Hi all,
So me and my other half are both keen to get back to DLP next year for the 25th Anniversary celebrations but because we went earlier this year we aren't sure if it will be pushing our luck financially. Going to DLP can add up to be a costly holiday (especially with us who are avid collectors and probably buy too much :D ) so we are looking at how to bring the cost down.
Staying at a hotel off-site is out of the question as we enjoy going for the full immersive experience and we are pretty smart about money we spend on our meals. So travel seems the obvious one to tackle.
Typically Eurostar is the first choice. It's so convenient as it takes you right in to DLP and doesn't take too long either. But as with anything you have to pay more for this convenience so travel quickly puts the total cost right up. We talked about maybe driving there but I wanted to know from you guys who have done it whether it's actually worth it?
We live in Kent so getting to Dover for the Eurotunnel isn't a massive journey (1 hour tops) but what about the drive on the other side? If you have any information on the below that would be fantastic:
- Roughly how long does it take to get to DLP once in France?
- Are there lots of tolls/how much are they?
- Is the parking at the DLP hotels free?
- If anyone has done both Eurostar and driving there, how do they compare? Does one stand out as the better option in terms of time and cost?
Apologies for rambling on but any help would be greatly appreciated! ;D
We havent done eurostar because of the cost we drive everytime. It takes about 3 1/2 hrs 1 toll to pay 21.70 euros each way. Parking at hotels is free. There are lots of service s on the way so you can stop and take your time. its not an unpleasant drive. A couple of times we have hit a little traffic on the way home but just getting away from paris. For me the money i save on travel and accommodation (we usually stay in partner hotels and have an annual pass) has allowed us to take the number of trips we have this year and treat the kids to lots of goodies and to spend a little more on character dining.
Remember the cost of your fuel though (hours each way) and the cost of your tunnel Crossing- we have to drive down the country but even with paying for 6eurostar seats the train still works out about the same price.
Hi. We drive down from Scotland every time. Was brought up in Kent so used to travelling up and down the M6! When pricing either flights or eurostar it doubles the cost of our holiday and as said earlier, the money saved pays for other parts of the trip. Got to DLP and back again two weeks ago on 3 tanks of fuel and £80 for the ferry crossing and 1 toll fee each way of less than €20. It's pretty straightforward on the other side and as we travel overnight the roads are quieter and we can make the most of the time in the parks by arriving early doors.
One pro that we do like of driving is that we can stay at Davy Crockett ranch which happens to be our favourite Disney site. You'd have to drive to the parks each morning but it's a lovely site -nice to sit out on an evening with a glass of wine, free pool table, table tennis, tennis, and pool.
We drove this year and will be doing the same in April. Like others have said it's not a difficult drive and there are plenty of places to stop for a rest/food/toilet. One bonus for me was that you can take what you like, we were loaded up with bottles of water, Capri-sun for the kids and Diet Coke for us. We also had snacks galore. When we go in April we can take clothing for all weather possibilities without having a restriction on bags etc
We travel down every from about the same location as you (Kent)
We much prefer driving, though it is not as restful for the driver as sitting on the train we love the flexibility of it. There are about two crossings every hour on eurotunnel and at least 1 an hour for ferry. This means we can choose to arrive anytime we want. Whereas there are only a few eurostars a day so you are stuck to those times.
It is also a lot cheaper. For us as there is very little drive in England it is less than a tank of petrol there, we refill before leaving Disney. So it's not that costly on fuel. This holiday in February we looked at Eurostar. The indirect trains sold out so for 3 of us Eurostar was £700. Driving costs no where near that. We pay our crossing on eurotunnel with Tesco vouchers that we save up over the year so we really only pay about £100 on travel. (Incl tolls)
I forgot to say about the flexibility of times, we usually take the 6.20am eurotunnel going out and the 9pmish on return, so we then have the majority of both days to spend in the park. Usually arrive at disney by about 11.30am and leave after the parade on return day. Petrol for me, i live near heathrow, use a full tank driving too and driving to and from hotel all week and fill up for the return journey. Cost £260 (tunnel, petrol and tolls) compared to £590 for travel by eurostar for 3 of us. No brainer if you dont mind driving and want to enjoy the flexibility of having your car. It does also give you option of staying at cheaper accomodation if you wanted to
We always drive, taking Eurotunnel using Tesco Clubcard vouchers, so its free.
We live Midlands so approx 400 miles each way (£80 roughly).
The roads in France are a pleasure to drive on! The trip to DLP takes us approx 2h45m in France.
We often stay offsite using discount sites so get good deals. Davy Crockett Ranch is our favourite though :D
As the driver I'd love to take Eurostar one time, but it would cost a hell of a lot more than the approx £100 fuel to drive (incl the journeys whilst there), so it's well worth taking the car and either having more to spend inside DLP or saving it for another trip!
