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[Witters87]

Hi everyone
I'm new here and was looking for some advice, we have booked our first holiday to Disneyland and are going on 8th August 2016.
We are just looking to book our park tickets and was wondering where the cheapest place to buy them is? It's our first holiday abroad as an adult so I'm a little nervous lol.
We're going to be staying at the explorers hotel and want to visit Disneyland for 3 days 9th, 10th and 11th August.
We have not booked any meal plans so we'll be eating out every day, is there any meal deals I could I could buy to eat whilst we are on the park? Or are we best off just paying as we go? We're not too bothered about where we eat, burger and chips will be fine for us and the children.
As we have never been before I really don't know how much spending money to take with us or what we'll need to budget for. The children are going to want to buy stuff from the gift shops ect.
I was thinking of buying £1200 worth of euros and taking my bank card just Incase, would this be enough do you think? We'll arrive at the hotel early evening on the Monday, we'll be visiting Disneyland tues, weds, thurs and returning home on the Friday.
What things need paying for once in the park? We was thinking food, drinks, snacks,  gift shops and photo passes. Is there anything else?
I have seen people say to take snacks and drinks with you but can you take food and drinks on the plane? Or is there a supermarket near by we could go to?
I'm so sorry for so many questions, we're so excited to go but I'm getting really nervous as we're getting closer to the date. Xxx

[Witters87]

I nearly forgot, the children want to have lunch or diner with the characters, what are the prices for this? And will I need to book in advance? Thanks xx

[daddyof2]

Ok, let's see...
£1200 should be enough - I'd advise not going too heavy on shopping the first day or 2, so you know what your budget looks like. You can "pay as you go" for your food, and if you're planning on eating mostly at the quick service restaurants, that will actually work well. From those, we really like hakuna Matata and colonel hathis (both near each other in adventureland). If you want to eat with the characters, you can do this at cafe mickey (Disney village) or inventions (Disneyland hotel). Of these, cafe mickey is generally cheaper, but inventions is a big favourite of many people on here. The is also Auberge de cendrillon near the castle, but it's very expensive and is princesses only (no mickey, etc) so you might not want to go there. If you have anywhere you definitely want to eat, book it. Either in advance or at the restaurant or city hall when you get to DLP

[Zee79]

At the moment Inventions is €59 per adult & €33 per child & it all you can eat buffet. Cafe mickey is about €35 per adult, not sure about the child but that is set menu I think or all la carte.

[dencarter]

We have not booked any meal plans so we'll be eating out every day, is there any meal deals I could I could buy to eat whilst we are on the park? Or are we best off just paying as we go? We're not too bothered about where we eat, burger and chips will be fine for us and the children.

You can only buy meal plans with your hotel package, so no. If your preference is to eat on a budget and simple food is good for you, in Disney Village you'll find the delicious Earl of Sandwich as well as McDonalds. They're conveniently close to both park entrances for you to grab something as you park hop. The fast food inside the parks is fine - certainly nothing to write home about and for the money you're best off having fast food in the village. There are also some decent cafes at the Val d'Europe shopping centre. You can walk there in about half an hour, or take the RER one stop, or grab a quick Uber.

That said, Disneyland has some amazing restaurants. If you're eating the majority of your meals fast food style, you might save enough cash to treat yourself. I've never been with kids, but I adore both Walt's and Blue Lagoon. I think kids would love the pirate theme of Blue Lagoon, but Walt's might be a bit boring. Someone else here can probably recommend better family spots.

As we have never been before I really don't know how much spending money to take with us or what we'll need to budget for. The children are going to want to buy stuff from the gift shops ect.
I was thinking of buying £1200 worth of euros and taking my bank card just Incase, would this be enough do you think? We'll arrive at the hotel early evening on the Monday, we'll be visiting Disneyland tues, weds, thurs and returning home on the Friday.

Haha - wow - kids ARE expensive! My partner and I normally only bring about 100 euro between us for a 2-3 day trip (excluding food)! This covers a souvenir or two. Best to defer to someone with experience of satisfying child demands!

