Gareth& Hayley
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2008
Hi All,
In the past few months I have had a mass of hints and tips! I wanted to pass on my own views from my trip to Disney, returned last night!
Travel
We flew from Cardiff to CDG and even with a 30 minute delay at Cardiff we landed on time! From terminal one at CDG I took the lift down one floor to departures and caught the Disney shuttle from outside gate 32 to the VEA bus.
The VEA bus was very simple (€17 each, one way), you jump on a shuttle which then take you to the bus for your trip on to Disney. As we were staying at the Holiday Inn we had to jump off at the coach station and then jump on the pink 54 bus which stops right outside the Holiday Inn. The whole trip from CDG to the hotel took about 90 minutes in TOTAL... mainly because we were VERY lucky with the the transport.
The pink 54 shuttle from the Hotel to the coach station was very good, waited on average 10 minutes for the bus.
We took a taxi from the Hotel to CDG because it was cheaper (€15 each) however only because we shared the trip with two other people.
Had a 4 hour delay leaving CDG because of the radar issues last night however didn't spoil anything!
Hotel
The Holiday Inn was great! Clean, Tidy & Comfortable.... would stay there again. I had to pay a €16.60 local tax which I wasn't expecting on check out.
Disney Tickets
I booked a 2 day pass with my travel company and with a deal they had on gave me an extra day free. However, when I picked the tickets up at Disney they were only valid for 2 days so we were stuck with having to pay for an extra day!
I did however notice posters in French advertising the annual passport for an extra €30 each. When I went to find out about it all I had to do was pay an extra €21 each for the Fantasy Passport (as we had already paid €108 for a 2-day pass, so we paid the difference). This meant we could visit for our two planned days (Monday & Tuesday) but also Wednesday and half day Thursday. Also meant we had discount off our meals and in the shops! We can use it again if we return (subject to dates)
Money
WOW! What can I say... EVERYTHING is so expensive around Disney. €6.50 for a bottle of beer at the Hotel and €2.50 for canned soft drink! Tip: Buy your soft drinks at the train station vending machines - only €2 for a bottled soft drink.
Food!
Planet Hollywood (Disney Village)- Good 'fast' type food but greasy! Starters + Main Course + Drinks for two people cost us €50 (Had 20% off before 7pm)
Cafe Mickey (Disney Village)- Set Menu for two people (Starters, Main Course, Dessert) €83. Had a great time there and the characters (seen 6/7 in total) gave every table attention even if you didn't have kids. Service was slow but would eat there again, definitely!!
Blue Lagoon (Disneyland inside pirates of the Carribbean)- Unusual place to eat with, the beef fillet was VERY good! Too expensive however and wouldn't return. Paid €65 for main course and one drink for two people.
King Ludwigs Castle (Disney Village) - Lovely food with slow(ish) service, set menu was reasonable. €70 off the set Menu (Starters and Main or Main and Dessert) and a drink each. Food wasn't HOT... more warm but not cold!
Billy Bobs (Disney Village) - All you can eat buffet dinner with typical Tex-Mex type food. €25 per head with drinks extra. Best place to eat and got stuffed!
Buffalo Bills - (Dinner + Show at Disney Village) fed and watered very well (although we had beer
) Highly recommended!
Plaza Gardens (Disneyland) - €25 per person (all you can eat buffet + one Drink), just off Main Street USA (to the right). Very attractive inside.... didn't enjoy it as much as Billy Bobs however filled us well on our last day.
Steakhouse (Disney Village) - Steak cooked to perfection, very nice food, left feeling full, however the service was quite slow and the seating hostess was quite rude when we asked to sit next to the window. We were told the area was closed, but later we saw her seat a family there!!
My Tips
Get the annual passport if your going for more than two days, works out far cheaper and the discount makes it even better value. 15% off buffalo bills tickets, 10% off in disney shops and restaurants (with the fantasy ticket -green one)
Book your meals if eating after 7pm - especially if eating at cafe mickey!!... it got VERY busy and this was off peak!
Other Stuff
We took the train to the shopping centre (one stop away) which cost €3 for a return trip each (You can get a Bus there for €5 each, one way). Felt it was a waste of time however as it was a Sunday and not everything was open. Also we stopped at the Mcdonalds inside the shopping centre at Val D'Europe for a drink. We sat down and a French man started to try and get our attention, talking to us and pointing at the floor where we were sitting. Neither I nor my partner speak French but when we looked there was a dead rodent at our feet under the table inside the mcdonalds! We were absolutely disgusted and left.
We took the tour at the Disneyland Park for €15 per person. It was very interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Ensure you take your walking shoes, as the tour lasted 2 hours.
Before I go
We had a great time but spent more than we were expecting to, but did eat where we wanted to.
In the past few months I have had a mass of hints and tips! I wanted to pass on my own views from my trip to Disney, returned last night!