QuoteI forgot to say about the flexibility of times, we usually take the 6.20am eurotunnel going out and the 9pmish on return, so we then have the majority of both days to spend in the park. Usually arrive at disney by about 11.30am and leave after the parade on return day.
I was under the assumption if we drove we would not be able to get into the parks until after 3pm as that's when you can check into the hotel. I thought you didn't get the park tickets until then and getting them early was a perk just for Eurostar.
Is that not actually the case? Can you actually get into the parks before check in? And can we spend the last day in the parks too after checking out? Can anyone clarify how that works?
If that is the case then that would make driving a much more appealing option as well as sounding much cheaper.
You can check in early & get your park tickets & go to the parks early, you just can't get access to your room until after 3, unless you are lucky & your room is ready of course.
You check out by 11, store your luggage & stay in the parks until you are ready to leave. We usually leave about 3:30 as we get the 8pm train back to the UK.
You can actually pick up your park tickets the night before you check-in, if you're in the area...
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 06:41:02 AM
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
What do you mean by french parking styles? Never had a problem driving or parking in france
Quote from: jacmurphy on October 05, 2016, 08:59:19 AM
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 06:41:02 AM
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
What do you mean by french parking styles? Never had a problem driving or parking in france
Bumperbumperbumper
I mean that they are parking so close that the bumpers of the cars touch and if someone wants to use his or her car he is hitting the car in front and in the back of his or her car until he has enough space to get out of the parking space.
I don´t want to spend 4000€ on new bumpers after my holiday.
Driving from calias is simple 95% motorway but we usually travel during the night (4 kids) we get off the tunnel about 3am next to nothing on the motorway and you get to disney before paris gets going around Charles degalle.also if you stay At davey croketts load the car up with loads of food for meals it's saves 100's of euros on food driven 9 times soon to be our tenth wouldn't do it any other way.plus you get there for magic hours on your first day and leave when they kick you out on your last day no half days to and from the airport
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 06:41:02 AM
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
Only ever seen that in the centre of Paris. Parking at Disney or around Val D'Europe is fine. And if you do go into Paris and are worried about it there are car parks that you can use.
Quote from: macca1476 on October 05, 2016, 11:32:20 AM
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 06:41:02 AM
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
Only ever seen that in the centre of Paris. Parking at Disney or around Val D'Europe is fine. And if you do go into Paris and are worried about it there are car parks that you can use.
I know that is not as bad in car parks or on hotel parking lots, but still the chances are much higher in France than nearly everywhere else in europe.
The relationship to their cars (generalisation!) is totally different in France nobody cares about a scratch, here (Germany) they freak out if someone just touches your car.
We've done the Eurostar but much prefer to drive.
We live in the north of England but we set off about 6am and get a lunchtime Eurotunnel crossing, arriving in DLP around 4pm THE DAY BEFORE our Disney holiday starts. We stay at the F1 hotel in Meaux which is only about £40 if you book in advance and it's 15 mins from Disney. We stay there the fist night, get up early, go to our Disney hotel, check in and get our park tickets and usually get into the park around 9am. We do the same on the last - have a full day in the park then stay at the cheap F1 for a night so that we are fully rested before starting our journey home the next morning.
We love driving, the roads are great and we've never had a traffic problem. We like being able to take everything we need including drinks and snacks as that can save you an absolute fortune! We also like having our own space, inside the car, so that if there's any delays with the tunnel (we've had bad delays on both Eurostar and Eurotunnel) then you've got your own bit of privacy where you can have a nap, play games with the kids, snack etc, without bothering other people or being aggravated by others yourself. Travel delays in any format can be very stressful but we find it a lot less stressful when we have our own little bubble to relax in! A 2 hour delay, on the Eurostar, actually inside the red hot tunnel, having to listen to about 100 tired and hungry children cry and whinge (including my own!) whilst having to sit inches from strangers with questionable personal hygiene was so traumatising for us a few years ago that we would never go Eurostar again!! Hahaaa! (I can laugh now but I wasn't laughing at the time, I can tell you!)
Our car is very economical and the entire drive only cost about £100 in fuel. There's some good websites that will calculate the fuel cost for you if you put in some basic info. Eurotunnel crossing is usually about £130 return.
Its an easy drive, done it a few times.
Best tip I have for you is to avoid the rush hour times in France, traffic can get particularly bad. On one of our return journeys we left DLP around 3pm on Friday afternoon, we arrived in Calais at 9pm! The Friday afternoon rush hour was particularly bad that day, I think there was a couple of accidents also not helping, just best to plan ahead and avoid the stress of these peak times if you can.
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 12:56:53 PM
Quote from: macca1476 on October 05, 2016, 11:32:20 AM
Quote from: MattR on October 05, 2016, 06:41:02 AM
After I saw the french parking styles for the very first time with my own eyes it was out of question every going by my own car to France.