What things need paying for once in the park? We was thinking food, drinks, snacks,  gift shops and photo passes. Is there anything else?

That's about it, really.

I have seen people say to take snacks and drinks with you but can you take food and drinks on the plane? Or is there a supermarket near by we could go to?

DEFINITELY bring some snacks in with you. You can take anything with you on the plane if you check it in. If you're travelling with hand luggage you can bring anything except liquids or paste. The kind of stuff I'd bring would be bananas, cereal bars like Belvita and chocolate, as well as a few personal items like antibacterial hand gel, deodorant, chewing gum, etc. For easy carrying these are better in a backpack than a hand bag or holdall.

In terms of drinks, I'd bring a small (not too bulky and heavy) refillable water bottle per person and fill it up at the water fountains around the park. They're in every restroom as well as a couple of other places (not as common as the American parks, but they are there). The drinking water is perfectly safe, although some people don't like the taste. You could get around this by carrying a small bottle of Robinsons Squash'd or similar. They're 66ml so you can take them in hand luggage on the plane, and I expect there's a flavour your kids like!

Hope that's helpful!

[samuelvictor]

Ooh I'm jealous, I love the Explorers' hotel - we've only stayed there for one night but loved it and will be going back

I agree that you can defintiely take food with you in your suitcase/hand luggae (though check for any specific restrictions) - the first time we ever went we were pretty skint and nearly bankrupted ourselves to go, so had little to no spending money whilst there - we took nearly an entire suitcase full of snacks like instant noodles etc to make with the kettle in our room  the kids didn't mind, it was all part of the fun!

However, you also asked if there is a supermarket nearby - yes, there is the Auchan supermarket in Val D-Europe, which is about a 20 minute walk or five minute bus ride from Disney Village - its very affordable and has a large range of "own brand" stuff - its not premium Disney prices at all.

I don't think you mentioned how many children you have but £1200 should be more than enough for food, snacks, photopasses and spending money! 

Of course the restaurants vary in price but we found it easy to get a decent meal for 4 for around 100 euros. The Explorer's hotel has a really nice "all you can eat" breakfast, so I'd advise that you stuff yourselves full, stick to only snacks during the day (which if you want to save money, you can bring with you, or get from the Auchan, the garage bythe Santa Fe, or the railway shop) and then have a large evening meal in a restaurant.

We usually get an evening meal after the parks close, there are plenty of great places in Disney Village, and that way we don't lose time in the parks. However, if your kids are younger, this may not be an option. Also in the Village there are places for a cheaper snack or smaller meal - Earl of Sandwich does a really good set price meal, and of course there are places like McDonalds and StarBucks which are pretty much the same prices as here. You mentioned that you like Burgers and chips - I'd highly recomend Annettes for those, and it is very affordable -  around 21 euros each for a main, desert and drink. Billy Bob's is even cheaper, around 13 euros for a main, desert and drink, and it often has free entertainment - live bands etc.

Also worth mentioning that there are 3 really good and affordable restaurants in the Explorer's hotel itself - cheaper than most places in the parks and village, good quality, and of course less busy and less queues. The pool complex there is excellent and the restaurants are all around that area. I know that the next time we stay in the Explorer's hotel we'll definitely be taking advantage of the pool and the Pizza place right next to it

For character dining, its slightly more expensive, but Cafe Mickey in the Village is affordable and has plenty of characters. If your kids like Princeses, I'd highly recomend Auberge de Cendrillion character dining in the Disneyland Park, though its quite pricey - around 160 euros for 4 from what I remember.

To give you an idea on spending money for kids, the first time we went we gave our kids 20 euros spending money each and advised them to think carefully about what the wanted to spend it on - remembering things they liked the look of each day, then making their decision on the last day. They got a nice souvenier plus some small things like pens, magnets, sweets etc with the change. In later trips where we have been more affluent we give them around 100 Euros each with similar advice - they can get plenty of cool stuff for that - for example last trip my son got a large star wars toy (vehicle), a tshirt, a light sabre and lots of small things like pens, keyrings, sweets etc. My daughter got a hat, t-shirt, snow globe figurine, bag and some cheaper stuff again - they certainly didn't feel hard done by. Even considering other stuff they also had their eye on, it would have been hard for them to spend 200 plus without feeling over extravegant...

