Logistics of Solo Trip Questions

[CoachBeard]

Hello! I am a lifelong Disneyland local and have been to WDW a handful of times, twice in recent years. I last visited DLP in 1998 when I was a kid (15) and I've been itching to go back since. There's a ton of great info here I've been reading but I wanted to ask a bit more technical logistics question. I'm going to couple the potential trip with hopefully a week in London. I fell in love back in 98 and haven't been able to get back. Since then I've discovered pub future, Real Ales, the IT Crowd and so many UK TV shows, etc...

Question 1 - would it be better to do DLP first and London after?
Question 2 - Should I fly into London and take the train to Paris (did that back in 98) or fly into Paris?
Question 3 - as a solo traveler just how many days do I really need at the parks?

Depending on all of this I may take some time to roam Paris a bit as well but London is far more important to me at this point, as well as potentially exploring other parts of England.

 

[Karin1984]

Hey there!

Question 1 - would it be better to do DLP first and London after?
Really personal question, depends on your plans in London and which part of the trip is more important to you. Start your trip with a bang, or use it as the finale? How busy will your London portion be, for which part will you need more energy? Do you need time to recover of your jetlag?

Question 2 - Should I fly into London and take the train to Paris (did that back in 98) or fly into Paris?
Doesn't really matter, there is no longer a direct train between Paris and London. You will have to transfer in Lille. If it doesn't matter to you if you start or end in Paris, then I would look at plane & train fares to determine what is best.

Question 3 - as a solo traveler just how many days do I really need at the parks?
How big of a Disney fan are you? Do you want to see and do it all or do you want a snapshot? Time for repeats or everything once is enough? Will you be using Premier Access (our fastpass version) and pay for guaranteed access to shows, these will save you some time and all together you might be able to cut a day. What time of year are we talking about? Will you be staying onsite?

So... not really helpful yet but maybe it will give some direction.

 

[CoachBeard]

Yeah totally get what you’re saying. Both legs are equally important to me.

So the Eurostar under the channel doesn’t go to Paris anymore? Lame! I’m not opposed to flying or alternate transport but I enjoy trains. Edit: it says they still do: https://railclick.com/en/train/london/paris

And

I’m a big Disney parks fan. I’ll happily pay for the premier access and plan to do 4 park days. No shows probably no parades and yes, I’m planning to stay on site at either hotel NY or sequoia and am aiming for mid March because of the cooler weather.

 

[Karin1984]

At the moment:
The trains still go directly to Paris the city, but not to Disneyland Paris anymore. So, it's either going to Paris and take the subway/RER from Gare du Nord. Or take the train to Lille and transfer there to the train to Disneyland Paris.
However, it is possible that the direct route will be restored later this year / next year. When you go to the Eurostar website now, it does say you will need to transfer. https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/train/london-to-disneyland-paris

There are no public holidays and if you go after March 10, there won't be any school holidays in France either. If you are not going to do shows and parades, then 4 days solo is a lot of time. If you are just going to do rides, I say you would need 2 days, especially with Premier Access. 3 days if you take it really slow, skip EMH, take a lot of breaks etc.

 

[Karin1984]

And

I had a look at this video. It's uploaded on 22 December 2023. But she mentions it was recorded on Christmas Eve, which is the 24th of December. So my guess, the video was recorded in 2022 and only posted a year later, for whatever reason.

 

[CoachBeard]

At the moment:
The trains still go directly to Paris the city, but not to Disneyland Paris anymore. So, it's either going to Paris and take the subway/RER from Gare du Nord. Or take the train to Lille and transfer there to the train to Disneyland Paris.
However, it is possible that the direct route will be restored later this year / next year. When you go to the Eurostar website now, it does say you will need to transfer. https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/train/london-to-disneyland-paris

There are no public holidays and if you go after March 10, there won't be any school holidays in France either. If you are not going to do shows and parades, then 4 days solo is a lot of time. If you are just going to do rides, I say you would need 2 days, especially with Premier Access. 3 days if you take it really slow, skip EMH, take a lot of breaks etc.

oh ok. I don't mind a transfer, it's pretty common when traveling by rail but good to know it changed.

 

[zavandor]

I love the train between London and Paris (and DLP), such a shame it's not direct anymore. But for me train beats flying any day. Remember to consider the time and cost of transfer to/from the airport when comparing the two.

1 day in DLP is enough to do the highlights and unique attractions only.
2 days is enough to see everything.
3 days for the Disney fan who wants to soak all the details and repeat their favorites multiple times
4 days is too much, you'll start to get bored.

 

[CoachBeard]

I just figured 2 days at each park will allow me to go at my pace and catch things I missed the previous day. I do DL/DCA as a local often and sometimes I’ll go on maybe one ride the whole time. Granted, DLP is new to me so there’s a lot to soak in and do but I’d hate to leave and take another 27 years to get back. Maybe I’ll try for 3 and save some money to use elsewhere on the trip.

London is a big deal to me and I plan to spend at least a week there. However, I have a lot of other Europe stuff I’d love to eventually do. Is there anywhere worth seeing that is not Paris but a train ride from Paris? I’ll do a day or two in the city. It’s fine but it’s not my most desired visit.

My travel style is a mix of big tourist stuff you have to do once in your life mixed with finding a great neighborhood or two to spend time in visiting cafes, pubs, restaurants and pretend to be a local essentially. Any great craft beer spots or whiskey bars would be amazing.