Only ever seen that in the centre of Paris. Parking at Disney or around Val D'Europe is fine. And if you do go into Paris and are worried about it there are car parks that you can use.
I know that is not as bad in car parks or on hotel parking lots, but still the chances are much higher in France than nearly everywhere else in europe.
The relationship to their cars (generalisation!) is totally different in France nobody cares about a scratch, here (Germany) they freak out if someone just touches your car.
I'm not sure about that, but when the French park on the street in Paris i think generally they accept there may be scratches and dents. If you do park in Paris on the street, you leave the handbrake off so you can be nudged forward.
As I say though, we didn't have any issues parking on streets around Disney or Val d'Europe. I drove over there and stayed for a total of about 8 weeks in the last four years. Would recommend getting the train in from Val d'Europe if you are heading to Paris.
Ultimately if you are really worried about it, the stress from that alone is probably suggesting you don't drive. Last thing you need at the Park is a fear of car damage, wont let you relax at all.
Our car is brand new and as this is a rare occurrence for us (to buy a brand new car), I am very particular where I park it! We were fine at Davy Crockett as you have your own parking space and then at the parks we just parked far away from everyone else and walked that little bit further. Luckily, it wasn't very busy so we could.
Thanks everyone for all the great input about this, has been really helpful. Driving there definitely sounds like a feasible option and a good way to bring the price down. Now I need to figure out if I could handle the drive (never driven abroad so the idea of being on the wrong side of the road is a little daunting :D )
Nonetheless it's all food for thought and definitely an option I will be researching further, especially as it turns out we can get the park tickets before the room is ready. I can't believe I never knew that and might have considered driving sooner if I did ;D
It does feel a bit unnerving the first time you drive abroad but honestly, you'd be surprised at how quickly you adjust. Also, the drive to DLP is mostly dual carriageway so it would be quite difficult to get on the wrong side of the road! By the time you come off the dual carriageway, you'll feel more relaxed about it. The road signs and layouts are very similar to here so although it feels different, it doesn't feel completely alien.
Also, check that your car insurance covers you fully for driving abroad. Mine only covered me third party abroad so I had to pay an extra £20 to get it fully comprehensive. It's also a good idea to have European breakdown cover.
First time i went i put a post it note with the simple phrase "Keep to Right Side of the Road".. You get used to new roads pretty quickly. So much so that on my third day i went into Paris and took on the magnificently loopy Champs Elysee Roundabout
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ea/3b/9a/ea3b9a640c5c966a641d65d46cb23f23.jpg)
Certainly would not recommend that in a new car, i was in a decade old zafira at the time :)
Put the sat nav on and you can't go wrong
It keeps you on the right side
We are complete Kent cheapskates and we always drive!
We get a ferry overnight to Calais, normally at about 12am (it's like £30!) catch an hour of sleep on the ferry then jump in the car and drive down to Disney. If you look online you can get routes that avoid the toll it adds about half an hour but we would rather do that than pay £20 on a toll :o.
Last time we got to Disney at just before 6am so we went straight to the check in at Santa Fe and got all of our tickets. Parking was free at the hotel and then there's just enough time for an egg mcmuffin before EMH :P
However you need to be hardened 'non-sleepers', I get some sleep in the car (though I promise not to ::) ) and Jay is used to being up for 36+ hours because of work. And the nap at 3pm when you get into your room will be the best nap of your life :D
We have driven to Disney a few times, the most recent being April when we stayed at Newport bay and we are going to be driving again when we go in 2017. We live near Manchester so we usually break up the travelling with an overnight stop either in Folkstone or Calais but from Kent you wouldn't need to do that. Its around 3 hours once you are in France and pretty much motorway all the way so its not tool bad if you havent driven on the other side of the road before. The hotel car parks are pretty good and we had no problem parking our large family car, not damaged or bumped at all.
The main bonus to driving is that you are free to take whatever you want and if like us you go a bit mad in the DLP shops there is plenty of space for bringing home your goodies!!
All 3 times we have driven. Abliet the first time we should have been on the eurostar but a tyre blowout out in the m6 meant we missed our non refundable/non changeable train!
Pros of driving - take whatever you want and buy whatever you want without worrying about baggage size and allowance. It's massively cheaper! We usually get the 550am euro tunnel, a good run the other side and we are in the park by 10am. Always get the tunnel back that's around 9pm so we leave the park by 4pm ish
Cons - it's tiring for the driver, my boyfriend always drives as I won't drive abroad. As the passenger thou it's also tiring but maybe that's my ocd Stress and I can't sleep cuz I worry about him being tired ha ha. Yeah it takes longer than flying or eurostar too
Other points - We've never done the ferry always euro tunnel. I guess if you chose ferry you've got that extra time for resting as the tunnel is only around 35 minutes crossing