Globetrotting: to Disneyland Paris and back with TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I got very behind but caught up now!

 

Bummer about all the construction, but I can't wait to see Disneyland Paris! 

[ependydad...Doug 176]

1) I like those trash cans

 

2) Is it more, or do their translations on the map switch order? Sometimes english is the first one, other times it's the second one?

 

3) I'm hoping that isn't a tourist parked all catawampus at the Disneyland Gates.

 

4) "We had a good driveway.  I found out another day, when I accidentally parked at the wrong cabin, that some of the driveways are much shorter:" - first you leave 1/2 way through a show and now you're parking at the wrong site. Do you try these things for fodder? Or are they natural for you?

[ajcjmom 8]

Loving the report.

 

I am hoping that several years down the road that young son CJ will get stationed in England.

 

First stop though, will be the great state of Oklahoma and pilot graduation. Woo Hoo!!

 

We are looking forward to traveling.

 

Whitney

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You know, there is NO better way to travel than by train ... Least not in my book. :)

I agree. We much preferred our hassle-free and on-time train ride from London to Paris than our late and cramped flight from Dublin to London.

 

I'm excited! I literally have NO idea what they have here. And I refuse to google it, your TR is more fun if I don't know what to expect.

 

Good for you.  I promise you will know about everything they have in their two parks and their version of Downtown Disney by the time we get done.

 

It's interesting seeing all the Davy Crockett stuff in France.  His name is pretty prominent around here.  While most people relate him to Texas, he was actually from Tennessee and has a huge legacy here in state parks, schools, community centers and a county all named after him.  Although most everything named after him here is named "David Crockett" rather than Davy.  He went by the name David throughout his life, but it was after his death at the Alamo that writers and journalists created the larger than life persona of Davy, which culminated with Disney's tv show back in the day.

 

It is interesting.  Why should the French care about Davy Crockett?  It makes sense that his name would be prominent in Tennessee, but France?

 

I was already looking at prices. LOL

 

Best Regards,

Norm

 

I'll have some money saving tips later- so don't book anything yet!

 

Ditto!  

 

:popcorn:

 

I think you're going to need a bigger popcorn bucket.

 

I got very behind but caught up now!

 

Bummer about all the construction, but I can't wait to see Disneyland Paris!

 

Glad that you're caught up.  There's already been a lot, and we aren't even at the half-way point yet.

 

The construction was a real bummer.  But, other than being a mess to look at, and causing an occasional delay in our travels, it wasn't that bad.  From what I later learned, it's going to be going on through 2016. Since some of the stuff was closed on this trip, I might need to go back and see the finished product.

 

1) I like those trash cans

 

2) Is it more, or do their translations on the map switch order? Sometimes english is the first one, other times it's the second one?

 

3) I'm hoping that isn't a tourist parked all catawampus at the Disneyland Gates.

 

4) "We had a good driveway.  I found out another day, when I accidentally parked at the wrong cabin, that some of the driveways are much shorter:" - first you leave 1/2 way through a show and now you're parking at the wrong site. Do you try these things for fodder? Or are they natural for you?

 

1.  The trash cans were well themed.

 

2.  I didn't notice that about the translations, but you're right.  The French are pretty much a bunch of screw-ups.

 

3.  That car was moving over from the lane that I was in- which is the only one with a green light, to the next lane over, as the lane with the green light wasn't really open. (see comment 2 above).

 

4.  About parking at the wrong cabin- it happened the next day when we came back for an afternoon break and dinner.  The loop was empty again, and I hadn't memorized our cabin number.  I pulled into the driveway of what I thought was our cabin.  In case you haven't noticed, they all look the same.  It was worse than me just parking there, as I got out of the car, walked up the stairs, and tried to open the door with my key.  When it wouldn't work, I was perplexed.  Then I looked in the cabin and saw other people's stuff.  Thank goodness no one was home.  My DD loved that.  As I pointed out to her though, she was right there with me, and never said a thing about this not being our cabin.  And no, I don't do these things on purpose, and it's not because I'm getting old (as my daughters like to say).  I just sometimes miss some small details.  That's all.  Maybe I'm part French?