Remember also that if there is any "big" thing that they really want and you can't afford, you can often pick it up on ebay, from Disney Store, or even through mail order directly from Disneyland Paris once you get home! We have found it useful in the past to take photos of items and then their price tags with our phones so that we can remember to get them later if we still want them

[twigs72]

Please remember that you can not take drinks through at the airport an that you will need to buy drinks when you passed though security and in the departures lounge.

[Witters87]

Thank you so much for all your advice, as we have never been before we just didn't have a clue about prices and how much we're going to need, tbh I thought you was all going to say we needed to take slot more than £1200 but now we have a pretty good idea
I think if I didn't set a budget I would badly over spend, I love Disney and the children do too so I think we would want to buy everything in sight.
I'm going to start buying snacks every week ready to take with us, I bet that will save us a fortune, as the children are 5, 6 and 11 year old so will want snacks thoughout the day and at night in the hotel, I think we'll have our breakfast at the hotel then take snacks until our evening meal, that will definely take the costs down.
The hotel seems really good, The children are going to love it, there seems to be a lot just in the hotel to keep the children entertained.
We all like McDonald's so we can have that one evening then we'll do the character dining one evening, then we just have one more evening meal to choose from, the children won't mind what we eat, I think they'll be that excited that they're at Disneyland they would eat what ever is put in front of them.
I'm going to have a look online to see if I can get some bits off there before we go as it will be cheaper than buying whilst we are there
A water bottle each
Minnie/mickey ears
Dressing up costumes
Is there anything else anyone can think of that we could take to save paying Disney prices?
Im trying to save as much money as possible then we can spoil the children in the gift shops ect within reason, I know I'll want to buy everything I see lol I'm as bad as the children for Disney.
More questions (sorry lol)
If we buy the photo pass will we need one for each day? Or can we just use the same pass for a certain amount of time?
When you have the photo pass can you buy print outs of the photos at the end of our time there? I know when you visit theme parks over here you can buy a photo pass then choose a package of pictures you would like.

I think I'm going to try plan a spending budget for what we will need whilst we are there, and set amounts we can use, as I can see how people manage to go well over budget.
Thanks again for all your great advice you have all helped soooo much xxx

[glenn]

£1200of euros is plenty,King Ludwigs,planet Hollywood,and the rainforest cafe are all pretty good places to eat,the first two often having specials if you eat before 6 o'clock.
As for snacks,a portion of fries,cakes or waffles are not too expensive.
The souvenirs are better left to the last couple of days,that will give you a good idea how much to spend.

[stifle]

PhotoPass+ for €59.99 is good for ten days. You can purchase prints from €10.

[samuelvictor]

As others have mentioned, the photopass is a fixed price for your whole holiday (up to 10 days). When you get home you can download your photos using the app or website. You can choose to buy copies of the photos once you are home, or you can just download them and print them yourself, or put them on facebook etc for no extra charge.

I think if I didn't set a budget I would badly over spend, I love Disney and the children do too so I think we would want to buy everything in sight.

I think you just described us all there! Yes of course its easy to want to buy everything in sight, but tbh with 3 days there its easy to distract the kids by going on all the rides and to all the shows - 3 days is probably the perfect amount of time to get everything done. If the kids know how much money they have, you can use your camera on your phone to take photos of stuff that they want, along with the prices, and then they can give it a good think and choose what they want most on the last day (or at the end of each day if they can't wait!) 99% of the stuff you'll see in the parks will be available in World of Disney and the Disney Store in the Village so you can buy stuff at the end of the day and not have to carry it around with you all day

Most stuff is quite affordable - for example postcards, photos, pens or sweets for 2-4 euros, metal badges keyring and magnets for 5-8 euros, mickey ears, tshirts, figurine, snowglobes, mugs and plush toys for 10-20 euros, plastic toy sets like disney castles, star wars vehicles etc for 20-50 euros, sweatshirts, coats and costumes 30-50 euros. Of course there are the occasional premium items like expensive limited edition figurines, crystal figures, or big sets, but most stuff should easily fit in to the budget you laid out.

