remember is the DLP is outside of Paris and it takes a good 45 minutes to get there by train from the city center. I suggest staying close to DLP and taking the train in once or twice to the city not the other way around. Hotels are a lot cheaper by DLP than in Paris.

I also say take the train to Italy. You will get to see a lot of the country. Another option may be to fly Easy Jet. from Paris to Italy. They are a low cost airline from England. You can fly Paris to Florance $35 each way. It is much cheaper than the train!

I forgot to add one thing. DLP is designed for the weather here so you will not have to worry about things shutting down unless there is a blizzard! (never happens). Also the City will not shut down because it is cool. The river never freezes over and all the monuments are open year round, cheaper since it is not the tourist season, but the draw back is that the operating hours are not as long since there are not as many people.

Tell me more about this EasyJet - it sounds perfect. The train is way too expensive.

Here's their website. (http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/index.asp)

My best friend is leaving for Europe at the end of the week and is going to use EJ to fly to Ireland and Sweeden from England for incredible prices.

I LOVE th train, but you can't beat fast and cheap.....in flights that is.:eek:

So, my question is - and Not Afraid, you still out there? - - - -

Why aren't WE doing this?????



(in other words, iAmJacksDLand - go for this right NOW!)

It sounds an okay deal. I have been in January and it can be nice - sometimes it will snow and the whole place looks lovely in white. Everythign will be open.

Definately when travelling Europe go somethign like Easy Jet (book online) http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/index.asp

They are a no frills (ie no food, no ticket, no seat allocated) airline - but they are as efficient as any and one of the cheapest.

As someone who flies regularly from Scotland to LA, Ca I can say that airfares are much cheaper than people think. I usually use Expedia.com to look for the cheapest flight. When searching remain flexible about when you are leaving - it can be the differnce between say £600 ($1,200) and £300 ($600)

So, my question is - and Not Afraid, you still out there? - - - -

Why aren't WE doing this?????



(in other words, iAmJacksDLand - go for this right NOW!)
Well, I got a better offer from Monsieur Illusive. And that is taking up my vacation time for the year.

Maybe Next January we can go. I MISS Paris!:crying:

airfare is 468.82 per person after all taxes and fees

I don't know what city you are flying out of, but please let me give you some advise that might take the urgency off of this a bit. That fare is good. But I actually consider it a bit high for January.

DEC-JAN-FEB most airlines practically give away seats to Europe, at least from the major gateway cities like LAX, ORD, SFO, IAD, JFK, etc.

Here's the highest of my roundtrips LAX-CDG on United Airlines just this past January (I made 2 in January):

Base Fare Tax Total
USD 267.00 USD 101.32 USD 368.32

My other flight in January had a base fare of $225 plus the taxes. And these aren't really that special of a fare. Fares are usually like this at that time of year to Paris. To London too.

The lowest prices for Winter travel are usually loaded into the airline's computers in late October through November, and often continue on. And then there are the super-specials which pop-up and are even lower! When one airline pops an ad, all the others usually quickly match it.

So while your fare is really good for this far in advance, it's not really as low as it might get if you wait until October or November. Even just now going to www.united.com and plugging in random January dates, I got a fare of $534 with taxes, which isn't a whole lot more than yours.

So I'd relax and take your time with planning out what you want to do and where you want to go. Most likely plenty of time for cheap airfares to Paris in January.

But if you want to play it safe and lock in that fare now...that's not a bad thing either.

One more thing and this is just cautionary on your current booking. Almost every airline will tell you they will hold your reservation for you for 24 hours and such. But be careful. What they don't usually tell you is that while they are holding your reservation, that does not necessarily hold your fare too! Most all airlines do not guarantee or hold prices. Until the reservation is actually ticketed, that deal can go bye-bye if the fares go up while you're on "hold." Many people get burned by this.

I guess I’m a little late with responding to your question, but I hope it is still welcome.

Cold?? : Yes it can be really cold out there in January. I’ve been to DLP many times in winter (November, December, January) and although I’m used to cold weather (living in the Netherlands), I’ve always been surprised by the cold out there at DLP. But…I can tell you that it adds to the charm of the Parks. All attractions are built to cope with snow and cold weather so that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. If you’re sure you’ve got enough warm clothes and an extra pair of shoes (believe me you’ll need those), you can surely have a great time. Personally I love the Parks in the winter. Most of the times there is no waiting time at all in winter, so please be aware that the Parks are not that big. It’s very possible to ride every ride within one or two days. Personally I love to be able to spread all those rides over 4 days and just soak the atmosphere for the rest of my time. But I must be honest with you. Sometimes it’s just to cold to walk around for a very long time. Personally I love the convenience of staying on-property during the winter, because it’s really nice to go to your room and warm up a little bit. If you’ll stay on-site it’s nice to book a hotel with a swimming pool, it’s lovely to take a swim in the evening.