 

Loving the report.

 

I am hoping that several years down the road that young son CJ will get stationed in England.

 

First stop though, will be the great state of Oklahoma and pilot graduation. Woo Hoo!!

 

We are looking forward to traveling.

 

Whitney

 

I'm sure your son will see the world.  My wife has a friend who graduated from the Air Force Academy, and married a classmate.  They have lived everywhere!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As we continue to look at Disneyland Paris, I wanted to address the issue of what it's like to rent a car and drive there.

 

As I've already described, renting the car was inexpensive and easy.  No different from renting a car in the US, and in a lot of ways it was easier, as the car rental office was right there in the train station, and there was no shuttle to ride or anything like that.

 

As for the drive- it could not have been easier.  There was never much traffic, and the roads were in good condition and well marked.  I knew nothing about driving in Europe before this trip, and I didn't even know that the only people who drive on the wrong side of the road there are the British and the Irish.  In France, their steering wheels are where ours are, and they drive on the right side of the road.  So, it's not a problem.

 

And let's put the distance in perspective.

 

This Google map shows that the distance from Davy Crockett Ranch to the park entrance is 8.8 km.  That's 5.4 miles to you:

 

 

Google says it's an 8 minute drive, and I think that's right from leaving Davy Crockett Ranch to arriving at the gates.

 

Let's compare that drive to something you may have done before- Fort Wilderness to Animal Kingdom.  Google maps says it's a longer drive:

 

 

Can you drive from the Fort to AK?

 

Then you could survive renting a car at Disneyland Paris and staying at Davy Crockett Ranch.

 

I'm looking at you, Carol.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm excited !

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Hmmmm... that makes it seem manageable. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

As we continue to look at Disneyland Paris, I wanted to address the issue of what it's like to rent a car and drive there.

 

As I've already described, renting the car was inexpensive and easy.  No different from renting a car in the US, and in a lot of ways it was easier, as the car rental office was right there in the train station, and there was no shuttle to ride or anything like that.

 

As for the drive- it could not have been easier.  There was never much traffic, and the roads were in good condition and well marked.  I knew nothing about driving in Europe before this trip, and I didn't even know that the only people who drive on the wrong side of the road there are the British and the Irish.  In France, their steering wheels are where ours are, and they drive on the right side of the road.  So, it's not a problem.

 

And let's put the distance in perspective.

 

This Google map shows that the distance from Davy Crockett Ranch to the park entrance is 8.8 km.  That's 5.4 miles to you:

 

 

Google says it's an 8 minute drive, and I think that's right from leaving Davy Crockett Ranch to arriving at the gates.

 

Let's compare that drive to something you may have done before- Fort Wilderness to Animal Kingdom.  Google maps says it's a longer drive:

 

 

Can you drive from the Fort to AK?

 

Then you could survive renting a car at Disneyland Paris and staying at Davy Crockett Ranch.

 

I'm looking at you, Carol.

 

TCD

OK, OK......

 

Plus I have TONS of Hertz points. I wonder if they work overseas??  Nother question, do the cabins have air conditioning?

 

I just read that many of the hotels don't including the Cheyenne and Sante Fe.......

[DaveInTN 3,247]

OK, OK......

 

Plus I have TONS of Hertz points. I wonder if they work overseas??  Nother question, do the cabins have air conditioning?

 

I just read that many of the hotels don't including the Cheyenne and Sante Fe.......

 

You Americans and your air conditioning.  Next thing you'll be expecting is ice in your drinks.  Oy.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

OK, OK......

 

Plus I have TONS of Hertz points. I wonder if they work overseas??  Nother question, do the cabins have air conditioning?

 

I just read that many of the hotels don't including the Cheyenne and Sante Fe.......

 

Oh, and to answer your Hertz question....Yes, you can use points in Europe.  If you go on the Gold Plus website there is a chart of points needed for rentals, and you can select your country. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Oh, and to answer your Hertz question....Yes, you can use points in Europe.  If you go on the Gold Plus website there is a chart of points needed for rentals, and you can select your country. 

