Hi all! I'm trying to talk DH into doing the Paris race in 2019 to celebrate me turning 29 again. When I look at the website for information it is all a little overwhelming! And yet, both the Disney and the RunDisney websites seem to have a lack of information at the same time as having too much. I'm thinking that booking through TA might be best since I have no clue what I'm doing.
If you want to be guaranteed to get the race(s) you want, yes, either use a
travel agent or book the bib/hotel package directly with
Disneyland Paris. Bib only sales for many of the events sold out the day registration opened in April.
Suggestions based on what I have learned this year:
*Approach planning the trip like you would any other Disney trip. Spend time on their website figuring out what hotel you want to stay at and if you want any of their meal plans.
*Figure our how you will get from the airport to the park. Their version of DME? Train? Cab?
*Start shopping flights so you know what the options are before you book you package.
*After the 2018 race is over, check the runDisney site every few weeks until you see they have posted the 2019 list of travel agents then start checking the Disneyland Paris website for booking deals.
*If you are in the states you can call the Walt Disney World number and ask for Disneyland Paris. Plan to make that call really early in the morning; also bring your patience when you make the call as you might spend a long time on hold and have a cast member that is not comfortable with English.
*If you love photopass do not get it when you book. At least this year race photos are not part of photopass so you have to purchase a specific card after registration opens. They have cards for just the races as well as for additional park days.
*Know that for the half marathon you will need a doctors certificate. The form is available on their website.
*After you book your package, be patient. The link to finalize registration (shirts, POT, etc) was not sent until the end of June this year.
Also, I would suggest lurking on the Disneyland Paris section of the boards. There is a lot of information there. Besides restaurant information one of my biggest takeaways from that board is not to expect WDW or Disneyland - to keep in mind that this is a theme park in Europe where the culture and attitudes are very different from the states.
Hope this helps.