Hotel?? : I’ve read many times that the hotels at DLP are not up to American standards, so be prepared. I love the moderate resort hotels (price is very nice compared to the deluxe resort hotels and they do have a swimming pool and they are definitely more luxurious then the value resort hotels). During the winter the Seqoia Lodge hotel is the coziest hotel you can get. The wood gives it a very special and warm feeling. If you’re not willing to spend your money at a resort hotel I can give you another great advice: book one of the three recent built DLP hotels (resort hotels, but situated a little further away and not owned by Disney). I’ve stayed at the Kyriad and the Holiday Inn and I can tell you those hotels were also very good. These hotels are still close enough for a little short brake during your cold days at the Parks (busses will bring you there within 5 minutes). The Holiday Inn hotel is really luxurious and very new. If you’ll check out the prices on Internet you can find some very good deals, but you can also call them for asking a good rate. http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/pardi, on this site you can find the address. The Kyriad hotel is simple, but we liked it too (no swimming pool and no other extras). http://www.hotelclub.net/directhotel.asp?id=10671 ,on this site you can find the address. If you choose to take just a hotel, be aware that Paris itself is not close to the Parks, you’ll have to take care of subway cards or look for a rental car.

Paris?? : A must see. From the Parks you can take the RER (sort of a subway) this will bring you there within 20 minutes and the tickets are really cheep. We’ve done this almost every trip to DLP and we loved the convenience of the RER. Cheep and it takes you everywhere in Paris.

Italy?? : Wow, a very beautiful country, I can hardly recommend it. I’d love to go with you.

I hope you’ll have a great trip if you’ve decided to go there in January.

FYI, there's also this current deal from Air France for Fall/Winter travel dates for 2 people traveling together:

From the East Coast:

1st Passenger $505; 2nd Person Flies for $5.05

Higher from the West Coast but still works out pretty cheap for 2 people. See:

http://www.travelzoo.com/Top20.asp?nd=100148262

You gotta purchase by tomorrow, May 15th though.

[QUOTE}FYI, there's also this current deal from Air France for Fall/Winter travel dates for 2 people traveling together:

From the East Coast:

1st Passenger $505; 2nd Person Flies for $5.05[/QUOTE]

This was the deal that I found - but what you told me about the fares that they "practically give away" for the winter seems more logical. Plus, I don't have to make an impulsive decision. I'd prefer to fly into Orly in Paris, because then I can take EasyJet right from that airport to Naples in Italy. Then once I'm back at Orly, I can take the RER, or other train, or even a certified DLP resort bus to the resort and round off the trip there.

I'd love to stay at the Disneyland Hotel as the concept of a hotel on the edge of an actual "disneyland" park is new to me - I'm familiar with the Miracosta inside DisneySeas in Tokyo, and I know the Grand Californian well at DCA in Anaheim. And while I have a small grudge against the Swan and Dolphin in WDW, the Hotel New York appeals to me strangely.

Can anyone reccomend either hotel and their dis/advantages?

And what do I do once I get to Naples?!? (going to Italy is the other halfs idea - my focus is on DLP).

Thank you so much for all your help - this is really helping me to make the best and most reasonable decisions!

I would LOVE to stay at the DL Hotel at DLP. I stayed at the Sequoia when I was there ans it was wonderful. The next step for me would be DLH -although I really liked the Sequoia.

Napels...I can't help you with. Florence is a don't miss - especially of you love art. Venice is fun, but touristy. But, alas, I've never been to Naples.

Disneyland Paris is a wonderful, beautiful park, I'm sure you will have a great time.

Being honest with you, the weather in Januray will likely be a rather cold and grey - but don't let this deter you - for Disney run all their rides in all kinds of weather and the crowds will be sparse too.. just make sure you wrap up warm.

With regards to the second leg of the trip, have you considered staying in Paris rather than hot-footing it down to Italy. Not only will the journey to Italy shave the best part of a day from your vacation, but it will also mean that you miss out on experience of visiting Paris. Cliches aside, Paris is a beautiful city by day and a magical city by night. Take someone who you really love with you.

I have stayed at Disneyland Hotel and also the New York. I didnt particularly like or dislike the New York but I found it expensive unless you used all the facilities, ie hairdressers, fitness centre. As we went purely for the Disney buzz we were rarely in the actual hotel. They have an icerink outside during winter months which is good and the view across the lake makes you feel miles away from it all. The Disney village is literally on your doorstep too. I preferred the Newport Bay which was similar in price but the crisp blue and white decor and wonderfully themed pool were great. The rocking chairs on the 'porch' outside the main entrance to the hotel was cool too (especially COOL in the winter!!)
Our fav. was the Disney Hotel. As you said it IS right at the entrance and when you come and go in the cold its a definate advantage to get to your hotel quickly. We loved the size of the rooms too. We only went into standard accommodation and our room overlooked the swimming pool which is housed in what looks like a victorian conservatory with glass roof. They also provided towels for swimming which was a bonus - didnt have to pack them. I was dissapointed that I couldnt see the actual park which is what I imagined you could do but unfortunately the DL Railroad station is in the way!! The only thing we didnt like was the expense of the meals - way over our normal family budgets! But posh nosh nonetheless. We just ate meals in thepark or the village and treated ourselves to one or two coctails in the hotel. Having stayed at the Carribean Beach and Coronado Springs in Florida, I would say the rooms are prob. less themed and def. smaller (esp. Sequoia, cheyenne and Santa Fe) but heck, its only a room! We are returning this coming weekend for a short break at the Cheyenne and dont care which hotel as long as we can touch the magic!! Good luck with your choices - ps are you Jacks Dad from the unofficial DL website? If so, hello from myself, aka windbag. :) :) :)

Im not an expert but I would guess youd shop, visit historical sites and museums - that sort of thing. Of course there is Mount Vesuvius (pompeii/herculanium); the National Gallery, an observatory, churches, hot springs and there used to be an aquarium (wow!!?!!). Then theres the other great thing - eating! ;)