Question for any US padders who have visited DLP from the London area, or UK residents who are in the know:

We have a vacation already booked for visiting England in April, and are now thinking of doing an offshoot to Disneyland Paris. We would like to go direct from London, right after arriving at Heathrow.

The official DLRP packages didn't seem to offer transportation options from the UK. We are looking for an all-in-one package: transport from London to the DLRP, hotel, and park tickets.

Any suggestions or advice? We have heard the Eurostar is expensive, unless you book in a package, but they only do reservations 90-days out. We found air/hotel packages on Expedia (UK) but they do not seem to include transportation from CDG to the resort.

After stumbling around various sites for the past three hours, I am turning to my fellow padders for help! Thanks for any info - greatly appreciated!

I think you should make a trip to Scotland seeing as you will be so close to it :D .

But if you will insist upon DLP teehee.

You are right Eurostar is expensive and you are going about it the right way. Expedia is a good way to book a flight. Don't worry about transport from CDG to the Disneyland Resort - you should see on the website that there is a very regular bus which goes direct to all the DLP hotels and back again - I think they are something like every 20 minutes or half hour and you can pay the driver. The journey takes about an hour from memory. It is not too long and the driver stops at your hotel and it is very clear. You don't need to pre-book.

One word of warning - if you are coming back via the bus (I think it is called VEA - it has Disneyland written all over it though) then make sure you know which terminal at CDG you are flying back to the UK from, as I have twice got off at the wrong one on the way back.

Here's the link on the official site (http://www.disneylandparis.com/uk/good_to_know/access_and_times/paris_airports.htm)

It costs 14 euros per trip each. I would say it is the simplest method apart from getting a taxi. That is much quicker, they are used to it, and you should ask the price before hand but obviously it will be a lot more.

Usually if someone is staying in the centre of London, I'd always recommend Eurostar, because it saves the hassle of travelling out to Heathrow or Gatwick (which are _not_ in London). Now you've mentioned that you're going to be in Heathrow, which may score a point in favour of flying to Paris.

But there are still some reasons why I think this thread has been unfair to Eurostar so far!

First off, Eurostar takes you directly in to Disneyland Paris. So that cuts away a number of costs and a lot of wasted time. Also, the check-in and check-out procedure on Eurostar is a little easier/ quicker than on a plane... plus you get to see the countryside that you're travelling through. In terms of the magic, therefore, Eurostar must win hands down.

Last time I checked (admittedly iit was a very long time ago) a Eurostar to Disneyland Paris could be bought for around £99; a Eurostar to Paris itself was £59 (this would require a further train from Paris to Disneyland Paris, which takes around 35 mins as I recall.) This is not what I'd describe as really expensive.

The other thing about packages is that I seem to recall that the official Disneyland Paris travel brochure does offer all the various transportation options. But I think the website does not. So if you're coming from the US, you either need to book it through your travel agent or through a UK travel agent as a package. You should be able to look up UK travel agents who do packages to Disneyland Paris on the web - there are lots of them. Though frankly I'm not sure you'd save any money that way.

I think you should make a trip to Scotland seeing as you will be so close to it :D .

Och, aye! I should be wanting to get back to Kelso to see fellow Jamieson/Gunn descendents. :) Thanks for the info, I need one of those "Disneyland Paris for Dummies" guidebooks!



First off, Eurostar takes you directly in to Disneyland Paris. So that cuts away a number of costs and a lot of wasted time. Also, the check-in and check-out procedure on Eurostar is a little easier/ quicker than on a plane... plus you get to see the countryside that you're travelling through. In terms of the magic, therefore, Eurostar must win hands down.

"Easier/quicker" is good! We'll be coming off a 4-hour car drive and a 10+ hour overnight flight... not looking forward to any more additional steps than neccessary. Do all of the immigration details - from UK to France - get taken care of at the rail stations on both ends? I've done the hovercraft crossing, but haven't been to France since the Chunnel opened.