Travel
We flew from Cardiff to CDG and even with a 30 minute delay at Cardiff we landed on time! From terminal one at CDG I took the lift down one floor to departures and caught the Disney shuttle from outside gate 32 to the VEA bus.
The VEA bus was very simple (€17 each, one way), you jump on a shuttle which then take you to the bus for your trip on to Disney. As we were staying at the Holiday Inn we had to jump off at the coach station and then jump on the pink 54 bus which stops right outside the Holiday Inn. The whole trip from CDG to the hotel took about 90 minutes in TOTAL... mainly because we were VERY lucky with the the transport.
The pink 54 shuttle from the Hotel to the coach station was very good, waited on average 10 minutes for the bus.
We took a taxi from the Hotel to CDG because it was cheaper (€15 each) however only because we shared the trip with two other people.
Had a 4 hour delay leaving CDG because of the radar issues last night however didn't spoil anything!
Hotel
The Holiday Inn was great! Clean, Tidy & Comfortable.... would stay there again. I had to pay a €16.60 local tax which I wasn't expecting on check out.
Disney Tickets
I booked a 2 day pass with my travel company and with a deal they had on gave me an extra day free. However, when I picked the tickets up at Disney they were only valid for 2 days so we were stuck with having to pay for an extra day!
I did however notice posters in French advertising the annual passport for an extra €30 each. When I went to find out about it all I had to do was pay an extra €21 each for the Fantasy Passport (as we had already paid €108 for a 2-day pass, so we paid the difference). This meant we could visit for our two planned days (Monday & Tuesday) but also Wednesday and half day Thursday. Also meant we had discount off our meals and in the shops! We can use it again if we return (subject to dates)
Money
WOW! What can I say... EVERYTHING is so expensive around Disney. €6.50 for a bottle of beer at the Hotel and €2.50 for canned soft drink! Tip: Buy your soft drinks at the train station vending machines - only €2 for a bottled soft drink.
Food!
Planet Hollywood (Disney Village)- Good 'fast' type food but greasy! Starters + Main Course + Drinks for two people cost us €50 (Had 20% off before 7pm)
Cafe Mickey (Disney Village)- Set Menu for two people (Starters, Main Course, Dessert) €83. Had a great time there and the characters (seen 6/7 in total) gave every table attention even if you didn't have kids. Service was slow but would eat there again, definitely!!
Blue Lagoon (Disneyland inside pirates of the Carribbean)- Unusual place to eat with, the beef fillet was VERY good! Too expensive however and wouldn't return. Paid €65 for main course and one drink for two people.
King Ludwigs Castle (Disney Village) - Lovely food with slow(ish) service, set menu was reasonable. €70 off the set Menu (Starters and Main or Main and Dessert) and a drink each. Food wasn't HOT... more warm but not cold!
Billy Bobs (Disney Village) - All you can eat buffet dinner with typical Tex-Mex type food. €25 per head with drinks extra. Best place to eat and got stuffed!
Buffalo Bills - (Dinner + Show at Disney Village) fed and watered very well (although we had beer
) Highly recommended!Plaza Gardens (Disneyland) - €25 per person (all you can eat buffet + one Drink), just off Main Street USA (to the right). Very attractive inside.... didn't enjoy it as much as Billy Bobs however filled us well on our last day.
Steakhouse (Disney Village) - Steak cooked to perfection, very nice food, left feeling full, however the service was quite slow and the seating hostess was quite rude when we asked to sit next to the window. We were told the area was closed, but later we saw her seat a family there!!
My Tips
Get the annual passport if your going for more than two days, works out far cheaper and the discount makes it even better value. 15% off buffalo bills tickets, 10% off in disney shops and restaurants (with the fantasy ticket -green one)
Book your meals if eating after 7pm - especially if eating at cafe mickey!!... it got VERY busy and this was off peak!
Other Stuff
We took the train to the shopping centre (one stop away) which cost €3 for a return trip each (You can get a Bus there for €5 each, one way). Felt it was a waste of time however as it was a Sunday and not everything was open. Also we stopped at the Mcdonalds inside the shopping centre at Val D'Europe for a drink. We sat down and a French man started to try and get our attention, talking to us and pointing at the floor where we were sitting. Neither I nor my partner speak French but when we looked there was a dead rodent at our feet under the table inside the mcdonalds! We were absolutely disgusted and left.
We took the tour at the Disneyland Park for €15 per person. It was very interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Ensure you take your walking shoes, as the tour lasted 2 hours.
Before I go
We had a great time but spent more than we were expecting to, but did eat where we wanted to.
, when are you going back???
)
I am shocked at the rat in McDs (surely the staff could have taken it away!) but I suppose you will find them in 'open air' type restaurants like the Blue Lagoon in fairness - esp with it's surroundings (just from what I've read about it btw) 