Cool :)

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Caught up.

Running behind the tube, double decker bus, train and your rental car was hard work.

I'll wait here and catch my breath a moment until it is time to head into the park.

[shoreline99 137]

Just a note on all the construction - from what I understand, maintenance and upkeep went out the window as the park got further into debt, leading to people not wanting to go and stay as much, etc. (downward spiral).

 

Part of the deal with Disney's latest influx of capital was that the company running DLP had to put a lot of it into refurbishments.

[lightbikes 73]

"I saw a lot of RV's in the Disneyland Paris parking lot, and word is that they let guests overnight there."   - 

 

So now I'm thinking I need to investigate renting a small caravan like they have in New Zealand and Australia to tour Europe in - then I could go and stay at Disney.  

 

Although those cabins look absolutely charming.   :)

 

Sorry but you seriously need to stop doing your day job and just write this trip report - we're all dying for more!!!!!!!

[BigTom 76]

You mean he has a day job. I thought his job was to write these trip reports for us who can't afford to travel.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm excited !

 

Good.  You will get a first look at Disneyland Paris next.

 

Hmmmm... that makes it seem manageable. 

 

The drive was very manageable.  But, depending on your budget, there are some other resort options that looked a lot easier.

 

OK, OK......

 

Plus I have TONS of Hertz points. I wonder if they work overseas??  Nother question, do the cabins have air conditioning?

 

I just read that many of the hotels don't including the Cheyenne and Sante Fe.......

 

Good question about the AC.

 

The Disneyland Paris website is woefully deficient in providing room descriptions.  Apparently, there are three different levels of cabins, but good luck trying to find an explanation of the differences between them.  As far as I know, we had the cheapest cabin level, which they call a Trapper Cabin, and it had AC.  It was just one of those small wall units, and it was only in the main room, not the bedrooms.  You can see both the heating and cooling systems in this photo:

 

 

I assume that square thing mounted there lower on the wall is some kind of radiator for heat.  There were things similar to that on the walls in each bedroom, but no AC.   We were there in the middle of May, and we didn't need AC.  I don't think it ever got to be above 60 degrees outside, and it was in the 40's in the morning.

 

You Americans and your air conditioning.  Next thing you'll be expecting is ice in your drinks.  Oy.  

 

Yeah, and toilet paper, deodorant and soap.  Americans are so demanding.  The French get along just fine without such extravagances.

 

Oh, and to answer your Hertz question....Yes, you can use points in Europe.  If you go on the Gold Plus website there is a chart of points needed for rentals, and you can select your country. 

 

That's cool.  What a great perk for those who have points to use.

 

Caught up.

Running behind the tube, double decker bus, train and your rental car was hard work.

I'll wait here and catch my breath a moment until it is time to head into the park.

 

Good job.  We were moving pretty quick there.  Especially on the train.

 

Just a note on all the construction - from what I understand, maintenance and upkeep went out the window as the park got further into debt, leading to people not wanting to go and stay as much, etc. (downward spiral).

 

Part of the deal with Disney's latest influx of capital was that the company running DLP had to put a lot of it into refurbishments.

 

"The company running DLP?"  Do you mean that DLP is not run by Disney?  I didn't know that, but based on things we saw, and especially based on how most of the CM's acted, both my DD and I began to think that was the case.

 

"I saw a lot of RV's in the Disneyland Paris parking lot, and word is that they let guests overnight there."   - 

 

So now I'm thinking I need to investigate renting a small caravan like they have in New Zealand and Australia to tour Europe in - then I could go and stay at Disney.  

 

Although those cabins look absolutely charming.   :)

 

Sorry but you seriously need to stop doing your day job and just write this trip report - we're all dying for more!!!!!!!

 

I haven't looked into it to far, but I do think that renting a small caravan and touring Europe is something that people do.  I had a conversation with a gent from GB at Davy Crockett Ranch one morning, and he told me about some of the campgrounds that weren't far from there which he said were far superior to DCR.

 

You mean he has a day job. I thought his job was to write these trip reports for us who can't afford to travel.