Thanks to you both for your responses. Do you (or anyone else out there) have a recommendation for the properties in or near the resort? We are budget-minded, but know that it may be worth paying resort prices that include park shuttles rather than staying further away from the park and having to pay for transport back to the park.

Ta!

I've looked at the EuroTunnel prices and Horseradish is right - it is nowhere near as expensive as it used to be or I thought. I have never travelled on it, but having now seen the prices (I looked at the Eurostar site and you can book on there) I do think it is a good option from Waterloo Station. Yes the immigration etc is taken care of at the train stations.

(I am now seriously considering taking that route when I go next just a change and for the sheer convinience of a direct train to the resort. The train station at DLP is literally right in the heart of the resort so you simply cannot get any closer).

Hi Merm8fan,

I'm a former Henderson resident (Green Valley in 1977-1982), now in HB, CA and a D-lander. I think I can help you. I travelled around England, and yes Tutter Scotland too, for 3 weeks ending in London, hopped on the Eurostar at Waterloo Station downtown London. Your passports are cleared before you enter the train and is very much like an airport. It is a pleasant 2-2 1/2 ride into Paris, a little freaky once in the tunnel for 20 minutes, and then the French countryside flys by as you go 200 mph. A definite E ticket!

We stopped in Paris for 3 days before catching another train to DLP. But I am sure you can go directly to DLP station, and it stops right there at their Downtown Disney. You exit the train and you are at the main entrance. It is so convenient, that I would not bother with planes, airports, buses etc. Not to mention that the Eurostar is so cool and fun. How many times do you get to train under a water channel and move 200 mph along the French countryside?

There are shuttles at the main entrance that take you to the on property hotels and I am sure that they are about your only option. When we were there in 2001, there were no other hotels around DLP like at DL. We stayed at the budget Santa Fe Hotel. Your stay includes a length of stay pass to the parks, and buffett style breakfast in the restaurant. They sell packages which at the time were very reasonable compared to here, but now with the Euro exchange rate, I'm not sure.

The room was more than adequate and comfy with free shuttle service and walking paths to the parks-about 10 min walk. The Santa Fe buildings looked like southwest style pueblos, with mariachi music playing around the grounds and lobby. A big faux drive in theater screen hovers over the parking lot with a huge likeness of Clint Eastwood and cacuts planted all around. LOL-It was pretty funny to see their version of the southwest in France! There is a gas station-mini mart just off the parking lot to buy non-disney snacks and groceries.

DLP is very fun with some of the same yet different rides. The castle is very European in architecture with flying buttresses like Notre Dame. Tomorrowland is called Discoveryland and has a Jules Verne feel. Adventureland is more along the lines of Aladdin instead of Jungle, and they have a skull rock there. Haunted mansion is based around a dead bride and groom-differnet. Alice in Wonderland is a walk through hedge maze. And it is so fun seeing HISTA and other attractions in French. I could on and on but you'll love all of it, I promise! We spent 2 1/2 days in DLP but the studios were not open yet, so I can't comment on it.

Oh and Horseradish, maybe 99 pounds is not a lot to you on your end but you have to remember our exchange rate at the present time. Everything for us is just about double in price, unless we can manage a package from the US somehow and pay in US dollars. But I doubt it. When we bought our package, we had to call DLP direct in France to make our arrangements and then the price was exchanged from the then French francs to dollars on our credit card OUCH!

Anyway, Merm8fan, if I can answer any more ?? you can PM me if you like and I'll try to answer if I can. :D

Happy travels!

I am slightly repeating what others have said … but anyhow.

A flight from Heathrow to Paris will cost you about £100. The flight will take about 1 hour. You can also get a flight from Gatwick and Stansted – which are 2 – 2 ½ hours by train from Heathrow and will cost about £15. Stansted has Easy Jet and flights are about £30.

Once you land at Charles DeGaulle you have 3 options to get to Disneyland. Cab (expensive), a bus that will take you to your hotel. Or a train which will take you outside Disneyland. From the Disneyland train station you can get a free bus to your hotel.

