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[myburgeoning]

Well, in one week we will be on our way to Disney Paris- our first trip to Paris and Euro Disney.
We plan to get an Annual Pass. We are staying at Explorers.. that's about all we know at this point. We have done DisneyWorld in the USA, and Land in USA, and usually I have things planned down to the minute. and it works flawlessly..
Does the Hotel in Paris still do character meet in greet?
Fav character buffet?
General tips: which shows are the best? How early do we need to get to them? Do they do an opening morning show? Do they have water fountains or refillable mugs? Where can we get free stroller rental with pass?
THANKS HEAPS

[DLPWonders (Banned)]

Characters at the hotels:
No, they removed them permanently last November.
Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Chip 'n Dale have been moved to the park for the Extra Magic Hours.
They will be in their standard outfits, and only in Main Street USA.
Also not all of them will be there, just a random selection.

Character buffet:
Without a doubt, Inventions at the Disneyland Hotel!
All different kinds of food, there's something for everyone.
It's a calm and quiet place, and in my opinion the character interaction is the best.
If possible I would advice to do the Sunday brunch, every week it's a different theme.
During the Sunday brunch you'll be able to meet more special characters and outfits.

General tips:
We don't really have proper stage shows. We do currently have the Swing Into Spring season.
I just came back from it and it's FANTASTIC!
Highly recommend seeing everything there is too see from it.
There's Welcome To Spring at the Royal Castle Stage (the stage on the side of the castle), revolving around Mary Poppins.
And there's Goofy's Garden Party, which is around Central Plaza (the hub before the castle).
GGP definitely needs to be seen at least 5/6 times from different places to see it all.

With both of these I would definitely recommend taking your place 20-30 minutes before it starts to get a good sight.
For the daily Disney Magic On Parade I would recommend 45-60 minutes.
For the daily closing show Disney Dreams I would recommend at least an hour.
Last Saturday I took my place almost 2,5 hours before it started and Central Plaza was already completely packed.

Also Rapunzel is doing meet 'n greets, and Minnie in het Spring dress, but the highlight is Thumper and Miss Bunny.
Check the free entertainment programme, which you can get at the park entrance, for all the info.
With all of these you definitely have to queue at least 30 minutes before they even come out.
Queues are massive for all of them, so be on time if you want to meet them!

They don't do a morning opening show, but as I said...Swing Into Spring is fantastic.
The stroller rental is immediately on the right hand side as you enter the park.
You have walk underneather the Main Street USA Railroad Station, and then to the right you'll see it.
There are water fountains, and they do sell refillable mugs in at different snack locations.

[myburgeoning]

Characters at the hotels:
No, they removed them permanently last November.
Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Chip 'n Dale have been moved to the park for the Extra Magic Hours.
They will be in their standard outfits, and only in Main Street USA.
Also not all of them will be there, just a random selection.
..

SO much helpful information. Thank you. I will book a brunch, I was hesitant, but I didn't realize it changes themes.
Thanks

[daddyof2]

I didn't find that every water fountain was working when we visited, so don't wait until you're desperate if you're planning to use them.

Also, if you can avoid using their strollers, I would advise you should do so. They look pretty terrible and are apparently quite heavy, so consider your options (either taking your own, or buying a cheap one in France)

[Lucyloo]

We're off in a couple of weeks for the 1st time and I've taken on board a tip found on this forum reference buggies.  We bought a cheap (£20) one from Aldi to take with us along with a bike lock.  Our 3.5yr old will definitely get tired by lunchtime so we intend to lock the bike up on some railing and come back for it when needed.  Also be handy for the journey back to the hotel after dreams, as he'll be falling asleep by then and definitely won't want to walk.  If it breaks or someone tries to steal it it's no big deal.  We may end up leaving it there!

[Mrsya]

I would definitely recommend the Buffalo Bill Wild West show that includes your evening meal. It runs in the Disney Village at 6:30pm and 9:30pm most evenings and was the highlight of our trip last year! We also enjoyed cafe Mickey (a cheaper alternative to Inventions) for a character lunch.

I'm a planner like you and found this forum a treasure trove of information before our first trip!

[myburgeoning]

THANKS ALL! so excited.
I think we will do all the character meals then!
Great tip on an Aldi stroller

[Ajiira]

We have just come back and had an amazing time We did breakfast at Cafe Mickey for the character dining and we loved it.  Our children loved it as did we All the classic characters there and spent time at each table more than once.  We will definitely try the other options on future visits though.

Strollers are fine, we got one on the last day for our little girl who's legs had well and truely given up by then and she loved it but they are 15 euros a day x

[mdw]

Hi someone mentioned characters in main street during emh. Do they have a professional photographer with them?

[stifle]

Hi someone mentioned characters in main street during emh. Do they have a professional photographer with them?

Not ordinarily.

[andrewuk]

Hi someone mentioned characters in main street during emh. Do they have a professional photographer with them?

Not ordinarily.

They always did have one when we were there two weeks ago. Pictures were great!

[mdw]

Fingers crossed then thanks. I want to get a photo pass plus and use them as much as possible   

[samuelvictor]

[EDIT] I've just noticed that you've already been and come back, so my reply was a little late! I'll leave this reply here for if its useful to others though! Hope you had a fantastic time

If you or your kids are into Princesses, There is a fantastic character lunch at Auberge de Cendrillon (Cinderella's Inn). All the main traditional Princesses and Princesses attend, (as well as Cinderella's mice I think?). There is lots of character interaction, and they all dance as well. Its not exactly cheap, so we've never gone, but everyone I know who has been says the food is really good and there is a tonne of character interaction and plenty of time for photos, autographs etc.

You asked about shows - it goes without saying that Disney Dreams is a must, and you should check out the parade. Hopefully, the Frozen show in the Chaparral theater will still be there, I've only heard good things about it. I'd highly recommend going to the Studios Park and checking out Animagique, Cinemagique and Moteurs Action. If you have younger kids, Stitch Live and Disney Junior are also really good.

As a side note, you will love the Explorer's hotel. We recently stayed there and its my favorite hotel that we've stayed at in DLRP, the theming there is absolutely brilliant, and the room and decor suggest a far more expensive hotel. The pool there is fantastic for families with three chutes, one of which goes outside of the pool building and then back in, and the pirate ship with the huge bucket of water that fills and tips on you is really cool. I highly recommend checking out the XD theater - its a really effective 3D cinema, with interactive chairs, and at 5 euros each is totally worth doing at least once - the "Canyon Coaster" is probably the best (you get to choose which film to watch). Also, the breakfast there is the best that we've had in one of the "cheaper" hotels, lots of actually fresh fruit, "real" cheese, yoghurts etc, better quality and selection of breads, and more choice than the Santa Fe, Cheyenne, Adagio etc...