I'm going to start buying snacks every week ready to take with us, I bet that will save us a fortune, as the children are 5, 6 and 11 year old so will want snacks thoughout the day and at night in the hotel, I think we'll have our breakfast at the hotel then take snacks until our evening meal, that will definely take the costs down.

Yup that's what we did the first time we went. TBH it actually adds to the fun and anticipation leading up to the trip and planning stuff with/for the kids. Remember that places like Poundworld, Poundland and pound stretcher do a LOT of Disney related snacks/sweets. They also do things like Disney Socks, Notebooks, Pens/pencils etc which you can take with you and make everything feel Disney-like, and not have to pay over the odds in the park for. Primark is also good for disney t-shirts and clothes to wear whilst you are there.

The hotel seems really good, The children are going to love it, there seems to be a lot just in the hotel to keep the children entertained.

Its a really nice hotel with great theming and lots to see and do. The swimming pools and kids activity areas will be perfect for kids the age that you mentioned, and as I said the restaurants there are decent and cheap as well There is also a nice and well stocked Disney gift shop in the hotel which is worth baring in mind - all of the stuff there is affordable - mostly badges, keyrings, mugs, pens/pencils, snow globes, soft toys, postcards, t-shirts. All the same as you can by in the parks, and they sometimes have good deals on (for example, spend 10 euros and get a reduced price mug or t-shirt).

I'm not sure if its still there, because its not mentioned on the Explorer's website, but if is, I'd recomend the 4D cinema they have (or used to have) its 5 euros each but is really good

[DOELI70]

We've just come back from a stay at the Explorers and it is a fab hotel with friendly staff. The shuttle does get busy but it's only a ten minute journey. We got our park tickets through Attractiontix. They were the cheapest and gave us money off vouchers for Earl of sandwich and Planet Hollywood too. You just print off the email and take it to self serve machine outside the entrance to park. Scan the code and it prints out your passes. Dead easy. Parks open at ten but I recommend getting there at nine and queuing to get in. It will be very busy in August but they do a little countdown at 9.30 and let everyone in. you can take some lovely photos on Main St as you walk in of the Castle and then go to rope at 'land' you want to visit first. At 10am they play some music and drop the rope . You then need to walk as fast as you can to the ride you want to go on first. You will have to queue so be prepared. my daughter took her kindle in her backpack and played games while queuing. The parade is well worth seeing and again, get there early so your children are in the front and the characters will give them a little wave or a high five.  We went back to the hotel for a rest and then went back for the fireworks at 11pm. It is a long old day but they are well worth seeing. however the shuttle bus does get packed going back after the fireworks. A taxi is about ten euros. I'd get a taxi as it's worth it with hot tired children. We had to wait over an hour for the shuttle at that time.
I would also recommend a character meal at Cafe Mickey. lots of lovely character interaction without having to queue for ages.
Have a wonderful time!

[A&S&O]

Are you looking for park tickets too? If so, you may find it cost effective to buy annual passes, or at least one for one of your party.
An AP will give you entry to the park (obviously), but also free parking and discounts of 10% - 20%  in the shops and restaurants and on your photo pass. You would also get Magic Hours in the park from 8am. You could also pop in to the park on your arrival date.

Even more cost effective if you plan to visit again in the next 12 months.

Check out Fantasy AP prices on supertrips.net (£150) and discount-ticket-store (£129.50 - currently out of stock).
Not sure on gate prices for APs, but you could save 10% by getting sponsored.

We arrive on the 8th August too - staying 10 nights in an apartment in the Adagio.

[A&S&O]

When you have the photo pass can you buy print outs of the photos at the end of our time there? I know when you visit theme parks over here you can buy a photo pass then choose a package of pictures you would like.

I think I'm right in thinking that you can download all the photos for free. Can anyone confirm? Doesn't seem right that you pay 59.99 and then have to pay extra to actually get your pics?

[polar vixen]

You only pay if you actually purchase pictures there,. Otherwise download when you get hiome and do what you want with them!