 

I wish I could earn a living writing TR's, but so far I haven't figured out how to do that.

 

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

Yeah, and toilet paper, deodorant and soap.  Americans are so demanding.  The French get along just fine without such extravagances.

 

That's what fingers are for!

 

I wish I could earn a living writing TR's, but so far I haven't figured out how to do that.

 

Consult with Disney, I'm sure they will give you a way to wring out every cent us Fiends have to read a TR!

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Those wall unit A/C's work very well. I have two in my stockroom and I only use 1 and I can get it down to 64 degrees and have done so in the summer.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[Memphis 105]

That white thing at the top of the picture is not an A/C?

[shoreline99 137]

 

"The company running DLP?"  Do you mean that DLP is not run by Disney?  I didn't know that, but based on things we saw, and especially based on how most of the CM's acted, both my DD and I began to think that was the case.

 

 

 

Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disney Resort, is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town located 32 km (20 mi) east of the centre of Paris, and is the most visited theme park in all of France and Europe.^[1] It is owned and operated by Euro Disney S.C.A., a publicly traded company in which The Walt Disney Company owns a minority stake.^[2]

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yeah, and toilet paper, deodorant and soap.  Americans are so demanding.  The French get along just fine without such extravagances.

 

That's what fingers are for!

 

I wish I could earn a living writing TR's, but so far I haven't figured out how to do that.

 

Consult with Disney, I'm sure they will give you a way to wring out every cent us Fiends have to read a TR!

 

LOL.  Gross.

 

Those wall unit A/C's work very well. I have two in my stockroom and I only use 1 and I can get it down to 64 degrees and have done so in the summer.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

 

Good to know.  The only issue I see, though, is that the unit is just in the main room, with no way to cool the air in the bedrooms.

 

That white thing at the top of the picture is not an A/C?

 

Yes, that's the AC.  I thought that's what I said.  Did I goof?

 

Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disney Resort, is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town located 32 km (20 mi) east of the centre of Paris, and is the most visited theme park in all of France and Europe.^[1] It is owned and operated by Euro Disney S.C.A., a publicly traded company in which The Walt Disney Company owns a minority stake.^[2]

 

Thanks.  There's my answer.  That explains a lot about what I felt was a lack of pixie dust there.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK, let's get in the park already.

 

As you may have noticed, there was practically no one else arriving at the park when we did.  In case you're wondering, parking is free for resort guests.  We had a paper ID card that we had to show at the booth, and we were good to go.  We followed the signs to the parking lot, and found a huge lot and no attendants telling us where to park.  It was almost 4 pm by this time, and there were empty spots in all of the rows, so I kept driving, hoping to get as close to the entrance as possible.  As we headed in, we could see that there was a walkway in the center of the parking lot with moving sidewalks.  We saw no signs of a tram, so it seemed that the best strategy was to look for a spot near the end of a row.  We found one in the B section, which is the second closest to the entrance.  Good enough.  Here's my Fiat Panda in its parking space:

 

 

Then we headed to the walkway.  It had a total Universal Studios Florida vibe about it, but that Malefique poster let us know where we were:

 

 

That building over yonder is one of the on-site Disney hotels.  My best guess is that it's the Hotel New York,  You can see the French version of the Downtown Disney balloon behind it:

 

 

We walked, and then we walked some more:

 

 

Then we came to an open area-this is where the two big parking lots meet.  There are some drink machines here in case anyone needs hydration during the long march:

 

 

They still have a kennel here at the parks:

 

 

A French not so hidden Mickey:

 

 

There are restrooms across from the kennel:

 

 

Then some more walking.  We kept seeing the word Bienvenue everywhere.  It means welcome:

 

 

Here we are turned around, looking back at where we had just come from- we will leave this way later tonight- the signs above the walkways going out toward the parking lot say Beintot- which means so long, or see your real soon.  You can see that French not so Hidden Mickey on the ground there:

 

 

Wow, they even have that Miles from Tomorrowland show here in France.  But, apparently, Tomorrowland isn't a word the French will use:

 

 

Guess what?  We still have some more walking to do:

