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[clafrance]

Hi everyone,

I am taking my children to Paris (we're from the US) to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of my husband, their father's passing on Dec. 24, 2016.  I just want to give them a completely different day than we had last year.  (He had been very ill, pulmonary disease, and in Hospice care for a month prior — He had been ill for their entire lives, really.)

I know Paris to an extent, but I've never been to Disney Paris — Or any Disney park, actually.  Even here in the US.

Here are my thoughts on the day:  I just want to buy a one-day, one-park ticket for the three of us for the main park (both kids under 12).  I know it's Christmas Eve Day, so I expect it will be busy (and maybe cold!).  What are your recommendations for sites we absolutely must see?  We have other plans for the week, so I really only have the one day to allot to Disney.

We have already rented an apartment in Paris, so I don't need hotels.  We'll take the RER there and back.

What about meals?  If you've been at Disney for a holiday meal, are the grand buffets worth the price, or should we pack a picnic and/or take our chances with the quick-service eateries?

I do have the added obstacle of being allergic to gluten, but the kids are fine.

Thank you in advance for the kindness of your replies, or directing me to other threads that may answer my questions.

Happy holidays!
Cathy

[bad-pink-tink]

Here are my thoughts on the day:  I just want to buy a one-day, one-park ticket for the three of us for the main park (both kids under 12).  I know it's Christmas Eve Day, so I expect it will be busy (and maybe cold!).  What are your recommendations for sites we absolutely must see?  We have other plans for the week, so I really only have the one day to allot to Disney.

I was at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Eve in 2013. It was cold, so layers are best. I wore 2 pairs of socks, leggings under jeans, a warm coart, hat and gloves.

Christmas Eve is not as busy as Christmas Day. Christmas Eve in France is the main family day.

I did this plan for another poster on another website, also from USA and staying in Paris and only doing one day at Disney

For just one day, you need to get there about 45 minutes before park opening for general public. Most likely you should get there around 9am and go straight to The Studios Park. Go straight to Crushes Coaster and then go to single rider line in Ratatouille. Take a look in the shop in the Ratatouille area and then exit The Studios Park.

On your way out of The Studios take a look at the shops and get a quick service food. This should take you to 1pm

Go straight to the Main park and walk down Main Street. You wont have time to dawdle or browse the shops. Go direct to Discoveryland and either Fastpass Star Tours or Buzz Lightyear. While you wait for your Fastpass window you will have time to do ONE of the following, Space Mountain or Buzz or Star Tours, depending on which fastpass you decided on.

Once you have done 2 rides in Discoveryland, walk or run to Fantasyland. Exit Discoveryland and head towards the Wishing Well, Pizza Belle Notre, stage side of the Castle. Find the pathway under The Castle to the dragon. Exit the dragon and come up into Fantasyland. Depending on time, check out the upper walk through area of The Castle.

Pick 2 rides in Fantasyland, leaving Peter Pan as your second ride. Exit Peter Pan and walk smartly to Pirates of The Caribbean.
After Pirates get a quick service food in Au Chalet des Marrionettes and then head into Adventure Land.

In Adventureland you have Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones and Phantom Manor.

By this stage it should be near to park closing, so go back out to Main Street and find a spot to watch the night time fireworks and animation show projected onto The Castle

Skip table service meals, skip parades, skip character meet and greets, skip wandering about the shops, skip shows and you should be able to fit in my touring plan

What about meals?  If you've been at Disney for a holiday meal, are the grand buffets worth the price, or should we pack a picnic and/or take our chances with the quick-service eateries?

For just one day, I would either skip table service meals or  take two hours from 3 to 5pm and have a table service meal. For Christmas Eve you would defiantly need to book in advance. It would not be work it to pack a picnic, it just adds to what you have to carry around all day. Quick service places are fine, not the same standard as in USA but for one day, just go with it. There is always McDonalds, Earl of Sandwich, Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood in Disney Village.

[Lavi]

I'm so sorry for what happened to your family.

How old are your children? Are they both above  120 cm tall?  Are they into strong rides? Have they ever been to a theme park before? If any of this question is no you should probably skip Crush, Hyperspace Mountain and Indiana Jones.

Bad-pink-tink's plan is very efficient but it depends on  your children's age and preferences.

If you are going to visit the main park only I would suggest the following:

Arrive at about 9 at the main gate, enter as soon as allowed. Go straight to Peter Pan ride in Fantasyland, ride it if queue is under 30 minutes or grab a fast pass for it for later, if you managed to ride it go and grab a fast pass to Buzz or Star Tours. In the mean time ride the other one of these two and then ride various rides in Fantasiland until you can use your fast pass.

