Newbie going in October - hints and tips welcome!

[Daddydan8]

Hi all - Me, the Mrs and 3 kids (aged 9, 11 & 12) are having our first ever visit to DLP on the 27th October and staying at the DC Ranch.

We are driving down to Paris the day before and staying overnight so we can do the sites there before heading to DLP to get the halloween magic started.

I am after any hints and tips anyone can throw me such as the following and anything else you can think of please?

- What are the cabins like, is it right there or no ovens? Is there an iron etc?
- What is outside the park (besides going into Paris) in terms of shops, places to eat etc?
- Are you allowed to take lunches/food into the park if you are staying at the ranch or is that not allowed?
 - Also, the day we arrive will be the Mrs birthday and I wondered what options are available to make it extra special for her when we arrive?

The kids are super excited and my youngest keeps checking the countdown app on my phone every day!

I must admit I'm a little excited too - I just want to make sure I have everythiong covered so that we can have a fab time there!!

Thanks in advance

[DisneyRon]

Well, DLP is very close to Val d'Europe shopping center, so there's a fair number of shops and restaurants there as well.
There's an Aquarium there to visit as well.

As for food, you're technically not allowed to bring food into the park, but if I recall they don't really check for that anymore. But other who have actually brought packed lunches can answer that better than me.

As for your wife's birthday, you could give the reception a call and see if something can be arranged (it's usually possible), so you'll have a nice surprise waiting for her when you get there.

[twentythingamabobs]

You are allowed to bring your own food and drink into the park - they request that you eat your picnics outside the actual park in the Garden but I've never seen this enforced!

[DisneyMichelle]

I love the DC Ranch! Make sure you make use of their swimming pool! its amazing.

There are a couple of different models of cabins. You have their 'Premium' cabin and standard. My personal fav is the Standard as it has a more rustic feel to it and if I remember correctly they have an oven.
However the last couple of times we have been and I have asked to have a standard cabin they always put us in the premier cabin anyway.

If you call them in advance they should be able to put a card/ cake or something similar in your cabin for your arrival.

I always take some crisps and bars into the park with me and have never had a problem with this. So you should be fine.

Have an amazing time!

[Daddydan8]

Thanks all of you for the info, I'll have to get on the phone to Disney and see what they can offer!

Only 22 days to go now!! 

[Daddydan8]

Well I have just called them and I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. Because we are staying in the DC Ranch there are no ‘packages’ available to me. So the person on the phone suggested I order a cake to go with our evening meal.
So I thought ok fair enough, I’ll book a reservation and then order a cake too so I was put through to the dining reservation number and the Mrs would really like to eat at Annette’s Diner as she likes the whole American experience and being served on roller-skates idea!
Turns out you can’t reserve a table there and I cant order a cake either as I cant confirm what time we will be sat down!
Not an ideal start and its left me a bit stuck on how to do something nice for her as a surprise when we get there and she walks in to the Cabin

 

[Mrsya]

Hi there. You may well be moving into our cabin as we are staying at DC and leaving on the 27th! 

There aren't any packages available but I buy disney soft toys and run in sneakily and put them on the bunk beds. Maybe you could buy a smaller present to pop on her pillow? Have some chocolates in your case to pop on the kitchen table in the morning or some perfume with a ribbon tied around it and pop it on the dresser when you unpack?

You can't book for Annette's but never heard of anyone having trouble booking and its the first restaurant you come t before even entering the main park so you could always nip in. There is also a phone in your cabin with a direct line t restaurant reservations so you can call and book a table for somewhere else when you arrive or in a morning. This is a free service and makes it nice and flexible each day. The park will start to get busy around your arrival date though so if you have particular restaurants that you want to try you can always book now and cancel or change when you arrive.

The cabins don't have an oven but do have a hob (two rings I think). No toaster or iron as I remember and no hairdryer either but I think you can rent these from the shop for a hefty deposit. The cabins are lovely. Towels provided but take bath sheets if you like bigger towels. You have a small fridge and tiny freezer compartment. To be honest, we used the kitchen for breakfast and didn't see the cabin again until 11pm most nights! We thought we'd use all of the ranch facilities (swimming pool, small farm, games room, restaurant etc) but just wanted to spend our hours in the park so didn't even go swimming. I've read there's a sealift centre nearby but again, we just became addicted to the disney and decided we could see some fish when we got back!

If you have any other questions, ask away. I wanted to be in the know when we first went too!

[Daddydan8]

Thanks for the tips Mrsya - I will give it some though, we have a few weeks to go yet though!

We are looking to have breakfast in the cabin and prepare some lunches for during the day so that we can have a nice meal each evening so not looking to be in the cabin much similar to your plans really.

Not had a look outside the park as to whats there other than someone mentioned before that there is a supermarket which will come in handy, but other than staying in Paris the night before cant see us having much need to go away from the park itself until we leave.

I hope you have a great time when you go! We are really excited as I bet you are too!