 

 

Now we're passing a picnic area.  I think I would have eaten the picnic long before I got here:

 

 

Finally, we reached the area of the train station- it's there on the right. You can also see that Disney Studios is straight ahead. It has taken us eight minutes of non-stop walking to get here.  Some of that was on moving walkways.  And, look at that guy painted gold standing on the step-stool.  WTF?:

 

 

Here we are in that same area near the train station-looking over to the left, you can see that there are street vendors here selling Eiffel Tower models and selfie sticks.  Yes, I said selfie sticks.  WTF?:

 

 

Disney Village is over in that direction, and you can see some of the street vendors with the crap they're trying to sell to guests arriving here:

 

 

This security guard was patrolling the area, and didn't seem to me making any effort to chase off the street vendors.  So, apparently, they're allowed to be here:

 

 

The best I can figure, Disney doesn't own the land around the train station, so these street vendors must be allowed in this area.  It's not very magical.

 

Here we are turned around, looking at the train station- if you arrive by train, you can walk right out those doors there, and be in this place that it took us 8 minutes to walk to from the parking lot:

 

 

Finally, we arrived at the bag check.  This must be where the Disney property actually starts.  Anyone going to Disneyland, the Studios, or the Village has to pass through here.  They have x-ray machines for larger bags, but smaller bags are checked by hand, just like at the US parks:

 

 

There was only one lane open, but the good news here is that these were the only people coming in to the parks when we were- that was a good sign that things wouldn't be too busy:

 

 

Straight ahead is the entrance to Walt Disney Studios, one of the two parks here.  We aren't going there today:

 

 

The Disneyland park entrance required some more walking- we first had to walk to the Disneyland Hotel.  The actual park entrance is just past it:

 

 

So, more walking:

 

 

The area around the Disneyland hotel is beautifully landscaped:

 

 

We are almost there, but not quite.  How awesome would it be to stay in this hotel?:

 

 

That hotel literally sits at the entrance to the park.  I don't know who can afford to stay there, though.  The best prices I ever saw for rooms started at $1200 a night.

 

When we got to the hotel, we had to walk beneath it-that's where they scan your park ticket:

 

 

The way they handle tickets here is very primitive- they just have paper tickets, and there are no finger scans or photos taken.  From everything I saw, it would be easy for two people to use one ticket.  And, we later found out that there are people who hang out in the parking lots and beg for tickets from guests who are leaving so they can use them.  You would think the idiots in charge would have some procedures in place to discourage that.  But, as far as we saw, they don't care.

 

Finally, we made it through the hotel and were in the park.  All together, that was a 3/4 of a mile walk.  In comparison, the walk from the MK bus stops to the MK entrance is about .2 miles and the walk from the Contemporary resort to the MK entrance is only about .5 miles.  It's nuts that day guests have to walk 3/4 of a mile just to get to the Disneyland entrance.  As we entered the park, we saw some of the signage and the decoration for the Swing into Spring festival that was going on- it's the French version of Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival:

 

 

The entry in to this park is a lot like the MK and Disneyland- you walk under the train station and enter into a Town Square area:

 

 

There's no American flag flying here, of course, so there's a Gazebo where the flag pole should be.  Where Tony's and the Town Square Theater are in the MK, they have a garage for the Main Street Transportation vehicles:

 

 

They have a City Hall, and it's in the same place as the MK's.  We will be going there soon, but for now, we are going to head down Main Street and in to the park.  We caught our first glimpse of the castle here, and can see that it is large and majestic, the way a castle should be, not puny like Disneyland's:

 

 

Geez, we are at the photo limit already.

 

So, you'll have to wait for the next update to see stuff in the park.  But, at least we're here.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You better hurry with the next update.  If you leave us all for the weekend with a bunch of photos of your walk from the parking lot, your safety will be in question.  We know the way to Dunedin.  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Wow.  I can't believe you had to walk that far from the parking lot.  That hotel is beautiful, and the park looks great.

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

I have an old college friend who lives in Dunedin too..........and he owes me a favor.

 

Best Regards,

Norm