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[disneysteph]

Hi all!  I'm a newbie to DLP.  We are going in april next year with our two girls (5 & 3 years)  flying to CDG and staying the the Newport Lodge Hotel.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips/ hints/ must dos or can direct me to a thread which has this info!

Is it worth doing the princess dinner?  Do you need to book all resturants or can you walk in to some of them?  Im not sure about making decisions about places to eat and times before we go!

Sorry if these questions are very obvious but I want to be prepared!  Sooo excited to bring my girls 

[gemmasteele84]

Princess dinner you will need to book and is very worth doing to see all the princess'. Its expencive and tbh the food isnt the best but you pay for the entertainment and saves you queuing for hours on end at the princess pavillion
Must dos would be dreams and the parades obviously, also if you can book a table at 'Walts' at the same time as the parade down main street (you can find out times on the website nearer the time) you can sometimes watch form the window and get a brilliant view.
Sure I'll be back with more tips as I think of them lol

[rebecca20]

In terms of booking - we never have done since we go off peak, depends how desperate you are to do Auberge though. I would recommend Cafe Mickey to do VIP characters as its much cheaper than the other character dining options and was in my personal opinion the best.

Since your children are young (I visited Disney at a similar age and am basing this on what I used to like) Small World is likely to be a big hit (pretty much all Fantasyland is). Depending how brave they are maybe do Pirates, I have to warn you on my visit ride aged 4 it scared the **** out of me and its taken me 18 years to pluck up the courage to go back, but now its one of my favourites and I honestly don't know what the fuss was about!

Studios - definitely do ratatouille and possibly Disney Junior (if your little ones are Sofia fans).

I'm afraid I've only ever visited with Godsons and so we did things like meet Spiderman and avoided Princesses at all costs but I guess it's all preference of each child, they loved all the Haunted Mansion and Pirates things but I would have cried non-stop at their age, I was a huge wimp and Minnie Mouse fan, I even shunned the Princesses.

[littlebitofpixiedust]

Hi 

There are so many useful tips on here. I'm sure you'll find a lot of helpful info.

The princess meal (auberge) I'd Pre-book along with any other character meals you like (inventions-buffet in disneyand hotel/ cafe mickey-table service) I've never done auberge purely because the food on the menu looks a little "posh" and my little one is very fussy. We always opt for inventions as its a good variety of buffet type food and I'm sure pret similar in price range.
Cafe mickey is good also and a lot cheaper but personally feel inventions has a calmer atmosphere but it's down to personal preference. Id begin by viewing the menus I just typed the name into google and found it but some helpful person may have the link? You can book meals in advance over the phone around up to 2 months before I think it is.

The rest of the reastaurants you shouldn't have much problem just turn up 

Few tips:
*Use extra magic hours wisely- Peter pan/dumbo seem to get huge ques during the day
*Take snacks/drinks Disney are completely fine with this aslong as you have no huge cool box/hamper/alcohol ect it will save you money and lots of time also
*Crush's coaster (depending if your children like fast spinning rides) is very popular and has low through put and no Fastpass if you want to ride get there early the que only gets bigger (usually) unless your on an extremely slow day
*Ratatouille is amazing it can't be missed head there first thing and get a Fastpass as they run out quick and the que when I last went reached 2 hours
*Disney dreams also CANNOT be missed its incredible especially for first timers try and get near the castle at the very least 30 mins before unless you want to be upfront if go an hour before


There's probably lots more tips but I go so much it's like routine and I can't think what other things we do 

[Zee79]

Have a look at the thread "what I wish I had known before my first trip to dlp" in this planning section, it may help.

[disneysteph]

Thanks so much for the tips! 
I hate the thought of paying loads for a meal the kids won't eat but I know they will LOVE meeting the princesses!  I just want this to be a magical and stress free holiday for us all, so I might go mad and book it nearer the time.  I hope the stuff for the smaller kids is open when we go, I know IASW is closed at the moment!

[gemmasteele84]

For a stress free holiday Id def book princess lunch and Mickeys. Sometimes (not all the time but sometimes) it can be a bit of a mad scramble to get an autograph or photo from a character as some people lack the manners to wait their turn. The staff are very good at handling this in my experience but it is still nicer to sit with a meal, relax and have the characters come to you and chat to the kids.
- Take dress up outfits for the girls with you if they are likely to want to dress up, the prices there are crazy.
- Oh not sure if they still do it but ask at the hotel about having breakfast in the park on some days. Its the same type of food you get in the hotel but its a new experience to have
- Buy a Disneylanyard and some pins from ebay or disneystore before you go. The lanyard is really helpful to keep all your tickets to hand I found and my two loved exchanging pins with staff.

[stifle]

If you expect to want to eat at Auberge de Cendrillon book sooner rather than later. If you hang on you will risk not getting it at all. Same goes for Inventions and Café Mickey.

[disneysteph]

You can only book 60 days in advance?  Is that right? ?

[rebecca20]

I think booking depends on your availability and how early / late you want to eat. As I say we've never booked but we've always been free for 5 days and aren't fussy over eating times and never had any problems

I just can't plan ahead that far - hell I don't book my trips 60 days in advance, my last one was two weeks

[stifle]

You can only book 60 days in advance?  Is that right? ?

Two months if you're staying in a Disney hotel. One month if you aren't.

[DLPWonders (Banned)]

You can only book 60 days in advance?  Is that right? ?

Two months if you're staying in a Disney hotel. One month if you aren't.

Eh no. Two months always.
I always stay off-site and book my restaurants, including ADC, two months in advance.