 

[Karin1984]

There are a lot of day trips possible from Paris, but it depends a bit what you want. Big palaces? Go to Versailles (although there are others as well), something unique? Go to Mont St. Michel. Love Monet? You can visit the gardens or even Etretat. Go abroad? 2 hours to Brussels, 4 hours to Amsterdam. No idea how far, but Germany isn't that far either.

For beer or whisky, I would do that in the UK. Those are more popular drinks over there. So more to offer.

 

[Rogue1677x]

We went to Paris for a week in April and had so much fun. We did book a tour to Mont St. Michel, which was really worth it.

We also hit Disneyland Paris on our arrival day and spent another day there, which gave us enough to explore both parks.

 

[CoachBeard]

There are a lot of day trips possible from Paris, but it depends a bit what you want. Big palaces? Go to Versailles (although there are others as well), something unique? Go to Mont St. Michel. Love Monet? You can visit the gardens or even Etretat. Go abroad? 2 hours to Brussels, 4 hours to Amsterdam. No idea how far, but Germany isn't that far either.

For beer or whisky, I would do that in the UK. Those are more popular drinks over there. So more to offer.

If Brussels is that close I’m going to make a point to go there, as Belgium is very high on my list. The beer culture is unreal. I watch a YouTube fella based in Paris who has explored some of the craft beer spots in Paris. It’s actually a lot more popular than you might think. But of course I’ll be doing that in the UK. They have cask/real ales over there. I’ll be in pure heaven.

Thanks for the recs. I’ve got a lot of planning to do and probably a kidney to sell.

 

[Becx N Gav]

I just figured 2 days at each park will allow me to go at my pace and catch things I missed the previous day. I do DL/DCA as a local often and sometimes I’ll go on maybe one ride the whole time. Granted, DLP is new to me so there’s a lot to soak in and do but I’d hate to leave and take another 27 years to get back. Maybe I’ll try for 3 and save some money to use elsewhere on the trip.

London is a big deal to me and I plan to spend at least a week there. However, I have a lot of other Europe stuff I’d love to eventually do. Is there anywhere worth seeing that is not Paris but a train ride from Paris? I’ll do a day or two in the city. It’s fine but it’s not my most desired visit.

My travel style is a mix of big tourist stuff you have to do once in your life mixed with finding a great neighborhood or two to spend time in visiting cafes, pubs, restaurants and pretend to be a local essentially. Any great craft beer spots or whiskey bars would be amazing.

Your trip sounds lovely and I hope you are able to everything you want!

Personally I have been to DLP a number of times over the years (I am in the UK) and I would do a 4 day solo trip if I could afford it and time it right with work / having my son etc. (I will take my son at some point but he would not do a lot of the rides and is a picky eater so I think I might struggle with that! At DL last year we ate at the same places over and over!) So if it is important to do absolutely everything and take in the place then have that extra day!
Have you thought about where you will stay at DLP? If you do 4 days you could even do a split stay!

I visited London last October to see the Disney 100 Exhibition and I stayed in the Whitechapel area. From there it was a short walk to Spitalfields and Shoreditch. It was a really nice place to have a wander, try some food and soak in the atmosphere so I would recommend a morning or afternoon there is you have the time.
I also loved having a walk around Greenwich Park - it's a bit out the way but there is the Observatory and you get a lovely view of the city!

In the UK Brighton is a nice 'other' place to visit from London, it's by the sea and you could do it in a day (get the train there and back). It's a walkable city with loads of variation, you could just take in the atmosphere or pay to do some fun stuff!

As for Belgium, I visited when I was 16 and it was ok! I think we went to the European Commission? As an adult I think I would like to spend a day there. From Paris I am not sure how long it take, but a train would probably be the best way to travel. Then you may need to look at a hotel overnight.

 

[CoachBeard]

Your trip sounds lovely and I hope you are able to everything you want!

Personally I have been to DLP a number of times over the years (I am in the UK) and I would do a 4 day solo trip if I could afford it and time it right with work / having my son etc. (I will take my son at some point but he would not do a lot of the rides and is a picky eater so I think I might struggle with that! At DL last year we ate at the same places over and over!) So if it is important to do absolutely everything and take in the place then have that extra day!
Have you thought about where you will stay at DLP? If you do 4 days you could even do a split stay!

I visited London last October to see the Disney 100 Exhibition and I stayed in the Whitechapel area. From there it was a short walk to Spitalfields and Shoreditch. It was a really nice place to have a wander, try some food and soak in the atmosphere so I would recommend a morning or afternoon there is you have the time.
I also loved having a walk around Greenwich Park - it's a bit out the way but there is the Observatory and you get a lovely view of the city!

In the UK Brighton is a nice 'other' place to visit from London, it's by the sea and you could do it in a day (get the train there and back). It's a walkable city with loads of variation, you could just take in the atmosphere or pay to do some fun stuff!

As for Belgium, I visited when I was 16 and it was ok! I think we went to the European Commission? As an adult I think I would like to spend a day there. From Paris I am not sure how long it take, but a train would probably be the best way to travel. Then you may need to look at a hotel overnight.

I'd love to do a split stay. I normally jump between 3 hotels when I go to WDW. I usually rent DVC points but the travel agency I inquired with says that DLP has some sort of overlap with the reservations because they book the hotel & tickets as a bundle so it makes a split stay complicated. I'd like to experience Newport Bay and Sequoia Lodge but we shall see. At this point it looks like I may need to wait until 2026 for this trip due to funds.