You can get a bus called National Express from Heathrow to Disneyland. I have no idea of price or time – but expect it to be about the same price as Eurostar, and a lot longer.

Option 3 is the Eurostar as many mentioned. In the Waterloo Terminal (about 45 by train from Heathrow £6ish) there is a separate section for Eurostar peoples and they will deal with customs there. Its a lot easier than at an airport I have found. It will cost from £30 return, if you book 2 days before your journey you can get cheap tickets. (not the day before its more expensive). It will take about 3 ½ hours. There is limited luggage space – so get there as early as possible.

As for hotels? I personally like New York – its about 10mins walk. Its not as family orientated as the other hotels, but the food is good. I have also stayed at Sequoia which is about 10mins further walk than New York to the park. Its more family orientated, but there was not much choice in regards to food at the restaurants.


Have fun and remember to take an umbrella.

My husband I went from London to Paris on the EuroStar. We would have gone directly to DLP that way, but we stopped and stayed in Paris for several days before going onto DLP.
We took the trains to go out to DLP from Paris.

But, the EuroStar is wonderful! It is so clean, so well maintained...and efficient. No driving, no hassling bad weather, roads or tunnels or bridges. Just sit back and enjoy the very comfortable nice ride.
You can either book a ticket in a higher class which serves food...or go the cheaper class, and you can buy your food in a snack area, or bring some food onto the train.
Either way, it was very pleasant to ride on. :)

I would highly recommend this method of travel from London to Paris and back. It's worth the price. Plus, it only takes 3 hours. :)

We are looking at doing a large trip to Europe this August. Our plans are to go to Belfast, yes Scotland, then to London. Our question is, most of the Europe tours start from Paris/London; would it make sense to go to DLP, then back to Paris for a few nights, then get on the tour back in Paris? Or should we start our tour in London, then finish with Paris and DL? Is it easy to take the EuroStar between Paris and DL, both ways? We are just starting to plan, and we really have no idea because we have never been to Europe. Any help would be great.

Thanks,
John

The eurostar is the way to go either direction, it is the same. The train goes from Waterloo station in downtown London directly to the train station right in front of DD, near the main gate. It couldn't be simpler. As far as whether you should do DL Paris first or last, would depend on your itinerary/plan. Just however it works best for you. We flew into London for 3 days, drove around England, Scotland, Wales, for 21 days ending in London, Eurostar to Paris for 4 days, and lastly took the train to DL Paris for 3 days. Worked great!
Check out this link for direct Disney train prices and schedules.
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/eurostar/eurostar_disney_train.htm

The Eurostar operates through RailEurope and it would probably be better to buy the tickets before you go in dollars rather than taking a bigger hit with the exchange rate. BTW, you will LOVE DL Paris!

Good luck and happy travels! :)

Well, thanks for all of the responses! All of the information is great, as I was not able to find anything so detailed during my internet wanderings. It will truly help us in our planning.

We actually decided to postpone the DLP "hop" until our Oct/Nov visit to the UK. By then, most of the NT properties are closed down for the winter and we will have more wiggle room to spend a few days at DLP.

I think we will definitely go with the Eurostar, but wondered about driving instead. I always rent a car, since I prefer to explore at my leisure, and am interested in the pros or cons of driving to DLP. Has anyone done the drive?

I think we will definitely go with the Eurostar, but wondered about driving instead. I always rent a car, since I prefer to explore at my leisure, and am interested in the pros or cons of driving to DLP. Has anyone done the drive?

I have done the drive from Glasgow, Scotland - through England - across on the ferry and driving to DLP.

It was a long journey - but if you were driving from London it is not so bad at all.

From memory though (and this was a few years ago) I don't think it was vey much cheaper than flying. It was very handy though to be able to simply shove our stuff in the car and simply take it out at the hotel after booking in.

It is very easy to find and very well signposted if you are worrying about directions.