Afterwards go on the left side of the park, grab a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain and ride Phantom Manor and Pirates in the Carribean until the fast pass may be used.

Afterwards take another fast pass if still available, do various rides, see parades and shows, visit the castle, take pictures. I would suggest taking packed gluten free food and visit counter services in Adventureland or Frontierland. Avoid those on Main Street, especially Casey's Corner because queues tend to be very long there.

Enjoy your time with the kids!

Sorry for the mistakes, I'm writing on a phone and English is not my first language.

[claire2281]

Here are my thoughts on the day:  I just want to buy a one-day, one-park ticket for the three of us for the main park (both kids under 12).  I know it's Christmas Eve Day, so I expect it will be busy (and maybe cold!).

Definitely be prepared for it to be reasonably busy. It certainly was so last year though Christmas Eve was a Saturday which obviously didn't help! It can be very cold there (I've been there December days when it didn't get above freezing) but also fairly mild so layers are best.

What are your recommendations for sites we absolutely must see?  We have other plans for the week, so I really only have the one day to allot to Disney.

Rides wise, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Phantom Manor, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear and It's a Small World are the major ones in the main park. Whether you want to ride these depends on you (and your children's tolerance for roller coasters). Space Mountain is the most intense. My personal favourites are BtM and Pirates but it's all a bit personal taste.

Some rides have fast pass queues where you pick up a ticket and return at a later time so you have a much smaller queue. Personally I would DEFINITELY use this for BtM as it always has a huge queue - head here when you first arrive as fast passes for the ride can be all given out by mid morning.

Obviously as its Christmas season there's loads of entertainment on so you could probably be there a whole day and not do any rides! Don't miss the Christmas parade (twice a day), Disney Stars on Parade (once a day) and Disney Illuminations (show in front of the castle when the park closes). There's also a stage show this year with Stitch showing a few times a day and a big band playing Christmas songs in the Discoveryland theatre. Pick up a daily schedule when you enter the park or look at it online before you arrive.

Also definitely under don't miss is exploring the castle - especially the dragon in the basement!

What about meals?  If you've been at Disney for a holiday meal, are the grand buffets worth the price, or should we pack a picnic and/or take our chances with the quick-service eateries?

The Christmas Eve meals are hugely expensive and definitely require prebooking. They also would take a long time out of your day. Personally I'd go to one of the counter service restaurants instead - you'll get served quicker and get more time in the park.

[sunshine1]

Cant stress this enough: wear thermals.

[clafrance]

Lol, thank you!

[MinniesTeaParty]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My mother who is in her 70s lost her father just before Christmas when she was 18 and it still is hard for her. So I think it's wonderful that you are doing something completely different and distracting and joyful to mark the anniversary. There are lots of rides and shows/parades in Disneyland Park. Since it's all new, I'd probably pick (and have your kids pick) a couple must-dos.

Given the nature of the anniversary, you may want to avoid Haunted Mansion. It's a fantastic ride, but it's not the day I'd want to be surrounded by skeletons, graves and ghosts. Pirates also has several skeletons, just so you know, but you can judge whether your kids are pirate lovers and judge accordingly.

If you are looking for something wholly uplifting make sure to do It's a Small World. The parades would probably be great for you although you might not want to stand around for both. If you're making a full day of it, definitely watch Illuminations at park close. Ideally you would watch where you have a good view of the front of the castle so you can see the projections. But even just seeing the fireworks is fun.

In your case I'd recommend doing counter service meals (and taking along a few snacks in case you need to wait for off-peak times for meals so the lines aren't too long.) The special meals would involve a lot of time and I think it might be hard for your kids not to think about their father while sitting there surrounded by families having a special meal.

On a similar note, be prepared for tears and sadness. They're understandable. There's a nice wooded walkway from Its a small world over to the castle stage that often isn't crowded. The area around Casey Jr. is also less crowded if you need a place to escape for a while. The area on the way to Casey Jr. also has some of the most laid back character meets.

Take something, a notebook where the kids can write thoughts and memories down, or paper and envelopes so they can write something and seal it up. If you take a notebook you could add photos and memories of your day later, and it would be something the kids could look back on to remind them that you are strong and still a family and that joy and grief can coexist.

I hope you all have a very special day. I'll think of you.

[clafrance]

I just can't thank you all enough for your kind words and your expertise.  The children and I are going to enjoy our trip to Paris, and I can't wait to surprise them with this trip to Disney.  We had a fairytale life, and although we understood it was to be short-lived, it didn't stop any of us from living life to the fullest.  The children and I will do just that in Tom's honor on Dec. 24.  Disney is just the perfect place to celebrate his amazing life and our wonderful love.

Cheers to you all, and best wishes for all good things in the New Year!
Cathy